InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Follow the creepy brick road."

Laura ✗ (beaweapon) wrote in thereincarnates,
@ 2018-04-10 21:16:00

Entry tags:

frankie discombe, kate moon, willette sullivan

Who: Kate Moon & Frankie Discombe (with Willette Sullivan briefly in the background)
What: Witch hexes & volatile mutants with metal claws don't mix
Where: M-Town
When: Tuesday afternoon, April 10th 2018
Warnings: Well, it's two Wolverines. So, violence probably?

Okay, so really what this came down to was that Willette was bored. She had more than enough to occupy her time with the Resistance and the way their combat leader liked to run them all ragged with long training sessions and surprise drills. If Willette had wanted that kind of lifestyle she would have just joined the stupid military. The only reason she'd really stuck with the Resistance so far is that they had resources she and Mason didn't, not to mention the ground support. It was kind of like being in the mafia, if someone messed with you, they messed with all of you. Not that different from how she'd grown up, actually.

The Brotherhood of Mutants had nothing on them.

Still, she was starting to feel antsy. It'd been awhile since she and Mason had messed with the super freaks, and even longer since they'd made their fellow mutants lives a little more miserable than usual.

Time to change that.

Thanks to Wanda's abilities, Willette had an easy time getting around unseen, if she wanted to. Right now she was carefully cloaked within a crowed, and she had her sights set on the X-Men's leader, Frankie Discombe. The two women had clashed once or twice in the past, and for the most part, the reincarnate of Wolverine kind of talked to Willette like she was still a kid. Nothing pissed Willette off more than feeling like she was being patronized. The witch aimed one of her hexes at the Wolverine, but at the last second, someone else walked right into its path.

Oops.

Kate had never really left M-Town after she'd first wandered into it three months ago. She mostly kept to herself, but she'd put down roots, apparently. If you could even call it roots. Part of her still felt like she should keep going, keep running, just in case they hadn't stopped looking for her. But the bigger part of her, the part that had continued to grow ever since she'd met Beck, that part actually wanted her to stay in one place for awhile. So, she'd stayed. For better or worse, she was here for now.

Finding places to crash where she wouldn't be bothered wasn't hard, she'd been doing it for the better part of a year while on the move. When she wasn't doing that, Beck was usually sneaking her into X-Factor when no one else was around. Kate still didn't really trust people, but for whatever reason, she felt like she could trust Beck, and not just because he'd come to her defense in an alley the night they'd met. Also, she liked spending time with him.

She'd learned her lesson and had stopped walking down dark alleyways in M-Town, at least. She'd made it out of that scrape without a scratch on her, obviously, but she hadn't enjoyed the experience. Killing was what she used to do. She didn't want to do it anymore if she didn't have to. When all you were doing was trying to survive and there were bad men after you, that made it a little unavoidable sometimes, but she hated that the thirst to kill was still in her. The instinct that they'd drilled into her was still there, she could feel it just underneath her skin, ready to burst out from her at the first sign of a threat.

Which probably made the idea of exploring M-Town on a day when a lot of people were out a pretty bad one, but Kate was restless. One minute she was walking across the street, and the next minute, she felt... strange. Like she'd been hit by something that she couldn't see. She froze in place, disoriented and shaking her head to try and clear it, and then all at once Kate felt her adrenaline sky rocket along with that terrible, animal need to maim and kill bubbling over to the surface. Before Kate even knew what she was doing, someone shouldered her as they passed and the sudden spike in bloodlust clouded her judgement completely as she lashed out at him with a snarl, claws first.

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fuckinunicorns
2018-04-13 11:29 am UTC (link)

Recently everything had been going pretty well. Kylie had gotten married last year, and after a direct confrontation admitted that she was intending on moving out with her new husband. That had probably been the hardest thing that Frankie had dealt with for months and only because she had hoped that Kylie would have brought it up first. Everything else had been smooth sailing, barring the occasional new reincarnate that thought their status meant the end of the world. Even the terror twins had remained quiet, which was unusual because she was sure that she hadn’t gotten through to Willette to convince her not to be a complete bitch. Of course, that couldn’t last. She wasn’t quite foolish enough to believe that when things were quiet everything was peaceful and blissful. Things were more than likely happening or in play that she hadn’t caught wind of yet.

A need to prepare the team for whatever eventuality befell them was part of the reason that Frankie was out in M-Town today. It wasn’t a frequent stop for her, but it did have X-Factor and and perhaps she was just being paranoid, but she wanted them to dig up some information on Willette and Mason, see what they were up to...and also maybe have someone check up on how Kylie was doing. Maybe that was a little bit of an invasion of privacy and Kylie would surely freeze her tits off if she found out, but as much as Frankie had said it was completely fine that she left and set up her own life, and she would never admit this even under threat of torture of death, she worried. Especially now there were so few of them.

Even as she walked the hairs on the back of her neck rose. Something was definitely off today and she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She thought she could smell something or someone vaguely familiar, but it wasn’t clear. Maybe whatever it was happened to be too far away to really distinguish it or it was just masked by the sheer number of people around her. It was busy in M-Town and maybe it was just because she wasn’t used to being out in the midst of so many any more. She’d feel better once she was in X-Factor offices, but even so, she looked around critically trying to identify whatever her body was telling her was dangerous. After all, her instincts tended to be right even when there was nothing obvious like today. There was nothing though, just people going about their daily business, going into stores, crossing the street, milling around.

It was the snarl followed by a cry of terror that really cut through everything and cause Frankie to turn. She didn’t even need the terrified yell to confirm that something had happened, the snarl had been more than enough to ears that had been straining to identify a source of her discomfort. A young brunette had evidently launched herself at a passing stranger and even better, she had claws.

“Fuck me sideways.” Frankie blurted out as she dropped the bag she had been carrying, and ran forward to separate them.There was no real thought yet as to why there was suddenly a woman with claws nearby or even why she was attacking people, just that someone was getting hurt and that needed to stop. Placing her hands on both shoulders, Frankie started to haul the young woman off her victim. “You don’t quit it and you’re gonna be hurting more than he is.” She growled.

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beaweapon
2018-04-15 09:37 am UTC (link)

Some part of Kate's brain was aware that someone had their hands on her, and was actively trying to pull her back from the man who she'd just mindlessly attacked. That part of her brain kept trying to tell her that she was under the influence of something unnatural, that she didn't want to actually tear this man apart, but a stronger force in Kate was practically screaming at her to rip him to shreds, and the bloodlust was too powerful. All she could focus on in that moment was the aggressive thud of her heartbeat in her chest, the thundering of her pulse in her ears, and the urge to kill rising steadily to the surface.

Whether or not she actually heard the woman's words, she gave no indication of it. She didn't respond to being spoken to, except to grunt and momentarily thrash against the hold this stranger had on her shoulders. Whoever this person was, they were strong. As strong as Kate was, maybe even stronger. Her survival instinct kicked in then, the animal in her feeling threatened and giving in to the impulse to protect itself. She was in a strange place, full of strange people that she didn't know, and now one of those people was trying to stop her from dismantling what Kate had perceived as a threat to her.

The witch responsible for the madness hex was already disappearing into the now panicked crowds of people trying to put some distance between them and the rabid girl with claws as Kate turned from the man she'd nearly sliced open to engage whoever it was that had put their hands on her. She couldn't think. Try as she might, she couldn't see through all of the rage. The only thing Kate could do in the moment was follow her instincts, and they were telling her to sink her claws into this woman's chest.

Kate turned and wrenched herself from the woman's grasp as the man on the ground that she'd just attacked did his best to scramble away from them both. She put some distance between her and the other woman, a few steps of aggravated pacing with fire in her eyes and her mouth set in a vicious snarl as she took a moment to briefly assess her intended target before she made the split second decision to attack. With a loud yell, Kate lunged forward, claws out in front and ready to sink into one or more vital body parts.

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fuckinunicorns
2018-04-23 12:20 am UTC (link)

As the woman thrashed in her grip Frankie made note of the raw strength there. It wasn’t out of the ordinary to find someone that could match her in a town full of mutants. It was more unusual to find someone who was actually willing to give it a go and take her on. Obviously she had no idea who Frankie was. Thankfully, she was getting some sort of response which meant that it was likely that the victim would manage to get away. It only took a second or two more for the woman to break free from her grip and throw some distance between them. If Frankie was still concerned about the guy who had been about to be disemboweled she didn’t show it, trusting instead that bystanders would deal with him and get him to safety. The threat was still there, present in the snarling emanating from the young figure.

The world stood still when Frankie finally saw her. Really took in the whole image. The feral, animalistic body language and the pair of claws in each hand as she paced. There were plenty of people that Logan knew who could produce claws, or something akin to them, a number of whom he called family. There was one who manifested the specific mutation of two claws for each hand and Frankie found her eyes inevitably drawn down to take in the girl’s feet. This was not how she had ever hoped to meet Laura Kinney.

Short of standing there, mouth agape, Frankie was the epitome of surprised. The shock of being confronted with Logan’s clone dulled her reflexes while she contemplated what this meant going forward. It was possible that someone had used the trigger scent on her, it would certainly explain the way she was acting, in which case, X-23 needed to be contained. When the younger mutant leapt, claws extended, Frankie was in no position to repel the attack. She had turned slightly, but not enough to really defend herself and as claws sank between her ribs, puncturing one lung and leaving her briefly gasping for breath Frankie grew angry with herself. This was the sort of thing she’d spent hours training everyone in. Drilling it into Kylie that she couldn’t afford to be blindsided by anything and yet here she was doing exactly that.

With a frustrated growl, claws shot out of her skin between the knuckles of her fingers. It was still likely that this Laura wasn’t fully in control of what she was doing. Laura was a good person, she wouldn’t mindlessly attack civilians, and with that in mind Frankie intended to restrain her if she could. It certainly didn’t seem like it would be an easy task though. Hurt feelings were probably going to be something to contend with on the other side of this, but right now if Frankie posed the biggest threat, she could get the girl to only deal with her, lure her away from onlookers. Her mouth set in a grim smile as she shook her head.

“Okay, kid, you fucking asked for it.” Frankie lashed out content with the idea that she didn’t have to hold back. Laura could handle any punishment she was giving out.

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beaweapon
2018-05-05 06:35 am UTC (link)

Some far away place in the corner of Kate's mind almost recognized the other woman by the claws that sprouted from her hands seconds after Kate's own claws had already sunk into her ribs. Some small part of her, too far back in her currently rage clouded mind saw them and it sparked a recognition in her that had nothing to do with the woman's face, Kate had never seen her before. But the claws, so similar to her own except it was three instead of two, the familiarity of them nagged at the part of her that was Laura.

Unfortunately for them, Laura and Kate were both taking a backseat in their own head right now.

The blur of undulated rage and deadly metal that used to be Kate Moon barely stopped long enough to acknowledge that she'd just punctured the woman's lungs. intent on finishing that job now that she'd drawn first blood. She hadn't been counting on the similarly clawed woman's counterattack to be as quick as it was, a yell of annoyance ripping from the back of her throat as she felt her opponent's claws find their target. As far gone was she already was, she could still feel pain, and it shot through Kate's shoulder now like a rush of heat along with contradiction of the sharp, cool sting of metal scraping against bone.

Kate twisted her body away and into a roundhouse kick, the claws in her feet breaking through the crappy material of her shoes as she slashed wildly at the other woman with them, snarling. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a random passerby scurrying to try and put some distance between themselves and the public mutant fight club. There was no reason behind why she locked onto him, other than that he'd been unlucky enough to get in her sights. Without considering the dangers of turning her back to the woman she'd just been fighting, Kate's fractured attention immediately shifted to the man who had now stopped, frozen in terror like a deer in headlights as he watched Kate mindlessly and swiftly advance on him.

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fuckinunicorns
2018-05-20 01:10 am UTC (link)

The real hindrance in fighting someone you didn't truly want to hurt was that your instincts screamed at you to hold back. At least, human instincts had that inconvenience about them. Clearly, this girl either didn’t care two hoots for anyone or the damage she’d do to them in the vicinity or she wasn’t burdened by human thoughts right now. Frankie was putting a lot of stock into the idea that it was the latter and that sometime later she’d regret this whole afternoon. There was still the possibility that she’d come here to just do as much damage as possible, and her lung that was now patching itself together lent that idea some credence but given how everything had worked out in the past Frankie wanted a win today. She wanted something that would prove that she hadn’t pissed away all her chances at being a mentor, at doing some good for the people she cared for. The number of people in that category was vanishingly few these days.

One good hit wasn’t going to take this girl down though and she was going to have to steps things up if she wanted to end this quickly with as few casualties as possible.

If it hadn’t been clear previously that she was attacking the reincarnate of Laura Kinney, the claws that popped out of the young woman’s shoes were like the giant exclamation mark at the end of her yelling ‘I AM X-23!’

And that’s what this was. This was X. The weapon, not the girl. Not Laura. There was still no explainable factor that had set her off on this bloodlust, Frankie couldn’t smell anything that she might consider a trigger scent, but it didn’t change the fact that someone had released a weapon of mass destruction in the middle of a populated city. She jumped herself back from the claw that flew at her, hearing the familiar sound of fabric parting for a blade and skin being sliced cleanly through. Pain flashed through her arm and chest, but that sting of newly opened wounds was barely a thought as she realized that to stop this, she’d have to fight like she actually intended to put the girl down.

A twitch of her lip and flared nostrils were the only visible change, a barely repressed snarl. Then she threw herself after X, taking full advantage of the open invitation to attack her from behind. If she used the advantage of her weight and managed to miss the ribs, she could do some real damage. Anyone else, it would take down in one fell swoop, but she wasn’t counting on that. She’d want to get as many organs as possible, a few arteries and sever tendons if she could. It wasn’t going to be pretty, but it might give her a chance to get her removed from the civilians.

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beaweapon
2018-05-22 06:52 pm UTC (link)

It was like the worst kind of outer body experience. Kate - the real Kate - couldn't do anything except watch herself do this. Watch her own body betray her, give into the animal instincts within her and unleash them on innocent people. Kate wasn't this. She didn't want to be this. The small part of Kate that was still her in a far corner of her mind knew that this wasn't her, but the rest? The rest was still too caught up in the bloodlust that was suddenly filling every single one of her senses to do anything except let it happen. She was just a slave to her instincts, and they were all the wrong ones.

She was so singleminded in her blind rage that even some of her survival instincts were dulled. In zeroing in on the fleeing bystander, Kate wasn't paying attention to how vulnerable she'd left herself to the woman by turning her back to her. Everything else was dulled in comparison to her racing pulse and the heartbeat that she could hear thundering in her own ears, drowning out nearly everything else. All she could think about was sinking her claws into the next person she saw, which unfortunately for this guy, was him.

Except she didn't get the chance. While Kate was busy in pursuit of her newest target, her previous attacker was on her again. The hairs on the back of her neck finally stood up only seconds before she felt claws similar to hers sinking into her sides. Pain flashed in front of her eyes and Kate let out a strangled cry that sounded more animal than human. For the first time in months, she felt like the monster that they'd tried to make her become, but try as she might, that small part of her couldn't push past it.

The upper half of her body curled at an uncomfortable angle, she twisted around in a desperate attempt to throw her attacker off, but Kate already knew she was at a disadvantage. She lacked the more higher minded thinking to actually formulate a legitimate counter attack. All she was capable of in that moment was slashing back wildly with her own claws, aiming to cut down the other woman from any part of her body that Kate could manage to hit. She could smell her own blood soaking through her clothes now, but it was the smell of her attacker's that really started to drive her out of her mind as she fought back.

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fuckinunicorns
2018-06-10 12:30 am UTC (link)

As her claws settled into flesh, occasionally scraping against bone, Frankie felt safe in the knowledge that if nothing else by doing this she was keeping the girl's attention squarely on herself. It gave the civilians a chance to scatter without becoming the next antelope that the young lioness was targetting. There was a small chance that she could be wrong about who this was beneath her, they hadn't so much as spoken after all, but the older mutant was 99% sure that she'd called it correctly. She was also glad that there didn't seem to be any real tactics being used by her opponent. X-23 could certainly hold her own, she'd been designed to replicate what the Weapon X project had created when they made Wolverine, just much more under their control. This girl though, there was none of the calculation behind the fighting that might be expected from X. She was reacting.

It was enough of an advantage to roll with. Frankie slid the claws back out of one side going for her next hit but found herself having to throw herself backward to avoid claws coming at her chest. There might not be much going on in terms of higher reasoning processes, but a cornered and wounded animal was still just as dangerous as a psychopath. The girl's talons found purchase against her face, caressing down the length of her cheek and jaw, opening scarlet incisions in their wake.

"Fucking damn it Laura," She hissed, driving her fist back into the vulnerable flesh at the girl's back. "Snap out of it or lay down quiet now."

Frankie drew her other hand out to find purchase someplace better. Almost as an afterthought, she hit a button at her collar with the side of her hand. Once the mini wolverine was down she needed some way to transport her. Carrying her to X-Factor Investigations was all well and good, but if she was still dangerous it wasn't exactly a stronghold. Then she was on the girl again, trying to grab for wrists and hands that were still intent on slicing the skin right off her. Frankie twisted, then threw her whole bodyweight behind a shove. It might be even easier to subdue the girl if they were on the floor. So long as she could keep control of the four dangerous limbs.

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beaweapon
2018-06-23 07:08 pm UTC (link)

Just because she could heal fast, that didn't mean that each puncture of the other woman's claws into her skin didn't hurt like hell. Kate's mind and body were on fire, and each new punch of metal into her sides just fanned the flames of her rage. If she looked like a wounded animal right now, lashing out wherever she could in a desperate attempt to defend herself, she sounded like one too. The wild, strangled sounds that ripped from her throat would have sounded strange and foreign to her if Kate could hear herself, but in the moment they barely registered to her past the sharp, unforgiving bite of claws piercing her skin.

And then there was that name again. Laura. That name on the other woman's lips hit a particular chord in her that she couldn't immediately place, but it dug in and ripped out a part of her that Kate felt like she had briefly lost. Laura. Laura. She was Kate Moon, the name she'd chosen after escaping from the facility that had stolen her life for the last five years. She was also Laura Kinney, and Laura was currently growling at her in the back of her own head to snap out of it. SNAP OUT OF IT, DAMNITT, KATE-

Kate felt like she could almost reach that voice, if she just tried a little harder. She still didn't feel in control of her own body, but for one split second it felt like her vision was starting to clear. Then she felt metal claws digging into her again and she screamed with renewed fury, using one of the claws in her feet to kick back and dig it into the other woman's ankle, just before she felt the hard shove from behind.

She was already off balance, so Kate had no choice but to fall forward. The only thing she could do was try and control her descent, using her own weight to propel herself further forward into a hard somersault, landing in crouch a few feet away and spinning around to face her attacker, seeming to be blinking furiously, like she was having a hard time seeing straight. Claws out and on the defense, Kate struggled to get words out, almost like whatever was happening to her was trying to keep her from it. Her voice was rough, like being dragged over a bunch of gravel with each harsh breath. "What... what did you call me?"

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fuckinunicorns
2018-06-23 11:46 pm UTC (link)

Even though the girl didn't seem to be in any actual control of her actions it was foolish to think that she wasn't capable of fighting tactically or defensively. As claws sliced into the flesh of her ankle, Frankie hissed in mild surprise, the sensation of pain coming in unbidden waves and throwing her off balance. She had already committed herself to throwing herself down on top of the girl though, and if anything the pain made her push a little harder. Hard enough, it seemed, to give the girl enough momentum to roll her right off.

Frankie let go of Kate as they both went over, going for purchase on the floor herself to stop herself being thrown too far. She'd probably need to be up again to protect the civilians who were still fucking milling around as if this were just a schoolyard fight instead of running for their fucking lives like any sane person should be doing. There was only so much she could do to help idiots like that. Her own claws dug into the street, giving her traction and then she was up again, the itching feeling of skin meshing itself back together just background noise to her senses, eyes trained on her target. But then 'Laura' did the most surprising thing yet.

She spoke.

Frankie shifted a little, relieved but cautious. Her stance changed subtlely, trying her damnedest to be slightly less threatening while still maintaining that state of alert she needed just in case the girl took a run at someone else. It was about time she kicked off whatever the hell had her throwing herself about like a weapon.

"Laura. Ain't perfect, I fucking know, but as I don't know your current name, it had to do." Frankie answered carefully. Her movements were slow now, just as careful as her words. Now that she had a chance to breathe she began to wonder just how long this girl had been a Reincarnate, and why she hadn't appeared on any Caretaker lists. Somehow, she felt responsible for that. "I'm Frankie. Your little friend'll know Logan."

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beaweapon
2018-06-27 09:07 am UTC (link)

Laura. Logan. Those names kept rattling around in the back of her skull like they were actually trying to dig holes into her brain and make a home there. Those names meant something to her. She knew they did. It felt like the answer was just out of her reach, but if she just tried a little harder...

Everything else the other woman said might as well have fallen on deaf ears, Kate could barely hear anything through the din, all she could focus on in that moment were those two names. They nagged and scratched at her until Kate felt like she was crawling out of her own skin trying to get to the truth that she couldn't quite reach, all the while mentally fighting against the overwhelming rage and urge to kill that was still so loud it felt like it was thundering in her own ears. She could barely think, and for once she was so aware of the way her skin moved to heal itself back together that it only made her more agitated.

"Logan... Laura... I...." She seemed to be really struggling with it, or with something, and it wasn't immediately apparent who was winning. Kate tensed, seeming to be drawing inward on herself. "No-"

For a split second Kate looked more confused than angry. She shook her head abruptly, like she was trying to make sense of something that wouldn't stick, before her whole body seemed to shudder at once and she looked out at the other woman, 'Frankie', enraged behind a curtain of dark hair. Something in her kept telling her that this woman was the enemy, that she was here to take Kate back to the place that would lock her back up in a cage and stick her with all sorts of needles and tubes. That the only way to deal with this kind of enemy was to cut them down until there was nothing left of them to hurt her.

She would rather die than go back. She would die before she went back, if she didn't manage to kill this woman first.

With a frustrated yell, Kate sprung from her crouch and leapt into the air, charging Frankie head on, much more wildly and erratic than before. It had apparently escaped her notice that her opponent seemed to have the same kind of healing factor that she did, or she did notice but she was too out of her mind to be at all rational about the fact that she was hell bent on injuring someone as fast as they healed.

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fuckinunicorns
2018-06-28 07:58 am UTC (link)

Whatever was effecting the girl didn’t seem to be quite the same as the trigger scent. For a start, if it had been, it wouldn’t have worn off to a stage that she’d have any control over her actions right now. From what Frankie knew about it, the scent completely bypassed all higher reasoning, she wouldn’t have been able to talk at all. Which meant something else was definitely in play...whatever that was she couldn’t determine it right now, there wasn't time for theories. It was probably something to figure out when they weren’t surrounded by people, a considerable number of whom now had phones out, filming the encounter. It really fucking annoyed her when people were so blindly stupid, there was a little voice inside that wonder what the point in helping them was if they were going to act like sheep. It was quickly quashed, because of course, she knew exactly what the point was. You protected those that weren’t able to protect themselves. Decades ago, the little girl that Francessca Discombe had been before she was even given the name had desperately wished for someone like that to protect her.

When Frankie analysed the situation later she would think it was obvious that it was never going to end well. Even if this wasn’t the scent making the girl physically incapable of control, it was enough that she struggled to speak, something was battling in her mind for control. In the moment that the girl ran straight at her Frankie was surprised, thinking that they had made some progress. The surprise only lasted a moment, barely long enough for this wild animal to cross any sort of distance. At least she had managed to keep this ‘Laura's attention. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Frankie sighed, aggrieved.

Adjusting her stance so that she had crouched slightly, leaning on her back leg, Frankie let the girl take a run at her. Just before they collided she launched herself, one step, two and then she was airbourne for less than a second. Long enough only to get some height over the girl. As she sailed through the air, her claws withdrew back into her forearms, and she hit ‘Laura’ at chest height, wrapping her arms around her neck, legs around her waist, allowing the momentum to swing her around to her back, even with claws punching into the soft flesh of her stomach. All that was just background noise as she locked her arms into a choke hold as they both fell back to the ground. It didn’t matter now that there were razor sharp claws trying to turn her arms into ribbons, they could remove all the flesh and Frankie wouldn’t care. She cared slightly more about those arms in proximity to her head, and dodged to worst of those attacks. She needed a claw through the eye socket like she needed tax returns. What she did need was for the girl to be taken out now so she pulled the triangle of her arms tighter until the flailing arms and legs stopped moving about so wildly, kept it there until they dropped away completely and then waited a few more seconds.

Once she was sure ‘Laura’ was unconscious, she released her arms, a mess of torn and bloodied flesh and for good measure smashed the girl’s head into the ground a couple of times. It would give her something more akin to a concussion and hopefully enough time for whatever was affecting her to wear off. Concussions could be dealt with. Easily for X-23. Slowly she dragged herself to her feet, wiping blood from herself where skin had already grown back, then reached down to pick up ‘Laura’. As she stood with the limp form in her arms and looked around at the watching crowd she growled.

“The fuck you all staring at?” Frankie yelled. “You never seen a fight before?” She moved back to where she'd dropped her bag, people moving before her, parting like the Red Sea. Using her foot she kicked it upright then crouched to get something. Above her the Blackbird shimmered out of stealth mode as a hatch opened, a rope ladder descended. Slinging her bag over one shoulder and adjusted her grip on the body she was holding, swinging that over her other shoulder she climbed up. She hadn't gotten anything done that she wanted to, but this was now far more important. They needed to go back home.

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