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Gwen Queen-Lance

"You heard mum's Canary Call, wanna hear my Siren Scream?"

0 · 1,205 views · located in Descendant Tower

a character in “Descendant Academy”, as played by MoonlightWraith

Description

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xxxG W E N x Q U E E N - L A N C Exxx• xp r o t e g exo fxb l a c k c a n a r yx •




"There's always a siren, singing you to shipwreck."
- CaitlĂ­n R. Kiernan




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n a m e
Gwendolyn Laurel Queen-Lance

n i c k n a m e s
Gwen (Common), Lynnie (Familial), Black Siren (Alias)

a g e
22

g e n d e r
Female

s e x u a l i t y
Heterosexual

o r i g i n
Star City, California - Alternate Universe

s p e c i e s
Metahuman

c l a s s i f i c a t i o n
level 7 — Physical



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h e i g h t
5ft 6inches

w e i g h t
121lbs

h a i r
Blond, typically pulled up into a tight ponytail but Gwen has been known to let her hair down on occasion.

As Black Siren, Gwen will wear a black wig to conceal her identity.


e y e s
Emerald Green, surrounded by dark lashes and protected by fair eyebrows.

When using her powers, Gwen's eyes glow slightly.


m a r k i n g s
Gwen is no stranger to broken bones and scars, she has several minor scars across her body, although they're from wounds her enhanced healing couldn't even properly heal without aid. She isn't shy about her scars and doesn't let them affect her self-confidence or -esteem and is very comfortable in her own skin.

She also has a tattoo of a bird clutching a feather on her shoulder, in honour of her parents.


a p p e a r a n c e
Best described as the girl-next-door, only instead of being the Damsel-in-Distress, Gwen is the Hero.

Her features are soft and innocent, pretty. Which are also the words men use to describe her, along with cute, they think they're complimenting her but she's heard them so often she'll barely bat an eyelid.

Her body shape would be described as a pear shape, her thighs are wider than her bosom due to her athletic and combat training.





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P O W E R S

s o u n d w a v e g e n e r a t i o nx // x Gwen can generate and project powerful sound waves.
s i r e n s c r e a mx // x Gwen can emit a highly enhanced scream of a high amplitude which she uses as a Concussive Force.
b a l l i s t i c s c r e a mx // x Gwen can emit sound waves that can destroy objects, however she has little to no control over this and is an amplified version of her Siren Scream, it is usually the result of her emotions and typically emits from her whole body, rather than in conical shape, when used.
s o n o k i n e t i c f l i g h tx // x Gwen can fly through the use of her Sound Wave Generation ability, however her flight is limited to how long she can scream for, to counter this her supersuit features a gliding wings that lets her glide between screams.
s o n o k i n e t i c c o m b a tx // x Gwen can infuse her fighting style with sound, using sound waves to disorient opponents and strengthen her physical attacks
s o u n d i m m u n i t yx // x Gwen is immune to the effects of sound waves and can act unaffected by sonic based attacks, making her body unaffected by sound-based intrusions. However, her Ballistic Scream is an exception to a degree.
p e a k h u m a n c o n d i t i o nx // x As a metahuman, Gwen's bodily functions are enhanced to the pinnacle of human conditioning; her strength, speed, stamina, senses, agility, reflexes, accuracy, longevity, durability, intelligence, healing time, flexibility and combat skills are greatly heightened.



P R O F I C I E N C I E S

m a r t i a l a r t s x // x Unlike her mother, Gwen is only exceptionally skilled in one martial art, Capoeira, her mother has trained her in a handful of other martial arts, such as Hapkido, Jujutsu and Krav Maga, enough to allow her to be less predictable in combat.
a c r o b a t i c s x // x During her childhood, Dinah encouraged Gwen to get engaged in as many extracurricular activities or sports teams as she could, one such team was the gymnastics team. Once Gwen turned 18, Oliver showed her how to apply this to her future as a crimefighter, much to Dinah's disapproval.
i n v e s t i g a t i o n x // x Gwen discovered her parents secret identities when she was 15, due to a school assignment about her family history. She kept this information to herself until her 16th birthday, when she admitted to it and wanted to help her parents. They would let her aid in minor investigations that they deemed appropriate, mostly in the form of investigating data from their base rather than actual field work, but since she became one of her father's sidekicks this has greatly improved.



W E A K N E S S E S

v o i c e x // x The majority of Gwen's abilities originate from her vocal cords and if she is gagged or made mute, she will lose access to them.
m e t a h u m a n x // x Gwen's metagene only granted her powers and enhanced her condition, but she is still human nonetheless.
c o n t r o l x // x The control Gwen has over her powers is limited by several factors, one of which is her inexperience with controlling the sound waves and another is her emotions.



F E A R S

a n g r o p h o b i a x // x Due to Gwen's most destructive ability being linked to her emotions, Gwen has a genuine fear of getting angry, she can get frustrated and agitated easily, but is genuinely frightened of what might happen to people if she gets angry.
o c h l o p h o b i a x // x Gwen has been afraid of crowds since she was a young girl, when she got lost in one whilst out with her family. Her genuine thought that she'd been abandoned, lead to an emotional triggering of her powers, thanks toher age there was little harm caused.




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P E R S O N A L I T Y
xxxxxxxxx•x Inquisitive x• x Independent x• x Comedian x• x Fierce x •


Even from an early age, Gwen picked up that her family was different, her parents were secretive and her siblings were even more so, granted Connor had his own life away from Cynthia and Gwen due to being raised by his mother. But the family's secretive nature only inspired Gwen to have an inquisitive mindset, always looking for answers. At first, she would just ask questions but as she grew older, she learned how to get answers without ever having to interact with the person. It can be somewhat annoying for people she's just met because usually she's already managed to create her own portfolio on them, and already formed her opinion.

Gwen is independent for 2 reasons, the first is she was part of the Queen family. In the public eye, Oliver was a politician and a multimillionaire, whilst also maintaining the secret identity of Green Arrow, he had very little time to himself, let alone his family. Dinah, on the other hand, was a full-time hero and could be there one day and away the next. Gwen developed her own sense of self from a young age and learned to be independent, regardless of the help available to the family. The second reason is she was raised by Dinah Lance and Oliver Queen, they never wanted their daughter to be dependant on anyone, they'd been betrayed too many times to let her suffer the same way.

Possibly the worst trait that Gwen could have inherited from her father was his sense of humour and inability to take many situations seriously. Whether it's a serious debate regarding ethics and morals or a fierce battle that she should be focusing on rather than making witty and/or sly remarks. Whilst irritating at first, those who have ever seen Gwen lose control of her powers understand why she does it. To keep herself from getting angry, she surrounds herself with an air of humour, this can range from playfully light to dryly dark. Laughing at her own jokes is better than screaming a crater into the middle of a city.

Just like everything else Gwen inherited, she got her fierceness and tenacity from her mother. Whether it's in a fight with a villain or just in her moral, ethical and political opinion, Gwen will give it her all in the fight, even if she sometimes just starts the fight to stir some drama up. Gwen is a devastatingly fierce ally to have both on the field and in an argument, just so long as the other person knows she'll be mockingly antagonistic to avoid getting herself angry in the argument.





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H I S T O R Y


A secret even to Gwen, but she isn't of the Universe she currently resides. When she was one month old, the Brainiac of her universe killed her parents, Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance as they joined the JLA in the first defence. Upon discovering this, Connor Hawke took his half-sister to Lex Luthor and begged him to help save her, knowing he couldn't. Lex agreed and sent Connor and Gwen to another universe, where Connor hunted down the Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance of that universe. After a lot of initial confusion, the pair agreed and took Gwen in as if she was their own, and in all biological aspects, she was their daughter.

Oliver and Dinah raised Gwen as their own, alongside her adoptive siblings, Cynthia and Roy, whilst also juggling their public and private personas. Luckily, Oliver was a millionaire and a politician so he had the money to afford staff who would care for the children in the times neither he nor Dinah could. But the times they could, Gwen would describe as her happiest memories. Her father telling her stories of Robin Hood or her mother helping her with her gymnastics. For all intents and purposes, Gwen had a regular childhood, with a family who loved her and staff who made sure she was never neglected.

However, when Gwen was 7, Dinah took her and Cynthia out to spend a day with them, however in the commotion of paparazzi and Oliver's supporters, Gwen got seperated from them. The loud and towering crowd frightening her so much all she could do was scream. Her anxiety and fear awakening her metagene, which caused her scream to destroy a few cameras and burst a few nasal blood vessels, no serious harm. Yet that memory was forever burned into her brain and she's developed 2 rather significant phobias from it.

In an effort to keep Gwen busy and away from the public, Dinah encouraged Gwen to join martial arts classes, join her school's gymnastics team and even the school newspaper. For the most part, Gwen was a successful and bright student, who managed to juggle it with her extracurricular studies, whilst maintaining a social life. When Gwen turned 15, she put her 'investigative' journalism and inquisitive nature to do her own research for a school project about her family, what she uncovered was something she couldn't exactly share. Her parents were members of the Justice League of America. Gwen managed to keep her discovery secret until her 16th birthday, when she came clean about her discovery to her family. Following her admitance, Gwen tried her hardest to convince her parents to let her help them, unaware that Roy and Cynthia were already part of Team Arrow. At first, they were apprehensive, but they eventually grew used to the idea and, bit by bit, she became more involved.

When Gwen turned 18, she took the alias of Black Siren, to reflect both her connection and similarity, yet independence and difference, with her mother. She worked under this mantle for a few years before being accepted into the Academy and starting her own career as a hero, rather than as the sidekick to her parents.





h e x c o d e x // x # F C D 1 1 6 x // x f a c e c l a i m x // x Lili Reinhart x // x c r e a t o r x // x M o o n l i g h t W r a i t h x // x c s x // x Scar.-

So begins...

Gwen Queen-Lance's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Riley Barton Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Andrew Mulligan Character Portrait: Gwen Queen-Lance Character Portrait: Kezia Black
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Whatever had happened, whatever was happening at the Academy was enough to send an alert out to the Arrowcave. Gwen couldn't even imagine what would have had to happen for an alert to be sent out. She'd always thought the Academy was inpenetrable, but apparently someone managed to penetrate it and on the night of the Gala to. Thankfully, her father had snatched a Javelin-7 from the Watchtower and used it for long distance missions or if he ever had to visit the Watchtower, so she stole it and instructed the autopilot to take her to the Academy.

On a commercial airline or in her father's private jet, it may have taken her five to six hours to get back to Connecticut, but in the Javelin-7 she made it there in just two hours. On her approach, she could see the large hole in the side of the building. "Get to a height I can drop from and return to the Arrowcave." She instructed the autopilot, whilst cringing at the word Arrowcave, her father wasn't very original or creative and it just sounded wrong anyway.

After exiting the aircraft, Gwen ran for the main entrance of the Academy, she spotted several people in gowns in several different states of shock or being attended to by the Academy's medical staff. She spotted two guards near the entrance and dashed up to them.
"What happened?" She barked at them, out of worry instead of anger.
"There was an attack during the Gala, Hydra assaulted the event and took a few of the students." The guard's debrief was brief and blunt, and Gwen just stood with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape, she blinked as her eyes slowly looked everywhere bar at the guard, her mind was racing with who could have been taken. A short time passed before the guard brought her attention back to the moment. "Ma'am?"
Gwen just blinked up at him before shaking herself out of her daze and rushing to the ballroom, hopefully, there were still people there.

Upon entering the ballroom, she could see the true extent of the damage, a hole in the wall, debris and blood everywhere, a few limbs remained near a sizeable amount of debris. Gwen swallowed hard in an attempt to keep herself from wretching, it was then someone noticed her standing by the door. "Ma'am, you're not allowed in here."
"Trust me, I'm leaving. Is everyone in the Infirmary?"
"Everyone that's left, ma'am." Gwen didn't even have a response to that, the staff must have been pretty shaken up if that was how they were responding.

Gwen ran directly to the infirmary, opting for the stairs instead of the lift, she couldn't stand still worrying about her friends like this. She arrived just in time for Mycroft to list of those who were taken,
"Wren Wilson, Alec Constantine, Petra Max—" Gwen narrowed her eyes at him, she could see the redhead from where she stood. "Lilith Isley, Ulrich Zod, Caitria Allen, Francis Parker and Cassius Thompson were all taken hostage last night like it was nothing. If you all would have fought as a team like we've been trying to tell you for years now... None of this would have happened. Hydra would have been stopped before they laid a hand on anyone." Gwen clenched her fist, her friends were kidnapped after failings by his security team and he had the audacity to blame the students, she could feel herself getting angry, and she'd happily let herself scream in his ear if it didn't risk everyone else. Luckily, Phil interjected before Mycroft could say any more.
"Mycroft, they were unarmed and unprepared. They fought admirably, all things considered." As Phil interrupted Mycroft, Gwen looked around for her remaining friends.

Ross was with Jensen and two people she'd never seen before, whilst Andrew was with Riley. She spotted Ross getting up and announcing he needed a drink. She weaved her way through the infirmary to him. "With wounds like them, Rossy, you might not want to thin your old blood." She teased him, before nodding to Jensen and looking at the pair with them. "Hey, Jensen, and you two?" She pointed at the two in sort of drumming motion, a bit like finger guns but without the thumb extended. "Are you guys okay?" She asked, her tone more serious than most were used to her being.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Riley Barton Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch Character Portrait: Tobias Lehnsherr Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Wynne Worthington
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#, as written by barnes
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ImageFar from her usual observant self, Petra hardly noticed what she'd interrupted. She spared Wynne a glance, noting her injuries. So their mole hadn't stood by while the rest were attacked.

"Ross's mirror dimension," she turned back to Tobias, letting the tone of bitterness in her thoughts bleed through into her speech. "I only wish I could have done more... At the very least, I could have sucked the gas out of the room and given everyone a better fighting chance. But Ross saw them targeting me and - well, he just acted, I suppose."

She shifted in her chair, turning more towards the other boy. "But, what you did for Thaddeus Ross... your mom would be proud of you. I know that."

Anything else she was going to say was cut off by the arrival of a couple of people, one skipping around, the other seeming to understand a little better the decorum expected of one in an infirmary.

"Hi, I'm Kizzy!"

Petra accepted the flower thrust at her without complaint, although her expression made it clear she was distinctly unimpressed. "Thanks." In her hands, lined and roughened by her violent childhood, the flower seemed pathetic and out of place. Uncertain what to do with it, she let her hands fall into her lap again, shielding the flower from view, turning to follow the newcomers with her eyes as Tobias did... whatever he was doing with Wynne. Petra had not known him to be particularly fond of being openly kind, but maybe this was a start.

"I'll be alright. You both can go help with the search effort, if you want. Or check on others." Tobias's voice called her attention back, and Petra tore her eyes away from the two white-blonde heads to meet his gaze again.

"I'm not exactly Miss Congeniality here," she pointed out. "But I'll let you heal in peace. Rest up." So saying, she reached out to touch his shoulder gently. "You too," she directed at Wynne. "I hope you're both feeling better soon." Pushing her chair back, she rose, leaving the infirmary. No one stopped her to ask where she was headed, so instead of seeking out further company, she headed for the lift, intending to go back to her flat and collapse into bed. Maybe take a hot shower. Everything was suddenly so exhausting.


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ImageIt took some amount of effort to squash down all the emotions threatening to spill over - this wasn't like having an anxiety attack, not when it was someone else's life at stake - but Andrew's comforting presence helped. Riley focused on his light touch, warmth radiating through the thin fabric of his shirt, and after a minute felt more confident in his emotional stability.

"I mean, considering all that's happened, I can't possible say that I feel great. But for the situation, I'm doing pretty well." Riley could hear the bitter undertone in Andrew's voice. He smiled, a sardonic twist marring it. "For the situation," he repeated to himself. And what a situation it was. Training had always been about what if you're on enemy territory, what if you have to protect someone. It had never asked what if the enemy was on home territory and they had failed to protect those dear to them.

"So, uh, who else was taken?"

The names came like clockwork to Riley. Every name a reminder of how they'd failed in their duty, not just to protect the people but to protect themselves. "Wren, Caitria, Lilith, Ulrich, Constantine, and... some guy named Cassius?" He shrugged. "With the number of students joining us, I can't really say I'm surprised to hear an unfamiliar name." He glanced over his shoulder at the two currently making their rounds around the room. "I don't suppose you know who they are...?"

The pair reached them soon enough, and the girl held out flowers to both of them. "Welcome to the Academy," Riley greeted them. As soon as they moved on he placed his flower on Andrew's bedside stand. "For you. Could spruce up your place."

As he set it down he glanced over at Andrew, noting with a pang of guilt how tired the other man looked. He'd just regained consciousness, and instead of letting him rest Riley was jabbering away about his own concerns - so incredibly selfish, as usual, Barton.

He stood abruptly, eager to prevent any further mistakes of the same sort. "I'm, uh. I'm sorry, I'm going to let you rest now. You probably really need it," he blurted. Reaching over to pat Andrew's shoulder, he turned away, heading back for his own bed, where he could pick up his things and go back to his penthouse where he could freak out in private.


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ImageMaximoff's less-than-cursory glance didn't escape Wynne. Funny, how she could see so many of her own qualities in the other girl, yet neither trusted the other, instead choosing to remain wary and assume the worst until proven otherwise. She could be good, if she ever chose to work with me instead of against me, Wynne mused.

Instead of eavesdropping on their conversation, Wynne shifted her attention to the brother and sister. Kezia and Roman Black... she had little information on them. Some, but not enough. Switching her phone on, she typed a quick update email to the U.N., adding a little note at the end requesting for the twins' files. That was the best she could manage for now.

When she looked up, the girl was standing in front of Tobias's chair, beaming at her. Returning the smile (which didn't reach her eyes), Wynne took the flower, twirling it idly in her hands. "Nice to meet you," she murmured as they passed by. Pointless, but a nice gesture all the same, she supposed.

Movement towards her face. She looked up quickly, just as Tobias slid the flower behind her ear. Surprised, she raised a hand, brushing the petals with her fingertips. "Thank you." Another thing to thank him about. She did not expect to find him this willingly heroic, or so gentle - Tobias Lehnsherr was turning out to be a very unexpected character.

"I'll be alright. You both can go help with the search effort, if you want." He lay back, looking between her and Petra. Well, there was no need for Wynne to offer. If not her father, then some other higher-ranking official would have already made clear the U.N.'s stance on the Academy accessing their resources. It wasn't her place to decide. She nodded at Petra as she left, mildly surprised at her comment.

"I'll let you recuperate," she told Tobias. "But before I do... I just wanted to thank you for what you did earlier. I know that you're likely cautious of me and my motives here, and I cannot blame you for it. But I hope we can start again, as classmates instead of people caught on opposite sides of a war, which was never my view. And after today... I owe you my life. I think that's enough reason for me to doubt your reputation, even just a little. I'll see you around." Having said what she wanted to say, she got to her feet, shaking her wings out behind her briefly to unruffle them. She left the infirmary, taking the stairs up as far as they would let her, all the way to the roof.


---


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ImageJensen could read the tension in Ross's body the moment she mentioned Maximoff. With this proximity, how could she not? "She's not me girl -" He cut himself off with a sigh. Jensen had to restrain herself from chuckling. It was rare her readings of relationships were wrong, and this was just another little mark in her list of successes.

"She's fine." Jensen waited. Sometimes the best way to get more from people was to stay silent. Although she had to feel a little bad for him - he was a genuinely nice person, and Jensen wasn't yet entirely certain Maximoff was a girl worth hurting over. "She's mad at meh."

Jensen sighed sympathetically. "That's gotta be hard." Ross didn't respond, however, preoccupied with looking around the infirmary at something. Jensen remained lying down, staring at the ceiling, her hands folded over her stomach.

"Hi, I'm Kizzy! This is for you!"

Jensen raised her head off the pillow a little, looking at the bug-eyed blonde standing by her bed. Ross's expression said exactly what she was thinking, albeit with a little less cursing. "Eh what?"

God, there was no end to the freaks entering this place. She recognised the irony in calling some among their number freaks, but honestly. Some of these people had never grown up around normal folk. The best greeting she could manage was a half-grimace, half-smile, nodding as the boy spoke. "Right. Uh, glad to see you're having fun here." She could hardly keep the disdain out of her voice.

"Wanna go get drunk? Aye need me a fuckin' drink." Jensen let her head drop back onto the pillow, groaning. "And here I thought you were going to sit here blabbering all day, McCulloch. That's the stupidest question you've ever asked me, and I'm pretty sure you say a lot of dumb stuff." She pushed herself upright, ignoring the way her bones creaked. "Absolutely."

Before she could get out of bed, though, another blonde, this one familiar, stepped towards them. "Hey, Jensen, and you two?" Jensen's eyebrows shot up. "Are you guys okay?"

"All sorts of surprises today, but I think I'll survive," she responded. "Didn't expect to see you back here today, Gwen."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Wren Wilson Character Portrait: Frankie Parker Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Lilith Isley Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch Character Portrait: Caitria Allen
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#, as written by mjolnir
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frankie parker
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Frankie stopped trying to break her binds, slumping back against the wall. Every time she heard a distant noise part of her hoped it was Nathaniel and the other Descendants storming the Hydra base. But, she knew better. She shouldn't let her hopes get up with every bump and noise. In the end, she figured that if they get out, it'll be by their own doing. Frankie had no idea where they were, and it was unlikely that the others knew either.

"So what's the plan when they come back for another one of us? Make them angry? Distract them?" Frankie lifted her head from the wall, looking over to Ulrich as he spoke. "Why don't you lure them towards you? Humans are stupidly susceptible to pheromones. The rest of us can figure out how to get the keys. Since Constantine is fresh out of magic tricks." Her gaze drifted over toward Alec who seemed to be a mess in the current situation. "At least they want us alive. For now."

Frankie sat there thinking about what he said, furrowing her brows as she tried to think of a plan. She then blew out her lips, looking over toward Ulrich. "Even if Lilith lured them toward her... How would we be able to do anything?" She nodded her head up toward her hands, shaking them abruptly in her binds as a reminder.

She parted her lips to speak again, but something else took the words from her. In the distance, somewhere off in the Hydra base, Frankie heard a blood curdling scream. It wasn't like the screams you hear in horror films... It was so authentic it caused her spidey sense to spike, the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck standing on end. Her gaze fell as she held her breath while the wail echoed throughout the building. It sounded like pain... unbearable, continuous pain...

Frankie had never heard Wren scream. She was always one of the bravest people able to look death and pain in the eye and laugh. But that scream made a pit grow in her stomach. It didn't look good for them.

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"And here I thought you were going to sit here blabbering all day, McCulloch. That's the stupidest question you've ever asked me, and I'm pretty sure you say a lot of dumb stuff," Jensen said as she sat up. "Absolutely."

Ross scoffed, sitting up much slower than her as the soreness was really starting to sink in. "Aye, no need to be an arse about it." He hung his legs over the edge of the hospital bed, gripping the sheets in his hands. He took a deep breath in through his nose and out the mouth. Sometimes he really hated the accelerated healing and shit the others had, while he was forced to feel everything in the most excruciating and slow way... ever.

Before he got up, a familiar face he wasn't expecting appeared before himself and Jensen. "With wounds like them, Rossy, you might not want to thin your old blood."

Ross snorted while rolling his eyes. "Just you watch meh."

"Hey, Jensen, and you two? Are you guys okay?"

"All sorts of surprises today, but I think I'll survive. Didn't expect to see you back here today, Gwen," Jensen said, replying to Gwen's question.

"We're better den others..." Ross' voice trailed off as he looked around the medical wing. Some of the others in there had worse wounds than himself, like Tobias. But it looked like Ross got the ugliest award hands down since half of the damage he took was to his mug. But, he wasn't talking about those in the room... But, the unknown fate of those that were kidnapped and taken by Hydra.

Ross couldn't handle that depressing room anymore. He pushed off the bed, dropping down to his feet. When he first stood up, he wobbled slightly, reaching out and grabbing Jensen for support. He caught sight of a nurse tempted to walk over toward him. But, Ross help up his index finger in a silent threat that she better not bother him. He sighed. "Let's get da fuck outta 'ere. I wanna drink 'til I'm pretteh again."

Once he regained his balance, Ross made his way toward the exit. But, of course, before he was in the clear one last nurse had to try and stop him. He groaned, rolling his eyes. "Mr. McCulloch, you really need to stay on bed rest and refrain from intoxication. Your body cannot handle that strain like—" When they realized they struck a nerve by comparing him to some of the others in the academy, the nurse quickly drew silent.

"Aye'll take meh chances," he groaned pushing past her and headed out of the medical wing. When Ross turned the corner and saw Petra standing there waiting for the elevator he froze. He sighed as his gaze fell to the ground. Not wanting to deal with an awkward lift ride, he turned and threw open the door to the stairs. It was twenty seven floors to his room... Fuck. He took a deep breath looking up the numerous flights of stairs. With a final sigh, he grasped the railing and slowly started his ascension.




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tobias lehnsherr
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"Ross's mirror dimension," Petra answered his question with a very evident bitterness. Tobias' gaze shifted over toward the Scot on the other side of the medical wing as she continued talking. "I only wish I could have done more... At the very least, I could have sucked the gas out of the room and given everyone a better fighting chance. But Ross saw them targeting me and - well, he just acted, I suppose."

Tobias parted his lips to speak but she quickly changed the topic before he could. "But, what you did for Thaddeus Ross... your mom would be proud of you. I know that."

He shifted where he sat slightly. Tobias was used to getting noticed for... anything he did. Even if it was Petra, but worse when it was Coulson. He gave a slight smile to Petra at her comment about his but it quickly faded. God, he hoped she was ok. He completely forgot about her with everything that was going on. He didn't kill Thaddeus, that he knew. Magneto wasn't going to be happy... And if he knew any better, his father was probably hunting Raven down as he sat there in bed. Tobias wished he could get out of bed, find her first and take her into hiding. But, he was useless right now.

When Tobias gave his flower from the overly excited newcomer to Wynne, she raised a hand to brush the petals with her fingertips. "Thank you," She said softly. He nodded his head with a very slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

The new twins soon disappeared amongst the other descendants leaving him alone with the two women again. "I'm not exactly Miss Congeniality here," Petra replied to his comment. "But I'll let you heal in peace. Rest up." When she reached out and touched his shoulder, Tobias smiled up at her and nodded his head. "You too. I hope you're both feeling better soon." His gaze drifted from Petra over to Wynne as she addressed the blonde.

"I'll let you recuperate," Wynne spoke up once Petra left. Tobias looked toward her. He liked having the company. He wasn't expecting anyone to be at his bedside. It was a nice change. But, he'd hate to be rude and pass out from the heavy drugs mid conversation or something like that. As much as he didn't want to admit it, rest was most definitely in order. "But before I do... I just wanted to thank you for what you did earlier. I know that you're likely cautious of me and my motives here, and I cannot blame you for it. But I hope we can start again, as classmates instead of people caught on opposite sides of a war, which was never my view. And after today... I owe you my life. I think that's enough reason for me to doubt your reputation, even just a little. I'll see you around."

"I don't blame you... For judging me because of my father," Tobias replied. He wasn't spiteful or mean in his words, but understanding. She had no reason to think he was any different than Magneto. But, he still said it... To ease her conscience. "And you're welcome," he said after her as she started to head out of the infirmary. "You don't owe me anything." Tobias raised his fingers slightly from his abdomen in a weak wave good bye before she left.




S M A L L x T I M E x J U M P




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wren wilson
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frankie parker
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The Hydra soldiers pealed Wren's weak and battered body from the bed they had her strapped down on. When she stand her knees gave way and she collapsed under her weight. What has they drugged me with? She wasn't used to drugs having an effect on her. It was like someones first time drunk or on acid. She found herself blinking to try and clear her vision. One of the guards groaned in frustration as he leaned down toward her. In a swift movement, he hoisted her over his shoulder, holding her legs to his chest while her head and arms dangled over his back.

She wanted to fight back, kick him in the balls, smash her elbow into his temple and royally devastate everyone in that room but her body didn't listen to what her mind willed. Instead, Wren weakly kicked her legs and arms. God, did it take a lot of her energy just doing that. Whatever was in the drug they gave her was strong and effective. But, even with that she could still feel its effects wearing off as he carried her back to the cell.

Frankie somehow managed to doze off, even with her hands held in the cuffs at an awkward position. Her head was draped over to the right leaning against her shoulder. But, approaching steps echoed throughout the corridor she was startled awake, blinking the sleeping from her eyes. She raised her head, looking toward the entrance of the cell as the steps grew closer. Was one of them next? Wren had stopped screaming hours ago, was she dead and now they come for another? She held her breath as she waited for them to come into view. And when he did he carried something like a sack over his shoulder.

It was Wren.

Frankie let out a gasp in surprise as the practically lifeless Wren was carried into the cell. The man dropped her on the ground without much care and slapped her hands back into her binds. But instead of taking another one of them, the guards said nothing. They made sure Wren was secured then left them in the cell, disappearing back from where they came.

Wren slumped against the wall. The only thing holding her upright was the cuffs that held her hands against the wall. If it wasn't for those she would have tipped over onto the ground. She could feel the cloudiness slowly lift from her vision while it seemed at the same pace her body began to react and listen to her once again. Everything was still slow but it was coming back to her. After a long moment, she raised her head as best she could, letting it rest back against the wall. She looked around at everyone in the cell and gave the best smile she could manage at the time. "Oh good, you guys are ok," her voice croaked.

Frankie sat there in a shocked silence for awhile, just taking in Wren's appearance. The girl looked like death. Like she had been pushed to the brink of death multiple times but not allowed to die. Sure, Wren would heal but she had never seen Wren in this bad of shape. Dried blood cover a lot of her skin, her gown from the dance was all but destroyed, just enough there to cover what should be covered. The sleeves were gone, a large whole was tore where her abdomen was and the skirt was tattered, torn and ripped. Wren had a fat lip. There was a dried trail of blood that ran from her nose over her lips. Her right eye was as purple as a grape and nearly swollen shut. But somehow with all that she managed to smile... With a few missing teeth.

"Jesus, Wren. What happened to you?"

"... You don't want to know." Wren glanced over at her left wrist, where she vaguely remembers them cutting off her hand at some point during the super fun torture session. Whatever they gave her slowed her healing. Her hand wasn't quite to regular size just yet. She knew her strength wasn't fully back yet. She was slow and lethargic, but maybe... Maybe she could pull her hand through the cuff. Or, maybe with it still healing it'd be easy enough to break the bones and slip her hand through.

Wren took a deep breath then tried to adjust her body to the most comfortable position possible. She then brought her thumb and pinky as close together as possible. She started wiggling, squirming and pulling her hand downward. After a couple minutes of trying, it didn't seem it was going to work. So, instead she bent her finger backwards placing the tip on the wall. Wren took a deep breath preparing herself before shoving her hand backwards, snapping the bones in the first finger. She then moved on to do the same to the second.

"Wren! Stop! What are you doing?" Frankie had no idea what the woman was thinking, but she's been through enough already that day. Why was she breaking her hand?!

"Shut up, blondie!" Wren tried to snap at Frankie but she didn't have enough strength to sound very assertive, but sounded more irritated if anything. "I'm trying to figure out a way out of here... Unless you have any bright ideas?"

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ross mcculloch
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It took sometime, but Ross finally found a bar. Honestly, he had no idea where in the tower he was. After about three flights of stairs, he gave up with that option and decided to search whatever floor he was on. And surprise surprise, there was a bar there. There was so much in that damn tower that it was easy to forget how much he hadn't seen. Ross had never taken the time to figure out where everything was, but apparently he should have. All he knew was where the penthouses were, training rooms, the garage, the entrance and the cafeteria. He never really found the need to discover what else was here until now.

But, whatever motivation he had to find out what lied within the walls of the academy was quickly washed away by the burn of vodka down his throat. Ross didn't talk much while he drank. He didn't have much to say that would be remotely similar to his usual self, and he was sure that Jensen or Gwen wasn't in the mood to listen to him bitch and groan about Petra. They might have been talking at some point, maybe to him... But he had no clue. Ross was never a lightweight but the combination of exhaustion, alcohol and some serious drugs, he was feeling the liquor after two shots.

He made the decision then, that it was probably in his best interest to go rest as the nagging nurses wished. But, he was too stubborn to do it in the infirmary. Ross stumbled his way out of the bar and managed to find the elevator after several wrong turns, twice of witch took him back to the bar. Once on the lift, he sighed, leaning back against the wall. Then slowly, very slowly, he started to slide down the wall until his was sitting on the ground in the corner of the elevator. He made an attempt to reach his hand up to press a button, but was no where close to reaching it. "Shite."

Ross tired to move to his feet, and got half up before gravity decided that wasn't in the cards, causing him to stumble back down to the ground. He glared up at the elevator buttons and toward the closed doors, and blew air out between his lips. "Fuck it."




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tobias lehnsherr
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After sleeping some more and being more compliant that others in the infirmary, Tobias was able to convince the nurses to let him out of bed. Of course, with a wound like his, strenuous active wasn't the best action, so he still needed to be in a wheelchair. But he wasn't in any rush to do crazy physical exertion so he was happy thankful for the wheelchair. He slowly and carefully wheeled him self out of the infirmary and down the hallway. When he reached the elevator, he leaned forward pressing the button. Shortly after, the doors open and revealed something he wasn't expecting.

Ross McCulloch laying slouched in the corner on the ground. The Scot's expression perked up slightly as he waved his hand in the air weakly. "Aye, mate!"

Tobias didn't move. He just sat there, staring at Ross with furrow brows until the elevator doors went to close. He quickly stuck out his hand to stop them, then rolled into the elevator being sure not to hit Ross' foot. "Are you... Ok?" he finally asked, trying to decide if he was wounded or intoxicated.

"I... 'm great," Ross said with a smile, waving his index finger toward Tobias. "How 'er you? How's yer sister—niece?" His voice trailed off taking a sad and serious tone.

Tobias gave a sympathetic smile, gazing down at his lap. Between everything that happened, he wasn't surprised that Ross wanted to drown it all away temporarily. Petra was put off by what the Scot did to save her life, but he did save her life. Tobias parted his lips preparing to say something but Ross cut him off by calling out in slurred words. "What floor 'er ya goin' ta?" Ross stretched his hand up toward the buttons but still was unable to reach them.

"I got it," Tobias chuckled slightly and pressed the button for the roof. As the elevator ascended, he took the moment to have a one on one with Ross... Even if he might not remember it once he sobers up. "Hey, Ross?"

"Aye?" Ross rolled his head against the wall, turning his gaze to Tobias with a cheeky grin.

"I want to thank you for what you did for Petra. She might seem mad now, but she's thankful too. If it weren't for you, she'd be taken same as the others. I am thankful, she's very important to me... And I know you care about her too. I owe you."

Ross' expression seemed to sink while the alcohol only seemed to make its way to his more somber emotions. "Aye would do et 'thousand times oer... If she likes et or not."

The elevator came to a stop, opening to the roof. Tobias rolled out and turned to face Ross. "I know you would. That means a lot."

The doors started to close and Ross raised his hand, saluting to Tobias before the doors separated them. He rolled himself across the roof, finding a table with an umbrella. He parked his wheelchair under the shade and pulled out his cellphone. No messages from his mother, but that's not why he got it out. His thumb scrolled through the contacts until he found Petra's name.

Compose Message to : Petra Maximoff

"There's a drunk Scot in an elevator. Maybe you were too hard on him? He just wanted you safe.

...

Just a thought."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch Character Portrait: Ulrich Zod Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Gwen Queen-Lance
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xxxG W E N x Q U E E N-L A N C E
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Gwen smiled at Ross' snort, "Just you watch meh." She blinked slowly and shook her head with a slight chuckle.

"All sorts of surprises today, but I think I'll survive." Gwen nodded, she was glad to hear it. "Didn't expect to see you back here today, Gwen."

"I'm glad you're surviving, I didn't exactly expect to be back today either." She looked around the medical wing, in her anger she'd missed Mycroft saying Ulrich's name, so she assumed he was somewhere else in the building.

"We're better den others..." Ross' voice pulled her back into the conversation.

"You might want to tell your face that, Panda eyes." She teased him, she knew it wouldn't do well to dwell on everyone's suffering so she turned to jokes and a bit of teasing.

"Let's get da fuck outta 'ere. I wanna drink 'til I'm pretteh again." Gwen watched as Ross pushed himself off the bed with some difficulty, she would have helped if it didn't hurt his pride to be helped off the bed and from the way he was with the nurses, she knew better than to worry after him. Gwen followed behind him, towards the exit, only for the trio to be stopped by one of the nurses.

"Mr. McCulloch, you really need to stay on bed rest and refrain from intoxication. Your body cannot handle that strain like—" Even Gwen could feel the awkwardness and it wasn't directed at her, but Ross wasn't one to leave that air hanging around for too long.

"Aye'll take meh chances," He groaned as he pushed past her, Gwen mouthed we'll look after him as she passed the nurse who simply nodded before returning to one of the other injured. As Gwen left the room, she noticed Ross turning on his heels, in the opposite direction of the lifts and making for the stairwell, she took a glance at the elevators and could only see Petra, causing her to knot her eyebrows at his disliking, maybe something happened before the dance, she made a note to ask him about it when he was feeling better.

"Seriously?" She moaned as she climbed the stairs behind him.
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Gwen simply followed after Ross, she wasn't as fussed about drinking as she imagined the other two were so she just let them two take the lead. As she followed them, she whipped out her phone and wrote a quick message to send to Ulrich:
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To: Ulrich
[Are you in your room? I didn't see you in the hospital wing. xx]
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As Gwen slid her phone back into her jacket pocket, Ross had finally found somewhere to drink, the three of them perched themselves on some stools by the chosen bar. She watched as Ross downed the vodka straight, her face visibly disgusted, until she realised she was being that girl who sat with a glass of white wine, waiting for her boyfriend to text her back, occasionally stealing glances at her phone to see if the notification light was flashing.

"So, not that I expect either of you to want to talk about it," She said, mostly to Jensen, she could see Ross' attention was fairly focused on the bottle in front of him. "But what happened?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Riley Barton Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch Character Portrait: Tobias Lehnsherr Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Wynne Worthington
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ImagePetra enjoyed some thirty minutes of solitude - proper, comfortable solitude, none of that sitting on a cold floor in a thin dress shit - letting the hot water run until the bathroom was filled with steam. With a warm mug of tea on her bedside stand and an old book in her arms, still unfinished from before the training exercise that now seemed a year ago, she settled on her bed, dressed in a warm sweater and jeans. She had no plans to emerge from her apartment before the next day dawned.

Or so she thought. After seven pages, her phone buzzed.

From: Tobias

There's a drunk Scot in an elevator. Maybe you were too hard on him? He just wanted you safe.

...

Just a thought.


Petra exhaled a long breath through her nose, lips pursed. She tried not to shake her head. As there wasn't really anyone around to judge her for physically expressing her frustration, she didn't mind so much that the attempt to suppress herself failed. Ross was a grown man, he could deal with himself. She typed a quick message back, then set her phone to silent and tossed it back on the stand.

To: Tobias

I'm not his chaperone.


But she couldn't get the image out of her head. Not for lack of trying, but the book couldn't hold her attention - not even with an explanation of old, fairly obscure chaos magic theory. Eventually she set the book aside with a sigh, pushing herself off the bed. Her tea would probably go cold. She might not finish the book until she was eighty. It hadn't even been three hours, and she was already breaking her vow of not leaving her apartment.

Gods damn Ross.


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ImageAs per Riley's luck, upon returning to his bed, he suffered another attack of dizziness that had him sinking to his knees, gasping for breath, almost knocking his IV stand over as his hands scrabbled for purchase on the nearest surface. Having been helped up and back into bed by a couple of nurses, he forgot about heading back to his apartment, instead drifting in and out of wakefulness for a period of time. Every time he closed his eyes he had a fresh nightmare about his dad and friends, all of which he promptly forgot upon waking.

He awoke proper some time later, staring blankly at the ceiling of the infirmary. The drip had been finished and removed sometime while he was asleep, so he presumed he was free to go. With a groan, he pushed himself upright and looked around. Already some of the students had taken their leave, judging by the relative quiet of the infirmary and the empty, as-yet-unmade beds. Scrubbing a hand over his face, Riley gathered his things from the bedside stand, making sure his watch was tucked carefully away, and left.

His head was heavy. If a concussion was all it took to fix anxiety-induced insomnia, Riley would have run headfirst into a wall years ago.

The elevator doors slid open, and a pair of feet came into view. Riley glanced up, startled, to see Ross sitting in the elevator, his eyes closed.

"Oh boy." Riley hurried forward, bending down by his friend. "As if getting your entire face rearranged wasn't enough, Ross? What the hell?" He slipped an arm under his friend's shoulders, trying to heave Ross's dead weight upright and press the button for Ross's floor at the same time.. "Let's take you back, yeah?"

The elevator doors slid open, far earlier than Riley had expected. Petra stood there, her arms crossed, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. "Give him here."

"What?"

Instead of repeating herself, she stepped into the elevator with them, pressing the button for Riley's floor, then adding her support to Ross's other side. "He's like this because of me. I'll take care of him. You should go back and rest."

Ross is my friend, Riley wanted to say, but he caught the dangerous glint in her eyes. Trust me, I'd rather be doing anything else right now, it said, and so he backed off. "Alright. Thanks."

They reached his floor, and he tried, as gently as possible, to slip out from under Ross's weight. "Feel better soon."


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ImageShe was flying. The sun was warm on her skin, her stitches were screaming, and she was soaring.

Wynne couldn't help herself. She'd just popped into her assigned apartment briefly - bare, boring, and a really weird shade of beige - dumped her stuff, and then gone up to the roof. Warren Worthington could make all the threats he wanted, but the world knew she was a mutant, and here no one would try to rein her in like fucking Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

She pretty much looked like him, though. On the ground - or even the roof - the temperature was mild, but up in the air, doing acrobatics like she'd never tried before, the speed and the wind chill brought a pretty flush to her cheeks. Her braid had pulled loose, and pretty much half her hair was now blowing by her face, but she didn't care. Despite her lack of experience, flying was incredibly freeing, and came to her easily.

After amusing herself by tailing a flock of birds (and scaring the hell out of them), Wynne tried a few midair loops, then turned and dove into a barrel roll, ending it with a headlong spiral down towards the roof of the Academy. Just before she slammed headfirst into the concrete, she pulled up, slowing abruptly, and did a final midair backflip, landing lightly on her bare feet. Blood beaded below her stitches and slid thickly through the feathers, not enough to cause alarm. Still, she shuddered. It felt weird - both the pulled stitches and her wings stretched out.

Movement caught her eye, and she whipped around, her wings folding up behind her on instinct. She hadn't expected anyone else to come up here, which was the main reason she'd let herself loose.

Tobias Lehnsherr. Even when she wasn't looking for him, he turned up anyway. Wynne tugged the rubber band out of her hair, trying to smooth her hair back into something vaguely presentable. Dear Lord, that she might be acting like a wild teenager again, and this time in front of people much more important than a handful of university students. It was embarrassing.


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ImageJensen had to hurry to catch Ross. No way he was going to be steady on his feet, not after the beating he'd taken and the meds they'd probably pumped into him.

She was proved right when he wobbled and grabbed at her, letting him lean on her shoulder until he found his legs. "Whoa there, tiger. Take it easy."

"Let's get da fuck outta 'ere. I wanna drink 'til I'm pretteh again."

She laughed, despite herself. "You said it. Let's go." She crooked a finger at Gwen, a silent invitation. They weren't the closest, but she'd take whatever drinking buddies came her way.

The stairs weren't a problem for Jensen. She didn't say anything when they rounded the corner and familiar red tresses came into view, only continued supporting Ross up until they stumbled across the bar. In this mood, she wasn't eager to argue with anyone, least of all the one person who'd been kind enough to offer her a listening ear in the usual gang's absence.

She made good work on the bar almost immediately. At her request, the bartender kept the alcohol coming, seeing her through multiple whiskey shots until her vision was pleasantly blurry. Not enough to fuzz her thinking over, but enough that her pain had dulled considerably. She barely even noticed when Ross left, deciding at the last moment to let him leave. He needed the bed rest more than she did, although if he made it back to his apartment in one piece she'd be surprised. Didn't go after him, though, just remained where she was, smiling to herself.

After a little while she realised that Gwen had posed a question. Running back through her memory, she recalled it and finally turned to the other girl. "I dunno, like some giant clusterfuck. You seen the hole in the side of the building?" After downing another shot she sighed, trying to find the words.

"So there's this... gala, right, there's United Nations and bloody Thaddeus Ross, some winged gal joining us from the U.N. Temporarily. Whatever. If she's a spy, she's doing a shit job of it because she just went up on stage and announced it to the entire ballroom that she was joining as a student. Then these goons fuckin' blast a hole into the ballroom. Boom." She pushed air out from pursed lips, raising her hands to mimic an explosion. Probably almost hit Gwen in the face, but who cared. She downed another shot and continued.

"And they have these gas... things. They're grabbing students. Shot a claw right through Wren's chest like Moby Dick." Her voice faltered, grew sombre even through the alcohol. "Couldn't stop them, you know. They were prepared for us. I watched them pull Wren into a waiting helicopter. Then some bastard whacked me in the face - pow - and jabbed me with a needle. Next thing I know, I wake up feeling like shit." She laughed, a wet, choking sound, and rested her forehead on her hand, closing her eyes. "But when don't I feel like shit? I'm used to it. I'm worried about Wren. Pretty, tough, dangerous Wren... at least they can't kill her. Well, they could. But she'll be back. Hasta la vista, baby." She started cackling again, hardly able to control herself. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she was very, very drunk. But it didn't really matter, not just then.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Gwen Queen-Lance Character Portrait: Anastasia Petrovna Character Portrait: Harley Williams
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Gwen watched with wide eyes as Jensen downed her alcohol, she didn't even wince once, Gwen's eyes watered at the thought of even sipping what she was drinking. Neither she nor Jensen reacted to Ross leaving, even though one of them probably should have made sure he got to his room at the very least, but Gwen needed to be caught up on what was happening. Unfortunately, a drink-to-forget Jensen was her only option right now.

"I dunno, like some giant clusterfuck. You seen the hole in the side of the building?" Jensen took another drink, giving Gwen some time to reply.
"It's hard to miss," Gwen put it bluntly. "Although the ballroom is something else."

"So there's this... gala, right, there's United Nations and bloody Thaddeus Ross, some winged gal joining us from the U.N. Temporarily. Whatever. If she's a spy, she's doing a shit job of it because she just went up on stage and announced it to the entire ballroom that she was joining as a student. Then these goons fuckin' blast a hole into the ballroom. Boom." Jensen expanded her hands outwards, as if mimicking the explosion she was making the sound effects for, her hand was about an inch away from hitting Gwen in the face. "And they have these gas... things. They're grabbing students. Shot a claw right through Wren's chest like Moby Dick." Gwen audibly gasped, the image in her head wasn't one she wanted to remember for very long, she grabbed her wine glass and downed whatever was left of it, as the bartender returned to top it up, she silently indicated for him to leave the bottle. "Couldn't stop them, you know. They were prepared for us. I watched them pull Wren into a waiting helicopter. Then some bastard whacked me in the face - pow - and jabbed me with a needle. Next thing I know, I wake up feeling like shit." The sound that came from Jensen's mouth wasn't a particularly pleasant one, but Gwen could recognise that it was a laugh. "But when don't I feel like shit? I'm used to it. I'm worried about Wren. Pretty, tough, dangerous Wren... at least they can't kill her. Well, they could. But she'll be back. Hasta la vista, baby." Gwen raised an eyebrow as Jensen started cackling at her own joke, she could appreciate wanting to laugh given the situation, anything to keep yourself from ruminating on it she guessed.

"Christ, any wonder an alert was sent out. Who else did they take?" Gwen then chewed her lower lip for a bit, she looked at her cackling, drunk bar buddy. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that Jensen was a little more than focused on Wren during her retelling, but she would eventually get to that point, even if she should keep her nose out of Jensen's business. She took a sip from her wine glass and picked up her phone to double check if she'd received any new notifications. There was none.


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Harley was awoken by the noise of screaming, he'd grown accustomed to the screams he could hear at the facility, but these screams, they were different. These weren't the screams that came from cruel experiments on unwilling subjects, these screams got their origins from outright torture. He looked across the hall at the blond woman who'd been his silent neighbour for some time.

"I wonder how long it'll be until it's us making those noises." Harley leant against his glass cell, then his face went flush. "Not in like, a sexual way. Just that... What I mean is I wonder how long these people will keep us before they decide we're disposable." He stuck his face right up against the glass and angled himself to try and get a better view of the facility, he'd established long ago that it wasn't a hospital, but it definitely wasn't a prison either, from what he could gather. There was guards, sure, but their corridor was only patrolled every so often, not constantly guarded.

He looked back the girl and smiled, "I'm Harley, by the way. Harley Williams. Probably should have introduced myself sooner, since we've been sharing this corridor for some time."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Riley Barton Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch Character Portrait: Tobias Lehnsherr Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Wynne Worthington
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ImagePetra felt like calling after Riley's retreating back. Not really, he's your friend. Get back here and help me. At the very least, What am I supposed to do with a drunk person? But she kept her mouth shut, watched the lift doors slide closed.

"Yer so beautiful... Even when yer angry... Soooo angry."

There it was. The lack of inhibition she hated so much. Petra closed her eyes, exhaling a slow breath through her nose. "...Thanks. I think." But he wasn't done - a moment passed, then he started tugging at her hair. Frowning, she let him, then patted his fingers, trying to quiet him. "Alright, that's -" "Shite." "Hey. Don't do that. Come on." She turned to see him reaching for his face, and, reacting on instinct, she grabbed his hand to stop him from touching his face again, her hold lingering for a moment.

"Why are you always hurting yourself? First getting your face beat in, then drinking yourself stupid when you're in this state? Do you not think before you act? What did you say - even if it meant your life for mine? Do you really think you're worth that little?" She couldn't help the frustration colouring her tone, and as she spoke she shook his hand a little, still grasped firmly in hers. Her grip grew warm, magic rising to bubble beneath her skin with this display of emotion.

She paused, rethinking what she'd just said, and dropped his hand. "I'm not angry. At you." Her voice was lower, tired, the accent she'd picked up from her mother stronger when she wasn't suppressing it. "I just don't agree with what you think, about either of us." The lift doors slid open at Ross's floor, and she helped him out without another word.

Once Petra managed to wrangle Ross inside and - after taking a moment to goggle at the interior and mumble "why don't you have a proper couch like normal people" - find an empty seat to deposit him in, she went hunting for a kitchen. It was a fairly small room, almost hidden from sight, and it didn't take long digging before she found a mug, some hot chocolate, and a small carton of milk in the fridge.

No hot water kettle though. Unwilling to leave Ross unattended for much longer (worried as she was about spending too much time around him with no filter), she filled the mug and rolled it between her palms, channelling heat energy through her hands until the mug's contents were steaming, then went back out to Ross. "Take this. It's hot," she warned, bending down beside him. She guided his hands around the mug, her hands pressed over his to ensure he wouldn't drop it. Once she was satisfied, she let go and stood up, leaning against whatever game machine he was sitting at. "Are you going to throw up, should I get a bucket?"


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Image"Aye luv ya mate... Don' ferget it!" Riley saluted Ross's passing shout over his shoulder. "Love you too, you mess of a human being."

He pushed open the door to his penthouse. "Hello, J.A.R.V.I.S.," he said automatically, without really thinking. The moment the words left his lips, he stopped dead, one foot in the threshold. Would he get a response? It seemed silly to get attached to the an AI, but if J.A.R.V.I.S. wasn't functional because of the attack... well, everything would be different.

"Hello, Mr. Barton." Riley sighed, relieved. Was it his imagination, or did the response sound tired? Low and drawn out - Riley felt like he was stepping into someone else's room. Stupid, since it was the room he'd spent so many of his nights arranging and rearranging, cleaning, trying to make his own. But it didn't seem the same anymore.

Stopping only to kick his shoes off, he collapsed onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. He didn't feel like sleeping, not when he felt this unsafe, but he was too exhausted to do anything else. Maybe he could spend the rest of the day like this, just thinking about nothing.


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Image"...I can leave. Didn't mean to interrupt." Was it her imagination, or did he seem amused? Wynne, silent, remained where she stood, the concrete roof burning the soft soles of her feet. "You should get that cleaned up before you're infected. I can do it if you don't want to go back to the hovering nurses."

He turned to leave, and she found her tongue. "Stay," she blurted. When he turned back she cleared her throat, trying to look warm instead of coldly neutral. "Please, don't go on my account. There's enough space for both of us. And I... might need an extra pair of eyes." Tilting her head towards her wings to illustrate her point. "I mean - if you want to go, you know... I just meant you don't have to mind my presence..." She turned away, giving him the space to go if he wanted to. Maybe he really didn't want to be there with her, but was too polite to say so.

By the pool stood a lone showerhead, higher than Wynne would perhaps have liked, but good enough for her purpose. She moved to stand under it, her wings stretched out as far as she could, and cupped her hands to direct the water over the pulled stitches. The flow of blood thinned, red-tinged water splattering the floor until the worst of it had gone down the drain. After trying to shake some of the water off, she lowered herself into a chair, trying not to ruffle the feathers too much as she arranged them over the back so they would dry off in the sun. She'd deal with the stitches themselves later.

"Sorry you had to see that," she began, "I don't get much chance to stretch these and practice, and keeping them folded up all the time, uh... It gets tiring, you know? Like if your hands were constantly bound behind your back." Maybe it was the sense of freedom she'd gained from her short flight, but it suddenly seemed easier to talk to him, now that she knew he wasn't going to go. Or maybe it was because she'd thanked him and gotten that load off her chest. "This is a very peaceful spot. Do you come up here often?"


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ImageJensen couldn't count how many shots she'd had. Did it matter? Not unless she was thinking about the resulting hangover, and that had never really been one of her concerns. She slammed another one back, and the bartender winced at Gwen as he refilled it, no doubt thinking of how she was probably going to be saddled with a very drunk Jensen very soon. "An alert? What, we've got Mycroft sending out newsletters to old students now?" She laughed loudly, obnoxiously, clearly amused by her own joke. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're back. Glad you're back... Good to have you back. One just wishes it wasn't under these circumstances, y'know."

She turned her head, just in time to see Gwen check her phone. "Somewhere important you have to be?" A thought struck her. "Shit!" If an alert had been sent to Gwen, then her mother would definitely have gotten wind of what had happened. Jessica Jones was an alert mother, if not a very loving one.

Sure enough, when Jensen checked her phone, there were a handful of new messages and missed calls.

From: Mom
I heard about the gala. Call me back.

From: Mom
You're tough. I know you're ok. Call me back.

From: Mom
JJ. Please just let me know if you're fine. If anyone's reading this, please call me.


It was almost enough to make Jensen sober up immediately. She hit the dial button, and her mother picked up immediately. "It's me. Don't cry." Her voice was still slurred, and she laughed a little at Jessica's reply. "Didn't drink that much. 'm still in the Tower, I'll be fine. Could probably drink my weight right now. You know me." It continued that way for a while, back and forth until Jensen eventually hung up with a final loud "You love me!" and slammed the phone down on the bar.

She waved a hand at Gwen. "If you have to go, go. Don't let ol' Smashed Jen here keep you down."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Wren Wilson Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Gwen Queen-Lance Character Portrait: Anastasia Petrovna Character Portrait: Harley Williams Character Portrait: Haldor Thorson
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F C D 1 1 6


Gwen cringed at the same time as the bartenders wince, she could feel the burn of the alcohol. How Jensen knocked it back like that? She'd never know.
"An alert? What, we've got Mycroft sending out newsletters to old students now?" Jensen laughed loudly, slightly uncomfortably for Gwen, unsure if she should be offended. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're back. Glad you're back... Good to have you back. One just wishes it wasn't under these circumstances, y'know."
“Jensen, babe, I'm in your year…” She smiled awkwardly, she knew they weren't close and they only greeted each other in passing, but she didn't think Jensen would forget her after being away for a few months. “I was only taking leave to protect my dad during his political campaign.” She chuckled lightly after realising the joke about a newsletter, realising she wasn't serious. “Oh you were joking. Yeah I think S.H.I.E.L.D sent it out for anyone who could first respond to the attack. Had a lovely recipe for spicy Black Canary.”

Gwen’s glance at her phone was observed and she blushed as she heard Jensen’s question.
"Somewhere important you have to be?" Gwen chuckled.
"No, I'm just -"
"Shit!" Gwen had never seen someone move so fast for their phone, not even the speedsters rushed that quickly to their phones. Gwen tried not to pry, but she stole a quick glance at the last message she'd received.

[ From: Mom ]
[ JJ. Please just let me know if you're fine. If anyone's reading this, please call me. ]

Gwen smiled at the photo, warmed by the sight of Jensen being cared for. She didn't have much to go on about Jensen or her mother. But she did know Jensen drank a lot as did her mother and that a lot of people put a bad light on her and Gwen had always assumed they didn't have a connection. But she was glad she could admit she was wrong. Feeling guilty for assuming their family situation.

Gwen drank the rest of the wine in front of her as Jensen spoke to her mum. Unable to get the barman’s attention for a refill until Jensen finished her phone call, which she announced the slam of her phone. She waved at Gwen.
"If you have to go, go. Don't let ol' Smashed Jen here keep you down."

“Oh, no.” Gwen refused. “I'm just waiting for Ulrich to message me back…” she admitted to Jensen. “Nowhere to be.” She finally got the bartender's attention. “So… can I get a strawberry daiquiri with double rum and 2 jägerbombs and a kamikaze?” She then turned and looked at Jensen. “Guess I've got to catch up on you. So shots first then daiquiri.” She then tapped the bar excitedly. “We can even play never have I ever. First to pass out or tap out loses.” Jensen could pile back the drink, but Gwen’s metahuman metabolism could give her a fair fight against Jensen.


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xxxH A R L E Y x W I L L I A M S
8 6 2 A 5 1


Harley blushed as the girl stared at him blankly, worried that the double innuendo had offended her. So he quickly explained his joke, only to receive another blank stare. He chuckled nervously before introducing himself, there was a very brief pause, as if she sizing him up.
"Anastasia Petrovna." She replied and Harley smiled at her, happy she felt comfortable with him. "We'll mostly likely be able to recognize each other by our screams instead of our names in no time." An amused puff of air escaped his nose.
“You wouldn't be the first to recognise me by my scream.” Harley clicked his tongue. “But you would be the first woman. So that's gotta count for something.” He clapped his hands.

“Is that a Russian accent?” He asked, hoping to get to know her a little better. “Where did they -" Before Harley could finish his question, two more voices filled the corridor.
"Hey on the off chance you are not Hydra how about helping me out of here, I can help you all get out?!"
"You couldn't have stayed quiet for like one more minute," A gunshot echoed out from down the hall, Harley's fight or flight instincts kicked in and his human form disappeared, replaced by his form made up completely of purple energy.

"Maybe we won't need to recognise each other's screams after all." Harley offered Anastasia his hand to help her up. He looked out to the corridor and called to whoever was out there. "What about us?"



Characters Present

Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch Character Portrait: Tobias Lehnsherr Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Wynne Worthington Character Portrait: Gwen Queen-Lance
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The flashing lights on the game machine caught Petra's eye, and she let her gaze drift around, taking in the various blinking machines around her. It was quite the collection, she had to admit. When she looked back down at Ross he was peering at her, the mug hovering by his mouth. She pursed her lips slightly, and looked away. Now that he wasn't towering over her, his usual confident persona swapped out for this vulnerable and tired boy, she felt like she was intruding. Like she was seeing something she shouldn't be.

"'m Scottish... Aye know how ta hold me liquor," he protested briefly. Petra raised her eyebrows, tempering her disdain with a small smile. "Really. So I suppose Barton was just a sidepiece when he was holding you up earlier?" Earlier. It was hard to be this close to him, when she had been berating him not five minutes ago.

"Look, maybe I should g-"

He cut her off as if he hadn't heard her, though maybe he was too lost in thought. "Ya don' have ta stay... Aye'll be alright."

That was all the encouragement she needed. Awkwardly she reached out, touching his shoulder lightly, then pulling away as if she'd been burned. "If you say so. Go rest. And maybe drink some water to ease the hangover that's waiting for you." She pushed herself off the machine and turned towards the door, pausing right before it with her hand on the doorknob. "Ross... I hope you're feeling better soon. See you in the morning."

She opened the door, and was gone.

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Star gazing. All mutations are beautiful. The quiet sympathy he was exuding. Wynne thought she might have learned more about Tobias Lehnsherr in one conversation than her father had ever learned from his statistics and possibilities and fears. Watching him disinfect his hands, her head tilted of its own volition as she thought about what kind of a person he might really be.

"Alright... This is not going to feel good." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment to steel herself. "I'm okay. Go ahead."

The alcohol hit her like a brick anyway, burning the surface of the wound, and she couldn't help the soft hiss that slipped out. Something soft was pressed to the wound, and a cold hand slipped over hers, guiding it to the gauze that he'd put there. "Hold that there for a moment."

Wynne twisted in her seat to watch Tobias thread the needle, watching the deft movement of his fingers. He looked up and met her gaze, holding a hand out to her. What the hell, she needed the support. She slipped her hand into his, grasping it carefully. She tried to keep her grip light, but the moment the needle pierced her flesh her hold tightened on Tobias's hand. If dad saw me holding Lehnsherr's hand now, was all she could think before the pain cut through that thought and stopped it and its implications in their tracks.

It only lasted a minute. She felt a quick tug as the string was knotted off, then Tobias's hand pulled away from hers and he began tidying up. "All done."

"Thank you... You're good at this," she observed. "I suppose you get the opportunity to practice in a place like this? I imagine injuries aren't unfamiliar to you."

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"Oh, Ulrich. Okay. I see how it is." Jensen scrunched her face up, smiling vaguely. "You'd be cute together, for sure."

As she turned back to her drink and downed it, Gwen waved the bartender down. "Can I get a strawberry daiquiri with double rum and 2 jägerbombs and a kamikaze? Guess I've got to catch up on you. So shots first then daiquiri."

"Yeah, and could I get a refill on this? Thanks." Jensen waved her emptied glass at the bartender, waiting until he'd filled it to turn back to her newfound drinking partner. You're asking for big trouble there Gwen, but I'll take you on that bet." Finally something she could get behind. "We can ever play never have I ever. First to pass out or tap out loses."

"You're definitely in dangerous waters," Jensen couldn't help the laugh that bubbled right out of her, did the Black Siren really think she could take a Jones on? She slammed the shot back, barely flinching as it burned down her throat. "There's no way I'm tapping out, so you better be ready to haul my ass back to my apartment."

The bartender slid the requested drinks over to them, and Jensen reached out and stole a jägerbomb, pulling it towards her. "I'll give you this, you know how to party." She waved her free hand at Gwen, nodding appreciatively. "I'll go first. Never have I ever... oh, frick. What do people even do these days? Smoke pot? Yeah, I've never done that."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Wren Wilson Character Portrait: Frankie Parker Character Portrait: Lilith Isley Character Portrait: Caitria Allen Character Portrait: Ulrich Zod Character Portrait: Jensen Jones
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H A R L E Y x W I L L I A M S
8 6 2 A 5 1



Harley instantly regretted his input as the large dark haired brute punched a hole in the wall and tossed the red head through it, out into the cold and wet courtyard of the facility. Harley looked up at the guy in shock, he thought these guys were the heroes, but there was some doubt in his mind now.
“What the hell, Ulrich?” One of the blondes yelled at him.
"Anybody else wanna find another way out?" Harley shook his head and jogged back to Anastasia's side, lifting her once more before following the rest out of the hole.

He drew upon whatever energy he had within himself and used it to form a protective bubble around him and Anastasia, letting them drift down safely and without doing any damage to the pair.
“Let's keep moving.” Another blonde encouraged them as the rest of them dropped to the ground, whilst the blonde who scolded the brute carried the red head off towards a large military truck.
"Where exactly are we heading to?" Harley asked, those that were still around him. Cautious not to trust them after what he just saw, if they were truly allies, and that's how they treated each other, how would they treat him and Anastasia, if they survived. "Do you even know where we are?"

Before he could get an answer, gunshots echoed from the truck and Harley's attention was drawn towards it as the redhead opened fire on the hole, covering the rest of them from the gathering soldiers. “Let’s go!!” Harley heard one of them shout and he looked at the others.
"Anywhere is better than here, I suppose." So Harley pushed himself as fast as he could to the truck, which would have been fine if he wasn't carrying Anastasia but he wasn't going to leave her and he still didn't trust their rescuers just yet.

He lifted Anastasia onto the truck and looked behind himself, a few of the rescuers were still behind and more soldiers had made it to the hole, more than the red head could pick off with the gun in her hand. Harley looked at his hand, he didn't know what his powers could do just yet, but he had to at least try and help them. So he summoned some more of the purple energy and threw it, guiding it with his hand towards the hole, it impacted with one of the soldiers and exploded outward, but instead of orange flame, it was bright purple plasma. The edges of the hole were melting and the surviving soldiers were screaming in agony as their armour was melted by the heat. "Oh my god." Harley muttered.



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G W E N x Q U E E N-L A N C E
F C D 1 1 6


"Oh, Ulrich. Okay. I see how it is." Gwen smiled awkwardly and prepared for some teasing to come her way. "You'd be cute together, for sure." Gwen squinted at Jensen, before shaking her head.
"God, I wouldn't be dating him if I thought we wouldn't be cute together." Gwen chuckled, she couldn't blame Jensen for not knowing they were together, they didn't exactly advertise it and Gwen wouldn't let him visit whilst she was away, she could only imagine her parents reaction if they found out she was dating the son of Zod.

After the bartender refilled Jensen's drink and provided Gwen with hers, Jensen turned to her and said,
"You're asking for big trouble there Gwen, but I'll take you on that bet." Jensen probably said it to dissuade her, but it only encouraged Gwen more to take the challenge, encouraging her to add her own twist of fun to the game by adding some never have I ever to it. "You're definitely in dangerous waters," Jensen then swigged her shot back without a flinch. "There's no way I'm tapping out, so you better be ready to haul my ass back to my apartment."
"So if I'm doing the hauling, does that mean you're gonna pass out first?" Gwen teased, with a dramatic sip of her daiquiri after the barman handed it to her and placed the shots down between the pair. Jensen took her jägerbomb and gestured her appreciation before necking it, and Gwen, not wanting to be showed up, threw the kamikaze back and swiftly followed it with her jägerbomb.
"I'll give you this, you know how to party." Gwen shrugged with a smile and gestured for the bartender to refill the jägerbombs. "I'll go first. Never have I ever... oh, frick. What do people even do these days? Smoke pot? Yeah, I've never done that." Gwen took a sip of her drink with a tilt of her head and squint of her eyes.
"Huh... Did not expect to be something you hadn't done." She then tapped her chin as she thought of her go. "Never have I ever done it in my parents house."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tobias Lehnsherr Character Portrait: Jensen Jones Character Portrait: Wynne Worthington Character Portrait: Gwen Queen-Lance
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"Actually... I learned this before coming here. But I have given myself a couple stitches since I came to the academy." Wynne followed Tobias's movements, wincing a little as he pressed the gauze against the wound. But his hands were gentle, and he wasn't unnecessarily forceful, which she appreciated.

When everything was done and put away she tried to relax a little, rearranging her feathers so they wouldn't ruffle as she sat back in her chair, her eyes fixed on Tobias. She noted how he shifted in his seat, eyeing his bandages. Perhaps she should have been a little more judicious and showed the same concern back - but before she could he began to speak.

"When I was with my father before coming here..." It seemed hard for him to find the words. But Wynne waited, wanting to let him have the space to talk. "Those in the Brotherhood often would return with varying wounds."

Well, that wouldn't be wrong. The Brotherhood had created a lot of trouble for authorities, and the issue of mutants couldn't have stayed away from her own conference table long. She had every reason to resent Tobias and his father... but something in her intuition warned her not to jump to conclusions. Maybe it'd do to hear him out, Wynne. After all, it's not like you're the same as your father, yourself.

"Mostly I helped patch up my mother since I was young. She seemed to come home wounded more often than the others."

"Mother? Do you mean... Mystique?" Her connection to Erik Lehnsherr was no secret, but it seemed strange to Wynne, for her to be seen as a mother figure. It humanised her, and not in a way Wynne liked. There was an us and there was a them, and she didn't need to feel sympathy for them, not when she was here to work against them.


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"Done it?" Jensen burst out laughing. "Aw, you're adorable. Yeah, I've totally done that. My mom doesn't care, but I'm almost afraid to think of your parents' reaction." Unlike Gwen's sip of her drink, Jensen happily downed her jägerbomb, still trying not to laugh.

They continued swapping never have I evers for a while, Jensen getting drunker a little faster than she'd expected to be. Maybe there were still drugs in her system from her little stay in the infirmary, although by all means it shouldn't have been too much of a concern considering her sped-up metabolism. Still, at some point of time she'd put her head down, resting her forehead on the cool wood of the bar while continuing to slur words at Gwen. "Um. Never have I ever actually laughed while typing 'LOL'. Does anyone even do that?" She turned her head to the side to fix a bleary eye on Gwen. "I bet you do. You seem like the type... the Taylor Swift-type girl." She sighed, turning her face back to the bar as she groped along the surface to find her drink.

"I don't normally do this, but you're done," the bartender said firmly, tapping the wood by Jensen's head. "I can't keep watching this. There was just an attack on the building, for chrissakes. You'd better go back and rest."

"Can't argue with that," Jensen groaned, either really drunk or just not in a fighting mood. "Don't really wanna be alone though. Too much to think about."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Wren Wilson Character Portrait: Frankie Parker Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Riley Barton Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch Character Portrait: Caitria Allen
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"Where exactly are we heading to?" One of the newcomers questioned them as everyone piled into the bed of the truck. "Do you even know where we are?"

"Does it matter?!"Wren didn’t lift her cheek from the butt of the rifle as she kept picking off Hydra soldiers as the as they filed out of the facility. There was only a few of them at first, but more and more started to flood out like rats away from a fire. She did what she could, but there was only so many bullets and she could only shoot so fast. Wren could understand the concern in him, he’s following a bunch of enhanced people he doesn’t know just go somewhere. But it was a better option than staying and hanging out with Hydra anyway you slice it.

Wren’s brows raised when a purple ball of something flew the guy and slammed into a crowd of soldiers, lighting them all up in a column of violet flames. She glanced over her shoulder toward the culprit giving him a slight smile and a nod of her head.

On cue from inside the cabin, Frankie honked the horn hurrying everyone into the truck. The blonde poked her head out of the driver side window to look back at Wren. She hollered something about needing to go that the red head couldn’t hear over the rain and loud rumble of the truck. Wren put one more shot between the eyes of an approaching guard before sliding the gun into the bed of the truck.

She was about to climb into the bed, but stopped when she saw the bazooka. Wren could have left it. They all could have left everything the way it was and still gotten away in one piece. But that wasn’t enough for her. With her back to the facility, a force slammed her from behind. She glanced down to see a bullet right through her left shoulder before lodging itself in the side of the vehicle. Her left arm was weakened, but she pushed past the pain and hefted the bazooka up onto her right shoulder. "Go fuck yourself," she said as she pulled the trigger.

The recoil made her falter backward as the projectile flew toward the base. Like the thunder, the impact at first was quiet then rippled through the ground like a wave. The explosion light up the sky and the sound was like a physical wave that pushed her back. For good measure, Wren flipped the bird toward what remained of the Hydra facility before climbing up into the bed of the truck. She gave two smacks to the side to signal she was in and Frankie didn’t hesitate to floor it out of there.

***

Frankie drove the truck through the night. Surprisingly, the base wasn’t on another continent halfway around the world. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Attacking the Academy is a risky move, and the longer amount of time they spent in the air with all of them that they kidnapped, the easier it would have been for the other Descendants, heroes or whatever else to hunt them down. It took Frankie the better part of an hour or two of driving to see roads signs that told her she was in Canada and figure out the right way to travel.

It was a long drive and for the tail end of it, she could feel her eyelids getting heavier. Frankie thought about pulling over and asking one of the others to drive, but they all looked worse for the wear. So, she pushed through it, driving the army trunk down freeways until they arrived back in Bridgeport. At first she saw the Descendent tower peeking out over the horizon just past dawn. The sun glistened off the windows making the building shimmer like the Emerald City.

Frankie felt a knot twist in her gut as tears formed in her eyes. There is nothing that can quite describe the fear one feels when they are so close to something they fought for. She wanted to feel relief but until she was inside and could see her friends’ faces, the pit would only grow. So often people are torn from what they want just shy and she’d be damned if that would stop her now.

She pulled the truck down the long narrow driveway that lead up to the tower, her hands white knuckling the steering wheel as they grew closer. Frankie hadn’t thought about it until that moment… But the fact that they were pulling up to a building filled with some of the world’s most powerful people in a foreign truck, shortly after an attack wasn’t the smartest. But she didn’t care.

The truck came to an abrupt stop before the tower, Frankie all but slamming on the breaks to stop the truck. She didn’t even waste the time to turn off the engine. The blonde stumbled out of the driver’s seat, nearly falling to her knees on the pavement. She couldn’t fight the tears that fell from her eyes nor the sobs that climbed up her throat.

Frankie made her way to the entrance and pushed open the large entry doors into the tower, desperate for a familiar face.

***

Wren was awoken when the truck came to quick stop causing her to slide along the bed of the truck until she collided with the back of the cabin. She groaned as she sat up, her hand cupping the gunshot wound in her shoulder that had only healed a fraction as much as it would have on a normal day. Wren raised her fist and banged it on the back of the truck’s cabin. "What in the hell is going on?"

When she didn’t get a response, Wren open her eyes only to have the breath taken from her as she saw a familiar skyline. She all but shoved past the others to climb out of the back of the truck. Unfortunately for her, when her feet hit the ground, her body was not prepared to catch her.

She remained there, frozen on the concrete under the early morning sunlight. Red locks fell around her head like a veil while she was on her hands and knees. Wren was never the type to cry, anger was always her go to emotion in most situations, but it rose up through her like a wave. Then there at that moment on the ground, so close to the academy she wept. Her body heaved with every sob as her head fell into the palms of her hands upon the ground.




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tobias lehnsherr
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"Mother? Do you mean... Mystique?" Wynne asked.

Tobias’ brows raised as he looked at her in curiosity before it had sunken in. Of course, Wynne, might not have known about his connection to Raven like some of the other people at the academy. It wasn’t something that he openly broadcasted or anything, but like any building with a lot of busy bodies, information spreads fast.

He adjust in his wheelchair, holding his bandaged wound with his right hand as he did. Tobias sighed at his own incapacitation before looking over at Wynne and nodding his head. "Yes. She’s not actually my mother. I never knew my mother. But where my father didn’t raise me… Raven did."

Tobias never liked the negative outlook people had on his mother. He knew her true nature that no one else got to see and he was always willing to speak about her in a new light. Sadly, most people didn’t believe him that his mother was a good person beneath everything else. But when Magneto wants you to do something you do it… Or you die.

***

He hadn’t been in bed long. Surprisingly, Wynne and Tobias spent a better part of the evening on the roof talking… About anything, everything. It was so rare that anyone went out of their way to speak to him as an equal, beside Petra. But she was family.

Tobias had just reached a deeper slumber when a loud alarm and bright lights woke him. He sat up so quickly in his bed that he nearly popped a stitch. His hand quickly moving to his side to cup his wound as he groaned. J.A.R.V.I.S.’s voice echoed throughout the tower, "This is not a drill. Approaching foreign vehicle. All hands to the main floor."

As quickly as he could manage, Tobias climbed out of bed and into his wheelchair. Before he exited his room, he rolled over to the window looking out to see a large military truck approaching the tower. None of them had their strength back to handle another Hydra attack, especially himself. He cursed under his breath and used his abilities to move his chair far faster than his hands could.

He contemplated diverting to Petra’s room. But instead, Tobias tried to be one of the first to the lobby, hoping that maybe it took her too long to get down here or she slept through the alarms. Then, she’d be out of harm’s way. Instead of pressing the button for the elevator, he willed it to his floor only and forced it down to ground level.

Tobias rolled into the main lobby to be met by Mycroft, Coulson and Alfred. It was the first time he ever saw the trio prepared for a real attack… Not scolding the about their simulations. They all stood there like sentries in Kevlar vests. For the first time in his life, they all seemed almost relieved that he was there with them in the academy. If the situation wasn’t so dire he might have even commented on it. Instead his gaze focused on the approaching truck, trying to muster whatever energy he had.

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ross mcculloch
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It was a rude awakening for a drunk and injured man. If he wasn’t sunken into a beanbag chair like quicksand, Ross might have fallen on the floor from the shock of it all. He tried to find something to throw at… Well, he didn’t know, but something but came up short handed.

It took Ross a few moments to fully comprehend what J.A.R.V.I.S. was saying over the alarms but once it registered, he nearly jumped up from his place in the beanbag chair. He grabbed his backpack which held his mirror gun and a large arrangements of mirrors, then headed out the door. Barefoot, still in his hospital pants and shirtless, he ran as fast as he could down the hallway.

In a quick decision, Ross turned to the stairs rather than waiting on the elevator. This time he refused to be taken by surprise. He hated how he wasn’t powerful like most of the other students here, but he earned his place and he would protect his friends. So many of them were already taken, that he wouldn’t let whomever was rolling right up to their door take anyone else.

He ran into the lobby, slowing to a halt along with the others. Ross looked like an idiot holding a mirror gun in his hands while he was barely dressed. The skills he inherited from his father were a joke, but nonetheless, he intended to use every trick he had up his sleeve if he had to. Then the driver’s side door opened…

Ross got ready to shoot, but when the blonde came into view, his gun fell from his hands as he stood there in shock. It clattered to the ground, the sound echoing off the walls of the large foyer. "Oh m’god… Ets Frankie!"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Wren Wilson Character Portrait: Frankie Parker Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Ulrich Zod Character Portrait: Gwen Queen-Lance Character Portrait: Anastasia Petrovna
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xxxxxxxU L R I C HxxZ O D
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xxxxxxxxxxparentage: Dru-Zod
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Of all the descendants it was Wren that was noticeably most grateful to be out of the line of fire. For someone who never took war or battles seriously and seemed to like bloodshed, she was the one scrambling over others and pushing them aside just to meet the safe territory first. She fell to all fours and began to sob. Ulrich froze and tilted his head, not sure he wanted to pass such an emotional wreck of a woman. It'd be like walking pass a grumpy Chihuahua, his ankles would be bitten and of course she chose to collapse right in the middle of everybody's path. And she still had his jacket. Ulrich took a deep breath and tried to avoid stepping over Wren, just in time to see Frankie had bolted to the doors.

Of course he was relieved as the others to be at the academy again. It had a sense of safety, despite it being so easily infiltrated before, but it felt like he could relax, not worry about kryptonite technology being used against him or being weak again and it must have mirrored others feelings. A slight smile passed his lips. At the academy he could gather his strength again and see his blonde beauty. No, it wasn't such a bad place but it never reached home.

He edged around the reunions slowly and scanned for his own woman to embrace but stopped when he overheard one descendant still on guard. "You'll forgive me for being suspicious, I hope. Who are you, and can anyone vouch for you?" Ulrich glanced back over his shoulder to see Petra had intercepted the three fellow prisoners' path. At least somebody was alert.

For a moment he waited for somebody with a better reputation to speak up, but it didn't come - at least not in a timely manner. Ulrich pursed his lips and huffed out having to step out of his comfort zone for others again. "I can," he joined Petra's side. "They had these beaten and bruised faces before we got to them, and they helped us escape hydra." His word probably wasn't worth a lot to her, but he had tried and that's all he could do. He bowed his head slightly to the new comers wishing them well and thanking them for the aid in one gesture, then left them to Petra's judgement. She didn't have to trust him to make the right call.

Ulrich continued to search for Gwen, but if he didn't find her soon, he'd happily take a hot shower instead.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Wren Wilson Character Portrait: Frankie Parker Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Riley Barton Character Portrait: Ulrich Zod Character Portrait: Gwen Queen-Lance
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Harley dropped down next to Anastasia, she hadn't stirred much during the escape but she did drowsily lift her head to look at her surrounds, in the safety of the van, which was travelling to God only knows were and Harley suddenly wondered, if the people who had saved him were really much better than their own kidnappers... After all, both parties didn't seem to mind killing, not that he could judge after melting half a dozen men, but that was an accident, his rescuers killed on purpose, some of them even seemed to enjoy it. Harley's mind raced as such for the rest of the journey, he reached out for the nearest comfort and that was Anastasia, he wrapped his arm around her and let her head rest on his shoulder. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, exhausted from everything, it felt like the first proper sleep he'd had since being taken.

The van stopped rather sharply and the red-headed woman slammed the wall of the van, the noise waking Harley from his sleep.
"What in the hell is going on?" Harley lifted his head to look at her, but she was shoving past the others to get out of the van as if she saw something. Harley gave Anastasia a slight shake, cautiously checking her pulse just to make sure she wasn't dead.
"I think we're here... Wherever here is." He helped Anastasia up and got her out of the van, he looked at the behemoth of a tower that stood before them. His father had mentioned the Descendant's initiative to him before, in passing, but he didn't believe it was real. He looked at the others who seemed to just wander into the building before following after them, albeit slightly slower due to Anastasia's weakened state.

Before he could enter the building, another red-headed woman, different from the one who saved them stepped in his way.
"You'll forgive me for being suspicious, I hope. Who are you, and can anyone vouch for you?" Harley's eyebrows knotted in anger, all three of the newcomers had just been tortured, beaten and experimented on and brought here against their own will. They were civilians caught up in their world, not threats to it, but thankfully before Harley could say as much, the dark-haired man he'd seemingly pissed off before stepped in.
"I can. They had these beaten and bruised faces before we got to them, and they helped us escape hydra." Harley thanked him with a nod before looking at the red-head.
"We were kidnapped by whoever those people were and experimented on, even tortured." Harley restrained himself from getting hysterical. "Now I have powers that melt people! I'm a nurse! Not some freak that melts people's faces off!" He wasn't very successful at restraining himself.


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Gwen doesn't remember how, but at some point, she made it back to her apartment and changed into some lingerie that was in no way comfortable. Her head was fuzzy but she wasn't hungover, she could at least say that Jensen won their drinking game for sure. Before Gwen could gather herself, J.A.R.V.I.S rang throughout her apartment.
"This is not a drill. Approaching foreign vehicle. All hands to the main floor." Fuzzy headed or not, Gwen leapt toward her wardrobe, grabbing her signature leather jacket, which she pulled on with ease, she thanked all the gods that she'd been wearing a full bodice and not just some revealing bra and thong. She grabbed her sonic amplifier and put it around her neck, as she put her boots on she could see the van from her window driving down the road. Gwen ran for the lift, the lift seemed to move even faster during emergency situations and Gwen felt as if she was been hurled down to the main floor, but that could have been the alcohol that her metabolism had yet to flush from her system.

"Oh m’god… Ets Frankie!" Gwen joined the others guarding the lobby, just as Ross announced who was driving the van. She looked up at the blonde figure stumbling through the lobby doors before anyone else could react Riley shoved past the crowd and dashed over to her, the mentors shouting instruction for him to come back until it's safe. Petra soon joined him past the defence line, but she went straight out the door and rounded the corner. Gwen followed after her.

The cool morning breeze hit her as she exited the building, Petra was standing in front of 3 unfamiliar faces, given what had happened within the past 24 hours, she understood but the 3 stood in front of her looked to be in worse states than anybody else. Just as Gwen was going to come to their defence, a familiar face pulled up next to Petra and did it for her.
"Ulrich!" Gwen ran at him and when she collided with him, her arms reached around him pulled him in tight. "Are you okay? They didn't use kryptonite on you, did they? Are you hurt anywhere?" The guilt Gwen felt for not putting 2 and 2 together and recognising that Ulrich had been taken with the others, only made her hold him tighter.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender Character Portrait: Wren Wilson Character Portrait: Frankie Parker Character Portrait: Petra Maximoff Character Portrait: Riley Barton Character Portrait: Ross McCulloch
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#, as written by mjolnir
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wren wilson
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frankie parker
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ross mcculloch
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tobias lehnsherr
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“If this is a joke, McCulloch, you're going first,” Jensen snarled angrily toward Ross.

“Fuck you. It’s not—“ For the first time, probably ever, Ross shut up when Riley pushed past him and Jensen.

Frankie was barely through the doors when she felt a force like a train collide with her and envelope her. She blinked her eyes as if in a daze while her mind caught up. Then it clicked. The brunette hair and familiar arms. She let out a ragged gasp as her arms wrapped around Riley, bringing him even closer if it were possible. “How... we thought you... you're safe.” Frankie had hardly realized she was crying until he pulled away from her to hold her at an arm’s length. “Frankie, oh god, you're back.” She gave her bravest smile, but it lacked and barely passed for more than a frown. “You can - you can tell us what happened later. We gotta get you to the infirmary first. Is everyone back?”

The blonde’s gaze fell slightly as she shook her head. “Most… Not all.” She didn’t argue or turn down Riley’s help as he guided her inside. Frankie smiled somberly as she took in everyones’ faces. Most of them looked worse for the ware as well. How many of them had to spend their night in the infirmary under medical attention. No doubt Ross. His face was black and blue, but the Scot still managed to smile and hug her once she was inside.

Wren glanced up briefly when she saw feet move around her. She caught a brief glimpse of Ulrich as he seemed to eye his jacket she still wore while also tiptoeing around her like she was a lion waiting to pounce. She sighed out of annoyance, sniffling back her tears as she yanked the jacket from her arms and threw it at his feet. Wren didn’t say anything, honestly she could go a decade without seeing Ulrich again and it’d be too much.

Tobias watched Petra quickly make her way outside. He didn’t know what she was doing, but similarly the tender reunions were lost on him. Not one of them was on more than a first name basis with him. Instead his brows furrowed as his gaze focused on the truck. It seemed easy… too easy. Something in his gut twisted telling him that he needed to search the vehicle, if anything, for his own piece of mind.

He didn’t mean to break up the reunions, but this was more important, there would be more time to catch up. Tobias rolled his wheel chair forward, lightly placing his hand on Ross’ shoulder to get his attention. “Apologies, but I need your help.” He nodded his head towards the Scot’s bag as a silent signal that he should bring it along.

“Alright,” Ross replied, giving Frankie a final pat on the shoulder. He then moved behind Tobias’ wheelchair and began pushing it. He knew the man didn’t need help in that way. After all, his abilities let him move it without risk of popping a stitch. But regardless, he moved the chair forward mumbling a quiet ’excuse us’ whenever they moved past someone.

Tobias waved his index and middle finger at the doors, opening them for Ross as he wheeled him outside. He held up his hand to stop Ross when he noticed the unfamiliar faces, but the chair was already slowing at that point, coming to a rest beside Petra.

“You'll forgive me for being suspicious, I hope. Who are you, and can anyone vouch for you?”

Ross and Tobias stood there silently, looking between Petra and the new comers. It was a good question, especially with the uneasy feeling Tobias had rising in his gut.

“I can,” Ulrich said as he stepped forward. “They had these beaten and bruised faces before we got to them, and they helped us escape hydra.”

“We were kidnapped by whoever those people were and experimented on, even tortured.” The new arrival stepped forward, speaking for himself. He seemed unhinged, for good reason. Anyone who had gone through torture and imprisonment would be less than stable. “Now I have powers that melt people! I'm a nurse! Not some freak that melts people's faces off!”

“It’s alright, mate,” Ross said, exchanging sideways glances with Petra. He then gave the stranger a pat on the shoulder and nodded his head toward the doors. “If he wasn’t ok, I doubt they would have kept him alive for the ride.”

Wren’s face was buried in her hands as she tried to calm herself, to breathe. Her body still hurt, healing slower and more painfully than she had ever experienced. It almost felt like it was ripping itself back open before it fused together. She only looked up when a figured knelt down beside her.

Jensen’s head dipped down to look at Wren from beneath the veil of crimson hair that blocked her face. “Didn't bring me a bouquet of Hydra heads?” Wren’s jaw dropped slightly as her brows furrowed. A weak, annoyed laugh escaped her lips. “How're you doing, baby?”

“How the fuck do you think I’m doing?” Wren practically growled. “I was shish kabob-ed by a harpoon, my neck broken, beaten, shot… tortured,” her voice cracked on the last word. She pushes off the ground and weakly moved to her feet. Wren wobbled as she pushed her way past everyone to get into the tower. For a moment, she froze like a deer in headlights at the sight of everyone in the lobby. They all hugged each other in reunions, but no one came to hug her. No one cared that she looked like death twice over. Wren wiped away a tear then continued to push past the others, making her way toward the elevator.

Tobias motioned toward Ross toward the side of the large truck. “I’m assuming you have a mirror on you?”

Ross scoffed as he pulled his pack from his back and unzipped it. After a moment he pulled out a compact mirror and held it out to Tobias. “I could’ve told ya that ya look like shite. Didn’t need a mirror for dat.”

“Last I checked, you look worse than me,” Tobias jested. He then levitated the mirror from his hand, slowly guiding it underneath the truck. He moved it slowly making sure the reflective surface was angled partly toward him. For awhile the search showed no results… Until he caught a glimpse of a flashing red light in the undercarriage. Tobias quickly brought back the mirror and shoved it into Ross’ hand, before he pushed off the armrests of the wheelchair and began to stand.

“Woah woah tiger, da hell do ya think you’re doin’?” Ross said as he moved before Tobias holding out his hands to stop him.

“There’s something under there… I need to look.”

“I’ll look.” Ross pushed the mirror against Tobias’ chest until he took it in his hand and sat back down. “What am I looking for?”

“A red light.”

”Like a bomb?”

“Could you say that any louder?! Just look… If it is, I’ll take care of it.”

“Fackin’ hell,” Ross grumbled under his breath as he lowered himself until he was sitting on the ground. He took a deep breath then carefully scooted underneath on his back. It took him a moment before he found the light. “Found it! There’s no timer… Just numbers… Looks like coordinates.”

“J.A.R.V.I.S. can you scan those coordinates?”

“Of course, Mr. Lehnsherr… The coordinates are for our current location. It looks as though the truck has a tracking device.”

“God dammit,” Tobias groaned under his breath as he threw the mirror at the side of the truck, the small fragile compact shattering on impact.

“Aye, mate! That was a good mirror!”

“J.A.R.V.I.S. can you jam the signal and scatter it so that it shows different locations around the globe every few seconds?”

“It is done.”



“Don’t lift it until I return,” Tobias ordered the computer as he stood up from his wheelchair unsteadily. He slipped his arm from Ross’ grasp when the Scot tried to stop him and continued back into the tower. He was careful not to move his right arm too much and pop a stitch, using his left arm to wedge space between the others and make his way to the elevator. He came to a stop beside Wren who looked desperate to get away from the crowd and the lift was crawling its way down the tower to the lobby. Impatient Tobias raised his hand and willed the elevator down to their floor, bypassing any other stops.