Logs:Poindexters

Poindexters
cn: violence
Dramatis Personae Akihiro, Carnage, Ion, Isra, Jax
In Absentia	2022-04-09 "SEND... MORE... COPS."
Location <NY> HAMMER Black Site - Long Island
This nondescript facility is far from just about everything in the pine barrens of northwestern Suffolk County. There isn't much to it, really, just a couple of beige prefab buildings, a garage connecting them, and a lot of empty ground between these and the tall razor wire-topped fence with the familiar "US GOV'T PROPERTY NO TRESPASSING" signs. This is on the north end of the facility -- here, just along the ridge of the woods, a series of generators sit behind those razor-wire fences... with several mobile transformers set up nearby. Another trailer is labeled as 'SUBSTATION 1' -- this is the backup power depot for the entire facility. The entire substation area has been carefully flattened, the ground layered with gravel. Beyond this end of the facility, a series of trailers extend out across the length of several football fields... with highly armed, uniformed men in military fatigues on patrol. They operate in teams of three, and are all armed with assault rifles. There's a small squad -- three men, rifles pointed to the ground -- standing just outside the substation trailer. One with his back against the wall, the other two nearby -- just talking. One of them removes a cigarette from his mouth (strictly against regulation) and flicks it to the ground, stomping it out with his heel. The gravel makes a skkrnkt underneath his steel-toed boot. Around the generators the constant background hum turns into white noise. Entirely forgettable in its constant undercurrent -- though made considerably more noticeable in its brief absence. There's a small stuttering as their activity is briefly interrupted. It ends in a crackle-pop, and suddenly a person where there was not a person previously. Emerging from the generator, Ion's eyes are bright, grin wide; a skittering of sparks dances along his arms. "Didn't want to interrupt your smoke break," he's saying cheerfully to the one stomping out his cigarette. The surge of power that follows is fierce and wild, an arcing of blue-white energy that jumps out from all the nearby power sources -- passing through the two men at conversation en route to Ion. The humming sputters again -- though this time it doesn't come back. High overhead, a winged shadow is growing larger as it descends, circling above Ion's entrance for just a moment. Isra cranes her neck around her passenger to survey the scene, then tucks her wings and dives toward the only guard not currently being electrocuted. Her swings mantle out, and before she's shed too much momentum she releases Akihiro on an arc toward the guard who had been leaning against the wall. As soon as she's unburdened she snaps her wings down once, twice, and back up into the air for a better view of other security teams. Once released Akihiro locks his attention onto the last guard, straightening out once he’s released. After a few seconds that feel like an eternity the armored man impacts feet first with the guard’s head, forcibly removing it from his neck and landing in a crumpled heap. Two guards instantly go down -- the scent of scorched ozone in their wake. Before their bodies even hit the floor, they're spasming in concert, wisps of smoke rising from their guns. The guard stubbing out the smoke snaps to attention as Ion emerges. He fumbles for his rifle, strapped to his shoulder, a series of curses escaping his lips -- right before -- THWNK. Akhiro's high-velocity hit strikes with enough force to feel it through the ground. The guard goes down with a very sharp, very violent 'crkkt' -- followed by a not inconsiderable amount of blood. From Isra's view, it's clear that the guards throughout the facility are moving. Alarms are off, cameras aren't operating -- and the power just got cut. There's some confusion about where they should go, though. Two or three teams are moving north, toward Ion and Akhiro... but the vast majority are heading south, where there seems to be some sort of... 'situation' at the south fence. Hard to make out, but whatever it is -- it doesn't look good. For the guards. Maybe fifteen yards ahead, three more guards -- emerging from behind a trailer to head to the south -- catch sight of Akhiro and Ion, one of them yelling and pointing at them. Near the south end of the camp, in one of the recreational trailers where Jackson is currently situated... the lights suddenly flicker and go out. A moment later, the trailer's backup battery kicks in, the lights coming back on. The soldier standing guard frowns, looks at Jackson, and says: "Stay here." He steps out of the trailer, closing the door. Immediately after, Jackson hears the guard screaming -- and gunfire. Ion's team can hear the distant pops. Ion grimaces as Akihiro makes contact with the guard, his grin twisting briefly in distaste. He pays no mind to the newly emerged team of guards, instead disappearing in short order. Another crackle, another sizzle of energy in the air and he's gone -- reappearing by the first of the trailers to short out its power as well. And then vanishing, on to the next -- and the next. Isra circles, re-gaining altitude as she wheels back around only to abruptly shed it as she stoops at the squad nearest to Ion's path of travel from behind, wings whipping wide as she nears the ground to effectively clothesline the ones near enough to fall victim. Akihiro pushes up to his feet once his legs have healed, twisting his back and stretching to make sure everything is in working order. Without wasting any more time he starts running to meet the incoming guards, rapidly closing the distance between them. In one fluid motion he draws his sword and opens the nearest soldier from their right hip to left shoulder before rounding on the rest of the team. Trailer after trailer finds even the batteries going out. Inside the trailers, mutants shift about in confusion -- a few rising to test the doors, finding them... unexpectedly open. In still other trailers, mutants find their powers suddenly inexplicably kicking back on. Shortly after Ion's crackling, teleporting figure appears next to one trailer, there's a resounding boom -- as the wall of one trailer ruptures open, revealing the grinning visage of the mutant inside. Isra's form swoops down to slam into another trio of soldiers, striking them with enough impact to send them rolling to the ground -- the force is enough that she can feel at least one of their shoulders cracking. Two aren't getting back up anytime soon; the other might be, but by the looks of it, it's going to take him a while... and one of his arms is hanging limp. He seems to be more interested in limping away than engaging, though. Akihiro's assault on the three closest to the north end catches them unaware -- one to the left manages to swing his rifle around in time to squeeze a few rounds off, but they miss him by a wide margin as he rushes forward, splitting one of the soldiers open in a flash of metal. The soldier that just fired stumbles to the ground in shock; his compatriot is backing off fast, swinging his rifle around to fire off a few more shots. Meanwhile, the radios are flooded with cries for reinforcements. Across one of the radios, a soldier bellows for backup, only to scream. A few moments later, Carnage's voice comes through the channel, doing his best Romero-style Zombie impression: "SEND... MORE... COPS." A brief fit of giggling, near-euphoric laughter -- and then the radio squelches. _ _ Mutants in prisoner uniforms are moving toward the north end, now, toward Ion. The majority of the soldiers are scattered, either incapacitated -- or running like hell. Just as Ion is finishing up with the last few power-dampening trailers (it's easy to tell which ones; the battery charges for those ones are much larger), the air near the center of the facility is filled with an unfamiliar electric charge... and there's suddenly a bright, burning burst of light. The light fades. Five figures appear at the center of the camp -- all within visual range of Isra, Ion, and Akihiro. They look like soldiers, but they're dressed... much less formally. One of them -- Blockbuster -- is nearly 7 feet tall, all muscle. Another is slim, bare-chested... 'Prism'. The third is a man with extensive lightning scars across his left face and skull, his entire body buzzing with electricity -- 'Poindexter'. The fourth... Well, the fourth doesn't really matter, because whoever teleported them here seems to have teleported her into a nearby trailer wall. "Fucking HELL, Vanisher!" Poindexter bellows at the fifth member, a bald-headed teleporter who's already vanishing a moment after bringing the team in. Poindexter then turns his gaze to Ion -- the air around him, around the vicinity, is growing super-charged with electromagnetic interference -- Ion can feel it building in the air. Poindexter's face splits into a wild, manic grin as he charges forward, fists clenched... arcs of lightning rippling across his body. "HEY FUCK-FACE, FUCKIN' REMEMBER ME?!" Blockbuster -- the 7 foot tall juggernaut -- just silently charges for Akihiro, each footstep hard enough to leave an impression in dirt. Prism turns his eyes toward Isra, presumably still in the sky... lifting his arms out toward her. A warm yellow glow pulses under the skin of his arms and chest, the pulses growing faster and faster -- accompanied with a rhythmic whum-whum-whum sound. It's speeding up. "Ey-o, friends, you ready to get the fuck out of here?" Ion is greeting the escapees exuberantly as they emerge. He's looking wilder still than before, writhing blue energy dancing like worms beneath the surface of his skin. He whirls on the sudden new source of electricity with a wide grin that doesn't fade when Poindexter charges at him. His brows lift, head cocking. "Shit, bro, who the fuck are you?" He's not making any move yet to get out of Poindexter's path -- but the lightning rippling across the other man is jumping out, skittering towards Ion where it gets sucked into his erratic charge. One of the trailers is opening up -- though its inhabitant isn't joining the rush and tumble of fleeing mutants. Jackson is readily recognizable, his prison uniform a brighter shade than the others, purple-blue-green ombre to complement his peacocky-hued hair. He's stopping in the doorway of his trailer, shoulder hitching up against the frame and a cup of coffee in one hand. Squints towards the sky. Peers at the chaos around them. His mouth twists slightly to the side. He takes a slow long drink of his coffee. The pulses within Prism are starting to grow weaker as he tries to charge up, the light inside him -- simply dissipating. Isra is clawing for altitude again, banking hard to get a good look at the newly arrived mercenaries. Her eyes narrow to slits when Prism points his...whatever he's point up at her, and picks a point directly above him to suddenly pull in her winds and shed altitude at a terrifying speed. When Prism's light dims she mantles her wings out just wide enough to turn her freefall into a tight spiral and slam into her target from the side, claws raking. With an ease that only comes from religious practice Akihiro slices two of the incoming bullets out of the air and twists his torso so the third and fourth slam into his plate carrier. Rushing forward he slashes down taking the guard’s hand off, simultaneously stepping in to grab ahold of their shirt with his off hand and fling them at the incoming Blockbuster. "-- fuckin' -- POINDEXTER, you piece of fuckin' --" Poindexter is not pleased with Ion's inability to remember him, nor his lack of apparent fear. The mutant prisoners around Ion are frightened enough, though; they're giving him a wide berth as Poindexter charges full-speed, bolts of blue-light arching between the two, power being pulled straight out of Poindexter's chest... although that power doesn't seem to be slowing down. If anything, it's building. "Just call me... WHITE FUCKIN' LIGHTNING--" he roars, right as he leaps into the air, swinging a fist for Ion's jaw -- lightning surging from his body, twisting out in wild, frantic arcs that snarl across the surrounding trailers... carving blackened scorch-marks across multiple surfaces. Prism, meanwhile, is grinning wildly -- the pulsing whum-whum-whum getting faster and faster, along with the pulsating light under his skin, both fists aimed at Isra... until it's suddenly... not. He blinks, shakes his fists as the whum-whum-whum splutters out... mouths 'what the fuck'... then manages to snap his head up just in time to see Isra rushing close into a spiral: "OHSHIT WAIT TIME OUT--" SKKKKRT -- all the air rushes out of him at once, as Isra's claws find purchase in meat and bone -- Meanwhile, as Akihiro strikes the firing guard's hand off -- removing it with a thin flash, followed by an arterial spray, and a scream -- Blockbuster is bearing down... only for the soldier, still screaming, to be hurled toward him. The soldier hits -- only for Blockbuster to barrel right through, shouldering the hit and launching the still-screaming soldier aside like a whirling frisbee. He's coming down on Akhiro with the force of a small, high-speed motorcycle -- aiming to slam into him with enough weight and force to make concrete splinter and buckle. _ _ Somewhere behind them, there's more gunfire, more screams, more cackling -- all on the south end of the compound. Multiple mutants are running straight toward the group, and Ion -- apparently, whatever nonsense is going on over here is way less scarier than whatever the fuck Carnage is up to. In fact, a number of soldiers (streaked in blood, their guns gone) have joined up with the mutants, just... running for the north end of the compound. Ion doesn't seem any more alarmed as Poindexter nears him. The lightning continues to get sucked into him and he just snorts, hands clapping together in a shower of sparks. "Yeah, you look like a fuckin' Poindexter. Why the hell -- " As Poindexter's fist swings toward him he very abruptly vanishes, a jolt of power passing through the other man. "-- should I --" In nearly the same moment he's on the other side of Poindexter, booted foot slamming toward the other man's knee. "-- know you?" The kick displaces him again, just to Poindexter's side to drive a charged fist toward the other man's jaw. When he next vanishes it's Jackson's trailer he reappears by. His brows lift, his smile bright once more. "Sunshine, you good? You comin' with us?" Jax takes another sip of his coffee. His eye is darting rapidly from screaming guards -- to fleeing mutants -- to surging lighning -- to Ion. Behind his cup his smile is warm. "I'on think I'll be checking out your way but it's sure good to see you, sugar." Here and there around the campus small shields are fluttering to life and then vanishing -- translucent and ephemeral they're hard to spot, small soap-bubble shimmers that pop into existence. Even if they're near impossible to see they're very easy to feel, solid barriers that spring to life just long enough to be obstructive -- here, between Akihiro and the charging Blockbuster, there in the path of some of the guards attempting to join the mutants in fleeing, over there in the path of the gunfire. Jax hesitates, lifting an arm toward Ion for a hug but then looking over the pulsing electricity wreathing the other man. He evidently thinks better of this, subsiding back against the doorframe. "Y'all stay safe, though, y'here? Get those folks home safe." Isra snarls at Prism as she tears her talons from his flesh, flinging him aside. She rights herself and sets about gathering the mutants they've come to free, taking to the air in short hops to lead the ones who might have run right past them and bat aside the odd guard trying to flee with them. She lands near Jax's trailer and fixes an inscrutable glance on its inhabitant. 'He coming?' she signs at Ion with bloodied hands, tail thrashing agitated. Using the flung guard as concealment Akihiro dashes around Blockbuster, sheathing his sword and pulling an egg from the pouch on his waist instead. Taking advantage of the shield appearing in front of the bigger man he scrambles up his back and slings the egg towards the bridge of his nose, looking to coat their eyes with sand, ground glass, and scotch bonnet seeds. Poindexter was not expecting teleportation. A series of flash-frames commences -- the electric jolt strikes through his chest, arching him back and forcing the air out of his lungs. The strike from behind crumples him, dropping him to a knee. The blow to the side of his face sends him reeling -- bolts of hot-white lightning licking across the unscarred side of his visage. More wisps of smoke raise up from it, hot orange lines glowing in fierce, geometric patterns. At least he'll come out of this with symmetrical scars, now. Jax's shields obstruct the retreating guards, who slam into them with a series of yelps -- leaving them to the tender mercies of Carnage. The crimson mutant is towering, taller than usual... striding forward, moon-yellow eyes glowing... a mouth full of jagged steak-knives. His fingertips are several feet in length, each a gleaming red dagger. Around his neck, dozens of dog-tags jingle, collected from the guards he's been disarming, terrifying, and 'lightly' mutilating. "S'all clear on my end!" he shouts, coming up toward Ion and Isra -- pausing to extend a fingertip out by several feet toward a retreating guard. It 'catches' him in the shoulder, pinning him to a trailer wall. Carnage approaches to seize yet another dog-tag to add to his collection. Prism hits the side of a trailer with a loud THWNK, then drops into a crumpled heap, clutching his blood-streaked side. He's not getting back up -- not any time soon, at least. Meanwhile, Blockbuster simultaneously slams into Jax's shield at full-force -- just as Akihiro manuevers around it and atop of him, smashing the egg into his face. He's immediately screaming, clutching at his face, stumbling back -- bloody streaks emerging from it. _ _ "...th'fuck are these guys?" Carnage asks, glancing up to Blockbuster. His voice is a shrill, angry hum. The guard he's snatched the dog-tag from whimpers; Carnage just tosses him aside. "They don't smell like mutants." His nostrils flare, his moon-yellow gaze briefly moving toward Jackson... for a moment, the crimson retracts -- Carnage's shape and frightful visage shrinks. Ion's expression crumples into a brief disappointment, but he nods at Jax. "You just say the word, you out of here like --" His fingers snap together, another dusting of sparks fluttering down with the gesture. "Nah," he's looking over to Isra, "not today. -- I don't know," directed now to Carnage, "I think they all Poindexters?" And then he's vanished again -- reappearing back at the north end of the compound to wave the escapees toward himself. "Ayyy, friends, this way, got a whole-ass bus for you." The shields are continuing to coalesce briefly and then vanish, segmenting the mutants away from the guards as the escapees flee. Jax just lifts his coffee in a salute to the Brothers, taking another sip, his grip white-knuckled on the cup.