8679/Bushwacked in Bushwick

Bushwacked in Bushwick
Date of Scene:	15 November 2021
Location:	Bushwick <Mutant Town>
Synopsis:	The Brotherhood meet Cable and Hope - after they work together to put an end to some violence in Bushwick.
Cast of Characters:	Hope Summers, Cable, Clarice Ferguson, Neena Thurman, Raven Darkholme, Tara Tsabedze

---

Hope Summers has posed:
Not too long ago, Hope intercepted an attempt by some Reavers to obtain some new technology to advance their cybernetics. Even better, the Reavers didn't get so much as a look at her. Sometimes you just get lucky that way.

The problem is she's been feeling a little guilty about taking the tech from the medical company that intends to use it for actual medicine. So she's been working on figuring out the best way to get it //back// to them but also keep it safe from the mutant-hating crazy people. She's covered her tracks pretty well as far as the research goes, but it seems like overkill to make another covert operation out of dropping it off at a research facility.

Running out of any other ideas, she finally settled on mailing it. With tracking, of course. And the best place to do that is a part of town where storefronts don't especially want to film things or keep track of who does what, so she's headed for a little bodega in Mutant Town that also does FedEx delivery.

Cable has posed:
"I really miss bodysliding." Nathan grunts to himself as he wedges himself out of a rented Toyota Camry. The vehicle lists briefly to the side and then wobbles freed of his weight. The man in his forties is wearing a heavy trench coat and gloves to conceal his armament and techno-virus infected flesh. With a brief glance, he uses telekinesis to lock the door.

He cinches the coat closed with a strap, though a pair of large bulges on his thighs betray the presence of two very large hand cannons. His eye glows casting light Camry's silhouette across the brick wall. "I need a Graymalkin in this time line. One more thing for the grocery list."

Nathan strolls toward a FedEx delivery drop-point. How he knows that's where he will find Hope is his own little secret. What matters is he will be in the right place at the right time.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Even with all that Clarice has in her life keeping her busy - she still takes the occassional patrol with the Bushwick Community Watch, and with things a little tense back home at the moment? It's a good excuse to get away for a while and simply walk the street. The brightly hued mutant does nothing to disguise her presence as she walks down the street, a college-aged kid with spikes protruding from his skin strolling beside her. Both of them wear black armbands that denote them as members of the Watch.
    Pausing outside a little shop, Clarice talks pleasantly with the old woman running it. "Well - I'm glad to hear you haven't seen any trouble lately. The neighborhood's really cleaning up nicely," she says with warmth, a broad smile on her features. She refuses an offer of a fresh apple from the woman - though the boy beside her accepts it, happily biting into it.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope lets her mind wander a bit as she walks down the street. For all her "destiny" may be, she doesn't spend too much time in Mutant Town. Being surrounded by powers is an odd feeling for her, no matter how many times she visits. It's a good thing, being here where there are new mutants every day and entire parts of town where they live. But...sometimes it's a bit much. Like ants crawling over her skin.

The truth is, it's distracting.

Absently she brushes a hand across her brow, glancing over at Clarice as she reaches for the door to the bodega. In the distance, there's a low rumble of a motorcycle engine - nothing too unusual in the city.

Cable has posed:
Nathan notices Clarice out of the corner of his good eye, reaching down to pull up the collar of his trench coat. He knows her, but he's not sure if she knows him at this moment in time. The challenge of living a non-linear journey through time. Re-centering his attention on his task at hand, he reaches out with his mind, playing that careful game of 'keep the virus at bay' while accessing his mutant birthright.

He finds a glimmer of Hope's thoughts. He can't help but smile, glad for confirmation of her location and that she is well. He frowns at the sound of the low motorcycle rumble. He strains to imprint one word on Hope's mind. 'Danger' as he begins to run into the street.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice is trained to look for things that stick out - and a man running out into the street wearing a concealing trench coat that nonetheless reveals suspicious lumpy shapes beneath it? That sticks out. Her demeanor goes immediately from relaxed and friendly, to glancing up and down the street for any other signs of danger. "Trouble," she warns the kid beside her.
    The older woman also overhears the warning - and ushers a few nearby children with a soccer ball inside, before pulling the shutter down on her shop, closing them inside.

Hope Summers has posed:
It's been a long time since Hope felt that sort of warning. She's started to think she only ever imagined it came from anything other than training and a lifetime of danger. That's significantly more distracting than the feeling of so many powers all around her. Now to mention the meaning behind it.

She drops her hand from the door, turning to check the street, and her eyes widen. "//Nathan//?"

Before there's time for any more conversation though, there's a roar of engines as a trio of motorcycles tear around the corner and toward the bodega. In better circumstances they'd still be suspicious - they're too loud, too fast, not following the rules of the road. But right now? The way they hoot, holler, and pull out sawed off shotguns makes it very clear that they're a threat.

Hope curses, making a dash for the fruit stand that offers the nearest cover.

Cable has posed:
Nathan responds to Hope's mental question in a very classic fashion. With a brush of telekinesis, he throws open his coat and draws two extremely oversized pistols into his hands. The rapport of gunfire echoes through the street as heavy caliber rounds are opened up on the motorcycles. The fact that he wasn't going dead center of mass of each of the riders was what equated as a 'warning shot'.

He blows the front tire off one of the trio of bikes, sending the vehicle and the human skidding across the pavement. There is a shower of sparks and a yelp of fear and pain from the attacker.

Cable bellows out a verbal warning now that he's asserted himself through a modicum of violence. "Stand down, before you make me do something... I really want to do."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Well. That escalated quickly. Clarice summons a pair of her javelins to her hands, as she moves forward onto to street to take up a protective stance - hoping to protect the woman and the children that she knew could still be in the line of fire if those sawed-offs starts firing. "Call for backup," she orders the kid - before raising her voice to the hooligans on the motorcycles.
    "This neighborhood is protected. I suggest you leave - because I promise you just bit off more than you intended." There's a cold, determined look on her features.
    The kid behind her, however, looked //scared//. Sure he'd learned a little hand-to-hand combat lately - but those guys have //guns//. "Sure thing, Blink," he replies immediately, speaking into his radio. "This is Spikes," no, he wasn't terribly creative with his name, "We need back up at- umm- at..." he glances around desperately. "Oh! Jefferson and Starr!"

Hope Summers has posed:
Upon seeing their companion riding the pavement, the other two riders waste no time - in true cyber-bigot fashion, they simply respond by opening fire. Not so much aimed at one person or another. Just open fire.

"You've got to be kidding me," Hope mutters from behind the fruit stall, eyes closing tightly for a moment as she mentally shuffles through the powers in her proximity, searching for just the right fit...only to decide that right now she's better off sticking with whatever shreds of Gabby and Laura's healing factor remain in her system. Way too many bullets flying right now.

She pulls the envelope with the chip out of her jacket, ripping the packet open to check for any kind of tracker. This is what she gets for trying to be helpful. After all, it has to be that, doesn't it? No one else knew about this plan, this part of town...

Cable has posed:
Cable decidedly walks into danger to face it head-on especially when Hope is nearby. Curling the bicep of his cybernetic arm up in front of his chest. An previously unseen force fields absorbs a pair of slugs belted in his direction from the bikers. He pops off a few more shots in their direction, but moving targets are difficult and he's also conscious enough to keep his shots backed by solid targets: empty cars or brick walls. He didn't want to send an errant round into an apartment and injury someone else or worse.

He rolls out of the way as one of the bikers tries to run him offer. He resumes running in Hope's direction. "Keep your head down."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    As the bikers open fire, Clarice does what she does - she opens a portal in front of the man, through which some of their shots vanish.
    The reappear through the exit portal she opens up - behind them, and aimed towards their legs and buttocks. "DROP your weapons!" she roars in an commanding voice, flinging one of her javelins. It intercepts one of the motorcycles, which blinks out of existance - leaving the rider to continue his momentum forward - and into the asphalt of the street. The asshole deserved it.
    The kid, meanwhile, has dropped his apple and is calling urgently into his comm, "Yes, now!" As if the sounds of gunfire didn't communicate the urgency clearly enough. As he's talking, he's helping to direct some of the frightened residents into better locations to seek cover.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    There's a milky white portal in the middle of the street that spits out a woman with chalky white skin and black hair and a black bodysuit. And guns. She's already got two of them drawn. And lucky for her--and everyone else--she manifests in a spot to box in the hooligans with Cable in front and Blink behind and her to one side, and also in just the right spot to /not/ get hit by any random gunfire.

    "Dead or alive?" she shouts, as she aims her guns at the bikers. Dead is hard to undo, so she aims for the feet, a spray of gunfire that's /going/ to stop at least one of them from running. In case they need to be questioned or something.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Oh, I should keep my head down? Is that how I should do it? What are you even-" Hope finally frees the chip from the envelope, holding it up between two fingers. "Too much to ask for some magnetic powers right now, isn't it?" she mutters, glancing around for something else.

One biker hits the ground before he can literally shoot himself in the ass, but the other is still brave (or stupid) enough to look at Clarice, Neena, and Cable and think there's any way this ends well for him. Probably because he's got another trick up his jacket. He opens it, showing a vest with wires and blinking lights. "Dead works just fine for me, sugar!" he calls back to Neena.

Which is right about the time Hope finds her own salvation in an outlet on the outside wall of the bodega. She shoves the chip into it, flips a switchblade out of her pocket, wraps her jacket around her hand, then jams the blade into the outlet with the chip. There's a spark, a pop, and a puff of smoke before the knife clatters out of her hand.

Cable has posed:
"I've been trying for Alive, but they are quickly dialing me toward the alternative." Nathan grumbles as he closes the distance to Hope and adds to her cover. With a minor telekinetic sling, he drops the gun brandished by his cybernetic arm onto the trash can beside her.

"Assume you still know how to use one of these." Another slug pings off the energy shield, Cable glares back at the Reavers with a low growl rumbling in his chest.

"That's it. You pieces of scum are my new mission. You shot at my daughter. I'm excising you from the timeline, starting today." He inhales deeply and raises his pistol.

There's a careful squeeze of the trigger and another loud 'boom' of rapport. The head of the Reaver wearing the bomb vest erupts in a cloud of crimson. Cable then barks a command toward Blink like he's been on a dozen missions with her. "I need exfil on the bomb, now!"

"Domino. Dead minus one." Nathan amends from his previous statement.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "We don't kill if we have other options!" Clarice answers Domino - but people in bomb vests? Well. That sort of threat can't be tolerated.
    The only reason the mans head gets blown off is that a bullet flies significantly faster than a javelin - but before Cable can even finish shouting out his request, the lance hits the man, surrounding him in a flare of purpleish energy - and leaving nothing in his place. Far, far above them - a corpse now floats in the vaccum of space.
    "Do NOT make me repeat myself again! Weapons down, get on the ground, NOW!" she shouts at the others. "Because we're not fucking around!"

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Can it really be as simple as /three/ hooligans on bikes? Domino looks around, blinking at Cable only once--she's seen him before, but she doesn't think they've /met/ met--and then decides to trust in her luck to warn her of any other threats by pacing a bit as she keeps her guns trained on the other two.

    "I'd do what she says." She's scanning the bodega, now, too, briefly, then focuses back on the bikers. "Or, y'know, let this guy blow your heads off, no skin off /my/ nose."

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope picks up her knife first, then reaches out to grab the gun...only to slip it into her pocket as the last man standing goes poof. Look, just because she has questions about just went down doesn't mean she's not going to take a free gun. Those are hard to get.

The two men on the ground groan enough to show they're not dead, but there's a reason they tell you to wear a helmet and gear when you're on a motorcycle. They're not getting up at any speed - though they're not smart enough to stop trying either. They're just not very successful at it.

Hope stands up slowly, taking in what's left of the fight. "Target's gone," she calls over, in case anyone is wondering. "Should send that back to HQ before you blow yourselves up. Or get searched."

Cable has posed:
The gun is Hope's now because he's got his share of secret caches to pull a spare from. He glances over at his adopted daughter and gives her a single nod before he lowers his arm and approaches the downed reavers.

One of them gets a big combat boot directly in the chest and a barrel pressed into his forehead. The metal is still hot, causing a sizzle of skin and a ring shaped burn. "You return to your HQ and let your leader know that he has a significantly bigger problem now. Me. The callsign is Cable."

The same boot delivers a swift kick to the downed reaver's ribs and sends him rolling across the concrete. His eye glows a little brighter as he looks to Blink and then Domino. "Good to work with competent people again. Do we know each other yet?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    'Yet'? "Never met you before in my life," Clarice remarks in a dry tone as she approaches the two downed men, herself. One of the shotguns gets kicked with her foot - but rather than skittering away across the asphalt, is blinks out of existance. The other dropped shotgun gets hit with a javelin, and blinks out as well. Always best to disarm the assholes. "We sure they don't have any other friends who might show up?" she asks.
    Moving past Cable to the other man, she starts patting him down - checking for more explosives or weapons that might put their community in danger.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "I've seen him before. Mutant Care Center, the 'Friends of Humanity,'" Domino makes sarcastic air quotes with her guns, "showed up and ruined a charity drive. Jerks. Don't think we've met properly. You have a name, big guy?"

    She turns away as she talks, pacing around and holstering her guns so she doesn't freak out the locals. "What was the target?" she asks Hope, glancing over with a raised eyebrow. "They were after you?" She showed up mid-fight, she has /no/ clue.

Hope Summers has posed:
"It's a time-travel thing," Hope clarifies to Clarice, stepping out from cover once the weapons are out of the picture. "He gets around." She grimaces as she searches the street, checking for any actual injuries among the civilians.

At Neena's question she pushes up her sleeves, shaking her head. "Not me personally. At least not so far as I'm aware from monitoring their chatter. A chip." This may not be her Nathan, but she falls automatically into a lifetime worth of habits, orbiting the big guy like a satellite. Clarice and Neena are both experienced enough to recognize it.

"They're Reavers," she explains. "The chip was biotech, for improving cybernetic links. I was //trying// to return it to the manufacturer so it could actually help the people it was //meant// to help, but apparently the damn thing had some sort of tracking in it so as soon as I had it out of a secure facility..."

She trails off, sighing. "I'm sorry I brought it here. I thought it was clean."

Cable has posed:
Nathan nods slowly to Clarice. He looks to Domino and considers her question. He looks at the down Reavers for a moment. "Just call me Cable for now. I'll do the full introduction once we are outside the ear shot of these idiots." He nods in agreement with Hope. "It's definitely a 'Time Thing'."

Not like the Summers clan wasn't already a huge target, but he might as well not make things worse. He did just declare war. He watches Hope orbit him. "Good to see you again, kid. This moment in time treating you right? You know... beyond this."

He gestures with his gun in the general direction of a wrecked motorcycle then looks back to everyone, "Is there somewhere we can talk? Mutual enemies deserve mutual strategies."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    A white portal appears again - a few more members of the Brotherhood approaching with with flexcuffs to restrain the assailants until authorities finally bother to respond to the 'shots fired' calls they were no doubt receiving. Satisfied that the man she'd checked as unarmed now, Clarice tosses aside the knife she'd found, and moves to join Cable and Hope. "'A Time Thing.' Great. That clarifies so much," she remarks in amusement, glancing to Domino and giving her a nod as she speaks about her experience with the man.
    "Well - if you know me, then you know I can get us just about anywhere you'd like for a private conversation. The middle of nowhere in Montana usually works - or we can hop up to the Asteroid if you prefer your conversations to have an open bar." There's a momentary pause before she adds, "And if you don't know me - it's Blink."
    Looking to the kid who was with her she asks, "You cool with staying and giving a statement to the police?" After he responds in the affirmative she adds, "Great. Well - give them my card, and I'm sure they'll contact me for my statement as well."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "A 'time thing?'" Domino makes the air quotes with her fingers this time. "Huh. Okay then." She shrugs easily and paces over toward Clarice. "Looks like we're clear. And if anyone /does/ decide to come after the Town, the kid here can call for backup again." She grins at him.

    To Hope, she adds, "I'm Domino. Nice to meet you." She even smiles! She's feeling friendly at this point in time. On a run of good luck, presumably. Or at least on the upswing.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope watches the portals appearing with a sharp, too curious eye that matches Cable's demeanor. These are the things she's missed out on making her own way with the Outsiders. As Domino introduces herself though she turns back, offering her own smile. "Hope," she introduces herself, offering over a hand.

"Nice to meet you." Even if it sounds just a little bit like she finds something about that funny. "I've been taking care of myself," she answers Cable. "Made some new friends."

Cable has posed:
"Working with the police, huh? Well, I might not know you after all." He considers for a moment and glances skyward. "Asteroid sounds nostalgic for me, and I don't think the Reavers are deep into aerospace yet. Sounds like a plan."

Cable holsters his gun and nods sagely, mimicking the air quotes. "Yes, time thing."

He side eyes Hope for a moment and then abruptly brings her into a hug with his organic arm. He pulls a small earpiece from a trenchcoat pocket with his cybernetic hand and puts it on her ear. "Good. You call me if you need me. I know most days, you can handle yourself. Just know I'm around now."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Bringing up two guests - Cable and Hope. Possible time travelers?" Clarice speaks into her comm, before giving the man an amused smile. "We're working with the authorities in Bushwick to provide a safe neighborhood for New York's mutant population," she explains simply - watching as the pair embrace.
    She pulls her gaze away, opening a portal that shows a bar on the otherside - a bar that also connects to a much larger cafeteria area. The bar itself is relatively quiet, though chatter and laughter can be heard from the dining area.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "If you don't like to drink," and okay who /doesn't/ but whatever Domino doesn't judge, "they /also/ have a waffle bar." She grins and hops on through the portal, much happier with Clarice's portals than the milky white ones. She's still getting used to that.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope stiffens at first when Cable pulls her in, though she eventually eases into the hug, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Her Cable, another Cable...he's not dead, and she can't quite help herself. "Oh, I'm not-" Pulling back, she starts to correct Clarice only to think better of it.

"Yeah, we'll just go with that for now," she decides instead, tucking Cable's comm into her pocket before following the others through.

Cable has posed:
Cable seems amused with the view of the bar. He shakes his head and chuckles, "Stab my eyes. What I would have done for a 'bar on demand' in my past." He eyes Hope, "Right?"

He steps through the portal, gives a quick scan but visually and mentally, the nods the all clear to Hope. Old habits die hard. When he feels comfortably out of earshot of their mutual foes, he supplements his initial introduction. "Callsign: Cable, otherwise known as Nathan Summers. Yes, those Summers."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    The portal blinks out after Clarice steps through, and she makes her way towards the bar - reaching over and behind it to grab her bottle of cognac, along with a cup. "Bar on demand - one of my many super powers," she confirms in a bright tone. "Well... Mister Summers, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You're related to... which of them?" she asks curiously, pouring herself a glass before adding, "You're welcome to help yourself - or ask Sascha to fix you anything you like," she invites.
    "And I'm Clarice Ferguson. Though really - either Clarice or Blink is fine."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Domino finds herself a bottle of tequila and a shot glass. Clarice asked her question, so she just pours herself a shot, knocks it back, then hops up onto a stool to sit there with her legs crossed, toying with the tequila bottle like she's debating whether or not to keep pouring.

    "The boss doesn't need to vet them or anything?" She's saying it curiously, not with any kind of rancor. Maybe Clarice is trusted to bring people in more than Wade is.

    Scratch that. Clarice is almost /definitely/ more trusted than Wade is. Everyone's more trusted than Wade.

Hope Summers has posed:
"That is a weird and complicated question," Hope warns Clarice, turning in a cirle once she's through the portal to take a look at the room, checking for entrances and exits. Just because it's in space doesn't mean it's //safe//. Although something about the place makes her frown just a bit. It's oddly familiar.

Still, the answer to that question is Nathan's to give, so instead she follows Domino over to the bar, looking through the bottles herself until she finds ginger ale. Because she's not dumb enough to try to sneak in a drink right now.

Cable has posed:
"I'm the future son of Scott Summers and Jean Grey." He explains plainly, leaving out a few details about Madelyne Pryor, more time traveling shenanigans and a partial adoption. "At least in my future, no telling if I'll be born to this one or not. So if you run into them, might as well skip mentioning me. Figured I'd not hide it in case you perform a DNA scan."

Everyone scans DNA these days.

He nods, "Nice to meet you, Blink. Nate, Nathan, or Cable works for me."

Saddling up to the bar, he leans over it, opens a mini-frig and grabs a lone neck bottle of beer. The cap twists itself off and hops into a nearby trashcan. He raises a silent toast and then takes a swig.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "H&D are on overwatch," Clarice answers Neena with a shrug of her shoulders. "And the boss usually does saunter by to meet guests - unless she's occupied with other business. She may just be busy," she remarks, taking a sip of her cognac.
    "Honestly, I'm into weird and complicated. Somewhere around here is a woman who's best friends with a version of me from another reality. Weird stuff happens."
    She decides to take Cable at his words as she remarks, "Well, Nate - what brings you and your daughter back to this time?" Someone'd been paying attention to what he was shouting during the fight. "Was it an accident - or by design?"

Raven Darkholme has posed:
The door to the bar slides open, followed by the entrance of two rather obvious mutants in what looks like tactical gear. One heads for the back of the room, the other heads to the bar. Two heart beats later, Mystique enters. She wears a white bodysuit with long sleeves, and a pair of white thigh high boots. Around her waist is a golden belt of smurf skulls. Seems that H & D are on the ball today.

She doesn't seen to mind the presence of unknown people, though her yellow eyes give each a once over, before she heads toward the bar at a leisurely and graceful pace.

"Making new friends, Blink?" she asks as she reaches the bar. Neema is offered a smile and a nod, she's already been through the once over, she doesn't need another one.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "Speak of the boss," Domino says with a grin. She salutes Mystique with the tequila bottle she holds and then pours herself another shot. Knocks that one back, then pours /another/. This one she toys with again, not drinking it just yet.

    "Impressive weaponry, whenever it's from," she comments. "Curious how you know me and Blink but I /think/ she comes first." She gestures at Mystique.

Hope Summers has posed:
"Oh, I've been here for a while," Hope chimes in. "Like...a year or so? A little more? And I'm pretty sure it was the Phoenix Force in retaliation for taking it out that got me here. At least that's the last thing I rememver before I showed up here." She takes a sip of her ginger ale, hopping up onto a bar stool and tucking one foot under herself. The 'other reality' talk doesn't seem to shake her - if anything it puts her at ease.

As Mystique and the others arrive, she takes another slow sip, cautiously taking in the array of different powers in the room with her own powers. It's Cable's training that has her reading the rest of the room. Guards. She-boss. Body language. And then salutes.

Cable has posed:
"A little bit by design, and a little bit by accident." He sips from his bottle, "The future is full of terrors, and I do my best to create timelines where they lose or never happen in the first place."

He offers a grave frown, "Or at least, I did. Time-machine is S.O.L."

Glancing around at his surroundings, he hums, "But you may have the facilities I need to repair it, at least partially. That's idea. Long shots aside, we are stuck. So might as well start cleaning up the world from this point, starting with the Reavers. No one takes shots at Hope and lives."

His glowing eye settles on Mystique staring long and hard. "This explains a few things, and opens up a few questions as well."

A quick glance to Domino. He stands and shrugs off his trench coat, revealing the blue body suit beneath it, harnesses, and the large cybernetic limb that he calls his left arm. "Future designs and a little know how."

He looks to Hope, "Well that's one destiny fulfilled and world saved, eh?" He salutes her with the beer.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "Boss," Clarice greets the woman brightly, gesturing with her glass towards Cable, and Hope. "May I introduce Nate, and Hope. He says he's Scott and Jean's kid from the future, apparently." Because why the hell not?
    She focuses her attention back on Cable, offering a nod of understanding. "People don't get to go after family," she agrees.
    Her attention shifts back to Hope as she asks, "What does the Phoenix Force have to do with you...? That nonsense brought enough trouble down on us - not very long back."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
Walking around behind the bar, Mystique eyes continue to look over Nate and Hope as she collects a glass, adds whiskey then a dash of grenadine cherry syrup and nothing else.

"Pleasure," she offers to each. "I assume you already know who I am, future and all, but I'll say it all the same."

Extending a hand to Hope first, and then to Nate. "I'm Mystique, sometimes Raven." She glances to Clarice for a moment, wondering now if the woman was some sort of magnet for the fucked up, out of time and reality people. "Welcome to Asteroid," she adds when she looks back.

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "I'm trying to imagine /Jean/ with a kid and failing utterly," Domino comments drolly. "Not that I doubt you or anything," she notes to Cable. "Just a weird mental image, is all."

    She eyes the blue body suit, the harnesses, the cybernetic limb. Not that she knows what most of it /does/, but it all /looks/ pretty cool. "Impressive," she comments, and then her gaze slides over to Hope. Questions about Phoenix Force make her raise a brow curiously.

Hope Summers has posed:
Hope grimaces at Cable. "Yeah, it was a great time for everyone," she snorts, shaking her head. "For the record, you were dead, so you were like...zero help." It's possible she's holding on to some baggage from that. Just a little bit.

She sets her ginger ale down to take Mystique's hand, nodding politely. "Hope," she introduces herself. "Nice to meet you."

Clearing her throat, she looks back to Clarice. "I was supposed to be the host," she explains. "Except there was no one to really teach me how that was supposed to work and some very different opinions about it because yeah, it had caused a lot of trouble in the past there too. Enough that some people thought we might all be better off if there was no host, if you get what I mean."

Cable has posed:
"Mystique." Cable salutes her with the long neck bottle then shakes her hand firmly. "I think we have a mutual enemy in the Reavers, and I suspect this crew is practical enough to actually handle that problem."

Sparing another glance to Domino, "She makes a really good mother. So does Scott. I get much of my winning personality from him." He stares grimly for a moment before cracking a grin.

"Thanks, Domino. Maybe we can get you kitted out with something special. Big caliber, just a touch inaccurate. Never quite sure where the shot will land." Cable considers.

"Sorry Hope, but the job has risks and a lot of close calls. You always were and always will be worth one of my lives." He drains the beer and sets it on the bar.

"There's a lot of unmarked graves for 'those people'" Cable says in response to Hope's explanation.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "So - same story, different time period?" Clarice remarks in a dry tone. "Aren't people //wonderful//." Her eyes flick to Cable, studying the man briefly. "You look pretty good for a man who - apparently - gave his life in defense of his daughter." She pauses a beat - then can't help but remark in an utterly deadpan voice, "Scott makes a really good mother?"
    At the mention of the Reavers, though, Clarice's gaze goes to Mystique as she explains, "Three assholes on motorcycles showed up with sawed offs and started firing on Hope - in Bushwick. We took care of it. One of them had a suicide vest - on the idiot. Nate blew his head off, and I put him in orbit. The other two are being held by some of our people while we wait for the NYPD to, you know... arrive."

Raven Darkholme has posed:
With the drink in her hand, Mystique takes a moment to look over Nate's cybernetic arm. Future technology right there in the bar, it surprised her that H & D weren't already in the room drooling all over him for a chance to really examine it. Perhaps they were just using all the scanners and sensors on the bar right now, that was more their starting step anyway.

"Reavers," she mutters softly. "The NYPD has been responding in Bushwick a great deal more often these days Blink, ever since the embassy opened it's doors. Imagine that. The threat to another nation drew the police out."

Walking around the bar, she settles herself onto a stool and crosses her legs. "We have a mutual enemy in the Reavers, yes. They have been quiet until recently, but have started to make noise again. It might be time to swat them down like bugs again."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Domino makes a face at 'better off if there was no host' and swigs down her third tequila shot. She doesn't pour another. Then she /grins/ at Cable's deadpan joke. "Okay, I /like/ you. /And/ you get how my stuff works, that's always nice. I mean /I/ know where the shot's going to land, which is 'wherever's best for me,' but a little bit of randomness always helps."

    Then she adds, "Okay, maybe it's just because I've been out of town for a while, but--someone remind me what these 'Reavers' are besides 'stupid guys I didn't actually get to kill?' Not that that wasn't a /great/ shot. Hey, d'you know Wade in the future? He'll appreciate that kind of violence."

Hope Summers has posed:
"I've been monitoring their chatter," Hope notes on the subject of Reavers. "They're still pretty disorganized. And by and large not very bright. And the chip I had to destroy should slow down their cybernetics at least until they figure out how to do more than be dumb and violent."

She frowns to herself, staring at the label on her bottle. "It'll probably slow down some prosthetic tech too, but...who knows, maybe the medical company will put in better security and make improvements on the redesign. They're just more bigots," she adds to Domino. "With a weird habit of grafting things to themselves. Didn't actually evolve? Have a chainsaw hand!"

Cable has posed:
Cable just grins at Clarice's joke and responds, "He looks good in an apron."

Turning back to Mystique, "Well, as far as I am concerned, the Reavers and Purifiers are both deserving extinction. Along with any other anti-mutant bigot. Despite the obvious reasons why I feel this way, the whole future depends on mutants. These idiots don't understand that if they win, everyone loses."

At the mentioning of Wade, Nathan dismounts a stool and rises, "I'm borrowing the facilities, but when I get back. I want to talk strategies and methods."

Cable strolls off to find the nearest bathroom. The question is NOT answered. He offers a little proud grin toward Hope before he rounds a corner. Evidently he liked the idea of his adopted daughter staying busy fighting the good fight.

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice looks thoughtful for a moment, then nods in response to Cable's remark. "I'll bet he does." She sips at her cognac before adding, "I'm not opposed to putting an end to biggots, but the Brotherhood's been trying a new tactic of late. Namely - not murdering people without just cause, especially not on American soil. We're trying to avoid giving the civilized world more reasons to hate and fear mutants - thus the whole 'working with authorities' thing. Shocking, I know."
    She watches Cable start to stride off, letting out a snort of amusement as she glances towards Hope. "That bad, huh?" Then again - she's //met// Deadpool. He's pretty bad.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
The mask of indifference remains in place on Mystique's face. Clarice and Neema know it, Hope and Nate do not. Clarice seems just fine in doing the talking, so she sits back to sip her drink and listen. At the mention of the Purifiers however, her eyes narrow slightly.

"It's agreed then, Reavers and Purifiers need to die," she comments, then glances to Clarice. "And what we are doing is no more terrorism and chaos Clarice, we still murder, we just don't invite the other mutant organizations to witness the murdering. Some humans simply need to die."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Domino watches Cable walk off, eyebrow raised. "Well that answers /that/ question," she says flatly. Shakes her head.

    "It's not like there aren't other organizations who do this kind of thing," she notes. "At least we're targeting the bad guys and doing it for a purpose. But, okay, Reavers, cyberpunk-style weirdos. Got it." She wrinkles her nose, thoughtfully.

Hope Summers has posed:
"I feel like 'murder' implies a certain amount of foresight and planning and like...//specificity// that just doesn't usually come into play when you're defending yourself." Hope did learn from Cable. It's not like she's never ended a life. "But. People are scared enough of mutants as it is. No point in giving them more to be scared of when we don't have to."

She shrugs then shakes her head, picking absently at the label on her bottle. "Wade doesn't ring a bell to me. He's probably just-" Checking the security, "- Hitting the head." Out of nowhere, she grimaces, twisting her neck to one side as she fights against an unexpected wave of absorbed power. If anyone is watching closely, they might see the skin of her hand almost ripple, changing shades ever to briefly to match Mystique's before it's gone again.

"Sorry, I think my, uh. Blood sugar's getting weird. I'm just gonna grab a snack real quick, be right back," she apologizes, not waiting for permission before she goes to get herself a little extra space.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Mystique was watching, but not nearly as closely as H & D will be. Every camera and recording device in the place just went on. As Hope departs, yellow eyes follow her before the cobalt mutant looks back to Clarice.

"I think you need to stop meeting new people," she comments with a slight smile. "You find the strangest, most unexpected people out there. Can't you meet someone from this time and this reality, just once?"

She takes a sip of her drink before looking to Neema. "How are you settling in?"

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "There are //people// who need to die," Clarice agrees with Mystique calmly. "But people see it as murder. As mutant terrorism. We just need to be... more careful." Certainly, though, she's not opposed to killing people who need to die.
    She watches Hope depart into the cafetera, giving the woman a nod and calling, "Try the fritters! Or the waffle bar!" before turning attention back to Mystique with an amused grin. "As long as they're useful - does it really matter when and where they're from?"

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Neena watches Hope go as well. "He knows me, at least, and Blink. Acted like we'd worked together. And that reaction says he /definitely/ knows Wade. Dunno what it means, aside from 'we knew each other in his future.' But he was impressive, and she was pretty cool under fire. Definitely useful."

    Then she stretches a bit, looks to Mystique. "I'm moving stuff up here. Have to decide what to keep here and what to keep in safehouses, you know? I mean, it's still good to have them in case things go sideways. I don't get unlucky often but when I do it's usually pretty spectacular."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Considering for a moment, Mystique shrugs slightly to Clarice. "I suppose if they're useful," she comments. "One of the things you have to remember Clarice, we may be doing things differently, but the goals are still the same. Murder isn't a word I used to use at all. I killed for my brothers and sisters, some called it murder, I called it justice. Now I only kill in self defense, and those who actively work against mutants, like the Purifiers and Human First people."

Her eyes shift back to Neena, "Never a bad thing to have stashes out there where you can get to them, I still have them out there as well from the old days. I might need to send someone to empty one out soon, dynamite is dangerous after a while."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "To improve conditions world wide for all mutants?" Clarice suggests - a quirk playing at the corners of her lips.
    She takes another sip of her cognac before confirming, "He seemed to know I could get the bomb threat safely away." At the mention of the dangerous safe house, though, her smile turns into a faint frown.
    "I could send all that into orbit as well - if there's a real concern. Or into one of the oceans."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    "Probably better into space," Neena comments. "I mean, underwater, like..." She mimics a silent 'boom' with hands and expression, grinning. "What'd those poor fish ever do to you? Call Me Ishmael would be sad you killed his cousins."

    She eyes Mystique, curiously. "I've wondered about that. Not, umm, not to pry. But. Did you really just... change tactics, just like that?" She snaps her fingers. "Not that I don't believe you. I guess I'm trying to figure out if all the stuff before was coming from the same place all this is now." She waves a hand at the bar. "Taking care of your own."

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Mystique cants her head slightly as she studies Neena. "The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions and expecting different results," she states plainly. "The old way did not work, I know this because I have spent over a hundred years using the old methods and nothing changed, in fact it got worse. As Clarice said, humans are terrified of mutants, and where as a part of me believes they need to be, the other part realizes we can scare them later one we have equality."

Shifting slightly, she suddenly comments, "Into space would be better, I like fish." And then she is right back to the other topic. "Right now the Brotherhood is wearing it's best suit and presenting it's best side for the cameras, also known that the eyes of the world, because we don't want to make things worse any more. I will always be 'that blue terrorist' and I'm fine with that, but we can't hope to achieve the old goals of the Brotherhood with the likes of Super Man, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, and J'onn J'onzz out there. So we have to get along, to a certain degree."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    Clarice groans quietly when Mystique remarks on 'scaring them later.' "Boss..." she protests quietly.
    Baby steps, Clarice. Baby steps.
    Instead, she focuses on the conversation about the dynamite. "You both realize that most ocean life is concentrated near the shores? Most of the ocean is just... empty. Really empty. But sure, space.
    "I really don't want Superman to try to break my face," she adds in agreement. "And it would upset Theo." Something flashes over her features as she makes that remark, and she stares down into her cup with a faint frown. "I wouldn't want that."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Neena nods slowly, thoughtfully. "Alright. I can understand that." She's got three shots of tequila in her, and she's not a lightweight, but it's made her a /little/ looser than she might have been.

    Also, look, her backup shift was /just/ about over when Clarice called for help. She can drink some. And she pours herself a fourth shot, as if bracing for what she says next.

    "I've hung around Xavier's some. I get what they're trying to get at, you know? Peace and happiness, love for all, etcetera." She sighs. "Trouble is, most of them don't... get it, you know? The things they're /really/ willing to do to us. And like, I don't... want to blow up innocent people to get the point across, that's not what I mean. But you can't talk your way through this stuff. People get killed in these struggles. Just the way the world is." She makes a face. "Father Rudolpho would've said 'no remission of sins without the shedding of blood.' Eugh." She pours herself another shot, to wash away /that/ feeling.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
The debate of right and wrong was one that had been going on around this Asteroid since the day Magneto made it, and it would likely keep going until the end of times. Mystique's views didn't match most people, and she knew that, but it matched Erik and that is what mattered to her.

"Erik has great respect for Charles," she comments. "And for what he does, but we both agree that it doesn't work. Some situations require talking, the rest, the majority require action and that action means being willing to do what other can't or won't. We do that, and we will keep doing that. If that means in time we go back to being the 'evil' that needs to be blamed, then so be it.

She finishes off her drink and sets the glass on the bar. "The fight will not end until mutants are free and equal, period, end of sentence, and Clarice, the entire point of the changes is to avoid being punched by Superman. No more bombs that can be traced back to us, no more terrorism, the rest... it's still a little grey."

Clarice Ferguson has posed:
    "I don't disagree with any of that. I respect what the X-Men are trying to do - but when you have people kidnapping and enslaving children? What - you really think that kind of monster can be reformed?" Clarice shakes her head at that idea. "The guy in the vest signed his own death warrant today - and there's plenty others like him out there in the world. You don't go hurting innocents. I honestly don't care that much if they're homo sapien or homo superior - you go around hurting innocents, you're fair game."
    She finishes off her cognac, then pushes herself to her feet. "I need to go check on Theo," she remarks. "And then stop ignoring the questions that have my phone buzzing. I think the cops want to talk to me about the Reavers."

Neena Thurman has posed:
    Domino nods her agreement to what's being said. "Yeah. I mean... that's why I'm up here and not down there in a uniform with a big 'X' on it, you know? It's..." She sighs. "It's worth fighting for. Rights, and freedom."

    She frowns down at the bar. The talk of morality gets her melancholy, a little, and she shakes herself, pours another shot. "Well! At least one more jackass out there won't be hurting innocent mutants anytime soon, so here's to that." She takes the shot, then hops down off the barstool.

    "Remind me I need to have a meeting sometime!" she says to Mystique. "But I'd better go get changed, unpack some stuff. Good luck with the cops, Clarice." She makes a face. She doesn't like talking to cops.

Tara Tsabedze has posed:
Mystique stands, "I'll text you with my availability and we can meet up. Not a whole lot going on right now, so you're in luck." She glances to Clarice a moment then starts to walk for the door. "For now however, duty calls."