[OPEN POST] NEW BRO'HOOD

[fireaholic.livejournal.com]

Characters: John, Kevin, Logan, sons a'bitches, anyone feasible.
Setting: Brotherhood HQ, Vermont.
Content: EPIC.
Status: OPEN AND READY.


Feel free to comment to existing threads, make new ones, and generally create awesomeness.

IMPORTANT NOTE: REFER HERE before jumping in.

Comments

LONGSHOT - Kayt (w/ bag on head)

[newbrohood.livejournal.com]

[OOC: cont'd from here (http://community.livejournal.com/xmutanthigh/242930.html)!]

[John picks up a tail an hour or two after parting ways with Logan. Arthur Centino had been dispatched by Magneto to trail the ex-pat as soon as Caliban came skulking in with the news and so he sits, clambering occasionally through the trees keeping an eye on Pyro, a sadistic grin spreading across his bearded face and a golden glint in his eye every time he hears Pyro curse, skidding on a screefall or slipping a few feet back down the trail he's trudging across.

Finally, as dusk begins to creep across the frozen landscape, Longshot flips a switch on a wrist communicator.]

It's him. [There's a crackle, a garbled voice asking: What's his status?] Stupid. [Another snide crackle: Art.] He's alone, okay. Send Porter and Madrox to pick up the trash. I'll keep cover from up here, not that they'll need it. How this fucking chump got to be Magneto's right hand man-- [He's interrupted by another crackle: Longshot, shut the fuck up and-- He switches the communicator off mid-crackle, eyes scanning the surrounding area.

Vanisher and Multiple Man appear below, not far off the trail ahead of John. Soon enough, there are more dupes of Madrox than trees, surrounding and closing in on the new arrival.]

[fireaholic.livejournal.com]

[Well this is just fucking lovely. A nice start to a nice night.

John shouldn't be complaining; in all honesty he's equal parts nervous and relieved to be halted by the sudden and overwhelming army of Jamie Maddrox. For an hour or two there he was sure he'd end up as a bear's breakfast or just a frozen corpse. Are there bears in these woods? Fuck if he knew or cared to ask Logan before setting off on this grand adventure. Probably better if he didn't.

Then again for the past few hours he had felt a telling itch at the back of his neck - and it could have meant a bear, or - not so fucking delightfully - just one of Mystique's lapdogs trailing him and waiting to clear him for pick-up.

Now that the moment's here John puts on his usual raised, unimpressed and unsurprised brow, every inch of him numb and burning from the cold. Yet he still manages to look like the disinterested fucker he always is, his lips pulling up in a humorless, faint smirk. What a talent for bullshit.]

Look who it is. Finally.

Iris

[newbrohood.livejournal.com]

[In the vast woods, with hardly any other interference, Polaris has a childlishly simple time locating Wolverine's adamantium. She floats up to the top of trees to get a better view of him. Then, relays her position to the others through her communicator.]

Ready.

ILU!<3

[canadamantium.livejournal.com]

[Logan could sense something off about the trails, finding himself winding into strange, unplanned routes, losing John's trail, then picking it up again only to have it escape him once more.]

VMMMM.

[He freezes, unable to move, and his bones grow cold, painful as the adamantium that encases them alternately tightens and expands around the tissues. He knows what this is and curses himself for not forseeing this more clearly. He calls out into the night, his voice devoured by the trees and the dark.]

Stealing the Old Man's tricks, Dane? Not very original.

MORTIS - Kayt - For John, Kevin too!

[newbrohood.livejournal.com]

[It is later, after the chaos has died down, that Mortis approaches her old comrade, alone for a moment. The glow of a campfire illuminates her pale face. She crouches beside him, poking a stick into the fire. She speaks nonchalantly, as if nothing much had happened since the last time they toed the same line.]

I keep wondering when they're going to let me kill you. [She turns to grin at him, her teeth brilliant white against the dark stain of her lips. Her face is dramatic, striking, beautiful.] Or if I'll get to watch while Wither does.

Iris

[witheredecay.livejournal.com]

[Kevin reaches down to stick the end of his cigarette into the fire, and then backs away when it's lit. He shifts his weight uncomfortably at Mortis's comment, wisps of smoke rising from his mouth.]

Yeah, right. [A derisive laugh from Kevin, half played up for effect, half real.]

Pyro's too valuable to kill, Mortis. You know that.

TEAM BAND!

[dazzlerock.livejournal.com]

[OOC: continued from: here (http://community.livejournal.com/xmutanthigh/243305.html?thread=2603369#t2603369)
timeline note: takes place approx. 24h after John gets picked up by the bro'hood]

[Ali and Jono have been clambering through the snow-covered trees for hours. It's dark and they are both wet and freezing. Every so often they stop as Ali check the direction the should be going in, her eyes and mouth glowing a brilliant white as she calls to her the sound for several miles around. She's getting more proficient with it as she practices, the only problem being that when she absorbs so much raw sonic energy, the light inside of her grows brighter and brighter.

In the dark, she begins to worry that she'll give their location away to a keen Brotherhood scout and she grabs Jono's wrist as he's about to hop into another tree.]

Maybe we should stop, wait for daylight. [She bites her lip, trying to hide the tremor in the hand that grips his arm. Regardless of whether it's shaking from cold or from the terror that is building in her as she remembers all too vividly the last time she approached a camp similar to this.] Night is a better cover for us to get what little sleep we can, Jon. We're gonna need it.

Re: TEAM BAND!

[jono-stars.livejournal.com]

[Jono nods, his breath fogging in the cold air, and reaches into his bag and gives Ali a bottle of water.]

I can keep us a bit warm.

This is a John and Mortis thread. Solely for funtimes. Plot, what plot?

[fireaholic.livejournal.com]

[It's later that night. Most everyone has tucked in, besides those on watch. The only sounds are the spitting of the dying fire and the whispers and rustles of nature. John's been given a spare sleeping bag and is sleeping in Kevin's tent, but he's not there now.

He's awake; he doubts he'll sleep much tonight. Partially because he wouldn't put it past some of these mutants to slit his throat in his sleep and partially because he's so fucking exhausted he's sure any decent sleep will allude him.

He's by the fire, naturally, and staring deeply into it, the hot flame casting his form and face in an orange glow and deep shadows. His expression is stony and blank, his lips parted.

It's hard for anybody to gauge his mood or thoughts besides "not in the mood for anyone" and "none of your fucking business" which is his default. But there's something else on his face - something darker phasing across his feature. There are thoughts spinning behind his mask.

He's thinking of what's to come, he's thinking of Kevin and what answers to give him, he's thinking of Logan, still strung up like an animal not too far from here. He's thinking of the mansion, and immediately an image of Kitty enters his mind's eye, as if she's what he associates with everything he has there, which isn't much at all. Maybe it's just the useless and foolish hope she has in him, the useless and foolish hope the mansion seems to stand for; that's where it comes from.

Absentmindedly, he calls for flames to enter one of his outstretched palms.]

MORTIS - Kayt - It's cuz they are the big boss, yo.

[newbrohood.livejournal.com]

[Mortis doesn't sleep much in general, and the excitement of the day has her staring wide-eyed at the canopy oh her tent. She glances at Longshot, snoring in the sleeping bag beside her, and sighs. She crawls from the tent, her breath escaping in a foggy puff into the night as soon as it hits the fresh chill.

Mortis stands in the moonlight, eerily reflective with her white skin amidst the crisp white snow. The cold is sharp and it stirs her, waking up every cell in her body. She enjoys it for as long as she can, before her fingernails take on a bluish hue and her sinuses hurt. She is thinking about her sister, the luxury of completely forgetting the Dazzler no longer at Lois's disposal. Not with Kevin here, with John here.

An echo of a conversation long ago rings in her ears, the force with which she assaulted Pyro suddenly aching in her hands, the urgency with which she bargained for Alison's life hot and tight and all to apparent in her chest.

She makes her way to the fire, her thoughts distracted enough for the moment to mistake Pyro for some other faceless mutant, that is until he calls the flame to him, his face a mask of dramatic shadows in the flickering light.

She watches him, sitting opposite him, the fire between them.]

TEAM SNEAKY OVER HERE

[kickasstelekine.livejournal.com]

[Team Secret is following protocols like any other effective and well-behaved secret co-op. They've landed the jet and left its cloak on, with plenty of trekking ahead of them. That was about an hour ago - they've taken to the trees and are avoiding any trails at all, sticking to the thick growth for necessary cover.

They are bundled up out of necessity and shivering; it's cold and getting dark and they still have ground to cover. Exactly how much, none of them are entirely sure. All the have is a direction: up.

Every one in awhile Julian flies up past the impossibly tall trees to take a gander at their surroundings, check for smoke or any indication of life in the distance. He's floating back down from another scouting surveillance; he avoids a branch and lands easily on his feet.]

Campfire. Several miles. To the north.

Re: TEAM SNEAKY OVER HERE

[never-too-cold.livejournal.com]

[Bobby acknowledges this intel with a nod. He pauses to consider their options.]

They've got a mutant-detector; we can't get too close too soon.

[He glances up at the darkening sky, then over at Julian again.]

Any movement?

From Iris, morning after John arrives.

[witheredecay.livejournal.com]

[Kevin is awakened by Polaris, who brings him his orders from Magneto. He's told that it's his turn today to be Caliban's backup, who will be scouting the area using his mutant-detecting abilities. This surveillance is even more important to the Brotherhood now that John and Logan have arrived, possibly with backup. Kevin nods, unsure of what this means for him now that familiar faces have resurfaced in his life, but he figures for now he'll go along with it. He rolls over and sighs.]

Caliban - Kayt - getting right to the point...becuase I suck at Caliban

[newbrohood.livejournal.com]

[Caliban is already waiting when Kevin gets his ass in gear. The former Morlock leads the way into the snow covered woods, pausing occasionally to sniff the air, scuffle close to the ground or foray into the brush.

It's maybe an hour into the patrol when Caliban stops, freezing completely, his heavy breathing labouring even further as he hisses.]

Massssster. Must...tell...massssster.

TO: IRIS, LOVE: CRYSTAL

[fireaholic.livejournal.com]

[It's the next morning, after Kevin's arrived back from scouting. John didn't sleep much, just as he predicted, especially after his little rendezvous with Mortis. Sleep alluded him despite his exhaustion; he's wired now and sitting by a small fire next to Kevin's tent, away from the others. He's always liked solitude and it really wasn't a challenge to swipe a few matches from another tent. He's pocketed them for obvious reasons.

He was thinking all night (and is still now thinking) about the next steps. Maybe, maybe he can free Logan today, fucking somehow gets past Longshot and every other mutant staring suspicious daggers at him here.

He looks up and spots Kevin from a distance; it's hard not to, his black clothes standing stark against the bright blue sky and piles of white snow. John looks down at his small fire and pokes at it, listening to Kevin's nearing footsteps, but he doesn't look up, only speaks when Kevin's near enough.]

Beautiful fucking day, isn't it?

AWWWWW AWWWW I LOVE YOUUUUU

[witheredecay.livejournal.com]

[Kevin takes his cue from John.]

Birds singing, cool mountain air - what could be better?

[He even holds his hands out outstretched for emphasis. John's sarcasm always has been a little contagious.]

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH -- JOHN KEVIN THIS MEANS YOOU

[newbrohood.livejournal.com]

[A lone dupe comes raching back into the Brotherhood camp proper, collapsing before Magneto, panting out the details of what's happened in the woods. A fury flies into the cold blue eyes of Magneto and Mystique quickly dismisses the dupe, dispatches Polaris to take a splinter cell with her to New York, and assembles the remainder of her key players together.]

We have been infiltrated. Prepare yourselves for battle.

From what we know, the Wolverine has been freed. Shadowcat, Iceman, Hellion, Chamber and Dazzler are with them.

[Several eyes fall to John, some to Kevin. In the back of the room, Mortis' eye glow an angry red.]

Kill them all.

iris

[witheredecay.livejournal.com]

[Wordlessly, Kevin shoots a look at John -- it's a determined, purposeful look, one that wouldn't have come from the scared, unsure kid he was a few months ago.

Magneto has just listed off a bunch of his friends, and in that moment, Kevin knows: I won't let them be killed. Maybe they'd be better off without a killer like him hanging around the mansion, and maybe it'd still be the smart thing to do to distance himself from them, but that doesn't mean he wants them dead. He wishes there were a clearer way to convey this to John right now.]

End-game round-up - keep tagging in other threads, though!

[never-too-cold.livejournal.com]

OOC: Thought I'd start the clean-up stuff now, following from here (http://community.livejournal.com/xmutanthigh/243037.html?thread=2699357#t2699357). Jump in where appropriate!

[Combined with the innumerable punches and hits that Bobby has already taken in the same spot, Mystique's last kick left cracks in his jaw, and a few small fragmented pieces of organic ice splintered off. It had been a long time since he'd had to reconstitute any part of his body, and the effort required to do it - even for such a small area - was immense.

By the time he's put himself together and wearily gotten to his feet, Logan is there, speaking to Kevin. The Wolverine is in control of the situation here; Bobby knows that he is the right person to deal with it, so he steps away and does a slow circuit around the perimeter. Every now and then, he reaches out with his powers to boost the brain freeze on any Brotherhood members showing signs of getting up - he needs them to stay unconscious long enough for everyone to get back to the jet.

He comes across Longshot's body near where he had last seen Ali, Jono and Julian. The sight causes him to press his lips together and crouch down, taking in the knife protruding from the mutant's chest, the drying blood on the snowy ground around him. Bobby's no stranger to seeing the victims of war, but it has never become easier. War itself has not become easier. Making a mental note to ask Hellion what happened, he reaches out to close Longshot's eyelids, and moves on.

Hands on hips, he looks slowly around the battlefield one more time, and then drops his head, closes his eyes, and breathes out a sigh. Weariness and exhaustion threaten to overwhelm him, but he can't afford to feel it now. He needs to push it back - there's still so much to be done, so many people to get back to the mansion, so many details to be sorted out... Emma needs to know what's been happening, but before he can report to her, he needs a report himself.

He opens his eyes and speaks in a low voice into his communicator.]

Hellion. Operation successful. Brotherhood has been neutralised. What's your status?

[kickasstelekine.livejournal.com]

(OOC: Can I just say, Mindy, I read this and got CHOKED UP. It's written so well, the perfect beginning of the end to this arc, and because omg, Bobby, being a leader but also we've worked SO HARD for a week on these threads and they incorporated months of build-up and just... wow. :') We are so Raven.)

[Hellion, Chamber, and Dazzler are floating on a telekinetic disk back to the battlefield when Bobby's authoritative voice rings over Julian's intercom. The message satisfies him and that's really the most he can say about it right now, his expression uncharacteristically blank. There's something off about the way he responds - because he doesn't have much of an emotional response at all.

He tilts his head down and touches his ear, peering back at Jono and Ali.]

Coming down now. We have Mortis unconscious and secured.

[Julian pauses, his blue eyes flashing, finally, with a troubling look - over her sister, over what he knows Ali wants and what she can't do.]

We can't leave her here. No authority would know what to do with her. It's too dangerous, Bobby.

[It's a sign really, of the direness of the situation, of Julian's state that emotion fuses into his last words and he uses Bobby's name. He turns to face forward once more, spotting Bobby on the ground. He lowers the disk until they can all step off it; then it dissipates.]

open to anyone :)

[fireaholic.livejournal.com]

[John's in a fucking great mood, thanks for asking. His torn gauntlet is secured under his arm and his broken one still on his injured wrist. Oh and, he's pretty sure a few of his fingers are broken. If Mystique is around at all he spares the bitch a resentful glower - for so much more than his injury - and grips the cheap Bic lighter in his other hand tighter.

He's walking with purpose, trekking back up to the campsite and the cabin - because something's up there of his he's not leaving without: his Zippo.

It's funny, the moment he pulled the trigger, felt a rush of cruel satisfaction... It faded, fades even more now. Mystique got what she deserved and yet - he can't help but feel sorry for her when it's the last thing she deserves. Couldn't - can't - even muster up the will to want her dead after it happened, just sneered in horror at her pathetic attempts to die. That familiar and constant anger over everything still swirls inside of him, as if purposely taunting him with a lack of closure or peace.

Did he expect anything out of this? The truth is John was pretty sure he might die and make his life easier, but he's not dead, and he hasn't dealt death and injury with some fucking big-headed idea of justice today either. All the people he's killed today - it was out of revenge. Simple and sweet and entirely fucking useless revenge. He's left feeling angry, unsettled, just as agitated and empty as always. Aimless. Unfulfilled.]

THE WHOLE BAND FAM-DAMBLY

[dazzlerock.livejournal.com]

[Ali's standing off to the side of everyone, watching Kevin and Logan intently. She's listening to their exchange though you wouldn't be able to tell form her exhausted.

She tries to catch Jono's eyes, call him over wordlessly, but until he's done filling in Bobby with Julian, she's on her own.]

Re: THE WHOLE BAND FAM-DAMBLY

[jono-stars.livejournal.com]

[Jono's just been given Bobby's dismissal, so he heads over to Ali.]

Hey. You okay? You want me to be there with you when talking to Kevin? Or... you want to talk to him alone?

FOR KEVIN.

[never-too-cold.livejournal.com]

[Bobby's exhausted and sore - all he wants to do now is go home, crawl into bed, and stay there until he has the mental and physical energy to deal with the aftermath of this mission. But he knows he can't switch off now: they've only just reached the Blackbird and he needs to co-pilot with Kitty. Once they get back, he needs to sit through the de-briefing, give the full field report.

He watches as his team-mates file onto the jet. Kevin is at the back of the group, and as he moves to step past, Bobby holds out a hand to stop him.]

Kevin.

[His proferred hand changes to ice - he's pretty sure Kevin will understand what he means to do, and hopes that he'll accept this one, small gesture.]

it's iris!

[witheredecay.livejournal.com]

[Kevin stops short, and looks at Bobby, team leader. He knows that earning Bobby's trust means earning the trust of the X-Men. Well, at least, in a sense. Kevin had indeed retrieved his gloves, but hadn't pulled them back on yet, and so, reaches out and grasps Bobby's iced hand in a firm handshake.]

Thanks for coming.

For Kayt-as-Kev!

[jono-stars.livejournal.com]

[Everyone's loaded up in the jet, and Bobby readies the Blackbird for takeoff. There's a low murmur from people talking, but the members of the Dazzler band are silent, for now. Jono is sitting across from Kevin, with his pack on his lap.]

Re: For Kayt-as-Kev!

[witheredecay.livejournal.com]

[Kevin grins, amused at the pack in Jono's lap, and the crinkling packages he's shuffling through, trying to pick what he wants to eat.]

Did you pack anything besides snacks in there?