sirenspull | video; ~5 pm

[Mary looks... well, alive, which is a bonus, but also frazzled and exhausted, with pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, lips chapped, hair falling out of her ponytail.

But more than that, she looks haunted.]

I'm back. I'm alive. [Her lips press together in a thin line. She bows her head and talks to her knees.] No thanks to those monsters.

I don't know if anyone else made it out... there were no- [sniffing hard to avoid tearing up.] -shelters. Nothing Darkness proofed. [Head still bowed tightly.] I don't know if any of those people I fought with made it out alive, but if they didn't, I'm going to tell you all right now.

[She finally looks up, eyes welling now with tears she refuses to cry.]

They hunted us. They bound us, put collars on us, they put us in cages. They chased us and hunted us down like we were fucking dogs and we couldn't-

[she claps a hand over her mouth, breathing hard to rein in her emotions. When she opens her eyes again, there's something chilling and deadened in her eyes.]

When I died at home- the first time, before I came here... it was a demon. A demon pinned me to the ceiling and burned me alive in my baby's nursery, and I didn't feel as violated as I did those two days. In that cage. [She shakes her head intently, looking away.] Those monsters kidnapped children. They wanted to see every one of us die like dumb fucking animals.

I wonder what would happen if I prayed for them. [There's a weird look in her eyes. Something you wouldn't leave your children alone with.] It's the Christian thing to do.

Would I get their souls into Heaven, or their heads on a plate?

[With a last ugly look at the NV, she turns the ~~public~~ feed off.]

[Private to Jinx]

I found a plus one.

[Private to the angels]

Did you hear my prayer? [The one she whispered as she lay dying.] Please, tell me none of you- tell me you didn't go there. Please.

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[There's a flicker of a video feed coming on and off several times. It's all static, snow, and crackling - like an old TV station that's gone out do to storm damage.

Finally though, it does come on. Magneto, in a world, looks pissed. His jaw is set so hard his jaw muscles are knots, his lips are pulled thin and bloodless, skin around his eyes tight. And his eyes, his eyes are white, glowing and pulsing. Around him the air is strange like he's sitting in bright blue haze, colours aren't right, and there are flickers like lightning below, off camera. His voice is very low - hard to hear over the crackling which can't be anything else but thunder - monotone, accentless, each sound perfectly and carefully articulated. There's almost a palpable seething painful cold spreading from the NV.]

We had been told these 'Newcomer Hunts' had been ended. That no "people" would be hunted. I did not believe them then. I am sorry to have been right.

[He takes a breath, and the white glow fades but is still present, the air clears a little, the flickers and crackles fade. Some warmth, concern crawls into his tone.]

I assumed your illness earlier was Pull sickness - are you injured?

[But it only for a minute as his tone flattens and cools again, his jaw ticking and a flicker of what looks like lightning - only doesn't crackle - shoots out of his mouth. The feed goes to static for a split second.]

What did they look like?

Edited 2012-07-04 10:10 (UTC)

You mean this happened before?

[The air clouds again for a moment, his eyes returning to that pulsing white.]

Twice that I know of. One about the same time I was first brought here. Once some months before. Claudio - one of Jinx's boys, one of mine - was the subject of them, along with others. Jubilee was shot rescuing him the second time.

['Mine' is the only word with any tone. Possessive, protective, and beyond murderously angry.]

[She lets that wash over her for a quiet moment.]

They had Kurt. [Quietly.] He started the "out of the darkness" movement. He's just a child.

Not one of mine, but- [But yes he is, it's all over her face. He's a kid. He was in danger. She would have killed for any one of them.]

And the other girl who told us of your death. Probably the others who have gone missing recently.

I know he did. He's a child who made himself a target. A child without an adult to protect him.

[He looks away for a moment, eyes closing. When he glances back, his eyes are more normal, the scleras too white, the irises glowing blue, but he glances back without turning his head.]

I annihilated the hunting grounds back home. People here would stop me. I do not know why.

It would look bad. Destroying the entire property of a monster who murders children and tortures people like dogs would look bad because the Newcomers are getting uppity again.

Jesus Christ, it's the schools all over again.

It's worse than the schools.

And we should 'get uppity'. They do not treat the Outsiders like this.

I remember when they integrated. Mom used to tell stories- jesus christ, at least that was illegal, even back then.

I wanna try using the right process. Doing it right.

I remember it. That is nothing, compared to what will happen here.

You see, Mary, the Hunting Grounds does not allow people to be hunted.

[He'll let that sink in a minute.]

Good luck. You'll need it.

...But.

[But that could mean two things.]

So, is what happened legal, or not?

Depends on your definition of "people" doesn't it?

[The bitterness in that is almost painful, even to him.]

Technically, it should be illegal but I haven't been watching the legal code the last couple of months.

[Or seven really.]

Then it's what I figured.

It's technically illegal but nobody will care unless we get really, really loud about it.

Or they will simply declare us not "people" and things will get worse.

That would clash with the slavery reform, though.

Not necessarily.

[Calmly.]

As only people can be slaves.

[What he's saying makes complete and utter sense, and that's the precise moment she stops being able to deal with this.]

No.

They can't. They can't just declare us anything. It's not-

No. They can't do that.

[He's rather the poster child for that being able to happen.]

They could. I doubt they are that foolish, as it would be a very grave mistake.

I- I can't do this now, I'm sorry. This is too much.

I understand.

When you can, I have something I'd like to give you. Just whenever you can do this.

Fine.

Later. I can't.

Later is fine. Go make yourself a cup of tea or coca, all right? Coffee won't help.

[For the first time, he doesn't sound angry or defensive, merely concerned.]

video; ~5 pm

~23:00 | Video | Private | Unhackable

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