I9DT - Desperate Times...

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 3:44 pm

Ryan had been down in the War Room, taking stock of the direct lines that the X-Men had to other organizations, which ones he knew, which ones he could possible name-drop his way into a conversation with, and which ones were just out of his league and could be dismissed.

Currently, he was in uniform, sitting tiredly in front of the communications station. "If that's the soonest that Dr. Richards can see me, then that'll have to do. Will you let me know if something earlier comes up? Yes, that's right. Oh, I understand. I appreciate you getting me this much. Thank you."

He let out a long sigh, slumping back in his chair with his eyes closed for a moment.

by **Samantha McManus** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:00 pm

"Would have thought you'd be on your way to New York by Quinjet by now," Ms. McManus said as she stood in the doorway.

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:24 pm

"Mom's mad at me," he said, slumping back in the chair. "Asked Uncle Scott to find a way to tie up the quinjets for a few days so I wouldn't have to get bitched at all the way across the ocean."

by **Samantha McManus** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:26 pm

"I've met your mother, and I'll confess I'm not quite sure what sets her off sometimes."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:39 pm

"Me, usually," he mused. "Right now it's 'bothering important people so much that they call her to ask her what's going on.'"

by **Samantha McManus** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:40 pm

"Making a few calls, were you?"

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:41 pm

"Did you know my mom had bad blood with the Pentagon? I sure didn't know that. I do now, though."

by **Samantha McManus** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:48 pm

"I can sympathize. I think I'm off of Abigail Brand's Christmas list now."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:51 pm

"Yeah, I heard," Ryan said, looking through the list some more. "So I'm trying to find other ways around her."

by **Samantha McManus** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 9:59 pm

"Who is willing to do an end-run on SHIELD and SWORD? If there were, I would have called them already."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:00 pm

"More who's willing to give us answers. Although yeah... if Dr. Doom were still around I might think about paying him a visit and sucking up." He sighed. "Very, very sad how few people have space resources, though."

by **Samantha McManus** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:04 pm

"We tend to be thought of as a backwater world, for our lack of space travel."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:08 pm

"Backwater, yet dangerous enough to keep attacking. Quite a contradiction, there..."

by **Samantha McManus** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:10 pm

"It's because half of them left their bloody toys here when we were still cavemen."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:14 pm

"Well, tough, now our clubs have gotten better," Ryan said humorlessly. "If you've got any suggestions who I should talk to, I'm open to them," he said, rubbing his eyes.

by **Samantha McManus** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:15 pm

"I wish I did, but I've been exhausting my own resources."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:17 pm

Ryan sighed. "Damn. Doesn't give me much hope for my own resources."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:28 am

"Can't rule out SWORD finding out something, but Brand made it obvious she's more interested in placating the Shi'ar."

"Have I mentioned how much I dislike that woman?"

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:33 am

"I think I've heard something about it."

"Granted, she must despise me right now."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:36 am

"Likely didn't even take your calls, aye?"

"Not from a lack of trying, I'll grant."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:39 am

"Didn't even try, after I heard she told you to forget it," Ryan admitted. "Having that fiasco on my head has to put me even deeper on her shitlist, though."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:42 am

"Apparently more irked by one of ours insinuating bedroom antics on the part of the Majestrix, as well as what happened to the Guardsmen. Never mind that the bloody Guardsmen attacked us."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:56 am

"I'm... sure that getting their ship hijacked and disabled by a bunch of people from a backwater world didn't really improve the Shi'ar's mood. Doubt they felt the inclination to mention that one, though."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:58 am

"Doesn't change that apparently her expectation was that we ought to have held the fort down and waited for SWORD to arrive."

"Which wasn't an option, in my opinion."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:00 am

"Probably would've turned out better than this," Ryan said bitterly, his eyes turning back to the list of names he was looking through.

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:05 am

"I'm not going to bow down to the Shi'ar, and they shouldn't expect us to."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:11 am

Ryan sighed. "I don't know. Probably would've just went better if someone other than me had been calling the shots up there."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:14 am

"It's never easy to be in command. Trust me on that."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:19 am

"Yeah, well, ever have seven people die all in one shot when you were doing it?" Ryan shot back without thinking.

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:21 am

"If you really believe that, why even make the calls?"

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:31 am

"Because I hope I'm not. I didn't see any bodies. I don't stop looking until I do," Ryan said, more sharply than he hoped. "And if I do, I want to find the bastards that did this."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:33 am

"I understand that more than you might think. It feels like I failed them too."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:04 am

"You didn't tell them to go up there to that ship," Ryan pointed out. "You didn't have them disable the ship so that we had to make ourselves more vulnerable to chase them down. You didn't split the team up between the ships. You didn't freeze up when it looked like both of the other ships were goners." He shook his head. "I just about got all of the X-Men that went up there killed. As it stands... one group of them made it back. I'm bringing back the other half. I owe it to them."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:06 am

"It happened on my watch. I'm where the buck stops, Mister Gabriel."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:07 am

"I'm pretty sure your watch doesn't extend outside the atmosphere."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:09 am

"It's wherever my students are. I'm responsible for all of you."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:13 am

"We can make our own mistakes too, you know." He sighed. "Mom's right. I'm not cut out for this."

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:15 am

"If that's what she's saying, she forgot what it was like starting out for her."

by **Ryan Gabriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:16 am

He sighed. "Nothing like this happened when she was around," he pointed out.

by **Samantha McManus** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 2:18 am

"Being an Avenger doesn't make you feel that much more sure of yourself, unless you're rather good at self-delusion."

"You just keep telling yourself it'll get easier one day. It never does."

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