5385/The House is Already Warm

The House is Already Warm
Date of Scene:	16 September 2018
Location:	Alex Summer's Apartment
Synopsis:	Storm learns why Havok isn't at the school and what he's doing in Mutant Town. Also, Storm drops knowledge on Havok about nefarious things going on right under his nose. There's going to be some FOOMing soon.
Cast of Characters:	Havok, Storm

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Havok has posed:
Alex Summers, Reserve X-Man with a public ID known to most in Mutant Town as Havok, has a new pad. He was slumming it for a time in the lower part of Mutant Town, now he's moved on up to the East Side of Mutant Town. No, not that East Side, nor does he have a maid named Florence. But to him, it is a deluxe apartment, in the sky.

Today, we find our wayward hero sitting on his balcony looking over his hood. He wears fashionable jeans with sneakers and a black cardigan over a blue shirt. Inside, the game is on his flat screen and he can glance inside from time to time to check on it. Additionally, his 'patio furniture' is the simple padded metal frame chair that reclines - and there are two with a small table between them.

Why is he here and not at the X-Mansion. Well, that's a really long story. But suffice it to say, he's been out of that dump for nearly a year now. Ever since his return from the other reality where he lead a team called the 6 and fought against his ex-wife named Madelyne Pryor. But that's a tale for another time. Now, Alex spends his time working contract with the USGS, hangs out at Fred's Diner, and lurks through Mutant Town in costume looking for trouble. Oh, and he also helps people escape the oppression that is the world around them. To hopefully better their lives in Genosha. That too is a different story.

Storm has posed:
    Word travels fast in 'the dump,' also known as Xavier's Mansion, and Ororo is learning everyday how to maintain and follow up with relationship connection as any friend and team member would. She isn't keeping tabs on anyone, per say, but her blue eyes do keep an eye out on those that don't live and breathe Xavier's dream - not to mention live in his house rent free.

    A black Ford Mustang can be seen and heard revving down the Mutant Town street that Alex's apartment overlooks. It parks across from Fred's Diner, and then Ororo exits the vehicle with a wrapped box in hand. The bow on the box is large, dramatically so, but she did not have a choice in the matter. It came free of charge. Removing shades to reveal said blue eyes, Ororo looks around her vicinity for familiarity, and then upwards to see Alex sitting on his balcony.

    Darting across the street, Ororo stands on the sidewalk and lifts the gift in the air. "I come bearing a gift!" she shouts, smiling up to Alex.

Havok has posed:
Standing from his chair, Alex moves to the railing to peer down at the familiar face as she's getting out of the vehicle. He smiles and comments to himself that it's been a long time since he's seen her - and look at that hair.

Her voice to the air and a few floors up, Alex listens and replies, "Gift? Well, that happens to be today's password. Come on up."

Passerbys watch the exchange, continue on. A box truck passes on the street, followed by 5 mutant children on bicycles. Nearby, at the florist shop, the florist sweeps the stoop.

Alex reaches into his pocket, clicks the remote which automatically buzzes the main entrance below. Letting the magnetic lock disengage and allowing Ororo into the lobby. There are elevators within, stairs if one wants to walk the flights. Either way, it'll be easy for her to climb, if that's what she's going to do. Otherwise, flying up to the balcony is also an option. It is after all, mutant town.

Storm has posed:

    Ororo does not fly or climb; instead, she uses the elevator once the door buzzes and unlocks for her to enter. Placing her shades on the box, she balances it and presses the up button to the elevator. The door opens after close to thirty seconds and a mutant with black fur-like skin exits, nodding to her. Offering a smile and a nod of her own, Ororo enters the elevator, remembers the floor she saw Alex on, and presses the corresponding button.

    Another few seconds and Ororo exits the elevator to a row of residences. "Shoot, I forgot to ask which apartment he was in," she says to herself. Blinking, the world around Ororo transforms into energy, and she is able to see through the walls of the apartments. Walking down the hallway, Ororo snoops, seeing mutants living their lives as normally as they can, and finally comes across a single, muscular silhouette that could only be Alex.

    Knocking on the door, Ororo looks around at the design of the complex.

Havok has posed:
His door opens only a second into the knocking. He was about to go find her. Alex stands there presenting with a pleased look on his face. His blue eyes alight with her form and his lips part to greet, "Hey. Come on on 'Ro." He'll clearly give way to her path if she so chooses to take it. He also gives pause to his voice such that she may speak.

His apartment smells nice; clean even. But, clearly a man's apartment with male affectations and colors. Oh, and rocks. Lots of rocks.

Storm has posed:
    "Why, thank you," Ororo responds, entering Alex's apartment and taking a straight path to the living room. She looks around, taking in the pleasant smell and the sight of many rocks. Turning, she offers the gift to him, removing her sun glasses from the box with a free hand. "Things are looking pretty good, I see. Hopefully this will be a welcomed addition to your new home." It is a green Keurig with an assortment of different canisters to brew.

Havok has posed:
The door was closed when she passed. Not locked. He's not afraid of home invaders or much of anything. Most of his threatening bodies are those with powers. And locks really don't stop them.

The box is taken, "Thank you." is stated just as he uses the left hand to rip it open to reveal what is within. He smiles broadly and says, "Oh damn. This is great. Now Fred's is gonna miss out on me darting in there every morning."

The wrapping paper is wadded while he turns to place the box on the kitchen counter. Paper ball is placed in a nearby trash bin. He queries in movement, "So you made the trip into the city just to check in on me?"

Storm has posed:
    A wide smile makes itself known as Alex unwraps his gift, the anticipation of whether or not he would like what she got him killing Ororo on the inside. When he finally reacts, something of a weight lifts from her shoulders, adding, "Hopefully it will save you a few bucks in the process, and the options are pretty good as well." Coffee has been Ororo's hobby lately.

    His question gets a nod from her, the Mohawk on her head moving just slightly. "Pretty much," Ororo answers. "It has been a while since we've seen each other. Unless I am mistaken, it was in the gardens of the mansion with Andrea? A couple months ago?" She shrugs her shoulders at the thought, unsure.

    "Is this a bad time? My apologies if so."

Havok has posed:
There's little hint in his body language that implies she is incroaching or her presence is unwanted. He listens quietly while she accounts the coffee. He moves deeper into the living area and grabs the remote from the side table. Presses the power button and cuts off the game. With the couch nearby, he turns his left side to it and takes a seat such that he can face her if she chooses to take the opposite side. "What? Not at all. I'm glad you came. I was just hanging out watching people more than that." which he tumbs toward the now off flat screen.

His fingers wave toward the couch and he says, "Please, join me. And yeah... it was the garden. Damn, that was a while back."

Storm has posed:
    Accepting the offer, Ororo places the temple of her shades inside of the graphic t-shirt she is wearing, allowing them to hang freely, and then takes a seat opposite Alex on the couch. She is able to catch a glimpse of the football game before the flat screen is powered off.

    "Who was playing anyway?" Ororo asks. Not that she is a die-hard football fan. She can understand and follow the game's rules at best. "And it has been a while. How are things going in Mutant Town?"

Havok has posed:
"Cowboys and Giants. Giants were in the lead 21:7. It's pretty much over for Dallas." comes his answer as he settles into the corner and arm of the couch to better face her. His left knee bent, drawn upon the cushion elevating the left foot and his right foot on the floor. His left arm placed on the back of the sofa.

His earlier answer was nothing more than segue speak as she addresses the real topic of his interactions with and in the borders of Mutant Town. His response is uplifting in tone, as if he's pleased to report something, "We've been keeping our heads down during the last few crisis-ees. Avoiding shrumes and mind control. Or whatever that nonsense was with the mental stuff back at the mansion. Glad I'm not a mentalist and glad I'm not there. Oh, and the Riots.. Jeez. We had several people around here wanting to get in on it. But I kept them from doing something stupid. The government is always looking for any excuse to take us downtown. Oh, and I've helped nearly 20 families relocate to Genosha. Others want to go, but are hesitant. Waiting to see what goes on down there and with Mags - even after his name was cleared."

Storm has posed:
    When Alex speaks, Ororo crosses one leg over another and turns just enough where he can get her full attention. She also nods her head in acknowledgement of the different situations and tasks he's undergone while protecting the city. At the mention of the mushroom/fungus invasion, Ororo then shakes her head from the distaste of that particular event.

    "The fungus invasion was a tiresome crisis that I am glad is dealt with. I don't think I will be able to eat mushrooms for a long time," she says honestly. "And I'm glad you are able to maintain some sort of peace in this city. The crime is already relatively high. I can only imagine what adding riots would do, especially to those that are just getting by."

    "You've been busy I see. Glad my gift will keep those gears turning."

Havok has posed:
"Turning, and turning, and turning." He notes with a grin.

He then adds as his right hand finds placement on his lap, "It's not that much of an area. Just a few blocks north and south. It's not like I had to cover all of Brooklyn or Queens. Plus, after having spent nearly a year hanging out with our people, it's got me some street credit. Or whatever the young people are calling it today. And it also really puts it all into perspective. Most of you guys up in the hallowed halls of Xavier's don't have a clue what goes on down here. If you're still connected with the Morlocks, that gives you an ear. But the day-in, day-out dredges of Mutant Town isn't anything like Xavier's. And those little shit kids you have up there have no clue what they're going to get into when they graduate. Especially that one chick with the short hair and cell phone. What's her name, Duke Nukem or something?"

Storm has posed:
    "Her name is Ellie," Ororo corrects, taking Alex's short description of the student and knowing exactly who he is speaking about.

    "And that is simply one perception of many. We are all working hard to ensure each student gets a crash course in reality, and those 'little shits,' as you put it, know what is going on in the world much better than a lot of us. They aren't merely sheltered in the mansion walls; they go out, they explore, and they get caught in the same tornado of discrimination that we all do. Is it as brash as those in this town? Of course not. But everyone's journey is different, and hopefully, they won't have to go through that hardship even though you and I both know they will."

    Ororo is calm even though her words flow strongly. She understands what Alex is saying, but she can't help but feel as if there is resentment in his words towards the school in general.

Havok has posed:
"I spent 6 years fighting a war against that oppression. What we have on this Earth is nothing compared to what we faced over there. But every day /that/ draws closer and it seems like nothing is trying to prevent it. I think even Xavier has given up. I never read about him going to Wsahington anymore. No conversations with senators or steps to stop the hatred. Just a bunch of people hold up in a house atop a hill."

Though his tone is darker, he's still clear with his point and sounds a lot like Magneto. There was a time, just 8 months back, that Alex worked for Magneto as one of his Acolytes. It was short lived and he quit that job because Lorna revealed something to him. Never to revisit it again.

Alex continues, "Those children know how to get themselves in trouble and to bring trouble home with them. They don't care about the rules and clearly only want to show off their powers and how spechul they are. I'm surprised Scott hasn't blasted them all or Jean expelled them all. But again, just a bunch of entitled brats who want a prize every time they take a crap. The original New Mutants were good kids. If this new batch represents the future. Then it's a future I don't want to be a part of."

He's obviously been holding that in for a while. And who knows what triggered it or why he even brought it up. Other than natural progression of the conversation such that he escallated it to that particular point.

Storm has posed:
    "The fact that you think we are simply hiding in the mansion and not doing anything to protect our future is laughable, Alex" Ororo begins, uncrossing her legs. "I can admit that I don't know what you experienced, but to assume we are not on the same team is disheartening at best. If we're not teaching, we're fighting, we're scouting, and we're recruiting to help human-mutant relations to get better."

    "And stop discounting the students," Ororo adds. "The reason why Scott hasn't blasted them or Jean hasn't expelled them is because they are kids. We're talking about fourteen to sixteen year olds here. They are learning and learning fast. For someone who doesn't come around the mansion as much as you do, you sure have a set opinion of those you have no understanding about. Why is that, Alex? What is this brewing tension you have?"

Havok has posed:
"They are part of the very reason I dropped out. That and the policies that the school has adopted over the past two years. It's partly reasons that Marie, Alison, and even Lorna quit. Oh, and making Remy the sex ed teacher. Seriously? Xavier's dream has been diluted into Xavier's Teen Drama." Alex notes with the shake of his head.

He gives pause a moment and then recollects, "Honestly. Why do I have tension? Because we're on this train and it's out of control. We are in the very early stages of what happened in the other reality. That world was so fucked up."

Ororo may recollect his description of that world when he first got back and they were reunited. Over there, Ororo was a vampire that controlled weather. The world was being threatened by demons controlled by his ex wife - Madelyne. Magneto and Havok's team (the 6) were basically the only thing keeping the world from being completely destroyed. All coupled together with threats from Sentinels, mutant killing crowds, religious leaders who wanted to burn mutants at the cross, etc.

Storm has posed:
    While there are some points that did not seem valid in Ororo's eyes - such as Alison focusing on her music career, Rogue leaving because college courses were not readily available at the mansion, and even Lorna just being stubborn, bi-polar Lorna - she did see the flaw in Remy becoming the instructor of sexual education. That was a day Ororo shook her head several times.

    But, unfortunately, Ororo was never in charge of the policies of the school, and just recently became the leader of the X-Men since Xavier asked Scott to take some time off. Her focus is much different outside and underneath the school in the sub-basements. "I work tirelessly to ensure our people are safe, have an education, and are not persecuted by those that hate and fear them. Every day, Alex, just like you do. So it is frustrating to hear your point of view just because we haven't experienced it in this time yet."

    "I can't live like that, and I can't force these kids to do the same. That's unfair. But I can help in other ways, utilizing our resources with the X-Men." Ororo pauses for a moment, allowing her thoughts to form before she speaks. "I was going to speak with you about this sooner or later, so I am glad it is sooner. We have gotten word that there is a warehouse here in Mutant Town running experiments on young mutant children. We've tried to use Cerebro to identify a target location but nothing is coming up out of the ordinary. You have your ears to the ground, as you said, have you heard anything about this?"

Havok has posed:
There's a slight narrowing of his blue eyes as Alex is clearly taken off guard by the information Ororo drops in his lap. "What the fuck? Seriously?"

Suddenly Alex feels the wave of inadaquecy wash over him as he did when he was /younger/ than Scott and those days of his being the black sheep of Xavier's. The /younger/ Summers brother that couldn't do anything right and never be as good as Scott was.

He looks to his right, toward the wall that the flat screen is on and two seconds later he pushes himself up from the sofa. The room will warm noticeably as he himself, the walking plasma furnace, becomes annoyed with not only himself, his incompentence, but also his lack of knowing something that's right under his nose. He turns on his heel and says, "I'll get suited up and find out what's going on."

Storm has posed:
    A beacon for temperature change, Ororo feels and sees the warmth radiating off Alex. She doesn't need to be a telepath to see that the man is not pleased with the given information. When he rises from the sofa, Ororo does the same, pulling her sun glasses from her t-shirt and opening them. She just holds them for now.

    "I want to send a small team to assist you," Ororo adds. "They have already been notified and will move out under the cover of nightfall."

    In that moment, Ororo steps forward, closing the distance between herself and Alex. She looks to her friend and places a hand on his shoulder, disregarding any heat that may befall the appendage. "I know you feel like we are failing, so help me to make things better and I will do what I can to prevent whatever chaos you experienced before. Deal?"

Havok has posed:
Alex is stopped in his tracks and he looks to his long time friend as she details her outline for the situation. "Deal, but I don't want your team. If we all come to the same conclusion and find the big bad at the same time, then I'll work with them. But for now, I don't want anyone getting in my way."

He looks to her hand on his shoulder, then breaks to move around her toward his bedroom where he keeps his super suit. He'll be removing his top as he enters his room if otherwise uninterrupted.

Storm has posed:
    A breath of relieved and humored air releases from Ororo as she pulls her hand back to her side. "You're as stubborn as ever," she says, nodding in agreement. "Fine, but if you hear anything, you keep me informed." As he heads into his room, Ororo spotting him remove his shirt, she places her sun glasses on and heads for the front door. "I'll let myself out."

    Figuring the door is locked, Ororo attempts to unlock it and open the door, only to find herself actually locking the door in that moment. She shakes her head, noting that Alex is living dangerously - not that he couldn't handle himself - but it is quite different than his brother and her other good friend, Scott. Finally getting the door open, Ororo heads down the steps this time and makes her way outside of the building.