Summary:On the way to The Institute, Nick has a Dream. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Isis driving to the Institute might be a nightmare for Nick. The slim feline mutant can drive but it's not good. But needs must and all that.
Nick is still under the effects of the serum and is starting to doze. Slipping in and out of dreams - which is unusual.
As morpheus' arms enfold him, the big brown Werewolf finds himself reliving an earlier dream. It's a good memory for Nick. A time of the Paragons, before the tragedy, and he's sitting in his room getting ready for a mission. Things are good….
Nick stirs in his seat. This isn't a bad dream. He is seated at the table, checking the straps on his flack vest. While moderately more tough than the average person he still doesn't react well to things like being shot. And that's always a possibility when going into heroics. He'd been young back when the Paragons were active. So very young. And many of his companions were roughly his age.
It's amazing, really, that they made it as long as they did.
"Hello Nicholas…." Comes a voice from the door behind him. A woman, of middling height and quite athletically built is standing there. "Are you ready for the mission? This will be exciting."
She's dressed in similar clothing to the Paragons.
"Come along and we'll get going."
Going where?
Ah that's… um… what was her name again. She seems familiar and her clothing is as well but he can't place her. It doesn't matter. He stands up and shrugs his flack vest on. There we go. He feels better now. "Yeah. Ready as I ever am."
He's ready to go that's for sure and he gives the woman a confident smile. He was, indeed, so very, very young.
It's strange as Nick tries to remember her name, it just comes to him. Victoria Breen. A newish instructor assigned to the team. That's right isn't it?
"Excellent, come with me then…" Victoria answers and leads him out. Down the hallways in the dorms towards the garden. It's familiar but dream like - the edges slightly blurred and out of focus.
"You're a very special man, do you know that Nicholas?" Victoria says as she opens the door, letting Nick pass through before her. "Very special. I'm so pleased that I'm going to get to work with you."
As Nick passes through the door, the dream changes. It's darker now and it's a wilderness. Tall trees and scrubby grass. Around the edges of clearing, others are waiting. Mutants like Nick - a half dozen of so. Wolves and Cats mostly.
They all turn to look at him.
"Thank you." Nick is pleased with the compliment. Almost unreasonably so. He steps out into the… forest. Which is fine, his sleeping mind makes the jump. He looks around. He doesn't know anyone here but that's alright. This is fine. He was going on a mission wasn't he?
"Uh. Victoria?" What was the mission again? He really should remember things like this.
Victoria gives Nick a big reassuring smile and watches as he steps through the door.
As he calls her name, the other 'weres' start to move, circling him. He can smell them - perhaps more than he should be able to - smell the challenge the big tawny man issues, smell the curiosity and reticence the others give.
"Yes, Nicholas?" Victoria answers as she moves to the side. "You know what you have to do, don't you?"
The big tawny man, another wolf, pulls himself to his full height - as tall as Nick and slightly broader. Nick is still a young adult but this is a man.
"What do you want, pup?" He asks.
Nick frowns and his eyes cloud. He's confused. What does he have to do. When the larger werewolf stands up, Nick isn't quite sure what to say. He's not sure why everyone seems so nervous and he doesn't know why there's this sudden tension in the air.
"Rescue them?" Nick is still dreaming of being a hero. What would a hero do here? His sleeping mind is trying to figure out what the 'story' is here. And it's fighting to put it back on track.
The serum that Nick's been stuck with is pumping through his veins. Whatever it's doing to him physically, it's working on his mind as well.
"Rescue them. That's what a hero would do, isn't it Nicholas?" Victoria asks. "What would a leader do?"
The tall tawny wolf walks right up to Nick, his ears tilted forward and teeth showing slightly. There's something quite aggressive about his posture. "Rescue them? They like being here … don't you… " he growls a bit to a smaller feline like were. A feline like were with bright blue eyes - they might seem familiar to Nick, tug at his memory.
The woman shrinks back, nodding vigorously. "Yes, yes, Marcus. We all want to be here … really, we do…"
Nick narrows his eyes. Why is 'Marcus' only paying attention to him and not Victoria? And what is going on here. He steps forward. "I don't think she really wants to be here. I don't think any of them want to be here. Let them go."
That's what he's supposed to do. Rescue them. They're being held. Intimidated. Something. If he can beat this guy, they'll be free to go. That's how it's supposed to work right?
The dream narrows in, Victoria seems to blend into the edges. What is going on here? It's a dream, right …
"She doesn't hmmmm…" Marcus answers "… the others don't? I think you're wrong and I don't think you've got what it takes to make me. Pup."
He's right in Nicks face, trying to draw himself up to be taller. Marcus' lips pull back to reveal his fangs to Nick - and Nick can feel the push of an Alpha against him.
"Maybe you're right." Nick says, lowering his ears and looking down.
And then he punches Marcues in the gut. Hard. He's superhumanly strong after all and just pulled a sucker punch. He's not letting up either. The other guy is a lot bigger so he needs to maintain the advantage. Nick simply goes all out. Claws. Fangs. Tackling Marcus to the ground while he's still doubled over.
Marcus grunts, doubling over but not going down. As Nick lays into him, the big tawny wolf brings a round house punch as they crash to the ground. Growling and snarling, Marcus heaves to roll them and put Nick on his back.
Fangs flash as the tawny were-wolf tries to rip at Nicks shoulder and throat. Claws rake down the big brown werewolfs face. And all the way through it, that feeling of dominance pushes at Nick.
Nick's shoulder is covered in kevlar and that proves more difficult to bite through than perhaps anticipated. Nick's ears lay back. He doesn't like this feeling. This feeling that there's a more powerful wolf that he shouldn't fight. So rather than bite and claw like a wolf he kicks Marcus off him and rises, settling into a hand to hand stance.
One of the many things he'd been taught at the Institute was how to fight. He's no master martial artists but a trained man will beat an untrained one despite differences in size and strength. Sometimes it really is all about leverage.
The tawny wolfman growls and snarls, then yelps as his teeth meet the kevlar. Thrown off Nick, the creature rises to a three point crouch, lips pulled back and growls again. "Really Pup, are you afraid to fight. You should just accept me as your better. Submit…"
The wolfman lunges, still exuding that feeling of dominance, trying to bring Nick down. He's older than Nick, supposedly better experienced if not trained.
Better experienced doesn't always mean better. And in this case Nick grabs his leading erm and twists in a peculiar way that looks kind of like a dance. The end result is that Marcus ends up being thrown over his hip and to the ground. He'll probably roll a little. Nick's easily strong enough to throw him quite a distance.
"Maybe I just don't think I need to. You're not good enough to land a hit."
Burn.
Marcus oofs and growls as Nick grabs him and twists his arm. He struggles, slashing at Nicks face and muzzle with his claws. Nick is much better trained and doesn't give away much is terms of weight and strength.
That might make a difference.
"oooof" Marcus rolls and crashes into the trunk of a tree, painfully coming to his feet. "I've already hit you, Pup and I'm going to again." His anger is rising and so is his feral nature. Nick can see that.
With a deafening roar, the Alpha launches himself at Nick and his Alpha aura tries to swamp the younger male.
There's no finesse to his fighting style, it's kill or be killed.
Nick almost hesitates. Almost. But somehow something in him answers and pushes that feeling of inferiority away. He side steps the lunge - barely - and brings his knee into Marcus gut as he passes. Then he grabs the man by the scruff, spins him around and throws him into a tree hard enough that the tree snaps.
Then he stands there. Breathing hard. Watching. Staring.
Marcus grunts as Nick knees him, doubling over in pain. He tries to struggle against Nicks grip but he can't - smashing into the tree and yelping before sliding to the ground in a boneless heap. He doesn't move again.
The others who were in the clearing start to creep out from where they hid during the fight. The cat with bright blue eyes, cowers up to Nick and crouches in front of him. The others follow suit.
Veronica appears to stand behind the big brown wolf. "Feels good, doesn't it Nick. Feels right. They want you to lead them. Will you do it?"
This is a just a dream. But it feels so right and real.
"I was just… here to rescue them." Nick's confused, that much is clear. There's something to what Victoria is saying. But it strikes a discordant note in his mind. It just doesn't stick right. He never wanted to lead did he? Or… did he?
"They should be taken. Helped. They should all get to go home."
"You can only help them get home, Nick, if you lead them." Veronica croons in his ear. All the while, that serum is working through his bloodstream making this so much easier to do. "Do you know where home is, Nick?"
It's not that delightful little duplex that he has his offices in, is it? It's … somewhere else and Nick just *knows* that he has to take these animal-like mutants there.
"Please take us with you …" the cat woman with bright blue eyes says. "please …" the word is murmured through the group in front of him.
He should feel … very powerful.
Nick does feel very powerful. He looks down at the people who are asking him to take them with him. To go home. Where they belong. He takes a breath and lets it out. "Alright. Follow me. Let's go home."
That's what he's supposed to do right? This is the story he's telling himself. This is the dream that he's dreaming.
Veronica chuckles and pats Nicks arm. "That's very good, Nick. Let's take them home."
When he turns, there's a doorway there and when steps through, it's not the Institute he arrives at but a training facility with other mutants.
But the dream starts to fade. Veronica's voice still in his ear though "Very good, Nicholas. Remember the feeling and that you're supposed to bring those like these home …"