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Ain't no rest for the wicked; Elixir, Siryn
Topic Started: May 16 2010, 11:01 PM (473 Views)
Elixir
Unregistered

Time of day: 7:21
Place in the timeline: May 10th


Josh had experienced some very real dreams... saw himself in a South American jungle... woke up in a strange bed in a studio apartment and went to the bathroom, turning on the lights just in time to see his old golden complexion before he woke up in a sweat. As his blue eyes swiveled up at the television screen on the other side of the room, he wondered if those occasional vivid dreams had anything to do with what was happening to the world outside Xavier's.

He glanced back down at the sketch he'd been working on for the past hour and frowned at it; the girl's last two fingers looked stupid. Josh grabbed his putty eraser and scrubbed away the last five minutes of work, his gaze flickering back and forth between his work and the screen. It now showed a clip of a man being interviewed, sharing the account of what supposedly happened to him when he lapsed into his 'psychotic episode' at his son's eighth birthday party:

“I... felt this jerking sensation, and everything was different. I was in a prison spotting some guy I'd never seen in my life, and he seemed to know me. I was fat, and then some guards told me I had a visitor. I tried telling them there had to be some sort of mistake. I was yelling at them, telling them that I needed to talk to my wife. I spent what felt like two days in solitary, and suddenly, I'm back in a hospital. My wife claims I said some horrible things and made a pass at my niece, but I swear...”

“Damn, dude," Josh muttered.

He looked back down to find he'd accidentally dropped his eraser while watching the story. It was okay though; he'd lost interest in completing the picture of the half-naked girl with the gun in her hand he'd been drawing... for now. Laying his pencil on top of the page, he pushed the notebook aside and rolled over, laying with his back on the floor and propping his legs on the cushions of the couch. The television appeared to be upside down as he continued to watch the biggest news story since Apocalypse.

I wonder what Scott's doing in that other world? Running a gang? In prison? Dead? I wonder if that's the other me in my dreams? What am I doing in a jungle? Is that real? I kinda wish it'd happen to me... because... y'know... I'm bored.

He let out an audible sigh.
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Siryn
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Sonokinesis/Flight/Vocal Hypnotism
It was everywhere now, everyone going mad. It was on the TV now, pages on the internet springing up like when everyone had been in a fap over the newest 3D films. Terry was sat watching the revelations unfold with a similar detachment to watching any reality show or talkshow where the guests told all about sleeping with their man’s grandpa or liking the feel of the wife’s undies. That sort of bizarre, freakshow shit that never happened in your own street or town, only this really was…

For a moment, Terry wondered if there was another her out there and what she was like. Had she had a normal upbringing? A mother? Still been heckled by nuns and dragged through school by her rosary beads? Ifs, buts and maybes…Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the magazine she was thumbing through to try and get rid of the thoughts. Hearing a loud sigh, she sat up a little and saw the healer boy, draped over his sofa in a position only a teenager would find comfortable.

“You alright there?” Terry asked, wondering if the television programme was getting to him too in some way. Maybe that was the master plan; shock and or bore everyone into submission and when they were all slouched in front of the set, all square eyed zombies, then the Scientologists would bring in their spaceships and beam everyone up and make a buffet snack out of the world.

Maybe it was a simple case of boredom. Terry knew that one, god she knew that one alright. This place…It wasn’t bad but Lord, it wasn’t all there was to life. Since leaving Ireland, she had pretty much done as she’d pleased, apart from when Tom was about to still try and be something resembling a father and even back home, since around the age of thirteen she had done as suited her at every available opportunity. This staying in, cloistered away like a flaming nun was beginning to drive the redhead insane.

“So. I’ve been here a while and…what do any of yer actually do for fun round here? Seriously?” she asked, raising a red eyebrow and propping her arm on the back of her seat as she boosted herself up, looking across at the dark skinned lad.
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Elixir
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The news report was reflected in his unblinking blue eyes as Josh stared at the screen with an almost glazed over look. PATSD was interesting two weeks ago, but like the twin towers, there was only so much footage you could watch before you just stopped caring. That was human nature... you could only be exposed to something for so long before you decided to find something else to do. He wanted something else to do.

“We play video games,” he said without his eyes ever leaving the television, “We raid the fridge. We break down and have emotional turmoil...”

He reached for the remote still without breaking his gaze from the television and began flickering through the available channels as he continued, “Back when Ash was alive, there were a lot of pranks. I learned a few cool things from him that I do from time to time, but it's just not the same.”

Yogi Bear? Who watches Yogi Bear anymore? I thought that was stupid when I was five.

“I did a buttload of studying back when I was a healer, but I can't do that crap anymore, so that's kind of taken a back seat.”

In truth, it had. Gone was the old manic pace at which he studied, working feverishly for hours without a break, desperate to glean and absorb every scrap of knowledge available to him. He still studied, but he didn't put in as many of the long hours as he once had... for one thing, he didn't need to. His ability to absorb and retain knowledge seemed greatly improved since the incident on the moon, and he no longer bothered with learning the remedies and instructions needed to heal people. Now he only studied the body's ailments.

He'd kept his new abilities somewhat low key to most of the ordinary students, but he and a certain number of faculty and a few of the older students had puzzled out that Josh Foley had not been left completely empty handed when his skin had taken on a new pigment. It was poetic that he was now black instead of the shiny golden hue he had once been... it seemed to represent the corruption of his abilities. The boy was now only capable of inflicting the injuries he once sought to heal. Unfortunately, many would have perceived the manifestation of his abilities as creepy, forcing him to maintain a certain level of discretion.

“In short,” he said as he turned his gaze from the television for the first time since she'd spoken to him, “jack shit. Well... there's the Danger Room, but that's kind of restricted for anyone other than X-Men. Why?” He rolled to his side and pulled himself up on his feet, “You looking for trouble?”
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Siryn
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Sonokinesis/Flight/Vocal Hypnotism
As he gave her a list of activities around the mansion, Terry got up and moved around the room, stopping behind Josh’s seat and leaning against the back, half staring at the screen just as he was. Trainwreck TV. You didn’t really want to watch it but it was damned hard to pull your eyes away sometimes. Shaking her head a bit she looked down at his dark head, snorting a little when she noticed his sketchbook. Boys. Shit. The redhead swallowed, her attention snapping back to him when she realised what he had actually said. Someone had died from here. Shit. She thought someone had said something about something like that the other week, but urban myth…

“Right, not so hot on video games, emotional turmoil and breakdowns I could probably have a crack at…” she gestured with her hand slightly. “Studyin’ not so hot on. Pranks, maybe…” she glossed over it, feeling uncomfortable over the death comment. Death was something that at sixteen and on the wrong side of the tracks, that Terry did not like to think about in any context. It was too real.

Folding her arms over the back of his couch, propping her slender chin on the backs of her hands, her attention occasionally drifting back to the television before he looked up at her and the Irish girl returned his gaze, a little amused. “Oh yeah, the legendary Danger Room,” she snorted, a wide grin spreading on her face. “I don’t reckon they’ll be lettin’ me in that place any time soon,” Terry informed him, shifting her thumb and nagging on the nail in a bout of impatience. Damn place, she was getting itchy feet.

“You looking for trouble?”

As he straightened up, Terry raised her head, straightening out herself from where she was half bent over the couch back, the grin on her face darkening a little. “Trouble woulda been my confirmation name if it were allowed. So, y’could say I am. Why, are you?”

The look in her sea-green eyes challenging him, daring him to say yes, hoping he would say yes. If he didn’t and took himself back to his sketching, then no skin off her nose; she could always go and see if Julian wanted to do something or even Dallas. It suddenly struck Terry she had no female friends at this place yet and the idea amused her; she had spent too long at all girls schools, obviously.

“So, are yer?”
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Elixir
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Blue eyes met green eyes with unblinking calm... even a hint of mischief. It was a first for Foley, who had always been incredibly shy around the fairer sex. Being a foot away from one while nearly having a staring contest just didn't happen.

Confirmation name? What the hell is a confirmation name? Is that a Catholic thing? Is she Catholic? She's Irish. Isn't everybody in Ireland Catholic? She doesn't seem very Catholic to me. She seems more like someone who would desecrate Catholic stuff. I don't even know what Catholic stuff is, but I bet she'd desecrate it.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward as a thought occurred to him, “Well, if your name shoulda been trouble, then I guess that means I don't need to look anymore.”

I wonder if she's ever worn a Catholic school girl dress.

He looked over his shoulder at the television; they were still doing interviews about the Post Apocalypto Pod People Disease... or whatever they were calling it. Josh pulled a face – he was so tired of living in constant worry of the world and the consequences he and the others would have to face just because some other assholes who shared the name mutant kept fucking everything up for them. If they were going to get in a load of shit for stuff they didn't do, then perhaps it was time to deserve it... at least a little bit.

Josh looked back at Terry, his seed of a smile having grown into half amusement, “Yeah. I am.” He fished in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, holding them up for the redhead to see, “You been out of the mansion since you got here?”
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Siryn
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Sonokinesis/Flight/Vocal Hypnotism
As she spent more time here, it seemed that she was not quite alone in wanting to test the system. It was a nice, safe little system, keeping them all inside and away form harm, but God above, if it didn’t keep her bored as well. Terry had grown far too use to pushing the envelope, to see what she could do next and the only way to go was up. Or sideways, depending if she was enjoying what level she was at. Find a groove and all that…Maybe she’d found another one here. Keller was fun and all, little up himself, but Josh didn’t seem like that.

“You don’t, think we got that one established,” she nodded at him. “Got anythin’ or anywhere particular in mind?” Terry asked, a few ideas of her own formulating. If she got out, she could go back to her place…Pick up some things, oh maybe put in a few calls…The night was just getting better as it went along. Ooh. Maybe they could get in some alcohol too, least something different to eat; just the idea of being off grounds was enough to cheer her up. Sad, really, that she was getting excited about going outside.

Eyeing the keys she shook her head, red hair tumbling in a wild mass down her back. “Eh. I got brought ter school with a SHEILD escort and personally handed over at ter front door,” she told him with a slight smirk on her freckled face. “Get the feelin’ I ain’t allowed to tie me own shoelaces some days. Though that’s probably me own fault, could make a better effort and all that…I just hate being fuckin’ locked in someplace, y’know?”

Her last comment came out slightly angered and she punched the flat of her hand against the back of the couch, but lightly. “Ah, it’s stupid. Wouldn’t be so bad but I don’t even have me own things. Didn’t really get a chance ter collect them when they arrested me,” Terry explained the main source of her frustration. Sure the school had been generous enough and not left her wandering in rags, but having your own clothes and books and access to your own phone, well it didn’t make it feel like prison so much. Now, if she could just convince him that it’d be a good idea…
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Elixir
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The ever-present, ever-watchful eye of SHIELD was upon them... Josh could feel it.

His mind's eye painted a picture of some fat balding guy in a SHIELD jump suit that was about a size too small peering down at them through a telescope. Burger King wrappers littered the floor around his feet, and there was an empty Frosty cup rolling around in the breeze from the ventilation ducts... even an empty Happy Meal box sitting on top of a series of control knobs.

...ooh and a watered-down Mountain Dew that's got a ring of condensation around it and water's leaking into the control panel. I have no idea why he's got a Happy Meal... or how he got hold of that much Burger King from space.

Josh glared at the half-eaten eggroll in his hand, I watch way too much television.

In truth, Foley's main concern wasn't the consequences of leaving the mansion; Scott wasn't himself... he was Ruby. Jean... Emma... Logan... the Professor... as sharp as they were, the people in charge were too busy trying to figure out what happened to their fearless leader, not to mention all the others that had gone off the deep end like Bobby and Billy. Besides... Josh was a full-fledged X-Man – full clearance and everything.

No... his main concern was the assholes perving at the students like an entire generation of single, middle-aged losers. He had half-expected that they'd sweep down on the pair of them before his rear bumper had even cleared the gates, but was relieved to find them completely unhindered even as the large iron clanged shut behind them. The next several miles of the journey had been spent with Josh's stomach in knots, just waiting for a giant spotlight to flare into existence like it did on those police videos. It wasn't until they made it to the first drive-thru that he actually entertained the possibility that no one was going to play killjoy to their night out of the mansion.

Josh had suspected that no one would bother them for a couple of reasons. The biggest reason was because SHIELD's usual method of tracking and monitoring the people of Xavier's was by keeping tabs on the level of mutant activity going on by anyone who went in public. Their instructions had been very specific – no overt use of abilities. No flying. No acid spit. No farting fire. Josh could deal with that, and the image inducer that hid his natural skin color helped keep the general public from freaking out. Black might be a common color in America, but anyone who got a good look at the kid could tell that wasn't the color he was supposed to be.

And if that was their main method of monitoring the activity of mutants, then the redhead wouldn't even make a blip on their radar... not when she wore her mandatory null cuff. As far as they could probably tell, he was a harmless mutant simply enjoying the evening with a girl. Still... he couldn't shake the feeling there was a guy somewhere up there watching the pair.

I hope he gets the shit shocked out of him when he grabs hold of that Mountain Dew...

Three drive-thrus later and the pair of them were parked in the lot of Panda Express, chowing down on a wide array of chinese, pizza, and mexican food. If Terry had been telling the truth about her confinement to the mansion, then it had been a long time since she'd been out for take out. That meant it had to be done right.

“So,” he said as soon as he swallowed the last morsel of the eggroll he had been glaring at, “How did you manage to piss of SHIELD? Not like it takes much, but damn... they brought you in with that thing on,” he pointed at the null cuff. “And no one's taken it off yet. Not many people at the school have to wear one of those, so you must have really gotten under their skin.”
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Siryn
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Sonokinesis/Flight/Vocal Hypnotism
It was weird seeing someone with an image inducer masking their appearance when you were so used to it. Terry didn’t even bat an eyelid at Josh’s unnaturally hued features when she’d seen him in the halls or around the school in general after catching that first sight of him. That was how he was. It was what God or genetics or the Wizard of Oz had given him – aside from the fact she had heard he was once gold but still, he’d been given that too so the point stood – but with natural fleshy toned skin, that inky hair stood atop…the redhead couldn’t help but keep stealing glances at him. It just didn’t look right; not like Josh.

It was also weird being out of the school grounds after being cloistered up inside for so long. Even when she had been at school, she hadn’t been locked up for so long. When they had pulled out of the gates, Terry had felt this massive release and she had sagged down into the passenger seat of the car, her body limp and floppy for a few minutes as she recovered from the sheer relief washing over her. It was almost too good to be true, like he was about to reverse back up the street and the gates would shut, just before her nose, and there she’d stay. But he didn’t. She was out.

Then came the take-away cuisine. Terry thought she was going to die, just by the pizza. Dallas’s pizza was great, but eating out was a novelty that the kitchens at school could not replicate, but then also came Mexican and Chinese and despite her slender frame, she had something of a ferocious appetite. At first had come small talk, radio tuning banter and then when they’d parked up to eat, silence at first, while they both dug in, Siryn enjoying the junk food banquet that Josh had procured. This was awesome; this was why they needed to not lock her in. It was driving her fucking nuts

But then came the million dollar question, or million euro question, depending on the exchange rate and she froze, taco hanging halfway to her mouth, some of its contents falling into her lap. “Fuck…” she sighed, heavily, and grabbed a paper napkin to clean her legs up, taking a sip from her cup of rootbeer, setting it down with a thud, before shifting in her seat and looking at him. It wasn’t something she was secretive about, well, not entirely, but out here…It was different. No teachers listening in on them, watching them.

“I…Well, I got meself arrested. No petty spray paintin’ on walls shite either. Someone….” Terry looked out of the car window, finding it easier if she wasn’t looking at him. “Someone in me family ain’t exactly a law abidin’ citizen. They never meant me to get caught up in things, but I did and I got sloppy and got meself arrested. Theft, vandalism, y’name it, they were pinnin’ it on me as I wasn’t about ter shop me blood.”

Looking back at him, her expression lit up with a devilish smile, although it was strained. “I gotta helluva scream on me when this fuckin’ cuff ain’t on. Maybe why they’re so determined ter keep it on me,” she swallowed, hard. Her life wasn’t exactly adversely effected by the loss of her powers, as maybe other people would have been, but the fact her inborn abilities were denied to her, riled the Irish girl greatly. It wasn’t what Tom stood for, not at all.

“Sometimes I wish I’d never left Ireland, but after the Apocalypse shite…Family wanted me close, y’know?” she rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably for a split second, before tucking into her taco as a distraction. “Thanks fer this, by the way.”
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Elixir
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Josh had never been able to accept gratitude or compliments with any sort of grace... especially from girls. A part of him couldn't accept the fact that he deserved any praise or admiration... he did nice things because he owed the world a great debt for being such a poor excuse of a human. Foley waved off her gratefulness with a casual flick of his very normal hand, swallowing the mouth full of Pepsi before attempting a reply.

“Don't worry about it. I wanted to get out anyway, and you seemed kinda miserable... so I wanted to see you...” He hesitated, deciding to refrain from sounding like a complete dork by finishing that statement, “It's just kind of a crime to keep you locked up in that school all the time. It doesn't matter what you did. It's obviously not bad enough to get you thrown in one of those crazy mutant jails that they have, and believe me... SHIELD doesn't have a problem making minors disappear.”

He decided not to press her any further. He hadn't heard any trace of her story aside from what had been gleaned from X-Men related stuff... and the back story of one redheaded Irish immigrant hardly qualified as War Room material. It was likely she had kept most of the circumstances that had brought her here from the general public, which made Josh feel somewhat privileged that she'd decided to open up as much as she had... even if she kept back specifics.

“Ruby... Scott... whatever... he's kinda out of the loop at the moment, so I'm guessing Jean would be the one to talk to about getting that thing removed,” Foley said with a nod toward the cuff. “Maybe Logan... he might be a better bet, but then again... he might be more of a hardass about it. You can't ever tell with either one of them. But yeah... I'll see if I can try to talk to one of them and get that thing removed. Hopefully being a full X-Man will help.”

Josh suddenly realized he might sound like he was name dropping or bragging and quickly added, “I mean... I'm probably the lowest guy on the totem pole, so I'm not really important or anything, but who knows...”

You probably sound like some sort of big, fat fat-head who likes to brag about being the youngest X-Man ever. Way to go, Josh... you sound just like that bastard, Julian.

“So... where did you stay when they caught you? I... you said you didn't have any of your stuff, and I thought that maybe after we eat, we could swing by and get as much as we could. It's not a night out at the club or stealing cars for joyrides or anything, but at least you'll have your stuff, and we can save the drinking binge for next time.”
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Siryn
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Sonokinesis/Flight/Vocal Hypnotism
The redhead used her root beer as an extension of a shrug as Josh brushed off her thanks, saying she had looked miserable. Not that she denied it, but it wasn’t something that many people had surprisingly picked up on. They normally either got her ‘putting up with it’ face or her ‘bad mood’ persona. “Guess yer could say that…It’s no fun,” Terry snorted a bit, wondering just what he wanted to see. Boys. Whatever he wanted to see, she didn’t even care as it was worth it to just get outside the gates of the school that had been suffocating her.

“And eh…crimes…Kind of committed one in the first place,” a devious grin lit up her face as she picked at her taco, eating it bit by bit. “Guess they have their own damn reasons fer bein’ stuck in the school…Like I’ll be a flight risk or somethin’,” she hazarded, wondering if anything was known about her family connections. That could be it; they might be afraid she’d turn out to be a super-terrorist or something and so had stuck her with the warm and fuzzies to try and lead her on to the path of the light. Fuck, it was worse than the nuns trying to make her love the Lord. Why, just why? The worst part of it was that He was the only person who probably knew the whole score on what was going to happen to her, why all this was happening. Huffing, Terry shifted in the seat and propped one of her legs up on the side of the door.

Looking across as he spoke about who could get her cuff off, at least maybe anyway, her lip curled up in a slight smile. So he really was the deal that she’d heard about. Modest with it, assuming he would do as he said and this wasn’t some sort of elaborate line he was feeding her. “Y’still got more influence than I do. Guess they kept it on so I wouldn’t fly or break any windows or anythin’ along those lines. Keep the order. I’ve been trouble as it is without me scream.”

Finishing off her taco, the Irish girl licked her thumb and shrugged a little, clearing her throat. It was taking all her self control to not jump out of her seat. Home? Was he really going to just drive her over to her place and get her stuff? Really?

“Oh…Family place over in Williamsburg. Not a patch on the Keep back in Ireland but this thing won’t get us there,” she leant forward and affectionately gave the dash a gentle slap. “Should be as I left it, probably drink there come to think on it…”

Tipping her head back against the headrest of the seat, her hair spilled down in messy waves and she looked across at him, narrowing her sea coloured eyes slightly. “So. What makes you so sure I ain’t gonna bail on you or steal yer car and make me dramatic escape, eh?” she raised a red eyebrow at him in amusement. “Aside from the fact you bought me dinner of course.”
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Elixir
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Williamsburg... that was a suburb in Brooklyn.

Blue eyes cut to the ceiling as Josh started doing the math in his head; it was pushing nine o'clock at night, and Brooklyn was about a thirty minute drive. That in and of itself was no problem... there were much worse things in the world than being stuck in the car for an hour with Irish. She could be a bit on the prickly side, but Josh found that he enjoyed her company despite that... maybe even because of that. Yet he didn't fool himself into thinking that he knew her after a few brief words exchanged around the school and one trip into Westchester for some takeout.

For all I know, she could be a complete psycho bitch. I mean... she was brought in by SHIELD with a null cuff slapped on her, and they still haven't taken it off. That's gotta say something.

Still... what better way to get to know a girl than by spending some time on the road with her. After all, an hour was just wishful thinking. It was thirty miles to Brooklyn, but it required going through New York City. What should be a thirty-minute trip could easily turn into an hour and a half; it could take almost the entire night by the time it was over.

Sounds like fun to me.

“So. What makes you so sure I ain’t gonna bail on you or steal yer car and make me dramatic escape, eh? Aside from the fact you bought me dinner of course.”

The look on Josh's face was in complete odds with the feeling in his chest. His heart skipped a beat, and he could have sworn he felt his blood drop several degrees in temperature as he imagined himself standing in Ruby's or Jean's office while explaining to them how they lost the student that had been placed under their custody by SHIELD. He wondered if he would be scrubbing bedpans in the infirmary for the rest of his life if that happened.

By some unknown miracle, however, Josh kept his face composed enough so that an slight smile flickered across his lips as his blue eyes met seafoam, a hint of challenge in them. “What makes you think I'm so sure you're not gonna take off? You wanna bail and leave me hanging after I drove you out of the mansion? Be my guest. Good luck avoiding SHIELD long enough to get that stupid thing off you,” he said as he nodded at the cuff.

“I don't think you'll recover if the bad guys get hold of you again though. Don't get me wrong... I'm sure you're good, but there's an entire world out there that would love to see your head on a pike, and given half an excuse, they might give it their best shot. They just outnumber us.”

Josh ran his fingers through his hair – altered by the inducer to look blonde – and took a large bite out of a slice of pizza. He swallowed it before going on, “Damn Terry... look at what you made me do... talking about the dangers of the world and how we should be careful. I sound like a lame professor or something...”

Or Magneto.

“I don't wanna be your jailer, Terry. I wanna be your friend. We can get your stuff, or you can make a break for it... up to you.” That mischievous glint that had faded returned to his eyes, “Can't say you trying to take off would be all bad... chasing you down might be kinda fun.”

You dork... you big. Stupid. Dork.
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