Welcome to Gaia! ::

As the limo drove away, Eric would hear a collection of dark phrases echoing in his head, courtesy of Cassandra...

Disable the security... Don't you dare betray me little man... Your friends will die at your hands if you do... You think you've seen my death... Then why are you the one who's scared... haha my dear this really is just so amusing... BWAHAHA! my god your fear is just... delicious...

The limo pulled up in front of Trask Enterprises, the contracting company that had created the original Sentinels. Unfortunately for business, after the failure of the first Sentinel, the company had gone bankrupt, the factory equipped, but abandoned. However, Cassandra was not at all interested in those large, cumbersome machines that could be so easilly killed...

Machines, once silent, were now back at work. And slowly, within the rear wall of the factory, a shape began to take form. That of a Sentinel head... many many times larger than the head of the last Sentinel. However, this model was not meant to destroy. It was meant to create... create several dozen new breeds of Sentinel.

"The X-Men had little trouble with one sentinel..." she mused to herself. "Lets see them take on an army..."

OOC: This post has ramifications for pretty much EVERY member of the guild. Particularly the X-Men, who I plan on unleashing a world of hurt upon in the coming weeks. Jen, you’re here too, and same with you Cloud, as I think you’d enjoy what I hinted at the end here twisted Happy hunting ^_^

IC:



Pietro shook his head back and forth, rubbing his cheek and wondering why everyone thought he was drunk. “I WAS BEING HYPNOTIZED DAMNIT!” he shouted, though at this point no one seemed to care about him over the harem of Jedi milling about.

He walked over to Gen and muttered under his breath. “Hey, British-chick. Lets go out and rob something, I’m not in the mood for Star Wars Episode 2.5: The Galactic Bondage Fetish at the moment…”

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Cassandra oversaw the construction of her little army with a good amount of glee until she noticed a pull in the back of her mind. Like someone yanking on her hair… if she had any hair, that is.

I know not who this is but release your grip on this boy’s mind! You can leave quietly or I can purge you by force.

Cassandra had in fact never heard Charles Xavier’s voice, nor had she ever met him in person. Still, she knew exactly who had addressed her, and in fact, she wasn’t altogether surprised, if not a little disappointed that Eric’s little manipulation proved entirely pointless after all.

No I don’t believe I will leave on your account. Though you would do well to know that in a few days, it won’t matter anyway, dear Charles.

…Who…who is this? Shadow King, or is that you Emma, working on your own again. Of course both of them are smart enough not to engage my telepathy directly, so I’m forced to anticipate some new upstart who thinks she has more power than she really has…

With a thought, Cassandra and Charles found themselves upon the Astral Plane, a form of existence in which the mental was the physical and a stray angry thought could kill. It was here where Xavier was at his most dangerous. He appeared, glowing in a blue light, his “body” not only healed but the picture of perfection, as if a Superman in the mental realm. Cassandra, on the other hand, was more formless, her general shape revealing that she was female though any details were kept hidden from Xavier.

Oh my, Charles, addressing me as if I were an infant. As if I were something other than that dirty little secret you have so lewd and despicable that even you don’t know about it.

It’s most interesting that you’re able to hide your identity while you seem to know mine. And believe me, my secrets were resolved long ago, and I know for a fact I’ve never seen or met you. If you do have a problem with me, you’re welcome to challenge me, but let the boy go. He’s been traumatized enough.

Trauma? No, trauma is being tossed away like a piece of trash from the moment of your birth. Trauma is being forced to recreate yourself from nothing at the bottom of a sewer. Trauma is being witness to her murderer proclaiming himself as a pacifist, a man of PEACE!

Well believe me, my DEAR Charles, I know what trauma is, but you do not. So I will show you. And as your dream crumbles to the ground, as your children are murdered before your eyes, as everything you ever worked for is irrevocably tarnished beyond repair… you will know it. And then you will die at my hand, just as you tried to kill me with your own.

Kill you? You’re insane, but if you think I will simply stand idle while you threaten my students I’ll have you know --

Before Xavier could finish his thought, Cassandra’s form emanated a blast of telepathic energy faster than the man could have ever anticipated. Even more shocking, and horrifying, was the way the blast seemed to tear right through his shields, as though she knew exactly how to hit him. No telepath he’d ever faced had ever caught him off guard in such a way, and the resulting loss of concentration tore Xavier straight out of the Astral Plane, his wheelchair thrusting backward. Xavier pressed his hand to his forehead, sweaty, shocked, and for the first time since the conversation began, a little fearful.

“Eric… what on Earth have you released?” he asked, as both could hear a laughing in the back of their minds before Cassandra’s presence left them both.

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Avalanche crept through the vegetation on the outskirts of town, bored and looking for something to destroy. At that, he heard the buzz of his cell phone and picked it up.

“Pyro? Wow dude you sound pretty pissed… oh… oh I see. Well yeah I’d be pretty ******** mad too man. Where am I? Well I was just looking for some stuff to wreck myself, its pretty damn boring with everyone gone… well, sure I guess we could team up, but I’m not sure where we could…” Avalanche stammered as he suddenly noticed the factory over the hill. A single limo was parked outside, and there were sounds that at least some of the machines might be running. Still, it looked for the most part abandoned, and a prime target.

“Meet me over here man,” he said with a grin. “I’ve got the perfect target for your rage…”

Pietro rubbed his hands together with an evil grin. “Ok, I say to ease our consciences we could try robbing other thieves for a change. I hear around these parts there are two syndicates: The Assassins Guild and the Thieves Guild. Now, Assassins will probably be more fun, but judging by the names, the Thieves will give us a bigger haul. Its up to you ‘luv’”

A few small, somewhat awkward looking machines floated around Cassandra, buzzing like bumblebees with their tiny wings and jet packs giving them flight. They appeared almost like chickens, with a bucket-like Sentinel head and brandishing everything from handguns to pocketknives, whatever sort of weaponry was available. Rather than relying on built-in weapons systems, these Sentinels could create their own from whatever was around them. And they would soon be numerous enough to swarm.

She wretched control of Eric’s mind once more.

I am the mistake you made, the one who is fully aware that you couldn’t possibly remember or have meant to make that mistake, and who doesn’t care. The one who would have sought to destroy you no matter what, and who will take the most infinite pleasure in gutting your dream…

Dear brother…

With that minor revelation cast aside, she dropped Eric’s mind, and as a result sent him spiraling to the floor.

“He’s awake,” whispered Xavier to Henry as Eric awoke in the school infirmary. Hank McCoy, the Beast, had been watching the boy’s recovery as Xavier had been hard at work attempting to make sense of what he’d heard only an hour ago.

“Eric,” he said, his voice still quite puzzled. “That woman… ‘Cassandra Nova’ from the thoughts I’ve caught echoing inside you… claims that she is my sister. Which is most troubling because… I don’t have one. My mother died shortly after I was born, when I was only six. I had heard she couldn’t have children after my birth anyway, my birth nearly killed her.

Which has left me wondering just where she might be coming from. This ‘sibling’ business makes no sense, and yet… for some reason, a number of hospital records of my own birth are actually missing…”

Xavier stopped, realizing he was thinking aloud and probably confusing the hell out of Eric. “My apologies,” he said. “Its just that… your attacker represented a mind stronger than I’ve ever felt, and I thought I felt them all. Perhaps… you could help lead a small exposition over to the base you claim to have rescued the other children from?”

OOC: Remember, Cassandra wasted that base, so it should be in ruins when/if you decide to go.

Xavier chuckled softly. “My child, I assure you that my physical handicap can be more than compensated by my mental capabilities, and despite what you just saw, I sensed a weaker overall mind in Cassandra. She’s brutal, but I guarantee you we’ve faced worse threats and we can stop this one as well.”

Xavier closed his eyes, sending a message to each X-Man within a few miles.

X-Men, a rather dire situation has come up. Serpent, Jacen, Cyclops and Jean. Select a group of students you believe to be most capable and come back to the mansion. At nightfall we’re going on a trip…

He smiled, and just hoped that the delay wouldn’t be too costly, and that no one would happen to get in Cassandra’s way before that happened.

"Much better." Lindsey said quietly to herself as she stepped out of the steaming shower. Since her recent thing with Pestilence, she almost grew a little fond of anything putrid, but still thought a shower was the best way to wash away that weird sensation.

Its no way for an X-Men to act.

X-Men, a rather dire situation has come up. Serpent, Jacen, Cyclops and Jean. Select a group of students you believe to be most capable and come back to the mansion. At nightfall we’re going on a trip…

"But I just got out of the shower!" She moped and decided to try and find Vincent as soon as she got dressed.

Nicole was uninterested by the swam of machines coming towards her. She yawned slightly and continued walking towards the woman. All the while the woman's machines blowing up on a shield that was unseen.
"WHo are you and what are you doing in my Uncle's building?" Nicole asked the woman. "Building a little army are we?"
"What is it to you?" Cassandra hissed.
"Well, I could help . . ." Nicole played with her long strawberry ringlets of hair and smiled sweetly. "I find that I can be perswasive when I need to be." A pink mist escaped her lips as she talked and circled the Cassandra.
Cassandra frowned at the mist and felt it tug at her mind. Wanting her to do something against her will, she quickly disguarded it and glared at the girl. "Who are you?"
"A friend." Nicole smiled.