1963-08-27 - Hired Heroism
Summary: After David hires Luke to solve his kidnapping, Kitty and Luke exchange information about missing folks.
Related: Missing Pieces Plotline
Theme Song: None
luke kitty 


So, David North is missing. Cage only met the man once, but clearly it was memorable — North has hired him by proxy. To solve his own kidnapping. And he's told Cage to get in touch with Kitty Pryde — which Cage is happy enough to do. He doesn't know what information led North to be captured, but he's certainly not going to object to working with the young woman. She seemed pretty dang capable.

And here is where they've planned to meet. Central Park. The same place that he first encountered the pair. Cage stands out in a crowd, and there's no crowd to stand out in here, so really, he just stands out. He is clad casually — blue jeans, grey jacket — a vague change from his usual yellow. A Mets cap perched on his head. He could be any gigantic black man out for an evening stroll.

*

Equally casual is the tiny ninja that walks up the block to the park. With her hands tucked into her jean pockets, and her loose cable knit sweater, she looks casual enough in the area. For a beat she wonders how easy it will be to find someone in the park — it is a big park.

She issues him a nod and a flicker of a smile as she spies him. "Mister Cage," she tries to keep her tone light, but it doesn't come naturally. Not when they're meeting for a particular reason. "Any word from Mister North?" her eyebrows tick upwards hopefully. "Or… still missing?" her gaze turns downwards.

*

Luke says, "Still missin'," Cage replies. "And you told me to call you Kitty, so just call me Luke, a'right?" He regards the ninja girl (not that he has a clue what a ninja is) solemnly. "Dude says he got taken 'cause he made 'significant progress' into this kidnapping crap. Said we should look into the Columbia protest." He takes a deep breath, heaves it out. "You probably know a lot more 'bout what's goin' on than I do, but I'm here to help." He would be even if North wasn't paying him.
"

*

Kitty drops her head into a nod. "Thanks, Luke," she tries his name out once and then nods again. Her hands retreat further into her pockets. "So… any progress made is a direct result of his investigation." She sighs softly and offers, "I know two more people that seem," she still doesn't know for certain, "to have gone missing in the last few weeks. I think — " she starts and then stops. "I know things, but not enough. We have a series of files that have information about the people that Mister North was looking into."

Her jaw tightens and she offers, "They take people at protests and seem to do things to them. Weaponize them," she frowns. "I mean… mutant types. People who can do fantastic, unbelievable things…"

*

Luke smiles wryly. "In this city, they got a lot of those to choose from. Mutants or not." He puffs out a breath once more, head tilting back as he considers the sky. "So, what happened at Columbia, then? They take somebody there?"

*

"I don't know," Kitty confesses. "But if there was a protest, it wouldn't surprise me. Anywhere there's unrest they seem to make false," her eyes attempt to convey the weight of the word, "arrests and put people into vans. How they can tell they're getting people with abilities evades me, but they definitely find a way to sort between different types of people." She sucks on the inside of her cheek, "They have to have a facility in New York. They were transporting people here through this part a few weeks back. If I'm right, they should take him there…"

*

"Seems likely," Luke agrees after a moment's consideration. "They wouldn't want to take somebody who can tear apart a car or whatever too far. They might wake up and escape. They gotta have someplace local. As for how, though… they probably got powers of their own. I didn't see anything in the news 'bout the Columbia protest. You know what was being protested?"

*

"Exactly. So we need to look through those files." Kitty frowns. "My boyfriend and I saw one file filled with maps, but making sense of them is confusing. We saw somethings bout Coney Island, but I don't know what they were actually aiming to do there or how." She tilts her head at the question and shakes it lightly, "There's a lot of unrest these days. With folks aiming to march DC in the coming days, people are doing anything and everything."

*

"I'll make some calls. I don't think North woulda pointed to that protest if there wasn't something important that went down." Cage takes a small notebook and an oversized souvenir pencil from a pocket of his jacket and writes this down. "And Coney Island. Seems to me there's probably plenty of space backstage, what with all the carnival games and everything."

*

"Yeah…" Kitty's lips press into a thin line. "My friends and I were deterred from exploring the area at every turn. Everywhere we looked we met more trouble. Of different sorts. There was some unfriendliness under the boardwalk. Some(?)," she's still sketchy on the details, "tried to drown me by using an illusion." Her eyes flit to the side and then back. "And maybe he just happened to be checking out the one at Columbia?" She shrugs. "I don't know."

*

Luke frowns, his brows furrowing as he studies the young woman. "Based on what I saw you do to North — a guy who ain't no slouch himself, in terms of power — seems t' me it'd take some serious power to come close to drowning you." He sighs. "Right. You said you got maps of Coney?"

*

With some measure of apprehension, she notes, "They created an illusion where I almost walked into the water all on my own." Kitty clasps her hands lightly behind her back. "But yeah, I was not okay." She nods and then allows her head to waffle uncertainly, "Maps that included Coney Island. WE're trying to make sense of them still."

*

Luke makes another note in his notebook — people with illusion abilities. He's not sure if he's got contacts who can help him out with that, but you never know. "So, here's a thought. No pun intended," he says after a moment. "You know any telepath types?"

*

Kitty issues Luke a small smile and nods, but in nodding she finds herself frowning moments later. "One of them is missing." Her shoulders sink and she frowns slightly. "But I have a few in my acquaintance. I think we've crippled the illusionists at least a little, but what they throw at us is always a surprise." Her lips twist to the side, "There's also a girl with really sharp metallic claws. Terrifyingly sharp."

*

"Since we're not sure Coney's the place to be, and it makes sense that people who can trap a telepath would likely be able to block telepathy… maybe we send one of your telepath friends to Coney to see if their telepathy gets blocked in the area. Ain't gonna be many places in New York outside the UN building that are shielded for telepathy. If they're gettin' blocked at an amusement park, there's somethin' goin' down." He grins savagely. "And then me and anybody you feel like sendin' down there rip the place to shreds." He makes another note, though: girl with really sharp claws. Not that he has to worry over claws. He thinks.

*

"Right," Kitty agrees quietly. "Not a bad idea if I can rope one of them to come with me to a busy amusement park," she manages a half smile that fades moments later. "Seems smart, right? Try out different areas without having any specific plan in mind. That makes sense to me." She taps her chin. "Sounds good. I'll pull together a team. We'll find Mister North and my friends and we'll get them out. There's no way they are out of the city… no one would risk that transport." Would they? She frowns slightly.

*

"I'd say, not without a teleporter," Cage replies. "Or maybe a really well secured private train. But let's deal with the city before we worry about where else they might be." Because really, if they're not in the city, they could be anywhere." He pauses a moment before noting, "Coney Island ain't half so busy at night. And a lot fewer people gonna get hurt if I start rippin' up the boardwalk."
"

*

The statement visibly deflates Kitty's expression. Her shoulders sink and her body slouches. She nods, forcing herself to think through the thought. "Right. Alright, We'll aim for night then. We went in the middle of the day to explore. But I can shoot for night. It'd be easier to come in quieter." Not that they should've garnered attention in daylight with the crowds.

*

"I think they're probably there — or somewhere in the city. They've kidnapped enough people, they ain't gonna want to keep movin' back and forth." Luke is trying to offer some reassurance. "Just tell me when. I'll be there."

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