son_of_discord:

Joey sat down in the hotel room in whatever country they’d managed to end up in. The woman with him settled into her own bed across the way, and Joey averted his eyes because modesty was big in her culture. He wasn’t modest or humble and he’d seen several naked, or semi-naked women in his time, but Joey didn’t feel the need to see this one. He took out his phone and checked the date and stared at it for a second. They were a day ahead of the States, which meant that Rose’s birthday was today, over there.

 

( Read more... )

 

son_of_discord:

Rose was out with Tina tonight, probably having a great time at the film festival, which left Joey at the school feeling a bit bored. There was nothing on television, really, Ana-Pants was gone home, so he couldn't bug her until she tried to optic blast him. Kitten was enjoying her new girlfriend from That TV Show, and...when he was done counting, that was every last one of Joey's available friends. Cassidy was into his new girlfriend, too, and Misha was out and about as well.

( Read more... )

 

wild_rose:

It was, technically, rather late.  And this part of town, somewhere in one of the NYC's Japanese neighborhoods, was not necessarily the safest in the after midnight hours of the night.  Not that Rose Logan was particularly worried.  Though only five feet tall and of a deceptive enough build, she was by far one of the most dangerous things there. 

Besides, she had a friend with her with telepathic and diamond-form powers.  Between the two of them, there pretty much wasn't anything they couldn't handle.  And the stuff that they couldn't, well, nothing to be ashamed of, because that meant they'd crossed over to end of the world level threats.

As it was, Rose couldn't pass up on a Kurosawa film festival.  A little theater had been showing Rashomon, The Seven Samurai, and the Hidden Fortress.  Original Japanese with subtitles.  Pretty close to perfect.

"So, Frosty," Rose asked, "whatcha think?"

notyetqueen:

Anastasia was overjoyed. Earlier that week, she had talked to Cait, who told her that she knew a way for her to go home, that the teleporter on the Champions, Irina could open up dimensional portals and take her back home. Take her, Rose, Gretchen, and Brad home. While Anastasia didn't hate where she was, and she loved her sisters and her friends, she missed her family and friends back home.

Anastasia had called Brad and Gretchen and told them, and they were going to go to Champions' HQ to meet Irina there before coming to the institute to get her (and maybe Rose, too).

Anastasia finished packing. She didn't have a lot of stuff with her, as she never liked asking Dad for more than she needed, and she had her things at home. She kept the presents that people had given her for her birthday and for Christmas, and some pictures that she had taken of her with her friends on X-Force, and a couple of pictures of her and Tina. Her clothes could be donated.

Anastasia closed her suitcase and went to go find Rose, and to say goodbye to people. She wasn't just going to leave without telling people where she had gone.

whosperfectnow:

Tina had looked at the envelope of documents easily a dozen times, but she still couldn't quite believe it.

She had to call Rose.

indigogirl:

Gretchen and Rose hadn't really had time to talk alone since Rose came back. And gosh, did they have a lot to talk about.

So they'd found a little place on the grounds.

"Thanks for coming out with me."

wild_rose:

Rose always had a good head for dates.  When you planned on living as long as she probably would, it was probably important to have one of those.

Besides, this one was easy.  Annie was practically a sister to her, though she'd also admit that Frosty was kind of supplanting her in the best friend department.  No slight to Annie, but while Annie was the friend who would bail her out of jail, Frosty was the one who'd be in the cell with her.

Never the less, there were few people she was closer to.  Rose had gotten her a new leather jacket and the promise to get her a fake id so they could go drinking.

nextgen_holiday:


I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Hath led me -- who knows how?
To thy chamber window, Sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream--
And the Champak's odours
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must on thine,
O belovèd as thou art!

O lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast:
O press it to thine own again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

son_of_discord:

X-Force, plus Foxx, sped toward the Land of the Rising Sun with all due haste to rescue Rose. Joey is quite during the flight, ready to do whatever is necessary to save his woman the moment they touch down. Honestly, he doesn't have a plan besides "find Rose, kill whoever took her, bring Rose home."

That doesn't bother him much, because X-Force has operated on less of a plan than this before and come out all right.

"Are we there yet, Ana-Pants?" Joey asks, utterly serious for once. He was ready to throw down.
 

son_of_discord:

Three days after Rose’s disappearance, Joey Allerdyce is a worried man. Coming home from Misha’s and finding out that she didn’t come home worried him a little, but he knew Rose could and would take care of herself. If she’d called during the first or the second day, Joey would have just chalked it up to Rose wanting a bit more time and space to sort out her own head. He would have given her as much time as she needed as long as they could set some time to talk.

( Read more... )

nextgen_baddie:

Two days after Rose Logan's kidnapping, Jushiro Harada watches the young woman through the bars of her cell in the sub-basement beneath his Tokyo home. She'd been in sorry shape upon her arrival, with more bullet holes in her than he'd directed Foxx to use. If Rose had died, Harada would have had to reconfigure his plan to draw out the man called Wolverine, and possible go after one of his sons. The idea still appeals to him, but only if he finds that he must kill Rose Logan.

And if he must kill Rose Logan, she will suffer first.

The doctors spent hours removing the bullets without any sort of pain medication, at Harada's direction.  Every bullet was eventually removed, including the carbonadium, allowing her to heal and regain some of her senses. Even in her battered state, she'd still managed to maim two more of his guards. It was then that they chose to use the "Madripoor Cocktail" he'd concocted, mixing opium with liquid Carbonadium and forcibly injecting it into her system. Since then, Rose was most incoherent, though she managed a lucid moment or two as her body tried to fight off the poisoning.

And every time, the name "Joey" spilled from her lips.

Today, Jushiro stands outside of Rose's cell, simply looking down upon her with disdain.

"Rose-san, I trust your...accomodations are to your liking?" he asks in English. He's not sure the barbarian can speak Japanese. He's not even sure she can /read/.

son_of_discord:

Technically, this is date number two.

The first date would have been better, all those months ago, if they hadn't been jumped by a bunch of crazies that would end up plaguing them again later. Oh, and Joey's old friend Foxx, who was in town to save his bacon at the time. Tonight, Joey Allerdyce is confident that nothing is going to mess the night up for him and Rose. No crazy mutants, no Tina chasing him, no Ana-Pants trying to beat him up and no Summers telling them to go fetch another mutant from God-knows-where.

Joey dresses up a little for the occasion, selecting a black dress shirt and slacks, along with black shoes. He wears the custom-made jacket that that Kitten made him as well, as he finds he likes it more than his normal leather jacket.

He waits for Babe at the bottom of the steps at Xavier’s, going over tonight’s events. Dinner, followed by a hotel room and all alcohol they can drink. Or maybe, all the alcohol /she/ can drink. There’s a good chance Joey will be done by the fifth beer or so.

The only thing that matters to him is that she has a good time.

nextgen_holiday:

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.
18.
19.
20.
+

Anonymous entries accepted.

nextgen_holiday:

Christmas. Yule. Saturnalia. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. Many cultures have celebrated and still celebrate a winter festival. There have been many names for it over the millennia. No matter the name it is a time to come together and celebrate with feasts and gifts with friends and loved ones.

Each culture has a legendary figure who would deliver gifts to children during this time. In Russia and some Slavic cultures he is known as Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost, and comes not on Christmas but on New Year’s along with his granddaughter Snegurochka, or ‘”Snow Maiden”. In the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe he is known as Father Christmas. In the Netherlands and Belgium he is known as Saint Nicholas or “Sinterklaas” and in France he is known as Père Noël. In the United States we know him as Santa Claus.

No matter the name or who is delivering gifts, it is the season of peace, joy and togetherness. It is the season for thinking about loved ones, friends and those less fortunate. It is a time to witness the goodness and generosity the human race is capable of. It is a time for peace on Earth and goodwill toward man.

whosperfectnow:

The jumps were dizzying as were the changes in her physiology.  The additional abilities were leaving her, almost being written out of her dna.  It would have been a huge relief except leaping through time was equally as draining so when Tina landed in 1776, she landed face first in the mud and she was perfectly content to stay right there.

Until she was yanked up by her hair demanding to know where the hell she'd come from.

It was a familiar-seeming voice and when she was able to see the face the voice belonged to she understood why: Sebastian Shaw clearly looked like one of his ancestors.  Enough so that Tina turned on the diamond armor at will--a first--and punched him right in the face.

By the time X-Force dropped in, Tina was in a full on brawl with this Shaw and his fellow soldiers to the point that all she could see or hear was the fight at hand.  It...wasn't going well.

nextgen_misc:

After some discussion with the team, they decided to jump to the London Blitz in an attempt to meet up with Christina at the end of her time jumps, to catch her before she was stuck wherever Dave had sent her.  Jenny had no trouble bringing the team along--she could take up to six "passengers" safely at one time--but once they actually arrived, that's where her expertise ended.  This was, after all, a different universe and while the generalities were much the same, some details were bound to be different.

"Remember guys, do not trust what you know about history.  It's only a guide here, not fact."

In a blink they were on the streets of London. A quick check of a newspaper gave them the date: 29 December, 1940.  It was a perfect match to the book Tina'd been reading, a book about the Second Great Fire of London.  The team was just hours away from the devastating air raid.

"Christina appears to be getting herself involved in notable events, my money's on her being at St. Paul's Catherdral.  It was famously spared in the raid by the efforts of firefighters."

Orienting herself a bit, Jenny started leading the group as unobtrusively as possible towards the landmark.

anyastark:

Anya didn't have many traditions in her family, unless you counted being a bastard as one of them. The Avengers however did have a few time honored traditions that must be kept going. Sure saving the world from alien invasions, beating up the world level threats and other heroic things were some of those traditions, but not everything could be about beating up the bad guys. One such non-heroic thing was Rate the Hunk.

Each year the female Avengers got together and rated their fellow male Avengers. The new generation had eagerly picked up and kept this tradition going. However, they had expanded it a bit.

The day after Thanksgiving was a perfect day to avoid shopping crowds, take over the rec room, banish the males and look at pictures of them. Anya had run it last year and she took it upon herself to do it again this year. Invitations went out to fellow female heroes. Avengers, X-Women, Defenders, Champions and Thunderbolts all got invitations to come to New York to Rate the Hunk.

Food, drink and snacks were laid in. Signs were put up on the doors and electronic surveillance was set up to see if males dared to interrupt.

Anya settled in on one of the couches and queued up the stash of photos she had collected in the past year.

nextgen_misc:

When X-Force returned they had attempted to use Anastasia's idea to find Christina using Cerebro. Jenny, the same girl Tina had been hanging out with when the anomaly hit Cerebro in the first place, scanned several times, but found nothing. It was as though Tina had disappeared.

She did, however, find something interesting on the website the team had cryptically been given.

"Hey, guys? New events have shown up on this site since I first loaded it. Take a look."

whosperfectnow:

Since Summers still didn't want Christina doing anything combat-oriented but couldn't put her on desk duty either (not to mention still couldn't pin the unusual disappearance...and later discovery of the remains of his car on her) he put her in the only other place he figured he could keep her out of trouble: Cerebro duty. For the last week she'd been spending her days up with Jenny Elston and she still wasn't quite sure what Elston did, powers-wise.  She was a telepath to be sure, but when asked about anything else, she'd clam up, shrug her shoulders, and say she didn't have the greatest social skills so Professor Xavier figured she was best off monitoring Cerebro--but she was glad for the company.  Cerebro was, most of the time, boring.

"So your latest power acquisition is omnilingualism, huh?"  The girls had taken to playing poker during some of the really quiet moments.  Jenny kept winning and looked up at Tina over her cards as she awaited an answer.

"Yeah.  My boyfriend loves it because I can talk dirty to him in a ton of languages now."

"I'm surprised you haven't picked up some weird armor plating, dating a Rhodes.  They're kinda close with the Starks."

"I do diamond armor.  And I only pick up other mutant powers.  Not technological genius.  And how do you know anything about the Rhodes and Starks?" 

Jenny just smiled.  "Same way I just beat you.  Again."  She tapped her temple.  "Are you sure you're a telepath?  You don't seem to do a lot of mind-reading."

"Spent way too much time in my childhood doing it.  Dammit, you did win again."  Tina started to gather up the cards when the Cerebro alert went off, loudly. The two girls rushed to look at the console.

"Oh shit, that can't be right."  Jenny's eyes widened.  "Yesterday, there were five low-level mutant signatures there.  Now..."

Tina tapped the glass.

"Now it looks like a power bomb went off."  The two girls looked at each other.  Last time this had happened, it was Fargo.  Tina started out of the room.   "I'll get Summers."

***

Ten minutes later, Tina was banging on Summers' office door.

son_of_discord:

Xavier's 3am--


Joey has no idea what he was dreaming about or why; the only thing apparent to him right now is the pain in the sockets where his eyes should be. It feels as though his brain is trying to force its way out of his skull through both holes at once and he has to bite his pillow to keep from screaming.

The pillow doesn't help and he can taste the blood on his tongue as the pain intensifies. He falls off the bed, hitting the hard floor and immediate reaches out trying to orient himself in the direction of his bathroom.

Just 180 degrees behind me, right? Just gotta get there....

The pain in his head intensifies as he crawls across the floor to the bathroom, pulling himself up by the door knob. His hands fumble in the dark, looking for the damned light-switch that should have been near the wall. He finally finds it and stumbles in the direction of the bathroom sink and the mirror, tearing off the cotton patches over his eyes. Later, he'll say he had no clue why he did this; if what happened next hadn't happened, he doesn't know what it would have accomplished.

But he didn't expect what came next.

The bathroom light nearly blinds him Joey throws a hand over his eyes to shield it out. The lights were never that bright, were they? Not even when the bulbs got changed. Why were they so bright now? 

Wait a minute.

Joey puts his arm down and looks in the mirror. He sees his reflection staring back at him. With his eyes.

"My eyes...grew back?" he asks his reflection stupidly.

So focused on his reflect is he that Joey doesn't notice the shadow that vanishes from beside his bed, fading away into the dark.

indigogirl:

Gretchen had called ahead to let Rose and Anastasia and Mina -- and the rest of Xavier's, for that matter, she supposed -- know that they were hoping to come up. It was a long trip, and she as glad to get there.

Place was still very Uncanny Valley, though. Just familiar enough to be uncomfortable.

wild_rose:

Normally, Rose spent as much time with Joey as was humanly possible, while still maintaining some degree of independence.  Which didn't mean she couldn't hang around with other people.   More importantly, right now, she needed to be able to head out with someone who could keep up with her, at least for a night.  

Careful consideration left Tina as the option here, so Rose went to hunt her down.

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.

son_of_discord:

Joey's been working on this idea of his for several months, since he managed to get someone to tell him Rose's birthday. The plan has changed several times over the last couple of months, but when Joey finally decided exactly what to do for her birthday, he'd gone all in with the plot.

( Read more... )

nextgen_parent:

To say that Scott had found the results of X-Force's mission distressing was an understatement. There was the fact that Nathan had played them; Scott was inclined to give his son the benefit of the doubt, but when he went and did something like this, using the students to carry out his own plans, well...

There was the appearance of a new group of Mutant terrorists. Especially one led by a woman styling herself after Magneto. In these troubling times, most of the so-called "evil" or revolutionary mutant groups had had the good sense to go to ground. Worse, the woman was bound to attract Magneto's attention, or worse, that of his followers. The very presence of a revolutionary cloaking herself in the Master of Magnetism's old standard could set the world of Mutants ablaze, with sides being chosen all around. It might well lead to a mutant civil war.

But worst of all, however, was the state of the team itself. Joey had been grievously injured. Tina was exhibiting strange side effects and it was possible the others would be experiencing the same. And even Rose was not her usual self, having retreated more into herself, in a way Scott had only seen in Logan a few times before.

The meeting with the team was a casual one, to hopefully keep them at ease. But this would not be easy. Not with the personalities that made up the team.

"Thank-you all for meeting like this," he said. "I know the last few days haven't been easy, and I want it known I appreciate the efforts you all put through. If the X-Tremists hadn't appeared, I have little doubt I'd be congratulating you on a job well done. You took a situation full of unknowns and performed above and beyond the call."

He frowned. "Unfortunately, in the wake of as many unknowns as we're currently facing here, and in light of giving you all time to recover... we have decided to temporarily suspend you all from field status; restoration of such... will come when we feel it safe, for both you and everyone else."

wild_rose:

Rose begged off anything after dinner with Brad, saying she had an early class in the morning.  A complete lie, but he bought it hook, line, and sinker.  They needed to mobilize as quickly as possible, and the lab would be mostly deserted in just a few hours.   Brad might possibly still be there, but she was more than prepared to deal with that.

It did not take long for the team to assemble, staging just outside the lab complex and just out of range of security cameras and the like.  Their stealth uniforms--which had been carefully and completely hidden away in their luggage--were the go to clothes of the day.  The black and gray suits would provide a measure of stealth and electronic misdirection.  Each contained a small mask, with various vision settings, though Rose's mask mimicked the lines of her usual pointy eared one.

"Okay," she said.  "We all know we need to shut this down.  That means smashing or confiscating any samples, destroying the computers, and otherwise makin' as a big a mess as possible.  And if there's anybody there...  we take them down as quickly as we can without killin' 'em.  We'll clean up anything we have to after we slow them back to the stone age."

She looked to Tina.  "Your move, chief."

indigogirl:

Gretchen needed it. She really needed it.

So she'd asked around among the Alternate-Xavier's kids (she should probably keep trying to stop thinking of it like that), touched on all the conversational points that made Rose more likely to go along with something, and was currently seated in a lovely little establishment that reputedly had great Asian barbecue as well.

Gott in Himmel, they had everything. Even the LeBlanc cover of the song she was looking for. That was good. She liked the more upbeat tempo, although she tended to sing the original, cleaner lyrics.

So the lighting near the little 'stage' area dimmed a bit as Gretchen strutted up for a very enthusiastic rendition of "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking."

wild_rose:

For the members of X-Force, the previous night had been extremely successful.  Each, in their own way, had gathered pieces of information which helped to make the larger puzzle a little more clear.

1) Rose had determined through a conversation with one of the lead scientists that not only did the X-Gene therapy work, but that it was largely being purposed as a means of suppressing the x-gene in others, with the possibility of adding powers to an individual being more of a side project.  She had also wrangled herself an invitation to see the lab up close and personal.

2) Tina and Joey had, in what even Rose would admit was a spectacular piece of subterfuge, learned that not only was there workings in place to get the therapy to the outside world, but Tina had secured herself a job within the lab on the promise of a favorable negotiation with regards to this deal.

3) Anastasia had managed to secure a security badge for the lab.  It would be some time before this was missed.  With Tina having gained access and her skills, this might have turned out to be redundant, but as each had been operating individually, some duplication was to be understandable.

4) And Chris...  had listened to rumors and confirmed that there was interest among the population in the therapy.  She also had a much more pleasant evening than any of the others had in their interactions with the natives.

In ones and twos, the group had passed the bits of information on to each other and begun to hatch a plan.  Rose and Tina would both be able to be in the lab at the same time easily enough.  Between Tina's technopathic abilities and experience, and Rose's own skillset, they could decide how to proceed from there.  The others would hold back on stand-by, ready to come with a moment's call and gain access either through Tina or through the stolen card. 

It was a solid plan.  It was supposed to just be about gathering info.  What could go wrong?

wild_rose:

With the fake backgrounds and IDs Summers and the rest of the crew, getting into Providence (Rose and Tina inserted in one group, Chris and Annie inserted in another, and Joey with his own plan) as part of differing immigrant groups had proven surprisingly easy.  Fake IDs listed them all as a little bit older than they were, but not impossibly so.  They'd passed the background checks, taken aptitude tests, and been given various placements within Providence society.

Per the initial meeting outline, they'd purposefully avoided each other for the first three days on the island itself.  Now, however, it was time to meet.

Rose--whose fake ID identified her as Elizabeth Howlett--sat down on the park bench that was X-Force's rendezvous point.  She took a long sniff, breathing in the air.  It was cleaner than back in the states, clean like the wilderness.  Whatever Nate was up to here... it sure seemed to her like he was doing something right.

ng_independent:

The Empress was NOT happy. So far all of her plans have failed. The plan to grab female champions from Earth failed. The plan to grab guys and turn them into girls to use as her champions failed. The Empress had to come up with another plan. She had thought long and hard on it and eventually came up with something.

"Set A corSE to EARth!" she commanded. She would not be stopped this time. The plan was fail proof.

The Empress selected candidates as the ship made its way toward Earth. By the time they arrived, she had a list. One by one the names on the list were collected and put in the proper chambers.

When they wake up they will see a recording of the Empress addressing them.

"Greetings! Welcome to the service of...ME. Each of you will be expected to do your duty and proCREATE with the feMALE in the ROOM with you."

nextgen_parent:

The call went out for the members of X-Force to assemble in the briefing room as soon as possible. When they arrive, they'll find that it is Scott Summers, rather than the Professor, running this meeting. He looks grim, even by Scott Summers standards.

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.

wild_rose:

Rose had heard about Jake's death.

That had been several hours ago.  She'd since lost count of how many beers she'd had.  But she was slightly above what her healing factor could keep up with to keep her from being drunk.


They'd fought and bled for Cassidy.  Tina had nearly died.  She'd been pushed to the extreme limits of what she could heal back from.  And how had he repaid them?  By killing one of her only friends.

So she'd responded in the time tested manner of finding somewhere to hide and drinking as much as possible.  And possibly by crying.  Though that was expressly something she did not do.

son_of_discord:

It was barbecue night again at the school, and Joey was very quick to remind his girlfriend of their date. Granted, she was still a little grumpy from the whole thing in Fargo (and he didn't blame her), but she was okay. He didn't want to ask how much that hurt, but he also wondered if there was any lasting trauma or pain for her since everything was growing back. She complained about being itchy, which made Joey wince a little at times.

He should have been watching her better.

He asked Rose to meet him out on the porch, and waited for her with a table and food for the both of them, along with a couple of sodas. Even now, months after their first meeting in this place, he was still nervous about a date with her. Rose wasn't especially girly, but Joey liked that about her. They could talk about beer and fighting and it was as easy as any fake conversation about stuff that neither of them were interested in.

When she's close by, Joey snaps his fingers and lights the candle on the table between them.

Who says he can't be just a little romantic sometimes? 

gildedcage:

The visit Starbridge had insisted upon had been quiet so far. Time with his father, readjustment to the general Terran and specific Xavier's environment. Trying not to impose in any way on Rachel at what must be a difficult time.

He'd just been playing chess with Moira Hrimharisdottir in the library, and when they were done -- one game each, and one stalemate -- and she said goodbye, he lingered, staring at the board, at his safe-but-trapped king.

"Lovely metaphor," he muttered to himself.

ministryoftruth:

“…The damage here in Fargo, Georgia is catastrophic tonight. Reports are still coming in, but the latest casualty toll is over 2,000. Military planes are being loaded with supplies and moved in from as far away as New York at this time.” Adrian Carver says solemnly, looking directly into the camera.

“Behind me, you can see the damage that occurred yesterday morning.” Adrian says, and the camera pans around the area to show the husks of ruined buildings, rubble, and emergency crews helping people to medical tents. The camera returns to Adrian, his eyes slowly misting.

“ Eyewitness accounts say that a battle between rival groups of mutants reached a fever pitch before a bomb or explosives of some kind were activated. Investigators are still researching the cause of this disaster; more information will come as this story develops. My name is Adrian Carver, signing off from Fargo, Georgia.” he says.

 “Good night and God Bless.”

son_of_discord:

Joey wasn't sure what had just happened. One moment, he was kicking Bigmouth's face in, the next minute, the whole world started shaking, and people were screaming. Buildings fell over and then he was ducking behind a car, trying to keep from getting splattered by falling debris. When the shaking stopped, Joey managed to push himself out of mass of debris and garbage, and stood up to look for his teammates.

Fargo, Georgia was a land of chaos.

The few buildings that hadn't fallen over were still crumbling, and there were people lying on the ground before him. Others civilians walked about, clutching at extremities (some missing) or trying to stop the blood flow of other people's wounds. Joey could feel something warm and wet on the side of his own face, but he tried not to think about that. If he did, it would only slow him down.

"Wild Child! Shatter! Ice Princess! Ruby! Kitten! Someone say somethin'!" Joey called out, hoping that this mission hadn't succeeded at what Krakoa had narrowly failed at.

"YOU DID THIS! YOU MUTANT FREAKS BLEW UP OUR TOWN!" a woman screams, pointing at Joey.

"You gotta be kiddin' me..." he says, calling a flame to his hand.

He did not need this right now.

nextgen_baddie:

3:00 am EST Somewhere in  Hills of Southern Georgia....



( Read more... )

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

anyastark:

As always, Anya knew exactly what to get Prince Dork for his birthday. Gifts for him were never hard. Others, like Mom, on the other hand were almost impossible to buy for. The Dork didn't need anything for Darlene or his motorcycle, so she went with something else he loved.

The New York Mets.

Luckily they were playing in New York on the Dork's birthday this year. Coordinating with Lyta, the girlfriend (hee hee the Dork had a girlfriend and one Anya liked), they came up with A Plan. Lyta would distract the Dork and get him to the stadium. Lyta also was responsible for telling the X-ers and making sure they knew The Plan.

The Plan was simple.

Get to the stadium three hours before the game and join battling practice with the team. Then dinner in the private box before the game, and then watch the game from the private box. Snacks and drinks would be served all night.

It would be the perfect birthday for Prince Dork.

She informed the other Brother Dork, Eliza, Dad and Mom of the plans. Mom excused herself from the activity and said she would have lunch with Prince Dork tomorrow. Which if Misha saw Mom, he would send her right home. She looked exhausted today and it was best that she stayed home. She wasn't sure if Eliza and Dad would make it, but the other Brother Dork was going.

She got ready and grabbed James. They arrived at the stadium before everyone else.

digthefuzz:

Jake strolls into the kitchen at Xavier's while humming a little tune. He'd just come from working out down in the gym and is still dressed for it, tail swaying lazily behind him. He's not using his image inducer at the moment as he's in the mansion.

Walking over to the fridge, the fuzzy young mutant starts searching around inside it for some water and maybe a nice after work out snack.

ng_xavier_staff:

After their island adventures, the X-Men had been allowed several days to rest.  But then, Anastasia Summers, Rose Logan, Chris Pym, Christina Frost, John Allerdyce, and Melinda Dynar had all been called into the Professor's presence once more.

"Firstly," he told them when they were all assembled, "I must again apologize for my actions and how they endangered you.  Under Krakoa's influence, I all but sent you to your deaths."

He frowned, still ashamed at his failure to protect his charges.  "But you all performed beyond my wildest expectations, especially considering how few of you had ever worked together before.

"But I would like to see you working together again.  Reviewing your files, you all possess a unique variety of skills and talents, many of which are otherwise lacking in the field team.  Skills that are desperately needed now.  Ever since the Apocalypse-incident, mutant manifestations have been on a steady increase and we will not be the only ones to notice this.  Mutant activity in general seems to be on an upswing and this must be responded to.

You six would make an ideal team to assist with this situation, acting as a specialized investigative field team.  When necessary, you will be able to intervene and bring individuals here or otherwise offer the Institute's support.  When necessary, you will be able to act like another team of X-Men and combat threats as necessary.  And... when the situation requires it, you are uniquely qualified to investigation less wholesome things, seedier aspects of the world, by skill and power, and to deal with those as well.

You could be a powerful force... an X-Force, for good."

wild_rose:

By startling coincidence (yeah, right), all three squads had ended up at the cave at nearly the same time.  "Funny meeting you here," Rose muttered.

This was... wrong. Extremely wrong.  An island out to get them?  Missing X-Men?  A brand-new team being put together to go find them?  It all added up to one horrible, horrible possibility.  She'd been told the story often enough growing up, even used the place in question as a staging ground for Danger Room scenarios.

She looked over to Chris and Anastasia, eventually taking in Christina, Melinda, and Joey as well.  She was worried about him.  The others had survived mostly unscathed and she was healing, but he'd taken some hard knocks.  She'd have to keep an eye on him.  Dammit.  How she felt about him... major distraction right now.  And yet, she wouldn't trade him for all the edge it might offer.

"Okay, hands up, this remind anybody of anything from X-Men History 101?"
 

nextgen_misc:

With the speed of the Blackbird, the six X-Men were able to reach the island, located in an otherwise empty stretch of the Pacific Ocean, in almost no time at all. The island looked as though it had been untouched by man for centuries. Thick jungle had grown without limits and a towering volcano could be seen rising from the center. A thick swampland dotted one end. There was no sign of life, no sign of the Blackbird that had brought the other team.

There was an almost sinister feel about the whole thing.

ng_xavier_staff:

John Allerdyce.

Melinda Dyars.

Christina Frost.

Chris Grant-Pym.

Rose Logan.

Anastasia Summers.


To me!

The mental summons went out, calling the six to Professor Xavier's office.  Urgency, unusual in the usually composed founder and headmaster of the Institute, colored the psychic call.  This was not a summons to be refused.

notyetqueen:

Ruby rubbed the back of her head, getting up on her feet slowly. She should have gone into ruby form if she knew that she was going to trip through...a portal. That was what she'd had tripped through, right?

How else would she have gotten back to front yard of the Institute.

Anastasia looked around. Though it looked exactly the same, something felt....off. Like this wasn't the same place that she was used to. It didn't feel like the home where she grew up.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!

The alarms were going off?

Anastasia went straight into ruby form.

Yeah, something didn't feel right here at ALL.

ng_independent:

They had arrived at Earth and had orbited for awhile before Empress had selected her targets. It had taken some time. She didn't want just ANYONE. They had to be among the best. She WOULD win the gladiatorial games this time. NOTHING would stop her. Not even a small thing like gender.

Empress didn't care if it was cheating. The only thing that mattered was winning and she would win this time.

The teleporters were activated and the selected targets were beamed directly to the lab. There they underwent a little transformation and were given attitude readjustments and then put into a holding cell.

The men would wake up in the holding cell to find a few changes.

son_of_discord:

Joey and Rose arrived at the sushi restaurant, and he let Rose take the lead since this were her territory and all. They spent most of the taxi ride talking about small things and laughing at each other's jokes. He was still pretty new to the Big Apple,  so he asked questions about the different places they passed on the way.

Walking inside, Joey finds himself drawn to the quiet, private atmosphere of the restaurant, and wishes more eateries were like this. It's not Xavier's, but it's cool in its own way, and having Rose as company makes it perfect.

The pair are seated and provided menus and get set up with their drinks. Joey looks over the menu and realizes that he doesn't know what half the stuff on it is, so he learns in to whisper to Rose.

"Okay, what's good here?" he asks.

son_of_discord:

He was going to do it today.

He walked toward Rose's room, hoping she wasn't somewhere else on the grounds today, because he was going to do it. He was going to ask her on a...well, not so much a date as an outing for two people. Nevermind that it could be construed as a date, but he didn't want that kind of pressure attached to it. He straightened the collar of his jacket and took a deep breath, knocking on the door.

He tried to think of it as if he were selling insurance, but the thought only made him laugh, so he waited for Rose to answer the door and hoped she was in a talking mood.

nextgen_misc:

The media watched the battle from the safety of Ellis Island while on Liberty Island the battle raged on.