InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I step out of the ordinary."

Mrs. Fantastic (zapster) wrote in x_aftermath_x,
@ 2008-02-07 22:44:00

Entry tags:

britannic, colossus, zap

Who: Zap & Britannic (briefly); tag Colossus
When: Saturday, February 23rd; 10:38 am
Where: Xavier's; then New York University School of Medicine office - off campus
What: obtaining medical information from the university's research
Status: complete
Rating: PG-13

It'd been a few days since Recon suggested the electro-centric method to remedy the Cure Virus, and things had finally gotten a bit more calmed down following the death of Beast and the arrival of the Brotherhood at the mansion. It was time to get some serious work done. Having been an active participant in studies at NYU's medical department, Brian recalled mention of research and logs on the study Josiah had discussed with him in the lab.

After conferring with Professor Xavier and with Dr. MacTaggart, Brian decided to ask someone to fetch the files from the medical office while he stayed to work with Joe.

Along a selfish line of thought, he chose a team that was both capable and would allow for both his and his female friend's rooms to be empty for the evening - Colossus and Zap. After both gave their consent, he prepared them a set of files, a map and instructions for within the building. Zap stood in the lab, fully uniformed and ready to get the hell out of the mansion. She'd been working with Ronan when Brian contacted the both of them (she and Piotr) - so getting suited up and to the lab wasn't a huge deal. "You know, Will told me not to go into elevators or bathrooms," she said, which was mostly a crack. But on the other hand, she fully expected Brian to tell her she had nothing to worry about.

Without glancing up to the electrokine, Brian muttered, "There's probably some truth in that, dear."

"Oh." Oh. "Right, yeah. Well that makes sense, yeah. But."

"You'll be fine. Pete's going, you'll both make it home in ship shape."

"Well I know." He was being pretty confident considering some of the events that occurred within the last week. She and Pete weren't Beast, though. Things would be fine. "Well hey, I haven't gotten to ride in one of the Hummers since they tricked them out for critter-control."

"Oh, they're pretty exceptional. Scott and Piotr scared me a little, through the process. I guess you can't be too prepared." The mechanically-minded men of the X-Men had a tendency to let the technology at their disposal get away from them, though.

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farmboy
2008-02-09 06:05 am UTC (link)

Piotr had spent the morning tuning up the Hummer, checking the supplies, and setting the GPS to the location Brian had supplied. It had actually been pretty peaceful compared to his days lately. Between training every mutant on the grounds deemed mature enough for the danger room, his ever-bustling day care business, and his obligations in the garage, he was a very busy man. Normally, he would’ve been in top shape, but the depressed state of the world combined with the extra duties was bogging him down, and currently he was given away by the dark circles under his eyes and frequent yawns he produced. Thankfully, Troy had been more than happy to look after the some of the children today and his other duties wouldn't suffer too badly from his absence. Most of the elder X-Men were teaching classes, but here and there things would be picked up. Besides, if Brian was on the right track, this could be a big help to ending this whole nightmare.

Already clad in his X-vest, Pete entered the lab per Brian's request. He felt the urge to hug his roommate as if he were an old friend he rarely got the chance to see. Both men were constantly traveling in different directions and it seemed never in the same place at the same time. Acting on impulse, Pete decided to go for it and wrap his arms around the mountain of a man. "You!" Pete said in a sarcastic way as he laid a hug on Brian, "You man, you."

Not wanting Zap to feel left out, he pulled her in with one of his massive hands. "Group hug." Apparently lack of sleep made Pete a little wacky.

"Okay, we ready?" He said still embracing the two.

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zapster
2008-02-09 08:48 am UTC (link)

Brian laughed- hard -at the semi-inside joke, shook his head, and returned the hug. When Zap was involved, he slung an arm around her as well and smirked at Piotr's goofiness. Seriously, the man needed a few winks. "So long as you've eaten your peas and taken out the trash," Brian answered, his voice dripping with dry English-ness. "No really. If you're prepared, get your arses moving. I don't want another incident." It was hard for him not to specify - and to address the topic at all. He had idolized Dr. Beast, and was taking the blow of his loss extremely hard. He knew they were all down and stressed, so he didn't elaborate.

Zap nodded and let out a sighing breath, "I'm ready." She was finally released from between the two titans and honestly felt like she could've wedged right back in and been fine all day. It would've felt a lot better than facing the day ahead. Her attention turned to Colossus after Brian started looking down, and she decided they needed to scoot before he lingered on the idea. "C'mon, big guy. We should go so we have time for setbacks. There are always set backs. And it's been like the arctic circle around here lately - I feel like if I blink I miss the sun." She motioned for Piotr to follow her out of the lab, and she waved a good-bye to Brian. "We'll be fine! Try to get some sleep today some time."

"You betcha," Brian called back, his tone riding the line between sincere and sarcastic. Sometimes it was hard to tell. "Be good, you two."

In the garage, Zap allowed Pete to lead the way, and loaded up the backpack and other items she was bringing along - tools, supplies, some water. "I'm glad it's you coming." With the electricity down in most areas, she had found herself off on a few day trips lately to help power up mechanical entrances, etc and keep things moving quickly. So far, so good. But she was having one of her feelings, and honestly, she believe Piotr was one of the best folks to have around so far as premonitions were concerned. She strapped herself into the passenger side and fiddled with the heater. Pete was looking a bit droopy, though, and she reached across to give his leg a good 'pat-pat-pat'. "You gonna be okay for this?"

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farmboy
2008-02-09 05:38 pm UTC (link)

The goodbyes with Brian were short, which was good. There was no reason for long goodbyes. This was going to be an easy in and out daytime heist. True, they were going into a pretty large office building, but all those places were the same. Large panel windows covering every square inch of the structure. A few of Mars' UV grenades to clear out the few questionable rooms and they'd be good. Easy as pie.

Still, Pete's stomach turned and he was running on nervous energy. But he guessed that was to be expected.

He led Zap down to the garage and pointed out the Hummer they would be using. He stepped into the driver's side of the vehicle and turned the key. The hybrid engine hummed to life and the beast had a heart beat.

"I'm glad it's you that's coming too." He wasn't being snarky, he really was glad to be going with Zap. They had always had a good relationship and before the zombie apocalypse (as Will and Troy had coined it) they had been spending a lot of time together, considering their mutual BFF's were dating.

He smiled when Zap patted his leg, then snatched up her hand and gave it a 'we're going to be just fine, don't worry' kind of a squeeze. "Oh yeah, we're good."

After all the dials and gauges on the dash read to Pete's liking, he shifted the brute into gear and drove it out of the garage.

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zapster
2008-02-10 12:10 am UTC (link)

GPS lies. It was nearing three hours into what would've been an hour long trip, but there had been some highway damage, a fallen building, several fallen trees, and loads and loads of vehicles left abandoned on the main highways. For trips that were this far from the school, usually the jet was taken. But there was no sense taking it for a mission like this - a quick in-and-out procedure. But so far as their travels went, their options were to clear the path or find a new one - both of which would suck up time.

It was nearly 2PM before they reached the office front for their objective. It was massive, shimmering and a bit eerie, honestly.

The Hummer came to a stop at the main office doors and Zap closed her eyes. The cramped city streets felt like jagged canyon walls - filled with caves that housed ravenous wolves. Except the wolves were people. She took and let out a few calming, preparatory breaths and then turned to the back to grab the supplies they brought. Most everything fit into one average-sized backpack. "You know what? I forgot my USB drive. Damn the luck, Pete, damn it." She was, of course, kidding. Her mouth moved to the side in a smirk and she set her shoulders before opening up her door to exit the SUV. "I'm gonna need a stiff drink when we get back."

Easy as pie... Pete feared he would eat his words. The trip had been a lot longer and arduous than anticipated, thanks to the changing landscape. But they were here and with three hours of solid day light left. With the proper route etched in his mind it should only actually take on hour to return to the mansion.

Pete held his breath when Zap spoke, then gave an exasperated groan when he realized it was a joke. "Two hours, then were gone. If we don't get it we can make Brian fly back tomorrow."

"Here, here." She agreed, and moved to Colossus' side as they headed up the concrete stairs toward the entrance. The nearer they drew to the doors, the farther she stretched out with her power - searching for anything that was generating an electrical current or disturbance. On the first three or four floors, she couldn't sense anything bigger than 5 pounds - rats. She hoped they weren't diseased. "After you," she gestured to the big, locked glass doors.

He examined the doors for a moment and the area inside. A lot of light was pouring into the lobby so he wasn't too worried about this floor. Also, Zap hadn't said anything about sensing anyone. He tested the door handles with a quick shake and determined they weren't going to open easily. He set down his backpack that contained a dozen UV grenades and activated his mutation. His metal armored hands grasped the handles and slowly began to pull them open. He didn't want to make too much noise - he wasn't sure if it mattered, it just seemed like a good idea. The doors gave, slowly at first as he pulled the lock apart into two pieces. Amazingly, only the right door had begun to crack when the lock in the center broke open and he swung the doors open freely.

He picked up his backpack and remained in his metal form as he took the first few step into the building. He paused and waited, no sounds or movement. After about half a minute the sliver metal began to disappear from his body and he waved Zap forward. "Elevator or stairs?"

"Stairs." Zap was having no part of elevators unless she had to. The words Brian and Will said were nearly ringing in her ears. She entered the building and looked around the lobby. It was all fairly typical, nothing interesting to look at. A few dusty fake plants, a few dead real plants, some plaques on the walls and marble everyplace. She headed for the side of the lobby where the elevators were in a niche by themselves. Off to the far right was a door that led to the stairs. "I think the offices are on the eleventh floor, the one we're after, anyway." After pushing through the door, she paused and realized she should've been waiting for Piotr to do so. But there really wasn't anything she could feel nearby. And she wasn't being eaten alive, so the stairwell was free. The concrete and carpet seemed to loom over their heads, threatening to go on for infinity. She waited for him to be beside her before she began climbing. "Like the Jeffersons."

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farmboy
2008-02-12 03:30 am UTC (link)

After scolding Zap for entering the stairwell so recklessly, then moving her to the inside track, Piotr climbed the stairs.

The office was incredibly easy to find once they were on the eleventh floor. After walking through a room full of cubicles, the computer Zap needed was in the office all by itself. It was a bit eerie being in someone's private office with pictures of the family and personal objects around. Pete closed the door behind them and stood by the window as Zap worked. He watched the sun begin to sink in the sky and gave her updates on the time.

It was know only ten minutes before his two hour deadline. "Zap, five minutes."

"No," she muttered, "I'm almost there." She'd been digging through files for hours. The file names weren't marked pertaining to case, but to date. She didn't know when the studies had begun on the type of procedure Brian and Joe were interested in. That information wasn't in the paperwork Brian gave her. "There are only a few folders left, Pete." She clicked and scanned furiously, and five minutes, ten minutes... well, they flew by. Fifteen. Twenty. "I got it!" It was the very last file in the very last folder. "It's all here." She concentrated her energy on the printer and made sure there was a stable link between the tower and the other machinery. Brian wanted as many copies as they could get him. While the file printed, she copied it onto a disk and onto a portable USB drive. "Come on..."

The last ten or so minutes Pete had spent pacing the office. It was now past four and the sun was firmly in the west, which meant the east side of the building was dark. The office faced north. "Okay Zap, let's motor." He paused though, and waited in semi-silence after he thought he heard a noise. Then there was a banging noise, possibly from below. He moved to the door, but left it shut. "Now, Zap."

"Okay! Okay," she rushed to scoop the papers into the bag and yanked the CD and USB from the tower of the computer. She'd heard the noise too - which was why she was so willing to 'motor'. She grabbed the bag and strapped it on her shoulders before moving up behind Pete. "Sorry."

"Can you sense anything on this floor?" he asked.

She hadn't tried. She reached out and closed her eyes, trying her best to ignore Pete, and when she opened them, there was another clatter, this time from above. "Not this floor."

"Where?"

"Christ," she pointed upward, "moving fast, toward the lower levels." She was getting nervous.

He reached into his own backpack and pulled out a UV grenade, prepared to detonate it when necessary. "Stay close."

"I've already bought real estate on your ass, Pete. Where're we going?"

"I really don't want to go back into the belly of the beast." If he were alone, he could just walk down to the car - or jump out the window. But he wasn't alone. And apparently he had potential buyers. "The elevator makes a lot of racket, but," he paused, thinking about the staircase, and knowing it would be the only way the creatures would have to come and go between floors, "the stairs are probably pretty crowded. Can you power one?"

Guh! She made eyes at the back of his... back and almost threw up her hands in exasperation. "Of course I can power-" GAH!

Colossus grabbed her arm and pushed the door open and quickly as he could without tearing it down and he made for the elevator shafts. He began bobbing and weaving through the cubicles, all the while grasping Zap's arm to keep her in tow. "I'd start on that now."

The door to the hallway was in sight, and she supposed he was right. She generally stood still and concentrated when she was powering something like this, so she went on auto-pilot, with Pete almost dragging her and focused all her thoughts on the first shaft. It shook, and could be heard whining upward, then began to move more quickly, shooting through the first ten floors. It was near level nine when they reached the doors.

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farmboy
2008-02-12 03:32 am UTC (link)

When they entered the hall, Zap's focus on the elevator had extended to the lights in the hallway, Piotr found. He planted her in front of the doors when they reached them and his eyes shifted quickly down the hall both ways. He noticed the stairwell door at the far end of the hall was opened, and he knew they had closed it. The elevator reached level eleven, but the doors hadn't opened yet when Pete glanced back to the other end of the hall. They'd made two friends - two ugly friends. They were both male, and ragged, with extremely pale flesh and hardly any hair. Their clothes were like shreds and their bodies were constantly in motion - they definitely weren't slowing down as they barreled towards them. DING!

He threw the grenade that was still in his hand down toward the oncoming creatures and then pushed Zap forward into the elevator with his body. The doors slowly shut behind them and there was a flash of light through the diminishing crack. A pair of monstrous screeches could be heard from behind the metal doors, and two thuds.

Zap was pressed against the back wall of the elevator, eyes shut tight to the sound and light she knew the grenade would produce. Well - they worked. "Where to?" she muttered.

"Fifth floor."

"Well, I thought we-" BANG BANG BANG. She flinched. "Fifth floor, right away sir." The elevator kicked into gear once again and moved downward six floors, coming to a jarring halt.

"Well?" he asked.

Zap took in a deep breath and did her thing one more time - she was starting to feel a little worn out. "There have to be a dozen on this level."

"What about the lobby?"

"Oh. I dunno," she placed her hands on the rail that was around the middle of the elevator and concentrated hard. Her mind flicked through the levels like pages on a website. Forward, forward. Ten, fifteen, thirty... she squinted. Forty or more - concentrated toward the back of the building - away from the windows. But, she couldn't pinpoint the like that. "They get thicker the lower it goes."

Piotr stood in silent contemplation for a few moments within the small, dark room. "I think we might be waiting this out."

Zap's shoulder slumped in the darkness and she released the handrail. "I can get us to the lobby and we could make a run for it," she suggested. "It was all windows."

"They didn't face west, and the buildings around this one are just as tall as it is. We'd have to make it outside and to the car - we could damage the files. It's too risky."

Oh god. She sighed and placed a hand on her head, so she could massage either side of her eyes with the one hand. "You could carry me and we could start the car early - are the lights hooked up to the rest of the electrical system?"

"All the controls were added after the fact. You have to be in the vehicle to - you control electricity."

"I do."

"Okay, you get us down there," he moved toward her, took her bag and pulled another grenade from his. He moved to the doors and felt the elevator moving back down to the bottom of the shaft. Then they reached the second level, he said, "Don't delay getting the doors open. If they're near by and hear us reach the lobby, we won't have much time." He turned to metal and felt the elevator droop a little under the weight-change.

They hit the lobby and the doors nearly flew open immediately, the ding being over-powered by the sound of metal and rubber. She couldn't see much - there was very little light and Piotr was blocking the door.

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zapster
2008-02-12 03:33 am UTC (link)

Piotr couldn't count the number of creatures awaiting the sun's disappearance from the lobby. Their toes were practically touching the line of light left by the sun in the windows of the building's front. He witnessed their response to the noise of their landing - which was that each of them turned to face the elevator shafts and began moving back through the lobby and toward them and darkness. He clenched the grenade in his metal hand, "Get us back up!" he fired it into the lobby like a canon and the doors hadn't shut before they were shooting back up the shaft. It was harder this time to hear the screams, but there were definitely screams.

"Jesus Christ." She'd seen them, after crouching down and peering around Pete's arms. The doors were shut firmly now and she stopped halfway between levels nine and ten. "I thought that would work. I'm sorry."

Piotr shifted his flesh back to normal and put his hand on Zap's shoulder. "It's not your fault. We'll be fine until morning." He pulled his bag around to his chest and pulled his phone out. "Put yours on silent too," he told her, then texted Brian - the good and bad news. "I think we're here for the night, Zuzka."

-Colossus & Zap

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farmboy
2008-02-13 11:30 pm UTC (link)

After sending the text, Pete examined their situation. Small dark room, one metal door, building filled with creatures. Crap. Just listening to the creatures was almost scarier than seeing them. Thunderous pounding rumbled throughout the building and what sounded like a thousand terrible screams. He hoped they were leaving the building for the night. He looked at the clock on his phone, nearly sundown.

The elevator was pitch black aside from the light from their phones. He was afraid of turning on one of their emergency lamps or making any noise until the sun had been down for a while and hopefully the building would be empty.

He grabbed Zap's other shoulder and gently nudged her toward the back of the car. He put his hand on her back and began lowing her to the floor. He decided sitting quietly in the dark for a while might be the best course.

Hey - at least neither of them was claustrophobic. Zap gave way fairly easily when Pete coaxed her to the floor, and she sat on the side of one leg until she saw her was moving to the floor as well.

Piotr moved onto his knees, then onto his side and next to Zap on the floor. He pulled her down next to him and laid with his back to the double doors. He slide his arm around her, over her arm and down across her abdomen.

She closed her eyes to the dark - at least you could pretend you could see if you opened them back up. When Pete moved up behind her, she opened her mouth to speak, but realized what he was doing. So they'd wait. In silence. At least if she freaked out now she knew she'd have someone there who would comfort her. This kinda sucked. But the cold and dark were countered a little, there nestled under Piotr's arm. She relaxed her neck and let her head rest against her own folded up arm and cuddled up closer to Colossus.

Now, if they didn't fall asleep, they'd be golden.

-Colossus & Zap

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