After The Fall

Kitty blinked hard before leaning over the printout again. The words were starting to blur together in their tiny little boxes, and she shook her head, dropping the pen that she was twirling. the noise startled Lockheed, who had dozed off on the shelf above her, and she turned to frown at Hank.

"I think it's time for a break." Hank looked like he was about ready to step away for a little while, too. Hopefully. "Coffee?"

Ideally, Scott would have waited until he had the visor situation resolved before going near the Danger Room. The problem with that was that he needed to be able to think clearly and make decisions in order to resolve it. There was no. way. he was going to be able to do that unless he blew off some steam - well, some concussive force, anyway.

So, Danger Room.

Without his visor, he didn't even bother trying to make his workout much of one. His ability to aim, for instance, was just about non-existent. Instead he went in and beat the hell out of the walls, until the pain and pressure inside his head had subsided enough for him to be... not really relaxed, but a lot more capable of coherency and a lot less likely to throw up on his shoes.

Still confused, rattled by Jean and the younger version of himself, but he was feeling a lot more capable of getting things accomplished, when he'd finished. Enough so, that he very nearly missed Kitty, as he came back out. He knew, very well, that it may not be the Kitty he knew, but she looked familiar enough to be reassuring, rather than threatening.

"Kitty?" But not so much so that he wasn't going to check.

Illyana was starting to think that perhaps she no longer belonged anywhere. Home, what had been home, was gone and seemed like a million lifetimes away. Limbo was a fucking nightmare, and Weapon X had been even worse if that was possible. The school was better in that no one was hitting, cutting, injecting, experimenting on her, but it was still claustrophobic in its own way. The classes and the structure of the thing bothered her. It made her skin itch, but she stayed. She had to stay. Piotr was there. The only bright spot in her life, the only hope that she had managed to hang onto was the fact that one day she would see her brother again.

If she asked, she had no doubt that he would leave with her, but she would not do that to him. He had friends here, a life. It was she who needed to learn to bend. The bending she was being asked to do was not so awful anyway.

By rights she should have been studying. There was homework to do and things to learn, but she was tired of it. It did not keep her attention, which was why she was on her way to see Jono so she could beat his ass at chess as a way of apologizing to him, once again, about his face. His company was also enjoyable. He understood things and did not ask pointed questions of her.

She was just turning the corner when the world changed. Teleportation was something that Illyana knew well. It was perhaps the only thing that she knew well other than pain so even though she had felt the tug, she had been completely unable to stop it. Teeth gritted together, she looked around the room she had been deposited into and did not recognize anything. It looked like a throne room that had been abandoned by its king and queen a long time ago.

"Shit," she muttered, summoning her sword from Limbo. This place felt similar to earth, but her mental mapping hadn't been able to form a clear picture yet. The only place she could teleport herself would be Limbo, and that was not an option.

The Mall of America had never really stopped growing. The 5,900,000 square feet of space that had existed in the early 2000s had been added to significantly in 300 years. It now boasted 10 floors in the main building, as well as three new annexes housing four new movie theatres, a waterpark, an amusement park, North America's largest Apple Store, and a new state of the art virtual reality gaming complex, as well as over 1200 new stores and 50 other attractions.

The group from the mansion made arrangements to rent out a number of rooms in the largest of the hotels in the second annex and were teleported directly into the rooms. After that, they were free to roam as they pleased until the agreed pick-up time.

The mall was bustling and busy, even for a Wednesday in the middle of the week, but nothing seemed all that out of the ordinary... until an electrical fire broke out on one of the main escalators. The fire spread quickly, igniting a large piece of artwork that hung on the second level balcony, and as soon as the sensors detected it, the roller coaster's safety system engaged, locking a train into place at the top of the first incline and effectively trapping the customers on-board. Before long, the fire had gained enough intensity to send part of the upper concourse tumbling to the floor below, where it took out a big chunk in the side of the annex's 1,000,000+ gallon aquarium.

(OOC: Boom. Feel free to have any characters there who you want to angst up due their inability to help b/c of fear of outing. We are hoping to keep this from being a big outing everyone-type thread, so if they do use powers, make sure it's in a way that can be covered up. Threads and closed third person posts are both completely fine, so go nuts!)

Kitty stretched as she walked down the hall, the leather of her uniform loosening up a little bit as she moved. She grinned as she punched in her access code and led the way into the Danger Room, turning to Jimmy as she approached the control panel. "You're going to love this."

"Or you're going to hate it and I'm going to cry and the whole thing is going to be an epic disaster, but I hope you love it." She leaned down to pull up the program she'd written, tilting her head to the side as Lockheed landed on her shoulder to peer at what she was doing.

The entire lake had been frozen over and dusted lightly with snow. Around it's edges were snowbanks that stretched several feet to buffer the lake's occupants in case of fall. Or to simply be a nice place to sit and enjoy the happenings.

Across portions of the lake lay snowdrifts and structures to serve as cover during the free for all snowball fight that had broken out.

While a chilly evening, the lake mysterious held just the right temperature to promote enjoyment while keeping it structurally sound. Every so often more snow would appear or be shifted along courtesy of a more observant Iceman, keeping watch from the shore.

Random snowballs rained down every so often, courtesy of a rather drunk one.

Many of the mansions residents had made their own plans for New Years Eve, of course, but there were plenty who stayed behind for whatever reason and plans had been made accordingly. The Christmas decorations were still up, they wouldn't be taken down for a few more days, but some festive New Years oriented decorations had been added to the cheerful chaos. There was a fire burning in the fireplace and candles lit on the mantle, mistletoe still decorated the doors and chandeliers, a banner proclaimed Happy New Year!! in garish colors that were mirrored by streamers hanging from the ceiling and a few dozen balloons floating free or tied to whatever was handy, and someone had tuned the television to one of the many New Years specials broadcasting live all evening

As usual, there was a table full of hors d'oeuvres and desserts and a bar had been set up nearby with a variety of sodas, juices, and alcoholic beverages available.

Kitty rocked up onto her toes and peered out through the observation window. It was almost there. Just a few more tweaks, and it would be perfect. She leaned over the console and tapped in a few changes, then quickly deleted them. She had programming block. After staring at the screen for what was really too much time, she sighed and saved her progress. Sometimes it was best to just step away. Unplugging her computer from the console, she closed the lid and powered the room down, hitting the lights as she left. After dropping her computer off in the computer center, she headed down the hallway toward the science lab. She wasn't sure if anyone was home down there, but even if they weren't, there was sure to be a stash of snacks in the fridge.

She poked her head through the door, catching a glimpse of the younger Hank, bent over something or other. Smiling, she stepped the rest of the way through and headed in a general fridge direction, calling out, "Hey, Hank."

She liked all the new tech, she had to admit it. But she also missed some of the stuff from "home", like her computer games. Unfortunately, her laptop was acting up and she wasn't sure if she could transfer everything on it to the new system.

But she knew exactly the person to ask.

She threw everything into her bag and went in search of Kitty.

Somewhere around 2200, Disney decided that it was about time that they expanded. Really expanded. They bought the entire country of Iceland at a relatively cheap price and began to construct the amusement destination to end all amusement destinations: Disney Universe.

DU is made up of six main parks, four water parks, two virtual reality theme parks, and countless other entertainment options ranging from movie theaters to mini-golf. There's even whole park full of night clubs that run 24 hours, for the grown-ups.

The Magic Kingdom is the biggest park at the resort. At it's center stands a replica of the Genoshan palace. It is here that castle shows take place at least six times daily, featuring live musical performances from the princesses Wanda and Lorna, as well as their adventurous brother, Prince Pietro. If you're lucky, they'll even be out signing autographs and taking pictures!

The rest of the park is made up of a number of lands.

Mutantland, not surprisingly, is dedicated to mutants. Costumed versions of the X-Men (toned down a bit from their accepted historical appearances so as not to scare the kiddies) wander, and once you step through the entrance (through the palace), congratulations! You're a mutant! We're all mutants in Mutantland, and we're all friends, too. Take a spin on the BEAST, a stomach-twisting whirling coaster adventure, or stop and have your hair done like a real mutant in the Princess Lorna Hair Salon.

Classicland features all of your Disney favorites. Here you can find such attractions as the Haunted Mansion, The World Famous Jungle Cruise, The Mad Tea Party, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and It's a Small World, among others.

Coasterland, as the name suggests, is dedicated to the fine art of roller coasters. There are 6 coasters in Coasterland, and each one is a tribute to modern technology. They are faster, bigger, scarier, and more fun than any coaster really has a right to be. Make sure you get a Fast Pass, because the lines are long.

Adventureland is the place to be if you like exploring. It is home to Disney Universe's very own mountain, Mount Wundagore. There, you'll find The Knights of Wundagore, a thrilling coaster ride. Hop into an antique 23rd century mining car and travel deep into the heart of Wundagore's uranium mines... but be careful, for the mountain is guarded by mystical warriors who will stop at nothing to keep you from depleting their home's precious resources!

Villainland is home to the biggest, baddest baddies that ever called Disney home. From classic bad guys like Maleficent to modern villains, they're all here and they all want your help to take over the goodness of the Magic Kingdom and fill it with pure evil! Stop by the Witch's Candy Apple Cellar for a custom made caramel apple!

Fantasyland is themed as an ancient carnival, with what was known in the 20th and 21st centuries as a midway. You can win prizes and test your luck at a number of games! See a man be shot from a cannon, or feast your eyes on the Carnival of Curiosities, a thrilling side-show. Four times daily, there is a performance under the big top, with acrobats, clowns, and a whole menagerie of performing animals! If you're one of the lucky Guests, you'll get picked from the audience and taught a simple trick on the trapeze, which you will then get to perform for the entire crowd! You may even see an elephant fly!

In true Disney fashion, there are numerous gift shops scattered throughout the park, and you can go home with your choice of souvenirs. From dolls to dresses, from hats to hoodies, it's all there, and it's all very heavily marketed for each park.

Costumed characters, both new and old faces alike, roam the property daily and do autograph signings and photo ops.

Go nuts, and most importantly... HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!

"I don't think I'll ever get used to teleportation," Sage said, setting down the large black equipment case she was carrying and cracking her knuckles. The area was just as Charles had showed her and hadn't that been odd? Years now spent hearing about the mighty Professor Xavier and here he was. If somewhat younger and less bald than had been described. The younger version of Magneto had just been disconcerting. After we're done, we really need to have another meeting about Charles and Erik, she sent to Kurt and Jean-Paul. I anticipate much in the way of expectations from the rest of our community regarding them and I honestly don't know what, if anything, we should do about it.

Sage scanned the rest of the equipment on automatic, mentally cataloging the contents again and reassuring herself that all was present and correct. Which it was, of course. "Okay, Kitty. Cameras or mapping, which would you like to tackle first? Billy, just a warning, if you stay with Kitty and myself, we'll find a way to put you to work," she told the young man with a grin.

Kitty hummed as she headed up to her room, arms piled high with books. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to actually need all of the books she'd checked out from the library, but it sure felt good to actually check out close to the maximum allowed number of items. It had also taken the entire morning and a little bit of the afternoon, but that was generally what happened when she was allowed to roam through the library unattended.

"I hope you're all ready to be read," she told the books, narrowing her eyes at one in particular. "Especially you, mister 'hasn't been checked out in fifteen years.'"

Even after sleeping the sleep of the dead for most of two days, Roberto was still bone-weary and aching in every joint. That machine Gideon's pet scientists had had him strapped into had really done a number on him, he felt like a decrepit old man, and he'd made his way slowly through down the stairs to the kitchen, taking pains to look as though he were simply taking his time and checking out his surroundings.

A short stop in the kitchen to throw together a sandwich and collect a banana and a bottle of water and then he was on the move again. Out to one of the benches in the garden he'd noticed - barely - when Shard had given him the tour the day he'd arrived. Skinning his shirt off to take maximum advantage of the sunshine, he dropped heavily onto his chosen bench, pulled his feet up, and took a bite of his sandwich.

Whatever lingering effects that machine had on him, he had little question that sunshine would take care of them, and then maybe he'd be up to hunting down one of the apparently many Sams he was now sharing space with. Maybe none of them were his, but Sam was Sam and he'd feel better with some version of his best friend watching his back.

Kitty hadn't really stopped to think that maybe Johnny wouldn't be in his room. She hadn't actually stopped to think about much of anything, and she still had her journal in her hand as she headed downstairs. It wasn't until she was at the foot of the stairs that she really realized that that had been a bit of a waste. Phasing would have been easier and quicker. Oh well. She walked up to Johnny's room and knocked on his door. "Johnny, open up."

Jimmy had gotten most of his stuff put away, but really that wasn't tough. He hadn't accumulated much stuff since he'd arrived. He figured he'd have time for that now that he was off the island.

Room settled as much as it could be, he wandered down the hall, peeking into open rooms as he passed by them. Eventually he'd explored his hall and headed up one flight to the next floor.

His pasta was almost perfect! It just needed oooone thing.

Bobby tilted his head and observed the cabinets. Who'd designed these things?! They were an obscene combination of too high, with a counter that extended too far. Being short wasn't a problem when you could hop the counter. The counter wasn't a problem when you could lean into it to your hipbones. At the moment, Bobby could do neither, and it was frustrating.

He looked around, wondering if maybe he should just yell for a tall person. Then he remembered the tall people had put in the cabinets, and stubbornly refused to. He couldn't ice his way up. If he could he wouldn't be in this predicament at all. It was bad enough he had to spend hours making things in advance now, and then waiting an agonizingly long time for them to cool naturally because they just didn't taste the SAME. But NOW he couldn't even get everything he NEEDED!!

Heart beating a little faster with frustration, Bobby dragged a stool from beside the island, satisfied at every screech of the legs to the kitchen floor. Shoving it up against the panels, he shook it experimentally before testing if it could handle his weight by standing on the lowest rung. When it didn't so much as shimmy, he stepped up on the next one and pressed both knees into the seat, stretching across the counter top as he reached for the Soy Sauce.

Johnny was beginning to wonder if the movie that he'd picked was, in fact, an appropriate one to be watching with Kitty. It was a horror movie, something called Spirit Zombies of Chelsea, and they were seeing it in the latest theater. It was like the great-great-grandson of iMax, where everything was geared to make you feel as if you were in the movie - or as much as you could and still be seated. The movie theater took it so seriously that they monitored your heart rate and promised to escort out anyone who couldn't handle it.

He'd thought it was a joke at first, but this was the second time the film had been stopped so that ushers could escort someone out, this after a woman freaked out after being hit with a (hopefully artificial) wave of blood. The manager was jokingly promising a rain sequence coming up, for those who felt a bit sticky.

Kitty twirled the keys around her finger as she walked down the corridor toward Johnny's room. She had a to-go box in her other hand, packed with waffles and sausage. The keys slipped off her finger and she lunged, catching them and just barely managing to not drop the food all over the place. Checking to make sure that nobody had witnessed her not so graceful move, she straightened up and walked the rest of the way to the door, keys firmly held in her hand.

"Johnny! I have waffles!" She knocked on the door, shaking the keys. "And your keys. But waffles are more important."

Time differences sucked. Kitty had had a little bit of trouble getting used to it and a little more trouble reading Kitty's handwriting... which was pretty much expected because she sometimes had trouble reading her own chicken scratch. But she'd managed to catch up on everything that Kitty had been working on and figure out what the next step was, and that called for a break.

Which called for harassing the crap out of Johnny.

Kitty whistled to herself as she skipped down the hallway to the room Johnny was working in, poking her head into other rooms as she went. The place looked like it was coming along, at least compared to what everyone had said about the way it looked before they started trying to fix it. It still didn't quite look like the place she knew back home, though. Unless she just pictured the walls that Logan had thrown people through when they were in varying states of repair. Then, it actually looked quite a bit like the place she knew back home.

"Joooohnny," she sing-songed as she neared the room, knocking on the wall as she walked. Poking her head into the room, she waved at him. "Lunch? Noms? Yes? I promise I won't speak in lolcat the whole time."

She tilted her head and watched the lemurs on a nearby tree. They were big ones. It was an Indri, she'd decided, because of a)hugeness and b)complete lack of tail. Kitty wasn't anything even close to a lemur expert, but they were still interesting. She glanced over at Julian. "Did you know that that kind of lemur is monogamous?"