[Sama in the MU] Part 3
Added 2025-03-30 01:53:39 +0000 UTC“You’ve got a holographic disguise thing, right?” I asked Angel, as he unfurled his very big and attention-getting white wings. They were incredibly flexible; he could stuff them under a suit jacket and you could barely tell they were there.
“Yes?” he asked, turning around, and looking me up and down. In my Dynamo togs, I was definitely a skin-tight feast for the eyes.
“Paint them wings black, or they will see us coming a long way off.” He looked at me with an odd expression. “What? They are white, Angel. In both moonlight and city light, they will see you coming from literally a mile away.”
His expression was pained. “The image inducer isn’t programmed for that kind of stealth mode.”
“Oh, Jesus and his Mother. Give.” I held out my hand, and a little surprised, he passed it over. I turned it on, and promptly was overlaid with an image of Warren Worthington in light exercise clothes. Ignoring it, I flicked through the various images, some of which were not him. “Ah, so that’s how you program it.” My Claw flicked up, and tiny lightnings danced atop it. The street bum image I was showing began to darken uniformly, until it was basically all black.
I tossed it back to him, breaking the hologram on myself. When he caught it, there was a blur, and suddenly he was all black, including his wings.
“Big guy, that chrome of yours is also going to reflect the light. Give.” He paused, and then handed over his own image inducer. Some sparking later, and me momentarily looking like a big strapping hunk or hefty drunk, I handed it back and ding, he was all black as well.
I turned to Storm and held out my hands. “And the only people with outfits that are viable stealth-ready are the women.” She grinned as the two men looked chagrinned. “Now, I don’t mean to be snide, but proper operational tactics is to do a flyby first and ascertain the presence of the people you want. Black Tom Cassidy usually operates with the Juggernaut, and there’s another mutant present?”
“All of us except Colossus can fly, and he could make an underwater approach,” Angel began, and I held up my hand.
“Scouting is about senses. You don’t have improved night sight, or any other appropriate senses. Storm’s senses are weather-related... she can probably feel air motion in open areas, but have you fine-tuned it to detect breathing?” She blinked at me in astonishment. “Taking silence as a no. Operational communication... okay, let me spring this on you. I can give you some magical tattoos that allow you to communicate telepathically with anyone else so Marked. That includes me. They also have a minor effect on one of your Stats that can be built up over time, kind of like a magical item you power up on your own.
“If you are interested, I can make one in about three minutes. If you don’t want it anymore, I can either break the link which empowers it, or you can remove it yourself.”
They looked at one another; once again, I was handing out toys. “What is the range on this communication?” Ororo asked, intrigued.
“Universal and across planes.” Her eyes went wide. “It’s both magical and psionic.”
“Drawbacks?” Warren asked instantly.
“Mmm. Well, it’s a Tat, and it glows very dimly when in use. If it’s marred, the effect is broken until it’s fixed. And I can speak to you, or lock you out, as I wish, and you have to request access from me. There’s no mind reading involved, however. You either project thoughts, or nobody hears. If I’m paying attention and you’ve got some strong emotions, I’ll be able to tell, so don’t get all weepy or I’m going to be all up in your head trying to make you feel better.”
“This sounds too good to be true,” Warren said suspiciously.
“Well, I’m at the center of the telepathy, so if you want to use it, you’re going to be using the back of my head. So, don’t start cracking sex jokes.”
“Can you use any form of telepathic attacks through the link?” he asked.
“Me? No. My telepathy has a range of four inches, period. Being Marked does not change that. Can someone else? No. I have to open the door, they have to get through me, and that is not going to happen.”
“You sound very confident.”
“Elicia Hernandez was a mutant with immunity to telepathy, who also happened to have random electrical sparks shooting out of the nodules on her head erratically. In other words, I can only be attacked telepathically if I let myself be.”
He blinked. “That... is extraordinarily useful.”
“To me, possibly. To her, it was horrifyingly ugly and destroyed her life.” I shrugged.
“You have others with these Marks?” Ororo asked.
“Of course. Quite a few, actually. All the mutants whose powers I Nulled among them. You can talk to all of them if you like. Actually, they’ve got a lot more practice in with Mindblades than you, and they started from scratch, too, so they can give you pointers.”
The X-Men looked at one another, debating. Another incredible something from me...
“I shall try this,” Colossus stated, reverting to flesh and bone with a glimmer of light. “What do I need to do?”
I fetched a case of inks out of my Masspack, which was also drawing interest from them. “You want it in someplace it won’t get damaged. Where would you like it?”
He hesitated. “Where would you recommend?” he finally asked.
“Your nasal cavity.” He blinked, I just looked at him.
“Ah... how would you do that?” he had to ask.
“You’ll see when I do it,” I told him.
“This I have to see,” grinned Warren, crossing his arms and looking expectant.
Piotr nodded slowly, and I waved him up to me, lifting out a small vial of ink and drinking it. He had an odd look on his face as he stepped up.
I swept him off his feet with casual ease, supporting him with my hair, perfect grip, and he was effectively weightless at my strength level. He was very surprised when our mouths met, more when my tongue came in, and downright astounded when the distracting electrical massage started.
-Don’t worry about breathing, I have you,- I /assured him calmly, as he flailed a bit and my balance didn’t shift at all. -This is painless, just enjoy the ride.-
He finally grabbed my shoulder, realizing he really didn’t weigh anything, and it was like being in a hammock. The electrical massage was stimulating, but somehow preventing him from being aroused, while every breath he felt he was inhaling spring flowers.
Ororo and Warren looked on in disbelief for the three minutes it took to get everything done, and then I pulled back from his lips, eyes twinkling, and set him back up on his feet so routinely it was obvious I’d done this quite a few times before.
“There’s a door to the side of your head. You should be able to see it. It has this symbol on it.” I pointed to a Tat around my waist that lit up.
He looked up at nothing, clearing his throat as he touched his lips. “I, ah, can see it.”
“Open it up.” He scrunched his face and made a reflexive pushing motion.
“Bohze moi!” he gasped, when he got his first look at me in the Markspace.
“Oh, whoops.” I toned it down for him. “Sorry.” His eyes came down, staring at me in shock. “Sorry, most people aren’t ready for seeing relative strength in the Markspace of ephemeral Stats. Now, close your eyes.” He did so. “How many fingers am I holding up?” I held up three.
He flinched. “So bright! Three. Two. Four. Ten. One,” he rattled off. I moved my hands off to the side, out of my range of sight. “Ah! Two. Four. Three. Five.” I flicked my tits, and he jumped.
“Yes, full sensory transfer is possible, including tactile,” I reported with a sly wink, and he blushed quite red. “Now, you do the same. Picture the rune on the door between your eyes.” He calmed down and concentrated, while I turned and looked in the other direction, up at the sky, seeing with incredible detail and colors. As an artist, he wanted to keep looking out my eyes.
Still, he did it, I gave him a mental acknowledgement. “Five, one, two, seven, three and four, two and five. I think we’ll leave the tactile transfer until you’re more comfortable. Just so you know, there’s quite a few other men linked up, I am perfectly aware of the sexual connotations, and,” there was a mental whoosh, the equivalent of cold water washing through his mind, “I can tamp it down, there’s no need to be embarrassed about it.”
My voice and mental attitude were so blasé that he calmed down despite himself. “Your sight is incredibly vivid,” he complimented me in wonder.
“I’ve potentially about a hundred times the visual acuity of an average person, if I choose to enhance it. My default visual spectrum extends into the infrared and ultraviolet, and I have twenty different color cones, so I see different colors more vividly. I can also see magic, active use of psionic energies, ghosts, and spirits.”
“That is extraordinary,” Ororo finally spoke up, recovering from witnessing what was effectively a three-minute kiss.
“So I’ve been told. There’s a few Marked with artistic bents who like to paint watercolors of my sunset impressions. I freeze a picture for them to paint away.”
I could see Colossus was all over that. “I must try that!” he spoke up eagerly.
I just waved as I turned around. “Do either of you want the same thing?” I inquired calmly. They were frozen between embarrassment and intrigue. “The most useful thing about it is naturally the telepathic linkage without requiring the presence of a telepath, and also without the psionic signature of one. Perhaps most importantly is that you have the mental support of others if you are subjected to telepathic assault or interference... including myself.”
“And you can’t use telepathic powers through this effect?” Warren pressed, only half-believing.
“If you are within four inches of me, I most certainly can,” I replied. “Otherwise, just close the door. I can knock on it, and shout across it, but I can’t force it open.”
“It would be hard to remove it inside your nose,” he pointed out.
I flicked the appropriate rune on my waist, it flickered, and Piotr stiffened. “It is gone!” he stated instantly, putting his hands to his face.
“It works because it resonates with the Master Runes I wear. If you ask me to remove that resonance at any time, I will. Any telekinetic or mystic will be able to disrupt it without much effort, or anyone who can get up into your nose surgically. You only have a Tat. I have the Master Marks.”
Angel was clearly trying to find a reason not to have them. “You mentioned that Professor Xavier is a telepath, and you’ve had fairly broad mental training. He should be able to ascertain instantly if there are adverse psychological effects of having the Mark. I am definitely not going to be in your head all the time. If you don’t open the Door, I’m not going to bother you unless I sense something bad coming through... so don’t get all depressed moody on me, or I’m going to come knocking.”
Ororo spoke up. “How do you manage conversations with so many people, then?”
“I have multiple thoughtstreams going on, it’s a function of high intelligence. A couple of them love the socializing, and thought communication is much, much faster than vocal. I have more than enough force of personality to withstand others, so it is not difficult.”
“She...” they looked at Piotr speaking up, “I only saw a glimpse before she veiled it. She... I do not think even the Professor is so powerful mentally...”
“But he probably has a range of more than four inches?” I noted acerbically, and they paused for a moment before laughing. “So, yes or no? It is of no concern to me either way. The primary benefits are to you.”
“I shall try this!” Ororo said with a smile, and I inclined my head at her, completely ignoring the pretty boy, who definitely stewed at the implied test of his courage. He looked at Piotr, and sighed.
“I will, too,” he finally agreed.
“And what of my Mark?” Piotr asked quickly. I gestured him closer, and he stepped up quickly.
A strand of my hair shot up his nose, touched the Tat, re-established resonance, and he sneezed the hair back out. “Ah! It is back on!” he said, blinking at something off to the side of his eyes.
Ororo gasped at about the same moment as I swept her off her feet, and our lips met.
There was an instant swirl of misty wind as both sets of her powers linked up. Hers reached out, vast and expansive, while mine was almost murderously intense within a confined area, the control so absolute she gasped upon feeling it.
-Relax, this will be painless,- I /assured her calmly, and without qualms, she reached up to touch my face and enjoy the experience.
If my hair started turning white, and gentle winds started caressing the two men watching in outright envy, and the air began to sparkle with lightning, and then dance with ice and snow, well, it was a thing.
I withdrew, and she smiled up at me, her blue eyes dancing. “That was wonderful!” she said, as I brought her back to her feet easily. She opened up the Door, and her eyes suddenly went very wide.
I veiled myself down, but she did not stop staring at me. She reached up to my face, her control over the air caressing against that which I had gotten from her. “Goddess!” she murmured. “Your mind... is so strong...”
“It drives everything else,” I agreed, swirling air currents around her hand, more intimate than any touch. “Your mind is also stronger than you know, it also drives everything... you have simply not directed it to strengthening itself, but merely your external control. Apply that power and will to your own mind, and well, I pity the fool who takes on your Will...”
She smiled widely. She truly was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. “You are born to be a teacher, are you not?” she laughed calmly.
“So everyone keeps telling me,” I huffed. “And here I thought I was a trash-talking superhero cleaning up them bad streets.”
“And you do it so well!” she laughed richly, stepping away. I smiled slightly and turned my eyes on Angel, who looked both nervous and expectant as he brushed some frost off himself.
“Are there going to be side-effects for my kiss, too?” he asked incorrigibly.
“Of course,” I replied straight away, holding out my hand. “What I got from you are exactly your powers, and will resonate with yours. You shall see in a moment.”
He smiled to hide his nervousness, extended his hand, and despite him bracing for it, I swept him smoothly off his feet, caught him, and liplocked him.
Black wings almost erupted off my back, spreading wide and fluttering with power as both of us rose off the ground. His eyes rose as he felt his own power coming back at him in a way he had never felt before, and his own wings seemed to pulse and shimmer with new energy.
He was also watching the long blonde hair waving about him.
Black and white wings flapped gently, touching, stirring up small whorls, and he had my head clutched tight as he felt the tight, solid power of my Vajra manipulating the energies, overriding his control of his own, a sensation like nothing he had ever experienced.
He knocked open the Door the second it came up, gawked, and I veiled. He stared at me as I drew back, and kind of gasped out, “Just how long is your tongue?”
“Goes out to twenty feet,” I admitted, letting him go. Barely flapping his wings, he hovered there in midair, and looked down in a mixture of surprise and so-this-is-how-it-works, like he’d always known it, just not how.
He watched my wings scatter into psychoplasm, but I still hovered there. He could feel at least four different effects keeping me aloft in addition to his own, including air movement from Ororo.
“I’m... not sure just who you are and what we are dealing with, but I’ll trust you for now,” Warren said softly, digesting what he was feeling and had seen.
“Trust, but verify,” I agreed, as my hair returned to black. I ran him and Ororo through the sense-sharing test quickly, and they grasped it even more quickly than Piotr had. “Okay, let me do the scouting on the boat. Let’s get you all closer to it so you can reinforce if need be. Ororo, why don’t you bring up a light fog on the harbor, just to conceal things.”
I turned sideways in midair, and with just a prompt, Piotr came over and sat down sidesaddle. “You can’t fall off unless I let you,” I told him, and calmly swooped upside down.
He hung there for a moment, controlling himself not to grab onto me, and nodded slowly. I spun sideways to get him back upright, careful not to whiplash him. “You can armor up and go stealthy if you like. The weight doesn’t make any difference. The lifting power of Warren’s flight power is based on physical strength, and I am much stronger than he is.”
The weight on my back doubled, but it made no difference. It was the difference between one grapefruit and two.
Buoyed by the winds, Storm swept off the roof, and I could tell she was endeavoring to create the same kind of tight, absolute control about herself that she had sensed on me. The winds made flying easy, and rapidly drove us off the top of the building towards the harbor not far distant.
