1050/Materiel Girl

Materiel Girl
Date of Scene:	08 April 2020
Location:	Danger Room
Synopsis:	Bye bye, Blackbird but hello feathers, fangs and free hugs!
Cast of Characters:	Illyana Rasputina, Gabby Kinney, Rahne Sinclair, Piotr Rasputin, Tabitha Smith, James Proudstar, Warren Worthington

---

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
On the wall outside of the Danger Room:
                                      ........
                                     .:::::::::::..
                                    :::     ::::.
                                    ::   ..     ::::.
                                    ::  :'        ':::::
                                    ::'           '::::.
                                          .......    '::::.
                                        .:::::::.   :::::
                                        ::     ':::    :::::
      DANGER ROOM  ::.                  ::      ::::   :::::
        SCENARIO  .  ::                 ::      ::::   :::::   ....
                      ::                    :::::   .:::::  :'  '
                 NO   ::            .:.      .::::    :::::: ::
        ..    ALCOHOL::                :.    ::::'   ::::::: ::
       ..:  DIGNITY                  ::   :::::   :::::::  ::
       '::.  :: RULES       ..:::..    ::  :::::' .:::::::  ::'
         ':::::LIMITS      .:   ::  :::  ::::: .::::::: .::'
            ' ::::.      ..'      ::: ::: ::::::.::::::: .::'
           .:::::::           .... ::. ::.:::::::::::::':::'
         ::::::::::'         :' :::: ::::::::::::::::::::
        :::::::::::        :'  ....::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...
   ' FRIDAY        .::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::.
                              ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
                                       '''''''''''''''''''

It's another Friday night. Someone could be out binge-drinking or binging on the latest Lexflix series. Maybe the one about the guy who inherits all this money and pulls himself up by his bootstraps to create an amazing startup that delivers goods by drone, violating airspace and threatening people's privacy! Maybe. They could be out partying or seeing movies or shivering their asses off at an outdoor night market in Chelsea, because it's like 33'F outside without the wind chill.

Or there might be a banger of a club hit, circa 1985, blitzing down the hallway into the Danger Room where the scenario waits to be set up. Definitely /some/ adult is watching over things, though technically Illyana is permitted to run her own scenarios. But her idea of fun is usually one step short of lethal. No telling why there are a few dayglo legwarmers wrapped up with a bow along with a pair of huge Top Gun-style shades in rainbow iridescence with "BB" printed on a tag.

So it begins.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Training? In a place called the Danger Room? Hell to the yass this was something Gabby wanted in on. After her sister got turned into a raptor earlier she had a few emotions she wanted to work out in general. Getting a chance to actually train with some of the others was definitely going to be high up on her list of ways to do that.

Gabby comes dressed in her best; leggings, boots that were combat style, and a shirt in varied colors. Not that they can be seen much since she has body armor over top. She might heal but avoiding having to was always a good idea to begin with.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    It is only really her first day back from Scotland, but Rahne quickly is getting back into the swing of things. A Danger Room session? Sure, let's go. A Danger Room session from Illyana? That's a definite. There was no way Rahne was missing this.

    As such, Rahne comes dressed in her usual battle ensemble. Not because it is terribly comfortable, for of course it is...but for the fact that she anticipates the need for some quick shifting. And....she really doesn't want to shred any of her clothing. Especially being back the first day.

    The legwarmers do get a sideward glance. Apparently, Rahne hasn't seen anything quite that...neon-y before.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr's actual power is not strength, it is not metal form, it is being a responsible adult. For the brief moment he has left his new responsibility back in the residence, and has elected to help Illyana run her scenario. He crosses his arms and stands nearby, observing to make sure everything is up to the standards to be expected. The large Russian is in his training attire, though he watches the students to see their reaction to the scenario and how they react.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Lounging in the control room of the Danger Room, Illyana is not wearing legwarmers. She might be wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt with an interesting concept in tears, shorts over leggings, a crucifix? Sure. A pair of purple leather boots just to pave the road to Hell with good 80s intentions? Deffo. Big bobbly earrings, sparkly neon lipstick in blue as she lets the audio system keening with some jazzy synth beats. Cherish flips over into Like A Prayer, hissing and sharp in the best of atmospheric 1989 wonder. Fall of the Wall, fall of inhibitions!

Everything set up in the Danger Room gives a view of... a hangar. How thrilling. In fact, the underground awesome hangar that Remy's parochial school growing up probably didn't have. Sucks to be him! The stairs lead down to that other hidden part of the base, which hosts a very fancy bird. A big, shiny symbol of Air Force prowess circa... before Madonna, in fact. The SR-71 Blackbird is technically lacking a big interior, but mutants don't have problems with that, and it's prepared to take its crew. Which, of course, are the awesome New Mutants and their big brother.

//When you call my name,
It's like a little prayer,
I'm down on my knees,
I wanna take you there.
In the midnight hour,
I can feel your power.
When you call my name...//

Tabitha Smith has posed:
SUNGLASSES.

It's a Siren song that Tabby just can't quite give up, or she was just here for the chance to explode things again. Either reason for it, she comes into the Danger Room dressed in a pair of bright pink leggings with a bra and a cropped grey sweatshirt that's had the hem and the neckline chopped up so there's plenty of skin. Sunglasses, teased hair, and a wad of bright pink bubble gum that she's popping.

James Proudstar has posed:
Yep, Jimmy's dressed for training, again, though as Illyana shows up, he notes with a brief smirk, "We gonna need to start posting a dress code for these?" He surveys the scene and tilts his head, "Oh hey it's...another part of the Mansion." However, there's a little hint of something in his voice that suggests he already suspects this is not gonna go so well. Mostly because "the trip there" is usually not something the Danger Room Scenarios cover.

"As long as you don't ask me to fly the thing...." Jimmy notes, moving towards the plane, giving Tabby a brief thumbs-up as he passes.

Warren Worthington has posed:
At some point Warren has showed up to the Danger Room wearing a spiffed up training outfit. He upnods to Piotr when he sees him, winks and cracks a big smile.

"Hey Piotr."

A slight pause.

"Daaaaanger Zoooone."

Rolling his shoulders and letting out a breath, he pulls out a set of aviators and throws them on. "I heard a little something about flying. You know what that means right? I feel the need... the need for speed!" He strolls up to the others and gives a little wave. "Hey Jimmy, Boom-Boom, Rahne, Gabby and Illyanna. I can't wait to see what's in store for us this time."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"Da," claims Illyana as she flips another few pages over and taps two keys in rapid succession, the clickety-clack hastening along as the tempo kicks up again on another 80s track veering almost 90s. Not Madonna, this time; Prince. Eclectic music it is. Last week was classic rock, now it's classic pop. She thumbs the pages in her book and then sets it aside, the programming done. "Your carriage, it awaits." Slinking out from that comfy spot in front of the console and bank of touchscreens, the blonde points. "You do not have enough flight hours for the real thing. So now, you will get them." Of course, this begs the question who *does* have it? "Rahne, have you learned to read the radar and the rest? Warren, he can help. Gabby, you must wear your seatbelt, da? The g-force is strong enough for you, and if you go bouncing around you might be too sore for us to play cards later. Tabby, the glasses! Tsch, perfect."

She isn't going to point fingers but totally pointing fingers at Jimmy, baring her teeth in a charming grin. "You keep my brother from being a cannonball, da? Now get in there. Tabby, you should learn how to set a flight path."

There is /absolutely/ the sound of a car alarm being disarmed. A gangplank comes unfolding. There are no lights to flash /on/ the bird, but at least one of the floodlights obliges.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney lifts a hand to wave to the others as they arrive grinning nearly ear to ear. What she lacked in age she was certainly making up in enthusiasm for being here. "Hi everyone!" Then Warren speaks leaving her looking mildly confused. She leans over closer to Rahne even though she hadn't even fully met the other girl yet. "I thought it was called the danger room?" Maybe she misheard.

When Illyana calls out she gives a thumbs up. "Oh nothing can hurt me, but I will! Being thrown around is no fun unless it's on purpose."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"A flight path? I could do that!"

Tabby points out as she heads onto the bird, and for the record, no one better allow her to get near anything that might cost or save anyone's lives. Because she doesn't know what she's doing, or how to do it. And she'll get every single one of them killed.

Except those that can survive those sorts of things. "Where are we heading? I'll get us there!"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    A glance over to the Blackbird is given. Then...a shift to Gabby as she addresses Rahne. With a small smile, the ginger gives a single nod to the younger girl. "Aye, that it is. Give it a minute. We didnae start yet." With that, she nods over to the Blackbird. "wanna go fer a ride, now?"

    Warren is given a look as Rahne heads over to the Blackbird, hopefully with Gabby in tow. "Yer gonna help me out wit' the systems? Ah got it some, but could use a refresher if yer willin'." She shrugs slightly, giving a somewhat bashful look as the Blackbird grows in the foreground. "Ah didnae study much when Ah was back home."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr listens as his sister directs the other mutants and nods silently for the time being, though raises a brow at the mention of him becoming a cannon ball. He shakes his head at Warren, "Not sure why that reference is fitting." The students appear to react appropriately in his eyes so far and he gives the tiniest of smiles, and the ultimate vote of confidence, not immediately turning into his metal form.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"48 degrees 51'23.81" north, 2 degrees 21' 7.999" east," Illyana responds to Tabitha. "Or flight plan, Steel Angels 48. I would have you know how to fly safely, mm? There will always be a need for able pilots, and it makes a good opener. Oh, you drive a Maserati? That's fantastic. I do not drive, but I can fly a supersonic jet!" She grins and then taps the window. "Time me for set up. Warren and Piotr, get them airborne, da? Nice, easy run over the-- you'll see. It is pretty."

The hangar awaits. Beyond it, the Blackbird. The way up is easy, and strapping into the pilot's seat or the copilot's seats not hard. Other webbing and straps garnish the various other comfy seats, so lots of opportunity to get snug and comfy before takeoff.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney trails after Rahne while listening to the rest of the instructions given by everyone. She may not know how to fly a jet but she surprisingly is familiar with following GPS coordinates of that sort and the numbers stick in her mind like some sort of little catchy tune she can't get rid of. That wasn't her task though. She plops down into a seat pulling the five-point harness straps over herself with a familiarity that someone her age really shouldn't have.

"Oh, are we going to be airborne when this happens?" She considers with a little swinging kick of her feet that didn't quite reach the floor in her chair. "That'd be awesome. Troublesome but awesome," she reasons with a thoughtful nod as her mind starts to wander to the possibilities. She also starts to hum along to the music being played.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren glances over at Rahne and gives her a thumbs up. "You're gonna do awesome, believe me! You too Boom-Boom!" He points at his glasses. "Remember everyone, when you're in the cockpit, it's required to wear a pair of Aviators. Not only do they help you be a better pilot, but they also make you look cool and that's always important." He nods sagely and then looks around.

When Illyana speaks, he glances in her direction and grins. "Sure thing, cap'n." He turns to Piotr and waves, "Come on buddy, let's go get this show on the road. "If anyone needs help strapping themselves in, please let us know. Do not be afraid to ask questions, everyone is here to watch one another's backs." He nods and makes his way to the plane, watching as everyone gets into position before slipping into the pilots seat himself. "Okay, we'll get this show on the road when everyone's ready." He looks once more at Piotr and says, "I kinda wish you were Bobby right now. So you could tell me that I can be your wingman any time."

James Proudstar has posed:
Jimmy glances at Piotr, looking amused, "Sure, that'll work." He sounds a bit skeptical. Still, he moves to strap himself into one of the conveniently oversized seats. At least they have two now! Of course, Jimmy looks a wee bit worried that Jimmy playing backstop for Piotr might be necessary but well, too late to back out now! Wait...TABBY is putting in the Flight Path? Hoboy.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    "Hmm...Ah don't 'ave any." Rahne points to the aviator glasses while she gets situated at her station with the radar. "Ah tend tae break 'em or lose 'em." For perfectly legitimate reasons. After all, they have yet to make a pair of aviators that are wolf-friendly. Hands reach up to snag the seatbelts to strap Rahne in, while her feet (bare feet, mind you) slide in under her seat.

    Warren does earn himself another confused look. The ginger does get a sense that the winged one is quoting 'something'...but has no idea what. She just shrugs and drawls out a comment. "Thought yer everyone's wingman. Ye know, on account of the wings an' all." Wait...what that a joke from the shifter? Where did that come from?

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Indeed, -Tabby- is putting in the flight path! There to sit straight and plonk in the directions given to them by Illyana, a big long string of numbers with some letters stuck on the ends. She no doubt will be utterly capable of this particular turn of affairs or they are all doomed to crash the moment they roll the big ol' bird out of the nest. That, however, will be up to the experienced adults guiding the younger mutants through the process. It's not like there is autopilot on this thing, or a nice backup camera to guide them through the process of queuing up the spinning platform that hoists the plane to ground level and the environmental shell peeling back, begging the question how a 40-ish college don can afford military grade tech.

In the control both, catching Rahne's joke, Illyana laughs wordlessly into her forearm in case anyone actually hears her. Two quick flicks of a finger and the lights turn into flight formation in the hangar and then at ground level. How the hell does this thing /take off/ in New York? Comic book logic and physics, apparently. Maybe Piotr jumps up and down until it flings itself into the sky. Whatever!

The consequence at hand are the engines starting to spin up, Piotr or no Piotr.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Oh! I had a wingman once!" Gabby cheerfully informs as if this makes sense. "It was Power Girl! She flew faster than the plane though," she reasons with a little nod at the recollection of the fly-by during the air show. "That's how I got my callsign, though! 'Dropbear!'" Proud of this she settles in with a grin and looks over to Rahne offering a helpful shrug. "I don't have any either, but since we're not flying technically I think we get a pass."

It's here she falls silent for a few moments trying to run some mental calculations. An odd thing for a member of her family to be doing, but she had been trained in knowing how to get around if needed. "So is this actually going to account for the flight time or is it just to practice? Because I think with those coordinates we'd be roughly..." Her head tilts thoughtfully. "Depending on our velocity, head winds, and flight path... And this is a jet not a commercial liner..." She chews the side of her cheek with eyes narrowing. "An hour out? Give or take."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr has since found a seat for himself and strapped in to his seat for safety. When he hears the coordinates, the Russian nods and takes the moment to listen to the chatter between the New Mutants, though he looks to Gabby and says, "What is Dropbear?". He takes a breath as the Blackbird lights up.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Blinking, Warren looks to Rahne and says, "Oh it's from Top Gun, you see there's someone named Iceman and... oh, it's not really that important." He glances at the others. "Okay, put in that flight path and for anyone interested..." The winged mutant goes on a small instructive lesson about the basics of how an airplane works as everything is going. And then the Danger Room does Danger Room things! And it's night time and the engines are going hummin' and the plane does make believe plane things. "How's the flight path? Rahne, anything coming in on the radar? You're going to want to keep a close eye on it, even something that might just blip once or twice and look like a weak signal can be important."

And then Gabby is speaking and a small frown forms on his face. "Flying faster than a plane? That's some bulls..." He trails off, remembering that Piotr is there. "At least I have pretty feathers, and a winning smile." He shrugs and then asks, "So by Dropbear, does that mean we dump you out of the plane so you land on someone to mess them up? Anyway, good work, Gabby!"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    There is no mistaking the look of dumbstruck surprise upon Rahne's face as Gabby rattles off the calculations and projected arrival time like it was common knowledge. Because, damn, Rahne can't do that. At least, not in her head like that...not without a pencil, paper and about 10 minutes of colourful Gaelic cursing to get the math to work out. That surprise shifts to a sort of admiration, as Rahne flashes Gabby a grin. Oh...and then Warren is calling out to Rahne to check the radar. Green eyes shift to the screen, the greenish glow giving the Scot's face a ghastly hue as she keeps her eyes on the prize. "Got it. Nuthin' goin' on yet."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The Danger Room does... open. Up into a starry sky with all the usual accoutrements of wind and horrible clouds blotting out part of the night. Evening is definitely settled, which helps a black plane stay unseen. A significant roar of the engines add to the vivid sounds of night life, and somehow that might not be noticed by the neighbours in Westchester or a certain pointy military academy up the road. The Blackbird shakes and shimmies as she gets airborne, on a trajectory set straight up towards Massachusetts and cutting over Maine if the plotting is right. And if it's backwards for any reason, they're going to be swinging that baby into West Virginia and roaring for the heartlands.

A gentle coercion shimmies through the plane as they start climbing. Colourful Gaelic cursing is going to get interesting as the various systems receiving inputs get complicated on the many, many switches, little screens, big screens, and modifications made to the display. Seventies tech gone wild! The speed is building up swiftly, the sort that's about to push someone back into their seat and make them feel like they weigh a few tons. Onward and upward, with a horde of blip-blip-blips ahead about sixty miles.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney beams at the praise to her mental calculations. When you got stuck being the navigator plenty of times and were grilled into knowing it... It tended to be something you just did after awhile. Not that she'd ever claim to be good at math. Pfft. Geek stuff. Piotr's question of what a dropbear is earns a laugh. "It's an Australian thing. They look like koalas but are carnivorous and drop down on people's heads to attack when they walk under trees." She explains with all the assorted hand motions that includes. It's not as expressive as she might usually be given the g-forces, but it's still there to some extent. "Only it's made up to scare tourists. It's still a kinda cool name though, and 'Wolverine' is a bit overused."

James Proudstar has posed:
"Might be a little faster than an hour at this speed." James notes. Perhaps not as susceptible to G-Forces as some, but still able to feel the lurch. Idly he wonders at the amazing tech that allows it to simulate such things. He'll likely never understand it fully, but that doesn't mean he can't appreciate the realism. "Sounds like something's pinging, Rahne."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    The push back into the seat is definitely not a pleasant sensation for Rahne. Her face scrunches up into a mask of minor annoyance as her hands come down on either side of the radar display, fighting her urge to lean back to keep her eyes upon the sweep. And...yes, of course there had to be something coming. "Ifrinn naomh!" A colourful Gaelic curse slips out...though a minor one, since it doesn't seem to make Rahne actually embarrassed to use it than some others. Her head tilts to the side, calling out to Warren. "Ye got company. Comin' in fast 'bout sixty miles an' closin' in. Whole mess of sumthin'."

    Holy hell, indeed. A turn back to Gabby. "This is why it's the Danger Room. Cause nuthin' is easy in 'ere."

Warren Worthington has posed:
"It's a bear you drop on people." Warren says to Piotr even as Gabby is being a lot more accurate in what Dropbear is supposed to represent. He glances at Rahne as Jimmy gives a heads up on something blinking and he asks, "Whatcha got Rahne?" He listens to the report filled with colorful language, grins, and nods. "Alright, hold on to your butts everyone."

Deciding it would be best not to let whatever was approaching to get some easy shots on them (providing that was what was coming), he puts the Blackbird into a hard turn to their right. Gritting his teeth at the G-forces, he shouts out, "Rahne keep me up to date on how they're reacting." He puts the plane back on a straight route and... just waits... though the tenseness in his shoulders indicates he's readying himself for something.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The world flows by in motion, darkness and more darkness with the ink splotch of the ocean retreating off to the side and ahead, rolling hills that won't gain any elevation worth noting until passing New Hampshire and plunging into the backbone of the most ancient ranges of upper Appalachia and their cousins. Light flicks and fades, the night blue-washed, beautiful. It's hard to really make out much down there beyond the skinny array of freeways and the occasional spiderweb splotches of towns.

And those pings coming faster, in a loosey-goosey clustered blob. Nothing to worry about at all. There's too many little dots to be a cluster of planes, and the computer is singularly unhelpful about identifying what they are except they are not moving out of the path, strung out a little bit further.

At this speed, sixty miles is nothing. They'll overtake that in minutes. The dots get a bit bigger, spaces between them clear, but they're clumped and grouped, steadily in the way. Warren turns the plane sharply away and a cluster loosely heads after them. At not breakneck speeds. Not at all.

Geese!

James Proudstar has posed:
"Something just hit us." Jimmy notes, frowning in his seat, "Didn't sound like a bird. Something metallic."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney hears the blips as well and leans to the side to try to get a view of the images. "Eight flying in... geese pattern?" She guesses with a tilt of her head. That didn't look like any other formation really besides... Huh. "I mean they may NOT be geese but I don't know what else to call that sort of formation it's kind of a really irregular 'v' with a bunch of dangling... They're following us now."

"I don't suppose we've got external cameras or something?"

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr listens, though even the most oblivious of the elder X-Men is not sold on it, "I see." He gives a short chuckle, "Yery clever." Warren gets a dismisive wave from the Russian giant, who sudden frowns at the mention from Jimmy, "What is it? Do you have eyes on anything?" His tone is more academic than worried, nothing new under the sun at this point. He has survived Warren's flying before.

James Proudstar has posed:
"No, I just heard it. I can see real good but I can't see through walls." Jimmy notes in reply to Piotr. Ugh. He kinda hates this. Strapped into a chair in a flying sardine can and aside from his hearing not being much good, and certainly not able to do much about...geese? Have angry spirits arisen to avenge their untimely death in service of Tom Cruise's character development?

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Something is definitely... off. The geese are left in the dust and the Blackbird laughs in the face of lesser avians, screaming along at Mach-not-quite-Superman. The hull would unfortunately likely give way after Mach 4, alas. But the shimmy and quake of building G-forces on the body are starting to come to the fore. The quiver runs through it. A weird, grating feeling in any metal fillings sucks, and it's the sort of thing that probably makes Piotr's skin crawl.

Then... another, as the burst becomes an eerie, noisy blip on all the screens. One of the scanner monitors goes out. Another fizzles, the green light flashing four times and fading out. Cell phones? Not working. HUD? Ooh.

Warren Worthington has posed:
"Get ready for another bump or two then." Warren calls out to the others in response to Jimmy's report. He looks to the altimeter to check their altitude and that's when all the shit in the world hits the proverbial fan. "Passengers, this is your Captain speaking. There seems to be a slight malfunction or two with our systems. Please remain calm and in your seats." He looks over to Piotr and gives a nod. "Jimmy, start making plans to evacuate the Blackbird, help the others do what they need to do. Rahne, you've read over some of the technical documentation yes? Do you want to go to the back and see if you can restore some of the power? I think we might have gone through some sort of electromagnetic pulse of some sort. There's time, so keep calm and work through the problem."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    "Bloody hell!" At least this time Rahne stays in understandable English as the quivering overtakes her, followed by the burst of...of something. A flicker of green betrays Rahne looking for something, anything, that looks like it's working, before her own screen drops dead. "This isn't lookin' good. Damnable confusin' consoles..."

    At least this time Rahne didn't spew forth Gaelic. She doesn't even bother to ask what is going on. She has a sense of what may be going on. And....yup, Warren confirmed it. "ye got any control at all there, wingman?" At least she sounds calmer now.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney takes a deep breath which she holds a moment before letting out. The series of commands given are fine, but ... She reaches up to undo her own seat harness to get out. "I should get us some chutes ready in case," she offers for her own part. There wasn't anything she could do to help with the restoration of the power to the black bird. She could make sure there's an escape ready just in case.

It's a little difficult moving around given the shaking but she doesn't mind body checking against the walls to get her balance and continue back to check on the very item she said. "What was our last altitude?"

James Proudstar has posed:
Jimmy's on his feet in a flash, moving along with Gabby to open the storage pod that has the parachutes in it. He reaches to grasp onto an overhead handhold, just in case the shimmying starts to get real bad. Won't do much good to have him tumbling all over the cabin. He reaches out to steady Gabby handing her the first of the chutes, just barely small enough to fit her, but it should work. He lobs a big one back towards Piotr in a moment of relative stability, and manages to get Tabitha over so he can help her get hers on.

"Rahne, you're up next, unless Warren's carrying you out."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Blink! Blink! Then there's a wheeze from the front seats. Hiss... right under Rahne. A suspiciously //noisy// wheeze of high-pressure gas being released. The chair starts bouncing around, the only handholds the low armrests or a handle in the front. The rest of the Blackbird starts bucking as its systems are most unhappily impacted by something doing its level best to knock them out or interfere with the current. Beeps and alarms start cutting in and out. One strobing wail makes for a hellish claxon, together with two irritatingly blinking lights that aim to create a discotheque.

"Material Girl" starts emiting from the comms, at least one of them. A shrill, distant backbeat of Madonna's chorus can be heard. "...with the cold hard cash is always Mister Ri-i-ight!"

Somewhere, Illyana is singing along under her breath. She grins like a lunatic.

Aaaaand....

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    And...with Warren's request, the Scot gives a nod. "Yeah...Ah can give it a go." With that, she reaches up to unfasten her seatbelt, attempting to stand before that tell-tale hissing is heard. And....yeah, definitely need to get out. The former expression of mild annoyance becomes a full on exclamation of shock, as Rahne shifts from James to Warren. "Ye got to be kiddin'. Jumpin' out at this speed?" But, no, she isn't arguing right now. Instead, she turns to Warren. "Ye got me, Feathers? Jimmy says time tae bail!"

Warren Worthington has posed:
"We're in a controlled..." Warren was about to give Rahne some okay-ish news, but the Danger Room is gonna Danger Room and things go from bad to worse real quick. "I can carry her." He calls back to Jimmy, "I can probably carry two of you depending on who those two are." He looks at Piotr for a brief second but then unfastens his seatbelt and nods to Rahne. "Don't worry about holding on too tight. Also, close your eyes, not everyone's eyes are built for this and no time for eye goggles." He puts his right arm around her waste and pulls her close and walks with her to the part of the plane where the team goes skydiving.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"Valid," Piotr notes to Jimmy, "You'll do fine," his tone reassuring as he unbuckles himself. He stretches his neck and holds tight, going metal form for the evacuation. The Russian steps to the side and tries to stay out of the way, mentally noting the responses of the New Mutants, trying to develop comments for the after action report.

Piotr nods to Warren, "I can take care of myself," he looks to teh chutes, making sure there are enough for the rest of the people.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney had just got to the part where the chutes are. "Ideally no we don't want to--" she begins only for it to not finish. Because she was having to hang on to the sides of the secured chutes as the blackbird seems to buckle almost in half. "What are we getting attacked by Lorna or something!?" She bellows only to realize, hey that might be something like what was going on. The entire ship seemed like it was getting squished like a soda can. Her legs go up as she hangs on, then come slamming back down again from the bucking of the plane. Somehow she shoulders one half of a chute on even if it was a bit big on her. "Still staying inside is not good!"

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Several pins fire. And with it goes the pilot's seat and the copilot's seat, and the next two relayed up into the air two seconds later.

Because when those pins fire, the canopy of the Blackbird is /off/, responding to the critical failure of some kind of electronics. Sent flying off into the night sky, that gives immediate evacuation for anyone still strapped in or clinging to a seat. Otherwise, it's going to be a bumpy ride to the back of the plane and figuring out how to squeeze out the back without being crispy-fried by the engines.

James Proudstar has posed:
"Then grab Tabby too!" Jimmy says to Warren, once again grabbing hold of Boom Boom to keep her from literally bouncing off the sides of the Jet, before more carefully trying to hand her off to Warren. "The rest of us at least gotta chance if we make the fall." He starts to reach for a chute for himself when the roof goes off, and then he has to grab Tabby again, because the handoff didn't quite happen, and for good measure he grabs Gabby too.

"This is gonna suck..."

No time for a chute, Jimmy also tucks Gabby under an arm. He's banking on being able to stay conscious at altitude where the girls might not. There's a method to his madness. Really.

Because his next move is to use his powerful legs to just leap right up out of that big ol' hole, and now he's freefalling with a teammate tucked under each arm.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Well, yeah. In the back of Rahne's head is a voice telling her that it is all a simulation and really she isn't in danger. But, the Danger Room is really *extremely* convincing. And she has been a little out of practice. So, yeah. The realness factor is cranked up just a bit higher. Almost to 11. "Alright..." is about all that Rahne gets out before seats start ejecting. Anything else just shifts into a gasp as Rahne clamps her eyes shut and holds onto Warren's arm about her rather tightly.

    As she braces for flight, a thought races through Rayne's head. <Why, oh why couldn't this have been on the ground? Can't do shite in the air...>

Warren Worthington has posed:
Oh, hey the Blackbird is offering a convenient escape hatch for them. Thanks Blackbird. Warren adjusts his grip on Rahne, left arm moves around her waist and he nods to Jimmy and Tabby, taking Tabby in his right arm. "Feel free to wrap arms around my neck. And with a one and a two and a..." He doesn't finish the sentence, he bends his legs and jumps, letting the three of them escape the cockpit before flexing his wings and entering something of a glide with the two young ladies in his arms.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr watches as the various people jump, some without parachutes. With that, the Russian reaches into the cabinet, his mass keeping him from being ripped up right away. He grabs one and aims for where Jimmy is going to be and chucks it in that direction, factoring in the wind yelling as loudly as he can, "Catch!" With that, he takes one for himself and diving off the Blackbird before it goes down.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
I close my eyes,
Oh, God, I think I'm falling
Out of the sky,
I close my eyes
Heaven help me...

Hitting the wind at Mach 2-point-oh-god-why is a bone jarring experience. Fine, for Piotr it's just an enjoyable stiff breeze. Warren can at least -see- more or less, but he moves at speeds usually only attainable in video games. For the others, it's probably a degree of total terror. Can Rahne bounce? Can /Tabby/ bounce? Only one way to know.

Never mind the wicked creature is now damaging the crippled bird or autopilot will eventually engage with the mini-EMP fizzling out. Down, somewhere, on the ground is a mutant laughing her ass off while she takes aim with a long tube mounted on her shoulder and a complicated set of sights augmenting her gaze. All around are scraps of woodland and fields glistening so sweetly in the moonlight.

And I'm not sorry (I'm not sorry)
It's human nature (it's human nature)
And I'm not sorry (I'm not sorry)...

James Proudstar has posed:
In all the chaos, Jimmy can barely hear Piotr's yell, but by virtue of enhanced hearing...he does. He reaches out to catch the chute that gets launched at him, and only barely manages to hook a strap by the fingertips. He very nearly almost loses it immediately though, as moving around at altitude and speed like that actually causes major deviations in your orientation and bearing, sending him end-over-end, barely holding on to Gabby, for that matter, but after several moments he kind-of gets the hang of it and gets stabilized.

A glance is given to Gabby, just to see how she's holding up.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"I SWEAR IF THEY START PLAYING 'I JUST DIED IN YOUR ARMS TONIGHT'...!" Gabby bellows if only because it was hard to be heard over that rushing of air that had caused her ears to pop. She's uncertain if they actually did pop or just got clogged as she clings onto James rather tight from where he grabbed her. Her hair whips around slapping poor James in the face as they tumble and flip through the air in freefall. While she just... WOOPS with delight as if this were the best ride ever.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    <Don't drop me, don't drop me, don't....>

    Rahne's mental mantra seems to at least keep her calm enough to not be screaming out into the night, but the rising urge to do anything that lets her feel somewhat in control is growing. The urge to shift...to take on her hybrid form is calling to her, tempting her. But...can Warren really handle the sudden shift of a person gaining three extra feet of height, fur, and 300 extra pounds of mass? Probably not. With a shake of her head, Rahne drives the thought aside as her mental cadence changes.

    <Don't drop me. Don't wolf out. Don't drop me. Don't wolf...>

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren is used to making some dives, but having to hold onto both of the ladies while trying to slow down takes most of his focus. He's not even paying attention to what might have happened to Jimmy or Piotr. Or Gabby. But he trusts that they're handling their business, or at least that Jimmy is. Piotr, he knows that he can handle pretty much anything except Magneto coming back to life to magnet-yeet the dude into space. "It's a bit rough, I know, but we'll be okay, just be ready for anything that might come at us on the ground." He tries to shout it, though maybe some of the words are lost to the wind.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The soundtrack is nothing if not WONDERFULLY obliging...

//I keep looking for something I can't get
Broken bodies all around me
And I don't see an easy way to get out of this.
Her gun, it tilts back above the horizon
The bombs are readied, time for some fun,
Who would've thought that a boy like you would come to this.//

//Oh, you'll just in his arms tonight,
It must have been something you did...//

//Is there any just cause for suffering this?
A massacre in a concert, that robot
Never said sorry, so hell, she'll fire again,
Target is found, it's your final mistake.//

The woman takes aim at the biggest target. It's a difficult choice between James tumbling with his package or Piotr. She skews and corrects for angle, then presses the trigger. The recoil on that tube is enormous as the iron sight kicks, and the heat shield spews out a blast of fire behind her. The shoulder-launched SMAW /roars/, and sends something awfully fast and probably very, very explodey at Illyana's paladin brother.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr is free, free falling. He had an idea, it was a good idea, he has a parachute in case he needs it, but the large man can probably take the hit of gravity. This changes abruptly when he hears the familiar whistle of something that he would not appreciate striking him come whizzing towards him. Piotr sighs and mutters a curse under his breath as it strike the free falling X-Man square. In. The. Chest.

This chain of events confirmed a couple of theories. Firstly, it was an explodey round. Secondly, it hurt. A lot. This is evident as Piotr's trajectory changes abruptly away by a significant amount, and the red hot metal on his chest, with shrapnel fortunately not piercing his skin, still hurting like all get out. Thirdly, Piotr does not appreciate this, and as he tries to regain his poise, he realizes that the parachute is now toast and comes to the time to at least if this is going to end poorly, may as well do it in style, as he comes to the ground he attempts to land the rare three-point landing.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren's eyes can see better than normal eyes, and so he sees that there is some activity on the ground. Not exactly who or -what-, just that there's -something-. Frowning, he begins to move in a side-to-side pattern, mixing it up which way he turns while in the air. Off the top of his head he could recall some movie where a zig-zag was called a Crazy Ivan. Something about submarines.

He winces as he sees Piotr take an exposve hit of sort and he shakes his head. What a champ.

Finally he makes it to the ground and he gently sets both Rahne and Tabby down. "See, I told you we'd make it. Thanks to some heroics by Piotr!"

James Proudstar has posed:
Clutching the parachute in one hand, Jimmy finagles Gabby about, and grins, having to shout against the wind to be heard, "All right "Dropbear" get ready to do your thing." He's kinda got the inkling Gabby knows how these Parachutes work and navigate, and might be able to provide a nasty surprise for their groundside opponent.

And so Gabby is released to take control of her own destination.

Which leaves Jimmy to at least try to get the parachute half-on before he pops it, making sure to keep a tight grip...at least he's strong enough he can probably keep hold if it slips off, and it won't pop his shoulders out of socket.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Another person knocked from the sky! Careening off into the shadows, the Blackbird rams at Mach something into the landscape with a wail of engines and a -very- impressive column of smoke after the anticipated fireball. Boom shaka-laka!

Alas, the same explosion of Piotr bits isn't quite so bad. He manages to plow into the ground and his three-point landing smashes his hand into the ground by half a foot. He carves out last year's grain in a circle around him close to twenty feet across, and the soil and dead, shorn stalks fly into the air to the delight of frantic squirrels and ground rodents tomorrow. Right now, a shiny man is flexing in a crater.

Yay for violence! The next reloaded rocket is slapped into the SMAW, and the Materiel Girl efficiently starts to take aim at the fancy man up there going down to...

...oh, the ground. Righto. That still works. Ready, aim, fire! Sure, she has to arc it a bit higher, but her fierce grin of concentration isn't sparing anything. "And that's for Steelo! Phil! Tank! And Spare-Parts Sebastian!"

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Wait....that is ground under her bare feet? Dear sweet Jesus, Rahne is back on the ground. Her eyes open and Rahne impulsively gives Warren a quick hug. "Ye a perfect angel..." The hug is brief, as she steps back and just...shifts.

    It isn't a slow affair like what you might see in the horror movies. It's less than a second as all the stages are quite visible. Fur sprouting upon all exposed flesh. The legs gaining muscle mass as the face elongates, gaining a decidedly wolfish muzzle. The knuckles popping audibly as claws are unsheathed. The only feature untouched? Those green eyes, which now burn with an animalistic fire.

    Now....now Rahne can do something! Those green eyes survey the area, searching in the infrared spectrum for heat signatures....particular one that seems to enjoy taking out supersonic jets.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Right!" Gabby calls out with a curt nod of her own as she tugs the straps on the chute tighter around herself. Not too tight, she wasn't trying to stifle her breath. And she also doesn't pull the chute yet. Instead she tucks her knees up to her chest wrapping her arms around it to make herself a much smaller projectile that DROPS quicker... Then she spreads her arms and legs angling her descent down toward the woman with the weaponry. The angle is right, just right, and she finally yanks the ripchord to pull the chute.

The canopy snaps open billowing up behind her disturbingly close to the woman. She was too close to the ground for this to be done without hurting. It serves two purposes though--To disrupt her view of the others that may still be airborn, and to swing her body around the other way so her legs were coming straight down at the woman.

"YIPPIE KAY YAY MOTHER---!"

Speeding Gabby to the head.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
It's that lady there in the forest with a smoking hot weapon mounted on her shoulder that launched a rocket directly at Warren. Which also means Wolf-rahne and Tabby. How fast can she dodge and go give someone a hug? Faster than the deadly...

DROPBEAR dropping in?

#chuckjoke

Warren Worthington has posed:
Warren is accepting Rahne's hug one moment and watching her beginning to shift the next, and he also happens to hear something coming directly towards them and thee's really no time to do anything but try and react. Leaping into the air he plants his feet on the shifting Rahne and kicks off, both trying to push her out of the way of what's coming and to give himself some room to avoid it as well, doing a spin move to also grab and pull Tabby with him to try and keep her from getting harmed at all. "Piotr! Jiiimmmmyyyyy! Get her!" He shouts at the others to put an end to their foe.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Ow. Regrets are definitely a thing. Piotr tries not to show it as he rises from the crater and dusts off his shoulders, "On it, bird man." He says and walks and eventually gets into a run as he bull rushes the lady who decided to donate scrap metal. As the approaches, he lowers his shoulder to try and football tackle the threat, and hopefully deprive her of her weapon.

James Proudstar has posed:
Jimmy touches down on the ground...and promptly gets smacked right-dab square in the middle of the chest by the missle that carves between Warren and Rahne and Tabby. It's really just bad luck, but at least he can survive it! Probably!

It does, however, send him flying back several meters and landing on his back, groaning a bit and pretty much out of things for a little while.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
A nice swirl of smoke rises from the middle of Jimmy's chest, and the starburst pattern of impact goes really well with his stylish threads.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    That....is a rocket. Heading right for the trio. Fortunately, Rahne is now a really, really big wolf. And....really damn fast. Warren finds himself pushing at empty space as Rahne has already leapt away, dodging the rocket with a feat of lupine grace. And then....Rahne runs. And she runs fast, barrelling down towards the poor unfortunate soul with the rocket launcher at full speed. Gabby is noted...the smell of little Miss Dropbear fresh in the wolf's nostrils as Rahne charges in. And the metallic marvel Piotr.

    Which means that Rahne suddenly shifts, taking a bounding leap between Gabby and Piotr both, adding in her massive furred form with that of the russian powerhouse to really give the girl a teeth-rattling pouncing.

Warren Worthington has posed:
Damn, poor Jimmy. Warren takes one look at where the poor fellow flew backwards and made a mental note that he'd have to do something nice for the fellow in the next day or two. Since Rahne is off to attack their target, he has to assume Gabby is nearby and making trouble. Lifting up into the air, he takes a quick look to see where the target might be and then makes a diving swoop attack at her, trying to at least time things for when Rahne comes in and does her thang.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The bad thing about that sort of impact is that Gabby's legs crumple under it as well. The velocity and height she fell from meant her bones snap, and pop, and do all sorts of unpleasant things that would leave someone completely rendered unable to fight. Except she tucks and rolls, and comes out with her claws out. While on the ground she whirls around to swing her clawed hand back toward the target to just stab the woman right in the back of her calves. Not quite cutting her ankles up, but pretty darn close. She wouldn't be going anywhere and is suitably lined up for Rahne to finish her attack.

"Okay, that was fun! ... Can someone put my tibia back in place? I think it's poking through my pants."