1927/A Sinister Plot: Attacks of Opportunity

A Sinister Plot: Attacks of Opportunity
Date of Scene:	01 June 2020
Location:	Danger Room
Synopsis:	Plans are laid.
Cast of Characters:	Illyana Rasputina, Rogue, Jubilation Lee, Piotr Rasputin, Rahne Sinclair

---

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The Danger Room is booked, perhaps with a cold trace of irony considering various teams and X-Men test their skills against the real thing. Still, those who want to practice against simulations of the real-world enemies holding students and friends captive may do so through a series of sparring routines. The evening's slate is posted, making very clear what rotations are up next:

* Subterranean cavern - Multiple Marauder targets
* Warehouse - Multiple Marauder targets
* Laboratory - Cloned X-team

One each hour. Right now, it's the 'cavern' option. So anyone who wants to get their workout is welcome to.

Illyana is nothing if not thorough about her considerations, sitting on a bench and working over a tablet to set down the details. Thanks to Cerebro and the database, the X-Men have a deep profile of the existing Marauders and she already has two selected to simulate. Their fighting styles, combat skills, and powers might be still up for refinement, but it's better than nothing. She sweeps down the list of possibilities, her expression unhappy.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue is dressed in her green & gold, leather jacket on over her shoulders. She's standing off to the side of the Danger 'Zone' inside of the highly advanced training room, tying a long green bandana around her forehead and sorting her hair out over her shoulders. Whilst doing so, the southern girl is glancing about at the others with her on this adventure of simulated training.

"This is gonna be fun." She cheerily says. "Beatin' people up inside'a caves? I mean what could go wrong? Other... than... a cave-in. I'll do my best not t'cause one, I promise it." She smiles brightly then and speaks over her comms then <"I'm ready for this. Lets get the show on the road already, yeah?">

Jubilation Lee has posed:
Enter Jubilee looking like she's ready for a strenuous workout, arobics, or dancing against the wishes of town ordinance in 1984. She's a pair of black with pink lined athletics shorts, a crop top that cuts through half of Mikey Mouses faded body, and ankle warmers on beneath her Heeley roller shoes.

She also has a katana!

THAT SHE TOTALLY KNOWS HOW TO USE!

"Yeah, nothing I like better than a rustic return to pretend nature to fight our enemies to the death in honorable combat." Jubes says to Rogue, with whom she arrives, so it's absolutely her fault that Jubilee is here.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr had gotten the memo for a training simulation and decided to join the others in the Danger Room. He was in his usual field attire of tactical heavy vest and pants with combat boots. He takes a few moments to stretch before joining the others, the large Russian looking around, "Good to see you all here," though the katana gets a raised brow.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Looking rather...small...in light of others, Rahne Sinclair stands, bare-foot, in her combat uniform. She doesn't look like much, in her normal 5 foot form, with her arms crossed. She seems a little self-conscience, really.

    But, her friends need her. Rahne knows this, deep within her soul. And so...she stretches, keeping her head on a swivel. "Well, ye sure know how tae make a girl feel comfortable." It was a half hearted attempt at a bit of sarcasm, but more to lighten her mood than anything else.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana narrows her eyes and gently flicks aside another option. The interface in the tablet glows a soft blue to confirm her selections, giving a soothing pop-up message and a timer. Rising from the bench in a frisson of black, she walks over to place the tablet back into a larger console where it gets swallowed up into a larger interface. "They did cause an earthquake," she replies to Rogue's warning.

"Julio thought quickly and stopped cave-in, da?" The projected numbers start counting down as the barren field of the Danger Room begins filling in with a particularly dull sort of place. Imagine a 1970s office block, the kind of place harboured in every American suburb. Now make it decrepit and forgotten, a 'for lease' sign probably as old as some of Xavier's students. The nearest point is a parking lot with an obscure electrical/utility shed, the battered door clearly abused by people entering where they really shouldn't according to the Consolidated Edison stickers. DANGER! NO ENTRY!

It's pretty obvious where they have to head to start the scenario. The blonde doesn't have any costume adjustments to make, though she appreciatively nods to the choice of Jubilee's katana. "Ready then? The objective in this is simple. End the targets. They will be considered harmless when they are unconscious or subdued." Or dead, but she doesn't need to say that, because Piotr makes this uncomfortable.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue looks over at the others with her and grins at them. "I couldn't pick a better team t'embark upon this journey with." She tells them all, before looking to Jubilee specifically. "Come on now, girl. It's better than video games---" Rogue leans back then as the tip of that Katana in Jubes hands sweeps uncomfortably close to her face, making her lean backward. Not that it could damage her, but still! "You sure you know how t'use one'a those, Jubes?" She flippantly asks.

When the area fades into the parking area, the rundown buildings and urban sprawl, Rogue just shakes her head. "Looks like one'a the towns back home." She says then, putting her hands into her jacket pockets, she starts to walk forward, her yellow wedge-heeled longboots carrying her further toward those DANGER signs. Rogue whistles loudly, like she's calling a country dog for supper.

"Trouble's here, ya'll! Come on!" She's definitely not doing a 'stealth mission'.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
Jubes looks at the katana, then up at Rogue, then back at the Katana, "I think so? I have like six thousand hours in Bushido Blade, so that pretty much makes me a leading authority on Japanese made edged weapons." The strap is slung over her shoulder, totally completing the very cheesy 80s action movie heroine look.

"Oh..." Looking about the new doodily doo of the Danger Rooms projected landscape, "You're not suppose to create dreamscapes from places you've been... It's like nobody watches movies." Specifically when rogue says she recognizes the place. Then says something about trouble!

SHHHHHHHHHHHHINK!

"FOR THE SWARM!" Charging ahead.

This is why Jubilee isn't allowed on combat missions.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr nods to Rahne as she arrives, "Welcome." He listens and nods quietly, taking a few moments to absorb the rooms. He would spend a litlte more time pondering but Rogue and Jubilee go full on Leeroy Jenkins. "Well, there goes subtlety," he sighs and follows. "Though it seems about like one of htem back home as well, in the newer parts of town," his tone light, making a joke for once. Though he does note the katana and his concern is a bit more evident.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    There might have been a momentary thought of stealth. After all, the Scot is in her regular, easily stealthy form. But...then Rogue and Jubilee are all gung-ho and charge into the fray. With a glance to Piotr and a raise of the hand, as if to say 'I didn't do it', Rahne just looks dumb-founded.

     For a moment.

    Then, with a shrug, Rahne mutters softly. "Well, when in Rome..." And, with that, Rahne takes a step...and shifts at the same time. As the bare foot falls, it elongates, gaining a more lupine shape while the nails morph into wicked looking claws. The smaller Scot also gains a good two feet in height...and a lot more muscle tone....as she adopts her hybrid form. Half human...half wolf...and all business.

    "Alright. Time tae get this show on the road."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Contrary to what everyone thinks and knows, Illyana can have fun. Rarely does she cut loose with a giggle or charge into battle with a dented, rusted utility box about twice the width of Piotr and equal to his height. He might have to hunch down and shoulder his way in there with some difficulty.

She follows behind Rahne and Piotr, taking guard on their end. The Scot becoming a svelte horror conjured from ancient Highland stories doesn't bring her to so much as blink. "You first," she gestures idly.

The utility box door is shut, the ground around it littered with scattered garbage, condom wrappers, and empty crushed cans. It might be the same within. Whatever lock was there is long gone and the dented door opens to reveal more trash. Outside, it's at least relatively dark so no cop is going to roll up wondering why a bunch of mutants are hiding in an abandoned office park lot.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue glances back over her right shoulder at the others, showing them all a big grin. At Rahne specifically, the Belle softly shakes her head. "That Scottish accent is too damn sexy, stop makin' me fall in love with ya." She teases the Wolfsbane, flashing a smile before she looks forward again. A skip is taken over a concrete curb and Rogue starts to slow when she gets close tot he shed...

Her green eyes drop down to the 'mess' around it, her hair swaying in the winds around her shoulders along with the ends of the long green headband she'd tied around her forehead.

She whistles again... but this time it's a low and quiet whistle, one meant to express dismay. She points a yellow gloved finger at the refuse on the ground. "That's nasty. Like... behind Burger Joint kinda nasty, right?" She asks, now specifically looking to Katanalee, who works at Burger Joint.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
Jubilee is right behind Rogue, because she's played Shadowrun and you always stand behind the troll. Besides, Rogue is probably the most durable, with the possible exception of Piotr whom she has a questionable relationship, of the lot of them... Katana down at her side, slightly back, and held in both hands, the small asian steps up over the same barrier Rogue lept over, coming down in a low crouch behind her friend...

Knee very close to landing in the condom wrappers and such...

BUT NOT CLOSE ENOUGH FOR IT TO COUNT!

"Guys! I think I know what their doing down here..." Looking back at Rahne, Piotr, and Illy... To Rogue specifically she murmurs, "It wasn't my turn to unclog the toilets..."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr nods to Rahne, "Very good, if we are going in full bore, may as well." He then also nods to Illy and looks into the room and cringes and withdraws as he was not expecting it to be that bad, and rasises a brow at Illy, "Really?"

Piotr snorts and says, "But yes, it seems there is an abundance of junk here that definitely needs to be cleaned." He keeps his eyes open and looks around for threats.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    If a werewolf could blush....well...Rahne might be just a bit more red than her red fur. The green eyes quickly look away, for a brief moment, before returning to the situation at hand. A nod is given to Illyana as the creature of myth and legend steps forward....towards the trash.

    And boy, for a figure with enhanced senses, does that trash ever *stink*. "Ye think it nasty? Try smellin' it wit' mah nose sumtime." That formerly embarrassed mien twists into that of mild disgust, as Rahne pads her way over towards the shed. Apart from the havoc the refuse is playing with her sense of smell, the werewolf has other senses that she can rely on, with her vision dialed in. Nothing like being able to see UV and heat signatures on top of everything else.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The trapdoor takes some scrounging to find, and it's heavy, requiring the average non-Piotr or Rogue-like person to use both hands to lift free. A squeal of rusty hinges resonates through the building. Clearly not oiled or unclogged. After sifting through detritus left behind, it's a long drop into the darkness with seemingly no bottom. A wider tube, smooth and concrete for at least part of the access. Metal wires in scuffed plastic run down one side at least, suggesting it's going... somewhere. Maybe a tunnel. Maybe the center of the earth. Only one way to find out.

<<It is real,>> Illyana answers Piotr's protests with an even tone. She wouldn't know how to be blithe and light-hearted in such circumstances.

Rogue has posed:
Once the rusty door is opened and the seemingly bottomless pit is revealed, Rogue peers down and in to it. She narrows her eyes and then glances back out at the others once more. "Perfectly good bottomless pit t'throw the garbage, and yet they choose the ground? That's weird." It's easy for the Belle to forget she's in a simulation sometimes though, since the damn thing is so convincingly real...

Rogue spies a tin can on the ground next to some questionably dirty rubbers, and then kicks it into the hole to wait and see how long until it hits the bottom.

With a frown at the results, the Belle looks over to the others. "Who wants a ride down?" She asks, offering a gloved hand to anyone who wants to take it. "Here we go."

Rogue will step off and down into the darkness, using her ability to manipulate the gravitational field around her... she floats down into the black. As it gets darker, she speaks up. "Ya know, whatever's down here, probably ain't gonna be happy t'see us. Lets just make sure we punch the right stuff, okay? Not each other."

Jubilation Lee has posed:
"Bombs awaaaaay!" Jubilee Jenkins doesn't hesitate! Tip of the Spear, edge of the knife! She jumps right down into the open hatch and lands in whatever filthy muck substance awaits them at the bottom. Her left hand wiggles out slightly to create sparkling light balls up above her left and right shoulder, just small spheres that move independently of one another to cast purple/pink light ahead of them a few feet. Like faire fire!

"I'm Drizzt in this adventure.. Dibs, I called it, nobody can call it. I'm the sword wielding ranger, you guys gotta pick someone else, sorry."

Eyeballing Rahne... "Wanna be Guenhwyvar? You're not a big cat, but... sacrifices must be made sometimes!"

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Around a second after Rogue releases the can, it hits something splashy and hard, then the noise goes still. It's a truly thrilling experience.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr nods to Rahne and nearly laughs, but lets the others go first, saying to Illy <<Da>> in their native tongue. He then frowns as the others jump in willy nilly. He tries to carefully looks down there to see the concrete, rock, or whatever it is and says to the others, <<Illy, care to take us down?>>

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Despite the rather repulsive scent of the garbage....Rahne actually lowers her head, to get closer? Really? But then, it becomes apparent, as that lupine head twists this way and that...then follows something to the entrance to the pit of possible despair. "There's sumthin 'ere. A scent. Human. No, wait....smells like there's two of 'em." And....seeing how Rogue and Jubilee are already working their way down the shaft to whatever wet surprises are in store, Rahne gets ready to follow suit. But not before she glances back to Piotr and Illyana. "They have tae right of it. The trail does go down. Ye think ye be alright with..." Then...Rahne remembers exactly who she is talking to. A nearly indestructible man of bio-organic steel and the ruler of her own dimension. "Nevermind. Ye'll be fine."

    And, with that, Rahne leaps into the hole, feet first. It is a nasty, wet affair, but Rahne lands with relative ease. With a glance to Rogue and Jubilee, Rahne tosses her head in a direction. "Two trails that way. One of them smells like a fish. Kinda musty. Other one likes lilacs. Tis faint, like a day or two...but Ah can track it. Even in 'ere."

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
An agile wolf, a living wrecking ball, and a blonde snowflake. Stories could start that way. The dive Rahne takes over the edge of the pipe sends her careening down through concrete and brick, landing down below. Hopefully Jubilee gets out of the way and the three of them hasten along before Piotr comes rolling down Indiana Jo--- okay, no Indiana. Illyana Jones? A line of silver fire erupts around Piotr's feet, awash in the cornflower-tinged flames. The next step there delivers him to the bottom where sparkling fireworks give a right direction.

Pinchy fit when they get to the bottom through the portal, swirling muck barely moving through the brackish current. Best not to ask what that liquid running about ankle-deep is, smelly and sort of earth. A bit of wading might be necessary and naturally Piotr or Rahne will have to hunch over to feel exactly comfortable since the round tunnel roof is barely eight feet up. The only way is forward, eventually splitting into a T junction: left or right. There is no difference between them but graffiti and slimy accretions on the wall, one path ending in a stone wall and the other path ending in a concrete plug.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue doesn't land in the mucky murky waters. She just hovers down the hole and then... floats above them, grimacing at the nastiness. In FACT, when the others just jump down one after another, Rogue starts floating BACKWARDS and holding her forearms up to shield her face. "Ah, come on, come on, people!" She says, shielding herself from the splashage as best as she's capable of!

When Rahne starts to speak of different directions, Rogue is now pulling her headband down to wrap it around her nose. "I don't envy your Sniffer, Wolfy." Rogue tells the Scot before she looks to Jubilee then. "That's a video game reference, ain't it? What game is it? Who would I be from the game?" She has to ask, she doesn't know it's a DnD character! Isn't it? Drizzt? Dark elf, something.

With a exhale, the Belle looks to the Russians. "My heart tells me t'go to the Lilacs, my brain tells me we probably gotta take the smelliest route though." She turns toward the Lilacs though. "Split up? Jubilee! Light the way!"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
Jubes jumps down without regard to health or happiness, landing knee high in goopy water that are definitely going to ruin her limited edition Heeley's, "I really should have thought this through..." Twenty foot drops are serious business on the knees, too.. So she goes down almost instantly in a heap, so now she's just covered in slimey gooey grossness.

And she smells like trash and funk and probably that maggot smell that comes with spoiled food left in the sun.

"Probably Catti-brie..." Even if it is FAKE smelly gooey nastiness, it's real enough to her.

"I want a shower... and maybe a mikes hard lemonade because this is disgusting, can we call this whole thing off?" Asking everyone, "Show of hands, who wants to call this off."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr looks to the two trails after finding his feet, still not used to teleporting. <<Thank you,>> he says to Illy with a nod and hten says, "Da, gut says horrible way is better way." The mention of a Mike's hard lemonade gets a frown from Piotr, "Did you have to say that in earshot?" He then grumbles and fishes out a quarter, "We can coinflip if we are divided too much? And calling it off is not an option. We must prepare for worst."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    Wolves are not necessarily cats...but this particular wolf does know how to land on her feet. It may have been a drop....but Rahne weathers it like a champ. A hand (paw?) is held up as that nose of hers gets to work. Then...with a wave of that paw (definitely paw), Rahne indicates that the group wants to head towards that stone wall...and not the other direction. "Scents get all wonky. But, they definitely drift tae this way. Not tae tell ye what tae do...but Ah would be checkin' out that stone wall."

    With that, Rahne doesn't really wait for others to follow. She, like Toucan Sam, just follows her nose, heading to that seemingly dead end with the stone wall.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
The unwholesome smell of rot, somewhere in a sewer system on the outskirts of Brooklyn or Queens, really doesn't lead to much confidence. The limited height of the tunnel, 8 feet by 5 feet, isn't so good for much except stumbling and sloshing along. Without Jubes' light, they would all be in the dark completely. Hanging around in ankle-deep goo is no fun even for wolf paws and metal legs, probably. The dead end Rahne reaches is the stone wall. It's stone and covered in goo. No trapdoor. No handle. Just a round blockage.

The intersection is all they have: the right, the left. The cement, the stone. Illyana follows Piotr at a short distance, smirking a little as he might seem wobbly. Going through Limbo -is- like that, after all. "Da, welcome." Her Russian is straightforward.

Rogue has posed:
Rogue smirks at Jubilee's words, and Piotr's response to them. "Yeah. It's probably a little late t'call it off, ya'll are already muck monsters, gonna need showers after this." She doesn't set down into the water yet, but even still. "How filty is Danger Room filth anyway? Can it give us diseases? Is it /that/ detailed in it's design?" These are serious questions as they delve deeper on.

When they reach that brick wall, covered in slime, Rogue just narrows her eyes at it and slams a fist forward to try and pull one of the bricks out to get a look behind it. "I'll go whichever way ya'll want me t'go." She says, tossing the brick down into the mucky waters beneath her where she floats.

She raises her hands up though, cupping her mouth and shouting. "Hey, all ya'll sewer monsters! Come out in'play already!"

Jubilation Lee has posed:
with her hand being the only one that's up, Jubilee counts with a single extended finger moving around at all of those hands that are down.. "4 to 1 against... I mean that's a pretty close vote, maybe we should try..." Glancing at Rhane, "I mean come on, Rahne..." Focusing on the Irish Half-wolf, "Rahne, do you know how hard this make believe goo is going to be to wash out of your fur, Rahne? Thank about it Rahne... Think about it." Tapping her temple while looking at Rahne.

Walking in this stuff is... not easy. Jubilee has to lift her leg out of the whole sucking mess, foot way high like by her hip and junk, "If anyone sees a contact, lemme know." Points at her head with both hands, face half illuminated by her glowing spheres. "It's mine. I dropped my contact."

A few steps later, "Want to sing some sea shanties?"

"~Fairwell and adieu unto you spanish ladies
Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain..~"

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Nothing answers the singing, and nothing answers the calls. The voices resonate. If anyone is there, they certainly -must- hear it, right?

Or they're shouting ten feet into the dungeon when everyone else is having a party in the Maw of Oblivion!

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"Uncertain," Piotr remarks regarding the disease, avoiding a smirk, though he has to move very deliberately in the muck and mire due to his size and lack of desire to get stuck in here. He holds a finger over his lips and says to Jubilee, "Shhh, while we have not been the most silent, treat it as you would an actual mission. Try to preserve some sense of seriousness." The echoes get a sigh from the large Russian, "See, that likely did noth elp."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
    "Ye do know Ah can just shift back tae normal and it all kinda rolls off, yeah?" Besides, in her more lupine mindset, dirt, fictional or not, isn't a big concern. With a shake of her furry head, Rahne clears her mind...and, instead of trying to smell her way out, since that doesn't seem to be working, she instead tries to listen. And gets a head full of see shanties. Welp....that isn't going to work much either.

Illyana Rasputina has posed:
Illyana inclines her head slightly towards Piotr, her expression cloistered for several long moments. She doesn't gesture, but given this is her creation from a selection of multiple choices available, giving up the gig is a bit unsporting. Rather, she asks dryly, "Which way?"

Rogue has posed:
Rogue looks over to Jubilee and grins at her softly. "How do you have so many songs inside'a your head?" She asks. "Where do ya keep space for all of'em?" But her gaze goes to Piotor and Illyana then and she motions to the left. "Left tunnel, Illy. Left tunnel." But to Piotr she looks to him specifically. "It's hard t'think a'this stuff as a real mission, plus... it's hard for me t'think there's anything down here that can actually hurt me. Real or fake. But I know, I understand. We gotta take it serious."

Rogue's gloved hands go into her pockets again and she turns tot he direction of the left tunnel. "I'm gonna fly ahead and scope it out." She leans forward then and starts to fly at a faster pace, separating herself from the others and shooting off into the dim dank darkness.

Jubilation Lee has posed:
"Sorry... I sing when I'm nervous that I've caught simulated hepititis C." Jubilee says, abruptly cutting off her singing and adopting a quieter, whispery voice. "Oh that's cool..." Re: Shifting back to person shape and becoming teflon. "I'm going to have to take like 100 baths in rose oil to get the imaginary smell of sludge out of my hair.

Nudge nudge Rogue. Nudge nudge. "HEY!" echo. "HELLO!" Echo... "YO!" whispery voice, "Wiiiiinstoooooooon....." To Piotr, "last joke, swear." Hands up, hand out.. one of the glowing orbs starts down one path, "I can shoot off a light rocket to see how far it goes before it hits a wall and/or a person..." TACTICS! WITHOUT joking!

Seriously serious business of seriousness.

To Rogue... Jubes shrugs! "Well, you know how they say all Asians are good at math?" HEAD TILT, "I'm not... I'm good at lyrics to abstract music and playing unusual instruments, also moneymaking schemes, and occationally pranks.. I /feel/ like it's a good tradeoff? Who uses math anyways?"

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr nods to Rahne, "Useful, mine is not so fortunate." He looks at his metallic skin. He then is about to respond to Illy when Rogue says something, "Left is fine. But you have to do the best you can on this, because it's the best we can do."

The large Russian looks to Jubilee, "Firstly, everybody uses math. Secondly, focus. This is not a game, it is as close to preparation we can give and it must be treated with the sincerity it is due." He then nods to the left, "Let's go." He begins moving that way.