October 2009

Inez Temple left for the West Coast Annex for extra training and to ease her restlessness, causing Julian Keller to mourn the loss of his 'friend with benefits'. Megan Gwynn came to the school from Wales and Nico Minoru made a rather more spectacular entrance when her Staff of One decided Xavier's was the best place for her, earning the appearance of a very scary witch when Amanda's wards registered Nico's presence and upsetting Doreen Green, who had known her in California and who had taken Nico's disappearance badly. Henry McCoy returned from Scotland to replace Jean Grey and Bobby Drake showed up for advice when his brother manifested as a shapeshifter and became stuck in Bobby's form. Ronnie was sent to Muir Island and Bobby was convinced to stay at the school and assist with teaching and with the team.

Jay Guthrie continued to have problems with his temper and impluse control, eventually seeking out Hank's help in the face of continued failures with his Danger Room runs. Catseye continued to learn more about being human, working on her speech patterns to make them more 'normal' after a grumpy Carmilla Black complained about her use of the third person. Catseye also finally found someone who would talk about sex with her frankly in the form of Amanda and sought to move into a senior suite in order to have more privacy. Garrison Kane and Adrienne Frost had their second official date and Adrienne continued to train her control by reading objects deliberately instead of relying on avoiding touching things. Manuel de la Rocha and Angelo Espinosa finally buried the hatchet, Manuel revealing it was the normality of Angelo's relationship with Amanda that he had been jealous of. Ororo Munroe surfaced from a pile of grading to become more active in the school again. Cammie also made inroads with her life, visiting her parents (with Kurt Sefton and Catseye in tow) for her birthday and establishing some facts about her manifestation and status with the law. Dori, startled by Logan in the woods, manifested a new aspect of her powers, finger and toe claws; she spent several days in medlab, unable to retract them and in a certain degree of pain and being swamped with visitors bearing food.

Crystal Amaquelin joined the team as a trainee, acquiring the name 'Buttercup'. Marie D'Ancato went to Europe, chasing up some leads on the Alpha Flight massacre provided by Garrison. Yvette Petrovic continued her trainee orientation, providing a suggestion to Laurie Collins about how she might be able to address Logan's hostility. The X-Men became involved in a hostage situation in India when William Bastion sought help; the mission nearly ended in disaster when the small team were intercepted by members of the Imperial Guard, but fortunately logic prevailed and they were able to leave without a fight.

The announcement of a new HeliX chapter at Empire State University at a Day Zero anniversary memorial resulted in a riot and some soul-searching by those involved. And finally, Halloween once again was the scene of a little more magic than most were used to, as Nico decided to liven things up at a mansion party by bringing the decorations to 'life' and scaring most of the attendees.

Timeline

Oct 1 - Lex and Clarice simulate a 'smash and grab' operation in the Danger Room. Amanda gives Adrienne the bad guy finger she whined about for months and the two discuss their addictions and how they overcame them, as well as the Hellfire Club. Adrienne posts to let the mansion know about her company's Halloween costume recycling drive.

Oct 2 - Callie talks to Julian by the pool and pesters him into telling her he's been fooling around with Inez.

Oct 3 - Klara and Yvette meet outside while Yvette is chopping wood and Klara is growing and picking strawberries, and after the two bond over a love of indoor plumbing Yvette convinces Klara to join Red X. Klara approaches Doreen in the common room and asks for instruction on how to use a computer, as well as recommendations of non-violent computer games she might enjoy.

Oct 4

Oct 5 - Yvette puts up a poll for her trainee name in her journal so her friends can help with the selection. Afterwards, Yvette walks in on Catseye playing Guitar Hero and they change the game, playing Sonic the Hedgehog to show Catseye who Knuckles is. They talk about the team, dating and the names suggested for her trainee name. A Danger Room run with Garrison sees Jay through another failed test and Garrison doesn't let him out of the room until he agrees to try again. Clarice posts in her journal about how unhappy she is with David Bowie's eyes on a Lego man. Bobby Drake emails the Professor, asking permission to return to the mansion and seek help with a problem.

Oct 6 - Bobby returns to the mansion with his brother, Ronnie, in tow. It's revealed that Ronnie is a shapeshifter and stuck in his brother's form. Bobby suggests Muir Island and Charles agrees, also agreeing to have Bobby back on as a teacher and on the team. Nick takes Catseye to see Toy Story movie in 3-D and after the movie, they talk about what toys they had and why the school doesn't have a mascot or special colours for the school.

Oct 7 - Dori complains about the cold weather in her journal. Catseye inquires about what toys people had when they were younger. Bobby makes a return post, apologizing for the snow he dropped on the mansion and informing everyone he's a substitute teacher. At the Elpis office, Catseye comes upon a sleep-deprived Cammie. Cammie is dead tired while Catseye tries to please her by addressing her in first person and eventually Catseye shows Cammie a place where she can sleep for an hour, telling no one at work. Bobby brings Dori some hot cocoa to her suite and makes further amends by offering to make a sweet snack. Yvette nails a musing Fred in the back of the head with a snowball, starting a snowball fight to which they eventually call a truce. They share the pleasure in eating cold snow since both can't feel the cold on their skin.

Oct 8 - Laurie comments in her journal how offensive Beauty and the Geek is. Callie wants to go apple picking and issues an invitation in her journal, asking if anyone wants to accompany her.

Oct 9 - Logan does an open call on the team journals, looking for one-on-one, non lethal combat. Bobby visits Angelo in his suite and it's explained how Ronnie got to Ireland posed as Bobby. Garrison picks Adrienne up from her work and he takes her on a second date, on horseback and clad in the Royal Canadian Mounted police uniform. Despite her fear of horses, the pair ride through Central Park, talking about why Garrison chose to be a Mountie, sex and baseball, stopping to enjoying a well packed meal. Catseye asks Bobby to make ice cream and they catch up on Terry, being an X-Man and the fact that Catseye is dating Nick now.

Oct 10 - Cammie emails Kyle with a 'yo momma' joke and informs him that she's winning their prospective sparring match.

Oct 11 - Callie posts about finding a cardboard wind-up handle taped to her car, asks if anyone wants to fess up. Callie talks to Catseye about her way of speaking while the two women make ravioli. Adrienne posts about not enjoying a ball game she went to in Boston. Kyle posts about beating Cammie at sparring. Catseye discusses ways of talking with Sam.

Oct 12 - Jubilee posts a fairy tale involving herself. Laurie takes a tour with Yvette of the lower levels, they run into Logan and then Yvette makes a suggestion to Laurie.

Oct 13 - Remy takes Jubilee with him on a negotiation and she demonstrates how much she's learned.

Oct 14 - Laurie posts to her journal asking people to make up their minds on how she should act. Kyle posts to his journal about his sparring match with Logan. Laurie e-mails Logan and Yvette about stealth training. Catseye catches Amanda on the stairs of the mansion and asks her about couples and sex.

Oct 15 - Logan posts to his journal noting that there's a tape of Kyle and his sparring match for review. Sam and Yvette talk about trainee names and how not everyone gets along on the team. Topic is changed when she asks about how he's doing now that he's back on and Sam agrees to make a program in the Danger Room fit for Yvette now that Nathan and Scott are gone. Manuel reveals to Angelo he was not jealous of Angelo's or Amanda being together, but that they could be so normal together. The two make amends and go for fish. Jay returns a letter to Kevin before heading off to work to sub into the band at Silver as backup. Manuel and Laurie get into an emotional argument when Laurie offers his sister a cupcake without asking him first. Laurie cuts herself and Valentia leaves, causing the two to stop and reassess that they need a mediator to help them with their power struggles. Manuel emails Haller, asking him to mediate.

Oct 16 - Coming across Julian, who has been depressed over Inez's departure, Catseye does her best to console him. Cammie stops by to see Kevin and strips nude so he can draw her. Amara emails Bishop, telling him she's mastered jerk chicken and wants to know when he's ready to try. She brings him over some jerk chicken and she admits she has a temper. When questioned about it, she changes the subject and they discuss how big New York is which prompts a tour of the Brownstone. Callie drives Fred to see Zombieland in her new Mercedes. She has trouble parallel parking and Fred lifts the car up with her inside and sets it down in place, parking it for her using his strength. Manuel draws Cammie out of her bedroom after days of sulking and takes her out.

Oct 17 - Wanda invites people to her apartment through her journal, asking them to come for breakfast. Catseye informs everyone via journal that she has her own room now. Adrienne meets Bobby at Harry's to watch the Yankees/Angels game and the two discuss his return and the Red Sox.

Oct 18 - Catseye goes to mass with Callie and makes observations in her journal about the experience. Dori makes a request in her journal for an adult to drive and accompany her to the rated R movie, Zombieland.

Oct 19 - Sneaking into Adrienne's office to play with the clothes, Wanda lets Adrienne read a necklace she was given by her grandmother. Kevin takes Yvette to the Waffle House and she informs him of her new trainee name, asking him if he's even remotely interested in joining the team. He declines, saying he has no interest and is busy enough. When their food is brought, Kevin asks for a new server because the other one is obviously reacting to Yvette's physical mutation. The new sever Craig comes and offers Yvette strawberries to accompany her chocolate chip waffles. Tabitha asks through her journal what the pros and cons are of buying a condo or a house as she's thinking of moving. Megan Gwynn makes her introduction post in her journal which covers a lot of her likes and dislikes, highlighting the fact she does not like to be called Meg. Nico Minoru arrives at the mansion in spectacular form, using her magic in attempt to send herself 'somewhere safe' and landing on Julian in the rec room, where Catseye and Dori are just arriving; Amanda's wards warn her of Nico's arrival so she gets Kurt to teleport her to the mansion so she can confront the girl, who is defended by Catseye and who is known by Julian and Dori from California. That night, Catseye visits Nico in her new room to try and convince the girl to stay at the mansion and to give its inhabitants a chance at proving she fits in with them. While practicing flying, Megan meets Yvette and they talk about accents, school and powers.

Oct 20 - Nico makes her introduction post, clarifying that she has no powers but an ancient magical artifact stuck in her chest and that she is being watched because she made Amanda mad. She covers her likes and dislikes in this post and asks for recommendations for cheap clothing. Megan posts in her journal that she went to Walgreens and bought nailpolish. She inquires about Halloween because it isn't a big deal in the UK. Amanda informs Snow Valley of the mansion's new resident, Nico, saying she offered to work with the girl and see if she can turn up any information about the bond Nico has to the staff. Logan visits Sarah and is less than welcome as he explains that he left because he was dangerous to people. Sarah points out that she was dangerous but she never left and tells him to leave. Logan complies but makes it clear that he'll be there if she needs backup.

Oct 21 - Nico gets lost and finds herself in the garage where Lex is fixing his jeep. He introduces himself and shows her his power, a small electric arc inbetween fingers that he wasn't able to do before he came to the school. With the promise to show her around Salem Center and taking her to the CoffeeQuake, they set to fixing the jeep before they go. Doctor Hank McCoy reintroduces himself as the return substitute for Jean Grey while she's away and informs everyone that Maddie and Billy are back in Scotland before signing off to reaquaint himself with his bed from jetlag.

Oct 22 - Ororo asks in her journal what people do for fun these days besides marking papers, admitting that she's been a hermit as of late. Catseye comes across Jay practicing stealth in the woods. As they get talking, Jay becomes more and more agitated because of the lack of understanding Catseye has and realizes his patience is low because he's tired. Trying to ditch her, she follows and insists she naps with him to improve his mood and Jay caves. Logan and Cammie meet for another training session of combat but instead, he hands her a book, saying she needs to read it and they will talk about it next session. He wants to her think about why she fights and then they continue moving forward, into more hand to hand physical training. Crystal posts in the team journal to let them know she's their new trainee. Jay goes to see Hank and asks if Hank can help him understand his reactions better and the genetics behinds his changes. Hank agrees.

Oct 23 - Jubilee posts a cryptic message in her journal, asking why. Nico seeks Adrienne for a job at her store and confesses that she didn't have a resume and is directed to get help from Kurt. Hank requests volunteers for a Danger Room practice run, wanting to test the limits of the room and anyone interested should contact him. Manuel emails Adrienne about being fitted for his Halloween costume next week, an email to Doug about arranging a costume for him and a final email to Wanda, Amanda and Callie, explaining that he needs a babysitter for Halloween. Callie walks into work and presents Angelo with her finished work and winds up with a potential assignment with Alvorecer Novo which is more along her line of interest. Nico takes up Bobby's offer of Terry's old clothes and they talk about the X-Men and her magic. Nico seeks Kurt to help her with her resume and he assures her that Amanda was only trying to protect the mansion when sensing black magic. He encourages her to prove that she means no harm to anyone and together, they focus on her resume preparation. Catseye finds a crying Dori with Monkey Joe in the treehouse and they talk about why Dori is upset.

Oct 24 - Kyle recruits Dori to help him with the grocery run and they wind up at Count Donutula's afterwards. Yvette says hello to the new students and the returning staff. Cammie takes Kurt and Catseye back to her adoptive parents' house for her birthday; Cammie and her father have a talk that turns out to not be as serious as they'd expected.

Oct 25 - Cammie's father talks with Kurt about how Cammie's really doing. Amanda posts an old photo of herself in response to similarities between her and Nico being raised. Julian emails Kyle about getting a parking space in the garage for his birthday car. Jay asks Garrison for permission to break the Danger Room for Hank; Hank thanks everyone for their help. Hotel Saragarhi: William Bastion emails Charles, asking for help with a delicate hostage situation in India, in which the Opposition Leader is likely to become a 'victim'; Dominion calls Meltdown, Wasp, Wildchild, Blink and Hamster together for a briefing and outlines the situation.

Oct 26 - Jubilee complains about feeling old. Hotel Saragarhi: Arriving in Pakistan, the X-Men meet Major John Greycrow, their liason in the matter, who gives them further details; Lex discovers their helicopter pilot is one he knows from his military service and receives disquieting hints of what happened to his unit; the group successfully reaches India; Meltdown and Hamster take out the power to the hotel; Blink and Wasp rescue the politician; Wildchild and Dominion distract the hijackers; as the group is making their escape, the Imperial Guard arrives, but Dominion is able to reason with them and a deadly battle is narrowly avoided. Doug joins Remy on a job in Russia which goes badly, forcing Doug to abandon their contact to be killed. Jean-Phillipe forgets he has a suite mate and Laurie sees his scars, which results in a discussion on Magneto. Amara applies for the job of Adrienne's assistant and gets it. Nico and Dori talk about why Nico left Beverly Hills. Adrienne fits Manuel's costume and they talk about what to expect at the Hellfire Halloween party.

Oct 27 - Callie asks who she should dress up as for a showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Nico announces a Halloween party and offers to make costumes. Dori comes across Logan in the woods and in her panic she shows a new side of her mutation - finger and toe claws - that she can't control; Hank lets the staff know what's happened and that Dori will be in the medlab a day or two; Hank lets the wider journal population know what's happened and that Dori can have visitors; Crystal tends to Dori and tells her about discovering she could make rain; Kurt reassures a panicked Nico that Dori is all right. One Year On: Amara asks if people are interested in going to a Day Zero memorial event at Empire State University the next day. Catseye gives Nick a gift and then a tour of her new suite, before breaking his brain. Nico and Catseye talk about gifts, Catseye's powers and history and magic.

Oct 28 - Garrison emails Marie with some information to follow up on the Alpha Flight ambush and Weapon X. Visiting day for a stoned Dori: she flirts with Kyle, Marie tries to reassure her about Logan not being a threat, gets comics from Julian, accidentally tells Kurt about her grandfather's mutation and manages to talk Bobby into sneaking her ice cream; Monet amuses herself with the stoned squirrel girl. Marie gives Crystal - still without a trainee name - her first run in the Danger Room; Crystal posts a list of the offered names to x_team for her teammates to choose from. Laurie gets thrown in the pool by Kyle, but counts it as a win as she was able to drag him in with her; Jan emails Kyle about her underwear and Twitter. One Year On: A brawl breaks out at the rally when an ESU chapter of HeliX is announced. Doug returns from Russia to find Marie-Ange tries to cook for him and they decide to go out and replace the piercing lost when he recreated his body.

Oct 29 - Amanda alerts people to the fact it's Morgan's birthday the next day. One Year On: The media reports on what happened at the rally. Callie emails Julian with birthday wishes. Sam tries out one of Hank's Danger Room scenarios. Crystal talks to Logan about Dori's fear of him but isn't terribly satisfied with the response; Dori's grandfather comes to visit; Megan visits with music, Fred visits with his own brand of philosophy on being a mutant and Laurie visits with attempted comfort that's somewhat less successful. Marie emails Garrison from London, letting him know his lead was a dead end. Lex visits the brownstone and winds up being pounced on by a caffinated Morgan. Nico meets Cammie in the kitchen and doesn't receive a very friendly reception. With Garrison back from India, he and Adrienne try to relax and watch a movie, but he's distracted by what went on and the implications.

Oct 30 - Crystal emails Haller, Leo and Charles about Dori's issues with Logan. Julian shows off his new (birthday) car. Julian meets Dori's grandfather and reassures him he takes care of her. Nico and Yvette decorate the ballroom; Jan announces a candy hunt as part of Halloween. Fred comes across Amanda renewing the protection wards at the mansion and hauls her up before Kyle for vandalism. One Year On: Following the riot of the day before, meetings between HeliX members, victims' groups and interested students are held, which Amara attends and gets a number of perspectives.

Oct 31 - The White Court and Adrienne go to a Hellfire function for Halloween and go about their usual business of seeking out information while playing up to their roles. Crystal reports on her Halloween in Attilan. Kyle and Jan deal with Nico's animated decorations at the party.

Plots

X-Men Mission: Hotel Saragarhi

One Year On

External Links

October 2009