2013.04.22 - Mecha Love

It has been a difficult night for Nate, it seems. He appeared early by Rose to help with the furniture. Too early, really. Eyes reddened but hidden behind sunglasses. They decided to go to have breakfast to a nearby cafe before anything. At least she can take a break from babysitting too, right?

“So Conner and Yana brought from somewhere this... singing potato thing,” he grumbles, trying to explain the latest weirdness and probably failing. “It spends all the time sending something like songs telepathically. They feel like whale songs. Trying to rest at Halo was a bad, bad mistake.”

Rose is not used to children. Ever. New surroundings for Lian equalled excitement and run on sentences.

"What'sthatwhysyourhairthatcoloryoulookangrypandasmakemesmileyouneedapandaIheardyousayzoopandasarethere..." And it goes on and on and on. Finally Rose wore the little girl out by sparring her with escrima sticks, sleep deprived Rose took a good hit that left a blackening bruise on her arm that spanned nearly her entire bicept. But Lian slept finally and right as she passed out the sun was beginning to rise. The 5 year old consumed the entire air mattress and Rose passed out sitting in the window that overlooked the Bronx scenery, sending a text to Peabody. -Save me- it read.

The man was amused when he came and gathered the limp and sleeping body of Lian, only getting a half look from Rose before she passed back out in the window sill like a cat on... Like a cat.

By the time Nate showed up she was staggering through the apartment, pushing things aside to make room for the furniture with her feet, a mug of instant coffee in her hand, hair a ragged mess, cut off shorts and a half-torn t-shirt of some old sentimental value worn.

When they left for the cafe Rose just stared across the table at him, the leather jacket hanging off a shoulder, the fresh coffee clutched in her grip like a life raft, her hair combed through...with fingers. "I'd offer my place, but its no better.." Rose murmurs as she sips her coffee.

And while Nate and Rose wander out, there's someone else on the street. Or to be more exact, sitting in the shadows on the street. If only for the moment that is. Who ever they are, they're face and form is hidden by an almost rag like cloak made up of some sort of ripped brown cloth.

But if a telepath were to scan, they may recognize the mind. That being the mind of one Hope Summers.

And yes she is awake, even if she is staying out of the way. All though it does appear as if she's thinking, and even lost in thought, even if her very thoughts are in some sort of odd, alien language.

Nate doesn’t realize Hope is so close. Some other mornings, he might have been able to sense her familiar mind, or sense her odd thought patterns. But after a night of half-sleep with stupid telepathic songs, he is pretty out of it. “I got a place upstate, no worries. Although I don’t mind to help you with Lian. I am curious to know how is you ended up taking care of Roy Harper’s daughter.” But coffee comes first.

Meanwhile back at the street, a suspicious black van is slowing down close to Hope. Inside there is a very nervous young man, although the darkened glass prevents to notice his age. Slow, slow... he sees Hope and hits the brakes, making the vehicle behind him honk the horn and an angry New Yorker driver scream something that sounds like ‘moron!’ as it maneuvers around the van.

"'Least I'm not the only one getting my own space." Rose states flatly as she sets the coffee down, the waiter asking if they'd like food, Rose just shakes her head slowly. If she ate, she'd be done for. When Nate starts speaking on his curiosity about Lian, Rose simply states, "I was told to," and leaves it at that, tugging her coffee closer. The morning honking and obscenities are nothing new, nothing that gets taken so seriously other then a passing sidelong glance from Rose out of the diner window and to the street, but then back at Nate. "Didn't take you for one to get your own space either."

And as there's that screech and honk, Hope doesn't as much as jerk her head up. After all, this is New York City, and such things are common. As common as random people sitting and leaning against buildings.

All though as the red haired girl hears that shout of 'moron' she does grin a little as that, for some odd reason brings her out of her own head, before she starts to stand up. Of course as she does that her thought patterns all but snap to something more along the lines of 'normal'.

Of course if she had any idea what could be coming her way, or who else may be nearby enjoying the coffee...

“Not my place, but I get a room and food and...” Nate frowns and stands up. “Someone is thinking about murder very loudly," he comments, moving towards the door very quickly. And outside the black van screeches loudly. This time accelerating, invading the sidewalk and heading straight for Hope. An innocent passerby, an old woman, gets run over without mercy, screaming as the vehicle crushes her under its wheels. A few others, seeing this, start screaming and running.

"That'd be me." Rose says, jokingly, despite the very serious candor she holds on her face as Nate rises and heads for the door. What?? It was early and she is tired, killing the honking person as well as the one yelling wasn't too far from though just so her mind could settle into a lull. But, Nate is serious, so says his fast stride for the door that has her sighing in dropping some bills on the table for their food, likely leaving a generous tip in her haste and lack of care.

Reality hit once she stepped outside, through the blinding setting of the sun in the sky she caught the old woman becoming just a minor speed bump ion the vans path. "Only in New York this early.." She says as she rolls her shoulders to right the jackets placement and darts across the road, weaving traffic and as a cab comes to a screeching halt she jumps and slides across its hood on her hip, dodging some of the impact that would have come if it wasn't for the timing of the brakes and her leap.

Okay, now /THAT/ gets Hopes attention. Especially after that poor woman...

Yeah. The scream. The redhead tries not to even think about those. Not as she up and runs.... /TOWARDS/ the van?!?

Yes. By the time Nate and Rose are at, if not out the door, Hope is running towards the van. Only last second she tries to jump to the side and get clear. That way if she is the target, the vehicle /hopefully/ won't mow down anyone else. Right? Right?!?

The van speeds up, seeing Hope racing straight in. Nate takes flight, trying to intercept, “Hope! Are you CRAZY!”

But no, the redhead dodges the van at the last second, making the driver try a very sharp turn, tires screeching like mad, leaving black tracks on the sidewalk. Before the vehicle can turn, however, Nate is there, and he blasts it with telekinesis point blank.

It explodes. KA-BOOOOOM!!!

It must have been rigged with explosives, because it is a big explosion. Nearby cars go flying, windows get shattered, ears go ringing. A column of fire and black smoke rises six yards high. And Nate, who was way too close, goes flying too, crashing on the top of a sedan twenty yards away. He doesn’t stand up.

Well, that foiled her epic leap and slide across the cab's hood like an action film. In fact it reverses it like a played rewind on a VCR. The explosion sends her back over the taxi but this time the hood takes her legs out from under her and up-ends her as it is flipped and glass shatters outward ion a spray that glistens in the sun like a morbid glitter.

Rose is back on the sidewalk on her back as the cafe's windows shower down on her and have her rolling to tuck her head into her hands to guard her face from the barrage, just being missed by the scraping slide of another vehicle that is forced back by the concussive force.

Ears ringing, a large marring on her cheek yet to open due to the clean slice finally releases the first tear of blood down along the contour of her cheek as she looks up. Her voice louder then intended due to deafness. "Hope?? .. Nate?!?" Rising, glass falls from her body and gets dusted off as she looks over the spanse of chaos and smoke to find Nate's body imbedded in the caved-in metal of the sedan. Despite the ringing in her ears throwing her balance off thats where she heads, using hands on the surrounding chaos to keep her balance as she weaves through it all.

Is she crazy?

Maybe. Sort of. But in a way that is actually sane.

Sort of.

All right, so Hope isn't exactly clear as that van is hit by Nates blast and explodes. She's actually skidding across the ground right as that explosion happens. Thus she's sent tumbling in yet another direction due to that explosion, just barely missing a car that was flying slamming back into the ground next to her, while its windows up and completely shatter, as well as its tires blow out, metal is broken off, and all sorts of other things.

And yet, as her ears ring, the mutant redhead tries to force herself back up, and stumbles for a moment, while glancing around.

"Not again... Not again..."

The explosion killed the driver of the van, no doubt. And maybe a few bystanders too. There are many injured, some inside of overturn cars or hurt because of the shattered glass. Some New Yorkers flee in panic, others try to help.

From the charred remains of the van, two figures step out. Tall and armored head to toe, they ignore the flames blackening their metal frames. One of them, carrying a machine gun in his hands, shouts: "Kill the redhead mutie witch! Save the world!" Then opens fire against Hope. The second figure, stumbles behind, it has a heavy handgun in one hand, but the main weapon seem to be a pair of metal tentacles sprouting from his sides, they end up in evil-looking pincers.

Rose stops by Nate, one hand reaching out as if she'd tentatively touch him, but mid-reach it pauses, cold blue gaze sweeping out over the carnage to narrow in its setting, drawing back that touch with a snapping motion as the armored men step out. "Get out of here!" She yells to those still staying, those few that try to help the injured - who are going to likely get themselves killed for heroics they hadn't signed up for. It is obvious the armored ones do not care about life that stands in the way as many are already dead if not near it already.

Rose has no intention of caring at this point, to tired, too weary and all too easily angered her eyes snap to Hope and linger for a moment before she rushes forward, using one of the up-ended cars as a gain in momentum when she leaps it and kicks off, heading right for one who is distracted on Hope..

You paged Ravager with 'where are you kicking him?'

Ravager pages: Likely back of the knee, a jointed/hopefully weak area, sorry!

Kill her? Save the world?

Suicide bombers aren't really /HIS/ style. But there's no way to rule them out. /ESPECIALLY/ as those mechs reveal themselves.

Oh yeah. There's a glance at Rose and Nate, especially with how it appears that he isn't moving....

And yet as others flee, and Rose shouts out for people to get clear, the redhead mutant girl winces, before charging forward yet again. Thus while Rose launches herself at one armor, Hope goes after the other. Only as she rushes forward, the time lost girl grabs something off the ground, something that looks almost like a metal bar that was knocked free some somewhere.

"Not today numbskulls!"

The killers attention is in Hope. They aim at her as she charges in an apparent suicide run. Then Rose hits. The one with the machine gun screams in pain as the kick impacts the back of his knee, shattering the metal and the bone underneath. He falls to his knees and his shots go wild, poking holes on the brocks of the nearby building.

The second armored killer, however, has nothing distracting him and launches both metal tentacles to hit and ensnare Hope. Aiming with his handgun to shot her the second she is caught. “Die, genejoke!” He screams.

Rose is acting fast, and ruthlessly. Lives were lost that did not need to be and Nate wasn't moving. This was right around the corner from where she lived... And she wanted nothing more then to sleep. They were running interferance on all fronts and it worked as a catalyst for logic (or lost sanity) as the one mech-armored person crumples, sending shots flying and ricocheting. Rose doesn't stop, her intentions ones that are crystal clear as she lands in front of the one in a kneel before her, her body in a crouch as she picks up a bent and broken vehicles remnant, lunging forward and stabbing upward with a force meant to drive the metal up between the chin and shoulder of the mech-garbed person, wanting to sever its head from body or bring it to an utter still.

And here's where that bar becomes useful. Because as those tentacles come her way, Hope sort of uses it like a hockey stick to set a couple of chunks of debris flying towards the head of her attacker as she tries to slide under the tentacles. Sure if they're quick and agile enough they might snag her leg, but then again those chunks of rock might do any number of things to make that difficult.

Either way though, as she gets close enough she also tries to swing the bar a second time, to dislodge that gun, so the can in turn recover it. After all, once she has that... Well, she can fire on the spot the tentacles are coming from for example. Or better yet, try to take out the armors knees.

The injured killer tries to turn to fight off Rose, dropping the machinegun and pulling a large knife from his belt. That gives the white-haired mercenary the opening to hit his neck with a chunk of the van's metal bumper. The armor saves him from instant decapitation, but not from a crushed throat and punctured carotid. He goes down gurgling, desperately trying to stem the flood of blood with his hands.

Meanwhile his partner gets hit in the face by a piece of broken concrete, but the helmet protects him. Yet his vision is obstructed for a second, making the tentacles fly over her head. Then she is very, very close, and gets shot point blank... almost, the bar hits the handgun and the shot misses her head for several inches. "Bitch," grunts the killer, not dropping the handgun and bringing at tentacle down her ankle, pinning her and cutting her to the bone. "Got you!"

Rose's teeth are ground together, the small muscles lining under the blood lined jaw twitch as the knife is drawn but her own hit make the mech clad one drop, both body and weapon. Picking up his machine gun Rose places a foot on his chest and points it down at his head.

"We only need one alive..." She states, now her voice is low as she pulls the trigger in an attempt to end the struggles of one, before she sweeps the weapon upward and takes aim at the tentacle that is going for, and quite possibly has, Hope.

Considering that the outfit that Hope is wearing is actually a form of advanced body armor from sometime down the time stream. Thus she gets hurt. And it looks /bad/. It may even be /bad/. But it's not down to the bone. It's still deep though.

And yet as it digs in, there's a sudden surge of power. In fact as Rose fires on the tentacle, Hope starts to glow. And rise up on her own. That is before there's something almost like an explosion. It's a mixture of raw telekenisis, as if meant not only to drive things away from the mutant girl, but more importantly free her, as well as telepathy. And the telepathic part is raw pain. near debilitating pain.

Hopefully that's enough to at least knock out these guys for a little while at least and get her free to boot.

<< I'm.... Trying! >>

The helmet takes a couple shots before giving in, then Rose’s target dies messily. Not that he wasn’t doomed to die in a few minutes already.

Meanwhile the other killer gets hit by a telekinetic-telepathic wave. He screams as his psychic-screens are burnt, and flies back several yards, slamming against the floor. The tentacle is pulled of the redhead’s leg rather suddenly. But the killer does not move either, not quite dead, but no brain activity either, his mind burned to cinders.

The mech wasn't the only one screaming. Rose is watching as Hope begins to glow and that force is blasted outward like another explosion, much like the one that began this chaos - but so much different. Unexpected and the sudden onslought on her mind makes Rose scream, hands flying up to cover her ears as the machine gun releases one more spray up bullets arching upward in Rose's lost and confused spasm of reflex. Aiming at everything and nothing just before she is blasted backwards and the only thing left where she had been standing was the machine gun she released to clap hands over her ears and tuck in on herself.

Ass over elbows Rose lands several yards away, cupped in a sideways laying trucks bed, having dented the metal interior with the foprce it caught her with.

And as the two goons fall, Hope just looks at Rose for a moment and thinks, <>

Then, just as quickly as that effect started...

It ends. And Hope falls to the ground. And she stops moving. At least for now.

About twenty yards away, Nate manages to crawl out of unconsciousness and roll out of the top of the vehicles he is on. Everything hurts, but nothing important seems broken. A glance around him makes him mutter a curse, and send a telepathic message. << Conner? We have a little problem. Need to get out quick. >>

At one minute Conner is laying on his back reading a magazine and the next he is springing up from his feet and rushing out the door and through the towers in a blur of motion. << On my way, Nate >>. No doubt the mutant telepath is giving him a psychic tug to their location. The guy is thoughtful like that.

Arrival and the freshly mess haired black tee shirt red S wearing Super youth is standing amidst the carnage. "You guys couldn't call me earlier? This looked like it was fun. Ah, whoah, you two alright?" No more words spared and he kneels to heft up Rose slinging her over an arm and Nate across his shoulder. It's an attempt at gentle on both accounts.

Standing back upright he looks around to make sure there was no one else he could help; most seem to be mecha-suited men or women and then there is Hope. Who? A cell phone flipped in his hand as he juggles his two unconscious companions like they're made of straw, "Yana? Could use your help."

Rose's body had made a nice dent in the up-turned bed of the truck, a slice cleanly run across her cheek that left blood drying and fresh still covering the left side of her face, jaw and neck. She was out until her body is jostled and lifted by Conner, the pain that throbbed from impact jolting her awake just enough for eyes to open and stare up at Kon, muscles twitching to set her to move but even her head throbbed, like her brain had its own pulse making her world spin as she scrambled to lean over Kon's side, gripping his shoulder harshly as she loses her cookies, at least taking care not to do so on him. "What..." Breath. "..the.." Mouth wipe... "Fuck?" Touching her temple and glances towards Nate who was awake enough it seemed. That was a small relief. "You're late Kon." It was meant to be a jest but her tone fell flat. "Where's Hope?"

It takes Hope a little bit to even wake back up after all of that. And even then, well... The pain in her leg due to that tentacle... Not to mention her head being near mush due to her having all of Nates powers, including his telepathy, in the middle of a major metropolis... Gah.

And yet, as Kon arrives she starts to show signs that she's stirring.

Well, lets say that her moving that leg that she's lucky to still have, and is bleeding like mad is a bad idea. But Hope does it anyways. And opening her eyes? Also a bad idea probably considering the headache she has at the moment due to that limited time with telepathy.

"Gotta get out of here. If they knew I was going to be here..." she says in a faint voice. "They'll send more."

Then the teenage redhead tries to force herself to stand up, but falls against a car due to that leg.

"I'm here. Sorry about that. Telepathy..." *Cringe* *Several curse words in an otherwise unknowable language* "Sucks."

First there's a pinpoint of light, and then it slams open, but only in two dimensions. Which is odd to look at. A perfect circle, but if you look at it on-edge, it seems to disappear. A literal hole in space with an event horizon that pulses and ripples with blue light standing like a doorway. And from this plane of light steps a certain blonde. She takes one look around, hand on hip and then looks back over to Superboy. "Little late, don't you think?" Her tone holds dry amusement even as she's assessing the situation. "Who am I dropping off at the hospital?" As in, who are the ones hurt bad enough to need it.

"Hope?" Superboy questions Rose before his face changes pallor and he adjusts his hold on her. Nothing cookies about that expulsion of vile. "Real sexy." He murmurs but still maintains his hold, supporting her frame.

"Who will send more? Should be alright. We're h-"

Illyana arrives in the middle of what he is saying."-ere now. That is what I was saying, get left out of all the fun. We end up chasing down the Potato of Doom and they get to fight mecha-dudes. The tower, if there is more attacking we'll be able to deal with them better there."

"Yeah, because everything about this is sexy." Rose says to Conner as she pushes his shoulder with one hand in an attempt to put her own two feet on the ground. Turning towards Hope...slowly... she sweeps a gaze from that leg to her face and holds. "After this, you at least owe Nate some explanations." Yes, she remembered her from the first chase and then this... Rose didn't know much, and perhaps it is better that way, her own life a prime example of secrecy and security blankets. Once Illyana arrives Rose just points at her... "See, even she agrees." Does it make much sense? In Rose's head it does even in its fragmented bits.

"This is why I've been trying to keep away. From everyone." is said as Hope just glares right at Rose, even as Illyana arrives.

"Just drop me off in Mutant Town. I can find a healer or someone who heals there..." is said at the mention of a hospital. Or this... Tower?

Then there's a wince as she glances at Superboy.

"I don't know. He probably sent them. or they could be the same ones who tried to kill me as a baby. I don't know. All I know is they're religious nuts who hate Mutants. i was able to get that much between them burning out and my passing out."

One blonde brow arches upwards as bits and pieces come out. "Uh huh." Sounds like there's a lot going on here that would take more time than they want to spend to figure out. Illyana frowns down at Hope. "Can you walk?" Her hard, icy gaze shifts over to Superboy and she nods to the portal. "I've got a door open already."

Superboy's arm removes from Ravager once shes stable and on her feet. "You're probably safer with us for now. Let's get moving before more show up or the cops get here." Not pressing it further for now the Kryptonian clone steps through Illyana's portal.

"You and me both." To the glare from Hope, Rose returns her own. "See how well that works out for anyone." As she turns to step through the portal her hands massage at her temples and a small 'urf' sound is heard as she restrains from getting ill again. "I need to be back home by 5..." Suddenly recalling that even as she disappears into the maw of the metaphysical tear. She had more babysitting to do and had been hoping to snare sleep between Lian's pick up and then. So far only a power nap backed by a migraine. "Can I borrow one of your.../friends/ Illyana? They like kids right?" Rose is getting desperate...

Oh there's a lot going on, and it will take a lot of time. but it's not the time or the place for Hope to say that. Especially certain bits.

But still, maybe it's a good thing that her 'uniform' is made up of something /like/ unstable molecules. So it can fix itself. It even gets a bit firm around her leg, providing some support when she tries to walk. but still, her leg hurts like hell.

"I can walk." is said with a determined tone as Hope forces herself right towards that portal. And what ever lies beyond.

Illyana will bring up the rear so she can close the portal behind her. And keep an eye on this new friend of Rose's. "Yeah, they like kids a lot. Usually with barbeque sauce..." Limbo is less a 'place' and more that thing beyond places. The landscape shifts and changes, making way finding almost impossible. The path you took is already gone when you turn back. The blasted, barren landscape is still blasted and barren, but different. And when you turn forward again, that too has changed. Rock outcroppings thrust upwards like broken teeth, chasms split the earth like wounds. What does grow is twisted. Misshapen. Wrong. And that sense of wrongness pervades even the air that you breathe, the prickle of true evil dancing down your spine and tugging at the shadows within, whispering to them, coaxing them out of the dark places in your soul.

There is little constant in Limbo, save for the Darkchilde's citadel. No matter where you stand, it can be seen in the distance, clawing its way towards the blood-red sky devoid of sun or moon or even stars. There is nothing Heavenly about that body.

Another portal stands only a handful of steps beyond the first. Ravager and Superboy know the drill. Illyana needs to jump to Limbo before going anywhere else.

"You two..." Superboy grunts at Illyana and Rose as they pass through that between realm.

Once through that second portal they arrive in the Halo Towers central hub, a connecting point that led towards the other areas the Stormwatch team uses. Awaiting them is Void; Spartan's super-computer/android and two men in labcoats with a floating stretcher. A quick scan by the silver coated synthezoid and she motions for the men to take Nate from Superboy leading the injured man away.

"Ravager and the unidentified female should also consider treatment as well." No pressing, nothing further added the A.I. turns and removes herself from the area. Her presence could easily just be Spartan keeping tabs or routine.

"Could I at least manage a nap before they get in a bite?" One corner of Rose's lips curl into a small smile, though it wavers a bit. "If she hits them like she did me, I'm sure I can manage something before they get ahold of her." It is all in sheer jest though somewhere in there it is like Rose is truly planning to go through with it. Even as she is scanned she just takes a seat in one of the chairs, tucks her legs up under her and closes her eyes like right there is where she will sleep, tugging her jacket off to reveal the one older blacker bruise covering her bicep as well as more stemming to peek out from around that cut off tank top. Covering herself again like it was a blanket she tucks her head underneath. "Screw you Kon, you take baby-duty and I'll take your bunker." Her voice muffled from beneath the cover of jacket that blankets in darkness from the artificial light that was not helping her head any and aiding in embracing another nap. "Stick around Hope."

Hope does not startle easily. And as she enters that portal...

As she sees the place, and it unnaturalness..

She blinks. And frowns. And what ever she feels isn't shown. Not as she tries to block out the pain from her leg, with very limited success.

All though once the group slips through the other portal, she does mutter, "And I thought the Brood were creepy..."

Of course at the mention of treatment, there is a quirked eyebrow.

"If you're willing to deal with my leg with no funny business, I might. But as long as I'm here, you're all targets. Big ones. In more ways than one."

Illyana's breath leaves her in a huffing sort of chuckle. "Yeah, tell me something I'm not used to." She nods over to the attending 'bots. "Stitch her up or whatever needs doing." Then she turns the weight of her gaze over to Hope. The blue eyes are too cold, to empty, to hard to be in a face that young. Those are eyes you expect to see on serial killers or those that have lost everything. Eyes without the warmth of a soul behind them. "Behave and you're free to walk out whenever you like. But no poking around. You're a guest. Behave like it." Then she goes over to Rose and adjusts some of the blankets around her, the light frown that touches her features odd to see, a sign of warmth that wasn't there a moment ago. "You need me to spot you?" She may not like to spend a lot of time around kids, but living at Xavier's, you got used to it.

Superboy smiles slightly, "Everyone here is a target of some kind already, Hope. We're not just blindly taking you in without being prepared for the consequences."

Voids departure is physical only. Her disembodied voice heard through some unseen speakers in the walls, "No funny business. When you feel it prepared for rest follow the technicians." Lights along the direction Nate was taken change in hue going from white to red, as if indication of the direction she can go when she is ready. "They will be waiting to assist you."

Folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall Conner watches the trio of women. "So, who is after you anyways?" He asks Hope. The talk of baby sitting and the moment of comradarie going on between Illyana and Ravager oddly heart warming.A display they are indeed becoming a solid team.

As if Rose did a fist pump beneath the jacket it jumps upward, in emphasis of celebration to what Hope says. "Already there. Bring it..." After some shut eye, please. Though when Illyana comes to the rescue Rose stiffens, then calms beneath the jacket and blanket-made fort of sleepville. "I'll need to be there when she gets dropped off at 5, but sure. She's fun...hell...but fun." When an A.I attempts to come near her and poke at her face where the glass-made cut resides Rose slaps at it. "Please go away and let me sleep for the -love of god!-" Yep no lines of her own, much like a Chris Farley hat-tip there was not even a temptation that will drag her out.

Those eyes are noticed and noted. But they don't frighten Hope for some reason.

Not as she instead rolls her eyes at Superboy?!?

"Look... You don't know him. He's a time traveler. He jumps back and forth when and how he can. He will booby trap things if and when he knows where I am. For all you know a nuke could of been buried under this building a hundred years ago just to go off this very moment to get me. It wouldn't be the first time he's done something like that to get at me. Hell, he destroyed every continent except for one, and made the last one all but uninhabitable just to try and flush me and my protector out, and into a corner that he wanted us in."

Then though, she tries to get up, but there's a wince. her leg is still bothering her.

"And sorry. I'm not giving any names. If this is the past and not some weird other reality, then I haven't been born yet, and he could still be good. heck, he could still be part of The X-Men with my protector..." Pause. "With my father."

"Go. Sleep. Void'll make sure we're there on time." Since Illyana and time well, they don't really get along much. The blonde gives the AIs a nod to take Rose away so that she can get some sleep, only half listening to Hope's story. At least until she mentions the X-Men, who are not common knowledge here and then her attention snaps up to the redhead and those cold eyes are back, narrowed on Hope. "What about the X-Men?" She hasn't even brought up the X-Men to the other Stormwatch folks. There hasn't really been any need to.

A shrug and Superboy remains reclined against the wall with his arms akimbo, "Even more reason to be in our company. We have a five thousand year old soldier, a demon queen, a swordmaster and I'm Superboy, 'nuff said." Cocky as expected. He also didn't mention the cyber speedster or the hyper psychic but she already knows one of those two. Not brushing off what she is saying Kon is just simply voicing his 'bring it on' attitude.

Rose is up and toted off. Not like she is going to fight being picked up and drug elsewhere, it needed no effort from her and the AI did it in a manner that did not even move her from that tucked up ball of semi-comatose, so she is content to just go and will inquire about the parts she did hear later from anyone willing to give her the information, Kon, as heard is already right on par with her take on it, so her voice is covered!

And here's where Hope could say something like 'And you're talking to a girl who was raised traveling from one sprokking bad future to another, who saw humanity come to an end, all because one psycho thought the entire world would be a better place if I wasn't in it'.

But instead she shakes her head and rolls her eyes slightly.

"You just aren't getting it." is said to Superboy. "I guess your brain might might not actually be that 'super'."

Then there's a deep breath before the red haired mutant girl glances at Magik.

"If you don't know it's probably better that you don't. All I need to say is that until /he/ is dealt with, I probably shouldn't be anywhere near them. Heck, if I haven't been born yet, I definitely shouldn't. Which kind of sucks since they wanted me back... Or will want me back bad enough to.... Never mind. All that you need to know is the fact that I'm trying to help them, but if I do too much, I won't be born. Heck, considering your friend the telepath, odds are I shouldn't be around you guys either."

Illyana's arms cross and she rolls her gaze over to Superboy and then back over to Hope. "Fine. You're right." Illyana's tone has the undertone of mocking to it. "We totally can't understand and you shouldn't be around people." She lifts one hand to make an idle gesture, a portal snapping open at Hope's feet so she can fall through. At least Magik isn't planning to just dump her in Limbo for however long. Nah, there's another portal there, and a nice quiet stretch of nuthin' over a few states away..."

Illyana looks over to Superboy as her arms drop to her sides and she starts to walk away. "Quit bringing home strays with attitude. She wasn't that cute."

Another shrug of his shoulders and Superboy pushes away from the wall, "Oh, lets just start insulting the people who are trying to help you out. Way to be grateful." Superboy replies and then the portal opens? "YANA! What the hell!?!"

"Look, I'm sorry!" Hope starts to say as she forces herself to stand back up, leveling a finger at Superboy, "You try living your life on the run from an insane X-Man who basically destroyed the world to /KILL YOU/, and lets see how you do when you're whisked off by people who your dads would be clone knows..."

Of course, before she can even finish that, she falls through that portal, and well...

A few states away...

Hope lands, and rolls, and all but screams as she clutches her leg.

"DAMN IT!"

"She talks like she's on fast forward. I'm the only one that gets to insult you." Illyana says, not looking back, blonde hair swaying a bit as she saunters off. "Well, Rose too. I'll allow that. She said she needed to not be around us. Who am I to question her judgement, huh?" Then she does pause, so she can look back at the startled Superboy. "Because I *do* have a superbrain." She gives him a wink and a smirk and then turns to keep walking.

"She was injured and in need of help!" Superboy shouts at Illyana. "Bring her back." Silence and he can hear the footfalls. "YANA!!!" Cursing a string of profanities he picked up from the despicable duo of Stormwatch he looks up at the wall, "Void."

"Conner."

"Can you get her?"

"I can. However, one of your team has already ejected her are you sure you wish for me to retrieve her?"

"Yes. Get her. We're supposed to be the good guys here."

"Very well."

Near Hope that silver coated female appears and motions towards a portal she is standing beside, "I was requested to return you. You are still in need of medical assistance otherwise I can take you to a hospital, if you so desire."

And as Void appears, Hope all but glares, especially as she tries to sit still and /not/ do anything else that could agitate her leg. Sure, she starts to open her mouth. In fact she almost says something. But then she stops, and takes a deep breath.

"Back. So I can apologize. Then if you want to get me out, send me to Mutant Town. But no hospital."

Void is a neutral entity and only does as requested which right now is returning Hope to the Stormwatch HQ. "Our facilities are better suited to what you would be able to find in what you call Mutant Town. I recommend making use of them."

The portal envelopes the two of them and they appear right back where she was standing before Illyana Limbo ported her out.

"As you requested, Superboy. Will there be anything else?"

Superboy shakes his head. "No and thank you, Void."

Straightening up the glaring Kryptonian looks Hope over, "Are you alright? Sorry about that Illyana isn't the best with people..." Not that he is very socially adept either but he has that whole WWSMD complex genetically coded in to him.

"You should probably go in with Nate so we can get your wounds seen too."

There's actually a faint snerk at Void as the pair reappear, before she says, "Then you don't know what can be found there. Or what I do." Then there's a pause and Hope takes a deep breath.

"I will but for now... Sorry. I'm not exactly a people person. Trust me. I could say something like 'After you've seen the world, and humanity die...' or 'When you spend your life jumping from one hellish future to another, knowing things went bad because of you' to justify it, but I won't. I was rude. Sorry."

Then there's a shrug.

"And if you guys want to do that, especially after how I acted... Fine. But all I need to do is find a mutant with a healing factor, or a mutant healer and I should be good to go. In theory anyways."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. We all have our issues." Superboy says.

"You make it sound like it's easy to find one of those." He motions towards the hallway that leads towards the medical lab. "Also if you hear music just ignore it. There is no off switch for it." Not that anyone else has been having much of an issue with it besides Nate. "You can get patched up and tell us your story if you feel like it or we can help you get to where you need to be."

"Where is as much of a question as when." Hope admits as she limps towards the med lab, wincing every time she puts weight on her bad leg. "And in Mutant town... Trust me, you'd be surprised what you can find."

"But anyways... Look... I'm just going to say one thing, and one thing only before I say anything else. Or ask you.... And how you respond will tell me if I should give you the full dump."

"If you thought killing one baby... A single baby could save the world, would you do it? Would you kill it?"

"I'll take your word for it." Superboy replies about M-Town. "Do I want to know? Honestly I think if one baby can save the world then there has to be another way. So no, probably not. Killing should never be the only option."

The medlab doors slide open to reveal a bed inside with Nate's unconscious form in it. Stripped down and bandaged up underneath white linen. Procedure and all. The two lab techs in here as well both flanked by their own personal A.I. assistants those same ones that were poking at Ravager earlier.

There's just a faint nod from Hope at that. Sure as she enters the med lab she glances around, but... She appears to be trying to collect her thoughts. She doesn't even stop to blink at how high tech everything is. Instead, it's almost as if somehow she's use to it.

"Look. I don't know what, if anything you know about a group called The X-Men. Hell I don't know a lot and it's all second hand. But what I do know is that they're all mutants, and they are trying to 'do good'. You had two people who were a part of them though at one point or another. One ended up raising me, and the other has been trying to kill me for as long as I've been alive. Just.... Try to keep that in mind as I explain things, because it's a mess."

Rubbing the back of his neck Superboy only nods slowly, "A lot to take in. This is X-Men stuff that is something Illyana and Nate really should be here... " He glances over, "Or coherent for. I'm just the guy who punches things. "And apparently make sure Stormwatch keeps doing the right thing. Kal would approve at least.

"Get some rest and when you wake we can talk. The docs here will patch you right up. They're good." Superboy offers her a smile and a pat on the arm before leaving out the door.

There's a slight pause, "Considering that Nate looks just like my.... Father, he probably already knows." is finally let out as Hope takes a seat and is examined and treated. "Then again, that clone had to come from somewhere..." is muttered even as Kon wanders off.