12544/Magneto's Response to the Cure

Magneto's Response to the Cure
Date of Scene:	14 December 2020
Location:	Westchester County - Melrose Clinic
Synopsis:	Magneto and Acolytes appear in Westchester. He allows the building to evacuated and then seals it off to destroy it. A brief exchange with Xavier's students occurs.
Cast of Characters:	Pixie, Magneto, SpyderByte, Nightingale, Faraday, Beast
Tinyplot:	Mutant Cure

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Pixie has posed:
A chilly early evening falls on the quiet block of Melrose street and centre, the headquarters to Melrose clinic. Initially a quiet, three story red brick building, recent media attention and a terrorist attack have garnered a lot of attention for the place. Consequently, the climic has increased security personnel, and these days they are sporting some interesting darts full of anti mutagen in addition to tasers and guns.

There are still protestors across the street and a line up of patients coming to see him. This late in the day however, both crowds are starting to die down as the clinic gets ready to close. Hopefully the last half hour will be a peaceful one.

Well, one can always hope..

Magneto has posed:
    There is a chance of snow later on as December sets in properly to Westchester County. Even protestors have jackets and gloves and hats to keep them warm as they yell from the proscribed distance. The chill of the evening adds almost a soft hush to the scene despite protesters and paitents. This makes the crackle of energy all the more descernable as it approaches. Hidden in the darken sky at first, but a speck begins to get closer. It begins to build. Soon it can be seen as a sphere of sparking energy that surronds a group of figure. In the center of the sphere is a man easily recognizable to any mutant activist or law offical. It is Magneto in full battle armor of red and purple. His cape flutters slightly behind him. His hands are extended to either side as he creates the field. The familar helmet rests on his head so only his eyes can be seen in the light.

SpyderByte has posed:
Finding himself standing on one side of the sidewalk is the gothic known as Jeremy. He is dressed in a long black trench coat, a black long sleeved shirt and his bondage pants with chains hanging off the ends of them. He stares at the line of protestors, then over towards the line of patients who are eagerly looking for a cure and a chance to be rid of their mutation.

As he rocks back and forth on his booted feet, he squeezes his phone tightly in his hands as he reaches out with his powers to tip toe through the multitude of signals that zip along the air. He hop scotches from one to the other, seeking and searching until he can find the clinic's network. Depending on how tight the security is, he'll be poking at it rather gently. No need to get caught.

Who's a pretty girl? You are. You're a pretty girl. What's your name, network? N342wd342. That's a beautiful name. Can you let me take a peek at what makes you tick? I find you fascinating.

He brushes his thumb along the glass surface for a moment, then finds his concentration ripped away at the sight of Magneto descending from the heavens like a God with a metal helmet. His mouth opens to form an 'O'. It's him. The /bad/ guy. Or the good guy. It depends on what whispers he listens to across the digital fields.

Nightingale has posed:
     Where one member of the team went, the rest usually weren't too terribly far behind. Such was the case on that grim, steely day, with snow threatening to blanket the world in an icy coverlet that would cling to the earth for most of the season. This was not the first protest Shannon had been present for, though the last one had not ended well at all. She's dressed a bit more casually, though no less warm for the season, in dark blue jeans, soft black boots, a soft grey turtleneck sweater, and a grey beanie cap with a floofy pom-pom on the top. Soft grey leather gloves complete the outfit, as much for style as any sort of warmth. As always, she carries her little brown leather bag with her.

     The crackling energy catches her attention, its odd thrumming making the hair on the back of her neck stand straight up. One eyebrow goes up, then the other, and a soft oath escapes her. "The last time I saw him in that armor..." She lets the thought trail off, just shaking her head, pursing her lips. "He means business. Keep your eyes open."

Faraday has posed:
"This is all a load of bullshit." Mutters a lean girl standing along with Jeremy and Shannon, dressed in an orange, white, and black colorblock puffer jacket to ward off the cold. Indira's arms are crossed in front of her chest as she takes in the sights of the protestors and clinic. "Look at 'em, just waiting for an excuse to start shooting. Same crap as my family fled from." Indi grumbles as she shifts restlessly from one leg to another.

She's just about to say more when the air shifts, a crackle of power that makes her own hair stand on end in response. Her eyes follow the figure as he descends and there's a long, slow exhale from the teen. "...and here it comes. I hate being right. This prolly ain't a good place to be standing, guys."

Beast has posed:
Hank is neither protestor nor advocate. In fact he is doing his best not ot be noticed as anything but a semi-interested bystander, using his poersonally deigned image-inducer to disguise himself as someone completely unforgetable. He didn't inform anyone he was coming here, not this time.

superior senses of smell and sight scan the thinning crowd, keeping tabs on what is happening.. keeping track of familiar faces and scents.. But not making himself known.. Not yet..

And when he feels his fur start to rise beneath the inducer, he curses and looks up at a familiar sight. "Damn you...." he mutters to himself, tensing just a bit..

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn happened to be passing over the rooftops herself, dressed in a short hot pink puffer jacket with her wings sticking out (After Shan had once taught her to modify her outfits accordingly), a black sweater underneath and dark green jeans. She's wearing matching green ear muffs that barely cover her pointy ears this chilly December, and isn't all that keen in hovering around this part of the neighborhood, but she spies some familiar faces below, plus is that ol' bucket head up in the sky?

"Oh no, this is not good!" she hovers down to join the kids, peering around, "Guys, we should get out of here, I think that's Magneto up there, this cannot end well.." she's also tapping her X-communicator, hopefully there are Xmen around.

"Anybody nearby? I'm at the Melrose clinic, so is Magneto!" most people aren't looking skywards, but as the day wanes on the protestors are tiring and patients are heading home. With any luck, casualties at least will be kept to the minimum.

The guards continue to monitor the perimeter, and the inside, about four outside, two inside. They haven't spotted mags yet either.

Magneto has posed:
    The sphere lands in the middle space between paitents and protestors. Voices are already beginning to rise from both sides. Some shouts of encouragement. Some words you would never say in Sunday school. Four men and woman stand around Magneto dressed in purple, red, and gold armor of some sort of their own. Magneto takes a few steps forward from the group and lowers his hands to his side. As his lower, he floats upward so that all can see him no matter where they are in line.

    "To all that can hear the sound of my voice, I am Magneto. This place is a slap in the face of all I hold dear. I am not one to turn the other cheek. This place wishes to cure us, but why have a cure for what Nature has done? Where is the Cure for those of different races? There isn't one because we are something that no one else has been before." His voice grows louder now, "WE CAN FIGHT BACK! THEY FEAR US BECAUSE THEY CANNOT PUT US IN CHAINS. FORCE US TO BUILD RAILROADS OR GROW THEIR CROPS!"

    He begins to float a little higher now and the crackling energy returns faintly around him as he turns slowly in the air to face the Lab itself. "Anyone inside the lab has fifteen minutes to leave. Do not take anything. We will know. Anyone left inside after that time has only themselves to blame for the consequences." The helmet slowly turns as he calls to one of his followers. "Unuscione, remove the door and make it easier for them." A young woman with dark, long hair steps forward and is suddenly surronded by a green force. It seems to move with her attention and thoughts which quickly become focused on the door of the clinic. THe green force lashes forward as it tries to knock anyone in front of the door to either side and rip the door from the building.

SpyderByte has posed:
Fifteen minutes.

That's not a lot of time. Jeremy slides his backpack off his shoulder and trots over to one of the benches, sliding down upon it as he glances over at Shannon and Indi. He has a look of concern upon his face as he glides the laptop out across his latp. He sucks in a deep breath, then reaches out once more to the network of the clinic.

<< Hello beautiful. We don't have a lot of time, so .. I'm not able to be very gentle. I apologize in advance for what I'm about to do. >>

It's like tearing a scab off quickly. As his fingers hit the keys of his laptop, there is a rapid flicker of his eyes as he gives a 'jolt' of his body upwards. Instead of the usual tap dancing around securities that he tends to do in a cautious manner, he simply battering rams the firewalls open.

If successful, he is looking to snoop quickly for important files to download. Contracts. Contacts. Test results. Anything that may prove useful for digesting later.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oh, ballocks... copy that, Pixie, and there's no doubt about who that is." Almost immediately, Shannon is fishing about in her bag for her Bluetooth earpiece, fitting it to her ear. "Jer, think you could link this up to her comms? It's not perfect but it's all I've got on me."

     Her wings flare out behind her as she stays just in front of her two compatriots, her arms out somewhat to either side. Common sense dictated that it would be prudent to make a strategic advance to the rear, post-haste.

     But there was nothing common sense about this. Not one blessed bit.

     "Pixie, Jer's doing his thing. Do we need a lookout to buy him some time? Ready to be eyes in the sky if you need."

     A worried look is given to Indi, and she presses her lips together in a thin line. "I've run into him before. Thank God I wasn't in his crosshairs, but I've seen him go off the rails. It's not good. You might wanna duck and cover. Pixie gives the word, hell, I'll join ya and try to drag Jer along with me."

Faraday has posed:
"Speedrun it, Jer. We'll watch your back." Indira pressed her mouth together in a fine, grim line as she steps in front of the technopath to both guard and try and shield him from view. She may not like being here, but she's not bailing on her team.

Her dark eyes shift over towards Shannon and Megan as the latter arrives. "We just gotta keep Jer safe till he can get the info he needs, then we can bail. A few minutes. I don't plan to be here when the fireworks start. This is way above my paygrade and I kind of prefer living and in one piece at that. Until then, let's just keep a low profile and let Angry Prince out there keep everyone's attention."

Beast has posed:
"NO!" comes a voice from the crowd.

"No. No. Stop it, Magneto!. Stop it this minute." The voice continues, and Hank steps out of the crowd and drops his induced image, revealing the blue furry X-man, in his uniform. Black leather pants and jacket, with the yellow X, no shirt and of course no shoes.

"Do these people /look/ like they are being /forced/ to be here? Do they? They are here by CHOICE! They are not in chains. Yes, they are afraid. Afraid of what being a mutant MEANS in today's world but that doesn't make their choices any less valid!"

"And it's not even always a POLITICAL or racial problem, Magneto. It's not always Humans versus mutants. Some of these mutants don't want to be mutants because they themselves feel their mutation may be dangerous  to /themselves/, or their  friends or family."

"So if you do this you are talking people's choices away! Damnit, Magneto, your threatening POSTURE is taking their choices away. You can't give mutants freedom if you take away their right NOT to be a mutant. No matter how much that offends you."

Hank takes a deep breath, regretful.. "I agree that /this/ specific cure, in and of itself, could be dangerous. But that is because the /science/ is flawed. And I should know. Because it is /MY/ science! They are using data /I/ developed, whether they know it or not!!"

"If you want to blame anyone, blame /ME/! Okay, Max?!? /BLAME ME/!!. Because They got the cure from /MY WORK/."

And he stands there, panting, looking up at his team's old nemesis.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn swallows and is not used to being the one in charge. She nods to Shannon, "Right Shan, eyes in the sky, get a layout of the land. How many are with Magneto and their positions. Remember self preservation first! Indira, watch Jeremy's back and Jer, do what you have to do but be quick. If I say abort mission, you abort mission, no hesitation! I'm gonna try and get as many people out as I can but I'll be in constant communication..And everyone, do not try to engage, I dunno if their security can handle this but hopefully Xmen will get my call and I can get everyone out before they attack!"

And with that, Megan vanishes in a swirl of pink energy, pressing all the fire alarms in the building, and knocking on doors. If Magneto starts charging in, she'll be doing her best to port anyone still trapped inside to safety. But of course her primary objective is to reach Dr. Brightman's office.

Meanwhile, protestors outside are starting to back off, not keen on engaging with Magneto and his Acolytes. Most patients waiting outside flee in fear too, leaving only the guards. Who are here doing their job. "Halt, or we'll shoot!"

But as the first acolyte steps forth and rips open the door, one of the guards opens fire in her with his gun. The other three open fire on Magneto and his other Acolytes, knowing that they're unlikely to back down peacefully.

Magneto has posed:
    Shots from the security guards strike the green psionic field around Unuscione and the energy field around Magneto. The shots spart and richochet outward as they hit the fields but do no damage. No Acolytes are advancing further, however, as they wait for Magneto's command and his fifteen minute deadline. Magneto waves his hand as he attempts to disarm the guards that have metal guns they can fire again. Parking meters begin to rip up from the sidewalk and attempts to force the guards back and out of the way of the front door with the threat of crushing.

    Magneto turns his head as he hears Hank McCoy's voice and the calls from the man. Only his eyes can be seen beneath the helmet and the crackle of power around him. "No, Henry. No one choses to not be a mutant. We are what we are. We cannot change that any more than an African American can change his color. If we allow this cure to continue, it will be used as a weapon. I have no doubt as I have seen this before. THere will be consequences to being a mutant. I won't say it will be a life of ease, but you need to accept you are a mutant first or else they will win with thearpy and persuasion and finally force." He turns away and hovers closer to the building. Has it been 15? Hard to tell. He does pauces once more as Hank admits about the cure's connections. "Doctor...." His voice is cold now. Very cold. "We have heard enough from you." A parked car shakes for a moment before it begins to shred into pieces and fly towards Hank attempting to bind him in a make shift cage.

Magneto has posed:
    One of the Acolytes quickly approaches Magneto and motions to him. The Master of Magnetism lowers and stands next to the man as he is whispered to. Magneto returns to the air to ponder and remains silent.

SpyderByte has posed:
<< Pixie, save our teacher. Beast is outside and Magneto threw a car at him. Teleport him out. >>

The mechanical voice comes through the New Mutant's comm link as Jeremy continues to sit rigid at the bench. His fingers are blurring away at the keyboard in front of him as his eyes continue to flicker, almost coming white with how rolled up they are into his head. He gives a jolt here and there as the hair rises along his arms and the back of his neck. By now, his nose is pouring blood through one nostrils and dripping on to his shirt.

Lines and lines of code is pouring along his screen in digital characters which would make one assume he is typing in 'wing dings' font. Windows pop up and then close just as fast. He lets out a loud cough, one that sounds like a gurgling hiccup.

How much time has passed? It's hard to tell with his ears ringing and the white noise that is skipping between his ears.

<< I'm really sorry. I'm sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. >>

Strangers in the crowd are glancing down at their phones now as green bubbles pop up on their devices, apologizing to them? What could anyone be sorry for.

<< I'm sorry that I have to kill you. >>

The power in the clinic just went out. There is a loud FWOOM as generators go down, followed by a couple of power lines sparking.

Somewhere in SOHO District, a digital billboard just apologized to the crowds of shoppers: I'm sorry!

Poor N342wd342.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Copy that, Pixie. Eyes in the sky, do not engage."

     Turning to glance at Indi, Shannon nods. "Do what you can, I'll try to keep a lookout. We're not gonna ditch our teammate." Her brows furrow, and she adds, "But I'm with ya. This is way above our paygrade and yeah, I kinda want to see us all come out of this alive."

     With a few strong downstrokes of her wings, she's up in the air, spiraling quickly upwards in a tight circle above her teammates, till she's at a decent altitude to hover and get a good look at the goings-on below.

     Her heart clenched as she saw the billboard light up, letting out a soft sigh and making a mental note to talk to Jeremy later. Whatever happened, could not have been good.

     But then, there was the revelation from Dr. McCoy. Pieces of metal flying at him to cage him. Pixie plus metal did not make a good mix. "Pixie, can you get him out of there or do you need a hand?"

Faraday has posed:
Guns are blaring, parking meters are flying. This just went from bad to ugly. Gritting her teeth, Indira stands firm in front of Jeremy while it all beging to go down. She was prepared for a fight, but not what she hears.

"...wait, w-what?" She stammers as she hears what Hank proclaims and a look of dawning shock comes onto her face. Her fingers curl into fists and a few pops of electricity spark up around white knuckles. "He's apart of this?" She doesn't have much opportunity to digest this revelation about one of the team's primary mentors before car parts start flying.

She looks over her shoulder towards the others of her team but her words die out as she sees the state of Jeremy. The word that makes it out of her isn't even in English, but it sounds blistering and rude as its spit out with a mix of anger and fear.

"Jeremy! Stop!" She rapidly shakes out her one hand and discharges a fizzling bolt of electricity into the concrete before she reaches towards Jeremy. She pauses a split second before clamping her hand down on his shoulder. He may still get shocked, but he's probably not going to get electrocuted. "Come on, we gotta bail!"

Beast has posed:
And does Hank get out of the way? Oddly, no he doesn't, because he is frozen with guilt. The metal forms a cage aroun him,. trapping him like an ANIMAL. Trapping him, perhaps, like the way he BELIEVES he should be trapped. He wraps his paws around the makeshift bars, his muzle pressed between them.

"Please, Don't DO THIS!!!" he implores, his voice taking on a more beastial desperate quality, "You /could/ be right, Magneto. Things /could/ fall along the lines you think, but they also could /NOT!/ You have to give people, ALL people, the chance to choose their future. The chance to choose between following the steps of the past, or forging something new and better. You CANNOT prejudge them, ANY OF THEM, Magneto, or you will succumb to the SAME guilt that other tyrants have." he cries out.

"Like /me/! I made a choice, Max. A /bad/ one! I was afraid! I was a young man barely able to hide what I was. So to find a cure for mutation. But more selfishly for /myself/. And when I was finally outed I tried the cure and LOOk WHAT IT DID TO ME! It turned me from a beast into An ANIMAL!" shakes the cage. "This was my punishment for being SELFISH in my reasons to cure mutancy! And I deserved it!

"And thats also when I learned I could make ANOTHER choice. To learn from my horrible, terrible, flawed and SELFISH mistake. I destroyed my work. I dedicated myself to helping heal people, human and mutant alike, teaching them there was better ways."

"You have to give these people, human and mutant alike, the right to find out if their choices are mistakes or not! You don't get to choose FOR THEM."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn is busy flying around, clearing the three floors of the clinic. Fortunately most people flee out peacefully through the back door without incident. But once those lights flicker out they start to panic. It may take a while for the backup generators to kick in but for the moment, Megan lights the way with her pink glowing dagger, doing her best to calm the fleeing crowds.

"Alright guys, the interior is mostly clear, Dr Brightman refuses to leave though, he's determined to stand up for what he believes. If we let Magneto near him, he'll kill him.." she frowns as she flies out, scanning the area, listening and seeing the signs flashing, "Jeremy! You ok? Indira we should get him out of here to safety. Shan, how's the perimeter, did the protestors and clients flee?"

Its then that she flies out and notices Hank entrapped in a cage. "Dr McCoy! You have to fight back or he'll kill you! Sihal Novarum CHINOTH!" She swings an arm at him, teleporting the metal cage away from him, though seeming to strain a bit, doing her best to port it away from herself as well. Still the iron seems to have her break out in a sweat.

"Dont worry Dr McCoy, he's safe. You gotta get outta here.." her wings droop a bit.

Some of the guards snarl, unleashing another round of bullets while one of them is a bit smarter and pulls out the neutro-x dart, firing it off at the Acolyte that destroyed the door. Another attempts to shoot one off at Magneto.

Magneto has posed:
    "I will judge them by their actions, Doctor, as I will judge you. Creating this cure is a clear and present danger to mutant kind. I am not harming anyone that wishes to take it. I am just removing the threat." Magneto turns back towards the building. "Your time is up. The building will now be destroyed."

    As electricty begins to suddenly depower and Magneto floats backwards as if attacked. He turns his head to the left and the right as if looking for a source. One hand goes up and quickly a large man with a tied scarf over one eye is charging towards Jeremy. "Bring him to me."

    Magneto's attention is in the direction of Jeremy and, as such, his Acolytes as well. They were remaining still as they waited for the order to attack when the dart is fired off. Magneto is still floating and his the field around him. THe dart is knocked away without a thought. The other one though strikes Unuscione who was not watching. She shrieks and clutches her arm where the dart hit. She is falling to the ground still crying out.

    Magneto's head whirls around as he hears her scream. "Humans and their guns," he almost growls beneath his breath. Both hands come up. Suddenly the building begins to be coated in metal. Post boxes, cars, lampposts, anything metal is almost melted and flows towards the building. Sealing it up. Every crack and nook. Quickly the metal coating is racing up the side of the building when there is a loud crack and crash from inside the building. The water mains have been yanked out of the ground and begins to fill the building with the rush of city water. It can't leak out. It is filling the building.

    Magneto turns once more to Hank. "Their pride brought this one. They must be taught that I do not forget a slight or a debt."

SpyderByte has posed:
When Indi grabs him by the shoulder and sends a shock through him, Jeremy gives another jolt, eyes rolling back forward as he slides his hands away from his laptop. He reaches up, trembling, and wipes the blood away from his face. The laptop slides forward into the bag at his knees and he reaches down to snag it.

<< Let's go. >>

He gives a weak nod to Indira, his skin even more flushed then normal. He pushes himself up to his feet, then looks over as the Acolytes start heading towards them. His eyes widen as he shoves the backpack into Indi's arms.

<< Run. Get out of here. >>

He pushes her towards the fleeing crowds as he stumbles to his feet to take off as well. He's not a fast runner. Not like his more combat tested friends. He's a nerd at the end of the day.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Pixie! I'll grab Spyderbyte, can you get Indi out of there?" Shannon knew all too well that Jeremy was not the most physically fit member of the team. He would not have much time.

     She'd have one chance at this.

     Snapping her wings inwards, she dives from the sky, aiming straight for Jeremy, her arms extended and slightly curled. Her hair whips out behind her as she barrels down from the sky, and for a moment, it looks as if she might hit the ground.

     But this is a maneuver she has executed many a time in play, yet never quite thought it would see use in the field.

     At the last possible second, she snaps her wings outwards to glide along close to the ground, coming up behind Jeremy and moving to scoop him up. It was not easy, and if successful, she lets out an 'oof!'. Granted, she is slowed down, but at least it is still faster than he could make it out on his own.

Beast has posed:
Hank can't run.. he has sunken to his knees even as Pixie has teleported the cage away. the once bouncy blue Beast looks forlorn, kneeling there on the cold ground, snow whifting around him, flakes of white stuck in his blue mane, staring at his paws which sit limply on his lap. "Can't run... All my fault..." he groans under his breath, then clutches his mane, twisting the blue fur in his powerful fingers.. "NomorenomorenomoreNO MORE FIGHTING!"

And he arches back, releasing a primordial ROAR that cuts through the air.. a sound that was impressed on the human genome millions of years ago on the savanna when their ancestors were still primitive scavengers.

And in an instant The Beast has become more than just a codename. His hunter's eyes catch everything, every movement in a blink. And the predators cunning and reaction time, augmented and hopefully tames somewhat by one of the most brilliant minds on the planet, takes hold.

Neutralize the dangerous. Cover the innocent. Let them flee.

Create some chaos.

Beast SURGES forward, immediately scooping up snow in his paws and crunching them with his enhanced strength until the pressure forces snow to dense balls of ice. He starts tossing them at every human with a gun.. Head-shots only.. aimed to knock them out by striking with oblique angles.

Acolytes, unless they seem human-durable don't get as lucky. Beast rips a cap off a fire hydrant, tossing the plug at whomever seems the most durable, and twists the hydrant itself in it's ground mount, spraying other humans and acolytes alike with frigid water under pressure. And then he is past that, and he grabs a tire off a car, ripping it from it's rim, and spinning a few times before he LOBS it at full strength towards Magneto...

One thing after another, attacking both side's aggressors.. distracting them, making himself a target, so everyone else can escape.

Faraday has posed:
Indira finds herself with a backpack in hand and Jeremy bolting with an Acolyte charging their way. Even as she shoulders the pack, she doesn't take off immediately. Instead, she stretches out her free hand and with a grimace she summons up her power. Her eyes gleam with a silver-violet glow and a similar shine wraps around her extended hand that begins to crackle and hiss before she lets loose with a lance of electricity. It's like a bolt of lightning that arcs towards the Acolyte.

"HEY! Pick on someone your own size!" She is not his size, but semantics. It may buy Jeremy and Shannon time. Hopefully it does, because Indira is turning away as loudly as she says that and is running. And she can run. She's not superhumanly fast, but fast for a girl who spends a lot of her free time working out and enjoying some entry level parkour. The adrenaline screaming in her veins sure helps too. It's probably a lot of that.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks as Magneto makes a move towards the building. As far as she knows, Dr Brightman is still in there. "No!" she yells. At the same time, Jeremy and Indira are in the crosshairs of the Acolytes and likely his next targets. Hopefully Shannon can fly him to safety as Megan is moving a bit more slowly, caught between trying to port him to safety and porting Dr Brightman out of the collapsing building.

Fortunately it seems that Shannon's already heading for Jeremy and it seems that Indira is more than capable of fending for herself.

She turns to the collapsing building instead, disappearing in another flash, searching for the Doctor before the whole place can come down. Hopefully both will emerge before that happens.

Magneto has posed:
    Even as the building fills with water, Magneto is able to pay attention to everything else too. He extends one hand towards the rampaging Beast and attempts to snap a magnetic bubble around him. "You bore me, Doctor," and as he turns his head towards Jeremy and Indira, "And as for you two..." His other hand comes out. THe bolt of lightning that Indira had sent toward Javits suddenly bends in midair and shoots up into the sky harmlessly. "You are far more interesting. I would have that computer." Javits makes a snatch towards Shannon diving towards Jeremy with huge strong hands.

SpyderByte has posed:
As he is caught by Shannon and tugged upwards into the sky, Jeremy lets out a loud squawk of surprise. He finds his legs dangling beneath him like a helpless kitten and he instinctively tries to curl them upwards. His eyes widen visibly, feeling his stomach drop. He's never flown before.

<< Indi in trouble! >>

He reaches out with his powers again, but instead of connecting, he finds a brick wall slamming him in the brain. Everything shoots up like fire into his skull. He clutches his nose again, giving another cough.

Nightingale has posed:
     For a moment, Shannon's heart sank. Color drained from her face, and her grip beneath Jeremy's arms tightened as she realized that this time, she and her teammate were in the crosshairs of Magneto and his Acolytes.

     And this was while doing her best to get them /away/ from a fight, too!

     There was no time to think, only to act. As Javits made a grab at her, she pulled her right knee up towards her chest, glancing back over her shoulder for a brief moment.

     Time seemed to move in slow motion.

     She could see him reaching out to grab her ankle, her wing, anything he could grab to yank her out of the sky. She could feel herself lashing out with her right foot, aiming towards his face.

     There was the shock up her leg as her foot connected with Javits' forehead. Her attempt at resistance proved enough to startle him, just long enough for her to get Jeremy higher up into the air, and fly him towards a rooftop a short distance away.

     Time resumed its normal shape as she landed, setting him down as gently as she could. By now, though, even she had to catch her breath. Fit as she was, she had never attempted to carry a teammate that high that far.

Faraday has posed:
Indi is indeed in trouble and she's running like her life depended on it as she sprints for one of the nearby alleys. Trashcans, detritus, anything she can rapidly drag or knock into way behind her she does to try and make it more difficult for anyone on foot to try and pursue her. She doesn't spend a second longer than necessary trying to take stock of just Who might be following her.

There! Fire escape. Get up and off the street. If she was lucky, someone's window was open to duck into - or kick her way into. She makes a running leap to catch the hanging ladder end with a clatter, then works to haul herself up hand over hand towards the first landing.

See kids, this is why you pay equal attention to both arm and leg days.

Magneto has posed:
    The fire escape moves under Indira's hand. The metal curls and tries to loop around her wrists and arms like a hand cuff as she climbs the fire escape ladder. The metal groans and tears as rust flakes off and falls with the snow flakes. The whole escape begins to shake and pull itself out of the alleyway and back towards where Magneto and the Acolytes stand.

SpyderByte has posed:
As he thumps against the rooftop, Jeremy continues to clutch at his head as it screams in pain. Owie Ow Ow. He rises up to his feet in a wobbly manner and looks downwards, then back towards Shannon. His mouth moves and his voice comes out in a raspy, wobbly manner due to his autistic stammer.

"SSSssh Sssshaaa-aaaaanon. Ssss-aaa-ve I-I-Indie."

He reaches to his phone and squeezes it, letting out a loud yelp of pain as he sends a command to Shan's phone to geo-locate Indi's device. There is a stumble to one side before he catches himself, then flops down on the rooftop.

Faraday has posed:
Getting to cover was a good idea, but Indi picked the wrong path to get there. She's just about to haul herself up onto the first landing when the ladder betrays her. There's a strangled noise of shock from her as her one hand is wrapped in rusted steel, and for a second in her surprise she loses her grip with the other and it leaves her flailing until she can resume her grip. Thankfully she's got both arms through the backpack so it doesn't fall, but she's left yanking at her pinned arm like a coyote with its leg in a bear trap.

"Bakaree chodane vaala!!" She screams out towards Magneto with her teeth bared, but verbal berating seems all she can do at this point.

Nightingale has posed:
     "I'll try, Jer! Get under cover!"

     And just like that, Shannon spreads her wings once more and takes to the air, grimacing as she flies between the two buildings. Urban settings were not her best, thus she had emphasized those somewhat in her training back home. Now she was glad for every moment of it as she wings her way through the air towards where Indi has been pinned to the building.

     A few colorful oaths questioning general hygiene, bedroom preferences, and one's paternity escape her. There was only one way Indi could have had her wrist trapped like that. And now she, too, was right in range.

     But she had to try.

     Flying close enough, she tries to wrap her arms around Indi's waist to give her enough support to hopefully work her hand free without fear of falling, but she keeps looking this way and that, eyes and ears open for the sound and sight of creaking, writhing, sinuous ropes of rusty metal that might or might not be heading her way.

     "Can you get loose? We've gotta leggit!"

Magneto has posed:
    Magneto is just outside the alley now as the fire escape floats towards him carrying the angry Indira. "Now, young lady, I will have that computer. After that, you and your friends may scamper off whereever you like." His hand is clenching and the guard rail snakes back like a vine trying to get into the backpack. Another railing makes a swing at Shannon as she lands and comes along for the ride.

    In the distance, the sound of sirens begins. Magneto shakes his head. "I suppose they had to show up at some point. Even in Westchester," he speaks more to himself than to anyone in particular. He turns his head. "Javitz, gather Unuscione, prepare to leave." THe large man goes over to the young woman who was still wrapped in a fetal position. Magneto turns back towards the fire escape before lowering it to the ground. "Hopefully this vile thing can be reversed. I will find out more about this cure, and if it pops up again, I will destroy it again. You will inform Dr. McCoy that his role will not be forgotten." He floats up and moves to join the other Acolytes. A sphere begins to form around them quickly and start to lift off into the air.

Nightingale has posed:
     While the railing does make a swipe at Shannon--and hits her in the ribs, right side--she keeps her supportive grip on Indi, digging her heels in so she won't be knocked loose quite so easily. However, there are likely to be some nice little bruises later.

     While she was able to keep her teammate from falling, the piece of railing that was rooting around in Indi's backpack was, unfortunately, successful. It comes away with the laptop upon which Jeremy was working. A few rather colorful metaphors escape her, followed by a sigh of relief as the authorities begin to arrive at the scene.

     The laptop was a loss, but at least they would all escape with their lives.

     One out of two wasn't bad.