Welcome to Gaia! ::

Raine had to admit that Charlie and Christian were cute, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink at Kat's suggestion that she go shopping soon if she wanted to get one while he was still on the market. The last couple of guys she'd decided to go after hadn't worked out the way she'd hoped they would. One seemed to have feelings for her mortal enemy, and the other flirted with everything that had breasts and all their limbs.

The group found the dorms, staking their claims to their respective rooms, while the brunette left the telekinetic and shapeshifter to start unpacking her own things. She turned on some music to get the process going, though she didn't get very far before the entire process was completely derailed by the unexpected.

Felix surprised her, planting a big one on her out of nowhere and then disappearing from the room as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Feebly, she corrected him before he left, though she couldn't in good conscience let those be the last words that passed between them after such an event. As the brunette managed to pull herself up from the floor, it became readily apparent to her that she wasn't going to be able to let it go. She wasn't "cool," she wasn't "suave" - his was the type of event that she would obsess over for days, trying to decipher what it mean, if anything. And with Felix, she was never really sure if he was being serious or if she was the brunt of some joke.

Slowly, but surely, the brunette worked up the nerve to approach the speedster's door, knocking on it and asking if the two of them could talk. What she had not expected, however, was for him to answer the door and grab ahold of her wrist, pulling her into the room and pushing her back against the door. He'd been expecting her, anticipating this moment. How did he know she'd come to the door? "I-" she started, only to have him press another kiss to her lips, effectively silencing her. All of the things she'd planned to say to him swep from her mind as their liplock continued, the firefly not resisting as he lifted her from her feet, asking if they still need to talk.

"We can talk about it later," she whispered back to him with a smile, kissing him again as he ushered the two of them toward the bed.



A month in Canada had proved...more fun than she'd anticipated. True, she was a bit behind on her reading list, but she and Felix had found plenty of ways to pass their time underground. She still made him study once in awhile, but she hadn't been as much of a stickler for it. At least she didn't have a roommate that she had to form a cover story for, the brunette waking early so she had plenty of time to get back to her own room and clean up while almost everyone else was still asleep.

Scott Summers briefed them on their next mission, as the Alphas gathered before him. Siren was going to be taking them out, just like old times, and at least this time it was more of a rescue mission than a real military operation. Raine always liked those better. Their team leader took the stage once he was finished, instructing them to get what they needed from the armory and then splitting them up into smaller groups to execute hte game plan. The firefly listened carefully as she went through the plan from start to finish, paying particular attention to the section that included her codename. She would be clearing the yard, which was fine with her.

Looking around to the group as they were adjourned to take care of their final preparations, the brunette took a deep breath. The whole thing was sickening, but for once she was glad that they were going in to do some good. Dimitri spoke up as the group dispersed to get ready, making a light-hearted joke about whether this was the first time they were watching each other's back so closely. "Well, it probably is for Aurelie and I," she joked back, tucking a few strands of brown hair behind her ears.

Hazel eyes glanced over at Leo, slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be working with him on this mission. They had worked together the last couple of missions and she had grown to respect him as a leader. She wasn't one to question the higher ups' judgment, however. Besides, she got to work with Aurelie, which was nice. No doubt Kat would be joining them as soon as she could - those girls were inseparable. Not that she wouldn't welcome the company on a mission - that girl really knew what she was doing.

Kerrigan and Roland made their way down to the dorm levels from the Infirmiry, the redhead grinning slightly as he pointed out where his room was. She remarked that he'd picked a quiet area, but it likely wouldn't stay that way for long, to which he responded that he would make sure that it did. He put himself at her disposal for moving, the redhead taking advantage of the fact that they were alone for the moment to steal a kiss.

Unfortunately, their solitude was interrupted by a PMSing Peyton, who stormed towards them and literally blew them away in her anger. The redhead tried to shove Roland out of the way before she felt her feet leave the ground, slamming into the wall down the hallway. As soon as she got to her feet again, she confronted the blonde, assigning her danger room sessions as punishment for using her powers against her own teammates.

The blowhard's response might have sent others over the top, but Kerrigan was able to remain calm, forcing herself to smile despite the girl's obvious testing of her patience. The redhead tried to warn her that it wouldn't be in her best interests to stand her up, in the hopes that the angry girl would take the hint. Instead, she spat back at the girl's relationship, the redhead taking a deep breath and simply letting the girl walk away.

He assured her that he was alright as she went to check on him once more, the redhead smiling softly as he suggested that maybe Cissa would do something about another one of their own going crazy. Beast called, asking for volunteers to check out their new uniforms, but the couple decided not to take him up on the offer. After all, Kerrigan still needed to stake her claim to a room.

----- Time Skip -----

After spending a month in the new base, Kerrigan had fallen into a routine. Morning workouts, breakfast, studies, lunch, training in the afternoons, dinner with her friends and then her training sessions with Peyton. The girl had sought to test her by not showing up to the first session, then showing up late to the following sessions. It was part of the reason that her one week of punishment was still ongoing, but at least the girl was showing up, and showing some real progress in the Danger Room.

She felt Roland get up before she opened her eyes, smiling as he planted a kiss on her forehead and left a cup of coffee for her on the nightstand. "Bye," she called after him sleepily as he left to head back to his own room, her hands swimming back through her bedhead as she looked around the room. Sipping her coffee as she made the bed, pulled out her clothes for the day and skimmed through the morning's news on her computer, she eventually grabbed a quick shower and got ready for the day.

It was than that she heard Cissa's voice chime through the comms, calling the Omegas to gather for their next mission. This time they were meeting in the Armory, which seemed a little out of place. Pulling on a pair of down brown boots, the redhead pulled her hair into a ponytail before heading down to the Armory. She was never one for being late - while she wasn't a full-fledged leader of the team, she liked to lead by example. Plus, her blonde bestie would kill her if she started slacking.

After everyone arrived, Emma started the briefing, explaining that their mission was to extract some mutants who were being pursued by the MRD. They would be approaching the twins at a shopping center in the hopes of bringing them in. Kerrigan felt comfortable with the mission itself, but understood the blonde's pointed gaze at their group as a whole. Honestly, it seemed like a better mission for a select few of them, but she wasn't the one callin the shots. Besides, with Sentinels involved, she felt they would be grateful for the numbers if things went bad.

At that point, they were instructed to split up into small groups between two and four, green eyes moving around the group as people started to pair up. Green eyes turned to Roland from across the room, giving him a small smile before eyeing some of the newer recruits. Of course, she'd want to team up with her bestie and her closer friends, but at the same time she knew Cissa would want the more senior of them to sprinkle themselves amongst the less tested. That left her sights falling to Christian and Charlie, the redhead approaching the two roommates with a pleasant smile.

"Hey, you guys mind if I tag along with you?"

"That's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me. This one's a fighter."

Tara smiled sweetly as Dimitri attempted to throw her comment back at her, raising her hands and gently wiggling her fingertips in his direction, "No calluses here. No need, really." He thought he was so smooth, but the truth of the matter was that she would always be a step ahead. Whether he admitted it or not, he liked the attention she gave him, and the banter. She was something he would never have, and everyone knows that the chase is most of the fun.

The brunette did her best to create a teaching moment for the magmakinetic, pointing out the qualities in Blake that made him a desirable date. The Texan, humble as always, looked down to the floor with a soft shake of his head, complimenting his mother and his genetics. "Ah! And he loves his momma. Seriously, Cowboy, is there anything about you that isn't perfect?" The brunette did her best to imitate his accent when she referred to his "momma," but it just wasn't as cute as when he did it.

The magmakinetic was at least humble enough to admit that he was beat in the accent department, though he argued with her on his level of gentility. Tara almost rolled her eyes when he joked about having so many doors yet to open for her, a lighthearted chuckle escaping her as he attempted to save himself from the Texan's personality jab. Of course, the brunette could tell that the boy was kidding around - well, kind of kidding around. She stayed silent on the matter, however, choosing not to come to his defense. Where would be the fun in that?

"Hope you remember those sundresses fondly, because in this weather it's turtlenecks and blue jeans all the way," she shot back at him, refusing to fall into the trap he attempted to set for her. Brown eyes glided over his form cooly before turning to the elevator that finally arrived, the group getting onboard and taking it down to the dorm levels.

Once they disembarked, they discussed rooms, Tara encouraging Alex to take one of the rooms next to a new guy, only to have the little blonde politely turn her down. There was something about her that rubbed the geokinetic the wrong way when she insisted that men didn't want to talk to her. Blake jumped in as well, assuring her that someone wanted to corrupt the French girl, though it was clear that the blonde was hesitant. She seemed to be hesitant about everything. Blake assured her that the corruption would open her eyes, and maybe even get her to say some bad words.

"Let's baby step it to the bad words. She couldn't even say boobs without blushing, I'd say there is plenty of work to be done in the corruption department before we get there," she joked, though the blonde continued to act as if she were an alien nun that knew nothing of the ways of the world. In a move that was fairly uncharacteristic of her, the brunette kind of snapped, insisting that the girl was going to grow a backbone (if it was the last thing that Tara did) before dismissing her to go pick her room.

Blake watched the girl go pick a room, turning to her and attempting to confirm that the blonde was french. An exasperated sigh left her, shoulders rising and falling, "I- I just don't even know any more."

After Dimitri had picked his room, he came back to complain about the process, to which Tanner stepped up with an explanation that it was actually easier than it had been before. The magmakinetic mused that he was becoming homesick quicker than he had expected, to which she could only raise her eyebrows slightly. "Dear god, you've been here all of five minutes. Please tell me we aren't going to find you curled up in the fetal position on the floor crying tomorrow morning."

Otengam asked where the gym was located, the brunette catching Blake's eye and laughing at his comments on chivalry. She leveled a playful slap on his shoulder when he mentioned the magmakinetic had asked her because he was interested in her particular brand of T&A, giggling softly as they were approached. Agreeing to show him the way, she started walking with a simple motion for him to follow her.

Beast's announcement that he was seeking volunteers was a somewhat welcome distraction, in that it gave her something to do aside from go to the gym with the Alpha's muscle head. She'd offered to show him the way, anticipating what excuse she was going to have to give him to avoid being trapped there. He decided to come along with her to the Labs to check out their new gear, which there was nothing she could do about, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't mind the company and attention. At least he was entertaining to be around, unlike a lot of the stiffs around the new base. Alex decided to join them as well, announcing that it would be nice to get more familiar with their new base in the process.

It wasn't a bad idea. The brunette led them to the labs, where their resident blue fur ball explained the concept of their new uniforms and the pocket dimension. She had to admit that it was a cool concept, and thus she was the first to volunteer, replicating his movement to less than desirable results.

For every inch of her skin covered by fabric, there was another inch exposed. Rather than be embarrassed, it was her instinct to cut a joke about it, glancing at Dimitri as he stepped up to be the next one. His uniform went on without a hitch, a look of shock no doubt overtaking her features when he didn't make some sort of sexist comment regarding her attire. Pressing her thumb against her shoulder once more, the "uniform" receded into the pocket dimension once more, her attentions taken by Alex when she also needs to have no trouble with her new uniform.

"Alright, Doc, now I feel like it really was personal," she joked before trying one more time. Before she left this room, she was going to get this pocket dimension to work.



Tara gathered in the War Room with the other Alphas, paying dutiful attention as their next mission was explained to them. To be honest, the brunette was just excited to go above ground again - while she was dealing with the fact of their "new" situation, it still wasn't easy for her. Every waking moment was a fight against flashbacks to being a rotting corpse surrounded by earth. She could constantly feel the weight of the earth pressing against the walls all around them. It once would have been comforting to her. Their excursion into Halloweentown had changed that.

Siren stepped forward to finish the briefing, splitting them into two groups to take on the camp. Her name was excluded from the named group, which placed her with the other rejects under Rossi. She glanced at him with a smirk, arms folding over her chest as they were dismissed to see to their final preparations before heading out. The geokinetic didn't need a weapon from the armory - she was far deadlier with pebbles and chunks of earth than she ever would be with a blade.

Passing Dimitri as he made a joke of sorts to Aurelie and Raine, the brunette rolled her eyes slightly. Their electrokinetic at least had a response for him - she wouldn't be around to protect the ladies since they were in different groups, but she had faith the ladies would keep him in line.

Felix pulled little more from Dominik after their first exchange with one another, the man merely casting hazel eyes to the ceiling in response to him thereafter. The presence of another male in the vicinity grabbed at the Slovenian’s attentions, however, Gabriel’s display with the firearm striking Dom as more theatrical than actually threatening; he lent the man a faint half-smile, visibly unfazed, ”Dominik.” That trademark smirk grew larger, enough to briefly flash perfectly white teeth, when Kat referred to him as Papa, Aurelie saying something similar. Katerina requested he leave the rifle by the door, sharp eyes finding Felix as he bolted...and were it not for the possibility that she might find him an acceptable substitute in the speedster’s absence, the Slovene may have spent an enthused nod her way at the notion. Needless to say, Felix’s first impression hadn’t exactly landed him in Dominik’s good graces either.

Soon enough, he found himself alone in the room but for its two owners, the overdue apology falling from his lips. Kat, in panther form, flashed a hungry gaze his way as Aurelie moved to scratch her at the ear, the gesture spawning a docile reaction. The beautiful blonde of course didn’t try to deny Dominik’s idiocy, but she stated as much with a smile and velvety laughter. Seemed like a good sign; maybe she’d actually forgive him after all. Dom cracked a wide grin, eyes glinting “I know…but I’ve been told it makes me kind of endearing.”

---one month later----


Dominik was relieved to hear Aurelie accept his apology, even laughing at her adamantly confirming that he was, indeed, an idiot. All things considered, the Slovene felt thankful he’d been hit by the renegade bra after all, since despite the initial awkwardness of the situation which followed, he’d made contact with the telekinetic yet again; soon enough they’d struck up the friendship he’d come to miss so much. The nature of their breakup had been so odd, so sudden, that despite his initial want to be friends with Aurie, he’d been wracked with enough guilt over everything to keep his distance.

…But she remained one of the only people with whom Dominik had ever shared any part of himself, the details of his old injuries which he kept so tightly contained spilling easily in her presence, when she’d nursed an ailment that felt so similar to his own.

Their meetings together in the medical ward proved still the only happy memory he had of such a place, and she the only reason he’d ever venture back. Her bright presence helped him perhaps as much as he’d helped her, though he’d never expressed as much in words; some part of helping her feel at home in a hospital room, lightly discussing their injuries, made the Slovenian feel more comfortable with those aspects of his past. When she’d been released and their relationship progressed into the outside world, he’d been happy…up to the point that he started to feel too close, and old anxieties flared within him again, spurring the words ‘we should just be friends’ from his lips so suddenly that they sparked his own surprise as much as hers. Dom regretted it instantly. Yet he couldn’t think on how to take back what he’d said, or at least make it sound more eloquent so that their friendship might remain intact.

A special bond had formed between them, something real, and in her absence he felt the void it left all too plainly.

Maybe Aurelie felt the same, as the two fell back into their friendship so quickly after meeting in her room…and after a few weeks of hesitance on the telekenetic’s part, they’d inevitably segued into something more again.
With all the time they spent together, it hadn’t missed Aurelie’s notice that Dominik secretly missed being a part of a team, or that the lack of true sunlight underground took its toll, making him stir crazy…

At least when they’d lived in New York, he’d had an entire city at his disposal wherein he could distract himself from being on probation. Here, not so much. The former Omega never said a word out loud about this, admittedly still certain he’d never attend a gym class no matter what it cost him. Though the beautiful blonde quickly sensed his restlessness, going to Guthrie on his behalf.

Presently Dominik sat on his bed, flipping through the pages of a book with feigned interest. He’d cut his hair short on a whim, and occasionally still found a hand rising to brush away strands of sandy tresses at his shoulder—which, of course, no longer existed. What remained sat cleanly brushed and styled on his scalp, barely a hair out of place; it made him look older, he’d noticed, but otherwise the Slovene gave the change little thought.

…No chance in hell Guthrie was going to let him go on a mission; not until he attended a class or two, and that just wasn’t going to happen. Dom’s brows knitted; although, if anyone could sell that idea as a good one, it’d be Aurie…
’I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up, just in case…’

A sheet of glossy light hair dipped through his doorway, snagging attentions away from the book in his hand. Dom slid off the bed, looking a bit more eager than he’d intended, but the excitement lining Aurelie’s features looked too potent not to mirror. ”You,” He grinned, meeting her at the center of his room, wrapping his arms about her waist and spinning her so that all that bright blond hair spilled over his eyes,”Are a damn miracle worker.” Dominik placed a brief but heavy kiss upon her lips to finish the motion, all his relief spilling into the gesture.

Running with the Alpha’s wouldn’t be ideal were it not for her presence, but either way he’d be thankful to see sunlight again. Olive eyes glinted, mirthful, Dom shrugging at Sam Guthrie’s terms, ”Fine by me…I hope you told him about all the extra calories I’ll burn running from Narcissa when she finds out.” The Slovene cracked, lips rising into his usual lop-sided grin. He couldn’t imagine his team leader being too thrilled to hear she’d temporarily lost one of her own to the Alphas, but it’d even out if it meant he’d eventually be back with the Omegas, right?

…Though likely she would say she’d rather he just attend gym.
Her laughter spilled over him, warming him nearly as much as her kiss, and Dom mirrored her sentiments with a grin. The Slovene cocked his head leftward in mock contemplation, wry humor playing over his features, ”She’ll accept it, sure…though whether that happens before or after she barbeques me is another matter…” Cissa liked him, so he didn’t have cause to feel too worried…right?

Time would tell.

Aurelie’s expression leveled off with a playful wink and that trademark winning smile, Dominik’s brows crawling happily upward at the mention extra credit. Suddenly any qualms Narcissa might have over Dom running with their rival team didn’t seem very important. He looped an arm around the blonde’s waist, planting a quick kiss on her cheek, ”Only you could make extra credit sound so good…you know, if you’d taught all my classes, I think my GPA would be much, much higher.” And wasn’t that the truth…had Guthrie been a beautiful woman, specifically one like Aurie, he might’ve never missed a single class.

He looked markedly less enthused about the new suit, but shrugged as Aurelie tugged him along. Outside of the usual Kevlar layering, jeans and a t-shirt suited Dominik’s tastes more than actual uniforms. ”As long as they’re not all leather and spandex…they’re not all leather and spandex, right?” He hadn’t signed up to look like a dominatrix…all jokes about the name similarities aside...

Gabriel Byrne
Location: Outside his room/The War Room
Thoughts: Defending myself/Mission prep

Gabriel ignored the Omega’s derisive comments towards him, frankly the man was a creep, no doubt about that. The man was compensating for something, seeming to act like he was. And to go after him for speaking his mind, well whatever helped the boy sleep at night really. So he paid no mind at all to him as he continued to unload his things. He chuckled to himself as Kat continued on her offensive about how men were the weaker species. “Over-grown man children” as how she put it.

“For someone claiming men are children, you’re acting quite childish. Men and women are just as immature as anybody else. You’d be a fool to think otherwise.”

“Believe it or not, I accept that I am human. I accept that we are subject to all our faults and weaknesses. I was raised to accept that.” If there was one thing his parents taught him, it was that he needed to accept and grow from his faults. Perhaps he was achieving that here, down in the dark underground lair they called home.

Aurie remarked on how he seemed to be getting better, “I have my moments, as all men are capable of these days.” He was slowly improving over time.

Both of the girls joked about how he was acting like a father to them, “My sister was six years older than I was. I’ve been chasing boys out my house since I could carry a rifle.” he neglected to tell them that he was a five year old when he fired his first .22 rifle.

It was a bullseye.

Pulling out his sidearm he unloaded it and chambered the last round. Catching it, he said simply “I was taught to watch out for the women around me. Not because of some macho nonsense, only because it was the right thing to do. I know you two can handle yourselves, he just creeps me out quite a bit.” He grabbed one of his larger cases, chock full of tools, and said to the girls, “I’ll leave you two to it. I gotta set up shop.” Dragging the case along, he went off to find the room he reserved for his work.

One Month Later

It had been uneventful to say the least. He worked in his shop, putting together all kinds of crazy firearms ideas to the table. Some of his more tame ideas were resting in the Armory, his insane ideas sat in the shop. Unfinished, of course. God knows that half the crap he made would likely never see the life of day. For practicality reasons, as well as safety.

He nearly lit himself on fire the first time he tested his Uzi-flamethrower combination…

He was called down to the War Room, with the rest of the Alphas. Mission time, he was given the parameters: heading to an MRD base to free some prisoners. He was given the ok to head down to the Armory, and to be quick about it. The Omegas were down there. So he moved down quickly, slipping through the door quietly, ignoring any stares that may come his way from the red and black team members. Though for some reason, as he picked out his weapons, he felt the need to grab as many as he could carry. Not only that, he wanted to unload them, right there, right now.

Resisting the urge, he grabbed an HK416 rifle that he modified, some flash bang grenades, and an HK USP Mk23 pistol. Though the sight of a ballistic mask piqued his attention. Grabbing that he, also took a tactical vest to carry the ammunition for his weapons. Though man he was feeling just… angry for some reason. It was the strangest thing he could imagine. What was he so angry about?

Perhaps he could sense that creep from earlier?

With Katerina stealing his attention, and Charlotte giving him the lowdown of the mysterious woman, Christian felt the gears in his head turning. Katerina, eh? he thought, knowing that her being an Alpha would make it harder to track her down later. Then again, perhaps that was part of the challenge she threw at him.

Charlotte gave he and Charlie her team affiliation, and the werewolf was pleasantly surprised at finding out that they were on the same team. He gave himself a brief introduction, with Charlie handling his own. At his friend's question, Charlotte explained the meaning behind her codename, Christian rubbing his chin in thought. "That's pretty smart. Clever, really. Kinda makes me wish I spent a little more time scouring mythology for stuff."

The trio made their way into the third floor through the elevator, Christian making sure that Charlie would end his misery should he become infected with the Bieb-virus. where they began distributing the luggage for it's inhabitants, who were all to eager to retrieve their priceless artifacts of devotion to various teen sensations. Christian gave a hint to Charlotte about being able to scare away any of the kids away should they get too grabby, but it elicited no real response. They quickly returned to their work, all to eager to move onto the net floor.



he one month that had passed had left Christian plenty of time to get to know not only the base, but his teammates as well. They all seemed liked pleasant company, though some of them could be a bit hard to approach. The werewolf wouldn't be deterred, however, as he had plenty of time to get to know everyone down here. He and Charlie were already on good terms, and that seemed like enough at the moment. After all, he knew that the Luck Master was one of the few people that could actually handle a werewolf sleeping in the same room as him. Charlie had enough experience that he was able to lay some rules down for him, though that probably wouldn't stop Christian from subconsciously transforming in his sleep, making the room feel that much smaller with his larger mass.

Seeing as he enjoyed sleep, it was usually quite difficult to get him to wake up on time. So when he heard the faint rustle and footsteps of Charlie walking around the room, getting ready for the day, Christian simply buried himself deeper into his sheets. He pretended not to hear the announcement from Narcissa about heading out. A thrown shoe finally knocked him out of his attempted slumber, a groan rumbling out from the bundle of blankets. He wearily pulled himself out of his bed, before clumsily falling to the floor. While his mind was definitely trying to stay awake, his body had trouble actually feeling awake. “Yeah, give me a sec.” he said groggily, pushing himself up and looking for some more presentable clothing to wear.

His communicator went off again, though this time Kat's voice rang through, causing his head to snap up a bit. That woke him up. She told him, with her nickname for him and as few words as possible, to be careful in her own special way. He would have thought she would put a little more faith in his abilities, considering she had put in some effort for him to improve as well. The past month had seen Christian and Kat bump into each other 'by chance' from time to time, continuing the game of tag that Kat had imposed on him when she first ran into him. He retaliated by tracking down her scent...fresh off some luggage of hers that contained some expensive looking (and smelling) perfume, and other belongings. From there, the game of tag went back and forth, the meetings varying in length from a few minutes to an afternoon's worth. Sprinkled into these meetings were Kat's desire to mold him into a better fighter (outside of his transformation), while also offering a glimpse of what she was to Christian. He...was still putting pieces of the puzzle together. Still, the fact that she considered to remind him to not screw up was at least a testament to...whatever was going on with them. “Like I'd let that time of ours amount to nothing.” he said in a gruff voice, the sleepiness in his voice still audible. Still, it was better to let her know that he wasn't gonna take it easy.

Once he and Charlie were clothed, it was a simple matter to make their way to the Armory on time. It was clear by the look on his face that Christian couldn't completely rub out the tired look from his eyes, so even as the mission was explained, he he continued to stretch himself out to wake up. He took note of the twins set in the pictures, their image doing well to sober him up and get his mind in the game. Or, at least, take some of the drowsiness out. Teens that really weren't all the much younger than he was, on the run from Sentinels. That was a terrifying thought. Good thing the X-men were on the case.

The warning was given to 'not scare' the teens, and cause an uproar. Christian didn't have to look at Charlie to feel that amused smile coming from his friend's face. Low profile meant keeping his claws and fur in check, so he'd have to rely on human form for the most part unless things really went south. He couldn't stop the groan that escaped his lips; he looked forward to scrapping Sentinel circuits with his claws.

Directions were given to pair up in groups, maximum of 4, and minimum of 2. Judging by how Charlie didn't immediately look for a partner, he had assumed they were pairing up, as usual. His friend noted the lack of excitement his team specifically was faced with. “Hey, play your cards right, and we might push around some goon.” he said, not helping the smirk from appearing on his face. He scanned the room, looking for others. While they had met the minimum for their team, this wouldn't be a bad time to create a sort of camaraderie with others as well. “You think we should-” he started, before being approached by a familiar looking redhead. If memory served, this was Kerrigan, one of the more experienced members on the Omegas. “...nevermind.” She asked if she could join up with them, saving Christian the issue of looking for someone else to round them out.

Christian shrugged, looking to Charlie. “I can't think of why not. We'd be glad to have you, right?” he said, letting his friend have his say on the matter as well. He turned back to Kerri, extending a hand out to her. “Welcome to the crew.”

Name: Isabella Stone
Location: Alkali Lake Facility - War Room
Team: Alpha



One month later...


With Professor Summers repeating mission parameters that she’d poured over nightly, she couldn’t help it when her thoughts slipped away. Feeling a hand tighten around her own, she was grateful for the subtle reminder that she needed to come back down to earth. The animal mimic at her side was also more than likely sick of hearing about the current topic, almost as much as she was, considering how often they crossed paths. The sound user bit her lip a little to keep from fully smiling in the middle of what should have been a serious affair when the man scoffed... It amused her that while they were preparing to proverbially storm the castle, Leonardo’s biggest concern at the moment was related to their uniforms. ~Out of the two of us…Shouldn’t I be the one concerned about what I’m wearing?~

A month ago, they’d barely been able to breathe in one another’s proximity. A previously complicated situation had changed quickly, and with a fluidity that surprised her. Everything just seemed to fall neatly into place. The peace of mind and safe haven that Leo unknowingly brought to her life was a luxury that sadly hadn’t existed in quite some time. It was definitely an adjustment, especially in comparison to feeling utterly devastated. ~Really though… It’s not such a big deal. If you’re not comfortable with the uniform after you’ve tried it—Don’t wear it.~

~It’s meant to make our jobs easier, not difficult. Dr. McCoy won’t be offended…~, Bella offered up kindly as their conversation was cut short, her soft expression falling into something a little more severe. For those that knew her best, a visible change in her eyes, and in her demeanor was obvious. She forcibly hardened in a way that she was never meant to.

Doling out assignments and team arrangements were easy enough, but when Dimitri asked about the possibility of remote detonation of the collars—Emerald eyes immediately turned to Forge. Isabella had learned a long time ago that explosives were not at all her area of expertise… It had taken a combination of Forge and Beast to explain how to simply rig a demolition block for their escapades in Limbo. They occasionally spoke over her head… “Thoughts on that?”

Forge cleared his throat and nodded to Isabella, signaling that he knew what Dimitri was talking about. “I’ve analyzed and pulled apart enough of the devices to say that they definitely do not have that capability. The collars are designed for the simplicity of nullifying the effects of the X-Gene and the illusion of keeping dangerous citizens under control.”

“A small explosion was added to the locking mechanism to deter any attempts at forced removal; Which is why you will need to acquire a key. There are no signs or pieces of hardware that would show the collars can be detonated remotely. In my opinion, that kind of application would have proved too risky. Both for the staff, and for mutants wearing the devices.”, Forge finished off, keeping some of his thoughts to himself. There were a million reasons why remote detonation wasn’t yet utilized in the retention centers… Most of which had nothing to do with moral ambiguity of slaughtering their guests. The Sentinels were indicative of that.

It was politics and perception, pure and simple.

Isabella got back on track after that, accepting the Native American’s explanation as truth. He’d never let them down in regards intelligence before, and she doubted he’d start now. The Siren had successfully completed three different missions with Scott and some of the senior X-Men. They’d gotten in and out before thing had turned violent, as if spirited away.

Luke and Alexandra agreed with her plans, or at least accepted them, her keen ears easily picking up both of their responses. She picked up other little things here or there, such as the arrival of Aspen. The young woman spent so much time with the Omega’s that the songstress felt badly for keeping her from her friends. She would have suggested a transfer, but she also didn’t want the young woman to think she wasn’t wanted. Bella was glad to see Marcel approach the Alpha in question, hoping against hope that she might form a few bonds.

It was easier for everyone to work with people that they knew, even on a base level. Too many times certain Alpha’s tended to herd together, so she did her best to separate them. They all needed to be aware of one another to increase effectiveness on the field. All of the Alpha’s should know the names, powers, and codenames of everyone else.

Her eyes flickered towards one of her least favorite team members, jade eyes growing colder by degrees when she caught the tail end of something Katerina snapped towards Leo. Bella wasn’t entirely sure that she understood the context, but she understood the tone of an insult when she heard one. Choosing to ignore the shape shifter for the time being, she turned her gaze back towards the monitors. That didn’t stop her from feeling the daggers in her back.

What exactly had she done to her? Bella, for the life of her, couldn’t figure it out. Her aversion for shape shifters had only gotten worse since Mystique had put a bullet in her shoulder... But despite personal issues, she’d tried everything. Somehow every word she uttered seemed to push the Ex-Hydra agent to the breaking point. The songstress got the same feeling around Katerina that she’d always noticed about Gideon. It was rage, barely contained.

The only difference was that Gideon had loved her, in his own way. He’d held back as much anger as he could manage… But Katerina didn’t have any kind thoughts towards her. She always glanced over her shoulder when the young woman was near out of sheer self-preservation.

Thomas stopped beside her and she pushed a small smile onto her features, the edges of her lips turning upward. Was it so obvious that she was off her game? Perhaps she should have never let the animal mimic at all… The task hadn’t seemed so daunting then. He tapped her arm and she let her smile fall into a confident smirk as he tried to reassure her. “Don’t be silly, I know that.”

“We’re ready. We’ve been out of the game for a little while… But this is a small mission. It’s a good starting point—We can do it.”, Her poised words seemed to hold truth and weight for anyone listening in, but her stomach was sitting somewhere near her feet. She'd heard Dimitri, Raine and some of the others talk about watching each others backs... She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

She turned and watched her team start to come back from the Armory, eyes landing on Dom. Bella had never actually had an Omega choose to come to her team, but it only took a brief glance towards the blonde telekinetic he was wrapped around to understand why. Aurelie addressed Katerina, and the songstress gave the telekinetic a brief smile… Knowing that her attention would fall to the shape shifter.

For reasons she didn’t understand, Aurelie seemed to enjoy being in Katerina’s company. Guthrie had mentioned that she might be taking a stowaway along, but he hadn’t mentioned who, or when. Dominik was definitely a surprise…

“Good to have you, Edipova…”, Isabella spoke lightly, her smile fading when she felt Katerina’s eyes continue to bore holes into her body. If looks could have killed, she would have been six feet under ages ago. Hearing Aurelie mention that she wished the shapeshifter was on their side, she bit back a sigh. Leo was the only person she trusted to keep Katerina in line. It was that simple.

Triggering her comm she called out to the Alpha’s that they were set to leave in five minutes, her body shifting towards the protected portal that Eden had opened. Bella would have continued on her way were it not for the fact that the Ex Hydra agent didn’t bother to disguise her animosity as she passed. It well and truly forced the songstress to address it, despite her reservations. She couldn’t go out on the field, wondering if one of her teammates was going to stab her in the back. Something in her told her to brace for impact. “Is there a problem Ms. Force?”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtear me into s h r e d s
xxxxxxxxrip me into bits
xxxxxxxxxxxxtear another page out
xxxxxxxp u n c h me in the ribs

xKaterina’s presence had captured the attention of the Californian werewolf, but hadn’t been missed by Charlie or Charlotte either. It had certainly lifted his friend’s spirits. And really, how could Charlie not encourage his best bud to invest in a lovely lady that had shown such interest in him? He was always supportive of any of Christian’s endeavors. That was what good friends did, after all.

Christian spat out a bunch of possible names to call Charlotte by and she assured that any of them were fine, but Charlie turned the subject to her codename’s origins soon after. As far as he knew it was just some jumble of letters she liked the sound of so he was curious about it. "A goddess, huh?" he interjected in a friendly tone as she explained it’s origins. It was apparent that she had spent a bit more time coming up with her codename than Charlie had.

So she was a bow hunter? That was definitely impressive. "I like it." he admitted once she was finished "It has a nice ring to it." It seemed a little rough around the edges, and definitely tough, but still feminine. Christian expressed some slight regret at not finding his codename in mythology, to which Charlie gave his friend a reassuring pat on the back. "Yours is great, I wouldn’t want you to pick anything different."

As they made their way to the third floor, Charlie had agreed to kill Christian if he ever became a Belieber. Somehow he doubted it would ever come to that.



¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯✖ time warp
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xIn the past month Charlie had spent much of his time forming a new routine. Of course he expected it to be interrupted with missions and other team activities, but now that they were living underground he’d needed to find a new exercise routine. While he’d enjoyed spending as much time outside in the fresh air and sunshine as possible, he’d found a way to manage his days in the gym. He had, inevitably, met many of the other residents of their new home, and many of their teammates. As big as the new base was, it seemed to keep them much closer together than the mansion. Maybe because they were always stuck inside.

Christian had been quite the social butterfly, he had seemed intent on getting to know everyone on the team. But he had also been spending time with Katerina, and Charlie was glad. The werewolf seemed rather taken by her, it was just a shame she wasn’t an Omega.

It had taken a shoe to rouse Christian for the day, he really liked his sleep, but at least he’d been able to get his friend up in time. With all they had heard of Narcissa, he definitely didn’t want to show up late.

And they had managed to be some of the first to make it to the armory, with just a few others already there. Soon the rest would filter in though, and the mission would be explained. They were told not to scare the teens that they were trying to help, and Christians mutation easily came to mind. His friend groaned at this, clearly not keen on the idea of remaining in his human form. Then it was Charlie’s turn to be disappointed, in how mellow the mission seemed. But Christian was there to cheer him up, and he was right. Just because they were looking for some runaway teens didn’t mean they wouldn’t find some baddies to fight too.

When they were told to split into groups it didn’t take any thought for the boys to pair up. That left them with the possibility of adding two more people to their group and Charlie’s hazel eyes were searching for anyone who was having trouble finding a group. He spotted Charlotte, who looked like she might be thinking about joining them, and offered a nod to acknowledge her. They’d already had a chance to get to know the busty redhead, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be happy to have her anyway.

Before she could make her way over though, another redhead had approached them. He did know her name and reputation. Kerrigan was a tough gal, but apparently very friendly as well. As she asked if she could team up with them, Christian was quick to tell her they would be glad to have her, but turned the question to Charlie to be sure. "Sure, I don’t see how that’d be a problem, as long as you don’t slow us down." It was a lighthearted comment, one he wouldn't have made had he not known her standing on the team. He was just having some fun with her and offered a friendly smile so that she wouldn’t take it the wrong way.

So it looked like they would have a chance to get to know another of their teammates. Charlie took a second to glance over at Charlotte. They still had another spot if she needed a team, but it looked like she’d found a partner after all.

"You think you can keep up?" He asked Kerrigan as Christian welcomed her to the gang. He’d heard about her, but he wanted to hear from the redhead herself just how capable she was. Tough was one thing, confident was another. He couldn’t really doubt her ability since he’d not seen her in action, and her reputation seemed convincing enough. He’d heard she was a fighter, an intriguing notion considering the Arizona native had immersed himself in a few forms of martial arts as well.

It would be good to find others on the team that could give him a run for his money, that he could spar with. He definitely needed a sparring buddy. He would have enlisted Christian for the job, even if he’d needed to teach him a thing or two, but it seemed he’d already found his own sparring buddy, and Charlie wasn’t going to get in the way of that.



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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxthey wanna get inside my h e a d
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtell me how it is
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxsittin' in a tower with a rifle and a list
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi can see the r a z o r on your lips
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxwhatever it is, i'd be willing to bet
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxyou shoulda held your breath


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