Into the Fray

[Catherine Kelly]

"Funny how the simple questions are usually the hardest to answer." Her voice trailed off, but not entirely. It wasn't that Catherine had rehearsed the answer, but the question had always been one that she figured she would have to answer some day... now if only she knew the complete version herself.

"What I do know is that I was supposed to die, and a rather strong jolt of electricity courtesy of my local hospital suddenly set me right. First ever case of acute lymphocytic leukemia being suddenly cured overnight by a set of defibrillation paddles. Experimented once I was given the green light to go home... cut my hand and followed it up by sticking a hairpin into a light socket. Can't say that one actually got old after a few tries."

She paused and shrugged her shoulders. "No idea how much damage I could take and how much juice I would need to fix it, haven't really tried anything crazy like breaking a ton of bones or cutting off a limb. Can't shoot lightning from my fingertips, though. Or do..." Catherine waved a hand in his direction, "anything like that. I do feel really weird when I'm around a crowd of people though. It's like I can feel the energy within them all, each little pulse and surge that tells their bodies to work right. It makes going to the club pretty intense."

[Hurucan]

Hurucan fought hard to maintain the illusion that he was a simple taxi driver with absolutely no awareness whatsoever of what was going on. It was difficult though, given the curl of sinister happiness that her comments had sparked inside him.

Much of what Catherine had told him, he already knew. One did not simply recover from such a devastating illness and expect no one to notice; and when you had access to the resources of the Brotherhood, it made it somewhat easier to notice such things.

Not that many of his fellow mutants were quite so observant however: they were so focused on their own concerns and their local cells that they did not always see the opportunities that presented themselves outside their precious little dominions. Hurucan on the other hand was a man of broader vision; he could not and would not allow such a valuable opportunity to be neglected.

His efforts succeeded, and as Casius he offered a mix of surprise, sympathy, and admiration. "You have a remarkable gift," he said softly, gazing at her again with his intense-but-reassuring eyes. "So sad that you had to discover it under such terrible circumstances."

His eyes fell away, and he tugged his brow into what looked like a mix of sorrow and shame. "Had I known about your gift, I -" He trailed off, his words chosen with meticulous care. "I would have not been so rash in displaying my own abilities. I hope I did not cause you any discomfort."

[Catherine Kelly]

"Not at all, no need to apologize. I've always considered myself pretty open minded..." Catherine let her voice trail off again as she was forced to the reality of everything that had just happened. She hadn't even flinched when Casius had displayed his abilities while saving her life, and even now she just couldn't force herself to feel awed by it all. It wasn't that she had overwhelming experience among those with the x-gene, quite the opposite was true, but after everything she had experienced personally... Well, she had come to a point in her life when she was ready to accept just about anything was possible.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing, really. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have had to act as you did. I keep hearing about people that are afraid of what they've been given, scared to see the limits... I guess all I can really hope for is that my being here didn't cause you to have to do something you didn't wish to..." She paused as something else quickly sprung to mind. "Nevermind the fact that you've lost your cab for the moment! Aren't you going to get in some sort of trouble for that? You sure we shouldn't go back?"

Catherine wasn't sure what to make of what she was saying... Part of her truly felt bad for inconveniencing the man, and yet there's was another that seemed, well, almost amused by it all. Her day was turning out to be far more exciting than she had first planned for, after all.

[Hurucan]

Hurucan forced himself to smile. The ease with which she had accepted everything that had transpired was extremely promising; but the woman herself seemed far too innocent and likeable; "nice", even. He almost shuddered at the thought, but managed to stop himself. No doubt he would have to maintain this detestable facade for quite some time before he allowed himself to begin showing her his true colours.

"Under the circumstances," he said, insisting upon his tone that it be gently reassuring, "I think the material loss of one taxi can be forgiven. Besides -" He offered a knowing shrug. "It is not as if travelling back to retrieve it will be a slow and arduous trip for me."

He adjusted his expression into a frown, acting as if he was considering options that hadn't already been meticulously planned. "If he knew to follow you from the airport, your hotel may have been -" He hesitated, searching for a description that wasn't quite so sinister. "- compromised."

He scrubbed at his chin. "Do you know anyone in the city? Anyone you can stay with?"

[Catherine Kelly]

She shook her head slightly and looked around, as if suddenly aware they hadn't really gone anywhere. And well, if some crazed mutant assassin had been good enough to find out who she was and when she was arriving and track the taxi she had taken, there was just no telling how fast he was closing in on the two of them.

"No. The hotel really was my only plan, to be honest. I was just planning on playing everything else by ear."

[Hurucan]

Hurucan fought off a frown, slightly surprised at her answer. Unless his sources were very much mistaken, her answer should have been yes: unless things were more complicated than they had seemed at face value. Rather than frustration at the potential derailment of his schemes however, he instead felt only intregue at the new mystery that had been presented before it.

He allowed himself to appear ponderous for a moment longer, before he spoke again.

"That settles it, then."

He gave her a look that he hoped would inspire as much confidence as was humanly possible; or rather, as was mutantly possible for one without beneficial psychic abilities. "I have somewhere that you can say; somewhere you will be safe. I can take you there -"

He offered his hand to her. "- I just need you to trust me, again."

[Catherine Kelly]

For the first time since she had stepped out into the hot California weather, doubt threatened to creep into Catherine's mind. The chain of events that had lead to this moment seemed far too perfectly strung together to be nothing but strange coincidence.

But it hadn't been, to hear Casius tell of it. She had been targeted. And while some part of her mind was busy formulating silly in depth conspiracy theories that linked her hero and her attacker together... a far more simple answer, one that made far more sense struck a chord. If the man attacking her had known of her arrival, surely Casius, or whoever he was working with or for, knew as well. And whereas one group represented by a masked man of destruction was set on killing her... this other, represented by the kind man in the taxi, was there to save her. The girl cured from cancer and pulled from the brink of death by electricity, rescued by a man who could control it. No, this was no chance meeting, no accident waiting to happen.

Catherine smiled and looked down at the hand offered to her. Fine, let Casius have his little secrets for now. She'd pull the real answer out of him later and then she would get to have that triumphant moment of I knew it all along to use on him.

"Well," She tried to look like she was honestly wracking her brain with making her decision for a moment before the smile grew and she shrugged her shoulder "it doesn't seem like I have much of a choice, now do I?"

Catherine gently placed her hand in his. "Besides, trusting you has already saved my life. In some way, I suppose I'm in debt to you for that. Trusting you again is the least I can do."

[Hurucan]

Hurucan smiled, and offered a gracious bow of his head. He didn't force any words; he didn't need to. His expression was all the thanks he needed: for Hurucan was just as pleased to be trusted as the fictitious Casius would have been.

"You may want to take a deep breath," he suggested, the only warning he gave before his powers burst into life, and the sewer exploded around them. In the momentary void between one location and the next he saw, heard, and felt nothing; but as he became whole again he relished in the deliciously bitter taste of ozone that brushed against his senses.

As they 'landed' - he had never managed to find a more appropriate description than that - he released Catherine's hand, not taking any liberties by holding onto her hand for longer than was absolutely necessary. He took a step away, boots creaking against the wooden floor of the loft he'd brought her to. It was simple and spartan, and bore all the hallmarks of a place that was barely - or perhaps rarely - lived in, save for the scattering of newspaper articles and clippings that covered the coffee table, and much of the worn but comfortable blue sofa that sat beside it.

"Give yourself a moment," he offered, his voice as soft and reassuring as he could make it. "The further we travel, the more surprised your body is to find itself in a new location. Keep breathing, and keep blinking; the nausea will fade quickly."

He paused for a moment as he moved through the moderately-sized apartment, entering what would have been the kitchen if the space had possessed anything in the way of walls. "I also find that tea helps considerably," he offered. A frown crossed his features. "Though perhaps you would prefer coffee?"

[Catherine Kelly]

"I actually..." She found herself breathless again, but probably not quite in the way that Casius expected. "don't feel...sick...well, not really."

Catherine took a deep breath and steadied herself, trying to stop the soft fluttering of her heart and the tingling that spread through her fingertips. Another breath and she managed to bring some calm back to her body, though the smile that had taken over her features refused to leave.

"It's more like that feeling you have after a good run..." She pulled herself away from the strange reverie and finally looked around the loft and found herself aware of the question that had been asked. "Oh! Tea, please. I like a good cup of coffee in the morning to get things started but I'm not nearly addicted to it like my sister was."

And just like that she was snapped fully out of whatever euphoria from the travel that she had been left with. Catherine would be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking of her sister since she had left the hospital, but to suddenly mention her... it brought a pang that suddenly made the soothing comforts of tea all the more appealing.

[Hurucan]

"I was never fortunate enough to have a sister," Casius commented off-hand, as he set the kettle to work. There was a hint of bittersweet regret in his voice as he spoke; something genuine, not faked. "Two brothers; no sister."

He fell silent for a few moments, dutifully extracting two cups, two saucers, a tea pot, and a battered tin of loose leaves. The tea bag had been a miraculous invention; but what it added in convenience it robbed in flavour. Casius had been raised in the tradition of proper tea brewing, and it would not do to subject a guest to anything less than his finest.

The kettle uttered a mechanical clunk as the thermostat tripped off the power; the rumbling bubbles of boiling water quickly subsided, and Hurucan instantly hefted it from it's housing, pouring the contents into the chipped china pot. Scoops of tea leaves followed, and then everything was arrayed carefully onto a use-worn steel tray before being carried to the coffee table. He contemplated clearing space amongst the clippings and cuttings but decided against it, simply setting it down atop his research.

He hesitated a moment, a question forming in his mind about sugar; but instantly it was replaced by another more pressing one. He arranged his face into an expression of embarassment. "Here I was about to offer you sugar," he apologised, "And I haven't even asked for your name."

[Catherine Kelly]

Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a small "oh" before a small laugh escaped. Some part of her was embarrassed that she actually hadn't mentioned it until now... though she was sure she was holding it back for a reason, even if she couldn't recall exactly why at the moment.

"Catherine..." She let the 'but you already knew that' go unsaid. After all, that was still a theory in process.

"And, no need for the sugar. Not real big on it, to be honest." Her gaze had begun to wander to all the clippings strewn away, having been drawn there by watching the pot of tea. She half wondered if that was done purposely or not.

"So... brothers, huh? They here, in the States, with you or still back home?" Anything to deflect the attention off herself and her own sibling, even if it was only after asking the question that she realized it probably would have the exact opposite effect.

[Hurucan]

She couldn't have known how difficult a question that was to answer; not difficult in that the answer was hard to remember, but in the sense that the words clamped around his chest like a fist. The usually unflappable Hurucan hesitated, and despite his best efforts he couldn't stop a sweep of remorse from rushing across his face.

"I'm not sure," he replied; a half-truth, at least. He busied himself with the over-careful positioning of teacups and saucers, spending a little too much time tweaking the angle of the handles so they pointed exactly where he wanted them to. "I haven't spoken to one of them for a very long time. And the other -"

He trailed off. That was the other kind of difficult; both, even.

"Peter died," he said; and while his tone was filled with finality, his mind added an addendum.

From a certain point of view.

[Catherine Kelly]

"I'm so sorry." It was the default, obvious response that came far too quickly. For a brief instant Catherine was angry at herself for saying it, angry at having given in to society's programming. The feeling was fleeting, too ridiculous to actually keep up with. There were a lot more realistic things to be mad about... like the injustices that might have been to blame for Casius' situation. And her own.

She realized that the rest of them could quite possibly spend the rest of the afternoon being sullen about siblings lost and misplaced. And given the fact her mind was still somewhat reeling from the attack earlier, she wouldn't hardly blame herself for doing it. But letting another fall into that same pit when she might have been capable of preventing it? Hardly.

Time for a change in subject, maybe one that would lead to her finding out just how far the events of today had been planned...and how those plans had been forced to change. Now to just make it not seem so obvious... and to hopefully not have the plan backfire on her.

Taking a few steps towards the coffee table she again began eying the news clippings. "So, is this an attempt to find your other brother or....?"

[Hurucan]

Hurucan forced himself to flinch, as if the intentionally arrayed assortment of references and news stories wasn't something he'd intended for her to see. He busied himself pouring their tea into cups, and sat for a long moment staring at the vapour that whisped upwards from the boiling beverage.

"This is to find my other Brothers," he said at last; half agreement, half contradition. He bowed his head slightly in concession. "And other Sisters, of course."

His eyes met hers. They didn't burn with the kind of intense patriotism that one would expect to see in the eyes of a Brotherhood fanatic; rather, they were sad eyes, but determined just the same. "I have lost brothers, a wife, a son -" The bitterness that choked his words at that point wasn't fake; couldn't have been fake. "But I am not alone, because there is a world of mutants out there, many of whom are just as lost and alone as I once was."

A pause followed; his attention returned to the table. "Every one of these stories and photographs relates to someone in Los Angeles who I believe is a mutant. Some of them are just ordinary people living their lives; others have stepped up, using their abilities for the betterment of all." He trailed off, allowing an ominous silence to fall. "Some of them are even dangerous, though far fewer than the tabloids and authorities claim."

"I may have failed as a husband; I may have failed as a father." A hand rubbed at his jaw, as bald and hairless as his palid scalp. "But I want to be a Brother to them; help them, support them, if I can."

"After all..." He offered her a bitter smile. "It does not seem that anybody else is willing to help people like us."

[Catherine Kelly]

Jackpot. Now Catherine found herself looking around for an article involving the girl cured miraculously by electricity. It had to be there, somewhere... Didn't it? Whether she saw it or not, she was certain it was there. Everything fit together all too well.

"So... People like me, then." She paused, casting a knowing smile his way. "I mean, now that I'm here of course. And obviously have need of your help."

A small laugh left her again at thee thought of it all. "This really isn't turning out how I expected. I figured I'd find some sort of underground club filed with our kind who would be able to take me to..." To where exactly? Their leader? A safe house? Clearly she hadn't thought that far ahead.

"I'm... Glad I met you, Casius." It was the truth. Somehow this seemed like it would work out far better than any half-conceived plan she had.

Catherine looked back to the articles, no longer searching for the familiar but now suddenly aware of just how many there were. It was comforting in a way... Terrifying and sad in another.

[Hurucan]

A warm smile curled Hurucan's features. While he could clearly see the flashes of intelligence and greater understanding in her eyes, her reactions - and her lack of fright or flight - and her ready acceptance was more than he could have hoped for.

There were underground clubs aplenty in Los Angeles; and if left to her own devices, Catherine might well have found them. Alternatively, she might have stumbled into danger, fallen foul of one of the many mutant-phobic gangs roaming Los Angeles' streets, or blundered into the custody of the Mutant Crimes Unit. Even if she had found her way into the presence of hospitable mutants, they would invariably have led her to the Brotherhood. While Hurucan had no issue whatsoever with her joining The Cause eventually, there were certain actions that she was required for which were of much more immediate precedence.

He forced a frown onto his features, making himself look decidedly uncomfortable, and unhappy with himself. He made his gaze reluctant to meet hers. "I am afraid that I have not been entirely honest with you, Catherine."

Hesitation was applied to his voice, mixed with furtive glances in different directions; steadfastly avoiding looking at her. His fingers laced together in front of him, wrists drumming against his legs. "My rescuing you was no accident. I heard about your gift thanks to the overzealous reporting of your local media; and when I discovered you were travelling to Los Angeles, I knew that you would be a prime target for a man like Orcus."

Though his admission had already been made, he still shifted with falsified discomfort, one further revelation still to come. "And also, I need the kind of help that only you can provide."

[Catherine Kelly]

Her I was so damn right! moment was slightly ruined by the fact that he just seemed so genuine about the entire thing. It was hard to pull a dramatic moment of smugness when it sounded an awful lot like someone was asking for your help.

Catherine wasn't going to let him get away with the revelation entirely free though. She let a small smile form, that was really harder to keep small than make in the first pace. "I had a feeling..."

With that out of her system, now she could go ahead and move on to what had newly grabbed her interest. "So what do you need me to help with?"

[Hurucan]

Hurucan withdrew something from within the clutter of papers; his face was grave, but otherwise unreadable. Unlike most of what covered the desk, this was a photograph: black and white, clearly home-developed, and bearing all the hallmarks of an image taken covertly while conducting surveillance.

It showed three people and a car; something black and old, though the framing of the image didn't provide enough clues of what model it might be. The background hinted at the same airport that Catherine had left only minutes before; and at first glance, nothing about the picture looked even remotely remarkable. The man - presumably the eldest from the look of him, but only by virtue of the youthful looks of the two women, not be cause he looked particularly old himself - was fairly ordinary; handsome perhaps if that was your inclination, but not strikingly memorable. One of the young women had enough features in common that there was perhaps common blood between her and the man; perhaps a cousin; perhaps even a sibling; but too old to be a daughter at any rate.

The second woman however, seated behind the wheel partially obscured by the windshield of the car, boasted a completely different appearence. Instead of the dark hair and slender features of her passengers, she was blonde, and sported much softer curves to her face.

Hurucan's eyes turned to his guest. "Your sister is in trouble, Catherine," he explained; his voice was soft, but ominous. "That man she is with, Thomas Harriman -" He produced another photograph; a hooded figure, armed, his features largely obscured. "- is a dangerous man. A vigilante, or so he claims; but my sources in the LAPD suggest that his ambitions are not as noble as he claims."

He forced a frown across his features; a troubled, conflicted frown. "He is up to something; and not just his nocturnal activities. He works for an enterprise called Treadstone, and they are planning something; something to do with mutants."

The frustration that crept into Hurucan's voice was genuine; Treadstone's security measures were formidable, and had thus far thwarted his attempts to uncover their secrets.

"Your sister is involved in this somehow, Catherine. She is in danger; I do not believe that she realises just how much."

A pleading look graced his deep, expressive eyes.

"Help me to save her, Catherine. Please."

[Catherine Kelly]

"Allie?"

It didn't seem possible. Not that her sister had wound up in California... but that she was associating with someone like Casius described. Alice was always a good judge of character, with a level head on her shoulders... sure she was a wanderer, but this just seemed wrong.

Catherine studied the photo of the trio in the car, her brows knitting together as she dared it to give her some sort of lead as to how her sister got herself wrapped up in his. A glance at the other photo of the costumed man... if Alice had been more like her she would have said it was the man himself. Catherine always dreamed of running away with a bad boy some day but Alice... Alice didn't get close to people. Not after everything that had happened.

"Do you think they are going to use her mutation?" The thought was terrifying.

[Hurucan]

"Tom Harriman plans to use the abilities of every mutant he can get his hands on."

It was amazing how pliable the truth was when you applied an ominous enough tone. Everything was relative; and while Tom Harriman's quest to use mutant science for the betterment of society might seem like a noble goal, to Hurucan it was an affront. Those with gifts were special; they posessed their abilities for a reason, and deserved to be respected - or, in lieu of that, feared - by those who did not. Tom Harriman would take what made them special, and would pervert it into an abomination: a technological crutch to prop up the mundanes that choked society's journey towards progress.

"It is not enough to simply rescue her. With my abilities I could easily transport her away... but with his resources, he would hunt her, and find her. She won't be safe until we bring him - until we bring his whole network - crashing down."

Hurucan fixed her with a mix of pleading and righteous determination. "I need your help, Catherine. Alice needs your help."

He held out a hand towards her. "Can I count on you?"