For I was a stranger among you... (Lera, open)

[Warren Worthington III]

(( OOC: Hi Lera! Figured I’d put this one out here for you to start in with, make the arrival thread simpler. I’m assuming here that at some point or another, Vanisher rondezvouses with Lera and teleports her to the Brotherhood base for her protection. Feel free to flashback as far back as you want, or to just pick up in the middle of things.))

When the anachronisms had first started appearing, Warren had decided to house them in the Brotherhood’s auxiliary base for security reasons: if they turned out to be some kind of trap, their main base would not be compromised. Now, with nearly a dozen of them housed here, he realizes it’s become just as much a matter of logistical necessity: they wouldn’t all fit in one base even if he wanted them to.

It makes him a lot more nervous than he’s prepared to let anyone know about… he’s never had this many mutants on base at one time. Elliot’s telepathy can’t keep up with them all, even now that he’s stopped asking her to maintain shielding, and he’s had to start tuning things out of his hearing to avoid constantly being distracted.

(Even so, some things he can’t help but notice, most of them involving Drake Jr. He keeps being tempted to share Drake’s secret with his younger self, so he stops tearing himself up the way he so obviously is, but the risks are just too high. He wouldn’t deliberately reveal anything, Warren’s pretty sure, but he’d be too tempted to blurt it out in response to one argument or another. And that could get a lot of people killed.)

He hadn’t anticipated more anachronisms appearing after their raid on the Camps; only in retrospect did it seem predictable. After all, we’re talking about time travel… why would I expect them all to arrive in the same instant, or even the same day? And there are still a number of past Mansion residents unaccounted for… not least of whom, himself, a confrontation he dreads. God. What would I make of me now, at twenty? He’d be sickened. Half the time, Warren is anyway.

Even with all that, though, this new arrival surprises him by being a stranger. A stranger from the past, he doesn’t doubt, but a stranger. Which makes very little sense… if she wasn’t a Mansion resident, how did she get here?

Well, only one way to find out. He puts on a pleasant smile as Vanisher teleports into their entrance lobby, and stands up to greet the girl. "Good afternoon, Miss. Welcome to the Brotherhood." He extends a hand to shake and continues "I know, you’re probably very disoriented. I’ll answer any questions I can, though I have to admit we don’t entirely understand what’s going on, either. I’m Warren, by the way… Warren Worthington."

[Lera DeVaux]

(Okay, since I haven't reposted my sheet yet I'm puting in a notice to let you all know that Lera's age is now offically SIXTEEN not 13. Thank you all!)

Lera's world was a spinning mess. Her stomach felt flipped over and her heart was pounding away in her chest. One moment she had been turning her back on Xaiver's Institute, ready to contiue her life on the streets and now she was...well, she wasn't really sure where she was. It appeared to be a lobby of some kind though what little Lera did remember had nothing to do with where she was.

There had been whole minutes that she knew she was awake through but no valuable information had been retained. Somehow the Mansion she had been turning away from was in ruins and she was standing there where the front door had been, then someone had approached her. Conversation had been played out but Lera wasn't sure what had really been said. Suddenly, she was in an entirely different place, feeling sicker than before and even more confused.

Even as someone spoke to her Lera was having trouble grasping the words. "Warren Worthington?" her voice shook to her disgust.

Five thousand questions ran across her mind. Should she trust him? Where was she? Was it safe to speak at all? Should she run? Decideing running was out of the question due to the spinning and the fact she didn't know where she was, Lera blinked hard and focused her eyes on the man before her. "My name is Lera. Lera DeVaux. What happened?"she settled on asking.

Sparks floated down Lera's porcleian cheeks as she become more anxious about where she was and was able to more readily call her unstable power. Her discomfort was appearent as the teen shifted back and forth on the balls of her feet. Yellow eyes begged for Warren to make sense of the stituation and explain it.

[Warren Worthington III]

> " Warren Worthington? "

Oddly, Warren is getting used to having these conversations. He hadn’t thought he’d have the opportunity.

Of course, it’s really a natural extension of the talk he used to give new Brotherhood members they’d rescued from SHIELD, or the Mutant Containment Camps, or even the Academy back in the day... but it’s more difficult to give to people who don’t even know what year it is, or what the relationship of mutants to the government is.

> "My name is Lera. Lera DeVaux. What happened?"


"Hi, Lera.

Like I said, we're not exactly sure what happened, but you're not the first person it happened to. I’ll do my best to answer whatever questions you have... let me try to catch you up a little on the most important things first, though."

He’s learned not to start with ‘time travel,’ which is quite a lot to swallow, but that the anachronisms need to understand that the ground rules have changed. "First: you’re not where you think you are; you’ve traveled quite a ways. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but it’s dangerous out there and I’d recommend you find out more about the world before deciding to go off on your own.

Second: we’re doing the best we can to help you get back where you need to be, and in the meantime we’re trying to make you as comfortable as we can… but we’re also at war, and we don’t, and won’t, have time to explain everything. So until you understand the situation better, you’re going to have to trust us a little. If we tell you to duck and cover, that’s a bad time to stop and ask questions, OK?

Third: as you probably figured out from the wings, we’re mutants. We’re used to addressing special needs, and working around special risks, but we need to know what they are. So if there’s anything about you that might be a danger to us, or the other way around, this is a really good time to mention it. "

He decides to leave it at that for now… at least give the poor girl a chance to introduce herself before pouring more information, however critical, down her throat.

"I know, it’s a lot to process at once. There’s no rush… have a seat, relax. I’d offer you coffee if we still had any. Are you hungry?"

[Lera DeVaux]

(Ack...I modified while you posted...Want me to modify again?)

[Warren Worthington III]

No worries. Modified to suit.

[Lera DeVaux]

Lera just gaped at the mutant in front of her. She had an idea of what might have happened, or it seemed like what happened. Collasping in a chair, Lera curled up and hugged her knees to her chest. Something had told her to stay away from that freak show school but she hadn't listened, curisosity had gotten the better of her.

After silently staring for a minute or so, Lera spoke. "I'm a mutant. My abilitie just um...showed up. So I don't really know what thy can do or how dangerous they are." Lera admitted, her voice catching a couple times in the process.

She hated to acknowlegde she was clueless about her powers. They felt hot in her blood, wanted to burst out and destroy. It made Lera feel powerful and dangerous, for the first time in her life she was afraid of herself. Yellow eyes looked up at Warren, they were shaded but it could easily be read that the girl behind the gaze accepted his help. "I want to know where I am. Why you're at war. And what year it is."the teen's voice could cut steel but wasn't mean, just dead serious.

While waiting for answers, Lera looked around the room she was in. It was interesting, nicer than anywhere she'd stayed in a few years. The streets had been rough and it showed on the girls ragged body. Her hair was cut jaggedly around her face and was dirt streaked, someone looking would barely be able to tell it was blonde, much less almost white. Through her thin jacket Lera's bony shoulders stuck out and where the material laid against her body ribs could be counted. Pasty white skin looked ashen and waxy with malnourishmen. Getting distracted, Lera poked a toe through a hole in her too large sneakers.

[Warren Worthington III]

Warren carefully watches the new arrival digesting his introductory speech, resisting the urge to say anything else. The collapse into foetal position is far from being the worst reaction he's gotten, and experience tells him to wait it out.

> "I'm a mutant."

He carefully suppresses an amused smile, as the yellow eyes and sparks had been quite enough to give that part away already. Still, it was a good sign that she was willing to talk about herself... many of the mutants the Brotherhood had recruited over the years had already been too traumatized to go that far. Of course, things were a lot better back before the Sentinels.

> "My abilities just um...showed up. So I don't really know what they can do or how dangerous they are."

He nods, carefully maintaining a neutral expression. Judging from her body language, he concludes that Lera is not entirely sure of how dangerous she is, either, which is fairly common among young mutants.

> "I want to know where I am. Why you're at war. And what year it is."

That earns her points, and an encouraging smile. "Quick on the uptake. I like that. It's been taking most people a lot longer to figure out. Anyway, to answer your questions in reverse: the year is 2027, we're at war because the government is insisting on putting mutants in concentration camps, and you're in a Brotherhood camp full of mutant rebels somewhere in the Northeast United States. More specific than that I can't get.

[Lera DeVaux]

Surprising ever to herself, the smile made Lera feel relaxed. Obviously Warren had delt with this before and not everyone had been as quick on the uptake as she had been. Though to Lera it was easy to see that this wasn't the same year. The biggest clue was how the Mansion had been in one piece and suddenly was laying around her, a pile of rubble. After Warren spoke Lera laid her head on her knees. Even to her, at age sixteen, Lera understood that twenty years wasn't that long.

Tears bubbled to Lera's eyes. What had happened to her life. Just last week (was it really even really last week?) she had woken up in Veronica's arms, a butterfly kiss on the nose had brought her to consiousness. The sun had warmed the alley way and everything had bee fine. Now the world was crashing around the teen and she didn't know where to turn. She didn't know anyone here, or if she did they didn't know her. Was she dead, alive, had she ended up in some concentration camp?

Salty water finally escaped Lera's sparking eyes. "Ow!"Lera starled when the tear touched her face.

It burned into her skin, leaving a red mark before see wiped it away. She stared at her hand in astonishment, that had hurt! Groaning in despair she slammed her palms into her eyes. Under her breath Lera let out a string of colorful cuss words. Overwhelming helplessness over took the teen and she bit her wrist to scream into her jacket.

After her scream died, Lera hugge her knees. It was then that her lower stomach panged with pain. Lera's body still ached from being raped, she still felt dirty and fearful. Last time she knew she had been bleeding. Feeling the sticky substance still there, Lera closed her eyes in experastion. Was anything going to go right? "Do you have a shower?"she finally asked.

[Warren Worthington III]

In an earlier time, Lera’s obvious struggles with self-short-circuiting powers, basic hygiene, hunger and fatigue and injury would have likely overwhelmed Warren with the urge to help. He’s pretty sure of that. Especially with Elliot monitoring the surface of her mind, letting him know that she’s not faking.

In fact, he suspects that if any of the other anachronisms were here – Josh, Drake, the younger Toni, any of that crowd, including his own younger self if he’d arrived – they’d be falling all over themselves to help, and glaring at him like he’s some kind of evil tyrant. He even feels slightly bad about the fact, in a somewhat remote and detached way.

But the fact remains, nonetheless: he’s seen much worse, more often than he wants to think about, happening to people he loves and cares about. Lera seems like a nice enough girl, but she’s a stranger. Also, she’s not dying, she’s aware of her environment, she can think and converse rationally, and her powers – while obviously not fully under control – are, as far as he can tell, not a threat to the base… at least, as long as he keeps her away from unshielded electronics. (Not that there’s a lot of unshielded electronics in his bases, for precisely this sort of reason – she’s far from being the first electricity-generator Warren’s recruited.)

So he remains relatively neutral during her outburst, hoping privately it helps her deal with whatever trauma she’s suffering.

> " Do you have a shower? "

He nods. "We do, and you’re welcome to use it. Can’t promise hot water, but it’s at least clean. Though… are you sure that’s a good idea? Your mutation doesn’t seem to interact well with running water. If you’d rather a sponge-bath or something along those lines, I’ll see what I can scrounge up for you.

We also have a commissary… army surplus and stale vending-machine supplies, but it’s food. We’ll have to start rationing soon unless we can “liberate” some extra supplies, but for now we’re OK. If you don’t mind some advice: take it slow for the first couple of days. You look like you haven’t eaten a full meal in a while; eat too much too fast and you’ll throw it all back up within the hour.

Any unclaimed bunk is yours, just drop your stuff on it. Mess with anyone else’s stuff and you’re gone; same goes for anyone messing with yours. Hope that’s clear; I don’t give second chances on that one: we share, but we don’t steal. Also, we don’t have much in the way of spare clothes, but we’ve got some you’re free to sort through. You might be better off borrowing some needle and thread and fixing what you’re wearing, though. "

Looking her over more carefully, he adds "We also have medical facilities – but medicine is rationed, I’m afraid. Not nearly enough of it to go around. Once you’ve gotten yourself cleaned up and settled, visit the infirmary and we’ll see what we can do for you."

Privately, he alerts Elliot to get Toni to handle that particular issue, instinct suggesting that Lera might feel more comfortable explaining her medical needs to a woman.

(( OOC: For clarity: Elliot is an NPC telepath who generally monitors what’s going on on-base and handles communications, but otherwise stays out of the way. Feel free to RP Lera getting acquainted with the base with other players – infirmary, bunkmates, etc. – or not, as you and they see fit. ))

[Lera DeVaux]

Lera's eyes widened. She had thought her injuries were well concealed but she was just staring to figure out that she had greatly underestimated Warren. In fact, this whole operation seemed more structed than it did at first glance. Her head bobbed as she took in all the information. "I want to try a real shower. Nothing else is quiet the same. Then food would be nice. About the uh, medical stuff, I don't want to use supplies that could be uh be used for more important things. So you um, don' gotta worry about uh that. I can take care of myself."Lera's voice sped up at the end of her small speech, panic taking her over in the slightest way.

Lera almost jumped out of the chair and paced around in a small circle. She could feel her rapists big hands holding her down and suddenly Lera just wanted to be up and moving. A seen of sweat broke out over her pale skin and the teen could feel her heart beat speeding up. Sparks danced down Lera's body and left sorch marks on the floor. Lera's eyes were unseen behind the power they were giving off.

From a detached point of veiw Lera knew she should calm down but her fear wouldn't let her. Ever since last week she had been having a hard time staying calm and had had four attacks similar to this one. "I just want to go to the shower, now! Right now, okay? Please, Warren?"she spoke so fast most of her words slurred together.

Stopping to stare at the winged mutant in front of her, Lera continued to shift agitatedly on the balls of her feet. Her eyes danced around the room looking for an easy way out. Skipping backwards Lera pushed herself into the wall and started lighty bumping her head against in a rocking rythm.

[Warren Worthington III]

> " I want to try a real shower. Nothing else is quite the same. Then food would be nice. About the uh, medical stuff, I don't want to use supplies that could be uh be used for more important things. So you um, don' gotta worry about uh that. I can take care of myself."

Warren sighs quietly. Given her mutation, her jerky body language and the hyperkinetic heartbeat his enhanced hearing is picking up aren’t necessarily signs of shock, but he figures it’s the way to bet, with long odds on some kind of PTSD. Lord knows he’s familiar with the symptoms. Either she was running away from something back in ’07, or she ran into something hostile after arriving in the here-and-now.

The latter raises interesting possibilities. The last electricity controller he’d recruited, back in ’21 or ’22, had gotten pretty good at messing with Sentinel wiring even through their shielding; the kid had taken down over a dozen of them before leaving the front lines. Warren can’t blame him for leaving, but he misses the firepower. If Lena has what it takes to take down a Sentinel, Warren can certainly use it.

But that’s a problem for the future… for now, she’s just another shaky recruit insisting she can take care of herself. He doesn’t believe her, but it doesn’t really matter… whether she can or not, she’s going to have to. He doesn’t have the resources to nursemaid a new arrival; he’s got enough on his hands keeping the base running and making sure everyone’s got food.

> " I just want to go to the shower, now! Right now, okay? Please, Warren?"

He shrugs. "Your call. Showers are down that hall, left, then right. You’re free to look around anywhere that isn’t locked; please don’t go anywhere that is, or leave the base without talking to me first. " He sends another telepathic message to Elliot as he watches her beat her head against the wall. Warn anyone who’s using the women’s shower, OK? My guess is she’ll freak out about getting naked in front of anybody right now, not to mention she might fry them accidentally… electricity, water, all that.

More privately, he offers up a small prayer that Lena doesn’t accidentally short out the base’s defenses before she gets herself under control. Not that he expects it to do any good… but then again, he figures it can’t hurt.