298/The Darkmere Castle

The Darkmere Castle
Date of Scene:	06 May 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Rogue, Polaris, Gambit

---

Rogue has posed:
8:15pm on a Friday Night

Ororo had sent out messages to Polaris, Remy and Rogue, asking the three of them to meet her in the hangar for an operation and to put on their gear.

Rogue hadn't ever gone on one of these things outside of Danger Room exercises, so it was a bit awkward for her as she walked through the X-Men base wearing the black X-Men team uniform that had been assigned to her. "Need some color on this thing..." She said, running her gloved hands over herself that was encased inside of the tight fitting suit.

"Glad I stopped eaten them blueberry muffins awhile ago too... Or I might feel a bit self conscious in this thing."

Ororo stood waiting for them at the foot of the Blackbird's open ramp, she was in a suit of black/silver with a fine flowing cape.

Polaris has posed:
Walking in, Lorna is back in her green. She settles her cape in place as she walks, green pants tight with her sideless leotard and head piece also in an odd metallic green. She looks to Storm and then Rogue. "Hey TA, they told you about the school's extracurriculars hm?" She asks with an easy smile.

Gambit has posed:
Remy steps out not wearing a costume like everyone else would be, but is wearing his trenchcoat and some magenta armor across his chest and even his legs a bit. The thief steps into the danger room from another entrance than the women's changing room might connect from.

"Cheri!" Remy says approvingly looking down at Rogue's outfit and then glacing over towards Polaris and noding politely.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue walked toward Storm and looked over to Lorna, giving her a grin. "Yeah... well. I guess if ya steal a buncha useful stuff from Miss Marvel then they're more inclined t'put ya on the team once you've proven you're not just some kinda spy or somethin."

"Hardly proven, Rogue." Storm said in a soft but stern voice when the two other ladies joined her at the plane. "But you've done well so far... so keep on that pathway and we will all live a happier life, I am certain."

Rogue and Storm both looked over to Remy when he announced himself and Rogue sighed, then motined to Remy. "See? He has color in his... this is bullshit." She glanced down at her monotone infiltration suit then went over to put her gloved right hand against Remy's cheek, then kiss the back of it.

"Ladies and, sometimes, gentleman." Storm said. "We have a long flight ahead of us... So I suggest we get aboard." Storm had not yet said where they were going tonight.

Polaris has posed:
"This isn't going to be something that will put me at odds with Genosha's agendas, is it Storm?" Lorna asks as she gets on the plane and lets the couple have their moment. Her focus is the weather witch. "If it is, Rogue and I might be trading costumes so I can go a little more undetected." She jokes quietly, her green eyes focused as she furrows her brow.

Gambit has posed:
"Ah'm always a gentleman." Remys says as he moves over towards a seat in the jet and buckles himself in. "Ah'm ready. So where we goin' teach?" Asks the cajun, smiling back to Rogue from the sweet kiss and a glance towards Polaris, hopin' to not offend the green goddess.

Rogue has posed:
Storm stared at the three of them with a cold demeanor, but that just her style on missions. She regarded Polaris. "Stealth is our alley on this one, sweet Lorna." She told the metal magician and then glanced toward Gambit and Rogue. "We are going to the Canadian wilderness. It will be an hour and a half flight... So come along, I will relay the rest of the mission once we are airborne."

Rogue just looked between Remy and Lorna and would follow the rest of them onto the plane. She looked up and around at the SR-77. "Ah love this thing so much..." She said to anyone listening. "This one was improved from the SR-71 model, ya know?" She said to anyone who would Listen! "The SR-71 couldn't take off with its fuel tanks full, it had t'get refueled once it had completed the take-off proceedure, cause'a the weight'n all. But this baby? It can do verticle take-offs AND it weighs more. How freakin' rad is that?"

Rogue was struggling inside her own head to make Carol Danvers shutup while she walked up inside the Jet.

Polaris has posed:
"Should have prefaced with stealth. Would have worn the X-suit." Lorna shrugs and settles in across from Remy. "Stealth with kinetically charged explosions guy, that powerhouse in your pilot seat, you're lightning and my emps? We gonna wreck a base on the down-low Ororo?" Lorna asks sweetly, leaning forward to brace her arms on her knees. "This is the least stealth you could get-short of hauling the antique along."

Gambit has posed:
"We're not exaclty a quiet group non." Remy says with a playful tone, still waiting on the actual briefing on their mission. "What exactly is happening?" Asks the cajun calmly.

Rogue has posed:
"Patience, lovelies." Storm would say to them as they boarded the jet and the hatch was closed behind them. "Stealth to arrive, once there... they will be well aware of us." And with that said, Storm moved toward the cockpit. "Rogue, sit with me up front. I will pilot, but I want you to co-pilot. I know you hold experience in your head, but you do not with your body... So you need to garner that."

Storm took the pilot's chair and she looked back to Lorna and Remy. "Charles has asked us to stop a potential bloodbath before it starts."

And with that, Ororo started the pre-flight as Rogue sat down next to her and went to strap herself.

"I'm shakin' like a leaf here." Anna-Marie quietly muttered.

"That is why I mentioned the experience, young Rogue." Ororo responded, flipping switches as the Jet came online...

---

The take off was traditional and the Blackbird was now in the air, it was a clear night and the stars were shining out the front viewports.

Ororo spoke with her voice amplified by a mic in a headset she was wearing, able to be heard more easily now during flight.

"We are going to a castle in the Canadian wilderness. Two rival mutant clans, bound to opposing religions, are feuding over the land ownership of the Castle. The Professor has been monitoring the situation with Cerebero for some time, and he fears that blood is about to be shed. We... need to quell the feud and separate the two groups. This... is our mission."

Polaris has posed:
Groaning, Lorna slumps in her seat. "Greeeeat. Where's Jeanie?" She asks and rubs her face before sitting straighter with a look at Remy, mindful of the company in the back of the plane. Folding her hands in her lap she draws a breath. "So it's just a religious land dispute? No sweat."

Gambit has posed:
"Jean would help solve t'is pretty much single handedly." Remy notes, agreeing with Lorna as he looks over at the daughter of the dictator and hmms to himself. The thief is quickly going over his own inventory with a practiced hand.

Rogue has posed:
"Jean is indisposed." Was Ororo's simple answer to both Lorna and Gambit's questions regarding her. "We have to learn to solve things like this together, you two." She said, glancing back at them.

Storm then spared a look over to Rogue who was silent for the most part because she was fangirling / getting used to the control board in front of her. After about 45 minutes into the flight, Storm turned the controls over to her for a little while as well.

Once the Blackbird neard its target, the altitude was dropped and the Jet found a clearing in an old riverbed that had dried up after the river had changed directions somewhere up-stream ages ago.

"The castle is just through those trees." Storm said then as she went to unharness herself, as did Rogue.

Polaris has posed:
Unbuckling, Lorna nods having spent most of the flight in meditation, connecting to the Earth. She opens her eyes and looks at Remy with a brisk nod before facing Rogue and Storm. "Well then X-Men, lead on. This should be an adventure at least. Hope you brought your mittens Remy." She teases.

Gambit has posed:
    "I ain't got no mittens." Remy says, pressing the quick release button on his seat and climbing over towards the door. Filling in line waiting for Storm to take the lead.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue stood up from her seat and she followed the others out of the Jet, putting her hands back into her gloves after gaining her nerves back from flying the damn thing... it was exhilerating and terrifying to use someone else's skills to do something you never thought you'd do.

Storm lead the team out of the Jet and into the dried up riverbed. She found a cut through the woods and used a high-beam tactical light to guide them through it toward the direction of the castle.

"There it is." She said quietly as they broke the tree line.

Atop a steep, grass covered hill, sat a massive gothic castle that looked to be right out of an Arthurian Legend.

Rogue looked up at it and quietly whistled. "Lets hope that Princess Toadstool is in this one, so's we don't have'ta go find anothe'ah, huh?" She glanced over at her team mates and cracked a big smile at her joke.

The castle looked devoid of life, the windows were all black and there was no sign of light or life.

"Feels... odd.." Storm said.

Polaris has posed:
Closing her eyes Lorna lets her senses reach out. She feels ahead of them for metal, weapons, traps, even bodies. Her breathing slows and she presses her hand to Storm's back. "It doesn't feel right Storm. We need to be careful." She says in agreement, voice quiet.

Gambit has posed:
One hand slipping under his coat to grab a handful of cards, the cajun doesn't charge the weapons just yet but he does hold onto them in the crook of his sleeve, just in case. His red eyes look out on the serene country side and he lets a breath out to calm his nerves. "T'is place is awfully calm lookin' to be a home of some kinda mutant war." Remy notes aloud.

Rogue has posed:
Lorna would be able to sense metal of all kind throughout the castle's interior and exterior, most of it should easily sense to be your average belongings and furniture. But what might catch metal-sensing-eyes are a series of vehicles parked on the opposite side of the castle leading into its front gate, she'd be able to tell that they were all inactive and parked as well.

With nobody reacting to her joke, Rogue frowned and looked back to the castle. "I'mma go get a birds-eye view... I guess." She said, specifically to Storm who nodded to Rogue.

"Come along." Storm said, leading Remy and Lorna toward the dirt-stamped pathway that lead up to the castle and over a small metal bridge that spanned the shallow damp creek that encircled the building.

Rogue flew up into the night sky and landed on the edge of the castle's central walkway, she could be seen standing atop it and then crouching.

Over the comms, Rogue spoke back to them. "Ya'll... there's people, in the central courtyard thing... Lots of'em... it looks like... they're all frozen in time!" Her voice was a loud whisper.

Storm started to rush then, taking to the air herself she 'floated' across the ground up toward a side-entrance in the castle wall.

Polaris has posed:
"Is no one going to get-" Lorna sighs and wraps an arm around Remy. "Hold on-and don't steal anything." She tells Remy, flying them both up after Storm and Rogue. "At least they have cars to play with, I do love throwing cars at people."

Gambit has posed:
Suddenly realizing what's going on, Remy starts to protest. "Nonononon! We cajuns only fly in plane, helicopters and airboats!" Gambit says, his glowing eyes trying to keep Polaris from taking him to the skies cause he obviously can't touch her with him being a fiance.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue was crouched on the stone edge of the castle overlooking the castle courtyard by about fifty feet up when the others joined her. She lifted her left hand and motioned down at the people in the courtyard.

Down below, row after row of people were standing in lines and clumps all facing a wooden stage in the courtyard. They were all completely still and motionless. there were about fourty people down there, all adults of various sizes and shapes.

"I got a baaaad feelin' about this, ya'll." Rogue said, looking over at Remy and Lorna, then up to Storm who was still floating in mid-air, looking down at it.

"Charles spoke nothing of this sort of thing... happening here." She finally spoke, her voice soft and quiet. "What were they watching that took place on that stage?" She pondered aloud.

"Should we go'n see?" She asked, looking over to the other two.

Polaris has posed:
"We won't know if we don't." Lorna says and flicks Remy's forehead before she flies over to the wall and lands next to Rogue to see for herself. "Guess they won't mind if we don't knock." She muses and looks up to Storm, saluting as she drops into the courtyard lightly.

Gambit has posed:
Remy winces but doesn't make a sound as he lands heavily on his feet and knee with one hand catching his fall before he looks back to Rogue. "T'en- Yeah, what she said. Le's go!" The X-man is always up for charging head long into overly dangerous situations, because he's a true scrapper.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue watched Lorna drop down into the courtyard, then saw Remy doing his Assassin's Creed thing and she exhaled and shook her head. "This is feels... bad t'me, Ororo." She said, looking up to Storm who was still floating silently there.

"It is unnatural, child." Storm said back to Anna-Marie. "That much is irrefutable." Storm started to flow thourh ght eiar, her black/silver cape swaying about her body as she flew while still vertical in position.

Rogue pushed off the edge of the castle and flew down like a swimmer might descend further into the ocean... her legs came out near the ground and she landed in the soft grass, now at head-level with the catatonic people. Rogue reached out to wave her hand in front of a young spanish woman that was non-responsive. "Zombies." Marie quietly said, looking back to the Cajun then, since that word itself was rooted in his culture to some extent.

On the stage, however, something started to happen. A sizzling/crackling sound of electricity could be heard, sparking along the wood of the stage in a bright violet hued display of energy!

Polaris has posed:
Looking towards the light, Lorna raises an arm to shield her eyes a little. She looks back up to Storm. "Hey uhhh, Storm, you remember Krakoa Island right? In case we need to whammy things?" She ask and wrinkles her nose before looking to Rogue and Remy. "Best to get ready, this looks like bad news if I ever saw it."

Gambit has posed:
Remy would turn and dive into the crowd of people to attempt to knock them off their feet to protect them from the sound of electricty. He assumes it's an attack of arching blots, but doesn't "Get down!" He cries but quickly looks up towards the stage, drawing a trio of cards into his hand and cocking his arm close to his chest, ready to unleash his barrage.

Rogue has posed:
Moments later the sound of the electricity is silenced on the stage, even though its visually still there... the air above the stage is noticeably blurred and then a sphere-shaped bubble od violet energy bursts outward then falls back in on itself leaving a swirling, whirling, twirling vortex of white and purple energy.

A portal, in the most classic use of the word, rolling over itself while remaining in-place on the stage.

Two figures emergy from the vortex, they're both dressed in black suits with black shirts and black ties. They haven't noticed the X-Men yet.

"Get the women first." One says to the other. "What about the men?" The other paused and asked.

"Thats what the guns are for." His counterpart replied.

Rogue was standing in the back next to that motionless spanish woman, her two-toned hair blowing in a warm wind created by the vortex, there was a gusting warmth flowing out of the portal itself. Rogue looked almost as motionless and petrified as the woman she stood beside.

"Enough!" Storm shouted, having heard their plan she floated up into the sky above the catatonics and her hands came up. "Return to your portal and leave these people be!"

The two men, drew their guns!

Polaris has posed:
"It's always guns-you'd think they'd learn." Lorna sighs and rises into the air as her eye go white. She opens her hands, letting that green energy play around her fingers as her toes leave the ground. The guns won't fire, Polaris using her power to reshape the firing mechanisms into a whole part and fusing the bullets into blocks of useless metal. "No one is ataking anyone, or shooting defenseless bodies." She commands, her voice loud and booming with authority now."

Gambit has posed:
Remy scrambles to his feet, his boots digging into the top soil as he quickly makes himself the obvious target by moving towards the two men. Lorna disarming them of their guns is a huge relief but he's already moving towards the men and smirking, his fingers grabbing his lapel and straightening his coat. "Non, I don' t'ink we will be lettin' you be doin' t'at, gentlemen."

Rogue has posed:
Storm had expected Lorna to deal with the guns, because she knew Lorna's capabilities were honed-right in on such a feable and fruitless tactic... it was honestly a very big relief to have Polaris apart of the team for that very reason, the power of Magneto... except in a far friendlier (and more attractive) package.

"They're trained!" One of the men shouted as his gun was annihilated. The other suffering the same fate, recoiled back toward the swirling vortex of purple and white light that was bathing the courtyard in its eerie glow.

They both back peddled, looking from the floating Storm, then to Polaris... then toward Remy who seemed to be advancing as well....

White 'dust' began to flow out from the Vortex, like large puffs of snow or ash. It flushed into reality and swept across the stage...

"He's coming now!" One of the men in black shouted. "You fools have done it now!" The other shouted.

A third figure emerged from the light, he was dressed entirely in a white suit with a white flat-brimmed hat. But he had a black tie on, rather than a matching white tie. This man looked around at the X-Men that'd come to seemingly foil his plans, and he smiled.

"Well, hello there." He said to them, his voice laced with a Mississippi drawl.

Polaris has posed:
Keeping her face neutral, Lorna does her best to look at the newcommer without betraying curiosity or alarm. "I believe your men mean violence on these...paused people, this is your doing?" She asks, her tone implying it's more a statement. Eying Remy so close to the front she gets a force field ready to protect the Cajun if need by as she drifts to put her body between the man and Rogue's direction.

Gambit has posed:
Remy halts his approach, his stance wide and his coat caught in the wind, flapping against the back of his leg. The cajun has no words, as he waits for the answer to Lorna's question.

Rogue has posed:
The man in white's face wasn't visible, his back was illuminted by the ligh tof the portal, but the light was so bright that it left his face darkened... though it seemed a little unnaturally darkened even-still.

"Well of course its my doin', darlin'." He said back to Polaris then with a charming style that seemed to suggest he thought none of this to be any sort of foul. His hands spread out on either side of him. "Every single one'a these people asked for this... they signed UP for it, sugah." He said then, stepping to the front of the stage. His head canted up to look up at Storm and he lifted one of his elder-looking hands up to offer a little friendly wave to Ororo.

Ororo watched, unamused, from where she hovered. "Return to where you came from, leave these people be." Storm commanded then.

The man's upraised hand slowly lowered. "Oh... oh... I see." He said, sounding almost offended as his pale old hands came together in front of his torso. He thought about it for a moment and then shook his head "Well, no. No. I can't do that."

The man with the black face walked to the right, watching Remy and Polaris closely. "You three clearly have great power, I can see that... I mean ya tore my men's little pistol poppers clean apart, right?" He chuckled sardonically.

"But no, no I can't do tha..." He trailed off. "Do that.." He looked over Lorna, past her. "Pri-- Priscilla?" He asked.

Rogue, had been perfectly still, her hair blowing in the wind around her shoulders. But when he said the name, her eyes blinked.

"Priscilla! Come on up here!" The man with the black face shouted, and Rogue started to move toward the stage.

Polaris has posed:
"Priscilla?" Lorna tilts her head and looks to Rogue. She reaches out to put a hand on Rogue's arm. "This man obviously has some power over people-stand your ground." She advises the young woman and looks to the shadow man. "You can do that-you can release these people and leave. Whatever agency you think you have over them-you lost when your men made it clear they were taking the women here and killing the men. You shall have no one." She tells Shadow Man with the same authority she used on the mooks. Her "Magneto" voice.

Gambit has posed:
"Don' stop her Polaris." Remy says, his eyes turned back and looking at Rogue over his shoulder. That's a look he's never seen before in the southerner's eyes. This is something meaningful.

Remy can't interfere with the woman, this is obviously incredibly important to his fiancee and -- With his back to the Mississippi man, Remy winks subtly at Lorna.

Rogue has posed:
Storm didn't like what Remy had to say, she was with Lorna on this side of the fence. "Stop her, Lorna." Ororo said. "Hold the metal on her suit if you must."

When Rogue stepped around Lorna and emerged fully into the light from the Portal, the man on the edge of the stage... with his right hand outstretched toward her... stuttered. "Yo-you're not Priscilla." He said then, some spite in his voice. "But you look, so similar. Your hair. You've touched my world."

The Faceless Man glanced up to Storm and then to Lorna and Remy. "These people, they're not going to help you. C-come, child... with me. To where you're meant to be."

That was the last straw for Ororo, when she saw and heard these words. Storm's hands went up and she began to call for wind! The winds instantly picked up and rushed back to push back AT the portal itself. "Leave here! I command you!"

But in response, the Faceless Shadow Man swung his hands, and where his eyes and mouth 'should' be suddenly burst into beams of light, spewing out of his skull.

"Foul, witch!" He shouted up at Storm and when the light from his eyes and mouth landed upon her, Ororo fell from the sky and landed in a petrified heap!

Polaris has posed:
"Oh fuck this." Lorna grumbles reaches out. Her fingers spreads her fingers wide. She wrenches up, taking every nail on the stage to drive into the men threatening her people. Behind them cars lift into the sky. "Get. Out." She growls at the men she means to turn into pin cushions for the deck she's torn apart.

Gambit has posed:
"Storm --" Remy cries out, watching her fall without any time to catch her, there's Rogue not really reacting to anything and that's dangerous itself, but then ALSO there's Lorna more than prepared to become her father's daughter.

His fists balled in rage at the whole situation, and he snaps. "No!" Cries Remy. He crosses both his arms across his chest and swings them out quickly about ten cards in total fly from his fingers, each of them glowing in light pink as they fly towards the base of the wooden stage. (He's trying to splinter the wood in a shower of debris to push back the three invaders and to protect them at the same time from the hail of nails and metal from Lorna's attack.) He knows this could be futile, but it's all the thief can do at this distance.

Rogue has posed:
The Faceless Man watched the cars and other metal bits get lifted in the air and it made him swing his glowing gaze and maw around to aim it at Lorna! But before the light can reach her, Gambit's card attack slams into the stage's base and sends an powerful explosion of wood and splinters up into the air!

When it settles, moments later the three men on the stage are seen retreating toward the portal. The two men in black go first and then Faceless Man in the white is backstepping.

"Have a good evenin', ya'll." He said, his right hand reaching up to tip his wide-brimmed hat. He released a laugh then and stepped back into the portal that soon folded up in on itself with electricity shooting out of it!

MOments after the portal closed, the Catatonics all fell to their knees and began to regain consciousness.

Rogue too, dropped to the ground onto her knees and then onto her side... using her hands in the grass to stay upright though.

Storm woke up, reaching to touch her forehead. "What happened?" She asked, looking to Gambit and Lorna.

Rogue, stared at the dirt, with fourty other civilians waking up around them now.

"That was the man that took my parents." Rogue said, breathing in and out, trying not to scream.