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In the hollow of our hand; HFC (reaction to invasion fleet)
Topic Started: Jul 28 2012, 10:04 AM (481 Views)
Max_Coleridge
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Darkforce Manipulation, Teleportation
May 20th

Since his return, he'd learned about entire cities, small at first, then this very morning the entire population of Brussels, over a million people, had inexplicably vanished.

Normally isolationists, the inner courts of Hellfire had been in constant contact for hours - Hellfire in Brussels had disappeared without a trace along with the rest of the city. "We all share the same concerns, Madam Mu," Max said to the bank of monitors. There was over a dozen branches of Hellfire, some influential, others less so, but all had two questions - what happened to Brussels, and who would be next? Max had another question circling his thoughts as he regarded the wall of worried faces, which were imposters and which, if any, were still genuine. They had purged New York Hellfire but he doubted all the others could claim the same.


"Sire!" a wide-eyed pawn blurted out but before he could be reprimanded, an image appeared on the wall of monitors. Max Coleridge could only stand and watch as strange, alien ships filled the sky over his city. Such spectacle. Would they lose this time?

Suddenly, the monitors went black, replaced by -


Then, the figure appeared, cloaked in shadows, only two brilliant glowing yellow eyes cutting through the doom, the shine revealing nothing except the sensation of the scaled and mottled green skin beneath those fiery orbs.

“People of Earth, your dominance is over. Your world is in our power now, we control every aspect of your existence. For thousands, millions of years we have lain dormant, out of sight, out of mind, out of phase, and you have been allowed to grow, as we intended on you growing at the dawn of history, when the first of us came. You were such fragile creatures, stupid, weak, lost, nothing more than a prey animal for the beasts of your primeval jungles and plains, and we gave you the gift of sentience, so that you may better serve us. The Bad Times came upon us though, and we were forced to abandon you, but we never forgot, we never forgot that this planet was ours, and you, dear little primates, you were meant to be ruled. Your Gods have returned to you, rejoice and bend your knees.

“Forgive us, if this time is difficult for you. Such transitions of power sometimes meet with fear and reluctance. Your heroes, these men and women of evolution, they will fight us, and in doing so endanger you all. This will hurt us, this will hurt me, your Queen. I love you, my children, and He, the One Who Made Us, He loves you.”

There was a pause and then the Queen said, quietly, “Your heroes have been scattered, weakened, trapped. Your friends and neighbors have already been replaced by my loyal warriors. We have demonstrated our strength by taking entire cities overnight, turning them into ghost towns. This is our might, this is our day. Accept your fate, and your destiny, dear children of Earth, you now and forever belong to Skrullos.”

She leaned forward, so that her blazing eyes filled the screen and she said, speaking in Skrull so that only those who were of the blood would understand her words. <“Children of Skrullos, heed your orders. Incapacitate all resistance, target leaders and those who offer high threats of resistance. There is no more need to preserve their lives. If they object, kill them, destroy them. This is the day that our ancestors prepared us for. He loves you, Children, and the might of Skrullos is with you!”>

Then, every screen, every phone signal, every line of communication by electrical, radio, or satellite went dead.



It was Forge who raised his hands to calm the din of panic. "We aren't going to respond, not yet," he promised. "When we strike, and believe me, we will, it'll be on our terms and at a time of our choosing."

Max nodded in agreement with the White King.






May 22rd - two days later

"Sire, the security measures have detected something unusual." With a few deft movements of his hands, the anomaly appeared on the main screen for all to see. "It's a signal that's suddenly piggybacked onto all other communication signals. It's like a command code but for organic computers - brains," the technician clarified. "The computer detected audio and visual subliminal cues."

"Cues to do what?" Max asked as he regarded graph waves of hills and valleys on the screen.

"Be compliant," the pawn replied simply.

"Interesting. But we're safe," he asked warily.

"Yes, sire. Our system is scrubbing the signals out before showing them and we're pumping white noise through the comm system as a secondary measure."

"The mind-control defense rings I created for the inner court members should also counter it's effects," Forge said absently over the monitor from his personal lab a few floors away. "It's a remarkable feat of engineering." The Maker had instantly translated the signal into a three dimensional model hologram, then used his hands to manipulate it with the fascination of a kid with a new toy. "Such a merging of artificial and organic technology would be remarkably difficult and require not only an engineering genius but a medical one too."

"It would also allow someone to win a war without firing a shot," Max said admiringly. "This technique may be useful after this war is over."

Forge nodded, catching his fellow king's line of thinking. "It always pays to think ahead."

"But we have a decision to make."

"Such as?"

Max looked over to Betsy, and secondly to the other inner court members assembled; it would be the kings and queen who made the final decision but Max didn't disregard the opinions and council of those under his command out of hand; from Bishop to Pawn, they could speak up, provided they had something worth saying.

"From my experience with them, the skrulls are arrogant and overconfident. They might assume that their signal would work on us, as it undoubtedly is on the rest of the world, which will give us one more advantage, that of surprise when our preparations are complete."

"Construction is nearly complete," confirmed Forge with a nod.

"The X-groups are a motley ragtag crew with Xavier's destroyed, I find it difficult to believe they haven't already been subjected to this mind controlling signal." He crossed his arms over his chest as his strategist's mind ran through the possibilities. "I doubt that Warren put such esoteric safety measures that we have into Worthington tower. This presents us with a choice: we can keep silent and retain our element of surprise or free them from their mind-control."

Then Max fell silent and let the others speak.
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Longshot
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Probability, Psychometry, Cloned Origin, Empathic Charisma
Longshot had been sitting on the ledge outside his room, high high up on the outside of a skyscraper, on a ledge just wide enough for him and him alone. If anyone looked to see the slender, black clad figure, casually propped in suicidal danger, a leg crooked, arms clasped loosely around it, blond head resting against the curve of ornamentation, blue eyes never leaving the ships that hovered in the sky, they might have called the police, in a panic. Someone could not accept their new rulers. Someone had given in to fear. Longshot had, of course, done no such thing, and so, anyone who did see him, found something to suddenly draw their attention elsewhere, luckily forgetting very soon that something was amiss. It had been two days, and Longshot had been on the ledge for that whole time, studying the ships that hovered above them.

They moved around the city, because some idiot in Mutant Town had taken one of the ships down, and that couldn't do. Longshot, at his perch, flipped around one of his blades, patiently, as he waited for two whole days, and stories changed as the ships ebbed and flowed around the tall tall buildings, speaking of a future, and echoing of a tale. As his King called him in, on that second day, to speak of important things, Longshot stood up on the ledge, stepping to the very very edge, so that his toes hung out into the air, and he leaped off, flinging the blade into the air with spot on accuracy, where it cut the sky into ribbons, and sank into the underbelly of one of the ships. It would cause a problem there eventually....

.... but not yet.

Twisting as he plummeted, Longshot's feet found a flagpole protruding from the side of the building, and as it bent beneath his slight weight, he turned as gracefully as a ballet dancer on his toes, and when it sprang upwards, he turned the ascent into a flip that landed him at his King's side. Drawing a three fingered hand over his tousled blond locks, Longshot said, as casually and even breathedly as if he had strolled in from a nap, "If we're going to tell the white hats about the signal, perhaps we should also mention that the ships share the sky with the helicarrier and neither fires upon the other. I would think that it was this complacency that overtakes SHIELD as well, but the signal started after the appearance of the ships, and still there was no action. I've been watching and waiting, and it's been a rather dull skyscape I've been seeing."
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Betsy Braddock
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“Longshot makes an excellent observation,” Betsy mused thoughtfully and moved to get a better look at the ships hovering in the sky. There was something almost obscene about the way they hung there, almost like an infection of what should have been. “The ships just loiter there as if they’re just docked for a waterside party and nothing was done about it. After Apocalypse, what country with the means to defend themselves would allow this to happen without one warning shot. I don’t like it, at all.”

Folding her arms, she glanced down thoughtfully for a moment, before she looked back up at Max with a serious expression on her face to deliver her verdict to the Black King. “We could go and free the X-men from the control they will be under – assuming they haven’t done something already themselves. Undoubtedly their numbers are severely diminished right now but they never lack surprises…but if we did free them, what then? Will we go to the next group and free them and on and on? Or do we use that time for our advantage?”

The thought of confrontation might be perceived as rash and the odds terribly against Hellfire, but Max had suffered greatly at the hands of these creatures and the memory of her family had been insulted. Hellfire’s resources stretched wide and so while in the past they had formed allegiances with others, there had been just as many times where they had fought alone and been just as strong for it. Whatever happened, there was no way in hell that they were going to take the situation while lying down.

The White Queen did not exactly cherish the idea of potentially denying assistance and allowing others to linger under such a corrupted influence, but they could work faster this way and her jaw set into a determined expression as she carried on. “Believe me, I am not against administering aid to those at the Complex or any other faction, but I do believe we should carry on retaining an element of surprise if at all possible...If only to ensure our success against these things and because we cannot waste the time this grants us…We’ll need that when the time comes. The skrulls might be arrogant bastards but we’re not without our own weaknesses, hence the benefit for any extra time we can utilize. Never hurts to be prepared. But as I said, if we are to help them then I am fully open to that idea.”

Betsy loathed the fact they were immune to psychic abilities, as it rendered her useless, at least as a mutant, against them. It meant that she had to fight by means other than what her genetics had gifted her. While fully capable of using firearms and even fighting hand to hand, it was not the same and felt like entering combat with someone else’s gun. It was never easy, but some things just had to be taken on the chin, good or bad.
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Jason Wyngarde
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When the message finally came, Jason had to admit he was far from surprised at what he was hearing. Still, there was a decided chill that settled into his spine as he listened to this Skrull Queen spell out certain unpleasantries in a dispassionate and matter –of-fact tone of voice that left little room for argument or disbelief. He was pretty good at picking up on inconsistencies and lies. Listening to her, he was pretty sure that she believed precisely what she was saying.

Two days after the announcement, Jason stood in a room where courtly colors no longer mattered. There was one thing that the Hellfire Club was infamously known for, and that was their ability to unite when outside forces threatened them. It had been that way with the Purifier attacks, and with numerous other abominable scenarios that endangered any of them. There was an unwritten code of sorts driving this loyalty. Without it the Hellfire Club meant far less as far as he was concerned.

As usual he initially listened more than he spoke; first to King Shroud and then to his faithful Knight Longshot. Jason paid close attention, glad to hear that they might have some sort of technological advantage, but disheartened to realize that he wasn’t sure it would be enough. They spoke of advantages and of generalities. When specifics turned to the X-Teams, Jason wondered if King Shroud might be writing them off too casually. But since he wasn’t convinced of their ultimate relevance in perspective, so he didn’t bother mentioning it.

It was Queen Betsy who spoke next, taking a bad idea to its logical conclusion as far as Jason was concerned. The best they could hope to gain from freeing individuals was the potential of allies. There certainly was strength in numbers, but there was also unnecessary risk involved. “Most likely they will see that move coming a mile away.” He frowned. There were potentially other motives for Betsy to want to rescue the X-Teams. That too was irrelevant. "Then again," he said distractedly as he mulled over Max's overarching question, "having them free of control could serve as a magnificent distraction should we require one."

It was non-committal he knew, but there was always so much to consider when coming up with a plan. They wouldn't be served well here by hasting into foolishness for the sake of doing something.

“As you know,” he interjected in the silence that ensued, “I have had one of these fascinating creatures under observation for some time.” He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his chair. “They are fascinating. For the sake of time I’ll spare you the unnecessary details…but let me just be clear on one point. They are tenacious to a fault. Prideful and arrogant, clever, witty and ruthless.” He smiled. “I must say I find him sort of a kindred spirit in some ways.”

The smile vanished.

“And I have translated the last part of the Queen’s message. It was directly to her children of course…and it might be safe to assume the content, but it could be advantageous to share it as well.” He eyed the Kings and Queen in the room somberly. “It was a message for them to eliminate all of the leaders and people in positions of power. While this certainly applies to any of us in the Inner Circle-it doubly goes for Kings.” He turned to Betsy. “And of course my Queen.”

To the Knights he turned a somber frown. “It goes without saying that this is a time for an extra dose of vigilance.” His gaze swept the room to everyone else. "From all of us."
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Moses Magnum
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He'd gathered along with the others, and was listening while diligently typing away on a hard light keyboard. He wasn't the official stenographer, but it was important to document all the information and questions brought up so they could be cross referenced if needed. A mind control signal on a global scale was almost incomprehensible; but it was there, influencing the entire populace while hidden amongs the broadcast stream. These Skrull were serious business. "It would also be safe to assume that their may be a hidden message, within the message. Whoever engineered this signal perfectly melded technology and organics to achieve this feat.

That signifies genius on a scale usually reserved for fiction; that would also signify that this person must have at least thought about the fact that some people would be immune. This is just a guess, but there's a chance that aside from complacency, those affected are more inclined to protect the Skrulls...to fight for them." He paused to let it sink in, and while it was just a hunch he had, he knew it was a high possibility because it was the sensible thing to do. "After all, if you can control the population, making them fight for you is no great feat." Typing a few quick commands, a video showed up on one of the larger screens; a video of the Hellicarrier showing no signs of activity aside from staying aloft in the sky.

"And speaking of the SHIELD situation, not only have they not directly engaged the Skrull ships. They haven't done anything. No observational craft, no scanners, no nothing. All these facts throw another wrinkle in our plans. The Skrulls hold sway over SHIELD somehow; and that means all of it's resources are at their beck and call." He finally looked over to Jason, his fellow Bishop from a once rival court. No longer though as they were now banded together as a united front against an enemy that would dare try and take the Earth for their own, when it rightfully belonged to them.

"Freeing potential allies from the signal's control will undoubtedly bolster our numbers, but like Mastermind says; there's a chance they will see that move coming...and if they don't, there's another question that complicates things. These Skrull infiltrated not only Hellfire, but it's inner court. They took the Black Queen. If they could worm their way into our home. Just what have they done to the X-Men? X-Factor? Any attempt at helping them puts us at risk, but it may be a necessary one."
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Tarot
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The past two days had been exceedingly difficult for the Hellfire Club as they attempted to counter any advantage the Skrulls might have held over them, and so far they were doing surprisingly well. Still, the comparatively diminutive group stood little chance against an entire fleet which spanned their planetary skies. Things were looking especially bleak to the young Frenchwoman. For years, Marie-Ange had relied on her God-given gift of prescient sight to assuage her doubts, to stifle her fears with the knowledge of what was to come. Whether or not the purported outcomes were negative mattered little because at the very least she could prepare for the consequences. Unfortunately, her abilities had been rendered impotent by some unknown means in thanks to the Skrulls' machinations.

She stood to the side, riffling through her cards for what must have been the hundredth time today in her frazzled mind. Every reading came to her fragmented, muddled by contradictory elements and ever-shifting pathways along the astral veil. The only constant within each divination was the promise of great change, Death’s skeletal countenance gazing past the glossy veneer of its card. Though she was deep in her tarot deck, Marie’s senses perked up as each member spoke their piece. When a break of silence presented itself, the young woman seized the opportunity to contribute her own reflections to the discussion.

“M’sieur Musa, there is no circumventing any form of risk no matter the path we take. Even as we sit here and discuss our plan of action, we are subject to any number of catastrophes. I hope it is not out of place for me to say, but I believe that the element of surprise holds little clout against their fleet. I do not know if it is a byproduct of the Skrulls’ psychic immunity or interference by the – what was it? – the techno-psionic wave they are broadcasting, but my precognitive abilities have been a bit off lately. What I can sense, though, is that we will need more than the Hellfire Club’s forces to succeed in our endeavors against these demons.”

Marie-Ange pocketed her cards and then stepped forward, arms lightly crossed.

"If we were able to purge our own forces of Skrull influence, would it not be possible to do the same for our potential allies?"
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Gambit(Matt)
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Kinetic Energy Manipulation, Empathic Charm
Remy shook his head as he crossed one arm on his chest to rest in the crook of the other, that one holding a tooth pick idly between his teeth and twisting it absentmindedly between fingers as he listened to the debate taking place between the two courts. Since the Skrulls had shown up in full force, one of his safe houses had been looted, including a small safe designed specifically by a friend of the guild. The thing was practically crack proof, the most sophisticated electronic locks backed by manual combinations. It required two proofs of identification and the knowledge of a seven digit combination to open. It would be safe for a while, but in his experience, he'd learned one invaluable fact – everything was crackable given enough time.

And that was worrying away at his mind.

Pushing those troublesome thoughts to the back however, he focused once again on the matter at hand – the fact that the Skrulls were broadcasting some sort of frequency that seemed to have an effect on the mind. Fortunately the Kings of the Club had the foresight to prevent against such measures, but it meant that they were the very few that could stand up against the might of the invaders... if SHIELD was any indication.

“Don't think we should get near anyone else,” he spoke up as soon as an opening could be found. He pointed at the ceiling with a finger while still holding the toothpick, “They got plenty of brute force... what we need is stealth. It's what worked gettin his highness out, and it'll work again.”

He shook his head once more, “Makin any sort of move that ain't directly aimed at the Skrulls is wastin that advantage we got, and that would be quite the shame.”

He imagined the full force of the X-Men and HFC hitting the Skrulls like a wave crashing against rocks. The Skrulls would be unmoved, and would perhaps deliver a blow that would shatter the group to pieces like that wave. Of course, Remy was biased... he preferred working in the shadows when all the enemies' backs were turned. Why take unnecessary risks?

“You want distractions, I imagine de White King's got somethin he can rig up for that while we sneak behind enemy lines.”
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Icarus
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Darkforce Wings, Vocal Manipulation
It was an eventful passing of days prior to the meeting in which the Pawn stood among the others that been allowed in the meeting where the seated ranks of the Inner Circle discussed what it was they should do about the recent actions of the Skrulls, or SHIELD's inactivity. What was greater interest to Icarus was the discussion of the X-men and the affiliated X factions. He still had a personal interest with those teams. The Court members seemed to negate each other with their opinions whether or not the X-Men should be helped, or the Club should simply avoid them and work behind the scenes to take down the Skrulls on their own with stealth. Both were viable options, but Jay knew which side of the argument he sided on.

"And if we fail with that stealth force, White Knight?" He spoke up. "With all due respect, I find myself agreeing with the Black Bishop. Assisting the X factions is a necessary risk, whether for a combined force, or at least making sure that there is an insurance policy in case of a failure on our part. Having one plan that is well thought and planned is good, being able to have several in case of the potential failure of one is better." Jay explained, attempting to use some of what he had learned under the tutelage of Xavier's school to the advantage of the court. He looked to his King with a slight bowing of his head, showing his obedience to the Shroud.

"But whatever your decision is, I will support it with my life."
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Max_Coleridge
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Darkforce Manipulation, Teleportation
"I think I may have been too hasty about the loss of our advantage," Max concluded as the beginnings of a plan began to come together. It was the challenge of it that had piqued his interest and sent his thoughts down that road. "There are two X-groups; the fractured half of the X-Men," he shook his head, "a lost cause. It would take too much effort to convince them, if that were even possible. And X-Factor." He turned his face toward Gambit even though his black glasses hid his eyes. "I'm sure everyone here remembers three years ago when Alex Summers, as War, killed millions and nearly destroyed this city, along with the rest of the eastern seaboard. Under the control of aliens willing to do anything to make our planet their own, the necessity of getting Havok out of their influence is worth the risk. And if he can't be turned," Max said meaningfully, "he'll need to be eliminated." He turned his head to Longshot but left the rest unsaid, Longshot would know. It had been years since he'd rescue the little clone from his bleak purposeless life, and in all that time, a little under half the clone's total life, though his knight had killed for him, they weren't assassinations, until now.

"The risk of freeing X-Factor is tipping our hand too early but I think there's a way around that. As Sun Tzu said, know how to turn your enemy's strengths into his weaknesses." Max regarded his bishop as he spoke; though many of inner court had rivalries, only Moses Magnum was familiar with commanding troops in wars, sometimes against superior firepower, and the need to be cunning. "The skrulls' strength is their immunity to mental and that will be their weakness."

"My darkness is physical and will work on everyone regardless. We'll go to the underground city they've setup as their home base and I'll flood it with darkness just as Mastermind places an illusion in their minds of everything as it should be. The real X-Factor won't see anything amiss and any skrull imposters among them will be blinded and easily spotted. We'll check the records to make sure that none of them have telepathic immunity, like the White Knight, but it's a rare ability, I doubt any of them will. If they've all been replaced, all the skrulls will have seen of us is darkness. While that is my signature, I'm not the only one capable of creating it."


"Myself, Longshot, White Queen, and Mastermind, only those essential; we aren't looking for a fight." Like most... or rather all things about the Black King, what he'd said wasn't the whole truth. Dealing with the threat that Alex Summers posed was true and an adequate enough reason, along with securing allies in the war that they'd suddenly found themselves in, but the real reason he'd picked them was Jonathon Harper and the karmic debt Max felt he owed him.

"As for your worry about wasting time freeing all the others, Besty, I don't intend to; X-Factor will see to their X-Men brethren, if they want them cured too."
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Longshot
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Probability, Psychometry, Cloned Origin, Empathic Charisma
Longshot looked at his king when the assassination order was given and a moment of rare but honest surprise passed across his pretty face. "To kill Alex Summers is no small thing, my King," the little clone said, "I have no doubt that I could do it, but even if he was again a horseman, again the fearsome War who burnt and scorched the earth until only battlelust and ash remained, to kill him would incur the wrath of his big brother and even worse, his sister-in-law, the real power in that family. I've survived her before, but you know how those X-Men are. 'We have to save everyone's sooooul,'" he dragged out the last word in melodramatic theatrics. "They don't seem to realize that sometimes, you have to cut out a wart sometimes lest it become a cancer."

Perching, casually on the corner of his king's desk, Longshot listened to the plan and smiled, "How very clever," he said, tapping his three fingers against the bandoleer he wore, "It's certainly faster than cutting each one and seeing what color they bleed, though not nearly as much fun."

Casting one last glance out the windows at the ships, broadcasting a signal that would turn friends and allies into devoted protectors of the skrull overlords, Longshot said, "We should be prepared to use force to break these mental chains. When I was Mojo's tool, before I broke, I would have defended him to the death if anyone dare threaten him, and I'm just one little toy, more than a handful, but certainly much less a threat than some of the hard hitters at X-Factor. If Havok does not boil away our flesh, or Polaris does not rip the iron from our blood, there is the Scarlet Witch who could simply turn us into toads and be done with it." He leaned his perfectly pointed chin on his imperfect fist and said, "There's the added complication of my brother. Honestly, I don't know how this wave will be affecting him. We are a people born to be programmed, but Mojo used far different means to accomplish it. He might be immune, or he might be ready to stop your heart with a lightning bolt in order to save the Skrull Queen."

Looking at his nails and wondering if he needed a manicure, Longshot shrugged and said, "Of course, I have two hearts so I'd probably survive, but I'd hate to have to retrain a new Inner Court. Most of you are finally where I can tolerate you."
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Jason Wyngarde
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There seemed to be a few points in the discussion of potential disagreement. Seeing both sides at once sometimes made decision-making that much more difficult. Jason could see the advantage of stealth as well as the advantage of having allies who were almost guaranteed to help out of an incurably altruistic goody-goody saint nature. As bothersome as that trait could be amongst the X-Men and other X-Teams, its sheer predictability was a tremendous boon for them. He honestly did not think it would come to having to eliminate Alex Summers. Somehow he doubted if that man would ever allow himself to be overcome again. He’d die first.

“Perhaps the benefit does outweigh the loss of stealth,” he commented with a thoughtful nod. “I believe the Black King has an excellent plan. Once we’ve determined that none of the X-Factor have inherent telepathic immunity, I can easily seize their perceptions and allow them to see in the dark so to speak. It will easily let us separate the wheat from the chaff.”

He lifted a finger to add another point, glancing over at Remy with one lifted brow. “And the White Knight makes an excellent point about distractions.” With deliberate slowness he unbuttoned the cuff on his left arm as he looked around the room. “With the realization that my powers were useless against these creatures I knew that I had to come up with something as an alternative. Distractions and misdirection are something that I truly know the value of.”

He rolled back his sleeve to reveal a black wristband with a backlit pad on the wrist not much bigger than a smart phone. “I have been working with King Forge in the weeks that we’ve had the Skrull in captivity. The hard-light holograms have worked marvelously on the poor creature, you see…and what I needed was a way to make them mobile.”

He tapped the screen and activated uncountable techno particles that swirled about in the air. Each of them worked in tandem with one another as mirrors and projectors to render three-dimensional illustration of the Skrull captive in the room. Burning yellow eyes looked around the room at the members of the Inner Circle, the murderous disdain more than evident.

Jason got up and stood right next to it. “Beautiful, isn’t it,” he said with clear admiration. “And more than that-“ he reached out and pushed the Skrull, the tiny projectors seamlessly compensating and the Skrull stumbling and falling to the floor in disgrace. A stream of incomprehensible Skrull curses followed suit. “-it interacts with us.”

He held up the wristband for all to see. “This will be the distraction we require, Remy. And I am reasonably experienced in trickery.” He smiled and tapped the control again. The Skrull disappeared, its vulgar language cutting short just as the cursing was getting heated.
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Betsy Braddock
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Telepathy (I'm not a bloody ninja)
Jason’s decoding of the message was, while grim, rather unsurprising. Someone always wanted at least one of them dead and these bloody Skrulls were evidently no different. “Thank you for your work so far, Bishop. Is our guest of any further use to you?” Betsy enquired after the green skinned imposter who had posed as Harada. Taking Hellfire’s own just would not do and if necessary, an example simply would be made of their guest.

Other members and pawns too gave their input (or asked questions) but ultimately it would boil down to what was decided between the ruling monarchs. Max waited for those gathered to have their say before he further explained his plan and Betsy could easily see the benefits to it, nodding her purple head in agreement.

“That is a very good point,” the telepath conceded; the X-men in New York were too few, too inexperienced from what she had seen on a visit to the Worthington Complex, but the team under the leadership of Alex Summers was something completely different. However, if the man could not be helped by them, then she understood how important Longshot’s preventative methods could be…If the potential of the Horseman could be unleashed once more, then even Summers himself would no doubt want himself stopped.

“Oh I can imagine they’ll want to go and assist the others…I can also imagine that will keep them nice and occupied as well,” raising an eyebrow, the WHITE Queen smiled, albeit grimly. “I concur; this is the most beneficial plan of action we can hope for, even if it does some to blows. We are not without firepower after all and with the Black Knight, well, anything is possible as we have learnt.”

The team to go down to the underground city was small, but then that was a prudent decision considering the circumstances and each member named was strategically chosen. Longshot’s summary of potential events was enough to make her smile again. “Tolerate, dear Knight? I feel very blessed,” her words were light and Betsy bowed her head to him, almost teasing, but with a layer of sincerity in her words and actions. The lithe little killer meant a lot to Psylocke and after everything he had done for her, she liked to imagine some of it at least, was returned.

“When do you want us to move out, Max?”

Watching the display brought up by the White Bishop, a knot formed in her stomach and watching with her jaw set in a displeased expression, Betsy felt that it could not be soon enough.
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