9284/Down, But Not Out

Down, But Not Out
Date of Scene:	22 September 2019
Location:	Medical Lab - X-Men Base
Synopsis:	A very long day in the medbay is lightened by good company all around. Rachel reveals that Kitty is still 'home', even if in a coma. Shannon and Samuel have a long talk about home, heroes, and their histories.
Cast of Characters:	Nightingale, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Cannonball, Spider-Man, Rogue, Samuel Morgan, Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Tinyplot:	Sentinels

---

Nightingale has posed:
     Just a normal class trip. Was there ever such a thing at Xavier's? Or was it the stuff of fantasy, much as so many abilities and myths had been to the alumni when they first arrived? This time, at least, 'normal' was more myth than reality.

     A few who had been on the trip to Horizon Bio-Labs now seemed to be guests in the medbay. Kitty was, unfortunately, one of them, and she was out cold. Two students were also there--Samuel, the newest arrival to Xavier's, was asleep, thankfully appearing to be in stable condition for the moment. The other was a very worried, frustrated, familiar winged teen. Shannon's managed to get someone to bring her mythology book to her from her dorm, for a little light reading, but it lays open in her hands, ignored as she glances between where Kitty and Samuel are both resting.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Hearing of the occurrence and shame faced he was not there to help, Kurt appears in med bay, carrying a number of things. By Kitty's bed a big tin of Chicago Mix popcorn is placed, and to Shannon's area the Bavarian comes next, a clasp tray with an electric warmer held by his tail and a small box held in one of his awkward hands.

    Coming into view, he peeks his head in while looking down, "All decent in here?" said while his free hand covers his eyes - one never knows.

Nightingale has posed:
     Now there was a voice Shannon had not expected to hear for a while, and it was a pleasant surprise. However, her smile is a pained one, and the reason is plainly evident why--the left side of her jaw is swollen, and looks to be very, very uncomfortable. She's also not moving her head a whole lot, only turning slightly towards Kurt. Up and down her arms are some bruises that looks like they're well on their way to healing, and who knows where else they are as well. She's decently dressed in her Tweety Bird t-shirt, jeans, but with bare feet, her sneakers on the ground nearby. "All decent in here!"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Blinking at the sight, Kurt is at bedside in a moment. "Ach. Vas ist das??" Setting the tray on the side table and the box next to it. "Mein Dame you haf scene d'wars, ja?" brow knitting as he looks over the injury. "Und they left you h'in jeans?" shaking his head.

    "I'm sorry I was not there, I could haf gotten so many out, unharmed." brow knitting, Kurt stands wringing his hands. "I am not good vit healing, I'm sorry."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head very slightly. "I've got some modesty, and anyways, it wasn't my legs that were hurt. Nor were these my own injuries." She reaches out to gingerly touch Kurt's hand, and smiles faintly. "Everyone got out alive. Maybe a few battle scars, but alive. Three massive Sentinels? We all did what we could."

Nightcrawler has posed:
?Looking to the hand on his, Kurt nods. "Not a matter of modesty, more comfort... I couldn't lay in a bed all day in jeans." chuckling, "How well can you eat right now? I thought I would bring something to cheer you up, eh?" motioning to the covered platter.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon's nose twitches a little bit, and her eyebrows go up. "It's a little painful, but I can still eat." She smiles, a bit grimly. "Better me than Lorna. She was fighting one of the Sentinels, but couldn't sense the attack from some of the humans there. Bricks, things like that. No metal. They knocked her down. Cracked jaw, concussion, some bruises. Nothing internal."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Flinching at that, Kurt frowns "I've had that... isn't fun..." moving the table over to rest over Shannon's bed and opening the lid, revealing schnitzel, wurst, and a sauce that smells distinctly as if it was made with good German beer. "Cooked, so just the flavor." adding as he motions. "Thought it vould perk you up, ja?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon's eyes light up, though the smile remains little more than faint. Oh, that heavenly smell! She puts a finger to her lips and chuckles. "Of course, it's just the taste. What else would it be, hmm?" She sits up very slowly, the motion a necessity to eat without choking. It would be brief, anyways. "Are you sure you're not the angel here? Thank you! Ooof..." Yeah. She's feeling it. However, she seems to shake it off in a few moments. "I'm more worried about Samuel and Kitty. They both got it worse than I did. Miss Munroe took a few good bruises too."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Well I'd not want you thinkin' I'm giffing beer to minors." Kurt chuckles "Kitty and Ororo... they've seen some bad days, me too. I was lucky and only got hit in the plates a few months back when I was shot, ja?" crouching near the bedside, "Bavarian chocolates in the box too, thought you may like."

Nightingale has posed:
"Okay, you just went from angel to saint." A bit of both the schnitzel and the wurst, along with a bit of the sauce, find their way to where they're meant to go, Shannon positively savoring the taste. "Ouch. You were really lucky. Glad the bullet didn't find its mark." There's silence for a few moments, interrupted only by the soft, almost whisper-like fluttering of her wings, one of the only ways she can really express delight or emotion in general at the moment. "You know, once Samuel recovers, you just might have another student in drama class."

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner blinks, gold eyes crinkling at the corners, "Oh? Gut! I was hoping the drama society would pick up, give the arts a little boost within the school ja?" chuckling still at being called a saint. "Good mood and food gives the body cause to recover, ja?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon inclines her head slightly in agreement. "Actually, you picked the perfect thing. Good for the mood... but the protein's good for healing." Out of necessity, the bites have to be small, so at least there is the chance to truly savor the kindness that the midnight-hued saint in disguise brought. "Any idea what we'll be working on first?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    With a nod, Kurt leans back on his haunches, "I was thinking the first for Cyrano, ja?" the bavarian is near Shannon's bed having brought her schnitzel, wurst, and Bavarian chocolates, chit chatting and providing bedside company. By Kitty's there is a big metal tin, filled with popcorn. The Chicago Mix. Why? Cheese and caramel corn. Duh. It's delicious. If you disagree, you support communism.

Nightingale has posed:
"Cyrano? Never done that. Could be fun." Shannon's glancing between Kitty's bed and Samuel's again, shadows of guilt and shame flitting across her face, though she tries to keep her tone somewhat jovial. There was nothing that could have been done, but still... it was hard to shake the feeling otherwise. "Really worried about Kitty and Samuel. Kitty got thrown really hard, after two of those Sentinels fired some weird kind of beam at her. And she couldn't do that phasing thing of hers. Samuel... it looked like he had a nosebleed but he kept going... thinking it might have been something else, just... not sure what."

Shadowcat has posed:
The monitor above Kitty's head showing the results of scans and her current biometric readings is a grim one. Multiple broken bones, the worst being the compound fracture of her upper arm, that in the parking lot had it bent almost like a second elbow. A collapsed lung. The scorching along her side from the nullifier device shorting out was minor compared to the bruising that covered most of one side of her body.

The worst though is the swelling of her brain and fractures of her cranium. Kitty hasn't regained conscious, and the medical staff said she appears to be in a coma. In a school with several healers, that normally might not be a problem. But it seems to be here. Her condition is unchanged from her arrival. Her blood pressure and other readings are a little weak but otherwise ok.

The call to Peter Parker must have gone out from the Professor soon after he heard of the injuries being brought back. Peter's currently asleep in a chair at Kitty's side. Lockheed is laying on the comatose young woman, down between her legs with his head resting gently on her stomach.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Looking towards Kitty and then back to Shannon with a frown, "It's a good play, relevant to us as well, our kind. Acceptance of self." Kurt's tail flicks back and forth as he studies them both again. "Ugh... this really is the worst part when these things happen."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shrugs a little bit. "It's part of the risk we all signed on for. I'm just glad we're all in it together." Her brows furrow, and she glances once more at Kitty. Shit. Anybody with an ounce of sense who knows that look on the winged healer's face would be trying to stop her right now, and if he's quick, Kurt just might be able to. She swings her legs over the edge of the bed, groaning softly as she goes from merely sitting up, to standing upright. Her gait is far from steady for the moment, though each step closer to Kitty's bed improves this somewhat. She was definitely one hurting unit. "Damn it... got to try." She reaches over to touch Kitty's hand, if she isn't stopped... closing her eyes and breathing as deeply and evenly as she can....

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Moving to follow Shannon, tail being used to help steady her as she starts towards Kitty's bed. "What? Do what? Should you be out of bed, Shannon?" brow furrowing as he tries to figure out what in blazes she's trying to do.
    "Shannon you need to explain what it is you're doing, ja? Can't just jump up and rush across the room." lips pursed.

Cyclops has posed:
"/Shannon/," Scott's voice comes sharply from the medical Lab doorway, warning her to stand down. He may not be close enough physically to stop her yet, but there's a cutting warning to the X-Men leader's tone.

Scott himself does not look in perfect health, but compared to those that are stuck in medical, he appears luckier. His left hand is wrapped in a white bandage around the wrist, and there's some kind of dark, intense mood following him as he enters.

Shadowcat has posed:
Peter is still dead asleep at Kitty's side after a night of worry. Lockheed only raises his head slightly. Few of the team realize just how empathic the small purple dragon is. He likely understands more than Kurt what Shannon's intent is, just watching from his otherwise protective spot laying atop the comatose Kitty Pryde.

When Shannon takes Kitty's hand and tries to start absorbing some of Kitty's injuries, her mutant power fails. A faint wave of weakness might be felt. It's but a tiny fraction of what it felt like to get hit by a Sentinel nullifier beam directly. But some of that energy seems to be infused in the comatose X-man. When Shannon pulls away, the feeling will fade, and the sense of her mutant powers returning will come shortly on its heels once contact is broken.

Nightingale has posed:
Between the steadying grip of Kurt's tail around her waist, the sudden -absence- of her gifts--enough to knock the breath from her--and that sharp warning from Scott slicing through every sense she has, Shannon's grip is broken in short order. She's a shade or two paler, and a bit less steady on her feet, frowning deeply. "The hell... that's... never failed. What the hell did that Sentinel do to her? And how could it be sticking around like that?"

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Scott - a softer touch, ja?" Kurt looks to Slim as he makes sure that Shannon doesn't fall. "It's complicated... weapons that remove powers. She must have been hit full strength." Nightcrawler moves to lift Shannon and take her back to her bed.
    "You need to rest, get to full strength, you're doing no good to either of you by doing something like this in your state." tone a little firmer, but more leading yet. "Come, eat, rest, ok?"

Cyclops has posed:
Shannon may have been asking the questions rhetorically, but Scott actually has some answer for her. "While the protective devices we wore blocked at least one blast of the Sentinel nullifier beams, they did an overcharged, focused burst of it, which struck Kitty twice, and myself to a lesser amount."

Scott hears the 'softer touch' comment. He doesn't scowl, he takes the suggestion well and brings his level down a notch. "Dr. McCoy will have to tell us more about her recovery timeline. Don't attempt to take it on, Shannon; We need you to focus on yourself, now." Scott nods with some approving relief to Kurt, backing off to give Kurt leeway to work with Shannon without his interference. The other X-Man may see the strain from Scott: some of the harshness is coming from him covering for whatever personal injury he's covering up.

Shadowcat has posed:
Lockheed rests his head back down. The dragon's solid yellow eyes somehow express disappointment as Shannon's attempt at healing ends how any earlier ones had. He nuzzles his head back down to the blanket atop the young woman's stomach. Peter sleeps on, sitting in his chair but leaning forward so his chest and head are resting on the bed, one of his hands still holding Kitty's in his sleep.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel caught wind of things before she even made it back to the school, the psychic noise of rumors tipping her off before anything else. And when she heard //who// was in the medical bay, she made a beeline to see for herself.

"What happened?" Apparently Scott isn't the only one who does away with niceties when things are looking grim. Not that Rachel is //generally// prone to niceties. Tattered black jeans and an oversized black t-shirt that hangs off of one shoulder are at odds with the stiff, almost military way she holds herself, forcing herself to stop a few feet from the bedside.

As the explanation sinks in (or she lifts it from ambient mental chatter), her expression grows even more grim. "Was she phased when it happened?"

Nightingale has posed:
Though some of Shannon's color returns as she's guided--or rather, carried--back to bed, wrapped up in Kurt's tail, there's a bit of pallor there that lingers a little while longer. She's very, very quiet, only nodding slightly in answer to Scott, anticipating another chewing out. "Can Triage help Kitty? And who's looking after you and Samuel?" She does not put up even the slightest struggle as she's deposited back in bed, where this time, she stays put.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Nodding, frowning to himself, "Eat your schnitzel, Kleine Taube..." Kurt states, mouth drawn into a hard frown. "We'll do all that we can for Kitty, believe us." looking over his shoulder at the appearance of Rachel, his expression alone showing he doesn't know, looking to Scott and Shannon for that answer.
    "Scott you should take a seat too, you're no good if you're going to strain something." Nightcrawler sighs, rubbing at one of his temples now.

Cyclops has posed:
"Our medical staff is excellent; you do not need to take on everything," Scott answers Shannon. It's still a little overly firm. Scott's jaw is extremely tense, and he's a bit pale, which gives him more of a chilly aspect than normal. Still, it isn't like he'll show a weakness to students if at all possible.

"Triage is helping Samuel; I'll be fine." There is no room for argument about how fine Scott is: at least in comparison.

Scott was still near the doorway; he finds Rachel entering right up next to him. "I don't think she was phased, she was struck physically just afterward," he says to Rachel, crossing medical now: his goal, it appears, is to start to quietly change the bandage on his left hand at one of the long back counters.

Shadowcat has posed:
The monitors showing Kitty's vitals beep quietly, a soft, soothing background noise. Lockheed is lying between her legs with his head resting on Kitty's stomach. He lifts his head up to look over to Rachel. The redhead's concern for the young woman that he attached himself to like a beacon to the little dragon. He relaxes back down, while Peter Parker still sleeps in the chair beside Kitty's bed.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel takes a deep breath, forcing it out slowly as she tries to keep her emotions in check. A quick glance around the infirmary, though, finds quite a number of people she counts among her few friends, and people who were important to her in her own world, draining the color from her features.

"One Sentinel?" she says, though it seems more to herself than a real question. As Scott moves away, she watches him go, brows furrowing in a frown. "Scott, you're killing me," she mutters, rubbing a fist at her temple. "At least take an advil or something." She follows him over toward the supplies, reaching out to take them before he can treat himself.

Nightingale has posed:
A rhetorical question it might have been, but at least this time, Shannon's got an answer. "Three Sentinels." She does look properly chagrined, though frustration is also etched on her face in the lines between her brows. But she doesn't try to get up again, and nibbles on the late lunch of schitzel and wurst. Voicing those frustrations here and now would do no good, so she bites her lip and keeps quiet, roses blossoming in her cheeks at the distinct tension in Scott's tone.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Uhy... why do you argue so..." Kurt shakes his head towards Scott a moment, but he leans back where he's crouched and then leaps into a backflip, feet hitting the ceiling, where he chooses to crouch for now. Trying something a little goofy directly over Shannon.
    "Relax, he's not angry mit you, Shannon, ok?" looking back and forth from face to face, trying to be the calm one, mind racing for something to do.

Cyclops has posed:
Telepaths, always figuring things out. Scott forces his jaw to stop tensing, not that doing so does anything for the flares of penetrating angry knives in his forehead from the headache. He might not have heard Kurt's comment, or chooses to not respond to it.

"Yes; three Sentinels, and a group of Friends of Humanity, during the field trip. The Sentinels might be upgraded from what we'd seen; their self destructs were large: which is a problem, as they'd only had older models before," Scott clarifies for Rachel. While she's able to take the supplies before he can get to them, Scott will unwrap his own wrist. It isn't severe, just some gashes from shrapnel. Others took far worse, by the look of it. Scott's headache isn't a visible problem.

"I will." Maybe. He might take some medicine. He might deserve to suffer this headache, though.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie has heard about the attack. He was not able to make the school trip, and now hearing folks were hurt he is kicking himself, but there will be time for that later. He wants to rush in check on the people, but it would not do for the kids to see him rushed, worried, so he takes a moment outside the med lab to compose himself and walks in, looking about quickly checking on folks conditions.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Maybe Scott deserves the headache, but Rachel doesn't! The first thing she takes out is a handful of advil, passing it over to Scott with a look that brooks no argument. "One Trask down, one Friends of Humanity up," she grimaces, shaking her head as she pulls out the other supplies.

"The Punisher's going after the Friends of Humanity. I had mixed feelings about that until right about now, but the mix is getting a little less mixed."

Shadowcat has posed:
The light that indicates Kitty's heartbeat keeps pulsing slowly by to a steady rhythm. The indicators for her blood pressure look just like the ones from Star Trek. Little arrows that move up and down a vertical scale. She reprogrammed them to look that way when she 15 and no one ever bothered changing them back.

Lockheed resumes resting his head on the young woman's stomach, yellow eyes staring at her, or sometimes looking over at the curl-haired young man that fell asleep in the chair at her bedside. After a moment, Lockheed rises and walks over across the mattress to curl up against Peter's side, the dragon's head resting on the back of the sleeping man's shoulder.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    Mentioning Castle makes Kurt shiver, looking to Kitty again he isn't able to keep away. Putting aside Scott and his stubbornness to make it over to Kitty's side, dropping back down to the ground opposite of where Peter is slumped asleep. Hands lifting, hovering, and then hanging at his sides.
    "Bitte habt suße Traume, wenn ihr nicht mit uns, geliebte Schwester, wachende Freuden haben konnt." shoulders slumping a little before opting for the safe road and resting a hand on one of her shins.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon cracks a very small smile, but at least that smile reaches her eyes, if briefly. "It'd be deserved if he was... but he seemed more... concerned." A light sigh escapes her and she settles back down on the bed. Good. At least Rachel was making him take something for pain. Nobody should have to suffer. The soft beeping of Kitty's monitors, and those on Samuel, form an eerie backdrop to the various conversations around the room, kept to hushed tones. "You goofball." Her brows furrow. "Just... hate being this helpless, when people I care about are hurt this badly." Sam the elder's entrance is not lost on her, and she quiets right down, waving in his general direction. If he looks, he can see the bruising along her arms and upper body, the egg on her head, and the swelling of the left portion of her jaw. "Hey you..."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott takes the medication, but does it with his back to the room, as if not wanting to showcase it. He takes it dry, no water, and immediately puts his attention back to the used dressing from his wrist, disposing of it into a bin, and then reaching for the new bandage. If Rachel moves to do it more efficiently than him trying to do it one-handed, though, he won't resist her. So long as it's done.

"The Punisher? Hm. Good information; he may have news on what they're doing," Scott says, voice stoic. He presses his eyes shut behind his ruby glasses, the only indication of the pained squint being a move of his eyebrows downwards.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel gives Scott another of those looks when he reaches for the bandages, rolling her eyes. She's not exactly medical, but she knows field medicine and enough first aid to handle cuts, breaks, and bruises. And at least she's not going to make a big deal out of it.

"Sure, information," she agrees. "Also an endgame of killing them all, so, you know. Grain of salt." She glances to the others in medbay, grimacing. "Like I said, not feeling so mixed about that right now. Three Sentinels to hit a science lab but able to do this sort of damage to an unexpected team of X-Men feels like overkill."

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "Rachel?" Kurt looks over his shoulder, knowing he's interrupting something. Tail drooped and around his ankles. "You know better than the rest of us that he's going to keep fighting it. But maybe you could help with something? Save you from bashing your head against that wall?" looking back to Kitty again, shoulders sagging while he observes her.

Shadowcat has posed:
The bruises are the least of Kitty's injuries, yet somehow they probably are the most glaring and painful to see. Her face and exposed shouldered are a mess of ugly black and purple marks. An plastic hose goes beneath her nostrils, helping make sure she is getting plenty of oxygen with each breath. Lockheed looks over to Kurt as he comes over, the little dragon's face, rarely too expressive, somehow still conveys what he is feeling over the girl's injuries.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott missed Rachel's look and roll of eyes. His vision isn't his best attribute at the moment through the headache haze. "Yes, I'm scheduling several meetings, in a more appropriate location," Scott answers Rachel. Meaning, one that isn't in front of an injured, non X-Men student in a medical lab. "We'll go over what we've seen - these new ones, and this advanced Sentinel character." Wrist re-wrapped, Scott gives Rachel an appreciative nod of thanks, and turns to head out from medical.

"Excuse me. There's a lot to plan." And Scott will plan: headache of lasers, or no.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods to all there, and looks over to Shannon "You out there getting in trouble again?" He says with a joking tone as he tries to lift the mood a bit. He walks over to Shannon and gives her hand a soft squeeze where it is unhurt.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon rolls her eyes a little bit. "Out there... and in here. Lorna needed help, so..." She shrugs lightly, wincing a bit, but trying to smile for his sake. "Samuel and Kitty took it worse."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel watches Scott go with a dry expression, shaking her head before she looks back to Kurt. "Yeah, sure," she says, pushing a hand through her hair before she closes up the kit and puts it back where it belongs. "What do you need?" She tips her chin up as Sam arrives, a brief greeting, but her mind is on the tactics of it all at the moment.

Nightcrawler has posed:
    "If you... spoke to her mind, would she hear? Or is she completely asleep?" Kurt keeps his eyes on Kitty, the frown growing deeper and sadder while he watches the breathing of his adopted sister.
    "I figure it might help her, if she could hear, to know we're here - you know?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie looks over and says I have always herd talking to folks helps them somewhat so even that might help." He will add his two cents in. Then to Shannon he says "Well, you make sure your healed up before you start trying to visit your friends, or I will have you moved to your room, got it?

Nightingale has posed:
"Ummmm... a little too late for that." Shannon turns crimson red. "Scott sort of busted me on that, and Kurt, well... let's just say I got put back to bed pretty quickly." She glances over towards Rachel and Kitty, and Kurt. "Sam's got a point, Kurt. They say even when someone's in a coma, some part of them -does- hear. So talk to her." She smiles a little bit, her eyes misting over as she listens to the entire exchange.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel moves over to the side of the bed at Kurt's request, reaching a hand carefully for Kitty's brow. "I can try," she nods, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "My world's Kitty was probably the mind I knew the best in the world. But this is still a different person, so. No promises," she cautions.

"Sorry Kitty, not trying to get into anything that's not business, just making sure you're still home," she murmurs under her breath, opening up her mind and pressing into Kitty's. When it comes to telepathy, Rachel is all raw power and very little finesse. So at least it's not like she's going to be sneaking in.

Shadowcat has posed:
For Rachel, compared to the normal feeling of getting into someone's mind, this is very murky. It's like the telepathic equivalent of swirls of pea soup fog, coming and going and obstructing what would normally be an easy contact.

Deeper she delves, making her way in past that near-static of misfiring brain neurons. Finally, somewhere deeper inside, there's a sense of something. A familiarity, Kitty's thoughts, buried deep and largely unfocused. There's a sense of comfort from an extremity, as if she senses the sleeping Peter Parker's hand holding hers. The same where Lockheed is curled up between the couple. Though mostly there is the sense of pain from her injuries. A constant throbbing from her swollen brain. And briefly a sense of contact.

<<Rachel...>>

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will look to Shannon and says "Ah want your word you will not try taking on more damage till one of the Doctor's ok it. " He looks at her much as a big brother would look to his little sis. "If not your being moved, got it?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon lets out a little sigh, and a pained, rueful half-smile. "Alright. I promise I won't try it again till someone clears me. But I want you to promise to stop in sometime. Please?" She reaches out to lightly squeeze Sam's hand. "One in five," she murmurs. "At least I was able to help one in five..."

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete's been here since the second someone told him Kitty was in medical and refused to leave. Trying to get him to stay away, it would be problematic, downright poor decision making really, to anyone who doesn't know he can bench press a buick when he's pissed off. He also sleeps like a corpse, which is good since legitsies, he's not going anywhere for a few days and there's bound to be visitors.

With a little start, he glances up and around, but he's careful not to dislodge Lockheed from his shoulder. Turning his head a little to look at the purple dragon resting against the curve of his neck, then over to Kitty with a growing frown. Her hand is pulled closer, held in both of his, up against his forehead.

The usually verbose and odd Chem teacher doesn't have a whole lot to say right now.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods his head a bit and says "Oh I will be back, and will even bring you some chicken. Ah need to go see if there is anything I need to do to help out, with this many folk down, Ah might be pulling double duty, but Ah will be back later." He looks to the others and says "Will bring food down for everyone in a bit." He says and looking around the rom, concern showing, he heads on out.

Marvel Girl has posed:
<< KITTY! HEY! >> Rachel winces as she realizes she's gotten a bit 'loud' there, carefully toning things down. << Hey, >> she repeats herself, echoing the words out loud for the others. << It's okay. You're okay. Everyone's...okay-adjacent. You did good. >> She keeps her eyes closed, focusing on maintaining the connection.

<< Peter's here with Lockheed, Kurt too. Scott's already out planning the next move. You're in good hands, okay? >> It's a bit odd, maybe, for the others in the room. Rachel's not generally prone to being reassuring.

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt nods to Rachel as she speaks and puts a hand to Kitty. He remains where he's crouched. Pete's movement draws his attention though, and rather than leap or flip around, he slips his tail up and over to rest against one of Parker's shoulders.
    "Guten auben, Pete." is said in quite tones his hand remaining on Kitty's leg, unsure of where else to rest a hand. He doesn't say anything else though. It's a stressful day.

Shadowcat has posed:
The thoughts from Rachel somehow manage to filter down into Kitty's consciousness. Enough some at least seem to register.

<<Don't... remember much. ... ... ... Think I need an aspirin. ... ... And a beer.>>

Somewhere in Kitty's mind, part of her seems to register the contact with her hand and her shin. Comfort coming from the touches of her loved ones, as if she's aware on some level of what is going on, even if not capable of much conscious thought.

Spider-Man has posed:
Peter glances up at the touch to his shoulder. He looks tired, blood shot eyes, but smiles forces a smile on his face for Kurt anyways. His hands close around Kitty's and bring her fingers to his lips, but then settle back down to use her arm as a pillow. Turning enough to headbump Lockheed.

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel's lips twitch at Kitty's response. << I'll tell the people in charge to up the morphine, >> she replies. << Trust me, you look like you need it. >> She clears her throat, head tilting toward the others without opening her eyes. "She's in there," she says quietly. "She knows you're here, and it helps. But she's definitely hurting. Probably just as well for her to be unconscious right now."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods. Kitty's one tough cookie." She smiles a little bit over at the small gathering, while picking off a small piece of wurst for Lockheed. "Just you keep fighting, Kitty. We're all pulling for you out here."

Shadowcat has posed:
Lockheed nuzzles back against Peter. He looks over towards Rachel and then back to the girl on the hospital bed, resting his head back in contact with Peter and Kitty both.

Kitty's mind starts to fade from Rachel's thoughts. There's just incoherent murmurs and fuzziness mostly. A word or two, nothing that makes sense by itself, before one last thought before her consciousness slips away fully.

<<Tell... be ok... ... Peter...>>

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner bobs his head to Rachel's comment. Staring at Kitty while she rests. "Ja. Just as well." the Bavarian sighs and hovers there, looking over his shoulder at Shannon's comment about 'gods' but he shrugs. Not his place to talk about his monotheistic beliefs. Let people have comfort where they can find it right now.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon mostly just keeps quiet, looking from Kitty and back over to Samuel again. A single tear trickles down her face, but she says nothing. That one was out of reach now, too. A promise was a promise, and not one she'd break.

Marvel Girl has posed:
<< Already did, >> Rachel reassures Kitty before the connection fades. She lets out a breath then, opening her eyes to look to the others. "Well. She knows you're here and it makes her feel better. But that's not an excuse not to, you know, eat. Because she knows you're here. So try not to waste away."

Apparently Rachel has exceeded her allotted daily amount of affection already, so it's back to business.

Spider-Man has posed:
After hearing that Kitty is, if not fine, at least still in there and nominally aware that they're all out here, Peter is mulified... mostly. "I love you, Kitty." Everything else is kind of background noise. Even Rachel's super affectionate tone, well passed her daily alottment. With Lockheed nuzzled against him, he lets himself slip back off to sleep. Get it where you can, ya know?

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner just stands, always one to wear his emotions right out there in the open. His tail moving to keep contact with Kitty, Kurt is up and attempting to give Rachel a hug - even if that may be reciprocated with horrifying ass whippings or worse.

    "Vielen Dank, Rachel. Ich weiß nicht, wie ich richtig ausdrücken kann."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Ugh, god, no, hugs! Rachel stiffens, awkwardly patting at Kurt's back. "Uh huh. Yeah, it's...Yeah. Cool." Nope, she didn't catch that, and nope, she's not going digging for a translation. There's already been a hug, best to avoid any more emotion. She looks over to Shannon then, carefully taking a step back. "Hey, sorry. I got kind of...I'm Rachel."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon looks back over towards the others from where she's firmly ensconced in bed and not about to go anywhere. "She's really lucky to have you all pulling for her. Guess we've all got to look out for each other." One in five, indeed. What a mess the past 24 hours had been. Still, everyone here, made it all worthwhile.

She looks a little bit startled as Rachel actually addresses her; honestly, she'd not been expecting any sort of introduction, and the raise of her eyebrows gives it away as clearly as anything a telepath might pick up on. "Shannon... lousy circumstances, but nice to meet you."

Nightcrawler has posed:
Kurt Wagner lets Rachel go, feeling the unhappiness in being embraced. "Sorry. I'm sorry Rachel. I." he looks back to Kitty, to Rachel, then back again. "Thank you." moving to sit down again, near Pryde, tail wrapping lightly around her ankle as he settles in, eyes lidding as he takes a breath.

Marvel Girl has posed:
"It's cool," Rachel replies awkwardly to Kurt. "I get it. We're all glad Kitty's okay. Ish."

Now that things have settled somewhat, she looks around to find herself a chair, pulling it over between the others with a nod to Shannon. "Yeah, you too. Sorry. I'm not from around here, so to speak. Sentinels kind of slaughtered everyone I knew where I cam from, so I get kind of..." Trailing off, she spins a hand by her temple. "You were there too?"

Shadowcat has posed:
One of the medical staff wheels a cart in. There are trays of food, enough for both the patients and the visitors who have been here for awhile. Shannon is given a tray, and another for Kurt. The woman brings a covered tray over to Peter. "You should eat something," she tells him. "I put some things on the tray for Lockheed too," she says.

Rachel wasn't there when the woman went to get the food, but she passes over a bag of dried fruit, and then passes out cans of fruit juice to everyone.

Healthy, yo!

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles a little, with not one, but two trays next to her now. So she shares the one that was just brought over her way with Rachel, seeing she has just a bag of dried fruit. The tray she already has, bears what is left of what appears to be wurst and schnitzel in a fairly good sauce. Not very healthy, but definitely very tasty! "Yeah. It was kind of messy. Kitty got hit full blast by some sort of... I think you could call it a null ray... from not one but two Sentinels. There were a few of us that got a little dinged up." Worry is very close to the surface, but she outwardly gives little expression, but for the mist in her eyes.

She offers a pained smile to the medical staff that had just brought in food for everyone. "Thank you."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Thanks," Rachel smiles faintly at the offer of food, starting to eat mechanically. Food is fuel. "Those null rays are a bitch, yeah," she nods to Shannon. "Especially when you're going up against giant robots. I can take some rando off the street without my powers, but it's a little bit harder to take down a three-story hunk of steel without artillery." She frowns, looking at the beds full of X-Men. "I don't like that they hit that lab during a field trip. Makes me nervous."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon inches her head forward in something akin to a nod. "Yeah, but I've kind of come to expect field trips to go pear-shaped, you know? Everyone really did the best they could. Teachers, students, everyone. You should've seen Triage and Samuel..." There is a sharp lance of worry and guilt she cannot quite stuff into the back corners of her mind just then. "...they were awesome getting some of the younger kids out of there. And Brian... well, he kicked ass. Everyone did."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"I'm not saying anyone did wrong on our side," Rachel grimaces. "More that I'm worried about the fact that they hit //while// we were there. Makes it feel like they've got a clue about who we are. Where we are. Or that realizing that the bus was there, and how things went, they could track us back. Puts me on edge."

She tosses more of the dried fruit into her mouth, chewing pensively. "Not letting that happen again. But I'm glad there were people to get the younger kids away. Probably ought to practice more of that."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, looking a little bit uneasy as she listens. "Okay, so who's the 'they' in all that?" She rubs her temples lightly, closing her eyes for a moment. "And even if 'they' somehow -do- track us down... which I've got pretty serious doubts about happening in the first place... you've got to admit the folks here, and allies, got our backs." There's actually a knowing little smile. "Am I nervous about that possibility? Yeah. Am I pretty sure we'll make it real hard on whoever comes traipsing our way? Oh, yeah."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Yeah, that's what we thought too." Rachel shakes her head, lips pursing in a frown. "Sorry. I know I sound like a crazy person. I get it. And I know it's different here. Trask is out of the picture, it's at least not the government coming. You're right, you've got a whole...slew of allies that as far as I know didn't even exist where I came from. But you saw what three of those things just did," she points out, gesturing to the beds. "This is a school. It's mostly kids. If someone showed up here with a dozen of those things, do you think we'd come out better?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shrugs lightly. "Yeah, I saw what three of those things did. But I didn't exactly see those three come out in one piece. All of us, on the other hand, might have gotten a few battle scars, but we're all alive." She glances around, considering Rachel's question for several long moments. "If a dozen of them came here, would we come out better? I don't know. Nobody would, until it happened. But I do know we'd give 'em hell."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel stifles a sigh, rubbing a hand at the back of her neck. "Yeah. Well. It's something. I should talk to Scott about evacuation protocols though, just in case." If nothing else, it'll make //her// feel better.

She looks back to Shannon, gaze sharpening. "Shannon. You're a...healer?" she guesses, piecing it together from Kurt's earlier words.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slightly. "In training. I'm just a student. Sophomore year." A grimace gives a surprisingly grim cast to her youthful features, as she looks between where Kitty is resting, and one other young man, perhaps one of the other students, is asleep nearby. "But I promised Sam I wouldn't try to heal again till the docs cleared me, so at this point, my hands are tied."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Well, Sam's right." Rachel manages a faint smile, though it's a strained expression. "One of the most important rules of first aid, emergency response, all of that. You don't endanger yourself to do it. You can't help anyone if you're unconscious or dead. And then the rest of your team has two people to worry about saving."

Which is probably why she's continuing to eat robotically, as if she's not even thinking about it. She's got food now. Best to get the fuel in the tank. Shannon's age doesn't seem to bother her. Though, to be fair, she doesn't look much older herself.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon cracks a very small smile. "In my case, that's kind of easier said than done. These injuries were not my own." She lets the import of that sink in to Rachel. "I have to find out somehow what my limits are, how much I can handle, before there's a serious problem. And then back that up with more conventional skills." She's nibbling on her schnitzel and wurst, too, glad for the extra protein to speed healing. "What about you, though? You said you weren't from around here, I think?"

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Definitely sounds like a balance you wanna work on." Thank you Rachel, master of understatement. At the question, she nods, tossing a few more pieces of dry fruit in her mouth. "Different...timeline? Universe? Reality? I'm sure if you asked Hank he'd give you a four-hour lecture on the right term for it. But the short version is in my world, a mutant killed a senator, which set off the election of an anti-mutant president, who basically made it illegal to be a mutant. They showed up here with Sentinels. We fought, and we lost. They killed most of us. I was young enough they figured they could break me."

She's quiet for a moment, chewing and watching Kitty. "And they did. For a while. Used me to help hunt down others like us. Eventually I broke free and joined the resistance, but it was too late by then. There weren't enough of us and they were too entrenched. The Kitty from my world and I went on a mission to try to take them out, but things went wrong. We were about to die, then poof. Here I was."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon goes very, very silent as she listens to Rachel, a few tears trickling down her face. She reaches out to touch her shoulder gingerly, offering what support she can. "I'm so sorry," she whispers. "But you're here now. You've got a chance to make a difference. Maybe all that other stuff doesn't have to happen."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Rachel stiffens a bit under the touch, but doesn't make a show of it. It's just a reflex. Her life hasn't included a lot of good touchy-feely times. "That's the plan, at least," she agrees, nodding. "But you can see how I'd be a little bit wary of the idea that the school can't fall. And pretty determined to make sure it doesn't. Sentinels," she mutters, shaking her head. "Their entire existence is a complete dick move on the part of humanity."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde is lying in a bed, with a breathing tube under her nose. Very bruised up. Her left upper arm is in a cast. Peter is sitting at her side, holding her hand, with Lockheed there as well, sitting pressed up against Kitty's side. There's food on trays which has been brought in not too long ago, with extra food and juice set out for more people who might arrive.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will come walking in with a couple dinner trays for the patients who are awake and still have their teeth. He looks around the room, seeing if there is any changes from earlier.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon moves her hand away, feeling the tension in Rachel's shoulder. She sighs lightly, finishing her schnitzel and wurst, and nudging the tray away. "Yeah. Yeah, it is. Why can't humanity... or anyone, really... just use that kind of creativity for something constructive? That is seriously below the belt. Especially sending those things after -students- on a fucking -field trip-."

Marvel Girl has posed:
Things seem to be more or less as they were before, though Rachel's taken a seat and some of the available food. Because, well. Food. "Targetting an entire species just for existing is pretty impressive as far as scope goes. I mean, they haven't even managed it with mosquitos, but they want to take on mutants. It's ballsy, I'll give them that."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles a little bit as she hears Sam come in, waving vaguely. "Hey, you. See, still here, didn't try anything stupid again." She looks over at Rachel, taking on something of a grim smile. "Yeah, it's ballsy. One day it may work, though hopefully it never will. But either way... we just make damn sure they know they got more than they bargained for."

Rogue has posed:
Rogue steps through the medlab door and pauses just inside of it, her hands inside of her jacket pockets she watches everyone in here, looks to the bed where Kitty is and fidgets. Hesitating in the doorway's threshold. After a few seconds she walks further in, headed for the bed where the slumbering Kitty is. Her right gloved hand comes out of her jacket and she sets a ziplocked bag of Kitty's mother's home made white chocolate covered pretzels down onto the table with the other stuff, then just takes a step back.

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Heya, Rogue," Rachel greets as the other woman arrives. "She's banged up, but she's still in there. She knows folks are pulling for her." Rachel Grey, here to provide moral support. Truly these are the end times.

Shadowcat has posed:
Lockheed looks up as Rogue comes in. The little dragon rises to his feet and stretches out his legs and wings and tail all at once, giving his wings a few small flaps after having been lying there with Kitty all day. The dragon walks around the outside of the bed over to side Rogue, Rachel and Shannon are on, before sitting down on his haunches.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon had generally very little contact with Rogue, save for chance encounters in passing at best. So she wasn't entirely sure whether she ought to even speak up. Perhaps it was better simply to observe, and wait. Kitty needed all the support she could get right now.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is looking over to Rachel when she speaks to her and she offers her a small fleeting smile and a nod. "Sorry I was there." She quietly says before she looks back over to see Lockheed stepping over toward her. Her other hand comes out of her other jacket pocket and with it is a crinkly plastic bag of bright orange cheesey poofs, Lockheed's favorites. With a light inhale she sets the bag down and opens it up with one hand, tearing the top off like it were made out of tissue paper. "What happened, exactly? I was away all weekend... haven't seen Jean or Scott?" She glances to Shannon then before looking back to Kitty while her right hand goes out to pet and stroke Lockheed's nose up to his scalp.

Marvel Girl has posed:
"I wasn't there either," Rachel shakes her head. "But Shannon here was. Scott was in here earlier with a hell of a headache and a busted hand, but otherwise okay. Pretty sure he went to go plan things. I haven't seen Jean." It's still a little weird to refer to them by first name. But at least it keeps her walls up, where everything is safer.

Shadowcat has posed:
Lockheed moves over to brush his head against Rogue's hand once, and then turn his attention to the cheesy poofs. He digs his head into the bag, getting a couple into his mouth and then tipping his head upwards as he chomps on them. Cheesy poofs are almost as tasty as Sidrian eggs and hatchlings. But barring another alien infestation, the artificial cheese flavored puffs will do in a pinch.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon finally speaks up, at least, to answer what she could of Rogue's question. She's got a nasty egg on her head, her lower left jaw is swollen up, and she's a mess of bruises along her upper body. "We were all out on a field trip. Horizon Bio Labs. Seemed pretty normal, it was going alright. Then three huge Sentinels with these weird null rays decided to mess things up." She shrugs lightly, wincing a little bit. "Samuel and Triage helped get the younger kids out of there, Brian helped the teachers with the Sentinel problem. Kitty was doing pretty damn good, but two of them nailed her head-on with those rays of theirs. Lorna was tearing one apart, but didn't see some bricks coming at her." She glances over at the bed where Samuel's resting, then back over at Kitty. She smiled faintly at the way Lockheed went after the cheesy poofs. At least someone was enjoying themselves.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue stands idly by there, petting Lockheed's head as he munches on the Cheesey Poofs. She glances from Rachel, who got a nod, to Shannon who gives a rundown on the events. "Sentinels knew you guys were goin' to a lab for a field trip?" She asks, not really expecting an answer to that question. Her eyes glance back then to Kitty in the bed. "That seems like a far off chance for them t'just be there, quickly like an ambush?" She pauses for a thought or two before she reaches for her phone as it buzzes inside her back pocket, pulling it from her jeans she looks down at it, then taps a text back to someone with just her left hand. "I'm wonderin' if they're watchin' the school now." She then softly says.

Marvel Girl has posed:
"See? It's not just me," Rachel hmphs as Rogue comes to the same conclusions, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "I had the same thought. I was thinking I'd check in with Scott once he's less likely to explode out the back of his head and see about setting up some evacuation plans for the school. Just in case. The field trip was to a lab that does genetics and the like, so it's not impossible that they'd hit the lab and we just happened to be there. But I worry about what they might think about a school bus full of kids that happened to quickly get defended by mutants."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Ever since coming back from the field trip, Bean has not been awake. The kind of brain trauma he managed to catch is usually not the kind that's very conductive to consciousness. Without Triage, there almost certainly wouldn't have been any more Sam-Bean. Now, for the first time in nearly twenty-four hours, there's a change in the beep of the machine monitoring his heart rate, a quick flurry of alarms. Something hisses and a pump changes the mixture of the IV... bright blue eyes open slowly.

    He has to know. It's important to know. So the first measured thing Bean does when he regains a modicum of self awareness, is to lift his left arm, just to make sure it's not tied to the bed. Whew.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon looks about to add to the conversation at hand, but is quickly distracted by the change in pitch and rhythm of Sam-bean's monitors. Perhaps just a little too quickly, her head whips about to glance over--and she immediately regrets it, with a light groan of pain. "Samuel...?" Her voice is tentative, and laced with a little bit of guilt.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue looks away from Kitty when Rachel speaks of all of that and she agrees with a simple dipping nod of her pointed chin. "Tell him all of that, yeah." She responds. "If they're interested in a damn lab that does mutation genetic research, than a school bus full of mutants and mutant defenders will probably shoot right t'the top of their Checklist. IF it ain't already there. I'm willin' t'bet they're already watchin' us though." A glance is given over to Samuel as he wakes up. "Ah, great, the new kid got beat up too? Welcome to Mutant High, I guess..." This draws a frown from Rogue before she looks back to Lockheed. "Keep her safe, Purple Nurple." She tells the Dragonling.

Shadowcat has posed:
Lockheed's solid yellow eyes stare back at Rogue. No words, but yet somehow the expression says, "Yeah. I got this." The dragon finishes off the bag of Cheesy Poofs and then pads back over. It looks like Peter Parker has dozed off again. He was up all night at Kitty's side until finally exhaustion got to him.

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Hey, we've got another live one." Rachel doesn't rush over as Samuel stirs, but she does take note of it, letting out a small breath of relief. She may put up a tough exterior, but she doesn't like the idea of students dying any more than anyone else does.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Der Stimme eines Engels... Muss ich doch in Himmel sein..." For someone who, this time yesterday, had his brains leaking out of his nose and ears, Bean manages a respectable first line when waking up. Shame it's in the wrong language, and slowly his eyes start to take in more of the surroundings. Clinical, grey, underground. But no handcuffs, so likely not where he fears he was a few moments ago.

    "Did we get that extra credit?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue gives a small smirk to the dragon's look he gives her and then she places her gaze back on Kitty and steps back over to her to brush the side of her face with the back of her right gloved hand. Its her best friend after all. A glance is given to Peter, but with him out cold she just leaves him be. Her eyes raise up to Samuel on the other bed and she huffs softly. "I imagine ya earned it, Miste'ah." She tells him then before she turns back toward the medlab's exit. "I'm gonna go blaze around a bit, see if I can't muster up a little bit more of a safe feelin' around here. If ya see Scott, well... its Scott, he probably has already thought of everything we've thought of anyhow..." The southern girl strides then back in the direction of the medlab doorway.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon can't quite make sense of the entire phrase that Samuel utters upon waking. However, given the context, and one or two words, it's enough to make her blush a little bit. Her wings wrap around in front of her to hide her face, and she coughs lightly. "No... no extra credit. But no fatalities, either." Compared to what he might have heard from her yesterday, her voice is a little strained, but strong enough to perhaps indicate she's in no immediate danger of her life. "You did well out there."

Marvel Girl has posed:
"Yeah, I should probably get moving myself," Rachel agrees, a faint smirk at one corner of her lips when Shannon blushes. "I'll leave you two be. Don't to anything Guthrie'd make you regret," she warns Shannon, taking her little baggie of dried fruit with her as she heads out of the medbay.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    There's a soft sigh and Sam relaxes visibly when Shannon mentions that there were no fatalities. That's certainly good news to wake up to. "Could have done more. That thing was just ... " Another sigh. Yes, he did tell a 30 foot sentinel to Sit Down Right Now! and lived to tell the tale. On the other hand... "What were those things anyway?"

Nightingale has posed:
"Sentinels. Robots built for one purpose--destroying mutants. Those are the nastiest ones I've seen yet." Shannon rolls her eyes a little bit, though all Samuel is likely to see is a living shield of... feathers. "Makes me wonder how I survived basically dive-bombing one in Central Park. But it was a lot smaller, too, more the size of a normal adult human. Plus Doug had already gotten it to classify me as not a threat. So... pure luck on that one."

As her wings relax and move away from her face, her injuries become apparent--a nasty egg on her head, her lower left jaw is swelling, likely cracked, and a mess of bruises all along her upper body. "You and Triage got all the younger kids out okay, not even a scratch on them. Kitty...." She glances briefly over to the other bed where Kitty is comatose, with a miniature purple dragon on her, and Peter Parker asleep in a chair by her bedside. "...she took a double direct hit from the power nullifier beams on those things, and got thrown back. Hard." She grimaces, closing her eyes against the memory of Kitty flying through the air, the sickening landing, her arm at an unnatural angle. "Lorna was ripping one of those things apart with her gifts, but didn't sense bricks being thrown her way. She got knocked down. I was able to get to her, so she's alright."

A few tears trickle down her face, and she turns her head slowly back towards Samuel, her brows furrowed. "But I failed you. I'm sorry."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    To say that Sam isn't looking his best right now may be a bit of an understatement. Between giving himself a brain haemmoraghe and cracking his skull on the floor of the bus, he looks no better than Shannon, with his eyes puffed up and bruised, some dried blood still sticking to the inside of his ears. "Those... those were Sentinels?" There's a puzzled look, even as a hand reaches out for Shannon. For his comfort or hers? Who's to tell?

    "I thought Sentinels were entirely autonomous. The thing I fought wasn't. Not by a long shot." He gives her a long look, noting those tears, and blinking twice. "Without you, those kids wouldn't have made it out, you know that right? I just ran distraction."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sees Samuel reaching out for her hand, and hesitates a moment. There was a chance that, in his current injured state, Samuel could accidentally trigger her healing gifts. And she'd promised not to let that happen till she was cleared by medical personnel. So, she finds a compromise. She takes the sheet that's draped over her, wraps a corner of it around her hand--just one layer, enough to prevent full physical contact--and clasps his hand. "Yeah. Those were Sentinels. I don't know if they're supposed to be autonomous or not. If they are, and the one you fought wasn't, maybe that's something you should let Scott or Sam or one of the others know about."

She frowns slightly, seeing those injuries, tears of frustration joining their bretheren upon her face. "No, that was you and Triage. I just got the ball rolling. And then I couldn't be there to help you when you needed it. Can't be everywhere at once, but... it still feels pretty freaking lousy."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The sheet gets a puzzled look, until Sam remembers about Shannon's healing. Yeah, he wouldn't want her to accidentally suffer the same brain injuries he did, not without the nearly industrial level of pain killers he's on, so he takes the hand carefully, ready to pull away if necessary. "The only thing I'm good at, is fighting and following orders." He pauses for a moment, blinks very slowly, and then takes a deep breath before going on. "Your first instinct was to look after them, my first instinct was to fight whatever came at us. Maybe, just maybe... we can call it a shared effort? I heard the gun go off, that's why I ran to the front. Just... instinct. I should have kept my head better than that."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon squeezes his hand very gently, and manages a lopsided smile. "Okay, a shared effort. Hey... that instinct isn't a bad thing. Some of us fight, some of us heal, all of us protect in our own ways." She tilts her head a little bit. "Truth be told, I could stand to learn a few things about fighting, because it's not going to do anybody any good out there if their medic gets killed." Her smile widens a little bit. "I was reminded once that it's not always about fighting, either, more about minimizing the risk of innocent casualties. But still... it can't hurt to learn a little." She makes no move whatsoever to pull her hand away, and there is no sign of her gift having been triggered. So far.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Guess we need to have a talk about that soon with some people." Sam agrees, shifting slightly in the bed. More and more of him is starting to wake up, and all of it is complaining. Mercifully, everything is a bit fuzzy. "So... how much trouble are we in with Cannonball?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods slightly, not letting go of Samuel's hand. It seemed to keep him calm, and honestly, it wasn't such a bad thing. It could get pretty damn lonely in here, even when there were others around--for all the sense that made. The rest of her is complaining as well, but she grits her teeth and breathes her way through it, determined to tough it out. "If by that you mean Logan... yeah, not a bad idea. I started lessons with him, but that was a couple weeks ago. He got dinged up pretty good last week and got stuck in here for a while... or at least that's what was floating around." She moves her head slightly, but only just the tiniest bit. "I don't think we're in trouble with Cannonball, not that he's said yet. He was in here earlier. Made me promise to not try and heal anyone else till the docs cleared me for it."

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete is here, sitting on the side of the bed sleeping. He has Kitty's hand in his with Lockheed nestled up against him and her arm.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead has posed:
The boot stomps can be heard easily before Ellie comes into the medical ward.

She isn't going to get detention either, she has access to some of the stuff on the first level of the base without an x-men or teacher bringing her here. For once at least no detention that is. Give it time.

Also Ellie seems to be in a mood to go with her stomping. Pausing right inside the door to look around. "Well shit." at the people in beds. She recognizes .... .. two of them. Shannon seems awake though so she heads towards Kitty and Peter. "fucking hell.." it is much softer now without any stomping at this point.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde is lying in a hospital bed as well. The monitor above her shows her vitals, as well as lists her injuries. Swollen brain, fractured cranium, multiple broken bones including a compound fracture of her left arm which is in a cast. Collapsed lung. Lots of bruising.

It also is a spitting image of the original Star Trek readout. Because Kitty programmed hers to look that way back when she was sixteen.

Lockheed nestles up where he can lay and be in contact with both Peter and Kitty, his head currently is resting on Kitty's unbroken arm. She has one of those hoses under her nose to add extra oxygen.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    There is a sudden tensing when Sam hears the stomping come down the hall, and he lets go of Shannon's hand. Who's going to come through the door? He doesn't know, but the fall of those boots didn't bode well.

    Until he hears Ellie swear, that is, and he relaxes again, half smiling. "And Doug tells me to watch my language when I swear in German..."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Ironic, then, that some of those are among the few words I know of German. The rest, I pick up by context, and listening to you and Kurt." She actually laughs a little, though looks a bit disappointed as Samuel lets go of her hand. "Seriously, Ellie, you've got to watch your fucking language there." There is a lighter, teasing tone to her voice, and a bit of a twinkle in her eye, for all she's dinged up. Her voice quickly sobers, though. "She took a double hit of nullifier beams from two out of three Sentinels that messed up the field trip yesterday, and got thrown back pretty hard."

Spider-Man has posed:
"Watch your mouth, this isn't the Hellfire Club." Peter says without raising his head. He lacks all of his usual comical tone, though and sounds exhausted. Sitting up only long enough to look at Kitty's monitors, then laying his head back down on her unbroken arm.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead has posed:
"Fuck off Fluttershy.." it is a half hearted mutter though as she looks at the Star Trek style vitals above the pretty full bed. ".... three sentinels... did we trash them." she turns to look at Shannon and Samuel, she looks angry now. "And if Chris is here.. and where the hell is Josh.. why is Kitty still laid up?" it is a hissssing whisper. This has her off her game and she is trying to be quiet.

Shadowcat has posed:
Lockheed lifts his head to look over to Ellie. Yellow eyes without pupils peer over at the familiar teenager before something about Peter draws the dragon's attention back. He leans over to nudge his head against Peter's once the man has rested it back on the bed, before Lockheed relaxes as well, his head moving back to rest on the comatose young woman.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "One that I know of, before the lights went out." Almost literally. The lightning strike to the Sentinel practically cooked Sam's brains in his skull. He doesn't know Ellie, certainly doesn't know Peter, but is willing to entertain the idea that if they're here, they're supposed to be. "Should have got the other one sooner, but with the kids running around..."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon sighs softly. "I wish I knew where Josh was. Was supposed to be training with him. Kitty took not one, but -two- direct hits simultaneously from nullifier beams from those goddamn Sentinels." She smirks faintly, as much as she is able to do at the moment. "We all came out alive. Those three fuckers didn't."

Negasonic Teenage Warhead has posed:
A glance at Peter when he mentions the Hellfire club and watching her language. She makes eye contact with Lockheed and then once they are settled turns back to the two younger students.

Her hand wobbles "They aren't alive, they are human fascist trash that needs to be recycled with prejudice.. extreme prejudice." a glance back to Kitty. "Even with Chris.. that is Triage... he should be able to help with this though... or did he already?"

Not connecting the blasts with anything yet.

"Who are you?" at Samuel.

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete wasnt talking just to Ellie. He was also trying to joke, just failing at it for a host of reasons. He smiles at Lockheed's headbump and reaches his hsnd out to scratch between the dragons ears.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Under scrutiny, especially under scrutiny by someone who has some clear views on fascism and everything related to it, Sam starts to sit upright. The monitors don't like it, not one bit, but they go quiet after he gives them an angry glance. Clearly he has half a mind of discharging himself from this place. "Sam Morgan. Technopath." The look he gives Ellie is nothing short of a quick threat assessment. "You? And if we're talking about the same Chris, I think he might be the only reason my brains are still inside my head rather than in a bucket somewhere. At least he was the last one I saw get on the bus before that Sentinel blew and took me with it."

Shadowcat has posed:
The monitor above Kitty adds very soft, steady beeps to the background, pulsing in time to her heartbeats. The young woman's hand is clasped in Peter's still. There's been no signs of motion from her, no responsiveness at all except for what Rachel indicated using her telepathy to try to reach her.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon looks rather alarmed when Samuel's monitors start blaring, wrapping the sheet around her hand and reaching for his hand again; however, she waits for him to close the distance, presenting the option to refuse if preferred. "Please... lie back down? At least until Triage or someone else can get to you?" She sighs a little, looking back over at Ellie. "I don't think you were listening. Nullifier beams, Ellie. Not only did they neutralize Kitty's powers, but those of us who have tried to heal her did -not- fare well. I don't know what else is going on, but there's the long and short of it."

Negasonic Teenage Warhead has posed:
"That ... isn't how it usually works. You usually snap back when you are out of the beam or after a bit of time." there is a frown on Ellie's face despite the beeping and all those alarms from Samuel. "And yeah I meant that Chris... I'm Negasonic Teenage Warhead new kid, I can blow anything up."

She looks back to Kitty and Pete and Lockheed. "Fuck.... at least she seems stable..." okay yeah Ellie sounds worried even.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Not a bad name." Sam mentions when Ellie introduces herself, and stretches out where he sits. No point in looking like he feels, image is everything. Unperturbed, he starts to take the sensors off him, the monitors around his bed switching off obediently.

    Unfortunately, with the sheet falling away, he's also displaying the things he likes to keep hidden under a shirt... the old scars covering his torso, from slashes, stabbings, and the unmistakable round pockmarks of old bullet wounds, the freshest of which are mere inches away from his heart. "Next time we run into these things, it's going to be different. Guaranteed."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Samuel... -please-! What are you doing??" Shannon's actually starting to sound more than a little alarmed, and were it not for her promise to stay put, looks as if she would be getting out of bed right now to try and stop him. Her whole body tenses, and she tries to sit up--instantly regretting it. Although she was in a bit less pain than before, the sudden movement does not feel at all good. "Techno... come on, please... rest a little while longer? Let Triage and the doctors help you? You won't do anyone any good out there if you're not 100... and neither will I." The sight of the scars makes her brows furrow, and her fingers curl into fists. "Who did that to you?" From worried, to deadly quiet. Not good.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead has posed:
Ellie glances at Samuel when he starts to unhook and get up there. Her brow knitting in a bit of concern. Yeah she is way off by all this, she can't pretend to be aloof right now. "Shannon is right.. you should let someone check you out of the infirmary. They tend to get pissed when you check yourself out and then I am sure someone does paperwork and sometimes you get detention... best to just rest."

She even advised someone to not get detention. She also does not press about the injuries, Shannon already did so no piling on.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    He already has his hand wrapped around the IV line to pull it out when he gets the double-dose from Shannon and Ellie. With some reluctance that is obvious, so obvious that it might be feigned, he abandons the effort before the attempt is made, instead sitting where he sits and letting the back of the bed rise to meet him. "Meeting you halfway."

    He's not self conscious about his appearance, but a glance over to Shannon makes him pull the sheet back up. "Some of those are accidents, some of those are from training, the rest was people trying to kill me." Although to be fair, he was usually trying to kill them right back at the time. "Negasonic Teenage Warhead... don't suppose you know where there's a spare shirt I could borrow?"

Spider-Man has posed:
Pete has been texting one handed and finally slips his phone away, leaning down to whisper to Kitty, "Tony Stark says to get better, babe. Even Iron Man is rooting for you." He kisses her cheek and settles back into his chair.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon is not blind to Samuel's embarrassment, so she simply nods slightly, and averts her eyes to spare him further embarrassment. Tears of rage and frustration trickle down her face, not for the first time that day, and likely not for the last. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "Didn't mean to upset you...."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty lies there, surrounded by people who care about her. They know from Rachel that she's aware of their presence in some fashion. Lockheed looks over to Peter, the little dragon's face not usually having expressions, but there's definitely a sense he knows what is going on wit her.

Negasonic Teenage Warhead has posed:
"Sure." is all Ellie says. "Stay put." her power isn't teleporting but she ducks out of the room leaving them all for the moment, heading down to the locker room by the danger room to get a spare shirt.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "It's not that, Nightingale..." Sam waits for Ellie to leave the room, and ignores Peter being there. He's an unknown quantity, but Lockheed seems to like him, so he must be good people. Must be. So he can be candid. "I didn't want you to see it. I knew you'd get upset. And please... Can we not mention my past with HYDRA while Negasonic is around? Somehow I don't think she'd take it all that well."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon raises her eyebrows. "HYDRA? What's that?" Oh, man. One of those awkward moments. There's no fear in her expression, only worry, and no small measure of confusion. "If it's something or someone that hurt you..." She takes a few deep breaths, and nods slightly. "I'm sorry, mention -what- while she's around? I heard nothing."

Negasonic Teenage Warhead has posed:
Well it isn't like Ellie had to go far, just down the hall really.

She pokes her face in and then tosses a jersey towards Samuel. It's clean. It has an some general X theme to it, and it says trainee on it.

"Best I could do... you all heal up." and out she ducks.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Bad. People." For a moment, Sam's composure cracks, mentally upbraiding himself for letting something like that slip, injuries or no injuries. It's as if ice water is starting to run through his veins, the narrowness of the escape particularly shocking because of who he blurted it out to.

    Luckily a distraction arrives in the form of Ellie and a shirt, which happily ends the topic right then and there, hopefully. "Thank you. Hope to see you around."

Nightingale has posed:
The loss of composure is not something Shannon is blind to; instead of making her recoil, though, she offers her hand, covered by her sheet, holding it out to Samuel. "That's not you, though. You helped get all those kids to safety. You are so much more than what gave you those scars."

A brief nod and bit of a smile is offered to Ellie on her way out. "Thanks, will probably be out of here in another day or so."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    For a few minutes, Sam busies himself putting on the jersey. It's not as simple as he would have liked. There is the difficulty of all the aches, the complication of the world spinning, the thudding in his head every time he moves as much as half an inch, and then, finally, the one thing he had overlooked. With the jersey halfway on, he finally remembers that the IV line gets in the way of getting his arm down the other sleeve. He looks up at the contraption, briefly considers getting it off the tree, passing it through the sleeve and hanging it back, and then simply leans back against the pillows, half dressed. "Close enough..." His hand finds Shannon's, giving it a light squeeze. "They'll make heroes out of us yet."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon chuckles a little bit, squeezing Samuel's hand gently. "I don't feel like much of one, though. Just someone who screws up a lot." She smiles a little bit, tucking her other arm under her head. "But one of the teachers here told me that even heroes have heroes. Who's one to you?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Leaning against his pillows, Sam just seems like any other teenager patiently waiting out his time in a hospital bed. He'd give anything for a book, but has to concede that the company, at least, is pretty good. "As one of my tutors liked to remind me, competency on the battlefield is a myth. Everyone makes mistakes, the one who gets to claim victory is just the one who made the next to last mistake." Heroes though? Tough one. "I didn't have a lot of positive role models. Who's yours?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles, and glances over his way. "I've been really lucky to have a few of them, and I seem to keep finding more the longer I'm here. Cannonball's one, definitely. Mr. McCoy... miss Munroe... Logan... Kurt... Josh... Scott... Kitty... hell, even Peter, though first meeting him was a little... awkward..." She laughs a little bit, shaking her head lightly. "All of them so far are heroes to me. Everyone I've met here so far." She looks up towards the ceiling. "But there's one who was there before I ever even knew any of the others existed. Maybe it was just stories about him at first, that helped keep me strong when my mutations first manifested. But still, a hero then, and even more of one now."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Growing up, he had many heroes. His father, for one, but what small boy doesn't worship his father? The Red Skull. Doctor Zola... It began there, it got worse over the years. Names he hasn't thought about in a very long time, and that get banished back to the deep cells of Sam's mind as soon as they start to rattle the bars of their cage. Outwardly, he just smiled and stared at nothing. "Who was that? Must be someone pretty impressive."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods a little bit. "Maybe so... but incredibly down to earth. It's Captain Rogers." She cracks a little smile, laughing somewhat. "Surprised the hell out of me literally running smack into him as I was coming out of the music store in Salem Center. Kept running into him since, every so often. Once, when it was really needed the most, about a week or so after the Sentinel attack in Bushwick that took a protester's life. It had been my first major failure in the field as a healer."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Captain Steven Rogers. The Arch Enemy. For all of his formative years, and much of what remained of his childhood, Sam had been taught to hate that man. To loathe him. His first practical forays into mission planning were hypotheticals on how to eliminate that target. Even now the name causes his jaw to clench, although with an effort of will he manages not to squeeze and harder on Shannon's hand. He's thankful that he took off the sensors, that he switched off the monitors, because his heart has just started racing. He's not supposed to hate him anymore. But he has a shrewd feeling that if he ever met the man in person, Sam would feel his disappointed and disgusted gaze burn straight through him, knowing him for what he is, what he will always be.

    "Even you can't bring people back from the dead, can you?"

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon shakes her head slightly, with a heavier sigh than she should at her age. "Sadly, no. Others might be able to, I don't know. But I can't. Not yet, and I don't know if ever."

That tension is not lost on her, not by a long shot. She can feel the almost imperceptible trembling, the effort at holding back what must surely be a crushing grip, at the mere mention of that name. "Bad blood, I take it?" She frowns a little bit. What the hell kind of connection was there, and did she even want to know? She squeezes Samuel's hand very gently, knowing full well that, even injured, he could probably do her a great deal of harm if he lost it. "This isn't going to frighten me away from you, you know."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
Samuel smiles. It's a genuine smile, but he also nods his head over to Peter by Kitty's bed. He might be willing to say a great deal, probably has to finally get things off his chest, but not with unknown visitors around. "Like I said, I didn't have a lot of positive role models. Aside from my father. He would have loved seeing Horizon Labs... minus the Sentinels, of course."

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon can't help a smile as she listens, even knowing what Samuel's 'father' turned out to be. Any child with half a heart would surely count their family as heroes. "I think my mom and dad would have loved seeing that place, too, even if only so they could understand more about mutants... since their kid -is- one." She sighs a little bit, a small quaver in her voice. "They're still alive, thank gods. Dad's a mortician. You wouldn't think of that as particularly heroic, most of the time, but in his job he's there for people when they need someone to lean on the most. And yet he always still had time for his family. Mom's an artist. She can see the world in incredibly beautiful, wildly different ways, and take you along for the journey every time she creates something. Lousy cook, though." She giggles, her eyes actually twinkling a little bit. "Between dad's irregular work hours and mom's nearly complete ineptitude in the kitchen, that's why I picked up as much as I have. But as much as they love me... the things I dealt with every day then, and now... those are things they may never be truly able to understand. Home... isn't very mutant friendly. And I'm not sure if they'll ever move out this way. But we keep in touch, and if I have my image inducer on, maybe a visit home might be possible. But I miss them a whole hell of a lot."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "If the world is wrong, and insists you change, you don't comply. You change the world." Sam paraphrases one of Captain America's more famous speeches, smiling as he does. Sometimes it helps having an encyclopedic knowledge about trivia like that. "So that one day you can fly home."