Drama Marvel Heroes: A New Breed - ~Summer 2020 Best RPG~

IC: Agent Liz Merrick, 'The Shwarm' restaurant
Location: New York City

As Sebastian sighed and leaned back in the booth, Liz felt that he wasn't really going for it.

And why should he?

From talking to her E-Branch partner on the phone, the impression was that Mary was planning to evaluate if the Big Apple were a suitable place to bring up her little one; and from Nicole's side, she likely wanted to go back to her job in Portland.

She would have to talk with Nikki alone to find out why she came. How badly could the thing with her nanny have fallen through, to abandon her plans to move out whilst Mary was visiting?

The good doctor eventually spoke: “Alright. I’m contacting Agent Morales who is the Head Administrator for all non-essential personnel. I’m requesting a secure desk job for Ms. Gravely, who quite likely will be made an intern, and….”

"I know you are feeling doubts about me enabling my partner, however she is an asset, and I feel that the best way to get her the best that she can be-"

Her boss's expression as he looked over to her, made her pause.

“You understand I cannot legally place Ms.Gravely in an actually daycare along children and minors, hence, a ‘Special Class’ and a ’Tutor’ will be ‘assigned’ to her. There will be enrolment paperwork and all such details to properly sell the ‘cover’ to Agent Formal. That way, they can both maintain their schedules intact.”

Liz blinked. She mulled over what he had just said, and if looked at in a certain way, it did sound like he was going along with the idea.

She regarded her boss in silence. "I'll meet you halfway, Boss." She volunteered. "I have potatoes at home. There is an artists supplies shop on this road even. I should be able to arrange with Nikki to take a painting to sch-, to work, with her, in the morning."

With that done, she watched Redstone return his tablet to its proper place inside his jacket.

“Since safety is a chief concern, I suggested she work within the Triskelion grounds, but that can change if that seems too much.”

The telepath nodded. It was a bit of a drive out there to drop her off in the morning, and to pick her up after work; however she felt Mary would like that Nikki was out there during the day.
And a major difference between Britain and the States, were the sheer driving distances that people here took in their stride. Four hours to get to a ******* high school football game? She shook her head, subtly.

Dr. Redstone casually eyed his meal.
“I can appreciate your concern for your fellow Agent. Please be assured that I will do all I can to see them safely situated.” Sebastian intoned as sincerely as he could.

She looked at him, hearing his words, listening to his tone, but still felt like a, a gulf had opened between them. She had 'heard' the word continuity from his thoughts, as he struggled to come to terms with this...this mess.

And continuity was right. The easy path.

Of course, Doctor Redstone was right, and Mary was wrong, and what they really should be doing here, was to be brokering an intervention!

She smiled as she was reminded of the British comedian, Romesh Ranganathan, whom her best friend from school, Kamali Khan, now with Britain's National Crime Agency, had introduced her to.

The guy had a bit about his unruly younger son: "When we go out, he runs away. And not in a cute toddler way; no, he runs away like he is fleeing ISIS."

She worried that Mary coming to New York with Nicole, could be putting her on a collision course with SHIELD.

To hear their dynamic over the phone, even if one side was only doing it to keep the peace, her fellow agent was very invested in this....and from what she could tell, SHIELD did not do de-programming.

Anybody still standing would have to put Mary on that Raft.

Damn the S.R.A., and Trask signing us up for it.

Tag: @greyjedi125

 

Monin Bellascourt
Rehersal space, Upper West side, NYC

“Okay, Chuck. Anything I should know about these ladies before we start?” Monin asked.

“Well….I don’t want to spoil the surprise.” Chuck answered, ending with a Cheshire grin. He gave a playful wink to Eliza, as a way of letting her know he hadn’t forgotten about her.

*Ding*

The elevator arrived on designated floor in short order and Chuck moved ahead towards the closed door leading to the rehearsal studio. Clearly, he was all too familiar with the images of ‘Stars’ which lined the walls and the fancy carpeting under their feet. With a flourish, he opened the door which lead to the room, all with its mirrored walls, warm-up bar, near perfect acoustics and modern interview desk and chairs. With a gesture, he bid Monin and Eliza to enter.

In unison, the three girls turned and smiled towards those entering the room.

“May I introduce, The Stepford Sisters: The Frosties.” Chuck announced proudly, trailing behind Monin.

“Phoebe, Celeste and Mandee.”



“Welcome, Mr. Bellascort.”

The three chimed, greeting him as one.

Behind Monin, Chuck wore the expression of someone who was about to hit a multi-million dollar jackpot.



Tag: @The Jedi in the Pumas

 

The Five
SHIELD Vault

Sub Level 1, The Hub

Stain/ Holliday closely monitored the group’s progress while attempting to find a way to re-assign Taskmaster/ Pilot Lars without raising suspicion. Daken/ Ozunu had begun his assignment, while both Reaper/ Papalardo and Moonstone/ Timoczech made their way down to Sub Level 9.

To say that Stain was a curious hacker by nature, would be an understatement. Especially when someone like him could process terabytes of information in no time.

A casual query regarding the connection between Cartwright and Holliday revealed that the two men were reasonably acquainted. Mention of Cartwright’s visits to the in-house psychologist only lead to a deeper search. The man survived a harsh divorce and suddenly having a new ‘girlfriend’ impacted his job performance. Well, it seemed Holliday was also concerned about his friend. Why else would a Technician purge confidential files he had no business having, files Stain was able to recover and reconstruct.

Cartwright, it seemed, had a secret. One he’d shared with his psychologist in total confidence.

Stain felt a jolt course through him.The man was promised to meet Captain America.

The file had been disposed of about two weeks prior, which lead the young hacker to attempt a different search. One which, unfortunately, Holliday had no access to.

[“Damn.Uhm, Guys, we might have a situation.]

[What kind of situation?] Taskmaster cooly demanded.

[I think our ‘man’ blabbed to his shrink about meeting Rogers.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LZ-7B

Pilot Lars/ Taskmaster made it to his location: Landing Zone 7B, which turned out to be an immense underground hangar. Gigantic bay doors which constituted the roof, opened and closed to allow passage to a plethora of aerial vehicles. Still wearing his helmet, Taskmaster grumbled from behind the reflective visor.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked Stain in all seriousness.

[‘Holliday purged the psych report he copied two weeks ago, I managed to recover it’.]

A pause.

“What about our ‘prize’?”

[‘Searching, but Holliday….’]

“Never mind that. ICE-Breaker approved. Go.”

[‘Boss, SHIELD runs Black ICE.’]

“And when did that ever stop you?”

[‘Truth. Diving in.’]

And not a moment too soon.

[ Pilot Owen Lars, Please report to Quinjet SAV-1137 on Runway 3 for pre-flight check.]

["Copy control, on my way."]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sub Level 9

The platform reached its destination which a soft hydraulic hiss, and two men awaited them. A large man, clearly another loader, as suggested by his bulk, size and utilitarian uniform, and the other a flaxen haired male, with rather pleasant features. Both Moonstone and Reaper had the good sense not to ‘knowingly’ glance at each other, but to regard those they were about to meet.

“Greetings, Ms. Timoczech. I’m 1st Assistant Advisor, Erik Sethlan.” The flaxen haired man said in welcome. “Papalardo, this is Boris.” He gestured to the large man next to him. “He will take you to section 3 where loading of Compound 99 will begin.Please follow him.”

Reaper/Papalardo regarded both men with his ever present scowl on his face. He gave a ‘snort’ as Erik stepped out of his way, and Boris simple turned and began to walk. Reaper could do little else, but follow. That was the plan.

As she waited, Moonstone noticed the yellow gem Erik wore over his ‘Ajna’ chakra point: that being the ‘third eye’. That was most curious.

“A Synthezoid!?”

“A pleasure.” Ms. Timoczech said, once Erik turned to face her fully.

“Shall we head to the conference.”

Moonstone smiled and blushed as if slightly embarrassed.

"Do we even know each other?"

“Would you mind if I 'powdered my nose' first?”

“Well, Of course. Please take your time.” Erik said, nodding in understanding.

“Thank you. I won’t be long.” Moonstone smiled and affected relief.

Things were not going quite as planned. Not at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sub Level 6

The two armed security automatons took point, while Sgt. Bradshaw and Daken/ Ozunu guarded the read of the enormous prisoner. Dragon Man walked with no hurry as he was led to a service platform designated solely for his transport. One could be certain if he was even aware of his transfer to The Raft.

No one spoke a word as the quintet moved forward in silent procession. Daken could hear all the com-chatter between his other teammates, but could do little else. That is until another sound caught his ears, one a normal human would not have been able to hear.

Inside Sgt.Bradshaw’s Mandroid Armor, an alert began to chime as red words scrolled across the inside of his faceplate.

[Alert. Alert. Prisoner containment failure. Prisoner containment failure]

“What?”

Everything else happened in a blink of an eye.

Dragon Man roared as he broke-free of his bindings, flared his wings and lashed his tail all at once. The impact sent Bradshaw’s Mandroid flying to the nearest wall with a great crash that stunned the man inside. The two automatons were smashed by powerful scaled fists and now lay in a heap. There was little doubt that the creature’s roar was powerful enough to be heard on other floors. With his wings, arm and tail restraints now gone- the beast was indeed free.

As fate would have it, Daken had a clear shot with the Sonic Assault Rifle he had in his hands. Dragon Man hadn’t noticed him yet, as he reared back his large head, and let loose with a powerful streak of blue energy, shot right up the platform’s pathway. A heartbeat. Then a tremendous explosion was heard and the place shook.

That’s when the sirens started to blare.


Tag: @darthbernael

 

IC: SGC
Lower Manhattan

“Please return with us.” Tenzin asked of the winged-man as he watched him don the cloak and raise the hood.

The monk’s gaze then regarded SGC, a slight smile apparent on his face. SGC nodded at that, accepting and feeling a measure of pride he wasn't sure what for. Only the next words morphed that pride to mild embarrassment.

“Not to worry, it will be my pleasure to prepare our guest another portion. He need not miss breakfast on our account.” the monk finished. At that moment, a passerby stopped to look at the newsflash. He turned to speak conversationally, then his expression changed, unexpected surprise clear on his face.

"Uh. . ." SGC barely began to vocalize as Tenzin immediately weaved a sign with his hand and spoke a word: “Vismarati”

The man looked confused for a moment, as if trying to remember something.

“Let us away.” Tenzin urged gesturing for his two companions to cross the street with him.

Knowing that SGC alone could see what he saw, Tenzin weaved a different sign once again with both hands as he spoke a phrase: “Svasya apta garutmat nara”

Larry would see a shimmering before his eyes as the facade of a building he had not seen before became visible to him. SGC still remembered his first time being allowed to see it. It was in interesting energy displacement, and being allowed not only in but to come and go as you please? That was a great gift they were giving the winged man.

“Now you’ll be able to come and go at any time.” Tenzin explained. Making sure the man knew the gift he was being given in this.

As he moved, Tenzin beckoned for Larry and SGC to enter. Once inside he removed his cloak and hung it inside the adjacent closet. SGC followed the monks example and stood waiting to take their guests cloak after he had hung up his own.

“I apologize for earlier, please, allow me to bring you some sustenance.” Tenzin said, gesturing for their guest to make himself at home.

After offering a short bow, Tenzin made his way to the kitchen, leaving his pupil and the winged-man in each others company for the moment.

"Tenzin is a rather good cook." SGC chimed up as they waited. Trying to start 'small talk', something he definitely knew he lacked in. "Although my own taste in food has been rather bland before the gypsies and my amic adventure recently." he stated matter of factly.

Tag: @Master Vo'Un'Var , @greyjedi125

 

Dr. Doom
Doom’s Citadel, Elsewhere



He’d dismissed everyone from his presence, all his powerful lieutenants, for he required solitude for what was next. His so called ‘mighty’ enemies were no longer a concern, as they were engaged in a self-perpetuating trap of his design, locked in mortal combat against foes they could hardly vanquish time and time again.

None could fathom the depth of his peerless genius, nor its utter necessity. Only ‘he’ alone could save them all against that most dreaded ‘Hour’. And now, it was time for a ‘small test’ outside the confines of his otherworldly Laboratory.

All Hail the Mighty Doom.

 

Shelly VanKasser
Alhambra, Arizona

Shelly rubbed her hands together as she leaned back on the couch. Good grief! She had never had so many messages to respond to. Not like this. It was fun!! Shelly only gave her first name, and she had come up with a fake second name. But even just hanging around with other kids her age, felt like she was actually feeling what it was like to be a teenager. Not like her life before. But at least Mrs. Wesley was so nice and understanding. On that note, Shelly got up, and cleaned the house, making sure everything was nice and clean for the woman who had helped her so much. Then her phone pinged. Shelly looked at her phone. The message was from Marla.

[We’re all going to Zook’s Eatery for Lunch. Come meet us there. I can pick you up if you want. It’s no trouble. ]

Shelly grinned, as she read the message. She wasn't quite sure where the place was located, but she could look it up. Probably not too far. It sounded as if Marla had a car. Hmm. A license would be nice. But she would need a few more documents in order to obtain one.

Almost as if on cue, another message beeped her phone. It was from Mrs. Wesley.

[Hello Shelly dear, I’m experiencing some delays and won’t be back for a few hours. The kitchen is at your disposal, but if you wish to order-in, that too is an option. So very sorry about this. See you soon.]

Shelly smirked. She could sware the woman was a psychic. She quickly typed out a message to the woman.

[Hello Mrs. Wesley. Going out to eat. Have fun with your book hunt!]

Shelly smiled as she hit the send button. As she wandered about, she noticed some pictures. Lots of kids. Mrs. Wesley sure did help so many kids. Shelly smiled. It was like the woman knew where she was needed. A kind soul indeed. The woman was so much, to so many. She was a mom to many. As she looked down closer at the pictures, she noticed one in particular. A young man of indigenous descent, sporting long dark hair and a gray headband. Smiling, while wearing a SHIELD uniform. The caption read: In Memory of Eduardo ‘El Coyote’ Vega. A SHIELD uniform? Shelly had never really kept up ob all of the stuff going on about the mutants, various law organizations, and such. She was either locked behind doors or just simply trying to stay alive. She stared at the photo for a few moments and then turned away with a deep sigh. It reminded her of that strange guy from the Halloween event. Shelly made a face. It might be time to catch up on what was going on. But right now...

Shelly bounced back to the couch. She quickly looked up the address to the place. Hmm Kinda far. Shelly quickly typed back.

[Hey Marla. I would love to go. I could use a ride though. Pick me up at the park, if you can. If not, I'll try to find a way there. See ya!]



TAG: @greyjedi125

 

Monin Bellascort
Upper West Side, NYC

He couldn't help it. He burst into a cheesy grin and outright laughter. This was Chuck, 100%, no doubt. And the laughter came partly from surprise, but mostly because Monin should have expected something like this. All the signs were there that this was going to be classic Chuck.

Eliza was not as amused, but she managed a smile before finding a nearby seat, settled in and pulled out her phone.

Monin adjusted his glasses and nodded at the women. "Hello ladies, call me Mo." He made his way around the room, still grinning and glanced at Chuck. "Okay ladies, whenever you're ready, show me what you got."

Tag: @greyjedi125

 

Larry Stone
Lower Manhattan

While Larry was not too bothered that he had missed breakfast, it did remind him how hungry he was, and how a cigarette would not suffice as his first meal of the day. He nodded as Tenzin suggested Larry's best current option, returning with them.

"That would be best, I think. Let's not stay here any longer... I'm already getting pretty paranoid..." Larry would murmur, trying to keep his voice down, deciding it would be in the best interest of all three to keep quiet.

At that moment, however, a passerby paused in their walk to take a glance at the T.V screen. Turning to the three to make conversation, he stopped looking directly at Larry. There was a moment of confusion, then realization. Larry cursed in his mind, and both he and SGC started to say something, but Tenzin once again came to Larry's rescue. Weaving a sign with his hand, he spoke one singular word.

"Vismarati." And with that, the man looked confused once again, but this was a look of forgetfulness. Tenzin urged Larry and SGC to move, and so they did. SGC and Tenzin both made clear direction towards the alleyway that Larry had found himself in but a few moments ago. He stopped to tell them thats where he got lost, but before his very eyes a large building was revealed.

"What the hell..." he would say, dumbfounded. The past few days had been nothing short of a very exciting roller-coaster ride. He had never been this excited, active, and scared since... a time Larry preferred not to remember.

"How..?" He started, but stopped. Something in him felt this was but the first few suprises of a grand adventure.

"Now you will be able to come and go at any time." Tenzin said. Larry nodded, and followed the two inside.

He let out a sigh of relief as he returned to this place, and took his cloak off hanging it in the same closet Tenzin hung his in.

“I apologize for earlier, please, allow me to bring you some sustenance.” Tenzin said, gesturing for their guest to make himself at home. Larry nodded again, finding a seat for himself. He watched Tenzin walk off towards the kitchen, leaving him and SGC alone.

"Tenzin is a rather good cook." SGC chimed up as they waited. "Although my own taste in food has been rather bland before the gypsies and my amic adventure recently." he stated matter of factly.

"I think I could eat anything right now..." Larry would say, his hunger evident in his tone of voice. "I don't know why you two are helping me, but that's more than one sticky situation you've gotten me out of... So thanks, looks like I owe ya."

@greyjedi125 @Mitth_Fisto

 

IC: Mary Formal, Nicole Gravely, passenger lounge, Sea-Tac International Airport, Seattle.

"Shirley Valentine?" Mary queried aloud, still seated, and still holding the airplane-watching Nikki.

The detective looked down at her. "Huh?"

"Sorry, I was trying to remember the Resident Evil character that I am dressed as, was called. I know she was one of the STARS. Special Tactics and Rescue."

Nikki affected a frown. "What about the 's'?"

"Es? Special."

"You said 'stars', meaning that there should be an 's-word' at the end as well, unless it is a 'z' like on that tv channel."

This notion drew a smirk out of the blonde Arcateenian. "Special Tactics and Rescue Zebra? A unique take on the concept of 'service animals'?"

This made Nicole smile as well. "Well there was at least one army that had a bear. It re-supplied artillery units with...whatever it is that they shoot across fields."

"Cannon?"

"No, the stuff that comes out of cannon."

Mary thought about mentioning paper, as in the Canon printer, but felt that they had branched away from her original subject enough. "Shells?"

"That's it, shells." Nikki pointed a finger down at her in triumph, the sunlight glistening on the delicate hairs along her otherwise bare arm. "And probably some bullets as well, for the machine guns."

"Some bullets? Racks and racks of bullets I would say!"

"So what does this STARZ' zebra do? Or is it more of a mascot?"

"Kicks in zombie's heads in with its' hooves, I'd imagine." It was Mary's turn to frown now. Granted that her visual memory was limited to nature documentaries, but considering that zebras were part of the horse family, she couldn't remember ever seeing one rear up on its back legs like their larger cousins so often did. Were zebras just really 'chill'.
"Does Eddie Murphy play a zebra?"

"From the voice that I am getting in my head, I think Chris Rock plays the zebra. I think Eddie plays a donkey. On Shrek. I can't remember what that zebra was on."

"Speed, probably." Mary quipped, picking a narcotic that she had heard off, out of the air.

A far-away look entered Gravely's eyes. "I could well imagine that stripey horse driving that bus. 'We gotta keep it above fifty miles per hour!'"

The E-Branch agent peered up at her, then realised that she was talking about that old Speed thriller with Sandra Bullock and a fit Keanu Reaves. Coincidentally, he was a SWAT officer in that, so the equivalent of STARS.
Now that she was visualising the big-maned and excitable Alex the Zebra from Madagascar, she too could see him with a hoof stomped determinedly on that bus's accelerator.

She didn't want to disrupt the natural flow of their conversation, however they were removed from the stable home environment, so she didn't want Nikki's standards to slip.
"Horse?" She echoed with as tiny a hint of warning as she could manage.

Nikki looked down, confusion then realisation dawning across her features. "Sorry, horsie."

"Better." Mary smiled her approval.

Gravely changed the subject "Do you want to watch some WILTY?"

This got her on alert again. Wilty?" If they were going to watch it, it was probably tv-related or a podcast. Without the context it sounded like the anti-thesis of a gardening show; or a synonym for "flaccid", so, porn.

Even with all these witnesses around, waiting for the flight to San Diego, her child was too smart to sleepwalk into a situation that could only end over her mother's knee, so she must be per-ritty convinced of it's innocence.

Mary shrugged openly. "I got nothing. What is 'wilty' when it's at home?"

"I don't believe it! I have to tell you about a British tv show!"
Nicole broke free of her hold and plonked herself down next to her, unzipping the main pouch on her Care Bear and rifling past her documents to get to her smartphone and the white earbuds and thin cabling.

"Oh, it's a tv show is it?"
Mary smiled at the wall of petticoating that stood up like a shark fin between their adjacent thighs, then being the protective parent, eyed her daughter's fingers to make sure she zipped Jennifer back up.

Formal obliged, taking the proffered earbud and placing it in her right ear, whilst her daughter did the same and leaned slightly towards her to give the wire some slack.

"It's very funny. I think they call it a panel show. You can either watch entire episodes on the Channel 4 channel, or they do clips from popular episodes. Listen to this." Nikki's tongue stood out as she typed and tapped her way to a selection, on her phone's screen, the head and shoulders of a pretty blonde lady with shoulder-length hair. Behind her, her background was vertical bands of back-lit green and two shades of blue.

She read from a card that she raised from her 'desk': "I once booked a holiday to Costa Rica because I thought it was in Spain." As low studio laughter sounded from an offscreen audience, she continued in the tone of someone reading by rote: "I only realised my mistake, when I sat down on the plane."

Nicole paused the clip as the camera pulled back to show two people sitting alongside the card reader. "Okay, this is called Would I Lie To You. Two teams try to score points by guessing whether the opposing team has told the truth or a lie."

The E-Branch agent knew that 'costa' was Spanish for 'coast', and that there were several coastal resorts with that prefix in that country, so she sympathised with the woman.

"Well, I'm invested. Let it play."

The show host, coiffed hair and grey suit, announced, "David's Team," then a lone, neatly dressed male enquired, "Er, where is Costa Rica?"

The card reader appeared again: "It's...in between...America and South America."

Mary looked sidelong at Nikki. "Is that right, Sweetheart?"

"Well wait, she could be lying."

"Okay-"

"They call it Central America!"

"Okay."

"Well, it seems very educational, Darling. It has my blessing."

"Shhh."

As the back and forth waned on, it became clear that the simple onscreen map of the Earth that you often find on the backs of aeroplane seats, showing the projected course, played a role in the story.

To be continued...

 

Shelly VanKasser
Alhambra, Arizona

Shelly decided not to wait on a response but decided she would walk to the park instead. If Marla picked her up, that would be great. If not, then Shelly would find a way to get there. Either way, it was a lovely day out, and Shelly would enjoy it. She made sure to lock the place up tightly as she left, and began her walk to the park.

Shelly was feeling the best she had in a long time. No worrying about the basic stuff, and just having some time to reflect. She liked her new friends, and hopefully, they liked her. She had stayed to herself for a long while after arriving in Arizona. Now, it was starting to feel safe. At least a little bit. Sure, you still had your freaks and pervs. Still better than her parents.

With a grin, Shelly made her way to the park, and sat down on one of the swings, as she quickly checked her phone for any messages.

 

Doom’s Day
Earth

High above the earth, fixed on its geosynchronous orbit above Latveria, a secret S.H.I.E.L.D satellite spied on the devastated nation, just as it was programmed to do. For it was there that the First and Second Cataclysms were born. As a direct result, 24 hour vigilance was deemed a matter of international security. It was agreed by all United Nations, that at the first sign of trouble, immediate action would be the first response.

In a single moment, the highly advanced and sophisticated sensors boasting their origins from Stark Industries, picked-up an enormous burst of tachyon enriched exotic particles from the nation’s capital. It all happened in a bright and spectacular flash, much faster than it could send a warning.

In a single moment, what was known, was changed, twisted even; by the will of a being who defied both Order and Chaos, who understood both- perhaps better than most. A being who was not only a Scientist and Mystic, but a Visionary and a Monarch. One who possessed the wherewithal to wield the power of The Cosmic Cube. But to what end? Or beginning?



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

New York
Zephyr’s Hideout

They all seemed to experience it simultaneously, the sudden flash of light, not unlike a bright blinding strobe that hurt the eyes, then caused a moment of disorientation. The three would look at each other then, trying to remember what they had been speaking about.

It was then that Doc pinged, getting their attention. The moderately sized computer screen showcased one of Zephyr’s placid natures capes as always, which made for great wallpaper.

[Good morning, everyone.] Doc greeted in a pleasant neutral electronic voice.

[Breakfast is ready and served. It’s the usual as, you always request.]

Before them, the morning meal was indeed ready and prepared for consumption.

[The Hideout remains successfully camouflaged and undetected. All potential threats to the Hideout have been repelled. Ultron Virus has been successfully repelled. Newsfeed updates have been completed, including the latest on the escape attempt at the Hudson Yards Superhuman Detention Camp and latest count on the Malformed Outbreak. Also, Zephyr has an important message pending. Will there be anything else?]

Doc paused, expecting a response. On the screen, it was clear to see that each one of them had a personal folder with their own icon, Blue, Aegis and Psion, among the many other folders present. One particular folder aside from his own would catch Zephyr’s eye. It had a lock symbol on it, which meant it was presently password protected.



Doc would not find it strange if his three charges began to ask him questions, as that was his function, to provide information, among many other tasks he had been programmed to perform. Strange was something define by the observer. He just provided facts.

****

Triskelion Ruins, 15th Floor

Daisy pinched the bridge of her nose to relieve some of the discomfort the sudden flash of light had caused. She shook her head trying to recall what was being said, but that only made things worse. Opening her eyes, she saw Cameron standing close within the empty and dusty filled room. Agent DuBois’s projected image suddenly winked-out, ending with a brief audio: [“They’re doing a scheduled Ultron Virus scan. Got to go.”]

Without a second thought, Daisy automatically stepped to the dusty desk and picked up the disc-shaped projector. Feeling strangely surprised, she turned to Cameron and opened her mouth to speak, just to be interrupted at that very moment by another voice speaking into her earpiece.

[“You two need to get out of there, faster than fast. You have a Claw Patrol on a hunt moving close to your area. If they catch your scent you are done for. Get to a safe zone! ”]

Daisy went to answer and paused, noticing the graffiti on the wall, which was the same as the symbol on her communicator.



White Star.

“Copy that.” She managed to say, as she tried to make memory. Had they been under some kind of telepathic attack? The details were hard to sort out, but she could not deny the urgency in the operator’s tone of voice.

Daisy looked directly at Cameron, who was the only point of certainty at the moment and stated firmly. “We need to move.”

They were fifteen floors up, inside an abandoned super structure. Should they even consider using the stairs? Daisy went to move, but suddenly froze, as her peripheral vision caught the view outside the window.

Tombstones. As far as she could see.


****

The Schwarm Restaurant

Dr. Redstone groaned as he realized his mistake. He’d let sentimentality get the best of him when he’d agreed to meet Liz for a chat. Especially now after S.H.I.E.L.D. had been dissolved, only to be rebranded as H.A.M.M.E.R; a military entity fully under the control of the D.H.S. It was bad enough that the current P.O.T.U.S had capitulated to Latveria, much like all of Europe. Britain was also on that list. Seeing how Liz was not wearing an ‘Inhibitor Collar’ only strengthened his suspicions. To save itself, her agency in all likelihood was forced to comply with new directives, such as registering its agents into the new SRA. Redstone could not confirm this, but he was pretty sure of it.

“I’m very sorry Liz.” He managed to say, forgetting all about the food he had ordered.

Doom had returned and transformed his nation of Latveria into a superpower almost overnight. With its wondrous technological advances, it was able to manage the Malformed Outbreak that infected and ravaged a great portion of the world, and even device a way to prevent the spread of the Ultron Virus. To think that such a nefarious machine only existed to exploit any opportunity to fulfill its macabre objective. Tragic as it was, Sebastian could only offer his sympathies to the people of South America.

“I don’t think I can help you.”

Though Sebastian was always professional in his dealings, a touch of regret could be detected in his voice. Fact was, they no longer worked for the same employer.

Latveria had changed all of it, what with its armored soldiers and near invincible automatons of war. No European nation stood a chance against it. Genosha paid the ultimate price for its defiance, and was now nothing more than a penal colony. Only those nations which lauded their High Level Metas could dare retain their independence. Everyone else capitulated. It was just the way of things.

Dr.Redstone was not wearing an inhibitor collar either, but he had yet to reveal if he’d found employment after SHIELD. It was very illegal and very dangerous for an unregistered meta not to have one. As for Blade, he’d gone completely underground. Smart man.

“But I can leave you a contact that may be able to assist you.” Sebastian offered, doing his best to sound encouraging.

Dr. Redstone produced a fountain pen from inside his jacket and began to write on a napkin. His earpiece began to buzz as he did so.

[ “You have a fully Armored Merc in your vicinity with high-end gear; Bounty Hunter maybe. Probably has a detector on him. I strongly advice you exit your current location.”]
Sebastian resisted the urge to nod as he heard the message. “Her name is Judith Morales. She used to be my real-estate agent.”

Smoothly, he slipped the napkin towards Liz and casually made to get up. Taking a look around as he did so, he spied the Armored Merc outside the establishment. The Bounty Hunter kept his helmet on and had his Autorifle slung about his shoulder, sidearm holstered and knife still sheathed. He was currently pointing the mutant detector at Bryan who was sitting in his car.

“Well, if there’s nothing else, I should be going.”

Sebastian managed a forced smile and half-looked over his shoulder. The Mercenary was on the move once again, now making his way towards the eatery.


****

Rehersal space, Upper West Side

There was no song and dance. At least not the kind that was originally expected.

The bout of disorientation had come suddenly. It was likely that one of the lights had been pointing at one of the triplets. But that did not account for Monin and his friends. The Stepford Sisters, however, did were recovered quicker than most.

“What are you doing with that?” Phoebe asked tensely, as she eyed Chuck suspiciously, who pointed a beeping device at the girls. To his credit, he did not run, but whimpered with a mix of excitement an nervousness.

“Wow. The three of you….” was all he managed to say.

“Not on your life!” Celeste exclaimed and acted, hitting Chuck with a mental bolt that sent him skidding unconsciously to the floor. The device fell out of his hand, but continued beeping.

“It’s a mutant detector.” Mandee exclaimed accusingly. “He was planning to turn us in for money.”

“Disgusting!” Celeste added with open distaste.

“I’m not going to that awful Detention Camp, nor am I wearing one of those terrible collars. Never!” Phoebe interjected.

“You mean, we’re not.” Celeste corrected.

“Someone stop that thing from beeping.” Mandee demanded.

Monin would be aware enough of his surroundings to witness all of this, despite feeling disoriented. Chuck was being Chuck after all, always looking to score.

“Your friend is a piece of work you know! He couldn’t figure out a way to detain us, but was ultimately uncertain if H.A.M.M.E.R would send a Sentinel or a Claw Patrol after us. What a jerk!”

“I should wipe any trace of us from his mind.” Phoebe hissed, suddenly moving to perform the deed, but was stopped by Celeste who grabbed her arm.

“There’s no time. We need to leave. If they send a Sentinel….”

The sisters nodded nervously one to another. They were telepaths who could affect minds. Sentinels had no minds to affect. Together they turned to face Monin.

“We know your ancestral heritage can grant you diplomatic immunity at the Wakandan Embassy if you claim it, but…will you help us?”

The Sisters did noticed he wasn’t wearing a collar. They hadn’t invaded his mind to find out if he was registered or not. Perhaps he had a better idea even.

In the silence that followed, the mutant detector continued beeping and someone needed to look in on Eliza, to see if she was alright.

****

Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan

Tenzin felt a dizziness come over him after he’d been cleaning the breakfast dishes, moreover, his Sling Ring felt suddenly hot, as if it were reacting to something unseen. The Sanctum itself seemed yo shrug as it shook.

“What in…?”

Immediately, the monk makes his way to find his student, SGC and their guest, Larry.

“Did either of you feel something…strange?” He inquired, sounding somewhat worried. That the Sanctum itself shook was a concern. The building itself was protected by powerful and ancient wards. That anything could affect them was…troubling.His first thought was to seek the Abbot’s wisdom, but the man was still in Kathmandu, as fortune would have it.

A loud roaring sound is heard then, coming from above, though muffled by the building’s exterior. They can all hear it, as well as see the flashing lights passing by the windows. Without a thought, Tenzin goes to see the cause, and upon looking through the glass, he beholds a sight he could not have imagined.



“By the Vishanti……” the monk exclaimed aloud.

Never before had he experienced such radical discontinuity.

All he could tell, was that they were heading south.

Everything that he knew was about to change.

****

New Jersey
The Old Vault


The flash had come on suddenly, and was especially affecting to someone with such acute senses. A moment of disorientation was too long for a man who was engaged in combat, but no conflict raged for Daken. It was hard to remember why he had come here, but traveling alone as he was now, was something he was used to.

Memories of The Five and their mission quickly faded, having nothing to retain them in the moment.

The place he was currently in was dark and cavernous, and smelled of age old disuse. Thankfully, his eyes were already adjusting to the lack of illumination. The smell of blood was quite fresh however, looking down, Daken would see that he’d just killed a man in armor. Some kind of mercenary from the looks of it, a Bounty Hunter perhaps. The armor worn seemed familiar somehow, but the color was all wrong, though that detail didn’t much matter.

The receding pain in his body informed him that the had been wounded in combat, but why didn’t he recall more at the moment. Perhaps he’d been shot in the head? Assuming that was the case, he’d have to be patient and wait for the memories to return, as his brain knitted itself back together.

The sound of whimpering in the cavernous silence would catch his attention. Upon listening for a moment longer, he would glean that there were two sources to the whimpering sounds. A boy and a girl. They were huddled together, terrified, exuding fear as they waited for death to claim them. But death had not come, at least not at the hands of the man in armor, the one who’d hunted them and terrorized them for sport.

In addition, taken could feel that he was deeper underground than what he initially surmised due to his disorientation. Against the wall, he would barely be able to make out what had once been a painted sign indicating SUB LEVEL 9. No memory of Dragon Man would stir. At least not yet.

There were many other smells and sounds he could identify, but nothing really to keep him here down below. The boy and girl did not move from their spot as they simply waited for their Clawed Benefactor to leave, especially because of what he resembled: Those who killed Malformed on sight.


****

Arizona
Alhambra

Marla was all too happy to pick-up Shelly in her four-door cranberry red Land Rover. She was even happier that Shelly had accepted her invitation.

Indeed, they day was nice and sunny, so much so that the brightness got to her momentarily and caused her some disorientation, an odd occurrence, but not unheard of.

“Definitely going to need my shades for the trip back to Zook’s.” she said with a chuckle.

It was good to do some normal things again, especially after all the recent events.

“So, I kinda told everyone that you were coming to lunch, I hope you don’t mind. But I’m super excited!” Marla confessed after they started to head back on the main road.

“Just so you know, Tony, Colin and Big Mike are going to be there, and so is Fatima. No one needs to be blindsided, know what I mean?”

Upon hearing their names, Shelly could somewhat put the names and the CosPlays together, especially after visiting their social media pages. Tony was always Tony, Colin was ‘Calculator’, Big Mike was ‘Power Man’ and Fatima was ‘Kit Kat’.

“We all just needed to get out of the house after all that’s happened you know…”

The drive would have been a happy and uneventful one, if it were not for a random H.A.M.M.E.R check-point. Marla cursed under her breath as she slowed her vehicle, taking note that hers was the third car queued to be checked. On the side of the road, a 15’ foot tall Sentinel stood, immobile for the moment. It was one of the smaller models, but no less lethal or capable. Its yellow ocular sensors could be seen scanning the passengers inside their cars, even one of the H.A.M.M.E.R Soldiers did the same with his hand held mutant detector and the other stood guard, weapon in hand.

Marla took a breath. “Ugh. I hate this.” She exclaimed almost inaudibly. Something was happening with the lead car. Some kind of argument, but it didn’t seem to be more than stress and flaring tempers. Marla glanced at Shelly and her eyes grew wide. In a flurry of motion she opened the glove compartment and reached in, only to pull out what looked like an ‘Inhibitor Collar’.

“Quick, put that on. Tony said you would need it.” Marla whispered. The first car was beginning to pull ahead, but the second hadn’t moved forward. Marla noticed Shelly reluctance then spoke in an even lower voice.

“It’s not real, but it fools their systems. Trust me.” She pleaded. There wasn't time to explained that Tony himself had created the gizmo.

A screeching sound caught her attention then, and Shelly realized that the car ahead of her had made a sudden turn and sped off. There was a moment, much like a pause, as if everyone was holding their breath. The Sentinel raised its hand, palm up. Marla could see the very center of the robots hand as it powered up and erupt as a beam fired right overhead. She counted two second before the sound of an explosion confirmed the hit. Marla could see the burning wreckage through her rear view mirror. Ahead of her, the Hammer Soldier motioned for her to come forward, on the other side stood the Sentinel.

Marla took another deep breath, calming her nerves and gently pressed on the gas. She really hoped Shelly had put on the ‘fake collar’. Calmly as she could, she came to a stop before the soldier and did her best not to look on the opposite side.

“Helloes” She greeted, doing all she could not to faint.

“Papers.” Declared the soldier, all business. Marla did as asked and handed over her credentials. She watched him check her ID, then point the mutant detector in her direction.

There was no beeping.

“See, I’m PH Balanced. Pure Human. No gene pollution. I passed my quarterly check-up with flying colors. Not turning into a malformed anytime soon.”

Of course, her ‘cheerful’ announcement fell on deaf ears. Silently, she continued to watch as the soldier made his way to the passenger side, praying that this ordeal would be over soon and they could make their way to Zook’s. She almost yelped aloud when the haze of a yellow light suddenly shone before her eyes.

****

Seattle
Sea-Tac International Airport


A search light swung from a tower, bathing both ladies in its light as it passed, blinding them momentarily. The effect was somewhat jarring and disorienting, but otherwise harmless. The good news was, that it came as no surprise that a good number of people were choosing to fly, especially now that Latveria had provided the U.S. with a suitable countermeasure against the Ultron Virus; that which had nearly crippled the country’s ability to function electronically.

The much needed assistance came at a time when the Malformed Outbreak was at its peak and critical succor was the only recourse needed to stem the tide of infection. Regaining connectivity was the only way to achieve that. The story was pretty much the same all over Europe, with the addition of Doom’s Army marching upon his neighbors and strong arming treaties in his favor. The Monarch exacted a great price in exchange for his invaluable assistance. Rumors that a vengeful and dying mutant originated the Outbreak could never be proven, nor quelled. The only legacy found there was that which re-introduced the SRA and expedited the creation of Superhuman Detention Camps. These were originally meant for those infected by the Malformed Outbreak, but now they acted as a catch-all for any superhuman offender. In truth, those infected by the Malformed Virus had no hope of being cured, but rather, saw themselves degenerate into mindlessness and their powers rage out of control.

That’s why they were killed on sight.

This was merely background noise for the humans who lived under the protection of the New Regime and the metas who complied with registration. After all, freedom wasn’t free. Was it ever?

An announcement was made over the loud speaker, that flights would experience a slight delay. A roving band of wild Malformed happened upon the runway and had to be cleared. H.A.M.M.E.R. agents were already on their way, so there was nothing to worry about.

Nicole Gravely could very well rest easy in that assurance, as she was, as the popular saying went, PH Balanced, that is, Pure Human. Agents from E-Branch, the British Agency that employed Mary Formal and Liz Merrick, were usually ‘more than’, which meant that they would either need to be registered or have the ability to pass as registered or human, given the current political climate.

A number of fellow travelers began to move-in and gather near Mary and Nikki as an adjacent screen televised the movements of HAMMER soldiers on their way to exterminate the encroaching malformed. It was sure to be a spectacle, but most probably not for the faint of heart. For those who did have the stomach to watch, this was almost a s good as having front row seats.


****

The Moon
Blue Area

All this Uatu the Watcher would witness with his own eyes. It was much like a controlled experiment, where a given formula was slightly changed in order to observe a different result. But, was this a permanent or temporary condition? There was no way for him to know. One thing was certain; there was a reason, whoever inscrutable, behind the actions of the one pulling the strings.

It was quite likely, depending how things proceeded, that he might just get a call from another visitor.


***


Tag: @Ameteth ,@darthbernael, @Darth_Elu, @galactic-vagabond422, @Ktala, @Master Vo'Un'Var, @Mitth_Fisto, @Sinrebirth, @Sith-I-5, @The Jedi in the Pumas

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

OOC: Please forgive any and all typos. Time for Odin Sleep! (j/k)

 

IC: Mary Formal, Nicole Gravely, passenger lounge, Sea-Tac International Airport, Seattle.


Both Mary and Nicole squinted or shut their eyes against the bright flash that blinded them momentarily. The effect was somewhat jarring and disorienting, but otherwise harmless.

Despite the tower searchlight sweeping along from them, Mary instantly formed her own cause for the flash.

"Lighting your own farts is a bold choice for an airport, in this climate." She observed critically, glancing up from her child's phone.

Nicole plucked her earbud out to peer curiously up at the Arcan. "What do you mean, this climate? When has that ever been acceptable behaviour for an airport?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, it never occurred to me to-"

She was interrupted by the public address system: Attention all passengers waiting for the Alaska Air connecting flight to San Diego. There will be a slight delay due to a roving band of Malform that has been spotted on the runway. H.A.M.M.E.R. agents are on the way-

"-to nail them?"

"Har har." The young redhead was patently un-amused. Her attention switched to the groups of passengers migrating to the windows to look out for the agents heading to deal with the Malformed out on the runway. "Mom, can I go watch as well?"

Mary furrowed her eyebrows as she gave the request some thought. "No Sweetie. You are going to remain beside Mummy, where I can keep you safe and out of trouble."

"Ohhh." Nikki dramatised her complaint and pouted.

Looking after the backs of the holidaymakers and commuters that were crowding at the windows overlooking the concourse, Mary pondered her decision.

It was part automatic reaction - with Nikki's delicate frame and short stature, just a few inches above four foot, she would have been loathe to let her baby girl cross a road without holding her hand, so letting her walk the fifty metres to the windows behind them, and risk losing sight of her in the throng of bodies was never going to happen. But....given how the Malformed were generally killed on sight, their mutant powers wildly uncontrolled and dangerous, gathering on a windswept airport runway seemed tactically insane.

She had no concern that H.A.M.M.E.R. would 'dislike' their scan results. Nikki was PH Balanced, the popular term for perfect human. And until H.A.M.M.E.R. and bounty hunter scanners received a forensic archeology upgrade that let them differentiate between 21st Century humans, and ones born in the mid-1700s, Agent Formal herself ought to continue beating the drokking things, and registering as PH Balanced herself.

The only thing she had to worry about, with them, was her pint-sized little killjoy sitting back and giving her free reign with the carpentry puns.

Mary gestured for Nikki to place her earbud back in her ear, and did the same herself, so that they could hear how the WILTY interrogation on the phone, resolved itself.

"-was it like?" A new female panellist was asking.

"Costa Rica?" The original blonde woman appeared on the small screen. "Because it is not in Spain, there are a lot of insects and scorpions that we no longer have in Europe, and have banished. And they have all gone-" She made a kind of backhanded shoving gesture, sort of reminiscent of what a croupier uses to move stacks of cards across one of those tables that James Bond likes. "-to Costa Rica."

"Such as?" The opposing team captain enquired.

"Malformed-"

"Malormed are not insects. They were humans that were victims of the Malformed Outbreak."

"Alright David!" The blonde exclaimed defensively.

"Oh, let's be factually inaccurate, shall we?" David exploded into a controlled rant, biting out his words, which Formal enjoyed listening to, and feeling proud to be British. "That never causes any problems, as you settle into the ninth hour of your flight." He sat back and crossed his arms with a frown for a beat. "Malformed are not insects, and Costa Rica is not in Spain." He rose out of his chair and jabbed a finger at the poor woman, who, it had not yet been determined, whether she was lying or not. "This is why education is so important."

Mary could feel herself grinning wide enough to catch a frisbee, whilst beside her, Nikki was chuckling at this entertainment, oblivious to the events around them.


Tag: @GreyJedi @Sinrebirth

 

Shelly VanKasser
Alhambra, Arizona

WOW!!

Shelly was happy to see Marla once more but surprised when she pulled up in a four-door cranberry red Land Rover. Shelly climbed into the car and enjoyed as she chatted with Marla, discussing their trip to Zook's. It was so bright and sunny..

A bright flash suddenly crossed her eyes, and Shelly squinted, confused for a moment. Marla was chatting away as if she had not seen anything.

“Definitely going to need my shades for the trip back to Zook’s.” she said with a chuckle.“So, I kinda told everyone that you were coming to lunch, I hope you don’t mind. But I’m super excited!” Marla confessed after they started to head back on the main road. “Just so you know, Tony, Colin and Big Mike are going to be there, and so is Fatima. No one needs to be blindsided, know what I mean?” Shelly knew who she was talking about, from visiting their media pages.

“We all just needed to get out of the house after all that’s happened you know…” Shelly's eyebrow went up, but she didn't say anything. All that's happened? She didnt know what the girl was talking about. Shelly's confusion grew when the came upon a checkpoint. Checkpoint? for what. Shelly noticed as Marla cursed under her breath as she slowed her vehicle, taking note that hers was the third car queued to be checked. On the side of the road, was a 15’ foot tall THING standing on the side of the road. It looked like it was scanning the inside of the cars, and Shelly was desperately trying to figure out what was going on. She wanted to simply disappear so badly, but she feared more for her friend Marla.

Marla took a breath. “Ugh. I hate this.” She exclaimed almost inaudibly. Something was happening with the lead car. Some kind of argument, but it didn’t seem to be more than stress and flaring tempers. Marla glanced at Shelly and her eyes grew wide. Shelly looked at herself, wondering what was wrong with Marla. In a flurry of motion, she opened the glove compartment and reached in, only to pull out what looked like an ‘Inhibitor Collar’.

“Quick, put that on. Tony said you would need it.” Marla whispered. The first car was beginning to pull ahead, but the second hadn’t moved forward. Marla noticed Shelly reluctance then spoke in an even lower voice. “It’s not real, but it fools their systems. Trust me.” She pleaded with Shelly. Shelly had an idea what the thing was for, but she was sure disappearing in front of the woman would cause even more problems. She would simply have to pray that she could trust her new friend, as she wondered what in the world was going on. She quickly put the thing around her neck, and shoved it down her clothing, closing it.

A screeching sound caught her attention then, and Shelly realized that the car ahead of her had made a sudden turn and sped off. The thing held its palm up. Another bright light and an explosion resounded through the area. Shelly, not sure what she should do, put her hands on her lap, and looked down into her lap, willing herself with every fiber of her being to stay calm. Marla pulled the car up to the soldiers waiting.

“Helloes” Marla greeted the soldier. The soldier was having none of it. “Papers.” Marla did as asked and handed over her credentials. Papers? What papers? What in heck was going on? She had never heard anyone ask for papers before. The Shelly heard Marla say something, which really confused her.

“See, I’m PH Balanced. Pure Human. No gene pollution. I passed my quarterly check-up with flying colors. Not turning into a malformed anytime soon.”

WHAT THE?!?!?!?! What's a malformed? Far too many questions, and not enough answers. Something was happening. Something had changed, and Shelly felt like Alice in Wonderland like she had just fallen down the rabbit hole. Gene pollution?

Shelly simply sat still, a neutral expression on her face, as another light crossed her face.

Maybe she could find out more at Tony's. And more importantly, how did Tony know?


TAG: @greyjedi125

 

Cameron “Gemini” Giles IC:
~15th Floor, Triskelion Ruins~

Flash. And the room they remained in was the same, naturally. But everything else was wrong. Oh, so very wrong. It was an instant instinct….or maybe it was the fact that he had just been sitting down a second ago. At least…

His face scrunched up in thought as Daisy Johnson pinched the bridge of her nose, another Maria Hill tick she seemed to be emulating these days.

I was just sitting down. Right? I mean, we were talking before the briefing…but then…Yeah. I was sitting down. We both were.

“They’re doing a scheduled Ultron Virus scan. Got to go.”

And just like that, Agent Edith Dubois disappeared.

Ultron…scan? Wait. What was she saying…That was when he also noticed his Director picking up the projector and his eyes narrowed very quickly. Dust. Why was that desk dusty? Their custodial department were on top of things, why in God’s name—

His eyes began to pan the room, taking it all in now. But just as he was beginning to truly register their immediate surroundings, noticing Daisy about to speak from the peripheral of his vision; suddenly their earpieces stole her proverbial soapbox.

“You two need to get out of there, faster than fast. You have a Claw Patrol on a hunt moving close to your area. If they catch your scent you are done for. Get to a safe zone!”

His eyes caught hers, noticed her now taking in the symbol on the wall just as he did seconds before her, and now he noticed was on the back of her communicator.

White Star.

“Copy that.”

She managed a normal reply. Experience kicking in. He didn’t need to ask if she was in a similar boat to him, Cameron could see it in her eyes and he was certain she could see the absolute confusion settling into his own. As their eyes met again, she could only state the obvious for the time being.

“We need to move.”

“Yeah,” was all he could reply with a small nod.

As their minds raced trying to figure out their situation, how to get out of there, and everything else; something else caught his boss’ eye.

“Director? What is it?”

Deputy Director Giles moved to take a look and beheld the world’s greatest cemetery. Only something from his nightmares could have matched that dramatic, chilling, visual. More ominous than ominous. Foreboding beyond words. For a picture says a thousand.

But this one said far, far more.

“Holy ****.” Flat, almost monotone voice. He barely registered saying it himself. He didn’t mean to swear, the shock of that just brought it out of him. As if it was the most natural response in the world.

Shaking his head finally, he forced himself to turn away from the window, motioning to the woman with him.

“We’ve got to move, Daisy,” he reiterated her words as if to remind her (or was it himself?), slipping into the casual without meaning to.

A small sign of how shaken he was.

Moving through the door quickly, his eyes began to scan all around the ruins of the former SHIELD headquarters while they moved. He needed signs. The state of the place clearly showed elevators were out of the question. But were stairs in potentially good enough shape to be trusted? Was there anyone or anything lurking in the tall husk of a building, just as they were?

It only took an instant for things to change one way or another, it was best to get as much intel as possible as fast as possible. And it only took little hints here and there to get started in that regard.

There had to be something to give them a beginning clue as to what the hell just happened. Anything.

“What the hell has happened…” he breathed, unable to contain himself from vocalizing his thoughts.

As they traveled, but not going very far, he suddenly stopped. His mind was finally working at 100%, not just 90. Forget the puzzle. For now. Focus on getting out of there. One problem at a time.

Cameron had seen and done a lot of things in his time with SHIELD over the years and because of that, he already had some early suspicions on what was going on, but there was no way he would have any kind of confirmation or rebuttal right now. So, it was time to focus only on escape.

“Johnson.”

As soon as she also paused, giving him her complete attention, he held up his right arm. She would know what he was trying to show her. The device that clung to him.

“You did say it was time for me to put it on again, didn’t you,” he remarked simply, “Well. I think now qualifies. Just point me in the direction you think we need to go.”

Which, to be fair, was anyone’s guess. Still, he let her take the lead, being his superior and all; as he pressed the button.

Please still be here.

He didn’t know what had changed completely, but he was hoping against hope, this hadn’t.

Tag: Quake @greyjedi125

 

IC: SGC
Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan

The Sanctum itself seemed to shrug as it shook. Immediately, the monk Tenzin came into the room to find his student, SGC and their guest, Larry.

“Did either of you feel something…strange?” He inquired, sounding somewhat worried.

"Yes." SGC simply stated with a wave all around them, "There was a strange motion from the building. I thought that this area was geologically stable?" He stated and questioned his own knowledge, perhaps it wasn't geological in nature but he didn't know how to assure himself of that and whether he really wanted to.

A loud roaring sound is heard then, coming from above, though muffled by the building’s exterior. They can all hear it, as well as see the flashing lights passing by the windows. Without a thought, Tenzin goes to see the cause, and upon looking through the glass, he beholds a sight that elicits strong words. “By the Vishanti……” the monk exclaimed aloud.

"What is it?" SGC asked, not really caring to look outside just yet. He had a sinking feeling that his 'normal' living experience was going away as smoke, or whatever that saying was.

TAG: @greyjedi125 , @Master Vo'Un'Var

 

Combo with the grey one

Shelly VanKasser
Alhambra, Arizona; Lunch at Zook’s

The two drove in silence for a while, for this was a normal reaction after passing through a H.A.M.M.E.R. checkpoint. Marla chanced a glance at Shelly, her eyes filled with concern, but said nothing, letting her friend be.

In her mind, she replayed the scene and how her heart had nearly stopped.

She'd glared at the soldier from behind her shades, for she did not like the devious expression on the soldier’s face when he moved to the passenger side of her vehicle. The Sentinel immediately began its scan, flashing a haze of yellow light inside the car, specifically on Shelly. The moment of silence that followed seemed to go on forever as the Sentinel communicated with the ‘Inhibitor Collar’. Marla couldn’t begin to guess what was happening, but she silently prayed that Tony’s gizmo did its thing.

A few seconds passed, then the haze of yellow brilliance disappeared. A series of beeps came through the soldier's device and he looked at it with conspicuous disappointment.

“Move along.” He instructed tersely.

“Thank you!” Marla called out, affecting ‘cheerfulness’ as she stepped on the gas to take them past the terrible experience. Personally, it had scared her to her core; she couldn’t begin to guess what it was like for Shelly, to go through that day in and out.

The GPS on her car softly announced that they would soon come to Zook’s Eatery where the rest of their friends were waiting.

“Are you Okay?” Marla asked in a truly caring manner.

Shelly was still sitting as ramrod straight as she had when they had gone through the checkpoint. Shock was a poor word to describe what Shelly was feeling. In a flash, her world had changed, and it seemed as if only Shelly had felt it. Marla still knew her, and so far it seemed like she still considered her a friend. But the cryptic comments like, 'with all that's happened', and other things made Shelly think she was going mad. Slowly, she answered Marla.

"No, I'm not," Shelly said softly, still staring straight ahead. That thing. That robot hunted mutants. And collars? What was going on? What had happened that suddenly made being mutant a reason to be shot on sight.

Hesitantly, Shelly looked over at Marla. "Marla, you gave me a weird look, when we were in that line. What did you see?" Shelly looked confused. "I don't understand what happened. It wasn't like this before," she added in an even softer voice as she looked out the windows.

Marla crinkled her brow as she thought about Shelly's question, even as she smoothly turned her car to enter Zook's parking lot.

"What weird look?" she said more to herself than to her friend. "Oh, that was 'cause you didn't have a collar and I was supposed to give you the one you have now."

Marla looked about as she drove on, looking for a good parking spot. "And, what wasn't like what before.....?" she said, slurring the last word, so Shelly could link whatever she meant to the conversation.

"There."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a good spot to park. and turned the car towards it.

It was clear that Marla had no clue what she was talking about. To her, this was normal. It seemed that only Shelly knew that something weird had happened. That a change had occurred. It was like some strange episode of the Outer Limits or something. Or a bad comic book cliche. But what was she supposed to do now? She wondered if anyone else noticed things had changed or was it just her?

"Sigh."

Shelly looked up to see that they had now pulled up to the place they were to have lunch. Shelly didn't feel like eating now. But maybe if stayed a looked around, she could find out what in heavens was going on. She looked over at Marla and gave a weak smile. "Oh, never mind. I just...I just didn't get enough sleep or something. I'm feeling outta sorts." Shelly shook her head. "Maybe something to drink will do me good," she added as she looked about. Shelly was looking to see other evidence of things that had changed. She would need to find what else has changed in this new reality. She wondered if any of the other people that they were going to meet had experienced something different as well.

Wait... Tony had given Marla the collar. How did he know? That gave Shelly a bit of hope as she opened the car door and got out. She didn't know what to expect now, so she found herself a bit hesitant as she waited for Marla.

Marla parked the car, then returned Shelly's smile with a sympathetic one of her own.

“If you ever want to talk, I’m here for you.” She said in all sincerity. After a pause, she shut-off the engine. “Well, not sure about you, but I’m really hungry. Let’s get some lunch!” She announced, beaming up with her ever-present good nature.

After stepping out of the vehicle, Marla secured her car with her electronic key fob, then led Shelly inside Zook's.



As soon as they walked in, they were welcomed by a much lighter atmosphere, not to mention air-condition air. There was music, pleasant conversation and the smell of freshly served food, all competing for their attention. Marla spared a glance and grinned at Shelly. Above the ambient din, a voice called out to them.

“Marla, Shelly! over here.”

It was Big Mike, who’d stood-up from their table and waved them over, looking quite happy at seeing the two. Marla nudged Shelly to follow her through the tables and various patrons walking the isles.

“Hey you guys!” Marla greeted the group. “Look who I brought with me…”

The whole table greeted Shelly cheerfully. Tony smiled and looked relieved. Big Mike showed them their seats as he scooted over, while Fatima and Colin waved in greeting. Shelly would notice that these last two were wearing the same type of collar that she wore.

A large pitcher of water dominated the center of the table, along with individual glasses at different stages of consumption.

“You won’t believe what happened…” Marla began as she sat down. “We ran into a random HAMMER checkpoint, it was awful!”

“No way.” Big Mike put in, genuinely surprised and concerned. Marla glanced at Shelly, then shook her head, changing the subject. “Good news is, that we’re fine, so….now that we are here, we should order, right?”

“Well, I'll second that,” Fatima said happily, as she began to give out menus. She gave Shelly a ‘sisterly smile’ when their eyes met.

“Glad you could make it,” Colin said to Shelly, a tight smile on his face. Tony only nodded to himself as he scanned the menu.

Shelly gave the group a friendly half-smile, as she sat down at the table. She had noticed the look on Tony's face, while Colin had given her a strange smile. What caught her eye was the collars Fatima and Colin were wearing. Or KitKat and Calculator as she was used to them being. Fatima had also given her a look. So, was this something that they knew, or was Shelly just losing her mind? When Marla had mentioned the...what did she call it.. HAMMER checkpoint, she lost the little smile she did have and looked down at the table, not really wanting to think about it. What she wanted answers, but she was sure she was not going to get any at the immediate moment. At least, not at this table. Shelly looked up and noticed the pitcher.

"Excuse me," she stated softly, as she reached over to the center table in order to grab the picture of water. She looked around and located an empty glass. Shelly had to work very hard to have her hands not shake as she poured herself a glass of water, which she then took a large drink from her glass. Shelly took a menu that was offered to her, but she really didn't want to eat now. Her brain had too many questions, and far too little answers. She looked to see what appetizers were available and ordered the lightest thing she could order. She then looked around the place. It looked like a friendly enough place. But she now felt like she had when she had first run away from home. Everything felt alien and dangerous. Shelly looked up and looked at Marla. "Excuse me, but do you know where the bathrooms are? I think I need to freshen up a bit." Shelly asked her, as she swiftly stood up. She needed to get a few minutes of fresh air alone, or she was going to scream.

Marla noticed the look on Shelly, fully understanding that her friend was shaken. getting scanned by a Sentinel and all the implications that went with it could not be something that someone simply got used to or 'got over'.

"Sure." She answered in a normal tone, staying positive. It was her way of helping Shelly to cope. "Go straight down that aisle, you'll see a sign that says 'coat check', make a left there, and then you'll see the restrooms."

Marla gave Shelly a quick hug, then watched her walk away.

Shelly smiled at Marla. "Thanks." She got up and quickly made her way to the restroom, moving as swiftly as she could go. She slowed, as she got close to the sign that read coat check. Making her left, she quickly found the doors. Shelly quickly entered the restroom, and after a quick scan entered one of the stalls. Shelly sat down in the stall and began to shake as tears welled up in her eyes. Shelly was scared and didn't know what she would do after this. Could she go back to Mrs. Wesley? Or had the change happened there as well? After finally finding a place she felt somewhat safe, would she now have to find herself back hiding again? But first, she would need to find out what had happened, and what was this event everyone seemed to be alluding to.

Shelly sat, crying for a few minutes, to release the fear and frustration she felt. Once she felt better, she waited to make sure she was alone before she quickly moved from the stall to the sinks, and washed her face and tried to hide any red eyes she might have. Taking a deep breath, Shelly went back out to the table, still confused but feeling a bit better.

TAG: @greyjedi125

 

IC: Zephyr Vaillancourt

Home Hideout NYC



Hunger was one of those discomforts that could border on pain, a feeling that no one liked and often exacted immediate action to be alleviated.

Zephyr felt pretty much the same way about confusion, which he liked even less.

His abilities gave him great clarity about the material world around him and right now that wasn’t the case, to say that he was experiencing some distress would be an understatement.


What just happened? He thought to himself as he tried to remember what he was doing a second ago.


There must have been the usual morning conversation before breakfast, but what was that bright light, the intensity was exceedingly great and to him it seemed to even come through the walls, was it an attack?

Instinctively the young meta used his powers to ‘scan’ himself for any changes, anomalies or foreign matter. Everything seemed fine, but somehow different.

He scanned his teammates as well and found all their signatures and markings to be familiar and consistent with their last molecular scan, no Malformed Taint or any other anomalies to be found, yet they too felt different somehow.

A small sigh of frustration escaped him as he realized that for the foreseeable future any help from his Kree father’s lab, which he dubbed ‘Progenitor’s Haven’ (a play on words for any Kree historian) would only be available during dire emergencies, the lab had gone into high security alert and cut off almost all communications with him.

Just as he was about to ask Blue and Casey if they were Ok, the familiar alert sound from the computer systems would get his attention.

The ‘ping’ was the ‘DEFCON 5’ sound signaling that the situation was ‘normal’, but surely that wasn’t the case, not after such an intense flash of light…

The viewing monitor came to life, displaying one of Zephyr’s favorite naturescapes, he had a thing for forests and waterfalls, and seeing it served to somewhat stay his growing agitation.


[Good morning everyone.] Doc greeted in his pleasant synthesized voice.


[Breakfast is ready and served. It’s the usual, as you always request.]


The morning meal was indeed already on the table each person’s portion prepared and served to specification.

Zephyr lifted one eyebrow quizzically and his confusion grew, some of the items looked familiar and some did not.

Again, he could not remember if he participated in the cooking or replication of the morning meal, or if Casey decided to treat them all to a completely organic breakfast.

He labored to remain calm when he couldn’t remember if he was still training to further his ‘Perfect Cell’ meta-abilities or if this was his more normal season with some of his favorite foods, the only time he could indulge a little.

Why did everything suddenly feel alien and familiar all at once? He frowned a little and resolved not to scan the food yet; he needed some answers, because at this point he was becoming increasingly suspicious and more than a little alarmed.

Almost as if answering the mental query, Doc continued and issued his early morning report.


[The Hideout remains successfully camouflaged and undetected. All potential threats to the Hideout have been repelled. Ultron Virus has been successfully repelled. Newsfeed updates have been completed, including the latest on the escape attempt at the Hudson Yards Superhuman Detention Camp and latest count on the Malformed Outbreak. Also, Zephyr has an important message pending. Will there be anything else?]

This was a good report, all points showed green, yet everything still sounded both strange and familiar at the same time. The White Star symbol was the only item that provided an anchoring sense of ‘normalcy’. He trusted the White Star since the early days of superheroing, maybe they had a clue as to what was taking place.

Zephyr looked over at his teammates to see how the bright light affected them, gauging if they were still in possession of their senses or somehow debilitated by it, he would offer his help if it was needed.

“Thank you for the report Doc. Also, we’d like to know what just happened, what was that bright light?” Zephyr hid his irritation as much as possible; he needed to make sure that Doc had not been somehow compromised by whoever was behind the bright light, he made a mental note to run a system diagnostic check ASAP.

These were perilous times and no amount of caution seemed to be sufficient. Something was definitely amiss and clarity was the first order of business.

Being hungry and confused was definitely not a good way to start the morning.



TAG: @greyjedi125 , @galactic-vagabond422

 

Daken
Into the Wilds

The shroud of night had come to greet all brave souls who would traipse in its domain during its turn to rule. The moon was full, and beamed down to earth, curious as to what would be revealed by its pale illumination.

To their credit, the boy and girl kept their pace while climbing out from nine sub-levels below the abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D Vault, where Daken found them. With his help, they made it out in relative safety, despite a few scrapes and some close calls.

Even as they emerged, the boy immediately drew his sister to himself and kept her from witnessing the gruesome handy-work the Claws had left behind. Everyone who was at the entrance camp, was dead. After a moment, he himself had to avert his gaze and hold his feelings in. He had to be strong, not only for himself, but also for his sister and those who had been senselessly killed. They had to survive, at least another day.

As for Daken, he relied on his senses and his sketchy memory to inform him of what he was seeing. First, the area had been overrun by nature and there were hardly any visible signs of infrastructures such as streets, sign posts or the like, but that would hardly pose a real obstacle for someone like him. He and The Five had studied a map of Weehawken before taking on their last mission.

From where he stood, Daken could tell by the smell alone that the Hudson River was East of their location, as was the Hudson Yards in New York. He could even see points of light marking the location, not to mention New York City’s nighttime illumination in the background, though it did look oddly different.

A lot closer to him, he could hear them, still a good distant away, even as they moved in the night, almost aimlessly. Restless. The Malformed. He could smell them now, sense the ‘wrongness’ in how they ‘tasted’. He’d just killed the Claws sent to destroy the growing crop of Malformed in the area.

Daken’s hearing would also snatch bits of conversation carried in the breeze, not even a kilometer from their position; someone found the Bounty Hunter’s vehicle. Sounded as if they were having trouble breaking into it. Hopefully the Malformed did not get wind of the same.

“I’m Kieran by the way.” The boy would say coming closer to Daken, his blue eyes looking up at him from his dirty face. “My sister is Charlie…well, Charlize, but we call her that.”

The blonde girl held fast to her brother, remaining pressed against him, but did peek a blue eye from her own dirty face to look at the ‘Claw’ who was helping them. Kieran’s dark hair was almost unkempt and almost as wild as Daken’s.

“They’re coming.” She uttered in a small voice and pointed behind them, exactly in the direction of the Malformed.

Tag: @darthbernael

---

Daisy Johnson & Cameron Giles
15th Floor, Triskelion Ruins

Cameron called her by name, which allowed her to break free from remaining a thrall to what she saw beyond the broken window. Daisy did hear Cameron’s words, but chose to focus on what he was showing her. A device on his right arm, made to seem nothing more than an innocuous bracelet.

“You did say it was time for me to put it on again, didn’t you,” Cameron remarked simply, “Well. I think now qualifies. Just point me in the direction you think we need to go.”

Daisy gave half-a-smile. She did recall saying those words, but the specific circumstances were somehow fuzzy in her mind. She didn’t like that, not at all.

“By all means, go ahead and get it here.” She said, feeling slightly reassured at seeing something that was more or less consistent with her memories. If most everything was still as she recalled, then, after activation codes, distance, and travel time- it should arrive at their location in under three minutes, if not sooner.

“Don’t know what happened, but we sure as heck are going to find out.” she declared.

As she waited for Cameron to do the honors, something caught her attention, something she could perceive now that they were on high ‘alert mode.’ Vibrations, coming from fifteen floors below.

Whoever it was, seemed to be limping and in a hurry. Daisy sighed, closed her eyes and focused deeper, just to go a bit further; a heartbeat later, her eyes suddenly opened.

“There’s four of them chasing him. We have to help.” she exclaimed with urgency in her voice.

Tag: @Darth_Elu

---

Shelly VanKasser
Alhambra, Arizona, Zook’s

When Shelly returned, her table clapped for her as she neared, causing patrons on other tables to turn and wonder if perhaps, it was her birthday, or if she was some sort of celebrity.

“You made it!!” Marla stood and gave her a quick welcoming hug before sitting back down. “Order whatever you want, it’s a group tab.” Fatima informed her with an easy smile.

“So, you guys ready to order?” Asked a friendly waitress who came around to the table of six. Big Mike gave her a welcoming smile, happy they had picked her section, then raised his hand. “I am!” He put in quickly.

“Alrighty, what will you be having?”

As Big Mike began to order, the others waited their turn, with Fatima being next. Marla leaned in and directed her attention towards Tony.

“So, how did it go with the Stark-Osborn recruiter?” she whispered with obvious excitement. Tony rolled his eyes. “It didn’t.” He said with a shrug.

“What? Tony, that’s impossible. You’re the smartest guy I know, like genius level, seriously.”

Tony shrugged again, while Colin tried not to smile knowingly. The waitress now came around to them. “You guys ready?”

“I am.” Marla, who had mentioned being hungry from before, was the first to answer. Picking up her menu, she proceeded to show the waitress what she wished to order.

“Stark-Osborn.” Tony scoffed under his breath. “As if.”

Colin simply half-glanced at Shelly, almost as if studying her reactions.


Tag: @Ktala

---

Mary Formal & Nicole Gravely
Sea-Tac International Airport, Seattle


A male voice laughed out loud right next to Mary and Nicole, apparently enjoying the show just as much as they were. In fact, the large man was looking over their shoulders in a familiar and casual manner.

“That’s funny.” He said, his voice meaty and thick. He was broad as he was tall, thick-necked and broad shouldered. His face had the appearance of a young man who had been green once, then force-riped by indoctrination; what with his buzz cut and T-shirt which read: (The word Mutant had been crossed out) HUMAN and PROUD, across his chest.

He also wore cammo-patterened cargo pants and combat boots.

“But he’s rong. Malformed are insects.” He pointed out pleasantly. “You two sisters?” he added, speaking on his observation. “You look like sisters, cute too.”

On the adjacent screen, HAMMER soldiers had reached the Malformed that were blocking the runway, a fact substantiated by the repeated sound of intermittent gunfire.



Tag: @Sith-I-5

 

Blueline & Casey
Zephyr's Hideout

A bright flash of light, Blue and Casey closed their eyes, their bodies felt a strange energy washing over them. That second felt like forever their eyes opened, or they thought they opened. Instead of a blinding light they saw a building on fire, a man in a black hoodie standing in front of it casually tossing a pipe bomb in his hands. Next to them a smaller figure shoulders rising and falling with deep angry breaths. The man turned and...it couldn't be, could it? It was him, the azure guardian, but wearing black, the blue bandanna replaced with a smiling skull. The other Blue, Black was smiling, you could tell by his eyes.

"Only way to fix it...burn it to the ground."

The smaller silhouette turned mirroring her counterpart. It was Casey, Aegis, though her orange hoodie was gone, replaced with black shirt, a skull not too dissimilar to a man called the Punisher on her chest. Most chilling of all her eyes were black as night, showing none of the warmth and kindness she held.

"And scatter the ashes."

Before they had time to ask what was going on another scene appeared before them, Blue or at least it looked like Blue, though there was a weight to him, the weight of years, of centuries on his shoulders. Their point of view was limited, it looked like a small metal room, criss-crossed with pipes and wires, dimly lit all they could see beyond the hero was a strange looking...casket, box? Through the glass front they could see Casey maybe a few years older than she was now, her eyes closed, her expression, sad, full of remorse.

"I won't let them use you like a weapon." The older Blue said resting his hand on the glass. "I'll keep the promise we made...You'll never hurt another person." As he walked away he paused, at a memorial, dry, wilted flowers all around it, a fading picture of Zephyr. "I'm still sorry Zephyr. I'm sorry we couldn't stop her in time…"

They come back their eyes hurting, their heads splitting, the images quickly burned away. Possible futures, possible pasts, mutiverses disappearing from existence, or merely waiting for their chance to occur? They wouldn't know. All there was, was now, this current moment. The pair look at each other then to Zephyr confused and not sure what was going on.

[Good morning, everyone.] A voice cut through the air and confusion yes Doc, that's the voice. [Breakfast is ready and served. It’s the usual as, you always request.] Looking down there was food, though it didn't look like anything Casey would have made...where was the kitchen in this place? Where was this place?

[The Hideout remains successfully camouflaged and undetected. All potential threats to the Hideout have been repelled. Ultron Virus has been successfully repelled. Newsfeed updates have been completed, including the latest on the escape attempt at the Hudson Yards Superhuman Detention Camp and latest count on the Malformed Outbreak. Also, Zephyr has an important message pending. Will there be anything else?]

Ultron Virus, Malformed Outbreak, these words meant something it just took it a bit in their heads to finally link up with something. The White Star logo instantly clicked, reminding them of heroes, heroes they looked up to.

“Thank you for the report Doc. Also, we’d like to know what just happened, what was that bright light?” Zephyr spoke first, and Blue and Casey waited for a reply.

As they did Blue started to eat with a ravenous hunger that seemed to have overtaken him. Casey just stared blankly into the distance still trying to process everything and nothing at the same time.

"Escape attempt?" Blue asked between mouthfuls. "Do we know if any got out?"

"How bad is the Malformed Outbreak getting?" Casey followed up.

TAG: @Ameteth @greyjedi125

 

Blue, Casey & Zephyr
Zephyr’s Hideout

Not all mornings were ever the same, although some were more alike than others. Doc found that, so far, all activities proceeded within acceptable parameters.

“Thank you for the report Doc. Also, we’d like to know what just happened, what was that bright light?” Zephyr asked.

[Zephyr, perhaps you are referring to the kitchen lights as they turned on? It is not unusual to experience some light sensitivity for sometime after waking up.] Doc would offer as an answer.

“Escape attempt?” Blue would ask between mouthfuls, revealing his current interest. "Do we know if any got out?”

[One moment Blue, accessing report.] Doc said, having paused only for a moment before continuing. [The attempted escape from the Hudson Yards Superhuman Detention Camp was unsuccessful.] Doc informed.

“How bad is the Malformed Outbreak getting.”

It was now Casey’s turn to follow-up with a question.

[Well, Casey. Measured against ‘Last Year’s’ global index report on the Malformed Population, the current statistical data indicates an estimated 3.34% increase per million.]

If it were possible for Doc to feel satisfied for services rendered, he probably would. Still, that inability did not stop him from continuing his duty.

[Incoming yellow Alert: Claw Patrol reported in the Triskelion area. High Caution recommended. Will there be anything else?]

Unbeknownst to our heroes, many similar scenes played-out across the nation and throughout various institutions. This was the new normal, one that required for everyone involved to adapt.



Tag: @Ameteth, @galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Bryan, Liz Merrick, H.A.M.M.E.R. vehicle, and The Shwarm restaurant
Location: New York


Bryan blinked rapidly against the bright flash, shaking his head to regain his equilibrium.

He glanced out the road at the cheap looking eatery, where Liz, and her former boss at SHIELD, Sebastian Redstone, were in the window.

Glancing left along the street, he spotted the bounty hunter, carrying his mutant detector like he was using a Geiger counter, and trying to find some missing uranium.

Drokking Disney. He thought to himself. All that holier-than-thou rhetoric about Lucas's Star Wars being out-of-date and useless, but when it came time to market an armour design for the civilian mutant hunters, they couldn't wait to offer up the Dengar design from the second ever film in that franchise.

He didn't know what it was about looking like a swoop-accident survivor, that so appealed to those mouth breathers.

Gave him the creeps, being around the drokkers.

Still, Bry' was H.A.M.M.E.R., so he pressed the car's horn, and nodded across to the faux-Dengar in his brown armour shell, once the guy looked over the busy street at him, aiming his detector across the road at him.

****
'The Shwarm'

Liz blinked at the flash, and as she looked up from the cheap Formica-topped table at her ex-chief, she could hear Redstone's groan at her suggestion that she hire him to do her massages.

The stress of losing Jocasta, then losing SHIELD, she needed E-Branch head, Ben Trask, to tell her again why she was still over here. Actually, she knew. H.A.M.M.E.R. did not give a **** about vampires! Blade had seen the writing on the wall, and gone underground. Not that he had been particularly gregarious during the SHIELD era in the first place.

Still the tension of working for this horrendous organisation, wasn't good for her, and as far as she knew, Sebastian wasn't doing anything anyway.

"I'm very sorry Liz." He apologised, now ignoring his food, which frankly she was not surprised at. They should have gone to McDonalds. Even if the place had a Doom Mac burger on their menu.

"Have you got another source of income that I don't know about, Boss?" Her bosom swelled the crimson H.A.M.M.E.R. logo on the chest of her white leatherette jumpsuit, as she leaned towards him.

Personally, she thought the item held by the stylised fingers, qualified as a mallet, but if Norman Osborne wanted to call the organisation H.A.M.M.E.R., that was his prerogative. She had anonymously placed her observation into a suggestion box back at the office, but she hadn't seen any mention of it during internal communications.

"I don't think I can help you."

She sighed in frustration. "Not to go all Princess Leia on you, Seb, but you were my only hope!" It was not lost on the London brunette that Leia had spoken her part of that line whilst dressed in snow white, like she was now.

"But I can leave you a contact that may be able to assist you." Sebastian offered, doing his best to sound encouraging.

Dr. Redstone produced a fountain pen from inside his jacket and began to write on a napkin. You could not find a less suitable medium for a fountain pen.

Merrick didn't realise it, but she was getting the thoughts of the approaching bounty hunter, the same time as Seb was being warned through his earpiece.

-eels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. Despite the wording, she did not feel like she was hearing a small child.

"Her name is Judith Morales. She used to be my real-estate agent."

And she can relax me?"

Smoothly, he slipped the blotted napkin, now more ink than tissue, towards Liz and casually made to get up, the same time as she heard a car beep from outside.

Well obviously from outside, she thought as she followed Seb's gaze out the window, the only way the car would be inside, would be if this was a car showroom; or during the course of a ram raid, if you reeeaaally fancied kebabs.

She spotted the Armored Merc outside the establishment, facing away from them and looking across the street to Bryan. The Bounty Hunter kept his helmet on and had his Autorifle slung about his shoulder, sidearm holstered and knife still sheathed. The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round an-

“Well, if there’s nothing else, I should be going.”

"Go. I'll pay. Cheers for the tip. And let me know if I can help with anything."

Sebastian managed a forced smile and half-looked over his shoulder. The Mercenary was on the move once again, now making his way towards the eatery, bless 'im.


Tag: @greyjedi125

 

A new recruit has arrived, reporting for duty! GM approved thank you @greyjedi125 !
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Name: Zara Chang

Codename: Zero-G

Gender: female

Age: 22

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Height: 1.65m

Weight: 50kg*

Likes: Chow mein, hamburgers and fries, freedom, and (recently discovered) dancing at techno nightclubs!

Dislikes: Overly aggressive advances from males, large crowds (but is getting more used to them). A job only done half-heartedly.

Personality: Usually serious, quiet and focused, one has to work hard to get her to relax and enjoy herself – but when she does, it is with all her passion.

Appearance: as Zara...



Appearance: as Zero-G...



Basic Abilities: With mental focus, Zara is able to alter her body’s interaction with gravity and make herself lighter. Combined with acrobatic and gymnastic skills, this gives her superhuman agility and speed (she has managed bursts of 100kmph maximum, but upon becoming zero weight she loses traction and control). She is able to flip and bounce from walls, literally defying gravity. She can make great leaps and then return by degrees to her normal weight mid-air to carefully control descent. She can infiltrate secure buildings using these skills and not set off pressure sensors. ALSO she can temporarily create sudden very increased gravity in zones of her body, and uses this to augment her strength in close combat – effectively able to punch and kick way above her “weight”.

Bio: Zara was born in China to a normal family, and excelled in gymnastics at primary school. She was drafted into the Olympic training program and trained intensively in gymnastics. Her innate “lightfooted” abilities made her stand out, and were recognised as something truly special when they increased drastically in her early teenage years. By 14 she could not only leap from a standing position and perform multiple spins, she could bounce off the high gym ceiling!

The ancient Wudang Monks have long gone from China, but old wisdom suggested this was a harnessing of Chi energy in mind-over-matter. The Wudang believed anyone can achieve miracles such as levitation with enough meditation. Reality suggested it was only a few “gifted” individuals (IE mutants). The Chinese government did not care. They stepped in and co-opted Zara for different purposes. She was trained in martial arts, and avoiding/disabling security systems. Then she was planted in Stanford University, San Francisco. By day she was a quiet foreign student, by night she was breaking into American hi-tech firms and stealing industrial secrets for the Mother Country.

Then something happened; something the Chinese did not expect. Zara discovered files at a secret US government agency detailing atrocities performed by the Chinese military in her hometown, denting her loyalty. She took it upon herself to find out more, hoping they would be just simple anti-Chinese propaganda. At the same time, Zara was slowly becoming enchanted with American culture, its freedom of expression (she had led a very sheltered and repressed life so far), and simple joys of things like baseball, burgers, and dance music. The “Great Capitalist Enemy” of communism did not seem so bad.

Perhaps sensing her usefulness was running out, her “handler” had a situation to deal with which perhaps might facilitate the disposal of this asset. Senior Chinese Diplomats in New York had run afoul of American domestic laws and questions were raised about potential spying activities. They needed a distraction. A deal was struck. The handler outed Zara to the Americans, claiming she was a rogue operative. She was detained and subjected to enhanced interrogation. The Americans, too, are not averse to forgetting human rights when no-one is looking. Zara found herself alone, a pawn in a game, and felt like an abused tool of China.

But then her skills were discovered, and SHIELD stepped in.

Her loyalty to China now completely shattered, Zara wished to go underground and leave it all behind. But that was not possible. SHIELD now knew of her skills, she needed protection from inevitable Chinese assassins, and a world in peril was calling for heroes to step up.

She is now a team member of SHIELD and uses the alias Zero-G to protect her identity...