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X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: The Palace Grounds (E3) ->(D2)->(E3)
Skills: Identity Obscuration

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Over half the guards just up and left, Tinley had done a scarily good job of dealing with them for a first go. A small arsenal of weapons laid strewn across the ground, scattered between the confused and disturbed guards. Now all they needed was someone to draw their attention so the other enemies of the state could beat them senseless within an inch of their life, sending a scarred, shadow of a man back to his wife and kids, or just slip past (boring).

Michelle sighed quietly when it dawned on her and with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, started undoing an extra couple buttons on her blouse. Beacuse thats what apemen want right? A bit of flesh, sex words and ego stroking? "What was your suggestion earlier, Cornish? Stupid and slutty?" Michelle reiterated, knowing they'd get the picture. Michelle snuck back towards the car so she could make her grand entrance without exposing her teammates in addition to herself.

Upon her return, she walked slowly with confidence, sauntering upto the remaining guards with feline grace. They were still on edge, suspecting shenanigans as a result of their collegues walking off without warning, but Michelle, her mutant and seductive powers activated, divered that uneasiness to an "unknown" assailant with a flash of her badge. She was ushered in the security hut to which she dutifully complied but at her own pace and while making very little effort to discreetly nestle her identification back down her top. All six seemed interested in finding out what she knew about what was going on. Or maybe it was just the boobs.

"Which of you big boys is going to come pat me down?" Michelle teased, making intense eye contact with the guard the looked to be trying his hardest to do his job right.

Those fuckers better not just sneak past and leave me in here.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location:The Palace Grounds (D2) -> (E3)
Skills:

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Michelle followed in close behind Tinley spotting the cameras when pointed out to her, she thought they were much more of a problem than the guards themselves. Spotted on those and a trap could be laid ahead of them, if guards spot them atleast they know where the danger is coming from. She also liked Tinley's idea of using the guards, but making them do something suspicious like break enough of the cameras to give them a blind spot for Niah to hack the door would only lead to someone inside raising the alarm sooner.

Michelle scrunched up her face, remembering when Sapphire froze her to the Quinjet deck. A few moments later had formulated a fully fledged question.

"14 guards... thats 14 mutant powers you could exploit?" Michelle asked Tinley directly in a low voice before opening the question up to the floor, whispering, "Could we get a read on what those might be from over here? Anything that covertly disabled the cameras beats making them shoot at them and it would be useful to know in case we have to go through them."

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: Human Resistance HQ: New York City, New York. -> The Palace Grounds (D2)
Skills: Identity Oscuration, Driving

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It was decided, she was going to search the castle with Cornish, Abercrombie and Bautista for the source of all this madness. It was a job like any other, breaking and entering a secure facility grab the unknown objective and leave. Her team was a complete stranger who was going to guide us to the unknown person/item and her recently promoted newbie teammate who had absolutely zero trust in her. All she could rely on was Bautista who still seemed pretty traumatised, she had a car ride to pull herself together.

Michelle scooped up the car keys. "Vroom vroom."

Michelle had always found driving relaxing, much like her accordion, a car was an instrument and through practice it would become simply an extension of oneself. Pedals and switches, pistons and crankshafts, hydraulics and pneumatics. Physical, moving parts. This was her element. Slam the clutch, shift the gear, feel the ratios transmit more velocity to the rear wheels as you release. Live the oversteer. Give in to the Gs. This however was not going to be relaxing trip for anyone else. Michelle gunned it, only screeching to a halt at the gates of the palace on the North West side. Michelle effortlessly activated her power, tucking her sunglasses into her fringe and flashing her Red Guard insignia.

"We're under attack, let us fucking through!" Michelle commanded, paying to no notice to the guard's friendly small talk.

The gate opening was painfully slow, Michelle revved the engine impatiently. Gate finally up, Michelle replaced her glasses on her little nose and saluted the guard before stamping on the accelerator. She teared down the road, but did slow down a little to reverse into a space. Michelle killed the engine and, for a moment, the interior of the car was serene. Michelle tucked the insignia back into her bra,

"Thats not going to work for the next security checkpoint. So whats the plan?"

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: Human Resistance HQ: New York City, New York.
Skills: N/A

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Michelle continued to refuse to be shown her true life, part because she still had doubts and part because she was worried about what could actualy be found. Michelle's shaky relationship with identity itself meant what ever she was shown might be very carefully curated, it was entirely possible they'd diverged so much only childhood memories prior to her gaining her powers could be relied upon.

Michelle attempted to commit her thoughts to paper, but it was a mess. Random, scattered ideas littered the page, uncharacteristic of her usual style of writing, but ther was so much to say and no way of know what to put down first. She, A Red Guard, chasing turncoats into the belly of the human hate machine to find out who was manipulating reality. She let it spill out in the book, ink captured deep in the fibres for future Michelle to examine and draw conclusions and enlightenment from and present Michelle could rest.

She snuck back to her bunk, careful to not disturb any of the shiv weilding mutophobics. Michelle was fortunate in that one regard, that you couldn't determine she was of the superior race without her say so. A little smirk crawled across her face as she rolled in, relieved of her moral and ethical quandries and ready for a good night sleep.

Madison, Washington Avenue. 7ft in the air. Dad's short hair between her fingers. Marching through the bitter winter night, chanting to keep the cold at bay. She was having fun making noise with them, more fun than others. This was serious for them, they were here to send a message, here to be heard. You could tell by their faces. Some of them had signs, Daddy had a sign. Michelle couldn't make them out, not even the one dad handed her. It was Michelle's dream, but she was a mere passenger and the dream compelled her to hold it up. A roar from the crowd, a sense of pride and belonging filled her.

She was going to say it.

"Fuck off Muti-"

Michelle woke with a start, nearly braining herself on the top bunk, the someone else's flithy words still on her tongue. Her sudden movements hadn't appeared to have disturbed anyone, except one in a distant bottom bunk. In the dark all she could make out was a pair of eyes, glistening dully in the reflected light of the moon. They bobbed almost inpercievably, as she nodded slowly. Atleast she was making friends.

December 11 2020 7:00am

Practice

December 11 2020 8:00am

Sitting with her accordion had cleared her head somewhat of her bizarre dreams that plagued her sleep. Individually they were manageable, but the reoccuring themes across all of them felt like more than just a coincidence. This was beyond her remit, Michelle told herself she couldn't absorb Novikova's powers by osmosis and so the dreams were just that, dreams. That horrendous imaginary world existed only in her imagination, a manifestation of her own fear of the real unknown world.

Breathe Michelle, we're getting to the bottom of this.

"Stealth team, I've made a career of walking in, taking whatever/whoever I want and walking out again unnoticed."

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: Red Guard Mobile Unit - Sydney, Australia -> Human Resistance HQ: New York City, New York.
Skills: N/A

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Tucking her diary under her arm, Michelle knelt and undid the brass clasps on the case of her instrument of torture and left her accordion to be inspected by the greeting party. Additionally, and possibly more importantly (although certainly not to Michelle), she pulled her trusty boot knife out from her sock. She felt bad about leaving Red Guards behind, but without following through the gate it would have been tough to re-establish contact. Despite being a few men down, she still had to continue the mission, she needed to keep tabs on her turncoat teammates and investigate the validity of this other world. Tinley's ultimatuum in her mind, Michelle quietly stood back up and starting to pay more attention to the world around her. People were getting their "memories", a concept that Michelle wasn't entirely happy about. She shared Kingston's doubts, it was only natural to be sceptical and it was indistinguishable from mind control.

Completely enveloped in it, the cold's tentacular grip was no longer as consensual as it was in Australia, which begged the question, where were we now? On her ever expanding list of questions it wasn't very far up, especially when two new good ones had just popped up. While everyone else what caught up in the spectacle of a man falling between two portals and the laying on of hands reducing Bautista to a sobbing mess, everyone seemed to have missed some of the vital information.

"Hold on. The King? Storm The Palace?" Michelle repeated before she joked, "You're not talking about jumping the fucking turnstiles at Graceland, are you?"

Michelle folded her arms, tucking her fingers out of the freezing air. This was escalating way too fast.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: Red Guard Mobile Unit - Sydney, Australia - Quinjet
Skills: N/A

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Them. Them. Them. Them.

Michelle quickly picked up on what Tinley was putting down as Kingston on his own, did not a "them" make. She was low on options. Her power was only going to make things more complicated, a complete stranger was just as dangerous to them as she was, and how on Earth could she explain how she got there, there wasn't supposed to be another soul around for miles. She couldn't fight them obviously, they'd already managed to complete restrain her once today, and so only options were try to diplomacy harder (not a strong suit), run (to where?) or accept her fate.

A fate many seemed reluctant to indulge themselves in, despite the go ahead. Most seemed content with just getting the fuck out of this hellhole. Novikova, Cass and Smith had missed their opportunity and the Sorceress seemed to be concetrated on the portal. Bautista was more conflicted about all this than she was herself and certainly wouldn't be like her to go round switching off the lights on someone elses hunch. The Banners had spent the last 10 years or so avoiding conflict and Michelle doubted either would start now if they could avoid it, leaving only Madame Abercrombie and Monsieur Howlett. It certainly wasn't too late to get knocked the fuck out by her but perhaps Michelle had misinterpreted what was meant by "them".

Either way she wasn't having anyone dig around in her ear or under her blouse for communication devices and so she ditched her radio and ear piece. Slipping a hand down her top, Michelle retrieved her mobile phone from her bra. She inspected it, letting it tumble and spin between her fingers before flicking it on to the pile. Hmm. Neither was she going to allow even her travel squeezebox end up in the Atlantic, grabbing the awkward case out of the hold.

She decended the rest of the ramp, lugging the large leather case in one hand, diary in the other and stepped out into the harsh sunlight. The cold wind from the portal whipped out, thrashing its icy tentacles at anything it could get a grip of, which was very refreshing in small doses but less so in larger ones.

Michelle strode confidently towards Agent Abercrombie, confident she still didn't know what to say to improve the outcome.

She sighed, closing her eyes, "Lets get this over with."

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: Red Guard Mobile Unit - Sydney, Australia - Quinjet
Skills: N/A

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Michelle did not resist the urge to roll his eyes at the man. If he kept going he was going to jeopardise her chances at getting her hands on something that could expose the whole operation, traitors or not.

"We don't need a manhunt, they're right fucking there." Michelle stated, exasperated, guesturing down the jet ramp. "But best of luck shuffling paper and stamping forms Field Operative Agent Kingston, I hope it also exposes their co-conspirators back at HQ."

Michelle hoped that was enough of a clue that he'd get what she had actually meant by "half-cock" because she sure as shit wasn't going to spell it out anymore for him. If he was right and a clandestine sleeper cell just activated, this was much bigger than a handful of their co-workers. Nonetheless, Michelle was reluctant to leave without Kingston, especially while he was threatening to make this more difficult than it had to be.

Michelle scooped up her diary and approached the ramp, chewing over how she was going to ingratiate herself to the inhuman, the ring leader, who clearly already had reservations about her. Not a pleasant position to be in, but an occupational hazard. However, this was Tinley we talking about, not the Tinley she knew, but still undoubtably Tinley, no amount of grovelling or brown nosing was going to change her mind and it would be impudent to talk about their plan before being made a part of it. Michelle figured it was best for Agent Abercrombie to start, if she wanted to start.

A bead of sweat rolled down her nose.Jesus fucking Christ is was hot outside.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: Red Guard Mobile Unit - Sydney, Australia - Quinjet
Skills: N/A

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Uncuffed, Michelle resisted the urge to get her pound of flesh for purely pragmatic reasons.

No Guns. Stay on the ship.

James was one hundred percent right about one thing. There would be hell to pay, helping the Banners escape was treason. Regardless of whether they were traitors or otherworldly twins, there wasn't any going back the moment HQ caught on. Except of course for herself, who by lay of her hands could cast her own wickedness and rebellion on her ethreal scapegoat, her phantom twin. Even without using her powers, she was an infiltrator, a saboteur, a spy, it would hardly reflect badly on her if she had to momentarily undermine His Majesty the King to keep up appearances and eventually expose the true threat to the throne.

As of this very moment, the other Red Guard Elite Squads weren't going to smite her off the face of this plane of reality because there was a "realer" one that was superior in a way worth fighting for. Even if James could persuade her to pick sides, the very imminent danger wasn't accounted for in his tirade, it was 2 on 10 at best, and one of those 10 was the GOD DAMN HULK. Michelle had had enough incapacitation for a day and there was no reason they wouldn't do it again or worse unless she gave them one. The only conscious and potentially sympathetic expert on disappearing might be one.

Michelle's thoughts swirled, her furrowed brow was red raw from all the rubbing needed to facilitate all the big brain thinking. There was so much to unravel and she hadn't the brainpower to structure it and also make sure she wasn't killed. The first big problem was even if it were true, what was so wrong with this one that Logan, self admitted oracle of both strands, was on there side? Although this was not something Michelle was ready for an argument on. And secondly, even if it was worth fighting for, was it worth blowing this insignificant (in the grand scheme of things) mission and being this suspicious this soon when as far as we knew it, it was 11 versus the world? The biggest quandary was why Niah didn't know whether they were telling the truth or not when she, as far as Michelle understood, had incredible powers of elucidation.

"I'm going to trust Bautista's judgement on this," Michelle replied, "If she's unclear, I'm unclear and with the Hulk outside still HQ might just have to get in line. We can't afford to go off half-cock here, Kingston."

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: Red Guard Mobile Unit - Sydney, Australia - Quinjet
Skills: N/A

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Michelle wouldn't have liked what Wolverine was insinuating by "picks fights too" if it weren't for her focus on the crushing revelation that if people that only remember the "real reality" needed to told who she was, or is, or used to be... Anyway, the jist was some of her collegues had no recollection of their time together because other Michelle wasn't part of the Red Guard, she was with the X-men. It was hard to process, but it explained somethings (maybe?) and it gave her a lot to think about on her journey back into a chair.

Dominika's remark was equally confusing on many levels that were perhaps well explained by their being a real reality she knew nothing of, but did nothing to elucidate it for her. It was almost an accusation, as if she believed she'd chosen Cass over Tinley for team leader, which she also didn't understand at all, for any reason other than they were the ones having the conversation. If Michelle wasn't a Red Guard then Tinley could have been completely different to the one she knew.

Did this mean she was buying it, this whole extra reality thing?

People were heading outside to confront the Hulk, which may or may not have been working, all she knew was the thumping on the jet stopped. Michelle wanted to know exactly what was going on outside because it sounded an awful lot more like talking than fighting, but she was Bautista's prisoner now and had doubts she'd just let her walk off to find out.

"Niah, do you remember me?"

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Michelle Diggby

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Location: Red Guard Mobile Unit - Sydney, Australia - Quinjet floor
Skills: N/A

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"Shoot you... in the back?" Michelle reiterated quietly, perplexed. Why would she shoot her own colleagues? It was as if she'd used her powers on her already, the Cass she knew wouldn't have put it so coldly to her. It was tough for her to imagine, even if she was from a different reality, that Agent Reed wouldn't have known her own Agent Diggby that she went on adventures with for the good of Mutant-kind, did she not remember the Academy where they first met? Their travels together? Their stake-outs? Their nights off? Surely a Michelle had been there in one capacity or another.

Wolverine spoke up, interrupting Michelle's train of thought and making light of her predicament. She sat up for a better view and wondered if he had his healing factor stripped of him and was frozen to the floor the Hulk was soon going to rend asunder he might better appreciate her panic. Michelle was calm though, all she just had to remind Agent Reed that she would of course help them and she'd be free, resolving her number one problem, except that Agent Bautista had other ideas. Michelle protested at first, but gave up shortly there after as without her legs free she couldn't escape. Without her arms to support her weight against her coiled legs, she laid twisted on one shoulder, cheek pressed to the cold cabin floor, staring at the cockpit siding. Fuck.

"Seems like your team doesn't want my help, Cass. Thanks for helping me with the Auto-pilot." Michelle stated morosely.