For jerusalem_s.

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

It's a Saturday morning and being a teenage boy, Pyro's doing what comes naturally to his kind -- that is to say, being studious and walking about the second floor of the school, backpack on shoulder and what looks like a sheaf of schematics in hand. He seems to be slightly confused as to where he's going, though -- and in fact walks past a certain door before stopping, turning, and heading back to his destination, which happens to be exactly one floor up from the Journalism classroom.

"So," Pyro says aloud, and knocks on the door before edging to one side just in case. He went to school with Iceman, Gambit, and Boom Boom for years, after all -- and Pyro's always been one to learn fast.

Comments

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

So far this morning, Spider had one mild case of amnesia, one bitten and apparently quarantined Assistant, one run-in with the campus security and two shots of something neon green that he hadn't bothered to read the label on.

The knock at the door was a mild surprise and he turned to look over the back of the couch. "Enter!"

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, so, uh, I figured I should check in with you about what I'm supposed to be doing," Pyro said, slouching into the room, eyeing it first for escape routes and second for -- well, his new boss. "Seein' as I'm not in any of your classes or anything."

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"Newsfeeds off." The muted screens with their scrolling captions shut off, leaving the room slightly darker. Spider looked at him over the top of his glasses for a moment. "Good idea. The Assistant wanted me to get cell phones for you lot, but I found something that might work better. Hungry?"

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

"Depends on what you're offering." -- Because the Professor taught him to play nice when around strangers, and because Magneto taught him never to say anything too unilaterally.

The now-blank screens earned a small, appreciative sideways glance as the pyrokinetic took another step inside the room, the faint, repetitive snick-snick sound of his lighter punctuating his steps.

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"Depends on if the maker's made itself a new supply of Tripwire while I was out." Spider pulled himself to his feet and rummaged in his pockets. Tossing an amber bottle with a white cap at the intern, he turned and headed into the tiny kitchen. "If the damn machine is high again, all I'll get out of it is either anchovy pizza or lobster thermadore. Fucking mechanical monstrosity...."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe had finally woken up and decided to leave the others where they were sleepy. She hoped that she had slept the toxin off, but if she hadn't...well, she'd have to talk to Spider about it anyway.

She made her way across campus and vaulted up the steps to Spider's door. She knocked once and then opened the door.

"Hello?"

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"First on the duty list?" Spider grinned up at Pyro. "Offer the Assistant some breakfast."

He turned and beckoned to Phoebe. "Morning, Assistant. I see you aren't rampaging wildly through the building in the altogether. Can we assume that you're going to survive?"

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Pyro said, blinking a little at Phoebe. "You're Halliwell, right?"

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed two more pieces of bacon off his plate along with a slice of toast for himself, and extended the plate minus said food in Phoebe's direction. "Want some?"

[sensethevisions]

"Phoebe," she said with a smile and took the plate of food. Then she looked at Spider.

"I assume that I'm going to survive," she nodded. "Hank, Zero and Jayne kept an eye on me and didn't let me do anything like that. Also, whatever was in the bottle you gave me? I want more of. I was feeling no pain."

[krycek-rat.livejournal.com]

Glancing at the clock on his desk, Krycek decided it was about time to go. Locking his dorm behind him, he headed out and over to the school - where he thought he saw the girl, Phoebe, going inside before him.

Walking up the stairs to the second floor, he approached the professor's door with no small amount of wariness. The professor had called them here though, so hopefully it wouldn't blow him up immediately.

He knocked on the door firmly, then stepped back quickly and waited.

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"... and that makes three." Spider abandoned his breakfast and headed for the kitchen. He paused only long enough to produce another slim amber bottle and hand it to Phoebe as he went to find more food. "Enter!"

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe examined the bottle, but it didn't look like the bottle he had given her drinks from last night, so she waited. When she saw Krycek enter, she smiled and waved, before going back to her breakfast.

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

Pyro nodded at Krycek, taking another bite out of his slice of toast. "... I hope you ain't expecting me to share this with you?"

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"Beats me. I wouldn't wear one on a bet." Spider took a bite of steak and grinned. "Tap your right wrist. You should get a menu you can see with your left eye. Use your right hand to enter commands. Have fun."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe finished her breakfast and took her plate to the sink and washed it clean. She returned to her seat and looked at him with interest.

"I'm going to assume that no one else can see them?"

[krycek-rat.livejournal.com]

Moving on to bacon and coffee, ignoring the eggs for the moment, he listened. "I would hope not," he commented to Phoebe. Continuing, he looked at the professor, curious. "Why wouldn't you wear one, sir?"

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"I like my life uncomplicated," Spider told him, swiping a forkful of hashbrowns into the dolphin sauce. "And to answer your question, Assistant, no one can see them but you. It's projected on your optic nerve or some such."

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"Image, Efferton Manor."

The screen behind Spider lit up.

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

"Looks -- uh -- cheerful." Clicking his wrist-unit off, Pyro leaned forward to study the screen. "That's the so-called haunted house, ain't it?"

[sensethevisions]

"After what I've already seen this week...a trip to a haunted house is cake."

[krycek-rat.livejournal.com]

Watching the screen, Krycek snorted softly. "I agree with Phoebe. But what would we be doing there exactly?"

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"Play feed."

Behind Spider, the camera moved in, following the winding drive up to the house.

"This particular house has any number of stories, documentation and video footage of its various peculiarities. It has all the standard hallmarks of your average 'haunted house'." Spider wasn't even bothering to watch the footage as the camera reached the front door, which opened without any apparent help from the man with the camera.

"There are reports of ghosts that walk, talk and drag you to an unpleasant fate in the basement, whispers of scorpion pits and man-eating plants, stories of time running backward...."

The camera was panning across an entry that showed the ruin of years, cobwebs and shattered furniture, half of a spray-painted gang logo visible beneath the trash on the floor. Moving to a nearby room, the door was opened - this time by the camera man. On the other side was a cozy study with a polished hard wood floor, a roaring fire in the fireplace and, despite the summer weather outside, a howling winter blizzard outside the window.

"All of these can be explained away in some fashion, but no one's managed it." Spider steepled his fingers and leaned forward, smile aquiring an edge. "I thought it would be fun to explore. Ghosts or no ghosts... it's a good story and one that can be exploited."

[make-it-ashes.livejournal.com]

Pyro watched the film play for several seconds after Spider spoke before raising his own voice. "Exploit it how?"

There were a lot of other ways he could have said it, perhaps, but sometimes the most direct way was the simplest.

[krycek-rat.livejournal.com]

Krycek was just glad he didn't have to ask it. He watched the feed, trying to keep track of the layout mentally, but the house didn't seem to much care for staying still for the camera.

[jerusalem-s.livejournal.com]

"You sell the experience," Spider told him, grinning maliciously. "And it works either way. 'Haunted House Debunked' or 'Ghosts Proven Real'."