8454/Undercurrents: Revenge

Undercurrents: Revenge
Date of Scene:	23 July 2019
Location:	Hecksher Park, Bushwick, New York City
Synopsis:	Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Beast and Nightcrawler exact revenge on the gang bangers who shot Cypher.
Thanks to:	Beast, Cannonball, Nightcrawler, Wolfsbane
Cast of Characters:	Frank Quaid, Wolfsbane, Beast, Nightcrawler, Cannonball
Tinyplot:	Undercurrents

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Frank Quaid has posed:
The sun has set, but not that long ago. The heat certainly has not faded. That sticky, sweaty heat that glues your clothes to you the moment you step outside. People move from air conditioned oasis to air conditioned oasis or under fans in the growing dark.

Some driving and walking around and some asking questions was enough to find out about an African-American gangbangers in orange shirts. Laughably easy. It helped that most of them seemed to live in the Hope Gardens project on Wilson Avenue. These were local men and youth. They grew up on these streets, owning these streets. Word was they were virtually all human, their parents having lived in the area before mutants exploded onto the world stage. They were tough, violent and proud. Tonight, a group of five are in the parking lot of Hecksher Playground beside the project. They are lounging around outside a white Lexus and a white Pathfinder. In orange shirts and with their music playing, they are easy to spot and hear, bantering back and forth.

"The fuck you doing out right now? Get back inside before I kick your ass /and/ tell your momma," one of the yells at a boy of about 13 on the basketball court. The boy catches his ball and yells back something about how he is going to be Michael Jordan. The men laugh and the boy runs off with a grin.

The man who yelled looks like what the Evolution staff described. Over-muscled, heavily tattooed with a shaved head. Another has a flattop and beside him is Dreds. These are the men the staff described. They are with two others. The first is stocky with diamond stud earrings and the other has a big scar across the left side of his face.

They are just hanging out drinking in the summer weather in the lit parking lot.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane moved to Mutant Town. Kurt helped. Sam soon visited and talked her into considering a bouncer position at Club Evolution because of some problems with Hook. She learned Doug was also serving as a bouncer. Before she could even fully weigh her thoughts on the idea, gang members entered the club and Doug ended up shot, ended up hard to heal, ended up potentially on his death bed.

Again.

In the past, it might have caused Rahne to shrivel up and retreat somewhere to hide from the evils of the world, all the bad things. That was then. This is now.

Angered, but no less worried, Wolfsbane went to Club Evolution as soon as she could but it was useless trying to get a scent. Turns out, they wouldn't need that after all. The identities of those who shot Doug up were not that difficult to learn after a little asking around. They got descriptions. They got a location. Now, as Wolfsbane, Nightcrawler, and Beast gather to do something about it, they find the parking lot. They find the vehicles. They find the perpetrators. On foot, Wolfsbane's eyes narrow from down the block and she points a clawed finger ahead. "There they are. I see th' bastards," she growls. If she's swearing, it's serious. She's also got more of the wolf visible in her, adding to a threatening, menacing appearance. She's no killer, but they can only hope she remembers that tonight. It's hot, but it's about to get hotter.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy does not mind in the least suiting up in this weather. A little singlet BREATHES like a suit does not. DRessed accordingly, he's here to back up Wolfsbane on the scent. "Do we just.. rush them?" he asks simply enough, sizing them up.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Anger was a strong emotion in Kurt. Anger at injustice, bigots, cruelty... he almost brought his swords, he almost wore his suit, but this was something he ought not to associate with Charles's team. Walking at her elbow, dressed like a man going out to lunch rather than a paramilitary operative.
    "I can draw their attention und sen you rush... Keep them from having time to draw down, ja?" incensed, his accent is thicker, eyes narrowed. "Unless you have better ideas..." hands flexing, tail whipping back and forth, the Bavarian looking more like a demon than he might prefer.

Wolfsbane has posed:
"Aye. Distract them," Wolfsbane nods to Kurt, knowing he'll be good at that. "An' dinna pull any punches. They didna show Doug any mercy." At least, talking about punches suggests something non-lethal. "An' we'll rush them, send them a message." A strong one, if the way she's talking and acting is a sign.

Nightcrawler will get them into a state of confusion, then Beast and Wolfsbane will jump in to take advantage of the opening. And, they have someone else watching from above, ready to join in as soon as the sign is given.

Wolfsbane may be no leader, but in this attempt to seek retribution, she's taken the point as she lowers herself closer to the street, using a few vehicles as cover to bring her nearer to the side of the Lexus and Pathfinder. From there, she waits for Kurt to make his move.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy claps his hands together, but muffles the sound. "Alright. Whenever you're ready, Kurt," he rumbles, digging his toes into the pavement, like a racer at the starting blocks. "I'll go left, you go right, so I can bring my right shoulder in."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Eyes slitted, Kurt's body suddenly lengthens out as he takes off on all fours, though he moves the opposite direction of the thugs, getting to speed before BAMF! the clouds of smoke and sounds practically simultaneous as he comes from the side of the gangbangers at full quadruped sprint.
    Dragging his smoke with him in the wake of his movement, Nightcrawler's momentum is preserved to keep his speed, tail snapping wherever he can - though the last of them he aims a closed fist for their knee, aiming to pop the joint.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Kurt appears close to the gangbangers and they do not notice him until he is on them.

"The fuck is that?" Dreds says. The all start backwards out of the way as Kurt runs between them. The real surprise does not happen until he is nearly past them. His tail lashes to one side and catches Studs in the knee. He crumpes to one side and barely catches himself on the Lexus. Kurt's tail lashes out the other way and catches Dreds in the knee as well. There is an ugly popping sound. Dreds swears and clutches at his knee.

"What the fuck?" one of them yells.

"Shoot that motherfucker!" Baldie barks.

The three that were not hit by Kurt pull out their guns and start to aim after Kurt, one-handed.

Wolfsbane has posed:
As Kurt attacks, there is a sudden *PSSSSSHHH* sound from one side of the Lexus, just before Studs uses the car for support. The tires on one side have been slashed. The reason why is revealed in the next moment.

"Yuir worst nightmare. Ye shot our friend, an' noo ye're gaunae pay!" Wolfsbane's distinctly accented voice is heard as she vaults over the vehicle, a palm pressing against the back of Studs' head as she drives it into the side of the car, following with a knee to the stomach before she grabs and throws him at the closest gang member coming up with a gun. "Ah'm only gaunae say this one time! Yuir drugs're no' welcome here, an' neither is yuir gang!" The accent is getting stronger in her state of anger and aggression.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy may be inspired a bit by Wolfsbane. He sprints, coming at them from BEHIND when they look Wolfsbane's way, and shoults "FREEDOM" just before attempting to bowl one over with his shoulder. IDeally one into another, but really, flashy tricks rarely work. Knock one down, grab for any gun he can reach, is the best he realistically hopes for.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie is up on a rooftop watching. He is ready to charge in, but knows the benefit of surprise, and lets the melee people start the uproar, waiting for the best time for his apearance.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Disappearing in purple smoke once past the thugs, expecting guns pointed his way, if not fired right away. Leaping straight up as he goes, with the intention of appearing with his foot tucked into the chin of onr of those whom he knee-capped, preferably the second before he BAMF!s once again to disappear through the fabrics of reality.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Gunshots go off, but Kurt is just not there anymore.

Rahne's blows to Studs leave him senseless and he flies like a ragdoll into Dreds, who goes down under the weight of his fellow gang member.

Hank rams into and essentially through Flattop. Flattop flies forward and is sent pinwheeling into the ground when his leg hit Dreds and Studs who were piled on the ground in front of him.

Kurt appears out of nowhere. It is like a sudden glimpse of a dance. Kurt is spinning through the air, his leg extended. He strikes ScarredFace (he is not cool enough to be the other guy) in the face and disappears. ScarredFace pirouhettes into the side of the Pathfinder and slides nervelessly to the ground.

Baldie whirls around and fires wildly toward Hank and Rahne. His eyes are big as dinner plates.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane does not stay in one place very long, nor does she even stay as she is. Bullets begin to fly in random directions, potentially putting innocents in danger, so it becomes paramount to put an end to this as quickly as possible. "Beast! Get doon! Sam! Noo!" That's the only thing further said for the moment as she whirls toward Baldie, a bullet passing by close enough that she can hear the sound as it cuts through air. In her eyes is a predatory look few have seen before.

Then she's in motion, charging toward Baldie. However, it's not as he saw her, for as she breaks into her run her form flows into that of a wolf, leaping at the man with a jaw full of sharp fangs set to close around his gun hand, grabbing hard enough to bite into the skin and draw blood. His blood. Blood for blood. She lands with her weight crashing into him, a snarl all but roaring in his ears.

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy groans when a bullet shoots into his shoulder. He rolls the shoulder grimacing, and , and well. He was going to take down Baldie with prejudice, but Wolfsbane took care of it first. So he growls "Drop your weapons, and get on your knees, hands behind your backs, and nobody else gets bitten."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie sees the stray gunfire, and will start to jet, but oddly not towards the fight but towards the basketball court. He blasts through the fence and scoops up the kid who was playing moments ago. Bullets impact on the shield surrounding Sam and the kid. "Your gonna be ok ." Sam tells the kid, and hovers there a moment, before letting the boy down but making sure he is hovering between the fight and as many civilians as he can.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Ha--" almost using his real name, Kurt leaps in, all razor fangs and glowing eyes as he glares at those still conscious. Shoulders humped and snarling, rage boiling under Kurt's surface. He's on all fours, like some nightmare creature, coiled and ready to leap and teleport if he needs, for offence or defense.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane can hear Cannonball coming in, but she doesn't see exactly what he's doing except for catching him in motion out of the corner of an eye. As Baldie recoils from the pain in his hand, the wolf morphs back to the half-form from before, blending human and animal. The mouth comes off his wrist, but she shifts position to effectively pin him to the ground, one hand at his neck so he can feel the claws from her thumb in front, and the fingers around the side and back. The other hand grips the top of his bald head so he's forced to look up into her eyes, narrowed to slits. A bare foot presses against his stomach, the other over an arm.

"Listen up an' listen well because ah'm only gaunae say this one time. Yuir guns're no' welcome here. Yuir Hook is no' welcome here. This is for whit ye did tae muh friend, trying tae spread yuir disease around here. If ah find any sign o' ye stirrin' up any more trouble, ye're gaunae wish ye were never born because ah'll no' rest until ye're run oot o' here for good." The claws press against the skin they touch, enough to emphasize the point multiple times. "Are. We. Clear?"

Beast has posed:
Henry McCoy walks with a slight limp, transferred pain and all that, stepping behind Wolfsbane. He nods, letting her words speak for them all. His hand on his shoulder, keeping pressure on the wound. Kurt gets a smirk, sine Hank knows Kurt almost said Hank. "No I don't have a handkerchief," he smiles.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Looking chagrinned at Hank, Kurt moves to Rahne's side, brows knitting. She's still showing restraint, his mouth is open, but he doesn't speak - waiting to see what she does. He moves close enough for his presence to be felt, but he doesn't interfere - yet.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will start to move towards the fight now that the fight has stopped. Once he gets closer to the group he will add "We want to know where they got the drugs too." He adds. Sam does not plan on letting this stuff be here with them or others.

Frank Quaid has posed:
"What the fuck?! Yeah, sure, whatever!" Baldie stammers out to Rahne, eyes-wide and trying to press away from her. "Just fucking get away from me you freak ass bitch!"

There are groans of pain and mutters of vengeance from the other orange shirted men. Or at least those still conscious.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Good thing Sam is there to remind everyone of one of the main things. Wolfsbane releases the man's head with her right hand, only to strike him across the face with an open palm. "Tell us where ye go' th' Hook from!" she warns, still keeping him pinned in place. She is stronger than he is in this form. The same hand sweeps out toward the others as they threaten vengenace of their own. "I told ye whit'll happen if ye keep this up! Dinna be stupid!"

Later, she'll have to help Hank to make sure his wound is cleaned properly, even if he can do it himself. It's the least she can do to thank him for coming to aid her. She'll owe Kurt and Sam as well, even if they might have already been thinking of doing something.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Baldie looks Sam up and down with a sneer. "Fuck you. And fuck your bitch. And your big ass blue bear looking motherfucker! We gonna fucking find you! Find your fucking families! You're dead! You think you can pull this shit on /our/ block?!" Baldie gets more and more angry, louder and louder as he goes. He is practically vibrating with it. "You got no fucking idea what you started! Dead!"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Wolfsbane..." Kurt flinches when she strikes the man. Staring down at the figure pinned beneath Rahne, the acrobat X-Man's brows knit closer, "We won, they're down." murmuring so low the next words that only someone like Rahne or Logan could hear him. "A righteous hand is also merciful and is quick to return to peace." and then Baldie had to do that. Kurt growls, "Verdammt..." expecting the worst.

Wolfsbane has posed:
When the man, even in the position he's in, gives his answer in such a definitive way, Wolfsbane's expression darkens. "Ah gave ye a chance. Ye just made yuir last mistake." Enraged by the man's indifference to what he did to Doug, angered to the point of seeing red by his defiance, she draws her hand back as she pins his head to the ground. There is no mistaking where the claws will go in the next second or two. Kurt's words of warning don't get through, or if they do, they come too late to get her to stop. Someone else will have to act.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will reach down and grab her arm to stop her. "We did not come to kill." He will say. He looks down at Baldie, and says "So your telling me, that Ah should just let her kill you and your guys here. Well you see Ah don't play that way. Ah am here to protect all folks, even pieces of crud like you. You should know something very important now. You hurt one of mine, we will pay you back ten fold. Death can be a release, you harm one hair on mine or the people in this neighborhood, and you will pray for death, and I will make sure it does not come. I will see you in a bed shitting yourself, and begging someone to clean you. I will make it my business to make sure every night when you fall asleep you will pray you do not wake up.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Eyeing Rahne, brow knit Kurt moves to rest a hand on Baldie's shoulder "You don't haff to die to see hell." playing on Sam's words while still looking at Rahne, his expression sad before BAMF! he disappears with the man, and is gone for several long seconds before they return, a few feet away, smoking of the atmosphere of the Brimstone dimension. Long enough for it to hurt, but not so long as to render the man unconscious, while Kurt himself looks strained from it.
    A long, yet still fleeting, journey - one that Kurt can never quite keep permanent - yet. Only seconds to see where his father comes from. On the return he looks to Rahne, lips in a line.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane's potential killing blow is intercepted by Sam's sturdy hand, and when his hand closes around her arm he'll feel a tremble mixed with the tensing of her muscles. She's trying to resist, to fight herself, and it takes a combination of Sam's words and then Kurt's intervention with Baldie himself to accomplish it.

"This is no' yuir block any more," is all she can add, growled out through a clenched jaw. Sam's warning is cold enough, and she knows what will probably be happening in Kurt's dimension. Wrenching herself away, she turns and looks for something, anything to take her aggression out on. She finds it in a much safer form. Stalking the stationary vehicles, she crouches and lifts the Lexus up from one side, strong enough to roll it over onto the hood before she tears into the doors with both hands. The same thing is repeated with the Pathfinder.

Frank Quaid has posed:
Baldie is /shaking/ when he is brought back. He gibbers something incoherent. He scrambles backwards on his hands and feet, then turns and breaks into headlong flight.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will just turn away a sadden look in his face. that threat came from a dark place, a place Sam does not like to think about. Sam saw the man he considered the strongest he would ever know in that hell. And threatening to put someone even this scum there almost sickens him. He does what he must though to try to help keep people alive.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Doing what he can to keep upright after dragging a man through the Brimstone dimension as he did. Kurt stumbles towards Rahne, face drawn, eyes dim.
    "We don't kill... we don't. We're better than that." he stops a hands breadth from her, whether she faces him or not, "No matter what they do, or who they are. We are not the ones who judge, we are not the ones who deign when a life is over. That is not up to us."
    Kurt stares, shifting as if he wants to reach out, but give Rahne her space at the same time. Conflict raging across his features, he just took a man to the realm that half of his soul cries out for... and called it hell. Tail snapping back and forth in agitation.

Wolfsbane has posed:
Wolfsbane's shoulders heave after she's finished decorating the vehicles in her own way, not out of overexertion but out of something else, likely trying to focus enough to get everything back under control. Kurt's words don't quite hit the proverbial wall but they don't generate much of a reaction either, her back to him as her fingers flex and curl a few times.

Barely above a whisper, she says with eyes squeezed shut, "Aye. Better than tha'." Right now, she doesn't sound so sure of it. She came closer than ever to breaking that rule, a personal one or not. Had the gang members actually killed Doug - though he may not be out of the woods yet - what might she have done? "I'll be.." She nods down the block, in the direction of the apartment complex she's taken up residence in. "I need some time before anyone comes by." That is, if they wish to.

Without waiting for a response, she runs off, not as she is now, but as the wolf following one more shift. She was ready to be the judge, the jury, the executioner, and that frightens her more than any threats the gang could ever make.