Not Just a River in Egypt

Participants:

anna_icon.gif magnes_icon.gif

Scene Title Not Just a River in Egypt
Synopsis Magnes rescues Anna from thugs, finds out the girl's evolved, and tries to help her more.
Date November 17, 2010

Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost borough of Greater New York, and even before the explosion, this area was diverse. Though known infamously throughout the world to be a low-income area, it was not without its finer points, as well as home to the Yankee Stadium. It was dense with life, for better or for worse.

For now, it is the the south-west areas of the Bronx that are unrecognisable. Clean up has not gone steadily, and buildings still lie in ruination. It is now hard to tell what this place is even for. During the day, construction teams work to clear more and more roads of South Bronx, although people seem to take liberties by driving over the burnt out rubble if they have the means. There are make-shift trailer camps and soup kitchens for those that don't have a place to go. One feature of South Bronx is the Yankee Stadium, so far untouched. There is irreparable damage done to the building itself, and no game has played there since the tragedy. Graffiti tags the areas available, and people often congregate illegally upon the wrecked grounds. The field itself is overgrown with weeds between fallen debris.

Heading away from Manhattan, the Bronx takes on more function and hope. This borough, once a place of Jewish immigrants, then Latin-Americans and African Americans, is now a diverse mix of all races, any and all New Yorkers taking up residence on the other side of the wreckage. There is even a semblance of a transport system, the electricity back on and functioning, but crime rates are higher than ever.


Some things should probably not be said on television, unless one is prepared for the consequences. Right now, a whole group of consequences is following Anna right into an alley, four rough looking caucasian thug types. Two turn into an alley once she's in, and another two head her off at the other end of the alley. "Sup? So you hate Evolved, right? You think we need pigs on our asses every night and day? My friend here is Evolved." one of the thugs in front of her say, nudging over at his friend.

Said friend steps up, slamming his fists together, steps forward wearing some large black boots, torn jeans, a tanktop with an unbuttoned black denim jacket, and a short spikey box cut on his head. "Yeah, I'm Evolved, cute lil' nazi."

That wasn't entirely expected…. Anna should have expected it, but damn… she didn't. "Just proving my point, are you?" She tries, pretending to be braver than she really is. "C'mon, if you want to prove something? Leave me alone, show me there's some ability for good in your people."

While she speaks, a few subtle beeps can be heard… as though she's pressing the buttons of a mobile phone. Four beeps, then a distant ringing sound and a soft voice speaking incomprehensibly "I really would advise you to just leave me the fuck alone, I didn't do anything to hurt you." No, she just advocated other people doing that.

"I don't care about all that shit, I've just gotta defend my people, by kickin' your ass." The man walks closer, his skin starting to bleed all over, like beads of red sweat. The blood spreads, covering his skin completely like a second coat, then two foot long spikes of red suddenly extend from the middle of his fists. "So what part of that pretty lil body am I gonna stab first?"

Oh that's just plain nasty to see. And Anna doesn't take it well… when her instinct should tell her to find a way to flee… she instead drops down to the floor, unconscious. As she does so, her hand falls out of her jacket, showing her phone… and the number it dialed. 9-1-1 is displayed clearly, and the voice on the other side apparently seems to habe shut up.

One of the non-Evolved men approach, stepping on and smashing the phone, then the man with the blood reaches down and grabs her collar, shaking her as he tries to wake her into consciousness. "Hey, wake up! I ain't gonna do this while you're asleep." The spike comes up to her cheek, and just as that happens, there's a white clad figure peering down, from the rooftop, crouched and waiting for an opportunity. Too soon, and she'll be hurt, too late, and she'll get hurt anyway…

That's the second phone of Anna's to die this month. Damn. Those things cost monet, you know? As Anna is shaken around, she slowly wakes up, and screams in fear as she notices the spike up her cheek. The girl has yet to notice the white-clad person

"Please don't hurt me!" She calls out, desperate now. A distinct smell starts to fill the area too… yes, Anna just peed in her pants out of fear.

The man releases her just long enough to laugh, and that's when Anna sees the blur of white that kicks him directly in the chest and sends him flying back a few feet, then before she has any idea what's going on, glass smashes and there's a large cloud of smoke. She feels an arm around her waist, then she's flying above the smokey cloud, and promptly she's lowered on to a roof a few blocks away. The figure that releases her is in all white, his mask having no holes in it to betray his identity, zipped to his shirt just like his matching gloves. His boots are white military style boots, and his pants are cargo. Around his waist are white pouches, and the only thing with color on him? The long American flag scarf that blows slightly to the side, tied around his neck.

"Sorry I took so long, I didn't expect to stop any political crimes today." he says in a modulated voice, three voices speaking at once with different pitches. "You can call me White Knight."

As she is rescued, Anna is at first too surprised to realize what's going on. When she does, she waits long enough to voice her displeasure with the manner of her rescue to be put down safely on that roof.

"Thanks, monster." She spits out, "I really appreciate having to rely on your kind to save my ass." Okay, so she's not too happy. "So now what, you're going to take the honor of killing me yourself?" And without waiting for an answer, she inches away from him, looking for a way down, or otherwise away from him.

"If you weren't so young, I'd just leave you up here because of your attitude, but that won't teach you anything about life." Magnes crosses his arms, watching her, then looking in the direction they came from. "Maybe I should just let you handle yourself with those guys, I mean, since it was such a displeasure to be rescued by 'my kind'." he air quotes with both hands. "I shouldn't even joke about that, you'll probably think I'm serious."

"Oh, I get it." Anna responds, her eyes focused in a dark glare. "You're trying to lull me into a false sense of security!" Ah, yes, that makes sense… when he's got plenty opportunity to kill her… or could just have left her with those guys.

"Monsters like you are why some people think your kind can be trusted, but I don't buy into it, no sir." Great, Anna's not just a bigot… she's a paranoid one at that. "But sure, if you feel like 'being helpful'" Her own air quotes there, "I would be a fool to say no."

"I'm lulling you into a false sense of security so my Legion of Doom can fly down from the secret Evolved sky palace and take over the world once and for all." Magnes holds his fingers up, marching like a mummy as he teasingly growls. "Look out, I'm coming for your soul!"

"Fuck!" Anna calls out as Magnes heads her way, and she makes a runner… not thinking about exactly how high this building is, she runs to the edge and wants to jump to the next one over.

Sadly, she doesn't quite reach it, and now she's hanging to it with her hands keeping her from falling. She's not going to last long like this…

"And the lesson she's learned from this is…" Magnes reaches down, quickly gripping her wrists and lowering her weight so he can easily pull her back up on to the roof, releasing her on her feet. "Absolutely nothing, because there's no way I'd ever be able to get anything through that thick skull of yours. Do you intend to go through your entire life, ignorant and full of hatred? I don't hate you, and if it were up to you I'd be in a prison somewhere, even if I saved your life. Why do I need to lull you into a false sense of security? If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have flicked a finger and sent you flying across the city by now."

As she is rescued again, Anna's wallet falls out of her jacket. And out of the wallet falls her registry card. Anna hasn't noticed such, however. "Just shut up." She snarls.

If Magnes were to take a closer look at the registry card… he'd notice that there's a distinct lack of 'un-' before that Evolved part on Anna's registry card… a very distinct lack, indeed.

"You're bitter, I don't blame you. You have no idea how many people I've lost since these things happened, how tempting it is to use my ability to get revenge on every person who's ever hurt me, my friends, and the people I love." Magnes walks over, reaching down to grab her wallet and hold it up to her, holding the card in his hand but not looking yet.

"But revenge doesn't solve anything, hating people who haven't done anything to me doesn't solve anything. And you never really move on. Sure, after a while, you feel a little better, but it never goes away forever. What you have to do is live, and living your life full of hate is no way to live. If you want to put bad Evolved away, fight for it, but they're not all bad." Finally, looking down at her card, then back up at her. "You're not bad, are you? You're a good person, you're just acting out of pain, I've done it before."

"You're wrong!" Anna cries out, and when that wallet is handed to her she grabs it. When she notices he's got her registry card, she tries to grab it out of his hands… too late.

"I'm not bad, but I'm not a bloody damn monster freak either." She calls out as it's apparent he's seen that entry, "There's been a mixup. I'm not one of you, I can't be!" Denial, not just a river in egypt.

"You only don't want to be because that would mean admitting that all Evolved aren't monsters." Magnes stands up straight and casually points to her forehead. "You've created a paradox in your own mind, because you're so used to hating Evolved and assuming they're bad people, now that you're one, you either have to say that you're a bad person, or admit that not all Evolved are bad, and this battle is eating you up inside. But… I'm willing to help you."

"You're wrong!" Anna cries out again, her face set in vitriolic hatred. She does not want to talk about this… not when she's not ready to accept it. She isn't, and she can't accept it yet.

"Just fucking bring me home so I can fucking change, my pants smell, and I feel dirty." Of course, one way to force Anna to talk with Magnes is by refusing to bring her anywhere she can walk away until that talk is done.

"I want you to call this number, when you're ready to face what you are. This girl will help you through it, and if you ever need me, well, just make a post in the 4chan /co/ board, I'll see it." Magnes reaches into his pocket for a pen and a sticky note, writing a number down, then holds it out to her. "Take this, then I'll take you home."

Anna grabs the note and sticks it into her wallet. "Fine." She says as she gets up, "Now please, bring me home.." The girl heads over to Magnes, holding herself in a way she thinks he can easily grasp her… and so he can bring her to safety or something.

"I do genuinely want to help you, if you believe it or not." Magnes takes her hand, not even bothering to grab the rest of her, and then she's simply flying up into the air with him, not even feeling the pull of gravity below them. "So where to?"

"The place where I live would be best, I guess." Anna responds, pointing down to the location of her foster family home… it's in sight, really not all that far from where they were. Anna still doesn't seem happy about this whole situation… more begrudgingly accepting being rescued by an Evo. "So, take me there, okay?"

"Sure, alright." Magnes gently says, trying not to alarm her when they're in the air. It's a nice view, and they're high enough not to be immediately seen unless someone was looking for flying people. He keeps the pace slow and steady, and it's a pretty smooth ride, like gliding on air. The Peter Pan experience. "Trying to have one Evolved friend might change your outlook , just as an experiment. Not me, since I can't show my face, but…"

"Who are you suggesting, then?" Anna asks as they float towards her home, "And why are you doing this? Why the fuck aren't you killing me?" She doesn't seem all that happy still, "Survival of the Fittest, isn't that what you Evolved are all about? And don't you consider yourself the fittest?!"

"Do you consider yourself the fittest? Does being Evolved change who you thought you were before you knew? It doesn't, it won't, you'll still be you, fundamentally. I was dressing in costumes long before I knew I had an ability. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do." Magnes answers very directly, beginning to slowly descend the closer they get to her place. "I'm not suggesting anyone, I'm suggesting that you use your judgement, judge Evolved like people, and make a friend based on that. Get to know someone, maybe someone who likes the same things you do, so you have common ground."

Anna doesn't respond to that question. She merely lets herself be brought to her home. "Whatever." She says eventually, "I'm not Evolved, and I will never be. Stop pretending I fucking am one of your kind." She's still denying it, apparently. "So just shut your trap and bring me home, understood?"

Finally they land in an alley virtually right around the corner from her home, releasing her hand after making sure she's landed solidly on to her feet. "Just think about what I said, alright? Not asking for any promises or guarantees, I'm just suggesting it."

"Fine, I will." Anna responds as she dashes off, not waiting for a response, nor giving a proper goodbye… the girl doesn't have that kind of manners… not at the moment, anyway. And soon, she is inside her home, and locking herself down in her room as she dresses herself in clean clothes.


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