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.
Ic: Raina stood on the busy sidewalk in downtown NewYork looking up at the giant glass office building she would soon be entering. She fumbled her hands along her bare arms reaching for an invisable jacket. All that time having Rupert's jacket made her feel like she was a little bit safer on the mean streets- but she had to give it back.
She reached for her cellphone in her pocket to check the time and also to see if Naveed had called. He and Flloyd wanted updates and wanted to know the instant she'd met with this Doctor and her impressions of him.
She watched her reflection in the windows wondering what Doctor Che would be like. She checked the time again. Iris would be here soon. She was glad to have the woman with her. Raina couldn't do something like this alone- though seeing Doctor Che's facilities were in a nice building like this and not some back alley was very comforting. She smiled silently to herself. This would be a big day.
Posted by Iris/Rayne on Jul 23, 2008 21:12:21 GMT -6
Mutant God
1,558
0
Nov 20, 2008 23:33:20 GMT -6
Iris made her way down the street as quickly as possible, while still attempting to avoid bumping into anyone. She simply couldn't get used to the norm of running into people and continuing on without apologizing. And there were so many people in this city! Maybe she should take V up on his offer and go back home for awhile....
Finally she reached the appropriate intersection. After a bit of searching, she saw Raina standing on the sidewalk.
"Raina!" She waved. "Sorry I'm late. I got lost...." She grimaced slightly.
She glanced up at the office building, noting the glass and steel architecture. It screamed 'sophisticated'. Or 'outlandish', depending on your definition. Expensive either way.
She looked at Raina and took a deep breath. "You're really sure about this?" She wasn't necessarily trying to talk her friend out of her decision, just trying to be a practical voice.
Posted by rainewater on Jul 23, 2008 23:24:38 GMT -6
Guest
Raina smiled at her friend. "Not yet, but maybe after this I will be. I set up a meet and greet with Dr. Che. He's going to take us on a tour of the facility and speak with us about the work he does here. At the most I'll get assest for whether or not I'm a good candidate for the procedure- so a little blood work, measurements... but no 'therapy' today." she laughed. Truth be told it felt better to say it all outloud to Iris, made it seem less intimidating for her- easier to approach.
"Now or never I guess." She took a big breath and took the lead in through the revolving glass doors. Inside the floors were so hard even her sneakers seemed to click like heels on it. She looked down- everything about this place was shiny! The floor must have been some sort of marble or polished granite, she could see her face in this too! She found herself in a wide open foyer where a few well-to-do looking people were gathered around a watercooler next to a few others sitting in what was probably a small waiting area next to the table full of brochures. It didn't look like a doctor's office so much as a hall of a university or a business building.
Raina approached the only windowed desk in the space to see a woman with her blonde hair twisted into braids clipped behind her ears. Her nametag read Mary and she was balancing dainty glasses on her nose that hid her piercing blue eyes. "Er-hem." said Raina clearing her throat not really sure how to start but still feeling nosey/curious enough to examine the woman's desk through the glass. On Raina's end there were nothing but business cards, a bell, and a pen on a wire. On Mary's end there was indeed another room- her office. Mary's desk was littered with yellow papers, computers and other machines, and a photo of a young woman who looked very felineish.
"May I help you?" came Mary's whispery femine voice. Raina raised an eyebrow at Iris. Mary had very strange eyes... she tried not to stare as she leaned closer to the glass to pass her identification through.
"I think so. My name is Raina. I have an appointment with-"
"Dr. Che?" Asked Mary quickly not really requesting an answer. " Ah yes, Raina you're his noon appointment. Well, I need you to take a seat over there and fill out these papers." added Mary passing a clipboard through the opening in the glass.
"Um..." Raina looked down at the intimidating stack of papers. "I'm just-"
" Here for a meet and greet yes I understand." said Mary politely. "It's our company policy to gather as much information upfront as possible to ensure the safety of all patients, doctors, staff, and participants should a mutation be-"
This time it was Raina's turn to finish the sentence. "A danger to others." she smiled. "Ok, I understand. Been through that one before." she winked at Iris and reached for the papers. She couldn't help but look back at the photo on Mary's desk. "May I ask you something?" she said rather boldly.
Mary looked up from under her glasses and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She didn't look much older than Raina front on but those eyes seemed older and somewhat slanted. " Of course" Answered Mary warmly.
"I dont mean to be so bold. But the woman in the photo on your desk-" as Raina said this Mary turned to gaze at the photo. A smile fell on her lips like she'd been asked this question before. "If she a mutant...?" Raina balled her hands into fists at her side with the clipboard to steady herself and remain brave and non-apologetic for her question.
"Yes." said Mary in her whispery voice. " In the photo she's a mutant. Part feline to be exact. In reality she's the woman you're adressing."
Raina took a step back. She was only curious if the woman had a family member who was a mutant and therefor she chose a profesion like this. She wasn't expecting Mary to be the mutant. "but you look so..."
" Human?" offered Mary. " I was one of Dr. Che's very first patients and a sucsessful one at that. Except for my eyes." Raina could now see that Mary's eyes retained their feline pupils and became smaller slits as the light hit them. "I kept them even after he patended a way to cure them- because I wanted to be sure others would believe." There was that smile on her lips again.
"Wow." Raina took a big step back now and stood next to Iris." Think I need to sit down... fill out this paperwork." she said grabbing the first vacant chair she could find. To the others in the room gathered around the water cooler it must have been obvious since she walked in that she was a mutant since she was seeking services here. No one had even batted an eye. In fact, everyone in the room seemed human enough. Raina couldn't help but think fleetingly of Sara and wonder what she would look like with a human face. She gripped the pen in her hand. "Intense already eh Iris?" she joked trying to lighten her own feelings.
Posted by Iris/Rayne on Jul 24, 2008 12:49:57 GMT -6
Mutant God
1,558
0
Nov 20, 2008 23:33:20 GMT -6
"Not yet, but maybe after this I will be. I set up a meet and greet with Dr. Che. He's going to take us on a tour of the facility and speak with us about the work he does here. At the most I'll get assest for whether or not I'm a good candidate for the procedure- so a little blood work, measurements... but no 'therapy' today."
Iris nodded. "That sounds good."
"Now or never I guess."
She smiled at her friend's nervousness. She wasn't about to admit it, since she was supposed to be here to be strong and support Raina, but Iris felt as jittery as if she were going in for herself.
On the first step she took inside, her shoes squeaked on the polished floor. She hoped no one noticed, but felt her face warm anyway. She glanced sideways at Raina, then attempted not to look like the naive, backwoods hillbilly she felt like.
She followed Raina to the only visible desk, and waited politely a bit to the side, just close enough to hear the conversation, but remained silent. She kept a reassuring smile on her face, for when Raina glanced back at her. However, her eyes widened a bit at the woman's claim to have once been a mutant. When Raina stepped back, Iris stepped up and took a closer look at the photo, then at the woman. Indeed, the eyes were the same. Her assured smile disappeared, and she stepped back again.
"Wow. Think I need to sit down... fill out this paperwork." Iris followed her to some open seating, settling on the edge of the chair awkwardly. "Intense already eh Iris?"
"Yeah. Very....." She pulled the supportive smile back onto her face. "A promising start, for sure."
While Raina finished with the paperwork, Iris slowly scanned the lobby, and the people in it.
Was this really possible? Could a mutant really have hope to be fully human? Iris felt extremely uneasy, but couldn't completely pinpoint why. The practical side of her mind warned her that this all could easily be show. It was easy to manipulate photographs, and you could buy contacts to make you appear felinish. Kids did it all the time at Halloween. Anyone can print business cards, brochures, and the like. It was even easy to post false information as true on the internet. People did it all the time. None of what they were seeing was real proof of a Mutant Cure.
But was she just being pessimistic again? So much had gone wrong in the past year. Had it jaded her to a possibly legit hope for normalcy? After all, Hunter had made her a mutant. Shouldn't it be possible to reverse the process? And if it was....
What could that mean for her?
She glanced back at her friend, and sighed inwardly. She was supposed to be here for Raina's support. If only Raina knew how much Iris admired her bravery right at that moment....
She leaned over and whispered softly, "Do you think any of them are, or were mutants?" She motioned toward the group chatting by the water.
Posted by rainewater on Jul 24, 2008 14:33:56 GMT -6
Guest
Raina finished with the paperwork and sat quietly reflecting for a moment. She then followed Iris's gaze. "hrrm?" she looked at the people "I was wondering that myself actually." she admitted with a slight blush. "They don't look like mutants... but unless you and I were using our powers I suppose we wouldn’t look like anything other than humans." She shrugged trying not to stare too long incase someone would notice. “All done.” She said holding up the clipboard and walking it back over to Mary.
Mary’s eyes scanner the papers. ”Everything looks to be in order.” she replied turning to enter the data into the computer. ”We appreciate your cooperativeness. You may proceed to the waiting room down the hall.” She pointed the women to the long hall that started from a door adjacent to her office. Raina nodded and thanked her politely leading the way again with her sneakers squeaking on the floor.
The door was heavy by with a little struggling Raina got it open with a lot of it’s own momentum and headed in holding it for Iris. She walked down the long empty hallway- completely barren aside from the occasional art piece on the wall… nothing Raina recognized.
She passed a few closed doors as she went but she was certain the waiting room would be rather obvious and as she neared the end of the hallway her hunch proved right. It was vacant and setup much like the foyer with the same furniture, a water cooler, table with magazines, and the addition of a TV mounted on the wall. With a sigh Raina plopped herself down on one of the chairs.
“Got to admit,” she started “all this waiting is making me nervous but you know in Canada we have universal health care? It’s nice because most procedures are covered aside from anesthetic fees and prescriptions but the waits are horrible. In the emergency rooms you’re looking at waiting nearly a day to see a doctor depending on the severity of whatever you need. If you have an appointment at a hospital you’re always in for a long wait. Family doctors aren’t too bad if they’ve been your doctor all alone but trying to go to a walk-in clinic sees you waiting too. It sounds like such a good idea and I’m glad the government picks up the tab but sometimes people die waiting for treatment.” She thought about if for a moment. “Though I guess people die here because they can’t afford treatment.” It was a rather grimace thought that she never intended on rambling about for so long.
”Our treatments are based upon individual evaluations of each mutation and cater to the mutants specific needs. At Lucina Corp. We also take into account if a mutant wishes to retain a certain characteristic…” Raina looked up at the TV that was playing infomercials about the treatment facility with mild interested. The volume wasn’t set too high but she couldn’t help noticing it now as it made her think of Mary in the foyer.
“Lucina Corp eh?” she commented. “I thought that I read Dr. Che was associated with various groups and is occasionally called into the public hospitals and clinics to help injured mutants.” She stretched her arms out and then put them relaxing behind her head. “Sure seems quiet in here.”
Posted by Iris/Rayne on Jul 25, 2008 11:53:06 GMT -6
Mutant God
1,558
0
Nov 20, 2008 23:33:20 GMT -6
"They don't look like mutants... but unless you and I were using our powers I suppose we wouldn’t look like anything other than humans."
Iris shrugged and nodded. "True. True."
After Raina finished and was pointed toward the next waiting room, Iris helped her with the heavy door. She couldn't help but feel that the business owners wanted this to be more than just a simple 'Meet and Greet'. The vast foyer, the personal info requirements, the secretary-slash-testimonial, everything seemed geared toward overwhelming the possible patient. It uneased Iris a bit.... But then again, growing up with her Tia and Tio, she had never liked doctors or anyone resembling one. Come to think of it, such feelings may have been subconscious leftovers from the the blank spot that had, until recently, been her first five years of life.
Those thoughts occupied her until they reached the ed of the hall.
The area reminded her of a hospital waiting room, except much nicer.
“Got to admit, all this waiting is making me nervous but you know in Canada we have universal health care?" Raina sounded hesitant, and Iris didn't blame her at all. "It’s nice because most procedures are covered aside from anesthetic fees and prescriptions but the waits are horrible. In the emergency rooms you’re looking at waiting nearly a day to see a doctor depending on the severity of whatever you need. If you have an appointment at a hospital you’re always in for a long wait. Family doctors aren’t too bad if they’ve been your doctor all alone but trying to go to a walk-in clinic sees you waiting too. It sounds like such a good idea and I’m glad the government picks up the tab but sometimes people die waiting for treatment.”
"How awful," Iris frowned. "Is there a shortage of doctors? Or just..... so many needing help?"
“Though I guess people die here because they can’t afford treatment.”
Iris sighed, and plopped into a chair. "Yeah.... People who can help aren't able to, because it costs so much. Or you have those who have the heart to help, and do despite the personal cost, but then get buried or over run by those who are too greedy to help." She leaned her arms on her knees, and settled her chin on her hands. "There's so much tape to cut through. It gets frustrating after awhli...."
Maybe that's why she was having a hard time with this place. It just seemed to good to be true.
”Our treatments are based upon individual evaluations of each mutation and cater to the mutants specific needs. At Lucina Corp. We also take into account if a mutant wishes to retain a certain characteristic…”
The TV program caught her interest, as several 'Before and After' images faded in and out, and recountments of each mutant's treatments. The most drastic, in her mind, was a young man who looked like a lizard of some kind in the 'Before' photo. The 'After' photo reminded her of one of her workmates; black hair, green eyes slightly almond-shaped, and a slight Asian heritage shining through. Although, his smile seemed a bit.... strained.
Focused on the TV as she was, Iris visibly jumped when a door nearby swung open and lightly bumped a chair behind it.
Posted by rainewater on Jul 25, 2008 20:04:16 GMT -6
Guest
"Ah, you must be Raina" came the booming voice. Raina lifted her eyes to see a very good looking man with dark hair and bright eyes. He was tall and well built with an angular jaw. He had to be just barely into his 40s as his hair had the slightest hints of gray. He held in his hands a clipboard and there were goggles resting on his hair that matched the pen behind his ear. Quite the look he had going. "I'm Doctor Che, curious, from your e-mail I expected you to have more of a visable muation." He extended a hand to both women.
"Funny" thought Raina "He just cuts right to the chase"" "Oh that will come." said Raina with a forced laugh standing up and shaking his hand. "This is quite the facility you have here."
"Indeed." replied Doctor Che. "You've only seen the entrance however. Im glad you brought a friend, we love referrals." he winked at Iris. Raina mentally groaned. He was a little charming... but what had she gotten Iris into.
"Yes this is my good friend Iris. She's here for moral support."
"Ah, very good" He removed the goggles from his head and reached in his pocket for some keys. " Due to the nature of some of our treatments and some of the mutants currently in our care I'll have to ask you to come with me to this room for a change of clothes and to be steralized for our quaratened environment. It's not big deal, you'll just get some scrubs like mine. I hope you're OK with it." he opened his lab coat to reveal his scrubs and foam shoes. Raina had to stifle a giggle- no wonder she never heard any footsteps from anyone else!
"I suppose that's alright." said Raina following Dr. Che as he opened the door to a brightly lit room. "I don't want to make any mutants sick, and I dont want to catch something myself"
"That's the spirit" added Doctor Che. "I'm afraid it's a one-size fits all sort of deal, you may find these a little baggy" he handed them two outfits wrapped in plastic. " Just come back out when you're in them, I'm going to review your information and we'll start the tour!" he gave a friendly smile and shut the door leaving the two women alone to change clothing.
"He seems friendly enough" said Raina looking at the plastic wrapped clothing. "I wonder what kind of mutants they have here recieving treatment? I wonder if it's all done at once or in sessions. So many questions to ask." she started pulling apart the plastic
ooc: feel free to mod Raina leaving the room and if you'd like to try your hand at Dr. Che go for it we can take turns making up different things that he shows us.
Posted by Iris/Rayne on Jul 29, 2008 0:34:17 GMT -6
Mutant God
1,558
0
Nov 20, 2008 23:33:20 GMT -6
(OOC: Sorry for the delay; my brain locked up this weekend for some reason. Sorry it isn't much. )
"Ah, you must be Raina. I'm Doctor Che, curious, from your e-mail I expected you to have more of a visable muation."
Iris settled back into her chair with a soft, "Whew!" from relief. Apparently she was more on edge than she'd thought. Or perhaps hearing such a big voice out such a young man had startled her. Doctor Che really didn't fit her idea of a doctor, even a cosmetic doctor. For some reason she'd been expecting a 'Grandpa'-type figure, not a handsome 40-year-old.
Oh that will come." Iris glanced at Raina. Her laugh sounded uneasy, but her actions seemed confident enough, as she shook his hand. "This is quite the facility you have here."
"Indeed. You've only seen the entrance however. Im glad you brought a friend, we love referrals."
Referrals???
Iris started to stammer out how she wasn't a 'referral', but thankfully Raina filled the intro for her. She shook the man's hand quickly, pulling her hand back as soon as politely possible.
She followed and listened to the scrubs explanation quietly. Unconsciously she began tugging at her shoulder sleeve in a nervous tic, one which was distracted when he handed the women the little plastic packages.
" Just come back out when you're in them, I'm going to review your information and we'll start the tour!"
And the door shut behind him with a hollow bang! Iris gulped a bit.
"He seems friendly enough"
"Yes...." She didn't want to tell Raina that he reminded her of one of the heirophants in the Church of Humanity; smooth and slick. Like oil. Or a snake.
"I wonder what kind of mutants they have here recieving treatment? I wonder if it's all done at once or in sessions. So many questions to ask."
Iris smiled, and nodded. Mentally she chided herself for just being paranoid. Cosmetic specialists were supposed to be self-assured, right? They were an arrogant breed, if reality shows were anything to judge by. And wasn't that was Doctor Che was, really? A cosmetic specialist?
Though, to be perfectly honest.... she had a hard time convincing herself that mutation counted as a 'cosmetic issue'.
------------------------------------------
By the time the two women had donned their scrubs, and Doctor Che reappeared, Iris had convinced herself that she to keep an open mind, and to view the entire experience in a positive light, rather than negative.
Posted by rainewater on Jul 29, 2008 15:57:13 GMT -6
Guest
”Ah, so you two are ready” Chimed Dr. Che’s voice as Iris and Raina met him again now donning their scrubs.
“Very fashionable.” Joked Raina. “So let’s see what you’ve got!” she said eagerly rolling up her sleeves.
”Well I thought about introducing you to some of our residential patients- mutants who require more than one treatment to help their mutation. Many of them stay here during the whole process not wanting others to see them in the in-between stages, and also for their own safety.” He pointed down the hall ”After that we’ll show you the labs, some of the rooms where we do tests, and we’ll have a sit down chat about exactly what you’d like and your questions. Then if you’re comfortable we’ll take some tests”
Everything sounded good to Raina until he mentioned the tests. She opened her mouth to protest but Dr. Che was fast.
”of course there’s not pressure- it’s just that with a mutation like yours we may not know right away the best course of action. Even if you decide not to go through with any treatment If you submit to testing it could allow us to better understand your type of mutation and possibly help others in the future. Of course this can all be conversed about later after you’ve seen the facilities” He tapped the clip board he’d been holding.
Raina thought about what he said. At first it made her uncomfortable but while really thinking about it she thought it could be a win/win situation. Even if she chickened out- allowing them to study her could help someone else. She imagined a poor little fish girl and didn’t even realize they’d begun to walk down the hall to the first door. Dr. Che knocked on it.
Come in- We’re just finishing up in here Came the voice from the inside. Raina motioned to Iris to follow as she followed Dr. Che.
They entered a room that looked not unlike a hotel swimming pool with a bed next to it. A woman who appeared to be a nurse was bent over the water reaching for a young man to help him out. The young man looked like a human teen getting out of the pool but Raina noticed his diamond shaped eyes and something strange about his hands and feet.
”Zach’s our resident swimmer here. He came to us with a mutation that sounded a lot like yours so I thought you’d like to meet him first. We’ve been taking his treatments slowly in stride eliminating each factor after it’s isolated instead of everything as a whole. Zach used to be quite the swimmer though now he’s down to mostly just some webbed fingers and toes. They may not completely go away but having webbed toes and feet is not all that uncommon.”” explained Dr. Che as Zach a tall boy with sandy hair and webbed feet emerged from the pool.
”They’re not there yet” laughed Zach with a smirk. ”Not exactly what I’d call tolerable yet but-“” he extended both webbed hands toward Raina and Iris- this sort of thing probably would have bothered her at one point but not so much now. ”they used to call me frog boy.” Smiled Zach. “ I was EVEN green. He blushed a bit and took a towel from the nurse.
”That was a hard thing to fix actually…” added Doctor Che Zach’s skin colouration and other attributes were only controlled with radiation therapy much like what a cancer patient would receive. The process made his immunities rather weak hence staying with us for so long. He’s one of the patients we asked you to scrub in for.
Raina listened with great interest as Doctor Che explained more about the ins and outs of Zach’s conditions and treatments. All the while she watched him with admiration. Sure he still looked a little like a mutant and given the setup here he retained some of his traits- but Zach really sounded like he’d come very far. She had to admire that. Her stomach was a little queasy at the thought of radiation. She turned to Iris as Doctor Che parted a moment to speak with Zach. “This is starting to feel like the mansion”
Ooc: Like I said, feel free to run with it and create more NPCs. You can control Raina a bit too- move her around etc.
Posted by Iris/Rayne on Jul 31, 2008 17:24:34 GMT -6
Mutant God
1,558
0
Nov 20, 2008 23:33:20 GMT -6
Iris mentally decided to focus only Doctor Che’s words. She figured that her eyes could be deceived, and that it would be easy to hire actors and such to make the center seem legit. But words often revealed hidden ‘slip ups’. She also tried to think of questions the normal ‘hopeful tourist’ wouldn’t ask, things they might not have prepared answers for.
However, after the first room, her determination sort of flew out the window. Or drowned, if you wanted to phrase it ironically. As she listened to Zach’s supposed story and all he’d apparently went through to get where he was, her jaw inched lower and lower.
“This is starting to feel like the mansion,” Raina whispered to her. Iris nodded.
”Kinda creepy, actually.” She thought it was ironic that both this place and the Mansion welcomed mutants with open arms, yet one was dedicated to accepting your mutation, while the other focused on suppressing it. She also though about what Doctor Che had said about Zach’s green skin.
Zach’s skin colouration and other attributes were only controlled with radiation therapy much like what a cancer patient would receive.
So, this place considered mutation nothing but a result of a faulty gene, something to be treated like any other disease, like cancer. But, what if, like cancer, it had a chance to come back? To return, possibly, even worse than before?
”All right, let’s leave Zach to recover.” Doctor Che’s announcement startled Iris out of her musings. ”If you’d like, you can chat with him at a later time. This way please.”
She followed the other two out of the room, pausing to glance at the boy one more time. He smiled and waved at her, which she returned awkwardly before exiting.
After that, Iris didn’t hear much of the tour as they continued on; she was lost deep in her own thoughts. They spoke with a wide variety of patients. A young woman born with extra arms, which the doctor claimed was one of the easiest mutations to cure. An older man, well into his sixties, who’s skin was as hard as iron. He had only been through one treatment so far, but the smile lighting his face made him appear years younger. He reminded Iris so much of her Tio Max.....
One of the patients that really made Iris pause and think even harder, was a small girl, only ten years old.
”Paige has a very unusual mutation,” Doctor Che told them in the hallway. They could see the young girl through a window, but were not allowed into the room. ”She’s been through two treatments as of yesterday, but we’re hesitant to continue. Her blood is highly acidic, so much so that if she cuts herself, or even sustains a simple scrape, her it burns her skin badly. Bruises cause her extreme pain, because the blood burns tissue from the inside out. Even something as simple as drawing blood is a difficult and painful process. We’ve isolated the cause of her mutation, and have found a way to cure it, but....”
Iris glanced at Raina, then the doctor. ” ‘But’ what?”
”Her blood also steadily eats away at her tissues and organs. For that reason, she has a very weak heart and weak lungs. She and her parents want to continue. But we’re not sure if she could survive the treatments long enough to be cured.”
Iris glanced at the little girl through the window. She and her mother were playing a game of chinese checkers. Every few moments she would cough. At one point a coughing fit took hold of her, and she had to use an inhaler. Her mother held her until she recovered, but what stuck out in Iris’s mind was the child’s bright smile, so positive and full of hope.
Posted by rainewater on Jul 31, 2008 19:04:08 GMT -6
Guest
Raina followed Doctor Che and observed everything with equal attention to detail as Iris was. They met a few more mutans and Raina wasn't feeling so alone all of a sudden. All of these people seemed so happy to get rid of their mutation or even get rid of parts of it. She always felt ashamed for feeling that way- but these people were giving her hope and lightening her heart.
Raina followed Iris's gaze to Paige and watched what was happening. "It really is like an illness..." she said softly to herself. No wonder the people here spoke of mutation as a thing that needed to be cured. "How different it all is from back home."' she hadn't realized she'd called the mansion home. Would it always be her home? Even if she was cured.
"Doctor Che, if I were to see you for treatment would I need to stay here like these people?" asked Raina looking up at him with her hand against the window of Paige's room.
Doctor Che pondered to himself a moment. "It's hard to say without a propper evaluation Miss Raina... but as far as your voice mutation that could easily be treated with several sessions you could visit us for. As for the rather fishy part of your mutation it may take several surgeries at which it would be safer for you here. It might even be better to have it all done at once. To not draw out the process. Of course, I can't say anything for sure without taking tests.[/b]
Raina nodded but she didn't like the word surgeries. At least Doctor Che was friendly enough and non-threatening.
"How about we check out some of the labs and testing areas? They are really cool. Speaking of which... here" he handed the two women goggles. "Sparky here is behind this thick door testing the range of his powers. We need to know the full extent of his capabilities to know what the best approach is. We'll need to do a similiar test with you Raina" this time he didn't add that "should you decide " phrase.
He opened the door and there were many people in lab coats and the same goggles. They all held clipboards and watched a young man in the center of the room. It appeared like he was sending lightning bolts from his hands to a lightning rod. The rod seemed to be hooked up to some sort of guage.
"Of course, your tests would be water and ice based- we dont want anything like that in here right now!" he yelled over the noise with a smerk on his face. He held his hands over his ears as he watched the show.
The man in the center looked thrilled at using so much of his powers. Raina wondered what the other testing rooms would be like.
ooc: if you wanna do a viewing tests post after that we'll jump right to wrapping it up for this part if it's cool
Posted by Iris/Rayne on Aug 5, 2008 14:05:47 GMT -6
Mutant God
1,558
0
Nov 20, 2008 23:33:20 GMT -6
(OOC: Sorry for the delay. I hope this is what you mean.
Iris shuddered a bit when Doctor Che mentioned surgery. That word just brought back some unpleasant memories.
She took the goggles, confused until the doctor explained why they were needed.
"Sparky here is behind this thick door testing the range of his powers. We need to know the full extent of his capabilities to know what the best approach is. We'll need to do a similiar test with you Raina."
Iris shot Raina a sideways glance, thinking that she was glad she was the one considering treatment. Not that Raina's mutation wasn't powerful; on the contrary it was. But at least testing Raina's powers wouldn't endanger anyone.
They passed mutant after mutant, straining themselves to the limit, all for the hope of a cure.
As they toured the testing facilities, she grew more and more nervous, mainly because of seeing so many people in Lab coats. She decided at that point not to mention any of her concerns to Raina. Obviously all of her unease came from past back experiences, and it wasn't fair to project that baggage onto her friend. They hadn't seen anything untrustworthy happening so far. The entire facility appeared on the up and up. Every single mutant here appeared either satisfied with what was happening, or eager to begin treatment. Surely they wouldn't be so enthusiastic if this operation was a sham.
Right?
Finally they ended up back in the waiting room, where they had started, and Doctor Che motioned them toward one corner of the room. Iris remained quiet for the moment, assuming that he'd want to talk to Raina about her own testing, if she decided to go through with the operation. Iris decided that, no matter what Raina chose to do, she would support her without question. The important thing was that Raina was happy with herself, whether mutant or human.
Posted by rainewater on Aug 5, 2008 18:19:29 GMT -6
Guest
ooc: Love your new sig, also no worries. I was away til today so I couldn't really read/post either. I found some fossils! Flloyd and I went to The Bay of Fundy. Google that up!
ic:
Raina twisted her weight uncomfortable as she stood waiting for Dr. Che to open the examination room. He was going to now show her where they did the basic testings and allow her to ask her questions.
"I think I'm going to get some testing done." said Raina to Iris in a whisper. "At the very least even if after I think about all of this I decide not to go through with it- I'd like if my DNA could go to help someone else." she smiled for herself more than Iris- she was being brave but she was shaking inside.
"OK Raina if you'd like to take a seat with your friend here we can take your blood pressure, a blood test, blood sugars, a hair sample, a skin sample..."
The list continued as Raina began to feel a little queasy and then realized Dr. Che was joking about some of the tests when she drifted back in and heard " shark repellent abilities[/i]" and saw the smile on his face.
"Relax[/i]" he said with a laugh. " there is only one big test I'd really like to take today in addition to the normal tests you'd have at any regular check up...[/i]"
Raina waited on the edge of her seat twirling a piece of her hair in her fingers nervously as he began to ellude to what this test would be.
"It would really help out others and really help us address your needs if you could give me a small demonstration iof your abilities and allow me to video tape it. No testing yet of what Sparky was going through- but if we're going to understand what future tests we need to do let alone what treatment may be required, it's important that we see what you can do"[/i]
Raina thought about this quietly and carefully looking over to Iris hoping her friend could somehow make the decision for her- knowing that she couldn't. She gave what she intended to be a carefree shrug and nodded. "I suppose that makes a lot of sense."
"Excellent! We'll start with the easy stuff!"[/i] replied Doctor Che standing up and busying himself around the office getting supplies. "You can leave your goggles on that desk there[/i]" he motioned.
Soon Raina found herself sitting being examined as Doctor Che hummed and feaverishly wrote notes. She was poked a little here- had a light shown there- stuck out her tongue- but nothing too embaressing. She was still happy Iris was here.
"You know Raina all things considered you are very healthy. Your pulse is a little high and I do notice a slight difference in your blood pressure but these are both common traits we actually find in mutants. Back during that whole nasty camp experieince we had mutants seeking refuge with us. We tried to play the place off as an AIDS treatment facility thinking the touchy-ness of the illness would help avoid anyone too snoopy but in the end they were able to peg someone as a mutant with something as simple as this."[/i]
He babbled on for a bit as Raina tried to take in what he was saying. He helped hide mutants? He was a human and he actually aknowledged the camps? It was all a little much to take and she was so absorbed that when he asked her for the third time if she was ready for her ability test she shook her head up with blush on her cheek embaressed. "sorry" she murmered standing up. "I'm ready."
She was shocked to see that while she was off in la-la land Doctot Che had set up a modest camera on a tripod next to Iris. "If you wouldn't mind hitting record on that Iris I'd appreciate having my hands free to make notes"[/i] he winked at her " In your own time Raina, when you're ready[/i]"
"Well OK." started Raina. "I can show you the basics of my ice call- keep it mind this is very general. I can focus it on something like a glass of water or the ground. But as far as I know I'm taking the moisture out of the air. I can't create ice from nothing."
" Even mutants can't make something from nothing[/i]" replied Doctor Che thoughtfully as Raina stood infront of the camera.
She took a deep breath in and let out her song. It filled the room and Doctor Che instantly started to write his observations- not just about what it was doing to the room but how it made his own hair stand on end.
The room got cold causing cheeks to flush and breath to come out in misty clouds. Raina sang to the water in the air and it swirlled around freezing and melting again. The air tasted dry like a cold winter's day. Her song was beautiful and haunting as it always was. When she stopped her hair was covered in water droplets like everything in the room.
"Sorry." she said embaressed. "I can take it out of the air but I don't usually need to put it back... I got my skin wet... I think you wont have to wait very long to see- urgh...!" What she had wanted to explain was that the condensation had gathered on her skin and had now triggered her secondary mutation without her having enough time to stop it or prepare for it. At first Doctor Che was shocked but he stood very quickly making notes and asking Raina if she was ok and to describe how things felt.
"I feel like my bones are breaking. It doesn't hurt but there's so much pressure, my skin burns and feels like a peeing sunburn." she groaned out as she writhed to the floor. She was getting better and keeping ahold of herself while going through her tranformation- Flloyd had seen to that. She continued to describe what was happening from her end as the stitching came out of the slacks and her greeney scaley fish tail emerged. It thumped on the floor as slits appeared on her neck. She held them closed with her hands. "I need to dry off now or I wont be able to breathe soon."
Doctor Che nodded and scurried to the other end of the office grabbing a towl for her but also a paper patient dress she could pull over when her legs came back. He watched in total wonder as she began to dry the skin and it started to peel like a snake and twist back into legs. It was sickening to see but also strangely curious and beautiful.
After the whole ordeal she pulled herself to a stand and was obviously winded. "I think that's enough for today Raina." said Doctor Che with a concerned tone. we can call or meet next week Raina to discuss my assessment. For now I'd really like you to go home and get some rest, today was stressful on you [/i]
His tone seemed different like he didn't quite believe what he saw despite working with so many mutants. He sounded a little scared like he'd signed up for something bigger than he could handle.
"Just head back the way you came ladies. I have to meet with some other patients.[/i]" he gave a tip of the invisible hat while trying to be charming and left the room in a hurry.
"wow..." said Raina after they'd been sitting in silence for a few moments. "that was weird."
Posted by Iris/Rayne on Aug 8, 2008 21:29:02 GMT -6
Mutant God
1,558
0
Nov 20, 2008 23:33:20 GMT -6
"I think I'm going to get some testing done. At the very least even if after I think about all of this I decide not to go through with it- I'd like if my DNA could go to help someone else."
Iris smiled warmly and nodded. She could tell Raina was more nervous than she was letting on, so she squeezed her hand.
She listened quietly during the questions and testing, though at first she didn't realize Doctor Che was joking at times. Her surprise showed a bit when he claimed the facility had sheltered mutants during Registration. Though, now that she thought about it, surely there had to be more mutant-friendly humans out there. Not everyone could hate mutants, or they'd be near extinction already. If only more humans and mutants felt that kind of kinship.....
She watched the doctor set up the camcorder. Apparently Raina had been lost in her own thoughts as well.
"If you wouldn't mind hitting record on that Iris I'd appreciate having my hands free to make notes." She nodded, and moved over. "In your own time Raina, when you're ready."
As Raina began to sing, Iris felt goosebumps pop out on her arms. Unconsciously, she rubbed at them to warm up a bit, though the effort was futile. For a brief moment, when she felt her back burn, she wondered if her own mutation had activated by accident. But the foggy air was all Raina, as was the beautiful, haunting melody.
But when Raina's secondary mutation kicked in, Iris winced. It looked, even sounded painful. Her hands went to her own neck as gills slit the sides of the redhead's neck. A soft gasp left her throat.
"I need to dry off now or I wont be able to breathe soon."
Iris moved almost as fast as Doctor Che, but he beat her to the towel. She bent to help Raina dry off as quickly as possible.
"I think that's enough for today Raina," Doctor Che said after it was all over. He sounded.... strange..... "We can call or meet next week Raina to discuss my assessment. For now I'd really like you to go home and get some rest, today was stressful on you. Just head back the way you came ladies. I have to meet with some other patients."
She blinked at the abrupt dismissal, then looked at Raina.
"wow.... that was weird."
"Do you think we did something wrong?" Iris asked, somewhat worried. If this was what Raina wanted, she didn't want to jeopardize her chances in anyway. Finally she shrugged.
"I guess we should go then." She offered her arm for support, in case her friend was lightheaded from the lack of air.
As they exited the building, she asked, "Well, what did you think?" She kept her tone neutral, until she got a hint of Raina's feelings on the place.
Posted by rainewater on Aug 9, 2008 5:40:26 GMT -6
Guest
"I dont know if we did anything wrong." admitted Raina as they headed back toward their clothes to change. "Maybe he had some personal experieince before. Being at the mansion has taught me that everyone has some sort of traumatic story." she laughed. "but I'm glad you were with me."
She pulled her clothes on in the previous room and waited to leave.
"I'm still not sure if I want to go through with anything. It all seems too good to be true. But I think at the least I'll have more testing and hear his assessment. When I first researched this facility one of the things I liked is that when you're finished with them they give you a whole profile. It's cool becaus if I stay a mutant and something happens to me in the future someone may be able to help me better because of it."
She stretched her arms and reached out to hug Iris. "I'm really glad you came. It meant a lot to me. I'd appreciate if we'd keep this quiet for now.... especialy from my brother if you've ever met the brute." she winked.
"I am pretty tired though. I think we should head back. Phasing like that so quickly makes my body hurt. That's one thing I wont miss!"