Scott and Marie, Sunday

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Scott checks in with Marie, to make sure she's got a functioning com and offer a little encouragement.


Marie's landings had gotten rockier and rockier, so she was surprised when she managed to pull off a rather steady one when she touched down in front of Scott. The gray sweatsuit Doug had gotten for her managed to hide most of the dirt and dust that she had been working in, but several rust colored stains were readily visible. The man in front of her looked as tired as she felt and, not for the first time, she wondered how they all kept going. "Cyclops, Ah'm just here to touch base."

Scott immediately handed over a replacement com. "I picked them up on my last trip back to Westchester," he said. "Drop-offs and pick-ups... you're one of the last who didn't have one. Remind me to remember the coms the next time I tell Lorna to EMP the area."

Marie smiled at him and shook her head. "Yeah…woulda made it a lot easier to have told y'all when Ah took Julio. It was for the best though…there was no other way to take out those damn cameras." As she put the com on, she accidentally knocked the scarf covering her head loose. Catching it as it fell, she hastily retied it, anxiously adjusting it into place. "How are Cable and Phoenix holding up? And Haller? And…well, Ah guess Ah should just ask about everyone's status."

"Everyone's... holding up. Jean was resting in our suite, when I was back at the mansion. Nate's having some trouble with the virus, which I gather was expected, and David... well, he's still out of it," Scott said with a sigh. "He's been through a lot."

"Ah know this isn't exactly the time to talk about it, but what the hell?" she asked. Focusing on the David-Jim-Haller situation kept her mind off of Magneto and the questions she would rather be asking.

"It's not my story to tell," Scott said with another sigh, his eyes following a small convoy of emergency vehicles winding their way through the debris-strewn streets. "Suffice to say, what he did, with Jean and Nate... the stress was huge. He pushed too hard."

If there wasn't so much work to be done, Marie would have pushed him further. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she reached to run her fingers through her hair. As they hit empty air, she quickly shoved her hand in a pocket instead. "So Ah've been clearing rubble, helping a few groups get survivors out and to medical. Should Ah keep on that or is there somewhere Ah'm needed more?"

"Just pitch in where you're needed, until you're too worn out to do it any longer," Scott said, reaching out and adjusting her com. "Let me know when you hit that point. I'll probably be making another trip back to the mansion tomorrow night or early the next day."

She nodded, though she knew she wouldn't choose to go back anytime soon. There were simply too many people stuck in the rubble and the longer it took to dig them out, the less chance they had of finding any more survivors. Quirking an eyebrow, she asked. "And how are you holding up?"

Scott gave her a wry look and a raised eyebrow. "Perfectly fine. I've been focusing on looters, clearing debris, and coordinating things, which was involving a large amount of running around until I got the replacement coms. I had to take a couple of stimulants when I flew yesterday, which Jean would kick my ass for, but I caught a few hours sleep on the 'Bird last night."

Marie was sorely tempted to ask him if he had a few more of those stimulants, but stopped herself. She would do this the old fashioned way with lots of coffee and even more carbs to give her energy. And once they had gotten a handle on the mess, she would collapse and sleep for a week straight. "Anything else Ah should know before Ah head back out? Ah know Red-X is here, so Ah'm assuming a bunch of the kids are too."

Scott nodded. "They're here and well-organized... RedX has got response measures down to a science by now. If you run across any of them and there's anything I need to know, you've got the com." He nodded at it. "I should get back and let the Guard commander know I'm here. The Professor made a few phone calls that provoked another couple of phone calls, so we had the Guard from Seattle vouching for us. You might have noticed the improvement in attitudes over the last couple of days."

"Well, since Ah've been 'plainclothes' so to speak, Ah've had an easier time of it. Ah shoulda had you bring me some new leathers." She looked sheepishly at her clothes before shrugging. "Just call me on the com if you need anything."

"Will do." Scott smiled. "Just keep it up," he said, more quietly but firmly, resting his hand on her shoulder for a moment as he turned to go. "This is as important as the rest of it, you know."