Baptism by Fire

[Tachyon]

The brunette was sneaking about a church. Odd...but her outfit was nice. Still...why sneak around? What was going on?

Whelp, now inside. Xavier ran up to the top of a nearby building to get a new vantage point when he saw her in the fight of her life! She was killing guys right and left but then a robot thing or...never mind...

::GASP!::

:: the noxious fumes of the black lotus blossom were concentrated and FLOOD the immediate area all around Harbinger. She begin to cough and CHOKE::

cant.....BREATH...need...a...spell....

:: she coughed and choked more as she struggled , reflexively grabbing her own neck as she fell to her knees and lost her sense of balance::

need to....need...HELP...

:: with her LAST bit of strength before she begin to lose consciousness, she attempted to send out a DISTRESS CALL::

:: But her mind was too chaotic, her emotions in overdrive and her power seemingly failed her. And with that, she collapses to the ground in front of the remaining purifier as two more emerge from other points in the sanctuary. Ruby could do nothing but watch in horror as her teammate had fallen into the trap and was now about to be MURDERED::

Before the sorceress' head could reach the ground Xavier Winston had caught Alison and gotten out of there. 3 seconds later...

...she was in his lower level room at the Parthenon, on his bed, and he was checking her breathing. She was unconscious and struggling to breathe. Searching the entire floor in less than a second, Xavier returned with smelling salts and, breaking one, held it beneath her nose as he used his hand as a high speed fan to spread the ammonia and give her a stiff breeze. He called to her...

Wake up ma'am. Upupupupupupupup! I will need you to come 'round straightway.

 

[Oracle]

“Don’t you hang up on me Ashley…gah!”

Zizi pressed the red “end” button on her phone. She could not believe what that girl had just done. She loved Ashley to death, and she knew it wasn’t really her fault the way she was, but sometimes it was really hard to remember that when dealing with someone who had no regard for pretty much anyone other than her own self.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, calming herself. One of two things would come out of this: they would either figure out for sure if Isis was working with the Purifiers, or Isis would kill Ashley and possibly her as well. A fifty-fifty chance? She could work with that.

Zizi smiled to herself but it quickly faded as an alarm bell rang out through the Clocktower. A radar image flashed onto one of Oracle’s screens: an unidentified aircraft had breached US airspace over New York City.

“Where did THAT come from?!”

She began to furiously type into her keyboard but in a split second the blip of a PROJECTILE joined that of the aircraft on the radar screen. Seconds later it disappeared, which could only mean one thing.

Oracle flew through traffic cameras looking for the point of impact. At the same time, 9-1-1 alerts were coming in of another explosion across town.

A window suddenly popped up in the middle of the screen in front of her – Vivica’s direct feed had been turned on. As Recall looked around her, Oracle could make out the remains of a vehicle and various members of the Six behind her. What the heck was going on?

Cameron: "They've...they've got ALISON! Goddammit! We don't have much time...if they are gonna take me, they are going to do it NOW. Sharon is badly hurt...as is Zach...Ava is on her own."

Neither Sharon NOR Zach appeared to be with Recall and her companions – where were they? She had the computer find Zach’s location, while Oracle turned on her audio link to Recall.

“Recall, this is Oracle. Orion’s location is 161st Street and Amsterdam. There are 9-1-1 reports of an explosion at that locat-“

She tapped into a traffic cam feed.

“Oh merciful Jesus…”

She could see the bus on fire, the CHILDREN, the ones she could see injured, crying. And then an explosion, a FIREBALL, and the camera feed cut out.

“Recall, a second explosion just occurred. I have lost contact with Orion. There are injured children on scene. I’m calling in assistance, but you need to get your team to their location asap to provide rescue support.”

Oracle electronically alerted firecrews and paramedics to the gravity of the situation, while keeping her eyes locked to the video coming from Recall. It appeared the attack on Recall’s group was not over, as portals opened and more Purifiers dressed as Sentinels (as she and Ashley had seen on the feed of Sally Spectra’s attack) appeared.

“I’ll do what I can from here – but watch out for that plane! It’s coming around again!”

Fingers going as fast as her brain, Zizi hacked into the power grid and the cell towers in the area of the SUV. Rerouting the power lines to generate a massive surge, she created an electromagnetic pulse which ripped over the “Sentinels”, causing their mech suits to fail. Simultaneously, she jammed the com signals coming from the Purifiers and the aircraft, cutting off their communications to their home base.

“I’ve jammed their suits and communication, but I don’t know how long it will hold. Trying to trace the signals back to their source…”

 

[Harbinger]

:: The cathedral. Cass. The NIMROD component. The PURIFIERS!::

:: She had blacked out but instead of meeing her END at the hands of the Purifiers, she was...::

:: her colbalt blue eyes fluttered a bit and then slowly opened. She heard a voice...there was a MAN leaning over her::

hmmm?

:: the smelling salts had roused her awake as she coughed a bit and blinked some more, her mind coming back into focus::

The PURIFIERS...I've got to....

:: She bolted up right, expecting to be in the cathedral but instead she was in...::

THE PARTHENON!?

:: She bellowed she looked around, finally realizing there WAS a man in the room with her. It wasn't a dream. She wasn't dead and she KNEW she hadn't teleblinked herself out. The fumes of the black lotus blossom had overcome her!::

:: SO then::

HOW did I get here!?

:: She suddenly looked at Xavier. REALLY looked at him. ANd she REMEMBERED her mischievious speedster from the apothecary! ::

YOU!

:: she points at him::

WHAT are you doing here!?

 

[Longshot]

< He didn't have the chance to save any of the rest of them. >

<< BOOM! >>

< The blast was incredible as Simon was BLASTED back and into the air. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best as the bio-electrical current that moved throughout his body, instinctively guiding his movements sprung into action in tandem with his ability to manipulate probability as a green haze surrounded his body, landing him in a position far removed from the debris flying and the harder concrete. Still he landed with a thud having the wind knocked out of him. >

"Ugh...what..Oh my GOD."

< Realizing what had just happen THROTTLED him back to reality as tears welled up in his eyes. All of these children..all of them still trapped inside the bus were dead. Simon was confused and angry. He had yet to be filled on The Purifier threat and all he knew was that Ava and her colleagues were trying to save kids from a bus. He didn't know if this was an accident or intentional or what..but none of that mattered at the moment as he saw Ava in the distance. >

"AVA!"

< He called out to the woman. The rain was slowly beginning to fade as Ava's strength had reached an all time low and the fire was EVERYWHERE, now cascading up and into the building that housed the orphanage. >

"A fucking ORPHANAGE?!"

< The sign became engulfed in flames as he watched Ava scramble to her feet. He ran towards her a few feet trying his best to avoid the flames. >

All the voices, all the warnings, all the people, EVERYONE, EVERYTHING, in her head, all at once. SCREAMING at her. The guilt, the pain, the burden of the past six months....The TORTURE. Grabbing her head, Ava began to scream out in agony, collapsing forward in utter defeat and anguish. Her face hidden by her hands, but the apparent sobs--though muffled--could be heard.

Alison was right.

< Simon winced as he saw Ava collapse to the ground. He instinctively began to run towards her, dodging flames as he went until he reached her side and scooped her into his arms. The second their skin touched a chill ran through Simon's spine. He didn't know the others in attendance with Ava..but he had assumed they had perished along with the children. He didn't know what to do...so he knelt down and cradled Ava in his arms, holding her as tight as possible. >

"It's okay Ava...shhh...it's okay...."

< He looked at the building encased in flames and the surrounding fires that threatened to destroy the entire neighborhood. The rain was all but stopping. Simon was so gripped by wanting to make things right that he didn't notice his abilities permeating around him. All around the scene flickers of green swirling orbs and trails began to circle throughout the area around him. One blasted right into a nearby FIRE HYDRANT as water began to BLAST from the hydrant, dowsing a large part of the flames...as his energy signature hit the sky, the rain that had once subsided began to POUR like never before. Still he sat there...his intentions on making Ava feel better..making SOMETHING out of this situation go right.. both his and now Ava's body surrounding by the humming yet ethereal electric green energy of his ability. >

< The energy swirled around the area and through the bus..which was now finally not on fire thanks to the INCREDIBLE amount of rain pouring down.. >

< Flickers of Simon's energy signature drift towards the body of an unconscious and burning Sharon Kelly as it seems to enter her body and SHOCK her awake. >

< All of this...incredible manifestations of what somebody like Simon was able to accomplish if he could only tap into it and learn to control. Effecting change in a primed weather pattern, serving as a psionic adrenaline shot to the chest for Sharon..the random explosion of the fire hydrant. Still Simon couldn't open his eyes..he didn't even know what he was doing..he just knew that he couldn't bare to look at the aftermath of a situation like this. Ava seemed inconsolable as the rain barrelled down upon them. Cameron had told him help was on the way..but WHERE WAS IT? Why had this been allowed to happen in the first place...and WHO/WHAT was responsible? >

 

[Tachyon]

HOW did I get here!?

:: She suddenly looked at Xavier. REALLY looked at him. ANd she REMEMBERED her mischievious speedster from the apothecary! ::

YOU!

:: she points at him::

WHAT are you doing here!?

This is MY room. The question here is...what were you doing in an abandoned cathedral when you were ambushed? You were nearly killed! If I had not happened upon you out of curiosity, no telling WHAT might have occurred.

Xavier stood, pouring a glass of water before walking over and offering it to her...

 

[Rampage]

BOOOM!!!

Nicolas had no time to react. In honesty, his mind was elsewhere as he had JUST finished sending a team of Hellfire attorneys to recover Dominique and lay the legal hammer down. He had also sent a backup text to Alan Dershowitz in case it somehow was insufficient. But that would be all he would do for sometime as he emerged from the wreckage and he could FEEL them.

Psionic minds crying out. Some from cribs, all in distress. He could feel them scream their last, it tore at his mind and he fell to his knees, trying in vain to sort it all out, get it all together.

At the second explosion he roared as the group of minds snuffed out...he rocked as he slowly centered himself, gaining a perverse peace with the sudden silence. As the Purifiers surrounded him with their weapons, reddish pure psionic energy began to seep from his closed eyes. One of the soldiers raised his weapon....

...and Nicolas tore his arm off.

The other two, startled, wavered in what to do for less than a second. It was already too late. Nicolas teleported into the armor with the second chump and allowed his superior physique to crush the poor guy FLAT. Tearing open the armor, he threw the flattened corpse at the last of the trio.

Surprise!!

As the last guy watched his comrade burst through the suit with all of his bones crushed, Nicolas had already pulled his axe, chopping him at the knees, torso and neck. After a second of realization, the last Purifier facing him fell into three pieces.

Everything dies.

Nicolas turns to locate anything Purifier he can find. He is certainly useful to harm them, but he is no longer thinking clearly.

 

[Harbinger]

This is MY room. The question here is...what were you doing in an abandoned cathedral when you were ambushed? You were nearly killed! If I had not happened upon you out of curiosity, no telling WHAT might have occurred.

Xavier stood, pouring a glass of water before walking over and offering it to her...

YOUR room indeed!

:: Alison scoffed. NOW was not the time to point out that HER baby brother owned this hotel and that she could easily have him THROWN OUT.::

:: No, even ALISON was not that petty...not anymore.::

:: When the sobering reality set in as she listened to Xavier's explanation, she looked at the water and then looked at him. Her eyes are wide with disbelief and they seem to SPARKLE with ANGER::

::She exhales loudly with annoyance and gestures a'la Prue Halliwell. Rushing chimes are heard as she sends Xavier FLYING across the room::

You UNMITIGATED FOOL!

My TEAMMATE (Ruby) was back there! I was trying to RESCUE her!

AND take posession of the Nimrod component...

:: Her emotions were WILD. Ever since the Blue Moon incident and even after her recovery from the fallout of that, she just WASN'T the same. Whether it was a good or BAD thing remained to be seen::


This is....

:: standing there looking at the ceiling as she runs her hands through her blue black hair, trying to regain herself but the SHOCK of falling into a trap that completely eluded her precognition,
the very real sense of ANGER over that and the DISMAY over having come "THIS CLOSE" to getting Cass only NOW to be back where she started!?::

:: NEVERMIND the fact that she'd fallen unconscious before the Purifiers and they were about to kill her...::

This is ABSURD!

I FELL into their TRAP!

::Outside of Cameron, Ava, Karen and Haleigh in recent weeks, NO ONE had seen her respond like this. She was quite upset and it was more than just what was at hand, but suddenly, her "default" mechanism began to kick in and she took in a deep breath, slowly exhaling and regaining her composure. She looks upon Xavier coldly::

The first time I met you, it was because you STOLE from the witch at Bell, Book & Candle. I didn't go as far as I COULD HAVE to stop you because I have...more PRESSING matters to attend to. People that i CARE about are in DANGER.

NOW I find out that you are staying HERE of all places, and you apparently STALKED me to St. Patrick's Cathedral!?

Allow me to THANK YOU for saving me from the immediate bind that I was in. I don't know WHY you did that, but thank you.

NOW, I'm going to leave.

I HAVE to rescue Ruby and CAPTURE that..

:: She need not tell HIM about the nimrod component. She still had no idea just WHO he was or what his motives were and while she COULD look out into his TIME THREAD to gain more
overview of him, she didn't have the time to waste and honestly, she didn't CARE right now. Her brother, her teammates, they were in MORTAL danger!::

I have to leave.

:: She turns to walk toward the door and IMMEDIATELY turns back to point at him before he can do ANYTHING, because NOW that she's very aware of him? She CAN "SEE" what he's going to do.

Don't you DARE follow me, or I'll do something TERRIBLE to you!

:: With that, she turns her back and walks toward the door, opening it and exiting, SLAMMING the door behind her::

:: Once she's out in the hall, she leans back against the wall and SHUDDERS!::

DAMMIT! They got the DROP on me...and Ruby could SUFFER for it.

I've got to get back there NOW and If I have to....I'll bring that ENTIRE building down around their EARS to stop them from hurting her OR using that Nimrod component again!

:: But before she could take another step....she jolted and GASPED as she had a FLASH premonition::

<< Images of Charope, Firebird, Recall, Black Widow and Rampage, ALL fighting strong agsint the Purifiers. Different views of the well armoured, heavily armed Purifiers.

<< an image of a LARGE vortex, with the NIMROD component lurking in view within it...and CAMERON being SUCKED IN>>

:: The premonition is over.::

:: Alison is clutching her chest and breathing heavily::

Cameron...

It's all happening...RIGHT NOW. To my brother....to ALL of us!

 

[Tachyon]

You would think that one would be happy to be saved from death. But NO.

::She exhales loudly with annoyance and gestures a'la Prue Halliwell. Rushing chimes are heard as she sends Xavier FLYING across the room::

You UNMITIGATED FOOL!

My TEAMMATE (Ruby) was back there! I was trying to RESCUE her!

AND take posession of the Nimrod component...

Luckily he was prepared for her to be PRECISELY this appreciative, and so he rolled with the push, landing easily and no worse for wear. Meanwhile, the sorceress was busy losing her shit. Apparently no one was allowed to win against her or somesuch. And who the hell was RUBY? As he went to slam the door (with no less than a warning for him to stay away), Xavier exited beside her unseen and went down the hall where he saw her lose her shit a second time.

DAMMIT! They got the DROP on me...and Ruby could SUFFER for it.

I've got to get back there NOW and If I have to....I'll bring that ENTIRE building down around their EARS to stop them from hurting her OR using that Nimrod component again!

:: But before she could take another step....she jolted and GASPED as she had a FLASH premonition::
:: The premonition is over.::

:: Alison is clutching her chest and breathing heavily::

Cameron...

It's all happening...RIGHT NOW. To my brother....to ALL of us!

What is HAPPENING? And to all of WHOM? Look, you can distrust me and toss me about later, but if those psychos you faced earlier are hurting a bunch of people and you are planning for Round Two, you may as well just let me help you. If I meant you harm all I had to do was stand idly by 6 minutes ago. What say you, mystery magician?

 

[Matrix]

Miss D sent him on a errand. And he planned not to miss.

Senator Stryker exited his office and entered his personal car, his driver opening the door for him. Settling in, he was reading the day's paper, like every other day, oblivious to the direction the car was traveling. At some point, SOMETHING told him to look up, that he was missing something. And as his mouth fell agape, it was clear he was.

NO ONE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE.

He immediately pounded the nearest window, yelling at pedestrians to help, that he was being kidnapped. But no one could hear him, no one WOULD hear him, even when he began to cough as the air seemed to become noxious...acidic. He has no idea that a part of Richard Martin had become a mixture of Nitric and Sulfuric Acids. All he knew is that the pain was unbearable and he began to scream. And scream. And scream until the acid had melted his vocal cords and the pain had cause his heart and lungs to fail. And the cabin of the 'car' filled with the liquid mixture, churning and eating away at skin and bone and sinew and clothing and briefcase until there was virtually NOTHING left. And once the back of the so-called car was clean again and there was no trace of the man inside, it turned into an alley...

...and Richard Martin walked out the other side as if to finish his evening stroll.

May the Black Queen's will be done.

 

[Harbinger]

:: She exhaled loudly again::

I told you NOT to follow me!

:: She knew he could hear him, but he'd find he could NOT move at all::


You're not so CLEVER NOW, are you?


:: Alison says rather smugly before she pauses.::


Wait...get ahold of youself! TOO MUCH is at stake for to have to come out on top JUST BECAUSE!


::Alison shook her head and twirled her still outstretched hand counter clock wise, deactivating the temporal stasis and ending the freeze effect::

I don't have time to fight with you. The lives of my loved ones are at stake! Try to understand that, OKAY!?

:: She looks up at the ceiling once more. She was facing a situation that was truly rare for HER. TRAPS didn't WORK on HER. She was not OUTDONE by a group of radical FLATSCANS using technology they had no clue what it actually was! But it happened that way, just now and if it hadn't been for this stranger, she'd be DEAD and Cass would still be captured, Her brother would be captured and the rest of the Six would meet their doom as well...and she'd STILL be dead.::

:: If there's one thing that she needed to remember as a tactician, it's that when the circumstances change, you IMMEDIATELY change to meet them accordingly. and so, if the Purifiers had THEIR TEMPORARY advantage, why couldn't SHE find one of her own? In this case, it...or rather HIM apparently found HER.::

This...is my brother's hotel.

It's not smart for us to stand in the hall way to have this conversation.

Follow me.

:: she leads him to an elevator, they shoot UP to a private conference room that she can access with her key card. Once inside, a rushing, chiming sound is heard as the doors close::

:: She seats herself and gestures for him to do the same::

I had your little note. So i know you're name is Xavier, I also know you're a mutant, a speedster at that.

Still, I have no reason to trust you and I think you realize now that I am NOT going to be bowled over by you, no matter HOW fast you are.

:: she said coldly::


With that being said...my brother...my team mate Ruby...my FRIENDS...they're all in MORTAL danger. They're being targeted by a group of anti-mutant, religious zealots called The Purifiers. Have you heard of them? They've been making a name for themselves under the guise of a ministry/community outreach. I suspect THAT is how they swell their ranks with members.

They have attacked my friends on several occassions now and have targeted other mutants around the city.

They have a device, a powerful piece of technology that is giving them an edge, but it's something that they BARELY know how to use and if it gets out of their control, we'll ALL have a much BIGGER problem.

:: She studies Xavier. SO FAR what she "SEES" about him is that he's something of a free spirit. Not given over to the typical trappings that most flatscans or even other mutants allow to govern their lives. He does not pose any clear DANGER to Harbinger, but that still does not give HER any reason to TRUST him, still, she "SEES" the advantage of including him in her renewed effort now::

I need to get back in that church, RESCUE Ruby and my Brother and take posession of that device BEFORE it comes FULLY online and gets out of THEIR control.

You expressed CONCERN about "others being hurt". If you don't want to see that happen, then you should HELP me.

 

[Black Widow]

"Don't worry Nic. Your aunt can handle Bloodhound Barbie and her cookie cutter cop squad. Dominique isn't the Black queen of Hellfire for no reason."

Vivica: In terms of me explaining myself to YOU...well, I've been working privately alongside the woman who fixed my brain and Zach himself. I originally thought you were in the loop but even when I found out you weren't, I still wasn't about to NOT help the guy after everything he did for me. And I agree with the work we are trying to do...

"Viv........ (sighing) what you do in your free time is your business. But here's the thing: if it EVER involves US or our allies, you CANNOT withhold that information from me, am I being perfectly clear? I am not just saying this as your boss--I'm asking this as your friend. These people are my family, and I forgot that for a while. I left them here to fend for themselves because I wanted to feel like a hero, instead of feeling like every choice I make pisses off the only people I care about. You know what I learned out there? Saving the world feels pretty damn worthless if you can't share it with the ones you love. So you do what YOU gotta do, make your choices and I won't hold it against you. But if it becomes a conflict of interest, I expect to be the first person you talk to. And if you think I'm going to blow up at you, make sure you invite Zach. And another thing! You tell your new FRIEND that if I see her again, she'd better hope there are as many witnesses to safeguard her ugly ass face as there were just now."

It wasn't about the woman strolling in like she owned the place and disrespecting them, although in the past, that would have been enough to earn Haleigh's contempt. It was about what Haleigh had seen-- the death mask that had left her chilled to the bone.... and the personal affront of the woman directing that at HER, just for having tried to stall some phoney police efforts.

Alycia: Ava just messaged me. There's an EMERGENCY with Silver Swan and Zach Armani.

"I've got a car outside now, let's GO."

They were good at moving quickly and loaded into the SUV without hesitation. Haleigh turned on red and blue flashing lights and got behind the wheel, manipulating the traffic lights to all turn green agreed of her path and driving basically on the edge of the safety envelope to get them through traffic the fastest.

She glanced in the rear view mirror and saw Alycia clutching Cameron's hand, the two wearing the facial expressions of mental conversation. She felt an involuntary pang of something, jealousy or sadness or self-loathing, she wasn't sure. Of all the relationships damaged by her absence, hers and Cameron's was by far the worst. And she didn't like the ambivalence she felt about it, or the pressure that was building in her head as she raced towards her worst nightmare.

not right now...... please fucck don't let me black out right now......

Alycia: Haleigh, please...hurry...

"ALYCIA, if you THINK I'm not doing EVERYTHING superhumanly possible to get us there as fast as possible, you're out of your fuccking mind!"

Well, that came out a bit aggressively. She slammed the automatic transmission down a gear to get more power and drifted the SUV around a corner, using a heads-up display of a satellite view to keep an eye on their destination: mutant kids being hurriedly loaded into a bus several blocks away.

"Sorry, but it's my SISTER and the love of my life we're headed to, DO believe me when I say I'm properly motivated to expedite this--"

She fell silent when she spotted the plane. It was flying a standard bombing run flight pattern, and Haleigh had direct access to its target database. Two targets...... their SUV..... and the bus full of innocent orphan children. The aircraft launched two missiles simultaneously, and Haleigh's heart sank.

She had to choose. There was no time to second guess or weigh the options. She decided to save her SUV, and the six lives inside. She detonated the missile several meters before it reached them, muting the impact on their vehicle. She swerved forcefully, throwing the SUV into an induced roll so that the belly of the vehicle would absorb the shrapnel and most of the blast. As they flipped upside down she saw what twisted metal remained of the warhead hit the pavement and ricochet back at her. She tried to shield her face, but it wasn't enough. It knocked her clean out.

*************

Here they come. It was a 1972 Chevy pickup, in red and white, easy to see even in the snow flurry and easier still to pick out of the caravan of trucks and trailers coming into town. It was the last vehicle. She waited as the others passed.

The time was now. She must end it, and erase the link to her era as a victim. She must tie up this loose end. She was wearing white and would not be easily spotted in the snow storm. She stepped out into the road and used her mind to cause the crash as the truck passed her. Two of the occupants were thrown from the vehicle as the truck rolled several times. She sank back into the woods as the rest of the caravan stopped, some screeching tires.

There was screaming now, and dying. People were scrambling down the embankment to render aid. The driver was dying, but not the child. The child was not harmed. It defied logic! She could sense.... there was a mutant here. But then the feeling was gone. Had the child's powers activated and protected it? She moved in closer. Everyone was focused on the victims, no one saw her. She saw her daughter. Four years old and still a carbon copy of her.

Scion: Daddy.... wake up. Daddy.....

It could talk! It had a melodic little voice and bright blue eyes. It still didn't understand death, even though this was not the first time Scion had seen men die. She should kill it now, while it was still young. Before life had a chance to ruin it. Before it understood death and loss and pain and weakness. And yet.... as she looked at it, again she found she couldn't. She found it much simpler to decide to kill it, but every time she laid eyes on the child..... She felt that connection and she couldn't follow through.

The adoptive mother picked up the child and left to get her checked out at the local hospital. The opportunity had passed. It was time to go back home.

*************

Someone was trying to pull Haleigh out of the wreckage, but she was still strapped in by the seat belt. She reached down and released it, then realized her 'savior' was a purifier trying to pull her out and kill her. She wrapped the seatbelt around his throat and strangled him until he went limp, blocking his feeble attempts to strike out at her. She pushed his body back out the window and tried opening the door but found it jammed shut. She ripped metal to free herself. She tried to climb out the side and found the dash of the SUV had her pinned in the car. Well that explained the pain she felt in her legs. She pushed the dash back where it was engineered to be and fell sideways to freedom.

She looked around. Nicolas was ripping men to pieces, Blaze was surfing on the attack aircraft, Alycia and Vivica were supporting Cameron's efforts. They had all survived the crash to fight off the flood of purifiers. Three attackers closed in on Haleigh, beating her with Electromagnetic batons, kicking her while she was down. She encased them all in cast iron. They became statues surrounding her, almost protecting her by keeping anything else from reaching her as she tapped back into the satellite feed.

The bus was a shell. She zoomed in to find that most lives were lost. There were a few people moving frantically to save each other, but there were bodies strewn every where. Child sized bodies. Haleigh wiped the blood from her brow and choked back a howl. She'd made her choice. Right or wrong, she'd made it, and she'd have to justify it to herself later. For NOW, they had a shiitstorm to weather. She crawled out from between the cast iron legs of what used to be a living human being and scrambled to pick up a plasma cannon. She started blasting enemies down in order of proximity.

"We KNOW their target already! Everybody form up on Cameron! If we can't stop them from completing their objective, we can sure as hell MAKE THEM EARN IT!!! Eliminate as many as you can to thin the ranks!"

 

[Valkyrie]

Precinct 19

Dominique was as non-helpful as Ashley expected her to be; but that was okay, this was all a dance.

Well you're more than welcomed to come to one of my shows, Detective Oldenburg. Drag queens usually ARE among my biggest and most loyal fans!

“Really? I love drag queens. They’re like women, but not bitches.”

She gave her a smirk. Two could play that game sucka.

Ashley asked her if she could account for her whereabouts at the time of the Purifier murders.

Yes, I can. But why do I need to tell you?

“Well, because otherwise I’ll have to detain you here for a very long time – and neither of us wants that.”

She pulled three photographs out of the manila folder and spread them out on the table in front of Dominique.

“Now, why don’t you tell me where you were, so I don’t have to arrest you for the murders of these three”

she nearly said “douchebags” but caught herself

“gentlemen. Come on, we know you were there Dominique.”

She placed a printout of a frame of Oracle’s surveillance video on top of the other photos already on the table.

“Just tell me what happened.”

She didn’t expect a confession – not yet anyway. She proceeded to the next phase, pulling it back a little.

“You’re Nicolas King’s aunt, aren’t you?”

She gave Dominique a questioning look and continued to pace back and forth as she spoke.

“You know, it’s funny – when you first showed up here in this fair city several associates of Mr. King’s wound up horribly murdered. I don’t suppose you would know anything about that, would you? [pause] No, you wouldn’t.”

She stopped pacing, facing Dominique directly now, standing across the table from where she sat. She added a row of photos above those of the Purifiers, this time of the King Enterprises shareholders that had been murdered in the same way.

“They look the same, don’t they?”

Ashley leaned in.

“You know what? I don’t even care about these dirtbag Purifiers. You killed them? Good for you. [raises voice] But what did you do with the bodies of the children?”

She puts down school photos of the two missing children. She began shouting.

“Mark Reilly! Jill Reilly! Did you kill them too?! What did you do with them, Dominique?! Are they alive?!”

She slammed her fist down onto the table, slightly denting the table top.

Valkyrie felt her power release into the Black Queen, more this time than she had given Black Widow and the others. Cold self-doubt, pressure, intimidation, terror entered Dominique. The walls closing in. A darkness, loss of will.

“Did you kill those children!?!”

 

[Mary Justice]

<< It was all happening, just as it was meant to.>>

<< Sister Mary Justice clutched her energy baton more tightly as she watches the events she's set in motion unfold.>>

Therefore god gave them up due to impurity, because they exchanged the truth about god for a lie and worshiped and served the creature of EVIL rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason god gave them up to an dishonorable existence.

<< Before she could finish reciting....a guard bursts in>>

Purifier: Praise the lord, Sister.

<< She slowly turns to face the man>>

Luke, is there a problem?

<< He takes a moment to catch his breath>>

Luke: Begging your pardon, Sister. But the WITCH, Harbinger...she's GONE.

<< Mary Justice continues to stare at him>>

Luke: She was succumbing to the lotus bomb, as you said, but 3 seconds later, she was gone!

She couldn't have VANISHED.

<< Mary said as she held her hand up for silence>>

The black lotus blossom is an anathema to witches, it leaves them powerless and often renders them unconscious. Review the security cameras and find out what happened...

Luke: Sister....

<< pointing to one of the monitors as Firebird DESTROYED IT and killed the pilots inside...>>

<< Mary turned to see this. Her eyes widen for a moment, but she does not let the Purifier standing behind her see that>>

Why didn't the pilot communicate to me that Firebird was attacking them?

<< pressing a button>>

Sarah?

<< No response...>>

SARAH?

<< Still nothing>>

SISTER SMYTHE, come in please.

<< some of the floating monitors were frozen or flickering, two had gone completely black and communication and data feeds coming from those in the field were no longer coming in.>>

Fingers going as fast as her brain, Zizi hacked into the power grid and the cell towers in the area of the SUV. Rerouting the power lines to generate a massive surge, she created an electromagnetic pulse which ripped over the “Sentinels”, causing their mech suits to fail. Simultaneously, she jammed the com signals coming from the Purifiers and the aircraft, cutting off their communications to their home base.

“I’ve jammed their suits and communication, but I don’t know how long it will hold. Trying to trace the signals back to their source… ”

Something is wrong. The sentinel suits....

<< She said coldly as she watches Rampage, Prophet, Black Widow and Recall cut down as many of her soldiers as they can now that they have this unforeseen advantage>>

We seem to be having some sort of communication and signal problem.

Luke: We can't access the feed from the cameras inside the cathedral either...

This can't be Harbinger's doing. Her power is magickal. Black Widow's abilities afford HER control over technology, but she is hard pressed to effect anything beyond her immediate area as she tries to protect the white devil...

<< She calmly walks out of the Lady Chapel, returning to the sanctuary, where RUBY still lays on the floor. >>

....

<< Stopping and now standing over Ruby, Mary Justice powers up her baton and immediately SLAMS it down on Ruby, hitting her in the back and delivering a terrible burst of blue electric energy>>

Put this creature back in the dungeon below ground. She served her pupose as BAIT for Harbinger....

<< Even IF some truly unexpected "EVENT" caused Harbinger to seemingly VANISH before the vision the nimrod component had shown Mary could come to pass.>>

She will be disposed of at the SERVICE tomorrow, along with the white devil.

<< Moving on from Ruby, she reaches the nimrod component, which now has ARMS along with its torso, but the nun seems oblivious to its curiously changing shape.>>

The power of the gift of visions and the ghost box remain unaffected by whatever is causing the signal/communication jams.

We do not fear evil, nor do we faint in the sight of adversity, for god has given us the spirit of POWER and a sound mind.

<< beckoning three more purifiers forward>>

Accompany Luke below ground with the red evil (Ruby) and check on Sarah. Prepare the ghost box to open a VORTEX portal. I will personally enter the coordinates and ENSURE that the white devil is delivered unto us!

<< Mary begins to walk once more, with the soldiers following and Luke DRAGGING Ruby>>

Prepare the white noise generators and a power neutralizing collar. I'll want this creature subdued and stripped down as soon as he is pulled through.

 

[Orion]

Zach gently set a crib in place at the back of the bus and then checked his watch. He was late for his meeting with Ava, but this was important TOO. He encouraged the kids to take their seats so he could move freely up and down the isle, blanketing them with calm to ease the process.

He came back for another crib, the last of the 'heavy lifting'. He secured it next to the others and turned back towards the front. One of the kids asked him if he was Superman, and he chuckled, kneeling down.

"Nah, I just workout. And I eat lots of veggies and lean proteins--"

Sharon: ZACHARY....... ROSE......

"Sit tight kid, I'll be right back....."

He said, moving rapidly towards the front of the bus, sensing the spike in stress from Sharon. As he came down the stairs and stepped off the bus, he heard Sharon scream something, but it didn't register. He was too distracted by the rocket headed his way.

He wished Haleigh was here. She would be able to shield the bus full of kids from the hell that was about to hit them. Zach could only rush Rose towards cover. There was a deafening boom, and Zach wrapped his arms around Rose, trying to protect her from the blast. He, at least, was wearing a battle suit. They were blown back into the brick facade of the orphanage, which crumpled around them. The world went black, silent for a moment.

Ava: Zach....Zach, wake up!

A cleansing rain and Ava's touch brought him back around. He groaned an acknowledgment, slowly rolling over and sitting up. His whole body ached. Getting slammed into a brick wall in a highly advanced blast proof suit, as it turns out, is still a lot like getting slammed into a brick wall. But he was still alive.

Ava: Zach! Sharon needs your help! Hurry! (He looked over to see if Rose was alive) I'll help her! Go!

There was screaming. The absolutely heartbreaking sound of children screaming. He stopped feeling sorry for himself instantly, stopped focusing on the pain he was in. Those kids were way worse off. He lunged to his feet and approved back to the bus, where Sharon was holding a kid out the window and asking someone to help. He reached up and took a badly burned toddler from her hands. And another, and another. Each time he received a survivor sent a shooting pain up his left arm. Probably it was broken, but medical attention for him could certainly wait.

The physical pain wasn't even the worst of it. The roiling emotions were overwhelming. Fear, confusion, anger and sadness stifled him. He tried to absorb it as best he could, tried to give the children peace, but every minute that passed snuffed out another life. The strain of emotions was lessening with each death, but Zach could NOT be grateful for THAT. Sharon wasn't handing him any more children, because there weren't anymore alive to save. This was absolutely horrific. Behind him, Ava's distress became more and more apparent.

The rain started to lighten up, and the winds picked up ferociously. He turned to look at Ava, who was clearly struggling to maintain control. He reached out to stabilize her emotion, and succeeded-- but it instantly boosted her powers. A look of shock appeared on her face, and Zach followed her sightline.... to a large hunk of engine flying straight for Sharon.

"NO!!!"

He exclaimed, but words wouldn't help. Sharon was knocked violently out of the bus.

"SHARON?! SHARON!!"

No response. Zach looked back at Ava in alarm, dismayed at the mistake she had made, and what it had cost them. He ran for Sharon, ducking down as a second explosion rocked the bus, taking more lives with it. He found Sharon unconscious, and felt for a pulse. It was faint. He prayed to the Gods that he wasn't imagining it. He tried to lift her body so he could carry her to safety, but he was exhausted, and it was getting harder to ignore the pain in his left arm. He pulled her upper body into his lap, supporting her head. The flames finally started going out around him.

 

[Isis]

Precinct 19

Dominique was as non-helpful as Ashley expected her to be; but that was okay, this was all a dance.



“Really? I love drag queens. They’re like women, but not bitches.”

She gave her a smirk. Two could play that game sucka.

:: Dominique lifted her eyebrows and returned that smirk, nodding her head a bit::

touché! so the girl has a sense of humor after all

:: Dominique thought as she waited for what was to come::

“Well, because otherwise I’ll have to detain you here for a very long time – and neither of us wants that.”

You'll TRY to detain me.

:: Dominique quickly corrected::

She pulled three photographs out of the manila folder and spread them out on the table in front of Dominique.

:: Dominique's aqua blue eyes looked down at the pictures, but only briefly. She'd been there, she didn't need to be shown what she'd done.::

“Now, why don’t you tell me where you were, so I don’t have to arrest you for the murders of these three”

she nearly said “douchebags” but caught herself

“gentlemen. Come on, we know you were there Dominique.”

:: Dominique looked at Ashley and tilted her head to the side a bit as her facial expression indicated she had no intention of responding to this::

She placed a printout of a frame of Oracle’s surveillance video on top of the other photos already on the table.

“Just tell me what happened.”

She didn’t expect a confession – not yet anyway. She proceeded to the next phase, pulling it back a little.

:: Dominique "dug in". She continued to keep eye contact with Ashley and sat with confident posture::

You can do what you like, my dear. It will avail you NOTHING

“You’re Nicolas King’s aunt, aren’t you?”

She gave Dominique a questioning look and continued to pace back and forth as she spoke.

That was apparent to you when you arrived at the Parthenon, Detective Oldenburg. Are you going to do anything else beside play trivial pursuit? The NYPD CAN'T POSSIBLY be operating on a surplus budget to allow you to WASTE TIME like this.

:: Dominique said in a haughty, dismissive tone::

“You know, it’s funny – when you first showed up here in this fair city several associates of Mr. King’s wound up horribly murdered. I don’t suppose you would know anything about that, would you? [pause] No, you wouldn’t.”

She stopped pacing, facing Dominique directly now, standing across the table from where she sat. She added a row of photos above those of the Purifiers, this time of the King Enterprises shareholders that had been murdered in the same way.

“They look the same, don’t they?”

:: Dominique's lofty expression faded as her aqua blue eyes looked down at the pictures of the men from Nicolas' board of directors. The men she had murdered as she was cutting a path toward HIM. ::

How could THIS overconfident woman know about THAT!

:: Dominique was NOW starting to feel agitated and Ashley no doubt picked up on it::

Ashley leaned in.

“You know what? I don’t even care about these dirtbag Purifiers. You killed them? Good for you. [raises voice] But what did you do with the bodies of the children?”

She puts down school photos of the two missing children. She began shouting.

:: Dominique's countenance grew grim as her eyes could NOT take themselves off the photos of Mark and Jill...those poor babies that she'd been TOO LATE...TO SAVE::

:: Her OWN racing thoughts were LOST in the midst of Ashley's SHOUTING!::

“Mark Reilly! Jill Reilly! Did you kill them too?! What did you do with them, Dominique?! Are they alive?!”

She slammed her fist down onto the table, slightly denting the table top.

I don't like your TONE, Detective Oldenburg! And I do NOT APPRECIATE...

Valkyrie felt her power release into the Black Queen, more this time than she had given Black Widow and the others. Cold self-doubt, pressure, intimidation, terror entered Dominique. The walls closing in. A darkness, loss of will.

“Did you kill those children!?!”

No I DIDN’T, I AVENGED them.

:: Dominique inexplicably halted what was about to be a scathing retort when she seemed TRANSFIXED by the sight of Ashley's...FACE!? ::

BRIGHT LADY!!! HER FACE!?

:: And THEN Dominique started coming apart. At first it was an unexpected wave of nausea, like she felt the day she saw Nicolas AFTER the confrontation with the purifiers. ::

:: She bowed her head, placing her hand on her forehead as a lump grew in her throat and her HEART BEAT began to echo in her eyes even as she heard Ashley's voice ringing in her eyes as well::

“Did you kill those children!?!”

You carless...INTERFERRING....

::GASP!::

:: But Ashley's power was practically UNDOING the therapy ZACH had given her and now she was feeling overwhelmed! What Ashley DIDN'T know was that Dominique was NOW also being bombared by the cries of the CHILDREN DYING in the bus explosion. It didn't matter that she wasn't there. she KNEW who was responsible.::

:: But Ashley’s power was exacerbating all the feelings that she thought had been settled with Help from Zach. From the very beginning of this, the fact that she couldn’t SAVE Mark and Jill, but only AVENGE them, and that no matter what she did…it wouldn’t be ENOUGH. NOW Ashley, who suddenly looked like a tall, bizarre creature of DEATH and seemed to be ALL AROUND Dominique was making her feel like she was going to race right over the edge with doubt, GRIEF and the sense that she was ALL ALONE in this!

“Did you. KILL those. CHILDREN!?!”

NO….NOT AGAIN!

:: Dominique covered her mouth and looked out with a PAINED, HORRIFIED expression on her face and it seemed that TEARS were welling up in her aqua blue eyes.::


:: She shut her eyes TIGHTLY and whispered…::


Not even THEY could ….and I wasn’t THERE….AGAIN…

:: slowly looking up at Ashley with a look of utter CONTEMPT::

Because of YOU!

::She’d been here BEFORE. Blocked, threatened, intimidated, ASSAULTED. What Ashley didn’t know was that Dominique had survived the WORST possible scenario of being intimidated, abandoned, gripped with DOUBT and FEAR, left ALONE. She WAS the “SISTER” of SET after all.::



:: Ashley heard what sounded like howling sand storm winds….INSIDE the interview room…and she suddenly saw sand DUSTING across the floor and in the air swirling AROUND Dominique::

YOU did this!

::Slowly standing up… her hands slightly lifted up and forward as golden energy flickers around them AND in an arch pattern around her overall form::

You disgusting, REPULSIVE woman! When you manifested that…DEMONIC visage to me, YOU ATTACKED ME!

And BECAUSE of your IGNORANCE to what’s REALLY happening and your FRUITLESS interference, MORE children are DEAD.


I will tolerate NO MORE of your abuse. You have NO IDEA what a MISTAKE you have made tonight, woman. But I shall endeavor to TEACH YOU BETTER!

:: An ENRAGED ISIS is about to ATTACK Valkyrie!::

 

[Ruby]

:: Cass was still lying on the floor of the sanctuary completely numb. Her body was broken, bruised, and bleeding from her intense struggle to get to Alison. But it was all in vain. The bomb or whatever it was PULVERIZED the precog!! After all, how else could you her disappearance in a split second? Cass’ eyes were open but she was staring at nothing. She had cried all her tears…for the moment at least. ::

I…KILLED her! I just sat back and WATCHED as she…as she…”

:: Mary Justice appeared and Cass did not look up. She didn’t even make a sound. In fact, she didn’t even SCREAM when the bitch hit her in the back. She just…didn’t care anymore what happened to her. ::

Alison is dead…because of ME.

:: Mary Justice commanded some people to take her back to the dungeon. She couldn’t get to her feet so one of them, she didn’t know who, and she didn’t care, DRAGGED her all the way to the dungeon. She was out of her sexy dress. One of the female religious nuts came to her some time ago and dressed her in something straight out of Little House on the Prairie. ”So you don’t cause our brothers to stumble and fall,” the crazy hissed at her. They took her dress, her jacket, and her $800 shoes and BURNED them. Not that Cass even cared one way or another. She was just…DONE. They tossed her back in the dark room and chained her to the wall before leaving. Cass just laid there, numb and grieving. ::

 

[Steel]

19th Precinct

John Steele watched his Detective – the most obnoxious woman on the planet, and she would say so herself – in the box with the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. And she was making the woman lose her shit.

When Ashley showed him her evidence, she was just trying to pick his brain for information on Isis. But in the current climate of fear over the mysterious deaths, and especially because of the missing children, he couldn’t sit on the information and instructed Detective Oldenburg to bring Dominique in for questioning. He knew she wouldn’t like it, but they needed what she knew about those kids – and he knew she wouldn’t share the info willingly.

But innocent people were going to be hurt if the panic about the murders was allowed to continue, not to mention the risk of outing all of mutant kind it ran if Dominique WAS behind the attacks. Retaliation…self-defense…it didn’t matter. If the public saw mutants killing humans they wouldn’t ask why.

He watched the goddess thoughtfully, studying her. Isis was UPSET – and not just about being questioned. And she was turning that on Ashley.

YOU did this! You disgusting, REPULSIVE woman! When you manifested that…DEMONIC visage to me, YOU ATTACKED ME! And BECAUSE of your IGNORANCE to what’s REALLY happening and your FRUITLESS interference, MORE children are DEAD.

He grabbed his suit jacket and slid into it as he went out the door, then stopped and stepped back inside to grab a mug of coffee from the table before entering Interrogation Room B.

I will tolerate NO MORE of your abuse. You have NO IDEA what a MISTAKE you have made tonight, woman. But I shall endeavor to TEACH YOU BETTER!

“Detective Oldenburg, step out.”

He was perfectly calm as he said it. He was not unaware of the precarious situation he had stepped into, or of the highly unusual thing happening inside the room. But he had been a cop for a long time, and a mutant even longer. After Ashley left the room, he turned his full attention on Dominique.

“Ms. Devereaux, hello, my name is John Steele, I’m the senior investigator on this case. May I?”

He gestured to one of the chairs.

“Would you like some coffee? Or tea?”

He smiled and sat down.

“Tea with lemon, if I recall – good for the voice.”

He took a sip from the coffee mug, holding it in both hands.

“Wow – that’s hot.”

He took one hand off of the mug and flexed it as if it had been too hot to touch. The hand seemed to melt into a silver color, then back again to flesh. He held Dominique’s gaze as he spoke quietly but pointedly.

“We all want the same things, Ms. Devereaux.”

He set the mug down on the table.

“Sometimes…things happen. We get caught up in doing what we think is right, without really thinking about the consequences of our actions. I get that.”

He splayed his hands in front of him.

“I just want to help those two missing kids. So if you know anything about where they might be, please [with more emphasis] PLEASE, help me out. Tell me what happened.”

 

[Seer]

<< Black Widow, Firebird, Charope, Recall and Rampage put up a strong block to try and protect Prophet. The tide of the battle and even the imminence of Harbinger’s outcome seemed to a matter of hopeful speculation when during the course of the heated battle, the Purifiers’ “Sentinel” armor began to MALFUNCTION across the board, negating their technological shielding against various forms of attack. Many of their weapons were mysteriously depowered as well giving members of the Six like Black Widow a much needed breather to turn her battle around.>>

<< And of course there was the aircraft in the sky, the pilots inside of it were CUT OFF from their leader, as all communication signals were jammed. It was an unexpected and for the moment unexplainable glitch that sealed their DOOM as Firebird made sure they wouldn’t get another chance to attack her group or anyone else.>>

<< The Six didn’t know it, but they owed that “behind the scenes” assistance to someone connected to RECALL. Recall’s new found FRIENDS “in the field” may be a sore subject for the Six right now, but one of those people- ORACLE- just helped them in a big way.>>

<< Prophet proved he was NOT the perennial “damsel in distress”. He was INDEED that “white devil” as he made a magnificent effort to defend himself and fight for his freedom while his friends backed his play.>>

<< But neither the unexpected assistance from Oracle OR Prophet’s new found strength of mind and body would stop things from occurring as Harbinger had foretold.>>

<<FLASH!>>

<< several seconds after the group succeeded in beating back the wave of purifiers, each person stood where he or she defeated his or her last foe.>>

<< ANOTHER portal suddenly opens and the ARM of the nimrod component reaches THROUGH! It’s the first glimpse of this thing seen outside the cathedral and ONLY Black Widow and Rampage would recognize it for what it was….a NIMROD, or PART OF IT, yet that kind of technology should NOT exist in this timeline. The last time THEY saw it was in the timeline where: Spellbinder was DEAD, Harbinger and Persephone were raising an ORPHANED Victoria King , and witchcraft was a crime punishable by death! What was it doing HERE!?>>

<< The SHOCK of seeing even just the glowing pink ARM of the Nimrod threw THEM off JUST enough, and as Firebird, Charope and Recall react to it, a spiraling WAVE of sonic energy begins to blast out, BOMBARING them with an EAR PIERCING, BRAIN SPLITTING sonic attack. Psionics and Recall would be PAINFULLY crippled. Non psi powered mutants would be PAINFULLY staggered facing nose bleeds and the possibility of cerebral hemorrhage and bleeding from their eyes!>>

<< the NEXT wave of the attack was a SHOCKWAVE that would HAMMER Black Widow and Rampage.>>

<< FINALLY there was the BRIEFEST GLIMPSE of a HUMAN FORM just behind the arm, which was in fact a GAUNTLENT composed of the Nimrod’s technology.>>

Sister Mary Justice: You are called to JUDGEMENT, white devil!

<< the portal shifts and begins to SPIN with the pull of a VORTEX that IMMEDIATELY begins to pull Cameron forward. >>

<< Firebird swoops down to try to snatch him away, but she’s too pained…too DIZZY from the sonic attack and is BLASTED away from the repulsor blast of the nimrod gauntlet. She is seen crashing to the ground, not moving.>>

<< Alycia screams and calls for her Silver Bow of Artemis. She makes a VALIANT effort to stand, calling upon her Amazonian skill and durability and she takes AIM, a shaft of Zeus’ DIVINE LIGHTNING forms as she is posed, ready to FIRE>>

Sister Mary Justice: STAND FAST, AMAZON. You will NOT hinder the lord’s work!

<< She too is BLASTED, square in the chest and sent flying, landing on the ground with a painful thud.>>

<< a NEURO NET ensnares Prophet, PARALYZING him as he is completely YANKED into the vortex and the portal SNAPS shut.>>

<< Cameron King, a.k.a. Prophet, is GONE. Firebird and Charope are badly hurt, and Black Widow, Rampage and Recall are left to recover their senses and face the fact that they’ve lost their teammate…and so much more tonight.>>

-------------------------------------------

<< Several miles away, "ground zero">>

<< The scene is one of fire, smoke, carnage, DEATH. The "ANGEL OF DEATH" attack succeeded.>>

<< The fire RAGED and would soon CONSUME Silver Swan and Orion, who was now doing his best to cradle his fallen friend and one-time lover.>>

<< They had failed...and the shock of that failure was only JUST the beginning of the fallout.>>

<< Persephone was in a bad way as well. She was now in Simon's arms. Simon, who witnessed more than he could have EVER imagined , and truthfully would never want, was also touched...TRAUMATIZED by what'd seen.>>

<< 41 children. DEAD.>>

<< Simon's mutant power had FLARED out, propelled by instinct and emotion, the NEED to survive. Among the immediate results of this power spark was that SILVER SWAN jolted awake. Realizing that Zachary was with her and that he is terribly hurt, she IMMEDIATELY stood up, as if on auto pilot, CARRYING Zach as she hurried away from the raging fires around them. She lands near Simon and Ava. >>

Sharon: KATIE! WHERE IS KATIE!?

<< ROSE had also survived the blast and was in a sort of auto-pilot of her own. She'd used her "soul power" to IMMEDIATELY sedate the surviving children and ensure they were in a deep, peaceful sleep. Before Persephone had lost control of herself and her power, she'd cleared away the fire from a large area nearby and Rose, operating on pure adrenaline, had moved the surviving children over there and was now standing in front of them...with tears streaming down her face..>>

<< there were only 5 children (counting Katie) who survived.>>

<< Oracle's call for assistance had put emergency crews on their way, but Orion, Silver Swan, Persephone and Simon needed to get out of there. ROSE tells them to flee and that SHE will cover their escape. Katie, who by now had retrieved from the dumpster by Sharon, cried and screamed for Sharon and Sharon looked as if she herself was about to have a breakdown as she handed Katie to Rose, who immediately sedated her as well. Sharon PROMISED they would not leave Rose to handle this aftermath alone and Rose believed her. Sharon WANTED to stay , even if the others left, she wanted to be SURE no one was coming back for Rose or the surviving children...but Sharon was not well right now. Despite her appearance, she too had sustained some injuries.>>

<< BLACK WIDOW's voice is suddenly heard over the com link in Zach's armour, she demands a "status report". Sharon answers, coldly informing her that Zach is hurt, Ava is in a state of shock and that 41 children are dead, with only 5 survivors and their care giver. Haleigh in turn informs Sharon that her group lost Cameron and that Firebird and Charope are hurt.>>




<< they needed to regroup, both groups and the nearest, most immediate option was Charope Inc. It was well equipped and spacious enough to be at LEAST a triage and a meeting place. Haleigh locks on to a nearby vehicle and powers it up for Sharon and her group to load into and it will carry them back to Alycia's office, where Haleigh's group will soon arrive.>>

<< Sharon is reluctant to leave Rose, but Rose persuades her to do so. Emergency services are closing in fast.>>

 

[Recall]

:: Vivica was dispatching as many Purifiers as she could with the help of the plasma cannon she had taken from one of them earlier. As she moved along the street, helping to keep a close eye on Cameron as she went, she heard Zizi in her ear. ::

Oracle: "Recall, this is Oracle. Orion's location is 161st Street and Amsterdam. There are 9-1-1 reports of an explosion at that loca-"

:: Zizi cut out for a moment which gave the mutant just enough time to question where she needed to be at this moment in time. She was FAR loyal to Zach far more than she was to some of the people in The Six..but the most important people to her personally, Blaze and Cameron were here right now...and Cameron was going to be captured. She felt lost for a second. ::

Oracle: "Oh, merciful Jesus...Recall, a second explosion just occurred. I have lost contact with Orion. There are injured children on scene. I'm calling in assistance, but you need to get your team to their location asap to provide rescue support."

:: Vivica surveyed the area as she locked eyes with Haleigh for a moment. She was cutting through Purifiers left and right. There was too much going on! There was no way she could leave these people in the lurch and there was no way she couldn't go and help Zach and the others. It felt like an impossible decision to be in. She made a judgment call. One that she wasn't sure she was proud of. She began to run down the street in the direction of Zach Armani. Her reasoning was that although The Six were fighting tooth and nail to keep Cameron safe...Alison had made it crystal clear that he WOULD be taken. As hard as they were fighting it...it was futile. Zach had saved her when nobody else in the world was there for her. He had given her a new lease on life and she sure as hell wasn't going to leave HIM in his time of need. She needed to help protect HER team. ::

"I'm headed there now, Oracle. But we are being overwhelmed. I'm not going to be able to move this altercation closer to them. I'm going to help Orion."

:: All at once around her these Purifiers armor suits began to fall and the power began to surge throughout the streetlights and other electronic devices in the surrounding area. This might give her the time that she needed to make it there safely. ::

:: She looked back for a SECOND. ::

<< BAM! >>

:: Vivica ran dead SMACK into a Purifier as he grabbed for her ::

"Oh HELL no!"

:: Recall BASHED him over the head with her plasma cannon and KNEED him in the chin as he went down before FIRING another shot from her plasma cannon as he hit the ground. ::

:: In between her she could see the firey blaze of the battle that contained Zach and the crazy smoke and destruction of the battle that contained Cameron, Haleigh, Blaze, Alycia and Nicolas. ::

:: A BRIGHT blast of light appeared on the scene as a giant looking arm reached through the portal that it created. Vivica's eyes widened. ::

"Oracle? I need you to cross reference this live feed your seeing right now against my "server". I know I've seen this kind of technology somewhere..maybe see if it has some kind of signal that can be tra--"

:: She was of course referring to the server house at Clandestine Intelligence that contained every single bit of information Vivica had ever learned. She could essentially "dump" information into this server when her brain became flooded with too much, which was incredibly hard to do..but this information could also be uploaded and viewed as content or intel should it need be. But she didn't have time to finish as a WAVE of Sonic energy blasted throughout the area as Vivica fell to the floor on her knees, gripping her head. ::

"Aaahhh!!! Oracle--I it's ATTACKING. They are gonna...take...Camero-"

:: Vivica could no longer speak. If this attack was enough to throttle through VIVICA's brain with ease, then she was terrified at what the others would be experiencing at the moment. ::

:: She began to try and walk..or crawl rather closer to the situation as she makes out the brief glimpse of a face, hoping desperately that Oracle would be able to see a clear enough image to try and track whoever it was down. ::

Sister Mary Justice: "You are called to JUDGEMENT, white devil!"

:: Vivica watched as Blaze attempted to GRAB Cameron who was now being pulled through the vortex! ::

"Blaze!! Blaze!"

:: Recall cast her arm out in terror, hoping that this vortex would not suck her up as well. Blaze gets BLASTED with a repulsor blast and hits the ground with a thud. Vivica is able to stammer to her feet, but the pain from the sonic attack is still incredible intense. She begins to stumble forward...slowly, one foot after another as Alycia attempts to intervene with the same effects. ::

Sister Mary Justice: "STAND FAST, AMAZON. You will NOT hinder the lord's work!"

:: Alycia hits the ground with a THUD as well as Cameron is hit with a NEURO NET, all but ensuring his capture as he is taken through the portal as it closes. They had him..just as Alison predicted. They couldn't change it. They couldn't have stopped it and yet here they were. ::

:: She was mad at herself. Vivica had been busy fighting a battle that was unwinnable while Zach had needed her help. When her team needed her help. She felt as if she had betrayed him and she felt equally bad that she felt that way because of her unique connection to The Six. Everything stopped. Silence. ::

:: Vivica began to run towards Blaze who had been knocked unconscious. She knelt down beside her while cutting a look towards Haleigh. ::

"Zach is hurt. There was a second explosion at his location..an explosion that involved...a lot of hurt kids. Try and get a status update on him..I'll see to Blaze..."

[looking at Nicolas]

"You get Alycia and let's get the hell out of this open AREA..."

:: Thankfully Haleigh was able to make contact with Sharon..and that 41 children are dead. Children she might have been able to save or at least help save had she not been fighting alongside a team that for most of her time with them had not wanted her nor respected her. She tried to tell herself that she had done so for Cameron's sake..because she loved him so much, but her gut was playing tricks on her. Overall..she felt terrible and with no resolve because there was no right or wrong decision..there was no real decision she had TIME to make..she could only react. ::

:: Haleigh tells the group that Charope Inc. is just around the corner and is the closest meeting place. Vivica scoops Blaze up into her arms and begins to book it down the street. She is the first to arrive at the office building and is greeted by Ana-Leigh who immediately springs into action and sets up a private area for the group that will allow them to recuperate from their wounds and provide them protection from now. She lays Blaze on one of the tables and clears her hair from her face. Her breathing was fine and her pulse was steady. She would be fine..she just hoped that Zach would be as well. ::

 

[Prophet]

:: The length his team members were willing to go in order to try and save him were incredible. As he tore into any attackers with his PSI Katanna he began to think for a second that maybe, just maybe they had fought fate and won. Alison had been wrong before...not often but it happened. Maybe this time they would be able to change circumstance and in doing so..change the game. It was exactly this type of thinking that Cameron had been trying to avoid during this battle. He had gone in believing his capture to be inevitable and was now feeling confident and strong in his team. It wasn't a matter of them being capable enough...or fighting hard enough. Cameron King had a date with destiny and it didn't matter how much of a fight The Six put up. ::

"It could happen at any second, King. Stay alert!"

:: The hypnotic hum of his weapon and his red crackling energy signature surged throughout the streets as he began to dodge and weave, The Purifiers unsure of which "vision" of him to attack. This was buying him time to take them out easily one by one. With a high swing and a high charged feedback sound he brought his weapon down on the last of the Purifiers in front of him. Everything was still. ::

"...we...did it?"

:: The hairs on the back of his neck rose immediately, a nanosecond before the portal opened behind him. ::

"Shit!"

Sister Mary Justice: "You are called to JUDGEMENT, white devil!"

:: He felt the giant gauntlet of the NIMROD device CLUTCH him at the feet as it began to pull him INTO the vortex. Immediately Firebird was upon him as the two locked hands and she pulled with ALL of her might against the hand of the Nimrod. Cameron was using every bit of his own telekinetic power to bolster her efforts but it was simply to no avail as Blaze who was REELING from the sonic attack just as badly as he was soon fell off guard and was hit by a repulsor blast. ::

"Blaze! Help her!"

:: Alycia took the next turn. ::

"Alycia! Don't! You're gonna get yourself hur--!"

:: She too was BLASTED back as Cameron was snagged with a NEURO NET and his brain began to SCREAM. ::

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

:: He tried desperately to grasp at SOMETHING around him with his hands, something to hold onto, something to keep him grounded to this EARTH and away from where he was heading. He had been so calm going into this scenario and while he was maintaining a truly genuine calm before the storm, when the time came upon him...of COURSE he didn't want to be kidnapped..with everything that Ava was going through...Delilah going through what she was...bitter feelings from Vivica about the team, Haleigh going in and out of reality for minutes at a time, Sally Spectra injured, Isis at the police station and Morgan in Limbo...they NEEDED him. He didn't want them to do this on their own...and to be honest, he was worried that they wouldn't be able to unite together without him. ::

:: The group watched in horror as in an instance the last bit of his fingers DISSAPPEARED through the portal, leaving nothing behind. Cameron King had been kidnapped and a disjointed group had to pick the pieces up in order to save BOTH himself and Cass. ::