1918/A Sinister Plot: Malicious 2

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A Sinister Plot: Malicious 2
Date of Scene: 31 May 2020
Location: South side entry, Marauder's Hideout, Upstate New York
Synopsis: The X-Men fight the Marauders to search for their missing friends! B Side
Cast of Characters: Tim Drake, Julio Richter, Jean Grey, Laura Kinney, Illyana Rasputina, Piotr Rasputin




Tim Drake has posed:
Horner's Diner was a happening place about fifteen years ago, but since the nice old lady who owned it passed away, it's been sitting fallow and untouched largely since. The land for some reason hasn't been purchased, or the building torn down... so it's a 1950's style diner that's been slowly falling apart due to neglect on the outskirts of a small town upstate. A couple of the windows have been boarded up, as has the front glass doors, and weeds and grass have grown up around the property and have started to overtake even the small parking lot.

Julio Richter has posed:
After Julian told them that the facility the kidnapped mutants were held in wasn't underground, Julio's hopes plummeted for his ability to contribute to the upcoming search. Even if the rest of the missing were in the area, his powers weren't going to be able to locate their prison. But as it turns out, he shouldn't have despaired -- shortly into the team's systematic hunt through the region Julian had been teleported from, he did detect an inexplicable excavation to report back to the school. Backup was brought in, and the larger group was split to go in through both of the surface access points he could detect.

Nervous but determined, he joined the group at the southern access point. Pointing to the dilapidated diner, he murmurs, "Once we get in, I'll be able to find the entrance even if they've hidden it. I just hope all their construction is this shitty -- I could flatten that thing in my sleep." His tactical training is only beginning, so he will be cautious and stay near the back of the group when they begin to advance.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean nods, "I suspect Kitty could flatten that thing in her sleep, for that matter." She smiles grimly, linking everyone mentally... save Illyana, since she's mindblind for such effects. Then she looks at the others, "Keep it simple, be careful, and be prepared for anything. Laura, Illyana, take the point. Piotr, back them up, Julio stay near me. Let's go X-Men." With that, she nods at Laura, signaling for her to go ahead.

Laura Kinney has posed:
     Laura peers across the street from the staging point, nostrils flaring a little as she prowls back and forth. "Recent activity inside. Less than the parking lot, but someone is in there. The burnt rubber and tire marks mean that locals do not avoid this area. They are likely unaware." She may not have a fancy uniform, but with the way she's dressed now? She means business.

Jean gets an acknowledging nod, and claws slide out of Laura's left knuckles, a throwing knife slipping into her right hand. A claw is slid down the edge of the door to neatly sever any latches and deadbolts, and the door swings open.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana, the very much mindblind one, follows Piotr's leads for any additional information that requires verbal relaying. The consequences for being a telepath's worst nightmare -- other than a certain horrible Shadow King -- mean being the Red October herself: operating out of reach of said telepathy unless forced by dire circumstances to surface. She tilts her fingers to Jean in silent recognition of the verbal instructions. The X-Men uniform with her is irrelevant, partly because the armour she wears responds with some linkage to reflex rather like her brother's. Except his gets to be infinitely more shiny and wholesome, a reflection of being the most noble Knight of Tractors.

An upnod will do, because she's not giving them an opportunity to hear or, for that matter, see what she does. Just a civilian in a black t-shirt with a really torn up pair of jeans, and curb-stomping boots that would be a great addition to a motorcycle. Fingertips lift and a tiny fragment of space splits open. Not more than a glimmer, but enough for her to peer through the other side at a distance: round the back of the diner to start. Another pinpoint insertion: /in/ the restaurant, midway into the kitchen or where it might be. A third, if nothing appears, for a backroom. Each is a depth test of sorts.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr is with the team, though he is still in fleshy mode to avoid undue attention for the time being. He nods to Jean and says, "Da," he then nods to Illy and gives a nod, "We have this, little sister." And he keeps to the rear for the time being. He watches cautiously as Laura secures the entrance and breathes a sigh of relief as so far things are going well. For those who know him well, he is rather tense, but he is doing his best not to show it.

Tim Drake has posed:
The interior of the diner is much as you'd expect: decaying booths with splitting and busted faux leather cushions, cracked floor tiles, dust.

So much dust.

An old glass pie case display sits empty, except for a single empty pie tray.

The counter has scattered, yellowed menus across it, some having fallen to the floor. A broken cash register sits morosely at the far end of the counter.

A broken sugar container with a line of ants sits on one of the tables.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"Trapdoor in the kitchen," says the Russian blonde, stepping slightly to the side to give a clearer view without her blocking its silhouette. She holds open the narrow portal with a mere thought, allowing a glimpse of the metal flappy door set in a world of dilapidated linoleum. "Not original."

Julio Richter has posed:
Richter couldn't even say why at this point, but telepathic contact makes him kind of nervous, even from his allies. Then again, he'd have to be some kind of idiot not to be anxious right now, so that mild concern is quickly submerged in his overall nerves at their potentially deadly mission. His black X-suit and green studded vest blend fairly well into the underbrush as he follows Jean closely to the seemingly abandoned diner. As they pass through the door Laura opened, he inhales slowly, drawing power to himself -- visible as a fractured, vibratory green aura -- and promptly sneezes. He slams a hand over his mouth, looking horrified, and his eyes race around the room as he mentally hollers, <¡maldito polvo!> All he can do at this point is hope that noise wasn't enough to alert anyone and follow Illyana into the kitchen. He stands aside to let others pass through the trapdoor first, but does issue a mental warning: <There's a significant drop -- go through carefully.>

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean nods, giving Illyana a smile as she speaks softly, "Good work, 'Yana. Laura, take the point. Once we're in, Piotr, armor up." She glances to Julio and hmms, "Once we get an idea of where we're going, I can levitate people down without too much trouble."

Laura Kinney has posed:
     "Still sees active use. The scent trails are leading that way." Talon prowls onwards, well worn sneakers almost sislent on the tiles, careful not to disturb anything in case of tripwires or hidden traps. It's not paranoia if you've been right several times in the past. The trapdoor is equally easily opened, and the throwing knife stowed. The dark haired teen shifts from foot to foot, pointing each toe down so she can pop her foot claws. "I have crampons." Cue easy rock climbing, hands and footholds kicked into the rock as she makes her way down.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
While they venture into the diner, Illyana's gaze rises to take in the ceiling and the walls, for nooks and crannies that might contain interesting materials worth noting. She gestures sharply with her fingers, palm rotating. The blonde suddenly... isn't there anymore. Perhaps she decided it suitably important to not exist in their current reality after Julio starts sneezing, but her presence disintegrates from view, scent, sound. Only the subtle impression of vibrations where her feet touch ground really give her away. Behind that sheet of turbulent invisibility, she steps precisely where Laura has gone.

No fair using Magik? Too bad.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr nods to Julio and then once he is inside the building, the metal skin goes on, contrasting with his black tactical vest and pants. He breathes deep and relays the information to Illy in Russian. He then looks at hte trap door and sighs, "Gravity is not my friend." His tone is flat and then Illy dissapears, causing Piotr to sigh and whisper in Russian again <<Be careful>> unsure if his sister can hear him.

Julio Richter has posed:
Ric is happy to let Jean drop him gently to the tunnel's floor, and even happier once he's down there. Surrounded by bare rock and earth, he's quite literally in his element, feeling his awareness extending in all directions and enveloping the underground complex. Fragmented sense impressions of vibration cross his consciousness, and the power he draws on is all around him. He grins, feeling a heady sense of strength pour through him, and remembers what Scott said about him being a wild card their enemies couldn't predict. If he's going to face these psychopaths, he couldn't pick a better venue than underground.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean frowns, "Something feels... off, here." She speaks quietly in the link, not audibly saying anything as her thoughts echo. When she picks up Laura's thoughts, she frowns.

"Laura, attack that scent, NOW." Because Laura isn't by her, and considering who else this could be, and what Jean knows she can do?

Yeah, it doesn't take too much to make her realize who that could be, as she says, << My counterpart is here, it seems, no mercy. Because she's not going to give any to you. You know what I can do... imagine me without any restraint. >> She lets THAT sink in, as she makes a point to shield the minds of her teammates first and foremost so a certain clone can't do anything nefarious in THAT regard...

Laura Kinney has posed:
     Laura drops the last few feet and lands in a crouch, rising to her feet and staying in a low combat stance, coiled like a snake ready to strike. <<I can smell people, but not see them. They are in the room.>> This... She doesn't like this. Invisibility puts her at a disadvantage, only able to fight reactively. But then the word comes from Jean, and Laura pounces. ...In some concession to Piotr, she doesn't go /right/ for lethal. Simply disabling strikes.

Julio Richter has posed:
The moment Jean's warning hits his brain, Julio drops into a crouch and slams one palm to the ground. With a loud, shuddering crack, a sort of crater bursts into existence around him: four curved, low walls, with breaks at each cardinal point, allowing the team to land in relative cover and dart out to attack at will.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean frowns, and actually whispers in the commlink to Illyana, "You're in field command, Yana, I found out who's responsible for this. Lady Mastermind." She's focusing on keeping the conversation out of her 'active' thoughts, since Regan might be able to tap into the psychic link.

A weird inversion, to be sure, but it might just work. "I think I'm going to be a bit distracted."

And with that, Jean suddenly mentally leaps through the intrusion in her head, her voice echoing in Regan's mind, "It's rude to look around without asking first. Manners maketh man, Regan." And with that, she just engages Regan in psychic combat, staying down near Julio and his fortifications as her goal is simple.

Wrecking Regan's life, one mental block at a time, so that the others can have a fighting chance.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
There is no spoon.

Jean's telepathic warning is unheard, of course, by one member of the X-Men. Verbalized, another matter. The crater punched into the ground doesn't distort her position at the least because she isn't there.

A hole opens seemingly on the basement floor some distance back, a fissure laced in silver fire sent straight up in a vertical column. No desultory wait for anyone to move through, this is a portal thrown to swallow a target in the throes of violence, sent by an unseen combatant dancing to infernal drums.

It's only for a moment that another pinprick in space exists. From the other side comes a throaty, inhuman shriek -- the kind of vibrating wail with tremendous basso even from a terrible distance born deep in a cryptid's throat, shaking rather enormous physiology.

Mom's righteously angry and the kids know it, and now it's time to play. Somewhere, presumably, Illyana is out there. Not painting her nails or reading a book, anyway.

Tim Drake has posed:
As Laura slashes, the big Inuit dodges, surprisingly light on his feet for his size. But Regan's sudden need to defend herself psychically leaves the other four Marauders unhidden. Harpoon laughs. "You sure this isn't Sabretooth's little girl?" he asks, spinning the giant spear that he gets his name from in his hands, it beginning to glow an eerie green-purple.

Blockbuster grunts. "They can see us now. I got the big guy. I'm the big guy, and he ain't bigger than me." He is. But that's... largely irrelevant to Blockbuster's thinking.

There was a green haired woman, for a split second, before the portal under her feet swallows her and she is dumped somewhere in Limbo by a wrathful Illyana.

The skinny purple garbed and haired man that is Riptide cackles, beginning to spin.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"Duly noted," Piotr says over the mental comms, and then over the physical ones. He was not a fan of being lowered into the earth at this time, and being in a smallish room (in his eyes) and with others does make it a little dicey, especailly when he can not see them.

Then the fissure happens and the enemies are revealed. Piotr sees Blockbuster move towards him, "Dictionary, use one," he says as he goes forward, trying to land a couple of body blows before trying to grapple him, hoping to take him out of the fight quickly.

Julio Richter has posed:
As the brawl begins, Julio winces, then turns and points, seemingly at nothing. "Something hit HARD -- that way. Maybe the others made contact?" he alerts the others. His tone sounds less than certain -- he's obviously just guessing at the origin of whatever he felt. But as Jean drops into the trance of mental combat next to him, he rises to his feet and scans for targets, hands up and sheathed in shifting and crackling energy. He can finally see their enemies, and picks a target who doesn't seem occupied; swinging one hand overhead to connect firmly with the other, he releases a clap of thunderous seismic force toward Riptide, hoping to disrupt whatever that spinning motion is building up to.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean smirks a little, as she stands in the mental landscape, fighting Regan on a completely different plane. << So, you wanted to fight me here? Considering you have an ill-concieved clone of me on your side, I would think you'd know better. >>

Which is when Regan launches an all out attack, mentally screaming her own rage and pain and hatred right at Jean. A telepathic assault that has very little subtlety, and Jean's physical body actually winces as she feels the darkness.

Regan's voice echoes, << Come on, join us... you know you love it. You want to know what it's like to walk on the wild side, Jean... give in, and we'll let you do /everything/ you want. >>

Jean pauses, not saying anything... that darkness seductive, tempting maybe a bit.

But then she remembers Julian. What they did to him. To the others.

And then Jean slowly rises in the mental link, psychic fires erupting around her as she looks at Regan with a burning expression.

<<I don't THINK so.>>

Laura Kinney has posed:
     Laura drops into a roll as her target shunts to one side, baring her teeth behind her mask when her foe becomes visible. "Wolverine's." She's had plenty of practice fighting larger opponents, including at one time a cyborg bear. The bear didn't have a harpoon, but... Spears and other pole weapons were part of her training. She slowly circles, alert for any openings for attack. If she can slash tendons in his arms or legs, he won't be able to fight as well.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
In the direction of /nothing/, an X gouges itself on the wall in the dust or chipped paint, nothing too dramatic. As walls are known to spontaneously erupt that way. Julio may have an unknown power to deface architecture. By wincing at it.

Shifting and crackling energy that strikes Riptide has an effect, to be sure. Unfortunately the man-shaped whirlwind doesn't drill a channel through that wall to show what's on the other side, a glaring oversight.

What he gets instead is a gift of blood-red skies and tortured basaltic hoodoos rising in incongruous arches to form arresting pinnacles. Only a brief glimpse wreathed in smoky blue filaments and silver flame.

A glowing blade hurtles through with a precise stab, seeming from nowhere at all. If all goes right, straight down into the Marauder's skull, down the brainstem, into the spine. Armour, flesh, a shabby purple uniform don't much matter to it: it passes right through such troubles. Of course that sword has a hilt, the hilt clasped in the hands of the Demon Queen. Through it runs a cornucopia of passions -- the worries for her friends, memories of a wrecked car and a sickly ashen patch in a field, a red stain of betrayal and fear, treacheries woven by the trusted friends, the sick revelation of maimed stumps. Jean might even sense the blade surging with emotion that Illyana keeps hidden, the brightest part of her soul discharging the repressed explosion of days into Riptide into his nervous system. Maybe years' worth. And even grazing, it sure as rain intends to incapacitate him.

Girl's got issues.

Tim Drake has posed:
Regan, prim and beautiful and everything anyone could want-- drops to her knees, holding her head in her hands. "NOoooooOOoooooo!" she screams as Jean turned Lady Mastermind's own assault back on her.

Riptide shudders as the blade shinkt!s through him from the top down, collapsing in a heap of useless flesh and destroyed bone onto the floor.

Harpoon keeps his attention on Talon. "Wolverine's? Haha. Of course, he can't keep his pants on," the Inuit growls in amusement. "Creed can't either." And he hurls the harpoon, now completely made of bioenergy, at Laura, in the same move grabbing another off his back.

Blockbuster and Colossus exchange blows, two giant men with superhuman strength duking it out. Of course, only one of those is made of undamageable metal.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean leaves Regan with a parting gift. Namely, all the pain that Julian felt. All the torture that he observed. All the suffering that was forced onto him and the other captives.

Jean smiles coldly, << You wanted the darkness, Regan? Well, now you have it. All of it. All at once. All for //you//. >> This is a side of her that few people see, but well... they kidnapped and tortured her friends, her students, her family.

Do not provoke the Mother Phoenix. Even if she doesn't have the avatar currently. With that, Jean telekinetically hovers off the ground, Regan pretty much finished for this fight (if not longer), and her voice echoes in the link.

<< Alright, let's end this, X-Men. >> She seems to have zero concern with how Riptide got //his// ending.

Julio Richter has posed:
That's definitely not Julio's work; if he's going to deface architecture, he does so much more... comprehensively. Still, it's worth keeping half an eye on, in case something decides to burst through that wall unexpectedly.

Leaving Riptide to Illyana's tender mercies, Ric refocuses on the others, searching for opportunities to assist in the remaining matchups. Talon's darting around too quickly for him to be sure an intervention won't have collateral damage there, so he instead turns toward Colossus and Blockbuster.

Darting around his own rock barrier, he raises one booted foot and slams it down, the seismic aura flowing into the ground in a cascading shockwave. The ground is shredded in its wake, leaving a field of shifting, loose rocks like extremely coarse gravel. The wave passes under Blockbuster, and what a moment ago seemed sure footing is suddenly treacherous. Hopefully this will give Piotr an advantage.

Laura Kinney has posed:
     Laura lunges forward at the same time Harpoon's namesake launches forward. The weapon slams through the left side of her torso, and the energy erupts. There's an extremely visceral noise, and the teen is now missing a crescent of torso the size of a softball that's turned into a fine red mist. Her own blood spray is joined by the big man's own, as the teen corrects course and slams home with all six claws. Two slamming into each shoulder and splitting the collarbone, and a toe claw slicing into each knee joint.

     Talon rides him down, before coughing a spray of blood onto his face and rolling off to the side. Piotr gets a pointed look as she speaks, voice wet and barely understandable due to the fact she's missing a good chunk of one lung. "Did not kill him."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr is focused on fighting Blockbuster, for while the blows that fall on him are not as rough as his are on his enemy, it still has some pain and keeps his attention on the other side's brawler. Illyana's sword catches his eye, as does the sudden collapse of Riptide. Piotr would say something, but only "ILLYANA!" is said. He would say more, but Julio's trick with the destabilization is noted and the large Russian takes advantage of it and goes for lowering his shoulder, hoping to take down Blockbuster and will begin pinning if possible.

During this, he picks up Laura's comment and says as he struggles against Blockbuster, "Good, just make sure you keep him alive." He then goes to continuing to trying to subdue Blockbuster.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
"We have a survivor," replies the Russian sorceress. Using the swinging guard of the Soulsword and bounding strides keeps her on the move as a defensive target. One really big target is still standing. One really big target with a wingspan like those closest to her.

But he has spoken, so the elder Rasputin's summons brings forth Illyana. Be careful what you wish for. She starts circling around Blockbuster, waiting for her opportunity to hit that broad back or get under his guard. The Soulsword sings at the highest of chords, a pure melody of emotion rather than intent to stab like an actual sword. The trail of silver-blue fire races off the blade, shining and hypnotic.

Darting in might be purely to harass the big Marauder -- to hamstring him by physically slashing downward if that's an option. Say the gods are good, Mama Phoenix interferes, or Piotr is ready, she simply runs Blockbuster through.

Julio Richter has posed:
Baring his teeth in horror at Laura's injury, Julio takes advantage of the second of stillness when she rolls off of Harpoon to fling another burst of green energy into the basement's floor. It runs through the stone, rumbling with barely repressed violence the whole way, and then a platform of rock bursts upward from beneath the Inuit, bashing him into the ceiling and pinning him there. There... /might/ be enough room in there to breathe. He didn't exactly stop to measure.

The Latino youth barely has time to register his satisfaction at Blockbuster's defeat before he winces and stares at that big X mark on the wall again. "Santa mierda...I don't know what's going on over there, but that whole area is starting to cave in," he calls out. Dropping back into a crouch, he squints with focus, pouring energy into the ground and letting it flow in that direction. He's never tried this kind of distance manipulation before, but he's going to do his damnedest to try to fire off some more columns -- columns that could brace the ceilings and keep the other section of this underground lair clear long enough for the other team to escape unharmed.

Jean Grey has posed:
Jean pauses, "Arclight collapsed the cave on them, but they were able to get out thanks to Blink. They also got a prisoner, Scalphunter." She smiles grimly, then looks around at the others, "Do we continue, or fall back? Julio, good work stabilizing the tunnel."

She pauses, and looks at Illyana, "If nothing else, you can get us out of here fast. Laura... how fast will you heal up there?" She does sound concerned, but not too much... she's seen how Logan heals, after all. Though she is taking the time to help dull the pain for Laura mentally.

Laura Kinney has posed:
     Laura gives Jean a grateful nod as the pain lessens, shattered ribs visibly lengthening and curving around to meet their stubs on the other side. <<Quickly. I can fight. Talking is hard.>> She looks over at the ceiling where the probably now dead Harpoon resides, before shrugging. Wasn't her fault. Piotr wants him alive, he can bring his own tourniquets. And deal with whatever crushing injuries happened. <<You owe me a shirt.>>

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
For a brief moment, Illyana turns a look on Jean. Her eyes are empty of colour, glowing that silvery-blue shade that Piotr's metal skin gains in the pure sunshine. Her brow lines for a moment, and she swings her gaze back to Julio. "Can you stabilize it ahead? Your work is good." Her fist knocks the wall, just in case. Of course, it would be pretty terrible if the ceiling caved in from that. The Soulsword shifted into her left hand leaves the blade vibrating, sending up plumes of radiant light. "Send back the prisoners for questioning and continue. Is anyone ahead?" This to Jean.

On the other hand, there's nothing stopping them from leapfrog-peeking down the chain of tunnels and caverns if they exist.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr finally pins Blockbuster and says to Jean and Illyana, "Get these into a cell or something." He looks over at the field, he turns to Jean and says, "We need to stabilize the injured," and if possible, will begin trying to administer first aid on the lung-shot mutant.