Half An Ocean Away: The Shadow Dwellers, Conflict

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James tells the trio everything he knows about Chloe's disappearance and the people behind it. London time: Afternoon



With the boy - who had told them his name was James - in tow, the group had moved to a nearby park, taking refuge at a bench under the shade of a tree so they could talk.

They were barely sitting when Angel turned to James, questions dancing in her eyes. "What in the world is going on?" Was the best she could manage to come up with at this point.

"It all started that day when you came and helped me when I manifested. After that I was scared what am I to do? I don't know anything about this stuff, I was approached by a man named Fin who was also a mutant and he allowed me into his group. They are called Shadow Dwellers and they live under the streets of London." Looking down at his hands, "Fin saw what happened that day. He also saw Chloe's reaction and when he saw her again a couple of days ago he decided to punish her." Looking over at Angel sorrow in his eyes. "He believe that humans deserve to be punished for treating people like us horrible. I...I tried to stop him but he over powered me and took her. I have been scared to go to anyone because I seen what he does to those humans."

"What else can you tell us about the Shadow Dwellers?" Scott asked gently, careful not to spook the already skittish boy. "Can you tell us anything about their powers or where they live? Anything that can help us rescue Chloe?"

Blaine slowly stepped closer. "We don't want to hurt you, James. I just want my friend back. She does not understand... And it makes her acts in way that are not right... Punishing her for that is not going to help." He trailed of, not quite sure what so say next.

Blaine had a good point, but justifying it to James - who didn't seem to want anything to do with this - wasn't going to do them any good. Unfortunately. "You don't have to be afraid. We can help you," Angel told James quietly. A part of her warned against making promises she might not be able to keep, but he was a scared kid. Wasn't he exactly the kind of person they were meant to help?

"They are a group of mutants that follow Fin, they live under the streets of London. "Some are just looking for a place to belong while others really do believe that humans must pay." Looking at the man named Blaine. "I know you aren't going to hurt me. I tried to stop him but I am just a kid. I know that punishing people isn't right, I was looking for a place to belong. Have you ever had people stare at you funny because you are different? I never asked for this to happen."

"No one ever does," Scott replied, "but too many people feel like they need to take it out on normal people. Do you know why Fin is pursuing a vendetta against humans? Did he ever talk about it?"

Blaine stepped forward again. "Please James, I just want my friend back." He pleaded sincerely.

"He doesn't like humans that are mistreat mutants. What his personal vendetta no. I don't." He said to the one with sunglasses on. James took a step back from Blaine. "You can find Fin and the rest of his pack in the sewers underneath London. I can show you the entrance to the hideout, but I won't recommend going in alone. There is too many."

Angel gritted her teeth together for a moment. "Nr." She looked between James and Blaine for a moment, then at Scott. Her eyes flitted away, to a spot a little ways off to the side. "Um...sidebar?"

Glancing at Blaine Scott nodded and standing moved off someway away from the boys turning his back on them he raised an eyebrow at Angel, "This is bigger than we thought," he commented.

"Yeah," Angel said, shifting her weight between her feet. "Remember that time you told me I'm part of a team and team members support one another?" She ran a hand through her hair, tangling her fingers in her red locks. "We might need a little bit more help."

"I think you're right," Scott agreed casting a covert glance at Blaine. "I'll head back to the hotel and call for reinforcement from there." he decided.


Waiting for the X-Men, Scott gives Angel a chance to vent. Which she does. In typical Angel fashion. London time: Afternoon



The team had been called, they were on their way. Blaine and James had gone to a cafe down the street to get food and be scarce for when the other X-Men got there. Which meant there was nothing left to do but...well, wait.

Now normally, Angel didn't like waiting. Any other day she would have been walking around, bouncing and pacing and just being generally impatient. Which she was today - well, kind of. The hotel room they had found wasn't quite big enough for pacing (what with two beds and a desk and a bureau and, well, Scott would probably tie her to the chair), so Angel had contented herself to sitting on the edge of the bed closest to the window, bouncing just a little and staring out the window. And thinking. Lots of thinking.

Scott was comfortably ensconced on the other bed in Angel's room, they had all the information that they were going to get and now there was nothing to do but wait for the others to arrive before heading down to the tunnels. He glanced at the young woman in worry, ever since Blaine's questioning today she seemed to have folded in on herself. "You do know staring out the window isn't going to make time go any faster right Angel," he said gently, "Are you ok? You've been a little off today."

It took Angel a moment to register the fact that Scott had spoken to her. She blinked a couple of times, looking over her shoulder. "Wha?" It took her another moment to actually figure out the words. "Oh. Yeah. All good over here."

Scott sighed and sat up on the bed, "That's obviously not true Angel. Something's wrong, you can either let it fester inside till you break or you can talk to me."

Okay, Wade was right. She sucked at lying. "I don't know what to say," Angel said after a long pause. "To anyone. Not to Blaine, not to Chloe if - when-" she had to say when, had to believe they would find Chloe, "we find her...I don't know how to explain any of this. How exactly do you say, 'I'm a member of a semi-secret mutant paramilitary' without sounding like you've gone off the deep end? But after what happened...I owe them an explanation. And I have no idea where to start."

"You have to think how much they really want to, or need to know. and how much you can tell them." Scott replied quietly. "I know your not telling them about being a mutant basically drove you away from England, but at the same time that was your decision to make and only you were affected. But telling them about the X-men is different, it's not just you who'll be affected it's all of us and our families as well. The X-men are kept a secret for a very good reason."

"I know," Angel replied, tangling her fingers in her hair. "And believe me when I say I don't want to tell them about the X-Men." But she couldn't shake the suspicious way Blaine had looked at her on the street. He wanted an explanation, and it wasn't one Angel could give. "It's official. Having a life outside of the mansion is waaaaay too complicated."

"Why do you think for so many of us the Mansion is our whole lives?" Scott asked sadly. "It hurts less, there is always a part of your life that you can't share with people outside, a part they couldn't understand. But sometimes they'll know that you're holding something back, but if they're your friends they'll accept you for who you are secrets and all."

Well that was just slightly depressing. Angel looked down at the carpet - why did hotels always have such weird carpets? - gritting her teeth together for a minute. "Well I guess there's no use in thinking about it until this is actually over," she said after a minute. She already knew what she couldn't - wouldn't - tell Blaine. If worse came to worse, she could fall back on the old go to of making it up on the spot. "We have bigger problems anyways."