The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Welldrinker Cult
A shadowy group is gaining power, drawing in people who are curious, vulnerable, or malicious, and turning them into Mystics. They are recruiting people into their ranks to spread the influence of magic in the world, but for what end goal?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
“Yes dear,” the kindly, old voice of DocProf said as he looked closely at a x-rays he pushed up against the lightbox on the wall.
The glossy black and blue sheet shined mockingly at Agnes as she looked at what was supposed to be a detailed x-ray of her chest. She could see everything, including her ribcage, bones, the spaces where her lungs were supposed to be…she had seen enough biology textbooks to know that there was something amiss. Situated in front of her lungs were two large sacs. For second it looked as if she had an extra set of lungs, but the x-ray showed it was much more than that. Inside were what looked like a honeycomb of cells and it was inside of those that she knew where were swarm dwelled.
The image made Agnes shudder.
“Ew.”
DocProf smirked as he looked back to her. “Eloquently said.”
Agnes sighed a little as she stared at the image. It was her fault. She wanted to find out more about her powers and how the swarm lived within her. She was curious so that was why she came to the school doctor. It was thought that if she could learn more about her powers worked, then she could learn to control them better. The swarm could be a struggle to deal with on a daily basis because they perceived practically everything was a threat and attacked it blindly, providing that Agnes was upset, of course. But she did not want that anymore. She did not want to hurl insects whenever her feelings were hurt and she doubted she had the correct personality to remain Zen all the time.
She had not had expected this. Then again, she originally imagined them all simply crawling all over her insides. At least this showed her that they were dormant most of the time, only becoming active when she was upset. Still though, the information made her shake her head.
“What am I supposed to do now? I don’t know how else they affect me.” she pleaded.
“Well,” DocProf said with a thoughtful look. “If you would allow me to do a full examination then I might be able to see how else they affect your physiology.”
Agnes’s eyes were wide with protest and fright. She did not want him to see those scars. Authority figures would want to inspect those and she wanted no contact with her family, none at all! Apparently the kindly doctor saw this and smiled.
“But don’t worry, I won’t make you.” He said with a nod. “Instead, if might be better if you got some use out of the Danger Room. That way you can explore the length of your abilities on your own. With...X-men supervision of course.”
“X-Men?” Agnes’ heart skipped a beat as she inadvertently smiled at the concept. Quickly she shunned the thought away though. She did not want it to be known that she had always looked up to heroes in such a way. After all, she was not X-Men material…but she would like to test how far her powers could go. So with a resolute look at the doctor she nodded her head. “Okay…I…I think I can handle that.”
“Okay,” DocProf beamed and moved over to the phone. “Let me call an X-Man to escort you down to the lower levels so you can train.”
The runaway found herself smiling at the subject. She let her mind wander as she imagined which super-powered, strapping, muscular man or beautiful woman, would be the hero to train her. Again, she tossed the thought aside and chastised herself for acting like a schoolgirl.
There is no nicer, more heart-warming way of waking up in a morning after than having the voice of DocProf ordering you downstairs to report for X-men duty. Gawain was awfully hung over.
Stumbling out of the Infirmary mirror, he stood in front of the old healer, and tried to tug his T-shirt in place, stiffling a yawn.
"What have I done this time?..." he muttered, blinking in the light like an owl.
There was no blood, no Twyla (thank god, no Twyla, which meant that 1. she was healthy and 2. he wouldn't have to face her in his present hung over state). But then, why the heck call him here? He remembered last night, and, for a change, he didn't do anything wrong.
"You don't happen to have something for a headache, do you" he asked. It was worth a shot...
Agnes sighed a bit as she stood around the doctor’s office, waiting for whichever X-Man he would call to come help her. Having just discovered a bit more about how her abilities worked, she felt just a little more enlightened. She knew what was inside of her and, however disgusting it was, it was important that she learn to deal with it. And dealing with it meant that she needed to starting using her powers in order to gain control over them. She could not just sit around and wait for herself to get upset every time her abilities needed to work.
It was time to take the initiative and start to really she what she could do with her abilities. The fact that she got to work with an X-Man was only a perk. She hoped that she would not mess things up in front of whoever it was that would be helping her.
>> "What have I done this time?..."
Immediately the runaway perked up and turned away from her musings to see the person that would steer her destiny. The person who would show her the inner sanctums of this mansion. The X-man who would trust her with the secrets of whatever this “Danger Room” was. The boy who would…
Boy?
Agnes was shaken by her thoughts as she watched the scrawny, teenage boy walk into the room from apparently one of the mirrors. It looked so familiar as she looked at him and then realized who he was. He was the first mutant who greeted her here! The boy who stepped out of the mirror and wanted to make her slug him! Her eyebrow arched, she slowly made her way over, arms crossed over her chest and lips set into a look of confusion.
>> "You don't happen to have something for a headache, do you"
DocProf chuckled as he eyed Gawain up and down and shook his head. He knew immediately the ailment of the boy, considering how he looked. It could be nothing more than a hangover. “If I did, you wouldn’t learn your lesson, would you?” He smiled kindly before he nodded over his shoulder to Agnes. “No, you’re not in trouble, yet. In the meantime, I need you to escort our young Agnes here to the Danger Room and help her explore her abilities a bit further.”
“Waaaaaaait a second…” Agnes muttered as she glanced between DocProf and the boy whose name she could not quiet remember. “That…is the X-man?”
He looks more like an X-Boy she thought.
Agnes knew better than to judge people by how they looked. Labels were never something that she ever took much heed in, after all, anyone could surprise you and any number of ways. But this…kid had to be a joke. He was an X-Man? Agnes could only wait and see.
>>“If I did, you wouldn’t learn your lesson, would you? No, you’re not in trouble, yet. In the meantime, I need you to escort our young Agnes here to the Danger Room and help her explore her abilities a bit further.”
"I've learned that lesson a long time ago" Gawain answered with a smirk, before he finally noticed the other person in the room. It was the girl that the other girl brought in, the girl with the bugs. That was confirmed by the X-ray images. Whoa. Also, said girl (Agnes, right?) did not seem at all impressed to see Gawain. He ran his fingers through his messy hair, and tugged on his shirt further. Not because she was a girl oe anything. He was just trying to look like...
>>“Waaaaaaait a second… That…is the X-man?”
Gawain stopped with one hand in his hair, and chibified.
"Whut?" he blinked, staring at the girl "Whadday mean,'that'?!"
>> "Whut?" he blinked, staring at the girl "Whadday mean,'that'?!"
Agnes blinked for a second…then another…and another…Yeah the boy was still there! So apparent it was not a mistake, this WAS the X-Man that DocProf was talking about! Her very first day here at the mansion and she met a member of the X-Men and didn’t even realize it.
Well in all honesty, how could she? Look at the boy. He was rather scrawny and ill-fitted the idea of the valiant superhero that Agnes had built up in her mind from her secret comic book reading over the years. He definitely did not fit the usual concept of the hero. But…apparently her words were not lost on him. She could see from the offended look on his face that her words had struck him as rather harsh. In all honesty, who wouldn’t take those kinds of words to heart? She was sure it was like a slap in the face to him, especially if he really saw himself as a hero.
But still…him?
“Sorry,” she muttered with a shrug of her shoulders. “I just mean…well…you know…you don’t quite fit the mold. You look like you’re still battling the evil forces of acne rather than just evil.”
That last part she said very quietly and more to herself. Again, she did not mean to say it out loud and she prayed that the boy had not heard it. She had no idea where all this was coming from, but it was just spilling out of her now! She guessed that when someone meets their hero and they are not quite up to the imagination that they’ve built up, it tends to make one’s mouth rather loose.
She sighed as she gave him an apologetic look, as best as she could muster having been so thoroughly destructive.
“I-I’m really very sorry. I…I didn’t mean it.”
The twinkle in DocProf’s eyes and he merely chuckled and grinned as he glanced between the pair of them. He shook his head as he patted Gawain’s shoulder. “Oh don’t fret too much Agnes. I’m sure the boy is used to it by now. Still, wouldn’t hurt you to mind your manners around the X-Man who will be training you.” He then turned to Gawain and nodded to him. “So, how about taking this young lady to the lower levels and showing her around? She could sure use your help.”
Agnes nodded in agreement, though there was still a look of suspicion at the boy from out of the corner of her eye.
>>“Sorry, I just mean…well…you know…you don’t quite fit the mold. You look like you’re still battling the evil forces of acne rather than just evil.”
Gawain's left eye started to twitch. What the heck was this girl thinking? He was the first one to greet her in the Mansion, and as far as he could remember, he did not do anything to offend her like that. And even if he did, it was just plain cruel to say things like that.
>>“I-I’m really very sorry. I…I didn’t mean it.”
"Yeah." Gawain muttered. Not convinced, not impressed, not amused.
>>“Oh don’t fret too much Agnes. I’m sure the boy is used to it by now. Still, wouldn’t hurt you to mind your manners around the X-Man who will be training you.”
Good ol' DocProf (what was his real name again?). Gawain blinked, then a wicked grin slowly spread on his face, as one of the main rules of the Universe dawned upon him.
Never bite the hand that controls your DR session.
>>“So, how about taking this young lady to the lower levels and showing her around? She could sure use your help.”
"Sure" he nodded cheerfully, and turned to Agnes "C'mon, let's go."
Leading her down to the Danger Room in the basement, he was almost whistling with delight. Oh this is gonna be so much fun.
Agnes immediately began to feel bad about what she had just said. Yeah, most of it was true, but there was really no reason for her to say it out loud. That was not fair to the young man, who probably worked his butt off for the X-Men. She would definitely have to learn to be a bit more cautious about what she said around here. The last thing she wanted was to develop a cruel streak as one of those snobby girls that roam the halls, looking for the nearest person to make fun of. That was certainly not her and she did not want for this boy to feel like she was going to be a grade-A <add explicative here>.
She sighed as she nodded her head to DocProf’s comment that she should be nicer. She would be doing her best…it just really? He looked like a strong wind would knock him over! Then again…mutations could be surprising.
>> "Sure…C'mon, let's go."
Her brow arched, she meekly nodded. “Oookay…”
Was that a twinkle in his eye? Part of her was a little worried now that the boy was going to have some sort of revenge on her. Then again, if he did, she could always spew a copious amount of insects into his face. She hoped it would not come to that. She already had a bit of trouble once for accidentally doing that to Faye…she did not need that type of heat again.
Another look at the Doctor and before she knew it, she was following in line behind the X-man. Meekly she looked about, wondering where this “Danger Room” was and what to expect while in there. She remembered Sveta said something that it was a place where mutants could train to use their powers safely…was it pretty much just a padded cell with soft, foam walls? Again her imagination was running away from her.
She would be safe, right? Honestly…what was the worst he could do to her?
Gawain lead Agnes down into the basement. Opening the Danger Room door, she walked inside with her, not even glancing back to see her reaction.
"Computer, lights."
It was just so cool to do that. Gosh, I sound like Sam. I hope he's not around.
Lights flickered on, and the empty Danger Room becamevisible. Gawain finally turned to look at Agnes.
"This is the Danger Room. No one is allowed here without the superivison of someone on the X team. Training scenarios are programmed up there" he nodded "that's called the god room. Whoever's up there, controls everything."
He looked around again.
"There are pre-programmed training sessions that respond to verbal orders, just like I did with the lights. These are usually simple things for basic training." he turned back to lok at her again. "The room creates everything we need for the training. Like this. Computer, training mirror."
For the last order that he said loud and clear, a mirror appeared behind him, big enough for him to step in and out comfortably. Gawain smirked, and folded his arms.
"So, DocProf tells me you need to practice using your powers. First of all. Any questions?"
What, is this Star Trek, or something? she thought to herself. But before she could answer, lights suddenly filled the cavernous room.
Agnes was awestruck as she looked around the large, empty space that would be used for their training session. No wonder Sveta said this place was good for training with dangerous powers. All of this was simply awe-inspiring and far beyond anything that she could ever imagine! Who would have thought that underneath the school, there was a place like this? It was extraordinary and Agnes counted herself lucky to be here.
Then the boy began to ramble on about some rules for the place. She was not purposely ignoring him, it was just that she was still in wonder of the place she was in. It created things for their use, such as the mirror the boy demonstrated with. A thought fluttered into her head as she began to think about what else it could make: enemies? Target practice? How were all these things made and fixed for student use? The possibilities and their answers were mind boggling but she could not dwell on them for long. The boy interrupted with a question of his own…
>> "So, DocProf tells me you need to practice using your powers. First of all. Any questions?"
Shaken from her musings, Agnes turned to face him. She searched his face and she admit that she was cute. Immediately she further felt sorry about the comment she had just made earlier. That really was not fair of her. If there was one thing she learned living in the streets is to never judge a book by its cover, and she jumped to a pretty mean conclusion earlier. She hoped that at some point the boy could forgive her for what she had said. It was not fair and she knew that.
Meekly she shook her head that she had no questions, but instantly she paused, sighed and turned to look at him.
“Listen, I’m sorry. I really don’t want to waste your time. I just…I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here.” she said as she began to pace. “It is not like I can shoot fire from my eyes, or move water, or something! I don’t have a cool or destructive power to hone…I have a disgusting power.”
She began to get a little upset by that and she heard the buzzing in her chest. She touched her chest, the bug sacs were somewhere underneath the skin muscle and bone that she felt. The idea was disgusting but at least she knew now. Still…that did not make her feel all that much better. She cautioned another glance to the boy and decided to show him. Standing there, she stared at the empty space in front of her and then…just began to scream!
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”
She sounded like she was giving a tantrum but before she knew it, she got the effect she desired. She felt the surge, the crawling and she backed further away, there was no sense in them attacking Gawain. Slowly she opened her lips and from within came a surge, a black cloud of flies, wasps that fluttered about her head dangerously, and a mass of roaches crawling down her chin, neck and circled around her feet. Her swarm was ready to go onto the attack, but sensing nothing they instead decided to stay around her.
“See?” she muttered sadly. “How can you possibly train this?”
>>“Listen, I’m sorry. I really don’t want to waste your time. I just…I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here. It is not like I can shoot fire from my eyes, or move water, or something! I don’t have a cool or destructive power to hone…I have a disgusting power.”
Gawain sighed, ran his fingers through his hair again, and wondered if the girl had hearnd anything he'd just said. At all. She might have, because she apparently decided to give him a demonstration of her powers. Either she was that eager to start, or she was just trying to freak him out...
>>“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”
... it worked.
Gawain elegantly stepped back and merged into the mirror. Because he wanted to.
>>“See? How can you possibly train this?”
Blink. Blink. Gawain was trying to digest the fact that she just had a swarm of flies shooting out of her mouth. All right, so digest was maybe not the best choice of words...
"Well..." he shook his head "You could try it without the screaming, for starters. I thought ya were aimin' for a sound blast."
She certainly had good lungs. Filled with bugs, but still...
"Nobody said we're gonna train you for combat. That's a whole diff'rent level from where ya are. We're just supposed to help you get better control over... this." he said, watching the flies circle around.
"So, how much control do you have over them anyway?"
>> "Nobody said we're gonna train you for combat. That's a whole diff'rent level from where ya are. We're just supposed to help you get better control over... this…”
Agnes eyebrow arched again. A whole different level? Did he really just say that? She’s taken down guys twice his size with a firmly placed kick between the legs! Why, there were things she seen out in those alleys that would make most people shrivel up inside and she stormed through each and every one of them, not because she chose to, but because she HAD to. It was survival! And through each and every single one of those times, she was completely alone. It was only herself, her swarm, and a very cruel, cold world.
It almost as she heard some crazed, tribal music in her head that completely drowned out the world. Not in his league huh? She’d definitely show him a thing or two once given the chance. Maybe a well-placed knee to his sternum will make him see things a little differently!
>> So, how much control do you have over them anyway?"
She sighed as she attempted to calm herself down and try to get to his question. It was one she had to explain many times before and unfortunately, it was the same answer now.
“No, I don’t have really any control over them,” she said as she took a step back. Slowly she began to calm down, struggling to slow her breathing and calm her heart rate. As she did, the insects responded by flying closer to her. She hated to do this in front of him, but he might as well get the full demonstration. “Sorry” she said in advance.
She lowered her head and parted her lips. Almost instantaneously this grabbed the swarm’s attention and they all converged on her. It would be a stomach turning sight to those not used to it. Flies and wasps flooded towards her mouth, momentarily covered her face from view before it was shown that they were actually flying down her throat. This was followed by a mass of roaches that crawled up her body and climbed in as well. It was only a few seconds, but it had to be the most disturbing few seconds in the life of anyone watching.
Those piercing blue eyes remained closed as she accepted them back into their homes inside of her body. She could feel them until they were all gone from sight and remained hidden away, nestled in their little homes. One eye opened as she cautioned a look at Gawain and tried to steel herself up for his reaction. She did not know whether he would hurl or laugh at her, but she was sure it would not be good.
Then, before his lunch covered the floor, she began to explain.
“I can’t control them. When I get upset or angry, I feel a buzzing inside of my chest. That is them beginning to awaken. I have…seconds to calm down. Sometimes I manage it…more times than I’d like to admit…I don’t.” she said honestly. “Anyways, if I get upset and I can’t calm down, I can’t hold them back. They force their way out, irritated beyond belief and attack the first perceived threat. Usually it’s whatever is closest to me and moving. After I’ve calmed down and the threat is removed, they return and sleep again.” Her shoulders slumped as she shoved her hands in her pockets and casually strolled up to him once more. “It’s like…I’m some ‘living nest’ or something they are trying to protect.”
>>“No, I don’t have really any control over them. Sorry”
"Sorry for what?" Gawain blinked, confused. Was she really apologizing for not having control over her bugs? Man the girl needed to gain some confidence. "Ya don' need to be s... oh."
Gawain watched what must have been the weirdest thing he'd ever seen - and he had seen quite a few. It was a not a sight for a hung over morning when he hadn't even had time to get breakfast yet. By the time Agnes ws node swallowing the bugs, Gawain looked considerably green. But he'd never thrown up inside a mirror, and he sure was not gonna start it now.
>>“I can’t control them. When I get upset or angry, I feel a buzzing inside of my chest. That is them beginning to awaken. I have…seconds to calm down. Sometimes I manage it…more times than I’d like to admit…I don’t. Anyways, if I get upset and I can’t calm down, I can’t hold them back. They force their way out, irritated beyond belief and attack the first perceived threat. Usually it’s whatever is closest to me and moving. After I’ve calmed down and the threat is removed, they return and sleep again. It’s like…I’m some ‘living nest’ or something they are trying to protect.”
"Uh-huh..." Gawain muttered, trying to keep his lunch down. After a few deep breaths, he was ready to talk again. "All right, so. Seems to me there are a few things you could be workin' on. Like, letting them out on purpose... calling them back... controlling what they do..." he counted on his fingers "Choosing which ones come out..." he looked at Agnes "Which one seems the most doable to you?"
Oh boy, he thought. I'm gonna be watchin' her throwin' up roaches all day...
Agnes paused when she saw the green look in the X-Man’s face. Immediately she began to feel self-conscious about what she had just done. It was a little sad, but at the same time, what could she do? They were here in order to train and he could not help her hone her powers if he did not know how they worked. She could not really blame him. It must have indeed been a disgusting sight to watch a swarm of flies, wasps and roaches climbing in and out of her mouth and disappear inside her body. Still…he did look REALLY green. Wasn’t he supposed to be an X-Man? Weren’t they…you know supposed to have seen worse things than this?
Well that was something. She could at least say she made an X-Man sick.
>>"All right, so. Seems to me there are a few things you could be workin' on. Like, letting them out on purpose... calling them back... controlling what they do...Choosing which ones come out…Which one seems the most doable to you?"
Arms crossed over her chest, she seemed to be looking over Gawain as if he were actually serious? Was he really thinking she could do any of that? She just finished saying that she had no control over them. But she had to reel herself back. He was only trying to help, she had to remember that. And this was his first time really seeing her use her powers, so he could not be blamed for really not understanding them. How many opportunities did the boy really have with abilities like hers?
She sighed as she shook her head, “I-I really don’t know.” she mumbled in reply and that was the honest truth.
Of all those options, none of them really sound plausible for her to do. She has yet to ever really be able to control any of the swarm’s actions. Choosing which ones came out? That seemed extremely difficult, especially since she could not telling which of them were coming out at one time. Calling them back seemed okay, she had been practicing that by learning how to calm herself down. Letting them out on purpose…there was only one way to do that…
“Well…I…I guess letting them out on purpose and calling them back I can work on, I understand how that works,” she said with a nod. “Only way to get them out is if I’m threatened or upset. And calling them back, I either have to calm down or the threat needs to disappear. Those are really the only ways I can control them.”
As she said this, she looked the boy over again and saw that he seemed to be rather thoughtful about her powers. For a second, she really did feel like she was touched. He really was trying to help her out. A small flicker of an appreciative smile appeared on her face, but she quickly shooed it away as she walked up to him and uncrossed her arms from her chest.
>>“I-I really don’t know. Well…I…I guess letting them out on purpose and calling them back I can work on, I understand how that works. Only way to get them out is if I’m threatened or upset. And calling them back, I either have to calm down or the threat needs to disappear. Those are really the only ways I can control them. So…any ideas?”
"Well, that's a start" Gawain nodded, leaning against the frame of the mirror from the inside "I think we can work with that."
She seemed to have calmed down a bit; she was less nervous about her powers, and maybe she was willing to listen and try. gawain smiled a bit at Agnes to encourage her.
"All right. So the way I see it, there are two things you can practice to start with: lettin' them out without being upset, and keeping them in while ya're stressed." he smirked "I'm thinkin' it's more important to master the second right now, so you won' go around setting wasps on people when ya're pissed."
Grinning, he stepped out of the mirror, and it instantly disappeared.
"Let's give it a try. Computer, Self Defense scenario number four, setting: passive."
Lights dimmed as the Danger Room turned into a dark alley that could have been in any bad neighborhood in New York City. It was filled with garbage and discarded pieces of furniture. It was late night, judging from the fake sky, and everything seemed quiet.
"Here we go" Gawain nodded, smiling "There are a few scary things lurkin' around here now. You'll see and hear them, but they won't attack you until you attack first. In this case" he smirked "If you let the bugs out, you'll gonna get hit. And I mean, you're really gonna get hit."
Beaming at the girl, he waved. "Stay calm and ya'll gonna be fine. Good luck."
With that, he walked into the rflection in the nearest window, and he was gone.
>> Well, that's a start…I think we can work with that…All right. So the way I see it, there are two things you can practice to start with: lettin' them out without being upset, and keeping them in while ya're stressed…I'm thinkin' it's more important to master the second right now, so you won' go around setting wasps on people when ya're pissed."
Sheepishly Agnes looked away from him. She did not know if he already heard about her escapades earlier when she accidentally attacked a student for spraying bug spray at her. She would not say anything, after all, if he were an X-Man, he should already know these types of things ahead of time. It was now her job to keep him in the loop of everything that happened in the school.
But she had to commend him. He really did seem to know what he was doing. He picked out something that she knew she had to work on and seemed to already have a plan for it. Maybe there was hope for this guy after all.
She wondered if maybe this training exercise would consist of yoga or learning to make herself Zen for some length of time. She had seen shows on TV about people trying to channel their Chi and it really seemed to be one of those things that could help with stress. Maybe that is what she needed. Just a nice…long…breathing exercise…
>> "Let's give it a try. Computer, Self Defense scenario number four, setting: passive."
Self-defense? she thought. A look of confusion flashed across her face as she looked around and noticed that the whole scenario around her began to change.
It really was a miraculous sight to behold. Within the fraction of a moment, the whole room around her began to shift and alter itself like some giant hologram. Before she knew it, instead of the large, empty room that she had just been in, she now was staring at one of the many alleys that she used to frequent. It was an exact replica of the real thing: the trash, the smells, the puddles of unknown liquid clung to the very corners of the walls. All of it was just too surreal to take in at once.
Cautiously she reached over and attempted to touch the slimy brick wall, like one of the many she used to sleep against. For half a moment she thought that maybe her hand would just pass directly through it, but instead she felt it! That rough, hard surface of the brick, the gooey substance of whatever that material was that was caked onto its face…it was all there! Just like she remembered it.
She sighed a little, looking away from the wall and kicking over a very real feeling glass bottle that then began to roll across the floor.
>> "Here we go…There are a few scary things lurkin' around here now. You'll see and hear them, but they won't attack you until you attack first. In this case…If you let the bugs out, you'll gonna get hit. And I mean, you're really gonna get hit."
“What?”
>> "Stay calm and ya'll gonna be fine. Good luck."
“Hey! Wait a minute!” she screamed as she watched him disappear into a window. “You said no combat training!”
She growled as she lifted the window up and saw that it was just an empty, dusty, abandoned room inside. She closed the window again, narrowed her eyes and gave it an inappropriate gesture before she turned around and faced the alley. The alley itself did not scare her, she was used to these types of places, but the fact that she had to be in control of herself or she gets hit “hard” made her a little apprehensive. That was definitely news that she did not want to hear. But she had to deal with it.
“Second I get outta here, I’m gunna slug him,” she muttered to herself as meekly walked further into the alley.
At first she saw nothing of real interest. Just the usual alleyway stuff: trash, broken furniture, more trash, nothing really seemed to scream danger to her. Then…she heard the first shuffle. It was only a sound, like a foot dragging across the concrete. She wanted to pass it off that it was just her imagination…then she heard it again…and again…
Shuuuuuuuuffle…Shuuuuuuuuffle…Shuuuuuuuuuuuffle…
The sound drove her mad, mainly because she had no idea what it was. Part of her wanted to investigate just to satisfy her curiosity, but she knew better than that. That was the rule for living on the streets, you keep to your own. But she had to know. She kept following that sound, slowly moving through the alley until finally she came up into the street and spied the source…Zombies.
Zombies?! she thought to herself as she recoiled a little in horror.
There was a multitude of them in all sizes and shapes that seemed to be all converging around a single one dressed all in red. Agnes was horrified and of course that started the buzzing in her chest. Immediately she tried to close her eyes, to make the image stop, to calm down the swarm…but then she was thrown off guard. A music started to play, filtering in from some unknown location. This seemed to capture the attention of all rotting corpses as they all seemed to stand in formation. Agnes, of course, was confused…until…they began to dance!
Agnes watched opened mouthed as the living dead danced very energetically, twirling and spinning in perfect unison to the music. She did not know what was scarier about it…then she felt a hot breath on her ear. She spun…and there was one more zombie…obviously late who was attempting to join the dance-off, but managed to brush too close to the runaway.
