Who: Belle Boudreaux, Dani Moonstar, Emma, Nate, and Scott Summers Where: Chez Summers/Moonstone What: reacting to stuff going down When: 7/4 Warnings/Rating: PG Status complete
Belle was dressed for the situation, which had clearly worsened in the last couple hours. She was flanked by half the Swiss Mercenaries Winston had hired, and they were vigilant, taking out a husk as Belle rang the doorbell. She was dressed in dark tactical clothing (though none of it was black), and armed to the teeth. There was a time for subtlety, and there was a time for overkill. Escorting the probably traumatized Summers family was the time for overkill.
She waited patiently for the door to open, her gun slung over her shoulder so she wouldn’t startle the house’s occupants. She’d hoped her first time officially meeting Scott would be under less tense circumstances, but she was getting the idea that he didn’t get the luxury of having too many of those.
Emma was in the house, frowning softly. She’d asked Scott to stay home that day. She understood his need to be with the children at the ranch, but the zombies just weren’t leaving and she didn’t feel like worrying about him all day. She huffed when she realized why there were a bunch of heavily armed people outside their door and shook her head. “Nate, darling, tell the Girl Scouts that we don’t want any cookies.”
Nate, who was working on his idea for rapid deployment mech armor grenades, sighed and rose, then blinked, then started to laugh. “Erm mom? They’re here for us. I think Grandad is a little worried.” He sighed again as he went to the door, opening it with a smile.
He stood, there and he smiled, and simply radiated sheer, undiluted and unabbreviated annoyance, radiating it at the people in front of him, to be exact. “Hi, Mom says we don’t want any cookies.”
He smiled politely at Belle.
Scott rubbed at his temple when he realized what was at the front of the house. “Unless they’re selling mint, then we might make an exception.” They weren’t going anywhere - at least not anywhere that Scott didn’t want them going.
Dani had, up until the present moment, been camping in the backyard with a big tankard of lemonade, her bow, and a bunch of arrows. Every so often a husk managed to break into the backyard, and she dutifully filled its head with arrows.
It was fun for a while, but now it was just getting old. And she needed a lemonade refill. So she headed inside, noted the current climate in the house, and poked her head out of the kitchen, "I guess we aren't inviting them in for coffee?"
Belle smiled at the group, her attention mostly on Nate. “Your grandfather was pretty insistent, you wouldn’t want me gettin’ fired, would you, Mr. Summers?” She kept her expression cheerful, the only way anyone was coming with her was if they wanted to. Stubborn ran like crazy in both families, from what she’d seen. “It’s much safer at the office, and we’ve laid in plenty of supplies.”
Emma wasn’t sure why this annoyed her so much. Other than the fact that it was her father’s doing. “No, we don’t have enough chairs for that many guests.” She stood up, moving closer to Scott. She spread her consciousness out to everyone in the house. Do you think it would be safer? Is there anything we can do to fix what’s going on?
“You can tell my grandfather that his invitation is respectfully declined.” Nate radiated power, then, and assurance, and smiled as he reached out to his mom and everyone else.
Not really. It would be a relatively secure building. But if we go there, we are there, likely, until it is over. We are not out and doing what we want. I won’t hide inside walls. I understand if others want to go, but I won’t retreat into security while my friends are out there in danger.
Nate’s stance slightly shifted, and his hands moved to rest quite simply looking on his hips, a shift that made him fill the doorway.
Agreed, Scott thought, stepping behind his son. If we go anywhere, it'll be Urdnot Ranch or Graymalkin. His glasses glinted at the mercenaries. "My son speaks for all of us." Even if his son was now just five or six years younger than him.
I'd take Greymalkin over Urdnot Ranch. But I agree, too, in case anyone is asking me my opinion here. Dani added, mentally. She supposed in these matters she might as well be extended Summers family, and it wasn't the first time Cable had made decisions for her, either.
Belle looked at the group and sighed. “Fine, fine. Please be careful. The last time somethin’ stressful happened it wasn’t just the thre- four of you that worried.” She made a hand signal at the men and the majority of them went back to the van, with one staying to watch Belle’s back.
Emma felt a surge of guilt, which spread out through her telepathic connection to the others until she shut it down. “Get out.” She masked that emotion with rage. She wouldn’t be lectured by some know nothing child who just happened to work for her father.
Your opinions are always welcome and valued, Dani. You're part of us here, now, and you deserve a say in things. Nate nodded, as he smiled at Belle. “And last time, we weren’t organized, but this time, I have a few cards up my sleeve.”
Nate winced at Emma’s emotions and smiled softly. “Have a nice day, Belle, and tell Grampa that I told him I’d call later.” And with that, he closed the door, gently, but firmly.
And he turned to eye his mom, and the rest.
“Well, that was bracing! Who wants pancakes?”
“Tell me I’m not the only one that wants to give Winston Frost a piece of his mind?” Scott sounded irritable. “I dislike the implication that we can’t handle ourselves.”
"I don't even know who Winston Frost is, who that was at the door, or why they were here," Dani replied, with a shrug. She still wasn't really up to speed, and part of her wasn't sure she even wanted to be. She ducked back into the kitchen and went back to getting herself some more lemonade. There were probably more husks to kill outside.
“He’s my father. The mercenaries were there for protection, and the woman is his assistant or something.” Emma huffed a little. “They’ve parked down the street and the mercenaries are all going into a house that was for rent until shortly after my father arrived. It amuses me that he thinks he’s sneaky.” Her tone made it clear that she wasn’t amused at all.
Nate sighed. “He obviously gives a damn, and either doesn’t know you, or felt he had to try.” Nate chuckled. “I am amused that he found the one effective fighting force outside of us who can operate on American Soil and sent them to protect us, though.”
Nate grinned as he headed toward the kitchen to cook.
Scott rolled his eyes behind his glasses. “He didn’t find Shepard.”
"That's probably because Shepard is very busy doing other things right now," Dani called, from the kitchen. She'd been checking the Valarnet on her starkphone while fixing up her new pitcher of lemonade.
Holding it up in the air for people to see while she walked back towards the group, she added, "Dom's asking me to rally the troops. She and Shepard came across some husks that are even worse than the one's we're fighting, and civilians are definitely in danger now. She's requesting that Nate head to Greymalkin and the three of us team up to grab some of the others. I've got an address to check out."
Emma let her annoyance with her father go for now. There were more important things to do. “Let me see that.” She held out her hand for the phone. She wanted to know how bad things had truly gotten. “If it’s bad enough for my father to be nervous, I’m willing to believe it’s bad enough for us to take action.”
Nate sighed as he reached out a hand and his Psimitar, in small rod mode, snapped into his hand from his room. “Graymalkin is a logical place for me to be. I can coordinate from there, and get help to other places faster than any other way. And call on my reserves.”
He had a few names on the list now.
Scott nodded his head. “Dani, why don’t you head out with me and we’ll see what help we can offer. I’ll contact Logan, if you’ll notify Kitty.”
Dani held out her phone for Emma to check, nodding at Scott as she did so, "I'll let Dom know we're mobilizing too, when Emma's done."
She'd need to go get her sword. Maybe for the sake of extra drama she'd toss on her valkyrie hat, too. It was just collecting dust in her room otherwise. She really wished she had a uniform to wear. Rahne's old one was still folded in her room, but there was no way that was going to fit.
Emma wasn’t going to wear either of her uniforms unless forced at gunpoint. She handed Dani's phone back. “I guess I’ll go put on some sensible shoes. Too bad none of my pants fit anymore.” Well, she could wear yoga pants, but that wouldn’t feel any more secure than the skirt she was already wearing.
Nate rubbed his nose, then smirked. “Graymalkin has one of the dreamworld’s costume makers, if anyone needs something more secure. Just contact Professor or me and we’ll bring you up.” It could churn out the slightly bulletproof, slightly fireproof costumes from home.
He tapped his comlink. “Keep in touch, everyone. Be safe out there.” Then he saluted everyone sloppily and spoke again. “Professor, Bodyslide by one, Graymalkin bound.”