The call went out to all nearby X-men, straight from one random cop.

"Yeah. X-boys. We got a funky situation over here at the apartment complex on," the nasally voice rattled off an address. He sounded confused. "Strange clouds. Crackling lightning on the rooftop area of the complex. Mist down the side of the building. And strange sounds. I just-" He broke off. One could almost hear something in the background of the transmission. Like a gurgling howl. "It reminds me of something, but I can't place it. And I figured this was out of my jurisdiction because I'm not seeing any actual crimes being committed here! Maybe a little baby weather mutant or something, just stretching his legs? I dunno. I just said to myself, who am I gonna call? That's you. Dem's da breaks! Good luck!"

Tetsuya Shinbo had been out flying around on a green triangle platform, on patrol. He'd stopped, considered the whole thing, and decided to fly over and check it out. Several minutes later, he'd arrived. He hovered in the air, about 15 stories up.

It was a tall apartment building, and sure enough, on the 18th level there was mist. All the way up to the 20th floor, with the garden rooftop area enclosed in a haze of clouds and ominous weather effects. It looked like something out of a movie. Very halloween-themed. In December. It was a wonder there was no snow in that suspended storm. He supposed the best way to go was to enter the haze, and check it out.

He encountered a problem, when he came too near the cloud. A bolt of electricity nearly snapped Shard out of the air. He recovered, barely, and wheeled down to ground level. Shard wasn't going to take any chances about flying into an electric storm in the sky. He'd go up the interior of the building, and make his way to the top. Then he'd come out in the storm's eye.

There was a fancy guard at the entrance. Problem 2 of the day. He didn't want to let Shin in. So there he was, standing in front of a high rise apartment building in New York with something funky going on up top, looking like a loser. Because the damn door man was demanding some sort of proof of residence or police ID. Stopped, before he'd ever started.

Sam was asleep at the bar again, his bar. However he was asleep because he was tired, not because he passed out from the night before. Sam had been alcohol free for a few weeks now, or was it months? His dreams of his experiances with his not-real family had become more vivid as of late which was why any chance he got the ice-mancer welcomed a shut-eye. The call ruined that.

Grabbing an energy drink from one of the fridges he looked to the day shift and raised it, ”Mark it down I’ll pay for it later.” before he could hear his manager argue he exited the door and hopped up willing ice to form under his feet.

Lucky for Sam the incident was only a few blocks away and what’s more lucky when he got to the entrance of the building he spotted a familiar face, one he hadn’t seen in his opinion way too long. It seemed not everyone was happy to see his shard forming buddy. ”What, the guy got a thing against Asians?” Sam asked as he dropped down next to Shin, then looked to the doorman. ”You know we were sent by the police right?” Sam asked as he patted his pockets with his free hand wishing he had his badge.

With a sigh and a sip of his energy drink Sam looked to Shin and shrugged, ”Wish I could say I had my badge but…” Sam shrugged and then looked up, ”I only came down because I saw you, been good?” Sam then raised his drink in the direction of the fog surrounding the upper half of the building. ”Welp, want a lift up?” he asked ice already forming around his feet.

Like a knight in shining armor, Sam showed up. If knights drank energy drinks and wore eye patches, that was. And wouldn’t that make him less knight, and more pirate...? Shin smiled at Sams antics good-naturedly.

”He takes his job very seriously.” He said. He probably would have given even the police trouble.

The doorman shrugged at Sam’s police comment, almost in confirmation. “Rules is rules.”

With no badge, he didn’t seem to want to budge. The door man was as good as a door, himself. A locked one. Unless he could be talked into listening to common sense.

”Good enough.” Shin answered Sam. He hadn’t seen him in a while. They’d have to catch up.

Sam gestured up. Did he need a lift? Shin smiled at that. ”The storm up there just sent me tumbling. Otherwise, I’d fly myself. Listen, door man guy. Do you not see... the giant clouds and crackling thunder and lightning show up there?” He gestured wildly at all of that.

The door man took a few steps out from the building, stared for a second, then looked to the ice man. “You two can go right on in. This crazy power stuff is a bit beyond me. And ye say you’re with the cops.”

Shin nodded at him. Then, he started into the building and made for the elevators. They’d need the stairs for the last floor. But it’d be better than falling several stories.

The elevator doors slid open. Shin stepped in. He held it for Sam.

”So what’ve you been up to, Sam?” Shin asked. The elevator doors dinged shut. ”Probably not attempting to slay any students during your spare time like me.”

He smiled at Sam casually. Clearly, there was a story there. Clearly.

Elevator music played in the background. Fitting music. It’s not unusual. Well. Maybe not fitting, if you listened to the lyrics. But it certainly could have been worse. It could have been that private dancer song, or something. That likely would have given Sam flashbacks.

Sam smirked and followed Shin to the elevator once they got into the building heading up the building Sam got a chill down his spine, was it the music? Yeah, definitely the music the icemancer visibly shuddered when the lyrics said Private Dancer. He hadn’t heard from PD in a while. Normally he sent mail from prison, he even tried to call Sam once or twice before he changed his number. ”I hate this song…” Sam muttered before trying to change the subject.

”So you tried to kill some kids? Mind control?” Sam asked knowing Shin was apart of his rescue from Amanda and T.A.T. something the icemancer will forever be grateful for. ”I know all about how to escape mind control now if you need some pointers.” Sam pointed to his leg with a stabbing motion, sure the shard-mancer had heard about his outbursts at least once.

The numbers in the elevator went up as the seconds passed until they stopped a few floors short of the roof. ”Crap…” Sam said as the doors opened and some people crowded on pushing Sam and Shin towards the back. They all hit the ground floor button and were upset when the elevator continued to go up. “Why is it going up!?!” shouted a man in a very nice suit.

((Oh wow I lost track of this thread. Welp. Maybe necro-posting, I can finish it up.))

"Naw. Bad training scenarios. And other stuff. Too much to get into right now." Shin said.

Sam would know, about the mind-control. And about the government agencies and the kidnapping and all of that, too. Come to think of it. Worth talking to him about all of that, he supposed. If it came up. But now was really not the time for personal info and venting.

It especially wasn't the time for venting and personal conversations, when MORE PEOPLE boarded the elevator. Crap.

"There is business at the top floor. We," He gestured at his chest, where he thought he'd pinned the X-comm badge with the giant red X. "Are X-men. Trying to help. You all can go down together once we get to the top."

The guy who had complained flipped Shin the bird. Wonderful.

Ding. THe elevator resounded, not too long from the fateful finger. Shin made people make way so him and Sam could exit.