xp_logs | The Dark Phoenix

Jean is released from her suppressor as they consider the changes against Dark Phoenix

The fight was raging around them, but so far, each of the attacks tried by the X-Men had done nothing but annoy the Dark Phoenix. They were scrambling around, trying to disorient her with attacks and try to counter her tremendous power, but nothing seemed to work.

"You know," Gabriel panted, dashing away from flying debris and stopping in front of the mutants he'd been grouped with, "I think I preferred the Nazis." It was an attempt to lighten the mood, one that could hardly have been less appropriate given the severity of the situation. But it wasn't like Gabriel did well with severe. He raised his eyebrows, seeking a small smile or eye roll of some kind.

Met with nothing, he changed his approach. "How's Operation: Free Jean coming?" He pushed a loose strand of Jean's hair behind her ear, smiling warmly at her since he sensed she could use it.

“Aside from the fact I’m starting to think we might have better luck getting this thing off if it came with a digital keypad and a four digit code…” John wasn’t one to give up though. “It’s fine. We’re fucking fine.” At least that was what he'd been telling himself since all of this started. “Just…” He leaned in to take a better look at the collar. “—need to fucking locate that idiot proof… child safety, piece of shit thingamajig.” There had better be some kind of a — not so hidden — quick release button on the damn thing because the only other option he could think of in order to get the suppressor off involved using Jessica’s strength which would likely result in a very headless Jean.

“So what’s the plan here, guys?”

"I say you and I distract the bitch while Speedy Gonzales here slaps the suppressor on her. Sound good?" Jessica asked, her tone fierce. She was all strung out and her mind was fried.

All of this was too much and it was starting to unleash the part of her that was still just a scared little girl from Manhattan. She thought of her parents, of the looks that must have been on their faces as they died. The look on her little brother's face as the car's crushed his little body. She'd survived that day, years ago, and she sure as hell wasn't going to die now.

“Distract the bitch. Sure thing…” There was a sudden audible click and John’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. With a triumphant grin, he pulled the collar off before handing it over to Gabriel.

Jean let out an audible gasp and she fell to her knees, a shockwave of telekinetic energy radiating outward as her abilities rushed back with full force, slamming her with the thoughts and feelings of the others around her that, even with anticipation, still felt like being hit with a tsunami. A twin Phoenix raptor burst across the sky, snapping at the Dark Phoenix's own raptor reflexively before Jean ripped her control back, the glowing light in her eyes fading away.

Even quickly stifled, the flare had not gone unnoticed. Jean's double turned towards her, the weight of her full attention like being inches from the sun.

"There you are," she said, her words carried by something more than sound. The Dark Phoenix glanced from Jean to the suppressor with a mixture of amusement and disdain. "I was hoping for a little fun, but it looks like you're still overwrought. Why else would you have waited until now to take off the collar? Unless that's your kink... did Scott get you into it? He did need that visor..."

Jessica was fucking creeped out. And pissed. But the latter was her normal anyway. Whatever fucked up version of Jean the bitch above her was, she was already beginning to get tired of her. The brunette quickly decided that she wasn't going to wait any longer to strike. She need to give Gabriel enough time to grab the suppressor and slap it on. She slowly inched toward a nearby tree and wrapped her hands around its base. She pulled up, hard, ripping the tree from the ground with incredible force. She weighed in her hands briefly, before she rocketed upwards, tossing the tree with all her strength as she reached the apex of her flight.

"Shut the fuck up! Geezus! I mean, we get it, you're evil and mind rapey! Give it a rest!" She shouted. She briefly wondered when she'd become suicidal, but quickly shrugged it off. If she was going to die, she was definitely going to be mouthy till the end.

"Helpful, you racist." Gabriel muttered, because even though he didn't want to be on the receiving end of a Jessica-launched projectile, she was getting on his nerves. He took a deep breath, trying to push her out of his mind so he could instead focus on Jean, not Jean and the suppressor now in his hands.

He looked at her, then looked at it, then looked at the Dark Phoenix before looking at the not-dark Phoenix again. "Well," he shrugged, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in his brain. "Here goes nothing." He closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind so the Dark Phoenix's telepathy wouldn't be able to catch him like Jean had. Then, defying every instinct, he started toward their foe.

Of course they were going to stick the plan and not say — run the other way, which would have been preferable to John. “Jesus fucking Christ.” The past hour alone pretty much summed up all the reasons why he wasn’t the least bit interested to be part of some leather wearing, superhero martrys-r-us group. There was rarely a moment when his life wasn’t in danger just being around these people.

Left without a choice, John got his box of matches out to help create that distraction they needed by lighting whatever that was being launched in the air on fire.

Jessica hefted a large, flaming tree with both hands. She knew she didn't have long before the angry god in front of her caught wind of the plan that she and John had come up with. It was a simple plan, just the way Jessica liked it. John set some objects on fire and she threw the fuckers at Dark Phoenix. She flew upwards and tossed the tree like a javelin before she quickly swooped back down. She hefted a chunk of debris, not caring enough to figure out what it actually was, and grinned as the flames were added to it. She hurled it, making sure to use all of her strength. She had to keep fighting. Sure, she was going to be sore tomorrow from touching things on fire, but she'd rather be that than dead.

At the second impact the Dark Phoenix finally turned her attention from Jean. She gave a contemptuous laugh as the next projectile smashed harmlessly against her shield.

"Oh, sweetie, that's not how you use fire." She stretched out an arm, and the wing of the firebird extended to brush Jessica with a pinion of flame.

"This is fire."

The area around the brunette erupted into flame: air, debris, bits of turf and vegetation. The Dark Phoenix began to narrow her concentration on the task of further igniting living flesh when another force interceded -- the same presence that was hampering her telepathy. The old man again. She would have to deal with him soon.

Jessica would've swore if she could. As it was, the flames surrounding her weren't hurting her body. Sure, she'd be mildly sore tomorrow, but she was otherwise fine. What did hurt was the fact that the flames were soaking up all of the oxygen around her and she was starting to have trouble breathing. Everything was too bright and uncomfortable and, thus disoriented, flying was completely out of the question. She wanted to scream, to curse, to do something but she couldn't.

John had felt the concentration of energy around Jessica the moment the Dark Phoenix turned her attention on the girl and he tried his hardest to stave off the flames, to cool the temperature and to stop the burning, but the smoke was suffocating and he couldn’t get close enough to pull her out.

The flames were the cue Gabriel needed. He quickened his steps, moving to a sprint pace just in time for the world to decelerate around him. The fire flickered in half time. The debris now seemed to glide around him. Through it all, he tried to keep his mind completely empty.

As he sprinted toward the Dark Phoenix, suppressor in hand, he saw her start to slow too. Her figure grew bigger as he approached, and she appeared to be distracted. Excellent. He'd get the collar on her before she even noticed he'd been missing. And then they'd live.

He kept barreling toward her, now just yards away. His arm extended toward the almost-frozen woman, ready to snap the suppressor on, then bolt the hell away. Gabriel relaxed ever-so-slightly, confident considering he'd made it so far.

That's when her head snapped toward him.

The Dark Phoenix's eyes slid down to the suppressor in his hand, then back to Gabriel. She smiled, as if genuinely amused by his naivete.

"'A' for the effort," she remarked, "but when you shred reality like a paper bag, time is nothing. Now..." she raised a hand to her lips, "fly, fly away, little bug."

In the still world of crawling flame, the woman with Jean's face blew him a kiss.

The world was fast. Gabriel barely had time to think of a witty retort before she threw him off his feet, and the impact of a telekinetic punch to the gut took the wind out of him. Before he knew it, he was careening backwards, flailing his limbs to regain some sense of control. The look on his face had shifted to pure terror.

Before he could hit the ground with the force of a head on collision he was caught by someone who had enough experience to keep him from feeling the consequences of gravity. He was left suspended in midair for a moment or two before carefully floating to the ground. The Jean that belonged to this dimension smiled softly.

"I've got you," she said.

"Thanks." Gabriel glanced toward her, giving her a weak smile. His head was spinning. Or the room was spinning. Something was spinning, and he felt like he might retch. "Didn't work, though. And the suppressor is, I don't..." He looked down at his now-empty hands, but his head moved too fast. He turned away from Jean just as quickly so she wouldn't see him get sick all over the ground.

"We need to fall back," Jean said to Gabriel, keeping an eye on her alternate self as something distracted her and she moved on with her swath of destruction. She wanted to engage but knew this wasn't the right time. Gently putting her hand on Gabriel's shoulder, her tone was gentle but her expression grave.

"You'll be okay," she said quietly. They all would.

She would make sure of it.