xp_logs | Genosha: Onwards To Victory: Genetics at War

They make their way to the Genegineer's labs and find some unexpectedly familiar opposition.

Anderson led them down into the Citadel's depths. They encountered a few Magistrates, but her orders sent them scurrying to help fire and rescue teams without questioning her authority. They paused at a door, and her keycard opened it. Tam stopped, and gestured.

"Down there is the Genegineer's lab. I need to see if I can get to the CIC and see if I can override Moreau's orders and get my people to stand down. Doctor Ryan will stay with you." With that, she was gone, leaving them to split off to the labs. Around them were research rooms and laboratories, as they started inside.

"Some kind of place." Garrison said, looking around. It made the mansion's research rooms almost look normal. Fortunately, his looking around caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and he pulled Ryan out of the line of fire as several rounds flew past where they had been standing. "Ambush!"

Jean-Paul got out of the way of the bullets because, fast though he was, he couldn't dodge them. Taking Ryan from Garrison so the Mountie could use his gun or something - anything, really - the Quebecois put himself between her and the doorway, though his expression was hard. If Anderson had arranged for this delightful little interlude... he was going to be most displeased.

Narrowing her eyes, Jean bit back a curse word or two as a few of the bullets bounced off a telekinetic shield. She mentally and physically searched out for their would be opponents, tossing a few bits of small, heavy, but not necessarily important bits of equipment at them as a distraction.

Artie found himself pressed into the angle between wall and floor and began to crawl back, a silent litany of 'fuckfuckfuck' running through his head as he scrabbled back a few steps before turning and running back to the corner where he began to blend into the wall behind him. Besides, it like Jean could... do stuff.

"Artie, stay there", Angelo confirmed to him in passing. They hadn't got free just for the kid with no offensive or defensive powers whatsoever to get shot when they were so close to an ending. "Phoenix, it's the Marauders! Even if they're supposed to be dead."

"I'll see if can block the guns ..." Sooraya announced to no one in particular as she dissolved into her sand form once more. The name of the group meant very little to her, but apparently they were a familiar enemy to the older X-men. She lifted above the group, many even drawing away some fire from them and searched where exactly the gun fire was coming from so she could attempt to block the guns.

"Janos. Take her out." Before Sooraya's sand could reach the guns, a strong wind filled the room, an artificial tornado brought on by a spinning man in fatigues. The whirlwind blurred brown and grey, sucking up Sooraya and spitting her out. With the scattered sand came pieces of hard, sharp glasslike material that sliced through skin and clothing and even walls equally.

They dared not open their eyes or mouths, the noise from the rushing air was deafening, the best they could do in the face of the onslaught being to take cover however they could. Then, almost as soon as it began, the spinning slowed, then stopped. Janos was standing still, now, looking a little confused. He opened his mouth, and blood poured out. Painfully slowly he pitched forward onto his front, the handle of a knife sticking out of the back of his neck. Behind him - off at the edge of the space, Callisto was spitting blood and debris herself, blinking, weeping watery red as her eyes rejected the numerous foreign bodies that had entered them.

"I gotta learn to aim with my mouth closed."

Maddie had taken up the task of protecting Artie early on and had stayed beside her friend, holding his hand (an act that was as much to give her strength and comfort as it was for his benefit) as those they were with focused their energies on the ambushing party. It had worked for a little while, at least, but the longer the brawl continued, the more likely, Maddie knew, they would be discovered. And when Maddie saw the guns aimed in their direction she may have panicked just a little bit, because the next thing she knew she was hurling a ball of pure telekinetic energy directly at their would be assassins.

"Not too shabby", called Nico as she stepped up to check on Maddie. She couldn't do any checking up though, as a sudden feeling of dizziness struck her, nearly sending her to the floor like a potato sack. Falling to her knees, Nico managed to rise her head high enough to notice the grinning woman, hitting her with some sort of power that was driving her to the edge of unconsciousness. "Gotta...tell you..." Nico drew one of her knees up, getting some precarious balance as she tries to stand, eyes going black. "Picked...worst..." Okay, speaking was no longer a thing she could do, which let her with no chances to throw a spell. What was still working on her mind allowed her to realize the woman wasn't going to stop until her brain was silly putty on the floor. Time to replay in kind then.

Lashing out her mutant power was something so close to instinct that Nico didn't even need to focus; even more, the less attentive she was, the worst the drain, so when it hit Vertigo, it hit her hard; as if Nico had countered, she tore through the woman's attack, consuming its energies and latching on the woman as Nico stood taller and taller, mind clearing, and rage manifesting within her. It was like watching someone age way too fast, but not quite; rather than growing old, Vertigo seemed to collapse upon herself, life slipping away from every pore in her body until she was a dry piece of meat. Only then Nico stopped; she could have drained her until nothing was left, but she had been wild enough. "That felt terribly good."

Angelo glanced back towards Artie and Maddie, making sure they were still there and unharmed, and then frowned and turned again for a closer look at the wall. When he was sure of what he'd seen, he straightened up and yelled at the top of his voice, "OUT! IT'S RIGGED TO EXPLODE!"

Almost as if on cue a faint bang was heard closeby as a shudder ran through the building, throwing off dust from the ceiling.

Jean's eyes widened. "Too late," she said. With a burst of energy she telekinetically knocked some of the Marauders back. "Run!"

Jean-Paul muttered curses with an ease that might have surprised someone who didn't know him well, grabbing Maddie at the waist and hauling her down the hallway. Of course the entire place was rigged to blow. That made complete sense.

Sam waited to make sure everyone else was either already out or on their way out before firing up his blast shield to escape himself. Given his powers he could afford to wait and see what happened, though he was thankful for what looked like TK shielding to prevent debris from following them as they retreated.

The remaining Marauders picked themselves up, but instead of trying to escape, made a run back into the labs, disappearing as gouts of fire roared past and swallowed them.

Sooraya had managed to pull herself together after being dispersed like that and though her ears were still ringing and things were still spinning in her head she managed to get to her feet and followed the others, stumbling now and then. Behind her there were the sounds of more explosions as more labs went up in flames.