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Post by Siryn on Jul 24, 2005 13:52:01 GMT -5
Cyclops
Scott kneeled to help the professor up as well when Xavier suddenly cried out Jean and Emma's names. He sounded disorientated and frightened. Fear and pain and defeat surged over the mental link Cyclops and his wife shared before Jean's defenses stopped them. She stared at Charles wide eyed for a moment.
He was momentarily stunned by the rush of emotions. Was this what had been worrying Jean so much? Had the Professor been this upset when they left? He doubted it. Jean would have never left their mentor like this, mutant containment facility or not.
He put his hands on Jean's shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze. "Charles, are you all right?" he asked, concerned. He completely ignored the White Queen. Whatever was making Xavier act so strange was obviously not her fault, she seemed as confused as they were. Then the insistent knocking came from the door of the main room of the suite. "I'll deal with whoever that is," he assured everyone else, giving his wife's shoulders one more comforting squeeze before rising. He sighed heavily and went to go get rid of the person.
The person on the other side of the door claimed to be room service. The Professor had been out awhile and Emma would not have ordered room service for the penthouse. Whoever was there must have the wrong room or something. "I'm sorry sir," Scott called through the door. "No one ordered room service up here. There must be some mistake."
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Post by Siryn on Jul 24, 2005 14:06:34 GMT -5
White Queen
Once Emma gave her reply, Charles started to stir. She stood up from the chair she had been forced into and watched Jean and Scott tend to Charles. Just as she was about to make her way out of the room, she was psychically assaulted with horrible images of an explosion, of the X-Men, the Brotherhood and herself and the Hellions dying in a fiery inferno. The image of her students, dead, terrified her and Emma fought back the urge to scream. Then, just as suddenly as the images had fed through her mind, they were gone, her mind's own natural defenses taking over and forcing the intruder out.
She opened her eyes and realized she had collapsed back in the chair again. Jean and Scott were just as confused as she was and Charles had a look of guilt on his face. Shaking her head, she looked down at the man who had caused her so much trouble this evening. A knock sounded at the door just as Emma's cell phone rang and she looked at the caller ID. Sabastian. That wasn't a good sign.
Looking at Charles again, she said, "Well, it seems I am not needed here and I still have work to do before tomorrow. If I don't see you before, I'll see you at the hearing in the morning. Good night, Charles, Jean." Her face betrayed none of the turmoil that had been stirred up with that "vision" of Charles' and she walked out of the room, past Scott and the room service boy.
Walking into the hall, Emma opened the phone and said, "Sabastian? What's wrong?"
((Continued in Hallway))
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Post by Siryn on Jul 24, 2005 14:07:22 GMT -5
Professor Xavier
Xavier tried desperately to recompose himself, the knocking on the door didn't help much. He hadn't remembered ordering room service, but with his present state of mind it wasn't outside of being a possibility.
"Scott go ahead and let the young man in, Perhaps eating something would be a good idea after all."
Charles hadn't expected to see Scott and Jean so soon. Swallowing lightly he realized that Jean had picked up on his pain. Xavier wanted to kick himself at that moment, the last thing that Jean and Scott needed was to worry about that "thing" again.
Putting on his best look of "being in charge" He watched as Emma left the room, sad that he hadn't even had a chance to talk to her. It was clear that she had also suffered from his lack of control.
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Post by Siryn on Jul 24, 2005 14:09:43 GMT -5
Professor Xavier/Pariah (NPC)
Watching as the young man entered the room with a silver push tray, Xavier took a deep breath the aroma of the food quieting his nerves.
Having not see a name tag on the young man Xavier politely asked, "Thank you.. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."
Looking Charles in the face, Pariah froze for a mere moment in time. He could feel the fear in the great Xavier's mind as he tried to hide it deep in his psyche. Pariah now knew for sure that Charles had seen the vision. "Paul Murray, Mr Xavier."
"Thank you Paul.", Charles was so preoccupied that he hadn't even noticed the odd stare from the service boy.
"Your Welcome, Mr Xavier. Have a nice day.", Pariah searched his own mind desperately for clues of any kind that would point him to why the vision had already occurred. Wanting not to waste anymore time, he turned around to quickly exit the room.
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Post by Phoenix on Jul 24, 2005 20:46:26 GMT -5
Jean didn’t pay much mind to the person at the door, nodding to Scott as he left to deal with him. The Professor had yet to answer what that vision was, or why he had it. He seemed to be avoiding the issue altogether, and that seemed odd. Charles had his secrets, she knew, but he would usually offer some sort of explanation.
Glancing up at the man who brought in some food, Jean watched as he and Charles exchanged pleasantries. As Paul bid Xavier a good day, he seemed to glance around the room, giving the Professor an odd look of uncertainty. It was hardly unusual, seeing that Charles was still sitting up on the floor.
Jean’s brows furrowed, turning back to Charles as the service boy left to leave.
< You’re avoiding the issue, Charles. What was that vision all about? > She didn’t want to alarm Scott just yet. A soft –pop- near the window caused her head to turn towards it slightly, narrowing her eyes. The soft smell of burnt wiring sifted upwards.
< Scott, did you hear that? Something just popped by the window. > Sending a message to Scott, Jean watched the area where the sound came from, before turning back to Charles, waiting for an explanation.
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Post by Cyclops on Jul 24, 2005 21:00:48 GMT -5
"Scott go ahead and let the young man in, Perhaps eating something would be a good idea after all." Cyclops didn't get a choice. As Emma Frost departed in quite a huff, the porter entered with the cart. He and Charles exchanged pleasantries as Jean silently joined them. He closed the door firmly after the young man left.
< Scott, did you hear that? Something just popped by the window. >
Scott's brows furrowed as Jean fretted in his mind. < No, I didn't, > he replied back. < I'll go have a look though. > He moved to the window and opened it, scanning the ledge. He saw nothing there that might have caused the sound his wife heard. It could have been a lot of things. < There's nothing out there, honey, > he assured her.
Turning to face his mentor, Scott crossed his arms over his chest. "What happened, Charles?" he asked. "Jean couldn't contact you and when we got up here, we found Emma Frost leaning over your unconscious body. She said she had no idea what had happened. What is she doing in your room anyway? You're not thinking of dealing with that woman, are you? And if so, when were you planning on telling us?"
Cyclops was furious. Emma Frost was the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. She was dangerous and couldn't be trusted. Besides, Jean hated the woman with a passion and for good reason What was Xavier thinking?
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Post by xavier on Jul 25, 2005 8:39:48 GMT -5
"What happened, Charles?" he asked. "Jean couldn't contact you and when we got up here, we found Emma Frost leaning over your unconscious body. She said she had no idea what had happened. What is she doing in your room anyway? You're not thinking of dealing with that woman, are you? And if so, when were you planning on telling us?"
Xavier sighed, holding his hand out for Scott to help him into his chair. Sitting on the floor in this undignified position, Charles was not surprised that Cyclops had already jumped to conclusions. Resting his elbow against the wall he pushed with his free arm, as Scott lifted him up and into his chair.
"Thank you Scott, now to answer your questions. I can't explain what happened seeing that I don't even know myself. Emma came simply because I called her or she heard me telepathically, I'm not sure. As for being blocked from Jean's attempt at communication, for that also I do not have an answer.", hating to sound cryptic Xavier added, "But, I do believe the mysteries will reveal themselves, they always do."
Charles touched his head as he allowed himself to probe the area with his mind. Searching for any clues to what may have happened. Finding nothing, Xavier resigned himself to continuing with the mission he had come here for, knowing that in time things would began to reveal themselves.
"Scott, Jean, I believe it is time that we continued this mission. At this very moment we are losing precious time. I will contact Beast, Psylocke and Wolverine. You will have your strike team if you so need it."
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Post by Magneto on Jul 25, 2005 19:48:40 GMT -5
Magneto wasted no time making his way to the penthouse. There was nothing to stop him from accessing the floor. He wondered how much of what Magda had told him Xavier already knew. It was a strange alliance, but he knew Charles would truly see this Hampshire as the greater evil. And Erik had possession of the only person who knew much about the man. It was a good bargaining chip.
He walked through the hallway, surprised at the amount of electrical activity going on in the penthouse. There were many more machines up here than one would expect. Xavier must have set up his command center here. Erik was curious to see what toys Charles had brought with him. He had obviously planning this for a long time.
He stopped at the main door to the suite and knocked loudly and firmly. He could easily bypass the locks and let himself in, but that would be unmannerly. "Charles, it is Erik," he called out clearly. "It seems we are in the city for similar purposes. I have come across some information that should be of use to you. May I enter?"
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Post by Phoenix on Jul 26, 2005 21:26:22 GMT -5
< There's nothing out there, honey, > Scott replied after checking near the window. Though he didn’t quite show it outwardly, he was fuming, and understandably so.
< Thanks for checking, love. > It was Jean’s turn to send soothing thoughts over their bond. Deciding to forget about the sound she’d heard for a moment, she turned back to Charles, who was answering Scott’s inquiries.
It didn’t surprise Jean that Scott asked a round of questions that she’d been thinking as well. Charles of course said he believed everything would be revealed in time, but it was still too clandestine for Jean’s liking. Still, Charles usually knew what he was doing, and if he needed assistance he knew all he had to do was ask.
"Scott, Jean, I believe it is time that we continued this mission. At this very moment we are losing precious time. I will contact Beast, Psylocke and Wolverine. You will have your strike team if you so need it." The Professor looked tired from where he sat, glancing at them both.
“I think that would be best. We don’t know what we’re going to encounter tomorrow, and having at least two of them here would be really beneficial, as long as there’s someone to watch over the students.” Rogue and Remy should be at the mansion, at least until Rogue’s probation was up.
Jean glanced over at Scott, finding his eyes. < What do you say, Slim? We can forego the facility scouting mission for a while, and go over the disks first if you want. I’m still not so sure about leaving Charles by himself...> Jean was a little worried about their mentor, and didn’t want to chance him having another mental attack when they weren’t there.
A few moment’s later, Jean’s emerald eyes narrowed, feeling a familiar presence outside the door of the penthouse. She didn’t have to hear his introduction to know who it was. ”Magneto.” Audibly announcing his name, Jean stood and glanced back at the Professor, giving him a quizzical look before approaching the closed door. Did Charles know he was coming? They’d had a lot trouble with the ‘Master of Magnetism’ in the past, and wherever he went, chaos was sure to follow.
"It seems we are in the city for similar purposes. I have come across some information that should be of use to you. May I enter?" Erik announced from behind the door.
“What kind of information?” Standing protectively beside Scott, Jean opened the door but didn’t invite Erik in just yet. With the day they’d been having, she wouldn’t have many qualms in squaring off with the magnetic mutant if that was his goal. This could easily be some sort of ploy, but with the happenings in Congress with the MRA Bill, it was very possible that he had information vital to their cause.
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Post by Cyclops on Jul 27, 2005 0:14:58 GMT -5
Cyclops helped Xavier into his chair, expecting an explanation. He was really, really getting tired of not knowing what was going on, what they might be up against and most of all, why Charles had involved Emma Frost in this.
"Thank you Scott, now to answer your questions. I can't explain what happened seeing that I don't even know myself. Emma came simply because I called her or she heard me telepathically, I'm not sure. As for being blocked from Jean's attempt at communication, for that also I do not have an answer.", hating to sound cryptic Xavier added, "But, I do believe the mysteries will reveal themselves, they always do."
This did not even begin to answer Scott's questions. He folded his arms over his chest, trying to stay calm. Jean's sooting feelings through their link helped a bit. She replied before he did, which was fine, Cyclops didn't trust himself to speak right now. “I think that would be best. We don’t know what we’re going to encounter tomorrow, and having at least two of them here would be really beneficial, as long as there’s someone to watch over the students.”
In his mind, he heard her trying to calm him further, catching his eyes through the ruby-quartz sunglasses in the way only she could.. < What do you say, Slim? We can forego the facility scouting mission for a while, and go over the disks first if you want. I’m still not so sure about leaving Charles by himself...>
He almost had to smile when she called him Slim. < Sounds good to me, Red. > he agreed, calming a bit. < Truthfully, sending us for that kind of a mission was a bad idea. And Charles still hasn't told us why he was even dealing with that woman. >
Then Scott felt his wife become stressed and cautious through the link. She looked at the door and stepped next to him, one word passing her lips. "Magneto." Before he could say anything or react, the Master of Magnetism called out from the other side of the door.
"Charles, it is Erik. It seems we are in the city for similar purposes. I have come across some information that should be of use to you. May I enter?"
Jean opened the door and sure enough, Magneto stood their, sans his distinctive red and purple costume, and his protective helmet. Cyclops couldn't believe it. First Emma Frost, now Magneto? What was Charles thinking, dealing with these people? None of them could be trusted farther than Xavier could throw them. His eyes swept over Erik Lensherr, seeing red in more ways than merely the usual one. This was insane.
Scott decided he'd had enough of this. If Xavier wanted to even entertain the idea of talking with Magneto, he could do it alone. He was tired of their mentor keeping secrets from them. "I don't care what he knows," he replied shortly, grabbing the bag his laptop was kept in and the disks. "I have work to do and I refuse to deal with likes of him." He turned to Xavier. "I thought you trusted us, Charles. But obviously, I was wrong."
With that, Cyclops brushed past Magneto and out of the room. Where he was headed, he had no idea, but he couldn't stay in that room any longer. Xavier must be truly losing his mind if he thought he could trust either Emma Frost or Erik Lensherr.
[[ Exit Cyclops to the Hotel Hallways ]]
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Post by xavier on Jul 27, 2005 9:37:24 GMT -5
Xavier could feel the heavy emotions flooding off of both Jean and Scott, without even having to probe. He watched cautiously as Erik entered the room. His traditional attire, lending no less to his egotistical character.
Scott left the room furious at Xavier's supposed alliances, Charles didn't blame him not for a moment. After all his X-men had been through lately, it was a miracle that they were still together. Rogue's defection and then return to the fold, was a smooth reminder of how precarious his relationship with his X-men had become. Gathering his thoughts he approached his oldest friend, hand outstretched.
"Magnus..old friend I knew you would come, even you couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. Circumstances aside it is good to see you. There is something I must discuss with you, since it appears that you are the only one that truly knows me. Alliances must be drawn this day or we could all suffer at the hands of what is to come."
Charles could barely believe the words as they left his mouth carelessly. As if this were some sort of person he could trust, but deep down inside Xavier knew that Erik could be trusted, though getting him to agree was another matter all together.
The Professor knew what he had said, sounded vague, but even he didn't know what the details were, only that terrifying images still haunted him. Even after they were locked deep in the recesses of his mind.
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Post by Magneto on Jul 27, 2005 10:31:37 GMT -5
Magneto watched as young Scott Summers threw a tantrum at Xavier and stormed out. He let the young man brush past him, his expression betraying nothing. It seemed there was dissention in the X-Men's ranks. He turned his attention back to Jean Grey-Summers, who's greeting had been slightly more cordial than her husband's and his oldest friend. He nodded to Jean and stepped into the room.
Xavier wheeled over to him, calling him Magnus and extended his hand. Erik shook it firmly, and offered his oldest friend a brief smile, glad to see Charles was more inclined to see reason. And got right down to business as well. "Circumstances aside it is good to see you. There is something I must discuss with you, since it appears that you are the only one that truly knows me. Alliances must be drawn this day or we could all suffer at the hands of what is to come."
"It is good to see you as well Charles," he agreed. Xavier showed complete trust in him, Magneto having given him no reason not to. He'd come without his helmet, which with both Xavier and the formidable Phoenix in the room, showed much trust on his part alone. He decided to lay what cards he had on the table. "And the circumstances are more dire than you might believe. I do not have all the details yet, but I know for a fact a man named Hampshire was responsible for the attack on your school and had sent someone to spy on you this evening. I intercepted the spy."
Outwardly, Magneto showed no emotional reaction to this, but inwardly, his emotions were in turmoil over his discovery of Magda. But that was his business alone and did not effect this. "What do you know of this Hampshire?" he asked pointed. "What little information his spy gave up to me makes me wish to find the man and show him exactly what he believes he fears about us, for last few minutes of his life." He leaned back against one of the consoles and crossed his arms over his chest, taking note of all of the equipment. Charles was prepared for quite a battle it seemed.
He looked over at Phoenix again, who was regarding him with almost as much hatred as her husband had. He said nothing to her, but smiled slightly. "I believe I heard Mr. Summers mention the White Queen being involved," he suggested idly. "Will Ms. Frost be joining us in our endeavor?"
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Post by Phoenix on Jul 28, 2005 2:51:09 GMT -5
Frowning Jean’s eyes followed after her husband as he gathered his things and left. He was just beginning to unwind and even smile a bit when Magneto showed up. His frustration was clearly warranted as it washed over her psyche. She totally understood why he left. It wasn’t as if the Professor was being forthcoming with any information, and to see him dealing with Magneto was a blow to Scott’s view of the world. Everything was very clear cut to him, with few shades of grey.
But Jean wanted to hear what Magneto had to say. Seeing that Charles wasn’t being very opening, she thought it best if she stick around for a few minutes. < It’ll be alright, love. I won’t let anything happen to Charles. And seeing as Magneto is being very frank, we might be able to learn some valuable information concerning the Senate hearing. I’ll join you soon. > Sealing her message with a kiss, Jean kept her distance from the Master of Magnetism as he entered the room. She didn’t return his nod. Instead he was met with a cold, heavy gaze.
"Magnus..old friend I knew you would come, even you couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. Circumstances aside it is good to see you. There is something I must discuss with you, since it appears that you are the only one that truly knows me. Alliances must be drawn this day or we could all suffer at the hands of what is to come." Charles looked at his ‘old friend’ with troubled eyes.
Jean nearly raged with anger the second she heard Charles’ speech. Magneto was the only one that truly knows him?? Magneto?? The same villain who tried to kill Charles himself and the X-Men too many times to count? The same mutant who believed that humans were inferior to mutants and should be either eradicated or ‘fixed’ to be mutants themselves? Jean seethed, anger flowing from her pores. She and Scott spent the most time with Charles. Especially Jean, with their abilities so similar.
"It is good to see you as well Charles. And the circumstances are more dire than you might believe. I do not have all the details yet, but I know for a fact a man named Hampshire was responsible for the attack on your school and had sent someone to spy on you this evening. I intercepted the spy." As Magneto went on, Jean reminded herself of where she was and focused on keeping in control of her anger, listening to what he had to say. It’d be best not to erupt into a heated argument that might get out of control, especially between the three of them.
"And what exactly happened to this spy? Where is this person now?" Jean’s eyes locked onto Magneto’s, dangerously serious. That sound she’d heard before must have had something to do with the spy. And he was hiding something. His mental state was jumpy, though he hid it well. Being so closely linked to Scott, Jean was quite capable of reading façades, especially when people tried to hide it.
"What do you know of this Hampshire? What little information his spy gave up to me makes me wish to find the man and show him exactly what he believes he fears about us, for last few minutes of his life." Magneto stated, leaning against one of the consoles Charles had placed in the penthouse. It didn’t go unnoticed that he would now know of the machines he saw in the room.
But he brought up a good question. What exactly did the Professor know about this Hampshire? Jean glanced at the Professor, part of her debating how much he knew.
Jean felt Magneto look over at her. A light smile crossed his face. "I believe I heard Mr. Summers mention the White Queen being involved. Will Ms. Frost be joining us in our endeavor?"
Any semblance of control Jean had gathered over her anger dissipated at the mention of the White Queen. Moving forward, fire glowed behind her eyes, staring down the magnetic mutant. "Knowing how annoyingly persistent she can be, she’ll probably try to tag along." The temperature surrounding them began to rise, heating the air as the redhead’s hair began to wave though there was no wind. "And for your own benefit, Erik," Jean paused deliberately, "it would be wise not to mention her again." Jean had never liked the White Queen, and she knew the feeling was mutual.
Jean had had enough of Magneto’s backdoor instigating remarks and his unwanted presence. The only thing keeping her from showing him the crushing backhand of Phoenix was the need for any information he had, and even that was easily accessible.
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Post by Cyclops on Jul 28, 2005 8:37:58 GMT -5
(( OOC: Cross posted from Havok's Room ))
Jean's words and mental kiss seemed to calm Scott considerably. <Thanks honey, > he replied. < I'm just going to go visit Alex, get my mind off everything for awhile. I'll be in his room. Be careful, Charles is blind when it comes to Magneto. >
Then a few moments, a tense, worried feeling came over their link, then Scott began to immediately suppress those emtions, putting on his 'battle calm'. Some sort of confrontation had likely just begun.
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Post by xavier on Jul 28, 2005 19:51:13 GMT -5
"And the circumstances are more dire than you might believe. I do not have all the details yet, but I know for a fact a man named Hampshire was responsible for the attack on your school and had sent someone to spy on you this evening. I intercepted the spy."
Charles didn't move but simply listened to Erik's use of the word spy. There was something else behind that emotion, something Magnus was protecting. Dismissing it from his mind, Xavier decided that there were more pressing matters to attend to.
"What do you know of this Hampshire?" he asked pointed. "What little information his spy gave up to me makes me wish to find the man and show him exactly what he believes he fears about us, for last few minutes of his life."
Being used to Erik's bruta' style of speech, it didn't surprise Xavier to hear Magnus speak in such a manner. Then there was that emotion again, more then just anger at a flat-scan, it was something deeper, again Magnus hid it before Charles could better analyze the reaction.
Looking toward Jean, Xavier could see her starting to seethe, though she was doing well to hide it. Charles knew that if pushed it would take little to fuel her anger. Again the images flooded into his mind, of the dreadful fire the scorching heat. Quickly he dismissed it regaining his calm.
"I know very little as well about this Colonel Hampshire. What I do know is hardly enough to accuse the man of the attack on the mansion. What concerns me more is the law that is about to be passed now. That we must rely on those we chose to lead us, to make designs for all mankind, mutant and human. I fear that the choice they are about to make will be to large of a burden for them to bare, but we can help. We can push the process to recognize fair and unalienable human rights.", Xavier sighed. He was more tired then he realized.
"I believe I heard Mr. Summers mention the White Queen being involved. Will Ms. Frost be joining us in our endeavor?"
Charles nodded, "Yes I believe that even she knows the dangers that could come from this, all though her methods may not be what you or I would expect."
Xavier immediately felt the psychic push that came from Jeans direction. It was happening her anger was allowing the entity within her to be fueled once again. Its cry for freedom ringing loudly within Xavier's mind. <No Jean you must quite your mind! Do not be goaded by your emotions! Take control of your mind Jean!>, but it was too late already her anger had boiled over like a whistling tea kettle. Now she was taking out on Magneto, the room temperature gradually began to rise.
"JEAN THAT IS ENOUGH!", at the same time he yelled Charles sent out a tremendous burst of psionic energy attempting to bring Jean back in control, and forcing the entity back into its hidden place in her mind.
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