Jacen was still ticked at the girl for thinking that a gun or a bow could be simple toys, but the articulate twin seemed to want to carry on some sort of conversation. That might not be a bad idea... at least it might help the time move a little bit quicker.

"I do not believe I caught your name, Sir. Mine is Slate. My brother here, is Calley."

"My name's Jacen King." He replied, as his eyes continued to flick back and forth from the road in front of the vehicle and back up to his rearview mirror where he could keep an eye on his strange passengers. "It's... interesting to meet you."

For a moment he had almost said it was nice or a pleasure to meet them but just in time he had caught himself... it wasn't a pleasure to meet these three psychos. In fact, all it did was remind him of the criminals and crazies he got to deal with on his job most every day. "All I wanted was a day off... just a day off... is that so wrong?"

"So obviously, I was out here doing some hunting." Jacen spoke up against as he indicated the deer in the back of his truck with a slight flick of his head, "I come out at least once a year so I can get some venison steaks, deer jerkey, and the like. What about you three... any particular reason you were all out here in practically the middle of nowhere?"

Finally the vehicle was able to pull off the country back road and onto a paved road once again. The ride of the vehicle smoothed out and Jacen began to accelerate up to just above the posted speed limit. He wasn't going to abuse the privelide of driving faster than the speed limit by going crazy or anything, but he would push things just a touch.

"The fast I get there, the fast I get them out of my truck."

Hmmmm…. This was an interesting predicament… .. ..

Petunia stared down at her right foot, that had been linked to Calley’s left foot. Well, ankle, to be exact. “Oh my”

She looked at Calley sitting next to her and tugged her leg sideways. Consequently giving his leg a tug too. Pix sat there, staring down at her feet. The other, more adult and much more boring men gave their names, and on reflex Pix introduced herself “Mine’s Petunia.” while still staring down at her feet pondering why changing to a bug wasn’t making her loose the restraint.

Slowly she twisted her eyes back at Calley. “You don’t have the key?” Her voice hissed out between her lips. A finger jabbed at Calley’s knee. “It was there a minute ago.” She continued in the hushed hiss. I know. I saw it right before I shot the truck.”

>> "My name's Jacen King. It's... interesting to meet you."

"Likewise," Slate returned, his tone composed.

>> "So obviously, I was out here doing some hunting. I come out at least once a year so I can get some venison steaks, deer jerky, and the like. What about you three... any particular reason you were all out here in practically the middle of nowhere?"

Ah. So this was small talk, was it? Slate had encountered it before, under somewhat... less atypical situations. He was not entirely certain why its presence surprised him now. What better time for small talk, then when one was trying to ignore the two elephants in the truck?

>> “You don’t have the key?”

Finger on his knee finger on his knee BAD TOUCH! Calley jerked away, accidentally tacking her leg with him. "No, I don't have it! Maybe you should have thought of that before you made with the handcuffing, Petutie!" Yes, he knew Slate had the key. But no, he didn't think Petunia here needed to know that. If only out of spite, she didn't need to know that.

"My brother and I were practicing our powers. We were birds, if you happened to see us before this... incident began." Slate answered the man's question, over the noise of the other two. "I am not sure about Miss Petunia, though I believe she was the dragonfly that assaulted my brother's avian eye. The weather was nice, so we decided to practice outdoors, rather than at the Mansion. We picked a remote location, so that we would not have to worry about--" Slate hesitated slightly. "About running into humans. Please forgive my gross generalization, but most do not react quite so calmly and helpfully to displays of power."

Jacen was doing his best to ignore the two annoyances but it was like trying to ignore a gnat that is continually trying to dive inside your ear... not impossible but very difficult.

"Slate, Calley, & Petunia... what have I gotten myself into?"

“You don’t have the key? It was there a minute ago. I know. I saw it right before I shot the truck.” Petunia hissed at one of the twins under her breath. Jacen did his best not to wince as he wondered exactly what the damage to his precious vehicle might be... and how in the world was he going to explain to a body shop that there was a bullet hole that he needed to have repaired? And not on the outside... on the inside of his frickin truck!

"About running into humans. Please forgive my gross generalization, but most do not react quite so calmly and helpfully to displays of power."

"I can understand that, but I'm not that shocked by mutants anymore." Jacen replied evenly, his eyes meeting Slate's in the rearview mirror for a moment before he returned his gaze to the road, "And while you have some in your community that make the Manson family looks like they should be in Sesame Street, you've got some decent law abiding people too. From what I've seen, that means that mutant can be good or bad, just like a regular human."

"Unless of course that memo was right and the X-Gene really does drive you crazy." He mentally added to himself, "If that's true then all of you need to be locked up."

Jacen wasn't a scientist... he was a soldier and a cop. The details of scientific testing and formulas were lost on him but if the testing proved what so many human supremecists said, then he would have to side with them. Personally though he couldn't believe it... why were there adult mutants that had never done anything wrong if the X-Gene truly drove them psychotic?

"Are you two just bird shifters then?" Jacen continued the conversation, while doing his best not to turn around and snap at the other two. If the two of them kept this up it was going to be a VERY long drive to the school.

The boy jerked away and petunia’s leg followed. Oh that metal pushed into her skin a little. By the time this was over she’d no doubt have a nice red ring around the ankle of her pail skin.

"No, I don't have it! Maybe you should have thought of that before you made with the handcuffing, Petutie!"
“Hey meatball. I only cuffed one side. You could have thought too.” Petunia gave a nod that sent her hair flopping in her face and another consequential jab with her finger. Petunia crossed her arms with a “humf” and turned so she was facing forward in the seat.

I am not sure about Miss Petunia, though I believe she was the dragonfly that assaulted my brother's avian eye.

“I might have been buzzing around pretending I was a dragon and getting birds to make them selves my dinner.” Pix shrugged under the coat. She grinned and turned back to calley. “Just think of this. When we start being able to turn again, I could be right next to you and you wouldn’t even know it.” Because that’s the specialty of bugs after all. “Sleep tight tonight.”

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Calley did not take threats from Bugzilla McGee. Calley attempted to kick her, but it might have worked better if their legs weren't moving in unison. In any case: he brought his own suddenly grinning face a little closer.

"Just think of this," he returned. "When we start being able to shift again, it stops being cannibalism. Be vewwwy quiet, Bugs Bunny. I like my snacks at midnight."

...Slate was most distinctly ignoring that conversation.

>> "Are you two just bird shifters then?"

"I am a healer, technically," Slate volunteered, "but my brother can shift both of our forms to bird." What Calley could not do--or which he had never thought to attempt, in retrospect--was shifting them both to a human form. He could not copy human forms; therefore, he only had the form of Caleb Swartz. It was also quite impossible for him to be two of the same cat at the same time; he had tried that once, out of curiosity. So why, then, were they now two distinct human teenagers? It was a question Slate's mind did not have enough information to answer. It traced to their DNA, and the template of humanity that existed there, regardless of their form. It was what they had reverted to, in the field of an Adapted. All of Calley's usual heartworm splinters had been reabsorbed; Slate, out of contact with his own body, had simply been 'reset'. Returned to the default, as it were.

"May I inquire as to your profession, Sir?" He asked, to continue the conversation. The conversation was in desperate need of continuing, lest the two mature individuals in this vehicle be forced to listen to the inanely petty squabble going on next to Slate's ear.

"I am a healer, technically, but my brother can shift both of our forms to bird."

"Healing's a nice power to have. We had a healer with our squad back in Iraq. He saved my life once... saved a few of the other guys in the unit too." Jacen reflected out loud as he remembered the feeling of almost dieing in a pool of his own blood, "The power must not have worked on himself though. He died from a sniper's bullet."

"May I inquire as to your profession, Sir?"

"NYPD." There wasn't the slightest hint of hesitation in his voice but there was a noticable amount of pride, "I've been with them almost two years now. Joined up not longer after I left the army."

There had been relatively little time between his being in the military and joining the NYPD but that was just because Jacen liked to be active. He enjoyed the danger of facing down the criminals in situations that not just anyone could handle.

"I discovered that the civilian life just wasn't my cup of tea." Jacen said with a slight chuckle, "I prefer being in on the action."

Pix’s leg was kicked and it swung back to the end of it’s short chain and snapped right back at Calley’s leg. Petunia was definitely going to have a nice red ring on the inside of her leg but maybe she could make sure Calley had the same. She yanked her leg towards her and pushed herself back, comfortably in her seat.

"Just think of this, When we start being able to shift again, it stops being cannibalism. Be vewwwy quiet, Bugs Bunny. I like my snacks at midnight."

“You’re desthththththpickable, doc.” Petunia mirrored Calley’s leaning. “Because when we start shifting again, road kill becomes tasty quizzine… Ever tried it?”

>> "Healing's a nice power to have. We had a healer with our squad back in Iraq. He saved my life once... saved a few of the other guys in the unit too. The power must not have worked on himself though. He died from a sniper's bullet."

Slate was quiet for a moment. Could he have healed from that? It depended largely upon where the shot struck, he supposed, and whether Calley's heartworms were activated at the time.

...The heartworms. Slate blinked. He could not feel them; had whatever done this likewise taken them away?

"We all have our weaknesses," he finally replied. "I am sorry I could not meet your squad mate. He sounds like he was a good man."

>> "NYPD. I've been with them almost two years now. Joined up not longer after I left the army."

...Ah.

>> "I discovered that the civilian life just wasn't my cup of tea. I prefer being in on the action."

The brown-haired teenager--the sane brown-haired teenager--spent a moment staring up front at the rearview mirror, watching the fragment of the man's face as it moved in that small plane. "Thank you again for helping us," he repeated, at last. Though neither Slate nor Calley had done much to warrant NYPD attention, it was still not his first choice of job profession to trust. The man was taking all this rather well, though. It went to prove that there were, indeed, exceptions to every rule. Not every law officer need be bitter, resentful, or afraid of mutants, simply because they had lost dozens of officers in the past few months to mutant attacks. The Sanctuary Massacre was old news, if infamous; Isabel and Giant's Bane's little romp through downtown--both of their romps, actually--had been much more recent, and distinctly more bloody. They were only two mutants, however, out of an entire species.

...Slate made a mental note to consider talking to Giant's Bane. Perhaps the unwarranted slaughters could be toned down, a bit, now that the man was on Labs payroll.

>> “You’re desthththththpickable, doc. Because when we start shifting again, road kill becomes tasty quizzine… Ever tried it?”

Oh. Oh, so that's how it was going to be, huh? He leaned in, she leaned in? Well. If it was a game of face chicken, he wasn't going to lose. Calley leaned in closer. Any closer, and they'd be making lip babies as they whispered sweet traumatizations into each other's vindictive eyes.

"Yeah," he whispered Chesirely, "I have. Ever tried a cold bite of Camp inmate?"

If they were having some kind of grossing out contest, then he wasn't going to back down from that, either. She would rue the day she's wing-jabbed his eye. Rue!

Jacen was doing his level best to ignore the two... crazy people that were in his back seat. Thus far Slate had proved himself to be rather intelligent conversation but the other two were starting to get on his nerves just a little. Well maybe a lot, but he could still do his level best to ignore them. After all, who in their right mind would dain to be dragged into a conversation about road kill?!

"He was a good guy." Jacen replied to Slate's observation, "He stayed quiet and kept to himself for the most part but he was still a good man. A good medic and Ranger."

His comment about being in the police force seemed to bring out less of a reaction. Jacen knew he really shouldn't be surprised. So many of his fellow squad mates had made their opinion of mutants quite clear on multiple occasions which meant that even the mutants that weren't dangerous were rather cautious around anyone from the police department.

"Thank you again for helping us." Slate spoke again after several moments of silence. Maybe Jacen's comment about being a police officer had shaken Slate even more than he realized. Was that just because of the standard nervousness or was there something more sinister behind his current silence?

"So, do you attend the Mutant School," Jacen began casually, his eyes flicking up to the mirror to meet Slate's reflected gaze before returning to the road, "or do you do something else? Have you chosen your career yet?"

Hmmm. It seemed the petite Bug girl, was getting more of a challenge from the older brother of Slate’s. Did he like picking on little girls? Petunia probably only came to his shoulder and yet there she was having a face to face stare down. She tried to bring her face even closer to his but he had the height advantage there and pix had the advantage of seeing up Calley’s nose. How many fat, juicy, grubs did pix think she could cram up each of Calley’s nostrils? SIX!

"Yeah, I have. Ever tried a cold bite of Camp inmate?"

Petunia grinned. Oh so they were going to talk about quinine. Nice! Lets see. Road kill, Camp inmate. What in the world could possibly be more disgusting than camp inmate? “Nope. Never tried a bite of cold camp inmate. I did dine on camp guard though, when the camp inmates were finished with him, and he was still warm and wrrriggling.”

>> "So, do you attend the Mutant School, or do you do something else? Have you chosen your career yet?"

Slate gave a nod to the first question. It sufficed for the second, as well. "I take classes at Xavier's part time," he explained. "I recently took over the family business--" this being the easiest way of describing a full coup, he had determined; and, if one wished to be technical, it had been Hunter's abuse that had lead to his birth; "--so that is where my main priorities reside right now. Somehow, finishing high school no longer seems quite so important." Nor did doing Calley's math homework for him.

>> “Nope. Never tried a bite of cold camp inmate. I did dine on camp guard though, when the camp inmates were finished with him, and he was still warm and wrrriggling.”

Calley gave a snort, and chalked that up as a point to Team Swartz. Camp guards? Not even close to being on par with Camp inmates. "At the breakout, huh? You don't exactly strike me as the aid-your-fellow-mutant type, Muffet."

((ooc: Might I suggest a hand-wave of time soon, to put us back in the correct state, and possibly near the correct city? This is a long drive. ))

(OOC: *waves left hand* Hmmm... nothing happened. *waves right hand and magically time jumps forward* YES! )

IC:
The drive back to New York was long. Make that really long. Make that EXTREMELY long, especially when you have two young people doing their best to have a gross out contest in the back seat!

"I should take back the blanket and jacket." Jacen thought somewhat vengefully as he glanced back in the mirror to see Calley & Petunia still going at it, "I bet that would finish up their gross out contest!" The thought was entertaining and for a few moments, Jacen allowed himself to entertain it as he tried to figure out how it would work. Obviously the blanket could be snatched away from Calley with relative ease but the jacket on Miss Petunia would be much more difficult. If he could get her to lean toward the front of the vehicle it was large enough he could probably snatch it up and over her head but there was no guarantee it would work. After all, it could just get stuck part way. "But even part way might be enough to shut the two of them up!"

Finally, after admitting to himself that such an act would probably make three young people in the back seat think he was some sort of pervert, Jacen threw out that plan. Truly his only hope for ending the contest and getting back to some sort of peace and quiet would be to get to the school as quickly as possible! Glancing over at a sign on the highway, Jacen did some quick mental figuring.

"About, ten or fifteen more minutes. Then I can have blessed silence. Hallelughia!"

"So what kind of business are you in Slate?" Jacen asked, his mind going back to the young man's earlier comment about taking over the family business, "Was it a family restaurant, store, or maybe a shipping company or something like that?" He didn't know why those three possibilities had sprung to the forefront of his mind but for some reason they had. If it was a restaurant... well... after meeting Calley and listening to him, there was really no way Jacen could eat at a restaurant he was involved with. No matter how professional Slate was, who in their right mind would trust Calley with their food?

(I agree. Hand wave the time jump. Sorry about my delay in getting a post up. I haven’t been feeling pix lately.)

“Mmmm Muffins.” Why did Calley have to bring up other foods? He was making Petunia hungry and she was wishing even more that someone could have gone splat against Mr. nice hunter’s windshield so she would have at least had a snack.

“Me at the break out has nothing to do with my fellow mutants.” Pix ran the tip of her tongue over her front teeth. “It was about keeping humans in check and making sure their hamsters didn’t didn’t have a chance to gain world power.”

"Uh-huh," Calley answered, with the indignant venom of true logic, "and what about the mutant's hamsters? You've just put their cause ahead by a few years, and we all know they're the more dangerous ones. And if you're still making light of the muffin man's role in all this, I beg you to answer one simple question: do you know who he is? 'Cause the CIA does. They've got a file on him thicker than that deer corpse."

"My company is in research and development," Slate was explaining. "I believe I will be moving us to a stronger focus upon medical technologies. One of our lead scientists has made a very promising development with an artificial heart, that holds the potential to revolutionize the transplant field. Our business, you could say," he stated simply, "is in such revolutions."