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(no subject)

Who: Gemini & Charles Xavier. Open to any Heron crew who drop by.
Broadcast: Partial Audio
Action: SS Heron
When: 06/12

[There's a sad faced child sitting in a corner of the Heron's cargo bay. He's wearing the ship standard uniform and looks more than a little forlorn, although appearances as ever when it comes to Gemini are very deceptive. Nope, no shapeshifting assassins here, just a poor innocent child in need of help.]

[Private Audio To Charles Xavier]

Mister I'm here on your ship, you said I could come over and that you could help me.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Reading body language is one of her skills, and the fingers tightening makes her mentally frown for a moment, wondering what had caused it.]

Captain Tony. He can be very rude sometimes. [Time to get off that unwelcome subject.]

You said you could help me?

[ He doubts Tony would ever call himself a captain. And if he did, it would be derogatory. ]

I might be able to.

If you tell me who you really are.

Sorry? [The shock in his eyes is real, the thought 'how did he know' ringing loud and clear. She's determined to keep up the act though, not wanting to give anything away.]

I don't understand, I'm Michael, sir. Michael Rodriguez.

[ The surprise clinches it. ]

No, you're not. The charade is over, I'm afraid. It ended once we met.

What is a charade, I don't...you know what fuck it!

[Michael's expression turns darker, voice changing from young and male to Gemini's own darker, angrier tones, the face remaining the same.]

How the hell did you know?

[ He can't help the slight twinge of grim satisfaction. Charles isn't above some petty emotions. ]

I'm a telepath. You didn't do your research. It's common knowledge in the Fleet.

[Sloppy, careless, Gemini's going to be kicking herself for days. As it is he gets a fierce scowl from the child's face.]

How nice for you. Fucking mind readers.

[She lifts an arm, the move seemingly completely nonthreatening until it suddenly stretches, shooting through the air to try and coil and constrict around Charles. Neutralise the telepath by destroying his focus, it had worked for her before.]

Edited 2016-12-08 12:32 (UTC)

[ That's no good. Charles doesn't like retaliating with his powers, but he doesn't hesitate here, lashing out with a concentrated burst that overloads the pain receptors. ]

[Gemini can feel the sensation of something alien in her mind, but unluckily for Charles she doesn't have any pain receptors to overload, her body just doesn't work that way. Her scowl becomes a savage smirk.]

Nuh-uh, that won't work on me.

[Her arm loops around him like a fleshy snake, constricting powerfully, lifting him up out of his chair.]

Now, you're going to tell me about all the people with powers you know about in this fleet. I'd suggest you talk fast, we wouldn't want you to run out of air would we?

That's — not going to happen.

[ But this was not good. Charles claws at the tendrils as he tries something else. He may not be able to go deeper, but he could reach her surface thoughts. Struggling, Charles attempts an illusion. Flames all around her. ]

[Whatever retort Gemini's about to give dies as the wall of flames appears around her, terror sparking on her stolen face at the fire, her body twisting and coiling inhumanly to try and avoid it...but why was there no pain?

Her arm lengthens, loops around, and slams Charles viciously against the floor to try and break the illusion. The rubberyness of the limb wrapped around him cushions some of the blow, but not all of it.]

Do that again and I'll rip your miserable head off!

[Her neck elongates, carrying her head to only a few inches away from his as she dangles him in mid-air, the expression on her still-childish face livid as she snarls at him.]

[ Charles grunts, pain lacing through his body and the illusion blinks out for a moment. He continues to struggle against her hold, though there's little he can do with only his legs. Wracking his brain for another idea, he tries to distract her. ]

Why do you need to know anyway?

[The arm coiled around him continues to tighten, constricting around him with excruciating slowness.]

I want to find out who might be a threat to me. It's not so much to ask is it?

[ He gasps. ]

I only see one person being threatening here.

[She smirks cruelly, the pressure she's exerting continuing to increase.]

My heart bleeds for you. Now, are you going to start talking or is this conversation going to have to get more pointed?

What's the point?

[ It's too tight - and he can't risk his otter form unless he knew for a fact that she can't catch him. Breathing is certainly getting harder though. ]

Won't you do that anyway?

Because I told you to.

[Her neck loops companionably around Charles shoulder, Michael's face smiling viciously although her voice is a soothing purr.]

That's not how this works. You give me a name and what they can do and I loosen up, you say nothing and...[His ribs will creak under a particularly vicious accompanying squeeze.]

[ He cries out and his mind reaches out to the ends of Heron, a plea for help, but also a plea for someone who would come if he heard. ]

Erik!

[The distance from the kitchen to the rooms isn't far to cover at a run. And run Erik does, as soon as his head snaps up from the sudden scream for help. His footsteps can be heard moments before the door is flung open, and Erik's there in the doorway.

There's one brief, breathless moment as his eyes flick over Charles being held up - strangled - by a child whose neck and arm belie his apparent innocence. Then there's a tremendous shriek behind them as the metal cupboard every room has rips itself apart and a jagged chunk of it slams into the elongated arm holding Charles up.

If Gemini wanted to find the dangerous ones in the Fleet, mission accomplished.]

[Gemini's attention is so fixed on her captive that the first thing that tells her they're no longer alone is the shriek of metal and the makeshift spear impaling her arm.

Her grip on Charles loosens involuntarily, although not enough to let him break free, as she glares balefully at Erik, the impaled limb oozing free of the shard of cupboard. She remembers him and his powers from their encounter on the planet in the Lagan system, she's wary now, although still overconfident.]

Well that was rude.

[The voice is back to Michael's now to conceal her identity, but she wastes no time in striking back. Her other arm whistles out, the fist on the end of it swelling to four times its usual size, aiming a powerful stretching punch at the metal-bender.]

[ Charles wheezes, head spinning from the sudden influx of air as he tries to focus on what's happening around him. It seemed her hold has loosened . . . if she did it a bit more, he could slip away. ]

[She hasn't let go of the other man - Erik has time to see that much. But in a blink his vision is taken up with the entirety of that fist, and he's definitely not fast enough to avoid it. He lets out a sharp grunt as it slams into him, knocking him back into the hallway.

On the Heron, his reach is near absolute, and everything around him can be weaponised. He's barely hit the floor when the door wrenches off its hinges and slams down hard onto that fist while it's still partly through the doorway. He claws the fingers of one hand and crumples the whole thing around... and then liquefies the metal, sending it shooting backwards up the 'boy's' arm towards the source.

He can't see what he's doing at all, still dazed, but working by feel and instinct is something he's adept at. In the bowels of a metal ship, it's easier than ever.]

[Got him. She laughs out loud in a boyish tone as he's sent backwards, the fist coiling around for another blow when the door comes crashing down, pinning her arm below it.

The metal is racing up her arm before she can react, a horrified cry escaping her. The 'flesh' of her arm peels up and around the metal, trying to wrap around and contain it in an elastic blanket. Whatever focus she has left goes on lifting the end of her arm, hammering it up and down in an attempt to pulverise where she last saw the metal-bender.

Her attention is completely focused on Erik now, the coils around Charles loosening even further.]

[ There. Charles immediately shifts to his otter form, slipping past his restraints easily and scuttling over to Erik's side. ]

Erik!

[ This was not good. Charles casts a worried glance at him, trying to see if he's hurt badly. ]

[He can tell when the metal meets some resistance, but his attention is quickly diverted to the slamming weight of that fist trying to crash into him. He rolls to the side, escaping the first few blows. The third does catch him in the side and he yelps. Later, he'll look back on today and muse that he really is getting too old for this.

When the otter appears at his side, Erik shakes his head and coughs, scrambling back to his feet. He's all right for now.]

Stay behind me.

[He skirts to the side, out of range of Gemini's flailing fist, and extends both his hands. The metal floor panels under her feet buck and jolt, before snapping upwards in an attempt to clamp whatever's there.]