“Please Joseph, just answer your phone. I’m not angry, I promise you. Your sister and I are worried about you.” He listened to the voicemail over again. It was the most recent out of all seven over the years he’s been gone. He hadn’t traveled far, but it was far enough to keep himself and his family safe. Others had also run away from home he learned as he lived on the streets. His clothes had holes, they were dirty and old. But he was okay.
That’s all that mattered. “Yep, that’s all that matters. I’m okay… I’m okay.” He whispered to himself. He sat on the floor of an abandoned home that would be torn down in a few days. He just needed some sleep. Once he got that he could keep moving. Laying down on his side he played the voicemail again before turning it off. He needed to save the battery for an emergency.
His body twitched some as he tried to get comfortable on the hard floor. It had been days since he was able to actually relax. G.A.D.E.M. had been on his tail and his adrenaline was running low. He was so tired, but being in the Big Apple, he didn’t have friends or anyone to call on for help. He was completely alone and he wouldn’t want to drag someone into this.
But it was too good to be true as he heard pounding at the door. “GO AWAY!” He yelled out. “Just leave me alone… please leave me alone. No one else needs to be hurt… I’m sorry.” He slowly rose from his place on the floor and bolted out the back door. Rubbing his eyes he ran through alley’s, the telltale sign of his power started as his fingers turned black. “No… not now…” He grazed a stray dog and it turned to dust as it gave out a painful yelp.
Joseph’s eyes watered as he walked out to the crowded sidewalk as he rushed forward to get his hood up. His brain was overwhelmed with the people and noise. Cars honking, clouds overhead started to look darker as it began to sprinkle. But that didn’t stop the agents on his tail. He wished he was normal, that he could be back home. He wanted his dad and sister with him… but he couldn’t. Keeping his hands close to himself he made sure to not bump into anyone.
That seemed to be impossible though with how congested the streets and walkways were. 'Have to find someplace safe.' He thought and darted into another alley. There he leaned against the wall and looked at his hands. Doing his best, he tried to will the power back into himself. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He didn't want to be taken and put someplace where he couldn't be himself. Joseph covered his face with his hands and screamed out in frustration. Why couldn't he be like everyone else?
[newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass]
Post by Stephanie Harrington on May 13, 2018 1:37:57 GMT
Some folks like to get away, Take a holiday from the neighborhood Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line I'm in a New York state of mind... New York State Of Mind, Billy Joel
"So what the hell happened to our informant, guys?" The question hung in the air like the sometimes heavy smog which was a staple of living in the Big Apple as Stephanie walked around inside the warehouse loft her DEA task force used as a safe house for informants and witnesses in need of protection; whether from the Mob or the Russians or the myriad of large ethnic gangs that the Feds targeted in the never-ending War on Drugs made no difference to her. It also made a nice place to crash, she mused, after a night out on the town, as she took off her old, beat-to-hell brown leather jacket and sat down, feeling as though she'd run a marathon. Dressed in tight gray jeans, a black short-sleeve pullover sleeveless shirt and brown calf-high boots, DEA Deputy Inspector Stephanie Harrington looked nothing like a federal law enforcement officer, which was a good thing out on the street but a not-so-good back in the Federal Annex over at St. Nicholas and 112th. Nonetheless, no one who valued their job security ever made the mistake of thinking she didn't care about anything other than the Job itself and those who did soon found themselves reassigned to other, less desirable posts.
"We've been trying to get a lead on that all morning, Honor," one agent replied, continuing when she motioned for him to go on, "and we've gotten nowhere; when we first found out Danny was gone from the safe house we stashed him in night before last, I called everyone I could think of: FBI, ATF, our other DEA task forces in the City..."
"...the NYPD, Homeland Security - Steph, those are some heartless pricks in that office - even DoD and Defense Intel," another agent chimed in, adding, "No one had a damn clue who--"
"Oh, I can imagine who did," Stephanie deadpanned, "but you guys would never believe me if I told you; you'd think I was out in Area 51 country if I told you." Before she could continue, her cell phone chirped, playing Iron Maiden's The Trooper as it did; catching it from one of her fellow DEA agents, she swiped it on and held it up to her phone. "Talk to me," she said, pacing the floor away from the others so that she'd have some privacy. After a couple "Mhm's" and "Oh, really's?" she smiled and shook her head, having heard the first bit of good news for the day. "You're a doll, Coop," Stephanie said, hanging up the call and turning around to the others. "Who was it, Boss?" one agent asked.
"An old friend of mine back from my days with the OEP in Afghanistan," Stephanie replied, tossing him the keys to one of their Ford Crown Vic Interceptors as she spoke. "Alright, listen up; we're heading down island, towards the Meatpacking District. My old stomping partner tells me our informant knew this cat named Joseph; now, Coop didn't know much about this Joseph but he did tell me the kid's a bit flighty so no sudden moves, don't threaten him, yadda' yadda yadda," pausing as she picked up her jacket and put it back on, making sure her Glock 23 was in its' hip holster where she could get to it if need be. "We go down, pick him up, hang on to his ass until we can get him out of Manhattan and to somewhere safe, understood?" Stephanie said, her voice calm and merciless sounding; after a few moments, she added, "Let's roll..."
“Go away...go away.” He cried out as bullets went flying past his head. Joseph dodged in and out of alley’s. He didn’t know where to go to now. He wasn’t familiar with this city still. He’d only just arrived a year ago. There had only been one guy that made him feel welcomed. He wished Danny was here. He’d be able to help. But he hadn’t seen Danny in almost a week.
His brain couldn’t think straight as everything he touched turned to molecular dust. If he could’ve turned it on himself he would’ve years ago when it first started. Joseph didn’t like being a burden on people, on his family and friends. He didn’t like hurting other people, or objects. But he did find himself going in a very large circle back to his empty abandoned home.
There he went to one of the bedrooms and curled up into a tight ball in the corner closest to an armoire. A hand went to his brown hair and started pulling at it. He was worn out from the running. He wanted food, he wanted sleep, he wanted peace and quiet. “No… no… no… nononono… please Danny… help.” He quietly prayed out loud.
Pulling out his phone he turned it back on and dialed his number. He only had fifteen percent battery life left. He just needed to call him, someone. His breathing was heavy as he heard footsteps. The phone rang and rang, but Danny never picked up. Joseph began to hysterically cry, doing his best to keep his powers from destroying the device in his hand.
Putting it back in his pocket he waited for the inevitable as the door opened. He flinched and covered himself as his body tensed up waiting for pain. But it never came as he heard the rubber soles of boots walking cautiously across the floorboards. “Please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please, please...please.” He cried.
[newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass]
Post by Stephanie Harrington on May 14, 2018 2:35:12 GMT
As Stehanie and the otehr DEA agents headed down Manhattan's 9th Avenue to where this Joseph character was located, her Android went off; swiping it on, she spoke as they barreled down 9th Avenue, lights and sirens blazing. "Talk to me, Coop," she said, recognizing the number.
"Your friend's located in an old warehouse loft down on the corner of Grasvenoort Street and 10th Avenue," her old colleague, now working in the D.C. area for one of the Federal Government's "Alphabet Agencies", said. "I got a momentarily lock on his cell phone and went from there.....and you better hurry, Honor; he's about to have some company too--"
"Company? Let me guess: GADEM, right?" Stpehanie replied, motioning for Agent Vasquez, who was driving the Crown Vic they were in, to get over in the next lane to make the turn onto 43rd Street for the short hop over to 10th."
"And how," Coop replied, adding, "Looks like from the drone overhead two Econolines' with about a half-dozen of GADEM's nicest approaching the warehouse; anything else you need me to do, babe?"
"Yeah, call the JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force) down at the Javits Center and tell 'em there's a terrorist cell located at that address; when they ask who phoned it in, make something up....you're good at that, doll. Now get it done." Hanging up on her friend, Stephanie looked over at Vasquez and said, "Step on it; we don't get to that address like, right now, we're going to have a nice little state and federal gangbang to deal with..."Minutes later....
Making her way into the loft via. a fire escape on the outside, Stephanie crept her way along the hallway, listening for any sign of Joseph or - for that matter - any GADEM agents lurking around, her Glock 23 at her side.... Pulling out his phone he turned it back on and dialed his number. He only had fifteen percent battery life left. He just needed to call him, someone. His breathing was heavy as he heard footsteps. The phone rang and rang, but Danny never picked up. Joseph began to hysterically cry, doing his best to keep his powers from destroying the device in his hand.
Putting it back in his pocket he waited for the inevitable as the door opened. He flinched and covered himself as his body tensed up waiting for pain. But it never came as he heard the rubber soles of boots walking cautiously across the floorboards. “Please, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please, please...please.” He cried.
Pausing as she heard the sounds of someone crying, a sound of despondency that tore at Stephanie's own heart; sometimes, she would wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares about her brother Devon, thinking she was hearing his voice in the air even though no one was there with her. Knowing her fellow agents were nearby, Stephanie continued down the hallway until she got to what looked like a large wooden-framed door. Maybe he's in here, she thought as she banged on the door a few times to get the attention of whoever was inside. "Joseph," she called out as loud as she could, "listen to me and listen good. I don't have much time to explain but I need to you to listen to me and I need you to trust me, okay? Your friend Danny told me if anything ever happened to him, he wanted someone to make sure you were okay, to keep you safe...that's why I'm here, okay?
"Now, I just want to talk to you, okay, Joseph? I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe but I need you to trust me, I need you to listen to me and I need you to open this door, okay?" Stephanie continued, hoping if Joseph was inside he'd at least listen to whatever she had to say; to her, he was just as much an American as her, those GADEM agents - wherever their black-hearted selves were at at the moment - and everyone was and if she said you would be safe with her, Stephanie's word was golden. She just hoped he was willing to listen....
Hearing the soft but firm tone behind the door Joseph still couldn’t bring himself to move. He was too scared, and he knew if he touched it, it would disappear. The twenty-three year old looked at the door then to his hands as he caught his breath a little. He just didn’t want anyone mad at him. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t control it when he was scared. But hearing Danny had sent them his mind felt more at ease.
Slowly he got up seeing his hands return to their normal pigment. “Danny, he said that? You know Danny?” If they really knew him, then they were going to be his friend. They were really going to help keep him safe. His movements were slow, but he went to the door and slowly opened it. His brown eyes peered through the crack to see someone different.
He looked at her for a moment, taking in the worn leather jacket, the attire, and the gun. Opening the door more he looked out the other way and let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t have to run anymore. “Can we go?” He asked as he wiped at his eyes. Joseph may have looked like an adult, but he was still mentally a child. His brain could only keep on one track at a time. He wasn’t always the best at seeing a threat to his own life until it was almost too late. He didn’t have to worry now. This lady looked nice, and helpful. His body loosened and his eyes seemed to droop a bit. The adrenaline in his body was beginning to slow down.
[newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass]
Post by Stephanie Harrington on May 14, 2018 6:32:30 GMT
Slowly he got up seeing his hands return to their normal pigment. “Danny, he said that? You know Danny?” If they really knew him, then they were going to be his friend. They were really going to help keep him safe. His movements were slow, but he went to the door and slowly opened it. His brown eyes peered through the crack to see someone different. ...
....watching as the door peeked open and an extremely nervous young man peered through the crack in the door, Stephanie holstered her sidearm and said to him, "I know him; I know Danny," pausing as she thought of her brother Devon for a moment, thinking Joseph looked a lot like him; it pained Stephanie to know that, even in this supposedly enlightened age, mutants were still treated at times like second-class citizens - or worse - and it only fueled her underground efforts in support of the mutant community inside the United States, using her power and position within one area of the government - the DEA - to subvert, block and deny the efforts of another area of the government - GADEM. To her, each time she and her fellow DEA agents were able to put the screws to GADEM only fueled her own desire to do so as well....
He looked at her for a moment, taking in the worn leather jacket, the attire, and the gun. Opening the door more he looked out the other way and let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t have to run anymore. “Can we go?” He asked as he wiped at his eyes. Joseph may have looked like an adult, but he was still mentally a child. His brain could only keep on one track at a time. He wasn’t always the best at seeing a threat to his own life until it was almost too late. He didn’t have to worry now. This lady looked nice, and helpful. His body loosened and his eyes seemed to droop a bit. The adrenaline in his body was beginning to slow down.
"Yeah, let's go," Stephanie whispered, motioning for Joseph to come on out and follow her; just as they began to make for the stairs, she saw two of her fellow agents, Vasquez and Gorman, bounding up the stairs towards them. "What's wrong, guys?" Stephanie asked as they joined her and Joseph.
"Other than watching a bunch of no-personality type Mob-wannabe looking goons get jacked up by the NYPD outside, nothing," Gorman replied almost nonchalantly as Vasquez added, "and they weren't happy about it either, boss," nodding towards Joseph. "This Danny?" she asked.
"No, this is Joseph; he's a friend of Danny's," Stephanie said, pausing as she walked over to the stairwell and looked down towards the bottom; seeing no one waiting for them, she went back over to the others. "Joseph, these are a couple of friends of mine....Celia Vasquez and Bill Gorman; they're going to help me protect you and keep you safe, alright?" smiling as she spoke, trying to ease and allay whatever fears Joseph had or might've had with their arrival. Looking over at Gorman and Vasquez, Stephanie pointed towards the stairwell and said, "Raider football, guys; let's get outta' here and get to the end zone, the sooner the better..."
Joseph followed Stephanie out the door, one hand going to his hair and twisting it some between his thumb and forefinger. He always did this when he was tired, but he fought against the yawn. When the new people came up the stairs Joseph hid himself as best he could behind the woman. He kept his shoulders slouched, his back hunched. He wanted to look as small as possible.
But an eyebrow raised as the woman asked if he was Danny. That made a sting of pain run through his chest. “You don’t know where Danny is either.” His voice was soft as a yawn escaped while talking. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the faces again. “Vasquez...and Gorman.” He looked at each of them before looking to Stephanie.
“They’ll keep me safe too? So you’ll be my friends?” That’s what he had associated the meaning to. Safety meant friendship, friendship was so hard for him to come by. He covered his mouth as another yawn escaped at the same time his stomach growled loudly and he clutched at his stomach. “Sorry.” He said quietly following behind them.
[newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass]
Post by Stephanie Harrington on May 16, 2018 22:31:50 GMT
“They’ll keep me safe too? So you’ll be my friends?” That’s what he had associated the meaning to. Safety meant friendship, friendship was so hard for him to come by. He covered his mouth as another yawn escaped at the same time his stomach growled loudly and he clutched at his stomach. “Sorry.” He said quietly following behind them.
"That's right, that's just what we're doing to do," Stephanie replied as the four of them headed down the stairwell, pausing at each floor and making sure the coast was clear along the way; soon, they found themselves on the ground floor. "This way," Gorman whispered, pointing towards one of the warehouse entrances. Keeping an eye on their path and one eye on Joseph, Stephanie remembered hearing his stomach growl and thought, We gotta' get Joseph - and the rest of us - something to eat.
Reaching the entrance they'd used to get inside, Stephanie crept up to the door and quietly propped it open a little, looking out to see whether anyone was waiting for them.....no one down 10th Avenue, she mused, looking down the other direction....no one down the other way either, adding, Coop, you're a fucking genius, making a note to thank him for his help at some point down the road.
Stepping back inside, she said to Joseph and the others, "Okay, looks like our mystery guests are gone but they could still be anywhere...alright, Crown Vic's down Grasvenoort; Gorman, you and Vasquez grab it, bring it back up here. Soon as you do that, we'll join you and ditch this place," adding as she looked over at Joseph and added, smiling, "And we'll get you something to eat when do it; that sound good?"
At the mention of food Josephs mouth watered and is stomach gurgled at the promise. “Food sounds so good right now.” His earlier anxiety forgotten to the moment of trust and security he felt. He wiped at his eyes with the dirty sleeve of his jacket. “I don’t remember when I last ate… normally Danny brings me something.” His heart clenched at the memories.
He watched as Gorman and Vasquez moved out of the warehouse. It was finally quiet enough for Joseph to think. But the only thing on his mind was how much he wanted a cure for this… mutation of his. His legs shook with the effort of standing with no energy left to burn. But he didn’t want to lose his temper. He didn’t want to make another accident happen.
Twiddling with his hair again he waited for the sound of a car. What he heard though was glass breaking from a floor above them. His flight instinct kicked in as he headed to the door and was stopped. He couldn’t just leave… Stephanie was there. He needed to help protect her. He could be a good guy, right? All his body told him was to run, but his mind said no. He planted his feet firmly waiting for the prick to show his face.
[newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass]
Post by Stephanie Harrington on May 27, 2018 6:49:05 GMT
At the mention of food Josephs mouth watered and is stomach gurgled at the promise. “Food sounds so good right now.” His earlier anxiety forgotten to the moment of trust and security he felt. He wiped at his eyes with the dirty sleeve of his jacket. “I don’t remember when I last ate… normally Danny brings me something.” His heart clenched at the memories.
Hearing the mention of food, Stephanie smiled and said, "When and if we get out of here, there's this great hole-in-the-wall diner at St. Nicholas and 109th Street; the decor might be dated and fading but the burgers and fries are worth it," taking a moment to remember all the times her parents would take her and brother Devon to a similar diner out in Park Slope. He does kind of look like Devon a little bit, she mused as they heard the sweet sounds of the Crown Vic pulling up to the door. "Need a lift?" Gorman yelled out; tapping Joseph on the shoulder, they had just begun to move towards the car when Joseph froze suddenly, stopping as if he had heard a sound nearby.
Wondering what it was, Stephanie was about to ask when suddenly, she heard someone up above them, like someone trying to hide their footsteps and not watching their surroundings, the sounds of crunching glass echoing in the warehouse from above. "Go, go, go! Get to the car," she whispered to Joseph, adding, "I'll be right there with you; I'm going to look real quick and then I'll be out there, okay?" holding up a finger and pointing to the Crown Vic. "I'll be right back," she whispered, tiptoeing - or tiptoeing as only a tall, lanky woman holding her sidearm out at her side could - over to the stairwell to have a looksee.
Peeking up, she saw what looked like the shadows of several individuals rounding along the stiarwell, sounding like they were coming down the stairs; taking careful aim with her sidearm, Stephanie counted to three, then squeezed the trigger. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! came the sounds of bullets flying up towards the shadows in the stairwell....judging by the sounds and volleyfire back at me, she mused as she took off for the warehouse door in a dead run, I think I hit one, maybe two of them....
Joseph had never been that good at following directions, but the look in her eyes told him maybe he should listen to her. “Come back...safe…” He said softly as he got into the Crown Vic. There he watched as she slunk around the wall and his heart began to sink.
Pulling his hands up he kept them covered as they turned black again. The stress was starting to make him feel crazy as he heard the gunshots. He flinched at each boom of the gun. He couldn’t see the agents she hit, but that didn’t matter. His mind went to the worst case scenario until he saw Stephanie running back to the car.
A feeling of relief washed over him and he was visibly relaxed as the Crown Vic sped off away from the men who wanted him. His hands turned back to normal as he curled up in the seat. His head rested against the window as he shivered some. The exhaustion had him closing his eyes. Even with some of the sharper turned he was slowly falling asleep to the lull of the engine. Soon he was passed out, soft snores leaving his nostrils as he finally felt relaxed enough to let down his guard.
[newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass]
Post by Stephanie Harrington on May 31, 2018 20:41:03 GMT
Running as fast as she could, Stephanie quickly joined Joseph and the others inside the Crown Vic; as soon as she climbed in she yelled out, "Gorman, go, go, go!" The tires of the Crown Vic squealed as they spun with the torque of the car before hooking up with the asphalt and charging down the street. "Turn onto 9th Avenue," Stephanie said as she looked out the back of the car, trying to see if anyone was following them. C'mon, where are you bastards? Stephanie whispered as they took the turn onto 9th Avenue, the tires squealing like a stuck pig; she knew from long experience locking horns with GADEM agents that they never traveled but in groups, like hyenas to a slaughtered animal after a lion had taken down a prize animal.
Getting into the flow of traffic, Stephanie knew that as long as they avoided the heart of Manhattan, they'd be safe...but there are never any guarantees in this life, she mused as the Crown Vic weaved in-and-out of traffic, keeping with the flow but going as fast as they could, the tall buildings and skyscrapers rushing by like modern-day castles... A feeling of relief washed over him and he was visibly relaxed as the Crown Vic sped off away from the men who wanted him. His hands turned back to normal as he curled up in the seat. His head rested against the window as he shivered some. The exhaustion had him closing his eyes. Even with some of the sharper turned he was slowly falling asleep to the lull of the engine. Soon he was passed out, soft snores leaving his nostrils as he finally felt relaxed enough to let down his guard.
Suddenly, Stephanie heard what sounded like someone snoring; looking over, she smiled as she saw Joseph sitting there, asleep in the back passenger seat of the Crown Vic, looking as though he were simply resting rather than trying to get away from someone and/or something. It touched her heart to see him like that and so, in a rather uncharacteristic manner - well, uncharacteristic for Stephanie, that is - she slipped off her brown leather jacket and gently laid it across Joseph's chest and upper body, not disturbing him as she did so.
"What do you want to do, Honor?" Vasquez asked from the front passenger seat; as she thought about what to do, she looked over at the sleeping form of Joseph and thought, We have to keep this boy safe, we have to. "Get hold of Lt. Costigan, NY State Police, and tell her to meet us underneath the NY side of the George Washington Bridge; you know the location," Stephanie said, sitting back in her seat and looking out the window, turning every so often as they continued heading north through Manhattan to watch Joseph sleeping, brushing a few stray hairs from his face and thinking, We'll get you out of here, get you somewhere safe....I promise you that.
Post by Laura Costigan on Jun 4, 2018 17:13:16 GMT
....the George Washington Bridge; the meeting area in question is under the NY side, on the right of the picture....I wonder what's got Stephanie bothered, Laura Costigan thought as she pulled up next to the Crown Victoria PI that Stephanie, Joseph and the others were in. It'd been an interesting drive down from Westchester County for the NY State Police lieutenant, who normally would've leaned heavily on the siren in her Ford SUV to clear a path down the Thruway and into the Big Apple but when Stephanie said to her, "No sirens," that piqued Laura's interest. No sirens meant Laura had to go with the flow of the traffic; on top of that, because she was on detail, she couldn't pull over anyone breaking NY State's traffic laws and that grated on her more than anything else.
But as she pulled up to the Crown Vic, Laura flicked her SUV's sidebeam to let Stephanie know it was safe; coming to a stop as she watched one of the back passenger doors open and Stephanie pop out; as she shut off the SUV, Laura climbed out, putting her garrison cap on so that, should anyone be watching the area see them, it would appear like a simple traffic stop...nothing more, nothing less. "Got here as fast as I could, Stephanie," Laura said. "So what's got you so hot and bothered that you had to call a fellow Five Boroughs leader to a meeting under the GW Bridge?" referring to the mutant rights organization they were both members of, the Five Boroughs Mutant Rights League as she waited for Stephanie to give her a reply...
Post by Stephanie Harrington on Jun 5, 2018 17:09:07 GMT
"Got here as fast as I could, Stephanie," Laura said. "So what's got you so hot and bothered that you had to call a fellow Five Boroughs leader to a meeting under the GW Bridge?" referring to the mutant rights organization they were both members of, the Five Boroughs Mutant Rights League as she waited for Stephanie to give her a reply...
"Well, Stephanie replied as her and Laura began walking back over the Crown Vic, "in the course of the past 24 hours, I've lost one person to GADEM, found a second person who would've fallen under their clutches had we not gotten to him first," nodding towards a sleeping Joseph, who was still asleep in the back of the car, "we've been shot at, people have tried to chase up all up and down Manhattan...."
"In other words, your usual day in the Big Apple," Laura quipped, to which Stephanie said, "Haha, funny; we've got to keep him safe," pausing to look again at Joseph, who did, in Stephanie's mind at least, resemble a youngish Devon Harrington, to which Laura said, "He does kind of look like your brother, doesn't he?" Laura knew all too well the grief Stephanie still carried over her brother's disappearance and knew it was part of what fired her up day after day.
"He does," Stephanie replied, adding, "So how do we get out of the city, Laura?" Without going to a map, Laura - acting as though as she giving a lecture on the proper ways to drive on New York state roads - gave Stephanie a verbal roadmap on how to leave Manhattan, get around the GADEM roadblocks and get her passenger - Joseph - up to the Xavier School, safe and sound. After repeating it a second time, Laura asked if she had any questions to which Stephanie said, "None that'll keep.."
Joseph didn’t know how long he was asleep for. During his dreaming he’d twitch occasionally, his muscles still trying to adjust to not having to run. His whole body was aching as he groggily looked up out the window at the river. At first he was confused, but with his brain still foggy from being deprived of sleep he didn’t bother moving.
He just snuggled into the warmth of the jacket that was laid over him and smiled. Until he really looked around. Stephanie wasn’t in the car with him. His heart was pounding as he curled up tighter. He was thinking the worst until he heard Stephanie’s voice accompanied by someone else’s. It wasn’t Gorman or Vasquez. It was another lady. It didn’t even really occure to him to really be wary of people at all. He trusted very easily, it was just in his nature.
Slowly his head turned up and a sigh left him as it wasn’t the woman he was fearing. He began to wonder if she was going to be his friend too as they spoke. She and Stephanie seemed to be friendly. Although it was hard for him to really keep what they were saying together in his mind. Slowly his eyes closed again as he held his stomach. He was starting to feel nauseous from not eating yet today. Rolling down the window his eyes peered over it and he smiled. “Hi…” He said with a yawn and a wave.
His more childish nature coming out as he chuckled some. “Why are we by the river?” He asked. He hadn’t ever really thought about the secrecy that Stephanie would have to have while talking about hiding him away. Joseph was just happy to be in a place far away from those dastardly men. “Oh… is this a secret spy meeting?” Mentally right now, Joseph was probably as old as an eight year old rather than twenty-three. His dark eyes looked from both of them curiously as she ran his fingers through his hair and started twiddling with it.
[newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass]
