2013.07.15 - Attack in the Air

Somewhere over Nebraska

Shortly after takeoff, the man with the shaved head started making demands.

The plane was scheduled to land in a handful of hours at the Seattle Airport, which also happened to be the site of the largest mutant rally this year. Over 100,000 mutants and supporters of mutants are planning to attend a massive three day concert at CenturyLink field. Normally home to the Seahawks and the Sounders, the multipurpose stadium will be home to all sorts of music from classical to punk rock, and a host of merchants started setting up their booths on the outside of the arena a week ago.

The demand is quite simple. In exchange for the Seattle Mayor to call off the festival, Hugh Young promises not to blow up the plane.

After the first hour, it seems that things are moving a bit too slow for Mr. Young. He gets on the radio, and despite getting reassurances from the mayor, he starts to get agitated. Out of the blue, he pulls a detonator from his pocket and presses down upon the button.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A portion of the underbelly explodes, leaving a hole down beneath. A row of people, still in their seatbelts, fall out into the sky. They survived the blast, but they surely won't survive the fall.

_ _ _ _ _

"Three people out the door," Cyclops says as the Blackbird hurtles through the sky. "Colossus. Storm. Can you get there?"

The leader of the X-men swallows hard as he can barely make out the falling row of seats.

"Check that, another 2. Repeat, we have 9 people in the air and falling."

Storm enters from: Global Anywhere Rooms.

Nocturne goes to: Global Anywhere Rooms.

"On it. Colossus, I will need you to help me with the chutes," Storm replies, as her eyes begin to glow. She summons the winds to carry her, and leaps out of the Blackbird, with several of the aformentioned parachute packs held on each arm. Altering the wind patterns to carry her, and to slow the descent of the passengers is tricky, and she can only take so many packs at a time- and certainly not nine of them. Having someone with enhanced strength throwing them to her would be quite the help!

"Nyet." Piotr answers over the comm. "Though I ask and ask Hank to invent a flying device for me, he has not done so." As he follows Ororo toward the back of the plane, he shifts to metal in midstride so the open hatch doesn't suck him out. "But the closed chutes will fly very well, da?" They won't be fastball specials but he can get them to where Storm can catch them.

Cyclops looks over his shoulder and nods, "Once we get those out the door, Colossus, we're going after the plane itself. Storm, once the chutes are airborne can you get them all to their targets?" Cyclops pulls the Blackbird towards the group of obviously terrified free fallers, who are no doubt sure they will die soon.

"It should be easy, yes." Parachutes and wind-control powers were prettymuch made for each other. The first person isn't too difficult to get strapped in- they're unconcscious, which may make their landing a little more... bone-break-y, but at least she doesn't have to pry them off her, like the next two passengers. She can be ovheread over the comm link, trying to sound as soothing as possible- "Ma'am, it's alright, the chute is on, you're safe-"

The process is repeated seven more times for passengers in varying states of shock and unconsciousness, and all of the chutes are very slowly directed towards the same landing area, both large and open, and easily accessable to paramedics.

Piotr throws extra parachutes as Storm needs them but his mind is on the bigger problem. "Scott, the plane is depressurized. It can not fly by itself. But you have seen pictures of the Space Shuttle being ferried by the jet, da?" Of course, the Blackbird is smaller than the jumbo jet but... "With Storm to lift it with wind, can we guide it down, carrying it?"

Cyclops nods to Piotr, "That's kind of what I'm thinking, except, well, we've still got a terrorist up there. We can hook on to the top. You're strong enough to ferry you and I in. I can take the controls and you can take out the idiot. What do you think?"

Storm doesn't respond, at least not verbally- too focused on those winds it will take to support the plane, even with the aid of the Blackbird. She does, eventually, give her teammates a nod.

"I think you take out the terrorist." Piotr counters. "I will need to get close. You..." He makes a little hand to eye visor motion. "He will not have a chance to fire and maybe hurt someone. Then you can take the controls and I will try to convince the passengers they are not about to die."

Cyclops nods, "Fair enough. You do the talking while I line up the shot." After Scott shifts the power on his visor to a stun, he murmurs to Piotr, hold on tight, this is going to be tricky. And take this--" Cyclops hands him a device that looks similar to an aersol can. "It's a foam that can help the ruptured area."

He pulls the Blackbird up overtop the injured plane as it hurtles through the air like an injured robin. Gently, Cyclops sets the Blackbird down on top before a trio of grips extend out over the landing gear and grab hold of the fuselage of the plane underneath.

Piotr catches the can and gives it a dubious look. "Half the bottom of the plane is missing." he murmurs. Granted, it's an exageration but even so. It's a BFH (Big Fucking Hole). He waits for Scott to attach the planes together then nods. "You will cut a hole in the top?" At least that can be resealed with the foam.

Cyclops' optic blast pierces a hole through the hull and a quick, circular motion of his head creates a hole big enough for the both of them to slip through. He leaps in as quick as possible in order to maintain surprise. Once he lowers himself amid a group of folks who are understandably, freaking out, he peers forward trying to get the specifics. From here, the hole itself doesn't look all that particularly big. Big enough to fit three rows of seats through, sure, but it was a lot smaller than one might expect.

Piotr follows Scott through the hole, also taking a moment to look around. "Is he in the cockpit?" he asks whoever is closest. The hole in the belly of the plane is noted but easily jumpable despite the rushing air; he can either carry or toss Scott.

Cyclops nods, "I suppose so." He shimmies farther up the aisle; the wind here sucking outward is fierce but he's able to hold on. "I'm not sure I can make it on my own. Storm's out there, but I don't want to be wrong."

Around them, folks have their faces stuffed in the little yellow cup looking things. Their eyes are wide both because they're in shock and because two men dressed in unfamiliar clothing have shown up on their doomed plane.

Storm is doing what she can about that whole "air being sucked out of the plane" thing, but even the mistress of the elements has her limits. At least she's kept anyone else from being thrown out into the sky after the initial blast.

Colossus nods and just lifts Scott up. Fortunately for the leader of the X-Men, Piotr's not feeling playful enough to cradle him like a baby under the circumstances. Back up, he runs forward and easily leaps the hole, their near seven hundred pounds not being too affected in such a short distance. Once they get far enough away, he sets Scott down then walks to the cockpit door. And knocks. "I demand we turn this plane around and fly to Cuba!" he calls in his thickest Russian.

"What?" says a man in a southern accent. "What in sam-hell?" The door opens up and it takes a second for the terrorist to realize that the two men in front of him were not on the original flight docket.

Cyclops gives a curt, half smile. "Hello."

ZAKT!

There's a red flash and a split second later the terrorist is knocked out cold, clearly the recipient of a nasty concussion.

"I would advise holding on to something," comes Storm's voice over the comm unit. "I'm going to need to decellerate the plane soon. It's not going to be pleasant for anyone aboard," she warns them as she begins to direct winds towards the plane to slow not only its fall, but its forward momentum, so that it can be landed without being torn apart (or, well, torn apart further).

Colossus nods approvingly and lifts the terrorist by his shirt. Pressing him against a wall, he uses the spray can of sealant to seal each wrist to the wall and one across his chest. "The hole is smaller than expected. I believe I can seal it using other pieces of the plane and that it will hold long enough for you to set us down. It would be quicker if you can cut me metal plates from the ceiling and walls." Assuming they have the time. "Do we have the time?"

"We'll make the time," Cyclops responds, and takes no time whatsoever to begin slicing off some metal pieces from the ceiling and parts from that area where they prepare those terrible dinners. Within a few moments, Cyclops is handing over some metallic pieces over to Colossus. "Storm," he says as he makes his way to the controls, flipping open some of the flaps to assist in the slowing of the plane. "What are you doing?!" yells one of the pilots. "Are you crazy?"

"No," Cyclops responds nonchalantly. "But my girl can read your thoughts." He gives the pilot the same curt smile he gave good ole Hugh and just sort of commandeers the controls.

"I'm doing my best to give you the time- though, you'll have to find the balance on your own," is Storm's reply. Physics lessons are brought to the minds of many when the aircraft is slowed so drastically. Just in time, too- the runway is starting to come into view.

Piotr takes the plates and positions them so they overlap edges, using the foam to seal them together and building a patch large enough to cover the hole. Once that's done, he walks forward and lays it over the hole, a foot holding it down in place as he starts using the foam to seal it. As soon as the plate is in place, that horrible rushing of air is greatly reduced which just makes all the screams that much more noticeable. "Cyclops." he says over the team's comm. "Tell the pilots to try to calm the passengers. I am a bit busy."

"You two," Cyclops says to the pilots. "We need help calming the customers."

Slowly the pilots nod nervously at each other and then make their way back to start talking with the people and calming themd own.

The plane groans as Cyclops pulls it up towards the runway, but the slow descent with Storm's aid makes it much easier than one might anticipate. The landing is a sharp thud, but given the circumstances, most of the passengers will take it.

Once the plane's on the ground, Scott's moving. He's out of the cockpit and nodding over to Colossus. Now that they're mission is done, getting out of here before folks start asking questions is the next order of business.

Storm is the first back in the Blackbird, since she doesn't have to get out of the passenger jet. While waiting for the other two, she begins to prepare the Blackbird for takeoff, to save Scott the time once he's ready to pilot them out of there.

Colossus nods to Cyclops and once they move to the read of the plane, boosts him up through the hole in the ceiling. "If the authorities have any questions, they can contact me through Justice League headquarters. For those who may have known the ones ejected from the plane, we managed to get parachutes onto them and will be assisting in locating them." That said, he lifts himself up through the hole and then into the Blackbird.

Cyclops nods to over to Storm and then back at Colossus as he takes the seat next to the African queen of the weather. "Good work everyone." Within moments they're skyward, heading west back to New York.