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Post by Havok on May 19, 2011 11:20:02 GMT -5
Alex looked around for buildings that could be used as observation points. There was one building higher than other ones right at the next intersection. "Can you hide all of us?" he asked then, turning to look at Shade.
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Post by Smiler on May 19, 2011 11:29:20 GMT -5
At some distance from Shade, Violet and Alex, Michael was standing still on the sidewalk, waiting for the person he could sense to appear. He was getting closer, and soon Michael realized there were two of them, approaching from different sides. Then he heard a voice through a loudspeaker.
"Mutant, stay where you are," the voice came from the back. "Don't attempt to use your powers. Raise your hands and don't move."
Not that Michael was easily scared (he had long had doubts whether he could possibly be scared at all), but, just to give himself time to think, he complied, raising his hands and waiting. He could always use his powers later.
He wondered, was he alone in this place? Did it happen to him alone by an accident and there wasn't anyone from his previous life here to get in touch with? No answers came.
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Post by Shade on May 19, 2011 11:29:52 GMT -5
"For a bit," Shade said. "Maybe two minutes. And I need to keep physical contact, so as long as we use it to peek around corners or to get past...." She didn´t like the idea of anything or anyone lurking between these walls and trying to hunt them down and tried to chase away the thought "...stuff, it will work."
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Post by gravity on May 19, 2011 11:32:58 GMT -5
Violet heard the voice come over the loudspeaker and all the color drained from her face. The announcement hadn't been directed at them, she was sure. For one thing, it was some distance away, for another, it had addressed a single mutant, while there were three in her group. Without thinking, much like that night in the city, Violet took off running toward the announcement. Someone was in trouble, and it was something sharp and defined, as opposed to the continuous discussion of what their next move would be. She ran hard, jumping over debris, until she saw the man standing in the street, his arms raised. She stopped and hid under the burnt out shell of an old car, watching, waiting for some clue as to what to do next.
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Post by Shade on May 19, 2011 11:37:44 GMT -5
Shade cursed inwardly as the other woman ran off all of a sudden, realising only belatedly what had made her do so. She would run right into it, she realisd. Whatever it was, it was dangerous. She instantly turned to face Havok, hectically, reaching for him with her hand. "Take my hand." she said. "we need to get her away from here." She would not approach whatever was going on. Not without using her powers. How could Valerie be so risky?
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Post by Havok on May 19, 2011 11:40:38 GMT -5
Alex obliged, taking Shade's hand. If they could come nearer invisible, they would at least have a chance to keep Violet out of the trouble. He wasn't sure if they could handle the whole situation, including the one hinted at by the voice from the loudspeakers, but they could try, of course.
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Post by Shade on May 19, 2011 11:47:05 GMT -5
Shade instantly started to run, grasping Alex´ hand firmly. She had made it a habit to run in a way that caused little sound, something that was a bit harder to do with the rubble under her feet and wearing boots instead of her preferred sneakers, but it worked. At least these things were not too high heeled.
She followed the direction Violet had taken and spotted her under an overturned car.
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Post by Smiler on May 19, 2011 11:52:24 GMT -5
His senses told him there were more people approaching. This wasn't good. The more there were, the less he'd be able to control every one of them with his powers, especially if they stayed out of his sight and kept confusing his senses from a distance by who was where and doing what.
Before the new interference got too close, he decided to act. His eyes turned black as his powers started to affect the two people who'd found him first. Cooperation, friendliness, trust, no fear.
"Come out where I can see you and identify yourselves," he said, lowering his hands when he felt them succumb to his powers and change their emotional state. Looking around, he saw a man in a worse for wear military outfit and a strange-looking device with goggles on his head emerge from a building ahead of him.
"Volunteer Sergeant Stansfield," he said, acting as if he and Smiler were being introduced at a friend's birthday. "21st mutant detection squad of Manhattan."
Michael waited for the other person to appear, keeping them on the same friendly level as Stansfield. What to make of the other three approaching, he didn't know yet but he was sure he'd be able to take them on as well.
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Post by gravity on May 19, 2011 12:28:40 GMT -5
((OOC: Shade, who is Valerie? ))
Violet watched in wonder as the militant looking man approached so innocently and introduced himself. This mutant obviously had the situation under control. She let herself fall into a sitting position behind the car. So there were people here who could detect mutants. That was an important fact to consider. She glanced back and didn't see Shade or Alex, which increased her panic until she remembered the whole invisibility thing.
She had no idea what they were up against, but she now knew that they were not alone and that they most definitely were not safe. She didn't feel like dealing with any more deliberations with Shade and Alex. She also didn't want to be invisible. Violet knew her own strengths and weaknesses, and physical coordination was near the top of her weakness list. She couldn't risk injury or worse by lowering her equilibrium. They were probably coming toward her, and she sighed in frustration.
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Post by Havok on May 19, 2011 12:42:23 GMT -5
Alex tugged Shade's hand, prompting her to halt. From where they were now, he could spot Violet hiding in an empty car, which at least gave him the reason not to worry for her: at least she wasn't rushing headlong into trouble and was being cautious. With Violet, he reminded himself, one could never be sure.
But now he was also able to see the mutant at whom the previous warning from the loudspeaker had obviously been directed. However, it seemed that the guy somehow managed to use his powers, regardless of the warning - judging by how the camouflaged man was talking to him now. Alex decided to wait and see.
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Post by Smiler on May 19, 2011 12:56:38 GMT -5
"Private volunteer Richards, same squad," the other man replied, emerging from his cover behind a heap of rubble behind Michael.
"Why are you following me and what do you want?" Michael asked, speaking to the higher ranked volunteer.
"We're on an assignment to scout the city for mutants, to neutralize them and bring them to the gathering point," Stansfield replied.
"So how were you going to neutralize me?" Michael asked. It was a curious experience, talking to an enemy who was cooperative and ready to answer any question.
"Tranquilizer darts," the sergeant replied. "We just didn't have the time to use it. Are you controlling us with your powers?"
"Yes, I am," Michael replied. "I'm only protecting myself so we can talk."
He was still alert to the presence of the other three people. He could sense their emotions better now; they were curious, wary, tense, a bit scared, a bit angry. Well, this set of emotions could apply not only to fellow mutants who were watching him interact with the soldiers, but also to other soldiers who were watching their colleagues being subdued by a mutant.
To protect himself from those, too, Michael extended the influence of his powers to those three as well. Now everyone felt safe, trustful and friendly and they could all talk reasonably about this.
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Post by gravity on May 19, 2011 13:11:58 GMT -5
Violet felt her restless anger subside and emerged from behind the car. She approached the mutant and the two men who, moments before, had been such a threat. "Hello," she said with a faint smile as she approached. She had her hands in the front pocket of the old sweatshirt she'd taken earlier. Looking from one man to the next, she asked, "Where are we?"
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Post by Shade on May 19, 2011 13:25:05 GMT -5
Shade was trying to understand what was going on, but could only catch bits of the conversation- they were not as close to it as Violet and Alex did not seem too intent to walk any closer right now. She stayed alert, ready to run into whatever direction.
What she caught of the conversation was rather unsettling. Apparently, these men were here to look for mutants, that much Shade could tell without having to step any closer. Their military outfit, the loudspeakers, the fact that there was not just one of them, it all spoke for itself. What the heck, she thought. What had happened? Or if nothing had happened really and this was just some weird trick of mind, what the heck was going on? She decided to accept this as reality for now. She could feel insecurity become a more pronounced worry and then.... it just disappeared. She scowled, wondering what happened, but suddenly all she felt was calm. No fear.
Shade didn´t remember Michael and thus had no way of identifying him as the source for that change. She saw Valerie emerge from her hiding place, but stayed invisible herself, still holding Alex´ hand since he had made no attempt to withdraw it. "We´ll be fine," she said in a low voice, feeling confident about the truth in her own words
((just a typo. Mixed up names))
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Post by Havok on May 19, 2011 13:36:15 GMT -5
Alex could feel his wariness and tension dissipate. It was weird; wasn't it the situation where at least some tension was a given?
He guessed that he had been subjected to the same influence as the military men, affected by the young mutant's powers. Well, since Violet had shown herself, he saw no reason to continue hiding, either. It felt safe. He released Shade's hand and became visible again. "Where and when," he added to Violet's question, hoping the answer would explain at least something.
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Post by Smiler on May 19, 2011 13:46:57 GMT -5
Michael saw Violet appear from her hiding place. He couldn't say he felt great relief or gladness, since those were the no-go emotions for him, yet was nice to see someone familiar. She looked strange, dressed up in something very old... very fitting to this place.
Then another man appeared, someone he didn't know; Michael hadn't seen the movie Tron: Legacy but he recognized the costume from the many posters and ads he'd come across. So the man was probably from the Hellfire party. And so they were all mutants, including the one he couldn't see but whose presence he could definitely sense. Probably someone invisible or blending well with the surroundings.
He stopped using his powers on the mutants; they wouldn't attack him and it was less demanding for him this way.
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