13570/Missing: Early Info Gathering

Missing: Early Info Gathering
Date of Scene:	30 June 2021
Location:	Brooklyn Subway Station
Synopsis:	Logan got information about some missing children which leads to a brief recon mission into the tunnels beneath NYC.
Cast of Characters:	Wolverine, Psylocke

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Wolverine has posed:
    The state of New York works on the subway stations constantly in their greatest city. Manhattan is always in a state of construction, ever building, ever moving forward, yet there is a vibe to the understructure of the metropolis that no matter how many man hours are pumped into the maintenance, no matter how many face lifts, no matter how many make overs... the transit authority somehow always makes the stations look run down.
    Even with the new decor, the walls of the Brooklyn Subway station have a sadness to them, too much human suffering and discomfort has soaked into the supports and the structures of that station that somehow transforms the place into its current state of grim dourness. For residents of the city it blends in, just blurs together with the oppressiveness of the city. But for those that visit it's clear, perhaps an arcane thing better explained by those gifted in the Art.
    For a man, however, such as Logan. It's a simple explanation.
    "Still stinks in here." Said even as he's walking along the remains of the discontinued line that leads further up state. Further and further away from Manhattan proper and toward those tunnels that served as a haven for the mutant population that hid in the depths of the sewer system beneath the city. The Morlocks.
    "No idea what we're lookin' for, all I got about this was that 'something is up.'" And nothing more was told to the old mutant by the younger he'd encountered a few days ago.

Psylocke has posed:
"Does it?"

Betsy is dressed casually, jeans, a button up blouse, boots on her feet as they trek along the abandoned tracks, heading for the junctures where the sewer lines are also accessible.

Not having his senses, for her it is just damp and musty feeling. She's not picking up an odor. Yet. If they end up fully in the sewers, that can and likely will change.

"I didn't know the Morlocks were still around," she admits. "I knew some had survived but it's been so long, we haven't heard anything about them. You still have contacts amongst them then? Or this was a new contact out of the blue?"

Wolverine has posed:
    The tunnels are illuminated, small lamplights along the rails and every thirty feet there's a halogen bulb glowing upon the ceiling along the way. Enough to see, and when their eyes adjust enough to see decently well. But there's not a lot to be seen at the moment. Just the long tunnel leading away from the city and the oncoming junction with the old twisted station stop sign that has a curious X shape carved into it, one of the hidden icons used by the Morlocks to mark the way for their people.
    "Some took to the up top." Logan says, scowling as he walks. Their footsteps are eerily quiet, and their words very light though neither of the two hunters are trying for complete stealth such comes naturally for them.
    "The ones that could pass more than others, but some of the hard core militant types hunkered down." A glance is given sidelong to her, "Haven't seen Callisto in years." Some hint of regret there in his words and on the surface of his thoughts, but more at having lost track and time of an old comrade.
    "Three kids in Brooklyn went missing. And the gal I spoke to thought it might be related. Figured we see what we could see. Then mebbe head into the tunnels if needs be."

Psylocke has posed:
"Militant types?" That catches her attention. Betsy looks at him curiously. "I know they had some fighters in their midst, like Callisto. I wasn't aware they had become militant in any way."

Which makes her realize how they have kind of neglected the Morlocks. Well not neglected. They weren't the keepers of the Morlocks and those people had been fiercely independent, choosing to create their own world than accept the status quo of the outside. Things were better out in the world now but the Morlocks had been here for decades. They probably would continue to remain, even if everyone on planet became mutants. Oddly, this was their home. As horrible as it might seem to those who had been raised above ground.

"How old were the kids? I mean, the Morlocks aren't above kidnapping. But that seems an odd thing for them to take kids."

Wolverine has posed:
    "Mmm," Logan's rumbling answer at first is nothing of one. It's more just him expressing the scowl that's on just one corner of his face. "Some who felt it was gonna eventually be them or us eventually and were prepping for that. Magneto-ish but not as friendly."
    That said he pauses near that junction, notes the sign, then gives a nod to that branch on the right. This passage is less illuminated, some of the bulbs flickering and a few even dead in their sockets. But it's still easy enough to navigate as they move along the side of the train tracks, their footsteps still quiet though occasionally there's a chirp or cheep as a rat rushes away into the gaps in the walls.
    "Kids were eight, ten, and twelve. One family. Cops got the dad and mom locked up, cuz of course they do." Logan's never been too fond of law enforcement gone wrong. "I haven't seen any evidence connectin' to it, but my informant seemed to feel that way..."

Psylocke has posed:
"That doesn't sound like the Morlocks I remember. Kidnapping kids?" Betsy turns and continues down the darker tunnel, glancing around a bit more as she becomes more concerned about their surroundings with this talk of militants.

"Perhaps the police are just questioning at this point. How long has it been?" She is less immediate to dismiss the police. They must have some evidence if they actually arrested the parents. Which leads to were they set up? It could be someone out to get the parents maybe, setting them up?

"Although with the loss of so many, including some of their children, perhaps the Morlocks wanted to increase their numbers." Then she has a thought. "Were the children mutants? Or human?"

Wolverine has posed:
    "A few weeks," The Canadian mutant's features are severe as he walks, but then he pauses and frowns. Slowly he kneels, jeans picking up some of the muck and grime on one knee as he touches a hand to some recently upturned dirt in a divot that is not unlike a foot print, but subtly out of proportion.
    "Hasn't been a lot in the news. Then again we usually have our feelers out there for a wider range of stuff going down than just some kids missing."
    As she asks about their being X-factor active he shakes his head, "Dunno, none of them have manifested at least. Parents are homo sapien." He rubs some of the dirt between his fingers then pushes himself back to his feet, the bones in his knees scraping faintly with a slightly metallic sound.
    "You sense anything? Anything outta the ordinary?"

Psylocke has posed:
"Not out of the ordinary," Betsy replies as she continues to let her telepathic senses spread out around them. As they left the civilized areas above behind, less population meant less mental noise. She still had to keep the walls up but she could make herself a bit more aware of the area around them.

"Though we aren't alone. There is someone watching. Only...they aren't near us. They are quite some distance away. Yet I can sense a portion of their mind here? It's very odd. It feels like an echo which is what makes me think they aren't near. Or perhaps that is part of their power?"

Wolverine has posed:
    "Mmm," Again with the non-committal answer. Logan straightens up and dusts his hands off, expression serious as he takes a deep breath then murmurs, "There's a lot of fear in the air, adrenalin, somethin' went down around here in the last few weeks and something refreshes it now and again."
    A glance is given to Psylocke as she tells him about the watcher, the possibility of them not being alone. He shakes his head and murmurs, "C'mon, we're not prepared for this. We wander in there now it'll be half-ass. We let the police handle this."
    And as he says that he turns and starts to move back towards that juncture in the rails that they turned off of. Though she'll feel his mind's words as he stuffs his hands into his pockets while making that slow leisurely retreat.
    << We let people know. We gather the troops. We find out. Later. >>

Psylocke has posed:
A watcher potentially meant defenders as well. Though she couldn' tpick up any more minds in the area, at least not at the moment. Though they had power blockers in the past amongst the Morlocks. But if that was the case, she wouldn't be able to use her powers. Still, there were too many ifs. While the two of them were formidable, better to retreat and gather more info.

"It does seem very far fetched if the children are human." The verbal agreement as she turns and they start back the way they came.

<<We'll send in a couple of others from other directions, get a bit more information before we walk into a potential fight. I just hope that your source is wrong. Especially if these are mitlitant versions. That could be bad. Very bad.>>