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 Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
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.
Rhett was standing in a toy store. It looked odd that was for sure. A grown man well into his forties staring at action figure packages in an isle. Hmm...The Undertaker. Creepy little fucker. He thought staring at the packaging of a wrestling action figure toy. There were a lot of different ones to choose from. Wrestlers, G.I Joes, teddy bears and Barbie dolls, it was like going Christmas shopping. Rhett ripped open The Undertaker's packaging and set him on the floor.
Smiling he pulled out a cigar in the store and lit it up. Looking down at the tiny little wrestler dude he blew out a cloud of smoke. "Well. Ain't ya gonna get your friends?" He asked rather amused. Rhett didn't need to actually speak out loud for his telepathic commands to be followed, but he was a fan of theatrics. With a single thought The Undertaker started walking down the isle. He walked at a slow pace dramatic and theatrical for the tiny plastic toy. The Undertaker was wearing a long black trench coat and a big hat. He walked down the gigantic isle as if he owned it.
Rhett took another puff of his cigar an blew out the smoke with a big grin on his face. It's about to get fun in here. He thought with the grin growing wider. Rhett watched as The Undertaker stood in the center of the toy isle. Giving a look back to Rhett almost as if asking permission, Rhett gave the go ahead with a slight nod of his head. "Rise my brothers! Do your master's bidding!" The Undertaker action figure said. He wasn't really speaking. It was Rhett's subconscious thoughts emanating from the toy, but the voice was only in Rhett's head. Rhett thought the action figure was speaking, though in reality he was the only one that could hear it. Rhett was getting a kick out of this. He watched as all the toys in the isle came to life. Or at least all of the smaller ones.
Rhett watched the other wrestlers rip out of their packages and hop to the floor. Rhett watched horror movie icons Dracula, Frankenstein, The wolfman, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Kruger action figures all coming to life before his very eyes. Well, cheaper than hiring thugs. HAHAHAHAHA! He thought. Just then some woman walked by and stared slack jawed at the toys animating before her. Rhett turned to her and took his cigar out of his mouth. "Batteries included." Rhett said sarcastically. She ran off screaming. Apparently not buying his weak excuse.
Rhett watched as Barbie dolls and action figures starting falling into lines. Neat little columns and rows of soldiers for his toy army. Rhett was controlling all of them. Telepathically giving them a single command. Free yourselves and follow. "Try to keep up you little plastic jerkoffs." Rhett turned and started to walking out of the store. Following him out were hundreds of action figures and Barbie dolls, a few teddy bears and a ventriloquist dummy that had a few scuffs and chipped paint. He was returned to the store, but not before going home with some abusive neglectful toy owners. Rhett was heading right out of the store with his new soldiers; turning heads and inciting people to scream in horror and confusion along the way. He lead them to the front of the store like the pie freaking piper!
Toy stores were not exactly places Jayden tended to spend much time in nor was she entirely comfortable within. Even as a child, she grew up too poor to be able to afford toys that were new. Any toys she might have acquired as a kid were either stolen, gotten second hand or, on very rare occasions, gifted. Toy stores were supposed to be places of innocence and wonder, but for her they were touched with the bitterness of a home lacking in both finances and love.
She wasn't going to the toystore for herself, however. Recently returned to the city, Jayden had only just begun to settle herself back in. Her first course of action had been to find shelter, a squat in an abandoned apartment building that a fellow mutant had offered her to stay in. Second step had been to return to Sanctuary, apologize for her unexpected departure and start her work helping mutants again. When she'd left, she had just been starting to find her purpose and her dying mother had almost ruined that for her. Almost.
On her second day back at Sanctuary, Jayden had met a young girl who, after having sprouted a pair of gossamer wings, was exiled from her home by her bigoted parents. It was a story that struck close to home and while there was little she could do about the hatred in the young girl's life, she could at least offer her something soft to cuddle.
First, money was needed and with her skills as a thief, that was easily come by. Late the previous night, a mugging from a shadow in the darkness got her $50, enough for some food for the day and a gift. In the daylight, she found herself entering a store with more trepidation than she really cared to admit. A first glance around and everything looked about what she expected a toy store to look like. A second glance around noted things were definitely not normal and by not normal, she clearly meant the action figures that were moving around and doing things that action figures were simply not supposed to do. Not on their own, at any rate.
For several minutes Jayden stood and watched the strange little figures and the man standing there talking to him. Probably a mutant. She didn't' bother to hide her own ever-present black cat-claws. They were a choice to be proud of her heritage and not hide behind a human facade. "I don't think you're supposed to take those," Jayden spoke, sarcasm heavy in her voice as he moved to walk out the door with his army of action figures. Not that she cared if he wanted to steal a bunch of toys; she was a thief herself and did what she had to survive. Mostly, she just wanted to see how he'd react.
Rhett moved with a cocky confident swagger. There was a slight swish sound as he walked. The material of his pants rubbing his legs. The sound of his dusty old cowboy boots clicking on the tile floor. Each step sounding more confident than the last. Rhett could hear whispers; and screams but he didn't care. He knew he was putting on a show. That was kind of the point.
When he got to the front door he walked past a woman who actually spoke to him. Most were going out of their way to avoid him. This woman through a lightweight jab at him. Hmm.. He thought as his eyes instinctively danced over her. He was a pig, but that wasn't his fault. He blamed his upbringing. She's a mutant. He could tell by the claws and it didn't seem like she really cared that they were out for the world to see. Good for her.
The cigar was still sitting in the corner of his mouth. Rhett took it out of his mouth and smiled. "Oh, you got me all wrong doll. I'm not taking them. You see. I'm the head of the laborer's union and these are the toy store employees. We're on strike until Jeb's Toybox (The name of the store) meets our demands. We want smaller counters and shelves for easier access, we want more imaginary tea and cookies for their breaks in the break room. And.... Dental. Dental is important. HAHAHAHA."
Anyone with two eyes might deduce that Rhett was crazier than a shithouse rat, but he had a flare for presentation and style. He seemed like a fun guy to be around even if he gave you the creeps. He just lived life to the absolute fullest. He wasn't about mutant pride, or human mutant equality. He didn't give a crap about that. All he cared about was having a good time and making sure that life was never boring.
Rhett took a quick puff of his cigar as the toys continued to march out the door. He was still telepathically moving them in single file line out the door. He was doing this while he talked to the young mutant before him. Looking down a bit he shifted his weight on his back foot. Leaning on the door frame of the automatic doors. Rhett watched his toy army moving over to his Dodge Charger in the parking lot. He watched as they started stacking themselves on top of one another. His telepathic commands such a trival matter that he didn't really even have to think about it anymore. His subconscious thought was always in control. The back of his mind telling his toys what to do.
Rhett watched as they reached the door handle and opened the car. Rhett looked back at the young mutant. Outside his new toys found the latch to pop the trunk and were now following orders to climb into the trunk. Rhett stared at the young mutant now really looking at her. He wasn't joking or making some smart ass comment now. Now he was being serious. Giving her the best advice he could. "Don't ever let someone in this life tell you no. World's bad enough for us mutants without bending to the will of others." He wasn't sure why he was being nice. Rhett generally didn't care about people, but mutants were different. People sucked, mutants were more tolerable.
Rhett looked over at a baby doll that was soft and beautiful. The porcelain doll stood up upon his wishes and walked over to where they stood in the door way. Rhett was smiling as the doll walked up to the female mutant. The doll hugged the girl's leg and reached for the pull string on it's back. Pulling the cord it said "Mama!" before going back to a full embrace on the mutant's leg. "Enjoy life. Have fun with it." Rhett said before turning and stepping outside.
Outside the last of his toys were crawling into the trunk as he started getting ready to leave. "Alright! Get in there, get in there. We got work to do!" He shouted with a hint of laughter in his voice. Rhett climbed into the passenger's seat of the car and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. Behind the wheel was a creepy non moving mannequin. Then suddenly the mannequin turned the ignition over pulled the car up to the toy store. Rhett was leaning out the passenger window smiling at the young mutant. "What's your name anyways? I am Puppeteer."
Rhett didn't give her his human name. He believed if introductions were to be made they should be made with your mutant name. He wasn't exactly waving a flag that read mutant pride, but he never hid who he was. He didn't give a shit enough to care what people thought of his antics, he only cared about the moment. Living in the moment was the only thing that mattered. Rhett was smiling at the mutant and leaning out the window. He had a big untrustworthy smile on his ruggedly handsome face.
Jayden would give the man one thing: He certainly knew how to put on a show. Between the whispers and screams, everyone in that store was staring at him and his tiny toy army. Everyone. Including the teller at the front of the store. Which begged the question: What to do about it? It was, after all, the perfect opportunity to help herself to that enticing little cash register. She could use the money a lot more than whoever owned the store could. Theft of countless dozens of toys, not withstanding.
"Don't ever let someone in this life tell you no. World's bad enough for us mutants without bending to the will of others."
Well that unexpected little piece of advice settled it. Assuming he meant to take all the animated toys with him, and at this point that seemed likely, there should be plenty of time for her to engage in her own antics beforethe show was over. "Hold that thought," she replied with a wink. With a thought of her own, black scales erupted over her entire body, covering her from head to tow and claws grew in size from the understated claws of a cat to the far more impressively oversized talons of an eagle. To complete the intimidating look she was now going for, an impressive set of black eagle wings sprouted from her back. Now more than a few new screams erupted, this time directed towards herself.
Once fully transformed, she leaped onto the teller's desk and crouched there, staring down at him. "Open it!" Fumbling, the young man followed her commands, pleading all the while that she not hurt him. Not that she planned on it when simple intimidation worked oh so effectively. A small handful of money in hand, she then jumped down and turned her attention back towards the man and his toys.
"Alright! Get in there, get in there. We got work to do!"
Less than a minute had passed since Jayden had turned her attention away and the toys were just finishing filing into the vehicle. She grinned, all ready having more fun than she'd had in a long time. "It seems that we do, my new friend", she replied grinning back at him. This day had certainly turned out far more interesting than expected. She jumped into the backseat, careful not to crush any of the toys and wings absorbed back into her body. "The name's Darkshift and this has been a most interesting surprise."
Jayden rarely used her human name these days. Her human name was a reminder of a life she no longer lived and no longer desired to live. Darkshift was the name she chose for herself and the only name that mattered any longer.
"Punch it!" Rhett shouted at his mannequin chauffeur. Obliging his commands the mannequin started to drive. He pulled out of the parking lot in a tear. White smoke burning rubber behind the charger. The fact was he had only planned to grab a few toys. He didn't have much on his schedual for today. His appointment book was wide freaking open. He planned on getting into a little trouble. Looking in the rearview at his new traveling companion, seems like trouble found him.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" Rhett regailed in a fit of laughter. He was loving how today was turning out. He had gotten a few more minions to add to the collection and he had made a new friend. He noticed that she robbed the register before hopping in the back. So she's ok with a little rule breaking? That's great. Rhett thought as he slipped on his sunglasses. Still looking in the rearview mirror Rhett addressed the young mutant. "So are you Harry or Marv?" Rhett was referring to the fact that she had chosen to rob a toy store. Home alone 2. Rhett laughed again before settling down and asking he another question. "You want to make some real money?" He asked as the mannequin turned the wheel to dodge a bit of traffic. Rhett was only half paying attention to the road, but he was looking at it enough so that he could drive.
Rhett's toys were not sentient. They were simply reacting to his telepathic commands. So every so often Rhett had to glance at the road. Rhett was a stunt driver before he decided screw it and just did whatever he wanted. His reaction time on the road was well above most. He only had to half pay attention. "I can psychically control toys. What's your game honey?" Rhett asked stealing another glance in the rearview. He had a few stops planned. It'd be more fun with company. In the backseat there was lying a stuffed bunny rabbit. Rhett made it sit up and look at Darkshift. As if to demonstrate his ability. Like she hadn't just watched him stage a walk out with the entirety of isle 3.
Rhett tossed his cigar out the open window. The wind whipped furiously though the silver foxes hair. He tapped his fingers lightly on the dashboard and sunk back into the softness of his cushioned seat. He didn't really have a care in the world. Rhett was a man who did what he wanted when he wanted. He would burn something to the ground just to see how much smoke it produced. Rhett had been at the toy store this morning for a very specific reason. He needed numbers. He needed soldiers, the smaller the better. He had a very specific job for them later, but for now he was hungry. "Turn there." He told the mannequin to turn into a Dunkin Donuts drive through. He had the dummy pull up to the speaker box. Can't terrorize the city on a empty stomach can you?
When Jayden had started out the day, she'd had plans for it. Not the most exciting of plans, but plans nonetheless. First, find a teddy bear for the sad little girl at Sanctuary. Second, do some volunteer work at Sanctuary to try and make the lives of other mutants better while also reclaiming her purpose in life. Third, wait until after nightfall in order to seek out some funds for herself of the less than licit kind. Plan number three had come together nicely so far, although without the benefit of careful planning and the protection of nightfall. Plans number one and two seemed somewhat more dubious at that exact moment. Still, she couldn't deny that this new not-plan was way more fun even if she was bound to regret all the excitement at some point down the road.
Far from someone who walked the careful road of the law, this was the first time she'd ever pulled a stunt like this. To her, the law was something to be followed only when it was convenient to do so. She'd been a thief and sometimes vandal for years, because that's what she needed to do so survive. When the it came to the choice between her financial well being and remaining legal, well, the math was simple. To do something to brash in broad daylight in the middle of a public store was something completely different. And thrilling. So very thrilling. A little voice at the back of her mind told her she should feel bad about what she'd just done, but a far larger voice exhausted in the spontaneous thrill of it all. Besides, it wasn't as if anyone had gotten hurt.
"So are you Harry or Marv?"
"I am myself and no other," Jayden responded with a laugh. "Why imitate when I can innovate?" She watched puppeteer and the mannequin driving the vehicle carefully. It was a little disconcerting to have a doll driving but that wasn't something she was about to speak out loud. "As for real money, what did you have in mind?" She offered a devious smile. Something told her she was going to get into a lot of trouble that day. A lot more trouble than she had all ready gotten into. That same something told her she was going to enjoy it far more than she probably should. Surly none of this was incompatible with her other goals to help mutants who couldn't help themselves, right?
"I can psychically control toys. What's your game honey?"
Controlling toys meant they (probably) weren't animated with their own sentience. Then again, with mutants you could never make certain assumptions like that. "I'm a sort of shapeshifter." By way of demonstration, black scales melted into black fur and her head transformed into that of a black cat. "Animals is what I do. If you can think of a characteristic an animal has, I can duplicate it." It was more a very specialized manifestation of her aura, but the explanation was accurate enough and tended to make a lot more sense to those unfamiliar with aura-based mutations.
The vehicle turned into a drive through. Food and then thievery and all around truancy; sounded like a good order to do things in.
Posted by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 17:44:20 GMT -6
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Rhett had the mannequin snatch the food and speed off laughing hysterically. What were they going to do? Put out a wanted poster for a department store mannequin? The mannequin handed Rhett the bag with one hand and then put his hand back on the wheel. Rhett started digging through the bag like a fat kid searching the fridge for left over birthday cake. Every so often he glanced up to check the road and the mannequin made slight adjustments at the wheel. "Oooook we got sausage egg and cheese or bacon. Ah you get sausage. I'm a bacon man." Rhett said handing back the biscuit to Darkshift.
Tearing into the wrapper and looked up at the road Rhett stuck his feet out the window and leaned back a bit. "So what I'm talking about is an armored truck. Been keeping my eye on it. That's part of what my little friends in the trunk were going to be for, but what the hell i like to improvise as much as the next schumck!" Rhett said with a mouth full of breakfast sandwich. He took two or three bites and decided it was disgusting and threw the rest out the window. He was lewd, rude, and kind of a dick, but Rhett was honest. He never pretended to be anything he wasn't and if you could handle him at his worst, you pretty much already saw him at his best.
"Every Thursady at aboooooout. 20 minutes from now some jackass drives and armored truck to the bank. Loaded with cash. I got the route, just needed the extra muscle. That's where you come in. I could have my toys take care of it, but let's just throw the rule book out the window for a minute and wing it." Rhett turned around to face Darkshift. "Ummm No pun intended." He had a loose plan in place he was going to follow them and have his toys overrun the truck probably cause them to swerve and crash, but this would be more fun. Without warning the mannequin pulled the car over on the side of the road. They pulled up in front of a pawn shop.
Rhett watched as the mannequin got out and walked around the front of the car. It's movements were lifelike. It had a trench coat on and a pair of sunglasses. A baseball cap, shirt, shoes and pants. The only thing that made it not look human was the blank expressionless face. Though, Rhett could make it emote it's expression's by manipulating it's face if he wanted. Looking into the backseat again. Rhett smiled. "He'll just be a minute. Think he had to take a piss or something." Rhett lied. Sliding over to the drivers seat. Turning around he put his hand on the wheel with a big grin and watched through the window.
The mannequin walked inside the pawn shop and pointed a gun at the guy behind the counter. The guy didn't know what to do, he simply freaked out. How was he supposed to react to that? The mannequin held the gun with one hand pointed at the man and used the other hand to rip the cash register from the counter. The mannequin pushed the door open jogged outside to the car where Rhett leaned over and opened the passenger door. "Get in shithead they're calling the cops! You wouldn't do well in prison you got them child bearing hips and all HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Rhett joked as the mannequin climbed into the passenger seat with the cash register.
Rhett turned the wheel and sped off "WOOOOOWHOOO WHOOOO! That's a freaking rush. That's how you do it. You don't take a few bills from the drawer you take the whole register HAHAHAHAH!" Rhett was pleased with himself that was for sure. He had the mannequin open the door to the register as he drove by prying it open with plastic fingers. "That was fun Rhett." The mannequin said. The mannequin spoke, but only to Rhett. It wasn't really speaking it was Rhett's subconscious thoughts bouncing back and forth between him and the mannequin he truly believed to be alive. It was all just a telepathic conversation with his own subconscious but it was easy to get confused.
Yeah job well done by everyone. The bunny in the backseat hopped up front and grabbed some cash before hopping back into the back with it and bouncing off the center consol before landing in the seat beside Darkshift. The bunny set the money down beside her. It was about $300 It pushed the money closer to her with a little paw and looked up at her with big sad button eyes. "Your cut?" Rhett asked with a grin. He was enjoying having an audience for his antics. It was much more fun causing trouble when there was people to see it.
Jayden accepted the food without complaint and began eating. Time on the streets had taught her not to be picky when it came to such things. When there was some question as to where and when one's next meal was coming, one ate whatever was placed in front of them. Well, maybe after today food would not longer be a concern. A solid payout would get her a proper place and that was the foundation of a new life. A new life starting out with violence, burglary and a general disrespect for everything legal, granted, but a new life nonetheless.
"Armored truck, hmm." Jadyen chewed on her food as she considered the possibilities. "Not the sort of thing I'd be likely to go after on my own, but I suppose you come with a whole army at your disposal, now don't you?" Drunken party goers and the occasional store or gas station were more her usual fair,but perhaps her new friend had a point. Perhaps she was thinking too small and it was time to go beyond seeking out funds for basic substance and transition into larger scores. So maybe she didn't have a whole toy army to do her bidding, but she had plenty of tools of her own that she was more than capable of putting to good use. All that was needed was proper motivation.
"If muscle's what you need, consider me dedicated to the cause." How much muscle did a mannequin have anyway? Now wasn't that the sort of question she never thought to have to ask. Not that she actually asked it out loud, mind you, but even the thought was a bizarre tribute to the almost surreal turn the day had taken.
Abruptly, the car was stopped in front of a pawn shop and the mannequin exited. Surprisingly lifelike, she was fairly certain that peeing wasn't something mannequins, even animated mannequins, needed to do. Moments later, that assumption was confirmed and she watched through the window of the pawn shop as it pointed a gun at the teller and walked out with the entire cash register. That was certainly one way to complete a robbery.
"WOOOOOWHOOO WHOOOO! That's a freaking rush. That's how you do it. You don't take a few bills from the drawer you take the whole register HAHAHAHAH!"
Watching the interaction between the puppeteer and his puppet, Jadyen began to get the distinct impression that he might not just be unstable (that had been obvious right from the beginning) but actually insane. Did he think they were actually alive or was he just playing a role for his adoring audience? Questions currently without answers. The words 'proceed with caution' came to mind and paying listening to her instincts had always served her well before. If anything, it only served to make the game more thrilling.
"Hey, you've got your techniques and I've got mine. Do you think I was stupid enough to leave any bills behind? I don't have the advantage of slavish followers to carry around extra weight," Jayden offered with a touch of sarcasm. She accepted the bills offered. "So, what's next?"
The truth was, Rhett couldn't just have his toys carry out impossible feats. Rhett couldn't have a mannequin lift a car. He had to compensate for it. His mental strength was their physical strength. Even something as slight as a headache could weaken his henchmen. Though at the moment Rhett felt great. Rhett continued to drive down the road from their daring robbery. In the passenger seat the mannequin was stuffing bills into the pockets of it's jacket from the cash register. The thing rolled down the window and threw the register from the speeding car. Rhett glanced over with mild amusement as the cash register busted out someone's back window on their Nissan. "Ooops!" Rhett said smiling.
Rhett seemed like a whirlwind of chaos and unchecked impulse, but he always had a plan. He didn't do things on a whim unless it excited him. Right now, he was driving to a very specific location. He had a loose plan in place for the armored car robbery. The stage had been set earlier that day. Before his little trip to the toy store. Before he made a new friend. "You ready for a big pay out? Just fullow my lead and jump in and make yourself useful." It wasn't great advice. It wasn't even good direction. He was making Darkshift go into this armored car robbery blind because it seemed like more fun to watch her improvise on the spot.
Rhett jerked the wheel hard and slammed on the breaks. The car turned sideways and came to a stop in the middle of the road blocking traffic. The streets were empty. Pulling out a cigarette Rhett lit one up and opened up the car door. In the passenger seat the passenger mannequin was lifeless. He was not needed for this part of the plan so he went back to being a simple mannequin when Rhett pulled his telepathic influence from him. The mannequin simply stared straight ahead in the last position he was in.
Rhett stepped out of the car onto the street. The sound of his cowboy boots seemed thunderous against the pavement in the stillness of the moment. The smoke from the cigarette in his mouth wafted around his head like smoke spilling from the nose of an angry dragon. Rhett wasn't angry, the man was mad. But sometimes even mad men could be brilliant. Sitting on opposite sides of the street on two opposite benches were two mannequins. Rhett had left them there early this morning.
They both wore a fine business suits. Three piece suits and fancy shoes and black leather gloves on their mannequin hands. Sitting beside each of them was a guy fawkes mask. Rhett pulled a bandanna from his back pocket and tied it around his face. "Should be an extra mask in the backseat, put that on kiddo." Rhett said loud enough for Darkshift to hear him. There was another guy fawkes mask sitting in the floor by her feet.
Rhett pulled out a pistol that was tucked in the back of his pants. A growing smile spreading across his faces under the light fabric of the blue bandanna. Reaching down into the car Rhett popped the trunk and closed the door. Moving around to the back of the car Rhett checked his watch. They had about 5 minutes before the armored car would be here. He stood over the open trunk and saw all of his toys there. They seemed to stare up at him awaiting orders. "Not you're time yet. Coach will put you in the game don't worry, but right now coach needs his all-stars not his benchwarmers HAHAHAHAHA." Rhett couldn't help but be an ass, even to his own toy minions.
Rhett reached into the trunk and pulled out a wore wooden baseball bat. It had dried stains of blood on it and marks and scuffs from heavy use. Rhett called this bat shortstop, for obvious reasons. Slamming the trunk closed he stepped in front of his car that was doubling as a road block. Rhett looked at the two mannequins on the bench and began to control them. They each simultaneously slipped on their masks as the sound of the armored car came around the corner on the empty street. "SHOW TIME!" He shouted as the mannequins each stood up. They each pulled out their own guns and they aimed for the tires of the armored car. Rhett was still smiling as he pointed his gun at the windshield and slowly squeezed the trigger.
If Jayden was learning a lot from her present experience, and she was, she was also learning about the sorts of things she wasn't going to do once she began taking on proper tasks of her own. One of those things was collateral damage. Was it Puppeteer's intent to have the cash register crash into the car or was it an honest mistake? The answer didn't really matter. What did matter, at least for future adventures, that targets be able to absorb the loss of their worldly possessions. She'd liven in poverty herself and it just wasn't right to hurt those who were barely surviving in the best of times. This, however, was Puppeteer's show and for now she was only along for the ride. Next time she'd be the one running the show. Next time.
"You lead the way and I promise I'll be useful." So she wasn't given much of a plan nor offered much direction, so what? She was good at acting on her feet, it was those skills that had allowed her to survive on her own. As she saw it, the risk wasn't so much in success or failure of the job; between the two of them and the army of toys she was reasonably confident in that part, it was staying out of the eye of law enforcement. Being thrown in jail would definitely place a major hamper on any future plans she might have.
The vehicle came to an abrupt halt and Puppeteer made his exit. Following his lead, Jayden did the same, grabbing the mask from the back as prompted. When active, her powers completely masked her own appearance, whether her aura simply covered her own face in a blanket of black or she changed her face to that of any of a myriad of different animals. Still, his party his rules and for now she'd wear the mask as requested. Of course, if she had to bit anyone it would be gone in a second.
Covered in black scales and armed with large black talons, she crouched ready for action. A pair of bull horns, nearly a foot in length, grew out of her skull. Because if she was going to do this, she was going to do this right. She took note of the baseball bat but weapons weren't anything she needed to worry about. Two mannequins pulled out guns and prepared to shoot out the tires of the target. They were officially in business!
Rhett didn't even have to order the mannequins to pull the trigger. Some rookie was behind the wheel and swerved when he saw the guns being drawn. Just then another car swerved to avoid the massive truck and got fishtailed. Hard! The driver's head smacked off the wheel knocking him unconscious. Rhett tilted his head to the side a little looking at the accident. Well that was freaking unexpected! The mannequins moved forward on Rhett's telepathic command.
"Open the doors!" Rhett screamed. The mannequins couldn't be identified as not human in their disguises. Just then a ventriloquist dummy came from around the car. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of ripped jeans and sneakers. He walked up to Rhett and Rhett snatched him up and put the gun to his head. At this distance it looked as if he had a gun to the head of a small child, no more than 5 or 6. The guard seeing this opened the door ready to comply to the crazy guy's commands. The mannequin pulled him from the armored car and shoved him to the ground. In his hands the dummy went limp as Rhett's influence faded from him and Rhett tossed him carelessly into the passenger's seat. The dummy fell on the lap of the passenger mannequin. It's painted wooden face staring directly up into the sun.
Rhett walked towards the armed car tucking his gun away and holding the bat firmly. He was about chaos. He was about madness, but he wasn't mercilessly cruel for the sake of being cruel. The mannequins continued to follow his telepathic commands and crawled inside the armored car. They began pulling the second guard out of the car and they zip tied the two guard's hands behind their backs. Pointing his bat at the car that crashed into the armored car Rhett smiled. "You ever been witness to a crime before? I think it's time you scooted lady!"
Crouching down in front of the first guard Rhett peered at him through his bandanna mask and sunglasses. "Sorry pal. You're day just got a whole lotta **** up!" Grabbing the guy's radio Rhett put a foot on the guy and shoved him so he rolled over to his back. Rhett read his name tag. Porter. "Hey this is Porter. We're stopping to get some gas, going to be a little late for delievery." Rhett said. "Copy that Porter see you in a few." Rhett tossed the radio up in the air and smacked it with his bat. "Oh that's a double at least." She said admiring his own handywork. Looking back at Darkshift he leaned on his bat on the street. "Should we take the whole thing or just grab s much as we can carry? I'll leave it up to you kiddo. I'll let you run the show, I'm just here for the ride."
The truck swerved and it was a thing of beauty to watch as Puppeteer used his mannequins to manipulate events to his favour. If she didn't know better, with their disguises she would have sworn they were all human and if it was hard for her to tell the difference, it was surely impossible for all the standards to tell the difference. Using the small ventriloquist dummy as a child hostage was a brilliant way to get the humans to follow orders without question. Of course, a close examination would suggest certain inhuman traits to give it away, but when guns and robberies were involved, who was paying that much attention to such things?
The one thing about pulling off a robbery with an army of mannequins is that there wasn't much that was needed to help. First one guard was ushered out of the way, then the other and suddenly the back of the armored car was opened and the goodies within available for all to see. The two guards were tied up but, just to be on the safe side, Jayden felt it appropriate that they probably shouldn't be conscious. One hand shifted into a hoof and a solid knock on the head of the first guard and then the second rendered each unconscious. A moment later, her hand then shifted back to its usual clawed self. They would both have a solid bump and maybe a concussion, but no real harm had been done.
"Should we take the whole thing or just grab s much as we can carry? I'll leave it up to you kiddo. I'll let you run the show, I'm just here for the ride."
"We're going to want to get out of here fast. The guards are down but you know someone has all ready called the cops and they're on the way. I say we grab whatever we and your friends can grab and get the hell out of here." A glance and a glower at the nearby vehicles. No matter how intimidating they might be, there was no way that someone hadn't called the cops and it wasn't likely to be long before they arrived. She, at least, wanted to be well out of there before that happened.
It wasn't about the money. Not for Rhett. He wasn't hurting for cash. He still had a few royalty checks rolling in. He had flushed himself with cash from other illegal ventures, and overall he just robbed because it was fun. Still, she said she thought they should grab what they could carry and get out. Rhett walked over and handed his bat to one of the mannequins who was by this point holding a few bags filled with cash.
Rhett grabbed a few bags himself. He didn't get greedy he only grabbed four bags. He could see a crowd forming on the street. People weren't but too terrified of the dangerous mutants. Their curiosity always won out over their common sense. Still they could be used as a distraction. Once they had all the money they could carry they could let the crowd grab as much as they wanted.
They would be leaving a lot behind anyways. The police would be busy dealing with that. Rhett walked back over to his charger and slung a few bags in the backseat. He could already hear the low wail of the sirens off in the distance. Cops. They were always a pain in the ass and trying to ruin his good time. The two mannequins who were sitting on the benches deposited their money in the backseat as well.
Rhett took their masks from them. They looked like an ordinary department store mannequin modeling new clothes. Rhett watched as Darkshift knocked out the guards. His two mannequin accomplices walked inside a store front over by the sidewalk. The moved inside the store and Rhett pulled his influence from them after making them climb into the store front window. The criminals of the caper hidden in plain sight. They looked like ordinary mannequins. Frozen in standing poses.
Rhett didn't belong to any one group in particular. He had no alliegence to anyone but himself and his fun. He wasn't the type of man who made friends. He used people, weather that be for personal gain or his own amusement. Still, this girl Darkshift..... He hadn't really figured out where she fit into his plans, but she seemed pretty adaptable to mostly any situation. She didn't complain a lot and she seemed to enjoy his crazy ass brand of chaos. Rhett lived in an abandoned mannequin factory on the outskirts of the city. The part of the city that seemed to be dying. Decay and urban blight. Graffiti and shady people on every corner of the block. That's where Rhett called home.
That's where Rhett was going next. He only wondered what Darkshift had in mind. She seemed to be ok with his little crime spree, but he wondered why that was. Why was she so willing to go along with his craziness. Most people thought he was nuts and turned away. She kind of embraced it. It was part of the reason he was still keeping her around. She was a mystery and he wanted to solve her. Good partners are hard to find.... One's you trust are anyways.
For Jayden, it was about the money at least in part. Sure, it had started out being for the thrill and the thrill was definitely still a strong appeal, but the practical side of her had to admit that she was damn broke. A score like this was just what was needed to start climbing her way to where she needed to be. She wasn't greedy, however, and wasn't about to jeopardize their success and continued freedom in order to grab 'just a little bit more'.
It was a shame just how much money the two of them were going to have to leave behind, but the wisdom in doing so was obvious. Greed was one of the few things that overshadowed fear in humans and she could all ready see the dreams of grandeur in the faces of some. The more people focused on getting their own piece of the pie, the less people focused on pursuing the two of them and the more the police had to worry about. If the police were focused on the milling masses then they weren't focused on the thieves who started the whole ordeal. Win win.
Sirens could be heard approaching from the distance and that was definitely the que to start seriously thinking about leaving. Once her pockets and pouches were full of whatever loot would fit into them, she got out of the vehicle. That was one of the beautiful things about trench coats and especially her trench coats: many deep pockets to store a myriad of many things.
Returning to the charger, Jayden assumed Puppeteer had some idea where to go next in escaping back into obscurity. After all, so far he'd had a plan for everything else. As soon as they were far enough away that the crowds wouldn't' be able to see them she'd shift back into human form. That was the beautiful thing about her power: She might not be able to be a specific other person, but she definitely didn't look anything like herself when human. It wasn't the first time she'd taken advantage of that little perk.
Rhett walked over to the charger. The people in the streets wasted very little time swarming the truck. They weren't stupid. They could see an opportunity when it came knocking. Rhett smiled. People were so predictable. You offer then temptation and they bite the apple every time. Rhett opened the door as he glanced back at the blue and red lights coming into view in the distance. The party crashers were here.
Climbing into the driver's seat Rhett waited until everyone was situated before turning on the car and spinning out. The engine roared like a beast. Tires squealed sending plumes of white smoke out from behind the car. The charger screamed down the street. He didn't stop for stop signs or read lights. The car bounced going over a dip in the road as he flew through an intersection. Angry motorists honked at the crazy jackass who nearly caused an accident. Luckily there were no traffic cams to catch the crazy bastard fleeing the scene. It wasn't intentional, it was just lucky.
The mannequin sat lifeless in the passenger seat staring out the window. It was lifeless as one might thing. The ventriloquist dummy in it's lap however sat up. Rhett was subconsciously controlling it with a small piece of his mind as he drove. The dummy sat up and looked around. It almost seemed as if it was full of life and curiosity. Rhett was a sucker for theatrics. His little palor trick was just that. A trick. His soldiers had no actual free will though he often tried to make it appear as if they did just to up the creep factor. Rhett's driving became a little more normal and less crazy as they rounded the next corner. He even stopped speeding and when the speed limit.
The dummy who's name was Ryder peered into the back seat. "This one is a keeper!" Ryder said to no one other than Rhett. Ryder's voice, just a voice in Rhett's head and nothing more. "You did good kid!" Rhett said to Darkshift acknowledging the dummy's observation. "Real good." He reiterated. "Headed back to my place. Hope you like dolls." He chuckled. They were on their way to a mannequin factory on the other side of town. The way Rhett had been flying down the road they were actually almost there.
Rhett kept eying the girl in the backseat. From time to time he was steal little glances. He hadn't formed a complete opinion of her yet other than she seemed ok. He had a crazy idea of fun, but he also had bigger plans in the works. Plans that he would need abled bodies to help with and not just lifeless dolls. He rounded another corner and began to slow as they approached the deserted factory. They were home. It was time to divvy up the cash.