October 7rd, 2020, Jacob Javits Federal Building, New York



If it wasn't for the fact that the Legion had a friend living nearby who owed him a big favor, Freedom Force wouldn't have had anywhere to wash up and change their clothes before their meeting with Valerie.  Jimmie wasn't particularly hospitable, not so much as offering them a cup of coffee.  Quite eager to get the heroes out the door before his wife came back to find their home reeking of sewage, or worse - discover he was aiding and abating a wanted terrorist (or rather, several of them).  The Legion's face was all over the news by now, and deny as he might about not being culpable to the terrorist attack on the UN, his excuses had less of a chance convincing Bonnie then they had Frank and Ana.

With the Legion's help, they managed to leave the house in under thirty minutes, the clones, working together, making sure the place was immaculate before their departure.

Arriving at the Federal Building with time to spare, they were shown into the meeting room reserved by Valerie for their meeting.   She herself hasn't arrived yet, but two other women were already present...
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:10, Wed 10 Nov 2021.

"Oh no, my little lambs!" Mistress exclaimed once they entered the room. She's been worried sick about the younger members of the team, and was quite relieved to find out they were safe and sound.  For the most part.
"What happened?  Is everyone alright?"
This message was lightly edited by the player at 21:10, Wed 10 Nov 2021.

Gwenyth Blake had been assigned to other areas and hadn't the opportunity before now to meet with Freedom Force's members. An extraordinarily beautiful, delicate-seeming woman with iridescent snow-white hair, she could not possibly look further from being a scummy, sewer-dwelling mutant freak. She is currently dressed in a navy blue polo shirt under a pale denim jacket and skirt, both with brass buttons, white nylons, and beige suede stiletto boots. On her hip is a brass basket-hilted rapier and braided whip, and slung over her shoulder on a strap was a bolt-action rifle with a beautiful rosewood stock. She seems a little guarded as the other members of Freedom Force come in.

Before she can open her mouth to greet them Mistress steals the show from her. She frowns a little and deigns simply to do a small curtsy to anyone whose attentions fall on her.

Ana Sofía walks in somberly. "It was a mess, but we salvaged much of it. Price is hurt bad, though. Newton's with him." Then Ana Sofía notices the new person. "I expected to see Fiona with you, Mistress." She turns to the new woman, "Hi, I'm Ana Sofía, or Windtalker."

"Valerie did tell us Price was injured, but not how badly.  Is he going to be alright?" her voice wavered as she already assumed the worse.  If Price's injuries weren't severe, surely Danny could have fixed him up by now.

"We don't know yet," Frank said, entering the room. He took up a spot in one of the corners, best to not physically dominate the room through sheer size. "He was barely alive when I saw him."

Then his eyes fell on the new person in the room. It was hard not to notice her, being almost absurdly beautiful as she was, but there was something familiar about her, too... oh. She really resembled an actress whose name he couldn't remember at the moment. Frank would practically swear it was her, really.

"Hi," he said, stepping over and offering her a hand. "Frank Guberman."

Danny smirked to himself slightly, as he sat down.   Price had been as 'barely alive' as anyone here could possibly guess; but Danny had called the hospital on the way here, after leaving the sewers, and it seemed that Price was, for now at least, stable.   Danny intended to swing by the hospital as soon as he was permitted to, and ensure that condition continued to improve.

He sat quietly, watching the social interactions like nana watching the introduction of a new cast member to Days of Our Lives.

Gwenyth's frown goes from being put out to concerned as she listens to the discussion on Price's condition. The frown quickly evaporates to be replaced by an instant-smile-just-add-water as some attention focuses back on her. It is precisely the sort of smile that celebrities keep in their back pocket at all times, but she manages to make it look genuine nonetheless.

"Hello Ana Sofía!" she greets radiantly. "Hello Frank Guberman! It's a pleasure to finally have faces to put to the names. I'm Gwenyth Blake. Is it true you're dating Taylor Swift? She cocks her head and alights a finger on her lip in a stereotypical girly inquisitive pose.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:53, Fri 12 Nov 2021.

Danny's eyebrows shot up at this, and he looked towards Frank, "Is that you in the sex tape?   We never did see his face, but you do kinda fit the build".

It might have been a blessing or a curse, but it was at that question that Kate was escorted up into the room by one of the general mooks, ie security guards.  At least that's how she would have described them to anyone who asked.

She had been a bit annoyed at Ana when she came all the way here just to be left in the lobby.  So after five minutes of pondering more and more creative ways to let sourceofcookies know she had been more than pleased to be told she was expected to follow the man, Mark she think he said, upstairs.

"Say it isn't true, that you didn't let Taylor Swift steal your innocence!"  Kate cried out in mock distress.  "Also this is the strangest debriefing I've ever heard of..."

And of course Zoey is on Kate's heels. Part of it is that she's her legal guardian and shirking that responsibility has already lead to trouble and worries. The bigger issue that inspired her to follow along was that Kate had started asking questions the events that transpired on that damned island and what had happened behind the scenes was a matter of some personal and professional interest for Zoey now.

"Tank's dating Taylor Swift?" Zoey asks with a wry grin. "Dude, she's like twice your age. Sounds like we got a cougar on the prowl~!"

Major social issues and possible government conspiracies could take a back seat to teasing Frank, at least for a little while.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:54, Fri 12 Nov 2021.

"God, no." Frank had turned a fascinating shade of red by now. The subject was incredibly embarrassing. "One of our publicity hacks made up that rumor to increase the team's visibility in the public eye. I didn't even know he'd leaked the rumor until just now, though. I thought he was just toying around with it.

"My little sister is going to kill me."

Gwenyth giggles softly. "It isn't leaked to the public... ummm, I don't think. It just came up in some conversation or another in the office. Sorry if I embarrassed you." She says sorry, but she's still fighting giggles.

She turns to the newcomer girls. "Heeeey, you're not members of Freedom Force."

Zoey cocks her head at Gwenyth. Jeeze, this girl just radiates ditziness. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it. We're awesome. Isn't that right?" She glances at Kate to prompt her to agree.

Gwenyth flushes, nonplussed. "My head isn't little..." she mutters.

"Wait a second...." Amid the whole 'Taylor Swift' thing, a critical piece of information almost got past Frank without him picking up on it. She said her name was Gwenyth Blake. She didn't just resemble the actress he'd been thinking of. She was that actress. "Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here, exactly? You're an actress."

If Cooper was going to fill their ranks with fakes, Freedom Force was going to be a disaster. What Blake even a mutant?

Gwenyth's eyes light up as she is recognized. "Oh!! You've heard of me! I'm so happy!" Her happiness is infectious and she almost seems to glow for a moment. "Which was your favorite movie? Please say Blake Versus the Dino Dregs, that was the first time I wasn't shackled to the male lead and I think I really- really got to... oh." Her joyous radiance fades as Frank's actual question starts to penetrate her enthusiasm.

The actress half-turns away, clasping her hands over the hem of her skirt and suddenly looking very shy and vulnerable. "My, ah... my career is on hold while the scandal over my genetic status is settled. I didn't- I wasn't lying to anyone, this was as much of a surprise to me as everyone else! Valerie- I guess she thought that since I already know how to fight, and I'm attractive, maybe I would be a good choice to help turn perceptions about m-... my kind around. You know?"

Gwenyth looks around. Now that she thinks about it, not a single person in this room looks anything but ordinary human. Is this really the best way to show mutant representation? ... Valerie's pretty and, like, super smart, she probably knows what she's doing!
This message was last edited by the player at 22:22, Fri 12 Nov 2021.

"Oh!" Now Frank felt bad about asking. If he'd understood her correctly, Blake had been blacklisted for being a mutant... just like Frank had been blacklisted from football. "So you really are a mutant. There's nothing to be ashamed of. We're all mutants here.

"I was kicked out of ESU's football program for being a mutant. I think know how you feel.

"And I did like Dino Dregs, but I really liked that zombie apocalypse film you made, Zimboes."

What could he say? He was fifteen at the time.

"I don't like that word," Gwenyth says sullenly. It sounds like a cow camping. Moooooo-tent. "Don't remind me, I'm still coming to grips with all this."

Gwenyth looks up a little with a tiny, sympathetic smile on hearing about Frank's dashed football dreams. It's not exactly the same because acting isn't explicitly competitive, but it's about common ground.

"You liked Zimboes?" Gwenyth asks, flabbergasted. "Oh- my- gaaaawd! The director of that was was suuuuch a pig." And yet somehow it remains the most successful film she was in. She folds her arms and appears to shrink into herself. Seems like she can't escape being a piece of meat for boys, even here. "So that's the kind of things you like... I see..."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:19, Sat 13 Nov 2021.

In reply to Zoey Fujino (msg # 14):

Kate for her part gave a very authoritative nod of agreement with Zoey's assertion of their state of being.  "Super Awesome"

Then she watches the conversation going on between Frank and Gwen like it's a spectator sport.  A slow grin growing across her face as she see's him stick his foot in it.  It might not be polite to evesdrop a little on their surface thoughts but it certainly was amusing.  And just because she can she grows a fox tail and ears between one glance from Gwen and the next, mentally counting down the seconds before she notices.

"He was barely alive when I saw him."
Mistress slumped back into her chair.  She couldn't quite hide her distress over the news, nor her displeasure when the conversation turned into lighter subjects.  Hardly fitting, she thought, considering the circumstances.

"Now that introductions are over and we've established Taylor Swift is still on the market, I'm a little confused why we're all here. I thought Freedom Force was regrouping and debriefing in light of current events."

She addresses Zoey and Kate, "Who is it who asked you to come to this meeting?" Someone was pulling some strings or planning something behind the scenes.

In reply to Gwenyth Blake (msg # 19):

"Did I say something wrong?" Frank didn't understand why saying he liked one of Gwenyth's movies would produce such a negative reaction. She seemed insulted, though. "Sorry."

He ignored her reaction to the word 'mutant'. Honestly, he felt a little insulted by that, but she was obviously still coming to terms with her new status.

"It's fine," Gwenyth quickly waves away Frank's concern. "I'm used to it." She really should be by now. She smiles and adds "I'm really glad you like my movies though!"

Gwenyth turns to Ana. "I was escorting miss Cooper. She said she would be along shortly, so I am sure she will be here aaaany second now." She glances at the door as if able to summon people with a look. With a soft sigh she instead refocuses her attention on Kate and Zoey. She still doesn't notice the former's tail.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Sat 13 Nov 2021.

Zoey had never heard of this Gwenyth chick, but from the sound of it she exclusively did terrible B-movies. Not that B-movies couldn't be enjoyable, but Zoey wasn't much of a movie person at the best of times. 2D girls were cuter. Well... usually cuter. Gwenyth was unearthly beautiful; she didn't even look real and that provoked some confused feelings. And she was adorably dumb.

"I don't like 'mutant' either," Zoey says, flouncing into the middle of the room and straddling an available chair in a backwards sitting position. "I've been trying to strongarm 'genedivergent' into common parlance but I guess that's too many syllables or something."

She grins at Ana. "Weren't you listening? We're just that awesome, we can do what we please." It was better than admitting that she had no clue how Kate had managed to score an invitation. "Anyways, any probability we can pick up that discussion about what was happening behind the scenes on that island? Ya'll implied you knew something I didn't."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:10, Sat 13 Nov 2021.

Ana Sofía looks icily at Zoey, clearly not reacting at all well to either her grin or her comments. "Yes, Zoey, I have been listening today, including now. You feeling like you can do as you please does not give you permission to be here. If that's why you're here, I can escort you out. As for that island, I cannot comment on an active investigation. I can tell you I'm am hoping to deliver those responsible for the torture and murder of so many mutants to justice. One lead I didn't know about just turned up today."

Zoey tilts her head, recoiling just a little from the icy glare. As much as she presents a devil-may-care attitude getting a look of disapproval like that never feels good. She glances to Kate, silently prompting her to explain the how of their being here. As for the why... "I have my suspicions of a cover-up by agents within the government, and as you are now working for the government you will have to forgive me if I view your investigation as inherently compromised. Or... maybe you don't have to." She shrugs. "I care about this as much as you do, you know."

Some small, perverse part of her can't help but run the calculation over whether those present in the room could actually escort her out by force. Likely not; if they could beat Phantazia they could probably beat her. Even if she could beat Freedom Force she would win nothing by burning that bridge.

Kate looks back to see the guy who had escorted them up has already left, but it doesn't stop her from answering Ana's question.  "That guy," she waves in the general direction of the door even though he isn't there anymore, "Said somebody named Valerie had requested I come with him, and well he left now so either we were supposed to come in here and immediately leave or we're waiting for someone else to come join us.  Does anyone here know a Valerie?"

Seeing that Gwen still hasn't noticed her tail makes Kate look around to see if anyone else is reacting.  It's super cute and fluffy, and how could she just miss it like that even if she is super feminine and pretty, Kate will not be jealous that Frank clearly likes looking at her more because only a bimbo wouldn't have noticed the ears that are twitching in slight irritation by now.

Of course then there is a bigger problem, fishgivinggirl and sourceofcookies are sniping at each other like, like two strange cats! "Come on you two, don't fight.  We're all friends aren't we?  Don't let um, whatever this is make you mad with each other..." 

"Did you know I used to work for the FBI?" the figure walking through the door wasn't Valerie's, but the Legion, who was escorted back by another security guard after he excused himself to use the bathroom earlier "Nothing too exciting.  Accounting"

There were two women in the room he wasn't acquainted with.  The one sitting at the table looked out of place.  She was old enough to be everyone else's mom, and was rather demure.  Not what he has come to except of a 'Freedom Force' agent.  The other one though!  He recognized Gwenyth Blake, of course.  He watched some of her movies (the good bits, at least).   But what would a movie star (even a B-Lister) do at the FBI headquarters?  He stood there, stomped for a moment, as he stared at her stupidly before forcing himself to say something:

"Umm...you're Gwenyth Blake!"

"Okay, so 'Valerie' would be Valerie Cooper, and she's the boss," Frank explained to Kate and Zoey. Kate was looking slightly less human now, with fox ears and a tail. Was this a sign of anger? Aggression? He wasn't sure, but it probably wasn't a good sign.

He reached over and gave Kate what he hoped were comforting little skritchies between the ears.

"So, everyone here was invited. No problems."

Danny just watched and smirked from the corner, watching the social antics play out.
These human's amused him.

"Really, it's fine!" Gwenyth says, forcing on her best Starlet Smile -- the kind so bright and sunny it could scorch countrysides.

Gwenyth watches Frank as he moves. He raises his hands and places them on... on Kate's... huh. "Did you have animal features earlier?" she asks. She suddenly finds herself doubting her memory. Surely the girl hadn't always looked like that? Back before she had become aware of her own genetic status she'd often fought against costumed "mutants" in her films; before it had become a whole social issue it just seemed like fun filmography. For once Gwenyth found herself hoping that someone hadn't seen her work.

Legion enters the room and Gwenyth turns her attention to him. She smiles to him but can't resist putting hand onto her sword in what she hopes looks like a casual pose. "And you're Legion," she says with guarded politeness. "I read your file. You're quite a menace!"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:32, Mon 15 Nov 2021.

... and now there was the promise of bloodshed in the boardroom*.
Danny couldn't believe how awesome this meeting was turning out, and he hoped that every FF meeting ould be this entertaining.

                                     *  that could be a great name for Gwen's next movie!

"Valerie is Missus Tits," Zoey clarifies to Kate. "I honestly never thought I'd see her blouse cleavage again so I never bothered remembering her name." She wishes she could remember a little more about what Valerie looked like, but that deeply plunging neckline kind of stole attention away from the rest of her. Maybe that's the plan all along. Maybe it's the same principle that explains why no one realizes Clark Kent is Superman; they're all too busy looking at his crotch and wondering why he wears his underwear on the outside.

Jeeze, that was a weird mental digression even by Zoey's standards.

She glances over to Legion. "To be honest I'd be surprised if there's a job you haven't had at some point. I bet one of you out there is a cosmonaut."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:51, Mon 15 Nov 2021.

Valerie walked into the meeting room a short moment after Zoey made the comment about her cleavage.  It wasn't clear if she could hear her from the hallway or not, but even if she did, she haven't said anything to the effect.  And it wasn't like Zoey was entirely wrong, either.  Valerie had a penchant for overstepping the boundaries of acceptable office wear, and today wasn't an exception; a black pencil shirt a couple of inches too short, a white blouse which wasn't buttoned all the way up, and a navy-blue jacket to bring some color into her outfit.

In sharp contrast to Valerie was Fiona.  She never bothered much with her appearance, and looked like she rolled out of a biker's club, complete with the faint aroma of cigarette's smoke.

"Hi.  Good afternoon"  Valerie quickly inspected the room to make sure everyone that was supposed to be there, was.  Her eyes lingered on Kate in particular, and she gave the young woman a short nod before addressing everyone else:

"Before we start; I talked to the hospital just now.  Price is in critical condition, and they don't know how long he has.  Danny; I'm going to need you to go there right after this meeting and see if there's anything you can do for him"

While Danny's eyes didn't quite reach up to Mz Cooper's, and lingered where they shouldn't, he nodded, and managed to mumble a "Yes ma'am".

Zoey had been right ... but her comment hadn't actually prepared Danny for the sudden ... exposure.

There she is. With Valerie now in the room there is a sense of formality in place, which means Zoey now has to at least pretend to be serious and respectable. She twists back the right way in her seat and slaps her legs together, folding her hands in her lap demurely. Only her weird 45-degree-askhew ponytail serves as a visual reminder of her defiant nature.

Time to fade into the background for a bit, she reckons.

Kate let herself enjoy the scritches and attention, pressing her head firmly back into his hand and turning so he would get just the right spot at the base of her ears there...



Her eyes slit back open at Gwenyth's question, a smile coming to her lips.  "Oh didn't I?" She gives an artless shrug, artless because she clearly knows she didn't or at the least that she's messing with the actress a little bit from her tone of voice.  It isn't that she's being mean though more playful.  What she doesn't do though is move out from the scritches, scritches are a must.

"Thank you" Valerie let her purse drop to one of the chairs, but remained standing as she addressed the mutants.

"I know it has been a difficult day, but there's a lot of work yet ahead of us.  The Brotherhood's acts of terrorism didn’t result in any fatalities – thanks to your timely intervention, but we fear that they've managed to irrepealably damage human-mutant relations just the same" if that ship hasn't already sailed after the events of the last few months

"There are spontaneous demonstrations all over the city.  People fuming on social media.  Reports starting to come in about Mutants being attacked on the streets"

She paused for effect

The governor is about to declare martial law, and the national guard is going to be called in to enforce it.  President Davis will address the nation later this evening, but she needs to show she's taking action, or she's going to lose all credibility.  This is where we come in.  It's time to take Freedom Force public"

Frank took a seat and waited for Ms. Cooper to continue.

Noting that Valerie acknowledged Kate's presence before making her statement, Ana Sofía sits down, waits, and listens.

Kate sat down as well, squirming until she's properly comfortable in the chair and watching the eponymously named Ms. Tits curious how the reality stacks up to Zoey's description.  She hadn't seemed to like her much, but Kate wasn't sure if it was a personality thing, government thing, or just envy...

"We already scheduled a press conference for tomorrow morning.  I expect you all to be in the uniform we designed for you and refer to yourself by your callsign from here on out.   And I do mean 'at all times'.  Mr. Tanner– if you can't pick a name for yourself in the next couple of hours, I'm going to do it for you"


Her tone of voice was very final, and she didn't wait to hear if they had any objections before moving on:

"We're going to need your help to keep the peace in the city, as well as assist in the arrests of the rest of the Brotherhood.  I remind you that the terrorists responsible for the attack on 'Camp X' are still at large.   The Department of Homeland Defense has issued  Federal arrest warrants for all of them, but asides several clones of the 'Legion' we've been tracking, we don't have a lead on the rest of the members as of yet" 

"Yes, ma'am," Frank said. This next part was going to be uncomfortable, but there were questions that needed to be addressed, and they needed to be addressed in the group setting. "But if you don't mind me bringing up the matter, we have a serious chain-of-command issue. Namely, without Price we don't have a chain of command.

"Who is in charge in his absence?"

Gwenyth's confusion only grows at Kate's provocative non-answer but before she has much time to dwell on it Ms. Cooper arrives and saves her from having to think about the matter too hard.

Gwenyth raises an eyebrow as Valerie speaks. "Tomorrow! Oh jeeze, oh jeeze, I- ah, um- do I really need a callsign? I mean, I'm not exactly unknown, and 'Blake' sounds pretty clear on a radio I think..." There's also the matter that she's never hurt anyone for realsies and she isn't sure she's quite ready to stop being an actress and start being an actual fighty for justice person, but she isn't sure how to raise that objection in a way that doesn't let down the confidence that has been placed in her.

"What's 'Camp X?'" Zoey asks. That sounds like they're trying to keep info from the stranger in the room but trying not to be so obvious about it. It's not working. If they didn't want to tell her what the heck they're all talking about then they ought to at least do her the courtesy of being blunt about it.

"Ms. Cooper, ma'am, if this is a briefing, why do we have non-Freedom-Force here? Also, I may have a way to track the Brotherhood better now, though just a possibility." Ana Sofía looks pensive.

"They are here because we need them" Valerie answered the last question first "I can't ignore what happened today. Kate, or rather, the cat-woman, is all over the news.  She saved half a dozen prime ministers from being murdered by the Legion, and ten times as many ambassadors and UN functionaries. The President herself directed me to bring her into Freedom-Force, and insisted that she should be part of tomorrow's press conference.  This particular 'Legion' has willingly decided to become an informant, and the intelligence he provided was invaluable in locating and arresting the Brotherhood Cell.  I've already invited Zoey to join in the past, when we met after the events at 'Camp X'.  I hoped she would reconsider my proposal"

The Legion wasn't explicitly offered to join Freedom Force.  Valerie considered him to be too volatile, plus there was a nation wide manhunt for him.  They still needed him, however.  Perhaps he could assist them tracking down the rest of the Brotherhood.

"I'm waiting the final answer from the candidate I approached about replacing Price.  The deadline I gave him is this evening, so I hope I will have news for you in the next couple of hours"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:44, Wed 17 Nov 2021.

Zoey could understand why Legion would not have been invited. Although a Legion instance may be friendly, it would be too easy for a hostile Legion instance to impersonate him to potentially disastrous effects -- and all to hard to deter his many many enemies. Plus, due to the propensity for values drift, his one solitary power could be more of a liability than an asset as a... sigh... super hero.

About an infinity-million times more relevant (and hilarious!) was that Kate was the one they captured on video as the responsible party for saving so many foreign personnel. It was epicly funny to her that it hadn't been the apparent paragon that was Frank the Tank. He's the one who deserved the role of Freedom Force's face. Instead, it's Kitty Kate. Absol-fucking-lutely hysterical, and it's taking all her willpower and composure to avoid laughing her ass off.

"Sorry, I haven't stopped hating government since we last spoke," Zoey said with a vaguely sadistic smile. "If anything, the fact that my good friend here-" she walks to Kate to join in the giving of scritches, "- was caught being a good Samaritan is all the validation we need that no one needs anyone's blessing to be heroes, let alone that of the Fed."

Zoey takes a short break from condescending to Valerie to dote on Kate a bit more. "Really, Tabby Cat? Dozens of foreign fuckers? Great job, I'm so proud of youuuu~!" She hugs her and kisses her on the forehead.

She turns her attention back to Valerie. "That said, situations change. Kate and I would like to consult privately concerning your offer for a moment," she declares.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:57, Wed 17 Nov 2021.

"I see." She looks at the Legion clone. "If Legion here can help me with locations and some individuals, I may be able to start tracking down the Brotherhood. I just need a place to start, and he might be able to provide that."

Gwenyth couldn't believe Zoey's attitude. She was making fun of Gwenyth and acting like she was smarter and holier than everyone else in the room. Where does she get off thinking she's so damn superior to everyone else?! If she's like this as a member of Freedom Force then Gwenyth just might quit. Maybe the others see something in Zoey that Gwenyth doesn't... or maybe she and Ana are the only ones who see the problem. But so long as she is a guest here she has no choice but to bite her tongue.

Frank sighed. This was going to be tough.

Kate was smiling before Valerie's little speech, and not paying close attention but she does preen a little at the recounting of her deeds.  Perhaps subliminally or perhaps reflexively due to the addition of more scritches she begins to audibly murr, a soft purring sound coming as Zoey joins in offering proper appreciation for her sacrifices.



Of course then it stops as she blinks, "We do?" she questions her agreement with Zoey's declaration of intent to discuss things.  As she starts to focus again she also realizes something else.  "Did you say the President?"

Ana Sofía looks at Frank as he sighs, fighting back the tears starting to form.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:58, Sun 21 Nov 2021.

"Yes.  THE president" Valerie exasperation had nothing to do with the fact she had to repeat herself, but with the conversation carried over the ether "Go ahead and take five minutes to discuss it among yourselves. In the meantime - the rest of you"

She turned her attention to Ana, and the rest

"- can start practicing your script for tomorrow. I don't want you to deviate it, under any circumstances"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:55, Wed 17 Nov 2021.

"Umm, excuse me, Miss Cooper.  But we haven't discussed the price for my cooperation. I have several conditions of my own. So, you know, when you've got some time to spare" though it was difficult, the Legion managed to keep to keep the smug smile off his face as Valerie arched an eyebrow at him

"Don't give me that look.  I've got to look after myself.  You've got every police officer on the planet looking for me, probably with instructions to shoot first, ask question later.  AND when Magneto founds out I flipped, he's going to come after me.  You can understand why I must have some... assurances"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:48, Wed 17 Nov 2021.

"He'll be much more cooperative as a Zombie. Just saying" Fiona delivered the 'threat' with such a straight face it was impossible to tell whether she really meant it or not.  Possibly, she did.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Wed 17 Nov 2021.

Frank bit his lip to stifle another sigh. Of all the people in the room, Ana Sofia topped a very short list of people whose respect he cared about, and now he had a sinking feeling he'd just lost it forever. He had thought that she'd known about Zoey — not just suspected but known — and that they'd simply not been talking about the elephant in the room all this time. But no, from her perspective, he must seem like he was part of a criminal conspiracy now.

Could he somehow explain how horrified he'd been, and still was, by Zoey's actions? Would it matter?

This was why he'd left the X-Men. The moral ambiguity was overwhelming.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm used to posing. I assume we're not taking any questions if there is to be no deviation at all. Perhaps you or someone else will take all the questions."

Zoey nods to Valerie and heads for the door to have a little private huddle with Kate.

Meanwhile, Danny sat back in his chair ... his hands behind his head and feet not yet on the table.  He had a slight smirk on his face; one of great intrigue and interest.

"Uniforms, huh?" was all he had to say.

"Yes.  The Spandex.  The Capes.  Facemasks, if you opted for one" Valerie wasn't jesting "all of which you'll be expected to wear whenever you're on duty, starting from the press conference tomorrow"

Valerie was interrupted by the ringing of her phone.  She didn't bother taking it out of her purse, but answered it immediately by tapping on her AirPods.


"Valerie Cooper here, one second please"

She would provide one last bit of instruction before leaving the room to take her call:
"Go study your lines, they should be in your inbox by now.  All questions were pre-vetted by our PR team.  If any reporter goes off-script, I would be the one to answer"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:41, Thu 18 Nov 2021.

Kate waves at the room as she is lead out by Zoey a bonce in her step.  Catching the bit about costumes and spandex she starts giggling a little.  The amusement only growing as she realizes how serious Valerie is about it.  Everyone else can have spandex, she has a cardigan, and a skirt!

Of course it would never occur to her that Valerie may have designs for a uniform for her too!

"It's been a little bit since my last modeling gig. Just never done it with a live audience. Let's see what they've sent me." Ana Sofía looks a little happier turning to the PR stuff, like the spandex and all might enthuse her rather than worrying her. She pulls out her phone to check for the message from PR.

Frank's uniform was something the PR hacks had been calling 'the gun show'. It was sleeveless, designed to show off his massive biceps. Frank was used to short sleeves as part of a football uniform, so this wasn't much of a change. The tight pants, likewise, didn't bother him. Yet, put it all together, and he still felt a little silly in the uniform. Maybe it was that he felt a little undignified for a federal agent. Or maybe it was just that the colors were too gaudy. Regardless, he didn't much like his uniform. He didn't hate it, but it wasn't what he would have designed for himself.

He appreciated the lack of a facemask, though. That would have felt too weird for him.

With a shrug, he pulled out his phone and checked his Inbox. The first email had the subject line: MASK. His shoulders slumped as he read it...

Frank,

We've changed our minds. A domino mask will be supplied with your uniform. Wear it.

The email then droned on for several paragraphs with the reasons why he was being made to wear a mask, but he only skimmed that.

"Damn it."

Barely a minute went by before Valerie stormed back into the room.  Frantically, she reached for the phone she left in her purse.  She didn't have any reason to doubt the person she was talking to, but she had to see it with her own eyes.  Even after she did, she could still hardly believe it.

"GNN everyone" her voice was hoarse as she turned the screen of her phone for them to look at.

The headline at the home page of the Global News Network read "Statue of Liberty – Gone", with an accompanying picture to prove it.  The statue was, indeed, gone, replaced by a giant, upright, 'X', formed out of the 31 tons of copper, and 125 tons of steel, that used to make up the Statue of Liberty.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:56, Fri 19 Nov 2021.

"Holy crap."

Who could have done this? Magneto could have, of course. But why would he have made an 'X'?

There had to be amateur video of the incident. This couldn't have just happened without anyone noticing. It was one of the biggest tourist spots in the world. Somebody must have seen who did it.

"Now what?"

Kate was just coming back in when she saw the giant X.  "Huh.." was her first response, then as she started to read the text crawl at the bottom of the screen she actually realized what she was looking at, and that it wasn't just modern art.  "Oh... well shit."

On her way back to the tables she adds, "Why would Magneto go and do something like that.  Does he want to cause a war and make everybody hate us more?"  Like Frank, to Kate Magneto is the obvious suspect and she doesn't even bother trying to guess that someone else might have done it.

"¡No mames!" Ana Sofía forgets to keep reading the message, staring at the big X on the screen. In response to Kate she added, "Magneto or not, someone seems to want a war."

Zoey looked to be in an uncommonly good mood as she walked in behind Kate. That mood lasted approximately two seconds before she saw the latest event in what was shaping up to be a neverending day of setbacks for genedivergent equality.

"... why..." Zoey mouthed to herself. "What is something like this even supposed to accomplish? Unlike prime ministers and ambassadors we can't just fart out more historical relics. I... I don't... what..." She almost wanted to cry. Not necessarily because she had any love for a big wasteful metal sculpture, but because of the sheer lack of regard. At the end of the day all she really wanted was peace, understanding, and a harem of cute girls braiding each other's hair by firelight. And then some asshole goes and does this. How can she have the peaceful, tender, pretenseless cooperation she desires with the shadow of something like this looming over the world?

Is this it? Is this fate telling her it's time to commit to The Plan? It had always been more of a fun thought experiment than something she genuinely expected to execute, but now...

Zoey goes to seat herself, holding her head in her hands. She thinks she feels a migraine brewing.

Valerie took a deep breath and closed her eyes to collect her thoughts.  She could already imagine the ensuing shitstorm, and for once, the ambitious blonde wished she could just turn her phone off and slip into a warm bath with a nice glass of wine instead of handling this mess.

"Magneto.  Yes" she let out a sigh and looked at her screen one more
"The President's address.  Our press call tomorrow.  It's all pointless.  We'd be talking about yesterday's news, when everyone would want to know what we are going to do with Magneto"  It's all going to be rewritten.  She could imagine how her staff must be running around like headless chickens right now.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:03, Sat 20 Nov 2021.

Danny’s reaction to the statue-fiasco had been to raise an eyebrow, then smirk as though he got some ‘hidden joke’ in the whole situation.
Then, as everyone talked, he pulled up his own personnel page on the file system of the computer, and with a shrug, edited his personal details with the ‘codename’   The Aesculapian.

Then, flipping to new icon he saw attached to his file, he opened up the ‘uniform’ page:   Leaning back and slinging his feet up onto the table, he began flipping options and ‘suggested configurations’ that the beaurocrats over in the Ivory Tower ‘thought might look good’.

‘God,’ he thought to himself*, ‘they haven’t got a creative bone among them’
                * this thought probably took itself for a wander out across the group telepathy link currently active

Valerie's phone didn't stop ringing, and the text messages kept on coming in one after the other.  She knew what people wanted - for her to give them a solution.  And until she had something, she wasn't going to bother taking any more calls.

"Are you two in, or should I call security to escort you out of the building?"

She had to move forward- with or without Kate and Zoey.  Her patience for the Legion has likewise ran out:

"And as for you, Legion – I'm sorry, but we don't have time to negotiate right now.   Tell us what you know about Magneto, and I give you my word that I'll do everything within my power to address each of your requests"

The Legion hesitated before answering.  Valerie was obviously under pressure, and he wasn't, which meant these were as optimal conditions as he could ever hope for to squeeze her.  On the other hand, he didn't want to cross her.  The young woman had an edge to her, and even though she was only human she so well connected it would be extremely unwise to make an enemy of her.
Then again...

"Sorry Ms. Cooper, but I must insist.  You need to at least listen to my terms, because I'm not sure it IS within your powers to give me what I want" he finally said

"First; I want a full Presidential Pardon.  For me, and any other Legion duplicates willing to come forward.  Second; I want your man-hunt for us stopped.  Immediately, because the only thing you're going to accomplish is destroying the lives of dozens of duplicates who never did anything wrong.  Three; I want the President to reveal to the public what really happened at 'Camp X', and commit to bring the people responsible to justice.  You give me all three, and I'll let tell you everything I know about Magneto.  Which is a lot"

"I'm in!" Kate answers the increasingly harried woman.  It seems like this is a perfect chance to get to do something important, and Magneto being an ass or not she's currently a hero and isn't going to let him take that away from her.

Besides, tomorrow she'll probably be on some kind of bad mutant list anyway so at least this way she'll be one of the government's mutants.  That's kind of like immunity right?  As she listens to the Legion she frowns a bit.  He's asking for a lot, probably too much.  Is he forgetting that he was part of what happened at island X or whatever too?  Cause that means he was one of the ones who attacked.  Just cause he was made later doesn't make him innocent of what his predecessors had done.  At least not in her mind.

Gwenyth had been sitting quietly and trying very hard not to chew on her lip as she listened to the rest of Freedom Force and the most recent developments. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the atrocious act of vandalism as saving the Statue of Liberty had been the plot in one of her films. With little to contribute to the conversation however she instead pulled out her phone and returned to cram studying for the press release tomorrow.

Her uniform's design luckily been completed yesterday after a lot of argumentative back-and-forth with her costumers; being an actress meant she was used to being dressed up for a role but these government sorts had, like, zero sense of fashion! Her pink, white and blue color scheme was iconic, it didn't make her look like a "walking trans pride flag" whatever the hell that was. So of course they had to change the colors, but at least she'd managed to talk them out of the American flag pattern. She couldn't wait to see how it came out in person!

"I guess we should get dressed right away rather than waiting for tomorrow."

Ana Sofía pulls out one of a few sets of her outfit. While they probably would have looked good on her, she and the designers had opted out of a Captain America rip-off or wrapping her body in an American flag. Instead they used red, white, and blue along with many stars and a few stripes, but not in a way resembling the flag. It was more like some recent x-country ski outfits without the sponsor and Olympics logos (for those who don't follow x-country skiing: https://assets.teenvogue.com/p.../NUP_178235_4945.jpg https://www.fccnn.com/sports/a...USA%20TODAY%20Sports  ), body-hugging but also practical, showing off curves but not skin. She'd worn plenty more skimpy clothing to be photographed; this was in many ways more like her workout attire. So she should be comfortable in it.

Zoey gives Valerie's offer a moment's consideration, but the recent event has not really changed the problem she has with the federal government. She shakes her head. "Honestly, I think I'm more of a liability to Freedom Force than I could ever offer as an asset. And I still think that the things that need to be done can't be done under the rule of a bunch of politicians." She stands and stretches.

"Well Kate, can't say I ever expected to see you become a hero. Call me every now and then, yeah? Let me know you're okay and that the suits aren't taking advantage of you. And remember what we talked about."

She walks to Danny and hands him her contact information home-printed on cheap card stock. "Our short time together was fun. If you ever get sick of playing dress up for the media or just need a dinner date, here's my card."

She looks back to Missus Tits. "I remember where the door is, I don't need an escort." She fully expects to be given an escort anyways, she knows how these people are.

"Or we can arrest you right now.  You ARE a known terrorist, and I have a warrant standing for all Legion clones" even if all the Legion demands could be met (and she had her doubts the President would agree to any of them), it would take time.  Time they didn't have "Or maybe Windtalker here could persuade you to talk.  What do you think?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:36, Mon 22 Nov 2021.

"What I'm thinking is that you're all a bunch of F@#!ing Fascists" the Legion crossed his arms over his chest with indignation "I didn't ask for anything more than what you should have already done if you had a shred of decency in you.  Let the public know about the conditions of the Mutants held at Camp X.  The experiments.  For God's sake, you haven't so much as released the names of the deceased!!!" his voice rose as he became increasingly exasperated.

"There is an ongoing investigation about the events at Camp-X.  It's not entirely clear what transpired on that island.  Trust me; I want to bring the people responsible to justice just as much as you do, but disclosing any details about the case to the public at this point will only complicate our investigation" she shook her head "And that's ignoring the politics of going public with all of this a few weeks before the election"

"Can we all just take a step back and calm down?" Frank asked, placing a hand on Legion's shoulder. He actually kinda liked the guy, and he had good points, but the Camp X situation was too volatile to simply dump the news onto the public like that. As much as it pained Frank to even think about things in such terms, the situation needed to be handled delicately for a wide range of reasons... including politics.

"I don't like what happened at Camp X any more than you do. But we can't just dump the whole thing into the news and wash our hands, much as we might like to. It's just not how things work."

"Yeah. Even I know that, and I'm an anti-authoritian burn-it-all-down twentysomething who secretly never grew out of her independently-minded angry teenage years. And I would expect a man who's lived a thousand lives to know that." Not that she would do anything to stop that news from coming out if the people 'in charge' decided to share it. She offers the Legion a small smile. "A for effort though. Good sentiment, bravo."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:16, Tue 23 Nov 2021.

"Oh, come on. That's not all you asked for. Presidential pardons? Stopping a manhunt for criminals?" Ana Sofía looks at the Legion clone incredulously. "I favor protecting the innocent Legion clones. But you cannot seriously expect the president to pardon a military-style attack on the island, the gunfire in Manhattan, blowing up Avengers Tower, and taking hostages in the UN. And that's just what many of your clones have done recently. Who knows how much more. Your clones were on the radar long before the last couple days. Much much else do you remember? Huh? How much do you think could really be forgiven so easily? What other atrocities have you planned or committed with the Brotherhood? Think through it carefully and consider."

Ana Sofía drops the telepathic link with the group so she can focus. Hopefully she's just lured the Legion clone into pulling up some memories of things he's done with the Brotherhood. Time to dig, since he's not being reasonable and before he has a chance to realize when she's trying to make him consider all this stuff.

d12 Telepathy
d10 Willpower
d8 One Step Ahead of You
d8 Psych
d6 Enthralling Mind (and step up effect die +1)

13:13, Today: Windtalker rolled 12,8,8,5,5 using d12,d10,d8,d8,d6 with rolls of 12,8,8,5,5.  Digging into Legion's mind.

Wow! Nice Roll! That's 12+8=20 with a d12 effect die (d10 stepped up +1).

"Yea, yea, alright" the Legion eased up once Tank placed his hand over his shoulder, turning his head backwards to look up at the man "It's just that I had friends locked up in there, for no reason at all.  And now they're all dead, and no one is doing anything about it because it's 'inconvenient'.  How about doing the right thing, for a change?"

Tank could feel the Legion's muscle tense once more as Windtalker challenged his demands:
"That's right! Stop the god-damned manhunt, because the police can't tell the Brotherhood clones from the non-involved ones.  You're going to destroy the lives of dozens of innocent people.  Families.  But the government doesn't give a damn, do they, because all they want is to be seen doing something, even if that something is completely ineffectual.  All it takes is one Legion clone to duplicate into an army, you know, which makes this entire manhunt a farse; They are never going to capture all of them, and they know it"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:14, Wed 24 Nov 2021.

"If there really isn't a limit to you, then why are there any non-mutants left?  I mean,  you could replace every single person in the world right?  So why haven't you?" Kate asked Legion curiously. "And don't give me the excuse that you never thought of it, or don't feel like it because as you are sitting here we know that at least one of you would have had that thought.  Besides if the government stops trying to arrest you, then doesn't that mean that there are no consequences for any action any of you ever take?  As soon as you break line of sight you can claim it wasn't you even if it was.  You already want to be able to live your life free and untroubled but also get to live your life as a terrorist.  Is that fair to people who can't pick both paths and doesn't that also make it easier for you to choose both?"

Kate doesn't really look that happy with him, because she's been giving this some thought ever since he claimed that his past didn't stain him because he was new so she isn't quite done with her rant yet.  "I might be willing to accept that at the moment of creation you are a new man, but you still have to answer for everything you did or your line of you's did up to that point.  It isn't like you come into the world without a history.  Otherwise you could just kill someone, split, and claim either or both of you are the 'new' one.  Just because you are different doesn't mean you didn't do those things because you still remember doing them.  You didn't do what other clones have done, but you did do all the things your line did till now."  Finally realizing she's starting to just repeat herself Kate trails off and glares a bit.

"And man, I am trying to do the right thing," Frank protested, picking up where Kate left off. The accusation stung, even though there was really no way for Legion to know one way or the other what Frank was really like. "I quit the X-Men over moral concerns. And not a day goes by that I don't wonder if I walked from the frying pan into the fire. But you've got to understand where the other side is coming from on these issues.

"You scare the crap out of the administration. Like you said, even one of you can become an army. And when even one of you can cause the kind of devastation we saw in New York today, there's no way they're going to stop looking for you. All of you. And it won't be a farce. It'll be a political goldmine. Because you'll keep giving them more and more 'dangerous mutants' to catch and perp-walk in front of news cameras.

"But Freedom Force is the difference between orders to capture versus shoot-to-kill.

"I'd like to promise that the duplicates who had nothing to do with terrorism can alibi out and be let go. But I can't promise that. All I can do is work inside the system and try to make sure it happens.

"And right now, with Magneto — probably Magneto — tearing down the Statue of Liberty, you're not going to be able to convince anyone. But help us catch him, you can practically write your own ticket."

Ana Sofía has turned away from the conversation after what she said to Legion. She's holding her phone with the message about what she's supposed to say in front of her, but she's not scrolling through it, just staring at it.

Danny sat, seemingly focused on the computer in front of him;  casually considering his ‘uniform’ options.
Not that it’s be ready for the new ‘Statue of Xiberty’ mission that seemed imminent;  and even this ‘press release’ tomorrow seemed in jeopardy right now.   Not that Danny cared much.

Truth was, a significant amount of his attention was on the talk around the table.    The matter of Legion’s status wasn’t going to get sorted her, tonight: it probably wouldn’t ever, the guy was a living headache/dilemma to any legal, justice or moral process.

He’d happily accepted Zoey’s card when she’d offered it, with a warm smile; and it was now safe in his pocket.

”I wouldn’t be so vehemently opposed to a manhunt if the government could tell the difference between good and bad clones.  But they can’t, can they? How would you feel if you got arrested and put in ‘Camp X’ – without trial and due process, because you happened to resemble a known criminal?”

He personally didn’t believe a clone was culpable of a crime just on account of having the memories of committing it.  You don’t put people in prison because of them remembering something they obviously didn’t do, do you?  But he didn’t argue the point, which he already knew was contentious.

”Some duplicates split off waaaaaaay before we ever joined the Mutant Brotherhood.  You’re going to lamp all of them together with the rest?”

He shook his head and tried to calm himself down.  The argument was pointless.  They will never understand the Legion.  They just can’t.

”You want to find Magento.  Fine – it’s your funeral.    But I insist on getting something in return – now.  If SHE” he pointed his finger at Windtalker ”- can really read minds, then I want her to determine if a duplicate is dangerous or not BEFORE the decision to arrest them is made.  Harmless ones should be allowed to live out their lives in peace.  That includes the release of ones the government might already have picked up.  How’s that?”
This message was last edited by the player at 13:56, Thu 25 Nov 2021.

Ana Sofía looks up from her phone, done with whatever. "Look, if there is a way to separate good Legion clones from bad ones, I'm all for it. But that's beside the point right now. We need to deal with this big X. Ms. Cooper, do we have the resources, perhaps if we call on the Avengers, to go after the Brotherhood on their submarine if Magneto is protecting it?"

Zoey walks up beside Legion when the attention goes off him for a moment. "Is there anything you cannot duplicate?" she asks. She didn't believe there to be; it sounded like he could even duplicate Cap's shield, which was made of the closest substance to pure indestructium that Zoey knew of.

"Hold on, just one second!" Valerie abruptly got up from her chair, opened the door to the meeting room, and signaled the security guards standing at the ready on the other side of the hallway to approach

"Please escort Miss Fujino off the premises" she tilted her nod lightly at Zoey, only so the security guards know who she meant "I'm sorry, Miss Fujino, but this conversation is confidential. I must insist"

Zoey sighs in mild annoyance. Just as she had a potentially neat idea! Ah well. She hands a card to Legion with a quick "Call me or stop by sometime." She then folds her hands behind her back and heads for the door.

"Ta, everyone. Good luck with Magneto or whoever." She then fixes the security guard with a steely look. "No touching me, got that?"

Kate seems as willing as Legion to let the topic drop, and when Zoey is up from the table catches her with a hug before letting her out the door.  "Stay good, and safe, and don't give my spot away!"

The Legion's gaze accompanied Zoey as she was accompanied out of the room.  Something clicked in his head when Valerie mentioned her last name, and he had half a mind chasing her down the hallway that very minute, if it wasn't for the fact Valerie was glaring at him.

"Right…Where were we?"

Wait.  Did Ana mention something about Magneto being on a submarine?  How would she know this, unless…

"You've been reading my mind!" he jumped out of his seat and shook his fist at Windtalker "God damn it! None of you can be trusted.  GET OUT OF MY F&*$ING HEAD!!!"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:03, Sat 27 Nov 2021.

"Sit your ass down" Valerie gave Tank a sideway glance to be ready, if the Legion decided to do something stupid, but it wasn't necessary.  The Legion was furious about the intrusion into his mind, but he was smart enough to know there wasn't much he could do about it

"Let me explain the situation to you, since you insist on being a man-child" she glared at the clone "Your picture is all over the news.  Everyone thinks you're a terrorist.  None of your clones are ever going to lead a normal life, manhunt or not.  You think they'll be able to work a normal job?  Go out in public again???  There will be vigilantes hunting for them, and even under the best-case scenario your duplicates are going to be shunned by their communities.  They are going to need police protection, because it's going to get ugly out there"

She paused as the Legion slowly slumped back into his chair

"And YOU are the one responsible for all of this.  YOU cost them the chance of leading a normal life when you decided to join with the Brotherhood.  And not only for them, but for any peace-loving mutant out there.  You want to do the right thing?  Help us find Magneto and restore some semblance of trust in this government.   Else people are going to take matters into their own hands, because no sane person is going to tolerate his city turning into a battlefield"
This message was lightly edited by the player at 08:01, Sat 27 Nov 2021.

There was a long pause before the Legion dared raised his eyes again and look at Valerie, and the rest

"You're right.  You're all right" his voice faltered
"It's why I came here to begin with.  Why I agreed to help..." he lowered his head and looked at his shoelaces

"You'll always have a spot with me," Zoey replies to Kate, hugging her back. Then she is gone.

Frank let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding as the door clicked shut behind Zoey. That could have gone much worse. Even if she hadn't broken out her powers, Zoey being kicked out of a place where she didn't want to leave could have gotten ugly. Or at least very loud.

"Okay," he said. "Back to business. What's this about a submarine?"

“Magneto and his crew are on a submarine, yes.  But you’re never going to find them. Magneto uses his powers to mask the sub’s electromagnetic signature, and the Legion duplicates all the supplies they ever going to need.  They only surface when they’re ready for another operation”

"I thought you found subs with sound or something like that?"  Kate throws in, "What does magnets have to do with that?"  The way her kitty ears emphasize her expressions shows she is just as confused by the explanation as her words would imply.

"I figure they're not too far from Manhattan yet, and there aren't a lot of human minds in the Atlantic, so a bunch of Legion minds might not be so hard to find out at sea. But locating them would only be a small part of the problem."

Gwenyth looks up from her phone at Legion quizzically. That was an impressive feat of verbal dexterity! Did he have some kind of conditioning that made it difficult for him to swear properly? She glances at the Wind Talker with the unspoken question plain on her face.

Gwenyth hadn't expected it just from reading his file but she actually found herself feeling vaguely sympathetic towards Legion. She really hoped that someone would be able to find a way to come up with something fair for the guy, but it seems even all the supposedly super-smart people in this room were just as clueless on how to deal with him as she was. How does one treat a person who is many people, similar but not alike? As abrasive as the red-hoodie'd girl had been she seemed like she might have had an idea, but was shooed out before she could explore it.

Gwenyth could understand why Zoey was kicked out, though. There were much more important issues at stake. She shared in Frank's breath of relief when Zoey is out of the room and talk starts to turn back towards their mission... unfortunately, she is just as clueless on how to find a submarine as anyone else.

"Did the coast guard see the submarine surface?" Gwenyth attempts, grasping at straws. "None of the terrorists could fly. Magneto sometimes carries his troops around in those little magnetic bubbles, right? Maybe the weather service was able to track him? Otherwise I think the only way to find a submarine is with a submarine... and the Atlantic's a big place. Do we know what kind of submarine he has?"

"Sound is carried by periodic vibrations of atoms in gases, liquid, and solids" the Legion was a physicist, among other things  "And since Magneto can manipulate electrons any way he wants to using his 'Magnetokinesis', he can extract some control over the atoms as well.  So yes, he can manipulate sound.  Heat also.  Kinetic energy…."

He shook his head.  Going up against Magneto was suicidal.  He would give them all the information he had, but he wasn't stupid enough to join them.

"Anyways, like I said, he can mask the submarine from detection, which is why no one was aware he is in one.   Coast guard wouldn't be of any good.  Maybe the satellites, if we're lucky to catch them when they surface.  Tell them to look for a Victor Class submarine.  Russian design"

"How many of you would likely be aboard at a time running things?" Ana Sofía listens for his answer, taking a comfortable seat. She then starts focusing, mostly ignoring her immediate surroundings.

"You're kidding. That is so not fair!" Gwenyth protests. "W-Well, that just means we have to get him while he's asleep! Somehow!"

Siiiigh. "Those Russians. Always losing things. Is there any way to find the goshdarn thing other than magic?"

"The Legion is operating and maintaining the submarine.  There are between thirty and forty of us doing that at any given time, depending on the shift.   The other members of the Brotherhood cell are Magneto, Random, Wax, Toad, and Unus the Untouchable.  The latter can project impenetrable force fields that also block telepathy.  That's how they manage to avoid being detected by Xavier and the X-Men"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:20, Tue 30 Nov 2021.

Ana Sofía returns her attention to those in the room at Gwenyth's and Legion's comments. "They seem quite prepared. But Gwenyth here has a good idea. We should talk to Dr. Strange."

"I do?" Gwenyth cocks her head. "... I mean, yes, I do! That is totally what I was suggesting all along. I... am helpful." She places a performative hand atop her sternum and strikes a dignified pose, sparkling prettily in the light.

Tapping away at the computer nearby,  Danny was muttering aloud such things as, "Bandalier, check"  and  "Ankle Wings, check",  "Star on Chest, check"  and  "Shoulder Pads, CHECK!".
He seemed to be quite preoccupied, designing his new costume.

"Talking to Dr. Strange might be a good idea in the short term, but in the long term we're going to need to avoid running to the Avengers for help all the time." To Frank, it seemed like Freedom Force still had training wheels on, and were constantly looking to the bigger kids for help. It certainly wasn't going to help their public image any. "We've been leaning on them all day."

Turning back to Legion, he asked, "Are there any major sites that Magneto still intends to hit?"

“I will talk with the Avengers and ask for their assistance both with finding Magneto, as well as arresting him and the rest of his accomplices”  Valerie was disappointed.   She hoped Freedom Force would have been able to handle things themselves without calling on assistance.  It didn’t look good.  It undermined the entire idea of the US government being capable of getting things under control, to the point people will start to question if Freedom Force was even necessary.

But she didn’t have any other option

“We need all the help we can get. Do you still have friends within the X-Men? Any way to contact them?”
This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Wed 01 Dec 2021.

”Magneto never shares his plans with anyone, up to the point we’re ready to go.  Safety precaution.  But I wager that securing the release of everyone you captured today would be very high on his priority list”
This message was last edited by the player at 14:22, Wed 01 Dec 2021.

"Unless they've blocked my phone number, yes." Contacting the X-Men was easy enough. If the phone didn't work, he could drive up to the gates and buzz to be let in. "I'm not sure about 'friends' though. Quitting them after one mission might have burned some bridges.

"I'm pretty sure they'd take the call."

"Hey!" Gwenyth scowls at Valerie. She knows that look. That's a look of judgement and disappointment at not being able to handle an impossible task. "Don't give us that look, Valerie! Magneto's like a living god who's dedicated himself to not being found; that's a Hell of a first assignment!" She puts her hands on her hips. "And if you're worried about the P.R., I'm sure Strange won't mind helping Freedom Force get off the ground with full credit for the operation... if his file is correct. It is, right?"

Strange is a wizard; no way would he want people breaking down his door and interrupting his studies for interviews about his role in taking down the most infamous mutant terrorist in history, and he has a track record of self-sacrifice.

Kate was beat to the punch by Ana, as she too immediately thought of Strange when magic was mentioned.  Really though Magneto was just plain unfair.  He probably couldn't keep that sort of thing up all the time, but even if the military did find him it wasn't like they could actually sink him because bombs and torpedo's and stuff were all metal anyway so that just wouldn't work.

So generally she just stayed quiet and listened while the other bandied thoughts back and forth watching the TV in the background to see how the reporting was going.

"My worry is that even Doctor Strange can't be everywhere at all times.  We got to step up somehow, and soon" if Strange could stop Magneto all by himself.  She hoped he could.  But just in case -

"Tank, do call on the X-Men. I don't think we can afford to take any risks with this, considering what the Legion just told us"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:56, Wed 01 Dec 2021.

"I'm sorry, was I the only one listening to this screw-up over here?" Fiona pointed her head at the direction of the Legion  "If Magneto wants to free his pals, he might already be on the move.  Where did you leave them all? With Caps?"

"She's got a point." Frank had his phone halfway out of his pocket, and was momentarily paused that way. "We should try to guard wherever it is that we've stuck Phantazia and the others."

"He doesn't need to be anywhere, he just needs to give us a target," Gwenyth mutters.

Gwenyth blinks at Fiona. She had heard that the mutants that attacked the U.N. and Avengers tower had been defeated; maybe she's been in too many action movies, but she'd immediately equated defeated with killed. But she supposes real life is a little more complex... something she'll need to get used to if she's to be any good at this Freedom Force gig. "W-well, I guess if we have something he wants we could try laying a trap. Move them to a secure location, then pounce Magneto when he and his cronies show up. Umm..." She has to stop and think; what kind of place could they move prisoners to that someone as powerful as Magneto couldn't simply bust them out of through the ceiling and would have to go in through the front door...? "Is there anyplace like Cheyenne Mountain but, like, closer?"

"There's that  'Camp X' ..." Danny suggested, with a smirk on his face, "Oh wait ... I heard that someone shut that place down".

"Wasn't it blown up?"

"You think you're funny?" Frank demanded, glowering at Danny."You sit there with a stupid smirk on your face, and do nothing but make snide comments. You want to be a part of this team, you'd better get your act together. Because the next time I see that smirk on your face, I'm gonna smack it right off."

---

Sorry, man, but that is the forth or fifth time you've had Danny smirk in this meeting alone. Frank has had enough.

Danny looked up from his screen, still smiling, "Then what?   You gunna just keep hitting me, and keep hitting me, and keep hitting me ...  Tank?    Is that your solution to anything that you don't approve of?"
            1xp     When you challenge someone to do something blatantly stupid or unwise.
"I'm still smirking here ..."

Apparently Kate has had enough, or flipped, or maybe just sunk too deep into animal psychology because she just nonchalantly walks over to Danny takes his arm, and bites hard though not hard enough to break skin through his shirt.  Letting go when he inevitably reacts and stepping back.  "Bad Danny." 

She's still standing there though easily close enough he could retaliate but giving him a disappointed stare, as if challenging him to think about what he's done.

Danny wasn't sure what the kid was up to when she came over, and was as surprised as anyone when she took his arm and BIT him.
But, with willpower, he didn't flinch, curious to see how far she would go (and knowing that he could most likely heal from whatever she did).

When she was done, standing there frowning down at him disapprovingly, his smile swelled, genuinely.  And retorted with a warm "Why, thank you".
Then, leaning in closer, he loudly whispered, "I dare you to bite Frank".
            1xp     When you challenge someone to do something blatantly stupid or unwise.
Danny would pay good money to see that.

"Frank's just being Frank, while you're just being dumb, I thought better of you than that."  It's strange to think that the reason she might have come over to literally bite him is because he disappointed her.  At least though it meant that she though well enough of him that he could do so.

‘Frank’s just being Frank’, Danny replayed in his head.
Well, that spoke volumes; and he glanced at the big man with another smirk that he couldn’t restrain.

Looking back to Kate, he made puppy dog eyes, “Yes ma’am, he is.  And Yes, I am.    Can you forgive me?“

"Can we get back to Fiona's idea? If we're prepared, we can make things difficult for Magneto. If he sends other Brotherhood, then we don't even need to deal with Magneto directly. Eventually we can wear the Brotherhood down except for him and Legion. While Magneto's powerful, losing his soldiers will complicate things for him. Or if he's directly involved, he may not be able to hide the sub well at the same time, so we might try something two-pronged."

"Guys, please" Mistress looked helplessly as the quarrel broke out "Please!"

Unlike Mistress, Valerie wasn't going to plead with any of them to calm down.  If they were too immature to handle a simple briefing, they might as well search for a new job:

"Kate, don't make me regret inviting you to join Freedom Force.  You're a federal agent now - try acting like one.   And the same goes for the lot of you.  One more threat, or joke, from any of you, and I'll kick you off the team.  Consider it your first and only warning"

She made eye contact with each and every one of them, just to make sure they didn't miss her glaring at them.

"We have bigger problems on our hands.  The prisoners were transferred to the 'Raft'.  It's an underwater prison specifically built to incarcerate 'enhanced' individuals.  Considering what we've just learned, its going to be almost trivial for the Brotherhood to access"

Gwenyth massaged her temples. Was this how everyone else on set felt when they accused her of being a diva? She retroactively says a mental apology to everyone she has ever worked with. What was Freedom Force doing recruiting teenagers, anyways? Maybe that's what that Zoey chick was talking about; she was the only one old enough to not be blinded by idealism... except maybe Mistress. Gwenyth wonders what her deal is. "We're doomed," she mutters under her breath.

Gwenyth shrinks into herself a little as if to protect herself from Valerie's stare. What did she do?!

It's an underwater prison specifically built to incarcerate 'enhanced' individuals. "Doomed," she repeats, this time elevating to stage whisper. She frowns a little as a thought comes to her. "Wait, isn't that kind of an obvious target given his equipment? Why hasn't he hit it until now? Wait; tell me on the helicopter ride there, it'll be more cinematic that way. C'mon, let's go!"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:00, Thu 02 Dec 2021.

"Excuse me," Frank said, getting up from the table, his phone out. He didn't apologize, because he didn't feel his words were unwarranted. Tanner was a useless wiseass, and it was only a matter of time before he got somebody killed. "I've got a call to make."

He still had the X-Men's main line in his Contacts list. He pressed the button and waited for someone to pick up, taking several steps away from the table.

"So the prisoners are being sent to an underwater prison, and Magneto's holed up in a nuclear sub. With this abilities, he should be able to make a diving bell or similar to move anyone between the prison and the sub with ease. The only question is if he knows where the prison is. If he doesn't, maybe he wants the prisoners taken there so he can track them to find it. Can we stop their transportation and reroute it?"

"HeeeEEEEeeey," Gwenyth croons appreciatively. "Big brain Windtalker! I never would have thought of that. Maybe getting his people caught is all part of the plan. Layers within wheels!" She spins her fingers around illustratively, unaware of how silly she looks in the process.

"Only Magneto does know where the prison is.  The only reason he never made a move was because it wasn't used to hold Mutants.  Till now"

"Unfortunately it is already too late.  The prisoners should have arrived at the Raft by now, and moving them back again is just as risky as keeping them there, not to mention we don't have anywhere to move them to"
Valerie let out a soft sigh.  This is why she brought Price in to begin with.  To strategize.  It wasn't her job to run Freedom Force

"Well what are we sitting around here for? We have action heroing to do!"

Frank returned to the table, his phone still in his hand. He'd hung up the line, but had simply forgotten he was still holding it.

"The X-Men were a few steps ahead of us," he said. "They've already sent a jet to come and pick us up."

"Sure" she answered and sat down again, this time near Danny because going further was a hassle.  When Valerie spoke up criticizing her she ducked her head a little.  "Sorry I guess I haven't really had a chance to think it all through yet."

Of course then the bad news hit and the option of maybe getting kicked off the team suddenly didn't seem quite so bad after all.  But when Valerie immediately shoots down the idea of moving them again she can't stay quiet.  "That's just dumb.  Sure moving them is risky, but it's risky one time.  Not every day for the next forever years.  Plus we can be there when they get moved.  AND if Magneto is on a sub then we can put them in, like Kansas, so he can either stay hiding his super secret base, or he can go rescue his captured criminals.  I'm not a five year old but I'm probably the closest we have so if I can see an obvious hole in the plan then the plan needs to be re-thought."

As he'd been 'reprimanded', and the table had returned to the 'adults talking', Danny turned his attention (apparently) back to the computer before him.
He was having fun making his 'uniform';  much like making a character visual for City of Heroes or any other such superhero online game.     Hitting a button quite decisively, he muttered in the voice of a well known animated character, "NO capes".

"They have?" Somehow, she found the fact that the X-Men knew exactly what Freedom Force were up to just as disturbing as Magneto melting down the statue of liberty

"I guess you better get ready then.  Kate - we don't exactly have much choice regarding the prisoners.  We can't keep them anywhere else.  No facilities which can hold Phantazia.  Or the Basilisk.  And if we put the Legion with the general population he will become the general population.  The 'Raft' is the only place which can contain them, and even that is doubtful"

"Well, if Magneto knows about the Raft and has a sub, he's likely to head to the raft next. Maybe we need to head to the Raft ourselves?"

"That's what Storm was telling me," Frank agreed. "The X-Men are sure that this is the only way to get there in time to stop Magneto. He's already on his way."

Hopefully this would put an end to the debate as to how/where to put the prisoners. Freedom Force was stuck with the plan they had.

"Where's the helipad for this facility? The roof?" The X-Men's jet was VTOL. It didn't need an airstrip. "That'll be where Gambit is going."

"Race you to the roof!" Gwenyth says, heading to the door. Finally, something actionable! She hadn't realized when she had been approached by Freedom Force that there'd be so much standing around and talking. Valerie had made it sound so exciting and dangerous and romantic and that was why they needed an action hero like her. Just don't think about the magnet mutant god person.

---

Spoiler for Gwenyth go brrrr: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
1d10 Prowess
1d8 Pirate of the Cinema
1d12 Godlike Reflexes
1d6 Swingline
1d6 Acrobatic
1d8 Acrobatic+Swingline stepped up with Focus
09:39, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 18 using 1d10+1d8+1d12+1d8 with rolls of 6,2,3,7.

---

"I'll let security know he's coming, and to stay clear of the roof" last thing they needed right now, on top of everything else, were panicky guards taking shots at the X-Men's jet  "Mistress; I'm putting you in charge of this one.  Preventing the prisoners from escaping is our number one priority.  Remember, we got way too many dangerous criminals locked up in there. The Brotherhood don't even make it to the top of the list.  Fiona - " she stopped the young woman before she had the chance to reach the door "I'm sorry, but I need you to hang back on this one.  I've got a different assignment for you"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:49, Sat 04 Dec 2021.

"Oh man" the Legion, still in his seat, shook his head  and tsked "Best of luck to you guys.  I'll say some nice words at your funerals.  Promise!"

Kate pops up and tugs at Danny's arm to get him moving as well.  "Let's go save the prison,  Missus government can figure out what to do with the prisoners while we make sure they stay prisoners."

As they hit the door she wonders aloud.  "I wonder if I'll need a swimsuit."

Ana Sofía looks at the window. "Such a pain when windows don't open." She grabs the bag with her suit. "Guess we're getting suited up en route." She follows the others out the door.

Without another word, Frank headed out the door and towards the stairs. If Danny wanted to stay behind this time, fuck him.

Pulled along (proverbially) in the 'wake of Kate', Danny trotted along with her and the others.


                               Why would Danny want to stay behind??  Because I hadn't had a chance to post yet?

The X-Jet wasn't so much hovering above the building, as it appeared to be frozen in midair.  The shipboard computer, and the eerily quiet twin VTOL engines, were so precise that they were able to keep the plane steady despite any minute variations in air pressure.  The jet didn’t sway by as much as millimeter, not even when the hatch opened and the stairs extended all the way down to the roof.

“…would you look at that!”

Mistress, who was the last one to make it up to the roof, was at awe in the face of the technological marvel.   She was still gasping for air; Climbing the four flights of stairs have taken a toll on the woman.  She muttered a curse under her breath as she reached to her purse to find something to wipe the sweat off her brow with.  She was never particularly fit, and keeping up with youngsters less than half
her age has proven to be a challenge.

There was some time for her to catch her breath as she waited for someone to show up at the hatch to greet them.  Only no one did.

“Hah.  I guess they’re busy piloting this thing.  Better get on it then”
This message was lightly edited by the player at 15:24, Mon 06 Dec 2021.

Wasting no time, Frank got aboard the X-jet. He turned back around to offer a hand up to anyone who wanted/needed it.

Ana Sofía doesn't care how steady the plane hovers; she's better off not trying to walk up the ramp. When she gets to the roof she just flies to the top of the ramp instead.

Gwenyth was on the roof, staring at the jet skeptically. "Oh, that is freaky," she mutters. She leans this way and that as if trying to find some trick or distortion with her movements. She cautiously approaches the stairs and pokes them, then squeezes them. "If this were a movie I'd be criticizing the CGI right now."

She is only convinced of the jet's realness when Tank clamors on board, taking the proffered hand for support as she crosses the threshold between mundane and fantastic.

Having let go of Danny on the scramble up to the roof she waits for the others on the roof.  But when it becomes obvious Valerie isn't going to be joining them she jumps up onto the ramp and after Gwen and gives Tank a wink.  'Better not tell your boss we're hitching a ride or she might notice we're getting help and it isn't even the Avengers but the X-Men this time...'  The psychic message private but showing she thinks the bureaucrat might be a little too touchy.

'She knows,' Frank thought back. Ms. Cooper had told him to make the call. 'It was her idea.'

Once everyone was aboard the jet, he took a seat near the front and buckled in.

"Hey there, Gambit," he said to the pilot.

"That was supposed to be a joke Frank."  Kate says, possibly to the confusion of those who weren't in on the psychic message as she pouts her way to a seat to strap in.  "So what's this even more super secret prison like?  And do we have to keep going places like that?  If it's under water what are we supposed to do?"

"Ohhhh." Frank chuckled at his own naivety, missing an obvious joke like that. "I did not get that. As for your questions: I just don't know. It does feel kinda odd to be going back to another prison so soon, though. Or at all.

"Maybe Mistress has some clue as to the other stuff...?"

The flamboyant Gambit wasn't sitting at the pilot's seat (which was unoccupied), but right next to the hatch, flipping his trademark cards from hand to hand as he waited for all members of Freedom Force to board the Black Bird.  He gave a slight nod to Tank as he passed him by, followed by a sly grin once his eyes rested upon Kate:

"Cher.  Still looking for trouble, I see?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:10, Tue 07 Dec 2021.

Kate smiled back at him. "Well if I don't it's likely to sneak up on me instead isn't it?"  She wasn't nearly as nervous around him anymore.  Amazing what a couple fights for your life would do for a girls confidence and insecurity issues.

"Are you still out of line?"  She asked him curious to see how he would respond to the call back to his saying he was always out of line.  "If not I'm sure Tank could find a stick to knock you back off it."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:10, Tue 07 Dec 2021.

Looks like everyone is having no difficulty climbing on board weird bad-CGI aircraft thingy! That's good! Gwenyth has a bit of a look around the craft. She immediately spotted Gambit but struggles for a moment to compose herself after -- mentally, at least.

Physically, she was always composed; she had always thought that was just having good stage presence but recently evidence had been mounting this was a function of her mutation. She still isn't entirely clear on what her mutant power is exactly... she doesn't have awesome psychic powers or incredible strength or durability, she can't breathe fire or squirt acid or control the weather or shape the earth. Couldn't even fly. Every super hero ought to be able to fly! But not her; she had to resort to Indiana Jones-ing around and flynning with her rapier. She feels a bit like an imposter around all these other more capable people.

What was she thinking about? Oh, right, Gambit. Gwenyth had read Gambit's file -- such as Freedom Force's files were -- but no one had warned her that he was hot.

"Um, Gambit, sir?" Gwenyth speaks up into an appropriate lull in conversation. She extends a hand to shake. "Gwenyth Blake, Freedom Force... trainee, I guess. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thank you for lending us your equipment."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:37, Wed 08 Dec 2021.

“You know it”

And to prove it, the rogue turned his attention to Gwenyth.  Magneto was on his way to the prison, but he couldn’t resist the urge to flirt with the young woman nonetheless.  A little.  He did keep the cheesier retorts in the back of his mind; these weren’t the 90’s, after all.

”Not at all.  I am happy t’share it.  With you.” he kept his eyes on hers, with the implication he meant her specifically rather than the entirety of Freedom Force

Mistress, again, was the last one to board the jet.  The ramp was rather steep, and without any railings she could hold on to.  So she was quite happy to accept Tank's outreached hand for the much needed assist, thanking him silently once he pulled her through the hatch.

“They built it underwater, and in the middle of the ocean, to make escape practically impossible” she answered Kate’s question as she looked around the jet.   The design was…odd. Black on the inside, as well as the outside. Clean.  Spartan. Other than  he forward-facing seats, there wasn’t much of anything in the jet.   That she could notice, anyways.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:02, Wed 08 Dec 2021.

Danny joined his peers and superior aboard the technical marvel of the Xtra awesome Men, and strapped in for another exciting magic carpet ride.

"So just to ask the obvious question then.  If it's an underwater sea base, and it's going to be attacked by a guy in a submarine, how are we supposed to help?"  As she's speaking Kate settles down and straps herself in.  Idly she wonders if she should have a parachute or not, so looks around for emergency stuff like that as she goes on.

"I mean going down to fight a man who can manipulate the only thing keeping us dry at will seems super dangerous, but for whatever reason we don't want to take the prisoners somewhere a little bit safer, so who's in charge of making the plan?"

"There's probably an above-water portion of the facility for aircraft to land and boats to dock," Frank suggested. It seemed reasonable enough. That was clearly the only way that they'd be getting in, anyway, so he hoped he was right. "They can't possibly be bringing everything in and out by submarine all the time."

Even air couldn't be recirculated indefinitely. There had to be something that went to the surface.

"Kate; we don't have anywhere to move the prisoners to.  I wish we did, but we don't.  The only thing we can do is get down there and do our best" she paused
"And you're right.  It IS dangerous, and we don't really have a plan.  I'd understand if you wouldn't want to go through with this…"  Kate was so awfully young, and she hoped she could somehow dissuade her from joining.   It didn't feel right asking her to jeopardize her life

"I don't particularly like the situation, either. But we have to try to do something... Mistress, can you work with more than people? Say, for example, if there is a whale carcass in the neighborhood?" Ana Sofía says this as she's getting changed into her new uniform. She shows no shortage of skin as she strips down to underwear and a sports bra that she keeps under her new outfit, reminding people what her job was before becoming a superhero.

Two beautiful women! Like Buridan's ass, Gambit couldn't decide which of them he should be focusing his attention on, up until the point where Ana started stripping to her underwear.  The only thing that prevented him from leering at her was the very likely concern that Rogue will punch his head off if she found out.  Or more likely these days - disembowel him.

"It's gas.  It works pretty much on everything" Mistress decided to strap in as well, to save time.  The seat belts crisscrossed over her chest in a very distinct 'X' pattern.  Because it just had to be an 'X'.

"Tank; I want you to keep 'Unus' far from Magneto, far enough that he could no longer protect him from Windtalker's telepathy.  Windtalker; I'm counting on you to bring Magento down, because we don't have any other way to do so.  The rest of you will engage the Brotherhood and prevent them from releasing the prisoners"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:41, Fri 10 Dec 2021.

Reddening, Frank turned his head to keep from staring. At the same time, though, he attempted to reach out to Ana Sofia's telepathy, if she was 'listening.'
This message was last edited by the player at 14:15, Fri 10 Dec 2021.

Gwenyth raises her hand. "In light of certain individuals, I feel I probably ought to ask what what the appropriate level of force is to prevent the prisoners from being released." She couldn't just snap her fingers and kill the entire facility, but one has to admit that is a pretty efficient means of preventing a jailbreak. "Just so we're clear on mission parameters, I mean."

As Kate sits and watches Ana change with only mild curiosity and aesthetic appreciation she sighs.  Sending to Tank, Ana, Danny and Gwen to release some of her frustration. 'Why do people in authority keep ignoring the actual problem?  Sure if we get lucky and capture Magneto and his submarine things will be fine, but if we don't even just a field in Nebraska will be a better prison than this place!  Drop in some portapotties, surround it with mines and bring in food via drone.  Sure it wouldn't be a great prison but more secure than this!  Or you know a warehouse, weld all the doors shut and drop in food on string from a hole in the ceiling.  Less mines more secure, but noooo we can't think of anywhere other than a prison that is specifically vulnerable to Magneto to put people at!  I mean, what if we get there and he just turns around and decides to come back next week?'

«I don't think Magneto is worried that we might be able to stop him,» Frank replied. «If he's coming, he's not going to turn back around because we're there.»

He'd met the man once, and only briefly, but Frank had gotten the distinct feeling that he was all ego.

"Right?" Kate responds to Frank, clearly continuing a conversation verbally that probably started otherwise, or she could just be crazy. "I mean, that's why if we beat him there we should just take them and go.  Especially if there are other prisoners we don't want getting lose cause they are worse."

 Ana Sofía finishes getting dressed in her new outfit. "Not bad," she says, looking down at the body-hugging outfit she's now wearing. She belts in and starts putting the clothes she had been wearing into the bag.

In reply to Gwenyth she says, "Killing all of the prisoners just because there is a possibility they might escape is right out. There is always the possibility someone might escape. That's just murder. Even anyone actually trying to break out or helping others break out should be met with nonlethal force. We should be arresting people to await trial. Lethal force should only be used if your life is in imminent danger."

To Kate she says, "I don't mind going to the facility, at least to get a look at things and make sure for myself that what was happening at the prior facility is not continuing. But I just don't know how they can manage regular containment in a fair way. It's a big issue. Magneto breaking them all out is an even bigger one."

"... Aren't they in prison? Surely they already had a trial, right?" Gwenyth unstraps her rifle and starts changing out for rubber bullets. Working with the feds had some advantages, although she'll never understand why it is so hard for civilians to get their hands on the less lethal ammunition.

Gwenyth looks up at Kate. "You're kind of reminding me of that George Carlin bit from Back in Town. What was it called... state prison farms?" The poor girl. She's been living with a mass-murdering maniac. "I think mines are war crimes actually."

"The ones trying to break them out aren't in prison."

"... fair enough!"

Kate can't help but laugh a little at the banter between Ana and Gwen.  That was comedy gold right there.  "Oh, sorry I didn't know that about the mines, so just a big warehouse then with no physical way to get out or for guards to let them out by accident from on site. It shouldn't take much more than a few hours or maaaaybe a couple days to make one ready for temporary housing while they build a real fort knox for later.  I don't know exactly what all the various prisoners can do but I mean, surely something could be done that's not quite as dangerously lethal as stick everybody underwater."

"I know some of the guys they keep down there, and there's no way anyone is going to take a chance with anything 'temporary'.  There is a way to destroy the entire installation with a flip of a switch.  That's how dangerous these people are."

'Dangerously lethal' was exactly the point of sticking them all underwater

"And don't hesitate to use lethal force if god forbids any of them gets loose and are coming at you.  Because I can guarantee they will not"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:55, Fri 10 Dec 2021.

Gambit followed the exchange with a characteristically nonchalant ease, keeping his thoughts to himself.  He didn't press any button or moved into the pilot's seat, but the ramp did start to fold back into the hatch, and the jet slowly turned around on its horizontal axis as it positioned itself on its intended route.

Kate just shakes her head.  That explanation just makes things worse, not better.  "Can you tell us who else is there then, and what they look like, or what powers they have?  And maybe most important, if Magneto is going to try and recruit them too?"

"I can tell you about the couple of prisoners I helped to apprehend.  Nels van Adder is a disfigured, crimson-red brute.  Strong.  Fast.  Got talons and fangs of a polar bear.  Derrick Wainscroft was given an imperfect formula of the super-solider serum.  It drove him insane, together with giving him similar powers to Captain America.  Both men are sadistic psychopaths.  I wouldn't think Magneto would want to recruit any of them, since they aren't mutants, and they could easily turn on him, but who knows what goes through that man's mind?  "

"He might not want to recruit them, but Magneto probably wouldn't have any compunctions about turning them loose inside the prison." Frank wondered how they knew the guy was part polar bear if he was bright red, but didn't bother to ask. It was way off-topic. "We could wind up fighting every inmate in the place if this goes sideways."

Like Gambit, Danny sat quietly listening ... taking it all in.   A slight smile on his lips.
He had a lot of his own thoughts, and his own way of expressing them;  but knew that these folk wouldn't appreciate either.

"I don't know if we'll be able to manage that, so lets try our best to stop them from breaking out to begin with" she fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat as the jet accelerated.  She never liked flying. Less so in supersonic jets, and not at all when traveling to intercept a villain who can take their plane apart with his mind.   She took a few deep breaths once the X-Jet broke the sound barrier and reached its cruising speed.

"Windtalker; I want you to open a channel for us.  We're dealing with Magento - we shouldn't be relying on electronics for communication"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:34, Sun 12 Dec 2021.

"Sure, no problem." Ana Sofía opens a connection between their minds.

Ana finds Kate's thoughts warm and welcoming, the younger girls mind cuddling up to her elder almost as if everything since the mansion never happened and outwardly Kate looks to be growing more chipper.  Sharply pointed fox ears on her head and a slowly growing downy red fur starting to reappear on her exposed skin.

Ana Sofía observes Kate changing and then says, "Kate, how many forms do you have? Can you become any sort of fish? That could help keep you alive if something goes wrong underwater."

The X-Jet has flown directly into a rainstorm, judging by the occasional sounds of thunder and the rain tapping against the metallic frame of the aircraft.  They were spared the inconvenience of air turbulences. The X-Jet could not only hover perfectly in place; it could fly right through a raging storm and compensate for any sudden changes in air pressure and velocity without difficulty.

The ten-minute flight was otherwise uneventful, until they neared their destination and were interrupted by a familiar voice speaking over the aircraft's communication system:

"Umm, Gambit?  Sir?  I think we have a problem here" 

As he spoke, the X-Jet started to descend, and fast.  They were traveling at several times the speed of sound – even the moderate change in trajectory could see them crushing into the ocean in a matter of seconds

"It's out of control!!!"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:55, Mon 13 Dec 2021.

"Eek!" Ana Sofía shrieks at the jerk. She actually seems somewhat reassured by Barnell's comment. "No, I think it's under control: under Magneto's control. Can you open the hatch?"

There was a slight pause before he answered
"No.  I can't do anything from over here.  Can you open it manually?"

Getting up was inadvisable.  The Jet's sudden deceleration was as as pleasant a sensation as being pressed to their seats when it originally took off.  The only thing keeping them from literally falling into the front of the aircraft due to inertia were the seatbelts.

But at least the odds of the aircraft scattering over a ten mile radius drastically decreased
This message was last edited by the player at 21:03, Mon 13 Dec 2021.

Ana Sofía catches her breath as the plane suddenly slows. "I suspect Magneto's got us where he wants us and will wait until he's good and ready to talk to us. I'd be better off outside this metal shell, but I can't stand up to what Magneto can physically throw at me anyway."

"Stand behind me," Frank told Ana Sofia. He strongly suspected that the battle plan was already out the window. He'd take on this 'Unus' guy if the situation called for it, but Frank felt as though they were skipping right to the main event.

Gwenyth outright screamed as the situation suddenly left their control. She blushed in anger at the loss of composure; she was supposed to be better than that! She grips the edge of her seat tight enough that her knuckles somehow manage to go even writer than her skin normally is. "Magneto usually doesn't kill, right? We're gonna get out of this, right?!"

She had read files that suggested that the X-Men's aircraft were particularly prone to never surviving a single mission, but this was ridiculous! Surely the all-matte-black finish of the aircraft meant it had been crafted out of some kind of carbon fiber, right? That should have made it Magneto-resistant, yeah? Apparently not!

"Tank, we might need you to make our own exit if the hatch is stuck!"

In reply to Windtalker (msg # 194):

In response to Ana's question Kate said, "Um, I think just cat's and foxes, and the in between.  I've never tried to become a fish but I don't think I can.  I do like eating them though..."

She would have said hi when she heard Barnell's voice but the sudden shift in circumstances had her gasping for breath along with the others at the sudden shifts and near doom.  "Well... I guess we didn't beat him here..."  She adds, rather superfluously.

Then she reaches out psychicly beyond the hull of the blackbird, trying to find any other minds nearby.


23:20, Today: Kate Messer rolled 4,7,1 using d8,d8,d4 with rolls of 4,7,1.  locate magneto/sub/people d8,d8,d4 +1pp.
total 11, d4(default level), +2 pp d4 to doom pool

"I actually doubt that will be necessary," Frank said to Gwenyth. Magneto had taken control of the jet, but could have just as easily torn it apart or crushed it. Frank therefore had to conclude that he had something he wanted to say to Freedom Force. "I think he wants to talk.

"That, or he wants to kill us in person. But either way, it means he wants us to get off the jet."

There was, indeed, no need for Tank to force the hatch open.  Once the X-Jet touched down upon the waves the entire top half of the aircraft was peeled off like the skin of a banana.  Front to back, the metal sheet folded backwards with an ear deafening screech to reveal the pitch-black skies above them.  A rainstorm was raging outside, and the occupants were soaked by the heavy rainfall, and seawater from the cresting waves splashing against the jet.

If Magneto wasn't holding the aircraft in place, they would have been carried away by the rolling swell of the sea, capsizing, or sinking all together.  Another sign, if they needed any after he safely landed their jet, that he didn't mean to kill them.  For now, at least.

To complete his grand entrance, the Master of Magnetism floated ten feet above the exposed X-Jet's cockpit, in perfect position to observe his opposition.  The force field he erected around himself shimmered with electrical currents, without which he would barely have been visible against the darkness of the night.

And following close behind were his lackeys :

One of them cleared the distance from the far-off submarine with one giant leap, landing right inside the Jet.  Even with the biting winds of the storm carrying his scent away from them, the man's foul odor threatened to overwhelm their senses.

The second, a man with the physique of an Olympian god and a countenance of someone who considered himself to be one, levitated from the submarine not by his own power, but by Magneto, who carefully set him down right underneath him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:39, Tue 14 Dec 2021.

"Xavier's men" Magneto's voice boomed over the storm, amplified by his powers
"We meet again"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Tue 14 Dec 2021.

Kate giggles a little to herself, something mostly lost to the storm after the roof was literally torn off.  She was pretty quick to unsnap the harness on the seat though.  She just hoped she wouldn't have to try swimming back.  This was already looking like no fun and an entirely predictable result of having come out here.

So instead of trying to fight, or anything more she settles instead on giving the master of magnetism a wave.  "Since we didn't get here before you, do you think you could settle for just freeing your friends and leave the rest of the prisoners in place?"  She asked with a hopeful tone deciding to let someone else explain that they were the government and not the x-men except for Gambit.  Which, thought had her looking towards the cockpit to see if Barnell was actually present or if he had been piloting by remote.

Mentally, Frank cringed at Kate's suggestion. That was not why they were here. They were here to stop Magneto and his Brotherhood, period. Maybe letting their youngest, newest member talk for them was a very bad idea.

"No deals," Frank said, undoing his harness and standing up. "We're here to arrest you and your Brotherhood."

"I meant after we try to stop him Frank.  I'm sure he knows we're supposed to try."  Kate throws in.

I may weep. Kate was just making things worse, by essentially telling Magneto that she expected him to win the fight. He didn't expect a lot of confidence on that point, but maybe they could show a little swagger anyway? Half of any battle was psychological, and they'd just lost that half. Why did we even show up?

He loved Kate like a little sister, but right now she was killing him.

Ana Sofía drifts slowly upward from her seat. She doesn't wish to appear threatening, but she also doesn't wish to be attached to the big thing of metal that could be dragged down beneath the sea. Quickly her hair looks like she's taken a shower, but the security of knowing she's got to metal on her more than makes up for it.

She replies rather matter-of-factly, "Not all Xavier's, actually. Some of us just caught a ride. And who are your friends, especially the hot one?"

Not wanting to start the fight here, Ana Sofía reaches out in a different direction. She searches for the minds of prison guards, trying to find out if the attack on the prison has started and continues while Magneto distracts everyone. And if it hasn't started, she can warn them. Perhaps they have defenses ready in case of Magneto.


d12 Telepathy
d10 Willpower
d8 Psych
d8 One Step Ahead of You
d6 Enthralling Mind (and step up 1)

15:13, Today: Windtalker rolled 1,5,4,6,2 using d12,d10,d8,d8,d6 with rolls of 1,5,4,6,2.  Telepathy on guards.

That's a 10 with a d12 effect die.

Doom pool gains 1d6. +1 PP

Current PP: 2

Gwenyth yelps once more at the horrible grinding and tearing of metal all around her, and then the cold torrent of rain and seawater spray that immediately drenched her clothes; she was glad she was wearing something that didn't go see-through when wet, but on the other hand wet denims weren't exactly light. She unstraps herself from the ex-aircraft's seating and springs to her feet, the click of her stiletto heels on metal(?) clearly audible even over the chaos all around her. The wind and rain wet and blew her hair in such a way that somehow serves only to add her brilliant appearance as she shrugged out of her wet denim jacket.

She prefers the movies, where the mutant bad guys are always ugly and easily defeated in mano-a-(wo)mano. Curse the real world and its not being blatantly in favor of the heroes! Element of surprise is gone, way home ruined, but at least she still has her rifle loaded with rubber bullets. She'd changed her loadout to be less-lethal but as long as no one asks it'll look like she was also planning around Magneto's powers. Which... she... totally was! Yes, absolutely!

Gwenyth cycles the bolt action and loads the first round into the chamber, aiming at Magneto. She really wishes she had something witty to say, but no one had handed her a script to rehearse. Looks like the others had... and unlike Kate, Gwenyth knew not to step over others' lines. So, she stood to the side, listening, and alert for danger. Looking pretty.

Very, very pretty.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Not trying to do anything in particular to anyone specifically, but the universe has a way of opening options to pretty girls!

17:00, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 18 using 1d10+1d8+1d8 with rolls of 10,6,2.  Godlike beauty!
1d10 prowess
1d8 godlike beauty
1d8 mind control

12 accuracy, d8 effect.

---

This message was last edited by the player at 22:06, Tue 14 Dec 2021.

Danny was as surprised as anyone when the plane was 'grounded' into the ocean ... nor when it was opened like a sardine can.
As Kitty Kate and the Tough Tank took the forward foot on negotiation, Danny had to smirk at how that played out.
He casually undoing his harness, for when he needed to move ... but otherwise remained seated, watching the scene play out with a bemused look on his face.

Right now, this team was so far on the back foot, it would be a miracle if they managed to achieve anything much more than swimming home.


Meanwhile, he was focusing on the 'the hot one' (referencing Ana's current crush), giving himself a better understanding of that man's physiology ... so that he could better affect the man when the time comes.
Action:   create self the asset  'Adonis Understood'
d6   Wits
d8   We are all creatures of dark and light
d8   Superhuman 'Life Force' Senses
d8   Medical Expert

-rolled d6,d8,d8,d8 with rolls of 5,2,3,5.
Total: 10
Effect: d8
Opps: -

Current PP: 2

Next: whomever

Mangeto didn't care if all of them were X-Men, or only some.  They've made their intentions clear; 'arrest' him, and that's after he magnanimously allowed them all to live .  Twice now, for at least a couple of them.

"Why do you still oppose me?  Have you not seen, as I have, our brothers and sisters wasting away at the camps?  The experiments?"
Magneto clenches his fist
"I won't allow my people to be subjected to that horror.  Never again!" 
This message was last edited by the player at 20:17, Wed 15 Dec 2021.

The freakish man who leaped into the jet licked his lips with his rubbery black tongue.  He knew the flying woman didn't refer to him when she asked about 'the hot one', and for some reason, that irked him:

"I will save you for last, young one"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:27, Wed 15 Dec 2021.

"We're putting a stop to all of that," Tank said, watching the Brotherhood mutants on the jet very carefully. They could attack at any moment. "But we're doing it from inside the system."

Mistress' fingers trembled as she unbuckled her seat belt.  She knew she had no chance in hell to swim all the way to shore if Magneto decided to let the waves claim the X-Jet.  She would likely sink like a rock, and she had no intention to find out how fast:

"We can't fight him out here.  We'll all die" she broadcasted over the mind-link "Windtalker, what is the situation at the prison?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:36, Wed 15 Dec 2021.

"Stopping it, by sending more of our kind to those prisons. To slowly starve to death. Paralyzed. Unconscious"

The two brotherhood mutants at the jet likewise kept their eyes on Tank and his allies as their messiah was talking.  They were eager to fight, but would not make a move without him telling them to.

"If you want to stop it, start now"

'Well duh, that's sort of why I asked him nicely to only free his guys and not all the other villains.'  Kate sent back at Mistress's rather obvious seeming comment.  'I mean he could just leave us here and go do whatever since we can't actually get to the prison anymore.'  However her somewhat even mood, it was hard to stay upbeat given the rain and situation took a turn towards anger at Magneto's next slew of comments.

"Hey" Kate turned to Mistress as the highest authority figure present, "They aren't doing that same stuff here as they were on the island are they?"  Despite how the rain is making her ears droop she doesn't look quite so sad as perhaps angry.  She doesn't like remembering the other prison very much, the prisoners there or fighting Sabertooth.

Ana Sofía slowly floats higher, hoping to be out of reach but knowing the jumper traveled really far to get on the plane.  Then she joins the conversation, "Blowing up buildings in New York, firing automatic weapons on the street, and shooting the Russian president makes them think they're doing the right thing. So you're helping to convince them to keep doing what they're doing. Meanwhile, some of us are trying to reform things from the inside and demonstrate not all mutants are terrorists. And it seems it was a mutant who killed most those on the island anyway, so do you really think it's so black and white?"

"Don't forget what he did on Liberty Island!" Gwenyth adds. "Centuries of proud American history burned to make some kind of bullshit statement! You don't give a crap about anything but your delusions of self-righteousness! Look at the men you have at your back; they want to fight, they're chomping at the bit for your order to take us down. You and your have been wronged for sure, but you're blind if this is the only way you see forward!"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:39, Thu 16 Dec 2021.

"I will restore their symbol of freedom and liberty – when this nation lives up to the ideals it professes to hold dear" the derision in his voice implied he didn't believe it would ever happen in his lifetime.

"You got so many of your facts wrong.  You are hopelessly naïve, and your lack foresight will doom us all.  But – " he floated a few feet higher "all of that doesn't merit your deaths.  I offer you safe passage. A fight between us would only lead to tragic consequences"
 

It took Kate a little while because she hadn't remembered the quote at first but eventually she does.  "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."  Nodding in satisfaction she looks up at the master of magnetism. "They're right you know, you're just making people hate us more, and you're right too because the way we get treated is wrong.  But two wrongs isn't the way to fix stuff.

You need to have better um... targets.  The Island was a good one, the UN wasn't, but if this prison is like the island was let us go stop it not you.  We're here now so you don't have to go hurt anybody.  Do you really think Frank will let bad things happen if he knows about them?"  If nothing else she has faith that he isn't going to let injustice stand, even if it's about to get them beat up by Magneto because letting him go is also bad.

" 'e's right, you know"  Gambit stepped forward, hands in the pockets of his duster jacket
"There's nothin' we can do to stop 'em.  No reason te throw our life away"
Walking past Tank and Kate, he joined up with the two brotherhood Mutants at the fore of the X-boat.  "Come, Cher" he extended his hand toward Kate "We fight 'im another day"

Mistress looked dumbfounded at Tank and Gwenyth.  Gambit wasn't willing to fight, and she had doubts Kate would too.  She didn't like their odds even before the X-Man turned on them.  But now?

"What... what the hell?" she tried putting her thoughts in order
We need to stick to the plan. If Windtalker can take over his mind we still have a chance to make it through this.  Tank; you're ready?"

This message was last edited by the player at 15:30, Thu 16 Dec 2021.

«So is the smug-looking guy 'Unus'?» He wasn't sure if the guy was his stated target, or someone new. The other guy was Toad, sure. «He sure looks like someone I should be hitting...!»
This message was last edited by the player at 19:54, Thu 16 Dec 2021.

By this point Kate just didn't know what was going on.  Even though there were two sides it felt more like four or five, and worse she wasn't even sure which one she was on.  So instead of starting the fight early or giving it up entirely she looked to Toad and Unas as she walked closer so she wouldn't have to yell over the sound of surf and storm.  "So, um, why do you two do all this stuff?  You're not like Sabertooth are you?"

I will restore their symbol of freedom and liberty – when this nation lives up to the ideals it professes to hold dear. "That's an empty promise you can easily make because you know you'll never need to keep it. Humanity will never hold up to your high standards and everyone here bloody well knows it!" Gwenyth scoffs.

Gwenyth looks around, confident attitude deflating a little. She was sticking to the plan in her own way, the only way she knew how really. She never really had to argue philosophy on the silver screen, but tearing the villain down was something she did all the time. She wasn't sure why it wasn't working here!

"Gambit?" she asks, channeling all her disappointment towards him. "That's it then, your plane got shot down so you're giving up?" She dramatically turns away from him. "Fine. I guess you don't have a press release tomorrow where you'll have to say 'my fellow Americans, from here to death I swear to protect you by giving up at the first sign of trouble.' But us heroes have a job to do!"

"Guess I ain't no hero then, but at least I ain't no fool either"
Disappointed that Kate wouldn't join him, he shoved his hand back into the pocket of his jacket
"I'm trying to save you all.  We can worry about the mission...later"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:37, Fri 17 Dec 2021.

Unus and Toad wouldn't reply to Kate's question, and Magneto likewise ignored Gwenyth's taunt.  The Brotherhood and Freedom Force faced off each other, waiting for someone to make the first move...

OOC: if someone wants to take an action BEFORE the fight starts, go ahead.

In reply to Tank (msg # 224):

«I guess so.  That's why Magneto is keeping him close to him?  To shield his mind?» her fingers were starting to feel numb from the biting cold.  They needed to move fast or the weather was sure to get her, if Magneto didn't have the chance to.
«Tank; we need to separate them somehow.  Unless you think you can punch his lights out quickly before Magento overwhelms us. »
This message was last edited by the player at 07:02, Fri 17 Dec 2021.

Ans Sofía thinks to the others. 'If Unus's shielding comes down, the Magneto and the sub both become much more vulnerable. But he'll have to come down physically.'

To Magneto she says, "Really, how many facts did I get wrong there? Can't name them? When it comes down to it, you are working to cement relations as mutants being enemies of the rest of mankind. That means you're trying to get the world to lock mutants up like this. And yet you say you're opposed to it. Just a hypocrite shielding his true desires behind a noble facade. Some of us have actually made inroads with non-mutants toward getting them to change. If you were honest, you'd be helping us, not thwarting us." With all the stuff the Brotherhood has done, she know it won't make a difference. But at least she got to speak her mind.

«I don't know how long it'll take for me to beat Unus. If he's really untouchable, it might take a while. It probably won't be in a single punch.» Tank was apprehensive about the whole 'fight' scenario, but it was obvious that it was going to happen, and soon. There was no way that talk was going to settle anything with Magneto. «But I'll do my best, obviously. Just give me the word, and I'll go for it.»

"I don't suppose there's any chance of you coming down here, taking a seat, and talking this out like a normal person?" he asked aloud, craning his neck up to look at Magneto. "I mean, I understand the psychological implications of taking the high ground like you're doing... but from down here, we're all looking up your nose. It's really hard to carry on a conversation this way."

He gestured to an open seat.

Kate understood Gambit's position but she wasn't going to lie to Magneto, their last meeting had left an impression and while she wasn't a fan she didn't want him to hate her either, even if she was about to get beat up trying to fight him.  When the other two didn't respond and with the man himself no longer interacting she let Tank have his one last try.  It did beat fighting. 

Then because she needed to do something being habitually unable to wait long term and with the tension rising she asked Mistress again, "You never said, what the conditions are like in this prison."  Her tone one of accusation.

Mistress avoided the question the first time Kate asked it on purpose, hoping she will drop it.  She didn't:
"Kate, it's a prison for super-powered criminals.  How else do you think they're going to be able to restrain them?"

"Unfortunately, I do not have the time to continue this debate" he wasn't being cynical, but he felt like the 'X-Men' were stalling, and even if he was going to be able to convince them to see things his way, it would take time.  Lots of it.

"You may join the rest of my crew at the Leviathan.  I will see you there shortly - after I help my people"

«If he's heading for the prison, it's now or never!» Tank called to the others. «Go or No-Go?»

Ohhhhh. This is the part where the Bad Guys take them to their secret lair for evil gloating or whatever. Okay, she can understand that! She doesn't like being captured by the villain but for some reason she doubts this will lead to a naked interrogation scene this time. Hopefully.

This whole mental communication thing was a whole new deal to Gwenyth; she'd been listening but hadn't quite managed to work out how to reply in a distinct manner. Now though she had to learn fast, because she'd figured out The Plot and Tank was asking for her opinion!

Wait! Gwenyth mentally (hopefully?) cried out to Tank. Leviathan sounds like a submarine name! This could be our one opportunity to see what Magneto's evil submarine base is like -- and destroy it! She bit her lip. But I still have to keep up the act now that I've committed to the part. How about I try to shoot them and then you restrain me to really sell my recknessness?

And with Mistress answer Kate throws her arms up in the air in exasperation. "Then what is the point of a special underwater prison if you could just keep them just as docile in the back of a fucking station wagon?"

Yes it was raining, yes they were in the middle of the ocean possibly to be left out here to drown, or maybe fight over powered Brotherhood mutants, but Kate was seriously questioning the sanity and morality of the government and all the people working for it.  Maybe they would be lucky and Magneto would only let out his compatriots.  'Whatever Tank, even if we win we then have to do something about the prison anyway.'  This thought sent to everyone on their side except for Mistress.

Seeing it is likely a fight is about to begin, Ana Sofía floats higher and further away from Magneto. Toad can jump really far, but she can also fly quickly. She knows there is no way to get out of Magneto's range. But she also doesn't want to be the one to start the fight. Stalling had been going well; hopefully the guards have had a little time to prepare.

Mistress was starting to resent Valerie for putting her in this position.  She wasn't a strategist, or a leader, and burdening her with these types of life-or-death decisions (not to mention, an untrained teenager which had no business being here)  wasn't fair.  She tried to imagine what Price would do, and drew a blank. Likely, he would never allow his team to get into this situation to begin with.

Her teeth started chattering from the cold.  She was wet, and miserable.  Could someone else take the decision?

«Tank, what do you think?»

«If we don't fight this fight, there's no point to being Freedom Force,» Tank advised. He wasn't fully comfortable making the decision for the others, when it wasn't really his decision to make. That had been tried before and had failed. He couldn't trust Smirky the Clown to actually join in on his say-so, for one thing. «I say we go for it.»

"Waiting on your call Frank, better make it quick."  She added to the others, trying to push that she really is willing to back his play.

«Go!» if they decided to fight, they might as well take the Brotherhood by surprise.  Intending to quickly subdue Toad and Unus, Mistress opened her mouth wide and exhaled a sparkling pinkish-hued cloud of gas that smelled oddly like toasted marshmallow. The knock-out gas would have been quite effective versus the Toad, if he wasn't quick enough to leap out of the way, and against Unus, whose force field slowed the molecules enough for him to distance himself from the mist.   Only Gambit, unlucky enough to stand in the way, started coughing into the sleeve of his jacket as he inhaled just enough of the gas to make his head spin.

Mistress: Prowess 1d6, Mist 1d10, unwilling hero distinction 1d8, combat expert 1d8, 2d6 for additional targets.  Mistress rolled 1,2,6,3,6,1 using 1d6,1d10,1d8,1d8,1d6,1d6 with rolls of 1,2,6,3,6,1.  The Mist (gambit, toad, unus). total - 12, effect 1d10 vs Toad, 1d8 vs Unus, 1d4 (default) vs Gambit

Toad: Prowess 1d8, cunning distinction 1d8, leaping 1d10, combat expert 1d8.  Toad rolled 7,5,3,8 using 1d8,1d8,1d8,1d8 with rolls of 7,5,3,8.  reaction to mistress.  Total 15 vs 12, attack resisted.

Unus The Untouchable: Prowess 1d10, can't touch this distinction 1d8, combat master 1d10, Unus The Untouchable rolled 10,3,1,1 using 1d10,1d8,1d12,1d10 with rolls of 10,3,1,1.  reaction to mistress. total 13 vs 12, attack resisted.

Gambit: Prowess 1d8, Master Thief distinction 1d8, enhanced reflexes 1d8, combat expert 1d8
Gambit rolled 3,1,6,2 using 1d8,1d8,1d8,1d8 with rolls of 3,1,6,2.  reaction to mistress. total 9 vs 12, Gambit gains 1d4 debilitated complication.

This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Sun 19 Dec 2021.

Whoa! Uh, okay, guess they're doing this! Gwenyth raises her rifle at Unus and fires! Guess they'll just have to rely on their Protagonist Power to see them through this! She hopes the others can swim.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
06:56, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 13 using 1d10+1d8+1d12+1d8 with rolls of 5,1,2,5.  Bullet time!
d10 prowess
d8 Pirate of the Cinema!
1d12 godlike reflexes
1d6 rifle & rapier
1d6 novice combat
1d8 weapon focus

Total 10, d12 effect. As if that'll ever hit!

---

"Really?  A gun?!?" the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off Unus' force field.  He sighed in discontent, only because he hoped for a more exciting battle "Come on, is this the best you got?"


Unus The Untouchable: 1d10 prowess, 1d8 'can't touch this' distinction, 1d12*2 (unleashed force field), 1d8*2 (master combat, 2d8 instead of 1d10):
Unus The Untouchable rolled 2,8,11,5,7,6 using 1d10,1d8,1d12,1d12,1d8,1d8 with rolls of 2,8,11,5,7,6.  reaction to Gwenyth.  total 19 vs 10, attack resisted. +1d6 to doom pool
This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Sun 19 Dec 2021.

"Not hardly," Tank said, stepping up to Unus and unleashing his best haymaker. "I'm the best they've got."

It wasn't like Tank to be boastful, but in this particular situation, he was the best they had for dealing with Unus. So, he said it, and he wasn't taking it back.

Prowess d8
Brains Plus Brawn d8
Godlike Strength 2d12
SFX – Mighty Blow: Spend 1 PP or add d6 to the doom pool to double Godlike Strength for one action.
Combat Expert d8

Tank rolled 6,5,1,3,7 using d8,d8,d12,d12,d8 ((6,5,1,3,7)).
Spending 1PP to keep 3rd die in Total.

Total: 18
Effect: d12
Opportunities: 1

Unus didn't know quite what to expect; with one exception, he never knew anyone who could punch through his shield.  But since that particular someone could, it stood to reason there were others out there who could do so as well.  He reflexively lifted his hands to protect his handsome face, just in case (though Tank didn't seem as threatening as a gamma radiated monstrosity, why take a chance?).

The smug smile returned to his face as the force field shimmered around his body.  His shield held, and Tank would be lucky if he didn't shatter his fist against it.


Unus The Untouchable: Prowess 1d10, 'can't touch this' distinction 1d8, 1d12 force field (*2, unleashed), 2d8 master combat:
Unus The Untouchable rolled 8,6,10,2,5,1 using 1d10,1d8,1d12,1d12,1d8,1d8 with rolls of 8,6,10,2,5,1.  reaction to Tank.  Total 18, effect 1d12.  Attack resisted,  and inflicts 1d12 physical stress vs Tank due to 'counterattack'.  +1d6 to doom pool

[Tank spends 1 PP to ignore Counterattack effect.]

"Ouch," he said, shaking his fist loose. The punch didn't really hurt, exactly, but it felt like the right thing to say. "Round one to the man with the forcefield."

Tank's mind was spinning a mile a minute. What could he do to a man he couldn't even punch?

This is looking messy, so Ana Sofía floats even higher since she cannot take a hit like the others. Meanwhile, she takes a different approach while Unus is occupied: Legion may not be protected, and he's got the submarine. If only she can take control...


d12 Telepathy
d10 Willpower
d8 One Step Ahead of You
d8 Psych
d6 Entralling Mind (and step up effect die +1)
d6 Area Attack (not sure how big a group he is right now)

14:23, Today: Windtalker rolled 3,3,5,5,3,2 using d12,d10,d8,d8,d6,d6 with rolls of 3,3,5,5,3,2.  Telepathic search for Legion minds.

You're right: the dice roller does hate us today.

Spend 1 PP to use 3 dice.

5+5+3=13, with d12 and d12 effect dice (2nd was stepped up 1).

PP: 2-1=1

Gambit didn't want this fight.  Not like this; under the Brotherhood's terms.  But C'est La Vie.  When life hands you alligators, make Bayou Stew.

And if he didn't intend to fight the Brotherhood on their terms, he for sure wasn't planning on fighting Unus on his.  The playing cards charged with explosive energy were aimed not at Unus, but at the floor he was standing on. Each card packed more power than a hand grenade, and a trio  of them were enough to blast a hole into the X-Jet, literally splitting the craft into two.  The unsuspecting Unus barely had enough time to reach out with his hand and curse at the rogue before dropping into the icy cold water, disappearing under the waves.

"Bon Voyage"

Gambit: Prowess 1d8, Master Thief 1d8, Energy Blast (unleashed) 2d10, Combat Expert 1d8
Gambit rolled 4,7,18,6 using 1d8,1d8,2d10,1d8 with rolls of 4,7,9,9,6.  Gambit attack vs X-Jet (Unus). Total 18+7 = 25, effect 1d8

Unus: Prowess 1d10, Pro Wrestler distinction 1d8, Combat Master 1d10.  Unus The Untouchable rolled 4,3,6 using 1d10,1d8,1d10 with rolls of 4,3,6.  reaction to Gambit.  10 vs 25, Unus eliminated.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:29, Sun 19 Dec 2021.

"Heck yeah! I take back those nasty things I said, you're my hero!" Gwenyth cheers as Unus takes a dip into the drink! She cycles the action of her rifle and refocused her aim on Magneto, peering through the scope. Now just to take the boss out and... and then...

And then what? went Gwenyth's doubt. The good guys win? As she struggles to make out much of anything through the rain and her breath fogging up the glass, she cannot help but question what exactly winning looks like for them in this situation. Magneto goes down... he's keeping the quinjet's wreckage up, so they go down... in stormy seas, blinding rain...

There's a word for that kind of victory. Pyrrhic.

Guys? an uncertain, dread-laden voice echos through Windtalker's mind-link. Do we have a plan for what happens if we win?

" I showed you clemency, and you have chosen to repay me with violence."

The old man's face contracted with anger.  It was ludicrous to expect the heroes to be indebted to him for saving them .... from himself, but obviously, Magneto didn't see it that way.

"So be it then.  You have sown the wind, and will reap the whirlwind!!"

The X-Jet was held in place by the force of his will.  All he had to do was stop concentrating to let the waves claim it.   Taking it apart didn't require that much more effort either; there was plenty of metal in the aircraft that he could use to splinter the fiber-carbon frame with.

It didn't take more than a few seconds to reduce the entire aircraft to slag.  Long before it did, Freedom Force, and Gambit, were already struggling to keep their heads above the turbulent waters.


Skipping the roll for Magneto.
But:
Raging Ocean: 4d10, multiple targets 7d6
The Watcher rolled 16,29 using 4d10,7d6 with rolls of 3,2,8,3,6,3,6,2,5,1,6.  The Raging Ocean.   Total = 14, effect: 1d10 vs Tank, 1d10 vs Mistress, 1d10 vs Gambit, 1d6 vs Kate, 1d6 vs Toad, 1d6 vs Gwenyth, 1d6 vs The Aesculapian

This is a complication attack by 'the ocean', and you can expect one each round until you either dry up the ocean, or find refuge from it.   If your complication exceeds 1d12, you start drowning and take stress.  You can use powers such as strength, or stamina, to keep yourself floating.   The only relevant specialty would be 'acrobatics'.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:55, Mon 20 Dec 2021.

Too much exploding and long-jumping people! Ana Sofía casually floats even higher and back a little so she can keep an eye on the situation in case someone needs rescuing from the sea. That might include Unus; she doesn't want him to drown. In the meantime... 'Magneto really, really needs some help right away. The Raft can be targeted afterward.' Ana Sofía focuses that thought on the Legion clone heading to the Raft, hopefully ending some things before Legion even realizes he's being fought.


d10 Willpower
d8 Mind Control
d8 Pysch
d8 One Step Ahead of You
d6 Enthralling Mind

15:12, Today: Windtalker rolled 10,2,3,5,6 using d10,d8,d8,d8,d6 with rolls of 10,2,3,5,6.  Mind control Legion heading to the Raft.

10+6=16, with a d10 (d8 stepped up 1) effect die.

PP: 1 (no change)

Tank wasn't the best swimmer in the world, but he was sufficiently adept that he could keep himself afloat. While his form left something to be desired, he kept his head above water just fine.

Prowess: d8
Brains Plus Brawn: d8
Godlike Strength: d12

Tank rolled 8,7,4 using d8,d8,d12 ((8,7,4)).

Total: 15

Seeing what was about to happen with the outbreak of Violence Kate moves with alacrity to reach the emergency supplies, cursing her silly impulsive nature for not having looked for an emergency raft earlier before things went out of control.

OOC:
21:36, Today: Kate Messer rolled 7,5,8,3,1 using d10,d10,d10,d8,d6 with rolls of 7,5,8,3,1.  resist the sea acrobatic, versitile superhuman reflexes, in touch with her wild side, distinction.
Total 15, Effect D10, d6 to doom pool 3 pp

So even as the Blackbird fell into it's component pieces she was working to gather life vests, flotation cushions or if she could spot the grand prize before it went under an inflatable liferaft.  Of course as the case may be, the Blackbird was coming apart faster than she could search and she had to abandon the quest prematurely.  At least she was a strong swimmer, for now...

OOC:
21:39, Today: Kate Messer rolled 4,1,1,3,1 using d10,d10,d10,d8,d6 with rolls of 4,1,1,3,1.  get something floaty before it's too late acrobatic, versitile superhuman reflexes, in touch with he.

Okay the die roller really DOES hate us. I was planning to use some PP to create some assets to help, but with that roll... well.. I guess not.
Total 7, Effect d6, D10 to Doom Pool, 6 pp
This message was last edited by the player at 21:11, Tue 21 Dec 2021.

As the sudden explosion of activity, and explosions, erupted around Danny, he began to move into a better position.
But it wasn't to happen, as the plane beneath them turned to slag, and soon enough most of them were in the water.
Danny attempted to keep his head above the merciless waves.
Reaction to 'the Ocean' complication.
d8   Prowess
d4   'Leave no man behind' ... though saving himself might even be difficult

- rolled 2,2 using d8,d4 with rolls of 2,2.
Total: 4
Effect: default d4
Opps: -
Current PP: 2

Other than Gambit, almost everyone else struggled to keep their head above the waters.

It was only a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’, Mistress will drown.  She struggled to climb up the stairs only thirty minutes ago. Treading water, even if they weren’t turbulent, and without clothes weighing her down, was enough to sap her strength.   Making it all the way to the sub was as likely as being able to grow wings and  fly to the moon.

Toad, despite his moniker, found himself outmatched by the pull of the waves, and Unus – though invulnerable, wasn’t supernaturally strong. His force field would keep him from drowning, but he could still suffocate due to lack of air.  But at least he would die with his hair still dry.



Mistress: Homebody pâtissier distinction 1d4, prowess 1d6.
Mistress rolled 5,1 using 1d6,1d4 with rolls of 5,1.  Stay afloat.
Total 5 vs 14, Mistress gains 1d12 complication

Toad: prowess 1d8, forsaken freak distinction 1d4, enhanced
strength 1d8, master acrobat 2d8.Toad rolled 7,2,4,5,4 using
1d8,1d4,1d8,2d8 with rolls of 7,2,4,5,4. Stay afloat.  Total 12 vs 14.
Toad gains 1d6 complication

Unus: Prowess 1d10, Pro-Wrestler 1d8, Acrobatics 1d6.  Unus The
Untouchable rolled 7,4,2 using 1d10,1d8,1d6 with rolls of 7,4,2. Stay
afloat. Total 11 vs 14.  Unus gains 1d6 complication

Back at the Raft, the brainwashed Legion was getting worried Magneto wouldn't be able to handle Freedom Force by himself.  Thing is, he and his friends arrived at their destination inside the submarine's liferaft system, which was propelled to its destination by Magneto himself.  He couldn't return the way he came, but where there is a will there is a way.
The Raft had to have some sort of a boat, or a helicopter he could commandeer.  He just had to find it...

Legion: Willpower 1d8, Multiple Man, Multiple Trouble (but there is only one of him..) 1d4, Master Psych 2d8.  Legion rolled 4,3,8 using 1d8,1d4,2d8 with rolls of 4,3,3,5.  Reaction vs mind control.  Total 9 vs 16.  Effect die stepped up to 1d12.
The Legion is trying to come and help Magneto, and he could cover more ground if there were more of him.  -2d8 from doom pool to increase the Legion's mob size to '3'
This message was lightly edited by the player at 21:28, Tue 21 Dec 2021.

Although she hadn't been able to find an actual life raft, or flotation vest before the blackbird went down Kate was far from giving up.  She could see what poor shape Mistress was in, and knew that there was no way the elderly woman would make it without help.  Luckily while she wasn't a fish, and couldn't turn into one Kate was lean, youthful, and a skilled swimmer and hadn't yet spent herself staying afloat, so she immediately set out to collect several pieces of flotsom from the wreckage.  Mostly pieces of foam padding from seats and bulkheads meant to protect passengers from accidents while in flight.  The largest of these she passed off to the struggling woman keeping another for herself as she looked to see how others were doing.

OOC:
07:57, Today: Kate Messer rolled 9,2,2,4,3 using d10,d8,d8,d6,d6 with rolls of 9,2,2,4,3.  create flotation asset  1PP for extra die 1PP for acrobatics stunt die, 1PP to keep extra for total 1 pp to keep extra effect.
Total 16, Effect D8-asset for Kate vs ocean, D8-asset for Mistress vs ocean PP=2
08:45, Today: Kate Messer rolled 10 using 1d10 with rolls of 10.  replaced stunt die.
new roll is 9,2,10,4,3
Total 22 effect D6 asset for kate vs ocean, d8 asset for mistress vs ocean
(which I just realized might be stepped up if I succeeded well enough for now I'll leave the d8 rolled in my vs ocean reaction until I know if I need to change it due to changing die level since I rolled a 2 on it anyway)

08:04, Today: Kate Messer rolled 6,8,2,5 using d10,d8,d8,d6 with rolls of 6,8,2,5.  resist waters 2nd D8 asset from action if gained else drop.
Total 14 effect d8 (or total 14 effect d6 if action failed to create asset)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:48, Wed 22 Dec 2021.

Kate finally got a break; she couldn't find the life raft before the blackbird was taken apart (not knowing where and how it was stored made it a bit difficult) - but now, ironically, she could make out the distinct bright-orange silhouette floating over the dark waters.  The difficult part was getting to it, but once she did, tugging on the cord hanging by the side inflated the dinghy in a matter of seconds.


Today: The Watcher rolled 10,11 using 2d10,3d6 with rolls of 8,2,3,3,5.  doom pool reaction.
Total 13 vs 223

2 Assets created: 1d10 for Kate, 1d12 for Mistress.

I think it would be easier to treat the raft as a 1d12 shared asset anyone can use


This message was last edited by the GM at 20:36, Wed 22 Dec 2021.

Gwenyth scarcely had time to complete her thought before it is she who went sploosh. Nevermind, guess we're doing this now! she hastily (and needlessly) amends.

Fortunately, the ocean was Gwenyth's best and longtime friend. So many of her movies had her spend some time on the deck of a ship or gliding beautifully beneath the waves. Sure, most of those times hadn't been in the middle of a raging storm, but... okay, no but. This is still a pretty bad situation to be in no matter how much she tries to slice it. Even if she could comfortably exist out here in the roiling waves there was no way she was going to be able to fight back the Brotherhood. This sucks!

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
15:08, Mon 20 Dec: Gwenyth Blake rolled 22 using 1d10+1d8+1d12+1d6 with rolls of 4,4,11,3.  *sploosh*

Total 15 to resist the ocean! Or is the ocean failing to resist me? ;)

---

Gwenyth has a quick look around. She had been worried about the rest of the team before, and now it was like her worst fears were coming to pass. Mistress looked most in need of her help. She slung the strap of her rifle across her chest and dove beneath the water to try and help the floundering homebody. Valerie wouldn't forgive her if she let a member of the team drown on her first outing!

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
d10 prowess
d8 Desperate for Approval distinction
d12 godlike reflexes
d6 swingline
d6 acrobatics
d8 acrobatic swingline focus
d12 GET TO DA CHOPPA LIFERAFT!
07:00, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 18 using 1d10+1d8+1d8+1d12 with rolls of 9,7,1,1.
15:22, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 1 using 1d12 with rolls of 1.  lasso a lass.

ARE YOU FREAKIN' SERIOUS???

---

Her intentions are good! It's just a shame she screwed it up.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:24, Thu 23 Dec 2021.

It's hard to make out  exactly what's going on with everyone under the cover of darkness and rolling waves.  Gambit managed to keep his head above waters, but that's pretty much it.  He tried to swim away from the life raft, toward the submarine, but couldn't quite beat the currents.   As for Mistress, Unus, and Toad - they are nowhere to be seen.


Gambit: Master Thief 1d8, Prowess 1d8, Master acrobat 2d8
Gambit rolled 1,4,11 using 1d8,1d8,2d8 with rolls of 1,4,5,6.  swim to the sub. total 11
The Watcher rolled 17,9 using 3d10,3d6 with rolls of 1,8,8,3,3,3.  doom pool reaction. 16 vs 11, attempt failed.
+1d6 to doom pool, +1 PP

The Watcher rolled 21,23 using 4d10,5d6 with rolls of 3,7,4,7,6,6,6,4,1.  the ocean
Total 14, effect 1d10 vs Mistress, 1d10 vs Gambit, 1d6 vs Kate, 1d6 vs Gwenyth, 1d6 vs Tank, 1d6 vs Aesculapian.  Everyone on the life raft may also add their Reflexes for defense (keep themselves from being tossed back into the ocean).

Mistress: Homebody pâtissier distinction 1d4, prowess 1d6
Mistress rolled 2,3 using 1d6,1d4 with rolls of 2,3.  stay afloat .  total 5 vs 14. complication stepped up beyond 1d12.  Mistress eliminated

Gambit rolled 22 using 4d8 with rolls of 6,4,5,7.  stay afloat 13+6 (spend PP) = 19 vs 14.

Plenty of opportunities rolled, if you need them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:18, Fri 24 Dec 2021.

Magneto passively looked upon Freedom Force struggling down below, hands crossed over his chest.  For now, he didn't take any actions to help or hinder them.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 18:28, Fri 24 Dec 2021.

Frank started towards the life raft. Just because he'd stayed afloat so far didn't mean he could do so indefinitely. Problem was, despite being enormously strong, it didn't make him a great swimmer....

Reaction to Ocean (complication)
Prowess: d8
Gentle Giant: d4 +1PP
Godlike Strength: d12
Raft (asset): d12

Tank rolled 6,2,12,5 using d8,d8,d12,d12 ((6,2,12,5)).

Total: 18

C'mon... c'mon, where the hell is she...

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
14:12, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 22 using 1d10+1d8+1d12+1d6 with rolls of 9,5,4,4.  Resist that ocean!

Second verse, same as the first.

---

14:11, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 16 using 1d10+1d8+1d12+1d8 with rolls of 5,3,2,6.  Mistress still needs rescuing!

I'll spend an action/plot/fate/marvel/chutzpah/fancy-dan point to keep the 3. Total 14, d12 effect. I genuinely have no idea how many I have left. Probably alot.

---

Gwenyth can't see Mistress anywhere, but she can 'hear' her panicked thoughts over their shared mind-link

« Somebody help me! I don't want to die.  Please... I don't want to die.

I can't breath! I can't breath,

can't breath!!! »




The Watcher rolled 22,19 using 3d10,4d6 with rolls of 7,8,7,5,3,6,5.  doom pool reaction to Gwenyth .
Total 15 vs 14, attempt failed

This message was last edited by the player at 12:20, Sat 25 Dec 2021.

OOC:
Resist ocean tn 14
In touch with her wild side, acrobatics, distinction, raft, d12,d10,d8,d6
09:26, Today: Kate Messer rolled 9,4,2,3 using d12,d10,d8,d6 with rolls of 9,4,2,3.  resist the ocean.
09:28, Today: Kate Messer rolled 6,2 using d10,d10 with rolls of 6,2.  oops and superhuman reflexes versitle.
total 15, effect d10

Bobbing on the raft was trickier than it probably should have been but with her catlike agility Kate manged to do it with relative ease.  What she couldn't do was ignore that Mistress was drowning.   Time to do something stupid.  Seeing that Gwenyth wasn't having any luck just trying to lasso her or whatever she grabbed the line with one hand and despite being safe she took a deep breath and dove into the ocean after the sinking thoughts of the woman.

OOC:
Wild side, stunt die, distinction, acrobatics d10,d10,d8,d6
12:08, Today: Kate Messer rolled 4,1,2,2 using d10,d10,d8,d6 with rolls of 4,1,2,2.  save mistress.
total 6 effect d8
2 pp remaining

This message was last edited by the player at 19:09, Sat 25 Dec 2021.

This was bad. He'd made it to the raft, but not everyone had. He could barely see into the blackness around them, but at least a couple of heads were clearly not bobbing on top of the waves nearby. Then Mistress' mental cries reached him, and he knew what he'd already suspected. She couldn't swim. She was drowning.

He was losing a second boss inside a single day? Hell, no.

He'd never thought of himself as a great swimmer, but so far, his strength had kept him afloat. Now it was time to see how much of a stronger swimmer he really was. Taking a deep, deep breath, Frank dived beneath the waves, doing his best to zero in on the vanishing blonde blip, far below them.

Prowess: d8
Brains Plus Brawn: d8
Godlike Strength: d12

Tank rolled 5,3,9 using d8,d8,d12 ((5,3,9)).

Total: 14

Neither Kate nor Tank can see beyond the tip of their nose in the dark waters.  Mistress could have been ten feet away from them, and they would have no way to know.  What's worse, besides Magneto still floating above them, and the submarine at the distance, the only thing they can make out are the muzzle flashes from the not-too-distant water prison.

The Watcher rolled 21,13 using 3d10,4d6 with rolls of 4,7,10,1,2,6,4.  doom pool reaction vs Tank's action.  Total 17 vs 14, action failed.

The Watcher rolled 10,18 using 3d10,4d6 with rolls of 2,2,6,4,6,5,3.  doom pool reaction vs Kate's action. total 11 vs 6, action failed. 

Good thing that underwater no one can see your tears! Gwenyth frantically continues her search, odds be damned, until one of them drowns!

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
10:40, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 28 using 1d10+1d8+1d12+1d6 with rolls of 8,7,12,1.  ocean.

Total 20 to resist ocean.

---

10:39, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 20 using 1d10+1d8+1d12+1d8 with rolls of 3,3,10,4.  AAAAAAAAAAAA.
10:42, Today: Gwenyth Blake rolled 11 using 1d12 with rolls of 11.  extra d12 for liferaft i guess.

Spending a PP to keep an extra 4; total 25 to save what's left of Mistress?!

---

"No!" Ana Sofía's motherly/caregiver instincts kick in. She stops worrying about others immediately around for now as she sees Mistress sinking. Turning to her knowledge of buoyancy she directs a lifejacket from the surface, trying to make it plunge down to and around Mistress.

Clairvoyant Senses becomes a complication. (+1 PP)

d8 Wits
d8 Motherly
d8 Stunt (-1PP, using opportunity)
d6 Telekinesis
d6 Science

11:49, Today: Windtalker rolled 3,8,1,6,4 using d8,d8,d8,d6,d6 with rolls of 3,8,1,6,4.  Save Mistress.

Spend 1 PP to keep a 3rd die. That's 8+6+4=18, with a d8 effect die.

+1d6 to the Doom Pool. It so needs another!

PP: 1 + 1 (Complication) + 1 (roll) - 1 (Stunt) - 1 (extra die) = 1

Mistress didn't have the strength to hold on to the lifejacket, if she had noticed it.  But she didn't have to.   Once the lifejacket was positioned directly underneath her all Windtalker had to do was let go and watch it rise back to the surface, carrying Mistress along with it.

The older woman was barely conscious.  She lost much of her body heat in the cold waters of the Atlantic, and was beginning to suffer from the first steps of Hypothermia.  Her shivering lips were all blue, and she lost sensations in her extremities.   Gwyneth had to pull her back to the liferaft, because there was no way she would have made it there by her own.

The Watcher rolled 17,5,12 using 3d10,1d8,3d6 with rolls of 3,10,4,5,3,4,5.  doom pool reaction to Windtalker.  total 15 vs 18, attempt successful.  Mistress condition reduced to 1d12.  Upgrading doom pool die from 1d10 to 1d12 due to Windtalker's opportunity.

It was at this time that Megneto decided to act.  He could have rescued Mistress himself.  Easy.  And he would have done it to, if he had to, but it was far better to let the heroes waste their time while his people were storming the prison.   He bought his men enough time, and content seeing that the woman was safe he had no more reason to hang back.

"Farewell, X-Men.  I will come back to help you– after I deliver my people"

Tank breached the surface of the water like a car crashing through a wall. He was holding a piece of the jet's wreckage — a bit of the fuselage, most likely — like a spear. He hurled it into the sky with all his prodigious strength. If it missed Magneto it would come down miles away, but if it struck him, it might actually stand a chance of penetrating his magnetic bubble.

Prowess: d8
Brains Plus Brawn: d8
Godlike Strength: d12
Combat Expert: d8

Tank rolled 1,8,7,8 using d8,d8,d12,d8 ((1,8,7,8)).

Total: 16
Effect: d12

Opps: 1

As Kate made her miserably wet and cold way back to the life raft she sent a parting thought to Magneto given she wasn't sure what happened with Toad and Unas.  'Did you save your two?  I couldn't find them.'

She was too chilly and miserable to take the obvious, I told you so moment as she did her best to help get people properly into the life raft but she certainly thought it to herself, and maybe accidentally a little bit to the rest by way of radiated emotion.

Ana Sofía floats down to the life raft to check on Mistress. Danny's probably already seeing to her, so Ana Sofía stays out of his way.

She lets the others know, "Toad and Unus went to the submarine beneath us. Wax, Random, and some Legion are already at the Raft."

Kate stuck with telepathy, given the storm, wind and waves it seemed easier.  'How did they even get in?  Isn't it supposed to be underwater or something?'  For the first time really trying to see what else, if anything, could be seen from her new temporary bobbing home.  'Oh.. fishgivinggirl's going to be pissed, I think I lost my phone.'

The sonic boom resulting from the piece of wreckage breaking the sound barrier was louder than the roars of thunders from the storm above them.  A blinding flash of light followed, and an even louder Crack!!! as the debris hurled by Tank smashed against Magneto's force field.   The subsequent shockwave rolled the waters backward, and if they hadn't hanged on tightly, they all would have been blown off the life raft as well.

Magento: Prowess 1d6, Master of Magnetism 1d8, Force Field 1d12, Combat Master 1d8, 1d10 from doom pool. Magneto rolled 1,5,8,4,5 using 1d6,1d8,1d12,1d8,1d10 with rolls of 1,5,8,4,5.  reaction roll vs Tank.  Total: 18 (keeping extra 1d8, doom pool reduced by 1d8).  Effect 1d8.  Attack resisted.  Stepping up one of the d6's into a d8 due to Tank's opportunity.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:29, Wed 29 Dec 2021.

Kate makes sure she and the others are at least relatively stable on the raft before looking for the sub and any sign of the prison.  Pretty sure though that it if it really is underwater there isn't much they can do at this point having pissed off Magneto.

The prison couldn't be farther than half a mile away.  While Kate could no longer observe any muzzle flashes, the searchlights were most definitely on, raking the open ocean around the prison.   It looks like whatever fighting took place has subsided, or more likely, moved deeper inside the facility.

The submarine was much easier to spot.  It was much closer, for starters, but also, it has started to glow - first faintly, then ever-so-brightly as Gambit charged up the entire vessel like he did one of his explosive cards!

"Oh, crap," Tank said from the side of the raft. He wasn't bothering to get in. Instead, he just clung to one end. He began to kick, propelling himself and the raft away from the submarine and towards the prison in the distance. "Everyone, duck!"

Gwenyth deftly lassoed the liferaft, with one hand and carried the struggling Mistress under the other, pulling her to safety with the Windtalker's help. Once the two women were on the liferaft Gwenyth knelt beside her superior, rubbing her hands and trying her best to warm her up. Gwenyth herself looked scarcely ruffled from the experience; her hair looked more like the tastefully arranged tresses of a swimsuit magazine cover model than a woman who had just been thrown into the raging ocean.

Gwenyth is distracted from her efforts by Tank's call for cover. She looks up. "The nuclear sub is going nuclear?!" she shrieks in sheer indigence at the world. She throws herself over Mistress to protect her!

Ana Sofía makes sure Mistress is safely aboard. Then she says, "The assault on the prison has already been under way. I don't know what to do about it, and I can't see there right now. I'm not focused enough. But I can fly up and take a look." She shoots up into the air. At 100 mph little distances like this are easy to cover now.

Unus might have been invulnerable, but he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  He couldn't imagine that Magento was talking to him when he called out to 'Stop!', rather than to the infuriating X-Men who was doing something to their sub.  That same X-Men who already humiliated him once before.  Well, payback's a bitch.

'Gambo', or whatever he went by, didn't even try to escape or move out of the way.  He offered a meek warning 'not to' before Unus grabbed him by the nape in a single collar tie grasp and flipped him forward over the side of the submarine and back into the cold waters of the ocean.

He had just enough time to shake his hands over his head in a victory clasp before he, too, was hurled up into the air, only this time he was accompanied with metal shrapnel, Toad's head, and a whole lot of Legion bits.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:43, Fri 07 Jan 2022.

The Heroes, being too far away, couldn't quite see or hear what was happening up until the  very moment the submarine exploded. Debris and shrapnel shot over their heads (luckily, not into them).  So much kinetic energy was invested by Gambit that despite being hundreds of feet away their little raft was almost ripped apart when it was hit by the shock wave.

The submarine was no more, as was anyone unlucky enough to be inside it when it exploded.

From her vantage point, Ana could witness the mangled bodies starting to float over the waves.
Part of the bodies, anyways.

And to top it all off, she could 'hear' the thoughts of the countless Legion clones over at the underwater prison screaming for help as the entire facility was flooded with seawater.  Unlike Misress, there was no one around to offer them any help before they would drown, together with the rest of the Brotherhood mutants and the incarcerated prisoners.

There was one person Kate thought, and sent that idea to them.  'Magneto, the prison's flooding, can you pull it to the surface?'  Though she couldn't do anything herself, he had crushed the Statue of Liberty, if anyone could save them now, it was him.

Magneto's eyes narrowed to slits.  The Brotherhood weren't merely soldiers in the war for Mutant liberation.  They were his people; their mutual bonds were deeper than mere camaraderie.  His seething anger was directed at the X-Men, and the audacity of one of them to talk into his mind only infuriated him further.

He has shown them leniency earlier, and now as a result his people were dead, or dying.
He wouldn't make that mistake again.

But first thing first.  The prison was flooded, the girl said.  He had but one chance to save everyone trapped inside, by lifting the entire underwater prison above sea level, and doing it fast enough before everyone inside drowns.  It was a godlike feat.  The prison was almost one hundred meters deep and weigh as much as an aircraft carrier.  Many times more, in fact, now that it was filled up with water.

The ocean around the circumference of the prison started to bubble as Magneto flexed his powers.  Then the entire cylindrical prison started to push out of the ocean, water pouring out the apertures and cracks in the metal.  Even if Magneto could lift the prison fast enough, it would take time for all the water to drain out of it.  What's worse, the structural integrity of the prison was compromised.  It was never intended to carry its entire weight, and the flood of water toppled metal beams and swept furniture - and people, along with it as it poured out of the prison. The walls buckled and bent under the immense pressure, or collapsed altogether, as even Magneto couldn't both push the structure out of the water AND keep it together at the same time, draining it out of water, and making sure none of the people inside were harmed in the process.

If none of the Legion clones survived, as Ana has sensed, it would be impossible for the rest of the mutants to, as all of them were incapacitated or badly injured after the scuffle with Freedom Force earlier that day.

Kates eyes went a little wide when Magneto actually did appear capable of pulling the entire thing up.  It had mostly been a forlorn hope but, that awe only lasted long enough to see someone swept out into the ocean along with the escaping water.

'sourceofcookies, can you find anyone still alive who's being washed away we can try to save?'

Even as she asked that she started looking herself for anyone who might be saved.
OOC: 08:47, Today: Kate Messer rolled 7,2,7 using d8,d8,d8 with rolls of 7,2,7.  sense survivors in the water. Total 14, magnitude d8

Magneto was too busy holding up the twisted skyscraper up in the air to pay much attention to anything else.  If he let go, there would be no hope to save anyone, if there wasn't already.

Kate's enhanced senses did pick up but a couple of survivors.  One of them, she was sure, was the mutant known as Wax.  His unique 'physiology' (if you could call it that) didn't require him to breath.  But he was nonetheless trapped under a heavy piece of concrete which dragged him into the depths of the ocean, where he was sure to spend the rest of eternity unless someone pulled him out of there.  The other survivor, she determined, must be one of the inmates, judging that he not only survived the fall, but was also strong enough to swim against the current without much difficulty.  His mind was deeply disturbing; jagged landscape that was half human, half something alien and terrible.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:09, Mon 10 Jan 2022.

"Nooooooo!!!!" She cannot let all these helpless souls die. Ana Sofía flies over to near Magneto so she can see from his vantage point. She reaches out and searches for everyone still alive inside. To any she finds she says 'Hold your breath. Help is coming.'


d12 Telepathy
d10 Willpower
d8 Motherly
d8 Pysch

18:31, Today: Windtalker rolled 3,8,8,3 using d12,d10,d8,d8 with rolls of 3,8,8,3.  Telepathy with those drowning.

That's 8+8=16 with an effect die of d12.

There is nothing that Gwenyth can do but watch and awe. The mutants in her movies never had powers like these. She would have labeled them unrealistic if they had. All she can do is try and warm up Mistress and avoid crowding out the others with their limited walk space.

Kate tries to let Wax know to grab anything metal that he can reach, that Magneto may be able to save him so long as they can still find him and not to give up hope.  She focus' on keeping him pinpointed, but doesn't interrupt Magneto, not right now, not with his obvious focus on keeping the main structure aloft while water continues to drain.  If she's sure she won't lose track of Wax she'll try to find others.

The only people Ana managed to sense were the guards, and the couple of Legion clones, who were all still (relatively) safe at the topmost floor - the only one which wasn't previously flooded.  The rest of the inmates, as well as the would-be Brotherhood rescuers, were all dead, having either drowned, or bludgeoned to death by falling debris.

Kate, in the meantime, tracked both the twinned minded sociopath and 'Wax'.  The former has started on his journey toward the shore - a distance of almost thirty miles.  The latter reached the ocean's floor.  Trapped under several tons of metal and concrete, he wasn't going anywhere unless he got some assistance.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:27, Tue 11 Jan 2022.

Kate will tentatively reach back out to Magneto, gently because she doesn't want to disturb him unnecessarily, but Wax definitely doesn't deserve to be left on the bottom of the sea.  'Magneto sir, one of your men, wax is alive, but he's trapped at the bottom of the ocean.  I can help guide you to him but he can't get to the surface on his own.'

Aloud she shouts to Tank.  "One of the prisoners made it out and is swimming for shore.  I don't like the feel of his mind.  Somebody needs to be warned about it."

When Kate alerted him to the escaping prisoner, Tank reflexively pulled out his phone. Someone did need to be notified.

His phone was a paperweight. It hadn't survived the drop into the ocean and subsequent swim. There was no calling for help on this one. At least, not by Tank. Ana Sofia hadn't gone into the ocean, so her phone was probably okay... and her telepathy could probably reach the shore even if her phone had died. Other than that, they were probably cut off from the world at large.

"Maybe you can 'tag' him with your telepathy*, so we can find him later?" he asked.

---

* = That is to say, give him an 'easy to track' Complication?

'On it,' Ana Sofía says in her mind to Kate and Tank.

Hearing what Kate said, Ana Sofía switches to looking for the escaped prisoner with her telepathy. She can start tracking him before he gets very far and has any idea.


d12 Telepathy
d10 Willpower
d8 One Step Ahead of You
d8 Pysch
d6 Enthralling Mind (and step up effect die)

16:33, Today: Windtalker rolled 5,7,1,2,2 using d12,d10,d8,d8,d6 with rolls of 5,7,1,2,2.  Create tagged telepathy complication.

5+7=12, with a d10 (d8 stepped up 1) effect die.

One die to Doom Pool.

PP: 1 + 1 = 2

"Help him then!" Magneto scowled back "Or get the people out of the prison before it collapses under its own weight"
He would have let go by now, seeing that the guards were the same ones who flooded the facility and murdered his people to begin with.  It would be Justice.  Only he sensed the Legion was still in there, and he had more regard for their safety then they did.

OOC: Kate; you can't really track Wax using telepathy. You will need enhanced senses of some kind.  Telepathy would only allow you to sense and see what he sees, which in this case would be of little use.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:48, Wed 12 Jan 2022.

"Bandsaw, this is Dee 1-1.  I've got eyes on the target"

The squadron of fighters that were scrambled in response to the attack on the facility finally arrived at the scene.  Their pilots had very clear orders - stop the Brotherhood by any means necessary.  Despite those orders, the lead pilot hesitated for a moment, not quite sure what to make of the spectacle in front of her
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:02, Wed 12 Jan 2022.

A mere glimpse into the escaping prisoner's mind filled Windtalker with existential dread.  The only thing the creature was interested in - the ONLY thing, was inflicting pain and sufferings.  It has killed women and children before.  Eaten its victims alive. Subjected them to excruciating pain for its own twisted pleasure.  And now that thing was swimming ashore.   It had old scores to settle - right after it satisfied its hunger.

1d10,1d8,1d8,1d10 with rolls of 9,5,7,10.  Carnage reaction to Windtalker. Total 16 vs 12, attempted resisted.  Use opportunity to create 'Terrible Mind' Asset at 1d10 vs future telepathy/scanning attempts.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:56, Wed 12 Jan 2022.

Doing her best to reach the people left in the prison Kate urges them all to get outside of it, to grab life jackets or rope and hurry because Magneto might drop it at any moment.  With that thought done she bobs helpless to do more for a moment before what was asked of her earlier comes back.

She's never become any kind of fish before, or dolphin or swimmy thing, but this is an emergency.  Apparently Magneto can't save Wax, no one here could.  So she slips over the side of the life raft, only hanging on with one hand and tries to focus, to change, to become something capable of swimming in the deep that might possibly save Wax.

Knowing roughly what direction this thing is headed should be enough for now. After all, Ana Sofia can fly. She takes off, quickly reaching around 100 mph, gaining some altitude. She settles in a couple hundred yards in elevation, high enough to have a good vantage point, but not so high that she can't see clearly. Unless this thing can swim ridiculously fast, she hopes to settle in well above it.

Those watching can see as Kate struggle for a moment, skin going gooey as the water laps over her head and then the last lingering impression of suckers and tentacles as what was once a girl vanishes under the waves swimming down down down after the mental echo of Wax's mind and the settling clouds of debris on the ocean floor.  Luckily it wasn't much more than 200 meters to the ocean floor so the journey wasn't overly long.  (Fun fact, the Atlantic Ocean does not really get that deep very quickly at all from looking at depth maps!)

'Wax, make noise, or thumping or something to help me find you' Kate sent to him.  'I'll get you out.'  Being a cephalopod was strange but need trumped the discomfort and newness.  That she wasn't trying to save just some random person, but Wax, who while an enemy had actually been kind of okay.  Someone she knew and had talked to mattered.

"Fox Three"

Trails of smoke from the guided missiles crisscrossed the black skies.  Every fighter jet fired its payload at Magneto.  The two dozen high explosive missiles only served to distract Magneto momentarily.  They all detonated upon his force field, engulfing it completely with fire, but leaving the man hovering inside completely unfazed.