ng_xtremists:

Cape Citadel, Florida, home to a portion of the United States nuclear arsenal.  Notable for being the first public target of the then-terrorist mutant Magneto and the first public appearance of the X-Men who battled him there.  Not especially remarkable in and of itself, but quite notable in that the events there first brought the idea of mutants and the causes involved to the public attention.  It was a day that changed everything.

In the decades since, the stock of mutants has risen and fallen, sometimes with a fair amount of public support, sometimes with even those who called themselves heroes a little afraid to show themselves in public.  In the time since, Magneto had gone from a wanted and hated terrorist to a leader of men, with a nation of his own.  The X-Men continued their fight for mutant rights and equality, trying to show the world that they to, could be heroes. 

Today... today was going to be a day for the history books again.

It began with a flash of energy in the middle of the base, a teleportation device, and the appearance of seven women.  One, monstrous like a giant frog.  Another, taller than all the rest and built like a truck.  A slender, pale woman in red and a similar looking woman with blue hair.  Another, a blonde, staying at the fringes.  Another, a beautiful red haired woman.

And last, in crimson and purple armor, cape trailing behind her, and dark helmet upon her head.  She floated on the air on currents of magnetic force, looking at the world like she owned it all.  In scant moments, they defeated the soldiers who came to challenge them, mutant powers making it all too easy.

One of the others, the frog-woman, pulled out a small, camera-like device and pointed it at her.

She raised a hand, and a magnetic force field sprang into existence around the base, bent just enough to allow her transmission through.  It would soon be appearing on every television in the country.

"People of the United States, I am Magneta, daughter of Magneto.  And for too long have you oppressed our people!  Today, as my father once did, we mutants strike back to take what is ours!  My X-Tremists and I have seized your nuclear arsenal.  We demand the total surrender of your government, or else I shall unleash them upon you.  Today is a call for all mutants to join us!  Rise up!  Rise up and join our cause!  Cast down your human oppressors!

To the government of the United States... you have twenty-four hours to abdicate.  You know what shall happen if my terms are not met."

The transmission ended there.

smallestbear:

David is out on the town. He had no after noon classes and wanted burgers and chili cheese fries. What more could a guy want?

Oh yeah also there was this new waitress who is just really cute. He thinks she's his age so he has been very shyly flirting with her every time he comes here. Honestly he thinks he's terrible with women but he can make her laugh and smile so that's good enough for him.

Now he is on his way back to his car. He is well fed and feeling pretty good. He tosses and catches his car keys in his hand the air changes just a bit though.

He can smell something on the wind. His good mood is shattered and he frowns just a bit. Something is up.

nextgen_misc:

The X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy set out from Knowhere Station and headed toward Chandilar the throne world of the vast Shi'ar empire. They arrived not far from the planet and ready to put their plan into action.

nextgen_misc:

Abel dropped them out of a space warp as close to Earth as possible. The ship shook as it entered the upper atmosphere and the hull started to heat up and started to glow red. Azura helped Alex pilot the ship through the turbulence. She hoped the rust bucket held together.

Once they were past the initial barrier and slowed down a bit, they set a course straight for Xavier's. They ignored hails from local enforcement agencies and continued on their way. Their passenger, the Shi'ar, had been antsy during the whole trip and seemed a little relieved once they arrived. It didn't last long and he fretted until they arrived over Xavier's.

Their timing was perfect. They arrived just in time to see the Imperial Guard standing off with the X-Men and Prince Starbridge. Azura shoved their Shi'ar guest into her seat and ordered him to take over. She grabbed her gun and Godslayer and raced for the hatch.

Alex gave the flying of the ship to their guest and raced after Azura. Once they were low enough the Guardians of the Galaxy exited the ship to help Prince Starbridge and the X-Men.

hotlittlehands:

Keiji was making a full recovery, though he still shouldn't go outside yet.

Kayura's latest Incident had been tidied up. Everyone had something for which to be grateful; Amiko, for one, rejoiced that she did not attract ogres and had never had a blind date.

After her talk with Keiji a few days ago... Amiko sat alone and realized how sick she was of keeping secrets from her father. She put in for a couple of days off, making many, many provisions for the team's organization and safety before she left. She hated leaving them, but this was something she had to do in person... after a lot of showers and laundry. She had to tell him, not any kind of residual smell.

And then, she did something she really hated: bought a plane ticket for New York.

She managed to pull up in the taxi to the school at a time when no one was attacking the place.

nextgen_cosmic:

The ship exited the space-warp behind Earth's Moon. It carried the whole of a civilization long thought extinct. The civilization was one bent on the destruction of the Shi'ar race and its empire. Today would be the first salvo in their efforts to achieve their goals.

"We have arrived at Earth," Brother said to Eldest.

"Excellent. Prepare the assault team. I want the prince killed before the day is over," Eldest said and left the bridge. He had planned for this day for so long. They would finally eradicate the cursed Shi'ar from existence.

A few moments later three smaller ships exited from the larger ship and sped toward Earth. They entered the atmosphere and headed toward their destination in New York state. Eldest looked on with anticipation. It was exhilarating to finally take action against their ancient enemy.

Once they were close enough they opened fire. The blasts weren't to destroy the buildings on the ground, but more to cause confusion. Eldest wasn't about to kill the prince from a distance. He wanted the honor of killing the Shi'ar prince up close and personal.

_tsunami_:

Autumn had come to Westchester county in New York. The leaves were changing colors and the air had gotten considerably cooler. Cait loved autumn because it meant pumpkins and baking. Cait had been up before the sun and had started on her yearly batch of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pies and pumpkin spice cookies. In addition to the pumpkin items, Cait also whipped up batches of apple spice muffins and apple crisp.

The kitchen was warm and filled with the smell of the baked goods. Cait had made enough for the residents of Xavier's and put together a care package for Corey and the Champions. Irina was going to stop by later to pick it up for them.

Cait worked on cleaning up the kitchen.

marvel_girl:

In spite of all her efforts, Rachel had come no closer to freeing herself than when she'd started.  Three rounds of Mojo's sadistic game had passed in all, and she'd picked Starbridge, David, and Torn Ear once each, trying to give them what respite she could.  And each time, they had survived the challenge.  As had Sweepzweak. 

It was enough to drive a girl mad.

And perhaps the worst thing of all?  She'd actually already made up her mind before they'd gotten kidnapped.  She might have hemmed and hawed a bit, but when it came down to it, she realized who she wanted as her boyfriend.

As the guys returned to the contest area, she resumed marshaling what little psychic power she could.

ng_mojoverse:

A studio announcer's voice cut through the crowd.  "And now, it's time to play the Mojoverse's new favorite game show....  DATE OR DEATH!  Where we try to match up one fabulous lady with one of our lucky contestants!  The winner gains her heart, the losers gain a one-way ticket to the afterlife!  And now, let's give a very special Mojoverse welcome to our host... The Host!"
( *Applause* )

ng_mojoverse:

"Crap, crap, crap, really bad crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, porn, crap, crap, crappy porn, crap, crap, crap.."

Each of the words was punctuated by a click of a remote and the changing of a channel.  Mojo, supreme ruler of the Mojoverse and master programmer supreme, sultan of the air waves, tip top tv exec, and the person responsible for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, was not happy.

"Why are my ratings DOWN?!" he bellowed.  He looked left.  He looked right.  And he realized that there was no one around to listen to his rantings.  "DOMO!   DOMO!  DOMO!"

"You bellowed, oh bulbous one?" Major Domo, his majordomo asked, appearing behind him with enough quietness that the great Mojo was forced to jerk in surprise.

"What have I told you about sneaking up on me?!" he demanded.

"I was making plenty of noise, oh supreme one.  Doubtless you were simply engaged in creating superior programming and did not hear me."

"Yes, well... yeah, I was.  But why are my ratings DOWN?!"  He gestured toward the tvs.    "I mean, I've got people out there readings books!  Dead trees!  And this FaceSpace and myBook and tweeter-de-dee?!  What's wrong with these people?!  Why aren't they watching?!  I need a new show.  I need inspiration.  Something that will really put the butts back in the seats.  And then something that will keep them there.  Maybe some kind of glue...  Domo, look into super-glue suppliers.  Tell them we'll take everything they have.  Literally. Or else I'll send Spiral after them!"

Domo sighed.  He was used to dealing Mojo's moods.  And he knew just the thing to bring him out of it.  "If I may offer a suggestion, oh Video Master?"

Mojo seemed unresponsive, so Domo took the initiative and waved a remote in front of his face, large yellow eyes following its every move.  He turned the TV on.

"As you can see, the X-Man called Rachel Summers is engaged in quite the romantic conundrum.  Three different suitors, three different demographics.  The Prince, the Bat Boy, and the Furry.  You could get quite the audience draw with them."

"No, no, no!" Mojo ranted.  "That's a terrible idea!  We need something good!  ...Wait, I've got it!  We'll kidnap the Summers girl and her three boy toys, throw in one of our own, put it on TV.  Call it... Who Wants to Marry a Mutant!  We'll make millions!  Make it happen!  GET ME THAT PHOENIX!"

little_gabriel:

It had been some time since Gabriel had seen Cait and Aaron, so he was getting somewhat worried.  They were more responsible than that, to just not come back.  First thing he did was call the resort they said they were going to, but the attendant on the phone told him nobody by those names were there.  He went to go find Xavier to express his concern.

gildedcage:

It was late. Starbridge sat in one of the rec areas, reading a Shi'ar sacred text and wishing the goddess Sharra would distract him from a certain goddessesque person who as not his and probably not going to be.

smallestbear:

David normally didn't fuss about anything. He was a very stable kid. Nothing got to him and he didn't have any problems.

That was at least how he acted. But he did have problems. Sometimes he had nightmares. He had no idea what he should do about this thing with Rachel, Starbridge, and Torn Ear. He also had become aware that his little secret was becoming more of an issue. It kind of pissed him off.

He just wanted to be a normal guy. Like that was ever going to happen though. No matter how much Misha and Rose wanted things to be normal for him David was just as much aware that things just wouldn't ever be that way.

Which might be why he was in one of the studies right now late at night. Sleep was not happening when he could feel that restless streak taking hold. Especially when he was trying to work things out in his head and fighting to calm his nerves.

Yeah, not happening. David's zen master like state of mind was just not returning right now. Joy. It was Uncle Hank's chili, he swears to God.

nextgen_holiday:

“We’re here outside the Four Seasons Hotel in New York where the who’s who is gathered tonight. Celebrities, royals and superheroes have all turned out for the annual Maria Stark Foundation Winter Charity event benefiting Toys for Tots.

It’s truly an all-star gala here tonight.

New York’s own princess, Anya Stark, was seen being escorted by what appears to be her new flame, actor Austin Cain. Her brother and currently second in line to the Russian throne, Mikhail Romanov, was seen entering the party with Lyta Worthington, heiress to Worthington Industries. Tony and Natasha Stark, parents of a new baby, are making their first public appearance since the birth of their son.

Mackenzie Rider, a prince of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, is escorting Ms. Andrea Denker of the Fantastic Four tonight. Kristoff Vernard, leader of the Fantastic Four, was seen in attendance with his wife Cassandra and their son Scotty. Vincent Amorason, heir to Latveria, arrived alongside his brother and was seen escorting a member of the Defenders, Asleif Thorsdottir. The rest of the Fantastic Four are here too with their dates, though Miss Valeria Richards is not in attendance. Franklin Richards is in attendance and is escorting one Miss Gill.

Los Angeles’ own superhero team, the Defenders are in attendance as well. Arriving with her team is Grace Danvers, daughter of Hollywood hunk Simon Williams and she is being escorted by teammate, Eiltin. The two Asgardian princesses and daughters of Thor, Asleif and Aridis, are also attending the festivities with their team.
Akilah Munore, the crown princess of Wakanda, is here tonight with her steady flame, Daniel Sherwood a member of the Young Avengers. The other Young Avengers are in attendance tonight with their dates, alongside the adult Avengers.

Donald Trump arrived with his wife and is one of many other famous faces to arrive. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Hugh Jackman, Jack Nicholson, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift are just a few celebrities who have made an appearance here tonight.

It’s truly a party of the who’s who and it’s all for a great cause.”

im_a_librarian:

Seeing as how she was in Greenwich Village fairly frequently these days, which was really only a hop, skip, and jump away from Westchester County for someone who could, you know, teleport, Dawn wondered why she hadn't looked up her cousin before now.

Granted, David was almost ten years younger than her, but he was family all the same.  And Aunt Catherine was always great.  Besides, the Defenders were getting more and more exposure these days and now that her parents knew about what she'd been doing with her life lately (boy, that had been an uncomfortable, but eventually all right Thanksgiving), it was only a matter of time before the rest of her family found out.

So she'd phoned again and shown up at the Institute.

She rang the buzzer.

nextgen_citizen:

The warehouse down on the docks looked deserted and it was the perfect place to goof off and cause trouble, at least to Tommy Stackhouse and Johnny Crane. The two boys had been looking for a place to hang out for some time now and when they spotted the warehouse it looked like the perfect place.

The two boys approached the warehouse and stacked a few crates that had been nearby to get up to a window. Tommy slipped in first and then Johnny followed him. They were unaware that they had set off a silent alarm, but they were too busy staring at what was inside the warehouse.

It was Christmas, a birthday and winning the lottery all in one.

About twenty minutes later police and company security officials would arrive, but they were too late to stop twenty of the drones that had been inside from taking off and blasting through the roof.

Tommy and Johnny had ran as soon as they could and the authorities missed them by a mere minute.

nextgen_holiday:

The air was warm and the sun was bright making it a perfect day for a cookout to celebrate Labor Day. Classes would start on the 7th (for those going to college they started a week ago) and it was the last chance to kick back and cut loose before hitting the books.

At Xavier's Institute For Higher Learning tables had been placed out around the pool and the large grill fired up. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, ribs, corn on the cob, pasta salad, salad and fruit salad were just some of the food available to eat. Soda, water, fruit juice and other beverages were on ice.

It was a day of rest and relaxations for those who put their lives on the line for others.

smallestbear:

This was the first time in a long time David had spent the entire day out in the garage. It was now the late afternoon and he had stopped to get a good long look at what he had done so far. There are a few books and technical manuals open for him to get an idea of what he was doing. He still had a lot to go.

He was also trying to figure out a time table for when he might be done building his car. David leaned back against the bench and fished a soda out of the cooler he had set up for himself. He had at some point ditched his shirt and was thinking f asking Rose or Misha for help figuring out what he was doing and what he should be. As much as he liked Mr Summers he really did think Rose and Misha would like working with him more on building the car.

Plus some of the other students too if they really wanted to. But still he wasn't sure about leaving the crank shaft he had been fiddling with. He was still figuring out the whole car one piece at a time.

mishaloganovich:

Misha flew back to New York after his overnight stop in Moscow to see Mom and Grandpa Ivan. He was there only long enough to shower and change before he packed the stealth suit into Darlene’s trunk and headed out to the institute. He didn’t see Justin at the penthouse, so he left a voice mail saying he wanted to get together and talk. Stark’s words were still fresh and Misha was smart enough to at least explore the idea the man had about asking for Justin’s help in tracking down Weapon X.

On his way home, he stopped at the pizza place in Salem Center to order two dozen pizzas to take back. While they had a hard time getting delivery at the Institute, the place was happy to do carryout orders for them. He was the main culprit for carryout at the institute, and always willing to share.

Arriving home, he carried it all into the dining room and put out the call that there was food and it was getting cold.

nextgen_parent:

Given the events of the last few months, Logan didn't push for a party or even try to roust David and drag him out to dinner. He left a note in David's room that dinner at his favorite place would be entirely doable that evening if he felt up to it.

Also, David should check out the garage bay next to Logan's.

nextgen_holiday:

Mothers are the place that we call home.
On them we rest our heads and close our eyes.
There's no one else who grants the same soft peace,
Happiness, contentment, sweet release,
Erasing nighttime tears with lullabies,
Restoring the bright sun that makes us bloom. - Anonymous

nextgen_shiar:

It was a modified kjethya scoutcraft. Big enough for passengers, but still small and simple enough for one man to fly.

Or, in this case, one seventeen-year-old princeling.  His Imperial Highness Starbridge Xavier Neramani hadn't been to the planet he was now orbitting since three summers ago. Various formal duties and complications had kept getting in the way of his visits with his father.

The father for whom he was mentally calling as his ship came screeching into the upstate New York sky. Starbridge managed to land safely at the Institute's designated area, but it was close. And until he'd gotten help, nothing counted as 'safe' anyway.

smallestbear:

David just has a really strong urge to play Left 4 Dead 2. So he texts the only other person he can think of that would be willing to do this. He had for a moment thought of bugging Misha but he figured zombie video games might not be his thing.

That was where James came in. James likes video games. So that is how David ends up texting James to see how he feels about Left 4 Dead 2.

This can only end in awesome.

nextgen_misc:

The citizens of Nova Roma were responsible residents of the Amazon Rainforest. They didn't waste resources, they used every part of everything, they worked with the land instead of clearing it and they recycled everything they could. They had learned these methods thousands of years ago from the local tribes not long after establishing their settlement.

Citizens from the colony would venture out into the jungle on a daily basis to gather the herbs, plants, fruit and other items they needed. Wood was gathered from the forest floor instead of chopping down trees whenever it was possible.

Today the citizens that ventured out did not return.

smallestbear:

He used to be able to remember things from before with such clarity. His mother. His great-grandfather. But there was nothing now. He couldn't remember much of anything or he just didn't want to. All he knew was that he had brothers and sisters here that he loved.

He wouldn't admit it of course. Some of them weren't exactly fluffy bunnies of peace and joy. But he had learned a lot from them. He also learned to not show too much of what he felt. He had been called a Zen Master by some of the agents who knew him since he was a kid.

He still was one. It looked like he was about to go on his first assignment though. They saw him as all grown up now and ready to play with the big boys and girls.

He was nervous. This would be his first time out. What if he messed up? So he looks to his older "siblings" hoping to gain some insight to how they feel about this before they head out.

smallestbear:

David isn't one to just ask for advice. But right now he needs it. He isn't one to get tongue tied but this was different. Too bad Lyta isn't here. As a girl she would give awesome advice about this.

He could ask Cait! But he didn't want to be a bother. So David frowns. He grabs a soda and pops it open as he starts to track down any of the older guys. Scent alone clues him in on where a few of them are. He ends up standing there for a minute before deciding that maybe he should go bother Misha.

Or Joe.

Maybe Lucas?

Gah. He nearly slams his head on something before deciding he should just finish his soda. Then figure out what to do. Getting advice without being obvious that he wants advice can be difficult.

He could just forget the whole thing. Except he is pretty sure he has been obvious when it came to sniffing around the grounds. Someone would have noticed.

poof:

While Mom and Dad were currently talking to the Professor about her attending Xavier's, Ellie had taken the notion to explore the mansion. Yes, she'd been there many times before, mostly to see her older siblings over the holidays or for the odd visit, but now she was going to be here all the time.

"I wonder if they'll let me train in the Danger Room," Ellie muttered as entered the garage, "Because that would be SWEET."

dorthyjames:

Dorthy smiled to herself as she walked up to the gate of Xavier’s. It had taken some time to get everything set up with her school transcripts and a good moving date. Today she was finally able to move to the mansion. She looked at the school and noticed the damage, but also that they were beginning to fix it. Taking a deep breath she pressed the gate button and waited for someone.

dream_catcher:

The Marauders are gone. At least for now. They still haven't determined what that was all about, and right now, Lucas doesn't care. He's been hard at work ever since the attack, despite his own psychological scars, healing who he can. When the medical labs, Hank McCoy, and the other healer assured him they had things under control, he went to talk to Scott, and got permission to do the hardest task yet.
He sighs, setting down the pencil and reviewing the letter.

nextgen_misc:

"Today we cut the ribbon and open a new shelter for the homeless here in Manhattan. The facility has two hundred, yes, two hundred beds and a kitchen that can feed all of them. New York will not ignore the homeless any longer. They are citizens of our city and we will help them."

The crowd around cheered.

"This is but one of five shelters, one in each of the five boroughs, opening today. These shelters are but the first of new shelters that will be opening here in this great city. I urge all New Yorkers to volunteer at these shelters and help your fellow man. There are some that call us New Yorkers rude, arrogant and cold, but I say they are wrong and it is time we show them how wrong they are. Show them by being generous with your time and energy. Show them what it means to be a New Yorker!"

The crowd cheered again.

nextgen_misc:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
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Anonymous entries accepted.

wild_rose:

"That the best you got, you slimy scum-sucking uglies?  I've seen worse in my breakfast cere...."  The woman, clad in a brown and gold costume, a single bone spike protruding from the back of each hand, dropped out of the sky.  She looked around the grounds of the mansion in confusion, though also with recognition.

"What the flamin' heck...?"  She sniffed the air and found no signs of her teammates, nor of the N'garai they'd been fighting.  No trace at all.  Which was beyond strange.  Even if they'd finished the fight without her, it would take days, even weeks or more for a scent to vanish completely. 

She pulled her mask off.  "Don't tell me I missed the whole dang fight..."

old_saint_nick:

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

Christmas Day is a Christian holiday, it's true, but it also has become increasingly secular. It is an opportunity for love, charity, and goodwill.

There is some debate within mystical circles if there is indeed such a creature as the embodiment of Christmas Giving known as Santa Claus. But whether or not there is such a being, the spirit of giving itself is very real, be it incarnated in a fat man in a red suit or not.

Throughout this small blue planet of Earth, people have brought trees into their homes, decorated them with lights and ornaments, and placed them in locations of honor. Stockings have been placed on the chimneys. And gifts have been placed under the tree.

Some are looking forward more to the receiving than the giving. But for many, it is the act of giving which warms them, which fills them with the holiday spirit.

Each person, in their own way, becomes a part of this spirit of giving. Each person, in their own way, becomes Santa Claus.

1407 Graymalkin Lane is well decorated, and snow covers the grounds. A massive tree stands in the mansion's living room, and ribbons or pine line stairwells or the walls. As for the X-Men themselves...

nextgen_holiday:

“We need to be more grateful. I think there is no true character without gratitude. It is one of the marks of a real strong character to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings. We need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in the church, everywhere. It doesn't cost anything, and it is so easy to cultivate.” - Ezra Taft Benson

In America today is a day for being thankful for the things in people's lives. Today was a day to celebrate family, friends, prosperity and health with food, family and friends. It is a time to reflect on what is important us and to recognize the gratitude we hold for having those things in our lives.

redheadspy:

The trip to Moscow went rather smoothly. With all the kids in the jet, she would have expected some chaos, but after an hour or so in the air, they settled down. Some even slept, which was the best thing they could do with the timezone changes and all. Natasha read reports her nephew sent and had finished the stack of papers by the time they arrived in Moscow in the early morning.

The kids were given a car and driver along with a security detail and were given most of the day to explore Moscow. Natasha spent most of it with her nephew and his finacee. There was a brief meeting with Putin that she somehow managed to get through. Was it bad that she still wanted to shoot the man?

Dinner was a grand affair. A formal banquet with all the trappings and all of the kids were on their best behavior. There wasn't even any bickering between Misha and Anya. Natasha would take the small miracles when she could.

After dinner they retired to their rooms for an hour to change and freshen up. Natasha slipped into her second dress and made a quick call to Tony. Then she headed downstairs to the ballroom.

mishaloganovich:

As a reward for being a good little mutant and submitting to Xavier's psychic help and Dad's daily work outs, Misha was allowed to mingle with the student body. No sparring, no teaching, no weapons training, but by God he could now talk to them without the fear of hurting somebody. They still couldn't tell him what would trigger an attack other than the obvious Romanov one, but since Mom wasn't around and as far as he knew Anya, James and Eliza were still in SHIELD custody, that didn't appear to be a problem.

It was a nice afternoon, so he pulled Dad's jeep out of the garage to wash it. Darlene was still in his parking spot in the city and from the messages left on his phone, not happy she wasn't getting more air time.

rabbitfromahat:

The taxi pulled up alongside a huge gate and Summer hesitated a minute before she made herself step out of the car. As she leaned in the window to pay the fare it was on the tip of her tongue to ask to be returned to the city. Still, she had come this far and it would be pointless to turn back now. This was the first real opportunity she'd been given to do something new with her life. No one could exist forever on disappearing rabbits and card tricks. So she ignored the voice in her head telling her to turn back, paid the cab driver, and watched him drive away.

When she'd spoken to Kristoff the day before, Summer had thanked him profusely for his help and at the time she had been very excited. Now that she was there, something seemed so final about it. Maybe it was the gate and the wall. Or the enormous size of it all. This place was nothing like any she'd ever been before, and she'd been lots of places.

Before she buzzed the intercom to ask to be let in, she paused to look through the gate. It was a nice day out, for as late as it was getting in the year. There were even a few kids playing or lounging on the lawn. Teenagers never changed. No matter where she went, some things always stayed the same. Weekends were sacred, no matter what the weather channel threw at them.

Okay. Enough dithering. It was time to go inside. She squared her shoulders, pressed the button on the intercom, and waited for someone to answer.

ng_weaponx:

Tessa stayed huddled in the corner even after the lights came back on. She watched Misha in his cell until they came and took him away. The guilty feeling got worse when they dragged him out of the cell and took him away. Tessa knew where they were taking him and what they were going to do to him.

There had to be a way to help him and his brother even from within this cell. The question was what could she do from in here and with her powers. It wasn't like she could blast her way out or even use her powers on the guards in the immediate area.

Tessa stood up and started pacing. There had to be a way out of here. Nothing was escape proof. She just had to think this through. While anyone wouldn't consider her a genius, she wasn't an idiot either and wasn't a mass of flesh like Nicholas. Given time she could figure things out on her own. The problem was she didn't know how much time she had before they came to get her for reprogramming.

Before a plan or an idea could take root in her head, the lock on the door to her cell clicked open. Cautiously she approached the door and tried it. It opened and she took a hesitant step into the hallway. Not a guard in sight. This was definitely unexpected and she wondered if it was a setup. Now she was just waiting for Nicholas to appear out of nowhere and kill her while she was 'attempting to escape' or some other thin excuse like that.

While she had some temporary freedom, she may as well try to get the younger Logan kid out of his cell and try to get him out of the complex. Carefully and very cautiously she walked over to his cell.

ng_weaponx:

Guilt had been eating at Tessa since the moment Misha and David had kissed pavement. In the past few days it had gotten worse. She couldn't stop thinking about how it was her fault they were locked in the small cells in the Weapon X facility. She had been monitoring the two Logan boys from her computer through the security feeds. She had to be discreet otherwise Nicholas...there was no telling what Nicholas would do.

He suspected Tessa of getting too close to Misha and he was right. Otherwise she wouldn't have had the pit guilt had created in her stomach.

She watched them in their cells. The small rooms were barely big enough to walk ten steps in any direction. Three of the walls were painted a bright white and the front was the hardest plexiglass. The cells were soundproof and the boys were next to each other so they couldn't see each other. They were fed barely enough to stay alive and sleeping in any quantity was not permitted.

Ezra Kane, the director of Weapon X, had been overseeing their progress and had seemed pleased with it.

Tessa wasn't going to go down there, but Nicholas was out on a mission and Kane was in Washington and this would be the only opportunity she had. Crosshairs and Spectre didn't care anything about their guests and ignored them.

She made her way down to the cells and stopped in front of Misha's. That pit in her stomach grew.

mishaloganovich:

Misha did David a favor and didn't ruffle his hair as they stood outside the Museum of Natural History. After the Mojoworld caper, Dad was a little reluctant to let David off the institute grounds, but Misha convinced the old man that a weekend with him in the city doing some guy stuff would be good to get David's mind off things. After all, His Imperial Highness, Grand Duke Mikhail Loganovich of Russia had discreet security provided by S.H.I.E.L.D., and lived in a penthouse with nearly every dangerous weapon known to man. If the man was a paranoid female Russian spy. That liked to shot things.

Safety wasn't the main concern. The real danger was that they'd eat themselves into a stupor and hang out in their boxers with the terrace doors open.

"Tessa'll be here any second," he said to David. "Keep an eye out. You can't miss the red hair."

anyastark:

Birthday party plans this year:
Weekend in Tahiti. Plane leaves Thursday night at 9pm.

sandcastlegod:

No one was standing on the lake.

Her room was empty. Lucy and Vicki in the next room hadn't seen her.

Corey kept asking, but he was having a hard time cornering people to ask.

So excuse the very minor earthquake tremor, people. He's only whoring for attention because he's worried. Well, that's the only reason this time.

smallestbear:

David was pleased with himself. At fifteen as of today he just pulled the biggest prank ever. He had warned the adults not to eat any of the brownies that were in the kitchen. He of course didn't tell them that it would cause anyone who ate it to pee blue.

Now he was sort of bored after that. What are fifteen year-olds supposed to do? He has no idea. He does know though he should be doing something with Dad and Misha today. Mom would be down on Saturday. They planned on going to the movies and eating all kinds of bad food. Today was just different. But at least the day was warm and he could enjoy the quite while it lasted.

_tsunami_:

It was a classic, yet very good, prank. Little brother wouldn't know what was going to hit him. The little twerp deserved it.

The prank had taken some time to put together, many items were needed, and she had to save up enough money to buy the required items. Thankfully they were cheap and she could get quite a few of them. At fifteen had been purchased. Then there was the time she needed to set them all. The hardest part was hiding them. Fifteen alarm clocks, all set to go off at different times, were a lot to hide where they couldn't easily be found.

Once Dirt Boy was out of his room, Cait went to work.

nextgen_misc:

It was just another normal day at Xavier's Institute For Higher Learning. Or was it?

nextgen_misc:

Every year at the end of the school year there was a dance held at Xavier's Institute of Higher Learning. It wasn't a prom so to speak because all the students were invited, not just the juniors and seniors. This year the students were asked what they wanted to do and the consensus was that they wanted to take a trip instead of holding a dance.

Their destination, they decided, was Rome and they would be there for a week.

Rome provided many museums and historical sites for an educational benefit, but it also had many clubs and other spots for entertainment. The days would be spent taking tours around the historical sites and museums around the city. The students would be allowed to go out at night. The older kids would be allowed out on their own, while the younger ones would be allowed out with a chaperone.

Logistics were worked out and a floor of a hotel in the heart of Rome was reserved. Airline tickets were purchased and the students were transported to the hotel.

Ten hours later they stepped off the plane in Italy and were taken to their hotel to freshen up.

mishaloganovich:

Text message sent Anya, James and David.

   Meet at my place tomorrow around three, bring your fave movie. I'll order food & have drinks. Prepare to stay late.
Follow up text to David.

  Let me know if you want to come. It's just us kids. I'll get you tonight & take you home the next morning.

Follow up text to Anya.

   Don't have Eliza's #. Ask her. If she has Jack's # I'll give him a call if she doesn't want to call him. Let me know.

Text message to Mom.

   I'm stealing them tomorrow for food & movies, & maybe plotting against our parents. Don't worry if you feel something weird in the air. It's just your loving offspring.