Heroes Uprising Part 13

"Leah nods, fetching the plastic utensils, and plates, putting rice, chicken, and broccoli on them before sitting down, as Nate emerges from the bathroom."

Nate: hey Guys
Leah: Hey Nate! Just got yall some food, Rachel you really should eat.
....................
"Carmen smiles."
Carmen: Sure Jamsie, why's your face so red. "Giggles."
..........................
Dave: She keeps telling me she's seeing Abigale..but there is never anyone there.... I'm worried she might finally snapped.
.....................
"Marie air ports them to the house."

"Mariana looks at him. He's similar to Fawkes. No emotion. However...his face shows a excitement"

Mariana: Look I don't know who you are, but if you want sex there's probably whores for that old man

"She turns around and takes a breath of her cigarette before starting to walk away"

---

Rachel: I'm fine thanks...don't worry

"Just then, Marie and Milo walk in"

Marie: Leah! It's been a' while

---

James: See the thing about that is we should really get ready

"James walks off to his room. He had been living with her, and yes, he liked her...but he hadn't done anything. He was, so far, doing this solely because he was afraid what kind of breakdown she could have because of her father's situation"

...: My dear child, you have the wrong idea. However, you do have something I want, a item that belongs to me, but was lost. I'm sure you know what that is, don't you.

"Mariana makes no movement and turns around. She's an expert in detecting lies...so she knows HOW to lie"

Mariana: Look...I have no idea. Who are you old man? Are you from the X-Force?

...: Oh the X Force knows me very well, though I'm not a member in the group. Now, be a good girl.

*The old man sends a telepathic order along with the last part of the sentence.*

...: Give me the gem, young one.

"Mariana goes in her a pocket. It was just a red gem she found some weeks ago, nothing major. She thought it was pretty, and kept it. On a whim"

Mariana: Here...

*The old man showed a slime as Mariana placed the gem in his open hand.*

...: Why thank you so very much young lady. You may be on your way now. I have business that needs to be attended to.

*With that, the man bid Mariana fear well, and turned to leave. As Mariana got out of sight, the man appearance changed, becoming that of Shawkun.*

Shawkun: Sometimes, it's all just to easy.

*He simply vanishes from the spot, without a trace of ever being there. He arrives back at a underground lair, the other man in the shadows still waiting.*

...: Everything went smoothly?
Shawkun: Of course.

*A second gem, exactly the same as the he holds in his left hand, given to him by Mariana, materializes in Shawkun's right. He throws this second gem to the man in the shadows, who catches it.*

...: A second gem?
Shawkun: I mere fake, or replicate. It will provide you with all the power you need, but it will crumple after extended use. Understand?
...: Of course, I only need it to last over night.
Shawkun: Good.

Dave: She keeps telling me she's seeing Abigale..but there is never anyone there.... I'm worried she might finally snapped.
.............
Leah: Alright then I won't argue
Rachel: Thank you
Milo: Oooh Chinese Food!

"Milo rushes to the table, and starts to gooble down some noodles, he's grown a-custom to all kinds of foods."
....................
"Carmen nods."

Carmen: Alright after that can we stop bye and see my dad in the hospital, I really hope he gets better.

"Mariana's conscious returns"

Mariana: Whoa...what...happened?

"She had blacked out. This wasn't normal, but probably a side effect from the extended psychosis attack. She ignored it, took another pill and head off, still smoking"

----

"Harry and Aya, once again working together, track down another lead. An old house that Solf used after he left his own"

Harry: You really think we'll find anything?
Aya: No idea...but we can try. This wasn't registered in his name...but it was in the registry of some documents we found under the Syndicate's cover name.
Harry: Oh that's just great

"Harry lights a cigarette. He's really taken a liking to them. Guess it's either the addiction setting on...or the coolness factor provided"

---

James: Sure...if you want I personally hate the bastard...but whatever keeps you happy

----

Yamairo: I see...
"Isabel": There are multiple ways to make one see things. Shape shifting, mind control, clone creating...homunculus fabrication...

"Yamairo turns to her. While still emotionless, she had stricken a nerve on herself to mention all the factors"

Yamairo: If it IS that...we should have a talk with Iliria. She's capable of all of this...and she has two reasons
Dave: Hm...what?
Yamairo: She enjoys torturing people in love...and Sandra well...there was that thing
"Isabel": Sandra was, for some time, romantically involved with Milo Ventro, who Iliria shows a great interest in

"And again, she shows a bad quality. No tact, direct to the point. I guess it's sometimes useful, but other times..."

Manda: The Inner Circle, at times they do reveal themselves, doesn't seem very active. However, Yama can still be right. They mostly remain hidden, what they do at these times, one can't say.

Yamairo: Iliria...isn't one to go about doing masterful evil plans. I remember...Milo and Harry once said, that they don't go about it through force, but through strategy...business and actual influence. Bad rep is bad for them, even if they have bad rep themselves. Jorgan felt this first hand. He was cut loose
"Isabel": Iliria has motive, means and opportunity. I suggest we look into her. Afterward, we look into any other possible guilty party and then, if nothing comes up, we can assume that Sandra has, indeed, lost it...in which case we hand her over to HAMMER

"Everyone stops in shock"

Manda: HAMMER? Hmm, I say we check all possibility's before this. If she's truly on the verge of losing it, her friend turning on her might push her over the edge. HAMMER won't take her alone. How long was this going on?
Dave: *borrowed* A few weeks.
Manda: England right? I'll keep watch their, encase this is some bastard playing a cruel trick on her.

"Isabel": Don't beat around the bush...Yamairo knows why I said this as well. I have her memories. I know what happens when she gets her loved ones messed with...

"Yamairo doesn't look into Dave's eyes, because he agrees with Isabel on some grounds. Sandra as the dark phoenix...is to dangerous to leave about"

---

"Harry and Aya arrive at the house. They go in. Again, it's abandoned. However, this one is much more tidy. As they go in, they find a huge bookshelf. Mostly psychology books, but there's all kinds of others. Classics of literature, science books of all possible areas."

Harry: This guy really likes to read

...: I enjoy keeping myself cultured yes...

"Harry turns around instantly along with Aya pointing her gun. Solf, carrying a brief case and taking off his hat, again in his white suit, looks at them...warmly. No killer intent, no enmity"

Harry: What do you want?
Solf: Why...I'm merely stopping by my house to check on things? Is this a crime?
Harry: You ARE under arrest for several counts o-
Solf: Now now...I know how this ends, and I rather not do this in this place. I keep important things here you see. We can take it outside once I'm done getting a few things and checking on others. Make yourselves comfortable.

"Harry and Aya are in such shock and the friendly reception they forget he's their enemy just long enough for him to walk off into the inner divisions of the house"

Harry: What the hell was that?!
Aya: No idea...he seems to not want to fight us in here

Manda: If it comes to that, we may have a fight on our hands.

*Dave looks on with shock, he expected to get some help, somehow, someway. This is the women he loved, mother of his child, the one he's endured so much to be with. Now all this talk of handing her over to HAMMER, treating her like a criminal. He wouldn't except this, even if worse came to be, he wouldn't accept it.*

Dave: Hand her over to HAMMER? Listen to yourselves, she's our friend, she needs your help damnit, not to be locked away by Hammer!!

*Manda gives him a firm, somewhat serious look.*

Manda: It's plans encase of the worst case scenario. The Dark Phoenix.

*Tesla comes in, hearing the words "Dark Phoenix".

Tesla: Ah damnit... we only had Void taking over Milo, Amber drawing on dark powers, and a invasion no more then a month ago... don't tell me this is happening again?

"Isabel": Not to mention Kano's Warrior's Madness and...well...Hulk in general

"She says this as a matter of fact"

Yamairo: Did you...just try to make a joke?
"Isabel": I think so...did I fail?
Yamairo: Hmm...somewhat. But this is serious!
"Isabel": Relax, and Dave, calm yourself as well. I was merely stating the facts. I am not in command. Milo and Yamairo are. I merely follow their orders, whatever they may be. And, on Yamairo's request, I give my opinion

Manda: You know... it might be case of stress, or guilt even.
Dave: What... do you mean? We haven't had any trouble over the past weeks.
Manda: True but, think about it. Jorgan, Void, Abby's death with the hunters, Madara.
Dave: The hunters, Madara, that all happened long ago, why would that stress her out?
Manda: Your missing the big picture. Look Dave, lets just face it. You needed her, and she couldn't safe you. If I recall correctly, this was the beginning of your relationship issues. Again, the same with Abby, she needed her there, and Sandra wasn't there. Then Void, he would of taken both yourself and and the child, but Milo regained control after attacking Sandra. Then Jorgon, using the kid as basically a strangle hold to force Sandra to his side.

If I was her, I know I would be worried constantly, on edge that something might happen. All this, might still be eating away at her, the images of Abby, probably desperate longing for forgiveness. Maybe, before we even do anything, Dave should simply talk to her. Get to the heart of what's bothering her, and help her through it.

Tesla: What's this? You going all Dr. Phil on us.
Manda: No, no, I'm just making the point. All this, is happening in fairly close proximity to one another, these constant disasters, one of which would probably throw most people lives into turmoil. You have to imagine what could be running through her mind after all this. It's easy to say you've put it all behind, actually doing so, is something different all together.

Yamairo: Agreed! Just talk to her, it may help.

----

"Harry is on edge as Solf is sitting down and having a cup of tea. Aya is also on guard, gun pointed at Solf"

Solf: This is extremely rude you know?
Harry: Enough of your crap! Tell us what's going on? Why are you in Berlin
Solf: It was on route to my next destination...that is all. Nothing major...that and my target passed through here just a couple of days ago. There were...sittings.
Harry: Fascinating...why are you after Hei...wait, rather, what's HE after? He was perfectly well hidden, why risk that?
Solf: I do believe he's after his former associate...Yin
Harry: Yin...isn't that the girl
Solf: She had the power to manifest a "ghost", a presence that allowed her to take command of other people's powers. She was trained and groomed by the Syndicate since she was 10 to attack and kill the Genosha island upon the attack of the Hunters. She would later kill herself to erase evidence...but it seems the plan failed. Hei...corrupted the training when she was handed over to him for protection. She didn't go ahead with it, and Hei, using his powers, sealed off the area she was last sighted. However...both Hei and the Ice boy survived...so I have my reasons to believe SHE is alive as well...and gone rogue
Harry: Ro...rogue?
Solf: A girl of her...type is prone to instability. If she's gone rogue, she's a danger to mutants everywhere...a murderer with the power to control other mutants abilities. She can kill any one mutant on this earth.
Harry: That's...impossible
Solf: And yet Hei has gone out of hiding...I believe he may be trying to terminate her himself. He's always had a knack for developing survivors guilt

Tesla: Should someone go with him, or is it better Dave does this alone?

........................................

*Meanwhile, Sandra has left the room her child is in, leaving him to rest. She begins to wonder where Dave went, and calls him.*

Sandra *telepathy*: Dave, where'd you take off to?

.......................................

*Back at Shawkun's lair.*

...: So how long is you gonna keep messing with the Phoenix?
Shawkun: I'm merely have some fun at the Phoenix expense, I have to do something while in these dull times of peace. Don't worry Nightmare, you just do what you do, and we won't to worry about the Phoenix anymore.
Nightmare: You expect her to do this?
Shawkun: She'll do anything for her family at this point. But first, lets have a show.
Nightmare: ... what are you planning?
Shawkun: *smirk* You'll see.

Yamairo: He can handle it. Worst comes to show...we handle the dark phoenix. Not to sound complacent...but we can

*Dave hears the call.*

Dave: Looks like she's calling for me. Alright Yama, Manda, thanks for your help.

*Dave teleports back to Sandra.*

Dave: No worries, I just went to visit some friends. Look, Sandra...
Sandra: Yes.
Dave: We need to talk, your starting to worry me with these... images of Abby.
Sandra: I see...
Dave: So baby, please, tell me what's going on?

Yamairo: And that's that...
"Isabel": Yamairo...should we contact Amber or Kano? Milo is unable to provide adequate support at this moment and-
Yamairo: Isabel...calm down alright

"Yamairo puts his hand on Isabel's shoulders. She suddenly blushes but does nothing"

"Isabel": Yamairo, your touch is setting off an hormonal reaction. To save us both an embarrassing moment, please refrain from such actions.

"Yamairo withdraws his hand and facepalms...the embarrassing had already happened"

---

"Meanwhile, we find ourselves in a port. The sun is setting, and it seems that there's a bridge in the horizon. A boat is crossing the river. Upon observing the other shore, we find out this is the Tagus...which means we are in Lisbon. I'm looking onto the river from a nearby park"

Me: I haven't been here in years...I should probably meet up with Jessica soon. I asked for this time alone, but I probably wont get much more

*Not to far away, Jessica is already waiting for Filipe.*

..................................

Sandra: Dave, please, I'm...
Dave: No, Sandra, your not fine. Please Sandra, I love you, and I want to help you, but you need to tell me what's going on.
Sandra: But, Dave...
Dave: You don't have to hide anything from me, so please.
Sandra: Well... it's just... I broke my promise Dave...

"He gets up. He's wearing a suit like Harry goes around wearing, but his tie is not tied to the neck and he has a much more unrepresentable look"

Me: Alright, lets get to work. We've discussed this. In order to get to Genosha, they're catching a boat later tonight here
Jessica: Yes I know. Hei is going there because Yin is already on route...why though?
Me: That

"He takes out a pair of sun glasses and puts them on"

Me: is what we have to find out "cue"

Jessica: Did you just set your phone to do that?
Me: Hmm...yes

"Jessica facepalms. How did she end up partnering with such an unprofessional person"

Jessica: *sigh* Alright, lets get moving.

...............................

Dave: Promise...
Sandra: Dave, I promised her, I told her I would be there. I said we'd fight the hunters together, no matter what. But, I wasn't there. She died... cause I broke my promise Dave.
Dave: Sandra... Sandra, look at me, it's not your fault. Abby knew the risks... we all did.
Sandra: But... Dave...
Dave: Sandra... why didn't you ever tell me this bothered you so much.
Sandra: Because... I didn't want to worry you.
Dave: Sandra... I'm here, to help you through all your problems. You can tell me anything.
Sandra: ... *smiles* thank you.

"Meanwhile, in Germany, Harry and Aya have stepped outside, Solf followed already holding his briefcase"

Solf: So this is the part where we fight...and I escape again and ruin another suit? Can we skip it
Harry: Yeah...it does seem boring. Just tell me WHERE is Hei
Solf: "sigh"...whoever catches him...as long as he's dead, I don't care so...Portugal. Lisbon. He's catching a boat to Genosha there. Yin is on route. I'm catching a fast transportation mode...namely

"Just then, Solf disappears"

Harry: FUCK! Teleporting! I'm calling in a favor

"Harry takes out his phone and calls Dave as fast he can. He's still MI6 and he needs help. He knew that Dave had moved to England and kept himself out of the field, despite staying true to his compromise, but he needs him...now"

Harry: Come on...pick up!