Tess wasn't prepared for the confused surprise she recieved from the faery prince in reaction to her query about invisibility and his reply especially surprised the halfbred. She had just assumed that since she was only half faery and able to become invisible that surely Scott with his greater powers would be able to do the same. Tessa's violet gaze clearly showed her concern for her fellow faery for a moment before he said reassuringly,"I shall be alright, I am a decent player in the game of hide and seek, you however turn invisible."
It was the sweet smile that was the clincher for her though and Tess seemed to remember then that they were on a mission and had to keep hidden to the best of their own abilities. They were suposed to be a team but not to band together to that extent, after all that would have meant all of them giving up hope of hiding by powers to stand by Lexi's side and she would surely be alright where she was hidden or no.
The now invisible Tess turned her head to the trees and saw Scott was chamelflaged at least somewhat by his clothes and that would keep him well enough hidden from the average roving eye. Feeling somewhat safer now that Scott was hidden Tess focused on watched around her for any action from the other team or a signal of some sort to attack this still hidden enemy.
Lexi was careful as she hid against the tree branches but even still she knew that a girl with auburn hair like her onw couldn't really hide so well against the trees just now gaining buds. If it had been autumn perhaps she would have had better luck but as it was her hiding was more for the sake of keeping up appearances than for any actual fooling of the other team for extended periods of time. As Rogue entered the area Lexi watched May shoot out her webbing trying to net the white streaked other leader. For safety of herself May leapt through the canopy avoiding any chance of a counterattack and Lexi took that as her cue, a sign sent from the other redhead.
She stepped away from the branches slightly so that Rogue was in better view and somewhat closer so her powers could work better. Lexi closed her eyes for a splits second to better focus and concentrated on dimming Rogue's vision and on lessoning her sense of touch. Perhaps the numbness the other team leader would surely feel as a result of her powers would make it more difficult for Rogue to use her own powers or would at least dissuade her momentarily although Lexi really had no clue what effect exactly her powers would have on the older woman. It was the dimming of eyesight she was counting on. Not wanting to completely use up her powers Lexi dimmed Rogue's vision to blurry shapes of light and dark but didn't blind her completely for if she were to do that the effects wouldn't have a chance of lasting as long. She could only hope that her abiities would work on Rogue despite Rogue's superior training and experience and that this would give May and the rest of her team an advantage, however slight that advantage might be.
Steps were set carefully, yet not with insecure hesitation, as Rogue entered the small clearing – or what she had decided to dub one. It offered more possibilities to hide, more spots suitable for ambushes and traps than a real clearing, but then again, this advantage wasn’t only limited on the other team. It would also help her own group members to get relatively close with lower chances of being noticed than in the open space of a wider glade. All she could hope was that Prometheus as the experiences fighter he was would recognise the best moment to enter the fight and step in. Too early would rid them of the advantage of surprise – as small as it might be – too late, however, could mean that Rogue got tagged and though her team members were still permitted to continue, she would have to stay behind or even head off for headquarters.
It was different for non-leaders who could still walk with the rest, but Rogue, Storm and the others could give advice, encourage with their mere presence… things that would naturally be gone with their defeat in a real mission. She just hadn’t known this group for long enough to judge whether or not they’d be able to carry on as before without her. And frankly, she wasn’t keen on finding out about it. Emerald eyes wandered around, investigated her surroundings in search of Green’s people. Before she had finished visually investigating the area, things started. A rustling above her warned of someone’s presence, but the time left between that and the attack was too short for preventive actions. A hissing sound like a non-solid, wide-spanned object flying towards her sounded from the dense canopy.
Conscious thinking was unnecessary for the experienced warrior as she reacted instinctively. Attack from above equals evade to the side, as low to the ground as possible to give her more time until whatever it was coming could hit her. Rogue’s form a blur of motion, the southern belle dropped to the ground rolling to the side in one flowing movement. The indefinable sound of something wet and yet somewhat solid hitting the ground showed her that it had been close as she jumped into a standing position right using the gathered momentum. A quick glance towards what had been aimed at her was the first conscious action and while it didn’t helped her to find out what this thing had been, it showed her something more important. She needed glasses. And the ground wasn’t as present as she remembered it to be – her feet unable to feel it.
”Wow, getting’ old fast…,” she muttered to herself with a slightly ironic grin. Good coordination, this team had, and Rogue couldn’t help but inwardly applauding their team work. If things continued like that, they could really end up taking her down. But she wouldn’t make it easy for them. Closing her eyes, the absorption mutant rose into midair, arms in some sort of semi-combat-position with one hovering in front of her chest, the other guarding her lower front. If some of your senses went nuts, you had to ignore them. There was no point in trying to see if you knew you couldn’t – if your blurry vision was just confusing you; no good in standing if you were lacking a felt connection with the ground. And so she shut them out and focused on her other senses instead, listening intently, inhaling the surrounding air deeply wondering whether there were still some of Spike’s abilities in her.
Although it turned out that his heightened senses had faded from her, she knew that her hearing could still be enough to help her. It was only human, maybe a little better – she had forgot whether it had been worse before she had stolen Ms. Marvel’s powers – but focusing on it could and would help. And so she slowly revolved on her own axis, head tilted to the side and brow furrowed lightly as the southern belle focused on what was around her. If this had been a real battle, she may even have felt a tingle of nervousness crawling up and down her spine, adding to the excitement of the fight. But here, on this island where only X-Men were situated, training, nothing would really harm her. And so this was but a game. And an interesting one
"Green one of the other team members, Drian, has foresight powers. He'll have visions of things and may be able to spot us or anticipate actions so be on guard. He also has some experience in hand to hand that the others might lack."
Michael caught the whispered words, thankful that he was close enough to Lexi to still be within earshot. Another draw back of his power; the com badge he so diligently wore rested now safe around Michael’s physical wrist but since that meant it was stuck up a tree some distance away that was hardly useful at the present time.*Oh well* he thought resignedly* Its either carry things and stay solid or travel light and be able to fade. All in all I think the second solution is best At least at the moment.*
He mulled over the information his team leader had passed on grimacing a little as its implications struck him. Foresight! Not a lot you could do against that. *Maybe this Drian character could nip in and tell me what I’m going to do next* the Scottish mutant thought to himself with a grin *Cos at the moment I don’t have the faintest idea.*
However it didn’t seem like he’d be getting a lot of time to come up with something for already he could see the other team leader, Rogue, moving cautiously into the clearing. Strange that she’s coming alone after what happened to Dawn* Michael said to himself. *Then again maybe the others are hiding just like us waiting to see how we react.*
If that was what they were doing they didn’t have long to wait. Fast and deadly May struck, her webbing flashing out to where the older woman stood its sticky strands splattering to the ground as Rogue threw herself to one side, rolling to be up on her feet almost instantly and ready for battle.
Instinctively Hood moved towards the confrontation, soundless and invisible wanting to be ready to back May up should she need help.
*I could maybe take her down with my arrows* had been his first reaction then he had pushed the thought from his mind as being too dangerous. He didn’t know just how much control he had over the astral projectiles, had never yet had to try to lessen their deadly potential. This may have been a training session but it was hardly the place to take such a risk. No, he would move in to contact range hoping that the element of surprise would make up for his lack of experience in hand to hand combat. *Or in this case hand to sword* he thought wryly *Within the limits of safety that is*
He had no illusions as to his chances against a trained combatant like Rogue, but still….There was just a chance that she would be sufficiently distracted and after all anyone could get lucky. Besides it was what he would have done in a real combat situation moving in to cover his team mate in case she needed backup. It was what they would all do, each one looking out for the others, making sure that no one was out on a limb while there were others around who could lend them a hand.*No matter how shaky that hand might be*
Still as he swept in glad of the speed his immaterial form lent him he noticed the slight look of disorientation on Rogue’s face, quickly covered by one of determination as she smoothly rose from the ground to hover poised and ready in mid air. *Ok I can do that too* Michael said to himself * though it will be a hard landing if I have to materialise while I’m up there. Better to do like May and stick to the trees* he decided settling his still intangible and invisible form into the branches of a nearby specimen *After all what better place is there for an outlaw?*
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)Tess Lexi etc
Tessa got her first look at experience in a combat situation as she watched the effects of Lexi and May's powers coming together against Rogue. The violet-eyed faery was glad she was invisible as she hadn't seen anything like Rogue's experience in action and didn't want to be in the line of fire. The older woman's drop and roll motion managed to come off as fluid and graceful whereas Tess was sure that if she had tried anything of the sort she would have ended up a clumsy mess of limbs and dirt.
She watched as May's projectile web hit the ground just beside Rogue. It had been a close call but the experience and reputation that preceeded Rogue were being lived up to it appeared as the white-streaked mutant had managed to avoid the attack so easily. Lexi's focus seemed to be paying off as Rogue appeared to look bleary eyed at her surroundings for a moment before rising off the ground. 'Her senses must be going,' Tess thought to herself and inwardly appluaded her team leader. Maybe, just maybe they stood a chance in taking down the untouchable mutant.
Lexi's brow wrinkled as she watched the more experienced leader dodge the attacks then hover to avoid touching the ground. It wasn't like she had expected to hit Rogue on the first go or anything, far from it, but Lex had still had that bit of optimism within her. It seemed that Rogue's senses were too good though, even with Lexi's weakening of them. 'We need a distraction, a decoy or two before a real tag' it wasn't a particularly new or original thought and was more on the side of common sense than anything but even still Lexi heard the thought run through her mind. She tried to think quickly, wanting to keep Rogue unbalanced and off guard.
On the otherside Prometheus watched carefully, unsure of the perfect moment to come in. Usually he did the get and and get out types of missions, or had back in his homeworld. They had been going for kill or sound but rarely was it like this, fighting but trying to be careful since it was against his schoolmates. He found it strange that he hadn't gotten a vision naturally yet since they had come more frequently in Lost Angels. Then again in Lost Angels the situations had been different, truly life threatening compared to team reputation threatening. Even still Drian found himself actually wanting to do well since it was obviously important to Rogue and he liked the white streaked leader of their team. He could force a vision on. It was often a little painful and he was without asprin but it seemed neccessary at this moment in time. Just to have an inkling of what the other team were up to now and of where they were would be enough. 'Come on' he muttered to himself and tried very hard to see where each member of the hidden team was hiding and what they were planning next.
Tess' violet eyes widdened and she felt like she was sure some of the guys she had known must have felt while watching sports. She finally got what must have thrilled them, the exileration of the battle and even though she wasn't actively taken part in the moment she did understand the thrill as she watched the balls of webbing hurl towards Rogue but Lexi was more preoccupied.
The redhead let Rogue regain her sense of touch temporarily while they still remained hidden but continued dimming the other team leader's eyesight. She then focused once more and Lexi poored energy into dimming Rogue's hearing temporarily. She knew it would take her energy and possibly pose a risk to them but she wanted to speak to her team quietly and feared that the untouchable mutant would hear if she did so without her powers affected the hearing of Rogue.
Touching her comm badge and whispering quietly but intelligibly and quickly Lexi said, "We need a decoy to distract Rogue while we tag her out. Michael would an arrow of you's work? That compared with a few smaller distractions, maybe a flash of light Ben?" There was the smallest of pauses here since Lexi really wasn't sure how Ben's powers worked but she knew that he would get the message and that his logical mind would think up something if indeed there was a way in which he could help. "May, concentrate on tagging Rogue in the few moments when she will hopefully be distracted. I'll dim her touch so she can't strike back and will dim her hearing but she'll see the arrow come by. Tess, Scott anyway you can help. Speak now or forever hold your peace," she finished only half joking. She'd allow them a few seconds to utter any concerns, otherwise Lexi would consider them having agreed and would proceed.
Prometheus knew that it was almost time to move in and strike but he couldn't help but force on that vision. Pain. Light. Then talking in a hushed whisper he couldn't entirely work out and a future of distractions but everything was so vague and he needed to go deeper. 'Help me'he thought, beseeching whichever part in side of him it was that seemed connected to the titan of his name. Prometheus meant 'fore-thought' and maybe with some sort of inner plea that sight would be stronger and more detailed because he wasn't about to just let go now.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
OOC. Missing a Scott post or at least part of one!! Sorry
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Ben
Even thought Ben was trying to keep an eye out for any approaching members of Silver he couldn’t help but be distracted by Rogues abilities. She dodged Mays sticky webbing as if she had known it had been coming… which in all honesty she might have. With all of her years fighting abilities and her knowledge of the teams she might very well have pieced together what the most likely plan of attack would be. But then again he had to remind himself that not everyone was as totally paranoid as to never do anything without a flawless game plan.
He was a logical person to start off with but he had to admit that his need for logical explanations for everything tended to grow when he was nervous. Which was the case right now… he hated waiting and although he had a pretty good idea of what was going on he didn’t have all of the facts. And that meant that he couldn’t account for all of the possibilities and therefore at that precise moment in time as he watched the rotating figure he was feeling slightly useless.
Slowly the trees around him started to sway ever so gently so that there leaves rustled as if a breeze where blowing through them. He had to admit that it was a bit eerie the sound wasn’t a loud one but with both teams holding their breaths to Ben this quiet movement was a lot more off-putting then the full blown thunder they had had but minutes before. It was not helped that because he was so nervous that he was putting all of his concentration into scanning the surrounding area and as a consequence he could see all of the patterns of light and darlight molecules that existed in the clearing. To anyone else it would have been rather like looking at something through night vision goggles but to Ben it was like a living map of the area. He could probably have been able to deduce the layout of the clearing just by its light patterns but that at this moment in time was beside the point.
The one thing that was relevant however was that he was probably one of the only people that knew exactly where May was when she lowered herself down from the branch of the tree she had been hiding in. Her body caused a mass displacement of photons which thanks to his special vision Ben would have had to try very hard to miss but what was also very disturbing was watching the mass of tentacles that seemed to emerge from her…
His attention was drawn away from May by Lexi’s transmission on the com badges.
"We need a decoy to distract Rogue while we tag her out. Michael would an arrow of yours work? That compared with a few smaller distractions, maybe a flash of light Ben?"
Ben couldn’t help smiling as it was clear that the explanation he had given of his powers this morning had not been very clear. Flashes of light he couldn’t do but total darkness was one possibility. But he presumed that Rogue was already pretty blind as it was and it didn’t seem to have disturbed her that much. So a darklight bubble might not be the best thing but if Lexi wanted distracting flying things that he could do.
"May, concentrate on tagging Rogue in the few moments when she will hopefully be distracted. I'll dim her touch so she can't strike back and will dim her hearing but she'll see the arrow come by. Tess, Scott anyway you can help. Speak now or forever hold your peace,"
The tension in the air was obvious Ben could almost feel May seeking the opening she needed. Thinking about it the use of arrows now, with May being so close to Rogue and the chances of hitting so great it could only end badly. And besides Ben wasn’t even sure if Hood had heard the plea for help in his insubstantial form not even Ben could locate him and he didn’t have a com badge. Ben didn’t feel that he had time to elaborate he touched his com briefly to relay the fact he had heard.
“I’m on it.”
He squinted his eyes slightly and set to creating lots of small balls of darklight which he set into rapid motion around Rogue he tried to vary the trajectory as much as possible so that it seemed like a heavy attack. He tried his hardest to keep the balls out of reach of Rogue for he had made them nearly insubstantial so that if May hit one it would dissolve without harming her. As the zooming balls came into play all he could do now was keep them moving and hope that May was up to the challenge
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
OOC I think I am missing a previous Scott post ??? sigh!
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Scott, Talia and May
Lacking the full telepathic abilities, Scott was unable to tell how his connection with Rogue was working aside from any shifts in her emotional state. Unfortunately her emotions were not mimicking his as would be usual when the Prince floods them with specific sensations. An intense look of focus carved into his handsome features whilst hoping to help bring down the more powerful member of the team they were facing. All Vohan wanted more then anything was to prove he could help, he wasn’t a child needing protection from everything, how could they expect him to grow at all if they hide him from life? After all, the most dangerous thing to do was live, and he didn’t fear life or want to hide from its dangers, he was curious and wanted to explore as much as possible. But until the young Devark proved he could actually handle himself his mother especially would not permit him anywhere near what she considers dangerous. Personally Scott was amazed she wanted him to stay with the humans, since most considered them more dangerous then a goblin, they could be innocent looking creatures at time but Humans were so unpredictable that no one could tell the good from the bad right away. Of course, there was more to it then his mother just residing in allowing him to remain there, so much more that Scott was unaware of, the secrets his mother knew which prepared her already for her youngest child’s departure from their kingdom.
The smooth forehead wrinkled irritably into a tense frown as Scott watched the fight and sensed the little effect he was having on Rogue. How could she not be effected like all the others? What sort of mockery was that? The one time he actually uses it to try and help someone on his team and it doesn’t work! How could someone be so strong and well trained that they don’t get effected by emotional influence? Maybe humans weren’t effected by emotions like other creatures… now that didn’t make sense, Scott had seen how emotional a human could get, surely he could influence those emotions, he had subtly slid in some more cheerful emotions into Riley and some other people he hang around with who had been really down, it worked on them, why not here, why not on this woman?
Meanwhile May was poising herself ready to strike while waiting for the perfect moment, it was unknown what sort of power level they were compared to each other, and since joining with Venom May hadn’t fully gone to her limits so wasn’t sure how powerful she had become. Rogue was pretty strong, that didn’t mean she was the strongest, at least that’s what Venom’s trademark arrogance believed. On the other hand, the young Miss parker preferred taking things slow and careful, despite the fury and aggression building inside of her as the symbiont sought out a confrontation with a strong passion.
"We need a decoy to distract Rogue while we tag her out. Michael would an arrow of you's work? That compared with a few smaller distractions, maybe a flash of light Ben?" Finally, action, diversions, it was the best way to get past this woman’s defences, May could easily attack head on right now, but she could already tell that striking wildly wasn’t going to help while Rogue was so defensive, if they could just break down a few of her barriers, make the woman slip up, then the otherworldly heroin was sure she stood a greater chance.[b] "May, concentrate on tagging Rogue in the few moments when she will hopefully be distracted. I'll dim her touch so she can't strike back and will dim her hearing but she'll see the arrow come by. Tess, Scott anyway you can help. Speak now or forever hold your peace,"[/b]
A few tendrils recoiled in a slither through the air, a whipping flick of two hinting to May’s eagerness to launch her attach. The request for help frustrated Scott a little, he already was trying to help, so much it was doing, no one even noticed he was already lending a hand. Furrowing his brow a little more, Scott tried to push aside what he was feeling, weakening his link with Rogue for the moment but not entirely giving up. Thinking on what Lexi said, about asking for Ben to help with some light display or some kind, it lead the Prince to thinking about his own natural flashy ability, maybe he could distract her like that, with the ‘comet tail’ he produced during flight…
Off in the side lines, laying in wait for Rogue signal, Talia struggled to diffuse the jumble of nonsense in her mind, a cluttering crowd of unfamiliar whispers, all their minds seeping into the nurses own. Telepathy was really something the young Wagner needed to work on, she shouldn’t block people out all the time, there really ought to be time put aside for trying to open a link only to a selected few, Jean and Xavier make it look so simple, but for Talia it just wasn’t working as smoothly as she wanted. Seeing May work with her team was something Talia enjoyed, she’d be sure to tell McCoy that May was settling in well enough by the looks of it. The woman had been spending all her time shut away in her room, disappearing for days at a time – later Xavier had discovered May was making her way into the secret passages and roaming about within them to get from one place to another without risking running into any of the other students, finding a few nice hiding spots where she’d retreat to when things become too much for the spider-powered mutant.
…Well Lexi asked for help and Scott wasn’t going to call for any of nature or the animals to get involved just yet, there were many others on the team and Scott didn’t want to go overkill on their leader alone. A slight flutter of the long elegant wings produced the potently magical residue which cascaded off them in a flurry of golden dazzles. Unlike the others, Scott could easily retreat back into the canopy, his small size enabling him to sneak about much easier then them, maybe it was worth a try to just do something more head on. The petit figure of the tiny male moved from brunch to branch as carefully as possible, closing towards Rogue and then glancing around for Michael. Can someone who is invisible shoot an arrow? Would the arrow be invisible as well? The thought caused Scott to pause and study the scene more vigilantly, last thing he wanted to do was get strike down by an invisible arrow!
The moments pause allowed him to be taken by the surprise of black shadowy spheres whirling about the slender figure, no sign of Michael partially worried Scott who glanced around one more time before flinging his tiny form a few branches forward as Rogue’s eyes seemed to have finally opened. No wonder really, the woman was probably preparing for some attack that wasn’t coming, but of course when her eyes did open there was a flurry of movement all around her, the momentary look of disorientation was all May needed as lighting fast tendrils whipped towards the female fighter. Their iron grip crushing for any normal being, but normality was not something one would ever class a true X-men, and one as invincible as Rogue only made her that much harder an opponent to defeat. The graceful form of the often quiet girl was launched fiercely towards the other teams leader as well, tendrils trying hard to hold firmly the numbed form of the woman, always a help when someone wasn’t able to feel their own captivity, May just wished she knew how much or how little the southern belle actually felt.
It all happened so fast, even May’s mind was dazed by it, a sharp pain resided where Rogue’s arm flung into her, the smaller girl hitting the ground a short distance away. Palms reached out to catch her forwards fall, the rest of the body amazingly falling into a smooth motion as her head tucked down and her body rolled effortlessly into what ended as a crouch. No time to stop, even with the battered ego, third time lucky after all, isn’t that right? May’s thoughts were as fluid and simultaneous as the movements of her body, tendrils curling back around Rogue’s legs basically unnoticed and tugging hard on the woman, pulling her towards May as other tendrils tried hard to enclose themselves about Rogue’s form. It wasn’t easy, Rogue could see the attack and her touch may not be very good but her strength was still up there and May was lucky Rogue wasn’t trying to rip the tendrils right off (not that May would suffer from it really).
One of Ben’s distracts zoomed by, another, more, all swirling, May had to calm herself down and use this distraction to her advantage, her own form shifting as fast as her agile reflexes could possibly manage when rushing once more towards the woman in her grasp, the tendrils breaking free of May’s main armour, their tuff remains not able to last long as Rogue’s binds before the untouchable broke free. A flurry of Ben’s diversion, a swift move of May’s body, it all blurred together perfectly, and in the trees Scott found himself staring in awe at the scene as he waited to see the outcome.
A blast of webbing poured from one wrist, a fluid sticky compound wrapping about the mid torso of the elder woman, bounding those lethal arms even if just for another moment. Two more swift and fluent strides safely moved May to another new position, allowing her to partially lurk in Rogue’s blind spot, aided all the more by the movement of Ben’s creations. Rogue’s own blending once more with theirs as best she could, her crimson suit darkening to in the process to the much feared and passionately disliked Venom black costume, now not even the hue of her armour would help Rogue distinguish enemy from diversion.
The speed in which all this was happening was intense, one that most other fighters would probably be left far behind and way out of their league, but May had to give it her all just to come to pars with this nearly invincible fighter. Good thing for them Rogue wasn’t giving this her full either. A strike of May’s own powerful hand rammed brutally across the elder’s cheek in the form of a balled first, strong slender hands of midnight black grasping onto Rogue and throwing her back, mostly possible due to the fact the absorption mutant was not only off balanced by the previous attack, but still was struggling free of the bindings.
The petit form of the now darkly dressed heroin lunged towards Rogue as she fell down, looming over the woman with one hand grabbing her by the webbing on her stomach, the other raised with its fingers unnaturally pointed, like daggers poised dangerously before her face. The tip of the thumb rested along the side of Rogue’s throat, the finger tips spanned across the woman’s forehead as physically powerful thighs squeezed the belle’s form on either side.
A good shot of webbing at this moment could encase Rogue’s head, a struggle with losing air and fighting May’s hold seemed like a formidable way of knocking the woman out, but common sense stopped May from even trying to web Rogue’s face and give the struggle a go, maybe just the blade against her throat was enough to show victory…
"Good girl, stay." A calm voice crept from the hidden lips beneath the black mask, movement of her other hand withdraw the red dye and tipped the bottle upside down over Rogue’s forehead, letting the red ink spill down in a messy blotch in the center of her forehead. "That was fun," The black figure announced in a quiet yet eager tone before permitting her costume to return to its more eerie crimson colour, however still not easing the pressure of her hold on Rogue till a few moments later when she stood up and prepared for any other members of Rogue’s team, rubbing her shoulder as she waited
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)Drian Lexi Tess
Drian knew the vision was coming even before the pain set upon him. If his visions were natural then there was no problem, no pain and nothing to worry about. However Drian was an all or nothing kind of guy determined always to do something and if his powers wouldn't help him then he would make them help. Sometimes he wished he had more active powers, even if was something like Aisha's pathetic fallacy for Drian was somewhat better at controlling his emotions outwardly and at keeping his anger on a tight leash and the powers wouldn't have been such a struggle for him he felt. If his visions weren't naturally helping people than he had little left to offer, or at least that was what he thought, so when they wouldn't come he forced them on determined to offer something.
It had been different when everything was about the rebellion and the cause back in that Hellish dimension he still thought of as home. Sure a forced vision would sometimes result in a few hours of migraine like pain where all he could do was lie still and hoped the world stopped pulsing around him but in his world his efforts had meant something and when it came to this world he was still trying to figure out if anything had true meaning. Maybe it was because the student X-men hadn't yet come into contact with more dastardly foes but Drian couldn't help but think that there was nothing here to fight for, not in the same way that he was used to anyway. At the moment he was fighting another team with people he and 'Isha likely knew on it so really what else was he to think?
A momentarily flash then Drian saw with a sort of wise sight that came only in visions. He glanced at the brush and the clearing in front of him and in the vision the members of the other team were suddenly unmasked. The redheaded leader he recalled Aisha having spent time with in a group, Tess with her violet eyes invisible from view if he were to look normally. His sweeping gaze took in another two guys neither of whom he recognised and then a much smaller figure concealed by his size and the tree branches above him. The otherworldly mutant then saw the real danger in the form of another redheaded girl. It wasn't as if he could see normally in her danger and power but the realm of visions belonged to him and there he had an intuition and sixth sense he would never have in actuality.
Drian assumed this was all he was going to get when the frozen picture before him came alive and he saw Green Strike Force's attack before it happened. A distraction of somesort, balls of darkened light that Drian couldn't fully understand as a person who had never really gone through the sciences thanks to his world and his responsibilities there. Then came the girl he had sensed power and danger from. She launched herself through the air and he saw the ensuing struggle occur faster than it would a few moments later before the girl tagged Rogue out with a messy blotch of die in the forehead. It ran down her like blood, a reminder of the past for Drian who couldn't help an involuntary shudder then the vision was zooming away leaving only the warning behind with him, that and a headache he could have used a few asprin for.
Suddenly none of the other team were visible to him and Rogue was right there. She didn't realise just how much of a target she now was and Drian knew he had to get a warning to her. It wouldn't be any help at all if he were to shout it to her. No better he try the comm badge so Drian tapped his and said quietly but with enough emphasis and importance that he was nearly certain the message would get across, "Rogue there's going to be a distraction of black spheres and a girl with webbing powers is going to jump you. In my vision she tagged you out."
For a moment Drian was certain he had done something right with potential meaning but Rogue hadn't responded a few seconds later and she had always seemed prompt and procedural to him. His comm badge went off with Aisha's quiet whisper coming through with urgency, "Dre Lexi's on Green right? Her powers are probably kicking in. She can dim people's senses I think." That sunk into Drian's head and he cursed as loudly as he would allow himself without being heard by the other team. Aisha's comment had sounded unsure of her own thoughts but Drian was far more sure than his sister-figure and he sighed in frustration.
That vision, it all was for nothing. Maybe Drian would have thought up another sort of plan or warning but just then he felt de ja vu set in as the events from his vision began to occur. Having seen them quicker in his mind it appeared to Prometheus as if the scene was going by in slow motion with him being able to do nothing but watch helplessly. He couldn't give away where they were because there would still be the rest of this team they were now facing to deal with and they would have lost the one element that was on their side, that of surprise. He watched in silent disappointment as Rogue was tagged out by the spiderlike mutant. She took a certain amount of delight in staining the white streaked woman with the ink and Drian felt the fighting desire to bring down this team which was supposed to be their pray. They were students like him and not any sort of evil monsters he knew but still the desire came upon them and seeing as their leader had just been brought down Prometheus stepped in. He didn't think about whether or not they would want him as a leader or about if he'd later regret any moves he made he just sprang into action because that was a path familiar to him.
The dark-haired mutant gazed at the clearing now where the redhead he recognised from his visions and Aisha's comments as the leader with the sense powers was standing. She looked physically drained in every sense and her face was pale, although he didn't know her usual skin tone to contrast. She used up everything she had to bring down Rogue Drian thought quickly and that brought him a miniscule amount of satisfaction. Their team had worked so hard just to bring down Silver's leader and Drian wondered how much they had left for the rest of the team. If Lexi was any sort of example than the answer was not much. He was speaking into the comm badge almost before it registered that he was, his mind running on prior experience and adrenilene. "Talia their leader, the one by that tree clearly visible, is drained. Can you tag her out?" Drian asked, making it a question but with the hopeful thought that she would take it as a strong suggestion or command and attempt it.
~~~
Lexi felt deeply the physical sensation of weakness across her entire body and she barely had to stop her dimming of the senses because she had so little left to give. I'm completely drained, she thought to herself and it was terrifying. The last time she had been drained this day it had taken a few minutes to regain some power and in this particular situation it was time she didn't have. There was a team somewhere in the foliage just waiting to make their move because they had let their leader go down but now they were fresh and Green were showing fatigue.
With any luck the now leaderless team would lack a complete plan but if they could put one of anysort together than she knew she would be targeted. It was logical and it was easy. She was going down and she was terrified. Green on the otherhand had been brilliant and they made an even better team than she had given them credit for. Teamwork and timing had taken down the untouchable mutant in an attack that she would have applauded had she been watching it take place and not helping in the orchestration of the plan.
I have to say something. Afterall this effort I have to say something, Lexi thought and knowing she had little left to lose she spoke over the comm badge with her immense pride coming through her tone. "That was perfect teamwork. It was just amazing." Lexi had a slightly smug look cross her face for a moment as she thought of how this would be discussed among the older X-men. This was their first mission as a team and they had taken down Rogue. Lex wasn't a child anymore and she didn't think of this as a 'haha we beat you' kind of thing but there was a certain amount of smug pride at having done so well their first time out so far. Now all they had to do was hold it together.
"Great effort everyone, Ben, May," Lexi said commending the darklight and spider mutants especially for their efforts. "now, Silver," she continued realising she had to move on and not leave the team at this however impressive a victory as it had been. Lexi didn't really have a plan or any sort of approach to use against the Silver team that was innovative and she trailed off, allowing any ideas to come over and everyone to do what they wished. If they all did what they could but helped their teammates out they stood one hell of a chance.
Tess didn't have to be empathic to feel the tiredness of their leader. It came through even in the smallest movements as if she had aged a decade within the space of their battle. May and Ben's combined efforts had been nothing sort of a spectable to the battle inexperienced faerie but she knew that the dimming of Rogue's senses had taken its toll on Lexi and wondered if the redhead had any of her powers remaining at the moment or not. That brought about her own fear for Tess wondered what she could do in a battle other than become invisible or try and get an animal to help out. She could shrink but what kind of help was that and the same went for her flying powers. It seemed all she could do was avoid being tagged, not help in any way when it came to helping her team in this confrontation to tag anyone else.
The faerie glanced over at Scott even though in his small chamelflaged form she wouldn't really see him so much as glance in his general direction. She wondered if they would be able to team up and do something even if it was just a stronger call for animal assistance. Are we supposed to be visible now? To spring out and attack? Tess wondered but Lexi couldn't read minds and she seemed not in the right state of mind to think up somesort of a plan. What about Ben? He had always seemed the logical one and maybe he could come up with something, some sort of a working plan or the battle ready May. Anything to keep them from being tagged now after having come so far.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)
It seemed the team was really pulling together. The subtle whispering of the leaves that surrounded him didn’t come from any breeze that he could detect thought Michael had to admit that he couldn’t be sure in his present form. Still it felt as if it could be Scott’s handiwork and it would certainly be one way of keeping Rogue off balance. Which would be a good idea from the looks of things. Despite what he took to be Lexis use of her powers the other team leader still seemed strong, maybe even too strong for May to take down on her own.
Though she was having a very good try at doing just that. Michael racked his brains for a way to help her restricted by the fact that he had no red ink with which to mark his opponents, the bottle left, like his com badge, back with his body. *Maybe I could distract Rogue. Although* he thought, seeing the sudden apparition of the darklight spheres that swarmed around the older mutants form,* it looks like the others have already got that covered*
Seizing the chance that Ben and the others had provided May closed swiftly with her opponent, the dark tendrils that surrounded her reaching out eagerly to engulf and restrain. Still it wasn’t fast enough. Rogue’s arm flashed out catching the green strike force member with enough force to send her spinning away, only her trained reflexes pulling her smoothly to her feet after the heavy fall. Michael hesitated no longer. May could need backup, physical backup and he was the best placed to provide it.
His astral form flowed from the treetops into position behind the struggling women. Michael could move quickly; materialising however took a little more time. Black snakes were already shooting from May’s wrists, successfully wrapping themselves this time around Rogue’s body, before he had achieved more than a phantom form, still virtually unnoticeable given the lighting conditions in the clearing. Knowing now that he would be able to pull himself into full physical presence in a matter of seconds should it prove necessary he decided to preserve the element of surprise vis a vis the other members of Silver Strike who might be watching by keeping ghostlike in the shadows.
His team mate was now pulling the hovering mutant towards her, her face strangely alight with a fierce battle lust that was almost disturbing. *She looks as if she wishes this was a real fight* Michael thought to himself.*maybe for her it is* This last thought was tinged with worry as he saw May strike out hard, the follow through fluent and deadly as she webbed Rogue and brought her to the ground straddling her prone form. “Good girl, stay." May said, her calm voice belying the violence he had seen in her eyes, before announcing “That was fun”
He didn’t think she was talking particularly to him. In fact he doubted she had even noticed him, but still the comment brought a smile to his insubstantial lips. He hadn’t thought of it a fun perhaps but it had given him an excitement he had never known before and a sense of pride in what their group had managed to achieved that he hadn’t believed possible. Whatever happened now, at least they had acquitted themselves with distinction. He was truly pleased not just for himself but for Lexi. Thinking of his team leader he glanced in her direction noting that his pride was echoed in on her face but that the face itself was tired Too tired.* She’s the one who needs backup now* he thought suddenly, moving towards the red haired mutant. *She’s given all she had to get us this far, now its up to us to be there for her.*
The fact that May was a seasoned fighter soon became more than evident. She did not appear the least bit phased bit the mysterious apparition of his fling globes, but then again she seemed to be the only one with any understanding of his power so she may have been expecting it. He ended up having to watch the fight through his strange light/darlight vision for most of his concentration was bent on keeping the balls moving in erratic directions. But even with his distorted view of the world he could not help but be amazed and horrified at the display May put on.
She possessed grace that he had never seen before, even after training with Taylor who was a master of martial arts. She just seemed to flow through the air even after she had been dealt a heavy blow by the untouchable mutant. But he had to admit that in this strange shade of colour and non colour the tentacles that appeared to be an extension of May’s powers gave her the look of a viscous monster. He was starting to feel the strain of concentrating so hard and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead but it appeared that the fight was drawing to a close.
May shot webbing out of her wrists at the older woman and moved swiftly out of the way again before launching a powerful punch at Rogue’s face. Ben couldn’t help cringing he had no idea how much that must of hurt and he was in no hurry to find out. He was just glad that he was on the same team as the spider mutant. She intrigued him, she seemed so calm and in control earlier today but this display showed that she did indeed possess a lot of control but the calm part went right out the window. Besides how had she learnt how to fight so well? He knew that it had taken Taylor years to achieve his level of skill and that was trained martial art, from his point of view May’s fighting style seemed to be more street fighting than anything else. It brought up a lot of questions that Ben would like answers to but he knew that it was not his place to ask and he doubted that the information would be freely volunteered.
He turned his attention back to the clearing where Rogue was now lying tagged with May standing over her. There was still no sign of the rest of the opposing team and that worried him. He could see that the whole fight seriously had drained Lexi and that they had to work out what their next move was going to be. He was happy that their leader was proud but taking the opposing leader out had cost them, would they be able to take out the whole team? Would it be better to just try and cut their losses and try and make a break for it. He knew that he could get them out but if he did he would be done for.
Besides without knowing the exact location of the rest of Silver it would be tricky and there were bound to be traps around. He felt that this whole situation had turned into a Chinese puzzle box, it must have a logical answer somewhere but it was not at all obvious. He was not far from Lexi and was prepared to defend her in the case of an attack and after stealing a glance at May he was reassured that she could handle mostly anything that was thrown at her. Scott, Tess and Michael were still hidden which was good because if needs must they could still get away. But Ben couldn’t help but feel trapped by the whole situation like in a game of chess that had reached a stalemate and it was the next players turn. Whatever Silver did next could either make or break them and he could not formulate a plan until they gave something… anything away.
Keeping low in the shrubs with which Talia was hiding amongst, the telepath kept a keen eye out for the activity taking place, the fast paced battle of flying fists and sharp moving limbs all causing one single thought to dwell upon Talia’s mind; hoping neither got badly hurt.
It was hard to focus when a mental shield was not raised about the weak telepaths mind, the flooding of whispers too much for the nurse to bare with while trying to keep a clear mind and sharp focus. But it still gave her an advantage, one she couldn’t just ignore because of the discomforts it offered. Hands gripped about her body as Talia held herself firmly, seeing Rogue get tagged out was nearly as bad as Hank falling asleep during an operation, panicked eyes darted around as she wondered what they were to do now.
Was that it? Was it over? Was that their glorious battle? Talia’s tail twitched agitatedly. Beast would push her on, tell her it wasn’t over, it could never be over, not as long as there was a chance, no matter how slim, how unbelievable, how… futile… it was still something, and sometimes that was just enough. The knowledge that you’ve tried and exhausted all possibilities, all improbabilities, all aspects of all things that may or may not be considered normal or perfect.
"Talia their leader, the one by that tree clearly visible, is drained. Can you tag her out?" Glancing down at her chest as words poured out, taking a moment to register them as Drian’s voice since she was still a little new with her team speaking to her. He wanted her to take out their leader? Looking a little nervous Talia focused on the red head leaning against one of the far off trees, it did appear as if the girl was worn out, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard. It then occurred to her that Drian was asking her… not any one else, but her, did that mean he thought she could handle it? It was different, Rogue tried hard to push Talia into doing things, but other people wanted efficiency more then pushing those who linger behind, especially in battle situations.
"I’ll do more zen try." Talia whispered back over the comm. line before even realizing she had spoken the words. It was the first time she ever spoke out of excited pride, maybe Beast was right, maybe these team things really were good for her, she’d talked to him about it sometimes but he had told her to give them a go before backing out so easily. Readying the red dye, Talia focused once more towards where her target was, with a pray that she would do well, and an anxiety towards the chance of actually taking part in the scenario. A BAMF was all that was left of Talia’s presence as she teleported towards Lexi’s location, another BAMF vaguely heard as Talia’s arms circled carefully around the fatigued Lexi. Being so tired allowed Talia to attempt to take the leader out by surprise, too drained to put up too much of a fight.
A thin tail tightly wrapped about Lexi’s torso, one arm also binding her while the other hand covered the sense mutants mouth. A sharp jerk back helped pull the young Miss Moore off her balance so that she leaned back into Talia as the blue furred healer tugged the other girl a little more behind the tree. It would be best if little attention as possible was given towards them, but at the moment Talia wasn’t entirely sure where everyone was, her mind too focused on too many things to be able to single out each of the other teams locations.
"You’ave been suffocated." The telepath whispered to Lexi’s mind as the insecure Wagner carefully placed Lexi down on her back, allowing the long arrow headed tail to unravel from the others body. Talia showed Lexi the red dye smeared on her deformed finger tips that had just brushed against the leaders throat a moment before.
It all happened so fast. Too fast for him to react or at least that’s what he told himself.* Maybe if Id tried harder I could have got there in time* he thought bitterly but the fact was that he hadn’t and now Lexi was marked, the red ink showing starkly against the pale skin of her throat as Talia crouched over her.
Michael had been close to his team leader when the attack had taken place, catching him off guard with its suddenness, but not close enough to prevent it. He had thought he had positioned himself well choosing a spot where he could oversee anyone approaching the exhausted red head but there too he had been proved wrong.
Teleportation. One option that hadn’t even crossed his mind. He hadn’t even been looking at Lexi when Talia had appeared at her side, the only warning the small explosion and the acrid smell of sulphur that accompanied her arrival. By the time he had realised what was happening she had already pulled Lexi off balance, the thin tail he had failed to notice in med bay wrapping itself like one of May’s dark tendrils around the surprised mutant.
He had seen what she planned to do; he just couldn’t stop her doing it. His transition from phantom to solid form had been as rapid as he had anticipated, his sudden reappearance in itself as shocking as Talia’s teleportation if only he had stopped to think about it. But it hadn’t been enough. There was too much distance to cover and no time to cover it. Too late he saw the German mutant lay Lexi delicately on the ground, her actions incongruously as gentle now in battle as they had been back in med lab when he had first awakened.*Even the healers fight* Michael thought suddenly* Does that mean that Paige too is out here somewhere?*
The idea troubled him somehow. Paige didn’t seem cut out for conflict but then again neither had Talia in the short time he had met her and yet here she was effectively taking down his team leader. He had no idea what Paige’s mutant powers might be. Perhaps she too was as efficient in battle as Talia was.
*The important question is, am I?* Michael said to himself as he continued his approach. *Can I take Talia down now and if so how exactly am I going to do it.* If he had had dye it would have been easy The teleporter’s attention was focused on Lexi. All he would have had to do was to smear it on her exposed back and the situation would have been resolved.*But that’s not an option is it* he thought unhappily. *So I looks like there’s only one thing I can do and I’d better do it carefully.*
With one smooth motion he drew the short sword that nestled at his hip, for the first time worried by its deadly sharpness.* When we get back to the danger room that’s something I must work on* he told himself. *Finding a way to make this and my arrows less lethal.* His concern slowed him, ruling out the swift lunge that would have touched but risked to wound her. Instead he signalled his presence hoping to avoid all chance of sudden movement which could have accidentally brought her into contact with the blade. “Talia” he said moving the sword carefully towards her. Her only reply was a glance from her remarkable yellow eyes and a repeat of the small explosion he had heard so recently as she winked out of existence.
“Well That was a big success” he said softly as he helped Lexi to her feet.
“Between the idea, and the reality. Between the motion and the act. Falls the shadow.I'll remember that next time," ”
Ben’s thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound and the stench of sulphur. He looked up sharply, causing a sharp pain in the front of his head. His vision went dark for a moment and a growing feeling of dread filled him, something was going on and he was blind! He bit his lower lip and waited for it to clear, he tried to listen for sounds that might indicate what was going on but all he could hear was the anxious beating of his own heart.
Finally his vision returned again only to reveal his worst fear, Lexi had been caught by the other team… and he had been so close… for a moment guilt and sudden panic filled him. Not only was there leader down but she had been tagged by Talia… He had often wondered that day what he would do if faced with her and he had to admit that the last thing he would have thought of was doing nothing.
He took in a deep breath, things were going downhill fast and a decision had to be made, stay and fight or retreat. He already knew where May stood on that issue but the more he thought about it the more they couldn’t afford to tempt fate by trying to dodge the teleporter. Technically Talia could take them all out before they even realised she was there, she was to fast and he would not risk all that they had already gained on a show of strength.
He did not feel that they needed one, they had already taken down Rogue and he felt that they owed it to their fallen leader to make it as far as the flag. He stared down at the ground for he could not bear to look at Lexi. They were going to have to leave without her and that really upset him. She deserved to make it to the end more than any of them. At least Rogue would be here with her to insure that she got home safely so they didn’t have to worry about that.
He touched his com badge gently. “Right, we have a problem… Silver has a teleporter who also happens to be able to read minds, with that kind of ability she could easily predict all our moves and tag us out before we could turn around. So with Lexi down, I suggest we make a run for it, lets not waste all we’ve done so far.
May we need Michael’s body could you get it for us? Mean while the rest of us will head North West to the swamp.”
Ben cringed as he said it, they were going to the swamp the one place they really did not want to be. He felt selfish; the only reason they had to go there was to provide cover for him. But they were a team they would understand…
“Is that ok with everyone?”
He looked up at Lexi who had by now been helped to her feet by Michael. Which was a blessing at least since with him standing next to her he will have heard the proposed plan through the com badge. He could not wait and he knew that Michael was now exposed as well, they had to decide on way or the other and they had to do it fast.
Re: Confrontation (Green SF & Silver SF)Drian, Lexi Tess
"I’ll do more zen try". Talia's whispered words assured Drian that even though their leader had been taken out they still had a chance and some confidence. He wasn't the greatest when it came to social skills or handling people's emotions but Drian did know a little about morale and team confidence and was glad to know he didn't have to step in and attempt a pep talk. The alternate universe mutant knew he was far from any sort of official leader for this team. Heck he didn't even know if his teammates would follow him, however temporary the command might have been, but the fact was that they had lost Rogue and they couldn't just stand around. They had to take some sort of action and the best way in which to do that was to step in and carry on with some sort of organization so Drian stepped up to the challenge.
He found himself strangely enjoying being in charge even unofficially. It brought him back to his days as leader of the rebellion and in some ways Drian might have reminded anyone who really thought about it as an officer in the army who had come back from duty. He didn't speak aloud about it but so much of the time Prometheus remeniced about the days where he had been in charge. While the job had been at times horrifying and grisly it had become a part of him and he had become so involved as a leader that once he had first arrived in this universe Drian had spent many sleepless nights asking himself what purpose he could possibly serve here. Could he ever truly be anything else? Drian had never really settled in as Aisha had done over time and a chance to be back in control was something he jumped at. It feels right, he thought to himself before turning back to watch Talia teleport over to the redhead. As he did Drian was sure that even without seeing her directly or having any definitive indicator of her feelings Aisha was smiling to himself. They were sister and brother in everything except blood and had become so close that they could often tell the moods of the other without careful thought or a facial expression to reveal all and he knew without looking that she was pleased at his choice to take over for their tagged leader.
~~~
The sound effect came before Lexi could even really consider what it meant. Then there were arms circling around her and while Lexi knew what was happening she was too fatigued to struggle much against her assailant. The redhead had not really been trained in combat or had any sort of additional fighting skills and without her powers she felt weak and vulnerable. Next thing she knew Lexi had a tail wrapped around her torso and her tired mind made the connection between the sound effect and the tail.
Talia, she thought, remembering the daughter of Nightcrawler who she had met in the medbay at times. A hand covered her mouth so she couldn't even cry out for her team to help her and at that point Lexi knew she would be tagged and that she had no other options available unless a miracle occured. Talia obviously knew what she was doing for she was trying to keep the pair of them as out of sight as she could manage and Lexi commended her for her efforts. Obviously the blue mutant knew what she was doing and at least, thought Lexi, she was being taken down in a manner such as this rather than a harsh tag without any skill or thought. A whispered, "You’ave been suffocated," came at Lexi and she was placed carefully down on her back, red dye now staining her throat.
Tess' view had been blocked by the branches by her but now she saw clearly the scarlet markings across her leader's throat and silently Tess chided herself for not having been there even though she knew in her head that there was nothing she could have done to prevent the situation. Her concentration lost the blonde fairy unwillingly became visible once again, her loss of focus interrupting her abilities momentarily. It had already been several minutes though and Tess didn't want to be left as powerless as her leader so she decided it was probably best to remain visible for the time being.
As she watched Tess noticed Michael drawing his sword and thought with relief that the situation was under control. As her teammate spoke the name of the blue furry mutant though Tess saw the golden eyes wink out as she disappeared again with a puff of smoke. So they had lost the chance to take out Talia and silver was still hiding in the bushes. Where did that leave them now? the faerie wondered.
“Between the idea, and the reality. Between the motion and the act. Falls the shadow.” The words seemed to bring Lexi back to reality and she blinked her green eyes glancing up at Michael who was offering her a hand. The redhead took it with a ghost of a smile and got to her feet. Remembering the red that stained her throat she grimmaced and hoped that the die was washable in case any of it had found its way to her clothes. Lexi knew it was a stupid thought and that she should have been thinking of something, anything more important than her clothing yet still it flashed across her mind. " I'll remember that next time," Michael finished but the words went in one ear and out the other.
What happens to the leaders who fall? Lexi wondered, this thought far more appropriate to the situation before. She had been told something about being teleported back without her team but the sense mutant's mind was too blurry right now with the experiences of her first command in a combat situation to be focused on what she had earlier been told. Glancing at her team Lexi noticed the violet eyes of the Faerie girl and saw an apologetic look on her face. I'm the one who was taken, I'm the one who let them down, she thought, hoping that the other team members didn't feel any amount of guilt for not being there as Tess seemed to.
Tess heard the words of Ben come through her comm badge and tore her glance from the crimson stained Lexi. "Right, we have a problem… Silver has a teleporter who also happens to be able to read minds, with that kind of ability she could easily predict all our moves and tag us out before we could turn around. So with Lexi down, I suggest we make a run for it, lets not waste all we’ve done so far. May we need Michael’s body could you get it for us? Mean while the rest of us will head North West to the swamp.” She found herself nodding alone for it made a great deal of sense. That was why Ben seemed to have taken over, because he was the most rationally minded of them.
“Is that ok with everyone?” he asked and Tess nodded along, feeling strange with her usual golden ringlets reduced, thanks to this forest enviroment, to limp curls. "Sounds good," she said over her comm badge hurriedly. They were wide open right now, they had to get moving no matter where it was they took off for and Tess for one was looking forward to leaving this area behind, she wasn't keen on being ambushed or being the ambushers again.
Lexi watched, unable to offer any sort of help yet in hearing the words of Ben she felt a sort of confidence that they would be alright without her. Ben's plan was, as usual, a good one and Lexi felt a bit better with the knowledge that he would be leading them. Turning to the only other person no longer apart of the missions Lexi glanced at the untouchable mutant. Enemies a mere fifteen minutes ago they were now bound as the two leaders who had fallen. The redhead had never really gotten to know Rogue very well but she didn't want to just stand there and feel useless anymore so she said, "You put up one heck of a fight," to her fellow leader in as friendly a manner as the tired mutant could muster. She wondered if they would be teleported away very quickly or if they would have to wait a time and make conversation as their respective teams left.
From the bushes Drian frowned as aimless webbing shot out at the group. With a flash of natural foresight he had seen it coming and had moved out of the way but the warning for himself had been so close to the actual occurance that he hadn't been able to warn his team. It's alright, it's only some webbing it won't hurt us, he thought to himself but still that combined with May's retort fired up the rebel leader within and Drian had to struggle to maintain his cool. They had to stay there, what was the point in the few of them bothering to go after Green yet again. No let the team take off then follow and make it a fair fight, there was no point in trying aimlessly to tag them and avoid being tagged in this same setting. Especially with the headache currently plauging him for it had hit Drian hard and he rubbed his temples hoping the motion would magically make the pain go away.
Then the fiery mutant was off and Drian looked on collectively with Tess staring at her teammate from another angle. What now? Do we pursue them? Drian wondered but the decision wasn't his, it was for their team. This was a democracy and Drian needed imput at the moment so he spoke into his comm badge, "We have to make a choice. Do we pursue them or do we regroup and make our way off seperately?" Drian asked the team, wanting imput from all. He was well aware of the fact that there were now only four of them remaining and of them their powers were not the most active and effective ones, with the exception of Talia.
Although Lexi offered him a smile, Michael couldn’t help feeling that he had let the team down in his handling of the Talia situation, especially when he heard Ben’s words coming over Lexis com badge, grateful all the same that his team mate had spoken when he was close enough to one of the others to be able to pick up the message. “Right, we have a problem… he heard his friend say. *Yeah and we’d have had less of one if Id acted sooner* he thought a little crestfallen.
Still he wasn’t one to dwell upon past mistakes He was here to learn as they all were and he’d certainly learned from his encounter with Talia. *Never expect a teleporter to sit still while you tag them* he thought with a hint of his old humour already returning. *Still Id be feeling worse if I’d accidentally skewered her* he reminded himself *so maybe this is the lesser of two evils.* .
He listened intently as Ben summed up the situation. “Silver has a teleporter who also happens to be able to read minds, with that kind of ability she could easily predict all our moves and tag us out before we could turn around.*Don’t forget she’s also hot* Michael thought mischievously knowing of Ben’s attraction to the German mutant *Well at least it wasn’t him who had to come up against Talia, that could have been awkward, though knowing Ben he’d have probably have looked at the whole thing logically and done a whole lot better than I did. Or maybe his logic goes out of the window where she’s concerned.*
How ever she wasn’t there now and Ben’s logic seemed to be functioning just perfectly. The important thing in Michael’s opinion was to move on towards the target and avoid losing any other team members. They had already done well, or at least Michael thought they had considering how short a time they had been together. They were supposed to be prey and yet they had managed to take out two members of the opposing team, which seemed like a pretty good achievement by any standards. Now he felt that the best course of action would be to stay safe and consolidate what they had done. It seemed that Ben shared his views. “ with Lexi down, I suggest we make a run for it, lets not waste all we’ve done so far” Darklight went on, already outlining a plan which would allow them to do just that.
“May, we need Michael’s body could you get it for us?.Mean while the rest of us will head North West to the swamp.”
For a moment it crossed Michael’s mind that just maybe May wouldn’t listen to Ben. After all she was the best fighter they had and the most experienced team member. If she decided to oppose him it could undo all the careful work that they had managed to put together up till now. However, although she looked far from pleased with the idea of leaving the battlefield, she did so, falling in with the plan, keeping them functioning as a unit. Michael was relieved and pleased. No egos were getting in the way of Green Strike force’s efficiency and that was something that was worth its weight in gold to any team.
Now he moved discretely to follow the others, slipping back into his ghostlike form so that they would be aware of his presence at least in the beginning, knowing that he would be able to locate May wherever she might be once she had his body with her. He hurried over to Ben missing the last few sentences of the conversation as he passed out of range of Lexi’s com badge, satisfied that he could leave her safely talking to Rogue.
*The swamp* he thought with a certain amount of dismay as he approached the others, wracking his brains to try to remember the map and how far the marshlands stretched on for and failing miserably. Sure he’d be fine in there as long as he was Hood but once he got back into his body it would be a different story. If for any reason May couldn’t carry him he’d never be able to manage his crutches in a swamp and the idea of spending the night there made him shudder. *All the things I love best* he thought ironically *Slippery footing , dampness, probably leeches as well if I really want to be optimistic. Still I have to admit it’s our best shot at staying out of enemy hands. After all nobody else would be crazy enough to go in there now would they?*
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OK Team Thats the best reconstruction job I can do.
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