[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/FKJKRczH/the-gifted-591b350cc9ba7.png[/img][hr][img]https://i.postimg.cc/DwZPyRtp/tumblr-oy189xoglt1qd49gbo1-540.gif[/img][/center][hr][hr][center][@Nallore][@FantasyChic][@BlueSky44][@Achronum][@Trainerblue192][@KazAlkemi][/center][hr][center][h3][color=f7941d][b]Washington D.C.: September 8th, 2020 - 11:30 AM[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr][hr][b][i]Homeless Shelter - Mutant Friendly:[/i][/b]	 

	[color=FAFD95]"...The hell?"[/color] Havok couldn't help but say, looking at Moonwalker for a moment. Very few people knew this but Havok was a bit of a perfectionist. He hated it when things were left up to chance, when new people were added to an already in progress mission. But in this line of work, his perfectionistic tendencies rarely came out. But right now, he was a bit annoyed that Moonwalker showed up to help. He and Spark Plug had this handled. And adding in a new person in the middle? That was just bound to cause a mess. 

	There weren't any minivans or anything nearby - in fact, the only large vehicles there belonged to the Purifiers. Luckily, the Purifiers were currently trying to ram down the door that they had blocked, being too dumb to realize that they could just go around the building in order to get to the mutants. But hey, not all racists can be geniuses. 

[b][i]The Surface - ColdStones Near the National Zoo:[/i][/b]

	There are currently about ten customers in the shop. Of these ten, one of them is a big family of five, with the tired parents trying to keep the kids under controlled. It seems that they had taken them to the zoo for a day trip and had made a pit stop for some ice cream, but either way, the happy and excited chatter of the kids keeps anyone from really hearing Jack and Leighton's conversation. "Can I help you?" the skinny girl behind the counter asked, looking directly at Leighton. She then grimaced a bit in sympathy as Jack walked out. 

	"Fight with the boyfriend? That's rough," she said, sympathetically. She fixed up a cone for Leighton and offered it to her. "Here, ice cream is what the doctor's ordered for that."

	Outside of the ColdStones, Jack would practically come face to face with a confident and somewhat cocky looking man. Jack wouldn't be able to see his eyes, thanks to the sick shades he was wearing. [color=199046]"You might want to watch where you're walking,"[/color] the man said, crossing his arms. He had a Purifier tattoo on his GIGANTIC BICEP! [color=199046]"You wouldn't have happened to see a couple of muties running from terrorizing the zoo, would ya?"[/color]

	[url=https://i.postimg.cc/MGWqhqcJ/giphy.gif]Johnny Ward[/url] gave a smile, looking inside and seeing Leighton. [color=199046]"Looking good today, sweetheart."[/color]
	
[b][i]The Mutant Underground - Washington D.C. Station:[/i][/b]

	Negasonic didn't even bother to look up from her phone, texting away as Glimpse entered. She and Colossus had gotten back from their assignment early, as the Purifiers hadn't been hitting that shelter. And since they didn't have any fighters left to defend the Underground, they had returned there rather than provide reinforcements to the other groups. It was a good thing they had too, since it allowed them to redirect Moonwalker when he had showed up. [color=E33B19]"If we told you, we'd have to kill you,"[/color] Negasonic said bluntly, in response to asking for their decorator. 

	[color=B0B4B0]"Negasonic, please. We have guest,"[/color] Colossus reminded her. Piotr walked up to Glimpse and offered her a hand, currently in his steel form. [color=B0B4B0]"Veil is not here,"[/color] he explained bluntly. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that Xavier had mentioned to those at the Underground here that Glimpse was coming. Typical. [color=B0B4B0]"Why do you look for her?"[/color] Colossus then asked. [hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=935DB8]Veil[/color][/i][/b][/h1][img]https://i.postimg.cc/PrX86Zbm/giphy.gif[/img][hr][hr][b][color=935DB8]Location:[/color][/b] Jail
[b][color=935DB8]Skills:[/color][/b] N/A [hr][/center]	[color=935DB8]"The only thing that is ridiculous would be how much you are protesting this,"[/color] Veil replied with a bit of a smirk. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing that she could have gotten any sleep during the night but she hadn't been able to. At least they hadn't placed her in solitary confinement - she remembered being told about false and induced confessions at one of her classes at the X-Institute. People were held for crimes, interrogated about them, and thrown into solitary confinement until they confessed - despite having no memory of it. With Sapphire here for company, at least they'd stay sane, no matter how long they were locked up in this place. 	

	Veil then opened her eyes, ignoring the throbbing pain that went through every inch of her body. She felt strangely at peace, despite the fact that they were in jail and didn't really have a plan beyond hoping Sapphire's friend would show up eventually to spring them out. [color=935DB8]"You know what I miss? Milkshakes,"[/color] Veil said softly, as her stomach grumbled. The Mutant Underground was short on funds, meaning that they couldn't afford to get milkshakes. They bought the cheapest food they could in bulk in order to stay alive without stealing. [color=935DB8]"When I was at Xavier's, there was this kid in our classes who could teleport. When Xavier wasn't looking, we'd cover for him and he'd teleport to Dairy Queen... Get everyone their favorite... and be back for Xavier noticed,"[/color] Veil smiled slightly. 

	[color=935DB8]"He probably did notice, come to think of it,"[/color] she realized, starting to giggle. [color=935DB8]"I guess he just didn't mind."[/color][hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=DAF7A6]Sunshine[/color][/i][/b][/h1][img]https://i.postimg.cc/FK1fS4Z8/original.gif[/img][hr][hr][b][color=DAF7A6]Location:[/color][/b] the Morlock Tunnels 
[b][color=DAF7A6]Skills:[/color][/b] Disease Manipulation [hr][/center]	Somehow, Tome's words struck a chord with Erg and he saw himself for a moment. Hardly anyone knew this, but Erg hadn't always been a Morlock. He helped to found the Mutant Underground, wanting to use his powers to help mutants everywhere, to let the dream of the X-Men live. He learned the hard way that tolerance was not the same thing as acceptance. Sighing slightly, he looked at the boy as he left. [color=0C6598]"My apologies, Tome... That was harsh of me. I understand that you mean well."[/color]	

	[color=0C6598]"Good,"[/color] Erg then told James. [color=0C6598]"Our primary objective will be to figure out where Stretch and Leighton went."[/color]

	[color=D48FFF]"Guess you need me for this, then,"[/color] Blink said, brushing some hair out of her eyes. She was how the Morlocks got around the city so quickly. She could construct portals, get them in and out of tricky situations in a flash. Any group that knew how to survive tended to have either a teleporter, a speedster, or someone who could make portals on hand. Usually whenever Blink went up to the surface, she would wear makeup and contacts to hide her visible mutation - but the contacts made it so she couldn't portal. That wasn't an option here. 

	[color=0C6598]"Grimlock says there are too many Purifiers nearby - a little over a dozen,"[/color] Erg explained. [color=0C6598]"And not very many Morlocks have mutations that allow them to fight..."[/color] He sighed a bit. It was true - they tended to get people who couldn't live on the surface, and they rarely had powers suited for fighting. 

	[color=DAF7A6]"... I can get rid of the ones by the tunnel entrances,"[/color] Sunshine volunteered, wanting to help. Erg nodded and Blink made a portal. Sunshine stepped through it, reappearing near the entrances to the tunnel system. She could hear the chatter of Purifiers up above and she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes, green smoke swirled around Sunshine and she sent it upwards, gassing the Purifiers that were stumbling too close to the Morlocks with deadly diseases. It was the sort of moment that defined a person. But Sunshine didn't feel any sense of remorse.

	She felt a sense of pride. It had been too long since she felt that she had a home, the potential for a family - something to belong to. The Morlocks were willing to take her in no questions asked. And if the Purifiers up above died from the diseases she just inflicted on them, so be it. It was to protect her new home. She didn't care about humans anyways. What had humans done for her? They had mocked her, chased her, incarcerated her for a crime she hadn't committed. They called her a monster and so be it - she'd behave like one if she needed to. 

	Meanwhile, back in the main Morlock tunnels with the others, Erg nodded grimly. [color=0C6598]"Grimlock says that Sunshine has the entrance secured. Anyone who wishes to go with Blink and me to retrieve Stretch and Leighton, please go so now."[/color] 

	Blink then gave them a tight smile, opening a portal that would drop them in an alley about a block away from the National Zoo - and about three blocks away from the ColdStones. [hr][hr][center][h1][b][i][color=DBA1DE]Spirit Box[/color][/i][/b][/h1][img]https://i.postimg.cc/631L8zNX/tumblr-pnctfd0c-JM1xs5njio3-500.gif[/img][hr][hr][b][color=DBA1DE]Location:[/color][/b] Sidewalk 
[b][color=DBA1DE]Skills:[/color][/b] Mediumship[hr][/center]	Casper was whistling to himself as he walked, hoping to run into one of his usual suppliers along the way. The only problem was, the living Séance had made a wrong turn and wasn't heading towards the seedier part of town. Instead, everything seemed to be getting more bright and cheerful. There were blossoms blooming all around him and Casper smiled slightly, picking a flower and taking a whiff of it, only to a few flies to start zooming around his head. [color=DBA1DE]"My flower, get your own! You aren't even bees!"[/color] he complained. 

	[i]"Hey, hey man look!"[/i]

	[color=DBA1DE]"Don't you 'hey listen' me, Ben!"[/color] Casper snapped, before looking down the block in the direction of where Ben was pointing. There were some hardcore looking trucks parked on the side, with a bunch of muscular men standing around them, like they were waiting for something to happen. [color=DBA1DE]"Okay, so they're any number of privileged dicks, so what?"[/color] Casper asked his friend. 

	Ben sighed. He really wanted to get Casper's eyes checked. [i]"It's Jack, idiot!"[/i]

	[color=DBA1DE]"Hey, that is not nice Ben! I thought you were supposed to set a good example for me!"[/color] Casper scolded, before he started waving in Jack's direction, hoping his brother would catch a glimpse of him. He had to wonder though if Jack knew about the muscle heads that were near him. From what he could tell, Jack had made a stop at ColdStones? That was confusing - Casper knew for a [i]fact[/i] that Jack preferred doughnuts. He used to catch Jack stashing them in his desk when they were kids.  

	[i]"This doesn't look good, Cas... How much do you wanna bet those guys are here to beat him senseless?"[/i]

	Casper glanced at the money he had taken from the old woman. [color=DBA1DE]"I can bet forty on it? Anyways, he probably just got pictures of them cheating on their wives. He's a professional wedding photographer, right?"[/color] He could never remember what it was Jack did. Ben wasn't about to explain again that Jack was a private investigator - and Ben had to admit, a good looking one too. Ben had had a crush on Jack before he died. 

	[i]"You need to go help him, Cas... Or actually, maybe stay put..."[/i]

	He shrugged a bit, ignoring Ben's advice and he started running in the direction of his brother. [color=DBA1DE]"Jackie! Hey Jackie! Did you get waffles?"[/color] he shouted, not caring who heard.