*Kilala kept the forcefields going as Ruki shot her elemental blasts continually as well. They were able to make it to the outside of the museum where she foolishly thought they would be free from the soldiers. She was becoming very tired after conjuring all the shields. Kilala saw more of the soldiers coming.*
"Shit! What are we going to do?"
*She placed her hands up again, creating a shield around Dominic. If there was anyone who needed it, it was him right now. She realized they wouldn't be able to pass the stone off to John anymore and get back inside to help Mike. There were just too many lackies and only one Johnathon.*

*Johnathon stumbled outside with the X-Men, his eyes bulging from the amount of soldiers who were approaching. The men were approaching the staircase and they needed to do something fast. His mutation would only be efficient if he was actually touching someone or in an enclosed space. Right now, he seemed to be their best bet. John quickly grabbed the stone from Wire and stood in front of the shield.*
john: "Go! Help them!!"
*He yelled to Wire, referring to helping the girls. Dominic seemed hesitant at first, but nodded, and released the strings from his fingertips.*
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*For a split moment, Orion saw Tricity in his mind and a sudden flashback of his life with her; the cave, her room, watching movies on the couch, seeing her with Vortex, the destruction of the mansion, and the fight with Ire that nearly killed them both. Because of it, he lost his focus and the blast Cassiel had produced, knocked Orion to the floor. He went tumbling along the ground until crashing into a pillar.*
"Tric...Tricity..."
whitmore: "Dammit! Orion, KILL HIM NOW! He's the one who's taken everything from you, fool!"
*The memory slipped away again and only Whitmore's voice echoed in his mind. Orion would do as told. He slammed the blade down into the floor, using it as leverage to stand. After cracking his neck and then his back, he pulled his sword up and went rushing at Mike. The chaos from his hands seeped around the blade in a snakelike fashion and gave the sword a black, glowing effect. He threw the sword down at Cassiel, the force of Chaos shook through the blade and at Cassiel.*

Michael focused his telekinesis, slamming the sword to the side as he flew high in the air and in the other direction. "He no longer holds a control over you, Orion. Embrace the truth!"[/color] He flooded Orion's mind with every feeling he'd picked up from Tricity: her fear and anguish over him being gone. Her worry about their child. All of the frustrations she'd been feeling stemming from Whitmore (making sure that it was made clear in Orion's mind that he was referring to Whitmore and no one else). "See the light through the darkness. I am not your enemy... HE is the enemy of both of us!"[/color]

He could feel the conflict he started in Orion... and as Orion's emotional turmoil grew, so did Cassiel's power. He pinned Orion down with his telekinesis, then struck at him with his telepathy in a blast to cut through the fog in his mind, reaching for the nobility that still dwelt in Orion's mind.

((Again... as it's been 24 hours, it's Wire's post.))

*Wire continued releasing the strings from his fingertips and stood in a defensive stance, though it wasn't going to do any good. The soldiers aimed their automatic weapons at the mutants as they stood on the stairs. Dominic knew none of their mutations were going to help against these guns. They just weren't strong enough and their specific powers couldn't contain all the men.*
"Anyone got any ideas??"

*Kilala looked over at Wire as he questioned what they should do. It seemed like they would have to be on the defense until some type of mircale happened. She placed her hands up and a field surrounded them all and not just John anymore. It wouldn't last long, but if any of those soldiers were trigger happy, they would at least have some time to move out of the way. 'Wish Daria would teleport us the hell out of here,' she thought, looking around for any ideas. She was usually full of crafty plans, but there was nothing coming to her now.*

*John didn't know what he should do and tried to not panic. He grasped the gem and figured he would try and destroy it as the Suna's shield was up. He wasn't sure if it would do anything, but it was worth a try.*
"Kilala, but a shield around my entire body!"
*Suna did what John was asking, but wasn't sure what his intentions were. Johnathon waited as the shield went all around his body and then began releasing the heat from his body. Normally anyone caught in the shield would be killed instantly as the heat inside was over 1000 degrees. The DocProf had told John not to go any higher, but he had to try to to get rid of this stone.*
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*Orion grabbed Cassiel's throat and threw him into an information kiosk. He stood up once more, but there was a change in his face. He no longer wanted to kill Cassiel. It was all about going after Whitmore now. Whatever this kid was doing to him, his mind was becoming more clear. Orion turned his attention away from Mike and looked up the stairs at the man who had totured him for months on end. He shook his head a bit and then put his sword over his shoulder. Orion's rage filled inside him as he saw the other soldiers on the floor trying to take Daria away. He yelled in rage and smashed his fist into the ground, using the force of Chaos. The tiles broke under his fist and a crack in the floor zigzagged it's way up to the staircase. Everyone on the floor and stairs rattled, falling to the floor. Orion then used Order to try and clear his head and find the green stone that was implanted in his body, but it was no use. He couldn't concetrate properly and his body was becoming weak as he kept fighting Whitmore's orders. Orion gave up on using Order for now and went back to using Chaos. The black smoke began emitting from his hands, but his time it was so intense, his body was also smoking. The soldiers started backing away from him and parting as Orion went up the stairs toward Whitmore.*
whitmore: "SHOOT HIM, DAMMI!"
*The soldiers were hesitant though. They didn't want any part with Orion. They witnessed over the many months the intensity of his powers. Finely Whitmore grabbed one of the assault rifles from a soldier and tried to fire, but Orion swung his sword and easily disassembled the weapon.*
"You die now, General."
*Orion said, grabbing Whitmore by the collar and throwing him down to the first floor. The soldiers were unsure of what to do, so Orion helped make up their minds for them. He grabbed one of the soldiers and threw him into three others who were close by.*
"GET OUT!!"
*Many of the men began falling back, but others were still unsure of what to do. Orion walked down the stairs and over to where he had tossed his opponent. He put his hand out to Mike to help him up.*
"Sorry, kid. I think I'm starting to realize what side I'm supposed to be on."

Mike took his hand and stood up. THen, eyes blazing, he grabbed Orion's head. He could feel the clawing, dark presence that lingered in his mind from Whitmore's tortures. The stone was idle now that Wire had it, but brainwashing remained. With a telepathic surge, he cut through it, giving Orion a clear mind... at least for the moment.

"Don't ever hit me again," he growled through clenched teeth. "Now... let's find where you threw that bastard. We need to clean things up here, then we're going to kill him."

Now that his mind wasn't preoccupied with Whitmore, several things all happened at once. The few soldiers still occupied with Daria were suddenly pulled away and slammed into the ceiling. Then, the telepathic link was restored.

"Daria, get down to the others and help them. Get them out if you can, all of you take those soldiers out otherwise. And whoever can do it, destroy that red stone! We're cleaning up here, then we'll be out to help."[/color]

He looked at the remaining soldiers around himself and Orion who were realizing that if they didn't put up a fight, they were as good as dead. "They're expecting the wrath of God from us, I think," he commented to Orion as they quickly took in their opposition. "I'd really, really hate to disappoint them, how about you?"

-------

Meanwhile, Daria appeared behind Wire and Setsuna, grabbing the team suddenly and teleporting them all a short distance to the other side of the group of troops, creating confusion among Whitmore's men as their targets suddenly gained the advantage of surprise.

*Wire immediately took advantage of the situation, wrapping the men around their necks and lifting them upand around the nearby trees. They dropped their weapons, grasping the wires around their necks to loosen their grip. He tightened them more making them lose consciousness. Wire released the strings and the men fell to the ground.*

*Setsuna took her sword out and handled the last of the men, while Wire strung others up and Ruki blasted the rest. She easily took them out with the element of surprise Daria had given the team. Kilala looked up toward the stairs of the museum where Johnathon was still trying to destroy the stone in the field she had created. It seemed he was actually bending the field with the heat he was using.*
"Damn."
*She raced up the stairs and started to add to the field, hoping it would help somehow.*

*Johnathon saw Kilala running up the stairs, adding more of the field around him which was now wrapping the heat inside. He suddenly felt the stone shaking fiercly in his grip until finally he was unable to hold it anymore. He walked to the wall of the field and what seemed like slow motion, left the frosty colored field. He turned around and kept his hands inside to keep heating the area, Kilala helping to keep the field going. This was going to work...*

___________________________________________________

*Orion crossed the museum's floor and found Whitmore cowering behind a statue. He grabbed the man by the back of his collar and lifted him into the air, uppercutting him under the jaw. The General fell to the ground, cowering backwards and away from them.*
"You stole my life you bastard!!"
*Orion kicked Whitmore in the stomach. The General spit blood from his mouth, but smiled sickly at him.*
whitmore: "You can kill me! It won't matter...we'll still have you in the end, Orion."
*Orion kicked the General again, taking his sword from his back.*
"Well, I'll feel a lot better knowing you're not around anymore."

A strong hand stopped Orion's. Cassiel stood just behind him, his eyes blazing and his astral wings spread. He held his psychic sword in his other hand as he stepped past, towering over Whitmore like a vindictive angel. "His life ends tonight," he intoned cryptically, "But I have a claim on his soul that I intend to make good on."

WHitmore rose into the air, his limbs stretched painfully tight by Cassiel's telekinesis. "You have tortured. You have murdered. You've destroyed lives and you've destroyed souls. Your corrupt influence has shattered innocence wherever it's found it. You are an abomination against humanity," Cassiel growled, his face mere inches from Whitmore's.

"You enslaved people for your own gain. You've threatened children for your own purposes. You threatened the woman who will be HIS wife, and their child. You MURDERED my grandfather, and twisted the mind of the woman I love!" Cassiel was shouting now, in a deep, terrible voice, echoing the raw power the emotions he was recalling gave him. "YOU DIE TONIGHT," he shouted, "BUT NOT BEFORE YOU SUFFER TENFOLD EVERY SUFFERING YOU'VE CAUSED!"

He raised the sword high, ready to drive it into Whitmore's head. "THE VOICES OF THOSE YOU HAVE TRAMPLED ON CRY OUT FOR THEIR PAIN TO BE AVENGED! FEEL THEM!!" With that, he drove the sword through whitmore's head, making the general's eyes blaze with the psychic energies coursing painfully through his brain. He felt the terror of the students at Xavier's, he felt the pain and loss of those who had lost loved ones to his plots. He felt the deaths of those Michael had absorbed in Arizona, and he felt the despair Tricity had felt at Orion's absence and her terror for her unborn child. And behind all of these and the other emotions that he experienced, all at once, and amplified, there was the looming wrath of Cassiel, creating another very real terror within Whitmore, even as he found that he couldn't move, couldn't even speak.

"Finish it," Cassiel growled, making way for Orion.

*The X-Men had managed to take out most of the soldiers. The others were now retreating, finding there was no match against the mutants. Wire kicked one of the men who was still conscious after falling from the tree he had strung him up in as he jogged up the stairs toward Kilala and Johnathon. His eyes grew wide as he saw what was happening. It seemed they might actually be able to destroy the stone. He watched intently, wanting to see the end of this destruction against mutants finish here on the stairs, though he knew there would be other times they would have to fight. His head snapped around toward the broken doors of the museum as he heard Mike yelling in a rage. Wire took one more look around the grounds to see if any other stragglers were intent on attacking him, but it didn't seem like they were coming back. Kilala nodded to Dominic, indicating that he should go inside and see if he could help somehow.*
"All right. If there's a problem, just...well, give a yell."
*Wire stepped through the broken doors and saw Orion was now himself and Cass had used one of his telekinetic swords to stab Whitmore in the head. 'No doubt to show him all the pain he caused,' Dominic thought. There was a murmuring coming from the second floor and Wire saw Kaine writhing in pain. He ran up the stairs to see if he could somehow help his teammate. It occured to him that it might possibly be from Kilala and Johnathon trying to destroy the red stone. Maybe the stones were somehow connected and the mutants who were implanted with the green gems were now feeling the destruction of the red one. Wire put his arm around Kaine's waist and his partner's arm around his shoulder, lifting him to his feet.*
"Come on, man. Let's get the hell out of here..."

*Kilala added yet again to the field to keep the heat contained, but she wouldn't be able to do so much longer. In fact, she was beginning to feel lightheaded. She fell back into one of the pillars in the front of the museum, bracing herself to stand. After putting her back against it, she concentrated harder to keep the field strong. Dominic came running up the stairs to see how Johnathon and her were progressing. She looked out and over to the other side of the street where it seemed he, Daria, and Riruki had taken care of the few that were left. Kilala smiled at Dominic for a good job done, but he seemed to be on his guard until they both heard Mike scream. She nodded for him to go help.*
"Get inside. Orion may be a handful."
*Kilala saw him go off into the museum as she saw the gem start spinning very fast. 'This is it!! Come on you piece of crap. Explode already!!' Just as the thought passed, the red stone finally shattered into thousands of pieces. Johnathon took his hands from the field and stumbled backward. Kilala grabbed him by the shoulders to keep him from falling as they both stared at the beautiful, but deadly pieces of stone suspend in the field. That's when it hit her. She yanked John down to the ground, pulling them both behind a pillar.*
"DARIA! RUKI!! GET DOWN!!"
*She saw the girls on the street take cover, probably not knowing why, but it was the perfect time to. The shards left the field, shooting out in all different directions at a bullet's speed. Kilala heard the shards piercing the pillar they hid behind, windows of the museum were breaking, cars exteriors denting and their windows shattering, and anything else nearby no doubt was pelted with the thousands of stones. One of the shards ripped through the top of Kilala's shoulder and she let out a soft cry in pain. She huddled closer to Johnathon as they covered their heads behind the pillar. Suddenly a familiar, unwanted sound filled the air and she realized they were sirens coming closer.*
"Shit! We gotta go!!"
*When the ricocheting seemed to end, Kilala stood up and peered around the corner, seeing the destruction of the front of the museum and the surrounding property.*
"Come on, John."
*She peeked her head inside the doors of the museum.*
"GUYS, WE GOTTA SPLIT!!"
*Kilala tapped Johnathon on the shoulder and the two hurried down the stairs.*
"DARIA! RUKI?! LET'S GET MOVING!"
*She saw them come out from behind a few trees and they all headed for the van they had first come in.*

*Johnathon smiled in triumph and disbelief as the stone finally shattered, the reflections of shattered pieces of the red gem reflecting in his eyes. His head started spinning and he felt himself falling backward, but Kilala's strong grip held him up.*
john: "We...we did it..."
*Suddenly he did feel himself falling as Kilala pulled them both to the ground and around one of the pillars that decorated the entrance to the museum. He didn't quite understand why until the sounds of the shards from the gem whizzed passed and embedded themselves into anything in their paths. 'That's right. The fields she creates doesn't actually stop objects inside of them, only slows it down.' Johnathon covered his head as the explosions ensued until hearing Setsuna cry out in pain. He looked to her and saw she was grabbing her shoulder. Johnathon put his arm around Setsuna, keeping her low and grabbing a hold of her shoulder as well to hopefully slow whatever blood she was losing. After it was over, Setsuna signaled for everyone to head to the van. Johnathon kept turning his eyes toward the museum doors, hoping to see the rest of the X-Men come from the building.*

________________________________________________

*Orion took Whitmore by the throat once more and stared into the General's eyes. He took the sword and slowly rose it in the air, Whitmore's gaze watching in fear.*
"Die now, coward."
*Orion stabbed the man in the stomach, twisting the blade to the side so Whitmore would feel the worst of it. Blood soaked through the wound and dripped down on the floor as well as Orion's boots. Orion didn't take his gaze away from his enemy's face as he smiled at the pain Whitmore was in. He wanted to watch the man's life slip away so he could enjoy every moment of it passing. Suddenly the sound of an unfamiliar voice made Orion look toward the entryway of the museum where he saw a spanish looking young man and an unconscious form that he was shouldering. A woman's voice was telling them they needed to leave and he recognized the silver X-Men symbol on their clothing. They were new members Orion hadn't met along with the young man who he was just fighting moments ago, but was now fighting with against Whitmore. Orion also noticed the unconscious man was an X-Men, but recognized him from Whitmore's base. 'Must have been sent off to do a mission like some of the others,' Orion thought. He looked back over to the General who's life was now at an end after hearing his last gasp for air. Orion pulled the sword from his stomach and dropped him from the hold around his neck. After staring at Whitmore's dead body for a few moments in his own world, Orion heard the sounds of the sirens indicating they needed to leave a.s.a.p. He made his way for the front doors and spoke to Cassiel, but not exactly looking at him.*
"Where's Tricity?"