InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "that old lady down there scare"

annie wheaton is trapped inside her own mind (trappedinatower) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2011-08-28 18:42:00

Entry tags:

annie wheaton, charles xavier, erik lehnsherr, rachel summers

WHO: Annie Wheaton, Charles Xavier, OPEN to anyone else who wants to join in.
WHAT: The locals have taken to rioting. Some have set their sights on the X-Mansion.
WHEN: Around 6PM
WHERE: Just outside the mansion.
RATING: TBD
STATUS: In Progress
WARNINGS: The maiming and deaths of several NPCs; (temporary) death of a played character.

Trouble brewing in Colligo was hardly a new thing. Even for someone like Annie, who preferred things to be in order and follow a set routine, it was commonplace for something crazy to happen far more often than not in the city so many had come to call home. However unlike the other situations they had faced thus far, this one was different. As far as Annie was concerned, this one was, in a way, much, much worse. After all, it was one thing to have some outside threat show up. It was quite another to have that threat be from right there within the city and under their noses the entire time.

She had done her best to stay out of it, though. She knew Charles wouldn't approve of her simply dealing with the locals without provocation not to mention she didn't want to put him in the awkward position of having to stop anyone from coming after her for her attacks on others. So she had stayed out if it and focused on the new arrivals instead. There were plenty of them to keep her busy and she almost was starting to think she might make it out of this latest crazy in the city without having to intervene.

That is, until, the locals decided it was time to take matters into their own hands and stepped onto her turf, looking to cause problems.

She sensed them before they ever appeared. Was aware of a shift in the atmosphere, a change in the general mood of the city. The anger had given way to rage, which had given way to chaos. Then it grew, again and again, the furious, hateful thoughts becoming one massive, overwhelming voice that all but screamed for the non-locals to leave. And, if they wouldn't go on their own, they would run them right out of town. Starting with the places these freaks called home.

Surging to her feet, the young woman practically vibrated with raw energy as she made her way down the hallway toward the front door. The mobs were breaking off into smaller groups of a few dozen or so, heading to various places. Annie had one final thought that she hoped the other places – the Sanctuary, the school, even the apartments – would be safe and then she was focused on the very real threat coming to her home and threatening her people. And, more importantly, how that was not going to happen so long as she was around.

The front door flew open without benefit of anyone touching it. The dull roar from the mob was louder without the door to serve as a barrier but Annie ignored it. She simply stepped out onto the front porch and leveled her gaze at the locals who were making their way across the lawn. "Bad," she intoned, her own mind scrambling to shield itself from the brunt of her power. Things like reasoning, common sense, and rationalization evaporated and her power surged forward, kept in check far too long by barriers and walls Charles had spent years helping her put in place.

"Bad men," she all but growled, hands clenching to fists at her sides. Then something smashed into the wall beside her, a few scant feet from her head. A bottle with flames shooting out of the end. Annie distantly knew the term but didn't care to label it right now. She simply raised the bottle right back up again via her telekinesis and tossed it directly back at the man who had thrown it in the first place. As he erupted into flames and his screams began to echo through the mob, Annie narrowed her eyes.

The shaking should have been the first clue. It wasn't just the ground the men stood on that shook but rather everything. The house, the lawn, everything within reach of the young woman's ability seemed to shake right down to its very core. Except for Annie herself. She stood tall and proud, anger rolling off of her in veritable waves, watching with a morbid sort of giddiness as slowly but surely large rocks that really were more like boulders began to rain from the sky onto the unprotected locals below. They would keep right on going, too, she decided in her rage, until the locals left or someone was able to actually stop her.

Personally, Annie was betting on the former rather than the latter because, as far as she was concerned, enough was enough and she was not going to quit until they knew exactly how bad of an idea it was to mess with the people she considered her family.

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wealreadyare
2011-08-29 04:24 am UTC (link)

Erik had been headed to try and talk Charles out of doing something stupid. There hadn't been an urgency to his step when he'd started, the situation only a little more urgent than normal when he'd started out, but the message from Gary that Annie was hurt had sped up his pace. His concern wasn't so much on Annie's injuries, those could be attended to, but on how Charles would react to her being injured. The two were close, unusually close, and for a telepath... Well, Erik wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he didn't have a good feeling about whatever the results of Charles's reaction would be.

As quickly as he'd run, though, he resulted he hadn't been quite fast enough as he skidded to a halt just outside the door and quietly surveyed the scene laid out in front of him. Annie bleeding from the chest. Charles crumpled next to her, cradling her to him and looking far more broken than Erik had ever seen him before. Which was definitely saying something, considering. And off to the other side, the new arrival, Rachel Summers, attempting to keep the situation in check. And while the barricade that had been formed from the boulders Annie had been dropping would likely protect them for some time, it was hard to tell exactly how long that would be when faced by a determined mob of hatred and rage driven individuals who seemed to be regrouping as best they could after the assault that had been laid on them.

"Charles," Erik started as he quietly crossed over to the group, kneeling down next to his best friend. "Charles, you have to let go," He said, reiterating what Rachel had been trying to tell him. Erik wasn't sure what would happen, what could happen, with Charles trying to hang onto her if she started slipping away, but he wasn't willing to take the chance of losing both of them to this situation. There was already enough risk of losing someone back in his own reality. Here he just wasn't going to accept the potential reality. "She wouldn't want you letting yourself get unduly hurt on her behalf," Erik said, gently reaching out to try and break Charles's grip on Annie.

As much as his power was itching to yank the metal that he could feel hovering in Annie's chest just where it shouldn't be, Erik managed to ignore the urge, instead turning his attention to Rachel to try and direct her to take charge of the injured woman. If Erik could get Charles to let go, both figuratively and literally, they could attend to both of them before the manor was under siege again. Which, if the sounds coming from the other side of the boulders was any sign, could be any minute now if the locals were really determined.

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trappedinatower
2011-08-29 04:43 am UTC (link)

Annie was dying. She could feel her life slipping away, the blood escaping too fast from the hole in her chest. She could feel Charles too, hear what he was saying and sense what he was feeling, all of it meshing together until it was impossible to tell what was coming from her and what had originated from him. There were others, too. Rachel, whose power could easily rival Annie's own and them some, and Erik, whom Annie knew wanted nothing more than to do exactly what she had done to the locals who had dared to try attacking them. Even more distantly, Annie sensed more locals arriving and the others in the mansion but she couldn't focus on them, found she couldn't focus on much of anything as more and more blood seemed to seep from the wound.

"Out," she whispered, lips slowly losing color and barely moving. Her glassy-eyed gaze focused as best she could on Charles, trying her best to pass along what she knew she had to say. "G-Get out, 'arles." Because Erik and Rachel were right. He couldn't be connected with her mind when she died. Not if, but when, and it was going to happen any second now. Yet even as she said it, she knew he wouldn't listen. So with the last bit of strength she could manage, she did something she had promised long, long ago she would never do to him.

She firmly raised her mental shields and forced him out of her mind.

There was a pain, far worse than physical, that went with the act. A semi-severing of a bond that should never be severed in the first place, but Annie wasn't willing to risk it, risk him. These people needed him and she wasn't going to let her death be the cause of his, too. He was safe now, though, or at least as safe as she could make him. So with a faint smile she whispered out a soft, "S-Sorry..." then finally let herself begin to fade away.

"Apologize later."

The voice was a new one, a presence that had slipped in below the radar while Annie was focused on everything else around her. It sounded distant and dreamy, wholly unrecognisable at first. It was accompanied by a sharp sting in the side of her neck that made her eyes flutter slightly. Then came a tickling sensation in her chest, the unmistakable feel of skin restitching itself back into one piece. A heartbeat - her heart, that had slowed to a stop mere seconds earlier - was followed by another, and another, until Annie sucked in a large lungful of air. Her brown eyes flew open, wide with confusion and surprise, her head turning slightly to see Raven standing beside her brother with a now-empty syringe in hand.

"Don't," the blue-skinned woman said in a shaky voice, "ever do that again." Then her attention turned away from the other girl to the barrier Rachel had created, a frown gracing her features. "And I hate to be a mood ruiner but we have a problem. They aren't going away." Raven didn't comment on the dead ones she could see scattered about, most clearly not killed by Annie's boulders but by something else entirely. She knew, without really knowing, that Charles was responsible. And she would check in on him, and check up on him, later. Right now, they had more pressing matters to deal with.

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bardcore
2011-08-29 05:25 am UTC (link)

Charles didn't want to listen to Rachel or Erik, even though he knew they were right. He had felt death's before, most recently Shaw's, but never with someone to whom he was so closely tied on a psychic level. Allowing himself to stay inside Annie's head while she died would be tantamount to suicide. But letting go would mean accepting that Annie would die. And he couldn't do that. He just couldn't. He fought to hold on to her, even as Erik tried to get him to let go, and then she was pushing him out and it hurt in a way he hadn't quite anticipated. It wasn't a physical pain, but in some ways it was so much worse. He fell back against Erik, eyes wide with shock, before he managed to right himself. "It's all right, dear," he said, holding on to her hand since he couldn't hold on to her mind. "It's -"

Raven's presence cut him off, and he managed to relax somewhat as he realised that she had Claire's blood with her. Still, there was a noticeable tension to him until Annie's eyes opened. "Oh thank god," he breathed, still uncertain what he would have done if she had died and remained that way for any real span of time. "Never do that again." He wrapped his arms around Annie, hugging her tightly as he tried to process the overwhelming relief he felt. Annie was okay, and they hadn't lost her. And now, even though the bond between them felt strained nearly to breaking, he found himself calming down at last. Still, with that came a sickening sort of realisation. There were people on the ground, dead, and he knew that was his fault.

But he couldn't dwell on that now. There were still people coming toward the mansion, and he still needed to protect his people. He got to his feet, somewhat unsteady with everything that had already happened, and helped Annie up, keeping an arm around her. Part of him, a part that was still not quite focused on the here and now but on how he had nearly lost Annie, knew that he could end this - that he could deal with them just as easily as he had the others. It wouldn't even be that hard. But it wouldn't be right. He knew it wouldn't. And he pulled away from that thought. For the first time in a long time, he was genuinely afraid of his abilities. "I...I don't know how to stop them," he said softly, not quite trusting himself. But he did know, and that was the problem.

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cosmicflame
2011-08-29 05:51 am UTC (link)

Being in someone's mind when they died was something that Rachel had sadly experienced many times, and it became something of a penance to stay in contact with her loved ones to try to make up for the deaths she'd helped cause. However, she hadn't had the deep psychic bonds in place that Charles and Annie apparently had. She could only imagine that feeling a death through that would kill both of them. When Erik took charge, she instinctively went along with it. She ought to explain to him later what her history with his other selves had been. Picking up on Erik's thought, she helped physically support Annie as her telekinesis felt for Annie's wound to keep it shut, as Rachel had done to herself before she arrived.

But when it'd been Rachel, it'd been immediately even as she was stabbed. Annie had gone too long bleeding out. Rachel was fairly sure she was crying. If she had to, she'd pull Charles's mind out of there-- but it wasn't necessary after all. Rachel was aware of Annie, in a final act, breaking the connection between them. It made Rachel want to weep more, what that meant. She'd only just met the girl, yet so much grief radiated from the pair losing each other that she couldn't help sharing it.

And then...

Oh. Of course! Claire's blood, it must be, exactly what had healed Rachel. Mood whiplash, all right. She looked up at Raven with a jolt of alarm at recognizing those features. It wasn't the time for that, though. This Raven and Charles were so close, and Raven was right. Problem still very much there. She stood as well, determined.

"We can stop them," she said. "You two need to recover. I can make them leave. If that 'Asaph' somehow keeps my telepathic command from working or sends them back, I can put up a force shield. I'd better do that anyway. That won't hold forever, though. Mag-- Erik, do you think we have enough metal here to make a physical shield, too?"

Though she could put out some ideas, ultimately she wasn't the sort to take the lead on this. She'd listen for Charles' or Erik's direction and take it. Deep down, she was afraid, too; if she really lashed out at those people, like Charles had, what would she do to them? It might not be quick and painless. She stretched out her senses to confirm whether Charles had left survivors among the "stopped", maybe some of them comatose?

No... None of them. The ones who'd run before, yes, but those lying on the ground were dead. She knew what it was like to lose control of your power in your grief. She didn't know what it must be like for Charles, and to have killed even inadvertently... poor Charles. Hopefully, between Erik and Raven, they could get Charles and Annie ushered inside and deal with the bodies without Charles having to face them. She felt futilely for any lifespark left in them-- maybe, just maybe through the Phoenix's power, it'd be possible to rekindle? She'd never done anything like that before. But surely Charles had mindwiped them and even if she could do something, there wouldn't really be anything left to restore.

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wealreadyare
2011-08-29 08:19 am UTC (link)

There was so much going on at once, his concern split in a handful of different directions, but with Annie thankfully recovered, that was one less thing for him to worry about. Even if his concern for Charles had just tripled at the look that had crossed his friend's face. Moving almost unconsciously to steady Charles with some sort of contact, Erik shifted his attention back to Rachel when she asked about constructing a physical shield around the manor. It was hard to say exactly how much metal was in the various rooms that were going unused or the areas that he hadn't explored, but Erik had just purchased a sufficient quantity in order to use as a backing in the mirrored room he was working on for Charles. But at the moment, this was the more pressing issue.

"I've got enough to make a start," Erik said with a heavy concern in his features. "And I'm sure I could find more in order to finish the job." From whatever area could spare it. Things in the manor wouldn't do them any good if they were all violently murdered by the locals for the lack of some way to keep them out.

Turning his attention between Raven, Charles, Annie, and Rachel, Erik moved one hand off of Charles's shoulders to drag the large sheets of metal that had been stored in the upper levels out into the open, directing them to reinforce the boulders and spread out further along the perimeter of the front lawn. With any luck, that would keep the barrier up for a bit longer, at least until he had time to actually build a proper barrier. Though, right now, his mind was hardly fully on the task at hand. It was on the bodies scattered on the lawn and on the man standing next to him who had caused it.

"How long do you think you can make sure they don't beat it in?" Erik asked Rachel, a quiet concern in his voice, his gaze constantly flickering back to Charles. "I'll have work on it longer to make it more stable."

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whoeveryouwant
2011-08-30 03:39 am UTC (link)

Raven wasn't aware of the alarm Rachel felt at her presence. Of course, even if she had been aware, she wouldn't have given it much thought. Between Rogue, Kitty, and Logan, she was rather used to people not being all too keen at having her around. However most of them seemed to back off or at least bite their tongue when they realized the connection she shared with Charles and, had she noticed Rachel's own response, she likely would have thought the same would happen to the redhead.

Of course, Raven also wasn't sure what to do with the locals attacking so her reason for not noticing the rest was simply that she was too focused on the problem at hand. With an ability that didn't really do much when dealing with threats at a distance, and Charles so engrossed in Annie, she was left floundering and feeling rather useless in the given situation. However she knew she had to do something, or at least try, and the best way to involve herself beyond being more than a 'cure delivery system' was to do her damndest to get Annie and Charles back into the relative safety of the mansion.

Of course, convincing Charles to take a backseat to a conflict he might be able to help control was akin to convincing Erik to give the Nazi party the benefit of the doubt, as far as she was concerned. However, if she could get Annie on her side, she might stand a chance. So, disregarding all of the chatter around her, she focused on the young woman who, mere moments earlier, had been dead.

"Annie, you need to come inside," she tried at first, only to be met with a look from the young woman that all but screamed 'yeah, right'. With a frustrated puff of air, Raven tried it from a different angle. "If they see you, they're only going to get angrier. Come inside and help us find a way to stop them while Erik and..." She faltered for a minute, struggling to remember the new girl's name, "Rachel slow them down." With a pause, the shapeshifter then swallowed what pride she had and added a pointed, "Please."

That seemed to do the trick. Of course, Raven had no way of knowing that Annie's thoughts weren't really on what she was saying as much as they were on the man standing beside her. Because, even as she allowed the wall she'd erected in the moment of her death to crumble down so Charles once again had full access to her mind, she knew if she remained outside that he would do the same. And although Charles was ridiculously powerful in his own right, his own sense of moral obligation combined with his personal ethics would not allow him to get involved if he could absolutely help it.

So it was with one final nod that she acquiesced to Raven's pleas. Turning her gaze to Charles, she avoided trying to stumble through the process of speaking the words aloud and simply stuck with what she did best when it came to the man. Telepathic communication.

She's right, Charles. I think it's best I'm not standing here if they get past that wall.

Her reasons were complicated ones. In one vein, her decision was made to protect Charles. In another, however, she did realize that, should the locals get past the hastily constructed perimeter, she wasn't sure she could stop herself from killing more of them. As she knew Charles didn't want that, and part of her really didn't either, it seemed best to put her talents to use elsewhere.

Come, she insisted, her hand sliding into his as she tugged slightly on his arm. The only outward indication she was communicating at all. Let's make sure the rest of the grounds are safe. We can use the back entrance. I'm sure Gary will tell us, loudly, if there's trouble.

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bardcore
2011-08-30 07:53 am UTC (link)

Charles was torn. He didn't want to leave Erik and Rachel to face the locals alone, though he was almost certain they could handle themselves, but he would only be a hindrance here. After what had happened, he didn't trust himself to use his abilities safely. His emotions were scattered, his control was negligible, and he could barely get himself to focus past the ache of his splintered bond with Annie. Besides, Raven was right. Annie's presence would only make the locals more violent, and if they attacked she might lose control again. He wasn't sure he'd be able to pull her back this time and he was almost certain he wouldn't survive losing her again so soon. It seemed that going inside was the only option. He just had to get his body to cooperate. The problem was he felt strangely disconnected after everything.

It became slightly easier once the barriers keeping his mind from Annie's fell, and he allowed himself to sink into her thoughts. It was comforting, like a child's security blanket, and he allowed her mind to bolster his own. Once she spoke to him, telling him that she planned to go in, he knew there was no question of staying. He needed to be near her, to reassure himself that she truly was safe. He nodded, hesitant to even speak telepathically in case he couldn't keep control of things. Still, he didn't want her to worry, and he knew that she would think something was wrong if he didn't make some sort of telepathic contact. Of course, something was wrong, but that wasn't the point.

Yes, of course, he agreed finally, pressing shaking fingertips to his temple in a gesture that afforded him some illusion of control. It's probably best if neither of us is here in the event that they get through. He didn't move just yet, shooting a look at Erik. "Be safe," he insisted softly, his expression still somewhat unfocused as he shifted his gaze to Rachel. "Both of you." He acquiesced to Annie's grip on his hand, letting her pull him toward the house. Yes, he agreed, I do imagine Gary will be quite insistent if he thinks there is something we need to know. He was slowly allowing himself to feel comfortable with basic telepathy, but he wasn't sure how long it would be before he opened himself back up to the other facets of his ability. With one last glance at Erik and Rachel, he followed Raven and Annie into the house, suddenly grateful for the distance it afforded him from the situation outside.

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cosmicflame
2011-08-30 08:18 am UTC (link)

Rachel nodded towards Raven-- if anybody could get Charles and Annie inside now, without making them go, it would have to be Raven. Thankfully, Annie proved perfectly willing to go inside and drag Charles with her. Erik and Rachel could do plenty outside in the meantime.

"We'll be safer, Professor, knowing you've both found somewhere more secure inside," she said. Telepathically, and carefully in case he was too sensitive after everything, she added, ☼ Tell me if you need anything, anything at all. I'll let you know the instant there's trouble out here. ☼

The next group that was approaching the mansion hadn't yet tried to reach them. Rachel wanted to be sure they never did. The Professor had told her before that it was wrong to manipulate other minds, but right then, she didn't think it mattered. Charles was undoubtedly more concerned about his own actions than hers. Rachel's telepathic voice screamed in the minds of the newly approaching mob and triggered their instincts to flee. ☼ Leave NOW and do no more harm! ☼

She watched as the crowd that would've come to the mansion instead turned and ran away, terrified and yet quite mindful not to trample each other.

Thank goodness, that worked! She hadn't been sure if whatever made everyone so angry would keep them on target no matter what. Hopefully, her command would hold and those people would remain non-aggressive.

When Erik spoke again, Rachel turned to look at him, her expression almost sheepish. "How long? Uh, I think I either Hippocratic Oathed them or turned them into wannabe Buddhists. I hope. That'll buy you some time until another crowd decides to try their luck. And as for more metal... I might be able to help with that. My mom had this great trick of transmuting things into something else. One time, she turned a tree into solid gold."

That specific example had a much darker context than Rachel could explain right now-- her mom had done that after getting utterly consumed with power. The words should make her point, though. Rachel had transmuted clothing before, not something as extensive as wood into metal, but she felt sure she could do it. She'd wait to try until there was a real need, though, in case it exhausted her too much for anything else. Erik wasn't the only one who couldn't stop thinking about those bodies.

Quietly, she reached out with her telekinesis to lift the dead from the ground, carried them beyond the barricade, then laid them down in a row. Respect the dead even if they were your enemies, that's what civilized people were supposed to do, wasn't it?

"I can't decide if it's better to make a wall all around, or if we should carve out a big moat, or cover the windows... Or all of that. But what do we prioritize?" Eventually, they would tire, and they would need to recover strength in case another, worse fight broke out. What did they do until then?

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