((OOC. Feel free to jump in and post your character's reaction to the news story (or being knocked out unawares by special ops if they were in Utopia) Limit of one post per character.))

February 1st 2017
0357 hours
Utopia City, Antarctica
Operation Preemptive Strike
Mission time 23 hours 57 minutes

Anderson inhaled the last drag of smoke he could possibly manage from his cigarette before tossing it on the ground and grinding it into the pavement with the heel of his boot. The damp ground quickly extinguished any sort of flame that clung to the end of the cylinder. It was strange, to think that someone had created an entire life-sustaining environment in the least habitable place on the entire Earth, complete with rain. Goddamned rain.

The pilot shook his head as he thought, shifting the fabric of his uniform as he did so. The whole thing seemed entirely inhuman, though, he supposed that was exactly what it was. Inhuman.

It was a damned good thing that they were getting rid of it all.

“Hey! How about we get out of here at some point during this century?” Anderson called over his shoulder gruffly. He was getting antsy just waiting, impatient to see the back of it all. The place gave him the creeps.

He was quickly joined by two others in matching uniforms, the first of whom walked immediately through the Utopia barriers without a moment’s hesitation. “We’re done, let’s go,” Holland muttered, rolling her shoulders back as she climbed into the aircraft.

“Wait just a second,” Ryerson commanded, always one to stick to the rules exactly. “Everyone is out, right? No witnesses? Everything is placed correctly?”

“Yes. Let’s go,” Holland reiterated anxiously. She was obviously feeling similarly to Anderson on the whole affair.

The three of the climbed into the aircraft and took their places. They were the last group to leave, having been given the final task. Several other aircraft had left before them, filled with unconscious residents of the former ‘paradise’. They wanted to cause outrage, not commit murder, after all.

The aircraft took off, spiriting the final group away from the scene. Behind them, Antarctica grew smaller and smaller off in the distance.

“Now,” Ryerson instructed.

Holland nodded, and Anderson could hear her press a button behind him. He wouldn’t hear it over the sound-insulation of the cabin, but he knew that behind him there was a large explosion destroying the place they had just evacuated.

He didn’t bother to look.

---

Breaking News: Attack by Unknown Group Leaves Utopia in Ruins.

The newscaster tapped her papers on the desk and looked directly into the camera in front of her. “Reports are coming in based on footage taken from a scientific research vessel that a series of large explosions have left the controversial Antarctic mutant-only colony of Utopia a smoking ruin. The footage shows an unidentified jet leaving the scene shortly before the detonations began.”

The camera panned to the footage taken by a shaky camera phone from a great distance. Despite the poor quality the silhouette of a jet was clearly painted against the sky moving at high speed, shortly followed by evidence of a series of shockwaves that can be seen to splinter and shear large chunks from the icy cliffs so iconic of Antarctica.

“There have been no deaths reported thus far, but authorities are claiming that the explosion was not an accident. Remnants of explosive devices have been found scattered all over the destroyed city, but with no-one claiming responsibility and precious little evidence, this may be as much as we ever know…”

Safely back on home soil, Anderson flipped the channel and threw the remote unceremoniously onto the coffee table. A drag from his cigarette only increased the feeling of satisfaction evident on his face. It had been a good job, and as clean as they could hope. No injuries, no fatalities, no witnesses. He exhaled, the smoke hanging in the rec room air, and pushed off the couch. If that didn’t stir some people up, at least the files they’d left behind sure would.

How many detailed war plans against the rest of humanity did it take to remove all pity for the mutants of Utopia?

What was there should have been more than enough.

The old TV was playing the football, the smell of coffee granules in the air. Emily was rushing from table to table. Her parents taking in orders left right and centre. Joseph Linely was busy having a hot chocolate, watching the cafe waitress move from place to place. She gave a polite smile at him as she took back another tray of empty cups. This was the life.

A man looked at his smartphone. Simple notification. His face went from the happiness to shock in seconds. "SWITCH TO THE NEWS!" He shouted at Emily, who fumbled with the busy counter to find the remote. Upon switching mid commentary, the TV showed all. A deadly silence from the bustle expanded across the room. Smoke. Ice falling. Destruction.

Some people were whimpering. Emily looked back at Joseph, fear in her eyes. Linely returned a concerned glance. Utopia was already a bad idea, very much a pipe dream of a populist politician. The thing about Populist Politicians was that violence soon followed, always followed. Emily walked to him, tears in her eyes. A flash of horrific realisation crossed Joseph's face.

"My brother...he was supposed to have left around now..." Samuel was going on a simple tour...he remembered that now. She was taking in the words, holding back tears. First the Restaurant and now this? What was the world coming to?

Joseph let her give him a hug, and returned it, doing his best to be of comfort. At least no deaths had been reported... yet. "If these bastards come to NYC we'll catch them, I promise." For all Utopia's posturing they didn't deserve this. Linely knew that this was probably only the beginning. Silence surrounded the two of them, most people there, he could tell, were thinking the same thing.

This was horrific. One of the biggest anti-mutant acts of terrorism in the history of Man. And it had happened seamlessly, by some faceless group. Amelia felt disgusted.

It was true, she had not been planning to go to Utopia. It was true, she hadn't had the most positive opinion about it. But there had been hope there for countless mutants, worldwide. And it had been dashed by bigots. Military-grade bigots. With a jet.

There were no words to describe how she felt. Thoughts conflicted and clashed within, but at the moment, Amelia could not bring them into a cohesive opinion, other than the word 'Tragedy'. Beneath that, 'anger.' And 'Sadness.'

She left the television on in her apartment's living room, in case more information flooded in. There was going to a response to this. Several. She just knew it. And she would do her best to be ready.

Well gee. Utopia had fallen. What a surprise.

Elliott had never figured out what the game had been with Jaager and the hated mutant only community. It had always been something distracting, something he had no desire to look into, something that diverged funds and focus from Ragnarok. He kept waiting for the other boot to drop and it never did. Jaager had kept silent on the whole thing.

Now if Loki had wanted to set up a society like that, clearing the path for it through chaos that changed the nature of reality, Elliott could understand that. It kind of fit ragnaroks MO. But then they'd abandoned it and it had gone and gotten itself blowed up. And wasn't that just a shame? Chaotic. Unexpected. But a shame. If he'd had tear ducts, he'd of cried. At the waste.

It had been a unique idea. If raganarok wasn't behind their destruction of utopia he didn't know who was. Ragnarok wasn't really one to neatly explain things. Stuff never got tied up with a bow.

Maybe he'd look into this if nobody claimed responsibility, if only to scratch an itch. Someone somewhere had a vendetta against Ragnarok or against mutants. Someone somewhere deserved to be blown up. It was only fair.