11416/Milk Cartons: Pier 17

Milk Cartons: Pier 17
Date of Scene:	30 April 2020
Location:	NYC Inner Harbor
Synopsis:	The raid finally goes down on Pier 17 and our heroes bite off more than they can chew. Guest starring The Punisher and Fantomex.
Cast of Characters:	Dagger, Cannonball, Cloak, Prismatic, Psylocke, Fantomex, Punisher
Tinyplot:	Milk Cartons

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Dagger has posed:
Ever since the low ranking Chickenhawk gang got taken down a few pegs by Cloak and Dagger, the duo that is both the light and the dark, has gone quiet over the last week. What started out as a quick bout of news in the back pages of the paper has fizzled out and moved on to other things. That doesn't mean their mission was over, not by a long shot.

By way of communication, most likely a trusted text message, Sam Guthrie would have received an alert on his phone from Dagger: Tonight. 9 PM. Pier 17.

All roads have led to this pier and this moment. Tonight, will they get the answers that they need, or will it only deliver more questions? There is only one way to find out.

With a swirl of black, thick shadow, Cloak and Dagger step out from the dark dimension into an alley a few blocks away from the old warhouse that sits on the Pier. There is a flicker of light that pours off of the blonde woman before it dulls, followed by a shiver as she rubs a hand along her arm. "This is, Ty." She says softly, biting her bottom lip. "This is where we will cure the city and remove the cancer which has poisoned her veins."

The warehouse that sits near the end of the pier is an old abandoned candy factory. Bright neon lights that read: CANDY LIFE flicker about in a high pitched buzzing noise, leaving only three letters lit: D I E. A rather large shipping freighter rests at the dock and several Asian men with mohawks can be seen dressed in gang colors are carrying large wooden crates to it via a walkway.

There is a tight swallow in Dagger's throat as she glances up at her partner, squeezing her hand around the glowing blade that forms along her palm. "Are you ready?"

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie would have alerted those of the X persuasion that were there and able to come of the meeting. He would lead them near the meeting point but makes sure the last part is done on foot. He told the group if they have a dark version of their uniform they may wish to wear them, as not sure how much of tonight's mission would be stealth and how much would just be busting heads.

Cloak has posed:
Were the pair laying low to let some hype die? Or had something kept them occupied?

The pair look to be their normal selves as they step into view, with Cloak towering and imposing about the slight, ghostly bright woman. "I hope this is the last fight for us, Tan, but you know the city. Someone will always replace the one that falls, but we will be here to make sure they think twice about building in the empty lot that we'll leave behind."

He watches the pier from where they stand in shadow, his own body moving in front of Dagger to blot out her glow. There he waits for the people that she's called. "Let's hope the ones that come tonight are stronger of will than the last."

Prismatic has posed:
    And, on her first official mission, Alexis was ready. She was wearing dark clothes (minus the blaze of yellow accross her chest in proper 'bumblebee suit' fashion), but she adjusted her jacket, satisfie with the look -- and her armorment. She's brought a sword to what assuredly will be a gun fight.

Psylocke has posed:
This will be the first time the duo met Psylocke in her uniform. She arrived as she had during their last meeting, a shape forming out of a shadow in the alleyway nearby then taking the form of a woman with a red triangle glowing around one solid yellow eye. Then she turned into a woman. Albeit, not her nice designer clothes she was often in.

Psylocke was dressed for battle in her uniform, the dark blue working well with the shadows. It allowed her freedom of movement and that is what mattered. She had a pair of katanas strapped against her back. Never was good to pin all of ones hopes on powers that might be blocked somehow. Those were not the only weapons she had on her, others hidden under the sash at her waist.

"I can try to get a count on how many are inside," she offered, already reaching out with her mind to see if she could spot brain activity of the various people in the building that might not be visible from the outside.

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex has not been in New York lately. In fact, he comes here from the other side of the equation: The buyers of mutant organs.

No, he is not buying, he has been hunting them down for his own reasons. And this time apparently it has nothing to do with the malevolent lady of Belle Reve. Cloaked in misdirection, he has been watching at the gangers for a few minutes now. Assessing. Calculating. Finally deciding they are not a threat; he slides closer to maximize damages. Only then he spots the group of dark-clad vigilantes and the shiny blonde in white. He approves white as a fashion choice, by the way. Only... most people can't be sneaky in white.

Punisher has posed:
It's around this time a black clad figure can barely be seen on a building edge on the other side of the street from the pier. He's leaning forward just so, one eye peering through an electronic monocular at the gathering downrange. "Got anything on the deeds yet, Micro?" Punisher asks without looking away over his commlink. "Just some prelim stuff, Frank, nothing relevant to this yet. These two sure do get around, though. There are rumors of activity in this area, but I haven't cracked their security yet. What do you think they want here?"

The Punisher grunts. "Hell if I know. These kids are new to the game and are newless cluebies. I doubt they have any idea what the fuck their long term game is."

Anyone who looks opposite the pier will see him... and those with long range vision will be able to spot the trenchcoat and Skull vest of Frank Castle. He's not being subtle about it.

Enter the Wildcard.

Dagger has posed:
As she steps in closer to Cloak as he wraps his fabric about her, Dagger leans into him as if she was drawn to his darkness. She feeds him a bit of light to tide him over, but she knows his true hunger will be revealed once they strike. A snack before the main course. Tonight, she will burn brighter than any star, and he will feast as if he was starving. The anticipation of this fight is practically gnawing away at their adrenal glands. This is what they have worked so hard for.

As she spies Sam and Alexis, she gives a motion of her hand, a hint of light to catch their attention and to summon them closer. "Hello." She says to the trio of X-Men once they arrive, then gives a glance over towards the warehouse. "This is it. The gang is called The Black Clouds. They're from Chinatown in Gotham. They deal mostly with stolen cars and drugs, but decided to up their reputation by taking the contract from The Madame."

As she speaks, her voice grows tighter, emotion welling in her throat that she is desperately trying to clamp down upon. "I partnered with The Beacon of Gotham and we took down a chunk of them, but this is to be their final shipment of children before they accept payment. They were busy last night in Bushwick. They have so many kids now."

Reaching up to brush her knuckles against her eyes, she swallows down the rasp in her throat, then glances up to Cloak, then over to Psylocke. "We are ready when your team is."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie nods his head a bit and looks to the shadow and the light "You two ok, being on a telepathic link?" He will check, and after their answer he looks over to Psylocke. "Ok, how many we got inside the place, and can you give us a lay out of what we are getting into?" He looks over and says "We got someone on the other pier so may have the cops caled in prestty quickly.

Cloak has posed:
Tyrone Johnson pays no mind to the Punisher playing eagle eye, but then he hasn't shown himself to be a man of great foresight, or frankly anything even outside the realm of tunnel vision. He does take note of the arrivals trickling in and sunken eyes study their approach and appearance from out of the darkness of his hood. Judging by his scowl, he's not super excited about company, but his emotions have been about as narrow and one way as his perception.

"If some of you can't take bullets, then stay behind me." Says Cloak to the strike team. "I can, and ain't no signs yet they have anything fancier then that. Still, given what they've been hunting, its a possibility."

Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis almost reaches out a hand to comfort the blonde. Her fingers curl lightlyu, arm rising up, but she was hesitant -- if only for the fact that Cloak seemed highly protective of her. She breathes out a moment, rubbing the back of her hand before she turns to Sam, and gives a wan smile.

    "Haven't met a bullet that can peirce my skin yet." she states, and she turns to the group.

    "At your word."

Psylocke has posed:
Psylocke continues to concentrate for a moment. "I scanned the area. All activity is at this warehouse. There is one person on the nearby rooftop." She hasn't looked but it is the one others have spotted. She isn't using her eyes right now.

"Inside the building there is about 10 gang members. There are two other people but I cannot pinpoint who, or what they are." She frowns darkly. "Something is pushing back against my telepathy from them. Feels like psi blockers, from my experience, but they may be telepaths or it could be something else." Her voice goes a bit darker, flatter. Her way of coping with what she is seeing. "There are five captives. All seem to be children. All are frightened. And in pain."

She turns her head to toward the building as she reaches out psionically to everyone in their group to set up a telepathic comm link. "I am going to link our minds together so we can communicate at the speed of thought. Just will your thoughts out and they will be sent to the web. It will not pick up anything you think unless you will yourself to be heard."

She looks to Sam now. "Open warehouse. Shelving, broken machinery. Everyone is on the ground floor. Nothing really to give any direction there."

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex was about to begin shooting, but now he steps back into the shadows. Sneaky as usual, he is perfectly happy to let the newcomers start the fight. He has yet to spot the Punisher, however. But killing the gangers is neither important not particularly enjoyable for him. He is not an assassin anymore. Usually.

Instead he tries to figure out where the kidnaped kids, if they are still alive, are being kept. And if the gang leaders are keeping records, where are they.

Punisher has posed:
"Frank, I have something. Take a look at your tablet." Punisher grabs the tablet from his gear web, looking at it from a glance... before he narrows his eyes. "This is confirmed?" Punisher asks. "As confirmed as I can make it without going in with your camera." Punisher grunts.

This changes the ballgame. At least.

For those listening, the Punisher pulls out a gun from his gear web... and those in the strike team can see a rather strong zipline made from that rooftop... over to a more lowkey section of the peir. It's just out of the way to not be easily spotted by those at the warehouse... but Dagger, Cloak and company? They can see it... and they will easily notice the Punisher get on that zipline and speed way past them. He'll be out of sight by the time he reaches the end.

The Wildcard is on the move.

Dagger has posed:
Giving a nod of her head, Dagger glances to Cloak for a moment, before she lets her mind become opened for Psylocke's powers. There is an intensity lingering as they all link up. Calm on the outside, rage on the inside. A burning star. << Like this? >> She asks in her head, her inner voice trembling like a young, young girl. The voice she always has in her head. That young ballet dancer wrapped in white.

"Ten of them.. two question marks and five kids." She breathes out, then reaches out with her light as she takes Alexis by the hand, then reaches for Betsy's. "Someone take Sam by the hand. When we travel through Cloak's darkness, my light is the only thing that will keep you sane, otherwise you will be lost to him forever. We'll teleport right in the middle, catch them off guard. Alexis, you go for the kids. You're bulletproof, right? Cloak and I.." There is a pause, a hitch in her voice.

"We are going to do what we came here for. You may not wish to bear witness for what we are going to do to them. They will know what it's like to face the light, once and for all." There is something so intense in the way the angel speaks.

As she steps into the dark, taking her new allies with her, her blue eyes track the body of Frank flying across the street.

"We have company."

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie sees the zip lining man, and sighs a bit "We got the Punisher in on this, there is going to be a big set of booms. " He shakes his head about taking him in with the teleporting "You guys go in, Ah will come in from the far side, with a loud bang and boom, cause them more distraction and keep them looking in all directions. The more they do not know which way to look the better.

Cloak has posed:
The sensation of Cloak's presence and voice is cold and hollow, like standing inside of an empty steel vessel. There's the dim impression of something small and guarded hidden in the dark, but its shielded under the mental voice of the young man and an eerie, alien reverb like another voice laid overtop of his own. << *This* stops as soon as we're done. >>

He mostly stays quiet while the others coordinate, save a nod towards Samuel at his intent to cause a distraction. "Keep them busy, keep them unfocused. Easier to hunt distracted prey." When the others are ready, he'll take them across.

Prismatic has posed:
    "Mostly." Alexis confirms quietly, and as Sam changes the plan, she reaches out, and briefly holds his hand. Her mind was busy, planning attacks like coregraphed dancing, like composing music, and she looks to Psylocke and gives a nod, then reaches and takes Dagger's hand.

    <I'll see you on the other side, Sam.>>

Psylocke has posed:
At the instruction, Psylocke nods and reaches out to take Alexis' hand. She could teleport in herself but chooses the coordinated attack instead of multiple fronts.

"Ready when you both are."

Fantomex has posed:
Inside the candy warehouse Fantomex sticks to the darker corners. His misdirection tends to be enough to hide him from normal humans. But he is quite sure some of the vigilantes outside aren't normal humans. And there are mutant children somewhere, with unknown and likely poorly controlled abilities.

He can be careful, sometimes. Particularly if there is no one to impress by being bold.

Punisher has posed:
*thump*. The landing was spot on, and the zipline starts to retract from the original anchor back into the gun as the Punisher leaves it where it is; that's going to be his backup escape route. For now... he has a perimeter to secure. Walking around the rooftop, he finds anything outside for now. "Perimeter is empty. Gonna scout inside. I saw the newless cluebies use metapowers for teleportation. Doesn't take a genius to figure out where they went."

Up above, one of the warehouse windows suddenly has an occupant, with the Punisher surveying below, even as he takes his M4A1 and begins to set it up for sniping, scope and all, with a supressor.

"You seeing this Microchip?" Punisher asks, the small camera on his commlink looking diretly inside. "Yep. Recording now. I can get an ID on this gang once we're done here. Maybe find some intel on the fly."

Once the carbine is setup, the glasscutter is applied as the Punisher sets up his nest.

Dagger has posed:
"Good luck everyone. Stay alive." Dagger says as she watches Cannonball rocket off towards the warehouse. With The Punisher in the mix, this could go great, or sideways. What if there is a superhero misunderstanding? Right now, she is focused on the mission completely. As she steps into the darkness, she leads the others with her light, and once the folds of cloak wrap about them, they are gone!

There is a frigid, deep freeze of darkness within the dark dimension as they are carried swiftly through, then once more, light! As the folds of Cloak opens up to reveal the warehouse, they are landing square in the middle of the large, mostly vacant room. There is several pieces of machinery that has been long abandoned to make candy pushed against the walls. There is ten young Asian men in Black Cloud gang colors, most of which have their hands busy with dollies and handtrucks as they are moving equipment to the ship on the long ramp.

Near by is a large cage with five children locked inside, all handcuffed, gagged and wearing collars about their necks that are large, clunky and metallic. They appear to be barely conscious as they lay sprawled out on the concrete floor. Most of them are covered in various wounds from having taken a beaten by weapons or bare fists. The oldest is probably ten, the youngest looks to be about five. Young children, those who can be eaisly forgot about due to their mutant deformities. It's doubtful the cops would have done anything besides 'write it up' when contacted.

A trio of light blades appear between Dagger's knuckles, then flicks upwards quickly to take out the lights that hang from the ceiling, creating a bright spark before it drowns the warehouse in dark. "You have stolen innocent children from their beds. You have tortured them for your greedy pockets! Tonight this ends! You will face justice by the end of my blades, for we are Cloak and Dagger!" There is rage in her voice as is on the move now, channeling another round in her hand.

As Cannonball hits the side of the warehouse, an explosion rips the wall open, causing chaos and confusion as multiple members of the gang hit the ground, scrambling, reaching for their handguns, shouting in Chinese.

On a small platform rests two individuals dressed in perfect suit and ties, their faces hidden by a pair of dark shades. Both of them are bald with pale skin and dark, black, colorless eyes. They are calm, simply watching the battle unfold, quietly whispering to each other.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie squeezes Alexis' hand and leans in kissing her on the cheek before he takes off. He does a circuit of the building and choses the approach he hopes will make the biggest bang for his buck. It seems it does as Sam comes blasting through the wall, and will hover there glowing orange, and hopefully drawing the majority of the fire.

Prismatic has posed:
    And into action. Armed and bulletproof, the dark-haired dancer weaves her way through the crowd, drawing her rapier as she moves. A bullet strike her side, but she doesn't bleed -- and in the utter clusterfuckery of the panicking black clouds she takes a swipe at one man's leg, slicing his pants and looking to slice open the back of his knee in the process before she gets to the cage with the children.

    There is a colorful assortment of curse words as she skids to a stop, keeping herself between them and the gunmen

Cloak has posed:
Tyrone Johnson comes in like a hurricane. No sooner is he in the material world and his passengers freed from the darkness, then the hooded man launches into action. It's like watching a police dog let off leash with none of the discipline. He lunges for the man closest to the cage of children, uncaring if he was hauling freight or tormenting the youth. He needs no entry or fancy speech, just the wordless bellow of a befabriced man consumed with fury. If bullets fly, they pass through him and into shadow, never reappearing on the other side.

Psylocke has posed:
As they arrive in the building and it is cast into darkness, that telepathic link comes in handy for something else. Psylocke mentally highlights the minds of their foes. Even if they are hidden, in the dark, whatever. They are a glowing beacon for her allies, letting those without nightvision find those that they hunt.

As soon as they arrive, she is leaping into the fray, drawing the metal katana from her back instead of calling on a psionic one. No reason to give them a glowing purple target since she's not bullet proof. She is very good at not being a stationary target. She heads for the closest gang member to her, going for a kick to his head instead of resorting to the blade.

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex was expecting a properly dramatic entrance. And he has to admit the hero group does not disappoint. Teleport in, attack, and the back wall just exploded. He could almost cheer for them. But that is not his style.

There is chaos. And the Thief in White thrives on chaos. He strikes, with his powers, making the gangers think there are twice as many heroes attacking, fostering panic and hopefully making their aim poorer.

And those two, besuited and so calm. Well. He would admit they get some points for style. Not enough to make up for the dirty business they have involved themselves. So, he makes his presence know aiming a flying kick to the back of one of them. Not hard enough to break his spine. But thieves -do- backstab for extra damage. If he hits it should be painful enough to leave a normal human writhing in pain for a few minutes. "Bonne nuit," he greets, "surrender now, one time offer."

Punisher has posed:
Well, that's new.

"They like to take out lights. Good to know. Good thing I have a multi-spectral scope." Punisher grates out to Micro.

Of course, the darkness also means that the recorder on his headset isn't getting a damned thing.

"I've got a few targets inside. Nothing out of the-wait, who are they?" The Punisher zeroes right in on those two that are just... conversing. Not moving at all. "I think I've got two targets for interrogation over here. Need to see if they can be disabled first."

The Punisher aims for them... going for their shins. Breathe in. "One batch. Two batch..." Breath out. "penny and Dime." Punisher recites.

*Thwip* A suppressed round is aimed right for the shins of one of the business suited pale ones.

Dagger has posed:
"Oh God, Oh God, Oh, God. No! NOoo! Please, God, NO!" A gunman screams out as he is firing rapidly into that fast approaching shadow that is Cloak. All he can see is his eyes, but he can /feel/ the cold, frigid darkness. The muzzle flashes two more times until his screams are cut off swiftly, swallowed in the folds of the night. His light is for Tyrone to sample upon, to suck dry, to feed him sins. Within the dark dimension, whatever the man sees, will be the last thing his eyes fall upon as he is now prey to the dark.

There is pure rage in Dagger's eyes as she moves like a beautiful dancer, flinging daggers into a man's chest as he reaches for his weapon. The eyes of the gunman roll up into his head as he becomes paralyzed from the woman's light, hitting the ground like a sack of rocks. As she lands upon him, she pulls free a longer blade of light, then drives it into his head. "BURN! BURN IN MY LIGHT!" She screams out, boiling tears spilling down her cheeks as the half cresent moon upon her cheek glows brighter. Where her powers are usually used for healing, tonight, she uses them to kill. There is a bright flash through the man's eyes, as if he just burned out from the inside and his body grows slack.

With Cannonball's incredible entrance, bullets ricochet off him and his blast field as a pair of gunmen turn their weapons upon him, shooting out of fear as they can hear their brothers screaming for help as Psylocke takes one down with a sharp kick to the head, followed by Alexis's blade cutting through another.

And just like that, there appears to be duplicates of the heroes, which causes even more confusion and chaos. This was an easy job. Easy paycheck, and now it's going up in smoke!

The two in suits continue to watch calmly as they speak amongst each other on their platform just above the fray. Despite being drowned in darkness, their eyes move about the battle field, picking out targets, surveying the mess. As one of them gets kicked in the back by Fantomex, it's like drop kicking a brickwall. The 'man' stumbles forward a few steps, then turns around slowly to stare with a gleam of blue light in his eyes. "Insect." He murmurs before he holds up a hand, then clenches his fist tightly. Fantomex will feel something grasp him by the throat, squeezing and slamming him back against the wall and hold him in place. "But an interesting insect. I want his left arm."

"Then take it." Says the other in the suit as he pulls free a small handheld device from his pocket with a glowing red button on top of it. "Madame will be sore about tonight." Before he can push the button, his leg explodes from the bullet fired from the skylight from Frank's weapon. He drops down in a thump, though he does not scream in pain. Instead, there is a 'fitz' the gaping wound. Wires. Machinery. Oil. They are not even human.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will let the goons fire at him, and since he is higher up and can see the two. He will aim himself at the one with the button and blasts himself at him. Sam hits him full force, cyborg or robot he plans on knocking off some of those parts, and get the man/thing out of range for what ever that button is.

Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis lets the man drop behind her, coming close to the cage.

    "Utterly bar/bar/ic." she spits with disdain, and takes a look at the chilren closely. So very, very young. She begin to examine the cave, eyeballing the door, looking in on thoe collars the kids are wearing.

Cloak has posed:
One goes down in darkness, then two; Cloak moves with frightening efficiency. Let them focus on him, let them panic, and let them ignore the children laying vulnerable. As one is enrobed in striped black, Cloak leers down at the terror on the gangster's face, meeting his screen with a predatory grin. "You chose the wrong prey." He snarls, before the man is gone.

"Get them out!" He says to Alexis who's there at the cage. "We'll take out the trash!"

And trash there is, at the eruption of metal draws his attention up. He watches the man drop and the device fly. His eyes narrow before Cloak disappears in a rustle of fabric, likely to teleport up to the ledge.

Psylocke has posed:
As her opponent falls, Psylocke continues her forward drive. Another one between her and Alexis by the cage. The katana is used this time. One moment he is whole. The next he is on the ground with a katana slice across his back. It won't kill him. She's trying to leave the killing to others.

Being the mental link for everyone and pinpointing the bad guys puts her in a precarious position, so to speak. As each gang member is taken out, she gets a flare of their pain and emotions. She feels when one dies, if they are in this dimension. Once they go into the darkness that is Cloak, their minds simply disappear in a moment of terror. She cannot track them within those folds.

She slides in next to Alexis, examining the cage as well. "We take the whole thing. We'll get them free once we are out of this building." The lights being off should allow her to shadow port them all. "Hold on to me or the cage." She puts her hands on the cage as she begins to concentrate.

She sends over the telepathic link to her team. <<We are going to try to teleport the children out of here. Our link will be broken for a few seconds until we get to the other side. I will restore it once there.>>

Fantomex has posed:
Ah, robots. Good craftmanship that moved like humans. Fantomex likes surprises, although not so much if said surprises pin him against the wall with Jedi tricks. "Mon dieu, your lack of taste is appealing," he grunts through the invisible grip, voice a little raspy. His eyes narrow when he realizes his misdirection is fading and his senses are getting duller.

Power inhibitors. Bad news for most mutants. But he still has serious nasty skills coming from his training, he is hardly helpless.

"My right arm is much more attractive," he concludes, quick-drawing one of his guns (with his left hand) and emptying the ammo clip on the besuited man's... robot, whatever he is.

Punisher has posed:
*THWIP* Another round is fired. This time right for the wrist of the whatever-it-is as the Punisher tries to manage the fight.

He doesn't know what that device is... but he's certain he doesn't want it being activated. He'll go down to collect the bot and the device later.

"Microchip. bring the Battle Van over and give me a frequency scan for remote signals in the vicinity." Punisher barks quietly over the commlink as he's aiming for the next bot.

Dagger has posed:
The illusions that Fantomex was casting is suddenly snuffed out the moment he got into range of the two suited 'men' on the platform, much to the relief of those who are left standing. As Cloak hungrily sucks two more into the darkness, the last four or five gunmen start hauling for the door, not looking for anymore trouble. Getting banged around by The Defenders, the Avengers, the X-Men, the Teen Titans, wasn't in their schedule and some of them do have families they would like to return to, if they are lucky enough.

Cannonball goes charging like a maniac through the air, aiming for the man with the remote control and the busted leg. There is a rumble of rocket fuel, followed by the sputtering of an empty tank as his powers cut out mid-flight, ten feet from them. He goes crashing into the man, slamming into his heavy body hard enough that he will have some broken bones. It's like a semi truck hitting the concrete. The creature topples backwards and hits his ass, sliding backwards but still clutching the remote in his hand. "It seems I have an insect to play with too."

There is a swirl of darkness from above the platform as Cloak attacks, his capes billowing out wide to swallow them, then suddenly, there is nothing but a young black man in a basketball jersey and a pair of torn jeans. Tyrone hits the ground with a heavy thud, the darkness gone, his cape floating uselessly downwards in a spiral of fabric. "Interesting. This one isn't a mutant."

When Fantomex unloads a clip into the man who holds him against the wall by an invisible fist, his body jerks a few times as holes are punctured deep into his chest. Sparks fly out, more wires and cables exposed as the blue eyes flicker. There is a cough of black liquid sputtering past his lips as his hand drops to release him, stumbling backwards.

When the bullet of The Punisher is fired from the roof towards the man with the remote control, he gives a jerk of his free hand, catching the bullet in mid-air, then whips it hard in an angle, sending it into the chest of Tyrone who was scrambling back to his feet. There is a shower of blood against the wall as the hero goes down.

"TY!" Dagger screams out from below as she rockets up to her feet, barreling towards the platform with panic in her eyes. Slamming her hands together, she focuses her light powers, then pulls them apart to reveal a long, two handed sword of light. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"I think not." The man with the remote says as he slams his thumb on the red button. There is a flash of light and the pair disappear with the rancid scent of the o-zone tearing apart, leaving behind a deep burn mark in the floor beneath them.

With Psylocke and Alexis teleporting out with the cage, the children appear to be safe! Leaving behind only the moans of those who are injured behind. Gang members. Cloak. And the rage of panic ripping from Dagger's lungs.

Prismatic has posed:
    The two Brits disappear with a cage full of children, and re-appear elsewhere.

    And with thatl Alexis busies herself with getting in to tend to the kids inside.

    "Five children, prepubescent, varying states of physical and mental trauma --" she states, walking herself through, "Various physical mutations," she turn the padlock over in her hands. All her years on the street, she never picked up a knack for picking locks. "It may be best to bring them direct to a hospital that we can trust."

    Alexis dakes her rapier and places the handle between her boots. She wedges the lock against the blade, and muttering an apology to the sword she attempts to use the sword to simply wreck the pins inside and break the damn padlock!

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie rolls on the ground for a moment when the robot man under him disappears. He says a few words that would not be appropriate if the kids were still around. "Mother..." He winces, but is moving to stand his arm hanging useless at his side, but he is looking for the robot guys looking around grabbing a chunk of broken plank with his left hand, ready to fight if they are still there.

Psylocke has posed:
"Pretty sure those collars are power inhibitors," Psylocke says as she settles in next to the cage, eyeing the children within and listening to the running analysis from Alexis. The telepathic link is put back in place and she considers.

"We can take them to the hospital over by Mutant Town. That or we take them to the base perhaps. Let Beast look them over." They are in public so she's sticking with codenames for the moment. "At this point, could even just pop them onto the lawn at Avengers mansion."

Cloak has posed:
There's not an excess luxury of time to take in the sudden absence of Cloak and appearance of Tyrone. He's maybe college age and shockingly mundane looking, like just about anyone out there on the street. His clothing is run down from shirt to shoes, and he looks too thin to have been subsiding on much. Rage is washed out in a cloud of panic and confusion that dawns on his face and in that moment he *does* look young. There's a reflexive clenching of his solid, non-shadowy hands as he grasps at the edges of the limp fabric that looks like little more than a tattered bedsheet.

Tyrone doesn't get much more than a second, two at most. "T-- T-- TAN---!" He gets that much out, barely anything at all. Halfway up on his feet and he collapses in a spray of red, hitting the floor with a dull thud into an unmoving heap, the makeshift cloak settling around him like a funeral shroud.

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex shakes his head, squinting his eyes to try to see a little better. Powers are maybe returning slowly. But it is disconcerting to actually feel pain and see badly in the darkened warehouse. Still, things to do. Like reloading his handgun, done with the automated dexterity of one who has done so a thousand times.

The gang members fled, the robots are gone, but did one of them lose a leg to a sniper? Where did it go? And speaking of the sniper... he search upwards, for the one vigilante he is missing.

Punisher has posed:
"Some kinda robot. Think you can download it, Micro?" Punisher asks over the commlink. "I don't know. I'd need to examine the chassis up close. If they're anything like what I've seen before, I can get some of the specialist equipment from the armory."

Punisher just grunts, "So as intact as possible. Got it." Since they're capable of catching bullets in midair and redirecting them if prepared, that means the Punisher has to get up close and try to critical damage it to minimize casualties.

Slinging his carbine onto his back, the Punisher takes his grapnel gun, attaches the line to the edge of the window frame, and drops down into the warehouse proper, his free hand striking a couple flares from a pouch and throwing them in the general direction of the robots, more than enough to light up the inside like the fourth of July.

Of course, he couldn't see they were gone until now... and the Punisher begins to walk over to the scorch marks, examining them briefly... before he looks to Dagger. "Get the kid out. I'll deal with this." Punisher looks to the moaning gangsters, "Got some interrogations to conduct." And a look to the leg, "And debris to examine."

Dagger has posed:
"TY! TY!" Dagger continues to scream out as she leaps out on to the platform, sliding down next to him. Her eyes are wide and panicked, confused. "Y.. You.. " She stammers out as she reaches down to wrap her arms about him, blood staining her pure white leotard. "Oh God, you're shot.. Sam! Sam are you okay? I .. I don't know what to do." The hands of Tandy begins to glow brighter now, then she plunges them upon Tyrone's chest, screaming out. "LIVE! Don't you fucking die on me Ty! Please don't die on me!"

The warehouse lights up like a star going super nova as she screams her pain from the depths of her chest. The shadows wash away, revealing only the truth and blood shed around them. Bodies on the floor, some no longer moving, some crawling about in pain.

Even though she knows Fantomex and Punisher are there, right now Tandy is so focused on her friend and teammate that she won't notice a leg missing if one of the vigilantes look to steal it.

It won't take more than a minute or two, but Sam and Fantomex will feel their powers surge back quickly and in tune with their mutant DNA.

As the cage is settled and Psylocke and Alexis begins to work at the lock, the children can be heard making noise, muffled in fear and pain from behind their gags. The lock snaps! Allowing the door to the cage to swing open.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will start moving towards Tandy and Ty, as he feels he feels his powers kick back in, he will jump down and kick in the blast field with a wince at it rocks him. He will land next to Tandy and Ty, and leans down moving to check on Ty. Over the psychic connection he will think "Betsy, how far can you take someone?" He will move to check Ty's pulse.

Cloak has posed:
The view from outside the old factory has to be a wild one. Windows burn incandescent white with enough force to illuminate the dock, while the old neon lights erupt into a flare of color and shatters into powder. Inside it's blindingly bright, painfully bright, like staring point blank into high beam lights.

As the light casts a ghastly pall on Tyrone's face, his eyes snap open and are lost to black and a guttural, animalistic scream escapes him. As Dagger touches him, his body seems to vaporize in an instant and turns to nothing but ash and darkness given form, like an atomic shadow peeled right off the wall. The cloak turns from forgotten fabric to sinister silk as it wraps itself back around him, and those with sharp ears could swear they hear it hiss possessively as it does so.

Psylocke has posed:
<<A few miles. Depends on how many people I have with me. I can make multiple jumps in a row.>> Betsy responds to Sam's inquiry.

She starts to stretch her mental powers. First toward the children. She tries to use her own powers to reach them, so they will not be in pain or fearful. To help them relax instead of suffering further. She isn't sure of the collars they wear will block her from reaching them though. Hopefully not since it only suppresses their powers, not outside ones. She reaches into the cage to the first child, trying to see if the collar can be removed without some special key.

Then she is dealing with the input from her team. The pain and reaction of Ty to being shot. The agony of Tandy as she tries to pour her light into him. From the outside, they can see the light flare through the broken and boarded up windows, a bright display that is filled with a mental anguish that rips through Psylocke like an attack.

She grunts once in reaction, closing her eyes and focusing. She has to damp it down, keep it all in check, not let their minds overwhelm her own. <<I can get him to a hospital. I'll take him and the children.>>

Prismatic has posed:
    The younger brit looks to Psylocke, "I've got this round, go take care of the others." she states, and she takes a deep breath, and begins to get the kids set. "Hi. My name's Lex." she gives a smile as sh ebegins to free the kids, ading in a sing-song voice, "I'm here to help you, we're going to get you straightened out. Hola, mi llamo Lex--" she begins gently handling the children as she looks to Psylocke worriedly.

    "You're safe now. I won't let anything bad happen."

Fantomex has posed:
Fantomex looks at Punisher coming. Of course, he has heard of him. "Oh, but of course, monsieur, you were the one who shoot. It should be yours." And he kicks the robot piece gently into Frank's direction.

Or that is what it -looks-.

Actually, he snatches the robotic limb and leaves the Punisher with an illusion that will fade away in a few minutes. He glances to the cage, but looks like the children have been taken care by one of the teleporters. And the injured... well, the blonde seems to be toughening up, so it is probably not as bad. With the other young man just recovering his powers looks like no one needs his help.

Dagger has posed:
The leg that Fantomex grabs looks like it could be a real leg on the outside. Synthetic, white, pale, hairless flesh. What sticks out of it is cables, wires and other doo-dads that a cybernetic limb would have.

As the light from Dagger's hands subsides, she watches the cloak start to rustle and move. "T.. Ty?" She calls out.

There is a rush of darkness all around them as the room grows colder, and once more, Cloak is reborn! Towering above them, the eyes of the young hero are cold as ice, angry. Lunging forward, he surges around Dagger, wrapping her up in his dark, swallowing her whole as her hand reaches out to grab Sam by the good one. No one one the team is left behind!

There is a shudder of the air and the trio have disappeared, along with one of the few surviving members of the gang, leaving Fantomex along in the warehouse with a cyborg leg, blood and the calm sense of death around him.

Also, sirens. Someone called in the gunshots.

Psylocke would hear through the telepathic channel that everything worked out and they were on their way back. The Holy Ghost.

Cannonball has posed:
Samuel Guthrie will step from the cloak shivering just a bit and looks around getting where they are. His arm still hangs useless on his side. He looks over to Alexis "You ok hon?" He will ask her more concerned about others health than his own it seems.

Prismatic has posed:
    Alexis had busied herself with freeing the children. Control collars and cuffs and blindfolds are piled to the side, her eyes drawing upwards as she turns to Sam -- and *his arm*. She stiffens, but she keeps that upper lip stiffer, and she gives a soundless nod, ruffling one of the kids gently on the head before she stands and steps from the cage.

    and she gently touches Sam's arm.

    "That wasn't in the plan, Sam." she gently whispers, but holds his good hand.