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Post by Creed on Nov 7, 2008 23:46:09 GMT -4
Staring up at the angular silhouette of the Genetics Lab, its windows more sparsely lit this night than at any other time he'd seen it, Victor Creed made an even more unpleasant face than usual. Amber eyes squinted beneath the wide brim of the big man's hat. He sniffed the air and then more forcefully used the intake to clear the contents of his sinuses and draw them noisily down the back of his throat.
As if to punctuate his sour expression, Victor spat all of it onto the ground near his feet.
He didn't like it. Something felt wrong. He knew that the complex was empty. The doctor and his family, the only ones who should be there at night, were well known to be distracted by the overly-publicized TV interview the king's propaganda machine had been hawking all week. The fact that Creed's heightened senses picked up nothing out of the ordinary did little to squash the uneasiness. Paranoia had always served Creed well. It had kept him - and many others - alive when the odds were so stacked against them. More than that, it had allowed him to operate freely under the nose of Magneto himself.
Getting into the Castle Complex was easy. Creed was a familiar face. He was free to go pretty much wherever he liked. Most of the time. Even so, his accesses were logged. His movements tracked.
And that was the problem. The Lab wasn't off limits. He could get inside it within moments. But getting inside undetected...that was more than even Creed's covert skills could manage. And the game they were set to play this night needed every second and ounce of sneakiness that they could manage.
Luckily for them both, Creed wasn't the only one with a talent for sneakiness. And getting inside the lab unnoticed was a problem to be solved by his partner.
"'Bout damn time ya got here", Creed said in a low rumble at the priest's approach. The fact that his only real friend wasn't alone added to Victor's edginess. "Time ta get this damn show on the road...."
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Nov 8, 2008 12:10:14 GMT -4
Kurt, too, was uneasy.
It didn't help that the fact they were late was his fault... If he hadn't been careless enough to let Katherine follow him...
He almost couldn't believe that she decided to go with them. At first he wasn't sure whether she would kill them or turn them in. Maybe both. In truth, Kurt deserved it for his betrayal. He was, after all, only human.
Which made it all the more remarkable that she had decided to stay at his side.
If Kurt was discovered or killed on this mission then all he stood to lose was a life of misery and servitude. Katherine, on the other hand, stood to lose so much more. If either of them failed.
He shot her a guilty glance. The thought of losing her...of being responsible for that... Of somehow disappointing her...
It made him more determined than ever.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Nov 8, 2008 15:08:47 GMT -4
Katherine kept her head bowed as she walked, unable to look at either the priest or Kurt. With each step she took she was brought closer to uncertainty and further from her father. She was betraying him. She wasn’t certain what she had gotten herself into, but she knew that it went against everything he stood for; everything he had worked so hard for and everything he believed in. Why was she doing this?
Stealing a glance at Kurt, she quickly dropped her eyes back to her feet. She was doing this because it was right. People like Kurt, normal humans that hadn’t been granted a gift like she had, did not deserve to be enslaved just because they were different. Why should they be considered inferior because they couldn’t walk through walls or control metal? It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right. The princess loved her father dearly, but she had never been completely convinced of his ideals.
Then there were the memories. With each passing day the headaches grew worse and the memories of her birth parents grew clearer. Her life had been simple then, they had not been a family of means or privileges, but they had been happy. She appreciated the chance she had been given, to live as a princess, but ungrateful or not it didn’t make her happy. Her sisters had never accepted her, resenting that they had to share anything with someone who wasn’t of their blood. Her father, the King, loved her but he was incredibly busy and didn’t have much time for her. She had grown weary of the need of an escort everywhere she went, and the castle walls had grown stifling. This was not the life she wanted, nor did she feel it was the one she was meant to lead.
But was this path, the one she was now walking, the correct one? The risks were high and it was possible she could lose everything. She just wished she would have had time to talk to her father, time to try to understand his side, or make him understand hers.
Or maybe just time to say good bye.
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Post by Tatiana on Nov 10, 2008 20:44:32 GMT -4
Tati slowly looked to her right, and to her left. Since her move to the tower, no one questioned her right to be anywhere at all. She moved out the door and began making her way to the Lab. She knew it didnt matter, but it amused her to dress head to toe in black.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked up behind the others that were gathered there. Why were there so many? And why was she here? Odd. If things didnt go perfect, Tatiana knew her head would be on the line. Her reputation for being the good and pure wife must not be tarnished.
As she stood silently waiting for orders, the young healer let her eyes glaze over. It was this talent of hers that got her places. It a shame she actually did care for, well, this wasnt the time and place to think those thoughts. Wrongs needed to be uncovered.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 10, 2008 21:23:42 GMT -4
Mon Dieu, that had been close. Too close. The idea that everything, the years of preparations and lies, had almost been lost on the very eve of what they had worked so hard for was enough to make Remy LeBeau feel nauseous. How they were still able to go through with this, after being caught by one of the Princesses, was nothing short of a miracle, he was certain. Had it been either of the other two to discover him he would probably be dead right now.
Approaching his partner in the cover of night, Victor Creed was far from the most pleasant person, but there was an added gruffness to his tone tonight.
“Now y’ know I’d never stand y’ up, mon ami,” Remy drawled, a lopsided grin on his face. Where Creed’s edginess was apparent in his tone, the priest took a different approach. The more nervous he got, the more jokes he made, and the way he was feeling right now, his companions were lucky he didn’t launch into a full out stand up routine. “I see I ain’ de only one t’ bring friends.”
Tatiana wasn’t exactly a surprise, considering, but with so little contact to plan this by, the Cajun man had been uncertain of how many people would be going on this endeavour. Any calculations he might have made were completely wrong now anyway with the surprise addition of Princess Katherine.
An addition he hoped would not end up biting him in the ass. It was a risk bringing her along, but there hadn’t been another choice at the time.
“Laissez les bon temps roulez!”
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Post by Creed on Nov 13, 2008 19:58:36 GMT -4
The more people arrived and the longer they stood there, the more anxious and exposed Creed felt. It was fine for the padre to treat it all like some game. Creed wasn't going to even acknowledge the fact that he understood what his ally had said.
To Creed it was all deadly serious. "Yep", he answered tersely. "Figgered she might come in handy." Truth was, Creed could heal most wounds on his own. If they did run into trouble she might make the difference for somebody else.
But this wasn't his part of the dangerous game they were playing. That, he knew, would come later. While the others paid attention to the grinning goofball in the frock, Creed dropped to a knee and began rustling through the insurance policies he'd brought along in his leather backpack.
At least, that's how he liked to think of them.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Nov 13, 2008 20:32:28 GMT -4
Kurt swallowed and stole another glance at Katherine. He could tell by the concern and distraction in her expression that she was conflicted. That it was all moving too fast.
His expression mirrored hers. He hoped that she wouldn't pull away from him as he reached out to her and took her hand.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Nov 14, 2008 11:08:47 GMT -4
As the two groups converged, Katherine could barely hold back her shock. The caterers were their partners in whatever crime they were about to commit? None of this seemed to compute. It had the makings of a bad indie film, or perhaps the most terrifying horror film ever made.
The way she was feeling right now, the Princess would have definitely said it was the latter.
Lowering her head even more and hunching her shoulders, she tried to hide behind the priest so these people wouldn’t recognize her. Speaking of the priest, his sudden jovial mood was making her regret this decision even more. This was not the quiet, caring man she had grown to respect and trust; this was another creature altogether, one she didn’t like very much.
She wanted to turn and run, to go crying to her father and turn them all in when she suddenly felt a touch on her hand. Jerking away, she looked over to see Kurt beside her looking just as lost as she felt. It was a comfort just knowing she wasn’t alone, and all it took was one look at him to remind her why she was doing this. For the first time she didn’t need to be afraid of who was watching, so she took his hand and held it tightly, clinging gratefully to the understanding he offered.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 17, 2008 9:47:13 GMT -4
Looking over at Tatiana when Creed spoke, Remy flashed her a smile that, while flawless, was only a veneer. He wanted to keep everyone as at ease as possible despite the fact that he was practically a bundle of nerves himself. It had been years now since he’d done anything but that expected of a priest, and he was afraid that his skills were rusty.
“Oui, but let’s hope dat she don’,” he replied. Of course it was always good to be prepared, but if things went according to plan tonight they would not be in need of a healer. They just had to get in, find what they were looking for and get out.
What were the chances it would be as easy as it sounded?
“Dat homme doin’ de interviewin’ can be long winded, but what say we get dis started? We ain’ got all night,” the Cajun said, the first hint of nerves in his voice as he watched Creed intently.
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Post by Creed on Nov 19, 2008 22:54:36 GMT -4
Thermite grenades. Remote detonators. Military smoke canisters. Enough to create one hell of a diversion - or, if necessary, to bring the house down.
Creed slung a wide bandolier with two rows of disruptive goodies over one shoulder and slid on his jacket. Still crouched, he cast the Cajun a glance.
"Can't be too soon fer me", he answered. Get in. Get out. Go to bed early.
Rising, he pulled another, less manly-sized harness full of ordnance and tossed it at his partner in crime. "Just in case", he said as he tossed it in the priest's direction. Boy'd prob'ly wet himself trying to catch it, Creed thought.
Peering one last time into his backpack, Creed found and retrieved one final, lonely grenade. For good measure, he tucked it into his pants.
"Ready any time you are", he said with an aloof sniffle.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Nov 20, 2008 19:08:52 GMT -4
At first he thought he must have made a terrible mistake as Katherine recoiled from his touch. He couldn't help but blink at her, eyes widened.
Kurt didn't have time to regret his action, though, as she quickly seemed to understand - and even appreciate - his intent.
It was understandable that she was jumpy....no matter what they ultimately found inside they were headed down a path that would eventually mean much danger for all of them.
Whatever happened, he was glad to face it...and gladder still to face it with her at his side. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"It will be all right, Katchzen", he said quietly, uncertain if he was trying to convince her more than himself. Whichever, it helped his confidence a little and he hoped that it would help hers as well.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Nov 20, 2008 20:35:04 GMT -4
Shivering in the chill night air, Katherine watched the big man for a moment but soon snapped her gaze away. Whatever he was preparing in that knapsack she didn’t want to see it. She was terrified, and at this point she had to figure that the less she knew, the better.
Looking over at Kurt when he squeezed her hand, she tried to smile but all she really wanted to do was just run away screaming, or at the very least to bury her face in his shoulder and cry.
Katchzen.
It was strange to hear him refer to her so informally, but something about the nickname just felt... right. It managed to make her heart flutter in spite of the dire situation.
“I hope you’re right,” she said quietly. She couldn’t quite believe it, though. No matter what happened tonight, no matter how this all turned out, everything was not going to be alright. "I'm... I'm scared," she admitted, voice barely a whisper.
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Post by Gambit on Nov 24, 2008 9:30:05 GMT -4
Remy hid his surprise as he watched Creed go through his bag of goodies. He should have expected enough from his partner, but he’d always tried to think of this as an easy mission, just get in, do what they had to do, and get out. Seeing so much weaponry did nothing to set the priest at ease, not that his powers were non-destructive. He could cause as much damage as the whole row of grenades with a single touch.
The fact that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d used his powers struck him as both funny and frightening. He hadn’t had much call for them as a priest, but he hoped he hadn’t lost his skill in all these years.
Surprising himself this time with the ease at which he caught the harness Creed threw at him, Remy grinned broadly. The idea of him carrying explosives was an amusing one. Completely unnecessary, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about being rusty. That was if, God forbid, they had to resort to these measures. Even if they ran into some trouble, wasn’t this a bit of overkill? There was enough here to blow the whole lab off the face of he earth. Swallowing hard, the priest fought to keep his smile.
“Brought dese two along t’ get us in,” he said, gesturing to the princess and the servant, neither one an obvious choice. The Princess’s powers were the most useful he’d encountered, but her status, her very being, made her unapproachable. The fact that she was here at all amazed him, and only strengthened his belief that this was the path that God had chosen for him. Everything was falling into place perfectly. He was supposed to do this.
The servant was the least obvious choice, but apparently Magneto had underestimated humans. Even without powers they were finding ways to adapt. Life was such a beautiful, incredible thing and no one should try to rule it or stifle it. “Come on.”
And in the dark of night, the most unlikely group of heroes approached their destination.
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Post by Creed on Nov 26, 2008 13:28:04 GMT -4
Victor Creed was not a small man, but he took the lead toward the base of their looming target with remarkable ease and grace. Silently Creed dropped low, moving forward on his palms and toes - heightened senses edgy and alert. He saw deep into shadow, heard the whisper soft movement of tracking cameras high above, sensed the scents and locations of every guard and passer-by within a quarter mile of their little group.
He led them where no one and nothing would sense them.
“Brought dese two along t’ get us in", the priest had said. Creed didn't stop to ask how. He could make sure they were not observed getting to the silent fortress that seemed to grow out of the shadows as they moved closer.
As he quickly set and placed a charge that could be a useful diversion on their exit, he wondered how the others would do their part.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Dec 1, 2008 19:47:46 GMT -4
"I'm... I'm scared," she admitted, voice barely a whisper.
"As am I", Kurt answered softly. But I would be much moreso were you not with me, he thought to himself. He held her hand tightly as they followed the almost catlike Mr. Creed.
It was amazing enough to Kurt that he was a part of this group...an equal almost, though the very idea was humbling and hard for him to swallow. Stand or fall, they would meet the same fate whether they succeeded or failed. It was certain death if they were caught.
If it came to that, he would give his life to make sure that they were not.
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