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Post by Hank McCoy on Feb 5, 2009 0:18:22 GMT -4
For an eerily long time, Henry's only response was a low and humorless laugh. "Really, Father?", he asked through a bestial smile, "Is that what you're spreading?"
The smile and the laughter were quite suddenly gone.
"Smells a lot like something else to me", he said. Clearly, his body was coiled and tense but for the moment at least he had chosen to talk instead of act. Intellect, perhaps, over instinct. His eyes burned at them. "Whatever it is you hope to accomplish", he told them, "I'm not nearly as unintelligent as you take me for."
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Feb 5, 2009 0:31:06 GMT -4
Suddenly, Kurt took a step out from behind his companion and toward the monstrous animal form of their confronter.
"It was me", he said, trying very hard to sound bold. One way or another Kurt knew that he was in trouble. If sacrificing himself meant that it gave the priest and the others a chance to get away then he would do it. "I-I am sorry for my lapse in judgement. The father is only here to bring me back where I belong."
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Post by Gambit on Feb 7, 2009 17:45:52 GMT -4
When Kurt stepped out and toward McCoy, Remy put an arm out to stop him, catching the human by the sleeve. He appreciated the effort, and it was a valiant one, but their opponent’s words made it all too obvious such a ploy wouldn’t work.
The way the doctor stood, and the expression on his face made him appear more like an animal than human. Despite his appearance, this is the first time the priest had ever thought that. But worse than a creature, the most fearful part of this confrontation was his intelligence. Pure physicality, brute strength even, was easy to fight. Intelligence, resourcefulness, was dangerous.
“Y’ know, when I was jus’ a p’tit garçon, I used t’ wish dat I had a twin t’ blame everyt’in’ on,” Remy said in a forced conversational tone, his eyes flickering up to the television screen above them. “So which one are you? De good one or de evil one?”
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Post by Hank McCoy on Feb 8, 2009 0:41:23 GMT -4
"Obviously a priest", Henry answered without answering, "everything black and white, good and evil. This side or that." He rolled his eyes condescendingly. "Science doesn't work that way. Why two viewpoints? Why not three? Black. Grey. Orange. Why not a dozen?"
The grin came back as though Henry was enjoying a private joke.
"Think of the blame you could spread around", he challenged.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Feb 9, 2009 19:55:56 GMT -4
The fact that he had been ignored was not lost on Kurt. In truth, he didn't know whether to be grateful for it or chilled by it. It left him wondering what to do next.
The air around them seemed charged with energy, like a thunderstorm about to burst. It made him feel edgy and useless.
Kurt was used to feeling that way.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 11, 2009 19:25:28 GMT -4
“Blue,” Remy added on with an uneasy smile of his own. This was taking too much time. He had to get moving again, but his path was blocked by the doctor, and he wasn’t about to underestimate someone just because of the image the projected. The priest himself was a perfect reminded that things were not always what they seemed.
“Dis ain’ about blame. It’s about knowin’ when somet’in’ is wrong,” Remy replied passionately. “Dere may be many sides, but dere’s still right an’ wrong.”
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Post by Hank McCoy on Feb 12, 2009 0:43:16 GMT -4
"Your notions", Henry said with a glimmer in his gaze, "are as obsolete as your companion is."
"Is striving to reach the highest potential wrong?", he asked, never waiting an instant for an answer. "Is helping others to be able to control their gifts?"
He turned his attention heavenward. "You claim to believe in a god but you do not see that the devotion to understanding...to perfecting ourselves and our abilities is the highest and most noble calling."
His eyes flashed back.
"Whatever you are looking for", he said, and his voice turned far less lofty and far more dangerous - even threatening, "you will not find it here."
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Post by Gambit on Feb 17, 2009 15:14:38 GMT -4
“Noble?” the priest scoffed. “Y’ call enslavin’ innocent people noble? Non, it ain’ wrong t’ strive t’ reach y’r potential, or t’ help ot’ers do de same. What is wrong is doin’ it at any cost. It ain’ right t’ kick down an’ stand on ot’ers jus’ t’ get y’self higher.”
A change was in the air, Remy could feel it. Although he tried to appear relaxed, his whole body was tense, preparing to spring into action. If only he could quell that sinking feeling in his stomach...
“Dat so? Den y’ won’ mind me havin’ a look around, non?” he continued with a sly grin, obviously forced.
...that sinking feeling in his stomach that he had come this far only to fail...
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Post by Hank McCoy on Feb 18, 2009 0:26:59 GMT -4
Henry seemed to consider. After a moment, he shrugged. "Be my guest", he said reasonably and with a flourish. "All you have to do", he added, "is get through me."
There was a momentary flash of his fanged smile before twin beams of crimson energy shot from his eyes toward the intruders with a 'Zap!'.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 19, 2009 15:14:10 GMT -4
Although the priest had prepared himself for an attack, he could never have been prepared for the form it came in. All his time here he had done careful research on each mutant housed within the castle walls, even building impressive walls to confuse the telepaths. Optic beams were not the ability of the man in front of him, or they weren’t supposed to be at least.
Cursing loudly, Remy dove to the side, taking both himself and Kurt to the floor. Almost before they even hit he was rolling back to face McCoy, the bible glowing a brilliant fuchsia in his hands and leaving a trail of light behind it as he sent it on it’s course toward his opponent.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Feb 19, 2009 20:14:32 GMT -4
"Obsolete" was what the doctor had called him.
As he fell toward the floor, Kurt realized that nothing underscored that fact better than this very moment did. If the priest hadn't intervened, Kurt would have been cut down by the energy beams that shot toward them. He was sure of it.
And now all he could do was raise his eyes from where he lay helpless on the floor and watch as his ally responded with an attack of his own.
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Post by Hank McCoy on Feb 20, 2009 14:07:14 GMT -4
Henry McCoy was more well-versed in the diversity of mutant ability than anyone alive. He did not need to know exactly what the priest was capable of to respect the possibilities. Already on edge, he braced.
The choice of weapon amused him. "Let us read from the book of Matthew", he mocked, "'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. '" Confident in his ability to avoid the glowing projectile as it neared him, Henry was not prepared for either the size or the force of the explosion that rocked him aside violently as he uttered the final word of his mockery.
An orb of bright kinetic energy surged at the walls and the ceiling around the Word of God, shattering the overhead lights and sending a rain of sparks and debris down into the darkness it left behind. Dark smoke and dust obscured most of the damage as the lights further on down the hallway tried and failed to make sense of the dark shapes caught between them and the two intruders.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 21, 2009 13:24:18 GMT -4
A man of God should strive for peace and abhor violence. He should try to fight with reason and compassion, not violence and destruction. He should strike not to kill, nor even to harm.
If these statements were true, then Remy LeBeau was no longer a man of God. He knew why he was here, and knew how important this path he was walking. He knew he could not underestimate Henry McCoy any more than he could risk failure tonight. So it was with this knowledge that he charged the book with no little amount of kinetic energy. He had to take down his opponent, quickly and permanently.
No matter what the cost... to either of them.
As the explosion rocked the hallway, he tried to shield Kurt and himself from the flying debris, his ears ringing from the sound in such closed quarters. He was already on his feet, eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, when the dust was still settling around them.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Feb 24, 2009 20:47:30 GMT -4
The explosion was deafening. The force radiating out from it would have been enough to drive Kurt toward the floor if the priest hadn't helped matters along trying to get them both out of the way.
Ears ringing, Kurt stared back at the dark and dust the blast had left behind. "Was ist...?", he muttered as he strained to make sense of what he saw.
It was almost as though two dark and hairy shapes merged back into one.
Suddenly, a surge of crimson energy shot toward them from the blackness and Kurt dove once again for the floor.
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Post by Hank McCoy on Feb 26, 2009 0:38:59 GMT -4
"That wasn't very nice", Henry said. His voice was still polite, but there was a ragged, savage edge to it. Again, a beam of energy blasted red from his eyes and swept the hallway. A deep gouge in the walls and ceiling above them shot debris down on the uninvited guests.
"'Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.'", he seethed. With irony he added, "But then, you already knew that."
This time as Henry limped slowly forward, the beam was meant for flesh.
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