Cable aka Nathan Summers (thelonggame) wrote in utr_logs, @ 2009-03-21 07:24:00 |
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Entry tags: | cable, darius summers, domino, doug ramsey, henry mccoy, purifiers plot, ray terrill (ii) |
Who: Cable, Darius Summers, Domino, Doug Ramsey, Jean Grey, Henry McCoy, Ray Terrill and NPCs
What: Shopping, Purifiers, Fight, Drama, and Birth!
When: Today, Genosha time.
Where: Genosha and New York City
Rating: R for violence. Also, long narrative is long.
Domino hated being out this early in the day. Every part of her was screaming about how stupid this was, and even the comforting weight of her guns didn't do much to help. The sun was too hot, and the streets too chaotic. She had a hard time dealing with all the people around them.
But despite how bad things were getting, how suddenly, nothing too terrible had happened in Genosha yet, and the need for groceries had been great. Purifiers were bad news, she knew, but she was confident that they could handle them. The whole compound had split into groups, with Cable holding down the fort while acting as an organizer for two assault teams on a couple of suspect addresses.
Darius was close to Domino, holding her arm as often as not, since the crowds were thick and seemed hellbent on separating them. He would be good in an open fight, if one came, but int this mire neither of them would have much luck protecting each other without hurting others, something Darius found much more troubling than she did.
His nervousness was almost something she could taste, and she wondered what he had to worry about. After all, he didn't even have to be here. He could be hiding with Emma, or even just not talk to anyone for the week. She sighed and readjusted her sunglasses.
"See the portkey yet? I'm beyond tired of this mob."
He shook his head.
"You're taller than me. I can't see anything above shoulder height. Want me to see if I can find some kind of higher ground? The people are acting more crazy than usual, and I really don't want to be caught by surprise."
"Yeah. Good call. There's a porch on the next house on the right, might be enough to get a good view. See it?"
Her tone was more relaxed than she felt. Hopefully nothing would happen. But she knew better than to think that things would be relaxed and normal.
Darius nodded and took her arm, pulling her in that direction, bumping people out of his way as it was needed. He had no reason to be polite. It wasn't like anyone would remember who had shoved them, and truth be told he was so antsy he almost hoped something would happen, just so the tension would go away.
He jumped lightly onto the porch, his motions graceful, reminding Domino of a stray kitten in a way that told her she definitely needed to get a nap soon. Her brain was too tired. He looked around, and Domino watched him, reading his expression. For a minute she figured it was all clear, but then tension snapped through his body, almost as though he'd been physically hit.
"Shit."
She grumbled and eyed their bags of canned food and gallons of water.
"What's wrong?"
He slid down the railing, and stretched his arms a bit.
"Group of Purifiers coming from the west. About eight. Lightly armed, driving the crowd in front of them. So we can either play along like good sheep, or we can make a break for it, use the chaos to buy us some time, hopefully split their attention."
"I don't much feel like being herded, and if we don't make it back soon the others might get mixed up in this too."
Darius laughed a little and dropped his shopping bag, unloading all but three cans. In this crowd he didn't want to risk anything more lethal.
"Try not to shoot any innocent bystanders, then."
It was pretty obvious why Nathan liked her. He just hoped they got back to the Hammer Bay portkey. From there they'd have reinforcements. Jean and Cable had both already replied to their thoughts. Jean was moving to hold the portkey, though she said it was clear on that side still.
The pair looked at each other, and Darius nodded.
"Let's go."
Darius looped his arm around Domino's again, and they took off into the crowd, pushing and showing to get through. At first it wasn't so bad, but the people only got thicker as they kept being herded. It was only their combined efforts that kept them going.
The first Purifier they bumped into was a short man, and overweight, sweating heavily in the sun. He stank of sweat and bad cologne, and had no weaponry beside a tonfa and a pair of cuffs that had circuitry in them. Power negating, no doubt. He glared at Domino and Darius.
"Move on. This road's blocked."
Darius thought for a minute. What was the best option? He didn't come up with anything that wouldn't start the people rioting around them (which wouldn't be a good idea until they were clear of the crowd), so he did the most satisfactory thing: he hit the man with his bag of cans. Domino brought her knee up to connect with his face as he doubled over, and they bolted as soon as he went down. It took less than a minute for the men to realize what had happened, which Darius attributed to Domino's powers and Domino attributed to their stupidity.
The pair were bolting for the portkey, but Darius could outstrip Domino normally, and she was very pregnant now. Already her body was begging to stop, despite the adrenaline. A pain shot through her stomach and she went to her knees, crying out loudly. Darius stopped and wheeled around, cursing loudly. He went back to help Domino up, watching the men come closer. There were three of them. Hardly a fair fight at all. He set his jaw and took a deep breath, before pulling Domino along again. She had to get to the portkey. If they stayed, more would come. Once they got to the portkey, the men would have to come through in single file.
The portkey got closer and closer, but so did the men. Darius pushed Domino toward the portkey, assuming that Jean would arrive on the other side and pull them through. Domino hit the portkey and thought of Hammer Bay, too aware of how much of a liability she was.
The men caught up with Darius before he managed to grab the portkey. He spun into an attack, buying time. Having been trained by the entirety of the X-Men gave him some pretty good fighting skills and he used every piece of training, every dirty tactic he could. At first Darius was doing well, he managed to take out two of the men who had been chasing them before the reinforcements got there. But once they got one side of the cuffs on him, it didn't take long to pull him in, no matter how hard he fought.
Domino fell over when she got to the other side, panting, her sides in stitches and the memory of that horrific pain fresh in her mind. What the hell had happened? She was afraid and anxious, and nearly dragged Jean out of the air when the woman arrived. Jean pulled her up, and shielded them both, taking off without hesitation.
The kid's still back there Domino's thoughts were loud, and Jean winced.
He's already been caught. It's a choice between you and the health of the kids, or him, and I don't think he would much appreciate us undoing the choice he'd made. Her thoughts were gentle and soothing.
It was the kind of decision Scott would make, and it felt like going against the boy's will would be a dishonor to the both of them. Beside, Domino was in obvious need of help.
We need to get you to Hank. I'll go after him when I've dropped you off, I promise.
***
Cable was waiting for them, Hank's message that he was ready coming in loud and clear. It wasn't until Jean landed and told him about Darius that his eyes narrowed and he growled. He wanted to be out there, kicking ass and taking down this threat to all he knew. But he had a bigger problem. He scanned Domino with his telekinesis in rapidly escalating alarm. Damn.
“Domino? Are you okay?”
He gently stroked her face as he smiled, taking her from Jean.
“Ready to go have babies?”
"Like I've got a goddamn choice. I hope he beat the shit out of those motherfuckers."
Her tone was harsh, both from anger and pain. The kids were moving a lot now, and she was not happy about it.
Jean kissed Nathan's cheek.
"Go tend to your wife. I'll tell Lorna and Alex what's going on, and try to track down Darius. Think they can hold down the fort alone?"
Cable glanced at Jean.
“They will be fine. If you want to catch up with the first group Doug is sending out, or Group Beta, you should get moving... and thank you.”
Then he smiled grimly down at Domino.
"He did, I am sure. Darius is skilled. And he will be gotten out of there. The others will make sure of it."
He nodded and stroked her face.
"You should expect some more pain. If these kids are trying to come out now, it wont be easy. If it gets too bad, I will knock you out, okay?"
He would do it anyway, but he wanted her to know he was thinking.
She nodded, wrapping her arms around Nathan.
"Let's just go. I don't want anything bad to happen to them, and it's only going to get worse."
He nodded and lifted her in his arms starting toward the doors.
He just hoped she could make it all right. And any Purifiers who got in his way would pay.
He stroked her face with his telekinesis as he stepped out of the compound, then nodded.
"Looks all clear so far."
A shot went off in the distance, but it was nowhere near close. Time to go, through.
Domino winced and held tight, feeling helpless and weak. Where was her famed luck now?
"I understand."
Domino jumped in his arms, and the children responded to the fear very vocally in her head.
"Can you put me in closer contact with them? I don't want them to be terrified."
"Will do."
He concentrated for a moment, delaying the move as he reached into her and letting her mind and their minds touch.
"Go for it."
He started outward, quickly.
Given something to concentrate on, Domino relaxed in his arms, her mind interacting fully with the children, who were frightened and excited. She let herself be pulled further and further down, trusting Nathan to pull her out if he needed her.
Cable blinked and looked down, and then nodded as he flung them skyward and started to activate the link to the Grotto.
This would be interesting.
As he carried her forward, there was a cry from her, and a surge of pain...
Cable was frantic as he carried Domino, his telekinesis shielding her and him in a bubble as he flew them toward the portkey. He had just called Doug and all was ready at the Grotto, and now he just had to get her there. It was as they were rising over one intersection that his senses alerted him to the incoming. His swerved mid-air, and a lash of telekinesis slashed across the missile that had been fired, destroying it in mid-air. The next minute hailed worse as L.A.W.s came in from every angle, and he doubled and tripled the protection around them as he began reaching out with telepathy and telekinesis.
Fear and rage, boiling and red, filled his mind, and he unleashed his power. Explosion after explosion shook the ground and buildings nearby, until all of the assassins were dead, all, of course, Purifiers. The Army was moving in and one waved the all clear to him, a sound snippet hitting his radio, telling him the way was now clear to the portkey. Cable flew, angry, and carried Domino along, afraid, and hopeful.
The portkey came in sight, and a moment later, Genosha snapped away, replaced by New York, and a waiting van.
Doug ran forward, two men at his side.
“We heard about what happened there. The Grotto got hit this morning, but we repelled them.”
“How are things now? Any word from the first Assault Team?”
“None yet.”
Worry showed in Doug’s eyes but he kept it together as he led the way back to his van.
The two men wore the uniforms of Genosha’s Army, and scanned the area as they all got into the van. Then Doug flipped a switch and the van launched into the air, roaring on shaky, but working antigravity rockets.
“One last gift from the Rogans.”
It was a matter of minutes before an abandoned warehouse loomed ahead, the entire roof folding away and allowing the van to touchdown on a floor that slowly lowered even further, into the Grotto’s extended area.
“This way!”
Doug led the way toward another room, where Doctor Henry McCoy waited, nodding to Cable as they entered.
Ray Terrill, who had been standing under a giant sunlamp, and came forward, toward the operating tables. Henry’s smile was a worried one.
“Are we ready?”
Cable nodded, laying Domino on the table, her body shifting in his hands as the babies, all too early, tried to move toward birth.
“Ready or not, it’s time.”
“Then let’s get this done.”
Ray was pale, and so was Doug, but they joined Cable and Doctor McCoy as the real work began…
It was a little under an hour later when the four of them were sitting in front of a pair of beds in another room. Domino was in one, and the twins were in another, and Doug and Henry were watching them and prodding the controls of the readouts on control panels as they rested. The other two were drinking special drinks with nutrients in them, exhausted.
“All looks good. They will need nutrients and lots of them, and some fortifying medicine, as predicted, but all is well.”
Doug smiled eyes wide.
“They are amazing!”
Cable nodded at the younger man, his eyes warm, and full of the love he felt for his newborns and for Domino.
“Yes. They are.”
It was done. Philip and Moira Summers were born.
Amazing.