2013.05.29 - The Apprehension of Highball

The alert goes out over the X-Net. It's nothing the X-Men aren't used to by now... danger proximity, operate with a high level of discretion, with a GPS signal that plants the alert straight in the middle of one of the Bronx's poorest areas at 3am.

As such, it may be little surprise that the alert comes from the signal of one Kwabena Odame, also known as 'Shift'.

What might be surprising, however, is that the alert came at all--for Shift departed the X-Men grounds a number of weeks ago, on a secret mission known only to the senior members of the X-Men. He was going to apprehend the mutant killer known as 'Highball'.

The Bronx at 3:00am is rarely a pleasant place to be, and this particular neighborhood is known to be devoid of most life at this hour, save for the lowest of life's in the boroughs. Movement typically comes in the form of rats scouring for food, junkies twitching in a gutter somewhere, or the shady figures of the narcotic and prostitution world to whom this particular night seems to bow in submission.

A nondescript truck rolls through the neighborhood, fortunately drawing no attention from any of the wandering, watchful eyes, for it was not the truck of a rival gang lord or the undercover vehicle of the NYPD. Said truck rolls quietly toward the dark loading dock of an unremarkable warehouse. It's lights blink out, and a figure clad in shadow of skin and clothing lurks out from the driver's seat and limps around toward the back of the truck.

-Sllllsssh, clink!-

The figure lifts the back door and climbs into the truck. Moments later, the drugged and gagged mutant known as Highball, known to many via the news outlets who captured his ghastly skin and bright orange hair during one of his recent heists, is drug out by the figure. With a quiet grunt, the darkly clad man hefts the prone mutant over his shoulder and trods toward the warehouse door with tired steps.

Shift is back.

High above, the Blackbird floats nearly silently as a group of X-men make their way towards the notification.

"Easy everyone. We won't know much until we get on the ground. Be careful," Cyclops says as he looks over his shoulder. "Stealth is a high priority."

The first X-man pulls the vehicle up just above a nearby rooftop and the ramp lowers down onto the roof.

"Right. So...um, you first, Laura," Cessily suggests. "X." Because Cessily is dressed in her school costume, which leaves her not particularly stealthy at all, between the exposed silver skin and the red and white of the costume itself. She does, however, lean over out the ramp, surveying the rooftop.

Remy laBeau, son of the sons of Cajun royalty (such as it is), rubs his jaw thoughtfully, scarlet eyes narrowed in thought at the scene unfolding a few dozen yards away from him. It's doubtful anyone would spot him up on his little ledge- a shadowy nook on the side of a building, scarcely wide enough for a pigeon to perch on. Remy's as comfortably ensconced there as a man sitting in a chair, squatting in the shadows and his forearms resting on his knees. His heavy Inverness collar is turned up to his ears, and his motions are just slight and subtle enough to keep him well blended in with the natural susurrations of shadow that follow the Bronx at night.

It is with apparent great interest that Remy watches Shift unload his cargo- and then eyebrows shoot up as he recognizes Highball. He shifts uncomfortably on the shelf, considering his options.

With a loose-limbed agility, Remy drops down a level, as effortlessly as if he were on a jungle gym instead of being three stories in the air. He grabs a stone ledge, works his way a few feet to the side, and drops again, landing noiselessly on the ground. His eyes glitter in the night, and then he steps through the shadows.

A moment later, there's motion next to the dumpsters not far from Shift. Remy's head and shoulders appear in the light, just slowly enough to promise no attack imminent. "Bonjour, mon ami," Remy says in that lolling Creole tone. His hands, empty, appear in the moonlight. "Look like you been busy huntin'. Ol' Remy wonderin' if dat fellah don give us all de slip, or if someone 'roun heah pick him up by de scruff an' drag his ass back home." He steps warily into the full light of the alley, his jacket hanging around his calves. "You doin' ok der, son? You look a heapa mess." A light flares in his palm and a cigarette appears in his fingertips, the tip burning a cherry red as it's lit. "Like fi' miles o' bad road."

Stealth? One of the 'X-Men' in the Blackbird can do stealth with ease. In some ways it could be argued that it was bred into her. In other ways it could be argued that it was one of the first things taught to her growing up.

Not that Laura Kinney would admit to either. not as she instead sits in her seat, almost an unmoving statue, awaiting the 'go' order.

Why was Channel, still one of the students, along on a mission at three o'clock in the morning? Well, for starters, it was in a poor area of the city, and Channel was very comfortable operating in such an area. Secondly, her sight let her scan the area without having to deal with problems like walls and obstructions. And most importantly, that alert came from Shift, one of the few who could really get where Jocelyn came from and what she was about.

"I've got three figures down there," Channel reports. "And one of which has radio frequencies matching our links. That's them I'll bet, but it looks like Shift's got a visitor," Channel reports. Pause. "And one of them just used some kinetic energy. Very small amount of it, but that was definitely a flare of kinetic energy. I'd know that sign anywhere". The teenager with the ability to see energy probably uses kinetic energy the most of any other type of energy.

Okay, so maybe the fact that she could see energy with her sight was currently winning out as the reason she'd come along.

Before the Blackbird's door is ever opened, and the ramp is ever lowered, Jean Grey -- who still uses the codename Phoenix in the field, despite no longer being possessed of the full Phoenix power (honestly, she's hardly diminished without it) -- is already scanning the minds in the area of this dark wearhouse, looking for active minds and attempting to determine who they are and what their purposes may be. "I'll keep things as quiet for us as I can," she tells Cyclops, a pair of fingers on her temple as she pushes out a telepathic illusion that basically tells anyone that's NOT an X-Man: Nothing to see here. Move along, move along.

As the door does open and the ramp does lower, she summons her TK and floats out, hovering low over the building, still concentrating on the telepathic cone of silence.

Hefting Highball's dead weight between his left shoulder and hand, Shift places his right hand up against the warehouse door's lock. The hand quickly turns into smoke, and filters between the cracks and spaces in the lock and doorknob. A moment later, there's a click, and the smoke withdraws to form into a human hand once more.

The doorknob turns.

And then, Shift is darting his head around to inspect his new visitor. The warning look of impending combat flashes through the African's mis-matched eyes, but just as quickly the look fades, for he recognizes the visitor and the non-combative stance. A quiet breath of relief seeps through flared nostrils, and with a simple motion, Shift switches Highball's dead weight back to both shoulders while keeping the door propped open with the toe of one boot.

"Remy," he says in simple greeting, then quietly pushes the door the rest of the way open. "Moah like five hundred miles. I had some... help."

It's not much of an explanation as to how, exactly, Shift was able to take out the lightning-fast Highball, but if he had help, it would certainly shed some light on the matter. "You'd bettah come inside if you want a piece of dis," he offers, and without further words, the African is slipping inside of the dark and abandoned warehouse.

Moments later, Shift drops his unconscious prey in a heap upon the dirty floor. He rustles around on his person, only to remember that his X-Communicator had become smashed in the ordeal. With a sigh, he instead gets to work uncurling a long coil of rope and begins tying Highball up to a large support column. Meanwhile, he peers up toward the doorway, keenly watching to see if Gambit is going to join him inside. Once finished tying the mutant up, he reaches down to check for a pulse, then breathes a silent curse in his foreign tongue under his breath. "Thirty seconds," he breathes, and begins rustling through his black leather jacket for something.

Cyclops takes a look down where Channel has noted the shift in Kinetic Energy. He watches as a figure pulls another into the warehouse. "Looks like that's our guy. Let's go, team. Quietly."

Cyclops quickly fastens some sort of grapnel out of his belt and falls over the edge and down the building's facade, disappearing into the shadows. Within a few moments, he's made his way into the warehouse, careful to ensure that it is indeed Shift who has called this party.

Mercury's one of the students too, if also a senior with several year's training under her belt. X-23's already darted ahead in her 'Lady of Shadows' way, while Channel's looking and so is Mercury. "Heading through the roof," Cessily tells the others and then she's off. Across the roof and down the wall, which she can cling to without too much trouble thanks to her powers. Mercury keeps to the shadows to reduce her reflections and climbs up the wall of the warehouse, moving over the roof. A faint 'ah-hah' on the comms. "Heading in through the vents," Mercury says, stretching herself out and heading in.

Remy follows Shift into the warehouse with the same languid, careless stride with which he walks everywhere- hands jammed into his pockets, cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. "Don' know dat ah wanna piece o' dat, frien', but ah 'magine you coul' use a frienl'y face." Remy flicks a fingertip and produces a pack of smokes, a cigarette standing up from the pack and proferred to Shift. "Smoke?" he offers, cordially.

Remy moves a slow circle around the downed Highball, a pair of coins in his other hand. They glitter with a light all their own, shifting and rolling under his fingertips and across his knuckles with a hypnotic tumbling. "Don' know dat ah wan' a rematch wit dis one," Remy says, shaking his head minutely. The Cajun considers Highball with a more scrutinizing examination. "Remy faster den Br'er rabbit, but dis fella, he move like litnin'. You got him drugged or some, son?" Remy inquires of Shift, turning his scarlet pupils on the other man. He takes a long drag on his cigarette, exhaling through his nose. "'spect you got friendlies inbound, oui? You need ol' Remy to scamper off? Don' wanna git my nose in your business," he offers, his tone friendly and unoffended.

There isn't much of a reaction from X-23 as she slips out of the blackbird, making so little sound that it could be considered very eerie. Not that she can be easily seen either. Instead, she sticks to the shadows. But when it comes time to get down to the ground below, she doesn't use a line. Instead Laura just jumps, and somehow lands with still barely making any noise, all while remaining in the shadows.

Flying quietly out of the Blackbird, Channel follows after Cyclops. She lands upon getting to the ground, and silently follows the field leader inside, scanning the area for anyone else, and providing directions to the likely location inside the warehouse of Shift and the others, based on looking for life energy. For such a tall woman, she too moves rather quietly, and doesn't have any problems keeping to the shadows and not giving away her location in any obvious manner.

Being dressed in X-Men blacks is about as close to blending into the shadows as Jean is going to get, thanks to her red hair and inevitable flame aura. Though, once she touches down on the ground beside Scott, that fades. Her hand falls from her temple, though she maintains her Jedi mind-trick: (These are not the droids you're looking for.) She stays close, stays alert. Picking out minds, she smiles tightly. "Shift doesn't have com," she tells Cyclops. "I'll link us in."

Telepathically, then, she reaches out to brush Shift's mind and join to the small group, so that everyone can hear each other without too much difficulty. Of course, Gambit's mind is one she's unfamiliar with, and thus she doesn't link him in. Indeed, his mind is more like background noise to her than anything she clearly discerns. ~ Shift... ~ she sends, ensuring communication is clear. ~ It's Jean. We're here... ~ And she adds for him enough feedback to let him know who is here with her and how they're progressing.

Shift pauses rummaging through his jacket just long enough to cast a look Remy's way with a grin. "Please," he answers, and snatches the smoke free, accepting the light that is most likely given. Two puffs later and he's moving upon Highball once more, now with a sophisticated syringe in hand. Nothing like the cheap, drug store types used by the aforementioned junkies, this is the type of high tech syringe capable of carrying concentrated (and, key word here, multiple) doses of whatever its user deems fit to carry within. Shift's cigarette, much like that of Gambit's, remains dangling between two lips, burning away while the African crouches down next to Highball and injects him in the neck with whatever serum is inside that syringe. A simple flash of his eyes Remy's way, paired with a knowing grin, is enough to answer the Cajun's question.

"Heavily," he answers, and rises to his feet, snatching the cigarette with a free hand and blowing a puff of smoke into the air. The syringe is held up briefly. "You don't want dis stuff flowing through your veins. Too risky to let him wake up."

Tucking the syringe back inside his jacket, Shift moves away from Highball, eyes peering toward the door that remains cracked just so. "Dunno," he answers. "It's possible." Given the way his eyes remain locked on the warehouse door, then begin glancing about here and there, it would seem he is, in fact, expecting company. "You know, de weirdest thing? Dis son of a bitch beat de hell out of me." Shift blinks then, recollecting the odd experience he'd had when both he -and- Highball seemed to have mysteriously lost their mutant abilities. "Which... is... weird, because, well." He looks toward Gambit pointedly, for after all, the Cajun knew of his particular talents well. "You know."

Another drag of the cigarette is taken, before the Ghanaian X-Man turns his eyes back to Gambit with a stern look. "Company's here," he informs. "Your call."

Turning his eyes back toward, well, nothing, he merely lets his thoughts go free, much as he did when learning how to let the telepath known as Psylocke read his thoughts. (So is another. Friendly, but... make sure precautions to conceal your identities is taken. I know not where his loyalties lie. Highball's asleep. Very asleep.)

Smoke, puff, breathe.

"Good evening, Shift," Cyclops says as he emerges. "Appears you got the man you were after. I'm happy to see that he's in one piece." He gives an upwards nod over to Gambit, before returning his assumed gaze towards Shift. "Who's your friend?"

With a hand motion, Cyclops signals to the rest of the team that everything is in the clear, and they can show themselves. He could probably just use Jean's link, and it's probably just to use the gestures in a live situation.

Mercury's flowed through the ductwork like a champ, popping her head up in various places just to see what's what. She's barely checked two rooms, however, once Cyclops calls all-clear, resulting in a bubbling of silver liquid out of an air return on the side of the warehouse. The slick flows all the way down the building into a puddle, from which arises and reforms the figured of the Xavier senior. "Shift!" Mercury declares with some surprise. "You're okay! That's great!" Apparently the memo didn't filter all the way to her level.

Remy nods once at Shift- a gestalt acceptance of Shift's explanation, and his warning. "Tanks for de warnin', mon ami," he tells the Ghanian. "Ah stick aroun', mebbe see how dis ting play out. You, uh, ever figger out what all happened with de..." He trails off with a meaningful gesture- apparently referencing the powerlessness that had made the Ghanian so uncomfortable. Remy's face reflects that discomfort. Few mutants can contemplate the idea of being powerless lightly. He clears his throat. "Is it sometin' he did? Or does? Or der another player in de game?" Gambit looks around warily, as if sensing the incoming 'friendlies' that Shift has assured him are arriving. Gambler's instinct. "Make ol Remy nervous, tinkin' dat someone coul' snap der fingers like dat."

At that moment, Mercury pops up almost out of nowhere, and Gambit's eyes go up measuredly. He takes her in with a flickering glance, a pair of quarters rolling across his knuckles, then winks surreptitiously at Shift. "Den again, dese good looks ain't got notin' to do with bein' mutant," he suddenly adds, breaking out in a wide grin. "How you doin', mon cher?" he asks Mercury. "So you takin' up gamblin' an' hangin' out with Shifty guys like dis one heah?" he asks, jerking a thumb towards the Ghanian. "You got some peculiar taste, mon cher."

There is some movement in the shadows as a certain person continues to move about. And yet as she catches up to Cyclops, her eyes go wide.

That is before finally, Laura steps out, and....

Smiles?!?

Yes, that's right. Laura is smiling!

"Shift." is said with a nod towards the mutant that called them here. That is before in turn she nods at the thieve here.

"Gambit."

"Now all we need is Domino and an exploding train."

Unlike Mercury, Channel plays it cool. Like you've been here before. The tall woman steps out from the shadows, coming up on Scott's left side. "Morning Shift," Channel says to the man, her smile mostly hidden by her mask. She hadn't caught sight of anything that had her too worried. A slight shift in her stance, however, and a tilt of her head should be enough to communicate to Shift she was pleased to see him again. That old street demeanor made communication with Shift a little different than with others.

It was obvious Shift had someone in custody, and someone else was here, but there wasn't anything else to be worried about, she hoped. Laura seemed to recognize Gambit, so that meant something. No nasty robots trying to smash them or anything of that nature, so Channel was perfectly happy about that. She didn't know what Shift's mission was, but that wasn't important right now. She does note, however, how beat up he looks, and glances first to Cyclops, and then over to Shift, a silent question asked of her field leader she suspects he'll understand.

Jean maintains the link, despite that everyone's together, now. She knows how easy it is to get split up. She also continues to maintain that 'Nothing to see here...' façade, because, well, it never hurts either. Standing by Cyclops, now, she shoves her hands deep into the pockets of her black trench and gives a small smile in greeting to both the returning African and the Cajun she's yet to meet. She's been out of the loop so long, however, that she's still getting her bearings as to who is who and what is what, so she stays silent, stays alert, and keeps her mind open for possible incoming threats.

When Cyclops reveals himself, Shift tilts his head forward just so. The momentary silence is a sign of respect, though he refrains from using the man's code name just yet. "One piece, ahnd very much asleep," reports the African, before letting the arrival of other X-Men play out as it will.

To Cessily he grins, though it's a beleaguered gesture and not the easy-going type of grin she and the other students would be used to. However, Laura's greeting--which serves to also answer Cyclops' question regarding Gambit--manages serves to lighten the mood of one particular African who's not used to actually receiving punches. Seems by the way his body leans awkwardly in one direction that favors his right leg, he received quite a few of them. The beleaguered smile turns into a full grin at Laura's joke. "We're pretty far from de P and Q lines, luckily," he retorts.

You can't take the wit out of the mutant, obviously.

A similar gesture is given toward Channel, to whom the African merely looks at. Street talk and all, it has a way of communicating silently that he's pleased to see her too. However, Gambit's question remains tantamount to the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over Shift. "Doesn't fit his profile. He seemed just as sahprised as me when his ability disappeared. I tink we ahre dealing with a third party." His eyes turn pointedly toward Cyclops and Jean then, before he adds his next word. "Someone or something dat can 'turn off' our mutant abilities."

So, -that’s- how Shift was able to capture Highball, who's speed may indeed be matched by none other than the likes of Superman.

Following this, the African seems to deliver a rather grateful expression toward Scott and Jean. The other ones were X-Students, and he cared for them. To see that they are alive and well, and still training, is important to him. The gratitude is, of course, likely amplified by Jean's telepathic link.

"So, Cyke," he finally says, turning fully upon the leader. "Do you have some few bright ideas on where we might stow dis guy?" He gestures toward the snoozing Highball and adds, "I only have about ten more doses of de Mega-NyQuil, and as far as I can tell, his mutagene is no longah being inhibited. Because, well, ours aren't." He tilts his head Remy's way, not necessarily wanting to out the others as X-Gene mutants.

As Jean joins Cyclops' side, he turns to glance at her briefly before looking to Channel and nodding. "If he'll let you," he responds to her apparent line of thinking. Once he's regarded once more by Shift, Cyclops gives the Ghanian several different options. "We've got a couple avenues we could go with. We could give an anonymous tip to the Bureau of Superhero Affairs, contact SHIELD, the Justice League, or the like. They've got holding procedures that are-" he looks at Remy, "That would be more ideal."

Mercury shifts her head between Laura and Gambit. "You two have met?" she asks, sounding surprised. "I'm good," she says to Gambit, "Still owe you a rematch, I think," she adds. A double take. "What? You were part of that?" she asks Laura. "Why didn't you tell me!?" She humphs slightly, but at least Laura's smiling. That's a rare enough occurrence. And she's not at risk of a stabbing thanks to a dunking. "So what did this guy do?" she asks, eying him. She hasn't seen him on any bulletins, but then again Cessily only checks those periodically.

"Know her? Well, we met once or twice, but ah wouldn' call it a formal introduction," Remy tells Mercury with a wink and a sly grin. He turns to Laura, and then Gambit launches into a string of French Creole, fairly crooning at the woman. He takes a few of those careless swaggering steps towards her, murmuring something soothing and inarticulate, and plucks her hand up with artless ease and dusts her knuckles with a playful kiss. Somewhere along the line, his cigarette vanishes. His red eyes twinkle playfully. "Mon ami, it's been too long. You make ol' Remy pine an' moan hopin' to see you 'gin, 'ain't fair one bit," Remy protests. "You make a guy tink he gotta get some explosives an' a speedin' train to get you to pick up de phone at all." Gambit winks and produces his cigarette again, taking a step back to provide Laura her personal space, and takes a drag on the cigarette.

The new arrivals continue to stack up. His eyes flicker over the group in a gestalt examination, taking them all in at once. It's quite an assembly here, and Shift seems more at ease with them than one would expect of casual acquaintances. Of course, Remy doesn't say any of that- he just takes a drag on his cigarette and looks like he doesn't care.

He listens to the back and forth, his eyes dancing intelligently, then casually gestures towards the prostrate mutant with his cigarette. Little trickles of smoke follow his hand. "Why not jes kill him?" he asks, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "He fast. Too fast by half, if you ask me," Remy says with perfect assurance. "He wake up an get loose, it take Superman or de Flash to get him down 'gin. He kill lotta innocent people, too, maybe decide de world be better off without some of de people in dis room. Don't want dis guy messin' up my good looks," Remy says with a wry grin, running a hand along his long jawline.

Strangely enough, as Remy does all of that, Laura's smile vanishes and she goes back to standing there with little to no sign of emotion as he says all of that, and kisses her hand.

"Sorry." is said as she looks directly at the cajun. "But I have been busy with.... School."

Yes. /School/. Something that she'd never had much to do with back when she spent more time around Remy!

Then there's a slight nod at Mercury and Channel.

"It is a story for another time." is all she says about that, before she shifts her gaze back to Shift, and more important the guy he has 'restrained'.

"If you want to eliminate him..."

*SNIKT*

"I've got a good friend in the Justice League who I'm sure would be glad to pick him up or bring some gear and backup to contain him, whichever was best," Channel pipes up as she goes through her mental list of contacts. The girl had contacts all over the place, really, so she hopes people aren't that surprised that she knows someone.

"I just hope you like perky if we go that route". Because Stargirl was nothing if not excitable.

Channel then starts to move around to Shift. "You look like you took on a half dozen gangs and they had guns while you had a squirt bottle, Shift," she adds with an easy nod. "I've been working on a bit of something. If you'll let me, I think I can fix a few of those little cuts and bruises you've got there real quick". She goes to put her hand on Shift's shoulder quietly. If he lets her, she'll heal his physical wounds up with her own energy healing. Maybe a bit more than what she said there, but she doesn't know Gambit, and so she's not tipping her hand completely.

Speaking of that man, Gambit's statements about killing get a brief glance from Channel, but she'll let the more senior X-Men deal with that question, especially when Laura pulls out the claws. She was very used to the claws from her roommate by now, but she didn't think they were necessary yet.

"I'm sorry," Jean says now. "I've been a little out of the loop, lately. What exactly are his abilities? Superspeed, I've gathered. But, anything else?" She shifts her weight from one side to the other. If she's encountered him before, we'll just blame the fact she has several gaps in her memory since returning from the cocoon in the bay. Her expression is drawn and thoughtful. It's possible, after all, that she could inhibit his powers for a time. But to do so, she'd need a damned good reason. She's not in the habit of castrating mutant powers as a matter of course. And she wouldn't be able to assure them he'd stay that way. Not without constant monitoring and 'retouching' of the blocks. She moves forward now, however, to check Highball's vitals and do a quick scan of his mind to see what she can pick up from the fellow.

Shift answers Cessily's query in a most direct manner. "You're looking at Highball. A sociopath, and a murderah, who likes to attack peopah with anti-mutant sentiments. He's..." He looks toward Jean and adds, "-Impossibly- fast. He got away from myself and Logan, and tracking him was difficult."

As in, being-away-from-the-mansion-for-months difficult.

Shift tilts his head to the left, and the bones in his neck crack and pop. As if he were bad-ass enough to have taken Highball down on his own. The casual observer might be impressed, but Kwabena's admittance to there being a 'third party' kills that impression quite dead.

After taking another drag of his cigarette, Shift adds for Jean's benefit, "All of our infahmation says dat his supah speed -is- his only ability. Whomevah managed to inhibit our mutagenes? I don't tink it's him." He then cants his head in Remy's direction. "He might have some infahmation on whomevah it was dat put us all on our de-evolved ahsses," he answers. "I wouldn't trust a look of surprise." The sound of Laura's claws coming out draws another look. "Also," he adds, "justice and all dat."

He looks back toward Scott and echoes Channel's recommendation. "Justice League sounds good." He retrieves the sci-fi syringe from within his jacket and says, "I can stick around and make sure he stays in dreamland. Kind of want to see dis trough to de end, aftah all."

Finally, the African turns to Channel with the perk of an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not dat used to taking punches," he offers, before trailing off and letting her do her thing with a permissive look.

Meanwhile, Jean's probing of Highball's unconscious mind will betray a rather striking and searing anger. Murderous, rageful anger. The man is filled with hatred, and even in his dreams, he desires nothing more than to wake up and do what he can to dispatch with the bastards who caught him, before making his own speedy get-away once more. His vitals are nearly comatose, but strong, suggesting that the serum Shift acquired is quite safe, and yet -extremely- potent.

Shift studies Channel for a moment further, before canting his head more upright than it was before. The surprise in his soul is snuffed into a subtle look that he gives her, with one edge of his lip curling upward. Those keen enough to notice will see that the cuts and bruises of his face seem to be patching up; not at the speed of Logan's healing abilities, to be sure, but enough to be noticeable over the span of a few minutes.

"We don't operate that way," Cyclops response to Gambit has an air of snap and appears as if there will be no discussion on the matter. He nods to Shift. "Give me a few moments to set things up. I'm sure if I'm able to make contact with them through their representatives, they'd be happy to send a dispatch out."

"Woah!" Cessily says. She rushes up to Laura side, her arm stretching out into a long tentacle that wraps around Laura's wrist. "Have you been reading Magneto pamphlets?" she asks. "It's not like he's a threat. This is totally a SHIELD ting," she says.

"Hey, no offense, monsieur," Gambit says, spreading his hands and holding his palms towards Cyclops. "Remy heah don' have no friends in SHIELD or in de government. Ah fin' someone try to kill me, Remy kill him 'fore he get a secon' chance. Notin' personal about it- ah jes like havin' my head on my shoulders," he says, with a disarming grin.

Remy takes a long drag on his cigarette, considering the group. One might note that his back is to the wall, and he's casually juggling a pair of coins in his palm. His red eyes move quickly back and forth across the room, and despite his laconic air there's a sense of immediacy about the man that speaks of a high sense of self-preservation. "You wanna take him on, dat be your call," Gambit says. "Mebbe SHIELD got dis fancy cage, he kin sit in all day an' read magazines. Me, ah jus' voicin' an opinion," he points out. "Notin' to git 'cited over."

Even as her hands are grabbed by the silver girl, Laura still doesn't retract her claws. Heck, she doesn't even as she hears Cyclops speak up about it not being their way.

But she doesn't move to harm the downed man either. Not even as she nods slightly in Gambits direction.

A small smile is given to Shift. "Not instant, but this'll help out," Channel tells Shift easily as she does the last bit of healing. Shift should, if Channel did that right, be perfectly fine now. "You can't reach them, let me know," Channel says to Cyclops. Then she goes back to being quiet, waiting to find out what the next stage of the plan is. However, she does keep her guard up, watching for anything that might be a problem, including any movement from Highball.

Jean's concentration focusses on Highball as she evaluates him. "Tell our friends to bring the extra heavy supercuffs," she advises presently. "This man is more feral than Logan on a bad day." Yes, actually that is an exaggeration. But, if the fellow wakes up, she'll need to be quick off the thought mark to put him down. She's sure she can. But someone may be hurt first. "I can add a temporary inhibition on his abilities, just in case, but it won't last for longer than a day or two."

Meanwhile, Shift merely watches as the various mutants exchange verbal and non-verbal blows in regard to the whole killing-vs-legal-justice deal. There's little more to add as far as he's concerned. Jean and Cyclops were, after all, the senior leaders here, and the serum in his syringe seems to be doing the job.

"Tanks, Detroit," the African offers to Channel. "Dat was bettah dan a good snort of bourbon, and -dat's- saying something."

Under his breath, he adds, "Not dat I couldn't do with a good snort of bourbon."

To Remy, he cants his head and says, "Tell you what, boss. You find anything out about de bastard who shut us off, I'll buy you a whole fifth of de good stuff. Maybe two. If dere's someone out dere shutting off mutant abilities... well, I tink it's in all of our best intahrest to know what's going on with dat."

Snuffing the cigarette out with a momentary poof of his hand into suffocating smoke, Shift discards the butt into a floor grate nearby and crouches down next to the sleeping, orange-haired killer. He looks toward Jean, slowly turning the syringe over and over in his hand. "When his pulse hits thirty-five bpm, dat's about when he's ready for anodah injection. Thirty seconds and he's on. We can't have dat." Seems the African is just as willing to wait here, guarding Highball with her, until the Justice League takes over.

Cyclops disappears to make some arrangements. By the time the League or it's proper BSA authorities arrive, his plan is to be long gone with only a minimal skeleton crew to meet with those who come. He disappears back out the door and remains gone for a few minutes.

Mercury slowly unravels her grip from Laura's wrist, making a face. "Try to stay a little calmer, okay?" she asks.

Remy fishes in his endless pockets for a small flask and wings it underhanded at Shift. "Ain't de best, but it do," he quips at the man with a quick grin. Gambit takes another long drag on his cigarette, enjoying the smoke instead of burning through it as fast at Shift did. "Ah might have some leads on dat, but ah ain't wild 'bout tanglin' wit him," Remy frowns. "Still, be worth knowin', mebbe. Ah look into it," Remy decides. "See what ah kin stir up. Mebbe some mutant power, mebbe it be sometin' from de human side of de house. Either way, is trouble, oui?"

A shadow darkens the ground nearby. It's followed shortly thereafter by quiet but quick footsteps as Jubilee comes in, keeping a close eye on her back-trail and the surroundings. She was on 'hang back and come running to bail us out if we get ambushed' detail, and now that it's obvious that's not going to happen, she's coming to join her friends. And check on Shift. Which is kind of the same thing, as he's one of her friends. "Heyo. So, we've got a hyperactive load of nasty to hand over to SHIELD?" she asks, apparently having followed the conversation somewhat on her earbug. She grimaces at the sight of Highball, now drooling in his sleep. "I'd better get the extra-strength detergent out for the next load of uniform laundry, huh."

Next second, she's dashing forward and hugging Shift, somehow managing to be careful of his injuries. Pounce time!

You sense Jubilee hugs Shift tightly. "Don't you /ever/ disappear like that again," she hisses into his ear. Is she crying?

Finally, X-23's claws are retracted, before she shoots Mercury a look.

"I was calm. And I still am calm." is said before she blinks, and glances at Remy.

"If you need help, call me."

"Justice League is sounding like the plan currently," Channel responds to Jubilee as she enters. The girl then turns back to Shift and grins. "I do try," the teen says easily. And for now, she'll just keep an eye on things and keep quiet, letting the logistics of transporting Highball be sorted out.

Resident geneticist, as well as telepath and telekinetic, Jean is as interested in someone trying to shut off the x-gene as anyone. Perhaps, on some level, moreso. "I'd like to know who's conducting that research, too," she notes. "Inhibiting mutagenes isn't easy or simple. Mutants may each carry an x-tag in their genome, but there's a whole lot more to it than that." A beat. "If I can help, I will."

She lays her fingers alongside Highball's jugular, to judge his pulse. "How long do your doses usually last?" she asks Shift, now.

Laying her hand on Highball's forehead, she presses her power against him, forcing his mind into a calmer, if no less obnoxious state, and imposing a limited duration suppression of his speed and violent tendencies -- just in case.

The flask is snatched from its flight and brought to bear in one swift motion, before Shift caps it back off and wings it back toward Gambit. He's briefly tempted to make some joke along the likes of, 'Thanks for the mouth herpes', but, given there are students present, he rather reproachfully swallows the friendly insult along with the cheap bourbon. "Trouble," he agrees.

And then, Shift gets pounced! Fortunately, thanks to Channel's new found skill, his injuries have been mostly healed by now. Thus, he takes Jubilee's hug well, even going so far as to grin and laugh. "Careful, kiddo. De dirty slug almost busted some few bones." Then, he hooks an arm around Jubilee's shoulder, looks her right in the eye and offers a simple apology to whatever she whispered at him. "Sorry."

Following this, he resists the temptation to rustle her hair up--with great effort--and turns his attention upon Jean Grey. "Four to five hours, usually. Strong stuff." He's put the syringe away by now, of course, and lets a frown form on his face again. "Whomevah is responsible, we can almost thank dem. It came down to good old fashioned fists with dis guy, oddahwise I might still be chasing him halfway across de country."

That said, he glances off and looks around, hoping to find Scott returning with good news.

Mercury lets out a breath. She gives a look to Laura, then to the others, and finally starts the climb back to the rooftop with Channel.

Cyclops returns a few minutes later and gives Shift a nod. "Alright, time to move out. Phoenix and Shift stay behind with the prisoner." He gives Jean a nod, "If you'd be so kind as to ensure that the BSA folks see two superheroes in capes, I'd be most appreciative." Then back to Shift, "If you can give Phoenix a lift, I'd also be appreciative." He hesitates. "I trust the drinking will be after you drop her off." He then gives a third take. "Best behavior." It's not clear what he means by that.

Remy stubs out his cigarette and tucks the butt into his pockets. "I see you roun' oui?" he tells Shift. "Stay safe, mon cher." The Cajun takes a second, speculative look at the X-men, considering, then turns on his heel and departs, slipping out through the door and into the shadows of the Bronx like a shadow in the moonlight.

"Forgiven... as long as you /never/ do that again," Jubilee murmurs, managing a smile and loosening her grip around Shift's neck, dropping back to the ground and brushing her wrist across her eyes. She turns, watching Channel, Laura, and Mercury vanish, then Gambit as well. "Figures. I just get here and the fun's ending. Gotta work on that timing, Jubes."

Cyclops's words bring her attention around his way. "Need somebody to chaperone? Or drive?" she asks cheerfully. She /does/ have a license now.

Jean arches a brow at all of Cyke's instructions, but ultimately just nods her head in response. Okay. There's a bit of a smile in her eyes at the last bit. "Don't worry," she assures him. "They won't identify us." As for a lift, later? Yeah. That'll be helpful. Though, if she has to, she'll fly. It's not like anyone will remember seeing her.

The African tips Gambit a salute in response. "859-555-7244. Leave a message if you find anything."

"Don't worry about dat," says Shift, while motioning with a dismissive gesture toward Cyclops. "One snuff is -hardly- putting me undah de influence. Besides, I've got to dump dat truck somewhere discreet." He then glances toward Jean and offers, "I hope you don't mind motahcycles."

Finally he stands and steps hesitantly away from Highball, after giving the prone mutant a good, long and distrustful look. He turns toward Jubilee and says, "Believe me, you wouldn't have wanted to be around for de so-called 'fun' part. Highball's got a good right hook, even when he isn't fully charged."

Finally, Shift flicks back the cuff of his jacket and checks his wristwatch... which apparently was broken during his scuffle with Highball. A soft sigh escapes his lips and he mutters under his breath, "Damn."