capeandcowl | 000001

Entry tags:

† laura kinney | x-23

000001 | text

13:28:37/11/23/2009 | INITIAL REPORT

Arrived 11:35:00/11/23/2009. Taken from 23:12:00/25/04/2001, 138.1942° E 36.6485° N. Most likely scenario: time displacement and/or alternate universes. Network access confirms this. Previous mission failed as a result. Numerous targets left standing. Unsure of how to proceed. No known protocol for alternate universes.

Requesting information.

17:10:03/11/23/2009 | UPDATE

Completed mission. 3 (three) targets disposed of, and left [location of an abandoned warehouse]. Clean cuts, no evidence left at the scene, no witnesses. I.D. carried by 1 (one) of the targets.

Requesting assistance disposing of bodies. Size/number/location make it difficult to move them without being seen.

Requesting pick-up/transportation/clothing. No known rendezvous point.

Awaiting further orders.

#19994109

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Time for another approach. ]

I have orders to look after you.

[ Considering Logan's letter, it's not that far from the truth. ]

[now that she understands. Her head feels a lot clearer, hearing those words, and she bows ever so slightly]

From Dr. Kinney?

[ She'd always had the idea that Logan could smell lies. Better not to risk it with his clone -- she didn't really want to get in a fight with her. ]

No, though I did help Dr. Kinney find you when you were missing. There was... a version of you here before. From the future. Named Laura.

[ She pauses. ]

The "orders" were from Logan. Weapon X.

[that's a lot of information to take in at once. Usually, X-23's used to being in life or death situations, in the midst of missions when she has to absorb that many new facts at once, but this—it's different. Alternate timelines. She understands that much. And Weapon X, well, she's never been able to gain any real distance from him. It should make sense to her. It should, but it's a lot to deal with]

I don't understand.

[ Selina knows it's a lot to take in. As long as she's been here, this place has yet to stop screwing with her head. She slides her goggles up so that Laura -- she can't stop thinking of her as Laura -- can see her eyes. ]

You were in this reality before. Except you were sixteen. You went by Laura. Had friends, did the hero thing. You didn't have orders. [ She nods. ] I was a friend of Laura's. And Sarah Kinney.

[there's so much she could say to that, and X-23 doesn't know where to start. Besides, it isn't her place to question Selina. She tries to mentally organise the information, and finds far too many faults in it]

Dr. Kinney does not have friends.

She did when she was here. Worked with the X-Men.

[ Another pause. Selina's good with kids, normally. But this isn't exactly a normal kid, not even compared to the horror cases that Selina's used to. ]

Allies. We were allies. Fought together. Does that make more sense?

[X-23 stands there silent for a long moment, and decides that the best course of action is simply to agree with Selina. Otherwise, she's going to have to take in even more information, and Selina will ultimately become irritated with her, and she knows well enough where that leads]

Yes.

[ Selina takes a breath, a bit relieved. ]

Good. Now, what do you need? Food? A place to stay? You mentioned clothes before.

[ Seriously. ]

And don't say it doesn't matter. It does.

[suddenly, she very much feels the desire to curl up and sleep, but knows that it's too early for that to be permitted. Instead, she decides to take a chance, and ask for something—something that she'd usually be granted after a mission]

A shower.

That I can do. I have an apartment nearby. There's another girl staying there, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind.

[ Taking a chance, she walks over and rests a hand on the girl's shoulder. Very gentle movements, as if she were dealing with a large cat she didn't know. ]

Are you sure you don't need anything else?

[tenses up, and doesn't say or do anything else for a few long seconds, as if she's expecting something more to happen. Eventually, she opts to shake her head, on the off-chance that it's a trick question]

[ Selina notes the tension. She gives her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze before letting go and taking a step back, in case the close proximity had been bothering her. ]

Is it all right if I call you Laura? That's what most people here knew you as. Laura Kinney.

Yes.

[it strikes her as something of an odd question, because nobody's ever asked her that sort of thing, before. She's been called a great many number of names, and so the City shouldn't be any different. Selina can call her whatever she pleases]

Okay. I doubt I'll be the only one. Come on, it isn't far.

[ And she sets off across the rooftops, towards downtown, knowing that Laura won't have any trouble keeping up. ]

[keeps a reasonable distance behind her, but doesn't lose sight of her at any point. X-23 takes note of any landmarks or visible street signs that they pass, hoping to become familiar with the City as quickly as possible]

[The knock on the door is unexpected, but not unwelcome; Bunny drops her latest magazine on the coffee table with a dull thump and makes her way to the door. The chain and deadbolt each slide open, but she's surprised to see not one, but two visitors on the doorstep.]

Selina! [She greets with a smile, happy to see her new friend in any circumstance, but she pauses, looking at the other girl. She is reminded starkly of Hotaru, that mysterious girl Rini had befriended, and the center of so many things back home — and it takes Bunny a moment to realize they're not the same person. She pulls the door open wider.]

... come in!

Hi Bunny.

[ She nods at the teenager and steps into the apartment, gesturing for Laura to follow. ]

This is Laura. Just ported in. She needs a shower and probably a place to stay.

[X-23 takes a moment to sniff the air and focus her hearing, before the door swings open. There's a tangle of scents caught up inside of the building, but she determines that there's only one person in there, at the moment. When the door to the apartment is opened, X-23 looks straight past the girl, and only steps inside when Selina gestures for her to follow]

[standing in the centre of the first room she comes across, X-23 waits patiently to be told what to do]

Laura? That's a pretty name. [Bunny closes the door behind the two, and turns to address the girl directly.] The bathroom's right down the hall, you can't miss it. You can use any of the shampoos you like. My favorite's the strawberry.

[This wasn't like having someone fall out of the sky on a girl, but Bunny wasn't entirely new to the whole "suddenly, have a kid" scene.] Yeah, I don't mind if she stays.

Good.

[ Selina glances back to Laura. ]

Are you okay with staying here for a while? [ Pointedly ] Bunny's an ally too.

[ She doesn't like the whole "orders" thing, but it seems to be the quickest way to get through to her. ]

Edited 2009-11-24 00:47 (UTC)

[X-23 fixes her eyes on Bunny as she speaks, not entirely sure what to make of her. Glancing over to Selina, she nods once to show that she's understood what's been said, and then removes the handgun she was given for her previous mission from the holster around her thigh. She places it against the floor, not certain of the protocol for disarming here, and then carefully steps down the hallway, towards the bathroom. She closes the door behind her but doesn't lock it, fairly certain that she should clean up as quickly as possible]

[Bunny's eyes widen in shock at the sight of the gun — did all kids carry around weapons like that in the future?! — but when Laura leaves the room just as silently as she entered, Bunny's face turns a little more serious with worry.]

She's so quiet... is she someone you know, Selina?

[ Selina moves over to grab the gun, ejecting the magazine and stashing both away. ]

She was here before, but she was older then. Now... [ She pauses, trying to figure how much to say. ] She's someone's science experiment. Raised to follow orders and kill people. I don't think she really knows anything else.

[ She looks at Bunny. She seems like a good kid and Holly got along with her okay, but Selina doesn't really know all that much about her. ] I know it's a lot to ask, but I think being around another kid would be better for her than a house full of superheroes.

[X-23 spends as little time in the shower as possible, and doesn't adjust the heat. She uses the available soap to remove any blood splatter from her skin, but doesn't even consider touching the strawberry shampoo. Once she's as clean as she'll ever be, X-23 stares down at her clothing, knowing that putting it back on would render showering in the first place pointless. Realising that she has few options available to her, she takes hold of a towel, and wraps herself in it. Opening the door, X-23 sits on the edge of the bathtub, waiting to be collected]

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