Rachel Anne Summers is lost again (the_phoenix) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2014-11-09 20:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, emma frost (white queen), kitty pryde (shadowcat), rachel grey, scott summers (cyclops) |
Who: Rachel Grey, with telepathic contributions from Kitty Pryde, Scott Summers, and Emma Frost.
What: Yep, SOMEONE owes someone money, and Rachel's on the intimidation list too.
When: Today, at around 8:30pm
Where: A brige somewhere.
Rating/Warnings: PG-13, Triggers for Car Crashes.
Status: Complete!
There was a reason that Rachel drove a clunky old car. Even before her and her father had taken off to do good things in foreign countries, she’d been a horrible driver. It had been pretty much a miracle when she’d passed for her driver’s license, and that had taken several tries (though she’d passed the written exam with flying colors). After that, her grandparents still wouldn’t get into a car if she was the one driving. They were so scared of her getting into an accident that none of them had even bought her one.
During her travels, it hadn’t mattered much. She borrowed cars from other people when she had a need to go into the city or haul things around, or used public transportation like everyone else. Her driving skills only got worse in places like Indonesia. It was in Lebanon that she’d honed her ‘impeccable aggressive driving techniques’.
To this day, her father and even her girlfriend thought it was safer for her to suspend herself in midair with telekinesis than for her to drive, but tonight? They could all suck it.
Rachel liked driving. The feel of the machine around her as she accelerated, getting to play songs on the radio. There was a way to get into the zone that wasn’t as available when flying through the air - though that was fun, too.
The twins were starving, Scott and Kitty were at work, and there was only one thing that a potential super awesome stepmom could do: Go and get them amazing take out food. Their favorite, in fact, back at that diner that Kitty used to live near. Using her powers she could make sure the food stayed warm while she transported it home, and then they could all three of them enjoy the best damn pancakes in Orange County.
Because it wasn’t like she knew how to cook them herself.
This car smells amazing. Her telepathic message popped up in Kitty’s head, along with a mental picture of all the pancakes she’d ordered, You are so about to be jealous.
Oh my god that’s not fair. Fury is on the warpath right now so I’m trying to placate him with the right kind of coffee. Which I sent up with Nat because letting her take the brunt of it is safer.
Way to chicken out, ghost girl, Rachel quipped. But it was a completely reasonable thing to avoid. Nick Fury had his grumpy actually-cuddly-inside grandpa qualities, but when he was on the warpath no one wanted to be in his way. She was glad she was only on the asset list, herself.
There was a 'long-cut' she liked to take back to the house, one that featured some amazing looking houses and a great view of a man-made lake. It was also great for speeding on, and she turned onto it and hit the gas a bit. You guys really need to let me drive more often. Nothing like going 70 on a road no one even bothers to set up speed traps on.
Ray, be careful. Your driving is terrifying enough as it is. Kitty’s mental voice was jokingly scolding. She trusted her enough, but did like to tease her. And if you drive too fast I can’t send you sexy thoughts.
Oh pfft. What am I even going to run into out here?
She was driving over the bridge that covered the lake as she jokingly began to send sexy thoughts in Kitty's direction. It was a thin bridge, as bridges go, wide enough for one car to go in either direction. But she was suddenly blinded by a pair of headlights; A truck had driven over the curve of the bridge and swerved into her lane.
It was completely unexpected, the kind of encounter you'd expect to happen in some kind of hollywood suspense script, and Rachel's mind reeled as she tried to react. Her thought pattern broke off completely, replaced with a mental noise that was the equivalent of several exclamation points. She slammed on the breaks, but something wasn't right. They didn't react, and car continued to hurtle forward towards the truck.
shitshitshitshi-- she sent, as she panicked and rolled the wheel off to the right. The car hurtled towards the edge of the bridge and careened off the side. It was fast enough thinking to prevent a head on collision, but not fast enough to save the car: the Truck kept on coming forward, speeding along as if it hadn't even seen her in the way. It clipped the car and threw it the rest of the way off the side. The impact was solid enough to knock her momentarily unconscious.
Ray? Rachel? The sudden barrage of thoughts and mental exclamation points made Kitty’s head reel. “Ray!” What’s going on? Answer me baby! She thought she saw a flash of something but she couldn’t tell what it was. It went by too fast - panic and something about brakes and then they were cut off completely. To make matters worse she didn’t know where Rachel was, and if she wasn’t responding over their link, calling on her phone wasn’t going to do anything either.
The car descended into the lake below, splashing into the water and bobbing a bit before the front end of it began to pitch forward. Quick thinking in an emergency like this would have had Rachel unbuckling her belt and rolling her window open to effect an escape.
But she was dead to the world, at least for a few minutes. Long enough for the car to have submerged slightly. Water was pouring into the car through the sides of the doors, and Rachel felt like something was ringing in her head. The taste of blood was in her mouth - she must have bit her lip at some point, and her arm was killing her.
What the hell was happening? What was that? Had someone just purposefully tried to run her off the road? Still half-conscious, her mind raced ahead to the driver of the truck in question. Every single crevice of his mind was thrown open, and she scoured all of it.
The firebird entity within her snarled in anger at what it found there, though there wasn't much to find and that made her - and The Phoenix - even more angry. Booker? Owed debts? Putting people's lives in danger just to collect money!?
Her eyes ignited into flame and she began to glow. The Phoenix had been restless for quite some time now, and Rachel thought at least for a few seconds, she'd let that power have an outlet. It was easier to let go than to hold on in her current state.
A moment's thought was all it took to burst her way out of the car. The Phoenix didn't even need to break open windows or crawl out; She just burned a hole right through the roof. Fire ignited in the lake below the bridge, blooming closer and closer to the surface, until a firebird broke out of the water and extended out over the lake, roaring. YOU DARE ATTACK ME? ME!?
Kitty had been straining to reach Rachel ever since she'd lost contact, all the while frantically trying to reach Scott on her phone. She wasn't prepared for the link to flare to life, or for backlash from the Phoenix to pour through it. Her computer monitor sparked and then exploded, and then a surge knocked out the lights on her floor. Kitty toppled back out of her chair as her mental defenses kicked in, closing a telepathic firewall on the link. It didn't do much against the Phoenix, but it held long enough for the connection to sever before it burned out her brain, or did more damage to her office.
Nose bleeding from the psychic overload, she propped herself up on her elbows, and stared at the burning bird-shaped light in the distance through her office window. The only thing that she'd gotten through all of that had been Rachel's anger, and something about being attacked. "Fuck."
Bracing herself, she lifted her 'firewall' and screamed across their link. Rachel!
I HOLD THE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE IN MY HANDS. ENTIRE WORLDS HAVE CRUMBLED TO DUST AT MY WILL, I AM FIRE AND LIFE--. The Phoenix continued to rage, but before she could finish her legendary catch phrase, a voice broke through the haze of anger and distracted her.
It was far enough. Rachel might have been angry enough to let the Phoenix destroy the man and the truck, too, putting the entire rest of the planet at risk in the process. But Kitty's voice in her mind gave her something else to focus on. No. No.
She wasn't going to go dark and disappoint everyone. She wasn't going to give in to her anger, though the temptation was high and she knew it was exactly what The Pheonix wanted. Though she suspected, while she struggled to regain control, that the anger wasn't actually focused on the man in the car. A hired goon of some kind. It wasn't personal enough.
Not today. Kitty...
Breathe. I love you. Your dad loves you. The kids. Our friends. It’s not worth it, not like this. Kitty fumbled for a tissue and pressed it against her nose. Reel it in. Not for us, but for you. Reel. It. In.
Scott’s mental voice washed over Rachel’s mind. Honey, you’re better than this.
Another voice added itself to the conversation, somewhat unexpectedly, Your control in other areas has always been lacking but - begrudgingly, seeing as I've bloodied another pillow thanks to you and that ridiculous firebird - you do have the control to fix this. Do you really want to prove Logan right?
Emma's input almost made Rachel's anger flare again, but her words and motivations were as true as those of her lover and her father. In the end, all of them cared, and none of them wanted to see her lose control. She grabbed onto that, and used that strength.
You're right. You're all right.
It couldn't be for them. It couldn't even be about proving Logan wrong, though that was a great motivation. It had to be for her. Right here was where she took her stand and claimed the power, all of it, willingly, and the responsibility that came with it. Not by default - to save her life, like when The Phoenix first arrived, but simply because she was the only one that could.
She took a deep breath, and slowly absorbed the flame back into her.
The driver and his truck, which had up until now been held into place by a ring of telekinetic fire, quickly sped away from the scene, and Rachel rubbed one of her hands over her eyes. When she finally sent out mental telegrams after that, her voice sounded a bit sheepish, God, what a drama queen.
That’s the Phoenix for you. Scott’s tone was wry, and regretful. Do you need me to come home?
Kitty, meanwhile, rested her face on the floor with a groan. If she felt like this, she actually felt sorry for what Emma must be feeling. And grateful to Emma, which she tried to send in her direction.
Emma sent a weak acknowledgement in return. The pillow at least hadn't been hers, and now that the apocalypse had been averted she was going to make a quick escape and then go collapse.
Rachel looked out across the water, and let out a sigh. Her head was still pounding - worse, after that little battle, and her arm still hurt. She thought it was at least bruised up. Of course her car was also still in the water, and the pancakes were ruined now. I'm going to need whichever one of you didn't just have your brains melted out here to pick me up. My car is... waterlogged.
Kitty wanted to be the one. She felt liked she needed to be, but she thought Scott was closer, and she needed to report this to Fury. Scott, can you get her? I'm heading home as soon as I talk to the boss-man.
Scott responded. I'll be right there. I'm taking the Blackbird.
We need to make a stop, Rachel added, sounding tired but a little determined, I promised the kids pancakes.