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Once the four had formed up, Loki gestured for them to follow him as he kept pace after the other freed prisoners. "Come, we need to retrieve your items of power. I presume that they are still soul-bound to you and thus cannot be removed far from your person?" If any of these fools have any inherent magic they could've summoned the items to them, but they don't. Which frankly is to the good in my mind. Such magic would've made them a little too dangerous to be useful.
Wrecker's eyes narrowed at that, wondering how 'Asmodeus' knew about things, but a loud noise outside the main prison block drew the attention of all present. Loki quickly moved in the direction of the sound, looking out through the gouge in the outer wall that his magic had made earlier. He scowled as he saw that some clearly superpowered individuals had arrived already, much earlier than he'd expected.
By their clothing, the newcomers looked like X-Men. And while they don't have any magic users with them now per say, they are known to be associates of Potter and his Custodes Mundi. I have no doubt that the instant they realize magic is being used here, they'll call either him or Strange for reinforcement.
Loki turned and hastily made his way back to the prison's interior, gesturing the Wrecking Crew towards the stairs. "Quickly! X-Men have arrived and fighting them now would serve us no purpose."
"Hey now!" Bulldozer ground out, his voice akin to gravel on stone. "Don't know who you are ugly, and don't really care, but you're selling us short if you think a band of newbies to the hero scene would be a match for us. We've thrown down with some real heavy hitters, like Thor! Even went a round or three with the Fantastic Four!"
"Hmph, of course. Your incarceration has left you quite out of the loop. Suffice to say that the X-Men are only a part of a much larger problem. One that we cannot handle, now move!" Loki barked.
Thunderball looked at the devil man thoughtfully, glanced out toward the cleaved wall, then raced towards the doorway, shouting, "Devil or whatever the hell, Asmodeus has gotten us this far guys, Let's just take his word for now and get out of here."
He was beaten there by Piledriver, who was already racing down the stairs, shouting over his shoulder, "Maybe y'all should've tried listenin' to the pigs gossip like I did. The whole world's changed while we rotted away in here. And I for one don't have any plans tah piss off somebody who can throw down with the Hulk or an alien who can mind control that fucker."
While the other three wondered what Piledriver was talking about, Thunderball still raced down the stairs on his heels, a more reluctant Bulldozer and Wrecker following soon after. Loki took one last look out toward the damaged wall before he raced after his new pawns.
He arrived at the "Hazardous Items" room just in time to witness Wrecker tear open a set of special lockers. Reaching inside, Loki could only grin wickedly as the crook pulled out his crews' items of power.
The effect was quite gratifying. The instant Wrecker grabbed his crowbar, he grew by at least two feet, and expanded across the shoulders by at least a whole foot. Once the supernatural growth finished, the man stood taller than Loki's glamor and was clearly far more powerfully built. His clothing had also changed, part of the magic imbued in the crowbar, into a purple and green outfit that stretched to always fit. Wrecker smiled, holding his crowbar in hand like a long lost friend. "Still think we can't take on these X-Men scrubs?"
"You might be able to put up a fight. But, by the time you would've been done with them, another team would've arrived, and that one would've no doubt come with several telekinetics and magic users," Loki explained coolly. "Fighting this hypothetical group is not something I wish to do. Now, if you have any brains, you would realize that discretion is the better part of glory and not wish to so quickly wager your newfound freedom on a losing bet."
Wrecker glared down at the devil man. but when he made to step forward anyway, Piledriver and Thunderball scrambled over and grabbed his arms. The two braced themselves in case they had to hold him back. "Come on man! Think! I know yer looking for some payback, I am too after two years in the hole, but now ain't the time. Let's just get outta here first. Then we'll listen to what this Asmodeus guy wants from us. After that, we'll get the lay of the land, figure things out. As much as I wanna get my pound of flesh, I wanna be free to enjoy it too," Piledriver said, reasoning as best he could.
Wrecker's scowl deepened, but ultimately he agreed when he realized Bulldozer wasn't going to back him up. Instead, the bastard was too busy reaching into the locker himself to grab up his own weapon, the massively armored helmet and shoulder pads that would make him a human battering ram. Thunderball was next, grabbing up a large wrecking ball, followed by Piledriver. All he had to do though was touch Wrecker's crowbar, and the original enhancement blazed through his body once more.
He and the others went through similar changes to Wrecker, Loki saw, as each of them grew a considerable degree as their clothing changed to match their regained abilities. Bulldozer became covered in orange material and now had riveted armor covering his forearms, chest and legs. Thunderball wore light green and yellow bodysuit. Piledriver, last but not least, now sported a white and red suit, while his hands had enlarged to at least twice their original size.
"Excellent. Now gather 'round. I will get us out of here." With that, Loki motioned for the four to grab onto him Loki began to speak in ancient Norse. "/Away, away, fly us hither from this place. Return me and my companions to a place of safety, to a dwelling where I laid my head./"
A moment later, all five disappeared from the prison just as the doors were slammed open by the tumbling body of one of the other escaped prisoners. Following the now unconscious escapee, Warpath charged in, Cyclops covering him. "Nightcrawler! Bounce around. See if you can find any guards that survived… and if they're willing to talk to us," the X-Men's field commander ordered, taking in the open doorway into a strange locker room, and the lack of anything within. "I think they're going to discover they're missing some prisoners."
Simultaneously, Loki and his four tagalongs appeared in the hotel suite that he'd rented several days back, a full two states away from Final Destination. After a brief mental check to see if any magical alarms had been tripped since he'd left, Loki allowed his glamour to fade as he slightly relaxed. Wordlessly, he moved over to a cushiony chair, gesturing for the four men to sit down wherever they wanted. "Gentlemen, I must say it is fascinating to see you again."
Almost as instantly as their transportation to the hotel suite, Wrecker's expression changed from dazed awe to clouded wrath.
"Loki!" Wrecker growled, shaking his crowbar in Loki's face. "You fucking bastard! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cave your skull in you backstabbing asshole!"
In response, Loki could only sigh. With the tip of a finger, the Asgardian pushed the enchanted crowbar out of his face, before replying. "Because I just pulled you all out of prison? A prison, if you recall, you were set to rot in until the day you died? Or how about because I am the one that gave you that nifty crowbar in the first place? Honestly, as far as I remember, we parted ways as amicably as possible. You and your crew had your own ambitions, and they no longer coincided with mine," Loki answered, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on the tea table in front of him .
The Asgardian was under no illusions as to the precariousness of his position though. Since he still needed to keep his presence as hidden from Potter as possible, his use of magic was still severely limited. And without his most powerful abilities, he knew Wrecker actually stood a chance at demolishing him in a fair fight.
Of course, why would ever fight fair, even when restrained?
"You set us up you fuck! You told us we were strong enough to take on Thor! That blond pretty boy handed us our heads!"
"I told you that you were strong enough, I never said you were intelligent enough. Why ever would someone ever wish to fight the Thunderer if they could help it? And even if they did, why choose to fight him on an even footing? He may be an oaf, but he's still one of Asgard's best warriors. I'm genuinely curious as to what you thought you would accomplish.
Wrecker growled, raising his crowbar to smash the arrogant prick's smug face in. He hesitated, however, when he realized none of his crew had moved to join him. Turning his head, seeing Bulldozer pick up the suite's desk phone and call for room service distracted him. Grunting, he waved a hand through the air in a clear 'what the fuck?' gesture. Unfazed, Bulldozer held up a menu, waggling it at him as he spoke into the receiver. "Yes, I'd like a large pizza; pepperoni, olives, with extra tomato sauce. Drop it off at room…"
Loki, ever help, supplied the room number, and Bulldozer went on to ask what kind of beers they had, while also adding whatever Thunderball and Piledriver asked for. Seeing Wrecker stare at his crew, stunned at their strange priorities, Loki chuckled quietly. "You let ego get the better of you in the past, Wrecker. Pray don't do so this time. There are far greater threats to men like you on Earth these days than just Thor, and killing me now would leave you bereft of a valuable ally against them."
"Huh, so that's why you need us in the first place, isn't it?" Thunderball stated more than asked, crossing his arms and staring at Loki coldly. "Even you can't deal with the superheroes out there now. So what's stopping us from just splitting now and going our own way?"
Loki had to tightly control the boisterous laugh that threatened to explode from his belly at the crook's attempt at gaining leverage in this… relationship of theirs. It was adorable.
"Other than the fact that Bulldozer just ordered food?" Loki quipped. The twitch of one of Thunderball's eyes was sweet. "Probably that I know the lay of the land right now, and you don't. No matter how good you think you are, there are many things you won't be able to learn just by looking them up on the Internet or watching the news."
"You mean the World Wide Web?" Piledriver asked. "That shit's still around?"
"…You could say that. It's grown quite a lot since you were all put away," Loki said, again gesturing Wrecker to sit. "So what will it be Wrecker? Will you try to go your own way, doubtlessly get in over your head, and be returned to Final Destination or worse… or will you listen to what I want from you?"
Wrecker scowled, and for a moment the hotel suite was heavy with the tension of the moment. Then, after snorting and shaking his head at the bullshit he found himself in, Wrecker moved over and roughly pushed Piledriver off of the sofa. Easing down on the piece of furniture, which squeaked in protest at his weight, he lazed out on it while staring across the table at Loki. "Fine then. Talk. Just remember that you're not the only one with power in this discussion Loki."
"I wouldn't dream of it," the Trickster God of Asgard answered, very easily hiding a smile within. Whatever Wrecker insinuated, or thought, or even might be planning in that little head of his, Loki knew he now had his catspaws. All that remained to be decided was for how long they would try to fight his line before he inevitably landed them.
OOOOOOO
"… And do you think there might be a connection between this breakout and the Church of Humanity that you were dealing with the other day, Scott?" Harry asked, frowning thoughtfully as he and Hela listened to the X-Men leader, along with Warpath, describe the prison breakout. While the two men spoke, the group continued their trip through the prison, led by Scott and a few of the surviving guards.
When Scott had requested he stop in, Harry had immediately reached out through diplomatic channels so that he and the X-men were given as much aid as the locals could give. The president calling you directly from the Oval Office had that effect on people. Unfortunately, most of the soldiers that had already been stationed at the prison had died fighting the breakout in all the fighting, the casualties even including the chief warden. To make matters worse, all internal systems, every computer and server alike, had also been destroyed. Whatever had caused the EMP that had been used to destroy the prison's ability to contact outside help had hit everything else too.
If Cerebro wasn't watching all of the various prisons across the continent for possible mutant activity, even the X-men wouldn't have been able to show up in time to help. We'd be dealing with several hundred escaped prisoners here instead of less than a dozen. Not to mention the massacre of the prison's staff.
Scott answered in the negative, saying that none of the prisoners who had attempted to escape were in any way connected to anti-mutant groups. "Admittedly, a few of them might join up with that kind of group now that they're out, but that's not the same thing as the breakout being staged by them. But to be safe, Professor X and his two aides are already on the lookout for any moves in that direction."
"The one prisoner who didn't try to escape, Adrian Toomes, the Vulture? He told us that the individual who attacked the prison appeared to look like a humanoid devil. Actually, he said the culprit looked almost exactly like Nightcrawler, except he was taller with red skin instead of blue and, in the old man's opinion, 'a rather droll trident,'" Warpath stated, trying to sound like a crotchety old man for a moment.
"Hmm.. Spymaster, make a note. I think that Mr. Toomes staying behind when he could've flown the coop with the rest of the escapees is a major point in his favor and a sign that he can be released early, so long as he agrees to a tracking device. Hell, we might have a job or two for him," Harry murmured, speaking into the communicator that was part of his crysis suit's neckline. Once his note was confirmed, he turned to address the nearest guard. "As to the actual being who did this, officer… I have to say that the various means of attack you described earlier all point to some sort of magic user. However, it can't be an actual devil."
"Feh, I ain't exactly a religious sort myself, sir, so that ain't surprisin' to me. I've seen far too much of what humans can do to each other to think that Hell could spit out something any worse. But why are you so certain?"
"Let's just say that a while ago myself and others took certain—and absolute—measures against 'lower' dimensional planar beings from being able to show up here on Earth," Harry answered, shaking his head, seeing no point in going into details on the massive ritual he and his fellow magic users had created and performed to accomplish that feat. And unless there's an interruption in the ritual's power, like the ley lines of Earth dying out or being blocked, there's no chance of any devil or demon crossing that barrier. And I'm certain that Lady Gaea would pass on any such concerns on that score. "Tell me more about the missing prisoners."
The guard nodded, although he didn't have much information besides their names, civilian and criminal alias both. That was enough for Sir Dennis though, who was also being kept in the loop on the developing situation. When the guard was finished with what little he knew, Spymaster chimed in and further explained to Harry and the two local officers about the prisoners.
"First, and perhaps the most troubling is the escapee Feral, born Maria Callasantos. She's a mutant with semi-feline features with a healing factor, claws, fangs, and so forth. She is a known killer, although if she hadn't killed two policemen while being apprehended and a security guard at her first incarceration site she might've been redeemable. The original charges against her were… two counts of murder; her stepfather after being abused, and then her mother after she attacked her for the first murder. Ah—oh. Never mind on the possibly redeemable option."
Harry made a get on with it noise, and Dennis went on. Possibly also the cause of death of both her siblings, one by suicide-baiting him, and the other by setting the house on fire with her unconscious inside. The circumstances of those two deaths are still being debated, and the others might have been called self-defense, but if she hadn't been from a state that outlawed the death penalty…"
"Cock. Next?"
"Fever Pitch, no other name on record. Mutant norganic flames pyromaniac who likes to burn people and animals to death.
grim Typhoid Mary Fisk. . Ex-wife of the Kingpin, renowned martial artist, sharpshooter, limited psionic powers, can lift things under ten pounds, and a pyrokinetic"
"Those two left together, Sir," the security guard announced. "We have them on camera running off together."
"Joy." Harry grit his teeth, shaking his head. "Next?"
"One member of the Serpent Squad, we've dealt with other ex-members of that group before but this one, Puff Adder was apparently being held here still due to terrorist activities."
"That's… a minor threat for him to be here…"
Understanding the question in Harry's voice Dennis supplied the answer quickly. "Apparently he was highly connected to several Middle Eastern terrorist groups, particularly in Afghanistan. He's being kept here and pumped for information occasionally."
"Ah. I will talk to the president and see if he has a preference for how to deal with him then," Harry murmured. "Go on."
"Guido Carosella, a mutant strongman the X-men have dealt with before. He was sent to Final Destination after being talked into attempting a break out at another prison by his cellmate, unfortunately. According to his records, he's not the type to go around murdering people, but certainly the sort to fall into bad company easily. Mutant power is kinetic absorption much like Sebastian Shaw, only he's far less experienced and his come with a visible component; his muscles visibly grow and distend with the amount of energy he takes in."
"I remember him," Cyclops nodded. "Yeah, Spymaster describes him pretty well, I think. Still, we should be able to handle him easily enough since Cerebro should be able to pick out his mutant power's signature given we dealt with him before. The rest worry me a lot more."
"Me too, but what about the group the guard called the Wrecking Crew? I've never heard of them before," Warpath stated.
At that, Sir Dennis spoke up once more, explaining all that was known about the crew of formerly small-time criminals turned magically-enhanced super villains. This turned out to be quite substantial thanks to the President's standing orders that the various intelligence apparatuses of the United States were to help Harry and his people find the former prisoners.
Spymaster went on to explain how the quartet had gone up against Thor at one point, had even fought the Hulk, and thrown down with the Fantastic Four in the past, more than a year before Harry had shown up. In the end it had been a rematch against the Hulk, who eventually separated the four from the Wrecker's Crowbar of Power long enough for them to lose their abilities, which had led to the crew to being incarcerated. Since, astonishingly enough, no one had died during their rampages and at the time Stephen Strange hadn't been known to give his magical perspective on cases such as theirs, imprisoning the crew in maximum security had seemed like a good idea at the time.
"Despite the lack of bodies in their wake, in comparison to the other prisoners these four are on a whole other level. Unless any locals unfortunate enough to cross their path bring in RPGs or tanks, they'll be plum out of luck. Regular arms don't harm them, at all, and they're all far stronger than baseline humans. They've each got magical offensive capabilities of various sorts as well," Dennis finished.
For a moment Harry was silent, taking it all in. He looked over at Hela, who had scowled, turning away from them all and staring out the initial hole in the outer wall. as she thought about her father. "Let's remove the worst case scenario first. What are the odds that all of these escapees left together with the… individual… who broke in?"
"Slim to none," Spymaster answered instantly, going through the list quickly pointing out that most were very much not the joining types, ending with the Wrecker. "Garthwaite's got a major chip on his shoulders and wouldn't be willing to work with many of the others. The flaming serial killer for certain would grate on the whole crew's nerves, and the Wrecker would probably take his head off in less than a day. He and the rest are criminals certainly, but even criminals have some code of contact."
"Good. In that case, let's assume that we will need to split our attention here. If you could step through to the Savage Land, Spymaster, and ask if Logan and Laura are available? I think we'll want those two on this along with Ghigau and her little coterie as fast as possible. Also ask Mystique and Morph to join them. We might discover a need for their ability to blend in when it comes to hunting this particular prey." When Dennis answered in the affirmative, Harry looked over at Hela, who was still lost in her own mind, and reached out to touch his lady's arm gently. "Hela?"
The raven-locked Asgardian Goddess of Death turned to him and behind her half-mask her stormy eyes betraying a level of emotional turmoil that was quite unlike her normal self-controlled mien. But after a moment more, she nodded, and Harry gestured for Scott and the local guard to join them as he led the way towards the prison's main building. "Let's see if we can find anything that can tell us where this 'Asmodeus' and the Wrecking Crew made their escape."
Forty minutes later, Ghigau, Logan in his full Wolverine garb, Laura, Garm, Fenrir, and Skadi were moving through the former prison. The Goddess of the Hunt and Dani were in charge at that moment, with Dani keeping one hand on Fenrir's flank at all times as the magically shrunken wolf prowled. The group sifted through the various scents, followed tracks, and uncovered other clues, all trying to determine where the missing prisoners had all gone. Once again, Dani's power of psychometry proved just as useful as the noses of her wolfish companions as they scouted out several disparate trails thanks to the phantasms she could call upon.
Meanwhile, Harry was on the phone with the president and the local governor. He helped to convince them to keep the news of the assault on Final Destination on the downlow for the time being. In return he gave a verbal agreement that he and his people would follow up on all the escaped prisoners, although he insisted that they not be required to return the escapees alive if the resultant confrontations became dire. He also agreed to speak with Reed Richards about aiding the federal government of the United States with building a better prison for those with superpowers in the future. The genius had refused to been involved in such things previously for some reason, but Harry knew that if he couldn't convince Reed to get involved, he still had access to several other people who could do the job.
Eventually he rejoined the others, finding the hunting party had gathered in the same room he and Hela had examined nearly an hour before. "Is there anything you can tell us about this 'Asmodeus'?"
The single quotation marks around the name read loud and clear in Harry's tone, and Hela snorted at her Seidr Man's antics. She stilled Fenrir for a moment before he could growl out something no doubt abrasive, she gestured to Skadi to speak up first. "The magical signature you found is definitely Asgardian as is the scent," Skadi announced. "Who in particular it could be, I cannot tell. It is not a scent I recognize."
"Nor I, but there is a certain power to it, a scent of snow that always accompanies an Asgardian, as well as a bit of burnt flesh," Garm answered. "As for the magical signature…"
Garm fell silent, looking at the growling Fenrir and the glare on his Mistress's face. "The magical signature is somewhat like on to my own, my Seidr Man. And I think we both know what that could mean, coupled with who gave the Wrecking Crew their powers originally. What little hope I had is now gone. You need not step around me as if you are walking on eggshells, I have made my peace with it."
"Loki is back then," Harry answered, a frown appearing on his own face to match that of his lady. "Do you or Fenrir have any idea what he could be after? Most of the time when he was active on Earth it was centered around one plot or another against Thor."
"So I should know what my father could think up in his changed state? With my own memories of the man resembling the consistency of that Swissed cheese rather than something concrete, how am I or my brother anything but the farthest from the most reliable?" Hela demanded archly, before sighing and reaching out to gently touch Harry's hand in silent apology for her sharp words and tone. "Forgive me, Harry, I am allowing my frustration and concern to boil over."
"Nothing to forgive love," Harry answered, shrugging his shoulders, taking her hand in his. "But you don't think he's still single-mindedly going after Thor?"
"Nay," Hela confirmed, shaking her head and giving Harry's hand a quick squeeze. "At the time it did make sense, his resentment against Thor, the rivalry with Thor, his warped desire to rule Asgard. But while I know next to nothing true about the man, Loki is no fool. He would realize quickly enough that Thor is no longer on Midgard as often as he once was, and he would further have taken the lay of the land as well. It would not take him any time at all to understand that he would be faced with insurmountable odd upon the moment he appeared to cause trouble. To add to that, why would he saddle himself with these four? They are strong, certainly, but against the might of Asgard or even the Custodes, they utterly pale in comparison."
Nodding thoughtfully, Harry resolved to look through the various recordings and information the CIA and the rest of the intelligence community had on Loki's activities before this. He'd also need to send a message to Odin and Thor through the Bifrost to get some first hand information. "I think we should work under the assumption that Loki is working on some long-term plan here, not just frivolous mayhem. What that plan is, or if it's even possible considering he might not be acting with all pertinent the information—like say about what the Asgardians have been up to and the current lack of homegrown enemies for them—we don't know. But we need to take this seriously."
He looked at the two wolves, amused at how uncomfortable Fenrir looked, above and beyond the fact they were talking about his father. It looks like he also doesn't take well to being shrunken down, unlike Garm. Still, Dani seems to have a decent control of him, or understanding or whatever. "Fenrir, Garm, do either of you think you can follow the magical signature somehow?"
"Nay," both wolves answered, a strange-to-hear harmony that Skadi expanded on quickly. "Teleportation magic is hard to trace even with our expanded senses, and with Loki going out of his way to make it harder, we will not be able to follow it at all. We can tell if he has used his magic in an area for certain, and if he tries to retreat in a physical manner, we would be able to hunt him. but so long as he teleports, we will be scant help in discovering Loki."
Harry nodded and once more looked over at Hela who shook her head. That didn't surprise him as much, as like Odin, Loki was a known practitioner of the seidr arts, one capable of using a myriad of spells of the Asgardian magical system.
What did surprise him, however, was when he then tried all the scrying spells he knew, only for all of them to fail in ascertaining Loki's location with his own various brands of magic a moment later. "Well shite. He's somehow concealed himself from magical divining, even from my kind of magic. That is both Impressive and annoying."
Understanding the underlying implication, Hela's scowled deepened. Much like anti-teleportation wards, most anti-scrying protections required one to know the sort of spell that was being blocked. Odin's wards around Asgard were an exception to this rule, but truly only worked thanks to the old god's ownership of the space as part of his role as the Asgardian Sky Father. Said role gave him certain deific-based control over any space recognized as belonging to Asgard, which included who could see it, those within it, and what those within could see. But for Loki to have the means to block all of Harry's attempts meant that the crafty bastard must have discerned some sort of fundamental, underlying rule all divination relied on, or bypassed his lack of knowledge in some other fashion. Either or both being true was a worrisome concept.
Shaking his head, Harry opened up his comms and gathered the people he'd ordered be brought in on the hunt. After sending Cyclops and Warpath back to the mansion for the moment, he asked the remaining guards to provide some unwashed laundry or other items that would have the scent of the escaped prisoners on them. Once these were provided to him, Harry looked out at the gathered folk. "Mystique, Wolverine, can you two work together on this? I know you have some past history, above and beyond the stuff in Bayville."
Both seemingly middle-aged mutants snorted and looked away from one another, Mystique answering when it was clear Logan was dead set on remaining silent. "Our history of being on opposite sides goes back far longer than the whole mutant question Potter. I do not think it wise to tempt fate."
Shrugging at that, Harry gestured for Mystique to join Ghigau instead. "Garm, Coyote, Mystique, you're Team One. I'll want you to track down Feral and Puff Adder. Mystique, you're in charge."
"What are the Rules of Engagement?" Mystique questioned immediately, one hand falling to the magic pouch she had been given as a member of the Custodes.
"I have spoken to the president, and in not so many words he made it clear to me that this prison is called the Final Destination for a reason. If you find that you can't capture the fugitives alive without endangering yourself or civilians, don't bother," Harry announced bluntly, getting nods of approval from all of the assembled, even Coyote, who had come in with Mystique and the others when he had run into Dennis in Camelot.
"Skadi, Fenrir and Ghigau, you're Team Two. I would like for you to first spend a little time here with Hela, see if you can find out whether or not Loki arrived by magic means as well. If he came in by mundane means, he might've left a trail back to where he was hiding out before the attack. If you don't find anything, I want the three of you to switch to the scents of Fever Pitch and Typhoid Mary," Harry ordered, knowing that Dani's empathic memory-based mutant powers would be a major help in following trails that would otherwise go cold.
Ghigau nodded, smirking internally at how Harry hadn't even bothered clarifying which of them was in charge, which was undoubtedly a good thing for her. "Permission to bring in the Valkyrie Brunhilde on this as well? I think she could be helpful, and she's been asking to be part of a real mission while she's staying with us.."
This brought a glare to Skadi's face, the Goddess of the Hunt recalling her no-doubt accurate suspicions as to why the more mature-seeming Valkyrie had been ordered to help train Dani Moonstar by Queen Freya. The fact that the warrior maiden had her duty so well over the past few months was fine, her semi-constant attempts to sedu—convince—Dani that she should pray to Freya was not.
"Fine by me. Wolverine; you, Laura and Morph are Team Three. Guido Carosella. Same rules apply to all of them folks. If you bring back live prisoners, great job. If it's dead bodies or even just heads, well that's just as good to me. And don't be afraid to reach out to any local police if you need to, the Americans asked us to help here," Harry ordered bluntly. "Since we can't seem to track Loki and the Wrecking Crew, let's focus on cleaning up the riffraff first. If you need backup, call it in. The X-Men and the Custodes Mundi will both be fully mobilized and ready to be called on at a moments' notice, so don't hesitate to ask for help if it turns out these other fugitives are somehow still in contact with Loki and have gotten power ups. Or even if they've just linked up with local organized crime or what-have-you. I want these hunts wrapped up as quickly and efficiently as possible. With everything else that's going on elsewhere, I don't think any of us want to find out what a Trickster God can get up to if left to his own devices for too long."
So divided into their three teams, the infiltration and tracking experts split off without another word. After parting ways with the prison's guards, Harry and Hela returned to Camelot, where the Asgardian Goddess of Death also split off, this time to inform the rest of the Custodes Mundi of what was going on and to rally the team to be on standby. At the same time, Cyclops would be doing much the same with the rest of the X-Men back in the States. Meanwhile, Harry headed back up to Babylon. There, he found Jean in their bedroom with Rachel and Sirius.
Since giving birth, Jean had spent every third day up in space, claiming that she could tell even without her telepathic powers that both of the babies enjoyed the experience. Harry wasn't quite certain about that, but since he knew that Jean enjoyed being in space, he wasn't about to call her on the habit. It was honestly harmless.
Crossing the distance between himself and his wife, Harry slid in behind Jean's spot in her seat and explained what was going on. As he spoke Jean nodded in understanding, realizing how troublesome this situation could prove in the future. Loki's new ability to hide his presence from Harry's various scrying type spells was not a good sign.
But before her husband could start spiraling into catastrophism, she calmed him down a bit by saying, "You've already assigned the best people we have to the job, Harry. Maybe calling in Stephen would've been good idea too, but I'm certain Scott will think of it if he hasn't already. Between him, Clea, and Wanda, there will be enough magic users on hand to deal with anything Loki gets up to before you and Hela can be called in. You don't have to be the one to hunt Loki down yourself, no matter how much Hela wants to. And you've got other things on your plate that only you can be doing."
"I suppose you're right, Jean," Harry answered with a sigh.
"And I also know that you've been putting off something else Harry, that Titan Transformation Array that you asked Odin's help with. Storm told me he sent it back to you." The redhead made a point of looking Harry up and down, allowing a faint smile to appear on her face as she held up Rachel so that she could see her father. "Does Daddy look any different to you Rae-Rae? I don't think so."
Rachel made happy baby gurgling noises, waving her little hands around for a moment, and Harry felt a subtle tug as his daughter subconsciously used her telekinetic powers to draw his hand up towards her face. He allowed the tugging to take hold and booped Rachel on the nose before letting her grab his finger with a happy coo. Sirius, finally unhappy that he wasn't getting the same attention, then made a noise, and Harry let his son play with his other hand. For a few moments, he lost himself in just spending time with the babies.
But after Rachel had decided to take a nap, and Sirius seemed to decide that he was done playing with his father's fingers and drift off as well, Harry and Jean became serious once more. "I am very nervous about the array. I'm not so concerned about how much pain it's going to put me through, that's a given, but what it will do to me afterward," Harry admitted. "Not so much on the physical level, but on the emotional."
"Then perhaps you should have someone else look it over for you? Someone who knows what they're doing?" Emma asked from the doorway, startling both Harry and Jean.
The pair turned in that direction, and Emma strode towards them, rolling her eyes at their surprised expressions. "Both of you were so blissed out on baby time that you didn't even notice me arriving. Between the two of you I'd be offended if it wasn't so pathetic." She mock-scowled at the babies the both of them were holding, but Harry and Jean could tell their wife and lover was simply putting on an act. Her emotions were far from being even slightly upset. "As to your reservations about the Titan Transformation Array, didn't Stephen and Clea help you start that project? Why don't you ask them for a second opinion? Surely the Sorcerer Supreme and… whatever title Clea's using now would know how to spot anything untoward?"
Snorting, Harry nodded, resolved to speak to the two preeminent magic users before he made a decision on the array. As Jean and Emma rekindled their playfully bickering on the issue of babies, and Sirius nuzzled further into his chest while mouthing at his shirt, Harry pulled out the array again. Flicking it up into the air in front of him and enlarging the parchment it had been drawn onto so he could examine it, a feeling of both interest and revulsion shot through him. Honestly I pray I never have to go down this road, but… but I get the feeling Loki's arrival after all of this calm is the heralding the next storm. I have too much to protect now, I refuse to be caught unawares or underequipped ever again.
OOOOOOO
Over the next few days, the hunters had far better luck than the magicals on tracking down their various targets. Loki and the Wrecking Crew had seemingly disappeared from the face of the Earth. No cameras, spy agencies or anything else had spotted the group of five through mundane means. On the magical front, none of Strange's, Clea's, or Harry's scrying spells were able to find any trace of the fivesome. Not even Hela's blood-based version of a Point Me spell, which used the Law of Familial Blood, could point her towards her father. Which was truly annoying, and worrying, as that kind of magical defense spoke of a level of preparation that hinted at a large, ongoing plan.
In contrast, only two of the other five fugitives survived past four days of ill-gotten freedom. Those two, Guido Carosella and Puff Adder, were identified by locals almost within a day of being on the run. Puff Adder was actually arrested after a foiled bank robbery before the pursuing members of the Custodes even got near him. His mutant power gave him the same strength and durability that Nightcrawler had, but that wasn't enough on its own to stop a SWAT team armed with tear gas and Cold Steel advanced weapons. The rest of the gang he'd joined in order to earn enough money to recreate his snake-based skinsuit, were not anywhere near as competent as he had thought. The police were able to run them to ground easily, and after that, the former prisoner was taken into custody quickly, if not easily.
Guido, on the other hand, surrendered himself to police after hearing he had been put under a 'dead or alive' order on the news. He had, apparently, only wanted to go to a few concerts anyway, and had thought his cellmate's words of encouragement and reassurance were authentic. He was, as always, a bit of an odd case, but no one could really bring themselves to care overmuch when he made their lives easier.
The other three were hunted down like the rabid dogs they had acted like to get them sent to Final Destination in the first place. The hunter teams did not bother with taking prisoners, and even Morph decided that the world would be a better place without these animals in it.
Returning to Camelot after hunting down the one called Feral in the Appalachian Mountains, Skadi smiled at Dani, bumping shoulders her as they walked into the entrance hall. "Well now, that was an interesting adventure fit for a skald's song! Is it always like this; a new hunt every day, soulless bastards slain, and a world explored? I must confess I am very much enjoying life on Midgard so far."
"Hah, you almost sound like Amora, when you say that. Are you going to go into the modeling business like the Enchantress too?" Dani teased, nudging back. "You have the looks for it for certain. People are always interested in the exotic, and you definitely fit that bill."
The Goddess of the Hunt blushed but rolled her eyes at the cheerful barb. "So, the day is yet still young. Shall we speak with Jarl Potter and his magical corps, or go find more adventure to be had?"
"More adventure, I would think. Reports can wait for now. Have you ever been white water rafting? I know this one place in the States, and um, we… w-we could go out for dinner afterward?" Dani asked, hesitating as she made the offer, her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest.
Skadi didn't notice her stutter, working over the term white water rafting in her head. "Hmmm. No, I cannot say I have ever heard of this manner of rafting. Though, if it done in water that is raging til it is frothing white, verily does it sound like a challenge to be sure!. although I would probably need to buy a swimming suit or whatever they are called. And I have no idea what kind would be appropriate."
"Oh! I, um, I can help with that too," Dani answered with a smile, trying and failing to hide a blush. As they passed him by, Garm, who'd been warming himself before a crackling fireplace, looked at her and the goddess of the hunt and let loose a loud snort, causing Dani to round on him, glaring the old wolf into silence.
"Females," Garm grumbled, shaking his head as he lay back down. All the same, he made very certain to keep his voice down as he did so.
Later that night, Kitty knocked on Dani's door before immediately opening it and entering, a teasing pout on her face. "Dani, girl! I heard you and Skadi went white water rafting today? Why didn't you think of inviting me, or the others, that sounds…"
Kitty's voice trailed off, and her pout quickly disappeared under a furious blush as she took in the sight she'd walked in on, that being Skadi and Dani making out furiously. The two were so lost in one another that neither noticed Kitty's entrance at all. The two were lying on Dani's bed, and the Cheyenne girl had pressed Skadi into the mattress with her slim form. Even with the room's low lighting, Kitty could easily tell both women were naked as the day they were born, the dark reddish hue of Dani's skin a sharp contrast to the snow-white of Skadi's. As she tried and failed to look away, Kitty could even see between their legs, which were slowly humping against one another.
"Eep! I, um, I'll er…" Kitty stammered, then turned, quickly escaping before either woman could take note of her presence. "I, I guess I'll tease Dani about her leaving the rest us out of her fun later. After she stops having more fun, I guess…"
OOOOOOO
Unfortunately for Harry and his people, while Dani and others had shifted back to enjoying their downtime, Loki and the Wrecking Crew prepared to start acting. The five had gone to ground for a time to throw off pursuit, but now, as the Eye-Binder's eyes ceased to open, indicating that the attempts to find them magically were petering out, Loki and his four tools were currently having an argument. Unfortunately for Loki's plans, there were still issues to be solved before they could truly begin.
"I'm sorry, how much time did you say constructing the twelve beacons would take?" Loki asked, stunned and frustrated.
"At least two weeks if I'm doing it myself with only you, Garth and the others as uneducated labor," Thunderball, a former scholar of gamma radiation, repeated, seemingly amused by Loki's tone as he used Wrecker's nickname. "The parts for these beacons of yours aren't easy to come by, like at all. For example, we're going to have to steal the Energy Pulse Scanners from NASA and the equivalents around the world or from various militaries. And that's hoping there are even as many as we need worldwide. The Gamma Adapters I know personally are extremely finicky to construct, and their materials expensive. A Hyalic Dispersal System isn't really supposed to be used for something like this, but after examining the primary beacon, I can see how it could work, sort of. Yet that still doesn't take away from how rare those fuckers are. Frankly, building our own from scratch would probably be easier than finding a place outside of NASA, its equivalents or Stark Industries that might one in storage. Might. And if we're going to do that, we'd need a laundry list of high-end tech, beginning with a—"
"Enough! Thank you, I get the idea," Loki muttered, for once cursing the fact that he didn't truly understand the technology behind the Chitauri beacons. Primary or secondary, how they worked was a mystery to him despite the fact that he had been trained on how to set them up. The fact that Thunderball, as a former professor in gamma radiation, did was something of a mixed blessing. "Still, it isn't the construction time that will be an issue is it? Merely gathering the absurdly rare parts?"
"Oh, it will be. We're looking at stealing some of the parts whatever we do, or building it ourselves, which will be time consuming. But on top of that, I've got no clue how long building these beacons will take. I've never built any similar devices before, not without access to a full engineering lab and a dozen aides," Thunderball admitted. "And that's not considering that all our heists will undoubtedly bring down on us the s overwhelming response we've been hoping to avoid."
"Which is why you need to spill, and tell us more about the Chitauri and what they're offering us to help them invade Earth, Loki," Garth demanded. The group of four super-powered villains had spent the majority of the last four days either gorging on food that wasn't cooked by the lowest bidder or getting up to speed on what had changed in the world since they had been imprisoned.
For each of them this meant something slightly different. Wrecker was most interested in what had been going on with Thor and the superhero scene in general, ultimately coming away with a real understanding of just what they would've had to face if they had tried to stay and fight the X-men. Piledriver had focused on the political side of things… for some reason… while Thunderball had done the same for the tech world. Both had come away awed, impressed by the opportunities available, and worried about their chances in this new world in equal measure.
Meanwhile, Bulldozer had slowly but surely learned how to use the Internet and looked up his longtime girlfriend from before he became a criminal. He'd ended up discovering that she'd had a child since they had last seen one another, one whose hair color and eyes was exactly like his own. To say he was interested in meeting his daughter was an understatement, but only after he'd made it big enough to move her and her mother to a third world country with no extradition treaties where the trio could then live like kings.
Thus Garth's attitude had mellowed considerably. He and the others had agreed that they were all willing to go along with Loki's plans… up to a certain point. But working with Loki to cause some mayhem and agreeing to help aliens invade the Earth was too very different things.
So when he spoke, Bulldozer put all four criminals' thoughts into words. "Yeah, we ain't gonna help ya screw over the rest of h humanity without some assurances as to what we'll be getting out of it."
"Right! Garth might be willin' ta fight Thor again and try ta get revenge for our past beat down, but show me the money baby!" Piledriver announced, with Thunderball voicing a firm agreement with that idea.
"Ah, well then my friends, what is it you all want?" Loki said, smiling internally. "Besides the monetary rewards and Thor's head on a platter of course."
"Tell us more about these aliens' plans for Earth first and then we'll tell you our price," Garth countered.
Still trying to hide a smile, Loki did just that, his words flowing out quite persuasively. As long as they allowed him to speak, he could always turn his words on the dimwitted four. The more they let him fill their ears with honey the less chance they'd ever have of even considering not agreeing. He would promise them the world and they would believe him. After all, Loki was a Trickster God, misdirection and loopholes were in his very nature. And if they are foolish enough to argue the point with Thanos or his lieutenants when the time comes, then more fools they be.
Assured that they would all be given high positions in the new alien-led world order as well as getting their revenge on Thor—something of a sticking point for Wrecker more than the others—the conversation then turned back to Thunderball's technical understanding of the parts they needed for the secondary beacons. After all, just one dimensional doorway would not do. To do their part in full, the Chitauri required multiple avenues of invasion. Otherwise, far too many of the Earth's superheroes would still be available to fight the second wave, the Skrull invasion fleet.
Thunderball worked on a list for several minutes, muttering to himself. "Alright, so… this is actually going to be even tougher than I thought. A lot of the circuitry we're going to need is now at a premium on the civilian market. If you could somehow magic up a fortune we might be able to buy the parts and build the necessary control systems, but that would take a while. I can build the Gamma Adapters too, but it'll take time and it's fiddly work. With access to computers and the Internet, it's possible though. The Energy Pulse scanners however, they rely on parts that aren't going to be found on the open market. And unless you let me take apart the primary beacon, I won't know how to build them or the Hyalic Dispersal Systems."
Loki and his pawns turned their attention to other pursuits for a time as leaving the ex-doctor to work things out. Soon Thunderball pulled out an atlas of the United States, then one of the world, muttering and marking down seemingly random locations. A city in France, dots in the states of Florida and Nevada were first. Then, after a few hours of research and discussion with Loki on the locations of various people in the gamma radiation field, various military bases China, Wakanda, and India were also marked out.
Hours later, a final was placed near the Canadian and US border and Thunderball sighed, finished. "Okay. These places are the only labs playing with energy-pulse transmission. We hit them first, then figure out where to lift the circuitry and other parts we need."
"We'll need ta spread out the heists," Piledriver announced suddenly, shaking his head. "We can't be obvious 'bout what we're lookin' ta steal, otherwise those Custodes bastards and this Potter fucker will figure out where to up the guard."
Everyone else there stared at him, then nodded, as that made sense despite coming from the one they all acknowledged as the least intelligent man in the room. "Hell, even stealing the tech junk alone will be dangerous. That ain't shit we've ever hit before, barring the heist that had Thunderball signing on," Wrecker grumbled. "We're gonna stand out no matter what."
"Hmmm… yes. Spreading out our thefts is a good idea. I think that we can definitely muddy the waters. Indeed, I know precisely how to do so on my end," Loki mused. "As for you all, stealing money and only occasionally going for other pricey items will help for a time. First, let me create a means for us to communicate, and teleportation-enchanted artifacts for us all. Verily, my friends, let us all take today and tomorrow to plan out everything we can about our various tasks. It is better to do this right rather than quickly and poorly."
OOOOOOO
Several days later, the Wrecking Crew announced their return to the scene as larger than life criminals in no uncertain terms.
"X-men, we have a situation. Xian and I have been using Cerebro to look for information on the Wrecking crew, and we just picked up police chatter indicating that Wrecker and Bulldozer are reportedly attacking Cape Canaveral," Charles Xavier's voice blasted through the minds of all active X-Men in the mansion, causing most of them to drop what they were doing and race to the ready room. "Their intentions are unknown, but as per Mr. Potter's instructions, we need to respond to this promptly."
"Right team, let's get going," Scott ordered. "We'll suit up on the way. Here are the team break downs."
Nightcrawler, Boom Boom, Iceman, and Angel immediately split off as soon as Scott listed their names. Of the second group of teens Charles had accepted into the institute, Bobby Drake and Warren Warrington were the two who were most combat ready. Boom Boom wasn't, but she had good instincts, and had seemingly begun to take the training more seriously. Which was the complete opposite of Jubilee, who Scott and Charles had essentially removed from the team entirely. Unlike Evan, who had officially given notice that he was retiring from the good fight, Jubilee simply refused to follow orders or work with any other potential teammates, firmly locked in her teenage rebellion phase.
They were joined by temporary member Wanda, who had been seconded to them through an agreement with Strange, and their newest official member Blink as she normally went by. Scott had welcomed her into the team soon after the expeditionary forces had returned to Earth with Charles's backing. While she hadn't had enough time to get nearly as good at hand to hand combat as Scott could have wanted, her powers were deadly enough, and her teamwork was excellent.
Of the expected combatants, the only two missing was Warpath. He was actually out of communication at present, out on an Apache reservation. He and Thunderbird both were there, giving speeches to impoverished Native American youths.
This left Scott, Rogue, and Charles in Cerebro's control room. Almost immediately, Charles bowed out, saying as he wheeled away that he would both call Stephen and contact Harry. In but a moment's time, the the two estranged lovers were alone.
Scott hesitated, unsure of how to proceed, then hesitantly asked, "Are… are you um… up to this? Do you think?" Since her return with her new, monstrous form, Rogue had been noticeably distant, and the young leader of the X-Men still wasn't certain where she stood on being out in public. Or our relationship, if I'm honest. I know I apologized for my initial reaction to her new looks, but I can still see the hurt I caused her if I look into her eyes, Scott thought, castigating himself once again for that unthinking reaction from back then.
"Ah suppose A'hm alright with being seen, sugah. Kinda lookin' forward to throwin' down with jailbirds who fought big ol' Thor on an even footin'," Rogue answered, her Southern twang coming out strongly, as she looked down at Cyclops.
When it was all said and done, the effects of absorbing Jörmungandr's vitality had changed Rogue's physical body on a seemingly permanent basis far more than doing so had when she'd absorbed the Juggernaut's powers. Her new height of eight and three quarters feet was eye-catching enough, but her skin having been replaced by scales sensitive enough to act like flesh while at the same time also able to perform like armor even sturdier than the Juggernaut's was startling in its incredibility. Rogue's fingers had also morphed into retractable claws, her mouth now full of small fangs. Her hips had expanded slightly more than would've been proportional to her old body type, her bust as well, although again, both enhanced features were now covered in scales. All in all the Southern belle now appeared like more of a dragonoid from fantasy tales rather than a rebellious goth.
"Ah suppose the main question is, do y'all want a monster bein' on the X-men tah be public knowledge?"
Scott sighed, and then reached forwards, grasping one of Rogue's large, clawed hands with his own. "Rogue, I—I can't apologize enough for how I reacted to your new looks. I know what I did hurt you, and I should have handled it better, all around. It, heh… it isn't the first time that could be said of me huh?"
Rogue snorted at that, recalling the numerous times Scott had screwed the pooch when Harry Potter had initially arrived at the school.
Seeing that he'd gotten a reaction, Scott went on. "So I know what the taste of my foot is like. But our relationship, you and me? It's still—I know we've been taking the 'feelings and shit' side of things as you call it a lot slower than Piotr and Amara, but that doesn't mean it's all not still very important to me. I… I don't want that one mistake of mine to be what breaks us up. Looking back, I realize I should've come to talk to you the moment you got back, but I—I made excuses, convinced myself you'd need space more than me bugging you. It was cowardly and stupid and a mistake and… and I'm sorry."
"Yer not wrong sugah, it hurt tah see yah look at me like that, and keep yer distance aftah. But Ah will admit Ah was sulkin' when I got back, even before. Hell, Ah wouldn'tah been in a listenin' mood if yah'd tried back then. Prolly would'ah punched yah through a wall 'er somethin'," Rogue answered, her voice slowly softening as she went on. "But Ah'll listen tah yer pretty words now handsome. I know in this form I ain't exactly pretty tah look at, and you'll have tah make it up tah me, but fer now, apology accepted."
"Honestly, if it wasn't for the lack of hair and your fangs, you would be kind of exotic, like a dragon-lady from fantasy minus the wings. Or maybe that one he called, what was it, an Echidna? An Echidna-human hybrid," Scott admitted, flushing a bit. "Er, I mean, I haven't seen everything yet—I mean—"
"Down sugah," Rogue muttered, thankful that the heat she felt in her cheeks was now hidden behind scales. She wordlessly watched Scott's visored eyes trailed down to her breasts, which were now larger than the man's head, then down to her hips, which were equally larger and more filled out than before. "Remember Ah can still break you in half without meaning tah."
"I'd wager we could get Harry to come up with a spell for that, among other issues along those lines," Scott smiled happily, a weight in his chest lightening as he saw Rogue's reaction to his gaze, a splash of red under the lime green scales covering her face, which he knew his lover probably thought was hidden from him.
Rolling her eyes, but grinning right back, Rogue pulled her hand out of Scott's and, feeling playful, lifted him up to tuck him under one arm like a sack of potatoes. "Come on, lover boy, now's not the time fer this. But keep playin' yer cards right, an' maybe we c'n talk about needing those spells another time."
Not thirty minutes later, all thoughts of joking and flirtation were gone from the pair as they and the rest of the X-men flew over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the them a lot of smoke and fire rose from several buildings within the base, and even from their height Bulldozer could be seen charging into, and through, a group of infantrymen. A heavy anti-air gun tilted down to point at him, but the empowered criminal just charged through it as well, tearing the gun and it's two operators to pieces.
"Nightcrawler, set the autopilot and start evacuating people," Cyclops ordered, leaving the cockpit after flipping the switch that openned the bay doors. "Blink, transportation and then join Nightcrawler. Angel, Scarlet, scout around the area, find Wrecker."
With that, Cyclops opened up full power, the kinetic energy beams blasting from his visored eyes into Bulldozer, hammering him from on high and driving him to his knees. "The rest of us, engage at will!"
"Yehaw!" Rogue shouted, leading the way down as Blink created a portal and popped down with Boom Boom. The explosive mutant instantly started to add to Bulldozer's problems, launching a series of plasma explosives at the large man. These smashed into him like so many mortars, but the villain seemingly shook off the attack as if it hadn't meant a thing. Snorting, Bulldozer pushed himself to his feet just in time for Rogue to smash into him like a green meteor.
As strong and durable as Bulldozer was with his magical empowerment, Rogue had absorbed the strength and vitality of Jörmungandr, a monster capable of overcoming even Thor, physically strongest of the Asgardians. He cried out in pain as her double-fist blow hammered him into the ground. But surprisingly he came back up, ramming his specially protected helmet into Rogue, who grunted in surprise as she found herself lifted off the ground and hurled away.
Bulldozer made to charge after her, certain in his invulnerability when charging forward. But Iceman had landed by then, aided by Blink. While Blink now turned her attention on evacuating the soldiers who were out of their depth here, Iceman covered the ground around Bulldozer. When he charged forward, Bulldozer instead lost his footing, tumbling into a slide towards his target. "Crap!"
"Yah, not a good look for ya there," Rogue remarked, before kicking out hard with one of her large clawed feet. The strike struck Bulldozer's shoulder sending him skidding across the ground with a cry of annoyance, although his shoulders were just as heavily armored as his head. His slide also seemed to be enough to activate the special enchantment on his Juggernaut-knockoff armor, causing him to take no real damage.
Coming to a halt in the side of a building set near the section of the base named the Trident, Bulldozer smashed back into the building, eliciting cries of shock from the people within. "Come and get me, muties!"
"Because ah course the guy who gets his powers from ah magical handout would be a bigot," Rogue grumbled, eyeing the building with scant favor.
"With me Liebchen," Nightcrawler ordered, bamfing into existence beside Blink. "Let us remove the rat from his hole."
Blink nodded and the two of them disappeared, Nightcrawler's teleportation taking them both into the building. The interior of the building was an utter mess, already showing the damage Bulldozer had done by smashing into and through it. Sizeable, and growing, cracks in the wall also indicated to the two teleporters that the villain was in the process of tearing out any support structures he could find, clearly intent on collapsing the building. "Remove the problem, then help the people," the more experienced Nightcrawler ordered, bamfing away from Blink once more.
A second later, Blink heard the sound of metal striking metal, along with a cry of "What the fuck?! What're your swords made out of you shitty fuck?!" from below.
Following the noise of combat coming from the floor beneath her, Blink apologized to a man whose office she soon found herself in. "Er, excuse us please, heroes coming through," she said bashfully before using a portal to remove a hole in the floor.
A moment later, she hurled one of her portal-javelins through the hole, aiming at the top of Bulldozer's head. The portal took Bulldozer, and deposited him outside. "Drat, I had hoped to take him apart."
"Don't mind Liebchen," Nightcrawler called up to her, a grim smile on his face. "My own powers couldn't pull off that helmet either."