10788/Happy Harbor: Cairo By Night

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Happy Harbor: Cairo By Night
Date of Scene: 10 June 2022
Location: Giza
Synopsis: The Happy Harborites are out for a night of fun in Greater Cairo, but fate is about to intervene. Macha returns from her dead sisters essences that have stored away in Morrigan and they both die as a result. Teens and Faculty are heroic, but sadly death takes Morrigan in the end.
Cast of Characters: Morrigan MacIntyre, Morgan Finn, Tommy Shepherd, Xiomara Rojas, Belinda Gutierrez, Marc Spector, Madison Evans, Richard Stadler, Michael Hannigan, Colette O'Connail




Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Egypt has been hot, but at least it hasn't been muggy or taking people out with heat strokes.

Night has settled over the city and the group had arrived at their destination for the night post dinner. Morrigan had set aside this night for the teens and teachers to venture out to enjoy the city at night. The main stop for them was going to be the Pyramids of Giza. There was a brief sound and light show that would be ran and then a special tour of one of the pyramids. Because who doesn't like bright flashy things to distract them followed by going into creepy buildings at night?!

Morrigan had dressed for not being out in the sun, but the redhead was still dressed in a comfortable dress and sandals. Her hair was braided back against her scalp and she was giving a few students warnings before shooing people towards their reserved seats, "No running off please. And we need to try to be very careful after we go inside. I don't want to buy a pyramid." she chuckles to that. "Or any statuary unless its of Anubis." she adds with a bit of a chuckle.

Seats have been marked off for 'Happy Harbor High School' and there is a greeter there to help them get situated. "I know for some that sitting might be lame, but we'll get to stretch our legs in about twenty minutes. So just try to hold all that excess energy in for that long." the Irish woman looks to them with a pleading look.

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan returns from the bathroom. He's dressed in a white T-shirt, khaki shorts, and Skechers shoes. The nerd has a belt holder for a water bottle at his side with a full bottle of spring water there. He's concealing something in his hand and anyone who knows the jokester would suspect he's up to no good.

He gets as close to Belinda as he dares, barely suppressing a stream of snickers. And suddenly he whips a water-soaked paper towel from the restroom in her direction!

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    "I feel specifically targeted by that comment," Tommy mutters as he finds a seat, somewhere near the back because he's antisocial like that. Even though he's been remarkably well-behaved (for him) this whole time, speedsters and good behavior never seem to be two things that go together.

    Not to say he hasn't ran off a time or two but, you know, that's kind of his thing. And he always comes back! Sometimes he even lets someone know before he leaves.

    He pulls his baseball cap (still repping the Omaha Storm Chasers) off and sweeps a hand through the general mess of his hair. That's not cap hair, his hair is just LIKE that. Frightening. And no, no attempts by him to comb it into place actually have any effect. Then he replaces the hat, but with the bill facing backwards so that he can look up and see the light show. Which he's presuming will be in the sky? Yeah, he has no idea what to expect.

    Cool view, though. He snaps a few pics on his phone.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
With the sun having set, Crush is wearing something closer to her normal attire. A blue crop top, black denum pants and her knee high leather boots. Sure, it was still hot, but she was done pretending the temperature bugged he. Over the tank top was a black denim jacket that the sleeves had been but off of, and of course around her waist is the thick black leather chain.

Listening carefully as Ms. MacIntyre gives instructions, her first thought of course is to remind herself not to touch anything, maybe not to even look, unless she was certain she was pulling her strength.

Sticking with the group, she runs her hand over the chain on her waist as she looks around. There were a /lot/ of people gathering for this, and whereas she did want to see the light show, and the inside of the pyramid, she was starting to feel like she stuck out... because she always does.

She immediately searches out a chair, any chair, to sit down and be less tall. "You can do this," she tells herself quietly. "They aren't all staring, only half are, you can do this."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
During the daytime, Egypt is wonderful to see, a sight that steals Belinda's breath away. But at night--

"The Pyramids!" she exclaims, practically bouncing in her seat. Night creeps over the world on silent, padding feet; the structures tower in all their stoic glory, and she steals a last, quick glance through yet another tourists' guide. "It says that the Pyramids were once sheathed from top to bottom in white stone," she remarks, eyes focused on the material. Blithely innocent! "Wow, and with gold cap--AIEEE!"

Wet cloth! Shriek, squeal, protest! Bite lip-- shivery!

"Morgan! I swear---! Also, thank you for cold water. Grab seat before all starts!"

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc has perpetuated the guise of Marcus Knight for the duration of the trip and today is no exception. He's dressed in a loose fitting linen buttoned shirt and slacks as well as comfortable walking shoes. He oppens his mouth to make a comment about Morrigan's current obsession with the jackal god of judgement, bt thinks better of it at the last moment, offering her an amused smile instead as he files in near her.

    There would be questions if he mentioned having met the very being on several occasions. And those questions might lead to his focus slipping and right now... he couldn't afford that. Instead he draws his eyes to the pyramids. He's been here more times than he can count. Part of him was born here. Not specifically in Giza, but in Egypt. A part of him he is no longer currently in possession of. His expression turns somber as he feels brutally aware of that abscence, staring at the castles of the dead.

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison looks like she's //prepared// for this trip. She's wearing a pair of jeans and sensible shoes - and a white shirt, with images on it that look like carvings in an Egyptian tomb. Only the images include various Star Wars characters - ranks of Stormtroopers facing off against Han Solo and Chew, who are running. Leia, hefting a blaster. And features most prominently - Vader, towering over Luke, holding his hair with his lightsaber raised - like a Pharoah about to dispatch an enemy.
    She sips from her reuseable water bottle as she files obediently into one of the seats - bouncing in place and- "HEY! Who's- I don't think we're supposed to throw things!" She protests, looking towards Belinda. "Are you okay?" she asks with some concern.

Richard Stadler has posed:
Well, at least dinner had been in a nice, air conditioned restuarant for Richard, and, and a good selection, too. Foie gras and a rather hearty bean stew. A little heavy, but very satisfying, and it would be wonderful if he wasn't swimmming through air.

He's currently wearing something for the weather. Kahki shorts, sensible sneakers, a white t-shirt under a polo shirt that at least breathed, and that rather sensible yet unfashionable boonie hat. At least the sun wasn't getting in his eyes at this time. And-

He snap points over at Belinda and Morgan. "Hey, you two! This is a wonder of the world, so power down." in a loud enough whisper.

And it was, wasn't it? This job was, despite it's... difficiulties, already paying off. He'd have needed to set up a vacation for this if he was going to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx, and it was quite an oppurtunity. If only the teenagers would see that! He wasn't quite grumbling though, as he took a chair near the back of the row. Better so he can see how the rest of the students were behaving. Which /better/ be good.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike is not a student nor is he a teacher. But with the involvement of Shaw Studios, he's relevant enough to function as a chaperone for some of the outings. Tonight happens to be one of those outings.

Due to the heat of the daytime portion, Mike is not wearing dark colored clothing and has instead exhibited that he DOES have a light colored shirt in his arsenal. So, he is wearing faint blue jeans, boots, and a thin fabricked but long sleeved white shirt. His hair has been pulled back and a ballcap that once adorned his head has been demoted to being hung on the belt when the sun had vanished.

He lingers behind allowing for the kids to pick their seats first before he pops on, glancing around for the area with the least distribution of chaperone. That is where he parks his butt.

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    Though the sun has set, it's not exactly cold. This is Egypt. Colette doesn't seem to be paying quite as much attention to the heat as some, but she too is down to a T-shirt in the evening warmth. At least there's no glare and the sunglasses that have been ubiquitous at day time can be left behind.

    One of the last to take her seat, she joins Mike in the area most in need of someone to glare, greeting him with a nod before sitting down. "We taking bets on which student breaks a pyramid?" she asks him.

    Without awaiting an answer, Colette leans forwards and speaks to Mike more quietly, clearly for his ears only. "Has Terry been in contact with you lately?" she asks. "He's been doing a whole... thing."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's met Anubis. He's the best boy! She'd just not tell him that to his face really. Duncan and a few other teachers assistants and teachers take up some of the seats at the front that are reserved for the group. Morrigan finds a middle ground. "I mean I get tired of sitting as well, Mister Shepherd." she states to the speedster with a bit of a smile.

There is a look to Marc and she gives him a smile, "You alright?" she asks the man. Because he was out of his element here with the kids and things. Tyler finds an empty seat on one side of Morrigan and leaves the other open for her Chaperone friend.

"Everyone doing okay? Need anything before the show starts?" she asks. Richard and others had already talked to Morgan so she didn't feel the need to pile on him!

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan, who *always* feels bad about the mischief he causes, and *always* means it every time he promises never to do it again, peers sheepishly at Richard. "Sorry, Mr. Stadler," he murmurs. He quick grabs a seat next to Belinda and gives her shoulder a playful shove with his elbow. "You got me in trouble," he says under his breath to her, grinning.

But, in truth, he does understand the gravity of where they are and what they're looking at. He glances over at the people getting ready to start the show. "This is gonna be dope," he whispers.

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    The only response Dr. MacIntyre gets is a huff of breath and a "yeah, sure" kind of look from Tommy, but he's silent otherwise. There's some spinning around in his chair, visibly uncomfortable, until he tucks one leg up underneath him, props the other up on the seat adjacent (oh sorry you were gonna sit there? yeah, no, taken) and then he tips his head back until his skull thunks against the back of the chair.

    But see, look. He's behaving. No one can say Tommy isn't doing (mostly) what he's supposed do right now!

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
The self affirmation seems to help, allowing Crush to relax a little and start looking around at the people and the pyramids. The idea of being here, looking at the pyramids, and the importance of them isn't completely lost on her any more. She was beginning to better understand why humans valued things from the past, be those artifacts or information. Most of her own culture was gone, destroyed, completely turned to dust, and she knew why.

"Light show huh," she finally voices to the others around her. "This is going to be way cool.... then we get to see the inside of one too? Talk about special VIP treatment."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda grumbles, but good naturedly; she adjusts the wet paper cloth on her neck, sighing in bliss. Sure, the moisture won't last long, but while it lasts--!

"Ya deserved it," she counters Morgan, grinning with the cheer of the profoundly justified. "I know!" she adds, more softly. She waves the pamphlet in her hand-- probably the tenths, collected from all the tourist spots in Egypt! "But-- Pyramids!"

She sighs dreamily, closing the booklet up as she leans back in her chair. "Randel will be so jealous when I tell him. My brother, at home--" She bites her lip, fighting the brief urge to squeal in delight. Ahem. "Do you think we will see one of those mini-robot rovers they use to try and find secret Pyramid passages?"

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc starts at Morrigan's question. "Oh yeah. Just... a lot of memories here and with recent happenings just feeling... nostalgic I guess" he says. He gives her a smile to show that his melancholy is only temporary. He waves off the offer for anything. "Should be good here" he glances at the kids involved with mischeif. "As long as nothing too expensive gets destroyed because of teenage pranks."

    He returns his gaze back to the forward position and takes a slow deep breath, centering his focus on who he is. Marc Spector. Not Steven Grant. Not Jake Lockely. He was Marc Spector--in disguise as Marcus Knight--and he had to keep his attention on staying that way. Too many questions would arise otherwise. He just wanted to get through a light show at one of the Seven Wonders and get back to Manhattan without unfortunate mishaps.

Madison Evans has posed:
    "I'm way more excited about going into the pyramids than the light show," Madison admits in her usual chipper voice, grinning at Xiomara for a moment. "I mean, you can get a lightshow at any concert. Or at Disneyland. Only one place you can explore the tomb of an ancient Pharoah. This is going to be //neat.// I mean - how cool must it be to explore places like these and be the first person to see stuff like this in //thousands// of years?"

Richard Stadler has posed:
Stadler stares down over at Morgan for another long second, before looking away. Yes, /discipline/. Had to get a little tough sometimes, right? They /were/ at a place older than a great deal of human civilization, after all. Granted, one had to pick there battles at the end of the day, which is why he just gave a disaproving look in Tommy's general direction as he sprawls across chairs like this was a particularly sophmoric presentation of Hamlet in the park. Can't yell at /everyone/, and he was at least behaving, though he really should pay attention more. It was an experience of a life time!

He did take a moment to lean forward, addressing Madison and Crush. "To be quite honest, I'm even a bit excited. The things you can experience through life, and I'm glad everyone... or, well, /most/ everyone seems to understand what an oppurtunity this is."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Mike looks to Colette, returning the quietly conspiring nod. "I'd rather save my luck for when I need it." The musician states, "But I'm leaning towards super strength or super speed being the cause."

Which probably covers most of the group. Yep. Best not to bet money on this.

Hearing Morrigan's inquriy to the status of the rest of the group, the musician lifts up a hand to produce a thumbs up. Communication given, he drops his hand. He looks back to Collette, "Who are you thinking?"

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    "They are not generally roaming around the pyramids in hunt of unnoticed turnings," Colette replies to Belinda's question. "Upuaut and Djedi. Those were the robots they sent up some of the narrow air-passages. Upuaut is the name of one of the Egyptian gods, and the name means 'the opener of the way', so very apt. Djedi was an ancient Egyptian sorcerer."

    As soon as she has spoken, Colette turns to Madison expectantly, but decides to forestall the inevitable. "That's Djedi, not Jedi. Djedi was a legendary sorcerer who was consulted by the Pharaoh Khufu, during the building of the Great Pyramid, which you're about to see. Djedi was famous for being the first recorded stage magician in history. His trick involved pretending to pull the head off a goose and then bring it back to life. The same trick is still performed by stage magicians today. Not by Jedi knights though."

    She's full of interesting facts, this visit.

    "The Twins, Mike," Colette says, leaning back in her seat. "If someone's going to break a pyramid, it's sure to be them."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
The show starts without a hitch since the company does this almost nightly. There are ooos and ahhhs of excitement and wonder from the crowd as they are awed by the lights and music. Plus there's a good bit of history that is explained as the show progresses.

It's at the thirteen minute mark that things start to get weird. The lights from the optical effects start to get out of sync, some of the energy appearing to be be drawn on by some unseen force.

The music itself seems to slow down, like some creepy soundtrack that's been left on in a house of horrors. "Am I the only one the feels like I'm on Willy Wonka's boat ride?" she asks as she starts to look around. The sound technicians start to scramble as the audience starts to get aggravated.

Though there is a thrumming that starts to come up from the ground, the sand starting to ripple as something starts to gather in the distance near the second pyramid. The fluttering of wings can be heard on the breeze as the mass starts to move towards where they are all seated.

And the panic starts. People already bolting for the exits. "Start moving the kids out of here!" Morrigan states to the others.

Morgan Finn has posed:
"I agree, Mads," Morgan says to Madison regarding exploring the pyramids vs. a light show. He holds leans back in his chair to hold out a fist for a bump.

Then the light show starts and he sits upright again. "It's starting," he whispers to Belinda, as if she somehow wouldn't notice the, you know, light show that just started. Kid's a ball of energy.

He furrows his brow when things start to get weird. "Doct-Doctor MacIntyre?" the teen demigod says with concern in his voice. "What's going on? Is this part of the show?"

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    Sure, the show is undeniably interesting. If it weren't so sloooooooow. It's only a few moments before Tommy has stealthily snuck an earbud into one ear and started up a podcast at 20x speed.

    And by stealthily we mean 'faster than the average human eye can perceive'. That's the only stealth Tommy knows.

    So his reaction to the growing disturbance is slightly delayed. It isn't until people start leaving (fleeing) that he sits up a little bit, both feet on the ground. "Uh, is the show over?" he asks as he moves to stand.

    And then Dr. MacIntyre calls for the kids to be evacuated. Is he a kid? Look he's a student, but he's not really a kid! Either way he doesn't actually start running.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
"You can get any light show at a concert," Crush agrees with a grin, starting to get a little excited herself. "But the back drop usn't ancient pyramids that we get to explore."

She glances back to Mr. Stadler, the grin remaining in place. "I didn't get it at first, but I do now. Thanks."

Once the show starts she joins right in with the ohs and ahs. When things start to go wonky however, a chill runs up her spine. The rumbling of the earth, the movement of the sand around her feet, something was definitely off, more so then glitches in the show.

Had this happened just two months ago, she would have just left, got to her feet and walked out. It was Madison's influence, and that of the Titans, that causes her to stand and place herself in a position that will allow the other students to start getting out of their seats and not run over by the panicking humans. The idea of any of the students or teachers getting hurt rubbed her the wrong way, and she felt she /needed/ to use her unique size, powers and abilities to ensure their safety.

"We just leaving this to locals?" she then asks toward Morrigan, the influence of the Titans kicking in. Whatever this was, it wasn't something normal humans could handle, was it? "I'm willing to help."

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda returns the offered fistbump to Morgan, all forgiven as quickly as it came. A smile on her lips, she turns her appreciation to the lightshow. Part of her appreciation-- the rest goes for the sight of the waxing moon, growing full as it peeks around a corner of the great stone structures. And then-- flickering lights. Music becoming rougher, uneven.

She can scent the sudden shift in the crowds' mood, a heartbeat before it comes. Fear, sick panic-- the tang of terror, sour on the wind.

"Hey, no shoving!" she snaps off, elbowing one of the more daring (panicking?) locals trying to edge by Crush's imposing presence. Eyes widening as people start to swirl, moving in an ugly mass of humanity, sher snarls frustration, anger-- glancing at Morgan before she gets to her own feet. Torn by indecision.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc's on his feet before most people. Between the better part of a decade of military or mercenary service, his senses for danger are hair trigger even when not augmented by the power of a god. "Come on, kids" he says, already moving toward ushering the younger members of their collected group out of the current calamity and the thing rising from the sands. "Let's go. Take the hand of the person next to you. Stadler, O'Connail, take the front. Me and Morrigan will bring up the rear. Stick together!"

    Mr. Knight has been pretty subdued this entire trip with regards to disciplining the students. He's not a teacher after all, his authority is all but nonexistent. That's changed now, his tone, despite the collected calm, is firm and direct. He glances to Morrigan. "This isn't a fight I can help in" he says to her. "I've got years of training but the things that live under these sands are bigger and more powerful than training can accomodate. Without -his- help, I've got nothing." It's hard to tell if he's telling her to leave it alone or if he's encouraging her to use her magic against whatever it is that's coming.

Madison Evans has posed:
    "Djedi..." Madison giggles with amusement, grinning towards Colette before settling in to enjoy the show. And- well, she IS enjoying it. Even if sitting and watching pretty lights is much less exciting than actual exploration. As things starts to go 'wrong' though, she climbs to her feet, looking around.
    "What's, uhh... happening?" she asks. There isn't fear in her voice - more like curiosity - laced with concern. True to most teenage thinking, she's sure //she// won't get hurt by whatever it is. But //people// could get hurt.
    "Everyone stay calm!" she calls over the crowd. "A key to staying safe, is staying calm!"
    She stays where she is - until Marc manages to get her into motion. "Yes, Mister Knight," she mutters in response to his authoritative calm, starting to move from her seat, back towards where the buses had been - but her eyes keep moving, looking for the danger, or anyone in trouble.

Richard Stadler has posed:
Of course, Stadler was leaning forward in his chair for the light show itself. The History! The Spectacle! And where else could you get this? Sure, you could probably watch it online, but there was always someting about being present, of getting the full experience around you, even that uncomfortable heat and the itch of the sand... though they... looked to have some sort of technical issue, didn't they? And a slowdown of the music? His brow furrows a bit. Certainly not /normal/... but... more abnormal than he thought. He'd been to a concert or two in his time, and they never seemed to slow down, so much as... stop. So-

He didn't know what was going on there. Just some sand rippling, something gathering. And heading this way. "What the hell-" He started, to himself, looking at those rushing out. Okay, this was getting complicated. Rushing for the exits could result in... what, a crush of people? Not that it would effect everyone. But Doctor MacIntyre obviously thought there was some danger, and he had to go off of that.

So. Don't show off how confused you were, or that you had no answer to some of these questions. Act with authority and confidence, or the ranks would know. And above all, speak from the goddamn diaphram.

"ALL RIGHT, people, head to the exits nearest to you! Do not rush, and do not crowd, but move with a purpose!" He said, before looking over to Crush. A slight debate in his head on how to handle this. "Crush, admin's objective is to make sure all students are safe. Your objective is to keep yourself safe and move to the exit. Understood?"

Mr. Knight's voice comes through, and Stadler takes a quick moment to judge the way he's speaking. All right, this wasn't a committee. "Understood, Knight. Moving to the front. Students, follow me and O'Connall!

Michael Hannigan has posed:
"The twins." Mike repeats, "I didn't-"

Pulling out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket, he calmly unfolds it, skimming through the listing.

Mike's eyes widen as he spins his head around to look to the seated students. Shit. Shit shit shit where are those little-

Oh there they are. Seated.

Mike leans back in his seat letting out a deep breath as he settles in for the show. The sheet gets slid into his pocket once more.

It is a good show at first. But as the phasing of the music with the visuals starts to grate on the rock stars nerves and sense of showmanship, he's glancing around to the students again. If he's irritated, they probably are as well. This just feels like a soundtrack to a horror film. All they need is for some type of jump scare

Or a mass of things flying towards the fieldtrip group.

He's already on his feet when Morrigan gives out the order. YEP. "Guys!", he waves some of the students to get up and proceed to the general 'exit' of the seating area. "Time to move."

They seem to have the oddest luck with school trips overseas. Being that he's the only chaperone that didn't get addressed, Mike just does his own thing getting students out.

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    "Okay everyone, you heard! /Calmly/ make your way out. Walk briskly, but no running. Stay together!" Colette has a pretty decent bellowing voice.

    She pushes her way, not exactly politely, towards the front to take up position shepherding people out in the correct direction, giving Xiomara an approving nod as she passes for her own part in ensuring the students can all make a safe exit. "RIGHT after the last one's past though, Crush," she says. "Stay with the group."

    "You go on," she tells Richard. "I'll count everyone as they go past. Only way to make sure we haven't left someone behind." It may not exactly accord with Marc's strategy, but the logic of it is inescapable -- someone at the front has to count them all out to be sure. "Don't walk too fast," she says to him. "Set a brisk pace, but make sure the group doesn't get stretched out. Everyone close together at all times."

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
"You are not fighting that." Morrigan points out to Marc. "Go with the others. Please." the woman tells him. She gives a look to Morgan and the other teens, "Everything will be fine." she states. Does she sound confident? Possibly?!

There is a shriek that comes from the flood of wings that pierces the ears. Followed by a sound like a cacophony of crows that start bubbling up. Morrigan was about to answer people. But whatever was in the middle of that cloud shoots out with an unearthly quickness. One moment Morrigan is standing between Marc and Tyler and the next she's being skewered on the end of a spear that's being wielded by a very pissed off looking brunette. Her large black wings spread out behind her as she slams the spear and Morrigan into the ground in the middle of the seating area that people have abandoned, "I'll give you time to collect yourselves and leave. My business is not with you." the woman points a bloody hand at those that are left in the crowd.

And the others absolutely start abandoning the Happy Harbor crowd.

"Ah, Macha you bitch." Morrigan states from her place on the ground, which causes the brunette to twist the spear.

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan tugs a custom, Justice League issue phone from his front jeans pocket. He clicks a button on the side and speaks into it: "Lanis, I need you to my location *now*. I need you here *yesterday*." He looks at the evacuating students then at the winged attacker then at the evacuating students then at the winged attacker.

"Shit," he murmurs. Looks like he'll have to put a dollar in Diana's swear jar. Again.

"You just skewered our head master," Wonder Boy says in a growl. "Your business is with me now!" He runs at the winged attacker and leaps impossibly high in the air. His budding super strength is starting to come to full fruition these days. His trajectory will take him on an arc to smash a fist down on the winged attacker.

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    Okay, so, yes, time to go. There's a flicker in the air as Tommy disappears from where he was standing by the seats, reappears at the front of the Happy Harbor group currently making their exit stage left just long enough to frown at Colette in mild confusion before another flicker that signals his relocation back down to the end, closer to Dr. MacIntyre.

    "Icangetpeopleo---"

    Oh, there's a spear in the Headmistress's chest. Huh. Okay. Tommy observes this for a moment from his own temporal perspective, which is to say for no longer than a blink of an eye, with the sort of detached awareness that people who go through the system and have seen it all before tend to have. Gruesome.

    And then he extends his hand, focusing outward to begin vibrating the atoms in the arm holding previously mentioned spear. Usually this tends to molecularly destabilize the thing he's concentrating on to the point that it explodes. Also gruesome, yes, when it's someone's ulna and radius (and assorted surrounding tissues).

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Crush was clearly torn, between what she was supposed to do as a student of the school, and what she was training to do as a Titan. She recognizes that Mr. Knight is attempting to be the voice of authority and reason, which technically brought to mind the desire to punch him and tell him to f*ck off, but then the logic kicks back in when Mr. Stadler and Ms. O'Oconnail speak. These are teachers she knew, was learning to trust, so their words managed to get into her head. There was no time for her temper, her dislike of authority, or any of that. Safety first

"Alright," she finally says to Stadler and O'Connail, then moves to join the group, making certain that no one can get to any of the other students. If someone tries, in their panic, she doesn't punch, she doesn't shove, she very carefully grabs them by the shoulders for the briefest of moments and redirects them away from the group.

She had just started to move with the rest of the group, just decided to listen and do as she was told when a brunette spears her principal. The very woman who took a chance on her and let her attend the school, gave her a home, was willing to give her the opportunity to learn what it was to be just another person on earth. She had been able to hear the whispered conversations, even if she didn't fully understand them, and knew that Mr. Knight wasn't able to help.

The decision made, even if it might get her in trouble, she bends low and leaps from her current position with the other students, over the crowd to land in the sand then charges forward toward the brunette. "You don't get to make those statements when you stab our head mistress!" She bellows, aiming her body for a full on, linebacker tackle if she can manage it.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Belinda's eyes widen in horror, staring in rapt shock as the monster *skewers* one of the teachers! Ms. C! Shock, recoil, horror... red fury. Hurt the teacher!

It comes without thinking, without reason; instead of following the other students out, Belinda takes advantage of Wonder Boy drawing first attention to himself. She shifts to the ground, gathering herself like a coil, tightening, quivering to spring--

--cloth, exploding free. Denim, bursting outwards in a dozen blue-white strands. And a howl of exhultation, euphoria, rising on the air!

"I liked that shirt!" the silver creature snarls-- werewolf, rising to fullest height. Lunging forward, leaping to join the fray, hot on the heels of Crush!

So much for behaving.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc nods at Morrigan right before the spear slams into the woman. His eyes go wide and he turns in time to see Morgan rushing the goddess. He could call the kids out on attacking a goddess but he doesn't expect it to have much of an effect. Belinda's change gets a moment longer of notice than the others, though.

    Instead he turns his attention to Macha. He steps between the Irish goddess of war and Morrigan. He may not carry the mantle of Khonshu currently, but he still considers himself an avatar in all rights.

    "What are you doing here?" he asks, his tone derisive and carrying an authority that he himself is surprised by. "Do you know what lands you trod?" He gestures at the sands and the pyramids. "Look around you. This is the land of the Nile. The land of the Ennead and Ogdoad. You come to their lands and pick a fight? Do you realize that could be seen as an act of war? Do you -want- a war with some of the oldest gods known to man? Entities that are older than you and your people. Are you that -stupid-?"

    Are his words likely to draw the goddesses ire? Certainly. Is he all but counting on that? Absolutely. He may not have power, but you don't have to have power to stall for time to allow the powered folks to gather their own attack on the diety.

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison, for her part, abandons all thoughts of escaping when their head mistress is attacked - and she stops in the flow of the crowd, the young Jedi abruptly blinking out of view as she thinks to herself, 'You can't see me. You can't see me. You can't see me.' She still hadn't quite figured out why that made her //invisible// instead of fooling people's minds or- maybe she is fooling their minds?
    There isn't much time for that thought, though.
    She doesn't have her arrows. What she does have it... chairs. And a few of them lift from the ground, propelled by an unseen force, as the Jedi flings them towards the attacking being.
    Of course, that's also when multiple students physically leap towards the woman. Crap!
    "LOOK OUT!" Madison calls to them hastily.

Richard Stadler has posed:
O'Connell would get a rather sharp look from Rick. Not for the suggestion that she count students as they go past. That was sensible, and there wasn't exactly a firm chain of command here to force it. No, it was saying that Crush could go back after everyone had left. These were goddamn students, and to suggest it was... wrong. But he also knew that this wasn't the place to argue, and he had no real force to push the matter-

And arguments on what to do wentout the window, as a winged figure swooped down and simply /impaled/ the person who figurativly signed his checks. A small flicker of him was rather impressed she was still alive after that. And, despite his pose, there's really only one word he can utter.

"Fuck."

All hell's broken lose at this point. Every student at once had seemingly decided the correct course of action was to make like the Avengers and assemble. Certainly not a bad idea if they were all 25 years old and a super hero team, but not if they were /goddamn/ teenagers.

He bit his lip to cry out some insult to their descision making skills and an impotent order for them to disengage, but he kept silent. What good what it do as they rushed forward to protect someone they cared about, and possibly get killed in the process. What, would Crush with that anger problem listen? Tommy? That howling form that had been Guiterrez?

He had his fists, and some rather sharp keys, and that was all he had in this melee. All he could do was watch as others rushed forward, tried to stop which, judging by that wound and where it was placed, wasn't going to be stopped. He could do nothing.

He hated it. Was frustrated by it. But someone needed to be hear to pick up the pieces.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
With Colette taking up the rear of the evacuation process and the sudden stabbing of a friend, Mike's attention shifts over. The long sleeves of his shirt hide the most telling hint of his reaction but the change to his facial features is still present.

There is a moment's hesitation but as he catches glimpse of the students already lunging towards the woman, that more or less seals the deal. "Shit." He too leaps forward.

Darkness swirls out, cloaking him head to toe as the glowing eyed, jagged teeth, shadowy looking monster takes the wheel. His mission is clear.

Draw attention away from the students.

Once he gets there.

Getting into character takes time.

A chair flies through the leaping Phantasm, causing for him to see a it coming out of his chest. He lands, looking over to where Madison USED to be with a head tilt.

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    In a situation like this, the duty of a teacher is clear: get the students to safety. Their safety, not the safety of fellow staff, is the holy duty of a teacher. Whatever else is happening, you get the kids to safety.

    The problem with Happy Harbor is that some of the kids don't think that way. They turn away from the safe path and rush to the fight. Troublesome students. How are you supposed to ensure they get away safely when they're /going the wrong way?/

    With a frown of annoyance, Colette counts the last of the students who hasn't decided to get up close and personal with the mystery stabby brunette past, then looks back with a few moments indecision. Once her mind is made up, she takes a few steps backwards, away from the action, away from attention, into the shadows...

    Some distance away, out in the cover of the darkness of the sands somewhere to the side of Macha, Colette steps out of a shadow, holding in her hand something that's lost in the evening gloom. She briefly raises her hands, and the dark /something/ hurtles forwards.

    Morrigan and... /Macha/? Now that's interesting. Colette knows those names have an association, and wonders if a certain raven might best deal with this. However if Balor's eye of flame can hurt Macha, let's see how she copes with the opposite of heat and light: a bolt of /dark/ energy.

    It's timed, she hopes, if she has picked the range right, to strike Macha just before Morgan does, with half-Czarnian, werewolf and flying chairs close behind. Hopefully the attack from an unexpected angle will make defending those attacks a whole lot harder, and then perhaps the students can be persuaded to /back the hell off and get themselves safe/.

    Colette steps backwards, disappearing into the shadows once more, to reappear the far side of the battle and watch the immediate result.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
Morrigan's already weak and the sudden impact of being stabbed in the heart and then slammed into the ground by the last living part of the Morrigan makes her eyes roll back for a moment, "You leave them alone." she growls out as she bares her fangs at her. There is a moment taken for her hands to grasp the handle of the spear as she starts to channel that tell tale magic of hers up the metal.

"I know something you don't know..." she whispers to her as she focuses all of her power into what feels like might be her last act.

Morgan's punch is taken, it doesn't budge her. She doesn't fling the teen away. Just lets him go about his business. Xiomara's tackle is side stepped, letting her careen into whatever she pleases. Tommy's attack actually makes her laugh, but it burns her, "That tickles." she grins at him. She is bonked by one of the chairs and she whips it away with a frustrated sound.

YOUTHS!

Macha turns her gaze to Marc and there is something in her gaze that he'd recognize from Morrigan, the black inkyness that is showing in the veins in her face and her eyes are pitch black, "Stupid? No. I have come to collect my sisters. Which they are housing themselves in someone I wasn't expecting." she growls as she twists the spear again. The stones underneath Morrigan are already awash with red and an inky black that is stemming from the wound.

"You're going to have to run...Knight...before this goes off." she calls out to him.

"RUN!" she manages to raise her voice to call out to them all.

They'd feel the crackle of magic in the air and the impending doom that comes along with it. The hearts blood that pumps up and out of the redheads chest is a deep crimson color and there are droplets that whip up into the violet vortex that centers itself around the two women. It is only broken by the bolt of darkness that is shot at her from Colette and she is stung by it.

Morgan Finn has posed:
Morgan Finn, Olympian demigod, ward of Diana Prince, and holder of the mantle of Wonder Boy is *not* a runner. Every molecule that composes the boy speaks of brashness and boldness and standing your ground in the face of any danger. But, too, he is no fool. He senses the arcane energies that pop and sizzle and dance. He /knows/ he is in over his head. He knows that Morrigan's command must be obeyed despite the fact that his heart is screaming for him to stay and fight.

Probably inaudible amidst the din, Morgan whispers, "Dr. MacIntyre."

Then he departs the way he arrived: a massive, super strength leap that carries him high and far away from the coming point of explosion. His face displays the shame and humiliation he feels as he does something he has literally /never/ done: flee the field of battle!

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    For perhaps the first time since his X-gene activated and his mutant powers kicked in, Tommy is... still. He stands there on the sand with his hand outstretched, mouth agape, eyes locked on Macha. Whose arm definitely didn't explode into a fine red mist. That's... new.

    His hand turns so that he can stare at it, tracing the lines on his palm. Is it... is he broken? That felt like it worked. That should have worked. No, that should have worked, what the hell!

    Oh, but it tickled? Her laughter, her reaction, after Tommy has already had enough time to start progressing through the Five Stages of Grief at the sudden and remarkable loss of his powers only causes him to go from Stage 2: Angry through to Stage X: Angrier. Still, all further attempts prove Tommy can't blow her up no matter how much he tries. But some glass near the villain's feet suddenly appears, the result of a superheated sand explosion.

    So, hey, not totally borked!

    Anyway, time to go. As much as Tommy dislikes authority figures, Dr. MacIntyre is pretty legit. And also in this moment kind of scary, so he obeys. Running is, after all, one of his skills! He doesn't just run away, though, he locks onto the nearest person, puts a hand on the back of their head to stabilize it, and then zooms them off several hundred feet to deposit Mr... Nighy? Uh, elsewhere. "Sorry if you vomit," is all Tommy says to Marc before he disappears into thin air again. Possibly to go do more rescuing. Who knows with him, it's not like he's a hero or anything.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Even with training, Crushes anger still has a way of controlling her, but that training did allow her to miss her target and rather than floundering along, uses that momentum to spin herself around and stop.

She doesn't cry, at least not in the way that humans do. She can see Morrigan on the ground, bleeding out, with no way to help her, nothing to be done. She can see the brunette building up something, magic of some sort and then she hears the call from the first person to care. Run.

She can't, she won't. It's not in her to leave the Morrigan alone at the last moments of her life. She knows she should, but something inside her won't let her. It was almost like losing her parents all over again, to have the person who helped her dying, right there, and there was nothing she could do.

Closing her eyes, one tear rolling down her cheek unnoticed, she prepares to shrug off the explosion when she feels a hand on her arm. She had thought she was beyond reach, or maybe she was just imaging the hand, but at the touch she felt different. She didn't realize she had gone intangible, but she had.

Belinda Gutierrez has posed:
Silverdane-- Belinda-wolf --draws up sharply short at Dr. MacIntyre's command. Grief, agony, that spear-blow. And that crackle, the rush of /something/. Magical, mystical- every hair standing on end!

She whines once, growls-- turns around, leaping back with a glance. Nothing seen, hear, sce--

Scent. Fragrance, flowery, faint scent of... Mads. Maddie!

The rest is afterthought-- the wolfwoman careens back to the location, reaching to scoop up something. Someone! Hefting an unseen weight in classic carry across her body, she bounds forward again, startlingly swift as the great form springs into a ground-eating lope.

"Hold--- rrrrf. On!"

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc had a retort for the goddess. He could draw more attention but Morrigan was dying. He should heed her words, but he can't bring himself to leave. Not when she's dying. "I... I... can't just lea==" The rest of his words are lost in a flurry of motion as Tommy, literally Speeds him away. Once the youth has deposited him out of the vicinity of the magical nuclear detonation being conjured he lets it out. "--ve you like this..."

    His words fall on empty air and he drops to his knees, powerless in the face of the odds against them. "DAMMIT!" he yells and his fist strikes the sidewalk in impotent rage. He jerks it back to his chest, cradling it in pain as he looks back to the location he was in seconds ago to wait and see the results of the destruction Morrigan was conjuring forth.

Madison Evans has posed:
    Madison didn't expect to be 'seen' - and she was rather lost in the moment, launching chair after chair desperately. Doctor MacIntyre was dying - but she refused to believe it. Refused to accept nothing could be done. Refused to bow to helplessness, and hopelessness - and so she kept up the futile actions - until she's abruptly scooped up by the wolf-like figure, her eyes going wide.
    "No!" she shrieks out. "We can't just leave her!"

Richard Stadler has posed:
There was little, /precious/ little, to thank God about in this scene, but of what there was, the students, the majority of them had finally decided discrestion was the better part of not being ash. Guiterrez was out of her. Shepard wasn't here; he didn't know where he was, but it wasn't in the blast radius. Finn was running. Evans wasn't in sight, and that had to mean she had cleared out. That left... goddamn it.

Stadler didn't know what was going on. He heard emotions in their voices, screams of frustration that were much stronger than his own, because it was clear these people were used to having the tools to do something about these threats. And knew Doctor Macintyre, Morrigan, much better than a man who signed a contract barely a few weeks ago. What was going on was an important part of their lives, and it was a miracle they were all running. But no Miracle was complete.

"Crush! We are /leaving/, goddamn it!" He yells. It was all he could do, feeling the the almost electrical crackle of energy from whatever magic was being used right now, the potential in the are building like a bad thunderstorm. One call to tell her to get out of there, and to see her go... transparent. He knew she had some power behind her, and he had to pray for her sake and his own gutted soul that it would be enough.

And with that, he turned around, toward the exit, and ran. Sprinting as fast as regular cardio would allow him, and, after getting as far away as he could, ducking behind the first building that looked like it had enough concrete to hold what was coming at bay.

Michael Hannigan has posed:
Ok well Phantasm had a slow start after the chair distraction. But, the shadowy creature gained enough presence of mind to get back on task.

The warning aroses as the phantasm was midair so he redirected to Xiomara to grab onto her arm.

The ability that flows into her and gave her the intangibility came at the cost of several of her senses. But hearing is not one of them.

"Jump." A voice instructs.

As the student and chaperone's feet leave the ground, the view of them vanish from the potential destruction rolling their way. After a few moments, the pair reappear near where the students have gathered. The shadow that had formed around Mike's figure starts receeding as he lets Crush join the land of the tangible once more.

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    It seems like even the most enthusiastic students are listening to Morrigan's words of warning -- all but Crush. Maybe she could stand the explosion, but with the Phantasm's intervention she too is gone, and the field seems clear -- but for Macha and Morrigan, locked in their dire conflict. Colette decides the students seem to be safe, if they have got far enough away, if the blast is not too great.

    Safe for now at least. What happens next is very much a question.

    Morrigan and Macha are probably the only ones who hear the voice echoing oddly in the desert darkness, a hissed warning: "Leave the students alonealoneonene". In the darkness, something moves, and then is gone.

    Colette is not to be seen amongst those who have fled, but in the confusion she is unlikely to be missed just yet. Those who look back will see something odd though -- directly between them and the two Irish women, a darkness seems to descend -- a wall of solid night intervening itself in the direct line of fire between students and promised magical explosion.

Morrigan MacIntyre has posed:
There's no real time to say anything else to Marc and Morrigan is most assuredly tired. The redhead gives a look over all of the teens that stayed to try to fight the goddess, but it was no real use. She then looks up to Macha, "Lets be done with this then." she mutters to her as she releases the spell and all of the energy that she'd built up with it. The chairs go flying and the ground cracks around where the two women are. There is a blinding flash of light that spreads out over the darkest of reaches around the Sphinx and the outskirts of Cairo. Leaving everyone with a temporary bit of blinking as they try to gather their vision.

And at the end of the lightshow there is no Morrigan and no Macha. The pair seem to have blown away in the explosion. Not even the blood that was from Morrigan is left. There is an eerie silence that is in the air, not even the sound of a car or siren breaks the silence until a few moments after the blasts.

Thankfully no pyramids or statues seem to have sustained injuries. Just the viewing area.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
When she felt solid ground beneath her feet again, Crush knew she had been moved. Back with the other students, Crush opens her eyes and looks to see who touched her, who moved her. What she had seen in those moments between there and here was something she would mull over later, right now it was taking everything in her not to go on a punching spree.

"Thanks," she breaths out to Michael, though she had fully intended to just take the explosion to the face.

Even as the explosion happens, the wave passing them by, the blinding light, she felt numb. She remembered this feeling all too well, she hated it, but she had no idea how to stop it. The last time it happened she'd run, as far away from what caused it as she could get, this time she couldn't do that... and she wanted to.

Instead of running however, she just starts walking away, toward the hotel, even if she doesn't exactly know the location. She wanted to be alone, to be away from the reminders of the school, to think about what had just happened, and to not punch anything or anyone in anger of it. Unless stopped, she would likely spend the night wandering around, maybe she'll find her way back at some point.

Marc Spector has posed:
    Marc turns away from the explosion, his eyes reflexively closing against the flash. When the dust settles and no sign of either woman is to be seen he sighs. Still craddling his hand to his chest he rises to his feet and staggers off to get a cab back to the hotel. There's things to look into and people to talk to. He has to get back to New York. He can write a note and leave it at the desk letting the others know he got away safely. But he'll not be returning with the rest of them, that's for sure. Steven Grant's private jet would get him home quicker than anything commercial.

Madison Evans has posed:
    As Madison is deposited near the other students - she ends up sitting in the sand, pulling her knees up to her chest, and just crying.
    The problem is, she does this while still invisible, causing a few of the baffled, bewildered, and traumatized students around her to bump into her, earning a "Hey!" of protest. She picks up a handful of sand, and scatters it across the dessert in impotent frustration.
    "I want to go home," the teen mumbles to herself.

Tommy Shepherd has posed:
    A few other random students from Happy Harbor get deposited on the sand not far from where Marc was dropped off. A non-zero number of them throw up.

    How many trips Tommy makes back and forth, he can't say. But he's herding another student back into the zone of safety when the explosion goes off, and Tommy can see it approaching as he glances over his shoulder, the wall of force creeping forward at what is, to him, a crawl. No point making a return trip, so he stands amongst the rest as they watch it from afar, his now-ruined sneakers in his hands with their soles melted.

    "Well, shit," Tommy says on an exhale.

Richard Stadler has posed:
Rick could feel the explosion from the place he was sensibly cowering, before slowly peeking around cover. There had been some damage. Thrown chairs, wrecked pavilons... and no sign of Doctor Macintyre or her attacker. Which meant...

He took a deep breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was going to be honest with himself, and acknowledge he had no idea what that meant. That wound from that spear, at least from what he could see, looked bad. Straight through, a lot of blood. Definitely internal damage and a lot of blood loss. He would have pegged her for dead, but he had to admit at this point he didn't have a body to check. It didn't matter anyway. She wasn't there, and that's what matters.

Rick knew he was looking in on the outside, that everyone around her would be in various states of melecholy and shock. That was all very well and good, but that didn't mean the work stopped. Did they have a head count? Were the police coming to hold things up? Would that delay travel? Did they have the tickets and intinerary, or was anything left to Doctor Macintyre. Mental notes, mental lists, and coming up with a battle plan.

It's a wonder he see's Crush before she leaves, breathing a sigh of releif that she survived that explosion... somehow. He'd learn later. But she was wandering off, and the last thing he'd need was wondering where she would end up. Yelling? No. Sympathy? No, no time for that. Occupation, then. He moved to jog, panting, as he tried to reach her.

"Crush. I'm... sorry. I'm so sorry. But I need your help. We're rounding up the student's here- I'm looking for Evans-, and you're the only student I know the strengths of. Can you stay here, as a staging area? Keep these students safe while we take a head count."

Michael Hannigan has posed:
The more Mike-like Phantasm gives a quiet nod to Xiomara's thanks, eyes glancing down during the blast. When it subsides, he looks towards the blast area.

He unphantasms. The features of his face set back to normal but there is a noticable difference in the expression he has now as compared to that of earlier. The presence of a deep set frown and brows lifted.

The head tilts down, clearing his throat as the number of chaperones for this motley crew has been nearly cut in half. He pulls out the list of students again along with a pen, starting to check them off.

Colette O'Connail has posed:
    It may come as a mild surprise to Xiomara that as she sets off to walk back to the hotel, Colette is in front of her, pointing. "Crush! Other way. Get on the bus. Richard, make sure she gets there. EVERYONE ON THE BUS!" Colette moves forwards purposefully, remarkably unruffled by all that has taken place, to start herding people on. "Belinda! Morgan! Get moving. I want everyone on the bus RIGHT NOW. No arguments. No questions. /Move/."

    Who's in charge right now? Duncan, presumably. The assistant principle will have a lot of paperwork to do and some important decisions to make. But right here, right now, Colette is taking charge, because she's LOUD.

    And holding things together. There may be a bit of simmering anger, but she's calm. Unruffled by the shock.

    This is not, in fact, a healthy thing, and her reasons for being so untouched by the violence and the tragedy that has just unfolded are best not discussed.

    She gives a sharp nod of the head to Mike, and points him to the bus waiting to take the group back to their hotel. "Count them on," she tells him curtly before continuing her herding, bellowing "MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

    There will be two, not one head fewer than there should be in Mike's count at this rate. "MADDISON EVANS!" Colette calls out. "Where are you? I want to see you back at the bus RIGHT NOW!"

Madison Evans has posed:
    It's the way that her name is shouted that finally gets through to Madison, and she wipes at her eyes, before forcing herself up to her feet. "H-here! I'm here!" she calls. She kicks at the sand, frustrated and angry, and shuffles her way onto the bus.
    "I'm here," a seemingly disembodied voice informs Colette as she walks past her, unseen, and gets back onto their ride. She stares into the sea of faces for a moment - before finding an available seat and sitting down.
    Eventually, she'll remember to turn herself visible again.