2013.10.03 - Mixed Targets

It couldn't be lovelier day under the sun. The clouds are poofy, the wind is a soft breeze; enough to fill a sail certainly, but not enough to knock a hat off. Nor anything that might bring the water upon which a boat sits to crest more than a gentle whitecap.

Which is fortuituous as no one wants to .. rock the boat, as it were.

Kurt is out. It's a testament to his constitution that his entire body didn't seize with the dosage of knockout with which he was given. Though the warmth on the blue fur begins to rouse him, or perhaps it's the fact that almost an entire day has passed, and sleepyhead is beginning his rise from slumber. The first indication of life is the deliberate movement of his tail. It swings out slightly, seemingly feeling its way around like a blind man puts out a hand, or a cane to check his place in the world around him. That lasts all about thirty seconds or so before a yellow, featureless eye cracks open, followed by the other one. Slowly. Deliberately.

Alive. Check.

Slowly but surely, Kurt's rise to consciousness continues, but there is that one overriding feeling. The distinct and familiar feeling of being out on the water.

Who would recognize the feeling of being cast out at sea better?

Not far away lies the form of Mystique, though she's clearly in much less distress than her smaller, teleport-capable son. She's stretched out under the sun in naught but a white bikini and sunglasses, each item undoubtedly made from herself, for herself.

At least she had the thought to pull Kurt out onto the deck where the sun could dry him out and keep him warm. He's even been given a seat cushion to use as a pillow.

See? She cares!

Dark blue lips meet the lip of an aluminum can as she has another sip of ginger ale, conveniently stored around the boat by its former crew, before she offers it over at arm's length. It's accompanied by a notable grin, though the yellow of her eyes are fully concealed beyond the mirrored black lenses.

"Bet you just feel like hell right now." And completely unable to teleport back to shore. At least for the time being, she has this mutant exactly where she wants him.

A three-fingered hand slides out and moves under his body in an attempt to push himself up, but it's certainly weighted. It's an effort, but in the few long minutes after the first deliberate movements, Kurt pushes long enough to actually make himself vertical. In that, he suffers a brief bout of vertigo, but it passes with a rapid headshake, as if to dislodge the spiderwebs inside his head.

Blink.

"M--"

Okay, try this again.

"Mother?"

Okay, that worked. At least it was only one false start to find his voice, even if it's a dry, hoarse one. "What did you do? Why--"

The can of ginger ale can't be ignored, however, and Kurt finds himself moving such that at least his tail can wrap about the can before he brings it to his dry lips. (So much better.)

"Do I look it?" Kurt is still highly confused, and now, he looks out and around, "Where are we?"

"Look, sound, and act it," Mystique 'helpfully' adds. If she's at all concerned about his well being or general comfort, it isn't showing.

"I've opened your mind."

By shooting him point-blank with a tranquilizer gun? Yep!

"The situation really has changed, Kurt," she starts to explain while lazily stretching her arms out above her head. "Outside of Genosha you will need to be more careful in revealing yourself."

As for his next question, "We're in open waters somewhere within the Atlantic. Don't worry, I've mapped out the fuel use. We'll have just enough to get back to the coast. Until then I thought we might have a little talk while you recombobulate."

Not that she's given him much of a choice in the matter. She doesn't like being turned down. Ever.

"You have questions, and I, as always, have answers." Let the fun commence.

Kurt blinks those golden eyes at his mother, both as he's working the words out in his head, and to focus on her a little more clear-- maybe not.

Are mothers supposed to wear bikinis?

"Good to know I look how I feel. Because if I didn't, I would be rather upset." The ginger ale really is helping, and Kurt takes those tentative moves forward; rising to his feet. The swaying of the boat doesn't concern him; it's a natural motion for him. "Opened MY mind.. you knocked me out. I'd call that fading me to black and closing up shop."

Kurt is never stupid enough, however, not to listen. He's normally a very observant person. Normally. And he's more than willing to listen, and while the sound of her tones are lazy, languid, the message that is held within is certainly a warning. He has to look away, however, as she stretches.

"Outside of Genosha.. what has changed, mother?" Now, Kurt moves to the edge of the boat, and looks up at the sun, looking as if he's trying to gauge where he is, his tail wrapping about one of the lashings out of habit. "How has it changed?"

Though, the news of -where- they are is met with a scowl. "I'm surprised you mapped out the fuel. Not willing to leave it to chance that I may not be able to get us to shore?" Which means they're far out, and he's not sure how. Flying leaps of faith in the form of a bamf really isn't his speciality.

"Why, mother? Why was SHIELD after you?"

"At first glance I'm sure that's how it would seem," Mystique replies with a notable lack of interest.

True to her word the smaller boat's probably as far away from land as it can possibly get. There's not much to see out here. Sky. Water. Languidly rolling waves. It would be ideal for diving, if that had been what the smaller boat had been brought out this way for.

"What has changed is that the humans are getting desperate. They want a solution which they do not understand to a problem which they cannot comprehend, they do not know what to do or what they want, yet they continue to act as though they know exactly what they seek. Quite careless, really."

The accusation is met with a soft chuckle. "Goodness, no. A few hours and I'm sure you could get us both out of her without trouble. I could even point out which direction to set off in." Not that she's -going- to. "I made sure to leave enough fuel in the tank so that you might get a chance to enjoy this lovely weather. When's the last time you could say that you've commandeered one of SHIELD's own fleet?"

Then..there it is. The Question. The very moment she had been waiting for. Her tone remains as level, neutral, and calm as ever as she answers with a question of her own. "What makes you think they were after me?"

Flawless cobalt-hued legs gently sweep around as she turns and sits upright, one hand perched along the edge of the hull while the other shifts the sunglasses to the top of her head. Solid yellow eyes meet solid yellow eyes.

"They were coming for you."

If Kurt had his boat (how he misses his boat!), he could easily enjoy this weather. Turning of the seasons, and the air is still warm, the water is still warm, and the nights are cool enough to go below decks and cuddle under blankets. But, this is not his boat, neither the time nor the place.

"They're getting desperate," Kurt repeats, and his gaze still is off to the distance, looking now vaguely westward. Atlantic Ocean, but there's no land in sight. No birds either. "Humans have always grasped at straws, hoping one will support their weight, mother. That's why those that seek to destroy us always have the house of straw that burns to the ground." In one fashion or another. And he's a blue piggy! Or would he be considered a blue wolf?

Mother's confidence in his ability is flattering, and based in firm, firsthand knowledge, so her acknowledgment is just that. "I like sails." Perching in the main sail!

Though, as things move towards SHIELD, Kurt turns about to look at his mother, his gaze lingering at her face. "Because they are always after you. Magneto. Flipping a helicarrier? Even I heard about that." So, ergo... after her! "Offhand, I would say that anywhere you go, you set off--"

Kurt hears, and his words are cut off as if sliced with a knife. "What?" This one is going to take a bit to get through.

"Why would they be coming for me?" Well, okay.. Kurt could think of a lot of reasons, and one is hazarded. "Interpol?"

Kurt's own take of the Human Condition has Mystique smiling. It remains fairly thin, though it's also genuine. He may have a misplaced heart but he's never been a foolish boy, he -sees.- He understands. In this she can always remain proud of him.

"They didn't happen to have a sailboat handy. I wasn't about to be terribly picky."

Her smile could have grown. That moment of realization, they had been after -Kurt.- His reaction is just priceless. Smart he is, and yet he can still be blindsided in a big way. Any such amusement is safely contained within herself, however. On the outside her small grin starts to vanish.

"Nothing so simple, I'm afraid. Fury himself has it out for you, child. They would come for you to try and force us to tell them what they wish to hear. The dart which put you under is what they came for you with. You never would have seen them coming. By the time they had you within their sights there would have been nothing you could do. I know you believe you can remove yourself from any harm's way but you needed to be shown, you had to understand. As soon as they have you there will be -nothing- left for you to do."

Which leaves them both out here, in the middle of nowhere.

"Tell me, do you feel as though you could teleport yourself to safety now?"

Nothing so simple as murder. Okay. That in itself is a little scary.

Kurt takes a couple of steps aft, where his mother is, and he quirks his head. He's getting the answer, and it's not one he likes. In the least. "I would die before I gave an answer, mother," he says. It's a simple statement, but it's one based in true faith, honest belief. "As much as I don't approve of.." Well, okay, "..everything, this isn't a war for them." Not a battle for them to fight. In his firm belief, anyway. Mutant against mutant... and hopes that none fall, but instead, come to an understanding.

Now, however, he's been warned, and those blue shoulders slouch a little, and the tail lowers to wrap it's spaded-end around his ankle. "I wish you'd told me some other way. Being knocked out like that is certainly something of a show-und-tell. I think I would have believed you if you'd just -told- me about it."

Though now, Kurt looks over his shoulder, his gaze turned westward once again, his golden eyes narrowing consideringly. "Hail Mary." Full of grace.. but he does mean the football pass rather than the Rosary. "It would be a trip, ja.. but I could do it," is almost whispered. "Ja."

It's here that Mystique looks somewhat sympathetic. "Extenuating circumstances, dear. I hadn't planned on it. They had forced my hand. I had to make sure that I could get us both to safety, and that you would not disappear on me before I could warn you."

A time for talk, a time for action, yadda yadda.

What comes as something of a surprise to her is Kurt's level of confidence within himself. Barely conscious after hours of being chemically knocked out, and he feels capable of teleporting to safety? Perhaps this part of her lesson isn't going to work, but it's rewarding to know how far he's come. Whether he could actually get himself back to shore or not is left unanswered, though she'd rather he not try it. For a couple of reasons.

"Please understand, Kurt. This is SHIELD. They don't need you to speak in order to get an answer from you. They do not play by anyone's rules beyond their own. If they need to psychically strip the information from your mind then that is what they will do. They've managed to catch -me.-"

And that should be saying something!

A perfect blue hand reaches out, seeking the side of Kurt's face. A mother's touch. "You've heard me say this before, but I will do whatever it takes to see to your safety."

Including acts of genocide, and drugging him where he stands.

If he had to do it, Kurt would push himself to his limits and past. He didn't say it would be easy, or that he'd come out on the other side conscious, however. Jumps take stamina, and upon landing, he would be at anyone's mercy. Not ideal, by any stretch.

Hail Mary. Intercessionary prayer for protection.

As Mystique continues, it seems that some of the message begins to seep through those pointed, blue-furred ears of his. SHIELD. Fury. After -him-.

Shuddering, Kurt rolls his head forward, those yellow eyes downcast as he considers all the ramifications. Without the image inducer, his life in the city could very well be forfeit. And do they have equipment that can see through his civilian model of Stark Industry's Image Inducer?

They've managed to catch -me-.

That, in itself, speaks volumes. It's one thing to know that.. but quite another to truly understand and -know- that.

At his mother's touch, Kurt raises his head, but there isn't defeat in those yellow eyes. There's determination. Faith. The (possibly) misguided belief that now that he's forewarned, he'll be better than that. Better than they are.

Never show everything you've got. The mutant mantra. Before he is ever taken, he'll give them a tour of hell. Literally.

"Thank you for the warning, mother. And, oddly enough, I understand why you did what you did."

Now, how again does Mystique manage to get her son to -thank- her for drugging him, or beating him up, or.. whathaveyou exactly?!

When it's clear that Mystique's touch isn't turned away she runs the pad of a thumb across the blue fuzz of his cheek, a smile returning along with a bit of concern. SHIELD's play for her son isn't the only useful piece of intel she's uncovered while aboard the Argus. The rest is nothing which he needs to hear. Not yet. But, she always leaves herself a winning hand within easy reach.

She could take the chance to push Genosha once more. 'You'll be safe here. They cannot get to you here.' Alas, she already knows his answer to that. Know when to push and when to hold back. This here, today, is another winning hand for her. She aims to keep it that way.

Which is why that brushing of his cheek is followed up with a hug.

"I'm never far, child. If you need me, I will be there." A promise, and perhaps a warning. The boat keys which she offers next hold no such hidden vibes. Who would she be to deny him this moment of enjoyment?

"The helm is yours, though the waters will not remain calm for long."

Kurt remains there, just within reach of his mother. A million thoughts run through his head. Maybe she'll see the right way? If he can use her love for him to point her in the direction, for her life to take a new bearing, a new course, and they can be a family? Like they hadn't been before.

Barring her desire to kill Amanda, of course. That would have to be a given.

Kurt does take the step in for the hug. Two blue demon-looking mutants. (Only one moreso thanks to a tail.)

"Some would find that frightening, mother," Kurt gently teases. "Und there are times when it makes my trustworthiness .. suspect." He offers a genuine smile, showing some of those fangs, before he pulls back out of the hug. "Not too close? Others might try und hit on you, or kill you. You seem to bring out the best in people."

Though now, when the keys are dangled, he can't help but take them. Boats. Even powered boats are better than none. "I must have been a sailor in a previous life. A ferryman, perhaps?" is asked in a lilting, almost playful tone. Moving forward to the navigation console, he sets the keys in, and fires up the engines. The twin Evinrude rumble to life in neutral, and before Kurt adds power to the throttle, he twists about, "We'll have to scuttle the boat, you know. I can't keep a SHIELD boat."

More's the pity.

Once that's said, warned, whatever, the throttle is hit, and immediately, the bow of the vessel rises from the water as the blades of the engines spin, churning the water behind them. Due west.. northwest.