14787/Xavier's Golfball

Xavier's Golfball
Date of Scene:	12 March 2023
Location:	Cerebro - X-Men Base
Synopsis:	Cerebro used, a trip to the astral planes and the dimensions beyond normal astral travel were achieved, to retrieve memories and end a threat. There was also lots of angry people.
Cast of Characters:	Sinister, Lucifer, Phoenix, Cyclops, Emma Frost

---

Sinister has posed:
Maybe this took more than a moment to transpire -- putting failsafes and extra security measures in to place after all, take more than just a thought to produce. The unwelcome guests of the x-men though, have remained under careful observance and obedient good behaviour. One of those scenarios that nobody would believe, unless they witnessed it, perhaps.

But the eleventh hour arrives as does the growing sense of existential dread at least on the part of one.

Sinister awaits, not quite imprisoned, but making no sudden moves, outside the rather impressive maglocked doors of the great mind-sphere. He stares at it with the dispassion of a man that's a thousand lifetimes away from the here and the now, caught up in anticipation. Before the 'dread portal'. He murmurs quietly "Are you ready, Luci?"

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer has spent many an eon locked away in - what he would describe as - a prison of sorts. So it's just like being taken out of one open prison and into another. None the less, here they are before the doors of the big metal brain machine that Sinister has the need to use. The doors themselves are impressive enough, far as doors are concerned.

He gives a side glance to Sinister at that question and nods his head once. "I was created ready, Nathaniel." Using that moniker instead of the other because while the two sometimes go hand in hand, the real name of Doctor Essex poses a bit more in terms of presence and stability for whatever Lucifer deems that worth.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey has been anticipating this day for some time now. And with the recent run-in with another somewhat former villain, she knows Scott is probably especially tense with this pair being so close to one of the most powerful devices in the Xmen's possession. She leads the way to Cerebro, one of the few psychics who is herself capable of utilizing cerebro, but after scanning Sinister's mind, she suspects he may have no trouble using it too.

She draws a deep breath as she reaches out to unlock the safety latches on the high tech door, glancing briefly sidelong at Scott, and he may register a brief flash of tension in their permanent mindlink. But she smiles faintly at him and nods, trusting no one better to watch her back.

If all else fails, she knows between Cyclops and Phoenix they may just be able to subdue them at least for a little while. "I am putting a lot of trust in you both, gentleman..Do not let that trust be in vain, or I will not be happy." it is a subtle warning, softened only by a gentle smile, "But your behaviour on the grounds thus far has been..Acceptable. Let's go."

And once the retina scan accepts her signature, the fancy metal double layered doors open with a mechanical click. Here comes the moment of truth.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers sighs and yet again is in the blue and yellow costume with visor. He follows Jean and his body language and well as the permanent mental link can tell Jean in no uncertain terms that tense is an understatement. Scott looks at them and shakes his head. "You sure about this Jean? I still don't like it, I still don't trust them, or that any of this is real." He says softly to her. "And I wasn't overly fond of the wording of that deal, but I digress if you're sure let's finish this, so we can get them out of this place as soon as possible yea?" His tone is clearly laced with mistrust, tension, perhaps...venom.

Sinister has posed:
Venom wouldn't be an overstatement.

Sinister though, looks across his shoulder to Lucifer and smiles a tiny smile - one that does touch his eyes, for a wonder. As Xavier's great machine is accessed, he looks back to the moving of the doors as the lights beyond flicker on along the gangway, drawing in a deep breath. "I may be many things, but I do also try to be a man of my word. I believe in most regards, I have managed to be. But how far from grace I came..." he shakes his head, reaches a hand to take the devil's in his own and begins the clipped-heel walk toward the helmet and its promise.

Perhaps he ought to have asked how to use the thing, but it seems as if he is not unfamiliar, drawing to the empty space where a wheelchair used to park. He only releases Lucifer's hand when his own hands reach to the helmet itself, merely resting fingertips atop it.

"Scott, have you had any experience with fighting within the mindscape in the past? If not, I do hope that Jean can guide you. I fear that the rest of me is unlikely to want to go quietly into the night and I, well... I shall be quite preoccupied, I suspect."

He looks to Jean with a nod, then to Lucifer with a deep breath and a straightening. "Forgive me if it hurts. Please. I do not mean it to." and that? That could have so very many layers of meaning also, even as company be damned, he's leaning in to give the Devil a kiss on the lips, chaste but very much happening. A moment, two of that contact, then he's lifting the helmet, placing it secure upon his skull. And what comes next, may be a Spectacle...

Lucifer has posed:
"I cannot break a contract. Even of my own making. Though even if I could, there is too much at stake for me to risk being anything but a man of my word. As if I wouldn't be anyway." Lucifer offers this as his gaze shifts to meet Scott and Jean resepctively. As if this was an ideal situation for them? To humble themselves against those who would merely consider them enemies in any other regard?

Mortals really ARE interesting sometimes.

His attention moves back to Sinister after a moment. To the last thing that is spoken to him and he gives a single nod. Then there's a kiss. Chaste, held a moment or two, and then released. "I know. Whatever comes, I am with you. I shall see you again when all this is resolved." Words whispered back to Nathaniel before the man puts the metal helmet onto his head and he holds out a hand letting a small sphere of aether form within his palm. The catalyst needed to connect to the dimentional realms Sinister wishes to contact.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey is dressed in her standard green and gold Phoenix costume, the gold sash fluttering about her as she steps in after the unusual pair, whom she still hasn't decided if they're good or evil or what. She pauses a moment, falling back to catch one of Scott's hands in her own, giving in a little squeeze. "Trust me, we got this. This is for the greater good."

She then steps in, watching Sinister thoughtfully as he steps up to the platform. "Are you sure you know how to use it? I can guide you if need be.." the little exchange between the two men does seem to soften her heart a bit, suspecting their motives may be more noble than she first suspected..

"Don't worry about us, we will get through this together, we always do." she smiles gently, reassuringly at Scott as she says this, before bracing herself for the worst. It won't be the first time she has traversed the psychic plane..

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers shrugs his shoulders. "You may not break your contract or your word but there are many things that can go wrong. As I said I'm not overly thrilled with all the wording, alas nothing I can do about that now." He says to Lucifer before looking to Sinister. "You're concern is noted, but as Jean said we will be fine." Taking Jean's hand He does lean in and kiss her softly. "If you're sure...then there's nothing to do but to follow your decision on this."

Sinister has posed:
"I am quite sure, thank you Jean," Sinister's last words come as he focuses eyes upon the aether ball. Then the effect of his mind unleashing and amplifying in the great sphere of Xavier's cerebro begins.

His eyes go from that stormy grey blue of 'human face' immediately to crimson, then to spilling as much red light as often occurs when Cyclops unleashes. It casts a feiry glow upon the dome all around.

Then the ghostly images, a thousandfold, a millionfold, floating all around them above, below, stretching out into infinity. Human minds, mutant minds, inhumans, immortals, wizards, aliens... a sussuration of whispers of each thought half-heard across the eastern seaboard, then the americas, then a bit beyond that even....

One mind amongst many is zero'd in on; that of the Morningstar and his little ball of aether as all of them, Lucifer included, are shot through that eye-of-the-needle into a two dimensional plane, followed by a three dimensional, four dimensional and fifth dimensional extrapolation.

Blood is running from one of Sinister's nostrils, as the continuum of mind, space and dimension is manifested on the inside dome of Cerebro. The perception of the brain is to try and make sense of something beyond easy comprehension; it attempts to pass five dimensions as a kind of tree. Perhaps this was how great mystics and nutters of the past saw Yggdrasil. But it's rather like a mind superhighway.

Lucifer has posed:
The ball of aether that was in Lucifer's hand now just hangs in mid-air where Lucifer once stood. Apart of that, he along with Jean and Scott, are now facing a myriad of tendril type highways of mind tethers. As if on the outside of the phone booth in one of Bill and Ted's adventures, seeing all the highways that one can take. And there's a lot.

Like a lot a lot.

"Well...now it's all about which one to take now..." Lucifer comments this and then glances over to the others with him. "Tread carefully. You may not trust me, or even like me, and that's fine. But we don't need to be doing anything that will fuck things up more than they already are..." Course, he just stands there for the moment, concentrating to try and focus his link with Sinister and the aether to pinpoint with Cerebro and his dimensional focus which will tell him where to lead this very...odd...group of people.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey braces herself, knowing how very jarring traversing the psychic plane can be, even on the strongest psychics. Her grip tightens around Scott's hand, and as their astral firms are sent back to another time and space, she relies on her and Scott's psychic link to keep them both grounded. And then she waits, focusing on Sinister's signature, following wherever he is leading them all, hoping even now that they are not being led into a trap.

Even so, her mind reaches out on the psychic highway, searching for any mild signature that matches Sinister's although at this time, without cerebro she is searching little more than blindly. Best leave it to him.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma senses the psychic power being unleashed in Cerebro and, while she expects nothing less from that arena, she can tell some of the flavors of psychic power are not those usually associated with the school. Intriguing.

She settles into the most comfortable chair in the lounge, crossing her stockinged legs and gripping the arms of the chair with her manicured hands. Years of practice means it takes only a few moments for her to extend her soul from her body, stepping into the astral plane and plunging in curious freefall towards the presences she sensed in the realm of thought.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers grips Jean's hand following her into the Astral, a weird sensation for him it's true, but he promised to follow Jean's lead and on this one follow he will. Still not trusting in the least that this isn't a trap and nor does he trust that they haven't been lied to or manipulated he stays on guard though, and deep deep deep down hopes for the best.

Sinister has posed:
To reach through the planes without the focus of Cerebro IS rather like searching for a very elusive needle in a cosmic haystack, it's true.

A second trickle of blood joins the first in a line from Sinister's nose down toward his chin. Droplets land, red upon white, on his shirt, a sanguine rain.

Sinister's mind though, feels for all the world like the seaside. Salty. Clean. But shifting. Sands and depths and a multitude of unseen things beneath the placid surface. Threads in this mess feel similar, but none of them exactly the same.

But then, for the Morningstar at least, there's a current. It's disconnected and jumps, like that current exploded and left puddles of itself along the trace of irself -- All can feel gritty, earthiness beside some of these psychic 'jumps' volcanic heat with it, other places it feels void and threaten to suck the astral self into a whirlpool into that abyssal nothingness. And then? There.

There's a half-heard yell and a psychic scream from the mind's eye around a thread of the dimensional world tree that feels jagged, angular and sharp. There are no curves, no parabolas, only viscious, horrible angles.

In the mindscape this begins to collesce as a world destroyed. This is a dimension of nihilism. Quixotic entropy.

Lucifer has posed:
Everything looks similar, nothing standing out, and for a moment Lucifer wonders if he's just going to have to take every hopping from stream to stream. Which, at that point, would almost make this whole thing seem hopeless and helpless and for the very briefest of moments, the Devil actually looks - very much almost - defeated.

Then, something catches his eye, a current that jumps. Those screams that come along with it. "It's moving...from stream to stream...fucking christ...what it could have left behind..." But that's for another moment as he looks over and then motions. "Follow me, close now..." Then suddenly...another presence among them. "Ah. Miss...Emma, was it? Kind of you to join us. No time to explain, just follow me and get ready to be up against a very nasty version of Sinister." And then, without hestitation, he jumps into the stream that the current just entered.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey is no longer in her physical body, but her psychic link to Scott keeps him near, keeps her grounded as they traverse dangerous territory. But she has traversed worse, She grits her teeth and soldiers on, opening her senses to the sights and sounds and sensations around her but tries to focus on Sinister and his target. The sudden jolt of a chaotic realm causes her to shiver a bit but she focuses on that, knowing their target may be nearby..

And then she senses, another familiar psychic signature following them. <<Emma, is that you? We are searching for pieces of Sinister's missing psyche. Stay close.>> she hardly has to warn her of the dangers and despite their differences she is grateful of the psychic backup.

Emma Frost has posed:
"He wasn't always nasty? That's disappointing. I expect better of him, by which I mean much worse," she conveys, her astral self crystalline and almost luminescent, eyes shining and, of course, utterly immaculate and pale. She hitches a ride, so to speak, on the psychic highway and joins the group.

"Terrible thing to be sloppy with one's own psyche. As usual, I'll help clean up the mess."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers shakes his head remaining close to Jean. "I wouldn't go that far, I don't think that kind of thing just suddenly onset with nothing else being there." He continues along with Jean and remains silent for a while again.

Sinister has posed:
Within Cerebro's chamber, Sinister's head is now bowed over, with his eyes closed, holding onto the podium before him with whiter than white knuckles -- his shirt will stand testiment to the exersion as he projects through the machine and Lucifer's being. But that's somewhere else, in a world much more ordinary

    The mindscape around looks vaguely like it might have been New York City. But it could just as easily be any great metropolitan area. Fires burn high, painting the sky in red and a sickly, smokey yellow-orange. The guts of civilization, warped steel girders and concrete behemoths are reminiscent of the Sentinel's future in the Danger room. But this /feels/ a hell of a lot more real. And there's laughter. Sinister laughter that echos off of buildings, seems to come from everywhere. A trap you say? Surely not.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? How nice of you to all come along for the ride." Don't you just hate being right, x-men? There's no physical form though, the voice seems to come well, from everywhere.

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer glances around the area, getting a feel for just where they might be. Not that it ultimately matters because this reality - like the others that have been havocked - won't exist once they get rid of the culprit.

As that laughter echoes around them, Lucifer looks around a bit before taking a step forward. "A ride that is surely going to come to an end. You might as well show yourself...you got a lot of nerve splicing yourself up like you did."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey frowns softly as she peers around at the dismal world. Is this what could be, or has already passed in another reality? She is once again reminded of just how much of a threat Sinister can be and still is, at least, if he is allowed to be restored to his complete self. As an aside she glances towards Emma and Scott with a soft frown. <<We must stop this..We must neutralize the threat..>> however it suddenly occurs to her that the more mellow side of Sinister may well balance out this eviller half of him.

Either way she looks to Scott as field leader as to how to approach this tricky situation. To Sinister she frowns softly, a subtle glint of flaming gold red in her eyes as Phoenix recognizes a higher level threat. <<Sinister, you must stop this, if you don't, you will destroy everything..Even yourself and those you care for..>> she glances thoughtfully towards Lucifer, wondering how he's taking this all..

Emma Frost has posed:
If a psychic projection can wrinkle its nose in disgust, then Emma is surely doing so now. "Disgusting. Foul. Kind of pathetic, honestly," she sighs, hands on her hips. "I don't do 'rides', Nathaniel. I am not a child. Enough of this nonsense," she sighs in a slightly bored tone. Emma Frost is clearly a bit put out.

Her psychic self shifts, however, becoming more diamondlike, coating herself in a form-tight suit of psychic armor and protection. It never hurts to be careful, after all.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers shakes his head growling a bit. "I told you Jean, told you we shouldn't have trusted them." He scans around. "Come out you bastard show yourself!" He then looks to Emma and Jean. "Prepare for battle." Then to Lucifer He gives an I never bought it for a second style smirk.

Sinister has posed:
"It's not me," Sinister whispers, in the dome of Cerebro. But that's not likely to be heard at the moment, now is it? Felt perhaps. Perhaps. A crimson tear leaks from one eye, joining the silent red rain from his nose.

"Oh? I suppose tagging along because it's what all the cool kids are doing, is /so/ much better." The Sinister voice scoffs. "Careful Summers, you'll give yourself an aneurism if you overthink it. Or you'll fall prey to your own preconceived ideas. Wouldn't that be fun?"

The stormy sky, the smoke, the ash, it all swirls around the gigantic figure of Malice of Forethought, crimson eyes and red ruby quartz diamond a'glow in his forehead, the manifestation of Sinister looks down at them all, a Titan to ants. "You know, jumping through the planes on my way to this ridiculous end stop was most enlightening. You can pick up a lot of tricks. Also, intentions -- do you really think I'm going to let you kill me?"

Lucifer has posed:
In this psychic-led world, feelings are likely tangible. So if anyone is picking up on Lucifer, the devil is angry. Though there are a couple more emotions beneath the anger, buried in case this Nathaniel could sense them and in hopes he doesn't. Lucifer is sad. Heartbroken even.

The very thought that he has to try and find Sinister's mind within the evil, grab the memories while he can and then turn the evil Sin over to the X-Men is one thing. But no matter the outcome, he feels as though he is still losing HIS Sinister. Even if it's just pieces. And for the Devil, that's a tough thing. Because he sacrificed a lot to even be with Sinister to begin with - not only as a friend, but as a lover as well.

But that's neither here nor there right now.

"No don't!" He suddenly says as he hears the X-Men get all battle ready. "Don't engage it... just for a milisecond of your life trust me and what I say." The smirk he sees on Scott's lips however, cause him to turn away. But there's something in those blue eyes. Is Lucifer...crying?

"Heh. There's no letting us about it. I don't know who you are, or why you've done this...but you have something I need...and once I'm done taking it. I'm delivering you right to the people I promised you to... Do not underestimate me you creature of vermin. I've taken down demons more than you...you are no match for me."

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey frowns a bit, opening her mind to sweep the area for the focal point of the evil Sinister's psychic signature. <<Remember. This is just one part of Sinister's mind..The evil part of it, apparently..>> But enough talk, they need to contain evil Sinister as best as they can..They can decide what to do with him later.

At Scott's orders she summons pink tendrils of telekinetic energy, searching for the bulk of where Sinister is, and once she finds him, she will try to contain him, to hold him down so that the others can weaken him. From past battles she knows that Scott's optic blasts are particularly effective against the madman...

She is trying to contain the evil Sinister rather than battle..But she pauses a moment to glance quizzically at Lucifer. <<But we must neutralize this threat..At the very least we can contain him and determine how to deal with the situation later..>> it is a hopefully diplomatic middle ground although she is sure Scott has other ideas. And what of Emma, which way will she turn? She glances towards her thoughtfully..

Emma Frost has posed:
One of the first skills Emma developed as a telepath was psychic surgery. She's expert at dissecting the psyches of others, a psionic scalpel in her hand in the astral plane, severing toxic trauma and horror from the minds of others. Given the situation, however, her psionic scalpel more resembles a sword, long and shining and white in her hand.

She isn't much interested in the sentiments involved, one way or another. Frankly, she was a little disappointed to see such...empathy. To her, it was just a sign of weakness.

"'Allow' us to kill you? As if we'd give you a choice. If you're allowed to live, even in captivity, you should be kissing our feet. Well, you should be kissing mine anyway."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers chuckles and shakes his head at Lucifer's words. "You want us to not engage a hostile enemy combatant? The more time we waste the more likely he is to try and kill us." He says before looking to Jean. "Containing him isn't the best solution we agreed that evil sinister needs to be destroyed." Scott than smirks at Sinister. "You think you need to allow us to kill you? It's only by our good graces you haven't been destroyed yet."

Sinister has posed:
"No," -- another whisper in the dome of Cerebro, the dias that holds the helmet is just metal. Strong metal, but fingertips leave dents all around the rim by the simple vice-grip of a man that can benchpress ten tons. That's a lot of point-of-force applied in five points on either side. He might apologize for that later.

In the astral dimension, in this little joy ride of misery and woe, there's no warning given. All of a sudden, even as Jean is pulling her telekinesis and her mind to finding the 'bulk' of this loose and malignant collection of thoughts and memories... the landscape pulls apart as if exploded by a tactical nuke. Skycraper parts fly in all directions, the ground falls away below them and each is separated not by being violently flung, but by the fact that the plane they're in simply expands at the speed of thought, to put them in four seperate corners of the 'ring' so to speak. And it's a thing, perhaps born out of a rage that /drove/ a man to become a monster, contained and focused and honed by the fury and injustice that could take everything he cared about away from him before he could do anything to /fix/ it, that made Sinister learn how to inflict pain. Psychic pain... a world of it that is possibly a manifestation of all that, but it is sudden and it is violent and it is probably a very good thing that the psychics here are diamond hard, practiced, mind-linked and /expecting/ trouble. Even still, that scream of agony isn't to be trifled with. Hopefully, concentrating on that won't distract from the fact that a lot of the pulled apart landscape is now attempting to come crashing in very hard and very fast at the heros!

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey nods to Scott, readily willing to defer to his superior wisdom on the battlefield. <<Do whatever you feel is best, love. I trust you and will support your decision but remember our contract too..We agreed to weaken and contain him for now rather than kill him, to determine his ultimate fate once the immediate threat is neutralized..>> still, she maintains her position as support, perhaps hesitant to attack, but more than happy to contain the threat, to slow it down. Hopefully Emma and Scott will merely weaken and not outright destroy the threat..Yet..The reminder about the contract is directed to Emma as well as a newcomer to the battle.

..And then suddenly the world is exploding, being pulled apart. Jean screams as she's thrown to one corner of the landscape..Instinctively she reaches out to protect Scott first and foremost in a psychic bubble of protection..This is probably not the first time he has traversed the psychic plane, but his defenses in this realm are not as well honed as her or Emma.

Lucifer has posed:
Even as the ground begins to split between them all, Lucifer looks around and his eyes flash hellfire red. "Alright you son of a bitch. Let's see how you handle me now..." Contain. Weaken and contain. Grab the memories and then let the X-Men have at the threat. Lucifer has a mission, a mission of his own that wasn't written in the contract. Because he doesn't want the evil placed back inside Sinister (and his Sin likely knows this even if they never said it) but the MEMORIES. That is what he wants.

Feet dig into the ground and there is a sudden flash of light that surrounds Lucifer himself. It's bright, it screams Holy, and as he unleashes this holy power, pushing the force of it out in all directions to attempt to push back the pieces of skyscrapers flying at the separated heroes.

Holy power can go a very long way very quickly.

In the wake of this, Lucifer looks....a lot different. Now cloaked in white robes, with golden flowing hair and eyes that are stark white and burn with a white fire. He's grown wings - six pairs even - that have launched him into the air and he's flying right towards the titan smokey cloudy not-so-coporeal coporeal version of this Sinister, aiming for the diamond in the middle of it's forehead. In his hand, is a flashing sword, the steel shines like nothing within or without the psychic plane because no mortal could ever wield it. And the steel itself is on fire.

"I WILL TAKE WHAT IS MINE AND LEAVE YOU TO FUCKING BURN!!!!!"

Introducing Samael Morningstar - The Archangel and Lightbringer.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost takes to the air herself as the landscape breaks apart - "air", that is, since, of course, none of this is physical. There are no molecules, no atoms, no sky, no ground. Merely a landscape crafted of imagination, built from haughty pride and wicked intent. Those are things Emma Frost knows all too well. She thrives in them, in fact.

She extends her diamond shell outwards, helping to shield the others as well as herself. SHe isn't the selfless type, but they are so very useful and they are being a (Emma shudders inwardly) team.

Lucifer's display gets her attention further, watching the Devil himself rise into the air all angelic, "Not enough eyes, darling, but I love the wings," she says.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers shakes his head and looks to Jean. "That was the contract you made, I agreed to no such bargain." He says firmly and his tone does hold a hint of anger and bitterness at this thought. "But fine, you made this damned deal, I'll follow it, I thought it was foolish then, I think it's more foolish now!" He aims his eyes to evil Sinisters side and then it's all shifting! "Shit you asked us to wait, this is what happens when we hesitate!"

Sinister has posed:
A lot of things happen nigh simultaneously there -- the protection offered by both Jean and Emma: Check. The mind perceives what it knows of, diamond coatings, psychic kinetic bubbles, really, it's all a matter of neurones firing in strange ways, no?

In the mind, one thinks one can do something, one does it. Aiming eyeballs at massive cloud-Sins, the manifesting of holy energies of a Seraphim, who does look very glorious and terrible, no matter what plane of reality they're in.

landscape of the mind crushed, deflected, the visual representation of a psychic assault, there's a feeling in the air like a swarm is happening, almost a skittering sound, of a lot of tiny bits either coming toward, or going away. That's hard to isolate which it is right now...

And BANG, Lucifer flies headlong into the ruby diamond in the sky.

The psychic pain waves amplify a moment, crystalize the air, making it very hard to move, as if psychic blocks are shunting thought processes into dead ends. And then?

This is a laboratory. Sinister is standing looking through a one-way glass at an operating table on the other side. He glances back over his shoulder at the heros, then back to the one-way mirror, hands loosely resting in the small of his back. On the other side, there's also a Sinister on life support. The backdrop of that though, beyond the operating table -- it appears as if there's a machine of some kind. It looks alien and partially buried, a ring of bright lights and very smooth looking metal that has fused to what looks like pummice or lava-flow. "I think it's best that at least you know what you're looking for. That should probably be disabled." It's said mildly. "I don't have much time. I have a feeling one or other of you is going to obliterate this energy field shortly. Antarctica. Tartarus volcano. You need to make sure that they don't dig it all the way up. Hopefully some of me can explain."

And then? The mindscape is filled with flame and anger and a much more tangible and familiar form of Sinister, holding both hands out and somehow... holding the Devil at bay, or at least... that energy. That energy can burn anything and he's fighting to contain it in a crimson bubble of will.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey frowns deeply at Scott , thankful that the others are helping in defending them all..But he may have been right all along. "Very well..." she sighs, "You might be right..If it comes down to us or him..I choose us!" subtle golden red flames surround her form, not quite reaching her full potential as the legendary firebird..But she is certainly ramping it up a bit. The Phoenix is starting to see evil-Sin as a sizeable threat now.

She glances over at Lucifer who begins to reveal his true Color's in a blazing glory of light and beauty, and it immediately becomes apparent as he unleashes his full power at Evil-Sin, that what he truly desires from this fiend are the fond memories the two share..Perhaps she can use that to their advantage..

"Sinister, you fool..What do you hope to accomplish from all of this, besides destroying yourself..And the one who loves you most? You must remember who you are or we will have no choice but to destroy you!" her voice becomes harsher, less like Jean, more like the more detached Phoenix as those blazing wings surround her outspread arms, attempting to push Sin back, to immobilize him with even more power as she focuses on that jewel on his forehead..

For a moment she sees the flashes of memories, of the two Sins in the laboratory. She uses it as an anchor point to try to draw out more memories of the two of them for all to see, especially for evil-Sin..Perhaps she can still pacify him, make him realize what he's about to do..Make him remember who he truly is, whatever good still remains within..

Lucifer has posed:
All the things that happen at once, in a sort of whirlwind mind flash, leaves them precisely where Lucifer perhaps wanted them. Even within that crimson bubble, there's a grin, as the golden haired Archangel pushes forward, sword first. If one could hear, he's screaming while unleashing more of that holy energy.

"Got you where we wanted you...."

He will push until the bubble bursts and with speed unlike any other he pushes into Sinister to flatten him on the ground. The tip of the sword touches against Sinister's chest and in this psycho-analytic world, the Devil still manages to bring into existence chains which spurt up from the ground and wrap around Sinister's arms and legs. "Hell is an alternate dimension. So here is where your world and mine catch up. I want the memories, Sinister, the memories that you took when you split yourself from Nathaniel. I want them. I will have them. And once I get them... the X-Men will do to you what they have been wanting to do to you for years now."

He pushes the tip of his sword into this Sinister's chest just a bit, enough to let the cold heat of the fire be felt there. "You have no more power here. If I have to push us all into the depths of Hell I will. Give. Them. To. Me."

Sinister has posed:
In Cerebro: "Can't... hold this much longer..." bleeding from eyes, nose and now a little from his mouth also, where he's bitten down hard, Nathaniel Essex unclamps his hands from the podium and slowly lifts them to the helmet, holding it to his head, body in a staggered semi-hunched position. After all is said and done, he has pushed his mind a /great/ deal to accomplish this. "Get what you need, quickly Jean... Emma..."

But in the mindscape? The phoenix is rising, pushing against considerable psychic fortitude. This IS part of Sinister after all. One-against-one most people don't stand much of a chance against him and it's usually taken a whole team, like now, to best him in the past at the times he's been cornered. Against two psychics, an angry Scott -and- the archangel of the light, though? Nothing lasts forever.

The feeling of mental skittering persists however slight. it's enough to make the skin crawl -- like a myriad of bugs inside one's own head.

And here we are: at the point of a flaming sword that can cut through reality itself. Mental flesh really is as insubstantial as the memory of butter. A thing floats free with the tiny slice. A malachite stone in the shape of a heart. It rises up, bloody and hangs infront of Lucifer, glistening.

Like a montage, a vignette of moments passes over the mind's eye; the ghost of a young boy waving goodbye, touselled brown hair in waves -- Kiwi-lime Slushie on a promenade -- oddly, doing a couple of tweaks to a CRISPR machine whilst the backdrop of earth floats in the background, for the benefit of a Blue Lantern corp, something that wouldn't have happened without there being ... hope -- And getting a smile from the Lord of Hell that's just genuinely happy -- and an entire subway train of people, held hostage by a techno-psychic, saved by students of THIS school and ironically? By Essex knowing exactly where to sever technological control from mechanical control, preventing a lot of people crashing out through the barrier at the end of the line. Nobody reported on that. No newspapers broadcast it, when a lot of gifted kids powered out in front of a lot of terrified commuters. It's like they happily forgot about it.

All of that seems to be sucked into the malachite heart.

"Can't..." and the helmet is removed and dropped to the podium, as the Sinister in the heart of Cerebro goes down to his knees, and one elbow finding the floor. He reaches his right hand to his forehead and tears something free, tossing it skittering across the walkway that leads to the center of the dome. The diamond of ruby quartz.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma keeps the havoc at bay, showing her particular penchant for order and control. Her will is strong enough to keep any of the madness at bay as Lucifer cuts true and severs the ties that bind. Jean unleashing her potency is always formidable and just a little annoying. Emma can't help but feel the redhead is showing off just a little bit. Tacky.

Oh, sure, she's using it for good, blah blah blah.

She focuses then on the desired containment, building layers of armor and snare around the being as it's dragged in, preventing it from escaping or lashing out in violent reprisal for its capture.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey hovers several feet above the ground, jade eyes flashing blazing gold red now as she continues to attempt to hold back Sinister as Cyclops blasts him with his optic blasts. She's no longer trying to protect evil-Sin from her team mates' wrath, but instead focuses on drawing out as many memories as she can before they pulverize him - if they are indeed able to pulverize him..Afterall, Sinister has been known to kisses some impressive retreating abilities.l

Some of those memories bring a tear to her eye, and she glances towards good-Sin, clenching her hands as she keeps 'them raised skyward, the blazing Phoenix not yet at its peak potential as she keeps it from unleashing full power on this man..Perhaps fearful of what she too, might become one day..

<<Sinister, hang in there...Almost there...>> she glances at good-Sin as she thinks that, knowing that he is starting to waver. Just a little longer..

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer takes the malachite heart that hangs in front of him and places it into a pocket. Yes. The robe has pockets.

Then, in an unsettling turn of events, Lucifer can feel that link to Cerebro begin to weaken. With a thought, he reaches down and yanks the chained Sinister up from the ground, those chains further wrapping around Sinister's form. "Everyone brace yourselves.... we're about to get sucked out of this place hard, fast, and in a hurry." Saying this much, but he keeps the grip on the captured and bound Sinister tight, though soon the captured Sin is being wrapped in psychic bubblewrap. "It's over for you. You will never harm another being in this plane or any others ever again."

With the link to Cerebro gone, the aether sphere which Lucifer had linked to Sinister in Cerebro proper begins to collapse causing the psychoplane that they're on to begin breaking apart. A rip in the fabric of this plane begins to form, of the same aether materia that Lucifer made. "Through the portal! Now!"

Course he'll make sure that a bit of his hellfire chain is sticking out of that bauble so he can ensure to drag the captured Sinister along with them.

Sinister has posed:
The diamond of ruby quartz comes to a stop near the magnetic doors at the end of the gangway. It appears to be flickering slightly with little sparks of hellfire as it does so. Essex remains where he is for the moment, then slowly staggers his legs up underneath himself to rise. His white shirt is nothing but red droplets, though after a moment staring down at it, they all seem to just vanish into the fabric. The pale blue-grey stormcoloured eyes return though, the red fading out. Very slowly, he makes his way back from the podium. "I'll pay for the panel beating. I think that podium is in need of some TLC." His voice is a bit hoarse, it must be noted, as he glances at where the diamond came to a stop. He gestures at it, mutely, letting his hand fall to his side listlessly in the wake.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey draws a shaky breath as the world around them begins to collapse. She hurries to follow the others through the portal, shedding her Phoenix visage as she does so. Becoming the higher plane being does leave her a little drained but she is more concerned for her team mates, glancing over at Scott and Emma before hurrying to Sinister's side, still a bit woozy herself but in better condition. "Hurry, let's get him to the med bay.." she glances over his form, doing a quick mental sweep to see if his already shattered mind was further damaged by events that happened on the psychic plane.

Lucifer has posed:
Samael stands there, still in that Archangel visage, his wings tucked behind his back as best as he can fold six sets of wings. "If you would permit me, Miss Grey. Doctor Essex can heal on his own, given time..." He walks over to the diamond on the floor near the doors, picking it up and then moves back towards Jean herself and offers the diamond over. "Here. One Evil Sinister. As promised." A smile crosses his lips, his golden eyes shimmering. "I would rather my Nathaniel and I part ways at this moment. Do not forget the contract we hold. I have given my end of the bargain. Should you need me at any time, all you must do is speak my name." A chuckle. "I suppose I'm sort of like...what's the character...Beetlegeuse? In that way. If you'd rather come to Lux in person to find me, that is well also." He then turns to Nathaniel and offers a hand. "Oh. Should we give them money to fix the podium? I can hand over some funds now if desired...otherwise...shall we adjourn to home?"

Cyclops has posed:
Scott Summers pulls himself out of that daze he's been in following and staying beside Jean every step of the way. Looking at Jean and then the stone and back he grinds his teeth, of course he knows the material. "Let's examine this more thoroughly, I'd like to just destroy it and be done with it, but it would harness my optic blast, so let's see if it might be useful or we can find another way to destroy the thing." Looking to Lucifer a brow raises above his visor. "I doubt we'll call upon that, but its possible at some point....I guess."

Sinister has posed:
Sinister's eyes alight on Samael and well... he looks a little awestruck and/or dazed for a moment, tracking the being as the diamond of ruby quartz is handed over. There's an exhale he didn't know he'd been holding at that point. "Whatever you do with that, be careful. He's a tricky bastard..." his casual lean against the wall is not in any way him keeping himself upright. "I heal fast," it seems "but I... yes. Samael, I feel I want to be where the quiet is." A pause, a look to the X-men and he bows his head. "Thank you." For all of that, warts and all. He holds his hand out to the Seraphim then, for leaving this place is as simple as a flash of hellfire.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey blinks as she stares down at the Ruby quartz jewel given her. She had promised not to destroy it, only to contain it - unless the threat was deemed too great but..What to do with it now? Perhaps as long as it's not in Sinister's hands it is safe, but she can think of no reason to not destroy it now that the memories have been extracted..

But that is a worry for another day. She nods to Luc--Samuel, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "So you are an Angel Afterall, an Archangel if I am not mistaken. It was an honour to work with you. I hope your friend will be okay now.."

She glances back to Sinister, remembering some of those memories she saw and presses a finger to his forehead to give him one last memory that she managed to pull out from evil Sin. "I am sure our paths will cross again.." Scott is given a thoughtful nod and sigh, "It may be for the best should the threat be too great. And now that Sinister has his memories back.." well this evil Sin is no longer needed..Right?

Lucifer has posed:
Lucifer inclines his head towards Jean and Scott. "Perhaps you won't have to. The contract is binding until the end of time or upon the terms placed." This said and then he smiles at Jean. "Archangel. Yes. Both one and the other at the same time and apart." He then glances to the ruby that Jean holds and nods. "I got what I wanted..." Patting his pocket then. "So you may do with that as you wish. I would recommend destroying it. You do not have to hold my want to be there when you do. I only put that in as a safety net...were I not able to get the memories I needed." A smile still. "I hope, should we meet again, it is on better terms than this. I thank you both again for your time and assistance in this matter." And with that, he takes the offered hand of Nathaniel and indeed, in a flash both Angel and Sin are gone.