9146/SENTINELS: Blinded By Science

SENTINELS: Blinded By Science
Date of Scene:	10 September 2019
Location:	Horizon Bio-Labs, Newburgh, NY
Synopsis:	A field trip to Horizon Bio-Labs goes horribly awry following an attack by the Friends of Humanity and their Sentinels.
Cast of Characters:	Wolverine, Nightingale, Shadowcat, Isotope, Storm, Phoenix, Triage, Samuel Morgan, Cyclops, Polaris, Lex Luthor
Tinyplot:	Sentinels

---

Wolverine has posed:
Field Trip Day.

The students were loaded into one of the Xavier's School buses and hit the I-84, traveling vaguely west in the direction of Newburgh on the other side of the Hudson. Their destination? The Horizon Bio-Labs and a presentation with famous geneticist Doctor Karl Lykos. Notices had gone up around the school about the field trip to Newburgh, and the extra credit in biology class didn't hurt as an incentive.

The bus rumbles into the parking lot outside the main laboratory building. A large edifice of white stone, steel, and glass it screams antiseptic, scientific future. As the bus rumbles through the gates, it passes a small gathering of men and women who appear to be loitering - two of them are in the midst of a heated discussion with one of the lab security guards. Once inside, Logan sits up in the driver's seat and yanks the handle to set the doors to opening with a hiss.

"Don't break anythin'," he calls over his shoulder, propping his feet up on the dashboard and lighting a cigar. He has no interest in the tour, apparently.

Nightingale has posed:
     Cabin fever had begun to set in. Studying and trips to the gym could only go so far, though of late, Shannon's morning runs with Samuel had done some good. It had been rather nice getting to know the newest student at the school, and it continued on the trip to the lab, the two chatting away amongst themselves. The journey could not last forever, and so, with one last check to make certain her image inducer is working properly--yep, it's 100% 'normal'--she heads for the front of the bus. She does pause, however, offering Logan a concerned look, and nods. "Really glad you're okay." She gets off the bus, and waits nearby for everyone else to gather for the tour of the labs.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde rises from her seat in the bus, moving forward and grinning to Logan before she steps down into the parking lot. "I really can't wait to meet Dr. Lykos," she comments. "Read some of his papers and, well, I'm not Hank to have got all of the details, but it was some truly interesting work," Kitty says.

She pauses to look around the area, eyes going over to the discussion being had with the place's security. If she doesn't see anything unusual about it, her attention is quickly back on the students however. The buddy system is being employed. With someone responsible paired up with Hambone. Because, Hambone.

Isotope has posed:
     Brian had a grand good time on the way there to the lab. He occupied his time talking with other students and joking around, like any other student would.

  His image inducer would be on of course, showing a grey Xavier's tee shirt with a pair of jeans and brown Doc Martens boots on his feet. As the group exited the bus, Brian almost patted Logan on the back before he stops himself and just leans a little to the cigar-smoking mutant. "We'll bring you back a souvenir, Mister Logan." He says, flashing a grin. Joining his fellow students in gathering.

Storm has posed:
Ororo gets to her feet first and moves to stand at the bus door as people dismount. Her mouth moves as she counts heads. Ororo's attire is relatively incognito; low-heeled grey athletic shoes, close-fitting jeans that ride low on her hips, and a blouse in muted ivory that clings close to her midsection but flows loosely through her chest and shoulders.

To complete the look, her hair's piled up under a steel-grey flat cap. Bits of it escape and hang around her ears and neck, but it at least keeps her from standing out *too* visibly.

She claps her hands twice to get everyone's attention. "Remember, we're here as guests," Ororo says, firmly. "The buddy rule's in effect. Don't go anywhere without them. This is a laboratory, and there are hazards for the unwary. Don't touch anything without permission. Definitely don't /eat/ anything," she adds, with a wry smile. "

Phoenix has posed:
Headmistress Grey isn't usually one to join something like a school trip, but having been absent from school functions lately, she took it upon herself to get closer to the student body. As such, she joined the field trip as a Chaperone. Needless to say, the Headmistress' presence might be daunting to some, but anything to encourage best behaviour from the students in public is always a plus.

She keeps her place right by the front door of the bus, so she has a good view of everyone stepping inside.

She's dressed quite casually for the affair, nothing too formal about a field trip. Hopefully it's an educational experience without any accidents. Problem being, somehow Xavier's seems to draw 'accidents' out of thin air.

Triage has posed:
Triage might have graduated but he was glad to accept the invitation to this trip. After ally, learning ore about the science that explains their common situation should be welcome. He follows the students out of the bus, giving a respectful nod to Logan and then clambering down the steps. "Hands inside the car at all times!" he quips. He, too, notices the pair quibbling withthe guard. He frowns and then glances to the teachers turned chaparones.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The trip was an opportunity. Both to get to know the other students, get out of the school, and see some remarkable breakthroughs (hopefully) in genetic science. It's a topic that's close to Sam's heart, the nerd that he has turned out to be.

    Chatting with Shannon throughout the trip, he keeps half an eye on the road and the vehicles surrounding them, occasionally glancing at one more closely that might or might not have passed them before. Even on a school trip, he's still just that little bit paranoid.

    Quite aware that he's one of the 'special' students, Bean pairs off with Shannon (who else) and descends the bus in silence, looking around, noticing the discussion with security and filing it away, giving a casual glance at the security guard that lingers half a second too long, and then his attention is entirely on the reason for their trip. Science!

Cyclops has posed:
Not everyone went on the somewhat crammed bus, which means those that went ahead to check in with the facility are there to greet the bus. Scott Summers, with a black folder held loosely in his left hand against his ribs, is standing out on the sidewalk in front of the bus as it pulls up and parks. He's dressed in business casual, discrete.

"I must have missed an interesting discussion about which things are edible in a lab," Scott observes with an arch of one eyebrow, catching the tail end of Ororo and Logan's warnings as the bus doors open, with a deep, short sigh.

Jean appears at the door first, and Scott pauses, as if there were something he were considering saying, but instead just nods at her once, clears his throat. "Jean."

Scott's attention moves into his folder, flipping that open. "They're ready for us," he says, as if that information were in the folder.

Wolverine has posed:
"I'm fine," Logan says, waving Shannon away with a hand, "Never better. Go learn about genes."

Brian's comment only gets a wary, narrow-eyed look from the Canuck that suggests any and all souvenirs ought to be freely given by the lab staff.

He watches the rest of them file off the bus, feet still propped up on the dash, and turns his head to blow a noxious cloud of smoke out the driver-side window and into the open air outside. He turns his head slightly, watching the guard argue with the surly fellows outside.

"Welcome, students!" the woman in the white coat with the clipboard announces, taking a step towards the group as they file off the bus, "My name is Doctor Delia Sanders - but you can all just call me Doctor Dee. I'm the junior head of genetic research here at Horizon Bio-Labs, and I'll be conducting your tour! First off, I've got your visitor's passes here with me."

That said, Doctor Dee immediately begins to hand out little placards marked with a red 'V' on white 'Horizon Laboratories' lanyards. Once they're handed out, she leads the field trippers into the reception area and through some more glass doors to the laboratory itself.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon smiles and inclines her head to Doctor Dee, accepting her visitor's pass and slipping it around her neck. "Thank you kindly, ma'am." A bit formal, directly at odds with her decidedly casual appearance. She keeps a respectful distance, though is keen enough on the excursion to be peering around the place, as if trying to imprint every last detail in her memory. Perhaps with this trip, they could all finally relax and just enjoy.

"You know, Samuel, I never would've pegged you for liking science. This should be pretty interesting stuff."

Phoenix has posed:
"Just be on your best behaviour and mind Doctor Dee," Jean reminds the students and she quietly goes to help handing out the visitor tags to everyone, while taking one for herself.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty lingers by the bus until everyone is out. The headcount is right. Didn't lose anyone on the trip over. This time. She glances back into the bus as Logan lights up his cigar. "Just be sure to air it out before we're back," she says, voice slightly teasing towards Logan before she waves and heads to follow inside.

Kitty gives their guide a smile and says, "Thank you for having us, Doctor Dee. It is great getting a chance to see what a cutting edge facility is like." Kitty waits at the door, letting a few of the students in before following inside herself, Kitty wearing the lanyard she's given. When they reach the laboratory, she starts peering about with interest. At the computers especially. It's a bit of an obsession.

Isotope has posed:
     Brian simply grins as Logan gives him that slight scowl. He was joking of course, unless there were souvenirs, then Brian would definitely get Logan one.

  Brian would have paired up with Shannon, but Samuel's quick pairing went noticed. Deciding to pair up with another student, Brian looks to Scott as they approach. "If it's bubbling and looks acrid, you're good to drink it!" Brian jokes, he was one of Hank's good students, despite his goofy attitude, he had been known as a good student and a rule-follower since he got to the school.

  Brian took his visitor lanyard with a smile and a nod while putting it around his neck, following the group inside.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Thank you, Doctor Sanders." Yes, Sam is going to be formal. Once someone has earned the title of 'Doctor', he feels that the least you can do is remember their surname. The visitor pass is accepted, held in his hands for just a moment, and then slipped over his head so that the lanyard hangs precisely, without kinks or twists, the pass centered perfectly over his grey Xavier hoodie.

    Everything gets an interested look as the group is led inside. The general architecture, signs noting emergency exits, the width of the doorways, position of security cameras, position of any security guards that might be loitering around... and then he remembers that he's here for the science, not to raid the place, and forces himself to relax.

    "Biology and Chemistry is interesting stuff, I've always liked it." But then, he is a chimera.

Cyclops has posed:
Brian's joke doesn't fall unnoticed by Scott as the student passes by him, and Brian earns a deadpan stare, and then a gesture of fingers from Scott's ruby glasses to Brian: a very clear 'I'm watching you' gesture, which is followed by a subtle little smile. Occasionally Scott will take a joke.

"Just one lanyard," Scott instructs one of the students that seemed to think they might need double access. When the student shows they are giving it to their buddy, that gets a nod of approval from the administrator. Scott waits for most of the group to entirely unload, get their badges, and follow the doctor/tour guide, while his eyes move over the parking lot with subtle but strict vigilence.

Storm has posed:
Ororo accepts a pass and clips it carefully to her blouse. More interested in the students than the technology, Ororo keeps a wary blue eye cocked towards the student body at all times.

She wriggles fingers farewell at Logan in the cab, and falls into step next to Jean. "Look at Kitty, taking charge," Ororo murmurs to the redhead. "They grow up so fast, don't they?" she inquires, a little rhetorically.

She pushes white bangs back from her forehead and tucks them under her cap, then grins down at Jean and gives the other woman's arm a quick squeeze and bumps shoulders. "Do you want to be my safety buddy, or hang back with Scott?" she inquires-- her tone playful and only a little teasing.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean smiles as everyone is done orderly, and Ororo moves to stand by her side for a moment. <<Remember the first time we were in charge of anything? Kitty was 13 first time I met her, this is amazing to see.>> She answers Ororo telepathically, just on the off chance any sharp eared student might pick on whispered words. Truth be told, she's immensely proud of the woman Kitty had become. If she'd had her guess, she'd point at Kitty as a future Headmistress at Xavier's.

When Ororo teases Jean about hanging back with Scott, a slight flush takes over Jean's cheeks, as she gives Ororo a bit of a nudge, "I'll gladly be your safety buddy," she accepts the offer, her voice a bit strained with awkwardness, as she forces a perfect smile to suggest she wasn't teased in the least.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods, and cracks a smile at Samuel. "Yeah. Got a lot more interesting since coming to school. Might aim for being a doctor myself one day." She does a quick take around the area, lifting her chin a notch and smiling at Brian. She also spots Ororo, and smiles brightly, wriggling her fingers in a little wave. She'd seen too little of her since her arrival at the school, and it was a pleasant surprise to see her along.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna had lingered in the back, on her cellphone and furiously typing away to something on the other end. The Genoshan tech was glass thing and especially made to hold up to the magnkinetic's powers. So despite her frowning harshly at whatever it was on her screen, there was no threat that she'd accidentally destroy this piece of technology at least. She finally clicked it off, making to catch up to the back of the to grab a lanyard and nudge a few of the students that were too distracted to pay attention to the shifting line ahead.

The Princess of Genosha, had dressed down for the visit. Going so far as to dye her hair black to hide her green tresses and //not// gain too much attention to who she was for once. A pair of slacks, and a purple buttoned up shirt and heels completed the look. All of which left her looking vaguely professional and competent. Her gaze swept over the area as they walked, her own lanyard politely slipped on over her head.

Isotope has posed:
     A light chest-slap given to his buddy as Scott chides for taking two badges, and Brian is off following the others. He also gives Scott a pair of finger-guns before he continues to enter. He'd only give Samuel an occasional side-eye for a bit. He still wasn't sure what to think of the new guy.

  The slightly baking mutant followed the Doctor closely, taking in her words carefully.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    For his part, Sam is ignoring the occasional glances he's getting. Most students had never met him, some students had only seen him at his worst, and others have heard the rumors that he's one of /those/ students that ended up in Mister Logan's class. He's trying to act the teenager here, as best as he is able. "You would make an absolutely wonderful Doctor, go for it."

Cyclops has posed:
"Shannon," Scott addresses the angelic young teen, his voice carrying clearly over the chatter. At first, it might make one jump -- usually when Mr. Summers does that, it comes with a firm reprimand. He's more known for being strict. "If you want to follow that dream, we can do a work-up on what classes and focus you'll want going forward," is what Scott says. His tone is serious, but supportive.

Scott takes a moment to look back at the bus, with a quick hand signal to Logan. They're good so far, the X-Men signal conveys, before the group is entirely inside. Lorna gets an immediate quick greeting from Scott when she draws near him in the rear of the group. "Everything all right, Lorna?" he asks, with a slight incline of head towards her phone, having caught the frown, and slowing - in case she wants to lag in the back to speak briefly.

Polaris has posed:
Lorna looked back up from inspecting the place, dragging her green eyed gaze to Scott as he pulled alongside her in the back. She shrugged once, a half grimace, half smile playing along the edges of her lips. "Oh, you know. The typical issues that come with people with different agendas in political spheres." She reached up to shove her hair back from her face.

"Nothing life threatening for now." She offered, shoving her hands into her pockets.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon doesn't even jump when Scott addresses her directly, only nodding. She tucks a stray wisp of pale gold away behind her ear, and cants her head slightly to the side. "I remember talking with you about something like that just before the semester started, but we didn't get into too much detail. You were asking about my interests then. Maybe sometime after the trip?" Odd, she'd actually taken rather a liking to the serious one, despite warnings to the contrary from others in the student body.

Her face does turn beet red, though, as she hears Samuel. "Pfft. I've got a long way to go there. But what about you? Got any thoughts on what you'd want to do?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde looks over and flashes a smile to Jean and Ororo, having no idea they are talking, or thinking about her. As Kitty passes Scott she smiles over to him. "This trip was a great idea. When the staff are as excited to meet the people as the students, you know it's a great situation," she says to him.

Kitty pauses by Samuel then to give him a reassuring smile. She walks at his side for a bit, saying, "If you need anything Samuel, just let me know, ok?" she says. She makes the smile warmer and then Lorna's comment gets a soft chuckle. "Famous last words," Kitty jokes to her friend.

Wolverine has posed:
The tour of the laboratory is, startlingly enough, rather interesting. All the equipment is state of the art, and Doctor Dee explains it in a way that seems interesting without being overwhelming scientific to the point of being techno-babble. The other staff at the laboratory are similarly friendly, pausing in their jobs to explain what they're doing and how they came to work at Horizon if anyone happens to ask. All in all, it's a pleasant little tour of a high-end research laboratory.

During the tour, several security guards wearing the Horizon logo on their arm patches walk quickly but purposefully down the glass corridor that bisects the main area of the lab. One of them holds his mouth to the radio he wears, talking quickly to someone on the other end before he takes off at a jog. It doesn't appear to be business as usual at the labs, as a few of the workers crane their necks to get a better look at what's going on.

But Doctor Dee persists with the tour, paying the security guards no mind as she directs everyone to a room that seems to double as an auditorium of sorts with seats arrayed. At the front of the room is an average looking man with neatly-combed, brown hair and a name badge that reads 'Lykos'. As the students begin to wander in, he gestures for everyone to take a seat.

"Hi, everyone, if you'll just take a -"

* KRA-THOOM! *

Outside, something explodes with enough force to rattle the walls and send trembles through the floor. Immediately, red fire alarm klaxons begin to sound. Through the glass walls of the lab, the workers can be seen hurriedly rushing for emergency exits. Although the parking lot can't be seen clearly from here, there's enough smoke and dust in the air outside to suggest that whatever it was, it was big.

Phoenix has posed:
When the suspiciously alert security guards walk by, Jean can't help but reach for their thoughts, curious if any real danger is lurking about. But she likely gets her answer before she can even manage to skim their minds, as the loud explosion is heard from outside. Something is most definitely amiss, "students, everyone stay together," Jean quickly calls out to everyone, while eyeing the other faculty members, just as a heads up, to make sure they're all prepared to engage whatever may come. <<Psychic link established,>> Jean informs her fellow X-Men as she once again falls to her usual X-Men role of in field communication rely.

Storm has posed:
For just a moment, Ororo's hand tightens on Jean's. It's a subtle flinch against the walls shuddering and the lights flickering. She maintains an iron grip on her emotions, but the ashen pall to her cheekbones suggests Ororo's struggling against a knee-jerk instinct to flee out the nearest window.

<< Everyone, stay calm,>> Ororo projects through the interlink. Despite her internal fear, she projects an aura of calm alertness. Ready for anything. The air pressure and humidity in the room change subtly in response to the weather-bending mutant reaching out her will to grasp the elements around her.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon was just sitting down with the other students to listen to the presentation. The security guards did get a brief glance from her on their way in, but they could be heading off to take care of just about anything, right?

Wrong.

Her hand curls about the leather bag at her belt and she tenses up, on full alert, as she peers intently around. For the moment, nobody seemed hurt in here, but it seemed like things were about to get real. She looks over at Samuel, nodding once. "You okay there?"

Cyclops has posed:
The loud sound immediately puts Scott into battle mode. It does look a great deal like his usual mode, though. << Polaris, >> Scott immediately addresses, when Jean puts the mental link up between them. << What can you sense? Sentinels, or something else? >> Scott's hand automatically went to the side of his face, as well as quick analysis of their location as he strides across the side of the group, physically putting himself between the clear exterior and the students.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde jumps at the sound of the explosion, reflexively phasing until she realizes she is not in immediate danger. Kitty looks quickly to the teenaged students, saying, "Ok, kids, everyone stay calm," she says aloud so the facility staffers can hear it as well.

Kitty looks towards Dr Lykos, and Doctor Dee if she is still there. "Do we need to evacuate?" she asks them, eyes going from one to the other. <<Do we need to evacuate?>> Kitty asks, figuring Jean knows more of what is going on than anyone in the room.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"What was that?"

Lex Luthor was a guest of the CEO of Horizon, Max Modell, discussing business and research in the main office when the klaxons start. Mercy and Hope both start their own security checks of the room, with Hope going right for the door to open it for her boss. "Almost like an explosion, but not." Lex muses a bit as he stands up from the chair and starts to head for the door. "Do you have any sort of dangerous research going on right now?" Lex asks Max, "I thought you were mainly handling genetics here."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    It's been years since Sam has seen anything like it, and he's full of questions about the minutiae of some of the more modern technology. Some pretty incisive questions, even, covering a field of study that so interested his Father. Even after the tour, he's still brimming with questions that he can't wait to ask, eagerly heading towards the seats in the auditorium. Yet despite being more at ease, his old instincts haven't deserted him. He has seen the security guards, noted the responses of some of the researchers, and when the time comes to sit down, he waits to let others file in first, so he can grab the seat next to the aisle.

    When the explosion comes, he goes from slightly on edge to full on adrenaline kick. No flinch, no sudden shock. One moment he's looking forward to a lecture, the next he's scanning for threats, hearing instructions and reaching out to the limit of his abilities, looking for aberrant technological signatures that didn't come in with them.

    When Shannon looks over, Sam is standing in a pose ready to engage a threat from multiple directions, head on a swivel. "Sound off! Anyone injured?"

Polaris has posed:
Lorna had lingered in the back, taking up a position in the last few seats to keep an eye out on the students and whatever else was going on in the room they were escorted to. She hadn't missed the guards moving about, but nothing had truly caught her focus. Not until the loud bang and explosion that followed, shaking the building. She was on her feet in seconds, her senses stretching out far into the magnetic fields even before Scott told her to. She was prepared, it was more instinct than anything else.

<<On it.>> She mentally responded to Scott as he called out through the mental link Jean established between them.

Isotope has posed:
     The crash has Brian already getting into tactical mode. He would help the staff keep the younger students calm and paying attention where it was needed. "Anyone hurt?"

Triage has posed:
Triage wasn't a veteran like the instructors, but he'd practiced, like every graduate of the school, for situations like this. "Protective stances!" he calls to the other students in the group. He follows his own advice, glancing around him for a safe spot. When he sees the teachers tensing and preparing for action, he nods. "Stay low and call out if you're hurt!" he urges.

Wolverine has posed:
"I - " Doctor Lykos looks at Kitty with raised eyebrows, clearly as shocked as anyone else, "Yes. Yes, I think so." He doesn't wait to see if she follows his advice on the evacuation, instead grabbing up his paperwork from the desk and bundling it under one arm before charging for the emergency exits. It becomes abundantly clear that the lab staff are making a break for it, and leaving the field trippers to fend for themselves.

"Sounded like an explosion to me," Max tells Lex with wide-eyed alarm, "This is a biology lab, Luthor. There's nothing here to cause that kind of reaction - and it sounded like it was coming from outside!" The man with the bright, red beard shoulders his way past Lex to make for the emergency exit, "We'll have to reschedule!"

In the parking lot, Logan's own connection to the telepathic link is spotty at best thanks to the adamantium skull he enjoys. He can hear bits and pieces of the conversation, but can't understand it fully. Frustrated, he climbs out from the bus and thinks as hard as he can in Jean's general direction: <<Parking lot is empty. Explosion was out by the gate, though ... uh oh.>>

A loud, whirring sound like a jet turbine can be heard overhead even from inside the laboratory. Three more thudding impacts rumble outside the lab, as though something heavy has just landed on the ground there. Several more come soon after, like the shuddering footfalls of some giant.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean looks entirely focused on keeping track of the number of students, all are present, none trying to be heroes. "Students, stay close and if possible behind faculty. We're dealing with a big threat here...don't play the hero and get yourself hurt, but do what you must to be safe." Jean informs the student, even as she offered slightly more information to the X-Men themselves. She personally only dealt with a Sentinel attack once, and she wasn't looking forward to another experience, particularly not with student present. <<Storm, maybe you should head on outside and introduce a bit of lightning for our 'friends'?>>

Storm has posed:
Ororo glances over her shoulder at the children, then looks to Jean and Scott. The virtue of a telepathic communication is how much faster thoughts are than words. The more senior Xavier teachers have had plenty of practice in keeping their thoughts coherent in a crisis for just this reason.

The conversation takes seconds and she shifts her weight forward with a purposeful stride towards one of the emergency exits.

Right before she exits, Ororo pauses and puts a hand over an electrical outlet. There's a sharp *pop* *crackle* *snap* as lightning arcs from her fingertips and shorts out the building's power systems.

<< Video recording and alarms should be offline,>> she remarks, primly, and pushes the door open.

Ororo breaths deeply when she's assailed by a gust of fresh, clean air. Eyes lid. Her shoulders rise and fall as she gulps in nature like a thirsty traveller, and when her eyes open, they film over as a heavy fogbank rolls in like a tidal wave to crash silently into the facility walls.

Nightingale has posed:
     This wasn't Shannon's first rodeo. The heavy thudding outside did not bode well--particularly when each thud was -not- followed by an explosion. Something was definitely off, and she prayed she was wrong about what it was. For once, it would be very nice to be wrong....

     ...but this did not seem very likely. She begins to help round up the younger students and keep them well behind the faculty, standing firm as a steady presence for them to draw strength from. Being a hero came in many different forms, some less risky than others. "Come on, guys, let's keep together."

Cyclops has posed:
There's a flurry of mental orders and communication between the instructors - otherwise known as the X-Men. A series of trite directions are issued by Scott: information requests from Lorna, Jean and Logan, and quick choices on team allocation.

<< Protecting the students and bystanders is priority one. Storm, I'd like you on point, as they're outdoors; Polaris, with Storm.>>

Scott checks over the concerned students, and gives a quick, decisive nod to Jean. << Jean, trusting you with calls on the student evacuation. Shadowcat, with me.>>

Scott then flashes a hand signal to Kitty: engage, immediately striding away from the students with clear purpose. << I'll be pulling some attention; give me a good window to fire a few blasts; Shadowcat, if you get an opportunity, take it, and we'll move to rejoin Wolverine afterward. >>

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde nods to Doctor Lykos and turns back to the students. "Alright, you know how to behave. Remember who you are, stay calm and behind the staff," Kitty says to add her words to those of Ororo and Jean. Kitty pulls out her phone and sends off a quick alert back to the school so anti-surveillance measures can be enacted from there.

Kitty responds to telepathic comms from Cyclops, asking her to join him on the way to Wolverine. She responds to him, <<Alright, staff is fleeing so we can take the direct path out without being seen, I think.>>

The brunette moves over quickly to join Scott Summers. "Hambone don't be a hero, just get to the bus," she says as she passes the student. Once she's reached Scott, Kitty takes hold of his shoulder so the two can start running forward. Right through the walls until they emerge to a good firing spot outside for Cyclops.

The sight of the towering Sentinels sends a chill through Kitty. <<Don't forget to turn on your power nullifier defeaters when needed. They don't have long batteries so use wisely.>>

As Kitty looks up at the Sentinel, she figures this is a wise enough time. She flips on her nullifier defeater. "Forge, this prototype one better work," she says to herself of the new model she's wearing. Kitty sends her thoughts to Phoenix. <<Phoenix, Fastball Special me at the Sentinel's head. See through my eyes for targeting,>> she sends. Kitty prepares herself to spread her arms and legs, to phase through and ruin as much of the Sentinel's electronics as possible.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"My Limo is state-of-the-art with defensive technology, if you want to evacuate with me, Modell." Lex informs the other CEO as they head for the exit, Mercy and Hope in back and front of him as he heads for the outside.

"That was pretty substantial. Anything from your security force about it yet?" Lex inquires as Lex heads right for the parking lot.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Large semi or fully autonomous technological signatures, multiple vectors." Sam mentions, in a stage whisper to Shannon. He can tell she's getting ready to look after the younger students, and he's subconsciously taking up the role of the body guard. He looks ready to go hand to hand with a Sentinel if he has to.

    Until suddenly he's not.

    When the lights go out, there's a sudden *THUD* and Sam drops to one knee, clinging onto the back of the nearest seat for balance. The short circuit ruined the lights and the cameras, the machinery, the alarms... all the things Sam was linked to at the time. "Ooo-kay... " There's a huff and what sounds like a sneeze before the young mutant gets back up to what look like very shaky legs, breathing deeply through his mouth, blood dripping from his nose and staining his Xavier hoodie a dark crimson. Before she can offer, he holds out a hand to forestall Shannon. "I'm okay. Don't worry 'bout me."

Polaris has posed:
Lorna pursed her lips together, and stretched out her hands before her, summoning the metal from the chairs that were currently not occupied to her. The metal wrapped and warped under her manipulations and in a fluid movement she was encased in her typical armor sans any cape. << I've gotcha. The three out there are older, 30 foot models. Shouldn't be an issue. They're metal.>> She offered to the mind link, not willing to frighten the students further into a panic by vocalizing what was outside.

Even as she wasted no time in bolting for the door after Ororo, she had fought this particular model a few times. And given their more simplistic programming and functions (at least compared to Sebastian) she was confident she could take them out.

"Oh sure, steal my thunder on knocking out comms." She teased, stretching out her hands before her as she sank deeper into the magnetic fields, drawing them close about both herself and Storm in a protective bubble.

"Pass me some of that wattage and lets make these guys dance." Overconfident? Most assuredly. Either way, she turned her focus to the three towering Sentinels before her, and threw out a contained electromagnetic pulse, hoping to disrupt their innerworkings and systems. To overload circuits and fry delicate hardcare that made them function.

Isotope has posed:
     Brian stepped up at the front of the group, getting himself in a position he can hear the elders give instructions.

  The sound of jet engines is definite cause for alarm, but he keeps a cool head on his shoulders. He doesn't say anything for now, it wasn't a time to joke.

  The New Mutant still has his image inducer on, But he was in his containment suit, and now a green glowing vapor started to waft out of his eyes which now glowed an eerie radium green, he was on edge and ready to strike. But other than his eyes, he still seemed to be a normal high school senior.

  Brian watched Scott as he awaited word, he would be ready to do whatever was needed. He flashed a quick glance to Shannon as she herded the younger students, he gave a slight smile, trying to reassure people.

Triage has posed:
Triage nods while the experts spring into action, each taking cues on their private frequency. He murmurs to nearby students, "Don't worry. You're safe here and the teachers know what they're doing." He moves through the huddled masses, checking on people to be sure that everyone is safe, and mentally taking another head-count. He is near Samuel when the young man staggers. he offers a steadying hand. "Hey there. Are you okay?"

Wolverine has posed:
The three titanic sentinels stand arrayed about the laboratory building. One stands just inside the front gate where an explosion has cratered part of the well-manicured front garden, a number of men in what looks like pilfered riot gear and bandanas pulled up over the lower halves of their faces gathered at its feet. The second stands on the far side of the building, pivoting slowly at the waist to scan the surrounding area. The third has landed in the parking lot and seems focused on something on the ground there. The fog rolls in at the behest of Storm's mutant powers, leaving the three towering machines looming out of it like terrible islands in the sea.

<<It sees me,>> Logan says through the telepathic link, matter-of-fact as ever.

'SURRENDER MUTANT.' The Third Sentinel's robotic voice booms, eyes suddenly glowing white hot as a blast of plasma rakes the parking lot, searing through several cars and leaving a molten trench in its wake. Logan leaps to one side, both the bus and the Wolverine avoiding the blast. Lex's limousine remains safely out of the strike zone as well, Modell shaking his head in response to the man's question.

On the other side of the building, the Second Sentinel slowly turns its attention to Cyclops and Shadowcat as they emerge from the laboratory. Internal sensors whir as it scans them, the electronic vocalizer intoning: 'MUTANT DETECTED. SUBMIT.' With one stomping footfall it moves, walking with slow purpose towards the duo.

'MUTAN- kssshsh. Bzzt.' The First Sentinel, closest to Polaris and Storm, begins to speak when suddenly its vocalizer begins to hiss and crackle as though through some electronic interference. It immediately drops to one knee with a resounding crash, the men gathered around its feet diving frantically to the side to get out of the way.

"Her!" one of them shouts, pointing up at Lorna from the ground, "Get her!" They don't wait, hefting chunks of brick and loose mortar up from the ground to heave at the two floating mutants. One even produces a handgun, firing off several rounds in their direction.

Phoenix has posed:
"Students, after me, we're heading back to the bus...come on, I don't want anyone lagging behind, move it!" Jean calls loudly to steal student attention away from faculty members sprinting to action, "come on! Faster!" She urges, as she starts to move with the student, ushering them towards the bus. As she both ushers students, holds communication hub for the X-Men, and involves herself in the action remotely. A daring student or two who wants to disobey and rush on the action may get their chances, even if they might not like the detentions that follow after, assuming there is an after...

<<You got it Shadowcat!>> Jean transmits telepathically to Kitty, getting a lock on her position and using Pryde's eyes to lock on target <<Houston, we have lift off,>> she warns Kitty for just a moment to allow her to brace herself, when an unseen telekinetic force hurls Shadowcat with great acceleration towards a Sentinel head.

<<Wolverine, I hate to say it, but keep the bus intact if you can, draw their attention away, I'm trying to evacuate the students there.>>

Storm has posed:
Ororo's talents are at their weakest when flung around casually. Indoors, with limited access to nature around them, she's drastically inhibited. It takes long seconds for the weather-bending mutant to gather her focus. Attune herself to the heartbeat of the world. The fog bank grows improbably dense and digs needle-sharp into the skin, bare degrees above freezing. It's the sort of frigid winter spell that can cause hypothermia in short order. Bodies shiver instinctively in response to the frigid air, though a little tunnel of clear, dry air follows the X-men as they head towards the bus. With Logan at the other end of the psychic link, they it's like a beacon in the air.

<< Thank you, Polaris, >> Ororo says, primly, and turns her face skywards. The cold and wind and rain bother her not in the slightest, and her arms open and outstretch. She calls, voicelessly, to nature.

Nature answers, with a KRACK-THOOM of lightning. It spiderwebs across the cloudbank, crawling around like serpent waiting for a Sentinel-shaped prey to rise up so it can strike downwards.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon nods to Samuel and Triage. "If you're sure you're okay there, Samuel... but the second we get a breather, will you let me help?" The blood did concern her a little bit, and perhaps it was understandable with the power cut to the building's systems. She'd had no idea before just how deeply his connection to technology ran, until suddenly it was taken away. "Hang in there, we'll be okay. Help me get these kids out to the bus?" She begins directing the students in pairs in Jean's direction, stopping to reassure the particularly nervous ones. "Hey, we're in good hands here. It's gonna be okay."

It was a little bit of a challenge to keep that calm when, while following the younger students down the corridor, she caught a glimpse of the Sentinels out the doors. Shit. "Okay, just stay calm, and listen to miss Grey, got it? They all know what they're doing, we're gonna come out of this okay."

Cyclops has posed:
During the travel through the wall with Shadowcat, trusting the hand on his arm to guide as she takes them through to the exterior, Scott swapped his glasses out for his visor from his jacket pocket. Control is needed: not a wild leveling of the buildings across the street.

<< Understood. They're using eye lasers? Well then. >> Cyclops answers telepathically, dry tone to Logan's matter-of-fact one.

"There will be no submission today, or ANY day," Scott declares aloud, his emotions fueling the telepathic version of the retort to the Sentinels, if not the verbal one. Shadowcat, airborne, passes over his head, as the Sentinel raises a palm up towards them, as if to say 'talk to the hand'.

*** FFFZZZZZKKKKKFHOOOOOORRR ***

The pulse of intense red energy flares under Shadowcat's flight path, searing a sideways blaze of cutting energy across the Sentinel's thighs: a cruel arc aimed to attempt to cut it down, without danger of going too high and annihilating Kitty.

A second burst is aimed as Scott turns quickly to send another intense, precise strike through the weather towards the face of the Sentinel Ororo and Polaris are entertaining, using a brief opening the others are granting.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde hears Jean's warning and prepares herself, but as she does she looks up and sees the Sentinel is readying its own attack, a gigantic hand lifting to point towards she and Cyclops even as Kitty feels Phoenix's sudden, gigantic telekinetic acceleration that launches Kitty upwards.

The Sentinel's hand glows bright purple and then an intense beam shoots out, the mutant power nullifier catching Shadowcat as she flies towards it. She can hear her nullifier defeater device humming loudly, and knows a moment of dread, uncertain of the outcome as Shadowcat flies through the beam and towards the Sentinel's head. But the device does its job, Shadowcat phasing as she flies through the thick armor right between the Sentinel's eyes, arms spread wide like a diver.

She comes out the back of its head, descending in a ballistic arc to fall to the parking lot, her whole body sinking below the concrete briefly before Kitty pops back up into view. Her hand goes to the nullifier defeater. "Yeow it's hot!," she exclaims. But the battery is still holding out even after facing a full on beam attack and not just the Sentinel's weaker, area effect.

Lex Luthor has posed:
When he gets to the outside exit, Lex stops in his tracks at the massive robots. "Why are /they/ here?" Lex blinks as he spots the Sentinels. "Are they here to attack the labs?" Lex frowns as he makes a beeline for his Limo. Mercy brings up her right arm and opens it to reveal a laser cannon within, putting it to standby. Hope visibly puts on a set of hi-tech gloves.

All three make a mad dash for the LexCorp Limo. Probably very visible by this point.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The order is given, and Sam obeys.

    He helps with the evacuation of the students, shepherding them towards the front, until he hears the gunshots. Without a further word, he breaks off and starts in a dead sprint along the corridor towards the parking lot, ignoring the scenery around him, determined to be at the front when the first students start to emerge.

    Dashing through the door, into the chaos, Sam takes in the scene in an instant, falling back on his tactical training and identifying the Sentinel closest to the bus as the target most dangerous to the current mission objectives. Dashing for the bus, he stretches out his hand to the large robot, face curled into a snarl and sends a simple, single, inescapable command to the monstrosity.

    SIT!

    Focusing on the robot, he gives a combat gesture towards Jean and the students. "Clear to proceed at speed."

Polaris has posed:
Polaris kept near Storm, playing both offense and defense against the Sentinels with ease. She was over confident as she shorted out the wires and internal systems and began to rip the machine from the inside out, flaying wires out and with a scream of metal, peeling the armored plating off with a nearly manic sort of grin. Even as Storm took her time to charge up her powers, Lorna suffered no such requirements.

<<One down. Two to go. We've got armed men as support though. Watch out.>> She flicked out her hand, tossing bullets aside and dragging hard on the gun in the man's grip. All of which were far, far too easy to dispatch for the magnokinetic.

Which is likely why she didn't expect the brick to actually hit her. She had the Sentinel down. The humans were //hardly// a threat to her with bullets and guns. Human weaponry was just so frequently drenched in metal.

However, bricks she couldn't sense. Couldn't see. And while if she'd tried hard enough to use her shield to block them, and could have...

It required her to be prepared to deflect nonferrous materials.

The brick smacked her at just the right, unfortunate, angle and sent the green haired woman tumbling from her position in the sky. But it wasn't only //one// brick either. It was half a dozen bricks and rocks, being picked up and peppered at her. Lorna dropped from the sky, trying to shield catch herself as she landed hard. But the rocks didn't stop, and she yelped, one knocking her protective headpiece off and sending her reeling backward.

Isotope has posed:
     Brian reached a hand to his left wrist, messing with what seemed to be a smart watch. The image inducer shuts down, and it was revealed he was in his Isotope gear.

  The black UM material and metal gauntlets and boots showing now, and on his chest, a glowing green circle with circuitry patterns reach to each gauntlet.

  Brian rushed forward with Jean as they headed towards the bus, making sure people keep up.

Triage has posed:
Triage sighs when Samuel quickly recovers and charges toward the door of the auditorium. "Right!" he answers and begins to help with herding students out of the room. "Sure and steady, and keep together!" he calls. "And whatever you see out there, don't panic! Cool heads prevail!"

Wolverine has posed:
The Second Sentinel lets out a static-filled buzz that might be its equivalent of a cry of pain, were the monstrosity capable of such things. The ruby-red optic blast tears through its middle, splitting it just above the waist and sending the upper half plummeting forward towards the ground. It lands with a great crash, dirt and rubble thrust up about it. The lights behind its eyes flicker erratically, the circuitry there damaged by Shadowcat's passage. It lays still, legs fallen into a kneeling pose while the torso lays face-down a dozen feet away with arms splayed before it. Slowly it begins to crawl, pulling itself along by its elbows towards the parking lot.

As it rounds the corner, one shaking arm lifts to stretch out before it. All along the metallic surface of the limb, servos and pistons hiss and burst. All energy routed to the emitter in its palm, a burst of nullification energy sears out in Kitty's direction.

At the same time, the Third Sentinel immediately shifts focus from Logan to the mutant that just damaged one of its brethren. Its palm raises, a second white nullification beam crisscrossing the other - both intersecting perfectly at where Kitty emerges from the ground. A telescoping tentacle unspools from the Third Sentinel's forearm at the same time, sweeping through the air at Shadowcat.

But it only lasts a moment, the beam suddenly cut short as its titanic head jerks and its legs immediately kick out from underneath it. It sits, crushing several cars beneath its weight as it does so. Samuel's technopathic command hitting home, even as whatever controls the machine lashes back at him.

"I didn't order them, Luthor," Max Modell shouts frantically over the roar of the Sentinels, "I have no idea why they're here! I just want to get out of here before they turn us into greasy stains on the asphalt!" He follows for the limo, bundling himself inside and glancing around at the Metropolitans: "Oh, come on, I didn't think you were going to fight them! Just drive, man!"

At the front of the building, the First Sentinel remains on its knees. It twitches and shakes, palms pressed into the earth. One of the humans at its feet jumps up and down, watching Lorna fall from the sky even as he shivers in the sudden, rolling fog that surrounds him, "I got her! Hey yeah! I beaned that green broad good!"

Storm has posed:
Ororo's face draws tight in anger as Lorna's downed. Her instincts are to turn to the girl, to look over her and make sure she's not injured. But Ororo's a warrior. This is something the X-men train for substantially.

<< Polaris is down. Brick,>> she emits, tersely. << Everyone watch out for projectiles. I will attend the last Sentinel and scatter the attackers. >>

Lightning coils overhead in response to her will. Like a serpent it fastens itself to the kneeling Sentinel. It doesn't merely crackle down the outside of the hull, either. Guided by Ororo's will it dives inwards to find an entrance and wreck what havoc it can from within.

With her left hand, Ororo makes an almost contemptuous gesture. The fog freezes into hail and a tight dervish of wind whips it to stinging velocities. It's all contained in a circle some thirty feet wide and following the rock-throwing brigands with a human intelligence.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shit. This was not going to be easy. How was she going to get to Lorna without becoming a target herself? Shannon had to force herself to stop and take a couple deep breaths. Think, girl, think. Some of the greatest minds and abilities she'd ever witnessed were all among those from the school.

     The answer came in a punishing flurry of hail that did a fairly effective job of driving the attackers away from Lorna. "Thank you!" she called out to Storm. A few bits of hail might sting her, but she would heal quickly, and right now, Lorna needed help. "Triage, Samuel, help Jean get the kids out of here!" Bracing herself against the cold and hail, she keeps her head down and dives into the freezing fray, making a beeline for the fallen princess of Genosha.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty dusts off her hands, though it's not like they were dirtied by phasing through the Sentinel head. <<Phoenix, great aim, and Cyclops took him dow- wait he's moving,>> she sides as Shadowcat sees the Sentinel is not yet out of the fight fully, dragging itself across the concrete with a screeching sound like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Not wanting to subject the prototype nullifier defeater to a second blast while it's still overheating, Shadowcat turns to run, only to see the second Sentinel also taking aim. "Ah nuts-" is all she gets out when the twin beams hit her. It's not so much painful as disorienting. That terrifying feeling of losing her power that she hasn't known since she was caught in Bastion's nullifier in the Avenger's secret base.

Kitty staggers and cries out as the device shorts out, leaving scorch marks on her clothing. She rights herself just in time to see the metal tentacle about the time it hits her.

Kitty Pryde is sent flying through the air towards the laboratory building. She hits the wall nearly twenty feet up with bone-crunching force and then falls into the parking lot beneath. Her head and upper body land on the roof of a Jeep Grand Cherokee while her legs are further to the side, racking her over the edge of the roof and flipping her off it.

Kitty hits the pavement, her head whiplashing into the concrete. She lies there, unmoving. Her left upper arm has a horrifying looking bend in it where arms are not meant to bend.

Cyclops has posed:
<< SHADOWCAT!--->> Scott 'yells' mentally, reacting at what feels like far too slow of a pace, as the beams of nullifier energy cross over her like a deadly X marks the spot, at the same time that Scott tries to interfere.

Scott's red beam is nearly instant as well, full bore from his visor in an attempt to defend Kitty from the Sentinel that is missing it's lower body. The blast disintegrates the palm that is reaching for out for the downed Shadowcat, and... all of the Sentinel BEHIND that palm. Too bad it already fired at them.

Scott's in the 'zone' effect of the standing Sentinel's cross-blast, though, and his protective device immediately shorts, having taken too much from standing around in the downed Sentinel's nullifying aura. The shorting protective object and pulse knock Scott on his ass from the impact.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Mercy, get us to the parking garage." Lex orders of the bodyguard/chauffeur. Hope, meanwhile, gets in next to Lex, with Max on the opposite end of the inside passenger cabin. "Relax, Modell. I have a garage nearby. You can take a car from there."

Even as he speaks, the Limo guns it and starts to drive, Lex giving a glance to Kitty as she gets sent flying across the parking lot, along with the projecting energy beam from Scott. "Interesting."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Standing between the students and the Sentinel, providing a beacon for the bus, Sam motions with his left arm, urging the students to keep going. Mentally, he's fighting a war, a war he's losing.

    Clinging onto control, forcing every bit of himself into the attempt, he wrestles with the one giving commands to the Sentinel, keeping it sat down while the students board the bus. The sensation is like an icepick slowly being driven through his skull, and he's making a point not to look at the students, to keep his face turned away, towards the Sentinel.

    His vision begins to grey out, bloody tears rolling down his cheeks as the Sentinel starts to overpower him, hanging on until the last student is on board. Then, only then, does Bean turn away and stagger to the bus. Stagger, because running requires a feat of balance and coordination that he's no longer capable of. Just about hoisting himself on board...

    And then the Sentinel is hit by lightning.

    In Sam's head, the lights flash, and then simply go out. He falls headlong into the aisle of the bus, a rag doll of dead weight. His head cracking against the floor is likely the least of his worries, bleeding now from nose, eyes and ears.

Triage has posed:
Although the world seems in danger of collapsing around them, Triage urges the mob of students from auditorium to hallway, and out to the waiting bus. He strides behind them, counting heads again to be sure that none have strayed. Somehow, they reach their destination and with agonizing slowness climb in single file into the large metal box. Triage turns to frown at the carnage around them, mutants and Sentinels in deadly battle. When Kitty sails through the air like a broken rag-doll, his face contorts in wide-eyed, silent terror. Then he sees Sam lurching toward him. "Get abaoard! Now!" he screams. He scrambles aboard only moments before Sam reaches the door, and turns in time to see the student collapse with a loud, sharp crack of his skull hitting the floor. Triage drops to his knees, reaching to help and to heal.

Isotope has posed:
     Brian had seen enough, green energy blasts through the glass and Isotope joins in the fray where Samuel left off.

  He holds out both hands as he unleashes protonic energy at the Sentinel, aimed above the ankles, he was looking to cripple the beast, and keep cover for the rest of the students.

Wolverine has posed:
The Second Sentinel, the one that was already rent in twain, disintegrates under the focused assault from Cyclops. Arm still outstretched, its vocalizer manages a warped 'SUR-rend-ER mu-TA-sshhzzz' before the sheer force of the concussive blast turns it into so many chunks of scrap metal. When the burst of crimson light has cleared, there is nothing left of it save some scattered hunks of twisted metal on a cone-shaped field knocked perfectly flat by the X-Man's concussive blast.

The First Sentinel, still struggling in the after-effects of the EMP, manages to rise to its feet only for the focused blast of Storm's lightning to strike it. The electricity runs riot over its internal circuitry, and the lights behind its eyes flicker and flare as it jerks and spasms. Bursts of heated plasma lance through the air, fired indiscriminately before it seizes up and collapses. The humans gathered at it's feet begin to scatter immediately, running in the opposite direction it is falling - towards the car park.

"The Sentinels toast," one of them yells, tugging his jacket tighter about himself as he runs through the buffeting fog, "Get clear! Get clear! It's gonna - !"

The collapsed First Sentinel is rocked suddenly by violent explosions, as though rigged throughout with violent explosives. The great bursts of light flare like brilliant coronas through the haze of fog, the force of them ripping the front from the lab building and sending a deafening wave of sound across the parking lot. The windows on the bus crack, some shatter, and it tilts menacingly away before tilting back to land on its wheels.

The Third Sentinel, though still seated on the ground, doesn't appear out of the game just yet. It turns about, attention focused on the bus that the mutants are clambering into. Slowly, it pushes itself up to its feet - glowing eyepieces still focused on the gathering.

'MUTANTS. SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY.'

"Slim!" Logan shouts from across the parking lot, already crouching by Kitty's unconscious form where it landed, "Get your ass on that bus!" He scoops Shadowcat up in his arms, immediately making a break for the bus only to scramble to a halt as the Third Sentinel turns its attention on it.

'SURRENDER IMM-'

The sudden blast of photonic energy from Brian draws its attention, turning swiftly from the bus and focusing instead on the him. The energy shreds the metal plating about its ankle, and once more it collapses to one knee as one of its feet is separated from its body. A fist is raised, hammering down through the air and towards Brian.

Meanwhile, in Lex's limo, Modell shakes his head: "Sure, very interesting. Let's just get the hell out of here. This is an insurance nightmare!"

Storm has posed:
Ororo keeps up the tightly contained winter blizzard, a hellish combination of sleet, hail, and wind that makes it almost impossible for someone to even uncurl ice-clenched fingers-- let alone fight back effectively. With her Sentinel more or less handled, Ororo trusts the rest of the team to pull their weight as best they can.

Still, the second she's clear, she turns and checks to make sure Lorna's not dying, and takes to the air with a whipping wind.

The fact she's airborne does little to mitigate the force of the explosive discharge of the Sentinel. The shockwave takes her full force and send Ororo flying back in an entirely undignifed manner. She fetches up hard against the edge of the building and tumbles several times over asphalt gravel, no doubt collecting afew fresh contusions from the hard landing.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon finally manages to reach Lorna, somehow through some miracle managing to avoid becoming Sentinel chow. She's crouching down, closing her eyes and taking a few cleansing breaths of the icy cold air to focus herself. With her eyes half-lidded, it is as if she is seeing with other sense, ones she had been honing to a finer and finer point since beginning her training. Granted, it wasn't perfect yet, but better than it had been before. "Mild concussion... cracked jaw... bruises... thank gods, nothing internal." The early training with Josh had paid off.

She lays her hands gingerly on Lorna's forehead and hand, hissing softly. Where bruises had begun to blossom on the flesh of the fallen Polaris, they receded, and faded entirely. Where some ugly swelling and bleeding had shown on her jaw, they soon vanished, all making their presence known on the young mutant by her side. A rather unladylike oath escapes her, somewhat muffled as the cracked jaw hampers her ability to speak. Thankfully, though, it's enough to get Lorna back on her feet again.

Cyclops has posed:
<< Good idea, Wolverine. >> Scott would prefer to have his ass on the bus instead of on the pavement, but he's pretty winded from the searing pain in his face from the nullifier wreaking it's way with his eyeballs. It's not a pleasant experience, but that doesn't mean Scott's not able to lunge back to his feet, and jog towards the bus. A quick tap at the side of his visor aimed down and to the left proves he was definitely hit, no red blast erupts.

<< I'm nullified but not down, >> Scott mentally reports, trying to keep the extreme headache frying his eye sockets from entering that 'mental' voice. He sprints across to the bus; he doesn't need his mutant powers to continue to lead and help. He'll get obvious stragglers onto it, semi-blind or no, assisting Jean. << Storm, take my car with Shannon and Lorna if necessary. I'm with the students. >>

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Oh please, Sentinel incidents are happening all the time." Lex dismissively notes to Max. One hand gestures to the window. "Think of the press this will get. Think of the sympathy. Max, I realize you're just in this for the greater good, but you need to think big picture. If by some ridiculous turn of fate your insurance doesn't cover this, you'll have enough attention on your company that you'll almost certainly get more investors after this."

He replaces the hand on his lap, "and if insurance doesn't cover it, we already discussed options. I liked what I saw enough to consider negotiating for a stake in your company. The money LexCorp could bring to you as a subsidiary would let you rebuild your labs all the better."

As they speak, the Limo is heading for the garage, about a mile away. "Think it over. I'm not in any rush, but the genetic work you're doing would have a much better chance with us."

Isotope has posed:
     Brian stops shooting at the sentinel long enough to puff up his chest a bit. His green energy encompasses his body, as the Sentinel's fist lowers and collided with Isotope, who is most definitely thrown back. He skids to a halt before he reaches back out with his hands, beams shooting back to the Sentinel with extreme prejudice. The proton beam is wide and large as it dances through the air and collided with the Sentinel's head. Shards of metal and circuitry melt down as Brian yells.

  From the head to straight down the center, Isotope continues to unleash the beast on the sentinel. He was pissed, and wasn't going to go easy on the large robot.

  After fifteen seconds of non-stop blasting, the green beam stops, and Brian is left standing in front of a sentinel that looks as if had been attacked with an arc welder, the metal and silicon down now both halves of the sentinel were either on fire or glowing red hot, and Brian stood in front of it, steam rising from his gauntlets due to the temperature changes, and his once peach-colored face was pale.

  He turned to move back to the group, but faltered and landed on one knee, trying to catch both his breath, and his strength.

Triage has posed:
Triage whips off his jacket and wads it into a ball. Then he carefully lifts Samuel's cracked and bleeding head in one hand and shoves the jacket into position as makeshift pillow. The bus lurches around them. Triage cradles Sam's head in his hands and closes his eyes tightly, concentrating on slowing the injured student's heartbeats, and therefore the hemorrhaging. Triage takes slow, deep breaths. "Someone get bandages!" he calls. "I need to be sure that he's stable enough for a ride."

Wolverine has posed:
The First Sentinel doesn't even get a chance to utter a last 'surrender mutant' as Brian's blast strikes it, ripping through metal plating and shielding with searing heat and laser focus. As the beam slices violently through its central processor, it sputters and starts before both pieces collapse to either side. Only the flaming ruins remain, although they quickly begin to smoke and spark as self-destruct protocols kick in.

Logan reaches the bus, laying Kitty down on the floor before he turns to glance out of the windshield at the collapsing sentinel and the exhausted, kneeling Brian. He looks down at the unconscious girl, then back to Scott: "Slim, get them outta here. I'll get the kid."

That said, he races back across the parking lot in time to see the Sentinel's remains smoking and flaring up. He doesn't pause, doesn't consider the results of what it next. Instead, he simply throws himself bodily at Brian and splays himself out atop him. A split second later the First Sentinel's remains explode, once more rocking the bus on its axes and sending searing shrapnel hissing through the air. A cloud of it peppers Logan, rending the jacket he wears and leaving behind only a mess of burnt fabric, flesh, and blood.

Meanwhile, in Lex's limousine, Modell raises his eyebrows a little. The CEO of Horizon Laboratories brushes a hand through his bushy red beard, nodding his head, "You know, you're probably right. That doesn't make this anymore of a disaster, though. Drop me off at your garage. I need to make some calls and make sure my people are okay."

Storm has posed:
Between Ororo, Shannon, and Lorna, more or less one functioning adult shambles towards Scott's car. With a touch of help from Lorna it's started, and Ororo gets behind the wheel. "Nightengale, in the back with Lorna. Watch her for concussion," she says, voice sharp with tension and pain. Nursing some bruised ribs, Ororo puts the car in gear and starts driving through the fog bank at a breakneck pace.

But then again, Ororo sees the world in ways most people can't comprehend, and the fog is no more an inconvenience than the windshield itself would be. In short order they're caught up behind the bus, with a thin layer of sleet laying down slush in their wake to discourage anyone from following them.

Nightingale has posed:
Shannon grits her teeth but nods very slightly, her head positively -throbbing- from the very nasty eggs that have been laid on it by the bricks that hit Lorna. "Please tell me there were no fatalities this time, miss Munroe?" Just this once, let everyone live...

The fog is disconcerting, but seeing how Storm has zero trouble whatsoever finding her way through it, she is able to finally let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, unseen wings slumping right along with her shoulders. She keeps her attention turned on Lorna, to make certain there was no further sign of injury that her gifts had not picked up on. "When we get back, will you let me try to help you?"

Cyclops has posed:
For once, Storm and the others are spared any warning about taking care of Scott's car. He's busy with a bus, and the fate of a car isn't really a priority compared to everyone being safe.

Once the bus is loaded and ready (nobody left behind), it departs quickly.

Perhaps there's less traffic, or maybe that's Jean's doing, but they'll make great time back to the mansion.

Lex Luthor has posed:
"Of course." Lex replies. "There's a sat dish in the roof we can deploy if you need a signal."

By the time they reach the garage, a Sedan has been prepared for Max, and is waiting right next to the Limo. "The black Sedan. Take it for a week, on LexCorp. Just talk to my people when you're ready to bring it back." Lex invites Max, before Lex steps out of his Limo, starting to head to the private garage area, where his warsuit truck is, Mercy and Hope not far behind.

Isotope has posed:
     Brian didn't have the strength to protest as Logan threw himself onto his body.

  Boom goes the dynamite, and Brian looked up after things calmed down. "I got..." huff "that souvenir for you." He says, holding a small bit of purple metal that had been knocked over in the first blast.

  When things had cleared, Brian was able to stand, his suit was kicking the UV into overdrive to replenish his energy, and color started to come back to his face.

Triage has posed:
Triage continues to concentrate, with eyes closed, on stabilizing Samuel until the bleeding has stopped and edges of his fractured skull have begun to heal. Triage he finally opens his eyes to look at the other students. "Next, they'll have you writing essays about what you learned from this," he quips. Then he exhales a deep breath, and murmurs, "Never a dull day."

Wolverine has posed:
Modell merely looks bewilderedly at Lex and then at the sedan. He shrugs his shoulders, plucking his smartphone from his pocket as he goes and beginning to dial. He has a lot of calls to make.

Meanwhile, back at Horizon Laboratories ...

"I'll appreciate that when I ain't a fuckin' pin cushion," Logan groans down at Brian, slowly rising to his feet to peer back at the exploded remains of the Sentinel. He shrugs one shoulder forward, reaching back to pluck a shard of shrapnel from his shoulder and flinging it to the ground near Brian, "Here's one fer you, too."

<<Slim,>> he speaks into the telepathic link, <<Looks like these sentinels are toast, but I don't want to be here when emergency services comes snoopin'. Bit hard to explain the busload a kids all beat t'hell.>>

Once more he makes his way to the bus, pausing to help Brian along the way and to make sure that everyone is now aboard. He peers around the parking lot, still foggy and debris-strewn. The humans who had begun the attack have fled, looking for respite from the intense cold brought about by Storm. He slings himself up into the bus, bleeding profusely as he does so.

"I hate field trips."