[i][b]Undisclosed Location May 16, 2018 6:00pm EST[/b][/i] Over the past 42 hours, the American news cycle had stabilized after briefly being hijacked by the attack in Times Square. After airing several documentaries focused on the life of Flint Marko, aswell as speculation for what this latest outburst from the supervillain meant, pundits from all sides had resumed their normal day-to-day conduct of blaming eachother for socio-economic problems, possible electoral collusion from the long-dead terrorist cell HYDRA, and the latest perpetrated online fad of teenagers consuming laundry products. All, it seemed, was well and truly back to business as usual. The mysterious figure behind the attack couldn't help but feel content as he watched their unearned normality sweep through. Predictably, the world at large had assumed it was safe to go back to their normal lives, that this was simply an isolated incident a world of gods and monsters. It would make the next phase of this grand and intricately crafted plan much more devastating, particularly as it brought about a further interest in the affairs of superhumans - and away from anything seemingly amiss elsewhere. "Sir. All of our troops are in position, as requested.", a new assistant announced. "They simply await your order to strike." A hand went up from behind a stoic posture, gesturing an immediate readiness. [color=ed1c24]"You may resume your duties. The order has been given."[/color], he announced, confidently. [color=ed1c24]"All of the respective parties are proceeding according to plan. We have already entered Phase Two."[/color] Slowly, the tone of each news cycle began to change, as it became clear that things were [i]far[/i] from as stable as once thought... [hr] [B][I]Boston, Massachusetts[/I][/B] As the evening hours began to set in and civilian traffic had died down from the rush of the earlier quitting time for most, a sudden explosion rocked throughout the heart of the city. People on the streets immediately vacated their cars and turned their attention to the skies, as a gigantic ball of fire lit infront of the sunset. Most were confused, though some ran in terror, as another impact was almost immediately felt. Something was happening, and it was clear to most that this was an attack. Almost on instinct, the majority of people who remained began to reach for their cellphones to simultaneously dial 9-1-1. Boston wasn't New York, and so the idea of a superhuman attack wasn't as commonplace. They simply assumed this was the work of human terrorists. They were about to be proven very wrong. Appearing completely out of thin air, as if reality itself had buckled under it's momentum, a massive and very visibly damaged part of a crane came flying out towards the crowd. It hurtled so fast that none had the time nessescary to duck and cover, as all eyes transfixed on this anomaly despite the imminent danger to those in it's path. The ones who registered what was about to happen started screaming, while others gasped in unison, some already beginning to record the anomaly with their phones. And then, it... [i]stopped[/i]. Hovering in mid-air, the propulsion of the crane's debris had halted itself and was now floating high above the civilian level. For a moment, all seemed peaceful. But this peace would only last a few seconds. Turning on it's axis, the debris resumed it's propulsion to the left of it's current position and slammed into the side of a nearby post office with a thunderous crack, deafening most within the immediate vicinity. It was almost enough to cause no one to notice as a set of very unusually clad individuals began to appear in the middle of the street, surrounded by an evident battle that had been raging for several minutes unbeknownst to anyone. One was holding her hands outstretched and forward, in the direction of where the debris had appeared and stopped. Her hair was strikingly crimson, and her outfit indicated membership to a very elite group of individuals. [color=ed145b]"I... tried to hold it for as long as I could, Scott, but the projection's faded!"[/color], she cried out, clearly having been strained by the effort to conceal the chaos in the minds of everyone around them. [color=ed145b]"We're in the open! This can't be contained any further!"[/color] A man beside her, his eyes covered in a silver visor burning with red energy, fired another optic blast towards a smaller statured opponent that merely leaped out of it's way, landing on a partially destroyed vehicle. The opponent lashed out in retaliation with an elongated tongue, but was cut short by an intervening figure covered in blue fur, who tackled him from behind. The man in the visor placed his hand on the woman's shoulder. [color=00aeef]"Forget it, Jean. This wasn't going to end well, and we did the best we could to de-escalate the situation."[/color], Cyclops replied, his voice stern and direct. [color=00aeef]"X-Men! Take down as many of the Brotherhood as you can, and do it as quickly as possible! We don't have the luxury of stealth anymore!"[/color] [B][I]SNIKT![/I][/B] As if having been awaiting that command all day, the mutant known to most as The Wolverine unsheathed his adamantium claws, stepping forward in a defensive pose as a monolithic man stepped forward to meet him, his foot hitting the pavement with particular force. [color=fff200][b]"You freaks were the ones that started this, not us!"[/b][/color], the monstrosity called The Blob bellowed. [color=fff200][b]"Whatever happens here is on your heads! Remember that whenever we're smearing ya across the pavement!"[/b][/color] Flanked by fellow Brotherhood members Toad, Pyro, Avalanche, Juggernaut, Sabretooth, and Mystique, The Blob roared out as The Uncanny X-Men fell into position behind Wolverine. Present were Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, and Colossus, in addition to the black-and-yellow clad mutant that growled back. [color=f7941d]"Th' only thing that's gonna get smeared, Bub, is yer blood."[/color], Wolverine announced. [color=f7941d]"Just say th' word, Cyke. If we gotta beat these clowns again to find our man, let's get it over with."[/color] [color=8882be]"Und remember,"[/color], Nightcrawler added. [color=8882be]"Time is of ze essence."[/color] [color=00aeef]"X-Men..."[/color], Cyclops began, readying another optic blast as each individual member of his team prepared to utilize their own powerset. [color=00aeef][b]"ATTACK!"[/b][/color] Immediately, both groups charged eachother without hesitation, completely oblivious and seemingly uninterested in the resulting fallout that this clash between age-old rivals would bring about for the rest of Boston. As the chaos began on the streets, several Quinjets flew into the immediate skies above, bearing the unmistakable logo for SHIELD. [b][i]"ATTENTION, MUTANTS! THIS ENDS NOW!"[/i][/b], a voice over a loud intercom shouted. [b][i]"YOU ARE IN A CIVILIAN AREA! CEASE ACTIVITY AT ONCE AND SURRENDER! THIS WILL BE YOUR ONLY WARNING!"[/i][/b] WIth tensions mounting, it seemed as though no one would be leaving this particular battle unscathed, as the rival mutant factions below simply continued fighting and wreaking havoc in their path, despite being cast in a series of spotlights from above. News vans and local police began to arrive on the scene, escalating things even further. [center][h1][color=Red][b]CRISIS: BOSTON[/b][/color][/h1] [h1][color=Yellow][b]VILLAIN ATTACK: THE BROTHERHOOD OF MUTANTS[/b][/color][/h1] [h1][color=Blue][b]HERO ATTACK: THE X-MEN[/b][/color][/h1][/center] [color=Red][b]Threat Level:[/b][/color] 13 [color=Red][b]Minor Threats:[/b][/color][list] [*]Heavily armed SHIELD Quinjets, local police ordinance [*]Increasingly volatile ground, made worse by the presence of Avalanche[/list] [hr] [i][b]Kingston, Jamaica[/b][/i] As the emerging chaos in Boston began to take up the majority of everyone's attention, SHIELD had another problem on their hands that began to manifest itself. Across the city in the Caribbean island, several safehouses protecting both precious classified data and several weapons under research and development under local SHIELD authorities were inexplicably found to be under attack at the same time. The safehouses were bombarded with an armored van at each point, all housing a portable mini-gun operated by a masked armored militant carrying out orders. While SHIELD agents filed out and opened fire in defense of their respective base, they were quickly and brutally mowed down in a hail of heavy artillery. Only one agent remained, surveying the coordinated attack from a safe distance. The agent's name was Jimmy Woo, a high-ranking spy that reported directly to Nick Fury, on assignment for an unrelated matter entirely that would now have to wait. [color=39b54a]"CODE ELEVEN-THIRTY-THREE! I REPEAT, CODE ELEVEN-THIRTY-THREE!"[/color], Woo exclaimed, firing up his own personal Quinjet to take to the skies. [color=39b54a]"THIS IS WOO! HOSTILES ARE MOVING IN FAST! WE NEED ASSISTANCE IN KINGSTON! TAKING CASUALTIES... THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM!"[/color] Woo took the reigns of the Quinjet and set off to meet the attackers himself, buying just enough time for any available back-up to arrive. Though in earnest, the seasoned agent didn't see how this was going to end in any way other than the loss of the safehouses [center][h1][color=Red][b]CRISIS: THE CARIBBEAN[/b][/color][/h1][/center] [center][h1][color=Gray][b]VILLAIN ATTACK: UNKNOWN[/b][/color][/h1][/center] Threat Level: 6 [color=Red][b]Minor Threats:[/b][/color][list] [*]Highly advanced SHIELD weaponry put into the wrong hands [*]Rank-and-file militants ready to protect the main extraction van[/list]