Rachel Grey

[Dated June 17, 2011]

She should be going back. She knew there were people worried about her. But she couldn't. Going back would be like... admitting defeat. Admitting that she really was absolutely powerless here, powerless to keep her family safe, powerless to keep them together. Her entire life, all she ever wanted was to have her family whole and alive, together and happy. But she'd lost them, over and over. To the Sentinels, to the soldiers, to the Shi'ar assassins, to misguided mutants trying to make a point and absolutely failing. Leaving her alone.

Adding another stick to her campfire, she checked her meager food supplies. She'd done some hunting, some fishing, but she was running low and that meant she either had to go back or sneak in and pick up some supplies. Which, considering the number of professional thieves, ninjas and ne'er-do-wells she'd grown up with shouldn't be too hard. It would probably be a good idea to pick up some medical supplies, too. Apparently, some dinosaurs took it personally when you raided their lairs for eggs and while she only had a few scrapes and bruises so far, and moderately-nasty cut on her arm, she knew it was probably only a matter of time before something got lucky and took a bite out of her.

She really should be going back.

But instead she pushed the thought away and poked at the fire, adjusting the coals nearer to the stick she'd used to split her dinner on. It was just a lizard she'd caught, but it would be done soon, she'd eat, maybe indulge herself in a late-night swim before trying to sleep again. It was hard, the nightmares had come back, waking her on the edge of screaming, hunting her with the images of her failures. Watching the flickering firelight in the darkness, she slowly realized that she hadn't been this close to completely un-hinged since right after her grandparents had been murdered. No wonder she was more comfortable out in the wilderness, where she didn't run the risk of seeing anyone else get hurt, where she could tell herself that she wasn't there. That she couldn't do anything. She could let herself off the hook.

She could be a coward.

She kicked the fire, sending coals scattering into the darkness as she started to cry. Why was this always so hard?

She was running. She didn't know how she'd gotten to this point, but she knew, if she didn't run, they'd find her and she didn't have anyone to protect her anymore. Logan was dead, Ororo, Kitty and Peter.

Franklin. Her Scrapper, gone in the flash of a Sentinel's blast along with all the others.

So she ran, ran as far and as fast as she could even though she knew... deep in her heart she knew it wouldn't be the Sentinels that found her. Not with all their mutant sensing technology and their city surveillance, no they wouldn't find her. He would. He would find her and drag her back to his labs and his drugs and his machines to hurt her until she gave in. Hurt and bend her mind until she gave up her own life and bent to his will.

Ahab, Master of Hounds.

Her feet pounding the wrecked New York pavement, she kept running into the night, listening to the City-wide alarms. Mutants free, mutants escaped, everyone look out for the mutants. She turned a corner and fell, arms breaking her fall, but the skin scraping off her palms. Shaking, she held the wounded appendages to her chest and looked around the dark alleyway, never seeing the dark figure that was sneaking up behind her.

Hi, polychromatic.

Every post before this point is for polychromatic. Every one after is for the_blank_slate.

Thanks!

This is Rachel Grey, leave a message, I'll get back when I can.

Press 1 for voice mail.
Press 2 for text.
Press 3 to talk.
Press 4 to e-mail.

[ooc; Use ~text~ if you're giving a mental shout, Rachel keeps her telepathic "ears" open for her friends.]

[You can hear Rachel's semi-amused voice on the video as it opens on three mini-Rachel's arranged on her desk in a row. One's in the obligatory black leather, and it appears that she's been bound and gagged and none too happy about it. The second is wearing Rachel's uniform and is workign on what looks like the Lux schedule. The third, in what some of her friends will recognize as her hound uniform, is taking a nap.]

And now we reach a stalemate.

Has anyone else gotten theirs to be quiet?

Hello, friends and maybe family that I haven't seen in awhile. I'm at work, directions are attached to this post. It's a nice bar, I'll buy you a drink.

If this goes longer than a day I have... an empty bedroom, a nice couch and plenty of floorspace... or the apartments across the hall are empty... I think.

I love you, I missed you, come by and see me?

[Filtered to Lux Employees]

I get that all of a sudden you might be surrounded by a dozen or so of your nearest and dearest from home. Been there, done that, BUT. I would really appreciate it if you still showed up for your shifts, or at least parts of them.

We're, um, kinda busy all of a sudden...

[/Filter]

( Action at the Lux )

[ooc: Anything goes! Action threads are welcome at the the Lux, or this post can be tagged (and backtagged) as much or as little as you prefer.]

Okay, don't think I'm going to need to sleep for, like, a week.

Anyone up for clubbing, or just hanging out and watching movies?

Hell, I'll make it my treat, or my place, or... whatever.

...Any takers?

[It appears the giant nose of a cat is attacking, but really it's just Mercy, batting at the Network device before hopping over to Rachel's bed where Keffie's already curled up with a speaking Rachel. The clock reads very, very early in the morning, and it's pretty obvious she hasn't slept, or was woken up by the compulsion to talk.]

...life incarnate, and yeah, it sounds cliche, but that's just... I've never met anyone with that much life. Which is ironic, seeing as how she's dead now. And then there's my Dad, who's probably as insular as my Mom was outgoing. But that whole still waters run deep? Totally applies to Scott. No matter how much chaos there is around him, he's... still. Strong. One of the only people I believe when they tell me it's going to be okay, and it still works today.

My brother's like that too, only with a temper. Got that from his Mom. Oh my God, Maddie was a piece of work. Totally fine, right up until she went crazy and tried to destroy the world.

[The cats seem to disbelieve this, or perhaps they're wondering why Rachel's still talking.]

Then there's my Granddad on my father's side, Corsair, Christopher Summers was his real name, but by the time Dad and Alex found him again, he hadn't used it in years. Space pirate by trade, and no, I'm not kidding about that either. He was a really great man, loyal to his crew, loved Scott and Alex to pieces... Gabriel, too. Even when Gabriel killed him, he was trying to stop him, save him from what he was becoming.

We couldn't save him. I couldn't save him. [She's visibly shaken now and her mouth opens and closes a few times like she's trying not to talk.]

Couldn't save my Mom's parents either. My Gram'pa, he was the kindest soul I've ever met. Just invited me to stay with them even though he didn't know a thing about me. Did you know he played a mean game of basket ball? He was GOOD, too. And he just... accepted me, didn't matter to him what had happened in the past, or what was happening around us, he just... he loved me.

And I couldn't save him. He was killed just because he was related to me and I couldn't save him. Him, my mom's entire family, all killed. And the real kicker - it was just blood, technically none of those people were my family, they were just... their timeline's version of what my family was back home. My real home. But the didn't care - they just took me in and it got them killed.

[She throws a pillow across the room and the the cats streak out and Rachel's left crying and talking to herself.]

Then there's Scott's grandparents, up in Alaska, they owned an small air shipping business...

...God, why am I still talking about my family?! I should be asleep!

[Someone's going through papers on a desk. It looked like it had been organized, once, but that organization had been gone. Rachel's muttering to herself, obviously trying to find something.]

I know it's in here somewhere - who the hell was going through this place...?

...Jesus, where's Bobby Drake when you need an accountant?

[She sees a piece of paper and grabs it.]

Ah-ha! Oh, wait, this is from last month's payroll. Where's...

Holy crap, is this Goodfellow's old tab?

[She shakes her head and goes back to looking.]

This is gonna take forever.

[Rachel's voice is harsh, it sounds like she may have been crying for awhile. Her first words are muffled, like she didn't realize it was already recording.]

Last one standing. Again. I don't know if I can do this anymore....

[She clears her throat, and begins speaking louder.]

For everyone who knew her, Kitty Pryde has left the City. Sometime tonight, I guess, she wasn't home when I got here, and her mind... she's just g-gone.