13657/A TIME TO ... Gain

A TIME TO ... Gain
Date of Scene:	29 December 2022
Location:	Outskirts of Lowtown, Madripoor
Synopsis:	The X-Men visit Madripoor and find their lost frenemy.
Cast of Characters:	Logan Howlett, Monet St. Croix, Franklin Richards, Rogue, Martha Johansson, Tabitha Smith, Jean Grey

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Logan Howlett has posed:
The Blackbird remained in the hangar for this mission, the island of Madripoor not being well-known for its discrete places to land a heavily-modified stealth jet. Instead, one of the students at the school - a reserved young woman with the ability to make any door go anywhere - had provided them with a passage to the outskirts of Lowtown; the island nation's slums.

The thick jungle that occupies the rest of the island encroaches on the settlement here, with most of the houses along this muddy and unpaved streets being cheap cinderblock affairs with tarpaulin or thatched palm as a roof. Right in the height of the rainy season, it's no surprise that a dizzle poors down and turns the ground into swampy sludge. Most of the people are indoors, but with a lack of doors and windows coupled with the oppressive heat their homes mostly open out onto the street where they gaze in wonder at the team of people filing out of a door that, until moments ago, led to a one room hut.

"Somewhere 'round here, right?" Logan asks, eschewing costume for this particular adventure and instead wearing a brown fatigue coat and a black eyepatch over one eye.

This is indeed where they sensed the same gravometric fluctuations as those belonging to the portal that 'stole' Magneto. The science is beyond the Canadian, but he sniffs the air anyway in search of some sort of trace.

"Smells off. Somethin' ain't right."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
And Monet has arrived with the group. Her outfit is much more reserved than usual. A long coat appropriate for the weather this time of year that's threadbare. Her head is kept bowed low, and she wears a full qijab about her that's just a little too bulky on someone and looks like it was haphazarldy thrown in. As the group goes along, Monet is extending her consciousness about her. Not encessarily to pick up thoughts.. But to get a feel for the dialect. Lowtown, like everywhere has it's own unique ebb and flow to the back and forth. So MOnet is trying to make sure that she acquires an ear for it.. And that if she has to she can speak it and sound like a native. It's different from other languages and it's not one she has any fluency with. But that's what other people's life experiences are for.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin follows the others onto what he can only assume is the island as it didn't look that bad to him really. I mean it had trees, the weather was nice.. Looks like plenty of area to move into. As he steps out he sighs to himself as, at least now covered by an extra coat Logan had loaned him, he wears his fantastic four garb. Yes Franklin Richards in full gear stands on some stranded island.. alone without his family. He shakes his head, and focuses on the goal for now.

He whispers quietly to whoever may listen.. "I can make a mental link that can reach much further then this island. You could practically go to the moon and it should still work. I treat it.. well as a radio station in my head you are invited to join, but I will not start it without permisson." he glances at Logan with a nod, "I am sorry I can help more, but I must use as little as I can the chaos has been thick, and my limiters are stressed."

He gives a little sigh but continues. "I am not powerless, but it is best not to push it or..." he stops as thinking about it made his head hurt. "Go Team X-men!" he says... out loud... all of a sudden putting his arm sticking into the middle of the group of them... What his family does it don't they?

Rogue has posed:
With her hair worn under a military drab green cap, Rogue stands there waiting for others to pass through the gateway provided by that helpful student. She stuffs her hands in to a camo jacket that she pilfered from someone else's closet, wearing a shirt underneath it that is also a grassy-green in hue with 'ROGUE ARMY' written across her chest in black. Some cargo pants worn on her lower body and black boots, Rogue raises up her aviators out of her coat pocket, to slip them on.

"Time for war." She says, chin up, and shoulders swaying as she walks through the door to Madripoor.

After Logan speaks, Rogue glances over at him, her dark sunglasses shielding her eyes. "What is this place, anyway?" She says in her thick Mississippi accent. "It does smell funny..."

Martha Johansson has posed:
Martha Johansson got on the transport to come over and she did not say a frigging word. She has been carrying a rather DISTINCTIVE helmet, which can be purchased in replica form from many outlets, but between it not being very imposingly sized and being slightly scuffed up, it may be in fact the REAL THING.

She is wearing drab clothing provided for the sake of the mission, instead of Generic Cadet Training Suit. There is probably a plate carrier under it, because Martha needs that body and organ suite to live.

"I can do the net if it's going to be a pain in your ass," she says grudgingly to Franklin, revealing that first of all she IS capable of speaking, second of all she's not Norwegian, and third of all that she is probably a telepath. Also, fourthly, she said the ass word to a guest.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
While most people might shrug off someone taking Magneto out the picture. It's also still a 'Really Big Deal' since this is the master of Magnetism. So she tagged. Never know when ordinance might be needed and sometimes street knowledge can actually cross borders.

Through the portal she went.

Being all tropical in climate, tabby at least wears some dark but clingy bluejeans and a yellow tank top cropped for midriff. BOOM! in magenta printed across the front while her black leather Bolero cut Bomber jacket covers her sleeves and back.Toned midriff left bare. Another BOOM! in white with an explosion behind it sewn into the back of the backet.

Spiky collar, belt, wrist cuffs, and wedgeheeled boots in red, laced up and knee tight.

Red tinted cateye glasses pushed up on her nose as she lands on the island.

"So, like you know this place is largely Hindu, Monet? Yes I studied! Like Singapore totally threatened to shoot anyone thinking of crime or even tagging and they all moved here. Like having a frat house move in next to your mansion." she playfully jokes.

"Madripoor. The realworld equivalent of I'll make my own oppressive culture, with blackjack and hookers. The hookers are as likely to be local as they are trafficked in." she explains to Rogue with a somewhat awkward grin. Disposable Sex worker gets literal here.

Franklin gets a grin for his coat and his offer to help with the psilink.

"You know you can probably ditch the coat and get away with looking like you're a fanboy. We've got a few Telepaths here so like chill." she adds and picks up her cheery tone.

Jean Grey has posed:
Stealth isn't something Jean particularly specializes in: redheads always stand out! Also, she can pretty much just make people ignore that she's there if she feels like it. So she just sort of dresses vaguely like a tourist, with some breezy floral top and capri pants. And big sunglasses, like Tabitha. Rogue's declaration, indeed, earns a dramatic lowering of said glasses into place, as if this is her putting on her game face.

And a step later...

"Well, this is nice." Maybe it's a touch sarcastic, but who's to say.

<<You don't really have to explain it to anyone, it's pretty much standard mission procedure,>> Jean thinks back toward Franklin, while also looking over in the real fleshy world to give him a reassuring smile. "And I'm sure you'll do fine. But let's keep it mellow, hmm?" Team slogans are a bit beyond tourist casual.

With that said, she glances over toward Logan. "Well, this is your stomping ground, old man. What do you think?" And that's before his nose for news (and everything else) picks up on something. "By all means, lead the way then."

Logan Howlett has posed:
"Don't stress, kid," Logan mutters to Franklin, glancing sidelong at him with his one uncovered eye, "You'd be the odd man out if you didn't have psychic powers'a some sort. Just try not t' think anythin' you wouldn't say to yer mama."

The diminutive Canadian's eye wanders down to the '4' on Franklin.

"Bad example," he mutters to himself, before stepping forward.

"Madripoor, darlin'," Logan explains to Rogue and the gathered mutants, "Blondie don't put it eloquent, but she's right for the most part. Up there, you got the heights of excess 'n luxury. Down here, you got the poorest of the poor. A real pirate cove, 'cept now the pirates wear Armani."

He takes another sniff at the air, before stepping off in what seems to be an entirely random direction. He glances over his shoulder towards Jean with a wink and a grin.

"Whatever it is, I'm thinkin' it's this way. If any of you have a better idea, speak up or shut up."

Indeed, there's something amiss in the slums of Madripoor. Down the road a ways, an air of distress and confusion ripples along the psionic threads that connect all living things. No words, but rather emotions of confusion and fear. One mind stronger than the rest, forged from anger and an unquenchable desire for revenge. What starts as a whisper quickly becomes a scream, tearing through the minds of the telepaths like a fighter jet flying too close to the ground. Enough to cause pain. The worst kind of pain.

For Logan, it's just a matter of sniffing the air again.

"Whatever it is, it's closer now ... "

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Her hands over in her pockets, Monet St. Croix goes to walk dutifully along with the rest of the group. She resists the urge over to say somethings nippy about Logan and 'something's wrong' but instead goes to give a low nod over at Franklin in a 'what she said' render over to Jean. The rest of the group is quite capable of handling it. It's the first time that she's been in the field with the man, so she's soemwhat wary of him. Family reputation and a few experiences with Valeria. He can't be as chaotic, can he?

As Logan would speak, she would nod absently, "Yes, originally founded by pirates and smugglers as a haven, base of operations, and expanding. Now divided up into multiple districts where the rich live in fortresses with heavy weapons and magical wardings and the poor live off what they can beg, steal, and murder to survive." That's just the way it is.

She goes to send a quick transmission to each of the other telepaths in turn as they go along with the general verbal chatter, and telepathic chatter. Mostly 'do you feel it too' that goes over in the direction of where Logan seems to be looking. And even as Monet is going to try and coordinate there's a yelp-howl-twist of pain, like someone blowing a dog whistle when your ears become as sensitive as a dog's. She can barely resist the instinct to howl in pain before she slams it shut, and rapidly goes to try and build up some quick shields. Offering her mental shields to support the others if they need it - she's in no position to scan but hopefully she can take the worst edged of it off so the others can get better readings.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Looking around he clearly sees though they are nice people his uncle Jhonny was not. "That son of a.." he says to himself. He had been pranked... again by Jhonny. He thinks about how Jhonny convinced him that is the greeting them sighs realizing his sister must of been involved or else it would of never worked, and gives a chuckle at the situation. He takes a deep breath and lets it out reasured.. He thinks to the group "Right.. I will just find my spot please do what you normally do, and I will watch your backs." he came up with the best plan for helping withough getting in the way of their training.



Though he falls silent as Logan talks up reminding him he is on a live line.. "Wait.. you didn't see that Jhonny thing did you?" but has to fall back to silence unless he might interupt Logan and that would be bad. Thank goodness he was worried about that he missed the meaning behind his intent just saving on some therepy bills already.

5Strangly he doesn't seem to react to the psionic signal, as his telepath comes from somewhere slightly different it isn't connected directly with the mind so such things can elude him. Though he does pick up on Logans emotions for caution flairing up so gets ready with some shields just incase, as if he can get backk with everyone that is his mission tonight. He also hears the pain from Monet that is better connected, careful not to touch them he moves closer incase something decides to pick her first looking around them waiting for whatever it maybe.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue's eyes narrow at Tabi's response to her, as she hears what the others say on the heels of it too. "How is it that we managed t'come t'the one place that Tabi might be happier at than anywhere else on the planet?" She asks, not expecting an answer to it. From behind her sunglasses though, she regards Jean and Logan, then smirks softly.

"So we just have the mind trickers make people think we're droppin' major bills on them, t'get all the info we want, huh?" She asks as her eyes go about scanning where they're headed.

With her hands in her coat pockets, she's just playing casual, up until she catches something from Monet and Frank. "What's up? Did we already get fingered?"

Martha Johansson has posed:
Martha walks along, trying to keep her head down. "I hope we aren't gonna do a tour this time," she grouses, before looking towards Franklin and asking him, "What do you listen to?"

It's easier to do now that she's walking. Now that she's, like, around. Rogue's hypothesis makes her smile, if grimly. And then something starts to ripple in the air. Something huge, rising. Screaming with rage and fury. Something coming--

-- which is why Martha immediately puts on Magneto's helmet, which she was carrying.

Everything goes *shockingly* still. Also, it smells like old man hair. Martha is about to say something when Monet shrieks. "Whoa! Shit!" She is going to try to hit all seven words in front of Franklin Richards today.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"Rogue, hon. Familar ain't happy. This is where street girls that aren't as lucky as me back in New York end up. And that's including the bug infestation that led me to you guys." Only here could a Brrod Invasion be a step up.

That feeling on the psychic airwaves, there's some grimacing from Tabitha when she picks it up. And it feels like someone drilling through her skull from inside out. It's enough the less experienced telepath has to clutch her temples and lean over.

While her own defenses are pretty hefty, sometimes they can just be brute forced though. Combined with all the other unfiltered psychic traffic hitting her in the ADHD as well she's got all that to process too.

There's a flash of plasma flame in her hands, this also means it engulfs her head, but being it is her own powers at least she's not hurting herself.

There is that urge to do some hurting thiugh and the anger and pain felt is reflected back by Tabitha's own.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean has no better idea to propose! Teamwork means trusting the talent you have. And this is definitely not a place where she can claim any kind of expertise. Another brief motion adjusting her sunglasses, and she falls in at a casual pace.

"It's a beautiful area. The actual area, I mean." The island underlying the slums, the natural beauty on which the place was built. There's nothing more than to frown, slightly, at the various scenery they do pass, but she doesn't have much commentary to offer. Poverty and greed are pretty universal, and sadly, rarely the sort of foe the X-Men can handle with their more on-the-ground skills of face-punching and related violence!

Well, they do have some other tricks. Which is the reason for the answer Rogue gets: "Maybe. Playing the full mind whammy can work well in small doses, but it does tend to, well... stir up trouble in the longer term. Especially when there's money involved." She looks around. "Still, the folks running this place seem like shitheads, so I'm not totally opposed." Language, Ms. Grey! Then again, this is far from school.

Which also mean Martha gets a pass! And a look, so she knows she's getting a pass. The helmet had been staying in Xavier's office, since the last encounter, but it only made sense to bring it along and... well, it sure as heck doesn't match Jean's top!

And as it turns out, maybe she should have sacrificed her sense of fashion. "Hnnn," she mutters, through suddenly gritted teeth. "Defintely -something- here. Something bad. Like when that thing attacked Charles." Plot call back! Episode 247: Loki vs. The Shadow King.

Logan Howlett has posed:
"Swearin' like a sailor, Jeanie," Logan says with a wolfish grin, "Hardly headmistress-like."

As the psychic wave rushes through the team, Wolverine looks around himself. He's familiar enough with having telepathic teammates to know when something is up on that other plain of existence he himself can't access.

He frowns, moving a few steps forward when three locals clad in shorts and t-shirts practically fall out of one of the houses down the street. They pick themselves up from the mud with shouts of 'Acuran! Acuran!' Tamil speakerrs by the sound of it. They're already fleeing down the street when the side of the house explodes outwards in a shower of splinters. What emerges from within may be enough to chill the blood of those who were in Japan several weeks ago.

A serpent-like creature of metallic scales with a pair of baleful, glowing eyes. A machine, there's no doubt about that. A sentinel. It floats through the air as though gravity has no hold on it, uncurling itself to regard the group in silence for a moment.

"Mutants detected."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
To quoth a proverb from another realm when the slag hits the exhaust port.. That's just Prime. Monet's eyes go wide over at the thing even as she hisses and focuses herself back up and over to concentrate on the link <<Tactics?>> She's going to have to stay at range with the thing. Even as she's going to evaluate the layout of the immediate area. Civilians, status of infrastructure, stability of buildings.. Of all the places that could have a chaotic melee, a run down docks area is far from the best.

Monet goes to float up and over into the air, making suer to make a larger target of herself. Her intent is to hopefully draw the attention of the robot over at her - to give the rest of the team a few moments to come up with a plan and to spread out. Presuming this thing can adapt to whatever they throw at it like the last ones have.. They need a plan.

And fast.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin had more to say, and he had more to do he didn't seem to sense what the heck was going on but the calm was enough to get him worried. He saw the slow of everything and heard the words said. He didn't like those words that was bad. Looking up, and up he sees it almost for a moment a fear flickers, and he looks around him and smiles.. he liked these odds to be honest. That fear washed away like water off his back being reasured with years of fighting with a team.

He whips one jacketed arm towards Monet and she might see a cylinderial flicker as a field surrounds her.. <<Watch yourself in the air you are an easier target>> not really knowing that is her plan. With his other he puts it between them and it incase it starts to attack directly, not following up with a second shield yet so he could focus on one, and wait to react other then act most likly with another shield to block any attack directly. He was also waiting for the plan since it wasn't his mission trusting it would come.

Rogue has posed:
On her right, Rogue reaches out to touch Jean's shoulder and keep her steady when she sees the Headmistress suffering from that psychic rush that swept over the team. She may not be a telepath, but she's been working alongside them since she got to the school nearly 5 years ago now. "Seems like we're on track here..." The Belle mutters.

She looks around to the others. "Be careful. Whatever fought us when we lost Magneto--" She's cut off from finishing those words, by those people stumbling out of the building, followed by the building bursting open!

When the very thing she was about to talk about emerges. "Logan." Rogue says. "These things adapt to us, better than any I've seen before." Rogue states, her hands now going up to her hat, she takes it off, as her shoulders lean back to let her jacket fall down her arms to lay on the ground. She drops her hat upon the jacket, then just rips her shirt off, leaving her half in a black X-Men bodysuit, and half in her drab green cargo trousers and leather combat-style boots.

"We gotta either run now, or find a way t'smash this thing inta a pile'a dust."

Martha Johansson has posed:
Martha has been Informed and she understands this on a deep spiritual level; she doesn't quite meet Jean's eyes, although perhaps her pilfering can be ultimately justified given that, well, you know,

Either way, Martha briefly thinks to herself in the almost complete silence of the damaged helmet: Whoa, they're all going to die too. Maybe I'm a jinx? Maybe that's my secondary mutation? Being a - no, okay, Ms Grey is rallying up, she's like the strongest one, right. right?

Boom-Boom is booming her head but Martha expects that. She gingerly takes the helmet up and off her head, tucking it under an arm and biting her lip for a moment. She steps back a little and says, "Hold on--"

She starts looking for something to duck behind. <<Tutorial Time, Frankie goes to Hollywood, we ran into one of these dipshits in Japan. It's gonna like adapt to anything you do, it's some kind of sentinel. IDK if it's already learned most of our moves but I think we are all kind of hoping in our heart of hearts that you can't adapt around ((insert overheard soundbite of snikt.wav)) so good>>

Beat. <<uh this is rude but what is your power? like can you send people to hell? that has worked 100% of the time so far>>

Tabitha Smith has posed:
There's a snake like sentinel now. Well there was that diant bear cyborg one. And the dinosaurs. A snake is not that far fetched.

Boom-Boom didn't need to be in Japan to be scared of these things.

She was on a different island where they did way worse.

Of course what you have then is a blonde mutant feeling psychic pain and anger, feeling her own on top of that. And then you have the embodiment of her nightmares.

She's probably glowing brightly on the mind link with those emotions.

About as brightly as she is the plasma burning in her hands. But noty actually burning her as she snarls and does something the others probably expecect.

BOOM!

There's a charge on foot at the sentinel and both arms levelling some loud roaring streams of plasma.

A lot of it seems to miss?

How does someone that can telekinetically guide the offspring of a flamethrower and RPG?

She doesn't. It's the lower walls of two of the buildings either side.

Trying to bury and cook the thing like a dutch oven.

Jean Grey has posed:
As the thing explodes onto the scene, Jean raises a hand, quite instinctive with her abilities: here, she catches some of the debris from the snake's emergence to hold it from the bystanders.

<<They're adaptive, and have power-cancelling tech,>> Jean answers, or perhaps reminds, as the question of tactics arises, although her mental 'voice' shows the strain of even trying to communicate that way, filled with lingering static and pain. So she she's not precisely loquacious, keeping to quick concepts:

<<Avoid the fancy stuff. Can't out-adapt physics.>> After that, she shuts it down, focusing more on blocking it out, segmenting off her mind.

After that, she looks side-long toward Rogue. Her power may technically be among the fanciest, the more abstract. But it's lingering side effect is pretty much as bare bones basic bitch as it gets. And so when she doesn't have to think to talk, without the strain, Jean even manages to inject a little levity, immitating the other woman: "Go on, sugah. Smash away."

She doesn't bother telling Logan what to do.

For her own part, she goes with the technique she determined was the most effective the last time: the debris still floating before gets hucked back at it in a flurry of smaller, accelerated shards. Physics!

Logan Howlett has posed:
The Sentinel continues to float there, furling and unfurling in the air as its limbs reach outward and seem to grasp at nothing in the air. An ominous hum emanates from the machine as it bathes the street in yellow-orange light, some form of low-level scan not completely devoid of psionic energy by the feel of it.

The sudden burst of plasma, the explosion and the collapsing buildings at either side. The Sentinel is quickly burried beneath the rubble and all is still for a moment.

But only one moment, as the rubble shakes loose and it rears its head once more. It's charred, whatever amounts to circuitry in these futuristic machines is exposed and sparking as it contacts the air. When it 'speaks' again, its vocalizer stutters like a radio not quite tuned into the correct frequency.

"V-v-violence - VIOLENCE - V-violence d-d-detected. Savior Protocol Enabled ... Protect All Mutants. Protect All Mutants. Protect All Mutants. Protect All M-m-m-ut-t-ants!"

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan, his claws already popped and glistening with blood, pauses suddenly as the machine speaks. He looks up at it with a furrowed brow, glancing back over his shoulder towards Jean with a non-verbal 'what the hell?'

That's when a figure emerges from the ruined house, floating on the air. His chest is bare save for scraps of metal that appear to have been reshaped to protect his shoulder. A similar length of metal has been reshaped to act as a supporting brace for his leg. Much of what isn't covered in armor is heavily bandaged. A rough beard has grown about his jaw, stark white like the rest of his hair. It is Magneto.

"Hold! Stop, stop ... I assure you it's harmless. This one, anyway."

The damaged sentinel continues to float nearby, circling through the air but not attacking.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Ready to launch over on the attack, after having pulled away from the others to draw fire from them and ready to launch herself to start toppling nearby buildings at the thing as soon as the others were clear and attack orders had been given.. Monet would.. Pause.

And then just resist the urge to yell over at Magnus (something that those with far more threatening voices excelled at) and just manage to cock one brow in extreme irritation (even by M standards).

"Explanation. Now." That's said very, very quickly. Even by irritable M standards.

Then.. "You require medical attention and possibly evacuation." Because he -definitely- smells over like he came out of Madripoor. It puts him on a level with Logan after coming back from the Canadian wasteland of Quebec.

Franklin Richards has posed:
As he is ready he stops tilts his head. "Okay wait... did that say protect.." he just had to ask it as he did hear that right? He shakes his head at the old man who he has no idea who it is flys towards them at least he looks peacful enough.

"Wheew.... Not bad people.. I say mission complete you found the old man.. take him home and simple as pie" and he grins a bit around before seeing the upset looks, a bit confused. "We aren't here to save hiM? So..." he just lets that drift a bit before cutting it off to let others speak.

Rogue has posed:
With Tabitha running ahead to do what she does, Rogue just looks to Jean... explosions, debris, shouts, and then Jean gives her that order.

It's like in one of those Rocky movies where Rocky is supposed to be training, but his heart isn't in it until Adrian tells him to fight. Then the cheesy, but totally awesome, 70s music comes on and Rocky gets that fiery look in his eye.

Rogue just leans forward, drops down toward the ground, but her flight power comes online in the last split second and she shoots off toward the fight. With her black gloved hands out in front of her, the southern gal grabs a ruined hulk of a abandoned old truck by its roof! She lifts it up off the ground, her body moving in a wave-like pattern as she sweeps the truck up in to the air, tosses it up and grabs it by the tail-gate!

Then, in the motion of holding it above her head by both hands, with her left knee pushed out ahead of her, and her right leg extended out behind her, Rogue pauses... floats in the air... holding that three ton truck above her head.

"What?" She says, Magneto arriving, the evil robot saying 'protect mutants'.

"Oh come on." Rogue then relents, her body's muscles loosening up as she just flies backward a few feet, and the truck falls out of the sky to land on the ground beneath where she's flying. She lowers down to land upon its roof now after it settles with a loud CRASH... and her hands go to her hips.

"Heya, Mags." She says in a sassy sort of way. "We came t'get ya, it's your turn t'pay the internet bill."

Martha Johansson has posed:
<<are you sure?>> Martha asks Jean mentally when she asserts they can't adapt to physics.

But then -

SAVIOR PROTOCOL ENABLED.

"Waaht the actual fuck," Martha says, completely with misspelling to represent a quaver. Her head turns... and there, in the air, is a floating man. Sheathed in metal. White hair, ripped but pretty old - it's -

"OH MY GOD YOU'RE ALIVE" Martha squeals, before her head turns and she looks towards Boom-Boom, who is still radiating death plasma even as she reaches out with her hand, mostly for effect. "SMITH CHILL YOUR TITS ALRIGHT?"

And something invisible flows out of her -- though it's psychically perceptible. Like jagged little interfering pills for the nervous system, naturally guiding towards the parts of the brain that control and affect the use of your volitional metanormal abilities! That's Science, true believers!

Martha starts it easy -- but the dial will turn up if it has to, though she glances at Rogue and Jean for validation on this, probably. (Logan is too far away and possibly there's some trash between her and him.)

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Most mutants might find the concept of a Sentinel wanting to protect mutants to be somewhat suspect.

Boom-Boom might be one of them. But she's not exactly in the best frame of mind to join the chbewing out.

With the allegedly not genocidal robot emerging and clearly damaged enough. Tabby brings her hands together over her head and starts charging a bomb.

The glow starts getting further towards the blue end of the spectrum while the size starts getting towards beachball.

Magnus' assurances and everyone else thinking and backing off seems to get ignored. The wreckage and debri and a Sentinel floating. It's the sort of sight that can bring back all the bad memories of what was supposed to be the start of good ones.

The bomb is almost ready to blast and whether or not it could finish the thing off is a question left unanswered for now.

Martha's psychic Tasing might not feel great for either blonde. Tabby, because her nervouse system is engaged and her own defenses mean Martha does have to dial it up.

By a lot!

When she goes though, the bomb is let loose and it flies at the sentinel.

This might be a bad thing. Tabby's not in control. On the ground in a mess. And about to create a bigger one.

Tick... tick.. tick...

Jean Grey has posed:
Though perfectly determined, ready to use all the force necessary, Jean is not particularly the bloodlust-y type (well: most of her is not). She's picked up a larger chunk of building in the meantime, and is about to topple it onto the battered robosnake, when the injured figure emerges from the shell of the building. So instead, it just floats there!

Logan's speechless question is answered in kind, a look that tells him she's equally clueless!

"Erik, what's happening here? The last time we saw one of those things, well, you were tackling it through-" And she has to pause, and consider, recallling how their last encounter ended: "-is that it? The same one?" It might explain it taking a whole lot less punishment.

She quickly glances back among the others, verifying that things are under control. They're not -exactly-. Tabitha down! She eyes the bomb and... is this a teaching moment?

"If you've made friends... if it's doing whatever it is that's making my head feel like the morning after an over-enthusiastic night at Harry's, it would be awful nice if you could ask it to stop. For starters."

For laters, well, she looks around. "We're also making a heck of a scene here." The chunk-o-house starts to lower, nicely, only to be echoed by a much larger CRASH as Rogue 'sets' her own weapon down. She gets a 'really?!' look from Jean. Lots of looks today!

Logan Howlett has posed:
"Hold your tongue, child," Magneto growls at Monet, blue eyes flaring, "I have not come this far to be chided by some impudent churl."

Though he lowers himself closer to the ground, he does not touch it. He extends a hand towards Martha, the helmet leaving her grasp and returning to his own. He looks at it for a moment, before turning his eyes towards the young mutant.

"Thank you, Ms. Johansson, for caring for this. I am in your debt."

Such sudden shifts in emotion are not unheard of for the Master of Magnetism, and in one fluid moment he returns the cracked helmet to his head. His shoulders seem to relax faintly, as though he were incomplete until this very moment. Rogue's dropped truck turns in the air, writing itself even if it is kind of smashed up.

Even as Martha waylays further damage, a shimmering field of blue surrounds the Sentinel. The ticking bomb is similarly encased, and when it explodes the fundamental forces of the universe close in on it to contain the explosion.

"What you felt, Doctor Grey, was the suffering of a telepath much like you. Held in isolation. His torture is what is opening these holes into our world."

The portal in the destroyed house is closed now, shut behind Magneto. He gestures sidelong towards the sentinel which immediately seems to come to attention, as though controlled by will alone.

"This is the weapon of our enemy. The flaming torch and pitchfork of the digital age. Bent to the will of our species. Reshaped to serve us, rather than annhilate us. For I have seen the world as the fearful ones would have it, and it is a desolate place. Those of us not slaughtered like cattle are turned to the will of immoral men who use powers they do not understand to scrape a modicum of a better life from the sand and rock. This is the weapon of our enemy."

Magneto's eyes fall across Tabitha, Monet, before finally locking with Jean.

"And it is mine."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would glance back over at Magneto, eyes closing to thin slits as she would return the glare. Magneto was calling her a -churl-? Monet resists the urge to crack her knuckles as she glances over at Tabitha and takes in the state of the girl as Franklin and Magneto would deal with Tabby offloading her Twitter feed.

"And what then, pray tell, is the reasoning for your latest acquisition then? Retaliation? Repurposing? Do you intend to make something grander of it or simply repurpose it to the same mechanics?" She's only aware of Magneto by reputation.

But what a reputation it is.

"You need medical attention. We can check you over and you can debrief us, and we can decide on a course of action." She doesn't bother projecting her thoughts or threatening anyone. She's trying to be resaonable here! In case it isn't what it looks like and Magneto's going to use the reprogrammed Sentinel as the first of an army to slay everyone on the surface world and there's more benevolent reasoning at work.

Franklin Richards has posed:
a bit worried about the overkilling explosion way too close to Rogue, he drops all his shields to focus on just the ones needed for containment. He looks at Logan for a moment "ya'll alright.. might need a vacation or something." before he sighs a bit. "Relax I got this.." and smiles a bit at the others who might be too close to escilate this. He steps up, and speaks up.. "Sir.. Mr. Mags. Or Dr. Mags maybe.. ummm... This is a horrible idea. It will all backfire on you, and you need to stop. I am sure you started out well to help but you don't understand them as a tool it is beyond you." He holds up a hand, "Let us return you to the home, and help this telepath and just call it a night?"

He turns giving Logan a thumbs up. Not seeing the reaction he was expecting he shuts up and lets them do the talking.. "Or... I can stand by this tree.... quietly.. Let you all work it out." and steps to the side to kick a leaf, and think about what he has done.

Rogue has posed:
One step, two step, three step, and Rogue drops off the truck as Magneto turns it over. She walks around it, her eyes going to Martha when she hears the young woman shout something at Tabitha, then she catches that bomb being snuffed out.

Walking around Tabitha, Rogue eyes her. "Those things can damage more than just the 'bad guy', ya know?" She tells her teammate as she walks by to join Jean at her side.

She listens to Mags give his speech, then glances at Logan. "Sometimes the speeches kinda make me more worried than I already was." She says in a quiet tone to the hairy Canadian.

Her green eyes go back to Magneto though, and she raises her chin up just a little. "You stayin' here then? You got any idea on where these things came from, or where we should go t'stop any more'a them from bein' produced, and let loose?"

Martha Johansson has posed:
Martha looks away from where she is, kind of, being rather rude to Tabitha even if she is probably already earning herself detention details for the rest of the year between other rude behaviors and says - "I, uh, the Professor, I uh, I brought it back sir, thank you!"

Somehow it feels gratifying.

-- but, Martha thinks, her head tilting down, even as the thought doesn't quite derail. Skepticism of some kind. Cynicism, maybe, boiled out of over-volume metal music. A contaminant. It still feels good. But --

"Uh, he made it say protect mutants, not conquer Earth or destroy humans?" Martha feels obliged to say, aloud, if not super-loud. "Like, that would be bad for evil but Superman could throw it into space or something?"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Some Twitter feeds are just not suitable for anyone. Luckily Tabby long since stopped using hers for anythging. She doesn't even use her Insta accounts. To many nasty posts she's tagged into as a target,

Not cool at all.

There's actually tears in her eyes and Tabby is really trying to not look like she's crying while she;s hunkered down in a ball on the ground. Sitting and hugging her knees. "I ain't a kid throwing firecrackers blinde Rogue. I can shape a blast out of harm's way when I can." she points out. "This is some Frog and Scorpion crap. Sentinels only good for recycling. Software can always be rolled back." she points out.

That she is not joking at all maybe also sells how serious she thinks this is. "Or corrupted. We've seen that before haven't we your highness." she calls out loudly. The Genoshan survivor to the former ruler.

Magneto shoould know perfectly well where.

The sentinel itself never leaving Tabitha's gaze for long. Like an arachnophic confronted with a spider in a jar.

She's terrified.

Jean Grey has posed:
Although Monet may have a lot of questions about Magneto's plans, and just about everyone reacts with some concern, Jean actually seems... rather a bit more accepting of things, or at least a lot calmer. She seems to let the matter of the snake-sentinel slide, her focus narrowed on the strange world they've come from, her brow knitting into a frown. "We got a look before. Whatever that place is, it's something we need to avoid."

Maybe it is a touch uncharacteristic, to give him that much ground, not to interrogate his claim on the weapon. Or maybe she's adapted somewhat over the years of going around this particular circle. That said, it's clearly not the sum and total of what thoughts she has on the topic. She's processing, like everyone else. It's just that everyone else seems to be processing a lot faster, and so she makes a point of holding a hand up, to cut off any unwarranted 'haste'.

"We're not going to argue about it here, let alone fight about it." That's spoken in Boss Lady voice, just so there's no misunderstandings, no extra bombs from Ms. Boomster. "I think, for starters... well, we need to relocate. You, for medical attention, and us generally away from this mess. And I'd like to hear about what's happening with these portals, exactly. They're using a captive to make them? Is there a way we can reach them?"

Promptly, she second-guesses her own thought: "But that place was full of these things. There's no way we could fight through them, without some way of taking these things out - and a lot more efificently than the last time."

It is a round-about question, a slightly more subtle sort of challenge in return: a mutant on the line, as well as his willingness to help destroy the things - and thereby lessen whatever value he might have in keeping one himself.

Logan Howlett has posed:
"You speak as though you are entitled to an explanation when you are not," says Magneto to Monet, "Those who will not aid me in preventing this future from coming to pass will be swept aside like a mote in the eye of God."

His eyes cast over the rest of the gathered group, palms outstretched. His eyes fall upon Tabitha and he shakes his head slowly, as though somehow disappointed. Deeply so.

"Do not look at me in fear. Fire burns the uninitiated, but to those who can wield it? It is the soul of civilization."

His focus shifts to the Mighty Belle.

"They come from the future, Rogue. But their impetus is here. We have seen it already. But I do not believe this iteration of the sentinel will come to pass if we can stop the seed of its development in the presence. I must know more, and I cannot allow you to waylay me."

Near Franklin, Logan looks to the kid with a furrowed brow. He shakes his head, holding up a hand as he divides his attention between the two conversations: "Grown ups're talkin', kid." Notably, Logan isn't involved in the conversation.

"If you insist, Doctor Grey, I will return with you. But I will not be parted from the weapon. You must keep your soldiers in check."

Finally, he descends to the ground. When he walks, it is wih a severe limp. Clearly the injuries he sustained in Japan haven't cleared yet. But he nevertheless moves towards Jean, allowing her to lead the way.

"Hey, Port," Logan calls into his comm, bringing up the rear behind Magneto, "We need a door."

Nearby, one of the doors begins to glow and it opens to reveal a very reserved and bespectacled redhead in the young Jean Grey vein with her hand on its frame. Beyond is the lobby of Xavier's Mansion.

She gives a little finger wave and immediately blushes.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
As Magneto goes through his little speech, Monet St. Croix resists the impulse to roll her eyes. "And yet the future is always in motion, and nothing is set." Is that also not the lesson that they have learned in the years past? "The urge to overcorrect for such things can escalate just as horribly as refusal to engage with it at all."

Further thoughts on going to full lecture mode with Magneto are cut off. Ms. Grey is right, they have to take him back for medical treatment.. And as far as Monet is concerned, for some psychological evaluation as well. And to get rid of that smell.. Her nose crinkles up.

She would speak quietly along the mental link to Jean <<Someone should check on Ms. Smith's mental status and she should possibly be referred to one of the counselors at discretion>> MOnet is Captain Obvious. It is her powerset! She resists the urge to lecture Magneto far more than she feels like his rhetoric deserves. They've dealt with killer robots from the future before and stopped it from happening.

They can do it again.

Franklin Richards has posed:
Franklin leans against a tree and listens to the squabble and sighs to himmself thinking about how he can better help this situation falling into his own calculations. Well he stoped for a moment as he felt he was being stared at.. "Okay that is creepy." he says to himself, and raises a hand..

There is a shimmer as a dome covers all of them here, and they just disapear as it just looks empty inside to the people outside. "There we go.." he glances back at the others. "We don't need actuall pitchforks, and fire." he explained going back to his thinking. There must be a way to show him this is beyond his control as he glances at the sentinal then back to Magneto quietly thinking about how if when repaired if it were to attack.. no too many risks. He must think of another way.

Rogue has posed:
As Magneto's response is given, Rogue's eyes are cast around at the people of Madripoor staring down upon them, from everywhere. This is a mess. Literally.

"You've got my help, Mags, wherever ya think you could use it." The Belle says back to him as she turns to walk over to Tabitha. She extends a hand down to her, and will help her stand if she accepts it. Otherwise she'll just turn and walk back over to Jean as Franklin creates that shielding dome of energy over them...

Leaning in close to the redhead. "We've been seen way too much here." She tells her, though she's sure the woman already knows it. Her eyes dart over to the door that Logan calls open, and she looks over to Martha, and Franklin. "You two head through first. Time t'get outta here." Rogue tells the youngest of the group, before retrieving the clothing she'd ditched a few paces away, balling them up and holding them against her stomach as she now walks toward the gateway opened up from back home... Her eyes sweep around the city, she takes a moment to soak it in.

"I don't like this place..." The Mississippi native mutters on her way out.

Martha Johansson has posed:
<<Uh,>> Martha sends to Tabitha psychically, <<look I don't like it either but like he just crawled out of hell, we can take it somewhere and study it? like if he hacked it or something, you know? I'm sort of cutting him a lot of slack cuz of the crawling out of hell. Maybe Frankie can take it to his dad? idk?>>

This is going badly. This is time shit. Martha has no qualifications on time shit.

The door opens. There's no need to troop back at length. How often can Port go this far? thinks Martha. Also, I should pick a name myself, she thinks further. She then says, loudly, "Another big win for LexCorp," before --

She looks upwards, perceiving Franklin's dome of effect.

Martha kicks a pebble and stalks towards the door. "Sup," she says to Port on the way through, hugging herself loosely.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
The Booming One finally picks herself up off the ground with Rogue's help, when you can lift tonnage, the weight of a one hudred and twenty pound blonde is nothing.

Dusting herself off with the free hand. There's no getting rid of the teary eyed scowl aimed at snake themed robot of genocide. Future sentinel or not, reprogrammed or not. It's still the weapon that burned down their adopted former homeland and killed their people.

"Monet going Yoda aside. I don't fear the fire. I make it obey me. This is not the fire. This is a landmine thrown into a kids' playground. Upside down." she states. "I... I don't know if I can handle having that thing in our home." she add and looks to Jean. She is Boss Lady after all. "I ain't gonna run away again. I think but if it spooks me, or any of the kids I am slagging that thing. No remore, no repent."

Martha gets a frown and a shake of her head. <<Sixteen million dead, by these things. He should know better. Hand it to forge, let him disect it. Let Doug and Kitty sift through the decompiled code. But don't let it out of anyone's sight when we have kids around.>> That goes to the whole group. There's a feeling of skin crawling coming from the alleged Doctor Madame McSplode.

When her turn for portling out comes. Tabby keeps herself ready to finish the job no one seems to let her do.

Jean Grey has posed:
At this point, Jean adopts a demeanor more in touch with her teaching background: one of someone saddled with the burden of herding cats. Assistance from Rogue and Logan (blunt as it is, in the latter case), is clearly a godsend, earning a thankful look.

"That's it everyone, make your way to the nice door. We can debate philosophy back home over a pizza. That's it, move it along. I don't know what kind of police they have around here, but if they have them at all I'm gonna bet that they're exceedingly corrupt, and I don't feel much like having to explain all this." Of course, it's well beyond that, which Rogue points out, earning a sigh in response. "I'm on it."

Thus, as they pass from view, she does one of her unfortunately all-too common duties, wiping the clear image of what happened from the minds of those all gawking. They will remember the broad strokes, perhaps, of a building collapse, perhaps even of some kind of conflict in the street, but not the keen fashion sense of their very conspicuous and mostly-American visitors. They'll rationalize the memory, fill the gaps with frankly more coherent daily context.

After that, she waits to make sure the majority are through ahead of her, save perhaps the two older gentlemen, where she does turn back to observe the odd snake-bot. "It's a bit of tight fit." That is, perhaps, a polite acknowledgment of Tabitha's concerns, a more delicate framing. It /could/ fit, with that slithery form, but... "Port, could you open us another one down to the hangar? We're bringing home a stray." Then she looks over to Erik with a winning smile. "The med bay's just down there as well." See? Just being a good host. And keeping it a bit separate of the youngsters in her care.