2013.04.10 - Gene Therapy, Part 2

7:00 PM. Central Park. The weather has improved greatly over the last month, but yet there isn't anyone in this particular section of Central Park tonight. Well, anyone except for a single woman sitting at on a bench near the Bethseda Fountain. She is slim and stands at maybe five and a half feet in height. Brown, wavy hair reaches down to her shoulders, where it curls upwards just a little bit. She is dressed in a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a black leather jacket.

With her is a brown briefcase, which lays silently next to her as she waits for whoever it was that she expected to meet here. For she was planning on meeting somebody. Who, exactly, she was going to be meeting, was something that was still up in the air tonight. It was perfectly possible nobody would show up. That would just mean the woman would need to alter her plans this evening. But, it would be no skin off her nose. Rather, they would waste an opportunity.

Central Park. The open letter said Central Park, and with the sun setting, Kurt makes use of the shadows. He plays, after a fashion, teleporting from tree to tree, branch to branch until slowling as he gets to that spot where it was mentioned. The fountain?

With another *bamf*, the sound the air makes as it rushes to close that dimension to the otherworld, Kurt is near a lamppost as it begins to flicker to life. Glowing yellow eyes survey the area and land upon the girl with the briefcase.. and they narrow as he considers.

A decision is made, and better or worse, Kurt approaches the girl..

"Guten Abend, fraulein.."

This is a most peculiar opportunity. Mystique doesn't trust the offer in the slightest, but what would be the harm in figuring out what it's all about? She can learn more about her enemy, and hey, what -human- is going to get the jump on her? Anything they can do she can do better, and all that. The bigger question is which persona to use, she had gone through a couple of them on the night of the infiltration. In the end she settles for the red haired security officer woman, though this time 'dressed' in civvies rather than a work uniform. There's no way she would reveal her true self, these people aren't so deserving of such an opportunity.

She does come armed, however. It's handy being able to conceal such tools within her own body. Slightly uncomfortable, but oh so useful. A woman has to be prepared.

Ah, and that soft sound upon the wind and the offensively delicate scent of sulfur upon the air tells her that her son has just arrived, as well. Lovely. They can conquer this one together, just another bonding moment for the two. Unlike Kurt, she simply walks out into the open and approaches with hands tucked into coat pockets.

The Winter Soldier and his dated eyesore of a flower delivery van/Soviet weapons depot did laps around the outside of the park a couple hours ahead of the meeting time before finding a place to park; the Russian spent the rest of the time between his arrival and the appointment just wandering the park, keeping his head down and ostensibly looking for someone, somewhere within it to deliver the bow-wrapped box tucked beneath his right arm to.

When 7:00 rolls around, the Soldier/slorist/spy winds his way to the fountain, still toting that box around. The tag on his green jumpsuit says that his name is 'JOHN'; there are still some dark red stains, thanks to Heather being shot to death(and then getting back up again to play human shield) near him on Victorious Therapy's lower levels.

"Ma'am," he lowly offers with a crisp New England accent and a slight tug on the brim of his green baseball cap.

"Good evening," the woman responds. She sniffs the air, picking up on that brimstone smell that Nightcrawler leaves behind. "You got my note. I am glad of it, and yes, I am Steady. Do not worry. Nobody will disturb us here," she assures the gathered individuals. "I am given to understand that you were the ones responsible for the recent break-in at my company". She smirks a little. "A bold move, and that type of initiative is something I would applaud in my own employees under most circumstances". The woman's tone is cool and business-like.

"However, you have come across some information that I myself have been...holding in reserve. As you may have guessed, some individuals up near the top of my company have started to have what you might term delusions of grandeur. They believe that they can manipulate human life down to where they can give people abilities much like what I suspect some of you have. And like what I have". There is a shake of her head. "What my husband and I know, however, is that something of this nature is beyond us".

Here the woman pauses for a moment as she surveys the group. "Now, the problem lies in this. My husband believes that if we make people think we can do this, we can attract the attention of individuals like yourselves. Draw you in. And promise that we can provide you with a cure, when in fact what he wishes to do is experiment upon your bodies. Mutant, alien, it makes little different to him. He has reached the point to where he has become obsessed". She pauses once more, waiting to see how the group reacts to this information.

It's really not hard to see that the Amazing Nightcrawler's something of a mutant, and the topic is something of a cause celebre to him. Everything past the reply of 'Good evening' from this young woman is met with a stare.. and as she continues, his mouth drops open slightly.

Those glowing yellow eyes turn towards the newly arrived first that is the security officer, and lingers there before turning his attention to the florist, and his eyes narrow to catch the tell-tale blood stains (he's seen enough of them to recognize what they are!). Shifting his weight, the tip of his tail twitches slightly.

Eventually, his gaze moves back towards the young woman, and his voice lowers, "Und you wish to stop him." A statement rather than a question.

How wonderful, Mystique recognizes the man sporting the old bloodstains as well. Hadn't she come very close to shooting at him back there? The stains are proof that she at least got the man's ally of the evening, point there. Kurt is acknowledged visually, yet that's where it ends. Either he knows who she is, or he doesn't.

Then things get a little interesting. A cure..? A -cure?!- Like being a mutant is something so troublesome as catching a cold! Mystique keeps her expression perfectly level, the same thin smile that had been present a moment ago remaining unchanged.

On the inside she's absolutely -seething.-

However, one must look at the larger picture. What this woman admitted to, this apparent obsession of her husband's, tells her some important things. Despite the sudden urge to gut this woman where she is, the metamorph takes the opportunity to look ..intrigued. There's now two ways of taking care of this. She can play along, find out through this woman who her husband is and take care of the situation, or she could go after their speaker here and now then do the legwork on tracking her husband down on her own time.

Decisions, decisions. Above all, she needs to keep a cool head. Bold-faced attacks are generally not her style, anyway. They lack finesse. And it would feel all the sweeter when she could sink a blade into them from behind when it's least expected...

As terrible, rage-filled thoughts drift through Mystique's mind, she answers in a perfectly conversational tone. "Stop him with a little backup from more capable hands."

A moment after Kurt's eyes move away from him, the Soldier squints in Kurt's direction with a wrinkled nose; even with blood and gunsmoke and Shiftsmoke in the air at VT's, that tell-tale scent of brimstone was difficult to miss--and harder still to misplace. Regardless, his attention returns to the mystery woman in pretty short order; the tell she has to tell is an important one, even if it doesn't have the same kind of resonance for him that it might for Kurt and Mystique.

"Well," he evenly drawls once she pauses, arching a brow, "that's great, and all, but I got what I went in there for, sooooo..." His arm tightens a little around that gift-wrapped box as he glances between his companions, and then he finishes, "... what's in it for /us/, exactly?" Another glance at Nightcrawler - he can guess at what might be in it for /him/ easily enough, at least - and then he clarifies, "Or, y'know. Me."

"Perhaps shockingly, I would like him to remain alive. He is, after all is said and done, my husband. He has changed through the years, but somewhere in there is still the man who I care for". Steady looks around the group briefly as she considers her words. "However, he must be stopped, and this is not something I can do alone. My husband is also a mutant. He is capable of manipulating people to do his bidding," she explains. "Now. The reason I am telling you all this is that he cannot hear this from me. He won't listen to me when I tell him his morals have failed him. Therefore, I need the help of outsiders. If he is removed from the picture in a way that is discrete enough, I will be able to take control of the company again, and try to do something to rectify the crimes done to the victims he has claimed so far. It will not be enough. But it will be something".

There is a pause in the air for a few seconds while she gathers her thoughts. "He is dangerous. He may very well try and kill you. But he has a weakness that can get him put away. The drug trade he started in, that you all discovered. And he can only manipulate groups. Crowd control is a specialty of his, but individuals? That is not something he is good at. But he will need to be subdued. There is a reason there were no arrests at the building that evening," the woman explains.

She looks to Winter Soldier and smirks. "A mercenary. Cold, hard cash opens a lot of doors, now doesn't it? I have access to bank accounts in a few different countries as well, if you prefer cash that way as well. All you have to do is play by my rules and you get paid".

Kurt pauses at the woman's words, the question regarding stopping the younger woman's husband with backup.. and his gaze lingers there for a long moment. That, and her brief, acknowledging look helps put things into place, and he exhales softly. Mother. He's got words to have with her, but here and now? If he was being honest with himself, her words echo his own thoughts on the matter; sometimes, one simply needs help. How can a wife raise a hand to her husband? He couldn't imagine such a thing being easy- so, why not ask for aid?

And there it is, just as Kurt expects. Good to know that he's not lost his touch..

"Ja.. I fully expect that he would try und kill us. Particularly if we are not his test subjects." The last two words are harsh, moreso than with just a German accent. "Where is it that we will find him, Frau..." No name, of course..

As far as the 'Soldier goes, Kurt is at a disadvantage- until he declares himself a mercenary. THOSE, he understands.. mostly. At least he's got some experience, anyway. He smiles slowly, though it's devoid of mirth.. and his fangs show. "No payment if he dies.."

Still, now the blue elf has his own request, "I want a copy of his research." Kurt seems to be collecting quite a bit of research! Or trying to, anyway.

Most interesting, indeed... Mystique has enough of a reason to play along without demanding money for the cause, but it -does- make for a good front. "You would have us put our own lives on the line for something which you were not capable of handling on your own? Compensation for the rest of us should be a no brainer." For all of them. Even Nightcrawler.

Yeah, she can 'play along' while getting paid for her time. Then, once she gets close enough, she'll gladly do the deed which others do not seem strong enough to handle. Except for John, perhaps. He seems like he's dealt with this sort of thing on plenty of occasions, good ol' mercs. He could prove to be useful, himself.

Dear, darling Nightcrawler, however? No way. She'd have to play her hand just right before he'd go and do something silly like teleport the guy to safety. She knows how Kurt works. The unfortunate, misguided soul. His own words confirm it, already trying to keep 'John' in line.

She'd gladly kill the husband for free.

"As to the matter of your situation, I do believe proper arrangements could be made. Like Eyeglow said, where do we find him?" And if things don't go according to plan? Flash some bills in front of John and she's got herself an easy distraction.

'He is capable of manipulating people,' Steady says, and just like that, the boldness, the confidence that presumably pushed the Soldier to boil this talk of exploitation and experimentation down to financial terms begins to slip; for a moment, it's as if the man has seen a ghost. He's more or less recovered by the time she gets to the subject of payment, though--certainly enough to flash her a tight-lipped smile at the mention of cash.

And when Kurt bares his fangs? He merely turns that smile upon the Elf and offers, "Don't get your tail in a twist, eh? I heard her fine," as assurance.

With that, his attention returns to Steady, whom he quietly asks, "What's a 'crowd', exactly?" Gesturing to Kurt, Mystique, and himself in turn, he continues, "We gonna have to split up?" Beat. "Maybe... work in pairs?"

"Seven," Steady responds to Winter Soldier. "More than that, and he can control them. Once he has control, he can manipulate them for a day at a time, until he brings them together again for another application of his powers. It slowly impacts their free will, and when you combine that with some of the drugs that are made, you can see where this is going".

Steady then looks to Mystique and Nightcrawler. "Of course. You will both be compensated. Cash for you," she says, pointing to Mystique. "And the research and smaller bit of cash for you". Steady didn't think the research would amount to much, but perhaps Nightcrawler could make use of it. "You will find your payments, once he has been properly incarcerated, underneath this bench". She pulls out three separate keys and places them on the ground. One key slides to each individual, powered by some unknown source.

"I want him alive and placed in jail for a long time. But I want him to realize the severity of what he's done. You may not believe I am handling this on my own, but I am using the abilities I do have to take care of this issue in my own way. And this is my way".

She pauses for a moment, considering her next words. "He is out of the country currently, but due back next week. At 4:00 am on the seventeenth of this month, those keys will also open drop boxes under this bench that have details on where he will be that evening. If you wish to bring others in, that is your choice, but the payment amount remains the same for each of you. You are the ones who responded to my request. I would not suggest bringing many, however".

Another pause. "Do you have any questions for me? Or is this clear?"

Kurt's gaze lingers on the woman that he now knows without any uncertainty to be his mother as she voices her concerns and begins the negotiations.. and the preparing of arrangements. He can tag along, knowing full well that both know what he will ultimately do, should the situation warrant it.

Having one's life saved by the very being that one sought to research like an animal.. sometimes it turns the hardest heart. Of course, sometimes it does nothing.

There isn't as much concern in regards to 'manipulating people' in reaction; after all, she said 'in a crowd'. Crowd control.

And there, the florist with blood stains comes out with it.. the definition of 'crowd' requested. When it comes, Kurt nods slowly.

Reaching out for 'his' key, Kurt picks it and considers it thoughtfully. "Seventeenth, 4 am." He smiles, a touch.. wistfully. "A time for neither man nor beast." But, after a couple .. gallons of coffee? "This is clear."

Mystique accepts the key which is slid in her direction, though she's already getting the impression that she won't be getting paid for this job, after all. No worries. She has her priorities in order. There is one more question on her mind, however. "His ability to influence others, how does he accomplish this? Is it psionic in nature?"

If it is, she'll be even more perfect for the task at hand. One way or another, something will end up 'turning the heart' of this man. She's placing her own bet on a fixed five inch blade.

"You will be seeing me again soon." In some fashion or another.

"Understood," the Soldier exhales as he scoops his key up. Not killing the guy sits perfectly well with him, but finding a way to take him out of the equation while making utterly, absolutely sure that he's penitent will take a little consideration... and, perhaps, some imagination, if things go /really/ poorly.

She did not, after all, specify much about his preferred condition beyond 'alive'.

"I have a van," he then says, glancing towards Mystique the Security Guard in particular. "Tinted windows and everything." The casual way in which he says it almost makes it sound like a non-sequitur, but the look in his eye suggests otherwise; it's a resource to be used, if it turns out that their semibenevolent kidnapping mission calls for it.

"Some of it is. He also alters body chemistry somehow when he does it to make people more bendable to his will. I do not honestly understand all the inner workings of his power," Steady responds. "I will leave this work to you then. I do not need the details of your plan. Good luck". The woman shimmers for a brief second before she and the ground beneath her turn into a brown clay. The woman melts into the ground, and it solidifies once again.