13048/The Second Rule of Fight Club

The Second Rule of Fight Club
Date of Scene:	17 April 2021
Location:	Underground Fight Club
Synopsis:	Jean (almost) steals some beers. Scott -does- bet on illegal cage fighting. Megan is mortified and they...kinda hire the Juggernaut???
Cast of Characters:	Juggernaut, Phoenix, Cyclops, Pixie

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Juggernaut has posed:
These sort of places aren't exactly an unknown thing but doesn't stop it from happening. Generally - 'fighting for fun' is, kinda sorta, an illegal offense in most places although there are exceptions to the rule where things like mutual consent is concerned. Throw in the meta, mutant, super, alien, or whatever looking to blow off steam and make some money in circuits that will cater to their talents since normal combat sports are off to them..and you've got a little circle of business going on that can sustain the willing and even attract the attention of certain organizations with less then clean reputations.

Such is the case here in an abandoned subway somewhere in New York but not to disconnected from the seedier areas and even Mutant Town. A massive abandoned subway station is the perfect place for the type of shenanigans and it is open and welcome to all comers be they human, mutant, meta, alien or otherwise. The place stays hopping and one never knows who they might run into given the ability for any all types to it in around here. A combo gambling hall, ring and bar, the place is large enough to hide just about anybody if they want. At least at first. There's no accounting for persistent tracking of infamous figures..

Bets are being placed and two mutant bruisers are going at it in the ring. Very low tier as such powers are considered but even so the force of their punches can be felt all the way through the fifth row seats and shakes the walls. Reinforced material by some super tech or other (stolen probably) keeps the ring from breaking but they're going at it with the crowd roaring or jeering in approval or disapproval depending on how the fight progresses.

In the back lurks an immense presence. Cain Marko is used to this place, having visited it once or twice. A corner table reinforced for his massive weight is dominated by his hulking physique and he watches the proceedings with a look of utter, irredeemable boredom. Cyttorak is unsatisfied. Therefore he is unsatisfied. A tee shirt sporting Godzilla looming over a skyline, stretches across his gigantic torso, swelling visibly and stretching under the behemoths heavy breaths. A sign of his slowly bubbling and boiling ire and dissatisfaction at the entertainment this evening.

Phoenix has posed:
A bird has been watching the movements of one Cain Marko over the past several days. The information is in fits and starts, moments where he may be unarmored and out and about. Quick pings and mapped locations, scraps of psychically gained data building up a map of his movements. By comparing to locations in the area and events that may be happening, along with that last ping, the watchful Phoenix indicated the likeliest spot to find their prey.

This was a plain clothes operation. No uniforms, nothing overt, nothing to set up a hive of scum and potential villainy that the "good guys" were there. So Jean is not dressed good, and more befitting the place she's visiting. She's got on fitted black pants that passingly resemble a matte leather, with a cropped shirt that looks to have dated back several decades given the faded, vintage Firebird logo across the front. Black, calf-high boots are fit around her legs with just enough of a heel to make an impression but not interfere with her walk. Her hair is all pulled and swept over to one side to hang around her left shoulder in fiery waves.

"Alright. Remember, chatting only. This isn't the best place to pick a fight, at least on our side of the fence."

Cyclops has posed:
"Megan, do not make eyecontact with any of these guys. I don't want them to get the wrong idea about a young girl in a bad part of town." Scott says to his youngest teammate as he follows along after them. He is wearing a tight black shirt and a loose fit pair of jeans. He has his compact visor as well upon his face, gleaming red. He will stand out easily as a 'celebrity' amongst mutants. No one else has such a recognizable 'face' so to speak, and thus he tries to hide most of it beneath a baseball cap.

"You're also our get away car. If things go sideways, you're teleporting us out. We're here to talk to Cain, not rumble with him. But if he's in the ring, I'm going to put a grand on him." That much is not a joke. He's dead serious.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks as she steps in with the two senior Xmen, eyes widened in awe and wonder as she peers this way and that - at least until Scott warns her, and then she looks down instead, sighing a bit. "Yeah, okay, got it. Soo, diplomatic mission huh? Why are we even engaging with him?" seems kind of risky, although she's sure they have their reasons.

Dressed in a black leather cut off vest to show off her midsection and her long sleeved hot pink midriff top underneath, along with black moto jeans, she kinda fits in here as a cute but too young punk girl, her wings shaded dark grey and pinks, tucked closely against her back like gossamer wings. Yeah, she might just attract some attention, so she sticks close to the other two.

Juggernaut has posed:
They may be the equivalent of mutant royalty, but the arrival of this trio of X-Men manages to go unnoticed among the various lowlifes and uninspired thugs taking in the entertainment of the club. A person here or there might get a look their way, maybe have a flash of 'Huh, where have I seen that before?' but it's not enough to really draw attention to them, granting them freedom to move around as they see fit.

For his part, when in his civvies, Cain Marko has always had this bizarre uncanny ability to blend in and be unnoticed until someone looks or is actively looking for him and then and suddenly - boom - there's a kaiju sized man standing behind there. Not a power of course he just..seems to know how to make use of crowds and other disturbances when the right bit of activity of going on in order to keep eyes off of him. As such he's been pretty much a background observer here. But it won't take long for them to find him.

Inside the ring a loud meaty *TWACK* occurs as one bruiser slams his fist full on into the other and sends the poor sod flying fully across the ring to land in a slumped heap. The force of the blow is audible and palpable. The crowds react with roars, cheers and jeers as the winner is proclaimed. Some nickname is called out that is probably only a few shades worse then being called 'Strong Guy'.

Cain rolls his eyes as he takes a pull from a large metal keg, emptying it all out. His fingers twitch as he lowers it and the keg crumples like wet tissue, compressing into a tiny ball with an audible crunch. He delicately sets it onto the table and then slowly rises. Nearly ten feet of gargantuan draws those immediately around him into hushed silence as he creaks upwards and up and up. Muscle and sinew piling onto one another to move him around and straining his clothes visibly as his masses move like continental plates. It gives those around him an eye full, that's for sure, but he looks half turned towards the exit as if debating on taking his leave.

Phoenix has posed:
Green eyes slant sideways towards Scott at his declaration, and Jean does an admirable job of hiding her smile. Almost.

"He has some information that I'm interested in." She explains aside to Megan in a quiet tone that's barely audible over the din of the club. "And it's bound to have less holes in it than Wade's. I certainly don't want to go in his head to look at it either." Venturing into the brainspace of Deadpool is a daunting journey that makes even her hesitate. Bullets tend to wind up there more often than sane thoughts. "Hopefully, he's feeling chatty. If not... well, just take note of the exits."

She looks towards the fighters in the area with a lingering curiosity, all the while following the mental impression in her head of their longtime giant of a foe. She materializes through the crowd with unerring direction and intent, making herself known right in the line of vision of Juggernaut as opposed to creeping up behind or from a flanking position. There's a brief bob of her chin in acknowledgement and a show of her hands, loosely held palm out at her sides. It's a generally universal sign of 'we come in peace', but then from a woman who doesn't need physical weapons some of the gesture's intent may be lost. She pauses a few people lengths from where he sits to leave some distance between him and the X-Men.

Cyclops has posed:
"There he is." Scott says as they make their way through the crowd. The large frame of Cain Marko is unmistakable even in a crowd of this size. He will let Jean take the point in catching his attention. He gives a glance to Megan for a moment, nudging her in between himself and Jean as they walk. Just in case.

He is also dead serious about placing the wager. The moment he sees Cain heading for the ring, he will track down whoever is taking the bets to put some money down. It's an easy score and this is now officially the weekend. While he may be a stiff backed tactician, at the core he is still a man who loves fast cars and ring fights.

If anything, it shows a great deal of respect in the Juggernaut.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly as she makes out Juggernaut's massive form. Oh she's heard of him, saw him at a distance a while back when they rescued Theresa from a mutant hiding facility, but now, in front of her and big as life, it's quite intimidating..

She swallows and laughs nervously, trailing just a little behind the other two. "Well Phew, let's just hope we don't tick him off then..!" Fortunately, Megan has pretty much perfected her teleportation spell and can port pretty quickly when needed. Just as long as her mind is calm and clear..

As she quickens her pace to keep up with the other two, she can't help but glance curiously towards the arena occasionally, utterly fascinated by this underground ring..

Juggernaut has posed:
Oh yeah. He sees her. Cain blinks a few times, expression confused at first, then annoyed looking and then more..neutral as if he's considering a few things.

The -Truth- is that, despite his catchphrase, Juggernaut's got a few things that can do the 'stopping' and Jean just happens to be carrying one of those things in that brain pan of hers. A big ol'concealed weapon that Cain could render useless by summoning his armor and helmet, mind you, but in doing so trigger a local panic that would just annoy him and ruin everyone's evening as a result.

And it doesn't change the fact that she could have nailed him unawares or even done so right now.. In short, he's single minded but not stupid and the gesture of peace is understood.

"Hn...great. Fine.."

He flickers his gaze past Jean towards Scott and then finally to Megan and with a sighing rumble he lowers himself back down to his reinforced seat and makes an annoyed, rushed gesture to indicate nearby chairs.

Phoenix has posed:
With the truce gingerly accepted, Jean moves to take one of offered seats. She even elects to sit in the one closest to Cain. Perhaps the intent is to further extend the notion of peace by being in range of that massive fist. But then, maybe she'd be the one to draw and shoot from the hip faster.

"Surprised to see you just watching. Sorry to put a damper on your evening." She doesn't sound terribly sorry and even leans back in the chair with one leg crossing over the other. "We wouln't be long. It came to my attention that you'd gotten an early parole from someone, from a place that I'm rather interested in learning more about. I don't like the sounds of a place collecting and storing people with powers, especially when it sounds like some of those may be built off grudges and government funding. We just got rid of one batch of those and I'm not inclined to let another one get to be a problem."

Cyclops has posed:
As he follows suit, Scott takes a seat next to Jean, relaxing back into the seat cooly as he gives a glance around for a moment. "I'm also surprised you aren't fighting. I have a cool grand riding on you if you jump in the ring. I'll even split half the winnings with you if you knock the guy out in the first round."

He motions for Megan to take the seat next to him, then turns his eyes towards Cain with a nod of his head in regards to what Jean said. "Yes, we're not here to fight or bring you back. We did catch you trending on the Internet though with a popstar selfie. You're moving up in the world. Andrea Jackson."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn bliiiinks as they approach Juggers and he looks at them. Meepers, no way to back out of this now! She draws a deep breath and clenches her fists as she approaches last and sits furthest away from the big giant guy.

"Urrr...Hii...Mister Juggernaut. Dont mind me. I'm with them..!" Phew. She sinks lower in her chair, just trying to appear as small and invisible as possible. Phew, why'd she have to wear this racy cut off top? She's kinda cold now. And these pants are tight and itchy. Rrr...

Juggernaut has posed:
The giant's gaze settles on Megan for a moment, searching for any bit of recognition. It's kind of like having an earthquake or volcano notice you and look at you closely. Probably not doing much for putting her at ease. His expression is neutral at least and he cuts his ice blue gaze back towards Jean and then Scott as the two leaders speak. "Hrn..well you ddin't bring the hair ball so I guess maybe you -are- serious about keeping this all nice and cordial.."

He gives Scott a long look, considering his offer about making some quick cash and then he just chuckles and leans back a little. Both of his mammoth arms raise in a lightly exagerrated shrug, "World's full of two-bit creeps and organizations like that, right? You should see the phone listings in Madripoor.." bad joke probably but he does seem to be doing some thinking,

"Speaking of Madripoor, that's where I got hit. I was in lowtown, minding my business..kinda like now. They had some tech that disorientated me and got me into a stasis cage. I was sloppy and paid for it.." He fingers the balled up keg on the table, "Almost like now..eh?" he smiles mildly and then rumbles, "Anyway..I -think- ..it was some off the book effort by a local big wig in the military. Maybe wanting to put together his own squad of muscle he could wipe his hands clean of if things went wrong. nnd they went wrong. As far as I know, me and Wade were the only ones there... But they obviously had some contacts to let them get ahold of a device able to hold me."

Phoenix has posed:
<< Breathe. It's all good. If things were going to go wrong, they would have. >> Jean says with a private, psychic nudge with a gentleness that belies her all but lounging in a chair in a fight club like she owned shares in the place.

"Considering most of those phones are probably burners, it'd be a waste of time to read." Jean retorts. She listens to what Cain says with actual attentiveness and that thoughtful look that suggests she's cataloging it all in that brain of her's. "Mm, another official probably pissed over a lack of a promotion and itching to make a name for themselves. We've all had our share of those. I doubt it's related to what we'd been dealing with, but considering they had the connections to drop a Frankenstein's monster of a Sentinel on us means I can't put enough doubt on this to want to ignore it. You don't just pick those up on eBay, or the means to improve on their library."

"DAMT," Who's name had been all over the news worldwide over the winter. "Was able to capture and hold mutants as well. Also rejects from the government. Also funded by unclear means. From what I heard, this place was underground in the Bronx?"

Cyclops has posed:
"Anyone that can capture both you and Wade at the same time are definitely not rookies and have quite a bit of financial backing. In Madripoor though, you can make any dream come true if you got the money in your pocket." Scott says as he gives a glance to Jean for a moment, then back over towards Wade. "So they only had you two, huh? Were you able to get any information off them while you were there? They planning on grabbing any other mutants or are they just looking for experienced mercs they can throw at a problem to make go away?"

He gives a casual glance to the ring again at the next couple of fighters that start to head in. His brows lift upwards as he nudges Jean. "I'll be right back, I recognize one of those guys and I'm going to let it ride on him." It's Forearm from the Mutant Liberation Front, a beast of a man with four arms and the experience behind him to be a force in combat. He flags down one of the bettors as he reaches into his wallet to pull out a few bills.

<< Tell Cain if he still wants to jump in, the deal is still good. I'm about to make a killing here. >>

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn nods and smiles faintly to Jean, comforted by her words. A surprised glance is given Scott as he takes off to place a bet, but. "Hmm, I'm not sure if anyone out there could possibly be a serious match for Mister Juggernaut though, right?" although she's betting Phoenix could be a run for his money. Hopefully he's not thinking the same thing..

Dammit Megan, best keep your mouth shut! She focuses instead on surveying the area, noting exits, any immediate threats, contenders in the ring etc..

Juggernaut has posed:
"Pfft. I'm more embaressed then worried." snorts Cain as he hears Scott, "Shouldn't have happened..but it did. Anyway, I don't know how they got Wade but he had a stupid business card that said he'd lost his memory. So maybe he was, I dunno, firing on even less cylinders then normal."

He considers the three of them and then lightly scratches his unshaven jaw, producing a sound like a steel brush dragging across concrete.

"Yeah, it was under the Bronx...and I think it was just a transfer site. A place to hold us until we got carted off to who knows where. They had armed guards there but not much by way of any special defenses or ways to keep us in check." he pauses and then adds, "Not that it'd have helped anyway.." his sardonic smile returns, "They didn't like Wade but I don't think they were specifically after mutants. Looking for mercenaries to force into labor seems more like it.."

Forearm gets his notice now, as does Scott's movements towards the ring. Yeah he knows what's up and it makes him sigh in a sort of 'For real though?' look. At the same time, deep within him, Cyttorak is urging violence and with the X-Men here giving permission? Well this is all their fault then.

"Fine fine." Once more he begins to rise..craning up towards his immense full height and beginning to turn to the ring. He pauses only long enough to put a finger up to his mouth and grin at Megan, almost like the smiling Grinch, "Shhhhhhh."

Phoenix has posed:
"Marginally more reassuring, if they're just looking for muscle then wholesale." Jean murmurs, though doesn't really sound reassured. "I was considering paying it a visit, but it may very well be abandoned given that it failed in its function. Still, I'm interested in shutting this down before it becomes a bigger problem. Maybe we can all collaborate on the project." She suggests, like such team ups were no big deal at all. "...enemy of my enemy and all."

She does watch Scott meander off mid-discussion to go place a wager and she looks momentarily inclined to singe that perfectly tousled hair of his to make a point. Still, she looks back to Cain and with a delicate, weary sigh just gestures her hand towards the cage where he's getting up to head with her only words to the topic being, "We have bills too."

With her apparent dismissal to let him go to what he does best, she looks back to Megan with a quiet huff of amusement and a muttered, "...don't encourage 'em." She opens one of her hands, and two bottles of pink-aura'ed beer float through the crowd. Caps pop off with a subtle hiss, with one thumping down in front of Megan and deposits itself right in Jean's hand. "Welcome to the world of superhero politics."

Cyclops has posed:
It's not as if Scott can't keep up with their psychic link. He can hear every word between them. As he gives a glance over his shoulder towards them when Cain is rising up, his brows lift upwards some and he turns to the bettor. "I got a grand on that guy right there. The creampuff." He says simply. He puts the wage on Forearm, than another on the Juggernaut before he makes his way back.

At some point he swiped a bottle as well, cracking the top off before he sinks down and clinks it against Jean's. He eyes Megan with hers, then gives a sideglance to Jean before he tips the bottle to his lips for a sip.

"But Jean is right. If you want to take us back to that spot for us to take a look into it, I'd be open to sending it to the ground, long as you're willing to suck it up and follow orders for one night. I won't even chastise you for hitting them too hard."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn bliiiinks some more as Juggy takes that wager quite seriously, and suddenly she's feeling sorry for his new opponent. Oh dear, this is gonna hurt. And wait, did Scott just encourage this illegal fight?! She just watches on in horror, wondering if she shouldn't have eaten that last slice of pizza with extra anchovies and ghost peppers........

Egads!

And as if that's not bad enough, now Jean is basically stealing a couple of drinks from the bar! Good grief! She had nooo idea that Xmen were allowed to break rules, break laws even! She sure has a lot to learn!

As that drink lands in front of her, Megan just stares at it speechlessly for a few moments, wondering if it's got alcohol in it too, because wouldn't that just complete this craziness tonight!

Juggernaut has posed:
"Nuh uh." That's a hard no to Scott's comment.

"You want The Juggernaut, I get carte blanche." I mean, you -are- kinda getting The Juggernaut here. This is like rolling a five star character in one of those gacha mobile games. You might not be able to give this one commands but really you just want hin there to hit things until they fall over while you get the experience points. "Now let me go make you some money.."

Cain's approach to the ring is like an elephant meandering through a herd of sheep. Sheep which begin immediately parting out to let him pass as he begins a slow earth rumbling plod towards the ring. His physique seems to creak even larger as he rolls his shoulders and loosens up with arms swelling like swamp tree trunks and the masses of his body casting shadow over those near him. Once it's clear he's approaching to challenge Forearm, the audience breaks into a wild frenze of bet making, cheers and jeers. Scott's not the only one looking to get paid here and hey, Forearm has folk in his corner. He's got four arms after all.

When he reaches the ring he squeezes his monstrous body through the cage doors and then stretches up to his full size, towering over the quaking ring personal who suddenly find themselves staring at a midsection as wide as some small garage doors. Cain slowly surveys them and then reaches into his pocket to pull a wad of cash free. He stuffs it into the torso of a bookie, pushing the man backwards as he rumbles, "Put this all on me.."

He then turns and lifts a gigantic arm high over his head, fist clenched as he turns to face the crowd, His muscles swell even larger, a bicep giving the impression of being the size of a Buick as he flexes. The boulder sized muscle beginning freakishly expand, shredding his tee shirt in the process, working the crowd it seems.

"Hey!" he looks towards Forearm, "Just take my first punch and lie down. I'll even give you some of the winnings." He keeps his one arm flexed but places the other behind his back, "I'll even use one arm to your four!"

Phoenix has posed:
Either Jean picks up on Megan's flurry of thoughts or she just recognizes the deer in headlights look. "It's fine." She assures the youngest X-Man with a grin. "What happens in places like these stays here. The job isn't always heroics in front of a camera, and your enemies wouln't always be clear. Sometimes, your enemies become your friends, and vice versa."

She continues speaking to Megan, even with her eyes tracking where Scott is and the fight about to go down, all while sipping her beer. "All you can do is adapt to the place you find yourself in; be it a stage, a battlefield, or an actual arena. The path usually isn't clear. Victory isn't in black or white. It's in as best a shade of grey as you can manage and that you're willing to live with."

Maybe just for Megan's benefit, she does reach into her pocket and the wallet to withdraw a twenty and just leaves it on the table, weighed down with the remains of the keg.

Juggernaut has posed:
Forearm seizes up like a deer in the headlights, as the saying goes. He also did just get called out. He's an MLF member. Should he back down? He should back down. He doesn't back down. His arms come up.

Cain curls the hand of his flexed arm into a monstrous fist. Knuckles cracking like splintering tree He twists, drawing the arm backwards and cocking it as he looms overhead. "All you have to do is take my Sunday Punch!" he affirms with a cheshire cat like grin.

"Forearm..versus...!!" begins the announcer as he backs away. He then pauses to lean back over the edge of the ring to get Cain's name.

"The Creampuff!!"

Cain. Frowns.

"Begin!"

Forearm charges. THere's a brief pause as if everything just rolls to a halt..and then a loud *KABOOOOM!!!* roars through the entire area. THe shockwave that rolls out from the punch upends the seats nearest to the cage and ring. Those further away are knocked three feet into the air along with their drinks. All the way in the back, the Xers are safe though some drink sloshing is unavoidable.

He actually still held back then.

Forearm is left, upside down, and embedded in the floor of the broken ring as Cain turns and begins to head for what remains of the ring exit, expression looking bored again.