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No Mutant Left Behind

Marvel Universe

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a part of No Mutant Left Behind, by Vix.

None

Vix holds sovereignty over Marvel Universe, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

676 readers have been here.

Copyright: The creator of this roleplay has attributed some or all of its content to the following sources:

this roleplay is based off of marvel's x-men comic book series. it has heavy influences from the decimation arc.

Setting

Default Location for No Mutant Left Behind
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Minimap

Marvel Universe is a part of No Mutant Left Behind.

6 Characters Here

Klaus Wagner [6] "I refuse to believe that anything within this world has any real reason to exist anymore."
Tennessee Brannon [5] "You do not need to think you were abandoned by the world. The world never took you before."
Rebecca Howlett [5] "In all my years of age, the patterns of violence and destruction have never been more blatantly obvious. With every solution I find, another problem rises. When will it end?"
Rosetta Juarez [5] "You really don't want to have a problem with me."
Martin Bruntz [4] "I may be a slow walker, but I never walk back."
Johnathan Kouri [2] If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet.

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Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Rebecca Howlett Character Portrait: Tennessee Brannon Character Portrait: Rosetta Juarez Character Portrait: Klaus Wagner Character Portrait: Martin Bruntz
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#, as written by Vix
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{β†’ o u t f i t ← | β†’ m o o d m u s i c ←}
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Two weeks.

That's how long it had taken for them to work things out. It had been hectic, dealing with everything that had come their way. Things weren't completely sorted out but they were on the road there. Xavier's had been moving people in and moving people out since the death of Wanda Maximoff after she triggered the depowering of mutants all across the globe. Nobody really knew what had happened but the X-Men all knew that it had to do with Wanda, the only mutant capable of warping reality so quickly on such a level. None could even remember, having their minds erased, of the alternate reality she had created. All anyone could remember was life as normal only to wake up the next day and find that mutants had lost their abilities.

A lot of them.

Some were awake when it had happened in the dead of the night, watching frightened as they were suddenly no longer mutants. For those at Xavier's, they'd been examined in great detail and it was discovered that their X-Gene was completely gone, without a trace. A few samples had been taken from humans as well and it was found that they no longer possessed the X-Gene that would make it possible for them to one day mutate as well. It was the very next day when the news hit the television screens and internet. The inhabitants of Xavier's Estate felt a tragic loss as Jeanette Summers, the only child of Scott and Jean and the strongest mutant telepath since the death of Charles Xavier, died from mental overload after using Cerebro to see how many were left. She died shortly after letting them know. Scott was barely able to contain his despair and it was a damn near catastrophe trying to plan and host a funeral while at the same time packing up and moving out those who were humans while also seeking out and moving in the mutants who needed their help.

Two weeks and they had moved out their human residents; It had been easy enough to find them homes when many of Xavier's graduates and former staff members were willing to reach out a hand to the former mutants, some of them now human as well. The staff of Xavier's apologized but there was none needed, as they understood that they needed all the room they could get as well as how being around so many humans could be a trigger for some mutants. Only fifty-three inhabitants of Xavier's hadn't been depowered and all of them focused themselves on moving in the new mutants that began flooding in as well as maintaining security, keeping the protesters, rioters, and the news teams at their gates.

It was tough work but they managed to do so with a limited amount of snapping on others, breaking down into tears, and whining for normalcy. By the time that the twelfth had rolled around, they were still getting a few new mutants a day and had everyone situated into their dorm rooms and made sure they knew how to get around the house and who the staff members were. Rosetta had managed to find among the refugees some new teachers to replace the ones that they had lost during the day that was now dubbed β€œM-Day”. She was happy that they could finally begin to establish at least some sense of a normal life after getting everything sorted out, mentally exhausted from the matter. After establishing contact with their former-mutant friends, Rose officially declared things to be back in order. Students had been registered for the school year, and she had made a number of backup plans to discuss with the X-Men.




Rose grunted as she glanced at the clock on the wall; It was six in the morning. That meant that people would be getting up and getting ready to start their day. Most of the people there, nearly two hundred, had been in Xavier's for a while. However, at least two-thirds of them were still relatively or completely new. She had decided to delay the beginning of school for another week to give everyone time to adjust. She didn't think she'd give them much longer, thinking that getting them into a schedule of a normal life at Xavier's would help them all calm down. She and her team worked hard to shield them from the mess outside and she knew that a lot of people were bummed about them no longer being able to go to the rest of New York City.

However, many of them that were coming in from elsewhere had barely made it through the front gates, swarmed by throngs of people. There were media reporters all over, angry Christian protesters rioting, and pro-mutant supporters trying to chase away the protesters. Then there were cops as well, constantly breaking up fights. It was a mess out there and Rose had responded by telling the media to wait and making higher walls around the school. She would have to address them eventually and that day might as well be today. The sooner she got them out of there, the better. She would have to deal with the cops as well as local and state government, having a meeting in another thirty minutes with all of them, arranged a rather informal press conference within the mansion by George. The older man thought that it would fare better for them and the rest of the mutants not associated with the Brotherhood if they actually sat down to explain what was going on as best as they could. Revealing the true nature of Xavier's Academy would hopefully help as well, also admitting why it was kept so secret.

She sighed heavily and stood from her seat behind her desk, looking around her office. She should probably get dressed now, having been in pajamas for a while now. She hadn't really been doing anything for the past twenty-nine hours except sitting in front of her computer, trying to catalog all of the mutants that had come to them as well as wiring money to those who'd left. Charles had left a massive fortune for them and she had essentially cleaned out the bank, sending out well over twenty million dollars to her former students and colleagues who were now essentially on the run – Though, perhaps β€œhiding” would be a better phrase.

While they had done nothing wrong, they didn't want to get caught up in the wave of chaos. Now that they were human... They were vulnerable. Most of their families knew that they were mutants and were not supporters; They feared that their human family members would throw them to the wolves. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time for many. Rose didn't mind the lack of money – She maintained the grounds and for the past three years their entire household had been running through the use of alternative generators that were built by Rebecca Howlett and kept running by getting a weekly dose of electricity by Rose and a couple of others capable of generating electricity. She felt that they were in a good situation to sustain themselves without ever having to leave. Ever. But she obviously didn't want to keep everyone a prisoner forever. She wouldn't make them go through something like that.

She eventually forced herself out of her office and headed up to her room, closing the door behind her. When she had been appointed Headmistress ten years ago she had been stoked to get the biggest bedroom in the house, celebrating by buying a much larger wardrobe. She moved to her closet and inspected her color arranged outfits, moving down towards the blacks and whites. β€œOh! I haven't worn these yet!” She grabbed a pair of black Christian Louboutin drapesse with a delighted squeal. Her eyes then floated over to a dress of black and white, pulling it out. β€œNineteen fifties chic; I love it.”

She sighed and laid out the outfit on her bed before heading into her bathroom for a quick shower, moving as quickly as she could. Stepping out, she blasted herself with warm air for a quick dry before heading to get dressed, tilting her head at a knock on her door. β€œUm momento, por favor,” she called out as she moved to her dresser and grabbed a seven layer black bead necklace, struggling to get it clipped behind her neck, having to shove thick waves of pale gold out of her way. Her shoes came on last, boosting her up to an even six feet in height, making her a bit more intimidating and professional in appearance than usual; She was normally seen wearing a rainbow of bright colors with her hair rotating color constantly, looking more like a student than the Headmistress.

She headed to the door and pulled it open to see Caelan standing there, welcoming the much larger mutant with a hug. β€œYou look nice, hon',” he said softly. She offered him a soft smile before looking at the clock. β€œThey're here, huh?” She bit down on her bottom lip nervously, her eyebrows pinching together. β€œYeah, Nina is at the front door with them.” Caelan shoved his hands into his pockets, clearly worried about the consequences that could fall upon them if the press conference went wrong. She switched to a smile again and placed her hands on his arms, giving his biceps a squeeze.

β€œEverything's going to be alright. I'm going to need you there... Don't worry about Soph and Skylar; I've asked Tristan to keep an eye on the kids.” As she looked to him for a response, he only nodded before moving for her to exit. His walk behind her was solemn and hers were more confident, the clicking of her heels echoing through the halls as they made their way to the grand staircase, descending a bit slowly. Her unique blue eyes swept across the sight before her. The X-Men had gathered and waited patiently for her, standing in front of their guests. Nina moved to take her place among the X-Men, offering Rose a nod of her head.

Rose's gaze then turned towards the humans: Gary Markov, the Commissioner of the NYPD, Elaine Roberts, the Mayor of New York City, Jackson Talbon, the Governor of New York, and four people that she didn't know, reporters for news networks. She kept on a brave face and a kind smile as pink wildflowers bloomed from her hair.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and made a showing motion of opening her arms. β€œWelcome to Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youngsters.” She continued moving forward until she was standing evenly between her team and the humans, bringing her hands clasped together, resting against her abdomen. β€œI know that you all, and the rest of the world, have a lot of questions. And I'll try to answer them as well as I can.” Her eyes closed as she took a breath before opening them again, looking into the cameras. β€œMy name is Rosetta Juarez and I have been the Headmistress of this academy for the past ten years. ...Until recently, the majority of the humans who know about this place have believed it to be just an academy for students with extraordinary talents, something like a performing arts school. However, we are a school exclusively for mutants.”

She took a moment to let this sink in as it was finally admitted to the world. A female reporter lifted her hand, answered with a nod. β€œMichigan Lousit, CNN. Is this school exclusive to mutants because of its ties with The Brotherhood of Mutants or any hatred towards humans?” Ah, the first and most obvious question.

β€œNo. This school was founded to protect both humans and mutants. Whether born with abilities or having developed them later in life, no mutant will automatically have complete mastery of them. Their mutations are triggered by intense states of emotions and can be dangerous if they don't learn what they can do and how to control it. Because of both this and the stigma against mutants, they are welcomed here to be surrounded by other mutants. This instills them with a sense of normalcy, feeling less like a freak of nature and learning to accept who they are, learning to feel unique. Everyone is required to take Power Control classes under the supervision of my staff members as well as allow themselves to be studied by Doctor Rebecca Howlett, who can help us gain a better understanding of their abilities until they have mastered keeping their powers under control to the point of their accidents being within point oh-five percent and no higher and achieve her seal of approval. And I won't lie: There are mutants here who both hate and fear humans due to prior torture and abuse suffered at the hands of humans, often their own friends and families.”

Another reporter lifted a hand, this one a male. β€œChuck Quarters, Fox News. Exactly what are your qualifications to teach these children and to take it upon yourselves deem these children worthy of not being identified as a threat?”

To this, Rose took a step to the side and motioned towards the people behind her. β€œRebecca Howlett is the world's leading expert on genetic mutations. She looks young, but she is fifty-four years old. She obtained four PhDs before she was twenty years old – One in Quantum Physics, one in Molecular Genetics, one in Nanotechnology, and one in Mechanical Engineering. I'm sure you've heard of her. She has studied every mutation known to date, mapped out the capabilities of them, and named them. She studied directly under Professor Charles Xavier, who, as you know, was the first to bring genetic mutations to light – even though nobody listened to him. Nina Villanueva is one of New York's best family lawyers and a skilled therapist. Her abilities allow her to literally feel the emotions of those around her as well as calm them to help prevent incidents. She is our resident therapist and psychologist. Speaking with her helps the students come to terms with themselves and what they can do. Caelan Howlett is a very well traveled and educated man and everybody adores him. He has several college degrees earned over the course of his many years of life and teaches a number of subjects here. I have a degree myself, so I think that qualifies me to teach. We all possess a great deal of power and knew what it was like to grow up fearing and hating ourselves for some time. This allows us to empathize with our students. Doctor Howlett's studies allow her to help determine their potential and their weaknesses. Our Power Control course is more or less learning to control one's emotions. I'm a bit of a hippy, so I know a bit about that.”

Finished, she turned before looking back to the reporters. The Governor spoke up this time, clearly hesitant. β€œThere are rumors that you're training mutants here into an army against humans. That you're somewhat of an academy that churns out Brotherhood members... Is this true? What exactly is your tie to the Brotherhood?” She gave another nod, clenching her hands a bit as she launched into the complicated history between the X-Men and the Brotherhood, trying to keep it as simple as possible while maintaining the point that not all mutants were flaming douchecanoes.

β€œThat is not true. We have our own... Security team. The X-Men, named after our founder, Charles Xavier, are a group of highly trained mutants who have mastered control of their abilities and have shown a strong desire for peace between humans and mutants. Generally, our job simply entails finding innocent mutants who are endangered, often at the hands of humans, and bring them to safety. We offer them a roof over their heads, education, jobs, three square meals a day. We offer them a community, a support network to help them heal. As far as the Brotherhood, we are nothing like them. We discourage every mutant that lives under this roof to refrain from letting any existing fear or hatred towards humans to warp so badly that they become deranged, psychopathic murderers. We do not house Brotherhood members and those who have any alliance with them are given a chance to cut ties or they are removed from our grounds. The Brotherhood and the X-Men have a long history; The founders of both were once best friends. However, Charles held hope for humanity and distanced himself. Erik, the one called Magneto, he had suffered too much at the hands of humans and thought that too many others had as well that he refused to lay down and take it any longer. They weren't always this bad. But we've always fought them and tried to protect both humans and mutants from them. They did their best not to harm fellow mutants, viewing themselves as the superior race. But sometimes mutants stood in their way. Mostly us. In short: They vie for mutant supremacy. We vie for equality.”

β€œWhy be so secretive about it all?” The Commissioner spoke up now, taking a few steps forward until he was nearly toe-to-toe with Rosetta. She was about a half inch taller than him in her heels, casting her gaze down.

β€œHumans already hated mutants enough, judging the entire community for the actions and beliefs of what is relatively a handful. Do you really think that things would have gotten better by telling them Hey! We've got a secret school-slash-community just for mutants, some of which hate humans. We train them to use the powers you think are unnatural, teach them that they're just as normal as you, and we also have a secret special operations team!? I mean... Even right this moment, people are at home hating us for it. We can tell people and show people that not all mutants are evil bastards, that not even the majority or half are, but will they really accept it? We can show scientific proof that mutations are just as natural as everything else... But will they believe it? So far, they haven't. Most of us just want to exist in this world peacefully. To lead normal lives; Have a career, have a family, travel the world. Humans cannot continue to blame mutants for everything wrong with this world. Humans cannot continue to act like mutants are the sole evil, the very source of it. There are humans who are murderers, rapists, child molesters, psychopaths, and terrorists. Despite the fact that for over fifty years we've tried to show that we're not all bad, we've tried to reach out a hand of peace, tried to help, we've been slapped down. Tell me – How's that case going for Erik Lensherr, Mia Tanara, and Lydia Michaels and her unborn child going?”

She gave a hurt glare now, causing the man to look away. β€œI've been watching the news. Erik had a family. He has a family. Grandchildren of his watching humans on television talking about the grandfather that loved them as though he is the source of all evil. As though he was just some psychopathic murderer who got what was coming to him. Humans destroyed his life and his family. Just last month, the same reporters that condemn Erik now are the very same who sympathized for the man who murdered fifty people responsible for his daughter's death and was sent to prison. The only difference between that man and Erik is that Erik is a mutant.”

Everyone was uncomfortable now, the Commissioner taking a step back as she took a step forward. β€œHe has been tortured and abused, shunned his entire life by humans, watching the same happen to his fellow mutants. And no human ever held out a hand to help him. He wanted peace, too! He just didn't see it being possible with humans! Can you blame him?”

Nobody answered her as she went on, her hands coming undone, now hanging at her sides and clenched into fists as she fought back tears. β€œHe's cared for mutant children abused and cast out by their family – He brought Otis to us.” She turned to indicate a young man with a frightened expression, wringing his hands. β€œHe was born with the tail, ears, and several abilities of a cat. He was no danger to anyone. Yet his parents emotionally and physically abused him every day of his life until Erik rescued him when he was ten while he was on his deathbed, starving and bleeding out. Erik took care of him and then brought him to us to take care of. He was a man who didn't want to see anymore children dying. He didn't want to see anymore people shunned by their families for... Evolving. Otis is twenty-one now and among the brightest in his class and as healthy as a horse, never hurt a fly.”

Her head lowered and there was a moment of silence before she lifted her head again. β€œMia's family filed a missing report a month ago. Lydia's husband filed one a month ago as well. Their families loved them. They were kidnapped. They were beaten, raped, killed, desecrated, and pitched up on crosses at the gates of an academy where we house children as young as five years old... I'm not going to sugar coat it... You bring justice, or we will.” Her eyes were cold and hard as she turned to the Governor, who seemed to be thinking before speaking up.

β€œWhat about that depowering... What was that?”

β€œErik's daughter... Wanda. She had the ability to manipulate reality. She was so devastated by what had happened to him, Mia, and Lydia that she became hysterical. She thought that all sides of the war were fighting in vain, that we would all be fighting until we were all dead. She believed that the world would be better off without mutants. So, she attempted to erase mutations across the world by warping reality, erasing the very existence and memory of the X-Gene – She was very powerful but not that powerful. Between the strain of such a large scale reality warp, her unstable mental state, and thousands of mutants whose mutations granted them inherent resistance abilities, she died before she could remove all mutations. Once we realized what exactly it was that she was trying to do, one of our own... Killed her. Doctor Howlett has studied the genes of both humans and former mutants and found that their X-Gene is completely gone, as though they has never existed.”

β€œI'm very sorry to hear that... I have a cousin. He attended here as a child – which is why I addressed the rumors as just that, rumors – and he lost his mutation during this. I harbor no ill-will towards mutants at all. I know that you're all frightened and worried and those idiots out at the gates aren't making it any better. But you have my support and I will do all that I can to make sure that Xavier's Academy is protected. I hadn't planned on announcing this until next week, but a bill is being pushed that will make New York an official sanctuary for mutants. I am pushing for legislation that will protect mutants in this state, whether born here or not. Just remember – we're all scared and we're all worried. But I will do what I can to help fight the fear, the worry, the hatred, and the bigotry. However, I must inform you that some investigations will be conducted; Making sure all of your teachers have the proper certifications and that... Well, make sure that none of the children are kidnapped.”

The two nodded in understanding before sharing a tight and lingering hug. The Governor released her after some time and turned to the others there, motioning towards the door. β€œPerhaps you'll get a tour and interviews with them later, but I think they have things they need to do and don't need us in the way. Gary, I need you to get the blues to start rounding up everyone outside the gate and get them out of here. And don't even think about closing that case.”

Rosetta watched as they all headed to leave, feeling a giant weight off of her shoulders. As the doors closed, she turned to face everyone who had gathered, a smile on her face. β€œI told you – Everything's going to be fine. So long as there's breath in my body, I'm going to fight to keep you safe.” Caelan stepped towards her, motioning to the other ten X-Men. β€œWe all will... Now, go ahead and go get some breakfast, go play. Make yourselves at home...” He gave a faint smile as people slowly began to disperse, heading upstairs to the cafeteria, grumbling about having only one elevator and that one elevator only heading down. He gave a soft chuckle, draping an arm over Rose's shoulders before looking to the others. Most of them had dispersed as well, likely to oversee that everyone was settling nicely.

β€œThings are going to be okay,” she whispered softly, her arms wrapping about him as she leaned against him.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Rebecca Howlett Character Portrait: Tennessee Brannon Character Portrait: Rosetta Juarez Character Portrait: Klaus Wagner Character Portrait: Martin Bruntz
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Rebecca did not look so well. In fact, as the scientist stared down at the screen that held scattered files upon files of data, her world spun. Ironic it was that in all her life - with the restless nights, the self experimentation, and the the reckless work - she would be taken down by a common cold. Whether the causal factor was the two weeks of exhaustion or the fact that she has made the cold atmosphere of the labs her home, the woman was running a fever. While a cold had a drastically shorter time span and weaker effects on her, the struggle her genetic healing factor held against the constant battle forced more strain on her already-exhausted body. The bags under her eyes were signs of insomnia, though intentional. The fever brought a bit of color to her usually pale skin. Everything about her appearance was indicative that she needed rest. As if that was possible.

The lab she stood in was crammed but organized, the equipment held a variety of objects from technologically-advanced machines to basic chemistry equipment. The room had a faint bitter smell of tea leaves though no tea was in sight - nor any liquid at all for that matter except for the sealed tubes with liquids of all different colors. That tiny space with the stuffy atmosphere Rebecca called her home, having spent far more time in it than her actual room. Especially in the past two weeks, where the scientist was often found passed out against the white tables. It was there that others would find her, subconsciously biting her nails with the usual look of focus plastered on her expressions. The world went on perfectly without her on the outside.

Though the reality was far worse than the genius would accept. It had been two weeks since M-Day, and two weeks since she had received far more company than usual. The files that the woman intently stared at were moving on their own upon the screen, the data manipulating and morphing itself to create patterns sensical to her eyes. These files held the carefully mapped-out mutations, in fact every known ones up to date. Though something was different. The thousands of files were now divided into three sections - deceased, erased, and resistant. Her file was amongst those of the third category, along with the chief candidates of the study; their files were scattered before the others - Creeper, Lady Cavaliar, Vervain, and so on. The patterns were obscure, but all those that held healing mutations, whether it be conspicuous as the Howlett genes or merely imbedded into their DNA, it nonetheless gave a scientific basis in a situation that was far more than merely science.

The pinch of the needle against her arm was hardly detected - the woman removes pieces of her organs and tests weapons on herself for research. The red liquid that rose in the syringe appeared just like any other’s, and yet how vastly different it was. Within almost an instant, the small mark made upon her arm disappeared. Slowly, the vile was placed next to others labeled with codes that she could clearly discern, lowered next to one of her brother’s and another of her father’s (the process of collecting it was hardly pleasant, for both him and Rebecca). In the background, the screen above her flickered on to reveal the headmistress’ voice.

The scientist had not bothered to leave the labs to be present for the press conference. It was no secret that she desired no crowds or attentions and the excuse of the overwhelming work and research covered her absence quite nicely. As the voices continued, the volume was increased without so much as a blink of her eyes. On the screen underneath her, the files and data continued the analysis process as if it had a life of its own.

The headmistress’ amiable nature was something to be respected. Her words held power, and while Rebecca had refused to be present, each word broadcasted was heeded by the scientist. Should the smallest mistake be made, she was determined to deactivate every single one of their devices, but that would not be needed. Not when it was Rosetta. With all the chaos and pain, the headmistress now seemed to become the beacon of hope for those left. That did not mean they did not have their fair share of problems. When the voice in the screen spoke of the 0.05% guarantee, the scientist raised her gaze with the crease between her brows indicative of frustration. It would be pretty to think that. With all her credentials, she could no longer guarantee that with complete confidence. Not when the predictability of mutations was growing weaker and weaker by the second.

And then there was her reputation. I'm sure you've heard of her. Indeed they have, but that was years ago. She had not shown reluctance in letting the headmistress announce her presence, but then again, Rebecca hardly shows reluctance or thoughts in any matters. The last heard of her was during the making of the anti-mutagenic cure, of which the day unannounced to the public when all the files within the database was wiped clean. Since then, all search for the scientist was kept out of the public’s eyes. Until now. Her identity as a mutant would be out in the open, but who would she try to impress? No one. Let it be. There were far greater problems at stake. In the moment of frustration, the sudden sneeze shook the woman’s frame just as the bright lab instantly went dark, its lights and machines going out like a candle flame blown from a breath. You have got to be joking. With her demeanor regained, the lights and machines began to reactivate one by one, but the sign was heeded. Rebecca was not well enough to continue the same die-hard schedule until she too can guarantee herself an accident rate less than point o’five percent. As quickly as the files rose onto the screen, it was wiped off as the research data locked itself down into the databases. She was always cautious in that matter. The research in there can raise havoc should it fall into the wrong hands.

Upon the screen, Rosetta was just finishing up the press conference. Wanda Maximoff was indeed one of the biggest pains in mutation history. One of the more obscure mutations, while mapped, has never been truly studied by Rebecca. Though there was another. His file had been high on her research, and she probably high up on his list of people to avoid. Never once did her mind stop its analysis of the different elements that came into play during M-Day. Quickly, she had placed the laptop into her messenger bag as well as a few other toys - that of which included a holographic tablet, a metallic looking tube, two syringes, and the usual mutation detector. Even inside the bag, the tablet almost had a life of its own, holding its control over the academy’s defense system that was temporarily put on hold in the presence of the media. Soon, it would once again hold a near impregnable barrier from the outside.

It was then that Rebecca finally stepped outside her labs, though her appearance making it seem as if she did not wish to be out. Beside the elevator she had poured herself a cup of tea from the kettle that rests outside of the laboratory’s proximity. In her presence, the changing number atop the elevator accelerated faster than normal, until it hit the sub-basement level one. In the rare instances near the scientist’s presence, the elevator travelled upwards.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Rebecca Howlett Character Portrait: Tennessee Brannon Character Portrait: Rosetta Juarez Character Portrait: Klaus Wagner Character Portrait: Martin Bruntz
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Tennessee Brannon had been here before. The fading light over the desert was hazy, but clear at the same time. She'd been here only a few minutes, laying prone with the barrel of her SR-25 Designated Marksman Rifle extending forward, but it had been hours since she arrived. She knew, vaguely, that she was dreaming, as she had dreamed the same dream a hundred times before. The scene was familiar, a memory from her past imposed on to her sleeping mind. Below her, a small valley extended perhaps three-quarters of a mile, a small village situated in the middle with a stream running through it. Her unit was down there, along with two others from the Fighting 69th, kicking down doors looking for a small time local warlord by the name of Al Hakam, The Judge. She trained her sights on them, looking for any hostile intent from the locals, most of whom were simple farmers or goatherders who did not expect to be handcuffed to their beds while foreign soldiers sifted through their belongings when they woke up in the morning. Still, her unit had their orders, and intelligence was certain that Al Hakam was somewhere in this village.

Ten's unit had just finished with one house, and was about to move on to the next when she saw it. A grenade. There was no mistaking it, RKG-3 russian anti-tank grenade, made by the good ol' Soviet Union. Someone from a rooftop further down the row had tossed it in a tall arc, straight towards the unsuspecting soldiers. Ten didn't hesitate. Her first shot rang out, striking the grenade and causing it to explode midair. Her second shot echoed over her unit's cries of, "Grenade!" and struck the assailant square in the chest, blasting him back and into the wall behind him. Gunfire erupted all around her unit, as insurgents that had been laying in wait all hopped up and began the ambush in earnest. She counted thirty before she spotted the two technicals speeding into town at her unit's rear. She adjusted her rifle and fired, punching a three inch wide hole through the engine block of the nearest technical, sending it careening into a sandstone wall. The second technical rounded the corner, narrowly avoiding the wreck of the first, and came into sight of the small squad of U.S. soldiers. The gunner on the back opened fire, his .50 MG rounds tearing into the nearest soldier. Ten's rifle let loose another round, and the gunner and driver of the technical slumped over, dead. Rather than crash, the second technical slowed to a stop, and the passenger didn't even have time to get out before he was ripped to shreds by gunfire.

Seconds later, an explosion ripped through the air, and Ten felt a blast of heat to her left. She looked over to see the smoking remains of the second unit's overwatch nest. She didn't even see a rocket or a grenade, but she wasn't going to risk the same happening to her, so she hopped up, slung the DMR over her shoulder, retrieved and readied her M4A1 carbine from it's position on the ground, and started down the valley towards her team.

By the time Ten reached the outskirts of the village, she could see green smoke emanating from one of the two story buildings, indicating her team's position, and that they had called in some form of air support. Though she couldn't tell from this distance, she figured the other two units were at least in the proximity of the green smoke, and figured it would be in her best interest to get there before the air support came raining death. She moved through the streets as quickly as she could while still being cautious. There were bodies strewn about, and as she came to the location of the initial ambush, she found the bullet ridden corpse of her squadmate, who she now recognized as Mick "Hotdog" Denny. She let out a silent prayer as she passed. After the insurgents were taken care of, they'd need to collect the bodies, but in the middle of an ambush there simply wasn't time.

Just as she was rounding the corner to get on the right street, another explosion tore through the air, the fire consuming the second unit as they were moving into the secured building. Gunfire was erupting in all directions, and the air was thick with bullets. Ten leveled her carbine and fired, putting three 5.56x45mm NATO rounds into the chests of three insurgents between her and her team. With a good amount of luck, she found herself reunited with her team, half of whom were injured or missing. She was informed that team three had also been wipe out before even making it to the building, and that the QRF was still 20 minutes out.

The ensuing firefight seemed to last years, as everyone who could hold a gun was pouring bullets into the seemingly endless waves of enemy combatants, until they on their last magazines, and forced to run. At last, like an angel from heaven, the air support helicopter appeared, loosing it's rockets and unloading it's dual miniguns into the chaos below. However, before it could do any real damage, a streak of red fire burst from behind another building and streaked into the cockpit, igniting the air within and causing a third explosion to tear apart the helicopter from within. Having never seen such a weapon before, and eager to kill whoever just used it, Ten found herself separated from her team once again. She rounded the corner to where the streak had come from with her M4 drawn when she was met with a burst of heat and a firecracker sized explosion directly in front of her. Instinctively dropping, her M4 tumbled away as she rolled to the side to avoid another tiny explosion. This time, she followed the red streak back to it's source, and was surprised to see a just a man holding out his empty hand, not a weapon in sight. In a second, she recognized him as Al Hakam, and in another, she realized he was a mutant, like her brother and, unknown to her at the time, herself. She drew and fired her sidearm in one swift motion, just as he was preparing to launch another explosion at her, her bullet tearing through his firing hand, shattering bone and spraying blood and skin all about. He shrieked in pain, but before she could loose another shot, bolted across the distance between them and tackled her, knocking her gun aside. He was far faster than any human could be, but she quickly realized that, like his explosive bolts, he needed to charge up first. She kicked him off and flicked a knife into her hands like some sort of magic trick. As Hakam recovered, he drew a long dagger from an ornate sheath with his left hand, and grinned.

The two of them eyed eachother cautiously, not wanting to rush into the first move and make a mistake. Knife fighting was like a dance, but one where stepping on your partner's toes meant death or, at the very least, loss of an eye. Al Hakam could bolt forward with extreme speed, but just before, his charge up was extremely obvious, and when he made the first move, a speedy attempt at running her through with his dagger, Ten saw it coming a mile away, and easily sidestepped, sending him careening into a wall. Then he came at her with surprising ferocity, and the tip of his knife bit her skin more than once. They danced about for several more seconds before Ten caught his wounded hand and jammed her knife in the open wound, then dragged it up his arm, prompting a terrifying shriek of agony to escape his lips. She couldn't remove her knife, however, and Hakam brought his dagger down to bear on her. Though she twisted away, the blade tore into her left side, quickly soaking her torn clothes with blood. She stumbled back and fell into the dirt. Weaponless and weary, she fumbled for one of her guns or anything to use as a weapon as Hakam loomed over her. He was about to bring his dagger down when, in desperation, she held up her hands and, as if by magic, a crude blade formed in her hands and impaled Hakam as he fell on her. It was at this moment that she realized that she, too was a mutant. It was also at this moment that Lynch and the QRF arrived, just in time for them to see her magically create a sword from thin air.

Lynch gazed at her with his trademark empty eyes. Something about him had always unnerved her, but she couldn't quite place it. His gaunt stare, his silent walk, or his excessively polite speech, all of it sort of worked in tandem to create a creepy figure that fit perfectly for his role as government spook. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but all that came out was, "BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ"

Ten's eyes shot open and she sat up in bed immediately. She hated that dream. Or memory. Dream memory. It was always the same, except perhaps her friend's deaths. They've been getting more and more gruesome over the years. She glanced around the strange room, unaware for a second where she was, before remembering that she had arrived at Xavier's the day before, late at night, and was given a spare staff room to sleep in by the headmistress. She did admit, it was far nicer than the weapon filled back of her van, and the bed was a nice change to metal van floor. Her clock read 7:00 AM. She was told there would be a press meeting at 6:30 that she could attend, so naturally, she set her alarm for half an hour past that. It was that she disliked press meetings, it was that she absolutely could not stand them, at all. She rose now, though, eager to shake off her dream and make proper introductions with the others around the campus.

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Rebecca Howlett Character Portrait: Tennessee Brannon Character Portrait: Rosetta Juarez Character Portrait: Klaus Wagner Character Portrait: Martin Bruntz
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As the sun rose to break the darkness of night, the shadows hid a man laying on the roof of the school, staring at the sky as the colours blended throughout the sky. His eyes stared at the transition, a number pulsing through his brain constantly, unable to be forgotten no matter what subject in his mind he wished to change it to; fourteen. Fourteen days, two weeks, 20160 minutes.

Fourteen days since his world turned to shit.

It was easy for him to reflect upon the events that had happened over the past two weeks; after all, how could he not? One day he was enjoying a summer vacation, ready to tackle his final year of college with the world at his finger tips; the next, he was staring at the corpse of his mother, murdered after a vain attempt at making the world a better place. People said she was wrong, that what she had done was just creating an illusion; it reminded him too much of what they said about his grandfather, who - surprise surprise - was also brutally murdered. Yet what they said mattered little to Klaus; Wanda was his mother, Erik was his grandfather, and neither of them deserved the fate in which they were given. But who would listen to the grandson of a terrorist, or the son of a reality altering psychopath? And people wanted to know why he became so detached.

Nevertheless, Klaus sat up as the sun began to drift into the sky, beginning to realize the day that had befallen upon him. It was the day that Rosetta decided that it was best to come clean and honest with the humans about the events and the school. He could see this going wrong in so many ways, he was actually looking forward to somebody making the wrong statement so he could just start a fight and blow somebody up. Yet then Rosetta would get that irritated look, and she would probably force him into some bullshit he didn't need, like being Rebecca's test dummy again. He loathed every time he was somehow dragged into her basement lab, forced to participate in useless tests just because his mutation was 'unstable'. Damn straight it was unstable - hell, he was unstable. His mutation is borderline reality warping, with the ability to teleport; if he knew anybody else who was more unstable, they would have probably been a walking nuclear reactor.

Yet Klaus knew he couldn't sit up there forever - no, he would have to be there for the stupid press conference. Hell, he already had a hunch how it would play out; he would sneer at the audience, nobody would be able to look him in the eye during the recap part, and he would leave right after making sure none of the humans were stupid enough to attack. It was predictable, yet there could always be that little moment where he just coughs out an incantation and somebody explodes. Sure, he could say that he didn't mean it, but they probably wouldn't believe him; so it would be best if he just did what he always did, and stayed on the edge of everybody, staring coldly as always.

That thought in mind, Klaus rose from his spot, thankful that he had showered a few hours ago so he didn't have to bother rushing down to the entrance. Hell, he barely had to rush at all; he knew exactly where he was going, so he didn't even have to walk. How he hadn't gotten obese from the teleportation was a mystery to many, except for those that knew how much the kid worked out. Walking just felt like a waste of time to Klaus now if he knew the route and location. So, with minutes before the 'grand show' would start, Klaus felt the prickle of the reality warp settle in as his deep blue skin rippled and transformed into those of his alternate self, and his eyes glass over to return to their deep green. Satisfied that the warp had crept throughout his body and replaced his actual form, he teleported down into the lobby to await the welcoming party.

The warp dropped him in the corner closest to the door, one that he used frequently as it was not lit up by the sun just yet at this hour of the day, allowing him to exit from a shadow and walk towards the rest of the X-men. Some of the reporters gave him incredulous looks, as if they couldn't figure out where he had come from, but his hard stares invited them to look in a different location as he took his place farthest from Rosetta, who was currently replaced by Nina, the resident therapist. The amount of people who had told him to go visit her were astounding, but he wasn't ready to bear anything to anybody yet, so he stood silently as Rosetta came down and began her speech.

It all started as expected, with the first question being about the ties between them and the Brotherhood - funny how Rose never mentioned that she was housing more than one former Brotherhood member, with some seriously scary mutations under this roof. The whole point about Rebecca made Klaus sneer a little harder, but he kept that to himself as he watched the rest of the reporters think of another actual question. Instead, however, they ask another obvious one; her qualifications. As if these humans gave a shit about her qualifications, all they wanted was something to ask to get to know Rose better to make her either more demonic or more human. Again, interesting how quick Rose was to point out the nice mutations, yet hide Caelan's obvious necromancy or some of the other nasty ones. For some reason, however, the reporters went back to the Brotherhood questions, so Rose had to give an abridged version of the history, which again Klaus just simply sneered at - no point in bothering trying to bring up anything now.

It was right about now, however, that Klaus was beginning to become angry. Rose countered the Commissioner's secrecy question by exposing how biased the humans really were, and even brought up the case for Erik. He slowly sank into his seething anger as Rosetta brought up that he had a family, and that he had to watch his grandfather labelled as a terrorist amongst the humans - even though the X-men were no different. While most of the reporters were feeling uncomfortable and looking away, Klaus's eyes stared hard at every one of them, unblinking; he was feeling too exposed right now. He needed to get out of there soon, get away from the people. He needed to hit something; badly. Good thing Rose finally made it to her ultimatum about justice, for now his anger looked well-placed rather than random, even if his rage was getting close to being released.

But the next question nearly made him lose it.

Rose began talking about his mother, and the depowering. At first, it started out okay - even if he wasn't okay with Wanda being talked about at all still. Then it got ugly as Rosetta started talking about her death; aka murder. Sure it had been two weeks, but did one really think that Klaus was able to get over his mom's death that easily? The rest of the words spoken by Rosetta, and later the Governor, were a blur as Klaus refused to acknowledge them as words so as not to irritate himself too much. But as soon as it began, it was over just as quick. Klaus remained unmoving as everybody else departed on their own way, staring ahead at the door in which the reporters left through as he heard Rosetta state that 'things are going to be okay'.

"Bullshit" Was all Klein mumbled before disappearing in a flash. He had no business remaining in the vicinity.


Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Tennessee Brannon Character Portrait: Klaus Wagner
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#, as written by Vix
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Imageβ€œI think I'm lost again...”

The halls of Xavier's once hustled and bustled with life as people seemed to constantly be rushing somewhere. People still hustled, however few there were. Among that hustle was a girl younger than most, clinging tightly to a plush stuffed rabbit that was nearly as big as she was. She looked essentially normal, her dishwater blonde hair pulled into a ponytail with a ribbon to match the bright yellow dress she wore.

But her eyes gave her away. Her crimson eyes were wide with fright, as they so often were, as she stumbled around in search of a familiar face while doing her best to avoid those whom she did not know. Sophia wasn't completely new to Xavier's, having taken lessons there before with her brother on several occasions. Still, she was not completely familiar with the layout of the home, now lost on the second floor and unable to find even her own room.

She had originally been sitting in the cafeteria with her brother and a mutant that they called Kismet, being cared for while their adoptive father, Caelan Howlett, made an appearance for the press conference below. Considering that she was wanted for murder, it was deemed that she and her brother should stay out of sight. However, she found herself forced to run off as she gave chase to catch her stuffed rabbit, Thumper. She was just about ready to give up when there came a loud bamf! sound that left her cringing against the wall as a blonde male suddenly appeared.

β€œPlease don't hurt me! Her chest clenched as she heaved for breath, trembling before Klaus. Her eyes squeezed shut and she held her bunny tighter before the plush companion leaped from her arms and stood between she and Klaus as if to defend her.






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Imageβ€œGo to Xavier's, they said. You'll be safe there, they said. It'll be an adventure, they told me. Yeah, the fuck, right.” Also wandering the halls was a young teen with curls for days. The brunette tossed a wallet over her shoulder for whomever to find while she slipped the fifty-three dollars she had found into the back pocket of the skin-tight jeans she wore. Charlotte was in a bad mood, not liking her current situation. While she had initially thought that it might be fun at Xavier's, she found out that she was dead wrong. β€œThis place is like fuckin' prison,” she muttered in a thick Brooklyn accent. She scowled and shoved her hands into her pockets, quickly rounding a corner and wishing that she hadn't. It was highly possible that the four mutants waiting for her weren't too happy that she had borrowed a few things from them without asking. In a flash, she quickly turned heel and ran away from them. They were hot on her trail as she tried to find some form of escape.

In any other time and place...she would have made them all wish that they were never born. She knew what their fears were and she could so easily manipulate them to her advantage. However, mutant against mutant attacks were a heinous crime that the Brotherhood had always taught her she must only use as a last resort. Right now wasn't the time for it and she knew that she might get kicked out for it anyways. She already had to renounce her ties to the Brotherhood. That wasn't exactly hard either. Char was more than willing to renounce them after seeing the levels of utter lunacy that they had descended into.

She was stuck on X-Men turf now, her every move being watched. She didn't trust any of them personally but she knew that they were all goodie-goodie two-shoe bitches who'd do anything to protect the remaining mutants. Still, she tried not to push their buttons. She couldn't resist a little theft though. Those bums had it coming when they had smashed her iPad screen with their roughhousing, not paying attention to what they were doing. For now, she would let them get themselves into trouble. She had managed to lose them but she needed to hide. Thus, she kicked in the door of the room closest to her, quickly shutting it behind her and coming face to face with a blonde that she had seen before. A blonde with guns. β€œAh, shit...”

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Rebecca Howlett Character Portrait: Rosetta Juarez Character Portrait: Johnathan Kouri
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The garages were dark and empty this early in the morning, with the exception of one corner where a glow shone down from the lights hanging above. One of the cars was raised off the ground with a collection of parts strewn on the ground as well as on nearby benches. John rested on his back staring up at the underside of the vehicle, his attention focused primarily on a leak from the fuel line. The sound of Rosetta’s voice echoed a little on the concrete floor as she continued her speech about herself and the facility itself, and while he knew it would have happened sooner or later he wasn’t keen on advertising there location and nature so boldly. Not for the first time since she’d started speaking did he wonder why he’d chosen to switch over and listen to the news rather than simply drowning everything out in favour of music like he had for the past few hours.

John sighed a little and pulled himself out from under the car and lowered it back down, making sure that it righted smoothly before walking over and picking up a cloth to clean some oil and grease from his hands. He looked up at the screen, tilting his head a little as Rosetta explained about Wanda before reaching up and flicking off the screen now that the important part was over and just the wind down and farewells remained for the conference.

”Still not a fan of revealing everything.” He muttered to himself as he reached over and slotted his phone into the nearby stereo system before turning away and stretching his aching muscles. Since arriving at the academy He’d done his best to avoid others at every opportunity, keeping himself to himself save for his classes and meeting with Rebecca for lunch or something or other. The garage provided him with some solace, the cold morning air helping to clear his head following his troubled dreams and lack of proper sleep. That and soothing the alcohol that still clouded his thoughts from several hours earlier. His mind flickered back to M-Day. The world around him becoming duller as his mouth dried, memories tugging as his heart strings.

While a little lost in brooding he’d lifted the hood of the car and began to resolve the issue he’d seen when he was under the car, his body running almost on automatic before he jerked back to reality and withdrew his hands. Running his fingers across his weathered face he sighed and pressed the palms against his cheeks, half suppressing a yawn.

”Must be sleepier than I thought” He chuckled a little to himself as he closed the hood of the car and picked up his phone from the bench, switching off the stereo then the lights of the Garage. The darkness was broken in places by shafts of morning sunshine, but the pulse of bluish purple cast unusual shadows throughout the building all the same.



A few moments later a similar pulse of unnatural light illuminated the quarters assigned to John as he rematerialized, stepping out from the wormhole before it closed behind him. Reaching up to lightly massage his left shoulder with his right hand he made his way to freshen up and shower before classes, planning to stop by and grab a quick breakfast as well.

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Character Portrait: Klaus Wagner
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Klaus knew of many locations throughout the building that were normally unoccupied; the second floor was one of those places in which he could normally escape, yet still be considered 'within the compound'. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he didn't just teleport to the roof like always; subconsciously that was the location he rarely even had to think about, and he would end up there. Instead, however, he decided to appear on the second floor, seeking the comfort of his own room while not really caring how he got there.

So Klaus appeared on the second floor, his body rippling through the other dimension and exiting in an instant, causing booming sound as the air was instantly replaced with his person. Yet something felt off, and Klaus was almost startled visibly when he heard a voice coming from his side. β€œPlease don't hurt me! was all he heard, as he whipped his head around in shock to see a little girl clutching a stuffed rabbit between herself and him, as if to shield herself from him. He was barely expecting anybody to be up here with all the work to be done, let alone react to his arrival. Yet here this girl was, and he was finally able to get a good look at her, before his eyes widened; this was that girl under Caelan's supervision, was it not? The girl who controlled death, Suzy or Sophia right? If anybody should be afraid, it should be him; if what he heard about her was true, she could kill him with an accidental sneeze.

Recoiling slightly, Klaus gave a sigh before scratching the back of his head. This wasn't the time for him to be getting nervous; right now, she seemed more like a lost kid than some omnipotent death bringer. Thing was, he wasn't really the soothing type, and with a permanent scowl on his face it made it pretty difficult to calm down anybody. No point in not trying though; after all, Caelan would try for his head if he didn't help her. So he put on his polite voice, as he did with everybody he didn't hate.

"Take it easy miss; I'm no threat to you." While the wording was sorta odd for a guy trying to calm down a girl, Klaus was just being honest. "Now what brings you to the second floor? Not many venture up here unless they have some important business with a teacher or... adult." Klaus nearly said 'X-Man' but it tasted bad on his tongue, so he refrained quickly. He also realized that at more than 6 feet tall, and with how he entered, he probably looked like a vanishing giant to a girl her size. So he lowered himself down and stared directly at her, trying to soften his eyes at least a little so that she didn't get too afraid.

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Character Portrait: Johnathan Kouri
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John sat on the edge of his bed; both hands pressed over his mouth a nose to stifle a long drawn out yawn. He’d indulged a little if his watch was any indication, the hands clicking into place to denote a little before eight but he’d made swift work once he’d finished showering. Feeling a little more alive than he had after waking up around four he still didn’t feel fully on par but he hadn’t really been much above functioning for a while now.

Stretching he stood up and looked in the full length mirror on the inside of his closet door, straightening his collar which had managed to flick itself up and tucked his shirt in before lifting his jacket off the door and pushing closet shut. Walking out of the room he pushed his arms through the sleeves in his rather worn jacket as the door swung closed behind him with a soft thunk.

He arrived in the canteen to find it about half full of students, having managed to make it ahead of the morning surge. As such he made his way over and picked up a tray and greeting the kitchen staff warmly he collected a selection of food to keep him going for the rest of the day; starting with a couple of slices of toast, a bacon Buttie and a cup of coffee. After thanking the staff for his food he glanced around the room and spied an empty table with two seats off to the side that seemed to have a wide enough berth between it and the others in the room.

Once seated he relaxed a bit, taking a sip of his coffee and a bite of toast before turning his watch over to examine the time remaining before his morning class and wondering how the conference would be received the world over.