H.I.H. Starbridge Xavier Neramani (gildedcage) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2010-12-12 07:22:00

Entry tags:

Potential Nightmares Scenario.
The images fanned out before Starbridge's eyes, events unfolding into the difference. In over half of the sequences, the west wing of the Institute was completely ripped apart by out of control energy. Emanating from the third floor. From Cassidy's room.

Starbridge came out of the vision in a cold sweat, sitting on his bed in the night. He closed his eyes again, took a deep breath, got up, threw on his dressing-gown, and stepped out of his room and walked toward Cassidy's.
He knocked quietly but firmly.

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sound_and_fury
2010-12-12 06:45 am UTC (link)

Cassidy's eyes open slowly at the sound of knocking. He's been trying to sleep, but the suit is uncomfortable in his bed. Moreover, he still doesn't like sleeping indoors; he's trying to change that, but old habits (and phobias) die hard.

Between discomfort and the knocking on his door, Cassidy gives up on sleeping and throws his sheets aside to answer the door in his black containment suit with metallic filigree in the shape of concentric circles emanating from a solid circle at his chest.

He blinks at the person on the other side of the door, mostly because he and...Emperor Starbridge don't really know each other at all, so Cassidy has no idea why he'd be knocking on his door at this time of night.

There's something else about Starbridge he should know, but he can't think of what it is.

"Um, hello, Your Highness. Can I help you with something?" Cassidy asks, unsure if he should be bowing or something.

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gildedcage
2010-12-12 06:54 am UTC (link)

At any other time, if he knew about the confusion, His Imperial Highness would happily point out that he is only a Prince, not an Emperor. But this was no time for that.

Looking at the suit, he had no idea what might or might not be wrong with it. But he knew the man to see.

"Hello, Cassidy. Yes, please. I need you to walk with me to find Sylvie's father." From everything Father had said about Cassidy -- and he'd said a lot, after everything that had happened -- Starbridge thought it was the best thing to call Dr. McCoy, as using his professional title could hit subconscious points of sensitivity.

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sound_and_fury
2010-12-12 07:04 am UTC (link)

Cassidy's confusion is evident on his face; everybody knows where to find Dr. McCoy. Cassidy speaks to him or Dr. Reyes about medicine or science, as Cassidy has shown a strong aptitude for both. He doesn't like to think about /how/ he obtained that aptitude, but is glad that he can use it for something other than what he was shown.

"Well, he's probably still in his lab this time of night, Your Highness. If you're lost, sure, I'll walk with you." he says.

"I just need to get some clothing on."

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	gildedcage 2010-12-12 07:06 am UTC (link)
	"Please do it quickly," Starbridge says with ostensibly calm earnestness. "I need you to walk with me." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sound_and_fury
2010-12-12 07:15 am UTC (link)

"Okay." Cassidy says, nodding slowly and closing the door. In his room, he admits to himself that he's just a little creeped out right now. Starbridge seems insistent on seeing the Dr. McCoy right now.

Cassidy puts on some jeans and a green shirt, along with his boots. He checks the rings on his suit; they're all blue, showing that he's still in the safe zone.

He opens the door and steps into the hallway with Starbridge.

"Okay, I'm ready. I'll show you where he is." Cassidy says, starting off down the hallway.

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	gildedcage 2010-12-12 07:17 am UTC (link)
	Starbridge keeps pace with him. "I hear you're going to Muir Island for Christmas. Father says it's lovely, but very cold in the winter." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sound_and_fury 2010-12-12 07:43 am UTC (link)
	"Yes, I am. I'm really looking forward to it. I get to meet my family for the first time and introduce them to...Izzy." Cassidy says, hesitating a moment. He can't really call Izzy his girlfriend, so he doesn't. "I'm going coat shopping really soon, too. Are you going home for Christmas or staying here?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	gildedcage 2010-12-12 07:46 am UTC (link)
	"That is good. And the coat is a good idea." "Here, with father. It isn't the holiday season on Chandilar anyway, even if I wanted to be there." Almost to the lab, and he hadn't gotten CAssidy worked up. There was still a few more safe minutes, according to most of the visions. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sound_and_fury 2010-12-12 08:07 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, that's cool. Uncle Scott told me that my grandfather, on his side of the family, lives in space, too. I think it would be cool to visit the far reaches of the galaxy and meet other races." Cassidy says, thinking it over. "Professor Xavier is a great man. He saved my life, along with Tina and the others." Cassidy says quietly. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	gildedcage 2010-12-12 08:13 am UTC (link)
	He nods. "Captain Summers has helped Mother on several occasions. When she was in the right," Starbridge says quietly. "Father is great, yes." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sound_and_fury
2010-12-12 08:23 am UTC (link)

"I hope I can meet him one day. I'd like to ask him about space travel." Cassidy says.

Soon enough, the pair arrives at the lab. Cassidy both loves and hates Dr. McCoy's lab. He loves the technology and equipment, but hates the lab itself, as it reminds him somewhat of Sinister's experiments and the things he was forced to watch.

A tremor begins as the building rumbles beneath their feet.

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gildedcage
2010-12-12 08:32 am UTC (link)

Starbridge grabs Cassidy by the shoulders. "Okay. Your job right now is to breathe. Just breathe. Nothing else is your responsibility but breathing in and out. Don't think about anything that's happening, or where you. You're here to do one thing, and that's breathe. Got it?" If he gets some sort of acknowledgement, he'll quickly turn to Dr. McCoy.

"I think Cassidy needs his suit checked. I had a vision, and it's a better-than-even chance...Just check it, please."

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sound_and_fury
2010-12-12 09:05 am UTC (link)

Confusion, once again, colors Cassidy's face. First, Starbridge drags him out of bed to find Dr. McCoy's lab, which everyone knows how to find. Now that they're /here/, he's supposed to breathe?

"But I /am/ breathing..." he says as Starbridge turns to Beast. The tremors dissipate somewhat at Cassidy's confusion.

They return when Starbridge mentions his suit needing to be checked, which sets off an alarm bell.

"Um, Starbridge? My suit rings are blue. I'm okay. Really." Cassidy says.

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nextgen_parent
2010-12-12 09:10 am UTC (link)

Beast's eyebrows raise in surprise at Starbridge's statement and he rises from his chair to look at Cassidy. He also feels the tremors as well and takes Starbridge's warning to heart.

"I do see that your rings are blue, Cassidy, but Starbridge's ability cannot be discounted. Furthermore, the tremors we're experiencing didn't begin until just this moment. I'll ask you to follow Starbridge's advice regarding your respiration and allow me to visually inspect your suit.

If there's an issue, we'll address it." Beast says.

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	gildedcage 2010-12-12 05:52 pm UTC (link)
	"Yes, but you have to focus on that and just that. Nothing else that happens is your responsibility." "Thank you, Dr McCoy." Starbridge would have no idea how to find a connection failure or other such problem in a containment suit. He just has images of the west wing being ripped apart lingering in his head. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sound_and_fury 2010-12-13 03:16 am UTC (link)
	"Ooookay, then." Cassidy says, resigning himself to whatever is going on. He's not sure what Starbridge can do or why it's so important, but he submits to Dr. McCoy's examination. He removes the top layer of his clothing to make it easier for Dr. McCoy to see the suit. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

nextgen_parent
2010-12-13 03:22 am UTC (link)

Beast takes up a device that looks somewhat like a Geiger Counter and draws it slowly about Cassidy's frame, listening as it beeps steadily until the device gets near Cassidy's left calf.

Then it beeps rapidly. Beast squats down for a better look and finds a tear in the suit.

"Oh my Stars and Garters." he says. "Cassidy, what I'm about to ask you to do is going to be distasteful to you, but it needs to be done for the safety of the school." Beast says gently.

"I need you to go and stand inside the containment cell, like you did when you first arrived."

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sound_and_fury
2010-12-13 03:26 am UTC (link)

And Cassidy's distaste for this plan is evident in his expression. He looks across the room to the containment cell and visibly pales.

He tries to focus upon breathing, he truly does, but it's all he can do to keep from passing out. Suddenly the room is three times smaller than it was a moment ago and the walls seem to close in further and further each moment.

And the rumbling gets stronger. Somewhere in the room, a glass shatters.

"I don't want to go in there, Doctor McCoy. It's...it's too small." he says quietly, his tone colored with abject fear.

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gildedcage
2010-12-13 03:38 am UTC (link)

"You don't think about where you are," Starbridge says quietly but firmly. "You think about putting one foot in front of the other. Just one foot in front of the other. You don't think about what will happen or what might happen. Just that one foot goes in front of the other. That's all you need to do. The result isn't your responsibility, just taking the action and not letting any aspect of it get to you.

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	sound_and_fury 2010-12-13 04:04 am UTC (link)
	They don't have to get inside that containment cell. "Okay." Cassidy says, walking toward the containment cell. He gets to the door and hesitates briefly, trying not to freak out. They let him out once. They'll let him out again. He wished Tina was here, or Izzy. Or Cait. He walks into the containment cell and sits down. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_parent 2010-12-13 04:06 am UTC (link)
	Beast closes the door and turns on the dampening field to nullify Cassidy's powers so that he doesn't absorb any further sound. Hank wishes it didn't have to be like this, but the safety of the school is paramount. "Starbridge, thank you for acting so quickly. I fear your vision would have come true if you hadn't." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	gildedcage 2010-12-13 04:11 am UTC (link)
	Starbridge exhales a little. "Thank you, sir. Will it take long to fix?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

nextgen_parent
2010-12-13 04:33 am UTC (link)

"Well, a new suit will have to be put together and we'll have to contact Muir Island for that. The larger issue will be getting Cassidy to bleed out the excess energy he's taken in." Hank says, turning things over in his mind. He asks Starbridge to follow him across the room, away from the cell.

"Csssidy is constantly absorbing every generated and ambient sound around him. His body converts the energy for different uses, but there is no off-switch for his absorption. The suit is simply a means to limit the absorption-to-output ration, but there is no way to terminate the ability short of his wearing an inhibitor at all times.

And the last time /that/ happened..." Hank's voice trails off, before he says too much.

"Sinister has outdone himself in his desire to torment the Summers family this time around. If you hadn't acted when you did, Your Highness, the results would have been catastrophic." Hank tells him.

"You should rest. I'll stay with Cassidy for the time being." he says.

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	gildedcage 2010-12-13 05:01 am UTC (link)
	"What can he have safely in the room?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_parent 2010-12-13 05:24 am UTC (link)
	"Books. Those are the least harmful objects he can have with him." Hank says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	gildedcage 2010-12-13 05:32 am UTC (link)
	"Thank you." And he will go back into his room and come back in a while with a copy of the Bhagavad-Gita, a text on Buddhism, and a book on Transcendental Meditation. "These are all interesting reading. I find some of the implications disturbing, but some elements and techniques are helpful," he says to Cassidy through the glass wall. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sound_and_fury 2010-12-13 06:27 am UTC (link)
	Cassidy looks up at Starbridge through the glass, then squints at the books in question. He's not seen anything like them before, so he gets up to look at them. "Meditation? I've seen Rose reading about Eastern Philosophy like this when she thinks no one is looking. I could use something to pass the time." he says. Pause. "Can you tell me what you saw earlier?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	gildedcage 2010-12-13 06:49 am UTC (link)
	"..I saw... a strong likelihood -- not a certainly, just a....strong likelihood, of your entire wing being torn apart. Coming from your room." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

sound_and_fury
2010-12-14 01:43 am UTC (link)

Cassidy looks down at the floor. He'd been doing better. He /thought/ was doing better. He'd fought so hard to keep control, to just live his life like anyone else.

And tonight, there had nearly been another accident, another Fargo.

Another Jake.

How could he stay here with the amount of danger he put people in every day? Of course, he could probably leave, but where would he go? No matter where he went, the risks were the same, unless he could find a place with no people to hurt.

"I understand why you had to trick me into coming here. You saved a lot of people, Your Highness." Cassidy says quietly.

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	gildedcage 2010-12-14 01:59 am UTC (link)
	"I would have explained from the start, but I didn't want to scare you and end up with a self-fulfilling vision." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sound_and_fury 2010-12-14 04:02 am UTC (link)
	"It's better you didn't. I would freaked out." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	gildedcage 2010-12-14 04:33 am UTC (link)
	Starbridge nodded. "I figured. I hope it all gets sorted out as quickly as possible." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sound_and_fury 2010-12-15 12:55 am UTC (link)
	"Yeah, thanks. And thank you for the books. I'd like to talk to you about them sometime if you're up for it." Cassidy says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	gildedcage 2010-12-15 06:35 am UTC (link)
	"Sure." And Starbridge nods politely and makes his exit. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	sound_and_fury 2010-12-17 01:51 am UTC (link)
	-(END)- (Reply to this)

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