xmutanthigh | [OPEN POST] NEW BRO'HOOD

[John spares Bobby a careless glance; the truth is when he'd seen he was melting his former friend's neat little ice slide he hadn't really minded much, simply moving the cover of fire along the way he'd planned, giving cover for Kevin to do his thing. Now he extinguishes it, advancing forward and ducking some random mutant's furious punch, kneeing the idiot in the face and kicking him to the ground.

Crazed and angry and clearly a new, fanatic recruit, the man scrambles up; John merely lets out a stream of fire. The mutant flails and John lets out an amused breath, sidestepping out of the way as the poor bastard lunges and falls to the forest floor in agony.]

Wish I could ever say the the same to you, Bobby.

[Kevin spares a moment in the fight to glance at Bobby, who really does look sincere. He doesn't know quite what to say, but it doesn't matter, because soon they're surrounded by Madrox dupes. Kevin only has another quick second to notice the other fight brewing at a bit a distance -- Longshot and Mortis are facing off with Hellion, Chamber, and Dazzler.

Kevin changes tactics and engages the nearest Jamies in fast hand-to-hand combat. But since his gloves are off, every once in awhile some of them crumble into the ground as dust.]

[Mystique has seen the blatant betrayal of her Brotherhood, vengeance boiling in her blood. Her blue eyes of Magneto flash their yellow for a split second before softening to Kitty Pryde's gentle brown. The youthful, feminine voice cries out as she comes running up to them.]

Guys! There's still about a hundred more Madroxes over there!

[She points, back towards a clearing in the woods. If she can lure even one of these weak traitors away with her...she smiles at the weight and security of the neutralizing weapon of Forge's John brought as a bargaining chip.]

I need back up. John, Kevin. You two know these guys better than any of us.

[She glances over her shoulder, urgentcy in her voice.]

Please. I need help! I can't handle them all on my own.

Okay. Calm down.

[With all that's happened to him the past few days, Kevin's learning to keep himself level, and gestures to John to follow him. They follow Kitty -- or so they think -- towards the others.

Kevin keeps an ongoing tally in his mind. The Madrox dupes are still active, so Jamie Prime is still alive somewhere. He saw Longshot and Mortis earlier with Hellion. Magneto was still at the headquarters, right? He thinks so.]

[There's still one Madrox left as John and Kevin head off. Bobby ducks a punch, dodges a kick; his luck is improving which means Longshot's distracted somewhere else. The dupe catches his fists as he goes to throw a couple of punches, so the Iceman lunges forward, his organic ice forehead smashing into Jamie's.

The unconscious body drops away, and Bobby glances over to where Kevin, John and Kitty are making their way towards the other clearing. He leaps up on a slide and speeds along to catch up, curving high up so as to keep a lookout for any other approaching enemies.

Something is strange about the way Kitty is moving - she seems intent on getting to the clearing, and doesn't seem to be paying much attention to the terrain. Bobby catches her stumbling slightly over an unconscious Madrox dupe. At first, Bobby dismisses it - the fight has been wearying, she must just be tired.

But then she stumbles again. And again. And Bobby remembers that whenever they ran sims in the Danger Room together, Kitty remained in a phased state when moving across the battlefield. She said it was her best method of defence. And Bobby's earlier concerns about missing Mystique suddenly crystallise.

That's not Kitty.

But he needs to be certain, needs to be sure...

Only one way to find out.

He picks up speed and curves around the trio, landing a little way in front of the girl who probably isn't Kitty.]

Hey Kitty! Heads up!

[And with deadly speed and accuracy, he throws a short, icy spear straight into her shoulder.]

[Brown eyes flash yellow, stay that way, and Mystique's true, blue body bends back, impossibly back so that the ice spear sails just above her.

Her jig is up, but Raven's never been one to simply roll over and die. She is fluid, liquid almost as she reaches out to catch John from behind, one arm coiling out around his flame-wielding one, the other catching his in a vice around his throat. He is shield and weapon for her all at once, for just a split second. It's long enough, though, to keep the iceman back.

Cold metal presses to John's jugular and if he can't guess what fresh hell it is, she's about to tell him.]

I should have done this the second you showed back up here. [She spits, hateful, Forge's neutralizer pressing so hard into the vulnerable flesh of his throat so hard it might start to choke him.] It's poetic, no? You just stood by and watched the best part of me die that day in the armored transport. Now I can do the same before I snap your neck. [She laughs, throaty and otherworldly, as if there were a million voices laughing instead of just one.] If you have any spine left at all, that is.

[John can't argue with that - she should have neutered him, killed him, buried him six feet under. And that's why the horror and shock lighting up his usually indifferent or violent expression transforms into a humorless smile, his wide, hazel eyes on Bobby. There's no telling if he's terrified or simply exhilarated; John's not sure either.

All he knows as he chokes out a dark laugh because she's right, about everything. It is poetic; he left her there just as Magneto did, blindly following orders despite how jarringly cold and wrong it was. Does he regret that? Not right now; he'd do it all over again to the fucking bitch.]

You really are fucking dumb, you know that?

[He gasps this out; simply moves his aching fingers of one of his hands down to the catch at his wrist - does Mystique know he has his gauntlets back? Because it doesn't take a big fucking operation to create any spark at all, and his fire can't hurt him.

It bursts, hot and awful and consuming, the flames fanning out hungrily. It's enough that she loosens her grip; John knocks her arm with the gun; the weapon goes flying, skidding somewhere across the battlefield. John dives away.]

Edited 2011-02-25 18:09 (UTC)

[Kitty's darting through the trees on the way back into the fray when she sees...herself running straight ahead. At first she thinks she's going crazy - who knows, maybe someone here is screwing with her head like they did with Logan - but then the body changes, and of course. She immediately recalls what Emma said about Mystique, and feels a spike of anger. The woman has likely deceived her own people, and it doesn't take long to figure out she's used Kitty's face and body to deceive her teammates. It's something that makes her stomach twist, and seeing John caught in Mystique's grip only brings a fury of fear and sudden resolve. Adrenaline's pumping furiously now, she doesn't bother to think twice when turning her path towards the two when John jumps away and his fire dwindles. The neutralizer is out of Mystique's hands, but that doesn't mean the danger is gone - the threat to John is still there. In a matter of seconds Kitty's in the clearing and solidifies, crashing into Mystique with all the force she can muster.]

[John quickly rolls onto his back, eyes wide and ready to light the bitch up, his arm lifted, ready to spark the gauntlets. But there's a blur of a person colliding with his target; instantly his eyes widen - the truth is when he had seen Kitty before, Kitty as Mystique - he had been relieved she was okay, and fighting, even in the midst of all this. But now, now all John feels is a spike of panic as her small body pushes Mystique over.]

Kitty!

[Her name rips from him in a warning and for good reason - Mystique instantly turns back into Kitty; John can't tell them apart as they struggle, and even when he can - when he sees a limb phase or Mystique's body move nothing like Kitty's - they are tangled. He barely spares Bobby a glance, merely pushes himself to his feet gracelessly, a glint of metal catching his eye - the gun. He runs for it, not knowing what else to do.]

[Kevin instinctively jumps back when Kitty plows into Mystique. He spies John and one of Jamie's dupes both racing for the neutralizer gun. Too far away to help, Kevin slams a fist down to the ground to send a trail of decayed earth towards the dupe, causing him to fall and crumble once his face hits the soil.]

John, go!

[Mystique is no easy opponent, and Kitty suddenly finds herself tangled in a fight with the image of herself. It's hard to say who has the upper hand, the balance seems to tip with every moment. She hears Kevin shout and catches John bolting towards the neutralizer from the edges of her vision - if she can keep her copy here, maybe he'll have a chance. How he'll tell the difference between them, well; she hasn't thought that far yet.] What's wrong with using your face? [Mystique's eyes merely flash and she cuts off Kitty with a knee to the stomach - but she phases through the other woman's body and ends up on the other side, landing solidly on the wet ground.]

[Throughout this whole fight, a few more Madrox dupes have entered the scene. Bobby has been dealing with them quickly, efficiently, one eye still on the fight with Mystique.

He's just dispatched the last dupe (are there any more left? he can't help thinking wearily) when he sees John dive for the weapon. He doesn't know what it is, but he realises this must be their only chance to stop Mystique - who's still wearing Kitty's face.

John has little chance of figuring out which one is the real Kitty when they're moving that fast. So Bobby holds up his hands.]

Shadowcat!

[Both women look up and Bobby lets loose a barrage of tiny frozen darts, a steady stream that is thin enough for John to get a clear view of both of them, but wide enough to force Mystique to get out of the way and reveal herself.]

John! On the right! Now!

[John reacts instantly, the power nullifier already in hand. He barely had time before to shoot Kevin a thankful look, his eyes wide with dread as he saw the dupe closing in on the gun. Oddly enough, he hadn't only been thinking of himself if that would have happened, but what it would mean for Kitty's chances.

Now, the gun triumphantly in his grip, he looks up in time to see Kitty hit the floor, witness the ensuing scuffle. It isn't until Bobby - of course, Bobby - helps him out that John's uncertain expression hardens; his gaze stops darting from one Kitty to the other.

He raises the weapon and pulls the trigger - it's loaded with slender darts, and John pales when it misses and lodges in the ground instead of her chest; Mystique has flipped spryly out of the way to avoid Bobby's onslaught. Kitty's - but not Kitty's - gaze is filled with disgust and outrage as they find his, the sweet brown color blinking yellow.

Mystique seems to dismiss Shadowcat and Iceman now, her eyes burning as she transforms into her true self yet again, even as she runs. It wouldn't be accurate to say she charges at John - instead she simply moves too quickly, too spryly, coming at him with vicious murder in her eyes. John shoots; misses again as she grabs his arm, twists, and flips over him.

John bellows out in pain, hits the ground hard, the gun dropping to the floor. He scrambles to reach it, his fingers closing over it just as Mystique foot slams down on his fingers.]

[Mystique is all yellow and white, eyes and teeth as her body contorts, her foot still deftly pinning John's wrist, crushing the ignition mechanism with her toes.while she drops her face so close to his he can feel her breath hissing out at him.

One of her hands is at this throat, the other rips his gauntlets from his free hand, tossing the broken toy aside.]

Make no mistake John, I will kill you. If not today, then someday. I will hunt you. I will find you. And when I do, you will suffer as much as any flatscan can suffer.

[Her forehead crashes down against his, her form vaulting upward, backward, springing off one hand to wrench the weapon from John, her heel whipping around to catch the Iceman across the face as she whirls past. She lands on the ground. The weapon is aimed directly at his heart, chilling smile a promise of torture, of death. Her finger curls around the trigger, squeezing it tight.]

For all the trouble you've cause, you have brought me one of the few things I truly wanted.

[Kitty hops to her feet as soon as Mystique advances towards John, feeling almost frozen as the woman shifts back into her natural form. For a moment she forgets who she is, she forgets she's apart of a team - because this is horribly and suddenly personal, the way Mystique brings down both John and Bobby in a heartbeat. She's after John like a predator for prey, and it's alarmingly clear she's not intending to let him walk away from this. That's what spurs Kitty to run faster than she ever has in her life, slowing only to fling herself straight through Mystique's body. She solidifies her hands long enough to grasp John's wrists and phase him with her, the dart flying through them both.]

[Kevin seizes his chance. Both gloves on. Expression determined. Ready.

Mystique holds the grip of the neutralizer gun with both hands, her yellow eyes focused on John with pure hatred. Kitty's likely safe with her ability to phase -- and she's keeping John safe for the moment too -- but the way Mystique's looking at John... it's so personal, and Kevin can see that she wants to hurt him. Badly. She's so bent on it that she's even let her guard down to make sure she's got a lock on John.

There's a calm, almost gentle touch. A hand is placed on Mystique's shoulder. She jerks her head around and turns to face Kevin. His gloved left hand is on her arm. He lets go for just long enough to the glove off his right, and reaches down with his gloved hand to wrap it around Mystique's -- and the gun.]

[The only thing that John felt was stabbing pain and a resigned and wrathful sort of dread the moment Mystique foot crushed his fingers. It's over, he thought. A pained cry had escaped his throat; he was utterly defenseless to stop her from stripping him of his gauntlets, against the hot, sibilant promises she made into his ear. It chilled him, sent a cold slide into his gut.

She wasn't lying, and what could he really fucking expect, trying to rob her of her powers again? A thank you? He had rolled over then, his hazel eyes ablaze with hatred and defiance as he looked in her eyes and waited for her to stop chatting about her fucking revenge and just take it.

But the dart didn't land - and will damn wonders never cease - instead Kitty's panicked, determined face appeared and she landed on him instead; he felt nothing but the jarring pain of her small hand on his crushed wrist and then... nothing. No piercing dart, just... Kitty, and a strange numbness, a tingling all over.

His eyes are wide, his mouth open as he breaths heavily and cranes his neck to look at her. Saving him.

Then his gaze lifts, distracted by movement, and sees Kevin wrap a hand around Mystique's.]

[Mystique's eyes lock on Kevin's, their rich sunflower hue charged against his chocolate orbs. John is no longer her central concern, not with Kevin's hand clasped around her wrist, his bared palm threatening. She fixes him with a patronizing gaze, her free hand going to wrap around his gloved one, drawing their joined hands, the neutralizer now directed right at Kevin.]

Will you stop me now? When it's your gift on the line? [She struggles to squeeze her finger around the trigger, using all her strength to pull Kevin close to her, her malice suffocating.] Loosen your grip, just a little. Just enough. You can have a normal life, the freedom to touch anybody, everybody you've ever wanted to. They won't ask questions. We can both go free.

[Her hand tightens again, still unable to bring the trigger home. Kevin's fighting her too hard, his gaze unflinching. She looks over at the X-men, at Pyro, recovering nearby.]

Do you think they'll still have a place for you, back at their school? For a killer? For a force like you? There never was; we both know that. [She pulls him in close, closer so that all he can see is her eyes.] Help me help you, Kevin. You know it's what you truly want...

[This far into the game, and Kevin still doesn't doubt those words. Even if the school doesn't reject him outright, it's too dangerous for him to be around people he cares about, and that's why he needs to leave. Distance himself from them. On that point, he agrees with Mystique. It doesn't hurt him anymore; it's just a facet of life he's now accepted. It started with his dad, and it has to end now before any more lives are gone because of him.

He simply maintains eye contact with Mystique and speaks clearly.]

I want...

[His control is far beyond what it was months ago. He is confident. He brings around his bare hand and places only his index finger onto Mystique's hands on the gun.]

I want you to let go.

[Only a small amount of decay occurs, causing Mystique to gasp in surprise and reflexively drop the gun onto the snow. Kevin bursts into movement in an instant, kicking the gun back towards John, then raises his hands to fight Mystique if necessary.]

[John reacts instantly, pushing Kitty off him and ignoring the tremors of pain branching up his fingers and wrist and forearm. His good hand swipes for the gun in the air and he only fucking prays (which is saying a lot, since John doesn't believe in shit) that's Kitty's paying enough attention to take that cue.

He feels a grim sort of elation that his fingers close around the gun - he aims at Mystique and shoots her in the torso without a second's hesitation, letting out a rattling, victorious breath, his voice pained from his injuries and yet still with bite.]

If only that could make you shut the fuck up too.

[Kitty's grip loosens the moment it becomes clear what John's about to do, unphasing him so he can carry the job through. The neutralizer's release makes her flinch, but she can't find any pity for Mystique, not right now. She's manipulative and dangerous, she would have killed John and likely the rest of them too - it's all Kitty sees.

Even so, she looks away when the dart sinks in, almost afraid of the scene to ensue, afraid she might find something worth pitying on Mystique's face. Kitty replaces her grasp on John's arm almost immediately without hesitation, ready to protect again if need be.]

[The cry of agony that escapes Raven is something ripped from the fabric of her soul, and there is no doubt in anyone's mind that Mystique, the magnificent metamorph, is dying. The deep blue of her skin shimmers, each cell spasming through the different forms they've taken on: Magneto, Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, and so on. Her voice shifts tenors as she vocalizes her pain and despair in a long, low howl: a chorus uncounted, combined into one.

She drops to her knees before Kevin, looking up at him pleadingly, sure that this time she will surely lose her gift forever. Her fingers reach up, trembling, pink flesh so vulnerable, so fragile, just brushing the bare skin of Kevin's right hand.]

Kill me. Please. [She begs, desperate, her agility and strength still accessible, she could grip his exposed flesh tight and ride the waste into death, if only her will could overcome the harrowing emptiness she feels now, unable to shift and change forms.] Have mercy; don't make me live like this. [Her naked form shivers in the snow, her hands curl around fistfuls of Kevin's clothing, not willing to let him back away, taking with him her only hope at oblivion. She is begging, shameless, helpless, hopeless.] I only ever tried to help you...

[Kevin almost scoffs outwardly at that. Help him? How? By lying to him, tricking him, revealing in this last battle that no one here in the Brotherhood had ever trusted him during his brief stay with them? By being emotionally unavailable when Kevin most needed a friend...?

He wants to say these things with a spiteful vehemence but finds that he can't. She is fully human now, with hair as black as her namesake, and pale, unscaled flesh. She has a warmth in her human eyes even though Kevin knows that nothing of the sort exists behind them.]

Raven, if this isn't your true form, then I don't know what could be more fitting. You could never be anything but a fake.

[Even as he says this, Kevin can't help pitying this shivering mess of a person at his feet. He kneels, takes off his coat, and wraps it around her, knowing she won't get up to defend herself or attack in this state.

Kevin gets back on his feet, and stares down at Raven. There's a bitter, vicious resentment brewing inside of him as a result of realizing how much he'd been used. There's so much he still needs to say.]

Edited 2011-02-26 09:13 (UTC)

Edited 2011-02-26 14:54 (UTC)

Heeeee, yay! Thanks! This video is legendary and awesome. And SO RAVEN.

[OPEN POST] NEW BRO'HOOD

ME THREE ME THREE

aaaand me again.

MYSTIQUE/KITTY - THIS IS MYSTIQUE DISGUSED AS KITTY OKAY?? SNEAKY BITCHES

iris

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THAT'S SO RAVEN!! Crystal? Batter up? Tegan? Kyro? WHAT!

KYROOOOOOOOOO /battle cry

rofl NOOO now i have the that's so raven theme song stuck in my head

unpopular opinion: that's so raven annoyed me

iris shares this opinion

as does tegan!

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That is so NOT Raven, guys. /laments

Re: That is so NOT Raven, guys. /laments

Kevin. Ford. <3 My Hero! (He's SO Raven!)

So is she, sort of :P hehe.

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iris