xmutanthigh | [OPEN POST] NEW BRO'HOOD

[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.]

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.]

[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.

[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.]

[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?

[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.

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?

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

LONGSHOT - Kayt (w/ bag on head)

Iris

MORTIS - Kayt - For John, Kevin too!

TEAM BAND!

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

TEAM SNEAKY OVER HERE