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| Pent Up Tensions; Bishop | |
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| Topic Started: May 21 2013, 12:22 AM (495 Views) | |
| Monet | May 21 2013, 12:22 AM Post #1 |
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May 7, 2013 8:00 AM - Eastern Standard Time “She… is… a lunatic…” The weight from the advanced machine pushed tons of weight down against her arms, each word coming from her lips as she pressed the bar upward while breathing simultaneously. She paused in her movements and held the bar up for a moment, brown eyes stealing a glance at the man she spoke to that stood to the side. He was her spot, in a sense, despite the immense amount of weight being pressed, a familiar and integral face as to her presence within the organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. “But we all knew that.” “How we are going to stop her is the question, Lucas, and even my mind is perplexed by the solution.” Monet decided to do one more rep before deactivating the bench press. The bar rose towards the ceiling and she lifted herself from her bench, beads of sweat falling from her face to her neck. A hand extended to Lucas Bishop in indication for him to pass her a towel that was nearby, and when he was able to, she blotted the biological liquid that was against her face. No makeup appeared on the white cloth, proving that Monet was just as beautiful without it as with it, and she set it to the side before rising to her feet. “How will the Illuminati be stopped as a whole?” It was frustrating to not have the answers when you usually held them all in your brain. Many logical solutions came from it, sure, but their practicality would cause more harm than good, making them failed thoughts that drifted to the back of her mind. Monet guessed that was the most frustrating of everything - devising plans that would possibly backfire in the end - and one reason why she decided to take a break from her and the researches that the staff worked countlessly towards. She had been in the gym for an hour before Lucas arrived sometime after, his presence more than welcome and his face a sight for sore eyes. Monet stretched an arm to the side, pulling with an opposite palm to her elbow until her shoulder popped. The same was done to the other arm, and then she popped her neck. With her legs spread shoulder length, she then bent down to the ground, the palms of her hands placed against the floor as her flexibility was put on display. “The scientists and techs have been working tirelessly around the clock. Even they are growing impatient. I’m afraid my brilliant charm is not helping matters much, either, despite the improvement in productivity.” She stood back to her full height with a mild grin on her face, knowing that Bishop was familiar with the ‘brilliant charm’ that she spoke of. “It’s difficult being perfect, you know?” Did Monet just make a joke? It was difficult to tell with her tone of voice. Either way, she looked at the former New York police officer and exhaled a deep breath. “Your turn,” she said, grabbing her towel from the advanced bench press seat and wrapping it around her neck. Fitness was an important factor in Monet’s life; it increased her physical capabilities in small increments but also maintained the progress she developed over the years, and that was something she did not want to lose. Her body never reflected her levels of strength. “How are you fairing on your end, Lucas?” |
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| Bishop | May 21 2013, 04:49 AM Post #2 |
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Arms bulging with muscle curled as Bishop brought individual weights up and down in a rhythm that was as natural as breathing. They clanked softly as he worked out alongside M who was on the pneumatic press that replaced a normal weight bench for mutants like them with superhuman strength. "That much was obvious when that fake Hill brought her in for the Thunderbolt program. She was psycho back then, but not nearly as powerful. That green bitch's experiments did something; unlocked something inside her. Made her more dangerous than we could even imagine." He took his time on one lift as M locked eyes with him just as she locked her arms to keep the weight held above her head. "Yeah, we knew that from day one, but she's even more unhinged now than back then. As for how we stop her...if you can't think of somethin', then whatever I had in mind won't work. If we get the chance, we put her in the ground and make sure she doesn't get back up. That's all I've got, Monet." When she finished on the press, she held her hand out, and he tossed his curl weight up, grabbed the towel, and handed it to her before catching it as it fell. He put his weights back on the rack when she asked him the unanswerable at the moment question on how they'd stop the Illuminati. "I won't even pretend I have an answer to that one. We've still got no idea how they number, what they want, their resources, and a million other variables. But we will stop them. People like them always get stopped by people like us...it's the way of the world." His eyes went back to her as she stretched and then showed off a bit, more for her own self gratification in that she could bend like that then Bishop's presence. He was used to it by now, and not even sure if she was fully aware she tempted and teased so. "Nice moves", he said with an air of calm that most men in his position wouldn't be able to pull off. He smiled a bit when she brought up her charm in dealing with the eggheads, and how it wasn't easy to be perfect. And M was probably as close to perfection as one could get if you didn't hold points against her for her attitude. But when you come up thinking you're perfect, it's no surprise you act that way. "You're one of a kind, M. But that kind takes a bit of getting used to. They'll come around...eventually." Then he chuckled a bit and shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so, but I personally can't speak from experience." He still didn't fully understand Monet St. Croix, but he was a lot better at it than most people, and she was a great friend and ally when you got to that point. After her smile faded, she inclined to the weight machine and told him it was his turn. His response was to remove his shirt and lay flat on it. He turned it on and started it out at five tons, then set it to drop it's full weight on his outstretched arms. He was ready when it did, but the force still bent his arms until the bar nearly touched his chest. But the impact like all impacts was a boost of energy that went directly into physical enhancement. He pushed it back up then when she asked how he was. "I'd say I was fine, but I'd be lying." He dropped the bar down, then pushed it back up and raised it by five more tons. "I'm still coming to terms with the my entire existence and how I got here. Still trying to forget what those bastards made me do...what they made me into." |
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| Monet | May 21 2013, 05:48 AM Post #3 |
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As they swapped places, Monet picked up a water bottle that was balancing on one of the free weights, opened it, and took a sip from the contents within. The refreshing reaction the cold liquid had on her as it fell down the passages of her throat nearly gave her goose bumps, drinking nearly half of the bottle before she placed the cap back on and set it on the floor. She reflected on the topics that Lucas brought up. It was events like the Skrull invasion that made her uneasy to open up to people, but it also helped her to focus on her work more. The Illuminati was different because the evil organization was more of a distraction from her work than anything else. It was similar to the Purifier incident, when people knew that something bad was going to happen but didn’t know when, what, or how. “I’ve thought of numerous scenarios, many of which I believe would be able to take down Spiral, but the problem lies in the civilians.” As she spoke, Monet walked to the rack of free weights that her bottle of water had balanced on, and she grabbed ahold of two. But instead of picking up the weights, she leaned forward, using a combination of her strength, agility, and limited telekinesis to push herself upside down, her legs pressed firmly together in the air. Upside down, Monet pushed and pulled against gravity as she committed to a unique version of pull ups. Her words had not strained much as she switched to that position, exhaustion the least of her worries in a pot of plenty other concerns. “And… even if I wanted to… pretend that the good guys… will triumph in the end, … I find it interesting… that we can’t even track their location.” She committed to four more upside down pull ups before maneuvering to her feet, taking a moment to allow the vertigo to wear off. “Thanks,” she responded, Lucas’ comment about her moves not going ignored. “Nice chest.” She vocally notated his physical accomplishments when he removed his shirt, the comment very much professional and friendly. Her voice’s range was somewhat monotone and wouldn’t suggest that she flirted with him at any point, because that was not how Monet viewed the man from her past. He was more of a big brother than anything else, and despite the validity of her view of him and its simplistic position in her life, she would never tell him such. He would have been a much better addition than Marius. She grabbed her bottle from the ground where she had placed it previously and opened it back up, taking another long swig. “It seems to me that those bastards made you stronger,” Monet quickly replied, stopping her water intake before finishing off the rest of the bottle. It was deposited in a dispenser labeled for plastic bottles only. “In the moment, yes, you were weak and conformed. But now, you are so much better for it. Those experiences, those little nuggets of failure, they should give you strength. Don’t you agree?” “Spread your arms a bit more,” she added. “And inhale with the pressure, not against it.” |
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| Bishop | May 23 2013, 08:41 AM Post #4 |
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He thought about what M said as he steadily raised and lowered the bar that was backed by enough weight to crush most beings under it's weight. "People...nnng. Will be people. Spiral's a real threat; they're still scared and panicked from the mad bombs, and now they're afraid she'll follow through with her threat if they don't do what she says. Self preservation is a powerful thing, M. People will do horrible things to survive, and it might haunt them later, but they'll do it again and again if it means they get to stay on this Earth a day longer." He did his reps in silent and looked over at her doing inverted push ups or pulls ups or however it worked in that position that only a person with powers could make work effectively. He "hmph'd" at M's inability to accept the fact that good tended to win at the really big things, but he understood where she was coming from. Just because it happened, didn't mean it would again; this could be the thing that let the bad guys rewrite the history books. "Nnng...considering just the people we know about, between them they could put something together to keep our search going in circles. That isn't even taking into account the unknown unkowns and X-Factors and shadow variables we know nothing about right now. They're well put together and prepared though." Pushing the bar up, he held it. With a small smile directed at M, he flexed a pectoral. "Thanks...I worked really hard to get it this way." Monet was definitely attractive, and a somewhat like minded individual. But they'd been through so much together that even though he couldn't deny that she was indeed someone he'd go for, it would just feel strange. He ignored her comment about the Hound program making him stronger for the moment, but rolled his eyes at her playfully when she gave him pointers on how to benchpress. "I know how to workout, M. I've been doing it for a while." Just because, he took her advice though, and it felt more smooth than it had...was his performance off because of everything going on? "Touche...touche." After a few more reps, he stopped it and stood up. He stretched a bit and doused his head with some ice cold water. His workout not yet finished, he walked over to another bar that housed two cylindrical fixtures where weights would normally go. A portable gravitic weight that basically increased it's weight with gravity generators. Made it easier to do a more diverse set. Setting it to the tons level again, he leaned down and spread his hands, then pulled it up to his chest level. He paused briefly, then pushed the bar above his head until his arms were fully extended; then, he brought the bar to rest just behind his neck and level with his shoulders before squatting down and holding it for five seconds. He didn't start speaking again until he repeated the process in reverse. "They did make me stronger. Can't say they didn't. The failure I can live and learn from. The brainwashing I can handle. I even took some pointers on how to be more creative with my powers. It's just... I was aware of what I did. I was awake for all of it. They made me kill mutants. Men, women, elderly...children. It didn't matter. Mutants not living under their thumb had to die...simple as that." He went quiet again for a bit before grunting out a small bit that had been gnawing at him, that he needed to tell someone. "Those faces haunt me. Every single one. Been having nightmares ever since the memories were unlocked." |
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| Monet | May 24 2013, 06:28 AM Post #5 |
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“People are stupid,” Monet said, “Especially if they think that killing their heroes will bring about some twisted salvation that will save them from the wrath of a lunatic.” She shook her head at the thought of individuals that put their lives on the line to preserve the lives of others, taken away from their world by the very people they vowed to protect. It was unheard of, twisted even, and she could only look in awe at the Illuminati’s move on the board. One thing was certain in Monet’s mind though: if she encountered anyone that attempted to steal of her life from her - or the lives of those she cared dearly for - her emotions would not hold back. When Bishop continued on about the Illuminati’s preparation, the different variables and x-factors, her mind could not help but focus on the mutant team that was ousted just hours earlier. Spiral seemed adamant in ridding X-Factor Investigations from the game, even going so far as to put a hit on them and giving their address and phone number to the world. She wanted to make examples out of them, not very different from the innocent man that she had burned alive on television. That imagery sent a chill down her spine, cementing the focus in her mind that the six-armed creature needed to be stopped before humanity dwindled. “Speaking on that, what is going on with this X-Factor Investigations team? I’m sure everyone has made an attempt to contact them, or kill them in some way, but have we done our homework on them?” In the midst of Spiral’s broadcast, after outing the group to the world, Monet did some research and pulled up why they had become a direct target to the crazed Illuminati member. “Do we even care?” Monet added, her opinion on the matter distinct and clear by the manner of her tone. Personally, she did not care about the charade they attempted to pull, but the safety of others were at risk because of them. It needed to be dealt with. While he continued to work out, Monet sat on a nearby bench to rest her muscles. While she was keen on daily visits to the gym, she did not want to strain any part of her body. It would just give her the opportunity to observe Lucas’ form and progress, and make recommendations ever so often. When he rolled his eyes but still took her advice, finding that her assessments allowed for a smoother transition in between his reps, she sat knowingly proud of herself. Intuitive learning aptitude indeed. Leaning back with the palms of her hands positioned on the bench, she listened to him as he spoke more on the Hound program. Killing, in any form, was wrong and she knew that. But there was something about harming children that caused her expression to shift as Lucas spoke more about it. The awareness, the nightmares, and the undeniable guilt - it would be in his mind forever, haunting him until he either got over it or died trying. And knowing the man well enough, Monet was more than positive that he would never get over it. She offered the only solution that she could think of at the time, and asked, “Have you thought about having the Psi Division suppress those memories?” Did he really want to forget though? If so, they would be able to help in some form or fashion. Monet could try, but that area of her gifts was distracting at best. |
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| Bishop | May 26 2013, 10:06 AM Post #6 |
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"Hnnn...no argument there," he said with a hint of a chuckle. "A person can be smart. But take that person and put him with millions, billions of others...that person turns into a sheep and it's all about group mentality. I got no doubt Spiral's gonna go through with something regardless of whether people listen to her or not. She just wants the chaos, the anarchy. But it's the only hope they see; the only way out. Still...they're stupid." He continued his set, enjoying the burn of his muscles as he pushed his body like he dd in every workout. He loved the feel of exhaustion washing over him, and pushing it aside to keep going. It was how he got stronger and better. He looked over at her and paused for a few seconds with the weight bar on the ground to catch his breath. "X-Factor used to have a working arrangement with us. They were technically SHIELD. But we parted ways a while back, and now only some of them are active. Well, only some of them are seen by us and the public. The rest are off somewhere doin' whatever it is they had to vanish from the public eye to do. Spiral's hard on for them though...I got no ideas, and no proof even if I did. And we do care, because Spiral cares, and that's enough incentive right there." He didn't look at her when she asked him about having their psychics jump around in his brain. He did one last rep, then placed the bar back on the floor. He took a towel, and a bottle of water, and he indulged himself, he dried off and he thought how to reply. Lying wasn't in his nature, and especially not to someone so close. So he just told her the truth. "Have I thought about having Psi poke around in my brain? Suppress, or outright obliterate the memories I have of doing those horrible things? I've thought about it for hours on end every day since I remembered." He sat down next to her and chuckled a bit. A laugh that didn't carry any mirth or merriment along with it. "I've already had the Phoenix, her as of yet born daughter from the future, her friend who can possess bodies and read memories like books, as well as my apparent grandfather or ancestor or whatever he is, who can walk through time just as easily all in my head. They helped me unlock the truth...and as much as it hurts, I can't forget. It'd be a disservice to all the people I hurt and killed. Maybe if the future changes and it never happened. Then I'll get them taken out, but until then, this is a burden I've got to carry." |
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| Monet | Jun 1 2013, 08:41 AM Post #7 |
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It seemed Monet, for once, was the one who had not done her homework. While she knew of X-Factor and X-Factor Investigations through muffled conversations over the course of her time with SHIELD, she did not know much about them - and quite frankly, there was no reason to learn more of the organization. Until now. And even now, it was more as a side project than genuine interest. Appeasing her brain and assembling an assortment of different knowledge bases was what Monet was good at; establishing a profound understanding of the world around her was her focus. She would never forget even the simplistic of details even if she tried, and used this to her advantage to develop herself. Far from the goal of becoming a living computer, Monet simply wanted to know what she was talking about and to have answers to questions that were asked of her. Her inquisitive nature aside, she took notice of the fact that Lucas cut the visual connection between them, after she asked her question about ridding the memories in his brain of course. While it was a logical question, Monet was able to consider the emotional value it had on the man. It was difficult for her to experience those emotions without having actually seen what he had gone through, and she considered her question somewhat inconsiderate afterwards, if not completely honest. “It would be better than the suffering you seem to be going through,” she added. Then, he sat next to her. She pulled her arms closer to herself to give him enough room to sit on the bench with her. “I believe I’ve met that future daughter of Jean Grey. It was last month, when we were sent to Xavier’s School. She’s an annoying one.” Monet did not know much about the visitors from the future that were here to prevent their future from happening, but she did not find it endearing that the red head and her friends were parading about the present timeline like some form of revolutionaries - especially when he sisters were somewhat involved into the equation. “The latter two, however, I am not familiar with.” “But regardless, if you believe it to be an unfixable burden, I support you - as much as my support can go for a situation that doesn’t involve me heavily at least. I’m sure it must be hell to live with though.” |
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6:57 PM Jul 11