2013.04.19 - Taking in Strays

Halo Tower. The new base of operations for Stormwatch and it's members. Every member of the team is now listed as some form of employee for the massive corporation which gives a number of perks. Conner himself has no clue what his job or purpose is other than he has a badge with his name, face and a bunch of numbers attached that lets him swipe and get through almost every door. Even his own suite.
Recently he'd even been shown TEACH and had the joy of getting teleported elsewhere by Void to spar with Spartan and Scion, aka Jack Marlowe and Nate Grey. It ended poorly, Superboy underestimated the ancient droid and walked away with a bruised ego due to it. Learning curves and all that.
Right now the young man is in the very wide open windowed yet private gym they'd been told they can use as freely as they wished. Special hydraulic heavy duty resistance machinery actually capable of giving Kon a decent work out resides within this room. Something he is currently in the process of doing. Right now it's curls, a machine for each arm that reads at a good and steady 25 tons. With knitted brows as Conner's glares out across one way window at the surrounding city of Metropolis.
Rose had kept herself away or a fleeting presence from the large building that had her holding a key card as well as a professional badge. These never did her any good, hell, working with teams never did her much good, her ideals and ways of going about things ever seemed to clash. So far so good - a calm before the storm. The fleeting sights of Rose were in the gym, the TV Room, and the doorway to come or go. Her quarters untouched utterly.
Coming out of the small locker room Rose wore a pair of black Lycra shorts and a white Lycra tank top, a towel thrown over her shoulder with a water bottle gripped in one hand. Glancing up as she set her things down on a bench Rose focuses for a moment on Conner and the weights he holds, exhaling and reaching back to tighten the band around the sloppily bunned pony tail that was tucked in on itself and leaving some of the strands to hang from the end loosely. He made that look simple... He could crush her with his pinky. Rose must have had a death wish when she agreed with NOWHERE; in more ways then one.
The machine each of his arms were underneath looked very similar to hydraulic presses one would see in metal cutting or folding factories, not quite the same thing though these are much more high tech. Amazingly there is a subculture of super strong body builders and weight lifters who actually specialize in such machinery out there... modern marvels one could say. Conner's chest presses out as his left arm lifts and the right drops; repeating over and over. His hair falling slack against his brow as Rose crosses in to view. "Whoah, hey. Why are you here?" Not that he wasn't pleased and it comes off wrong at first. "I mean... didn't expect anyone around the gym right now. Was just testing the machines. I was told they actually have some that I could use." Cut off sleeve shirt and a pair of loose sports pants, both in black aside from the red stripe on the pants. He seems to favor those colors.
As Rose walks across the lightly padded gym floor the only other time she glances to Conner is when he addresses her, making one brow raise followed by one corner of her lips. Arms swing up and her hand grips her elbow, pulling lightly before a switch in position as she begins to loosen and stretch her muscles, though very unrealistic for a true fight. No one waits for a warm up, but better safe then explaining why you can't respond... Because you tore something working out. "I work here too, and tend to prefer these amenities over paying for a gym membership. They hold up better against... Abuse." Nodding lightly she refocuses on the weights Conner has. "Apparently they do. You think they'd help you stop someone like me?" The inquiry was borne on a smile, but just a dead serious as life in New York during rush hour.
Conner finds himself staring at Rose as she goes through her stretches, thankful the machine keeps count of his reps for him because he just lost track. It is not until she looks at him that he looks away, clearing his throat a little, "What do you mean? Me working out harder to stop you? We already went through this. I can beat you if I can get my hands on you... the last two times were lucky is all. I was weak the first and you caught me off guard the second time plus you have some stupid super ninja training that I don't. You'd think N.O.W.H.E.R.E. would have at least taught me some karate classes."
"I didn't say me Conner, I said someone like me. But sure, I'm down." Yep, she just offered to throw down with him if he even got the hint this time around, smirking as she catches his look that so abruptly removed itself while he went on about how lucky she was to remain just out of reach. "You're starting to sound more and more like the guys here. How are you adapting?" Rose inquires as she straps on the fingerless gloves beside the punching bag that bore wrist braces for backup. Yet again another thing you don't use in reality, but the sound of Velcro tearing and re-attaching proved yet another thing she wouldn't be 'calling out stupidly wounded' for. "If my training is so stupid, I won't offer to teach you." Her back is now to Conner, shielding the smile that came with the first swing into the large punching bag.
"Oh." Conner says as the machine makes a hiss sound and he slackens his arms, corded sinewy limbs withdrawing from the stirrups holding his hands. Straightening out he rubs his wrists looking like he is in contemplation over the question. "I'm alright. Still finding my way around and honestly not used to having so much open to us. It's not at all like the last headquarters. It's huge but there is people working on all the other floors. Which, makes me kind of nervous." Looking back over at her he offers a half-baked smile, "I'm joking. I like your training and I meant stupid in a good way, like... it's stupid OP." Walking over to the other side of the punching bag he pushes his hand against the back of it to stabilize it while she hits it. Not that she needed it. "How about you? How are you adapting?"
Rose's brows furrow at the question, only shifting her cold blue gaze from the bag to him in a flickering heartbeat, hitting the bag harder as his hand touches down on the back of it. A long moment of silence as a few idle punches turn into a flurry that comes to a break in the upper body when her leg comes up to kick it in a snapping motion meant to follow through with the pivot of hips. "Good. Settle in, it shouldn't be too hard for you to, they seem like good people." She paused as her foot touched down and this time she lead with her left, repeating the motions with breaths to end in that kick once again. "I got my place the other day. Found a nice one.." While it lasts.. Keeping it vague for a reason, perhaps it best she not unload the fact that she had another part of her life that is a secret. For now. "Have you stocked up on replacement phones with your paychecks?" Rose smirks lightly then, not yet glancing back towards him with her focus on the bag.
"Being supplied phones. Didn't know I had to pay for them." Conner frowns as she mentions her own place and cuts herself out of the settling in. "This is a team, Rose. You're part of it too you know." He watches her form and how smooth she is at it, easy transitions that make him feel clumsy. Compared he is of course, no amount of super speed will compensate for straight up skill and experience. "Why have an apartment somewhere else when we all have our own suites here? Wouldn't it be nice to belong to something that doesn't have ulterior motives for once. Someplace to belong."
"Oh, no then, never mind. I haven't picked mine up yet, didn't know..." A slow deep breath and she pushed a few fallen strands of white from her face to tuck behind her ear, watching Conner as he speaks on and shook her head, falling back into a stance that had her beginning with the kicks, one heel impacting one side of the bag and then the other without touching down. Her body moving smoother in pivoting transitions that end in swift snapping punches of both fists, stopping to grip the bag he is holding and tug herself closer. "We're never going to be fully safe Conner, not until NOWHERE is shut down... It's not just that organization I have to worry about and if I have my own place, they'll be more prone to follow me there and the trail I leave them... Then come here." Partial truths, half of the wholes.. "It's hard to settle down sometimes.." But there's one whole, free and clear as she pushes back away from the bag and him to begin again.
"We're safe here." Conner replies. "With each other. You watch my back and I watch yours. Plus, the rest of the team is looking out for us." He gives the bag a shove and offers her a larger genuine smile, "I kind of like watching your back anyways." The playfulness encouragement to try and get her to drop her guard a little. It wasn't long ago that she was his enemy and his keeper watching after him in a different light, while at the same time in another /digital/ world his girlfriend and 1st kiss. Now she is probably his best friend and his teammate. It's a twisted tango really. "We have something here, Rose. We're needed and can actually make a difference for once."
"The irony of that is I was supposed to kill you. I'm not going to -get- you killed Conner. I can't... Not anymore." The looks seemed almost like one of anger and being perplexed at it, but she stopped asking why a long time ago and just accepted it. The shove of the bag into Rose pulled her from that moment only to return the smile, yet another thing involuntary and as genuine as it possibly could be as she regained some of her footing from the impact to place a hand on the bag and then step back, but not enough to give the needed distance, just enough to kick and catch him with it around the corner of the workout bag. "I'm not l;leaving... I'm just being careful."
"But you didn't. Careful is fine but when is it just paranoia?" Literally doesn't see Rose's kick coming and it catches him in the rib. A light grunt escapes Conner and he steps back, tossing the bag towards her. "Watch it, I just ate." Stepping away from it and giving distance to where he can watch her. "It's good to see you smile. You've only been drunk or on something every other time I've seen it."
Rose meant to do that, and when the bag was shoved towards her she waits until it is at its apex, just before rocking back towards him and kicks it in his direction, making it gain even more momentum behind its weight in that sudden spin kick she landed on its padded surface. "When haven't you just eaten?" Both brows rise then and the smile wilts. "I'm not paranoid, and no I'm not on anything, haven't been able to be. Thank. You." Rose states bluntly now.
Conner swings at the bag as it lifts back up towards him at it's lift point it erupts in a shower of sand and innards. The dusty explosion causing them to be caked in powdery residue. The chain sways back, the rest of the punching bag just dangling from it as it pours out the rest of it's insides on the gym mat. "Oops." A shrug follows. "Good, rather see you sober more often honestly. Not that you're not entertaining when drunk but still... "
Rose just stares as the bag erupts (from her point of view) in slow motion. A small explosion that leaves white padding revealed and a shower of sand and beads coming down in a plume like the debris just as a building falls in on itself. Then her gaze is shielded by her hand. At first the laughter begins as a small shake then the laughter can be heard as the last of the falling sand settles and she removes her hand from over her face to dust her shoulders off and wrinkle her nose. Getting this out of her hair was going to be a mess. "May want to put in a bug report on the equipment. Not Superboy proof completely." Pausing she tugs her hair free and begins combing fingers through it to rain sand down in small dustings. "You broke my toy."
Punching inanimate things is good for you. At least for Nate. And probably for most of the rest of the members of Stormwatch. So the gym seems a good place to find them. "Someone told a good joke?" Nate appears, waves briefly and pauses, looking at Rose all sand-y. Then Conner and the remains of the bag. Snicker.
A chuckling Conner can only grin as he dusts off his own face and hair, "You broke your toy when you kicked it at my fist." He taunts back, his words trickling off as he hears Nate's approach. "Yo, Nate. No, no jokes. We're just testing out the gym equipment."
"I kicked it at your face. You caught it with your fist." Pausing, Rose rises from the bend she was in to try and shake what sand she could from her hair when Nate speaks up. "I think the joke is the fact that he likes me sober better." Rose says looking from Nate to Conner and rolls a shoulder in a shrug, still bearing a lingering smile. There was only one good reason Rose is sober though it'd likely put her into a binder...Once Lian is gone from her care. Right now Peabody has her for a small trip and reprieve for Rose, but since she is getting the girl back, punching things were higher on the itinerary.
"On the other hand, I like you either way," Nate walks closer and looks at the smashed back up and down, considering. "I can fix this," he decides. "It is just sand and plastic," so if he can retrieve all the sand... the remains of the bag start to glow, as do the sand on the floor, and on Rose! There is a crackle of energy all over her as the sand grains are pulled away. "How has the week been for you? I met some magical pyromaniac midgets yesterday. And it wasn't half as fun as it sound."
"Still... pretty sure this is all your fault." Conner persists in teasing Rose until Nate fixes it with a rather casual display of mutant power, "Show off." He grunts before stepping aside to get his water bottle and sprays some of the contents in to his mouth. Not answering the question as he assumes it was aimed for the white haired warrioress and not himself.
Rose grins at Nate, looking down as he spoke up, and commenced dusting off the Lycra top and shorts. Pausing though as she did so she watched the small granules lift off and reform to repair the bag, tilting her head and running fingers through her hair to check. A long painstaking shower averted! It was gone. She forgot he could do that, her jacket the proof. Casting a leer towards Conner at his quip she raises a hand and points two fingers at him and then to her eyes. Yeah, she's watching him. "Blame shifter... Tch." She states as she redoes her hair into that messy bun, freezing when Nate asks about her week and the flaming midgets. She kinda staggers at the midget part, the rubber band snapping against fingers and breaking. "Tsss, shit.." Shaking out her hand. "Busy, due to new circumstances."
"Show-off? Moi?" Nate looks mock-offended. And the bag looks much better, even though he most likely missed some sand. "Anyway, what were they called?... there was a sorceress there... imps? I should ask Yana about them. Then to Rose, "ah, the moving and all that?"
Conner crushes and unclench-es the water bottle over and over again so it makes crinkling noises while they talk, "What circumstances?" Curious obviously. He knows shes got that whole moving thing going on but how much can she own? "Imps and magic? Who have you been hanging out with... "
"Sounds like a circus gone wrong to me..." Rose blinks as Nate goes on about it, casting a sidelong glance at Conner as that plastic caving and reforming releases a noise that is damn near cringe-worthy as well. "I take it the meeting went well, you look all in one piece." She states as she scans Nate and then focuses on Conner. "I didn't own anything to furnish the place, had to find furniture and in more of a rush then I was expecting. I've been stuck babysitting.." The final sentence was a mutter. Who in their right mind would put -her- with a child? No one. Because Deathstroke doesn't have a right mind.
The three young super-humans are in the tower gym, apparently just talking, instead of exercising. Nate is close to a punching bag, but it doesn't look as if he has been using it. "Me? Just some mutants upstate. But I was downtown when this happened. They were looking for something and torched a bookstore. Little critters, they weren't bullet-proof or anything. Just nasty."
"At least it sounds like you took care of it and seem to be in one piece, Nate." Conner says while studying Rose, his blue eyes trying to read her, "What kind of babysitting?" That question the obvious different meanings. It would never dawn on him she is actually babysitting a real child and not playing warden/executioner.
Carin had woken up in the tower, her own room supposedly, but it was only so much that was entertaining about that small space. SO! She'd taken to wandering about the limited space she had access too which was starting to drive her to cabin fever. One thing that the tour guide had forgotten though was a map and one left turn had her wandering down another generic hallway. This place really needed an interior designer that didn't specialize in sterile and clinical.
"Ever find out what they were looking for?" A sorceress and her minions burning down a bookstore in a hunt, two and two says there's an old book in the sorceresses designs, something to bolster power. Not a good thing, especially if you were... Glancing to Conner with his tone and that hint of innuendo in the question her look fell to a bit more of a serious tone without the need for it to reach her words. "A 5 year old I'm supposed to keep -safe-." Yet another thing Rose doesn't tend to do, or do well. But it is now the answer to a few other parts of things she did not speak of earlier with Conner. Calling the conversation over for now or hoping to change topics she begins stretching again, heading onto the sparring mat and the small mock weapons rack, dragging down a rope dart and letting the rope slowly unfurl and slide between fingers the weight of the dulled dart drags it down.
"No, the sorceress was trying to stop them, there was a book, I think," but Nate never fund out exactly what was it about, he was busy getting people out of the burning store. His explanations can wait, though, as Carin shows up, he looks at the redhead. "Friend of yours," he murmurs to Conner.
"Seriously?" Conner blinks at Rose's explanation and stops there in questioning her about it since he just assumed wrong and made himself look sort of like an ass. His mind sort of drifting from Nate's story to his own thoughts until Carin is mentioned. "Who? Oh! Yeah... " Walking towards the hallway he reaches a hand out to take the pale redhead by the arm lightly and lead her towards the other two, "Rose, Nate, this is Carin. She is like us, has powers and is different. Illyana and I met her and brought her home, we figured we can help her and she can help us." Sounded like they picked up a stray when phrased like that.
Pale white fingers were drug along the right wall, tracking at least the turns she was taking as she moved along at this crawling speed. Not knowing your environment let high speed turns as a serious liability; mostly to others. The thought tweaked a silent smile as her hand left the wall and she stumbled half a step through a clean opening and into the room only to pull up short. Blink...erm. Apparently a gym with people in the middle of a conversation, yea this wasn't awkward or anything. "Um.. hi." Twin greens flicker across the faces before tugging a lock of hair to cover the bolt mark on her face.
Rose blinks slowly as Conner questions her again. There is nothing there, not even a flinch, a smile or a glare to tell him she is lying or covering up. When Nate speaks to Conner about a 'friend' Rose blinks and looks up, snapping her blue gaze towards the girl as that roped dart begins to slowly swing, her other hand wrapping in the nylon tethering to bring in more tension as the weapon begins to nearly whistle through the air in its forced rotation. No greeting is offered in return to the red-head, just a small up-nod. "Just like you to drag in the strays Conner." Rose says with a smile while her glance slides from him to Nate, lingering in question before she turns and continues the slow beginning of steps as the spinning weapon picks up pace. Almost like a dance - with a deadly spinning guardian rotating around her form.
Nate smiles at Carin, "oh yeah, we all got 'dragged' here at one time or another. Nice to meet you, Carin. Have you been here for long?" Because he is guessing the chances Illyana or Conner telling her how to get around Halo aren't very good. Carin does seem somewhat lost.
"I wasn't alone in it. Illyana took her to Limbo first... then here. Fortunately we didn't stay there long enough for her to see much." Conner's arms fold over his chest as he watches the introductions. "Showed her around... she still doesn't have an actual key card to get around though so she needs let through doors and in or out." He's assured Carin several times over shes not a prisoner and if she wants to leave at any point just let them know.
Rose just passes glances to the girl between her warm up/workout. She isn't the easiest to get to know, her closet was packed full of skeletons and the door only opened when she was inebriated or trust helped. That was something hard won... The latter. Instead for now she is content to watch and listen as she moves slowly through forms.
Carin wasn't about to take her chances with Conner after having see some of what he could do, but as soon as she'd been placed front and center for inspection she carefully wriggled free to fold her arms before her. Whatever it was that she'd tripped into, manners dictated that she at least not rudely zip back out the way she'd come. Besides, didn't have anywhere else to be at the moment. So new names for new faces and potential new friends, WEE! The slight nod returned as she heard Nate and smile grew all too happily on her face. "So..you're /all/ strays then. Nice to know I'm in similar and good company then." A lifted chin returned and a hand offered to Nate, while wonder boy was given a short quirk of an eyebrow. "If by that, you mean I ran into one of those portal thingys your friend makes and poof here I am all Alice in wonderland style. Which, thanks by the way but hey about that key card thing? How does that happen, because I'm gonna be running on your ceilings if I can't get out and stretch a little."
"Strays? Yes, and how... weird stories, all of us." Nate takes Carin's hand for a firm shake and smirks at the card problems. "Typical, they don't need key cards much," or at all, in the case of a certain blonde witch. "I'll get someone to hasten the process, is there any place you want to go? We were just..." he makes a vague gesture to the gym.
"Probably get a full on card once we know you're not a threat." Conner says bluntly with a shrug while he looks from face to face.
"Threat? What am I going to do besides possibly run into som....oh, yea never mind." Carin's expression turned all to sheepish before turning to check out the equipment. "Well at least now I know where the treadmill is ,that'll do for a bit. So it all pans out." A friendly grin offered to Nate's effort to help."
Slowly the movements and the spinning wind down, as does Rose. Bringing the rope dart top a still in her grip she winds it back up and hangs it back where it goes, moving over towards her towel and water that were placed on a seat, claiming the chair in a lazy repose as she knocked back the water and then frowns at it, as if having /hoped/ or expected it to be something else. It was about that time.
Nate glances at Conner and shakes his head, "now you are talking like Spartan, but you brought her inside already. Look, I am going to get you a visitor key card or something. At least so you can get in and out the towers using the public entrances. I'll be back in 30 or so." He heads out.
"I'm just being sensible." Conner replies as Nate heads out. "Inside doesn't mean access to everything. Not until Jack or someone says the word." A thoughtful noise escapes the clone and he smiles over at Carin a little, "Not trying to be rude, I think you understand what I mean. We're all big on personal freedom here we just have to watch out for each other and the people that work here."
There's a shimmer in the air then, speak of the devil, Jack Marlowe appears, adjusting the cuff of one well tailored shirt under the sleeve of his jacket, "Connor, I was-" he stops as he looks up, "Hrm. We have company I see." he offers a warm smile. Upon closer inspection one will notice he's /ever/ so slightly intangible, and his movements, while fluid and smooth, fuzz out just a little bit at the edges. Long distance holocommunication. High tech is awesome.
"I am going to go change and shower since it's social hour." Rose states as she pushes to a stand from her seat, slapping the towel over her shoulder and keeping a hold of her water. Glancing to the time on her phone's screen she checks for any missed calls. Typically, she doesn't seem to care but right now are some different circumstances. While doing that she walks right through Jack, only pausing because she hears yet another voice, glancing over her shoulder she offers a slight smile via a twitch at one corner of her lips.
Seemed everyone was wandering off just a someone new literally /popped/ into existence. The stunned look on her face shrinking back to the normal pleasant one before tipping to one side to look around the new guy. "Good night fellow stray, rose." all smiles and waves before she turns back to the newest face she needed a name for.
"Uh, Jack. This is Carin, I told your secretary about her." Conner waves from the holo-projection towards the redhead. "She's like the rest of us." Blinking as Rose walks right through the image. Fiesty as always. "Yana and I picked her up."
Spartan tilts his head to the side and walks over to Velocity, his eyes passing up and down her, "Picked her up... like a stray?" he asks, though his words might be mean, his tone suggests he's kidding and not at all worried. He then gives Kon a meaningful 'So you brought a meta into our home' look... or maybe it was the 'You want her on the team?' look ...
"I'm not a stray, I have a home.." ...or something akin to it, while it lasts. Though the way Rose said that seemed blunt, to a keen edged tip and more of a self affirmation than any need to really assure anyone else. Sending a text while walking she didn't even look up as she tosses a hip into the locker room door and vanishes.
"Suppose I do too, for now at least." Homes never mattered much in Carin's experience. Well for her part they'd never been any better than a street. Either or, her focus was all on the life like hologram that was now standing before her. Ooo, shiny the only thought skipping through her head she lifted a finger and poked at a few random spots just to see what would happen. "Not really a meta either.. not anymore." the common said all factually and without much worry over how abnormal such a thing really was."
"Well, she ran over a criminal Yana and I were dealing with. Thought she might be useful and she seems a bit confused, lost... I mean." Conner clears his throat and looks at Carin then back at Jack's image. Not to mention the woman is hard wired with cybernetics, including bad implants that transmit signal or possibly worse. Not that Superboy or Magik know these things.
Spartan turns back to eye the girl poking at his holographic image, "Do you mind if I check to see if you are hurt or perhaps if there is a medical reason for your confusion? Concussions often present in unpredictable ways." he pokes back at her with a holographic finger that obviously feels like nothing.
"The implants aren't bad per say.. though technically they are stolen if you don't adhere to the position is 90 of the law train of thought. My best guess is the /confusion/ Conner is talking about comes from the when the nut jobs tried to turn me into a blank." Standing up right again Carin glances up at the projection and then higher up at the ceiling looking for the source of the light or whatever makes up the image. The mess of red hair slipping to reveal the bolt like tattoo in its palest green form. "Check away if you like.. just don't try to make it a lab rat. doesn't end well. How exactly are you doing this, by the way?""
Conner very firmly states, "No one will do that to anyone here." Lab rat experience shines forth in his tone.
Spartan grins at her, "With the power of my personal awesome of course." he states, then walks around her once, "Hold still for a moment please." then he turns to look at nothing, "Void, I need a high resonance scan of our guest, special attention to security protocols and potential biological malfunctions if you will." next to Jack a strikingly beautiful woman apparently made entirely of quicksilver appears, flowing into view in much the manner he did, only prettier. "As you wish." her voice is decidedly robotic in tone, and in a moment, light is bathing slowly over Velocity, grids of lasers and WI-fi communications pinging off over her every receptor in gentle probing.
"Hold still he says..." Carin grins at that if only for the irony before moving a hand to lift the hair from her neck and reveal the jacks that rest nearly hidden at the base of her skull. Otherwise, she'd as still as any speedster can really be. The appearance of the new hologram offering at least something for her mind to race around as she clarified the /not well/ part of her last comment. "...being a test subject, usually ends up with me wrecking a lot of expensive equipment. I'm not really even sure how, since I sort of black out after too long."
Conner watches only a few seconds before he heads off towards the hallway, "I'll be around, just find me whenever. You're in safe hands, Carin." Parting words and the half-Kryptonian makes his exit. Like Rose he could do for a shower and then some fresh air.
Category:Log