| Aftermath of Battle | |||||
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| What: The wounded of last night's battle in the Suicide Slum seek help | |||||
After last night, David is out cold, still resting in the bed in the cheap motel he was able to get, David took much more damage than he expected. A magnum round going through the right side of his chest, thankfully it was in and out cleanly. But he survived. Right now David Akenda stripped out of most of his equipment is laying on a bed sleeping, resting. He lost a lot of blood last night and it has made him groggy and and weak. So for the moment he is recovering his strength by sleeping.
Lyja snaps awake. The drug is out of her system and her military training kicks in. She quickly assays her situation and tries to piece together what happened. She had not really passed out, but had pretended to...but the drug the street doc gave her was way better a sedative on Skrull than on humans. She opens her eyes and looks around.
Miles away, At Xavier's school for gifted youngsters, Holly is outside practicing. The young woman is working on her fine control over ice. Sadly its taking its toll on her. She is not used to controlling her powers at that level but it is something that she must learn to do. So here she is, trying to create ice apples. Why apples? Namely because of the shape. So far it's not gone so well but she is getting closer at least.
Looking at David, Lyja can see he is somewhat pale in the skin, side effect of loosing blood. Too much of it, he will be out cold for a while. His eyes moving rapidly under his closed eyelids. His breaking shallow, but steady and rhythmic. In truth, David should be at a hospital. One of the down sides of being a lone superhero. You have no extra medical help when you get really hurt..
Lyja remembers the man, he was the one who fired razor wire from his fingers. Possibly he could be of use to her. Quickly she steps into the bathroom and morphs into Lyja. She takes off her Skrull Battle Armor and puts on a bathrobe. She morphs back into Laura, changing her clothes with her (though that is harder to do with human clothes than Skrull clothes that are designed for it). She exits the bathroom and grabs a pen and paper from the nightstand beside the bed, writing on it with a slightly shapechanged left hand "You will need this". She puts the armor on the bed and puts the note on it.
That done, she turns to the man in the room. It would be better if he were a lot healthier, and that she can do something about, though it will cost her. She steps over to his bed and puts her hand to the injury. She concentrates, moving tissue from her body through the bandage into the wound, and morphing the tissue into what should be there is he were not hurt. It is the Skrull equivalent of Field Medicine, something every soldier learns before going into battle. The problem with it is it is painful and exhausting. Him being human, not Skrull, the tissue will not fully integrate with his body, but his body will feel a lot better until it does heal naturally...which will happen much faster. Also the part that replaces the blood will function normally. The healing patch will be "eaten" by his body, leaving no trace but a faint scar...in a few days (unless he heals very fast).
She climbs back into the bed, not having to pretend exhaustion, and falls asleep.
Holly Pierce winces a little as she continues to work. Its Saturday so no real classes. In fact most of the other kids are doing their own thing and having fun! Fun is a luxury for the Winter Weather girl. She is learning that losing control of her emotions for better or worse will cause a reaction. One that could cause a whole lot of trouble for people. So outside she continues. After what feels like her hundredth failure, she is getting flustered. "GRRR!" She tossed a pair shaped ice apple at a tree. In that one moment of frustration though, Her hand gets a white aura around it and gout of snow and ice goes flying, freezing a nearby tree and coating it with ice. She could almost hear the lament of Poison Ivy over that one.
With the healing aid, David will start to turn his head left and right, feeling a little loopy and strange as the Alien Stem cells run into his body replacing what he needs, almost giving him a rush of energy as he opens his eyes almost with out warning. His first thoughts, "Ok, what the hell did that Doctor do, I want to hire him." he says slowly doing his best to get his awareness, looking around, stomach growling for food as he tenderly moves his arm. Spotting Laura he realizes he is not wearing his armor or helmet and asks, "How long have I been out?"
Laura awakens with the question, she blinks her eyes tiredly...then grabs the blanket, stifles a scream, and says, "Who are you? What am I doing HERE? Where am I?"
As he tries to wake up he is clearly still under the effects of that wound and wincing as he says, "Just a minute not so loud..." He does hand a headache and as he comes to leaning up to check his shoulder and the bandage is red and slightly wet with blood. His arm in a sling as he coughs a few times. Holding his head, "You generated energy blasts from your hands last night... After we were dealing with the gang members... the weapons.... " He's clearly trying to collect his thoughts. Swallowing hard he just lays down, his mind is awake enough to work logically and at least appearing weak and helpless might make her feel better. He doesn't know who she really is. And he's not mentally sharp enough to notice any tell tale give aways if she has any.
Finally, "You never knew you had that gift did you?" he asks softly just resting and trying to recover. "Please remain calm, take deep breaths, calm your mind and breathing. Other wise you might loose control of your powers again." David was aware of the jest of what happened... when the laser blasts started firing...
Laura squeaks as the memory comes back to her...then calms herself with a visible effort. She says suddenly, "My boss is going to kill me, even if the van didn't get towed I missed our delivery window completely."
"One thing at a time." Leaning up he will wince some. Slightly exaggerating his injury. Of course he thinks, "Ok, I'll help with your boss." As he looks over and swallowing hard, David feels it is a moot point at the moment and picks up the phone, "What's your boss' Phone number. I'll handle his temper." and he is ready to dial the phone,
Laura rattles off the number of the bookstore as she looks around. She spots the armor and reads aloud, "You will need this? Where did this come from? Some kind of battle armor?" She collects her thoughts, "OK, last night, a blast of mine started a fire and everyone ran off. The fire got taken away by a flying girl and then I passed out...that is about all I know."
Holly Pierce looks at the tree and sighs, "Groundskeeper is going to skin me. Why does this have to be so blasted hard!" She frown and just closes her eyes. "Hmm, Maybe it's not about limiting it, but directing it?" She states to herself. Her hand gets the white aura again and this time, she gets the apple and a lot faster too. "I did it!"
As he checks the armor out he looks, "No idea where it came from. Mine is over there. I need the name of your boss and your name." he says and then dialing the number and swallows hard getting hold of Laura's Boss once he can can get on the phone. "Hello Yes may I speak to the boss of Laura Green? Ah hell sir. I wanted to call you personally. This David Akenda, Son of the CEO of Akenda Industries. No this is not a crank call sir. And yes I will be there in a short while along with Ms. Green to prove this is who I am. I wanted to apologize to you, but Ms. Green had run into me when I had gotten seriously hurt. I believe she may have been injured as well."
David says, "Yes that's true, I assure you she is alright, and everything will be fine." and David hangs up the Phone. "He said it's alright shit happens. His words not mind. Apparently he knows who I am." Coughing a few times as he turns to look at Laura. "Now what about you... are you alright?" His voice is genuine concern. "I do know of some people who help educate gifted individuals such as our selves..."
Laura does a brief self-evaluation, "I do not seem to be harmed, though I am as tired as if I ran a Triathlon yesterday. I am Laura Green, thanks for helping me with Karl. He has a soft heart, but tries to cover it with a surface gruffness that can be irritating. If you know someone who could help, it would be very helpful.
Leaning against a wall David will open his phone to give a Phone call, hoping that someone at Xavier's school is there to pick up. He doesn't want to just bring a total stranger into the school. "alright someone pick up, Ororo, Logan.... anyone."
Holly is overjoyed. She has to show off her ice apple to someone! Anyone! Maybe Bobby is around? Quickly she takes off into the mansion. The apple doesn't melt in her hand. Of course for a girl who can withstand insane cold, she simply had her hand below freezing so it doesn't melt.
Ring Ring!!!
Oh look the phone is ringing. Where is everyone? Since no one is answering she picks up the picks up the phone. Of course she doesn't answer properly, The mansion isn't exactly public knowledge so, She does what any mischievous teen would do. "Tim's Taxidermy, You snuff em, We stuff em!" She states enthusiastically into the receiver. Meanwhile she tosses the apple up and down in her hand.
Laura does what most women do when given a new set of clothing, she takes it to the bathroom and tries it on. Well, first she takes a shower...she is dirty and sweaty from last night, and she makes sure the door will stay closed...she does not exactly know David well. Still, it i only about 15 or 20 minutes before she comes out in the armor and asks, "How do I look.
As the individual answers the Phone, and he listens. Detecting the tell tale hint of a child on the other end he smiles and he says, Thankfully the Phone is on speaker so Laura can hear everything so yes she hears about the Taxidermy, "I'm trying to reach Joe's Bar and grill, you know I stabb'em you slabb'em?" he is waiting for a response as he says, "Joking aside is this Xavier's school? This is David Akenda, I need to speak to a teacher in the school, Is Logan or Ororo there?" he asks.
David he looks at her and sees her put the armor on he says, "I have no idea where it came from, and while I think it looks nice on you. Better than it would on me, I wouldn't wear something without knowing more about it."
Holly snickers, Not a bad response. Quickly she responds with, "meh, Sorry. I only know of Logan's Grill, You kill em we grill em!" Then she does act a bit more adult. "Sorry, I think the Teachers are off doing one of their things. I haven't seen one all day. Most of the other students are relaxing. Anything I can do?" She asks curiously.
David Akenda coughing once or twice he looks to Laura and swallows, "Yes. I came across a young lady who has apparently manifested special powers and for the moment they are under control. I was hoping to speak to someone and ask for advice on if I should bring her to the school." David sounds concerned. But he is a gentlemen and doesn't seem to want to peek. As he thinks, "You wouldn't happen to know the school's policies on this sort of thing do you? I don't want to get you in trouble with the teachers."
Holly Pierce thinks for a moment. No one around to ask. Shoot. She takes a deep breath and comments over the phone. "One moment. Let me see if there is anyone here." She quickly gets on the school comm and speaks up, "Are there any teachers about who can take a phone call?" She does get a response. Quickly she speaks over the phone. "Give me a moment. I found a teacher."
Laura comes back out, the armor draped over her left arm. She says with a sigh, "I have to deliver those darn books and get the van back to the store first, before I can do anything else. Any idea where we are, as related to where we were last night?
Checking his phone David says, "Alright, I think we can get there tomorrow. And if Anyone gives you a hard time. Please let them know that it was David Akenda who had asked about this. The Teachers should be mostly aware of who I am with my assisted renovations in Mutant Town." He coughs once or twice, As he says, "May I have your name Young lady?" David asks to be polite.
Laura waits for the call to finish. If the phone has a GPS, perhaps she can find out where she is.
Emma Frost pauses a moment on the call. "A girl exhibiting powers. In public, then, Ms. Pierce?" Her tone is a mix of caution and curiosity.
"Apparently, I wasn't there. The person making the call knew of the mansion so he called here about her." Holly Responds.
Emma Frost can almost be heard as she ponders. "And we have what proof, Holly? Do we trust this third party? Can we be certain this isn't some sort of trap or trick?"
Holly responds, 'I don't know them. I am not psychic so I really have no clue if we can trust them or not. If it is some sort of trap or trick I promise it will be mid summer before they thaw out."
These things are heard over the phone.
Reminding her David says, "Tell her it is David Akenda. I have been a visitor to the School once or twice. I have spoke with Both Ororo Munroe, and professor Charles Xavier."
Laura glances out the window, trying to figure out where they are, but is not very familiar with this part of town. She mutters, "Wait until I tell the girls I spent the night in a motel room with a rich man...and nothing happened."
More over the phone...
Emma Frost sounds mildly amused, "I aware you are not psychic, darling. But you also have your own judgment. My advice is this. Provide the following information to this third party to pass on to this young woman." Emma provides details of a rental cabin less than an hour from the school as a safe place to stay. "I am reticent to give anyone we have not vetted more information about the school than they have earned. I will make Logan aware of the situation. It would be best for a few of us to meet her there and be certain of her intentions prior to giving her the keys to the kingdom."
"The man's name is David Akenda. I don't know him. I just know thats the name he gave. He says he's been to the Mansion a few times. Also I'm still the new girl at the mansion, Last thing I want is thrown out because I goofed up." Her tone is playful at least. "He says he met Storm and Wolverine before."
Emma Frost pauses, "I do not know the name. It is not someone I have met. He may well have. I'm not going to change my advice, Holly. You may be new but you are able to look after yourself too. I advise having her go to the cabin if she is earnestly seeking assistance. If her powers flare up, there will be no innocents around to be harmed. It is a neutral, safe place for her to meet members from the school."
"I understand Miss Frost. Sorry!" A chill sweeps through the area as she gets a little worried. Quickly she returns to the phone call.
"Okay I got an address for you. That will take you to an abandoned Cabin. It is a safe place for the girl to be in case her powers flare again. "I" will come by to help out." She says this loud enough for Emma to hear too. "Miss Frost or one of the others will be by a bit later to meet and see where things go."
"Oh Umm. My name is Holly. Holly Pierce." as David listens over the Phone he says, "Alright, I will remain with her and we will arrive at the cabin as quickly as possible." David knows where the school is, but he is respecting the teachers in this manner. If he wants to become a teacher there, he has to obey her rules. "
David Akenda says, "Very well, It was nice to speak to you Holly Pierce. We have some things we need to do before we can arrive. but we will arrive at the earliest possibility." and he will write down the address and double check with Holly. "Thank you." and he will ask, "Is there anything else required of us?" he wants to double check on this."
Laura waits for the call to end to ask David if he has a GPS...and ask him if anyone he knows can check over the armor to make sure it is safe. It is a bit of a wait as the child on the other end talks to a teacher at a remote location.
Holly Pierce responds, "That's all. I will see you there. Good Bye." She hangs up and sighs softly. "What am I getting into. I hope I don't destroy anything." She quietly thinks to herself. "Be creative. Not destructive. You can do it.
When the call ends he smiles and nods, "Yeah I sent the police the information on the location of that warehouse. GPS was recorded. Let's go." he says and of course this means bundling up everything, as David's armor and his belt also can be unfolded and turned into a back pack pouch of sorts to allow him to store everything inside out of sight and might. It's a bit over loaded to also included the strange armor that Laura found, and swallowing hard he will call a cab. Thankfully his under uniform is not shredded and the black outfit resembles wears and shoes. So the two can get a lift back to where the Van is. Seems the Police are still in the area and it has kept the van safe and sound. So that they can take care of their business and get a trip to the cabin. Thankfully David's motor cycle is in the area as well so he can ride it, although one handed it's more of a slow cruise.
The cab delivers Laura and David to the area of the Lena Luthor Community Center. She tiredly carries the boxes of books from the van up to the library area and leaves them therefor the librarians to sort out. When finished, she walks over to the Ace o Clubs and has breakfast and coffee before collecting the ticket off the window and driving the van to the bookstore, where Karl makes a fuss over her, and over the ticket, before talking with David, a bit suspiciously at first.
David of course will pay for the ticket as he does his best to settle Karl down.She did help him, he doesn't know how much but at least he can get Karl squared away. Asking Karl to give her a few days off to get her self leveled out. But thankfully despite his should on the mend, David has the injury to prove that she wasn't just slacking off. Regardless sooner or later the pair will get off to head to the cabin, David wanting to at least get some food and supplies like a first aid kit which he always has on his bike. Following the GPS to the cabin the pair finally gets to a safe house... "Well here we are, Maybe holly is here." of course chances are it is late evening...
Laura had to bundle up to ride on a motorcycle at this time of year. It is a long drive. She packed a few things in a backpack, including the strange armor, and put on multiple layers, but the ride was still cold. fortunately the man she was riding with was there, she was able to get some warmth by holding on to him. She hopes the cabin is warm when they arrive.
"Well Holly, girl. Lets go for a walk!" She steps outside. It would be noticeable that she is not dressed for the cold. Nor would she need to. Quickly she starts walking in the direction of the abandoned Cabin. "Bobby is so luck... So is storm! They can get around a lot easier." So quietly she keeps going muttering about how much this walk sucks!
As David and Laura manages to pull up to the Cabin, David is seriously fatigued. having had to slow down his bike to a more steady pace, and but the time he has reached said cabin he leans back and just seems almost ready to pass out. The treatment, the exhaustion, then the healing assistance, while it gave him a serious needed boost he is completely exhausted now. So with the cabin there it will be great for him to rest and relax. "Finally here...." he says tiredly.
Laura has worried about David, she remembered ho big a hole he had in him last night. The fact that he is even alive, not dead of shock, is amazing enough. Him driving the bike for three or four hours, well that is beyond the call of duty. She carries the backpacks as they head to the cabin, but is not familiar enough to offer him a shoulder to lean on.
By the time David and Laura arrive at the cabin, Holly had been there for hours. She has straightened the place up but, there is no heat on! Oops forgot something! She does however come out to meet them. Its that point that she notices how bad a shape David is in. "Why didn't you say you were in this rough of shape! Yeesh!" She quickly moves over and does offer a shoulder to help him. She is not taking no for an answer. It would be noted that she is quite cold to the touch. "Hi, I'm Holly. Holly Pierce... Or Nor'Easter." She leads the two to the door.
"I..." and David almost actually collapses when Holly came over and helped him inside the cabin put on the couch David just slumps and almost passes out from exhaustion. He didn't realize how bad he still was. "Sorry, doctor must have given me some serious juice. I didn't realize..." Of course taking a .500 Smith and Wesson magnum round... yeah he is lucky to be alive. His armor in his bike compartments so pretty much he just passes out on the couch. He would still be in that bed if someone had not helped him heal.
Laura shivers and quickly covers David with some blankets, "The cold probably is not good for him, can we warm this place up? What kind of furnace do they have here?"
After David is set down, Holly quickly moves to turn the heat on. "the kind that wasn't turned on. I don't feel the cold. Like Ever. I didn't bother turning it on earlier because honestly, heat is usually the last thing on my mind. Its on now though. So you are the girl who powered up. I'm not a teacher but if you have any questions I might be able to answer them."
Laura puts down the bags and says, "I am Laura, Laura Green. I was...well fairly normal...until yesterday. I worked in a book store in Metropolis. I was making a delivery in the Suicide Slum when I heard gun shots and screaming and went to check it out. A man in Ninja armor was fighting a gang, and got shot. I tried to help him, but was grabbed by too many thugs...then things got weird. My hands started glowing all purple and lasers started shooting out of them all over the place. Fortunately there were others helping, a girl in blue and silver armor with an orange and black mask, a guy dressed like captain America, but with black rather than blue in his costume, and a girl who made thing fly around or something. I passed out at the end there, so next thing I knew I was in a hotel room, with David on the next bed, and each of us had a suit of armor lying next to us.
Holly Pierce smiles, "You're lucky. While that is jarring at least the damage was minimal. You are safe here so, you don't need to worry about what if you power up. Worst case, you put a hole in a wall or something and I do a quick fix. Not like its that big of a deal right?" She smiles. "When things went weird for me, I destroyed a school. Then I froze a chunk of Boston. The people here can help. They are awesome!"
Laura says, "I have no idea where this armor came from, but it fits like it was made for me. Someone left me this note." (it reads 'You will need this'). She adds, "I have to keep calm, my power seems to flare up when I am scared or mad."
As if summoned by the mention of freezing a major metropolitan area, the crunch of tires on gravel outside the cabin announces the arrival of Bobby Drake. Only a few moments after that he's tapping at the cabin's front door. He's dressed in his civilian clothes, so just looks like a fairly average guy in his early twenties, to those who don't know what he can do.
Holly Pierce laughs, "you're in good company. If I lose my composure I can make a winter storm capable of destroying everything within a mile a mile and a half of me. Think of Mr. Spock from Star Trek. He feels emotions but he hides them. He holds them in. That's what ya gotta do. Emotions aren't bad but for people like us we can be a lot of trouble for people."
At the door knocking, Holly moves to check who it is. At least she is being safe about being here on her own. Then she opens the door. "Hey Bobby, come on in. This is Laura." she smiles a little. "Umm... You didn't look at the tree did you?"
Obviously this is someone Holly knows, presumably someone from the school. Laura says, "Do you know anything about medicine? I have a few basic things I picked up living in a survivalist commune a few years back, but David had a hole shot through him the size of a quarter last night, and was somehow mostly healed before he drove us up here on his bike, it must have been very tough."
Bobby Drake takes a moment to glance around the cabin as he enters. Holly gets a smile, "I did, actually. I even de-iced it for you. Though I gotta say, the horizontal icicles were kind of impressive. Just be glad it wasn't a few weeks from now. Deep freeze a tree like that when the sap's up and it can explode. Yeah, you heard me right. Exploding tree." He gestures with his hands, pantomiming the woody detonation. Then he grins, "Found that one out the hard way." He takes a moment to remove and hang his jacket by the door, then turns his attention to Laura. "Hi. I'm Bobby. Mr. Drake if you -really- like being formal. So, what's going on?"
Holly Pierce blushes a little, "Umm... Well, I didn't try it. I mean, Yikes. I learned how to do something though! That's good right? And umm, the icicles were an accident. It was pretty funny though!" Quickly she focuses closing her eyes. Ice begins forming in her hand, quickly taking the form of a crystal clear apple. "Tada!" She tosses the apple to Bobby. Then her attention goes to Laura. "I'm sorry, I dunno much about medicine or anything. I cook and freeze stuff. Occasionally cause bad weather. Bobby? Do you know any of it?"
Laura says, "There was a big fight last night in the Suicide Slum. David was dressed up in some kind of ninja armor and was fighting an entire street gang armed with military grade weapons using this wires from his fingers. One of them shot him with a big handgun just as I came in. I tried to bluff them with a rifle I grabbed from a crate, but they figured out it was not loaded. This woman in blue, grey, and orange armor stepped in, then this guy dressed like Captain America, only in black not blue...and things were flying around without anyone touching them...but I was grabbed by a bunch of gang toughs. Them my hands started glowing purple and I got this sudden headache and lasers started coming out of my hands and set a crate on fire. All the gangers ran off, I guess they thought the place would blow up. This girl grabbed the burning crate and flew off with it and the police grabbed the gang before I passed out. I woke up in a hotel room with that armor there (she points) next to me, and David on the next bed."
Bobby Drake laughs as Holly tosses him the apple. He takes a closer look at it, "Nice!" He sets the frozen apple down as Holly keeps talking. The smile flickers off Bobby's face. "Well, I'm no expert, but I do know some first aid. It's... well, it's a skill that comes up way more than I'd like it to, actually. What's wrong that we're worrying about medicine now?" He listens to Laura's explanation of last night's events with a few appropriately timed nods. "Taking that kind of gun shot without problems is impressive. Suggests some sort of healing factor going on."
Holly Pierce listens to the situation. She really has no clue of how to fix this problem. Nor how to help. What she does do however is move over and sit next to David, holding his hand. Bedside Manner? She has it! She simply looks over to Bobby. "That would be the best of news right now I think."
Laura thinks a bit, then says slowly, "I do not think so, he seemed as surprised as me that he was reasonably intact. I vaguely recall the woman in armor taking us to some kind of doctor. Well, I remember BEING in some kind of clinic, I do not remember being take there."
Bobby Drake goes over to take a look at David's prone form. He focuses on him for a few moments. "Well, the good news is he's not in deep shock, which is the first thing I'd worry about from that kind of wound." He looks at Holly for a moment, "Hey, never thought to ask before. Do you sense temperatures like I do? If you can, take a good look at him. You can see it's hot around the wound, but not fevered. That's a good sign. And the rest of his body isn't too chill. That would be bad, might mean things were shutting down. That's what shock does." He turns to
Laura then, "Were you hurt at all, or just tired out. First time powers manifest can really wipe you out, even if they come on gradually. Heck, I pretty much shivered from my tenth birthday to my thirteenth. Body was always cold, hadn't developed the ability to cope with it yet.
Holly Pierce looks at Bobby curiously, "Umm. I don't think so. I don't feel the cold at all. I dunno about the heat. What I do know is, I helped carry him in, and he was moving on his own. Then he passed out when we got him in. I'm a little mad that they didn't tell us about the injuries." She sighs and smiles to Bobby. "Thankfully, I got thrown into the deep end I guess. I'd be sitting on a fireplace if I'd of been in that situation."
Laura stands back to let Bobby work, and says, "Just tired, first thing this morning I felt like I had run a triathlon yesterday in 90 degree heat." She looks at the armor lying on the bed, "Neither of us knows where he armor there came from. It fits me, but David was worried it might be bugged or booby trapped or something."
Bobby Drake walks over to take a look at the armor and scratches his chin, "Well, hmm." He picks it up for a moment, wanting to get a feel for the materials. "Whatever this is made out of, it's pretty advanced." A moment of uncertainty flickers across his face "It reminds me of something I've seen before, but I'm just not placing it. I'm sure Hank could probably tell you more if you let him get a look at it." Then Bobby moves to take a seat. "OK, so, weird armor, and laser beams out of your hands. So we're pretty clear on why you're hear at least. But powers aren't everything. Tell me about yourself, Laura. Where are you from?"
Laura says, "My father was an army ranger, I think he was disappointed never to have any boys, because he trained me like crazy from the time my mom died. I was a top track and field girl in school, but missed the Olympic trials because of an injury. I lived in a survival commune for a couple of years, so between them and my dad's training I know hoe to use almost any weapon made...or no weapon at all. That is why I was confident enough to head towards the gunshots rather than away. The last few years I have been in Metropolis, trying to sell my sculptures and working in a book store to make ends meet."
Bobby Drake scratches his chin. "Huh. And you never did anything superhuman before yesterday?" He pauses, "Kind of makes me wonder if you're a mutant at all, or if there's something else going on. Mutations usually come out a lot earlier and, well, the armor is its own question." He pauses, then shrugs, "Doesn't mean we can't be some help to you though. Getting powers under control works pretty much the same for everyone I've run across. There's a learning curve, between learning to do what you want to do and learning not to do it when you don't want to."
Laura admits, "I have no idea. I suppose there is some way to tell if you are a mutant or not...but I would not know. Still, once I get control, I suppose aiming is aiming, so my training should let me hit my target."
"Boy is there ever." Holly shakes her head and moves over to the small kitchenette. Quietly she begins fixing some lunch for the group. Its nothing flashy. Tuna Salad. She does however season it, add boiled eggs, and of course mayo and mustard. Once its together she gets out the bread and moves over to the others. "Whose hungry?"
Laura says, "Food is good, it has been like five hours since breakfast." She will take a sandwich and bite into it, then say, "Pretty good."
Bobby Drake calls out to Holly, "When have I ever said no to food?" He pauses for a moment, "OK, maybe Lorna's first few attempts at cooking, but those were as legendary as my appetite at the time." He turns his attention to Laura and adds in a lighthearted tone, "Her pancakes used to make better Frisbees. Now, as for telling if you're a mutant, Hank can do a quick blood test, check if you've ot the X-gene or there's something else going on with you. Generally, we're more focused on the younger crowd, but we don't like to leave people hanging, either. We can at least help you learn your powers, I think. Have to check with Logan. And the Professor, of course." He pauses, then smiles, "I can always help on my own either way though."
Holly Pierce chortles, "I only met you like a month or so ago Bobby, How would I know how often you pass up food!" She laughs and hands out tuna sandwiches. She has one for herself which she digs into. A smile crosses her face, "Ahh been a while since I had tuna." She listens a little. "Just don't hassle Logan about the cigars. He gets cranky."
Laura says, "This training is going to be hard on my job." She looks off in the distance, "I wonder if I can learn to carve things with my lasers...or whatever they are."
Bobby Drake takes a sandwich from Holly and grins at her, "Because my appetite is a running joke and rumors." He takes a bite of the sandwich, then says to Laura, "As for the job, yeah, it's going to be rough. I tried to do the regular-world job thing. It... didn't last. It's hard to have a normal life and powers. And a lot of times, we keep new mutants on the grounds for a while anyway. At least until we're reasonably sure that they're safe in public. We don't want any major incidents if we can help it. OK, so most of the time the ones that new are about 12."
Holly Pierce looks at Laura and smiles, "Look towards the creative. Trust me. It helps. Knowing that you aren't some extreme weapon really sets your mind at ease about the whole power thing. I thought I was some monster only able to destroy, then I used my powers to help out and since then, I've not been really down about them. Plus I can do stuff like this now, since I've been practicing." She smiles and holds out her hand. Ice begins gathering and forming. It quickly takes shape into a star. Once done, It is clear and looks almost like crystal. It is ice though. She hands it to the girl and then finishes her sandwich. "Bobby, I've heard rumors about just about everyone in school. I think the only thing that flies more then Jean's telekinetic objects are the rumors. I can't keep up with em!"
Laura sighs, "Well, I suppose I will have to find an excuse to be away a while. If I go back, I would prefer to have a job...until my sculptures get popular enough to make a living at it anyway. I do not relish being a starving artist."
Bobby Drake nods at Laura, "And we'd rather that wasn't the plan either, honestly. Because desperate people with powers make bad decisions. When you've got built in weaponry that can cut through steel and you're questioning where the rent or your next meal is coming from, bank vaults tend to start looking awfully tempting." He gives a shrug, "Which tends to feed all the bad stereotypes about mutants that we're trying to get past. If you do end up staying with us for a while, you can probably chip in a bit. Things like teaching our kids some of those survival skills of yours might be fun. And who knows, maybe you will end up doing laser-carved art." He pauses and holds out a hand. With years more practice than Holly, and a very similar power, he can be a bit more showy. A small sphere of ice appears in his palm like a seed, then starts to grow and stretch up until it has grown, seemingly organically, into an icy rose. "Never know what you can do until you try." He hands the flower to Holly.
Holly Pierce accepts the rose. "Aww for me?" She takes it and puts it in her hair. Not like it's going to thaw on her. In fact she starts lowing the temperature in her immediate area. Not enough to ice the room but enough to keep the rose from thawing out. "Hehe. You are lucky! I thought about trying to make ice skates earlier and skating my way here but My luck I'd of caused a mishap and would of been caught by some neutral people."
Laura gnaws on her lower lip, "I suppose I can stay here and take care of David while you two do back to the school and the staff decides what to do with us." Her hands start to glow violet a bit, but she notices it and takes a few deep breaths. "Do you want to take the armor with you and see if it has anything about it that can cause trouble?
Bobby Drake nods to Laura, "If you're OK with that, then, like I said, I'd love to have Hank take a look at it. He might be able to give you some idea where it came from. Whether it's some weird manifestation of your powers, or something else."
Holly Pierce smiles, "Be safe and make sure David is alright." She smiles and then looks to Bobby, "Umm, Can I get a ride back to school? I walked here earlier." She smiles a little.
Laura hands over the armor, and the note she found with it, "It seems unlikely that my power wrote the note, but I suppose my subconscious could have or something. Let me know what this Hank finds out."
Bobby Drake chuckles at Holly, "Would be kind of silly to make you walk back when I have my car. Of course I'll drive you back. He grabs his jacket off the hook by the door. "Give us a call if there's any developments with your friend, or if anything unexpected starts to happen with your powers. I can be here in minutes.." He takes a moment to give Laura his number before he picks up the armor. "Hopefully we can get you squared away quickly."