The Ashes of the Phoenix [OPEN]

[thethirdspecies]

WHO: John Sublime, "No Girl", the U-Men, and their unfortunate target... The Insitute
WHAT: Sublime's U-Men attack the school. They're aiming for the sublevels. Stop them at all costs!
WHERE: Throughout campus
WHEN: Past midnight, Wednesday-Thursday
WARNING(S): Gonna get violent.


The time was now. The media attention over his followers actions was too much. And after all, Xavier's little henchmen in London had figured it out. He was sure of it. There was no more time to bide. No more room for hesitation. It was act now, or the revolution would end in a prison cell, festering away in the disgusting care of this unclean world. Sublime couldn't stomach it. Couldn't fathom it. And whatever god help those who stood in the way of him and his dream of Homo Perfectus.

"All units are in place," Sublime whispered, peering out over the immaculate green, covered in moonlight, staring a drilling, piercing hole into the mansion. "Martha... it's your turn now," another whisper, as the floating apparatus before him, holding a strange glowing orb, began to shine even more brightly.

Just like that, the security systems failed. And just like that, Charles Xavier gasped and sent out a short, psychic burst to all X-Men, perhaps to everyone in the school, before he was overwhelmed and silenced, collapsing from his bed to the floor, stunned into sleep by a psychic force even he was not prepared for.

"This is it, Martha... our dream... U-Men! Bring me the Ashes of the Phoenix!" And like that, dozens of the men from the blurred video that Glamour and Spy had managed to obtain swarmed the ground, organic and mechanical, using a plethora of stolen mutant powers, attacked.


[[ This is it! Our first major action post, and in X-Men tradition, it's a direct attack on campus. Feel free to start your own threads. The U-Men will be NPC'd by the mods. Their ultimate goal is the filed away genetic samples of Jean Grey in the sublevels. They must be stopped, before someone uses them to integrate Jean's powers into a U-Man. ]]

Comments

OPEN

[usedforcepalm]

This was the first time Hanabi had ever had to make use of the superhuman vision powers that her eyes granted her, but she was grateful that she had them. Scared as she was, at least nobody would be sneaking up behind her. Unless, of course, they were a shapeshifter. Even so, she could read intent in body language.

Carefully, she moved through the hallways, hands up in a loose yet guarded fighting stance. She was young, yes, and probably one of the kids that the adults were supposed to be protecting. This felt better than waiting for something to happen, though. She was prepared to react, and sitting back and letting everyone else handle it on their own didn't sit well with her. Not when her powers could be used to great effect combatively and she'd been training in martial arts since she was a toddler.

[kamiizumi]

Initial recon hadn't taken Leo long, and it mostly really added up to one thing: "there are a lot of them out there, this is gonna get messy." So he'd been quick to get back into the dorms, and shift his priorities to put a new goal on top - making sure none of his fellow students got caught alone.

So he's moved into the hallways himself, staying stealthy and looking for anyone in need of some help getting clear.

Hanabi wasn't moving like she needed help, but nonetheless, he was pretty sure that having backup in a situation like this could only be a good thing. He didn't say anything as he rounded the corner and found himself face to face with her, but he did wave to get her attention. Better to keep quiet where they could, unless they knew they were in the clear.

[usedforcepalm]

One of the useful things about her powers was that she could see through walls nearly three hundred and sixty degrees around her for a one kilometer radius. She knew where everyone was and thus she could be helpful in that way. She had just enough control over her energy manipulation powers now that she knew she could avoid killing anyone if she struck precise points on the body rather than used any of Gentle Fist's palm strikes toward vital organs, so she could help in combat if it came down to her fighting, too.

She waved back and then pointed down one hallway. Raising her hands she first signaled the number three, and drew a "U" in the air to signal U-men were walking down that way if he wanted to ambush them.

[kamiizumi]

Smart kid. Leo liked that.

He nodded silently, creeping up to stay out of sight around the corner, and listening for a moment for the footsteps before he chanced a look down the hallway.

Walking in the other direction, even.

Perfect.

He left his swords sheathed - no reason to risk the sound - and started down the hall, silent as a shadow.

[usedforcepalm]

Hanabi followed after Leo quietly. As long as her vision powers were on, she didn't have to worry about looking around. She could see at all angles.

She was starting to get better about what she focused on with her powers, but she could still see people's circulatory system, internal organs and skeletons. Hanabi had to wonder if that would allow her to even see someone whose powers normally granted them invisibility. She supposed it depended on how their powers worked.

When they were nearing the U-men, Hanabi held up both hands, holding up two fingers with one hand and one finger with the other. She gave Leo a questioning look as if to ask if he'd like her to take one of them while he fought the other two.

[kamiizumi]

He glances to her and hesitates for a brief moment - he doesn't exactly feel great about leading a girl her age into a fight with three grown men, no matter how capable she is.

Pragmatism still wins in the end, and he nods, sliding over to the side just a bit to leave her path to the third open.

And then he launches himself forward, jumping forward to hook an elbow around the first U-Man's neck.

[usedforcepalm]

Hanabi darted in as Leo launched himself forward. She kept her energy restrained and concentrated in her index and middle fingers only as she aimed for two precision strikes along her opponent's spine. She could see his circulatory system, and understood the theory behind Gentle Fist. She could also see energy flowing through him...so hopefully this would block him enough that he couldn't counter-attack.

If not, there was more where the first two came from...

[kamiizumi]

Pressure points were always fun. And Leo, thankfully, had learned this lesson in particular very well, because he couldn't afford more than a few seconds to get this guy down and out of the fight, not when there was still the third one to be dealt with before he got an opening on either of them.

He struck true, though, and after only a couple of seconds he left go, leaping back as the U-Man dropped to the ground, unconscious. Leo didn't wait for him to hit, just turned his attention to the third and jumping forward to aim a hard kick at the man's temple.

[usedforcepalm]

The two precision strikes to her opponent's spine froze him up, leaving him unable to bring his hands up to protect his head when Leo kicked at his head.

"You're very good," complimented Hanabi quietly without embellishment, voice barely above a whisper. He probably hadn't needed her help, but there were far more U-men running about the school and she didn't feel right sitting around hiding when her mutation could help protect classmates who didn't have combative powers or martial arts training.

She was pleased to see that her guess had been correct, and though the man was unconscious, his chest was still rising and falling. He was alive. He'd have a nasty concussion when he came to, but the U-man deserved that for breaking into a school filled with mutants.

[kamiizumi]

"Thanks. You're no slouch, yourself." His voice isn't any louder than hers - they don't need to draw any attention, especially not before they've had a moment to make sure the immediate threat is not just out, but likely to stay that way for a bit.

There's nothing around to tie them up with - and depending on their stolen mutations, that might not do much to slow them down.

"Do you have a good way of making sure they stay out for a while?" Her powers seem like they might be able to ensure that a little more precisely than if Leo just kicked them all in the head a couple extra times to be sure.

[usedforcepalm]

"Um...I don't know about keeping them out, but I can use my powers to keep them from moving around too well after they wake up," said Hanabi.

Although the medical biology class was hard, it was helping her understand how the body worked and how she could affect it. She just didn't feel confident enough that she could do something that would keep them unconscious that wouldn't have long term effects. Considering what her powers had done to internal organs on the day a kidnapping ring targeted her, she was a little reluctant to use them on such a sensitive organ like the brain.

Instead, she focused the precision strikes along the arms and legs of the three U-men, with just a little energy in each. Their muscles jerked a little in response to the energy.

"That should do it." Or so she hoped.

[kamiizumi]

"Anything's good. If it keeps them busy until campus is secure, the how is the least of our worries." He watched her work her magic, and then nodded. "I'd say let's stuff them in a closet, but I don't think the closest one is worth the time it'll take to drag them over. Let's keep moving."

[usedforcepalm]

"I doubt they're going to be feeling up to fighting anyone for the next couple of days between the concussion you gave them and what my powers did to them," remarked Hanabi.

It could take even longer, but she wasn't particularly concerned. Just because she didn't want to kill them didn't mean that she had the least bit of sympathy for thugs who broke into a school. A mutant school, which made them not only thugs, but stupid thugs at that.

[kamiizumi]

"Good."

Leo had no desire to kill anyone either, or even to cause permanent damage, but that didn't mean he was completely above thinking that these jerks got exactly what they were asking for.