( world on fire ), claimed by avalanche!

[` john david allerdyce]

John flipped the lid of his Zippo open and then shut, counting the number of times he did so as he repeated the motion. He tended to do that when he was thinking; the teen had never really figured out why he did it. He never liked to admit he was nervous or upset, but those were the only logical reasons behind his movements. Anxiety tended to make someone repeat an action over and over again -- it was supposed to be why people paced a room. They couldn't stay still and pretend as though nothing were wrong, and usually that was John's course of action. Well, perhaps not always. He never paced, and he didn't always leave things alone when he was pissed. His temper almost always got the best of him and then the sandy haired teen would let his emotions have control of him, and voila, trouble arose. One of these days, as always, his temper would get the best of him and he'd get his ass kicked, but whatever. Right now that didn't really matter; that was in the future, and as far as John was concerned, the future would be whatever he made it to be. At the moment the teen was standing in place, within the shadowy alley way of two buildings, naturally, his eyes focused on the building across the street from him. He had never liked the post office. He felt it to be a waste of time and money. The people in charge were always jacking up the stamp prices. John only knew this because he had used to go down to the post office with fucking Bobby Drake on behalf of one of the teachers at the mansion. He himself had never volunteered for the job; Bobby was always more than willing to do it for him. That didn't necessarily mean that Bobby had volunteered John for the job, he had merely said he was going into town and John had, very stupidly, tagged along thinking they were going somewhere fun. It had happened once a month, almost like a routine of sorts. John hated routines. He hated how he had always done the same thing over and over again, never changing because it was simply the thing to do. He hated that he had followed Bobby around like some fucking lackey; why hadn't he broken free of Bobby back when he had been at the mansion? The other guy had never been "cool". He was the good guy, the one that followed the rules and did everything by the book. He was like Scott Summers and John had constantly clashed with Summers.

And yet John had been best friends with Bobby once upon a time. He didn't know why he was thinking of this now. Bobby was everything he hated. They had been direct opposites -- still were. Where Bobby was good, John was bad. Where Bobby followed orders, John did as he wanted. Where Bobby ... well, where Bobby did this, John would do directly the opposite. He could remember a time when he had tried to be like Bobby. That hadn't lasted long. It was shortly after the arrival of Rogue that John had given up trying to match Bobby in everything he did. He blazed his own path and became unruly. He could remember Jean constantly taking him aside and asking him to rethink his actions. Gods, he had been a complete terror those last couple of years at the mansion. Oh, he hadn't ever been good, but before the Brotherhood had bolted into fame with Liberty Isle and whatnot John hadn't been the complete ass he had become. It was annoying that he could even analyze himself in such a way. He hated doing that. He hated thinking back on a time and place that he wanted nothing more than to forget. The past was dead. It was dead and buried, just like Jean and the Professor. Was it wrong that he felt no twinge of regret for the death of Professor Xavier? It was only Jean Grey that John had truly mourned, and even then his mourning had consisted of him despising Jean in his head for dying for the X-Men the first time, and this last time for allowing herself to fall at their hands. It was a complicated matter for John. He had been infatuate with Jean Grey up until she had died -- twice. He wasn't sure what he felt now. He was of the opinion that he had never really loved her, not in the way his own childish mind had thought. No, John didn't know love. His parents had abandoned him and he had spent his childhood in and out of foster homes, learning to hate the world he lived in. His powers hadn't made things easier or harder for him; they had simply given him another outlet to showcase his feelings. John didn't like to think of himself as the type to wear his emotions on his sleeve -- not unless it was anger. When he was angry everyone would know about it. Unfortunately Bobby had been good at reading John no matter the occasion. That was one of the other things that had irked John about his former best friend.

John snorted at his own train of thoughts. He couldn't believe he was even thinking about Bobby right now. What a way to kill one's mood. He hadn't come down here to take a walk down memory lane? That was the last thing John wanted to do. He shoved thoughts of his past aside, his eyes focusing on the post office across the street from him. Why had he even come down here? He had been out walking, wandering the streets as he only ever did these days. It was as though John had no life, no real hobbies to spend his time on. A frown flickered onto his face as he clicked open his Zippo, snapping it shut again. The post office. He had gone there once a month for almost three years with Bobby before Rogue had taken his place. Everything came down to that. Rogue had taken his place with Bobby; jealousy? Perhaps. John wasn't one to share anything, even people. He had been miffed that Rogue had chosen Bobby in the first place, his own feelings being swept under the rug. Had Bobby really been that oblivious to the fact that John had been into Rogue? Go figure the one thing the Iceman couldn't read was John's crush on the same girl he was crushing on. It was all a bit ironic. In a way the pair had been torn apart by a girl. A girl he didn't even know about anymore. Where was Rogue? He knew she had dropped the Iceman like a hot potato and left the mansion -- where had he heard that? Some stupid grapevine thing somewhere. Someone in the Brotherhood had seen her around town and knew she had gotten the cure. John had been adamant in leaving her alone. As much as he hated Rogue for getting the cure and destroying who she truly was, he couldn't bring himself to see that any harm came to her. She had been his friend once upon a time ... so had Bobby, but that was different. John had grown disgusted with the other teen, eventually coming to see him as everything he couldn't stand. Bobby had taken the X-Men mission and swallowed it whole. He had become a naive fool and turned himself into a fucking pansy, no apologies given. Perhaps it was disappointment more than anything else. Bobby hadn't been able to break the X-Men mold; he had simply become another one of them.

But John hadn't been able to do the same thing. He couldn't. Not then, not now, not ever. It wasn't in him to simply go along with something he didn't believe in. In a way he had to thank Jean Grey for telling him to always be true to himself. He knew she had thought he would accept his fate as a member of the X-Men and stop feeling so angry about things he couldn't control, but instead John had gone a different way. He had chosen to embrace his powers and his anger, using it as a tool. He was stronger for it, more powerful than he would have been with the X-Men. The Professor had held him back, but not Magneto. And though Magneto wasn't around just now John had no regrets about putting his lot in with the older mutant. Magneto held beliefs that John understood, agreed with, accepted, and didn't have to hide. He was free to be who he was within the Brotherhood, something he could never say the same about in terms of the X-Men. "This is stupid. I'm turning into a fucking pansy just standing here," muttered John to himself, his own words breaking his chain of thoughts. "Fucking Bobby Drake -- even now you're like a plague." The Zippo snapped open, his eyes glued to the post office. One simple building and a multitude of thoughts had washed over him, thoughts and memories. Why couldn't he just forget it all? Bobby hadn't even been that great of a best friend anyway. He had stolen the girl John had liked. He had been able to control his powers before John. He had been liked by everyone at the school, he had never gotten into as many scrapes as John had ... No matter what John did it was as though he could never measure up to that damn icicle. Even on Alcatraz where John had gone into the battle the obvious favorite, the one with the most anger backing up his powers, the years of pent up frustrations able to come out into the open, even then John had come out the loser and Bobby the victor. It simply wasn't fair. And so, quite naturally, now in a bad mood at himself and the whole damn world around him John clicked on the Zippo, his eyes going to the flame dancing before him. He studied it for several long moments before thrusting his hand forward, the flame catching wind and flying across the street in a massive ball of fire, taking hold of the post office in a single go. Sometimes memories needed to be burned away in order for one to move on, and that was exactly what John planned to do.

He was going to burn his entire past away and start anew.

[` dominic janos petros]

Why the hell was he here again? Oh, right. He’d had to buy groceries, and he’d decided that he’d mail a letter or two on the way. It wasn’t really like he had many people to write to anymore, but every now and then he checked in with his family. He didn’t really tell them much about what was going on in his life, and he really didn’t care what was going on in theirs. But … hey, writing letters to people he didn’t care much about was as good a way to while away a morning as any. It wasn’t as though he had anything better to do, other than plotting what his next move would be. You know, once the Freedom Force finally established himself and something even remotely exciting happened. Dominic liked to think that resorting to something like writing letters to his family was rock-bottom. Hell, did they even care what was going on in his life? Probably not. Not that he wrote to them often, just when his life was in a particularly confusing sort of limbo and he had nothing better to do. Like now. Had he made the right decision? Should he have stayed with the Brotherhood? He liked to think that the choice he’d made was the right one, and that eventually he’d reap the rewards of said choice. Sometimes he felt like kicking himself in the ass for leaving, but what could you do? It wasn’t like he could go back, even if he’d wanted to. And what was the point in wasting time worrying about it? Things would either work out, or he’d strike out on his own. He had confidence in Pietro and Wanda – for now, anyway. If they proved him wrong, he wouldn’t be a happy camper, but he’d deal with it. For now, he was just going to wait it out. He hated how … restless … the waiting game left him feeling. He needed conflict, and he was getting to the point where he was seriously considering seeking it out just for the hell of it. Why not? Nobody had told him that he couldn’t have a little fun, now had they? Not that Dominic’s idea of fun was really what anybody else considered a good time. He didn’t do the whole drinking and dancing deal that Pietro seemed to enjoy so much. What was the point? Dominic didn’t like people so much, so why go out and interact and pretend like he cared? He didn’t have the time or the energy to make such a wasted effort. Inevitably somebody would piss him off and he’d bring the place crashing down on them all anyway. That thought brought a smirk to Dominic’s face. Yeah, that was pretty much a given.

Why was it that Nic couldn’t seem to help wondering if he’d made the right choice? Not right morally, or anything like that, just … right for him. He didn’t consider what was best for other people, or what might cause him to lose sleep at night. That thought in itself was amusing; Dominic would never lose any sleep over the things he’d done. He was proud of each and every battle he’d fought, each opponent he’d defeated. If you weren’t going to be proud of it, then you shouldn’t be out there doing it in the first place. Some people thought Dominic was too eager to fight, but could you really blame him? He took down people who got in his way, or people who dared to stand against him. That was just instinct. Nothing was going to change that about him; he’d always keep his eyes wide open for anything that might give him a reason to start a fight. Maybe that wasn’t the safest way to live, but Dominic wasn’t about playing it safe. You didn’t stay around too long if you weren’t willing to take risks, and Nic hoped that this latest venture in risk-taking would pay off for him. Hell, the Freedom Force couldn’t possibly end up being as toothless as the Brotherhood seemed to be these days. There was nobody left back there with the balls to do much of anything, except maybe Pyro. Hell, Pyro might even be a decent leader when he was older, but for now he was just an inexperienced kid. Nic didn’t intend to let his fate hang in the hands of some kid with an attitude, and that was the end of the story. Now, to head off to the post office so he could mail those damned letters. He supposed he could just tear them up and throw them away, but then he’d have wasted his time writing them. Did he really care enough to send them? He’d nearly reached the post office by then, letters in hand.

Wait. What the hell was he doing? Was he really going to waste his time corresponding with his family? They were the ones who’d put up a wall between themselves and him when they’d found out what he was. Yeah, he remembered all that. So why was he even considering it? It was best for them all if he just … didn’t. He didn’t care about them, and they probably wanted to forget about their wayward son. Problem solved. Dominic tucked the letters into the inside pocket of his jacket and turned away from the post office. What a moronic move that would have been. He didn’t know why he’d bothered, really he didn’t. He just tended to do crazy things when he was bored out of his mind, and (nearly) writing to his family definitely qualified as that. Maybe what Dominic needed was to just go out and do something to take his mind off his current situation. The boredom was really beginning to get to him, and that made Dominic irritable in the extreme. If anybody so much as bumped into him on the street, they were in for an earful. Not that that wasn’t preferable to whatever else he might do. Most people would have listened to Dominic rant – and gladly – if they’d realized just what he was really capable of. Dominic wasn’t really one to talk too much, though. All talk and no action wasn’t his style. He was more of a ‘crush people first, ask questions later’ type of guy. He’d tried to reign that in a little, and he’d been successful to some degree. But that sort of thing never really changed. When it came down to it, Dominic would always and forever be angry over something. Did it really matter what? Something was always there to set Dominic off, and when that happened, violence was nearly always sure to follow.

It seemed that Dominic’s change of plans had been a most fortunate one. There was the familiar sound of a building being engulfed in flames, and when Nic glanced over his shoulder he observed that it was none other than the post office. Well. That had really been too close for comfort. There could be little doubt as to who the perpetrator was; this whole situation seemed to have ‘Pyro’ written all over it as far as Dominic was concerned. Did it matter that he was jumping to a conclusion? Not really, when he was so sure that he was right about the whole thing. Dominic’s eyes followed the path the flames had taken, and he started off toward the source. There was no way in hell he was going to miss out on this opportunity. Pyro was with the Brotherhood, and that meant that Dominic couldn’t really be blamed for wanting to put the kid in his place. The Freedom Force was going to take the world by storm, and nobody would give a damn about the Brotherhood. They’d once inspired fear, but in the future? The Brotherhood would be in the Freedom Force’s shadow, if things went well. And if they didn’t? Dominic might just find himself out on his own. He wasn’t particularly afraid of acting alone, he’d just miss the sort of security that an organization offered. It was hard to look out for yourself when you were one guy up against … the world. But for the time being, he wasn’t going to worry about that possibility. For now, he had a place. He’d made his choice, and now he’d live with it. For better or worse. Fuck, this was starting to sound like his marriage vows all over again, and he’d forgotten about them easily enough. Dominic liked to think that nothing and nobody could hold him back if he’d gotten it into his head to move on. Not the Brotherhood, not the Freedom Force, and sure as hell not his human ex-wife. He’d switch sides in a heartbeat if it worked for him. And that was just what he’d done, after the massacre. What reason did he have to stay with the Brotherhood when they were going nowhere? He couldn’t think of one.

So, Pyro was skulking in an alley like some sort of rate? Damn, now Dominic knew he wasn’t missing out on much. He’d never really been one for skulking in the shadows unless it had been absolutely vital to success. Dominic didn’t particularly like people, no, but he wasn’t one to hide from them either. He had too much pride for that; if people didn’t like him or what he was, they’d just have to deal with it. Tough for them. “Still as immature as always, Pyro.” Dominic mocked. He might seem relaxed enough, but he was ready for whatever Pyro might throw at him. Or so he liked to think. “Subtlety doesn’t seem to be a part of your vocabulary.” Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. In that respect, John and Dominic were similar. Dominic could grasp the need for subtlety, of course, he just didn’t particularly like it much. He’d rather do things his way, which was more likely to be loud and violent and perhaps a little messy. Sometimes that just didn’t get the job done, and a little more finesse was called for. But right now, Dominic had the feeling that straight and to-the-point would work just fine. It wasn’t exactly as though Pyro for his tact and sensitivity, now was it?

[` john david allerdyce]

John turned at the sound of a voice saying his name. A smirk appeared on his face. It was Dominic Petros, a former member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, now part of Pietro and Wanda’s little offshoot, the Freedom Force. It was a corny name, if one were to ask John. He didn’t know what the purpose behind it was, nor did he think he was curious enough to ask. A name was a name, and names didn’t make a group. It was the members that made a group. Clicking his Zippo shut, his body turning to face the interruption, John spoke. "Well, well, well, if it isn’t the walking earthquake. I’m surprised you even know how to say subtle, Dom. Last I checked you were a few steps behind me in the spotlight moment. Your powers are noisier than mine, but I guess that can’t be helped when you’re trying to make a few fissures in the earth, right?" John couldn’t remember the last time he had actually run into Dominic, or held a conversation with him. The older mutant had his moments where all he did was sit and brood, but the other moments John had found that Dominic Petros wasn’t all that bad of a fellow. He could almost admire the other if he hadn’t set sail for another team. He never would have admitted that aloud, for that would have made him out to be some sort of awed fan of Avalanche, but John had to admit to himself that had he stuck with the Brotherhood John might have tried to learn a few things from Dominic. But Dominic was gone now, and there was nothing John could really do or say. He wasn't going to be upset about it. If anything, he ought to be angry that the mutant had abandoned the Brotherhood at all. They had been recruited for a reason, and then half of them had left -- which obviously meant they weren't loyal bastards like they had sworn when they had been recruited.

That was really the problem with most former members of the Brotherhood; they had only stuck around for a while, and then when Wanda and Pietro had left, so had many others. Not all of them had gone off to the Freedom Force. Others had gone in search of another group, left town, and some had even struck out on their own. John didn't think anyone had actually returned to the X-Men, but he supposed it was possible. Anything was possible, really. It simply depended on the nature of the mutant that had left. John hadn't really thought much about the few mutants had hadn't completely hated since they had left. Sure he was curious -- anyone still with the Brotherhood had to be curious as to why half their comrades had jumped one ship for another. It didn't really make sense to John. What did Pietro and Wanda offer that a mutant couldn't find in the Brotherhood? Honestly, John suspected the divide had more to do with the distance between father and children more so than mission statements. It didn't really bother John. He felt it was better without family attached. Relationships of any sort always seemed to make things more difficult and messy; relationships only ever got in the way of business. He had never understood the need for people to have father and son working alongside one another. The generational gap was more than enough to make them butt heads ... though Pietro and Magneto hadn't really had time to butt heads. The Maximoff twins had sort of left before more heated words could be exchanged.

"I'm a little surprised to see you wandering around on your own, Rocky. Do Wanda and Pietro know you're out and about? I was pretty sure they were going to keep everyone on tight leashes until they were absolutely certain you guys weren't going to abandon them." John hadn't really gotten along with Pietro. He didn't think he had been overly unfriendly with him, but somehow or another the pair hadn't become fast friends. John didn't know if Dominic was friends with either, though he supposed he had to get along with them. The teen had heard a wild rumor that Dominic had been selected to help lead the Freedom Force. "I don't really get why you've decided to hang around them. Seems to me a brand new group still getting its feet wet would be the last place you'd want to be; you never struck me as the type who liked herding children around. I've heard you've gotten some young recruits -- aren't half your members in their twenties? Must be entertaining to say the least. You call me immature, but according to the experts that's a given with my age; I'm thinking you've got yourself a handful of kids just like me running around with your Freedom Force babies." John shook his head in mild amusement. He knew a few of the recruits that had joined up with the Freedom Force. He had seen that Marie-Ange girl wandering around with them too. John hadn't seen her since she had sought him out at the bar. He didn't think it bothered him that she had joined with Pietro's side, though he didn't think she really had what it took to fight the war that would be raining down on their heads before long. The Freedom Force had certainly come into being with an explosion.

"Who the hell picked that name for the group anyway? It sucks. 'Freedom Force'? Really? It sounds like something the X-Men would have thought up. That's a shame. You guys are sounding like a bunch of wide-eyed pansies instead of an actual group. But, you know, to each their own. If you want to baby-sit and train a bunch of newbies, that's you're deal. I've never been fond of chaos in the first place, not unless it's of my own doing." John hadn't really heard anything from the Freedom Force since the parade. They seemed to be keeping themselves fairly quiet, though he wasn't sure why. They had made such a fucking loud appearance for St. Patrick's Day that John had actually expected them to keep on going, but they hadn't. They must have something up his sleeve, though he didn't think himself terribly curious about that unless it was going to put his life in jeopardy. "Your little display on St. Patrick's Day was almost a nice touch. Was there a purpose behind it? Because after a while it looked as though you guys didn't really have anything set in stone but blowing stuff up and killing people." Unorganized was the correct phrase, but John didn't need to say it. Dominic wasn't stupid; he would get the point. John did wonder if they were trying to organize themselves and if that might be the reason they hadn't been out and about playing on the streets, but if he asked that he would only be looking like a moron. John had to be subtle when getting information about the Freedom Force. Magneto hadn't hinted that he was interested in their dealings, but any information would have to be slightly useful. The Freedom Force was vying for most of the same members that the Brotherhood was.

[` dominic janos petros]

Dominic hadn’t really planned on meeting up with any of the Brotherhood members any time soon, especially not John or any of the other Acolytes. They were sure to be at least a little bitter about what had happened, and it wasn’t like he was going to apologize for it. He had done what he thought was best for him. Did it matter that he had his doubts, ever now and then? Sometimes he wondered if maybe he wouldn’t have been better of just sticking with the Brotherhood, but he’d never say that out loud. Freedom Force … it was going places, and the Brotherhood just wasn’t anymore. That was the fact of the matter, and Dominic knew it. The Acolytes could be bitter and angry about it if they wanted, but that wasn’t going to change a damn thing. Members had chosen to leave for reasons that weren’t going to change. Dominic glanced toward Pyro. Walking earthquake? Well, he supposed that was better than the moronic name Pietro had taken to calling him. Lance. Honestly. Pietro had explained how he’d come up with it, but Dominic hadn’t really been listening at the time. Not to mention that if he had been listening, it had still been said too fast for it to really sink in. John had a point, though … Dominic really wasn’t one to talk about subtlety. His powers were noisy and destructive, and he probably should have considered that before he opened his mouth. He really wasn’t one to stop and think too much before he spoke, though. As long as he didn’t say something totally disastrous, everything was fine. This conversation was starting to grate on Dominic’s nerves already, and that didn’t bode too well for either of them. Dominic had never known John very well, and he couldn’t recall ever having had a real conversation with him. “I guess not.” There was no avoiding being loud and drawing attention when your powers worked why his did. It was just a fact of life. He wasn’t going to be apologetic about it. Sometimes, that was an upside to having his powers. He could be very hard to ignore, and that proved to be useful at times. Sure, he hadn’t really seen much action since leaving the Brotherhood, but that couldn’t be helped. The Freedom Force needed to get itself organized, and the only way to do that was by avoiding chaotic situations for the time being. This little meeting? This could potentially end up being the sort of situation that he was meant to avoid. There was no turning back now, though. Dominic wanted to see where this would lead. So what if he got himself into a little bit of trouble?

Yes, Dominic had left the Brotherhood. He’d had his reasons, just like everybody else. If he’d really seen a future for himself there, he would have stayed, but he hadn’t. Dominic didn’t think of it as having jumped ship. It was just a … change in loyalties. That was it. He was looking out for number one, like he always did. Pietro and Wanda were younger, more creative, and a lot more open-minded than the Brotherhood’s leadership. There was more potential there. If the Freedom Force let Dominic down, he’d find another course of action, but for the time being that wasn’t something he needed to worry about. He liked to think that things were coming along pretty well, all things considered. Sure, things were starting off slow, but that was because they needed to regroup and figure out what they were going to do next. And … what they were all about, really. Sure, they had a basic idea, but what were they going to do to accomplish what they had in mind? Dominic’s answer would have been that he personally would do whatever was necessary, but not all the members were bound to feel that way. Dominic’s hatred for humans was almost overpowering, at times, and that had to be taken into consideration. If ever they needed anybody to volunteer to do some serious damage, he’d probably be first in line. And if he wasn’t, he’d definitely be second.

Rocky? What the hell. Now that was even worse than being called Lance. Dominic shrugged his shoulders when John mentioned Wanda and Pietro. “They both know I don’t need a babysitter.” Dominic commented. The last thing he needed was somebody watching his every move, getting in his way and making him even angrier than usual. That would have been a surefire way to convince him to leave and either go back to the Brotherhood, or try something different. Dominic was a bit of a creature of habit, and he’d been going out on a limb with this Freedom Force deal. But thus far, people had given him a pretty wide berth … except Pietro, of course … and that worked just fine for him. He didn’t like dealing with people more than he had to. “No leash required.” Dominic knew that Pietro didn’t like John much – or didn’t seem to, at least. He’d never really had a problem with the kid personally, but he thought the idea of somebody John’s age trying to be a leader was ridiculous. At least Pietro was a little older and wiser, when it came down to it. Most of the Freedom Force’s members were pretty young, though, and John had a point. Dominic didn’t like having to play the babysitter, and that was why for the most part he avoided the younger members. Hmm. For somebody who didn’t seem particularly observant, John was pretty much right on the money. “You’ve got a point, kid. But I draw the line when it comes to babysitting the new recruits.” Dominic wasn’t having anything to do with that, not unless he absolutely had to. Some of them didn’t really have what it took, and he knew that. He didn’t want to get to know any of the new recruits until he was sure they’d be sticking around. That would just be a waste of his time.

He really wasn’t appreciating John’s sentiments one bit. He didn’t think Freedom Force sucked. It was as good a name as any. It was true that Dominic wasn’t thrilled about the idea that he might have to help with the newbies, but … you had to do what you had to do. He’d get through it, and maybe his demeanor would help weed out some unsuitable recruits. Dominic smirked when John asked if there had been any purpose to their ‘display’ at the parade. Display? Hardly. It had been about teaching people a lesson, as far as Dominic was concerned. The humans hadn’t won. They couldn’t ever feel safe, even when they thought they’d won. Sure, it hadn’t been the most well-organized thing in the world, but that had been the beauty of it. It had still been … effective. It had gotten the point across. “It mightn’t have been perfect, but it got the job done.” He didn’t feel the need to share any information with John, not unless it was beneficial to him in some way. He was no double agent, after all. "It got a hell of a lot more attention than anything you guys have pulled lately."

[` SENTINEL!]

A menacing metallic object flew overhead, its jet-pack enabling it to travel at a more accelerated speed in order to cover more ground quickly. Searching, searching. There seemed to be a malicious glint behind lifeless eyes, a great sense of forebodingness emitting from every orifice for anyone unruly caught in its path. It turned its robotic head this way, and that way, scanning the surrounding areas from the darkening skies. At some point, two persons in the street gained its attention. The Sentinel routinely scanned them, zooming in on their faces in attempt to match one or both to files in store. A match was quickly determined.

John David Allerdyce. Level class: four. Status: pending. Status: active. Threat level: maximum. Mission: subdue and recover.

The Sentinel changed directions and zoomed headlong toward the street, crashing onto the ground. It towered over the buildings and the two mutants before it. It automatically activated deflector shields to avoid front-end attacks.

[` john david allerdyce]

John smirked. "Oh, well, that's good to hear. I guess if they know you're a big kid the world can keep on turning, right?" By the sounds of it, Pietro and Wanda didn't have any sort of control of Avalanche, and if that was the case, it meant there was probably little control over the Freedom Force gang, or whatever the hell they liked to call themselves, at all. Magneto would be glad to hear that. Perhaps the Brotherhood could begin chipping at the foundation of the Freedom Force little by little until the whole group broke apart. It would certainly teach the Maximoff twins to double-cross their old man again. Of course, if the Freedom Force broke up any number of things could happen, one of which might be the twins coming back into the folds of the Brotherhood. John didn't really like that idea seeing as how he hadn't liked the twins from the beginning. Just because they were the children of Magneto didn't mean they were capable of carrying on his legacy. Hell, John didn't know if he was capable of such a thing, and he felt himself to be a hell of a lot more loyal to Magneto than any of his children. He didn't get what the twins had to offer Rocky Balboa here, but he supposed it had to be the freedom to do whatever the hell he pleased. Magneto had a tighter reign on things in his camp, and John could understand that sort of control being slightly annoying. There were times when John too felt like little more than a lapdog, though he wouldn't dare admit such a thing to anyone, let alone himself. He was still grateful to Magneto for giving him a chance to show his true colors and be more than the lazy-ass screw up that everyone had pegged him for back at the mansion. It could be stifling at times because he occasionally felt held back, but he knew with Magneto there was a good reason to hold back. There hadn't been any reason back at the mansion, other than fear at what John could do, and did do, with his powers. He had didn't give a damn about who got hurt -- no, that was a lie. There was a select number of individuals that John freaked out over when it came to using his powers on, but who they were was his own damn business.

Tilting his head to one side, John considered what Avalanche was saying. He was his own man, but what did that really mean? Everyone had a price, which had to mean this fellow had his price too. He couldn't really be loyal to the Freedom Force, not if he wasn't willing to help out with the new recruits. "Hey man, as long as you're tickled pink to be hanging around all the new kids -- isn't that supposed to be your selling point with the Freedom Force? You'll take anybody, at least that's what it seems like. I mean, compared to us, you have all the younger kids -- but that could be the whole pull of having young leaders. They probably figure you'll connect with them or some shit like that." If it was John in charge he wouldn't want to connect with those beneath him -- being buddy buddy made it hard to put the pawns into play. If one liked the people that worked for them, then being willing to sacrifice that person became a little bit harder. John didn't like the idea of ever being put into that position, which was why he wouldn't ever do anything stupid like start his own faction. There was really no fear in him doing such a thing. John wasn't stupid enough to think he was meant to lead. He was definitely a follower, but only if the person was singing the same tune as him. If Magneto ever lost his head and decided not to pursue a cause that John believed in he wouldn't think twice about walking away, but at the same time, he wouldn't go joining a team where the leader had little experience to back them up and was close to the same age as John. That was suicide. John would rather follow someone that knew what they were doing, and had a clear vision. As far as he knew, Pietro and Wanda didn't have any idea what they were doing. They were just winging it -- and where was that going to lead them? Nowhere, really. "I suppose as long as you're happy where you're at, that's fine. Personally, I wouldn't be happy over there, but that's just me. I bet you can just glare at the new kids and scare 'em off -- sounds like a load of fun." This was as good as it got to "recruiting" a person. John wasn't really serious about recruiting anyone, especially Avalanche.

He shrugged at the other man's comment. There was a point there. The Brotherhood hadn't done anything in regards to bringing attention to themselves lately. "Yeah, but we aren't all about the razzle dazzle of the war," replied John. "We generally think things out and plan ahead -- you know, to make sure things go off without a hitch. It might not be as flashy as your stuff, but we're in it for the long haul." Which wasn't to say that the Freedom Force folks weren't in it for the long haul, John just didn't think they would last long as a group. They would probably break apart yet again down the road into two more factions, and so on and so forth. John had little faith in a group that didn't really have any focus other than getting attention. John didn't think they even knew what they were going to do come tomorrow. It was back to that whole winging it deal, and John just didn't go for that sort of thing. Sure he could be rash and reckless on certain things, but that didn't mean he was the type to like going around killing people or blowing things up for the sheer hell of it. The post office had actually been thought out, if only slightly. John was doing it because he was angry and tired of former thoughts plaguing his mind. He wanted to be done with such things. He wanted to be free of his past, and if the only way to do that was to blow up a damn government building, so be it. He knew what the consequences would be. He knew Magneto would probably frown at him later, but that was something John could deal with when it came. He opened his mouth to add something, but found the words cut off before he could even begin by a sound that was both strange and familiar. John immediately felt the alarm bells going off in his head as he turned to see if he wasn't just hearing things. But he wasn't. There it was -- a Sentinel. A damned fucking Sentinel. "Shit," he muttered. "Shit, shit, shit." The thing looked as though it had a mission in mind, and John prayed to all things holy its mission had to do with Avalanche and not him, but considering he was a fugitive of the law ... well ... his chances seemed kind of slim.

[` dominic janos petros]

Damn it, Pyro was pissing him off. He’d never really thought much of Pyro, one way or another. The only thing that pissed him off was the fact that Pyro was a kid trying to do an adult’s job. He’d probably be ready to be a leader someday, but right now? As far as Dominic was concerned, he wasn’t. Pietro and Wanda might not have the control over him, per se, but at least they had his respect. That was more than could be said for Pyro, so he supposed they had the upper hand in all this. There was a difference between the Brotherhood and the Freedom Force – Wanda and Pietro didn’t necessarily need to run things with an iron fist. The Freedom Force was made up of people who knew what they were doing, and why they were doing it. They weren’t likely to run around like idiots messing things up, with the exception of a very few individuals. If the Brotherhood wanted to try to mess with a good thing, they were welcome to try. Dominic’s course was pretty set, though, and for the meantime he wasn’t going anywhere. He’d rather be where he was than stuck back at the Brotherhood waiting. At least now he had licence to do whatever he damn well wanted to. He wasn’t a child, and he didn’t need to be held by the hand and told just what he could (and couldn’t) do. Fuck, that sort of thing drove him crazy, and that was what it had been like back with the Brotherhood. He didn’t necessarily think of himself as having betrayed anybody, because he’d never been particularly loyal to Magneto and the others from the get-go. They’d been a means to an end, and that was it. As soon as a better opportunity had come along, he’d left, and that was what he’d always intended to do. Dominic didn’t react too well when he felt that something – or somebody – was holding him back. So, he’d left. There was nothing wrong with wanting a change, especially when all indications were that the change would be for the better. The Freedom Force offered him the sort of freedom he’d always wanted, but had never quite achieved anywhere else. It helped that he had some input there, too. Pietro and Wanda didn’t treat him like he was a teenager on speed who couldn’t make his own damn decisions. Fuck, Pietro was like a kid who’d had too much sugar, so who would he be to judge? Dominic wasn’t amused by Pyro, not in the least. “Does anybody actually think you’re funny, John?”

When it came right down to it, every man did have his price. Avalanche was happy where he was, for the time being, but that wasn’t to say that he wouldn’t leave as soon as a better opportunity presented itself. The Brotherhood was in the past, though, and they really didn’t constitute a ‘better opportunity’ in his eyes. At least in the Freedom Force, all the kids were at the bottom of the ladder. It wasn’t like at the Brotherhood, where Magneto had decided to take a teenager and stick him among the elite. What the old man had been thinking, Dominic would never understand. He supposed that Pyro was a valuable ally, sure, but that was no reason to set him on some sort of pedestal. Anybody with half a brain would have had him start at the bottom, just like everybody else, and work his way up. Dominic had been with the Brotherhood for some time, and his rise through the ranks had been slow, painstaking, and hadn’t taken him to nearly the heights Pyro had reached. Perhaps that was one reason for leaving, too. If some kid he’d never heard of could come along and take over when the old man was cured, what was the point? It was like he’d hit some sort of brick wall, and he wasn’t happy with that. At least with the Freedom Force, he was in the thick of it all, helping to make the decisions and decide the fate of the group. He mightn’t be one of the main leaders, per se, but hey – he was pretty happy with where he was. He had enough input to keep him happy, without having to worry about the responsibility for everything being on his shoulders. From Dominic’s eyes, it didn’t get much better than that. He wasn’t much impressed by Pyro’s words; the younger man didn’t seem to be trying to recruit him, per se, but he was definitely trying to make a case for the Brotherhood. “Poor, stupid bastards. I don’t connect.” Dominic was sure to make it known to new recruits right away that he was not there to be their best friend. Fuck, he’d be happier if they just stayed the hell away from him. The way Pyro put it, the Freedom Force sounded like a drag. It wasn’t, though. You kind of had to be there to understand. “Trust me, it’s better than the Brotherhood.” Not that one-upping the Brotherhood was hard, of course. It didn’t really take much of an effort.

At least it seemed like Dominic had scored one point. The Brotherhood seemed to be taking it easy, these days. They hadn’t done much of anything, not from what Dominic had seen. What was the point for them to even exist if they weren’t doing a damn thing? Call Dominic crazy, but he just didn’t see the point at all. He supposed not everybody was as in love with fighting and making a scene as he was, but that was just the way he’d always been. He could be smart about it when he had to be, but he preferred to attack first and ask questions later. Sure, there was such a thing as planning ahead and making sure that things went according to plan, but they were moving at a snail’s pace – if at all. “There’s a difference between planning ahead and moving slower than a Sunday driver in a traffic jam.” Maybe not the best way to say things, but Dominic hoped that he was at least getting his point across. At least the Freedom Force was doing something. He was about to open his mouth to speak again when a sound caught his attention. Damn it, he hoped that wasn’t what he thought it was. He turned his head toward the noise, only to find that it was exactly what he’d thought it was. Fuck. The last thing they needed was to deal with a damned Sentinel. Dominic had had enough of those for a lifetime, and he definitely wasn’t impressed by this intrusion. He could only hope that Pyro was the one the Sentinel had business with, and not him. After all, he figured the government had more of an axe to grind with Pyro than with him. Pyro was the poster boy for ‘dangeorus mutants’, these days. For once, Dominic found himself hoping that he wasn’t going to be involved in a fight. If Pyro happened to be the one the Sentinel was after, he’d be gone before the other mutant knew what hit him.

[` SENTINEL!]

The Sentinel extended one large, metallic arm and swiped at a nearby abandoned building, metal and brick colliding with a most horrendous sound. The rubble came crashing down, spilling across the street behind the two mutants, preventing their escape. The only chance of escape for them would be to somehow get past the magnificent and terrifying machine. With sure, sluggish steps, it lumbered toward Pyro and Avalanche.

Activating: optic lasers. Lasers: online. Target: locked on.

From the Sentinel's golden, dead eyes, an optic beam charged and released, cutting through street cement like a knife to butter toward Pyro. It calculated the mutant's next move before it happened and stepped forward, arm extending out to the side, its large encompassing hand reaching for its target. Out of the corner of its eye, it detected movement from that other mutant, who seemed to be preparing to unleash an attack. As Avalanche hunkered to touch his hands to the ground and the Earth began to shake, the Sentinel took the initiative to counterattack quickly, taking a heavy, hulking leap toward the Earth-based mutant. It swiped him into the pit of rubble of the nearby abandoned building, before turning back toward Pyro and locking on once again, preparing to usurper its desired target.

((OOC: i did have permission from andi to smack avalanche around, just so it's known.))

[` john david allerdyce]

John quirked an eyebrow upward at Dominic's question. "I don't know, I've never asked. I'll make it a point to ask someone the next time I talk to them, and then I'll get back at you." He had to hand it to the other man, he was certainly taking things in stride. He hadn't tried to kill John yet, which was probably a record or something for the likes of the mighty Avalanche. Of course, John wasn't being as much of a jerk as he could normally be, or so he thought. He was almost proud of himself -- he was starting to cool down rather than get more worked up than he was beforehand. That was rather nice, and almost a relief. Though many thought his every emotion was ruled by rage, that simply wasn't the case. There was more to him than met the eye. He was an actual person, with actual thoughts, and with emotions other than anger. He didn't always let people know what his emotions were, because John wasn't the type to be open. Opening up was a weakness, and of all the things John refused to associate himself with, weakness was one of the bigger ones. He was not weak, and he would never be weak -- not as long as he could help it. That was why he had left the X-Men, or one of the reasons, really. It was more than just being tired of being talked down to. It was more than hating how he was told not to overwork himself. It was the feeling that with the X-Men he was just as weak as they were -- their beliefs wasn't something John could associate with mutants. He didn't believe that humans and mutants were equal. His upbringing hadn't been the same as many. When his parents had abandoned him after his powers had come out, John had been shuffled around from one foster home to another. He had only ever known pain and frustration -- he hadn't known love, and he had never known acceptance. Even at the X-Mansion John had been something of an outcast. Part of it had been the fact that he had shoved people aside and made himself into the school jerk. He hadn't wanted to let others in because of the years of rejection he had suffered through.

But another part of him had always known he would never be like the rest of the students at the school. A part of him had known he was different. He couldn't go along with the crowd, he couldn't lose the crude nature he had developed while in foster care -- and he didn't want to. So when Magneto had seen the part of him no one else had cared to recognize, John had known he didn't belong with the X-Men. He had always assumed he would make it out of the mansion with average grades, that he would leave and never look back. But back then John had thought he would find a crap job and make a living outside the mansion, be his own person again without the pressure to play nice with the rest of the world. Back then he hadn't really thought about the debate between humans and mutants, not to the degree that he thought about it now. He didn't consider himself an expert or anything, but he knew a little more than what he had learned in the mansion. Some might say he was more rounded, but even John knew that was a lie. He didn't care to understand humans. He didn't mind being biased to think of them as the enemy, no questions asked, and nothing would probably ever change that. John was a mutant, through and through. He believed that the world would be a better place without humans, or with minimal amounts of them. He felt that the only way for peace to reign was if mutants overcame the human population and set new laws into motion. That was the only option that made sense, though a world without humans would be better too. John wasn't sure such a thing was achievable, but it didn't hurt to hope that maybe it could happen. Wasn't that something the X-Men had preached? That anything was possible. It could almost be said that their beliefs were reason enough for the more fanatical of mutants to believe in a world without humans, and a reason that mutants like Magneto were determined to see such a thing through. John was forced out of his thoughts as Dominic spoke up, almost bitterly, about the new recruits in his new group. He wasn't really surprised by it considering who Dominic was. The guy had never seemed the friendly type.

"Better than the Brotherhood, huh? Better make that your slogan when you start looking for more recruits. I'm sure it'll catch on real quick." His frown quickly returned at Dominic's next comment, but it was at this point that all hell began to break loose. John wasn't sure what had triggered the Sentinel's ability to find him -- other than the likelihood of his face being ingrained in the damned thing's memory because he was a fugitive of justice. Then again, putting the post office on fire probably hadn't helped any either. John almost wished police officers or the SWAT team had shown up. He could handle humans, but he didn't think he could handle a fucking robot the size of a building. John didn't think it was fear, exactly, but it he wasn't an idiot. He knew what his chances of coming out in one piece were going up against a robot of this magnitude and size. He had seen the damage it had done at the parade, and John didn't want to go up against it. He liked his life the way it was, and he liked being alive. There was a whole lot of things he would like to do before he died, and dying at the hands of a Sentinel didn't strike him as being a good idea. Death in general wasn't a good idea, but today he was going to say dying by Sentinel was on top of that particular list. John managed to dodge falling debris as the Sentinel took a swipe at a nearby building. Somehow he had a feeling that would be blamed on him and Dominic later. The only time the humans could justify damaging public property would be while going after a mutant. It was ridiculous, really, but that was simply how humans worked. Cursing his luck, John took a step back, his eyes not leaving the Sentinel. This was a bad situation to be in. He tried to move himself, thinking running would be a good idea, but the Sentinel seemed able to predict his move before it happened. John cursed again. Fortunately at that exact moment, Dominic made his own move, and the Sentinel turned its attention to him. As Dominic went flying into a pile of rubble, John made his move. The Zippo flipped open, and John sent a large fireball hurling toward the Sentinel. If it caught fire, John could make his getaway -- screw Dominic. That guy was on his own.

[` dominic janos petros]

Dominic had never really liked John much. He didn't know why, really – it was just the way things had played out. The kid had an ego, that much was for damn sure, and Magneto backing him had only exacerbated the problem. Maybe he would have been a decent guy, if he hadn't gotten the idea somewhere along the line that he was something special. Dominic shrugged his shoulders when John said he'd ask someone and get back to him. Right. He wouldn't hold his breath on that one. He was trying to behave himself and not attempt to bury John under a heap of rubble, but at the moment it was taking just about all he had. The younger man - boy, more like - managed to piss him off just by being. Dominic hated most people, sure, but there were few that could piss him off just by existing. There was that kid from the parade, and John, and ... whoever it was that had left him with one hell of a headache after the parade. He had yet to figure out who had launched that attack, but he was working on it. It seemed like they were both playing it safe, though. Dominic knew just how irritating John could be. He was holding back, and that was probably for the best. Truth be told, Dominic was pretty proud of himself. He wasn't overreacting, and he wasn't trying to kill anybody. This was pretty much a first for him; usually, when people pissed him off, his first instinct was to attack. He was behaving himself because Pietro and Wanda would kick his ass, if they found out he'd been making trouble. Then again, given that the other mutant was none other than Pyro, Dominic figured Pietro would have no trouble forgiving him for any transgression. His boss had never seemed to like John much, either, and for that reason he didn't think anybody at the Freedom Force would have been too broken up if he had decided to try to take John out. Why bother, though? The only thing that would even make it worth the effort was the fact that John was one of Magneto's precious Acolytes. Come to think of it, that would make it particularly satisfying, if Dominic were ever to defeat him. He didn't know if he liked his chances, though. Sure, he was older and more experienced, but John's powers were tricky to deal with. Dominic wasn't particularly fond of the idea of getting burned.

There were so many reasons to try, though. John had started out with the X-men, and that in and of itself made him an obvious target for Dominic. He was also one of Magneto's Acolytes, and anything that could be done to cripple other mutant groups right now would probably be to the Freedom Force's benefit. After all, it wasn't like the Brotherhood mattered any more, anyway. The Resistants and the Freedom Force were the biggest future threats to humanity, as far as he was concerned. The Brotherhood was just in the back seat, yelling directions with nobody in particular listening to a word they were saying. Dominic wondered if John felt at all bitter about all the mutants that had abandoned the Brotherhood, after the massacre. Half of their members had left, either to join the Freedom Force or just to strike out on their own. Sure, some of the old faithfuls had stuck with the Brotherhood, but they were basically dinosaurs in a world where age and experience that was no longer necessarily enough. Dominic supposed young people might say the same of him, but he was twenty-eight years old. He was still more than able to keep up. He gave himself more credit than some of the Freedom Force's new recruits. He didn't think half of them were worth the effort it was going to take to train them. A war was coming, and were a bunch of kids going to be able to fight it worth a damn? Probably not, and John was just another of those kids. He'd never really been very fond of children, and that was how he saw most of them. They were just kids, trying to look tough. Half of them really didn't grasp the concept that there was a war coming, and that it wasn't just some silly little adventure that they'd all come back from. Both humans and mutants going to die, and this wasn't some sort of fairytale. Dominic didn't want to be the one to have to save their sorry asses when things got dangerous.

"You're something else, kid." John, unlike most people, seemed to think nothing of saying things that would very obviously piss him off. "We don't need a catchy slogan, or any of that bullshit. The fact that we were smart enough to ditch the Brotherhood speaks for itself." Dominic was almost enjoying this conversation, getting the chance to disrespect John to his face, but it seemed that nothing was made to last. The Sentinel had shown up, and it had taken Dominic only a second or two to figure out that it wasn't him it was there for. Why did it have to be a damned Sentinel? People were easy to take out, but the giant robot certainly made things a little bit more tricky. At least there were two of them, and only one of it. They had a fighting chance. Their escape route was blocked off, and Dominic's first instinct was to attack. Before he even realized what he was doing, his hands were on the ground and he was ready to go. He didn't need to touch the ground, per se, but this was going to be one hell of an earthquake, and he'd want to keep his balance, just in case the thing wanted to stop what he was doing. Sad thing was, he never got as far as actually launching the attack. The Sentinel lurched in his direction, knocking him into a pile of rubble. Normally, that really wouldn't be enough to take him out, but the Sentinel was very large and packed one hell of a punch. He landed on his back, his head striking something. Chances were that he wouldn't be getting up any time soon. It was too bad, really; two heads were better than one, and chances were that neither one of them could take the thing out alone. Not to mention the fact that John was likely to abandon him the second he saw an opening. Truth be told, Dominic didn't trust Pyro as far as he could throw him, and that really wasn't saying much. One thing was for sure ... when Dominic came to, he was going to have one hell of a headache. This situation was getting all too familiar, and it was almost like déjà vu. If he'd been awake, the whole situation might have brought the massacre to mind.