[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/FKJKRczH/the-gifted-591b350cc9ba7.png[/img][hr][img]https://i.postimg.cc/NLh6qHzb/89fd15c0a88db8037203224c3533652dbf660aa5-hq.gif[/img][/center][hr][hr][center][@Nallore][@FantasyChic][@BlueSky44][@Achronum][@Trainerblue192][@KazAlkemi][@Framing A Moose][/center][hr][center][h3][color=f7941d][b]Washington D.C.: September 9th, 2020 - 8:30 PM[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/WpKJC0mt/image.png[/img][/center][hr][color=f7941d][b][i]The Penthouse...[/i][/b][/color]

	Only Glimpse approached Veil and while Requiem was ready to shoot her, her enhanced speed allowed Britain's daughter to dodge the bullet. The bullet embedded itself harmlessly in the wall, while Glimpse managed to scoop up Veil and dash over towards the ice slide and down Sapphire's glacial contraption. Since Havok had been carried down by Sapphire and Max already left, the entire Mutant Underground had left the area. The morality manipulating wonder would slowly regain consciousness. 

	Emma Frost woke up as well, sadly too late to do anything about the invaders. However, rather than looking angry and hostile, she seemed almost... [i]pleased[/i]. [color=E0F6FD]"Requiem, Jinx, get someone in here to clean up this mess,"[/color] Emma ordered, as Glimpse's control over Jinx ended once she and Veil had gone down the ice slide. [color=E0F6FD]"Anastasia, darling, come with me. Oh and you two, once you've gotten someone to handle the mess, please see if you can figure out what those miscreants were looking for. Anastasia needs medical attention."[/color]

	The White Queen then moved towards the elevator, using her telekinesis to elevate her protégé and allow Anastasia to float across the room to her. Once the elevator came, Emma took Anastasia to medical and started looking through the vials of blood until she found one labeled [i]J. Howlett[/i]. 

[color=f7941d][b][i]The Sidewalk...[/i][/b][/color]

	Once down the ice slide, the Mutant Underground group will not be too far away from the car they took to get there. Someone must have called something in - probably the appearance of a massive ice slide and mutants going down it - as police sirens are coming closer rapidly. Even if they were to get into the car right now, it was going to be a bit of a high speed chase. They would also need to lose the cops and ensure that they didn't lead them back to the Mutant Underground Headquarters. 

	Of course, things are additionally complicated by the fact that both Havok and Veil are currently unconscious. If they could get Veil awake, at least she would be able to turn the group invisible and hide them from the cops. [hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/5yqyXQGW/image.png[/img][/center][hr][color=f7941d][b][i]The Attic...[/i][/b][/color]

	Negasonic glared at Leighton for a moment. [color=E33B19]"Didn't you say that you couldn't hold onto the pillars very long, princess?"[/color] she snapped. [color=E33B19]"Besides, it wasn't like anyone here was actually getting a more permanent solution in place, so I dealt with it. You're welcome."[/color] Given that she was a snarky teenager staring down someone wearing what looked like designer clothes, she saw Leighton as entitled. It also didn't help that Negasonic rarely played nice with others, something that Colossus was constantly berating her on. 

	Without fail, his scolding came about a second or so later. [color=B0B4B0]"Negasonic!"[/color] he snapped. [color=B0B4B0]"Pick battles carefully - and remember, act with kindness."[/color] He still hadn't let go of his baby sister and by some stroke of luck, Magik had yet to stir. Vulcan however was beginning to show the signs of coming back to consciousness. Hopefully, the knot work on the ropes restraining him would hold. 

	[color=E33B19]"Whatever..."[/color] Negasonic muttered, rolling her eyes at him. [color=E33B19]"I'll go check our perimeter or something,"[/color] she said, before noisily running down the staircase. If people glanced outside, they would see Negasonic emerge a few minutes later, muttering to herself and kicking at the ground as she walked. 

	Waverley would begin to hear a transmission coming through the airwaves: [i]10-80. Repeat, we have a 10-80 on Chestnut St. Requesting backup. Code 8. Once more, this is a 10-80 on Chestnut St.[/i]  Now, she could use her powers to jam the signal and keep it from going through, but she would need to act fast. Another thing that she could try would be to send a message [i]back[/i] to the officer, telling them to dismiss it, that it was just a demolition done by a construction company and it was already cleared. 

	Colossus looked at Moonwalker and gave him a nod. [color=B0B4B0]"Yes - please, after you,"[/color] he said, motioning towards the stairs. Blink had already gone down the stairs after Callie. Sunshine rubbed her eyes with her sleeve again, sniffling a bit as she glanced around the room. She wanted to get justice for Erg. She wanted to kill as many Purifiers as it took, until somehow, he'd be brought back to life. Sure, she knew that it didn't work that way... but she didn't care. 

	[color=#DAF7A6]"You mean take down the [i]Purifiers[/i],"[/color] she corrected Leighton. They were the ones who had killed Erg - she had seen them with their Sentinel. The young blonde then went down the stairs as well, seeing as everyone else was going that way. 	

[color=f7941d][b][i]The First Floor...[/i][/b][/color]

	Casper was incredibly relieved as James agreed to heal his brother, so much so that Casper gave him a kiss on the cheek. [color=DBA1DE]"My hero,"[/color] he said with a grin. He was also very happy to hear that he wouldn't have to call his father and ask for money to pay for his brother's care. Every time he had to call up to his father in New York, Casper got a little bit closer to wanting to eat a bullet. 

	Blink had her arms crossed as she reached the first floor with Spark Plug. [color=D48FFF]"So if it wasn't a coincidence, then the Hellfire Club is [i]working[/i] with the Purifiers then?"[/color] she asked. [color=D48FFF]"Is the Hellfire Club an anti-mutant hate group or something?"[/color] She hadn't ever heard of them before, but if they were some sort of rumored secret society, she could see them having the wealth and resources to supply the Purifiers with a sentinel. It also made sense for them to want to eliminate two of the biggest support groups for mutants in Washington D.C. - the Morlocks and the Mutant Underground. 

	Casper had pretty much shrugged off his brother's comments about feeling like a third wheel, more worried about what Blink had said. He knew about the Hellfire Club. They had been responsible for one of the biggest tragedies his father's friends had experienced - the Dark Phoenix. [color=DBA1DE]"The Hellfire Club isn't an anti-mutant hate group... They're rich and wealthy mutants who operate like the Illuminati, bent on taking over the world covertly..."[/color]

	[i]"Cassie, I know you don't want to but..."[/i]

	[color=DBA1DE]"No, I am not going to call my dad to talk to him about this, Ben! Since when does he care anyways?!"[/color] Casper snapped at his friend, giving Ben so fierce a stare that if looks could kill, Ben would have died a second time. 

	[i]"They nearly ended the world last time, right? They made Jean Grey go all nutso..."[/i]

	[color=DBA1DE]"Well there's no danger of that - no Phoenix Force here for them to use!"[/color]

	[i]"Like the Phoenix Force is the only powerful thing in the world! And think, Cassie, isn't it a bit weird for them to be attacking mutants? They're mutants. You said so yourself."[/i]

	Blink glanced at Jack, hoping that he would give some sort of translation as to what Casper was babbling on about. [color=D48FFF]"Okay, slow down... If that's true, then none of this makes any sense. The Morlocks, we're nonviolent. We don't do confrontation of any kind - just sorta mind our own business. So if this Hellfire Club is teaming up with the Purifiers, then... why the hell would they want us gone?"[/color]

	Sunshine then came out on the first floor, as did Colossus with Magik. [color=B0B4B0]"Stretch - is good to see you."[/color]