Archive Mutants & Masterminds: The Magisterium - [1-Interlude] Reunion

[Dawn OOC]

[Continued from 1.3]

The yawning black hole opened before the rag-tag group flying over Germany, exactly as planned. Travis felt relief as he angled the flying disk through the hole. After the fuck-up that this fight had been, he just wanted to hole up with May and bitch to her about the sheer amount of crazy in their growing group.

They burst through into the morning light of highlands of Tibet. Tyrone and Jack both frowned, while Ty-ty squealed with delight. “You found her!” the child cried happily. “And you rescued others!”

“Damnit! I hope we have enough spray for everyone. Get that boy over here, before they bounce the signal to detonate his collar off a satellite.” Jack was already digging in a bag for the bottle of freezing chemical. “Maybe Jeremy can make more if needed.”

Tyrone had already hefted the sensor. “Let’s see how many microchips they have hidden in these poor guys.” He shook his head. “Man, they gave them a beating for trying to escape, didn’t they?”

[SalmonMax]

At some point during the trip, Mary sat down, making a little padded spot for herself to do so. The pain from the injuries she'd taken was starting to get worse. At first she'd endured it as fitting punishment for going entirely too far...but now, even with the bandages she'd made for herself, her damaged flesh was singing a song of misery, and it was getting louder and louder. She felt tired and as empty as the space her tantrum had left behind. Pain or no, she just wanted to go to sleep.

[Fahrenheit]

Once they were through the Portal and within proximity of a source of fire Sascha suddenly clutched her stomach is if she was feeling sick. She was still kneeling and looking up to Lamia when the startling transformation reversed. This time though it looked as if Sascha was gasping for air. Lamia could see tears running down her cheeks as if she was in extruciating pain but unable to move or even scream.

Within seconds her body caught fire and Fahrenheit re-emerged instantly floating up on Wings of Fire as she looked around furiously.

"I want Silbermann dead!", she screamed angrily frustrated by what he has been done to her. The place was heating up a little around her, not enough to set anything on fire but definitely increasing the ambient temperature by several degrees.

"We shouldn't have let him go - I was so close to...", she stared into the distance and then slowly the fire around her died as flames retreated back into her body. Her huge phoenix like wings folded on her back as she landed and then vanished while her body assumed a more solid form.

"Mother... have you come to stop me? What is this place, what is happening here? I don't recognise any of your companions as my brothers or sisters.", her tone was respectful but not submissive. The fire-angel was too proud to show submission and probably too arrogant, too.

[Travis Kincaid]

Tyrone had already hefted the sensor. “Let’s see how many microchips they have hidden in these poor guys.” He shook his head. “Man, they gave them a beating for trying to escape, didn’t they?”

Travis flashed a grin that didn't touch his eyes; he was proud of what he had done. "That was me. They're traitors, they deserved to die. Lamia seems to think otherwise, but I won't hesitate to finish what I started if they give me reason." His eyes narrowed as he looked at Seeker, "Him especially. I hate leeches."

The lean mutant shook his head, shivering slightly in the cold. He looked out across the mountains and realized he could see for miles. Not just for the pure clean air and the elevation, but he could actually see more, make out more detail and see clearly for longer distances.

He pushed thoughts of what had happened out of his mind and reached out with his mind and his power. There was temple, high up on a mountain face, and he could touch it. It must have been a mile away but it seemed like it was only a block off, and the stone walls felt as though they were within reach of his fingertips. Something was happening with his abilities, expanding them, and refining them. Travis smiled, this time it touched his eyes though none saw, and wondered just where this would go.

[z024]

Lamia glanced at Travis and clarified to Tyrone, "The boy is young and should not have been on a battlefield. We shall speak when he awakens. The other one tried to take the boy back with him; I thought he might be of use for information on Deha. If he proves intractable, kill him." Her tone indicated little emotional involvement in the last statement, but she was also already turning back to her daughter, so it might merely have been distraction.

"You were no where near close to killing him, Sekhmet," her tone was firm and stern. "Setting a forest on fire, yes, but killing the human? He had too many protectors. You would have been recaptured and placed in his power again, if left to your own. We will hunt him and he will suffer and then die for whatever spell he has cast on you." She took her daughter's hand and placed it against her own heart, "You have my word."

"As for these others," she glanced around at the group, "none of them are mine directly that I know, though Deha stole so many children I cannot be sure unless they know their parents and origin. But they are of my line, and so your family, with all that that implies." She motioned to Tyrone, "He and some others rescued us from our imprisonment only a short time ago."

[Fahrenheit]

Sekhmet just glanced briefly at the others and the fire in her eyes flickered angrily as she protested, “I knew it was a trap but I would’ve burned everything down if it wasn’t for one of them to interfere!”

She had no idea who it was but the first attack wasn’t made by Dr. Silbermanns Goonsquad, it was done by those who came with her mother.

Only then did she notice her mothers hand on her chest, resting gently were her heart should be. And with that realization the words which managed to get through her fury slowly assembled to understanding.

“He has taken away so much, mother. He almost destroyed me... Even now I feel diminished and weakened.”

“This other woman – she’s his creation. She is loyal to him. Don’t trust her.”, there was shame in her voice and she even looked down unable to meet her mothers eyes. It was the first time she saw her admit defeat.

[Dawn OOC]

“Everyone, slow down.” Jack’s voice, despite coming from a crippled, seated man, carried into the conversations that were starting. “These mutants didn’t come willingly?”

“No, they were knocked out and Lamia insisted on bringing them, not killing them like we should.” Travis was still smiling. “They’re compliant enemies.”

“Race traitors.” Fenris’s voice was just as cold as Travis’s and carried a hint of approval.

“We don’t kill mutants and we don’t take prisoners. We have nowhere to house them, especially not a leech!” Jack was so angry; his tone was sharp and his knuckles white. At Lamia’s look of confusion, he clarified, “A mutant that steals powers from other mutants, or that’s the typical usage.” At Travis’s nod of confirmation, Jack said, “There’s no way to secure mutants at Home. When they escape, they’ll run back to DEHA and betray us.”

[SalmonMax]

"I tried to take away his collar," Mary volunteers weakly. "But it exploded. Before I could make it disappear completely. It was so -fast-."

[Dawn OOC]

"Tyliesha, get that collar off that boy before it explodes." Jack looked at Mary as Ty-ty dug out a canister of freeze-spray. "They're designed that if there's any tampering, they go off. It's meant to keep us in line. A tool of slavery - but not the only one."

[SalmonMax]

"I got shot," Mary said with a little grin. "I, uh...I took the bullets away...and I made bandages. It still hurts."

She looked over at where the freeze spray was being deployed. "That doesn't make it explode though. Maybe I can make something like that."

Abruptly Mary slumped and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I really made a mess...everything just went wrong."

[z024]

The elder mutant gave her daughter a hug and nodded, her lips pressed thin with anger. "We will make them pay and we will undo the spell he has put on you, Sekhmet. We have until the sun burns out and these are but mortal men."

She kept a hand on Sekhmet's shoulder as John explained what Travis had meant by a 'leech'. "The boy had no chance to make a decision," she added to the comments being made, sparing a glare for both Travis and Fenris. "He was wearing that collar the entire time and surrounded by the others. As for him," she nudged the 'leech' with her foot. "I was told our information on Deha would be hard to come by in the future. We can interrogate him."

She looked thoughtful for a moment and continued. "If him stealing others gifts is the issue, then take us somewhere secluded...like the island we were on the first night. Leave me alone with him; I have no gifts but time." She spread out her hands and shrugged, "It has been a long time, but I do remember the ways of war. When I am done, we will see what the 'leech' has to say for himself and decide what to do from there. I can take one of the cellphones with me, to contact you or Tyrone by."

[Fahrenheit]

Fahrenheit smiled back at her mother grateful for her soothing words. The hug was unexpected but not unwelcomed... she nodded faithfully at her mother as she listened to the conversation.

As Lamia suggested she would go alone with the Leech the fire in Fahrenheit's eyes flashed up again. "Mother! I won't let you go alone with any traitor - I'm not going to risk losing you again, ever."

She didn't like the idea at all but going with her mother and exposing herself to the leech would only empower him and give him a chance to escape. She hated it when her mother was right but emotionally she couldn't let this happen.

"Don't go alone... I... I can't protect you. Why do you want to interrogate him? He obviously has made his decision to fight against us - he cannot be trusted.", she pleaded knowing well that her mother wouldn't listen to her. But she had to protest anyway.

[Travis Kincaid]

Travis smiled and turned away from the Himalayan vista, "I like her, she's got the right attitude about this." He studied the red skinned woman for a moment even going so far as to "touch" her with his strange new sense of touch. She didn't seem hot, perhaps only when she was aflame. He stepped closer and thrust his hand out slightly hesitantly, wary of getting burned, "I'm Travis by the way."

[SalmonMax]

Mary sighed and looked over at Lamia and the others.

"Even if he can copy our powers," she said weakly, "I don't think he can really beat all of us at once. Why don't we just talk to him here? As long as we're all together, we can make sure he doesn't try to hurt anyone or...or get away, I guess."

She sounded a little troubled, perhaps remembering her own time in a little room and at loathe to do the same to someone else, necessary as it might be.

"Besides, he's hurt."

[z024]

Lamia arched a brow at her daughter, having forgotten over time how...direct...she was in thinking. "There can be many reasons for taking an action, Sekhmet. If we learn why he would stay loyal to Deha after his collar was destroyed, we can learn how to take that control away as well. It may be that he simply knows no other way. It may be that his mind is broken and time will heal it. It may be that the collar is only the most obvious threat Deha has over him. They put little bits of metal under my skin to track me. Perhaps they did the same with him and he fears to be free when he might be found and taken back. We don't know, and we won't, unless we make a way to interrogate him."

The last was directed at John, half plea and half challenge. "How can we hope to build an army, if we can only free a handful of us at a time? Deha is clever and strong, he will adapt if we must take so few at a time and fight our own in the process."

[Fahrenheit]

There was a slight frown on Fahrenheit's face as she listened to her mother's words and lecturing. She understood her reasoning and desire to gather as much infomation as possible but she lacked the necessary patience... and foresight. To her the world was made up more in shades of black and white and less grey.

It was also futile to argue with her mother. Fahrenheit had far too much respect for her mother to question or doubt her motives. If she said she wanted to interrogate the traitor she would - it was that simple. The red skinned mutant was still not liking what she heard but she was accepting it, yet her face showed disagreement when Travis held out his hand for a friendly shake.

Travis smiled and turned away from the Himalayan vista, "I like her, she's got the right attitude about this." He studied the red skinned woman for a moment even going so far as to "touch" her with his strange new sense of touch. She didn't seem hot, perhaps only when she was aflame. He stepped closer and thrust his hand out slightly hesitantly, wary of getting burned, "I'm Travis by the way."

The veins under her skinned gleamed like hot lava and as she took his hand - not to shake it but holding it in a way like royalty would and smiled at him. Her skin was unusually warm but it didn't burn, "My name is...", she hesitated briefly, almost as if she was searching for the right answer before she finally said, "Sekhmet, Daughter of Ra."

It seemed as if there was more she wanted to say but she refrained from adding more. The times when she was known as an Egyptian Goddess were long ago.

"Thank you.", she simply added, acknowledging that he was the one who helped her finish off the hated Cancel. "You fought well, Travis.", her eyes directly met his not challenging but ready to fight if necessary, he could see the fire that burned inside her. It had a primal almost palpable energy.

[Travis Kincaid]

"Uhhh ... yeah." Travis' smile faltered. Wow, this one is even more crazy than Lamia, with her talk of the stone age, Travis thought. He released her too-warm hand and shrugged, "That's what I do. It's all I really know. I make them pay for what they did to me whenever I can. That fucker Cancel, he's the one who took your powers, he's the reason I spent five years as a Popsicle." His anger returned, tightening his muscles, setting him on edge. "He got away. Him and that other one." Travis' knuckles popped and a nearby rock cracked in half, "I'll get that sonovabitch back next time. I don't care what I have to do, I'll kill him."

[Fahrenheit]

If she caught his sudden faltering she wasn't showing any of it. Instead she instantly found herself drawn closer to him as she heard the anger in his voice. It ignited her own fury which made her skin even deeper red and her veins glow brighter - even the temperature around her went up a few degrees.

"We will kill them all - I promise. That traitor won't get a second chance to flee - he will die by my hands if you can't get him first.. And Dr. Silberman will suffer for his crimes against us. I won't grant him the mercy of a quick death - I'll watch him burn slowly and everything he has created."

She was standing next to him and nodded quietly in acknowledgment of his righteous anger. "We will take back what is righteously ours."

[Dawn OOC]

Tyrone had opened a warp while Ty-ty dug out the spray; by the time she’d sprayed the collar and cut it off, there was a small opening for her to sling it into. “I hate those things!” she snapped, clapping her palms together as if the collar had been covered in a clinging filth.

“Tyrone, get him and the boy out of here. That island we used last week should be good.” Jack looked annoyed. “We don’t have the holding facilities to keep captives long term. If they’ll come with us willingly, great. Otherwise, leave them there. Tyliesha, would you go with Lamia and help her?”

The girl looked excited for a moment, even as Tyrone went stone-faced. “Yeah! I can help.”

“She’s a kid-” Mary started, but Jack held up a hand.

“Tyliesha is a fully capable combatant. She’s also shown to have little to no enhancement above a human’s, much like Lamia, and therefore not at all useful to a leech. And her youth means she’ll likely get some leeway with the fighters.”

“Likely.” Tyrone’s voice was tight.

“I can do this. I can help.” Ty-ty’s eyes bounced back and forth between the two men, her expression hopeful.

“Yes, you can.” Jack smiled at her before looking up at Tyrone. “If you would, please?” There was a hard moment of silence before Jack added in his crisp English voice, “You know I wouldn’t send her if I didn’t think she’d be all right after.”

“Fine.” With a growl, Tyrone began to open another warp. Seconds later, a black hole hung before them. Ty-ty picked up the boy while Lamia grabbed the man and together the two went through the warp. Tyrone stopped his sister to give her a quick hug and make sure her phone was charged and functional. "Be safe, both of you," the black man said as the two women went through the warp together.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Jack." Tyrone just looked at his friend.

"I do. I have faith in her." Jack's voice was firm. The phone rang again and Jack said, "Matt's ready."

"Yeah. Getting a workout today." Tyrone started a new warp, ready to recieve the next group of mutants, fresh from their mission.

[z024]

Lamia stepped through, carrying the older of their captives while Tyliesha carried the younger. The beach was in warm afternoon sun when they stepped out, looking every bit as much a piece of paradise as it had that first night of freedom. The two prisoners were laid out on the soft sand and Lamia gave Tyliesha quick instructions of a number of items to collect from the wilderness around them; in less than half an hour the elder mutant had tended to the two men, salving cuts and bruises and using their already ripped and torn shirts to secure the medicinal herbs in place.

They were sitting only a few feet away, talking quietly, when Seeker came to. Tyliesha caught his movement and circled around him, flanking him in case he tried to run away or attack Lamia. For her part, Lamia simply stood and crossed her arms. "You are awake and we are no longer in the middle of a battle. I am called Lamia, what shall I call you while we speak?"

Her tone was not friendly, but she hadn't bound him or the boy and was making no move to attack him. He was alive, but obviously not in Germany anymore.

[Grav]

Grav picked up Tempest with her Telekinesis, holding the potential foe tightly and immobile for good measure as she entered the portal, She had Noctis as well, though moving slowly due to the encumbrance. "Sorry you got hurt. I thought the tank was the biggest threat." She whispered, even as she set him down. "He needs medical attenion, they both do."

[Tengri]

Randall Urianhai (aka Tengri)

HP: 2/3

Luck: 3/5

Condition: Fine

"You too, Matt", Randall replied as he returned the smaller, earth-moving mutant's hug. As Matt delivered his greeting and promise of escape to Randall's two wards the big mutant stepped to one side so that they could more properly speak to and see each other without his massive bulk being in the way and, when his friend was finished speaking, Randall promptly introduced them.

"Matt", he said, "meet Foresight", and he indicated the pale-skinned young woman with one large clawed hand. "And this", Randall went on, indicating the darker-skinned and more human-appearing woman next to Foresight, "is Foresight's sister. DEHA calls her 'Kything', but her name is Martha." Then he addressed the two women and said, "Martha, Foresight, this is my own brother, and very good friend, Matthew McShae. I hope you will come to trust him as much as I do."

Though Randall tried to keep his manner light and informal as he spoke (making him seem merely 'intense', rather than 'outright terrifying'), that did not mean that he was relaxed or no longer paying attention to his surroundings. Though it certainly appeared that the enemy was now in full retreat, the enormous birdman knew better than to make assumptions based solely on appearances, and so remained alert for any further attacks. In the end, none came.

"Time estimate on our exit?", Randall asked Matt after noticing that his two charges were showing increasing signs of nervousness.

"Should be here any - ah! There it is", Matt answered, smiling as Tyrone's warp appeared in the air some meters away. Matt looked up at the roof. “Grav, can you get Jer? Grab the other guy too. We’ll see if he’ll flip and if not leave him somewhere.”

Randall waited patiently as 'Grav' collected 'Jer' and 'the other guy too' (none of whom Randall recognized - he could only assume that Grav and Jer were some of the new recruits May had mentioned to him during their last communication - the 'other guy' was probably another one of DEHA's lapdogs). Once the silver-haired mutant had carried them all through the warp Randall turned to Foresight and Kything and gestured towards the swirling warp field waiting for them. "Come on", he said.

---

An instant later, Randall Urianhai stepped out onto a mountainside in rural Tibet with Foresight and Kything following close behind him. Almost immediately a familiar-sounding voice called out to him, "Randall, welcome back!", and the big mutant turned to see the equally familiar-looking face of Jack Howsted*. Randall couldn't physically smile in the normal sense, but there was a smile in his voice nonetheless as he greeted the older man, saying, "Jack! Good to be back."

Urianhai started to take in his surroundings and immediately noticed 'Singularity' standing nearby, holding open the warp that had just allowed them to make their escape. "Hey, Tyrone", he said, nodding to the smaller (though not exactly 'small') mutant. "Randall", Tyrone replied, barely glancing in his direction or acknowledging the two women who'd arrived with him. Making a note of the hard set to the warper's expression and the emotions emanating out from him, Randall let his gaze drift away to take in his surroundings and get a good look at the others already gathered there. His fierce, saffron eyes took in the other 'new recruits' gathered around, noting the injuries and fatigue and other signs of battle, while his other senses picked up on the various strong, swirling emotions they were all giving off. "Hello", he said with a short wave, addressing all of them and none of them particularly.

Tengri's raptor gaze swept his surroundings once more, drawing the obvious conclusions as to recent events yet unable to know exactly what all had taken place, and then he turned back to Tyrone.

"Where's Tyliesha?", he asked.

OOC: Hey Dawn, isn't 'Jack' supposed to be 'John'? Or am I confused as to who this is?

[Travis Kincaid]

Travis shivered for the heat of it, the uptick in temperature just reminded him how cold it was in the mountains. "Can you make it warmer?" he asked the red-skinned mutant. "Without setting us all on fire I mean?" His hands had gone back into his pockets and he looked at the others, wondering how long it would take to de-chip the traitors.

His hopes for a quick exit were dashed when another warp opened and deposited the party that had been sent out earlier that day, along with a massive bird-like creature and two women that Travis had not seen before. Instinctively Travis readied his powers even as he goggled at the bird-man; never before had he seen a mutant who looked so thoroughly inhuman as this.

"What the hell?" he mumbled, more to himself than to anybody in particular.

[Seeker]

Ulysses groaned and opened his eyes as he sat up. Even before his vision cleared, he knew something was wrong. He wasn't on a bed; it felt like sand and brought back memories of his early childhood with his parents. His parents!

Seeker was immediately alert and looking around his surroundings totally unaware of Lamia or the fact she had spoken. "Nooooooooo!" He screamed and a telekinetic gust roared around him dislodging sand and earth in the area, creating a swirling vortex around the boy 15 feet high. The display lasted only a few seconds before the power holding the earth aloft was cut and it fell back to the ground around the sobbing boy who was finally looking at Lamia.

"You've killed them," he sobbed.

[Jeremy]

The pinpricks of snow upon his face first drew Jeremy's mind into a hazy awareness, back-lit by the ache of pain. Reflexively, he forced his body to generate more accelerating healing fluids and then he was able to get up and look around. Apparently, another gathering point for the mission - though he didn't recognize a number of mutants, the flaming red-skinned woman, the plastic-looking girl, and the huge bird-man.

"Good afternoon....?" He yawned. "I'm guessing things worked out, Matt?"

[SalmonMax]

Mary was poleaxed when the newcomers arrived. Among them was a towering, birdlike giant..a creature the likes of which she'd never even read about, never even imagined. He was too alien, too outside her sphere of understanding for her even to be afraid. Even hurt as she was, it was with wide-eyed wonder that she approached Tengri and reached out to brush her fingertips against one of his feathers to verify that what she saw was real.

"Are you...one of us?" she asked.

[Fahrenheit]

Travis shivered for the heat of it, the uptick in temperature just reminded him how cold it was in the mountains. "Can you make it warmer?" he asked the red-skinned mutant. "Without setting us all on fire I mean?" His hands had gone back into his pockets and he looked at the others, wondering how long it would take to de-chip the traitors.

Fahrenheit looked at him inquisitively as if she didn’t quiet understand what he wanted from her. Her eyes gleamed with intensive fire but she had little time to actually respond – maybe for the better in this case because she certainly wouldn’t have hesitated to burn one of the traitors to provide others with the requested warmth.

His hopes for a quick exit were dashed when another warp opened and deposited the party that had been sent out earlier that day, along with a massive bird-like creature and two women that Travis had not seen before. Instinctively Travis readied his powers even as he goggled at the bird-man; never before had he seen a mutant who looked so thoroughly inhuman as this.

"What the hell?" he mumbled, more to himself than to anybody in particular.

The presence of newcomers alerted her yet again and this time the heat around her increased significantly as she burst into fire setting herself in flames and spreading wings made of pure fire – like those of the phoenix bird of legend. Her stance was far more hostile than Travis’ reaction her nature being much more direct and unfiltered.

The absence of her mother, shortly after their reunion, didn’t bode well with her and she most definitely disliked any... unnannounced incidents. Fahrenheit was ready to fight.

[Dawn OOC]

“Tyliesha is helping Lamia – another new mutant.” Jack’s explanation seemed sufficient, but it did little to dispel the emotions rolling off Tyrone. Jack smiled and added, “We’ve grown quite a bit in your absence.”

“Lots of new faces.” Randall remembered he had two more and quickly made introductions to Jack and Tyrone. Foresight was still hesitant, her weird and off-putting eyes even wider than normal, but she managed a tight smile and a semblance of etiquette. Martha seemed closer to freaking out completely with each new person that was introduced to her, particularly, Randall noticed, the males. Her growing terror was very apparent to the bird-mutant, and if he needed visual clues, she was shaking so hard that Randall wasn’t sure how she was standing. She was still there only because Foresight hadn’t fled; the two women were holding hands, and their grips looked almost painful.

It was pretty chaotic around the growing group. Tyrone readied another small warp as Matt prepared to remove the silver collar from the Latino mutant. “More or less,” he told Jeremy with a grin. “The soldiers all withdrew once they realized Gold had the tank.” The earth-mover nodded at the golden-haired man, who was standing apart from the others and combing the new tangles out of his hair. “Good job with that.” Gold nodded in acknowledgement.

When Fahrenheit’s wings flared and the air got hotter, Matt immediately turned to her, his hands up in a calming gesture. “Whoa, whoa. Calm down. It’s all right. I know there’s a lot of people here. And I know that my brother Randall looks really scary. But we’re on your side. We’re not going to hurt you. If it’ll make you feel better, you can even move further away from us. I need to get his collar off before someone decides to blow it up and kill this man. Can you hold on for just a moment while I do that, and then we can talk?”

[Tengri]

As Mary approached him, Randall Urianhai subtly shifted his position relative to the others gathered around. As much as was possible, he continued to keep his not-inconsiderable bulk between Foresight, Kything, and the two new mutants whom he didn't recognize and who had taken aggressive postures upon seeing his arrival. Randall was also now trying to position himself so that he could extend that protection to Mary if necessary.

There was no way for Randall to know for certain what the current situation really was, but it was patently obvious that the burning mutant was prepared to attack and even the scrawny blonde one seemed to be on edge, whereas the young girl approaching him was - so far as Tengri could tell - not at all hostile - and also oblivious to the hostility of those behind her. Randall preferred to see the best in others, rather than the worst, and he trusted Jack and Tyrone. So while he didn't know Travis or Fahrenheit from Adam or Eve he would nonetheless not attack them unless attacked first. Meanwhile, he also didn't know Mary, so it was entirely possible that she presented as great a threat as (or greater than) Travis or Fahrenheit, but Randall was still willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and treat her as friendly - at least until she proved otherwise. If any violence should occur, his primary goal would be to ensure the safety of Forsight and Kything, but he would also do his best to keep the tiny young woman who was now approaching him out of harm's way as well.

Part of Randall's reluctance to reciprocate Fahrenheit's hostility (or even the on-edge-edness of Travis) came from an understanding of just why they were reacting the way they were in the first place. Mary's own, less hostile actions were caused by the same thing. Tengri could literally sense their fear, anger, and aggression and knew its source. Which, in large part, was: him. Randall was used to getting this reaction from others, even - perhaps especially - from other mutants, and while it didn't make him happy he still understood why it happened. To put it simply, he was huge, massive in all ways, and there was almost nothing about him that could be termed 'human'.

He stood more than ten feet tall - nearly twice the height of most of those present - and even his shoulder span was nearly four feet in breadth. His eyes were beady and reddish-orange and seemed perpetually angry, like the eyes of an eagle or a hawk, and where a normal man's mouth would be, there was instead a large and wickedly, jaggedly sharp beak with the ebony color and glassy polish of obsidian. In place of skin he had dingy gray scales, and instead of hair he was covered in glossy feathers, ranging in color from the blue-black of a raven across his head and torso, to the light gray of a kestrel on his wings and limbs (and with similar patterning). His legs had too many joints and bent in the wrong direction, and instead of hands or feet, Tengri possessed the wickedly curved, anisodactyl talons of a raptor. All in all, his appearance was beautiful in its way, but it was a terrible kind of beauty. One that seemed designed to inspire fear.

Randall could not help but find their reaction ironic.

Most of those mutants who flocked to David's banner harbored no small amount of anger and even righteous indignation towards humanity in general. He had lost count of how many rants he'd heard, berating humans for their mindless hatred and groundless fears of mutant-kind, and more than once he'd heard one mutant give another a hard time for looking 'too human'. Yet most mutants, upon seeing him for the first time, reacted in exactly the same way to him as they claimed humans reacted to them. Even Mary's reaction was indicative of a very human-like inability to easily cope with anything strange or 'different'. It was for this reason, and this reason alone, that Randall found himself unable to harbor as much anger towards humanity as so many of his brethren seemed to - he understood all too well that humans and mutants - while most certainly not the same - were still not so different after all.

When Mary approached him and asked her question, eyes wide and voice filled with wonder, Tengri lowered himself to a squat, bringing his gaze closer eye-level with her own. "If you mean, 'am I a mutant?', like you", he said in answer to Mary's question, "then yes, I am. My name is Randall Urianhai. What's yours?"

Though the big mutant kept his gaze firmly fixed on the young woman before him, his attention was divided between her and the possible conflict brewing around them.

[z024]

Lamia had started back while Tyliesha said something her brother wished she didn't know and put herself between the leech and Lamia. When he collapsed and began sobbing Tyliesha started towards him, looking confused. Lamia stopped her with a hand to her shoulder, shaking her head.

"Killed who? The soldiers that attacked us? You didn't seem so concerned about them before." Her tone was neutral, cautious. She wasn't about to trust this man just because he shed a few tears, but it seemed like there was more to the situation than just a willing slave.

[Fahrenheit]

When Fahrenheit’s wings flared and the air got hotter, Matt immediately turned to her, his hands up in a calming gesture. “Whoa, whoa. Calm down. It’s all right. I know there’s a lot of people here. And I know that my brother Randall looks really scary. But we’re on your side. We’re not going to hurt you. If it’ll make you feel better, you can even move further away from us. I need to get his collar off before someone decides to blow it up and kill this man. Can you hold on for just a moment while I do that, and then we can talk?”

Part of her wanted to unleash because it was the nature of fire... to burn. Her wings flared once then she slowly calmed down forcing the flames back inside her until the heat was down to a tolerable degree. She eyed Randall suspiciously but her hostility was not directed at him alone - it was indiscriminate. Her anger was now focused at Matt who had drawn the attention to him but at least he had managed to avoid the immediate 'threat' that was dangling in the air like the sword of Damocles.

"You are on my side? Do you even know what my side is?", her voice was deceptionally calm and quiet but the veins underneath her crimson red skin flared angrily in brighter yellows and orange. Fahrenheit stared at Matt ignoring the others for the moment her anger was barely contained and she struggled to keep in control but she knew that these Mutants were her allies, the only ones who could help her have revenge.

[Seeker]

Ulysses slowly calmed down but was clearly still in pain. The sorrow written on his face gave way to anger and a simmering resentment at her words. "I could care less about those pigs." Seeker spat antagonistically. "But they have my family and unless I can get back before they realize I am gone, they will murder them."

"You have condemned my family to torture and death. I hope you are satisfied," he said finally, his voice filled with defiance and hatred.

[SalmonMax]

"Mary," was Mary's reply. Though she was looking at Randall, she was doing much more than just seeing him. After a few seconds her eyes focused back on him, still awestruck but now also apologetic.

"I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. If you weren't, he wouldn't have brought you here. It's just...you're so different. The stuff in you is different. I think it must be very strong though. It's amazing you're Matt's brother though. Brothers look like each other...or at least that's what I've read."

The flare of heat behind her caused Mary to look around, and her goggle-eyes turned more frightened as she stepped away from Fahrenheit reflexively.

[Tengri]

"You are a mutant, therefore we are on your side."

Tengri hadn't spoken loudly as he'd addressed the red-skinned woman with the glowing veins - and he certainly hadn't spoken angrily - but he had spoken unequivocally, and he'd risen back to his full height as he'd done so. He was not easy to ignore, though Fahrenheit was welcome to try.

Randall had wanted to answer Mary's questions. To explain to her that 'brother' (or, for that matter, 'sister') could mean so much more than a blood relative, and that he and Matt were brothers by dint of common ancestry, common allegiance, and common purpose. He wanted to explain to her, if she didn't already know, that mutants weren't merely people who shared some kind of common disease, or genetic condition, but that they were brethren in the truest sense of that word.

Instead, he found himself confronting one of his long-lost 'sisters' as a potential enemy. No one would ever know it, but doing so made his heart ache with a bitter sadness. The deep sense of shame and regret he felt over the feral mutant he'd killed inside of Umatilla was still fresh in his mind, and the last thing he wanted was to fight, verbally or otherwise, with another mutant. Randall dearly hoped that it would not come to that.

"We fight for mutant-kind", Randall said levelly, and with real conviction. "For their freedom. We fight for your freedom, sister - and would die for it, if necessary. Whether you are on our side is, perhaps, the better question."

Randall did not move as he spoke, simply standing his ground and leveling his fierce and unflinching gaze at the fiery woman before him. His entire being was geared towards violence and conflict, and victory therein, so he could no more remove the implicit threat his mere presence represented than Fahrenheit could bank the fires of rage and hate that burned within her, but to the best of his ability Randall sought to challenge her thinking, and not her person, with his words.

"My name is Randall Urianhai", he said, repeating what he'd told Mary only a moment before. "Will you tell me your name, sister? Will you join our cause, and will you fight with us?"

[Fahrenheit]

The fiery Angel of Wrath set her angry gaze on the huge bird-mutant staring at him with the same indifferent hatred she had for everyone. Her fury had just been unleashed and she just barely had tasted its sweet nectar. Right now she would devour the world, just like she did in the past, when humanity worshipped her and her kind.

Through the red haze Randall’s words affected her on manylevels. She recognised his conviction and with it his determination to let actions follow his words. As he spoke something else managed to spark a long lost memory. Memories of a time of legend and folklore...

“Horus?”, Fahrenheit’s hostility instantly changed to something resembling compassion and maybe even hope. Images of the Falconheaded King of Gods assaulted her – she saw the barren land of her birth trenched in blood and then consumed by her fire and Horus was leading their warriors versus the uprising Humans Ra created.

They attacked during the night, when Ra was fighting in the underworld – treacherous fools.

Fahrenheit blinked a few times as the images of her memory tricked her for a moment. With an unexpected sadness she relented as she seemed to stare right through him.

“You are not Horus, but you have his heart Randall Urianhai. My name is Sekhmet, Daughter of Ra – I will end this war these Humans started. With or without you.”, even though her hostility and anger seemed gone her words didn’t lack conviction. She spoke with a certainty that this would happen, no matter what.

[Jeremy]

Jeremy bit his lip, hard as Farenheit or Sekhmet started showing aggressive and angry behavior. Much of this was the result of mistreatment and captivity, but all the 'unique' and 'expressive' personalities were going to be causing trouble down the road - if not already.

And it was giving him the hint of the willies, if he was to be honest. Perhaps it was time to help direct focus more onto the common bonds they had in the face of DEHA and company. "So... anyone in need of healing?"

[z024]

Lamia arched a brow. "I have taken a prisoner of war and nothing else. I even bandaged your wounds and didn't murder you while you were unconcious, over a rather strenuous objection by one of my allies. If Deha is so set to kill your family, then it is quite likely they've been dead since after the last time you saw them. If Deha is stupid enough to kill them simply because you were taken prisoner in battle, then he is far more stupid than he has ever shown himself to be before."

She tilted her head, regarding him for a heartbeat. "Is that why you remained loyal after your collar was...removed? If so, it would be far more beneficial to you and your family for you ally with us on the condition that we go to rescue your family before Deha has learned that you are now our ally instead of our prisoner. Your family gains their freedom, and you can cease to be a traitor to your own kind." She crouched down in front of him, intent. "They may still die, by Deha's hand or in the confusion of the rescue, but they will have the chance of freedom, as opposed to being slaves to your obedience. They live only because you are useful. What do you think would have become of them had we killed you instead of speaking with you? Has Deha ever shown you to be benevolent enough to keep a mutant alive unless he has a use for us? They will die from Deha's hand unless you take this opportunity for their freedom - and yours."

[Travis Kincaid]

"Yeeaaahhh," Travis drew out as he sidestepped the once again flaming woman. "Fire bad. Listen, why don't you folks get de-chipped so we can get the hell out of this place. I'm freezing my-" Travis cut off with a frown, realizing that he wasn't cold any more, nor was he baking in the heat cast off by Fahrenheit's own firey form. He shrugged, deciding that he was clearly just standing at just the right distance from the flame clad woman. If it's anything else I'll deal with it later, he thought as he blinked his eyes back to focus.

Travis probably should have been worried about that, but he hadn't worried overly much when his telekinesis had developed tactile feedback, or when his vision had become sharper. Whatever was changing him, it was not yet done he suspected. What point in worrying about what you couldn't control; that was human, and that was weak.

"So anyways, as I was saying; if you lot can get your chips out we can get out of here and maybe grab a bite to eat or something. I'm starving."

[SalmonMax]

It took the mention of healing, the prospect of an end to the pains that she was trying to endure, to distract Mary from the gigantic, strange 'mutant' Randall. She turned her head around and waved at Jeremy, then winced as the motion pulled at injured tendons and muscles.

"Please, me," she said, going over to where he was and giving him a full-bore puppy-dog face that sometimes got her concessions from the various attendents and doctors that she'd had. "I do."

She showed Jeremy the bandage stuck onto her shoulder...weirdly pristine, since she kept periodically annihilating dust and dirt and sweat and other contaminants in it.

"I took the bullet and the dirt out, but it still hurts. I think...things got into me there, but I can't tell them apart from me now that they're in me."

[Seeker]

Internally, Ulysses grudgingly admitted that Lamia had some valid points. He couldn't really expect her to be aware of his situation and it's unlikely that anything would happen to his parents before they confirmed he'd actually gone rogue. They were most likely safe for the time being but that wouldn't last long. He still didn't like her even though his rational resons for his dislike were rapidly evaporating.

He considered her offer for a moment. "To be honest, your people are poorly trained and not exactly stable. I'd be more afraid of one of them hurting or killing my family than actually rescuing them." He paused. Now that he was calmed down he began to concider the situation more fully.

"Are you even in a poition to make that offer. I get the feeling you aren't the one in charge. Perhaps I should talk to your leader about this. And another thingb why do you keep refering to the DEHA as 'he?' It's an organization, not a person. It stands for the Department of Extra-Human Affairs.