Summary:Nick and Isis confront the telepath. They beat him - but is it really a win? Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's completely black for Isis and Nick and there's absolutely no sensation. Isis has tried to bring Nick through the Dream Plane, something she's never attempted to do before. "Nick …." her voice sounds hollow and sort of echoes. "Nick … I … need to bring us through properly."
Nick can feel the pressure of her emotions, the absolute focus as she finishes their transition. It's probably unnerving for the Wolfman - given they're trying to attack a Telepath, to surprise him - and now, they seem to be stuck 'nowhere'.
Slowly, sensation starts to return and the darkness … is fading.
Has Isis bought them to the right place? And if so, are they able to take the Telepath by surprise?
It will be hard to know, at least it will be hard to know for Nick. He hasn't ever seen this telepath. He hasn't ever scented him. He has no way of identifying him. He has to trust that when Isis says it's the right person, it's the right person.
His ears are straight up right now and so are his hackles. The dream realm is harrowing and he isn't sure how Isis manages. Right now he is holding his breath, doing his level best to not give them away when they arrive. It is CRITICAL that they get the first hit in or this could go very, very wrong.
As the darkness is pushed back, Nick can feel how tired Isis is. That's unusual - she's normally a little dynamo. But they're in an apartment by the looks of it and there's a man sitting in a lotus position on a couch.
"That's him …" Isis murmurs, focussing herself and trying to incapacitate the man with a wash of calm and serenity.
How on earth she manages to do that considering how tense she must be is anyones guess.
It doesn't work though, the man must have mental shields up and he explodes from the couch, pointing a pistol at Nick and squeezing the trigger.
That's all Nick needs to hear. As the other man leaps up he grabs at his wrist- the one with the gun - and then aims a punch right at his face. Without waiting to see what that does, he hits again. And then again. He doesn't want this to be a fight. He wants this to be an ambush. A molly whop. If this turns into a real fight then he needs every advantage he can possibly get.
Fortunately Isis is trying, but… it didn't work.
Or did it? It's so hard to tell when emotion is involved. Nick can feel the pressure on his mind even as he lays into the man. Is that water he can hear? Water he can feel creeping up his legs and thighs? It is. That shouldn't be possible - but he's slowly being engulfed by it.
Drowning.
The telepath's head snaps back when Nick hits a third time. For a moment the sense of drowning abates, then it's back. The weapon has dropped to the ground and now all the telepath wants to do is break Nicks grip and put some distance between them.
Nick is starting to panic. He can feel the edge of it clawing at his mind. It's sort of unfortunate that the telepath chose water, though, because that makes Nick grab at the back of his neck to bend him over into the 'water'. And then slam his head into a wall. It's an inelegant way to fight but again, Nick isn't looking for a sparring match.
He's pounced like this is a hunt and he needs to bring this down before he gets gored or worse. In a way that is exactly the situation.
Blood fountains from the telepaths nose as Nick slams him into the wall. The illusion of water, and it is an illusion, fades as the man tries to gain his wits. He's clearly well trained as he blocks one of Nicks swipes and then another.
The scent of the man changes a little - amidst the coppery smell of blood and tang of shock and fear, comes the sharp underscent of confidence. He's up to something.
There's another assault on Nicks mind. This time Nicks memories are messed with - his parents didn't die in a car accident, they sent him away. No child of mine is going to be a monster … his father had said.
That's right isn't it? That's how it happened?
Behind Nick, the gun starts to lift from the ground on its own. He *might* just hear the scrape as it does.
Nick all but throws the man as his mind comes under attack. Memories twisted. He blinks back tears. That isn't right. That isn't right. But it's so clear. It feels so real. Maybe… maybe that is how it happened. He was sent away. Thrown out. Exiled. Just like he was later during registration when the entire world told him that it didn't want him. That he wasn't welcome anywhere.
The scrape of the weapon has him turning, still fighting sudden emotion. "Isis!" She's still here, isn't she? She didn't leave him.
The pressure on Nicks mind wanes a little as the telepath learns how to fly. There's a heavy thud as hits the next wall, a groan but then the attack intensifies again - now not only has Nick been abandoned and rejected, he can see the Morlocks he knew being killed.
Nothing so easy as them just expiring. Throats cut, hangings, disembowelings - all of it. Each and every one that the telepath can pull from Nicks mind.
Which is when Nick turns and sees the weapon hovering there on its own. It's not pointed at Nick, though. It's pointed at Isis who is still fighting the telepath in his mind. "Nick…" she gasps. She's a strong Empath and Dreamwalker but as a telepath she's less than mediocre.
Nick can see all of his friends dying. And then Isis is being threatened. Is that another false memory or is it real? Can he prevent it? He has no idea. He's almost turned inside out by this point. But he throws himself at the floating gun and tries to knock it from the air and turn it at the telepath. He's not going to let Isis die too. Not on top of everyone else.
He's strong. So very strong. The telepath may be able to lift the weapon but can he prevent Nick from turning it on him? If he can it'll be nearly all he can do. Nick could throw a car at him if he had a car to hand.
So many deaths. So much blood and suffering. His friends. Those who don't die, turn their backs on Nick. This telepath has managed to get through Nicks mental shields and is trying to play the Wolf Man like an instrument.
He's spread thin though. Isis is working on his emotions - there's fear and anger washing over the room now. That will affect Nick - Isis knows that but she can't help that at the moment.
BANG
Nick manages to snatch the gun from the air and turn it on the telepath - but not before it fires - once. The anger in those emotions intensifies as Isis yowls. And now Nick is wrestling with the gun - as he feels the compulsion to turn it on Isis.
At least the images have stopped? That's good, right?
Nick wrestles with the gun. In some ways it feels like he's wrestling with his own arm. He can smell cordite in the air. He manages to get it pointed generally toward the telepath and fires twice but never with an aim he's confident with. Maybe that'll help. Then the weapon is slowly turning. Toward Isis, then away from her. Then toward her. Then away from her. Then trying to point up at Nick's own head.
It's all so awful. Maybe that would be better. Wait. No. Nick tries to wrestle the weapon's magazine drop and just empty it so it can't fire again.
The gun fires once. Then twice. Both shots hitting a wall and stopping. Not high calibre then.
As Nick wrestles with the gun, he might not notice he's turning - Isis isn't staying still for this. The anger is still growing, with that nice feral edge - Isis isn't happy and it's showing.
"No…" That comes out as a yowl as the magaizine of the gun hits the floor with a thud.
Then there are claws flying through the air as Isis rakes at the telepaths face. The pressure on Nicks mind is gone in that instant - as Isis tumbles and hits a wall.
Nick shakes his head and drops the weapon after pulling the slide back to eject the last bullet. He bounds across the room in two quick strides and he's on top of the telepath again. And then he strikes. He hits. He pounds. And he isn't going to stop hitting until the telepath is out of action one way or another.
What SHIELD gets after this is probably going to be in need of some repair.
Isis is wild with pain and fury. She's also mentally exhausted from their journey through the dream plane. It's only going to serve to drive Nick on as he lays into the telepath.
There's not much more than bloodied mess by the time that Nick is finished.
Isis hasn't helped, she's just watching - her blue eyes nearly neon in colour. "Is he dead, Nick?"
Nick's eyes are similarly wild. He reaches down to see if the man is breathing or if he has a pulse. Some part of him is worried. Has he… killed a man? The answer is no. He can feel breath. It's probably a good idea to get this guy medical attention though.
"No." Nick's voice is rough. As though he'd been screaming or yelling. He hasn't but that's what he sounds like.
"We need… to get him out of here." And they need to get out of here. But they dreamwalked here and it's not like there's a car handy.
Isis growls and shifts. Nick can see where she was shot. In her side. "He should be …" It looks like she might finish the job until she tries to move and hisses.
"I can't take us back through the Dream Plane. I'm not strong enough. Call Agent May. Or Hank. Or the X-Men." They've got friends. They've got contacts. They should use them.
Nick takes out his phone and starts to dial but… his hands are shaking. He tries twice and then slowly hands it to Isis. "You do it. Call Pepper. Or SHIELD. Or Agent May. Just… get someone here." Before Nick changes his mind about this guy being alive.
He probably won't. Probably. But it was a near thing, all things considered.
Isis reaches out a hand to try and draw Nick near. She's in pain and she's so very, very wild. It won't be helping Nick at all. If she could move, the guy would be dead. Isis doesn't have the same restrictions that Nick does.
Taking the phone she dials a number. It's SHIELD. "Agent May isn't available but they're sending a team. Soon. They can take us back to SHIELD or I can call Hank or Pepper." Either way, they got the telepath but was it worth it?
Nick thinks it was. At the very least they won't be at risk for a little while. And with the telepath out of the question maybe they can turn this into a solid lead.
But right now he very much needs to sit down. If he doesn't he feels like he'll go mad. "SHIELD is fine. Let me know when they get here."
He's in a bad way. No surprise. He'll be alright. Probably.