xp_logs | House of Wind: Change of Venue (Reply)

Nathan decides to celebrate his fortieth birthday with an "escape attempt" that's nothing of the sort. He gets the end result he wants, but pays for it.

It was taking too long.

It was taking too long, and he had to do something. The realization struck Nathan where he was slumped in the armchair by the window, staring out at Rio. The city was sprawled out far below where Gideon's house was nestled in the hills. So big, from up here. And the X-Men could be somewhere, anywhere in the city at this point.

How long would it take them to find him? One way or the other, they would. Too soon. He had to do something. His eyes moved from the window to the antique clock on the wall and he shifted in the chair, biting back a grunt of pain. He was still feeling the bruises from being blown through that wall in New York, and his nerve endings were still announcing how unhappy they were with last evening's 'conversation' with Gideon. He really wished they'd shut up.

Almost lunchtime. Marcus would be the one to bring the tray, he suspected. Marcus, who was polite, deferential, almost respectful.

Time to take shameless advantage.

Marcus opened the door and, true to Nathan's expectation, in his other hand carried a covered lunch tray. "Lunch, Mr Dayspring." he said pleasantly. "I do hope you'll enjoy it. Roast beef sandwiches, chips, and water to wash it down with. Even got some spicy mustard if you'd like." he nattered as he put the tray down on the table in the room and uncovered the sandwiches.

"I'm not particularly hungry." Nathan kept staring out the window, not moving from his slouch. If Marcus had known him better, however, he would have seen the slight increase in tension in Nathan's posture, something which would have been as good as a warning sign to Domino or someone else who'd fought beside him for years. "I imagine my uncle will be looking to have an early afternoon conversation and such conversations are far better had on an empty stomach." Perfectly true. The second one yesterday had left him retching helplessly for the better part of a half-hour.

Marcus looked almost sternly at Nathan. "You need to eat, to get your strength back." he said sympathetically. And just to prove a point he picked up the smallest sandwich slice and took a healthy bite out of it, chewing and swallowing. "The cook will be devastated if you don't appreciate his handiwork."

In a lot of ways, this whole experience was ridiculously surreal. "I knew your name before we met - did I tell you that? Dom told me all about you." Nathan pushed himself up out of the chair, not hiding the wince or the stiffness with which he was moving. "I suppose if I don't eat, there'll be force-feeding involved."

"We don't really want it to come to that," Marcus said. "So please. Eat."

"Mmm." He was not doing this to escape, Nathan told himself and, more importantly, the post-hypnotic trigger in his head. He didn't want to escape. He didn't want to go anywhere. Here was where he needed to be.

He was just being a bad guest. A few feet away from Marcus and the tray, Nathan stopped and lashed out with his telekinesis, hard enough to slam the man against the opposite wall. The plaster spiderwebbed around him, and lunch went flying everywhere.

Marcus easily picked himself out of the wall and tsked, taking a moment to brush himself off. "Now you've gone and spoiled lunch." he said reproachfully. "That was not a smart decision, Mr Dayspring. I should tell you that I have been authorized to use violence if I feel it is warranted. So, please, sit down and I'll have the cook bring up some more sandwiches."

He didn't even look fazed. Well, crap. Nathan knew he wasn't focusing well, but really, not being able to knock out one of his uncle's overly polite little minions was a really pitiful showing. Really pitiful. "How about I put you through the wall instead?" he asked, the air around him shimmering.

"That would also be a poor decision on your part." Marcus said. Using his enhanced physiology, he sprang forward to grab Nathan and wrestle him into conformity.

Nathan let him grab him. Close quarters would make this easier. His jaw clenched and he lashed out telepathically. Not anywhere near a killing blow, but enough to leave anyone who didn't have honest-to-God shields dazed.

Marcus got dazed, but not nearly to the extent that Nathan was probably hoping for. He had some extensive anti-psi training from Eris's own mindbenders, after all. But his grab and then move into a nice throat strangle was turned into a sloppy grope for Nathan's throat by his psi-attack.

Nathan sheathed one fist in telekinetic force and slammed it into Marcus's jaw. Go down, damn it! A brawl in the room wouldn't work. It wouldn't be enough. He had to make an impression.

Marcus managed to turn his head to take the brunt of that attack on the bony parts of his skull. Instead of returning it, he paused to let his head clear enough to get about the proper business of strangling Nathan Dayspring into unconsciousness. And given his strength, it wouldn't take long at all.

Son of a... Something happened, as Nathan fought futilely for air. Instinct took over, and suddenly he wasn't remembering that this was just for show, that realistically speaking he should be letting Marcus knock him out and let the chips fall where they may.

He couldn't pass out. Passing out was never an option. The situation was always worse when you woke up.

He wrenched himself out of Marcus's grip telekinetically, instinctively pushing himself into the air to get some distance between them. But the lack of oxygen had left him dazed and he crashed into the wall before he could stop himself, shelves giving way as he slammed into them and fell hard to the floor.

Marcus picked himself up gracefully and walked over to the now-staggered Nathan. "I told you that you should have just sit down," he said. "Now you leave me no choice." To emphasize his point, he started to apply the boot to Nathan - concentrating on his already-fragile ribcage. Not enough to kill him, but definitely enought to hamper any notions he might have of escape or even of being a nuisance. "Marcus to Security. Seems our guest was feeling a little frisky. We'll need to relocate him, and bring up Delgado for another healing session."

#Patronizing... son of a bitch!# The telepathic snarl was followed up by a telekinetic explosion that shattered everything in the room and sent Marcus through not just one wall, but the one on the other side of the hall as well.

Nathan hauled himself back to his feet, clutching at his ribs and trying to breathe past the stabbing pain and the choking dust. What had he done? he thought frantically. A fucking psionic explosion... if the X-Men were here, they'd find him, and it was too soon!

The decision was made in an instant. He had to keep fighting, give them no choice but to get him out of the area as soon as they could. Staggering, he headed for the hallway, his breathing growing even more ragged as the pain in his chest only got worse with the movement.

Marcus's world went grey, and then finally dark as his grasp on consciousness fled. Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately? - for Nathan, the backup squad was just arriving on scene. "Son of a bitch," one of them whistled, then they advanced. One pulled a rod-like structure from his belt and flicked a switch, causing it to emit a truly evil hum.

Nathan stopped, bracing himself with a hand against the wall as he sized them up with a glance. "Let me guess," he said, trying not to wheeze. "My uncle stepped out and left you to mind the store. Lucky you."

Chandhu cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Last chance, Mr Dayspring." he said with his West Indian accent. "Either you stand down and allow us to escort you to new quarters and provide you with food and medical attention, or we beat the crap out of you and you wake up in a new secure facility with an IV in your arm."

He could have laughed. If it wouldn't have hurt so much, he might have. Precisely what he'd wanted. Precisely. Happy birthday to me... "I'll take door number two, thank you very much," Nathan said with a slightly hysterical sort of elation, and charged the two of them.

Chandhu had time to smile thinly before he blurred into action, his fists like jackhammers targeting Nate's ribs once again. While he wasn't as strong as Marcus, he was much, much faster. Between them, it was almost even as to who hit the hardest.

It wasn't quite the same as his vision, but then, a number of things hadn't been. But the white pain that exploded in his chest as he failed to block Chandhu's attack - he just couldn't move that fast - was certainly familiar. As he reeled backwards against the wall, trying not to crumple, Nathan clawed feebly at the other man with telekinesis, trying to push him away.

Nathan's feeble attempt at a telekinetic shove may have stopped Rachel, but it didn't even register to Chandhu. With a slight smile on his swarthy features, Chandhu stepped forward and set about finishing the job Marcus had begun. But before Nathan, sliding down the wall, went out for the last time, Chandhu stepped back and then, just for grins, applied the shock-stick to Nathan's now very, very broken ribs.