Day Zero: Recruitment - Sunday afternoon
Oct. 26th, 2008 03:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAmanda and Sarah are discussing the upcoming mission and wind up inviting someone else along.
Amanda shook out another three or four aspirin out of the bottle and put them in her mouth, washing them down with a long drink of water. The headache was a nagging ache at her temples, and she knew it would get worse again once she went back into the city. Setting the glass back down, she glanced over at the other woman in the mansion kitchen, her teammate from X-Force. "So, looks like we're going to have a fun outing."
"A fucking party. Somebody messes with the city and I get to drag a team back down into my tunnels to save the day." She leaned forward onto the counter, forearms against the cool tile. "Hey guys! The world is ending, welcome to the sewers!"
"Hopefully this will work. And we don't run into anything down there - 's not exactly a combat-heavy team we're taking." Amanda grimaced. "And I'm going to be pushing it to keep things together until we can break this fucker's hold on New York, so probably no magic."
Sarah sighed heavily, and raised her right hand like she were being sworn in. "I haven't said this in months, but I really wish Logan were here. We're literally going in blind and could use a hand right about now."
"I hear you there. Is there anyone who isn't actually in Canada we could use?" Amanda rubbed her forehead, trying to think past the ache. "The team's all assigned and if they were going to give us one of the tanks, they would have. Too risky having one of the heavy hitters down there anyway, they could bring the place down on top of us..." She bit her lip and gave Sarah an almost apologetic look. "How about Callisto? She knows the way down there as well as you do and she's a scrapper into the bargain?"
Sarah snorted quietly in response. She was vaguely surprised she hadn't thought of it herself. It's not like she hadn't been trying so hard to pretend nothing had changed that she might have forgotten there was another Morlock at the Mansion. No really. "She won't be interested. We've got no plan."
"What, using the tunnels to get to New York's main power station to shut it down isn't a plan?" Amanda joked. "C'mon, let's go out onto the back porch - I need a smoke."
"If we don't know exactly what we're going to be up against down there, then it doesn't count as a plan." Sarah followed close behind, the cigarettes from her pocket now gripped tightly in her hand. "If there's no plan, I'm telling you, she won't be interested."
"Beat the bad guys, save the world. Sounds like a plan to me."
The answer came from off to the side of them as they emerged onto the porch. Even if her low, quiet voice hadn't given her away Callisto was easily identifiable (to Sarah at least) from her skinny, mop-headed silhouette as she leaned back against the trellis. A couple of steps and she was beside them, hand emerging from her pocket with a zippo which she flipped open and on in one smooth motion, holding the steady flame out in the direction of the cigarette now dangling from Amanda's lips.
"'S better than 'save the cheerleader, save the world'," Amanda replied with a grin after recovering from her brief moment of startlement at the other woman's sudden appearance. Then again, five years of Remy had improved her reaction time. She leaned into the flame and puffed a couple of times until her cigarette was lit. "I'm guessing you heard all of that, yeah? Super ears and all that?"
"Something like that," Callisto murmured, either ignoring or (perhaps more likely) completely missing the reference. She returned the lighter to her pocket, not smoking herself, and rested against the trellis once more. "I... don't want to step on any toes," she said then. "If you don't want me around..."
Sarah lit her own cigarette, concentrating on the first blissful drag before answering. She waved a hand absently. "Nah, we could use some help. Help is good."
"Right. Okay." Callisto didn't ask any further questions, presumably having garnered everything she needed to know from previous overhearings. She glanced between the two young women, her usually full pout flattening to a line, and nodded and cleared her throat. "Okay," she said again. "So I guess I'll... see you," she said, tipping her head in the direction of indoors.
Sarah nodded. "Yeah. We'll be around. Obviously not going anywhere soon."
"Right." If Callisto saw any humour in this she didn't show it, and a moment later the woman was gone, just as silently (albeit more visibly) as she'd appeared.
Later, Amanda and Angelo talk about what has gone on before and what lies ahead.
"Ugh." Amanda wrinkled her nose as she held up the t-shirt she'd been wearing the day before. Blood covered the front of it from her nosebleed, dry and slightly crusted. Another one for the bin - she had to admit, the job she was in was tougher on clothes than she'd ever have thought. At least she had some backups at Angelo's... She was in a pair of jeans and her bra, rummaging around for a suitable dark-coloured (and non-favourite) shirt for the sewers when said boyfriend came into his room.
He smiled at her tiredly as he walked over to join her. "Hey. How're you feelin' today?"
"Head still hurts, but I've got enough aspirin to kill a horse, so I'll be all right." She stopped what she was doing and turned to wrap her arms around his waist and lean her head on his shoulder. "Sarah told me 'bout you two getting me out. Thanks - I don't think I would've made it if you hadn't. It was all too much without any kind of warning, you know?"
"Not like we'd've done anythin' else", he pointed out. "'s just a good thing Sarah was close enough to get to us easily. Meant I didn't have to hang around when the announcement happened."
"I saw that on the news - 's all they've been broadcasting since." She looked up at him, looking worried. "Your mum... did you get her out okay?"
"Yeah", he confirmed quickly. "She's safe, just scared. I took her out to Gail's place."
"Thank fuck for that. How'd you get her out? Sarah said she ended up having to get a teleporter to grab us, the traffic was so bad." She didn't mention that her precious Broomstick had been abandoned in the middle of New York. At least she had insurance, although "act of meglomaniac mutant" probably wasn't covered.
"They were all tryin' to get out", Angelo said with a shrug. "The car got a bit beat-up when I was turnin', but the road was clear goin' the other way. After that, I left it at her place an' we took the roofs out of the city."
"The roofs?" Amanda gaped. "Oh fuck, you used that flying squirrel thing of yours, didn't you?" She laughed, wincing a little as it set off the headache again. "What'd she think of that?"
He tried for an innocent expression, but it came out guiltier than intended. "Freaked her out a little bit. But she could see the traffic, it's not like there was much of a choice."
She chuckled again. "Oh, I wish I'd been there for that." She leaned in again, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Got word from Remy. Sarah and I're going back in through the sewers with some of the leathers."
"Didn't expect anythin' less", he said quietly. "I'll be goin' back in myself... you're sure you're up to it, though?"
"It'll be rough, but I'm expecting it this time - that helps. And we've got Callisto coming along as an extra pair of hands and eyes." She pressed her lips to his neck. "You be careful, yeah?"
"Same as always", he confirmed with a faint smile. "You too - but neither of us'll be on our own."
"Yay team." His hands were warm against the scarring on her back and with regret she released the hug. "I might have to ask you a favour, love," she said seriously.
Angelo looked down at her, noticing the change of tone. "Name it."
"Lend me a shirt?"
Amanda shook out another three or four aspirin out of the bottle and put them in her mouth, washing them down with a long drink of water. The headache was a nagging ache at her temples, and she knew it would get worse again once she went back into the city. Setting the glass back down, she glanced over at the other woman in the mansion kitchen, her teammate from X-Force. "So, looks like we're going to have a fun outing."
"A fucking party. Somebody messes with the city and I get to drag a team back down into my tunnels to save the day." She leaned forward onto the counter, forearms against the cool tile. "Hey guys! The world is ending, welcome to the sewers!"
"Hopefully this will work. And we don't run into anything down there - 's not exactly a combat-heavy team we're taking." Amanda grimaced. "And I'm going to be pushing it to keep things together until we can break this fucker's hold on New York, so probably no magic."
Sarah sighed heavily, and raised her right hand like she were being sworn in. "I haven't said this in months, but I really wish Logan were here. We're literally going in blind and could use a hand right about now."
"I hear you there. Is there anyone who isn't actually in Canada we could use?" Amanda rubbed her forehead, trying to think past the ache. "The team's all assigned and if they were going to give us one of the tanks, they would have. Too risky having one of the heavy hitters down there anyway, they could bring the place down on top of us..." She bit her lip and gave Sarah an almost apologetic look. "How about Callisto? She knows the way down there as well as you do and she's a scrapper into the bargain?"
Sarah snorted quietly in response. She was vaguely surprised she hadn't thought of it herself. It's not like she hadn't been trying so hard to pretend nothing had changed that she might have forgotten there was another Morlock at the Mansion. No really. "She won't be interested. We've got no plan."
"What, using the tunnels to get to New York's main power station to shut it down isn't a plan?" Amanda joked. "C'mon, let's go out onto the back porch - I need a smoke."
"If we don't know exactly what we're going to be up against down there, then it doesn't count as a plan." Sarah followed close behind, the cigarettes from her pocket now gripped tightly in her hand. "If there's no plan, I'm telling you, she won't be interested."
"Beat the bad guys, save the world. Sounds like a plan to me."
The answer came from off to the side of them as they emerged onto the porch. Even if her low, quiet voice hadn't given her away Callisto was easily identifiable (to Sarah at least) from her skinny, mop-headed silhouette as she leaned back against the trellis. A couple of steps and she was beside them, hand emerging from her pocket with a zippo which she flipped open and on in one smooth motion, holding the steady flame out in the direction of the cigarette now dangling from Amanda's lips.
"'S better than 'save the cheerleader, save the world'," Amanda replied with a grin after recovering from her brief moment of startlement at the other woman's sudden appearance. Then again, five years of Remy had improved her reaction time. She leaned into the flame and puffed a couple of times until her cigarette was lit. "I'm guessing you heard all of that, yeah? Super ears and all that?"
"Something like that," Callisto murmured, either ignoring or (perhaps more likely) completely missing the reference. She returned the lighter to her pocket, not smoking herself, and rested against the trellis once more. "I... don't want to step on any toes," she said then. "If you don't want me around..."
Sarah lit her own cigarette, concentrating on the first blissful drag before answering. She waved a hand absently. "Nah, we could use some help. Help is good."
"Right. Okay." Callisto didn't ask any further questions, presumably having garnered everything she needed to know from previous overhearings. She glanced between the two young women, her usually full pout flattening to a line, and nodded and cleared her throat. "Okay," she said again. "So I guess I'll... see you," she said, tipping her head in the direction of indoors.
Sarah nodded. "Yeah. We'll be around. Obviously not going anywhere soon."
"Right." If Callisto saw any humour in this she didn't show it, and a moment later the woman was gone, just as silently (albeit more visibly) as she'd appeared.
Later, Amanda and Angelo talk about what has gone on before and what lies ahead.
"Ugh." Amanda wrinkled her nose as she held up the t-shirt she'd been wearing the day before. Blood covered the front of it from her nosebleed, dry and slightly crusted. Another one for the bin - she had to admit, the job she was in was tougher on clothes than she'd ever have thought. At least she had some backups at Angelo's... She was in a pair of jeans and her bra, rummaging around for a suitable dark-coloured (and non-favourite) shirt for the sewers when said boyfriend came into his room.
He smiled at her tiredly as he walked over to join her. "Hey. How're you feelin' today?"
"Head still hurts, but I've got enough aspirin to kill a horse, so I'll be all right." She stopped what she was doing and turned to wrap her arms around his waist and lean her head on his shoulder. "Sarah told me 'bout you two getting me out. Thanks - I don't think I would've made it if you hadn't. It was all too much without any kind of warning, you know?"
"Not like we'd've done anythin' else", he pointed out. "'s just a good thing Sarah was close enough to get to us easily. Meant I didn't have to hang around when the announcement happened."
"I saw that on the news - 's all they've been broadcasting since." She looked up at him, looking worried. "Your mum... did you get her out okay?"
"Yeah", he confirmed quickly. "She's safe, just scared. I took her out to Gail's place."
"Thank fuck for that. How'd you get her out? Sarah said she ended up having to get a teleporter to grab us, the traffic was so bad." She didn't mention that her precious Broomstick had been abandoned in the middle of New York. At least she had insurance, although "act of meglomaniac mutant" probably wasn't covered.
"They were all tryin' to get out", Angelo said with a shrug. "The car got a bit beat-up when I was turnin', but the road was clear goin' the other way. After that, I left it at her place an' we took the roofs out of the city."
"The roofs?" Amanda gaped. "Oh fuck, you used that flying squirrel thing of yours, didn't you?" She laughed, wincing a little as it set off the headache again. "What'd she think of that?"
He tried for an innocent expression, but it came out guiltier than intended. "Freaked her out a little bit. But she could see the traffic, it's not like there was much of a choice."
She chuckled again. "Oh, I wish I'd been there for that." She leaned in again, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Got word from Remy. Sarah and I're going back in through the sewers with some of the leathers."
"Didn't expect anythin' less", he said quietly. "I'll be goin' back in myself... you're sure you're up to it, though?"
"It'll be rough, but I'm expecting it this time - that helps. And we've got Callisto coming along as an extra pair of hands and eyes." She pressed her lips to his neck. "You be careful, yeah?"
"Same as always", he confirmed with a faint smile. "You too - but neither of us'll be on our own."
"Yay team." His hands were warm against the scarring on her back and with regret she released the hug. "I might have to ask you a favour, love," she said seriously.
Angelo looked down at her, noticing the change of tone. "Name it."
"Lend me a shirt?"
