7/11 Instance: Common Ground

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tears~fall~like~glass
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7/11 Instance: Common Ground

Post by tears~fall~like~glass »

Timeline - After 'Overthinking'


<Darren> Darren was in the metalwork section of the shop classroom, cleaning out the forge. It was hard, tedious work but it gave him a chance to think over Fury's offer. It was wierd to think that he wouldn't be a teacher anymore if he took him up on it, it had just become something he'd done, enjoyed even. The downside of going would be that he wouldn't be able to teach kids the joys of building something from scratch and then the even greater joys of blowing it up.

<Darren> *able to teach kids the joys of building something from scratch and then the even greater joys of blowing it up.

<Darren> The upside was, of course, no more essay marking .... tough call.

<@Hope> Hope slid into the shop class. Lorna hadn't been in her office, but Hope really didn't want to talk to Lorna because of the whole Bobby thing. She decided the SHIELD guy would actually be a much better person to ask her questions to. "Mr. Kent?" She called out to him.

<Darren> Someone was talking to him? No one ever came to talk to him while he was cleaning the forge incase he roped them into helping, "Y'ello?" He looked up and around to locate the source of the voice, "Ah, Red, 'sup?" He said, smiling when he spotted Hope and standing up straight.

<@Hope> "If you're busy I understand. I just... I have questions. And the only answer I ever get is 'it'll be ok' and 'no you're not evil' and then the crap on the news and the stuff with Mr. Drake..." She sighed running her hand through her hair.

<Darren> "Well, I'm pretty sure things will be okay, they generally always are in the end, and I'm also of the opinion you're not evil, the lack of your essays being written in the blood of the innocent points towards that, when you do hand them in." He raised a teacherly eyebrow at her.

<Darren> "Buuut, I get the feeling you want something a little more indepth answerwise? I'm cool with that, so long as you promise you're not gonna cry, I can't deal with crying women, seriously," he gestered towards the small room to the side where he held his theory classes, "come on then, Red."

<@Hope> Hope went on into the room and took a seat on top of one of the desks, sitting her feet in the chair. "I at least promise to make it out of the room before I cry. How's that?" She flashed him a grin. "And can you blame me? Essays are the worst."

<Darren> "That'll do," Darren sat down in his chair and put his booted feet up on the desk, "Pffft, see, if you actually did your essays and homework kid you'd realise that they're actually piss-easy, bright girl like you should be able to churn out five thousand words in about half an hour, but that besides the point," he tilted his chair back, "so, what's buggin' ya, toots?"

<@Hope> "It's what that half hour takes away from." She smirked then leaned forward a bit, sighing. "It's a lot of things. Firstly, Clarice and I caught some stupid news talk show thing. The guy talked about how dangerous we all are and called out for a cure."

<Darren> "People have been saying that for years, kiddo, seriously," he rocked the chair slightly, "Before Nur and his buddies there was the Fang's of Liberty, before them were the Fringes. There's always gonna be nut-jobs out there who thing blowing shit up is a good way to get the point across, and there's always gonna be bigots tarring us all with the same brush."

<Darren> "As for a cure ... well almost since mutants first went public people have been trying to find a cure for us, I haven't heard of any real break throughs recently though, but your mutation isn't an illness Hope, it's just part of who you are, same as the red-hair and freckles, down in your genes."

<@Hope> "That's part of the problem." She ran her fingers through her hair again. "Nerd boy pointed out that the nature of my mutation makes me oh what was his exact word... a liability. With all the telepaths here he's afraid I could somehow lose control and go all warpath again."

<Darren> Darren narrowed his eyes, "First off, which nerd boy? Secondly I'm afraid you'll have to clarify a little on that, I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to telepathy since I'm completly immune, but isn't your mutation just borowing other people's powers?"

<@Hope> "Since the mutations are in the DNA, I essentially borrow their DNA. He thinks that there are so many powers here, so many people that I can't handle it. Or not that I can't, that I couldn't. That somebody could willingly or unwillingly force me to do what they wanted, like what Essex did."

<Darren> Darren looked thoughtful, "You're worried that someone could puppet you through your DNA? Hmmm ... I guess that could be a possible risk, but then again, there are plenty of potential risks here, like if Kevin and his whole death touch thing, or hell, if Jimmy was talking to you while you were driving. If you're really concerned about this though, I'd suggested talking to Xaiver, Dr. Summers and Dr. McCoy when he's feeling a bit ... better."

<Darren> *I'd suggested talking to Xaiver, Dr. Summers and Dr. McCoy when he's feeling a bit ... better."

<Darren> "They could probably advise you on this better then I can, and work out possible risk assesments and treatments and all the shit," he waved a hand airly, "I also note you haven't told me who was shitting you up with this either."

<@Hope> "That's because he wasn't doing it to be a dick, he was trying to be helpful... however misguided. Curt isn't a bad guy by any stretch of the imagination. Even Lizard is only out to help the people they care about." Well whoops. She really hadn't inteded to give Curt's name away. "...Don't be too mad at him please!" Johnny was mad enough for the both of them.

<Darren> "I'm not mad, I'll just remind him about tact in delicate situations," Darren nodded, "no one wants a repeat of the Brain's total meltdown in assembly after all."

<@Hope> Hope laughed at him. "I'm moreso scared that the government is going to decide that because of War..." She just trailed off, looking down at her hands. "I know it was said that they weren't investigating... but it doens't take an investigation to arrest a terrorist." Or a villain, as she preferred that title.

<Darren> "Ah, now that I can lay your mind at ease on," Darren flashed her a smile, "SHIELD was completly convinced from my reports and the background checks and all that jazz that we were clearly looking at some form of mind-control when it came to the Horsemen. While psychic mutant-law has yet to be fully hammered out everyone agrees that you can't be guilty of a crime you were physically controlled into doing."

<@Hope> Hope sighed with relief finally. "Well that is the best news I've heard in awhile." But what if the voice was still in your head? Still telling you to kill people? Did that make you responsible? "So that newscaster can really shove it because he doesn't have all the facts. Right?"

<Darren> "Are we talking about Stoffelis by the way here?" Darren questioned, "'Cos calling that guy a 'newscaster' is like saying that nevada is 'a little arid'," he snorted, "while technically true, it's a pretty crappy description. Try more 'right-wing fear-monger who gets all his statistics from cereal boxes'."

<@Hope> Hope laughed out right at him for that. "Yeah, that's the guy. Johnny has told me a hundred times that it wasn't my fault, but sometimes it feels like he's obligated to."

<Darren> "Well, he's right 'cos it's not your fault, try looking at it this way kid, if things were the other way around and Johnny had been forced to do all that instead of you, what would you be saying to him?" He smiled warmly at her.

<@Hope> "That none of it was his fault." She grinned at him. "Well played."

<Darren> "And would it be an obligation?" He grinned back.

<@Hope> "Well partly because that's what you tell someone who has been tortured, experimented on, drugged, and mind raped. You tell them everything is going to be ok. You tell them that it isn't their fault. But you can't stop them from feeling responsible."

<Darren> Darren went quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful, before taking his feet of the table and sitting properly, "How about I tell you something, have you ever heard any of the staff or older students talking about the Phalanx? Maybe something called 'bee-flu'?"

<@Hope> Hope shook her head. "Neither of those things."

<Darren> "Get ready for a history lesson then," Darren smiled again, "when I first arrived here I was a complete amnesiac, didn't even know my own name, hell, didn't even know how to be human. That's why my codename is Warlock, that word was the only thing I could remember so i used it as my name."

<Darren> "First summer, Sel and I went on a cross-country trip, trying to track down our pasts. A freak accident caused us to find an abandoned town that was populated with people who looked like me, all black and yellow and technorganic, but they weren't like normal people, they were mindless drones, part of a hive mind known as the Phalanx."

<Darren> "The queen bee of the hive was a creature called the Magus, once upon a time he'd been Captain Jonothon Kent, my dad," a look of terrible sadness crossed Darren's face at the mention of his father.

<Darren> "The Phalanx was an accident, my pop was a mutant like me, same powers and stuff, he was working on combining nano-tech with his own technorganic matter for SHIELD when there was an accident at the lab, it created something called the Transmode Virus, my father was it's first victim. "

<Darren> "The Virus infects a host and turns them into technorganic drones, who's only function is to find more hosts and protect the hive, I was infected when I was thirteen and spent five years trapped inside my own head, my body being controlled by the Virus, the screams of the other victims drowning out my own ..." he trailed off.

<@Hope> "That's just awful." Hope sighed a bit. She was kind of glad that she didn't have any family that were in danger. "So how did you deal with it?"

<Darren> "I went to shrinks, talked to people," he cracked a smile, "my mom bought me a pet rabbit since she heard having pets to stroke was good for dealing with trauma. But the truth of the matter is that everyone deals in their own way. The Phalanx followed me to the school, I was recontrolled, forced to infect my friends and attack them till I managed to break free a second time."

<Darren> "Time really is what helps, and the people you surround yourself with," he said thoughtfully, "my friends forgave me what happened since they knew I wasn't in control of what happened. You need to stay positive though I'd say, find something to focus on when things get rough. Eat well, get enough sleep, exercise. Get drunk and spend all night dancing, all that shit."

<Darren> "After while, if you keep focusing on the good stuff, the bad stuff doesn't seem so bad. It'll always hurt though, the fact I got out but my dad didn't? That hurts, it hurts a lot, he was a good man, but when I think of it these days I don't want to beat a wall down, I just feel a little sad."

<Darren> "And you know what, a little sadness is a good thing, makes you appreciate what you've got that's good more," Darren finished with a small nod.

<@Hope> Hope smiled at him. "Thank you, Mr. Kent... that's kind of actually what I needed to hear. Though it sucks that you had to go through that. I sitll worry about the next super villain that comes along that thinks I'll make a shiny toy. I won't let anything happen to the few people I do have. And yes, that includes Nerd Boy."

<Darren> "Always glad to help out a pretty girl," Darren winked at her, "A little worry is a good thing, just don't let it turn to fear and paralyze you and stop you from achieving all the good you can do ... like handing your essays in on time," he teased.

<@Hope> Hope scoffed at him. "I still passed."

<Darren> "Barely."

<@Hope> "Well, I probbaly have to retake this semster anyway. I missed most of it learning how crazy Dr. Wackadoodle was."

<Darren> "Maybe, in that case you have a second chance to hand all your essays in," Darren said playfully.

<@Hope> Hope laughed at him again. "Yeah, fat chance of that happening! Why do more work than I have to to pass?"

<Darren> "Oh I dunno, pride in oneself? Future possibilities? The chance to rub it in the face of others who didn't do so well?" He chuckled, "That was my main reason for gunning for straight A pluses."

<@Hope> "I'm clearly more awesome in every single way. I need to give him a sporting chance in some area."

<Darren> Darren snorted, "Sometimes I wonder how the school doesn't just collapse under the weight of all our egos, you know?"

<@Hope> "Because clearly we're too awesome to let that happen."

<Darren> "Obviously," Darren tilted his chair back again, "So, have I laid all your worries to rest then, Red?"

<@Hope> "I think that was all of them. At least, I can't think of any more right now. I really want to thank you for listening though. You're the only one who has been able to tell me exactly what I needed to hear."

<Darren> Darren have her a salute, even as he felt the twinge of guilt for thinking of leaving, "Glad to be of service, ma'am," he said jokingly, "you ever got any other worries like that, come find me, yeah?"

<@Hope> Hope laughed at him, offering him her salute back. "Sure thing... Sir." she smirked, hopping down from the desk. "But hopefully there won't be any more."

<Darren> "Hopefully," he stood up and started making his way back to the forge, "hey, while you're here maybe you could give me a hand cleaning-" he stopped and looked around the classroom, but Hope was already gone, the door swinging shut.

<Darren> Darren chuckled to himself as the door swung to a close, "Godamn."
Ult_Sm86
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Re: 7/11 Instance: Common Ground

Post by Ult_Sm86 »


<Darren> "Are we talking about Stoffelis by the way here?" Darren questioned, "'Cos calling that guy a 'newscaster' is like saying that nevada is 'a little arid'," he snorted, "while technically true, it's a pretty crappy description. Try more 'right-wing fear-monger who gets all his statistics from cereal boxes'."

Best. Line.
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Re: 7/11 Instance: Common Ground

Post by Slarti »

That is an awesome line.

Also, go Darren!
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