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A nudge to her shoulder, jolted the shifter from her thoughts and nearly sent her jumping out of her skin. Blinking with a wary surprise at Daemon who had for some strange human reason decided she needed a literally nudge. With a huff of breathe to blow some of the wild brown hair from her face, she eased back from leaning away from the Host. Of course he was worried about her going feral. A slight flicker of hurt flared in her eyes before she smothered it. A monster under a human guise. Not human nor beast. Ayita suppose it was to be expected. "I do have some control." She said just as quietly, her voice bitter. Oh it was true, she had been thinking of just rushing off to tide, wind, or woods. It wasn't like she was suddenly going to attack people. Bird or beast avoided man best they could generally. She was much the same- flee over the fight.

Yet for some strange reason, this situation called her to fight and she fought first and fled second. Turning her attention to Marygold and Quicksliver, she listened to the names Pietro listed off. Sabertooth- a heavey but one she hoped wouldn't be there. The good news was that she had something to better combat him. Pietro's sister= who hopefully was out of actions. If she wasn't... Ayita fully expected the girl to want her blood. Magneto= she did not fear him. He may control metal but she merely had a knife that was metal. That they were in the city was his advantage however. Her head leaned back in her seat as she sighed. A toad? Easy prey from the sounds of it. The others all unknown. Especially these two missing ones. They were outnumbered and from the power plant- out classed. "Don't do something foolish and get hurt." She muttered to the annoyance who tried to press the button earlier. Though her eyes were on Allison, as she looked concerned. The Seer had so very few defense... She planned to fix that no matter what Allison said.

Hard to argue with a tiger or wolf after all.

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Guin tapped her fingers rapidly against the window next to her seat. The tapping stopped as another thought occurred to her. To make it work best, it wouldn't just be a virus that would attach to the X-gene initially that would act as an antidote. It would be easier to make one that would bind in every body, yet the X-gene would cause it to bind differently than in a normal human. It'd cut down the time needed between the release mechanisms significantly.

"Scratch the one week estimate. Could be a day, could be hours in between the two releases," Guin said quickly, not even bothering to try to explain the science this time. Not everyone had studied molecular engineering and she had been studying it extensively this year, especially with even some tutoring from Hank. Unless they understood everything they could about how the virus worked, they wouldn't be able to stop it.

Hearing Nina's more optimistic estimate, Guin shook her head and looked at her fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Her usual malice towards Nina wasn't present at the moment. "Vaccine doesn't just latch onto the X-gene itself like these things normally do - it's easier to make one that just binds differently if the X-gene is present. Cuts down the absorption time significantly. But the second virus...that one we should still be in time for." They could try to evacuate New York, but they didn't have enough time. Not even Quicksilver would be fast enough to accomplish that. And if they did start evacuating the city, Magneto would just release the virus sooner. They had to take him by surprise.

Guin sighed a bit when Pietro didn't remember the last two. "Do you remember their abilities? Or have an idea of what they are?" She said her question at the same time that Cassandra said hers and Guin smiled a bit awkwardly, before turning her attention rapidly to Marygold as they got Beast on the line. Quickly, Guin rehashed everything she had told the others to him, though this time, her phrases were more scientific - rather than the easy to understand analogies she had given the team.

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Damon blinked at Ayita and then shook his head. 'I know you do, I was simply teasing a bit to try to...sorry" He shook his head before looking at the rest of them and then looking back at her. He had not meant to offend. He ran a hand through his hair and then looked back at the rest again. This is why he should just stick to not talking.

Damon listened intently to what was being said and ran through what all he would probably be doing. Usually, he was the general one not fully assigned to one thing because with his ability he was essentially more then one individual. He would probably focus on helping Ayita though. He refused to be a battle nurse this time. He wanted to help fight, to do something. At least this time he would be there for the start of the action to the end of it. He sat back fully and crossed his arms an eyebrow going up. He was clearly fully listening.

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Scarlet Witch, Sabertooth, Blob, Avalanche, Toad. For the Brotherhood to be so feared, only two of those names struck fear in Oshea's heart, and he had already seen those two in action. A subtle ache shot up his leg all the way to the center of his patella at the thought of being on the battlefield again. He grimmaced when the ache turned to a pinching clutch and he readjusted the knee brace. Everyone else was conversing, but Oshea wouldn't; the cheered spirit of the moment would collapse soon, then it was time to go. Nervous, excited, anxious, his emotions boiled and his mind hazed.

Oshea's hands shook violent, once again his mind zipped between thoughts: Would the rookies survive? Were his Converse matching? If they ran into one of the Brotherhood, how would the quadruplet fair? Would he even be fast enough to save them all if something dire happened? Would he fail them again? And once more was the angst, and then illumination. How sudden was his vision pulled in Allison's direction in the disquiet. A beacon. Since their conversation, he had always remembered her words,

but I wonder if I’m just a pawn. Something without much use other than to be there and be sacrificed. I mean, everyone at the plant seemed to be doing something useful, whereas I just kind of...was there

Except now the roles reversed, and he was the one in need of a little light. They would be working together on the upcoming mission, so maybe it was time for Oshea to muster up some courage and tell her how he really felt. Of course, he had thought of doing that before and managed no harvest and a second life or death mission was perhaps not the keenest moment to profess caritas for another being. Oshea was not rational.

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"Oh dear. If that's the case, then it is essential that you recover samples of both viruses. We cannot be too cautious with this. Even if Magneto believed the first virus designed to protect mutants was safe, there is still a chance for disastrous consequences," Beast said, his voice coming through the speakers. Marygold turned back to Guin, nodding her head, hoping that she at least had a better idea of what was going on.

"Alright, thanks Hank," Marygold replied, hanging up the phone. She turned to look at the group in the van. "Hmm... Alright then... So that would leave Cassandra's group up above... You know, I just thought of something, there isn't an easy way for the above group to get down below if the other two groups run into a much bigger problem that everyone could be needed for. Also, since I kind of don't really want to have problems with whose in charge with Cassandra, I'm going to ask that Oshea switch with me, so he'll be with Cassandra instead, that way, each group has one speedster who could potentially pull people out or give back up to everyone else if needed".

Pietro looked like he was trying to put words into his head about what to say about the other two Brotherhood members. "Well, I only can think of a vague idea of their powers, one is able to do some weird stuff with her mind or whatever, the other is some sort of shape-shifter or something. Not as cool as Mystique though, I know that much," he said, looking over at Cassandra. It wasn't much to go off of, but it was better than being clueless now that he had been able to think about those two for a moment.

There wasn't much room for anymore talking. The van slowed to a stop with a jerk, and they found that they were now in front of their destination. The lab loomed before them, and the lives of millions of people were at stake. Unlike the power plant, failure here was not an option, for doing so would result in the deaths of innocent people. There was no way they could fail, and as Marygold looked at the building before them, she was suddenly really glad that this time around they were able to plan somethings out before springing into action. There was also the fact that now most members of the team had worked together before and could now more easily work together. They had better chances of success, but Marygold worried that even that was not going to be much of a comfort.

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Looking shrewdly at Pietro, Charlie began to consider just how inconvenient it was that he didn't recall everything about the Brotherhood. Admittedly, Charlie had no idea about how it worked, what the guy's rank was when he was there, or how long he'd been with his daddy on their kill-all-the-humans hunt. But still, to not properly recall all the members, and what they could do? Something smelled fishy about that to him. Not to mention the fact that all of this information would have been more prudent to be told in a briefing or something, maybe an hour before they set off? It was as if the people running this show weren't aware of the word "preparation."

Unfortunately, Charlie didn't have much time to ask more questions or even make a snide comment, as the van crawled to a stop. They'd reached their destination, and the potential end of the world for homo sapiens. The only solace Charlie felt at the moment was the last-minute team change - having a speedster in his team made him feel a touch better, what with Oshea having the power to get them all out if things really went badly. Also, he seemed like a cool dude, despite the jokes about death he'd made earlier.

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Nina looked to the other members of her team as the van came to a stop; Ayita, the unstable shape-shifter. Damon, whose temperament she didn't know much about, though he seemed adept at dealing with Ayita's temper. And of course, Pietro. A speedster would likely come in handy, but she still didn't trust him fully. Hopefully he could use this chance to really prove his loyalties, but Nina didn't expect anything from him. All that really mattered now was the mission.

"Alright - I guess we're good to go once Carolina takes down their security and power." She said, pulling leather gloves onto her hands and swiftly checking she had all the equipment she needed. The only metal item on her person was her knife, and quite honestly, if the group ran into Magneto in this place, he wouldn't need a knife to hurt them when surrounded by metal.

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Cassandra listened in on Hank and Guin's conversation and then looked around the van at the other's the virus seemed to be very bad, millions could die and she didn't want to see the team fail again. When the call finally ended Cassandra listened to Marygold as she made her final suggestion about switching herself out with Oshea. It was a good call if they needed a quick escape, or if they could reinforce one another a speedster would help greatly.

"I have no issues with the switch." Cassandra answered as the van started to come to a stop as she looked at Nina and then at her sister, it was her turn now. As she watched her sister going limp she knew that she had left her body now, and it would be awhile until she would be able to find someone to possess and then take down whatever security that the building did have.

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Carolina looked over at Allison and gave her a friendly smile as she started to ask about her powers, she has had them for awhile now and has a good grasp on them so far. "It's astral projection, basically I can have my spirit go in and possess someone if I wanted to, or put some ideas into their heads as well. I did make a guy strip naked once and flirt with the closest woman he saw." Carolina said with a light laugh. As she then turned her attention elsewhere as she listened in on Hank on the other end of the line and Guin as she started to bring up what else she knew about the virus.

It was still beyond her understanding, then she felt the van coming to a stop letting out a slight sigh as she looked out the window and then towards the others for a moment. "Give me a few minutes while I find a body." She said as she leaned herself back into the seat and closed her eyes. It looked like she was now asleep, but that was the only way to use her ability it also did leave her body very vulnerable as well. Carolina's spirit then left the van and quickly made her way towards the building, looking around before eventually entering it.

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Rolling her shoulders, Ayita took stock of the equipment she had. It wasn't much, but she had never wanted for much. A fleeting note that she should pick up a bow at some point flickered through her mind. It wouldn't hurt to have that welcomed bulk upon her once more. Not that the correct bow was bulky. They were smooth agile weapons that the woman honestly appreciated. Hers had been left in her small cavern home in the mountains. Not really a home, but a den for the winter months. She had thought about reclaiming it- but that would be a waste of time. She could make another if it came down to it. Not to mention she didn't see the Professor denying her that when she noted the guns (loud and obnoxious things) the others had.

A feral smile graced her lips however. It was small hard to notice. But it was there as she stared Pietro in the eyes. Her head slowly tilting to the side to revealed her notched ear. "You say that as if this Mystique is so great because her powers are 'cool'. Strong. Even the apex. Even such fall to the savage desperation of the prey time to time. Such is the law of nature." Her voice never rose, never took an edge to it. Merely stated the facts as she saw them. It did not matter to her if this turncoat missed her warning. It truly was not Mystique that worried her. Human grudges like his sister's concerned her greater. And she would rather face the other shifters the Brotherhood had than the Scarlet Witch. All in all however, Ayita wanted to pull this off without a fight. Thus avoiding the negatives that happened in a fight. Wounds, maim, death. Her amber eyes gleamed as she tilted her head back normally, hiding her ear again. Her feral look cooling to neutrality again. "Be that as it may. I am not keen of meeting any apex predator in combat. Those fights are bloody and often end well for no one." It was true enough, and she wondered if perhaps that's why such clashes between X-men and Brotherhood ended as they did.

Well for no one.

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Guin grimaced as she heard Hank's assessment of the situation. With viruses that Magneto had been developing for only a month at most, there was the potential for danger that Magneto had not intended. Assuming that the first virus had been released, they would need to create a vaccine for the second and an antidote for the first. In order to get a sample of the first virus, they'd have to be lucky. Hopefully, Magneto had samples of the first virus on site. She knew that the second had to still be there. Otherwise, she would be dead along with Cassandra -- Magneto would have already released them.

Did Guin find it a bit odd that Pietro couldn't remember the powers of the other mutants? Yes, she did. She was familiar with the abilities of her team - if they didn't know what each other was capable of, then they wouldn't really be a team. It left her with only two conclusions: either Pietro was clueless when it came to the inner workings of the Brotherhood or he was intentionally withholding information.

She liked him, yes, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that there was a serious advantage for Magneto if he could get one of his followers inside the X-Men's ranks. But if Pietro really was still working for Magneto, it wouldn't make any sense that he helped them at the Power Plant. Even if Magneto didn't want them killed, Pietro could have taken them all hostage. The only logical explanation was that Pietro had had a change of heart.

And, of course, that he didn't pay close attention to the other two mutants working for Magneto. Guin glanced at Carolina as the girl went limp. The mission was starting. Her team wasn't too bad: Marygold, Allison, Carolina, and herself. They'd be going down into the lower levels of the lab, while Cassandra's team was sticking to the upper levels. She didn't have any powers herself, but she had cheap tricks and cheesy one liners. They'd get her through this.

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Allison felt eyes on her but wasn't sure who was looking at her. It gave her a warm fuzzy, regardless, because it meant someone was watching out for her. Not that she didn't trust her team! Of course, she did! She was excited to be working with those she as assigned to. Hopefully, she would be able to pull her own weight this time around.

The girl, Carolina, told her what she was able to do. It sounded so neat! So cool! Much cooler than her own powers! She could already tell they would get along swimmingly! You know...provided they live to tell about it after all of this. No Allison! Think happy thoughts. Of course, they are going to get through this! There is no way bad guys will win. That never happens.

Right?

It was almost time. Too much anticipation. Too much unease, no peace. Was every ride to the beginning of a mission going to be this long? Oshea couldn't bottle his childish wonder; gone--at least for now--was the worry, he could concentrate on the X's and O's, a sudden change in group personnel stifled some of his extraneous plans, but he supposed those could be saved for later. At present, he had to figure out how to best utilize his new team. The sensible part of his mind told him he had to refrain from action; the part of himself truer to his base desires urged him to delve; which would prevail remained to be seen.

Running recon wouldn't be smart; it may just be a repeat of last mission--and for the sake of hi team he could not afford another broken leg. With Casandra and Charlie a his partners, Oshea had formulated a fine initial plan, he would let them both know soon as the mission had begun. What last moments of insidious calm he could manage, Oshea would.

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Damon jerked forward with the van as it stopped and huffed. So they were here now. Game time. While he himself was calm a sudden excitement was sweeping through his tattoos as each one nudged against his flesh. One in particular seeming more excited then the rest as familiar scales slid under his skin. Damon rubbed his face and exhaled before cracking his neck.

"I can get eyes in the air if we need it." As he said that the hummingbird in his neck flexed against his skin and he remained ever the calm individual. A simple statement that was more suggestion then not, but the hummingbird had always shown its usefulness when it came to scanning the area without being detected.

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Carolina Reed

Carolina manages to find someone, the guy looks to be a security guard. The odd thing was, he didn't seem to be a mutant, and this didn't make any sense. Magneto generally didn't work with humans, but on occasion he did if he needed more people, making the promise of sparing their lives. There are two mutants who walk past him, a young woman and an older man, probably the two mutants that Pietro had problems remembering. Carolina shouldn't have any problem manipulating the guard, either one of the two mutants will probably be a little more difficult, but they would be better if Carolina wanted to try to get close to Magneto.

Richard Laine and Lizzie Roswell

The two of you are sent off patrolling around the inside hallways of the lab. The main floor that is on street level even, so if anyone comes through that door, you best be prepared. As you turn down the hallway, you see one of the humans that Magneto had hired to help secure the facility, even though odds were that they were going to die. Even so, if the X-Men should show up and try to stop Magneto's plans, you could probably use the guy as a shield or something, since it was common knowledge that they tried to prevent any harm to humans. Other than the guard, there was no one else in the area by the building entrance, it was pretty quiet.

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They might as well prepare themselves for the coming fight. There was no way that the Brotherhood would give them what they wanted quietly, and they had to do whatever it took to prevent anyone from getting hurt, mainly any humans who were around. This time, there could be no mistakes, and they could not accidentally blow up the building either, since now they were in New York City, and an explosion could cause the deaths of a lot more people this time around.

"Alright, Carolina's headed in, everyone knows who their grouped up with? If you weren't paying attention, or something," she said, glaring at Pietro since odds were he had only heard the parts directed at him, "Cassandra, Oshea, and Charlie are going to be focusing more on the upper levels. Nina, Pietro Ayita and Damon are another group, and are one of the two going through the lower levels. That leaves myself, Guin, Allison and Carolina once she returns as the other group heading down below. Anyone have any questions before we head in, or before we hear from Carolina? Or are we good to go now that this time around we have at least some sort of plan".

Pietro looked a little bored, but when his group was listed off again, he made a sort of scowl. Marygold was right, he hadn't been paying attention, and he did not like being grouped up with Nina, the lady distrusted him, and she was crazy in his opinion. He didn't exactly have much of a choice, since Marygold and Cassandra seemed to think it was a good idea, and Guin hadn't said anything about it either. He decided to just go along with it.

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Cassandra watched as her sister's body went limp, closing her eyes for a moment as she then listened to Marygold as she spoke about the teams once more, she was going to be working closely with Oshea and the new guy Charlie. Who to her was still a bit of an unknown, she wasn't sure what his combat experience was. Cassandra knew Oshea well at this point he was fast, and she trusted him enough the upper floors should be pretty easy.

Cassandra just hoped that they wouldn't be getting into to much resistance, it wouldn't end up that well they barely made it out of the power plant with Sabertooth and the Maximoff twins. Even though Pietro did manage to defect from his father. Cassandra did think that he was sill working with his father but she didn't have much to go on she just had to trust him still.

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When Carolina infiltrated the building she looked around for awhile as she explored the room that she was in, that's when she noticed two mutants walking together along the hallway. The thought of trying to possesses one of them did cross her mind and maybe it would get her closer to Magneto. But then again it would be really risky and it would most likely alert the others that the X-Men were here, Carolina then spotted the guard nearby. Carolina decided that he would be her best bet, he was most likely there still as a prisoner to guard the building and alert all the other members of the Brotherhood.

Carolina decided to go and possess the man as she quickly moved over and attempted to take control of the man's body, she thought about using astral suggestion on him but then the thought didn't really go well. He could resist her with that this way taking full control she would at least know where everything was alright.

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Allison was about as mentally prepared as she could be. This was a "now or never" mission. If they succeeded, they potentially stopped a deadly virus from harming humanity and mutant alike. If they failed...well then there would be no point in worrying anymore.

Allison shook herself ready. No time to think about the bad. Only good, positive thoughts. They were competent people. Plus her team was, in her opinion, pretty fricken' badass! She looked over to Carolina who seemed to be using her power. She had to admit jealousy.

Eventually, they arrived. She wanted to get started. She jumped a bit in her seat, eager to get going. She cast a look at Ayita and Oshea, two of her closest friends here. It was a shame she couldn't be with them, but they were strong and capable. They could handle themselves. Her, on the other hand, needed to figure out how helpful she was going to be. So she tried again to see if she could see the future or formulate some sort of game plan before they got going.

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It was a waiting game at this point. Hopefully, Carolina would be successful in infiltrating the Brotherhood's security. If not, they would have only succeeded in tipping their hand to Magneto and their followers. It would be hard to justify it as a decent approach, strolling up to the laboratory and announcing their arrival. Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm - those veterans weren't here to save the world. It was up to the rookies to get things done. And if they couldn't do that, then there wouldn't be a world left to save - just one to avenge.

"Should be good. Remember: if you find any samples of either virus, please collect them. We need to get them back to Beast in order to synthesize a vaccine and a cure," Guin reminded everyone. She left off a thought that had been troubling her slightly - that is, there was a chance not even Beast would be able to come up with a cure or a vaccine. With something thrown together so quickly, it was entirely possible that it had some sort of unintended fatal flaw to it, one that would make removing the virus that had bound itself to the gene near impossible.

Had she been trained in how the X-Van operated, or if she had her watch with her, Guin would've been quickly hacking into the relevant servers in order to give them an additional layer of security. Instead, she contented herself with taking out her phone and quickly logging into the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, skimming through the files on the Brotherhood members just one more time. It was something to do while they waited for Carolina to take down the outer layer of security.

Unfortunately, it only took her a few seconds to scroll through files she had practically studied before on the mutants known to be affiliated with Magneto. They had no records on the other two that Pietro had mentioned. Those two would be wild cards - but with one of them being some sort of psychic and the other a shifter, those unknowns were even more worrisome. If they knew an individual's powers, they could take measures against them.

"Mary, Allison, we'll want to try to make coordinated strikes if possible. Allison and Mary, I think you two would do well as first responders, so to speak. You both have excellent combative powers. You can attack them physically, while Carolina attacks them mentally. I can assist with the physical attacks as best as I can or proceed to move farther ahead, in order to cover more ground in the least amount of time," Guin proposed.

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Lizzie moved with a little bit of a skip in her step through the hallways, her hands swinging at her side. She had her long sleeved black coat on and cocked her head slightly at the human guard. She disliked humans as a rule of thumb, finding that all of them were the same in the long run. They all attempted to control those with gifts. Still, he would serve well as a human shield, just another obstacle between them and anyone who may attempt to stop them.

"Catch," Lizzie said simply, taking off her coat and chucking it at Adder. Truthfully, it didn't matter really where her coat was. Its entire purpose was as a precaution, in case she was knocked unconscious while fighting. Magneto could manipulate the metal strips laced into the fabric to bundle Lizzie up, allowing someone to then carry her without making contact with her skin. Her hallucinogenic power was always active, whether she wanted it to be or not.

She stared at the guard for a few more seconds, before her eyes moved to the building's entrance. No one appeared to be trying to enter, but she knew that someone would turn up soon enough. Magneto was soft on the X-Men. And no matter what, they'd always come. To her, it would've been logical to simply kill the X-Men. While it was mutant blood, it was minimal compared to the blood spilled by the humans the X-Men defended.

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Waiting nervously for the sign to go, Charlie glanced at his new partners. Cassandra; no powers, but she seemed very capable. Having a S.H.I.E.L.D agent like her was comforting, regardless of whether or not she was a human. If it came to it, Charlie could always try and protect her from the bad guys with his fire. Would she need protecting? Or was he just the burden to the team, being the new kid? Would his powers even be useful against the people they'd be fighting? "Avalanche" probably had cold-related powers, and fire was always a good protector against that. But Charlie was beginning to have doubts over whether or not he'd be able to actually roast someone alive on purpose without feeling bad about it afterwards.

"Is this a bad time to mention I've never attacked someone before? On purpose, I mean." He whispered to Oshea, wondering if the speedster had ever harmed someone for the good of the world. In terms of morals, it made sense; the many before the few, and all that. But there was still something unsettling about being used as a living flamethrower.

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As she waited for Carolina to finish her job, Nina considered the foes waiting inside. The two unknowns were a problem, seeing as Pietro couldn't recall what they looked like, what their powers were or just how powerful they were. As for the rest, she thought she'd have a fighting chance against most. For Toad and Avalanche, if she could get to them before they could even use their powers, knocking them out and neutralising them would be child's play. Blob would prove to be more problematic... as would sabertooth. From what she could recall, the latter had superstrength like her. The only advantage she'd have over the beast would be her brains, and even without having met him, it would be safe to say she certainly outsmarted him.

"And then there's Scarlet Witch." glancing at Pietro, Nina wondered what he would do if he came up against his sister - or even father. Would he go too easy on them, risking the lives of the team? Or would he defect once again, crawling back to his family using an excuse of "infiltrating the enemy" in answer to his actions? Either way, she couldn't rely on him entirely, and he certainly had a lot to prove. Hopefully if his sister did appear, she'd focus more on him than anyone else. After all, siblings do enjoy fighting each other, no matter the age.

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Ayita leaned her head back as she relaxed or tried to. There wasn't much she could do at the moment and if she was honest- it bored her. Fighting wasn't her choice course of actions, but neither was sitting here doing nothing. Stuck in a van surrounded by people, who she honestly did not want to be around. Better to get this fight done and over with, she thought. Her eyes flickered close as she let out a annoyed breathe. This was irritating.

There was a nasty crack as she shifted. A mouse sitting on the seat where Ayita had been. It was not preferred- little about this situation was- but it was more comfortable than being in her human form. With little to say, and still quite able to listen, the shifter saw no reason to remain. Rubbing her face with little paws, she smoothed her short brow fur. Her nose twitching as she sniffed at the air. This was indeed better.

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{"Old memories are unfaithful things. Just like I am."}

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"What do you mean 'she's gone'?" His voice was a soft hiss over the chilled air.
"I mean that freak isn't here." He could still remember his mother's sneer of disgust. "She's a freak. A mutant."
The table was slammed with enough force it jarred into the wall, the window above rattling dangerously. The cabin was ill kept with bottles and grim slowly decorating the place. "You kicked her out?! When?!" His hiss was no longer that but a roar of rage. One of the few ones he had ever voiced.
"Years ago. What does it matter?"

A slim fingered hand snaked out to catch the flung coat as the Addder sauntered down the hall. His crisp business suit looking a tad out of place with this particular woman as his partner, but such was Richard. He enjoyed looking good, unless he needed to look like a bum. Even then the man tried to be a charming, cocky bum. Or whatever role he was meant to play. It was the story of his life, playing roles and forever being charming to the ladies. Case and point to the smirk he flashed Lizzie. Brought back to the here and now, Richard rubbed his jaw and chin with the other hand as he slung Lizzie's coat across his back. Those memories were old things. His drunk of a mother, slowly rotting away in her own hatred. His sister- dead or perhaps gone some dark path.

He snorted slightly at that. As if there was a darker path than the one he had taken. Assassin, hired gun, now activist for a organization run by a hypocrite. It was enough to make him laugh. But he knew the danger out there for a young girl and he cursed his mother for her misdeed. It was actually why he was here today. Why he didn't give the human guard a second look. It just wasn't worth his time to do so, and humans would pay for the mistakes they made. Preaching love and tolerance and denying it the minute it was required. Such a human thing to do.

Fools the lot of them. The man itched to pour a brandy to chase the haunts away but sighed. Turning his attention instead to his partner in actual crime. "Lizzie... Darling as ever." His unshavened cheeks had that five o'clock shadow he knew was attractive to some and he didn't mind flaunting it. "Don't get too excited. You might scare the poor guards. Then they'll all be singing that dratted song about ravens and writing desks." He winked cheekily. His long legs keeping pace with the eccentric woman.

---

Oshea's daydream snapped, he was drawn to reality by the question of one of the rookies. He had to make a point to ask the rookie's name, he had already forgotten it--soon as the thought crossed his mind, the faster it slipped by. Still, he responded to Charlie's inquiry, "Nah, never was able to hurt nobody. Not yet, anyway, right? I'ono though, I ain't really one to bring action to nobody 'less they bring it to me, yew kno'? I wouldn' even worry about it, dog; you gon' be in this savin' the world business, you gon' have to run it a couple times." Oshea savored his own words for a moment--the last time he tried to hurt somebody, he was the one who got hurt. He didn't want Charlie to learn the same way he did, if he were being honest with himself.

But lately everything ran contrary to his personal whims.

Longwinded as he was quick, Oshea continued on, "You know what though, all that fear you feel gon' pass right ova you once they in ya face. All you gon' wanna do is fight. I'on' think you undastand right now, but you'll see. You gon' see, for real. When it go down, it go down! Trust ya mental; trust them gifts you got, you'll be good, rook'. S'all like chess, righ'?" So he hoped. Oshea was never a great purveyor of comforting words, his language was plain, plentiful, and stained by a dim sprout of pesimism all the same. But it worked; rather, he wanted it to work, the last thing he wanted to do was plant doubt in a rookie's head.

Damon waited for his question to be answered and upon not hearing an answer ended up just sitting there not knowing what to do. He could go ahead and get the hummingbird out there for an extra set of eyes, but he was not okayed to do so. Sometimes he really hated how he continually followed the rules, but they were there for a reason. His gaze went to Ayita to see what she thought.

Damon soon found himself sighing when he realized he was not staring at Ayita, but rather a mouse. He slowly rubbed his face and then looked at Ayita mouse once more. "not fair" His tone was teasing once more, but he really did wish that he could become a different creature and avoid talking to people all together. He huffed and looked at those in the van before shrugging and allowing the hummingbird to peel off of his neck. The bird chirped and flew down to sit next to Ayita the mouse. Damon was not going to send the bird out yet, but if it was needed it was ready to go.