Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated Warningooc: bear with me, serves as a veiled introduction to Drian's friends in Lost Angels
I think that New Mutants is really just Angie and I but thought I should include it in the title anyway since he's rousing the faceless nameless characters as well as Faith. Hope this is okay Angie, feel free to edit if needed.
He dreamed of Doric columns that reached high into the clouds and of faces familiar to him yet strange all at once. Dressed in white robes and each with an element of iconography they seemed centuries older than he remembered them, yet in their eyes was a sort of knowledge and wisdom that made him feel a mere babe in a cradle. Around him were whispers from a thousand different voices. They named him with secret names that felt old, that he had thought he’d lost centuries ago. Firebringer, they called him. Forethought, they cried. Inside of him a part that had been sleeping awoke and drank in the recognition like a man lost in the desert that stumbles upon an oasis. Yes, one voice he had heard all his life in dreams told him. This is who we are.
His gaze fell upon a new face of those gathered before him. She is so young, he found himself thinking. Perhaps she was just fresh from the foam. Her features were dark, her skin copper but somehow she seemed a being possessed of light all the same. Heart, whispered the voices as if it meant something, as if it were her name. He turned from her confused and looked at a more familiar maiden.
Had she always been so pale? While the others stood in light she stood half in shadow and her features seemed different somehow. The slender fingers of her right hand clutched a pomegranate and she mouthed "I'm sorry", to Drian. He wanted to speak to her, wanted to ask "what for?" but he couldn't decide what to call her. He had been sure her name was Meredith but an older name had come to him, a name fit for a queen shrouded in death and he no longer could be sure which fit her better.
He moved on again, taking in the grey-eyed maiden. She carried a helmet under her arm and he frowned at this. "What is it for?" he asked her and received the answer that somehow he had known all along. "It is for the war to come, to defend our people as you must defend yours." She tossed long blonde locks behind her shoulder and smiled knowingly at him. Drian found it unnerving. "Parthenos" whispered the thousand voices but he had already moved on.
The youth had grown since he had seen him last. Unbearded still but no longer in song. Drian wanted to muss the golden hair affectionately and watch as Aisha teased him about being in love but he was no longer a boy. Had they all grown up without him? He reached out for someone who was not there and recoiled as if stung. Gareth, Drian thought sorrowfully. What has become of you?
The face he had most wanted to see was there still but he carried a heavy burden that had not been his to bear. "Brother," Drian addressed him but the voice he spoke with was not his own. They might have embraced if not for the mantle the younger carried. There was a brief flash of a world of light both familiar and strange, even after a year of living there, to Drian where a young man attended university and went by a slightly different name. Sasha, he breathed. No, said the voices. This one is Alex.
There were others too but somehow it seemed as though time had begun to speed by faster. He could almost hear the ticking in his head and thought groggily, But I just went to bed.
Winged sandals on the feet of a reformed thief who could open any door. He would not steal any more cattle, he would no longer cause trouble. The calm protector sometimes taken over by bloodlust he wished he could subdue. A plumed helmet sat atop his dark head and green eyes flashed at any who looked the wrong way at him. This one was unchanged. It was refreshing somehow.
There were more new faces and he studied them briefly in turn. A grape-wielding cynic with sarcastic wit but a good nature. The last, not a member of this pantheon and hanging back timid. A laurel crown around her head she ran when approached but was necessary all the same. Two white streaks struck him as unusual on her dark head of hair and her eyes watched him nervously. There were a few others he could not see and one was missing. Already he missed her, his little sister and confidant.
For a moment his thoughts turned to her and when he turned back to the gathered group their faces were beginning to blur and they seemed further away. "No!" he cried out but heard the voice of the grey-eyed maiden from a distance as she said, "look to your own." Hadn't they been his own? Once upon a time. Were they still his?
Goosebumps prickled on his arms as he felt a chill that didn't come from the temperature. The eagle circled overhead. He had had eagle dreams before but never like this. To most the eagle was a symbol of power, beauty and independence. It was used in heraldry but it had always meant something different to Drian. Sometimes the eagle dreams came a year apart, other times there were two to a week. In every case they were painful.
In this dream no chains bound him and the eagle did not swoop down but continued to circle overhead, silently threatening. He blinked and in that second the eagle had been joined by an army. He closed his eyes once more, surprised by this new development, and opened them to a clearer picture. The columns had become walls of a familiar hallway and the eagles had become a different foe. Some of them men, others terrors that many went their whole lives without knowing the existence of. He looked to the pantheon but they had changed too and Drian recognised these faces as students. One of them tossed him the pomegranate before she too changed and he recognised Faith before him. The silence faded into the unmistakable sound of chaos and Drian awoke with a cry.
Recovering quickly the former rebel leader took in his surroundings. Where were the drab walls and the sofas and air mattresses? He wondered. It took another minute to realise that he was no longer in Lost Angels but in a dorm room - a dorm room in the school - where he was now a team leader. As he regained his senses, Drian froze on the word team and remembered his strange dream that had included them, and Faith in particular. His eyes closed briefly once more but this time not in sleep, having already propelled himself out of bed and begun to pace the length of the room. Once more his ears filled with a crash of sound and Drian could distinctly make out the familiar sound of screaming and the less familiar sound of a siren that deafened in its volume and intensity. Memory sparked and, suddenly beginning to understand what he had seen, Drian forced on a pair of sneakers and exited his room, making his way towards the dorm rooms of his team-mates.
Taking on responsibility so young had forced the leader to grow up too quickly but it had also taught him valuable lessons. Chief among them was to always be prepared. Preparation meant never being surprised, meant never giving up the advantage to the opposing side. For Drian, it meant sleeping in a long sleeved tee and jeans because no where was completely safe. Not even Xavier’s.
As chance would have it the first room he reached was Faith’s. Others might have stopped to consider the insanity of their actions in the eyes of others but Drian never hesitated. He had relied on his visions so completely that he had come to believe in his powers above all else. He was not wrong.
Opening the door Drian felt only the briefest sense of guilt. It felt a little like invading the personal space of a person that he barely knew and he would look crazy doing it. That didn’t alter the necessity of his actions though and he called out to her, loudly enough that he hoped it would wake the younger mutant. “Faith,” Drian called. “We’re all in danger. Get up and get dressed, we have to leave now.” His tone was the practised and decisive tone of a leader, a distinction Faith would likely make if she were not too groggy.
He couldn’t afford to wait for a reply and moved onto the next room to wake the rest of his team. Once he had warned everyone of the threat he could return to the beginning and make sure everyone was up and dressed. Drian only hoped that they would be able to understand and follow them blindly. They were an inexperienced team and they hadn’t bonded well enough to understand or trust him. They would just have to have faith and trust in the seasoned leader and he had faith in them.
Re: Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated Warning
“Faith,” The door had opened, and Faith's arms still hugged at her pillow, though shut eyes finally opened and gazed over towards the doorway, Drian's form framed it's center, but Faith's voice was lost as she curled in her bed. It wasn't hard to hear what was happening around them, it wasn't hard to guess something bad was going on, and yet the self named Faith found herself wishing it all to be nothing but another nightmare. “We’re all in danger. Get up and get dressed, we have to leave now.” It didn't seem like a dream, and when their leader turned and left she could hear he was repeating the statement to the others that shared the dorm room with her. After holding her breath for a moment longer, Faith hesitantly slipped from her bed, the warm covers being cast aside and allowing the bite of the chilly air to nip at her bare legs. Black cargo pants were picked up from the floor, along with the white shirt she had worn the afternoon before with 'trouble maker' written across the front. It was suppose to be a good night out last night, but the girls she was invited out with decided to cancel, or at least that's what they said, Faith wasn't sure if it was just an excuse to avoid her or not.
There was almost a bitter feeling as Faith slipped her black hooded jacket over her, wondering if she would have even been here if she had gone out, though she hadn't yet set up her room really.. it still lacked a clock and she had to be one of the few girls who didn't have a mobile phone... well she had one, but it was so old she never turned the thing on. The back of her door had her shoulder bag hanging on the handle, and just as she stepped towards it, feet freshly slipped into her black sneakers, Drian appeared once more at her doorway. If he wanted her to say anything, Faith wasn't sure, but she didn't feel like she had any voice in her right now, so instead she just grabbed the back that hanged from behind her door and placed it over her shoulders. It didn't occure to her that she wouldn't be back in her room for a while, she never imagined what was about to happen. All she could do was take it a moment at a time, and so she followed Drian, and ignored one of the other members who seemed to be snivelling about what was happening, it wasn't until then though that Faith wondered if that girl had a point.. were they going to get back to their rooms? Were they at risk of something dangerous? For some reason... she found herself wondering if Julian was ok, or if he too was going through all this, part of her hoped for his sake that he managed to be outside of the school. However considering classes were tomorrow, she doubted he would be so lucky.
(we can fast forward if it's easier, didn't want to godmod Drian through anything)
Re: Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated Warning((OOC: feel free to edit or tell me to edit if I'm wrong here. I know we planned awhile ago so I'm remembering what I can but I might get a detail wrong or so.
I believe we were going for the two of them running, being pursued and then getting separated in the chaos with Spike then jumping in after separation correct?))
He was running once again.
Oddly contemplative, considering the alarm shrieking its despair and the less than battle ready girl at his side, Drian thought that he had been running his whole life. As a toddler he had likely run before he could walk, brought up as he had been by freedom fighter parents in a world without hope. After their deaths he had been entrusted to their friend, his mentor, who had been killed as the youth watched from the safety of a rock formation. Then Drian had been running again. This time he was alone, until there was her.
Aisha had run at his side and had perhaps been the one focus that had kept him from insanity. She had become not only his pupil but also his friend, confidant and sister. One became three and three became five but they were always repeating that time old pattern of running and hiding. Only after his arrival in this new world had he learned what guerilla warfare was and how effective it had proven in the past. Then had he understood his leadership and realised that he had done all that he could do. Running and hiding was not weak, it was self-preservation for battles that could be won. Now Drian also understood that this was not one of those battles.
All the former resistance leader could tell about their opponents was that they were quick and they were unlike anything he had faced before. Vampires he could have understood and fought with a broken chair leg or some other impromptu weapon but how was anyone to fight these droids? Was that what they were? They couldn't be human surely. More important than deciding how to classify their pursuers though was how to escape them. Constantly the beings were nearly on top of them, forcing an extra burst of speed that could only come from adrenaline born of sheer necessity. The Lost Angels mutant found himself constantly glancing to his side, checking to see that Faith was still at his side, that they were all still safe. Yet as they ran it became more and more difficult to keep watch - and to keep ahead.
Drian's mind, before so focused, now wandered to his dream and he found himself desperately trying to call back the fleeting images. All he knew for certain was that the pantheon had been his teammates. Feeling the pain of the headache that so often accompanied his premonitions he cursed whoever was responsible for what he saw. What was the use of a warning when it came only mere seconds before an event occurred? They were still running weren't they? Still being chased?
A fork in the hallway led to a split second decision but his choice immediately appeared to have been made for him as the other fork yielded a new compliment of pursuers. These looked less like robots and more like demons. They reached out and dared to claw and grab at the team-members like they were gazelle to a pride of lions. Drian felt one's claws imbed themselves in his shoulder and let out a cry as they ripped away a layer of skin when he increased his speed. The claws had raked at his back like the eagle that tormented his dreams, eating his regrown liver again each night.
If the institute was order, or as much order as could be made of hundreds of children with emerging super abilities, than this was chaos pure and simple. Run and hide. Except that there was no where to hide and it was getting harder to run. Drian could still spot Faith in the fray but it was getting more and more difficult to do so. Already he had lost the others. Demons he could try to hit but he lacked an active power to do any serious damage and they were outnumbered, not greatly, but enough to make a fight both dangerous and difficult.
The path ahead remained clear; the best solution was to just keep running. To run as he had from Lost Angels, following his beloved sister to a world where the sun shone brightly, to run as he had from the creatures who had killed his mentor, as he had distanced himself from the ones they hadn't been able to save. All he could do was search for an exit and try to keep Faith in his sights. He just wished he could get them both out of there alive.
Re: Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated WarningNo idea how mobile Drian is, but am trying to be as vague as possible to try and aid in your freedom of response, if we need me to edit even slightly, wasn’t sure how deep the wound was... so tried not to say how much it did or didn’t hinder any movements or whatnot and tried to explain things in an obstacle approach. I’m sure that makes no sense.. lol... but read and tell me if it needs to be edited. I figured I’ll talk to Dan and see if he still intends to bring Thomas.
Finding students seemed oddly difficult, because usually they were in the middle of running frightened, and something was often on their tails, and by the time Spike dealt with whatever it was chasing them the students had vanished down other hallways. Calling out only meant a few managed to catch his words, it wasn’t like he could scream it out loudly, somehow he couldn’t see that going down well ‘Exit that way’ was definitely going to get all the wrong attention just as likely as those he would want to hear it.
How complicated it all was, the images in the vampire’s mind swirled with dreadful memories of which could happen if the school fell, suddenly all differences he’d seen between his world and this melted away and the lines all blurred. The picture Spike was left with was unholy and terrifying, he didn’t want to go through all that with a soul, it had been painful during the most recent years, ever since he had first been forced to see the humans as more than just creatures to play with, and once that happened, his humanity seemed to sink its claws into the demon inside and drag it back, leaving only the most fragile pieces left in the aftermath. Maybe he was too deep in his nightmarish thoughts to realize, but as he turned the next corner the undead’s senses didn’t warn him of the collision about to take place. A youth’s form slammed into him, firm and hard and yet Spike’s body managed to keep its balance and not fall back. Cold, yet firm, hands grabbed at Drian’s form, stopping the young man from rebounding back and tumbling over, a girl next to them gave a startled cry at the sudden appearance, as if thinking they were trapped by yet another side. Spike just yelled for her to carry on down the hall towards the exit, with a repetitive ‘go go go’ thrown in as she hesitated, staring at Drian before Spike snapped at her to move off. Moments were precious, and between Drian regaining his balance and recovering from the shock of the impact, anything could happen, and while Spike was willing to take on the oncoming charge chasing them, he would rather they made all possible chance to escape a priority.
"Try an’ follo’er, there’s a girl waitin’ to lead you lot out down a passage, I’ll hold’em followers off," The face wasn’t yet pinned though it was familiar, Spike just assumed it was one of the many faces he’d avoided staring at while walking the halls. For the students who didn’t know who he was, there were just as many it seemed who did, or knew enough to stare in any case. It wasn’t common any of the Lost Angel folk were ever in his presence, and considering their past, Spike never went out of his way to speak with them either. For the moment, Spike carefully guided the boy to the wall, he was hurt... Spike’s sense’s couldn’t help but tingle at the smell of the fresh blood drenching the mortal. Though with recent feeding it meant it didn’t distract him as it would half a week ago when his feeding habits had been so strict he had basically starved himself dangerously. Hands released their grip on Drian’s upper arms, letting him stand under his own strength, though didn’t hover around to see how well the young male managed to move off... if Spike didn’t deal with the strange machines almost upon them then there was little chance for the human to fight them off.
The fight from outside had worn him slightly, demons and robot men and little clueless people with very painful gadgets. The shock from the collar that was placed on his neck earlier had knocked all sense from the vampire for a moment when he felt so close to blacking out. Though the metal was strong enough for no mere human to remove by force, it wasn’t strong enough to withstand the vampire’s aggravated grip that tore it in half from his neck. Getting tossed around left him with grass stains over knees and elbows, a few scraps smeared here and there, and a little dirt over his face but other then that he wasn’t hurt. For now he could keep it up... but for how long? And what happens when he was faced with some of the more powerful demons that sent chills down even his spine?
It seemed a small group had taken to chasing the students, two of which were merely low levelled demons which didn’t take any effort to really send flying through the nearest window... better they were outside then inside after all. It was the metallic form that soon after catapulted itself at Spike, followed by another which grabbed at him, and the third wasn’t left ignored as it aimed a weapon towards the human youth. Tossing the droids about had proved easy enough outside, it was the way they fluidly seemed to bound right back towards you, graceful and quick, unlike the slow but powerful Terminators he was used to from back home, but even they were rare.... these were seemingly everywhere! As long as he could wiggle free of their iron grips it wasn’t too hard to avoid getting smacked around or-"Ow!" The disgruntled yell cried out almost indignantly as one of them managed to bend an arm behind his back and try to force the vampire to the ground on his knees. A few moments later and Spike had managed to pull himself away, getting into the line of fire between the armed droid and Drian, he might not be the best barrier but he would have to do. What struck him however were not the bite of bullets expected, instead some form of injector capsules as Spike struggled with one of the droids, fist pounding into its chest till the skin began to bleed and the machine-man started to malfunction. For some reason the boy was still in the hall, he’d barely gotten far, to Spike’s delayed realization he hadn’t seen the way had been blocked. Another sting of the strange liquid was shot, seeming to enrage the vampire enough to finally return to his demonic visage and angrily reach for the remain two droids and ripping one of the arms from their sockets, proceeding to swing it at the other before finishing them off with bestial savagery.
At first little of the effects of whatever was injected was noticed, having no mutant abilities meant the dimming of gene didn’t affect the vampire, though the side effects were causing his head to start to spin. The demons were all as humanoid as possible, and those who didn’t look human were dressed from head to toe in effort to conceal the fact. But that didn’t blind Spike to knowing who were and weren’t the demons in the group.
"We ought to go another way," The English accent coloured Spike’s words as always, his hands reaching for Drian, if they didn’t get this human somewhere safe, he wouldn’t make it very far in the state he was in, not with all the chaos around! The window maybe? Spike took the briefest of glances but didn’t see their chances as being any better, there were more of the invaders outside and on their own they couldn’t risk it. "At least if you start an’ I-" The attention of the oncoming mob seemed to be suddenly diverted, just as Spike was readying to launch into yet another assault, however it seemed something else crossed their paths already! The scent was familiar, it didn’t matter if they were around the corner the particular student was one close to Arisa and therefore she had his scent often on her and it wasn’t difficult to miss the fact they were close friends. With a growl Spike gave a matter, "Bleedin’ hell, I can’get everywhere!" But he didn’t try... images of the students and teachers caught up in the attack years ago in his home reality had been crucified along the roads... some weren’t dead, others had been dead for days. The thought of Arisa standing there in front of her dead or dying friend.... or up there herself!!
"Hey! You pansy bloody piss-ants," Calling out to catch the attention of the demons who seemed to be cornering a group in the next hall, he wasn’t surprised that they didn’t all turn around and charge for him... but had to admit it would have made everything so much more easier. "Can you get to that Porter boy ‘round th’corner an’ I’m going t’try an-" While speaking to Drian a yell cried out from around the corner and Spike seemed to drop all attempts at explaining what was going to be attempted and instead just went into a run and charged at the group ahead. Only Porter seemed to be left, and while he was managing to distract the attention of the invaders to help the others dodge pass them, he now had three well armed, well armoured and overly strong men grabbing at him.
Re: Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated Warning
While the chaos enveloping the school was a terrifying new experience for most of its students, the disorder came as no great shock to the young team leader. Unfortunately it was still every bit as terrifying. Drian's world was one without order and rules, a place where disaster reigned as King and there was little to lose. Although he had spent the last year largely in solitude, brushing shoulders with the other students in the halls but rarely taking the time to get to know them, he was becoming increasingly aware of the safe haven provided by Professor Xavier's work, and of the wider world. He had realised that in this world there was much to lose. Perhaps even for him.
The New Mutants were, as their name suggested, a new team who hadn't had the blessing or curse of time to bond. They also lacked the training to be ready for the situation at hand. It was this inexperience that had forced the former rebel leader to tell his team to run instead of embarking on a mission to help the other students, as he was sure some of the more experienced teams were doing. Running was easy but smart, he had no doubts that it was the only thing he could do. Better to get his team out safely than recklessly stay to fight.
The odd part, he reflected as he reached a clumsy hand around to his back, hoping to gauge the bleeding, was just how much was familiar. Running from a foe, trying to protect his team, that might be commonplace anywhere. But the way the battlelines seemed to have been drawn, with mutant students and teachers facing down droids and humanoid demons - Drian had seen enough vampire and demons in his time to know the difference - was all too familiar. In these situations an old mindset took over, something Drian had once likened to possession and wondered if that was in fact it. Even without an active power he had a gift for leadership and an ability to remain calm under pressure that were second nature to him. More than once he had wondered if this had something to do with an older force, his namesake.
His hand came away from his back sticky and scarlet and he winced a little although he had done worse back home. As his dark-eyed gaze fell on his hand he slammed into something firm that he quickly realised was a body. It was half luck and half an engineered effort that kept Drian from falling back; a steadying pair of cold firm hands grabbed him and secured his balance as his gaze fell quickly on Faith, who had cried out at the appearance of another person, and shifted quickly to the man he had just collided with. As he was still looking at the face, wondering why it looked oddly familiar, the blond man yelled for Faith to continue towards the exit. Wrenching his gaze back to his teammate, Drian gave a distinct nod, letting her know that she should carry on down the hall.
"Try an’ follo’er, there’s a girl waitin’ to lead you lot out down a passage, I’ll hold’em followers off," the man said, speaking in a distinctive English accent. Drian squinted a little at him, both recovering from the force of the impact and trying to place the face he felt certain he knew from somewhere. As he attempted to make the connection he was guided carefully to the wall, the man having discerned that he was injured. The cold hands released their grip on his arms and he kept his balance. Drian couldn't explain why he instinctively didn't trust this stranger who had done nothing but help him stand and move him to the side after being nearly knocked over by his impact. All the same, he was glad when the man moved away and gladder still as this distance was used to fight against the creatures that had been pursuing him and Faith.
The momentary feeling of relief dissipated as the man sent two demons flying through a nearby window. Drian tried to consider other possibilities, reasoning that he was in a school for mutants afterall and that there were surely multiple students with super strength abilities but he was too old to be a student and Drian didn't recognize him as a teacher either. After disposing of the demons the droids came at them and the stranger took those on as well, even stepping into the line of fire between Drian and the droid. The dark-haired man wondered at this as well. They had never even met and yet the stranger was willing to take bullets for him. Was he indestructible perhaps?
The fact that there were bullets at all worked as a shock back to reality but when Drian took a few steps in the direction of the exit route that Faith had taken, he instead saw a barrier preventing his path. A mumbled exclamation of frustration left his mouth as he realised he was trapped and almost entirely reliant on this strange other he refused to trust, even as the other stepped into the line of fire. Watching keenly and not interfering since he was both lacking an active power and feared getting in the other's way, Drian noticed the bullets that they had both expected never came, replaced instead by somesort of capsule.
His gaze was still focused on the fight when the blond man changed. He was a vampire, and in his vampire visage Drian was able to recognize him as Spike. His initial gratitude seemed to vanish entirely as he recalled the vampires who had ruined his world. Spike had been one of them. Sure Drian had heard the rumours that he had been tamed and knew that if it were true it would be a victory, but he was just as sure that putting a chip in the vampire's head might keep him from violence but it didn't change his nature. Everyone knew the old fable of the scorpion and the crocodile. Spike was nothing more than the scorpion. To sting was his nature.
As if proving a point the stranger he had identified as Spike promptly ripped the one droid's arm from its socket, swinging it with ferocity at the other. All the same, Drian thought as the vampire spoke again, this was the being who had saved him, whatever his motives were. The cold hands reached for him again and the young leader twitched involuntarily and hoped that Spike would attribute this to his medical condition.
Their attempt to escape was brought to a halt as Spike tried to find a safe route for both of them. Drian tried to stop questioning why but the word took up inside his head and he repeated it as a silent mantra.
"Hey! You pansy bloody piss-ants." The taunt served to catch the attention of nearby demons cornering another group of students and Drian squinted at Spike as though, as indeed he was, trying to figure him out like a particularly unique canvas in an art gallery.
"Can you get to that Porter boy ‘round th’corner an’ I’m going t’try an-" Porter. Drian remembered the name and was able to put a face to it although they hadn't spent a great amount of time together. He didn't even have time to voice a reply before a cry sounded from around the corner and Spike charged ahead.
Instinct took over and he put Spike from his mind as the Lost Angels native saw Porter, surrounded by three men. Drian surged towards the portal opening mutant as fast as he could manage, still all too aware of the pain caused by slashing claws earlier. He lacked a power and he wasn't keen on being shot but Drian still had to try and he got a firm grasp on one of the men, attempting to wrest him off the other student and give him a firm push, succeeding mostly due to the factor of surprise. Unfortunately, that left two more and the first was already regaining his balance and coming back at them. What next? was the new question entering his head and Drian feared the reply would not be in their favour.
Re: Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated Warningif this is wrong in any way remove it... i can rewrite
In the relative silence of his medical bay room Nick lay unmoving on his bed, to all intents and purposes he was asleep, but sleep had never meant the peaceful repose it did to most people in nicks case, his mind forever wandering into the thoughts of others and causing him untold stress. For the past few weeks he had been practising a technique suggested by Jean, when he lay down try and focus his mind on something else to keep it occupied, something happy or peaceful. It was more meditation than sleep but it had the same effect, or at least as close to it as possible.
There was not a lot in Nick’s life that he could focus on that was either happy or peaceful though, his life was one of conflict and misery though there were a few ups amongst the downs. He had started a new life here, and had struck up a friendship with Matt Murdock whilst they were both confined to the medical bay, and with Hank trying to rehabilitate him he had also befriended Jennifer, the slayer from his world. Though he hoped there could be more to it than just friendship, she was a very attractive young lady and he could do a lot worse than her. Still he lacked the courage with the opposite sex, for though he could easily talk to them any interactions further were just too much for him to handle, at least for now. Though it seemed as if she were interested in him, perhaps she felt the same.
Still, she gave him something to think about and he would lie at night looking over their last interaction in his head, and looking forward to their next meeting, it helped him concentrate and relax. In his head he could be elsewhere.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and branches into the small track they were walking down, the dappled light giving everything a mottled appearance. Slowly Nick and Jennifer trudged along her hand in his, only the sound of birdsong and the occasional rustle of the leaves in a slight breeze broke the silence, it was peaceful. But something was wrong, Nick could sense it.
Turning to face her she was gone, so had the birdsong… Nick swung round one way then the other, his face transfixed into a Wary frown “Jennifer” the word had barely left his lips when the silence around was broken be a deafening scream. Turning around the track in front of him now had an end in sight, the distinct flickering of flames and smoke in a darkened sky… the sunlight slowly began to darken, the mottled ground becoming wreathed in flame.
He ran, feet thudding heavily on the ground as it began to burn behind him, part of him knew what lay at the end of the track yet did not want to believe it could be true. But it was… as he ran from the wood he came to a halt, a look of horror crossed his face as he came face to face with the burning remains of the institute in the distance, crosses lined the road leading to it with the bodies of the dead and dying pinned to them and littered round. Demonic figures picked across the grounds, feeding off the bodies. It was happening Again here as it had in his own world… only this time he was seeing it first hand.
Frozen in horror staring at the scene in front of him a familiar whisper could be heard in the back of his mind “Its happening Tonight Nick… Save all you can” “Michael” Nicks voice sounded both horrified and surprised
“GET UP NOW”the whisper became a echoing shout as he felt a hand on his shoulder, he woke with a start, a sudden surge of energy flowing through his as the owners mind connected with Nicks for a brief second. It was enough to overload him but not enough to knock him out, he’d managed to control that a little, but the shockwave sent the person flying from his bedside, the light popped and mirror exploded.. As he opened his eyes slowly his room was destroyed, thought a huge weight had been lifted from his mind as it usually was after a release.
Glancing at the man in the corner of the room he recognised it at once to be an initiative Agent, there would be more surely, he flashed a look towards a trunk in the corner of the room, wondering whether or not he should do something… was this an attack, or an isolated occurrence. The sounds coming from the hallways and thoughts that were once again flooding into his mind, added to his dream dispelled all hope that it was not an attack.
He had to do something, jumping from his bed he took a second to look out of the door, there were people outside, and not good people. Quickly he shut and locked his door and dragged the bed noisily across it, there was no way the people outside did not hear the noise, how they had missed the shockwave god only knew, but now there was banging against the door… he had to be quick
It took seconds to open the trunk, all his personal things were in there, it was not a lot… his life did not allow for many effects, a new set of boots kindly given to him by the doctor matched his old set pretty well, although these did not have any compartments for poisons in the heel, a pair of black trousers he’d borrowed from Matt but the lawyer had kindly told him to keep and a black jacket, originally left By his partner on that fateful day they had gone to rescue Catherine and Riley. All were thrown on, at the bottom of the trunk a metal box with a coded lock keeping it shut.
Nick hesitated slightly, Hank had told him not to get his weapons out in the school or face dire consequences. A loud bang as the door began to give way completely forced his hand to put in the code, his eyes seeing his sword for the first time since his return. *It has been cleaned* he noted, grabbing the blade in its sheath still and slinging it round his waist, Nicks eyes returned to the metal box… Michaels gun was inside.
The door broke, something leapt in behind him but instinct kicked in, nick wheeled round and unloaded the Chamber into the creatures head. It fell to the floor in front of him with a metallic clanging noise… it was a robot, there would be more.
*How am I going to help* he thought to himself as he ran from his room, the screams in his mind of students being attacked all over the school did little to reassure the Agent that he could be of any help in preventing the schools fate, but he had to do something. As best he could Nick forced his overloaded mind to help him assess the situation as his blade cleaved through a demon’s skull when it came out of the doorway next to him. The school was overrun, there was no way to save everyone as some were already subdued and areas of the building were already under the assailants control the mental screams were becoming less and less as students and teachers alike passed into unconsciousness.. or worse.
He could only help those who there was a chance of saving, and they were in the dorms, some of the strongest resistance being offered by something inhuman but with a familiar presence. Whoever or whatever it was holding the assailants back it was fighting a losing battle at the moment… but perhaps Nick could swing things for long enough that the children up there could escape. He found himself running towards them as fast as his legs could move, it was the first time since returning that Nick had fought, the adrenaline surging through his body gave him that little bit of extra help in tracking his own thoughts in the sea of other peoples.
"Can you get to that Porter boy ‘round th’corner an’ I’m going t’try an-"
The voice of Spike, the vampire from his world came to nicks ears as he pelted up the corridor, so that was the familiar presence, people from his world seemed to have that. The vampire’s sentence had been cut short by three rather burly figures at the end of the corridor grappling him. Nick seemed to find another burst of speed, a flying dropkick sending one heavily into the wall, he span on the floor and tripped another before spinning to his feet again, his left leg trailing and clouting the last of the three enough to knock him from the vampire.
“Situation?” he barked to the vampire, the agent in him kicking in… the thrill of the fight rising within him as his fist slammed into the third mans face a second time, a well timed palm to the chest accompanied with a small burst of psychic energy, something he had been practicing in his medical room against his bedclothes, sent the already unconscious attacker falling backwards, he had bought them some time but not a lot, he could feel others coming.
Re: Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated Warning(I wanted to do so much better... but it's hard to focus this week... But I really really really felt like posting... hope you have something to go with Chels, while not directly spoken to, as Ihad noooo idea what to say.... I at least tried to give something for him to think about, if not reply to.)
To say it was a ‘blur’ would not be some twist on words, but rather literal as Spike’s vision seemed double for a moment, he was tired of getting knocked around but whatever was in those needles were making him light headed. Once vanished off, staggering about as the youth Spike previously had encountered seemed to jump onto the demon from behind, two left, though as Spike grabbed one, the remained seemed to be knocked aside off its feet, leaving a lightly confused vampire alone with one now outnumbered demon who didn’t seem so tough without its friends. The struggle died, but the unease remained and so did the very real danger around them, so as Spike stared over at the Lost Angel’s demon hunter, who yelled out “Situation?” demandingly, the vampire replied hardly caring for their past history.
"No flippin’ idea, but there’s more outside, they’re everywhere... seems like hundreds o’these bleedin’ pests, pourin’ into the school, with tin men, humans an’ demons, bloody unbelievable!" The irritation was clear, Spike’s facial features returning to their human visage as he rubbed at his head with pale hands, "They collared me before, was tough to break, the kids won’t’ave a chance, usin’em to shock any who wear it, not to mention trigger happy an’ey aren’t only shootin’ friggin’ bullets, bast-" He was ranting, yes informing them, but any more and he knew it would become needless fuming anger, so shutting his eyes for a moment, the vampire grumbled something indistinguishable and then continued, "Rogue an’ I were roundin’ up the strugglers... we got to get Porter out o’here," While Spike was slightly disorientated, he did really mean the two of them, only singling out the youth Arisa so often spent time with left Porter feeling as if he was considered ‘the weakest link’ and for that, snapped back quickly.
"Oh yeah, because the rest of you don’t need to get out of here, am I really any different on this matter? I think no-" The violet hued youth got cut off as Spike threw a glare and sternly interrupted the other youth, "Jus’ shut up an’ follow the mentally handicapped.. is’at so much to ask?" The play on words showed the dark humour the vampire often leaned towards and yet the stress in his voice made it difficult for people to register the joke unless they understood a bit about both Spike and their new arrival Nick, the former Lost Angel’s Agent, both who had a loose grasp at times on their sanity. Taking in a deep breath, Spike looked between Drian and Nick.
"So we’re surrounded.... maybe I go in ahead, distract’em... you lot sneak by? There’s only what.." For a moment it looked like the undead was counting in his head for the exact number, "Few hundred between here and what could possibly be somewhat able to be described as a little safer, give or take a few," He paused.. it was difficult to deal with this, it felt surreal and nothing that Spike told himself seemed to really help, "It’s like it’s happenin’ all over again, only’is time we’re all apart o’it," Porter was clueless on the comment, but any resident of Lost Angel would understand, the terror that blazed through the city once their last defence hell, once the X-men had been crushed and their building burned and left to rot as an empty, hallowed shell of what once was so grand and significant. The thought of the same thing happening... the thought of Rogue nailed to a make shift cross and mounted along the street, left to decay and stink the air, it both emotionally enraged and physically subdued the vampire. Talk about karma.
Re: Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated Warning
The ease with which he slipped back into his old role of fighter, defender, runner was disconcerting, making Drian wonder if anything had really changed in the nearly one year he had spent in this dimension. Aisha had changed and he had watched with pride and jealousy. She walked in the sun, she had friends, and she belonged. And him? He tried but, like the blonde vampire, he also had a nature that was hard to escape. How could he relax when every fibre of his being screamed for wariness? How could he escape the burden of solitude and pressure, those companions of leadership? The answer, judging from the fluidity of his reversion to form, seemed to be that he couldn't. Like a lapsed addict he refused what was good for him and gave into the cravings. The only difference was that Drian didn't crave narcotics or booze; He craved the safety of routine, even though that familiarity happened to be a world overrun by vampires.
Unable to really let loose in the school except in the danger room, a level his new student team had not yet reached, Drian felt the adrenaline beginning to take him over, blocking out the pain of his injury. His strength had always been his ability to direct and the premonitions that gave him the edge. Preferring to put only those who had the necessary active powers for a minor victory into battle, Drian's migraines had often kept him out of the action. Nonetheless he was capable of throwing a punch or two and he did his best now, giving one of the men a bloody nose.
The tables could turn so quickly in a fight, one of the things Drian both loves and hates about them. He doesn't know whether things have turned in favour of the students or against until the new player, a man he doesn't recognize, lands a series of kicks and barks an order at Spike. Drian's dark eyes fix once more on Spike, still deciding what to think about him, how to accept the being that might just have saved his life without forgiving the past. Instead he studies him and he listens. Each sentence comes with a memory. Hundreds, he thinks and he's back in Lost Angels seeing the branded humans of his homeworld in flashes of the future.
Spike continues "-the kids won’t’ave a chance, usin’em to shock any who wear it, not to mention trigger happy an’ey aren’t only shootin’ friggin’ bullets, bast-" He's ranting but Drian understands the frustration and knows that talking is sometimes a form of coping. He thinks of Aisha again and closes his eyes, wishing that they had never been divided into separate teams. He prays silently to a God he's not sure he believes in to keep her safe, hating to think that he's brought them both here for nothing.
Drian's mentally occupied enough but Porter talks back, only stopped by Spike's glare and verbal interruption, "Jus’ shut up an’ follow the mentally handicapped.. is’at so much to ask?" The joke is lost on Drian. As Spike continues Drian realizes that he's no longer the leader. It's tough to swallow the whole idea of taking orders from a vampire of questionable mind but he remembers the saying about desperate times calling for desperate measures and calms the ancient voice in the back of his head that calls for him to take charge.
A few hundred. His heart sinks in his chest and even before Spike makes it real he's thinking the same thing. Please not again. He's lived through this once before and he's not willing to put anyone through that Hell, least of all his sister. He sent her here to escape that fate and he'll be damned before he condemns her to it once more. "Two hundred?" Drian asks rhetorically. He's thinking we can't possibly win but isn't about to vocalize that sentiment. He may not be an optimist but he's also not willing to lose, not this time when there's so much more at stake than he had ever thought possible.
He watched his mentor die and he's lost potential recruits but he won't lose, can't lose the people in this world. He can't see people as innocent as Tessa Macneil die. The formerly threatening presence of Spike is now almost welcome; He's another being to shoulder the burden, perhaps someone else who understands exactly what's at stake and how far there is to fall. They've both been there to see the aftermath of the fall from grace and they're not willing to fall again.
Re: Monday, April 2nd: New Mutants - Belated Warning"No flippin’ idea, but there’s more outside, they’re everywhere... seems like hundreds o’these bleedin’ pests, pourin’ into the school, with tin men, humans an’ demons, bloody unbelievable!" Tin men, he must have meant the things that nick had encountered in the medical bay. Deep inside Nick began to think perhaps he should not have left those in the med lab alone, there were sick and wounded that could have possibly needed his help more than these people, the vampire seemed to have the situation... well under control really wasn't the term that described it, but it was close. "They collared me before, was tough to break, the kids won’t’ave a chance, usin’em to shock any who wear it, not to mention trigger happy an’ey aren’t only shootin’ friggin’ bullets, bast-"
"Rogue an’ I were roundin’ up the strugglers... we got to get Porter out o’here," whipering voices of fear and anguish in Nick's mind gave a pretty bleak overview of the situation, the only good thing being that in the heat of the fighting it seemed to have stabilised a little, the background thoughts of others only a low whisper easily covered by his own thoughts, 'it had to be the adrenaline' he thought.. surprised that he could hear it in his head. "Oh yeah, because the rest of you don’t need to get out of here, am I really any different on this matter? I think no-" one of the others spoke up, he was right even though he were cut off by Spike's rather angry words. they probably didnt mean to be angry but then again in the heat of the situation tempers might flare a little. "So we’re surrounded.... maybe I go in ahead, distract’em... you lot sneak by? There’s only what.. Few hundred between here and what could possibly be somewhat able to be described as a little safer, give or take a few,"
There were voices coming along the corridor... no, Thoughts.. Nick could sense them and they were coming closer, and they didnt seem entirely human. "something's coming" the agent felt a sudden surge of images in his mind, his legs threatening to give way all of a sudden he stumbled back a pace or two before regaining his footing "their thoughts... oh god" there was both fear and revulsion in his voice, his right hand pressed hard against his temple, hoping to god that it could push the visions from his mind. Whatever these things were they had dome some pretty nasty things already. "We cannot split up" he swung round, trying his best to shut out the thoughts creeping steadily back into his tormented mind
times like this Nick wished he could have some peace in his head, he wished Micheal were here with them as together the pair of them knew how to deal with things, they were a well oiled machine that just could not function apart. But he had to function, the best plan that had been suggested so far was to sarifice the vampire in order they might make an attempt to escape. but as plans went that one was hopeless "We have to stay together, if it comes to it we can all fight and we shall have a much better chance if we all stick together" there was a brief pause, his eyes darting from one person to another a plan formulating in his mind, if only a small one
from what he could tell the funny colored child seemed to be somewhat the weak link, it crossed his mind to give the boy Micheal's gun, but that thought soon passed as he envisaged him shooting one of them by mistake "we should move, i'll take lead with Spike" he shot a glance at up the hallway "this way" he began to move then paused "you..." Nick swung round, pointing at Drian "dont let the kid out of your sight" he felt bad for calling the guy 'You' but he didnt know his name... well i guess he did now, the guy's mind giving it away too late... or was it Drian's mind. Nick could barely tell any more. if it were not so frantic around the school this situation would be amusing, two mentally handicapped leading people to safety, it didnt sit right.
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