View source for 4419/Mutant Kidnappings: A hanging thread

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/05/09
|Location=Unknown
|Synopsis=Rogue and Drake interview a kidnapped mutant for information.
|Cast of Characters=22, 16, 1353
|Tinyplot=Mutant Kidnappings
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Most of the rescued mutants from the Gotham laboratories know nothing new. They know they were stolen from various places, usually their homes, and dragged to the labs for testing. Most of them were unconscious. There is one mutant that holds a different story, though. She was in extreme shock, unable to really converse, when Rogue saved her from one of the laboratory tables. But now the doctors and nurses sent word to the Avengers that the girl is able to talk coherently. <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With Rogue's rapport with the girl, sending her to collect the information she may have made the most sense. It isn't expected she will know too much more, but every lead is worth following up. Her name is Penny. She's still in the hospital, recovering from a surgery of some kind related to her kidnapping.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue had gotten the word to go check on the girl and she didn't need to be asked twice, she actually wanted to anyway. In her heart she cared about mutants and the troubles that they faced, she wanted to be there for them the same way those at Xavier's had been there for her when she was dealing with her own mutation and the side effects of years of absorbing other people's minds and powers.<br><br>So on her way out of the Avengers Mansion, Rogue bumped into Drake and invited him to join her. She has her own car, a very... expensive... green Bentley that was given to her by a rich woman that, well, its complicated.<br><br>Anyway the drive to Gotham would've taken a little while, but once there Rogue would navigate the gross Hospital (all hospitals are gross) and make her way to the girl's room.<br><br>Upon entering the room, Rogue would look to the girl's bed and offer a smile should Penny be awake. Rogue's wearing a sheer green top that keeps her covered, but still lets airflow in to her dangerous skin, beneath it she has on a black tanktop and some blue jeans with boots, and of course some dark green gloves on her hands.<br><br>"Heya, remember me?" She asks. Pointing to Drake then. "This is a friend'a mine, Drake."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1353|Drake (1353)}} has posed:'''<br>Having been snagged on a road trip, Drake was easily convinced to head to Gotham to help out. He had nothing else to do and he feels that every team mate should have proper backup. He is wearing a pair of destroyed jeans and a simple loose black top under his wind breaker. He casually strides in behind Rogue, lifting a hand to give a awkward smile. "Hi there." He calls over with a wiggle of his fingers. He grows quiet for now, giving a rocking on his worn sneakers as he takes a look about the room, wrinkling his nose at the sterile smell of it all. Hospitals give him the creeps.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Penny is awake; she's sitting up watching television. She doesn't look all that much more healthy than she did when Rogue met her, except for being perhaps a little more rosy in the cheeks. She's still mildly gray, like that's her natural coloring. Her hair is short, a pixie style of fluffy black. Eyes are large and dark brown. "I remember, yes," Penny says, quietly, and reaches to turn off the tv, watching the pair with some uncertainty. "I remember your hair," Penny grins, gesturing to the front of her own bangs, to indicate where Rogue's streak is, and adds a grin. "And you got me out of there. I mean. It was... it... uh ... Thanks."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Penny is a soft-spoken girl, clearly, a shy quality to her, at least upon meeting the one that rescued her. Her eyes drop to her hands in her lap. "They told me you're Avengers." Her eyes flow over both Rogue and Drake. "I'm um, Penny. Penny Ross."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue glances over to Drake after she steps into the room further upon seeing the girl being awake, but she looks back to Penny when the tv goes off and the mention of her distinctive hairstyle is brought up... which gets a grin from Rogue. "Its my trademark." She says softly in response to that before she moves over toward one of those Guest chairs that sits by a window. "Its good t'meet ya finally, for real though, Penny." She steps over to the bed and offers a gloved hand. "I'm Marie. Or Rogue, is what I'm known as on the Avengers roster."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1353|Drake (1353)}} has posed:'''<br>"I'm Drake. I go by Slipstream. I'm sorta a Avenger in training. So, today I'm just sidekicking it with Rogue." Drake says with a warm smile towards Penny, then leans back against one of the far walls, propping himself back with a foot behind him. He casually slides his hands into his pockets as he relaxes.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"They told me Avengers might visit and I was really afraid but also excited maybe Captain America would come and show up and see me while I'm all gross," Penny says quickly, embarrassed, to Rogue. "Marie, that's so pretty," Penny says gently, accepting the handshake with a sort of weak, limpwrist manner. Her fingernails are painted, a dark purple, but most of the paint is chipped off from her captivity. "Hi, Drake," Penny says, waving at him a little since he doesn't come over. "In training? That's really cool," she says, honestly. "I guess you want to talk about what happened to me, huh."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue looks over at Drake when he leans back and she then grins at hearing the bit about Cap. "Yeah..." She looks back to Penny. "He's somethin' special. I was all kinds mush when I first met him. He gave me this whole... interview... thing... and I had t'stop myself from whisperin 'I Love you' after every answer I gave." Rogue continues to grin for a second before she pulls a cell phone out of her pocket and offers it over, its a brand new Stark Phone. "Hey, I got you this.... Its got Drake and mine's contact info on it and its loaded up with like, a billion airtime minutes... Tony practically throws these things at us. Incase ya need some contact with the outside world while you're in here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1353|Drake (1353)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh, yeah. Cap is amazing. I remember when I first met him, I rambled for like an hour I think.. or maybe ten minutes.. or maybe two minutes without breathing. I almost started crying too. I had his poster on my wall as a kid. He's really good looking, I can see why Marie here got all wobbly knees at him." Drake says teasingly as he raises his brows upwards in amusement.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Oh wow. Tony? Like Tony Stark, Iron Man?" Penny accepts the phone eagerly. "My mom visits me, but this phone is SO much nicer than mine. I can't watch videos on mine and the battery dies all the time. Wow, thanks," the girl says, accepting it, and treating it like a precious object. "You guys must have crazy lives," Penny smiles, looking from Rogue to Drake and back. "Captain America's my favorite too. But I mean, he didn't save my life personally," Penny adds, peeking at Rogue just a little. "I don't really have very good, um, 'abilities'."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue smirks over at Drake at his wobbly knees comment, but its not exactly inaccurate. "I have his poster up... in my heart!" She says, over dramatizing that last part in a way that only a southern girl can do with her voice and body motions. She then grins and looks back to Penny. "Oh, your Mom has been coming? Thats good t'hear, lotta the people I've helped ain't had anyone... Was wonderin' what your situation was like that. So yeah, the phone's all yours." Rogue would then step back and take a seat on the edge of that chair beside the bed, her gloved hands come together in front of her as she leans her forearms down onto the tops of her knees.<br><br>"So... what are your abilities?" Rogue then asks. "And d'ya have any idea how ya ended up in that place that I found ya at?" She pauses a second and then grins. "And its fine t'keep Cap at your number one, I won't hold it against ya. I'm the new girl on the team anyhow."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1353|Drake (1353)}} has posed:'''<br>"Oh, my life is definitely boring. I play video games on a professional team for ten hours a day, and then I go to the gym and get thrown around by a short Canadian guy with too much chest hair." Drake says with a chuckle. "I don't have good abilities either honestly. We're in the same boat there." He takes his own phone out and pokes at the screen a bit a few times as it makes a couple of noises. Probably playing some type of game.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"oh! well, still!" Penny says quietly, as Drake explains he's also not very interesting. She continues to watch him as he decides to play his game. A quiet hope on her face drains away as he disengages, and then finally she looks back to Rogue. "I'm just /weird/. I heal really slowly and can't use medicine or booze or whatever. I don't seem to get sick. I don't sleep. I also look kind of awful," Penny says, with a moderate flush. "I always look like this." Kind of gray and sickly in skin tone. <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"So, all right. Um. I got taken on a street outside my mom's place in mutant town. These military guys stabbed me with something but I, um, don't really respond to drugs, like I said. They said some stuff like they were confused I wasn't unconscious. I fought? But I'm not very strong, so they made me go anyway," Penny says, uncomfortable, looking at her fingernails, picking at the edge of a broken purple tip. <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"They put me with some other mutants a little while in this lab place in Gotham. The room was more like a cement basement. The other mutants were all knocked out but I wasn't. I tried to wake or help them but----" Penny trails off, expression tightening, saddened. "They were all so drugged. Finally they took me out of there and, um." Penny's voice falters. "There was this really scary man."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue sits back while Penny starts to talk and she lays her arms on the tops of the chair's rests. She glances over to Drake who's fallen back into his digital addiction and she faintly smirks at him before her green eyes go back to Penny.<br><br>"You're not awful lookin'." Marie firstly tells her. "I seen some mutants with some serious physical alterations to their outward appearance... they might qualify for that label, but not you. Havin' a unique skin tone don't put ya on that level, Missy." Rogue then shows a faint smile to the girl before she lets it fade again.<br><br>A nod of her head at the rest of the story and a deep breath is had by the Southern Belle. "Sounds like it was all pretty freaky. I woulda probably lost my shit and started freakin' out. But you've kept it together, so thats good. I mean, ya've survived it, after all." <br><br>Another glance toward Drake was given before Rogue continued. "What can ya tell me about this guy then? He got a name or anything?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1353|Drake (1353)}} has posed:'''<br>"Yeah, you're not awful looking, there's nothing wrong with you." Drake says as he glances up from his device. He's still listening it seems, even if his nervous social ticks causes his hands to always be filled with a device of some sorts. "I was there by the way, during the attack. I was there with Power Girl and I tried my best to save as many people as possible. It was pretty crazy. I never witnessed something like that before." He wrinkles his nose at the rest of her story, giving her attention now. "I got an app on my phone that helps me put people's faces together if you want to describe him, I can see if I can build him from scratch." He says as he taps a few more icons, then pushes off the wall to join them a bit closer.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Yeah. He was this skinny guy. The assistants called him Dr. Crane," Penny says, her voice chilling with her personal fear of the man. "He did things to me and the mutants. I don't need to talk about those, right," Penny asks, balling some of the hospital sheet into her hands. "I played 'dead' a lot. The 'doctor' talked a bunch about different mutants and serums and stuff. Like it was art. But he was okay because he was being paid and were brought lots of us to - to test on."<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I can describe him if you want. I'm not good at drawing," Penny admits when Drake suggests the app.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue softly nods her head while listening to Penny. She glances over to Drake again and gives him a soft smile for his contribution efforts to this... Its not like EITHER of them are official Police Detectives... but this somehow has a bit of that feeling now. Which one of them was the Bad Cop? If they find this Dr. Crane, they might find out!<br><br>"Sounds like a real piece of shit." Rogue says quietly about that very Doctor. "I'm sorry ya went through all'a that. I've been tryin' t'help mutants outta stuff like that for a little over a year now. Even before the Avengers, I was on another team that specialized in mutant assistance... wish we'd fallen across this to stop it before it got ya. But we're on it now."<br><br>Rogue shows a faint smile again then. "If we can piece together a face on him, it'll help. But a name like that, its fairly distinctive, it might rat the bastard out all by itself."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"All the lab people, not just him, would mock this other money man all the time. Him I didn't see. They called him 'the Colonel' like in a sarcastic way. Like 'The Colonel is funding us but is an idiot, he doesn't appreciate us' sort of thing. It made it sound like the lab people were kind of, making fun of them, taking their money, like it was some awful game to them." Penny seems less upset, while switching to the topic of the man that didn't directly torture her. <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But then she frowns and shudders: "But most of the time it was just talking about which of us was useful or not. I wasn't ever sure which of those I was. Like if being useful was even /good/. I feel like it wasn't. But I don't know what they did with 'useless' people. I was pretty sure they were going to kill me. I mean, I heard all this stuff. It was terrifying."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue drops her gloved hands onto her lap ontop of her jeans covered thighs and she just watches Penny as she recollects on all of her time in this horrible place she was plucked back from.<br><br>"Hopefully they weren't talking about the Kentucky Fried Chicken guy. That Colonel is a bitch t'fight against..." Rogue just shows a slight grin then, hoping to get a smile or a laugh out of the girl, because thats the best medicine right? Probably not, but it might help a little!<br><br>After a short breath, Rogue sits up a bit and lays her hands over her knees. "Did ya ever get a sense... or any info on... where these guys might be basin' themselves out of? Or, other operations beyond the one we found you at here in Gotham? Any leads on where we might be able t'strike these guys t'make'em really hurt, and pay for what they done to ya'll?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Dr. Crane called the Colonel's people 'the fanatics' once: mutant haters. I don't know more about them. The lab people all sounded like just Gotham. Nobody talked about the colonel people, just making sure mutants were ready for deadlines to be taken places." Penny does grin at the joke, though it's not a full grin, since it was a man responsible for all she went through. "I'm sorry. I didn't even know where I was taken until you got me out of there."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue softly nods her head again to Penny's words. "Gotcha." She says calmly and then draws in a breath as she contemplates all of this, taken a moment to bite down on her lowerlip. She wishes Gambit were here, he was way more connected to the underground in Mutant Town than she was, he might have somet ideas.<br><br>"Well, I don't have to push you for any more information than that, Penny." Rogue shows her another little smile. "You've gone through so much shit, I don't want to add onto it by makin' have t'relive it all. And you got my number now on your new phone, so you can just text me anything that strikes your thoughts now, even just to say 'Hey' too if nothing else."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>Penny's agreeable, and falls into her thoughts some more, trying, perhaps, to think of what more could help. "I'm sorry I don't know what you need. I was trying to just kind of live through it," Penny softly says, sadly. She picks up the new phone and draws it towards her slim chest with a nod.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>"Trust me, I understand." Rogue responds to the other girl. "Ya see, my mutation is a bit tricky t'work with, let alone t'live with." She lifts her gloved hands up and wiggles her fingers at the girl. "I can't touch people, skin on skin. If I do, I suck the life outta them... whatever they got, memories... powers, even personality traits. They leave that person and come inta me. And if I touch them long enough, it can be permanent and the person may never wake up again. Comatose forever."<br><br>Rogue's hands go back down to her knees then and she sits up straighter on the hospital chair that is somewhere between comfortable and awful. "Its been a blessin' and a burden. Depending on what kinda mood I'm in." She grins lightly once more then.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Penny, of course, looks creeped out by the power explanation. Because sucking someone's life out doesn't exactly sound like a good time. "Wow," Penny says, softly. "But it's useful, right. To fight the bad guys with," she suggests. And then blinks. "Wait, there was something else. I forgot. About the other people there. There was a really strong mutant woman. They were all really happy about having her."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue shows a slight grin and a faint single nod of her head to the first question about her powers. "It has it moments." She softly replies before her head gently tilts when she hears the follow-up part.<br><br>"Ya got a name on her? Or a physical rundown of what she looks like?" Rogue then asks, while standing up then from her chair to walk over to Drake who she smirks at for a moment since he'd been pretty quiet. Rogue picks up one of the drinks off the table that a nurse had likely brought in and she carries it over to Penny to offer it to the girl.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Penny accepts it with a polite "Thank you." It's apple juice, and she drinks it slowly, settling back slightly. It's unclear exactly what may be wrong with her by just looking at her, she seems pretty awake: but that would make sense with her statement about never sleeping.<br><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"I didn't see her. They called her subject 1, and were keeping her for some big thing. She was taken somewhere before you rescued me. They made it sound like she could take a city apart, though, and they had to keep her knocked out."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>Rogue puts her hands onto her hips then after the apple juice is handed over and she stands there beside the bed and listens. It all makes her just sigh and roll her eyes. "God." She says. "Why do these people have some kinda sick kink fetish for blowin' up cities." She smirks then at the girl and then just nods once.<br><br>"Well hey, so I'm gonna take all this information you just gave me and I'm gonna take it to Iron man and Cap... and then I'm gonna tell'em both t'come visit you personally, maybe at the same time. They're adorable when they're together, they're always tryin' t'nip at each other for Alpha Dog status." Rogue grins more openly at Penny.<br><br>"We'll find the people who're doin' this though, and we'll bring'em t'justice. Like that League in Metropolis... Except with more Avengin' built in."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>Penny laughs about the city thing: after all, that's hardly close to home. "Measuring their ... things?" Penny jokes quietly, coughing a little, glancing at Drake since he's still in the room, apologetic.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Really? I don't have any of my makeup or anything though. And this smock is awful," Penny frets, over the visitation of the good looking heroes.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Good. They need to be stopped. They hurt so many people. They still have that woman and... others, I'm sure. I'm afraid they'll come after me again. They did that -- one of the people was 'used' and they brought him back after. I can't imagine going back there."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1353|Drake (1353)}} has posed:'''<br>As he listens, Drake finishes compiling the sketch of the person that was described, then shows the pair of them on his phone. It's a 3D model to the best of his ability.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:16|Rogue (16)}} has posed:'''<br>"They'll be stopped." Rogue says to Penny quietly. "And hey, text me a list of some makeup and such that you'd like and I'll bring it all by in the morning, with some new clothes too." She flashes a quick smile, happy to offer that kind of help too. Rogue gets paid well now, so she can do it without stealing stuff from 'bad guys' and pawning it, like how she used to make money.... shhh.<br><br>Her eyes go over to Drake then when he produces the sketch on the phone and she narrows her vision at it for a moment before gently nodding once at it. "Looks like a nerdy psychopath if I ever seen one." She puts her eyes on Drake then. "We'll send that to Cap and Tony too."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:'''<br>Penny nods, and grins about the offer to help her get more things. "Okay. I totally will," Penny says, interested in the gifts, and the change of subject. She otherwise looks between the two, to see if they have anything else to ask, while she sips her juice.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:1353|Drake (1353)}} has posed:'''<br>"Already texted to them." Drake says as he taps his fingers along the glass, then slips the device into his back pocket. He looks back to Rogue and gives a smile. "I'm good if you are."<br> <br>
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