xavier_institute_logs | Hellfire Club: The Mission [CLOSED]

Hellfire Club: The Mission [CLOSED]

WHO: Nightcrawler and those selected for the mission.
WHAT: The Hellfire Club infiltration mission
WHERE: Manhattan
WHEN: Late evening
WARNING(S): Could get violent.

Team One was already on the ground, infiltrating the party. The rest waited in silence aboard the Blackbird, hovering in complete stealth mode high above the island. Back at the Institute, Professor X closely monitored the communications of the team, ready to give the signal when ready...

It was go time.

[[ OKAY HERE'S HOW IT'S GOING TO GO.

Top levels will be going up for each mission phase. Each phase will, OOCly, go on simultaneously so no one has to wait for another team to complete their task. Players have freedom to play as they like, but the mod characters in each team (Feliks, Shindou, Reimu) will most likely lead the action in the direction it's intended to go. The mod account will pop in for NPCing every now and again.

Have fun! ]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I won't stand in the shadows anymore," Flandre said, cryptically avoiding yes or no.

She started to pace, circling around Shaw like a vulture or a shark, with her gaze fixed on him constantly. There was nothing strange about the floor, only him. Her hands remained clasped behind her back, but her wings began to bristle like so many glowing knives.

"Je relève le défi." (I note the challenge.)

Edited 2015-01-25 01:39 (UTC)

There is only so much of this Marisa can take and stay quiet. This is pushing that line and the whole thing had her on edge. The veiled threat wasn't sitting well with her either, causing Marisa to slip her hands in her pockets. This whole thing stunk and just felt like a set up to her. After a curse in Japanese, a minor warning sign, she spoke up finally.

"Just because ya think a war is gonna happen, don't mean people won't try ta stop it. Besides, just because mutants have extra shit involved with them, it don't mean we are better then everyone else."

Alric listened attentively--polite, if not exactly pleased at the direction this was taking--then sighed and shook his head slowly, scowling at the mention of Homo Superior.

"...so it boils down to that. The same lesson of the 20th century that so many others have persisted in unlearning. Perhaps naively, given your stature, I had hoped you had rather more to offer, Mister Shaw, than to merely add your name to the embarrassingly long list of men, mutant and otherwise, each of whom has fancied himself the übermensch."

His hands clenched into fists, and he stepped to the side, flanking. He spoke coolly and in a level tone, although there was more than a hint of fire in his bright amber eyes, his posture dignified and regal.

"I for one know precisely where I stand in the world. I could debate the matter with you; but unless I'm mistaken, we've reached the stage where you seek to validate your grotesque argument with brute force. If that's the case, let's get the tawdry fiasco over with, if you don't mind."

"Ugh, just shut up already. I don't care about any of that." Reimu groaned, rubbing the back of his head and sauntering forward. "Gods, why do you people always have to monolog. All you had to do was confirm if I was right or not. Damnit this is a pain..."

Reimu didn't have any stance displayed, but Marisa and Flandre would at least recognize that his supposedly casual posture belied his intentions. Especially when he looked dead on at Shaw.

"Just come along quietly and stop causing so much trouble." Reimu moved his hands forward and projected a sudden, massive barrier towards Shaw, hoping to push him back into the desk and knock him off guard for the others to apprehend him.

Shaw raised his hand at nearly the same moment, palm forward, making no motion to dodge as the barrier ripped towards him. And when it struck...

He didn't budge. The desk, the glass and cigar, flew back into the wall. But Shaw didn't move. Not even an inch. The barrier seemed to wrap around him briefly before being literally absorbed into his skin, which glowed with warmth briefly before dissipating.

"I assure you... This is no fancy. The elite of mutant kind will rule this world... So kneel!" And with a snap of his finger, the energy from Reimu's attack projected back outward all around him at each of his attackers, just as fast and furious as it was when it struck him.

Flandre paced to the side when she saw Reimu step forwards, out of the immediate range of the barrier-

-at least, the first one.

She was already raising her claws to follow that up when the barrier bounced, reflecting out of Shaw like a mirror. Panic jumped ahead of considering thoughts, and she threw her hands up, vision doubling until she saw stars reflecting back at her in the barrier.

She crushed the nearest in her palm.

The wave cracked and splintered, a hole blasting into the wall of light so that it passed to either side of her before it lost cohesion, weakening. The gap in the barrier didn't completely fit; it crushed her elbows into her sides, crashed into her ears with concussive force and sound that left everything else muffled. The younger Scarlet dug her claws in, gouging deep lines into the floor as she was pushed back, but she did not fall.

Flandre stepped forwards instead, a growl bubbling in her chest even as the world went grey-edged as if her head was swaddled in cotton, a consequence of using her power. Her wings brightened and hummed, feeding their stored energy back through their circuits instead of dispersing it. She could still think, which was far better than usual. Given enough time, the grey edges would even begin to fade--given time.

She didn't know how the others were holding up, if they had avoided the energy or were bowled over, or if she had even weakened the reflective barrier enough. Her muffled senses didn't extend that far. If they had fallen back, she would buy them time. If they were advancing she...didn't have any more time to think that far.

"No, tyrant," she said, and charged at Shaw with her claws raised.

Of course he wouldn't come quietly. Why would anyone think that he would...

A black dome quickly surrounded Raven, just barely in time for the reflected energy. Even with the added protection, the impact against her dome was intense. That much strength and he was just getting started?

Spotting a bookshelf, Raven took control of it and sent it flying straight to Shaw's side, hoping that the impact would be enough to knock him off balance.

Edited 2015-01-27 03:42 (UTC)

When her teammates move, Marisa did to, going the opposite way of Flandre and her stance tensing very slightly. Hands came out of her pockets, where she hand been keeping her little heater so she could prepare. No need to use stored energy when she could borrow from the device.

Although as prepared from the attack as she was, Marisa still nearly was put on her rear end. The training and sparing that had been done had her skidding back though. Her first instinct is to throw out a few stars but the fact the barrier got sent BACK? Holding off on that and moving behind everyone for the moment.

"The hell....?"

"Flandre, pull pack! Everyone hold back!" Reimu shouted out. He'd been doing this long enough to have some idea of what happened. But he had to wonder if his order was too late...

Fortunately, it had been Alric's intention to observe and respond, rather than leaping forward face-first into the unknown... and simply absorbing that power, though, was definitely not something he'd anticipated. It raised some questions about how effective he'd be, as well, but they'd just have to put that to the test.

Holding back did at least bought him a moment to respond to Reimu's suggestion, and suspecting it was a wise one, shifted toward a defensive posture--bracing himself and raising his arms before his face just in time to weather that shockwave, although it sent him skidding back and nearly staggering with the impact. He kept his feet, at least, a violet arc or two dancing over his hands as he lowered them, glancing quickly toward Reimu, then turning his attention back to their opponent.

"Knh..! I do hope you've got a plan 'B'."

Raven had listened to Reimu's words, moving her hands so that she could send the bookcase away from Shaw, causing it to crash against the floor before making any sort of impact with him. Well, so much for that plan.

"What is it?"

-shit.

Reimu's order filtered into her fuzzy-edged brain too slowly; she had already closed the distance halfway between herself and Shaw. Before the world around her seemed too slow in comparison to herself, now it was the other way around. Her limbs seemed sluggish, the air too heavy to push aside and change course. But she tried anyway.

She turned her claws away from Shaw, digging her feet in to launch herself sideways, folding her wings to her back so she could throw her shoulder out and into a roll like she had practiced.

"Looks like I've caught a fly." Shaw was quick to leap at the chance to take down the one that looked like the resident power house, having taken just enough from her earlier destructive ability to power up a massive stomp to the ground, shattering the marble as if it were simple caked mud, spiking out a huge chunk and kicking it towards Flandre.

Reimu's feet had left the ground before Shaw's had met with it, having only a split second to burst forward and throw up a barrier for the marble to chunks to crash into, shattering. He crouched near her, uncertain if he's managed to block all of it or not.

"Listen closely, this guy absorbs and stores force and energy. Anything thrown against him he can throw right back."

"Simplifying the physics of it, are we? You'd make a terrible engineer, Kannushi." Shaw chuckled to himself, dislodging his foot from the crater he'd made. "But I guess the cat's out of the bag, so to speak."

There is a part of her that would cuss and be seriously pissed off about this fact, but time, effort and training had that kept in her head. Although if one was too look at Marisa, a furious and slightly worried look was upon her face. That counted her out on doing too much other then distractions maybe.

"Hey, better then tryin' ta just ta explain in exact terms which would take up the time better spent kickin' your ass and doin' our job here. Ya know, something more productive."

Flandre's roll had carried her somewhat out of the stones' path and Reimu had blocked more of them, a few pieces still hit her; one piece cracked into her shoulder as she stood, numbing her arm, lacerating skin and bruising to the bone. Another glanced one of her wing crystals, which made her flinch not in pain, but surprise. The crystal flashed white, energy sparking from it occasionally. It felt...strange.

Her wound healed rapidly as the adrenaline overwhelmed the insensate fog in her head, skin knitting back together, bruise reversing itself. She rolled her shoulder when she could again, to distract herself from the uncomfortable itching burn that went with such rapid regeneration.

"I wonder if there's a limit before the mosquito bursts," she said, near-growling--another distraction.

Edited 2015-01-28 00:49 (UTC)

Though Reimu's explanation helped her understand what it was they were up against, it also spelled bad news for Raven. If he could just take all of her attacks and just send them back at the team, then it would limit her own effectiveness by quite a bit.

"Can we try to tie him up somehow? He can't absorb anything if he can't move."

Easier said than done, but at least it was an idea.

Alric scowled, stepping sideways to resume flanking, keeping an eye on Shaw for the moment. Trying to overwhelm him was certainly more appealing, but also somewhat riskier.

"...indeed. Inconvenient. If someone's got a trick to restrain Mister Shaw, I'm certainly open to options."

He glanced around the room quickly--if they didn't bring something with which to restrain Shaw, they'd have to improvise, so he has his eyes peeled for something suitable. Ideally some metal, something he could weld together on the fly to mock up a set of manacles, perhaps. Of course, getting them onto him would be a feat in itself, but better the second half of a plan alone than nothing.

"Oh you are all so cute with this token resistance and desperate attempts to reorganize your plans, but let's face it, boys and girls, this fight was over before it even started," Shaw laughed, approaching Flandre and Reimu with a menacing look on his face.

"They didn't even send the big names. Kannushi? You're a C-list bench warmer at best. If my records are correct, you were considered a failure back when the Sentinels crushed all of you in your little hole, right? Before Ms. Grey had to bail all of you out... This very incredibly unbalanced match-up is proving my point in the living moment. I couldn't ask for a better example."

Edited 2015-01-28 06:47 (UTC)

Those words cut deep. Very deep. Only Magus and Reine would really know how deeply. And the cut because they were true, or at least were true for the person he was five years ago.

"You're right. I was a failure back then. I couldn't protect anyone and I returned to Japan in shame... But your records are out of date, Shaw. That was years ago." He slowly stood up, his face solid and seemingly unflinching in the face of what was, by all logic, an unbalanced match-up as Shaw had said. "And I can beat you. I know exactly how."

"Alric, Raven, Magus. Blast him with everything you've got. Don't hold back."

There is another deep scowl crossing Marisa face, even as she heard what was to be done. She pulls out the small device she took great care of and moved away from Alric and Raven. There is a quick whisper to them both as she moved.

"Watch out...Ya don't wanna be caught in this..."

She held out the 'Mini-Hakkero' and flicked a switch on the back, letting the heater turn on and boost what she was about to do. It took a moment of her concentrating, forming a ball of light and heat in front of it aiming it at Shaw, mumbling to herself softly. After the energy got to into the size of a beach ball, it suddenly shot forward, in laser form to hit hard and fast. It was going to be held as long as she could, saving enough energy to keep going afterwards. Hopefully this would work.

Alric glanced at Reimu. Going for what he'd considered a riskier Plan B in response to Shaw's taunting left him with a nagging uncertainty, but Reimu was undeniably more experienced in this sort of thing.

Whatever the outcome, though, they could discuss the tactics in greater depth some other time. Alric nodded to Reimu and steeled himself as Marisa crossed to flank Shaw; violet light arced over his hands, then gathered into a ball over either palm, growing larger and brighter. When Marisa unleashes her attack, Alric hurls one ball forward, followed by the other, aiming them for Shaw's center of mass and tweaking their trajectories if he evades--if they strike, they explode with a burst of intense heat and force.

Feeling returned to Flandre's arm and thoughts returned to her head. She flexed her claws as the prickling in her shoulder subsided, gauging how long it would still be until she could use her ability again. If she even should; Shaw seemed to copy that quite readily. Her damaged wing hummed and crackled less as more energy drained out of it and back to Flandre.

This time, she stayed right where she was until Reimu asked her to move. She wasn't about to wade into that--and he seemed to have a better idea than pushing against the ceiling until it cracked.

For someone like Raven, who always took great efforts to keep herself in control, be told to just let go and attack without restraint was ironic to say the least. Still, that was the plan and she was going to follow through with it. She unleashed multiple concussive blasts at Shaw, all coming from her hands.

Again, again and again she blasted him, and some more times for good measure.

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