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| The Secrets That Divide Us; [tag: Edmund] | |
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| Topic Started: Aug 5 2012, 11:36 PM (383 Views) | |
| Riva | Aug 5 2012, 11:36 PM Post #1 |
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Date: May 18 Time: Late Afternoon Mutant Town was a pretty tightly woven borough. It was actually pretty hard not to know everyone, or at least be a little acquainted with the majority of people that called this special part of Brooklyn their home. Harder still after the exodus to Sanctuary, triggered by tanks and ultimatums and magical shields. Sometimes Riva found it so hard to believe how anyone could just pack up their things, board up their businesses and leave everything behind in the face of conflict and something that threatened to take everything they knew and loved. But then the next moment she realized just how hypocritical that train of thought was. Regardless, she couldn’t blame them, even if their flight made Mutant Town a little bit more tarnished than it should be. With all these announcements and news stations flooded with words like “mutant cure” and “clandestine” and “federal investigation”, it seemed like Mutant Town was being thrown another punch. But this time, X-Corps was the driving knife. It was one of their own, another hometown group turned traitor, like X-Factor had in the wake of War’s revelation. It took an indescribable amount of work to keep people from rioting in the streets, feelings of betrayal and hurt and anger fueling hot heads and stupid decisions. At times like these, Riva hated working at XFI, putting up with some wannabe revolutionary assholes empowered by a brick in their hand. Yet, it was times like these that drove Riva to make this decision. She was going to help this town, even if they’d hate her briefly for it. Riva saw the hurt and accusations in every face she met down the sidewalk, or maybe she just imagined them. The feeling of déjà vu, the cold dread and twisting knots her gut made as it tried to implode on itself in shock and stress, it was almost identical to those days preceding the Horseman of War trials. Crossing the street was like taking those short steps back on the stand, but made infinitely longer. Even that freaking lawyer was there, the giant green butch one, except this time on TV she was tiny and peach-colored and frazzled and so unthreatening. Just as things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse, however, the air waves broadcasted the latest tragedy in the early hours of the morning. Hartley. Poor Hartley. And suddenly, more than ever, Riva felt threatened. If anyone could be described as the heart and soul of Mutant Town, it was Hartley. And when you wanted to kill something mercilessly in one decisive blow, you aimed at that symbolic center. How could you do this? How could you hide this from everyone? Taking that same familiar route down to a certain apartment on the other side of town, it might as well have been a trek across the desert, except instead of the Saharan sun it was the glare of the flower vendors and fruit sellers that bore down on her with singeing disdain. How could X-Corp, a company founded and funded and administrated by mutants, spearhead the research for a mutant-killing weapon? And how could she not know about it? She didn’t expect Edmund to tell her all the details about the day to day workings of X-Corps, but how could something so serious escape his attention? Maybe he didn’t know. Maybe. Hopefully. She prayed he didn’t, because if he did, his secrets might have possibly gotten someone very close and very undeserving killed. Riva was so entangled in her own thoughts and worries that she almost didn’t realize she’d made it to Edmund’s apartment. Stopping short of driving her nose through the door, she stumbled back, shaking her head and looking around to make sure no one had seen that little moment of absent-minded clumsiness. The coast was clear. Yay. Riffling through her purse, she fished the key, unlocking the door with as much care as she could muster, or else she’d break it inside the lock. Her old apartment had suffered the same fate numerous times, but for now, Riva was smart enough and delicate enough to open a door. Hooray progress. “Eddy?” she called out, slipping into his apartment and shutting the door softly behind her. Not two steps in, a mewling furball tangled himself around her legs, nipping at a bare ankle. “Ow! Son of a bitch, go away Hobbes!” the Cajun muttered, trying to shoo the cat away as it decided to wrestle with her sneaker. Clearly, nothing good ever happened when she wore shorts. With a flick of her hand, the cat was swept away with a brush of telekinetic energy, yellow lights sparking across his fur as he coasted away on the wooden floor. The apartment looked dark, and for a moment she wondered if Edmund was even home. She did text him to meet here. Maybe he was busy. The blinds on his windows opened by themselves, aided with a little telekinetic flourish. This place needed some light. This whole situation needed some light. |
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| Lodestone | Aug 8 2012, 08:37 PM Post #2 |
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Today had been a hellish day, one absent of sound sleep and of comfort. It started with a single phone call and snowballed downhill into the very catacombs where the dead walked. Hartley had been murdered, thrown from a window of the X-Corps offices by some superhuman fiend. They knew that much, at least, but the identity of her killer yet discovered, if they were ever to be discovered. Such impossibilities were possible. Nemesis' investigation had not found much of anything that one would consider useful. Beyond the physical signs even, there was no trace. No whisper of identity. It was like she had been killed by a ghost. Grieving had never been something Edmund had trained for. Life didn't offer many chances. He suffered through the loss of both of his younger siblings at the hand of a trigger-happy cop, his family fell apart and he was forced to grow up earlier than he was ready for. The event left its scars, as such things left scars on all people who experienced such loss. He did his best not to dwell on it, and after the events of the Purifiers purging the lives at X-Corps he had thought he had grown cold to it. How many friends had he lost that day? How many families were crippled by them? Life was fleeting, he knew that. In some ways, he counted himself lucky that he was not apathetic to the loss. Still. It hurt. X-Corps would remain shut down for the duration of the investigation, with only pivotal meetings and such nonsense occurring whenever people could muster themselves the will to do so. He needed a few days at the very least, but he would not have them. All of Hartley's responsibilities would fall on his shoulders starting tomorrow. What came first was the investigation, then the necessary functions of X-Corps' skeletons would keep going. He had already spoken to the cops, giving everything that he could give them. Security tapes, files, schedules, personal influences, suspicions (which he had really none of), those he thought might begrudge Hart... It was a short list. Nothing that would prove useful in the long run. The security tapes were wiped, broken at the time of the scene. No evidence of tampering with the security systems, but they did not work. Someone really wanted her dead and went to great lengths to enjoy it. It was about ten minutes after she had arrived that Edmund did. His keys fumbled between his fingers before they found the lock. Stepping in, Edmund noticed the lights and just barely hitched a brow in suspicion before he realized who was here. "Hey," he said, his voice without his typical cheer or pleasantry. He was exhausted. This day of turmoil had left him distraught and weary, and he wanted nothing more than to just sit down pass out. Still, he was very glad to see her, to have that one bright thing in his life still shining. He likely lacked his usual color, bags under his eyes grown dark from the restlessness of the day, worn lines on his face. He felt older today. Weak. Laying his brief case down on the table, he moved to her and pressed a kiss upon her, arms wrapping about her smaller form in a loose embrace. "I wasn't expecting you here. My phone's been dead since noon, or I'd have called. Did you hear about what happened?" he asked that rhetorical question. It was all over the news, he knew. Another mutant killing in the place that was blamed for the creation of a mutant cure. Bad news upon worse news. The universe was not being kind these days. |
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| Riva | Aug 22 2012, 07:36 AM Post #3 |
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Flopped on the couch, her head tilted back to face the ceiling, Riva spent those last waiting moments with her eyes closed. Worry and anxiety and the stress of these past few days weighed heavily on her, charging her thoughts and muscles with nervous energy and a ceaseless buzzing. No amount of calming exercises, counting or deep breaths found her comfort. Breathing in a deep sigh through her nose, Riva pulled at her dyed hair, the waiting eternal. But when the tumblers in the door finally slid into place, Riva nearly jumped out of her skin, and the apartment quaked just a bit in response. "Oh... hey there," Riva expressed her relief, rising from the couch and taking a few steps to her beau. The tone of his voice spoke volumes of what sort of day he had, one far from good. His face was almost startling, the bags, that pallor. The questions she had for him didn't vanish, but they were momentarily set aside in wake of her concern. "Pouvre amour," she said, her hand coming to smooth his bristly cheek. She kissed him back, pulling away to leave another on his forehead placatingly. She smoothed his hair and they held each other, Riva resting her head on his shoulder. "Left you a dozen messages at least," she murmured, breath stirring against his neck. "Figured y' had t' be busy. Ah wanted t' come see ya, t'... t' pay some kinda respects, but it don't look like that's gonna happen, not in peace anyway." She breathed another sigh, holding her fiancé a little tighter. Hartley's murder was still a shock to her. She couldn't imagine what a murder at XFI would do to their small group. And yet, Riva couldn't help but feel relieved that the person most endeared to her was safe. It was a little selfish, but perhaps, if Edmund had worked a little later, had lingered longer, he might have been sent crashing out of that window too. And until the murderer was caught, that was still a threat that lingered over their heads. The possibility made her feel sick, and she clutched at Edmund's shirt before finally letting go, deciding not to voice that paranoia lest she give it power and bring even more bad luck upon them. Slipping away, Riva guided Ed to the couch, taking a seat as she beckoned him to sit on the cushions beside her. Looking to the side, Riva extended an arm, and from it a trail of gold shimmered to life and trailed towards the kitchen counter, wrapping around a waiting pair of mugs filled with hot coffee. They floated over on her command, Riva taking one and leaving the other to hover for Ed. "We been workin' nonstop t'day. Put all cases on hold an' cancelled appointments t' focus on the streets. People are ready t' riot, wantin' t' march on X-Corp or rally out God knows where. They blamin' everyone. They think we knew somethin' an' said nothin'. It's like the War trial all over again, but folks is too stupid t' remember the last time they started wantin' t' flip over cars an' torch shit," she recalled bitterly. The city could not be given another opportunity to call in SHIELD. Mutant Town wouldn't survive another round. But she couldn't blame them. The people, that is. X-Corp was one of the few places that actually did good by mutants and fought in their corner. The betrayal was too familiar, and trust was such a rare commodity. "Hartley was just a good soul. Ah don't think that girl ever did wrong to anyone, so Ah can't imagine why anyone would wanna hurt her, unless they were out t' hurt the rest of us. It's how it works in this town, ain't it? Take out the good an' leave everyone poorer. Killin' each other over lies..." Riva took a sip of her coffee, stilling the quietly forming indignation and rage in her heart with more scalding intake. Everything stunk. There was something rotting somewhere, but voicing that, that was something she'd been struggling with since before Edmund arrived. She placed the mug on the coffee table, shaking her head. "Or maybe someone killed her t' get back at X-Corp. Maybe they believed those lies about the cure, research t' turn it into a weapon..." Glancing up at Edmund, Riva regarded him in silence. The doubt in her heart pained her. She couldn't internalize it anymore. "They are lies, right? Tell me they are." |
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| Lodestone | Aug 28 2012, 10:23 PM Post #4 |
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Her touch was as comforting as it could be, given the circumstances. How many days he had gone to her just seeking solace and comfort, and she to him, he didn't know. The troubling times they were faced with had made her one of the only concrete constants in his life. The familiar brush of her nails through his hair, grazing his scalp, the weight of her head on his shoulder and breath upon his neck, he would have just stayed standing there like this without words for the rest of the night and into the morning. He just felt weak and worn at this point. With deep furrows in his face, he canted his head to rest his cheek atop of her hair. "I'm sorry. I'd have called back if I could," Edmund said again. He didn't know if he really wanted to hear the messages that she left, though. What else would there be to say after what had happened today? Her presence spoke volumes more than what a message left on his phone could and the fact that she was here even though he didn't get her calls mattered far more to him than having missed them. Guided, Edmund didn't put up a fight. The electromagnetic moved to settle on the cushions beside her, happy to finally be off his feet for the first time today. Most of it was spent standing on the hard concrete of the courtyard, standing outside the lines of caution tape, or stalking through X-Corps answering and making personal calls to the family and friends of Hart. Each one was as painful as the last. Pile that on top of dealing with the issues of X-Corps itself, which came crashing down like an avalanche, nothing was nice or pleasant today. Except this. Leaning into her, Edmund followed the path of her hand, watching as a golden light surrounded a pair of coffee mugs on the counter. They floated over and he grabbed his gingerly out of the air. "You're getting much better at the smaller things," he observed. He took a sip, eyes falling closed in another small moment of respite. She made it just how he liked it. "They are. With everything spilling out, it's making it hard for everyone. What happened today might push it off for a bit, maybe out of pity, but it's not going to help much in the long run," he murmured regrettably. "Every year it's the same thing here. Something happens, someone gets blamed, people riot and this part of the city burns. It's starting to look like a slum here. Since people left for Sanctuary there haven't been as many stores. X-Corps had been dealing with a rise of crime and complaints... I don't think it's going to be safe here much longer." The thought of moving had occurred to him. Moving to a safer part of the city. Here, where people had powers and could blow up things with their mind... Well, with as few super-villains as there were, desperation could drive people to do crazy things. "I don't know why anyone would do that..." In truth, he was unsure. There were some people he could think of, like the Purifier offshoot they were faced with in India, the Sons of Genesis. It was terrible knowing they might come back for revenge, even if they thought they might have ended it so far from home. He took another long sip of his coffee and silence spread through the apartment as Riva set her mug on the table. He could hear the honking of cars outside, the wind passing through the air conditioning, as well as the gears of her mind processing questions and wondering. "They are lies, right? Tell me they are." Edmund was quiet, too, studying the way his coffee swayed in the mug with every small motion of his arm. Finally, he raised his eyes, looking over to her with grim sorrow. "I'm not supposed to say anything, Riva... But... Do you remember when I left for a bit on an X-Corps mission to go to India? We were going to check out a problem with one of our affiliates there. They were up in the Himalayas, far away from anyone else. It was weird just knowing they were there, yeah, but otherwise we didn't think much of it. When we got there though, we discovered that they were being attacked. The Sons of Genesis, an off-brand Purifier group, was attacking the base there. They were after some technology that we didn't know about." He leaned forward, setting his coffee mug on the table. "We'd help them, of course. No one would send anyone else up there because of the weather. So we went up, dealt with a few of the Purifiers," dealt with being a little more than taking out the trash, "and it wasn't until we were almost done that we learned the truth. What the Purifiers wanted, what the people there were working on, was something we didn't allow. Their benefactor -- who got money through us -- was using X-Corps funds to provide for a scientific endeavor in secret." Edmund looked at her for a moment, studying her face, trying to find another way to put it. "They were making a cure. It was unstable and didn't work. It wasn't going to be put into development for weaponization. It was for medical purposes. You know as much as I that there are mutants out there who are crippled by their powers. It was supposed to be a way out for them, a way for them to live without suffering. It was unstable, but it was close. Really close. But... But we knew of the danger. Someone would make it into a weapon. That's what the Sons of Genesis wanted it for. Even as it was, they could make it into a weapon. It wasn't completed yet. It didn't cure anything, but it killed. We destroyed it. We destroyed the whole base and buried it under a mountain of rock. There's no way we'd allow it to be used anywhere. We couldn't take that chance. That's why we didn't tell anyone. That's why I haven't told you. We knew what it would do. It's cause riots and even more people would die. I couldn't afford to let that happen. Even with people we trusted, it'd have gotten out somehow. Only Mitch, Nemesis, Hartley, Dead Girl and I were on that mission. One of them -- one of us -- let it slip at some point, in some way. We don't know who or how, but it got out. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before now, Riva. I wouldn't allow myself to put you in danger in that way." |
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7:31 PM Jul 11