X-Men Unite

Characters: Erik "Magneto" Lehnsheer.
Location: Brotherhood HQ.
Timeline: Present.
Description: Magneto plots.

( Hopefully Pyro had done as instructed and had the information he needed to push on with phase two of his plan. )

Characters: Tessa "Sage" Niles & Sebastian "Black King" Shaw.
Tagging: Sebastian "Black King" Shaw.
Location: Private Jet.
Timeline: Afternoon.
Description: Sage and Shaw discuss business, amongst other things.

( Upon making his first million, one of the few things that Shaw purchased was his very own business jet. )

Characters: Mackenzie and OPEN
Location: Random bar frequented by mutants
Timeline: Present
Description: Mackenzie learns the downside of fame - no peace and quiet when all you really want to do is have a couple of drinks after work
Rating: Possibly PG to PG-13 for language

It had been a long day at work. She'd been informed at the very last minute (deliberately, no doubt) that her client's case was being pushed ahead, and oh, could she have everything ready in two days? While this didn't outright seem like a difficult request, the fact that the trial had been pushed ahead by more than two months meant some serious catching up, a lot of shuffling of appointments, and overtime.

The smart thing to do would have been just go right home and get a good night's rest so that she could overwork herself again tomorrow. Mackenzie knew this was the superior choice, but at the moment, she really just wanted to sit and have a drink and unwind. The bar she was in was rather large, with pool tables, dart boards, and a variety of things to do. In theory, she should have had absolutely no trouble being left alone, but theories didn't always translate into reality.

As she sipped her screwdriver, Mackenzie didn't notice the two nearby men pointing at her and discussing something amongst themselves. She did, however, notice when they came over and sat on the barstools on either side of her.

"Heeeeey," said one, "aren't you that lawyer?"

"I'm a lawyer, yes," she replied, not looking up from her drink.

"The one who defends mutants, right? I saw you on TV!"

Mackenzie kept her expression neutral, but this wasn't good. All she'd really wanted was to have a couple of drinks and go home. Now it was just a matter of whether the situation was going to involve someone trying to get free legal advice, joke around and harass her, or if these two were members of the failures of humanity.

"Would you ever date a mutant?" asked one of the two curiously.

"If he had the qualities I wanted in a guy, sure," Mackenzie replied, still focused on her drink. Well, the fact that they weren't slinging insults meant they probably weren't from the FOH at least.

"Would you ever date a guy with webbed feet?" inquired the second.

Mackenzie paused. Either they were joking around, or they were mutants, and it was hard to tell which. If they were mutants, she didn't want to say something offensive. If they were just playing with her, she wanted to tell them where to go and how to get there because she was not in the mood to play nicely.

"That depends. Is he witty enough to think of better lines than 'would you ever date a guy with webbed feet'?"

((OOC: Anyone want to start up a conversation with Mackenzie and save her from the awkwardness of this conversation?))

Characters: Wanda Maximoff and Mystique
Location: Any one of Pietro's normal haunts
Timeline: Present
Description: Wanda is back and is looking for her brother

Wanda had been gone for some time now, training with Agatha Harkness to refine control over her powers. Probability manipulation was frustratingly difficult to control, and Wanda had struggled with it a great deal. The majority of her time in the past few years had been spent with Agatha, with the occasional visit to see her brother. Now her training was more or less complete and she was free to do whatever she wished.

Wanda had been very concerned and convinced that her twin might be dead, but upon arriving in New York and wandering around some of her brother's favorite haunts, she discovered that her brother was very much alive. That was a relief, but finding him was still...troublesome. No one had seen him recently, so Wanda just asked that they let Pietro know that she was in town and looking for him.

Tonight's search was proving useless, so she started on her way back to the hotel she was staying at.

Characters: The X-factor (Jamie dupe) and Mystique
Location: Jamie's secret lair!
Timeline: A week or so after the impromptu brotherhood mission assigning.
Description: Jamie's the World's greatest detective. 'nuff said.

( His mind worked just a bit differently.. )

[Mystique]

Characters: John "Pyro" Allerdyce, Bobby "Iceman" Drake & Rogue
Location: Danger room
Timeline: Flashback! A little while after Rogue and Bobby's fight and Rogue's subsequent chit-chat with Logan.
Description: Xavier seems to think an exercise in the danger room is just what the kids need. Big badda boom.

( More then they bargained for )

Characters: Logan and Rogue
Location: Mansion garage
Timeline: Flashbackery! After Danger Room and Bobby Rejections!
Description: Truce? Can you help me then?


( Why Do All Good Things Come To An End? )

Characters: Mackenzie and OPEN (anyone can tag in here, be it someone I've plotted with, or just someone who feels like having their character seek out legal advice)
Location: Mackenzie's office
Timeline: Present
Description: Meeting, greeting, discussions, etc.

While it was rather annoying to have to deal with some of the anti-mutant protests right in front of her office, Mackenzie wasn't pressing harassment charges. Assault and vandalism charges if they went beyond just protesting, sure, but she knew she could successfully charge the FOH with harassment if she really wanted to. Her primary reason for not pressing charges was that the benefits of having anti-mutant rallies periodically occur on her property outweighed the downside.

More or less, every rally they held near her office brought attention to her. It was free advertising. Of course, there would be some people who would refuse to hire her because they believed the nonsense that the FOH spouted. But for every person who would refuse to hire Mackenzie on those grounds, there were ten people who would seek her out, either because of her acceptance of mutants, or because they realized she could win despite the odds being against her and her client.

Carefully, she cut out a clipping of the most recent news coverage she'd received. The article would go in the little scrapbook she'd assembled. Partly, it was a bit of ego-stroking. The young lawyer knew that half the reason she'd gotten so far was projecting absolute confidence in herself. Confidence was the mother of ability. Partly, it was Mackenzie keeping track of what was said about her in publications. It never hurt to be well-read, and it was just useful to be able to quote people directly.

"Ms. Russell?" paged her secretary into Mackenzie's office. "You've got someone here to see you."

"Send them in," Mackenzie replied, carefully putting away the cut-out article and the newspaper in her desk.

Characters: Bobby "Iceman" Drake, John "Pyro" Allerdyce
Location: Bobby and John's dorm room at the Institute
Timeline: Flashback. After this
Description: After Bobby's confrontation with Rogue he hides out in his room and confides in his best friend.

( 'Trust me, it always gets hot and heavy.' )

Characters: John "Pyro" Allerdyce, Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr & Remy "Gambit" LeBeau.
Location: Bar.
Timeline: Day after Remy and John's conversation about joining the Brotherhood and after Magneto/Pietro's attack on the secretary of defense.
Description: John brings Magneto to meet Remy.

( John rarely left Magneto's side, especially when Magneto left the protection of their headquarters. )

Characters: Tasha "Pinch" Kirilova, Open to Brotherhood
Locaiton: TBA
Timeline: 3 days after Mystique, Jamie, and Pinch's meeting.
Description: The hunt is on


_____________________________________________________________________________________________


After Mystique's little meeting, she and Pinch had adjourned to the relative privacy of a safehouse. It was a run-down apartment in a building which probably should have been condemned, but what it lacked in the niceities, it made up for with anonymity. The owner didn't ask questions, and more than a few of the other tenants were probably criminals of one sort or another. For a temporary hideout, it would do just fine.

The two women had spent the better part of two hours there; Pinch probing for any details she could get about anyone involved, Mystique doing her best to inform without giving away any potentially damaging secrets. It was painfully obvious to Pinch that she wasn't trusted, but that wasn't unexpected. For the moment, she made do with the most basic of information. Mystique's incredibly accurate impersonations of the Brotherhood's members were especially helpful. By the time she left, Tasha was sure she could recognize Pyro or any of his allies at a glance. As she walked back out into the streets, she was very hopeful.

Her hope was somewhat misplaced.

Pyro would be easy to find, Mystique had said. Instead, three days had passed without Pinch seeing anything out of the ordinary. She had spent all her waking hours visiting anywhere that Pyro might be, trying to think from his perspective. He wanted to recruit. He needed mutants, especially those that didn't have any other opportunities. So, Pinch went to other meetings like the one she had met Mystique at. Most of those were pacifistic wastes of time. She took all her meals at local soup kitchens, but had no way of knowing which if any of the people there might be mutants. Bars, pool hauls, even an anti-mutant rally. She'd gone everywhere she could think to look. Her patience was starting to wear thin.

((OOC: Tag for Pyro, obviously. Feel free to pick whatever sort of location you want for them to actually meet. Surprise me :P Oh, and if anyone else wants to come in, feel free, but please wait until Pinch and Pyro have at least chatted a bit first. Thanks!))

Characters: Deah "Hack" Cooper
Tagging: Jean Marvel Girl Grey
Location: The Xavier Institute
Timeline: Flashback
Description: Curious.

---

She was alone at the school, everyone who she may had considered a friend was graduated and gone. It was her own fault really, Deah was a bright girl. Genius some may even contend. It didn't explain why the girl who had only accelerated through her school work had to be held back a year.

It was after her first encounter with Mr. Sinister, after he implanted her mind with bogus nanotechnology that corrupted her brain. She was a living, breathing, surveillance system. Driven to the brink of madness by her brain resisting the technology and knowing she should feel guilty about what she did, Deah had only come to one conclusion: take her own life. It was...the only way. She had given Sinister too much information and she needed to put a stop to it immediately. That was a year ago. Since then, the staff and Xavier himself had taken great care to be encourage Deah's mental health. She seemed to respond to the treatment and stabilized eventually. Some days were better than others, but there seemed to be something missing. It was hidden well enough away though, because for the next year she dove head first into her studies finishing out her diploma in record time.

She took all of the classes that she could. Her schedule was full from morning until night taking all of the advanced courses. Socializing had been a thing of a past - she was filled with a renewed sense of curiosity. Deah had a slight edge over her classmates though, she couldn't control her telepathy. What one person knew Deah also knew. She liked Professor Grey's classes though, they were challenging enough. Sitting in the back of the room well after the bell rang, she was still deep in thought, obviously trying to work something out in her head. Her blue eyes slid over to the older woman briefly, before glancing back at her notes. "Did they experiment on your brain too?" She asked of her teacher casually.

Characters: Emma Frost
Tagging: Bobby "Iceman" Drake
Locaiton: The Danger Room
Timeline: Present
Description: Emma "helps" Bobby with his powers



Pursuant to their previous appointment. Emma made arrangements to reserve the Danger Room. Despite not being too invested before, her curiosity grew as she mulled the problem over in her head. She was a smart boy, yes, but perhaps she was too flippant with him. Emma just supposed Robert was smart enough to come to his own conclusion about things, that his problems stemmed from just negative beliefs and it would all work itself out naturally. However their discussion was short and inconclusive. If it was just general feelings of morose, great. If not, then Emma needed more substantial proof. She had prepared a set of physical and mental tests for Robert that would provide her with the information she needed to exact any kind of conclusion.

Institute protocols required all occupants to be dressed appropriately for all Danger Room activities. Fortunately for Emma, she had a skewed definition of what was "appropriate." She had made a few teensy modifications to her uniform. It was made of white leather, light Kevlar and unstable molecules. The final product was something provocative and yet functional; the materials culminated together in a type of bustier that met a pair of fitted pants at the curve of her hip.

Spread out on the floor were two yoga mats. Presently Emma occupied one, sitting in a position that revealed she was deep in meditation as she waited for Robert to join her.

Characters: Deah "Hack" Cooper
NPCs: Malice
Locaiton: Sinister's lab
Timeline: Present
Description: Something nefarious.

---

It was lights out for her "patient" for now, but Deah continued to burn the midnight oil. Like so many nights before she stayed up for countless hours toiling with her experiments. She could easily calculate and quantify biopsychology in her brain within seconds, yet there was one experiment whose conclusions eluded her. It was her magnum opus. A microscopic lesion existed on her propietal lobe, coupled with her oddly formed hippocampus attributed to Hack's lack of control. It was a quandary indeed! A curved elongated ridge that extended over the floor of the descending lateral ventricle of the medial temporal lobe. What a funny thing! The limbic system. It influenced the formation of memory by integrating emotional states with stored memories of physical sensations. All of these thoughts expressed themselves within her mind all at once with ease of grace. She spent the last few years, with the help of Dr. Essex, trying to find an injectable compound that would facilitate the activity of her hippocampus. In other words, create synthetic emotions. Once when she was younger she had been abducted by Sinister, seduced by his promises. That was when he first caught a glimpse of her unique brain. He, himself, had experimented on Deah, slicing into her brain in an attempt to improve upon it. Now in his absence, she continued in his work.

( The stainless steal room was dimly lit, with the exception of a light board illuminating the results from a recent CAT-scan. )

Characters: Bobby "Iceman" Drake and Rogue
Location: Rogue's dorm room at the Institute
Timeline: Flash back -- after this scene.
Description: This addresses a lot of the issues about why Bobby and Rogue couldn't function as a couple and why Rogue would eventually leave the X-Men.

( Everything's not fine because you're hurting and there's some way that it coulda been stopped, it can be stopped from happening again. )

Characters: Allison "Dazzler" Blaire
Tagging: Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner
Timeline: Present-ish
Description: Dazzler is ready to talk..
OOC: Nick, make a profile for frickin' Kurt already! Sheesh!

---

Her leg and arm were still busted but she was moved from ICU into the out patient department. She only needed finally approval from her doctors giving her the go-ahead to go home. Her time in the hospital was nearing its end and Allison couldn't have been happier. Yet the anticipation of knowing that any day that she could be released left her on edge. Allison swung her good leg off the bed and stumbled onto her feet. Using the crutches that were leaning up against the bed she hopped forward and into the bathroom. It was a struggle to do even the simplest of tasks what annoyed her the most. But thank God for small pleasures....she was moving, she had another opportunity to live life...and that fucker hadn't broken her back. The door closed with a bump of her hip. Allison reemerged with her skin dewy and her hair surrounding her face wet from washing it. Blotting her face with a small towel, she hopped back to the bed and near flopped on it.

She was happy yes, but somewhere in the back of her mind there was something that was troubling her. Knowing that her attacker, a one James Maddrox aka Multiple Man aka her ex-best friend aka psycho-serial-killer-wannabe, was still out and about. She couldn't return to the Institute to fulfill her deal to get clean and sober, not while knowing he was there. And not while knowing no one else knew. She was ready to say something, she needed to - for a peace of mind and her own protection. That's why she contacted Kurt. He had reached out to her before and she turned him down in an unsavory manner. It made her feel like a fucking bigot the way she acted. There was always an underlying fear of being exposed as a mutant and when he just showed up out of the blue (like he was want to do) she nearly had a stroke. There was terrible pressure on her from record labels to keep it under wraps, so much so Allison had forgotten who she was and what she stood for. She had made an official police report, but without a name or a face they had nothing to go on. Nothing until now that is.

To: J.Grey@Xavier-Institute.edu
From: E.Frost@Xavier-Institute.edu
Re: Saturday night soirée?

Jean,

The limo is arriving Saturday night at 8:00 - sharp. I took the liberty of purchasing you something to wear. I couldn't trust you'd be able to ascertain the difference between a Jacklyn Smith, K-Mart, polyester frock and a Vera Wang. I would have lent you something from my closet, but I don't own anything in a size six. Its being delivered by courier Thursday at 4:00pm.

Ta ta, darling.

-Emma

Diamonds are a girls best friend.

Characters: Ororo "Storm" Munroe.
Location: Mansion.
Timeline: Early morning.
Description: Ororo falls back on old rituals.

( Ororo had slept better with Logan at her side and felt more rested than she had in a very long time, but one night did not in any way make up for days upon days of no sleep. It was a start and one Ororo hoped would continue. )

Characters: Tessa "Sage" Niles & NPC.
Rating: Very mild PG. Some references to sexual activity.
Location: Out and about.
Timeline: Late evening/early morning.
Description: A side of Sage people have never seen and will never see as long as she keeps it hidden.

( Nobody knows who she is, nobody. )

Characters: John "Pyro" Allerdyce & Remy "Gambit" LeBeau.
Location: Random seedy bar.
Timeline: Present.
Description: Remy talks to John about joining the Brotherhood.

(  Currently John was leaned up against the bar of the latest place he’d swung into. There was fuck all to be heard on the grapevine or if there was nobody felt much like talking, not that John was worried, he’d get it out of them sooner or later. )