Drama Marvel Heroes: Resurgence

IC: Agent Mary Formal, Dugans Tavern


“Cheers!!” Arthur beamed back. “To good company.” He echoed, toasting his fellow agents and guest at the table.

“To saving the world.” Dr. Redstone put in simply, also rising his glass.

Bullet. Dodged. Formal thought to herself as she raised her glass a second time, and took a sip of her Peroni the same time as Dr Redstone took his, 'Liz and Bryan with a Y' not far behind.

Her new superior started to look around, presumably to see who else he knew in the place. A number of patrons and guests were pouring in, with some being diverted towards reserved tables, and the level of background conversation increased accordingly.

She closed her eyes, trying to isolate the exchanges, zeroing in on one where a group were speculating on the type of landmine that could vapourise Thor. She did not know who 'they' were, but apparently, all 'they' had found, was his hammer.

Because of the choice of tool, Mary was wondering if he had been putting up shelves when he died, when Jocasta interrupted her musings, Warp core breach in thr- starting to come over her earpiece, and as before she looked around to see who was coming.

"Oh, I see them; two contacts, my three o'clock. Who're they?"

Dr Moira McTaggert. Mr Alastor Zingari. Further information requires a higher security clearance, Agent.

"That's okay, Jocasta. I will take it from here." The E-Branch staffer glanced back at the table to see if anyone minded her chatting into her earpiece, but she saw no overt indication that anyone cared. She joined Redstone in watching the approach.

Both wore black, with the trailing male in black dress shirt and slacks, whilst the woman, the one with the reddish-brown locks that she had spotted earlier, looked gorgeous in a 3/4 sleeved jet black shirt minidress, that contrasted magnificently with the lighter colour of her legs.

"Liz, your figure has just been superceded."

The two seemed to move with such grace, dodging through the crowd of guests and waiting staff with the same ease as their Quinjet had threaded between the New York skyscrapers, that Mary subconsciously straightened in her seat, wiped the smile of her face, her attention flicking up a gear as she watched them sashay closer.

Her eyes flicked to reflective surfaces that would catch the two passing, a bronze fitting here, the glass of a picture frame over there....yep, they were casting reflections. Not vampires.

By time they were reaching table, she was relaxed and smiling again, ready to greet the pair.

“Good evening everyone.” Moira announced as she approached the table. “I’m Dr. Mc Taggert, a friend of Dr. Redstone. Would you mind if my guest and I join you this evening?”

“Hello, Moira.” Dr. Redstone said as he got up. He wore a smile on his face, greeting Moira openly, but eyed her yet-to-be-named companion with a critical eye- for all of a second, then offered a welcoming nod and a handshake. “I certainly don’t mind. I’m Dr. Redstone. Please call me Sebastian.”

Mary briefly wondered if she should stand too, but then, she had not stood for Redstone, so frak 'em. Instead, she extended a bare armed hand up to McTaggert. "Doctor McTaggert. Mary Formal. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

“The more the merrier." Chesterfield chimed in happily. "Hello Dr. Mc Taggert. I’m Arthur. Please join us.”

“Would love to. Just call me Moira.”

Across the table, Liz Merrick beamed up at the both newcomers from her position leaned close to the off-duty limo driver, and rippled the fingers of her free hand to them in greeting. "Hey Guys. I'm Liz. Liz Merrick."

Bryan also greeted the two, and signalled wait-staff to set additional chairs. They in turn, recognised the need for another table for the increasing party.

Mary turned her attention to the doctor's companion. "Hello there. Mary Formal."

Tag: greyjedi125 Kahn_Iceay

 

IC: Alastor Zingari
Dugan's Tavern

“Zingari.” Alastor replied, taking the hand of the young woman, Liz. “Alastor Zingari.” He then turned his attention to the other, Mary. Acknowledging her, though indeed it had been her that had earned his attention first. When your subconscious mind is constantly attempting to calculate angles, and other variables and your eyesight is as keen as his, you notice when people are attempting to do something of the same vein. Though whose backside it was she was trying to look at he didn’t know. Likely Moria’s, her outfit featured hers much better than his did.

“It would seem Moria, despite my best attempts to dress up for the occasion, I am now the one most out of place.” He eyed the others, all of whom seemed to be much more appropriately dressed for a nice eve on the town, as opposed to his much simpler attire. Of course it was simply an excuse to get an extremely good look at everyone. One of the key benefits of being able to see into the infrared is that one could notice different things.

For example, Mary seemed to be flushed more than the others. Not so due to alcohol consumption, which by the smell of the group had not actually started in earnest by any of them, nor due to embarrassment. It was the sort of rush to the face and extremities he noticed on squad mates who were concentrating on targets down range. She was clearly not doing that, so perhaps she had something on her mind. She was, if Moria was right, new, so maybe the job was giving her thoughts that distracted her.


As the new set of chairs and table came in to expand the groups seating arrangement Alastor took his place across from Moria, keeping a warm smile on his face. “I do hope we really weren’t interrupting anything. Come back from the dead and, suddenly I’m in everyone’s hair.” He then took a sip from his now, mostly melted float, waiting to see the reaction to that proclamation.

Tag: greyjedi125 Sith-I-5

 

En Route to the Roadside Market
Off the beaten path, Maine

The jetting stream of cloud came down on Gami and collided with her, even as she used the leafy branch in defense, as instructed by Kim.

The roaring blast was powerful. It fully intended to knock her off-her feet and knock the sails right out of her lungs, but her bandana and the branch had done their job. The branch successfully defused the concentrated stream of air enough to keep Gami from being knocked down, but at a price.

The branches were instantly snapped and broken on impact, and the leaves shorn off. But Gami had a plan and a surprise.

A powerful jolt of electricity crackled through the jetting cloud stream the moment it made contact with the branch. The arcing blue flickering light traveled down the length of the funnel and flashed once again.

Gami would notice how the roiling mass of cloud was not only shrinking, but slowly losing momentum. She would also hear a strange howling groaning close to her.

Her eyes would have trouble making out a cloudy form in the shape of a man, like shimmering mist, hunching over and clutching at his own chest, while struggling to remain semi-vaporous.

There was no way of knowing how long the moment would last, if Whorl would regain his cloud-form or completely revert to human. There was no Kim around and no Isaac, not that they could clearly see her. No, for the moment, there was just Gami.


Tag: Ktala (Darth_Elu)

 

Combo with the Great GM himself
IC: Larry Stone
Bob's Handy Hoodies, Manhattan

"Ok, Just give me a really baggy hoodie, OK?"
Larry was following instincts, conceal wings first, explore later.

"Uh... Sure, just follow me."

The man showed Larry to an aisle full of hoodies. Larry strolled down it, examining the Hoodies. Larry immediately saw the one he liked, Dark Grey. Larry asked for the price. The Man told him, Larry went over to the checkout and put down some cash. The man typed in some numbers on the till, and then with a ding, the till opened up.
"thank you, sir"

Larry nodded and walked out of the store, He pulled on the hoodie. it felt nice and spacious. and had that smell all new hoodies have. Larry then went to a burger stall and ordered a cheese burger with onions, lettuce, tomatoes and ketchup. it took a few minutes to grill. but then it was ready, he took a bite. It was juicy and tender, the lettuce crunched as his teeth sank into the meat. Ah, good old New York. it is a good thing the Skrulls were gone. Larry sat down on a bench to finish his burger. it was delicious. After he had finished he stood up and wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin. He looked around.
Larry had enjoyed his burger, but now his mind turned to other concerns. Finding a residence for starters.

The metahuman found himself in midtown manhattan, the west side of all places. Initial inquiries within several decent looking buildings revealed the need of a real estate broker, with studio apartments starting at close to $2000 a month. On top of that, he would need a deposit and a month's security.

Walking further, Larry found the story to be pretty much the same. Eventually, his feet led him to Hell's Kitchen. The brownstones here were older and the neighborhood more 'eclectic' as far as its residents were concerned. There were a few apartments for rent here as well. The price point seemed to drop by $500 just for crossing the avenue. The more readily available spaces were basement apartments. The cheapest was a basement studio for $1250. It was small and dank, with the entrance facing the back of the brownstone after a walk down a long hallway. It was already furnished with vintage looking furniture.

Of course, it did not compared with a modern studio in on elf the high rise buildings across the streets, but those fetched almost $3000 to start, and that was before the real estate broker's fee. Of course, Larry could always venture down to Alphabet City on the Lower East Side, just to compare prices.

"So, you gonna take it or what?" asked Bartolo, the portly built building super taking care of the sub-let. "Best I can do for you is $350 a week. Cash."
"I'll take it."
"Alright." Bartolo said agreeing. He put out his big meaty hand to shake Larry's. The large building super clutched the studio apartment keys in his other hand.

"Pay me for the first week and the place is yours for 7 days. And remember, I don't care what you do out there, don't bring no trouble here."

Tags: greyjedi125

 

IC: SGCs 28.57^3
Wundagore Citadel
Wundagore mountain, Transia

“Yes…” Erasmus whispered and smiled at SGC, regarding him with unseeing eyes as he still supported his friend.

Both Barsali and Harman kept their peace for the moment, simply allowing the heat to chase the chill from their bones and also marveling at all which they saw. “Thank you. It has not been an easy journey. We thank you.”

“Indeed. Such is a commendable feat of survival and determination. The High Evolutionary would be impressed…were he here.” Noble Rakshasa intoned, taking a few steps forward. His foot claws clicking on the polished floor in tandem with his staff.

SGC shivered slightly at this. Not the cold that seemed to become more alive and real once exposed to the warmth of the fire, but at the fact that this was a strange blending of the worlds he had known and ever seen in his studies.

“Well met.” Offered Sir Urson, with an accompanying nod.

“So, what do we call you and why have you sought the Knights of Wundagore?”

The tiger headed speaker tilted his head lightly as he awaited an answer. SGC opened his mandibles and was trying to formulate how to convey what needed said when he heard someone else speak. Only it wasn't Barsali, Harman, nor even Erasmus, yet the voice struck a chord.

“They would be more inclined to answer your questions if you made them feel more at home, don’t you think?” a soft spoken, yet firm female voice echoed from the hall and into the large chamber. The cloaked tiger, armored lion and bear turned their heads.

“Lady Mantra. You should be resting.” The noble tiger exclaimed. The two armored figures offered respectful nods instead.

“…And miss all this? Do not be absurd. I shall rest later.” Lady Mantra answered and did not miss a beat as she approached. “Welcome to Wundagore Citadel. We haven’t had visitor in an age.”

“Thank you.” Barsali and Harman said at once, followed by Erasmus’ weakened voice. SGC simply nodded. He was in awe of this voice because it sounded so familiar.

“I shall prepare places for you all. So, please continue. Do not let me interrupt.”

Lady Mantra’s gaze stayed on SGC for the space of a heartbeat before she gracefully moved on.

Indeed, you made it- and just in time.

The SGC watched the Lady’s form gracefully retreat to a side corridor and disappear behind a wall. His mouth was agape with every mandible open. So she was the one!

“She sounded lovely.” Erasmus commented in hush tones to no one in particular.

It was Noble Rakshasa who returned to the matter at hand.

“Please, continue…” He bid his new guests.

"Continue." SGC simply stated as though mildly dazed, the implications of what he just heard were astounding to say the least. "Days ago when I heard that there was a new Doom in Latveria coming to where I lived in the wilds. This I had made my home after escaping by the grace of the explosion the home which Doom had turned into my prison. My amic here," SGC placed his free hand on Erasmus' shoulder, "He told me of here. Where I might be safe or even more. After escaping Latveria we ran into the group of gypsies. These two are from them, they promised to aid me come here. To lead the way. We have had soldiers and the animated corpses to deal with, to reach here. To reach safety."

Tag: greyjedi125

 

Tobias Bach
Triskelion HQ, NY
Danger Room Beta-Zed 021

“Welcome, Agent Bach. Thank you for coming, and please call me Vision.” As they shook hands Tobias had to remind himself to breath, it was a true honor to be a part of this.

Vision brought his attention to a table “Please, make yourself comfortable if you wish. There are also refreshment to partake of. The other Agents are almost here and we are expected to have a full day.” He was too antsy to really settle into the chair, he was thankful that another Agent arrived.

The first thing Tobias saw was the Captain America shirt, “Hey, there guys.” the man greeted. “Hello. I am ADAM. I am pleased to meet you.” Now this was a curious pair. He looked at ADAM a bit longer, then glanced at Vision and wondered what he was like soon after his creation.

“Agent Knight. I’m glad you could make it.” Vision responded casually. “ADAM, I too am pleased to make your acquaintance. Please, come in.” The Vision shook both their hands.

“This is Agent Bach. He is also part of the Vanguard Team.” Vision introduced them. “Gentlemen, make yourselves comfortable, we have one more member joining our meeting momentarily.”

Tobias rose from his seat and moved to shake both of their hands, he probably wouldn't have thought to shake ADAM's if Vision hadn't. "Nice to meet you both."

Tag: greyjedi125 E. L.Knight

 

Gemini IC:
~Herald Square Sub Levels, New York City~

"You won't." 'Shroud' replied with a smirk.

However, despite the surprise move on his part, she followed along. If nothing else, Brihk was curious which was what he was hoping for exactly.

Getting the Hunter's attention and having the meta device in his possession going off completely right then was perfect. His senses, his focus, his technology. All of it was centered on the Morlock woman. It was his ability that made the device go off, of course. But with the immense presence Brihk was giving off and her threatening posture, that's not how it would seem. There was no reason for him to think otherwise, especially not on a 'routine' check of the sub levels. He would be much better armed and with a larger force had they expected anything more.

As soon as the woman had begun moving, he was only a half step behind. Not literally, mind you, but he was maneuvering silently behind the Hunter while slipping into invisibility.

Where once there was a man known as 'Shroud,' now there was no one. The shroud had fallen over sight.

"If you take one more step….!"

He was behind the Hunter already.

"If?"

Sorry, but this is lesser of all evils.

In that space of a heartbeat he knew he had, his arms came up while still unseen, and attempted to choke the man out into unconsciousness. Nothing more. His arms remained locked and unmoving, his stance firm upon the ground to the imminent struggling.

Once he was down, hopefully without much issue, he would step away and slip out of invisibility. His gaze calm with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Well? Why do you think they had trouble getting me in the first place."

Tag: greyjedi125

*****
Isaac Angakkuq IC:
~Off the Beaten Path, Maine~

He ran as quickly, and for the most part, as quietly as he could alongside Gami and Firefly. Kim had allowed herself to be left behind, despite their uneasiness and displeasure at the idea, and so all they could to return the favor was go all out for their destination.

A rumbling sound grew steadily behind them however and he knew it wasn't a good thing. And as they kept going with that sound in their ears, distant shouting also presented itself. It took him a moment to place it.

Kim!

Suddenly, that was when the angry stream of cloud and debris shot between the two of them, separating them from each other. It then swiftly covered the area like a blanket, dimming out much light and keeping the two of them hidden from each other as well. The stream seemed to split in two, like tentacles, and shot out for each. That was the last he saw of his companion.

"GAMI!" hé roared futilely.

"We ne…to…him…tire out. He c…sep this….p fore…..!"

<Inuksuk! Watch out!!>

He quickly rolled out of the way of the descending coil of cloud, while haltingly piecing together the watcher's far away words. But he got it as it was thankfully not too hard to figure out. Battle of attrition it was!

Coming out of the roll, he immediately began to wildly swing his branch from earlier hoping to diffuse the metahuman as much as possible. All while trying his best not to think what a normal guy like him could do against a meta actually targeting him.

<Inuksuk! I think there's an opening! Gami did something and now Whorl is hurting! A form of a man is appearing….about here!>

A couple of quick swipes with the branch again and Isaac felt like he only had enough time to pinpoint exactly where his spirit guide was indicating with her own body. Then he put his full strength into launching himself in that direction, hoping to tackle the cloudy opponent as hard as he could.

He had no time to wonder if such a thing was even feasible. He only knew he had to act and being given information like that, he just did the first thing he thought of. Inuit instincts hopefully to the rescue!

Firefly dipped quickly out of the way of his flying body, briefly feeling alarm at his sudden and impulsive reaction, barely evading him herself.

Now there was only hope.

Tag: Ktala greyjedi125

 

Off the beaten Path
Maine

It was clear Isaac did not think things through in his current situation, as demonstrated by his impulsive actions. Still, his courageous spirit had to be given credit.

The fisherman-turned-adventurer, launched himself at Whorl, who was currently hunched over, thanks to Firefly’s keen senses. The diminutive guide's relief at Isaac finding their enemy, immediately turned to a shriek of alarm after seeing his maneuver.

All Gami saw, was the form of Isaac suddenly fly out from an opaque curtain of cloud, sailing through the air in Whorl’s direction, then suddenly get broadsided by a giant roiling cloudy fist!

The impact was enough to knock the sails out of the young man, and send him tumbling on the ground to one side.

The effort had clearly drained Whorl of much needed energy, as his solid-human form became more apparent, while steam simply swirled around him. He cursed under his breath, eyes searching for where Isaac had landed, then swiveling back to see who else might attack him.

“Where are you guys!? What’s happening! Somebody! Anybody!”

Kim’s voice was distinctly closer, though she was still not visible.

Indeed, things were happening quickly, as the encounter was not quite over. No, not yet.

Tag: Ktala, Darth_Elu

********************************


OOC: Working on everyone's stuff, while wrestling with shenanigans!Egads!

 

Gami
Off the beaten path, Main


"GAMI!"

Gami heard Isaac calling through the thick cloud, but she didnt turn her head. She was focused on the being groaning, coming into form near her. He was clutching his chest. She gave a tighter grip to the walking stick in her hand. Gami was more than ready to deal another blow, before he had a chance to come back into his cloud form, which would make it harder to attack.

Suddenly, the form of Isaac came flying out from the clouds, sailing through the air in Whorl’s direction. But before he could make contact, a giant cloud fist sends Isaac tumbling to the ground.

Isaac! she mentally screamed. But something else had happened. Whorl was now fully solid, smoke swirling around him. He seemed to be searching for where Isaac had landed.

“Where are you guys!? What’s happening! Somebody! Anybody!” Kim called out through the clouds still swirling around them. Gami still coudlnt see the woman. She would answer the woman in a moment.

Gami charged at Whorl, her walking stick in hand. As she closed in, she swung the stick. And she would attempt to deliver one more shocking charge thru her stick to the young man. She waited until she made her swing, before she shouted out to Kim. "Over here!" She didnt want to warn Whorl of her attack until she made it. If he managed to knock the stick from her hands or grapple her, she would simply reach for him, and deliver the boost. Hopefully, Isaac was not hurt, but simply winded, and he would be able to help as well.

She just wanted to take Whorl down so he coudlnt turn back into his cloud form. Especially if he was NOT alone.
And if things turned bad... well, she had an idea.

Not necessarily a good one. But, an idea, none the less.



TAG: greyjedi125, Darth_Elu

 

Isaac Angakkuq IC:
~Being Beaten On The Path, Maine~

He hadn't thought things through and in the back of his mind, Isaac knew that. But he just couldn't help himself this time. He heard there was an opening and he felt perhaps it was a good chance to take. After all, it sounded like he had begun to take a body again or something.

Apparently he didn't time it or it just didn't matter at all.

Flying through the air one moment, then being slammed back down to earth the next. The wind was knocked out of and he was seeing stars.

Firefly flitted nervously all around him, frantic. Even her mental voice, let alone Kim's didn't quite reach him. All he could focus on was trying to steady himself and get back on his feet, but the force of the blow left him staggered and winded.

For the time being, he was at Whorl's mercy. Unless Gami could come through before their enemy could act.

Tag: Ktala greyjedi125

 

Agent Bishop Knight
SHIELD HQ, Triskelion, NY

“Agent Knight. I’m glad you could make it. ADAM, I too am pleased to make your acquaintance. Please, come in.”​

​

The Vision extended his hands in greeting and both he and ADAM shook hem in politeness.​

​

“This is Agent Bach. He is also part of the Vanguard Team. Gentlemen, make yourselves comfortable, we have one more member joining our meeting momentarily.”​

​

Tobias came over and then offered his hand.​

​

"Nice to meet you both."​

​

"It's nice to meet you, as well."​

​

Bishop looked him up and down and wondered about the man.​

​

"What do you think they are going to be having us do?"​

​

TAG: Mikaboshi, greyjedi125

OOC: ADAM image

 

IC: Psion
Lower Manhattan, NYC


Blueline had played a critical card, revealing much of the their purpose to the young Morlock, but like most of Blue’s reckless acts, it yielded interesting results.

Face, the senior of the two Morlocks was probably not at liberty to say anything about his gang’s plans and he seemed too smart to blurt out such information. However his warning to Blue and Psion felt genuine.

“But to answer your question Blue; Yes. It is dangerous and it is killing people. That’s why we stay away from it- and so should you. Understand?”

Psion wanted to ask if the ‘we’ meant Morlocks only or metahumans in general, but most likely it meant the former.

Face had also said that he was currently ‘at work’, and that brought up more questions as well as some speculation. With a codename like ‘Face’, what tasks could he be performing for his gang, recruitment, public relations, information gathering?
All this inevitably made Psion wonder about the Morlock’s meta ability. Was it active or passive, was it telepathic in nature, did it work by eye contact?

As he felt his caution level begin to rise he reminded himself that both he and Blue were ‘green lit’ and at the very least ‘neutral’ with this gang, all because of Blueline’s work in the area. True he was assuming all this, but it seemed feasible.
He decided to not let paranoia set in, and to trust in the ‘code’ that he imagined he was observing in the Morllocks.
This made Psion realize that the ball was still in their court.

“Don’t let it be said that Face has no time for future recruits.”

Psion inclined his head and nodded in acceptance of the obvious compliment. Garret’s reaction was confirmation enough that it was a favorable view on the part of his immediate superior.

Working alongside the Morlocks would provide an unique opportunity, not only would it give insight to the unseen world of those that exist in the fringes, but would open doors to knowledge, practical knowledge to the effects of how ripples of everyday life and the status quo affected the life of those denizens.
Moreover, Psion was sure that a gang or society of metahumans could subsist easily and thrive on the fringes of society if well organized.

He controlled the smile that threatened to form on his face, but the glint in his eye was inescapable.

“So, is there anything else?”

Face casually let out a puff of smoke as he waited for a reply, his relaxed demeanor reminiscent of a candid black and white photograph.

Psion looked over at Blue to see if he had anything to add, but it looked like he was ready to move on.

"What do you think Psion, we done here?"

“Actually, there’s one more thing…” Psion turned to look at the shaggy haired Morlock.

“Not sure if you can arrange a meeting with Totenkoff, but we’d appreciate it if you could at least point us in the right direction.”

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Garret had offered dubious breadcrumbs earlier, spoken from one perfect stranger to another. But now, after some introductions and a bit of sizing up, perhaps a more direct path to their goal had been found.

Climbing a ladder was part of life, but sometimes one got to ride the escalator.




TAG: greyjedi125, galactic-vagabond422

 

Tobias Bach
Triskelion HQ, NY
Danger Room Beta-Zed 021

"What do you think they are going to be having us do?" Agent Knight asked. Tobias had been wondering he same since he received his orders to report to the Triskelion, a number of possibilities had crossed his mind. "Not sure," He said shaking his head, "though it seems likely that we will be evaluated in some way."

Bach looked toward ADAM, his knowledge on robotics was limited to rock 'em sock 'em action "I hope this isn't rude, but is that thing sentient?" Compared to Vision, ADAM didn't seem all that advanced.

Tag: greyjedi125 E. L.Knight

 

Agent Bishop Knight
SHIELD HQ, Triskelion, NY

"Not sure though it seems likely that we will be evaluated in some way. I hope this isn't rude, but is that thing sentient?" ​

​

Bishop looked at Tobias. "No, ADAM isn't sentient. He is a highly advanced AI, but he is not sentient. He is simply programmed to resemble a sentient. Imagine him being like Iron Man with JARVIS in charge instead of Tony Stark."​

​

TAG: Mikaboshi, greyjedi125

 

Triskelion HQ, NY
Danger Room Beta-Zed 021

"What do you think they are going to be having us do?" Agent Bishop Knight asked of Agent Bach after their polite greeting.

The Vision said nothing at first as a soft smile creased his face. He fancied himself having a very human moment.

“They?” he mused silently, guesstimating that the Agent probably meant S.H.I.E.L.D. The probabilities were strongly in favor of that being the correct answer.

There was more banter between the two agents, which the Vision found insightful, instead than feeling as if he were an ‘invisible bystander’, the way most humans would.

But before the synthezoid could clarify the matter however, Jocasta chimed in with another announcement just as the doors hissed open.

[Agent Kwon has arrived.]

“Hi!” The former K-pop star turned Shield agent breathed out as he rushed in. “Hope I’m not late.” He said, clearly enthused, but somewhat embarrassed at being the last one to arrive.

“You’re right on time, agent.” Vision declared as he greeting the korean youth.

“These are Agents Kight, and Bach, respectively.” the synthezoid said as he introduced the two earlier arrivals with a gesture of his hand. “gentlemen, this is Agent Kwon, who is also a part of The Vanguard Initiative.”

“Please to meet you both.” Known smiled and nodded his head at the two agents.

“Just call me Hyun.”

Perhaps he was unaware of it, but Kwon’s eyes rested on Bishop’s companion for a brief moment.

“That is ADAM.” Vision explained. “He is not much different from myself.” the synthezoid added, seeing the youth’s near blank expression.

“Oh, sorry. Hello ADAM.”

Hyun couldn’t help but to turn a bit red.

“Please, gentlemen. Have a seat.” Vision instructed after a moment, his manner genial as always.

“I’ll get straight to the matter at hand.”

With that, the lights dimmed and a holo-projector came on, displaying a 3D visual model of an island.

“Today you will be undergoing preliminary testing. You three will be taking part of an advanced scenario designed to measure parameters necessary for the Vanguard. Treat this as you would a real mission.”

“Your Danger Room Scenario is as follows: The Pacific Island before you, is owned by a person of interest. You will b infiltrating it. Your mission is to extract a captive scientist held somewhere in the compound. The person of interest is off the island, and an estimated mission time of 3 hours has been given to complete your extraction. You have access to SHIELD resources, which I suggest you use wisely. You will be coordinating this OP, and I will assist you with intel. Feel free to ask any questions before we officially start.”

The room grew quiet for a moment, with the image of the projected island being the only source of illumination.

Tag: Mikaboshi, E. L.Knight


OOC: More updates/posts to follow.

 

OOC: Just to give you guys something to read while the real world runs roughshod over GreyJedi's freetime, here's a short two page drabble I wrote a couple of years back, it'll introduce you to one of Alastor's other partners in crime, Kasuga Tsano.

-- -- --

The alarms blared around them as they charged down the service corridor. They’d been made, and were suitably putting on a show of trying to escape. Behind him a slew of epithets and other colourful language in the form of traditional Japanese and Mandarin echoed out behind him. Tsano was either keeping in character really well or not pleased with the role they had to play.

Coming up on a corner Alastor shifted to his side, armored boots skidding on the floor as his right arm came out and caught Tsano as she did the same and they both took off in the new direction. “Door,” Alastor called out, his HUD automatically switching to a mixed thermal display, highlighting the individuals beyond the door.

Behind him Tsano’s visor did the same, and her tactical analysis training kicked in. “Leap frog.” Her voice calmed in that moment, and Alastor’s head bobbed. “Going for it.” Just a few feet from the door Alastor bound up into the air, raised his left leg, foot forward towards the door and slammed into it with all his weight.

The hinges of the door strained under the stress of a fully armored Mercenary, broke free from the fame, and crashed forward into the room, smacked into one of the guards behind the door and skidded across the floor for several feet, carrying Alastor along with it. Several curses echoed through the room, in Somali and Arabic, along with the sound of over a dozen AK’s having their charging handles pulled.

Alastor felt all the eyes fall on him, and then the sudden point of pressure on his left shoulder. Tsano’s boot pressed down on his shoulder plate and pushed off, leaping up and over the clustered group of pirates. Standing up, Alastor watched the eyes of the pirates follow her, understandably awe struck by the figure of a small woman leaping up and over them in a backflip. So awe struck in fact that they missed the grenade she dropped in their midst, or the one Alastor rolled into their feet.

Standing up Alastor watched half the group turn towards where Tsano had landed, and the other half turned towards him. Their rifles raised there was a chorus of voices ordering the two of them to drop their weapons, get on their knees, the usual. Alastor simply tilted his head and uttered a word, “وداعا”. For a moment, the pirates seemed confused, probably thought this foreigner had no idea what he as saying. Then the grenades went off.

Alastor stepped to the side as the upper half of one of the pirates flew past where he’d been standing. “Kāihuǒ!” Tsano yelled out over the noise and Alastor brought his rifle up, and using the thermal data on his visor began firing into dust, rubble, and squirming forms of the Somalian pirates, and what had been a platoon strength group of pirates was now a mound of body parts, dead, or dying pirates, and two mercenaries reloading their magazines.

“Probably didn’t need that second grenade,” Tsano commented as she turned from the scene and looked towards the reinforced door that the guards had been protecting.
“I’d prefer to be safe than sorry.” Alastor replied stepping around the scene, stopping just long enough to drop a gas grenade in the pile, giving a moment of mercy to at least put the men to sleep so they don’t die in agony. “So do you think you can open that door?”

“Faster than you can think of an inappropriate comment when Dustine enters a room.” She replied with a layer of snark and connected her wrist computer to the key pad next to the door. “Just watch my six.” Alastor simply shook his head and took up a position behind her keeping an eye on the way they came and the two other entrances to the room.

The process was a quick and quiet one, and it didn’t take long before the somewhat rusted blast doors began to slide apart. “’Bout time!” O’Neil’s voice boomed through the air, “Was getting’ boring out there. “What were ya guy’s doin’? Taking a break for tea?”

“I’m sorry O’Neil.” Alastor replied, holding his rifle against his chest and crossing his free arm over it. “We got so busy actually doing real legitimate work that we forgot to be considerate of your boredom.”
“Lad,” The large Scotch-Irish mix of a man stepped inside through the door, hefting his LMG over his shoulder, “Were we not on a mission, I’d give ye a taste o the back o me hand for such insolence.”

“Really?” Tsano asked raising an eyebrow, “Because if the last time you two spared is any indication you’ll be exhausted before you get close to actually hitting him.” She tapped her wrist computer, “Uploading an up to date facility map to your systems, they’ve done renovating since this place was under it’s last ownership.”

“So try not to get lost,” Alastor added.

“I’ll make sure he stays on the path.” Baker added in as she stepped up beside the Heavy Weapons specialist. “Now come along Senior Testosterone, we got some pirates to route.”

Alastor stepped aside and let the trio of mercs march by and back along the path he and Tsano had come from, deeper into the facility. When they were out of sight Alastor turned to his partner, “So, shall we hit the rendezvous with lead?”

Tsano nodded, “I wouldn’t want to leave her and Dustine waiting, isn’t professional.”

“And we’re all about professionalism here aren’t we?” He patted the woman on her shoulder and started towards the south exit of the room.

 

Posted with GM's permission


IC: Agents Mary Formal, Liz Merrick, Bryan Dale (nrc), Dugan’s Tavern
Location: International District, Triskellion Island


Mary looked across the table to her E-Branch partner, her gaze cutting through the bonhomie of the increased grouping as everyone settled and gelled, their drinks quickly brought before them.

She could see that the woman was as charmed as if this Alastor Zingari had kissed the back of her hand, which was a custom that the Arcan sometimes regretted had passed into etiquette history.

“It would seem Moira, despite my best attempts to dress up for the occassion, I am now the one most out of place.” Zingari cast his gaze around the table, not ignoring anyone.

He was either being very wary, or displaying the characteristics that make a good politician.

Formal immediately discarded the latter; the newcomer would be wasted as a politician. What American media referred to as “lawmakers”.

“I do hope we really weren’t interrupting anything.”

There were reassuring sounds from around the table.

“Come back from the dead and suddenly I’m in everyone’s hair.”

Mary’s attention snapped to Zingari, as he calmly took a sip of his...whatever the heck that ugly-looking drink was, no doubt very well aware of the metaphorical pineapple grenade that he had casually rolled across the table, though perhaps not all the reasons why.

The extended silence at the table was only broken by Merrick’s choking on her Pepsi. She put the glass down and had her cloth napkin delicately wadded to her mouth while Bryan pulled her in towards him and slapped her between the shoulder blades.

“I...” Mary was not sure where she had been going with that. She rose, the back of her knees pushing the chair back as she grabbed for her purse. “I’m going to powder my nose.” She caught Liz’ eye, and for once, the telepath did not argue the toss.

"Yes, me too.” The dark-haired girl dabbed at her mouth, and set the cloth napkin back onto the table, rising from her chair.

The E-Branch agents quickly navigated their way to the loos (Little Girl’s Room), Liz pushing through a door with an embossed metal circle decorated with a gold star that had twin horizontal yellow stripes coming out the left and right of the star, dissecting the circle, with the top semi-circle red, and the bottom half, dark blue.

Inside, to their left, sinks and full length mirrors; to their right, stalls and a sofa that had seen better days.

Mary led the way to the sink, watching her friend’s reflection in the mirror as the other dropped into a squat to check under the stall doors for sign of habitation.

Liz stood again, stepped into an empty stall to unroll a wad of pale pink toilet paper that to Formal’s mild surprise, not only did not have the SHIELD logo on every square, but instead had the stylised feline face and whiskers of Hello, Kitty.

“That seems like an odd play for the Trade Federation.” She noted to herself, then with Liz approach to join her at the sinks, she relayed aloud, "He has a ref-"
A signal from Liz stopped her, Mary frowning as her companion put a finger to her lips, signalling silence, then removed her SHIELD earpiece and tucked into her clutchbag next to the tablet Chesterfield had given them earlier that day.

Nodding her understanding, Mary reciprocated, snapping her bag shut a moment after Liz did hers. "He has a reflection, Liz!" She blurted. "You get any mindsmog off him?"

Mindsmog was a mental fog generated by vampires to hide their presence.

"No. But then, Arthur warned us off using our powers on colleagues."

"Sitting at the same table with Zingari, you would still sense if he had any, wouldn't you?"

"Depends how good his shields are." Liz noticed her smudged lipstick in the mirror, and snapped open her clutch, pausing until she had closed it again. "Although..." She looked sideways at Formal. "...necromancer?"

Formal raised an eyebrow at her friend's reflection. There were some disgusting things that necromancers could physically do with dead things, and the dead would feel every sensation.
Several years before either had joined E-Branch, the serial-killing necromancer, Johnny Found, had sliced up a young police officer in a motorway service station car park, killing him; then escaping in his eighteen-wheeler refrigerated truck, had unintentionally run over the body. Because Found had been driving, the newly deceased victim had felt it.

But a fortunately rarer skill was to raise the dead from their ashes. You needed the right words, the right salts, but it could be done.

Johnny Found had not known how to do that.

But the Great Vampire, Janos Ferenczy had. And Harry Keogh and E-Branch had put him down, in the Greek islands. The old way, fire and decapitation.

Harry Keogh, after getting infected himself, had also known how to resurrect people and animals. But he was known to have perished on Starside, the parallel world where vampires originated.

"But you said Zingari doesn't have mindsmog." Mary objected. She glanced to the reflection of the doorway, in case anyone came in.

Before answering, Liz pressed her lips together to even out the red that she had applied. "If he is not a vamp' himself, he would only have mindsmog if he had been raised by one. If he got resurrected by a human practitioner, there would be nothing to detect." She glanced down at her bust, and seeing evidence of her soda on the black leather to either side of the open zip. She dabbed her bunched tissue at the droplets before they could stain her new bodysuit. "We better get back before they send Doctor Moira to look for us."

The women straightened themselves, replaced their earpieces, then headed back out. "Good spycraft by the way." Formal commended, just as she hauled the door open, exposing them to the hubbub of the main room.

"Thanks." Liz had to raise her voice a bit. "I guess I'm not just a pretty face."

Returning to their table, they noted that Dale was peering hard at Zingari through a rough square formed of thumbs and fingers together.

"What's this?" Liz enquired, taking her seat beside the limousine driver while Mary retook her own seat. "Fancying yourself as a movie director?"

"No." Bryan admitted with a tone of uncertainty. "I'm trying to visualise him with a 'Fallen Agents' commemorative frame around him. Or," He lowered his voice so that only she could hear, "imagining him at the window of a sinking helicarrier."

Tag: Kahn_Iceay , greyjedi125

---

Notes: The necromancer shenanigans with Johnny Found, were from Brian Lumley's Necroscope V: Deadspawn. Janos Ferenczy was in the preceding book, Necroscope IV.

 

IC: Alastor Zingari

“To be fair it was only part of a Helicarrier.” Alastor replied in a casual tone as he took another sip. “I realize you didn’t mean for me to hear that but, well, Metahuman and all, if the eyes didn’t give it away.” He sat the mug down and then clasped his hands together, leaning forward on the table, turning to the others with a smile.

“I’m simply glad it was only me that was in that section when it went down. If things hadn’t gone as well as the had, a lot of others might have died, and not everyone has as good a tendency to heal from things that might otherwise kill a regular fellow.” He let out something of a huff, and turned his gaze down to the table.


“I don’t remember a lot, even after my memories came back what happened after I purged that area of the ‘carrier is more than a bit fuzzy… I’m told I drowned a few times before I was found, hence coming back from the dead.” He took a deep breath and then sat back up, putting on a chipper face. “But that’s all rather depressing and not the sort of topic for discussion in a place like this. I’m here, I’m alive, there’s food, drink, and company, that’s what’s important right now.”

A quick tag for: Sith-I-5 greyjedi125

 

IC: Bryan Dale (nrc), Liz Merrick, Mary Formal, Dugan’s Tavern
Location: International District, Triskellion


Liz instantly got the reference to 'Fallen Agents', as it was known that the CIA had a lobby wall at its Langley, Virginia headquarters, dedicated to recognition of deceased operatives, and it wasn't a stretch of the imagination that SHIELD would have one too.
Between Latveria, the Skrull Invasion, and dozens of operations of which she was only peripherally aware.

Dale's following whisper involved a term she was unsure about.

“What's a helicarrier?” She murmured into his ear, nuzzling close enough to gently bite the lobe.

“To be fair it was only part of a Helicarrier.” Alastor replied in a casual tone as he took another sip.

She withdrew and joined the driver in staring past along the table at the guest.

"Holy crap." Dale breathed, staring. "You heard that?"

“I barely heard that.” Liz was clearly in awe, while Mary looked from her open-mouthed friend to Zingari.

“I realize you didn’t mean for me to hear that but, well, Metahuman and all-"

“What's a helicarrier?” Liz whispered again to Dale, slightly louder, whilst Alastor was talking.

"-if the eyes didn’t give it away.” Alastor, or 'Lucky', as he would henceforth be called, if Mary's notoriously short attention span did not get distracted by something shiny, set the mug down and then clasped his hands together, leaning forward on the table, turning to the others with a smile.

“Oh yeah, you've got eyes.”

“I’m simply glad it was only me that was in that section when it went down. If things hadn’t gone as well as they had, a lot of others might have died, and not everyone has as good a tendency to heal from things that might otherwise kill a regular fellow.” He let out something of a huff, and turned his gaze down to the table.

“What's a helicarrier?”

Bryan narrowed his gaze. "Really? A Helicarrier partially arrived at its destination?"

“As opposed to just splashing down somewhere else in the sea.” Mary added, resting her bare forearms on the table, and crossing them.
Nobody had mentioned a fireball, eyewitnesses on the ground dialling 911, and a fleet of ambulances responding; so she gathered that this must have happened over open water.
She had no idea what a helicarrier was. She had flown in a Royal Australian Navy Westland Sea King Mark 50. She imagined that that would have been in real trouble if the bit that could hold a person, just fell off.
Nor could she hear Merrick's repeated enquiry to Dale's oblivious shoulder.

“I don’t remember a lot, even after my memories came back what happened after I purged that area of the ‘carrier is more than a bit fuzzy…"

“What's a helicarrier?”

Practically nobody to Mary's right were saying anything, but apart from maybe Moira, their eyes were playing flicking back and forth between each speaker like they were spectators at the centre court at Wimbledon.

"...I’m told I drowned a few times before I was found hence coming back from the dead.” Zingari took a deep breath and then sat back up, putting on a chipper face. “But that’s all rather depressing and not the sort of topic for discussion in a place like this. I’m here, I’m alive, there’s food, drink, and company, that’s what’s important right now.”

Mary stared at the now silent Zingari, but her gaze and attention slowly slid up and to the right past Doctor MacTaggart's shoulder, to a stunned looking server, standing almost between herself and Moira in his black apron.

"Uh...is everyone ready to order?"


Tag: greyjedi125 , Kahn_Iceay

 

IC: Alastor

“Oh.” Alastor reacted with mild surprise to the server’s arrival, “Yes I’ll take a Dugan’s Double Bacon Burger, extra sauce, with the chili cheese steak fries, and I’ll also switch to regular ol’ Root Beer from here on out.” He then sat there in silence, as every body else ordered in turn, acting completely unaware of the kerfuffle he’d caused, but it’d let him know some things. Gave him some clues, like the fact that Liz and Mary did indeed seem to be new, and as of yet, pretty green.

Once the server had taken all the orders and had moved on he addressed the repeated question of Liz. “A Helicarrier, is one of those large aircraft carriers you can see docked on the east side of the Triskelion’s docking area.” He turned to look at the others inquisitively, “They’re not secret now are they? I mean the news used to report on them. Kinda hard to miss an aircraft carrier with a metric load of turbofans and the ability to go flying with the greatest of ease.”

“Anyway, one I was on was an older one, one of the ones that survived the Skrulls, was designed to purge certain areas if need be, like if it took damage, got boarded, or had a biological outbreak. So it was able to keep flying, really all the thing needs to fly is it’s engineering area and central infrastructure. But anyway that’s not the point. I’m just surprised you didn’t know about em, they’re a pretty common sight around here, even before I joined SHIELD.”


He reached back behind his head, scratching his neck, the curious look still on his face. “Anyway, I’ve derailed this conversation enough. Now that we know about my impression of Lazarus, why don’t you all tell me about yourselves, or you can ask questions, I don’t mind. I’m in an unusually open mood tonight, probably can blame Moira for that.”

Tag: Sith-I-5 greyjedi125

 

Agent Bishop Knight
Triskelion HQ, NY Danger Room Beta-Zed 021

“Today you will be undergoing preliminary testing. You three will be taking part of an advanced scenario designed to measure parameters necessary for the Vanguard. Treat this as you would a real mission.”​

​

“Your Danger Room Scenario is as follows: The Pacific Island before you, is owned by a person of interest. You will b infiltrating it. Your mission is to extract a captive scientist held somewhere in the compound. The person of interest is off the island, and an estimated mission time of 3 hours has been given to complete your extraction. You have access to SHIELD resources, which I suggest you use wisely. You will be coordinating this OP, and I will assist you with intel. Feel free to ask any questions before we officially start.”​

​

Bishop was unsure what to ask. He, technically, could cheat and try to change the scenario to his advantage, but that wasn't something he'd feel right trying. He did, however, hope that his ability came in handy.​

​

"What sort of resources?"​

​

TAG: greyjedi125, Mikaboshi

 

Triskelion, NYC
Dugan’s Tavern

“Oh, I’ll be honored to take the blame for that. A good mood is always welcomed.”

Moira intoned with a chuckle. She offered Alastor a genuinely warm smile, before adjusting her position so she could place her order. “I’m glad you’re finally getting to relax.” She added in a lower voice.

It was good to see Alastor finally unwinding and interacting with others, if even for a short while. Despite all the benefits and the ‘glitz’, SHIELD Agents had it rough so others could have it easy. Especially men and women working Spec Ops. Even before the whole Skrull Invasion debacle, Alastor was pretty much involved in the thick of things. Once he became a member of SHIELD….

Moira shook her head slightly and forced those thoughts from her mind. That was not why they were here. It was time to relax and enjoy some good food and good company. She happily engage their server and began to detail her meal.

In the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder just how much he did remember.

On the other hand, Dr. Redstone remained customarily silent, yet keenly observant as usual, even though he seemed preoccupied with his gadget, if only for a moment as he did not wish to be rude.

Listening to the two newly transferred British agents, he surmised that the two females were used to working together, given their easy and familiar interaction. This could well be an asset in the field, especially in regards to their upcoming assignments. This looked like a good beginning, generally speaking.

A few seats down, Arthur chuckled at Bryan’s reaction to Alastor being able to hear him whisper, as if he’d spoken his words loud enough for everyone to hear. As a SHIELD Agent, he was used to working alongside metahumans with all kind of abilities. He also happened to get a debriefing on their abilities, which was something civilians were not privy to. As a human, he didn’t mind not having powers. He couldn’t imagine what he’d do if he had them. Indeed, the world was changing fast. If nothing else, the SRA was a sign of that change, but also of the uncertainty that too often came with change.

Arthur was both glad and proud to be part of an organization like SHIELD. Their mission was to have a positive impact in the world, make it a better place and help make positive changes. It was a ‘sweet tasting cool-aid’ if he had to say so himself.

Food orders were taken and the wait was not long at all. The kitchen seemed to be in full swing and working at maximum efficiency. The music was good, and so was the food and the company. It was a good evening to be at Dugan’s Tavern.

“So…” Dr. Redstone said, sitting back for a moment as he looked at to the two agents from E-Branch.

“What was the last exciting case you two ladies worked on, if you don’t mind me asking. Obviously, I mean something you can share…”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he was still chewing. But he did looked to both Mary and Liz with curiosity.

Tag: Sith-I-5, Kahn_Iceay

---

Lower Manhattan, NYC
Near the Financial Center

“I think I like you two.” Face announced after nodding to himself and smirking about his decision. Garret did not look pleased, as he folded his arms over hi s chest and made a face. Such gestures ultimately bore no consequence.

‘Tell you what…” Face said as an idea came to mind.

Psion had been right. Even though the shaggy haired Morlock couldn’t well arrange a direct meeting with Totenkoff, he was able to provide the pair with not only a direct line as to where they should go ( and might find their contact ), but he also gave them the right codewords to speak at the door once they reached Caliban’s Hide Out.

‘ Broken Mirror’

The location in question was not that far. Three blocks south then aright. It was the last building on that road.

“Should be easy enough to find. Follow the Morlock graffiti if you’re feeling lost.” Face allowed himself a chuckle. “You’ll see a bunch of us milling about at the spot anyway.”

There was nothing much left to say after that. Face offered them a salute. Fist to chest, right over the heart, then turned to get back to business.

Tag: Ameteth, galactic-vagabond422

---

En Route to the Roadside Market
Off the beaten path, Maine

*ZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAPPPPP!!!*

“Over here!!”

Whorl had been too exhausted to defend himself. He hadn’t even noticed Gami until it was too late. His eyes bulged in surprise as the electric discharge found him.

With a flash and a mild blast of air as a consequence, the threat was neutralized. Whorl’s human form lay on the ground, unconscious. The sight-impairing cloud-barrier immediately dissipated, with no one to maintain it in place.

“There you are!” Kim exclaimed aloud, with a mixture of surprise and relief.

“Oh! Thank heaven you are both alright.” She huffed a bit as she came closer, for she had been running all the while. Kim wasted no time as she now moved to help Isaac.

“I’m not even going t ask. I’m just glad you’re in one piece.”

Kim extended her hand, offering to help the young fisherman-turned adventurer to his feet. Over her shoulder, she mouthed to Gami; ‘Great job’.

The scene itself revealed all she needed to know. Who was left standing was usually an unmistakable tell-tale sign.

“Wish we could stick around to celebrate, but we need to keep moving.” The watcher said after sighing aloud.

The trio was reunited needed to stay sober and focused. There was no telling what else they might run into on their way to the Roadside Market.

Tag: Ktala, Darth_Elu

---

Wundagor Citadel
Wundagor Mountain, Transia

“Oh!? You were a prisoner of Doom?”

The Noble Rakshasa exclaimed aloud with undisguised incredulity. His eyes peered with curiosity as he took a few steps around. “Fascinating.”

“With all due respect, Noble Rakshasa…” Sir Aslan interjected in his majestic voice. “We should see to our guests creature comforts, yes?”

The Tiger-Mage shook the look of irritation almost as quickly as it had manifested. “Of course. You are right, Sir Aslan.” He intoned genially.

“Then see to it.”

“Canis.” Sir Urson called out in a deep voice. Almost immediately, a dog-headed figure in tanned leathers emerged.

“Yes, my lords?”

Canis had black fur and was clearly of Doberman stock. The alertness of his pedigree was evident. By his gear, one could surmise he was a hunter.

“Please escort our guests to the kitchen and see that they enjoy a meal. Lady Mantra is seeing to their other arrangements.”

“At once m’ lord.”

Without missing a beat, Canis turned to SGC and his human companions.

“This way please.”

Canis lead the small band down another corridor, moving further into the Citadel. The walls were tall and changed between modern and medieval designs. There were decorations and other curiosities about, but none of which they stopped to admire.

“Down through these doors.” Canis instructed.

The wooden double doors opened and the group came into a large chamber. The kitchen was a fairly large affair, apparently built to feed a small army- or a very voracious company. The kitchen staff took notice of the new arrivals, but did not linger on them. Canis gestured for the group to sit at a presently empty table.

“Please.”

Barsali and Harman shared looks, but complied. They were hungry, and they had no doubts the blind man, Erasmus, more so.

As they sat themselves, Canis went over and spoke to one of the cooks, who nodded in understanding. It was not long before large cups of drinks were brought to the table along with steaming plates of food and cutlery.

“It’s not much. But…please enjoy.”

“Oh, my. What a wonderful aroma.” Erasmus managed to say, as he received his portion.

“You have our gratitude.” Barsali intoned, then nodded at Harman, indicating that it was O.K. for him to eat.

Tag: Mitth_Fisto

---

Triskelion HQ
Danger Room Beta-Zed 021

Agent Bishop Knight.

Agent Tobias Bach

Agent Hyun Kwon

Three S.H.I.E.L.D Agents were now gathered for the incipience of The Vanguard Initiative. A project long overdue and desperately needed in the absence of The Avengers. All three represented different stages as agents and as metahumans. The plan was to add more. It was time to get the pieces in place and moving upon the board.

But first…

The Vision listened carefully to what was being said. Everything from here-on-out would be crucial. This was the foundation, the building blocks for all that was to follow- be it failure or success.

“What sort of resources?” Agent Knight asked.

The Vision always welcomed questions, for questions lead to answers and answers to understanding. But before he could answer, Agent Kwon spoke up.

“You mean, like if we’ll need armor and weapons, vehicles?”

The Vision nodded. “Precisely.”

“Consider your mission scenario thoroughly and as completely as you can. How will you get there, what will you need, how will you communicate? As Agents, you must be prepared for any eventuality. You will also need support. You must think, you must act, you must anticipate, you must react. This scenario will play out as realistically as possible, so choose carefully and wisely.”

The synthezoid offered a reassuring nod. “This is both a training and a learning exercise. You three must work as a TEAM now. This is where we begin that process.”


“Well, aside from our standard issue uniform and field gear, I think we will also need filter masks…right?”

Vision smiled and inserted a chuckle for ‘good humor’. This seemed appropriate drawing from previous experience.

“Consider it added to your list.”

Hyun looked pretty pleased at this.

“Anything else?” Vision inquired.

“Hmmm….”

The former K-pop star looked to both Agent Knight and Bach for an answer. Maybe even ADAM had some ideas as well.

Tag: E. L.Knight, Mikaboshi

---

Herald Square Sub Levels
NYC

Brihk watched in silence as the ‘Hunter’ struggled. It seemed that he was being choked-out; But by who? There was no one doing the chocking- at least not that she could see.

It was over in a short moment. The Hunter was out-cold and lying on the dirty floor like the piece of trash that he was. Brihk had a good mind to kick in a few of his ribs, but a sudden shimmering sight caught her attention.

The new recruit was appearing before her eyes, cool and collected, and wearing a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. Brihk couldn’t help but smirk.

Ah, ‘ Shroud’. Now I get it.

“Nicely done.” She said out loud.

“Well? Why do you think they had trouble getting me in the first place.” Shroud intoned smartly.

Brihk’s smirk widened. She had to agree now that she thought about it.

“Change of plans.”

It couldn’t be helped. If there was one Hunter down here, there was bound to be others. It was best not to take chances.

“We’ll be taking the E train to World Trade. It’s the last stop. We take the last car.”

She began to move, then another thought came to her.

“You can pretend to be my ‘bae’ while we travel in public- but don’t get any ideas.”

Playfully, Brihk put out her arm for him to take.

“C’mon. I only bite after midnight.”

Tag: Darth_Elu

---

OOC: My deepest apologies for the extended delay, RL issues not withstanding. Please let me know if I missed anything or anyone via PM. Here’s hoping to get things moving again. Excelsior true believers!


*Forgive any and all typos

 

IC: Blueline & Casey
‘Sanctum Sanctorum’ &Lower Manhattan, NYC

There was a slight pause after Blue asked his question. Both Blue and Casey took this slight silence, well as silent as any moment could be on the streets of New York City, as a sign that they were done. They began to move on, Blue physically and Casey mentally. However it seemed that these actions were born more from their own feelings than what was actually going on.

"Actually, there’s one more thing…" Psion said stopping the two teens in their tracks. Blue looked over his shoulder eyebrow raised. Casey turned away from the computer holding in a growl, what more was there to learn, this guy knew nothing, well, if he did know something he wasn't going to share it.

The hero turned around crossing his arms mirroring Garret's stance, he wasn't about to leave his partner alone with these two. Aegis took a deep breath letting go of her anxiety, most of it anyway, there would always be that little weight on her stomach pulling it down. It was with her every day, the fear of being different, of being her she guessed.

"Not sure if you can arrange a meeting with Totenkoff, but we’d appreciate it if you could at least point us in the right direction."

Blue's brow furrowed, they already knew the right direction, Caiban's Hideout, what more did they need. Surely Totenkoff would meet with them once he knew it was them. What more could 'Face' give? The bandanna clad hero now had to fight tapping his foot on the concrete, an obvious display of annoyance. He didn't want to be here, not anymore.

Back in the Sanctum, Casey was having much the same reaction, what more could be gained by asking another question. It was also so very vague that it could be taken many different ways. She was tapping her foot eyes locked onto the screen wishing she was there.

"I think I like you two." Face started breaking the silence, Garret made a sour face and Blue tightened his muscles. "Tell you what…" Face went on to explain that he couldn't put us in direct contact with the man they were looking for but, he did tell them a pass phrase to give at the door to get in without a fuss.

'Broken Mirror'

Instantly both had images appear in their minds. Blue recalled the shattered silvery pieces on a bathroom sink, tips stained in blood, his. He'd cut his hands more times than he could count as he was picking up the shards. He could feel the dried blood on his forehead, the point of impact. He could also feel the impression of meaty fingers digging into his skull as they shoved him forward. Another one of his foster 'father's' tough love sessions.

Because nothing says love like physical violence.

Blue, well he wasn't called Blue then but, that old name was dead to him, held a long pointed piece in his hands. The boy could feel his own violent tendencies rising in his chest, he could see it in his reflection. He could see the burning anger that could drive a boy to harm. He could also see the wide scared eyes of a girl behind him, her dark hair spilling over her shoulders. They all lived in fear of this man, he could free them all with this shard. As he thought more his hand began to shake, his reflection becoming blurred. What would he have become that night, what would he be now if he'd killed that man in cold blood? Would it have been any worse than the actual end, Blue standing over his stilled body warm blood cooling on his hands?

All Casey could see was a scared reflection of herself, in a train station restroom, her breath quickened with fear, her fist pressed firmly into the center of a spider web of cracks and fissures. Each shard seemed to hold a different expression, a tear fell from one eye but, the corner of her mouth was turned up, another eye was closed, not wanting to see what she'd become. In that moment she was broken, she didn't know how to feel, what to feel, other than fear. She peered as hard as she could but, she couldn't see the person she used to be, the girl that missed her father, that loved her mother. Would she ever see her again, did she even exist anymore?

Was this how the Morlocks felt, just broken, shattered reflections of what they used to be, before their powers manifested?

They came out of their thoughts at the same time Blue taking the opportunity to nod his head to Face as he gave them a salute of sorts. He wasn't part of this gang, wasn't planning on joining them either, so he felt no obligation to return the gesture. Casey looked at the map in front of her tracing the route Face gave in her mind making sure she remembered so her friends didn't get lost.

Blue walked on hands in his pockets, still feeling the water bottle in there. His mind thought ahead, to finally meeting with the Morlocks, to hopefully start working on dismantling this metamin business. This wasn't how he normally operated, most of the time it was he saw someone in trouble, and he fixed the trouble, with his fists, while usually taking a few hits himself. This investigating, asking questions, going from place to place, it was not his way of doing things. However he'd never tried to take on something like this, never tried to bring down a drug ring.

He wasn't worried about getting hurt, he was never worried about that, he was worried about messing this up, of doing something wrong and getting more people hurt. That was why he was so uncomfortable, and maybe a little irritable. This was unfamiliar ground he was treading and he hadn't found his feet yet.

He'd have to soon, they'd come too far now, they were in the middle of it now, no turning back.

"You handle the talking," he said to Psion, "I'll back you up."

TAG: Ameteth greyjedi125

 

Gami
En Route to the Roadside Market
Off the beaten path, Maine


Gami simply smiled as her attack did what she had hoped it would do, and had taken Whorl out. He fell to the ground unconscious, and the cloud around them quickly faded away.

“There you are!” Kim exclaimed, as she suddenly appeared. “Oh! Thank heaven you are both alright.” Kim nodded. "Yeah, glad to see you too!" Gami answered. She was truly glad to see Kim again. Kim continued. “I’m not even
going to ask. I’m just glad you’re in one piece.” She then moved over to help Issac to his feet. As she did, Gami caught Kim mouthing the words 'Great Job.' to her.

Gami nodded silently, as she leaned against her staff. She then looked over at the unconscious form of Whorl. As she began to search his pockets for anything that might be useful, she heard Kim speak to both Issac and her.

“Wish we could stick around to celebrate, but we need to keep moving.”

Gami looked over at Whorl. Wouldnt do to really tie him up. Gami looked over at Kim. "Think he will bother us again? Or maybe just wait until the return trip?" she asked Kim, as she slung her pack, holding her staff in
front of her. Gami would have to go back to absorbing sunlight mode, to recover from those two discharges. She dug into her pack, and pulled out a small cake. That would help quite a bit.

Gami then smiled at Issac. "What is it with you, and flying tackles?" she asked with a grin. As she moved next to to the group, so that they could continue on their path. As she munched on her bread, Gami still had questions. Issac managed to notice a cloud moving in the wrong direction. Gami would need to keep a watchful eye, so that she didnt get caught unawares. At least they had avoided the other traps so far. Now was not the time to get sloppy.




TAG: greyjedi125, Darth_Elu

 

Midtown Manhattan, West Side
Hell’s Kitchen

Larry managed to get himself settled, albeit temporarily. As someone who was always on the move, ‘permanency’ was not a real priority.

Looking around, he could see the furnished apartment he was renting was not all that bad- at least at first glance. Sure, it could use a bit of dusting and maybe an opened window, but it was livable.

Besides, Bart ( because who would actually name their kid Bartolo ), seemed like an O.K. kinda person.

Life seemed good.

And at that moment, Larry's cell phone registered a message.

Should Larry bother to read it, he would see the texted content.

[Where is my briefcase?

V. ]


Tag: Master Vo'Un'Var