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.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on May 26, 2009 19:17:55 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,652
4
Dec 31, 2019 21:55:08 GMT -6
Jules
Three days. Three days since she’d slept more than fifteen to twenty minutes at a time. It was strange, it was paranoia, but Kealey knew that someone was watching her. She knew something else too. The only person who could be watching her was the man from the subway station, the man who had made it so very clear what he would do if he saw her do anything to give him away. Why had the man let her live? Kealey didn’t know, but it almost felt like it was some sort of sick game. Then again, maybe he’d had his laugh, tossed the ID, and she was making this entire thing up in her head.
Kealey put her hands on either side of her head, grimacing at the pain it caused to her eye. A look that morning in the mirror had confirmed that if anything it looked worse than it had before. Kealey had expected that, just based on the very nature of bruising, but the myriad of colors on human skin was almost shocking. A part of her wondered why she hadn’t just stayed at the Sanctuary and taken Venus up on his offer to take care of her problems. The other, much larger parts knew exactly why she hadn’t.
Kealey had almost doubled her time at work, wanting to stay away from her apartment as much as humanly possible since she’d ran into the assassin. It was to the point that her boss had sent her home today after finding her dozing in the library. Kealey had a feeling she was lucky that she was such a good worker, the manager had only told her to take the afternoon and get some rest. Not having anywhere else to go, Kealey had gone home and was now sitting on her couch, jumping at every sound and nodding off to sleep every now and then. Something clicked and Kealey jumped, eyes scanning the apartment almost frantically. The emotions from the surrounding apartments weren’t helping either. Someone was fighting, someone was sad, the baby was happy. Kealey felt pulled in a hundred different directions and sank back down onto the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them tightly. She needed to sleep…she needed to talk…she needed…
Kealey sighed and tilted her head back against her couch, eyes roaming to the card that was still stuck to her refrigerator with a magnet. She’d meant to call and apologize to Jacen…she really had, but then the subway had happened, and the sanctuary, and everything else. Now it had been so long…Kealey couldn’t concentrate hard enough to know exactly how long…but it was definitely too long.
Thinking about Jacen brought memories of what had happened to the front of Kealey’s mind and in spite of everything, she felt an embarrassed flush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. She needed help, though, and Jacen had said to call him anytime. No matter what had happened, he hadn’t retracted that statement, and as Kealey rose from her couch to grab the card she could only hope he’d listen.
Kealey wanted her chance to apologize, but as the phone rang she found herself hoping against hope that Jacen wouldn’t answer and she’d be able to talk to the voice mail. Fate was with her on this day and as soon as she heard the beep, Kealey spoke. Usually, she’d have been horrified by the exhausted and pleading tone in her voice, but today she didn’t even notice it.
”Jacen…hi…It’s uh Kealey…look, I’ve been trying to figure out what I could call and say to let you know how sorry I am about how things turned out… I can’t come up with anything good. All I can say is that I’m sorry I acted so childish and I hope that you can forgive me, because Jacen…something happened and I could really use a friend…please call me, even if it’s just to tell me to get lost.”
The phone beeped, and Kealey set it back in the cradle, making her way back to the couch to sit and wait. Maybe she’d even manage to doze for a while. It was easier when it was still daytime outside, monsters could hide in shadows, after all.
Sometimes a person really had to wonder if life was worth all of the crap that got shoved their way. Not only had Jacen just experienced the emotional equivalent of an ice pick being rammed into his chest but promotions at the NYPD had just been announced. Thanks to his actions during a certain restaurant hostage situation, he had been passed over for the Squad Leader position he'd been hoping for. Who cared if he had ignored protocols by not stepping back as soon as he realized that a friend of his was inside. They had gotten the job done and no civilians had been killed. What more could they really ask for? It was amazing but even here in the NYPD, bureaucrats still felt they had the right to question decisions made in the heat of battle. Who the hell did they think they were? Let them spend just ten minutes on the front lines and they'd most definitely be changing their tune!
Jacen stalked back into his house at right around two in the afternoon. He had been called in extra early because of a possible bomb threat against the city subway system which, although it had turned out to be a prank, had done nothing to improve his mood. He was actually a little bit later than usual returning from this particular shift since he had momentarily entertained two different temptations on his way home. On the one hand he could stop by a certain blond's house and see whether they could be shower buddies all over again or he could stop by the liquor store and get himself a couple extra bottles. Both of them would temporarily relieve the stress and frustration of the day but the consequences far outweighed the advantages.
Tossing his bag of equipment into the closet, Jacen walked across the room to head for the shower when he noticed the light flashing on his answers machine. "No Lori... you can't come over." He muttered to himself as he walked over and mashed down the play button.
”Jacen…hi…It’s uh Kealey…look, I’ve been trying to figure out what I could call and say to let you know how sorry I am about how things turned out… I can’t come up with anything good. All I can say is that I’m sorry I acted so childish and I hope that you can forgive me, because Jacen…something happened and I could really use a friend…please call me, even if it’s just to tell me to get lost.”
For a moment Jacen was frozen as he just stared at the answering machine. He had never in a million years expected to hear that voice again. After the way things had gone with Kealey he would have thought that he was the last person she would talk to but even in his own agitated state he could tell that something was wrong. Her voice had always been a mixture of strength and playfulness not the weariness and desperation that now tinged her voice. Something was wrong... something was very wrong. Turning, Jacen actually jogged into the bedroom. There was no way he could show up at her door in his work clothes but he could sure get through the clean up process quickly.
***
About half an hour later, neatly dressed in sneakers, jeans, black t-shirt, and teal and aqua colored over shirt that was left untucked and unbuttoned, Jacen was standing in front of Kealey's door. Lifting his hand he rapped firmly but not overly loud before venturing to call out to the young woman inside. "Kealey? It's Jacen. You in there?"
Through the course of a fast shower and change of clothes, Jacen's frustration had melted away to instead be replaced by concern for his friend. Kealey had deserved better than how he'd treated her before but there was no way that he could turn down a cry for help like this. As he stood waiting for her to come and open the door, he could feel the weight of his Glock 9mm pressing against the small of his back. He didn't expected that he'd need it for any sort of trouble that Kealey could get into but... well... better safe than sorry.
Work space was cheap. Perhaps it was the times but more than likely it was the general lack of use for an abandoned sweatshop. The sweaty man Roland had dealt with seemed relieved to have someone in it. He had lamented on how many potential tenants had quickly snapped their wallets shut when the history of the space was revealed. Roland had no interest in that sort of thing. It was a large, open space. It had five large windows pointing to the east. It was worth any price. He made sure to sweat the man a little to take the smallest amount of rent. Pocket change.
Now night had come and several cases were arranged on two tables. Roland stood in the room, enjoying the ambient light from the windows and from the HD screen of his laptop. Police records were hard to get into without greasing wheels in person. That meant a face to remember. Rockefeller had been more than enough face time for Roland's liking. He had seen another face though. A face which had something similar to Tyranny. A mercenary with such a trait was one thing, a cop with it was quite another. Media searches of social engagements sponsored by the NYPD was almost as good as a ruffle through file cabinets. Jacen King.
It was something to chew over for a bit. Tonight was a more intimate meeting. One of the cases opened as parts of the sniper rifle began to leave the foam they were impressed in, reappearing in a sequential fashion. The gun assembled itself from the stock to the barrel in Roland's hand. He had felt that he was too lax on the interfering Irish lass. Now that his true quarry had been taken care of, he could return for this tasty little morsel. Personal hits were always so satisfying, even more so than a large bundle of money. The stand appeared on the windowsill as the gun rested in it. As Roland sat, a stool appeared beneath him. A small remote came from his pocket and he started the CD in the small player behind him. Creedence Clearwater Revival began belting out about a bad moon rising. It certainly was for Kealey Quinn, whose antics in her apartment were amusing enough to keep Roland from immediately squeezing the trigger.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on May 27, 2009 11:24:57 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,652
4
Dec 31, 2019 21:55:08 GMT -6
Jules
Light sleep was almost as bad as no sleep at all and as time passed and the phone didn’t ring, Kealey found it harder and harder to even doze. She got up and moved around the apartment, still unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching her as she made herself something to eat then returned to the couch to try and read a book. One of the ones that Shin had suggested to her at the little bookshop she’d stumbled upon in the previous days. That had been such a nice encounter, and it seemed so distant. Now all the emotions swirling around her in the apartment and the complete weariness of the past days seemed to be crashing down on her all at once. She shook her head and tried to focus on the page.
Kealey was so tired that she couldn’t concentrate on the words written on the page and as she sat there, her head bobbed slowly as she drifted off to sleep, the book slipping from her fingers and hitting the floor with a solid thud. At the noise, Kealey was off the couch and on her feet more quickly than she would have thought possible. The sudden rise set her head to spinning and Kealey dropped back down onto the cushions of the couch, dropping her head into her hands and groaning slightly at the floor. Why couldn’t she just sleep?
The phone still wasn’t ringing and Kealey decided that tomorrow she was going back to the sanctuary. Venus had said that they’d have a room for her if she wanted it, and he’d even given her his number. Kealey frowned at that particular memory too, she’d have to be careful to avoid being alone with that one. It was late afternoon, and Kealey leaned down, picking the book up off the floor and dusting off the cover. She hadn’t started with the anthology, the idea of reading about an empathy hadn’t appealed to her. Kealey looked up and around the apartment at the slightly haphazard stacks of books tottering here and there as if ready to tip over at a moment’s notice. Shin had said all the books were good, and Kealey was usually a fast reader, she’d get through them.
The book back in her hands, Kealey took a deep breath and opened once more to the page she’d been reading. Again, after just a few moments her head started to bobb as her eyes slipped shut and the words on the pages blurred. Again, the book slid from Kealey’s grasp, but this time it landed silently in the space between her lap and the side of the couch. Kealey dozed. She dozed until a pounding at the door had her scrambling off the couch, tripping on the leg of the coffee table she’d bought at the pawn shop downstairs. Someone called out and it took Kealey’s sleep deprived brain a moment to register that it was Jacen.
Relief surged through the blond at the familiar voice and she tugged at the loose cardigan she’d pulled on over the camisole and sweats she’d put on when she’d gotten home from work. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and pieces were floating everywhere. God only knew what she’d have to explain about her face, but Kealey didn’t care, not at all. Not only had Jacen responded to her phone call, he’d actually showed up. Kealey supposed that’s what that whole ‘friend in need’ line was about. She walked towards the door and sighed audibly with relief as she came within the field that Jacen was constantly emitting. She’d nearly forgotten again what it was like to feel that complete calm silence that was nothing but her own emotion.
At the door, Kealey unhooked the chain and turned the deadbolt, realizing as she focused on her own feelings how tense and exhausted she was and how glad she was that Jacen had responded so favorably to her phone call. She opened the door and there he stood, looking slightly anxious if Kealey was correct. So her phone call had rattled him. Suddenly, Kealey felt embarrassed and awkward. Giving a cowardly apology to an answering machine was one thing, standing and facing the person you’d wronged was another completely.
”Hi…” she said lamely, eyes cast down at the floor as she hovered in the doorway of the apartment. ”I guess you got my message…does this mean I’m off the hook? If so…come on in. Have I got an earful for you.”
It was taking to long. It was taking much to long for Kealey to get over to the door. "Maybe she's not at home." Jacen thought for a moment before immediately tossing that idea out. If her request had really been as urgent and needy as it sounded on the phone then she would be here. Finally he heard a muffled sigh before finally the rattling of the security chain and the click of the deadbolt could be heard. When the door opened, Jacen's eyes took in Kealey's somewhat tousled look without comment. From the fly away hair it appeared she'd been sleeping although the slight shadows around her eyes gave testament to the fact that she hadn't been sleeping very well. But worse than all of that was the obviously partially healed bruise that surrounded one of Kealey's beautiful blue eyes.
For a moment there was the overwhelming urge to wrap the young woman up in a hug but with their relationship definitely in the questioning stage, Jacen decided against it. "Alright... tell me where the tea or coffee is. You look like you could use something." He said after a moments hesitation. Slowly moving forward he walked past Kealey and entered the sparse apartment. Immediately his eyes were sweeping the room, making sure that nothing was particularly out of place that would make things seem more dangerous than they really were.
Once the front door was closed and they were more in the kitchen, Jacen kept a watch on Kealey out of the corner of his eyes. "Does your story include what happened to your eye?" He asked quietly, his tone concerned but with a slightly dangerous edge to it, "Did someone hurt you?"
Every time Kealey's head bobbed in the sleepy haze she was in, a red light waited on the couch behind her head. It would jump back on once she straightened herself. Roland didn't worry much over the layout of the place, as he had already been there before. He had taken careful care to remove all of the blinds, leaving only curtains to block the view of his target. Now he watched the sleepy princess, the red light of finality floating over her skull.
It was almost time for her to sleep eternally. Roland even had half the heart to squeeze the trigger as she dozed off. She was an ignorant witness, nothing more. No reason to end her life painfully. His indecision opened the door for a different opportunity. One that was much more savory in its appearance and delight. He noticed the shadow of feet at the door. No doubt her cavalry, arriving at the summons via answering machine. Roland slipped his earbud in and turned it on, receiving the signal from the triangulated bugs in her apartment.
Jacen King again. Now he could do some more experimenting with his hypothesis concerning the tactical officer. His phone appeared nearby, should he require a lab assitant. For now, all was well. The two of them seemed to have some sort of history. The way they imteracted with each other was all too familiar. An extra budding romance to sweeten the deal? Down on the corner, out in the street, where the poor boys are playin, grab a nickel and tap your feet! Roland's foot tapped along with the music, his scope following the paranoid pair as they had their final words with each other.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on May 27, 2009 19:23:49 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,652
4
Dec 31, 2019 21:55:08 GMT -6
Jules
Jacen didn’t respond immediately when Kealey spoke and she wondered silently if he really had come by just to tell her off as she’d suggested in her message. Then he was saying that it looked like she needed coffee or tea and moving past her, into the apartment. Kealey’s shoulders sagged slightly in relief, he wanted to help her. As Jacen made his way to the kitchen, Kealey shut and locked the door again. She usually didn’t take the time to do up the chain, but it made her feel that much better these days, so she went through the motions until the door was as secure as she could make it.
Into the kitchen they went, and despite the fact that it was something of a tight squeeze, Kealey managed to point out exactly which cabinets the proper materials for coffee were in. As Jacen moved around, Kealey wrapped her cardigan around her tighter and crossed her arms over her stomach, ”Though…I think caffeine is the last thing I need. I haven’t sleep more than a couple hours in the last three days..” She was getting ahead of herself, and Jacen’s next comment brought her back to the present. He wanted to know about her eye, of course he did. Kealey felt the blood rush to her cheeks at the tone of his voice and she shrugged her shoulders, even if he wouldn’t be able to see it from his vantage point.
”It does…” she said slowly, still somehow terrified that the mere mention of the incident would somehow alert the man who had threatened her. Jacen wanted to know if someone had hurt her and Kealey opened her mouth to tell him the same lie she’d told everyone else, then shut her mouth and stared at the tiled floor of her kitchen. She couldn’t do it. One hand reached subconsciously up towards the bruise on her face, the stitches in her forehead were supposed to come out soon. Kealey made a mental note to call the number Garrett had given her the next day to find out exactly when.
”Yes…someone did…” she said, her voice coming out softer and much more strained than she would have expected. It was hard to talk about it, harder than she would have expected and Kealey just could not shake that feeling that someone was watching. She looked around her apartment for what seemed like the millionth time that day and shook her head. She and Jacen were the only ones there. ”I’m so scared…and so tired, ” she settled on, finally, ”That’s why I called…and I hate to bother you with this…because it’s my own stupid fault. I helped someone though…” Bits and pieces of the truth were coming out now, and Kealey started to shake slightly at the memory of the cold white light in the subway and the dirty floor. The cold fury in the assassin’s eyes and the relief as his target backed into the train.
”He took my ID, Jacen…” she said, looking up finally and meeting Jacen’s eyes, her own welling up slightly as the truth came at least partially out for the first time since that night in the subway, ”and I can’t stop thinking that he’s watching.”
Looking at the material for coffee, Jacen paused as he tried to decide what to do. Kealey had just confirmed that she hadn't been sleeping well which meant that coffee was definitely not the best option. Closing the cabinet Jacen began to go through the rest of the cupboards as he listened to the blond woman try to explain the situation. Surely she must have some tea bags, hot chocolate packages, or even packages of jello around. While the last option might not sound the best, the police officer could remember his parents giving him hot jello liquid whenever he had been sick as a child.
It made sense that whatever trouble Kealey was in had come because of her own good nature. In fact it was the only thing that made sense. It was impossible to imagine her doing something that would hurt or offend another person. Suddenly his hand froze and his back stiffened as the implications of Kealey's last words struck him. Taking her identification would mean that this creep knew her address. No wonder she wasn't sleeping well!
"It's not your fault Kealey." Jacen said quietly as he turned his head so that he was looking directly into the young woman's eyes. Giving up the hunt in the cabinets, Jacen turned and walked over Kealey, slipping his arms around her for the most comforting hug he could provide at this moment. "And you should never worry about bothering me. It's what friends are for."
While Jacen did his best to keep his voice calm and comforting, he was once again looking over Kealey's head and sweeping his gaze around the room. Was anything different? Was there something that should be tipping him off? Silently swearing to himself, Jacen wished he had paid more attention to the apartment the last time he'd been here instead of the beautiful woman that he once again found in his arms.
"Is it just a feeling that you're being watched or have you seen, heard, or sensed something?" Jacen asked, his voice dropping slightly in volume, "It might be your subconscious is trying to warn you of something even though your conscious mind doesn't want to accept it."
Maybe Kealey was just over reacting because she was scared. Maybe the emotion of the situation had been to much for her to handle but Jacen doubted that was the case. Kealey had proven that she had plenty of mental strength so if she was this distraught about something, it was for good cause. Somewhere outside of this room there was a man that had decided it was worth it for him to hit a woman. That was going to turn out to be a very bad decision if Jacen had anything to say about it.
Roland switched the audio to his laptop speakers, so the friends' voices could reverberate through the large open spaces of the factory loft. His vision panned around to the three other large cases in the room. He walked across the room, listening idly to the chatter as if it were an old radio soap opera from the fifties. His gloved hands switched the large box that turned on the three large fluorescent tubes. They hummed,crackled, and popped to life, bathing the room in a sterile grayish tone.
The remote appeared, the track switching on the glorious CCR. Now came the heavy, drugged chords of I Put A Spell On You as Roland had the three cases before him. His hands flourished as the cases opened and their contents began to find themselves in place along the east wall of the factory. Large stands found their place first, large bolts lying in wait against the cool concrete. A large pneumatic bolt gun appeared in his hand as he secured the stands to the floor. Next came a series of links and tracks. Roland set to assembling them as he had done time and time before earlier in the day. With practice, this setup became fluid and effortless.
The sniper rifle's clips disappeared as a large box feeder appeared on its side. Roland was overseeing the construction of the delicate machinery that would move the chassis along the conveyor. Outside of Fogerty's amazing voice, there was only the orderly clicking and snapping of practiced pieces, finding their marks for the production about to begin.Rifle joined chassis and chassis joined conveyor. Roland was configuring the data on his laptop, feeding the audio from the bugs into a a larger audio/visual device inside a larger briefcase.
Opening the new case, Roland configured for the range and general lighting effects for auto-shading. The damsel in distress and her knight in shining Kevlar came into high definition on the screen. Roland grinned widely, turning the volume up on the song a bit. He was perhaps fifteen feet away from the conveyor track and the gun. With a few slight movements of a touch sensitive mouse pad, the rifle moved the distance of the wall, the image of the apartment crystal clear as the gun moved from window to window. The laser attachment turned on and off briefly, test flashed on the outer wall, so as not to interrupt the subjects. He took a seat and adjusted his new toy.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on May 28, 2009 22:23:55 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,652
4
Dec 31, 2019 21:55:08 GMT -6
Jules
Jacen said it wasn’t her fault. That’s what everyone kept telling her. Then again, none of them knew the whole story. None of them knew that she’d knowingly walked into a situation that had already been going to be fatal for someone. She shook her head, ”I knew Jacen…I felt it the second I walked down the stairs in the subway. I’ve never felt anything like it…” she shuddered at the memory of pure malice mixed with amusement at the grim job the man had been performing that night in the subway. Jacen turned and walked towards her and the next thing Kealey knew, she’d been enveloped in a hug. She stiffened for a moment, startled by the contact, then forgot to feel awkward and took the comfort where it was given. It was nice to have a friend. Leaning her head against Jacen’s chest, Kealey closed her eyes and tried to think as he asked her if there was anything she’d missed. Nothing came to mind immediately and she sighed in frustration, ”I don’t know…” she said, shaking her head,
”I’ve tried to stay away from here as much as possible. I was lucky that night; a good Samaritan was getting off the train and helped me. Did you know that there was a whole shelter for mutants in the city? Garrett took me back there and fixed me up. I thought about staying there…but how could I when I have a perfectly good place to live right here…besides, Elle was there and she thought she’d do me some sort of favor by putting me in this room…it had the biggest bed you’ve ever seen Jacen…but then after we fell asleep…she left, and it turned out it wasn’t her room at all…it belonged to Venus and would you believe it…he was red as sin itself…and he had a tail…”
She was rambling and as soon as Kealey realized it, she sighed, that wasn’t helping matters at all. She closed her eyes once more and concentrated, trying to pull out the details of her little apartment and match them against the way it had always been.
Pulling back and out of Jacen’s arms, Kealey frowned, walking around the cabinets and looking around her apartment. All the books were there still, stacked exactly where she’d piled them a few days before. Something was different though, it had to be. Kealey had never been the paranoid type, Jacen was right. There had to be something different. Kealey’s eyes roamed, over the couch, the shelf that held the only picture she had of her family, the small desk by her bed, she shook her head. There was nothing, nothing that she could see that was any different. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, sighing when it snagged.
Pulling the rubber band from her ponytail, Kealey shook her hair out and stared at the wall, pulling her hair back up with her fingers. When she finished, she turned back to Jacen and shook her head, ”I can’t think of a single thing that’s different from the day I moved it…I’m probably making all of this up in my head.” her shoulders sagged and Kealey made her way back to the kitchen, completely unaware of the assembly occurring in the building across the alleyway.
Once there, she leaned against the cabinets, arms crossed in front of her again and looked up at Jacen, ”I just don’t know what to do…he said if I talked to the police…he’d kill me…and it’s all I can think about.” Kealey sighed and grabbed her pony tail, tugging on the end as she looked across her tiny kitchen.
”Listen to me…” she said, shaking her head then pressing the palm of her hand against the uninjured side of her forehead and squeezing her eyes closed, ”I’m turning into a real pro at messing up every situation I get myself into…” she dropped her hand and looked up, ”Thank you for coming…when the phone didn’t ring I thought….I don’t know what I thought, but I’m glad you came.”
Kealey was a mess, her words and actions were disjointed from the stress and exhaustion of the past few days and being by Jacen, feeling every bit of it as her own, Kealey was glad she had someone she could trust, even with this.
The idea of a sniper sitting across the street and looking in Kealey's window had yet to cross Jacen's mind. There was no reason to think anything like that. As far as he knew that man Kealey had met was just a typical street thug that would choose the violence of kicking in a door over the finesse of using a sniper rifle.
"You made a choice to help someone you didn't know when you knew they needed it." Jacen said quietly as Kealey rested her head against his chest, "It was a brave choice." It was also a stupid choice but Jacen wasn't going to say that. Kealey had already realized her mistake so there was absolutely no reason to beat her over the head with it. Perhaps if she'd had some sort of combat training then her decision wouldn't have been as foolish but obviously that wasn't the case.
Garrett, Elle, Venus, three names that for the most part meant little. With Kealey talking about a shelter in the same sentence as the name Garrett, it was more than likely that she meant the Sanctuary. Elle was the girl friend that had taken Kealey out for drinks and Venus. "Are you sure his name was Venus and not Mars?" Jacen asked, unable to help himself. The description fit the big red man that had been with Lori but the name didn't. Could it be the same person using different names ? Of course, since both of them used the names of planets it was quite possible they were brothers or something along those lines. Oh, that would make it even better. The girl Jacen had chosen was stolen away by a big red guy and then the girl he had hurt by not choosing had been prey for someone just like that. Had they slept together? Had Kealey's first true experience been with someone like that? It was difficult to push down the jealousy that threatened to rise up in his heart but as Kealey stepped away to look around the room Jacen did just that. Kealey wasn't his girl anymore than Lori had been but at least with Kealey there hadn't been any deception... at least not on her part.
The exhaustion was becoming more and more pronounced as Kealey seemed to be almost aimlessly wandering the apartment. Her shoulders appeared slumped and her eyes continued to broadcast the weariness she was obviously feeling.
"I told you to call me anytime Kealey and that offer didn't change because of my own stupidity." Jacen said quietly as he walked over to the young woman and gently gripped her arms, turning her so that she would be facing the counter with her back to him. Lifting his hands he began to gently massage her shoulders, working to take out any of the kinks that had begun to form from all of her stressing.
"Thanks for trusting me enough to call." Jacen said after a few moments as he decided to drop the subject of Kealey's attacker until her mind was a little more clear, "I... I honestly wasn't expecting to hear from you again. I was pretty sure I'd blown that particular bridge into splinters."
It was all so touching. Could they know that they were saying their final goodbyes to each other? Roland calibrated the mouse pad with the rifle's movements as he observed the pair. There was definitely more involved here than casual friendship. An old flame? A scorned lover renewed? It was enough to make Roland misty. A repetitive jerking sound, of hydraulics, came noisily from one end of the conveyor. The gun had turned in a specific direction that had caused one of the pneumatic pistons to fail. Roland set himself to task as he listened on.
The Sanctuary, was it? That had been where Miss Quinn had gotten off to. Roland had returned to snuff her light out but she was gone. Who was this Garrett? He had only ever seen Miss Duskmoor. That was more than enough for him.Elle. Venus. Big,red, and a tail. These were definitely characters he hadn't laid eyes on. He would have to make a serious effort to visit the Sanctuary again properly, get in deeper. There were obviously many things inside that might serve his purposes.
With the gun and chassis back on track, Roland returned to the table and had a seat. The two were becoming more intimate, it seemed. He was probably doing the world a favor, saving it from the dreadfully boring offspring these two no-names would spawn. As lovely and precious as the scene was, it was time for the curtain call. With a flip of a switch, the HUD on the A/V interface went red as the gun was live and off safety. The laser light hummed to life, the beam piercing the space between it and Kealey's head. He suspected Jacen would see the light there. If Miss Kealey turned, the spot would remain shining brightly on her forehead or wherever applicable.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on May 29, 2009 23:05:18 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,652
4
Dec 31, 2019 21:55:08 GMT -6
Jules
Kealey looked at Jacen with brows raised…it was fortunate both of them were working again, otherwise that look would have been impossible. ”It was a stupid thing to do, and we both know it.” she said with a ghost of a smile, ”Thank you for being benevolent and not rubbing it in though.” there was no point in hiding it, after all, but Jacen had been very kind, and tried to make her feel better.
Jacen reacted strangely to Kealey’s rambling description of her trip to the Sanctuary and she shook her head slowly, ”We spoke at some length. I’m positive his name was Venus. He did mention having a brother though…I could ask Elle if you want, apparently they’re an item of some sort.“ Kealey paused and shook her head again, ”Though I’ve got another thing or two to say to that one when I see her again. She seemed to think the best way to make me feel better about the whole situation was to wrap me up like a present for what had to be the lustiest male on the face of the whole wide Earth. Luckily, he was more of a gentleman than our initial encounter suggested and he kept his hands to himself.” Mentioning that night made Kealey remember something else…a dream she’d had that night when Venus first approached her. Kealey had nearly forgotten about it, until she looked over at Jacen….oh lord in heaven above…
Instantly, color flooded the blonde’s cheeks and her eyes darted anywhere that wasn’t looking at him. How could she possibly look at him after that dream. And then it got worse, Jacen closed the distance between them and grasped her arms, turning her around and proceeding to rub her shoulders. Kealey almost ran away, but it felt so good. Hadn’t Jacen said at some point that this was one of his particular talents? He was right. It was embarrassing to remember that dream while this was happening, but Kealey simply concentrated on the words Jacen was saying and how much more relaxed she suddenly felt while he was doing that and did everything she could to forget about that dream.
Jacen felt bad about what had happened? That made Kealey feel a little bit better about things, but she shook her head and frowned at her counter top, tilting her head to the side as the tension of the last days melted out of her shoulders. Jacen…” Kealey said, then paused, trying to arrange the words before they came from her mouth, ”All of…that was as much if not more my fault than yours. I treated you very poorly for doing the right thing.”
He said he was glad that she trusted him with this, and Kealey turned in the close quarters to look up at him, not noticing the laser sight training itself somewhere slightly to the left of the yellowing bruise on her forehead. ”I’m glad you still wanted to be my friend after all those horrible things my foolish Irish temper said.”
A brother? Could Venus and Mars be brothers? Kealey had just described Venus as being extremely lusty so perhaps his brother fell into that same category. Maybe Mars was even playing with Lori's emotions and seeing this girl Elle at the same time unless... what if Elle and Lori were one and the same? Lori had given Jacen a false name to begin with so why wouldn't she give Kealey one?
"Sounds like Elle might not be quite as good a friend as we first thought." Jacen said quietly as he continued to massage and work at the knots that made their residence in Kealey's neck and back. Was it possible? Could Kealey's "friend" be the same woman that had actually made Jacen choose her instead of the innocent young woman in front of him.
Lost in though while focusing on Kealey's neck and shoulders, Jacen momentarily missed the laser light that had appeared on the back of his head. Only when she turned around to face his did his gaze travel back up to her face before his eyes suddenly widened in shock. Most normal people would have probably assume that the light was coming from a mini-pointer that a child was playing with but Jacen's military trained mind immediately tossed that option out the window. The light was remaining to fixed and steady to be a toy which meant...
"Get down!" The man yelled, as he suddenly grabbed Kealey's shoulders and went into a dive, pulling her tight against his chest and rolling so that he landed on his back and took the brunt of the contact with the floor. The idea was to get behind the cabinets and pray that they would provide enough cover from whatever weapon it was that the attacker was carrying.
"Sniper... you ticked off more than just some street punk." Jacen said quickly even as his hand darted for his back and grab the Glock he had brought for defense, "I've got to get you out of here!"
They were rollin, rollin. Not on the river, but on the kitchen floor it appeared. Roland moved the gun every direction he could but couldn't seem to get a fix on their location. No bother, he thought to himself as he zoomed in on the cabinets in the kitchen. If they chose to stay on the floor, he would give them something to play with while they were down there. There was no doubt glassware galore, itching to come out of the dark recesses of the cabinet and join the fun.
The windows of the factory hadn't been opened in years, more than likely. Firing through them could give Roland's location away. Hopefully, the shards about to rain down on Quinn and King's heads would keep them occupied enough. Three shots came from the muzzle of the retrofitted sniper, then 4 more in succession. The first three easily blew through the cheap cabinets, ensuring their contents rained down on the two in the kitchen, keeping them in a spot. The first shot also blew the glass out of the far window.
The four remaining shots took each window in succession out down the line. They were also targeted at several items on the way. Smoke alarm, television, answering machine and then one back at the kitchen. Probably wouldn't hit anything, but it might keep them in their little spot. Roland was already attaching a lap desk with straps over his shoulders and preparing the case for moving. He expected to meet the two before long.
