Name: Laura Kinney/X-23
Tagging: N/A
Laura would swim downriver for a good couple of miles, the blood and bits of people all over her being washed away. But then again… now the Hudson River is all over her. And that's not much better. But there is method to her 'escaping' the scene by river (even though it's not real pleasant).
The area was about to be flooded by New York's finest… both by land and air… and probably water, too. And there were powered assets at the scene of the little battle. Some of which perhaps recognized who…. No,
what X-23 was. Between the police and the powered individuals, her chances of being captured/arrested went right through the roof. So she knew she had to escape while she could. She could have easily hoofed it, there aren't many in the world that could track her that way. But she knew that with the presence of powered individuals (ones that she didn't wholly know), it's possible that at least one of them could follow
scents. So that's why she is escaping by route of the river, to cut off her trail scent. And by the time she emerges, her scent will be masked under the smell of the polluted river.
And so almost 2 and a half miles upriver she climbs onto shore, emerging on an empty plot of land. It mostly looks like some kind of drainage basin. Deserted for the most part as near as she can tell, so that's pretty much as good as it's going to get. She sprints onto land and heads towards some of the rundown apartment complexes she sees in the short distance. But as she moves beneath the cloak of night, her eyes drift in the general direction of the docks she had just escaped. She can see now police helicopters moving in, and some of the river patrols heading towards it. Seems she got out just in time.
Now she focuses on the task ahead of her. Her gaze drifts towards the apartment complex she nears, taking in all of the little sounds and scents all around her. There's quite a few families here… though it looks like no one should really be living here. Slumlords can be pretty despicable. She's seen these sort of living conditions a lot in her time here in the big apple. She crouches behind some bushes on the perimeter of the complex, outside of the fence. And there she just sits silently in a low crouch, her senses taking in everything around her. People come and go… more than a few come out into the front of the property or just outside their doors to see the commotion down the river at the docks. She hears them speaking, some of them, about what they hear on the police scanners. Another gang shootout, is the first word on what happened. Some watch on their phones as the local news starts to report on it. But she hates what seems to almost be prominent on her mind…
As she watches the few people live their lives, curious about what is happening at the docks, her mind is telling her the quickest way to kill each and every one of them. How to properly execute them. But there's no need to kill any of them… not yet. And as she is scoping out the scene, she makes note of some of the younger women she spots. Specifically those that look of similar build to herself.
She has to move locations 3 times, as some of the residents of the area were wandering to close to her position. None of them even suspected she was there. Which is a good thing.
Laura's not sure what time it was when she decided it was safe to move in. Many of the residents seem to have retreated into their apartments, most of the lights are out. She kept track of one of the girls that seemed closest to her own body type… her name is Brianna, based on how her parents (she assumes they are her parents) addressed her. She keeps track of which door she retreated into, and when the lights in that particular apartment were out. She waits a half hour after that point… and she moves in.
With all the sound of shadow she sprints towards the fence of the apartment complex. She bounds upwards, her hands planting themselves on top of the fence to hurdle herself over it. But the top of the fence has subtle spikes on it, and they drive into her flesh as she moves. But she doesn't slow, the wounds healing quickly as she lands in the grass, and she moves towards the building proper. There are still a few stragglers outside of the apartments, mostly young men and women just hanging out on a warm night. But none see her, none knows she is there. Like a frelling squirrel she scampers up one of the trees at the back of the building, and she sits perched upon a thick branch, surveying the building. Ah, there's the apartment she's looking for. Second floor, 3 from the direction of the river. The one Brianna retreated into. She is now looking at the back of the building from her tree, and she sees a window. She leans down on that branch, squinting to try and make out any details through that window into the darkened room. There aren't any other buildings on this side of the apartment complex, just an open field that also serves as an apparent party spot/trash heap. So whoever is in that room doesn't bother with blinds. No one's gonna be able to see into that window. She makes out a vanity in the room, and next to it a poster… it's kind of hard to see, but she makes out some letters on it. DJ Khaled… yep, that's a girl's room. She springs from her branch, landing silently on the roof above the window. Leaning down, she peers into the window now, hanging over the edge of the building, her long hair dangling down. She sees well in the dark, and now gets a better look at the room. And the girl asleep in the bed.
She reaches down, her fingers pressing to the glass of the window. It's an old building… and these windows look like they were made around the time glass was invented. So the lock on the window just doesn't work, and she's able to slide it slowly open. She waits a moment when the window is opened, watching the figure in the bed. No movement, no reaction. She turns around there on the edge of the roof and lowers herself down, her feet finding the window's ledge. She then slides into the room, lowering herself into a crouch a moment, watching for any reaction. Nothing. As she slowly stands, she sniffs discretely at the air. There's 3 more people in this apartment… 2 in a room across the hall, and 1 downstairs watching television. No… whoever it is, they are playing a video game.
Laura stands there in the dark as the other girl slumbers peacefully. Little knick knacks… pictures taped to the wall and vanity (of Brianna and what she assumes is her friends)… posters of various artists (mostly hip-hop and R&B, and one of a jazz singer she never heard of)… a couple trophies on display for cheerleading… school books in a neat pile next to the vanity… At this moment, Laura's mind almost goes to blank. She absently moves towards that vanity now, seeing her own reflection in the mirror. She kind of stares at herself for a few moments, and then she looks towards some of the pictures adhering to the mirror. Her hand moves up, fingertips tracing the edges of the pictures. A picture of Brianna and 2 other girls at a beach… one of a small group of people that look very similar to Brianna ((her family, no doubt. 4 in the picture, 4 total in the apartment))… a boy, a very cute boy…. Laura's head tilts a little to one side as she looks a little closer at the picture of the boy. Brianna's boyfriend, she assumes.
For a brief moment, Laura gets a look at what a normal girl's life should be.
But that moment passes as she hears footsteps across the hall. She sniffs at the air once more as she silently moves to the window, closing it quickly but quietly. She then moves next to the vanity, crouching down next to it. She stares at the door as she hears the handle being turned… and a rather large man peers in. He doesn't turn the light on in the room, instead just relying on the light from the hallway. He is the man in one of the pictures… Brianna's father. Just checking on his little girl in the middle of the night. Laura stares at him from the shadows, as motionless as a statue. He then closes the door gently, and Laura doesn't move until she hears him walk back to his own room across the hall. It's then she pushes herself to her feet and decides she needs to get her mission here done. She came into this room for a specific reason, after all. Green eyes move towards the closet of the room, and she proceeds towards it. As quietly as possible she opens it… and she finds a slight smile on her lips as she sees the clothing hanging in it.
Perfect.
Some very cute tops… some skirts folded on a little table in the closet. She glances over her shoulder to Brianna as she sleeps, and she then takes a few of the outfits. Hangers and all. She'll have to remember to return here once she retrieves her gear to repay the girl. But for now… she's taking some clothes.
She gets out of the building the same way she got in, moving from the window to the roof to the tree to the ground. She is careful with the clothes she carries, not wanting to get them dirty or anything. Considering how she smells like the Hudson at the moment and all. There were lights north of where she is now… so she knows there's a town there. And that's where she will head next…
