2012-07-06 The Need Sequence - Pt. 2

Only twenty four hours out from the attack a dozen miles to the South in Gotham and New York City is hinged on a state of perpetual panic. This is a city that knows the intricacies of disaster, having itself been the victom only half a century ago when the Trade Center Towers were attacked by a Terrorist Organization.

Police have been put on alert, but there's no real indication that anything further will happen... It's natural tendency. Homeland Security tasked with the very real possibility that mutliple cities might well be under similiar threat.

11:00 Friday -Stark Enterprises.

After the Expo and the failed attempt on Senator Sometimes, a group of seemingly normal individuals collected outside Stark Enterprises. At first, the protestors remained peaceful. Carrying signs, chanting, and legally demonstrating.. But as the days wore on, their antics became progressively more pointed.

The mistreatment of the Mutant actually harmed in the Assassination attempt became a battle cry.. And with police now positioned in a defensive pattern, the pulse of the crowd has gotten almost volcanic.

Even more so sense the news of the attack only a night before in Gotham City.

Jean Grey asked a few other X-Men to accompany her into "The City" to keep an eye on the protest situation. Once it showed up on the news, it was rippling through the institute like some sort of crazy kinetic wave. Every student is talking about it, getting riled up, and more upset by the hour. Afraid that things may turn violent, the good Doctor Grey suggested the X-Men be on hand to intervene or calm the crowd if need be. So she's here with a couple of her nearest and dearest. She's wearing a pair of slacks and a blouse, because she is quite able to put on her Marvel Girl costume with a thought. "This doesn't look good," she notes to the others, across the street from the protestors.

Wonder Girl had been thinking about dropping by Stark Enterprizes for awhile now. The failed assassination had made her curious, and of course wouldn't Wonder Woman be proud if she went off and gathered intel all by herself? Well, maybe not, but its what she's telling herself anyway. She's been across the street, sitting on a bench with a now empty soda in hand, watching the protestors with growing unease for the last hour. "I'm starting to think this is going to be way less easy than I was planning." she mutters to herself, getting up to find a trash can.

"It doesn't sound good.." For as much as Kurt talks about 'equal treatment' and his belief that there is a greater good 'out there', something like this comes back to bite him in the tail. "Not helpful.." The fuzzy blue elf is also dressed down for the occasion; the less obvious, the better. "This sets my lectures back a good two weeks.."

"o/`I was working in the lab late one....err, morning, when my eyes beheld an eerir sight.o/`" Dr. Henry McCoy is on-site at Stark Enterprises, as usual his nose to the grindstone and ignoring the world around him. There's a case patched into the security camera just in case, running a hologram of him working on various projects. While the real Hank McCoy is busy working on more secretive things. His various serums and potions, trying to find the right combination that will rid him of his physical mutation without removing his other powers. Hank moved to the window, looking down at the street below and the protestors. He knows that Jean and Friends are down there somewhere, but his work came first before Jean's summons. After all, if worse comes to worse at least he's on scene.

"I don't understand."

Captain America came down to Stark Tower to try out the new uniform. The one he wore before was really more of a costume, but this one is supposed to have a bullet-resistant weave, environmental control, the whole nine yards. He's staring out the window now, though, rubbing the back of his head."They're upset about the attack in Gotham. The assassination attempt, even. I can understand that. I'm not happy either. But why are they protesting Stark?"

As the shouting begins to intensify, the Star-Spangled Man turns from the windows and strides for the stairs. "Those police look like they may need a hand. Maybe there's something I can do." He's pretty high up in the tower, so his first stop is going to be the elevator.

All this situation needs is a spark to ignite it. A singular moment to polorize the standoff between activists and police and send them over the tipping point into a full scale riot.

The seconds tick down and the shouts grow louder. One instigator becomes two and two becomes four. It multiples like a chain reaction in a chemical series that leads directly to confrontation.

Who really knows who threw the first punch? Does it matter? All that, does, matter... is someone did throw a punch. And then the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.

The line, a rather secure police baracade, is suddenly rushed by a mob of mixed mutants and humans... Stopped for only a heart beat before it collapses. Orders come down from the high command, 'No casualties'. But how easy is that to facilitate in the middle of the suck? A canister fires out from one of the hand held gas launchers, rolling through the crowd like a flare...

A seventeen year old girl with glowing blue eyes screams... And sends a shockwave crashing against the wall of officers and the huge water canons positioned like tanks on the battlefield.

Jean nods to Kurt and grimaces. "Hank works in that building. I wonder if they'd be protesting so hard if they knew Stark is employing a mutant." She sighs. Of course, Stark would need to /know/ he's employing a mutant for that to happen." She has her mental shields buttoned up tight, because there is way too much anger and frustration amid the crowd. Anger which boils over when the first punch is thrown. "Dammit," Jean curses, something she doesn't do often. She walks behind a tall SUV and on the other side comes out in her Marvel Girl costume, complete with pointy domino mask. She launches into the air. | " Kurt, I will try to calm them, see if you can keep the cops from panicking and shooting someone. Hank we have a situation down here. " | Her telepathic message is sent to both men before she begins sweeping the crowd, searching for the angriest members of police and protestors alike, to try and calm them if she can by pulling up their calm, happy memories.

"Holy /Frak/!" Wonder Girl dodges behind the trash can when the chaos explodes, and peeks around to get a better look at the situation. She searches out the brawniest-looking of protesters and starts across the street, shouldering her way through the crowd carefully. "Just try not to sep on any toes, Cass." She reminds herself.

"How about neither side killing each other.." Kurt's head whips around at the sonic scream, and immediately, he's on the move. "I hope it's not over, now that the blue-eyed lady has sung.." How to keep the police calm? To keep them from firing upon the mutants?

Kurt has to wade.. forget that! He sends himself off with a quick *bamf*, a teleport over towards the police line. "Please.. don't fire.. we would like to keep this as calm as possible.." he begins, but even he sounds.. hollow. The attack from the mutants has already begun with the sonic.. "Please don't.."

Queens, New York

Peter Parker slides the carton of eggs across the small market table top. He exhales tiredly, having spent the better part of the day searching for another part time job. Shuffling through his pockets he pulls out a couple of dollars and a nickel. The computer read out reads 2.07. "Not again," he whispers to himself, looking up at the cashier. As he digs deeper into his pocket, he looks up at the tv. "Something crazy going down?"

"Yeah," says the middle aged shopkeeper of middle eastern descent. "Some sort of commotion."

Peter slides the egg carton toward the man. "Can you hold on to these? I'll be back." After reaching the door in a hurry, he begins to run and starts tearing away at his clothes once he gets out of eyesight. Next stop: the island.

The shockwave from the young girl down below shakes some of his lab equipment... as even the windows rattle a bit. "Oh my stars..." Hank presses himself against the glass, looking down at the scene below. Yeah, Hank kreally hasn't let the cat out of the bag of being a mutant. Picking up Jean's telepathic call for assistance, Hank replies in kind. | " Jean, I'm kind of at work here. It's going to raise a lot of uncomfortable questions if I join you. " | Hank sighs and rubs his forehead, growling under his breath a bit.

When the doors to Stark Tower open. When Captain America strides out. In a perfect world, everything would suddenly be okay. People would realize they're not all that different after all, that they're all on the same side and there's no reason to fight.

That's also when the sonic scream goes off. And that's when the glass facade around the ground floor explodes into splinters.

Most of them, perhaps thankfully, go flying into the mostly-clear lobby rather than at the police. Captain America is thrown back, skidding across the ground with his shield pulled up to protect himself from the worst of the glass. He lands on his feet in a crouch, running forward again to pull up two police officers who've been knocked down. "Fall back, fellas," he says. "Don't -- "

Of course, that's when he sees the canister. He darts forward, trying to kick it out of the crowd...

11:03 Cantibury Research Facility - Staten Island, NYC

"Hurry damnit..." The voice is deep, almost a growl, as the Black SUV pulls up infront of the isolated Island facility.

"Stop yelling.. nobody likes a backseat driver.."

Snarling... The three people hunkered down in the 'delivery' van range from huge to small.. One in particular keeps grinds his thick neck from side to side as the group of security guards make a circuit around the vehicle, checking it for bugs.

11:03 Stark Enterprises - NYC

Marvel Girl can feel the discontent growing steadily, now that the keg has exploded. There are a few potent instigators amongst them, however. One in particular on the side of the protestors seems to be directing things from the middle of the group... As her mind touches his, is a jumble of chaos.. There and not there..

There for sure, right infront of Wonder Girl, is a beast of a man standing in the midst of the chaos, protestor side. If he's shouting orders, he does so quietly, but periodically does point towards the police.. sending waves of mutants and humans at the baracade like a smash of water across the surf.

Kurt *bamfs* and appears before the police... their weapons quickly turn in his direction, initially believing it an attack. "On your knees! Hands behind your head!" Their scared.. doesn't take a mind reader to realize that. Especially not after the wave of sonic energy knocked a good twelve of them to the ground.

The canister is football punt towards the middle distance, which really only serves to confuse the police... who aren't really sure which side the Captain is on!

Jean zips up over the crowd, spiraling skyward, and stops to hover high above. | " Understood Hank. It might become unsafe for the Stark employees. Can you get them to a secure part of the building? " | she queries. He can work from within. He's smart, he'll figure it out. Green eyes sweep the crowds, but not seeing their faces so much as their minds. If you can shut down the instigators, the followers will usually quit and go home, right? She zeros in on the strongest instigator's mind. | " Something is not quite right here, " | she warns Hank and Kurt. She delves deeper, trying to sort through the chaotic jumble in the protestor's head.

Wonder Girl slips up right behind Mr. Big and Tall. She waits just long enough for both of his hands to come into range, then grabs at the man's wrists, trying to pull them behind his back. "Call 'em off, man. You aren't gonna prove anything today."

Kurt knows they're scared.. everyone is scared. He's good, but it's questionable if he can teleport out faster than several bullets can hit him.. and he doesn't particularly want to try. But, if their attention is more on him, then it should give Jean some time to work out what is going on from above. Catching the punt of the cannister, he deflates.. he could have gotten it, if he saw it. Instead, his attention comes back around to the police, and he puts his hands behind his head.. for the moment, his words coming slowly, "No one wants problems.." and he moves sideways, "Please.. we are trying to make sure everyone is safe, and we all go home. Help us by staying calm."

| " Thanks for not lecturing me on priorities. I'm sure Scott or Charles will get that job. " | Hank quickly moves back from the window, closing up his research in case someone makes it to this lab. Just as he's working, someone pokes her head into his lab. "Doctah McCoy. Something is going on downstairs." Hank growls as he spots the small case of actvive samples, he can't leave them here if someone gets this far into the building. Hank grabs the sample case and slips it in his pocket, rushing to the door as he yanks free the wires leading to the securiy cam. "I saw... lets get everyone to t the lower basement levels." Hey, it work for the X-Men when they need to secure the students.

Smart move, McCoy. Cap might thank you for it. This is not, most assuredly, the kind of fight he's used to. Leaping in and throwing the shield around is more Cap's metier, but this isn't quite that kind of situation. He makes his way back to the leader of the police line, speaking quickly: "Re-form the line and pull back. Don't attack them. Give me a little time and maybe..."

His eyes scan the crowd of protesters, eyes drifting from man to woman until he sees... yes. That one there. The temptation is pretty intense to go throwing the Shield of Freedom his way, but instead Cap goes wading through the crowd toward him. "You!" he shouts, pointing up at him. "One chance. Call this off or I'm going to get personal!"

"Why is it," Spider-Man begins as he crawls alongside a wall above the fracas, "that whenever the family gets together there's got to be a fight?" His voice takes an immediate turn for the theatrical, "Can't we all just get along?!" One police officer eyes him menacingly, "Oh, Ralphie, can't we just let our bygones be bye and gone?" Spidey's stalling, it seems, trying to get a better handle on the situation. "Now I get that this is probably a he said she said sort of situation, but I'm certain that will a little therapy and some chocolate, we'll all be just fine."

Cantibury Research - Staten Island, NYC

The guard waves the van through, much to the chagrin of the individuals kneeling down in the back. The woman driving smirks into the mirror as they pass through the parking lot towards on of the loading bays.. "Told ya."

"Shut up, wench before I cut your throat.."

The van beeps at it reverses and backs steadily into the bay.

Stark Enterprises -Lower Manhattan, NYC

The man's mind is... artifical... Or rather, not his own. Whatever the matter at hand, the deeper Marvel Girl digs, the less it makes sense inside. Like someone is puppeting him, but doing so in a way that makes it seem like his own idea.

Cassie grabs him.. and that sort of changes. Now it really is his idea. Turning his wrists over with surprising levels of strength, the beast of a man whips around to snarl directly into her face.. like a lion.. or a man who is possessed by one.

The police continue to hold weapons on Kurt, but a small detachment has moved over to push back against the line of protestors threatening to overtake their position. "BACK UP.. This is your last warning.." The Captain's presense is having the exact oposite reaction... They think he's here to help them put the mob down.

Especially as he steps to the forefront like the hero that he is. Those men, brave sure, but this is out of their league, follow him. They don't shoot anyone (yet) but they'll definately clear a path for him... Pushing people out of their way and back towards the line, hoisting weapons into the faces of college students. Mutants, humans... Anyone who puts themself in a position. But the general feeling is one of fear from the officers and that is a very bad thing..

The Officer stares up at Spider-man... shaking his head, "Get down from there and put your hands behind your head!" See, fear. They don't know /who/ is on their side and who isn't. Backed into a corner as the mob starts to surround them... out numbered vastly.

Jean presses her fingertips to her temples as the chaos in the protestor's mind bombards her in flashes bright and hazy. It is as if he is both there, and not there. | " I try not to lecture. I just make tea and cookies for the ones who get them, " | Jean quips back, but it's a weak quip. She's straining to make sense of the man's mind. | " Kurt, how are we doing on the ground? " | she asks. She begins trying to untangle the protestor's real thoughts from the foreign ones in his head, putting up psychic blocks, like bricks in a wall, to cut off the intruding influence.

"Whoa!" Cassie looses her grip, completely taken off-guard by the unexpected reaction. "Dude!" She holds her hands up, trying another tactic, "Just relax, man. This just isn't going to go your way, don't you get that. Come on, I don't want a fight." She eyes the guy, making it clear that she will give him a fight if it comes to that.

"I can only do this so long. The crowd isn't helping.." Kurt looks back at the police line with their weapons trained on him, "I was probably not the best choice to keep the police calm.." Blue. Furred. Mutant. With a tail. His hands begin to lower, but he's doing it slowly; he can feel the crowd's movement forward, and he exhales.. "Tell me where he is.. can I take him away? Maybe the crowd will stop?"

| " At least you know what kind of cookies I like. " | Hank offers over the link, trying to keep the situation light. Thankfully the commotion outside has much of Stark's workforce in the usual social gathering places. So it's easy enough to start getting them to head down to the lower basement levels. "I know you all would prefer Stark's penthouse level... but a touch too risky. Just stay safe." Hank turns from the elevators as the door start to close, Hank heading for the front of the building instead. The woman who walked in his lab shouting for him before the doors seal shut. "Doctah McCoy. Don't be a...." Idiot? Hero? Something worse? All of the Above? Probably.

Whirling around as he hears the men behind him, Cap glares them down and points: "Fall BACK. Do not engage! This is a brawl, you are NOT to turn it into a riot!" Damn it. It was always so much easier with soldiers. Soldiers followed his orders. But when the big guy rears toward Cassie, Captain America decides enough is enough. He steps forward, interposes himself between the big guy and the Amazon, and grabs the behemoth's collar. "How about you pick on somebody your own size, mister?" And if the guy looks like fight? The blow will land on Cap's shield first, and then it'll be the classic two hits. Cap hitting you. You hitting the ground.

"Ralphie, Baby. I'm totally probably on your side. Here, watch. . ." Spider-Man leaps out of the way of the line of sight of the police officer's gun and moves his fingers to a switch on his wrist. WHAPISH! A line of webbing shoots out from his arm and flies towards the brute that Cassie is fighting. Spidey is trying to bring the man's fist back and away from the blonde. He doesn't really know the chick's strength and has always had a soft spot for the fair of hair. "Come on big guy. You don't want to play tug of war with ole Spidey. I've won 343 matches in a row"

Oops! Cap is over there too. He chews his Spider-lip a bit, not wanting to step on the Bigguy's toes. I mean, he wants to step on that big guy's toes. But not Caps. You know what I mean.

Cantibury Research -Staten Island

The loading crew makes their way up to the back of the van, laughing about an episode of Lost. Both pull on their work gloves to cart the supplies over to their motorized trolly... when the back doors explode open and the trio within attacks with a savage intent.

Stark Enterprises -Lower Manhattan

The man's mind is a preverbial rat trap, but the extent of it only becomes apparent when his full attention has shifted to the small woman trying to 'talk him down' after grabbing his wrists. His mouth opens wide, presumably to growl, but instead a piping musical note assaults the minds of those within a few feet of him. A desire to dance, but not in the manner one might think.. A desire to.. fight? Fight who?

Fight anyone.

The big guy was... whatever he was doing.. and then there's Captain. Which brings his mouth closed in a snap when the War Hero takes hold of his collar. "Mrr?" Glancing around... then, yes, he's swinging his fist towards the man. It's easier that way..

It might would connect with the shield, too.. if not for Spider-man's web catching it around the wrist and pulling it up short. Opening him wide for a two hit combo, from the wilds of Germany.

The flute sound cuts off sharply when his mouth closes... further blurring the line as to what exactly is up with the brute who seems to be in control of this situations escalation.

Marvel Girl feeds Nightcrawler a mental image of the man instigating, and she directs him that way silently. | " It's so tangled up in his head, I can't make heads or tails of anything. " | That's when Captain America and Spider-Man get involved. | " I think things are about to get worse, " | she groans to Hank and Kurt. She needs to quell the police now, and leave the protestors to the guys with the spangly red and blue duds. She puts a wall of telekinetic force between the cops and the crowd, her hands pressed together, pointing down the line. She then pulls her hands apart and cleaves the forcewall into two, sliced down the center, pushing both groups a few feet back from each other.

Cassie is taking a step back, trying to make it look like she's fleeing while at the same time preparing for a nice big PUNCHINDAFACE, when suddenly someone is intervening. Two someones. And one of them is standing right in front of her. "Oh. my. gods. You're... " She notices the web, "And that's... ohmygods." And then, suddenly, and perhaps inexplicably, she's grinning. "Best day EVER!"

//Aaaand, there it is..// Kurt gets the telepathic image of the man, and within a heartbeat, the blue-furred elf is there.. and suddenly, he's not. There's the pushing apart of the two, which means that it'll take a moment for the police to get a bead on him again. He appears near the big guy, where Captain America and Wonder Girl are.. and he makes a quick note to the pair, "I can take him away.. the police would probably prefer to listen to you than me.." and with a hand, he's ready to lay it on the instigator and take him.. away. Far away from the maddening crowd.

As Beast is moving towards the lobby of the building, he runs into a group of Stark employees who are gawking and watching the fight occuring not that far away. With a sigh, Hank facepalms and offers a growled shout at them. "Get to the lower levels. C'mon. Jesus, do you have a death wish? Or are you just helpless. Do you need me to hold your hand and remind you to wash them after going to the bathroom. Jesus... children." Hank even delivers a kick towards one of the reteating men's rears. "Idiots." Hank facepalms and follows, making sure they find their way out of danger.

The sudden snag of spiderweb on fist startles Cap and his eyes shoot toward the webslinger who made it happen. His eyes widen, but he flashes a quick thumbs up. "Nice shootin', kid!" he shouts. And then he decks the guy.

Blue, German, and demonically fuzzy shows up moments later and drags him off. "And good thinking," he adds, "but we've still got a mob on our hands. Even without the leader, they're still stirred up." The damage has already been done. Now to see if it can be cleared up. With a quick wink toward the suddenly fangirling Cassie, he moves back toward the police line, shield in hand. How's Jean coming with that TK shield?

"Mr. Gorbachev!" Spider-Man yells out as he begins firing wide webs, and tries to build a web-wall between the masses and the cops. "Don't. . .uh. . .tear. down.this.wall! Or . . .I got nothing." His fingers slam on his web slingers in rapid succession, spraying the wide webs and hooking them to the building across the way.

Tony Stark is wheeling his way back from some lunch with some babe in some restaurant that he totally just scored with in the coat room. It was awesome. There's lipstick all over his face and collar and he's got a big smile on his face as he wheels through the city in one of his Too Many Cars.

Doot Doot Doot-Doot! Wait. That sounded like a Kimmunicator. Stark's finger presses a button on the dash of his car and that activates J.A.R.V.I.S. Mobile. "Stark here. What's the Sitch?"

"I do wish you would change that, Sir."

"It was a /good/ cartoon."

"Yes, Sir. By the way, there's a riot in front of Stark Tower. Perhaps you'd like to do something about it?"

Stark sighs and slams on his brakes, taking a quick right and zooming down an alley. Something on the screen of his car is blipping as the image of his car gets closer to it. "You timed this on purpose, didn't you?"

"Would you rather I called while you were entertaining the swimsuit model?"

"Good point." Tony smirks and presses a few buttons, which causes one of the walls in the alley to shimmer slightly. Weird. "Take the wheel. I've got to change."

"Very good, sir."

Tony lets go of the steering wheel, which J.A.R.V.I.S. immediately takes automated control of and the driver's seat folds all the way down, clicking and whirring the entire time, as belts lock around Tony's waist. As the car continues to speed down the alley, the floor beneath the driver's seat slides away and the seat drops right out from underneath the car, which J.A.R.V.I.S. probably takes on a joyride. Tony's wheeled ejector seat speeds down the alley and towards a large brick wall. The wheels catch on a metal rod, lifting the seat up, the belt unhooks and Tony soars through the brick wall (It's a hologram. Deal with it.) and right onto el Platform de Epic.

Cue: And:

54 Seconds Later...

Iron Man's in the sky and soaring like a Red & Gold Rocket of Epic Justice towards Stark Tower. It'll take him a second to get there. Maybe Five.

Cantibury Research -Staten Island

The attackers seem to know exactly what they're looking for. Going about their methodical approach with the ruthlessness of a well trained (though snippity) paramilitary group. The Alarm sounds... then it's cut off. Security fighting a severally losing battle beneath the weight of the sudden and overwhelming onslaught that they never saw coming.

In the van, the driver bobs her head to the song on the radio, "you say... I only hear what I want too..." Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

Stark Enterprises -Lower Manhattan

The two sides of this riot, and it may as well be called one at this point, are suddenly cleaved in half by the force of Marvel Girls telekinesis... The Police on one side glance around as they're shoved backwards, men positioned on the cannons ready to hose the crowd which had over taken one small group, who even now remains on the wrong side of the divide, over with the protestors. Who, suddenly, are a lot more savage with their intent to tear down the bonds. They're wielding their peaceful signs as clubs against the armored men who were moments ago threatening to shoot them if they crossed the line.

When the ring leader is teleported away... those immediately around him shake their heads violently as if free from some sort of dream and glance around with wide, startled eyes at the various heroes who're positioned within touching proximity. It is a slow effect, however... and those further away, where the call to fight is the worst, have yet to be released from whatever grip was cast over them.

Web grabs indivdiual protestors, pulling them back away from the small group behind enemy lines... effectively closing the three police off in a circular wall of webbing. Yet still the inraged teens throw themselves upon it, growling and hissing as the claw at the protective barrier trying to get back in and attack their prize.

Marvel Girl keeps her telekinetic wall up. The police won't be able to shoot the protestors, and the protestors won't be able to hit the police for as long as she maintains it, but she's already feeling the strain after riding the Not-So-Merry-Go-Round that was the one man's brain. She has to land, rather than split her focus on levitating and sequestering people. This may make her a target from either side since she's wearing a costume and all that jazz.

Wonder Girl beams up at Captain America. She also nods, and when he's gone looks back to the crows and sobers. "Okay, mobs. Well, we could get some ice or sing karaoke... ok, no. Uhhh... oh!" Noticing the 'just woke up' expressions on those closest to her, she oders in her most authoritative voice, "If you don't wanna get clobbered, get outta here!" She points in the opposite direction of the police, hoping the visual clue will help. Then she pushes forward, reaching for the sign-club of the nearest rioter and giving it a hard yank. When in doubt, disarm your oponnent!

There.. and his way is clear. Kurt takes that hold and suddenly.. *bamf*bamf*bamf* multiple times away, setting the main combatant to go to sleep, or rather, unconscious. "You.. are now out of the fight. Good night.." Leaning over, he pats the man's cheek and teleports back where he'd just been.. and taking stock of the situation, looks up to where Marvel Girl is. "Careful Jean.." Is there anyone else that needs that one way ticket out?

There's a whole lot of brawlers around here, that's for sure. When Cap runs into the telekinetic barrier, he's rather surprised -- but it's blocking the protesters from the police, and that's a good thing. Turning back to those who are brawling, he makes his way out to those outer edges and starts breaking up the fights he can find. One at a time, because they sure aren't going to listen to him. If he gets attacked, some of them might get a Captain America Sock To The Jaw as their parting gift, but mostly holding them back at arm's length is probably going to work.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Start your engines. But not before you fasten your seatbelts!" Twhip Thwip Thwip. Spidey tries to send several shots of webbing at a host of protesters, trying to pin them to the ground with his webs. "All we are saaaay-ing-Is give peace a chance!" Awwww. The webs all bounce harmlessly against Jean Grey's telekinetic shield. "Mamma Spidey always says, don't settle for cheap, foreign webslingers. They always let you down."

"Hey! You kids get off my lawn!" Iron Man's robotic voice announces his presence, even though the quipping is so obviously Tony Stark. Hell, the robotic voice even sounds a little like Robert Down-- er, Tony Stark. Obviously, it has been modified from its original bland automation.

Iron Man soars onto the scene and continues to be high above everything, though he's certainly not going to just stand idly by while all this shenanigans is going on. There's a lot of fighting going on further away from where the bulk of his heroic friends (?) are handling business and thus he figures he may as well handle this. "Jarvis? Is the Seven Year Itch canister still loaded?"

"The one you were going to prank Mr. Rhodes with, Sir? It is."

Tony grins beneath his helmet, getting a total readout on what's going on down there and setting up a trajectory for a large chunk of the more wild and violent rioting protestors. "Good. Load 'em up."

With a stylish dive bomb action, Iron Man swoops down low and over the crowd, dropping four to seven small canisters that explode on impact and create large clouds of highly potent itching powder. Iron Man's robotic voice kicks back in for all to hear: "Every have an itch that you just can't reach?" What? They can't fight if they're too busy scratching.

Cantibury Research -Staten Island

With the host of security disabled, the attackers move the boxes they came for back towards the loading bay. Snipping at each other like a pack of hyenas.

"I said don't get in my way, creampuff..." Snarled the biggest of them.. Who's carrying a heavy pair of crates on each of his shoulders.

Two others carrying one between them, the smallest snorting derisively. "And I'm sure you'll do someth-" The drivers voice cuts in.

"If you could all kindly, shut up, and get back here... we're running out of time."

Stark Enterprises -Lower Manhattan

The man stumbles a few times, even once he's been bounced across the aether by Nightcrawlers successive teleporting.. He growls once more and swipes at the air before falling face first onto the ground unconscious.

Back at the riot.. Police on one side of the wall are trying to figure out, exactly, what is keeping them seperated. The highest ranking authority steps forward and, following the line... points out Marvel Girl who's struggling to keep the two groups seperate. "There! Get me that woman."

The combined element of Captain America, who they still recognize even if they are furiously brawling with one another, and Wonder Girl, who they probably don't, does start to change the general discontent of the crowd nearest the web caged police officers. Some do attempt to fight back. Swinging their fists harmlessly at Captain and the Wonder.

Spider-man has, for the time being, convinced the Police that he's on their side... so they don't turn their guns on him... however the same holds true for the protestors. Several signs hurtle at him and ineffectively collid with the wall that seperates them, clattering back to the ground amidst the dulling hiss of the crowd.

More and more people are starting to realize what's going on.. and anger is quickly being replaced by terror. Especially as they realize that they were the ones fighting the officers... and that officers probably aren't going to buy any simple excuses as to why.

This situation is still very volcanic. People will be arrested... Thankfully nobodies dead, but plenty of people are injured. Broken bones, minor scraps, and the periodic concussion abound.

And, now... itching towards one end of the protestors where they'd stopped trying to fight the police and had instead turned on each other when that horrible flute had errupted from the open mouth of the man now unconscious.

Marvel Girl wobbles on her feet. As she picks up the intent of the authorities to grab her, she whispers, "Nightcrawler, get us out of here, now." The TK walls come down.

Wonder Girl is starting to get the hang of things. She's disarming people here and punching them in the face there, but only when they fight her, and then suddenly there's some kind of spray coming down from above. "Hey! What the!?" Quickly, she ducks under a group of people still trying to fight. Though she's unable to keep from getting hit everywhere by the stuff, she's hoping that it least she'll survive. And then the itching starts.

Kurt looks around.. and the canister of itching powder is released, he holds his breath, not knowing what sort of powder it is. He certainly finds out soon enough, however, and he mutters as the first scratches come as one of those involuntary things.. and when he truly realizes it? "Oh.." he groans.. and looks up to where Jean is.. and *bamf*, complete with the smell of brimstone, Nightcrawler is at her side. "Right in the center of my back.. when we arrive.." Of course, his tail can reach it, but Jean probably has better fingernails? Still.. "Hold on, Jean.. we're going.." And, in the blink of an eye, the two are gone, with only the sound of rushing air to fill the void where they had been to mark their disappearance.

Protesters running away is just fine by Cap. He helps break up a few more of the fights that are still raging, sternly telling combatants to go home and think about what they did. He might even invoke 'what would your mother think of this?' at some point. Low blow, Mr. America. Low blow.

There's a similarly low blow from Stark when he itching-powders the crowd, though. When the canister drops Cap raises his shield to deflect whatever's being dropped on them, but even the Shield of Freedom does only so much good against an age-old prank. He's breaking through the ranks and moving back toward the tower, but he does take a moment to look up and shake his fist: "STARK!"

As the signs bounce harmlessly off of Jean's telekinesis, Spider-Man slumps his shoulders, disappointed at the reaction. "You don't like Lennon? More of a McCartney group. I gotchya I gotchya. Obla-di, Obla-da. Life goes on. I'm outie 2000." Luckily, Spidey was on the other side of those canisters. He's sort of laughing. It's not funny. Well okay, it's pretty funny. Unluckily, Spidey is still on the Boys in Blue's list for apprehension. He fires a web up high and pulls himself up and out of the fray. "Now you know what they say, everyone. Life's an itch."

Iron Man is too busy laughing as things start to get under control to realize that he's probably going to have to apologize or something. But he was just trying to assist with the non-violence. Upon hearing the yell of doom from Captain America, though, Iron Man soars up and starts booking it towards the top of Stark Tower. Where he will have time to prepare a defense.

"You'll have to make an appointment!" is let loose in that robotic Iron man voice as he makes himself scarce.

-Elsewhere

"So you succeeded?" Asked from an unseen source.

The gruffest of them nods and growls quietly, "Yeah we got it all..."

"And the protestors?"

The woman who was driving grins, "Protesting..."

"Excellent."

Stark Enterprises -NYC Two Hours Later

Eventually, the crowds are calmed down, though it is unfortunate that several of them have to be arrested for attacking authorities. It isn't quite as bad as it could have been... Nobodies died, which, again... is a mericle. But it presents several fundamental flaws in the nature of how things operate.

The highest ranking authority on the police side steps forward, still scratching his neck from the drop of itching powder, to look up at Captain America and Wonder Girl... Possibly Spider-man and Stark as well, if the pair stick around and/or return down to the scene of their itching caper. "We've got most of the major rebel rousers locked in the padded wagons headed towards our holding cells downtown... but we still can't figure out what the hell happened. They were peaceful a few hours ago."

It took two hours for the reports from Cantibury to finally get through when one of the guards at the gate went in to clock out after his shift... "There was an attack on Staten Island." Sighing quietly as he looks around at EMTs still busily patching up protestor and Officer alike.

"This is bad.. This is Very bad."