God loves, man kills

[Harbinger]

:: Harbinger ignored Valkyrie's terse reply. She'd dealt with OTHER abrupt and abrasive beings before, from the Olympians to Black Widow. She wasn't about to let ONE MORE unnerve her!::

Just KEEP AT IT! The Nimrod is ALREADY trying to compensate!

WARNING! Outer layer of battle armour being ERODED! MOLECULAR DISPLACEMENT of structural cohesion in progress! ANALYZING!

:: Valkyrie had not dealt with this kind of substance or technology before and was pushing herself beyond any limit she thought she had. The strain was incredible, and it was starting to show as blood dripped from her mouth::


:: But the woman did not waver, she pressed on, finally, the Nimrod's CHEST CAVITY was giving way to it's processor core and temporal unit!::

INITIATING REPAIR SEQUENCE! ACTIVATING MULTI-FREQUENCY FORCE FIELD TO REPEL HOSTILE TARGET!

:: The force field would CUT OFF Valkyrie's hands and hit her with the force of a MACK TRUCK if she stayed a moment longer! She'd DONE IT, She'd OPENED the Nimrod's chest WIDE OPEN::



:: Not another second was to be wasted , or Valkyrie WOULD die!::


::Thrusting her hand forward::

VALKYRIE!

::Once again, the shield maiden is enveloped in swirling blue/black orbs as Harbinger quickly gestures and TELEBLINKS her away, sending her FLYING over head back over to the waiting arms of Steel::

TACHYON! GO!!!!

RUN into/THROUGH IT, get it's processing core and SEPERATE IT from the Nimrod's body!

 

[Tachyon]

Tachyon, BE READY....On my mark....

Ready, steady...

He already had what was to come in his mind, he had been looking for his moment as the others had been fighting. He was worried that he would have to just try it alone, that it would not be enough. But now, as he saw the pretty warrior-woman appear in front of the robotic beast...

She pushed harder against the nimrod, one last drive against the menace that would destroy the world, and at last the inner machinery of the nimrod could be seen.

GO!

It appeared to everyone like Tachyon had teleported to Nimrod, but he had RUN there and now he stopped only long enough for his body to resonate as it recoiled from the acceleration and then IT started. He began to vibrate at millions of hertz, at frequencies beyond, to the point that he was there, and YET NOT THERE. Quantum mechanics and the only-theoretically possible became real as everyone saw him step THROUGH the Nimrod, its center control chip in hand.

DANGER. TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL REASSEMBLY OF FORM IN PROGRESS. REMOVAL OF PROCESSING CENTER IMMINERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZT-

And the Nimrod's grew cold and dark as it fell silent. But the chip, the chip was still aglow. Everything needed to regrow that THING was still in his hand. He KNEW that was the case from what Alison had told him.

And so he grabbed the big kid's huge axe with the hammer on the other end. The one that he had seen cut LITERALLY everything he threw it into and which he realized was on par magically with the Time Staff and what had to be the Sceptre of Isis except that it was perfectly designed to BREAK shit. It probably had a ward on it but that stuff did not work on him and so he hit the chip with the Super Badass Hammer of Young Black Guy as he dropped it on the ground.

WHAM!

He ran around the room faster than anyone except Alison and Morningstar could really detect and hit it again with the increased speed and momentum.

WHAM!WHAM!WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM!WHAA--------

There came to be a groove run into the cathedral at the path at which he ran and the chip began to glow and then start to degrade as he hit it so fast and so hard, with so many repeated pressurized strikes, that the metal itself began to break apart into charged ions, the chip literally dissolving into what looked to be pretty floating sparks but were as hot as tiny suns, at least for an attosecond before becoming nothingness. In a flash the chip was gone, the heat radiating out and then dissipating as Xavier came to a stop, his hand dropping the axe at Nicolas' feet as he grabbed his knees and tried to catch himself before he fell.

 

[Harbinger]

:: Harbinger couldn't help but SMILE a bit. The Nimrod was TRYING to keep up, TRYING to compensate, but because she'd "looked ahead" and added Valkyrie to their plan, it was not able to repair itself fast enough to keep Tachyon from breaching it's physical form and tearing the core processor from it's body::

:: As Tachyon DESTROYS the processor, that leaves ONLY the temporal core. The Nimrod is capable of surviving/operating without its processor core for a TIME, but Harbinger is not going to let it have another moment HERE!::

DANGER. TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL REASSEMBLY OF FORM IN PROGRESS. REMOVAL OF PROCESSING CENTER IMMINERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZT-

:: She summons her Time Staff, and the garnet jewel in the crown of the staff shimmers and sounds off::


It's OVER!


:: Temporal "winds" howl and flow around the Keeper of Time as the Nimrod's eyes and body begin to glow and STROBE as it struggles to reboot and reorient itself::


:: Harbinger unleashes her temporal/telekinetc power against it, channeling them through the Time Staff as a portal OPENS behind the Nimrod and the blast from her time staff KNOCKS it into mouth of the portal, attempting to PUSH it through::

ALARM! TEMPORAL DISPLACEMENT IN PROGRESS! ANALYZING AND ATTEMPTING TO COMPENSATE!

:: Continuing to hold her time staff out, pointing at the Nimrod, Harbinger directs her temporal attack with more determination as it struggles to REMAIN in this timeline::

:: There was ONE LAST, UNEXPECTED piece to be added to this as Harbinger seeks to push the nimrod OUT and "lock the door" on it!::

 

[Persephone]

Everything was so cold and black--quiet.

"Persephone!"

A familiar voice....She could feel the cold begin to disappear. A warmth overcame her. A calm.

"Oh my...no! Sweetheart....can you hear me?"

She knew the voice...Demeter? Yes, it was her mother...and she was talking to someone...

"Goddess!....Go! KILL HIM NOW!"

Athena...she would recognize that stern tone anywhere.

"I need to get these cuffs off her otherwise she'll die!"

And Hecate...yes, the cuffs...take the cuffs off. She could feel the life slipping from her body. She didn't want him to win....not like this....Not. Like. This.

GASP

Opening her eyes, Ava sat upright, startled. Looking around, she looked confused for a moment before realizing where she was. She wasn't there...she was at the cathedral....Nimrod....The purifiers. It immediately came back to her seeing the carnage and chaos around her.

Seeing Nicolas awake and embracing Isis, Ava realized the warmth she had felt was Isis healing her. Giving the woman a nod of gratitude, Ava gathered to her feet. Nimrod was trying to reboot, but it was taking him longer due to her ice attack. This gave Harbinger, Valkyrie, and this new man she's never seen before the opportunity to attack him.

Moving next to Sharon, Alycia, and Haleigh, Ava watched as the others unleashed a symphony of attacks that actually WORKED. Nimrod was shut down and Alison was about to blast his ass to another dimension!

 

[Orion]

Valkyrie: Coming to the aid of warriors on the battlefield is my job. Was my job.

"Lucky me, you haven't fully retired. Wait, do you kiss ALL of them like that? And here I thought I had gotten something special."

Valkyrie: I don’t need your help.

Zach rolled his eyes. These high powered women and their egos. They were all worse than dudes. They just could NOT accept that it was OKAY to receive some assistance every now and
then. As he surveyed the place, or what was left of it, Ashey sneered at his nostalgia.

Valkyrie: What were you thinking?

"That I'd found the one person on earth I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

Valkyrie: Nice one, dodging THAT bullet. Hope it wasn’t to that Black Widow person.

"It was, actually."

Valkyrie: Have you checked her for a penis?

Zach laughed at that. Haleigh could be quite 'masculine', if you tried to apply typical gender roles, or judged her by the sociological norms. She definitely defied any preconceived notions of what it was to be woman.

"You're welcome to check her if you like. I'm quite satisfied with her, personally."

Valkyrie: Try to stay out of trouble while I go fight with that metal thing.

"Yeah, you do that. I'm just gonna go..... walk off this little [gesturing to the broken arrow shaft sticking out of his thigh] 'splinter' I've gotten."

She gave him a pat on the chest and then went towards the giant scary robot. He hobbled over to Oracle and Steel. Haleigh, Alycia and Sharon appeared just as he arrived. He was AGHAST to see the wounds on Haleigh. She looked like she'd gotten steamrolled by an industrial lawn mower, and that was BEFORE he got a look at her back. He was horrified by the fact that he could see her ACTUAL muscles. They moved as she did and the sight was made all the more surreal by the fact that her muscle fibers seemed to be made of woven carbon fiber.

Alycia: Haleigh.... you're hurt. I'm sorry.

Haleigh: Pfft. Fuck this flesh wound. I'll live. Are you okay?

Zach's eyes widened at the way Haleigh downplayed the huge HOLE in her back. Thankfully, Isis showed up and tended to everyone's wounds, including his. There was a battle raging in the background, but over here in the alcove, they tried to recover, and most of them just watched as they caught their breath.

 

[Valkyrie]

Just when she was sure either she was going to die or the nimrod was going to kill her, Valkyrie was transported away. She slumped in Steel’s arms, letting him hold her, her eyes still closed.

Faintly she could hear Harbinger’s voice.

It's OVER!

She could see light flashes even behind her closed eyes, and she opened them to see Harbinger pushing the nimrod into the open portal behind it. She slipped out of Steel’s arms and onto the floor, her legs weak but holding.

Valkyrie could hear them, feel them, in this place. Giving her their power. Finish it. Finish HIM.

“Nimrod!”

She began to walk slowly towards the nimrod as she shouted to it, arms at her sides, her body stronger with each step.

“You have killed without honor. I am a Shieldmaiden of Asgard, and this will not stand.”

She came to rest standing next to Harbinger. She shook her head slowly back and forth, a dark sneer on her face.

“You have come a long way to find death.”

Valkyrie’s eyes glowed onyx. She raised her arms and howling winds of her own would add to Harbinger’s. All present would be able to see ghostly figures of rotting corpses rising from the very stones of the cathedral and massing behind Valkyrie.

“These are the souls of the dead killed here today. YOU have tricked them out of their place in the next world.”

In front of the black and damned souls of the dead Purifiers, there now rose a bright white light. The figures of the 41 murdered children stood there holding hands, as real as if they were living children save for seeming to be made of light.

“You have murdered these pure souls, these innocents. They will not let you pass.”

Valkyrie pointed towards the nimrod with her right hand, and the combined souls swept towards the portal, blocking the nimrod from retaliating at Harbinger, LOCKING him into the portal. They could hear the high pitched voices of the children:

Children: "You killed us. We won't let you hurt anyone else."

 

[Black Widow]

Alycia: Haleigh.... you're hurt..... I'm sorry.....

She WAS hurt, but she had already shut off her pain sensors, and her blood started to congeal on the open wound, sealing it effectively. Haleigh wasn't worried about herself. She looked to Alycia after she finished with Sharon.

"Pfft, fucck this flesh wound. [with concern] Are you alright?"

She asked, not talking specifically about Alycia's possible concussion. She knew the more traumatic damage had been psychological. Seeing Sharon actually INJURED, and at the hands of a Nimrod no less, was a jarring experience. This was the precursor to Master Mold, an enemy that had cost them SO MUCH in the past. Even Haleigh would admit that. Isis arrived and healed those who had been injured one by one. Haleigh thanked her when she was done.

Nic: I heard you Aunt D...thank you. Now I need to be ready, because it is not over yet.

Haleigh took a hold of his forearm, shaking her head.

"REST, Nicolas. You've done enough. Let the others do it."

Steel: Dominique Devereaux? [he turned his head to Oracle] I guess you were right about her.

"And I guess YOU were right about HER...."

Haleigh interjected, pointing in the direction she was looking. Valkyrie was putting up a valiant effort to strip Nimrod open. Haleigh watched intently, transfixed. As the attack broke through, she tried again to hack Nimrod, this time to slow its repair sequence. She didn't exactly break THROUGH.... but she was able to provide yet another DISTRACTION, making it exponentially EASIER for Ashley to continue. Then Alison got her out of there, and sent Tachyon in to grab the CPU.

"NO! WAIT!!!!!"

She yelled, but Tachyon was already smashing it to bits. She sighed, feeling a sense of loss. The TECHNOLOGY that he destroyed was priceless. Haleigh had wanted to study it, decipher it, and maybe figure out a way to control it. If she could master it, then the next time a Nimrod or
Master Mold showed up, they would have an easier time..... but it was too late now. The remnants were practically dust. Alison and Valkyrie worked in concert to lock the Nimrod out of their dimension.

Haleigh suddenly realized something that made her heart stop. She turned to Isis and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the answer she might get.

"Isis.... Morningstar was with you. WHAT has happened to her??"

 

[Seer]

<< As tentacles lash out from the Nimrod, attempting to take hold of Harbinger and pull her toward it, the souls of the victims of the purifiers come forth!>>

<< They swirl and step foward, BLOCKING the Nimrod's path to Harbinger and as the precog makes one final effort, the garnet jewel in the crown of her time staff flashes with a thunderous sound and Nimrod is SHOVED THROUGH the portal! And as the witch begins to close the portal the souls of those lost to the purifiers, now called forth by Valkyrie and seeking justice, they "LOCK" the portal behind the Nimrod, so that IT can't return!>>

<< The temporal winds quiet and settle, leaving Harbinger and Valkyrie standing there facing where the Nimrod once was, but is no longer.>>

<< They, along with their teammates DARE to exhale as they realize that the Nimrod is truly GONE!>>


<< But that sweet moment of realization is cut short>>

Haleigh suddenly realized something that made her heart stop. She turned to Isis and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the answer she might get.
"Isis.... Morningstar was with you. WHAT has happened to her??"

<<Even as the sorceress is about to answer... .>>

<< Some COUGHING is heard. >>


<< A faint, breeze echoes in the now badly damaged cathedral, but there is one other sound...one other person that remains>>

 

[Mary Justice]

<< The only thing that matched Mary's sheer DELILGHT at what WAS shaping up to be the END of the Six AND their allies, was the AGONY she felt when she was NAILED by the arrows fired at her by Ana-Leigh>>

<< Her cries of pain and agony were lost in the din of the Nimrod's assault on the two teams, but even as she lay there, unable to move, unable to escape and heaving with pain, she cried out to the lord. She knows that she did all she could, and that her life might be necessary to carry out his will. She has no problem dying.>>

<< Her cries and exclamations almost seemed like expressions of....SATISFACTION...as her breathing slowly regulated and she slowly became CALM, praying without ceasing to the lord.>>

<< She almost seemed to be in a trance like state, and didn't seem to react with much distress when the Nimrod was finally DEFEATED and banished from this time and space!>>

<< All was lost, wasn't it!? NO....not for her! The faithful NEVER waiver. There's a REASON for EVERYTHING!>>


<< She coughs a bit...swallowing hard as she turns her head to the other side.>>


so.... this is how it ends...

surrouned by smoke, my fallen brothers and sisters in the lord.... and genetic filth.

<< she coughs a bit more>>

I...proudly admit...without shame that I am DISAPPOINTED that I...won't be here to witness your EXTINCTION!


But do NOT think I REGRET what I have sacrificed here today. I have SEE more from the gift of visions. Things that will happen even AFTER tonight, as you all think you've WON.


The lord comes for you...


And when he does FINALLY strike you all down, when you see the LIGHT of his RIGHTEOUS FIRE RAINING DOWN ON YOUR BENIGHTED "RACE"...

<< The strength, the force of her conviction her driving passion does not waiver, even now in her current state. it's a tragic testimony to the power of blind, misguided faith>>

KNOW THAT HIS CLEANSING LIGHT BURNS WITH BUT A FRACTION OF MY PROFOUND HATRED FOR...

<< She does not get to finish her scathing diatribe...>>

 

[MorningStar]

MorningStar knew from her last encounter with the nimrod, that her powers would not be enough to defeat it. She watched Harbinger and her new bestie, who Delilah recognized from the police station. She must be one of John’s. Somehow the nimrod had been pushed into a portal. Delilah’s heart was beating out of her chest. Master Mold had not come for them. Sharon was alive. Everyone was alive.

Her relief was short-lived.

For now, she was filled with ANGER as her gaze found the last Purifier standing: Sister. Mary. Justice.

This was all HER fault. She had fed the nimrod, captured Cameron – taught people to KILL. People like her would never change, they would spew hate and filth until the day they died, banking on their connections to keep them outside the law.

She was yelling out to her god, still enveloped in her bigotry and threats. But her god was not Delilah’s god. And he did not answer. MorningStar did. She stepped into the light, coming out from under the cloaking spell’s camoflauge.

KNOW THAT HIS CLEANSING LIGHT BURNS WITH BUT A FRACTION OF MY PROFOUND HATRED FOR

MorningStar holds up her right hand in a “stop” motion, unleashing a broad-beamed laser blast only feet away from the Sister, utterly vaporizing her. Nothing but her ashes remains on the cold stone floor.

“How’s about that for some ‘cleansing light’?”

She looked down at the ashes of Mary Justice.

“Boring conversation anyway. Psycho.”

Delilah kicked at the ashes with her boot, as if to punctuate the sentiment.

 

[Prophet]

The attack on them had been brutal and after dealing with the white noise generators and various other weapons forged against them, it had caused Cameron to go BLIND. He had taken quite the beating from Sister Mary Justice and while he had felt a surge of energy upon being rescued by The Six, he was now beginning to show just how worse for the wear he was. He wasn't able to see the BRUTAL attack that Sharon had sustained and to be honest it was better for everyone that he hadn't. Had he witnessed the Nimrod CRACKING Sharon's arm he would have sent himself in a tailspin, making him sloppy and even MORE ineffective than he was right now.

"Dammit!"

Right now he felt useless and he hated that. ESPECIALLY considering what they were about to fight. A MASTER MOLD. Cameron had never seen one in person, but he was there when Rick Riley activated the first one and the series of events that would end Sharon and Morgan's lives. He hadn't been there in their time of need. He hadn't been there for them SEVERAL times when they needed him to be there and much of his feelings for them were colored by the fact that he had promised himself never to leave their sides again. To fight for them and to make sure they were NEVER put in the same situations as before. Had he seen the horrifying brutality with wich the Nimrod was able to take out the others easily, he would have lost it.

But suddenly, everything became clear as he felt the warm and swirling magicks of Isis course through his body, healing his wounds and bringing him back to full speed. His vision became clear and he able to better figure out what was going on around him. And AS he looked around he could sense his sister had something brewing.

There were so many people on the battlefield with them. It was a matter of being able to step back and NOT be the hero..to allow the ones with the power to do so, destroy such a device. Cameron made his way back over towards Simon and Vivica who seemed incredibly thrown and shaken by what they were seeing. He encased them in a PSI Shield as he stood between them. He looked at both of them with a mixture of awe and pride.

"You guys did great. REALLY great. We don't have the power to take this thing down...but SHE [points to Alison] does. Right now we just have to get out of her way and be ready to support as needed."

Simon: "Yeah well she better burn this place to the goddamn ground when she's done. There is nothing sacred or holy LEFT about this place. NOBODY should worship here."

He looked over to Cameron and gave him a softened and somber look.

Vivica: "Simon...we've taken care of the things that made this place impure and hollow. These walls will ring with worship again soon enough. I have to believe that."

"Oh my god! Ashley! The officer from before...she's headed STRAIGHT towards the Nimrod!"

Cameron watched as the beautiful and vicious blonde ran at the Nimrod, placing her hands on it's CORE as she began to dissolve completely. Before Ashley was consumed completely by her own power, a flurry of activity caused Cameron to cock his eye brow as what looked like a speedster had separated the core from the Nimrod! He didn't know who the man was but he could do what Cameron himself couldn't and for that he respected the man.

Alison took her Time Staff as she delivered a beautiful and haunting temporal attack attempting to lock it in time as Valkyrie ignited an amazing attack against the Nimrod as the souls of those lost in battle began to rise from the stone of the Cathedral. Cameron had seen some of them while using his psychic sight to augment his vision. It was one of his mystical accents, to be able to see and communicate with dead, just as he had done with AJ Quartermaine many years ago, but it not something he actively pursued. Unlike Blaze, Cameron was a person uncomfortable with the idea of even lightly tapping into mystical forces. He was afraid of what it would do to him.

The display was brilliant and it made him feel the smallest bit of justice as he began to mental pull from those in the room in order to learn what happened in his absence. A solemn tear went down his face as he watched the children take VENGEANCE against the Nimrod. He looked over at Simon who seemed shaken. He was eerily proud of the man. He had stepped up in more ways than one and in record time.

[to Simon] "You did good, Pratt. I won't forget this..."

As he watched the Nimrod dissappear in time.

"Good riddens..."

NOW it was time to rid the world of Sister Mary Justice and Cameron was about to deliver a CRUSHING blow to the woman as he began to walk up the row of pews and bodies towards her listening to her pontificate until...

MorningStar holds up her right hand in a “stop” motion, unleashing a broad-beamed laser blast only feet away from the Sister, utterly vaporizing her. Nothing but her ashes remains on the cold stone floor.

“How’s about that for some ‘cleansing light’?”

She looked down at the ashes of Mary Justice.

“Boring conversation anyway. Psycho.”

Delilah kicked at the ashes with her boot, as if to punctuate the sentiment.

Prophet looked at Morningstar and cocked his eyebrow up for a moment. Delilah had always been aggressive in battle, but never like THIS. She wouldn't have just taken a HUMAN life like that. Delilah wasn't that kind of person. He was worried about what the Blue Moon had done to her and if there was coming back from it. And worse, if there were coming back from it how would Delilah feel about what she had done. That was a conversation for later...IF Delilah would allow it. Cameron took a look at the battleworn people around him. How much they had accomplished by working together. How much would they have lost had Oracle's team not been there. He shot a look to Haleigh.

[deadpan] "Clean up crew?"

 

[Ruby]

St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Sanctuary

:: Cass was DONE. She had nothing to say, nothing to do. She could only watch as others attacked – and then destroyed – Nimrod. She knew she should probably be feeling SOMETHING, but she just couldn’t muster up the energy it would take to FEEL. Her back was up against the wall and her head was against Blaze’s shoulder. She couldn’t seem to get it together. Her left hand was entwined with Blaze’s right hand and for that she was grateful because that simple gesture or act or whatever was what was keeping her anchored. ::

:: She was badly beaten, bruised, broken, and bloodied. But she had SURVIVED…and she had managed to save not only Cameron from certain death but BLAZE as well! ::

I DID it!!

:: She didn’t have the energy to smile, but she WAS proud of herself. After all these years, these DECADES of loneliness, she had finally found IT…complete absolution of what she had went through back in Germany. She replayed the guard’s words in her mind, this time in English. ::

SS Guard: *cruelly*: “Now look what you've done, wee one. What kind of friend would lead their friends to death? Shame on you! No one will ever like you now. You are going to be a bad friend, wee one. You are not allowed to have more friends.”

:: She remembered everything that she had experienced as “Bryda” and what she was thinking and feeling. But she did it. The guards were WRONG. She’s a GREAT friend, and she DESERVED to have the life she had always wanted. She DESERVED to have amazing friends like Blaze, Vivi, and Cameron as well as everybody else. She DESERVED to have family. She DESERVED to have love in her life. Instead of being responsible for MORE deaths, she had SAVED two lives! She did it; she had reached what she had been STRIVING for her whole life: complete absolution of what was spoken over her by those NAZIS back in Germany. ::

:: A small smile appeared on her bruised lips as she watched DELILAH send Mary Justice packing with a one-way ticket straight to HELL. ::

These are my people…these are my FAMILY.

:: She made a mental note to ask Blaze for a one-on-one. This was one of those times where a girl needed – and wanted – her BEST FRIEND. She also made a note to somehow make it up to Cameron for not being THERE those times they were stuck in the dungeon. ::

I’m HOME…

 

[Rampage]

Haleigh took a hold of his forearm, shaking her head.

"REST, Nicolas. You've done enough. Let the others do it."

His mouth set, Nicolas nodded to Haleigh. She always seemed to reach him...strange for someone who prides themselves on being capable of unfeeling that she manages to touch him so easily. Nicolas realized that between the two of them, they looked like dirty beach couture models, with barely a stitch of clothing left between the two of them. He relaxed as she held his forearm, allowing his hand to fall to his side.

Meanwhile, Alison had a new friend who liked to bend and break fundamental laws of physics. Nicolas noted, even as he watched the Nimrod be disposed of, that he would HAVE to see if Lorentz transformations were accurate in objects of larger mass. he even lifted Nicolas' axe, using the hammered end as he felt Haleigh tense as she tried to reason with him not to destroy the central processor. He actually could sympathize; they could have learned much from it. But sometimes one had to let go of that type of temptation. He wrapped an arm around Haleigh.

I know Haleigh, I know. But the risk very well could have outstripped any rewards. Let it go.

The move by Valkyrie to seal Nimrod away using the children...the CHILDREN. Nicolas eyes burned, no tears available due to the exertion he had been under, but he was visibly moved by the beauty of the children taking their revenge AND settling in to rest for eternity.

As the false prophet spoke, Nicolas reached out his hand and his axe obeyed. Had it not been for Delilah, her end would have been...MESSIER.

As others contemplated this place and how it would or would not be redeemed, Nicolas had an idea. Not for this moment, but in the days ahead, he would see about redeeming this place.

 

[Persephone]

Nimrod was fighting back even as Harbinger tried blasting him into another dimension. He was trying to drag Alison in WITH him. Ava was prepared to go back into the fold to help her friend, but stopped short seeing Valkyrie unleash another attack....one using the souls of the 41 children that had died, to prevent Nimrod from taking Alison. They were all holding hands...all so angelic and innocent, even in their spirit form. Ava heart sank...her eyes glassy at the sight. Forty one lost souls all because of her.

Once the portal was closed and Nimrod was gone, Ava turned her eyes to Sister Mary Justice. The woman was anchored to the cathedral ground, unable to move. But even in her helpless state--KNOWING that she was going to die--she STILL was proud at what she had accomplished. The people that had died because of her. The innocents that were lost. Persephone's eyes darkened, her hands closing into fists. She was going to rip this woman's spin out and BEAT her to death with it.

ZAP!

Sister Mary Justice was there....and then she wasn't.

Delilah: "Hows that for some 'cleansing light'?"

Looking at Delilah, Ava was slightly taken aback by how ruthless she had become. Going as far as to even kick the ashes of the sister. But at the same time....she was a little proud too. Delilah was always the 'light' of the six--something the team unfairly put on her for so many years. But to see Delilah get vengeance and react from her gut was pretty awesome. It was just unfortunately that it took Delilah HATING the team to get her to this point.

Everything was silent for a few moments....Everyone was sort of in a state of shock. Simon and Vivica looked down right traumatized. Blaze and Cass were sitting against the wall both looking drained and beaten. Alycia and Sharon were healed but still obviously shaken by what had happened. Haleigh and Nicolas both looked exhausted, and Cameron and Alison were alive but still haunted by what COULD have happened. The others....the rogue team that had helped them...they were pretty much in the same state.

Cameron: [deadpan] "Clean up crew?"

She knew that was Haleigh's department, and despite how everyone was feeling, they needed to get out of there and get the place cleaned up before the media was alerted. Walking over to Sharon and Alycia, Ava gave them both a hand in standing up.

"We should all get out of here and let Clandestine do their job."

 

[Recall]

:: The whole scene was damn horrific. Vivica took a moment while under the protection of Cameron's PSI Shield to survey the damage. She was taken back to her days as a girl where church was required in every Sunday. In fact as odd as it sounds for somebody like Vivica to say or think..but church was one of the few things that kept Vivica on the straight and narrow as a child. She didn't buy into the archaic ways of classic Christianity, but she definitely was glad to have a place of worship as a child and teenager to remind her what the important things in life were and how to maintain a positive attitude in times adversity. And the singing! All of it had brought her much joy but now to see such a historically holy place in the city this absolutely defiled..well it made her stomach churn. She decided in that moment to become renewed her in own personal faith. Maybe even start going to church again. ::

:: An ironic contrast between what she was thinking and what she was seeing in front of her reached a head as Sister Mary Justice returned to the forefront, coughing and near death. Even in her death she remained obstinate. A true believer of her own misguided ignorance and pain. ::

Sister Mary Justice: "KNOW THAT HIS CLEANSING LIGHT BURNS WITH BUT A FRACTION OF MY PROFOUND HATRED FOR..."

:: Vaporized. ::

:: Recall's eyes widen with disbelief but a HELL of a lot a satisfaction. ::

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Bitch!"

:: Everybody seemed more than ready to get out of this place and so was Vivica as she embraced Simon in an ulwecome but much needed hug. The poor boy had been put through the ringer but he had stepped and put aside his reservations to help not just The Six or Oracle's team but for ALL MUTANT kind. ::

"No turning a blind eye now, eh? Come here Pratt."

:: She released him from her hug and then she made her way towards where the rest of the group was. Vivica placed her hand on Oracle's shoulder and gave a nodding sort of "Thanks for having my back. You have my respect kind of look. " to Steel. There was no complimenting Ashley without some sort of a fight. So she just let that be. ::

Cameron: "Clean up crew?"

Ava: "We should all get out of here and let Clandestine do their job."

Vivica let out a dramatic sigh.

"Yes PLEASE. I can't wait to wash the stench of BIGOT off me!"

 

[Black Widow]

Nicolas: I know Haleigh, I know. But the risk very well could have outstripped any rewards. Let it go.

Yeah, maybe. Now I'll never know.

She thought, but he couldn't hear her now. Anyway, she turned back to Dominque. She was MORE concerned with Delilah's whereabouts at this point. Isis was opening her mouth to answer Haleigh when an echoing cough could be heard in the sanctuary.

Mary: so.... this is how it ends... surrounded by smoke, my fallen brothers and sisters in the lord.... and genetic filth.

Haleigh's attention shifts to the last remaining foe. Her expression changes to one of bitter irritation. Mary rants on, the last diatribe of a dying zealot, true religious fervor to the very end.

Mary: The lord comes for you...

"Yeah? Well I've got something for HIM, and for YOU, Sister."

She says, mainfesting a Barret 50 cal sniper rifle. At almost 5 feet long from the stock to the compensator at the tip of the barrel and weighing in at an unwieldy 30 pounds, it's no average gun. The .50 caliber ammunition is 6 inches long, and about the same in girth as a highlighter. It's probably overkill for the shot she intends to make, but the sound of it ringing through the cathedral will be as satisfying as seeing the spray of blood and brain matter through her scope. She slaps the bottom of the magazine to ensure it's fully seated, then lifts it up to aim, shifting her feet to stabilize her stance.

Mary: KNOW THAT HIS CLEANSING LIGHT BURNS WITH BUT A FRACTION OF MY PROFOUND HATRED FOR...

Haleigh trains her scope, laying the cross hairs right between the eyes of her target, taking a deep breath and then slowly exhaling as her finger wraps around the trigger. Before she can fire, a blast of light OBLITERATES her target.

Delilah:How’s about that for some ‘cleansing light’?"

Haleigh lets the barrel of her weapon drop down, as she rubs her eye gently.

"I think it cleansed my retina..."

She smirks, looking at Delilah, whose hand was still raised. Haleigh was a bit proud of her, to be honest. Delilah was coming around to the dark side. She was starting to acknowledge that sometimes, the bad guys don't deserve to live. And she was starting to actively participate in the elimination of said enemies. She recalled the night Delilah had done the same to Bishop in Arklay. The fallout from that particular action by Delilah had been the catalyst for a change between Haleigh and Delilah.... the change between polite alliance and true FRIENDSHIP.

But as Delilah flippantly kicked the ashes and commented, Haleigh's expression turned grim. There had been other fallout from that night with Bishop as well. Delilah carried the guilt of that first execution, and had eventually tried to drown herself escape the weight of killing him. Haleigh felt a creeping concern for Delilah, who seemed so remarkably DIFFERENT than she remembered. Clearly the Blue Moon event had left its scars on Delilah. Clearly the separation from Alexia was taking its toll. Haleigh knew without a doubt that it was an issue that needed to be addressed, and now that she was seemingly the defacto 'leader' of their little motley crew, it would be something she brought up.

Cameron: Clean up crew?

[Nodding] "En Route."

Ava: We should all get out of here and let Clandestine do their job.

Vivica: Yes PLEASE. I can't wait to wash the stench of BIGOT off me!

"I'm sure Audrey would appreciate not having to work around us. You know..... [she looks around] I think I'll get in touch with the property managers for this place, and see about donating the funds to restore this place to its former splendor. I'm not very religious..... but it WAS a beautiful architectural acheivement."

 

[Longshot]

< When the sword is once drawn, the passions of men observe no bounds of moderation. It was one of Simon's favorite quotes and up until now he had used it to attempt to pick up women in a bar or appear deep and quixotic to those around him. He was a swordsmen after all and people love a good quote. But tonight he felt as if he truly understood it. He had engaged in battle for his entire life...but only for competition and praise and rewards. Only to be the best. He had no true understanding of what it would be like to take that sword in his hand and extinguish a life with it. Tonight he had crossed that line and had to put everything he had trained for and competed for his entire life into actual practice. It had changed him. His sardonic commentary on the world was still running through his mined but those thoughts were going head to head with ones of true remorse and despair. This group. The Purifiers had declared a war on mutant kind and looking around at the people he joined arms with tonight, it was clear that this was not the only war that had been started against mutants and it certainly wouldn't be the last. >

< On one hand he almost understood the fear The Purifiers had. Tonight he had seen Alycia Barnett shoot lightning from a bow and arrow. He had seen Cameron King telekinetically crucify a nun to the wall. He had watched Ava created an icy tornado with simply the snapping of her fingers. As if it were nothing out of the ordinary. There was so much power contained in the sanctuary of St. Patrick's Cathedral tonight that it was no wonder people assumed the worst about mutant kind. Any one of them was capable of completely destroying the world if they wanted to. And with as much adversity they had faced he was starting to wonder why any of them HADN'T already. >

< Another part of him saw the amazing benefits that embracing mutants in society could bring. The end of disease and famine. A stop to Global Warming and protection of the free world from terror. But that could only live in a world where every person born like them WANTED to stand up and help solve problems and in a current climate that made it very clear, especially now that being born a mutant was an abhorrent act against God and that nobody not even mutant children were safe from this level of hatred, he could understand why NO mutant would want to help. He thought of their bloodied and bruised faces as she stood with Vivica near the end of the pews, just watching. He had been healed by Isis but to be honest he had nothing left to give. He wasn't advanced in the use of his powers like they were. He hadn't been battle worn like they had and he knew he CERTAINLY didn't want to risk messing things up against the hulk like machine that stood before them and wanted to destroy them all. >

< Cameron approached and contained them in a PSI Shield as Harbinger, Tachyon and Valkyrie began to deliver an incredibly beautiful and brutal assault on the Nimrod. His eyes watched with no visible emotion. >

Cameron: "You guys did great. REALLY great. We don't have the power to take this thing down...but SHE [points to Alison] does. Right now we just have to get out of her way and be ready to support as needed."

< He wanted more than anything to roll his eyes but found himself exhausted to the point of which he couldn't. Cameron spoke as if they had done something great. All they had done was..survive. >

"Yeah well she better burn this place to the goddamn ground when she's done. There is nothing sacred or holy LEFT about this place. NOBODY should worship here."

Vivica: "Simon...we've taken care of the things that made this place impure and hollow. These walls will ring with worship again soon enough. I have to believe that."

"I don't know what I believe anymor--"

Cameron: "Oh my god! Ashley! The officer from before...she's headed STRAIGHT towards the Nimrod!"

< Simon watched as Valkyrie began a brutal assault on the nimrod. She he could deal with. She always seemed incredibly clear on what her intentions were and what she wanted and she made no apologies. She seemed to understand that war was death and that death was a necessary part of battle. He wished he had a little bit of what she did right in this moment. Maybe it wouldn't feel so terrible. Her words were beautiful as the souls of those lost in the bus attack began to arrive as ghosts and spirits. His eyes widened with sadness as they took vengeance on the component that ultimately caused their deaths. It was important that she did that. She had brought some form of justice to the departed...but what of those who were still alive and unaware of what was brewing underneath the surface? >

< The attack was brilliant when all three parts came together. The Nimrod was essentially banished and Delilah made quick and effective work of Sister Mary Justice, the catalyst for this series of events. Her words dripped for disdain of mutant kind and Simon wondered how many others there were out there like her. Just waiting to be primed by the right political group or terrorist into physical violence and attempted genocide of the mutant population. He shuddered. At least this one would no longer have the chance to carry out her machinations. >

< Vivica embraced him into a hug. >

Vivica: "No turning a blind eye now, eh? Come here Pratt."

"And nobody else will ever again if I have anything to do about it..."

< He didn't want the hug. He didn't want to talk about his feelings and his thoughts. Simon wasn't like that. He was an intelligent person capable of working through his pain on his own. He didn't need to be told over and over how good of a job he had done or how people were proud of him and wouldn't forget what he done. Who cared? THEY walked away with their lives and now the only thing Simon could see were BODIES. Everywhere. He began to make his way towards the others when he heard a GROAN come from the direction where his feet were stepping. Simon looked down to see one of The Right gasping for air and still alive attempting to crawl for safety. Simon eyed him carefully before pulling the gun that Nicolas had given him earlier in the night and unloading it completely in the head of the wounded man beneath him. >

< Simon looked up at the group as a few frenzied moments of seething anger within him. >

Haleigh: "I'm sure Audrey would appreciate not having to work around us. You know..... [she looks around] I think I'll get in touch with the property managers for this place, and see about donating the funds to restore this place to its former splendor. I'm not very religious..... but it WAS a beautiful architectural acheivement."

"A beautiful place to get married, i'm sure..."

< He said with bitterly and sarcastically. Simon wasn't even aware of the fact that Haleigh and Zach had once plan to wed in the very spot they were all standing just now. >

"In any case...I just got my cherry popped in the whole taking human lives department and it's left me kind of sore. I need a shower and then I need to be taken to a place where this is a never ending supply of top shelf liquor. I don't plan on making sense of any of this for quite some time so if that's the case...I'd like to be drunk."

 

[Firebird]

Cass had ensured Blaze wouldn't hit the ground as she fell from the air after being shot by Nimrod. Her teammate pulled her to safety and by that point, the best thing Cass could do, was keep herself and Blaze safe.

Soon, Harbinger, along with the aid of Valkyrie and a mysterious man they called Tachyon, booted the horrible Nimrod OUT of their timeline and made sure it couldn't come back.

But was it REALLY the end of the threat of Nimrod? The Six knew better than most that what was thought to be "impossible" could have a way of happening anyway. For now though, it was a well deserved moment to EXHALE for ALL of them.

Until the words of Sister Mary Justice rang out.


More than one person wanted to dispatch her but MorningStar beat them ALL to it. Everyone was relieved that Mary Justice and her murderous band of Purifiers was gone, but Mary's words stayed with Blaze. A violent end to a woman who orchestrated so much violence in the name of god. THIS was why Blaze would ALWAYS be wary of "DEVOUT" "RELIGIOUS" people. They'd always find someone to focus their "religious beliefs" against. Blacks, gays, jews, women, mutants...it would ALWAYS be someone! How long before someone ELSE rose up to take Mary's place?


She slowly stood to her feet, helping Cass. Even she'd been knocked out of the air, Cass had been beaten and tortured for days. She helped her over to Isis, who promptly began healing her.

As Cass recovered from her injuries, Blaze reached out to hug her, in front of everyone, she then reached for Cameron and hugged him tightly as well. Having lost him in her own timeline, being able to make sure that NEVER happened again was very important to her.

She looked among all her friends, and teammates.

"We couldn't have won....SURVIVED without THEM."

Now looking at Oracle and her team, along with Rose, Ana-Leigh, Richard and ANDREW.

"Thank you for helping us."

They had all played a VITAL role in the battle and rescue efforts tonight. And she was not above giving credit where credit was due. Without them, things would have gone horribly different. Blaze didn't want to think about the "what ifs", but facing the REALITYthat that Six werent as "Alone" and "SPECIAL" as they had always felt they were...it might have been PETTY of Blaze, but it BOTHERED her.

COULD they trust Oracle and their team? Would they ALWAYS be on the same side of things or was it JUST that they had a shared goal tonight?

She felt so strange...usually SHE was the one welcoming new comers warmly with open arms, but with Oracle and her team she couldn't help but feel UNCERTAIN.

They were all reeling from the events of the night and it would take time for feelings and emotions to settle. For now, Cameron, Ava and Vivica had the right idea, it was time to go.

"In any case...I just got my cherry popped in the whole taking human lives department and it's left me kind of sore. I need a shower and then I need to be taken to a place where this is a never ending supply of top shelf liquor. I don't plan on making sense of any of this for quite some time so if that's the case...I'd like to be drunk."

"You helped avenge those children, Simon. AND you helped win a whole lot of other unsuspecting people more days and nights FREE of this kind of terror. I'd say it was worth it. AND....A little drinky poo ALWAYS helps. Let's just hope you're not a light weight!"

"I want to check on Karen, Mike and Sally too..."

It WOULD be a while before all of this processed, but AT LEAST they WON their freedom, their lives and TIME with which to process tonight and "what happens next". They had that...and they all had each other. If nothing else, that was good enough for Blaze.

 

[Silver Swan]

[This was the second time that a powerful sentinel had threatened Sharon's life. Even now, as the super powered silver swan, the nimrod prooved able to adapt to even HER level of raw physical power!]

[Rampage, Charope , Black Widow and Persephone all do their part to halt the Nimrod and save Sharon's life. She would be forever grateful. THIS time, the Sentinel did NOT claim her.]

[ Even as Haleigh sets her arm and she is soon healed by Isis, it is not her PRIDE that suffers...it's something much deeper. She expresses her sincere gratitude to Haleigh and Isis. but remains quite silent as Mary offers her final bitter words before being dispatched by Delilah]


[ The Purifiers were gone. Nimrod was gone. Now Mary was gone. But her words...her FACE would LIVE ON in Sharon's mind, JUST as the faces and cries of those OTHERS that she'd murdered in this Cathedral continued to. NOT the ones TONIGHT, the CLERGY from before, when she FIRST debuted as the Silver Swan]


[ Mary Justice had been the sole survivor of that massacre, FOREVER damaged and now DERRANGED because of Sharon's actions. Now SHE was dead. Delilah's killing her, and the way she did it was quick and in an odd sort of way MERCIFUL, and Sharon knew the others wouldn't understand this...but she was GLAD that Delilah had made Mary's death QUICK and instantaneous. She'd suffered SO MUCH along the way to PLUMET to the depts that she was when they confronted her...and it all. came. back. to SHARON.]

I did this...

[She thought as she stood up, mentally commanding her silver eye mask to recede from her face as she looked up to the battered and broken ceiling of the catehdral]

I doomed this place the moment I returned as the Silver Swan.

That woman...she was the sole survivor of a massacre I carried out.


All of the people who she murdered...those children...*I* put her on that path!

[ She stepped forward, and looked around the church and heard Vivica and the others speak about CLandestine "cleaning"; Haleigh talking about what to do with the building itself]

[ Haleigh and Zach were to be married in this place when Silver Swan attacked. Years BEFORE, Sharon and Robert had been married here. Her son was christened here. Her MEMORIAL service was here when she died at the hands of Master Mold]


[From her family, to her own life, to the places where memories were made it seemed that places and people that were significant in her life would ALWAYS end up being destroyed. To say NOTHING of the innocents that were lost because of her- even indirectly]


[ As the others talked, Shutting her eyes TIGHTLY, as a tear fell. Zizi herself had perceived just how wracked with GUILT and SHAME Sharon was over her return as the Silver Swan and in this moment now that was supposed to be a time of RELIEF, the mutate was struggling NOT to be overcome with GRIEF and GUILT. ]


[ It was a battle that had to be fought. The PURIFIERS HAD to be stopped and the lives of those they hurt/killed HAD to be avenged...but for Sharon, MARY'S face would now join the others...the ones who's lives SHE destroyed in her CURRENT form]

[ Her FIRST instinct was to take flight and LEAVE. Leave THEM ALL standing where they were and just FLY AWAY. But what would that accomplish? What would that proove?]


[ She stayed where she was, slowly turning to face the others, still not saying anything but making sure to put on a brave face. She'd leave with the Six tonight, but she wasn't sure that her FUTURE would be with The Six.]

 

[Harbinger]

:: Harbinger's eyes widened as the Nimrod reached for HER with its tentacles. The PRECOG forgot herself for a moment, as she was faced with the possibility of a fate similiar to Spellbinder's when they fough Master Mold!::

:: But the robot FALTERED, due to Black Widow's attempt to HACK it once more more and finally Valkyrie's elegant attack.::


:: Her decision to change the plan she & Tachyon had made and add Valkyrie into the final move had been the RIGHT one!::
:: The pushed Nimrod OUT, closed the door and LOCKED behind it!::


The temporal winds begin to calm and settle and Alison slowly brings back her time staff as it powers down and she allows herself to breathe out::


We have Cameron and Cass. We didn't lose ANYONE ELSE...


:: Mary Justice spoke one last time, and she made at least ONE point that Harbinger could appreciate::

Things that will happen even AFTER tonight, as you all think you've WON.

::THIS would stay with ALISON, for even though they had won. Even though they had SURVIVED the visions she had, THERE were still questions SHE as a precog/retrocog had about how MARY came to possess the Nimrod component how the Purifiers had such POWERFUL technology and their disposal! When she observed the time threads leading to/from Mary, she there was a presence...an ANAMOLY that figured PROMINENTLY in the visions Alison had about Mary . WHO was this person...or THING that was TRULY behind Mary's murderous campaign? There were questions that Alison couldn't immediately answer right now and that troubled her. Mary was right...there WAS more to come.::

::Yes, they had won, they avenged the victims, they had theirfamily back and the city was safe...but for Alison, the next event was JUST A MATTER OF TIME.::

::As the others made steps toward each other both verbally and physically in some cases, Alison remained apart. Even from her baby brother.::

:: she walked over to Valkyrie and Tachyon, the two new comers that had made all the difference in her confrontation with Nimrod::


:: She wasn't moved or intimidated by Valkyrie's abrasive ways. After all, she had been dealing with BLACK WIDOW for almost a decade now! Regardless of the woman's social skills, or lack thereof, she prooved to be a woman of HONOR and COURAGE and she'd unselfishly stepped up to help stop the Nimrod. For THAT, Alison was very appreciative and wanted the woman to know that. And there was Tachyon. He ANNOYED her for various reasons, BUT he prooved that he was unique in more ways than just his power. He REALLY DID have a care. He wanted to help because it was the RIGHT thing to do. No hidden motives. It was RARE that anyone in the Six could say that about the people they encountered, and he too played a vital role in their success tonight. She already KNEW she'd be seeing him again, in more ways than one, but the least she could do right now was express her sincere gratitude::



I thank you both for your help. Because of you, my family lives, scores of others in this city are safe, and the threat of the Nimrod has been averted.

for now...

:: Looking at Oracle, Steel, Mina, Vivica, Zach, along with Rose, Ana-Leigh, Richard and Andrew::

The Six have long stood in the gap for this world against the vast, terrible powers that threaten it. We have suffered because of it, but we continue to do so because that is our destiny. The fates have SMILED on us, as we now meet OTHERS who possess power and the desire to use it to protect the weak and those who need it most. However WE [The Six and their allies] may feel...the knowledge of you is a good thing and I can "SEE" that your presence will make a KEY difference, not only for all of us present in this place, but those outside these walls. Mary was right about one thing...there ARE more things that will happen even now that she's gone. I should know...

:: Speaking as a precog. Harbinger has basically ENDORSED Oracle's team and urged the Six to give them a chance, to TRUST them.::

:: She turns to face HER group. From HER vantage point, Vivica and Zach would ALWAYS be apart of The Six's family. Their ORIGINS would forever bind them to The six, no matter WHERE they NOW appeared on Harbinger's crystaline chess board. Still, had they NOT been where they were at this time, having made the connections that they had, things would have had a vastly different outcome. THEY were the bridge between the Six and Oracle's emerging team. ::

The danger has passed, the threat has been averted. Cameron and Cass are safe reunited with The Six.

:: To Zach and Vivica::

You are the bridge between the Six and Oracle's group. Because of both of you, these groups came together tonight when it mattered most. If EITHER of you ever doubted yourselves or your value before...let THIS moment proove otherwise. There will be changes for both groups coming. Lives AND rosters will shift. Be there to help those who need it.

:: She looks at Ava, she had told the goddess that the moment their goal had been achieved, she was LEAVING immediately. But before she does, She walks forward toward Cameron and, in a rare dislay of affection IN FRONT of people, she HUGS him tightly::


Till next time, baby brother.

:: Squeezing him a bit before letting him go, Alison turns on her high heel and makes her way out of the cathedral and into the night. She would return to the Parthenon to gather what few things she brought with her and then she'd return to Minerva's Aerie shortly thereafter.She came because there was a need. Now that that need had been fulfilled, she refused to stay because of a very deep wound/chasm in the Six, one that Haleigh, Ava, Cameron, Nicolas , Alycia and the rest of the Six were reminded of when Delilah dispatched Mary as she did. She was not WRONG for what she did, but it WAS a stark reminder of how much she'd changed in the aftermath of the Blue Moon. There was still BAD BLOOD between MorningStar and Harbinger. But THAT was a personal "FAMILY" issue. One that Harbinger was NOT willing to see play out in front of the new-comers. And so, she left. ::