Mutants and Molotovs: Into The Night

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Things slide further out of control, and Scott and Jean find themselves dealing with a mutant who's using the opportunity to indulge his pyromaniac side. Literally.


The city was not on fire. That was the sort of purple prose journalism that was undoubtedly being aired back in New York, but on the ground it was mainly looting and violence. But, in this case, that mainly was not enough.

They seen the fire flicker into life, moving from a small flame into what could almost be called an inferno with unnatural speed that suggested it was being assisted in its destruction. Not that finding the mutant who had started the fire was that hard, given the way he was going on.

"Cyclops, there are still people in the building," Jean said, staring into the fire and trying to find and sort out all of the panicked minds. Some had found a way out through the back fire escape, but the exit had been cut off too soon for everyone to get out.

"Damn it." Scott eyed the flames and the laughing pyrokinetic, and his jaw clenched. "Get them out," he told her, and blasted the pyrokinetic. The man was cut off in mid-epithet, knocked backwards like a rag doll. Firebreaks, Scott though. He had to make firebreaks, or this was going to spread...

From what she could see in the people's minds, the interior stairwell was still clear, but it did them no good since the door was on fire, already threatening to spread into the front hall. Reaching out, she ripped the burning door off the building, letting the people inside know about the new exit. It would only help those on the lowest floors, who could get out before the hallway went up, but that would be that many fewer people to worry about.

Scott let off a quick series of optic blasts that smashed through pavement, creating impromptu firebreaks. He heard a shout from one of the riot squad, and looked up just in time to see a sheet of flame coming at him. Fuck! He dove for the pavement, and it passed over him.

Jean spared a thought to create a tk shield around herself, although Scott was by far the more obvious target, as far as the pyrokinetic was concerned. All to the good, as there was a frighteningly young mother and her baby trapped on the top floor by the fire which had reached the roof and collapsed some insufficiently kept up supports into their front hall. #The window,# she sent to the woman. #I can catch you, but you've got to get out.#

The woman cried out as more crashing came from inside, and courage or fear, it was impossible to tell, drove her out onto the window ledge. "How?" she called down at Jean.

Jean couldn't hear the question, but the thought behind it was clear. #I'm a mutant. Please, trust me.# She could simply pluck the two of them off the ledge, but it would require much less energy on her part to divert the velocity of their fall than to carry them the whole distance.

There was an explosion in the building and the young woman jumped with a shriek.

Back over at the front of the building, Scott saw the pyrokinetic directing his stream of flame at the upper floors and nearly lost it, right then and then. "Son of a BITCH!" The optic blast this time was considerably more than half-strength, and this time the man went down and stayed down.

Jean wrapped the falling woman in her telekinetic grip, vision shifting over to watch the lines of force, bleeding off the gravitational energy and turning it around on itself to slow their fall. She shut off her awareness of the woman's shock at floating, concentrating fully on keeping her safe.

"What do we do with him?" one of the riot squad members demanding, running to Scott's side.

"I don't..." Scott coughed, the smoke overwhelming for a moment. "One of the fire crews. Their protective gear, inside-out... and keep him under."

The woman safely on the ground, Jean turned her attention back inside. A group by the back stairs were all that was left, trapped by a fire in the hallway. It was small enough that they were getting ready to try to run past it, wet blankets wrapped around them. #Wait,# Jean sent, getting an idea. Now that the pyrokinetic was no longer fueling the fire... #Turn your head,# she said told one of the men, using his eyes to scan the room. He might not be able to see the force lines, but she could. Reaching out along the easiest path for the people to follow, she consciously slowed the rushing air molecules, dropping the temperature. She didn't think she could put the fire out entirely, but it died down, giving the people an escape which they gladly took.

Scott stayed with the pyrokinetic long enough to see him secured, or at least secured as much as was possible, and then ran back to where he'd left Jean. "Are you-" He stopped, blinking at the people coming running out of the building, and immediately started directing them to where the ambulance was finally arriving, now that there was no longer an active firestorm going on here. More fire trucks were coming in the distance, he could hear them.

As soon as the people were safely past, Jean had released her hold, letting it go before the it could completely exhaust her. The fire trucks were coming, they could actually put the fire out. And there was still a riot going on. She wasn't entirely sure how she was still standing, but collapsing would be a bad thing, because then she'd have to get up again.

"Are you all right?" Scott reached out to support her with one hand, covering his mouth with the other as he coughed. "Dammit," he wheezed.

"Just... a little drained," Jean said. It took effort to focus back on looking at the world normally, shaking away the lines of force which danced across her vision. "Here, away from the smoke," she added, moving back from the building. "Everybody's out..."

"I don't know if they'll be able to keep him under control," Scott said exhaustedly, watching the pyrokinetic be carried away. "I hope... spur of the moment, what I suggested..."

"If it doesn't work, they can simply hit him very hard until he falls down again?" She was only half joking. Although getting him away from the rioting and the potential sources of firewood would probably also help cool his temper.

"Come on, you," Scott said, mustering up a tired smile. "Water or something... and I think we both need some quick food. Hit one of the Guard posts?"

"Food would be very, very good," Jean said. "Also, perhaps, a chair. Just for a little bit..."

He slid an arm around her, for support. "This has got to start winding down soon," he said hoarsely as they walked... okay, staggered down the street. "Seriously. Burn itself out... pardon the pun."

Jean snorted. "No burning jokes. None. No more fires and no explosions. I think we should avoid explosions all together."


~*~


Jubilee, taking a brief break with the riot squad she's been working with, is overwhelmed right along with them when they're rushed by a crowd of rioters. Rescue comes from an unexpected direction.


"Is there any particular reason that you're eating candy bars one right after the other?"

The question came from a member of the new riot control squad that had replaced the one Jubilee had started with at the beginning of the very long day. The officer asking the question was in his mid-twenties, and had very blue eyes behind his helmet's face-shield. They had stopped for something of a break, and to let Jubilee refuel. The street they were on was largely quiet, but also fairly well trashed, shattered storefronts and overturned garbage bins everywhere the eye could see.

Jubilee looked up from her sitting position where she'd slumped. She knew it was going to be difficult getting back up again but her legs just hadn't wanted to hold her weight anymore. "Energy. Kinda gives me an extra boost with my powers. This long in, I'm kinda runnin' on fumes right now." She replied, blinking as the rain splashed in her eyes.

He smiled at her, a quick, tired, but somehow appreciative smile. "Gather you've been at it since the middle of last night. I saw some of your teammates at work while we were being deployed."

"Yeah. It's been kinda hectic since everythin' started happenin'. You guys have been amazing, by the way. Things could've been a lot worse." Jubilee replied, finishing the last of her chocolate bar and slowly hoisting herself up. She wobbled for a second before finding her feet.

"We've appreciated the help." He supported her discreetly as she tottered. "Mike, by the way. Mike Dance. Please tell me your real name isn't 'Firecracker'?"

"Nah. S'just the code name. It's a little easier to shout when you're in the middle of somethin', and keeps the bad guys from lookin' you up later. Name's Jubilation Lee. S'very nice to meet you, Mike." Jubilee replied, holding out her hand for a shake.

It seemed such a normal conversation to be having in the middle of what was beginning to look like a warzone. She'd spent most of the, she supposed since she hadn't slept she'd call it a 'day', blinding rioters or knocking them off their feet. She really hoped the city didn't bill her for the damage done to pavements and roads. It was nice though, grounded her more then the chocolate bar had. Sometimes you needed reminding about why you were risking your fool neck for these people.

"How much longer you think?" she asked, trying to keep a professional tone but smiling wryly as it simply came out sounding exhausted.

Mike, who'd shaken her hand with another of his quick smile, sighed and shook his head. "No clue," he said, bending to pick back up his baton. "The sergeant's in touch with dispatch, trying to see where we're needed next or whether we should just keep patrolling. Things don't seem to be settling down much, though." In the distance, there was the unmistakable sound of an explosion, and the officer's jaw tightened at the pillar of fire visible over the buildings. "And I have really got to learn not to say things like that."

Jubilee smiled wryly, her stance changing from relaxed and exhausted to ready and exhausted, sparks of plasma starting to slide up and down the arms of her suit. She was just glad that the rain didn't have any affect on her powers. "S'Okay. I think the universe likes to wait till we think things are good before throwing something else at us. Dispatch sayin' anything about what that was?"

"Well, let's go see," Mike started to say - and then froze, his eyes flickering warily to the end of the street as the distinct noise of shouting broke the uneasy quiet. The other members of the squad were coming to their feet, picking up their batons. "Crap. Or not."

Jubilee noticed the increase in noise, body going tense as it had at every encounter since this whole thing started. Would this be the time when she had to use more then blinding them? Would one of the people she was working with get hurt? When things were so insane, nothing was certain.

She hated this, so much. But she had a job to do, and people to take care of. Damned if she'd let this turn bad. "Guess it's showtime. Same positions as before?"

The rioters coming up the street were angry, and there were a lot of them. "Fuck," Mike said through gritted teeth, going forward to join the rest of his squad as they lined up. "Yes. Be careful."

'Shit' Jubilee thought, moving into position at the front of the squad. She didn't know if she could handle so many people at once. But she'd have to, there wasn't any other choice. Taking up a stance, she lifted her hands in front of her and started pouring more power into them, gathering a charge. She'd need to do small sparks, spread them out amoung the rioters to blind them. It'd be harder controlling so many sparks all at once, and trying to keep it small enough not to burn someone's face off.

The rioters were running. There didn't appear to be any mutants among them, but with that many people, and in that kind of a mood, there didn't need to be. They overran the small squad of riot-control officers like a human swarm, and Jubilee found herself in the middle of an enraged crowd that seemed to be shrugging off her sparks.

Jubilee felt herself start to panic at the swarm of people around her, boxing her in. She ruthlessly squashed it down, remembered her training and tried to look for the others. She spotted them, overwhelmed themselves and there was no way in hell she'd be able to make it to them with her sparks not seeming to work at all.

Someone grabbed her from behind in a bear hug, squeezing her arms to her sides and picking her up off the ground slightly. She threw her head backwards, hoping she'd get her assailant in the nose, and by the sound of the muffled swearword behind her and the loosening of his arms, she'd succeeded. She spun around, aiming a stream of paffs at his face, only to be hit in the back of the knees by something solid.

"Mutie bitch!" she heard clearly, amid the shouts, as the crowd closed in on her.

Jubilee did the only thing she could think of when she felt the pressure of the 2x4 hit her knees, she backflipped and then as she was upside down, aimed a kick at the man's face, hitting him in the jaw, and pushing him backwards more fully with her heel before landing on her back.

Her back was not a good place to be in a crowd like this, and she rolled sideways to avoid a boot to the head before getting herself into a crouch. She was going to be overwhelmed, she knew it. The only thing currently keeping them away from her was the fact that getting close to her hurt, and she was running out of the energy boost she'd gotten from the chocolate bar. She needed to do something big, and she needed to do it now.

Pulling in all the power she could, pushing herself to the limit, she opened up with everything she could and still maintain enough control not to melt them into goo. It hurt, holy fucking hell it hurt and she could feel the nose bleed. But she smiled through the pain as she saw each person in the crowd outlined with fireworks. At this level, there wouldn't be all that much intensity but it might make them pause a bit to wonder what the hell was going on. God, she hoped it made them pause, because she was all out of juice, and she could feel the blackness moving at the edges of her vision.

Someone grabbed her. But it was an arm around her waist, supporting her, and someone was yelling in her ear that it was okay, that they'd get out of here, and picking her up bodily, ran through the crowd.

Which seemed to be more distressed than angry, suddenly, and not specifically because of the fireworks. People were trying to move and yelling, seemingly unable.

'Thank God, Thank God' she thought, letting her sparks fizzle out as she realised someone else was stopping the crowd. She leaned against them, not caring right now who they were, only that they were here.

The others though, the cops, where...She pulled her head up on a neck that felt like spaghetti and looked around for Mike. She needed to know they were okay. "The others, they need help."

"I don't think we can help them," her rescuer said, sounding out of breath. "Hold on, I'm getting us inside..." Before she could ask, they were quite literally passing right through a wall and into a store, safely behind iron bars. The young man who'd saved her gave a cracked laugh. "Good thing this place has a concrete block wall at the side... I can only move through concrete."

Jubilee looked back at the concrete wall and then at the man. "Thanks, I appreciate the save. But you need to take me back. I can't just leave them out there alone. "

It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for the save, Gods she was but she couldn't leave the cops out there, anything could be happening. She couldn't let her team down. Now, if she could just stand on her own two feet without them wobbling under her like jelly.

"You can hardly stand up," he said, sounding aggravated, and pushed her at a handy counter. "Lean on that. I'll go see. My friend makes surfaces adhesive... that's what he did to the crowd. He should be able to let the cops up selectively."

Jubilee leaned against the counter, really taking a look at the guy now. "Thank you. Were you in the rally?"

He gave a nervous laugh, trying to look out through the bars. "In the rally? We were trying to get out of the rally. Damn it, we were just here with a group from the university. But we can't get out of the downtown..."

Jubilee finally managed to get enough strength in her arms to push herself up onto the counter. She sized in relief, and reached up to wipe the blood from her nose. "Where's your group? I can see if there's a unit nearby them, get them out maybe. There's a couple of places people are being evaced to."

She should've been making small talk, finding out the guy's name at least but she'd been 'on mission' for close to 20 hours now, give or take a few hours captured sleep, and it was hard not to think in terms of movements, and results.

Someone was waving out there, and Jubilee's rescuer smiled. "Omar's letting the cops up - look. Damn, looks like some of them are hurt, though..."

Jubilee swore and pressed her throat mike. "Husk, where's our nearest backup? I've got some injured cops here and I'm not sure how serious yet."

"Come on," her rescuer said, reaching out to support her as Paige answered, telling Jubilee that help was being directed to her location. "Let's go back out, see what we can do?"

"Thanks, Husk." Jubilee replied, jumping off the counter and clutching at her rescuer as her legs wobbled for a second. She fished another chocolate bar out of one of her uniform pockets. . "Just had to make sure we got some backup in case any other rioters decided to get up close and personal. Let's go."

"Okay, hold your breath... I'm Rick, by the way," her rescuer said as he let them back through the concrete wall. It was a shivery sort of feeling, but not really unpleasant. Outside, most of the crowd was still on the ground. A slender young man, obviously of Middle Eastern descent, was moving through the crowd, touching the cops on the shoulder, at which point they were able to get up. Some of them were indeed very shaky on their feet. Mike Dance had gotten up to his knees, but no further, and one of his teammates was leaning over him.

"Jubilee." she replied, heading toward where Mike kneeled. It was probably unfair of her to care more about someone whose name she knew but that was the way things went. "Sorry I'm being a complete spazz with the social stuff, should've told you my name before. It's been a damn long day. So, what're you guys doing alone out here? Not that I mind, considering you saved our asses but wouldn't it have been safer back with your group?"

"We got cut off. We were trying to find someplace to get cell reception, but it didn't work out very well," Rick said, looking chagrined.

Mike looked up as she approached. He had his hand clasped to his side, and the other officer had gone over to get a first aid kit. "Hey, Firecracker," he said, pale and sweating but smiling tightly. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Although I'd be a lot worse if Rick and Omar hadn't arrived. They seriously saved our tails. Husk said there's backup on the way." Jubilee replied, quickly noting Mike's injury. Possible broken ribs, considering the way he was sweating and holding his side.

"That's good..." Mike's shoulders drooped and he winced, looking around at the stuck-to-the-ground rioters. "And that's just weird..."

"Only thing I could think of to do," said Omar, who was also breathing hard and sweating, but not apparently injured. "Didn't manage to get all of them, but the others ran off."

"Dude, Omar, you did fantastic. That was one hell of a lot of people, seriously." Jubilee replied, looking over at him. "You gonna be okay to hold them till we can get them all sorted out? Or till they calm down and stop actin' like dicks, whichever comes first."

"I think that'd take a while," Rick grumbled. "We saw these guys around the corner. Most of them are FoH."

"I think I'm okay," Omar said, looking determined. "Fuck, we've been running around all night trying to stay out of trouble... maybe we should have been trying to get into it before this."

Mike gave a wheezy laugh. "Nothing like enthusiastic amateurs," he said, then raised a hand. "No offense intended."

"Hey, keep makin' comments like that and we'll have ta start callin' ya 'Old Man'." Jubilee replied, grinning.

This was good, after the fright of only a few moments ago the time to talk and make jokes was what they needed most.

~*~


At the summit site, Cain and Alison find themselves the ones holding the line. And a year almost to the day since the events that left her with a certain mental block, Alison breaks through it and rediscovers that aspect of her powers at the best moment imaginable.


Cain flexed his fists, adjusting the black windbreaker over his dark red leathers. He'd figured it was kind of moot to put "POLICE" right across his back in big white letters, but those were the rules. Help out, keep the peace.

Then the call had come in. Protestors had broken police barricades. Protesters on BOTH sides, human and mutant. The riot was heading for the summit building. And it was obvious to everyone that the only way in was through a pair of boulevards that met in the large traffic circle that he and Dazzler currently occupied.

"I swear," he growled, hearing the noise of the approaching crowds. "If Cable makes any cracks about Spartans at Thermopylae, I'm gonna bust him one."

"You'd have to beat me to it," Alison said calmly, maintaining a composed fa�ade despite the fact that she felt anything but calm. The windows lining the side of the street from which the rioters were approaching them were still unbroken, though the sounds of crashing glass and thrown objects hinted to the fact that it wouldn't last for much longer. Automatically, Alison moved forward, moving a bit closer towards the opening of the street, though not enough to leave the traffic circle itself. "Don't think he will though." Nathan never referred to the Spartans, these days. Ever.

"We need to stop them without laying a hand on 'em," she said, just loudly enough for Cain to hear her. "Strobe lights. Let's see if blinding 'em will work like it did with the last batch." And with that, she lifted her arms, knowing Cain's sight was already protected by the goggles he wore, and let loose.

Even through the smoked-glass goggles, Cain squinted against the blinding lights. He could see the silhouettes of the first rioters from the alleyways, holding their hands up over their faces, turning back into the mob. Raising a hand to his earpiece, Cain glanced away to give a situation report.

"Juggernaut to command net. We've got rioters from both sides coming through into the traffic circle. Dazzler's delaying them, but sheer mass of people is going to turn this bottleneck into a powderkeg fast."

The reply came back on a burst of static, then clarity. "Stick to the protocol," Cyclops' voice said. "Keep the peace as much as you can, keep people from getting hurt. Keep the net open for emergencies."

Cain dropped his hand to his side. "As much as we can. Great."

"This isn't going to work." Even with the noise afforded to her earlier on with the previous lot of rioters, this much wide range light output was draining her and with a slight shift of weight, Alison activated two of the sonic emitters embedded in her suit. "Got two emitters going now just for this and there's at least five times more people here than we had to deal with earlier."

She swore, looking through the haze of light to see some of the rioters regrouping, a few angry screams already hinting at renewed trouble. "Dammit. If only I could-"

Biting her lip she stopped right there, the memory of Foley's retrieval suddenly bright and sharp in her mind, as well as what they'd done to deprogram him. And the consequences that had followed.

Noticing the absence of the strobes, Cain gave Alison a cursory glance. She wasn't hurt, probably thinking strategy. Reaching behind him, he grabbed a megaphone and stepped forward. "All right!," he boomed. "Seattle police says you all gotta disperse peaceably. Go on home and let's not have any trouble!"

The first answer was a bottle that fell a good ten feet short of him. The next one bounced off his shoulder to clatter on the pavement, and he stepped in front of Alison protectively. "So much for the diplomatic approach. Things are gonna get messy unless you got some magic trick up your sleeve."

"I haven't been able to do that magic trick for almost a year now." And she needed to be perfectly calm and centered for it, a state which wasn't the easiest to achieve these days, as compared to before. "I can try something." The irony of the timing didn't escape her, but she'd have had to face that particular demon sooner or later anyway. Without another word, Alison simply sat down on the concrete, cross legged, the back of her hands resting on her knees as she closed her eyes.

Think calm. The sound of objects starting to fall nearby was the first thing she dealt with, starting to drink in sound only a bit - just enough to give herself a brief grace from the screaming and the insults now being hurled their way, turning it into something useful, a buzz under her skin which was well known and comforting. Steadying her breathing she turned her thoughts inward, seeking calm and peace somewhere amidst the restlessness and worry, trying to break through the still ever present anger lingering in the corners of her mind. A brief, startling memory cropped up, a dead child's face staring at her as Nathan screamed at Mick to break the conditioning and she stiffened, breathing falling out of pattern instantly - and then restored, forcefully, the moment after, the memory set aside as Alison sought something better. Something safe and calm and soothing.

--

Roy picked up a broken piece of brick from the street. The black windbreakers and sunglasses didn't fool him. Those weren't cops, those were muties. As if the ten foot tall guy and the chick with the lightshow could be anything else.

This was HIS city. He'd worked construction for fifteen years to put food on his family's table, and he paid his taxes and earned his right to a safe and decent life. Not having to share an apartment building with someone who... who wasn't even human.

Normal humans didn't make rock concert laser light shows like that. With the pulsating beams and the colors that seemed to just flow into each other. There was a sort of rhythm to it, almost hypnotic. Soothing, sort of. It wasn't like some destructive laser or anything, or an explosion. She was just sitting there, and the light was emanating peacefully.

The brick slipped from Roy's fingers, and he shuffled forward slowly, feeling the others in the crowd press against him, slowing to a standstill.

--

Cain shook his head to get the afterimages to clear. Even through his goggles, the patterns of light and color felt WEIRD. Alison was breathing evenly and slowly, the air around her seeming to weave with patterns that shifted intensity and rhythm in time with her breaths. Cain found himself unconsciously breathing deeply, forcing himself with difficulty to look away, to focus on the dark pavement and the situation around them.

The crowds weren't stopping, but at least they didn't seem AS violent. He raised the megaphone again, then stopped. Dazzler's strategy was working, might as well see how it played out.

She had no idea if it was working or not, other than for the fact that the noise around them seemed to be slowly dying off, though that might just be the calm before the storm, for all she knew. And she'd have been afraid to look if she'd let herself, but she'd finally reached the a core of calm and she wasn't letting it go, two people alone contributing to keeping her there, thoughts of them anchoring her emotions in place. Somehow.

Opening her eyes slowly, Alison kept her breathing steady and the light flowing as it had before - and could have cried on the spot as she realized that it was working. It was harder than it had ever been to manage even as she had to be as relaxed and calm as possible as the only way to affect others with this was through her own feelings, and yet somehow, she'd broken through the block acquired the previous year.

The lights continued to drift by in gentle, soothing patterns and Alison kept breathing steadily as the mod slowly ground down to a stop around the two figures in the middle of the boulevard.

Cain just stood in awe. The rioters were... calming down? Almost hypnotized by Dazzler's light show. Stepping forward, focusing his eyes on the chests of the closest two, he gently took them by the shoulders, one human, one mutant, marching them through the crowd and across the boulevard. "Go home to your families," he said roughly but quietly. "Ain't no need for trouble."

The two would-be rioters nodded, tears brimming in one's eyes. The other just looked back over his shoulder.

"It's beautiful," he said, in a voice that was miles away somehow.