2010-07-13: Ten Years Of Time

Players:

Connor_icon.jpg Kenta_icon.jpg Lucas_icon.jpg

Summary: Kenta offers Connor Help, Connor doesn't need it, Lucas comes in and stirs things up.

Date: July 13, 2010

Log Title: Ten Years Of Time

Rating: R


Xavier Mansion - War Room

A large table sits in the middle of this room for the X-Men to plan their latest missions. Global information is collect by computer-based expert systems, which scan for specific data that may be important to the X-Men. The information can be displayed anywhere by verbal or other commands.


Flopped down in front of the bank of computers in the War Room rather surprisingly… or perhaps not so surprisingly… is the form of Connor. Off to one side is an old file from Muir Island with a man's face on it, and across two screens are flashing newspaper articles and news reports, all running fast forwards for a facial recognition program. Behind him on the planning table looks to have been enough Chinese food to feed a family of six.

After hearing that Connor is trapped in his own body from ten years in the future, well, Kenta can't help but relate a bit. He figures he can offer something to him so he's gone to find Connor and finds him in the war room. "Wow, a bit dramatic huh? The War Room." He says as he goes over and takes a set, just looking at Connor with his solid black eyes for a bit. "Okay, so how about you tell me exactly what the fuck is going on here." He says as his voice is filled with a sort of demanding impatience, something he doesn't use often.

Connor looks up and over the seat, a root beer in his hand that from a distance would pass for a real beer bottle, "Oh… running facial recognition tracking software… trying to see if there's any place he's been dumb enough to pop up on camera. I did the same for Cam early, but it's nada. Might be worth nothing, but can't just sit around waiting for Bets to heal up so we can actually go DO something." Pushing off, he turns around to face you fully, "Besides… short of the labs this is the one place I can chill and do something where some student who thinks they know me isn't going to come up and force me to play dumb."

Kenta just stares at Connor. "Thank you for telling me what you're doing but I didn't ask that." He's been to war, he's been through things that have left him with a darkside he doesn't like but it's coming through right now. "Something's going on ten years from now, something -you- felt was necessary to come back in time for, now what. the. hell. is going on Connor."

Connor grumbles out, "Right…" And he leans his elbows on his knees… dressed in what has to be a full X-men uniform now, but has been stylized from the blue and yellow into a dark-grey and black, with inserts where it looks like extra armor layerings have been placed. Part if it sits back like a hood, and there are an array of pouches and pockets, and empty sheathes and holsters on it, "Ahab. Robert Kelly. Bolivar Trask. Now the head of a group called The Hounds of Ahab… who specialize in mutant tracking and capture. President Robert Kelly about to go into his second term. Bolivar Trask… head of the Sentinel Program, and nominally in charge of un-Hounded mutants known as Hunters. Late May, 2020… Ahab captured Heather Brown. And somehow enhanced her abilities to the point that she achieved time travel. She brought her master back ten years and has changed history. This is causing problems with time itself. So… I got to be the lucky idiot to come back and try and stop him."

Kenta takes a tin out of his pocket and pulls out a home rolled cigarette, offering one to Connor as well, before lighting up. "So times being fucked with, okay. You're back, but you came back too late. Cam and victem number two who was with him were already changed. So if they're already gone and we don't know where they are, well, what do you propose and why this spot in time? You could have gone back further another two months and been golden."

Connor motions a no for the cigarette, "Beer and painkillers yes… never smoked. My throat was already too messed up." Leaving it at that, "Okay… here's where things get weird. First thing's first… myself, I cannot time travel. Bets was actually forcing my abilities far beyond their normal scope in order to facilitate connection me with this time and place. I needed a time with heavy emotion to help smooth the connection. This right now was the closest traumatic event I could recall… Robyn's accident. This isn't an exact science, Kenta… Heather's the one who has the fine control over chronal shifts, and I think she let herself get captured deliberately."

Kenta takes a long drag at Connor and sighs. "You took a shot in the dark. You had a plan to come back here but what's your plan after that. Hope that you run into this…Ahab again? Hope that he goes for Heather now and then stop it? Cause if that's your plan…" Kenta just leaves it at that. "Okay now the ultimate question, what do you need help with."

Connor's eyes darken a bit, as much as they can with their native glow, "I can't tell you my plan… because I can't tell you things that you might tell me when this is all settled. Not me, but the boy I am now. But with Bets here, and you all in the know, that's changed. I wasn't expecting to have a support structure. I was expecting to have to use contacts and information I brought with me to access other intelligence available out there." Shaking his head, he reaches into one of the cartons and pulls out an egg roll which disappears in a bare couple of bites, "He can't go for present Heather, it locks him into a causality loop and he knows it… and I should thank Doc McCoy for hammering physics into my head… half this shit wouldn't be possible without the understanding I have of the nature of the universe." He pauses, and then says, "I need weapons, I need information… I need Addision to try and fix the ones that were taken. If we can get the right event… at the right time… and the right place… plucking the right string will unravel and fix this whole shitpile and maybe… maybe I'll get lucky and cease to exist."

Kenta stands up, sure he's shorter than Connor, by a lot, but he still swings an arm to try to punch Connor right in the cheek. "Wake the fuck up Connor. God you think you'd be smarter if you were ten years older than you look. This isn't how you plan for a fucking battle. You don't keep everyone else in the dark, that's how you get people killed. You need weapons, infromation, well la-de-fucking-dah how the fuck do you expect us to help youwith information if you won't tell us what the fuck is going on? You're counting on luck? That's not how you survive. Addison to try to fix, I can accept that as a start. Now I've have my fucking shit luck with time before, so I know a little bit about things being fucked up. Now I'm offering help and to not be your fucking running boy. Now you either accept it or you're gonna go alone with this Bets chick and I will assure you, you'll fuck up."

Connor doesn't have the muscle mass or the reflexes that his body ten years from now has, so his attempt to stop the bravado doesn't go as fast as it should, and he takes the hit on the cheek hard, sending the chair he's in spinning and depositing him on the floor. Rubbing at his cheek, the displaced man grumbles, "Suppose I deserved that." Before he pushes himself up to standing, and glares back, "That one was free… this body might be a decade out of practice, but don't sell me short, Gilpatrick. You've got no fucking clue what I've been through. I won't tell you some because it has to do with my family. With truths you don't get because you're just the kind of stupid to act on it." Adjusting his jaw, he pokes at his cheek once more, and grumps, "Nice shot. But I didn't ASK you to be my errand boy. I don't WANT you involved. You're a father. And I'll be damned if I be the one that makes Armande an orphan…" And it feels like there's a word missing from that sentence.

Glaring at Connor Kenta looks pissed. "You're not the only one who has been messed with from time Connor. I know you've been through something to turn you into the hard ass bastard whose probably made too many mistakes." He holds am arm infront of Connor, showing in black the numbers '41067'. "You don't know what I've been through either Connor. -That's- why I'm offering to help you. You wanna know something, I was born in the year 1988 but I'm 32…do the math for me. I -can- help you, I've been to war, I've been through situations. I know what I'm doing. Hell I did it when Armande was an infant. He wasn't born in this world Connor. Sure I worry about him but I'm not about to let myself get killed. So right now, you can do this on your own and I will assure you, you won't succeed on your own, or you can get help from those that offer if you're not to stubborn." Kenta says as he goes over and leans against the wall, taking a long drag of his cigarette with a smirk. "And oh, you think you can take on someone who was a gladiator for a few years be my guest. The Danger room is open now I believe."

There's a blur of movement, or a teleportation so blindly fast Kenta can't see it, followed by a second of blackness before the man finds himself slammed against a wall and held there by a pair of hands, and a shimmering field around him, "Back home I had the year 2018 on my neck." Another slam, "Because I was forced to watch my family be killed right in front of me. My mother… my father… MY SISTERS…" Another hard shove as Connor pushes away, and the power is seething off his hands with azure intensity, "I broke and NO ONE was there to put me back together! NO ONE. I had two choices. Go crazy, or get caught. So I went crazy. You wanna talk about being a gladiator? You killed for the crowds. I killed for MONEY. For weapons! I killed because I wanted to hurt every goddamn person who had anything to do with the Sentinels and Hunters! In the space of two years I made my name in Africa and the Middle East, and I was right up there with the likes of Deadpool and Taskmaster. You wanna throw

"You wanna throw down? I didn't come here to fight you! I didn't even want to SEE YOU! The ones who aren't ghosts, are enemies… or the people I know anymore are MOCKERIES of the people here! This is a fucking UTOPIA compared to my world, kenta… and I belong here like a wolf belongs in a goddamn shopping mall!"

There's a smile from Kenta's face as he gets slammed and just like Kenta didn't see the teleport coming, Volk probably doesn't see the sword that Darkstar forms and stabs right into him. It's not like any sword that exists, this is pure energy and Connor's armour would offer it no resistance. There is no injury as this sword does one thing, absorb life force and he drains a bit from Connor. "No, I killed because I was forced to, yes there was a crowd but that's what they made us. They altered our powers so we could kill for them. We escaped then we fought every day for survival. We killed to survive not ever knowing if it was possible to get back home. Two years huh? In five years the Cafabde wanted us dead. We didn't die, ten years later we got back here. It was ten god damn lousey years of hell to find out that one month passed here. You think I belonged here when I got back? I still don't feel like I belong here. Brian was my -roommate- we close in age, now I can't even relate to him. My band, they moved on without me, I'm not the Kenta they knew. You learn to like the Utopia and accept it. Daphne…she couldn't. She went and got herself killed Connor. Aramande's mother died, the woman I loved died. Unlike you, you have a chance to change the death of your family me, I can't. You're like a fucking child throwing a temper trantrum making this about you. This isn't about you Connor. You came here to protect something, but all your doing is crying about what you see. Get the fuck over it if you want to change anything. You're not going to do shit but get people killed in the now and then if you keep acting like an ass." Kenta says as he just stares at him. "I can understand what you're going through more than you even want to acknowledge. Now I ask you, do you want to succeed?"

The drain hits, and Volk stumbles a bit, his hands lighting up as he preps once more… and then he stops, and lets it go, straightening up a bit to lock eyes with the other man, "Maybe you're right… but you're packin just as much anger and stupid as I am, Kenta… I already told you plans have changed. Addison won't let it go, and Bets is in the infirmary for another day. I promised them time for her to heal from being accidentally brought to the past before we went hunting. My original plan is shot to shit, allright? So I'm doing what I can while she recovers and staying out of the way of anyone like Lucas so none of that happens again. Believe me… I was prepped to be out the door and in New York to bully some of the Mutant Underground, or a couple of SHIELD contacts for supplies… or I was going to raid Forge's workshop. I'm not being stupid… but if I can't get out there and get working…" He motions to the screens, "The least I can do is some background work."

"No, you didn't tell me plans have changed. You just told me you can't tell anyone anything that will risk telling the younger you. Which is pretty much this whole bloody school." Kenta says crossing his arms. "You're going to raid Forge's workshop and you're not being stuipd." There's almost a laugh at that. "Lemme ask you something Connor, and something I -really- want you to think about. What happens if you're stuck? Meaning, you -can't- go back. You've fucked with time and space Connor, what happens if you can't fuck with it again? "

Connor holds up a finger, "I said I -WAS- going to… stop being a dick, Kenta." Shaking his head once, "Theory is… I'm tethered in this mind, the original mind is tethered in my body. If the timelines begin to deviate too much, the connection will strain… and then snap. The backlash will either put him back in this body, or we both end up vegetables… our mental patterns trapped inside a black hole forever. Why the hell do you think I'm itching to get moving? Everything that happens now DIDN'T. And if something major changes the timeline… that might do me in." Then he shrugs once, "But Bets is here… and the timeline can't erase her. If I fall, she can still carry the fight. I accepted all the risks going into this… and I accepted that victory will probably mean I no longer exist. If stopping Ahab means my death… mine… not this Connor's? Then so be it."

"The future's already changed with you being here. You can't stop that. Though you gotta think about it Connor, there's a chance your suck and stopping Ahab means -his- death not yours. It's possible." In a werid kind of time messed up ness is can be. Kenta sighs and shakes his head taking another cigarette out and putting it between his lips. "I don't know what future me is like and frankly I don't want to know. Knowing to much fucks shit up. I'll be living for the future, not the now." He lights the cigarette up and sighs. "I'm offering to help you not because of built up anger or any bullshit like that. I'm offering to help cause I understand you. I know, to some degree, what you're going through, and how much it hurts. That's why I'm offering. Because I've been through countless battles where I had to fight to survive just so I can live the next day, so Daphne could, so Armande could. I'm offering help because it's not just you that's involved, in a fucked up way, if our future is, then we all are. But if you don't need my help then, lemme just say, don't fuck up. CAuse if you fuck up…."

Connor goes back to looking at the programs flashing on all the screens, and then shakes his head as he hangs it, and takes a deep breath, in through his nose and out his mouth, "Fine… fine…" the second said with a bit of defeat, "Truth be told… I could use it. Not that I'd admit it to anyone else… but you give as good as you get, and in my book that's worth the respect. We can't find him because Cam is scrambling any attempts to find them. The problem is… We don't know what he's looking for. But he took Cam, who can find anything, and Jeremy… who can get the truth from anything… it's a weird combination, but the two of them together can make it so if he needs anything, they can get it. There HAS to be a pattern to his movements in the last month, but civilian intelligence isn't enough to track him. I need someone with SHIELD access… someone who can run the same programs in their files and get us some kind of direction."

Lucas enters the room wearing cargo shorts and a wife beater. That chain with the guitar pick is around his neck, and he's carrying a guitar and a box of Pop Tarts. "Hey," he says, announcing his presence as if he owns the mansion. "Ah just received a message from the future from Heather, via Chloe." He looks at Connor. "Ah think whatever you're here to fix is part of the same problem with my Jim. And Ah need to help, Addison be damned." He looks at Kenta, "Ah'll take the extra punishment. Just let me see this through, sir." He looks from Kenta to Connor, then back again.

Kenta walks over and stands behind Connor, who'd get a nice smell of cigarette smoke. "Okay so we gotta figure out how to get a hold of someone in SHIELD to see if they can trace patterns. That's easy enough. I know the X-Men have connections with the Avengers and stuff so I can use that." He says as Lucas bursts in and there's a smile. "What's up Lucas, and damnit, it's just Kenta not sir. And don't worry about extra punishment, yours starts tomorrow though. I'll let you know about it in a bit, what's up?" Connor would notice that Kenta's demenor changed when Lucas came in, less hardened fighter, more parently.

Connor waves his hand under his nose to waft off the scent of cigarette smoke, though his preferred scent is propellant, "Your Jim? Whoa whoa whoa… hold up a sec…" And he stops to laugh a bit, before composing himself, "Lucas… hate to burst your bubble, but if anything… she'd be just as willing to help us as mess with us. See… if she's in James' body like she's supposed to be, and you're all doing like you're doing… her intel on Ahab is sparse. She doesn't know what's really happening. And it'd torque her off something fierce if someone started killing off the people she thinks is her right to rule. I was there… the bitch could teach courses on megalomania…" Then he holds up a hand, "I'm NOT saying we won't help you, man… far from it… but to fight on her level, your powers won't do you squat. Neither would mine, or Kenta's. Once Bets is mobile, we'll have a better chance of squaring her away."

Lucas says, "Chloe spoke with future Heather right after Jim was stabbed by the Ahab spear. She told Chloe that in the future, James is a demonic killing machine that would slaughter Chloe's family, working for Ahab. Chloe told James, who at that point was Selene. For obvious reasons, Jameselene was very pleased he was a killing machine. In fact, he was more upset he was working for Ahab than anything else." He looks between the two adults, then adds, "Apparently, CoHeadmistress Frost, whom Addison is so convinced is completely on the okay list, stole this information from Chloe's brain and hasn't done anything else with it. She knew, and isn't acting. The paranoid guy in me says that Addison may be compromised too, if she is and he's supporting blindly." He looks at Connor, "The point is, Selene already knows. Ah need to help fix all this. Ah don't want to live in a future where my daughter can't see me with my two best friends at my side. Ah need you and Jim back, Ringo." He gives a little smirk then, confident and charismatic. "The CORRECT you and Jim."

"Woah woah woah, calm down there Lucas." Kenta says takin a drag. "We don't know for a fact Emma isn't doing anything, and have you tried to talk to her yet?" He asks as shakes his head. "Now then, future Heather talked to Chloe, that's a good start. Connor, may I suggest you talk to Chloe then?" He says before walking over to Lucas and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Lucas, I know you're worried about James, I just think these are two problems that aren't related. Though, Connor has a point about Selene being able to help…maybe."

Connor goes back to looking at the screens for a moment, then slips a card key out of his pocket, and hands it to Lucas, "Here's the key to my room. Sleep there tonight. Don't go back to your bedroom, don't talk to Selene… Part of the problem is you kids didn't listen to me when I was still him." Tapping the side of his head, "My mentor… Connor's… mentor… never told him the whole truth. Everything he taught the kid, from fighting, to how to focus himself with what he called a 'battle-mind' to even how to behave when you think things are wrong… he did this all on purpose. I remember ten years ago I tried to get you both to stop talking about things like this on campus if you thought it was compromised, and you didn't listen. Now we're paying for that mistake Lucas." His eyes flick back to Kenta, "I really wish I was more assertive, but it's the OCD. It saps my confidence, makes me second-guess things. I remember not following up, because I didn't think Jinx or Lucas would believe me anyways. That and I was too preoccupied with Robyn. Now you see why this time was such a Magnet?"

Lucas sighs, and he takes the key card. He studies Connor for a long moment, and then he softly, simply says, "The problem with all of you adults," looking at Kenta and then back at Connor, "is that you all set the example of keeping secrets and handling things yourselves, setting the opposite example of what you want us to do, and then spend all your time later throwing it up in our faces everything we did wrong as part of a fancy adult game of 'Ah told you so.' But in all of that, none of you TEACH. None of you MENTOR." He shakes his head a little, "We need guidance, not lectures. We need you to give a shit, not be bothered by us. We need you all to stop thinking everything revolves solely around you. Because WE'RE the teenagers. WE'RE the ones that are supposed to foolishly believe that." He looks at Connor, "You have no idea if this is because of me makin' a mistake an' talking on campus, because Ah haven't, except to Robyn in the Med Bay, where HIPPA says no cameras." He looks at Kenta, "Sorry Ah'm tryin' to help." He turns, and marches out.

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