12611/The Cure: Assault on Mutant Town!

The Cure: Assault on Mutant Town!
Date of Scene:	04 January 2021
Location:	Bushwick (Mutant Town), Brooklyn
Synopsis:	The Xmen intercept an attack on mutant protestors by DAMT.
Cast of Characters:	Pixie, Cyclops, Phantasm (Drago), Wolverine, Phoenix, Archangel, Nightingale, Tesla, Magik
Tinyplot:	Mutant Cure

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Pixie has posed:
It's early afternoon in Mutant Town, a town known for its high crime rate even on the best of days. Today however, with all the rumours and reports of mutant attacks, that anxiety has been amped right up.

Rumours spread like wildfire and hundreds of mutants had marched down to City Hall, demanding change, demanding protection, demanding respect!

Some protests are peaceful. This one is getting pretty rowdy. Dangerous even. People are yelling, fighting with police, breaking down windows, looting. As the sun starts to set, casting an eerie violet glow over Mutant Town, things can only get worse from here..

Cyclops has posed:
Having gathered the team, Cyclops and the rest of the X-Men have taken point on a rooftop that overlooks a majority of the protest. He has Archangel and Nightengale in the air to keep eyes in the sky and to report back anything out of the ordinary, or any visuals of known enemies. Wolverine and Phoenix are with him for the moment. As he crouches down a bit, he squints his eyes from behind his visor, dressed in his blue and gold uniform.

"Let's just stay frosty, team. Wings one and wings two, don't be shy about chatter if you see anything at all. You see something, Phoenix will investigate telepathically to determine threat level. If we find something that needs resolving, it's why we brought Wolverine along."

He continues to sweep the crowds, quietly clearing his throat as he glances to the two adults on the roof with him. "These things never go clean. Expect the worst."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Well, it has turned out to be a bit more eventful than what Nick was planning. Let's be honest, he misses a LOT of stuff and with the things going on in his life he hasn't been faithfully watching the news. So that's what led to him deciding today would be a perfect time to get breakfast over at Fred's Diner. (Away from the counter of course. Those flare-ups are a nightmare.)

It turned out to be a not quite so perfect time. And well, fast forward a bit and he is now in his raven form. Observing. He's not lifting a wing to stop the property damage but he is keeping note where the fights are occurring. Nothing that merits intervention yet, fortunately. It hasn't gotten to that point. And honestly he's not sure what he should be doing. He just, has a feeling he should stick around.

Wolverine has posed:
The streets of Mutant Town maybe be riddled with crime and covered with protestors, but the rooftops of Mutant Town are actually pretty nice. Well, quiet, anyways, the buildings aren't exactly up to code...

"They're gonna need to replace that door..."

Wolverine points over his shoulder with his thumb, at the hole where a door used to be a few seconds ago. The one that leads down into the ramshackle apartment building where he was keeping watch until recently.

"... barely kicked the damn thing. Probably made in America."

In his last remaining clean uniform, an old brown and mustard-colored one with especially dramatic face fins, the Canucklehead leans over the edge of the roof to scope out the action below.

"'Resolving', eh? Is that what we're callin' what I do these days? And they say you aren't a poet."

Phoenix has posed:
For as much as she would love to be anywhere else, Jean Grey is here. For all the fear and anger make the air acrid and choking to her, she can't walk away. These are her people, this is her future, and the future for the kids she looks over. So she stands with her arms folded around herself like they were a shield and watches the beginning of what's going to be a long night start to fall.

She's in her black uniform for the tactical advantage with only the gold lining of her cropped jacket giving it any color while warding off some of the cold. She pulls it closer as she remarks, "It usually does. This has been getting worse, and it's going to come to a head. At this point, 'resolving' may be the only thing we can do. We just need them to show their faces."

Archangel has posed:
Flying high over the crowd with Nightingale as his wingman, or woman as the case may be, Archangel responds calmly into the built in communications of his blue and white colored team suit.

"So far nothing to call out, other than a unruly mob that doesn't help much. When are people going to realize that this kind of thing rarely solves anything and more often sets the cause back further...but then again it isn't like other ways seem to work any better. Maybe I am just getting jaded in my old age."

Warren banks and dives to make another pass, closer now to the crowd that his shadow casts the outline of his winged form over the unruly crowd.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Someone wise once told me expecting things to go clean and normal is a rookie mistake. We've all of us been on enough trips to know that's never the case."

     Shannon smiles a bit to herself as she flies in rough formation alongside Warren, keeping an eye on the rioting below. She's taken a cue from Miss Grey and opted for her black bodysuit and boots, with night starting to fall. As always, she has her little brown bag tied to her belt. This time sees an addition of what looks like a holster strapped to her right forearm, but -not- the sort required for firearms. It appears more like a collapsible metal staff has taken its place there.

     "Looks like the clinic's going to be busy if this keeps up, it's getting a little messy down there." She herself maintains a slightly higher altitude, to offer a broader view and letting Warren skim closer to the ground.

Tesla has posed:
Tesla has a way of hearing about big things happening as pertains to mutants, if his recent interruption of the evening news is any indication. He was among those to confirm to the masses that the 'Cure' had been weaponized for use by a government cell, and now, the young man beholds the fruits of his labor as mutantkind rises up. In Tesla's mind, his teacher would doubtless be proud of him.

Tesla is in the air but has not, at the moment, done anything to further rile the crowds into violence. They seem to be handling that decision for themselves quite nicely. In the interim, he manipulates his earpiece throughout the range of radio frequencies. No doubt, he's looking for the police. Even less doubt, a black operations response.

Ah, but then, he's not the only one taken to the heights. Magneto has instructed Tesla well in the faces of Xavier's servants, and expectedly enough for him, he sights them in the air and upon a rooftop. The elegantly dressed young man, evidently present today in his mentor's place, opts to descend to the edge of the rooftop with cape draped elegantly over his right arm as if to keep it away from any dirt underfoot. Maybe he picked up on the team's broadcasts.

"An unruly mob? They, at least, have the courage to openly call out for justice knowing what might be brought to bear to against them," says Tesla as his boots settle upon roof's edge. "Pardon, what /will/ be used against them. Much as I admire their bravery and spirit, they're fielding themselves as the perfect opportunity for the powers that be to showcase the weaponized 'Cure' I displayed on television. I intend to do everything I can, of course, but it's inevitable that many of them will have their lives destroyed before this gathering is dispersed."

Tesla looks down and out, over the protest, as he whispers with a faint sense of anger in his rasp, "And the government will call it /justice/. All that they did with the good doctor's work, suddenly justified."

Magik has posed:
    This is starting to become a habit. Illyana doesn't usually go out of her way to get involved in political situations. Probably the best part of Limbo is that the politics are so straightforward. But she was asked to help and she /does/ feel obligations to help sometimes.
    A portal closes on one rooftop and then opens onto a rooftop as Illyana arrives to join the rest of the X-Men, "It looks like it is only a matter of time now before something happens." She goes up to the very edge of the building and peers down to watch the people in the streets, the angry energy below almost palpaple at this point.

Pixie has posed:
Pixie arrives in her own way, fluttering down on the rooftop to join the others. She is dressed in her black x-uniform dress, with the gold trim and boots. She looks rather ruffled as she glances around. "It's a jungle down there, no major injuries yet but the mob is getting bigger, getting out of control. The police are getting overwhelmed...What should we do?" she glances to Cyclops, awaiting his orders.

Tesla is given a surprised look. "Heey, isn't he the guy who attacked and kidnapped those DAMT members? " still she won't make a move until Cyke figures out how to handle this..

And as if things weren't hectic enough, it seems that this little riot has attracted the attention of others. As darkness rapidly descends on the town, the sound of four large black helicopters break through the sky overhead, their blinding searchlights cutting through the darkness.

As they land well spaced out on the streets below, forcing several protestors to retreat, a megaphone can be heard addressing the mutant protestors. "Surrender, Mutants, or face the consequences!"

Several dozens of people dressed in black outfits complete with helmets, Kevlar vests and Neutro-x darts in addition to regular guns, spill out of the copters. From the largest copter step out what look to be four cyborgs, heavily armed and ready to inflict violence if there is resistance. For now they survey the scene, ready to step in only if there is heavy resistance.

Cyclops has posed:
"Ignore him." Cyclops says in regards to Tesla as he gives a frown on his face. "Unless he does anything right now, we're not going to create a situation. But we need to keep our eyes out for Magneto. If he sent his stooge, he may not be far behind."

Giving a visible frown, he tilts his head upwards to the copters overhead, then glances to Logan. "That is what I meant by resolving things."

    hrough Jean's psychic link, he speaks to the entire team. << Those are the Reavers and it looks like they got some new friends. Cybernetic humans who are intent on getting rid of mutants. Angel, you and Nightengale keep away from those copters. I'll need you to dip in and out and rescue anyone they may injure. >>

<< Magik, teleport Logan down to the ground level and engage the Reavers. Do /not/ hold back. They will do everything in their power to kill you. Extend the invitation back to them. >>

With a glance to Pixie and Phoenix, he gives a firm nod of his head. << We're going to put the copters down. Phoenix, try and find who is in command and see if you can manipulate them into reversing orders or standing down. Let's confuse their ranks. >>

With that, he reaches up to tap the side of his visor, lasering a blast of red optics into the sky towards one of the copters, looking to take one of the blades out.

"Hey, Tesla! You want to help for a change? We could use it!"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
As the bird observes, the view of figures flying above the crowd does not escape his notice. Granted there are several. It IS Mutant Town after all. But one winged blonde that flies into his sight he does recognize.

Head turning, Phantasm also sees where Pixie is joining the the team on the rooftop. Okay so there are two people he recognizes that aren't participating in the protests below. Always good to see a friendly face. A wing lifts, waving over to Pixie before the thrum of the helicopter blades draw his attention once more to the sky. "Well...this can't be good."

As he watches one of Pixie's friends shoot something at the copter, his head tilts. "Ok now it's definitely not going to be good..."

Wolverine has posed:
"Thought I smelled lady perfume..."

Wolverine takes a few sniffs of the air, as if for dramatic effect, as the cape-wearing man opts to descend near them on the rooftop. Waving his hand a few times in front of his face, as if to banish the scent, he reaches into one of the small pouches on his very wide belt and pulls out a half-finished cigar.

While he's busy getting it lit, he keeps his ears pricked, and turns his attention back down to the crowd below. Soon, the click of an old metal lighter can be heard, and his nostrils are filled with the pungent fumes of a slightly stale, partially-smoked Cohiba.

"Fancy Dan here has a point though. I oughta be down there at the front, 'stead a skulkin' 'round up here lissenin' to politics. Or... hello..."

As the helicopters descend, what's visible of Logan's stubbly face bears the look of someone who is once again disappointed, but not surprised. He clenches the cigar tightly in his teeth, and looks over at the young woman who's giving him a lift to the frontlines.

"Hope you've been practicing yer aim, Magik. 'Cause I'm gonna need a Drop Bear Special!"

Phoenix has posed:
"Or, your master could have actually worked with us to reverse engineer this so we'd be better prepared to fight them *before* antagonizing them more." Jean says with a furious scowl towards Tesla as the magnetic mini-minion arrives. "So instead, he sends you to be his sacrificial lamb instead of risking himself." She says sourly but without even a bit of surprise to be heard.

And then the orders are on the table and she's turning back to business. Dropping low to try and provide as small a target as possible, the redhead states simple, << On it. >>

And she stretches out her telepathic powers, focusing first on the line of soldiers coming out of the copters. It's like following a trail. Soldiers know their orders and they know who they're coming from. She tries to follow that line back. She hunts for shifts of their mental focus as they look towards commanders that may be on the field so that she can identify them and point them out as targets.

Archangel has posed:
The orders coming across from Cyclops cause Warren to grit his teeth, and the aggravation in his voice lets his displeasure about being regulated to what he sees as the sidelines known as Warren replies a gruff single word.

"Understood."

Archangel banks again, diverting himself from the helicopters and gaining more altitude to have a better view of the crowd.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oh, ballocks... Nightingale here. I don't like the look of the weapons those men in black are carrying. You don't suppose they're Cure darts, do you?"

     She veers out of the way of the incoming helicopters and their black-clad payload, getting some distance between her and the backwash from those rotors, while still trying to keep an eye on things below. "Copy that, will not engage. Search and rescue only."

Tesla has posed:
Tesla is outwardly amused as he turns his attention back upon the rooftop, Jean and Scott in particular seeming to capture his notice. "The sacrificial lamb, you say? What an ironic comment, coming from the leader of the good Professor's flock," he says as he sweeps a gloved hand outward to indicate the X-Men. "Where is Charles, by the way? Surely, if Magneto sending his apprentice is an insult, he wouldn't be hiding back in the comfort of his school? We haven't seen each other in so very long."

Ah, but Scott surprises him as he takes the outstretched hand and rests it against his own chest. "Me? What could I, the /vile/ intruder who has done nothing more than reveal the truth to the masses, do to help you? To help them, for that matter? Today, I might aid some of them in escaping a 'cure' to evolution. Not all, though, and certainly not every mutant in the world rising up. Either our kind chooses to bring their full power against these genocidal madmen, or they will be crushed. Shot with the darts, then made bearers of a mark some of us take so very personally."

Tesla lowers his right sleeve for a moment to reveal the barcode tattooed upon his wrist, in the same place as his teacher's Holocaust era tattoo. They seem more and more alike by the moment. When Cyclops begins to train his visor upon one of the helicopters, however, he seems impressed enough to tone down the theatrics a touch. "Ah, good. The Professor did teach you some sense after all. There comes a point when we must choose a side, and your weapon in the right direction."

Tesla begins to step off of the ledge. "If you're asking for my help, consider it granted. Just don't complain after the fact about the measures I take to protect the innocent," he says over his shoulder. Magneto's apprentice rises into the air before he can fall, magnetic field about his body distorted to bring him aloft. Will his first target be the hellcopters, or the ground forces?

Magik has posed:
    "Time to go?", Illyana asks as she turns to Wolverine and takes a few steps back from the ledge. "You don't have to worry about my aim. I don't plan to miss anything." The SoulSword bursts to life in her hand as her arm sheaths itself in shimmering metal. "You way want to put out your cigar first though. It looks busy." And with that, she takes a few steps closer to Wolverine and with a gesture, a portal forms at their feet, rising up around them until it's completely engulfed them and disappears in a blink, the return trip signaled by another portal opening right on top of where the Reavers are gathered.

Pixie has posed:
Pixie nods to Cyclops, though uncertain what she can do without getting up close and personal. For now, she bides her time, waiting for an opening..When Cyclops blasts one of the blades on the first helicopter, it veers and wheezes, trying to stay aloft but the broken blade sends it swinging wildly, crashing into a nearby wall before falling to the ground in a damaged heap.

Fortunately it wasn't a long drop and the soldiers inside are shaken but not killed or seriously injured. They spill out, and start shooting darts at any mutants who haven't already fled. The other three cooters are doing much the same, releasing dozens of soldiers in black who cut through the mutant protestors, shooting dozens of mutants with their cure darts.

For those that are hit, they fall to the ground and scream for a moment, seizure he as their bodies are violently stripped of the mutant gene, reducing them to nothing more than mere humans.

Pixie frowns, hoping over the army, fluttering g her wings to unleash a wave of pixie dust on a large group of soldiers. Unfortunately she didn't expect them to be covered head to toe, even wearing masks that cleverly filter out the hallucinogenic dust. She is so surprised that she doesn't notice or dodge the cure darts that are aimed at her, shooting her out of the sky. She screams as she crashes to the ground, shuddering as her hair fades to ginger, her wings wilting to nothingness, and lays still..

It seems the police are having an easier time of arresting and detaining the more violent protestors now, but Jean will sense there are two commanders, both on the largest helicopter, but they are standing back, biding their time as they bark out orders on the radio.

The four Reavers however, do not stand back, not once Wolverine and Magick arrive. One of them, a massive cyborg who looks painfully strong, yells and charges at Wolverine, attempting to pummel him into the ground. Another, sporting some sort of electrical charge, sends out electric bolts towards Magick.

Tesla does not go unnoticed either. Four operatives I. black are already climbing the building he and the remaining Xmen are standing on, and while that's happening the last two Reavers are already speeding up the building, more easily than the peacekeepers. One is lightning quick, reaching the rooftop first, attempting to knock Tesla off his feet. The other sports a giant plasma gun, similar in power to Cyclops' laser blasts and he aims this at Cyke, attempting to blast him to bits.

Cyclops has posed:

<< Pixie is down! Shannon, get her out of there! Angel, I'm going to need you on offense instead. Support Logan and Magik with the Reavers. Hard and fast, X-Men! >>
Scott Summers is a soldier who has been in many wars, but nothing like this. Not in which just getting shot can strip away who you are. As the Reaver leaps on to the roof and charges his rifle, he is met with a wide beam blast of energy as he cuts loose with his visor wide open. If he lasers him in half? So be it. They gave up their humanity long ago.
<< Jean! We're going to need to end this fast! >>
As he finds himself back to back with her, just like the old days, he continues to fire one blast after the other towards the copters as if to try and ward them away, or damage them enough they will have to turn tail. << Can you force them to stand down? If not, do what you need to do. >>

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:

Phantasm does not get the benefit of the hive mind that the team has so he's left to figure out the plan on his own. He's a bit delayed in his actions as a result.
So lets recap. Protests. Most people are peaceful. Some aren't. The ones that aren't are mostly being handled by the police but now we got what looks like a SWAT type of group getting in as well.
But the reaction of laser beam face seems to indicate that maybe they're not law enforcement after all. The message being projected out to the crowd as a whole seems to reinforce the fact. Not 'Hey you punching ___ stop it right this instance', not a 'please disperse'. But 'Surrender mutants.' If that wasn't a one size fits all type of statement he's not sure what is.
And then all shit breaks loose. The people emerging from the helicopter are shooting indiscriminately into the crowd. Oh HELL no.
Angered, the bird spreads his wings and hops off with the intent of swooping down towards the soldiers. The view of Pixie shifting and falling changes the matter as his path changes, gliding towards her, shifting to more of a shadowy humanoid form as he lands beside her.

Phoenix has posed:

No time to play nice, then. No time at all. Jean refocuses her attention on the two that seem to be leading the operation and her powers seek out the delicate threads of thought. 'Fall back, retreat!' She puts the frantic, panicked thoughts in the heads of the commanders with an empathic shove of terror in order to muddy disciplined thoughts. Even if they wouln't run, it might cause disruptions in the ranks.
It's not her only plan. Should it fail, she readies her powers to sever the lines of consciousness. It'll be ugly and fast - the equivalent of a knife to a brain surgery when you should be using a scalpel. It may do worse, so she holds of until she has no choice with gritted teeth and a look of focus.

Wolverine has posed:

Hrnh! Fine...
Flicking the cigar away, Wolverine doesn't look all that bothered by the waste. He can always go back to Cuba, after all. But he chafes under requests of almost any type, especially reasonable ones.
He holds the inhale as the teleportation disc slides up his body, legs disappearing, then body, and finally his stubbly, grouchy head. But when he reappears over the Reavers, he springs into action, spreading his arms out and unleashing his claws with their trademarked 'Snikt!'
He falls briefly, landing with a heavy thud on the ground right in the path of The Big Guy. Not quite the Drop Bear Special, but it's close enough that he'll definitely ruin this Reaver's day.
Of course, as soon as he leaves, the roof gets overrun, but he's needed more where he's at.
As he collides with The Big Reaver, Wolverine takes a punch to the midsection that would collapse a lesser man's chest cavity like an empty can of Molson. Instead, it makes his entire skeleton vibrate and gives him the very unpleasant sensation of a bell that's been rung.
HRRRNGH!

Archangel has posed:

Having seen Pixie fall already, the mutant known as Archangel had already altered course to intercept before Cyclops's new orders came over the radio, but having the rescue deferred to Shannon frees him up to slightly alter his trajectory, fold his wings in tight to his sides, and dive towards a group of the rifle carrying DAMT solders, changing position at the last minute to try and drive his feet into one and knock him into the others.
We need to get these people out of here, Cyclops!

Nightingale has posed:

     "Copy that, Cyclops, en route!"

     Nightingale immediately veers to change course, executing a sharp turn towards where she sees Pixie has fallen. But it seems Pixie is not alone. Who could it be, though? Hoping it was at least a non-hostile, she too lands next to her stricken teammate, kneeling down to scoop her up in her arms.

     "My turn to get you clear this time... it's gonna be okay, don't worry."

     There is no time to offer further reassurance, nor is there time to speak to the odd figure who, too, seems to have taken up a guardian sort of position next to the stricken young woman. Instead, she simply offers a nod of thanks, spreads her wings, and takes to the air, heading for a rooftop some blocks away--hopefully out of range of those darts!

     "I've got Pixie... keep hostiles off my back till we're clear?"

Tesla has posed:

Tesla finds himself, just as he's stepping off of the X-Men rooftop with the aid of shifting magnetic fields, face to face with one of the flighty cyborg enforcers. He shifts his heel just as he leaves solid ground to push off and swerve slightly around his assailant. As he does, Magneto's apprentice shows himself to be as light on his foot as his teacher would prefer.
As he curves off into the air and off to the side, Tesla uses momentum to rip the cyborg off of the rooftop and thrown out into the sky. His other hand rises toward one of the copters and, in a shower of sparks, rips its blades away from the chassis. As the copter full of soldiers is left to fall to the ground, the same hand sweeps sharply to the left, sending the whirling blades on a journey to cut through the Reaver.
Tesla cycles his earpiece through the range of frequencies until he finds an opportunity to address the X-Men - or Jean and Scott, at least. "Do I seem so monstrous to you now, I wonder?" The question doesn't really wait for an answer. "Stop concerning yourself with dispersing them. They're already lost. I tried to warn you, showed you what they would use, but it's too late now; they'll be cut down in waves, and their evolution with them. Either they use their power or they fall. You might take the lead in bringing /your/ power to bear."
Tesla releases whatever may remain of the Reaver and pushes forward into the sky, releasing his cape to flow behind him as he glides over the scene. The descending copter is caught before it can fall onto the mutant victims. Torn to pieces in a screeching sound of ripping metal, it instead vaults downward into the road and stabs into asphault, forming a wall of sorts assembled from jagged debris to intercept darts.

Magik has posed:


That was fast, Illyana reacts as a bolt of electricity surges past her, narrowly missing her. "I was hoping they would want to talk first." But that just means that she needs to cut off her electrical friend before he starts hitting anyone else with his shots. Besides, he seems to have picked her out to start things off. So she's willing to accept his invitation.
And so she starts to circle him, using the other Reavers as cover, not minding if any of them get to experience first-hand what their teammmate is sending out. But her movements are all to get close enough to the shooter. Once she's satisfied that she's 'almost there', she opens a portal behind the "shooter" Reaver and makes a big lunge at the Reaver in front of her, aiming for the "shooter" behind him. If she hits the first, it's fine. But it's always intended to be followed up with another lunge... this one designed to deliver them both right into the portal.

Pixie has posed:

Pixie is still alive, thankfully, and has some bruises, a big one on her head from the fall. Thankfully it wasn't a serious fall and aside from maybe a sprained ankle and bruises and cuts she should be okay..Unfortunately, her wings have all but she yelled up and fallen off, and her hair is...Ginger!? She's still unconscious though..

The Reaver that aims for Scott has more than met his match, and continues to cancel out his beams with his own, maintaining a steady stream of energy..Meanwhile the speedster fighting Tesla seems to be quite agile, veering around the corner, rushing at him again..But the distraction of another chopper flying out of the sky is enough of a distraction and he yells, dashing off the edge of the rooftop.

Four peacekeepers have already made it to the top, about to shoot Cyclops while he is distracted but they suddenly pause, seemingly confused as new orders are barked into their comm..Stand Down! They freeze, turn and retreat.

Down below, much the same is happening, though it's not co plate. Maybe about half of the soldiers stand dian and even start to retreat, even as the second commander steps up. "What are you doing? I said attack!" but now there is confusion among the ranks. It's enough time bought to allow at least some mutants to flee, although the biggest chopper is now rounding up certain mutants, not even depowering them, just stunning them, loading them into the biggest chopper.

As for Wolverine, the tough guy cyborg snarls, only slightly bruised from punching his adamantium laced skeleton and charges him again, attempting to pummel him with his fists. At the same time, two soldiers sneak up on him from behind! attempting t9 shoot him with more cure darts.

Illy's Reaver is a bit confused, sparing blindly more electric bolt before he is swallowed up by a portal and ends up shooting some of the soldiers instead of her. More soldiers are closing in towards Archangel and Nightingale and Phantasm, attempting to shoot at them with surprisingly long range darts.

Cyclops has posed:

Continuing to focus his beams upon the Reaver in front of him, Cyclops lets out a loud noise of frustration. He jerks to one side, then angles the beam for the cyborg's legs, looking to send him careening off the roof if possible. He keeps himself back to back with Jean to protect her guard.

With Jean bubbling them from being darted, he isn't too worried about the humans with cure guns at the moment. << Good job, Jean. Looks like a lot of them are taking off. Keep it up. >>

<< Everyone else, focus down your targets and get out of there. We're heading back to base once we push them back. >>

It seems that Nick Fury has a call coming his way soon.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:

Phantasm starts to crouch down but upon Shannon coming over, he steps back, allowing her to take over the removal of Megan from the scene. From what he recalls, probably better SHE leave the area too. He gives a curt nod in response to Shannon's acknowledgement, straightening back up as he gives a quick glance around the area. In particular anyone who might be looking towards Shannon and Megan.

A dart he doesn't see passes through him, falling to the ground. When one he does see lodges in to him. He looks to it for a moment before looking back to them.

The Phantasm eyes narrow as he lets out a low growl, running towards the shooters, form elongating as the humanesque form becomes more wolf like. Teeth bared as he lunges foward, biting and clawing at the shoulders and arms holding the weapons.

Wolverine has posed:



Getting the wind knocked out of him is enough to make Wolverine mad. But amid the chaos and confusion, the grouchy little Canadian hears the sounds of his teammates, and feels the scope of the ongoing emergency in his brain. One of his teammates is down, the friendly, cheerful one that's way too young to be in the war zone that this protest has turned into.

Seeing the depowered form of the mutant formerly known as Pixie, off too far away for him to be of any assistance, Wolverine refocuses his attention on The Big Reaver just in time to take another hit, this time to the head. Blood shoots out of both of his nostrils, and he goes flying several meters into the crowd.

Wolverine's presence is no longer on the team's psychic link.

The thing that comes rushing back toward The Big Reaver isn't Logan. It's the thing that shows up when about five feet of meat and bone, and a hundred or so pounds of Adamantium suddenly find themselves with no pilot other than a feral, rabid rage.

RRRRWWWRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!

With foaming saliva dribbling down his chin, the body of Wolverine leaps into the air, for a moment appearing to defy gravity. When he lands on The Big Reaver, the big guy's arms are unable to defend against the furiously slashing blades. The attacks are mindless, programmed years ago into the back of Weapon X's mind, and called up now that most of his higher brain functions have ceased.

A shower of blood, guts, and metal is all that any intrepid observer would be able to make out, if they could stomach looking directly at the spectacle.

Only when it's over, and he's standing in the shredded remnants of his enemy does Wolverine realize that his hands and arms are bleeding profusely.

And sticking in his back are several cure darts.

Phoenix has posed:

Pixie. Jean can feel the disruptions in her link with the team. Part of her feels the mutants below as they're hit, like the distant pops of tiny Christmas bulbs in the far corner of her psyche. Gritting her teeth as she diverts part of her attention to keep a pink shield up around herself and Scott, Jean turns her focus to the other commander.

No time for playing nice now. Her power is a hand reaching down to grab hold of the power cord and yank it out of the wall, only it's his conscious thoughts that's the plug.

<< One at a time isn't working. We're outnumb-- >> She begins says to Scott, her voice tight until she feels Logan drop out of the link. She doesn't talk then, but she does growl and her mental tone bleeds red. << This needs to end. >>

Archangel has posed:

Archangel deftly dodges the darts being fired at him as he weaves evasive maneuvers in the air trying to draw attention more to himself than Shannon, giving her an opportunity to draw out of range.

You heard the man, Warren yells into his com-unit towards Shannon, "Go, get Pixie out of here, I'll keep them off your back as best as I can."

That being said, the high-flying Archangel flares out his wings to the side, making himself a large target and trying to block visual reference to Shannon as the young mutant makes her escape, "We can hold this much longer, Cyke!"

Nightingale has posed:

Just a little bit farther. She just had to hold on a little bit longer. "Copy that, Archangel, I'm almost to the ro..."

In the next second, Nightingale's voice cuts off with a choked-sounding 'oof'. Momentum alone carries her as she glides the last few meters to the rooftop with Pixie in her arms, the pair at least making it to safety.

But the damage has been done.

As she rolls to break her fall, the reason is quickly apparent why. What was her mark of evolution is fading rapidly from her back, those white, sweeping wings shrinking and fading away into nothingness. From her left shoulder, a very, very lucky shot gleams, having delivered its payload into her bloodstream.

As soon as she rolls to a halt and can lay Pixie down safely, she's tapping the comm in her ear.

We're safe, but I'm hit.

Pixie has posed:
Everywhere there is chaos. But the fire is slowly dying down. Those who were not hit are retreating but there have been a lot of mutants attacked nonetheless and in the cruellest way possible. Phoenix's next more forceful physic suggestion hits its mark, and suddenly all the soldiers are retreating, actually fleeing back to what choppers remain. They managed to detain some notable mutants although Tesla has escaped their grasp it seems.

Wolverine manages to totally Slaughter the big muscular cyborg. Violently.While Cyclops gets the upper hand on beamguy, blasting him off his feet and sending him flying off the roof. Those who were not directly attacked continue to retreat, filing into the choppers and quickly leaving the scene.

All the same, it seems the damage was done, and while the Xmen managed to minimize the damage, it is nonetheless quite apparent.

Cyclops has posed:
<< We're getting out of here. Magik! Do it. >>

Once the targets on the roof is down, Scott takes a moment to catch his breath. He reaches out to grab Jean by the hand, squeezing it tightly for a moment before he lets her go.

There is a flash of light as the teleporting Russian opens several portals with strikes of her sword, swallowing the X-Men up, as well as a wolf by accident! Tesla on the other hand? He gets left behind. Manners make the man after all.

Where will they end up? Back at Xavier's in the X-Men's base, the War Room.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
He's angry!

Grr.

He's fighting!

Grr.

But he hasn't killed anyone.

Grr?

Despite what's going on. All in the all, the wolf has been pretty well controled. Granted each dart he sees hitting him have stuck in and it looks like he's covered in multiple dart piercing as he thrashes about.

As the soldiers run off, the Wolf's tail wags, and so do the darts sticking out of his body. As the portal snatches him up, the wolf lets out a yelp of surprise as that was not of his own doing.

The head tilts, looking to the odd surroundings. The phantasm has accidentally been in one of the dorm rooms of the school before but never any of the other locations. So, he has no idea where he is. The wolf looks around, and upon spotting Megan, walks over to check on her.

Phoenix has posed:
Another mind crackles and fizzes through Jean's link, and that seems about as much as she can take. The sound of her scream is frustration and rage boiling over as she wheels around on her feet to look towards the retreating operatives. It's only Scott's hand that stills her from charging but even then she's already at arm's length.

As the portals open, however, Jean doesn't go. "I'll be back." She tears herself away and charges for the edge of the roof and doesn't even pause when she leaps right off of it. But she is Jean Grey, and she does not fall. Instead she takes to the air and she turns up towards the clouds and is soon out of sight.

Wolverine has posed:
The soldiers, and their superiors, must have thought that the sudden loss of powers would make most of the mutants helpless nearly instantaneously. And for most of the mutants at the protest, that's pretty accurate. But they apparently didn't plan well enough for an unpowered mutant who's just as dangerous without his powers, and even angrier now that he's bleeding all over the place.

Turning around, the completely feral Wolverine leaps into the soldiers, tearing at them much more easily than he did the Big Guy, but every bit as mindlessly. To defend themselves, they fire off round after round of Cure Darts, realizing all too late that they would have much better luck with a regular handgun.

But not all of them will end up in steaming pieces on the ground, as the berserker is yanked from the battlefield while still in the throes of madness.

When he looks around, confused by his surroundings, it looks for a moment as if he's about to charge the nearest X-Man and rip out a few organs.

And maybe that's what he's trying to do as he stumbles forward, claws still out, blood pouring out of the holes where they exit his hands.

Suddenly wobbly, he falls to one knee, and then slumps forward, collapsing onto the ground with all the obvious signs of shock.

All over the new rug, too.

Archangel has posed:
One moment the high-flying Archangel is high above the crowd over Mutant Town, the next he is in the confines of the War Room. Outspread wings taking up much of the available space are quickly retracted, folding in tightly across the blonde mutant's back as he looks around for Shannon and Pixie with a stream of words that sound like they should come more from Logan than someone labeling themselves as an Angel.

"It'll be ok." he says as he takes a knee next to the fallen mutants, "We will get Hank on this. Have you back to normal in no time."

He turns his eyes to Scott and Jea..He looks around the room.

"Where is Jean? Did we leave her behind?!," Warren shouts accusingly. "Did they get her?!

Cyclops has posed:
Once they step through, Scott gives a glance around as well, looking for Jean. He furrows his brows, then presses his lips into a thin line.

"She's.. fine. She is just resolving one last thing. Right now we need to focus on Logan, Megan and Shannon." He scoops Megan up into his arms. "Warren, get Shannon. Logan, geezus, you got a billion of those things sticking out of you. We need to get you all to the medbay." There is worry in his voice, though he tries to maintain his confident leader stature.

At the sight of the wolf, he pauses for a moment, then tilts his head to the side. ".. Andrea, is that you?" It's not Rahne. She's bright red.

Nightingale has posed:
     "I'll be fine. Just worry about Pixie and Logan."

     Shannon frowns, looking down at her hands, then at Logan. A few very colorful metaphors come from her as well as, for once, she can do little to help, but rummage in her little brown bag and start checking over the fallen, assessing their injuries. "I'd really strongly suggest we put a call in to Josh, ASAP."

     Healers make the worst patients, and it seems this is the case as well. Powers or no, she can't ignore her teammates when they are hurt, possibly far worse than she is.

     However, with Warren given orders to get her to the medbay, she doesn't put up a fight for once. "Please, help them," is all she says.

Archangel has posed:
Tossing back the little cowl that covers his head, Warren sighs as he look to Scott, "She went off on her own again...didn't she?"

The winged mutant shakes his head, moving to go and help Logan while he looks to Shannon, "If you are good to walk, can you get Pixie on your own? I'll see if I can't get the old man myself."

Warren kneels down next to the bloodied ex-mutant and tries to pick the short man with the metal-laced bones up into a fireman's carry in order to get him to the medbay. "We need to put this pincushion on a diet...he's heavy.."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Feeling like someone was looking at him, the greyish wolf glances up from beside Megan, shaking his head. Darts flopping about. "No." That is most decidedly not a female voice. But, it could sound possibly familiar to those who have heard it before. Although, context is severely lacking.

He shifts back into raven form. Darts piling up on the floor as he does so. He glances down, tugging out another dart before chucking it on the floor. "Not sure how I got here..." He looks between the Megan, Shannon, and Logan. "...What was in those darts?"

Cyclops has posed:
"It's called Neuro-X. It's an anti-mutant cure. If you got shot up with it and didn't lose your powers, it means you're not a mutant." Scott says with a frown on his face. He shifts Megan's weight in his arms, then clears his throat. "Magik, if you please.."

It seems that a new portal is opening behind the raven, revealing what appears to be somewhere in downtown. "Sorry about that, but at least we got you out of the fight. Feel free to head home." He says before he starts for the med-bay. "You doing okay, Logan?" He asks as he heads down the hall to put the child away, followed by a phone call to Josh.

"Shannon, I still want you in the medbay to be looked at by Josh and Hank. Even if you can make it on your own. I'm.. I'm sorry this happened to you."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Phantasm looks over to the portal and then to Magik. He shakes his head, "That's alright, I'll use my own." With a hop into the air, he pops out of sight.

Nightingale has posed:
     Though Shannon nods to Warren and moves to pick up Pixie, it seems Mr. Summers has beaten her to it. So she simply offers him a smile, reaching out to briefly touch his shoulder.

     "It'll be okay. Just gives me a chance to thank you for all those times you insisted on training de-powered. I owe you one. Besides," she adds, following everyone down to the medbay.

     "I'd rather share the risk with my friends and family. It's worth it."