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Nikolai Markov opened his eyes to look up at the ceiling, but his vision took a little longer to shift into focus than he was used to. He didn't feel particularly sick, but rather felt the pain, panic, and emotional exhaustion of last night's events. His mind flickered back over the night before. Strange psychic messages, a weird monster, and Una. He shook his head violently just as his vision had returned and got up into a sitting position, feeling his body ache.

Nik's day wasn't particularly eventful. He had woken up late, which cut his workout time in half. Despite getting the extra sleep, Nik couldn't stay awake in his classes. Of course, this wasn't far from the norm. And yet, he could feel the stares. Whenever he walked the halls, he could hear the whispers. Word certainly had to have gotten out about what happened.

And then, of course, the end of the day arrived. And just as Nik was gathering all of his supplies, the announcement arrived. He hung his head for a moment and shoved one hand into his pocket as the other flung his backpack over his shoulder. It looked like it was going to be a long night.

Avalon

Streetlights reflected against black chrome as the tires curled over ruts in the parking lot to Club Avalon. The sleek sports car halted just outside the entrance; its elegant tail lights blending into the hustle that was still downtown Los Angeles. The uproar that had unfolded in the club hours before had long subsided and no one was really sure what happened or what they saw, as if the memory dissipated like a dream. A lone figure stepped from the driver side and the small glow of an LED screen watch could be seen from a turn of the wrist. The figure, noticeably feminine, as it moved past the hood of the car, long hair waved gently in the breeze as she walked between the long-abandoned entrance barricades into the dark corridor that was normally the club’s busy front door.

The ever present sound of traffic carried through the open entryway like white noise as she stepped over broken bottles, trash and destroyed furniture. She shook her head slightly as glass crunched under her shoe. Even though the clock had passed midnight long ago, the woman looked as if she had just come from the gym. She paused across the way from the figure waiting, her expression was a uneasily composed neutral gathered in part by fear, part hope and a hint of disbelief. The air was overwhelmed with the gravity of his aura and the wake of the rift that the portal tore through reality. She knelt in front of him and bowed her head slowly. In the corner of her eye she could see a human male face down on the disgusting floor and she exhaled slightly before rising up to meet his gaze.

@Almalthia

Location: Outside the Ashford Institute for the Gifted

Daniela Steele was scared.

Of course after what had happened to her back in New York would scare even the most hardened of people but the fear of what she had unleashed and the consequences of what she had done had been driving her onward for weeks now. She had run as far as she could after the Incident back in New York but still, people kept coming after her. In the past week she had nearly been caught twice after being recognized in two separate states.

She had come across the large building last night while hiding after seeing a police car with it's lights flashing. In her case, it was better safe than sorry. It had a large track and field and a number of large buildings. She was assuming it was some sort of school but she wasn't entirely sure. Last night, after managing to onto the property she had found a pool and a small building. She was very grateful for the smaller building. She had managed to get past the lock on it and and finally managed to enjoy a mostly uneventful night's sleep.

Daniela had been in the middle of trying to find something to eat when her hands began to emit a faint yellow glow as she reached for a light switch. A moment later, she felt power begin to run through her body as the lights in the building began to flicker.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

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The alcohol had little effect on Heidi. Then again, she hadn't drank very much. She remembered drinking wasn't that big a deal in Edinburgh. Getting absolutely hammered when you were fifteen was a tap on the wrist at most. Having one drink underage wasn't even worth mentioning. And of course the legal age was eighteen, not twenty-one. Here, by comparison, admitting in public that you had one glass of beer when your were twenty is like admitting you used to steal cars. You broke the law, pure and simple. In that regard, America was quite different to Scotland. Heidi definitely preferred the American system, if if she was now one of the offenders.

The rest of her day was routine. She got up early, went for a morning jog, attended all her classes and immediately retained everything they were teaching. It was towards the end of the day when Dean Ashford's announcement came on over the speakers. Heidi was in the library at the time. She was worried that worse punishments would be dished out. She was relieved when it was merely cleanup duty. The message was also vague on whether or not their group were now X-men or if a different group was. Heidi supposed she should head to the danger room and find out.

Coleman St. John

It was rare for him to sleep past sunrise. Daylight glowed behind the closed blinds while the movement of traffic was steady towards the intersection down the street. As he rolled over groggy the backup alarm sounded from a truck a few blocks away. Reaching for the small nightstand, he checked his phone for the time, seeing that he’d slept through the regular alarm. There was no particular reporting time for him at the Institute, particularly on a Saturday he essentially set his own hours. As the cloud of sleep slowly dissipated from his mind, his first thoughts were of Kaylee and then of the students. He doubted they would have any idea, but there would be no hiding it from her. He sat up in bed and relaxed against the headboard for a moment, looking straight ahead as his mind worked on how she was going to approach him. The smell of cigarette smoke wafted faintly through the bedroom and he shook his head slowly. He didn’t smoke and neither did any of his neighbors in the apartments beside him. For whatever reason, the scent was always present the morning that followed a ride. He tossed the covers aside and got out of bed.

The downstairs was little more than a narrow garage, enough for two cars nose to tail. He used part of it as a workspace for his motorcycle which left plenty of room for his much less conspicuous Explorer. As he came down the narrow stairs dressed in a polo and some jeans the headlamp and front forks of the bike were turned facing him. He slowed his steps looking down at the machine. “Don’t you say a word.” He said firmly toward it. The machine only stared back as he walked around and maneuvered it just enough to get the car out. It was a nice day for a ride, but he wasn’t taking it back up to the Institute- not a chance. He decided to very low-key check on everyone and use the quiet of his small office at the school to work on some of his other side cases for a couple of hours. Continuing his shuffle of vehicles, he backed the car out slightly and then pushed the bike around to its regular spot in the small workspace: a couple large toolboxes and a well-worn workbench that was left over from the apartment’s previous tenant.

There were a few photos hanging along with other miscellaneous trinkets: A picture of him and his sister at her college graduation next to an old Gulf Oil sign, another one of him and several others standing next to a burned out tank somewhere in the middle-east in their desert camo that hung slightly off center next to the hood ornament from a Mercedes. There was a small collection of motorcycle parts lying around in various states of disassembly, some visibly damaged from where he had crashed his other bike. Since taking up the position at the Institute, he’d hadn’t had much time for tinkering. He glanced at the setup for a moment and, as usual, resolved to at least get it better organized at some near point in the future. Hopping back in the car, he eased out into the street as the garage door closed and headed towards the Institute.

@Almalthia

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Uná woke up in a cold sweat. She remembered everything. All of it. Granted there were parts that were more blurry than others. But she remembered all of it except for when she passed out of course. She remembered passing out. She decided right then that she was going to act like it never happened.

She jumped as her alarm went off. Lady Willpower by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap blared since she left it on random to pull a song from her playlist on Spotify. She reached over and slammed the dismiss button. Rolling out of bed she pulled on a pair of shorts socks and tennis shoes. She threw on a light shirt over the sports bra she had on.

It was Saturday and she was going to do her normal Saturday routine. Run maybe with Nikki...which might be a bad thing. Eat, again with Nikki. She thought about the rest of her schedule; swim, eat, Danger Room, Dance class, shower, eat, hang out with Nikki then bed. Most of these were Nik-centric. This was going to be a never ending acting test. And Nikki could tear apart a performance pretty well.

She also dreaded being around Nathan all over again. Life apparently got complicated quickly. Forget Nikki and Nathan being in the same room...wait that might be easier...likely not.

Stretching out she hopped on one foot over to her phone and unplugged it. Switching to the other foot to stretch out the other hamstring she hopped to her wireless headset. Syncing the two - phone and headphones - Uná put in the buds of the headset. She looked over at the bed that had yet to be slept in and resolved herself to remembering to check on Aya after her run.

The sky was just starting to lighten as Uná opened her door. Looking left and right she saw no one. Breathing a sigh of relief she moved to the stairs and ran down lightly. She made it to the front door and opened it quietly. She closed it quietly. Really breathing freely.

The music helped her breathing and she took off running around the fenceline for the Institute. The strains of No Diggity played as Uná lopped in a long stride for her five feet even.

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He stared at it without emotion. It was like it had it's own gravitational pull, sucking in all of his attention, unrelentingly demanding that he not look away. Drake's vision was a tunnel of blur, except right in the center... right at it... right at the bowl of cereal before him.

Sleep was a stranger with dangerous associates. The fire-eyed young man had been trying to distance himself from it through several means, some methods more ill-advised than others. The gas tank behind his efforts was running on empty, however, and the extreme drowsiness was beginning to take hold, threatening to rapaciously drag Drake's consciousness into the void where The Other lived: the malicious entity that dwelled within himself.

The other night he considered truly giving in. His own defiance was too demanding and his ability to fight against it was dwindling rapidly. But, alas, here he was standing his ground. A disheveled zombie in a mess hall so distracted by his one and only objective that his mind and body forgot how to do anything else but resist, leaving him in a waking coma.

He hadn't changed his clothes, nor showered. After the efforts at the club, his shirt was stained with sweat and his hair sat wild and unkempt, his beard in desperate need of a combing. He could only imagine that his breath was potent enough to peel back paint.

He could hear the sounds around him, but the voices and noises entered his mind with a sort of aquatic muffle. When Dean Ashford's familiar murmurs sounded off overhead, Drake couldn't be bothered to take in what the man was saying. All that was in his universe now was him, this table where he was seated, and the ever present bowl of cereal that stared back at him with such alluring intensity that he could never hope to break its grasp on him.

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Drake's eyelids fluttered rapidly, a gesture that summoned both his consciousness and reality, guiding them together in a delayed and silent collision. Any just like that, he was back.

"Hrm," he grunted, his eyes wide, taking in the scenery as he looked cautiously and perhaps fearfully around the room as he tried to search for clues as to his current situation. He didn't quite recall how he had gotten here or how long he had stayed. As he took in his surroundings, his gaze fell upon a familiar sight. Though her face was concealed against the surface of the table, he knew that hair, that shape, the voice.

"Whuh," he finally managed to stutter out. His mind tried to reach back ten seconds in time and reanalyze what he'd heard. "Your... hole... hurts?" His face was painted with skepticism at his own guess. "I don't..." he started, struggling to process anything as his mind was still booting back up. "I mean, Hi Cleo. What, uh, what're you doing here? Or... How long have we been here?" His joints ached and his muscles were tight. He rolled his neck around trying to induce a chiropractic pop or two while also stretching out his arms, becoming a human impression of the letter Y. As his neck rolled, his face moved within close quarters of his armpit. His nose almost immediately scrunched up at the smell. It was as if he used swamp water as deodorant. He quickly put his arms down as a courtesy to his nostrils and anyone else in his vicinity.

"Dear God" he exclaimed with a look of bewilderment and disgust at his own state. He looked to Cleo once more, still trying to process one last visual. "What are you doing to that table?"

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Uná was in the middle of Monkey Wrench and on her fourth pass of the building as she saw the lights flicker. "That's odd." She looked back at the main building as Cherry Bomb started playing.

She slowly pulled herself up to the top of the shed. She crawled as quietly a she could to peer over the edge. Let's be honest she was no Snake Plissken so she was pretty obvious. Besides she still had her headphones in so she couldn't hear how loud she really was.

She saw a brunette and jumping down landed and rolled with the momentum because she was used to it. "Hello I'm Uná. You?" Parkor that she couldn't get in trouble for that? Besides how much more trouble can she get in?

Location: Snack Shed
Interaction: Una O'Brian
Mentions: @Almalthia

"Hello I'm Uná. You?"

Daniela had managed to find a few bags of junk food in the shed and had been enjoying a small bag of chips when a figure suddenly appeared next to her. Daniela let out a yelp of surprise mixed with fear and small sparks of electricity shot from her fingers as the red haired, blue eyed woman who apparently went by the name Una asked her who she was.

She scrambled backwards as she felt the unwelcome feeling of her power beginning to flare up. "Stay back!" She called in a terrified tone of voice as electrical sparks began to flare up around her. "I-I can't control it." She said softly. "I don't want to hurt anyone again." She whispered hoarsely as she stared at the woman with wide, terrified eyes.

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Uná looked at the girl who was terrified and pulled out her headphones. She looked behind her to see if one of the teachers or if one of the more menacing boys had followed her. No one. "Uh are you talking to me? I'm harmless. See?" She opened her arms and turned in a slow circle. Her outfit made it evident that no weapon was on her. She didn’t have pockets to carry anything and her workout clothes were always too tight to hide much.

She backed up anyway. "Sorry didn't mean to startle you. What is your name? Where are you from?" Uná looked around at the snacks the girl was munching on. "Look if you're hungry or in trouble maybe you should come inside. The teachers are really cool so no need to panic. I know adults normally suck but they're pretty Armani...or is it Valentino? No that's not right… wait Gucci? Yes that's it Gucci! Man I gotta get used to not using surf terms. The struggle is real." 

Uná grinned putting her hands on her slim hips and motioning back toward the school with a jerk of her head. "I make a mean Uná-Mc-Muffin and there's always cereal if you're one of those PETA people. We have some really good almond milk." Uná finished brightly smile to rival the sun.

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It took Nik longer than usual to realize that someone was talking to him. He had been slowly strolling down the hallway, and only noticed Jasper Phoenix after she had to jog to catch up to him. He gave a half-hearted smile, the events of last night still hanging heavy on his mind. Especially at the sight of someone he had just met that night. Of course, her jest even made the side of his lips curl into a grin. "I think I'm a little of both, if I'm honest. Add sore to the mix after getting tossed around by a weird monster."

Nik shook his head slightly. "Jasper, right? Weren't you the one with the nice car?" He reached down into his pocket to pull out a pack of cinnamon gum, raising a curious eyebrow towards his counterpart while holding the open pack out towards Jas. "You think we can fake getting sick to get out of cleaning up the Danger Room?"

Location: Snack Shed
Interaction: Una O'Brian
Mentions: @Almalthia

"Sorry didn't mean to startle you. What is your name? Where are you from?"

Daniela took a deep breath and did her best to reign in her fear of this unknown person. "M-My name is Daniela. Daniela Steele." She said quietly. "I w-was hiding. They're looking for me." She said hoarsely. "It doesn't matter where I'm from. I'm not welcome home anymore."

"I-I don't know where I am." She said carefully. "All I know is what state I'm in. And every time I think I get away from the authorities they keep finding me and I have to start running again."

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Ronnie had become dangerously bored.

Her fingers idly toyed with her star on her choker. It matched well with her off-the-shoulder crop top and ripped jean short. Ronnie had done her research as she knew it fit perfectly for the hotter weather in California than Washington during this time of year. She glanced through the car window and took in the scenery. Various skyscrapers, store, and hotels drifted by. Crowds flowed with purpose like the flow of insects to go about their daily routines.

On any normal day, she would be on cloud nine as she looked forward to exploring the West Coastal city. Now, the idea of taking in the local sights and experience the local fashion didn't even reach the top of her list.

Her hand brought out her smart phone from her purse. She made a few quick taps to unlock it then checked her messages. Her box was empty. It served as a familiar comfort and bitter reminder that her social life was over. During the last week of preparing for the trip, she had attempted to contact Alex, Yaz, and J many times. All her alerts showed the messages had been open, but she still received no response. They chose not to respond obviously. A small part in her brain didn't want to blame them, but her dark self demanded blood. After every thing she had done for them, the ungrateful and gutless rats decided to abandon her.

They had to pay for their crimes.

She sharply inhaled, her mask on fully and blocking the pain reality slapped her with. Deep down, everyone knew being a mutant was a social death sentence.

A click powered down her cellphone, and she stashed it back into her purse. She would deal with them later. She made them what they were. In the end, Ronnie intended to teach them this. No one turned their backs on her. No one.

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Fleur looked up from her phone to the girl that walked into the room. “Another roommate? I swear they want me to make people cry in this place. Look I have a few ground rules before you decide to set your… stuff down.” She made stuff sound like it smelled foul. “No eating in the room. No touching my stuff. No messing with my schedule. No friends. No boys. Those are the rules you have to stick to if you’re going to be here.”

Fleur pointed to the door with a smirk. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out cause if you can’t agree to any of those you might as well turn right back around and find somewhere else to sleep.”

Ronnie had barely rolled her two bags in when the bitch raised her claws. Her initial reaction had been to unsheathe her own, but she stopped herself. Her lips curled into the best smile she could muster. She glanced at the white whore over once before she considered replying.

Sounds like you're against fun in all forms. Prude much? Of course, she didn't say it out loud. Bad start to make an enemy out of the girl with the biggest stick up her ass. Especially a roommate. At least, for now. Round one goes to you, Ms. Prude, she thought.

She cocked her head then gave her best friendly act. It came from years of practice, "Your rules are noted. I don't think you need to worry too much as I won't be spending much time in here."

Not that it's impressive enough to, she thought. With a quick flick of her wrist, Ronnie slid the two suitcases under her bed. She didn't bother with the spare dresser as she was pretty sure it was in use and filthy. Thanks to past incidents of snoopers, she had made sure to get durable bags and secure it tightly.

"I spend most of my time elsewhere as well. I just don’t want to see you making out with your boyfriend when I do grace you with my presence." Fleur went back to fussing with her point shoes ignoring the other girl.

Ronnie rolled her eyes, not impressed with the retort. It was rather weak compared to the burns she had done or seen herself. Still, she debated wasting energy on the wrench as she checked her phone once more. Nothing changed. Placing it in her jean pocket, she headed for the door to escape the air of ignorance in the room.

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The most frightening thing that could have happened did so without hesitation. A dark energy swirled around the darkly handsome man, as if a living inky fog spilled from his person. He watched the “fog” roll over the ground slowly avoiding the woman. The dark eyed man smiled as the woman’s head lifted and met his black eyes. “Yes. Finally the informant that I seek. Rise my dear and tell me what you have gathered on... the girl.”

The man watched in avid fascination, a small cruel smile found its way across his features, as the “fog” filled the establishment. The gasps of the wounded that had not been transferred outside quickly enough as the “fog” slid over them, an invasion that made his eyes close and a chuckle tumble out of him. The sound seemed to roll like thunder out across the floor to echo back eerily as thunder.

Thuds of flesh twisting and seizing were heard for seconds that seemed to take hours. Rising three man approached and knelt next to the woman. The handsome man sitting on the throne indicated the whole of the building and the three humans. “Gifts my dear. I have much to do here and so little time to do it. For now I trust you know what the plan is and will follow it. Feel free to embellish as much or as little as you wish.”

Avalon

The sound was familiar, though it had been a long time since she heard it: The subtle, mechanical creeping of his aura reaching out, dividing itself around her and covering the floor making her realize just how accustomed she had become to being without him for so long. She swallowed a lump in her throat as it crept through the wrecked building, purring in its rolling tone, beating with an electrical impulse that tickled her leg as it passed. The sound of the human’s assimilation was expected, like a body tossed into some great amalgamation of turning gears. She took in a breath and exhaled as they took their place beside her. It was a test. She didn’t need any help. They would only get in her way,.though she knew he only wanted to see if she would protest; to see how far she had separated herself from him. As soon as his new creations knelt, she stood up as commanded, looking at him and taking in the moment. Within his gaze, she could sense the connection between them returning as if the interference that existed between the worlds had dissipated. It was both welcome and wholly unsettling.

She considered her words, though the realization of his arrival was an undeniable wave that washed through her consciousness. It was the moment for which they had worked and waited, however, finally in his presence, she couldn’t help but feel shame, like he had come from a place and time that she had somehow begun to forget. Her face remained stoic at first as she spoke: ‘She was here, right in this place.” The tension within her relaxed some as the words came out knowing that he would indeed be on a very narrow timeline. She could be brief and accentuate the positive in the knowledge that he would be very pleased with the news, but also remembering the world that she had built alongside him and the rare feat she had achieved, influence. “The headmaster is still fading slowly, but I have been keeping him alive... None of them have any idea what’s happening.”