18451/Through A Mirror Darkly: Assault on Greymalkin

Through A Mirror Darkly: Assault on Greymalkin
Date of Scene:	06 July 2024
Location:	Greymalkin -- Low Earth Orbit
Synopsis:	Cable assembles a group of interested parties to discuss the MLF on Greymalkin. It does not go as planned.
Cast of Characters:	Cable, Sally Pride, Tabitha Smith, Carol Ferris, Kurt Wagner, Monet St. Croix, Divine, Bishop, Lorna Dane
Tinyplot:	Through a Mirror Darkly

---

Cable has posed:
Greymalkin.

Cable's last refuge and the centerpoint for much of his intelligence gathering operations across the globe, the satellite sits in Low Earth Orbit, nearly six thousand kilometers above Earth's sea level, circling the world every four hours or so on frequently diverse paths that insure that it is always available to the soldier from the future when he has need of it.

Benefitting from advanced cloaking technology, it remains a nearly unassailable fortress for the man. A fall back position and storage site to much of the advanced weaponry and technology that he has available to him.

It is also a place that he has rarely shared with outsiders.

Until now.

After the Mutant Liberation Front's raid on STAR Labs in Metropolis, when it became apparent that Cable knew much more about at least some of the members of this supposed recently formed terrorist organization then he has let on even some of his most strident allies pushed back on his typical way of doing things. Of doling out information on what he deems to be a need to know basis.

And Cable? He is nothing if not adaptable. It might not be his usual or preferred method of operating, to be quite so forthright.

But desperate times right?

So he has arranged to once more call upon his numerous connections in varied organizations and associations, to gather up some of those that have taken an interest in opposing the activities of the MLF. To teleport them here, to his orbital fortress with his 'bodysliding' technology.

If there was any doubt that Greymalkin is not exactly constructed out of modern day technology, it is quickly dispelled. The walls of the chamber where Cable has gathered the assemblage gleam in a silvery hue, the material metallic in an unidenifiable sort of way. What's more, even the furniture in the room seems to be made out of the stuff, moulded as if springing right out of the surface of the room, as if it is all one piece.

The room, also somewhat disconcertingly seems to 'grow' with each new addition to the group, always the perfect size for the gathering regardless of how many are present.

Great portholes give a rather serene view of the world below, for those rare few who might not have had the chance to take in such a sight below, while the far end of the chamber is currently dominated ny a shifting array of holographic images, a half dozen projectors that slowly rotate through the vrious known members of the MLF. Though the display seems to linger longest on some of the key players. Holocaust. Abyss. Zero. And of course Stryfe.

After giving people a brief chance to gather, to renew acquaintances where appropriate or introduce one another where meeting for the first time, Cable leaves his spot where he lingers against the wall, stepping out so he stands against the backdrop of those flickering blue images behind him.

"Some of you have asked me to give a better explanation of what I know about the MLF and its key players," he says without preamble. "As some of you may be aware, I'm not from your time. Probably not your timeline at all," the grizzled soldier adds flatly. "Where I come from, when I come from, the world is dominated by an individual that some of you may know of. Professor," he says, addressing the stations onboard artificial intelligence.

the holographic displays at his back suddenly shift, change, all six of them shifting to a single image. A towering man, his face grey of skin, red of eye, blue of lips, wrapped up in formidable looking body armor. "This is Apocalypse. And he rules virtually everything where I come from," Cable says quietly. "My first and foremost goal in coming to this time, in staying in this time, is to prevent that from ever coming to pass."

Cable has posed:
He lets the projected images linger there for a moment, that malevolent stare from what is just a hologram seeming to sweep across the assembled group. "Apocalypse is an ancient mutant. Maybe the very first. He has lived for over four thousand years. He will still be alive in my time -- or at least the time I was raised in -- almost fifteen hundred years from now. HIs creedo of 'Survival of the fittest' will all but break this world."

Turning aside, Cable gestures once more and the Professor once again shifts the holographic displays to show two other familiar figures to those present at STAR Labs in Metropolis. One a towering, transparent figure of roiling energy that seems barely contained, the other a shadowy, shifty figure seemingly made up of hollow coils of darkness. "These two are Holocaust and Abyss. They are two of Apocalypse's chief lieutenants where I come from. Almost as dangeorus as Apocalypse himself. That they ahve somehow been summoned, that they are willing to work with -- or worse, worth for -- Styrfe suggests nothing good."

Again the images up front shift and six figures, all nearly identical ass featureless, white humanoids appear, though a single one of them boasts a simple black '0' marking both it's face and chest. "These units were known as Ambient-Energy Dampening Actualization Modules were meant to be peacekeepers. There purpose was... corrupted. The one known as Zero is the most powerful of them and has somehow come to serve Stryfe," he says, continuing that dispassionate debrief.

And at last the final figure resolves once more, the gleaming armored form of the man behind the Mutant Liberation Front itself. Stryfe. "Him I know little about. He appears to be, like myself, a man out of time. That he has managed to gather the loyalty of so many, that he has pulled assets out of my time suggests that he certainly has ties to Apocalypse, though what exactly those ties might be I do not know," he concedes. Grudgingly.

"So now you know most of what I do. Hopefully it becomes more clear why Stryfe needs to be opposed at all costs."

Even as Cable runs through that briefing, a surge of power begins to gather and build, ready to surge into existance.

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride has worked with Cable and co. more than enough times to be accustomed to the teleportation from one location to another. But that was always to a mission or a safehouse, not the orbital. So to step into what was essentially the future was still an awestruck experience. "Null would die to get their hands on this kind of tech, and I hope they never do."

She takes a few minutes to stare out the porthole view, both majestic and terrifying with space beyond and Earth below. She's named in a play on a famous astronaut can you really blame her?

But as Cable begins his exposition she turns from it to focus on him, nodding now and then as she listens.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Space has itself a chance at some really nice views. The sort that if you're not careful can lead to things like cosmically existential low self esteem.

Pale blue dots and cosmic insignificance.

Unless you've been to other galaxies yourself and know you've had a hand in shaping the fate of the universe.

Not much of a hand, but Tabitha knows she has made a contribution. Just ask the Shi'ar.

The blonde, in her X-men uniform. It's summer on earth so the tennis dress version is on rotation. Black with a yellow stripe down the front, an X cut out with the black and then yellow to the hem where it circlers around. A red leather racing jacket on her shoulders and red tinted wayfarers add some extra color while yellow Hitops on her feet offer protection, comfort, and ankle support.

"So future tech robots. I suppose if these things were like mass produced once, he's been scrounging left overs and building from parts? Kinda like racist grassroots groups are doing with like Sentinels. Add what extra parts he can to make them work. Think dealing with them is just gonna be like attrition. Wreck 'em till he can't fix 'em.""

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol Ferris sits at her sleek, modern desk in her office at the Ferris Aircraft Innovation Center in Metropolis. The room is bathed in the warm glow of afternoon sunlight filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows across her meticulously organized workspace. The hum of distant machinery and the occasional roar of a jet engine serve as a reminder of the world she's built.

Suddenly, her violet ring begins to blink, the light pulsing with an urgent rhythm, and her heart skips a beat. The Star Sapphire ring never calls without reason. Holding up her hand, the ring's glow intensifies, casting a shimmering light across the room.

...

Above the eastern seaboard, violet energy envelops Star Sapphire, her business attire replaced by her iconic uniform -- a metallic crown and elegant violet bodice, split revealingly down the center of her body, that clings to her athletic frame, its crystalline structure shimmering with every movement. Her eyes, usually filled with determination, now blaze with focused, violet intensity.

She leaves a trail of violet light in her wake, the coastline blurring beneath her as she ascends, the landscape quickly giving way to the endless expanse of the Atlantic. The energy surrounds her in a protective cocoon, her hair whipping around her shoulders like a banner. Her fist is outstretched, guiding her toward the source of the power surge.

As she breaks through the atmosphere, the stars become visible, pinpricks of light against the velvet blackness of space. The weightlessness of the void is a familiar sensation, but tonight it feels different -- charged with a sense of impending urgency.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
While it is not Kurt's first time in space, it is always an experience to be sure and while he much prefers his own means of teleporting to the seemingly colder, harsher one that Cable employs, the fuzzy blue elf's range doesn't /quite/ reach all the way into Low Earth Orbit.

He has, perhaps, unsurprisingly perched himself in front of one of those expansive view ports that overlook the glittering blue orb of the Earth, watching with a fascinated interest, hands tucked behind his back, his tail doing something of an energetic little dance as he grins to himself.

At least until the assembly is called to order at any rate.

That is enough to pull him from his perch and he slips into one of those odd chairs that seems to simply grow out of the floor, glancing towards the holographic figures that appear at the front of the room with a certain interest. Most of them are familiar enough to him by now, with what he has seen at CERN and Metropolis.

That the A.I onboard is called 'The Professor' makes him quirk a brow, only the seriousness of the situation keeping that grin from blooming across his fuzzy features once more, though he does lean forward a little in his seat as those shifting holographic images display the ancient mutant known as Apocalypse.

Any urge to grin is rather quickly wiped away, even from the usually amiable elf.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Cable's owed them an explanation. Something is up. Holocaust is something that defies Monet's knowledge of telepathy and technology. He can literally only be an entity not of this realm - even if he's a completely artifiical thing. Abyss is a monster on a similar level. Stryfe is yet another thing. And all this technology that the MLF has thrown at them. Are they from Cable's realm? Whatever it is, Monet is not going to let the issue rest any further.

She trusts Cable, but lack of information and lack of knowledge on the opposition makes things all the harder. So with a gamut of interested parties present, now Monet waits to hear what they're going to be told. As she also goes to look at some of the others that are present. Then she goes to frown over at Cable.. And speaks the first question that comes to mind.

"WHat.. Is Apocalypse?"

Divine has posed:
Divine enjoys the view from the portholes but is quickly pulled in by the holograms once they're called to order. She watches all of them carefully as Cable explains, mostly noting what the various enemies can do and how. This is definitely not an average people problem, and she's glad she came to get information in Emmom's stead. This looks more like something she can and should fight, even though her adopted mother is more than capable of holding her own.

She doesn't recognize everyone, but that's fine. She'll learn their names or skills soon enough. She does recognize Kurt, at least, and a few others, and she chooses to lean her hip against the side of chair the blue teleporter is sitting in. She punches her fist against her bare hand and opens her mouth to speak, pausing as she feels the building surge of power. She hopes that surge is part of the presentation, maybe a way to defeat these people, but whatever it is, her mouth snaps shut and her right hand grips the back of Kurt's seat. Almost bracing herself.

Bishop has posed:
There is another Man Out Of Time present and he has been one of Cable's staunchest supporters through this ordeal...and indeed, even his patience was strained to its limits after the ordeal at STAR Labs and the arrival of a mutant with so much power even his own unique capacity to absorb untold amounts of energy was pushed to a nearly disastrous breaking point.

Alarming power was already running amuck with the M.L.F. and now with even more untold power present...well..needless to say Bishop is ready for some answers.

As Cable's debriefing begins, the large Security Enforcer simply listens, arms folded and his heavy brow furrowed yver red tinted sunglasses that are acting as recording instruments for while also providing readouts and various chunks of information to him ferreted through the databases available at the X-Men headquarters. His eyes narrow ever so slightly upon seeing the visage of Apocalypse and he shakes his head lightly but still stays quiet until all is said and done and then his mind begins racing, trying to search for a pattern to all of this. Trying to put all of these pieces together.

"There have been no sightings of Apocalypse from what I am aware..." he says, deep voice finally speaking as he attempts to work all of this out.

"The Zero Units may be more then simple mass produced weapons." he does add upon hearing Tabitha's remarks. "When Professor Xavier struck down the one at CERN, Stryfe reacted violently, as if a dear friend of his had been killed...and the unit was seemingly part of whatever temporal efforts are under way. Is it possible that Stryfe is somehow trying to build an invasion force? It's clear he's trying to alter the past in some fashion... Given how much insanity we deal with, I hestiate to start speculating as there could be countless agendas at play here but..."

He looks back towards Cable, "..My instincs suggest they could very well be attempting to bring about your future far earlier then it's supposed to arrive... The presence of Apocalypse loyalists certainly points in that direction. Perhaps if we knew where he was that might provide us with a more concrete direction."

The surge of power goes without being detected by the future cop, however. His energy absorption abilities require actual contact for him to realize it's happening and his eyes remain fixated on Cable and the information present.

Cable has posed:
"Apocalypse is Evil," is Cable's simple retort to Monet. Unusually brusk even for him, it is admittedly not necessarily the most informative of answers. But it is at least a starting point. "Ancient, possibly immortal, he has complete control of his body, right down to the atomic level. He can shift and expand parts of it, seemingly regenerate from practically any injurt. Change his size, increase his mass or strength. And who knows what else," he adds, offering at least a little more clarity.

"As mentioned, he might be the very first mutant. If not he is certainly one of them. He believes that evolution comes through struggle and he strives to enact exactly that, creating conflict in his desire to see what he deems 'the fit' to survive and dominate while anyone else is cut away," he adds.

At Bishop's interjection, Cable glances towards his fellow soldier out of time and gives a nod of his head. "That is perhaps the most likely scenario. Certainly where I come from the belief was that Apocalypse had some sort of failsafe to use, if our resistance ever showed signs of actually defeating him. It is not out of the question that Stryfe could be that fail safe. Certainly his telepathic and telekinetic powers suggest an Omega-level mutant. Coupled with his access to technology from the future..." he says, trailing off with a small shrug. "It's a viable theory and one that must be taken into consideration," he agrees.

Before he can say anything else however that surge of power around the cloaked space station actually manifests in a flair of light that pours forth through the viewports at the rear of the room and an alarm abruptly sounds, filling that same chamber with it's wail -- briefly -- before it is cut off by the more soothing tones of a voice that sounds suspiciously like that of a certain Westchester Professor, albeit with obvious artificial overtones.

<< The Cloaking field integrity of this station has been compromised Nathan, >> the onboard artificial intelligence chimes in. << Please prepare for incoming breach. Countermeasures are being prepared -- >> that electronic voice continues before abruptly being cut off.

It is cut off, because the entire station abruptly rocks, the ground shaking violently underfoot. The walls, floors, ceiling, even the strange metallic furniture all seems to almost ripple, the silvery sheen going almost liquid as if trying to absorb the impact.

Outside the port holes that overlook the Earth below, that surge of light increases exponentionally for a moment before dimming once more, replaced instead by floating bits of debris that suggest that the orbital station has indeed been breached. Quite literally.

While not apparent to those onboard, outside in the void of space the shimmering form of Greymalkin suddenly appears as if out of nowhere, the cloaking fields that surround it down. Leaving it exposed. Vulnerable.

<< Nathan, structural integrity has been compromised by multiple rift energy breaches. Detecting more breaches incoming... >> the system manages to warn just as one of those same, familiar rifts suddenly opens up only feet from where Cable stands.

And an instant later a small horde of those same, white, featureless androids that were on holographic display just moments earlier come bubbling through that gateway.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
This.. Makes little sense over to Monet. "First.. Mutant?" That's a very, very vague thing. "How old is he? ANd.. How well do you know.." There's something much more to this than is immediately apparent. Wait. Failsafe? "Like the.." SHe would look to Bishop. Like the horrors from Bishop's realm, but in a newly terrifying sort of way beyond that which could even be imagined. A mutant themselves seeking to lord over all of existence that if they failed merely serving to come back again and again.. SHe's taking all this into consideration with a large frown over on her face right as..

WHAM! The stationg oes tos hudder over as she would tumble, going to rapidly brace herself while swearing in French. She goe sto rapidly try and setup a quick batlte mind amongst everyone there. For those that have not fought with one before, it might be disorienting as Monet goes to try and rapidly pass along as much information to coordinate as possible. <<Cable, will your communicators be able to break through jamming?>> As a backup, if Stryfe's technology was the same from Cable's era.. And stryfe was an incredibly powerful telepath - so there was no reason to see he couldn't block it.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
"First Mutant? Bet he totally sounds like a pompous asshole." Tabby ponders with a chuckle. "I was laying waste to yadda yadda yadda when humans were figuring out fire." she does her best snooty posh old man voice.

As for Bishop's answer about the Zero units she grins. "Friend, or like someone just scratched the paint on his car?"

If there's anything else getting added it kinda gets missed in the whole breaking Greymalkin via teleport. "Better portal breaches inside than hull breaches outside!"

The fact that Tabitha's power is probably not ideal to have in a pressurized space like a space station is not lost on her.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Yeah, none of this sounds very good to Kurt.

While he might have had a little reluctance to work with Cable given his reputation, his tendancy to engage in harder edge tactics then a certain fuzzy blue elf might prefer, any doubts he might have harbored about the importance of getting involved are pretty much wiped away.

"It would see that we would be well served by pooling our resources then. I know little of your time, but I suspect none of us would particularly like to see it duplicated here," Kurt allows thoughtfully.

Anything else that the fuzzy mutant might have to say is abruptly cut off however as the station rocks beneath him and he is quite nearly thrown from his perch on that strange seat.

Then that rift is opening in the front of the room and all those androids are spilling out, their featureless faces no less ominous under the circumstances. "Breaches? Given taht we are in space that does not sound good," he says, even as he teleports in a puff of inky black mist, appearing behind one of those same units and wrapping his tail around it's neck, using that leverage to rather casually hurl it bodily against those metallic silver walls.

Sally Pride has posed:
Unfathomly ancient evil, check. Cult like following - check. Rediculous control of bodies and matter - che--

That's when the alarm goes off. Training kicks in instantly, not waiting for an explanation. By the time the AI provides one she already has her blaster out and charging. Feline reflexes act instinctively to brace herself as the station rocks from the breaching.

As soon as forms start to emerge from portals her blaster goes ZORCH repeatedly at full lethal power!

There is no hesitation, no questioning. This is an intrusion. Invasion. No time for waiting.

"Don't you dipshits know its rude to interrupt a private conversation?!" There's always time for witty action lines though.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Star Sapphire follows the energy signatures with her ring, the violet light guiding her through the vast expanse of space. Her brow furrows with concentration, eyes scanning the void for any sign of the elusive Graymalkin. The advanced cloaking technology keeps the station hidden, a ghost in orbit, but she trusts her ring to lead her.

Suddenly, a surge of light flares ahead. The cloaking field fails, revealing the Graymalkin in a shimmer of collapsing energy. Carol's heart races as she sees the station, its silvery walls gleaming ominously against the backdrop of Earth. She speeds up, violet energy crackling around her as she approaches the now vulnerable fortress.

As she nears the station, she notices debris floating around it, a clear indication that the breach has already occurred. Her immediate instinct is to help, but she knows she can't break through the view ports without exposing everyone inside to the deadly vacuum of space. She hovers just outside, assessing the situation.

Peering through one of the view ports, she sees chaos inside. The walls ripple as if made of liquid metal, trying to absorb the impact of whatever force has breached them. The alarms blare, but she can barely hear them from outside. She catches glimpses of the people inside, their faces etched with urgency and determination.

After a moment, she bursts back away, hands coming up as a violet glow engulfs the station, surrounding it like a hug, liquid light seeming to fill in the gaps where it can to shore up the worst of the breaches and try -- TRY -- to protect it from more. Whether or not she can keep the entire satellite from coming apart remains to be seen, but if nothing else, she can be the first line of hull reinforcement to keep it from coming apart at the seams as quickly.

Projected through that field of energy, the hull of the ship used like an amplifier, her voice rings out inside:

"MY NAME IS STAR SAPPHIRE. YOUR VESSEL HAS BEEN BADLY DAMAGED. I'M HERE TO HELP."

Can she use that same connection to hear what's going on? Maybe.

Divine has posed:
Divine remembers these damn things and hates them, but she also doesn't feel bad about smashing them, and they definitely need the smashing. With haste. She grabs one Zero in a headlock and starts to twist, separating head from neck before working on the arm and leg joints. She reasons to herself that it's much harder to do anything if you are just a torso with a single hand or leg.

She isn't afraid to punch or kick, either, letting her enhanced strength carry through a small grouping of the faceless white minions. There's a part of her keeping a lookout for anyone in particular danger, but most of the people in her immediate field of vision are holding their own admirably. She goes back to pulling apart the minions, both ones charging at her and ones stunned by the efforts of others.

Lorna Dane has posed:
One bodyslide was delayed, queued up to be triggered on demand later. Shortly:

Its recipient was busy, you see. There are a great many things that could (and would) have readily been put off in favor of gathering with Cable to discuss the MLF menace, but there's a handful that demand precedence; thus, maybe a minute into the surprise assault, the Professor initiates a bodyslide (by one).

A heartbeat and a shimmer later, Polaris erupts from spatial distortion, her emerald royal garb/combat uniform streaked, smeared, and spattered with blood and scorch marks. There's a touch of wild violence lingering in her eyes, searching--

-- finding AEDAM units a split-second later as the chaos of a future that knows only war spilling into her time finally reaches her senses--

-- flaring to life, at once outraged and inviting. Wisps of smoke with a sharp metallic tang rise amidst ribbons of searing electromagnetic energy coiling around her body; with no sense of the danger's full scope, she pours the whole of her attention into the avalanche of trouble right before her eyes.

"Your boss must fuckin love me," heats the air as the Queen of Genosha thrusts her hands forward, snarling and sharp and smiling, baring a full mouth of pearl. Electromagnetic force arcs between her spreading arms, a crackling ladder climbing its way all the way down her limbs until it hits the open air and explodes into thrashing, metal-shearing waves ripping through a swath of robots like a viridian hurricane.

"Hey! What the fuck is this!" she shouts to no one in particular, given that everyone is, rightfully, quite occupied.

Bishop has posed:
"None of us are unfamiliar with mutants with delusions of granduer." remarks Bishop as he glances over to Monet and then Tabitha. Also - shots fired maybe??

"..But what's unquestioned is the massive power such beings wield and Apocalypse has one, if not more, Omega level mutants under his directives in addition to himself...then that is--"

Then the station shakes and that familiar yet unfamiliar voice ripples over the comm systems. Bishop blinks a few times in surprise but reflexively spins one of his X.S.E. blasters into his hand from its holster at his side. His massive rifle remains on his back, but in easy reach as he sweeps his gaze across the chamber - carefully studying every corner in anticipation of the incoming trouble.
    
When the Zero Units begin appearing and rocketing into the room, Bishop grimaces and glances towards Tabitha: "Indeed, it's the breaches on the inside causing breaches on the outside, I'm concerned about, Tabitha." he offers while, nevertheless, bringing his blaster around and sending a volley of concussive energy shots ringing out into several of the Zero Units while beginning to move to position himself in anticipation of any energy discharges they may unleash and send criss crossing through the room in retaliation.

"If you need cover, form on me! Their primary offensive weapon is something I'm built to deal with but don't let them get close to you because of their dampening abilities - and that includes you M! That stunt you pulled last time needs to bhave been a one time event!"

Cable has posed:
Apocalypse is hardly the only unfathomably ancient threat out there of course. He is not even the only mutant one at that. But it delves into matters complex enough that even Cable, with the advantage of fifteen hundred extra years of history can't necessarily make sense of it all.

And while this gathering might have been summoned together in the spirit of sharing information, some details are pure speculation or not terribly relevant to the matter at hand. One can't expect Cable to change all his spots immediately. Playing things close to the vest is what he does. It is who he is.

Then lecture time is pretty much over, any further questions put on the backburner perhaps due to the fact that despite Greymalkin's advanced cloaking systems, someone has found a way to breach them.

Not that there is much doubt regarding just who that might be, as those more basic Zero units pour through that rift with seemingly no regard to their own safety. Hands raise abd blasts of pure, concentrated energy rip out, blasting towards those gathered to be sure. But they are almost indiscriminate in their attacks, seeming to have little care of whether they strike home at those gathered.

The reason for such negligence becomes apparent fairly quickly. Because they don't necessarily have to hit any of the targets present to achieve their ends.

Those blasts instead tear into those strange silvery bulkheads, repeatedly pummelling that shifty, almost liquid like metal surface. And finally they begin to start pumping holes in that same structure, little gaps that reveal the black void of space beyond -- though an odd, purplish glow also seems to radiate through.

Each time a hole is punched in the hull of Greymalkin, that almost liquid silvery metal seems to rush in to fill that void, to seal it up. But as more of those featureless androids pour through the gap, more and more damage is done to the walls of station and those gaps start to seal themselves up with increasing slowness.

It would seem that Bishop's concerns were well founded as that does indeed seem to be part of the attacker's plans. They have no need for oxygen. Most of those present cannot say the same thing.

Each of those present have their own way of dealing with things. Some, like Divine, Monet and Nightcrawler favor a more direct, physical approach. At it certainly serves them well, as some of those androids go flying or are crunched in most satisfactory ways.

Others, like Tabitha, Sally, Bishop and Cable himself might prefer a slightly different method. One involving more ranged attacks. Though with the sheer number of those androids pouring in there is not much distance to be found.

Either way, Cable opens up with his own plasma blasts, standing as he is right by the rift, that heavy rifle appearing in his hands like magic as he slowly gives ground, step by step while still blanketing the mouth of that rift with virulent green plasma bolts.

At least until that voice seems to resonate throughout the chamber and he glances towards the port hole and the glowing violet woman beyond.

She's new. But Cable is nothing if not adaptable and they aren't really in a position to turn down help from anyone willing.

So he gestures, simply says 'Professor', and the bulkheads of the station seem to melt away, opening up a circular gap into the void of space, only a thin, permeable seal preventing the atmosphere from rushing out.

Then that bodyslide teleportation technology kicks in once more and Lorna fuzzes into being. With a wave of her hand -- and a discharge of electromagnetic energy -- the green haired Genoshan monarch begins to turn the tide, a dozen of the Zero-units fritzing out under the assult.

Cable has posed:
While they may have stemmed the tide here, it is clear that this is but one battle. Those holographic displays spring to life once more, this time showing scenes afrom other parts of station presumably.

Of Stryfe with Zero-Prime walking down a long silvery corridor, a large sealed door at the end of it. Of various members of the MLF cutting through bulkheads, revealling the storage areas beyond loaded down with an advanced arsenal of technology and weapons -- Cable's stockpile. Of Holocaust and Abyss running rampant, smashing through automated defenses. And of more and more rifts continually opening, right in the middle of bulkheads creating mroe breaches that rock the station over and over again, making the footing constantly shifting as they are threatened to be knocked about.

Again, the familiar tones of that artifical Charles Xavier voice sounds throughout the room. << Stryfe and Zero are headed towards the Time-Core Nathan. The automated defenses are not even slowing them. His followers are also beginning to gain access to the various supply depots throughout the station, >> the A.I. cautions. << I have deployed Scott, Jean, Bobby, Hank and Warren but I estimate a less then five percent chance that they can do anything but delay them for more then a few minutes. Structural integrity fields are also reaching critical levels, >> that voice adds.

Then, ominously, << I'm sorry. >>

Monet St. Croix has posed:
The Time Core? That sounds very bad. Monet goes to charge her way in, trying to slam her way through the targets as fast as possible. <<They're just stalling us. They can throw more and more of them at us ad infinitum.>> Most of them can't breathe in space wtihout some level of enhanced support, after all. <<Kurt, try and relocate as many as you can to get in an intercept course>> By that she means hopefully for him to start teleporting them deeper inside the place to run into Zero and Stryfe.

Zero, the artificial creation that can manipulate time. Stryfe, the far future abomination that can seemingly match Cable telepathic blow for blow. Whether or not the station survives the blasting going through it, Stryfe getting access to something called 'The Time Core' does not sound like it will go very well. That goes beyond whatever happens to the rest of them.

Monet goes to simply move along at high speed, attempting to match velocities with some of the things going to throw them away from the area, trying to make enough space for the heavy hitters to have room to work with. Even as she tries to give them her best sense of telepathic direction for what is where. Monet's focus is all over the place this fight.

She has fought aliens. She has fought psionic demons. She has fought ancient beasts and abominations made of magic. She has fought things from other realms, other times, other places.

This fight in it's own way dwarfs them all for what could happen if they lose. This is a fight that they cannot afford to. Because control of temporal existence might hedge on it.

Even as she goes to try and smash through things, regardless of any sort of collateral damage..

This si a fight that she does not expect to survive.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Boom-Boom does indeed look for cover. As durable as she can be. usually enough to handle being put through walls or at least denting more sturdy. "You know what really sucks the fun out of all this?!" she asks very loudly over the whole ruckus.

"Having a power that these things can neutralize, but also sucks out the air before they do it!" If Tabby went wild with that plasma, and it's clear with that antsy look on her face she does. It'd just leave nothing but ozone after all that ionization. Who knows how well the life support systems can keep up with that.

Let alone a stray blast risking holes in the hulls and again, sucking all the air out of the room. And everyone else potentially.

Thankfully, plasma isn't the only way she can contribute. <<Hey, mind link up! Fighting back might be a dumb idea but I can at least make it easy for everyone to get tactical over the noise>>

Being a telepath is not completely useless against robots after all.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Fighting an endless horde of robots might have it's charms, but all things considered Kurt is not upset when a few things start to even the odds.

While those Zero-units might send beams of energy lancing at him, he is practically a blur, bamfing about the room, rarely lingering in any one spot for more then a second or two, putting that tail to good use to grip, to hurl any unit that he lands on away from him.

At some point his sword appears in hand, that more customary grin sliding over his vaguely demonic appearance as he lashes out, imapling any android that comes close, one taken straight through the chest, another where it's eyes should be.

Then he Bamfs again, appearing in the thick of the fray, pressed up against Divine's back. He's not using her as a shield, honest. Well... maybe a little. But he does skewer another of those androids as it creeps up on the powerhouse from behind. "Your pardon, my lady," he says, letting out a long, slow breath as the sheer barrage of robot attackers begins to be driven back at least.

Then that oh so familiar voice chimes in once more, offering up it's bleak warnings and holographic images that show that this is but one prong of a multi-pronged assault on this station and he flicks a questioning look Cable's way.

Lorna Dane has posed:
And so, the stakes are set.

Instantly, Lorna switches gears: burning through suicide robots is pointless when they're just a distraction to cover for the MLF's rampage. She still keeps her focus trained on them, but rather than rip and tear she narrows her attention, reaching deeper inwards-- seeking the energies that keep them going and sinking a piece of her perception into it.

<<Bishop: intercept?>> sears through the mental link as strands of colorful, chiefly green electricity course from AEDAM units into Polaris' outstretched and splayed fingers; with her other, she directs writhing, crackling serpents of electromagnetic fury directly towards her sometimes-teammate's center of mass in a bid to turn the MLF's soldiers against them in preparation for the potential encounter to come.

<<... or are we retreating?>>

Divine has posed:
Divine jumps slightly as Kurt presses against her and apologizes. She foregoes trying to speak out loud as the telepathic link-up begins. << Kurt, can you get me in front of that time core thing? I'll punch or freeze anything - or anyone - that tries to steal it.>>

In the interim, she's yanking Zeroes apart like there's a time limit. Because there very well could be. She knows most humans can't survive in space without special equipment, and she knows from Emma that most mutants count just like humans in that tally.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Star Sapphire's violet eyes narrow as she takes in the chaos unfolding inside the Graymalkin. The sleek, silvery walls ripple and shimmer, desperately trying to seal the breaches caused by the relentless onslaught of the Zero units. Her violet energy continues to envelop the station, to plug the gaps where the atmosphere attempt to equalize with the vacuum, but she knows it won't hold forever... already, the sheer number of holes punched have soaked up most of that liquid violet sealant.

The voice of the onboard AI resonates through the station, providing a grim update. Cable's plasma blasts cut through the air, each shot a desperate attempt to stem the tide of androids pouring through the rift. Carol's heart pounds as she realizes the scale of the threat they face.

She feels a surge of determination. She must act quickly and decisively. Her mind races, searching for a way to help.

Racing down through the newly opened shell, her ring flares with power as she begins to form intricate constructs -- massive barriers to try to block the rifts, violet energy nets to entangle the androids, and reinforced shields to protect her allies.

She locks eyes with Cable for a brief moment.

"I'll cover you!" she shouts. She raises her ringed hand, creating a series of violet constructs that mimic the station's own bulkheads, patching holes and reinforcing weak points. Her energy fills the gaps, but she knows it's doing nothing but buying precious time for the defenders inside.

Suddenly, Lorna appears, her electromagnetic energy crackling as she disrupts a dozen Zero units. Carol nods in appreciation, knowing they need every advantage they can get.

'Structural integrity fields are also reaching critical levels.'

"You need to evacuate before it's too late!"

Does she even know what they're evacuating from? Does she have any idea _what_ this ship is, why it's here, what a Time-Core is, or who has spontaneously launched an attack on it Low Earth Orbit? There's no indication of whether she does or doesn't. She's never been part of this fight, before. She's no mutant that anyone's ever heard of, though anyone familiar enough with interstellar peacekeeping such as the likes of the Green Lanterns may very well have heard murmurs of the Star Sapphire Corps...

"I can help you get to safety!"

She could very well just scoop most of them out into protective bubbles. In fact, it would be easier for most of them than trying to fix the hull of the ship one piece at a time, but she wouldn't rob any of them of their will to fight for what they love. Not until the last possible second. Besides, everyone's so spread out... She may very well be the leader of the small number of Star Sapphires that exist in universe, but she was, fundamentally, a protector of love, not a space cop.

Sally Pride has posed:
"Then its time we get moving!" Sally growls in response to 'Professor's' siterep.

She keeps blasting as the group tries to wade through the attacking masses. Until her blaster empties out. Sally ejects the empty battery cartridge, but as she's reloading a fresh one the robots try to move in on her.

The robots misjudge two things. One is how swiftly she can switch to melee. The other is that they are programmed to suppress mutant powers. Her powers are not exceptional or flashy, and ever her natural strength is better than human.

And her skills are trained, ingrained and not power granted.

Sally grabs the first robot within reach, yanking it close and slamming the butt of her blaster against its head unit to both bash it and lock the magazine into place.

And at the moment after yanks the robot around to point its arm and blaster within back into the hordes along with her own gun.

Bishop has posed:
The amount of power and skill gathered in this room at this very moment is nigh unfathomable. The likes of Polaris, Divine's kryptonian power, Cable's gifts and resources. Nightcrawler, M, Boom Boom's tenacity and grit... Star Sapphire and Sally he's less familiar with but the power of the one and the unerring aim of the other is clear to him.

And yet retreat is -absolutely- a possible necessity here. Bishop grunts in frustration after another volley of firepower drops more Zero units just as Polaris directs a surge of energy into his body. His eyes enflame with crackling energy as his internal battery begins filling and he immediately begins redirecting the constant outporing of energy towards enhancing his physical abilities and then charging up a crackling field of power about his free hand - complete with kirby dots!

But to try and just blindly find their way to the core would be a fruitless effort, especially with the M.L.F. scattered througout the station.

"Cable - can .. 'The Professor' ... bodyslide us to intercept Stryfe and Zero? Whatever this time core is ... we can't just sit here and continue to be distracted by these machines."

He doesn't want to say it but after another pause he adds, "..Or is self destruct an option?"

Cable has posed:
When it rains it pours.

Apparently that is true, even in space. Though perhaps only metaphorically.. While the stakes might not be entirely clear to everyone present, it is not much of a stretch to guess that none of what the station's suspiciously familair artificial intelligence is reporting is a good thing.

Monet and Tabitha provide telepathic support, linking minds to better coordiante, to allow them to 'see' enemies that might otherwise be missed. Streams of plasma and gunfire tear into the Zero-units and Lorna all but rips that electrical energy from the androids, funnelling it straight into Bishop instead, powering him up for whatever might still be to come.

Then Star Sapphire's violet light is pouring out, filling the room with that warm glow, shoring up the bulkheads in this particular chamber at least, preventing the void of space from pouring in and snuffing out any trace of life -- at least most traces of it -- present in the room.

The rift at the front of the room winks out, the flood of Zero-Units ceasing, finally battered back by the combined efforts of everyone gathered. It certainly looks like this endeavor has at least cost Stryfe much of his artificial army, various parts and remains -- charred and otherswise --scattered throughout the room.

But by the sounds of it, they might have won the battle here. But still lost the war for Greymalkin.

Cable hardly even hestiates. "Professor, prepare to overload the Time Core on my mark. Give us sisty seconds to complete evacuation proceedures and --" the future soldier begins to instruct before the A.I. cuts him off.

<< I am afraid that I can not do that Nathan, >> it chimes in, the tone apologetic. << Automated self destruct proceedures have been knocked offline by the extensive structureal damage. It will be necessary to enact such proceedures manually I fear, >> the Professor explains.

Cable hesitates for a moment then nods to Bishop. "Very well, prepare to bodyslide us to intercept --" he starts before he is again interrupted.

<< Lucas' suggestion would be most valid, but unfortunately the Bodyslide module only has enough power remaining for emergency evacuation. It would be ill-advised to risk utilizing it for any other purpose. This station's primary charge is to preserve your life Nathan, and the lives of your allies, >> it says, a note of reminder in its voice.

Well, this is not going to be so easy it seems.

Turning to the others, Cable remains as stoic as ever. "Anyone who wishes to evacuate, I am authorizing any of you to engage bodysliding protocols at any time," he says before dipping his head towards Sapphire. "Though it seems that there is anotehr means of escape as well," he adds, those violet constructs making it seem likely that she can carry any number needed to safety.

"I'm staying. Stryfe cannot get unfettered access to the timelines. I have to blow the core. And that means going through them," he says, gesturing to the holographic image of Holocaust and Abyss. Which is, admittedly, easier said then done. "No one needs to feel obligated to stay," he says simply.

Then he turns, walks towards one of the shimmering silver bulkheads that simply opens up in front of him, revealling a similar corridor stretching beyond.

"Professor, begin evacuation procedures. Initiate Cargosldie protocols one through fifty in order. Direct remaining resources to sealing off the supply depots until they can be safely ejected," he isntructs as he strides down that hallway that seems to have no other exits, no cross-halls. As if it were simply carved out of a sheer mass of that liquid metal, expressly to get him where he needs to go as quickly as possible. "Then proceed to eject the core modules. Wait to eject the bodyslide and Professor modules until the last," he says quietly.

Up ahead, the corridor begins to curve, the flickering light of the massed energy of Holocaust and the shadows cast by Abyss coming into view.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
She doesn't want to think about what the end result of engaging Holocaust or Abyss in direct combat is like. That's something she's fairly sure could push Phoenix to her limits without going full Avatar - she's reasonably sure that the entities are so powerful that not even Mangeto or Exodus could do more than slow one of them. Holocaust is a being of pure psionic energy in a containment suit as near as she can tell. But that doesn't mean that she's gonig to give it up without a fight.

<<Lantern, please help give us some air to fight with>> They did, however, have a few advantages among individuals that could generate energy containment for others here without too much of a problem. It made evacuating them as the fight went on without having to worry of emergency asphyxiation somewhat of a benefit. Monet is going to rapidly yank over an oxygen breath mask and a thin containment hood over her face to give her some protection against exposure while sealing up gloves. Then she's going to make a beeline towards Holocaust. Not the best idea ever..

But Monet has a few tricks up her sleeves. Monet goes to draw about her a sense of.. Nothingness. When she was in the prison of Penance. Sealed up. Unable to hear. Unable to speak. Unable to feel. Simply thrown into the void. Nothingness. In all the background chaos of the battle it might give her somewhat of an edge for just.. Vanishing into it, in a fight with supremely powerful beings - mutants, Kryptonians, Lanterns.. They might not be able to engage them directly..

But to paraphrase another realm's description of a desperate last stand for little more than spite..

They could give them one humongous repair bill! Monet goes to reach roughly Mach 5 in close coordinates, intnet on hopefully managing to flankt owards Holocaust while he's focused on something else, crushing into him (was Holocaust a him?) with the full force of her roughly ten ton strength.. Attempting to simply ping pong him over into Abyss. Hopefully the restuling CRUNCH of two immensely powerful psionic beings forged by horrific experimentation and technology might at /least/ get some reaction where trying to bludgeon them with telepathic powers that could shift worlds would not. It's also a very, very bad idea.

And quite possibly the last idea and impulse she'll ever have.

So it has to be worth it. If only to wipe the grin off their forged faceplates.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
<<There should be enough robot parts now, Monet should start throwing them back at the intact robots! Hit a mofo with bits of another Mofo!>> she suggests to the other telepath.

As for the lack of self destruct Tabby seems actually relied. <<At least Stryfe and his MiLFs aren't using it to blow US up. The rest of the damage getting done?" Tabby peeks her head out from behind cover.

A stray plasma blast singes her hair as she quickly ducks back down. <<It'll buff right out! I might need some more conditioner though.>> She laments by cradling scorched hair in her palms.

A disembodied robot head is then thrown back at the nearest robot. It might be glowing inside. Maybe the robots won't notice the explosive energy charged inside.

One bomb should be fine. <<Bishop, if you and Nighcrawler gonna bounce up it bad guy grills. Lemme give ya a pick me up!>> The power of a really big one loaned to someone than can use it a bit more safely. She's had worse ideas.

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride bites her lower lip. She wants to object... but the tactical needs are impossible to ignore.

So in the end she sighs, and reaches over to give Cable's shoulder a reassuring grip. "Go. Remember what we've been fighting for and do what needs to be done." Then steps back. She realizes there's not much else she can do for this conflict outside of support.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
The suggestion from Divine has merit, even moreso when the Professor makes it clear that bodysliding is not an option on the table - at least not for anything but transport back to the surface. And given that Kurt's teleportation range is limited to mere miles and not six thousand kilometers, he's content for the station to save that energy for when it really counts.
    hough the fuzzy blue elf does shoot a curious glance towards Carol. It would seem that they might have another way out afterall.

"An excellent idea," he chimes in, stepping over to the towering woman and laying a hand lightly on one arm. He takes a breath, pauses, then his brow furrows. "Mmmm, it would seem that I can't actually visualize where I would like to go," he says with a frown. "Everything about this place, it feels almost like it is... solid somehow. I fear that I cannot seem to teleport anywhere but where I can see," he confesses, half apologetically.

The Cable makes the decision to try and manually blow the Time Core. Which seems like a good idea to him, so the fuzzy blue elf follows suit, moving to trail after the man from the future. At least until he spots the shadows of Holocaust and Abyss up ahead.

Then he glances back towards Divine once more with a little grin. "I failed you once, I'm afraid, but if you would like to hit them from the rear, I should be able to manage that," he suggests, offering to teleport their resident powerhouse in behind the threat ahead.

Bishop has posed:
"Cable, shouldering as much as you have of this on your own until now has led to us playing catch up. Expecting us to let you just go in there on your own isn't going to happen."

Bishop's tone is tight, barely veiled frustration in his heavy voice as he makes a swift gesture with one of his large arms "We stand a better chance of succeeding if we work together".

They have options at least. Not only Star Sapphire, who he is unfamiliar with but Lorna herself should be able to provide them with the smae method of egress that her father would given the nature of her abilities. He's confident to that and so does not hesitate to follow after Cable, ready to leap ahead to take point if an added shield is necessary.

At the reveal of the presence of the two dark champions from the future, Bishop immediately braces his body and then thrusts his arm forward, leaning into the stance as he discharges the energy that was fed to him by Polaris, amplifying it to even greater intensity, and sends a blazing bolt of concussive force racing down the hallway past Cable, practically widening and filling it up with its torrential force just as Monet herself goes barreling in.

"Whatever you've got to give, Tabitha, I'll take it!" he shouts out as he moves in to support Cable's approach.

Carol Ferris has posed:
The urgency in the room is palpable, the stakes higher than she initially realized. She watches as Cable takes command, his stoic demeanor masking the enormity of the situation.

Her violet energy pulses, reinforcing the bulkheads and sealing off the breaches as best as she can. The sight of the Zero-units, so many of them just a collection of charred and broken parts, scattered across the floor, gives her a momentary sense of victory. But it's fleeting. The larger threat remains.

Cable's decision to stay and destroy the Time Core himself leaves her frowning, but as he turns to leave, her resolve solidifies. She takes a deep breath, and Monet calls out for air to fight with... crap. She was so focused on ONE part of the station...

Turning, her violet light races back out of the opened dome she'd first come in through, and her mind sharpens with purpose as she directs her energy into creating a NEW construct. Violet light begins to envelops the Graymalkin again, but this time it's not to reinforce it. It's a bubble that starts on the surface and grows outwards, like a steadily inflating balloon.

"For hearts long lost and full of fright..."

She recites the words to herself as she focuses on the construct, filling the interior of it with breathable air and gravity, yet keeping the outside of it permeable to flying debris or ejected life pods -- just like the atmosphere of the Earth, or that thin shield of the Greymalkin she passed through.

"For those alone in blackest night, Accept our ring and join our fight..."

With every passing moment, she reinforces that bubble, allowing it to grow and grow, to protect those inside from the cold vacuum of space. And as it grows, the faint shapes along the exterior can be seen -- continents that mirror the shape on Earth... a hollow, violet globe of breathable air large enough to contain the whole satellite...

"Love conquers all-- With violet light!"

And it's with this sphere that she can capture any that simply 'leave' the station through means other than body-sliding (whatever that is). From her vantage point, with her experience, all she can do is provide this 'safety net'... one that she would have to yank away and reinforced into a protective barrier before the station failed completely, but one she could hold until the last possible second.

Divine has posed:
This is a dire situation, and Divine's resolve is strengthened by the woman speaking. "No. You had a block, and now we have an open path. Take me, then get yourself back to safety." Divine's voice is serious as she replies to Kurt, and she braces herself briefly for the teleport.

It only takes a moment, and with a quiet 'bamf' and the faint scent of sulphur, Divine is behind Holocaust and spinning to roundhouse kick the man as hard as she can in the back, sending him into the blaze of concussive force that Bishop is unleashing.

Lorna Dane has posed:
<<M, pull out-->>

Polaris has had yet to have the pleasure of meeting Abyss and Holocaust, two Mutant names which scream 'rational, well-adjusted individuals'. What she knows is that they're powerful on a level that typically doesn't arise in these kinds of conflicts in such a concentration: Stryfe, Holocaust, and Abyss collectively represent an existential threat that - even with the assistance of a woman wielding cosmic weaponry - would be a coin-flip at best in open battle. With a clock ticking down, their backs against the wall, and the lingering possibility of an ambush by the rest of the MLF's forces all working against them, it's a suicide mission: their best bet is to shut the Time-Core down and escape.

It's just too bad that Abyss and Holocaust are right there, hungry to turn even last ditch measures to ashes. Monet is brave to throw herself so fully into harm's way, but--

-- especially once magenta light begins flooding through the windows, pink continents rise from scintillating seas, and a rose-colored world of love and light unfurls to protect the entire station--

-- Polaris has other ideas.

Bigger ideas.

-- Stupid ideas, objectively speaking, but big ones just the same.

<<Bishop, I'm gonna need an advance on paying back that loan from a minute ago,>> she tersely thinks, taut sarcasm doing its best to leaven the cold iron certainty with which she lets her perception expand as her arms spread, <<if you're still holding any juice-->>

A series of squealing, wrenching notes begin erupting from the ceiling, the walls, the floors, the bulkheads, the instruments--

Every point, every centimeter, every atom of metallic matter comprising the entity known as Greymalkin SCREAMS in a swiftly expanding radius around Polaris.

<<EVERYONE oughtta either get the fuck out or get ready to get the PAST these two-->> is dragged into Astral space as if through a wall of thorns, ragged and bloodied and exhausted by the effort.

As if Polaris were carrying the whole world on her shoulders, rather than a timeless veteran's oldest companion in her psionic grip. "I'm sorry to have to do this--" she whispers to one person in particular who she hopes hasn't had his core jettisoned yet.

An earthquake rocks the savaged space station, an impossibility - a blatant contradiction of terms - if not for the presence of a force of nature by a day thick with violence across multiple theaters motivated enough to will it so. Layers of reinforced metal buckle and warp in tidal fashion; new fault-lines split surfaces in two, venting brilliant gouts of sparks and smoke from Greymalkin's wounded heart. The station is dying, thanks to the MLF--

So Polaris seeks to make the most of its sacrifice by turning the station itself against its murderers. Turbulent spasms undulate throughout the station until the unmistakable cacophony metal shearing against itself and fraying apart begins filling the air. Faults become chasms; separation becomes annihilation; and as Monet and Divine engage the MLF's heavies, the entire section of the ship containing them WRENCHES away from the rest, triggering a series of explosions which are swiftly captured and smothered against the ruined bulkheads, slagging the edges and heading off the potential for a secondary inferno. Her warnings have already been issued: there's simply no space left for anything but committing all of herself to the task of warping the severed segment around the two terrible hostiles, trusting Monet and Divine to pick the most opportune moments to escape. What might complicate said egress --

-- modestly, given the phenomenal power contained in the bodies involved--

-- are the swiftly oncoming chunks of Greymalkin which begin slamming towards the first: piece after crumbling, violently frayed piece of Ship races towards the crumbling bundle, intent on layering themselves around...

Lorna Dane has posed:
... and around...

... and around that compressed core, in the hopes of subduing the pair and presenting an inadvertent obstacle course to the two powerhouses in the process.

Cable has posed:
Certainly Holocaust provided formidable enough all on his own when they encountered him back at STAR Labs in Metropolis. The strange psionic field that seems to encompass that roiling mass of energy seems almost without limit and just how Cable intended to get through him is something of an open question.

And they didn't even have a chance to see what Abyss was capable of.

He usually finds a way of course, but still.

Fortunately he doesn't have to do things on his own. While everyone might have evacuation options, most, it seems, are willing to see things through. They might not know exactly what a 'Time Core' is or what it is capable of, but no one wants to see Stryfe get his hands on it.

Just what are Holocaust and Abyss becomes apparent when Cable draws himself up short with the pair's presence just ahead obvious. The quiet updates from the Professor on the evacuation protocols, on the Cargoslide progress and module ejections is muted for the time being and while no port holes are present in this passage, if there were any the group might see a steady string of ejected portions of the stations launched down towards the glittering blue-green gem below.

"Alright, let 'em have it," Cable says quietly to the others, waiting for them to strike before he makes another of those curt, seemingly meaningless gestures, a section of bulkhead near to the pair of sentinels suddenly sliding back to reveal the room beyond -- persumably the location of the manual self destruct for the Time Core.

The he waits. Waits for the others to launch their attack. The fact that the station ceases it's buckling, the rippling of those silvery mettalic walls ceasing again draws his gaze towards Star Sapphire, giving her a little nod of thanks. It's not hard to guess why the place is even still holding together.

Then the group launches it's attack.

With Monet's little telepathic trick, of projecting that sense of non-existence, it seems that they have managed to steal the advantage on the pair of formidable guards meant to guard against just this sort of gambit. Then she is launching herself forward, faster and harder then any mere bullet as she takes the initative away from the pair, slamming hard into Holocaust's exo-skeleton and knocking him back into the shadowy form of Abyss, though that stringy, coiled like body manages to twist and weave and aboid the worst of that collision, threatening to bring those deadly looking claws to bear.

Before Abyss can lash out at Monet though, Bishop is unleashing his own barrage, all of that electro-magnetic energy funnelled his way by Polaris lashing down the hall and the shadowy, shifty mutant has no chocie but to take shelter behind his larger collegue as all that energy slams into Holocaust, rocking him backwards again as he tries to absorb that discharge as well.

Of course, the big, psionic body of Holocaust isn't that much cover when one can simply teleport behind him. Abyss gives a little yelp, slithering out of the way just in time as Divine connects with that kick, knocking the towering figure straight into that blast of Bishop's without any means to brace himself.

Abyss seems to decide that discretion is now the better part of valor, and he starts to slither away, swiping claws towards Kurt as he passes.

If there was any question of whether or not Holocaust and Abyss -- and potentially everyone else on the station for that matter -- would be occupied, Lorna puts an end to that as the exotic, silvery sheened walls and floors still respond to her mastery over metal, rippling explosions shaking the station despite Sapphire's powers stabilizing it.

And then those bulkheads begin to twist and cave in, collapsing towards the pair, turning the passage into a twisted mess. Nor might they be the only ones to feel those effects. More trouble for Stryfe and the MLF can only be a good thing too.

Cable has posed:
With the pair of threats well and truly occupied, Cable takes the opportunity to race past at last, into that tight-knit control room, activating a string of controls. Only then does he reach out telepathically. << Boom-Boom. If you would do the honors, >> he suggests, calling for her to drape the room in her plasma energy as he scampers aside.

"Professor, execute all remaining evacuation protocols. This is it people. It's going to get very unpleasant around here in just a few seconds."

That seems like the cue for an exit.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
<<Kurt, we're in a mind link. Let Cable show you where, and how far, and what it looks like!>> she states and grins while she moves closer to Bishop.

The upcoming fight might be out of her league. But at least she can do what she can. The blonde's eyes glow and that bioelectricity she uses to generate plasma is channeled from her hands right though against Bishop's mid back. The height different would mean she needs to jump and over reach to get his shoulders.

There's a lot of energy transferred. On her own she could do some hefty damage, but in space. That is not safe at all. Better with someone that can use it in other ways.

Once she's done, she actually wobbled unsteadily on her feet. There's actually a smile on her lips, half nibbling the lower. "That's a rush and a half."

The bombshell might need an evac of her own now.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
It's very much a stalling game here. Monet is going on full power, even as Lorna is yelling at her and trying to coordinate. The entire group is acting as fast as they can - in a scenario where Kryptonians, Lanterns, Mutants, and Telepaths capable of warping time and reality brawl over possession of something that can twist temporal reality itself. Acts of total desperation - of people acting without thinking - ironically an effective way to fight a telepath, to be so smooth that one reacts on a purely instinctual level to bypass thier awareness.

Monet goes to slam over into Holocaust, which knocks him just ever slightly off his position. Then there's her disengagement as she's pulled away - for the blast from Bishop, the tremor from Divine, the raw power that was Polaris pulling all that she had, of the psionics entities lashing about all around..

It gave them maybe a few thousandths of a second extra. Perhaps less. But they all did it together. They didn't win the fight.

They slowed it. They slowed it just enough to complete the job of denying the monsters from another realm power beyond power.

It might not be a grand victory on a battlefield. But in this war it's a decisively strategic one that would have lost them everything if they had failed.

Monet flies back at her best speed even as things continue to warp - as power the likes of which can move worlds and remake corporeality is tossed about, as beings that can pull continents and tow moons lash out. She gave perhaps her contribution of a few millionths of a second's delay.

But with enough of those, things add up. It's not time to 'go home' now.

It's time to run away.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt is happy to play the seeing-eye dog for Tabitha's gambit, to insure that the energy she discharges gets where it needs to go. Which does require him to teleport, to get clear of the twisted wreckage that mangles the passageway in front of him as Lorna's efforts pay off, trapping Holocaust in all those layers of twisted metal.

He does bamf just in time to avoid Abyss' talons, carrying Divine with him once more - her Kryptonian physique no doubt better able to hold up to the rigors of teleporting again in so short succession.

<< Done, >> he projects back. sheathing that rapier at last and stooping to make sure that Tabby will get a ride out of here as well when he triggers that emergency bodyslide and makes his escape. While the fuzzy blue elf might feel for Cable - who is about to lose his home afterall - he is relieved that everyone is seemingly coming through the affair while still in one piece.

Winking Divine's way, he offers a flurid little bow. "A pleasure, once again. You hit things most satisfactorily," he expresses.

Then he engages that emergency bodyslide, fuzzing out of view moments before everything well and truly goes to hell.

Bishop has posed:
The coordinated attack worked. Everyone involved has pushed themselves to their limits but they all have more to give. It'll be by a hairs breadth but they have a chance of coming out of this alive.

"Allow me." says Bishop in answer to Cable's request as Tabitha's transference of energy into him sends his eyes crackling with a barely restrained energy signature that then envelops the rest of his body, building towards near bonfire like levels.

He first swings one arm around, converting the stored energy into raw electromagnetic energy to redirect back in Lorna's direction as requested, sending the pulse of energy rippling outward in visible concentric interlocking pulses of green for the Mistress of Magnetism to seize hold off and take for her own use.

The other energy release is far more violent as he presses forward to join Cable and his body converts the stored energy from Boom Boom and then converts it back out again into an amplified release of plasma in mimicry of her which he sends rippling across the room at Cable's direction. in order to seal the deal and put an end to this insanity.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol's violet energy pulses, the bubble she created growing more robust with each passing second, encapsulating the station and maintaining a breathable atmosphere within.

Cable's nod of thanks doesn't go unnoticed, and it fuels a surge of determination. She's not on the front lines of the physical battle, but her place is here, protecting as many lives as she could from the harshness of space. The station's integrity _must_ hold long enough for everyone to evacuate safely.

As she hears Cable's telepathic call to Boom-Boom, Carol knows it's time to act swiftly. She focuses her energy, reinforcing the bubble around the station, ensuring it can withstand the impending explosions and protect those inside.

"We're almost there," she whispers to herself, pushing her energy reserves to their limits. She catches glimpses of the fierce battle as she shifts, the combined efforts of the team holding the line against Holocaust and Abyss.

As the final countdown begins, she amplifies her voice inside that sphere, "Everyone out!"

She watches Lorna's focus -- the station crumpling and twisting into mangled metal as those inside are left with the option of bodysliding to safety or being enveloped in her energy constructs for transport.

With one last push, she channels her energy into the core of the station, reinforcing it for the final moments. "Love conquers all," she murmurs, the mantra giving her strength. "We can do this."

The station shudders again, and she knows time is running out. She focuses on the bubble, ensuring it's ready to withstand the final blow. Her heart pounds as she braces for the inevitable.

In the final moments, large, but gentle violet hands scoop any too tired or injured to get themselves out free of the station, sweeping them into the protection of her globe. And then she pulls back her energy, entering the sphere herself as it abandons the station and moving away, both arms pressing outwards from the middle and reinforcing the 'crust' of the globe.

...bracing for the inevitable.

Cable has posed:
There are times that Cable's entire existence is about making sacrifices.

Torn away from his parents as a mere baby, sent hurtling into the future to be raised there, to fight a war in a time not his own. To travel back in time only to find himself a world clearly not the one that he originally came from. But to stay and fight regardless.

And now one more loss. The closest thing to a home that he has.

But some sacrifices are necessary.

As Tabby channels all that extra plasma energy straight into Bishop, who in turn redirects it to the indicated point that room just vacated by the future soldier seems to be engulfed in an explosion. Before it can rip back out into the passageway -- one end of which is no sealed by twisted silvery metal -- the portal in the bulkhead seals back up and those still present are barely rocked by the blast.

But somewhere else on the station the resulting explosion is considerably larger, large enough in fact that even Star Sapphire's powerful energy construct enveloping the station cannot completely compensate for it, the satellite beginning to pitch precariously as whatever artificial gravity exists seems to vanish in the resulting explosion.

It's too much to hope that Stryfe and Zero were caught in the resulting blast. That the other members of the MLF, including Holocaust, won't find some means to win themselves free of this situation.

But the important thing is that they have been denied the Time Core. They will not be able to freely manipulate it's flow to try and gain whatever outcome it is that they are seeking here. It's a victory, though a costly one.

That violet bubble that seals them in, keeps them from being entirely ripped apart from the blast is surely pushed to the limits. But it does give them the time they need to escape, even if that escape is going to take place in Zero-G's.

Finding himself floating doesn't seem to daunt Cable and he simply uses his telekinetic abilities to stabilize himself, to pull Lorna's unconscious form to him. Then he waits just long enough to allow anyone using the emergency bodyslide option to do so.

"Professor, eject the bodyslide module. And eject your AI core," he adds grimly before his gaze flickers back to Carol. "If you don't mind giving us a lift back down planetside," he says quietly, the green haired monarch wrapped up in the unseen force of his mind.

They will no doubt streak away, hurtling back down towards the world below. That violet bubble of pure emotional energy letting Cable watch those finaly explosions rip through his satellite, rip through Greymalkin. His home. As that blast ripples outward, there is a tiny flashing blink for the center of that explosion and when it clears nothing is left behind but open space.

The days ahead will be busy, of that he has no doubt. He still has his bunkers scattered about the world. And he has all those Cargoslides initiated with a variety of arms, equipment and vehicles spread about though it will surely be a race to recover what he can before the MLF goes seeking it too.

And at the heart of it, there is still whatever Stryfe's master plan is to stop as well. No, this is not over.

It's barely even begun.