12796/Tracking down Henry in the woods

Tracking down Henry in the woods
Date of Scene:	05 March 2021
Location:	Breakstone Lake - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Scott goes out in search of Hank who has been running around in a mutated, feral state.
Cast of Characters:	Beast, Cyclops

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Beast has posed:
On April 21 1977, in Winchester Massachusetts, an event took place that placed the town of Dover in the paranormal history books. Bill Bartlett and two friends were cruising around this small town enjoying the typical teenage conversations. Around 10:30 they began driving down Farm Street, a long and winding road surrounded by woods and fields. Suddenly, they noticed an animal climbing over a stone wall to the left of the road. As they approached the creature the headlight illuminate it and it froze in place like a startled deer. As it stared into the lights Bartlett noticed it had glowing blue eyes that resembled glass cat's eye marbles.

For decades after, residents and vacationers around the tiny town reported encounters with this 'beast'These ?encounters? were usually people finding a whole bunch of dead animals that have clearly been attacked by something very large with a lot of claws. In 1982, the New York Times even did a story on a local Police Officer who had several of his 175-pound hogs torn apart by the creature. A couple later reported they briefly encountered something that looked very much like a lion but it vanished after only a few moments.

Big cat or no, this 'beast' has not been sighted for many years. At least until no. In the past few months /something/ has been hunting the surrounding countryside. Something big. Something fast. Something terrifying. Few people have seen it directly but those who have caught glimpses say it is something like a lion with but with arms like a great ape. And with terrible teeth and claws. It hunts local animals, mainly deer and wildcats and the odd bear but also the occasional cow or sheep.. Their remains are thoroughly stripped. Not savaged but cunningly hunted and almost butchered to perfection.

So keep an eye out and you just might see something strange cross Rt. 6 around Winchester and Provincetown late at night.

Cyclops has posed:
Now that the threat of DAMT has been contained and the 'Cure' has been snuffed out, Scott Summers is on a personal mission to find his best friend who has gone missing without contact. They have been tracking him on cerebro to this point and the field leader plans on bringing his friend back one way or another.

As The Blackbird touches down and comes out of stealth mode, he gives a glance down to the device on his wrist that is pinging his location. He's not too far off, but that doesn't mean this will be an easy adventure. Dressed in his tactical field gear of blue and gold body armor and his visor, he starts of through the dark woods as a bright light that is attached to his visor comes on to shine a path.

"Hank! It's Scott! You out here?"

Beast has posed:
No. Hank isn't here. The counter-cure ripped Hank's mind away, leaving behind his prodigious cunning but backed by bestial needs instead of human intellect as it pushed his secondary mutation to the NTH degree, pushing his atavistic genes to their very limits.

It was almost impossible for cerebro to find him at all. Cerebro tracks the mental peculiarities of human mutants brainwaves and his own brainwaves are far from human now. He is more animal than man. He watches from his perch high in a tree. Hanging from the branches by woven green branches are the bodies of deer and mountain lions. He himself is almost unrecognizable. Almost a foot taller than before, almost twice as broad at the shoulders. His arms are longer, much more muscular. His legs have become digigrade but he retains his prehensile claw-like toes. His already leonine muzzle is more pronounced, and his eyes are larger as well, blue orbs edged with yellow and, like the myth, are slit like a cat's. And he has a /tail/. His blue pelt is shaggier and darker than before as well, which lends itself even more to blending with shadows.

Cyclops has posed:
While Cerebro does have it's limitations, using DNA on file to track Beast down through the machine made things a lot easier. As Scott continues to trek through the forest, his light sweeps along the trees as he reaches up to tap the visor. Night-Mode!

"Hank?" He glances down at the device on his arm as it starts to 'ping', then starts searching the area as he turns around a few times, then glances upwards into the tree to shine a light on his old friend. The new appearance startles him.

"Hank, it's me, Scott. I'm here to take you home and to give you the treatment you need to get back to normal. Do you understand me?"

Beast has posed:
Maybe, on some level, Hank /does/ understand. On that human level somwhere so deep insid of him that even a telepath would have trouble finding it. But Hank is now more than Beast in name. His inner animal has gained control, set free after being locked away from the very beginning.

The counter0-cure didn't change him. No. It set him free. For the first time he is what he was MEANT to be.

Ping. Ping. Ping.

It's a bit like that movie, aliens. Scott following the life sign's detector. 20 meters. PING.

15 Meters. PING.

10 Meters.

5 Meters. PING

The reading can't be right... Scott would have to be right on top of him but... uh oh.

Or maybe Hank is right on top of Scott...

Staring down at the lead X-man is two large eyes which narrow on him, followed by a throaty growl that he's NEVER heard come from his friend before. Somewhere between annoyance and hunger. Teeth are grit, gleaming in the dim light, sharp like a hunting cat's. Ichor dripping.

Cyclops has posed:
As he stares at the sight of his friend in the tree, Scott keeps himself loose and calm. "Hey, buddy. It's Scott. You ready to come down here and go home? Everyone misses you and we have a way of making things better. Also, I am sure you have to be hungry, so the Professor has your favorite meal being prepared back at the mansion."

He takes a few slow steps back away from the tree, motioning with his hands towards the spot in front of him. "Come on, bud. /I/ really miss my best friend and Jean got hurt. She needs your help."

Beast has posed:
The growl doesn't really stop. Instead it becomes a low angry purr. OF course there is something /familiar/ about this creature to him.. Thisone-eyed man-thing. His nostril flare and the scent playes across his brain. While he may not have human intellect, scents like any memory can becomre muscle-reflex. The brain /is/ a muscle after all. Oh yes, re recognizes this scent.

The man-thing is crafty. And dangerous. And....

Beast drops to the ground from his high perch, landing with a loud and much heavier THUD than Scott cn remember. He crouches on his back feet, leaning heavily on his knuckles, cat ears flickers, nostrils flaring as he slowly advances on Scott. He wears no clothing and his shaggier than normal fur, dakers, is matted and there are twigs and leaves stuck in his fur. God he is.. HUGE. Like movie werewolf huge.. Almost looming. No.. DEFINATELY looming. His very posture a challenge for territorial dominance.

Cyclops has posed:
"Thank you for coming down, Hank. You ready to go home? I brought some Twinkies with me." Scott reaches into his tactical belt, pulling out one of the wrapped sponge treats that is Henry's /favorite/ sweet. He holds it out to him after unwrapping it.

"I'm ready when you are." He says as he tilts his head back towards the large black flight ship. "Got plenty more of those on board as well." He'll be patient and take his time to try and get through to him.

Beast has posed:
What is the man-creature up to. His voice is low, soothing, non-confrontatioonal. But The Beast knows he is a tricksy one. As Scott reaches into tac-be he grits his sharp teeth and growls and is about to lunge foreward..

..When that sweet fluffy partly stale scent reaches his nostrils.

The Beast DOES lunge, like a lion on a gazelle, knocking Scott over as he grabs the twinkie andrips the packaging open with his teeth... grawr gwawr rawr nom nom nom...

Cyclops has posed:
As he hits the ground, Scott rolls smoothly with the motion, rising up to his feet swiftly. He watches Hank eat the Twinkie, which is laced with a heavy tranquilizer. Strong enough to knock out two elephants. Forge was even able to hide the flavor from the sweet treat.

"There you go, eat up." He says in a tight voice in his throat. Despite his stoic attitude, he is feeling his emotions bottled up inside of his chest. This is his best friend afterall and it hurts him to see him in such a regressed state.

"Sleepy time, Hank. By the time you open your eyes, we'll be home."

Beast has posed:
The Beast isn't feeling ANY emotioins except YUM! It takes him a few moments but he is through the wrapping (yuck) and stuffing the processed pastry into his muzzle. Cream and crumbs smother his jaws and his long catlike toungue tries to get the delicious so sweet stuff into his mouth... So good so good..

Beast wants more. MORE!

He turns back and leans foreward on knuckles and haunches, Still taller than Scott, and menacingly lopes foreward towards him. There is hunger in his eyes. Oh yes, he NEEDS more of this soft squishy sweet man-stuff and he.. will...get...

*Yawn*

Why is he so tired? What is wrong? The Beast paws at his eyes, finding it hard to move.. But he persists.. every erg of energy bringing him closer to Scott. Closer.. Cloooooser

*Flop*

The Great Blue Beast collapses at Scotts feet.. His last coherant thoughts about having never have trusted ANYTHING he took from the tricksy one-eye. Tricksy.. Triiiiickz zzzzzzzz.

God damnit.

Cyclops has posed:
"There you go, buddy." Scott says as he leans down and gently pats Hank on the head, brushing some of the wild hair away from his face. He presses his lips together for a moment, then taps along his wrist communicator as a beam of lasers encircles the creature.

An Anti-Grav technology lightens the load as the Beast begins to float after the field leader as he makes his way back for the Blackbird. He wasn't about to drag him through the dirt after all. From there, he will strap his friend down into a reinforced bed, then takes his pilot's seat to head home.

It won't be long, but he'll ensure that Hank gets the help he needs and reverse the effects of this new mutation.