Invasion of Congress (Institute Away Mission)

[Bobby Drake]

The Institute has evolved a number of traditional routines over the course of the last few years, ranging from the solemly important to the utterly goofy. Close to the goofy end of the scale is the traditional Saturday morning struggle over the remote control in the TV lounge.

This week, the players are Josh, Bobby, Rogue, Riley, and Kitty. After much jockeying for position the current favorites are Rogue (who has physical control of the remote), Josh (who learned ages ago how to control the TV telekinetically), and Kitty (who is threatening to phase through the TV if she doesn't get to watch her favorite show). Bobby, who was edged out early in the running, is trying not to look like he's sulking on the couch. Three younger students are watching the activity from the kitchen.

But it turns out not to matter, as suddenly all channels are taken over by essentially the same broadcast.

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you the following LIVE news report: a Special Session of Congress this weekend has been forcibly interrupted by a group of mutant terrorists holding the Congressmen hostage."

The picture switches to a Washington DC street, where an earnest-looking reporter stands in front of the white-domed US Capitol building, where several helicopters and about three dozen military people are running about frantically.

"That's right, Steve... at this moment, 317 members of the 109th Congress are being held hostage inside this very building. According to eyewitness reports, a group of mutants walked into a normally closed session and sealed the room behind some kind of impenetrable force-field. The motives of these terrorists is as yet unclear: apparently no Congressmen have been injured yet, and no ransom terms have been issued. We'll be right on the scene with -- oh, wait, we're talking to a security guard who actually saw the mutants... hold on."

The scene changes again, to a close up on a disturbed but undamaged-looking security guard with a microphone in his face. "It was the strangest thing," he says. "There were four of them... this older-looking guy surrounded by a glittery kind of, I dunno, forcefield, a girl who could fly, this big guy who looked kinda like a Sumo wrestler, and this normal-looking guy... well, he looked normal at first, but when I told 'em they couldn't come in his eyes started glowing, and it was like I had to do whatever he said... couldn't stop myself. I let 'em in, then" he stops for a moment, embarassed, but continues as if compelled to confess, "I locked myself in a broom closet. By the time whatever he did wore off and I could get out, it was too late... they'd already made it inside."

The camera switches back to the reporter in front of the Capitol. "Stay tuned for more breaking news. Again, we don't know the motives of these terrorists yet, but what we do know is..." she continues to talk, essentially repeating the previous information.

Bobby watches the broadcast in some dismay. He knew they were going to have to go up against the new Brotherhood sooner or later, but he'd been hoping it would be "later". On the plus side, none of that sounded like John... on the minus side, Magneto always did have a habit of letting the cannon-fodder go in first. And of course this had to happen when most of the X-Men were incommunicado on some kind of secret mission.

But, that's the way it went sometimes. And only half the team was gone. Turning to the three younger students in the kitchen, Bobby calmly tells them to go notify Sheppard that the X-Men were going to deal with the case and he should hold down the home front.

He catches Kitty and Rogue's eyes as he starts stripping down to his uniform shorts. "Y'all better get suited up, we can meet in the Blackbird. You too, Josh... you're the only one of us who can fly the damned thing, let alone use its stealth capabilities." After a moment's thought he adds to Riley "You'd better come too... we might need you if any of the hostages get injured."

(( OOC: OK, here we go. Some thread notes:

• PCs are Josh, Bobby, Rogue, Riley, Kitty.
  
• NPC villains are Blob (run by Josh), Template (run by Rogue), Merrick (run by Kitty), and Barricade (run by anyone who wants to at any time, basically all he does is keep the forcefield up, he's basically invulnerable but will flee once the rest of his team goes down).
  
• Everyone (including people not in the scene) should feel free to run other NPCs - guards, Congresscritters, whatever - at whim... the more, the merrier.
  
• Freeform for now. Once combat starts we go in fixed order by player, as in the "20 miles north" thread.
  

))

[Rogue]

(Whoooo!! *frolics*)

It seemed the day was going to be fairly normal, from the start. Having successfully stolen the remote early on, she had one third of the power of the TV, and she was drinking her typical morning coffee, still not fully awake, but still enjoying her morning so far.

It seemed everyone had been satisfied with the TV channel it was currently on, and contentedly watching, when the news broadcast broke in, and Rogue felt a chill down her spine as the newscaster spoke, and as the interview started with the wittness.

She mumbled a fairly colorful string of curses, very quietly, under her breath, hand gripping the handle of her mug tightly. Noting Bobby's movement out of the corner of her eye, and hearing his words, she nodded slightly and rose, dropping the remote onto the couch where she'd been sitting, and started from the room.

As she passed the kitchen, she paused, and finished the rest of her coffee. She had a feeling she'd need the caffine. Setting hte now-empty mug down, she continued on her way to the locker room.

Moments later, dressed in the skintight uniform she wasn't fully comfortable in, she was heading towards the hangar, intending to meet the others at the jet. She was a little surprised to find herself shaking, and paused in the hall, leaning one shoulder against the wall, eyes closed, to collect herself before she got into contact with any of the others.

The last mission she'd been on had ended badly. So had the one she'd skipped out on. She didn't like this. Not at all. If everyone didn't come home in one piece...

No. No thinking about that. Not now. Maybe not ever. She couldn't let that happen again.

She resumed walking, forcing herself not to shake, forcing herself to be strong, and be ready for this. Tugging at her gloves absently, reajusting the still-stiff leather, she winced slightly, and rubbed at the back of her leather-clad hand - home to several thin, brazenly red cuts.

But she didn't want to think about that now, either - about how far downhill she was heading, with the drinking, and now this more recent development.

Arriving in the hangar, she moved right to the jet, and got inside, taking her customary seat by the wall, crossing her arms, and leaning her head against the back of the seat, waiting a bit anxiously for the others, wishing she'd had time to grab some more coffee for the trip, or even a pillow.

The psykes were starting to talk, again. She let their voices flow over her, listening to them, letting them know that there was likely to be chaos to come - telling them to try not to disturb her, distract her. They seemed to understand for once, at least for now, something she was grateful for.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh is stretched out across Bobby's lap and most of the couch, flailing for the remote in Marie's hand, when the news bulletin comes on, causing him to slide off onto the floor.

>You too, Josh... you're the only one of us who can fly the damned thing, let alone use its stealth capabilities.

Oh, god. A hundred things flash through his mind all at once. He hadn't ever been on a real mission before, one that could end up getting him killed. Storm, Logan, and Hank were gone on some kind of covert operation. Which left them. He and Marie weren't even technically members of the X-Men yet, though they were probably the strongest candidates out of the senior students. And Riley wasn't even a student at all. Josh probably looks scared out of his mind, but he nods once and follows Marie down into the sub-basement.

As he dresses in his X-Men uniform, his mind starts racing again. What if I don't come back? What if... he suddenly thinks of Warren, and... there's something in his eye - probably a bit of dust, right? He swipes at it as he pulls the zipper up to his neck. and his hand brushes against his leather choker.

The leather choker, in fact. The one he'd been wearing when he'd kissed Warren the first time. Josh had started wearing it on a daily basis because of Warren's reaction to it that night. Suddenly unwilling to leave it behind, he traces a finger across it absently, hoping his guardian angel will be on the job today. He finishes zipping up the collar over it, and troops down the hall to the hangar.

Once there, Josh climbs the boarding ramp and begins the preflight check at the pilot's seat. His hands are shaking slightly as he moves them across the control board, checking systems and their readiness. He looks back over his shoulder to Rogue.

"You ready for this? I'm sure as hell not." He tries to grin, but it falls completely flat, and he probably looks slightly sick to his stomach.

[Rogue]

"You ready for this? I'm sure as hell not."[/color]

Eyes drifting open, unfocused, as if half-asleep, Rogue merely gave a one-shoulder shrug, at first - the only sign she'd heard for a moment.

"Have t'be." she finally responded verbally, focusing on Josh for the first time.

She didn't like this feeling - the feeling that something would go wrong. She wasn't really worried about herself, though - she'd resigned herself to the thought of getting hurt or killed on the field - she was worried she'd lose someone, today.

Funny, she hadn't been that close to Scott, or Jean, or even Xavier - but now, in their absence, in the shadow of their deaths, their absence seemed keenly felt, and a lot closer to home than it even had before.

Any one of them could be killed within seconds.

Seconds.

The time it took to breathe, to blink. And one of them could be gone.

She didn't really know that many people that well - but even so, the thought was horrifying. Best not to think about it, then, she mused, if not for herself, at least to help ease the ominous mood a little. She eyed Josh for a moment, a half-smile crossing her face.

"Y'don' look well." she said evenly, "Y'do know how t'fly this, right?"

[Bobby Drake]

It doesn't take long to store his clothes away, but Bobby takes a couple of minutes to try and look up the mutants that security guard described in the X-Men's known mutants DB. No joy... too many matches, not enough data. He forwards the partial matches to the Blackbird's computer anyway... can't hurt.

He also leaves a quick note for Storm and Logan, explaining the situation. He tries not to think about their reactions when they find out he authorized taking the Blackbird out on a mission with the two youngest X-Men, two students, and a girl who just hangs around the Institute a bunch. They'll probably be all over his case. Hell with it. They don't like it, they can fire me. Till then I'm an X-Man, and dealing with this kinda crap is my job, and I use the assets I've got.

Or maybe I'll just blame Kitty. He laughs at that quietly as he speedskates into the hangar. Of course, all of that's only an issue if he survives, but he isn't going to think about that.

"You got this thing warmed up yet, Jo -- um, Impulse?" Right. Mission. Codenames. Rogue, Shadowcat... what the hell is Riley's codename, anyway? We could call her "Angel", I guess... Warren keeps saying he didn't pick the name, and it'd get Josh's goat... He dismisses the idea after a second. It would be funny, but the last thing Josh needs right now is more distractions. "Cherub", maybe. It suits her.

As he enters the plane, it's pretty obvious that Josh and Marie are both pretty nervous. He remembers how he felt suiting up for Alcatraz, remembers Logan's little pep talk... and it occurs to him that right now he's one of the senior X-Men on the mission and the whole pep-talk thing is his job, or Kitty's. He comes very close to turning on his icy heel and speedskating right back out again at that thought.

Well. It can wait till Kitty and Riley show up. Meanwhile, I guess this is where Scott would start talking tactics. 'xcept he'd actually have a plan, all I've got is some half-assed ideas. Doesn't matter. We use the assets we've got.

"So, OK. Way I see it we got four problems.
First, get into the Capitol past all those soldiers and TV cameras.
Second, get through that force-field thing.
Third, protect the hostages.
Fourth, deal with the freaky four in there, and whatever other backup they might have.

I think I got number three covered... if y'all can cover me for a couple of seconds I can put 'em behind an icewall even a flamethrower'd have a hard time bringing down. Like those soldiers in the Lake simulation, remember Jo - Impulse? And I bet Ki-Shadowcat can get us through the forcefield. As for the rest of it... any thoughts?"

At least the Blackbird has that funky holographic stealth mode... it can park them right on top of the Capitol building if they want it to. He makes a mental note to get a shuttle installed with the same stealth capacity... it's ridiculous that they can conceal a goddamned airplane but not themselves.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh looks at Marie, slightly indignant. "Of course I can fly it! Did'ja think I was going to crash it into the side of the Capitol building?" He spins back around in the chair and stabs at one of the keys. After a moment, he turns back around.

"Ah. Sorry, Marie. It's just... I'm scared. And I haven't seen Warren since he left on Friday morning and.." he trails off, but the direction of his thinking is clear, and he returns to the preflight checks. A flag trips in the main computer, indicating a data dump from the Institute's server. Good thinking, Bobby.

After a few minutes Bobby arrives and begins talking tactics. Josh internally finds it extremely odd for Bobby to be calling him 'Impulse', but whatever. The last thing he needed was for Josh Dalton, boyfriend of Warren Worthington III, the pair splashed across media covers, to be connected with a covert mutant strike team supported by a supersonic space-capable jet that wasn't even supposed to exist.

"I think that sounds pretty good..." Josh punches up a holographic map and displays it between the seats. "If we can get there without incident, I can use the Blackbird's active camoflauge systems to insert us right into the action. Capitol Hill isn't too far away at our speeds, so there isn't going to be much time to plan." He considers for a moment. "The ice should work pretty well. If they're using any guns I should be able to get rid of them with my telekinesis... and possibly stop a bullet or two, but that totally depends on the situation. Rogue should be ready to neutralize their greatest threat."

He lowers his voice for a second. "Ah, guys? Does anyone know how much DR training Riley has logged? She could be a huge help if anyone's injured, but her powers aren't particularly offensive. We're going to have to make sure to cover her."

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty, who had been listened to Bobby while he made the plan to leave didn't even moved from the couch at first. She simply phased herself through the floors to the locker room where she could quickly change. Another good thing about her phasing was less walking time.

She quickly chanced into her x-suit zipping it up the front and debating on pulling her hair back. In the end she had decided back was good. Puling on her boots she started to jog through the walls to the hanger and the jet.

She entered just as Bobby was talking about a plan. "I can get us all through the forcefield pretty easily. I've been practicing taking more than one thing at a time through objects. I got us covered. And it will be easy for me to surprise them I think. Who is going to suspect me to come through the walls?" She said entering the jet and sliding into her chair in the copilots seat.

She glanced at the rest of them. A mission without the usual leaders was a bit odd, but as the only true members of the team it would be up to her and Bobby to run things. "Looks like we're just missing one more. Hope she hurries up." She looked at Josh {color=green]"If you're flying I'll be your backup. Logan has been teaching me a bit about this thing."[/color] She looked over the controls quickly. "I can handle this thing. Can't be to difficult."

The computer screens flashing drew her in a bit and she scanned them making sure that if something happened she could get them all out. She wasn't going to risk loosing a member of this team. If than happened it was her and Bobby on the line.

[Bobby Drake]

> "If we can get there without incident, I can use the Blackbird's active camoflauge systems to insert us right into the action."
Bobby nods, surprised and pleased. "Excellent! OK, then, sounds like we've got everything covered except actually dealing with the enemy. Oh, and getting out afterwards, I guess. Well, Kitty and Josh -- dammit, Shadowcat and Impulse! -- you two oughta be able to get us back into the Blackbird in a jiffy, right? Just phase-and-fly?"

Part of his mind is surprised by how well he seems to be handling this... it's like he's treating it as a DR session or something. Which might not be such a good thing... if this thing goes pear-shaped there's a lot more than his evaluation on the line... but it beats gibbering in fear in a corner. So for now, he'll take it.

> "Capitol Hill isn't too far away at our speeds, so there isn't going to be much time to plan."

"Right. Well, it's not like we have a lot of information to plan with, so maybe that's for the best. I dumped the Institute database's best-match on the report we got, but it isn't much to go on... we don't have much information, so there's like a hundred possibles in there. Still, it's worth looking over, see if there's anything special we should bring with us if it is any of these guys."

He scans the list for a while, then starts thinking out loud. "So, OK. There's some kind of mind-controller whose power may or may not depend on visual contact. Probably best to take him out fast, before he can mess with any of our heads... last thing we want is to end up beating the crap out of each other, right? Actually, don't answer that." He grins and continues. "So we can try blacking out the room, but that blinds us too... probably not too clever. Impulse, you think you can drop a rug on the guy's head or something before he gets a lock on us?"

> "Rogue should be ready to neutralize their greatest threat."
Bobby nods, then shrugs. "Yeah, though it beats me who's tougher than who. Mind control guy, flying girl, Sumo guy, sparkly forcefield guy. Rogue, you ever tagged a mentalist before? I'm thinking that might be a bad idea, but you know your powers best. So, OK then... Impulse handles insertion, Shadowcat phases us in. Imp blinds the mentalist, Rogue tags whoever looks toughest, 'cat and, um, Riley -- does she even have a codename? -- distract whoever Rogue leaves behind, I wall off the hostages... and by then we'll know what we're up against, hopefully. Sound good?"
> "Does anyone know how much DR training Riley has logged? [..] We're going to have to make sure to cover her."

Bobby blinks, startled. "Yeah... you're right. Didn't think of that. Um... well, she helped out with that mess in the mall a few weeks back... that's something. But against real threats, beats me. For that matter, there may already be casualties inside she'll have to deal with." He frowns. "Which leaves at least one badguy uncovered with a free shot on one of us. Yeah, maybe this isn't a great plan. Other ideas?"

[Rogue]

"Of course I can fly it! Did'ja think I was going to crash it into the side of the Capitol building? .....Ah. Sorry, Marie. It's just... I'm scared. And I haven't seen Warren since he left on Friday morning and..."

She gave a small smile, and a nod. "Ah know, an' 'M sorry. Tryin'a make a joke like tha' ain' a good thing when w'all stressed like this."

Then Bobby came in, and started speaking. He fit the leadership position well - she'd always thought he would. Coming up with a plan that fast was something very, very helpful. She listened, trying to soak it all in.

Ooh. Codenames. That was going to be helpful to remember to use, she mused - since the world didn't need to know their real identities. Families might freak, or Xavier's might be blown up, or something.

They might get hate-mail.

Or fan-mail, depending.

Or just general stalkers...

Talk turned to facing the enemies, and her powers were brought up. She winced, though she wasn't sure how obvious it was - hopefully not at all, she didn't want them thinking she'd be useless.

"Ah'll grab whoev'r y'need m'to. Hell, I'll grab 'em all, if it comes down t'it- whoever's not down. Jus'... don' 'spect a vera social Roguey on th'way home." she responded with forced levity, a single-shoudler shrug, and a grin she didn't really feel.

More people in her mind was definetly not what she really wanted right now. But if it helped, she'd go for it. She'd rather the clutter upstairs than someone on the team dead. Any day.

[Bobby Drake]

> Jus'... don' 'spect a vera social Roguey on th'way home."

Bobby's brain skids to a halt at the reminder of just how Rogue's powers work. "Oh, bloody hell, I didn't think about that part of it at all... I'm sorry, Marie, I wasn't thinking. No, that's crazy... we can't keep adding bad guys to the party in your skull without finding some way for you to get rid of them... no wonder you weren't on the active roster..." he trails off, lost in thought.

Damn damn damn damn DAMMIT! Real slick, Drake. Put together a team and forget that one of 'em rips up her own head every time she uses her powers and another's got no real combat training... geez. You're going to get these kids killed... this isn't a damn DR sim!

He looks back up, and the haggard expression on his face is visible even through the ice-sheath. Man, no wonder Cyke was such an asshole half the time. How the hell do Storm and Logan do this? Forget that... this is no time to fall apart.

"OK... we need a new plan. Frontal assault's gonna get somebody killed." Thinking out loud, he continues "What if we do it the other way 'round? We go in, I put up an icewall between the goons and everybody else including us, I keep it up while 'cat shuttles the Congressman out through the forcefield. If anybody punches through the wall, I Josh takes care of 'em while I patch the wall back up, then we double-team whoever it is. Anybody gets hurt, Riley does her magic, and Rogue's in place as backup if we get overrun, but with a little luck neither of them even get exposed...?"

Or maybe we just abort and leave it to the Marines? Bobby doesn't want to say that out loud, but he's definitely thinking about it. It's no crime to admit when you're outclassed, is it? Especially not before getting people killed by going in blind.

He looks around annoyed. "And where the hell is Riley?"

[Rogue]

"Oh, bloody hell, I didn't think about that part of it at all... I'm sorry, Marie, I wasn't thinking. No, that's crazy... we can't keep adding bad guys to the party in your skull without finding some way for you to get rid of them... no wonder you weren't on the active roster..."[/color]

She stared at him for a moment, torn between being offended and being touched that he cared. It was a fine line, but she finally settled on something between the two, after he'd entirely stopped speaking.

"I can handle myself, Bobby. I'm not that weak." she said, tone calm, but serious. Dead serious. "An' this team ain't big enough for me t'jus' sit it out an' watch. Las' time I did..."

She didn't finish that thought. Not verbally, not internally. She couldn't, because just thinking about that left her feeling jumpy and nervous, and like it was her fault that things had gone so horribly. She'd been selfish, and looked out for herself and only herself, and she wasn't going to let that happen again.

"Jus'... trus' me, okay? I won' grab an'one if I don' feel I c'n handle it."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

>"Oh, bloody hell, I didn't think about that part of it at all...

Josh suddenly doesn't know what to say. Academically he'd known how Rogue's power worked... but the thought of having everyone's personality in your head after absorbing them? Not his idea of a good time. It was bad enough back when his telepathy had surfaced and he'd been briefly diagnosed with schizophrenia - that was before the Professor had sent Ororo and Jean to fetch him... at least he'd learned to block other minds out. Hey. If she always keeps psyches locked in her mind, shouldn't she be able to also access previously absorbed powers?

He can also tell that the whole vigilant leader thing is starting to get to Bobby.

<It's okay. No one is expecting you to do anything more than you best.> He resists the urge to rub Bobby on the shoulder to calm him down. The last thing he probably needed would to be called on it verbally.

"I don't know if shuttling Congress out is going to work. I mean.... they said 300 some members were present, right? That could take forever. It might be easier to icewall the politicans and and knock out whoever's generating that forcefield." He bites his lip.

"If I can knock out the mentalist right away - or at least isolate him from everyone else, or blind him somehow, we might have a chance. I should also have the strongest resistance to his mind control... if I'm not mistaken, Riley's telepathy isn't very strong."

"Basically, we've got to get there and assess the situation. Kitty - Shadowcat - and I can act as forward recon. Between her phasing and my telepathy, we should be able to get a fairly good idea of what's going on. Once we know more we can act. Planning for different scenarios is the best we can do now." He drums a finger on the console. "Where is Riley, anyway?" I guess it's only been about 10 minutes or so...

"Bobby, could you encase the mentalist's head in ice?" Josh says this tentatively. "I don't if that would actually work..."

[Bobby Drake]

> "I can handle myself, Bobby. I'm not that weak. [..] Jus'... trus' me, okay? I won' grab an'one if I don' feel I c'n handle it."

"I didn't mean --" Bobby cuts himself off, realizing that yeah, he actually had meant pretty much exactly that. He nods. "Yeah, OK. Just... be careful, OK?" He grins, not entirely convincingly, and adds
"Storm'll probably deduct your psych bills from my allowance, so let's try to keep the pizza party in your frontal cortex down to a dull roar."

> <It's okay. No one is expecting you to do anything more than you best.>

Bobby grins again, even less convincingly, and nods in Josh's direction. It's crap, of course... this has nothing to do with anybody's expectations, it has to do with dealing with reality. But in another sense Josh is right -- every minute he spends wallowing in self-pity is a minute he isn't spending dealing with their mission, and this isn't the time for it. They're just gonna have to do the best they can.

He listens to Josh's tactical assessment for a minute and nods. "Yeah, you're right on both counts... we can't make real plans 'till we see what we're up against, and ferrying out the Congressmen is a dumb idea. We're just going to have to move faster than they do."

> Bobby, could you encase the mentalist's head in ice?

Bobby thinks about that for a little while. "I guess so," he replies tentatively. "I've never tried, but I've iced up small moving targets before. It'd probably suffocate him, though... but not immediately. I guess it could put him out of action for a while. Walling off the hostages is a higher priority, though... don't you think? But yeah, if somebody distracts him for a second while I put up the wall, I can ice up his head afterwards... leaves you free to take out their physical powerhouse. Least, I'm betting that Sumo wrestler guy is superstrong or something." He shrugs, realizing he's planning in advance of data again, and takes a deep breath.

"Ah! There's our cherub. Move it!" he calls out to the winged girl as she flits into the hangar. "Josh... punch it in five... four... three... two... NOW!" The doors close fast as Riley makes her way into the Blackbird, not quite closing on her pinfeathers... but it's a close thing.

(( OOC: Hope nobody minds the gmodding... wanted to get this show on the road while still letting Riley be present for the fight itself. ))

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

>"Josh... punch it in five... four... three... two... NOW!"

With Riley's arrival, Josh closes the boarding ramp and hits switch that remotely controls the basketball court doors. Sunlight streams in, and a basketball bounces down into the hangar.

"Everyone got your belts on?" Without waiting for an answer, he lifts the Blackbird up off the tarmac and retracts the landing gear, hovering over the grounds. He banks slightly to avoid scorching the Mansion, and hits the accelerator, screaming off into the sky.

The trip should be short. For the Blackbird, D.C. was really much like jumping a puddle on the sidewalk. They'd barely even be able to get up to proper cruising speed or altitude. Josh locks in their heading and then turns to a console that'd been more recently added, dragging a finger across the monitor and flicking options.

"I'll engage the cloak when we get closer. It takes quite a bit of energy, but it's preferable to getting shot down. D.C. takes a dim view on unidentified aircraft these days..." Finished, he unlocks his chair from the flight position and spins to face eveyone. "We've got a bit of time, now. Anything more to go over?"

Josh hesitates after a second, but pushes on. "We should probably go over withdrawal conditions. When do we cut our losses and run?"

[Bobby Drake]

Bobby belts himself in and concentrates on breathing steadily as takeoff crushes him into his seat. Once acceleration falls off, he mutters quietly "In the unlikely event of a water landing, your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device..."

> "We should probably go over withdrawal conditions. When do we cut our losses and run?"

Bobby resists the urge to respond "Right the fuck now" and nods to Josh. " Yeah, good question. Standard mission protocol leaves that decision up to the mission field leader... " He trails off awkwardly, then continues apologetically. " Which, um... raises the question of who that's supposed to be. Um... protocol makes that either me or Kitty, as the senior active X-Men present. Um... is that a problem for anybody?" Not that Storm or Logan would've asked... but then, Kitty and Bobby weren't Storm or Logan.

" If not... " he continues tentatively as he pulls out a quarter and flips it in the air, adding to Kitty " Call it? "