I11DT - Saturday Night's Alright...

[Natalya Romanov]

Carried down on the vortex of astral energy stirred up by the completion of the lighthouse, a battle slid across Sam's mind. Gunfire... lots and lots of gunfire and not all of it conventional small arms fire. Then there was the cold. An intense blast of frostbitten sensation passed over her even as she remained warm and settled in the bed. And then pain: pure, bright, blinding pain followed only by cold and darkness.

[Samantha McManus]

Samantha woke with a start and a cry, still shaking and reeling from the sensation.

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah mumbles something nonsensical as she wakes up and rolls over before opening her eyes when she finds the spot next to her empty.

"Sam?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Something... I felt something..." She mumbled, casting her mind out for the last wisps of that sudden feeling.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Calling on the Morrigan?" she asks, still sounding a little drowsy.

[Natalya Romanov]

The sensations were rapidly getting swallowed up in the wash and scrubbed away as they were assimilated into the Astral, but Sam could grab hold of them.

[Samantha McManus]

"A fight, but... something felt so familiar," she said as she tried to grasp it mentally.

[Natalya Romanov]

Mixed in with the last gasp of pain was a mixed feeling of failure and success. Whatever had happened, it was a pyrrhic victory. And the cold... It occurred to Sam that not even Russian winters were this cold.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Nearby?" she asks, suddenly much more awake.

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm... I'm not sure. There was gunfire... and cold. Such bitter cold..."

[Natalya Romanov]

The sensations themselves didn't carry any particular location and they were beginning to slip away from Sam even as she held onto them. They hadn't happened within the last few minutes, she was certain of that.

[Samantha McManus]

"Damn it, fading already..."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Must have been some fight if it woke you, though."

[Samantha McManus]

"Rather intense, aye. The most vivid I've felt yet."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Could you tell who it was?"

[Samantha McManus]

"No. Just impressions. It can't have been that near. I don't even know where you'd have to be to get that cold..."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Certainly sounds like it was quite a ways from here."

[Samantha McManus]

"Just can't shake the feeling that it was familiar, somehow."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Worth taking a trip to Cerebra over?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Might be, if I can hold onto it..."

She pulled herself out of bed.

[Natalya Romanov]

It was a struggle to hang onto it and it was going to be difficult to trace it back to its source with so little to hang onto, but it might be possible.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Want me to come with you?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Not going to stop you, at least." She smiled faintly, standing.

[Nailah Weaver]

She nods and slips out of bed to pull on a robe.

[Samantha McManus]

Apparently less concerned with propriety at this hour, black feathers pushed forth from Samantha's skin as she made her way to the door.

[Nailah Weaver]

Wrapping herself up in the robe she follows after Sam.

[Michael Asters]

Apparently someone was concerned with propriety, because the astral projection didn't appear to them until the door to the apartment opened. Asters looked tired and disturbed as his astral image appeared out of the aether. "Sam? What the hell was- oh. Wow. Nice look. Very- bah, not the time. What the hell was that, it was like an emotional tac-nuke getting dropped onto the campus."

[Samantha McManus]

"...sorry to bother you, Asters. That was... well, it was me."

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah quirks an eyebrow. "Good evening. Mister Asters, right? I don't think we've been formally introduced yet."

[Michael Asters]

"Well that's new. Everything all right?" He looked pleasantly (or as pleasantly as one can look after being woken up by something like that) at Nailah. "Ms. Weaver, I presume? Sorry for the... this. Mutant drama still takes precedence over normal protocol, I guess."

[Samantha McManus]

"I picked up on something odd. I was going over to Cerebra to see if I could still catch it."

[Michael Asters]

"Ah, ok. If you need a boost just give me a tap, I'll leave a synapse open for you," he said, starting to dissolve from sight.

[Samantha McManus]

"Old friend," she said to Nailah as she stepped out to lock up.

[Nailah Weaver]

"I gathered."

[Samantha McManus]

"Could tell you a funny story or two after we get this sorted," she said as she headed for the stairs.

[Natalya Romanov]

After they left, in the apartment, Sam's cel phone started to ring...

[Natalya Romanov]

After several call attempts from Nate's private number, the following voicemail is left on Sam's cel:

"Sam... it's Nate. I just got a call from Muir. SHIELD transferred Natalya there. It's... It's not good. She's hurt pretty badly and they're not sure she's going to make it. Something about severe injuries and a cryogenic state... I don't really understand it. I thought you'd want to know."

[Samantha McManus]

After returning from the Cerebra chamber, Samantha checked her voicemails and frowned.

"...I hate being right."