Stark looks down at the past life in his hand. "He was... he was more than the gem. A lot more. It's a misconception that it gave him life, like something out of a movie. This is real life. And now he's..." His voice shudders then he recovers by clearing his throat and coughing unconvincingly. "I might know technology and technical science but there's a whole other level of biology to this. Something beyond everyone but maybe two people on this planet. He was a synthezoid, but -- "

"No!" Stark is interrupted by a cry on the other side of the pit. Cyclops turns to the departing Bishop with a fury in his eyes that can barely be masked by his visor. "This home was not just a thing." He has jumped to his feet to face the mutant claiming to be from the future. Even under the afternoon sun, the energy escaping from Cyclops' visor shines with a crimson intensity. "Does Xavier's dream really mean that little to you? What side of the cause are you on? Did you forget to leave with Magneto?"

Iceman turns from the Avengers and slides next to Cyclops, putting one hand on his shoulder. "He could be of the popular opinion that the dream is your heart and not some mansion. We can rebuild, but the day you give up, that is the day the dream dies. I was just a kid when I came here. You are the reason I stuck around, not the comfort of not having to pay rent."

Bishop didn't bother explaining himself.  He wasn't the talking type, and felt like he's said all that was needed just before Cyclops snapped at him.  He had other concerns at the moment, and so he turned his back on the leader of the x-men and made toward what remained of the mansion, his head slowly turning left to right as he scanned the rubble.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Fri 26 Oct 2018.

"This school -- this home -- was the symbol of Xavier's dream. With that symbol gone, how much of the dream remains? How much is still here that Xavier left behind? After all we've done, how much difference have we made?" Cyclops's voice quivers slightly as it trails off but he does not give long for an answer.

Slowly Cyclops slides his shoulder away from Iceman's hand while he calls after the departing Bishop. "Turn your back, then. If what you have better to do is to betray the dream, then go. If your claim to be from the future is true, then it's clear the dream's days are numbered, and there are some who will never be bothered to fight for it. Walk away like you'd walk away from anything any mutant has ever fought for. Maybe you were the traitor who let it die, with your laziness, apathy, and fear, you coward."

It took him a short moment to find what he was looking for; the rifle he brought with him from the future had a built-in tracker, and it was only a matter of sifting through the debris before he could find it.
After securing the weapon in his double shoulder sling he made back toward Cyclops and the Ice-Man, just as the former was almost done with scolding him, ending up with calling him 'a coward' of all things.

"You're done?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:55, Sat 27 Oct 2018.

While the X men were busy tearing themselves apart Justice focused on Iron Man. He shook the man shoulder, gently just enough to get his attention "You said two people might be able to help him... who are they and how do we get to them?"

Rahne stood nearby, listening and watching.
Right now, she was more intent on the prospective conversation between Justice and Stark than any of the other goings on.

Cyclops steps back and straightens. His lips pull back and his teeth clench. "No, I'm not done. I'm not giving up. You haven't even started. If you're going to tell anyone you're behind a cause -- beside yourself -- you should actually back it up." The red glow barely bound by his visor blinks and he jabs a pointing finger at Bishop. "You know what? You're not even worth it. If you're not here to support Xavier's dream -- in word and action -- then you might as well join the other side. You're too much an unknown quantity to risk trusting as an ally and the stakes are too high. Go ahead and wait around until you catch up to wherever you left the future -- if that's even the truth -- since you're not doing any good here." The intensity of the glow behind his visor sharpens. "And the next time you're in front of me: beware." And with that, Cyclops turns on his heels and, without looking back, walks into the ruin of the mansion and shortly disappears into the smoke rising from the rubble.

Cyclops exits the scene

Instead of reacting to the verbal scuffle behind him, Stark looks into the smoldering pit. He sighs after Justice shakes his shoulder. "Maybe two people. Maybe more but it could be trouble. A lot of trouble. Of anyone who could do it, pretty much everyone but one would rather see the Avengers' bloody, permanent end before they'd help us. And the other is... even less reliable." Stark still gazes into the hole, not attempting eye contact. "But I don't think anyone here is in any condition to do anything but rest for a while and lick our wounds anyway." His own face, increasingly taken over by a nasty, purple bruise, and the sad, busted state of his armor clarifies his point.

He looks down at the synthezoid skull in his hand. "I'll... I'll take care of this. One way or another. I won't give up on him."

Looking around her, Rahne took in the physical devastation .... and heard the sheer level of animosity flooding the conversations.
She sighed inwardly.

As Scott turned to leave, she figured that if she had any inclination to walk away from this with anyone, it was he.
And so, slowly, she followed along.

Wolfsbane also exits the scene ... with Cyclops.

Bishop’s eyes narrowed to slits as Cyclops went on chiding him.  The thought of breaking the x-man’s finger when he pressed it against his wide chest did come to mind – but as satisfying as it might be, it wouldn’t have helped his mission none.    He maintained his cool (and ignored the not-so-subtle threat), and waited for the man to leave before making toward Ororo:

“I’m gone.  I’ll give you my number; call me if you ever need my help again”

He looked back at the smoking ruin of the mansion and corrected himself

”When you’ll need me”

As Wolfsbane follows after Cyclops and Iron Man stares into the abyss, Hawkeye confers with She-Hulk then walks to Bishop and Storm.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 09:17, Tue 30 Oct 2018.

PM the GM

Bishop nods silently at Hawkeye and falls behind him, and the rest of the Avengers

exit scene, I guess

Stark sighs heavily then clears his throat. "We should probably get out of here. I did a scan and I can't find any survivors in what was left. Whatever barrier Magneto and his goons had up is probably down now so the authorities will be here soon. S.H.I.E.L.D., namely, and we've talked to them enough lately. If there's nothing else to be done here, then we should clear out and get ourselves together again." He sighs again, looks to the skull again then up, then turns from the smoldering pit.

As Stark ambles away, Hawkeye steps up. "Tony, you get going. I'll deal with S.H.I.E.L.D." He turns toward Storm and Iceman. "X-Men, we have Rogue and, uh, the lady in the purple leather thong loaded up in the jet." He jerks a thumb over his shoulder toward the Quinjet. "With the medical facilities we have at the Avengers Tower, they're going to be okay. And you're welcome to join them there, and to use it for whatever you need. The Avengers want to help out however we can."

Now that Mr. Stark made it OK to take a a breather Justice felt ready to crash. It took all his willpower to move toward the Quinjet. Once inside he found a seat and collapsed into it, burying his head in his hands.

Iceman despondent at seeing his friend like that stands there motionless for a moment not knowing what to do. His thoughts are interrupted by Hawkeye, and at the mention of Rogue and Psylocke he nods to Hawkeye and follows him. Making sure they are all right, he'll give Cyclops time to cool down. He stops and looks back at the ruins one last time before he follows Hawkeye to the Quinjet.

Rahne came over and solemnly climbed up into the Quinjet.
She seemed 'defeated'; tired and solitary.  Taking a seat away from the others for the moment, she was engrossed in her own thoughts.

As the heroes begin to clamber onto the Quinjet that arrived initially and was nearly capsized through the conflict, a second, identical Quinjet lands alongside it. Uniformly, a cadre of a half-dozen workers in powered armor disembark from the other jet and swarm the inside and outside of the first jet. They are all similar to Stark's Iron Man armor, though different enough to provide a visual tour of Stark's different looks throughout the years: most are red and gold, though there is a bulkier one that is red and white, and another one that is sleek and black. They operate without communication with each other, and are efficient and expedient to a fault. They accomplish their tasks without question and are nearly done as quickly as they started. While half of them right the first Quinjet and insure that it is ready to move, the others carefully remove the fallen heroes -- Black Cat, Black Widow, Psylocke, and Rogue -- and take them to the other ship. Throughout it all, Stark stands between both jets, before his laborers, waving a hand in the air, pointing at an individual worker than at a space on either ship, administering flashing holographics appearing around him, all in an orchestration more complex than any conductor. He says very little and does not bother to replace his own ruined armor, but through it all does not surrender the robotic skull held gingerly in his hand.

Watching the automatons at work was more unsettling for Bishop than being rushed by the Juggernaut; it foreshadowed the future he remembered when the machines ruled humanity and hunted down the mutants to extinction.   So when the robots picked up the bodies of the fallen x-men he started moving, almost without thinking, following them into the second quinjet.  The Avengers might be heroes as well, but he’d feel better keeping an eye out over his comrades, just in case.

Having returned to her human form, Rahne also watched with intrigue and concern ... but, like others, seemed to trust Stark enough to defer the events to his control.

As Bishop left one Quinjet, to follow the fallen mutants onto the second, Rahne watched for any reaction to this ... and how the other X-Men responded to the situation.


To Iceman and Justice she said, "I'm sorry for my part in making that situation in there worse.
I was caught off guard, and the beast kinda ... got out.
I figured it'd be clever to be in a hidden position, within striking range, if the situation came to it.

But then Magneto attacked Ironman, and ... well, I guess I couldn't take him doing that.  So my wilder side decided to even the odds a little.  You know, put one of his on the line too.

Anyway," the wolf said sheepishly, "I just wanted to apologies".
And with that, she went silent ... unless addressed.



Trigger:
- 3 XP when you exhibit guilt over your lupine instincts.

= 10 XP total
This message was last edited by the player at 08:15, Tue 06 Nov 2018.

She-Hulk looks up, into the sun, shielding her eyes, then over the ruins of the mansion and its estate. "Well, that was an eventful morning."

Save for the Iron Men moving around the site, putting out fires and loading the injured into the second Quinjet, the scene is still. She-Hulk glances at Stark, in his broken armor, looking alone among the wreckage. She takes a small step toward him then sees him gazing at the skull in his hand and halts then backs away. Lowering her eyes, she follows the remaining heroes into the Quinjet.

Hawkeye, never one for polite formalities, walks straight up to Stark. "Tony," Hawkeye says. "We won today. We rescued Wanda. She might not be with us, but we got her away from evil clutches. It wasn't the victory we would have chosen, but we did it." The archer shrugs slightly. "Now it's time to get some rest. Go back to the Tower with the others. I'll deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. when they get here, which should be in about..." He looks at the back of his wrist, which does not have a watch on it. "37 seconds."

"I'll stay as well," Storm says as she steps up. "We can look through the wreckage for anything that was missed."

Stark sighs then turns toward the second Quinjet while the last of his armored helpers finish their tasks and enter the vehicle. As he walks past Hawkeye, he puts a hand on the hero's shoulder but says nothing, then enters the Quinjet.

With the heroes in one Quinjet and Stark with Bishop and his Iron Men in the other one, the jets take off, rising straight up and into the sky in short order. As they reach the heights of the hot summer air, S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued flying cars zoom below going in the opposite direction but the Quinjets continue along their trajectory, in the short distance back to Manhattan and the majestic Avengers tower, leaving behind the wreckage of the optimism of mutantkind, whether in the physical manifestation of its home and headquarters, or perhaps even the hope of acceptance for all, but now the destruction and lack of a dream unleashing a nightmare for some.

+3 XP to those who started and ended the adventure (Justice)
+2 XP to those who started or ended the adventure (Iceman, Wolfsbane, Bishop, Nightcrawler, Captain Marvel)
+1 XP to those who otherwise appeared in the adventure (Spectrum, all others)

For the player’s choice XP award, PM me your choice for the best player from the adventure. Anyone registered for the adventure at any time is eligible to vote. I’ll leave voting open until the next adventure starts. I will give the Watcher's choice XP award once I have the votes for the players’ choice. (Try not to vote for yourself.  It’s bad form.)

As this adventure is now over, do not post to this thread anymore.  But please feel free to contribute ideas and thoughts in the OOC thread or contact me through PM.

Next we'll do sub-plots and the lead-in(s) to the next adventure.

Player's XP Award goes to: Wolfsbane
Watcher's XP Award goes to: Justice
+1 XP to Wolfsbane
+1 XP to Justice

"I again extend my very generous offer."

"And I again refuse."

"Even to have that which you have always wanted?"

"I will not be beholden to anyone to acquire what I want, what I need. And I draw nearer to that which shall be mine, closer than I have ever been, without your assistance."

"Realize that you have haughtily passed on opportunity that may only appear to you once in many lifetimes."

"I grow wearisome of you, fool. Be gone!"

ACTS OF VENGEANCE 2 continues!