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xp_logsThose chosen to follow Rachel back are immediately psionically ripped out to join her in a sudden transition into her world. As they do, a summary of events of Rachel’s world are shoved into Sam's mind.
After his recent impromptu flight with Angel, Sam had vowed to take to the air more often. It was a great stress reliever, one that he'd forgotten about by letting himself get bogged down with teaching and its associated paper work. Granted, those things were important as well, but stress relief and preserving his own mental health were important things too.
So he found himself flying through the clouds once again, solo this time. He was doing a fine job of keeping his mind free from any annoying or stressful thoughts, and started to pull up into a figure eight pattern. On the peak of his manoeuvre Sam found his thoughts becoming blanker and emptier than he'd intended, and before he could figure out what was wrong he began to fall.
His instincts told him to fly upward, to stop his rapid descent, but his body refused to obey. The wind whistled loudly in his ears as he plummeted and struggled to pull out of his sudden nosedive to no avail. His last thought was trying to recollect a forgotten prayer, and even that eluded him.
Then he was standing on the ground, in one piece, and not dead in a smoking crater somewhere. Sam blinked, wondering for a moment if thinking about the prayer had been sufficient, and then blinked again as he looked at the building before him and the other people surrounding him, preparing to storm the building.
What was going on?
__________
Flashback: Hope’s brothel trades in money, in kind, and in intelligence. Some people don’t like the sound of that.
The steam from the bathtub permeated the entire room, fogging up the body length mirror in one corner and coating surfaces in condensation. Sarah Vale reached out with one finger, catching a bead of water off of one of the brass ornaments which lined the four corners of the large tub. It was shaped like a dragon, and her fingertip brushed its shiny fang as she collected the tear-shaped droplet.
The same steam also made it a little hard to see, obscuring the other naked female sitting opposite her in the tub. Thankfully she was well familiar with Hope, and Sarah favoured the other woman with a sly smile. She was, after all, in the brothel to obtain information, whether by exchanging other information or by other means, the latter of which had lead to the current activity.
"Hope it's not too hot for you, dear." Sarah leaned back, putting her arms up on either side of the tub as she leaned upward slightly, still leaving most of her body submerged in the water. "I do so love a good sweat."
Hope shifted in the warm water, leaning against the side as she popped up her head on one hand, careful not to get her curled up-do wet. "You know I love working up some... heat." She replied with a small wink. "I works wonderfully for relaxation."
Settling in the familiar game as she shifted again and reached out with one hand, trailing it down a muscle in Sarah's neck. "You are feeling a mite tense. Perhaps we should fix that."
"Mmm, perhaps." Sarah reached over, brushing her fingertips over Hope's hand in lazy little circles. "I'd enjoy that, but you know what they say, work before pleasure." She feigned a little sigh, a smirk on her lips. "Some overlap is allowed, naturally, and I even encourage it at times," she explained, sliding her fingers in between Hope's own, "however I mustn't let myself get completely distracted. Yet." Locking eyes with Hope, she began to lower both their hands down towards her breast. "I believe there's some information I have which you desire, and in exchange you maybe have some which I desire, hmm?"
"I have voracious desires. Both for information..." Hope leaned closer and gently nipped Sarah's ear and soothing it with her cool breath, before lowering her voice and whispering in her ear. "...and other things. But perhaps a trade might work here. Tith for tath. Or..." Her thumb skimmed a rosy peak. "Tith for something else? All depends what you're looking for, Sarah."
Laughing playfully at Hope's suggestive play on words, Sarah smiled and shrugged ever so lightly. "Oh, there's a few things I'm looking for, but first thing's first, I suppose." She looked over to the area where they'd both disrobed earlier, and where they'd left their cell phones. Squinting a little as she activated her powers, Sarah then turned back to face Hope. "I've just transferred some interesting information to you, which will hopefully be worth similarly interesting information in kind."
The playful expression on Hope's face disappeared for a moment as she ghosted out and floated over to where both cellphones were, quickly scanning the info. Just as quickly she returned to her body and she gazed at Sarah, a finger tapping her chin, mock thoughtfully. "That is certainly very valuable information and worth something in return. But I know many tasty..." She underscored that with another nip on Sarah's neck. "... bits, so I need to know what you are looking for."
Sarah watched Hope with interest as she used her powers. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it happen, since her and the other woman had spent many a time together sharing information and other things, but it always intrigued her to see Hope's abilities first hand.
She reflexively tilted her head upward to give Hope more access before speaking again. "Mmm, you're getting warm, but before that I think I-" Stopping mid-sentence, Sarah frowned and raised a hand to her temple. "Dammit, I think you're about to have some unwelcome visitors." Her habit of keeping a finger on the pulse of the security systems of wherever she was at the time had paid off this time, or at least it would if she was able to slip away.
"Sorry, sweetie, I'll have to take a rain cheque for now." Before rising from the tub she gave Hope a brief yet passionate kiss, pulling away as she stood and headed for her clothes to quickly get dressed. "Don't forget you owe me one, now, will you?"
"I'll certainly keep that in mind." Hope returned the kiss, the water still dropping of her form. "But now I am afraid I have to go and... greet my visitors." She drew a brief robe around her, throwing a quickly glance in the mirror she did not look too rumpled.
She pulled open the door. "Stay away from the safe houses in the western part of the city. They have been quite a few rumors about raids heading that way. A small favor from my time."
With a quick nod of both acknowledgement and thanks, Sarah finished with her last article of clothing and wordlessly slipped out of the room. It was time for her to disappear.
__________
"Ever fucked a flatscan?" The young prelate shifted in his battle harness, uncomfortable after his long stakeout. The building had once apparently been the home of the Hellfire Club, but their ill-considered opposition to Apocalypse had seen them all hunted down and executed publicly, allowing a new owner to step in to buy.
"Don't be disgusting." The other young prelate screwed up his face. The idea of coupling with a normal human was distasteful; spreading seed to those who weren't worthy. He'd heard stories from others who had taken advantage of human prostitutes in training; whores so desperate that they'd risk execution in order to make some scrip.
"I heard that they aren't built like us. That hurting thing is actually what gets them off-"
"That would be enough. We want to watch the patrons of this place, not talk about flatscan pussy." The Head Prelate snapped, and instantly quiet came down in the van. He'd killed men with his bare hands, and his interrogation sessions usually needed the room to be mopped out later. It wasn't always a suspect that was the victim. Instead, they went back to watching the brothel and kept their questions silent.
It didn't take long for someone to arrive, a slim Asian woman with rough scars around her neck, as though someone with claws had gone to town once.
She tapped out a code on the door and smiled at the camera she knew was positioned just above.
Jubilee had been here a few times before, seemingly for a bit of relief when she was in town but mostly she was here to see her contact to find out whatever she could.
There hadn’t been a lot of luck lately for their side, she was ever hopeful that would change.
Clint only had one scheduled appointment that day and, as ever, Miss Lee was punctual. smiling, he waited until the guards on duty confirmed her identity before moving forward and proceeding to disable the many varied locks securing the door. Opening it, he raised his eyebrows a little and let his smile shift into a grin. "Hey," he said, stepping back and gesturing for her to come inside.
"Hi yourself," Jubilee replied, stepping up close and personal as she entered the brothel. "Good day?"
Still grinning, Clint hooked two fingers over the waistband of Jubilee's belt and asked, "Really? You're gonna leave that wide open for me?" Then he cleared his throat and, voice gratuitously sweet, said, "Every day's a good day when I know you're coming by."
"What can I say? I don't get many compliments these days," Jubilee replied, jumping to wrap her legs around his waist, there were very few guys out of puberty that she could top in height and Clint certainly wasn't one of them. "How about you take me away from all this? Or mostly just take me away from the front door so I don't get shot in the back by some ambitious prelate?"
Wrapping one arm around Jubilee's waist, Clint kicked the door shut and turned, heading upstairs knowing security would make sure all the locks fell into place. "What the lady wants, the lady gets," he said, laughing. He thought she'd be happy with some of the information he had for her.
"Always such a perfect host," Jubilee murmured, her hands sliding over his shoulders as she buried her face in his neck, breathing him in deeply. She'd spent the past two weeks buried in some God forsaken backwoods settlement trying to organize help for the resistance and ultimately being unsuccessful. They didn't want to risk their necks, and as much as it angered her, she couldn't say she blamed them. Their cause might have been just but it certainly didn't come with a retirement plan and a bungalow on your choice of tropical beach. "Mmm, you've been using the aftershave I gave you."
"I like it," Clint said, making it to his room and backing through the door before hooking it with his elbow and closing it. "A lot." He nipped at her earlobe before asking quietly, "Info now or info later?"
"Later," Jubilee replied, pulling his head back with her hands so she could kiss him quite seriously.
"Definitely later."
****
"Sir?"
"I think we can start the raid. I want troops on two block and ten block perimeters. Prelate on each section has local command. This is a flush and grab - we take suspected mutants and known fugitives for questioning, flatscans for processing, and anyone who resists is to be executed on site."
"You don't want to question the-"
"Orders from War herself. This is about sending a message. Fuck with a Prelate, we kill you, the guy standing next to you and the child standing behind him. That should get their attention."
"Thermo-imaging puts thirty one on the main floor, 11 scattered through the second floor, 8 on the third. Basement is obscured."
"As always. Squads three and five take the basement. Everyone else, you know your assignments. Pick your targets by pair. I'll move with Squad two. Alpha squad, you boys get to knock on the door at my signal.
****
"Mother fucker," Jubilee swore, pushing Clint away as she heard a commotion downstairs. "This is totally not our week, you got any weapons secreted away around here?"
Switching gears almost immediately, Clint slid off the bed and opened his closet. It wasn't large but it did have a helpfully loose board on the floor toward the back. Lifting it, he pulled out a gun, a box of ammo, and two bricks of C4. "You take these," he said, handing the lot of it off to Jubilee before pulling on a pair of pants and reaching for his bow. It was hanging toward the back of the closet, though not hidden. Everyone knew he'd been a circus performer before being sold here.
Jubilee loaded the gun and made sure the safety was on before she shoved it in the back of her pants she'd just pulled on. If she needed it, time between taking off the safety and shooting wouldn't mean much and she had no desire to shoot herself in the ass. "We need to get people out the back way, up for playing distraction while I see who we can save?"
She listened carefully at the door as she waited for his answer, pulling one of the blocks of C4 he'd given her into small balls, easier to throw, the other she shoved into the pocket of her jacket before pulling it on.
While Jubilee stayed near the door, Clint strapped on his armguard and swung his quiver on, the strap firm across his chest. "Sure," he said, walking toward her. "Try not to get shot. I've heard it hurts." Reaching over, he pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Not as bad as broken bones," Jubilee murmured, accepting the kiss but not allowing it to linger, no matter that she'd rather stay. "Don't do anything stupidly heroic, you got me?"
****
"Any resistance will be considered a terrorist action." Garrison's amplified voice boomed through the brothel, even as he disarmed a knife wielding woman by tearing her hand off, and then smashing the front of her skull in on the bar. "Is that clear enough for you animals? Terrorist action."
A man at a nearby table loudly objected, and was shot in the stomach. He fell to the floor, screaming in pain. Kane ignored him. "Any resistance. As in anything we don't like will be considered a terrorist action." His men fanned out behind him, dragging clients and staff into the main room, arresting some and pushing the others away. Over the comm, there were the sounds of screams being suddenly cut off, beatings administered, cries of violent rape; it was like a symphony, now that he thought about it. This was Apocalypse's justice.
Clint climbed out the window after checking to make sure there was no one looking in his direction. He'd made it up to the roof a few moments later and pulled the bow off over his shoulder and picked one of his trick arrows from his quiver. If Jubilee was working on getting people out, they could probably use a distraction. Sighting along the shaft, he let he arrow fly and pulled another. The first hit the van he'd targeted dead-on and exploded as he loosed the second trick arrow.
"Fucking scum."
Jubilee paused, listening carefully from a crouched position as she tried to locate where the prelate was situated and whether he was the only one. After a moment of careful consideration, she figured she'd just have to chance it and lobbed a few sparklers around the corner before following it up with a round of gunfire as she rushed across the intervening space.
She'd been trained to make every shot count, bullets being just one of many resources that had become scarcer over the years.
"Resistance from the roof, sir."
"Hmm... so this wasn't an innocent club at all, eh? I figured." Kane smiled at the manager, who barely had time to scream before his face was crushed by a super strength punch. As the lifeless body dropped, he re-engaged the loudspeaker. "Anyone currently engaged against prelate forces. You have exactly thirty seconds to surrender. Otherwise, we will return all of the employees and patrons we've arrested back to this club, and burn them alive with the rest of the building."
They were all dead, anyway - or as good as. If he could keep the prelates occupied for a bit longer, maybe some of the people in the brothel would actually make it out alive. Clint was pretty sure there was another way out. Hope was too smart to leave herself trapped and she knew the likelihood of something like this happening.
Pushing everything else from his mind, Clint focused on taking out any and all opposing forces that he could see. This wasn't what he's practiced for, wasn't what he'd drilled for, but what else could he do with his mutation? He'd taken out three prelates on the ground when he registered movement on the roof across the street and several buildings over.
****
Jubilee had worked her way downstairs, taking out a couple of Prelates on her way, and simply avoiding others completely. She'd used up some of the C4 Clint had gifted her with but was holding back the majority for when she got to the leader of this little raid.
"Dude, what's to stop you blowing off my head the moment I step out?" Jubilee called out, keeping the stairs she was positioned across from in clear sight in case they decided to come up and get her. "Not exactly proven your trustworthiness, just sayin'."
"Not a goddamn thing. But I might not kill these three whores next to me for now. See, you miserable piece of flatscan loving trash, I don't give a fucking shit about them or you living or dying. So you can either ensure they get killed, or risk the chance that they and you just might end up in a cell instead."
"Fine, but I'd just like it to be known that I think your entire hostage negotiation technique sucks," Jubilee called out again, forcing herself to step out and head toward the stairs. It wasn't quite as dangerous as all that, she knew her own skills well enough to know if someone did try to blow her head off, she'd have a few seconds to hit the deck. Her hearing was one thing that hadn't suffered during the war, even if the scars on her body meant she'd never make a Miss America pageant, were such things still around anyhow. "Let them go, arsehole, I'm coming down."
"Drop the gun, and tell your fruit on the roof that if he fires another of those faggy arrows at my men, you're going to get to see your own ovaries."
"Really, dude?" Jubilee asked, throwing the gun aside, she didn't exactly need it anyhow, she just had to get close enough to this clown to make a shot worthwhile. "Gay slurs? What are you, twelve? Besides, I got no way to contact my 'friend on the roof', looks like you'll just have to use those excellent negotiation skills with him."
With a twist, Kane decapitated the woman next to him before she had a chance to scream. "What was that, bitch? I think I missed that over the deaths of the poor innocent people you keep claiming to care about."
"I'd like to help you, I would" Jubilee noted mildly despite her desire to blow this monster's head off. She was a soldier, she knew cold equations like the back of her hand, had seen friends die because the price of keeping them alive was too high, the fact that these people were only trying to live in a shitty world didn't make this situation any different. "But you haven't exactly given me any way to contact anyone."
"Kelso, bring princess here a comm." Kane said, motioning one of the prelates forward.
Jubilee waited till the Prelate was in range and accepted the comm. She grinned at the man, baring teeth before speaking.
"Yo, we're all dead here, C. Get yourself to safety now."
With that, she reached out and pushed suddenly white hot plasma covered fingers into the Prelate’s eyes.
"Fuck," Clint muttered, scanning the rooftops around him for more prelates. He didn't see any immediately, so he jumped across the alley between the brothel and the next building over. He looked back once to make sure he wasn't being followed yet, then ran faster. They'd sweep this area looking for him once they'd finished with the brothel - he needed to be out of it and well on his way to somewhere else. He needed to find members of the resistance - he had information they could use.
"Only thing worse than a wannabe hero is a self-righteous one." Even as she burned down the Prelate in front of him, Kane had already hit the crash button on his armour. It was, to use the words of Apocalypse, a solution for a new people. His armour suddenly stiffened as microthreads of composite locked down in anticipation of an impact. The personnel carriers outside targeted as one, and a shower of cluster munitions rained down on the building, scattering into multiple warheads like the seeds of a dandelion. Each one held a concentrated plasma burst, which burned hot and fast, exploding in a wide cloud which incinerated half of the building on impact. The fierce heat wiped out the survivors, burning them black in an instant. Each of the Prelates had hunkered down, awaiting injury. Their armour was very good, but it was never meant to totally protect them. That led to weak Prelates.
As the fires burned on bricks melted and scorched, Garrison's hand broke through the white hot rubble, pulling out the charred body of Jubilee. The blast had killed her, but perhaps in her genetic material was another weapon for their use. She'd go to the genepool to be broken down, picked over, and processed until whatever use left in her was in Apocalypse's hands. Other Prelates started to dig out their own, injured or dead, ignoring the few other survivors who screamed around agonizing burns.
"Brothel is secure, Command. We have a runner moving north, likely within a klick still. Deploy hounds and seekers, bring him back. Send a cleanup crew here." Kane paused to look over the damage. "Scratch that. Let it burn for a while. Remind those vermin just what they're dealing with."
__________
Laurie had entered the brothel through a back window after making sure nobody was likely to pay attention, and those that had were 'out of the way'. She liked to have time to pick over a new place and unwanted interruptions were always a pain in the butt.
There wasn't a lot of value in the room she'd entered through but that didn't mean other places wouldn't have something worth trading, or maybe even food.
Hope moved hurriedly through the building, shaking her head as she looked at the once so beautiful building. She had fallen so far... but she would rise again. She had done it before. But now other things came first. Dressed in the sturdiest clothes she had been able to find, she gathered up everything that could prove in useful In finding a new start. Her own jewellery and some of the girls and lads in her employ who had perished in the raid was already tucked away in an hidden pocket and an dufflebag filled with food and other valuable things.
Suddenly she paused, cocking her head to listen to a muted tinkling of glass. Taking a deep breath she pushed open the door. "Who is there?" she asked loudly, sounding braver then she really felt.
"That depends," Laurie replied, hands already turning a violet shade as she let her powers loose, trust pheromones lacing the air around her. "Are you a friend, or a foe?"
Something made Hope hesitate before stepping into the room. With one deep breath a ghostly spectre left her body and stepped in the room. I don't use the term friend or foe lightly. Especially when I have no idea who you are.
"Hmm, it would appear that we're at an impasse," Laurie murmured, moving around the edges of the room as she pumped more pheromones into the air. "How do either of us know the intentions of the other? Trust is such a tricky prospect in this day and age, it's easy to make a fatal mistake. We could make a deal, perhaps?"
Hope frowned as she watched the swirling colors around the woman. Beneath the outer veneer of calm was both a healthy layer of distrust, which made sense, and a restrained sense of excitement. The best deal would be if you left this place as soon as possible. The esteemed prelate's forces might return at any moment.
Laurie was working her way toward the door, she really only needed to grab the girl and everything would go fine from there, and someone who could send out duplicates like this one could might be very useful, and if not, they could always sell her to the Prelates.
"I'm not scared of them," Laurie said, almost to the door now. "They never bother me for long. If you're scared though, I could take you somewhere nice and safe, I know a place they never go."
Somewhere nice and safe results in being turned over to some undesirable people nowadays far too often. Hope fired back, still carefully watching the play of colors around the woman. And now that she approached, she could see the purple hands. She was not quite sure what it was, but the woman touching her body didn't seem like a good idea. I'd need to know more before I could even begin to believe. So talk...
This was taking too much time, and despite her seeming bravado, Laurie had no desire to meet any Prelates that might be lurking about the place, looks like it was time for a different tack.
"My father and I have certain talents," Laurie began, pausing just inside the door, keeping herself out of reach of the other girl. She didn't know exactly what her talent was, but the fact that she'd stuck around rather then bolting meant it must have some sort of offensive capability. "We use them to our advantage when it comes to dealing with people, especially the authorities, that means that anyone who joins us shares that advantage as long as they're useful to us. I think you'll find that there's not many deals you'll get in the current climate that are any better then that. I take it you lived here before the Prelates decided to make you an example, that means you need a place, I'm offering that. All you need to do is offer us something in return."
And what would you be looking for? It's not that she didn't have anything to offer, as she still possessed a wealth of information and contacts and that is without taking her powers and other skills in account. Besides, making people lay things always made them spill more then they wish for.
"Usefulness," Laurie answered readily enough, now that they were getting down to the brass tacks of negotiation. "Everybody works, nobody slacks off and we all survive to see another day. It's a sweet deal considering what else is on offer out there, and in return my father and I keep everyone safe."
Hope frowned again as she studied the woman's aura. I would say that sounds too good to be true. What's the catch in this? She had recognized the woman's powers now, some kind of talent with pheromones. She had come across one with similar powers before in her profession.
"If you ever become a liability, we drop you like a hot stone," Laurie replied with a shrug, she was getting impatient, she'd heard a sound not just a second ago, and she really had no more time to convince this girl one way or the other. Either she'd take the deal, or Laurie could find a better use for her time. "That, or we sell you to the highest bidder, it's up to you."
I think I will take my chances on my own, thank you very much. Hope simply decided. Everything was far too vague for her tastes. She had valuables, information, connections and even some people who owed her favors. Plus some other people might have gotten away. She had seen Jean-Phillipe slip out trough an hidden door among a few others.
"Suit yourself," Laurie replied, unwilling to push it further. There were always people to exploit in the world, and she'd learnt that making an effort was more trouble then it was worth. "If you'll excuse me, I've some looting to do."
You came in here and wished to take what was mine! Or if not mine, belonging to my boys and girls. Nevertheless Hope ceased the flow of energy for the moment and floated closer. But don't be frightened. You will not be permanently harmed. Just stunned for a while. She projected soothingly.
"Not yours, or theirs anymore," Laurie gasped, backing away, she'd never come across someone she couldn't charm, either via her abilities or a few choice words. She didn't like this girl, and if it had been up to her she'd have killed her just to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, getting close enough to do so was problematic. Better to simply leave and come back later. "Now or later makes no matter to me, just means the Prelates get more of it, don't know why you wouldn't be willing to leave it to someone like me, least I'm no Apocalypse flunky."
Because it's still mine and I can still choose how dispose of things. Apocalypse has at least not taken that of us. And who knows what the future will bring... Hope ghost form floated closer. Are you staying there in peace or do I have to act again?
"You keep telling yourself that," Laurie snarled, fighting against the feeling of slowness, the sensation of being frozen. "Eventually you'll need to leave or get killed."
And even then it's nothing you need to concern yourself with. One day we all have to die, but I do not plan on that being for a very long time. She shook her head regretfully. I told you to stay down. Again she let loose a burst of energy, hoping that this time the woman would stay down.
After his recent impromptu flight with Angel, Sam had vowed to take to the air more often. It was a great stress reliever, one that he'd forgotten about by letting himself get bogged down with teaching and its associated paper work. Granted, those things were important as well, but stress relief and preserving his own mental health were important things too.
So he found himself flying through the clouds once again, solo this time. He was doing a fine job of keeping his mind free from any annoying or stressful thoughts, and started to pull up into a figure eight pattern. On the peak of his manoeuvre Sam found his thoughts becoming blanker and emptier than he'd intended, and before he could figure out what was wrong he began to fall.
His instincts told him to fly upward, to stop his rapid descent, but his body refused to obey. The wind whistled loudly in his ears as he plummeted and struggled to pull out of his sudden nosedive to no avail. His last thought was trying to recollect a forgotten prayer, and even that eluded him.
Then he was standing on the ground, in one piece, and not dead in a smoking crater somewhere. Sam blinked, wondering for a moment if thinking about the prayer had been sufficient, and then blinked again as he looked at the building before him and the other people surrounding him, preparing to storm the building.
What was going on?
Flashback: Hope’s brothel trades in money, in kind, and in intelligence. Some people don’t like the sound of that.
The steam from the bathtub permeated the entire room, fogging up the body length mirror in one corner and coating surfaces in condensation. Sarah Vale reached out with one finger, catching a bead of water off of one of the brass ornaments which lined the four corners of the large tub. It was shaped like a dragon, and her fingertip brushed its shiny fang as she collected the tear-shaped droplet.
The same steam also made it a little hard to see, obscuring the other naked female sitting opposite her in the tub. Thankfully she was well familiar with Hope, and Sarah favoured the other woman with a sly smile. She was, after all, in the brothel to obtain information, whether by exchanging other information or by other means, the latter of which had lead to the current activity.
"Hope it's not too hot for you, dear." Sarah leaned back, putting her arms up on either side of the tub as she leaned upward slightly, still leaving most of her body submerged in the water. "I do so love a good sweat."
Hope shifted in the warm water, leaning against the side as she popped up her head on one hand, careful not to get her curled up-do wet. "You know I love working up some... heat." She replied with a small wink. "I works wonderfully for relaxation."
Settling in the familiar game as she shifted again and reached out with one hand, trailing it down a muscle in Sarah's neck. "You are feeling a mite tense. Perhaps we should fix that."
"Mmm, perhaps." Sarah reached over, brushing her fingertips over Hope's hand in lazy little circles. "I'd enjoy that, but you know what they say, work before pleasure." She feigned a little sigh, a smirk on her lips. "Some overlap is allowed, naturally, and I even encourage it at times," she explained, sliding her fingers in between Hope's own, "however I mustn't let myself get completely distracted. Yet." Locking eyes with Hope, she began to lower both their hands down towards her breast. "I believe there's some information I have which you desire, and in exchange you maybe have some which I desire, hmm?"
"I have voracious desires. Both for information..." Hope leaned closer and gently nipped Sarah's ear and soothing it with her cool breath, before lowering her voice and whispering in her ear. "...and other things. But perhaps a trade might work here. Tith for tath. Or..." Her thumb skimmed a rosy peak. "Tith for something else? All depends what you're looking for, Sarah."
Laughing playfully at Hope's suggestive play on words, Sarah smiled and shrugged ever so lightly. "Oh, there's a few things I'm looking for, but first thing's first, I suppose." She looked over to the area where they'd both disrobed earlier, and where they'd left their cell phones. Squinting a little as she activated her powers, Sarah then turned back to face Hope. "I've just transferred some interesting information to you, which will hopefully be worth similarly interesting information in kind."
The playful expression on Hope's face disappeared for a moment as she ghosted out and floated over to where both cellphones were, quickly scanning the info. Just as quickly she returned to her body and she gazed at Sarah, a finger tapping her chin, mock thoughtfully. "That is certainly very valuable information and worth something in return. But I know many tasty..." She underscored that with another nip on Sarah's neck. "... bits, so I need to know what you are looking for."
Sarah watched Hope with interest as she used her powers. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it happen, since her and the other woman had spent many a time together sharing information and other things, but it always intrigued her to see Hope's abilities first hand.
She reflexively tilted her head upward to give Hope more access before speaking again. "Mmm, you're getting warm, but before that I think I-" Stopping mid-sentence, Sarah frowned and raised a hand to her temple. "Dammit, I think you're about to have some unwelcome visitors." Her habit of keeping a finger on the pulse of the security systems of wherever she was at the time had paid off this time, or at least it would if she was able to slip away.
"Sorry, sweetie, I'll have to take a rain cheque for now." Before rising from the tub she gave Hope a brief yet passionate kiss, pulling away as she stood and headed for her clothes to quickly get dressed. "Don't forget you owe me one, now, will you?"
"I'll certainly keep that in mind." Hope returned the kiss, the water still dropping of her form. "But now I am afraid I have to go and... greet my visitors." She drew a brief robe around her, throwing a quickly glance in the mirror she did not look too rumpled.
She pulled open the door. "Stay away from the safe houses in the western part of the city. They have been quite a few rumors about raids heading that way. A small favor from my time."
With a quick nod of both acknowledgement and thanks, Sarah finished with her last article of clothing and wordlessly slipped out of the room. It was time for her to disappear.
"Ever fucked a flatscan?" The young prelate shifted in his battle harness, uncomfortable after his long stakeout. The building had once apparently been the home of the Hellfire Club, but their ill-considered opposition to Apocalypse had seen them all hunted down and executed publicly, allowing a new owner to step in to buy.
"Don't be disgusting." The other young prelate screwed up his face. The idea of coupling with a normal human was distasteful; spreading seed to those who weren't worthy. He'd heard stories from others who had taken advantage of human prostitutes in training; whores so desperate that they'd risk execution in order to make some scrip.
"I heard that they aren't built like us. That hurting thing is actually what gets them off-"
"That would be enough. We want to watch the patrons of this place, not talk about flatscan pussy." The Head Prelate snapped, and instantly quiet came down in the van. He'd killed men with his bare hands, and his interrogation sessions usually needed the room to be mopped out later. It wasn't always a suspect that was the victim. Instead, they went back to watching the brothel and kept their questions silent.
It didn't take long for someone to arrive, a slim Asian woman with rough scars around her neck, as though someone with claws had gone to town once.
She tapped out a code on the door and smiled at the camera she knew was positioned just above.
Jubilee had been here a few times before, seemingly for a bit of relief when she was in town but mostly she was here to see her contact to find out whatever she could.
There hadn’t been a lot of luck lately for their side, she was ever hopeful that would change.
Clint only had one scheduled appointment that day and, as ever, Miss Lee was punctual. smiling, he waited until the guards on duty confirmed her identity before moving forward and proceeding to disable the many varied locks securing the door. Opening it, he raised his eyebrows a little and let his smile shift into a grin. "Hey," he said, stepping back and gesturing for her to come inside.
"Hi yourself," Jubilee replied, stepping up close and personal as she entered the brothel. "Good day?"
Still grinning, Clint hooked two fingers over the waistband of Jubilee's belt and asked, "Really? You're gonna leave that wide open for me?" Then he cleared his throat and, voice gratuitously sweet, said, "Every day's a good day when I know you're coming by."
"What can I say? I don't get many compliments these days," Jubilee replied, jumping to wrap her legs around his waist, there were very few guys out of puberty that she could top in height and Clint certainly wasn't one of them. "How about you take me away from all this? Or mostly just take me away from the front door so I don't get shot in the back by some ambitious prelate?"
Wrapping one arm around Jubilee's waist, Clint kicked the door shut and turned, heading upstairs knowing security would make sure all the locks fell into place. "What the lady wants, the lady gets," he said, laughing. He thought she'd be happy with some of the information he had for her.
"Always such a perfect host," Jubilee murmured, her hands sliding over his shoulders as she buried her face in his neck, breathing him in deeply. She'd spent the past two weeks buried in some God forsaken backwoods settlement trying to organize help for the resistance and ultimately being unsuccessful. They didn't want to risk their necks, and as much as it angered her, she couldn't say she blamed them. Their cause might have been just but it certainly didn't come with a retirement plan and a bungalow on your choice of tropical beach. "Mmm, you've been using the aftershave I gave you."
"I like it," Clint said, making it to his room and backing through the door before hooking it with his elbow and closing it. "A lot." He nipped at her earlobe before asking quietly, "Info now or info later?"
"Later," Jubilee replied, pulling his head back with her hands so she could kiss him quite seriously.
"Definitely later."
"Sir?"
"I think we can start the raid. I want troops on two block and ten block perimeters. Prelate on each section has local command. This is a flush and grab - we take suspected mutants and known fugitives for questioning, flatscans for processing, and anyone who resists is to be executed on site."
"You don't want to question the-"
"Orders from War herself. This is about sending a message. Fuck with a Prelate, we kill you, the guy standing next to you and the child standing behind him. That should get their attention."
"Thermo-imaging puts thirty one on the main floor, 11 scattered through the second floor, 8 on the third. Basement is obscured."
"As always. Squads three and five take the basement. Everyone else, you know your assignments. Pick your targets by pair. I'll move with Squad two. Alpha squad, you boys get to knock on the door at my signal.
"Mother fucker," Jubilee swore, pushing Clint away as she heard a commotion downstairs. "This is totally not our week, you got any weapons secreted away around here?"
Switching gears almost immediately, Clint slid off the bed and opened his closet. It wasn't large but it did have a helpfully loose board on the floor toward the back. Lifting it, he pulled out a gun, a box of ammo, and two bricks of C4. "You take these," he said, handing the lot of it off to Jubilee before pulling on a pair of pants and reaching for his bow. It was hanging toward the back of the closet, though not hidden. Everyone knew he'd been a circus performer before being sold here.
Jubilee loaded the gun and made sure the safety was on before she shoved it in the back of her pants she'd just pulled on. If she needed it, time between taking off the safety and shooting wouldn't mean much and she had no desire to shoot herself in the ass. "We need to get people out the back way, up for playing distraction while I see who we can save?"
She listened carefully at the door as she waited for his answer, pulling one of the blocks of C4 he'd given her into small balls, easier to throw, the other she shoved into the pocket of her jacket before pulling it on.
While Jubilee stayed near the door, Clint strapped on his armguard and swung his quiver on, the strap firm across his chest. "Sure," he said, walking toward her. "Try not to get shot. I've heard it hurts." Reaching over, he pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Not as bad as broken bones," Jubilee murmured, accepting the kiss but not allowing it to linger, no matter that she'd rather stay. "Don't do anything stupidly heroic, you got me?"
"Any resistance will be considered a terrorist action." Garrison's amplified voice boomed through the brothel, even as he disarmed a knife wielding woman by tearing her hand off, and then smashing the front of her skull in on the bar. "Is that clear enough for you animals? Terrorist action."
A man at a nearby table loudly objected, and was shot in the stomach. He fell to the floor, screaming in pain. Kane ignored him. "Any resistance. As in anything we don't like will be considered a terrorist action." His men fanned out behind him, dragging clients and staff into the main room, arresting some and pushing the others away. Over the comm, there were the sounds of screams being suddenly cut off, beatings administered, cries of violent rape; it was like a symphony, now that he thought about it. This was Apocalypse's justice.
Clint climbed out the window after checking to make sure there was no one looking in his direction. He'd made it up to the roof a few moments later and pulled the bow off over his shoulder and picked one of his trick arrows from his quiver. If Jubilee was working on getting people out, they could probably use a distraction. Sighting along the shaft, he let he arrow fly and pulled another. The first hit the van he'd targeted dead-on and exploded as he loosed the second trick arrow.
"Fucking scum."
Jubilee paused, listening carefully from a crouched position as she tried to locate where the prelate was situated and whether he was the only one. After a moment of careful consideration, she figured she'd just have to chance it and lobbed a few sparklers around the corner before following it up with a round of gunfire as she rushed across the intervening space.
She'd been trained to make every shot count, bullets being just one of many resources that had become scarcer over the years.
"Resistance from the roof, sir."
"Hmm... so this wasn't an innocent club at all, eh? I figured." Kane smiled at the manager, who barely had time to scream before his face was crushed by a super strength punch. As the lifeless body dropped, he re-engaged the loudspeaker. "Anyone currently engaged against prelate forces. You have exactly thirty seconds to surrender. Otherwise, we will return all of the employees and patrons we've arrested back to this club, and burn them alive with the rest of the building."
They were all dead, anyway - or as good as. If he could keep the prelates occupied for a bit longer, maybe some of the people in the brothel would actually make it out alive. Clint was pretty sure there was another way out. Hope was too smart to leave herself trapped and she knew the likelihood of something like this happening.
Pushing everything else from his mind, Clint focused on taking out any and all opposing forces that he could see. This wasn't what he's practiced for, wasn't what he'd drilled for, but what else could he do with his mutation? He'd taken out three prelates on the ground when he registered movement on the roof across the street and several buildings over.
Jubilee had worked her way downstairs, taking out a couple of Prelates on her way, and simply avoiding others completely. She'd used up some of the C4 Clint had gifted her with but was holding back the majority for when she got to the leader of this little raid.
"Dude, what's to stop you blowing off my head the moment I step out?" Jubilee called out, keeping the stairs she was positioned across from in clear sight in case they decided to come up and get her. "Not exactly proven your trustworthiness, just sayin'."
"Not a goddamn thing. But I might not kill these three whores next to me for now. See, you miserable piece of flatscan loving trash, I don't give a fucking shit about them or you living or dying. So you can either ensure they get killed, or risk the chance that they and you just might end up in a cell instead."
"Fine, but I'd just like it to be known that I think your entire hostage negotiation technique sucks," Jubilee called out again, forcing herself to step out and head toward the stairs. It wasn't quite as dangerous as all that, she knew her own skills well enough to know if someone did try to blow her head off, she'd have a few seconds to hit the deck. Her hearing was one thing that hadn't suffered during the war, even if the scars on her body meant she'd never make a Miss America pageant, were such things still around anyhow. "Let them go, arsehole, I'm coming down."
"Drop the gun, and tell your fruit on the roof that if he fires another of those faggy arrows at my men, you're going to get to see your own ovaries."
"Really, dude?" Jubilee asked, throwing the gun aside, she didn't exactly need it anyhow, she just had to get close enough to this clown to make a shot worthwhile. "Gay slurs? What are you, twelve? Besides, I got no way to contact my 'friend on the roof', looks like you'll just have to use those excellent negotiation skills with him."
With a twist, Kane decapitated the woman next to him before she had a chance to scream. "What was that, bitch? I think I missed that over the deaths of the poor innocent people you keep claiming to care about."
"I'd like to help you, I would" Jubilee noted mildly despite her desire to blow this monster's head off. She was a soldier, she knew cold equations like the back of her hand, had seen friends die because the price of keeping them alive was too high, the fact that these people were only trying to live in a shitty world didn't make this situation any different. "But you haven't exactly given me any way to contact anyone."
"Kelso, bring princess here a comm." Kane said, motioning one of the prelates forward.
Jubilee waited till the Prelate was in range and accepted the comm. She grinned at the man, baring teeth before speaking.
"Yo, we're all dead here, C. Get yourself to safety now."
With that, she reached out and pushed suddenly white hot plasma covered fingers into the Prelate’s eyes.
"Fuck," Clint muttered, scanning the rooftops around him for more prelates. He didn't see any immediately, so he jumped across the alley between the brothel and the next building over. He looked back once to make sure he wasn't being followed yet, then ran faster. They'd sweep this area looking for him once they'd finished with the brothel - he needed to be out of it and well on his way to somewhere else. He needed to find members of the resistance - he had information they could use.
"Only thing worse than a wannabe hero is a self-righteous one." Even as she burned down the Prelate in front of him, Kane had already hit the crash button on his armour. It was, to use the words of Apocalypse, a solution for a new people. His armour suddenly stiffened as microthreads of composite locked down in anticipation of an impact. The personnel carriers outside targeted as one, and a shower of cluster munitions rained down on the building, scattering into multiple warheads like the seeds of a dandelion. Each one held a concentrated plasma burst, which burned hot and fast, exploding in a wide cloud which incinerated half of the building on impact. The fierce heat wiped out the survivors, burning them black in an instant. Each of the Prelates had hunkered down, awaiting injury. Their armour was very good, but it was never meant to totally protect them. That led to weak Prelates.
As the fires burned on bricks melted and scorched, Garrison's hand broke through the white hot rubble, pulling out the charred body of Jubilee. The blast had killed her, but perhaps in her genetic material was another weapon for their use. She'd go to the genepool to be broken down, picked over, and processed until whatever use left in her was in Apocalypse's hands. Other Prelates started to dig out their own, injured or dead, ignoring the few other survivors who screamed around agonizing burns.
"Brothel is secure, Command. We have a runner moving north, likely within a klick still. Deploy hounds and seekers, bring him back. Send a cleanup crew here." Kane paused to look over the damage. "Scratch that. Let it burn for a while. Remind those vermin just what they're dealing with."
Laurie had entered the brothel through a back window after making sure nobody was likely to pay attention, and those that had were 'out of the way'. She liked to have time to pick over a new place and unwanted interruptions were always a pain in the butt.
There wasn't a lot of value in the room she'd entered through but that didn't mean other places wouldn't have something worth trading, or maybe even food.
Hope moved hurriedly through the building, shaking her head as she looked at the once so beautiful building. She had fallen so far... but she would rise again. She had done it before. But now other things came first. Dressed in the sturdiest clothes she had been able to find, she gathered up everything that could prove in useful In finding a new start. Her own jewellery and some of the girls and lads in her employ who had perished in the raid was already tucked away in an hidden pocket and an dufflebag filled with food and other valuable things.
Suddenly she paused, cocking her head to listen to a muted tinkling of glass. Taking a deep breath she pushed open the door. "Who is there?" she asked loudly, sounding braver then she really felt.
"That depends," Laurie replied, hands already turning a violet shade as she let her powers loose, trust pheromones lacing the air around her. "Are you a friend, or a foe?"
Something made Hope hesitate before stepping into the room. With one deep breath a ghostly spectre left her body and stepped in the room. I don't use the term friend or foe lightly. Especially when I have no idea who you are.
"Hmm, it would appear that we're at an impasse," Laurie murmured, moving around the edges of the room as she pumped more pheromones into the air. "How do either of us know the intentions of the other? Trust is such a tricky prospect in this day and age, it's easy to make a fatal mistake. We could make a deal, perhaps?"
Hope frowned as she watched the swirling colors around the woman. Beneath the outer veneer of calm was both a healthy layer of distrust, which made sense, and a restrained sense of excitement. The best deal would be if you left this place as soon as possible. The esteemed prelate's forces might return at any moment.
Laurie was working her way toward the door, she really only needed to grab the girl and everything would go fine from there, and someone who could send out duplicates like this one could might be very useful, and if not, they could always sell her to the Prelates.
"I'm not scared of them," Laurie said, almost to the door now. "They never bother me for long. If you're scared though, I could take you somewhere nice and safe, I know a place they never go."
Somewhere nice and safe results in being turned over to some undesirable people nowadays far too often. Hope fired back, still carefully watching the play of colors around the woman. And now that she approached, she could see the purple hands. She was not quite sure what it was, but the woman touching her body didn't seem like a good idea. I'd need to know more before I could even begin to believe. So talk...
This was taking too much time, and despite her seeming bravado, Laurie had no desire to meet any Prelates that might be lurking about the place, looks like it was time for a different tack.
"My father and I have certain talents," Laurie began, pausing just inside the door, keeping herself out of reach of the other girl. She didn't know exactly what her talent was, but the fact that she'd stuck around rather then bolting meant it must have some sort of offensive capability. "We use them to our advantage when it comes to dealing with people, especially the authorities, that means that anyone who joins us shares that advantage as long as they're useful to us. I think you'll find that there's not many deals you'll get in the current climate that are any better then that. I take it you lived here before the Prelates decided to make you an example, that means you need a place, I'm offering that. All you need to do is offer us something in return."
And what would you be looking for? It's not that she didn't have anything to offer, as she still possessed a wealth of information and contacts and that is without taking her powers and other skills in account. Besides, making people lay things always made them spill more then they wish for.
"Usefulness," Laurie answered readily enough, now that they were getting down to the brass tacks of negotiation. "Everybody works, nobody slacks off and we all survive to see another day. It's a sweet deal considering what else is on offer out there, and in return my father and I keep everyone safe."
Hope frowned again as she studied the woman's aura. I would say that sounds too good to be true. What's the catch in this? She had recognized the woman's powers now, some kind of talent with pheromones. She had come across one with similar powers before in her profession.
"If you ever become a liability, we drop you like a hot stone," Laurie replied with a shrug, she was getting impatient, she'd heard a sound not just a second ago, and she really had no more time to convince this girl one way or the other. Either she'd take the deal, or Laurie could find a better use for her time. "That, or we sell you to the highest bidder, it's up to you."
I think I will take my chances on my own, thank you very much. Hope simply decided. Everything was far too vague for her tastes. She had valuables, information, connections and even some people who owed her favors. Plus some other people might have gotten away. She had seen Jean-Phillipe slip out trough an hidden door among a few others.
"Suit yourself," Laurie replied, unwilling to push it further. There were always people to exploit in the world, and she'd learnt that making an effort was more trouble then it was worth. "If you'll excuse me, I've some looting to do."
You came in here and wished to take what was mine! Or if not mine, belonging to my boys and girls. Nevertheless Hope ceased the flow of energy for the moment and floated closer. But don't be frightened. You will not be permanently harmed. Just stunned for a while. She projected soothingly.
"Not yours, or theirs anymore," Laurie gasped, backing away, she'd never come across someone she couldn't charm, either via her abilities or a few choice words. She didn't like this girl, and if it had been up to her she'd have killed her just to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, getting close enough to do so was problematic. Better to simply leave and come back later. "Now or later makes no matter to me, just means the Prelates get more of it, don't know why you wouldn't be willing to leave it to someone like me, least I'm no Apocalypse flunky."
Because it's still mine and I can still choose how dispose of things. Apocalypse has at least not taken that of us. And who knows what the future will bring... Hope ghost form floated closer. Are you staying there in peace or do I have to act again?
"You keep telling yourself that," Laurie snarled, fighting against the feeling of slowness, the sensation of being frozen. "Eventually you'll need to leave or get killed."
And even then it's nothing you need to concern yourself with. One day we all have to die, but I do not plan on that being for a very long time. She shook her head regretfully. I told you to stay down. Again she let loose a burst of energy, hoping that this time the woman would stay down.
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