(ooc- Chels, Angie, if there’s anything you want changed, just tell me and I will do as asked!)
It was short notice, but Mystique has learned over the years that life doesn’t give you time to prepare for things. You have to use the time you’ve got as much as you can to get the best out of it. It was time that these younger mutants learnt the same thing. Therefore, the previous night, before this day, Mystique had made her way to the room of Victoria Fitzbruin. There she told the poisonous mutant about the information gathered by Yuriko. The selected Brotherhood mutants were off the X-Men’s very own isle. Question was: how were they to get there?
It had taken a mere moment of thought until something came to Victoria’s mind. Mystique could see it in the young mutants’ face and left the room at that moment. If she was smart enough she’d figure out how to use this piece of information.
And indeed she had.
The next morning, 8 o’clock, the higher-ranking Brotherhood mutants were ready to set off. Those who like to be prompt were there up to two hours early, much to Mystiques delight. Others began to show up closer to the deadline, and as that came closer it seemed as if one mutant wasn’t going to show up. That mutant being Jason Toynbee.
Overall, he was a good asset to the Brotherhood. He may not have the most stylish of powers, but he could use what he had extremely well. Jason had even done various assignments in the past that proved his worth, but there was just one problem; he could get slack at times.
And today just happened to be one of those slack times.
Shauna shook her head as she suppressed the feelings of anger and disappointment for her twin brother. She even pondered over the thought of going to his room and dragging him out of bed, but there was no time and she’d be left behind. Besides, he was old enough to look after himself maybe now he might learn how to do so.
Though, it didn’t seem as if the team was going to one man down with the later inclusion of someone else. Shauna had seen him around before but didn’t really know him. Her brown eyes stayed on him for a moment, she wondered if he would be up for this as he wasn’t at the meeting where the top and selected mutants were invited. Was he going to be a good replacement for Jason? Perhaps, and Shauna hoped so just so it’d annoy her brother.
As the group left, leaded by Victoria, Mystique stayed by the door of the meeting room, the meeting spot for this weekend’s event. She did not follow them out nor did she wish them any luck. It was up to them now. Their fate and future at the Brotherhood remained in their own hands. A failure was not acceptable.
Upon entering the jet, Shauna looked over the planes interior, admiring Victoria’s work for the slightest of moments until she remembered that it was Victoria here. It was probably her fault that Jason didn’t show. Though, if she could show up why couldn’t he? Again, she shook her head at her brother’s incompetence to show up on time.
Having never flown before, only being able to handle almost every kind of land vehicle however, she hardly expected herself to pilot this and took a seat close to the back. It was close to the door, which meant that she’d be able to get off quicker and begin scanning the area to get used to the new surroundings.
The pilot ended up being Phoebe, who safely got them to the isle with ease, landing them between a few sand dunes that filled a small area of the island before it went off to some kind of a dank forest in one direction and the other lead to a beach, but that couldn’t be seen with dunes covering the view.
‘Could have landed somewhere else...’ thought Shauna as a gust of wind picked up sand and sharply brushed it past her bare arms, as she was wearing a black tank top. A green hand rubbed softly over her left arm which had the most sand whipped across it, before falling quickly. What was ahead wasn’t going to be easy. They were going to fight, and so would the X-Men. She knew that they won’t take it lying down, therefore there would be pain, so the slight discomfort caused a moment before would seem like nothing. Her mind then remained focused upon what was waiting not too far ahead.
When everyone was off the jet Shauna looked over everyone, an inward deep breath too keep herself focused. They weren’t like the other team members on the small missions she had done for Mystique before where they would muck around and stuff things up before anything could be done. They were the real deal more or less. That meant she couldn’t treat them they way she taught the others, but that wasn’t as bad as it sounded. This group could actually do something, do what Shauna had dreamed of since she first arrived at the Brotherhood... Restore the former glory. Edited by: Broken Truth at: 12/4/04 8:48 am
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
Alfonse was one of the first off the plane, not because he was so eager to impress anyone or any such respectable intention. Truth be told, his hangover didn't mix well with air travel. He doubled over for a moment, hands on his knees while he stared at the sand gathering around his tan boots. Several hard swallows kept his stomach from jumping out of his throat and soon he was able to stand upright again. He wasn't going to let a sour gut effect his performance today. When you run with a gang you learn to look tough and be tough no matter what. The Brotherhood wasn't much more than a gang as far as Alfonse was concerned.
He'd been a very literal last minute addition to the team. Mystique had found him on the front porch looking at a Playboy, trying to take it easy on his stomach. He had no idea what he was getting into as he followed her to where several members were already waiting, but was able to pick up that he wasn't her first choice for whatever he was doing. He couldn't really blame her. He'd done nothing since she picked him up outside the pennitentary months ago. Part of him was hoping she'd rethink her choice, because his head was spinning like a top.
He'd at least seen everyone who boarded the plane before. Names eluded him, but he was sure he'd made small talk with one or two before. If people didn't know him they weren't looking to him for an introduction, which suited him fine today. Normally he'd pick a girl and flirt shamelessly until he got a date or a slap across the face, but his nausea led him to an empty seat in the very back. They hadn't even taken off and he was already feeling increasingly queasy. He made it through the flight with his eyes closed, jaw clenched, and fingers digging into the arms of the chair. He wondered what sort of pilot the girl up front was, because at least his insides were doing barrel rolls.
Ignoring the scratching sand as it whipped his baggy dark blue jeans and white A-shirt for the sake of that tough persona, D.K. eyed the team. From his encounters with them, from the looks of them, they knew what they were here to do. Hopefully he'd be able to fudge it and act like he knew what they were doing. Hopefully he'd be able to show what he was made of, what he could do, and how they did it in Detroit. Hopefully he'd be able to go through the day without puking.
((OOC: Pardon the shortish post. They'll get longer as I find the Brotherhood groove.))
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
As Victoria reclined in the all too familiar jet she thought that it had come together nicely for a rushed plan. She had, of course, been in more luxurious planes during her lifetime but on less than a day's notice there was little to be done. While the other mutants were likely amazed by their accomedations Victoria was merely thinking *this will do I supose.* She glanced around the interior and remembered the strange sense of being needed and of importance she had felt when Mystique had entered her room the previous night. She had been here long enough to win the affections of Jason and consequently the dislike of his sister and yet Victoria hadn't been a blip on the radar, or so she thought, in the eyes of their blue skinned leader and it was nice to be needed, even if it was just for her money and connections.
Mystique had a plan that involved some action for the Brotherhood at last and what kind of a team member would Victoria be if she didn't contribute in some way? She realized that in the past she had been less than a team player and her attitude now was certainly no more pleasant than it had been then yet she was more willing to share her resources now. Could it be, thought the poisonous mutant, that she was actually coming to slowly trust these people? Before them she had trusted few, only her father and even between them there was the nudging of boundaries and a sort of distrustful respect at times. Here she had found others like her who didn't want to help humanity or to waste their gifts which could be used so well in activities of self-interest. She didn't like them all and yet she was coming to trust them and that was a new and strange revelation.
It hadn't taken much really. Her father was often at the office late and so long as she continued to blackmail a few of his best clients for him he was wrapped around her little finger. One call and she had a plane. Mystique hadn't come right out and asked of course, she had been more subtle managing to get her point across without any direct wording and Victoria respected that too. Years in the world of business thanks to her father had led to Victoria being able to function intelligently with little sleep and she had been one of the first ones up to leave that morning. The problem being that in her own haste she had temporarily forgot about Jason, just assuming that he would be there. He had known afterall and shouldn't he have been able to wake up on time and get himself out the door on time? It really wasn't that much to ask.
Victoria's green eyes flashed as her surpressed anger re-emerged. She had a hot temper and was not always the best at controlling her emotions in public view, a fact which probably stemmed from her ability to throw a temper tantrum when she was younger and to get whatever it was she wanted. Yes she had been manipulative even as a child and she had been a brat as a child, she wasn't afraid to admit that. Contrary to popular sayings nice guys did finish last much of the time, at least in the world of the rich and powerful. Not for the first time Victoria wondered why she hadn't noticed the absense of her boyfriend until it was too late. Sure she had been packing and seeing through preparations with the jet but even still she should have noticed. Not that it was her fault, it was his and he would know that well by the time she got finished with him when they returned. Sneaking a green eyed glance at Shauna Victoria thought that she wouldn't be the only one chewing Jason out. Sometimes it was a curse she suposed to have two very strong willed women in your life and Jason would come to know that soon enough.
Her gaze shifted across the other mutants on the plane and caught on the new one to the group. Powerwise he might make an admirable ally, she didn't know but he certainly wouldn't be a replacement for her boyfriend and that in itself was enough for the poison mutant to more or less ignore the newcomer.
Victoria's gaze passed over the others yet again. Even without Jason they were an admirable group, one worthy of respect and unlike the X-men, from what she had been told, the Brotherhood were not confined by a game mission. This was the real deal, the type of encounter that could put the mutant affiliation back into the history books and that was exactly what Victoria planned on doing if she got her way and she always did.
Kal-El sat across from her, looking less than pleased. He was afraid of heights, not that he would dream of telling anyone about this, and had quickly chosen a seat which didn't involve looking out at the clouds around him. Even in a jet flying was scary to him and certainly not the type of power he would ever want to have compared to some. That said he had to admit that it was a comfortable way to travel. Aside from his rocketing to earth in a spaceship, which he didn't remember at all, Kal had never been on any sort of aerial vehicle. He was a farm boy in the big city and he preferred his feet firmly on the ground where he could use his powers of speed. Up here he felt lost and that was a feeling Kal didn't like to have for it reminded him far too much of Smallville and of his parents and Lana.
Kal fingered the red ring around his finger absently. Hopefully it wouldn't act up and force him to take it off on the island because the urge to return no matter what the consequences was growing within him daily. As soon as the ring was off it would come rushing back to him and Kal didn't want those feelings of hopelessness and of guilt to go running through him. He checked in every now and then, not that they knew it. He'd call and hang up just to hear their voices and sometimes his mother would whisper 'Clark?' and he'd hang up quickly. Here at least there were no phones and no easy exit. He was here for the long run. The alien chanced a glance out the window and felt as queasy as he had ever felt without green kryptonite and he was glad when five minutes later the plane landed. He was the first off even without using his speed and although he had never really been near the beach before the sand beneath his shoes felt like home. They weren't in Kansas anymore and perhaps this might just be better than Kansas. He could always dream anyway.
As they stood on the beach Victoria glanced over at Shauna, debating whether to speak with her or not since the group didn't seem to have anything overly important to say to one another at that moment. They weren't exactly on friendly terms but for once Victoria felt a common bond with the green skinned mutant, sure that Jason's sister was nearly as upset as she at his absence from the team.
"Am I right in thinking I won't be the only one chewing out your dear brother when we return?" Victoria asked. Her tone was haughty and slightly cold but it was a comment nonetheless and there was hidden within that cold tone a trace of friendliness that Shauna would surely pick up on no matter how small a trace it was.
Feeling more like his usual, if usual meant Kal and not Clark that was, self the Kryptonian rolled his eyes at the idle chitchat. "So how does this work anyway?" he asked, hazel eyes bright for a moment with the thought of using his powers for something other than recreation. He had a purpose and it wasn't saving people in that stupid small town he had called home. His purpose was here with the brotherhood...or at least it was for the moment since he couldn't speak for the mirrored version of himself without the ruby red ring.
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
A brow rose somewhat as Phoebe ventured off the plane, a perfect spot to land since it hid the craft from sight while being snuggled between these dunes. A discourteous sewer frog switched with a waning individual who looked like he’d been scooped up from some back ally gangster group. The young Darkholm kept her opinions to herself as her eyes moved off to study the others of the group. Capable – maybe… trained for this? That was a definite no in most cases, at least in Phoebe’s eyes, no matter, Shauna was at least of decent skills to be of good enough help, the other misfits just better do as they were told.
The illustrious form of the blue skinned red head turned away from the rest of the group, bright gleaming yellow eyes scanned over the sandy peaks as her shapely legs carried her smoothly to their tops. The black tight leather attire shifted, replacing the outfit with a blending greens army camouflage, the short tank top and shorter shorts that adorned her firm figure did an amazing job of flaunting her perfection. Phoebe’s skin also shifted to the similar green camouflage pattern, her luscious lips a dark green instead of their usual ruby splendour. Darker olive hair with lighter emerald highlights was in a French plait, tightly intertwined to the base of her neck.
A belt about her waist held her assortment of tools, more noticeably were her two silver guns on either side, most other miscellaneous items were securely held inside the small pouches. One of the useless members would be assigned to carry the gear. Two if there were heavier items that had to be shared for minimal complaints. The shapeshifter didn’t bother to concern herself with assigning those tasks, Shauna and Victoria had both been members long enough that either of them tended to give the chore out.
The colour of Phoebe’s camouflaged exterior altered to match that of the sandy dunes they were in at the moment, no point in being lazy, as always, Phoebe preferred going to extremes to get her job done, and if that meant altering her colour constantly to fit in better, then that’s exactly what she was going to do. Gorgeous yellow orbs turned to study the group behind her once more, an amused smirk tugging in the corner of her now sandy hued lips. Waiting for them to assemble and ready themselves for departure, she looked away again, keeping a watch out for any unfortunate enough to stumble across them… Highly unlikely since they were meant to arrive earlier then the new generation of pusillanimous pushovers. However Phoebe was no fool, she knew the elder generations or more experienced lot were be troublesome, she wasn’t going to take the risk by letting her guard down for the moment.
Well, this pack of tryhards could have no better training then right out in the thick of it, but lord, if one starts whining she will NOT hesitate sending them home early, and with any luck they might be able to function properly by the time they are needed later down the track. Sometimes, just sometimes, Phoebe felt her mother was too soft on this lot, if this had been her team to organise and prepare, that slime ball Jason would have been kicked out of bed so hard he’d end up waiting on this damn island for them to follow behind in the jet!
"Shauna, get this lot moving," Silken words slipped out of the blonde haired leader, her sandy complexion making her more like the usual human skin tone then the accustomed deep blue of her family’s trait. There’s was a peculiarity about Phoebe, and that was she tended to seem fond of the person in the group who seemed the most useful… even if all of them where a pack of lowlife has-beens who’s idea of a tough life was working weekends in some video store reading girl magazines and playing video games.
Nevertheless, this was different, the daughter born from the depths of the incompetent cesspool that was Toad’s family gene was – amazingly enough – quite handy to have around. You always need someone you can trust on the team, and if they could get the job done better then the others, no matter how pathetic they were in comparison to herself, Phoebe would have no choice but to dub them as her ‘second in command’…Even if Phoebe wasn’t technically in charge of a team she still had this habit.
Though admittedly, Victoria was proving able to handle herself, however Phoebe hasn't had the chance to deal with either of them greatly. Perhaps this was their chance to prove themselves to her as much as to the brotherhood.
(Sorry I took a bit to reply…*shifty look*…wasn’t sure what to put…*Hangs head feeling left out of all the plotting of things that have been planned*)
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
For Mareesa Williams, the flight very much like to plane: ok but nothing special. Not that she or her family possessed any such vehicles of their own like it was with Victoria but that wasn’t actually necessary for her anyway. After all, wasn’t it far more practical to just get on a jet or helicopter when and where she wanted to instead of having to care for a place for it to stay or possibly even pay for it? There were enough of her “clients” that were delighted to pay their debts with material things and favors and those who were not would do it anyway. Well, you can’t make everyone happy, can you?
Thus having flown first class or in private jets with personal assistants repeatedly, it didn’t take long for the Drama Queen to get incredibly bored. There wasn’t even a TV screen or something as simple as music to keep her entertained and so, with a slightly annoyed rolling of her turquoise eyes, she resorted to the most simple form of distraction: the window. Not that there was much to see until they were about to land anyway, yet at least she had some time to think without having to find a spot inside the plane to focus her eyes on which was something she wanted to avoid anyway. In her opinion, there was hardly anything more stupid-looking than someone absent-mindedly staring into nothing.
Despite the reply she had gotten, Mareesa was still anything but certain as of what they were really expected or – more precisely – able to do. At least about herself the showgirl knew that she was anything but a fighter. Sure, there had been some training after she had joined the Brotherhood, a nice opportunity to learn something that would certainly prove useful but what if they were to confront a team full of martial arts aces? As it was, there seemed to be no other chances than to rely on her powers and let those with more threatening gifts than – though quite convincing – illusions do the actual work. Maybe if she distracted or scared those goodie do-gooders so the others could…
She sighed. Certainly not for the first time, the Drama Queen wondered why she had joined this insane horde anyway. The benefits it brought along were not overly convincing compared to those pointless, pseudo-idealistic talks and – worse – excursions it brought along. In a way, the whole thing had something of a school trip just that instead of going to the zoo watching stupid animals they spent their time chasing them. Hopefully it would at least be entertaining… and maybe they were lucky and came across one of those loser teams that didn’t even deserve that title. Every organization has those, right? So why not the infamous X-Men, after all, they already had the cliché-cheesy codename.
Not bothering to hurry, the Drama Queen rose from her seat as one of the last and exited with a casual glance around. There was no doubt there would be enough chances to get her perfectly fitting $2,000 outfit ruined but then again, she didn’t overly care about it anyway. Not a cent she had paid for it and although the man who had given it to her had been actually quite a pleasure to spent the night with – quite a rare thing to occur as she grumpily admitted to herself – that didn’t mean this quite revealing yet still somewhat tasteful black ensemble was of any sentimental value for her. Sleeveless and low cut the top, the matching skirt quite long for her standards falling down to her ankles but with a high slit at the left side more than just making up for it, she felt only slightly overdressed for the woods. Then again, it wasn’t as if she was making a fashion statement. In her opinion, she had chosen the most suitable of clothes allowing her to run, jump and whatever other ridiculous things she would be demanded to do. She had even refrained from wearing her usual high-heels and had chosen high boots with flat soles instead. It felt a bit unusual to her but at least she was certain that she would be able to keep the balance, something Mareesa had to admit she wouldn’t have been too certain about with her other shoes, despite the practice in doing quite literally everything with them on.
Apparently, someone had asked a question as she assumed joining the assembled group outside for everyone’s attention seemed somewhat focused as if awaiting a reply. It was just then that Mareesa noticed a face she could not remember having seen on the meeting. If she remembered correctly, she had seen this black man occasionally but since she didn’t live on the grounds but in an apartment close to the Silvery, a nightclub her mother owned where she was working, she had never really had closer contact with any of the Brotherhood’s members apart from their “group activities”. The showgirl was thankful for that for in a way, this gang of mutants had something of work and as she had realized some time ago, she didn’t want work to interfere with her personal life, the peace and tranquility even the Drama Queen needed every now and then, which was the reason why she had moved out of the room one story over the actual club that she was, however, still using for “special” clients.
Trying to focus on the matters at hand (one of which was a quite bossy redhead), Mareesa found her thoughts occasionally wandering off to the new member of this “taskforce” - as she self-ironically called the group – wondering whether he would provide some entertainment later on.
"Meh, and that's what you call an impressive entrance? Ridiculous, leave the stage to the Queen!"
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
Yuriko slowly stepped from the plane, her silvery eyes covered by a pair of sun glasses to dull the bright sunlight that beat down on the sand dune racked area. She had come as ever in a pure black outfit, tight leather trousers and a fitted jacket, she felt most comfortable in things like this when out on a mission, she was a highly skilled fighter and she couldn't chance being hindered by inappropriate clothing.
Slowly she glanced around the group that had come from the brotherhood's dilapidated base, and for a moment she was surprised, the group looked particularly well put together, a group of mutants that could easily give most if not all the student teams a run for there money. Deathstrike herself couldn't wait to get into the situation they were headed and actually get to use the claws she so painfully gained for something other than scrapping muck out of her boots, they would be used for the purpose they were attached for.
For a second Yuriko glanced at Shauna, the young woman still seemed a little dazed at the situation they were now in but she knew that the young woman would soon come into her own. The clawed woman only really knew Shauna and Pheobe here, she recognised all the others from the meeting, except for the new man that had only very recently joined, but she knew of each and every one of them, it was her job to know and despite being a memeber of the brotherhood, she wasn't about to get lapse and start to rely on the itelligence of others, her skills still needed to be kept sharp.
The sand was soft underfoot and the warmth from the sun had made it loose and dry making it harder to walk on but she had not worn her high heeled boots this time luckily, she had more sensible flat black boots that rose to just below the knee under her trousers, the soles had an innerlinign of metal as she did so any kick she gave would have a bit of an extra wack to it. Yuriko quickly checked she had everything she needed once again before they left the jet, she liked to be prepared and held a number of small gadgets on her, including a small communicator/scanner. She often didn't like to use it as she prefered her instincts which had grown extremely keen as she had used them more, and it meant she didn't feel to lost if she didnt have her extra equipment on her.
As Yuriko heard the order for everyone to start to move out she quickly checked the battery to her small device and walked over towards Shauna, although she wasn't a chatty woman generally, especially when on a mission, she at least prefered to be near someone she knew, at least that way there might be someone watching her back, although she knew better than to rely on that thought in anyway.
(OOC: Sorry bout short post, didn't have long, but wanted to make yuriko's presence known.)
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
(ooc- My net is playing up on me biiiig time, I can't even log into my accounts properly and I'm praying that this works. I would post something in the ooc areas but as it's stuffing up it goes REALLY slow and it takes me 10 mins to get to one simple site. Hey, at least it seems to be working a little now... right? *begins praying that this works* And at least I have a post ready! *grumbles since she can't even upload her new siggy*)
The time manipulating mutant had her mind firmly focused on what was at hand. She was prepared yet not overly impatient to find the X-Men. Impatience led to showing yourself at the wrong time and that led to failure. Keeping the impatience at bay, she looked around not really noticing much other than sand and sky. Her thoughts then wandered onto which direction were they to take. Another gust of wind came, but Shauna turned slightly so her back would take the blow of the sand so it wouldn’t whip against her bare arms once more. It was then that she gave a sniff of the air. No enhanced senses were needed to tell that a beach was nearby with the smell of salt being carried in the strong breeze. At the very least, a beach was not too far off behind her more or less. Now, follow the beach or head further inland?
"Am I right in thinking I won't be the only one chewing out your dear brother when we retu[/b] Being as focused on what to do next Shauna was a little startled upon hearing Victoria, of all people, speak to her. The slight friendliness was noticed, something that made the green mutant think that perhaps the spoilt girl wasn’t as bad as she made her out to be. In the past, words between them had been a rare thing and most of the time they were on opposite sides, but now they weren’t. There was an almost vengeful nod as a reply before she spoke. Jason had better enjoy his weekend, because once they returned his life was going to be hell.
“And I bet he thinks he’s getting away with it too...” her voice trailed, but it was all too obvious what her intentions were once they arrived back home. Since Jason had always been around in Shauna’s life she knew him quite well. Knew that he wouldn’t really be thinking that he’d gotten away with this. Knew that he was probably regretting even going to sleep the night before. It was just that she was blinded by the annoyance it caused her to notice this.
"So how does this work anyw[/b] How does this work?!’ was the first thought in Shauna’s mind, ‘How the hell does he think this works?’ It was so simple, they were to take down each of the groups one by one. Alright, that goal was a little to far fetched but this green mutant always aimed for the top, always one to love a challenge. She completely ignored answering Kal’s question.
"Shauna, get this lot movi[/b] it took her a moment to find Phoebe as she camouflaged with the dunes still expecting to find her in her blue skinned form. Shauna had always been slightly jealous of Phoebe, after all she was the daughter of Mystique and Magneto. Who were Shauna’s parents? Toad and a mutant who was in denial of who she was. Well, they say you can’t chose your family, but it still felt like Phoebe was a purebred while Shauna was a mongrel.
“That way leads to a beach,” just because a slight jealousy, which had formed a slight dislike towards the shapeshifter, was on Shauna’s part didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to let it get in the way of things. She was going to do what she had in the past: use it as motivation to make herself a better mutant. “At most a group would come in from the sea, but they would still have to make their way further inland.” She may not have the full experience of going against the X-Men nor does she know them all that well but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that they wouldn’t be playing in the beach for the entire weekend. If this was real training they were going to have to get across some tough areas. And to think, they would most likely believe that those harsh parts were going to be land. They were wrong, passing this Brotherhood group was going to be the tough part!
“You wanted to know how this works Kal,” she said, after a moment of thought from previously speaking which made it seem as if she had actually intended on answering his question from the start. Her gaze then lowered from the alien boy and to a sack. “It works with everyone working harmoniously together,” she picked up the rather heavy sack before throwing it at Kal to catch. It wasn’t too heavy for the green mutant for her arm muscles were abnormally strong, meaning she could probably have carried the sack, but why would she when others could do it instead! “At least, that’s what the X-Men will be telling each other,” she concluded, her voice indicating that she could care less for those kind of pep talks. True, you had to be able to work with one another for a group to function well but that was just common sense. Who didn’t know that and more importantly, who needed to spend a weekend on an island to learn that? This was the first time this group of Brotherhood mutants had been put together and so far things were going well, and it would only get better when they came across some human loving freaks.
“Now move it!” She ordered, like Phoebe had told her to. Shauna had done her usual thing when out on a mission; identified what was around them and predicted a move the ‘enemy’ would take. Now was time to get moving before anymore time was wasted.
As the group began to move Shauna stayed well aware of what was around her, not there was much apart from the soft sand, which most certainly didn’t make walking easy. Though, she was aware at least. It was good to stay aware because then you couldn’t be taken by surprise and if you were, you only had yourself to blame.
When they finally made it to the top of the dune - which proved not to be an easy feat not that Shauna would openly admit it - the green mutant stopped for a moment to give herself some time to catch up on missed breaths. Looking back from where they came, the jet stood out from the sand like a sore thumb. Perhaps where Phoebe had landed it was somewhere good after all. Only if someone passed through the dunes would the X-Men know about the special guests that had come just for them.
Her eyes flickered over to the late edition. The look on her face showing that she was one who was not going to tolerate him slowing them down, or anyone slowing them down as a matter of fact. From the looks of things however, he wasn’t showing any signs of holding them up. ‘Good,’ she thought. The more he did that worked in favour of the team would serve as a good punishment for her brother. She didn’t need to yell at him for not turning up, she just had to talk about how perfect this other guy worked and that would really get on his nerves. Ah, the life of a sister.
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
Victoria watched with something resembling relief as Shauna nodded vigorously and the poison mutant thought she saw a vengefulness in Shauna that mirrored her own emotions. Who would have thought that Shauna's brother, her boyfriend, would actually bring them to agree for once. Jason was so close to Shauna and he and Victoria never seemed to manage to function without eachother despite their frequent fights and the green eyed mutant thought that under any other circumstances he would have been relieved to see them being so civil. This was different though because they'd be ganging up on him. Victoria had a feeling that he wouldn't be so happy to see them together in this case once the mission had finished.
“And I bet he thinks he’s getting away with it too...” Shauna's voice trailed off but her intentions were obvious and Victoria smiled slightly in the green skinned mutant's direction. He wouldn't really, Victoria knew him well enough now to know that Jason would probably already be regretting his decision to sleep in. After all he knew his sister and herself well enough to know that there would be consequences although she thought that perhaps he would try to shirk responsibility, at least at first. She wasn't about to let him get away scot-free with it though and it was obvious now that Shauna wasn't either.
Any futher ideas of carrying on even the briefest of conversations were obliterated however when the now blonde unofficial leader of their group quickly said, "Shauna, get this lot moving." Her tone was silky and yet it irked Victoria just slightly that she should be grouped in with everyone else here. She was just one of a lot even though it was she who had procured their transportation for them. It was no use holding a grudge on a mission like this though. Mystique had trusted Victoria enough to plant the idea in her head about transport and that in itself, that sort of responsibility, was a sort of praise. Victoria shook off Phoebe's statement. She tended to take even a gaze the wrong way at times and her fiery temper had to be kept in check right now. Especially since she had a deserving target for her furies after the mission's end.
Victoria hadn't really done much in her months here thus far although that wasn't really her own fault. She wasn't stupid even if she was a spoiled brat and the green-eyed mutant knew that more than anything this was a chance for her and for others to prove their worth to the Brotherhood of Mutants. The plane was a good start as was Mystique coming to her and even a sort of look from Shauna and conversation which suggested perhaps a grudging mutual respect. She had formidable powers though and for the most part had used them so far only on her dad's business clients and competition in petty blackmail. It wasn't a bad use really, afterall for her helping the company she got a handsome allowance and the ability to cash in for favours although she used it rarely so that he had little choice but to give in to her requests. Now was a real chance to test her limits, not against greedy businessmen but against mutants with their own abilities who could fight back and she welcomed the challenge and the chance to prove herself to her teammates.
Victoria listened looking already bored as Shauna talked again. Sure she wanted to know what they were expected to do but she had figured anything they needed to know would be revealed to them as they went along and found Kal's question to be unneeded. On the otherhand that might have been a biased opinion since she had never been partial to the alien even if he was a decent kisser, not that she would ever tell Jason that. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, playing with it absently. Today she had gone without her usual waves and loose curls, knowing that the style wouldn't hold up along the mission without styling products and she had had to leave those behind. Victoria also longed for her usual ensemble. It felt weird to be without heels for her feet had grown used to them and now her foot was almost permanently arched so that going flat footed was a strange and very slightly painful feeling. At least she was wearing boots sans heel or not. Just because they were tramping around the jungle for a weekend didn't mean she would suddenly join the world of running shoes. so she wore boots, not her finest pair but a pair nonetheless and with them a pair of jeans loose enough to allow her to move but tight enough to show off her good figure. She dropped the lock of hair from her grasp and moved on, playing with the thin straps on her curve hugging tank top. Knowing that it was likely to get cold at night she held a coat folded over one arm. Again it was not her finest or her most expensive but it was still designer because there was no way she would be going without fashion sense on this mission. Besides if they were coming into contact with the X-men teams she wanted to stun and charm 'em before she poisoned them. Would a little flirting really hurt?
It seemed to take a moment before Kal found his question being answered and once Shauna began he looked down on her critically, his height having put him above the height of most men and women mutants whether a part of the brotherhood or not. “It works with everyone working harmoniously together,” Shauna began and tossed him a rather heavy sack. To the Kryptonian though the sack felt weightless and he easily caught it in one hand and put it over one broad shoulder.
“At least, that’s what the X-Men will be telling each other,” Shauna continued and Kal grinned at this, he hadn't really liked the whole working together idea anyway. He was in this and everything else purely for himself and since, in his arrogant opinion of himself, his skills were unmatchable Kal much preferred to do things his way and alone. He got that they had to work as a team though and had resigned himself to that thought on the plane over here. It didn't bug him so much anymore, or it wouldn't so long as they didn't give out too many stupid orders to someone with his abilities.
“Now move it!” That order was commanding but Kal found that to a certain extent he respected Shauna. Her arm muscles were impressive anyway, he couldn't really picture many of the other girls doing that and as this thought crossed his mind his green eyes focused in on Victoria who was the one he had in mind. He hadn't really seen that many of their powers in action yet, at least not Victoria's and he knew of them but hadn't seen them work. It didn't matter though. Kal doubted her poison would affect him. The only thing that did that wasn't found so much around here and he was seemingly weakness free with the exception of Clark Kent the Kansas farmboy who was buried somewhere within him. Clark was much more likely to be one of the X-men and to assist humanity and the mutants than to join an organization like the Brotherhood. Kal scoffed at that weakness so unlike his own thoughts and weaknesses.
The walk over the sand understandably didn't bother Kal although he noticed with a slight smirk that Victoria's boots even without a heel were giving her a bit of trouble. In truth she had been wishing she had worn her sandals for his part of the mission. They had been designer and an aquamarine the colour of the ocean that she loved. God how she missed her closet and everything already but while Victoria may have been spoiled and shallow she was also stubborn and full of pride. She wasn't about to whine or to admit this to any member of the Brotherhood no matter how strong her stupid urges. By the time they got to the top of the dune Victoria was panting and she breathed in the air there greatfully and in greedy long breaths. Glancing down from the view the dune offered the plane seemed to standout against the sand and the poison mutant frowned. Had no one thought to over the thing or to do something to it? Victoria could only hope that it wouldn't give them away and that the jet would not be harmed there. Borrowing a plane from her father was one thing but if she returned it and there were problems or it was dented there would be Hell to pay.
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
There were only a few bags. Alfonse had to wonder what they carried and if perhaps he was the only one who wasn't given the chance to pack. Unfortunately he wasn't about to hold everyone up and be a general nuisance by rummaging through one. Instead he'd take the nearest one and flip it over his shoulder similar to the other guy fortunate enough to be part of this experience. Sizing the fella up, he was big, but seemed a little on the slim side. At least that would be his opinion. Alfonse was shorter but a bit thicker. When you spend time in jail your perspective changes. You needed serious muscle to be taken seriously. You needed muscle to avoid being taken as Bubba's new girlfriend. So it came that anything less then "built" came to be "slim."
Kal... That's what the green girlie referred to him as... Kal seemed like a solid guy. A little too much business possibly, but that could just be for the mission. If that were the case, it was respectable. That's how it should be. Do what you have to do and enjoy the rest. Stress caused all sorts of bad junk, didn't it? There wasn't any point to life if you weren't enjoying it, making the best of what you had. Hopefully that's what Kal was doing, because then they'd get along fine.
As the group began up the hill, D.K. would sidle up to Kal as they went up the dune. The taller mutant had less trouble, but Alfonse was willing to chalk that up to the extra inches and lack of stomach pain. Kal had asked how it worked, what they were doing next. That meant he was unclear on what they were doing too, past taking on some X-Men (which D.K.'d already picked up). Hanging close to Kal might save some face later, as long as he asked all the clueless questions. As they reached the top of the dune, the dark-skinned mutant looked around. Two lucky guys and five very attractive ladies. Maybe it was his time locked up talking, but the girls all seemed exceptional in one way or another.
"I dunno 'bout you, but I'm definitely appreciatin' Mystique's choice of soldjas." The remark was obviously aimed at Kal, but D.K. never bothered to take his eyes off the girls. It was quite a harem trekking across the dunes. All of them - even the older Asian woman - was tempting in a certain way. Maybe they were generally lacking in dress sense, but he wasn't about to say anything. Bare skin and tight clothing were things he'd never complain about. They didn't look like thugs or terrorists. They looked like fantasies and pinup girls. Everything they'd do would be laced with sensual undertones, because they oozed sex. They sweated it, and... and... and... Alfonse found is reverie stopped dead as he dwelled on the image of the ladies hot and sweaty. They'd never be good for a serious relationship, but that wasn't necessarily what he was looking for.
Looking over the team once again, he wondered what good they'd do in action. He'd been in gunfights, gang wars, and cell block riots. His father'd beat him since before he could remember. What had they ever experienced? Tug-of-war at shoe-sale? A cat fight over a prom dress? Kal could probably hold his own. He'd probably been in a bar fight or two, maybe gotten into it over a girl. Heck, even high school football would've taught him something. Kal looked like he'd play football. But these girls... they'd better have some big guns as far as their mutations go, cuz they certainly didn't look like they'd be threats. Of course, that could be part of their game behind it all. Hopefully, it was part of their game.
The exception of the girls was the chameleon girl, obviously a relation to Mystique. It'd be extremely difficult for her to not look tough with those guns hanging off her gorgeous hips. They didn't look like peashooters either. Could she use them? Dekay wished he'd bothered to pick up some hardware of his own after getting out, but he'd gone so long without touching a gun he never even thought about it. Now he was regretting it. How much use would his powers be if they stayed in the sand like this? His touch was useless on dead materials. He'd just have to rely on his fists until he got a chance to do otherwise. He could hold his own in an old fashioned brawl. It'd be good to get into it again after months of easy living, even. Regret turned to anticipation as he thought about scrapping with the X-Men. As much as mutants relied on their powers, would they be able to handle a thug like him?
"We are some lucky s.o.b.s, I gotta say." Alfonse grinned. The excitement he was feeling now almost made him forgot his queasy gut. Rubbing his abdomen absentmindedly, he stood waiting to be told what to do. Maybe they'd continue walking, or one of the girls in charge - Who was actually in charge, anyway? They all seemed fairly bossy. - would give an order. Whatever. He was ready to get down to business.
"The name's Alfonse, so you know. Call me D.K.[Dekay]." He spoke louder now for everyone's benefit, not just Kal's. They'd have to learn his name sooner or later and now seemed like an opportune time. Knowing his powers might be handy for them as well, but he wasn't about to volunteer that. Surprises were always good, especially when he was on the giving end of them. It wouldn't hurt to avoid stating the fact that his mutation was extremely limited here in the sand, either. No, the plan his to give what was needed, avoid looking quaint, and pray Kal would ask all the dumb questions so he wouldn't have to.
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance(OOC: Sorry about the shortness, I didn't really know what to say :S )
The group moved on through the sand, to a certain extent Yuriko thought that some of them seemed to at ease. They had landed in a hostile environment and were now trekking across it so that they could begin to hunt one of the teams that was waiting on the island. We should take out the hunters first and then take their role in this little game of Xavier's Yuriko thought to herself. If the hunter teams could be illiminated first then the prey would quickly fall, seeing as they had all already accepted their role as prey in the mission.
Yuriko was yet to speak a word to any of the others, she was a more silent and thoughtful woman than the ones that seemed to be chatting as they walked. She had been impressed with how seriously Shauna had taken her role though, the fact that the one named Kal had been so ignorant to their current situation shocked Yuriko, and he was lucky it had been Shauna he had asked. If he had spoken of such disregard to their situation to Yuriko (Or Mystique i suspect) he wouldn't of got off as lightly as he had, even though Shauna's reaction was exactly what was expected of her.
It seemed that the two males that had come with the group were hanging back a litte as they carried the bags that had been brought. The bags were a slight surprise to Yuriko, when she was doing missions within the city she would have her bag on her, but a field mission of this sort required only the bare essentials, and for her the bare essentials was all she could hold on her. He heard some soft whispers coming from the men behind her but did not turn to it, instead she just concentrated on what was being said, specifically what was being said by Alfonse, or as he liked to be known; Dekay. She had good hearing, and it wasn't because of any mutation, and as she heard what was being said she stiffled a slight smile, it seemed the new boy was enjoying himself already, she just hoped that he was just as good at the missions plans as he was easy on the eye.
Yuriko wasn't one to usually get distracted by such thoughts but there was something a little dark, hidden about the new member of the Brotherhood that made him stand out from all the other new 'members' of the band of mutants, this one was actually going to make a difference, as Yuriko liked to think she had when she arrived. For one they wouldn't be on this mission if Yuriko hadn't taken the information to Mystique.
Yuriko walked up to Pheobe as they strode across the dunes and pulled out her small electronic device that she kept with her at all times, tapping a couple of keys she pulled up the complete information on the island and the mission the X-Men were on that Yuriko had managed to obtain. She passed it over and glancing back for one last look at the new boy she spoke; "Here is the full information on Xavier's plans for his teams, I managed to flesh it out somewhat with a little hack into their systems further, it wasn't easy. It seems that despite Xavier's current state, the missions are carrying on as they were originally planned. Whats the first move?" Yuriko hoped that Pheobe was going to tell them that they were going to actively search out these teams, she wasn't one for sitting around and waiting for them to come to the Brotherhoods group.
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance(Will, it’s not Mystique, it’s her Daughter Phoebe, sheesh, can’t you tell identical looking people part? Honestly!
Besides.. Phoebe is faaar prettier then that old hag
Loza, you said at the meeting they’d arrive two hours earlier then the teams, so if that’s changed, tell me and I’ll edit)
Light strides carried the slender form, but only years of extreme training blessed the metamorph with a grace unrelated to any form of mutation, perfectly toned and naturally athletic stamina was one of the natural benefits that Mystique and her daughter were born with. Their bodies lethal before even touched by genetic mutations aside from their blue skins and stunning red hair. It annoyed Phoebe to no ends that the other women were chatting away as if on some social outing, Yuriko seemed to be quietly assessing things, content in her own private solitude instead of starting up her own debate, even the males joined in creating a discussion, though Kal was as silent as ever so it was a lopsided conversation.
"The name's Alfonse, so you know. Call me D.K.[Dekay]." Maybe there was something they didn’t understand about the word ‘Stealth’ when it was used in the mission title as a ‘Stealth Mission’. They wouldn’t do well running around making the whole island aware of their presence so they had to be quick and silent, this lot was dawdling in the sand and socializing, of all the absurdities!! Still the young Darkholm managed to keep her temper in check, she’d be no better if she started telling them off, Phoebe’s not often one to raise her voice, but she has been known to cause a fair few others to yell out in one form or another, and usually it was in anguish. Mother dearest always insisted Phoebe not be so hard on the imbeciles they work with, some or too timid and weak in both mind as well as body to tolerate abuse of any kind. Personally Phoebe felt, if they couldn’t take a beating, then what the hell where they doing in the Brotherhood?
While leaving one dune behind them and crossing a straighter path (not smooth but at least not a small hill), Yuriko approached the dangerous young woman, bright yellow eyes piercing the very core of anything that held their gaze. A sharp side glance was given to Yuriko, slender sandy hued fingers taking the offered device for electro-magnetic mutant to study.
"Here is the full information on Xavier's plans for his teams, I managed to flesh it out somewhat with a little hack into their systems further, it wasn't easy. It seems that despite Xavier's current state, the missions are carrying on as they were originally planned. Whats the first move?" Finally, someone who seemed interested in knowing what the hell was about to happen instead of just following like a pack of pathetic sheep. Imbroglio. That’s what this was, this whole damn ‘gang’ of ludicrous wonnabes that formed the new generation of the infamous brotherhood was nothing but a god damn joke. And she was stuck in the middle of it. Hell, she was expected to LEAD it, of all the humilities life has offered her, shoved callously and relentlessly into her face, this…insult!! Was the worst!
"Those able to prepare traps will span out, focusing mainly on these area," Talking solely with Yuriko at the moment, feeling the others, save for Shauna, hardly were worth explaining things to the way they chatter on like high school kids on an excursion. Not that Phoebe knew what children were like in high school from experience, home education was a must for the outcast, Mystique refused the same bigotry to harm her child’s life at such an early age as it had harmed her own. Sadly, no mutant child could forever be protected from the constant bombardment of verbal, and physical, abuse that humans throw at them.
"We have two hours before they arrive," The comment forced Phoebe to stop, the golden hue of her gaze turning towards those trailing behind her, how she despised trainee’s, was it too much to long for those teams her father used to give her, the ones that they – no matter what was asked of them – could go out and follow your commands to the finest of details and beyond if needed be.
"The naïveté some of you flaunt so openly is astounding," It was hard to tell by the tone of her voice if she was criticizing or praising them, one could only hope their abnormal little brains could figure which of them she was truly doing. "Nevertheless I’m told you all have your uses, and today is the day prove what exactly they are." Without a final glance, Phoebe handed back Yuriko’s handheld computer, keeping her eyes sternly on each individual as she spoke. "With two hours of preparation before the arrivals of the X-men it gives us plenty of time to set up additional traps around their meeting point, which is the peak of the mountain." Dreading the thought of asking ‘who of you know how to set traps’ Phoebe quiet gladly put that question aside and went for the more indirect approach.
"This is not some playful outing to engage in recreational chatter and mindless uselessness, those of you impudent enough not to have bothered taking up any useful training sessions regarding things such as setting snares-" Amazingly she managed to say this all in a way that didn’t sound the slightest bit offensive, the choice of words however more then clearly stated the discontent she held for the group. "-shall then familiar themselves with the area, watch out for old traps, keep in mind where they are, if need be we may be able to use them to our advantage." After all, they were hunting groups, it could be handy to know where additional traps were just so they could chase the team right into the traps and save them the bother of having much of a fight.
"Some of these mutants possess impeccable abilities, it would be idiotic to assume we could successfully take out each of the hunter teams, though they would be the ideal targets, as they wouldn’t be suspecting any attacks on themselves," Reason the daughter of the Lord Magneto, a callous, yet undeniably sumptuous smile graced her now honeydew lips, "Instead we shall pick off the weaker teams, Yuriko has a list of the teams and their members, from that we will know which teams bare the weaker links, those are the ones we will aim for first." That way if they do encounter the stronger ones later there’s less chance of having other’s interfere, the team can focus on the dangerous mutants, surely an entire group can stand against one or two of the stronger members of these scattered groups. Admittedly Phoebe didn’t have such faith in these losers, but she was willing to give them a go, after all, Shauna, Kal, even the more experienced Yuriko, they were at least something to work with.
"We will meet at the base of the mountain on the North side in one hour and thirty minutes the latest, you have tools for traps, small items of weaponry, rations, and other odds and ends Mystique insisted on you all having with you. Span out, try and make the traps as effective as possible, the more we wound the less we have to fight." As usual Phoebe saved the assigning of special tasks till last, her eyes turning to Shauna, their striking gaze landing on the green skinned mutant first.
"Shauna, you will work with Yuriko on creating a list of potential targets we strike first, inform Victoria of which mutants possess greater trouble for us so she knows whom to focus on trying to poison when we encounter a certain group." Eyes shifted over towards Kal now, that sugar sweet smile ever present despite the callous commanding nature of her gaze and body language. "And you my dear have a chance to flaunt your potential, with your speed I will additionally want you as our scout if such a thing is needed at any time," Although the golden orbs passed over Mareesa and Dekay, she remained silent regarding their orders, as well as not directly issuing Victoria with any either.
"Now, move out." The silky request slipped forth from the honeydew lips, making no move herself to depart, she would cover more distance at a shorter time on her own, and had every intention of getting to the mountain and setting up some potentially dangerous traps on the steep rock face without the hindrance of this mob. Also there was a chance for this lot to ask her questions, though Phoebe had little desire to hear their mindless prattle, she’s told them what they needed to know, they had thirty minutes afterwards to set about organising their plan of attack in greater detail.
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
The mutant she had heard being called Shauna appeared to be second in command, the metamorph their leader – an interesting thing to notice as Mareesa found staggering through the sandy area. It was indeed easier walking with those boots but that didn’t mean it was actually lacking complications. Hardly ever had she left the doubtful safety of this harbor New York was for so many specimens, dubious and innocent alike. As a logical consequence, there were some things about nature untouched by man that proved hindering to say the least, yet head held high, those turquoise orbs sparkling with determination, it was to be doubted anyone not having a close look would notice the Drama Queen had to quite literally fight her way up the dunes.
What had caught her attention was the fact that nobody seemed to question a hierarchy that had never been stated officially, at least not as far as she was aware. Mareesa had no ambitions competing with either of their leaders for such a position, yet noticing the tension between the green-skinned mutant and another who she figured was Victoria, the blonde showgirl wondered whether there weren’t others craving to do just that. Having spent most of her life in a stripclub’s backstage area, Mareesa knew quite well when she saw rivalry and contempt although admittedly cases of such disturbing sentiments had never been a regular thing to occur among most of the staff. Still there had been and were troublemakers… A thoughtful look was directed at the two women when she shortly wondered what those two were rivaling about.
However, her attention did not remain focused on this much more than a few seconds, other people’s quarrels and problems just not having enough of importance to the Drama Queen to keep herself entertained for long. When their co-leader referred a question Kal’El apparently had asked earlier, turquoise gaze switched to her, mild interest letting her listen quite intently as she was anything but sure how things were supposed to work. It wasn’t like she really cared whether they would accomplish whatever goals they had or not but Mareesa had too much pride within her to free-willingly accept defeat. She didn’t even want to prove her worth to everyone – why should she anyway, if anyone was too blind to see how marvelous she was, it was their loss and not hers – attention when she felt like it was enough, but generally there was a difference between occasionally ignoring and fully disregarding someone. As soon as her status in the Brotherhood shifted to the second, Mareesa would leave, there was no doubt about that in her. After all, of what use was a group not fulfilling her needs, a membership not advantageous at the slightest?
Disappointment about Shauna’s dissatisfactory reply was pushed away by amusement upon the mentioning of those X-Men’s ridiculous attitudes. Sure, team work could be useful, effective even, but in the end it was nothing but a means to meet your own needs and had nothing to do with any sort of communal bonds like the larger group constantly seemed to be trying to propagate. How pathetically ridiculous they were in they constant struggle to hold up values that were just unnatural to keep at all costs like they did. If you are slapped in the face, you slap back or chop off the hand that hit you instead of turning the other cheek, that is how life works – or so she thought – the big question being when those “heroes” would finally realize that. Not that Mareesa cared whether they’d learn those lessons through their friends’ deaths or never but since those ways of thinking struck her as so incomprehensibly strange, she couldn’t help but finding herself contemplating such stupidity every now and then.
Eventually, they reached the dunes’ top and while the most-part of the young woman was focused on breathing as normally as possible while her lungs demanded her to speed up her inhalation’s pace, she found the rest of her wondering what was to come. Some questions that were popping up like mushrooms after autumn rain Phoebe replied to, others remained unanswered. The criticism Mareesa simply ignored while pondering what illusions to confront those “weak links”; after all, Mystique’s daughter could impossible be talking about her - an idea too far-fetched to even occur to the showgirl who shortly pondered whether she had not done better taking a gun with her. There was barely any chance of defeating an opponent with her powers, not on the physical level and certainly not to the degree this mission demanded but it didn’t take long for her to spot the advantage this rather passive role of distracting and surprising granted: she could stand back and leave the more dangerous fighting to others! If all else failed, so she thought, escaping was always an option… a disgraceful, unfavorable one but still one she would not hesitate to choose if it became obvious they had low or even no chances of winning at all. She wouldn’t even risk her life for her own mother, why should she do so for mere strangers?
Yet such decisions were far away, at least two hours as she heard Phoebe say, and Mareesa’s mind was too set on completing this mission as effectively and quickly as possible anyway to give a scenario where she would be forced to bail a high ranking on the probability scale. A simple nod was her only answer to Magneto’s daughter – the infamous antagonist of Xavier’s nothing more than a name to her like the Professor’s – wondering whether she could build traps anyway. Not on her own probably, could she? A slightly mischievous little smile played around those full lips before she turned, eyes of a sunlit sea’s color searching Dekay’s. Light steps – temptingly graceful more out of habit than actual intention – brought her closer to the dark-skinned man she had decided to put her main focus on for the time being.
”It might help to work in pairs, don’t you think?” , she said with a little smile that, however, didn’t reach her eyes. They never did, facial expressions being nothing more than that unless she was mocking about someone, even real hate being so rare she wasn’t even sure whether she was capable of that. Most were just not worth as much attention as it took to really despise someone. Seductive sparkles, lust… even a certain degree of affection, yes, but something as simple as true happiness or friendliness had not been seen in those eyes for years. Even singing, something people in the club thought to be her passion, was but a means to gain their attention rather than something she really, deeply enjoyed. ”I’m Mareesa…,” Velvet voice, delicate hands carelessly and yet so sophisticatedly pushing back some strands of hair – who could possibly resist her? She didn’t need to be as bluntly flirtatious as Siren, no – she thought condescendingly – she just need to be herself. Never the Drama Queen had question whether what she was, was really her true self.
"Meh, and that's what you call an impressive entrance? Ridiculous, leave the stage to the Queen!"
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
It seemed as though the real world was very far away to Kal for he realised in a daze that he hadn't even noticed that the other male mutant on their mission had fallen into step with him. Only at D.K.'s voice did Kal snap out of the fantasy but even then he couldn't help thinking about it. It was getting closer now. Every few weeks there would be a surge of somesort and the pain would become too much. He'd removed the red kryptonite ring from his finger and Clark would reassert himself. Problem was Clark could never bring himself to return to Smallville, not when he knew what could happen if he did. Yet at the same time Clark had morals and he wouldn't willingly go on this mission. Knowing that side of himself Kal thought that the more innocent farmboy would probably feel guilt and angst for awhile and then he'd slip the ring on to take away the pain and the cycle would begin anew. That was how it always had been and how it would go hopefully for the rest of his life or Kal would be banished yet again and the darker Kryptonian wasn't willing to disappear almost entirely. All he could do was to hope that Clark didn't find the strength to wrench the ring from his finger on this all important mission.
"I dunno 'bout you, but I'm definitely appreciatin' Mystique's choice of soldjas." D.K.'s gaze never shifted and yet Kal knew the remark had been directed at him. Kal let his eyes run over the girls of their team and couldn't help but agree. Clark was lovesick over Lana but Kal only longed occationally for her, he appreciated a pretty girl as much as the next man. He didn't find all of them neccessarily as attractive as the obviously tempting Drama Queen and even the bratty Victoria but he respected their power and intelligence, traits he didn't see often in the types of women he would pick up in clubs. Kal wasn't looking for complication though and he knew that was most likely what he would find here. Despite having kissed Victoria in one moment he knew that she hadn't wanted him. It had been mutual comfort and temporary attraction, nothing more, and he was quite content with that.
"We are some lucky s.o.b.s, I gotta say". Alfonse was speaking again and grinning as well. He seemed to be feeling the excitement and Kal, feeling it himself, couldn't help but agree. He was anxious for something to do that didn't involve walking and thinking far too deeply about the past he had left behind and the future yet to come.
"The name's Alfonse, so you know. Call me D.K.[Dekay]." That last comment was louder so that everyone could hear and Kal felt a ghost of a smile grace his lips. It was a smart idea to introduce oneself to the team when new like D.K. was. He was also somewhat impressed that the newly introduced Alfonse hadn't actually given away his powers whatever they might be. Maybe the X-men were all for sharing that kind of stuff, teamwork and all that but the Brotherhood helped eachother in order to further their self interests, or at least that was how it had seemed to him so far. Not revealing all your cards until the right moment was part of the way to make yourself valuable to the team and to remain mysterious. Kal had showed off his speed and strength in action but he wasn't sure that everyone on the team knew about his X-Ray vision and that was for the best. His heat ray ability might also come as a surprise to some in an opportune moment.
"Times like these make a guy appreciate his abilities," Kal said with a smirk. He didn't think D.K. would get what he was saying but then again he wasn't keen on having the women hear that he was scoping them out. Focusing his gaze Kal took a break from the seriousness of the mission despite keeping up his pace. He concentrated and his X-ray vision kicked in, taking him not to the skeleton level but to a level that didn't involve clothing as he admired the girls walking ahead of him. They really were a nice looking bunch and he himself hadn't had any complaints from girls. Kal wasn't good with knowing much about guys but he didn't think D.K. was a slouch in the looks department anyway. They certainly one-upped the X-men in that department, the Kryptonian thought to himself even though he hadn't actually met with many of the X-men.
"Kal but you already knew that," the red kryptonite version of Clark said by way of introduction. He figured Alfonse had probably picked up on his name being mentionned by Shauna and didn't feel the need to lower the appearance of intelligence that he had any further than the question earlier had already taken him in the eyes of many. He certainly wasn't about to give away his abilities or to introduce himself as Clark Kent, Kansas farmboy.
His senses were developed enough so that Kal overheard parts of the conversation between Phoebe and Yuriko although he couldn't overhear everything. Traps. He knew something of making traps and those parts that he didn't know Kal thought he would be able to pick up fairly easily. He always had been a fast learner. He didn't hear the amount of time that would pass before the X-men were due to arrive yet Kal did pick up on the fact that they had time enough to make a start on preparing any plans of attack.
"The naïveté some of you flaunt so openly is astounding," Phoebe said, addressing the group as a whole. But really what had she expected? A bunch of combat ready men and women with the most powerful mutations? The X-men themselves weren't ready for battle and judging from the nature of high school students he had seen back in Smallville Kal was willing to bet that at least a few of the X-men would have problems either socially or physically. He certainly knew of twisted love trianges and crushes that could make things difficult. It was asking to much to expect a group of people to be entirely ready for a situation like this, Kal thought but he wisely kept that to himself.
"Nevertheless I’m told you all have your uses, and today is the day prove what exactly they are." Kal's smirk reappeared at this, he certainly had his uses and yes that was arrogance he was displaying but why not? How many others could boast of the wide array of powers that he held within his grasp?
Victoria, a little moody at the moment thanks to her ill attire and the hike through the sand, almost smiled at this as well. The poisonous mutant, while relatively new to the Brotherhood, had uses enough for them and she had been a handy person to have around within her father's company. She couldn't afford to get vain or sloppy though with this for her previous clientele had been far less prepared and unable to fight back except with ill advised lawsuits and the X-men, she had been told, backed a greater punch than that.
"With two hours of preparation before the arrivals of the X-men it gives us plenty of time to set up additional traps around their meeting point, which is the peak of the mountain," Phoebe continued looking sternly at the group assembled. Victoria breathed a sigh of relief. She may not have looked it at times but she was more than a spoiled brunette brat and she had her own form of intelligence. Since she had been a part of the arrangements for the mission with her Jet than Victoria knew enough to begin researching what might be entailed on this mission, eager to prove her worth to the Brotherhood of Mutants.
"This is not some playful outing to engage in recreational chatter and mindless uselessness, those of you impudent enough not to have bothered taking up any useful training sessions regarding things such as setting snares-" Even though Phoebe's tone was, quite amazingly, not offensive Victoria again felt relief for her training. Sure had been talking briefly with Shauna but she didn't see a problem with talking to another team member. After all they were all so individually driven and each member with their individual likes and dislikes that the team may as well have been individuals with a common goal but working alone. Her and Shauna had never gotten along thanks to that pesky issue of Victoria dating the green skinned mutant's brother and playing nice seemed an improvement to the usual house arguements to her.
"-shall then familiar themselves with the area, watch out for old traps, keep in mind where they are, if need be we may be able to use them to our advantage," Phoebe finished. Victoria nodded. After all she had read about traps but hadn't actually had any practical experience so just how accurate her readings had been would be tested shortly and if she didn't fare so well there was a back up. The blue skinned mutant continued to speak now, this time she was reasoning and talking about which of the X-men teams they were to go after. Natural selection it seemed to Victoria, the strong would prosper and the weak would be attacked. It was the way of the world and now the way of the mutants or so it seemed.
"We will meet at the base of the mountain on the North side in one hour and thirty minutes the latest, you have tools for traps, small items of weaponry, rations, and other odds and ends Mystique insisted on you all having with you. Span out, try and make the traps as effective as possible, the more we wound the less we have to fight." The instructions were crystal clear and both Kal and Victoria nodded, indicating that they understood their instructions.
Victoria's eyes focused on Yuriko and Shauna briefly, flickering as the prospect of her taking down the stronger members of the X-men teams was mentionned. She hadn't had to use her abilities in more than a week and some part of her was itching for the chance to poison once again. Even more thrilling was the thought of actually having a target who could pose a challenge. It made things more difficult but also far more interesting. What fun was having a powerful mutant ability when you couldn't use it on anyone important who would put up a fight? Nonetheless she noticed that aside from later tasks there were no orders directed at her and Victoria's eyes narrowed a little. Others would get issued specifics and she was just suposed to what? Be a part of the group of others Phoebe wrote off?
Kal wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of being a Scout but it was a job and the thought of showing his potential was far more interesting to entertain. His eyes glimmered with the want to be in the thick of things for he wanted to have a real challenge to him, especially considering the only real threats to him thus far had been kryptonite induced freaks in his hometown and there was, as far as he knew, not much if any kryptonite here. These threats would be different and he would respect anyone who could actually put up a fight against the six-foot-four Kryptonian.
"Now, move out." As that issue was ordered Kal was immediately ready to move out and with his superspeed he could be a distance away from everyone else. In a momentary feeling of arrogant pride and stupidity Kal wondered how long it would take to run the length of the island since he was certain he could probably manage it. Come to think of it he wasn't even sure how large this island they were now on actually was.
”It might help to work in pairs, don’t you think?” Kal wasn't blind and Clark was the naive one not him. He hid his smile as the beautiful Mareesa moved towards D.K. and started to work her wiles on him. It far from bothered him since anyone without his speed was simply a hindrance anyway. Considering Alfonse's earlier words about the goodlooking Brotherhood women he doubted that Mareesa's flirtations would be for naught.
Victoria rolled her eyes. She used her feminine charm a great deal and knew that it was one great gift of womenkind since women were not so easily charmed by men much of the time. It wasn't Mareesa she was rolling her eyes at, however unseen the gesture would go though. It was for Alfonse who she was sure would respond as predicted although he might manage to twist it so that both parties were using one another. It was an interesting situation to watch if nothing else, one small source of amusement before the battles to come.
"Well if that's everything," the poisonous mutant said haughtily, flicking her dark locks back in a manner that appeared natural but was in actuality quite calculated. She began to walk off, picking a direction at random but not travelling too far from the group since her particular brand of footwear wouldn't allow her to easily walk too far. Besides, Victoria thought glancing around for Kal who appeared to have already taken off out of sight, the Kryptonian would most likely take care of farther out places without breaking a sweat. With her she carried a pack with parts mentioned for traps and more within it so that she could at least try to figure things out. She worked alone as much as she could since she had few women friends and her boyfriends rarely lasted long save for Jason who was annoyingly not present. Getting some of the parts out of the backpack Victoria set them on the ground and stared at them. She only hoped she could remember how to put these things together.
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
Yuriko smiled to herself as Phoebe started to talk to all of the others, scolding them for their lack of professionalism. She didn't care if they were younger than her, they were all old enough to take their place amoung the Brotherhood and were thought of well enough to be put on a mission. Giving that privilage made Yuriko think they would take it seriously but it was obvious some of them just thought it to be like a school field trip. The clawed mutant thought that the privilage would have smacked a little more sense of urgency into the younger group she was with. To a certain extent she found it hard accepting orders from a woman who was that much younger than her, but it wasnt hard to see why Mystique put the younger metamorph in charge, she was an impressive leader.
She listened intently to the orders being given out with her arms gripped behind her back until she heard her name being spoken and being asked to work with Shauna on a list of targets. In a way it a favorite task of hers and she knew that Shauna would be working to a similar level to hers so she was glad about the pairing, picking out the weaker ones of the different teams, and Victoria's poison should hopfully be able to quickly pull down some of the stronger ones. Taking her shaded eyes off of the group and lowering it to her padd that now lay palm up in her hand she tapped a number of commands in, the lists of the teams that were on the island appearing on the screen so they could easily be looked at and divided into groups.
Yuriko looked back up and gestured towards Shauna, smiling at the younger woman; "It seems we are to work together again." Yuriko handed the younger woman the padd with the list of names on it, each expandable for more detailed information, she half noticed the green coloured womans eyes widen at the detail and smiled, "Don't ask where its from, i have many sources."
Yuriko's attention was momentarily caught by Mareesa as she went over to the young man that had just joined the group and noticed her body language, even after a scolding the young woman still managed to use the mission as some kind of pick up joint. The asian woman shook her head and looked back at Shauna, it was not good to get distracted by the others, they had a job to do and it should be done to the fullest of her abilities. "So, shall we begin? the sooner we do this the sooner we can get to the meeting point."
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
"Times like these make a guy appreciate his abilities." Alfonse looked at his teammate out of the corner of his eye, checking his face for a hint as to what was meant by the comment. Kal's smirk and his tone of voice made it obvious he was in agreement, but the meaning of the statement was lost. Alfonse's first thought was sexual(as a man's first thought is so often), but he couldn't figure out exactly what it would be that Kal was hinting at. He had a vague idea it referred to man's domineering role vs. a female's submissive role, the benefits of that position, but would never be able to explain that idea. The second thought was that Kal was referring to his powers. It made solid sense, though it left Alfonse wondering briefly what talent Kal might be appreciating.
"Kal but you already knew that." Smart and cocky. Alfonse liked that. It took a certain level of brain activity to figure out D.K. probably would have heard his name already and it took confidence to act like that possibility was fact. It seemed as if they could be on decent terms, if nothing else. They'd found common ground in their appraisal of the women and they'd exchanged the most basic of friendly gestures. Kal was showing himself to be a good guy, even if he needed a little help talking 'game.'
Alfonse lost himself to hypnotic sway of female hips for a few minutes, pulled from his thoughts by Mystique's daughter, the girl apparently in charge of this fiasco.
"We have two hours before they arrive." The chameleon girl stopped and turned, eyes running over them all. D.K. welcomed the new angle, noting the pleasant bit of well-toned muscle on her. "The naïveté some of you flaunt so openly is astounding. Nevertheless I’m told you all have your uses, and today is the day prove what exactly they are." Alfonse quickly concluded she'd look better with duct tape over her mouth. Still, he kept a respectful silence. "With two hours of preparation before the arrivals of the X-men it gives us plenty of time to set up additional traps around their meeting point, which is the peak of the mountain." Two hours? He might be able to shake his queasiness, if he could manage to sit for a good while. D.K. willed the girl to shut up so he could get to it.
"This is not some playful outing to engage in recreational chatter and mindless uselessness, those of you impudent enough not to have bothered taking up any useful training sessions regarding things such as setting snares shall then familiar themselves with the area, watch out for old traps, keep in mind where they are, if need be we may be able to use them to our advantage." Please. He was a last minute draft. As such he felt entitled to slouch some. Even more than that was his gangster mentality dismissing the gutless concept of traps. The idea back in the old neighborhood was that you brought what you had to the fight. There wasn't any sneaking around when you had a real issue with someone. You let it hang out, and if they didn't back down you simply throw down. A fight was open to underhanded tactics and lopsided advantages, but you expected that. Traps were for cowards. Setting traps says you're too weak to take your rival head on. Alfonse would admit to neither.
"Some of these mutants possess impeccable abilities, it would be idiotic to assume we could successfully take out each of the hunter teams, though they would be the ideal targets, as they wouldn’t be suspecting any attacks on themselves." Apparently she didn't mind admitting weakness. The fact that she was speaking for the full team, however, earned a quick grimace. "Instead we shall pick off the weaker teams, Yuriko has a list of the teams and their members, from that we will know which teams bare the weaker links, those are the ones we will aim for first." Whatever. The girl was in charge, so Alfonse wouldn't say anything. For the macho posturing he'd done on the street, respect had been emphasized in his life. That's what all the chaos in the ghetto was about: respect. If you had that, you weren't messed with. The chameleon girl was in charge, so she'd have his respect for the time being.
"We will meet at the base of the mountain on the North side in one hour and thirty minutes the latest, you have tools for traps, small items of weaponry, rations, and other odds and ends Mystique insisted on you all having with you. Span out, try and make the traps as effective as possible, the more we wound the less we have to fight." Like hell would he make traps. He resolved quickly to find himself a spot out of sight to rest for a while. As long as it looked like he'd followed orders, right?
"Shauna, you will work with Yuriko on creating a list of potential targets we strike first, inform Victoria of which mutants possess greater trouble for us so she knows whom to focus on trying to poison when we encounter a certain group." It was looking like the leather clad Asian -Yuriko's- main use was intelligence, possibly an authority figure in case Mystique's daughter got tired of playing pretend or started to botch the mission. "Victoria"(He'd have to narrow done who that was.) had some kind of poisoning power. He'd remember that. As Kal was given his orders, Alfonse couldn't help but be a little excited. He'd get his next, wouldn't he? Even if they came from a brat, he imagined the orders reflected the boss's confidence in you, your perceived skills and your value to the team. So what was he worth?
"Now, move out." So much for that. Alfonse cracked his knuckles, a subtle outlet to his momentary anger. He wasn't worth much. He was part of the generic bunch, those not valued enough to be given specific orders. Obviously he couldn't chalk it up to his power, because she didn't know what it was. He'd figured he'd be precious if for no other reason than he was possibly the strongest person there(He grudgingly admitted to the possibility that Kal was hiding serious muscle under his shirt.).
It was the way the blonde turned that caught his eye. The twist of her hips easily distracted him from his frustration with being an under appreciated part of the group. It was a few seconds of slow travel before her gaze would be able to take hold of his. The way she walked, the playful turn of her lips told him she was up to something, and it wasn't too hard for him to figure out what. As she paused in front of him, Alfonse took another blatant look from her head to her toes with the focus somewhere in between.
”It might help to work in pairs, don’t you think?” He shared her smile at the comment. He knew what she was doing. Her approach bold in a way he couldn't help but appreciate. It was already obvious to him it'd be a mutually beneficial relationship. A business relationship conducted in the most friendly fashion possible. She had something in mind for him - he wasn't sure what yet - and he saw several ways to use her. Most immediately would be as a guide, someone to follow for the next step in this mission. He'd let her tell him what to do, even if she wasn't quite aware.
"I could see where that'd be helpful, yeah." Casual, he'd maintain the charade of personal interest, the flirtation she'd begun. "Sorry, Kal, I'm afraid you didn't get to me fast enou..." Looking back to find the other man gone, Alfonse's smile grew. The boy was quick, if a little to eager, to disappear like that. Where was his tact? He returned his focus to the attractive little bombshell in front of him, shrugging. "The boy can really take a hint, I guess."
”I’m Mareesa…" Mareesa. Another Brotherhood member to check off the list. And the girl talked with Yuriko, that'd be Shauna probably. Leaving the last girl to be Victoria. That left the girl in charge as a mystery, the only face without a name. Alfonse felt a bit of accomplishment in the way he'd pieced together the names of the team, even a few of their powers. Move over Sherlock Holmes.
"Pleasure meeting you." Complimenting her name would be a bit too passé, wouldn't it? It was the hallmark of a man trying too hard. He'd already announced himself, so he wouldn't bother a second time. "So... what exactly are we gonna accomplish, Mareesa?" He turned towards the mountain they'd been pointed to and started walking. She'd follow until she got the courage to tell him what to do, which most likely wouldn't be long. Alfonse was doing was best to set it up and give her the control in this new partnership. Let her steer him through this mission, because she obviously couldn't know any worse than him.
"We gonna be needin' this?" He didn't look over to her - casual conversation never warranted eye contact - and shook the bag that hug over his shoulder. He was a touch curious as to what 'small items of weaponry' were stowed in the bag, but he was too cynical to imagine anything worth while rested inside. He found no purpose for the bag, actually. He had no intention of setting traps like a coward, unless Mareesa could persuade him otherwise. "If we don't, I ain't carryin' it."
Re: An uninvited group - The Brotherhoods' entrance
... AWAKEN!!
There comes an age when people have to take over responsibility. It remains the question whether there is also a time when they can get rid of it again.
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