19324/Through A Mirror Darkly: Recovering An Old Friend

Through A Mirror Darkly: Recovering An Old Friend
Date of Scene:	21 October 2024
Location:	Madripoor
Synopsis:	Cable, X-Force and allies assemble to raid one of Stryfe's facilities to try and reclaim the Professor A.I. unit.
Cast of Characters:	Cable, Monet St. Croix, Sally Pride, Tabitha Smith, Kurt Wagner, Carol Ferris, Divine, Erik Lensherr
Tinyplot:	Through a Mirror Darkly

---

Cable has posed:
The battle for Madripoor is over. Stryfe won.

It is a bitter pill to be sure, but at this point the Mutant Liberation Force is pretty much the unquestion ruler of the small island nation, the last trace of Cable's resistance finally driven out. Though not before they manage to evacuate a significant portion of the island's inhabitants.

Still, whatever Stryfe was hoping to achieve by seizing that corrupt little city he would seem to have achieved it. Now the task is to prevent him from making good use of his new advantage, to prevent him from making good use of his new recruits in Sinister's Marauders.

And the best way to do that in Cable's mind? Reclaim the Professor artificial intelligence unit that the MLF managed to capture from him in the aftermath of Greymalkin's destruction.

That advanced A.I. was responsible for a great deal of Cable's intelligence gathering capability and overall strategic planning. And now it is in the hands of Stryfe, giving his fellow time-dosplaced refugee an incalculable advantage in their continued conflict. So Cable has decided to take it back.

Without his orbital bastion, his bodyslide network has been severely compromised as well. Which is why the gathering of allies he has assembled -- some members of X-Force, some not -- instead finds themselves onboard one of the stealth transports that he recovered in the aftermath of Greymalkin's destruction, the weeks of scouring the globe to lay his hands on whatever survived the orbital disaster proving well worth it.

Invisble to all modern radar and other detection methods, there is barely a shimmering of displaced light as the aircraft hovers in place fifteen miles off the coastal shores of Stryfe's new island kingdom, the autopilot insuring that the craft will remain here until their return.

Rather then being at the controls, Cable can be found with the others in the rear of the transport, assembled around a table that currently projects a holographic display -- in this case showing off an underwater shelf about fifty feet off the coast of the city that their foe now rules from, an elaborate dome having been constructed there and on display with an -- estimated -- layout of the facility.

"All the intelligence that I can gather suggests that this is where Stryfe is keeping the Professor unit. In the heart of this facility. That's our objective. Get in, get the A.I. core and get out. Any additional damage we can inflict on the MLF is a bonus but not essential to the mission," he says, glancing around the craft. "My bodyslide tech should be able to punch through the shielding to get us in, close to the estimated location of the core, but there's no guarantee it will be able to get us back out. Fortunately, that's why we have some reinforcements," he says, gesturing towards the trio of non-X-Force members of the mission in Magneto, Star Sapphire and Nightcrawler.

"MOst of you are aware of the potential threats that could be involved," he adds, the display shifting, new shapes appearing their in perfect, miniature detail. Stryfe. Zero. The many and various members of the MLF. Holocaust. Abyss. The Marauders. And the many Zero-units with their energy beams and mutation inhibiting fields. It is a formidable array.

"If there's no questions, grab any fgear you need," he says, gesturing towards a nearby table laden down with an assortment of arms and his customary tech. "And prepare to head out."

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would lean back in her seat, "Is there anything else there that we should be wary of? Might Stryfe be using it as a facility he manages his temporal or dimensional transits through?" If Stryfe kept osme of his time travel equipment there, it woudl be far more heavily guarded. Holocaust and Abyss were litlte more than thugs, they wouldn't be staioned near anything particularly important on guard duty, they were too high risk of breaking it. But they could easily be summoned up to it.

"And is there any way we can jam communications? It's a far ways off from anything, if we can disrupt thier transmission network it would delay their ability to call for reinforcements." Of course, they'd have to be able to jam from the transport. By the time they landed the ability for stealth would be gone and so would finding and breaking the transmitter. No true point to it. Always presume that your enemy plays it smart and the first thing they do when under attack is call for backup.

No idea in specific what else might be up there, just 'more of the same' and 'more of it' and 'worse fo it'. Taking a breath..

"And are there other signs that Stryfe has.. Supplemented his forces in the interim that we should be worried on?"

Sally Pride has posed:
A fingerless gloved paw-like hand grabs one of the futuristic assault rifles. Sally makes sure it's got a full energy cell locked in, and cradles it by the stock tucked under her arm as she grabs a couple of backup power packs with the other hand and tucks them away in belt pouches. Her usual blaster pistol is holsters, and she has the DMR loaded with anti-material rounds for dealing with any of the robots slung across her back. Grenades of various kinds are at the ready. And when all else fails she's got her knuckles and her claws.

"Any resource that can be denied the enemy is fair game," she replies to Monet, tail flicking at the thought. "But I'm fine with just breaking as much shit as possible on the way in, and the way out. Professor is the top priority."

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabby had been there for a whole lot of the mess. The fall of Madripoor kind of sucked. But this is probably far from the first or last time someone else is going to end up conquering the city.

"Well collateral damage I can totally do, are we expecting any people in there we don't wanna blow up? Captives, Dignitaries, Sex Workers?" fair concern, last thing they want is a bunch of unwanted casualties when all they want is some fancy computer software. "And like, wouldn't they be expecting a body slide? So port in might like be jumping into a den of bees?" she asks curiously.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Honestly, with the evacuation of Madripoor complete, Kurt thought his part in this was likely done. But it is no easy thing to walk away after seeing the kinds of things that Stryfe and his followers are capable of. He might not always agree with Cable or his methods, but it gets a little harder to fault them under the circumstances.

So really, anything that makes that armored meglamaniac's life a little harder is something that a certain fuzzy blue elf heartily approves of.

Like the others he is gathered in the cargo section of the aircraft, huddled around the holographic display, doing what he can to get a feel for the overview of the base they are about to infiltrate. He admires those that can look at a wire-frame model like this and instinctively memorize it, make sense of it. His own sense of spatial reasoning works a little better with an actual glimpse.

He can't imagine why Cable couldn't manage that.

Listening for any of the questions others might ask and glancing towards the table of laid out weapons, Kurt instead lets a hand rest on the sword hilt at his belt. Call him old fashioned, but he's pretty comfortable using the tools he already has. A more elegant weapon... for a more civilized age.

He really needs those laser swords he was promised. Maybe Cable can come through for him one of these days.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Star Sapphire stands near the rear of the stealth transport, her violet aura shimmering faintly as she listens to Cable's briefing. The bitter news about Madripoor's fall doesn't sit well with her, but she's been in enough battles to know that some fights are lost before they even begin. What matters now is the mission at hand -- reclaiming the Professor A.I. and, hopefully, turning the tide against Stryfe and the MLF.

Her gaze sharpens as the holographic display flickers to life, showing the dome and the underwater shelf -- the intricacies of the enemy's stronghold. But there's no guarantee their information is perfect. She folds her arms across her chest, assessing the situation carefully. Being the Queen of the Zamarons and the leader of the Star Sapphire Corps is a heavy mantle to bear, but it's also given her perspective. She's been fighting on a galactic scale for years, and this isn't her first time dealing with ruthless tyrants.

"Reinforcements," she echoes under her breath with a wry smile when Cable gestures toward her. She steps forward, her violet energy shimmering softly, the Star Sapphire emblem glowing on her chest. "Let's hope our exit is at least as smooth as our entrance, but if not... I'll do everything in my power to keep the team safe."

Her ring hums faintly, a reminder of the vast power she wields -- not just for herself, but for the team as a whole. She's seen what Stryfe and the MLF can do, and she knows they'll need every advantage they can get. Her ring may grant her incredible power, fueled by the power of her love, but just as it had been in space at Cable's cloaked satellite, her _primary_ goal is always the perseveration of civilians and her team -- the preservation of love itself.

She glances to the gear table, but she doesn't need any of that -- her ring is more than enough. Instead, she pulls her focus back to the team, offering a nod to Cable.

"I'm ready when you are," she says, her voice steady, calm.

Divine has posed:
"If I see Holocaust again, I am flinging him into orbit. Maybe a volcano?" Divine thinks about it for a moment, then shakes her head. "No, orbit would be faster. It's just up and out." She actually does put a few weapons in the pockets of her cargo pants, things that can be dropped into a group of Zeroes... or Marauders. If their creator is going to send them out like they're expendable drones, then that's how she's going to treat them. With any luck, eventually they'll run out of whatever they need to high quality spares.

Her face gains a faintly feral smile as she continues. "I am also... more resistant to the effects of the Zeroes than most of you are, so if you are a close-range fighter and I am nearby, please feel free to call me over for clean-up duty. I enjoy the light workout." Divine bumps her shoulder lightly into Kurt's and grins. "Drop me into any sort of melee you want, just give me a second of warning."

Erik Lensherr has posed:
Resplendent in form-fitting, powercrafted armor of blood red and Tyrian purple, the Master of Magnetism views the briefing intently but inscrutably. One might think that Stryfe's professed cause is within Magneto's own wheelhouse; even down to his methodology. The devil, however, always lies within so many intricate details, and irreconcilable differences.

"I believe I can offer you insurance on both these counts." Accurate bodyslides; lackluster enemy comms.

Even as he speaks, white cored electrical fire burns behind Magnus' steely eyes, and for miles around, as if at random intervals and positions throughout Madripoor, electromagnetic disruptions turn radio to demonic static; disrupt point to point wifi; cause any number of systems improperly shielded to begin rebooting or failing in a montage of irate operators and user-dismantled peripherals.

A great deal of power is-- let's say surged-- in this fashion. Static in the air, lightning in the power stations, conduits alternately burning out and overcharged as one nearby hydroelectric station cranks itself to maximum, its own shielding and failsafes failing in what seems to be a precisely engineered cascade; as if from internal sabotage.

"Whenever you are ready." Magneto confirms in turn, though his own exit will be out the rear bay of the craft, eyes burning with mutant-forged fury. "I will join you forthwith." Right after the power plant above that underwater facility discharges an absolutely catostrophic electromagnetic pulse in a localized sphere.

Cable has posed:
There's always a few questions.

But then that is part of the reason he tends to work with the people that he does. Why a certain level of trust builds with those that assemble, time after time. The mission profile here is a little different then so many of the ones he tends to leave his team on. While not, strictly speaking, opposed to infiltration missions, the future soldier does seem to prefer his head on confrontations and bringing an excess of firepower to bear. Nor is it like those gathered don't have more then a little of that at their disposal either.

It's just that in this instance, Stryfe might have more.

Glancing towards Monet, he gives a brief nod of acknowledgement. "The fact is that we are walking into a mostly unknown situation. They were building this facility while we were still harassing them on the island so most of this is based on eye-withness accounts of some of the prisoners we rescued, forced laborers on this project. So consider the intelligence sketchy," Cable acknowledges grimly. "So far as I'm aware, since his incursion at the CERN Supercollider and the Metropolis branch of STAR labs, Stryfe has been unable to open another dimensional portal to the future. There's no solid intel either way, but it seems like a solid extrapolation. Otherwise he might have drowned us in reinforcements," he adds, mouth setling into a thin line.

"I think we can assume that defenses will be standard, with heavy emphasis on the ADAM units that we have faced before. Possibly supplemented by some of his other followers. This does seem to be their base of operations, so it is possible Stryfe is in residence as well." Which could certainly make things more difficult.

"Of course, we are bringing our own walking, talking source of communications interference," he conceeds with a gesture towards Magneto. It does raise possibilities that wouldn't otherwise exist. "Just be aware that the technology is advanced and shielded. It will be harder to deal with then modern communication systems," he cautions.

Though even it can likely be just ripped out of the wall and crushed in a disk a few centimeters thick. That's a pretty good equalizer.

"But there's Stryfe too," he says simply.

He's a telepath. Monet is a telepath. Tabitha has abilities there too. But Stryfe operates on a different order of magnitude.

Tossing a nod to Sally, Cable offers a grim smile. "If you want to disrupt things, taking out their tech through explosive means is probably the best bet. But again, if we can help it we want to do this quick and quiet. In and out before they can bring their forces to bear," he points out.

Glancing towards Tabby and her questions, Cable finally lets a small frown curl over his expression. "Unknown," he says flatly. "It is possible that some high value prisoners are being kept down there. Possibly some slave labor to maintain the place. Entertainment is probably kept in the city proper, but we can't expect the area to be devoid of civilians." Which complicates things.

Cable's ruthless. But he tries to draw a line somewhere.

Divine, Star Sapphire and Magneto all get nods. Having them alone does a great deal to balance the scales. More, it gives them options. Kryptonian strength, mastery of electromagnatism and energy manipulation on a scale that even Cable hasn't seen in his timeline. It's a potent combo.

With the questions seemingly answered for the moment, Cable tosses once glance around the cabin. Then he speaks. "Bodyslide by eight, pre-established coordinates."

With that, there is a faint hum, a blurring sensation and an odd sensation before everything seems to stabilize.

And they find themselves standing in a passage, a translucent tube. Around them water is to the side and above them, the corridor curving faintly in each direction. Lifting an arm, a miniature hologram projects up from Cable's forearm, projecting a map. "That way," he says, gesturing down the passage.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
None of them are going to do anything to Stryfe short of Cable dropping a full power blast. And Cable letting the T/O virus run rampant was what none of them wanted. But fortunately, they had an ace up their sleeves in the form of Magneto. Monet would give a stiff nod over to Magnus and then to Carol as the final questions would be answered, and then the group would go to deploy.

Sally had far better senses than she had, so Monet would let the lion girl take point while she would very, very passively sweeping ahead with her own with a focus on not setting off any source of alarms while she did so or awareness. Better to not scan than to scan and tip someone off of their presence. But here was going to be tricky.

Fights in close quarters tended to be that way. And there was the likelihood by now that the Zero units had been adapted to some degree to work on other sets of powers than just mutants. The Purifiers ha ddemonstrated that sort of tech, so likely Stryfe could as well. So Monet went into the engagement wiht the expectations that they all were vulnerable. Mutant, Lantern, and Kryptonian. She would brush he rknuckles together, lightly floating along while letting her eyes alertly scan ahead, ready to setup a group mind link as soon as they needed to. The place was eerie. Quiet. Tight.

Good thing she wasn't Ororo and claustrophobic.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Try as he might, Kurt doesn't think he will ever quite get used to Cable's means of teleportation. There's something... foreign about it. Cold.

In fairness plenty of people find his means of getting about difficult to handle to. Disorienting, even sickening if multiple jumps are made in short succession. A fact that Kurt doesn't hesitate to put to his own advantage when he gets the chance. It's not the cleanest way to deal with an enemy, but it beats running them through with a sword. At least as far as he is concerned.

The others might appreciate that lack of a hint of brimstone in the air as well, though Kurt has long since gotten used to it.

Once Cable signals which way they should be headed, the fuzzy blue elf flashes a grin, raises his hand to his forehead, yellow eyes glinting in features that are maybe a little more demonic then normal, the shifting patterns of the water around them making the shadows around him that much more unusual. "I presume I shall scout ahead again," he offers up lightly, not waiting for conformation before starting to scamper down the corridor, those loping strides carrying him swiftly, closer and closer to the wall and then finally rather casually walking right up the smooth edge of the passage until he is crawling along the roof, tail swishing behind him in his wake.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
When the team Bodyslides in, Tabby chuckles as she looks at all the water. far enough down it won't be fun trying to swim to the surface if the place floods. "I believe the only bends M cares for down here would be a Mercedes." though while it's playful enough a tease, Tabby probably would prefer to be rolling in a nice luxury car with aircon now. <<If Monet is down for keeping Mindlink comms going, I can probably keep outside sniffers from wanting to peek.>> Not so much psychic encryption, just Tabby broadcasting wide some of the most adorable memories of cat videos she had been binge watching on her phone.

No booms yet with the clear tunnel tube thing looking pretty flimsy.

Carol Ferris has posed:
The world shifts around Carol in a blur as the bodyslide deposits them inside the underwater passage. Her boots touch down on the smooth surface of the translucent tube, and she takes in the view for a split second -- water pressing in from all sides, casting an eerie, muted light through the curved walls.

Her violet aura hums softly around her, barely noticeable but enough to keep her alert. She's been through her share of infiltration missions, and though Cable's intel was sketchy, that's something she's grown accustomed to. Nothing ever goes exactly to plan.

Her eyes flick to the hologram map projecting from Cable's forearm. "Quick and quiet," she murmurs, mostly to herself, her mind already mapping out the best use of her ring in case they need more than stealth. The challenge here isn't the unfamiliar tech -- it's Stryfe, his followers, and the unpredictability of whatever reinforcements might still be lying in wait.

As Cable gestures down the passage, Carol's gaze sweeps over the group, quickly assessing their readiness. She knows what they're up against -- heavy hitters, mind games, and a fortress that's likely crawling with enemies. But they've got a formidable team, and right now, speed is their best ally.

She moves to take her place, hovering just above the ground rather than running, the violet energy of her ring subtly flowing through her, ready to be used the moment it's needed. She doesn't speak much, but there's no need to. Everything hinges on getting in, retrieving the A.I., and getting out before Stryfe realizes what's happening.

But if it comes to a fight, she's more than ready for that too.

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride just smiles in response to Cable in a manner that shows the lioness mutate still has some pretty impressive fangs, even as she pats the top of the energy rifle. "I'll just keep my options open~." She's a mutated predator. She knows stealth is needed at times. The trick is knowing when to stalk, and when to let the queen of the beasts roar.

Besides, she's been on these missions with this group enough times to know that even successful stealth ops is likely going to become an explosive encounter eventually. Especially when they're dealing with Stryfe's now sizable resistance.

Their arrival point is in a passage tube within the water. Sally's tail lashes a few times. She doesn't have the cliche feline fear of water, but the space with limited mobility options and easily compromised infrastructure isn't doing her any favors. "Lets get this on with."

A glance at Cable's map projection, and then she's all too happy to take the lead with rifle in hands and her senses on high alert, focused on the physical world around them while the psychics do their extrasensory things.

Divine has posed:
Divine is hovering similar to Carol, a slow, quiet movement forward. They are underground, but she's spent the day basking in the sun to maximize her powers, and the drain from such a low speed hover is negligible at best. She's fortunate to not have been drained the night before when she answered the call to the Watchtower, and the thought makes her wonder how Superman is feeling today. If she had to guess, she would say not great.

She takes up closer to the rear, guarding the backs of those in front of her and keeping her ears and eyes alert for sounds and things that wouldn't be caught with the best normal range of human vision, and she stays quiet as they move forward. If she needs to speak, she'll broadcast over the telepathic link with M and let it spread out, unless it's such an immediate threat that speaking is more important than stealth.

Erik Lensherr has posed:
An electromagnetic pulse on significant scale, as some timelines have shown us, can have catastrophic-- in some cases record breaking-- impact on global climate and infrastructure.

In this case, however, all that energy, a focused power plant's worth, is centralized within a carefully contained detonation zone. There's shielded, and then there's -shielded-. Some of Stryfe's more noteworthy future-tech is sure to be the latter-- but a chunk of Madripoor's grid goes down amid the communications disruption.

Any efforts to detect or disrupt the team's body-slide entrance are... dissuaded by said effort's own revolutionary sigint tactics, to put it mildly. With any luck, the facility itself will be at least down to its backup systems and advanced mechanisms; intricacies that are of particular intrigue to the Master of Magnetism.

As the team teleports deep into the depths, farther afield in the darkness a long-looted, rusted out husk of a wrecked freighter lurches on the ocean floor, immediately silting out its surrounds and obfuscating the process save for the sounds of shearing, grinding, protesting metal; metal that not only bends, it breaks.

Some moments later, as Magneto descends to rejoin the operation, the outer walls of the compound begin to quake, to cry out in violent, arhythmic percussion, as that shipwreck begins its most diversionary assault upon the superscience institution's very hull. Hopefully, Magnus has both sense and will to spare the team from voluminous saltwater incursion.

(Spoiler: He does, x2.)

Cable has posed:
Under other circumstances it would be a pretty impressive sort of place to visit.

Fifty feet down -- less, since the structure is built upon the underwater shelf -- light still filters down from above, though it is muted in the tropical waters. A nearby reef structure insures that there is no shortage of fish and other quatic life nearby and much of it is on display, little flickers of movement out of the corner of one's eye that offers an assortment of distractions.

Almost immediately the team springs into action, Tabitha with her psychic jamming field ready to meet unwelcome intrusions while Kurt and Sally spring into their customary roles of forward scouts without being instructed. By this point they practically work together like a well-oiled machine in that regard.

One more reason Cable gave up his lone wolf style of fighting years ago and helped assemble X-Force. Professionalism has it's advantages.

There are other undeniable advantages in having the sorts of connections and intelligence that Cable has put together in his time here in the past. And that certainly includes having a rolodex of people like Magneto who can, upon occasion, be called upon.

It certainly comes in handy here as that electromagnetic pulse goes off, plunging Madripoor back into darkness -- a state it got used to during the resistance hold action for those long weeks. Even the facility's power flickers out for a few moments -- likely leaving the group mostly illuminated by Carol's glow alone and whatever flashlights might be mounted on Cable and Sally's weapons. But then the power comes back on, the dim lighting offering a clear view once more.

Not that the distractions are over of course. Through the transparent walls of the passage they walk in, the rest of the group will no doubt catch a glimpse of that sunken hulk gliding by as if once more propelled by engines long since dead. And when the whole structure shudders moments later, it becomes clear that the next phase of the distraction has well and truly begun.

"I'd say that's the signal," Cable says drily, briefly widening his stance to steady himself as the passage seems to rock underfoot for a moment. "We have our opening. Lets make the msot of it," he says, starting to follow in Kurt and Sally's wake.

It doesn't take long for it to become obvious that Cable's extrapolation is not entirely correct as the passage they follow occasionally goes in unexpected directions. Still, the holographic map projected up from his wrist and available to the others is constantly adjusting, honing it's projected outlook based on new data until the structure becomes better defined.

In places, the passage opens up to a bridge like structure in a towering central core that seemingly runs hundreds of feet downward, other passages opening up below into this core. ADAM units -- the white, featureless androids that most of them are familiar with now -- rush about, most headed in the direction of the wrecked ship that periodically slms into the side of the base, opening up cracks and compromising the structural integrity of the facility... without ever quite seeming to bust through.

Which gives them an opening.

Up ahead, a quartet of the androids linger outside double doors that lead into what is likely the A.I. core room, those impassive, featureless gazes sweeping over the passage before them to safeguard Stryfe's prize.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix would pause upon seeing the heavy units that could negate most mutant powers. And presuming that they had probably been made to counter other sorts of powersets as well. How did they deal with them? Of course they might not have made the upgrades, but Stryfe was intelligent and cunning, and the technology existed. So they had to be taken out at range. The group couldn't guarantee that throwing or blasting them could work if they could just put up a null field to block abilities. And they were durable enough and the place was vulnerable enough just chucking things at them might not ugarantee things.

Fortunately, they have something that lets them work a bit at range. "Tabitha, your help with cutting please." Or one of the others might be able to as well quickly. So what would happen then is that Monet has a good eighteen or twenty meter long length of heavy reinforced floor (without railings, supervillain lairs were never OHSA compliant much like the Death Star) to be used as a battering ram.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
There's also anothe reason Tabby isn't going straight to explosions just yet. That far under water, breathable air is a commodity and when Tabby uses her powers, the end result is substantially less breathable air.

However small uses like say, cutting metal is perfectly safe. For the most part.

Depends on what she's cutting but that's Monet's call. "Sliced, julienned or scalloped? I make make french fries in half a second!" she playfully quips while she lets her fellow mutant point out a target.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Talk about your distractions.

Crawling around the ceiling of that transparent passage, Kurt just about jumps out of his own skin when the huge shadow of that shipwreck passes overhead, for a moment mistaking it for a shark, then a whale and then a freaking sea monster. Maybe the Kraken.

He is otherwise unhindered in his passage, the dark no issue for him, those bright yellow eyes soaking up all the ambient illumination, even from the water's surface far above, letting him see as if it were daylight.

When he reaches the point where the passage opens up, when he notes the androids soaring around below, looking to deal with the unexpected source of attack while simultaneously trying to get full power back up and running, the mutant teleporter reports what he sees through that telepathic link before continuing on his way.

Upon reaching those guarded doors, he pauses for a moment, contemplating the matter. Then the fuzzy blue elf grins, a hint of fang showing for just a moment. Let the others do the hard work. He doesn't go through obstacles like this. He goes around them.

And with that, the fuzzy blue elf *bamfs*, vanishing in a cloud of inky black mist and instead reappearing beyond those sealed doors and their formidable defenses. Glancing around, he takes in the room he finds himself in, whistles a merry little tune under his breath and rather casually triggers those locked and secured doors to open up behind their guardians.

The way's not clear yet. But the whole getting through just got a little easier.

Sally Pride has posed:
Being a feline has it's perks at times like this. The rumbles that rattle through the base from Magneto playing Raise The Titanic with that old ship does little to disrupt her nimble footing as they make their way through pathways and passages that, under other circumstances, would of been rather impressive. But right now there was no time for sight seeing. Focus was entirely on the mission, finding their way to their intended target.

Which of course is being guarded. As much as they might hate Stryfe, you can't deny that he's thorough. But the robots aren't even in visual range before Sally stops and crouches down to make her profile lower. They've dealt with the robots enough times that she can recognize the faint smell of futuristic materials and hear the dull hum of mechanisms that operate them. Only four, but four can be a big problem for thanks to the power nullifiers. So dealing with them from a distance is a good idea.

There's no vocal response, just a nod as Monet hatches a plan. Already crouched to the floor, Sally lets the rifle sling to her side on it's shoulder strap so she can pry her claws into floor section and help pull it up. She's tore the doors off armored vehicles and ripped the blade free of a tail rotor free before, helping raises and position the floor panel isn't a hard task.

The tough part is doing it without making too much noise or motion that might get noticed.

Divine has posed:
She does love it when the workout comes to her. Divine shakes her shoulders out, grinning at the featureless white units, fingers flexing as she contemplates ripping them apart at the joints. Eventually they'll run out of usable parts for these things, right? That's the thought behind the way she dismantles them, using parts of them to beat future waves of androids or enemies with. The aquatic wonder catches her attention, mainly in the hope that they won't do further damage to the oceanic ecosystem while they're down here. If they do well, perhaps the remains of this place can become a future for the flora and fauna that make this part of the sea their home, much like other shipwrecks around the world have.

Her grin widens as Kurt disappears, only for her ears to catch a cheerful whistle and the telltale rumbles that signify something being unlocked. She'll have to tell him how brilliant he is later, but for now there are androids to deal with... without causing structural damage.

Carol Ferris has posed:
As Carol watches the others spring into action, she stays laser-focused on the ADAM units up ahead. The sight of the featureless androids immediately brings to mind their mutation-nullifying fields -- a problem not just for the mutants, but possibly for her as well. Stryfe wasn't careless. If the units could block mutant powers, there's no telling what other defenses they had been programmed with.

Carol's violet glow dims slightly as she calculates their next move, listening to Monet's plan to take out the units at range. The idea is solid, and Carol nods to herself as she watches the team move to lift a section of the floor to use as a battering ram. With Tabitha's playful quip cutting through the tension, a small, amused smirk flickers across Carol's face, but it's quickly replaced by her usual focus.

As the others work to pry the reinforced floor up with Sally's help, Carol's mind shifts to Kurt. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches his agile movement along the ceiling, disappearing from view. A second later, the faintest sound of a bamf reaches her, signaling that their path might soon be clear, but there's still the immediate threat of the ADAM units.

With the floor-turned-battering ram now in place, Carol steps forward, positioning herself near the front of the group but not quite taking point. Her violet aura flickers brighter for a moment as she prepares to draw the attention of the androids. "I'll cover you from here," she says quietly, her tone decisive.

Just as she's about to act, the sealed doors slide open behind the androids, courtesy of Kurt. The opening is enough to momentarily confuse the units, giving the team a critical advantage. Holding up her ring, Carol waits until it's absolutely needed so as not to foil the plan, but readies a shimmering barrier of violet energy to throw up in front of the group, extended to deflect any incoming fire from the ADAMs as the others make their move.

Erik Lensherr has posed:
A lovely place to vacation, if not for the undersea rain of shipwreck schism now sundering its derelict, rusted out payload down onto the structure.

With resolute precision, shorn spikes of forlorn freighter are hammered home into the sanctum, now and again in the path-- if not directly through-- reinforcements seeking to respond to the actual infiltration at the heart of the base.

Even shielded, such robotic combatants are difficult to outright hide from the Master of Magnetism-- and once a rod of power-wrought metal skewers that tough outer layer, the shielding starts to prove less and less effective. Cable -did- say he wanted as much of Stryfe's Stuff(tm) smashed under heel as possible, right?

With the sea parting before him, a crackling shield of energy surrounding and protecting him from violence and environs alike as the Master of Magnetism hammers an underwater lair with rusty metal-- as he extends a gauntlet-wrapped hand to create new entries to the facility at his whim, carving a brutal and efficient path directly towards the team within... it's difficult to argue it's not exactly what Magneto wants, anyway.

Cable has posed:
They're so close. Close enough that Cable can practically taste it.

Getting the Professor back out of the hands of Stryfe just makes tactical and strategic sense. It is a resource far too powerful to leave in enemy hands. But Cable would be lying if he said that there wasn't a personal component. In some ways the Professor and the quintet of its helper robots -- Scott, Jean, Hank, Bobby and Warren -- are as close to a family as the future solider has.

So he might have some good reason to be just a little impatient. But that's where the professionalism comes in again and as he joins the others as they make their plans for assaulting the entrance to the A.I. Core room, hetoo crouches ground, that oversized plasma rifle gripped with casual ease despite it's seeming unwieldiness.

The reminder might not be necessary, but he offers it nonetheless. "Remember, as quiet as possible. We can deal with four units relatively easily. Dealing with four hundred is a different matter," he points out flatly, peering out over the edge towards the core of the basis that plunges down beneath them, those hovering shapes streaming past. Does he spot a glimpse of Holocaust's glow, far below? Or the slick and slippery motions of the shadowy Abyss moving in amongst the faceless guardians of the facility? Perhaps. His bionic eye does make such things easier.

So while the others focus on gaining entrance to their object, he keeps tabs on other looming threats that could present themselves. Better safe then sorry.

Clearly, the door guards were not anticipating anything to be coming through and as those doors open up behind them, their attention is diverted from the passage ahead where that portion of the bridge has been quietly cut away, glancing back into the Core room and the fuzzy blue elf that stands there almost tauntingly.

Bodies twist, moving with unnatural grace as they almost seem to reform, changing direction without turning or anything so clumsy like that and hands lift up as one, palms beginning to glow, all of them directed towards Kurt ready to unleash those energy blasts.

They'll never get the chance of course.

Nor is it likely that reinforcements will be coming shortly. Maybe regardless of how much noise they make. Certainly not as Magneto appears wrapped in that bubble of electromagnetic energy by the hulking craft that continues to batter the outer walls of the structure, those little cracks and streams of water becoming considerably more noticably. The ADAM Zero-units begin to stream towards the master of magnetism, arms extended, thsoe hollow, covered over eye sockets beginning to glow as they seek to direct and extend that power-nulllifying field they project.

And while the andorids might be hardened against electronic and magnetic interference, a barrage of metal spoikes through their bodies seems to work just fine.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Now's when the hard part begins. Monet's making the assumption that the further they go in, the more difficult it goes. Everything is smooth so far. It's excellent having the Master of Magnetism with them in an environment he excels at. Monet goes to brace while going to scan on ahead as the units seem to be going down quickly. Then the things go on the attack towards Kurt. Kurt can take care of himself.

Her battering ram carefully held up and braced, Monet goes to charge ahead with it on anything on the path! It makes for a rather useful thin to have to slam down anything that might be int he way, if she can. Of course, even if nothing is in the way it's rather awkward. But, if they have things rushing out further ahead to intercept htem it gives a rather good early warning system. Not that she'll be able to take it particularly far if they run into trouble (trouble being the next door).

Kurt Wagner has posed:
It is not as if this is a perfectly safe place to be, even for a teleporting elf.

There is always the possibility that that foursome of andorids will be able to catch Kurt in their power dampemomg foe;ds/ A;ways a chance that they might be able to get those energy blasts off before he can bamf away. But such is the nature of the risks they take to do what they do.

And Kurt is fairly certain the rest of the team has his back.

The facility shudders as that ship's hulk slams into the side once more, the ADAM units remaining in place only by the benefit of hovering in place. Facing those glowing hands directed his way, Kurt still offers up a jaunty wave to the rest of the team that he can see beond them -- but who's presence has seemingly gone unnoticed by the androids.

Bad for them. Good for Kurt though.

As they start to make their move, as they use that section of bridge as a battering ram, he abruptly bamfs again, this time reappearing straight up, fifteen feet above and out of the way as his tail nimbly coils around a beam up there, giving him a first hand seat to watch as the last obvious barrier keeping them from their goal is, well, annihilated.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
For someone with a power set that can get very noisy, Boom-Boom can keep the lid on any excess sound pretty well. Using a short range stream of plasma like a cutting torch at the end of her fingertip, making sure Monet has a nifty and hefty weapon to use doesn't take that long.

It even helps when she has robotic opposition. By way of using her plasmoids to punch through armoring via telekinetic control, holding off on the blasts for now to rely on impact force, like remote controlled bullets.

So even when she misses a shot, she can just circle the spheroid projectiles right on back to try again and again.

Sally Pride has posed:
The makeshift battering ram readied Sally takes a step out of the way so Monet doesn't have to worry about propelling it through any allies to get towards her targets.

The doors opening from the other side distracting the robots is the brief window of oppritunity they need. Monet with her ram goes first.

Sally follows close after. She opts to leave nothing to chance, and even after the robots are scattered by Monet's ram charge she lunges in to grab one by the head. Squeezes hard enough to dig her claws into those covered optical sockets, and then slam it against the frame of the door to crush in the other side. Then left to slump to the floor like a mangled prey corpse after ensuring it's off-lined and not going to send out any emergency signals.

This is too crucial to take any chances that they -might- have some non-electronic beacon that can get through the magnetic disruption. You don't take those risks when dealing with futuristic technologies.

Erik Lensherr has posed:
The problem the bad future's killbots have with Magneto now is, ironically enough, down to their potent shielding and high-energy futuristic power sources.

While this prevents the Master of Magnetism from simply garroting the lot of them with their own wiring at rapid-fire whim, it makes them -entirely- too obvious to Magnus' sixth-- perhaps even seventh senses. The ones attuned to energy, to the signatures of biological and cybernetic constructs, to the charging of those most devious and anti-mutant metaphorical lazerz.

One after another, what starts as a whirling blade of shipwreck becomes an underwater cyclone of shorn android bits. As they charge, their comrades are used to keep a wide berth; a killing zone of anti-skynet bias around Magneto.

Perhaps Stryfe's control over Madripoor is overstated, his resources overstretched; perhaps such utterly audacious and demonstrative reprisal was deemed unlikely, and even the Master of Magnetism's best efforts have bought the squad's raid not dominance... but merely -time-.

Precious. Scarce but Infinite. Damnable and Blessed.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol's violet glow dims slightly as she calculates her next move, keeping her eyes on the ADAM units ahead. The threat they pose is clear, their mutation-nullifying fields a concern for everyone on the team. There's a quiet tension as she watches the others spring into action, preparing the makeshift battering ram, but her focus remains on the task at hand.

She steps forward, positioning herself to shield the team if necessary, her ring flickering with energy. There's no need to engage directly just yet, but she remains ready. The sealed doors sliding open behind the androids give them a critical advantage, thanks to Kurt's efforts, and then Monet is charging with the ram.

Her eyes narrow as she watches the path ahead, her ring pulsing with raw energy as she prepares for the next wave of resistance. She's ready to throw up a barrier at any moment, but for now, they need to stay quiet (ish?) and efficient. Her role in this mission isn't to lead the charge but to protect and provide support where needed.

Divine has posed:
Divine covers her mouth with her hand at Kurt's antics, eyes watching him reappear above them for a moment before looking forward. The androids heading towards them meet with a Kryptonian before they have the chance to circle Magneto in their power-nullifying field, and she takes a page from Sally's book as she crushes heads before ripping limbs off. She's seen these things get up after significant damage before, but it's hard to move without limbs. Lighter too, and easier to be tossed even with the nullifying field active.

Crush the top, joint them like weird Thanksgiving turkey, use the limbs as battering rams for the next batch. Between them, she draws in a slow, deep breath, then exhales in a slow, steady stream of freezing air, aiming for joints and open circuits.

Cable has posed:
As tends to be the case, Cable doesn't much care how the job gets done. Just so long as it gets done.

Maybe he is a little too results oriented. Sometimes the 'how' of it all does matter. But at the same time it is hard to argue with success. Or at least that would probably be his argument if he was ever inclined to actually justify himself.

He doesn't tend to waste a great deal of time with that.

The distraction is extraordinarily well timed and any real chance that the android protectors might have had to hold them up until reinforcements can arrive is pretty much ended by Kurt's distraction and the resulting destruction when Monet plows into them with that section of bridge.

Of course, any real danger is greatly reduced by the glowing, violet form of Star Sapphire, who's raised ring stands ready to shield the rest of them at a moment's notice. Though that, at least seems like it will be unnecessary.

Any chance that they might survive that assault is quickly put to rest by the remainder of the team -- Tabitha firing those miniatures orbs of pure plasma that burn holes through the robots, leaving their perfectly pristine forms scarred and marked by black charr where they have been burned through. Another falls beneath Sally's talons, casually digging right through those featureless eye sockets to rip out key components, leaving the android smoking on the ground.

Cable hardly even pays attention to the downed forms of the androids as the passes, rather casually levelling his rifle and directing a virulet green blast of plasma at the chest of one. If it was still operational before the future soldier passed, it certainly is not after.

What little change they have is ended by Divine, the sheer Kryptonian might letting her disassemble the android forms with even greater ease then Sally, the freezing breath insuring that any self-repair modules will have little chance of activating.

Glancing around the room, he first checks to make sure that Kurt is fine. Then his cybernetic eye is scoping out the terminals, looking for the right one.

It doesn't take him long to find their target, striding over briskly and without hesitation to where a frosted over bubble rests jutting out of a panel. Rathering casually rearing back, his metal arm punched straight through that glass dome, plunging down inside the machinery and when he pulls that hand back, he grips the long sought after A.I. Core of the Professor. Once more back in his hands.

Maybe it was impatience. Maybe it's just bad luck. But almost as soon as Cable withdraws that hand, the reaction is immediate and obvious.

Dim lighting flares bright red and whirls, sending shadows everywhere.

Then the dome above just peels away, falling aside like it was made of the most brittle of glass and metric tons of sea water begins to cascade down like an avalanche towards them all.

"Bodyslide by eight!" Cable screams. To no result. Sure enough, the triggered defenses seem to have thrown up a defensive screen, powerful enough to block his signal back to the hover stealth craft fifteen miles away.

Left with little other alternative, he desperately throws up what telekinetic shielding he can over the ground to at least try to dampen the sheer force of impact from that cascade of water.

Deeper down in the base, Magneto cuts a swatch through the ADAM units that fruitlessly try to reach him, the underwater cyclone making him all but impossible to reach.

Still, he will likely quickly realize that the others are in trouble when that sudden surge, the change in water pressure comes from above.

However, before he is likely able to take any action, the glowing, psionically enclosed form of the monster Holocaust appears, the roiling mass of energy that makes up his form whirling wildly before a massive blast of energy -- easily twenty feet in circumfrance -- blasts out from him, ripping towards the Master of Magnetism.

Carol Ferris has posed:
As the dim lighting flares red and the warning klaxons blare, Carol's instincts sharpen in an instant. The moment she sees Cable pull the AI core from its housing, she knows something's gone wrong. When the dome shatters, sending metric tons of seawater crashing down, her ring flares to life before the first drop even hits.

Violet energy pulses outward, forming a massive barrier above the group. The shimmering shield takes the brunt of the initial force, holding back the violent cascade of water as it slams against her construct. Carol grits her teeth, her brow furrowing in concentration as she reinforces the barrier, her fingers curling tighter as the weight of the ocean bears down.

She can feel the pressure building, the cold water pounding relentlessly, testing her limits. But this isn't her first time protecting a team under impossible circumstances.

The bodyslide tech is down, and Cable's telekinetic shielding, though helpful, isn't enough to get them all out of this situation. Carol can feel the strength of the barrier starting to waver under the relentless pressure. She expands the barrier, shaping it into an enormous dome that encases the entire team, giving them just enough space to breathe and regroup.

"Hold on," she mutters under her breath, and with a surge of energy, she propels the dome forward, pushing against the flood of water. She drives it toward the nearest opening, forcing a path through the flooded passageway. They need to get out of here, fast, and she's not about to let them drown in this sunken deathtrap.

But the pressure is immense. The ocean is unrelenting. Carol's muscles tighten with the effort, but she holds the barrier steady, her ring glowing brighter with every pulse.

Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet can only cry out to the rest <<Brace yourselves!>> She goes to then immediately put herself over in front of the most vulnerable ones - Tabitha and Sally, if they needed it. She might give them an extra few hundredths of a second if everything crashed down around them. She was the one that had limited invulnerability after all.

And they should have expected some sort of self destruct. They weren't supposed to get out of here alive. And Monet had a feeling that the worst was yet to come. They were going to find themselves unable to teleport out or pinned in place, weren't they?

She isn't trying to read the minds or sweep anything. If they do get teleported while she's reading minds, the whiplash will be completely agonizing and might render her cataonic.

Sally Pride has posed:
The core was booby trapped as a last defense. Of course it was. They really should of expected something like that. Or maybe they did and had just hoped Stryfe wasn't -that- thorough.

Sally lets out a curse under her breath as Cable orders a bodyslide but there's no response. The facility's defenses must be recovering. At least Cable and Sapphire can use their barriers to buy them some fleeting time, Monet assisting in shielding them. Sally appreciates the thought but this isn't the time to get emotional about it.

"Does it count as sinking if it's already underwater?" someone has to make some sort of witty remark despite the dire straights, the usual quipsters aren't present. "Back the way we came if we must, but it's time to get the fuck outta here!"

That said, she hefts up her weapons. She's fully expecting that despite their efforts there's still gonna be a fight on the way out.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
His escape up into the rafters insures that he is well out of the way by the time the battering ram and resulting storm of a counterattacks comes raging through and he continues to dangler there, hanging from that oh so agile tail as he sways in place, finger-waving to those below in turn as they enter the main room.

With his bird's eye view, he watches as Cable casually claims their objective... and then the resulting chaos engulfs the room.

Unfortunatelyfor the fuzzy blue elf he is in the worst place possible - directly in the line of that cascading water and well above the others. So he is hit first by the deluge, rip away from his perch and slammed into the ground hard, coming up spluttering a moment later as first Cable provides a brief respite followed by Carol's more permanent one.

Wincing, Kurt cradles the back of his head for a moment, that dark indigo fur there made even darker and matted, not by water alone, but by blood. "Mein Gott. My head," he says, trying to get back to his feet with a grimace. And proving to be more then a little unsteady on his feet.

Ow. That hurt.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Boom-Boom absolutely gets behind Monet and her battering ram. Though there originally had to be some running down the length of bridge that was cut out when she had to cut the middle before the flooring end over the gap said bridge spanned.

Though it probably would have been funny if Tabby had stayed on the makeshift weapon Monet wields, she has enough sense to not be caught on the business end as battering rams gotta batter and ram.

"It can probably sink a bit more, so yes." Tabby also points out to Sally with a chuckle. At least Tabby can provide covering fire and crowd control with her conservative blasts, still relying on initial impact force and penetration than any wide range explosion. No risking getting Sally's fur soaked.

Erik Lensherr has posed:
Klaxons blare, bulkheads become lethal traps, and a prize held in a sealed tomb may prove to be no prize at all. Still, such stakes are far from the worst ever faced by any of those involved, one could safely wager-- sad or uncanny as that may seem. Even with the Master of Magnetism distracted from sealing off or otherwise extracting the threatened squad, they've endured harsher times. Speaking of...

"/You/." Something about -this- one in particular offends Magneto's sensibilities. Superheated plasma burns, charges, reduces water to vapor and air to fuel-less void as it surges in a tremendous column towards the Master of Magnetism. The magnitude is remarkable, perhaps even irresistable. Enough to reduce Magnus to his component molecules. "I've vanquished worse than /you/."

Perhaps the Mutant Master of Magnetism could muster a shield tremendous enough in turn to block the onslaught; for a time. To tragic end result. He does not try. Instead, Magneto's ironclad will exercises his mutant expertise around the blast's circumference; plasma is, after all, little besides supercharged matter excited to a high point of heat and energy. Like a lightning storm in a crystal globe, the area around both mutants fills with columns of brilliant lightning, surging into and around a crackling sphere surrounding Magneto himself.

By the time the beam reaches him, its massive energy is all but -pouring- off its length and coursing into its own opposition, bursting outwards in a trainwreck of conflagratory destruction as Magneto shoots upwards through the base ceiling and out into the ocean; and the entirety of the remnant freighter wreck floating about them above comes -careening- down at Stryfe's ill-named elite, and the entire module around him.

Divine has posed:
The thought isn't even fully formed before she's watching Kurt fall, and she sucks in a hard, sharp breath, chest inflating with air. She flies up to Carol's shield, slowly freezing sections around the passageway. They aren't the strongest, but being able to keep any of the pressure off the other woman's shield feels like a smart plan, so she keeps doing it, shoving her worries to the back of her mind. Holocaust doesn't even get her attention, the bright lightning of Magneto's abilities tangling with the elite's power as she focuses solely on shoring up some of the water and keeping just a fraction of pressure off Carol's shield and Nathan's abilities.

Inhale. Exhale. The cold builds up in layers, stacking and creeping wider and thawing all at once. The ocean is too vast for her to make an indent, but a brief respite is well within her capabilities, so she beckons the others forward, keeping all but herself and Magneto between Carol and the small tunnel she's working to keep in place. The older man she thinks has some tricks of his own, though she doesn't get too far from him. Just in case.

Cable has posed:
That cascade of water is cut off with surprising speed and while Cable is able to blunt that initial force and while Monet is able to offer a degree of shelter to Tabitha and Sally, it is Carol's Violet energy of Love that makes the biggest difference, envelopping them, expanding outward and actually pushing back against the incredible pressures of the ocean baring down on them, temporarily offering them some measure of hope. A chance to regroup and escape.

How long that respite can hold out is debateable of course and the strain can already be seen on Star Sapphire's features.

Not for the first time time Cable is grateful that she was available to answer the call. It's just unfortunately when she does there is unusally an explosion that threatens to crush them, drown them, expose them to the unforgiving cold of a vacuum or something worse.

The Divine too is there, adding layers of frost to the gapping maw overhead, sealed only by that violet light, another barrier to shore things up for a little longer.

While the downpour from above might be temporarily stilled, the battle going on in the lower levels all but insures that the base is still filling up with water. They have bought themselves time. But not much.

The reason for that chaos below is pretty plain to anyone who cares to look. Or not look even, as only an instant after Carol has stabilized their situation that tightly bound burst of plasma that threatened to engulf Erik is instead channeled up and away, that tight beam cutting right through the water above leaving only coils of steam flickering about lazily.

But Holocaust won't get another chance, won't get to see if the sheer force and heat of that plasma burst can overwhelm Magneto's defenses. Because instead that hulking shipwreck suddenly bursts through the wall of the base, no longer a mere distraction but a brustal weapon. With a cascade of rushing sea water, both Holocaust and dozens of the ADAM units vanish in the swirling mass of water and rusted metal.

As if peeling the roof of the base wasn't death trap enough, moments after Star Sapphire stabilizes the situation there is another violent explosion and a shudder runs through the structure. An instant later the distinct sensation of falling becomes more pronounced as the ocean shelf they are perched on ebgins to sliiiiiiide down into the trench, the pressure of that water that Carol keeps at bay ioncreasing exponetially with each passing moment.

And just to make sure it isn't too easy -- isn't Stryfe generous -- a serious of rippling explosions begins to go off, starting at the bottom of what remains of the facility, blinding bursts muffled by the water pressing in and filling the lower levels, but with each passing second those rolling explosions make their way higher and higher towards the huddled group.

Turning towards the glowing woman and peering down over the edge towards the series of explosions racing towards them, he presses his mouth together in a thin line. "Don't suppose you could pull that trick that saved our bacon back on Greymalkin and bubble us back to the transport?" he asks, voice calm and level despite the otherwise dire circumstances.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Under other circumstances, Kurt could get them out of this. Not easily, not without strain, and not without leaving them feeling like waterlogged kittens in all likelihood - even more maybe then Sally already feels even - but he could still do it.

But smacking his head like that, the still bleeding wound that darkens his already indigo fur has left him woozy, unsteady and almost surely concussed. He tries to rise to his feet, to make his offer to at least get them to the surface even if he can't get them all the way to the waiting stealth craft.

But then he groans, slumps back down to rest on the floor and just tries to avoid throwing up.

At Cable's question, he does manage to lift hopeful eyes towards Carol, to flick a glance towards Divine.

But this is one fuzzy blue elf that is out of commission for a little bit.

Carol Ferris has posed:
Carol's jaw clenches, her focus honed in on the increasing pressure as the weight of the ocean continues to pound against the violet barrier. Every second feels like an eternity, and she can feel the strain building as she holds back the deluge. Her breath comes in controlled, steadying breaths -- there's no room for doubt here.

When Nathan's voice cuts through the tension, the request clear, she meets his gaze with a firm nod. "Got it," she says, her voice tight but resolute.

Without wasting another moment, Carol's ring flares brighter, the violet light expanding outward with a surge of energy. She draws in a deep breath, eyes narrowing in concentration, and begins to construct the protective bubble they need. The energy forms into a massive, shimmering dome, encasing everyone nearby within its protective glow, its edges hardening against the crushing force of the water.

One bubble, all together.

The cold, oppressive weight of the ocean pushes against the construct, but Star Sapphire channels every ounce of her strength into holding it steady, creating an air-tight shield that would withstand the mounting pressure. With the structural collapse and the explosions drawing closer, she doesn't have the luxury of hesitation.

"Hang on," she mutters, her tone carrying a mix of urgency and determination.

In a burst of energy, the bubble shifts, propelling them upward through the murky water. The sensation is jarring, the weight of the ocean fighting them every step of the way, but Carol's willpower doesn't falter. She pushes, gritting her teeth as she drives them toward the surface.

The water parts around the glowing violet construct, the chaotic explosions beneath them growing distant, and the team hurtles closer to freedom.

"We're almost there," she says through clenched teeth, focusing on the hovercraft waiting miles away. She can't afford to slow down, not now.

With one last, determined push, Carol directs the bubble toward the transport, the violet light cutting a path through the water, carrying them all to safety.

Divine has posed:
When she judges her frozen construct sturdy enough for a quick break, Divine flies back to Kurt and scoops him carefully into her arms. She can't avoid jostling him entirely, but she keeps her flight steady and her indrawn breaths careful as she continues to reinforce the area around Carol, reasoning that it will be easier to bubble them to safety if they are closer together. Her arm is turning red with Kurt's blood, which has her frowning as she wraps a little more firmly around him, keeping him steady as Carol's bubble starts to propel them up and out. "Please do not throw up until we can get you first aid," she says quietly to her friend.

Erik Lensherr has posed:
In this case, the improvised extraction plan has bubbles for its bubbles. Bubbles, as everyone knows, are greater than explosions; at least when comical terminology ebbs to elaborate at all on the reality of the high-energy, tangible shields of symmetrical force that offer safety and salvation (via levitation, stylishly) to all those fallen or at risk of dihydrogen monoxide inhalation.

As Magneto ascends, his shields reinforce Carol's against those blasts, and a lingering concern holds on the fallen Nightcrawler as a scowl creases Magnus' statuesque features. Electromagnetic current courses over his armor, dances along his armored grasp as eyes whited out with fire close. Across Madripoor, he can sense Stryfe's android army; but the collateral damage would be catastrophic, on the best of days. With preparation, not wrath.

Magneto draws a deep breath, he clenches his jaw; baring his teeth. For a lingering, borderline moment, the Master of Magnetism simply /seethes/-- to escalate, retaliate for a fight he willingly started. Then the so-called mutant messiah pauses in his rage, looks around at those gathered for egress... and extends a hand back behind them, towards the open ocean, as he bows his head in solemn focus.

Instants later, Cable's stealthcraft is distorting air as it -shoots- towards them at speeds that rival its future-turbines.

Sally Pride has posed:
How many times have these missions lead to near disaster only for some clench moment to pull them through? Sally has lost count by this point. And most definitely not complaining. Certainly not complaining while Sapphire rockets them to safety in her giant energy hamster ball as the waters collapse into the brief gap left in it's exiting wake from the ocean. While from the other direction Magneto brings the stealthcraft closer to shorten the trip.

As soon as they reach the transport and the bubble disperses, Sally's feet hit the deck and she's bolting up to the cockpit and dropping herself into one the seats. Making sure all the systems get back in order after that abrupt movement it was put through.

Sure the ship had more than enough elaborate autopilot systems... but when you're escaping a shit show it doesn't hurt to have the actual pilot at the ready in case something unexpected happens. They got this far there was no point in taking any chances over the matter.