2013.05.04 - Hope For Tomorrow

The New York Botanical Garden. Of the tourist spots in New York City, it is well known. Maybe not as high on most toursists lists of place to see like The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, FAO Schwarz, Central Park, The Met, Grand Central Station, The Bronx Zoo, or any number of other places, but is still a big well know tourist attraction in a city full of them.
And yet, after 6 PM the gates close. Night workers come in and try to undo the damage done by the tourists and visitors. They clean up trash. They clean the bathrooms. They try to do what they can for the plants.
To be honest, it takes a lot of work to get this place in as good shape as it is, and to keep it that way. And what's worse is that even at night you still have people trying to sneak in and see things for free, or to collect 'samples', or even in some cases, find a place to 'crash' for the night.
There is one person here though who despite being in a uniform (a 'borrowed' one at that) who is looking around. This person looks too young to actual be an employee. At least one who's on the clock this late. But still, few people are giving her as much as a second glance right now. Why? Who knows. But maybe since she's carrying a tray of seedlings and is acting like she belongs here, people are assuming that she does.
But only if they knew the truth. If they knew that this girl, one Hope Summers, isn't here to exactly help, but to instead see if she can find any sign of something. And even then, if she can't, to possibly see if she can get any ideas to help her with her odd long shot of a plan that she's slowly working on...
Emma Frost has a very large amount of connections and networks. She prides herself on the fact that if she needed to track someone down, which she often does in her line of work, it's a snap. But this girl, this Hope Summers, the strange red-headed enigma she briefly encountered was practically a ghost.
And then one evening she got a tip, and raced her silver Ferrari to the botanical gardens. She was dressed casually for the evening, in a silver shimmery tank top, and will fitted white pants, with large heels.
Thankfully she was just here, so the layout was more familiar. She strode in and instructed minds to not notice her or the girl inside of the gardens.
And as Hope reaches one segment of the gardens, she kneels down, and sets down her plants, for the moment oblivious to the fact that she's being observed.
That is before a second person in a uniform comes over and says something to her. Something that causes her to frown before that person takes off.
"Damnit."
Emma took a moment to hang back and tap into the girls mind to see what she was up to. Clearly she wasn't that focused on weeding. The girl continued to be a curious one. She far enough away that Hope wouldn't see her until Emma was ready.
What was the girl up to? She was looking for something. But it's not here. And somehow that other person knew that she was looking for it, and that it's not here either, and even told her that.
Oh well. As she starts to stand up, Hope glances around. And as she does, her mind flickers a bit as she pictures this are being a waste land for some reason. That she can more easily see the towering buildings this city is known for, and all of them appear to be rusted out falling apart hulks. And if that wasn't strange enough, there's a hint that this isn't imagination on Hopes part. Instead, it's almost as if she's been here before, and that this place actually was just like the images in her mind.
"I guess the next stop will be the island. Hopefully before Nate and his crew find me again."
Curious. Based on the girl's thoughts it the wasteland seemed completely familiar, rather than a fantasy or a delusion. She had seen very many of those. Before she lost the girl again she stepped into view, and smiled at the girl, "Hope Summers. I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."
She moved a few steps forward, but not too close. The girl struck her as being a bit jumpy, "I'm Emma, Emma Frost. We 'met' at the museum with the Sub-Mariner and all the rest."
Either Emma just picked her full name out of her head somehow...
Or she let it slip at the museum...
Or Hope really has been letting that slip a bit too much. Either way, it's potentially trouble.
Then again, considering the powers that Hope 'copied' at the museum...
"I remember you Miss Frost." is said after a moment as the redhead turns to look in the direction of the older woman. "And it's good to see you got away from The Sub-Mariner. I won't say that I'm surprised to see you, especially here, but I've never really been that easy to surprise."
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Older, but not THAT much older. She hadn't even reached 30 yet. She let out a soft chuckle, and sat at a large stone bench, "Thank you. But there isn't any problem I can't talk my way out of."
She crossed her legs in front of her and rested her chin on the back of her left hand, "I'm not here to frighten you, Hope. I'm simply curious. You showed a remarkable ability, and I happen to run a school for those with gifts similar to your own."
That's still /almost/ twice as old as Hope.
"School? Riiiiight." is said in a slightly sarcastic tone. "If you want to give me some spiel regarding that, fine. But not here. I don't know about you, but once they realize I don't belong here, there may be a bit of trouble."
Then though, she takes a deep breath as she glances about.
Emma waved her hand and looked about in the scenery. Especially without all of the people this place did look beautiful. A small smirk spread across her face, "No one is going to notice us, because I've instructed them not to."
She tapped on the side of her head, "Telepath. We have all the time we need to have a girl to girl chat."
She adjusted herself to make her more comfortable, and patted the area next to her on the bench, "So let's chat."
Telepath...? That explains a bit.
"And that diamond thing too I'm guessing." is said in a matter of fact tone as Hope glances back at Emma, noticing that smile.
"Fine. Let's talk. but you might want to keep 'half a mind' open for people wanting to kill. It could be a lone crazy guy, or a bunch of religious fanatics, or... Hell, I'm not sure what to expect right now."
"Anyways... Your scool...?"
Emma furrowed her brows together. This girl certainly was jumpy. And based on the thoughts she received earlier perhaps there was a reason for her to be, "My school is a safe haven for those like you or I, mutant, superhuman, or highly skilled. We prepare for the world of tomorrow, and how we can shape it while refining our skills and actually getting a good education."
But she did let out another chuckle, "And not to worry, I am completely aware of our surroundings, you can relax for the moment."
There's actually a slight snort at that, despite how jumpy Hope may be coming off.
"Sorry. I've seen tomorrow. You could say I've seen multiple tomorrows. Maybe even a thousand years or so worth of tomorrows after a fashion."
If Emma is still monitoring Hopes thoughts, she might pick up the mental image of something that looks like an army of flying humanoid bugs attacking humans. Followed by an image of a wasteland as far as the eye can see. Then a small city with a few huge buildings. Then two such cities. Then fire...
Before the redhead shakes her head.
"And you can claim it's safe. And it may be. For a little while. But only for a little while."
"Still... Why me?"
Emma lifted her eyebrows just so, and rose to stand again. Clearly this girl had seen more than any girl her age, hell of any age should really see. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Perhaps because you've seen tomorrow. I initially wanted to approach you because you showed excellent skill, a brilliant sense of improvisation, and I want to see you thrive under my tuteledge."
She looked over to the girl and gave a very small, if slightly sad smile, "And no, no one is ever completely safe. But I take utmost caution to protect my students, and excellent technology at my control."
Emma looked the girl over, "What are your current plans, Hope, regarding your own future, at the very least short term. Running?"
There's a slight pause at that question, before Hope shrugs.
"For the moment? I'm playing a game of cat and mouse. If you're still up here..." she taps the side of her head. "Then you saw some of the steps along the way to the end of the world. But let me tell you something else. All of that was the work of one man. A time traveler. One who'se been trying to kill me since the day I was born. There've been hints he knows where and when I am, but he isn't coming right at me. I think someone else is keeping him busy."
"And the people I /SHOULD/ go to for help, I can't, since his younger self may very well be a part of them."
"So for now... I'm trying to find a way to draw him out, /maybe/ get some allies with that and to stop him, and of course to stay alive. So no, I wouldn't call it running. But I would call it trying not to be a sitting duck."
Emma let out a soft laugh, "Furthering your education wouldn't make you a sitting duck, not really. Security is of utmost importance, and I have certain technology that protects the school that involves my own ability. And most of all, you would be training, not so much sitting while gaining allies."
She placed a hand on her hip, "To be honest, you look like a girl who could use a regular bed. If you are unsure, I can give you a tour of the school."
A regular bed? Hope would love one. Not that she says as much to Emma. Not as she instead rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
"A tour? If you're really serious about this, I'd say 'give me two weeks'. If I think things have a chance of working out, I'll stay. If not, I'm gone, and you do your best to scrub every trace of my existence from there before you wake up finding out that someone buried a nuke under your school roughly a hundred years before it was built."
Then though, she glances away, at some nearby flowers.
"Of course you'll probably want money or something for this, so it's a moot point."
Emma crosses her arms and is about to say something about her concern for the /rest/ of the students in the school. But she stows it for now, clearly the girl had trust issues. "Two weeks, and if you do not enjoy your stay then you are free and all trace of you being there will be removed, I'll even wipe all of my students memories. And should you decide to stay, there will be a scholarship."
She stepped towards Hope, and reached out her hand, "What do you say?"
Oh trust me, Hope is worried about the rest of the students. /ESPECIALLY/ after certain recent events. But for the moment she knows she can't keep going like she has been. Especially after the incidents with Nate and The X-Men.
And yet, as Emma says that, the redhead does extend a hand.
"Deal. But I will warn you about one other thing. I never really had what you'd consider a normal education."
Emma let out a smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, she led her towards her car, "Oh that won't be a problem, you strike me as a girl who received 'on the job training'. Besides, traditional educations are overrated trust me."
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