Heaven and Hell in an Old Gray City

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

It has come down to the moment. Scores of mutants, mundanes, and power-mad people living in between them are scattered across the once grand ballroom of the hotel. A day of peace and reconciliation has been revealed to be a lie and the Exiles are caught up in the riptide of violence.

At least one man's sins are being revisited upon him from an unearthly stare.

"Tell us all about your sins in the world, Professor!" The woman is undeterred by the people Xavier has put in her way. "How does it feel?"

Comments

[rogue-starsr.livejournal.com]

As things settle, with the announcement, Sarah stills, recovering the shield, calling the hammer to her hand since she no longer needs the disguise, and turning to Wanda, though she remains wary.

[wanda-maximoff.livejournal.com]

Wanda draws herself to her full height as she looks at the party-crashers, careful not to look too closely at the burning motorcycle rider. "Who are you people and what did you hope to accomplish here?" she demands.

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"Sorry about your party, Princess, but we had to stop the wedding."

Raven lights a cigarette on the back of Ghost Rider's head. She looks around, surveying the carnage, then frowns at her fellow Exiles.

"I can't leave you people alone for an hour..."

[canadiansixpack.livejournal.com]

And now there's new movement, and a new voice to add to the mix.

"Hn. Looks like we got beat ta the punch."

[ms-tique.livejournal.com]

"Sheisse. I wanted to put a bullet in his brain." Heart pounding, nostrils flared at the scent of blood - the body craves action, but clearly, it's far too late.

Ramon surveys the carnage. There's no sign of Kurt, or the rest of the brotherhood. "I'm sorry, Tierchen. We may survive, but we won't be retiring on my income as a security contractor."

Xavier may be dead, but, from the looks of this, Lensherr may still kill the entire Brotherhood just to prove a point.

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

Raven's gold eyes widen at the sound of Ramon's voice. It had to happen eventually. She's been so many other people, but even with SHIELD's technology, she's never seen a true likeness of herself. Part of her wants to study the doppelganger, take notes, try to explain to Director Shaw what subtle elements his LMD's and holographic projectors are missing.

Instead, she offers it a cigarette.

[ms-tique.livejournal.com]

Ramon stares back, equally shocked. "Who are you?"

He's accounted for his son...and his daughter. It's unheard of for both powers and looks to carry wholesale between generations - and he's in enough control of himself he hasn't casually left any semen where it might come back to greet him in twenty years.

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

Raven shifts into her familiar Red Guard uniform. "I'm from an alternate universe. So is my granddaughter," she points at Crusader, "and the rest of our companions. Your world is in danger. We were sent here to save it."

She frowns at the blood welling from a dead man's eyes. "Someone tell me we're not responsible for that..."

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

The Ghost Rider, an unmoving statue for most of this time, finally responds.

"His sins were responsible. What he has done was the actions of a madman."

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"Oh, well that makes it all better."

Raven takes another long drag on her cigarette. Take one doomed kid out of his misery and people won't let it go, but hey, if it's all about sin, no problem. She exhales the smoke with a sigh. At least the guy is dead. All this hero worship of a telepath makes her skin crawl.

She turns to the Princess. It's still not clear what the woman's powers are, but it's obvious that here, she's no 'sape.

"In case you'd hoped to mop this up with some small, private cerimony, you should know now that there won't be a wedding."

[wanda-maximoff.livejournal.com]

There is the barest flicker of relief in her eyes, but none in her voice as she demands, "And why not? Where is my sister?" One hand begins to rise. "I suggest you begin your explanations now."

[canadiansixpack.livejournal.com]

Logan's attire is hardly appropos for the function; ripped violently in his earlier drawn-out fight with Xavier's pet cyborg, and covered in blood, muscle tissue and bone. His hand rises now, claws emerging once more.

"One move, darlin', and I shred ya like I shredded Xavier's mechanic. Ya ain't th' only one wantin' explanations."

The last is said with a pointed look at Raven's doppelganger.

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

She stares at him with open longing, then turns away and closes her eyes. Her cigarette butt falls to the floor and she lights another off Ghost Rider.

"We were warned against the union of your two houses. Honestly, if you were making eyes at Scott Summers over there, Princess, I'd shoot him in the face right now."

Actuallly, that'd be cathartic. Damn. She hates missing the action.

"We were sent here to ensure Lorna Lensherr and Alex Summers never marry. The consequences would've been a world none of you want to live in."

[spidey2099.livejournal.com]

"So ease up there, fuzzy," says a voice from the wall, perched there casually.

"Aside from whatever the shock just happened with the redneck biker there," and holy shock is that disturbing "nobody's here to start fights. What happened involves a lot of quantum physics, but all you need to do is take a deep breath, because your world is no longer about to end."

[ms-tique.livejournal.com]

"I'm here to start a fight."

Ramon stands possessivly close to Logan. He's not comfortable with the way this other version of himself looks at him.

"No. I'm here to finish one." He puts a possessive hand on Logan's shoulder, glancing sidelong at the strangers.

"If what you're saying is true, if there is such a thing as an alternate universe, where do you stay?" Because you're not staying here.

[uneasy-rider.livejournal.com]

"Not your concern." The voice is something from Hell, not the light backwoods Southern tones Roxanne generally speaks with.

[ms-tique.livejournal.com]

Ramon wishes he'd taken that cigarette. "Bullshit. She's looking at him like a little piece of home." He glares at his doppleganger.

[canadiansixpack.livejournal.com]

Wait, are they about to have a catfight over him?

Of all the damn times for that to happen (the number of times it's happened before having been counted on the fingers and claws of one hand)...

"I'd say it is our concern, Bonehead, considerin' th' mess ya just made here. Some two-bit political weddin' wasn't going ta be the end o' this place. What Xavier woulda gained from it sure as hell woulda been."

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"Fuck you. It's not me he wants." She stares at the carnage rather than look directly at this version of James. "And I'm tired of these near misses. Relax. He's yours."

[canadiansixpack.livejournal.com]

His dark gaze flicks between the two of them. "Plenty o' me ta go around, darlin'." The earlier confrontation aside, the shock's passed into bemused acceptance.

He may come to regret that comment, though. But after what they've been through, he'll say it was worth it.

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

Raven's eyes narrow...then she breaks out laughing.

[ms-tique.livejournal.com]

Ramon steps in front of Logan. He grows a couple inches in height, blocking Logan from the stranger's view.

[house-of-mystiq.livejournal.com]

"Oh, come on." Raven lays a hand on that familiar blue cheek. "Why let him have all the fun?"

[ms-tique.livejournal.com]

Ramon backs up a step, bumping into Logan.

[canadiansixpack.livejournal.com]

Backing up into him is like coming up against a brick wall of flesh and bone. He isn't going anywhere, though his hands settle briefly on his former wife's hips. He raises a craggy eyebrow at the other Raven.