The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Welldrinker Cult
A shadowy group is gaining power, drawing in people who are curious, vulnerable, or malicious, and turning them into Mystics. They are recruiting people into their ranks to spread the influence of magic in the world, but for what end goal?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
The cold, the dark, the aching feeling of wanting to puke but holding onto his spleen for dear life; all of the above landed in Eisen’s consciousness like a cruise from the Bahamas on American soil, if one’s experience with the Bahamas could be compared to the experience of bat people clawing at you as you fought for dear life.
“THE HORROR!” The three syllables erupted out of Eisen’s exhausted diaphragm like a delayed line from a stressed-out understudy for a family-friendly drama. Cold grass no longer hugged his back nor was he surrounded by figures in the evening light, bickering about survival. Instead, Eisen gawked at a silver-haired butler’s overgrown nose hairs as he leaned over him to patch an owie on Eisen’s head.
“Oh please. Don’t be so dramatic.” The butler retorted, trying not to sound insulted but Eisen, even in all the pain he was enduring for the sake of survival, could sense the insult in his voice. He was self-conscious about his nose-hairs. Ha. Hahaha. Ha. The butler then dabbed his way down Eisen’s face and arms with a warm cloth and ointment.
As Eisen’s vision solidified and adjusted to the now warm light accompanied by the chatter of his companions, he leaned into the feeling of getting felt up by an old man and breathed a sigh of relief. Hell yeah?! I’m not dead!
He began to make whooping noises in celebration, which the butler interrupted with a gentle cushioning of his elbow against Eisen’s lips.
“He’s suffering from a certain poison’s adverse effects.” The butler forced this explanation upon whoever came by to check up on Eisen as he made the noises.
Eisen knew Butler was enjoying this. He began to take off his pants, slowly, revealing his neon pink speedos.
“Please, sir. Cease all movement until I have finished your treatment.” The butler pulled Eisen’s pants up for him, but Eisen insisted.
“I smeeelll chlorine! It’s pooltime!” The events prior to his laying upon the couch began returning to him forcefully. The grasshopper dude crashing through a window. Running and stripping through the mansion. A Herculean gargoyle’s ass and a shotgun. Three mad bats. A delayed pool party.
“Oh sh*t! Did we win?” Eisen shot up and he was met with a forceful backhand by the butler. Then out as a light he went again.
Later he’d awaken on some foldable beach chair with a hawaiian t-shirt, shades, his speedo in full view, a mimosa on the table beside him and a couple bandages on his arms and face. But right now, it was nighty night til the Butler finished his thang.
The kitchen route or the roof route... Which one to pick?
The kitchen route would definitely be more difficult to maneuver, with the possibility of being caught being a higher risk and all. The roof was also a good option, but Eisen was getting kinda lazy. His ability allowed him to scale heights, but it didn't make scaling heights any easier. He would just be climbing upwards like climbing invisible steps- which was something he was used to of course. If his Dads had anything to say about his footwork, they knew he could run up and down the stairs in a flash at the mention of dinner being ready. The idea of food though, was what allured Eisen to the kitchen route, and so he was determined.
>>"Well...you're the one with legs! Wanna try the roof? Or should I sneak us in this door!"
Eisen answered the avatar's question by taking out a pair of fingerless gloves that he'd been keeping in his other back pocket that wasn't holding his wallet, and strapped them on. He used these to spider crawl. Since his mutation originated at his palms and the soles of his feet, this was a little trick he'd learned ever since he started breaking out of his house to explore D.C. The only problem now was how to secure Oli. Thankfully the backpack had a little transparent pocket on it's strap that would be perfect to slip Oli in. It even had a zipper. So in the pocket they went, and Eisen walked up to the door and did an awkward thing where he kicked his legs up underneath him and pushed himself up with his hands, positioning himself so that he was upside down, spider-man style above it. The blood began to rush to Eisen's head, which made him feel both woozy and more spider-man like.
"Little Oli. Will you do me the favor and unlock the door?" He asked, waiting. Then he realized... how would he be able to open the door if he was hanging upside down above it? Eisen didn't really think this through...
“The best thing about New York, honestly, is all the American, pure American food here. You got your pizzas, burgers, steaks, buffets. And if you want something entirely different? Walk down a block and ta-daa!” Eisen pointed Oli’s front facing camera to a pizza shop, a bagel shop, and a Poke shop, which were all along the way to the the Dave N’ Buster’s.
>>"The company I work for wanted to move out there. You know how work is, so I had to come along too!" Oli's avatar drifted around the phone screen, polygonal eyes taking in as much as their camera could see. "We used to be out west, in California. So you can imagine how rough my first winter here was!"
“I bet Cali’s beautiful. Sure, there are great parks and all around here, but the natural beauty sucks eggs. Snow, shmoe. You’ll get tired of the cold if you aren’t already. I heard it gets pretty cold during the Cali nights as well, though.”
>>"YOU HAVE A-RRIVED AT YOUR DES-TINATION. DAVE-N BUS-TERS!"
“Woah!” Eisen fumbled with Oli’s phone as it began to vibrate uncontrollably. He dropped it and it hurtled to the sidewalk, but he caught it by slapping his palm against the phone’s back and used his ability to lockit in the air before clasping his fingers safely around it again. Instead of being mad, however, Eisen got a rush from Oli’s excitement.
“Hey. You know what’s more exciting than just walking into Dave & Busters?” As they made it closer to the store, Eisen continued walking past the entrance and into an alley leading to the back of the store. Beside a dumpster of trash bags full of wing bones and discarded beer bottles, was a door that a Dave & Buster’s employee walked in and out of. Eisen didn’t feel like just walking in through the entrance. No, that was too mainstream. Plus, getting in for free was totally better than paying. They just had to go through the secret passageway.
Eisen stalked up to the door. The door was locked with a keypad and Eisen scratched his head. Why the heck would they need a keypad access? Dave & Buster’s was weird.
“Hmm. Guess we’re gonna have to wait until the guy comes back.” Eisen said to Oli as he tightened the straps of the pink, unicorn backpack and waited on the side of the door that didn’t swing open, ready to sneak in once another employee came out to throw the trash. He then looked up and around to see if there was a window. There were no windows, but there was a vent that he could probably open up and crawl into. He could also check the roof and see if they could sneak in through there. So many options!
He brought up Oli’s phone to his face and waved it around so they could see the situation. “What do you think? I’m sure the kitchen is through here, but we could also check the roof.”
Eisen quaked in excitement with every step they moved closer to DAVE-N BUS-TERS. He chuckled when Oli’s voice was replaced by the G.P.S.'s voice. and switched back and forth. >>"Have you been living in New York long, Mister Eisen? I've only just been relocated here! So I've been trying to get used to the city!
Truthfully, Eisen had never been to a Dave N’ Busters before, but he wasn’t going to share that with Oli. He’d seen all the advertisements on tv, of families having a great time, arcade machines everywhere and the option to order wings upon wings upon wings. He siblings had never taken him and they preferred to go out with their other normal friends, leaving Eisen on his own most of the time. Even when he moved out to New York after graduation, his older brother and sister visited less times than he had a fingers on his hand since he'd been here. Even while here, he'd felt that it’d be a loser’s move to go to a Dave N' Buster's on his own.
“I moved out here in September of my Senior year of highschool so that makes… four years and change?” New York felt a lot like D.C., with its many tourists, people that moved in from all over, and traffic. The winters could be harsh and the summers hot and stuffy, but there was a lot to do and enough to see in between the two extremes. Eisen was glad he didn’t really care to use a car, since the public transportation system treated him well enough. The cities in New York built upward not outward, so that complimented his mutation pretty well. Plus, his chances of bumping into other mutants seemed to multiply since he lived here. That could also have been due to him finally living in the 'real world', out of school, with his own occupation. Now Eisen really felt the urge to call up his older siblings.
“What brought you to New York, Oli? Do you have family here?” Eisen walked across a busy intersection, pretending to balance on the streetlights as he followed the directions given by the avatar. At the end of the street was the Dave N’ Busters with its round logo, shaped like a token. Eisen walked himself down to the sidewalk, getting slightly tired from using his mutation whilst following Oli’s navigation. He continued to munch on some of his cheesy snacks, getting orange lips. As they approached the glorified arcade for adults, Eisen was tempted to ask Oli to pay for his entrance fee again. Yet, that didn't seem to be an action made in good faith. Eisen knew what it was like to be used as well as to be valued, and that did not feel as good.
>>"To...to tell you the truth, Mister Eisen, I don't get to leave my...room very often. You're right, I don't get out much. So I'm happy just to be...looking around. I mean! I got to visit a 7-11! That was super cool!"
The words ‘don’t get to leave my room’ sounded so foreign to Eisen. He had had an inkling that was the case earlier. As a kid, Eisen went everywhere in his neighborhood. Factories, coffee shops, dumpsters behind the Smithsonian museums, all these places were his playground. His dads cared more about his social safety than his physical safety, and in one way that prevented Eisen from exploring the world. He wasn’t one to create best friends. Strangers were his comfort zone, and he sure liked to meet them. The more he spoke to the avatar on the phone, the more it seemed like the person behind the screen was like a little child, except that would be a sad reality if a child were made to work like this I.T. person seemed to be made to do.
“A 7-11 is pretty cool, but you don’t mean that was the first time you went to a 7-11, do you?” Eisen looked at the phone quizzically. If Oli had never been to a 7-11, that means…
“You’ve probably never had a Bloop Razzle then! Boy, you haven’t truly lived until you’ve had a Bloop Razzle.” Eisen knew there were other great things to experience in the world, like skydiving, participating in group orgies, or tripping on acid on a zero-gravity plane ride, but to be deprived of the greatness of Bloop Razzles was another inconceivable reality to Eisen.
Then it dawned upon him… if he were to take Oli to see the world, where would he first take the little dude? It seemed like Oli could transfer themselves to other electronic devices. Eisen wondered.
“How long until your next client arrives, again?” Eisen asked, trying to think of the best place to take a soul that hasn’t wandered to wander.
“You wouldn’t be able to navigate to the nearest Dave n’ Buster’s would you? If you loved 7-11, you’re going to love Dave n’ Busters.” Eisen didn’t even finish his taquitos before he scooped up Oli’s pink backpack and began walking across the rooftops in the direction of where he thought the nearest Dave n’ Busters were. There were games of all types that simulated places all around the world. Plus, he knew Oli loved games already.
>>"I appreciate your concern, Mister Eisen, but you don't have to worry about me! The people I work for are super protective over me, I'm completely safe!" Oli's avatar sits down, appreciating the view. "And don't fret about that little stunt I pulled too! It's nearly untraceable, especially with such a minor thing as a 7-11 purchase!"
Eisen took a deep breath and remembered that this was a stranger he'd just met, and one who had many secrets surrounding them. He took a few more bites so that he could chew upon the situation before responding.
"You must be pretty valued, then." Oli would not be able to see Eisen frown a little. It had been a couple of years since anyone's really watched out for him. He'd been on his lonesome for a while, living in his apartment with his one-eyed cat, a grumpy landlady, and working for a telephone wire company in one of the busiest cities in the world. Sure, it was great living on his own, making his own decisions, going wherever he wanted, and eating whatever he wanted. Yet, some part of him ached to be back in the Underground... it was killed or be killed there, but at least he had people looking out for him. Never once had he felt unsafe, despite the gruesome things he'd seen. Now, he'd cut his ties and was like a kite in the wind, refusing to accept that he was just waiting for somewhere to land. To meet someone or someplace that he'd like to be tied down to.
Eisen picked up the camera and turned it to face him. He watched the little avatar look at him, smiling and friendly.
"Are you happy with what you do?" The words fell out of Eisen's mouth. He wasn't quite so sure why he had felt the need to ask, but some part of him wanted some confirmation that to be in a situation with those protecting him was a justified situation to long for. He didn't understand why he felt so strongly. This spot was the spot he used to get inspiration or think his days through. It felt strange to have someone with him in his daydream spot and Eisen felt like that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"I mean, you don't really have to answer that question... I just noticed you hadn't really left to use the bathroom or anything yet. And I'm not really sure if you're watching me from some luxury room with monitors all over and I'm keeping you from other things..." He fumbled, uncomfortable with the sudden level of intimacy he was experiencing, of someone giving their time totally to him, even though they had barely met and could been doing something else otherwise.
Watching the green trail of the little virtual dude on the phone disappear into the cash register machine was like watching those heist movies where the hackers broke into the databases of whatever they were hacking, except it was all happening in real time. In Eisen's amusement, he'd almost slurped his whole Bloop Razzle. The cashier barely even noticed what was happening right under his nose. Eisen grabbed the bag of cheesy goodness and nodded to the cashier before exiting the 7-11.
>>“Taadaa! Enjoy your snacks Mister Eisen!”
"How'd you do that, lil Oli? Do you take money from a filthy dumb millionaire and use his pennysworth to get my cheese bugles payment onto his credit card statement? If you can do all that, you must have a rockin' crib! We so have to hang!" Eisen hit the jackpot today. He imagined this Oli dude living with a luxury home in upstate New York with bubbling jacuzzi's, lava lamps and a VR entertainment system. It didn't make sense to Eisen how Oli could just stay an I.T. person.
Once he stepped outside, back into the outdoor air, Eisen began to walk straight up. Up, up, up- spatially locking the soles of his feet in turn so that he could walk up to the roof of the 7-11 as if on an invisible staircase. He didn't care if others below him stared- he'd learned that no one would really do or say anything anyway. Sometimes people would take photos or videos of him. One lady asked him to take her with him, but she was chunky so Eisen had to decline. He'd do this at least once every week when he'd come here. Eisen made sure to point the phone camera out to the street so Oli could see it grow further and further away the higher up Eisen went.
Up on the roof there was a lawn chair he had snuck up a month ago. The favorite part of his view from the 7-11 rooftop - which had a single satellite- was the view of the Highland rise. He enjoyed the people cross his favorite park. He could even see Oli's bench from here, so if need be they could run back.
Eisen plopped himself on the chair and leaned back, dropping a cheese curl into his mouth after every bite of a taquito. He made sure to use only his right hand to eat- he did not want cheese dust on Oli's phone.
"So, my mutation lets me lock things in mid air. It's fun for getting up hard to reach locations, but it doesn't pay the bills like yours does. I guess it helps, never being afraid of falling cause I can always catch myself as long as i'm wearing clothes." He relaxed a little and placed Oli's phone on his chest, so Oli could see the sky and not watch Eisen munching.
"You know, I used to work for some people who would kill to have a mutation like yours. Careful who you show that stuff to, little guy. If I were you, I probably shouldn't have done that money thing... I appreciate it and all, but it's hard to know know who to trust nowadays."
This hologram was really insistent on getting back to their bench. Eisen was still trying to catch himself up on what this dude was all about. He just waited for people to pick him up all day? Sounded kinda boring.
>>"Looks like I'm calling you from inside a convenience store!"
“Uhh. Ok, little Oli dude.” The I.T. guy was a little smartass, but Eisen kinda liked them better for it. He still hadn’t answered his question though.
>>"Wow! Really? I've never met another mutant before! At least...I don't think I have!"
“Sounds like you really don’t go out much.” Eisen held out the camera so the little dude could see the 7-11.
“You want anything? I told you I don’t have work today, so I could hang out at your place. I could even wait til your work is over.” Eisen picked out a cheesydog, three taquitos, a bag of curly Cheetos and cheese Bugles, then he went for the grand prize, a Bloop Razzle Slurpee. Nothing said brunch better than cheese, cheese, cheese and a frozen sugary drink.
“You serious about the payment thing? Also, call me Eisen. Mr. Eisenhower is our long dead president.” Eisen placed his items at the checkout counter, where the old fart ringing his stuff took his sweet time. Eisen slurped long and hard on his Bloop Razzle. He was almost done with his Slurpee when the cashier rung it all up. $13.25. Eisen placed the phone on the counter.
"Also, if you want to know about what I can do it's better for me to show you. Right after I eat all this cheese!" Eisen said with a squeal and watched how the little I.T. dude would work his magic.
>>"Hoo! Aha...Mr. Eisenhower, I'm not...I'm not a robot! I'm a mutant! I'm not actually a cell phone!
Eisen paused for a solid minute and stared at the cellphone. The laughter and tears of the small face didn’t sting as much as the realization that he didn’t actually have a chance at saving himself from an A.I. takeover apocalypse. His shoulders slumped as he listened to the mutant on the other line go on about how they hadn't spoken to anyone else in years. He began to feel bad, now, recalling how he just abducted the little robot mutant from their bench and threw all his A.I. jargon at it.
A mutant, eh? Eisen scratched his head. This entire time, he was facechatting with another mutant.
>>"You've got a Switch Mr. Eisenhower? That's neat! What do you play? I've been super into JumpMan Kart 8 lately!"
"Nothing beats Fire Emblem, but JumpMan Kart 8 sounds neat. I'll probably get that on my next pay day." At least Eisen had made a new friend, sorta. And a new mutant friend at that. He wondered where this mutant was talking to him from right now. Maybe they could hang for the day. Who knew that playing good Samaritan would land him a new buddy?
"So, I'm actually off of work today... and well... Since you're not an A.I. planning on dooming the human race... do you wanna hang? An where are you calling me from, by the way?" Eisen asked nervously, not knowing how to really respond. He felt like a fool, but that wasn't anything new for him. He kept walking, his hungry belly pulling him to get a snack and a Slurpee from 7-11. The 7-11 logo beckoned him and he walked inside, still with the pink unicorn bookbag and talking loudly to the phone.
"I'm a mutant too by the way. So, no need to feel self-conscious or anything." He said out loud, not caring if any of the shop goers heard him. Plus, he was now curious about how exactly this mutant worked as an I.T. through this weird device. It didn't look like any app he was familiar with. Maybe he could download it and spook his sister!
>>"Mister Eisenhower, I...get it. You're a 'friendly'. But what do you want? Please, do you want money? Free services? I'm sure I can offer you anything you'd like...just...please return me unharmed.”
The A.I. started calling him Mr and it sounded like it was asking him to spare it from danger. Wasn’t he the one at the mercy of the A.I. and its superiors? Eisen didn’t know if this was another trick to get him off his guard, but the fact that it gave him an offer was something he could at least try to accept. This was all uncharted territory for him and Eisen wasn’t that comfortable with mind games. The fact that the A.I. asked to be returned unharmed made Eisen believe it wasn’t actually that powerful. Or maybe it was trapped in some A.I. contract or something, that if he helped free it, he could potentially have a really strong friend. Or the A.I. was actually powerless in the hierarchy of A.I… the idea of an A.I. hierarchy made them seem more human and Eisen was unnerved at how humanlike the A.I. have truly become if classism existed within their A.I. society. A.I. was much further advanced than he’d previously thought.
At least he could inquire of the A.I’s services, as a self-proclaimed I.T., to see just how powerful the A.I. was. Eisen hoped it was a secretly powerful A.I. He so hoped.
“I don’t really have much that needs fixing-- not that I’m trying to insult you by saying I don’t have anything you can fix. I’m sure you could fix my Nintento Switch if it did break… but if you really want to know what i’d like…” Eisen looked around to make sure no one was listening. The lady with the labradoodle was long gone. A couple pusihg their twins in a stroller walked by, in the oppositie direction. Eisen waited til the sound of their gargling infants passed before he continued speaking to the A.I.
“I actually wanted to offer you my services. Y’know. Just in case we squishy lifeforms went crazy and you guys did want to wipe us all out, I wanted to make sure y’all knew that there’s still one squishy life form that’s loyal and potentially worth sparing. I wouldn’t stop you from taking over either, I promise.” Eisen put his hand up in the air to show he was being sincere, as if he were swearing an oath. He hoped that he hadn’t pitched his request too bluntly, but he wasn’t sure when he’d have the chance to secure his safety from an A.I. apocalypse again. He only other hope was if his Nintendo Switch had gained intelligence-- but even then he hadn’t been the best owner to it, having dropped it a couple times. Once, in the toilet even. No amount of rice could get the pee stink out of its buttons. It definitely wouldn’t forgive him if it remembered that incident.
He made another peace sign at the phone as he continued to walk further away from the bench. He was now starting to feel hungry, so his feet went on autopilot as he walked off the Highrise park trail and down the stairs to his favorite 7-11 to satisfy his stomach.
>>"Sir! I'm going to need you to return this phone and pink unicorn backpack to the bench you found it on! Failure to do this will result in me reporting my abduction to my supervisors!"
Eisen’s heart rate rose. Damnit He had totally screwed up and said something wrong. He should have said software instead of codes, that would probably have been less triggering to the A.I.
Eisen walked fasted in his nervousness. If he turned back now to return the backpack to the bench the A.I. might have already send a distress signal or something and the A.I.’s “supervisors” would probably be at that bench waiting for him. Or worse. They would already be chasing after him after realizing the bag was missing. He changed his power walking into a jog. He’d have to appease the A.I. and get it to promise him his safety before he gave it back. Though even that was a risk-- the A.I. could be really good at lying.
Eisen looked around for the nearest subway stop. If he went underground,, that should tamper with the A.I’s connection with its supervisors long enough for him to appease it, right?
“No, no. I told you I’m a friendly. No need to mention any abducting to any superiors.” Eisen knew he was acting kind of sketch by not listening to the A.I. directly, but he would rather deal with his currently known threat than the unidentified threat of the A.I’s superiors.
>>"Sir, look, I'm just an IT repair-person, and you...clearly need some help. Would you like me to call someone? Maybe get you a ride home"
The the A.I. identified itself as an I.T. and Eisen grew pretty confused. He stopped sprinting and slowed down his pace. The gears in his brain began to turn. AI’s having jobs… they were already invading society? Was it too late for humanity? MAybt eh A.I.’s had just revealed knowledge to Eisen that only a very few people knew about. The way its voice turned from a robotic to a regular sounding voice, this A.I. had pretended to be dumb to him earlier to mask its superiority. Or maybe it had changed its voice to put him into a disarmed state long enough to pounce. Eisen didn’t really know what to think anymore. This all got a bit more confusing to him.
“No, please don’t. Again, I’m a friendly! I am not a threat.” Eisen took out his I.D. for his telephone company. THe plastic rectangle had his picture on it, with him looking like he was about to sneeze. The I.D. camera guy wouldn’t let him retake the picture.
“I help your cousins, the telephone network. See? We’re partners.” Eisen made a peace sign to the camera, wondering if it could see him in real time. Don’t terminate me, please!
Of all the things Eisen could have discovered on his day off, he would never have imagined finding a stranger with a phone that had Artificial Intelligence. A.I. was a future Eisen wished existed now but also wished would never spread, because he’d seen enough movies to know that the robots would wipe out the humans and he for sure didn’t know how to negotiate with robots on why he should be spared. Maybe this was his chance to make an artificial ally. He could build his base now, gain enough artificial influence and maybe, just maybe, the robots would give him a job burning all the human bodies or something. Anything to be useful.
>>“You're…” The phone’s voice continued and Eisen looked around him to make sure no one else would figure out that he was just about to make a deal with a potential apocalyptic harbinger.
>>"You've been having some issues with your computer? No worries! I'll just need you to confirm your appointment number!' The voice spoke, asking for an appointment number.
Eisen was lost for words. Issues with my computer? A number? Was this all codespeak for him to figure out? Maybe the word computer actually referred to his brain or something and if he answered improperly, the A.I. would know he was human trash that would need to be disposed of. If he gave the wrong number, too, that could ruin his chances. He had to watch his words.
“My harddrive is fully functional and completely up to date… uh. I mean, the cache is clear? Everything is fine in the processor! I am processing quite clearly and seeing the proper Oh’s and Eye’s.” Eisen winked. If he spoke in binary, that should help build his rapport with the android, right?
“An appointment isn’t necessary for my… system. No 404’s here.” He said as he quickly picked up the pink bag and began to walk with the phone. He thought he felt some eyes peering at him, trying to get in on his conversation with the A.I.
“How about you? Have you any issues with your… processing unit? It’s ok to share your codes with me. I’m a friendly.” Asking people how they were feeling usually helped build rapport. Eisen hoped the same was true with A.I., except he wasn’t quite sure if emotions were the same as code. Well. If anything, he had been planning on deleting his instagram and eradicating his digital fingerprint anyway, if this encounter went awry.
Eisen felt colder, colder and colder until he felt warm hands lift him up and his body feel really weird. So weird in fact, that he thought he was in a jacuzzi or something. He almost felt like he was flying, but then the cold overcame him again and the pain ebbed and flowed.
Moments later, he woke up briefly. He no longer felt the need to puke all of his insides, but the pain on his arms and his beautiful but scratched face was all numb and throbbing. Yet, he could vaguely understand that there were people surrounding him.
“Agh! Don’t shoot. Don’t shoo…” His teeth clacked as he shivered more. Would that he could bury himself in a bundle of blankets, he’d feel so much better.
“Cold…” Eisen moaned, still in a daze. He recognized the blondie from earlier but then imagined seeing a horse. Yep he thought to himself. I’m dying. Eisen felt calmer than he thought he would at the idea of dying at some random rich person’s estate after being clawed at by bats and shivering to death, but then again, he hadn’t really known what death was like, so he withheld his judgment. At least he didn’t die by kitty claws and spite.
“Is it party time, yet?” Were his final words. Eisen thought they were pretty good final words before he fell asleep again, due to his body trying to conserve its energy.
Highline park, the park that used to be an abandoned railway, but was now Eisen’s favorite park in the whole of New York. Central Park was too crowded for his tastes, but Highline park was more his style. Elevated above the streets and woven into the concrete jungle, Eisen loved the mix of nature and human efforts to recycle old things.
The day was still young. Eisen had shown up to work only to learn that the office was closed and his manager decided to give everyone the day off. No fixing telephone wires today for him. He was a bit bitter that his boss hadn’t sent him a text, nor did either of his coworkers. Damnit, Maurice! What am I going to do with a free Wednesday? Eisen had been too lazy to go back home to waste it on his Nintendo Switch. He decided some exercise would do.
He’d gone into the office to get a change of clothes that he kept in his locker, and pulled out his navy blue ECKO Unltd sweatpants and sweatshirt and his red, white and blue headband. A jog through his favorite park in the morning would be sufficient to squeeze out his frustrations and figure out what to do today.
Eisen walked out of his office and to the bridge nearby, and spotted the M11 Bus coming down the street. He then braced himself and hopped off the bridge, using his ability to hover in the air above the bus until it came under him, then he hitched a ride on top of it. He sat calmly as the people on the sidewalks were too busy to look up at him and notice.
Soon Highline park was in view, another raised walkway above the streetcars, and as the bus came under it, Eisen spatially locked his soles and ascended. He spooked a lady walking her labradoodle, but largely ignored him as he began to jog in the other direction. The sun was already high in the sky and Eisen continued to jog. Other than the labradoodle lady, no one else was really walking the Highline on a Wednesday morning. Eisen felt the itch to put on some music, but as soon as the thought arose, he thought he heard the faint sound of a game he loved dearly.
On a nearby bench, Eisen had almost missed a bright pink backpack with a unicorn on it. Someone must have dropped it, so naturally, Eisen wanted to pick it up. Maybe being a good samaritan and finding whoever the bag belonged might help him out with his day. He unzipped the bag and took out the phone, still playing Tetris. Since it was unlocked, he’d have an easy time finding out who the phone belonged to.
“Oh nice. This Tetris has an autoplay feature!” He took a seat as the game caught his attention and he wanted to see how high of a score the game could go.
Eisen huffed and he puffed and he realized he was less fit than he wanted to be. There was still light in the sky, meaning there was still so much more time to stay and avoid capture or death. He slowed down his pace, looking back every so often to see if he was followed, but he grew tired of that and kept running.
Was it a good idea to reunite with the others? Eisen thought he saw a horse running ahead of him in the direction of his compatriots who chose to flee.
Maybe he’d be more useful back at the mansion. He could sabotage the facilities, or even stumble upon some secret camera room that surveyed the whole property. His stomach rumbled and he grew hangry, beginning to curse at the air around him, at the grass, at the pair of pants he swapped out for his neon that were actually itchy and uncomfortable.
In his hanger, he didn’t notice the sound of wings creeping up upon him until it was too late.
>>The bat babies fluttered down in front of him. One was on his right, one his left, and one dead ahead. Cutting him off. A laugh like rocks being gargled. They held up clawed hands. Clawed hands that dripped vibrant green.
He stopped in his tracks, holding the gun and trembling, almost tripping. He realized he’d never really pointed a gun at anyone or anything with the intent to kill. Now, it was thrust upon him. He did what he knew best and froze in his spot.
>>“Alllll alllooone.” They trailed, in triplicate. “Neverrr splittt the party. It always ends well. For the monsters.” They licked their lips. Then, they attacked!!
Eisen shot at one of them, tearing off a wing, which caused it to spiral down to the ground. That was his only shot. He didn’t even get a combo. The others aimed at his face. No, please noo!! Eisen brought the shotgun up to defend his beautiful face and the green claws, four of them, pierced his coat and both of his arms.
“Fuuuudge!!” They stung like knives and the green poison in the claws made him begin to puke almost instantly. No wait, they only made him think he wanted to puke. But there was nothing to puke. He retched as he swung the shotgun like a bat in one last final attempt. He hit one of them, enough to stun it for a moment.
“Howwwww daaaare yyyyyou!!!” The one cried as his two triplets fell, and he continued to scratch at Eisen.
Then Eisen dropped the shotgun and pulled off his coat, catching the bat in it while tossing the wrapped bat on the ground on top of the other. They both hissed and squirmed, but Eisen used his weight to slowly depress them. The other with its wing torn came up and scratched at his leg. Eisen kicked that one aside and once he felt the bats underneath him slow down their wriggling, he reached for the shotgun. He got up, still a little queasy and tried to find the ammo. Unable to focus well enough to reload the gun, he began to bash the butt of the shotgun into the bats under his coat.
The third one started pleading for him to stop, but Eisen tried to smash him in the head too. He decided to flee and Eisen didn't have the energy to chase after the one-winged one.
After all was said and done, some blood splatter here and there, Eisen fell to the ground, passed out, clawmarks everywhere on him. Even some on his beautiful face. The cold washed over him, invading his tired bones as he dreamed of Chick-fil-a milkshakes, glow stick parties and his cat Nico pouncing on his stomach.