For Treason, Act I, Scene iii
May. 2nd, 2026 04:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAs reports of the kidnappings or attempts come in, the mansion residents respond.
Doug had his phone pressed to his ear even as he walked through the doors to the mansion. "...maximum lockdown protocols until Emma wakes up," he instructed whoever was on the other end of the line. "Make sure her...daughters are kept somewhere safe as well. Check in once an hour, I'll leave the line clear." His body language was full of barely coiled anger that was waiting for a target. He thumbed the phone off as he scanned the lobby for someone who could provide more information. He -needed- more information. He rushed forward when he spotted Scott moving with the same kind of energy he felt.
"Scott, catch me up. I've got multiple panic alarm messages. What do we know? Who's been hit?"
The X-Men's leader looked harried, his hair a little messed up as he pressed his phone to his ear, a pen scratching across a pad of paper as he stared down at the names he had started listing out confirmed victims and those he knew were safe. It was something Scott had nightmares about, hoped he'd never need to do again, it was something he knew he'd have to deal with eventually.
"Thanks. Take a few minutes but then I need you running the perimeter, just in case."
A sigh fell from the brown-haired man's lips as he let his hand drop, staring down at the paper for a moment before looking up at Doug.
"People are still checking in. I'm still trying to figure out who was at the mansion and who was out in town, or in the city. So far, I've confirmed that Kyle, Celeste and Jessie have all been taken. The others at the Mansion seem ok, but I'll know more in a few minutes. What do you know right now?"
***
"There's more blood up here," Nica called down to Garrison from her vantage point in the air where she was investigating the fire escape. "And a blood trail to the other end of the alley." She switched her vision out of ultraviolet and floated back down to the Mountie. "Did you find anything?"
"Tire tracks. I'm not a forensics squint, but anything laying rubber like that is heavy. Either from the cargo or it's an armored security vehicle. Since I don't see a lot of space for a semi hauling a trailer in here, we can assume a security vehicle, heavy bodies, probably armored. That means this wasn't done by civilians. It was agency, mercenary or organized crime." Kane said, mulling it over in his head as his eyes flicked over the scene.
'This is really bad.' Nica didn't need to voice the thought aloud, it was what they were both thinking. She couldn't look away from the blood smears. If it had been anyone but someone with a healing factor, they'd be close to death with that much bleeding. I hope Terry's okay...
***
Marius waited. They had told him to monitor comms, so he was monitoring. Under normal circumstances he'd have put on some music. Now the only sound was the tense tattoo of his index finger on the console.
The sudden tone of an incoming communication nearly jolted him out of his chair. The transmission was coming across the emergency channel. The Australian nearly sprained a finger hitting the Receive button.
"Emplate here--" he glanced at the communicator ID and blinked in surprise at the unusual call sign, "Wolverine? You read me?"
Logan was panting from the extreme chaos he'd just managed to escape from. His voice was tight with a variety of emotions. "Yeah. Just got ambushed by a whole unit with a fucking chopper at a gas station." He winced as another bullet was expelled from his skin, falling to the ground with a muted thwump. "Ain't no amateurs. The mansion doin' okay?"
Marius felt something cold collecting in his chest, settling against his sternum like a stone.
"No," he said shortly, and began to dial Scott.
***
The sun was blissfully warm as they walked, Felicia's arm looped in North's. She was entirely confident in both his ability to steer them across the busy pavement, as well as scout the general area, as her thumbnails hit the phone of her screen with satisfying taps. She smiled at him, sunglasses hiding her eyes, and gently bumped his hip. "I'm almost done, have you picked a spot yet?"
The texts sent with a satisfying noise, and she slipped her phone into her jacket, sound on but briefly ignored for brunch. "How about over on that bench, under the tree?"
***
Jean stepped out of one of the Medlab exam rooms where she’d left Terry to rest. A look of dismay flickered across her face as she shook her head to herself, typing a few notes into her iPad, Terry’s chart open on the screen. She slowed, her thumb hovering for a second before finishing the entry.
"…She’s lucky," Jean muttered.
"Is she?" Clarice asked, already checking field supplies and making sure her field pack was ready. "Kyle's missing. They're supposed to get married in a few weeks."
Jean glanced over her shoulder at the closed door.
"I know," she said, her voice steadying as she let out a breath. "But she’s alive. She’ll heal. Right now, that still counts for something." Her attention shifted back to Clarice, running her fingers through her hair. "I guess I’m trying to hold onto the small blessings when I can. Otherwise, everything starts to feel like a loss."
She nodded, more to herself than anything.
"We’ll find Kyle." "That's why I had to step back," Clarice acknowledged, "We're going to find him and everyone else and we're going to bring everyone home."
***
Angel had returned to the mansion with Terry while Garrison and Nica continued searching. She was about to leave the med lab and go check in with Marius on comms when she heard soft sobbing coming from another room. She paused, then knocked lightly on the door before poking her head in. It was one of the Gen-X kids - Ashley? Angel was pretty sure her name was Ashley. She had been out with another Gen-X kid who had been kidnapped.
Angel hesitated, then crossed the room to hop up and sit on the bed beside Ashley, wrapping an arm lightly around her shoulders.
"They got my best friend too," she said quietly. "But we'll get them back. I promise."
Doug had his phone pressed to his ear even as he walked through the doors to the mansion. "...maximum lockdown protocols until Emma wakes up," he instructed whoever was on the other end of the line. "Make sure her...daughters are kept somewhere safe as well. Check in once an hour, I'll leave the line clear." His body language was full of barely coiled anger that was waiting for a target. He thumbed the phone off as he scanned the lobby for someone who could provide more information. He -needed- more information. He rushed forward when he spotted Scott moving with the same kind of energy he felt.
"Scott, catch me up. I've got multiple panic alarm messages. What do we know? Who's been hit?"
The X-Men's leader looked harried, his hair a little messed up as he pressed his phone to his ear, a pen scratching across a pad of paper as he stared down at the names he had started listing out confirmed victims and those he knew were safe. It was something Scott had nightmares about, hoped he'd never need to do again, it was something he knew he'd have to deal with eventually.
"Thanks. Take a few minutes but then I need you running the perimeter, just in case."
A sigh fell from the brown-haired man's lips as he let his hand drop, staring down at the paper for a moment before looking up at Doug.
"People are still checking in. I'm still trying to figure out who was at the mansion and who was out in town, or in the city. So far, I've confirmed that Kyle, Celeste and Jessie have all been taken. The others at the Mansion seem ok, but I'll know more in a few minutes. What do you know right now?"
***
"There's more blood up here," Nica called down to Garrison from her vantage point in the air where she was investigating the fire escape. "And a blood trail to the other end of the alley." She switched her vision out of ultraviolet and floated back down to the Mountie. "Did you find anything?"
"Tire tracks. I'm not a forensics squint, but anything laying rubber like that is heavy. Either from the cargo or it's an armored security vehicle. Since I don't see a lot of space for a semi hauling a trailer in here, we can assume a security vehicle, heavy bodies, probably armored. That means this wasn't done by civilians. It was agency, mercenary or organized crime." Kane said, mulling it over in his head as his eyes flicked over the scene.
'This is really bad.' Nica didn't need to voice the thought aloud, it was what they were both thinking. She couldn't look away from the blood smears. If it had been anyone but someone with a healing factor, they'd be close to death with that much bleeding. I hope Terry's okay...
***
Marius waited. They had told him to monitor comms, so he was monitoring. Under normal circumstances he'd have put on some music. Now the only sound was the tense tattoo of his index finger on the console.
The sudden tone of an incoming communication nearly jolted him out of his chair. The transmission was coming across the emergency channel. The Australian nearly sprained a finger hitting the Receive button.
"Emplate here--" he glanced at the communicator ID and blinked in surprise at the unusual call sign, "Wolverine? You read me?"
Logan was panting from the extreme chaos he'd just managed to escape from. His voice was tight with a variety of emotions. "Yeah. Just got ambushed by a whole unit with a fucking chopper at a gas station." He winced as another bullet was expelled from his skin, falling to the ground with a muted thwump. "Ain't no amateurs. The mansion doin' okay?"
Marius felt something cold collecting in his chest, settling against his sternum like a stone.
"No," he said shortly, and began to dial Scott.
***
The sun was blissfully warm as they walked, Felicia's arm looped in North's. She was entirely confident in both his ability to steer them across the busy pavement, as well as scout the general area, as her thumbnails hit the phone of her screen with satisfying taps. She smiled at him, sunglasses hiding her eyes, and gently bumped his hip. "I'm almost done, have you picked a spot yet?"
The texts sent with a satisfying noise, and she slipped her phone into her jacket, sound on but briefly ignored for brunch. "How about over on that bench, under the tree?"
***
Jean stepped out of one of the Medlab exam rooms where she’d left Terry to rest. A look of dismay flickered across her face as she shook her head to herself, typing a few notes into her iPad, Terry’s chart open on the screen. She slowed, her thumb hovering for a second before finishing the entry.
"…She’s lucky," Jean muttered.
"Is she?" Clarice asked, already checking field supplies and making sure her field pack was ready. "Kyle's missing. They're supposed to get married in a few weeks."
Jean glanced over her shoulder at the closed door.
"I know," she said, her voice steadying as she let out a breath. "But she’s alive. She’ll heal. Right now, that still counts for something." Her attention shifted back to Clarice, running her fingers through her hair. "I guess I’m trying to hold onto the small blessings when I can. Otherwise, everything starts to feel like a loss."
She nodded, more to herself than anything.
"We’ll find Kyle." "That's why I had to step back," Clarice acknowledged, "We're going to find him and everyone else and we're going to bring everyone home."
***
Angel had returned to the mansion with Terry while Garrison and Nica continued searching. She was about to leave the med lab and go check in with Marius on comms when she heard soft sobbing coming from another room. She paused, then knocked lightly on the door before poking her head in. It was one of the Gen-X kids - Ashley? Angel was pretty sure her name was Ashley. She had been out with another Gen-X kid who had been kidnapped.
Angel hesitated, then crossed the room to hop up and sit on the bed beside Ashley, wrapping an arm lightly around her shoulders.
"They got my best friend too," she said quietly. "But we'll get them back. I promise."
