8841/Light a Fire

Light a Fire
Date of Scene:	17 August 2019
Location:	Mombasha Lake Commune, Monroe, New York
Synopsis:	Magik, Psylocke, Rogue and Shadowcat respons to an attack on a mutant commune. They save the residents from some very pious military types and cyborgs.
Cast of Characters:	William Stryker, Psylocke, Magik, Shadowcat, Rogue

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William Stryker has posed:
Bushwick is one of the most famous mutant enclaves in the world outside of Genosha. But it is not the only one. Not by far. Dozens of cities have their own mutant tows, entire towns have become mutant havens.

One such place is the Mombasha Lake Commune. Started in 2013 by Irene Hutchins, an early mutant who was by then in her early 40's, the commune became a refuge for many of the most obvious mutants. Some could not adjust to the reactions of humans, some were so obviously hideous they wanted to hide, and some just wanted to retreat from the strife of being a mutant in the world. Mombasha Lake Commune provided this place.

Across 40 hectares of forest and lake front, set up a logging road that was enough to deter anyone but the occasional camper or hiker, the commune was idyllic if a touch primitive. It served the needs of its residents in relative obscurity.

But tonight, the tension is extremely high. The summer heat always posed a danger to the area's forests. This summer had been particularly dry. And somehow, a fire sprang up earlier that day and roared across the only road out of the area. Within hours, the fire was well beyond extinguishing by the state fire fighters and they moved into trying to contain its spread from moving toward Monroe. The hardline was out, the poles burned and tumbled along the road. A NYS forest protection service boat came an hour ago and said they were trying to get enough boats to evacuate everyone, but it would a long time. They were told to pray the winds did not shift.

The tension in that many mutants came to Xavier's attention quickly. He was monitoring the situation. Less than an hour ago he called the team to deploy immediately. Someone in the commune was communicating by satellite phone and was calling in others the Professor could not sense. The thoughts of the caller were clearing enough to read though; he was calling people in as part of a plan to kill everyone in the commune and let the fire destroy the evidence.

The flight did not take long. The fire is an ugly red scar across a dark landscape. The commune itself is a collection of single story buildings that house about 30 people in a clearing by the lake. Their generator must be working because they still have lights. Sensors are not picking up anything in the area just yet, but the Professor had been adamant. Something bad was going to happen very soon.

Psylocke has posed:
A forest fire didn't seem like a sensible situation in which to bare as much skin as possible. To that end, Psylocke has opted for a full bodysuit that is nevertheless still purple. As the Blackbird nears the landing zone, she sits in the co-pilot's seat and reaches out to speak to the assembled team through her mic.

"I'm foregoing the telepathy since Magik might be frustrated only picking up every third word," she explains, "but I'll switch to it if need be. Whatever's going to happen down here, we need to remember our goal. Keep these people safe until they can be evacuated. We aren't here to put out fires or even save the place from going up in smoke. The people are our priority."

She turns slightly to glance sidelong at Kitty in the pilot seat, flicking off her microphone to mutter: "Get me a ruddy pair of red sunglasses. I'm turning into Scott."

Magik has posed:
Magik is here, in her armor, with her big flaming buster sword. She's using it as a hand hold with the point down against the deck, seated nesr to Betsy, to whom she offers a clipped nod of quiet understanding.

She's here as Fan Service..

Shadowcat has posed:
Shadowcat brings the stealth plane overtop of the area, instruments scanning the area looking for anything unusual. She takes some images of the fire's location and then brings the plane in for a landing not too far from the settlement, and on the opposite side as the fire.

Once the plane is down on the ground she phases through her seat's shoulder straps to rise. "Sending up two drones to keep an eye on the fire and area," Kitty says. She heads over to where they are stored, getting a pair and taking them over to the door to launch them.

Kitty grabs a tablet, giving them orders on where to fly to provide a nice aerial overview of the area. "Everyone's phone can pull up a real-time image now," she says, everyone's phone chiming with an icon for easy access.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is near the back of the plane, she'd been seated and belted in for most of the ride, but now she's floating in the middle of the plane's pressurized cabin and she's just holding her hands up in the air to gently touch gloved fingers to the ceiling of the plane, lin this position she doesn't buffet or bounce around at all, as she's completely independent of the plane's turbulence in the clouds, its a trippy feeling, she likes doing it for that reason.

"So why are we fightin' forest fires without Storm or Iceman with us again?" She quietly quips, with a grin. She knows those two X-Men members weren't available tonight. It just has to be said. Either way, she turns and starts to glide silently toward the aft of the jet, ready to take off when she's uncaged...

William Stryker has posed:
When the jet touches down mutants start coming out of the buildings. It looks like three might be dorms and the last probably the kitchen and meeting area. There are little makeshift greenhouses and garden plots, tool sheds. The mutants hang back from the jet except for one woman who wears worn looking hiking clothes, has her white hair up in a ponytail and is covered in fine orange fur with white markings on her face. She waves to the jet and is running toward where she assumes anyone in the cockpit can see her.

"Targets in sight. Plane on the ground, mutant in the air... ID confirmed, Rogue. Looks like this just got interesting. Bravo team, see what she's made of. Everyone else, kill anything coming out of that plane then do the rest. Go go go!"

Five figures rise quietly out of the lake with nightvision goggles. They sight and fire from grenade launchers slung under their rifles at the same time, right at Rogue!

Another group of five land on top of one of the door buildings and shed black parachutes. They open fire with assault rifles on the jet!

There is a glint of light in the forest to left of the jet. The shadows of three more men stalk closer to the villagers but show up on the jet sensors and the drones. They bounce radar back like they're made of metal!

Psylocke has posed:
"We're not fighting a forest fire, Rogue," Psylocke answers pointedly, "We're giving you an opportunity for your clothes to catch fire again. Didn't seem like you burned enough of them at the ice cream place." She wrinkles her nose slightly in a grin, unbuckling her harness the old fashioned way and climbing over the seat to step out into the cabin. Her own phone buzzes in the pocket on her thigh as Kitty sends the icon to it.

"First things first, let's make sure all the residents are -"

She doesn't finish her sentence as she steps out of the jet in time for the gunmen to open fire. A hand is raised before her, instinct to erect a telekinetic shield that halts the bullets around the ramp but does nothing to protect the bulk of the plane.

The shield still held up around the boarding ramp for now, she flings another hand out in an attempt to knock some of the gunmen from the roof with a wave of telekinetic force.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty walks down the ramp, flashing a friendly smile towards the mutants who are emerging from the building and coming to seek refuge and escape in the plane. Sometimes the best mutant power is a smile. (Trademark pending.)

Kitty waves them forward, when something catches her eye and she glances up, seeing the parachute troops coming down. "We've got company," Kitty says into comms. "Everyone, into the plane, fast," she says.

Meanwhile Shadowcat takes off running a looping path away from the refugees and towards the buildings that have the troops on them, trying to make herself a target and draw fire away from them. "Smoke them," she says into her comms. A small purple shape dives down out of the smoke blowing through the air from the fire, heading towards the figures in the lake. Lockheed lets out a breath and sends a plume of smoke rolling along the lake shore as he flies above it, obscuring the lake troops vision of the plane and the refugees.

Magik has posed:
"I will cover jet." Illyana says matter of factly as she rises from the bench and teleports herself just beyond the purple shimmer of Betsy's shield. Her massive sword hefts up from the ground onto her shoulder, one hand out to draw attention to herself by hurling huge globs of glowing green pitch in the direction of the gunmen.

Their rifles, at least these assault rifles anyways, are useless against her magical armor.

The darkness around her widens, demons beginning to crael forth to defend their Queen and assail her would be attackers. "Da, Rogue, only you are preventing forest fires." Through comms.

Rogue has posed:
"Ha ha." Rogue sarcastically says to the others now as she's about to exit the plane. "Not my fault these people are always tryin' t'get me outta my clothes." She quips back with a smirk. "They should try the ol' fashion way first though, buy me some dinner and maybe take me out t'the drive-in. Maybe they'll come off on their own then..." A grin is flashed back to her team mates before the boarding ramp is opened and Rogue takes to the skies, gliding out into the darkness without a sound!

Once in the sky, its not long before the fighting starts and she's ready for it. Her Seventh Sense triggers and she starts dodging shots. "Well hey." She now speaks over team-comms. "Looks like the party's in full swing!" Up in the sky a grenade detonates near to her but she dodges it and sweeps up a little higher. She's trying to spot the location of the people firing them at her and will then swoop down to try and devastate them.

William Stryker has posed:
Psylocke's Force push sends a paratrooper flying off the roof and into a tree beyond with an audible crack. As soon as Kitty appears as a viable target, the remaining rooftop shooters aim at her and Illyana and dump rounds in their direction.

Illyana's green gobs catch two of the paratroopers. The effects are not pretty. The remaining two jump to the ground, do admirable rolls and come up firing at Kitty.

Three very, very large men charge out of the woods near the jet moving extremely quickly. One breaks for the ramp and two are charging Magik.

The smoke on the water is effective. The squad there moves up in formation onto the shoreline to get out of the smoke and are searching the sky, rifles ready, to shoot at Rogue.

!!

Psylocke has posed:
"Magik, give them Hell - or Limbo, whatever. Shadowcat, if you can't phase through the bullets stick close to me. I can't extend the telekinetic shield out far enough. Rogue ... ... be Rogue."

Orders given, Psylocke reaches to her hip and produces what looks like an East Asian sword without the blade. She focuses her mind, a blade of violet telekinetic energy forming in the empty air. Jedis, eat your hearts out.

"Make sure we keep these people out of the line of fire. Draw the shooters off."

She keeps the shield raised, brow creasing as she squares off with the large man charging the ramp. As she spins sideways the blade hums through the air, directed at whatever villainous extremities might get in the way.

Shadowcat has posed:
Shadowcat sees the men jump down and bring their guns to bear on her. As they open fire, she runs a zig-zagging path in exactly the way Rickon Stark didn't. It must be frustrating that she's right there but they seem to be missing the wily, sidewinding woman as she gets closer and closer.

Finally she dives right through one of the men, reaching for his gun to phase it out of his hands and into her own so as she reaches the far side, she's coming up armed and opening fire on their legs.

Meanwhile Lockheed sees the men heading for shore. Oh look, the smoke is almost gone and soon they'll be able to see- Fire erupts suddenly in a sweeping line along the shore coming nearer to them!

Magik has posed:
The soulsword is nonlethal to the gunmen, but she can swing it like a massive club at would be attackers, attempting to bat them away violently into the darkness where her demons are waiting hungrily. "Da. Bring me suvenier." Said to Betsy, just over group comms.

Rogue has posed:
When Rogue sees the murky figure of the people stepping out of the smokescreen she soars around and speaks back over comm. "Bein' Rogue." She confirms her orders on a slow, but graceful, loop-da-loop in the sky that has her knees together, her ankles together but her gloved hands out far and wide at the peak of the loop... as she spins her body around and sweeps her arms up to put her wrists and fists together she starts on her downward angle... down toward the men firing at her.

With a curve to her descent she starts to gain speed and then SLAMS into the earth! So what the men have coming toward them now is a ball of mud, rocks, earth and fury! Being able to move a hundred tons allows you to use the earth like Bugs Bunny after all... though this is nothing like how that lovable cartoon Rabbit ever did!

Her intent here is to slam into all of the gunmen with a rolling wave of the planet's ground matter!

William Stryker has posed:
"Why... won't... you... Auuugh!" shouts one of the two gunmen shooting at Kitty. He was a Purifier until he took a bullet to each knee. So was his friend. They roll on the ground in pain.

"God is with us!" one of them screams and pulls the pin on a grenade.

The big man charging up the ramp at Betsy smirks. His eyes glow red. Over-sized muscles propel him at Betsy faster than any human athlete. He raises an arm casually to block Betsy's strike. He trusts in the light weight carbon steel alloy under his skin to stop her attack dead. He is grinning, savouring the moment went this filthy mutant woman will realize her powers are useless!

The first of the two big men charging at Illyana tries to give her a hug, utterly contemptuous of Cloud's little sister. So he was all the more surprised when he is knocked staggering into a darkness field with things that have nasty, big, sharp pointy teeth. The second one checks his momentum. He flicks one wrist and an energy whip flicks into existence. It crackles bright blue with some kind of energy. He snaps it out toward Magik.

Lockheed's fire strike brings the advancing squad up short.

"Was that a OH MY GOD!"

The five men are swept off their feet by Rogue only to have their hearts crushed in an instant when she rips through their lives like a force of nature.

The mutants? First some ran toward the plame but they quickly saw that was a bad idea and are almost all in the dorm buildings now.

Psylocke has posed:
Steel alloy-plated arms are very strong. No doubt there at all. They can stop a blade quick as you like and turn it away. The problem here is that Psylocke isn't actually using a blade, and telekinetic energy has very little regard for toughness and durability. It's all to do with how bad you want something to move.

And she wants it to move.

As the telekinetic blade passes through the cyborg's arm, it parts the molecular bonds and sends the arm clanging down to the ramp with a grisly thud. Not waiting or using the opportunity to gloat, the violet-haired woman takes to the air for a moment with a knee aimed at the big man's jaw. Her telekinetic shield momentarily dropping, the blade vanishing for a second as she puts her focus into bolstering the strength behind the blow.

Shadowcat has posed:
Shadowcat sees the grenade come out and the pin pulled on it and knows she has only moments to act. There isn't even time for a quality quip.

The gun is dropped and she darts forward, reaching for the grenade. Eight years into her mutant power, phasing an item out of someone's hand is child's play for Kitty Pryde, an action performed a thousand times in practice in the Danger Room.

She doesn't try to pull the grenade away, instead plunging her hand with the grenade down into the man's body. To the men it must look like she's planting it inside of his body. Close but not quite. She sticks her hand through into the ground beneath and lets the grenade go there where the ground will hopefully buffer away the lethal parts of the blast. Kitty then dives forward into a roll that would make her old instructor Logan proud as she speedily tries to clear the blast zone.

Magik has posed:
Illyana's fist comes up to let the energy whip wrap it and yanks backwards through the pain. It isn't that it doesn't hurt, more than she's tougher than her small frame suggests and has zero issues with dealing through it. "Human..." Growling quietly as she stabs the sword in her grip forward like a dull pointed lance aimmed for the gunmans solar plexus.

"You are picking wrong girl... very poor decision making. This ends badly for you." The shadowy creatures are already cripping toward them ready to overwhelm at her command.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue sweeps past the men like a crashing plane, sending a wave of dirt and muck in all directions with them. Some of the mercenaries are buried beneath the mud and filth while others are just sent tumbling off to the sides of it as the girl beneath it all eventually comes to a stop once she's sure she's past them all.

As it all settles around her, she turns to face them, drenched head to toe in caked mud and bits of natural earthy gunk, Rogue flashes a white toothy smile to them. "Oh look at me now, I'm all done up." She looks to the me as some of them are trying to get back up to their feet and she places her hands onto her hips. "Anybody wanna wrassle me?" She asks with a flirty tone to her ever-husky voice.

As the first man rises up, Rogue darts toward him, intending to rip his gun from his hands (without his fingers) and snaps it over her knee before she'll shove him back down and move to the next, entirely planning to go from a-hole to a-hole to do just this. They can't detonate explosives right in the middle of their own faces after all!

William Stryker has posed:
The cyborg on the ramp of the plane expected an easy victory over this mutie with the shiny sword. He was used to easy victories. Losing arms was a new experience and he stared dumbly when it happened. It is not at all clear that he registered the telekinetically powered knee that mashed into his steel reinforced face. Regardless, he lifted several inches off his feet, lands heavily and staggers backward. His red eyes flicker randomly.

The whump of the grenade can be felt through the ground for a few feet around the downed men near Kitty. The one who took out the grenade is utterly confused when it happens. He is tossed up a couple of feet in a shower of dirt. He lands heavily and gets peppered with falling bits of earth. His compatriot had more sense of self-preservation and was in the middle of trying to secure a combat bandage on his leg and crank the tourniquet handle down. He gets bumped enough to lose his grip but goes right back to twisting that combat bandage tight. His focus is admirable. He pays no attention whatsoever to Kitty or what made the earth jump. Instead he prays quietly to himself while whe works.

In addition to pain the energy whip has a stunning component to it that throws Illyana's aim off a little. Enough for the cyborg she is fighting to turn his body and avoid her blade. He invokes an obscure saint and hauls on the energy whip as hard as he can, trying to pull Illyana right off her feet. He is certainly strong enough if she does nothing to stop him. Unfortunately for him it also means he is still right there where Illyana's friends are advancing.

The three men who get up after being bulldozed look at the woman who rebuffed their earlier advance by so coldy tossing them aside and deside they do not like her make-over. They shoot with either their rifles or handguns if they lost their files. It makes no difference though. Swamp Thing Rogue moves through them with a wham bam thank you sir and leaves a trail of frustrated men on the ground in pain behind her.

Psylocke has posed:
Whatever Betsy usually is: poised, refined, charming. She's none of those things in a fight. As the cyborg goes down from her knee, she immediately sprints off down the ramp to meet him while he's staggering. Her foot raises to kick at his midsection with a booted foot, her teeth bearing and her brow furrowing with focused rage. Her fists lash out also, further blades of telekinetic energy forming above her knuckles as she does so.

The underground boom draws her attention. She's got no concerns that her friends cannot handle themselves, but she still cleaves to her responsibility. It draws her attention away from the cyborg for a moment, trying to make sure whatever exploded didn't take Kitty with it.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty separates the men from their weapons. Those go into the ground as well - it's a surprisingly handy place to dispose of things after all - all but one of the guns which goes over her shoulder. Kitty runs for the dorms then, pulling out her phone to check on the spread of the fire.

"Come on, we've got these people dealt with," Kitty tells them. "Stay with me in a group and lets start heading for the plane," she tells them, urging people to get moving.

Kitty reaches down to scoop up a little girl of four whose mother has other others to get moving. Shadowcat begins moving people back towards the plane again. "Lockheed, cover us," she calls out.

Magik has posed:
The whip hits and sends Illys arm into short convulsions as she is yanked forward off her feet into the mud. This does not improve her mood.

The souldword clambers forward in her grip, down in the wet earth. A perfect target if not for the ravenous monsters storming out of the darkness from both sides of the Demon Queen and cyborg.

She DID tell him it didnt end well for him.

She was just vague on how.

Rogue has posed:
After Rogue dances around the 3 men who'd been firing on her she stutter steps a few times and then lowers her hands with a wet slap against the outside of her toned thighs. "Well shit. Ya'll aren't even good enough t'make me break a sweat. Passin' out before I've had ANY fun. Typical." She quips before she looks around then to her teammates and then shoots off into the sky about 30 feet off the ground for some recon viewing.

On the team comms now. "Ya'll get the people safe yet?" She asks as she starts to soar above the chaos. "Let me know where ya need the hurt t'be brought down if not. I'm itchin' for some more punchin'." Clearly the mud-trailing flying southern belle is all worked up! Currently she's just above the Blackbird, sweeping over its aft section, zipping past one of those drones Kitty let loose too.

William Stryker has posed:
Betsy's punching back is in no shape to defend himself. In fact, he does not seem to be able to see her attacks. He makes some kind of garbled vocalizations but they sound like scrambled noise and digital noise. Indecipherable.

The mutants in the dorm are hesitant at first, understandably, but a few of the older and braver among them get the group going. Soon people are hurrying out of the dorms toward the plane. Adults turn the heads of children away from injured attackers and soothe them. One of the younger men turns green and then throws up at the sight of the two shot men on the ground.

Things do not end well for the cyborg with Ilyana. He is swarmed and his energy whip dies out. Admirably enough he dies with a prayer and not a single scream or whimper of pain.

From above, Rogue sees nothing but the mutants starting to move to the plane. The drones and Lockheed find nothing more either. The area is secure except for the fire that rages not far away. It may or may not take the commune, but it will not take the mutants who called it their home.

Thanks to the X-(Wo)men.

Psylocke has posed:
Psylocke gives the cyborg another swift kick for good measure, reaching out telepathically just to see if there's any interesting surface thoughts floating around there. She keeps her (unignited) sword in one hand, ready to chop a fool if he decides to get up and stop making weird R2-D2 noises.

"Alright, let's get everybody on the plane. We're still in danger here."

She looks to Illyana, making sure she's alright first and then up to the sky at Rogue. Her voice calls out to the flying mutant over her coms.

"That's some nice Rogue-ing, Rogue."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty helps get the people on board. Her dragon flies down to land on her shoulder, earning a generous horn rubbing from Kitty for his help in the fight. "You were amazing as always, Lockheed," she praises the little dragon.

Kitty Pryde glances over to Rogue and peers at her curiously before adding to Lockheed, "And you even managed to not look like you were in a mud wrestling pit during the entire fight," she tells him with a grin that is meant for Rogue. Lockheed? He just preens.

Magik has posed:
Illy is covered in mud, matting her white blonde hair and finding unusual places to smear. Sitting on the ramp of the blakcbird with her sword despawned, theres a length of arm laid across her legs with the unpowered whip wrapped across the back of her shoulders. When Betsy comes up, she smiles, beams really, up at the telepath, whatever counts for blood in the cyborgs all over her teeth where ahe bit through the damn things arm. "I got you suvenier."

Popping up to trot onboard as if all this is completely normal and doesnt bother her a spit. "I saw Lockheed doing very good...And Rogue" Whe stops and gives her a big, muddy, thumbs up.

Then sits down with her whip arm.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue lands on the tail of the blackbird with her booted feet apart and her fists on her hips. She looks down triumphantly at Psylocke and Kitty and just grins at them as little bits of mud fall off of her body onto the top of the plane (it'll all get burned off in flight).

"Hey." Rogue says then as she shrugs her shoulders and then slaps her hips again with a wet splat sound. "What can I say... I like t'roll around and get dirty." And with that said, the southern girl drops off of the jet and lands in front of its ramp. She grins at Lockheed, then gives a thumbs up to Illyana in return before she follows Kitty toward the jet and tries to hug her. "Come'er, my lil' mud pie." She tells her friend, fully expecting her to phase out before the hug can be delivered.

William Stryker has posed:
Illyana's trophy causes no small amount of consternation among the commune members. In the crowded confines of the jet, they shy away from her as she takes her seat, looking for all the world like the cat who caught the mouse.

Soon everyone is onboard and accounted for. Betsy's cyborg is booted unceremoniously off the ramp into the dirt.

There was only one thought running through the cyborg's mind, over and over. And once Betsy caught his thoughts, the cadence of the cyborg's garbled utterances made sense.

"God bless us, his purifiers, may all the ends of the earth fear Him."