xp_logs | Reality Coming Down

They are together when the Dark Phoenix arrives

The first sound they heard was the groaning of the trees, as if a heavy storm was coming in. There was no wind, and yet the trees were heavily bent with foliage being torn down and whipped about. The windows of the mansion were shaking, and the first few tiles came off the roof. They could see the firebird in the distance; giant and flickering. The closer it got, the more heavily the grounds shook and windows began to shattered like cannon shots in the air.

Molly stared up at the giant firebird that was getting closer. It was almost pretty, but kinda like how an explosion was pretty but it was really bad. Her evil self had said something about the Dark Phoenix. And now a firebird was coming. And Dr. Grey's codename was Phoenix. And they had been looking for her earlier 'cause things got really bad, but they wouldn't say a lot.

But her stomach was in knots now, and if Dr. Grey was evil, like the alternate people (hey, maybe it was an alternate her too!) ,and she had brain powers... She didn't like that idea.

"What do we do?"

Tandy did not like the feeling she was getting. It was almost on par with when she was trapped inside her own head with Dweller calling the shots. She almost lost her footing as the ground began to shake and jumped as the windows began to shatter. "We are supposed to be defending, right?" Tandy knew they had no chance of surviving if they stayed and fought the flaming bird coming their way.

Sue reflexively threw up a forcefield as cracks appeared in the ceiling and dust rained down around them. "Oh, this can't be good. Seriously, can't we get a break?" she asked rhetorically, turning her head from the window where the brilliance of the phoenix's flame was growing brighter. "I think maybe we should get out of here. Looks like the mansion's on its last legs."

"Think defensively," replied Emma. "I've got the biggest telepathic shield I dare hold over us. That should buy us a moment if she chooses to mount a telepathic assault, particularly broad-scale." Emma didn't mention that – judging by the roiling of the astral plane – she might be able to blunt and dissipate a initial attack from hurting the others, but wasn't sure if her own powers would make it through such a blow. "But that won't do much good if the mansion falls down on us. Look for safe places, alcoves, exits."

Topaz's mind was spinning as her eyes turned to the sky. "Shite." A dim part of her mind noted that Alice would probably be ashamed of how much she was swearing. Her head snapped up when the windows shattered, and she threw up a shield over her and the people closest to her to protect them from the falling glass.

Meggan automatically raised her arms to protect her face from the glass and stopped midway through upon noticing the barrier. She shot Topaz a grateful smile. Quietly, her eyes moved from there to the sky. It hurt to look directly at the flaming bird shape, which grew brighter by the moment. It hurt more to feel like there was nothing anyone could do. Those cracks in the ceiling looked even more ominous than they had moments prior. “Sue’s right, we need to leave now.”

"I don't know if we can... we might be too late..." Hope spoke almost without thought as she stared up to the sky, completely ignoring the glass and the cracks in the ceiling. "Whatever that is exactly... it nearly here..." The words sounded ominous as the sky turned more and more fiery.

As another wave of shaking began again, Gabriel instinctively grabbed Miles. His first thought hadn't been an earthquake or a tornado, but that he'd bled more than he thought and that he was about to pass out. That's when he looked up, seeing the flames flying toward them.

It just made him grab Miles tighter.

Miles was not a swearer. The first time his parents heard him curse, they'd literally washed out his mouth with soap. And since then, he'd had a pretty clean vocabulary with only a few slip-ups. But now, he reasoned, his parents would forgive him for the string of swears that left his lips.

He didn't even really think about what to do next. His spider sense blared louder than it ever had in the year since he'd manifested so the only option was to GTFO as fast as superhumanly possible. Without warning, he pulled out of Gabriel's grasp so he could pick up the older boy and throw him into a fireman's carry. Then he ran as fast as his short legs to would carry him to the other end of the hallway and hurled himself feet-first at the window.

Miles landed roughly on his feet, slightly dazed by the impact of descent, and not-so-gently helped Gabriel down. But even that daring escape didn't do anything to quiet his spider sense. Danger was still coming.

The air grew hot and close around them all as the firebird swelled, coming closer and closer. The walls of the mansion were shuttering, dust and dirt cascading down into the air. At the centre of the firebird, they could just make out the figure of a slim young woman. She spread her hands, and the roof started to groan. Stacks of slate and tile flew from it and with a gesture, the top of the mansion was sheared off without any apparent effort.

There was no other option. As they fled, telekinetic bolts smashed into the mansion, seemingly at random. Before they could make more than a few steps, the walls of the mansion began to come down, burying them in rubble as the telekinesis ate away at the mansion, turning it from a school into a disaster in minutes.

The fury was only beginning.