[hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/FKJKRczH/the-gifted-591b350cc9ba7.png[/img][hr][youtube]https://youtu.be/nmGfV7r8lzM[/youtube][/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 - 8:50 PM[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr][hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/WpKJC0mt/image.png[/img][/center][hr][color=f7941d][b][i]Medical...[/i][/b][/color]

	Emma smiled, chuckling slightly at Anastasia's description of Jinx and Requiem - though she could hardly argue with her assessment. [color=E0F6FD]"They are fine - I believe just embarrassed, which is fine for our purposes,"[/color] she explained. Yes, she had been knocked out by those from the Mutant Underground too but Emma had wanted the entire situation to happen. She wanted the Mutant Underground riled up against Shaw, so that way they would come and eliminate him. Just handing them the incriminating information was not enough to get them to act - they had to believe that they had stolen it or been given it discretely. She doubted they would sign off on her and Reeva's dream of a new world order... the mutant homeland: Genosha. 

	[color=E0F6FD]"Tomorrow, you and the boys will need to collect a few mutants of interest for our purposes. The ideal target is to retrieve David Haller, though his sister should also do. They are being transferred to a new facility with higher security tomorrow by train... I do hope you enjoy a good train heist, darling. Of course, you will need to be careful. They are unstable - David in particular. You would most likely better know him as Legion, the son of Professor Xavier."[/color]

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

	Sometimes, it pays to have a little bit of a temper and a poor attention span. Quite understandably, the penthouse of the Hellfire Club was in disarray but Jinx would notice something odd. One of the tiles of the floor was sticking up at an unnatural angle and if he were to pry it open more, he would find a small box with the initials [i]K.S.[/i] engraved. It was a beautiful work of art, made from warm chestnut wood, though the insignia on it was horrifying: a swastika. Now, why would that have been here, hidden away beneath the floor? 

	As for Requiem, the janitorial staff and all will be up within a few minutes to begin working on repairs. Evidently they hadn't been informed by the kitchen staff about Jinx's temper or perhaps they would have insisted on waiting a few hours before beginning work. More importantly though, Requiem won't know where exactly Shaw would be but he would have a few ideas. The most likely option is that Shaw is out at dinner with some important figure, probably on his yacht in fact. He loves that boat like a child. 

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

	For a moment, everything seemed to be in control. Veil was proud of them - they had managed to work together without her, able to escape and get into a vehicle. Max even gave a good suggestion on how to handle the police, showing his ability to use his powers beyond violence. That was how she wanted the Mutant Underground to be - an organization that relied on cleverness over brutality. And then, she heard the most horrific sound in the world. There was a sudden screech and a loud [i]THUD[/i] as Max's ten foot long nail killed the driver of the cop car immediately behind them. The other cars swerved, the rubber of their tires burning but not all of them could stop in time. Two of the cars collided, one of them even flipping in the process and preventing the rest of the cops from pursuing them. 

	[color=935DB8]"...W-what have you done?"[/color] Veil whispered, her voice shaking slightly. She didn't even register Max vomiting on her legs, but even if she had, they had far bigger problems to deal with. Human-mutant tensions were approaching an all time high. This one mistake could be used to justify the slaughter of innocent mutants... to inspire more to join the Purifiers. 

	Of the surviving cops, one of them got on the radio and put out a simple transmission: [i]"10-53. Code 30! I repeat, code 30! Officers down!"[/i] All the way back at the Mutant Underground, Waverley would be able to clearly hear it and the chilling response that followed. 

	[i]"All available units, suspects are traveling in a black impala, license plate SL1963. You are authorized to use lethal force."[/i]

	Havok still was firmly unconscious, but at the very least Veil managed to cloak the car. Provided that they didn't skid and leave marks on the ground, they would be able to get back to the Mutant Underground without being followed within the next ten or so minutes. For good measure, Veil even put a protective force field around them all, just in case the cops started shooting at nothingness and hoped to get lucky. [hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/5yqyXQGW/image.png[/img][/center][hr][color=f7941d][b][i]Outside...[/i][/b][/color]

	Leighton would be able to have a moment to herself if she wished, yet Negasonic was plainly visible and if she focused for a moment, she would be able to hear her phone conversation as well. [color=E33B19]"Colossus' little sister, yeah, the dead one? She's alive. And she's here,"[/color] Negasonic said, kicking a rock slightly with her foot as she paced back and forth. Whoever she was talking to on the other end of the line seemed to be a bit longwinded, as it was a while before Negasonic talked again. [color=E33B19]"Wait, Yukio, you're sure? Jesus... I'll let chrome dome know. And the pills...?"[/color] She nodded a bit, stopping in her tracks for a moment as her face paled. [color=E33B19]"Okay. Be safe, babe. I love you."[/color] She then ended the call, her shoulders dropping slightly. 

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

	Vulcan started to giggle a bit, clearly suffering from some sort of serious head trauma. He didn't look like the giggling sort. [color=#fffb12]"Who's Shaw? Pfft..."[/color] he shook his head slightly, only for the entire world to start to spin rapidly so he stopped. [color=#fffb12]"That's like... That's like asking who Obama is!"[/color] 

	[color=D48FFF]"Yeah, he means Sebastian Shaw - the CEO of Shaw Industries,"[/color] Blink concurred. Sure, she lived down in the tunnels but they kept tabs on what happened in the world above them. She also had only become a Morlock within the last few months, previously working in the Mutant Underground in Atlanta. Before that, well... Blink didn't really like sharing that sort of information about her past with people. It was something she wanted to forget. 

	As Spark Plug's empathic abilities sank in, Vulcan's mood plummeted. The gleeful mutant soon was the perfect picture of despair, hardly able to hold up his head. [color=#fffb12]"I don't see why you're bothering with all of this..."[/color] he mumbled, sounding pitiful and pathetic. [color=#fffb12]"You're all just ants, trying to fight with a boot... Shaw's going to win regardless... I bet he's already taken care of those bitches in the Circle."[/color]

	The injured mutants (largely kids) on this floor were healed, though there were still some on the second floor. For the most part, they were just afraid and wanted to know what was going to happen - were they going to stay here? Would they be attacked again? Why would someone have wanted to do that to them? They didn't even know them, so how could they hate them so much as to send someone after them? A few of the especially little ones had even started to cry.  

	[color=DBA1DE]"Jackie! It's like you have no faith in me!"[/color] Casper complained. He didn't take his eyes away from his brother really though, hoping to figure out a way to get those pills from him. He kept looking at him in his peripheral vision as he scooped out his phone and saw all of the missed texts and calls from Jinx. [color=DBA1DE]"Aww, I feel so loved..."[/color] he said, sending back an eloquent response to Jinx. It was the pizza emoji. Nothing more, nothing less. 

	[i]"Really?"[/i] Ben asked, chuckling a little bit. 

	[color=DBA1DE]"What? I want to see how he'll respond,"[/color] Casper confided in his friend. 

	Colossus grimaced slightly as Jack informed him that it looked like his baby sister was a drug addict. She still hadn't woken up just yet. [color=B0B4B0]"She is blood - family,"[/color] Colossus informed the detective quietly. [color=B0B4B0]"I will help her, no matter what."[/color] There wasn't anything else to discuss about that really. Whatever his sister needed, Colossus would be there for her. He had been looking for her for so long that now that he had her back, the prospect of detoxing her seemed easy in comparison. 

	[color=#DAF7A6]"Easy for you to say, princess,"[/color] Sunshine muttered under her breath as Leighton chewed her out and then left the building. She knew that she wasn't an easy person to get along with. She just didn't care. Everyone important to her had been taken away and the person to show her kindness, to offer her a chance at a family again, had just been murdered in front of her eyes. Alone was what protected her, so if she drove people away, then maybe that was for the best. For now, all she needed was revenge on those who had taken everything away from her - the humans.