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.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Jun 1, 2009 14:47:00 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Jacen pointed out that maybe Elle wasn’t the friend Kealey had originally thought, and the blond frowned at the countertops for a second as she thought about that. ”No…I think she had good intentions…” Kealey said, sighing slightly at the tension leaving her shoulders under Jacen’s capable hands. ”I think we’re just two very different people…”
The next few moments happened in a blur of motion that Kealey couldn’t even sort out in her head. One moment she was turning, apologizing again to Jacen about the way she’d acted the last time they’d seen each other. Then Jacen was yelling at her, then grabbing her. Then, they were on the floor. Jacen’s body cushioned most of the force of the floor, but Kealey was still momentarily stunned as she lifted her head, ”A what….” Was all Kealey managed before the bullets started slamming into the cabinets above their heads.
The sound of breaking glass filled the air and splinters wood and what had probably been the mismatched dishes that Kealey had bought from the pawn shop rained down on them. Kealey yelled something and covered her head with her arms as a bullet hit the smoke alarm and the sound started blaring. Kealey put her hands over her ears and tried to make herself as small as possible as she huddled half-against Jacen in the glass that had fallen down around them. Realization finally dawned on Kealey that they were actually being shot at, and that Jacen was here because she’d called him.
”He’s shooting at us…shooting…what do we do?! What did I drag you into? Where do we go? ” There it was again, that same panic that had surfaced the last time Kealey had ran into the assassin, it was paralyzing. Suddenly, she hoped Jacen had an idea of what they needed to do...because as she huddled there in the glass, all she could think was I don't wanna die...and for some reason, she didn't think that was going to help them get out alive.
Shards of glass and ceramic rained down on the two and even though Jacen did his best to shield Kealey from most of the mess he knew at least some of it had to have become enmeshed in her hair. The weight of the Glock that now resided in his right hand was comforting but Jacen knew that it was no match for whatever type of gun their potential assassin was carrying. He might as well have been holding a sling shot for all the good it would do them in this situation.
Almost automatically, a mental map of Jacen's current location sprang up. The directionality of the bullets meant that his truck was parked safely on the opposite side. While that didn't particular help them at the moment, it would be a very good thing once they were able to get clear of this apartment. A quick getaway was very possible and if Jacen was really lucky then the sniper might not know who he was. Without a license plate to run for identification, sure he had a chance to get Kealey out and to safety before the assassin could identify her Saviour. Right?
"Don't underestimate this piece of dirt." Jacen reminded himself grimly as his left arm wrapped around Kealey to squeeze her reassuringly and hopefully calm her down a little bit while he formulated some sort of idea for this situation.
"No cover between here and the door." Jacen muttered as he swiveled his head to look around as best he could without getting up from behind the cabinets, "Cell phone!"
Momentarily releasing Kealey, Jacen reached down to his belt and grabbed the ever present cell phone. Lifting it up to where he could see it he felt his stomach drop when he saw the blank screen. Pressing the button several times it soon became clear that there was no turning off this phone. Since he had just had it plugged in last night there was only one conclusion to draw. The last time at his apartment, Lori had fried his cell phone without his realizing it until now.
"Damn!" Jacen swore suddenly as he tossed the cell phone up and over the counter and into the sniper's train of fire, just like the piece of trash that it was. "Sorry." He murmured an apology, the frustration still clear in his voice as he leaned his head back against the floor. Surrounded by shards of various substances, with a beautiful woman on top of him and a gun in his hand anyone looking from the outside would have felt like they were looking in on a James Bond movie. But for Jacen... he just felt helpless and useless.
"Shhhhh... calm down Kealey." He finally said as he brought his hand up to slowly comb through her hair and remove some of the debris while he waited for the sniper to make its next move, "The fire department will be here soon... we'll be alright."
Roland watched the two cuddle in fright. It was endearing and a bit humorous. Interactive drama at its finest. The old wooden elevator creaked its way down to the ground floor, the case opened before him as he moved the scope around. A glimpse of a cell phone appeared on the counter. Roland assumed from the garble in his earbud that this was a non working unit. All the same, no reason to make them believe that he was done with them. A bullet cleanly picked the phone off, sending it into pieces against the refrigerator that the projectile punctured.
Stepping out into the street, he saw more than a few bystanders. Bycrouchers would be a better term for them, as the rifle surely had no sound suppressor attached. With the close quarters of the buildings, the resulting echo report reeled off the buildings, making the weapon sound much larger than it really was. Crossing into the lobby of the apartment building, a man with a large ring of keys and a swarthy demeanor seemed to be quite angry with someone on the phone. Darn, it seemed not only would the fire department be coming, but the police too?
The timetable just had to be turned up a bit. Roland glanced at the man and the key ring was in the thief's coat pocket. He took the stairs down into the basement checking around corners for anyone. Seemed the fire alarm emptied the laundry facilities out, half emptied dryers open, their contents all over the place. Roland made his way through that room and with a quick change of keys, found himself at the furnace. He fingered the DO NOT REMOVE tags from the utility company on the gas line, chuckling to himself. The case found its way to a small junction box.
Roland carefully used his ability to move the gun control device out of the otherwise false bottom of the bulky case. The true package was easily enough C4 to level at least this building, if not the ones nearby. He had decided on such a big bang because of Mr. King and whatever his strange ability was. Roland intended on studying him for a few moments, prior to the fireworks. Several events were scheduled on the device, which magnetically adhered to the gas line. A few shots fired out if any movement appeared on camera.
Once the device was secured and online, Roland stepped back through the door, breaking the key off in the lock. He then made his way back into the lobby after also ruining the lock into the laundry room. He knew the number of the apartment, so he began making his way up the stairs to it. Judging from general response time, he had a few moments to talk to the man. Oh yeah, and the Irish lass. But why bother? She was dead as everyone else in the building.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Jun 1, 2009 20:34:20 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Jacen was muttering to himself, talking about cover and doors and things that her brain simply couldn’t process at the moment. Just like any other time when she was around Jacen, Kealey found her own emotions almost amplified. The fear and guilt over the situation seemed like they’d formed into a hard ball right in the middle of her gut. For a moment Kealey thought she might throw up, but on top of everything else, Jacen probably wouldn’t have appreciated that. She refrained with shallow breathes, and solace in the squeeze Jacen gave her.
Cell phone? Jacen was going for his cell phone. Was he calling his SWAT team friends? Were they going to come and help? Jacen cursed and the cell phone flew and Kealey supposed that meant they weren’t. The phone sat on the counter for a moment and nothing happened, it was quiet. Kealey lifted her head, just as the bullet hit the electronic device, shattering it and showering her and Jacen with more shards. At some point a gun had materialized in Jacen’s hand and it acted like another cold bucket of reality, bringing the intensity of the situation home.
Her eyes were welling now and Kealey tried really hard not to cry, but everything seemed so completely hopeless. Jacen was talking to her, and his hand was in her hair. Somehow it made things worse. The fire alarm was still screaming and now there were people too, footsteps moving up and down the stairs. The blond could almost feel the emotions despite Jacen’s presence, the fear, the anxiety, the impatience with the number of stairs it took to get out and into the street.
”How’s the fire department going to help Jacen?” Kealey said, voice hitching slightly. ”He’s just here for me….” she said, frustration mounting. A brave person, a heroine, would have done the noble thing. The shooting would probably stop if the target was hit. Kealey wasn’t a heroine though, she hadn’t even realized she was muttering the rosary over and over as bullets continued to hit at almost regular intervals. Did he have unlimited ammunition too? Jacen had asked her to calm down, ”Calm down…” she repeated, slight inspiration striking as she mentally measured the length of her narrow kitchen.
”Jacen…” she said, eyes wide with sudden inspiration, ”Can you tell where he’s shooting from? And do you think you can get far enough away from me that my powers will work? Without getting in the line of fire?” Even as she said the words, her fist closed in his shirt, just because she wanted to know if he could didn’t mean she wanted him to yet. It was an idea though, a good idea. Or it would have been if the shooter had actually been where the bullets were coming from, instead of making his way up the stairs towards them.
Nothing was going Jacen's way. He had come over to help Kealey and now he was pinned down the exact same way she was. Of course, he had pulled her away from the laser sight on her head and if he hadn't been here to see it she might have died without having any chance at all.
"I'm not going anywhere Kealey." Jacen said quietly as the young woman seemed to realize more and more that she was the target, "If he really wants you that bad he'll have to go through me and I'm not going to make this easy for him."
Finally Kealey seemed to come up with some sort of idea and immediately Jacen began to scan the area. He couldn't be exactly sure what sort of angle the sniper was firing some but surely there was some way for him to figure it out.
"I... uh... I don't think your kitchen's big enough but I bet I can get over to your couch. Why?" Jacen asked quietly, his voice just a soft murmur in Kealey's ear as he continued to look around him, "Do you think trying to sense his emotions is gonna help us escape?"
Since the alarms were wailing away in the stairwell, Roland took the liberty of pulling any manual fire alarms he could find. Might take them longer to decide it was a hoax or doubly longer to find what had truly happened. The arson investigators of course. The firemen would just have to do a good bit of praying were they to return to their stations tonight. Finding the floor that Miss Quinn lived on, Roland pushed the door open with his foot as he continued to monitor the kitchen.
His finger moved slowly and deliberately through the various frames he had access to. They were being quiet. There was no blood on the tile, so superficial glass wounds were about all he could hope for. They were undoubtedly planning their next move in the transparent safety of the cabinets. If Roland wasn't the type to manipulate and play with victims, he morethan likely would have taken her before Jacen's arrival and then taken him when he checked on her. That or pump the entire ammo box into the kitchen. It wasn't all that large of a space really.
Trusting in the suspension of the straps holding the control case, Roland let the large ring of keys appear in his hand, his fingers sifting through the many keys until he found the one that fit Kealey's lock. A simple slide of the cylinder and he was in. "Honey, I'm home." The damage to the room was quite exciting to Roland. The shells had easily sliced through whatever they were pointed at and then apparently several feet beyond that. Efficiency. He found a comfortable padded chair unscathed by debris to sit in.
" Do be a dear and show yourself, Miss Quinn. Mr. King, I would appreciate it if you would also come and join the party. Please move slowly and carefully, as the sniper across the street has terribly jumpy nerves. Strange , isn't it? I thought those types were cool and level headed. Anyway, do come out and have a seat on the sofa here. I'd like to have a chat."
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Jun 2, 2009 20:13:02 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
Jacen’s heroic attitude was all well and good, but that wasn’t the direction that Kealey’s mind had been going at all. Still, it was nice to know that someone was willing to go to bat for her like that. For someone like Kealey, whose friends had been few and far in between, it was even better.
”Okay….” she said, then listened closely as he explained just how far away he’d have to get in order for her powers to work. She frowned, she’d have been willing to try it if it hadn’t involved him leaving the cover of the cabinets. It didn’t matter that the bullets were tearing through them like a knife through butter, there was all that space between the couch and cabinets where there was nothing but air. He also didn’t seem to think that sensing their attacker’s emotions would help. Kealey realized very quickly at this point that Jacen didn’t know what she could do…”Sensing his emotions wouldn’t do us much good…I’ll explain if we get out of this.” she said, just as quietly as Jacen had spoken. ”None of it matters if you can’t get far enough away though.”
Footsteps. It was strange to Kealey that she could hear footsteps even though the fire alarm was blaring. Then the key. ”Oh god” Kealey said, her voice strangled slightly with fear, ”Firemen wouldn’t use a key…”
The door opened and she heard the voice, the same voice from that night in the subway station and the sympathetic nervous system kicked in. Kealey wanted to bolt, she wanted to hop up off the floor and run as fast as she could. At the same time her heart started slamming against her rib cage and her whole body started shaking. He was in her apartment.
More footsteps, and Kealey squeezed her eyes shut, fist tightening even more in Jacen’s shirt. Nothing happened though, at least not yet. There was a few more moments of silence, then he spoke again. Orders this time, the same chilling voice from the subway. The bravado of that night was completely absent in this encounter and Kealey didn’t think she could move. Then something dawned on the blond, the assassin knew Jacen’s name too.
He said he wanted to talk, but was it just a ruse to get them to come out so they could be shot? Kealey thought about this for a moment, then discarded the idea, the English assassin could simply have shot them when he entered the apartment if that was his immediate goal. Kealey didn’t want to move, was still terrified of the thought, but she remembered from the subway what anything less than compliance had resulted in. Through the haze of panic, Kealey remembered her plan from a few minutes ago and she whispered again, hoping Jacen would hear, ”Take your time…try to stay far enough away.”
That said, she slowly sat up, uncurling her fingers from the white-knuckled grip she’d held on Jacen’s shirt, then rose slowly to her feet. There was a light tinkle of glass as the shards fell from her hair and clothing, and Kealey winced slightly as she walked and some of the broken pieces jabbed her through her socks. A few moments of panic, and three deep breaths while she waited to be shot, and Kealey found herself unharmed. Forward she went, eyes locking on the familiar stranger sitting in her chair.
Past the man Kealey walked, starting to realize the small, stinging cuts on her hands and arms from the glass. Onward Kealey walked, to the far side of the couch, shuddering as she left Jacen’s field and the same calm enjoyment that she’d felt in the subway washed over her. This was good, but if Jacen moved more than a few feet out of the kitchen, she’d be back in his field and nothing would work. She had to move fast.
He was so confident, so pleased, and meticulous. Kealey had felt this once before, in a man who walked down the street without stepping on any cracks. If he hit a crack, he melted down. It was almost like that. Not quite, but similar. Kealey had to step on a crack.
Hopefully, Jacen staying where he was would be the first step to doing that. Looking straight at the man in the chair, Kealey met his eyes and fought down the urge to shudder at what she saw, then she concentrated. The confidence had to go, so she grabbed it first, doing everything she could to eliminate it. It was risky, he could simply decide the talk wasn’t worth the risk and kill her outright, but Jacen still had his gun and could still get to cover.
Slowly, Kealey sat, eyes never leaving the assassin’s cold ones. ”You wanted to talk…talk…but why all this? Why not just kill me and be done with it? This doesn’t seem your style…all this noise, all this mess. Isn’t slinking through the shadows like some Rogue MI6 agent more your thing? Isn’t this going to draw a lot of attention to yourself? You know the police and fire department are on the way.” Kealey said, the confidence she was sapping from Roland bolstering the bravado she’d thought she’d lost. Work faster… she mentally willed her powers, but they were never reliable, there was no telling how long this would take…or the effect it would have on the man. Kealey could only hope.
He seemed to appear out of nowhere and with really no warning Kealey and Jacen's way of escape was suddenly cut off. The man who had apparently masterminded this whole situation was now in the room with them and worse of all he knew Jacen's name! "How the hell?" Jacen asked himself, mentally swearing as the blond woman rose to her feet and then slowly stepped out from behind the cover of the cabinet.
Glass crunched as Jacen slowly moved up into a couch as his mind continued to race. The intruder had never come into vue so there was no way the other man could know that he was armed. Likewise since he had stayed behind the cabinets the sniper, if it really was another person, could have no idea he had a weapon. swiftly Jacen replace his Glock back in its holster on his back and then slowly returning to a standing position. Stepping out from behind the counter, he paused and actually leaned up against the end of it as casually as he could pull off.
"I think I'd prefer to stand if its all the same to you." Jacen said evenly as he scanned the man's face, trying to come up with some sort of identification. As he waited to see the other man's response, Jacen's gaze also swept over the windows, trying to identify where the attacking sniper might be stationed. There were just far to many variables for him to deal with right at the moment. "And have we met somewhere?" Mr. King asked as he once again focused on the over confident person before him, "I rarely forget a face."
Like a ghost rising from the grave, Miss Quinn appeared from behind the cabinets. She didn't look too happy. It looked like the look she may have had if Roland hadn't put her eye out at the subway. She stood in a true commitment to defiance, as most of her countrymen did, breathing slowly as if she were waiting to be shot. The light remained on the back of her head for good measure, nonetheless. She made her way to the sofa and plopped down, a serious look of determination on her face.
" You wanted to talk…talk…but why all this? Why not just kill me and be done with it? This doesn’t seem your style…all this noise, all this mess. Isn’t slinking through the shadows like some Rogue MI6 agent more your thing? Isn’t this going to draw a lot of attention to yourself? You know the police and fire department are on the way.” Although her little tirade was off-off-Broadway material, parts of it seemed to ring true to Roland. Perhaps this was a bit over the top, even for him. It seemed odd for him to feel that way, considering the danger that Mr. King presented. Perhaps she didn't know? The only reason she would know would indicate that she was either a mutant or the two of them were much closer than this first impression had made.
Finally the man in question rose. He must have decided that hope was a fleeting thing. "I think I'd prefer to stand if its all the same to you. And have we met somewhere? I rarely forget a face." Kealey was correct in that the authorities were on their way. He would keep the meeting brief and to the point. " Excellent monologue there, Miss Quinn. You are correct that authorities will be here shortly. I suspect more after that. Anyway, I will keep our meeting brief. A few things I'd like to skim over quickly. Won't keep you, promise." He kept his eyes between Jacen's movements, Kealey's eyes, and the screen before him.
" I have little interest in you, Miss Quinn. Your status as a witness is minimal, considering your complete lack of a backbone. Though the little show you put on was nice. No, I am more interested in your friend here. Mr. King, does she know what you do exactly? It would have been a complete shock to me, except I have seen this phenomenon before in another individual. I suspect you must be human because I am quite sure that the NYPD does not enlist mutants. Not right out in the open anyway. Certainly not as their star quarterback. Making any sense yet?" he waved his finger slightly on the target, so that the light moved a bit on Kealey's head, if Mr. King needed further reason to remain calm. Roland chuckled slightly before turning cold and staring into King. " Three little facts for you, King. One, attempting anything foolish will result in your dear friend's death. Two, attacking me will speed the timetable up a good bit, more now that Miss Quinn has pointed out my flaws. Three, if you can't remember who I am, too bad." He smirked, while turning the laser off for a moment. The scope turned out to the street, where the first responders were already pulling up. Things needed to move on.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Jun 3, 2009 17:04:50 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
There it was. Doubt, the tiniest seed of it had been planted by her sapping of his confidence, but it was enough. Kealey could feel it from the man, so she could use it against him. This was something that she wasn’t used to, or even comfortable doing in the first place, but it was a life or death situation now. Surely she’d be forgiven, especially for using her powers on such a poor excuse of a man. Kealey grabbed the doubt, concentration making her eyes narrow slightly as she amplified it while holding the confidence where it was. Then he spoke and Kealey nearly ruined everything as the words sunk in and surprise threatened to eclipse everything else she was feeling.
He was more interested in Jacen? Things that the assassin was saying stuck in Kealey’s mind and she tucked them away for later. The fact that Jacen wasn’t the only one with powers like his was almost as interesting as the revelation that he wasn’t a mutant. Kealey couldn’t help but let her eyes flick in his direction for a moment. It had been a while since she’d seen him, had all this happened since then? She felt the man in the chair’s emotions slipping away, and Kealey shoved all that to the side. She could ask Jacen questions later…if they managed to make it out of this. Back to the emotions, more doubt. Kealey was playing with fire, and she knew it. Two quick and easy kills, then a quick and easy escape. There was also the fact that he’d called her spineless. Kealey’s eyes narrowed again as she ignored the fact that apparently Jacen had met this man before. Anger had began to permeate her consciousness. It was funny what a little confidence could do.
The paralyzing panic from earlier was gone and the cold, calculating demeanor that Roland wore so well was leaking into Kealey as she grew more and more in touch with his emotions. Kealey didn’t wear it as well as Roland, but she hadn’t had nearly as much practice. Jacen was staying where she’d told him to, at least for the moment. That was good, Kealey thought as the man in front of her threatened her…again. He’d noticed the police activity, that was good too. ”You didn’t think the police were going to show up too, or that they were going to show up so fast.” she commented, her voice calm and collected as she stared, ”That was your first mistake.” she added, tilting her head to the side then smiled slightly, pulling harder on the guilt. Kealey wasn’t going to tell him, but his second mistake had been underestimating her. She waited, the little smile still on her face, fueled by the assassin’s own cool confidence. There was nothing else she could do, but at least she wasn’t scared anymore.
Facing an enemy on the field of battle was thing. That was what Jacen was trained to do. He was trained to face down the scum of the earth and remove them in order to protect the innocent. What he wasn't trained to face was a man that was interested in because of his secret abilities instead of his status as a military or police officer.
"The NYPD is an equal opportunity employer though most mutants do shy away from it." Jacen said as calmly as he could, trying to hide the fact that he was actually rattled, "And there's no way I can be human. With an ability like this I have to be some sort of mutant don't I... just like you. Maybe I'll go get my blood tested just to be sure but with an ability like this I haven't seen the need. Humans don't get powers."
Tilting his head to the side ever so slightly, Jacen's eyes narrowed as he studied the myster man's face even more intently. As if from a great distance he could hear alarm bells in his mind but his conscious was far to busy focusing on the current situation instead of allowing the subconscious to bring whatever information he needed back to the forefront.
"I'll have to try and meet the other mutant that has this particular ability." Jacen chimed up again, "As far as I knew I was alone with this power but I really shouldn't be all that surprised. I know there have been multiple fire and water manipulators show up on the news at different times so why not multiple nullifyers."
Jacen was itching to pull his Glock and make a move... especially when the red laser on Kealey's head dissapeared but something held him back. The man in front of him was to calm and collected to not already be prepared for whatever it was that the police officer might try. If Jacen got the opportunity it would only happen once which meant that he needed to just continued to bide his time.
Glancing at Kealey, Jacen raised an eyebrow ever so slightly as he watched and listening to the young woman. He had never seen her this bold or this confident before. Something had changed but Jacen didn't understand it in the slightest. Whatever had happened it was making Kealey seem a whole lot more like Lori.
More babble from the two of them.King was jabbing on about the NYPD's hiring policies and being so very diplomatic. He was a negotiator through and through. Too bad it would do little good now. It was so odd that King would talk like it was just another day. He certainly needed to learn about loss. Something needed to humble him. Roland suspected that once this little charade was finished, all would be well.
Kealey's talking was buzzing in Roland's ears. The lass had become something beyond defiant. Petulant perhaps? She really was a foolish person. Something was surely amiss, however. This whole contraption idea had seemed stupendous and perfect. Now it seemed like too much time on the man's hands. Guns were becoming too much of a liability for Roland. Besides, he certainly didn't want to come up short handed in the future due to using a certain tool one too many times. New tools would have to be found in the near future.
”You didn’t think the police were going to show up too, or that they were going to show up so fast. That was your first mistake.” This was all pointless and had immediately lost its charm. It was time to pack up his toys and go home. Of course, the game would continue. Roland launched a particular program on the control box and then closed it. It hung from his wrist now as he stood in the room. He had something to say, but his eyes watched the window as he did so briefly. "No, Miss Quiin. The first mistake I made was allowing you to live. It was a rare moment and not likely to be repeated. I'll be going now. Say your goodbyes to each other."
In a quick motion, Roland opened the door and closed it behind him. He didn't bother with the locks, expecting gun blasts to ensue any moment. A tube of industrial epoxy appeared in his hand and he set to filling the space between the door and its housing to affix it there permanently. He then made his way down the hall quickly. He could hear the first shot ringing off behind him as he descended the stairs. The program would simply fire at various angles into Kealey's apartment every 15 seconds until the feeder box emptied. It was just something to keep them occupied as he made his way to his place of apparent death.
Posted by Kealey Shinbo on Jun 5, 2009 23:43:16 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men
[color=deeppink]
Straight
Married (Tetsuya Shinbo)
1,656
4
Sept 25, 2024 10:26:05 GMT -6
Jules
It was working, the doubt was holding very well on its own now, as well as a new, and strong, sense of urgency. That made Kealey nervous, a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Urgency meant that he’d simply want to get this whole thing over with. Then again, it meant that he was leaving. Roland spoke, pointing out that he’d made a mistake letting her live and she nodded her head.
”I was going to mention that earlier…” she pointed out, head tilted to one side as Roland fiddled with a controller of some sort that he was holding on to. The shooting still hadn’t started again and the cold sweat that had blossomed started to evaporate. He stood and Kealey rose with him. She couldn’t move far, but if she lost her concentration now there was a chance that the whole debacle would go on longer. If they were going to make their move, it had to be now.
Roland had that nifty little box hanging from his wrist, and Kealey wished for a moment that there was some way she could snag it from him. Whatever it was, it had to be important for him to stop gloating long enough to fiddle with it. Kealey followed his line of sight and found him looking out the windows, at the sniper? Was there some kind of communication taking place out there that they hadn’t known about?
Kealey was still waiting for the bullet, the confidence still there, but fading slightly under the pressure of standing so exposed in the open area of the living room, right in front of the windows. The bullet never came. Roland simply told her and Jacen to say their goodbyes and slipped from the room as if he were sneaking out into the hall.
There was a moment of stunned silence while Kealey’s brain struggled to puzzle out exactly what had just happened, and then she was sprinting to the door, not even looking at Jacen as she moved into his field. Broken glass and pieces of wall dug into the blond’s feet as she covered the floor in long strides, and she grabbed the unlocked doorknob and jerked. Nothing happened. She pulled again, nothing.
”He must have done something to the door…” Kealey exclaimed as she tugged again, just in time for the first gunshot to ring out and the first bullet to slam into the door to the left of her head. Instantly she threw herself to the ground, arms covering her head as the confidence she’d leeched from Roland was trounced by the mortal peril she’d just put herself in.
Splinters of wood from the old, cheap door, rained down on Kealey as the bullets tore it to pieces. Kealey could only cover her head and hope that there was nobody in the hallway as the bullets continued to fly. Then there was silence. Up Kealey looked at the door, which was splintered in places, with light showing through in others. Pulling and pushing hadn’t worked before…maybe they could get through now.
Almost on cue, gunfire rang out again, this time tearing across the living room where Kealey had been sitting moments before. Bits of fluff from her couch soared into the air, little knick knacks exploded, and picture frames clattered to the floor. The shots continued and the stacks of books Kealey had borrowed from the library started to fall over, and Kealey winced internally. Down she stayed, though, looking up at the door, willing the gunfire to stop, if only long enough for them to get out. It did.
”Jacen!” she called out, scared to move to look for him better, ”Can you help me break out the rest of the door?” It was thin, and the sniper was apparently still shooting at them…or just trying to damage Kealey’s apartment out of spite for her poor decorating sense…but they had a chance now. Surely the assassin would have poked his head in by now if he were going to come back. It was now or never, because the sniper didn’t seem to be running out of bullets any time soon.
OOC - Jacen, if you think you can get them out in your post, go for it. I'd assume the fireworks are going to start in the next couple of posts, so getting clear would probably be a good idea.
For a while the maniac attacker seemed content to just sit and chat with his two would be victims but without any warning he suddenly rose and made his way over to the door. His movements were smooth and swift, the practiced motions of a true hunger. Before Jacen or Kealey could react the man was outside with the door firmly shut between them.
"What the hell was that about?" Jacen wondered out loud as Kealey suddenly ran across the floor and grabbed a hold of the door knob. Her efforts seemed fruitless and just as she said something to affirm what Jacen already suspected, the tell tale sound of a gunshot once again rang out followed a second later by the thud of a bullet slamming into the door next to Kealey's head.
Without pause Jacen and Kealey were both diving for the floor once again seeking cover from the mysterious sniper that had been terrorizing them for what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only the last ten or fifteen minutes. Once again Jacen found himself fighting off feelings of helplessness as he listened to bullet after bullet slam into the door and then change course into the living room. "What I wouldn't give for an M-4 with scope right now!" Jacen mentally swore to himself as he cowered behind the cabinetry.
"Jacen! Can you help me break out the rest of the door?"
Lifting his head from the floor, Jacen narrowed his eyes as he stared at the door. The light that shone through the bullets holes and cracks definitely looked promising but there was no guarantee. And worse than that, if he went for the door he was making himself an open target for the sniper that was apparently monitoring the apartment.
"Yes!" He finally decided, his voice strong and resolutely as he rose from his prone position into a crouch. Waiting until he heard a brief pause in the sniper fire, Jacen suddenly lept into a charge toward the door. Lowering his shoulder he momentarily closed his eyes, gritting his teeth against the pain that slammed into his shoulder. There was a loud cracking noise and then Jacen was through and crashing into the wall on the other side of the hallway. Shaking his head slightly to clear the cobwebs Jacen spun back around and stepped through the man sized hole in the door.
"Come on Kealey!" He commanded as he grabbed her hand and then turned to guide/drag her out into the hallway. As soon as the pair were clear of the shattered and splintered door. Without hesitation Jacen broke into a run, taking the stairs as fast as he could without pulling Kealey completely off balance and sending her into a tumble. As the pair slipped out of the outside doors, Jacen saw the first of the firefighters moving into the building to see exactly what the situation was. A couple of them began to head toward the pair but there was no way they could pause to chat with the officials. Never slowing his pace, Jacen soon arrived at the truck and threw open the passenger door for Kealey.
"Get in!" Jacen said even as he opened his own door and jumped into the vehicle. The key turned in the ignition and the engine fired to life. Leaning back in his seat, Jacen's hand moved toward the gear selector when suddenly his shoulder came in contact with the cushion on his seat.
"Aaaah!" Jacen gritted out pain, leaning forward quickly but not fast enough to keep blood from staining the upholstery. With the adrenaline pumping he hadn't realized that there were several 1 to 2 inch pieces of wood embedded in the area that had impacted the door. They had been bleeding freely but after being jarred by the seat they were now flowing even faster.