X-Men Mission: Attica! Attica!

[x-dominion.livejournal.com]

The X-Men find themselves in the crosshairs of the Avengers.



So far, the battle against the Hood had been a standstill. Rogue and Dominion's speed were well above the Hood's, but his grab-bag of magical tricks had been enough to force them back every time they made an assault. His accurate fire from the glowing automatics had been especially effective in forcing them to fall back.

Kane was just about to suggest calling in more X-Men when a disc flew through the air and hit the Hood squarely, knocking him back on his heels. The spinning disc ricocheted off the roof and was snatched out of the air by a figure in red, white and blue. Behind him, a green behemoth landed on the roof hard enough to crack the concrete.

"You are all under arrest." Captain America. It was like he'd stepped out of an old photo from Life magazine.

Rogue automatically put her hands on her hips, eyebrow cocked. "Ah'm sorry, but that sounded like ya jus said we all were under arrest. Ah think you're mistaken. We," she said, motioning to Kane and herself, "are X-Men. We're the good guys."

Nobody that big should be able to move that fast, one minute the Hulk was standing behind Captain America and the next he had launched himself forward with a snarl one meaty hand seizing Rogue and driving her backwards into a wall.

"Fuck!" Kane said and moved to try and cut off the green creature. But the Captain moved almost as fast, rushing him on the side with his shield. The blow knocked Kane off his feet, sending him scrambling. The Hood targeted the Captain immediately, firing rapidly from his automatics. But the shield seemed to move of its own accord, knocking down the slugs.

Her throat was seriously raw. It was only due to her invulnerability that her throat wasn't crushed (and okay, maybe partly due to the fact that the Hulk didn't seem to actually want to kill her). She idly wondered if maybe all these blows to the head would bring back memories, but that's not what she was focused on.

It was impossible to pull her glove off from the angle she was at. Thank goodness she was flexible, she thought, as she managed to get a good kick into his side, which released some pressure on her neck.

Rogue's kick actually staggered the Hulk, she had looked so tiny and petite that he hadn't expected her to be able to hit so hard. A kick that brought her a few seconds reprieve to catch her breath as the green behemoth drove himself back to his feet with a snarl. A large green fist connected with Rogue driving her back through the wall she'd just been held against, her body was soon followed by that of the Hulk rushing after her leaving the once proud wall reduced to a pile of dust.

As the two disappeared through the wall, Dominion made a bolt for the hole but the shield whipped past him. The Hood took a second hit from the spinning disc and disappeared, retreating from the battle. The Captain was on him with surprising speed. He blocked a right cross and hit the man hard in the stomach. The blow staggered him, but he twisted out of the way of the follow-up and smashed his boot into Kane's throat.

Thank God for shoddy construction, she thought to herself as she scrambled ‎to get up. The Hulk had had surprise on his side, but on her feet, she was an even match.

And then there was the Captain to deal with. Rogue watched in horror as she witnessed the throat stomping. Picking up a sizeable piece of concrete, she threw it as hard as she could towards the Captain. She lifted up in the air afterwards, trying to get out of the Hulk's reach.

This mission was not going to be successful, she thought.

Captain America got his shield around in time to block the projectile, boots scraping against the concrete as he absorbed the blow. He came up quickly but Kane was on him, kicking out his ankle and helping him into the concrete face first with a shove. The Hulk swung a massive fist into him. Kane dummied up, taking the impact of the blow on his forearms and tumbling back over the force.

The Hulk followed up on his punch tearing though the fence he'd punch garrison over like it was tissue paper he gave the X-man a contented grin before swinging both fists down at him.

Rogue launched herself in the air from behind, and wrapped her strong arms around the Hulk's neck. "See how ya like that, ya big lug," she said through gritted teeth. Her strength was no rel match for his, but hopefully the surprise factor would allow Kane the time he needed to break free.

As Rogue grabbed him, Kane pulled up his legs and landed a massive double kick to the Hulk's gut, doubling the monster over. He flipped up to his feet and with his speed, grabbed the shield out of the air as it headed for him. He pivoted and brought the shield down heavily on the Hulk's head, stunning him.

The Hulk blinked owlishly as he fell backwards landing on his butt as a cloud of dust was knocked up into the air by his impact. Shaking his head to clear away the stars in his vision the Hulk narrowed his Eyes at Kane letting out an ear-splitting roar as he surged back to his feet, any semblance or rational thought disappearing before the urge-no the need to beat the one who had hurt him into a paste on the floor.

Kane leapt over the strike, planting his feet on the back of his head and pushing off to send the massive man stumbling.

"Seriously," Rogue called out from the ground, where she'd fallen from the Hulk's neck. "Can't we all jus' be friends?" This was the most workout she'd had with her powers since waking up, and she was getting tired.

***

The battle with the Masked Marauder was a stalemate. For all the damage that Jennie and JPC could do with their powers, the man seemed to have an endless supply of useful gadgets to throw at them. More than once he'd just avoided an attack that would have ended things and force them back on the defense.

Just as another round started, all three of them were caught in the wash of a barrage of mini-missiles. They stung and scorched, forcing them all to take cover. In the air overhead was a figure in red and gold armor, hovering easily above.

"Alright, kids. Fun is over. All of you have earned a free stay at your local SHIELD incarceration facility."

Jean-Phillipe arched an eyebrow. "Quoi? I do not see any children here. Do you see any children here, Roulette?" The newcomer had mentioned SHIELD, which meant he was almost certainly on the side of the angels, but his cocksure attitude grated.

"Not unless the person addressing us is really old," Jennie said, with a glint in her eyes. She stood tall and straight, and projected calm and i control. "We got word of a breakout," she said, "we came to help. Things are at a bit of a draw here, we'd appreciate the help."

At that exact
Jennie's response was merely an icy glare as the rockets malfunctioned and crashed into one another around her, her fists glowing red.
moment, a plasma bolt snapped back Iron Man's helmet. The Masked Marauder was moving, trying to evade fire as he ran along the roof.

"Well, that makes this easier." Iron Man spread his hands and a cluster of munitions slammed into the roof, tracking all three of them.

"Calisse, are you deaf?" Jean-Phillipe dove to one side, scattering a barrage of low-intensity sparks around him, acting like chaff to detonate the incoming weaponry before it hit him. "We are NOT with him!"

"Alright Pepi LePew, you aren't with him, stand down." Iron Man said over his speakers, just as a sparking net hit him from the side. The electricity shorted around his system as he struggled with it, as the Masked Marauder made his escape off the end of the roof.

"Pepe...did you train to be this abrasive, or is it native talent?" Jean-Phillipe muttered as he cleared out to one side. Of course, that was a case of the electric pot calling the iron kettle, but the armored man's attitude was something else altogether. "Merde," he continued, as their mystery opponent made a run for it. He peered over the edge of the roof, seeing nothing. "Damn. All that -and- a teleport?"

"Way to go, smart guy," Jennie said. "He escaped."

" Rough trade, you weren't supposed to be here." Iron Man settled down. "And you were unneeded."

***


The back and forth of energy beams had scarred the concrete with criss-crossed scorch marks and energy burns. The fight had been fast and furious, but neither side was able to gain an advantage. Lightmaster's powers were an excellent balance against Cyclops and Firestar, as they continued to trade blasts.

Everyone was staggered as a bolt of lightning smashed down between them, followed by a deafening boom of thunder. A caped figure followed it down, clad in archaic looking armor and a cape, holding a hammer in one hand. With him was a blonde woman in a black combat suit.

"Stand, miscreants!"

"That means surrender. SHIELD is taking you all in."

"Now they get here," Scott whispered to Angel, "Though what is it with people throwing around the flash bangs today?" The X-Man stepped forward, "Thanks for the help, trying to apprehend him was getting a little hairy there. Since you look like you've got him in hand we'll get out of the way. SHIELD can take care of the rest."

"Uh..." Angel leaned in to Scott uncertainly, murmuring, "When she says 'taking all of you in' she doesn't mean us too right? 'Cause we definitely just did most of the work for them." Sure they had the whole flashy entrance thing going for them but where had all the lightning been five minutes ago?

"The kid's right." It was the woman again, a hint of a sardonic smile playing around the corner of her mouth, but her eyes cold. "When I said 'all', that included you people with the 'X' obsession. You're engaged in illegal vigilantism - SHIELD doesn't take kindly to amateurs getting in their way."

"SHIELD should have been here sooner then," Scott pointed out, "If we hadn't been here then the prison break would have been done by the time you got here, and then who knows if you'd ever managed to catch up with them. Besides, it's not like Fury's ever minded our help in the past."

"You mark yourself with your own words. Fury knows you not." Thor's words were interrupted as a light blast by the Lightmaster blinded them all. In the confusion, Thor called out.

"Take them all, Black Widow! If Fury knows them, he can explain later!"

"Don't have to tell me twice, big guy." The woman moved with more confidence than someone temporarily blinded should, having memorised the terrain while they'd been talking. She dodged around some rubble, heading straight for Angel.

Angel blinked as her vision temporarily blinded out and she heard the dude call for his partner to catch them. "Ngh," she groaned as she formed a bubble around herself, trying to shield from an attack that may or may not have been coming. She wasn't going to depend on being blind to stop them.

Scott's optical blast skittered across the ground in front of the Black Widow scattering a spray of pebbles up into her face Where she had memorized the ground he relied on his innate ability to aim to work with the blurs that he saw. "Next time I won't miss" he warned.

"Neither will I," was her short reply as she threw up her forearm to block the spray of pebbles and vaulted off a chunk of concrete. With a gymnast's grace she flew through the air, twisting so that she landed behind Cyclops. There was a short electrical burst from one of the bracelet-like devices she wore on both wrists, as she aimed her "bite" directly at the back of the man's neck.

The massive blond man shot into the air, holding on to the haft of the hammer he held. When he reached Angel, he burst through her fiery shield to grab her and fling her towards the ground.

"Whoa--" Was all Angel had time for before she hit the ground. Ow, ow. That was the best her brain could manage under those conditions. She blinked rapidly as she tried to orient herself.

Scott had instantly thrown himself to one side as he had heard the woman landing behind him, and that was perhaps the only reason that he wasn't unconscious right now. As it was he had been rewarded with a sharp pain where the electrical blast had impacted his arm; he was sure it was a major pain but compared to the last few months, not the worst he could remember. Which was why he was still semi-coherent. He couldn't feel his arm anymore, but thankfully he didn't need it to spray a series of point blank optical blasts at the Black Widow hoping to drive her away.

The Black Widow leaped away, going through a series of graceful leaps and dodges to avoid the blasts, all the while leading Cyclops' aim towards Lightmaster, who was trying to decide who to hit next.

Lightmaster dodged under several blasts and then set off another of his blinding flashes, using the distraction to launch himself off the roof and take to the air to escape. Thor threw his hammer at him, but he junked furiously, just dodging the hammer.

Scott took this opportunity, while Lightmaster was distracted, to launch an attack at the gold plated mutant's back, hoping that the attack would slip through the other mutant's guard while he was distracted avoiding Thor. Scott couldn't spare much more time to watch his attack has he had to return his attention to dealing with the black clad woman leaping all over the area.

Black Widow's electrical 'bite' was followed up by gunfire - rubber bullets, for now at least - which she aimed at both Cyclops and Lightmaster, somehow managing to aim in two directions at once. She didn't appear to have any powers, but she was incredibly well-trained, wherever that had been.

Angel had to struggle not to be distracted by the gunshots - there was a lot going on and she had her own problems to focus on. Specifically the great big hulking man still standing over her. She took advantage of Thor's distraction and, blinking furiously to clear her vision, took off into the air. She didn't stay up long, not eager to make herself an easier target - she touched down again few moments later and far enough away from Thor to feel safe before aiming a blast at Lightmaster. He was the real enemy and she wanted to engage these two as little possible.

"The bullets flying around were annoying, but Scott had been shot at before and had practiced using his optical blasts to defend himself. Still they proved to be just one more distraction when what he really wanted to be doing was taking care of Lightmaster, not wasting time with one of Fury's agents. Narrowing his eyes coldly Scott fired an optical blast at her, one that she could easily avoid, but that had been the plan all along. the blast richocheted off the nearby wall he had actually been aiming at bouncing back directly at the Black widow's undefended back.

The blast flattened Black Widow, sending her sprawling on the concrete. As she hit, Lightmaster let off another flare and raced through the area he'd just blinded, quickly disappearing. Thor pulled himself up in the air to strike him with a hammer blow but suddenly paused as he looked over to the other battles.

"HOLD!"

***

The Scorcher had ramped up his attacks even as Clarice was resorting to brutal attacks. His ability to generate and direct fire independently had forced them to defend from every direction, making it harder for them to concentrate their attacks on the man himself.

A geyser of flame arose from the roof, scattering them. But before the Scorcher could follow up on his attack, an arrow clipped him through the ear. Two figures landed on the roof, one in a purple trimmed combat suit and the other seeming to be part robot.

"You are under arrest. Stand down now or you will be dealt with." The black cyborg said. By then, Jean had decided she was having a very bad day. She peered up at the new person who had arrived on the scene from behind her mask. Parts of her uniform had been melted off from Scorcher's attack earlier. If it hadn't been there it would have gotten a lot worse. Right now she had some 2nd degree burns, and a couple of 3rd degree ones she had a feeling. The arrival of the two new people had her curious. They didn't look like prison guards.

"Good luck with that on that guy," she said, then paused. "Unless you meant us."

Without preamble, the man raised a strange looking gun and shot Jean right between her breasts. The pain overloaded her nervous system, making her collapse from pain. He shifted targets easily, tracking Scorcher.

"Hawkeye, let's bring them down." "Aww, I love it when you get all Han shot first," the woman, presumably Hawkeye, responded, drawing and releasing an arrow that exploded into Scorcher's shoulder before rolling away and making a run for elevated cover.

"Fuck," Clarice breathed, trying not to categorize her injuries. She wasn't down, that was all that mattered right now. She would be though if these robot goons had their way. And there was still Scorcher. Slowly, she raised her hands and placed them behind her head. She could still teleport away if needed, but right now, it was better not to get herself shot.

The Scorcher, reeling from the wound, let loose a might wave of flame. It started in front of the X-Men, missing them and further enmeshing them in his association. The cyborg barely moved, simply closing his eyes as the flames rushed him.

Having never been electrocuted before except for the random static shock, Jean Grey decided she didn't like it. Her body felt heavy, numb and tingling with pain all at the same time as she lay on the floor.

She tried to move, but all she managed to do was lift her hand toward their original opponent, releasing a telekinetic burst that knocked him off his feet. It wasn't as strong as she liked, but it got the job done...and it zapped what strength she had. Her head slumped back down.

"We...should run," she murmured to Clarice. While they still had the chance.

Opening a teleportation portal, Clarice lowered it over them as quickly as she could before she passed out. Passing out sounded really awesome right now. This way they were gone and no running involved. Win win.