Science Fiction EXCELSIOR! Issue #2: AS A JUDGEMENT

[image=http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii281/Randylbishop/PhantomStranger.jpg]

It was, as I reminded myself, a mercy.

But then I was always the merciful one.

Or maybe I had never been there at all.

In any case I knew that whatever I was, anything was a mercy compared to what lay on the other side of that white light.

Because whatever it was, it wasn't death. I should know.

I've met Death. Nice lady.

I stood then, alone, amidst the crumbling chaos of a universe that had refused to ever truly exist.




?Anything wrong, Stranger?? the man in green asked, his left eyebrow arched in a quizzical expression.

The being known only as the Phantom Stranger turned to face the newcomer. ?No, just a? twinge of cosmic angst. An inevitable repercussion given everything that has happened.?

?No need to explain that to me. I didn?t decide to call myself Pariah because my life has been nothing but sunshine and relaxation.?

[image=http://images.wikia.com/marvel_dc/images/6/62/Pariah_by_Perez.jpg]

Someone not quite as informed to the nuances of unexplainable supernatural phenomena could be forgiven for thinking the Stranger seemed slightly amused by this. ?No, no I suppose not.?

?We did make the right decision, didn?t we?? the man called Pariah asked. ?I mean, we were obviously in a tight spot, but this new, unified existence??

?The process of merging the disparate universes together was? a necessary exertion,? the Stranger replied. ?Too many worlds had been lost. It had to end somewhere. I?ll admit that not all of these results can be considered optimal, but given the alternative??

Pariah?s mouth tightened. ?I suppose you?re right. At least now we?ll never need to worry about seeing that? whatever that was, again, correct??

?? Yes. Yes of course.?

?Stranger??

?I? there are matters that require my attention. My time is not my own.?

?We are safe, aren?t we??

The Phantom Stranger was gone.

?? Aren?t we???

---

[image=http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp39/darthramza/Screenshot2011-10-13at124708AM.png]

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFELKOw07dw]Greetings, true believers![/link] Dashing Darth Ramza here to welcome you to [i][b]Excelsior! The Origins Reboot[/b][/i], a titanic tale of stupendous scope, penned, published, and presented in the majestic NSWRPF fashion! A staggering superhero saga for the modern era, [i]Excelsior[/i] is a tour-de-force of comic fan catering ? any character from any franchise can be submitted, or mashed together with another character, or five characters, or even drawn up from scratch, and there?s a good chance they?ll be eligible for our blushing bullpen of metahuman might! We?ve got an entire universe to play around with, o Keepers of the Eternal Flame, so stick around, or you?ll risk being the only player on the block who hasn?t joined in on what?s sure to be the biggest blockbuster game of 2011!

[hr]
[b]Faster than a Speeding Bullet! ? Creating a Character[/b]

[image=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Spider-Man_spider-bite.jpg]

[i]?Before I ever put anything on paper, Jerry and I would talk back and forth.? ? Joe Shuster[/i]



And now, my merry marchers, I invite you to think of a superhero (Or perhaps, for those of you with decidedly devious aspirations, a supervillain)! Got one? Fantastic! There?s your character. It doesn?t matter if it?s something new, or something old, or something borrowed, or even something blue, it?s precisely the right fit for this game. Do you think it?d be swell to play as Batman? Superb - join as Batman! Did you ever wonder what might?ve happened if Aquaman had found the Hammer of Thor? Then raise Mjolnir high, prospective player, and submit a sensational Aquathor CS! Have an overwhelming desire to strike fear into the hearts of men with the power of differential equations? Then let men fear? The Calculator!

The only limit, dear friends, is your imagination. Every character will have an opportunity to shine, threats of all levels explored. Do you fight alone or as a team

 

GM Approved!

So excited to have a new game for this character!

Name: Anita Blake
Appearance: 5'3" long black wavy hair, petite build Mexican/German heritage
Age: 25
Degree: Bachelor?s degree in Preternatural Biology
Weapons: derringer, browning 9mm, knives strapped to her forearms, and a mini sword down her back. Skilled in Kenpo and a black belt in Judo.
Weakness: Coffee and penguins
Link: AnitaBlake
Superpowers : Anita Black is skilled at necromancy and animating. She is a licensed vampire hunter/executioner/Federal Marshall
Bio:
Anita Blake was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She first discovered her powers of being an animator when her dead dog returned to her after being buried in the back yard. Her mother was killed in a car accident at a young age and her father remarried to a woman who never loved her. She is a devout Christian. She obtained a degree in Preternatural Biology and soon became a Federal Marshall with the ability to make decisions on if a supernatural baddie deserved to die for what they had done.

It is rumored that she can raise an entire graveyard of zombies in a single night or a few zombies that look incredibly real.

 

I have been ramzed through by the GM.

Name: Bruce Stark
Alias: Iron Bat
Appearance: In suit/Out of suit: [image=http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2009/363/3/6/IronBat_by_Van_Oost.jpg] [image=http://topnews.in/light/files/christian-bale-3.png]
Brief Bio: Two events inextricably led to the Iron Bat: the adoption of an orphaned Bruce Wayne by Howard and Maria Stark, later dying in a car crash; and an industrial accident due to corruption amongst the labor unions in which their eldest son, Tony Stark, was paralysed from the waist down, forcing Bruce to return early from his sojourn in the East to care for his bitter adopted brother.

The Iron Bat is the tool of their redemption. While Tony can't walk, he can help Bruce -- and while Bruce can't heal Tony, he can use the suit to mete out fear and retribution upon evildoers everywhere, fighting to cleanse the city that claimed Bruce's parents and Tony's ability to walk.

Close affiliates: Tony Stark, Alfred Pennyworth, Pepper Potts: [image=http://topnews.in/light/files/robert-downey-jr552.jpg] [image=http://batmanbegins.warnerbros.com/img/03.jpg] [image=http://ironman.ugo.com/images/movies/iron-man-2008/gwyneth-paltrow.jpg]

 

Approved, true believers!

Name: Unknown, presumably Wade Wilson
Alias: Deadpool, The Merc with a Mouth
Job: Mercenary with a Mouth
Age: Unknown, presumably around 25-30 years of age.
Appearance: [image=http://www.movieguys.org/wp-content/uploads/deadpool_suicide_kings_3.jpg]
Likes: Capping a target at 2 kilometers whilst compensating for gravitational drop in addition to the coriolis effect, finely wrought steel alloys when crafted into blades, and long walks on the beach while holding hands.
Bio: He thinks his name is Wade Wilson. He might be wrong, but he thinks he's right. His face looks like a Wade Wilson face, with the jaw line and the hair and the eyes. He's a looker, if he does say so himself - why do I keep talking like this? I look good. There, I said it, I look good. My costume's pretty snazzy, too, maybe you've seen it. It's all red and pooly. Anyways - I think my name is Wade Wilson. I think, therefore I'm a yam. Haha, geddit? Anyways, I was part of some damn secrety super soldier thing, like, thirty years ago. Maybe five. Hard to tell when each year begins, each ends, what with these issues being so spaced out. No, there's not a pun in there, smarten up, bucko. I was cut loose, or escape, or...something. Maybe it drove me nutty, maybe I've always been an almond (I crack myself up!), but whatever the case, hey, it's in the past, baby, and I've got a future with money and cars and money and money and women and money and cars and money and swords and money and teddy bears.

 

APPROVED BY BEYONDCORP (C) GM HUMAN RESOURCES OPERATIVES

H.A.T.E CLASSIFIED FILE: EYES OF DIRK ANGER ONLY

NEXTWAVE INITIATIVE MEMBER PROFILE

UPDATED BY MONICA RAMBEAU, FORMER AVENGER

Name: Tabitha 'Tabby' Smith
Species: Mutant
Alias: Time Bomb, Boom-Boom, Boomer, Meltdown, Firecracker, Mutate #35. She'd really rather you just call her Tabby.
Appearance: [image=http://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/06/1/2/0/471868275662868.jpg]
Age: Early to mid twenties.
Weaknesses: Can neither spell correctly (spells her own name 'T-A-B-Y') nor count, due to the fact that she 'growed up on a trailer park'. Tabby is also a kleptomaniac and will steal anything she finds interesting.
Superpowers: Tabby possesses the mutant powers of blowing things up and stealing all your stuff. Has the ability to pronounce chatspeak such as 'ZOMG' and 'oh noes'. Also, she is immune to mind control and psychic attacks because she appears to have no mind.
Bio: Like many mutants, Tabitha Smith has had a long and confusing life. She has been on innumerable second-string X-teams (including X-Force), culminating in her recruitment by H.A.T.E to join the NEXTWAVE squad. While a member of this squad, she stole a 'marketing plan' that induced them to go rogue, blew up a lot of stuff and helped kill H.A.T.E's leader, Devil Dinosaur. Still loosely affiliated with both the X-Men and NEXTWAVE, Tabby does whatever pleases her most at the time of deciding.

 

WOOT!! Let's play!
*Approved by the big man upstairs* ...NOT HIM..the OTHER one!

Name: Mary Amuro
Alias: Mary, Zero
Job: None/ Likes to hang out in libraries
Age: 14
Appearance:[image=http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel//universe3zx/images/2/21/Ohitsme--Mary_Zero_HD.jpg]
Young athlethic female, with brown skin and eyes, and black hair
Super Power: Imperceptibility (Ability to bypass all forms of detection)

She possesses an unusual mutant ability. She constantly produced a psychic shroud that nullified her existence to the sensory perceptions of others, causing them to ignore seeing, hearing, or feeling her presence. Simply put, her power literally prevents almost everyone from noticing her existence. Her power even allows her to produced selective amnesia in the minds of the few people who do consciously register her. She simply does not exist to them. This extends to machines as well.

She tends to visit other peoples home, and get food and clothing from them, as they do not see her, living unnoticed in their home. She can control her ability to be seen. She can control when folks see her..but if she goes to sleep..or is knocked unconscious..she disappears.

She has a companion named Pauly, a Macaw parrot that can see her, no matter what state she is in. He is always able to locate her. Which she guesses make him some sort of mutant as well.

 

GM APPROVED! Approved! approved.

Name: Sophy Vizzini
Alias: Pirate Indigo
Job: None, is retired
Age: 98, looks younger
Appearance: I'll get to that in a moment, don't rush me.
Old spry female, with pale skin and blue eyes, and red or white hair depending on the plane you see her in.
Super Power: Astral Projection and Possession
Weakness: Energy overload or dispersal in her astral form, wounds to current host body, and damage to physical body.

[image=http://www.cinemablend.com/images/sections/11421/estelle_getty_11421.jpg]

She is the Pirate Indigo, at least that?s what she calls herself and after fifty plus years has been able to get the news media to finally get her name right. Which is hard considering she works more on the fringe of the law if not outside of it as a contractor that prefers to keep her own back yard clean.

She has been triggered at an early age with her ability to Astral Project toward a known person or location and move from there, and to even possess individuals. When she astral projects the mental image she has of herself, namely as a vigilante pirate grandmother, she is visible as such with coruscating blue and purplish energy that weaves over her astral projected form. This energy when focused into a narrow point of her form like her rapier can cause electro-magnetic and feedback damage to organics and machines.

She largely survives quietly as a red headed woman that looks in her forties living in her apartment complexes that she discretely owns through a dummy corporation. All owned due to dead husband and generous charitable business donations by the cities affluent to an account in the Caribbean.

We interrupt this scheduled CS to bring the breaking biography news!

Now that the yutz is finished with my unsophisticated bio how about I tell you about myself. Get comfortable and don't interrupt.

[image=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oLsloDcIB8s/TAqcErn2gvI/AAAAAAAAAcg/wqTSAdGNlFs/s320/golden_girls4.jpg]

Good. The name is Sophy Vizzini, I know what you're thinking and your right. That Vizzini was my great great uncle something or other, poor sap. Anyway, over the generation I came to be, right around the time of that whole World War II thing, you might of heard of it. Well, I was just a young little attractive Sicilian Girl that Mussolini used with Hitler's Make a Super program. It worked! Only thing they didn?t count on was that a lovely doe eyed Sicilian girl was faking loyalty and actually hated Mussolini?s guts, but then again the man had a hard time believing any of his people could despise him.

What I lost in stature from those genetic experiments I gained in being able to leave my own body. They thought I would be the perfect spy, and who can blame them. The Americans never saw what hit them! Haha. Who would suspect the little woman who swoons and uses a Bronx accent to be the one possessing the strapping concerned GI carrying her behind American lines. A few possessions later and I was home free in America. Hating Mussolini, I mean who didn?t, I decided to simply live instead of possess the President. A girl needs money though so soon the dread Pirate Indigo was born! Yah, I know the yutz left the Dread out, but it works better with the PR if that isn?t spread around too much.

I lived fairly well, made myself a rich widow and even managed to stay quiet about the deal. As for heroes or villains I prefer to work for heroes. Unfortunately they don?t always pay so good, I mean a clear conscious is nice but a Benjamin Franklin bath is better.

[image=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/music2/estellegetty4.jpg]

Now you?re not going to blab about my true identity now would you? Aw, you actually have something besides hair and wax between those dumbo ears! Congrats, now pay for your curiosity and scram.

 

Approved


Name: Kal-El, fka "Superman"
Age: 70ties (looking like he is in his forties)
Appearance: [image=http://comicoverload.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/superman675.jpg]
[image=http://trevmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/Evil_Superman.jpg]

Superpowers: Flying, invulnerable, heat and x-ray vision, superspeed, heightened senses and all that jazz . . .

Biography: He was supposed to be Superman, a hero. He was told form birth that he had a destiny, that he had a purpose. And Clark, Kal-El took it so serious. He fought evil again and again. From Smallville to Metropolis: He never hurt anybody and made sure the bad guys were locked away at the end of the day. He fought for his country, the land of the free, in World war II against the Nazis. He kept the nuclear powers at bay and he foiled so many evil plans to invade, destroy or enslave earth by so many, many enemies they were hard to count.

His actions were the stuff of legend. You might have read the comics, have you?

Well, they don´t tell the whole story. Because they don´t tell how he felt. Kal-El was always aware what he was. An Alien. One blessed with not looking like a slimy monster, but no less an Alien nevertheless. He was not human. He liked humans, he loved some. But he was not human, at all. Nevertheless a strong sense of duty and dedication and the love of his friends kept him straight. They kept him . . . imprisoned in the wish to be part of humanity.
It all changed when Lex Luthor had one of his minor victories. The evil and ambitious nemesis of him had finally managed to pin Superman down with one of his Kryptonite traps. And meanwhile he wanted to use one of his machines to do . . . whatever it was, it blew away half of Metropolis, leading to a million dead and among them was Lois Lane. Jimmy Olsen. More or less everybody Kal-El had known. Something inside of him broke. Something inside of him ceased to exist. The link to the race he lived among was finally undone. What he did to Luthor is actually unknown, but once freed, the rumors says he revived and killed him for days, until finally ripping him to pieces.

After that, he changed. For a few months he still patrolled the skies and streets. But his ways had changed. He saw a robbery? He simply used heat vision to atomize the perpetrator. Villains of all sorts soon learned how bad space is for their lungs, or if they could deal with that, he simply threw them into the sun. He grew more effective but also a lot more frightening. And soon he began to accept civil casualties. He threw buildings at his enemies killing hundreds. He wiped out whole cities, if it needed to be. When he understood what he had become, he even considered ending this madness that was humanity once and for all. Only then he realized how disgusted and disappointed Lois would be. And he did what nobody had foreseen. Kal-El (he did not allow any other name to be used for him) retired. And he actually did nothing, when the next great threat appeared. Not even the looming destruction of the universe did a lot to him. He was tired of existence. His body began to age, as if he allowed it to and the atoms followed his will. But in truth he was old, an old man no longer willing to fight weakling?s battles.

Superman was gone. Kal-El just wanted to be left alone.

 

Space

?Sensor readings stabilized. Chronological flux has slowed to normal rate of progression.?

?Ship, estimate current date. Accurate to within one year.?

?The current year is FG4jkL22.?

?Interesting? so, he would? still be alive then? The one who gave my ancestors so much trouble??

?Scanning. Scanning. Sensor readings detect one Kryptonian lifeform within current spacio-temporal area.?

?The Kryptonian, I take it.?

?Query. Why does subject: captain have interest in one Kryptonian in this particular era. Does subject: captain know subject: kryptonian.?

?Well, yes and no. We?ve fought before, but I do not remember, and he does not know me yet. He believes my consciousness has been spread across the universe and, as of year FG4jkL03, he would have been right. And while I no longer remember the Kryptonian, the records of one planet tell me that we have clashed many times before. It is perhaps time that I settled the score.?

?Yes subject: captain.?

?Please, ship, call me by my proper name.?

?Correcting. Correction complete. Subject: captain is now stored in memory as??

[image=http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/9547/206801-126527-brainiac-13_large.gif]

?? Braniac Unit 13.?

---

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVJD3dL4diY&t=1m16s][b][i]Eastern Europe[/i][/b][/link]

?Ugh? my head? what the hell hit? why can?t I move my arms??

?You have been secured to the operating table. I assure you it?s nothing personal, it?s strictly for your own protection. Any excessive motion now could result in unnecessary procedural complications.?

?Procedure? Operating table? What?s going on? Who are you??

?Please try to remain calm, you mustn?t get your pulse elevated so.?

?Well you?re sure screwing that part up! How the hell am I not supposed to panic in this situation??

?Your arousal was unanticipated. The anesthetics will take effect shortly, it?s best to simply accept it. But fear not! Yours will be the first in a long line of triumphant heralds of a future era! A world dominated by the army of Doctor Baron von Rakenstein!?

?Baron ? von Rakenstein? Oh no. Oh no no no no no??

?Ah yes, I see you have heard of me, probably by that silly nickname the newspapers give me. What was it again??

?It? I? please, just let me??

?SAY IT.?

?B? Baron von??

?I COMMAND YOU TO SPEAK.?

?Baron von Evilstein.?

?Ah, you see? As silly as it ever was. ?Baron von Evilstein?? Is it my fault I push the boundaries of science? Is it [i]my fault[/i] that only I dared to investigate the secrets of the tomb of the mad Transylvanian? IS IT [i]MY FAULT[/i] I HAVE BEEN CURSED WITH THIS TERRIBLE AFFLICTION?!?

?P? please? just let me g? g? ??

?Asleep at last. Igor, prepare to operate!?

[image=http://holmesinccomic.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/image-6.jpg]

?Yes, master.?

[hr]

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98VJxvIa9Wo][i][b]New York[/b][/i][/link]

?Dr. Trask, are you sure it?s really a good idea to turn this thing on??

?Of course I?m sure! Mutantkind is a menace that has plagued humanity for far too long. And with this? oh yes, with [i]this[/i] switch, which will complete the first in glorious new breed of Sentinel robot, we begin to take back control of the planet!?

?But the alien robot on which these designs were based is still a huge question mark. You don?t know why it was sent here, or what it was originally designed to do!?

?Unnecessary minor issues. Combining the deadly arsenal of a full-sized unit into a package the size of an ordinary man? why didn?t I think of this sooner? Just think of how far behind the curve we would still be if we had never found that wreckage. Think of just how far it?s taken us! Think of how far it will continue to take us!?

?I suppose you?re right??

?Of course I?m right, and now to throw the switch!?

?Readings climbing. Stabilizing. Unit 00 is online and fully functional, Doctor.?

?Excellent. Unit 00. State primary objective.?

?UNIT 00 EXISTS TO TERMINATE MUTANTKIND.?

?Unit 00 will proceed to??

?NO MUT

 

Approved by Ramza.



Name: Elizabeth Braddock
Alias: Psylocke
Age: 30
Species: Homo Superior (a human mutant with an X-Gene)
Powers: Telepathy, Telekinesis, Able to telekinetically manifest a "psychic blade" made of pure energy (or change it's form into a katana)
Abilities: A master of martial arts and hand-to-hand combat
Short Bio: Having been born in Britain, she fought side-by-side with her twin brother Captain Britain. She soon found herself kidnapped by Mojo and rescued by a team of X-Men. It was then that Betsy decided to stay in the United States and join Xavier's team. Much later, a Japanese crime lord switch Betsy's body with that of a woman named Kwannon. Kwannon, in Betsy's body, was killed, leaving her stranded in Kwannon's Asian body. Years later, she was killed, reincarnated, picked up by a reality-hopping super hero team, and then ended up back in her home reality. Now, Betsy is a member of the X-Men and continues the fight against evil, sometimes doing the dirty jobs that other X-Men won't.
Appearance:
[image=http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091024022057/marveldatabase/images/4/44/Psylocke_Vol_1_1_Textless.jpg]

 

GM Approved!

Name: Vampirella
Alias: Green Lantern of Sector 2814
Appearance: This: except in Dark Green instead of red while using her powers
[image=http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j192/saintchanticleer/Superheroes/vampirella_skull-1-1.jpg]

Background: Vampirella was an inhabitant of the planet Drakulon, a world where people lived on blood and where blood flowed in rivers. Draculon orbits twin suns that caused droughts across the planet, marking certain doom for Vampirella and her people. The race of which Vampirella was born, the Vampiri, were able to transform themselves into bats at will, sprout wings when required, and drink blood.

Her story begins with the inhabitants of Drakulon dying slowly due to the drying up of its blood. The last few lie dying when a spaceship piloted by Green Lantern Abin Sur crashes on the planet on his way to Earth. Vampirella discovers the alien, who, realizing his life force is ebbing, entrusts the power ring and lantern to her. As she explains that she and her world are dying, Abin Sur sacrifices the last of his life, allowing her to drink his blood in return for promising to protect Sector 2814. Unable to save the few remaining Vampiri, Vampirella uses her newfound powers to fly to Earth, Abin Sur's original destination.

Vampirella is essentially a "good" vampire, and devotes her energy to ridding our world of the homegrown "evil" kind as much as fighting crime and protecting the sector. She needs blood to survive and has many of the typical vampiric powers, including increased strength and reflexes, shapeshifting into a bat, and a mesmeric stare. She is not prone to the group's traditional weaknesses, such as daylight, holy water, garlic, or crosses. She cannot, most importantly, transform others into vampires. She does not attack people to drink their blood, except occasionally when she herself is attacked. She is almost always scantily clad in her signature red thong suit with a white collar and wearing shiny black knee-high boots, though when patrolling as Green Lantern the suit turns dark green.

Vampirella has a healing factor which enables her to recover from wounds in superhuman speed. However if she suffers too much blood loss her regeneration rate slows down. She needs to feed before recovering properly. She is effectively unaging and immortal. However a stake through the heart is fatal to her.

Her fangs can extend and rip a throat open. They are sharp enough to sever bone. Her talons are similarly sharp and durable. She can mesmerize her victims but must be in close proximity and looking into their eyes to do so. She can summon bats to act as a shield for her or have them attack an opponent. They are not more durable than other normal bats and can be killed by her opponents.

Vampirella can summon shadows or transform to a "misty shadow" herself. In this form she is unable to physically attack her opponents. She can however draw an energy blast from the shadows (shadowbolt) which causes some damage.

She has minor shape-shifting powers, adding wings to her humanoid form or transforming into a bat. She can uses these transformations to fly if she chooses, rather than the flight powers of her ring.

As the game opens, Vampirella has just arrived on Earth and has yet to explore the full ability of her power or encountered the Guardians of Oa.

 

And now our illustrious NSWRPF bullpen is proud to present the soon-to-be-classic first issue in our startling EXCELSIOR! saga! We promise thrills, chills, spills, and all of that good stuff, as we open on several auspicious scenes in a little tale we like to call...

[image=http://media.gamerevolution.com/images/misc/sentinel-army-x-men-cannon-fodder-artwork.jpg]

ROBOT RAMPAGE!

---

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYyey2MYYz0][i][b]St. Louis, Missouri[/b][/i][/link]
[i]July 13, 11:30 PM[/i]

There is a feeling of entrapment that one occasionally comes into contact with that is best described as ?the sensation of having a noose slowly tightened around your neck.? This was an altogether accurate classification for the emotions that one Reginald Bishop was experiencing.

It wasn?t his fault ? not really, anyway. He had been on a routine business trip to Austria when a particularly rude individual had hit him on the back of his head. The next thing he knew he had numerous, poorly sewn together stitches all over his body, elongated canines, and this particularly keen desire to imbibe vast quantities of human blood. And the odd thing was that no matter how many times he apologized to his various victims, they just couldn?t find it in themselves to forgive him for completely draining their vitae and then enslaving them under hypnotic powers. As if it were his fault that they were so delicious! You might as well accuse Colonel Sanders of murder, which, now that he thought about it, some people probably did. Well, bunnies ate carrots, carrots were delicious. He supposed that was analogous.

So yeah, Reginald Bishop was basically a misunderstood adorable flopsy wopsy cotton tailed rabbit in the traditional Beatrix Potter fashion if you substituted Mister MacGregor with society and vegetable patches with scores of innocent civilians. Basically the same thing.

[image=http://cinemaknifefight.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dracula1.jpg]

In any case he was now trapped in a warehouse, with only his thralls to keep him company, as a [b]US Marshall[/b] bore down on his forces. How very rude of her. ?Don?t let her get to me you mindless idiots! Tear her apart if you have to, just stop her!?

[b]TAG: Sey[/b]

[hr]
[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOFaPv2TdSo][i][b]Gotham City, New Jersey[/b][/i][/link]
[i]July 12, 9 PM[/i]

?We?re not seriously going to blow this safe, are we?? the one of the men asked, his eyes darting around the darkened bank as if he was keenly aware that someone ? or some[i]thing[/i] ? was going to jump out at them at any moment.

[image=http://www.facenfacts.com/daily_img/1819_S_bank%20robers.jpg]

?The hell is that supposed to mean, Rex? Of course we?re blowing this safe. That?s the only way to get to the money.? He tapped his index finger against his temple. ?[i]Think[/i], Rex.?

?I know that, Mick, I ain?t stupid.?

?Could?ve fooled me.?

?Har har har. No, the real reason is because? well, because some of the guys down at the bar have been talkin? an??? Rex?s voice trailed of as if he was deathly afraid that whatever he said next might invoke something that should never be invoked.

?And what??

?There?s? this? [i]thing[/i]. Not a man. A machine! A machine that looks like a bat! And? Johnny swears he saw ?im, Mick. Glowing white eyes. Bullets bounced right off ?im. Took down an entire gambling ring that was under Falcone protection! [i]In one night![/i] The thing isn?t even scared of the mafia, Mick, what the hell hope do two worthless shmucks like us have??

Once again, Mick tapped his temple with his index finger. ?What?d I say about thinking, Rex? You think the boss hasn?t taken into account the Bat-Machine? He?s countin? on it.?

?Yeah, but Mick, the boss is a little??

?Hey, the boss says he can take the Bat-Machine, he can take the Bat-Machine. You didn?t see what I saw ? the [i]Dynamo[/i], he calls it.?

?The Dynamo??

?Oh, believe me, Rex, the Dynamo can take whatever that stupid robot can dish out and pay it back in spades.?

?I sure hope you?re right, pal,? Rex whispere

 

Deadpool
Corridor H in that CLASSIFIED PLACE. Oh, it's July, too.

"Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ah-oh, oh, caught in a rad bromance..."

The merc with a mouth who was called Deadpool by some and *EXPLETIVE DELETED* by others was slicing his way through mooks in a corridor that someone had decided to designate "H." It wasn't all that bad of a corridor, by Deadpool's standards and experiences, but it just was lacking something.

"Theme music! Am I right or what?"

He looked over to the X-Person "infiltrating" the facility with him, who seemed to be doing her best to ignore him.

Well it figures. I mean here I am being awesome, kicking some serious gluteus max, and she's all aloof, because society hates/fears/shuns/loves/other mutants. Stanley Lieber, eat your heart out!

He sliced through another mook. "So hey, you, uh, doing anything after this? Other than angst about the whole X-gene, I mean. Coffee?"

Tag: Dubya

 

IC: Sophy Vizzini, aka Pirate Indigo
Albany, New York
On the crisp evening of July 14, 6PM

A circus, some things timeless. Circus? were right up there with odorless diaper changes. The good times don?t last long, but nostalgia will still draw you say you would like to even though you can do the math and know the good times are gone. Of course the fact that you?re wearing a diaper at least means you?re familiar with the concept, whereas for the circus the closest one can come is by living with an extended family, taking the subway at certain hours, and finding a safe perch to watch the two hour sale at Bloomingdales. Although the last came the closest to the truth.

Not being a Soleil circus was part of the spur of the moment appeal when she had been walking past, thankfully without a walker. It reminded her of the time when she was a young girl and had just finagled her way into the US by hooking up with that contortionist. . .good times although thankfully short her stay was, partly by how short the contortionist was, she was still feeling nostalgia. So up to the counter she went and hid behind a really wimpy kid, you know the kind that are suckers for the lonely and old widows. The kid must have been an Eagle Scout or something because she didn?t have to pull anything else out beyond her husband being dead and getting misty eyed while relating how he would of payed for them to go. The kid crumbled like dried baked dough in a blender, why you put dough in that condition in your blender is beyond me but the comparison holds as sure as the bouncer to the kids cash.

That or her to the kids ticket as she went in.

The odd thing was though, the joint was packed, and I don?t mean no 80% showing, no this was like the subway at rush hour. Just her luck she had a large sweaty man who needed more shirt and less hair. . .everywhere. Made her glad she hadn?t ordered the chilidog.

Although if she had a dog she could of thrown it at the ring master for going trilingual on them, sure she understood each and every rendition he gave, but that was the problem. How would you like to be called a gentlemen or lady three times in a row? Once is nice, add on to that again and again, you might as well serve bowls of gefilte fish at Hitler?s table.

There was a nice show with a snake after that, oh the things she had heard done by others with a snake would be enough to make a snake blush, how the woman trained a snake to do so many tricks was a feat. After all when a thing doesn?t even have standard ears training it to do some by command is something to applaud. Of course she had a phone call come in, she could just barely make out the ringing and had to haul up the Granny Purse of Holding! Otherwise known as the reason a women her age could reasonably tell their doctor they work out often despite snoozing twelve hours a day. . .naps don?t count.

So head in her purse she finally found the thing and was starting the reverse trip when the phone. . .stopped ringing! Of all the inconsiderate things a phone can do is ring, ring, and ring until you finally have it in hand and then stop! No excuses, if it didn?t cost so much to replace a phone she would break it in an instant, although might argue all the loose dough that was getting in the way was the true problem. Then the man with the bad accent said it, he was doing a stick up under his own tent the sleaze.

Since this was the last load of dough in her purse needed before she could take a Benjamin Franklin bath she wasn?t about to part with it and delay another month to avoid bank suspicions. So she laid her head on the fuzzy mans arm and drifted off to sleep, otherwise known as leaving one?s body in a hurry. Down on the ground a certain snake-less woman jerked before bending over and retching on the tent middle.

?Why is it always pea soup, everybody couldn?t have had pea soup before I meet em? like this.? She muttered as she stood back up regaining her posture, ?Yo, bozo and I don?t mean the clown. What in the seven seas are you doing? I better g

 

Tabby Smith
Downtown New York
July 15

"So I was in the park with Jenny?"

Tabby strolled along the street, mobile phone clamped to one ear, tossing the recently-acquired apple up and down with her free hand.

"So I was in the park with Jenny and we met this really cool guy? And he had, like, an accent and it was really cute?"

She took a bite at the apple and stared at it. Why had she taken this? Tabby didn't even like fruit. It, like, grew from the ground or something so it probably had diseases. The colour was nice, though. "And anyway this guy? He gets me on my own and girl, he was a Doombot! No lie!"

There was a pause, then she frowned. "What do you mean, do I still have his number?"

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for us, the conversation was cut short by a sudden rumbling and a loud noise that sounded uncannily like a roar. A horrible suspicion grew in the back of Tabby's mind.

"I'll call you back, Melissa."

Returning her phone to her pocket, Tabby pushed her way through the crowd to a crossing, where the buildings cleared a little and she could see that yes, a giant dinosaur was indeed terrorizing Manhattan.

Sometimes Tabby wished she lived in a universe where this wasn't a possibility.

Anyway, she was supposed to be an X-Man or something and they'd probably get annoyed if she didn't help out. Struggling against the tide of people moving away from the monster, Tabby winced as the monster slammed another giant foot at the end of the street and everything lurched about.

"Make way!" She pushed a bit more and got a couple of very dirty looks. "X-Man, coming through!"

Moving forward a bit more so she had a clear shot, Tabby pointed at the enormous foot, concentrated, and said the magic words.

"Tick tick tick BOOM."

[TAG Mango, ramza]

 

Mary Amuro
Albany, New York - The Circus, July 14, 6PM

Mary was quite excited when she had heard about the circus. Not because it was the Soleil type, with all the dancey thingie, flying through the air, and dancing kinda of stuff. But a real old fashioned circus. Regular animals and tricks and all. She had not seen one of those in ... well, in a long time. But she was curious about why the thing was so popular. I mean, other circuses came and went, without much notice. But THIS thing..it was getting talked about like mad. And another thing. The place was PACKED! Mary had never seen a circus so filled, that it was almost standing room only. Most New Yorkers were rather jaded, and sitting around smelling elephant poop just didnt fit into their normal day.

But Mary had to know why this particular circus was so popular, so she decided to check it out. With Pauly happily tucked away, she only stopped to grab herself some popcorn and cotton candy. She LOVED fresh popcorn and cotton candy, and that alone was enough for her. But still, she was quite curious to see what act was such a main draw for the show. She had asked folks, but they never could explain to her what it was. So, she sat, in what she considered a good spot to watch the show, as it began.

It was packed, and she snorted as the seats became cramped. Lucky, she was of a small frame. The show began, and so far, it seemed to be a rather a rather ordinary show to her. The corny looking ringmaster began to speak in his awful accent.

"Meine Damen und Herren, Madames et Messieurs, Ladies and Gentlemen! If I could now draw your attention to the center ring, where the lovely Princess Python will demonstrate the skills of her trained boa constrictor!"

EWWW! Mary didnt like snakes all that well. That it did tricks at all, she guessed was something, but Mary began to look around. She was starting to get bored. And when she got bored, her thoughts and concentration began to drift....along with her body, which simply winked out. Not that anyone was looking at her anyway, they were all stating at the show. Mary was considering what snacks she co grab on the way out...

'OUCH!'

Mary quickly looked down, as she brought up her nipped finger to her mouth. Pauly, had gotten impatient, waiting for the next piece of buttered popcorn, and had given her a friendly 'reminder'. She rubbed his head playfully, as she handed him another piece of popcorn. "Spoiled brat." she chided him playfully, as she heard the corny announcer start to speak once more.

"And now, ladies und gentlemen, if you will kindly be handing over all of your money, your jewelry, you name it, we want it!"

Wha?!?!

Mary's head snapped back up. Well, that certainly didnt sound like a normal thing for a circus to say. She looked at the people around her .. they were just sitting there. And they seemed to be reaching into their pockets, to do exactly what he had suggested. What the heck just happened? Mary saw the snake starting to move in the audience.

She quickly left her seat, not that anyone would notice. Lucky, with such a packed crowd, she could move about without being seen. And being invisible, didnt hurt either. She was trying to decide if she should do anything. It just seemed so wrong that this guy was going to rip off all these people who just wanted to see a show. That included her as well. That was just wrong. Mary slipped backwards, through the crowd, using them to hide behind. So, what had he done to the audience? Better yet, what could she do to break the spell? Mary looked around. The animals.. Maybe

Then this woman suddenly started yelling to the ringmaster. That caught Mary's attention.

"Yo, bozo and I don?t mean the clown. What in the seven seas are you doing? I better get a cut or at least a hefty trespassing gift before you go. And I don?t mean what this body would?a gotten as a take."

'This body?' That was a strange thing to say. Mary looked around. Another mutant maybe? Someone who wanted in on the take? That was just as bad as the phoney ringmaster.

 

IC: Elizabeth Braddock aka Psylocke
Corridor H - CLASSIFIED LOCATION

She had successfully downed the next couple of guards before they even knew what hit them. Betsy didn't have the power to pass through the shadows anymore, but she was a highly skilled ninja and moved quickly with incredible stealth. Those weak-minded goons didn't even realize she was there until it was too late.

Well, they didn't know she was there. They probably heard Deadpool coming a mile away.

Psylocke was trying to tune him out because Deadpool had a tendency to babble. And if- Wait. Did Wade just...ask her out on a date?

"Not in this life-time, Wade," she responded in her sexy British accent.

Her ears perked up as she heard footsteps. More guards, perhaps? The purple energy surged from her hand and formed a katana. She was ready for the next wave of henchmen.

TAG: Peng

 

Kal-El
Moon, The Fortress of Solitude


The disturbance of what seemed to be eternal silence reached him early on. They said in space there was no sound, but it wasn´t true. Every movement caused counter-movements. It just wasn´t something the human ear or eye could perceive. Didn´t mean it wasn´t there. And it didn´t mean an alien creature and the highly advanced technology of his retreat couldn´t detect it. The guest was coming and he was about to disturb his slumber. He had referred to it as a slumber, as he had stayed inactive for almost a month. Not moving, not acting, not thinking. The last part had been disturbingly hard and therefore his anger about the arrival was mixed with the relief to be released from the self chosen test he was failing at. A relief he would never have admitted to himself.

The "guest" couldn´t be a lot of things, obviously. Another crature not entirely natural. Probably another foe. Friends weren´t left anymore, so who else could it be?

Kal-El took off into the air and the dust that had settled on his formed a whirling cloud beneath him. One push and he was up in the air and taking one of the upper exits. His eyes saw the arrival clearly, with his adamantium skin and his robotic features. Someone build that way, had enemies. And therefore the idea it was a hostile was once more confirmed. Even if not Kal-El would have considered destroying him. Tired of this, he swore to himself to make it quick. Slwoly hoovering towards the ground, but staying ten meters above it he came down behind him. A good ten meters away. Out of the range of any kryptonite, which was usually what they tried.

"Do the words private property mean anything to you, tinman?" He asked from behind and hoovered in the air.


Tag: Ramza

 

Deadpool
THE FORBIDDEN CORRIDOR OF H! PART 2!

"Hey now, Psylocke, let's be nice. You probably had one of those 'doesn't play well with other children' things on your report cards."

Probably because of those psychic stabby things. Ba-dum-tsh!

"Yup. And speaking of lifetimes, I have this nifty healing factor, so...coffee?"

Granted, it had been a while since a full resurrection had been require. He hadn't rolled below a 12 in the past while, so things were looking up. Nothing quite like that rejuvenation he got after a particularly long fight or rough evening.

name

"What? What was that?" His ears perked up, listening closely. "You hear something? Like a voice? In your head? Or outside of it, maybe? Preferably outside of it?"


Tag: Dubya, Ramza

 

IC: Psylocke
Corridor H

"Yup. And speaking of lifetimes, I have this nifty healing factor, so...coffee?"

Persistent little bugger. Also speaking of lifetimes...she had been killed and reincarnated. But that was beside the point. Betsy was about to reject him again when Deadpool made some comment about voices in his head.

"I'm a telepath, Wade," she responded, slicing the first goon that rounded the corner into the corridor. "I hear all kinds of voices. But you, on the other hand, you're just mentally unstable. What are your voices telling you?" she joked.

TAG: Peng, Ramza

 

Deadpool
RETURN OF THE FORBIDDEN CORRIDOR! H IS FOR HELL!

"They're fine, that's par for the course. Telling me my chimichangas are burning, that sort of thing."

You're a terrible liar. Hell, I don't believe you, that guy with the keyboard doesn't believe you-

Oh hush you.

"Uh, what he said."

He looked about, tried not to double-take at Psylocke's wardrobe (again) and cleared his throat.

"So what are we doing here again? Kinda forgot, what with the whole slicing and coffee talks and then the metafiction then I started thinking about dinosaurs, and how cool would it be to have a pet T-Rex? I'd call him Ralph, myself."

He looked about, and cleared his throat, doing a double-take at Psylocke's outfit (again).

"So what are we doing again?"

Tag: Dubya, Ramza

 

Vampirella wound her way through the Times Square crowd. The inhabitants of the island left her to herself, apart from the curious stares, but the Vampiri found she had to actively avoid the tourists who kept wanting her to stop so they could get a picture of her with their friends and families. All the Vampiri wanted to do at this point was find a good meal and a quiet place to relax. She'd gotten the name of a posh hotel from a pedicab driver who was hawking for a fare at the corner of Broadway and 44th. Before she could begin making her way uptown, however, she heard the roaring. And the crashing. And the screaming. And looking up and up and up some more, she spotted the cause.

Her first instinct was to flee, but almost immediately she halted, and tried to find a clear space amidst the chaos. She looked down at the emerald ring on the middle finger of her right hand, the one that fit perfectly, even though Abin Sur's fingers had been much thicker than hers. She had promised him, as she drank his life's fluid. She shook her head of the memory and concentrated.

In a flash of green light, the alien from Drakulon's outfit changed from much too revealing and red to much to revealing and green, and for some reason a domino mask now covered her eyes. Vampirella knew how to fly using her own wings, so willing herself into the air with the power of the ring took almost no effort at all.

Streaking through the sky, the newest Green Lantern flew in close to the thundering monster.

"Let's see what this ring is capable of," she said aloud. Hovering twenty feet above the ground, she pointed her fist at the monster and concentrated. A massive spike of emerald energy, three feet thick, nine feet long, and ironically resembling a wooden stake, appeared in a beam of green light and hurtled toward the titanic beast.


TAG: Livi-Wan, Ramza

 

IC: Psylocke
Corridor H

Deadpool started rambling about dinosaurs. Then he asked, "So what are we doing again?"

"I don't know what you're doing, but I was sent by the X-Men to-" she paused as she plunged her psychic blade into a guards head, essentially frying his mind. "...To retrieve plans for some new Sentinel model. Apparently it's like nothing we've ever seen before."

TAG: Peng, Ramza

 

Iron Bat

Gotham City, New Jersey
July 12, 9 PM

JARVIS's calm, programmed voice cut into the suit's helmet even as its sensors registered the noise. "The First Bank of New Jersey, on Fifth Street, sir."
"Source?"
"A short-run analysis of the sound wave profile suggests a dynamite explosive."
"The vault, then."
"Or the teller desks," replied Tony's voice over the comm. "Maybe they finally decided e-commerce actually works." A clinking sort of noise punctuated the words; ice over single malt, he supposed. He was fairly sure Alfred had restocked the liquor cabinet recently...

He was moving, in any case; pressing a few ready studs on the inside of his wrist, the suit coming to full readiness. "What about the alarm?"
A sound of Tony's fingers clattering over the comm. "GCPD threat board just lit up like a Christmas tree, so yeah, I'd say they know about it. They're ... huh, looks like they're taking this one seriously. SWAT's getting ready to roll from downtown and there's two black-and-whites getting diverted from patrol. Best time ten minutes before they arrive, a good twenty minutes after that for SWAT."
The suit's metal feet were heavy on the rooftops; he made a mental note to recheck the baffling. "JARVIS, give me the floor plans."
They swam up in HUD before his vision, superimposed against the lights of the late-night city like words from a god. Scanned it as he moved. Stopped for one, long, precious moment to evaluate the moment, to fall back into that place the League had called getsumei no michi, the Way of the Moonlit Path, where perception became reality and reality was simply a matter of which courses were possible and which were not. Formulating an approach.
"Well, at least they designed the place right, once you get past all that standard Hunchback of Notre Dame gargoyle architecture." Tony was thoughtful. "No real back exits. Got a fire escape to the roof. 'Part from that there's the front door and some side windows into narrow alleyways."
"JARVIS, isolate the power grid to the place. Once you've found it, kill it."
A moment's silence from the comm, though he continued to move: the first of the bank's gothic architecture was visible now, arching a beckoning, clawed finger at him. Then the few external lights illuminating the place winked out as though snuffed. The place would be in darkness.
Which was not to say that he would be unable to see. He was moving, faster now; the suit was performing well, its repulsors whispering quietly, the illumination from the thrusters muted thanks to the alterations they'd made last week.
"So. What's your big plan?" Tony sounded like he was sitting back in his chair now.
"Frontal approach. They'll be scared, confused. They'll have some cover, but they don't have any other real way out except that door. Either they come to the door or they hesitate long enough to take them down."
"Oh, right. That's like saying because you're surrounded they can't get away from you."
He ignored it. "JARVIS, give me infrared and sonar pulse, and keep the satellite link steady."
"Yes, sir."

The suit dropped from the sky, whirling in at a respectable fraction of soundspeed, landing with a heavy CLANG on the stone steps leading to the doorway of the bank.

TAG: ramza

 

Gotham City, New Jersey
July 12, 9 PM

The two thugs, having heard a loud clanging noise, turned to face the entrance of the bank. The color drained from their faces.

?I? it?s?? Mick stammered.

?It?s the Bat! The Robot Bat!? Rex screamed, pulling out his handgun. He fired off several shots, all of which deflected off the metal carapace that stood before them and shattered the tile walls to either side of the bat.

?Oh my god? it is a machine! You were right!? Mick gasped in disbelief. Rex, meanwhile, had darted into the safe, hoping to hide from whatever it was that the two men now faced.

It was at this point that a third voice was heard, a voice completely devoid of the fear that permeated Mick and Rex?s tone.

A voice that was positively cold.

?So it is real. Fascinating.?

A burst of energy as blue as the waters of the Bering Sea slammed into the Iron Bat then, tossing the figure into the counter of the bank. Where previously there had been shadows there was now the dull, icy glow of something shaped like a man.

[image=http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp39/darthramza/FrozenDynamo.png]

And yet not a man at all.

?? That?s? that?s the Dynamo?? Rex stammered.

?Affirmative.?

Repulsor jets fired, and the mechanical suit destined to be known as the Frozen Dynamo rocketed forward, slamming into the Iron Bat and driving the mechanical suit straight through the wall of the bank.

?My sincerest apologies for the deception. Unfortunately my nation?s government has ordered me to ensure that no one can challenge our mechanical prowess.?

A superpowered punch sent the Iron Bat hurtling upward into the sky, as a blast of frozen blue energy shot forth from the Frozen Dynamo?s other hand. ?How is it you Americans phrase it? ?Chill out?? Somewhat corny. I will get over it.?

And the Iron Bat began to freeze solid, encased in an icy tomb colder than the harshest Siberian winter.

TAG: Saint

---

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJCfxi7IiqQ][i][b]Inter-A.I.M. Headquarters, [Classified Location][/i][/b][/link]
[i]July 13, 11:30 PM[/i]

The Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing watched as his reinforcements charged in without a semblance of tactical organization and were cut down? like they had charged in without a semblance of tactical organization. Inter-AIM?s recruiting standards had apparently taken a nose dive of late, which, to be fair, was to be somewhat expected when you were what the unenlightened would dub a ?super-scientific mafia and terrorist organization.? Feh! As if those idiots knew anything of progress.

?Enough of this nonsense!? MODOK shouted, gesturing to his assistant. ?Release Subject B. He ought to be able to handle them.?

?But? MODOK? sir? Subject B is? ? still untested? and??

MODOK fried the assistant with his telepathically controlled laser.

?You!? He barked, pointing to the next scientist in the chain of command. ?Release Subject B!?

?Yes sir!? the spineless coward replied, darting off to perform his duties.

Now really, was that so hard?

In Corridor H, [b]Psylocke[/b] and [b]Deadpool[/b] were dispatching the waves of generic mooks with relative ease. So, they were somewhat disconcerted when the waves? well, stopped. They became slightly more perturbed when Deadpool swore he had heard a voice on the other side of the wall, it?s speech pattern indecipherable.

How they reacted when the massive pale grey fist slammed [i]through[/i] the metal walls and grasped the Merc with the Mouth by the torso was anyone?s guess.

And then they heard what was being said.

[hl=black][color=grey][b]?BORN? ON A MONDAY??[/b][/color][/hl]

The rest of the massive being slammed through the wall, tossing Deadpool aside like so much garbage.

[image=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8a/Grundyfoe.png]

[hl=black][color=grey][b]?SOLOMON? GRU