que sera, sera.

MARTHA @ THE ARC ONE FINALE IN A BURNT SIENNA JUMPSUIT, FIVE INCH HEELS, AND POLARIZED WRAPAROUND SUNGLASSES.

inspired by cola’s costume post for samson (addendum: this has been in the drafts for days). except, martha has a different outfit for each event. this one’s her wreaking-havoc-at-the-bergen-street-subway outfit. there’s no functionality to it, or reason other than she looks damn good! if she’s going to die, she’s gonna die serving absolute p***y <3 photo is from davikah.

addendum: decided she wears a mask, when the omegas arrive. for the aesthetic.

the idea martha explained had merit, but betty shook her head solemnly. “it has too many risks, martha. as experienced as irena is, professor xavier would sniff out a decoy easily. and i’d worry over how long you could maintain such a state over someone.” they seem to have been sent here to die. betty’s sure the professor had considered that as a possibility, but had thought naively he would be able to prevent it. he clung to that dangerous positivity like a life raft. “it would send a sign, but how would any of us be able to trust her again? it would be asking a lot of everyone to forget her betrayal.” 

betty’s taken aback by the sudden edge in martha’s voice. “i’m not blaming you, or putting the responsibility on you to find the rest of the spies. i simply wondered if you noted any other suspicious behavior.” still, her eyebrows furrowed at the telepath. “you’re upset. had you grown close to finley? is that what’s making this worse?” 

another telepath? that would certainly be a find. “what’s his name? i’ll dig up what i can on him.” mutants with mental prowesses were always an advantage, especially against a telepath as powerful as charles. “the work you need to do now is rest. have you been sleeping well?”

“yes but i wasn’t inviting a conversation about them,” ciarán explained, his eyes remained narrowed, he was still clearly annoyed. and yet, he made no effort to show martha out of his apartment - which said a lot. “there’s someone, i’m not sure what it is, but the sex is good.”

Of course he was a suspect, it wasn’t surprising at all for someone who arrived almost a year ago and took one of the leadership spots. “Heh, funny,” he said, leaning back on the nearest wall. “So you think all of our fuck ups is because of me? That’s cute. You got proof or are you just assumin’?” 

there was chaos everywhere. of course, the brotherhood always had some sort of chaos seeping at the edges, but it had now taken over. spies who were sent by charles no less infested their organization. it infuriated her, made her want to give parasites to each and every member to sift out who other moles were. even if it led to false confessions, it was better to weed out the weak now in such a critical time. no, she thought, i don’t want to harm any of the members. i’m even wary of hurting the students sent in as spies. what i want is charles to face their wrath. 

but, there were a few people she could trust. martha was one of them. however, betty still kept an eye on her, not out of suspicion, but worry. “if you need help acquiring a new id for now, let me know. we have people who can help,” she told her, hating that now she had a target on her back. however, her concern faded to irritation at the reminder of the rat. “she’s being interrogated. i don’t imagine charles sent her in alone.” that wouldn’t be like him; he loved making things group projects. “once they pull the information they need out of her, she’ll be disposed of. why do you ask? has someone else made you suspicious?”

disposed of. “you shouldn’t—” she cut herself off, before she could finish her sentence. a beat passed in silence, as she reconsidered her next words. “you could use her as a mousetrap instead. i can—or even irena can possess her. it would be a waste to just kill her. besides…” she trailed off and casted her gaze elsewhere, afraid to meet betty’s. “i don’t think they know what they’re doing. they seem to have been sent here to die.” that, or charles has overestimated the brotherhood’s capacity for mercy. “we could make her defect. wouldn’t that set a better example?” it was a long shot but she was willing to take the chance.

“all of the missions were sabotaged. the omegas, xavier, even essex… they seemed to have anticipated us each time. there are others, i’m sure. but how many, i don’t know.” her eyes met betty’s. this time, undeniably pissed. “the vetting process was shit, as we know now. you recruited way too many people. and you can’t put this all on me. even xavier can’t anticipate everything.” she drew a deep breath, thinking. strategizing. making a case for herself. truth be told, she was an easy suspect. a telepath who didn’t anticipate any of this happening? and why was she never around when it mattered? not the riots, not the attack on halloween. and, she was the only one to catch the spy.

nia’s nose crinkled from the brush of martha’s hair over her face like cat whiskers, then opened her eyes to look at her. if she wasn’t so used to being startled, she probably would have jumped at how close she was. instead, she found the sight amusing. “i think you’re underestimating how well i can hear.” it came with her job territory. she huffed at the insult, lightly hitting her foot against her ankle. “are you offering to take one with me?” she teases back, starting to laugh before holding her side in pain. “it’s been a rough couple of days. what about you? i heard you passed out once you brought our little rat back.”

“I am, yes.” Martha matched Tenzin’s tone, which implied she wasn’t scared of her like most people. That would have to change. The thought of someone going into her mind made her snicker — a loud and disrespectful noise. With a condescending sneer on her face, she moved closer to Martha, reaching out and brushing a strand of hair away from her face. Her fingertips traced Martha’s strong jawline as she stared straight into her eyes.  “Darling, you wouldn’t be able to handle it. I’ve tortured hundreds of people. Cut them open and slowly removed their organs while they’re still conscious. I’ve fucked Ezra while disembowelling him, multiple times. So much gore. The crying and the begging. Not to mention my feelings. If you think you can come out the same person as you were when you went in, let’s do it right now.”

“What have I done this time?” 

    irena westwood had never taken kindly to failure but she absolutely despised it when it was on her watch. people were looking to her and she didn’t have the answers or even a snide remark to give in that exchange. her jaw was tense as her frustration built. she knew martha could and would get in her head given the opportunity so she needed to keep it as clear as possible. “you insolent child! know your place and your safety is not threatened.” now that was a threat. irena did have the tendency to destroy someone’s life when she was pushed, why there were so many rumours around how mr. archibald westwood came to be the late reginald westwood, his family name and fortune now laying in irena’s complete control. 

            irena had put up with martha’s remarks, she had even appreciated her loyalty while she was in the hospital. however, only the current state of their relationship could be taken into consideration. her past fondness seemed to vanish - once the accepting executive persona was dropped, irena exposed herself as a self-preserving narcissist. “while some other members may entertain this, i shall not.”

your safety is not threatened. martha could no longer manage a jeering reaction. mark was right — the brotherhood was slipping. it was no longer a laughing matter.

erik, betty and irena — she had once thought they were the most formidable people she knew. this incident, however, showed her all the cracks on the surface. martha had trusted their decisions thus far, without question — blind obedience, indubitable trust — and to her detriment. she could admit bumps in the road, hitches in the plan. but to be bested by charles xavier and his wimpish ilk?

rather than respond and continue the spat, if it could even be called one, ciarán opted to purse his lips, his eyes narrowed as he stared at martha. hopefully, she’d get the point sooner or later.  “i’ll worry about myself,” he responded, slowly, “and if you’re going to insist on talking about my parents, i think it’s time for you to go.”

     “you are part of the brotherhood, or have you just outed yourself as a rat?” the woman spat in response to the disrespect from her subordinate. irena hadn’t lost her temper in a while but with the recent disasters, she was at her wits end and wasn’t going to take this from martha. “you need to watch yourself. seong. i only play nice up until a certain point.”