ooc - i'll continue this as i keep writing... there will be one or two more posts.

ic - Slade was in his Audi R8 form driving himself through Detroit, he was nervous as hell! Slade hadn't returned here in just over 14 years, not since the accident... His post-trauma therapist, endlessly provocative and irritating to boot, had insisted that reconciling with the past could help with ending his doubts and fears of the past and maybe even helping to return the memories lost after his most recent injuries. Slade had scowled at her in frustration that it wasn't himself that needed to reconcile it was his parents.

Unsurprisingly she had won out, assertive women tended to get their way and on top of this she had threatened to stop helping him if he was unwilling to help himself. Well now Slade was "helping himself" and it wasn't going to be an easy ride by any lengths. The last time he and pa had been together Slade had ended up facing the family 12-bore, he would be damned if that was going to happen again. It wasn't that he didn't want to see his family again, they just reminded him of a time when he had been happy.

He turned up Scotten Street and drove past the familiar Clark Park, he had played there as a child... the memories were dull and faded, like a picture that's been left out in the open for too long or like the ones that grandma used to own before she passed away. Slade hadn't got an invitation to her funeral, had it not been for his aunt he probably wouldn't have heard of her passing. As Slade reached Wolff Street where he used to shoot hoops with Michael and Will he transformed into his human form. It was quiet so noone would pay particular attention, anyway he was sure there would be other mutants around here. New York couldn't be the only place in America where mutants lived!

With a slow and calming breath he rounded the corner onto Clark Street, an old and calmed street filled his vision as he glanced across to his old home. It hadn't changed. The windows still had the stained lace curtains inside them, the door was still half painted a dirty yellow. At least the tiles on the roof seemed to have been fixed... Slade had lived in the attic and he still remembered all the buckets he had to use to stop the water dripping on his carpet. He noticed the damn cross still hung from the door, the symbol responsible for the hatred his father held.

Slade felt a chill tremor through him, he wanted to move but his legs wouldn't carry him. Intense fear held him inplace that was stronger than anything he had ever felt while on duty for mr Antonescu. The last time he had seen his parents they had hurt him more than words could express, Slade's greatest fear was that of abandonment and even now Slade didn't think he could cope with it a second time. Unfortunately it didn't seem like he had a choice. His mother's face had just vanished from the window.

Slade shook violently and forced himself to stride towards the door. He was about to knock when the familiar shrill voice of him mother pierced Slade through the door.
"Sirius, don't you come one step closer or I'll use Berny on your mutant ass!"

Slade swore and raised his right arm infront of his torso, 'Berny' was the 12-bore shotgun. As his right wrist transformed clicking and whirring into his handy tear shaped shield he retorted,
"Don't give me that mother I've only come to talk!"

He heard 'Berny' being cocked by his mother and talked more hurriedly,
"Please Victoria I need to talk! Didn't you always teach me that violence doesn't solve sh*t?"

The door blasted open and his mother sprang out vehemently.
"If I've told you once I'll tell you again, Sirius Icademus Ravenscroft!" Slade flinched, not only because he thought she'd pulled the trigger but also because he'd forgotten how much venom she could put behind his full name, it was still beyond him how such a small woman could scare the crap out of him!
"How many times? Don't use language like that infront of your mother! If dad were here he'd have clunked you one already like you deserve!"

"Mom I want to talk," Slade blurted while she took time to breathe,
"I've missed you all these years and I hate this rift between us."

"You mean the rift you created? The evil inside you that you allowed into our lives? Into your brother's life? Hell no Sirius I stand by our decision to erase you from this god fearing family, you are against god! There is no redemption for you or your brother!"

Slade was close to tears, closer to anger. She was still into this religion bullsh*t, Slade blamed his dad for it. The man had always been a pious vulture. More worryingly she had said Matthew was beyond forgiveness too, what had his brother done to offend the family devotion to the almighty? He stepped closer to his mother and leaned in, stooping down to her height.
"Damnit mom when you gonna remember that I'm your son? And what the hell do you mean about Matthew?"

He could see she was rapidly losing control, her face was turning to the dangerous shade of purple and the neighbours were peering from their porches or their curtains at the commotion.
"You are NOT, and NEVER will be my son!! Matthew was tainted with your evil, he is a mutant just like you."
She began to sob at this point, her body shaking uncontrollably as she wept. Slade stopped breathing momentarily, Matthew was a mutant?
"It's because of Matthew that Arnold is dead, the evil that you two created killed your father and now I have nothing left! Now leave me before I have to watch another person die because of your evil!"

She pointed the shotgun back at Slade and began retreating into the house. Slade had lost all senses and the ability to speak. Pa was dead? As the door closed he remained where he was. He was lost, unable to move. Pa was dead. He hadn't even been told... Matthew was a mutant, Slade had to find Matthew. If pa was dead then there was no chance in hell mother would ever forgive him. She never forgave and considering what she seemed to have become Slade didn't want to know her anyway. He had to find Matthew, maybe if he found him Slade could have a family again. Feel a part of something again.

As the people on the street began to murmur more vindictively Slade turned, wiping his eyes, and transforming he began to drive away. The therapist had been right in a way, confronting his past had certainly closed a chapter. His old family was dead to him now, he had to concentrate on forming a new one with his brother, if he could find him...

ooc - this post finds Slade a few days later, still in Detroit. This is a few days before the posts in [fp] red carpet and paint. I will also close it here for now.

ic - Slade stretched, not needing a place to sleep he had been parked neatly in his car form as he dozed fitfully. The radio squawked and tuned as his dreams took him from his recent conflicts to what he intended to do. Fortunately the windows were up and it was early morning so anyone who walked by was probably too sleepy to realise that it was not a radio station but a mutant's dreams... His wheels jerked from left to right in what must have been a sleepy twitch, and Slade returned to the land of the awake. Yawning deeply he transformed back to his humanoid form and made his way over to the starbucks across the road. Jamie worked there and he and Slade were in for a little chat...

He pushed the door open and ducked inside. The small cafe was buzzing with early morning commuters readying themselves for the injection of caffeine they had become so addicted to, the workers already looked exhausted and weary behind their masked smiles now etched horribly into their despondant faces. He focused on the tawny haired kid right in the centre and started loping forwards steadily. As he approached, the young man named Jamie looked up from his half-made cappucino and proceeded to drop his half-made cappucino.

"Sirius?" Slade shook his head as the kid gasped his name, even before he had become a giant car Jamie had been shy of him.
"Take a break James, we need to talk about Matthew." Jamie turned pale, Slade assumed this to mean he knew where the dear brother was. Leaning over and lifting Jamie over the counter he looked to the staff manager.
"Family business sorry, I'll have him back in one piece..." To be fair even if he hadn't what was the scrawny little 'staff manager' going to do about it? It never hurt to reassure them though...

Outside Slade replaced the small guy on the pavement, keeping him well within arms reach. The kid stumbled, he hoped Jamie would buck up and tell him what he needed to know!
"So, James..."
"Jamie." the kid interjected timidly, Slade clenched slightly and growled on,
"Whatever, look I need to know where my bro' is I heard he was a mutant." Slade let this sink in, although he bet Jamie already knew all of this.
"You were... are his best friend and I need you to tell me where he is!"

"I won't tell you man, he blames you, ya know! Your sh*t fucked him too he says." Jamie retorted after a breath. Slade grabbed him impatiently,
"Goddamn Jamie tell me..!" Slade blinked and Jamie had disappeared. He leapt back, extending to his full height and desperately swept the scene infront of him. Where had he gone? Was he invisible? Slade looked down and to his shock saw a miniature figure scuttling towards a hole in the wall. The idiot had somehow shrunk himself... must be a mutant... As the miniature Jamie leapt into the small hole Slade concluded; definitely a mutant.

He strode agrily over to the hole and leant down, he breathed deeply, and then, with effort, spoke calmly with patience.
"I know you're in there, and if you don't tell me where he is I'll rip through this building to get you." Upon this he presented his left arm to the hole and let it slowly transform, clunking and clicking into it's sword form. All he heard from the hole was a squeak.

A few seconds later the miniature form of Jamie emerged, panting in shock.
"Look, he'll know I told you and believe me nowadays he's violent so don't expect a warm welcome." Jamie slowly expanded back to his normal size.
"Cool..."
"Thanks. Anyway he lives in Dallas, Texas, now. North side, if you're smart you'll know where to look... That's all I can tell you so can I get back to work before I'm fired?!"

Slade sighed, violent... he'd expected nothing less. Matthew's temper had never been very controllable. This was irritating, his brother was too far south for him to have time to find him now. He only had a week of his leave left as it was and he needed to prepare and return to his therapy so to be in full health and fitness upon rejoining the Kabal. Overall this trip to Detroit had been educational, if not very helpful...
"Thanks James, I owe you." Slade murmured gutturally.
"We're even if you leave me alone, don't ask me no more questions yeah?"

Slade glared in retrospect, he turned and began to transform into his car form so that he could return to New York. His brother would have to wait.
"Yeah..."