Post by Juggers on Aug 10, 2006 8:04:17 GMT -5
(OOC:Thanks to Sarah for the being of Python/Gill, YAY!)
After the boat had vanished into the night and all sound of its passing had been swallowed by the rolling of the ocean Cain emerged from the jungle and re-entered the compound. He crossed the training area and stomped purposefully down the corridors of the base in the direction of Pyro's room. If something had happened to cause Mystique and Emma to leave it had likely happened there.
Nothing.
But then John wasn't known for frequenting his room often, mostly sleeping in the office. Recently he'd been spending his nights with Mystique. So he tried there next.
The corridor was eerily quiet. The door to Mystique's room was open and the scant possessions she had brought with her were gone. John's lighter lay ominously abandoned on the bed and that confirmed for the Juggernaut that something was very wrong.
Pyro never went anywhere without his lighter.
The hall was scorched and blackened in a few places and the faint stink of hot metal still pervaded the corridor. Clearly Pyro had managed to get a few shots off before whatever had happened, happened. A few rooms up, Emma's place was similarly deserted.
Cain frowned. Then a low thud echoed down the hall followed by muffled cries.
The Juggernaut set off again at a slow trot, sure now that the noises were coming from the holding cells. He turned the corner into the corridor and instantly spied Python slumped on the floor next to one of the doors. The sounds of madness were coming from within.
"What the fuckin' 'ell 'appened 'ere?" He asked bluntly.
Python looked up at Cain's approach, a look of something that could only be described as relief on his face. "The kid lost it. Big time," he said. "He and Mystique were having a fight...it burst out into the hallway and the next thing you know, the dumb kid is unconscious on the floor.
The yelling and screaming from within the cell was totally incoherent.
"He came to and just went crazy. Whatever that voodoo woman Frost did to him has unbalanced him totally. I might be jumping the gun here, but I reckon there's every chance we just lost our leader."
Cain's expression darkened, "well those two just rushed on out of 'ere like they was on fire, 'bout ten minutes ago," he paused, "they took the boat."
Not that it really mattered, they still had the plane, but a plane was harder to drop by the mainland when a few supplies needed picking up. Right now, a lost boat and a few less luxuries seemed the least of their troubles. Ever so slowly an idea percolated its way through to the Juggernauts brain, though it was not an idea he particularly liked.
"You reckon this might of been a setup?" He asked. It did seem as though Mystique had used the Brotherhood for her own ends and then sabotaged it.
"I don't know, and talking to Captain Crazy in there isn't going to get us anywhere. I don't know, Cain. Mystique was betrayed badly by
Magneto. I wouldn't put it past her to get revenge. But I never figured she and Pyro had any real animosity, y'know?"
Python looked faintly traumatised by the whole thing.
Cain shrugged his mountainous shoulders, "don't mean nothin'," he said, "Mystique's a woman; she'll smile sweetly an tell you she loves you while she's rippin' ya guts out, an I'll bet 'er secretary bint is just as bad, probbly worse."
The Juggernaut had opinions on women.
"You see what she did to 'im anyway?"
Python shook his head. "By the time I got there, kid was out cold. I'm figuring he attacked Mystique for some reason - you see the scorch marks out there?" Python shook his head. "I took his lighter off him and brought him down here."
There was the sound of thumping inside the cell as Pyro threw himself
against the door repeatedly.
The Juggernaut frowned, "well somethin' bloody 'appened," he growled, "'an if they think they can fuck the Brotherhood over they got another thing comin'."
He listened to the pounding inside the cell.
"Is 'e gonna be alright in there for a bit?"
"He can't keep going like that forever," came the reply. "He'll exhaust himself eventually. Not before he does himself some considerable damage, but he's better in there than loose on the base."
The Juggernaut nodded, it certainly sounded like John was knocking seven shades out of himself. Cain made a mental note to pad out some of the cells when they got those minders in. Seemed they had more and more mental patients these days.
Another idea arrived in the busy station of the Juggernauts mind. "You gonna be alright keepin' an eye on things 'ere for a minute?"
"Why, what are you going to do?"
He pointed to a small, black dome protruding from the ceiling at the end of the corridor. A little red light winked on and off beneath its glossy surface. "I'm gonna go see Gill, 'e'll know what 'appened."
"OK, much as I hate to say this out loud...good thinking."
Python winced at a particularly heavy slam against the door.
Cain nodded, "make sure 'e dosn't kill 'imself before I get back, or d'you reckon I should go an get Angie?"
"No," was the instant response. "No. I wouldn't want to subject her to him in that state. Let him get the anger out of his system for a few hours. Might actually do him more good than harm."
Python sighed.
"I know I shouldn't care, but I do."
The Juggernaut shrugged again, "'e's a good kid, just had some bitch fuck around with 'is head is all, don't worry mate 'e'll be back on the path soon enough." The words sounded somewhat hollow even to himself; Pyro had been wandering from the path for quite some time, it had just taken the right person to nudge him completely off into the loony garden.
"'ey! Comes to it we can always bag us one of them mentalists like old prof X to 'ave a look at 'im."
"Maybe."
Python was tired and worried. "Go find out what happened," he said. "Maybe it'll help us help him. He's got some crazy ideas, but his loyalty to the cause is unquestionable."
Cain nodded, and without another word set off toward the domain of Gill and the technological horror that was the security office.
Gill was smoking.
This was not unusual.
Cain hammered on the door none too gently, the fact that it was armoured and reinforced actually allowing it to survive the impacts. "Oi! Gill ya fishy bastard! Open the fuckin' door or I'll kick ya scaley arse!" The Juggernaut was in no mood for Gill's usually easy going attitude tonight.
The door swung open. "Figured you or Python'd be up here sooner or later," said the fish-headed mutant through a cloud of smoke. "Cued up the tape right there." He indicated a monitor.
The Juggernaut cocked an eyebrow; clearly Gill was in no mood to mess about either. He squeezed his way into the little, smog-filled office and peered at the monitor. It showed the corridor directly outside Mystique's room. Gill taped a key and the image started to roll. At first nothing happened; the numbers in the corner ticked by and everything remained calm.
"You sure this is ... "Cain started to say, and then John went flying through the door and into the wall. The Juggernaut shut up and watched intently. For a moment it looked as though Mystique had the better of him, her martial arts were more than a match for anything Pyro could do at close range, but then suddenly a tendril of flame lashed her away.
"Nice one," Cain muttered quietly.
There was some sort of exchange during which Pyro kept the woman at bay with flicking lashes of fire, though she managed to divest him of his lighter.
"Won't do any good bitch," the Juggernaut inserted as a commentary.
Then she turned and tried to walk away. Cain cocked his other eyebrow. Pyro then proceeded to blast her to the ground with a pair of fireballs. He had her at his mercy. He could have crisped her.
Then another door swung open and the secretary emerged. The fires burning Mystique withdrew back to Pyro for some reason and the tape showed John mouthing something at the pair of women. He wished the
tapes had audio pickup; sound recording wasn't really necessary for security however, there were other systems for that.
Then Emma looked at John and he collapsed. He simply folded up into a
spasming heap.
"What the fuck?"
"No idea. One minute he was pullin' the whole Guy Fawkes trip, the next...bang." Gill smacked one hand into the other. "She didn't touch him."
"Fuckin' witch got into 'is 'ead I reckon, the way 'e's actin' now. She got in there and fucked 'im up good and proper." Cain growled. The two women on the tape then vanished into their rooms before quickly leaving again, cases in tow and moved swiftly out of camera-shot.
"Legged it right quick didn't they," the Juggernaut commented, "didn't want to take a chance anyone catchin' 'em." He looked back at Gill, "nice one mate." He said and squeezed his way back out the door.
Back down at the holding cells, the sounds of Pyro in his enraged madness were still evident. Python looked more worried than irritated now though. He glanced up at Cain's return.
"Verdict?"
"The blonde bitch did somethin' to 'is 'ead I reckon, looks that way on the tape. She just looks at 'im an 'e falls down. An when 'e wakes up," there was another angry crash, "'e's like this." Cain shook his head, "we really are gonna need one of them mentalists right quick mate."
"We sure on that?" Python leveled his gaze at Cain. "We know the kid's not been stable for a while. Did he seem OK up to when she came
into the picture?"
The Juggernaut grinned, "'e was kickin' Mystique's arse, which is ok by me, but then she was kickin' 'is when the tape starts. He 'ad 'er at the end though, could of cooked 'er easy, then blondie shows up and the fires start goin' out, Pyro shouts somethin' an then falls over. All looks a bit suspect."
"I suggest we wait." Python didn't fully believe that Emma Frost was responsible for Pyro's present state of mind. "He's not been himself since England. It'd be too easy at this stage to put the blame on something someone's done to him if he's cracked up. Let's see what a few hours brings."
Python sighed again.
"Looks like I'm in for the long haul."
Another smash against the door, a scream of outrage, then silence.
"Yeah, but 'e was never this bad," Cain said doubtfully.
There was however, nothing that could be done for the present; there were no psychic mutants in the Brotherhood and if Python was set on staying with John through the night then the Juggernaut wasn't getting off Genosha for awhile. If that was the way it was going to be, then that was the way it was going to be.
"I got an idea," Cain said suddenly, "but I'm gonna need your 'elp in the machine shop when you got a minute." There was another thump and a crash from the cell followed by an incoherent cry of rage. The
Juggernaut winced.
"You wanna coffee?"
"Coffee would be good," said Python. "I ain't going anywhere for now, though."
After the boat had vanished into the night and all sound of its passing had been swallowed by the rolling of the ocean Cain emerged from the jungle and re-entered the compound. He crossed the training area and stomped purposefully down the corridors of the base in the direction of Pyro's room. If something had happened to cause Mystique and Emma to leave it had likely happened there.
Nothing.
But then John wasn't known for frequenting his room often, mostly sleeping in the office. Recently he'd been spending his nights with Mystique. So he tried there next.
The corridor was eerily quiet. The door to Mystique's room was open and the scant possessions she had brought with her were gone. John's lighter lay ominously abandoned on the bed and that confirmed for the Juggernaut that something was very wrong.
Pyro never went anywhere without his lighter.
The hall was scorched and blackened in a few places and the faint stink of hot metal still pervaded the corridor. Clearly Pyro had managed to get a few shots off before whatever had happened, happened. A few rooms up, Emma's place was similarly deserted.
Cain frowned. Then a low thud echoed down the hall followed by muffled cries.
The Juggernaut set off again at a slow trot, sure now that the noises were coming from the holding cells. He turned the corner into the corridor and instantly spied Python slumped on the floor next to one of the doors. The sounds of madness were coming from within.
"What the fuckin' 'ell 'appened 'ere?" He asked bluntly.
Python looked up at Cain's approach, a look of something that could only be described as relief on his face. "The kid lost it. Big time," he said. "He and Mystique were having a fight...it burst out into the hallway and the next thing you know, the dumb kid is unconscious on the floor.
The yelling and screaming from within the cell was totally incoherent.
"He came to and just went crazy. Whatever that voodoo woman Frost did to him has unbalanced him totally. I might be jumping the gun here, but I reckon there's every chance we just lost our leader."
Cain's expression darkened, "well those two just rushed on out of 'ere like they was on fire, 'bout ten minutes ago," he paused, "they took the boat."
Not that it really mattered, they still had the plane, but a plane was harder to drop by the mainland when a few supplies needed picking up. Right now, a lost boat and a few less luxuries seemed the least of their troubles. Ever so slowly an idea percolated its way through to the Juggernauts brain, though it was not an idea he particularly liked.
"You reckon this might of been a setup?" He asked. It did seem as though Mystique had used the Brotherhood for her own ends and then sabotaged it.
"I don't know, and talking to Captain Crazy in there isn't going to get us anywhere. I don't know, Cain. Mystique was betrayed badly by
Magneto. I wouldn't put it past her to get revenge. But I never figured she and Pyro had any real animosity, y'know?"
Python looked faintly traumatised by the whole thing.
Cain shrugged his mountainous shoulders, "don't mean nothin'," he said, "Mystique's a woman; she'll smile sweetly an tell you she loves you while she's rippin' ya guts out, an I'll bet 'er secretary bint is just as bad, probbly worse."
The Juggernaut had opinions on women.
"You see what she did to 'im anyway?"
Python shook his head. "By the time I got there, kid was out cold. I'm figuring he attacked Mystique for some reason - you see the scorch marks out there?" Python shook his head. "I took his lighter off him and brought him down here."
There was the sound of thumping inside the cell as Pyro threw himself
against the door repeatedly.
The Juggernaut frowned, "well somethin' bloody 'appened," he growled, "'an if they think they can fuck the Brotherhood over they got another thing comin'."
He listened to the pounding inside the cell.
"Is 'e gonna be alright in there for a bit?"
"He can't keep going like that forever," came the reply. "He'll exhaust himself eventually. Not before he does himself some considerable damage, but he's better in there than loose on the base."
The Juggernaut nodded, it certainly sounded like John was knocking seven shades out of himself. Cain made a mental note to pad out some of the cells when they got those minders in. Seemed they had more and more mental patients these days.
Another idea arrived in the busy station of the Juggernauts mind. "You gonna be alright keepin' an eye on things 'ere for a minute?"
"Why, what are you going to do?"
He pointed to a small, black dome protruding from the ceiling at the end of the corridor. A little red light winked on and off beneath its glossy surface. "I'm gonna go see Gill, 'e'll know what 'appened."
"OK, much as I hate to say this out loud...good thinking."
Python winced at a particularly heavy slam against the door.
Cain nodded, "make sure 'e dosn't kill 'imself before I get back, or d'you reckon I should go an get Angie?"
"No," was the instant response. "No. I wouldn't want to subject her to him in that state. Let him get the anger out of his system for a few hours. Might actually do him more good than harm."
Python sighed.
"I know I shouldn't care, but I do."
The Juggernaut shrugged again, "'e's a good kid, just had some bitch fuck around with 'is head is all, don't worry mate 'e'll be back on the path soon enough." The words sounded somewhat hollow even to himself; Pyro had been wandering from the path for quite some time, it had just taken the right person to nudge him completely off into the loony garden.
"'ey! Comes to it we can always bag us one of them mentalists like old prof X to 'ave a look at 'im."
"Maybe."
Python was tired and worried. "Go find out what happened," he said. "Maybe it'll help us help him. He's got some crazy ideas, but his loyalty to the cause is unquestionable."
Cain nodded, and without another word set off toward the domain of Gill and the technological horror that was the security office.
Gill was smoking.
This was not unusual.
Cain hammered on the door none too gently, the fact that it was armoured and reinforced actually allowing it to survive the impacts. "Oi! Gill ya fishy bastard! Open the fuckin' door or I'll kick ya scaley arse!" The Juggernaut was in no mood for Gill's usually easy going attitude tonight.
The door swung open. "Figured you or Python'd be up here sooner or later," said the fish-headed mutant through a cloud of smoke. "Cued up the tape right there." He indicated a monitor.
The Juggernaut cocked an eyebrow; clearly Gill was in no mood to mess about either. He squeezed his way into the little, smog-filled office and peered at the monitor. It showed the corridor directly outside Mystique's room. Gill taped a key and the image started to roll. At first nothing happened; the numbers in the corner ticked by and everything remained calm.
"You sure this is ... "Cain started to say, and then John went flying through the door and into the wall. The Juggernaut shut up and watched intently. For a moment it looked as though Mystique had the better of him, her martial arts were more than a match for anything Pyro could do at close range, but then suddenly a tendril of flame lashed her away.
"Nice one," Cain muttered quietly.
There was some sort of exchange during which Pyro kept the woman at bay with flicking lashes of fire, though she managed to divest him of his lighter.
"Won't do any good bitch," the Juggernaut inserted as a commentary.
Then she turned and tried to walk away. Cain cocked his other eyebrow. Pyro then proceeded to blast her to the ground with a pair of fireballs. He had her at his mercy. He could have crisped her.
Then another door swung open and the secretary emerged. The fires burning Mystique withdrew back to Pyro for some reason and the tape showed John mouthing something at the pair of women. He wished the
tapes had audio pickup; sound recording wasn't really necessary for security however, there were other systems for that.
Then Emma looked at John and he collapsed. He simply folded up into a
spasming heap.
"What the fuck?"
"No idea. One minute he was pullin' the whole Guy Fawkes trip, the next...bang." Gill smacked one hand into the other. "She didn't touch him."
"Fuckin' witch got into 'is 'ead I reckon, the way 'e's actin' now. She got in there and fucked 'im up good and proper." Cain growled. The two women on the tape then vanished into their rooms before quickly leaving again, cases in tow and moved swiftly out of camera-shot.
"Legged it right quick didn't they," the Juggernaut commented, "didn't want to take a chance anyone catchin' 'em." He looked back at Gill, "nice one mate." He said and squeezed his way back out the door.
Back down at the holding cells, the sounds of Pyro in his enraged madness were still evident. Python looked more worried than irritated now though. He glanced up at Cain's return.
"Verdict?"
"The blonde bitch did somethin' to 'is 'ead I reckon, looks that way on the tape. She just looks at 'im an 'e falls down. An when 'e wakes up," there was another angry crash, "'e's like this." Cain shook his head, "we really are gonna need one of them mentalists right quick mate."
"We sure on that?" Python leveled his gaze at Cain. "We know the kid's not been stable for a while. Did he seem OK up to when she came
into the picture?"
The Juggernaut grinned, "'e was kickin' Mystique's arse, which is ok by me, but then she was kickin' 'is when the tape starts. He 'ad 'er at the end though, could of cooked 'er easy, then blondie shows up and the fires start goin' out, Pyro shouts somethin' an then falls over. All looks a bit suspect."
"I suggest we wait." Python didn't fully believe that Emma Frost was responsible for Pyro's present state of mind. "He's not been himself since England. It'd be too easy at this stage to put the blame on something someone's done to him if he's cracked up. Let's see what a few hours brings."
Python sighed again.
"Looks like I'm in for the long haul."
Another smash against the door, a scream of outrage, then silence.
"Yeah, but 'e was never this bad," Cain said doubtfully.
There was however, nothing that could be done for the present; there were no psychic mutants in the Brotherhood and if Python was set on staying with John through the night then the Juggernaut wasn't getting off Genosha for awhile. If that was the way it was going to be, then that was the way it was going to be.
"I got an idea," Cain said suddenly, "but I'm gonna need your 'elp in the machine shop when you got a minute." There was another thump and a crash from the cell followed by an incoherent cry of rage. The
Juggernaut winced.
"You wanna coffee?"
"Coffee would be good," said Python. "I ain't going anywhere for now, though."
