Haylie Collins will blow you away (startwithaspark) wrote in artofwar_rpg, @ 2011-07-26 01:03:00 |
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Current mood: | crushed |
Who: Haylie Collins
What: The result of Haylie trying to compartmentalize her overflow of emotions following the aftermath of the attack on Manhattan.
When: 30 June, 2011
Where: Xavier Institute; Danger Room and School Grounds
Rating/Warnings: PG; Violent explosions and general angst, anyone?
Status: Closed; Complete
Whenever someone asked, she blamed it on Scott. Because had he not abandoned the team right before the disastrous showdown with the Brotherhood in Manhattan, she wouldn't be the stressed out mess that she was right now. While the departure of her friend, her rock, the man who was like the older brother she never had, was partly responsible for her current state? It was hardly the main reason behind it. But for appearance's sake, that was all it was. But after snapping at Alison and fighting with Wade, she knew that she couldn't keep up appearances much longer.
Which is how she ended up in the Danger Room after placing a sign on the door that read in bright red letters: DANGER ROOM CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
The system was on to the setting specifically programmed by Scott and Xavier for Haylie and her particular needs, power-wise. Which meant that everything was reinforced for impact, and the arsenal of pseudo-weapons were built to be destroyed. Normally, she would go easy on the mechanics for the sake of only using it to discharge excess energy build-up. However, this was a far more... violent session. The four walls were built to keep in sound, which meant that no one could hear her scream when the mechanics whirred to life and the machine began hurling rubber bullets and other projectile weapons that she blasted to pieces before they could even touch her.
The session went on for half an hour; Haylie blasted away everything she could, screaming while the tears gushed from her eyes in a never-ending flood of pain and confusion and helplessness and anger and everything she didn't want or need to be feeling in that moment.
Scott abandoned them when they needed his leadership the most. Haylie nearly drowned in the Hudson River. Wade was nearly killed from the Blob's idea of a swan dive. Magneto nearly nuked all of Manhattan. Wade accused her of looking down on him and judging him for his previous lifestyle as a mercenary. They fought, screamed at each other, and each said things that hurt the other.
Every time the familiar sting of heartache gnawed at her chest, she screamed and amped up the power of her explosions until the Danger Room equipment was all but obliterated and her body trembled from the effort. Panting heavily, she ran her hands through her hair and left the room quietly, taking the quickest path outside and just beginning to run. All along the trail that she and Scott had worked so hard on when he first arrived at the Institute without his sight. And to a few paths off the beaten way that she took alone when she needed to clear her head.
None of it was working. She just couldn't shake the pain or the thoughts swimming through her head as she tried to escape it all. And she did, eventually, when after her tenth lap around the grounds, deep in the woods behind the school, her body had enough and she collapsed in a heap. Crying softly, she rolled onto her side and closed her eyes.
Tonight, she'd sleep under the stars.