God loves, man kills

[Orion]

Ashley: I don’t know, were you serious about the hot oil?

"Did you WANT me to be serious about it?"

He asked with a raised eyebrow. He blasted another purifier off their feet as Mina pushed past them, generally ripping people to shreds as she went. Ashley objected to being shown up by the vamp and jumped up to higher ground before calling attention to herself and doing that face-shift thing that really horrified everybody. He amplified the new wave of terror she inspired as Oracle interrupted their conversation.

Oracle: The Six are through the front door. Let’s clean up out here and then move into position at the side doors. Orion, Mina, Valkyrie: sweep up the right side. Steel, Recall: you’re with me on the left. I have eyes inside [referring to the cathedral’s own security cameras] so dig in at your entry points and wait for my all clear. Go.

They moved to flank the right side, and Zach caught a glimpse of something moving through the air: nets of some kind that sparkled with psionic energy. He hit one with an empathic energy sphere and it showered the street with red sparks. He put on a fireworks show as he knocked one after the other out of the sky. He ducked and rolled forward as a net closed in on his position, barely escaping the thing. He couldn't get them ALL, but he didn't have to. Vivica was slicing through them as well and soon enough they made it inside their entrance. Zach was the first in and he was hit in the left thigh with an arrow. He grunted in pain and pushed hard with his right leg as he limped sideways awkwardly to his left, taking cover behind a column.

His suit was bulletproof, but it wasn't designed to stop arrows, which moved at much slower speeds. He swore quietly as he looked at it. It went through the inside of his leg, a lot closer to the groin than he was comfortable seeing, but he counted himself lucky. Not only did it NOT hit his most valuable body parts, but it hadn't hit his bone either. He grabbed a hold of it with the intention of pulling it out, but the idea of doing so made him hesitate and soon a dude in a robe was swinging a sword at his head. He ducked down just in time. The sword got stuck in the column and he grabbed the guy by the throat, overwhelming him with the same emotional pain the kids on the bus had suffered from. The man screamed, cried and convulsed as Zach choked him to death.

After it was done, he looked around. He was separated from the main room by a row of columns, which formed a long corridor, he hobbled from column to column, exposing himself for seconds at a time, drawing purifiers in close, then blasting them at close range as they rounded the corners to attack him. In this way, he was safe from more arrow fire and his lack of mobility, while painful, was less dangerous. But he was still taking them down, albeit at a much slower rate than before. He had to get the arrow out of his leg, but he didn't very well have time to do so with the Choir all around. Worse, he was starting to run on fumes. His projectiles were much smaller than they were at the start of the battle, and he was having to hit his enemies with TWO now instead of dropping them with one blast. Bleeding and sweating, he didn't know how much longer he could last with his adrenaline rush wearing off like this.

A sweeping shadow alerted him to another choir member above him, this one preparing to throw a stone gargoyle at him! He lunged out of the way, managing to escape the brunt of the statue, but got clipped by a wing and went down hard. He clenched his teeth, and yanked the arrow the rest of the way through his leg while he was lying there in the rubble of the broken statue. He saw men sweeping down over Elizabeth and he grabbed a chunk of stone from the gargoyle, throwing it at one of the men and hitting him in the head. The man went limp in midair and dropped to the ground with a thud. Zach crawled up to the body and grabbed the plasma cannon, then started firing at anything in a robe. He gleaned a great deal of satisfaction from watching them scream and die as Sharon and Blaze also flew through the air. He was careful to avoid hitting either of his friends.

 

[Artemis]

::Charope maintained her post, striking down RIGHT soldiers and laying down cover for members of her team as WELL as Oracle's as she could. Rampage, always craving that up close and personal interaction, waded into the ground battle, but kept any purifiers that were trying to draw a bead on HER from getting a shot!::

"Charope, I'm about to begin my assault on the interior. The bell tower leads directly to a catwalk that crosses through the main cathedral. Move into position just outside the door and wait for my signal."

She pulled the rocket launcher off her shoulder as she approached the front doors of the cathedral. It disappeared from view as she kicked the doors open. The lobby had been a staging area for the assault teams that had rushed outside, but it was empty now. Another set of doors led to the main cathedral. She opened one side and tossed a volley of flash bang grenades. She managed to throw three in, at 10, 12, and 2o'clock before shutting the door to let them detonate in succession.

"Charope, hit them NOW!"

::Already training her silver bow in the direction provided by Black Widow, Charope's weapon manifests 3 shafts of divine lightning. On Black Widow's mark, she lefts them FLY to hit their targets::

She said, as her hijacked suits ran into the cathedral, firing blasts left and right. Haleigh went back to the front doors and looked out over the battlefield. Her team was picking off the last stragglers on this side.

"Well done, everybody. The party moved inside, come on."

Pointing silently to Alycia, they advanced inside, down from the height of the Tower

:: The six were being HAMMERED by anti-personnel devices and then set upon by a group of VERY aggressive and armed purifiers!::

<< Black Widow was once again being PILED ON. They evidently knew enough to at least TRY to overwhelm her right away and they began beating, kicking, stabbing and just generally assaulting her as hard as they could>>

Black Widow!!!

:: Charope doesnt hesitate as Rampage leaps to Haleigh's side. The Amazon begins to YANK some Purifiers off of Haleigh, TOSSING them toward Persephone, who was making whips and daggers look like the HOTTEST melee weapons in this vicious fight!::

:: Others tried to STOP her from pulling them off of Black Widow, but she BLOCKED their thrusts, stopping their blades with her feminum bracelets and KNOCKING them away with her super strength::

No one gets to jump on Haleigh but ME!

Reaching down, Nicolas tosses Haleigh into the air, clear of the fray as he then slams his hands together into a thunderclap, allowing the increase in air pressure around him to scatter the throng as he watched Haleigh gracefully land on her own. Pointing to Alycia, he points back to Haleigh.

Stick with her. I am about to see if I am as tough as I think.

Are you alright!?

:: Charope asks as she helps Haleigh to her feet, DUCKING as some spiked balls flew right over their heads::

They're DEFINITELY rallying their forces, being backed by their..."CHOIR".

:: Simon lashes out with a ferocity that quite frankly, Alycia didn't think he HAD. It made her PAUSE for a moment and acutally NOD with approval he also brings them somewhat of a repieve from this wave of UP CLOSE fighters and booby traps::

Well alright now!

:: The CHOIR was posing a problem and gave the purifiers on the ground a renewed strength and resolve to swell against the two groups. They were giving members of Oracle's team a heard time and some of them were coming after The Six as Simon was SLICED and they were dive bombing Persephone!::

:: they were coming in so fast! while the purifiers on the ground were resorting to "IN YOUR FACE" confrontation tactics with their melee weapons! Skilled as they were, BOLD as they were, they were NO MATCH for the skills of an AMAZON!::


:: Charope catches one by his wrists and pivots, using his own momentum against him to send him SLAMMING into two others that were trying to regroup on Haleigh.::

:: Another one comes in and attemps to SLAM his axe down into her FACE::

NO!

:: QUICKLY bringing her arms up in front of herself in an X pattern, she BLOCKS the the assault with her feminum braclets before delivering a STRONG, RIB CRACKING KICK to the man's chest and sending him FLYING back into a pillar::


:: She continued to stand strong and defeat several more purifiers at close range HAND TO HAND combat with EASE, giving Haleigh room to recover, DISARMING one of his MACE and now using that to her deadly advantage as she swings it around as if it were an extension of her own being! expanding the "safe zone" around her and Haleigh and keeping other foolhardy purifiers at bay after having SLAMMED it in the face of two over eager ones and leaving BLOODY spiked IMPRINTS on the now dead purifiers as they fell to the floor. ::::


:: BY NOW, the two groups were closer to each other, and Valkyrie was in close proximity to Charope. The amazon does not see a Purifier who's about to come crashing down on her HEAD with a spiked BAT::

 

[Recall]

:: Vivica stood strong. There was so much bloodshed and such absolute violence around her. She thought for a moment about the situation she was experiencing. The absolute hatred the Purifiers beamed from their bodies for mutant kind was not unlike the HATRED that Vivica experienced very regularly as a woman of color living in this country. It turned her stomach to think that there might be WORSE people in the world than the bigots she had suffered. But right in front of her was living proof. ::

:: Though her brain was great at multitasking even VIVICA at times experienced being lost in thought. ::

"WHOAH!"

:: In an instant she is SWOOPED up in the air by one of the winged CHOIR and flown high into the air. ::

"Let GO of me you BIRD BRAIN!"

:: Recall tries to break the embrace of the purifier but he begins spinning her around and around at dizzying speeds. As she tried to get her footing against the onset of dizziness and nausea she is HURLED through the air and STRAIGHT towards another one of the choir who looks ready to knock her out of the park! ::

"Sweet JESUS!"

:: Desperately she tries to position herself in the best way for impact until.. ::

Firebird: "GOTCHA!"

:: She felt the elementals warm arms wrap around her as she is dashed away by Blaze! Recall smirked. ::

"My HERO!"

:: Blaze feels so incredibly warm and the raptor aura around her is incredible to see this up close and personal. ::

Firebird: "HEY! How are ya! Don't want those lame flatscans messing up your beautiful face!"

:: Vivica laughed. With everything going on around them so absolutely horrific it was nice to have a little witty banter. ::

"Don't worry! Nobody's clockin this mug TODAY!"

Blaze takes a moment to smile and WINK at Recall even at time like this. ::::

Firebird: "And now I better get you away from here, because Sharon is about to CUT LOOSE!"

:: Recall grips on TIGHT as the two of them fly away from the choir that is on Sharon. Blaze drops her to the ground and zooms off back into the fray. ::

"Keep it together now!"

:: She smiled. ::

"Back atcha, Firebird!"

:: And with no second of hesitation she began to now WALK through the crowd taking on members of the Choir who were close and down on the ground CLOSE range with her boomerangs bobbing and weaving like a professional boxer. Her moves were a syngery of different combat and dance styles working together to create an impressive physical display. ::

:: She watched as Simon is SLASHED by one of the rings as she notices Persephone witness the event as well. For a second their eyes lock and Vivica gives Ava a non-verbal queue that she would take care of Simon if Ava kept focused on battle. After a silent second Vivica dives through the crowd as she makes her way over to a hunched over Simon. She props him to his feet. ::

"You okay, baby boy? DUCK!"

:: As Simon ducks Vivica JAMS her boomerang into the face of one of the choir members, the vibranium blade easily cutting through the mask. She looked back at Simon who seemed to be wincing from his wound. ::

"I know...it hurts like a bitch! We'll tag team 'em from here on out! Stay slick for me!"

 

[Black Widow]

With her team at her side, they pushed into the cathedral proper. Concussive blasts accompanied their every step, and Haleigh was heavily taxed to deflect each explosion and protect her friends. Each concussion hammered her, and each one seemed to amplify the pain in her head. She had managed to mostly ignore the headache, boosted by adrenaline and bloodlust, but the longer the battle stretched on, the less she was able to ignore it.

That wasn't the only problem. Arrows were raining down on them and the enemy was closing in.

"We're right in the middle of a MINEFIELD! Silver Swan, Firebird, get up above us and hold off those archers!"

Right after she said it, she was swarmed by purifiers. They didn't strike with any kind of disciplined fighting skill, they just struck, again and again and again. She blocked most of the attacks, with superior speed and strength and the extensive knowledge of many different types of martial arts. The rest of the attempts landed.

Haleigh's suit was very advanced, and absorbed a lot of damage, but the wear and tear was starting to show. As she stretched to defend against attacks to her left and right, a dagger came straight down her chest, finally cutting through the center of her jacket and slicing it open. The new 'neckline' of her suit plunges all the way to the Black Widow symbol on her belt. The cool air hit her bare skin and the woman who'd cut her top open pointed and shouted.

Purifier: Behold the WHORE OF BABYLON!

"WHO the FUCCK are you calling a whore, you sanctimonious slut? I bet you blow all your brothers before bed!"

Purifier: Her suit saves her from our blades, but our conviction has broken through! Strip her down and we can cut her flesh!

Someone grabbed her in a headlock as others closed in, clutching at her suit and pulling it apart. She loses her sleeve, then both her boots, even as she kicked purifiers away and tried to shake them off. Another sleeve is ripped off, and the man holding her in headlock grabs one side of her half-open jacket, preparing to remove it. She reached up and grabbed the wrist that was cutting off her airflow, turned her head sideways and tucked her chin, and managed to wriggle out of the headlock. Simon hit them all with a wave of something green, and Haleigh blacked out.

She looked at updated photos of Scion as she received her report. It was thirteen now, and it had been almost ten years since she'd left it in the snow.

Alice: We replaced the school counselor with one of our power scanning agents. It was the best way to get one on one time with Scion.

"It was seeing the counselor? Why?"

Alice: She's not getting along well with the other children. She's smarter than them, unafraid to let them know when they are wrong. She has become argumentative and combative. Scion has been threatening her challengers.

"Stupid teenagers. They think they know everything. They can't recognize true intelligence. What does our agent report?"

Alice: He says she's becoming adolescent. Puberty is difficult enough to bring it aggression, and her powers have started to manifest. They are earth and temperature based.

"Did he witness Scion using her powers?"

Alice: No, that was just what he scanned from her during their session.

"And there were no indications of any other... more mental abilities?"

Alice shook her head in the negative. It fit the pattern of Zeus's other children. Fire, wind, and now earth. Elemental based, all of them. She was disappointed that Scion didn't seem to inherit HER abilities.... but Zeus probably manipulated the balance of genetics in his favor. He wanted to create a mutant who's DNA would be the ideal recipient for Frankenstein's virus. They used his own blood as a base, but of course he wouldn't test it on himself. That was why Scion was created.

But she didn't want it to be like HIM. She wanted it to be as much like her as it looked. And it DID look like her still. Even now, in adolescence. It was slender, with sharp, beautiful features. Fair skinned, with bright blue eyes, the only sign of life in a normally cold countenance. Scion drew the eye, and had a presence that attracted attention. And the more she saw of Scion, the less she wanted distance from it. She wanted to teach it to conquer the world, she wanted to see it succeed, and she couldn't explain WHY she felt this way. It could only be maternal instinct. It was the way a mother naturally felt about a daughter.

As Haleigh came back online, Nic dropped in and tore a man in half, then beat his friends with his mangled remains. Then Nic picked Haleigh up and tossed her over to Alycia, who helped her up.

Alycia: Are you alright!?

Haleigh took a deep breath. She had no boots, no sleeves, several tears in her pants, and barely a top. The bleeding at her temple had long since stopped, but there were several new cuts that the purifiers had landed while she was in blackout mode.

"Am I ALRIGHT?! Girl.... I can't believe you even asked me that. That must have been a rhetorical question."

As Alycia deftly handled some more purifiers, Haleigh joined back in. She went through the motions on auto pilot, as she tried to wrap her mind around the most recent flash.

She couldn't get over how much the little teenager looked like she had at that age. It was like looking at an old photo of herself! Or at least, looking at a young photo of her old body, which presumably was the specimen used to create the child, if all these suppressed memories had happened when Haleigh thought they had. Until she saw someone she recognised, it was hard to date these flashes. If only she could control the flow of them, she would check a calender. But it didn't work like that. It was one linear experience, and she could only ride it out.

Given the time span, though, Haleigh was beginning to think she had some kind of SPLIT PERSONALITY disorder that was trying to reconcile itself!

At least these weren't on display for everyone to see. She didn't want to have to analyze and explain her past (other?) self to the others, in addition to trying to figure out what it meant personally. Still, she knew she'd benefit from talking to some one about it. She needed to talk Karen, who could help her navigate all these messy psychological issues. Doctor-patient privilege was Haleigh's new favorite term.

 

[Titan]

Above the Sanctuary

Andrew watched, hidden on the walkway overlooking the sanctuary. There were a lot of them, and only one of him. Stealth was his best option at the moment. He assessed the situation. There were two forms bound at the altar, and a woman in a nun’s garb who seemed to be in charge stood near them.

He took a deep breath as he felt a bit of panic rising in his stomach. Clearly there was a lot more going on than he had anticipated – more than just a bunch of nutters attacking people like Sally. This was more like an army of nutters . AND there were mutants coming here to fight them. AND he was stuck inside a huge cathedral with lots of people with weapons in between him and the doors. For a split second he turned to go out the way he came.

Then his eyes were drawn to a series of explosions on the floor below. He focused just in time to see a woman with blue-black hair and a young man in the main aisle fall to the floor, both unconscious or at least not moving – they had seemed to come from nowhere but the result of the explosions he assumed.

Gabriel, Michael! CRUSH them while they lay unconscious. Send them BACK TO HELL!

Now, Andrew was a Catholic. He had attended Catholic school. Catholic mass all his life. His family was religious. Most everyone he knew was religious. But that was some mental shit right there.

“Gabriel” and “Michael” (Andrew had to roll his eyes at the names) looked like robots. He reminded himself that they could be robots, the way this day was going. They were moving towards the two forms laying in the aisle. At the same time, he saw the glint off a knife in the sister’s hand.

He froze, indecisive. He looked from the nun to the robots, weighing the choice. Knife, robots. Knife, robots. Robots have guns. Closer. Definitely going to kill the two helpless people. Knife wound is survivable.

Shit. Feck. Arse.

And then in a second Andrew was up on top of the railing. He leapt, and in half a heartbeat was barreling into the two sentinels.

 

[Ruby]

St. Patrick's Cathedral - Sanctuary

:: Bryda was delighted. Cameron may be pissed with her, but at least he was talking TO her instead of AT her. ::

"What do you think the end result IS here, Cass/Bryda/WHATEVER you want to call yourself?! We are stuck on an altar and about to be SACRIFICED in the name of GOD! Did you think if we put up and shut up they were just going to let us go? Do you HEAR what's going on outside?! It's not an OPTION, Ruby!"

“I’d rather die later instead of EARLIER which is what’s going to happen if you keep running your mouth of about ‘Satan this’ and ‘Satan that’! If you keep going like this, your – sorry, OUR – family wouldn’t be able to save ANYBODY because we will BOTH be dead!”

:: Bryda sighed. ::

“Look, I’m sorry that I can’t remember, and I’m sorry that I have no clue who you people are, but honestly I’m trying! You have NO idea how much---“

:: Cameron continued on, picking up steam. Bryda listened to him, as she had been doing all those times he tried to get her to remember everybody and their grandma. ::

"The people responsible for making this cathedral shake and rumble..are our FAMILY. They are fighting tooth and nail, risking it all to make sure YOU live another day! I don't know what to do right now but I do know ONE thing. I stopped the nun from beating the SHIT out of you because in your state right now...it's CLEAR that you wouldn't have been able to handle it. So before you try and call out my MOUTH...RESPECT the fact that it's kept you safe.. the Cassandra that *I* know would have joined in. She wouldn't have remained silent. She would have FOUGHT because THAT is the type of person she is. She wouldn't sit there and think about only HERSELF while her teammate gets SEVERELY beaten..while her friends...her FAMILY fight to save HER life! Cassandra! It's time to get it together because once The Six arrives and frees us from these chains..NOBODY is going to have the time to make sure you are in a strong enough state to DEFEND yourself. It's going to have to come from within..."

[thinking]

"So WHOEVER you believe yourself to be right now. I need you to know that you are living in MY FRIEND'S body. YOU are a visitor..you used to be her but you AREN'T anymore. Even if you think I am bullshit...even if you don't trust or hate the sound of my voice...when you break out of those chains..you HELP us. You help us stop HER...ALL of them. Do NOT run. Because once the dust settles here...you are going to REMEMBER who you are NOW...and the last thing I want you to do is regret the choices you made..."

“Oh my GOD! Could you BE any more dramatic?! I am NOT thinking of myself here! You have NO idea how much I want what you are saying to be true. NO IDEA. I am TRYING here, Cameron! I SHARED part of my life with you and all YOU heard was ‘blah, blah, blah, blah, blah’! Like, seriously. If the situation was reversed I would TOTALLY meet you where you were at…and try to work out a plan from there.”

:: She turned her head and looked at Cameron. ::

“But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You are SO consumed by ‘Cass this and Cass that and Cass wouldn’t do this, and Cass would NEVER do that…’ I am NOT your Cass! I’m BRYDA, okay? Cass is gone, you idiot! I don’t know where she went, but she’s gone and you’re stuck with ME.”

:: Cameron would see her eyes and expression soften. ::

“Look, I’m sorry Cass isn’t here to help you. I know it must be frustrating, and I know it must suck, but I’M here and I’m not going ANYWHERE. I faced down BOTH Hitler and Mengele! Do you really THINK I’d be frightened off by a bunch of lunatics?! Please.”

:: Bryda sighed. ::

“Since this entire situation is NOT ideal, what do you say we do something about it?”

:: She heard banging in the distance. ::

Cameron: "You hear that? That's them, Cassandra. That's our family. And they're on their way."

Family?

:: Bryda lost her ENTIRE family in the Holocaust. SHE’S the only Jesko standing. To Bryda’s surprise, as well as Cameron’s, she started tearing up. She blinked back tears rapidly and gave Cameron a wobbly smile. ::

*crying*: “You have NO idea how much I want that to be true. M-my whole FAMILY died…”

:: She smiled softly at Cameron…and then Frau Mary entered into their bubble and brought all kinds of chaos into it. ::

Great…

:: She watched in HORROR as she brutally attacked Cameron! ::

“IF YOU TOUCH THAT MAN ONE MORE TIME, WHEN I GET MY POWERS BACK I WILL FINISH YOU OFF!”

:: She HOWLED as the psychotic nun grabbed Cameron by the hair and brought him over to…whatever it was that they obviously worshipped. Since Bryda and Cameron have been in this sanctuary, it seemed it had gotten even BIGGER. Bryda thought that it was curious how nobody seemed to have paid attention to her, as well as her outburst. Weird. ::

*mystified*: “Seriously. Does NOBODY else see that that thing has grown considerably LARGER than it was when we were FIRST brought here?”

:: She spotted one of the Purifiers coming towards her…apparently HE heard her that time, but almost as soon as he reached her, everything happened at once and he left her to fight off whatever it was that making a loud racket in the front lobby. She sighed and felt her mind go back to a certain night long ago when she was trapped… ::

<<Three guards appeared in the doorway of her cell. Bryda was in the corner, shivering. Despite her emaciated frame, Bryda Jesko was still stunningly beautiful. She looked up at the guards. All three had wicked grins on their faces and their eyes…their eyes were filled with LUST… >>

“Nein, NEIN!”

<<One guard grabbed her by the left leg and arm; another grabbed her right arm and leg. They had managed to rip her bottoms off of her. The third guard knelt down in front of Bryda and she struggled against the guards as the third guard took off his pants and underclothing. She SCREAMED as they held her down and the third guard grabbed her around her waist and started lowering himself on to her…until she managed to get her left arm free and grabbed hold of the NAZI’S arm. To her surprise, her powers manifested and she somehow managed to DRAIN the guard of his lifeforce, making BRYDA stronger than before!>>

<<The two remaining guards FROZE. Bryda smiled cruelly and DRAINED the two of them like it was NOTHING. She didn’t know what happened, she didn’t care, but all she knew was that she was getting the hell out of dodge!>>

I can do this. I can do this. Somebody is counting on me. I can do this. If I can survive Nazis, surely I can survive freaky NUNS…

:: She was pulled back into the present when she heard what seemed like an entire ARMY descending on the church. Chaos, noise, violence, all signs pointed to an impending apocalypse. Hell, Frau Mary and her band of misguided zealots even brought the proverbial fire-and-brimstone sermon to the table. Nobody seemed to notice her…but then she shrank herself as far as she could and huddled behind the last row of pews. She watched in horror as Frau Mary adjusted Cameron’s position on the altar…but then she said a VERY curious thing. ::

”The WITCH survived from earlier!”

:: Bryda’s eyes widened in surprise. So she DIDN’T kill that young woman after all? In the midst of all the chaos surrounding the sanctuary, Bryda was pretty much forgotten. So she rolled herself underneath the pew and huddled under it. She then peeked around it, and spotted a man and the woman she had seen in her memory. And then… ::

ALISON!!!

:: She closed her eyes and nearly knocked herself out as she was suddenly overwhelmed by MEMORIES! Blaze! Vivi! Nicolas! Karen! The Parthenon! Delilah! One after another, the memories came. CASS was BACK. ::

I can’t deal with this right now!

:: She took another peek around the pew and her eyes went further than Alison’s position…all the way to the altar where the psychotic nun was standing over Cameron preparing to KILL him! But how was SHE going to rescue him? She was chained up! Without thinking, she reached her hand up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear…and was stunned to realize that she WASN’T chained after all! She grinned. Maybe she could save him after all! She quickly scrambled out from underneath the pew and stood up. Ideally, she had wanted to do the sneak approach, but that would take time that Cameron did NOT have. ::

*horrified*: ”CAMERON!!”

:: Cameron would hear something different in the tone of her voice. He would hear HIS Cass. She began running towards the SIDE aisle in an effort to dodge anything and anyone. Her eyes never left the altar. She ran around the dilapidated pews, dodging people and things, right, left, and center. ::

Almost there!

:: She ran up the short few steps to the altar and without thinking, she grabbed the side of it and pushed off the floor with her feet, tucking her knees up at the same, and KICKED Sister Psycho in the chest, pushing her backwards from the altar. The momentum of Cass’ actions carried her with it and she fell to the ground with Mary. She didn’t know if Cameron could receive ‘thought calls’ if he was wearing a collar, but Cass sent a happy thought to him in the off-chance he still could. ::

Team CameRuby!!

:: She joined together part of Cameron’s name as well as her codename, Ruby. She quickly got her bearings and gave Mary a good punch to her face. ::

“So sorry for messing up your ritual. Oh, wait. No I’m not!”

:: Cass punched Mary in the face two times in a row. ::

 

[Persephone]

Entering the cathedral, unfortunately Ava had to give the purifiers a little credit--they were smarter than they looked. They had booby-trapped the whole place with sensors that unleashed multiple waves of attacks. A giant laser beam charged up and began to shoot at Ava. Quickly diving out of the way, she slammed her mystic daggers into the marble ground creating a energy shield that bubbled around her. The laser tried to penetrate it, but it was reflected away from Ava like a mirror, and sent shooting upwards into the rafters where numerous purifiers dressed in robs were raining arrows down at the six. The rafters were blown apart by the laser and sent crashing down to the ground level--many purifiers immediately killed, others crushed by the rubble. Those who did escape took flight with wings.

"They're like fuucking cockroaches."

Retrieving her daggers, Ava sent both hurling towards two purifiers that were in air an charging for Simon. Upon impact, a surge of mystic energy exploded and engulfing the purifiers, completely incinerating them. Calling for her daggers back, that's when Ava spotted a purifier swoop down and slash Simon across the back. He stumbled, dropping to his knees. Ava's eyes widened, reflexively wanting to go over and help him....but that's when she saw Vivica. She was closer to Simon, and gave Ava a silent indication that she would help him. The goddess nodded, seeing her run over to help.

It seemed as if the purifiers wanted to take advantage of the distraction that Simon's injury caused Ava, because one of them grabbed Ava from behind while another slammed an EMP baton into her jaw. Crying out, her head whipped to the side from the impact.

Purifier: Vial INHUMANE creature! You will be PUT DOWN!

The purifier slammed the EMP baton into Ava's stomach, causing her body to limp forward. She could hear them both laughing with joy and triumph. Lifting her head, her eyes met with the purifier in front of her that was hitting her with the baton. Blood could be seen dripping from the corner of her lip due to the impact of the first hit.

Purifier: Any last words BITCH!?

Ava smiled before SPITTING the massive amount of acidic blood that was in her mouth into his face. The purifier began to scream in agony as the acid began to eat away at his skin and eyes instantly. The purifier that was holding her was stunned enough to loosen his grip just enough for Ava to get enough momentum to slam the back of her head into his face, causing him to completely let go of her. Turning around, Ava grabbed the purifier's head, her thorn-like finger nails digging into the nape of his skull like butter. His eyes went wide in horror as Ava literally RIPPED his head into TWO.

Cracking her neck, she grimaced a little, feeling the after effects of the hit to her face.

"Should of done your research a little better on me darling."

Ava said to the now blind and disfigured purifier laying on the ground still screaming in agony from her acid attack. Walking over to him, Ava literally walked ON his face as she moved passed him, digging her heeled boot into his already jello-like flesh and bone, completely crushing it and killing him.

 

[Ana-Leigh Moreau]

Oh for fucck sakes. He was THAT type. She should have shot him in the face when she had the chance. But unlike his royal highness, Ana-Leigh knew that this laptop was a hell of a lot more important than her ego. So SHE would go.

"FINE, hot shot. I"LL go. Cover me."

Grabbing the laptop, Ana-Leigh saw her point of escape. There was a latter about 10 feet away that lead down the side of the building to another platform. If she remembered The Parthenon's blueprints correctly, that platform was where the hotel kept it's satellite dish and independent wifi tower. There was an door that lead to another set of stairs that directly lead to the basement. She would be able to escape there. But before she could take her leave, Rose appeared! She literally annihilated every purifier that Ana-Leigh hadn't picked off.

ROSE: ANA!!!Terra Save is HERE. They're coming to help you fight off these monsters!

Finally! Some good news! Terra Save would take this information and have a field day with it--exposing every one of these asshole's dirty little secrets. Running towards Rose, she teleported herself, Ana-Leigh, and Rich down to the ground level of The Parthenon. Terra-Save was already confronting the purifiers, but one informant quickly ran over to Ana-Leigh.

Terra-Save Informant: [shouting over the chaos] Ana-Leigh! I'm Lt. Gabriel, I've worked very closely with your boss Alycia Barnett! I believe you have some important information for us?

"Yes! Alycia has mentioned you before! Here!"

Handing him the laptop.

"Do your worst!"

Lt. Gabriel smiled at Ana-Leigh, giving her a pat on the back before running toward the parthenon exit--his soldiers covering him as he went. In the meanwhile, Rich turned into a fuucking dragon causing the brunette to pause...

"Yeah, i'm not even going to attempt to figure that out."

A purifier charged Ana-Leigh, causing her to swiftly twist to the left and avoid his baton. Materializing a knife made out of energy, she swung behind her, connecting the knife with his shoulder--a huge concussion blast sends him flying back and into more purifiers approaching her. Grabbing a nearby golden pole that held a line of velvet ropes, Ana-Leigh charged it with energy causing the pole to illuminate red. Swinging the pole over her head, she slammed in down in front of her creating a shockwave of energy that slammed into all three purifiers, incinerating them instantly.

Ducking behind a flipped over marble table, Ana-Leigh materialized her bow and arrow, quickly shooting arrow after arrow at purifiers from across the room. Each arrow connecting with a purifier with perfect accuracy.

 

[Oracle]

East (Relative to Front) Side Door

She saw that her squads were in position, and from the looks of things on the inside, the Six was surging forward. Momentarily de-extending her staff, she swiftly added to the free end the bolt attachment loaded with the strong poison. Now armed with something more suitable for close quarters, and something more deadly, she gave her team their cue.

[over the earpieces] “Allright, it’s now or never. Breach the doors on my mark. 3-2-1 MARK.”

She allowed Steel to block for her as he destroyed the door and cleared the path to get him, Vivica and Oracle herself inside. A little part of Oracle died at the thought of destroying such a work of art as this building, but she pushed it aside.

“Focus, Zizi. Focus.”

The Six had almost reached their entry point, but the fight was clearly taking a rough turn and things were slow going. The whole place had been rigged with explosives it seemed. Steel and Recall fought their way through some type of netted weapon, and then they were in the cathedral at large.

She knocked one of the Purifiers backwards with the end of her staff to make space between them, then fired the poison bolt towards his face. In a split second, he was on the ground. There was another Purifier behind her and she turned, but not quickly enough. Recall smashed him with one of his own comrades, and they both fell to the ground, unmoving.

“I’d call that a strike!”

Moving further inside, side by side with Vivica, she yelled to her.

“Hey, want to join my bowling team? We meet on Tuesday nights.”

Just as Oracle smiled and turned her head to see Recall’s reaction, she is TAKEN by a winged Purifier!

“RECALL!”

But there was nothing she could do. Two more winged soldiers were coming straight for HER! They raised two energy cannons and began firing. She plunged her staff downward on the left side HARD, tilting herself to left and lifting the chair into the air to avoid a shot, then rocking back the other way and doing the same on the other side. Now with momentum as the chair rocked left again, almost turning on its side, she pushed off with her staff and slid the chair sideways across the smooth stone floor, under the two Purifiers. As they turned, one was hit in the head by a piece of rock and dropped to the floor. She fired an EMP bolt at the other, rendering his canon useless.

“You like baseball? Well, it’s MY turn to bat!”

She held her staff like a baseball bat and swung at the Purifier, connecting with his face. This gave her a second to catch her breath, and one eye scanned for Recall, who she was relieved to see was in the arms of FIREBIRD!

Even over the din of the fight, she was close enough to hear the words of Silver Swan, flying overhead.

Who needs an ANGEL when you are a BIRD OF PREY!?

“Hmm. Bird of Prey. I like the sound of that.”

The soldier formerly of the canon was on the ground and grabbing for her now. With a practiced movement, she grabbed his hand and bent it backwards to his elbow, the other hand delivering a precise hit to his windpipe before shoving the heel of her hand up hard at his nose, breaking it and pushing the bridge back into his skull. Picking up her staff again she gave him one more hard rap in his broken nose with it before he crumbled to the ground.

 

[Steel]

Madison Avenue to East (Relative to Front) Side Door

He, Recall and Oracle worked their way as a team to the side door, Recall slicing and dicing, while Oracle turned the Purifiers tech against them, allowing Steel easy pickings as he smashed his way through the remaining attackers.

He stood near the old-fashioned wooden door, which was locked against thieves, sadly, one hand lightly touching the surface. He watched Oracle as she gave the countdown, both aloud and holding up fingers.

”3-2-1 MARK.”

Steel's fist snapped back and unleashed on the door, splintering it. Another hit and he was able to pull the doors off and toss them aside. Inside was a shitstorm. Immediately upon entering, neuro nets were fired in their direction.

“Oracle, stay back!”

Shielding her from the nets with his body, he began to rip at them and move them out of harm’s way as Recall cut through them. But they were to have no reprieve as yet another wave of the attack came from above, as projectiles and winged creatures hurtled onto them. He reached up and was able to pull some of the winged soldiers from the air and bash them on the hard stone, which happened to be laced with explosives. He could see the Six were having difficulty moving into a forward position because of them, so with another yell to Oracle to stay behind him, he began stomping over the floor, detonating as many of the bombs as he could, as well as diving in front of as many of the projectiles whizzing through the air as he could, clearing a path for the others.

Turning around to view the path behind him, he saw Oracle engaged with one soldier, battling him hand to hand. But she didn’t see the second one regaining his senses and coming back at her. He sprinted, closing the space between them, his heavy footfalls sounding like a charging elephant as he SLAMMED into the unsuspecting Purifier and not stopping until he SMASHED him into the wall. The sound of breaking bones could be heard and as Steel took a step back the Purifier slid to the ground, blood oozing from all orifices.

 

[MorningStar]

Base of the Bell Tower

“Isis – here!”

MorningStar saw a small access door into the sacristy. She turned her back on it to face Isis.

MorningStar!

The goddess pointed behind her, but it was too late.

Delilah heard the energy cannon activate and turned her head what would have been too late, save for a gunshot dead on using such explosive rounds that the head of the Purifier ITSELF exploded. She silently thanked whichever of her teammates had taken the shot, and ducked inside behind Isis.

They were in a dark hallway.

Delilah very slightly raised her natural luminescence, just enough that they could see where they were going.

“Doesn’t it seem too quiet in here?”

Suddenly, from behind them a metal door SLAMMED down, blocking any hope of a retreat. Delilah ran to the metal door, examining it.

“It’s thick, we either need to burn through it or go-“

She turned slowly, her enhanced hearing picking up a sound from the dark end of the tunnel.”

“Forward.”

She could see eyes in the darkness, then, raising the level of illumination, the full creature that was before them.

That creature is not naturally occurring!

Delilah looked at her incredulously.

“NO SHIT LADY!”

The creature charged at them, and it was fast, UNBELIEVEABLY FAST. Isis hit it with a mystic bolt but it only staggered.

“This is bad.”

MorningStar, I will attack it from the inside and try to give you time to focus your most powerful PHOTON BLAST against it!

Isis took her sand form, getting inside the creature and attacking from within. Delilah decided it was best not to think about how GROSS that was.

The creature reared.

Delilah clapped her hands together in a “gun” pose. Light seemed to pulse and grow as it moved from her head and feet toward her middle and then out her arms, a wave washing over her body until it was released through her hands. The strongest photon blast she was capable of fired directly at the exposed skin of the creature.

 

[Tachyon]

He should have gone FASTER.

He carried Alison at Mach 3, very fast, dangerous for most things unprotected, and while he knew that some field protected him and things he carried, he had not tested it so he had decided that he did not want to risk getting her there only to kill her in the trip. He never should have worried. He only heard the first couple of bangs before things became dark and silent.

<< Tacyhon got Harbinger through the front doors once their opening was made. They COULDN'T wait for the others. But they would soon meet up inside. But as he zoomed along, he was TRIPPED UP by PERCEPTION CONCUSSORS. These bomb-like anti-personnel devices were designed for speedsters and teleporters! His smooth journey suddenly became ROUGH and ROCKY as they detonated at his EVERY turn and Harbinger was blown away from his grasp.>>

The nun sentenced the unconscious pair to death! He would not even know what happened. Or WOULD he?

And then in a second Andrew was up on top of the railing. He leapt, and in half a heartbeat was barreling into the two sentinels.

Uhhh...

Xavier woke groggily, then suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing. Careful to run fast enough to be gone before the mines triggered, he made his way to Alison. After taking 0.001 seconds to check her for broken bones (none), he fanned her with one hand, creating a strong breeze and he shook her.

Wake up love. You have work to do, a brother to save.

He saw that some kid had saved him by knocking two mean-looking church-themed robotic whatever-that-was aside. But they were regrouping and the kid looked like he might have a problem.

Or not. Xavier smiled and showed his weapon of choice: a titanium set of lockpicks. He could break into anything, and so he went to work. By the time the robots got up and started to turn on the boy, one shivered and just...fell apart. Xavier Winston was already back holding Alison with one hand, surrounded by a pile of rivets and bolts that once held the robot together. He kept jogging Alison to wake her as he began to throw these new weapons at over Mach 2, clearing the area and holding the other robot-thingy at bay as it tried to harm him and the kid that saved them. Everything slowed to almost nothing as he targeted every incoming attack, destroyed it with a bolt or rivet, and returned fire. He could feel Alison starting to stir...

 

[Valkyrie]

West (Relative to Front) Side Door

"Did you WANT me to be serious about it?"

“You’re going to have to show a little more strength of will if you hope to make it into MY bed.”

She picked up a Purifier from her perch on the wall and snapped his neck, casually continuing the conversation as she dropped his body on the ground.

“Grow some balls, and keep that tight ass in shape, and I’ll think about it.”

Oracle called for them to move into position on the right.

She flung both serrated knives she was holding, bulls eying two Purifiers right between the eyes, then jumped down from the wall and moved with Zach to the door. He had made quick work of most of the neural nets on their side, but one caught her across her body.

“Ooh, do it again.”

She purred to the Purifiers firing the thing at her. She pulled her Beretta from her waistband and emptied the clip into the Purifiers in her vicinity. She talked to Zach like she was an instructor at a shooting range.

“See? If you shoot them in the face, the armor doesn’t do anything.”

Mina arrived and crouched next to them just before they got their cue and entered the building.

“Nice of you to stop eating long enough to join in, Helen Keller.”

Valkyrie changed the clip.

“Damn, and I’m all out of silver bullets too.”

She smiled at Mina sweetly before following Zach inside and then rushing past him in a gung ho move, firing at the “choir” above until the gun clicked empty. She rolled and took cover behind one of the pews. She surveyed the battlefield.

Near her, Black Widow appeared to be worse for wear (but her outfit was markedly improved). Apparently, she had forgotten to take her bitch power pills. Alycia (apparently joined at the hip with Black Widow) was next to her fighting off Purifiers. There was definitely sexual tension with those two. Ashley had definitely NOT been wrong about Alycia and her need to get past her issues with sex.

In a flash, Valkyrie had reached behind her, and pulled the Norse broadsword from its sheath on her back. She stepped onto the front of the pew and vaulted herself into the air. She hit the Purifier in mid-air crossways, pushing him away from Alycia as she plunged the sword with two hands through his sternum. Valkyrie stood and put a foot onto the body of the Purifier before her so she could pull her sword out of his dying body. His death glow was strong, but it wasn’t Valhalla that he was going to, nor Freyja’s hall. She wiped the blade on his uniform before running forward, not looking back at Alycia.

She saw Oracle and Steel ahead of her, holding their own. Recall was holed up with one of the Six’s people. Where was Zach? She spotted him, half hidden firing a plasma cannon. And definitely injured and losing steam.

Valkyrie fought her way towards him. She planted her boot in the chest of a Purifier wearing a mask and a robe.

“That’s really not a good look outside of Venice. Or an orgy.”

Pushing them away with her foot, she swung her body around and made a clean slice at their neck, separating their head from their shoulders. Her sword found home easily in these low creatures, who knew more about being assholes than about fighting, their zeal only carrying them so far. Quickly she dropped down at Orion’s side.

He had been injured in the leg. She looked at it, then broke the arrow’s shaft off as close to his leg as she could.

“For gods’ sake do NOT pull that out.”

She ripped a strip off the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it around his leg above the wound, and pulled it tight before tying it off.

“You know, if you wanted to get me to take my shirt off, all you had to do was ask.”

She noticed how run-down he looked. He wasn’t going to be able to go on much longer like this. She's sighed. She knew what she had to do.

“Don’t say I never did nothing for you.”

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her into a long kiss, sending all her anger, adrenaline and passion from the battle into him, fuel to his empath’s flame.

 

[Mina Harker]

The West Side Door

Ashley was being the humongous whore she was by flirting with the one they called Orion instead of doing her job. This was so typical and why she NEVER would have agreed to join this fight if it had not been Oracle who had asked her. She was impossible to turn down. Mina did not “like” other women, as a rule – she found them petty and silly, too concerned with their appearance and showing off to men than using their intelligence. But Oracle was a unique person, and it was impossible to NOT like her.

And also there was value in this fight. This group posed a real danger – not so much to those like her, but to the weaker of the mutants, the children. And having mutants exposed and painted as a danger was good for no one. As a human, she cared deeply for the welfare of those who could not help themselves. But now, as a vampire, it was harder and harder to remember what this battle was about and more and more it was just about the blood.

Valkyrie was flashing her gun around. Mina could take it off of her in half a second. You would think that after 1200 years, a valkyrie could be more creative than a handgun. Guess not.

“See? If you shoot them in the face, the armor doesn’t do anything.”

Mina rolled her eyes and tried to focus on listening for Oracle’s cue.

“Nice of you to stop eating long enough to join in, Helen Keller. Damn, and I’m all out of silver bullets too.”

“I’m surprised you could detach yourself from a MAN long enough to show up. And silver bullets do NOT work on vampires. You would think someone as OLD as you would know that.”

She prepared to move.

“How long DO valkyries live, Ashley? Your face is really starting to show the wear and tear.”

Valkyrie gave her a fake smile and blew inside after Orion.

Mina knew the layout inside due to the flashes she had received when she’d touched the Purifiers. There were two hostages being held on the altar, and troops on the ground as well as in the air. The Six and Oracle’s team were engaging the Purifiers at multiple flash points within the main hall.

The altar was the target, and she knew hesitation would get her killed. But still…she stepped over the doorframe gingerly. Nothing. She felt her human self deep inside become enraged while her vampire self was exultant. These ridiculous beings did not know what they had done.

She did not make it far inside before she was swarmed. But that was exactly how she liked it. She leapt onto the closest Purifier, ripping his throat out with her teeth and spitting the bloody flesh to the floor. She spoke loudly as she fought.

“You foolish mortal filth!”

She backhanded the next soldier that challenged her.

“You, who claim to be God’s chosen!”

She pulled a winged Purifier down by its neck, forcing it to the floor and leaping onto its back.

“You DEFILE this holy place!”

She ripped one wing off the Purfier, then the other.

“You allow a child of the night like me FREE REIGN TO BUTCHER YOU ALL!”

Mina smashed the face of the now wingless Purifier again and again on the stone floor.

“How could GOD allow a creature of HELL to enter His holy sanctuary?”

Rising from the floor, she grabbed the hands of the Purifier now directly in front of her and forced them back towards his face.

“Your God has rejected your EVIL. He has renounced you!”

She pushes the Purifiers own thumbs back through his eye sockets, forcing him to blind himself. She held his hands there, making him feel the inside of his own skull.

“THIS DAY YOU WILL NOT BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN, BUT WITH ME IN HELL!”

 

[Matrix]

The Parthenon Front Lobby

Yep, Rich was eating people again. Not something he did in humanoid form...but as some of these other forms? Humans were freaking delicious. No wonder they always managed to get their asses ate in the wild. He spotted the TerraSave guy take the laptop from Ana-Leigh and bolt for the door. He was not unnoticed but he was untouched as the two Purifier guys who tried to train weapons on him were CRUNCHED, then GULPED DOWN.

The image had the desired effect. No way these idiots expected to meet a mythical beast who had lightning breath and am empty belly. A group froze as he switched the matrix in his insides and viola!! Rich spits acid at them while tail-whipping a group attempting to sneak up to his rear. Turning, he tore two of the Purifiers in half and CRUNCH!

Just delicious. And strange to him when he thought about it.

He took flight, making sure to watch and make sure that the ladies weren't hemmed in as he thinned the cowering herd...

 

[Mary Justice]

*horrified*: ”CAMERON!!”

:: Cameron would hear something different in the tone of her voice. He would hear HIS Cass. She began running towards the SIDE aisle in an effort to dodge anything and anyone. Her eyes never left the altar. She ran around the dilapidated pews, dodging people and things, right, left, and center. ::

Almost there!

:: She ran up the short few steps to the altar and without thinking, she grabbed the side of it and pushed off the floor with her feet, tucking her knees up at the same, and KICKED Sister Psycho in the chest, pushing her backwards from the altar. The momentum of Cass’ actions carried her with it and she fell to the ground with Mary. ::

UGNNN!!

<< Mary had no time to dodge as she was ASSAILED by this mutant creature! They fall down to the ground together, with Mary momentarily winded, coughing>>
The devil knows no bounds!

She quickly got her bearings and gave Mary a good punch to her face. ::

“So sorry for messing up your ritual. Oh, wait. No I’m not!”

:: Cass punched Mary in the face two times in a row. ::

NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER!

<< At that moment, Ruby was YANKED off of Cass, swung away from and KICKED across the floor by Sarah Smythe!>>

Sarah: Keep your filthy hands OFF of our Sister, you disgusting abomination!

<< Mary slowly stands to her feet, wiping blood away from her nose and mouth>>
....

::FLASH::

<< A point of view of the Nimrod component, now having GROWN and changed it's form. It's eyes begin to FLICKER...it's body is POWERING UP. All the MUTANT ACTIVITY in such close proximity is causing it's systems to come ONLINE!>>

Sarah, somehow this creature has gotten loose! SUBDUE her!

<< Sarah turns toward Ruby and brings forth a photon energy based battle staff that can change shapes. she lunges foward and attacks Ruby, slamming her knee into Ruby's face and swinging the lower end of the staff UP into Ruby's chin to send her flying backward>>


I will make sure this monster doesn't harm you anymore, Sister! Go with god!

<< Mary clutched her golden necklace. She had the VERY BASE desire to RETALIATE against Cass for that assault, but no...she must heed her calling! Besides, Sarah is a very capable hand-to-hand combatant and has been Mary's "right hand", SHE will take care of that insolent little girl!>>

<< Mary can't HELP but smile with a bit of satisfaction. of ALL those she'd personally reached out to, "SAVED", Sarah had prooven the most dedicated , and now she was going after Ruby with a vengeance>>

<< Mary returns to Cameron, KICKING HIM in as he lay before the Nimrod>>

She thought she could stand in the way of god's will!

Is that what YOU think?

<< Drawing her dagger once more>>


Your would-be saviors are not having such a good time NOW that they are in the house of the lord, are they?

<< energy begins to CRACKLE and SPARK around the nimrod's eyes and chest area>>

The time to DESTROY mutants is at hand!

Now that the Silver Swan has returned to the place where she killed my brothers and sisters....the time is at HAND!

<< Mary RAISES her dagger once more, with a look of wild anticipation over her face, preparing to plunge it DEEP into Cameron>>

 

[Ruby]

St. Patrick's Cathedral - Sanctuary

”NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER!”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s what they all—“

:: Before she could finish, Cass was jerked backwards by one of Mary’s acolytes. She yelped in protest. ::

”Keep your FILTHY hands OFF of our Sister, you disgusting abomination!”

Whatevs.

:: Mary told her psycho-in-training to subdue her. Cass laughed…even as she was attacked! As she was kneed by Sarah, as well being thrust backwards thanks to Sarah’s staff, Cass continued to laugh. ::

”I will make sure this monster doesn’t harm you anymore, Sister!

:: Cass was on her butt, her legs sprawled all over, her blue eyes watching the exchange carefully. As Cass was running up here, she noticed HUGE candle holders just behind the altar, up against the wall. Her fingers brushed against the base of one and she grinned. She jumped up, and GRABBED the candle holder behind her and held it like a club. ::

”Go with god!”

“Who is going to make sure I don’t harm YOU?!”

:: Cass swung the holder like a bat, connecting it to Sarah’s stomach! ::

“I don’t think your god is listening!”

:: She drew the holder back, carefully, and swung again, seemingly aiming for Sarah’s head! If Cass didn’t have a collar on, she’d make quick work of both Sarah and Mary with her power. But she was, in a way, powerless. Cass would have to be creative if she wanted to save Cameron’s life. She knew that the staff Smythe carried had some kind of energy in it, from when it had connected with her chin. Sarah ducked down when she saw the holder coming towards her head. ::

“Fooled ya!”

:: Before Smythe could do anything, Cass accidentally-on-purpose knocked over a TALL candle holder - her intended target - that was standing near them with two FLAMING candles, sending the BURNING candles and melting WAX onto Sarah’s back! ::

“Sometimes, I really AM that clumsy!”

:: She SMASHED her candle holder against Sarah’s back in a most brutal way! ::

NEXT!

:: She turned towards Mary…who was NOT watching the fight between Cass and Sarah. Obviously, she had complete faith that Sarah would have the upper hand. ::

“Dear, dear, Sister…your god would be so disappointed in you. I mean, you call this place a house of god, and yet…YOU brought, what did you call me? Oh, right; DEVIL’S SPAWN. You brought the devil’s SPAWN into the house of your god. I mean, really. What kind of follower would DO something like that? Tsk, tsk, tsk. A house of a god is supposed to be SACRED, and yet here you are, DESECRATING this place with ME and with CAMERON. Not only that, but you attracted others like US to this place as well.”

:: She swung the candle holder and hit Mary across the back of her shoulders. ::

“Also, it would seem that Sarah has a BURNING desire to get the hell out of here…”

 

[Harbinger]

We're almost there! Not another exposure to the Black Lotus Blossom! not....

:: The blasts were coming from all sides and with EVERY movement Xavier made! Harbinger was blown from his grasp and knocked unconscious, sliding down the aisle and now laying face down::


:: She didn't hear Sister Mary send the sentries to come CRUSH her and Xavier.::

:: But "salvation" came in the form of a tall, young looking man who came falling down from the CEILING barreling right for the "sentinels" It was a BRAVE, but FOOLISH move on his part!::

<<The sentries are only MOMENTARILY thrown off balance by the sudden collision with Andrew Murphy.>>

Gabriel: HYPERKINETIC AGGRESSIVE MUTANT IDENTIFIED! THREAT
LEVEL: MODERATE

Michael: CONTAIN AND TERMINATE!

<< The sentinels extend their arms and from their wrists, carbonadium tentacles come charging out, catching and TIGHTLY contstricting Andrew. He would not have the strength to bust loose from them, NOR could he gain the leverage to lift one of the sentinels off the floor>>

::Tachyon was the first of the two of them to awaken, He saw what was happening and attempted to deliver assistance to Andrew by dismantling the mech-suits before he went to help revive Alison::

Wake up love. You have work to do, a brother to save.

:: Alison felt the breeze and HEARD his voice. It had an odd resonance to it, due to his own unique nature. It was NOT comforting to her by any means but it did help rouse her back to consciousness::


:: He saw Andrew, who was now in the clutches of carbonadium tentancles that the sentinels had dispatched to capture him after they recovered from his initial assault::

Tachyon!?


:: She eyed Andrew. He was in trouble, but WHY was he even HERE!? He looked like a scrawny flat scan! But even as Tachyon had dismantled one of the machines, the OTHER one began to broadcast information::

Gabriel: :: The sentinel's gene scan responds once more::
HYPERKINETIC AGRESSIVE MUTANT IDENTIFIED! TELEKINETIC, MAGICK MANIPULTOR DETECTED. SUPERSONIC SPEEDSTER DETECTED. THREAT LEVEL: SEVERE! IMMEDIATE TERMINATION REQUIRED!

:: The man in their tentacles, He's a MUTANT! They had to help him.::

Tachyon, we don't have much time!

:: Spotting CASS physically fighting against one of the Purifiers on the altar and beyond THAT, she sees Mary Justice standing over Cameron with the NIMROD towering over them, Cass was doing quite well, having put the girl down and NOW confronting Mary herself! But it wasn't enough! There was a woman...MINA who was the closest to the altar from Oracle's group while the Six were at various points around the pews from the center aisle and to the left. Most of the purifiers and their "CHOIR" had been put down by now, but the worst was yet to come::::
It's ACTIVATING!

:: surveying the sanctuary with so many mutants present, so much activity...the NIMROD was coming online AHEAD of what Harbinger had "SEEN". This was the SECOND time that machine, which itself belonged FAR in the future, had reacted in a way that even Harbinger couldnt have detected.::

:: She looks over at Andrew. Just as Tachyon had managed to disengage the last piece holding the sentinels forms together, Harbinger extends her hand ::

ANDREW!

:: A "LOOK" into his immediate time threads showed her who he was and his reason for being here::

:: The man is quickly enveloped in a swirl of glowing blue/black orbs and TELEBLINKED from the tentacles back on solid ground next to Tachyon, but she didn't bother to stay and see if he was okay::

THERE'S NO TIME!

:: She begins running for the altar, toward Sister Mary Justice, her brother, and Nimrod::


CASS WATCH OUT!

 

[Seer]

<< Clandestine 's Hospital>>

<< Arsenal and Shadow Weaver, along with a few resourceful Clandestine operatives, have managed to finally beat back the waves of Purifiers. The ghost box portals have stopped opening!>>


<< As it becomes clear that no more are coming through, they all allow themselves to heave a sigh of relief, but still remain on alert. Sally Spectra survived the assault, and remained asleep, her vitals
stable.>>


<< But even as the immediate threat to them had passed, Michael and Karen knew that their friends/family in the Six were still facing the root of it all and that it was not truly over yet.>>

<< They stood together, each holding the other's hand, looking at Sally, they had "won" but the greater victory was still in the balance>>



-----------------------------------

<< The Parthenon>>
<< Terra Save was MOPPING UP the remaining Purifiers. Several were now in CUSTODY. They would be handed over to the NYPD, while Clandestine was ALREADY on the scene doing "CLEAN UP" and coordinating with Terra Save to make sure
THEY wouldn't be hampered in theier efforts to get Charope LLC and Dominique's information about Stryker & WilPharma's involvement to the proper authorities.>>

<< With THAT battle over, Ana-Leigh expressed strong desire to go to help Alycia. Richard didn't disagree, as he knew his queen was there and Rose was all too happy to go as well.>>
<<So as the young mutants drew close to Rose, she lifts her hands and envelopes them ALL in a large glowing white sphere of energy that TELEPORTS them to the Cathedral.>>

<< They arrive just in time to see the TRUE meaning of "HELL ON EARTH.">>
------------------------------------

<< Hallway leading to the sanctuary>>

<< MorningStar OBLITERATES the Predator X, and Isis' sand cloud form fills the hall they are in. Her voice can be heard in the air>>

Isis: I'll move ahead and keep the path CLEAR. Anybody or anything that dares to come out will be stripped down to their bones!


<< This would ensure they wasted no more time. So Isis surged forward with MorningStar following.>>

<< They arrive out into the sanctuary, via the south transept off the altar to the left and are now in with the others>>

------------------------------------

<< The Six and Oracle's team have managed to cut down just about ALL of their resistance! But the battle has been hard fought and some members of each team are a bit worn. But there is no rest for the weary.>>

<< They are spread out around the sanctuary, but they have a clear view of each other, AND the altar>>

<< Ruby succeeds in taking down Sarah Smythe and returns to attack Mary Justice, but even as her blow causes the nun to stumble forward, before Mary can return her attack, Ruby is BLASTED in the chest by two "EYE BEAMS" from NIMROD even as Harbinger warns her to take cover! The energy beams hit Ruby with the force of a photon blast and send HER FLYING out into some pews >>

NIMROD: NIMROD UNIT COMING ONLINE. REGISTERING MULTIPLE MUTANT SIGNATURES. MUTANTS ENGAGING IN HOSTILE ACTIONS AGAINST BASELINE HUMANS

<< 1 nimrod is ENOUGH. One that has been gathering data and using the very materials of the cathedral to rebuild itself to its now CURRENT size was WORSE. The Nimrod was now coming online and shooting from hunter mode to a level where it would
EVOLVE to a MASTER MOLD>>

<< It now had COMPLETE VIEWS AND STATS on EVERY active mutant in the cathedral>>
NIMROD: THREAT LEVEL: OMEGA!

<< It takes it's FIRST step forward as Harbinger scrambles up the steps of the altar>>


NIMROD: MUTANT IDENTIFIED: PROPHET. TELEPATH/TELEKINETIC. TERMINATE IMMEDIATELY!

<< The symbol on it's chest begins to glow and energy powers up. It FIRES upon Cameron!>>

 

[Harbinger]

:: Harbinger looks distraught as Ruby is blasted in her chest and sent FLYING. But she HAS to keep moving FORWARD! She tells herself that a member of the Six will go to Ruby's aid and that she MUST keep moving!::

NOT AGAIN!

:: She screams in her mind as she scrambles up the steps of the altar::

NIMROD:MUTANT IDENTIFIED: PROPHET. TELEPATH/TELEKINETIC. TERMINATE IMMEDIATELY!

<< The symbol on it's chest begins to glow and energy powers up. It FIRES upon Cameron!>>

NO!!!!

:: Harbinger runs right up between them, in front of Cameron and thrusts her hand out and upward toward the Nimrod. A rushing/chiming sound is heard as she DEFLECTS/TK's the BLAST BACK at the Nimrod::

:: The FEEDBACK is tremendous, but Harbinger has prooven that she can "move" a HIGH VOLUME before. But even as she TK's Nimrod's attack BACK to the robot, the ROBOT DEFLECTS IT with it's OWN shielding and sends the blast flying OUT toward OTHERS in the sanctuary, forcing them to scatter::

::FLASH!::

<< Mary Justice had been knocked with such force from behind that she stumbled forward and FELL from the altar. But in all the commotion that occurred after Ruby attacked her, she had been momentarily forgotten.>>

<< Even though the nun has blood on her face from Ruby's assault from earlier, she shows no sign of being faint of heart right now.Shaken but FAR from beaten and FAR from afraid, in fact, she was EMBOLDENED by what she saw as DIVINE INTERVENTION!>>

<< Taking proper advantage of this opportunity, she uses the noises and urgent threat of the Nimrod to cover her movements as she makes her way behind the Nimrod and watches with awe and DELIGHT!>>

MARY: Demons like YOU aren't FIT to live!

Nimrod: MUTANT: HARBINGER. HIGH LEVEL PRECOG/TELEKINETIC/MAGICK USER. TERMINATE!


<< The Nimrod lifts its hands , holding them forward, palms out, powering up for a deadly attack>>