Day Three: Allegiances

[Rogue 4]

"Of course, that's what put Chase on edge for no reason." She sighed, shaking her head. She supposed she understood that he was just worried about her, and relaxed a bit. "And nothing's going to happen, so you don't have to worry, alright? Just because I'm using Cerebro doesn't mean I'm going to have a power surge. I've used it before, Scott. I'm just using without the Professor in the room this time."

Edited October 27, 2008 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

"Alright," he said, calming down and half-forcing a smile. "Can we stand outside the door, at least? In case, say, a panel falls loose from the ceiling in some sort of freak accident and falls on your head?"

[Rogue 4]

"Go ahead." Jean said, opening the elevator to the hidden basement level. She would humor him. Nothing was going to happen anyway. She teased him by saying "Just remember that freak accidents can happen to anyone."

[Drake 53]

"Then it's a good thing I have Peter and his thick head to protect me," Scott said with a chuckle as they stepped into the elevator and hit the button to go down. He was glad that their momentary spat was past. Jean could be stubborn and quick to throw a fit sometimes, usually at his expense. Scott supposed that he could get that way too, especially the stubborn part although he usually kept his emotions bottled up.

***

Marcus finished off a large bowl of no name discount cereal, the best that Mystique would pay for apparently, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Their leader was standing across the room, looking out the window, seemingly in thought.

"So, uh, what are we supposed to be doing today, uh, ma'am?" he asked, cautiously.

[Rogue 4]

"We are going to recruit a new member to our organization." Mystique said, turning to regard him with her yellow eyes. "The FBI has been tracking a mutant in the Seattle Washington area. So when you're all ready---"

"We're going to go blast the fecking place." Neil finished for her. "Great, so when do we leave?"

"Now." Mystique said, heading for the door. "So you better all be ready."

[Andy 60]

Danny stood up and stretched. He was ready, and he guessed Neil would never admit to being anything but ready, and Marcus seemed eager despite being tired. No wonder, he thought, the kid roars in his sleep...

* * *

Peter had directed Chase further ahead as Jean and Scott were having 'a chat', he wasn't sure what about, but it was certainly something about this Cerebro. He turned to Peter, "I'm guessing this thing is deliberately named after a word meaning 'brain'?"

Edited October 28, 2008 by Andy

[Drake 53]

Now standing outside the heavy doors to Cerebro, Peter said, "Yes it is. Cerebro was created by two of the most powerful mutants alive today. Professor Charles Xavier designed it and Magneto built it. The original, that is. We have since been able to rebuild it ourselves. I will let Jean explain it to you more but basically it enhances a telepath's abilities...globally."

***

Marcus looked up when a man walked into the house, uninvited. He looked familiar. Marcus snarled at him anyway. "Can we help you?" he asked, without a hint of kindness.

[Andy 60]

"Globally?" Chase echoed incredulously. He wondered what Peter meant, but figured Jean would show him soon enough.

* * *

"Wow. He's really not a morning person," Danny muttered to Neil.

Edited October 28, 2008 by Andy

[Mara 29]

Sean warmly smiled at Marcus. "Yes... Mr Connor, is it? Or...I bet you have a new name now?

I'm here to see our beloved Mysti."

He glanced around. "Are you guys going somewhere?"

Edited October 29, 2008 by Mara

[Rogue 4]

Mystique came from behind him, grabbing him by the jaw. "It's Mystique, Reynolds." She said, spinning and kicking him hard and high. The blue skinned woman was not simply a shapeshifter. She possessed superior strength and flexibility. She sneered as the man hit the wall. "Don't ever call me by pet names."

***

Jean chuckled a bit at Scott, relaxing. "Lucky you." She walked forward with him, the two of them meeting up with Peter and Chase at the tail end of the conversation. "Are you ready Chase?"

***

"Well you know," Natalie laughed. "I like to help when I can."

Edited October 29, 2008 by Rogue

[Vergere 1]

"Yeah, yeah." Kelly rolled her eyes and grinned, then glanced over at the shore. "Uh oh... looks like another Rangla brother fight."

Lance snorted, "You sound suprised. I don't think I've ever seen them do anything but fight."

[Drake 53]

Marcus smirked but made no sound when Mystique kicked, Mr. Reynolds the substitute teacher, Marcus remembered, into the wall. Laughing aloud might have turned her attentions on him. Instead he kept smiling and drank his early morning cola.

***

Scott signaled to Peter that they were staying outside. They flanked the door as Jean stepped forward to the retinal scanner.

[Rogue 4]

The redheaded woman knelt in front of the retinal scanner. It scanned her eyes horizontally, and then vertically before the large round door accepted her and opened wide. "Welcome Jean Grey."

Beyond the doors was a metal pathway that led into the center of a large spherical chamber made of metal panels. Falling off the platform would not be a fun time at all, but there were no railways to be seen. Jean beckoned Chase to come with her towards the console in the center. "Chase, this is Cerebro."

***

"Great." Natalie sighed, paddling towards the shore. "We better go break it up before it turns into a riot."

[Andy 60]

Chase was lost for words when he saw the large spherical room that housed--or probably even was--Cerebro, he wondered with amusement how you would get back up the steep curved sides if you somehow managed to fall off the platform. He followed Jean to the console at the end of the platform, which appeared to be in the very centre of the room.

"Peter told me it enhances telepathic abilities to global levels," Chase told Jean. "But I don't really get what he meant; or rather I kinda do but it sounds a bit mindblowing. Excuse the pun."

[Rogue 4]

"Peter was right." Jean said, picking up what appeared to be some sort of metal gear that hooked into the console, and placing it on her head. "Cerebro takes a telepath's powers and amplifies them to extraordinary levels. But...you have to have a severe amount of control to use it."

[Andy 60]

Chase watched as Jean place the helmet-like thing on her head. "Understandably," he replied.

He knew he had telepathic abilities of his own, but they were nowhere near developed enough for him to even control them himself properly. Usually it was random, but occasionally he had managed to deliberately induce the telepathy himself. He was sure Jean would help him learn to control his powers eventually; it would just take a lot of time and effort.

[Rogue 4]

"Cerebro was invented so that the X-men could find other mutants." All around them, an image appeared, like a map of the West Coast. She had seen the Professor use it to find mutants all over the world, but she understood that she wasn't strong enough to do that yet. The map glowed in a smokey bluish white, and as Jean drew in closer it was apparent that each of these were people. Jean was especially careful with the amount of force she exerted today, trying to keep her mind relaxed as she searched for a mutant nearby. She found many, but mutants using their powers had stronger signatures. "As you can see, Cerebro can locate anyone...but we utilize it to find mutants in need of help."

[Vergere 1]

Kelly shrugged. "Or I could just accidentally get a big wave going and drench them...."

At this, Lance just held the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. "Mutants."

[Andy 60]

Chase stood beside Jean, taking it all in as the map resolved into a more clearly defined collection of people going about their daily lives.

"Are you looking for anyone in particular?" Chase asked softly, worried about speaking louder in case he broke Jean's concentration.

Edited October 30, 2008 by Andy

[Rogue 4]

"I'm trying to see if--" Jean was slowly expanding the area she was looking at, focussing on mutants until the image of a boy appeared, although it seemed clouded by smoke. He was in trouble somehow, and she needed to know why.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Rogue

[Mara 29]

Sean grinned and straightened his shirt before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his khakis. "Good to see you, too, Mystique."

He turned back to the others in the room, nodded to them. "I should introduce myself. Some of you may know me, some of you may not. But in present company, you may just call me Sean." Narrowing his eyes slightly, "But on missions, it's Sonic."

* * * * *

Before he even saw them, he could hear them. They were at it again. Joseph sighed, grabbed his first-aid kit and headed down the beach to where a crowd was forming.

"Excuse me, excuse me..." he called out, parting through the mass of people, mostly kids by the look of them. "Let's break it up now. Break it up! Now!" Startled, the two brothers stopped and looked up at him.

Joseph took this moment to motion the crowd away. "Nothing to see...go back to your business..."

"Now, is anyone hurt?" he asked the two of them.

Edited October 29, 2008 by Mara

[Drake 53]

Marcus couldn't help himself and started humming the Sonic the Hedgehog theme to himself while he set his dirty dishes atop the already full sink. "Welcome to the club, I guess." He wandered off to his room to grab a couple things before returning to put on his shoes.

[Andy 60]

Danny smirked at Marcus' rendition of the Sonic the Hedgehog theme, then held out his hand to greet Sean. "Danny," he said, "just Danny at the moment."

[Rogue 4]

"Don't get comfortable." Mystique warned Sean icily. "You're leaving, now!" She grabbed him by the arm and began ushering him towards the door. So Eric had sent him here to keep an eye on her? Well, she wasn't going to have it. "You can tell Magneto that I have everything under control."

[Mara 29]

Sean shook Danny's hand, ignoring Marcus's humming that he could hear quite clearly. "Welcome aboard."

At Mystique's touch, he raised his brow. "And who says that is why I'm here? I thought I might be of some help. Probably more than these greenhorns.

No offense," he added, looking back at Danny with a smile.