Scott and Lorna, Thursday night
Jul. 6th, 2006 05:00 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
x-cyclops.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsOne of the wounded didn't go back on the Blackbird when she should have. Scott is pretty determined to rectify that, even if he has to be sneaky about it. It's perhaps a measure of Lorna's exhaustion that she doesn't see what's coming.
The MRE he'd wolfed down in the Blackbird this morning really hadn't done it for food for the day, Scott reflected wearily, making his way through the debris towards where he'd spotted a flash of familiar green hair amid the emergency crews. At least the hair had looked green, under the lights. He wasn't sure.
"Polaris!" he called out hoarsely when he got closer and saw that it was indeed his teammate.
Lorna didn't turn around right away, didn't even appear to hear him. One arm was raised slightly, her hand trembling. The other was pressed closely to her side, unmoving. After a moment, the reason for her lack of response became clear as with a long, protesting whine the trolley car under the piled concrete of a fallen building peeled itself apart as if separate with a hot knife. Emergency crews rushed in and the green haired woman swayed as she shifted her attention to her team leader.
"Cyclops," she said shortly, not being rude just saving her strength. If asked she wouldn't have been able to remember her last break. "Did you need something?"
"Yeah. You, on the Blackbird resting until I make the next trip to the mansion tomorrow morning." Scott stopped, his eyes narrowing as he got a good look at her. "Did you even let the paramedics on the beach look at your shoulder?" he demanded.
She shrugged her good shoulder, "They popped it back in." That had been worse than she remembered it. Possibly because she hadn't left it for hours the first time. "I'm fine. There's still lots to do. The uniform is almost as good as a sling. How is everyone doing? What's the word on the psis?"
"All still unconscious, as of the last check-in. Ororo and Bobby and Shiro are recovering a little faster, I think." He was studying her as he spoke, shaking his head. "Lorna, if I have to carry you to the 'Bird myself, I will."
Lorna pressed lips the same shade as her hair together, biting back whatever her first response to that would have been. Her voice was measured when she did speak, nearly flat. "These people are working themselves to the bone. Every minute longer I can help them means they're able to help just that many more people. I'll take a break when I need one, I swear."
"What's the first rule of emergency work, Lorna? 'Don't become a victim.' Do I need to find a mirror for you? You're starting to look green all over." If he had to argue with her, he would.
"That doesn't mean anything anymore. That's not my upper limit anymore." Lorna's jaw tensed as an unwise shift in weight sent shooting pain through her shoulder. Her eyes flooded with tears and she blinked too tired to fight, using it instead, "Please Scott, I need to be here. This is the kind of thing I grew up waiting for. Years of duck and cover and this was always what we were afraid we'd see in the morning."
"Hey." He reached out and laid a hand on her good shoulder. "You go back to the mansion, rest a day or two, and come back if you want," he said quietly. "Lorna, you can't work yourself into exhaustion here. You can do too much good rested. You know that."
She shook it off and stepped away. "If I go back, Amelia will bench me." She knew that, knew it with perfect certainty and hated to admit it. "I'll rest here. I'll take a break, get something to eat. Don't send me back."
Scott gazed at her steadily. "If you come back to the 'Bird to eat and rest." Maybe.
Lorna knew quite well that she was probably not going to get a better offer. It wasn't like she wasn't tired after all. And she should probably eat something for the energy if nothing else. Using her powers sapped energy like running a marathon. She nodded sullenly. "All right. But only for a while and no sending me home."
I'm not making any promises. If she wound up soundly asleep, maybe he'd just take off a little earlier than he'd planned. "Come on," he said, taking her good arm, just in case she made a run for it. "I have some less awful-than-usual MREs back in the 'Bird."
The MRE he'd wolfed down in the Blackbird this morning really hadn't done it for food for the day, Scott reflected wearily, making his way through the debris towards where he'd spotted a flash of familiar green hair amid the emergency crews. At least the hair had looked green, under the lights. He wasn't sure.
"Polaris!" he called out hoarsely when he got closer and saw that it was indeed his teammate.
Lorna didn't turn around right away, didn't even appear to hear him. One arm was raised slightly, her hand trembling. The other was pressed closely to her side, unmoving. After a moment, the reason for her lack of response became clear as with a long, protesting whine the trolley car under the piled concrete of a fallen building peeled itself apart as if separate with a hot knife. Emergency crews rushed in and the green haired woman swayed as she shifted her attention to her team leader.
"Cyclops," she said shortly, not being rude just saving her strength. If asked she wouldn't have been able to remember her last break. "Did you need something?"
"Yeah. You, on the Blackbird resting until I make the next trip to the mansion tomorrow morning." Scott stopped, his eyes narrowing as he got a good look at her. "Did you even let the paramedics on the beach look at your shoulder?" he demanded.
She shrugged her good shoulder, "They popped it back in." That had been worse than she remembered it. Possibly because she hadn't left it for hours the first time. "I'm fine. There's still lots to do. The uniform is almost as good as a sling. How is everyone doing? What's the word on the psis?"
"All still unconscious, as of the last check-in. Ororo and Bobby and Shiro are recovering a little faster, I think." He was studying her as he spoke, shaking his head. "Lorna, if I have to carry you to the 'Bird myself, I will."
Lorna pressed lips the same shade as her hair together, biting back whatever her first response to that would have been. Her voice was measured when she did speak, nearly flat. "These people are working themselves to the bone. Every minute longer I can help them means they're able to help just that many more people. I'll take a break when I need one, I swear."
"What's the first rule of emergency work, Lorna? 'Don't become a victim.' Do I need to find a mirror for you? You're starting to look green all over." If he had to argue with her, he would.
"That doesn't mean anything anymore. That's not my upper limit anymore." Lorna's jaw tensed as an unwise shift in weight sent shooting pain through her shoulder. Her eyes flooded with tears and she blinked too tired to fight, using it instead, "Please Scott, I need to be here. This is the kind of thing I grew up waiting for. Years of duck and cover and this was always what we were afraid we'd see in the morning."
"Hey." He reached out and laid a hand on her good shoulder. "You go back to the mansion, rest a day or two, and come back if you want," he said quietly. "Lorna, you can't work yourself into exhaustion here. You can do too much good rested. You know that."
She shook it off and stepped away. "If I go back, Amelia will bench me." She knew that, knew it with perfect certainty and hated to admit it. "I'll rest here. I'll take a break, get something to eat. Don't send me back."
Scott gazed at her steadily. "If you come back to the 'Bird to eat and rest." Maybe.
Lorna knew quite well that she was probably not going to get a better offer. It wasn't like she wasn't tired after all. And she should probably eat something for the energy if nothing else. Using her powers sapped energy like running a marathon. She nodded sullenly. "All right. But only for a while and no sending me home."
I'm not making any promises. If she wound up soundly asleep, maybe he'd just take off a little earlier than he'd planned. "Come on," he said, taking her good arm, just in case she made a run for it. "I have some less awful-than-usual MREs back in the 'Bird."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}