Nonexistant Reflections (Open)

[beacon]

Mackenzie was thankful that Kitty took her teasing so well. Many might have merely thought she were actually trying to poke fun in a cruel way. Thankfully, Kitty knew that the woman was merely trying to lull both of them into better moods despite the arduous situation they were in.

“Did you hear about the War Memorial?”

As she grimaced, Mack slowly nodded her head. The rumored Memorial had been quickly planned and constructed for those that had fallen during the War. She hadn’t heard exact details, but the media had insisted that it was one of the most beautiful memorials that would forever stand in D.C.

“Actually, yeah,” she murmured, her green eyes shifting to look over Kitty’s shoulder and at the people that passed by them so easily.

Sometimes, like then, she found herself wondering just how easy it would have been if she hadn’t been born different. Mack probably would have been ready to settle down right about then and start on a family. She wouldn’t have had to worry about her family’s safety merely because she wasn’t ’normal’. She might have even been strolling through that park and looking forward to a quiet evening at home. Instead, she was thinking about the War Memorial and everything that it symbolized.

“People act like it’s the best thing that anyone can do, Kitty. They act like the Memorial is thanks enough to the people that sacrificed their lives just so people like this could carry on about their day with virtually no cares at all.” Sure, it wasn’t exactly true, but it was how she felt at that exact moment. “Did you hear when they were holding the opening ceremony?” she asked quietly, trying to recall the date from a newspaper she’d read earlier that day at a diner.

[Shadowcat]

The young X-Man twisted a few hairs that escaped the tie on the back of her head, almost regretting bringing up the memorial when the two had lightened the mood dramatically. Now another species of melancholy air lingered among the two as Mackenzie spoke, saying she had heard about it. During the brief, contemplative moment of silence between the both of them, Kitty sighed as she noticed Mack lift her gaze to the pedestrians enjoying a day in the park. Normal people. Kitty had an urge to pat Beacon on the back and announce "hey, don't think too much", but that would be foolish. She had no idea where the young woman was coming from with these new memories from the war. Something in Kitty really wanted to understand-- she wanted to lend an ear--

Suddenly, Mackenzie began a skillfully controlled rant, and Kitty listened as she curiously stared at her friend. It was unfortunate that people didn't realize what hells the dead went through, and Mackenzie is a perfect example of those who survived and their demons they must fight. But all one could say is "that's unfortunate". Nothing else could justify the ignorance of those who thrived there. Kitty planned on connecting the current situation with those of World War II which she learned about a few years back, until she recalled that all of America was mourning then. What made this so different?

"Did you hear when they were holding the opening ceremony?"

Pulled from her thoughts, the young Pryde simply shrugged her shoulders in an autonomous response. "I never really looked into it." She spoke honestly; she hoped that Mackenzie wouldn't be offended. "I wasn't going to go."

[beacon]

Slowly, Mackenzie nodded her head. She could in no way blame the girl for not planning on attending the Memorial. She herself was not a big fan of such public displays of sadness. In fact, Mack was afraid that if she attended the Memorial that she would simply break down in front of a lot of people that didn’t deserve to see her suffer again. Perhaps it was selfish, but she had said her goodbyes to those that had fallen in private.

Despite everything, Mackenzie felt guilty at ranting on about how many people acted about the Memorial. It wasn’t fair to lay so much blame at the feet of the people that she had risked her life to protect. Those that had lost their lives knew what had been on the line when they had agreed to serve their country. And, as far as she knew, they had all voluntarily joined the campaign.

”You know, Kitty, I think that the Memorial’s today,” she finally commented as she glanced over at a large group of young men and boys that were gathering at a duck pond nearby. ”If memory serves me correctly, there was a huge article on the front page along with a list of people the media hoped would attend. There sure are going to be a lot of bigshots,” she muttered with a slight roll of her eyes.

Of course, it only made her further wonder why on earth she and Kitty weren’t attending. She jogged her memory and realized that the Memorial’s opening ceremony had begun already, and that even if they drove they might not get there until it was well underway. ”I think that they’re going to be broadcasting it on live television, if anything, she added with a shrug of her shoulders. But, still, she made no motion to move.

“Hey! You two!”

The voice startled Mackenzie and caused her to drop her water bottle as she was bringing it to her lips again. Confused, she glanced around until her eyes rested on the large group of young men and boys that stood near the duck pond. This time, however, they seemed to be moving forward in one fluid motion. But, instead of rising, Mack merely stayed seated on the grass as her green eyes traveled to a rather tall man that stood in front of the large congregation. He had shaggy blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a snarl that made her cringe.

Glancing over at Kitty, Mack slowly lifted her shoulder. Sure, the man was looking directly at them, but she wasn’t positive that he was talking to them.

“You two deaf or something?” he demanded as the group stalked ever closer.

But, before Mack had a chance to answer, two of the brutes stepped forward with a large wooden park bench held between them. Now, only some ten or fifteen feet away from where Mackenzie sat with Kitty, the glimmers of disgust were evident in every man’s gaze. With a great heave, the two large and beefy brutes sent the wooden bench sailing toward Mackenzie and her friend.

Jaw agape, Mack watched in slow motion as the large bench sailed through the air toward them even as the men began to rush forward. Reacting on instinct alone, she rolled to the side and onto her feet in one fluid motion before holding her arms together in front of her, parallel to her chest. Just as the bench struck her prepared arms, she pushed them outward and sent the bench sailing back toward the group of goons.

Flushed and swearing, she dropped her arms to her sides and glared at the confused goons. ”What in the hell is your problem?” she demanded.

“I told you she was one of them,” the head honcho muttered as he pointed an accusatory finger in Mack’s direction. “She was with them the night that Rick died in that fire.”

Before she could ask what the man was talking about or whom Rick was, she found herself acting as a target for small rocks and anything else that the group could find laying around.

What the heck? she thought as she glanced back over at Kitty.

[Shadowcat]

Hazel eyes widened as Mackenzie explained to Kitty that the memorial was today. She felt somewhat oblivious when she brought up the fact that it was on the front page of the newspaper. With a sigh, Kitty realized she wasn't prepared to say she didn't want to attend; since it already had started, Kitty felt irresponsible in some way. She didn't show up. That must mean she doesn't care. Again, when the young X-Man became downcast, Mack told about how it'd be broadcasted on television, Kitty couldn't help but smile. "Yeah."

Suddenly, when an angry voice broke out in the silence of the serene park, Kitty immediately reacted along with Mackenzie, who had even dropped her water bottle. Kitty dropped her gaze and picked up the bottle and handed it back to her friend while the group of guys seemed to get larger in size as they approached the two women. Exchanging looks with Mackenzie, Kitty felt more comfortable. Hey, the city is full of crazy people.

The man's gruff voice called them again, calling them deaf. Kitty turned to speak as well, probably going to say something mildly sarcastic, but she went silent. Their expressions. Kitty frowned. It's an expression that almost every mutant had seen before; however, Kitty, much like her friend, weren't going to sit and watch.

Kitty turned back around, facing away from them. The young woman planned to just ignore the group. Sometimes that was the best thing to do, unless a large, wooden park bench was hurled at them. Mackenzie was prepared, her arms shooting out and pushing the bench backwards. Letting out a sigh of relief, Kitty smiled thankfully to her friend. She would have never known.

Finally the group of men allowed the two women to speak, and Beacon was first. Kitty piped up, also saying "What's wrong with you?!", but the horde didn't react at all. The man who stood in front of the angry mob turned to a friend of his, muttering whatever an ignoramus would say, and as the word them came into play, Shadowcat felt her fists autonomously clench.

"She was with them the night that Rick died in that fire."

The group began to throw rocks at her friend as she bore a confused expression and glanced back at Kitty. With a sigh, Kitty placed her hand lightly on Mackenzie's shoulder, sending her transparent for a moment when an unusually large rock was hurled. "Who is this 'Rick'?" Kitty whispered to Mack, obviously confused. Was there something she was missing?

Turning back to the horde of men, Katherine Pryde stood up and angrily and irritatedly shoved the stones away as they continued to fly. "Why don't you act like adults instead of throwing rocks like kindergarteners?" She asked the man who stood in front. "Is there something we can help you with? That we can help civil adults with?"

[Laurie]

Laurie reached the Park badly out of breath. She collapsed onto a park bench, thanking the heavens above the park was mostly unoccupied, and then she rolled off of the bench and retched under it. Nothing came up, and she choked after a few seconds. Sweat poured down her face, mixing with tears and blood. She touched her face, wincing at the streaks of pain from the thin and shallow wounds. She had been at the memorial when Iron Man had suddenly gone insane. And she had been one of the ones injured before the a woman had thrown up at shield and another woman had knocked the black and silver suit from the sky. The world had exploded, the air itself seemingly catching on fire, and Laurie had just started to run. Panic and adrenaline maintained her speed and stamina all the way to the Park, and now it cut out, leaving her alone and dry. She took heaving breaths, sobbing. What had happened? It was supposed to be a memorial, not a battleground!

She dragged herself back up onto the bench and faced the sun, letting her tears dry on her face. She had not been in the war. Well not as a fighting member. Her mother had pretty much refused she went, and Xavier had agreed, saying she was too young and didn't have a strong enough hold on her powers. Laurie hadn't thought she could be any more furious with both of them, but that was what happened. She'd finally cracked and started sneaking out at night, finding some of the underground runners. She'd posted signs and made protests from the shadows - no one had ever known she'd done it. She'd barely even known the woman she had started to work for, but when they'd met she'd liked her instantly. She'd thought she'd seen her at the memorial, but Iron Man had attacked too fast, and she hadn't been able to make the connections.

A sudden shout rang out behind her, and she sat up in surprise to see a park bench flying through the air. She opened her mouth to shout, but noticed a young girl deflect the bench as though it was a pointless fly. Another mutant. In fact...Laurie blinked in surprise...Kitty was with her! What were they doing here in the park? Had they decided not to go to the memorial? And why was a park bench being thrown at them?

She listened to the exchange and felt a bubble of anger well up. The men had attacked the two girls because they were mutants and because one of them just happened to look like someone who was there when their precious friend died in a fire. Angrier than she'd been in a long time, Laurie swung her legs off of the bench and approached the group. "My God!" she shouted. "First the memorial, and now here? Can't you people leave us alone for one stupid day?"

She activated her powers, sending a wave of pheromones at the thugs. She hoped like hell she was sending out fear, because if it was anger or lust she was in so much trouble.

"Just go away!"

[beacon]

Anger bubbled in Mackenzie’s chest as the group of miscreants began to throw stones at her. Thankfully, Kitty allowed a rather large to pass right through her body at one point. But, her attention was on the large mob that had gathered before them.

“Who is this ‘Rick’?” Kitty whispered to her, but Mackenzie was already sifting through her memories. Nothing in particular stuck out, and that’s what bothered her. This group of thugs, especially the head honcho, apparently held her responsible for something and she couldn’t even remember what. Kitty addressed the horde of men, but Mackenzie couldn’t make sense of anything that the girl said as she dragged through her memories.

Yet, it was not until she glanced back up at the blonde leader of the mob that the realization settled on her. Just two months into her service in the war, she had been called on to aid a group of Untouchables in the Bronx. Half a block was destroyed and buildings everywhere were on fire. You didn’t save everyone, she reminded herself with a frown. They hadn’t saved everyone. Mack had left the blonde man running almost blindly down a hall so that she could get herself out before the building before it collapsed on top of her.

She hadn’t had a choice.

“I think,” Mack began with her eyes trained on the mob, “I think he was someone that I left behind,” she hastened to explain. But, she couldn’t explain such a situation in just a few words to Kitty, even if the girl could understand her better than virtually anyone else in the entire world.

Instead, she found her jade eyes focused on an approaching girl with blonde locks and a sweaty and bloodied face. Eyes narrowed instantly in concern as she fisted her hands at her sides, ready to protect this girl that had approached in order to attempt to fend off the mob that had approached her and Kitty so violently. But, she was thrown for a loop when the mob seemed to have other things in mind.

The onslaught of stones and trash ceased immediately and the group of young men and boys seemed utterly confused. In fact, the so-called ringleader stood amidst it all with a large rock in his hands and his dazed eyes locked onto Mack’s. The others surrounding him glanced around in confusion before staring at the blonde with varying degrees of intrigue and horror on their faces.

“What’s going on?” she asked Kitty, hoping the girl could provide some answers. Instead of waiting for an answer, Mack stepped forward and successfully removed Kitty’s hand from her shoulder before pointing both hands at the mob. “Listen, we don’t want any trouble. So just go!”

Everyone save for the ringleader seemed inclined to do just that, thankfully. But, the head honcho made his opinion well known when he drew back his hand and sent a glass Coke bottle sailing at the newly arrived blonde. Before it could even come close to making contact, Mack felt the power surging through her body before releasing a single plasma blast that destroyed the bottle midair.

“Like the blonde said, hippie boy,” hands aglow, Mack marched forward confidently, ignoring the stares from onlookers that had gathered to watch the crowd, “Just go away.”

[Shadowcat]

Listening intently for Mackenzie's explanation of the man named 'Rick', the men continued to throw insults. Freaks of nature. Mistakes. Simply an error in the genes. Kitty grunted as she contemplated throwing a few punches in the blonde guy's way; however, that was evidently not the right choice to make since the threatening group of men appeared to grow angrier by the second. Angry does not lead to a positive ending, that's for sure.

Mackenzie figured that Rick was a man she wasn't able to save, and Kitty nodded understandingly. She needed no more explanation. Especially since Kitty didn't want to hear about it quite yet; Beacon seemed to feel the same way of informing her. Eyes narrowed at the group, Kitty opened her mouth to rebuke of their insults.

Suddenly, Katherine saw a blonde young woman at the corner of her eye like usual-- Laurie felt it easier to stand at the sidelines. But not this time. She was angry; The shy woman screamed out at the men, causing Kitty to even flinch slightly. But she would support her soft spoken friend. "Yeah, leave us alone and go bother some teenage mother or something!" Kitty called out, hopefully making Laurie feel less awkward. It was then, after a few moments of observing her, that she noticed the blood and tears laced through the young woman's expression. Kitty's hazel eyes widened in immediate concern. They turned towards her. And it wasn't as if Shadowcat thought that Wallflower couldn't fight for herself, especially in her state of mind, but Kitty turned to the group and threatened them to lower their weapons. The men's faces relaxed from their disgusted expressions, and soon they twisted into a fit of fear. Kitty's eyes widened as she turned to Laurie.

"What's going on?"

As Mackenzie walked towards the group, Kitty's hand dropped. "She's controlling them...!" She whispered, almost sounding intrigued with the young woman. Up until Mackenzie shouted at the horde of the now frightened men, Kitty pulled her gaze up from Laurie and stared at them intently. They were going to run off. They had to.

A class coke bottle was projected into the air, directly aimed at the bloody Laurie. But Mackenzie took care of that as quick as she could, and left the group of men looking slightly less confident than they had prior. The head blonde glared at them as he backed up into his fellow teammates. "You're going to pay for this! I know it!" He called to the three heroes.

Kitty exchanged a glance with the other two with a raised eyebrow. She sent an expression to Laurie, seeming to ask if she was okay and gazed back to Mackenzie with a puzzled face. We seriously need to work this war stuff out... She pursed her lips in thought. Soon, before someone gets hurt.

[Laurie]

Laurie strode forward, eyes burning with anger. She felt a tiny thrill of excitement as the thugs all turned to her in fear and then began to take steps backward. She didn't up her level of production, nor did she even think about cutting it off. It radiated from her in waves. She noticed that neither of the girls seemed affected, which was kind of funny. Normally she wasn't able to focus it this well. She counted on it being tied in to the fact that she was spitting angry and ready to knock anyone who came at her on their butts.

Or any unsuspecting and perfectly innocent Coke bottles. Like the one that was flying at her face. She snapped one hand up, prepared to block it, and a sharp explosion rent the air as the woman who had deflected the park bench smashed the bottle mid-flight. Pieces of glass flew around Laurie, only one finding its mark in her arm, and she pulled it out, ignoring the pain. "Why don't you all rot in hell?" she shouted and sent an extra burst of fear.

The little part of her inside that was cowering and screaming knew what was going on. She was hurt and terrified and angry from the events at the memorial. On this day of all days, in that place of all places, the stupid people who weren't ready to accept the fact that the war was over tried to make a stand. And those who had been beaten both mentally and physically from their endless defending had been utterly helpless to stop them. It was disrespectful, cruel, hateful. Wrong.

She reached the girls, catching Kitty's look but not replying to it yet, and stood next to them, nearly throwing off electricity. "Get. Out. Of this park," she hissed at the thugs.

[beacon]

Mackenzie didn’t know what to say to Kitty’s declaration. How could it be that the blonde girl was able to control the group of men and boys? Was she a telepath? Worried, she merely stood there, at the ready, as Kitty supported the girl and taunted the men. Mackenzie wasn’t worried about the group of thugs. No, she knew that she could handle them on her own if need be, but with Kitty along for the ride, it would be a piece of cake. No, she was worried about the spectacle that they seemed to be putting on for all of the park-goers that seemed to gather around them in a large circle.

“Get. Out. Of this park,” the blonde ordered in a thick hiss.

Much to Mack’s amazement, the large grou p of thugs seemed to take her threat more seriously than they had either her’s or Kitty’s, as they immediately turned their backs and began to disperse. As if in a some sort of daze, Mackenzie could only watch as the throng of punks made their way through the gathered masses in a hurry, their limbs shaking as they fought their way through the confused crowd that had gathered.

Yet, it wasn’t until every single member of the gang that had threatened them was gone that Mack even let out a sigh of relief. Sure, people were staring at them like the three of them were some sort of freak show, but she hoped that they were merely intrigued and would not attack as well.

Turning her attention to the blonde, she pursed her lips. “Are you okay?” she asked softly as her eyes swept over the girl’s bloodied appearance. “Do you need medical attention?” Of course, it only then occurred to her that she had no idea who on earth this girl was. Then again, she did look somewhat familiar. “Thanks for helping us out with those jerks. I’m sorry if that bottle got you,” she visibly grimaced as she glanced down at the girl’s bloodied form and prayed that she had not been the cause of any of the abrasions. “I’m Mack,” she introduced herself softly.

Biting her lip in thought, Mackenzie glanced back up and around at the large group of gathered people and then at the two girls. “Am I the only one that feels like some sort of meat on display?” she asked in a rushed whisper.

Could this day get any worse?

[Shadowcat]

The young X-Man frowned as a circle of pedestrians formed around the three heroes, along with the angry mob. That's how it always was-- the regular human was constantly intrigued by violence, even if it had no point at all. Kitty let out an aggravated sigh at the people surrounding them. Her mind was no longer on the men, seeing as how Laurie was taking care of those bigots. Hazel eyes flashed with anger when she noticed two teenagers, one a short-haired girl and the other a gruff boy filming the whole fight. The girl's face was shrouded in concern, and the young man was clearly pissed off. Are they worried about us? Kitty thought to herself as she stared at the couple curiously. The guy pulled up his gaze and continued his angry stare at Shadowcat, painting a clear picture in her mind that the two were supporting the group of men that attacked the three beforehand.

Feeling very uncomfortable, Kitty let out a brief sigh of relief as the men fought their way through the crowd in an intense fear, due to Wallflower's power. She smiled thankfully when Mackenzie began to ask her how Laurie was feeling; however, her smile faded when she realized the people still hovering over the three.

"Am I the only one that feels like some sort of meat on display?"

Katherine Pryde nodded sorrowfully, allowing her eyes to roll. She wanted to ask them what they were staring at. What was their problem? Don't they watch TV? Is it that weird to defend one's self when being attacked? Kitty pulled out her ponytail that kept her hair up tightly. It left a small but soft crease in the rush of brown. "Obviously we look pretty tasty... seeing how no one has turned away yet..."

[Laurie]

Laurie was still shaking, and as she realized that others were looking at them she shouted: "What are you all staring at? Have you never seen a group of girls defend themselves?" She didn't send out any pheromones this time - there was no need to attack everyone in the park for being curious. She took deep breaths, trying to get under control, and then suddenly felt she like was going to cry. She closed her eyes, (they were beginning to burn), and dropped her head into her hands. The world around her stopped being tinged with red, and she dimly heard the unfamiliar woman asking her if she was all right.

Slowly, the anger began to drain away, replaced with Laurie's own fear of being the center of attention in a public place. Her face went from red to white, and she trembled slightly now out of fear. She scrubbed at her face, yelping a little with pain, and opened her eyes to look at the two women before her. "I'm sorry," she said almost in a whisper. "It's just...after what happened at the memorial...people are so stupid." Looking at the unfamiliar woman who had introduced herself as 'Mack', she added: "I'm Laurie Collins. I don't think I've met you. Thank you for stopping the bottle. That would have really hurt."

[beacon]

Brows creased in worry, Mack nodded her head quickly in Kitty’s direction, before directing her attention to Laurie. The girl had obviously ran into a few snags while attending the Memorial, and something told the redhead that she wasn’t ready to hear what.

“No problem, Laurie,” she calmly replied as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. There was still a swarm of people around them and it made her feel as though she were under more scrutiny than before the mob had attacked. Things have already gotten out of hand, she admitted to herself as she crossed her arms over her stomach and bit her lip in thought. “What happened at the Memorial, Laurie?” she asked in a rushed whisper, afraid that the people surrounding them would attack at any given moment.

Slowly, she glanced back over at Kitty and followed the girl’s intense gaze. There stood two teenagers, one of whom held a camcorder in his hands. “Should we be smiling?” she asked in a forced playful voice. “Looks like we’re going to be on the news tonight, ladies.” Bile rose in her throat, which was quickly forced down, as Mack knew that she needed to stay alert and ready until she better understood the situation that she had been thrust unknowingly into.

“What is it with everyone?” she hissed in annoyance as an elderly man sent a rock hurling in their direction. Thankfully, his arm was rather weak and his aim was rather off. The small stone scattered to a stop in the grass some five feet in front of them, but his intentions were still made obvious. “Well, isn’t that lovely,” she commented as he took off his gray beret and spat in their direction.

Annoyed, she turned her attention to Laurie again, pleading with the blonde with her eyes to explain why on earth so many people had turned on them so very quickly. “I thought the war was over with.”

[Shadowcat]

Kitty's frown weakened when Laurie continued to yell at the crowd. It was nice to have Laurie, out of anyone else, supporting herself plus Shadowcat and Beacon. It made Kitty feel glorified; Laurie even pulled back her powers so she wouldn't get out of hand. That was something to seriously be impressed by. Mackenzie asked Laurie about the memorial and Kitty's attention immediately turned for a moment to her. Concern was written all over her features. She was tired of always looking so pained-- she was tired of things occurring to make her look pained. She was tired of everyone, constantly fighting. In no way did she mean her two comrades at her side at that moment; however, there was always someone eager to jump for a battle, whoever that was.

The young X-Man forced a smile when her attention was pulled back to the camcorder. Kitty sighed. Everything was just repeating itself. Something had to be done, but it wasn't her place to throw something at the fine electronic to end someone's entertainment. Loosely running her fingers over the small Star of David tht hung around her neck, she turned to Mackenzie as she sarcastically replied. Gazing down, she saw a rock laying idly on the ground from the old man. She picked it up. Many who weren't watching the blonde or the red-head gasped in slight fear that Kitty planned to chuck it at them-- but she didn't. She slipped it into her pocket

"Me too." Kitty responded solemnly to her friend's comment. Me too...

[beacon]

Mackenzie wasn’t sure what they should do, or even if there was anything for them to do. They were virtually surrounded by a crowd with the capability to grow dangerous at any point and she was less than thrilled by the possibility. Glancing up, she quickly decided that an aerial escape was definitely possible. That is, unless Kitty phased all three of them through the crowd.

That is...if they turned violent.

Laurie didn’t seem too prone to talk about the Memorial, and it merely made Mack purse her lips in thought. She hadn’t wanted to attend the Memorial, but whatever had happened was not positive, not positive at all. The girl had taken a beaten, even if she had walked away on her own accord. It made her feel guilty, even if it had not been her direct fault.

“Good girl,” she muttered in Kitty’s direction when the girl decided to pocket the rock instead of hurling it back toward the crowd. It would have only further escalated a scene that had no business existing in the first place. “I don’t know about you gals, but I’m thinking that it may be drawing closer to the time where we’re going to have to take our leave.”

In fact, she decided that was a definite need when two large and nondescript vans actually made their way through the crowd before coming to a stop. No vehicles allowed, buddy she thought to herself with a frown even before she finished looking over the two vehicles. The vehicles reminded her of old work vans, as they had sliding doors on the right side and large double doors in the back.

Yet, it was not until the sliding doors slid open and a man garbed in black began to bark orders at the crowd to disperse that dread crept over her entire body.

“That’s not some lost plumber,” she muttered to her companions as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “And I really don’t think that’s Publisher’s Clearing House bringing us a giant check.” She tensed completely.

Oh no...

[Laurie]

Laurie was trying to catch her breath and calm down, but the people around them were making her more nervous, and she could feel her control slipping. Groaning, she put her head in her hands and forced herself to focus until she was able to discern her own emotions combined with the pheromones she was trying to emit. The people around them were holding up camcorders now, looking at them as though they were the nightly news. Which they probably were. Laurie took deep breaths as she realized her face was likely going to be plastered everywhere before long. The publicity terrified her.

Mack seemed like she was perfectly ready to leave, and as vans pulled up with men snapping orders, Laurie felt a burst of real fear. Vans. SHIELD agents? "Deathstroke and iron Man attacked the memorial," she blurted. "I saw it on TV and then everyone was screaming and yelling and running and I ran and got hit in the process." She gestured to her face. "But i remember seeing vans pull up just like those and agents come out of them....we need to get out of here. And fast."