After the tour...

[avalanche]

The nickel tour was just that, barely enough to show them the outside of the compound, the perimeter of it's guards, the standing corpses that stood guard (which was completely fucking creepy,) and where their rooms, the kitchen, and the bathrooms were.

It was brief, but Pyro didn't seem to be in the mood for a full excursion. About twenty minutes after they'd landed, Gracie, Lucas, and Roy had all gone off to explore on their own – and Dom and John walked the halls of the Base.

“I'm impressed, Sparks, I'm impressed. Can't wait to meet some of the others. That Juggernaut guy sounds like a blast.” Dominic said, a grin on his face. “This is some fuckin' establishment you got here. Glad I brought a lap-top though. You have a wi-fi connection, right?”

[Pyro]

"There's all sorts of technology, yeah," said John, "Gill's good with that sorta thing - I'll introduce you to him later. He's - uh - got the head of a fish, I kid you not."

For the first time since he'd been reunited with his old friend, John suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to laugh with him, the way they'd used to laugh back on the streets. Back then, Dom had deliberately made the kid he'd been laugh to stave off the serious bout of misery that had been his after his powers had manifested. He'd remained grateful to Dom for that, and ever afterwards, they'd been able to find the simplest things inordinately amusing.

And now, for no readily apparent reason, just describing to Dom the fact that Gill had the head of a fish suddenly struck Pyro as exceptionally funny. He shot his friend an almost apologetic grin. "Just don't make any fish jokes and you'll be fine," he said.

There was a pause.

"Or fin," he said.

Then he began to giggle slightly.

[avalanche]

Dom wasn't sure if John was making a joke about the guy's name at first. Gill, fish, yeah... but after a second, he realized he was being serious, and he snorted laughter himself.

"No shit? He has the head of a fish... just the head?" He laughed again, trying to control it, since it was mean to laugh at that kind of shitty mutation, but still. "and he goes by Gill? Was that his normal name before? And... does he have fish powers or anything? Like controlling fish, or breathing underwater or anything?"

Oh God. That was way too rich. That Gill ended up with the Brotherhood would make sense... he could only imagine the sort of discrimination the fishman would recieve. Didn't make it any less funny.

[Pyro]

Pyro joined in the laughter, then paused, his brow furrowing.

"Do you know, I actually have no idea what Gill's power actually is? I've never really asked him. I just...y'know. Fish head an' all..." The joke came, unbidden to his lips and he tried to force it back down. "I didn't ask him. Thought I'd..."

Yep, it was going to have to come out, or he might explode.

"...let him off the hook."

He broke into fresh peals of laughter, through which he managed to add, "His real name is Brian."

THAT was even funnier and he had to stop walking and put his hand on the wall to steady himself.

[avalanche]

Dom joined him, leaning his shoulder against the wall laughing heavily. He was trying to talk between gasping breaths.

"His name.... his name.... is... Brian!" This caused another humongous bout of laughing and had to wipe the tears from his eyes.

A man with a fish's head named Brian was just so... completely, and utterly... wrong.

"Ohhhh shit." he had to steady his breath again. "oh God, okay okay. Calming down... caaalming down."

He straightened up, still giggling and wiping his eyes.

"Okay... damn, now look what you've done!? When I meet the guy I'm just going to bust out laughing, and then what?"

[Pyro]

"Ah, Gill's one of the good 'uns," said Pyro, once he'd regained the capacity for comprehensive speech again. "So's Python, when he's not in a strop." He screwed his nose up slightly, the laughter momentarily chased by his irritation with his friend. "When you meet him, he won't be in the least surprised. He's probably watching us on the CCTV now as it is." Just in case, he waved to the camera.

Clapping a hand on Dom's shoulder, the younger man smiled warmly. "It's been too long," he said, his voice holding that genuine tone that he reserved for when he really really meant it. "I'm glad you like this place. Trust me, it can get pretty dull at times, but now you guys are here, it's gonna liven up something fantastic."

They continued walking.

"This is Cain's room," said Pyro, pointing it out. "Steer clear whenever Wimbledon are playing soccer...sorry, not soccer, you have to call it football when he's around or he'll get on his reinforced soap box and start, y'know?"

[avalanche]

Dom chuckled, now much more composed himself.

"He's probably watching us on the CCTV now as it is." Just in case, he waved to the camera."

"Oh shit... probably could've done with that gem of news a few minutes ago." He laughed, and waved at the camera himself. "Hope his mutant power doesn't turn out to be killing Greek's with great fashion senses with his thoughts. That'd be bad."

"It's been too long... but now you guys are here, it's gonna liven up something fantastic."

Dominic grinned. "Yeah, Me and 'Cluse are in the house now. Whole scene's about ta change. Well, I suppose Roy and Lucas too - though the former's something of a smug little guy, but laid back, and the latter is something of an asshole - but laid back. I'm really glad to be here, just so you know. Moving to the Brotherhood is such a huge step up - and besides, we're re-u-fuckin-nited man!"

"...you have to call it football when he's around or he'll get on his reinforced soap box and start, y'know?"

He took a look at cain's room, and made a special note of it.

"Oh yeah, he's European then? My dad used to watch football, so no sweat, I know can slip back into the term easy."

As they continued to stroll on, he inspected the place more thoroughly - particularly the design.

"Magneto was something of a sterile guy, wasn't he? This place has all the cheer of a graveyard. Needs some life or something in it, feel like I'll be shambling around like one of those freaky zombie guys - do you ever get used to that, by the way? The walking dead?"

[Pyro]

"Sterile, maybe," said John. "But Magneto was also a great guy. He taught me a lot about what I've learned to do with my powers. Man, I can't WAIT to show you some of the shit I can do now. It's not just fireballs and stuff any more. Remember how I used to wish I could MAKE things out of fire? Well, I can do that now."

He was almost bursting with pride, seeming more and more like the fifteen year old boy that Dom had found cowering in a doorway, almost rigid with fear after he'd killed a man following the manifestation of his powers.

They walked a little further down the hall. "This is the games room," he said, that same pride in his voice. "Angie - you'll meet Angie, she's fantastic, a really nice girl - brought me back an X-Box 360 when she came back from New York last time. Been thrashing her senseless at Resident Evil - which I almost wish was real where those zombies were concerned."

He shuddered slightly.

"Dead Man gives me the creeps, totally," he confided. "But he's pretty awesome in his own way, so I guess it pays to have him on our side rather than someone else's. Although I reckon he's mostly on his own side a lot of the time."

[avalanche]

Dom nodded at what Pyro said about Magneto, but was more paying attention to the way he spoke about him. He could tell that John took a lot of pride in the old man, and looked up to him, which made Dom smile. He was glad that John had a father figure to settle himself out with... it was completely what the young man needed. And the proof was in the pudding... just looking at John he could see the changes.

“Magneto sounded like a great man. I wish I'd had the chance to meet him.” John spoke of him in past tense, so Dom could only assume he was dead. “Sometimes I regret being out of touch when Alcatraz happened... we may have met up again then, were I not in the wild, training my abilities myself. I figure maybe I could've made the difference... kinda makes me feel guilty.”

He looked down for a moment, then perked up. “You can make shit outta fire? Like sculpture and shit? Wow... that's gotta be handy. You could make a wall of fire, if nothing else. We should hit up the training ground, I've got a whole new level of ability myself to show ya.”

“....Been thrashing her senseless at Resident Evil - which I almost wish was real where those zombies were concerned."

Dom laughed, and nodded. “Yeah, I brought you the Meatwave game you wanted, by the way. I can't wait to give it a shot myself. That show cracks me the hell up – you should see me and 'Cluse watch it. She's totally my Side Salad... as for Dead Man, though, I suppose if he's loyal to the cause enough, he's bound to be handy. Raising the dead seems like a pretty damn handy power. Completely sick, but handy... I can't wait to meet him, too. Or maybe I can, actually.”

[Pyro]

John wrinkled his nose ever-so-slightly.

"Dead Man really gives me the creeps," he confided, "and I DO mean really. Still."

“Magneto sounded like a great man. I wish I'd had the chance to meet him.”

John's head snapped up proudly and fierce loyalty came into his voice. "Magneto was more than a great man, he was a great man with vision. I have no idea if he would be pleased with the way I've tried to keep going since he...since Alcatraz, but I hope that he would. He was a good friend to me."

Their walkings had brought them to Pyro's office. "Magneto used to have an underground office accessed elsewhere in the compound," he said. "But I sealed it shut. It seemed wrong to use it for myself in the end. So I set up base here."

"We should hit up the training ground, I've got a whole new level of ability myself to show ya.”

John's face split in a wide grin. "You're on, Dom," he said, clapping his friend on the arm. "Dude, you have no idea how good it is to have you here. I mean, shit, look at us!"

[avalanche]

“Whattya mean 'us'?” Dom asked, smiling proudly. “Look at you man – you've grown by leaps and bounds, man... I can hardly fuckin' recognize you.”

It was obvious Dom wasn't referring to a mere physical growth, and it was also obvious that Dom himself had changed immensely since they'd last met. For one, he lacked the gruff exterior he had on the streets. Before he had a heavier expression, the nearly oppressed look of someone in a state of constant control. Now he seemed looser somehow, much more relaxed with his condition in life. Almost outright peaceful. For another, he looked different physically... he had a nicer tan, better hair, and was dressed with a great deal more concern than before.

“I can't wait to talk shop, actually... I don't even know what exactly it is that you guys do, other than fight for mutant rights.” He didn't quite want to use the word superiority, mainly because he didn't necessarily believe in such a thing. His political views were... complicated. “I mean do you have a plan? Is there are a five-year strategy or anything, or are you pretty much wingin' it right now? I've done both, so I'm good with either.”

[Pyro]

“I can't wait to talk shop, actually... I don't even know what exactly it is that you guys do, other than fight for mutant rights.”

John ran a hand through his hair and smiled wryly. "I'm not entirely sure I know either a lot of the time. But Magneto was right. We're better than them and they treat us like there's something wrong with us. I mean, that shit they called a 'Cure' for fuck's sake..." The young man shook his head. "That nearly sent me mental, I'm telling you."

Point of fact was, of course, that it HAD sent him mental. But there were some bits of his current mental condition that Dominic didn't need to be privy to.

“I mean do you have a plan? Is there are a five-year strategy or anything, or are you pretty much wingin' it right now? I've done both, so I'm good with either.”

John pondered. "In honesty, I'm winging it for now. Our numbers haven't been strong, not since Alcatraz. Those who survived without being either killed or Cured scattered in the aftermath. For a while it was just me, the Juggernaut, Python and Gill. But now...we're substantial. We're gonna GO places, man." He clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"The training ground is just down this hallway," he said. "I reckon that we should spend an hour or two loosening up, show each other what we're made of. Although..." He frowned slightly. "I'm not entirely sure how well this structure would take a rumble of your talents - Magneto made it pretty sturdy though. Perhaps it might be better if we headed out of the compound and towards the beach. The beach is a better option than the jungle." The faintest of grins. "Less killer animals with razor sharp teeth and beady little eyes."

[avalanche]

(moved to Genosha: Hitting the Beach)