January 06, 2019:
X-men gather to search the Between.
Characters
NPCs: None.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\# None.]
Fade In…
In the Between:
Sage and Psylocke stand shin-deep in the lukewarm water that flows slowly through the ghostly cityscape, in an alley out of 'sight' of any of the shapes outside. Not far away, the portal opened to the Avengers mansion stands open, near where the robot that Oracle was piloting stands sentry. And communications are still open.
In the Xavier Mansion Kitchen:
Bruce looks in surprise at the weird text message on his phone, stopping fully in the process of making grilled cheese sandwiches. He sets down the spatula he was using, and quickly types in a few commands. "Yes, I want to talk directly," Bruce says, his voice and body tense.
Not long after, Banner is patched into the communicators. "B-Psylocke? Is this message I was sent right? Where are you?" asks Bruce quickly, anxiety clear in his voice.
*
Over the few weeks… months now? That professor Bruce Banner has been staying with the X-ers, Logan has adapted to the circumstances. One of those adaptations being that when he's moving about the house and hears the potential Rage Beast's tone of voice, he's become a decent judge of the man's stress levels. Most might not key in, or even hear in passing since he's not exactly broadcasting. But Logan has super-ears.
And he can sense that anxiety.
Stopping in the hallway just outside the kitchen, the Canadian X-Man takes up the whole doorway as he leans there, rather obviously eavesdropping as he affixes the Gamma-irradiated hero with a stern squinty glower.
*
Betsy is rarely startled. But Bruce's voice coming out of seemingly nowhere causes her to flinch. "Bruce?" she asks into her communicator…almost as if she questions whether it's real. "Bruce!" She nearly squeals, but manages more of a gush. "I'm…" She looks at Sage, but knows that even if she could give a better description, she will probably just stare blankly. "I'm somewhere Between, I think. It's warm here though, and there aren't (m)any monsters that I've seen…We're close to finding Papa Bear, I think…Are you okay??"
*
For what it was worth, despite the fact that Sage could hear the communication, she continued on with what she was doing as though she was in fact, deaf to it. Which, perhaps she was, as she was moving in a careful circle around the place she and Betsy had stopped, using the tools which they ahd been lft with to try to estimate some idea of direction to the place, if such even existed. She did not need to take notes, of course, as she simply recorded everything she saw into her memories, but she still needed to, well, see if she wanted to get a good handle on where she was. She never moved far, since it would not due to leave Psylocke behind.
*
"No…" agh, the food. "I'm burning my grilled cheese," Bruce deadpans honestly with mixed embarrassment, quickly moving the food from the heat to a plate while he replies, "I — I'd ask /how/ you are 'between,' but one of the Stark AI messaged me in the first place, I can make that leap of logic. But I want to come help find … 'him'," Banner says, turning off the stove. "You're not searching ALONE, are you?"
He's agitated, and completely unaware of Logan. Bruce is highly distracted by his call: not the most vigilent person. Bruce isn't turning green, but he's certainly not calm. He turns to lean against the counter, other hand rubbing his nose bridge and cheek, eyes closed.
*
Still bracketed in the door, his forearms planted on either side of the frame and seeming to hold him up as he leans there looking so damn judgemental, Logan watches Bruce and listens in. Head tilting to the side as he comments about Psylocke searching, the X-Man clears his throat with a rumbling grunt and tries to catch the professor's eye as if expecting a debriefing to be given to him as well. Which he probably does.
But then Logan pushes off and away from the entryway, moving further into the kitchen and stepping in to take charge of the grilled cheese. He can do that at least and let Bruce focus on whatever is going down.
*
"Nooo, don't burn the food. You gotta eat that…thing…" Whatever it is. "Bruce, I don't know if it's a good idea, it could be dangerous…." Psylocke logic. "I'm not alone, Sage is here, and she's super…." She trails off, looking for a descriptor while Sage walks in circles in the water. "Wet-VIGILANT. She's really good at…y'know, everything. We have gum to eat," she fumbles.
*
"A lot of high-food value gum. We will never run out." Sage offered, though whether it made it to the comms or just made it as far as Psylocke, well. She finally did cut in now, her usual flat voice breaking into the commutation. "Doctor Banner." Yes, she knew who he was. She knew who everyone was. Because she was both 1: wired to constantly acquire more information and 2: a hacker who had no respect for privacy. "Stark opened a portal into the place where the source of the rifts appears to be. Some sort of alien lifeform that we have as yet not identified. Psylocke and I have both picked up traces of Charles Xavier, which have led us to believe that he is trapped in this space between worlds, dimensions…we are still evaluating that. The rest of the team returned to New York with three survivors. Psylocke and I are going to our best guess as to the last known location of Xavier." And then her end of the commuication fell silent, as she went back to her calculations.
*
Bruce jumps when Logan makes a sound, looking at him now, but it isn't to a dangerous level. The anxious guy is jumpy, no surprise. He covers the mic of his phone to quickly answer Logan's stare. "Psylocke's looking for the professor with Sage in a dimensional space lost between real places," Bruce supplies as if he were specifying what pizza he was going to order, and then answers Psylocke, while still looking at Logan.
"I… wait. Aren't you extremely good at tracking?" Bruce asks Logan, but also into the phone. "Sorry, Wolverine's here with me," he quickly says. "Gum? We can bring more supplies." He looks at Logan for an agreement on that idea, seeking support. All of Sage's information is wonderful, and serves to calm Bruce down some. Perhaps it's partially Sage's calm and direct tone.
"Where is the portal? It must be open if you're talking to me. Stark Tower?" he asks, starting towards the door.
*
Logan takes that news as if he had just been told they'd be having Hawaiian pizza as he sort of makes a 'hnh' face and then seems to accept it as just what is happening. He does, however, take ove the grilled cheese effort and claims the spatula from the scientist so he can turn it properly and make sure the bread properly browns. He asks sidelong, before answering any questions, "You put mustard on this?"
Depending on the answer will likely affect his next few actions. But for now he answers Bruce, "Depends on what you mean by extremely, but yeah."
*
Psylocke half-hearted ly sighs. Sounds like the boys are coming even over her protests. But she can't complain. Just having Bruce near will bolster her spirit and her confidence in their success. Even with Neo splashing in circles as they speak, she is still anxious. N-no, it's at the Avengers' Mansion…on the lawn…Be careful, Bruce…Logan will probably try to eat that—" she shakes her head. "I mean, we'll be…close. We'll watch for you to come through. If you're sure…"
*
Sage, if it helped, finally stopped splashing, as she turned back towards Psylocke, waiting for the communication to end. It was very much like being in a holding pattern for her, as she showed no sign that she was in any rush to get started. "The longer we wait, the further away Charles is from us. What traces we found in that woman's mind were already a week old. I would suggest something faster than a car to get through city traffic."
*
A glint of a shape in the water arrives, as if following the splashing, and begins to slowly patrol near where Sage and Psylocke are talking. It is about half the size of the other one they have encountered. It cruises slowly in the water, and then suddenly teleports somewhere, disappearing from immediate view. Searching for it will reveal it moved inside the building they had been in, and is now languidly observing them, some of the spines on its back appearing much like twigs in the water.
"He can have it, it's okay. I'm too tense to eat. I … mustard?" That takes Bruce a second to orient. "I did put some on, yes. Avenger's Mansion. Okay. I'm.. I'm sure." He does not sound sure, he sounds worried.
"I'd still feel better looking at the portal setup; this can't be stable," he asides to Logan, worried. Sage's suggestion makes a lot of sense. "Do we have something faster than a car?"
*
Laconic as ever, Logan's answer is simply, "Yup." And as he answers Bruce's query he picks up the sandwich, turns off the stove top with a twist, and then starts to chomp on the corner of the grilled cheese. "Tell 'em we'll be en route on the Blackbird. Launch time in about three minutes." He chews on the sandwich some and then moves out towards the hallway.
"You can suit up while we're in flight." Then once he's in the hall he rounds and snaps, "Let's go, _move_ it, Banner!" Even as he leans to the side and reveals the panel of the hidden elevator and keys it to life with the palm of his hand on the data display. Probably won't take them too long to get going.
*
"I know," Psylocke replies to Sage. But we've got a serious problem on our hands, here. Bruce eats /mustard/ on a grilled cheese…" Psylocke shudders. "Also, there's another of our gator buddies stalking us." Oh. Comm left open. She turns it off. "Just a little inside joke, I—shit." She turns the comm back on. "Just an inside….Bruce? Be careful. Once you get here, I promise I won't let anything hurt you."
*
Sage nodded, as the both caught sight of the alligator-spider creature, "It went back to the building. It has enough animal intelligence to return to where it knows there has been food for it before." Since coming here, they had only seen actual flesh and blood humans and not specters inside the building. A tip of her head, as she began to move back towards the building. "We should destroy the immediate threat to provide them a safer entry point, but it may not be the last one we encounter."
*
The creature examines them, but then goes to where the corpses are located. It can be found there, looking over the remains, should they search for it.
"I… yes, coming!" Bruce says, immediately doing as Logan requested, jogging to catch up. He relays the information Logan gave him quickly. They'll be there soon.
"Suit up? I normally don't, but okay…" Bruce begins, trailing along towards the Blackbird. He'll make no real resistance, though, to anything. He usually is very agreeable: it's a lot better than arguing with anyone.
*
Betsy sighs, and looks back at Sage with a nod. "We'd better get rid of it now. We goin' to try the same plan as last time, or a different approach?" She is already approaching the building with a determined stance, and reaching for a sword.
*
I think that depends entirely on how well and how much Wolverine and Doctor Banner can contribute to the search. Right now, what we have to go on," Sage offered, as she ducked beneath the open entry that lead into building, "Are what we have been able to glean from a frightened woman's mind. Whether Doctor Banner has the skills equal to attempting to modify our equipment in a way that might boost our ability to track a living presence in this place, or Wolverine can use his enhanced senses to search for traces of Charles, I don't know. This place does not, in many respects abide by the same rules as the reality we are accustomed to. It is writing and rewriting itself, for lack of a better term second by second." She paused, looking at the woman with her, "Same strategy as before? I get it's attention, you press the attack?"
*
"I think Banner is extremely capable of doin' whatever we need to, technically speakin'," Betsy replies. "An' I hope Logan can do anythin' here that he can do there. But…as Fer this jackhole, I'm game fer whatever plan yulou can devise…" Psylocke has foregone her psi-sword, and has a dagger in her offhand.
*
Sage nodded, leaving any discussion of how capable their +2 might be for some time after they had managed to kill the second creature, if they did. She lifted a hand, indicating that she was moving in. Rather than simply rushing in, seeing as that resulted in the creature automatically teleporting to try to escape her attack, she instead moved in to circle the thing, approaching the bodies as though she were offering some competition for the food that was still on offer. Who knows? Considering the woman only ate MREs a bit of long pork could be a step up the culinary ladder.
*
Noticing Sage causes a series of quick gulping as it tries to down all of the remainder of one of the corpses, hissing warningly at her. It seems to be most interested in the food, less about Sage. It's a smaller one, a good guess would suggest it is a juvenile. It isn't aware of Psylocke, from the appearance of how it moves, but it's trying to get the food quickly, very obviously.
*
Psylocke moves stealthily toward the backside of the creature, leaping only when she is close enough to land on it, moving her sword in a slash toward the thing's throat and aiming the dagger into the base of its skull.
*
Good. Sage has its attention. She continued the advance, timing the moment she did move in to coincide with Psylocke's attack. Knowing that she had been able to damage the thing's body before with her blasts, she attempted to do the same now, sending a wave of force towards its legs, attempting to cripple it. pain was, for most creatures, a wonderful demotivator, and even if it managed to teleport away, the hope was that it would not be able to go far.
*
Jumping on a thing with sharp spines may not be the best tactic. The spines lift as it makes a threatening 'I am BIG' rattle at Sage. It was preparing to teleport with Sage's motion, but the force on its back causes it to react a little early, and in the wrong direction. It ends up closer to Sage, and gets the blast full in the jaw and belly. It bites and twists in the water, disoriented.
*
Psylocke finds herself impaled on spines, and wiggling to get free. She changes her tactic, stabbing mercilessly down its spine, if it has one, with her sword. She'll try to pry herself free from the spines once it is dead. A few more stabs and the thing stops moving. But Psylocke is wiggling and trying to free herself, covered in ichor as she is.
*
Second time was not the charm, as yes, the thing was dead but no, Psylocke was not unscathed. The body of the creature Sage stepped on, attempting to hold it in place as she moved to assist the injured woman, "How badly are you hurt?" Which was the one thing that was going to determine whether or not they could continue the mission. Psychic healing was not in her wheelhouse.
*
The creature with the spines wasn't the only creature that tried to declare its territory with violence inflicted upon the other two X-Men. But it was the worst of them. A few more spiney monsters that dared to raise talon and claw against them, handled with the same precision and expertise. It might not be all of them. But it's enough to create a perimeter and secure a likely entry path for the other two heroes who were making their way towards them.
It wasn't too long. The arrival in the silent stealth jet. The contact with security. Then the approach to the gate and its equipment. For a time it might've looked like they would have dallied, the siren song of technology tempting Bruce…
But Logan, now garbed in his black and gold combat suit, did his best to make sure Banner was ready. That he was geared. And that he kept his focus. Through the gate they went.
On the other side, the Wolverine took a moment long enough to scowl to himself and tell his 'partner' sidelong. "Ain't the weirdest place I've been. Then again…" He snorts, inhaling some phlegm and then spitting it out into the water. "Still messed up."
Gesturing to the side he growls, "Reach out with your thoughts. Or just think over and over loudly about how yer missing Bets or whatever. She's prolly listenin'. Tell her we're on our way and on at least the same plane of existence."
*
"I'll just use my communicator, first," Banner suggests, following Logan. Tech before magic or mental stuff. He's lugging some equipment: some of it tech, but most of it medical supplies (being handed that definitely made Bruce start to panic) and freeze-dried food that doesn't taste like bubble gum. It loads down the scientist, so he's a little slower than Logan may like, but he's doing okay, all things considered.
"Psylocke, we're headed your way. I mean, I hope. We're in a street-river." Bruce is dressed in a borrowed Cyclops jumpsuit, which is doing well to keep him from being extremely wet. He's nervous and uncomfortable, but staying calm. Sort of.
*
Psylocke peels herself off the creature, looking down at a dozen oozing punctures. "Well, that was unfortun—" Then she hears Bruce. Well, not really hears him…but anyway. "Bruce!" Probably no way he can hear her. <BRUCE!! We're comin'! > Then to Sage, "They're here, you a'ight?" She asks the question as she is already moving for the door. Hopefully Sage is all right…
*
"I'm uninjured. Unlike yourself." But given her lack of supplies, and Psylocke's obvious unwillingness to wait, Sage only stepped off of the creature and made her way out of the building and towards the two new arrivals in the phantom zone. Now with less spiney, bitey things. If she seemed less enthused than Betsy was for the backup, well, that was just Sage. "We need to begin moving."
*
"You know, after thinking over what I've been given … if this creature has been adding places, we can use the places as something like rings in a tree, of a timeline. So, look, if you look at an overhead map, and extrapolate.." Banner and his ideas. That's what he's there for: ideas. Banner is lugging his stuff, but tries to explain with his hands.
"Then if the Professor was lost a week ago, we can get a gist of where he might have landed. As this dimensional space was built out. We're on an edge, if the data's right…." Bruce is rambling. He pulls out his tech handheld. "We'd need to go… kind of thatta-way."
The direction does agree with what the women were given mentally. And it's out of the water.
"They've seen us. Or felt us," Bruce announces to Logan, answering Betsy with a mental '!!'. No words, more an emotional spike of worry and hope.
*
"Save the explanations for the big brains, doc." Logan starts moving forwards, the water swirling around his legs as he begins the hike in the gestured direction. His nostrils flare for a moment briefly and he doesn't counter the advice, perhaps his senses leading him in that general direction as well.
He's aware of the other creatures, aware of the subtle shifts and eddies in the current as he moves off and out of the water, the newly created wetlands letting him rise up on the bank with his boots splooshing faintly. He pauses and gestures for Bruce to catch up with him.
"We might get harried. Somethin' goes down just stay behind me." Rounding again he continues in the needed direction. The trek is begun and he seems mentally set for the long haul…
*
Psylocke nods vaguely toward Sage, just giving a cursory glance around as she rushes out. "I'm fine, never been better!" And she is rushing out the door into the watery street. <Bruce? Where are you guys?>
*
Thankfully, as they had had to turn back to deal with the monster squad, literally, Psylocke and Sage were not far from the entry portal. They were, in point of fact, easy enough to spot, as they ducked back out of the building, Betsy looking a bit worse for wear, though her costume was not entirely wrecked. It would take only a few long Logan-sized strides for the two halved of operation rescue to unite. And then…into the wild blue…fog. Pink fog? Whatever, folks, work with me here.