9147/The Xers Go Scouting

The Xers Go Scouting
Date of Scene:	10 September 2019
Location:	Bushwick (Mutant Town), Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Jamie Madrox, Roberto, Theresa, Sam, Ororo and Kitty go looking for locations in Mutant Town that might be useful to X-Corporation
Cast of Characters:	Sunspot, Shadowcat, Siryn, Multiple Man, Cannonball, Storm
Tinyplot:	The X-Corporation

---

Sunspot has posed:
Mutant Town can be a strange place. Because mutants.

Not the main streets, no. Those get some attention from the cops. Space is money in New York, and the city hall makes life difficult enough for the mutants. Also, in the outskirts of Bushwick there are some of the nicer and more prosperous shops and clubs of the area. Places like Wannabes, where humans can play to be freaks for a night and maybe do edgy things like having a normal conversation with a mutant.

In the back alleys things get weirder. Some mutant powers can be used to build and rebuild, and often the building owners are not doing their part of the deal, since the complaints of the mutants go directly to the trash bin.

If anyone has done a census recently, it was probably done secretly by some government agencies with an X somewhere in the name. So clandestine not even the president knows about it.

And now the X-Corporation, since one of the goals is to help the neighborhood. But they are not entirely welcome. Crime is deeply rooted in Mutant Town, and the gangs are used to do thing their way with little interference from the local police precinct, who hardly has mutants among its officers.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty hadn't previously had much chance to help out Roberto and the group he was putting together. So she jumped at the opportunity when her free time coincided with the X-Corporation going out to explore the community, gather information on who needed help, on places that might be used either for housing for others, for outreach or job skills training centers, or in other ways as the needs arose.

Kitty has on street clothes, a pair of jeans and soft-heeled boots, with a grey t-shirt and a light jacket thrown overtop now that the worst of summer is past. She arrives with the others in Bushwick and looks around the area. "The broken windows over there, looks like a good candidate to check out," she says of one building that looks like it is probably being used as a squat by some of the less fortunate mutant locals.

Siryn has posed:
Theresa Cassidy was more than eager enough to help out a fellow New Mutant. Especially as she'd been bogged down with the start of school and her newfound teaching position. Thankfully it was a subject she knew. That didn't mean she was a very skilled teacher yet. It had been a challenge. This? This sounded so much like something more up her alley.

"Could be. Keep an eye for buildings only partially in use, too. See that a lot sometimes. Upper floors are boarded up but there's still a store or something small on the ground level." The suggestion comes by gesturing down a ways. "Plus never hurts to help out mom and pop shops, yea?"

Multiple Man has posed:
Three. Three Madri. Ah. Ah. Ah. You heard the Count in your head, didn't you? Still, only one Jamie is visible so you know that the other two are out there. Up to -something-. Cigarette in one hand, half empty carton of coconut water in the other hand. Jamie looks weary. Worn. Hungover. He wears it with the look of a man who's very aware that he's the cause of his own discomfort. Story of his life.

"It's not even the gang thing that's an issue with me." Jamie says with a terminally exhausted tone. "I mean, I wear the same clothes every day. I hang with people who punch robots while in uniform." A drag off his smoke and Jamie grumbles. "It's the fact that they came up with an acapella theme song that really disturbs me."

Blinking dully, Jamie Madrox snaps out of his monologue on local street gangs upnods toward the building Kitty has singled out. "Last week, seen some kids tying a stretchy guy to those two street light posts. Real fun kids on this block."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie is walking along with the others. Sam has been parking a bit away from the club and walking to work of late, so he has seen some of the local area. He has his hands in his pockets looking about as they walk. "You know Ah have been wondering something that Ah aint checked on yet, and we probably will need to sometime soon. Whats below street level.

Sunspot has posed:
It is still better than the favelas of Rio.

At least Bushwick has paved streets (if some are full of holes) and the buildings are mostly made of brick. Some are prefab, but those tend to be small and cramped together in lumps. There are some trees struggling among the trash and graffiti everywhere, some of which is colorful and artistic enough to be pleasant.

Roberto replaced the power suit with jeans and hiking boots, and the jacket he is using is more in the practical side. "I suspect we are wondering what many locals already know. We could just ask them, Sam. Not that being pro-active like this has not some value. I want to see, not just read the reports."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty smiles over to Jamie. "Nice seeing you again, Jamie. It's been far too long," she comments to him as she walks slowly over towards the building, noting the lights where the kids tied the stretchy mutant up. "Asking would be a good idea. I'd be happy to take anyone down for a look see. Most of the time it's not very exciting. And, usually doesn't smell too good," she says.

She's ducked below ground in the city on quite a few occasions. A very handy thing, that. "Could be subway lines or sewers or storm drains. Or nothing at all. There are a number of abandoned tunnels and such around too though. I think the homeless find them for crash spaces too, tend to stay warmer in the winter than the buildings do," Kitty comments. She continues on towards the decrepit building, but then stops to talk to a woman who is standing out nearby. "Hello, how are you today?" Kitty asks the woman.

Siryn has posed:
"Could just go down--" Terry begins only to give a shrug as others come to the same conclusion. She does pause to stop near a water drain in the street as she leans down to tie her shoe. Or pretend she is, anyway. It doesn't give her much of a view of down below. "Least no red balloons," she utters while standing again to resume a light jog walking after the rest of the group.

Multiple Man has posed:
This is proving to be an interesting endeavour for Jamie. He's already up to his ears in Mutant Town shenanigans and now he's fixing to turn over some rocks and find more. A wry smitk on his lips vanishes behind his carton of coconut water. "Good to be seen, Kitty. Just happy to lend a hand or three. Or six"

After a long drink, Jamie crushes the shiny carton in hand and pockets the twisted cardboard remains. "Utility tunnels. Subway maintenance tracks. Not even counting anything that a geomancer or matter manipulator may have done down there when nobody was looking." A chuckle then before be reaches into his overcoat and... takes out a pack of deflated red balloons to waggle at Terry. "So you're saying -not- to start blowing these up?" A brow quirks upward. "I... uh... party. Last night. Don't ask."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "Well, I was thinking more what was not on the city maps, or at least who was using them. There have been whole communities below ground and Ah aint checked it out yet, Town could be twice or even three times as populated as we thought it might be.

Storm has posed:
Ororo suppresses a shudder at the mention of 'tunnels'. The motion makes her white hair shudder once and she covers by flickering her fingernails through the stiff curls standing straight up above her head.

Jamie's given a flickering sidelong look at his admission. "Just one of you, or all of you?" she inquires with a humorous tone. Ororo's gone for the punk look today; midriff-baring black tee, sleeveless leather vest, and denim jeans tucked into biker boots. Her bangles are replaced by a studded wriststrap. It blends a bit more than wearing a sarong and sandals might, in this neighborhood.

Sunspot has posed:
"Manhattan is a chunk of granite," comments Roberto. "Brooklyn is not but, yes, what Jamie said. Mutant powers means there could be a whole underground city. I wonder if Cerebro could help us there." He glances at Jamie, perhaps envious, "must have been quite a party." He has been too busy lately. Roberto even missed the auction/party at Wayne's last week.

"In any case population density here is high," notes the young man. "Whole families crammed in studios. Or sharing small apartments with other families. This is still New York and rent isn't cheap."

Shadowcat has posed:
The woman that Kitty approached looks at Kitty and those she was walking with and then back to Kitty. "I'm good," she says. Kitty smiles and nods to her. "We were looking around for some potential space in the area. Trying to improve the area, maybe some educational outreach, job placement centers that specialize in our type of folks," Kitty says, identifying herself as a mutant to the woman whose eyes have a vaguely reptilian look to them. "Any idea who lives over here?" Kitty asks of the one broken down tenement building.

The woman glances towards it. "Mostly homeless. Probably some addicts. Seemed pretty active when that Hook stuff was going on. A few gangs out this way were dealing. You might find the won't be too happy, you put something like that in there. But, sounds like a good idea to me," she says, nodding her head to Kitty and then to the others before moving off down the street.

Siryn has posed:
Theresa Cassidy glances sharply Jamie's way with a shake of her head. A slow shake that clearly says 'that boy ain't right' without having to say it out loud. Of course she grins in spite of herself, and jams her hands deeper into the pockets of her leather jacket. It wasn't quite cold enough yet to really require it, but there was enough of a chill in the air that she could get away with it without looking too out of place. The rest of her outfit is just a t-shirt, a pair of leggings, and sneakers. Nothing fancy here.

"Yer a real party animal, Jamie. And Jamie. And Jamie." Her teasing is cut short when she overhears what the woman is telling Kitty. For a moment her eyebrows draw together with a pensive expression. "Any chance you know the names of-- Oh," she mumbles, being a bit too slow for the woman to walk off. "Wonder if it's some of the gangs I used to know. If so, might be able to talk to them about ... I dunno, not starting trouble maybe."

Multiple Man has posed:
"Oh, yeah, Sam. If you want to get confused real fast, start comparing utility tunnel maps with a twenty year gap and it gets weird. New York builds ontop of itself. It's wild. Documentary on Urban Spelunking." Jamie confides easily enough. The man is an absolute fount of knowledge. It's just so scattershot, it's hard to focus.

Jamie chuckles quietly before taking a last drag off his smoke. Lighting another with that one. Very noir. Very classy. "Ororo, Bobby... I'm gonna plead the fifth on the grounds of possible humiliation." Listening to the woman Kitty had stopped to converse with, Jamie nods in understanding. "Hook really messed these kids up around here. Worse than usual, I hear. The gangs might not like it but not all the gangs... Alot of them are just banding together because of physical mutations, you know?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods, and says "We encountered two of the local gangs already. One of them is totally out of the picture it seems the other one, Ah aint sure, would have to ask Hank, he was dealing with that one a bit more than us.

Storm has posed:
Ororo's head shakes, but more in response to the sad story than making a negative gesture. Sadnes creases her sky-blue eyes. "A very sad and familiar story," she murmurs, and gestures minutely at Kitty. "It is something to consider, though, Katherine," Ororo points out for the woman's benefit. She glances at Theresa and Samuel, then.

"It is not just about appeasing one gang. There is a certain balance of power in neighborhoods like this. If one gang is brought low, another will step in to replace them. Work must be done carefully so that if it's taken away from one criminal it isn't simply left laying around for the next to pick up. It will take time and care to eradicate the troubles plaguing this district."

Sunspot has posed:
"But it wasn't a mutant gang, was it?" Roberto followed the violence troubles in Evolutions with interest, but he missed some details. "Lets check this place. I am not sure what we can offer the homeless right now, to be honest. The plan is there will be a small infirmary at the X-Corp building, but it is not ready yet."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde nods over towards Theresa. "That would definitely help if we can avoid issues," she agrees. Kitty moves over to slip an arm through Ororo's if allowed. "We'll just sweet talk them all, right? That's what we always do and it always goes smoothly," Kitty lies outright, flashing the older woman a small grin as she pats Ororo's arm.

Kitty looks back towards the urban squat and then will begin moving inside. There aren't any lightbulbs inside that are lit, the light coming in through windows both broken and whole. There is a burning barrel in there as if that has been used for heat, light, or both. A stairs heads up to a higher floor. There is some bedding over in some of the deeper corners, and a trio of people who are sitting around a to-go container from somewhere down the street. They glance up at the group as they start to come inside.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over and says "Actually the first one was yea. They got a couple of the girls at the school hooked on well hooked, and then were trying to turn them out. We went in and busted them up, Hank took one of them for questioning but Ah never heard for sure what happened with them. They did not have anything marking them together that Ah saw." he looks over and says "Was before we knew what the drug was called, thought Hook was their leaders name."

Siryn has posed:
Theresa Cassidy glances back at Ororo to flash the woman a grin. "Nah, I was more thinking if we can get them to help defend the areas we're looking to build in. I know there's always going to be some kind of gangs, somewhere. But maybe that's not the best of ideas," she admits with a sigh. "Besides I didn't really leave on good terms. I don't even know if they're still around."

Multiple Man has posed:
"Balance is a tricky thing. You know what they say about nature and a vacuum. Common ground might be easier to find than a shiny belt for beating them all up." Jamie says with a shrug. "Really do like shiny belts though." Musing mostly to himself, Multiple Man looks back over shoulder as it looks like the crowd was moving inside.

Across the street, another Jamie Madrox gives Jamie OG a jaunty salute. That's two... two Madri. Ah. Ah. Ah.

Stepping inside, Jamie makes a wide berth to circle the perimeter of the room. Attentive to detail on an obsessive level. "Never underestimate the power of cheap or free health care, Bobby. You save a life, heck... clear up a rash and you can become a hero." As eyes are upon them, Jamie raises both hands and offers a lazy smile of sorts. "Just passing through, guys. No hustle, I swear."

Storm has posed:
Ororo grins at Kitty and laugs once, hugging the shorter woman around the shoulder affectionately. "Stay positive, dear. It never hurts to keep an optimistic attitude about such things," she agrees.

She stops in place and surveills the area, head panning a slow arc. Her gaze fixes on the trio, neither glancing away nor offering hostility. Just the immense weight of the dignity she wears about her like a cloak on her shoulders.

Sunspot has posed:
"Well, Jamie. Work can get hazardous in a building full of mutants," observes Roberto. "Particularly if there is going to be power testing." And it is left unsaid that when mutant hating groups attack them having a medical center close is going to be very useful.

When, not if.

"That area is going to be Doctor McCoy's playground," he adds. "If he can find the time to be there. But at least the plan is he will be in charge of the science and medical groups."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde smiles over to Jamie but she says a little ruefully, "It can be a little more intense than that. I don't know if you know Josh very well," she says, but leaves at that the story of the healer and what he went through when people learned he could heal their ills and those of their loved ones.

Kitty's eyes go back to the trio as Jamie addresses them. Two men and a woman, the former two eye the group a little suspiciously, but just give Jamie a nod at his comment, and stay seated where they are.

The woman hears Roberto and asks, "Power testing? What are you guys about then?" she asks, looking about the group.

Multiple Man has posed:
Jamie laughs softly, wincing a bit. His own headache nagging at him. "Yeah," he says while rubbing at his right temple with two digits. "That's the truth. Insurance rates go through the roof once somebody... well, goes through the roof, I suppose." Standing there in the same clothes he always wears, green shirt and a pair of slacks. Overcoat. Black M etched over his right eye. Good looking as he may be, Jamie is forever marked a Mutant.

Approaching the group with a casual stride, Jamie has a seat against the wall near the trio. A grunt and groan of effort and soreness before he slouches back. "Power testing. Young Mutants need to flex or it gets weird. Like a baby learning to walk of speak to fire." He says while his hand gestures flippantly. "We want to help the community. Build something real. Something substantial. Something... here. Ish."

Storm has posed:
"Done safely," Ororo clarifies, quickly. She glances at the others, looks back at the trio. "We're hardly planning on cutting people loose to flex their muscle without supervision." Fingers flex and spread in mute appeal. "Many young mutants come into gifts that they don't understand at first. It is a terrific burden of responsibility. Would you not feel better," she inquires of the trio, "knowing that children are learning responsiblity and safety in earnest rather than simply exploding into reaction at the least surprise?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods his head, and says "Aint nothing like drilling a new vent shaft in a mind head first." He will say about his own first use of power. "We want to make sure people here about are safe and not afraid of their powers. People talk a lot about normal folks being afraid of this mutant or that one, but they forget a lot of mutants are afraid of themselves, and their powers, scared they will hurt those they care for.

Shadowcat has posed:
The three people look back and forth as the woman's question is answered. Perhaps they sense the sincerity of the group, or maybe one of them is a telepath. Whatever, they glance at each other and they seem to give approving nods to each other. "Hope you're able to do that. That would be great for people to have," the one man says.

He reaches out a hand towards some of the bedding, and there's a shimmer around one of the mattresses. It lifts into the air, with great difficulty, and a sign of strain on his face, before it drops back to the ground. The woman gives him an encouraging pat on the back.

"That was really great," Kitty says. "I bet with enough practice there are some ways you could put that to use. I mean, real jobs, doing useful stuff. That's the kind of thing we're hoping to help people get to," she says.

Multiple Man has posed:
Sitting with the trio of squaters, Jamie leans over to offer them a smoke from his pack. Two partake. "It's people. Powers, no powers. Guns, no guns. They're always going to be their own worst enemies. Here, I gotchu." Leaning back over to light their cigarettes, Jamie makes his new friends with free vices.

A deep breath in and he sighs, forearms resting atop uplifted knees. "It's hard to give back when people are suspicious of your generousity though. Mutants, Humans... don't matter. It's a class based mentality in the end. Everybody is broke out here, you know? Hand outs don't come often and when they do, the strings attached to them are always connected to something worse."

Jamie watches that mattress lift and smirks ever so slightly. A nod of encouragement and a thumbs up. "Gotta exercise it if you can. So I'm told."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over and says "I can think of a few ways from minor uses to where it would be really handy." He admits "Your abilities while often will get stronger with practice like any other muscle, even ones your learning could be useful. Handling things people can't touch with their hands is first that comes to my mind."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty nods in agreement with what Madrox is saying about handouts. "Hopefully when people see it's all mutants helping each other out, they'll be able to accept it's not about strings," she says.

She heads over to the stairs, moving up to take a look. She isn't gone long, coming back down soon after. "Building looks like it's probably in decent shape if the windows were repaired, walls patched a few places, some drywall and ceiling. I suspect the roof might leak too but it's hard to say with the windows broken, could be water coming in there," she says.

Kitty moves back over to join Jamie and Sam. "So Jamie, how is your agency going for you?" she asks him.