((ooc: This is the "scene setting" post for all the folks returning from Stage 3. Once you've made your post there, you may post on this thread, or start your own side-thread.

Either this Tuesday or Wednesday, us Mods will do the official hand-wave to get the Registration Law revoked, and everyone can return to the Mansion and Sanctuary boards.

For now, if you've wrapped up everything you were doing in the Camps, feel free to run amok in Mondragon Labs.

Just to be entirely clear: RPing in Mondragon Labs after the breakout is NOT mandatory.))

Mondragon Labs: for months, it had kept New York's Mutant Resistance safe within its sprawling complex and labyrinthine hallways. The Camp breakout earlier that day had been an undeniable success. Now, as the tired fighters and liberated inmates rolled into the parking garage, they could breathe easy. This was home base; they were safe.

The light smell of smoke in the air of the parking garage might be telling them otherwise. There had been a fire on its upper levels--sooty guards were directing the returning traffic back into the Labs proper, and away from the stairs leading up to where that smell was coming from.

The hallways themselves were a little... wet, in places. The sprinkler system had done its job in keeping the fire from spreading, and left the place looking like a spring shower had gone through.

The library looked like some foul adolescent immortal beast had played a game of dominos with its bookshelves.

We won't even mention the music room.

The returning mutants were being strongly encouraged to head either to the Canteen, where enough spaghetti to feed an army (and a little more besides) was waiting for them, or to the Infirmary, which had been left relatively untouched by whatever had happened while the Resistance fighters were away. On that note: any guard asked about the damage would simply say, "It's been taken care off." If anyone bothered to ask Noin Mortman at the reception desk, she would simply give a confident smile and twirl a wooden pencil over her four-fingered left hand.

Welcome to Mondragon Labs, where the staff has got your back.

((ooc: For those who haven't noticed, those of us who didn't fight with the Resistance have been, umm, keeping busy back at the Labs: "The Last Stand". Just a little minor property damage, that's all...))

Neena slept most of the way back to the Labs. To say that she was exhausted would have been an understatement. The bump-thunk-clunk of the vehicles entering a garage finally woke her. Barely. She didn't bother carrying James this time; he was out colder than a sack of ice anyway, so he wouldn't mind being dragged a ways.

Spoken orders didn't really register in her headache-fogged mind by that point. Fortunately they were accompanied by descriptive finger pointing, hand waving and, apparently once they neared the Infirmary, the arm-tugging of a number of white-coated individuals.

At one point she sniffed the air. "Who's barbecuing?" she mumbled groggily. If she hadn't been dealing with a headache, she might have used her vision to find out why a certain door, and the area behind the door, was guarded so closely. But honestly? At that moment?

She wasn't that curious....

She immediately groaned when the first doctor approached her, which an order to enter the exam room. She pulled a fairly convincing white-eyed 'evil eye'.

"Look here, Doc. I'm tellin' ya right now. I don't like doctors. I don't trust doctors. Unless you're a mutant with a healing mutation, I don't want to be bothered with you right now. But I'm willing to cut a deal. I want a hot shower, a clean bed, and no alarm clock. You give me those and do not bother me for twenty-four hours, I'll be a lovely li'l patient and endure whatever poking and prodding you deem necessary to tell me what I already know. And by 'not bother', I mean I don't even see for that entire twenty four hours. Now do we have a deal?"

A little oriental nurse snickered behind 'Doc', who didn't look happy with either woman's response. But he had more than enough patients to deal with that would cooperate. Besides, he seemed a bit jumpy for some reason....

"Lil, take care o' her, will ya?" he told the nurse with a heavy New York accent, then bustled away. Lily nodded, and winked.

"This way." Neena placed her accent as Polynesian, or maybe Hawaiian. Once she was settled in, Neena remembered the burden she was dragging.

"Ugh.... Can you do me a huge favor?" She pointed to Drooling James. "Put him somewhere out of the way, and make sure he stays both alive and asleep? I don't feel like dealing with him right now."

"I'll handle it." She barked at someone down the hall. A few moments later two large nurses entered and disappeared with the deadweight. Lilly followed, then paused, still smiling.

"I'll bring you lunch later. Any requests?"

Neena grinned. "Ice cream. Lots of ice cream. Anything with mangos and pistachios...."

"You got it." And she flicked the light off and disappeared.

Neena didn't even remember her head hitting the pillow.

When the vehicle finally pulled into the vehicle bay Streak was still out cold. His right hand had loosened during the ride and wasn't covering his wounds anymore. Streak didn't know where everyone had gone since he was the last person to exit the vehicle. He woke up and noticed that he was already on a stretcher and there was a lot of light and people all around him.

Streak finally opened his eyes to see a lot of doctors and nurses staring down at him. The doctors and nurses were poking and prodding him with all sorts of instruments. "Is it customary here to poke and prod a person like they're some weird specimen?" Streak said to them all. He was a little short with them because although they were trying to help him they were stretching his wounds as well as playing with his skin everywhere.

Streak was feeling clammy damp from all his sweat and blood. His powers were still covering his entire body. He had gotten used to it during the time at the camps. "Look why don't y'all take me to the medical place and you can examine me there. But until then stop touching me." Streak looked at the head doctor around him who was doing most of the prodding with his reflective emotionless eyes.

"Okay, okay. Nurse take him to the infirmary and make sure he's comfortable enough until I get to him. Until then..." the doc continued to give orders to a couple of nurses who nodded their heads and soon began to carry out the doc's orders. Streak tuned out the rest of what the doc had was saying and started to look around for people that he knew like Acer, the bug girl, whose name he still didn't know, Emerald, Neena, and others. However, he was looking for one person in particular, Raina. He didn't see her around but he knew she would be safe because her brother was with her. He was also very confident that she had found Sara and they were together.

All the different vehicles, mutants mulling around not sure of where to go, and doctors and nurses running here and there trying to get to everyone that needed medical attention as fast as they could considering how fast the mutants other were pouring in. This was the last thing Streak saw of the vehicle bay because just then he was being pushed through many down and down many indistinct hallways. He would have to get a feel for this place a little later once he was all healed up.

(OOC:gone to the infirmary)

ooc: I hope no one minds if I just pretend Flloyd has had someone tell him about the labs so I can make this work

ic:

The sound of the engion being cut was loud enough for those in the lab to likely hear. Flloyed removed his shades and put his gloved fingers through his hair. They got stuck in the curls that were matted with debris from the battle at the camps.

He looked behind himself to see if Naveed had followed. He shook his head. Navi had forgotten to take off the extra helmet. Flloyd himself wasn't wearing his- it was on the sleeping Raina and digging into his back as she leaned forward into it.

He cleared his throat. Was this the right place? It sure fit the description. He kicked down the stand and hit the ground with both feet. Before Raina had a chance to fall foward he had her scooped up into his arms. She seemed so small and child like - he was big and overwhelming in size just like Naveed.

He walked at a slow even pace toward the building hoping Naveed would catch up soon. The door was slightly ajar and he could hear voices and see light spilling out. He thought he might have even smelled food. He cleared his throat as he nudged the door open and looked at the room of people- Raina still cradled in his arms.

"Is anyone here from Xavier's school? I think that's where I need to take Raina." that was it. No introduction. He knew given his power that he better just spit out his reasoning for being there... because they were all likely feeling that chill run down their spines that all his usual victims felt when he read their fears.

There were some interesting fears in this room.

ooc: I dont actually know your fears, but in future if you want to do something with it, PM me

Naveed had been running the entire time and was totally pissed about this entire situation. He didn't trust Flloyd's "source" that this could be a safe place but since Flloyd took off with Raina he wasn't actually sure. By the time he caught up Flloyd had already taken Raina inside and he had to stop by his abandoned bike and catch his breath.

It took Naveed at least 5 minutes to yank the tiny helmet from his head. It may have hurt but at least it seemed a little clearer. Being around Flloyd made him feel so anxious and foggy.

He wasn't non-chalante like Flloyd was about walking into the lab, Naveed burst in like a regular bull in a china shop despite that myth being de-mythed on myth busters. He pranced right over to his sister who was wrapped up in THE COPS jacket. His mind was already imagining ways to kill the guy.

He brushed her hair from her bruised face. "Raina sweety?" he asked in the calmest voice he could muster. "Can you hear me?" while Flloyd was for some reason pre-occuipied with finding out who Raina knew here... he didn't give a damn. He just needed to know his sister was alright.

Everything was dark... and everything hurt. At least she felt warm. Raina so wanted to remain asleep but she could hear a voice calling her back to reality. Her body wanted her asleep because of it's condition... but her mind... her heart... couldn't deal with the reality of Rupert. It was shutting down. Still the voice called her.

After what seemed like ages of focusing on the voice Raina's eyes fluttered open. It took a while but she saw Flloyd's features come into view. Then she saw Naveed looking at her questiongly. She was still wearing the motorcycle hemlet. Heh. So that's why her head felt so weird.

"Navi?" she coughed out. "Flloyd? Did we make it?" she looked around to see if there were any others.

The bug girl exited the vehicle. This time completely bug free with the exception of the large dragon fly wings that poked out her back. Despite the fact she could smell smoke, and instantly became envious of who ever created the chaos while she was away, the damp air made her shiver. Her first stop was the room that she had been given, by the friends of the talking white rabbit, where she pulled on a thick, fluffy, over sized, hot pink and lime green coat, then she proceeded to the infirmary to see who had survived. Officially she was probably suppose to stay out of the doctors ways, but they would be busy and her generally seeing what was going on would, most definitely, annoy them.

Once down in the infermery, she found a busy seen. There was a man that two nurses were dragging away who looked very uninteresting, except for the fact that he had a puddle of drool on his shoulder in the shape of a bunny. She pushed her way back down the hall so that she was passing those that were still on their way to the infirmary. She’d make sure that no one was left in a car or anything like that.

There was a girl that had looked in bad shape when Pix saw her run off, back at the escape, who had two men doting over her every whim. Passing them made Pix shiver for a moment. The halls were busy and if she didn’t watch out or focus, she could get squished or the bugs that were bigger than her could eat her. She swallowed hard, blinking for a moment, No that was impossible. She was human size right now. None of her bugs were big enough to eat her. So she pushed the thought from her mind. (Pix’s fear for you Ffloyd.) She walked on not knowing why that thought had entered her head. Of course that event was impossible because she was in complete control. Even of the bed bug that lived in the mattresses that unsuspecting patients now rested in.

Moving on, there was a third she found, not that far away. The guy with silver skin. “Hey Mr. cant make up his mind to rest when he’s already had the snot beat out of him or go play hero.”

As soon as the doors opened Sara’s nose took in all the new odd smells. Including the ones that were wet and burnt. Great. This place was supposed to be safe. Riiiggghht. Sara leaned forward taking in the smell of the spaghetti as well. At least someone knew how to cook.

The feline had seen better days. Her camp uniform had been torn where she had been injured. There was dried blood, crusted around where she had needed to heal, or where it happened to just splatter on her from Scythe, and her body was looking thinner than ever because she had asked it to heal in the escape. Normally Sara’s body could put up with much more, but she had gone into the day’s fight malnourished.

As soon as Sara had stepped out of the vehicles, she thought about turning around and going right back inside. This place was strange, and while there were people she had gotten to know at the camps mixing with people who had come to get her and people assuring the crowd that things had been taken care of, there were doctors. More Doctors than Sara really cared to see in one place, and of course, on had to find Sara.

She tried to wave him away with a simple hand gesture. “I’m fine. I’m just going to get a meal and find people.”

Why couldn’t doctors take the raise, no really I’m fine, when one is covered in cut fabric and dried blood, as an answer? This doctor was young and he shook his head grabbing for Sara’s and tried to direct her to a stretcher. Maybe this doctor was new.

“No really I’m fine.” Sara insisted. The doctor tugged on her arm for her to move to the stretcher, but her feet didn’t budge.

“Come on and relax. We’ll fix you up.” A nurse came over to try and help sooth Sara, then another moved to the stretcher and wheeled it closer to her.

“I am fixed up, I really just need some food and a hot shower. Honest. HEY!”

Another nurse had come up from Sara’s right and was getting too nosey and close as she tried to inspect the flesh under the open holes in Sara’s camp uniform. “Hold still and we’ll be done soon enough.”

“You are done. See” Sara stretched the fabric around where she’d gotten hit on her side. Showing that she had healed but they didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, there was another at her elbow filling a syringe.

“That better not be for ME!” Sara grumbled. The doctor jumped and his hand flinched. Making what ever was inside the syringe squirt out.

Sara shoved past him, headed towards where she could see Raina and Streak going off to.

As the vehicle's pulled up to the lab's, Voltaire woke up from his from his sleep. He was so exhausted from the mission that he fell asleep in the vehicle. As he tried to get out of the vehicle he felt the stinging pain in his side again. His head was all drowzy from the ride and the hit on the head. He picked up his coat and put if over his shoulders.

Doctor's approacuhed the vehicles for emergency support. One doctor came to voltaire. "Let me take a look at that" He said. Voltaire sat down and pushed his coat of. The doctor wrapped him in bandage and put a patch on the side of his face. "You are good to go"He said.

Voltaire picked up his coat and made way to his room.

Zeke hopped out of the vehicle and helped his fiancee down from it after him. He stepped into the labs and looked around. It was cold here, very cold. Beside him, Evie shivered with a growing fever. The excitement of the day had been a lot for her to handle, and her recent captivity had thrown her into sickness. Zeke would have to take care of her back at the house. As much as he wanted to keep her here and safe, chances were good that the government wouldn't let this rest. They would probably follow the APCs and try to take care of the mutant escapees and assistance. Zeke knew the coldness of the human heart, they would want revenge.

So they couldn't stay here. Zeke threw his heavy black coat over Evie's shoulders and they made their way through the labs, headed for an exit. As soon as he found one, he took it, leaving the compound far behind. He walked the streets of New York until they found a taxi and made it back to his apartment by nightfall.

Stepping into his flat, Zeke's thought was, Dang... I left my car at the camp...

Arriving back at the labs didn't exactly make Syn a happy girl for a few reasons. First being that she would rather be back in Sanctuary. She was anxious to see the rebuilding of her home. Though she didn't have any doubts in Lisa's abilities. Secondly, she didn't want to give back the nice new toys she had been given to use. The vibro knives did an amazing job cutting through the humans body armor with little extra effort on her part.

Bypassing the medical examinations Syn made her way to find the man from the armoury.

((OOC: Jumping back into the armoury))