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 Puerto Maltese, 1958: "Herr Weber?" The stranger's question was answered with the sound of guns cocking. He paused, his hat halfway from his head, the door still open behind him. He smiled, unafraid. "Ah. I shall take that as a yes." "I'm no fool," one of the others responded, an aging man at the back of the room, a smirk on his lips. "You're not nearly as–" The door slammed shut, interrupting him, and a low rumble started up as every metal object, from the pipes in the walls to the nails in the floorboards, began to vibrate intensely. "No, I beg to differ," replied the stranger, turning to hang up his hat. Triggers refused to be pulled. "Let me tell you a story, Herr Weber, about why you have to die..." Marrakesh, twenty years ago: Dressed in an impeccable white suit, a large man sat at a table in a small coffee house, small dark glasses hiding his eyes. He did not move, he did not drink, but every now and again a finger twitching or a slight movement of his head indicated he was still alive. The chair opposite him was pulled out by a younger man, dressed more like a tourist with dusty khakis and a polo shirt. He placed both hands on the table, fingers steepled together. "Charles Xavier. I do believe you have my watch." Somewhere in Montana, three years ago: "Gone! It's all gone! Gonnnneaaargh!!" The anger ended with a primal scream of frustration and rage, and the sound of heavy machinery being torn apart. Sparks flew across the darkness, illuminating a half-dozen individuals of all shapes and sizes. "Calm yourself, calm yourself. We'll pick up the trail again. After all, isn't that what you do best?" Present day: Welcome, one and all, to the Exceptional X-Men! In this game of Marvel Heroic we'll be playing out a brand-new continuity of mutant superheroes with new characters, new storylines, and new twists on old favourites. This game is using an episodic format, where even though the continuity remains the same, each adventure is self-contained. Here's an index of all the episodes so far: Episode 1: Brothers in Arms Episode 2: The Mutant Problem Episode 3: Blackout Episode 4: Me & My Shadow Episode 5: White Queen's Gambit Episode 6: Sentinel Fuego Fish fucked around with this message at 15:16 on Jun 11, 2019 |
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Oct 3, 2017 00:54
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 The teachers at the Xavier Institute for the Gifted collected scars the way that other teachers, at more normal schools, had terrible sweater vests or bad ties. None of them were among the most powerful of mutantkind, except perhaps Professor Xavier himself, but they had experience with their powers... and the consequences of them. Mr. Valentine taught more classes than the number of original limbs he had remaining, the other two being advanced mechanical prostheses of his own creation. He didn't like to talk about much of his past, but he and Xavier had a connection, and had seen the world. The only thing that Mr. Valentine could talk about more than machines was his experiences seeing the far-flung reaches of the globe. When Ms. Wagner asked what mutant name Sarah Summers had picked out for herself, there was a tense and awkward silence as every student did their best to look everywhere except at Ms. Wagner's eyepatch. Thankfully, Ms. Wagner had seen the funny side of it, as she always did. It took more than a lack of depth perception to get past her boundless enthusiasm. Guerra, Reyes, Bradley, Gwynn... all the teachers had their marks from the world, some more visible than others. Xavier seemed natural enough in his wheelchair, but there were a couple of times when students would notice him lean forward, as if to stand, and catch himself in his absent-minded foolishness when his legs refused to move. Perhaps this whole school was just their way to ensure that none of the students would see their own marks, or at least none so deep and so lasting. Thursday, 6pm. There wasn't anywhere you could go to escape technology at the Institute. The wifi managed to reach all the way to the end of the grounds with absolute perfect reception, although one foot outside school property and it was like it never existed. Which meant that when classes were done for the day, the students of Xavier's relaxed like most kids: television and internet. So everyone saw it. Students clustered around phones in the hallways. Some ran to the dorms with a breathless "Y-You've gotta c-come see this." The five students who were the X-Men had all ended up in the second floor common room, one way or another, along with about twenty other students. Who had been enjoying the opening scenes of the Godzilla double feature, and who'd been dragged in there by a panicking twelve-year-old... did it even matter at this point? They were all watching the same broadcast. It was on every channel, every screen, whether you wanted it or not. Something was overriding the signal, all signals, and forcing the world to watch. Upon a black wall was a symbol in vivid reds and purples. A circle of twisting double-helixes, surrounding a heavy, angular, stylised letter M. In front of that, a figure sitting calmly with his hands on his knees, his head bowed. Despite the helmet on his head, his voice rang out with eerie clarity, as if not being spoken at all. "Mankind looks upon us as the dinosaurs looked upon the meteor, with fear and ignorance at power they can scarcely begin to comprehend. I speak not of our gifts, but of our resolve. Our capacity to do what is necessary to secure the future for the children of the atom. It has become clear that mutants can only rise from the ashes once the old world, the human world, has been burned down." He raised his head, his skull-like mask glinting in the light spilling from the eyes. "I have cast aside the name given to me by Homo sapiens. I have shed the identity foisted upon me by the same ungrateful species who seeks to deny my gifts and treats me as a disease to be cured. I am Xorn, and I implore my fellow mutants to join me in Brotherhood." The light from the mask was glaring now, curling like fire and roiling like water at the same time. Static and distortions began to appear, as if the light was beginning to affect the camera in some way. The symbol's paint began to bubble, then burn away, along with the wall itself. "The future is here, humanity. You have no place in it." The video died with a sharp crackle, then darkness. Darkness that seemed to last an eternity before a scene faded in. The symbol, the kneeling man. "Mankind looks upon us as the dinosaurs looked upon the meteor..." Looked like the Godzilla double feature would have to wait for another day.
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Oct 3, 2017 00:55
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No need to rush anywhere, I am very aware of the developing situation, the Professor's disembodied voice echoed in their heads. For most it was just a voice, but Jean's connection went a bit deeper, and she got a glimpse of the worry and concern at the forefront of the Professor's mind. In light of this most distressing turn of events, I must require you all gather in the briefing room as soon as you are able. The briefing room was in the subterranean part of the mansion, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life at the Institute. So far it hadn't seen much use beyond the Professor going over the advanced training routines for the X-Men, and a few lectures about what to do when forced to fight other mutants. Which had been nothing but tentative theory... until now. "I frickin' can't tell if this is trending right now because my stupid phone won't show anything else," griped one of the other students, sprawled across one of the comfier armchairs and evidently oblivious to the psychic communication happening. He dropped his phone on his chest and gave an ugly sigh. "This blows." "Did you see the way everything burned up at the end there? That was... he wasn't even moving and the whole room just melted." There was some shake in this student's voice, hugging her knees and shivering. She looked over at Piotr and the others, her eyes wide. "All I can do is breathe underwater. I don't..." She trailed off, miserable and scared. It seemed that was the prevailing mood among the students, along with feelings of hopelessness and panic.
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Oct 4, 2017 02:43
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The majority of the Institute's staff, which sadly only amounted to around half a dozen individuals, were already out and dealing with each personal crisis as best as they could, one student at a time if necessary. Even Ms. Gwynn, who'd been a teaching assistant until early last year, was doing her best to bring her usual level of upbeat optimism to everyone around her, including herself. Waiting in the briefing room were Mr. Valentine and Ms. Wagner, who were both in the middle of an intense conversation. "–to be him, who else could it be?" Mr. Valentine said, anger in his voice, but not aimed at Ms. Wagner. "I know you felt hurt when–" she began to reply, but Mr. Valentine had noticed the team in the room by then, and aggressively cleared his throat. Ms. Wagner hesitated, then turned around. "Ah, kids! Students! No, uh..." "X-Men," said Xavier, entering through another door, from the Cerebro chamber. Quite easy to finish other people's thoughts for them when you could read them like a book. He smiled warmly at everyone, one hand on the controls to his chair as he navigated his way into the room. "I know it will take some getting used to, but I have faith in them, and so should you. Now everyone, do take a seat. I don't want to be the only one sitting down for this. Forge, Nocturne, if you would like to stay for a while?" "I... sure, Charles," sighed Valentine, slumping into a seat with all the grace of a puppet having its strings cut. Ms. Wagner followed suit as Xavier positioned himself at the head of the table. It was a sleek metal thing, inlaid with some particularly advanced technology, including a prototype holographic projector. But right now the most important part of it seemed to be the chairs. They felt much, much bigger now in light of the situation. This was no longer training. This was the real thing.
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Oct 5, 2017 03:56
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"Yes, Charles, wie ist der Plan?" Ms. Wagner's accent hardly ever came out, except when she was stressed. She managed to keep it under control even when supervising superpowered teenagers with swords. To hear her lapsing all the way back into her native tongue was a sure sign she was having a hard time keeping it together. "Thank you for asking," replied the Professor. He pressed some buttons on a console at the head of the table, the hologram projector flickering into life with a display of the whole planet, the globe slowly turning. It wouldn't have passed muster as a special effect in a movie, but it was fairly impressive to see it in real life. "I was using Cerebro just a moment ago, to locate the source of the signal that has been overriding all electronics across the globe." "It's him, isn't it?" Mr. Valentine said. Professor Xavier hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "I'm afraid so. X-Men, before you came to this school, we had a larger staff. There was an incident that caused some of them to leave. One of them was a young man whose mutant name was Hijack." Xavier hesitated again, and Jean could feel the emotion radiating off him. Sadness, shame, worry, concern. "His technopathic abilities let him control technology, but for him to pull off something on this scale... he would not be working alone."
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Oct 6, 2017 04:02
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"Wrong height, wrong build, wrong voice," said Mr. Valentine abruptly. "David is not Xorn, I can tell you that much... but the damned fool is working with him. For him." "Hijack's powers got him into trouble on numerous occasions. Hackers and computer vandals are not often treated kindly by the law, less so when their mutant gift allows them to bypass security. He was one of several who felt that I was making too many concessions, and left because of it." "Adam, Charles, I know you both beat yourself up about this," said Ms. Wagner, accent gone and composure regained, "but you are not to blame. David, Robert, the others... there was anger there, and that's not something you can control." Xavier steepled his fingers, listening to but obviously not agreeing with Ms. Wagner's words, his focus on the table in front of him – or a thousand miles in front of it. After a moment, he raised his head and looked at the X-Men in turn. "You all know that my dream for a world of peaceful coexistence allows for justified defence. You are that defence, my X-Men. I cannot be idle when there are those who would seek to harm us just for being mutants," he said. Mr. Valentine and Ms. Wagner – Forge and Nocturne – shifted in their seats slightly, Forge running his flesh and blood fingers along his metal arm absent-mindedly. "But we should not hope for war. We are outnumbered and, despite what some may think, outgunned. For every mutant who possesses great power, there are many who do not." He pressed another few buttons, and the holographic display lit up a point on the globe. "Using Cerebro, I have tracked Hijack to this location. It is a radio telescope facility, which I believe he is making use of in order to boost his reach somehow, akin to how Cerebro enhances the scope of my own powers. We cannot put this genie back in the bottle, but if we end the broadcast then we may mitigate the damage. However, he is not alone. There are two other mutants with him, presumably to safeguard him while he uses his powers so intensely."
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Oct 6, 2017 13:45
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Xavier held up a hand. "I will not entrust any mutant, especially former members of this school, to the justice system of this, or any other country. Should you be able to subdue them and bring them back here, we can deal with them ourselves. However, that may not be possible. We are dealing with some of the most powerful mutants I am personally aware of." The holographic globe disappeared and was replaced with a full-body image of someone, presumably one of the mutants that Xavier had detected through Cerebro. It was hard to tell from the slightly-fuzzy image floating above the table, but he seemed tall, broad-shouldered, and actually quite handsome, dressed in torn jeans and a black sleeveless shirt. The image switched, and now it was a woman, in a long coat with large buttons and a deep hood. Again, and it was another man, perhaps below average height, slim, with a head of curly hair. With each new image, Xavier gave their name and abilities. "Iceberg, Robert Drake. Can transform into living ice, and generate freezing temperatures at will. Mastermind, Justine Wyngarde. Control over mental perception and limited telepathy. Ah..." Xavier faltered, uncharacteristically. "Hijack," said Forge, standing up and leaving the room. "David Valentine."
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Oct 6, 2017 19:52
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"Lethal force should hopefully not be necessary. We are dealing with fellow mutants here, and as misguided as their actions might be, they were once our friends... and family." Xavier sounded quite firm on this, and you couldn't blame him. "Now, while I have only detected three mutants presently at the facility, we can only presume there is at least one other member. This Xorn, whatever powers he may possess, and maybe others beside him. Stay on your guard, and while the mission is in progress I will be here, using Cerebro to watch for any further signals."
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Oct 6, 2017 21:49
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I understand your concern, but with all due respect, responded the Professor silently, we aren't dealing with dogs here. They are people, who were once students here, and I hope they can be again. My fear is that it was my failings as a teacher that caused their anger, and now that anger has been redirected into hatred by this... Xorn. That last word came with a slight jolt of negativity that was eerie to experience, not something that happened in regular conversations. Out loud, the Professor responded to his spoken question. "The facility is in New Mexico, which is rather devoid of jungle. Hijack will be immobile from using his powers on this scale, and as for a loud entrance... I believe the Blackbird is more than capable of being quiet when the need arises. I believe Forge calls it whisper-flight." Fuego Fish fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Oct 7, 2017 |
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Oct 7, 2017 02:53
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"We've known this may happen for some time, so we have power-constricting restraints." Xavier made a pained expression. "I dislike the idea of using them, they are inelegant to say the least, but it may very well be that we have no other choice. We have six sets, and only six sets, so do be careful with them. If you can bring them back here, we might be able to reason with them, talk some sense into them... I hope." "I've seen you in the Danger Room, I know you can handle this," said Nocturne, although Jean could hear her surface thoughts at the same time. Please, God, don't make Adam bury his only son. "Nocturne is right, X-Men. I chose you not because of your powers, but because of your potential. You may not yet realise it, but you have extraordinary strengths beyond what your mutant gene has provided." Xavier smiled warmly, and reversed away from the table. "Nocturne, do show them to the hangar as soon as possible. I fear I need to talk with Forge before I can resume my duties with Cerebro. He might be... building again."
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Oct 8, 2017 22:49
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Please remember to tag your posts with your character's name. Nocturne massaged her temples with a guttural sigh. "You know, I had hoped that this whole X-Men thing would not happen for months, yet here we are... a madman on the airwaves and our own friends turning against us." She got to her feet and brushed off her shoulder, still in her fencing outfit. The broadcast had taken everyone by surprise, it seemed. "Still, we live in strange times, and things will only get stranger with time. Did you know I was a whole eight years old when I learned that being blue wasn't as normal as everyone told me it was? That's homeschooling for you."
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Oct 10, 2017 02:41
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"Your uniforms should provide– ah, I forgot to mention, you all have uniforms," said Nocture, tapping her forehead in a gesture of forgetfulness. Meanwhile, Jean managed to mentally overhear Diese verdammte Situation! Xorn ist so ein Scheißk– before Nocturne's surface thoughts became a very loud and insistent rendition of 99 Luftballons. Starting to hum it under her breath, Nocturne leaned over to the table and tapped a few buttons, pulling up another holographic presentation, this time of rather plain renders of male and female forms in dark blue outfits with yellow highlights, doing various poses and actions. "These are the prototypes only, but they are fully functional all the same. They are, ah... morpho... ugh, and Adam is not here..." she made a pained expression and waved her hand irritably, lapsing a little back into her accent as she spoke. "They adapt, and are very durable. Will not burn, will not break. Your temperature will be regulated and your vitals protected from knife and bullets. They also have tracking device and... other technical stuff. I am not Forge, I don't know of this."
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Oct 10, 2017 22:37
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"You have personal changing rooms down the hall there," said Nocturne, gesturing to one of the doors. "Follow the black line for the hanger, you can't miss them. One for each of you, the Professor insisted." There were long stripes of various colours running down the walls, labelled at every junction so you always knew where you were heading. Black, blue, yellow, red, green... the underground complex was larger than the mansion above, sprawling out in all directions, including downwards. Apparently it had started out as an atomic bomb shelter back in the early days of the Cold War, but ever since the foundation of the school it had become so much more. Much like how mutantkind had grown in secret over the years, in fact.
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Oct 11, 2017 21:00
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What Nocturne hadn't been able to explain was that each uniform, even as a basic prototype, aligned itself with the body at a molecular level. In essence, they became immune to the wearer's own mutant powers by becoming a sort of second skin. The snug fit was to ensure complete and total contact, to ensure that connection was made. No matter what your mutation was – becoming fire, steel, or anything else – the uniform would transform along with you as much as your hair or fingernails. Each was also designed with the specifics of the wearer in mind, to subtly enhance their powers, or at least not hinder them. They also had an X-symbol on the upper chest, near the left shoulder, which acted as a communicator for field work. Prototypes or not, the aesthetic was very on theme already. Over the weeks they'd been training, Professor Xavier had been very vocal and enthusiastic about what he believed the X-Men should be. First responders in situations that required a mutant presence, whether that was using your powers to deal with things that were beyond human control, or to put a stop to mutant hostilities. Xavier was an idealist, but he knew all too well the temptation of using power for personal gain. Not from working with mutants, but from being born into a wealthy family. Being a telepath surrounded by cut-throat old money for decades had given him remarkable insight into how callous and violent people could be. But it had also given him an incredible level of empathy, from hearing and experiencing the thoughts and feelings of others less fortunate. It had left him unable to ignore the plight of others, and was one of the main reasons he had founded this school. Not just to assist those in need, but to give them the chance to do good themselves. At the end of the black line was the hangar, subterranean but with a retractable roof, and large enough to comfortably house several aircraft. However, there was only one there at present. But what a magnificent thing it was! Mr. Valentine – Forge – called it the Blackbird, and the look was definitely inspired by the Lockheed SR-71. Only... bigger. No cramped single-person cockpits, but a roomy interior that could comfortably fit a dozen people and a car if necessary. What wasn't state-of-the-art was ahead of the curve by years, including total radar transparency, the ability to hover in place, and an entire list of other features. It was also going to be what took the team from Westchester County, New York, all the way to the New Mexico desert in under an hour.
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Oct 12, 2017 17:35
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"I have every confidence in you, Cyclops, and in all of you," said Professor Xavier, arriving behind them. A wheelchair made much less noise than footsteps on these metal floors, especially those belonging to Colossus, which echoed magnificently. "I have been assured that the Blackbird is not as intimidating as she first appears. Forge's mutation has gifted him with unique technical skills, and thankfully that does include the ability to make a... user-friendly interface, shall we say." He manoeuvred himself around, nodding as he took in the sight of the team in their uniforms. "I hadn't thought the prototypes would see field testing, but since we have no other choice at the moment, I must admit... they have a certain charm. Of course, at this point the practical benefits are of far more importance." Once in front of everyone, the professor in front of his class, he steepled his fingers together in the way he always did when addressing a serious topic. "Your advantages will be in superior numbers, and in superior tactics. You are unknown qualities to the three opponents you face, and if we are clever, we may be able to resolve this quickly. Magma, your powers are in direct opposition to Iceberg's own, try and keep the area around him too hot for ice to form. This should exhaust him. Colossus, Iceberg also has increased strength when he is in his ice-armoured form. You will be the one to protect the rest of the team. Marvel Girl, your abilities are the best safeguard against Mastermind's illusions. If you can keep her off-balance, she won't be able to construct believable scenarios. Hijack... should be preoccupied with maintaining the broadcast, but just in case, keep your distance. Cyclops, your optic beams should be able to take him out without getting too close." With a smile, he looked to the youngest member of the team. "Frog, your agility and resourcefulness makes you well-suited for lending a hand with any of these Brotherhood mutants. Stay close to the team, keep an eye on everyone, and assist where you can. May they underestimate you at their peril."
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Oct 15, 2017 00:00
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"Mastermind's illusions can be formidable, but they are worst against the unsuspecting, unprotected mind. She can only project scenarios into the senses of others, not tamper with their thoughts. These scenarios will be based on her own mental designs, limited by her point of view. To true telepaths like you and I, they will not feel real." The Professor gave Marvel Girl a reassuring pat on the arm. "You've come a long way since you first arrived here, Jean, and I wouldn't ask you to do anything of which I didn't think you were capable. I am so, so proud of you – of all of you."
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Oct 16, 2017 02:12
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"A side-effect of Hijack's powers being boosted through the radio telescope array is that all radio signals are being overridden with Xorn's broadcast, even our secure channels. Until you put a stop to it, we will be out of communication. Sadly, Cerebro does not allow me to keep in touch." The Professor tapped the side of his head lightly. "It amplifies my power to the point where if I were to attempt such a thing, I could unintentionally cause irreparable damage to your mind. Perhaps one day it might be possible, but Forge's understanding of telepathic means is a work in progress." He hesitated at the controls of his chair, and then moved away from the Blackbird, giving it enough room to take off. "I believe in you, my X-Men! But all the same... I wish you good luck!"
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Oct 18, 2017 03:25
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It was dusk as they were leaving, the sun hanging low in the sky, and thanks to the speed of the jet, it was dusk when they arrived. The Blackbird could reach altitudes far beyond commercial aircraft, allowing it to cruise along at supersonic speeds with ease. No traffic, no clouds, just an empty sky. It left a lot of time for talking, and the conversation about the Brotherhood's motives and meaning continued the entire time. Thankfully without ever turning into an argument. Dropping out of supersonic speeds and into the whisper-flight mode was an interesting experience, to say the least. The engine of the Blackbird didn't thrum like any jet they'd been in before, but when the whisper-flight was engaged it was like the noise suddenly doubled chaotically, before suddenly there was no sound at all. The Blackbird was cancelling out every sound it produced, the only exception the swirls of air just outside its reach, making it as silent as... a whisper. The effect was very cool, but also incredibly disconcerting. Speaking, moving, even breathing sounded wrong in the stillness, so it brought an end to the discussion before they'd even touched down. Gliding silently over the array, it wasn't hard to see what was going on. Each of the massive dishes was crackling with visible energy, like neon yellow arcs sparking off every surface. The energy seemed to be radiating out from the operations building, the intensity of it there brighter than everywhere else. Any doubt that this might not have been the source was put to rest when the Blackbird set down. A few men and women, some in security uniforms, were outside. Some were staggering around, others were curled up on the ground. None of them were acting normal, and not at all like they'd even noticed the jet landing nearby.
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Oct 19, 2017 17:05
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Even though she was not actively probing the thoughts of the personnel outside, Jean was still feeling something from them. That much fear and panic was hard to miss. It was seething, pouring off them like steam from a boiling pot.
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Oct 23, 2017 04:00
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A glance out of the Blackbird's window, at least from the right angle, showed that the main door was hanging open. Whatever was happening to the site personnel outside, they'd been carelessly left to wander. Security on this operation might not have been the Brotherhood's major concern. If you have a plan, I'd suggest enacting it sooner rather than later. Fortune favours the bold and all that.
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Oct 26, 2017 05:01
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Outside the Blackbird it was a little more apparent what had been done to the staff of the facility. One of the closest one was in tears, stumbling around, pawing at something only she could see. Another was just running, stumbling, exhausted and with tears on his clothes as he tried to get away from something chasing him. This close, Jean could get a sense of what they were seeing, glimpses of their private waking nightmares, but there was something about them that seemed... off. Like being able to see that the giant monster in a movie was just someone in a rubber costume. Magma's part of the plan was the first use of the team's powers in the field. Shaky to begin with, but her control over the ground has improved since her mutant gift first manifested. The sound of Colossus walking along the same route, his footfalls making loose bits of rock fall from the tunnel's ceiling, made things tense. As Colossus got closer to the open door, he could hear something familiar. A quiet, slightly tinny voice saying "I have shed the identity foisted upon me by the same ungrateful species who seeks to deny my gifts and treats me as a disease to be cured." Xorn's message was still repeating, although it was drowned out for a moment by the sound of something crashing. A table being turned over or something. But it didn't stop, and a piercing woman's voice rang out in frustrated response. "Oh my God! This is going to drive me crazy, where is it coming from? If I have to listen to this one more time..." The tunnel was already past the door, and those inside could hear the anonymous complaint as well, albeit muffled by so much dirt and stone. Jean could sense the minds nearby, getting a general idea for their position. One almost directly above them, the anger palatable, the source of the voice. Mastermind? Another that seemed to swagger all by itself, although not especially quick. Iceberg? And the last one... like a blinding light, hard to make out any details, just a feeling of power and energy that almost burned. Hijack? The tunnel opened up abruptly, cold air rushing in, as it breached into some sort of unoccupied basement area. Judging by the shelves it seemed to be a storage area. Here Xorn's message was echoing as well, quietly, from somewhere on the other side of the room. Maybe in another section entirely. But here there were stairs leading up, and from directly above, the sound of another table being flipped over angrily.
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Oct 29, 2017 04:09
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The water cooler slammed into a collection of desks with a crash. Computer monitors, already broken, ended up scattered everywhere along with miscellaneous debris. As the last few papers wafted down to the floor, it seemed as if the room was unoccupied, until someone picked herself up off the floor from where she had dived for safety. "Iceberg! What the hell, you idiot?!" She was almost screaming, indignant. It was definitely Mastermind from the holograms the Professor had shown, although different. She was wearing an expensive-looking high-collared coat, with no hood this time. Not the kind of thing most people would think to wear to New Mexico, but the air conditioning was still functioning. She narrowed her eyes, highlighted by striking emerald eyeshadow, as she took in Colossus. "Well, you're new." She herself off and took something out of her pocket. It turned out to be a compact, which she flipped open with ease. Looking into the tiny mirror, she lifted a single finger to her forehead and began to slowly push her hair back into place. She was regaining her composure marvellously, considering the circumstances. "I take it from this," she said, poking the ruined water cooler with her foot, still looking into the compact's mirror with the occasional glance towards Colossus, "that you're not one of us. So tell me, Mister Tall-Steel-And-Handsome, what's your deal?"
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Oct 31, 2017 21:41
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"You want it to stop?" Mastermind seemed genuinely surprised. "I mean, I could do without listening to it on repeat for hours, but we can't just stop it. This is our declaration of independence... although judging by your accent, you might not get that. Our revolution, maybe?" She put away her compact and placed her hands on her hips. "Look, big guy, I'll make this simple for you. Small words, short sentences, talking slow. Humanity is weak, unfit. Lacking in direction. They've had their chance, and they blew it. Now they talk about the 'mutant problem' – like we're the ones who need fixing. So really, they started this fight already. We're just stating the obvious." She let out a sigh that hung in the air like fog, followed by a pitying smile. "Why must the cute ones always be so dumb?"
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Oct 31, 2017 22:22
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No roll required, I like the way you're playing it out. "I-I..." she stammered out, her look of smug superiority falling from her face. But before she could marshal her thoughts and say anything else, a ferocious blast of icy air hit Colossus from behind, coating him with ice and snow. "Who's your new friend, Justine? He seems... cool," said a voice that sounded like it deserved to get punched. Mastermind snapped out of her momentary confusion and immediately started shouting again. "Mastermind! You call me Mastermind, you dimwit! I swear to God, if Xorn finds out you're using human names again, he's–" "Oh, why don't you chill?" Iceberg gave a snide laugh at his own comment, and sauntered closer with lazy yet confident steps. "You tell one more stupid ice joke and I will end you. You only have, like, three of them anyway." Mastermind let out a groan of frustration. "And would it have been too much trouble to let me get out of the way first? You could have killed me with that ice blast!" "Uh, no?" Iceberg laughed again, and leaned against the ice-covered form of Colossus. "Xorn said no killing mutants, which includes you, and includes this guy here. It's an ice prison, my dear little beta mutant. He's just going to chill here for a while." He really did only have three puns to fall back on. Mastermind started to back away, making her way to the nearest door. "You really are a moron, Iceberg. He threatened to bring down the whole building with his bare hands." "So? I could do that," said Iceberg, looking up at Colossus. The ice covering him was beginning to crack under the strain of trying to keep one of the strongest mutants on the planet captive. "Oh sh–" That's d4 physical stress for Colossus. Fuego Fish fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Oct 31, 2017 |
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Oct 31, 2017 23:12
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Iceberg went through two walls before slipping out of Colossus's grasp, tumbling forward into a pile of slush on the sand. The sun was just setting, the heat of the day ebbing away, but this wasn't going to be an issue for the cryokinetic mutant regardless. Nor was the extreme trauma he had just experienced. From out of the slush pile emerged an arm, forming up out of the ice, cold blue and translucent. Another followed, and both were planted palms-down on the ground, allowing Iceberg to lift himself up and reform himself. In stark contrast to his body, which was rapidly getting whiter as it froze completely, his eyes were solid black, except for ice-blue irises. Cold washed out from him, frost spreading along the ground along with creeping mist, as he took stock of what had just happened to him. He did not look happy. It was an ugly, furious expression. "Do you... have any idea... how much... that hurt?" He panted, breath ragged. The scowl turned into a manic grin. "Because it's not gonna hurt half as much as what I'm gonna do to you." When Colossus transformed his body, it was a graceful transition. Iceberg's change was anything but. He was growing in size and weight, but not all at once. Pieces of him exploded outward in thick, jagged portions. One arm dwarfed the other, until it caught up. His smooth ice form became craggy and splintered, until he was even larger than Colossus, resembling his namesake much more than before. "Time to die, tin man!" Iceberg roared out, and launched himself into a running tackle, hitting Colossus full on the chest. That's d8 physical stress for Colossus. Back inside, Frog leaps through the empty corridors and rooms of the control facility, ending up perched on top of some ducting high above the floor. From there she can see light flickering from under a door at the other end of the corridor, the same eerie yellow that was all over the radio dishes outside. Not too long after she's settled into her hidden vantage point, however, but a stranger comes dashing down the hallway from the other end. A different look than in the hologram, but Frog immediately recognises her as one of the three mutants the Professor had told them about – Mastermind. "This is bad, this is bad, this is bad," she said quietly as she ran, almost inaudible over the sounds of the fight outside, and the crackle of energy emanating out from the room she was heading for. Too distracted to look up, too. Frog now has a d6 asset to exploit, in the form of a high vantage point, and possibly a situation to use it in.
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Nov 1, 2017 01:19
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The world fell away for Marvel Girl, all physical sensation dropping into shadow, leaving her perception full of a world of quiet echoes. It was easy enough to locate the four lights that were her teammates, she'd been around them often enough during training to know how they felt. Then there were the site personnel outside, their minds clouded over with doubt and fear from the illusions they were trapped in. There was something about the human mind that was ever-so-slightly different to a mutant one, something she had picked up on from her long lessons with Professor Xavier, which made them easier to ignore for now. That left the Brotherhood. One was outside, a mind projecting negativity. Hate and anger at everything, even some directed inward. Frustration. Pain. Getting hit in the face? In the heat and passion of a fight it was not easy to read specifics, but at the same time thoughts erupted out like fireworks. Superiority. Alpha. Unstoppable. If this one was fighting toe-to-toe with Colossus, it must be Iceberg. That left the ones indoors, all clustered together. Running down a hallway, panic, doubt, fear. Not an easy read, like having a little static on a radio channel. Mental protection, mind powers. Mastermind? She was heading to a room, inside of which was – pain. Concentration, pain, pain, focus, pain, control, command, effort... pain. A mind that had an echo to it, a metal voice. Machine-like. Reaching out, talking, controlling. It was telling her, telling everything, to broadcast this message. Can't stop, can't stop. Show the world. Hijack. And then there was light, blinding light, burning fire. Cold, dispassionate flame that consumed and shone and that hurt. That wasn't someone else's pain she was feeling, that was her own. Like staring into the heart of a sun, light, shining, mirror reflection two of the same one mind like two minds and minds so similar and always screaming black void star child destroyer song age old eternal ph– She had to break the connection, the intensity of it all like nothing she'd ever experienced before. But even amid all that, it wasn't hard to count. Iceberg, Mastermind, Hijack, and the burning light. Four. Four minds. There were four members of the Brotherhood here, not three. Jean takes d6 mental stress from psychic feedback. Outside, Colossus was finding that hitting a pile of ice is typically the same at all times, even if this particular pile of ice had a smug face and a bad attitude problem. In this massive form, Iceberg was able to take hits much better. "You don't get it, do you? Davey's here to spread the word, Justine's here to keep things quiet, but me? I'm here in case we need to fight an army," he growled with an insufferable smirk. The ice that was him began to grow and creep, beginning to swallow up Colossus's arm. "You think you can stop me with a few punches? Get real. I'm ice. I'm a world-ender, man, a drat force of nature. What are you? What are you?" His body suddenly snapped in half, leaving a large chunk attached to Colossus, which would have weighed him down if not for his prodigious strength. The other half rolled on the ground and regrew out to full size again. "You're nothing, that's what you are."
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Nov 1, 2017 02:17
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Frog's tongue hit Mastermind right where she'd been aiming, with a splatter of goop that went from runny to sticky with the force of the impact. The Brotherhood mutant barely had a second to register what had happened before being hauled up off the ground, kicking her high-heeled boots futilely. "Two of you? And you're supposed to be– put me down! Oh my God this is so disgusting– and this is designer, you little brat–" she snapped out, managing to go from one source of indignation to the next in such rapid succession that she could barely finish a sentence. All of a sudden she froze and looked down the hallway at the door, where the energy was still flickering, and then began to half-whisper, half-scream: "Let me go let me go let me go let me go–" Around Frog, the walls immediately came alive, falling to pieces that slithered around, a tangle of hissing snakes and twitching severed limbs. From between the cracks and gaps came swarms of grossly oversized spiders and insects. The lights flickered and sparked, fires erupting everywhere, blood pouring down from the ceiling by the gallon. The floor sank down a thousand miles into a yawning black void, and all the while the door at the end of the hall grew and grew into a looming, gaping mouth of twisted metal teeth. Being told about the possibility of illusions had helped, but it was such a sudden and violent change that it was still incredibly startling. But it was chaotic, unfocused. A hundred different scary things at once that made it seem less real. This wasn't a directed attack. This was Mastermind in a desperate panic... and something told Frog that it wasn't her that Mastermind was panicking over. Frog takes d6 emotional stress, but Mastermind is restrained for now.
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Nov 2, 2017 11:07
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Mastermind arched her back, eyes wide, and let out a piercing scream... then dropped her head abruptly. The world around Frog faded back to normal, like mist clearing away in the light of day. The floor was back, the walls no longer snakes and spiders, no fire or blood. But the light from under the door at the end of the hall, the strange energy, was gone. The door fell off its hinges, hitting the ground with a crack. The frame was burning, and the flames were blue. Out of the room floated a solitary figure, hands clasped behind his back. There was no waver to his movement, it was perfect, like a leaf across a pond. He didn't even seem to be breathing. It was hard to tell because of the mask. That skull-like mask that had been on every screen, the eyes shining. Xorn. Mastermind's body was pulled bodily from Frog's grip, the sticky slime burning away in cold blue flame that left the unconscious mutant untouched. She was dragged down the hallway to stop a few feet in front of Xorn, and suddenly snapped awake with a pained gasp for breath. "Xorn! I c-can–" she began, but the words froze in her throat with an unpleasant croak, and she twitched as if fighting against some invisible force restraining her. Frog might not have been an expert on mutant powers, but she'd seen all the Star Wars movies. This was a Darth Vader move. Jean was perhaps not an expert, but she was a psychic. Telepathic and telekinetic. Professor Xavier had told her that she was one of the most gifted and naturally skilled psychics he'd ever met. Evidently he'd never met Xorn. Through her mind's eye she could see his power, coming off him like heat from a flame. His mind shone like a star, so incandescent that nothing could be seen or sensed, only power. Just touching it had hurt her earlier. "Mastermind," he said, his voice placid like in the video, but there was a coldness to his words. "You had your instructions." "I'm sorry," is all she managed to say, struggling to get the words out. Xorn's metallic mask showed no expression, his body language utterly unreadable. He hadn't even moved his hands and he was holding her so easily, manipulating her body like a doll. "I had faith, Mastermind. Faith in you. Faith in your abilities. Faith in your dedication." The last word trembled, the emotion seeping in for a second, the star flaring in Jean's senses. He took a moment to pause. "Was that faith misplaced, Mastermind? Was I mistaken?" "No, sir," she gasped, still having trouble breathing. Like a puppet with its strings cut, she suddenly fell to the floor in a heap, coughing and dragging in harsh, ragged, desperate breaths. "Good. Your failure aside, this interruption was something I had considered. They are Charles's students, Mastermind, here on a mission. There will be at least four, he would seek advantage in numbers as part of his strategy. Predictable." From behind Xorn, an unconscious body drifted out of the room he'd left, hanging limply in the air, alive but motionless. He had a different haircut, and different clothes, but the face was still the same as the hologram. It was Hijack. Xorn looked directly at Jean and inclined his head slightly, like he was observing something mildly curious and nothing more. A moment passed, and he looked at Mastermind again. "Should you incapacitate more of them than Iceberg does, you will restore your standing in the Brotherhood. Do you understand me? Do I need to repeat myself, Mastermind?" "No sir," said Mastermind again, in a small voice. "You are understood." "Good. You may start with this one." Xorn's head tilted slightly again, this time to direct his gaze toward Frog. "And her pet."
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Nov 3, 2017 15:20
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Cyclops's first beam struck Mastermind directly, sending her slamming against the wall. The second was on target for Xorn, but the masked mutant dropped to the floor, stretched out on hand, and the beam curved unnaturally to hit the opposite wall instead. For the first time, Xorn was moving, visibly breathing. As impressive as being able to deflect that blast had been, it had clearly involved effort. "The best and brightest," said Xorn, clenching his fist. "Oh, Charles, you have been busy." A slim black device emerged from some hidden pocket on his outfit. But it was nothing more sinister than a simple phone. It rose up, moved telekinetically, to hang just beneath his chin. "Vanisher. We are done here." Mastermind's body was dragged forcefully into the air, and somehow brought back to consciousness immediately, as if by the press of a button. Xorn didn't even look at her now. "You have been a disappointment to me, Mastermind. I can only hope your brother has greater dedication." A figure seemingly made of shimmering light appeared next to Xorn in a flash, and as quick as they had arrived, disappeared again. This time taking Xorn, Mastermind, and Hijack along. Outside, the fight between Iceberg and Colossus had grown to a stalemate, neither side able to bring the other down completely. For some reason, Iceberg was getting exceptionally more angry about this fact. When the shimmering figure appeared next to him, he screamed at them. Half pleading, half furious. "You can't do this to me! I've got this! I've g–" His impotent rage was cut off and faded away on the wind. Here one moment, gone the next. That's 2xp to everyone for an abrupt end to the scene.
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Nov 5, 2017 09:35
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"X-Men, it is good to hear you," the Professor's voice was in all their heads again, but this time only through the radio. There was still a little static on the line at first, but it quickly turned clear. "I am happy to report that the broadcast has ceased, and the interference that was preventing radio contact has gone with it. I am proud of each of you for putting a stop to this, although I do fear that things may never be the same again." There was a short pause, but the Professor seemed too eager to talk to stop for long. Having been out of contact for over an hour, it was easy to see why. "While monitoring through Cerebro, I was only able to read the presence of the mutants there, not what was going on in great detail. I take it there was a fourth member of this Brotherhood – a teleporter of some kind, judging by their rapid appearance and disappearance – who extracted the others from the facility? I got only a second's glimpse of them, not enough to ascertain anything about them. Nor their intended destination, sadly." The room from which Xorn and Hijack had emerged was a mess, various electronics fried or smashed, some outright melted. As a makeshift power-booster for Hijack's powers, it hadn't been able to last. Neither had Hijack for that matter, judging by his unconscious state. It seemed that Xorn had no qualms about pushing members of the Brotherhood far beyond their limits. Outside, one of the staff members who were meandering around aimlessly bumped into Colossus, taking a moment to realise what had just happened, his eyes unfocused and darting this way and that. "Where are they? Where are they?" He asked, desperately, looking behind Colossus. "There were– I saw– they're still here, I know it. They couldn't just have... gone?" Judging by the khaki slacks and ill-fitting shirt, he was some sort of engineer or scientist. Not much of a threat for the Brotherhood, true, but even the security guards had been placed under Mastermind's illusions. There were no bodies anywhere, in fact. Not even the slightest sign of violence. Had that been the Brotherhood's intent from the start?
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Nov 6, 2017 12:50
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The man blinked slowly, scrunching his eyes shut tight and then opening them again several times. He opened his mouth, looked around, then closed his mouth again. He lifted his hand, one finger extended as if to bring up a point or ask a question, then lowered it again. "Let's just go with it," he mumbled with a shrug, and started to massage his temple with one hand. "That's Peterson and she's... ah... somewhere. I think that's– yeah, that's her right over there, all... curled up." Curiosity got the better of him and he cleared his throat politely. "This isn't some sort of... psy-op or something, right? No MKULTRA acid in the water supply? I mean... who are you?"
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Nov 6, 2017 15:05
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Bad-shirt man blew out his cheeks, eyes wide, and gave another shrug. This one more aggressive towards the world in general. "Sure. Great. This is probably one of those mutant things, isn't it? Someone's gone and done something to the water and now we're all going to be mutants. Great, just great." He stalked off in a huff, but did seem to be looking for people to help, so it was a partial victory. "I'm ok, I'm ok," mumbled Peterson in response, eyes closed, rocking back and forth gently. "I just don't want to open my eyes, and that's ok."
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Nov 6, 2017 16:48
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"I apologise, Frog, but perhaps you could repeat that for me in more detail?" The Professor's voice was slow, his tone one of puzzlement. "I'm not quite sure I understood you. Did Mastermind merely believe that Xorn was present? Or did you actually perceive him to be there as well? Because it is... that is to say, I feel as if... no, I suppose the most honest statement would be that I am incredibly concerned that Xorn may be undetectable by telepathy." Outside, Peterson opened her eyes. "Pete and Peterson, huh? Jeez, you're a big guy. And, uh... what exactly are you wearing? Am I still seeing things?"
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Nov 7, 2017 01:16
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"I see. Thank you, Frog. However, from what you have told me, I fear that means Xorn is telepathy-immune in some manner. Even with Cerebro boosting my abilities significantly, I could not detect any trace of him. I cannot say I like the idea of a psychic existing who not only rivals my abilities, but counters my philosophy as well." The Professor let out a sigh that was audible over the radio. "I suppose some silver lining of this is that perhaps Mastermind, Hijack, and the others are being controlled rather than willingly going along with such madness." There was another pause, this one silent and lasting longer. The Professor was losing himself in his thoughts, but eventually spoke up again. "Cyclops is correct, of course. See to the innocents in all this, there should be plenty of supplies within the Blackbird. Do be aware, however, that this is a government-handled facility. It would be best to remove yourself from the premises before the military gets involved." Outside, Peterson was listening to the big Russian farmboy make his way through his little speech, nodding on occasion. "So... let me just... we got hit by something like a– a terror attack, and you're the– the mutants who handle other mutants doing this kind of stuff?" She rubbed her forehead. "Y'know, I'm not even going to ask why anyone would attack a bunch of science geeks out in the desert, but... I'm alive, everyone else is alive, and I'm going to give you a big hug now." It took her a minute to get to her feet properly, but she was as good as her word, even if she could barely reach all the way around. "Thanks, Pete. I really mean it."
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Nov 7, 2017 16:14
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"Jeez, you're just kids..." said Peterson, looking over Marvel Girl and then back to Colossus. "A-Anyway, call me Lisa, it feels weird with you calling me Peterson like you're about to ask me about the budget or if there's a problem with the coffee machine. Plus I think saving my butt grants you first name privileges, y'know?" She glanced over at the other site personnel and lowered her voice until only the two X-Men could hear her. "I'm thinking that between the code name thing and the weird uniforms, you kids aren't here officially. I'm... I'm honestly fine with that, but I can't say that everyone here is gonna feel the same way. Especially if you're mutants. So if you need to duck out before things get awkward, I'll cover for you."
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Nov 8, 2017 11:55
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The man with the bad shirt had raised his voice so loud that he was impossible not to hear, and attracting quite a crowd of facility employees. "So we're probably going to be tested now, because of this, and I don't know about you, but I don't think my insurance covers genetic mutation. I figure we've gotta sue, all of us. Take the government to task for this and get a big payout. Make it a, what's the word, class action lawsuit. Because they shoulda known something like this would happen! It's happening every drat day, up and down the country!" Lisa gave Jean and Piotr a look of half-embarrassment, half-worry. "He, ah... well, he's on Reddit a lot."
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Nov 13, 2017 18:09
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"That's a threat! That's a personal threat! You all heard her, she directly threatened me and all of you–" bad shirt man's tirade was cut short by Lisa Peterson, giving a whistle and then clapping her hands loudly. "Hey everyone! If you're feeling good enough to shout, you've got better things to do with your time. Like it or not, we're going to have to take a look and see what's still working around here. We've got some holes in the walls and a lot of other damage. Doug, isn't that your car over there... and over there?" Bad shirt man looked over to the wreck that had once been a fully-functioning automobile, up until Colossus had hit Iceberg with it. He let out a strangled cry of anguish and ran over to it, babbling incoherently and waving his arms. Lisa shot a smile and a wink in the direction of the team, and started talking loudly again, diverting all the attention away from the young mutants. With whisper-flight engaged, nobody even noticed the Blackbird leaving. Although there were several boxes of emergency supplies left behind that were eventually put to good use. "I see you are heading back, my X-Men," came the Professor's voice over the radio once they were in the air, breaking the tense quiet. "The broadcast has scarcely been down for more than twenty minutes, and already things are becoming... difficult. There is panic at the White House, and talk of convening Congress for an emergency session."
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Nov 15, 2017 16:35
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The entire internet was a mess, and Twitter was no different. Possibly worse, in fact. In time short amount of time since the broadcast ended, there had been untold millions of updates containing angry opinions, misinformation, lies, and more. No one phrase or hashtag had been settled on yet, but discussion of the broadcast was all there was right now. #mutantbroadcast is #fakenews Is it #Zorn or #Xorn? Vote and RT Verified reports coming in that NO DEMOCRAT HOUSEHOLD was affected by this globalist strike on our freedoms!!! #NoMutantSocialism #PrayForUSA #KellyWasRight #GoCowboys #mutants just declared war and POTUS is #golfingagain smdh For the first ten minutes I thought this was just the weirdest Twitch ad I'd ever seen. #globalbroadcast What time is it? Time for a change. #2-48-32 That last tag was only on a small handful of tweets, but it was a recurring number. Colossus still had his phone set to local time in Westchester, NY, and the clock said it was coming up on 9:15pm. It had been close to 6pm when the broadcast had started. It seemed possible that it had lasted for two hours, forty-eight minutes, and thirty-two seconds in total.
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Nov 18, 2017 16:35
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Piotr's phone lost connection as the Blackbird gained altitude, miles above the clouds, skirting the edge of space as it hit Mach 4 on the way back to the Institute. But the radio still functioned, picking up signals of things struggling to get back to normal after almost three hours of chaos. But a return to normalcy wasn't liable to happen, not after this. Only Nocturne was there to greet them when they returned, tail lashing with impatience and worry. "Charles – the Professor – is watching the news. Adam is... drinking. And you are a sight for sore eyes." She gave a smile of relief. "I was so worried, I really was, but... you did it. I just wish it had never been necessary in the first place."
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Nov 21, 2017 12:28
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I'm quite all right, Jean, thank you for asking. Just... perturbed by how things are unfolding. I feel as if this Xorn has shattered the very foundations of the world I had hoped to help build. The Professor's thoughts were tinted with sadness, but not so much that Jean could feel the emotion directly.The next psychic message went out to the entire team. I would very much like it if you all joined me in my study, I should like you all to see what's been going on. Yes, you too, Nocturne. I also would like to hear about how the mission went. "Ach, that's not good," muttered Nocturne, her tail lashing again. "If this is anything like last time, he's going to stay holed up in there for a week."
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Nov 25, 2017 18:35
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