Players:
Summary: Star returns to New York to happen upon Rashmi lecturing Bruce about his addiction to Kick.
Log Title: The Need for Power
Rating: PG
NYC - Mutant Town (Avenue B)
Mutant Town, also known as District X, has become a haven for mutants. This section of town doesn't care what you look like, accepting all mutants no matter what their appearance. Most of the businesses in this section of town are mutant run ranging from small convenience stores to clothing shops to restaurants to night clubs. The buildings here aren't the high rise buildings you might find in mid-town but most are about 5-6 stories high. Mutant Town might not be the most luxurious section of town, in fact it's fairly run down, but this section of where mutants are safe and welcomed regardless of race, religion and culture.
Scene
Late afternoon, and Rashmi walks down the lane from Nowhere, her face grim and determined. For once happy for her short hair keeping her neck cool, she mentally runs over what Lil had told her; that Bruce was on drugs, that he'd been banned until he gave it up, and that he's been less reasonable than usual because of it. Squaring her shoulders as she reaches the Four Arms, she pauses a moment to check the registry, then buzzes Bruce's apartment.
There isn't an answer from the speaker. After a few minutes Bruce's head pops out of a window a few stories up. He squints down at the ground and gives Rashmi a confused expression before disappearing back inside. After a few seconds his voice comes over the intercom. "I'll be down in a minute."
After a few minutes the door to the apartment building opens up and Bruce steps out. He's wearing a pair of cammo shorts, black combat boots, and his dog-tags. He rubs a hand through his hair as though trying to make it look a little nicer, but it looks like he hasn't tried grooming or shaving in several days. Without a shirt on his full body aboriginal tattoos are much more apparent. The man quirks an eyebrow and takes a swig of a beer he brought down with him. "Rashmi. Haven't seen you since the police incident…What do you need?"
"To talk to you," Rashmi says, her face serious. "I was just at Nowhere, Lil gave me the rundown. Bruce…" She trails off, shaking her head. "What *happened* to you? I know we've never seen eye to eye, but this…?" A furrow grows between her eyebrows, dark eyes worried and unhappy. "This isn't you."
Bruce scratches his chest and yawns, appearing suddenly disinterested. He takes another swig of his beer and makes a face at it. "Really? She got you on her side now too?" I really don't see why everyone's so up at arms about this. I finally got the tools I need to expand Mutant Town and everyone's unhappy." The man sighs. "In a bit…When New York has become New Genosha…You'll see that everything turned out great."
It's been a couple of months since the trip to Africa and Star hasn't been seen either around New York or Xavier's. She hasn't made it back to the school yet and doesn't really want to try thanks to stupid rush hour, instead she's gone to Mutant Town, rolling suitcase dragged along behind her. With a milkshake in her free hand, she doesn't really appear to have a destination in mind at the moment. Then she spots Rashmi and Bruce and slows her slow meander to a crawl. The cool treat is sipped, but she keeps her distance.
Rashmi's mouth falls open. "Bruce… *Bruce.* Are you hearing yourself? Turn New York into New Genosha, seriously? Nevermind that there's like an *entire country* with *lots of military* that would have something to say *with bullets* about that idea… How the *hell* do you think *anyone* will appreciate you telling them what they need?! I mean, seriously. *What.*"
Bruce just smirks at Rashmi. His expression is slightly distant and there is a touch of something wild in his eyes. "Oh please Rashmi, let's not pretend that it's not going to happen eventually. Plus we both know how well bullets work on me." He leans against the stone railing of his building and sits his bottle down. "The people need someone to rally behind before they'll stand up to the humans who run the government here. Even the US government couldn't stand against all the mutants of New York City. With Magneto to lead them and me to back him up?" He chuckles and scratches his neck. "Well it wouldn't take very long."
Star blinks a couple of times when she hears what the pair are talking about and stops, just staring for a moment. The empath's shock fills the air around her and she lowers the shake, "Wait. New Genosha?" What? She takes a couple of steps closer, "I know I've been out of town for a while, but what the hell?!" She just sounds confused.
Rashmi throws her hands in the air. "When did Magneto agree to this?! Have you even *talked* to him since you've been on this kick?!" Blinking as Star's shock drifts down her way, she shakes her head, looking over her shoulder. "Hi, Star," Rashmi says, weariness in her voice. "You've got rotten timing… There's a huge drug problem in Mutant Town, and, well…" She gestures behind her toward the ragged and shirtless Bruce. Turning back to the Aussie, she narrows her eyes. "It'll never work. You *know* it'd never work… Or at least you would if your head was on straight. Bruce… You're *better* than this. You *know* you are. You were a *soldier,* for God's sake, and there's only one soldier I've *ever* known who would turn to drugs and war to solve problems. Trust us; you *don't* want to be him."
Bruce waves a hand dismissively at Rashmi, glancing over her shoulder at Star and offering a half wave. "I don't need to talk to Magneto about it. I'm sure he'd agree with me." He fishes around in his pocket and pulls out a small white inhaler. "And this? Have you even tried it Rashmi? You have no idea what it's capable of. With enough of this I could level the city…And that's just me. If we gave this to someone like Magneto? We wouldn't need a war." He tosses the Kick into the air and catches it again. "Speaking of which, war isn't my goal. I just want the humans out so we can have what's rightfully ours."
The empath grimaces, aggravation replacing the shock. Seems that Star always shows up at just the wrong moment… Always! She gives a little wave to both of the other mutants and leans her suitcase against her legs, "Aren't there always drugs, though?" The mention of war, however, has her cringing a little.
Rashmi glares at the inhaler, restraining herself from summoning her own powers by sheer principle at the moment. "Not drugs that jack up mutants and make them feel like gods. Mutant PCP, if everything I hear is right. And no, Bruce. I don't *ever* want to try that stuff. I saw what it did to a kid. I saw what it did to the *park.* And right now *that* is more dangerous than if the *entire City's* cops were as bad as the ones that kidnapped Lil. *You,* Bruce, are now officially the worst thing for Mutant Town going. Hope you're happy."
Bruce laughs at Rashmi. "Yes, it does make mutants feel like gods. And I'm not sure who you saw use this stuff but he must not have been someone that could truley benefit from it. It's like reaching your full potential instantly. How can that be bad?" He shrugs and stuffs the drug back into his pocket. "You may see me as the bad guy, but I'm just the power that is needed to effect change. People look at the nuclear bomb as a terrible thing but it ended the war with Japan. Kick may cause a bit of excess damage but it will give us our autonomy."
Star blinks a couple of times and looks back and forth between the other two for a moment before settling on Bruce with a murky, gray eyed gaze, "You're on this drug? I thought you were, like, this great defender of mutant rights?!" A vague hint of guilt hovers around her, but she doesn't mention what it might be that she feels guilty about, "Excess damage is never a good thing…" Not in her book, anyway.
"No. It's not. And the atomic bomb was used once. *Once.* After that it was so horrible everyone, *everyone* with any sense went 'We should never ever use this again' and the only reason it *worked* is because everyone knows what'll happen when another one is set off. All Kick does is make mutants insane, and gives the people who need to be *shut up* another *world* of reasons to keep yelling. *Damn* it, Bruce, I thought you were better than this!" Pausing a moment to catch her breath after her tirade, she fixes the man with a withering glare. "And look at what you just said. Some mutants are better than others, now? Yeah, you sound like a real winner." Snorting, she turns her back. "C'mon, Star. Let's find someplace to cool off, huh?"
Bruce huffs at Star. "I don't need to explain myself to you. What have you done for our people? At least I'm willing to take action. At least I'm doing what needs to be done for our species to advance." He picks his beer back up and fixes Rashmi with a strange stare. "I never said some mutants were better than others. Some mutants have greater power than others. It is their role to fight for the weak." He shrugs as she turns her back. "You'll see some day. And then you can stop by and thank me."
Star pales a little at the comment about some mutants having greater powers and gives herself a little shake, her voice almost a whisper, "Some of us don't want the powers we have." Seems that all her powers have done since she learned that she does, indeed, have them is get her in trouble! She drags her suitcase over to join Rashmi, giving Bruce a sad, almost wary look, something akin to depression flowing around her. She glances back to the old soldier, "What's happened to you? I thought all the people at Nowhere respected you… They sure seemed to think you were when I was there, anyway."
"Kick happened," Rashmi says sadly, glancing over her shoulder. "And now he doesn't think he needs anything else. Hell, *I* respected him. Not now though, tat's for sure. And if he *does* decide to take over the City? I'll be cheering for everyone who stops him. I just hope he'll survive long enough to realize what an idiot he's been." Yes, all of that said over her shoulder, her eyes on the Aussie. "I know a good bistro around the corner, Star. My treat?"
Bruce appears to be watching a man across the street as he walks down the sidewalk, but he is listening to the girls as they speak. "Think whatever you want. Just don't get in my way…Not that you could now anyway." He looks back at Rashmi and flashes a slightly mannic grin. "See ya around. And if you see Lil, tell her to give my dog back. I don't want to have to go take him back by force."
"Kick… God, I really have been away too long." Star shakes her head and takes a deep breath, trying to reach a calm center so that she doesn't inflict her every emotion on the people around her. She finishes off the last of her milkshake and gives the cup a little shake to make sure that it really is empty, "Thanks, Rashmi. It'll be good to catch up." She hasn't spoken to anyone outside of Boston other than her brother since she went home, after all.
Rashmi wheels around, a sudden spike of annoyance drifting up from the low-key emotional static of her multitrack mind. "Bruce you look like a hobo and smell like roadkill, and if you can't be bothered to *shave* you have no *business* taking care of a dog." Snorting, she turns back, nodding to the girl. "Wanted to talk about Nigeria too," she murmurs. "Thought it'd be easier talking about it with someone who was there too, y'know?"
Bruce stands up and turns to enter his apartment. He stops suddenly and shoots Rashmi a confused look, raising an arm and sniffing himself. "I don't know what you're talking about. I smell like sexy." He downs the rest of his beer and tosses the bottle into a dumpster before going back inside.
~ Fin ~
