Frozen

[Shadow Weaver]

The Situation Room

<< Karen remains standing, moving to make herself the focus for Frost so that she can act as a guide on several levels. She ALSO wanted to draw Frost's attention away from Black Widow and Recall, who she HOPED would try to be at least SOMEWHAT discreet about their combined and coordinated efforts to assess Jasmine Victory as she appears before them.>>

Jasmine, you'll be faced with many changes that conflict with your "current" memories, but focusing on points of familiarity can help with navigating the new space you're in.

For you, one of those points of familiarity will be your sisters.

<< She smiles as she gestures for Blaze to move by her side.>>

As I promised, here is your sister, Blaze.

<< Karen KNEW Blaze would do whatever she could to make this as easy as possible for Jasmine. She HOPED that Jasmine would instinctively take to Blaze the way Blaze had taken to Morgan, DESPITE her being a "mainstream" when they first encountered each other in Blaze's native timeline.>>

<< She gently urges Blaze forward, keeping just a pace or two behind her to be close at hand without overpowering the space around Jasmine and Blaze.>>

<< Telepathically to Blaze>>: Take your time, and watch your body language. Don't be afraid, I'm here.

 

[Firebird]

The Situation Room

There she was!

Jasmine!!!

Blaze's mind and heart flashed with surprise as memories came flooding back to her. But unfortunately, those memories were NOT of "mainstream" Jasmine.

Still...there was a chance that Jasmine might be having a feeling similar to her own right now, and regardless of their different time lines of origin, here they both were NOW, in a safe space, with people (well MOST of them anyway) who wanted this to work out!

As I promised, here is your sister, Blaze.

<< Karen KNEW Blaze would do whatever she could to make this as easy as possible for Jasmine. She HOPED that Jasmine would instinctively take to Blaze the way Blaze had taken to Morgan, DESPITE her being a "mainstream" when they first encountered each other in Blaze's native timeline.>>

<< She gently urges Blaze forward, keeping just a pace or two behind her to be close at hand without overpowering the space around Jasmine and Blaze.>>

<< Telepathically to Blaze>>: Take your time, and watch your body language. Don't be afraid, I'm here.

Blaze took a step forward, smiling to her sister.

"Hello, Jasmine."

She spoke with a warm and welcoming tone.

Blaze was silently encouraged by Karen, and was not at all self conscious with those watching.

She takes the seat right beside Jasmine, and faces her, extending her hand. On one of her fingers was that charmed ring, which now glowed! This ring, imbued with the essense and emotional imprint of Foxfire, now bonded with Firebird, was reacting to Firebird's sincere wish to "break the ice" with her long lost sister, and establish a solid starting point.

"You've had quite an ordeal. But now that we have you back, mom and I....we can help you. "

"Nothing big has to happen right this second, we're not on a time table here. I just want you to know that things WILL be different this time."

She continued to hold her hand out to Frost, not really able to "read" her from her eyes or facial expression like she could MOST OTHER people. Jasmine was very COLD, very guarded, and that was to be expected. it wasn't just because she was an ice elemental, it was because of all the horrible shit that she'd been through at the hands of their father, and the rocky life she'd had before she embraced the siege. It was NOTHING like Firebird's Jasmine...but now, with this remarkable second chance, Blaze would do everything she could to help Jas turn the page to a NEW chapter, if she'd let her...

And THIS time, Blaze wouldn't be alone. She had her mom, she had Cass, even Delilah, among others! Somethings can better be accomplished with a group effort.

::FLASH::

<< One thing that Karen and Blaze may have UNDERESTIMATED is Frost's vivid memory and emotional connection to the IDEA of being reunited with her sisters. She KNEW and REMEMBERED FOXFIRE. She STUDIES Firebird just now. FIREBIRD is a taller, more glamorous cross-time alternate of Blaze, and while she was now the ONE TRUE Blaze for THIS reality thanks to a series of events culminating with the presentation of the ring she now wears from Karen, and being adopted by her, Frost was NOT present for those events or the spell that was cast. She was FAR outside the range of effect, and so...much like Nicolas, when HE first realized the subtle yet key physical appearences between Foxfire and Firebird, there would be a moment of discovery and realization for Frost. While this is generally regarded as a GOOD thing in the most basic therapy sessions, sadly for what is occurring NOW, it will NOT be.>>

<< It's something PROPHET expressed concern about...and now we watch.>>

 

[Ruby]

From the War Room to the Situation Room



:: It was the best of times and it was the worst of times…thanks to Delilah. Whatever she was thinking, she had to know that her smart ass comment would hurt, and hurt it did. Cass had looked as if she had been slapped. What Delilah didn’t know, though, what NOBODY knew, not even Blaze because Cass felt ashamed, was that she still blamed herself for her and Cameron’s kidnapping. If she hadn’t drained those people, maybe, just maybe, those psychotic nutcases wouldn’t have come over the two of them. ::

I’m sorry that I wasn’t exactly in the presence of mind at the time to get their names, ranks, and serial numbers.

:: Karen started talking, so Cass focused on her. As Karen was speaking about Jasmine, Cass began to feel a certain…kinship with the girl. She of all people knew what it was like to come into a world different from the world that you had thought previously. She knew what it was like to be displaced. She knew what it was like to be LOST and without family. Though her traumatic experiences happened DECADES ago, they still felt as if they happened YESTERDAY. If possible, Cass would try and help Jasmine; she WANTED to help. ::

:: Blaze agreed to see Jasmine so the group all headed for the Situation Room. When Cass entered behind Mike, she smiled and nodded at those she recognized and was slightly taken aback when she spotted Jasmine. Jasmine had a very similar look to Blaze yet she looked different. ::

Whoa…

:: She leaned against the wall, arms folded. She knew that Jasmine would no doubt feel overwhelmed so she wanted to be out of the way. No use throwing all kinds of people into her face, especially since the poor girl didn't know her [Cass] to begin with. ::

 

[Prophet]

The Parthenon Hotel - Basement Levels - War Room to Situation Room

Cameron decided in this instance it was better to stay quiet rather than to interject, but he was going to do what he needed to do. If he needed to use his powers on Frost, he would. That much he knew. He could sympathize with the ice elemental for sure. They had all gone through quite a journey to be who they were now, and he wouldn't deny the woman her chance, should that be what she decided to do. They lambasted him when he expressed his caution, his concern. Blaze and Karen were both adamant that she not be treated like some kind of experiment that they didn't realize that they were both essentially doing the same. Without much information, they had immediately taken to Jasmine as some kind of project, both deeply motivated by their desire to right the wrongs of Christopher Victory. The thing that they weren't seeing was the fact that they were jumping to LARGE conclusions about her mental state, what she thought about her life, and herself and what her original motivations were when it came to The Six. Nobody knew her long enough to know that. Cameron was an empath, and a good one, and although both Karen and Blaze's motivations were pure, they both really wanted to help her, Cameron could sense a well of DEEP emotions flowing through them, emotions they were not even aware of. They were trying to be objective and positive about things, doing what would be expected of them, what they needed to do, but the reality was that Jasmine had resurfaced years after willingly jumping through the Siege. Seeing the emotional impact it had ALREADY had on the people he loved, coupled with the fact that nobody could confirm her origins, not Vivica, not the mother of the Sorceress Supreme, it put Cameron on edge. He would entertain this for as long as it remained healthy. Karen had revealed that she had been attacked earlier in the day. She was obviously drained and while he respected her profession, she might not be in the right frame of mind or emotional state to facilitate something like this. Blaze, bleeding heart that she was would do whatever it took to protect Jasmine and give her the help that she needed, even to the point of putting herself in grave danger. And the others, they would be too diplomatic in trying to resolve things. Cameron wouldn't. Even through all of these conflicting feelings however, there was a part of him that wanted to believe Jasmine and give her the help that she needed, if only for Blaze and Karen's sake. Stranger things had happened in The Six, and though she may have only been with them a short time, she WAS a part of their "family". She deserved a shot, but he wouldn't let that be at the expense of Blaze, Karen OR Morgan.

They began to make their way towards The Situation Room, as Cameron started walking at pace with Delilah. He reached out to her telepathically, something he didn't do lightly. One thing was certain, Delilah didn't like telepaths in her head, so Cameron reserved his intrusions for times when it mattered the most, or when it was information that the others didn't need to hear. He was hoping that Delilah was on the same page as he was about this.

[to Delilah, via thought call]

"I know you saw her appear out of nowhere, but I just keep getting the feeling that this REEKS of Malice. After this little reunion, we need to brainstorm. It might be time to enact some of the things we've been talking about..."

Unbeknownst to the others, Cameron and Delilah had recently entered into an easy alliance to join forces against Diana. After she crashed their lunch and delivered a horrifying baby gift to Delilah, Cameron had known something was up. He KNEW she was planning to break the truce. There was also the renewed interest she had begun to show in Haleigh, as well as Haleigh's "odd" reaction to Diana, shutting down completely, almost as if she were in a trance. There were strange things happening all around them. Small, seemingly insignificant things, and to Cameron and Delilah, all signs pointed towards Diana. Finally, they reached the Situation Room as Cameron stood next to Haleigh, entering the room behind everybody. Sharon, Alycia, Zach and Vivica were there...as well as Jasmine Klein herself, a living ghost in front of him.

"Well...three out of five ain't bad I guess..."

As if dealing with Jasmine weren't enough, of course the bright eyed puppy dog himself, Zach Armani, had to be there. He had been trying to resolve his anger with Zach for a really long time, and it just didn't seem to get anywhere. They were always at odds, even when they weren't. They would never be friends, they would probably never be friendly, and there were good enough reasons for the both of them to keep it that way. Karen stood at the center of the room, across from Jasmine.

Karen: "Jasmine, you'll be faced with many changes that conflict with your "current" memories, but focusing on points of familiarity can help with navigating the new space you're in...For you, one of those points of familiarity will be your sisters. As I promised, here is your sister, Blaze."

Cameron was standing next to Cassandra at this point, and he leaned in.

[to Ruby]

"Here goes nothing, right?"

It was rather...odd to see the two of them standing in front of each other, so similar yet completely different. Part of it was understandable and obvious; Blaze was warm, Jasmine was cold, but Cameron just wasn't getting much from Frost. She had always definitely been more guarded than Blaze, but he assumed that somebody who had just come back through the Siege would be FULL of emotion, even if it were anger and rage.

Blaze took a step forward, smiling to her sister.

"Hello, Jasmine."

She spoke with a warm and welcoming tone.

Blaze was silently encouraged by Karen, and was not at all self conscious with those watching.

She takes the seat right beside Jasmine, and faces her, extending her hand. On one of her fingers was that charmed ring, which now glowed! This ring, imbued with the essense and emotional imprint of Foxfire, now bonded with Firebird, was reacting to Firebird's sincere wish to "break the ice" with her long lost sister, and establish a solid starting point.

"You've had quite an ordeal. But now that we have you back, mom and I....we can help you. "

"Nothing big has to happen right this second, we're not on a time table here. I just want you to know that things WILL be different this time."

She continued to hold her hand out to Frost, not really able to "read" her from her eyes or facial expression like she could MOST OTHER people. Jasmine was very COLD, very guarded, and that was to be expected. it wasn't just because she was an ice elemental, it was because of all the horrible shit that she'd been through at the hands of their father, and the rocky life she'd had before she embraced the siege. It was NOTHING like Firebird's Jasmine...but now, with this remarkable second chance, Blaze would do everything she could to help Jas turn the page to a NEW chapter, if she'd let her...

And THIS time, Blaze wouldn't be alone. She had her mom, she had Cass, even Delilah, among others! Somethings can better be accomplished with a group effort.

"Oh no..."

Cameron shot a look over towards Delilah that read "be prepared". This was DEFINITELY not going to go as planned. If he wasn't feeling any emotion from Jasmine before he DEFINITELY was now, and those emotions...were not good. They were dark and heavy. He looked down at Blaze's ring and it hit him. Even Cameron initially felt discomfort in meeting Firebird. It felt for a moment that this person from another reality was trying to replace her...and then she kind of...DID replace her. It was what he was worried about. Jasmine had WANTED to be accepted by The Six the same way Blaze had been, and they had not allowed that to happen. Everything had moved so fast and now here was this woman who wasn't Foxfire, carrying the essence of Foxfire on her body and claiming herself to be Jasmine's sister. Part of him wanted to stop her right then and there, but another part of him knew that she kind of had a RIGHT to be pissed. Despite what he thought about her, Firebird had definitely gotten all these things she wanted for herself, and she seemed so bubbly and happy and carefree about it. He could see how infuriating it would be. He stood at caution, waiting to step in should it be required, and for all of their sake, he hoped it wouldn't be.

 

[Frost]

They had arrived at The Parthenon and immediately Jasmine was placed in a room by herself to wait. She was not the most patient person by any means, so as the minutes ticked on, she became more and more annoyed. She knew the six hated her--particularly Cameron and Haleigh--but what the fuck was taking so long. All she wanted to do was see her damn sister, not meet the Queen of England.

Then finally the doors opened. Karen entered first, followed by a menagerie of people. She saw Cameron and Haleigh. They both looked about as happy to see her as she was to see them. Cool. They were still assholes. At least some things hadn't changed. But her eyes shifted from person to person trying to spot Blaze. She was almost HIDING behind Karen.....

Please tell me they didn't turn her against me...

Karen: Jasmine, you'll be faced with many changes that conflict with your "current" memories, but focusing on points of familiarity can help with navigating the new space you're in. For you, one of those points of familiarity will be your sisters.

Finally, Blaze stepped out from behind Karen. It almost took Jasmine's breath away....there she was...her sister...ALIVE and in front of her.

Karen: As I promised, here is your sister, Blaze.

"Blaze?"

Blaze: Hello, Jasmine.

Jasmine's eyes were soft and glassy from tears as she watched Blaze move next to her, taking a seat.

"I can't believe you're here...."

Blaze: You've had quite an ordeal. But now that we have you back, mom and I....we can help you. Nothing big has to happen right this second, we're not on a time table here. I just want you to know that things WILL be different this time.

Jasmine watched as Blaze extended her hand out toward her in a friendly effort to break the ice so to speak. That's when she saw the ring...it glowed a soft yellow almost transfixing Jasmine. She was so excited to see Blaze that she didn't actually SEE her. Not until that moment. Jasmine's ice blue eyes lifted as she met with Blaze's. She was more statuesque than her Blaze....more poised....more elegant. She spoke differently too. This wasn't Blaze....this wasn't HER Blaze.

Jasmine roughly pushed Blaze's hand away as she stood, recoiling from the imposter.

"Who the FUCK are you? You're NOT my sister...."

She hissed through clenched teeth.

"What is this some kind of sick JOKE?! Another way to toy with me?! PUNISH me?! This [gesturing to Blaze] THING ISN'T BLAZE. She's a clone or a fucking mental mind game or something! FUCK you all! You HATE me THAT much to give me hope and then RIP my heart out AGAIN?! FUCK YOU."

 

[MorningStar]

The Situation Room

There was nothing for Delilah to do at this point but stand back and let Blaze and Jasmine have their moment. She hoped it would go well so that they could all move forward – and with Jasmine’s cooperation. They were giving Jasmine what she wanted, so she hoped that everything would go smoothly, if a bit teary, from then on out.

[via thought call] "I know you saw her appear out of nowhere, but I just keep getting the feeling that this REEKS of Malice. After this little reunion, we need to brainstorm. It might be time to enact some of the things we've been talking about..."

Agreed. This is just the sort of thing Malice would pull – even if she really IS Jasmine. And the attack on Karen earlier today – I’ll fill you in later – screams the kind of fucked up shit Diana would do.

Karen introduced Blaze, and she reached out an olive branch. Jasmine looked like she was about to cry. All was well in soap-opera land…

And then Cameron gave her a look that said the tide was turning, and turn it did.

"Who the FUCK are you? You're NOT my sister...What is this some kind of sick JOKE?! Another way to toy with me?! PUNISH me?! This [gesturing to Blaze] THING ISN'T BLAZE. She's a clone or a fucking mental mind game or something! FUCK you all! You HATE me THAT much to give me hope and then RIP my heart out AGAIN?! FUCK YOU."

Delilah stepped forward, using her natural illumination to create a calming light.

“Jasmine, please calm down. Remember, Karen told you that this is Blaze from another timeline. She lost her Jasmine, and we’ve all lost your Blaze, but there’s still a bond there…please, give her a chance. I know this is a lot to take in, but we’re trying to help you.”

The girl was clearly just overwhelmed by what was going on, and part of Delilah could understand that. Her world was turned upside down AGAIN when she had thought she was going to a better place. Another part wasn't so sorry to see Blaze getting a dose of her own medicine, having someone she cared about turn their back on HER. Still, it was a sad situation all around, for everyone involved. All they could hope for at this point was to de-escalate things and get through it.

 

[Black Widow]

The Parthenon New York - The War Room II to the Situation Room

Haleigh and Cameron seemed to be the only people in the room that were not emotionally attached to the idea of 'saving' Jasmine. They had learned THEIR lesson along time ago, and that lesson was simple: Not everyone could be saved, not everyone WANTED to be saved.

They got some stout pushback from Karen, Blaze and Delilah. It wasn't all that surprising, since Haleigh knew how Karen felt about anyone who suffered at her ex-husband's hands, and of COURSE Blaze was going to defend her 'sister', Blaze had always sided with her sisters. Then there was Delilah, who seemed to have returned somewhat to normal, back to the woman who wanted to do the right thing, back to the dependable moral compass they'd all known her to be.

Karen: I cast a spell to link with her on the astral plane. I made contact with her soul, AND guided her through the jumbled, fragmented memories of her mind. I journeyed WITH HER astral form as she began to recognize and reestablish her emotional connections and associations with her memories. That CAN'T happen with a person who is, for example, simply GLAMORING and wearing the appearance of Frost. The memories...the associations...the connections were THERE, including the most primal and PAINFUL ones involving her, Blaze's and Morgan's father.

Okay, so she's possibly a clone, OR, she's herself, but that doesn't mean she isn't under someone else's control.... DIANA is a likely suspect. If that's the case I won't be able to discredit her biologically, but she's still a danger.

Delilah: Haleigh…Whether she came through the Siege Perilous or NOT, she’s still HERE, and we need to figure out how we’re going to deal with her.

"Delilah. We can't take in EVERY stray animal we find. I gave her a pass LAST TIME, because Alison, and Morgan stepped in for her, and Alycia verified her identity. But I can't afford to make that mistake AGAIN, it cost me too much THEN."

Blaze: Cam, she's JUST had her mind put back together, she's had to face her own memories and all the pain that our father put her through. All she's known is abuse, violence, and the expectation to SUBMIT to being probed and prodded. I went through that too, but not on the level SHE did. HALEIGH has gone through it too.

Like all the rest of his daughters....

Haleigh was reticent on that point, not adding what she was thinking. It was getting more and more difficult to stop these kinds of thoughts from occuring. She twisted under the knife of this concept, unable to fully discredit it, unable to fully accept it. She needed to deal with this, ASAP. But of course, now they had to deal with JASMINE. It was all about JASMINE. What JASMINE wanted, what they owed JASMINE. It was immensely frustrating. Haleigh hardly had time to deal with THIS on top of everything else, but she still didn't want to share her burdens with the team. Malice was just too POLAR a topic. Haleigh glanced at Karen, and the Doctor looked as exhausted as Haleigh felt psychologically. When Karen mentioned she'd been attacked, Haleigh about derailed, but Mike was behind Karen gesturing emphatically to kill the inquiries, and Haleigh gave him a look that clearly translated:

DUDE, you'd BETTER fucking tell me EVERYTHING later!

Delilah: There’s no need for anyone to leave – we all want this to work out, and for NO ONE to get hurt.

"Correction: I don't want anyone in MY family to get hurt, REGARDLESS of how this 'works out'."

She WOULD stop Jasmine from hurting anyone she loved, if it meant knocking her out, or killing her even. The latter option would actually be more convenient, since it meant the matter would be resolved more quickly. It was a brutal assessment, but it was Haleigh's honest opinion. She didn't feel any need whatsoever to help the girl, not after last time. She could recognize that helping Frost was the ethical thing to do, but she felt less ethical by the minute.

She wasn't able to get a word in for Cameron's defense, but he was a big boy, he could handle himself quite well now, and he recognize which battles to fight and which to concede just as easily as she did. They let Karen and Blaze 'win' this one.

They left the War Room, headed for what was bound to be a rough reunion in the Situation Room. Cameron dropped back and so did Haleigh, knowing they'd both be the last people Frost wanted to see. The feeling was MORE than mutual. Haleigh glanced at Cameron, missing their old connection, where they could speak mentally without the others to judge them. Diana had taken that away from her, during the recovery process, presumably because she didn't want any of her OWN secrets getting out.

Still, Haleigh knew they were on the same page here. They knew this would probably end badly, they knew they would probably have to be the 'bad guys' when they walked into that room.

Not EVERYONE gets to be the hero....

She thought grimly as they filed in. She saw Zach, and gave a small smile of greeting, but said nothing. Her glance shifted to Vivica, and she kept the smile, then Sharon, who received a nod. Then she looked at Alycia, and the smile melted a bit. Had Cameron TOLD her about what happened? Would her behavior be typical of her, wherein she was aloof and dismissive until she exploded with bitter vitriol? Or did she not even know? It was hard to determine. Haleigh had come clean about the LAST time, the kiss on the roof, but that had been on HER, she'd initiated. This time it was Cameron's turn to be honest, it was HIS relationship at stake. Haleigh wasn't going to say anything if nobody ELSE did, but the tension in this room was ten layers deep.

Haleigh gestured to Vivica to get her to come over for a sidebar. Blaze reached out to Jasmine, honestly trying to help. Bad idea, but it couldn't be stopped until AFTER it went bad, unfortunately. The good news was that it went bad very quickly.

Frost: Who the FUCK are you? You're NOT my sister....What is this some kind of sick JOKE?! Another way to toy with me?! PUNISH me?!

"Y'all SHOULD have let me give her that Prozac first."

Haleigh interjected calmly.

Frost: This [gesturing to Blaze] THING ISN'T BLAZE. She's a clone or a fucking mental mind game or something! FUCK you all! You HATE me THAT much to give me hope and then RIP my heart out AGAIN?! FUCK YOU.

"Hey there princess, we still aren't sure YOU aren't a clone or mental mind game, so how about you stop ESCALATING for ONCE and make it a little easier for us here? [turning to Viv] What have you got for me? I can grant you access to our files on her, if you don't have it already."

 

[Arsenal]

It was obvious this would take a left turn into Derailsville and that this would likely be a costly waste of time. Apparently no one gave a damn about the girl but Doc and Delilah, and honestly, neither did Mike. His focus was Karen, and she was not getting her second wind. At all. Something smelled off and he wished they could pump the brakes a second, but nope, everyone was full speed ahead.

He had not yet had time to tell Hales about the attack at the apothecary, and so he could see her about to stop everything in the middle of Doc speaking to go over it. He stared a hole into her that screamed:

Let it go for now. I got you later.

Haleigh gave him a look that clearly translated:

DUDE, you'd BETTER fucking tell me EVERYTHING later!

He nodded and she let it drop. For now. Secondary crisis averted. They all said whatever they were gonna say and he accompanied Doc back into the next room with the others. And Frost promptly went the hell off. Haleigh was handling it, for now, and he leaned over and whispered to Karen.

Steady Doc, try to relax. If need be we can take this more slowly.

 

[Firebird]

The Situation Room

Blaze wanted to say, "Trust me, Jasmine, you can trust me." But then she remembered Miss Collins from the movie Carrie. She DID want Jasmine to know, to BELIEVE she could trust her, but Jasmine was in a cold, dark place, void of almost any "light" or hope. It seemed that the siege had done NOTHING to "rearrange" her at all! What kind of cruel judgement had she received?!

Still, she was determined to help her sister find her ray of light.

But then....

Jasmine roughly pushed Blaze's hand away as she stood, recoiling from the imposter.

"Who the FUCK are you? You're NOT my sister...."

She hissed through clenched teeth.

....

Jasmine harshly SLAPPED Blaze's hand away, and flew up out of her seat. If the moments leading UP to this harsh and utterly cold rejection had moved slowly, NOW it all had "PAUSED" for Blaze as she sat there in disbelief.

Cameron and Karen BOTH had warned her. But things....they had worked out so WELL for her and MORGAN, and she DID have a very close relationship with Frost...from HER native timeline. But there it was...the thing that almost drove HER into the siege perilous to flee the mainstream timeline: the confusion, the contempt and ultimately the cold rejection/dismissal due to her NOT being the original Foxfire.

Blaze remembered that press conference that Nigel Barker had all but derailed when HE tried to expose her as a fraud and an IMPOSTER to the general populace. She remember how she finally understood what she would face here. Even Haleigh and Cameron had been distant and reluctant to draw near to her in the very beginning, despite her being KEY to the mainstreams rescuing Alison and Ava, who had ended up in HER timeline. It hurt badly then. THIS is MUCH WORSE.

No warning, no prep can really protect you from the kind of hurt that comes with rejection from a family member. Sadly, Blaze didn't realize that this was how Delilah must have felt when she became heavy handed with her over the perceived disrespect she thought Delilah was delivering to Karen in the aftermath of the Blue Moon.

It wasn't just her own pain that struck her hard now...it was seeing this reality's Jasmine up close and in action. NOW she was able to "read" her in that way unique to her, and EVERYTHING about her was disjointed. Of the three sisters, Jasmine had been the most isolated, the most abused by their father. THEN when HE still did not get what HE wanted, he threw her away like a failed experiment, SOLD HER to a notorious crime lord, who was also associated with Mystech. She was then further degraded, used and abused, until she finally managed to ESCAPE.

In Firebird's timeline, Frost's story was not QUITE as horrible, and a key difference THERE was that she was liberated by Morgan, Blaze and Karen, who as a family, were able to help and COUNTERACT much of what Christopher had done to her. It wasn't like that here, and seeing the end result live and in the flesh...it was BREAKING Blaze's heart!

Karen, Cameron, Delilah, Haleigh, and everyone else could see Blaze's face contort with confusion and PAIN.

Her own pain was almost unimportant compared to Frost, in Blaze's mind...but was that JUST as bad?

Karen moved away from Mike, to Blaze's side and steadied her as she stood up.

"Y'all SHOULD have let me give her that Prozac first."

Haleigh interjected calmly.

"Come on, Haleigh. That isn't helping..."

Blaze said in a tone that was tinged with hurt, even though she tried to "keep it together."

"Hey there princess, we still aren't sure YOU aren't a clone or mental mind game, so how about you stop ESCALATING for ONCE and make it a little easier for us here? [turning to Viv] What have you got for me? I can grant you access to our files on her, if you don't have it already."

Blaze shook her head as Karen once again silently communicated with her via the hearing thoughts spell, trying to help her pull back and regroup. But they BOTH couldn't figure out why Jasmine would even make a SMALL gesture of basic trust in THEM, JUST to get the ball rolling here! By this time, Ruby had moved to the other side of Blaze, taking her hand into her's. Blaze squeezed Cass' hand, communicating her appreciation of the support. Haleigh was coming at this from a totally opposite angle. She wanted to be sure that Karen and Blaze were not hurt in anyway, but like Morgan and Alison, Haleigh could become relentless and BRUTAL in her tactics if she felt it necessary. Blaze wanted her to step BACK from those feelings about Frost, the way Cameron had admonished BLAZE to do the same regarding her perception of Delilah after the Blue Moon!

Delilah stepped forward, using her natural illumination to create a calming light.

“Jasmine, please calm down. Remember, Karen told you that this is Blaze from another timeline. She lost her Jasmine, and we’ve all lost your Blaze, but there’s still a bond there…please, give her a chance. I know this is a lot to take in, but we’re trying to help you.”

Delilah was still resentful of Blaze, the fire elemental knew that, Even after their shared dreamtime experience, but Blaze had learned a very important lesson from that experience, which is why she had done an about face with Delilah the moment they awakened. But that wasn't going to be enough to FIX the damage to their relationship. Blaze would have to face Delilah, but now was not the time. In spite of that, Delilah was doing all she could to help Karen, and by extension, Blaze. It was no small gesture, and as Delilah tried to soothe Jasmine with her light, the fire elemental felt gratitude.

" Jasmine, please...nothing about OUR family has EVER been cut and dry. We have a sister who can circumvent time and space...we share the same father, we bare the scars of his abuse. The shadow of mystech loomed over all of us. Some of us have died and come back in totally different bodies...These things...they're the same ACROSS time. This isn't an attempt at a joke at your expense. Far from it."

"Mom and I...we'll answer any questions you have. We'll help you make sense of everything, but it'll take time...and if you'll give us a chance...we'll show you that in all the ways that truly matter, we ARE family. "

 

[Frost]

Delilah: Jasmine, please calm down. Remember, Karen told you that this is Blaze from another timeline. She lost her Jasmine, and we’ve all lost your Blaze, but there’s still a bond there…please, give her a chance. I know this is a lot to take in, but we’re trying to help you.

"NO! Karen told me that Blaze and Morgan were ALIVE, not that Blaze was some alternate from a different world! What? Is Morgan fucking DARKCHILDE?!"

Jasmine exclaimed in frustration.

Haleigh: Hey there princess, we still aren't sure YOU aren't a clone or mental mind game, so how about you stop ESCALATING for ONCE and make it a little easier for us here?

"Oh FUCK you, Haleigh. I remember clearly my life before I went into the siege, and when I was spit back out into this god forsaken timeline. You want your proof? You were a callous self centered bitch BEFORE, and you're STILL callous self centered bitch NOW."

The pressure in her head began to grow increasingly as her anger escalated, and Delilah's little lighting show wasn't helping.

Blaze: Jasmine, please...nothing about OUR family has EVER been cut and dry. We have a sister who can circumvent time and space...we share the same father, we bare the scars of his abuse. The shadow of mystech loomed over all of us.

"Don't you talk to me about family. You know NOTHING about MY life or what I went through. You weren't here before. So don't you DARE try and empathize with me and say you understand when you have NO idea. You're just a place holder for the REAL Blaze. [to Karen] "Where is she [Foxfire]? DEAD? What? You decided to snag another Blaze and integrate her into your fucked up little family to appease your guilt? Welcome her with open arms and adopt her into your life? Funny how effortlessly that is for you all to do with HER [gesturing to Blaze], but you could never give me one ounce of respect or a chance."

Blaze: Some of us have died and come back in totally different bodies...These things...they're the same ACROSS time. This isn't an attempt at a joke at your expense. Far from it.

Shaking her head, Jasmine didn't want to hear it.

Blaze: Mom and I...we'll answer any questions you have. We'll help you make sense of everything, but it'll take time...and if you'll give us a chance...we'll show you that in all the ways that truly matter, we ARE family.

Scoffing, Jasmine glared at Blaze.

"Family? We'll NEVER be a family. Because even before you came into this timeline, no one has EVER wanted me in their family. I was always a pawn in a game, a tool--a WEAPON. I was never given the chance you were given. I WANTED to leave this timeline and start a new life like YOU did. But I was DENIED that, while THEY [everyone in the room] welcomed the 'brand new Blaze' with open arms. I don't WANT you're help. ANY of you."

 

[Black Widow]

The Parthenon New York - The Situation Room

Blaze: Come on, Haleigh. That isn't helping...

It was a soft admonishment, and Haleigh looked at Blaze incredulously.

"What part of our previous discussion gave you the impression that I wanted to HELP? I'm here to make sure she's no DANGER to us, that's pretty much the limit to MY involvement."

Frost: NO! Karen told me that Blaze and Morgan were ALIVE, not that Blaze was some alternate from a different world! What? Is Morgan fucking DARKCHILDE?!

"Well, yeah but, they ARE ALIVE though..."

She replied, with a facetious undertone. The more she had to deal with Frost, the less congenial she was feeling. She almost wanted Frost to give her a reason to shut this whole circus down.

Frost: Oh FUCK you, Haleigh.

"Sorry, you missed my experimental phase, and honestly, even if you hadn't, your personality is a DEAL BREAKER."

She volleyed back with a grimace for emphasis.

Frost: I remember clearly my life before I went into the siege, and when I was spit back out into this god forsaken timeline. You want your proof? You were a callous self centered bitch BEFORE, and you're STILL callous self centered bitch NOW.

"OoOoh, sick freezer burn there, Popsicle. I think you may have hurt my feelings."

Haleigh clearly didn't give a DAMN about treating Jasmine with kid gloves, and she didn't seem to mind the dirty looks she was getting from some of the others. She had a singular focus, determine whether Frost posed a threat. She also knew that if she kept Frost focused on HER, and kept Frost lashing out at HER, then that meant a little less heat falling on Blaze and Karen, who were both clearly distressed about what was happening.


Unfortunately, Blaze was just not willing to allow Haleigh to take over and absorb Frost's malevolence. Blaze still wanted to 'fix' Frost, so she continued to try to placate the little demon.

Blaze: Mom and I...we'll answer any questions you have. We'll help you make sense of everything, but it'll take time...and if you'll give us a chance...we'll show you that in all the ways that truly matter, we ARE family.

Frost: Family? We'll NEVER be a family. Because even before you came into this timeline, no one has EVER wanted me in their family. I was always a pawn in a game, a tool--a WEAPON. I was never given the chance you were given.

A gameshow buzzer sound effect plays briefly through some Bose speakers mounted on the wall.

"WRONG. You WERE given a chance, actually. In fact, I gave you that chance, after quite a rocky start, I TRIED to help you before. I have video footage of our conversation archived, if you can't recall, I'd love to play it for you. And after funding the whole CI medical operation to pull two--no--THREE bullets out and basically save you from the BRINK, while also PERSONALLY talking Miss Former ADA over there out of PROSECUTING your ass to the fullest extent of the law, you STILL MANAGED TO FUCK IT ALL UP AFTERWARD."

Frost: I WANTED to leave this timeline and start a new life like YOU did. But I was DENIED that, while THEY [everyone in the room] welcomed the 'brand new Blaze' with open arms.


"Wahhhhhh wahh, poor baby. Do you need a tissue, or do your tears freeze?"

Frost: I don't WANT you're help. ANY of you.

"GREAT, that's all you had to say. I'll walk you out."

 

[Prophet]

Parthenon Hotel - NYC - The Situation Room

Things were unfolding pretty much exactly how Cameron anticipated, which was bittersweet. Delilah attempted to placate the elemental, hoping to calm her down and help her focus on the task at hand, trying to connect with her sister. Blaze tried to reach her sister once again, only to be admonished and torn through verbally as Jasmine began her rampage, insulting Haleigh and the rest of them in the room. It was unfuriating. Even if he could understand it, it appeared that Jasmine didn't realize how FEW options she had. She was back for good, or so it seemed, and she had come from out of nowhere. What could she really have expected of them? They were already GIVING her that and she seemed completely uninterested, even PISSED off at their attempts to bridge the gap for her, to bring her back into the world slowly and delicately, and she wasn't having it at all. It was hard to witness, and he could see just how painful it was for Blaze to hear, it was written all over her face.

He watched as Haleigh and Jasmine went back and forth, and his patience was wearing thin. Not for nothing, but there was a LIST of people Cameron would spend hours in the Situation Room trying to get them the help that they needed, and Jasmine just WASN'T one of them. She didn't have to go through the Siege because of something terrible, or to stop something awful from happening like Morgan. She jumped through because she didn't get the welcoming she thought she deserved from The Six. Nobody seemed to realize how dramatic that was. She decided to completely leave her REALITY because things got tough. That part Cameron would never understand. He had ran away, he had done his own damage, but he came BACK...and he took every single hit they had to give him. He bitched, he complained, he cried...but he kept going. He had never had a family either, and his OWN "reunion" with his sister was terrible...but he didn't stop, he didn't cosmically KILL himself..in fact he had come BACK from death in order to be with them. All these thoughts were running through his head as Haleigh started to put Jasmine in her place, but then...

Jasmine: "Family? We'll NEVER be a family. Because even before you came into this timeline, no one has EVER wanted me in their family. I was always a pawn in a game, a tool--a WEAPON. I was never given the chance you were given. I WANTED to leave this timeline and start a new life like YOU did. But I was DENIED that, while THEY [everyone in the room] welcomed the 'brand new Blaze' with open arms. I don't WANT you're help. ANY of you."

Haleigh: "I don't WANT you're help. ANY of you."

"Oh That's IT. Jasmine? ENOUGH!"

An echoing BOOM could be heard throughout the situation room, a telekinetic trick that brought the focus towards him as he walked closer to Jasmine, his face with a mixture of anger and dissappointment.

"Guess what? You don't always get what you WANT, Jasmine! LOOK AROUND. I mean it! LOOK!"

Cameron silently exerted his power on her, compelling her to want to look at all of the faces of the people in the room with her, people that were there to help her, to try and make this an easy transition.

"You're being GIVEN a chance right now, and what are you doing with it? You're being a petulant little child with a chip on their shoulder because you've had it rough and because it's not wrapped up in a perfect little package. Well FROST, we've ALL had it rough. We've ALL come from HORRIBLE and ATROCIOUS backgrounds. You don't corner the market on emotional trauma or pain, but you've certainly made a name for yourself in the industry of IGNORANCE."

He began to walk closer to her.

"You jumped through that Siege because you were looking for a QUICK FIX...and now here you ARE..BACK in the same place you left...and do you know why? Because there ARE no quick fixes, because things don't get BETTER when you RUN AWAY...trust me, if there is anybody who knows THAT...it's ME. You left your life up to the cosmic judgment of the Siege Perilous, and as a result you have no choice but to DEAL with the decision you made."

[gesturing over to Blaze]

"THIS is the Blaze of our timeline. THIS is your sister, a sister who is welcoming you with open arms. You are NOT the Jasmine of her timeline, but notice, she doesn't make you feel like an absolute piece of shit for that? She is treating you...HMMM...she wants you in her family! Isn't that what you just said you wanted? Seems like the only one getting in the way of your happiness is YOU...which seems to be about as much as I remember about you. You STEAMROLL people, try and BEAT them into submission, and then get MAD and RUN AWAY when they don't respond the way you want them to..."

He threw his hands out in anger and exasperation.

"You have two options. QUIET yourself and listen to Blaze and the good doctor, or LEAVE..because THIS?!"

[gesturing to the area around him]

"This whole trying to appease to a woman who's made it VERY clear she wants no help, despite how clear it is that she NEEDS it? WILL not happen again. I WILL not allow it. The choice is yours."

 

[Recall]

Parthenon Hotel - NYC - The Situation Room

:: The minutes felt like hours as they waited in the Situation Room for Karen to bring the others as Vivica watched Jasmine with a careful eye. It was interesting, that The Six had faced down Gods and things of incredible power, yet when it came to their personal relationships with each other, they often fell into turmoil and despair. Counting the amount of time that had passed since Karen left to meet with the others, it was clear that Haleigh and Cameron were not necessarily in agreement with this meeting. She couldn't blame them as she continued to gaze at the ice elemental curiously. ::

:: Jasmine represented a tough time for The Six, Blaze Fielding had just died. They had barely gotten time to mourn her death when Jasmine came barreling into their lives. Her close relationship with Cameron had allowed her to know that Frost wasn't very well received within the group, but shortly there after he had disappeared. They didn't know it at the time, but he had been kidnapped by Erika and Malice. Vivica had been thrust into more responsibility at King Enterprises, and she never truly learned the fate that Frost met, jumping into the Siege, wanting a do over, wanting to find happiness, and now she was returned to the very same place she was trying to escape, something Vivica could relate to. Looking Jasmine up and down she began to think of the other versions of herself that might be out there somewhere. Was there a version of herself that had never met Cameron? Was she destined to die in Greece across time and space? In that moment, Vivica realized a bullet in the neck was an easy tragedy compared to the ones that some people in the room with her had experienced, Sharon, Alycia and Jasmine included. She would make sure to keep that in mind in the future. ::

:: Finally, the others arrived in The Situation Room, and Vivica immediately tensed up. It was weird to be faced with so many of them again. It was ironic. There was a time in her life that she was so close to Cameron, almost as if she was in his mind. Because of her relationship with Cameron, Haleigh was one of the few people in The Six that she got to know the most, or at least spent the most time with. Now, she felt more removed from them both. She spent her time with Zizi or Blaze, or friends completely unconnected to what she had gone through. It Haleigh's intelligence agency that had rescued Vivica from death. Though it was Zach in the field, it was by Haleigh's hand that was she was able to work in intelligence in Europe for the years that she did, with members of The Six being none the wiser, and as such, she would always respect Haleigh both as a person and a "boss". Vivica exhaled deeply, looking at her own teammates, before returning her view to the "main stage", ensuring that Oracle had a clear view of what was going on. ::

"Please don't let this turn into a brawl. My baby hairs are too pressed to be stressed right now."

:: But, as things usually went with The Six and their family members, the shit hit the fan and rather quickly. Vivica felt so bad for Blaze. For as strong and powerful as she was, she was a very vulnerable person. She always tried to help people see things from a new perspective. She had done the same for Vivica herself when she returned to New York in time for Blaze's "debutante" ball. Though Vivica wasn't trying to hear it at the time, deep down, she did take the message to heart. She was fiery and passionate, much like Cameron was, in fact, it was that same kind of hot headed, lovable obnoxiousness that the two shared that drew Vivica to Blaze initially. She was really trying to make her life in this timeline work, and she wanted that for Jasmine. It was clear, it was all over her face. ::

Haleigh gestured to Vivica to get her to come over for a sidebar. Blaze reached out to Jasmine, honestly trying to help. Bad idea, but it couldn't be stopped until AFTER it went bad, unfortunately. The good news was that it went bad very quickly.

Frost: Who the FUCK are you? You're NOT my sister....What is this some kind of sick JOKE?! Another way to toy with me?! PUNISH me?!

"Y'all SHOULD have let me give her that Prozac first."

Haleigh interjected calmly.

Frost: This [gesturing to Blaze] THING ISN'T BLAZE. She's a clone or a fucking mental mind game or something! FUCK you all! You HATE me THAT much to give me hope and then RIP my heart out AGAIN?! FUCK YOU.

"Hey there princess, we still aren't sure YOU aren't a clone or mental mind game, so how about you stop ESCALATING for ONCE and make it a little easier for us here? [turning to Viv] What have you got for me? I can grant you access to our files on her, if you don't have it already."

:: This was not going good, but Vivica turned her attention towards Black Widow. Perhaps the two of them would discover that this wasn't Jasmine and instead, some horrible nightmare that they could destroy. She hated seeing Blaze like this. Vivica spoke low in an effort to counter the "noise" that Haleigh was making. ::

"I was able to retrieve her files earlier in the infirmary...though we weren't able to get a bio scan. Clandestine has Alycia Barnett's original DNA sample on file...it should be possible for us to compare the two. I've also pulled up bio scans on Blaze Fielding, and we need to compare those as well. Jasmine could be presenting differently at a genetic level due to being reconstituted by the Siege, but from what I was able to gleam at the infirmary, the torture that both of these women experienced at the hands of their father left an energy imprint, it's not a genetic expression, but it shows up as a kind of cloud on Foxfire's scans.."

:: Vivica pulled out her tablet and began to tap away and scroll, comparing a great amount of information at an incredibly fast speed. ::

"It should show up on Jasmine's as well. If this is a clone, that kind of imprint won't be present. However, if Jasmine is here by way of magick and not the Siege, then that might lead to a dead end."

:: Recall pressed her temple for a moment. ::

"I've had Oracle transfer my complete history of everything I've ever seen, known, heard, read...even smelled about Jasmine Klein to Clandestine servers. It would be a good time to access that and cross reference with EVERYTHING you have in your own "brain". We might come up with something that way..."

:: Looking up...Vivica realized that Haleigh was not paying attention at all in this moment, rather she was ARGUING with Jasmine who was becoming increasingly more angry. She noticed a sharp change in facial structure and breathing pattern, indicating that Jasmine was getting angry, and experiencing a great amount of stress. She was about to step in, when CAMERON followed suit, chastising her for her outbursts. She looked over at Blaze, who seemed just so...broken and upset. She had gotten so lost in her work, that she forgot the OTHER part of why she was here. She immediately went over to Blaze, on the opposite side of Ruby and held her hand firm. She cocked an eye at Cameron, dissapproving. ::

"Cameron! Who do you think you are? Alison! You do not get to CHASTIZE somebody like they're your child..."

[thinking for a moment]

"Especially for feeling the same way YOU'VE felt at times. This is a Six matter, that's for sure, but HONEY, this is a Victory Family Issue. And THEY need to resolve it among themselves. Let's REMEMBER why we are here...it's not to interrogate, it's not to throw insults around. It's to come to an understanding, to find answers. Let's not lose focus. This doesn't have to go like this..."

:: Vivica looked at Jasmine, and exhaled. What the hell could she possibly say to this woman without unleashing more of her venom. ::

"We don't really know each other, but please, just hear them out...if you don't like what they say, I promise...I'll take you anywhere you want to go. She may not be who you were expecting, but I DID know Foxfire...and she wouldn't like [gesturing around] THIS."

 

[Ruby]

The Parthenon - The Situation Room





Cameron: ”Here goes nothing, right?”

:: Cass turned to him and just nodded. She was still absorbing the shock of how…SIMILAR they both were, yet with startling differences. She was prepared to meet Blaze’s sister, but she wasn’t prepared for this. She also wasn’t prepared for Jasmine to go off the cliff on Blaze. She shifted her stance. ::

:: Cass was right. Jasmine DID feel overwhelmed…but not for the reason Cass had thought. She was overwhelmed because Blaze wasn’t her sister. Jasmine was correct; Blaze WASN’T her sister. Blaze wasn’t even her Blaze. At least, not the Blaze that SHE was accustomed too. Cass could completely understand. Karen had promised her Blaze, and Karen DID, but Blaze wasn’t what she had thought. She thought about how SHE would react if somebody promised her a meeting with one of her own family members only to be met with someone she wasn’t used to. It would be devastating. Still, Cass was not okay with Jasmine spewing all this anger over her BEST FRIEND. It made her want to rush over and wring the girl’s neck! The only reason she didn’t do so was out of respect for Blaze. Delilah stepped in, trying to placate Elsa yet she would have none of it. ::

Oh dear…

:: Then Haleigh started in on Jasmine. Talk about a loose cannon. Cass knew that this would not end well. ::

*pleading*: “Guys, please…”

:: Her plea went unnoticed by everyone. So she did the only thing she could think of aside from beating the absolute shit out of Jasmine for hurting her friend: she went to Blaze’s side and took her hand as support. Again, Blaze made steps of offers of support to Jasmine. Cass was proud of her. She probably wouldn’t be in such mood to help her…especially not after Jasmine blatantly REJECTING Blaze. She sighed inwardly as that only set off BOTH Cameron and Haleigh. Cass leaned over to Blaze and whispered in her ear. ::

”Hey, if you want to leave, to have a moment away from her, we can. I’ll take you out right now and you can have a few minutes to pull it together. You DON’T need to listen to this…”

:: Yet she knew that Blaze wouldn't go. Blaze was loyal and faithful to her friends and FAMILY. Jasmine needed help, anybody could see that except for Jasmine, and so Blaze would do anything to help her sister. It was one of the things Cass admired most about her. ::

 

[Frost]

Haleigh: "WRONG. You WERE given a chance, actually. In fact, I gave you that chance, after quite a rocky start, I TRIED to help you before. I have video footage of our conversation archived, if you can't recall, I'd love to play it for you. And after funding the whole CI medical operation to pull two--no--THREE bullets out and basically save you from the BRINK, while also PERSONALLY talking Miss Former ADA over there out of PROSECUTING your ass to the fullest extent of the law, you STILL MANAGED TO FUCK IT ALL UP AFTERWARD."

"Oh get off you're God damn pedestal of SHIT, Haleigh. The ONLY person that you ever look out for is YOURSELF. Look at your fanning your feathers like a prized fucking turkey. Where was THIS bolstering, bad ass ball busting bitch when MORGAN died, HUH? I CLEARLY remember you not giving a FUCK about my sister when she died. I CLEARLY remember you HATING her when she died. Where was this FEARLESS attitude THEN, Haleigh? Where were YOU back THEN, HALEIGH? Because as far as I can see, you're still as FUCKED up now as you were back THEN."

Jasmine scoffed, but it soon turned into an sardonic laugh.

"At least I own MY shit. Look at YOU. Trying to be the tough leader that saves the day when you have you're own mess that you can't escape from. Oh honey, it's written all over your pretty little face. I know that look--I HAD that look. We're both products of MysTech, but I NEVER claimed to be a super hero. I NEVER claimed to be anyone other than myself. But you? All you're doing is running from who YOU really are. Sucks, don't it?"

The room began to drop in temperature, much like it did back at the BOP medical lab. Then Cameron chimed in....oh he was chomping at the bit.

Cameron: "You're being GIVEN a chance right now, and what are you doing with it? You're being a petulant little child with a chip on their shoulder because you've had it rough and because it's not wrapped up in a perfect little package. Well FROST, we've ALL had it rough. We've ALL come from HORRIBLE and ATROCIOUS backgrounds. You don't corner the market on emotional trauma or pain, but you've certainly made a name for yourself in the industry of IGNORANCE."

"HA! Are you KIDDING me? THIS...coming from YOU of all people?!"

Cameron: "You jumped through that Siege because you were looking for a QUICK FIX...and now here you ARE..BACK in the same place you left...and do you know why? Because there ARE no quick fixes, because things don't get BETTER when you RUN AWAY...trust me, if there is anybody who knows THAT...it's ME. You left your life up to the cosmic judgment of the Siege Perilous, and as a result you have no choice but to DEAL with the decision you made."

"Oh SPARE me you self righteousness, Cameron! You have NO PLACE to talk! Are you seriously chastising ME for wanting a better life when all you EVER did was RUN AWAY from yours?! You were a SCARED little BOY who didn't have the BALLS to stay in the game. Why are you even HERE? How are you even RELEVANT to his conversation?! You disappeared during Master Mold! You DISAPPEARED when MY SISTER died. You ABANDONED her JUST like HALEIGH did! How are you even BACK here with these people after the bullshit that you've pulled?! You HATED Morgan. You HATED you're own DAMN sister, and yet here you are, sitting high and looking down your nose at ME for wanting to start a new life? Calling it a QUICK FIX?! Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?! You are the DEFINITION of a spineless bastard. You only care about yourself and what benefits YOU. THAT'S why you ran, Cameron. Don't FUCKING twist it."

Cameron: "You have two options. QUIET yourself and listen to Blaze and the good doctor, or LEAVE..because THIS?! This whole trying to appease to a woman who's made it VERY clear she wants no help, despite how clear it is that she NEEDS it? WILL not happen again. I WILL not allow it. The choice is yours."

It took everything for Jasmine not to bust out laughing at Cameron's ultimatum. At least Haleigh got straight to the point and offered to escort her out. Funny, she actually appreciated that. But Cameron? He had the gall to stand there and threaten her. She was DONE.

Without a gesture or a single movement, both Cameron AND Haleigh went flying into the wall, pinned. She could feel the water in their bodies--she controlled them by it. Her hand gripped into a fist as she began to FREEZE their molecular structure from the INSIDE OUT.

"I'm DONE with BOTH of you."

She growled out--their bodies beginning to turn blue.

"You look at me like i'm a child who's toy got stolen. You look at me and think i'm a weak, selfish, little girl who can't handle her shit."

Her voice was even and cold as she watched Haleigh and Cameron start to gasp for oxygen. The room began to literally freeze around everyone--the floors and ceilings frosted over with ice. All mechanical equipment fried and inoperable. But it wasn't JUST the War Room....it was the entire PARTHENON---the entire CITY. New York was being COVERED by ICE.

"My life was HELL. I knew only TORTURE and EXPERIMENTATION and PAIN for longer than I EVER knew FREEDOM. I knew HATE and DISPAR before I EVER knew LOVE. The ONLY person who accepted me and loved me for me was MORGAN and BLAZE, and they both DIED. So I wanted to leave. I wanted a new life BEYOND MYSTECH. So FUCK YOU BOTH for thinking that I can't handle my SHIT because you can't even COMPREHEND the SHIT that I HAVE handled! [to Haleigh] You wanted frostbite, cupcake? Here's your FUCKING frostbite."

Jasmine wanted them dead. She wanted to see Cameron and Haleigh FREEZE before her eyes so she could shatter them into a million little pieces. She was beyond furious...she barely heard Vivica plead to stop what was happening.

Vivica: "We don't really know each other, but please, just hear them out...if you don't like what they say, I promise...I'll take you anywhere you want to go. She may not be who you were expecting, but I DID know Foxfire...and she wouldn't like [gesturing around] THIS."

[evenly] "Good thing Foxfire isn't here."

 

[Seer]

Birds of Prey SPOTLIGHT- The eyes of Vivica Lennox

"Hey there princess, we still aren't sure YOU aren't a clone or mental mind game, so how about you stop ESCALATING for ONCE and make it a little easier for us here? [turning to Viv] What have you got for me? I can grant you access to our files on her, if you don't have it already."

<< FLASH!>>

<< a lingering 360 view of EVERYONE in the Situation room, and OVERLAYING this view is a more ghostly view of Recall's EYES.>>

<< the sound of data and energy crawling/scrolling can be heard, and we see a "binary code" effect moving across Recall's eyes for a moment.>>

<<Vivica Lennox, a.k.a. RECALL, She is not a precog, or an amazon, but that doesn't make her any less special. From the harsh, violent neighborhood of Compton, to the skyscraping metropolis of NYC, to the vast, winding expanse of Europe, this beautiful mutant traveled far and wide, perhaps stopping just short of Limbo or the siege perilous, and unlike many people, mutants or not, She remembers EVERY place, EVERY person, EVERY experience she's ever had. >>

<< More than just another mutant, she unknowingly played a VITAL role in insuring that the dawn of the SIX would be possible! Often, in a historic narrative, the tributaries are often glossed over in favor of more focus on the main flow. Sadly, this would prove to be the case for Vivica, as Cameron King was soon enveloped in his ultimate destiny. When certain people ascend to a new level of existence and gain prominence, often the people "behind" the scenes will enjoy some sort of elevation, but that did not happen for Vivica. She was never properly received or fairly treated by the Six. The moment she crossed swords with Sharon Kelly and Alycia Barnett for the first time, her status as pariah was cemented, it seemed. >>

<< For a woman with TOTAL RECALL, this became an almost NEVER ENDING source of pain and resentment that nearly derailed her. Worse, in her darkest hour, laying in a pool of her own blood after being shot by Ava Cassadine in the aftermath of Cameron King's "death" and the caper involving Erika King. Vivica Lennox's story could have ended there. She could have become another sad, senseless casualty left behind by the riptide that is the Six. But just like her one time bitter rival, Charope, the sister fates were NOT done with Recall yet.>>

<< Reinvention is an important theme among the members of the six, and their allies, and extended family. For Vivica, reinvention was not only a theme, but a SKILL, one that she showcased even during the time of being de-powered.>>

<< She may have been left behind and left for dead by the chaotic riptide that IS the Six, but With the help of Zachary Armani, a.k.a. Orion, Recall's journey from unintended victim and tragedy, to glamorous Bird of Prey, and resourceful, multifaceted proxy to Zizi York, a.k.a. Oracle unfolded like a modern fairytale, only instead of castles, princesses and dragons, there were spies and agents- of which SHE was one- prowling through the halls of the London Branch of the Hellfire Club, for Clandestine inc; pursuits and passions of the arts- she now owns her own art gallery, and with her physical recovery from being shot, came a long but IMPORTANT redefining of her own mutant abilities. Her recovery and reinvention is perhaps the best story The Six as a whole missed out on. >>

<< More than a mere "tape recorder", as she was once cruelly regarded by Alycia and others, Recall is a mutant with the power of total recall and photographic reflexes. She can perfectly recall in detail anything she has ever heard, seen, read, felt, touched, experienced or thought at any given time with complete accuracy. Not only that, but she can physically represent physical skills of things she sees. She can also use her memory to enhance this power, giving her the ability to study complex forms of combat, languages, art forms, dance styles, disciplines and things of that nature and learn them instantaneously.>>

<<THIS allows Vivica to hold her own against some physical powerhouses, even though they may out class her in physical power! It allowed her to go toe-to-toe with her once bitter rival, the AMAZON Charope!>>

<< What VIvica lacks in raw physical power (read: Silver Swan) she makes up for with the power of her BRAIN. Because her brain fires millions of synpapses more than those around her, she is able to channel the electrical energy of these synpases through her hands in synpatic blasts that have a varying level of effects and strengths. She can use them to short circuit a computer or security camera, and in her most powerful and draining blasts, she can render a person unconscious, mentally disabled, comatose or dead. >>

<< Her mutation affords her peak human strength, speed, endurance and agility and her senses are greatly enhanced, allowing her to hear/see/smell from great distances away. Making her the IDEAL tracker, profiler and super spy, even Black Widow has given her props since her return!>>

<< Every reinvention is highlighted with a key upgrade. Following her therapy and recovery, with some key modifications made possible by Oracle, Recall can "download and upload" information to a physical server housed by Clandestine Intelligence in order to give her more room to learn and analyze. She can also upload her field of sight into a live feed on the network of The Watchtower. This allows Vivica the freedom to download customizable sets of information and data for battle, that are of particular interest to the task at hand. Oracle can also send information to Vivica in live time that she can receive in her mind. If knowledge and information are metrics for power, then Vivica is certainly among the pantheon of earth's MOST POWERFUL in this era.>>

<< And while Recall is enjoying a whole new experience of life, serving on this unique and diverse team known as the Birds of Prey, she knows that more than one road of her life leads back to the one thing she's worked so hard to distance herself from, THE SIX.>>

<< Without her, Cameron King would not have survived, the Six would not have been as it was meant to be. Her attempts to reconcile herself with The Six has had mixed results. A HARD FOUGHT, and CATHARTIC catfight with Alycia Barnett finally UPROOTED a deep seeded hostility and resentment between the two women, and with help from Rampage, forgiveness and PEACE was reached. Now, the amazon and the mutant work TOGETHER along with two other Six family allies- Orion and Silver Swan. Recall is a close friend and "sometimes LOVER" of Firebird. She's also very friendly with Ruby. She recently received a heatfelt apology from Spellbinder, and has maintained a friendly personal and professional relationship with Rampage. She's still connected to Longshot. But THEN there is Harbinger and Pesrsephone, NEITHER of whom has responded to Recall the way she would like or deserves. Still, for a woman who could potentially rival Harbinger in the function of a tactician, Recall understands that some battles and challenges can't be won on HER terms. >>

<< Finally, full circle, there is Prophet. Together or apart, close or distant, in synch or disjointed, Vivica will NEVER truly be able to seperate herself from Cameron, nor would she want to. She's the one person in this world who can reach Cameron on a level that even his own sister wouldn't have known how to. She can bring him BACK down to earth when he needs it. She's earned the RIGHT to make SURE he sees her for the success that she is TODAY. She's all that he may or may NOT have suspected she could be, and MORE, and if she couldn't before, she can NOW take proper credit for her role in insuring that the dawn of the Six would even be possible .>>

<< PRESENTLY in the Situation Room. Recall stands with Black Widow, the two women working together, using their unique powers in tandem to accomplish what entire governments could not as they search, SCOUR and ANALYZE any and ALL available information and data regarding Jasmine Klein (Victory), cross referencing with information on Foxfire, and any available files on the Victory family. If there's any thing that can prove or DISPROVE Jasmine's authenticity, these two can find it. But soon, Recall realizes SHE is the only one focused on THAT task, as Black Widow has seemingly descended to a much more base level, engaging in Frost as the meeting rapidly degenerates into a confrontation.>>

<< When Cameron King begins to get HEAVY HANDED with Frost, Vivica "recalls" that night in XS, when he did the same thing. ALISON was there to stop his attack on Frost then. VIVICA steps in NOW before he gets beside himself.>>

She cocked an eye at Cameron, dissapproving. ::

"Cameron! Who do you think you are? Alison! You do not get to CHASTIZE somebody like they're your child..."

[thinking for a moment]

"Especially for feeling the same way YOU'VE felt at times. This is a Six matter, that's for sure, but HONEY, this is a Victory Family Issue. And THEY need to resolve it among themselves. Let's REMEMBER why we are here...it's not to interrogate, it's not to throw insults around. It's to come to an understanding, to find answers. Let's not lose focus. This doesn't have to go like this..."

:: Vivica looked at Jasmine, and exhaled. What the hell could she possibly say to this woman without unleashing more of her venom. ::

"We don't really know each other, but please, just hear them out...if you don't like what they say, I promise...I'll take you anywhere you want to go. She may not be who you were expecting, but I DID know Foxfire...and she wouldn't like [gesturing around] THIS."

<< Vivica may have had deeply mixed feelings about the Six and her connection to them, but Oracle was RIGHT. She was SUPPOSED to be here right now, for Blaze, for Cameron, for Karen...and to help HER team do their part in this situation. Even in her worst moments of insecurity or bitterness, Recall, much like those she had issues with, always seemed to know how to come around and do what needed to be done when it mattered MOST.>>

<< But would even SHE be able to alter the course of an impending COLLISION in the Situation Room?>>

 

[Artemis]

The Parthenon- Situation Room

:: The journey from Alycia's office to the Parthenon was almost nothing thanks to MorningStar's wormhole. But everything that happened BEFORE the move from there to here was what made all the difference. The shock of Jasmine's return, the MYSTERY of her return, her difficult...HOSTILE initial reaction to everyone around her....it gave Alycia pause.::

:: ALL of them had changed. They'd ALL been through unique, terrifying, redefining moments since Jasmine's passage through the siege, and for a time, Frost had been all but FORGOTTEN by most. Then suddenly, IMPOSSIBLY, she was back...seemingly SPIT OUT by the Siege perilous...only, maybe NOT?! Mina, Recall and even ISIS perceived a wrongness about her, but MorningStar and Shadow Weaver were adamant about helping her, Silver Swan agreed with them. Alycia, Zach and Mike were willing to help but they were more concerned for KAREN, who seemed to be struggling! She looked tired, like she might be under the weather, and she faltered here and there.::

:: Valkyrie, who was about as charming and agreeable as a COBRA, incurred Karen's WRATH during the initial observation of Frost, but then when released, Valkyrie RETURNED the "favor" to Karen, drawing an EQUALLY strong response from MorningStar, Silver Swan, Arsenal, Orion and Charope herself. It all happened so FAST. Karen, Delilah, Blaze, Michael...there were part of Alycia's HEART, Sharon's too. But Oracle and Recall, who ALSO seemed to be in rare form this evening, managed to restore CALM and order.::

:: Oracle gave her blessing to Karen to take Jasmine with her, and she directed members of the BoP to escort them for safety and in case the NEED for assistance arose. Even IF Oracle hadn't gave that direction, Alycia and Sharon would have gone to help Karen, Delilah and Mike. This WAS a "Six Family" matter, and no matter where Alycia went, they would ALWAYS be her family. Still...she'd have to accept her new reality, working along side her own official team...INCLUDING Valkyrie. She made her choice, and she was NEVER one to shy away from a path she chose to take.::

:: Here now, with Sharon, Zach and Vivica, the amazon sat, recalling that night all those years ago, in XS, when the Six had gathered together to remember their fallen FOXFIRE. Alycia was with them, preparing to execute Foxfire's WILL and give ownership of XS to MORGAN. THAT was when FROST appeared before them!::

:: It felt like TWO life times ago now. So MUCH had happened since then! Alycia had gone from being a ball busting ADA to being a super powered AMAZON! Those from that night who were still alive TODAY had experienced similar paths of growth as well, but JASMINE....sadly she seemed to be JUST as enraged and consumed with bitterness and HATRED NOW as she was THEN! ::

:: As the Birds of Prey waited, with Jasmine, in the situation room, Alycia looked at Sharon.::

Maybe WE should have seen what we could do about taking Frost to Themyscira. Exposure to the Purple Ray might HELP her to stablize on all levels and truly settle in her mind, body and SOUL! She's so HURT and ANGRY...

:: The amazons looked at each other, then elsewhere, as Alycia thought about this situation and her concern motivated her to try to find possible alternatives to suggest to Karen in case Karen's own considerable skills as a psychotherapist, AND her unique...and painful connection to Frost were NOT ENOUGH to help this woman.::

:: SOON::

<< The doctor enters first with Blaze, hand in hand. They are immediately followed by Delilah, Michael and Cass. Haleigh and Cameron bring up the rear together. It's the first time that any parts of the two teams had been in the same room together since the Purifiers caper, and while they werent battling against a hoard of religious zealots with high powered weapons this time, there was an almost PALPABLE tension in the air.>>

Finally, they reached the Situation Room as Cameron stood next to Haleigh, entering the room behind everybody.

:: Charope's hazel eyes fix on, and FOLLOW Cameron, AND Haleigh. The amazon's gaze at Cameron is soft...gentle, but there was a hint of DISAPPOINTMENT. Her gaze...more like a GLARE at Haleigh is like...well it's like a BIRD OF PREY.::

:: A similar, silent "exhange" was happening between Cameron and Zach.::

they filed in. She saw Zach, and gave a small smile of greeting, but said nothing. Her glance shifted to Vivica, and she kept the smile, then Sharon, who received a nod. Then she looked at Alycia, and the smile melted a bit. Had Cameron TOLD her about what happened? Would her behavior be typical of her, wherein she was aloof and dismissive until she exploded with bitter vitriol? Or did she not even know? It was hard to determine. Haleigh had come clean about the LAST time, the kiss on the roof, but that had been on HER, she'd initiated. This time it was Cameron's turn to be honest, it was HIS relationship at stake. Haleigh wasn't going to say anything if nobody ELSE did, but the tension in this room was ten layers deep.

:: There WAS something going on among the FOUR of them. But THAT deeply tangled interpersonal dynamic would NOT be the focus of this meeting. The four of them, despite their tangled dynamic, were perfectly capable of WORKING together. They'd proven it many times before, and they were all here for the same cause: Support of Karen, and by extension, Blaze.::

<< A lingering "split screen" view of the Birds of Prey and the Six. >>

<< That view gives way to a new view of Karen and Blaze.>>

<< The final view rests on FROST.>>


<< Everyone takes their places.>>

:: Alycia's visual and facial expression toward Haleigh softens as they all prepare to face what is at hand. Karen begins, setting the tone for what should be a safe, respectful and hopeful PRODUCTIVE meeting communication between Frost and Firebird.::

::But after a few fleeting moments of potential hope...Shadow Weaver's guidance and Firebird's warmth were COLDLY repelled by Frost! It was BRUTAL.::

:elilah tried to intercede on Blaze's behalf, and tried to calm the ice elemental. Blaze tried once more, and was AGAIN rebuffed, and THIS time, Frost attacked Karen on a TRULY personal, UGLY level. Alycia gasps as she puts her hand to her mouth::

Jasmine! Stop it! Karen is not your enemy! She's trying to HELP you!

:: Frost had stood up from her seat and already displayed some physical aggression toward Blaze. The level of animosity that she displayed was BEYOND anything she'd seen even from the most unrepentant CRIMINALS she'd prosecuted during her time as the ADA. But she remembered Frost's original appearence, and what it took for her to escape Victor Klein. Alycia's FILES on Victor Klein read like a stephen king novel. His twisted, DEPRAVED behavior in his role as a crime lord and associate of mystech were only matched by his brutality toward Jasmine. Alycia, with help from Delilah, was all but certain to NAIL him during trial, and lock him away, but even Mystech aided in his ESCAPE, leaving Frost BADLY wounded and him VOWING revenge on her, HARBINGER made sure he'd NEVER hurt Jasmine...or ANYONE ELSE again. He tried to escape the LAW, but he did NOT escape JUSTICE his END was a PERFECT match for the way he LIVED and TREATED others, namely Jasmine. But the DAMAGE he AND her FATHER had done...it was PAINFULLY apparent RIGHT NOW, and Blaze and Karen were on the receiving end.::

A gameshow buzzer sound effect plays briefly through some Bose speakers mounted on the wall.

"WRONG. You WERE given a chance, actually. In fact, I gave you that chance, after quite a rocky start, I TRIED to help you before. I have video footage of our conversation archived, if you can't recall, I'd love to play it for you. And after funding the whole CI medical operation to pull two--no--THREE bullets out and basically save you from the BRINK, while also PERSONALLY talking Miss Former ADA over there out of PROSECUTING your ass to the fullest extent of the law, you STILL MANAGED TO FUCK IT ALL UP AFTERWARD."

:: Alycia couldn't help but smirk at the LAST part of Haleigh's retort. ::

I WANTED to leave this timeline and start a new life like YOU did. But I was DENIED that, while THEY [everyone in the room] welcomed the 'brand new Blaze' with open arms.

Sharon...

:: Silver Swan nodded, as they both slowly stood up, not drawing attention to themselves. Sharon made her way toward the area between where most of the group was and the entrance/exit. IF Frost tried to escape, Silver Swan would STOP her, KNOCK HER OUT if necessary. Sharon would ALSO stop HALEIGH from doing harm to Frost IF it became necessary.::

:: Alycia made HER way toward the epicenter of this conflict. By NOW, Cass and Vivica had moved to Blaze, while Michael was trying to steady Karen.::

:: HALEIGH was now going after Jasmine, but Alycia recognized what Haleigh was REALLY trying to do, and while it may have seemed unconventional, it was an EXCELLENT tactic in this circumstance. Blaze was visibly shaken, and Karen....::

MAYBE If Jasmine PURGES all this toxic hatred out of herself now...it will HELP in the longrun! If ANYONE could go 13 rounds in a vicious verbal battle, it's HALEIGH!

:: but the hybrid DID have a threshold, and only a precious few- like Cameron, or ALYCIA, could even approach it with her. Still, Jasmine seemed willing to give it her VERY best try.::

::Alycia reached Karen and Michael::

Karen...you know she's lashing out. She's not in her right mind. Those things she's saying...they're not true. She's ANGRY and she's lashing out with a LIFE TIME of pain.

:: She appealed to Karen's sensibility as a psychotherapist, knowing the doctor has treated difficult, HOSTILE patients in the past.::

But maybe Mike's right...maybe we should just STOP this now. With all the resources between the two teams, we can keep Jasmine safe and OFF the radar. You DON'T NEED to deal with this ANYMORE tonight!

I've got accommodations I can provide Jasmine to stay in...we can take her, and give you and Blaze time to recover and...

"Oh That's IT. Jasmine? ENOUGH!"

An echoing BOOM could be heard throughout the situation room, a telekinetic trick that brought the focus towards him as he walked closer to Jasmine, his face with a mixture of anger and dissappointment.

"Guess what? You don't always get what you WANT, Jasmine! LOOK AROUND. I mean it! LOOK!"

:: Alycia didn't get to finish her thought, as CAMERON took HIS turn with Jasmine, and he was JUST as aggressive with her NOW as he was that night in XS. That might have been the FIRST time she'd seen him use his power ON someone in such a brutal, "IN YOUR FACE" manner. It WAS unsettling then, and NOW, even though she knew him as the man he is TODAY, to see this...it DID shock her because even though Jasmine was inciting ANGER and other raw, NEGATIVE emotions right now, she was NOT a foe, and she'd already been abused, DOMINATED by men before...WHY would he want to ADD to that now?!::

:: She TOTALLY understood his exasperation, BUT this was a REMINDER that HE had not come as far as he might like to think when it came to certain things...CERTAIN PEOPLE, and THIS time it WASN'T Haleigh!::

CAMERON!

:: Alycia called out to him, about to demand that he RELEASE his hold on Jasmine when...::

"Cameron! Who do you think you are? Alison! You do not get to CHASTIZE somebody like they're your child..."

[thinking for a moment]

"Especially for feeling the same way YOU'VE felt at times. This is a Six matter, that's for sure, but HONEY, this is a Victory Family Issue. And THEY need to resolve it among themselves. Let's REMEMBER why we are here...it's not to interrogate, it's not to throw insults around. It's to come to an understanding, to find answers. Let's not lose focus. This doesn't have to go like this..."

:: Vivica looked at Jasmine, and exhaled. What the hell could she possibly say to this woman without unleashing more of her venom. ::

"We don't really know each other, but please, just hear them out...if you don't like what they say, I promise...I'll take you anywhere you want to go. She may not be who you were expecting, but I DID know Foxfire...and she wouldn't like [gesturing around] THIS."

:: In an earlier era, Alycia would have tried to ONE-UP Vivica. She would have railed at this woman's ARROGANCE to insert herself in affairs of her "BETTERS." But Alycia was not that woman anymore. She'd short changed Vivica for so long, and it had been unfair. After their knock-down, drag out catfight, the amazon and the mutant had finally uprooted a deep seeded rivalry and hostility, and with the help of their mutual friend NICOLAS, they managed to find a new path that lead to mutual respect and peace between them. Now they served together on Birds of Prey! Vivica created an opening, Alycia was going to try to maximize and make it more ATTRACTIVE for Jasmine and the others to walk through. ::

Vivica is right.

:: If the situation before them wasn't so heavy....they might all be transfixed by the sight and sound of ALYCIA actually AGREEING with Vivica and backing her play!? ::

EVERYONE...PLEASE...let's just TAKE A STEP BACK for a moment.

:: she looked over at Blaze, Vivica and Cass, as she held one of her hands up for calm, and her silver feminum bracelet shimmered::

Cameron, you don't "teach" someone by forcing them to RELIVE aspects of the things that traumatized them. You've just used your PSI POWERS on Jasmine...AGAIN, like you did that night in XS, and you wonder why she has nothing but unpleasant memories and associations of you? Think about what her father, and Victor did to her, and how they responded to ANY perceived disobedience or disobedience.

:: She looked at Cameron again, with that softer, yet disappointed gaze from earlier.::

PLEASE...pull back.

::Alycia, was standing on the other side of Karen, near Delilah. She turned to Jasmine.::

Jasmine, Karen and Blaze DON'T deserve the abuse you're heaping upon them. It's CRUEL, JUST like what Christopher did to you. He ALSO hurt Karen, Blaze and Morgan! HE is the monster. NOT Karen, NOT Blaze...not ANYONE in this room!

But he's GONE now. Karen and Blaze, and MORGAN, who IS alive, can HELP you, if you'll just give them a chance!

:: She HOPED she could appeal to Jasmine now, as she once did all those years ago.::

ONE THING we have...is TIME, the OTHER is OPTIONS.

Listen...I helped you BEFORE, when I was the ADA. I can help you NOW. I can provide you with housing and any other necessities that you need. We'll keep you safe and OFF THE RADAR while Karen administers therapy and you reintigrate back into your family, you won't have to WORRY about any logistics.

:: But IF there was a moment where Vivica and Alycia MIGHT have been able to change the course of this confrontation, it was BRIEF and it had ALREADY passed.::

:: Frost had been triggered to a point NOW that was almost beyond restraint, and she proceeds to DRAG Black Widow and Prophet to HELL with a WITHERING verbal attack that helt ALL the way below the belt, and now, after having been man handled by Cameron, Frost was ready to cut loose, and she did just that. She ATTACKED Black Widow and Prophet with a level of savage instinct and precision that she HADN'T shown to be capable of BEFORE.::

"I'm DONE with BOTH of you."

She growled out--their bodies beginning to turn blue.

"You look at me like i'm a child who's toy got stolen. You look at me and think i'm a weak, selfish, little girl who can't handle her shit."

Her voice was even and cold as she watched Haleigh and Cameron start to gasp for oxygen. The room began to literally freeze around everyone--the floors and ceilings frosted over with ice. All mechanical equipment fried and inoperable. But it wasn't JUST the War Room....it was the entire PARTHENON---the entire CITY. New York was being COVERED by ICE.

MAYBE THIS is the first evidence of the Siege's effects on her. her POWERS!

::But there was NO time to wonder now! This was truly an EMERGENCY, THIS was why She, Sharon, Zach and Vivica were supposed to be here!::

Charope! We've GOT to act! Frost's attack is effecting the Parthenon on ALL levels. There are SCORES of innocents on the floors above that are ALREADY beginning to panic, and suffering INJURY. CASUALTIES beginning to occur!

"My life was HELL. I knew only TORTURE and EXPERIMENTATION and PAIN for longer than I EVER knew FREEDOM. I knew HATE and DISPAR before I EVER knew LOVE. The ONLY person who accepted me and loved me for me was MORGAN and BLAZE, and they both DIED. So I wanted to leave. I wanted a new life BEYOND MYSTECH. So FUCK YOU BOTH for thinking that I can't handle my SHIT because you can't even COMPREHEND the SHIT that I HAVE handled! [to Haleigh] You wanted frostbite, cupcake? Here's your FUCKING frostbite."

Jasmine wanted them dead. She wanted to see Cameron and Haleigh FREEZE before her eyes so she could shatter them into a million little pieces. She was beyond furious...she barely heard Vivica plead to stop what was happening.

Michael, Delilah....get Karen out of here, now! Silver Swan, Orion, and Myself...we'll assist Recall, Ruby and Firebird in...

:: Alycia looked visibly pained as she looked to Michael and Delilah, and Karen, who was barely able to stand at this point!::

:: They would certainly go for CONTAINMENT, but what if Frost wouldn't YIELD!? What if Prophet and Black Widow, IF they survived and once they were FREE, tried to MATCH her! Would the Birds of Prey have to subdue THEM as well!?::

Just get the doctor out of harm's way. She doesn't need to see this!

:: Something was going to happen, and KAREN did not need to see this, she didn't need to be put at more risk.::

FROST! STOP THIS!!!

:: She moved past Delilah, Michael and Karen, toward Frost. Silver Swan and Orion were closing in fron two other points around Frost. If they DIDN'T stop her SOON, they would soon be UNABLE TO because they'd sapped of all their physical strength as their bodies began to go in hypothermic SHOCK! Of them all, SHARON would be the only one that could stand against Frost's elemental assault the longest if this DOES escalate.::

You're going TOO FAR! You can't MURDER Black Widow and Prophet! You'll be NO BETTER than your father for that. You heard what Recall said said, this ISN'T what EITHER of your sisters want, and You're HURTING innocents who have NOTHING to do with this, and we CAN'T let you go any further!

:: An amazon ALWAYS tries to reason with a someone before resorting to the LOWEST form of communication- VIOLENCE::

PLEASE! We will be FORCED to STOP YOU!

:: Alycia caught sight of Sharon, who was prepared to unleash her SONIC SCREAM in order to break Jasmine's concentration and STUN her into unconsciousness. It would be the fastest way to end this, to set Cameron and Haleigh free, and to subdue Frost with LITTLE physical damage to her.::

 

[Black Widow]

The Parthenon New York - The Situation Room

Vivica was saying something, but it was like a radio playing on low volume in the background. Haleigh wanted to hear it, but couldn't be expected to tune in, given the way Frost was reacting. Jasmine was like a can of coke in the freezer, about to explode. That took precedence over anything else. Haleigh wouldn't even HAVE to I.D. her if she went abominable snowman on them.

Frost: Oh get off you're God damn pedestal of SHIT, Haleigh. The ONLY person that you ever look out for is YOURSELF. Look at your fanning your feathers like a prized fucking turkey. Where was THIS bolstering, bad ass ball busting bitch when MORGAN died, HUH? I CLEARLY remember you not giving a FUCK about my sister when she died. I CLEARLY remember you HATING her when she died. Where was this FEARLESS attitude THEN, Haleigh? Where were YOU back THEN, HALEIGH? Because as far as I can see, you're still as FUCKED up now as you were back THEN.

"WRONG AGAIN, Slushie. I'm WAY more fucked up NOW."

Haleigh sneered. Her tactic was working beautifully. Karen and Blaze were both visibly distraught, but at least they weren't getting the full blast of Frost's frustration anymore. It was EASY for Haleigh to provoke Frost, almost as easy as it would be for Malice to provoke many of the people in this room. Haleigh wanted to force Frost to 'break the truce', an eerily similar motivation to Diana's reason for antagonizing.

Frost: At least I own MY shit. Look at YOU. Trying to be the tough leader that saves the day when you have you're own mess that you can't escape from. Oh honey, it's written all over your pretty little face. I know that look--I HAD that look. We're both products of MysTech, but I NEVER claimed to be a super hero. I NEVER claimed to be anyone other than myself. But you? All you're doing is running from who YOU really are. Sucks, don't it?

Haleigh's smirk of derision morphed into something much more dangerous, something deadly. It was an expression many of her friends and allies had seen before, and it meant that Frost had gone from a mild annoyance to a major aggravation. Only one person present would have a good idea of why Frost's last attack triggered that change in Haleigh's demeanor. Karen alone knew what Haleigh was dealing with right now. To everyone ELSE, it was just Haleigh going from demeaning to DARK.

Luckily for Jasmine, Cameron came to her rescue. That went about as well as splashing water on a grease fire. The room was getting cold, and Haleigh heard the heater kick on to maintain the thermostat setting. Haleigh made a gesture to Zach, and pointed him to a cabinet that held some medical supplies. he'd know she meant for him to get the tranquilizer injector ready. Sharon and Alycia are quietly on the move, and Viv was stepping in to help subdue Frost, who was verbally attacking Cameron with as much moxie as she could scrounge up. Alycia tries a little more diplomacy, but Frost is way too far gone.

Haleigh knew she'd succeeded when Frost FINALLY used her powers offensively. Pinned against the wall and feeling her body temperature dropping, Haleigh began to LAUGH in triumph. Her internal systems began to overcompensate to maintain her core temperature, but Frost seemed to have gotten a massive power boost, much more than Haleigh remembered. She noted this improvement as Alycia tried to talk Jasmine down. It felt like her veins were full of ice, and they probably WERE, but Haleigh was no mere superhuman, she was enhanced by the TO Virus and she knew even if she froze SOLID, she'd likely be just FINE when she thawed out because the Virus would simply hibernate and PRESERVE her.

HOWEVER..... Haleigh couldn't just let Jasmine freeze Cameron. NOBODY was allowed to fuck with Cameron while Haleigh was present.

Frost: I'm DONE with BOTH of you. You look at me like i'm a child who's toy got stolen. You look at me and think i'm a weak, selfish, little girl who can't handle her shit.

"YOU ARE.... a WEAK...... SELFISH..... LITTLE GIRL..... who CAN'T.... HANDLE SHIT."

Haleigh coughed. She gave her allies a chance to stop Frost, but it didn't seem to be working. A warning was sounding off in her head, and her HUD informed her that her core temperature was dropping below safe operating range.

"IF NOBODY..... STOPS HER..... I'M GOING... TO HAVE TO... KILL HER."

It was the only chance they were going to get. They ALL knew Haleigh would do it. What was WRONG with them all, why were they being so SOFT??

 

[Arsenal]

Before he was anything else, Mike was an analyst.

The way be made a career prior to being hired by Gustav to watch after Nicolas and most of his time afterwards was spent watching, analyzing, judging what was going on. At this point, he longer even LISTENED to what was being said; the intent was written on the faces before him. He would listen to the recording later on.

Frost was lashing out, losing control. Haleigh was performing a diversion to spare Blaze and Karen, but that came with a risk that was realized when Hales' face changed. somebody had already said too much. Mike realized that Frost's chance of making it out of here was dropping. Cameron came to her defense, but he was already angry and had an edge that would only antagonize the situation. It was at this moment that Mike had settled on his next move should it come to that.

In comes the amazons, moving strategically to try to handle the situation with the necessary force that seemed to be more obvious to him would need to be used. Karen was weak, nearly faint when Frost began to use her power.

Michael, Delilah....get Karen out of here, now! Silver Swan, Orion, and Myself...we'll assist Recall, Ruby and Firebird in...

:: Alycia looked visibly pained as she looked to Michael and Delilah, and Karen, who was barely able to stand at this point!::

Nodding, Mike grabbed the doctor in his arms and remotely controlled the exit door, opening and closing it behind them, then sealing it behind him. The monitor in this War Room automatically showed the footage of what was going on behind them since there was an ambient threat alarm due to dropping temperatures. Mike held Karen in his arms as he tried to passively shield her from what was occurring.

Xerxes, activate ambient attack counter measures, max heat. Prepare anti-metahuman protocols, focus on ice metahuman, prepare to incapacitate...

 

[Shadow Weaver]

The Situation Room

<< Karen had worked with difficult, belligerent patients many times in the past. There were always established protocols and "best practices" to follow when dealing with these kinds of patients, and as a credentialed, licensed psychotherapist, the doctor was required them, which she always did.>>

<< Through the years, and the many unique situations she'd faced with her diverse patient pool, she'd learn WHEN the use of MAGICK as part of a treatment or CONTAINMENT effort of a patient was necessary- ESPECIALLY when the patient was a metahuman or mutant.>>

<< Some of her cases were bad, some were truly....HOPELESS, but the doctor had ALWAYS managed to maintain a clinical detachment while still doing all within her powers- medically licensed, state sanctioned, AND (when appropriate) magickal- to help....rehabilitate...RESCUE a patient...even if it was from themselves. But sometimes, even with her proven level of clinical expertise, skill and ability, she could NOT. To lose a patient, in any circumstance, is an experience NO medical and/or mental health professional emerges from unscathed.>>

<< For Karen...the line between patient and doctor had become BLURRED, given the nature of her clients as of late...two in particular...and among THOSE two, ONE more than the other. As seen earlier, THAT case was having an effect on her, one that perhaps SHE didn't realize just how deep it was, let alone those around her.>>

<< We witness the events in the situation room.>>

<<Frost's heart breaking assault on Blaze and Karen has NOT gone unchallenged, but some among them - perhaps the doctor most of all- knew that sometimes, the most painful and hurtful abuse doesn't come from a hand or fist, it comes from carefully chosen words, delivered with calculation, designed to HURT, designed to LINGER, designed to REOPEN old wounds, and stir up feelings. When Frost attacked Blaze, cruelly dismissing her, Karen was STILL on track to be able to control the situation, but Frost shifted UP the spectrum of belligerence and cruelty, proving that she WASN'T MERELY insane. YES, she was a victim, but VICTIMS often walked a fine line between being JUST a victim, and becoming an ABUSER themselves. >>

<<When Frost blasted and taunted Karen about the very REAL guilt she'd struggled with over attitude and treatment of Christopher's other children. Her OWN status as a victim of her husband's abuse, rage, and TWO attempts on her life were completely overlooked.>>

<< Haleigh made a valiant attempt to draw Frost's fire away from Karen and Blaze. in EARLIER days, this tactic of Haleigh's would have been condemned by Karen, but both women knew and understood each other so much better now. If Karen COULD, she'd THANK Haleigh for her help just now, but she can't. There's something WRONG.>>

<<FLASH!>>

<< We HEAR Karen's heart beat, and her breathing...the irregularity. We see the PAINED expression on her face as she looks away, and can barely remain standing next to the table.>>

<< What happens when a patient is an indirect relative, the daughter of your monstrous ex-husband, the sister of your daughters, a painful...crystalized symbol of the true nature of the man you loved, married, laid down with!? What happens when that patient is BEYOND any expected or reasonable level of hostile, and resists EVERY genuine, WELL APPLIED attempt of assistance? What happens when this patient is BENT on destroying EVERYTHING around her because she was battered, abused, broken...and...through a series of tragic circumstances...seemingly abandoned, only to be swallowed by the siege perilous and then RETURNED!?>>

<< What happens when the psychotherapist is the one who needs help!? Warning signs were happening as the situation escalated.>>

<< Karen had disengaged from Blaze. She began trembling, much like she did during her confrontation with that mysterious woman outside of Bell, Book, and Candle.>>

<< Michael, Delilah and soon, Alycia were ALL trying to help her, but she couldn't talk. She clutched at her chest, her breathing, hear heart beat were reflecting symptoms of an emerging ANXIETY ATTACK!?>>

Firebird: "Ruby, stand with the Birds of Prey. Be ready to help if needed. I can't let this go on. "

<< FIREBIRD was now FORCED to take action. Jasmine was her sister, she was her family, but The Six were her family too and they'd been there for her, they TRUSTED her. She could NOT let Jasmine hurt anyone among them, let alone innocents above. She wouldn't BURDEN Alycia, Sharon, Zach and Vivica with the task of stopping/ CONTAINING her sister.>>

<< Moving away from Ruby, Firebird CONFRONTED Frost, BREAKING her "current" of power that was directed at Black Widow and Prophet. She MATCHES the level and pattern of Frost's power against Black Widow and Prophet, COUNTERACTING it with her own FIRE elemental power- the FIRST step being to bring their bodies BACK to homeostasis. The SECOND being to reverse the very REAL injuries of frost bite on them, AND to bring the room around them BACK to a safe temperature range>>

Firebird: "FROST. ENOUGH. You can rage at ME all you want, but I'm NOT going to let you hurt Karen or ANYONE ELSE in this room. You either stand down, or I'll KNOCK YOU DOWN. Understand this- NO ONE fights quite like SIBLINGS, and if you DOUBT that WE are sisters...I'll SHOW you in a way that NEITHER of us will like."

I don't want this....

<< she said softly, in a cold, low, trembling tone>>

I don't....

Nodding, Mike grabbed the doctor in his arms and remotely controlled the exit door, opening and closing it behind them, then sealing it behind him. The monitor in this War Room automatically showed the footage of what was going on behind them since there was an ambient threat alarm due to dropping temperatures. Mike held Karen in his arms as he tried to passively shield her from what was occurring.

Xerxes, activate. Prepare anti-metahuman protocols, focus on ice metahuman, prepare to incapacitate...

<< Michael had taken hold of Karen, and was taking her OUT of the Situation room, with Delilah following right behind her. He was TRYING to take her, but she RESISTED, hindering his effort. He thought he'd have to CARRY her out...but something was happening with her.>>

<< The words of that mysterious, AWFUL woman outside of Bell, Book and Candle began to haunt her AGAIN, like they did at Charope's Infirmary.>>

<<FLASH!>>

"But what I really wonder Karen, is what happens to the woman who counsels them all, when she needs counseling herself? Sure, you can turn everybody else into nice and neat little packages, but who is fixing the cracks in YOUR psyche? Who counsels the counselor? Could it be Michael? No, probably not. He can't handle that kind of darkness, not again, not after everything you've already put him through? Oh, that would just be crazy, but then again, that wouldn't be very outside the realm of reality, would it? In fact, women in your field often lose their careers...and their minds due to their work, needing more help than the ones who've paid you to help THEM..."

< She got CLOSER to Karen, speaking quickly, confusing Karen with the pace at which she was speaking. >

"You've lost it Karen, you've lost it entirely, and there's only one person here who can straighten you out...and... [pausing, feigning sincerity] I think we both know who that is...."

<< She shuts her eyes TIGHTLY, putting her clenched fists to her forehead. The confrontation between Jasmine, Cameron and Haleigh had spiraled out of control, building was now under RED ALERT due to Frost's violent reaction to Cameron and Haleigh, and KAREN was being swallowed in the depths despair.>>

YOU PSYCHOTIC, OVERBEARING, ARROGANT, DELUSIONAL HAG! Do you think I’m afraid of a mental case like you, peddling your little magic show?! COWARD! Hiding behind some spell when you don’t want anyone to disagree with you – yeah, no wonder your fucked up kids are on the Six. Did you let your husband do to them what you closed your eyes and let them do to this girl? You abject FAILURE!”

stop...stop it.........

<< pressure, building up behind her eyes. body tensing up. she can't discern what anyone is saying to HER anymore. She didn't register Alycia, Michael or Delilah at the moment. All she could see was...>>

<< Jasmine, laying on an operating table in the dark, cold, terrifying bio systems lab, with a twisted, perverted, DEMONIC Christopher Victory leaning over her, leering ather as he holds an instrument of pain and smiles at her. He's NOTHING that a father should be.>>

<< But then something odd...something WRONG happens. The apparitio of Christopher looks up...at SHADOW WEAVER. This SHOULDN'T be happening.>>

Christopher: I'm almost there, Karen. AL....MOST....THEREEE.....

<< He PLUNGES the instrument down into Jasmine's chest, and her cry of pain is heard by them all. He then opens his mouth, and with a predatory YELL, he LUNGES at Karen>>

NO! << she shouts...as she instinctively flings her arms out to either side, REPULSING Delilah and Michael (but not HURTING them).>>

NO. NO. NO. NO!

<< flinging her arms up and down, she was having a FIT!>>

<< she continues to SHOUT as she shakes her head and STORMS over to the conference table and holds her hands up above her head, EYES still closed, and she's still shaking her head. A mystical chime sounds off, as a LARGE "GLOBE" of dark magick forms all around her uplifted hands.>>

NO. NO. NO!

<< Eyes still shut tightly, she brings her hands down, VIOLENTLY SLAMMING the "GLOBE" of dark magick, which GREW in size. It CRASHES into the conference table with a force BEYOND that of a WRECKING BALL, DESTROYING IT with an explosive effect!>>

DAMMIT! THAT IS JUST ABOUT ENOUGH!

<< Shadow Weaver disappears, suddenly REAPPEARING between FROST, Firebird, and Black Widow and Cameron!>>

ALL OF YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, YOU STUPID, SELFISH, MALDAPTIVE BASTARDS!

I'VE HAD IT! I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS WHOLE MESS, DO YOU HEAR ME!?

<< ZZZZAP!>>

<< Shadow Weaver gestures rapidly, activating her magicks, as she SCRAMBLES Frost's powers, ALONG WITH Firebird, Black Widow AND Prophet.>>

I'VE HAD IT, LITTLE GIRL!

<< Karen's tone, her demeanor...she was VERY much like she was when she confronted AVA on Aerie after Ava- in a fit of psychotic rage- had GUTTED Michael!Black Widow and Prophet are COMPLETELY FREED from Frost's attack. The effects around the room and the BUILDING begin to REVERSE, and the four of them CANNOT access their powers just now. Shadow Weaver "MOVES" Firebird, causing her to disappear from where she was, and BACK to Ruby and Recall's side.>>

<< She ALSO IMMOBILIZES Frost, Black Widow and Cameron, binding ALL three of them in mystic chains! Even more surprising, and disturbing, is that she's immobilized FIREBIRD as well. Recall and Ruby see the look of disorientation and WORRY in Firebird's eyes. >>

<< The situation had now suddenly SHIFTED, but the CRISIS was NOT averted, it had only taken on a NEW FORM as Shadow Weaver was ERUPTING.>>

<< Shadow Weaver's face was enshrouded in shadow, and halos of dark magick encased her hands>>

YOUHORRIBLE, WRETCHED CREATURE! YOU ARE EVERY BIT YOUR FATHER'S DAUGHTER! EVERY BIT THE SELFISH, SOULESS, SOCIOPATHIC MONSTER THAT HE WAS. WILL YOU NOT BE SATISFIED UNTIL YOU FORCE ME TO DESTROY YOU? !

<< She then turns her WRATH on Haleigh and Cameron.>>

YOU TWO ARE THE MOST DISPICABLE PEOPLE I HAVE EVER MET!

<< She SCREAMS with such force>>

ANYONE WHO IS WEAK, WHO IS DIVERGENT FROM THE TWO OF YOU AND WHAT YOU THINK IS ACCEPTABLE, YOU CIRCLE AROUND LIKE SHARKS AT A FEEDING FRENZY. YOU DON'T STOP UNTIL YOU'VE GORGED ON YOUR FEAST OF BULLYING, ANTAGONIZING AND DESTRUCTION! YOU DRIVE A PERSON TO DO THE MOST EXTREME THINGS AND YOU REVEL IN IT! YOU DID IT MY DAUGHTER, YOU DID IT TO FOXFIRE, AND NOW FROST! YOU REVEL IN THE FAILINGS OF OTHERS BECAUSE IT'S A DIRECT REFLECTION OF YOUR OWN AMORAL, FRACTURED PSYCHES!

I CAN'T TAKE IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT!

<< She REPEATS this again and again as Orbs of magick swirl around her rapidly as she continues to rage! the doctor's EXPLOSION has NOW surpassed any previously known event of extreme anger that she's displayed. There's something SERIOUSLY wrong. It's NOT merely a "reversion" on her part.>>

<< While Black Widow was immobilized, and her powers scrambled, she STILL had the benefit of the LINK established between her and RECALL. She was somehow able to "REMOTE IN", and with the DATA that RECALL was gathering, she compared it to established vitals for the doctor. Karen was completely apoplectic! Her mind and her body had WILDLY rocketed from the verge of a PANIC attack to a state presented some symptoms associated with a PSYCHOTIC episode! This was a pattern of PSYCHOSIS! >>

ALL OF YOU! Shadow Weaver is in DANGER! her internal rhythms, particularly her BLOOD FLOW are indicating a possible TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK!

<< Black Widow and Recall can confirm this!>>