12522/Fishing for a Cure.

From United Heroes MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Fishing for a Cure.
Date of Scene: 04 December 2020
Location: Westchester, The Bronx
Synopsis: Buffy runs into a suspicious Logan. Talk of the mutant cure is had.
Cast of Characters: Buffy Summers, Wolverine
Tinyplot: Mutant Cure


Buffy Summers has posed:
It's early morning in the Bronx, less than 24 hours since the attack on Melrose clinic where a fight between mutants seeking a cure, and those opposed to a cure had occurred. During the exchange, Buffy had slipped in and acquired some samples of the antimutagen drug herself. Hopefully unnoticed, but you never know.

All the same, she's in a hurry to get back, to get the gang together, to figure this little problem of hers out. Unfortunately, she took a wrong turn and ended up in a bad part of town.

There are gangs here, a lot of angry mutants still lurking in the shadows after the protest last night. They're stalking her as she slips into a nearby alley, seeking a shortcut to the subway..

Wolverine has posed:
Although the events of yesterday's protest/terrorist attack didn't play out EXACTLY the way Logan would have prefered (and really, when do they ever?), he was ready to chalk the evening up as a moderate success for mutantkind. Not for his pride, though. Or his jacket.

But one of the curses that goes along with Logan's mutant gifts is an inability to ever enjoy himself without smelling something that he's compelled to investigate. It happens literally one hundred percent of the time he does anything.

And there's that familiar smell, though it's been a while since he smelled it.

He never forgets, even if the scent doesn't belong to a redhead. That's actually more of a series of coincidences than a well-established preference, despite what you might hear.

With his wardrobe destroyed, and his beer run complete, Logan has set himself on the trail of the Slayer, only to find that she moves faster than he feels like.

So he took over a local mutant biker gang, and now he's riding the former leader's bike with about twelve really tough-looking mutants behind him.

"This way, boys! Crusty and Bone Knife, you're headin' down the alley with me. The rest of ya... surround the block! And if you see her before I do... the blonde is MINE!"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers is no fool. She knows when she's being followed, being herded more like. And she really doesn't like the sounds of that mutant biker gang behind her. She hasn't actually bothered to look behind her, to see who exactly is heading this little chase. And she'd rather not spare a moment to do so.

No doubt, these were some of the mutant protesters at that rally last night, quite possibly those against a so-called 'Mutant Cure'. Which means, they'd probably want her head on a platter if they knew what she had...Obtained..From that clinic, during all the chaos.

With a sigh, she comes to a stop and glances up at the narrow walls. Hmm..These are both 7-story buildings, so it's not like she can just leap straight up. She does leap about halfway up though, landing lightly onto someone's balcony, then uses a fire escape ladder to climb the rest of the way up to the rooftop.

Of course, Buffy hadn't come here unarmed, and she still carries that nylon violin case across her back, full of who-knows-what sorts of goodies. But she'd rather not expend the energy on them when she has other big bads to tend to.

Wolverine has posed:
The three motorcycles pull into the alley, revving their engines menacingly. Bringing up the rear is a man about seven feet tall with almost flourescently-glowing red skin. Either his mutant power is not having a nose, or he cut off his nose at some point. Either is likely, he's in a mutant biker gang.

In the middle, a relatively normal-looking man looks around with wary eyes. Relatively normal-looking aside from the pig snout from which copious amounts of mucus are streaming and caking his nose ring. He's also got a machete.

But up in front, the strangest sight of all, perhaps. It looks like the leader of the mutant biker gaing is about five foot three, not wearing a shirt (though he doesn't really need one desperately, hairy as he is...) and smoking the remnants of a cigar that's just this side of being comically oversized.

The bikes come to a stop, and the bikers' legs swing over the sides almost in unison. As they put down their kickstands, the recognizable mutant takes out his cigar, and looks right up at Buffy as if he could somehow sense her presence.

"Hey kiddo. Yer in trouble."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers glances over the side of the roof and groans. "Look guys, I really don't have time for this, how about you come back another day?" oh yeah, big and ugly down there does not look like he'd listen to reason, but honestly, Buffy doesn't have time for this.

While she is considering chopping down the ladder before they can climb up after her, she freezes as she spies a famliar figure, one she hasn't seen in a long time, one whom she was and is still rather fond of, even if they ended up going down separate paths.

"...Logan? The heck are you doing here?" she frowns softly, wondering if even *he* has turned against her now. But she can't stop now.

Wolverine has posed:
"The heck am I doing in a random-ass alley in the Bronx? Why, I won a friggin' contest, ya nutty so and so!"

Putting the cigar back in his mouth, he takes a deep inhale, which people reeeeeally aren't supposed to do with cigars, and then slowly releases the thick clouds of smoke through his nostrils as if it's no big deal. And to him, after years and years of abuse, it isn't a big deal.

The mutant bikers behind him cough a bit nervously.

"Oh yeah... guess I did actually win a contest. Had to beat these boys' leader in a knife fight. Only I got more knives than he did. So now I've got me a biker gang, which I've wanted for a while."

Another puff of the cigar. Logan clearly feels proud of himself.

"YOU on the other hand... seems like you mighta gotten somethin' that YOU wanted for a while last night too, am I right?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers rolls her eyes, folding her arms loosely as she continues to eye Logan warily. "Riiight. A biker gang. Full of murderous back stabbing thugs. Who probably do all sorts of...Illegal murderous things. Congratulations, Logan. Thought you were supposed to be a hero."

As for that 'something' she's been seeking, Buffy just sighs. "Look, did you come here for a fight? Or just to talk? Cuz you should know me better than that, Logan. And even if..We're not like 'that' anymore, you *know* me, and I thought you trusted me too."

Why, she almost sounds..Disappointed in him.

Wolverine has posed:
Turning to look back over his shoulder, Logan looks at the mutant bikers with a concerned expression.

"You guys wouldn't stab me in the back, would you?"

They both vehemently shake their heads 'no.'

"Do you do illegal murderous things?"

They're a bit slower to respond this time. Bone Knife starts to shake his head 'no.' Crusty starts to shake his head 'yes.'

"We'll talk about this on the ride back to the club."

He turns back to look up at Buffy, a somewhat bashful smile on his grizzled, stubbly face. Stubbly where it isn't outright hairy and overgrown, that is.

"Well, okay, so maybe they ain't perfect, but you shouldn't be so quick to judge. Just like I ain't bein' quick to judge why you just happened to run off with the thing you ran off with."

"Now, I'm a trusting man, generally, but the thing you took... it's not the sort of thing I'd trust ANYONE with."

"'Course, I been known to be reasonable, from time to time."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers peers doubtfully at his newfound 'friends', nodding her head with a smirk. "Uh-huh..I'm sure they are. You got yourself some really..Trustworthy friends there, Logan.."

And she's rather stay up here, out of their reach, thankyouverymuch! But of course his concerns are real and totally understandable. She frowns and nods slowly.

"That..Might be true, considering all things. But..I'm not about to come down there to get eaten alive by your..Buddies. If you wanna talk, you'd better come up here..Alone.."

Wolverine has posed:
With a heavy sigh, which causes his cigar to sputter and his shoulders to slump, Logan acquiesces to what is really a pretty reasonable demand.

"Fair enough... Bone Knife, I'm gonna need a Fastball Special real quick."

Bone Knife just looks blankly at Logan's back until Logan finally turns around.

"You just... toss me on up there. Don't worry, I don't have cooties."

Bone Knife looks up at the landing where the Slayer is lurking, then back down at Logan.

"Toss you up THERE? That's like, twenty feet!"

Logan frowns, and speaks through clenched teeth so that he can hold his cigar in place.

"Come on... you're real strong, right? Big fella like you?"

Bone Knife shakes his head a bit sheepishly.

"God dammit... Be up in a sec, Buff..."

Leaving the boys down below to watch his bike, Logan ascends the fire escape, grunting and complaining the entire way to the top.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers folds her arms and just watches in quiet amusement. "Heh, yeah, they're real helpful 'friends' aren't they..?" she just shakes her head with a slight smirk.

But as Logan nearly reaches the top, she leans over to graps his hand. And for a moment, her hand tightens around his, almost agressively, almost as if she might..Throw him or, or who knows, really?

But this is not the time for games. And as it is, she is running out of time. With a sigh, Buffy uses her superior strength to effortlessly pull him up the rest of the way.

"Alright, what do you wanna know?" she asks, even though she's pretty sure there's really only one thing he wants to know.

Wolverine has posed:
It's very likely, now that Logan is up on the landing with her, that Buffy will wish she'd asked him to stay below. He smells strongly of yesterday's sweat, multiple stab wounds (much of his skin got flayed off, which produces a very particular set of odors...), cheap Canadian beer, and cigar smoke.

Imagine a wet dog that's been through Hell. That's what Logan smells like.

Like a gentleman though, he sets his cigar over on the railing after accepting the hand up. Mostly, he seems to be once again astonished by how strong this tiny girl is. There aren't many lumberjacks who could pull Logan up like that.

Posting up on a railing a respectful distance from her, though there's not much distance to be had on a fire escape, Logan folds his arms over his bare chest and thinks for a moment before answering.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks slowly in surprise, once she realizes just what a hellish state he's in. "Woah, what happened to you?" she sighs, "You were there too, weren't you? Trying to stop this..This Mutant terrorist group, huh.."

She steps back to let him climb the rest of the way up on the rooftop before drawing a deep breath. "Okay, first of all, this has nothing to do with trying to de-power you, or the X-men. But of course you should already know that I'd never try to hurt the X-men, the kids at Xavier's, my cousin, and especially not you.."

For a brief moment, there is an almost..Gentle look in her eyes as she locks her gaze with Logan for just a moment. But her expression is a bit hardenned, no longer enraptured by him anymore. And oh yeah, she knows all about their little 'secret' of course, thanks in part to Logan's tactlessness. And having a cousin who works there.

"Oh and for the record, I took that oath of secrecy seriously, never told a soul about your school.." all of this is spoken in hushed words of course, loud enough for Logan to hear, not loud enough for his newfound 'friends' to overhear.

Wolverine has posed:
"No, I get all that. You're a good little egg, I've always thought so."

His manner is mean, and coarse, and unrefined. But behind that stern, brutal face of his, Logan's actually a sweetheart. Though he seems to be making a little extra effort to hide that today.

Possibly because his new biker buddies are watching. Or possibly because he's not yet sure how he's going to have to play this one.

"I know you're a good kid. And a smart one, too. But even smart kids put their fingers in the electrical sockets sometimes, and right now, yer practically walking around with a stick of dynamite."

Logan leans over to his right, and spits over the rail. Lot of cigar smoke remnants in his saliva, from the looks of it.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers folds her arms loosely as she watches him, with a mixture of wariness, a little sympathy for his wounds, and..Something else. Which she is trying hard to hide. She has her own reasons for putting up a tough-girl wall too, comes with the territory.

"You're right, of course. A lot of people would kill, to get this into their grubby little hands, either to use or destroy. I'm...Sorry, you guys must be having a hard time right now. How have you been holding up? You, my cousin, the kids..Kitty?"

She sighs, shaking her head. "It's dangerous of course, but also necessary. I..Have to right a wrong from many years ago."

But of course this is gonna be quite the story, but it's all necessary, and she'll have to tell it from the beginning.

"Okaay, so, back in highschool, what, some four, five years ago, we had this crazy awesome swim team..Okay, maybe a little TOO awesome, y'know? Like, they were ridiculously strong, fast, good looking.." okay, she's babbling, time to make this quick.

Buffy clears her throat, shaking her head. "ANYWAY, so, to make a long story short, we eventually discovered that people kept..Vanishing, and the gym teacher had stolen some secret government formula to turn these kids into..I dunno, superhumans. He was literally mutating them through vapors in the steam room."

She frowns, "I wasn't able to defeat them, and honestly, I just couldnt. They were innocent kids afterall. I was outnumbered and outpowered. I just managed to escape with my life. They took off into the ocean. Out of sight, out of mind..Until now.."

Wolverine has posed:
Logan's responses are pleasant enough. The kids are doing fine, the cousins have all their fingers, Kitty's touring with Alice Cooper, etc.

But it's with a bit of chagrin that Logan is reminded that for Buffy, high school was only four, five years ago...

"Think I remember seein' this episode of Unsolved Mysteries..."

Logan reaches over, and picks up his cigar again. He holds it up with a look as if he's seeking approval before starting to puff it again. Ultimately, he just smokes it anyway, and lets her finish her story. You know, like a gentleman.

"So you found these poor mutated jocks, and you think if you give 'em the cure they're gonna turn back into poor regular jocks. Heard crazier plans, I s'pose."

A veeeery long inhale, followed by a completely cough-free exhale. What a specimen, that Logan.

"Alright then. Me and my boys'll have your back till you finish this little redemption mission of yours, and then I'm destroying any cure you got left over. I know the boys might look a little rough, but they're loyal as hell and real..."

VROOOOM!

VROOOOOOOOM!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEAL!

The bikers peel out of the alley as if they were trying to bust out of the cover of a Meat Loaf album. There goes Logan's Mutant Biker Gang.

"Aw hell!"

Looking over the edge, Logan's expression brightens slightly.

"Well... shit... least they left the bike. Wanna lift home?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers nods and grins sheepishly, "Well. Yeah, that's the gist of it. I mean, these were normal kids, it wasn't like they were born that way. This mutation has turned them into monsters. If I can, I'd rather not kill them, I'd rather give them back there life if at all possible.."

And then he makes a noble offer like that, and while she doesn't trust those biker thugs, she does trust Logan. To a point. Y'know, having him vanish for month in Japan, then dumping her via text never went over well with her..

AHEM anyway. "Thank, I'd appreciate that.." her gaze softens a bit.

Wolverine has posed:
Really, Buffy should consider herself a lucky lady. Logan probably had to learn to text just to do that...

"Peachy."

He flicks the stubby remnant of the cigar off of the fire escape and into a nearby dumpster. Very considerate of him to not pollute, but it'd probably have been more considerate if he'd put the cigar out before tossing it.

He starts making his way down the escape, gripping the sides of the ladder loosely and then sliding down the whole way to the bottom. He lands with a pretty heavy thud, but doesn't seem to mind. His boots probably aren't very happy though.

At the bottom of the ladder, he takes a step back and puts his hands out as if to somehow assist or catch her. From twenty feet below.

Sure, he knows she doens't need his help. But he's a stubborn old man with questionable intentions.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers follows after him, but is more graceful in her landing, jumping about halfway down, then jumping halfway down again, landing softly on her feet.

And pauses. "Though on second thought.." she wrinkles her nose a bit and sighs. Probably cant be helped. "I guess it'd probably be safter not to have you stop off at Xavier's to clean off first, but perhaps we could stop by my..Willow's apartment for a shower and change of clothes for you?" she smirks, "Dont worry, I wont try anything 'funny'."

Wolverine has posed:
Climbing onto the bike, which is actually a bit too high for him, Logan looks around, sniffing the air warily. They say you can't really smell yourself, and he seems to mostly be checking for any imminent threats. After all, he did just stab the leader of a mutant biker gang, and steal his bike. And his gang. Maybe some caution is warranted?

"Ha. I can take the hint. 'S been a rough night, Buff. Don't think Willow has anything in my size... but... we can see."

He kicks up the stand, turns the key in the ignition, and stomps on the pedal. The engine flares to life with a satisfying roar, and he pulls back the throttle a few times to rev the engine loudly.

"Oh hang on..."

Reaching back behind him, he pulls a very large helmet out from under a strap on the back seat. The helmet looks like it could fit Colossus, and is covered in sharp metal spikes. Its pull-down visor is in the shape of a skull face, and the heavy metal helmet is completely covered in potentially toxic levels of chrome.

"Here you go kid. Safety first."

He's not going to wear a helmet, obviously.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers laughs and shrugs as she follows him on the bike, taking the helmet. Yeah, she's tough and has a pretty strong healing factor, but isn't too keen on losing her head over it.

"Hmm well...Actually it's my old apartment too, probably have some of Thomas' old clothes hanging around." Ooh, and that's a new name she's just casually dropping there, isn't it.

She nods and smiles, wrapping her arms around his waist, and trying not to feel nostalgic about all those hiking trips they did up north, spending time in his cabin, cuddling up together..

Wolverine has posed:
Once she's on, Logan revs the engine a few more times, just to make sure the neighbors are up, and then puts the bike in gear. As it pulls forward, he pulls his leg up and rests his foot on the peg, turning the bike sharply to head back out in the direction that it came.

All without so much as a 'hold on!', but she's got the gist already, so there's no need for that.

Sure enough, the rest of the gang seems to have vanished as well, or at least most people wouldn't be able to hear their retreating engines. But Logan can.

"Think I'd rather wear Willow's..."

He kind of has to shout to be heard over the noise of the engine, as he turns right and heads out onto the streets of New York. Without a helmet... Here's hoping they don't run across any motivated cops.

"Nice night. What say we take the long way 'round?"

It's possible that he just wants a nice night ride. It's possible that he might have forgotten where Willow lives...

Either way, he's heading for the highway.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers chuckles and shrugs, enjoying the nice scenery. She really missed this, hiking, relaxing in the wilderness. "Heh, it's really been a while, I hope you and my cousin are getting along a bit better?"

As for fitting into Willow's clothes, she just chuckles and shrugs, "Really? You'd rather dress up like a girl? I mean, she has lots of pink and frilly girly things." Of course it would be rather amusing to see that too.

She is also talking loudly, practically shouting too, geez, why are bikes so loud anyways? "Sooo what have you been up to these past months, anyway?"

Wolverine has posed:
"Eh..."

It's a fairly noncommital response. But both Logan and Buffy's cousins are still alive, and that's the most important part, right?

Logan can hear her just fine, but has to turn back a bit to shout at her. Which isn't the safest thing, but Logan is a pro. Riding around on motorcycles is practically his default state. Of course, he ends up crashing pretty often, but surely he won't tonight?

"I THINK I COULD PULL OFF A CASHMERE SWEATER! PEOPLE TELL ME I HAVE VERY ATTRACTIVE COLLAR BONES!"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers chuckles, peering around still, at the scenery. And as they pick up speed, she really has to shout now.

"CASHMERE!? REALLY, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS YOUR STYLE! BUT I'M DYING TO SEE YOU IN PINK!"

She smirks and is totally enjoying this. Of course she doesn't bother to mention that if he tried on any of Thomas' clothes he'd end up smelling like demon. "TAKE A RIGHT HERE, I KNOW A SHORT CUT!"

Wolverine has posed:
"TAKE A RIGHT HERE? YOU KNOW A SHORTCUT THROUGH THE PARKING GARAGE!!!??"

Logan does as he was told, the tires squealing as he suddenly takes a sharp turn and blows past the gate guard who really doesn't get paid enough to put up with these kinds of hijinks.

As they rapidly ascend the first ramp, Logan leans forward and grips the handlebars a bit more tightly.

She... might want to follow his lead.

Fortunately, it's late, so there aren't many cars trying to get into a spot. But already someone has honked at them.

"STICK IT UP YER ASS, BUB! WE KNOW A SHORTCUT!"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks, he may have turned a mite too soon, but that's easily corrected. "SURE! NOT LONG NOW. PHEW, AT LEAST THE BLASTING WIND ON MY FACE HELPS!" yeah, she just said that. Poor Logan, with his sweat and blood and guts hanging out. They probably think she beat him up. Or something.

Still, she hunkers down and then starts to wonder why she's actually enjoying this rather dangerous past time. Oh right, she's a bit of a thrill seeker. Comes with the territory.

But at least it's not too busy out today?

Wolverine has posed:
"SORRY, I COULDN'T HOLD IT ANYMORE!"

The bike careens precariously around and around, ascending a floor with each slightly squared-off rotation. Occasionally, they zip around another motorist, but any honking is met with much the same reaction as the first one. Occasionally with some hand gestures.

"WE'RE GONNA BE AT THE TOP SOON! YOU WEREN'T BY ANY CHANCE PLANNING FOR US TO DRIVE OFF THE ROOF, WERE YOU?"

It's a legitimate question, as they're running out of options with every floor that they ascend.

Unless she knows a pretty crazy shortcut.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers chuckles, "NAH BUT THERE'S PARKING ON THE ROOFTOP, TRUST ME. PARKING IS A RARE COMMODITY AROUND HERE!" Of course, now they're bumping up steps, her voice sounds a bit shakey, and it doesn't help that Logan's still a bit bloody and sweaty and all that. The sooner they get there the better.

"HERE, YOU CAN PARK HERE, THE APARTMENT'S JUST ACROSS THERE!" She points, and the gap between the two buildings is not too big for them to...Jump across. If he's feeling particularly adventurous.

Buffy sure has unusual parking habits.

Wolverine has posed:
"HERE!?"

The gap between the two buildings isn't terrible, though Logan isn't as enthusiastic a leaper as she apparently is. Looking around quickly, he doesn't see any sort of ramp that would help them cross the distance on the bike, so he'll have to just park it and...

Wait...

There's a Tesla Cybertruck parked at just the right location. And Logan has always hated those things.

"HOLD ON, BUFFY! WE'RE GONNA PARK A LITTLE CLOSER!"

Taking a big swooping turn, Logan lines up the bike at the right angle relative to the Cybertruck, and then pulls all the way back on the throttle. The bike picks up speed as it races toward the truck, and then just at the last moment he pulls back the front of the bike into a wheelie and uses the truck's signature slanted front end as a ramp, driving all the way up the shatterproof windows, the stainless steel body, and along the solar panels that cover the back.

Perfect ramp. And now they're airborne.

"HA HA HA HA HA!"

Logan sounds more like a certain demon-possessed biker than a simple Canadian mountain man. But, what can we say? He's a thrill-seeker too.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers wasn't really expecting that, but hey, it's quite the thrilling ride, and she holds on tighter as they sail skywards, perhaps a bit more airborne than she was expecting. But hey, she's not exactly one of the faint of heart afterall. Comes with the territory and all.

"HA! THIS IS GREAT! WE SHOULD DO THIS MORE OFTEN!" she chuckles, enjoying the rushing wind in her hair, the feeling of flying..Oh, and the inevitable coming down on the other side..That rooftop looks a bit far really, but she's got faith in Logan..

Wolverine has posed:
Fortunately, her faith in Logan is justified. This particular time.

The rear wheel just baaaaarely catches the ledge of the apartment building's roof and they are pulled over the side by the spinning wheel, falling the remaining three feet or so onto the concrete roof.

The brakes are pulled, and the bike turns to the side, skidding the rest of the way, nearly perpendicular to the roof. Logan holds an arm out to the side, and his claws pop out with a -SNIKT!-, digging into the concrete to help the bike's brakes so they don't go flying off the other side.

Whoever lives on the top floor is going to have an interesting conversation with the superintendent tomorrow.

The bike finally stops, by some miracle not landing on its side, and Logan stands it back up. Putting his claws away in the process.

The engine is turned off, and the kickstand popped in place.

When Logan turns around, there's a bug splattered on his forehead and a huge smile on his grizzly face.

"Got any beer?"