Take a Stand (Bobnap Ch. 5)

[Ororo Munroe]

(For Storm, Wolverine, Beast, Rogue, Impulse, Shadowcat, Angel, Fortress, Metallum, and anyone else who would like to make an appearance...)

Ororo stands near the projector table in the briefing amphitheatre, keying in a few last-minute alterations to the presentation. An image of the X-Men logo rotates over the table.

It was time.

Her sources had informed her that Magneto was on the move towards the West Coast, ostensibly for his assault on the camp on Alcatraz Island. With the Brotherhood Headquarters location provided by Rogue, Ororo was confident that they could extract Bobby and deal a crippling blow to Magneto's plans simultaneously.

In theory.

Logan is lounging - does anyone actually lounge in their combat uniforms? - in the back of the amphitheatre. Hank and Kitty are sitting in the middle, talking about something together. Good thing Hank's finally gotten a replacement uniform... the old one was a little snug.

Everyone else should be arriving in the next few minutes, and then they can begin. She was hoping to keep things fairly concise. With the Blackbird, the Alcatraz team would be able to arrive at the same time as Magneto, but it wouldn't be good to push the timing. Things were down to the wire.

Ororo sees movement out of the corner of her eyes as she presses a few final keys, and directs her comment to the newcomer(s). "Just take a seat, we'll be able to start when everyone is here."

[nightcrawler]

Nightcrawler had expressed his desire to withdraw from the X-men to the Professor and being the just man he was, Charles had graciously agreed, no questions asked and nothing else said. Nightcrawler still supported the team in what way he could, whether it be as a medic or pilot (both of which he was mediocre at best), so it wasn't like he had totally abandoned the X-men, he just thought he could be of a more practical use at the Institute, helping the children. Of course, sometimes, our desires are often swept aside and put away by a higher being, and this just happened to be one of those times.

The buzz about Neverland was all over the Institute by now and even Nightcrawler, in his exile of sorts, had heard the tales. He knew Magneto was behind it, but it wasn't Magneto which brought him down to the ready room....it was who was more than likely going to be with him that caused him to take up the leather suit he had briefly wore and once again sit in on a mission briefing.

*BAMF* Kurt appeared just outside the ready room.....decked in a black body suit as the others, except his was sleeveless and he wore a long leather trench coat with some sort of red design running all over it. His body suit matched of course, the red markings there strangely akin to those all over his body and for good reason, but that is another story for another time. His tail flicked about nervously as his bright yellow eyes darted around the corridor, his posture a bit slumped over as always. "Vell....it has to be done Kurt," he said to himself as he slowly and very carefully stepped into the room, taking a deep breath as he did so.

Ororo's voice was the first one he heard and he looked up at her, a soft smile on his face as well as a bit of anxiety. He had been avoiding her since his return, afraid that she might be mad at him for leaving, but those thoughts had to be put aside for later, as for now, he had more important decisions to attend to.

"Just take a seat, we'll be able to start when everyone is here."

"Ororo," he said softly, his tail still flicking about and his eyes darting away just for a second until he forced them back upon his friend. "I hope there is still room for me?," he said/asked her, his voice as meek as ever and that slight nervous laugh breaking through his thick accent. He hoped Storm would allow him to accompany them on this mission, after all, he had to go, no matter what.

[Warren Worthington III]

> " Just take a seat, we'll be able to start when everyone is here. "

Warren nods, and hovers protectively around Josh as they sit. The expression “like a mother hen” flutters through his mind, and his lips quirk into something that might, under other circumstances, have been a smile. "Right."

He suppresses a yawn as he waits for the briefing to get started. He’d managed to make Josh get some sleep after all the craziness with Rogue in the medlab, which is something, but he could hardly sleep a wink himself… just lay there with Josh curled up next to him, dozing off every once in a while. Doesn’t matter… he’s pulled all-nighters before.

He’s not really sure how X-Men briefings work… he’s never been in on one before. He’s not sure he really wants to be in on this one, either, but, well, it’s Bobby. And more than that, it’s a rescue mission, and he’s one of theirs; he can’t not be involved. Besides, he needs to keep an eye on Josh… he’s injured and distracted and, well, Warren just isn’t going let him do this one alone, is all.

He waves a greeting to Kurt, who arrived just before they did, and to Logan and Kitty. Wow… she really means everyone. Which makes sense, if they’re invading the Brotherhood’s HQ and everything. He’s surprised to see Hank here, though, and separates briefly from Josh to talk to him.

"Hey, Henry. Nice work at the hearings. How’re you feeling?" Has it really only been a day since they testified about camp abuses to the UN? It feels like weeks.

"Greetings, my angelic ally! Indeed, I have every expectation that our exceptional assemblage of evidentiary ammunition will effect an altogether astonishing alteration in our esteemed administration’s activities… eventually. Although, unless we apply ourselves assiduously to ensuring that eventuality, our enemies egregious invasion may ultimately establish our efforts ineffectual. That is, to eschew eristic alliteration: Warren, we need to stop them."

Warren chuckles. Hank’s nervous habits take some getting used to, but they are certainly more well-educated than most. "I’m sure we will, Henry. "

[Toni Craft]

Toni stares at her uniform in the mirror and frowns. "Do these damn things have to be so tight? I'm starting to feel like Rosie O'Donnell got stuffed into a straw." She hops a few times and tugs on her uniform top, hoping to loosen it.

Unfortunately she has no such luck. What ever material it's made out of, it's not leather like the rest of them. Toni figures kevlar...something strong, not heavy, and not made of metal, incase she winds up going anaemic. She prays that the latter doesn't happen, but who knows.

Matty had been kind enough to braid her red hair for her, complaining the whole time about how she shouldn't be going and what would happen if she ran into Magneto (not that she needed to be reminded of that possible scenario). He had tried to convince the others to let him come along, but much to his apparent hopelessness, he had been turned down. It had been something about his lack of power control and serious lack of proper battle training. Disgruntled, the teen had tried to stop her from leaving, but Toni had barely been able to scrape herself by.

Giving her uniform one last tug, she exits the change room and heads down the steel hall to the briefing room. As she walks she feels the black material twist and flex against her back, making her deafly aware of the vacancies in the fabric where her armour plates exit. No doubt the guys'll be staring or something... Admittedly, with the limited coverage of her back and her bare arms, Toni feels a little naked.

She enters the room, discovering that most current members of the X-Men and a few other oddballs like herself have decided to join in on the fight.

"The Bobster seems to have quite the following." Toni mutters, and finds a place at the back of the room. She'd take a chair, but Ororo and the others still haven't learned that five hundred pounds of iron will break a simple chair designed for the maximum of three hundred and fifty.

Most of the other members chat amongst themselves, leaving Toni by herself, to which she it not ungrateful. The spare time allows her to mull over the events of the last few hours.

John had not only beaten Josh half to death, but he had also kidnapped Bobby, the boy the pyro had recently admitted to loving. It was plausible...having John pretend to be in a romantic relationship with Bobby, but highly unlikely, given the way Toni had seen them together. Layers, like an onion (always knew Shrek would come in handy at some point). John's got himself wound up in something, and we just got thrown into the middle of it all. Go us.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh walks tiredly into the briefing amphitheatre with Warren.

The night had been... interesting. Fortunately, he's been able to help Rogue discover the Brotherhood headquarters location in the back of her mind. That had tired him quite a bit, above and beyond the beating he'd taken by John at Baker Mansion. He and Warren had tried to get a little sleep, and it had helped, but both of them needed much, much more of it to be anything close to 100%.

And I need time to heal. None of the damage done to him had been life-threatening in and of itself, except perhaps the cut on his shoulder. The fight had utterly drained him, both physically and mentally. The only cure for that sort of thing was rest... and more importantly, time. Something we're precariously short on.

He lets Warren guide him into one of the middle rows, and resists the urge to rest his head on the other's shoulder. <Thanks.> It would likely be bad form to fall asleep from exhaustion during the briefing, and would be sure to put him on the inactive list. I can't sit this one out. It's my fault that John got away with Bobby. Internally, he knows that it's a flimsy argument. There was no way he could have expected the teleporter. But still...

Josh notices Toni leaning back against the wall. "Hey, Toni! Does this mean that the chemistry quiz is cancelled?" He eyes the digital readout on the holotable. "Class starts in six hours..." He puts a innocent look on his face.

[Ororo Munroe]

> "I hope there is still room for me?"

Ororo eyes Kurt through the holographic display with some surprise. He'd not shown interest in being a member of the X-Men in the past, citing difficulty reconciling it with his inborn nature. At critical points like these, we all need to work together to succeed. Perhaps Kurt saw that. I hope so...

"The X-Men will always welcome you with open arms, Kurt. Please take a seat. We're only waiting for a few more members." She briefly rests a hand on his shoulder before returning to her work.

More of the team makes their entrance after Kurt. Josh and Warren enter first, together. She'd had a heated discussion with Josh over whether he was up to any of this, at all. She knew Warren was worried sick over him... After talking some of the logistics over with Hank, she'd decided that if he felt up to it, they couldn't afford to leave him behind. She was worried already that there would be too few of them to go around, and Josh's TK added a quite a punch to either team.

And, too, Ororo also felt he deserved to see things through to their conclusion.

Toni, then. Ororo had been rather pleased with how Toni had taken on a bit of a leadership role around the school. She had a knack of making anyone around her comfortable, and students took to her immediately. In fact, she was a definite consideration for full team member, as long as nothing catastrophic happened today.

Which, she reminds herself, could very well happen.

"We'll begin momentarily. I believe we're still waiting for..." She scans the assembled members. "Rogue?" In the meantime, Ororo hits a key, and the X-Men logo dissolves into text and graphics. Under one heading, Alcatraz, photos of herself, Logan, Hank, Rogue, Kitty, and Ryan are displayed. She quickly adds Kurt under that display. Next to that, under Rescue, Josh, Warren, and Toni are lined up.

Ororo folds her arms across her chest, trying to quell the apprehension she's feeling.

[Toni Craft]

Toni leans back against the wall and wanders through her thoughts and theories regarding Bobby's kidnapping. Something definitely isn't sitting right with her. Never should have eaten that last enchilada...

Warren and Josh are already in the room, and Kurt is speaking quietly to Ororo.

"Hey, Toni! Does this mean that the chemistry quiz is cancelled? Class starts in six hours..." That brings a smile to Toni's. At least he rugrat's up and about. Probably the best news they were going to get all day.

"Well, since you're so worried Josh, you can have it right now. I think I've got a copy here somewhere." She grins and pats her pants pockets in search of the quiz and eventually pulls out a hastily folded piece of paper. "I always carry a spare, 'cause you never know when saving the world will force you to skip out on the essentials....Like your chemistry tests!" Okay, so maybe the paper wasn't the real quiz (it was actually a left over set of schematics from the last mission they went on), but Josh didn't know that.

In the meantime, Ororo illuminates the holographic console (something that Toni would just love to get her hands on at some point) and allows the images of the team members to float below the two missions. Below the Rescue heading, Toni sees her picture next to those belonging to Warren and Josh. She smirks at her own image. Toni had completely refused to be still, stoic and professional for the X-Men pictures, and instead she smiled like an idiot and gave the camera a thumbs up.

"Looks like we're getting the fun one, boys." She winks at Josh and Warren. "I'm driving!"

[metallum]

Ryan slips into his uniform, the standard X-Men dress, designed to protect the wearer from the extremes of hot and cold. It resembles leather, but Ryan is very sure that it is in fact not. The fit is snug, giving him the feeling of having a second skin. Looking in the mirror, he gives a forced half-smile. Butterflies flutter through his stomach, for this is his first mission being a part of the X-Team. Reaching down, he picks up his gloves, the final part of the uniform, and dons them.

He takes one final glance in the mirror and walks away, his steps echoing slightly in the empty room. Ryan finds his way to the "Ready Room" and enters to see a few of the senior X-Men, along with some newbies. Taking a deep breath, he takes a seat next to Ms. Craft.

Looking to the front, he sees Storm near a projector and tunes in.

[Warren Worthington III]

Warren nods, satisfied, as Ororo updates the holographic display and he sees his image alongside Josh’s and Toni’s. The rest is just details. Important details, granted, and he’s sure they’ll get to those, but he’s suddenly quite a bit more relaxed. And Josh’s banter with Toni helps, too; makes the whole thing feel more comfortable. He squeezes Josh’s hand encouragingly, stifles another yawn, and waits for the briefing to get started.

It feels weird being here, in this uniform. He’s not an X-Man, he doesn’t really want to be. And he still isn’t really sure what’s going on, to be honest… the weirdness in Marie’s head had gone completely over Warren’s head, except for the important thing – they found out where Bobby’s being held, which means they can go in for a rescue, and with a little luck John will be there too… and Warren can get his wish.

His wings give an anticipatory twitch, thinking about it. He can’t heal Josh, he can’t extract information from anybody’s heads, he can’t track down enemy headquarters. But getting payback out of that pyromaniacal son-of-a-bitch… that he can do.

[Ororo Munroe]

Ororo glances at the time display. It's time. Because of the cross-continental element of the Alcatraz portion of their mission, time was a key factor in their preparations. She'd simply have to brief Rogue on the Blackbird.

"I think we should begin." With a tap of a key, the lights nearest her dim fractionally, the holodisplay casting a glow on those in the front row.

"I believe everyone is familiar with recent events, but it's my duty to make sure all team members are up to speed." Ororo makes eye contact with each member of the mission in turn.

"Shortly after 1700 hours last night, Bobby Drake was kidnapped by John Allerdyce and taken to Brotherhood Headquarters. Presumably, this is an attempt to paralyze us into inaction when Magneto makes his inevitable strike against the Mutant Containment Camp on Alcatraz Island." The display wipes, keyed to her vocal patterns, and resolves into images of Pyro, Magneto, and the rest of the Brotherhood.

"Fortunately, Rogue has been able, through a previous memory of John, to provide us with the current location of the Brotherhood's HQ. Our mission objectives are twofold: sabotage Magneto's attack in California, and rescue Bobby before any harm comes to him. Because these goals must be reached simultaneously, we're splitting into two teams."

"The first team will be led by myself. We will be taking the Blackbird to California and attempting to stop Magneto from succeeding." The display has returned to the team lineups. "The second team - Josh, Warren, and Toni - will be travelling by car to retrieve Bobby. Any questions so far?" She regards the assembled mutants.

[nightcrawler]

Kurt's smile seemed to relax a bit more when Storm greeted him, letting him know he was still gladly welcome. He wasn't sure if she would understand his reasons for not wanting to jump in on every team mission and for not really wanting to be a member of the team per say, but he was glad to see that she apparently harbored no ill feelings toward him at the moment. He nodded his head and turned, waving to a few younger members who he recognized as students, heaving a sigh at the idea of letting such young ones in on such a mission. Friend or not, these boys were still too young as far as Kurt was concerned, but at least they were going to be sent on the less dangerous of the two missions.

Finding a place near the back of the room, Kurt pulled out a chair and sat down, pulling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, studying the screen which Ororo had up for display. Various pictures and files flashed across, but one in particular seemed to make him uneasy and unlike some, it wasn't the picture of Magneto...but the picture of Mystique. Kurt winced and looked down until the picture of Mystique faded and disappeared and Ororo's voice chimed in again. He looked up slowly, shaking his head in response to her question to the group, a growing sickness rising from the pit of his stomach. This mission was almost suicide and he knew it, as he was sure a few more 'older' members did as well. Magneto was a believer and a self righteous person, two things which made for a very dangerous and difficult adversary, but Kurt also knew that instead of just one enemy, the X-men would face another, the very people they sought to protect.

[Ororo Munroe]

"We're uncertain as to how the Brotherhood will deploy itself, although it's a good bet that most of them will be present for the Alcatraz mission. Magneto, certainly, will not pass up the chance to grandstand. There's a strong possibility that Pyro, as Magneto's second, will be present there." She gestures at the display, where power profiles come up for known members of the Brotherhood.

"In terms of the rescue team, the only opposition I'm sure you'll encounter is a telepath by the name of Eliot. She is almost certainly the reason Josh and Jake have been unable to make contact with Bobby." Storm looks across the theatre to Josh. "You shouldn't have any problems dealing with her, Josh, if my sources are accurate." Thanks, Wanda.

The screen changes to a view of the Bay Area. "We will be taking the Blackbird in as close as possible. If Magneto is already on the offensive when we arrive, we will be deploying off the ramp. Anyone who can't soften or ignore a fall should pair up with someone who can." She proceeds to lay out the specifics of the operation, which is designed to hamper Magneto's destruction of the camp and keep the team together. "When the signal to retreat comes over your headset from either myself of Hank, withdraw tactically to the Blackbird." At this, her eyes are drawn to the remaining trio.

"I'm afraid I can't give the three of you much more to work with than I already have. Hank has put together a comprehensive medical kit for you to take along, Toni. It's possible that Bobby may need it. We've stowed it in the trunk of the Vanquish. Beyond that..." She shrugs her shoulders. "I trust the three of you implicitly. Be careful."

"Unless there are any remaining issues to cover, I think it's time we were on our way." Storm shuts down the projector, and the lights come back up. "Anything else?"

[Toni Craft]

"Magneto, certainly, will not pass up the chance to grandstand."

"Well, that's good for me then, but Logan, darlin', you're as screwed as a seal in Newfoundland." The remark earns a smirk and shake of the head from the Wolverine.

"I'm sure you'll encounter is a telepath by the name of Eliot. You shouldn't have any problems dealing with her, Josh, if my sources are accurate."

"Wow, and just when you thought all the rough stuff was all over, the brain surfin' starts again." Toni leans casually on the back of Josh's chair and gives his hair an affectionate rub.

"Hank has put together a comprehensive medical kit for you to take along, Toni."

"Now that's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. Hank and comprehensive in the same sentence? Please excuse me while my head explodes." Hank, for his part, snickers in agreement.

"I trust the three of you implicitly. Be careful."

"Really? You trust me with that $300,000 piece of fine british (but made in the USofA) machinery? Will you be mad when it comes back the size of a rubiks cube?" Toni tries to give Ororo her best innocent look, while secretly knowing that the Vanquish will, no doubt, be the subject of a severe beating. And it's so pretty too...

"I think it's time we were on our way."

"Fuck yeah! Just give me the keys and we'll be back with Bob before you can say 'My duodenum is a funny colour'."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

As the meeting comes to a close, much is running through Josh's head, but he manages to give a grin when Toni plays with his hair.

I hope we can get to Bobby in time. It's... it's my fault if we don't. I shouldn't have let them get away with him. He's also worried about the three of them going into combat together. This mission could end up being deadly. He doesn't know what he'd do if one of them was gravely injured. That's where Toni comes in, I think.

It's better not to dwell on what could happen.

As they get up from their seats, Josh keeps his gloved hand entwined with Warren's. "Hey... I'm only letting you have the keys if you promise not to hit anything on the way there." The keys tumble tantalizingly in the space between himself, Warren, and Toni. "Promise?"

The three of them make their way into the hall.

"With any luck, that dump will be deserted and it'll be a quick in and out. Of course, with our luck, it will be fully staffed." Josh rolls his eyes.