Forced Conversation (Wisdom, Monet)

[Mimic]

It had been sometime since Calvin Rankin had traveled to the Big Apple. Given the events of the past few years the young mutant actually found himself overseas and squaring off against the forces of Apocalypse more then he found himself back in America doing the simple tasks of grocery shopping or enjoying a meal at a local restaurant. Truth be told if he hadn't been contacted by a former classmate Mimic would've probably been gathering information and attempting his next move to try and do something to impede Apocalypse's seemingly unstoppable wave as it stretched farther and farther across the globe.

Cautiously the former Mass Academy student approached the restraurant Monet had suggested they meet at. Calvin knew that someone like Monet would choose a more upscale sort of place then just the regular burger joint that he would have prefered but something in Monet's voice over the phone intriguied him enough to show up. While she hadn't said much over the phone she did mention perhaps an opportunity for Calvin to put his "skills" to use.

Walking into the restaurant he pulled the sunglasses from his face and slid them up his forehead to help keep his hair out of his face. After giving his name to the host he was led back to a table and given a menu. Apparently Monet hadn't arrived yet which was fine. Calvin really wanted a moment to help gather his thoughts before seeing his old classmate again. He order a glass of water and simply sat their waiting patiently, the menu laying untouched on the table. He realized his simple attire of jeans, a dark colored t-shirt and boots along with a open collared shirt didn't blend in perfectly with the atmosphere of the restrautant but he would simply have to deal with that fact and see what it is that Monet wanted to speak to him about.

[wisdom]

Despite having lived in New York for over half a decade, not to mention the numerous trips he had here courtesy of her Majesty’s service, Pete still could not get over how much he genuinely hated the place. There was simply something about the city that fundamentally irritated him to his core, and five minutes in the concrete jungle was more than he’d willingly spare without a good reason. Especially when it involved going to such a high-scale restaurant, those places were too formal and ‘too interested in ramming their egos up their own bloody arses’ as his father would of so eloquently put it. Still, as he held the door open and waved his current companion through, he had to admit that the reward of this potential visit outweighed his own personal feelings.

His current choice of clothing, like the man in front of him, probably didn’t match up to the restaurants view on suitable fashion, instead simply consisting of his standard white shirt, a worn and travelled looking black leather jacket, and simple non descript trousers. The only concession he’d visibly attempted was the black tie that hung haphazardly around his neck in a loose manner. But he wasn’t here to wine and dine or even impress the man he was here to see with his flair for style, instead he was here on something much more pressing, namely recruitment.

“Calvin Rankin I take it.” Pete said as he slid into the chair opposite the copycat mutant, not even bothering to phrase it as a question. He knew of course exactly who the man was otherwise he wouldn’t even be here, and had undertaken several hours or so of careful research and called in some of the few favours he could spare that were owed him by his former colleagues in the intelligence community. “You can call me Wisdom,” he added in the same flat, dry tone that really didn’t give off much beyond a vague sense of boredom as he placed a cigarette packet on the white covered table. “I hear you’ve been doing some pretty interesting work as of late, putting a few rain clouds in a certain individual’s otherwise sunny day so to speak. We’re here to let you explain to us why exactly.”

[monet]

Meeting up with old acquaintances from the past was always interesting and the funny thing was that there were usually 4 scenarios. A) Said person is a sight for soar eyes and the reunion is marvelous. B) You wonder why that person is still walking the earth instead of being tortured in the pits of hell where they belonged. C)You could care less or D) You don't even remember them. Well, today would be meeting with her old classmate, Calvin or Mimic was his code name back in the days when they were both Hellions. Before Monet discovered how much of a joke Emma Frost really was (even though they nearly had the same personality traits, minus her dressing like a stripper in white). That was the past, this was now and in the present, Monet had a chance to actually put her powers to use and do some good.

When it came to X-force, there was no holding back, it was strictly do what is to be needed, whatever the consequences maybe and get the hell out. No nonsense, it was what Monet liked. Though, the team was a bit lacking. It only consisted of herself, and 3 other people. They definitely needed to expand and when thinking of potential members, Calvin was the first name to come to her mind since she heard he'd broken away from the Academy also. His gifts would be very much appreciated and she arranged a meeting to discuss the details in more depth.

Monet made her entrance into the restaurant in her dress and looking around for a familiar blonde. She finally caught sight of him and Wisdom. Her heels clicked across the surface as she approached the table with usual elegance.

"Hello Calvin. Long time no see. You're looking well, then again you always have. How has life been treating you?" she asked taking a seat across from him and next to Pete. "Seriously, you could have tried a little harder on the outfit. That tie is hideous" she sent into Wisdom's mind while keeping a genuine smile for Calvin.

[Mimic]

Fortunately for Calvin he wasn't forced to wait in the restaurant for very long. After five years of living with Northstar's superspeed Mimic had found himself having a more impatient side then before. However given the advantages that ability had provided him over the year he was perfectly okay with that. Before the man had even approached his table the young blonde knew he was coming. A gift from his old teammate Wolverine kicked in as Calvin's sense of smell was overwhelmed with the foul scent of old cigarette smoke. The source of this odor appeared in his line of sight and quickly sat down across from him. Just seeing the man's appearence didn't inspire much confidence but he decided to trust Monet and whoever this was would have been incredibly stupid to approach him without knowing who he was.

The stranger quickly informed Calvin that he was aware of who he was and gave him a name. His expression and body language made him seem like a "professional" in some of nastier businesses going on out there. Calvin had met people like him before and knew the attitude. He also knew he wasn't exactly the biggest fan of it but still it wouldn't hurt to listen to whatever it was Monet and Wisdom wanted to discuss.

“I hear you’ve been doing some pretty interesting work as of late, putting a few rain clouds in a certain individual’s otherwise sunny day so to speak. We’re here to let you explain to us why exactly.”

Wisdom's choice of words and tone was irritating and Calvin almost responded when suddenly Monet appeared. She looked exactly the same as before and even walked around with an almost trademark attitude.

"Hello again Monet," Calvin said with some degree of warmth to his voice, "you're right, it has been a long time and appears the years have been kind to you. I've managed to stay busy over the years as I'm sure you and your friend know."

Adjusting his body slightly he turned to face himself more directly towards the man that had accompanied his former classmate.

"Also nice to meet you Wisdom. Now before we begin allow me to make one thing clear. I've known you for about a minute and a half so for the time being you don't 'let' me do anything." His tone wasn't threatening anyway as far as Calvin could tell but said with more of a matter of fact to them.

"Now as to your statement. The reason I've been making 'rain clouds' as you put it is a simple one. Because it needs to be done. If certain people are allowed to remain unchecked then their influence will consume this world. While some people may want to try and and negotiate or simply make treaties but those are the options of fools. The only language this certain individual will understand is fighting fire with fire and that's exactly what I've been doing." He made sure to keep his tone calm and to keep the conversation quiet enough that it remained between the three of them.

[wisdom]

‘It’s a tie, innit? What more do you want from me?’ He thought “loudly” in response to Monet’s little criticism about his appearance, letting the pair get through the whole customary niceties that old friends usually had to go through before you could get down to business at hand. ‘’sides, Sage never complains when I use it to...’[/color] He purposely trailed off at that point, eyes dancing with a brief sense of amusement before it vanished as quick as it had appeared. Despite what other’s might of thought of his beautiful and somewhat stuck up teammate, Pete knew there was a little more to her than met the eye. Maybe not as much as he’d probably of liked, but enough to trust her fully with his life on a regular basis without batting an eyelid. Considering how short that list really was, that really did say something.

He turned his attention back to the man across from him as he spoke up, expectedly rising to Wisdom’s less than subtle baiting. Sure poking a mutant with even a fraction of the potential he’d heard the kid carried around with him wasn’t the smartest thing Pete would probably do today, but nevertheless it was part of his somewhat sketchy process of recruitment. Judging which way they’d react, what they were made of, and more importantly if they had the right, well, stuff for lack of a better word. So far he wasn’t disappointed, the guy had some stones riding around in there, but the British agent for once really wished he could come across one of these “kidults” that were somewhat less vocal. Make his life a damn sight easier and quieter.

“So you’re reputation isn’t all smoke and mirrors, you’ve got some backbone to you.” Wisdom replied in the same tone as before, although now a thin smirk tugged on his upper lip as he slid one of his cigarettes from its packaging. “Well, you can colour me bloody impressed. But let me make one thing clear to you, pretty boy, I am only here because my beautiful companion here thinks somewhat highly of you. Not as high as she obviously thinks of herself, naturally, but enough that it piqued my interest.”

After flick of flame - coming from his lighter rather than his powers, no sense in overtly advertising being a mutant in this current climate – and a puff of smoke Wisdom lent back into his chair, blatantly ignoring both the non-smoking signs and the disapproving stare of several of the restaurants other patrons and staff. Instead he chose to regard Calvin a little more closely, his brown eyes gaining a slightly calculating look as he mulled over what he’d said.

“So we’ve got ourselves a follower of Lex Talionis, the law of equal retribution then, huh, M? An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and so on and so forth in that fashion. Kid stuff.” He spoke up after several seconds flashing the woman beside him a bemused and lopsided grin, once more deciding to probe a little more into the kid’s intentions and mindset before he even considered handing him an offer. “That kind of thinking ain’t what I’d call smart, mate. Especially when the fire you’re up against ain’t so much a fire, as a bloody inferno.” Another pause and another puff of smoke. “That kind of situation you have to think a little differently, change you’re tactics. You don’t fight fire with fire, instead you don’t even give it the opportunity to even know it’s in the ring in the first place. This is war, make no mistake about it, you’re wanting something done, you do it in the back alleys. You don’t want to give the fecker a chance to understand the language you’re speaking in, you want him dead.”

“If you don't understand that, maybe we have less to talk about than I'd hoped. Maybe we’ve wasted our time here, M.” Pete shook his head and rolled his cigarette between his thumb and forefinger, letting his bored expression slide back into place and creep back into his tone of voice once more. ‘Poke, poke, bloody poke. This kid better have some fire to him, M, you know I don't like going to this concrete dump without a good reason.’

[monet]

"Please. I do not need to hear of your adulterated nursery home antics." was her simple reply back to the Brit. True that Wisdom and Sage weren't that old as she criticized them of being, but she did enjoy their loath over such statements. What was a few nitpicking between team mates anyway? They may have exchanged some witty retorts here and there, but over all, Wisdom was one of the few and I do mean few people that she truly respected. If she didn't, she wouldn't be working under him in the first place.

She could already sense a bit of hostility between her current and former team mate. In her opinion, men really were a piece of work, but of course given Calvin's personality and Wisdom's, both of them were stubborn as all hell, (even though she wasn't really one to talk) there would of course be a bit of friction. Of course her head absorbed the compliments of her look like a sponge. And as she tucked her hair behind one ear, her eyes set back on Calvin. "He speaks the truth. You are one of the most memorable of those from my past." a smirk appeared on her crimson coated lips. It was no secret that Monet was a powerhouse and considering the multitude of powers that she'd been blessed with, there were very few who were capable of taking her down. While they never outright fought each other, Monet, though she would never openly admit it, knew that Mimic was a force to be reckoned with that even she would have difficulty doing so.

"Besides, it isn't very wise to go about continue acting on your own against someone like Apocalypse. Which is why we have called you here. You really want to do some serious damage and make a difference, then consider our offer. You know that the X-men and the Hellions are essentially alike, even though they claim that they are nothing like each other. They're the heroes and they try to protect everyone of course, but sometimes there is dirty work that is needed to be done that neither teams can really handle mentally and morally because what we're forced to do sometimes just isn't pretty. " she reached over snatching the cigarette from Wisdom's fingers and snuffed it out onto a napkin. The signs clearly addressed in it's signage that this was a non smoking restaurant. Monet St. Croix would be damned if he made her look bad in public. "It is bad for your health anyway. Besides, I hate the smell of tobacco."

[Mimic]

As Calvin patiently sat there and listened to what both Wisdom and Monet had to say as they basically criticized everything he had been doing for the last few years he calmly reached out and took a long sip of his water that was before him. He decided to be patient and allow them to both make their points before decided to interject his response although it was a little difficult to sit there and listen to how what he was doing was completely wrong their eyes. Once they finished he put the glass of water down and cleared his throat.

"Well first things first. I haven't been doing things the way I have because I was under the impression that my way was the best way to get things done. I do it that way because as the moment its the best option I have available to me right now. If thw two of you have a better option for me and a chance to really use my powers to do some good then by all means. I trust Monet's judgement and she certainly seems to agree with what you have been doing."

Mimic leaned back into his chair for a moment before taking another sip of his water.

"Besides Wisdom, when its comes to being able to change tactics and adapting my style its something I tend excel at."

[wisdom]

‘Actually I’m pretty surprised you didn’t hear it last time, luv, we were less than, shall we say, subtle.’ Wisdom responded again, amusement colouring his thoughts even if his face kept its mask of neutrality. He didn’t even bother giving the age quip a remark, even if it sent a familiar pang of irritation through him. He wasn’t that much older than the younger woman, although since taking on a job teaching History a the institute there were times he really did feel as ancient as they often joked. Part of him wanted to chuck it in and let him focus solely on X-Force, but his self-perceived debt to Xavier kept him committed to maintaining both aspects of his life.

He only diverted part of his attention to listening to Calvin’s response to the lengthy tirade he’d laid down on him, the rest of it being channelled into observing the man carefully as he spoke. He was keeping his temper reigned in despite the visible irritation he’d got from Pete and M’s arguable lecture, that was good. There was fire there, that much was plain to see, but it was controlled fire. That showed him that the youth wasn’t as stupid as half the kids running around trying to make a name for themselves, and showed him that the kid could be, for a lack of a better term springing to mind, used. Ultimately that was what all of X-Force was for, to be used as a tool to do the jobs that other’s would find undesirable.

“So I’ve heard, mate.” He began after Calvin finished talking, moving to take a drag on his cigarette just as it was stolen from his hand. His somewhat bored expression shifted into one of general annoyance, especially when she went ahead and stubbed it out so viciously and thus ruined it for later. There were few things Pete Wisdom hated in life more than the untimely death of a good cigarette. “Lot of things are bad for my health, luv, but I can assure you that that wasn’t one of them.” He groused, truly believing that despite fully being aware of the risks those thin sticks brought with them. After all they kept him relatively stress free, which was saying something given both his job and the company he tended to keep.


“As I was saying... So I’ve heard, mate.” Wisdom repeated himself once more, still sounding slightly put out as his right hand’s fingers twitched at the absence of a cigarette to keep them preoccupied. He knew however that if he even began to reach for another it’d just be snatched away again, or maybe even the whole packet this time, both outcomes not preferable to the Brit by any stretch of the imagination. “But the bigger question is are you willing to lend that to hitting the targets we identify and following orders, even if it means getting a little dirty in the process?”

[monet]

"Well I guess we should just write a thank you letter to viagra about getting old thumper back up now shouldn't we? she kept her composure and smiled at her british companion before turning her sights back on Calvin. "No one is criticizing you. We're not saying that what you have been doing is wrong either. We're just asking you to take a different approach by joining us. And yes, I know what you're thinking. I've developed another gift since we've parted." she said pointing to her right temple.

"And he will." Monet interjected after Wisdom's question. Surely if Calvin was able to take orders from Frost, he shouldn't have any problems with Wisdom, right? Especially if the orders were for trying to save the planet. "You know I don't beg, Calvin so you will just have to settle for a 'please' which I hardly say either."

[Mimic]

Calvin listened carefully at the something of playful banter between M and Wisdom for a moment before the conversation worked its way back to the topic at hand. The words between being said to him by his former classmate and her new associate seemed like an enticing offer. However this would be a big change in his life, working with a team, having a more structured chain of command, trusting others with his life. These where the things that he didn't enjoy about being at the Mass Academy and a part of the Hellions. Thankfully his powers usually made it that he didn't need a team. However Wisdom seemed to speak with conviction and truly believe his offer was good. The fact that he had gained Monet's trust and she seemed to feel as strongly about the work they where doing spoke a great deal in Wisdom's favor. After taking a deep breath he squared himself into a more comfortable position in his chair before interlocking his figers in front of him and speaking his mind.

Well Wisdom, if Monet has told you anything about our time at the Mass Academy then you should already know that I have no problem taking orders. If I can follow the commands of a woman who I disagreed and disliked in every way possible then listening to you.

For a moment he reached out with his own mutant ability and tapped into Monet's powerset. The other mutant was certainly gifted and he felt the rush of her abilities as they poured into him for a moment. He sorted through the abilities and felt the familiar tingle in his mind as his borrowed telepathy awakened itself. While he was nowhere near the skill level of your typical telepath he could still perform the basic aspects of the power.

Yes, Monet. he projected into her mind, I'm very aware of all the cool tricks you can do. He smiled for a moment before continuing his conversation.

"I'm not asking for you guys to beg. Or even say please which I know is a stretch for you Monet. I've seen evil men do evil things and yet we let them walk away. I've become tired at simply sitting by and reacting to what evil men do, I'm tired of waiting for them to start killing innocent lives before we got off our butts and do something. I want to stop them before they have a chance to cause harm, I want to save lives before they ever even knew thye where in danger. If that's what your offering Wisdom then by all means sign me up." Finished voicing his opinion Calvin offered a handshake to Wisdom from across the table with hopes that they can seal the deal and start doing something better for this world.