The voice of a stranger (Everett)

[Eryn White]

It was dark outside.  Which made sense, considering it was closer to morning than evening now.  Eryn White, by all accounts, be at home or in his office.  However he wasn't.  He was wearing a dark suit, which itself wasn't odd.  But the fact he was also making sure to lurk in the shadows where he melded surprisingly well...  That was a bit odd.  He was actually following a faculty member who was also out late.  The young man seemed to be absently wandering the campus, and Eryn was glad to have this opportunity to find him alone.  It meant he could take steps for his plan.  A plan that Everett King was a key part to.  The boy himself had a power that Eryn wanted to recruit to his side, but more importantly, he had someone who would follow him that Eryn was quite desperate to recruit.  So he had waited, absorbing as much information around as possible, and now he was making his move.


As Everett reached a bench and was about to pass it, Eryn spoke into his mind, using his telepathy.  The voice he used was much like the kind of voice that you hear on crime dramas, when the criminal is on the phone and is using a voice changer.  It was perfectly understandable.  "Everett King, stop where you are, and sit on the bench."  Eryn himself was nowhere to be seen.  His power didn't require him to have a visual lock on the person, and so unless Everett could see through physical objects now, it was pretty unlikely he'd see the source.  Assuming Everett did heed the order, Eryn would follow up by saying more.  "All you need to do is think, or speak out loud, and I can hear you.  Do you understand?"

[Everett King]

At this point he'd bothered to put his crap away, but Everett was in no way eager to sleep. He was much too restless to be doing anything even remotely productive, and as such had been wandering around the academy since dusk. He hadn't tired of it yet; his mind was still buzzing.

Shoving his hands into his pockets against the chill, Ever huffed as he walked by a dim bench. He froze however when a voice that was not his own sounded inside his head. Now even with all the crap that had been going on, he had not once doubted his mental sanity, and rather doubted it was failing now.

Tapping his foot thoughtfully on the ground, Ever rethought the words, attempting to recall them exactly. The voice sounded again, relaying more instructions. Everett smirked. "If you want me on that bench you better get me a damn cushion first." he muttered, shaking his head in stubborn disbelief. He didn't take well to being ordered around.

"What's up, creepy voice? I was busy moping."

[Eryn White]

Eryn cracked a dry smile at the boy's response. Most people tended to react in a far more dramatic fashion when a disembodied voice began giving them orders. There was something to be said for the boy's confidence. Giving a brief moment of consideration as to which of his planned routes of conversation to take, Eryn quickly made his pick. "Everett King, your friends... No, almost everyone you know, is in danger. And I wish to have your help to protect them." Eryn was aware of Everett's loyalty to those he cared for. He didn't care much for his own safety, but the moment anyone close to him needed help, he was the type to leap right to action.

Ever the cautious one, Eryn kept close tabs around himself, not letting the conversation distract him from his surroundings for fear that he be caught by surprise. His power sense was active, and he was monitoring with his telepathy for any thoughts nearby, as well as using his five normal senses. The dark was refreshing for him, as it reminded him of his own past and many of the jobs he'd used the shadows to complete... But that was a story for another time.

[Everett King]

Everett was a hard individual to surprise, and an even harder one to impress. He had an ultimate laid-back attitude to allowed him to breeze through pretty much every situation. Perhaps if he hadn't already had such a shitty day he'd be more inclined to freak out over a voice in his head, but as it was, he couldn't be bothered worrying over the possibility of him impending insanity. 

Scratching his neck awkwardly, Everett smirked. "Hate to break it to ya, voice sir, but I don't have no friends." In fact, the only thing he ha ever cared for was Erika, and now he was considering allowing himself to consider her as a more than a friend. There wasn't really anyone else within the campus, or even the world, that he had even the beginnings of friendship with. As such, the warnings of his creepy voice went right over his head.

"Oy now, what's this about protection?" While it sounded like a bit of a bother, if he could help out he would. On the other hand, listening to a disembodied voice didn't sound like a wonderful idea at all.

[Eryn White]

"Oh? And what about your crush, that Bellefonte girl?" Eryn wanted to keep his attention. "Would you really let everyone at the school possibly be enslaved or tortured? I didn't take you for such a heartless individual, Everett King." Trying to think quickly on the boy's file, he improvise a little bit. "Your parents aren't exempt, Everett. They're in danger too. Your mother's power might be harmless, but she'll be targeted by these people. Your father will be viewed as a weapon. All of these people are going to be targeted unjustly." Pausing a moment, he waited for a response, to see if his read on Everett would prove correct.

[Everett King]

Everett literally growled at the mention of Erika. If he was understanding this right, it almost sounded as if his voice companion was threatening her, which was not a good idea. "That Bellefonte girl has a name, and she's the most important thing in my life." Now completely serious, Everett snapped to attention.

The mention of his parents didn't escape him either, but he hadn't seen either in years. They could be dead already and he wouldn't know. Either way, they didn't stir as much compassion. "Name your terms, what do you want?"

He wasn't stupid enough to believe that this voice was speaking to him without a purpose, and without a goal in mind.

[Eryn White]

"I want your help. I am not threatening anyone. For what little I imagine it counts, I do swear that I want the best for all of these people. I am not your enemy, Everett King. I need your help. I know you don't trust me, and I imagine you won't for a while." So far, Eryn felt he was managing to walk the tightrope that was Everett's sensibilities. "There is a storm brewing. And inevitable breaking point. History shows that people like Erika, like me, like you, we are targeted by people who don't understand. People who are afraid of what is different. We're being kept quiet now, but how long can that hope to last with the internet and technology now? People will see us, and they will be scared, and they will lash out. We don't need to do anything but exist."

"I am with a group that wants to gather as a safe place to protect our kind. We want our kind to feel threatened, be among those who understand and can care for each other, free of fear and hatred. I need your help with this Everett King. Are you willing to?"

[Everett King]

Everett lifted a hand and examined his short nails as the voice droned on. Most of it he drowned out as motivational yabber, stuff that he could live without hearing. He had perfected this technique while ignoring his parents, and only picked up the vital points of conversation. His 'help' was needed for the betterment of mutants everywhere or something? It sounded remarkably cheesy, he wouldn't be at all surprised to see it stamped onto the box for a kids cereal brand.

"What will this help entail?" he asked pointedly, folding his arms across his chest resolutely. "I hardly doubt I would be a great asset, why are you really trying to get me to join your little gang bang?"

He had an idea why, but he wasn't about to voice it out loud until his suspicions could be confirmed. 

[Eryn White]

Eryn rolled his physical eyes. He had been told that the King boy was a bit hard headed and even slow at times, but actually trying to handle him was likely to leave him with a headache. But he didn't share that information with the artist. He didn't mind being ignored, but the boy did seem to have selective hearing. Oh well, nothing to be done.

"Your loyalty and creativity are what make you an asset, Everett King. There is a small team that my organization believes is trying to prepare some type of attack on others like us. Their surveillance equipment needs to be destroyed, so as to set back any plans they have for a short period of time. I wish to send you and two others to do this job, because I feel you are best suited for it. Are you willing to do this?"

[Everett King]

Everett heaved his shoulders with a hmph, annoyed by the persistence of the voice. Of course it was making very logic points, but he kept on repeating them. And repeating them. He was finding no new information, and the fact that he figured this was on purpose was what made him so distrustful of his mysterious guest.

"No, no I am not. Not without some hardass evidence. Who is this organization, who would I be working with and before I go frolicking off like some happy-go-lucky hippy bitch, you better tell me whose crap we're trashing in the first place. I'm not into vandalism." Ever demanded, voice raising slightly as he began to pace.

[Eryn White]

Smiling to himself now, Eryn felt he may have finally made headway. It was not his style to volunteer information without it being requested. In a silly and immature way, he was testing to see if someone was actually smart enough to notice what information they needed. It served him well enough at least, even if it could be frustrating to the people that he dealt with.

"Evidence can be provided. As for the organization I am a part of, we are a group of like minded people who are working together to protect mutants from bigotry, ignorance, and blind hatred. As for who owns the equipment that we are requesting you destroy? We ourselves are not entirely sure. It is hard to tell if it is a private agency or if it is a well disguised branch of the government."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Eryn couldn't help but think that it was likely Everett looked a little odd, pacing in the courtyard and speaking to himself.

[Everett King]

Grunting he paused, tapping his foot against the pavement. He had information now, that was all well and good. However, he did not know what he wanted to know. He was not into mindless vandalism. Where was this proof that they were even a threat to uncovering mutants? And what did it even matter? 

"So what if mutants are discovered. If it comes, it comes, and we'll deal with it. Bellefonte is hear for protection, I don't see where you power-hungry fanatics come into it. Why are you selfishly insisting that this is so? It makes me uneasy," Ever admitted, finally slumping back into the chair with a sigh.

But if it was to protect Erika, then surely there was no such thing as wrong? "Ye well I figured you were a part of it Sherlock, you'd be bat-shit crazy if you weren't. You sound pretty damn stupid as it is, why are you destroying this stuff without knowing whose it is? Surely there are better things to be done."

[Eryn White]

Finally Everett seemed to be coming around to a more reasonable mindset to at least discuss. But Eryn wasn't ready to pat himself on the back yet.

"Everett King, are you familiar with what began in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692? The infamous Salem Witch Trials. Those people weren't actually witches. They weren't actually different. But people were still scared. Look at the student population here and their powers. Do you think that the average citizen is going to feel safe when they find out that there exist people who can walk through the walls of their bedroom while they sleep? Who can summon lightning from their hands? Who can control someone's mind against their will? Other countries may respond in different ways, but look at what the American population does when it gets scared. Nine-Eleven is a prime example of the most recent time. We went to war against anything that looked even vaguely Muslim, when it was a small part of a tiny branch of that religion."

"Still don't believe me? World War Two. Pearl Harbor. We were attacked by the Japanese, and for the next six years anyone who was even associated with anything Japanese were stowed away in concentration camps. The country that we live in thrives on knee-jerk reactions, and when the senators and congressmen can get the biggest budgets and most votes by scaring the American people, they're ALWAYS looking for a target. It used to be blacks, and most recently it is the LGBT population. When mutants are revealed, it'll be something new, and something that they think they will be able to prove is dangerous. Something that everyone will be scared of."

Taking a physical breath and giving Everett a moment to absorb, Eryn started up again. "Bellefonte may be able to protect its students, to a point. But my organization is trying to look at the big picture. We want to protect ALL of our kind." Finally returning to Everett's other question, Eryn gave another pause. "As for where we come in... We aren't power hungry. We are simply gathering so that when the day comes, and our kind are revealed, we can step in front of the American people and show them that we are nothing to be afraid of. Rally for our rights and not be scared by what we were born with."

[Everett King]

Letting his head fall back over the edge of the chair, Everett breathed out a sigh. He'd never smoked before, yet suddenly had quite a strange urge to have one. Almost as if it was necessary that he need one. "Oy voice, you don't have any cigarettes on you, huh?" he chuckled, not expecting an actual answer.

While he ranted, Ever allowed his eyes to slip shut. He hadn't bargained on a free history lesson, and it wasn't something he enjoyed. Their country was full of idiots, and by proving that point, this voice was condemning himself and his organisation. Couldn't he see that?

"Knee-jerk reaction, that's right. So how do you think they'll react to your organisation standing at the head, ready to defend mutants. 'At what costs?', they will wonder. 'They are mutants too, how can we trust them?' they will whisper. Destroying their equipment now will not better your image then, and it wont stall the reveal for long. Everyone knows it's happening, now it's just a matter when."

Lifting a hand, he placed it against the night sky and stared up at the stars in quiet contemplation. If you want to make a difference, find some humans to help you. That's what will make the change."

[Eryn White]

The boy had a reasonable suggestion, though Eryn felt that poor Everett didn't understand the scale of what was truly needed.

"Do you know how long slavery had been outlawed before the civil rights movement? Ninety years from the end of the civil war, to the time that Rosa Parks refused to move from her bus seat. Do you think that in that time, that community wasn't trying to get equal rights? It was not until 1955 when the movement began, and then when Martin Luther King Jr. helped lead it to victory, that true change was made. Do you believe that our kind divided will bode well? Obviously there will be those who militarize and try to start a war. But I have the hope that many who would so casually begin bloodshed will see our group and join it instead, trying to find a path that doesn't require deaths left and right. As for the equipment... We aren't trying to stall the reveal. We're trying to protect their target. Our information says that they intend to capture, and very likely torture or kill, a mutant."

"Again in Massachusetts, in Concord this time, the year 1775,, April 19th. 'The shot heard 'round the world' was fired. The last thing we want is for this team to end up killing a mutant and beginning a war. The destruction of their equipment is meant to delay them from taking action until a long term team can be put in place to protect the person being targeted. Unfortunately, that takes considerably more time to gather than a team to just destroy surveillance equipment."

"I don't pretend to be Ghandi, but the organization I am with is not out to cause bloodshed and death. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want to see is this school turned into some sort of battleground... And as for the cigarettes, you really shouldn't smoke."