xp_logs | Remix: Day One

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Saturday, shortly after arrival, Sunny Day sends everyone on a 'cooperative hunt!'. Sadly for Logan, this isn't so much an actual hunt.

Sunny Day, team-building expert extraordinaire, took a deep breath, prepping herself for the speech to come. “So, in the spirit of trust and teamwork, I have split you into groups of three and given each group a list of things to hunt for! A cooperative scavenger hunt requires all three members to put their heads together and think of creative solutions, so be sure to talk to your teammates: Find out what they’re thinking! How are they feeling today?” She paused, to let it sink in, watching the enlightenment spread over . . . well, it would start any time now. She waited a few moments, then moved on, unstoppably.

“Also, while you’re hunting, try to think of what each object can symbolize to your team. Does the shopping bag represent how material things can sometimes overshadow your ability to work together? What about that thimble? Think of the things you need to mend those tense situations! And maybe think about how a can of Coke can represent the energy it takes to build meaningful relationships? In a work environment, it’s important to be sensitive to how things seem to others, so make a mental note of your team’s ideas! Now. You three.” Funny-haired guy, a modern-day goddess type, and a man who appeared to be the bus driver. She handed the closest one a slip of paper. “Your mission: Find a carton of milk, matches, and a ring box. Have fun!” She waved, and moved on to the next group. This was the best part, after all.

***********

In the nearby town, the trio are completing their task.

"Now, we have gotten the milk," Ororo said, looking at the neatly-written (albeit short) list in her hand. "I think it would be wisest to ask for the matches outside of the nearest hotel, as it would give us the best odds of success. So the only thing remaining is the ring box, and I believe we need look no further than right over there." She indicated the small jewelry store about a block down the street and then looked at her 'team', eyebrows raised. "Are we agreed?"

Logan just snorted and tried to stay awake. He'd done more boring things, but he had to be hard-pressed to remember what. "Sure, 'Ro." he said agreeably, pulling his Stetson down lower over his eyes. Maybe they'd get lucky and something interesting would happen.

Jim raised his occupied hand as they walked, the bottom of the plastic bag swinging slightly under the weight of the carton of milk they'd picked up. "We're all sure we're not being used as pawns to collect the vital components of some kind of doomsday machine, right?"

"Reasonably so. Somehow Ms. Day strikes me as slightly too perky to have ambitions of world domination," Ororo replied with a smirk. "And I would think a pound of plutonium would be one of the list items if that was the case." The little bell over the door tinkled as they stepped inside onto the sage-green carpet of the jewelry store and into the middle of a very awkward situation.

At first, it seemed like everything was just very very quiet. The store wasn't crowded though a few shoppers were scattered here and there, standing very still. They were all staring at the door and the trio who had just walked in. Then one of them broke away from what he was doing and lifted a gun. His face was mostly covered, with a hat pulled low. Given the temperamental weather it could have been just a poor fashion choice but the weapon obviously precluded that. "All right you three. Away from the door and no one gets hurt." The voice was calm, unhurried, almost prim.

Jim looked from one armed man to the other, feeling more startled than actually afraid. Four men. With guns. In a jewelry store, against three X-Men. A part of him was speculating that they'd just wandered into a considerably more appropriate kind of team-building exercise.

A second man, nondescript save for the dirty hair falling into his eyes from underneath a toque, stepped in to enforce the first man's command, apparently taking umbrage at the lack of movement. "Like 'e said. Away from the door. And don't try anything smart. We'll be in and out, and we aren't wantin' any trouble, got it?"

With a nod Ororo began to step away from the door slowly, raising her hands somewhat to show the robbers she wasn't carrying anything that could be misconstrued as a weapon. Of course, not everybody in her group could be said to be doing the same, and she glanced at Logan over her shoulder as she moved towards the nearest jewelry counter, trying to catch his eye without raising too much suspicion.

Logan just grinned ferally and stepped towards the robbers. Outside of the feral grin his demeanor was to someone not trained in hand-to-hand combat placid and nonthreatening. To the trained eye, however, he was sliding into striking range with an eye towards the quick takedown. The guns didn't bother him in the slightest - any slugs he caught would be one less going into a team-mate or a bystander.

"It's okay. We're just on a scavenger hunt." Logan was moving forward, and at this point in team-history Jim had a good suspicion of where this was going. Raising his own hands, he flicked an eye to Ororo, standing beside the counter, and subtly moved away from the door in such a way that positioned him neatly in front of two bewildered-looking customers who had the misfortune of very poor timing. Please just don't let anyone be stabbed.

"I think you should all start moving together and not spread out so much," chimed in a new voice. From the back room emerged a middle-aged woman and a terrified man in a suit. He was clutching a briefcase and walking with the stiff motions of one trying not to make any sudden movements. The woman just looked vaguely bored, though that was belied by the tension in the grip she had on the man's arm. "Everyone in the corner, now. Jesse, what's wrong with you, letting these bastards in?"

Not waiting for a reply from Jesse, Ororo shot another quick look around the room before turning back to face the woman at the back of the store. Two things were obvious: she must be the ringleader, judging by her tone of voice and the way she seemed to be directing the other robbers; and there was only a very narrow window of opportunity to be had before the tension in the room gave way to out-and-out violence. This meant that they had to act fast before it was too late.

Luckily, Ororo's powers weren't dependent on proximity - because of this she decided it would be up to her to counter the woman, who was beginning to lift her weapon towards the man's head. Raising a sudden gust, Ororo sent it at the pair, knowing it would throw both the ringleader and the bank manager off their feet but not being able to do anything about that. If she was lucky, it would knock the wind out of the woman; at the very least, it would buy them a few seconds.

The minute Ororo's wind hit the robbers Jim dove for the two bystanders, driving them unceremoniously to the floor. The guns were setting off the needling feeling under his skin that meant Jack was far too interested in what was going on, but the telepath held to his calm. As offense went Jack was not the kind you wanted to click the safety off in close-quarters. Even though he was calmer that particular part of his personality could definitely stand a few more teamwork exercises.

Logan was off like a shot once the winds started. The claws stayed in, but Logan was plenty dangerous even without them. First bad guy got a pulled throat-shot that put him on the ground and gasping for air to put in his lungs. A few extra steps took him to Bad Guy #2, who got rather violently introduced to the carpeting via his face. A quick dribble of the bad guy's face against the hard floor and he was out like a light. No permanent damage but he'd definitely know he'd encountered the Wolverine.

That left only one. Ororo wasn't sure if the last criminal had a gun or not, and she wasn't too keen on standing around to find out. Launching herself into a sprint she headed for the back of the store, where she could just see a shadowy figure lurking. As she neared she slowed down, keeping the cases between herself and the robber as she edged closer. "You are outnumbered!" she called to him, hoping to diffuse the situation without any further violence. "Please put your weapon on the floor and step out where I can see your hands."

The man swung around, sweating, halfway through a sentence, " --dammit, Bonnie, I thought I told you I needed more -- oh, shit, what the hell are you doing back here? Lady, this ain't no kindergarten operation, you'd better just get back in the front and on the ground." His hand fumbled at his hip, and he produced not a gun but what might have been a hunting knife, brandishing it at Ororo. "I mean it. Boss lady hates it when people get up in her face. We're just here for the cash, right? No one has to get hurt."

From his vantage point on the floor, Jim looked at the knife with a keen awareness of not only the solid look in Ororo's eyes, but the strange whistling sound one of the robbers Logan had taken down was making as he tried to breathe. Jim found himself running down the list of potential places to call to make sure the lone remaining offender had access to trauma counseling after this.

"Oh, I think someone's gonna get hurt." Logan quipped as he saw the bad guy's knife. "You call that a knife?" he called to the nervous-looking man.

He popped the claws on his right hand and showed them to the bad guy. "These are knives. You want to put your toy down now before I cut you?" he asked conversationally.

The man blanched. "Oh, fuck, man put those away. Bonnie said this'd be a clean job. I don't wanna fight any muties, okay?" Still, he kept the hunting knife poised and ready, hands shaking and sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Just let me - " And he broke into a desperate, knee-pumping run, intent on blowing past Logan and getting the hell out of Dodge.

Bonnie had been planning her next move. Jesse was on the floor behind the cases anyway which meant he was safe. Clyde had been the most viciously attacked and hadn't moved since--no chance to check on him now. That just left her kid brother and his stupid knife. When James broke for the door, she swore to herself; she couldn't let the idiot child get killed and he was going to at this rate. Lifting her gun, she rolled to her feet and fired indiscriminately, not caring who she hit so long as it wasn't one of her people. "Everyone on the ground right now! I mean it!"

Ororo wasn't in the path of a bullet, and the two Logan was probably wouldn't even have slowed him down. However, the minute a trigger had been pulled simple defense had ceased to be the point. A hand whipped out, moving the instant the gun had begun to rise. The bullets got no farther than a foot from the barrel.

"Congratulations," Jack growled from the floor, "you just found the one trick David can do."

Between the sudden absence of speeding bullets and the attempted escape by the last robber, Ororo was willing to bet that the woman was momentarily distracted. Taking advantage of the brief opportunity, the silver-haired woman sprang, launching herself over one of the fallen thieves and into Bonnie, one shoulder aimed at her chest as she grappled with her for control of the weapon.

The woman gave a short screech that ended in a loud gasp as Ororo's shoulder hit her squarely. No fighter, Bonnie released the gun and tried to roll away, more interested in protecting herself than anything.

Jesse, slowly recovering from the blow to his throat, tried to choke out Bonnie's name and scrambled to his feet. One hand at his throat the other holding his gun shakily. He surveyed the scene: Clyde on the floor, Bonnie somewhere hurt, James... Bullets that still hung in mid-air. He dropped his weapon and fell back against the wall.

Jack's grey eyes followed the weapon down. The slugs fell from the air to bounce on the carpet, and the three guns in the store deformed like they'd been pounded by an invisible brick: James', Bonnie's, and the one right next to Jesse's feet. He didn't attempt to follow it with an attack on any of the gunmen himself. He suspected attacking the unarmed with uncertain telekinesis would not be considered appropriate team-effort.

Ignoring the two bystanders frozen in shock next to him, the telekinetic calmly unclipped his cell from his belt and hit three numbers. "911? There's been a robbery at Union Jewelers." The alter looked at the knife-wielding James, who was now standing completely alone against Logan and Ororo. "Attempted."

Logan took the simple, expedient method out. He clotheslined the guy as he ran past, then moved around to turn the clothesline into a rear choke. It didn't take long to send poor unfortunate James into naptime. Sheathing his claws, he flicked the knife away from James's unconscious body with the toe of his boot. "So. Whaddya we got for lunch?" he asked brightly, in a much better mood now.

A pair of hazel eyes narrowed behind the front display window, belonging to a young woman who had seen the entire display unfold. And she was not happy. Muttering to herself, she quickly walked away from the store, and as she passed it, her body seemed to melt and reform. In her place soon stood a young man. "Fuckers," Paul LaRue said to hirself. "Think they can control everything? I'll show them."

The cell clicked shut as the call ended. Job done, Jack retreated. Jim hunched for a moment, elbows resting on the floor with the phone clutched in one hand as he shifted gears, then looked up at Ororo.

"Dispatcher said the police would be here a couple minutes." The telepath turned his attention to the men on the floor beside him, who looked like they were now put off jewelry and all its ilk for life and asked, despite all evidence to the contrary, "You okay?"

Ororo nodded and turned to the bank manager, leaning down to help him up from where he still sat on the floor. "I apologize for knocking you over, sir... we only came here by chance. You would not happen to have a ring box we could borrow, would you?"