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 Lucas Monroe on Jun 15, 2011 11:22:37 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
Nick heard Noel crying softly to herself before he reached the bedroom. He hesitated, just out of sight behind the door frame. Going in to comfort her was the logical step, but the young woman was so scared to show weakness. Would intervening in this private moment hurt more than it would help? The sobbing sound quickly ended the debate and Nick dropped the gym bag while he stepped into the room to try and help the devastated woman. Noel had her back turned to him and her shoulders shuddered as she sobbed uncontrollably. A small wrinkled piece of paper was clutched between her delicate fingers and seemed to be the cause of all her grief.
This scene had played out for Nick before. A foggy wisp of a memory surfaced for the briefest of moments. When he was younger it had been his mother, reading a note and crying softly in her bedroom. Nick had found her there and reached out his arms …. The flash from his past dissipated near instantly as all the others had and Nick let it go so he could deal with the distraught woman before him.
Slowly, Nick stepped up behind Noel and reached a tattooed arm over her shoulder, gently plucking the offending note from her fingers and stuffing it into the front pocket of his jeans. His right hand reached around her body and found purchase on her hip. He tugged gently and guided the young woman around, pulling her body into his own. Nick wrapped both his arms around Noel and hugged as tightly as he could without hurting her. Like when….when….they were hit by the taxi cab.
The flood gate burst again and more images poured in through his scrambled brain. There had been a taxi, and Nick had jumped in the way to shelter Noel from the impact. She had been lost, damaged somehow. Was it before or after the cab? Why couldn’t he remember? Pieces of the puzzle kept coming back to him but it was too few and took far too long. He needed answers now if he was going to help her.
Noel’s body felt broken and frail as it squirmed into Nick for warmth and safety. He released the pressure slightly so he could look into her face and reassure her now that the crying had subsided. She resisted stubbornly, nuzzling herself further into his chest. With a feathered touch, Nick idly traced a finger up her back to her shoulder. The side of his hand caressed along the scar on her cheek, clearing her bangs from tear soaked eyes. He placed his thumb under her chin and delicately lifted her face to within inches of his own and whispered soothingly. “It’s ok now Noel. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Nick dropped his hand to Noel’s back and petted her soothingly. He would let her curl back into his arms if she wanted but he wouldn’t force her. She deserved some form of peace before the emergency personnel could storm through the apartment door and turn her life upside down again. It was up to her if she wanted it or not. Nick smiled down at the beautiful woman in his arms.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 15, 2011 5:18:00 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
The left turn signal flickered on and off, splashing the back wall of the apartment with a warm yellow glow for brief seconds as it cycled endlessly. Brick dust still hung in the air and filled the living room with a whitish fog which made Nick cough when he tried to breathe. He put a hand over his mouth and fought against his lungs natural urge to clear the floating particles they had just inhaled. Large cement bricks and chunks of mortar where strewn across the hardwood floor, randomly splayed out from the initial impact of the flying vehicle. Some of the larger pieces of carnage had flown clear through into the kitchen, dislodging pipes and creating a showering water fountain in the ajoining room. A small lake had already formed on the tile floor and threatened to overflow into the rest of the apartment. The devastation was complete.
Such a traumatic experience would be hard on Noel, Nick worried and he called out to try to lighten the mood. “Love what you’ve done with the place.” He joked. “I barely recognize it now that you’ve redecorated.” It was actually partially true. There wasn’t a single piece of furniture or knick-knack that the man felt he had seen before. The young man scanned about for anything he could remember but everything seemed foreign and new. It was as if he had never set foot in his fiancée’s apartment before. It would be even tougher to find the picture without a point of reference to where it was before the car had found its parking spot other than “by the driver side door”. Stepping over the shattered pieces of a coffee table, Nick entered fully into the room and began to hunt for the photograph. He felt like a rescue dog searching for trapped survivors after an earthquake as he sifted through the rubble of Noel’s life. The home had probably been a bit untidy before but now, it was a wreck. Not an inch of the living area had survived the limousine’s explosive intrusion.
Nick reached down and picked up a crippled flat screen television. A large piece of rock protruded from the center of the display. It fell apart in his hands like a wet cardboard box as it left the ground. He chucked the remaining pieces of technological junk in his hands to the side and bent over again to clear more rubble away when a glint of silver under the overturned couch in the back corner caught his eye. Nick made his way towards the couch and bent low to grip its head and arm rest. It was lighter then he thought and flipped back up to its feet with relative ease. The frame had been lying face down amongst some chunks of exploded wall underneath it. Carefully, Nick reached down and picked it up, spinning the silver treasure over to face him. A crack ran straight across the surface of the glass and stone dust obscured the image completely. Gingerly, Nick wiped his finger tips over the surface, revealing the smiling faces of Noel's parents. He tried in vain, but couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the photograph despite its obivous importance to her.
“Got it!” Nick yelled out over his shoulder as he continued to study the photograph for another moment.
Shaking his head and returning his mind to the task at hand, Nick turned and saw a wicker clothes hamper that had fallen on its side. It was nearly full of dirty laundry. “Better to have dirty clothes then none at all” he figured. Nick bent low to pick up a battered, dusty gym bag from the ground and dumped out its contents before filling it again with clothes from the hamper. He wrapped the family photo of Noel’s parents in a faded blue T-shirt so it would be protected before placing it into the bag with the rest of the clothes.
“Time to go!” Nick called as he stood up and looked towards the bedroom, bag in hand. The sounds of sirens could be heard approaching from the distance. He hoped the couple would be gone by the time police arrived. If the cops started asking questions, he wasn’t sure that he would be able to answer them. Growing impatient, Nick made his way towards the bedroom door to see what was keeping Noel.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 14, 2011 19:21:12 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
The old man ripped clear and flew out of reach as the monster set its sights on Lucas. It wrapped a long appendage around his mouth and stifled his scream as it tried to crush him with his size. The young man battled the weight of the creature frantically, fighting for his life.
Suddenly, the beast seemed distracted and looked up to the entrance of the alley. Lucas didn’t care if it was Santa in a Speedo watching them. Without the random chance of someone coming, he realized his ploy would have ended in disaster. Whoever it was had probably saved him from the same fate that had befallen the dog moments ago.
Rolling to his side, Lucas planted his feet and lifted with every ounce of strength he had. His shoulders and biceps strained as he got stood up and began to pump his powerful legs towards the steel door in the wall. The tentacle hand held fast around his face and pulled at his head violently as Lucas charged through the downpour towards the light.
Three feet. Two. One. They collided against the hard, slick surface of the door with a loud thump and stopped abruptly. Lucas ripped his tattooed arm free from under the grey skinned hunter and punched his fist up into the bulb. Slivers of glass showered down upon the two combatants and all light in the alley sputtered out. Instead of lowering his hand back down, Lucas shot out two fingers and stuffed them deep inside the metal fixture.
Every muscle of his body convulsed and tightened painfully as Lucas’ limbs poured thousands of watts of power into the monster on his back. The torrent of rain aided the spread of electrical carnage, making everything around them spark and snap madly. Seconds seemed like hours as volt upon volt coursed through their bodies until, the breaker gave out and the socket went cold.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 14, 2011 18:41:01 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
"You coming?" Noel called back to Lucas as he closed the distance between them.
“Now she remembered him?” he thought. “How can you forget so completely that you walk past me like a stranger only to call to see if I am keeping up?”
Noel turned to look back over her shoulder and stopped fast. Lucas understood by the look on her face alone but the statement she uttered next confirmed it. "You're not Nick." A look of guilt came over her as she noticed the yellow flowers in his hand. "You're not… we're not…" she stammered as she gestured sheepishly between the two of them. ”We're not on a… you know.”
The answers were simple enough. 1) Yes, I’m coming 2) No, I’m not Nick; and 3) we are not on a date. Lucas opened his mouth to get all this out of the way before another car flew past but wasn’t fast enough.
The mental tsunami flushed through Lucas’ mind and brought with it a thousand jumbled images flipping by at an incomprehensible speed. He staggered and raised his hand to his head instinctively as the alien feelings assaulting his brain. As quickly as it had come, the wave passed on and the answers to Noel’s questions where scrubbed clean away with it.
Was I following her? Am I Nick? Were we .... and do I know? The answers the man had found so easily a moment ago were no longer there to be retrieved. He slowed down and stopped a few feet away from the young woman, attempting to force his mind to retrieve a response to these simple questions, but nothing came. Small flashes of random half second moments assaulted him but were difficult to hold onto. He felt like a child chasing dandelion seeds in the wind.
The image of Noel running down an alley holding his hand flashed across the theatre of his mind. She wore a suit and had blood on her elbow. The tattoo on her forearm peaked out of the cuff. The image disintegrated as Lucas tried to pry more detail from the mirage. Looking over the woman standing before her, things seemed the same but different. She wore the same pants but her arm no longer had a scratch on it. This must have been a few months earlier. They had known each other long enough for the wound to heal completely. That was something.
Another memory floated to the surface. Noel was on her back, her eyes closed and she breathed heavily. Her hair was tousled about wildly but she didn’t seem to care. The young man had been lying on top of her and had tried to push himself up but his arm had given way and he ended up lying at her side instead. She seemed so peaceful, laying quietly beside him. He had reached his hand out and brushed some of those brown, silky locks from her eyes. And then the memory was gone.
A lonely subway car, Noel cradled his head on her shoulder with an arm wrapped around his waist. He was groggy, barely conscious but she was there for him. Making sure he got home safely. Supporting him.
More memories started to flood back at a faster and faster pace. Simple images but disjointed. It was like reading a book after someone had shuffled all the pages. He saw the angel wing tattoo on her back, he felt warm and at peace as he lay on a bed and watched her read a greasy magazine in some dingy apartment, she bent for a pouch on her ankle to retrieve a map, “Hey Noel, I got pretty turned around back there. You have any clue which way it is to get back to your place?" he asked.... None of it fit together. None of it explained who he was or who they were to each other. He ws putting together a puzzle with all the pieces upside down.
The past continued to bombard him. One after another the memories returned to mock his inability to make sense of the simplest questions. He was in a cement hallway kneeling in front of her. Something made him feel scared and nervous. Afraid to share his thoughts but knowing it was now or never. A flash and the memory skipped forward a few seconds. “The truth is.....it....well; it is going to feel really, really great.” The scene pushed away into nothingness, to make room for yet another patrtial spectre of the past. Noel, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and hugging him close, burying her head in his chest. She had yelled his name excitedly. What had she called him?
"Nick?" "Nick!" Nick. His name was Nick.
Nick looked up to face the woman as he shut out the chaos of his mind. She seemed scared and wary, like a hungry animal, unsure whether to accept the food being offered, fight or flee. Nick had seen that look before. He had seen anger, hope and sadness reflected back in their hazel depths as well. The details were starting to point towards a truth he couldn't quite remember but it was there, lost in those shuffled pages.
"Noel” he said. "I think I am Nick. And....uh...it is a little fuzzy but ... you may have agreed to be my wife."
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 14, 2011 6:21:51 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
The nightmare’s rain soaked flesh began to warp and reform. It slowly rose up out of the nest of trash, a mockery of man. Its jaw was long and distended and its shoulders hunched over in a predatory way.
“He’s mine” it growled in a deep, inhuman voice and narrowed its eyes menacingly. A quick flick of the creature’s arm caused it to extend a long tentacle which lashed out and wrapped around the prone man at Lucas’ feet. The target’s eyes flashed open with fear and he reached bony fingers up to Lucas in a silent plea for help.
Lucas grabbed the frail old mans wrist with one hand and yanked him backwards towards the opposite side of the alley. The fire escape was only a few feet away and if he could get his other hand on the rusted ladder the two homeless men would be anchored.
He wasn’t quick enough. The formidable strength in the whip armed creature countered the move and Lucas’s foot lost purchase on the rain-soaked cement, bringing him to the ground with a splash. The young mutant brought his other arm back as he crashed to the ground and wrapped his second hand around the pale wrist of the panicked prey.
It was impossible to get a foothold in the slick muck of the alley floor and Lucas knew that the monster could reel them both in at his leisure. He felt like a bass with a hook in his mouth, and it was only a matter of time before the pair would end up in the pan. His mind raced as he looked for an opening as the falling water tried to blind him. He could barely see accept for the light above the fire exit behind the creature. The solitary bulb was a blinding beacon and another bulb went on in Lucas’ mind as he stared at the orb. It was a long shot, but the only shot he had.
Lucas opened his mouth and began to scream for help. He knew this was New York and the chances of anyone coming were remote but that wasn’t why he was yelling. This creature stalked the shadows. Some part of it feared confrontation. Lucas was betting that the threat of others coming was too much of a risk and the shape shifting monster would need to focus on him now. This meant the elderly hobo would be able to crawl to safety. If Lucas could get the other man free of the alley and get himself closer to the emergency door, he had a shot. The odds didn’t look great, but a slim chance is better than none.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 14, 2011 5:21:40 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
Noel’s hair bounced playfully across her back and shoulders as she descended the last flight of stairs. The pants and top that had survived the day gave her the illusion of having the world by the throat and her confident walk echoed the sentiment. He smiled at her and took a step across the tiles of the foyer to meet her as she descended before he stopped in his tracks. Those unforgettable hazel eyes had noticed him with a casual glance but there was no sign of recognition in their depths. It was as if she was one of the faceless masses that looked through him as he begged on the street corner. In the five minutes they had been apart, the memory of who he was had evaporated, burned away like a fog at sunrise. Standing in the entry room, Lucas hung his head as Noel walked past him and out into the street, oblivious to the last hour they had shared.
He had been in the city for almost two weeks now. All of his possession had been stolen, a grey skinned mutant had attempted to eat him in an alleyway and now, the one person he had made any type of connection with couldn’t remember who he was. The loneliness had started to become tough to take but this last blow was the hardest.
His memory drifted back to a time at the boxing gym when he was young, a few weeks after his father left.
****
Lucas lay on the ground, his jaw throbbing from the blow that had buckled his knees. The bald head of the trainer shone with a layer of sweat as it caught the light from the lamps bolted to the dusty rafters above. The man leaned over the boy where he had fallen and examined him with a disappointed frown.
“What do you think your doing? This isn’t some flop house. Get your butt up!” He scolded loudly.
Lucas could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He hadn’t just lost, he had been destroyed. He had been powerless to stop anything his opponent had thrown his way. The entire match was completely out of his control and he felt feeble and helpless.
“I don’t want to coach.” He sniffled and stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. “I just want to lay here and die.”
The balding coach slowly bent low and then flopped into a sitting position beside the young man where he lay prone in the middle of the ring. The coach seemed tired and warn as he gazing off into the shadows of the corner for a moment as if examining some unseen ghost which hid there. The look of disappointment briefly changed to sadness before the rigid mask of the trainer resurfaced.
“So that’s it then” he grunted. “If things aren’t easy or don’t go your way you are just going to lay down and die?” The coach dropped into a sitting position on the canvas and began to idly pet the floor as he continued to stare into the corner. “Kid, you’re going to spend your life on your back if that’s the case.” Turning to the young fighter, he extended a hand to help pull him up. “No one can beat you but you kid so suck it up buttercup.”
Lucas took a second to consider the words before wiping away his tears and accepting the hand that was offered to him.
****
“Suck it up buttercup.” Lucas whispered to himself.
Turning around, he saw Noel standing on the stoop, reaching for her empty side holster as she looked up the street. She stood in the door frame, a statue of fierce determination, like a valkyrie from some old Norse legend.
“My apartment!” Noel yelled as the sound of another car crash reverberated through the entry room. The woman ran in the direction of the noise without hesitation.
“Are you kidding!?!” Lucas said to the empty room before following the young brunette out into the street. Upon exiting the foyer, he turned to see a silver station wagon sticking out of the third floor of a five storey brownstone a couple of blocks away. Noel was running full out towards the scene, not a care for self preservation.
“Why couldn’t I have saved a nice quiet librarian?” Lucas muttered and gave chase.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 13, 2011 5:39:41 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
"He doesn't have cats. Not that I remember." Noel said with a matter-of-fact tone in her voice and proceeded to tear a strip of cloth from her ruined suit coat. She handed it to Lucas and he took it with his one good hand. "You're bleeding." the young woman informed him as if he was not aware. Lucas’ left arm was all but dead weight now and the blood on his right elbow was unreachable to him without it so he stuffed the makeshift tourniquet into his pocket when she turned away. She had missed his joke completely and her smile continued to elude him. Asking her for help to staunch his bleeding elbow seemed inappropriate now for some reason.
After handing him the homemade bandage, Noel bent over to fetch her map from her ankle pouch. Her smooth dress shirt pulled tight against the arch of her back and revealed the angel wing tattoos through the sheer fabric.
“Interesting” Lucas mused. Noel seemed to have a bit of a wild side hidden just below the surface. He let his eyes wander for a moment before the dizziness took hold. Colors faded from view until everything seemed like an old silent movie from the 20s. The center of his vision blurred further and the world stretched back to the opposite end of a dark tunnel. Lucas stumbled back a step and found the wall, which he used to support himself as Noel continued to search for their destination. By the time she had finished plotting their course, only luck had kept the young man on his feet.
The next few minutes didn’t register as Lucas experienced the trip like a zombie in some film about the undead apocalypse. Noel guided the young man through the maze of New York’s streets to the healer’s apartment, nothing registering for the man except the effort of putting one foot in front of the other. He knew he had to keep walking but was having difficulty remembering why.
When things began to clear again, Lucas felt warm and secure. It was like he was lying on the grass beside his grandmother’s grave, the warm air from the gulf blowing in across his body. The pain had been lifted away by the summer breeze and a soothing comfort remained where agony had been. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time.
His eyes opened lazily and he gazed up at the greasy looking man in the green bathrobe and tin foil hat hovering over him.
“Jesus!” Lucas exclaimed, startled. He rolled to his side instinctively and fell the two feet from the gurney to the trash strewn floor of the apartment. The place was a disaster. Pizza boxes and other assorted fast food receptacles littered every corner of the home. A cat box sat in the corner, obviously neglected for some time based on the amount of clumps resting in it. A large orange tabby sat on top a mountain of old newspaper, licking its paw to groom itself. It looked down at Lucas on the floor the way only cat’s can as if to say, “Shut up. You’ve been here 5 minutes, I got to live here.”
Standing up, Lucas stretched his muscles to test them for any signs of his previous injuries. He was a bit stiff and his shoulder was still a little sore but there was no sign of any lasting damage. It was as if he had slept wrong the night before and it had been an otherwise normal day. Noel sat near the door, her back to him while she idly flipped through a magazine. His eyes lingered for a second before he turned to the strange little man that healed him.
“I don’t know if she told you but I don’t have insurance.” Lucas kidded. The man just rolled his eyes and ignored the comment as if Lucas wasn’t even there.
“He is wearing a tinfoil hat and thinks I am weird.” Lucas mussed to himself. “I need to work on my material.”
Turning back around he walked towards the door with the peephole on it, assuming it was the exit of the apartment. He called out to Noel cheerfully as he crossed the floor.
“I’m good to go when you’re ready. I think I’ll head downstairs and wait for you there if that’s ok? Give you guys a chance to chat, catch up or ….” Or what? How did she even know this guy? The healer obviously didn’t get out much and ordered all of his food from the dingiest places known to man so it wasn’t like they could have run into each other at the grocery store. This was a mystery Lucas didn’t care to give any more thought to. He let the sentence drop as his hand connected with the door knob and he casually stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind him.
Lucas didn’t just feel healed, he felt reborn. He was almost skipping as he went down the steps, taking two at a time and jumping the last few feet to each landing. He started to whistle to himself about half way down and even wished an elderly woman a pleasant day as he past her between the 2nd and 3rd floor. When he stepped out onto the building’s stoop, the rushing sound of traffic and urban crowding that rushed to meet him seemed a bit less harsh and a bit more comforting somehow.
The small baskets of colorful flowers adorning the front of the nearby bodega caught Lucas’ eye and he strolled over to admire them. The mingling aroma of the myriad of blooms tickled his nostrils and threatened to overpower his senses. A small bouquet of yellow lilies caught the sun light and stood out, pleading to be purchased. He reached into his pocket and fished out some of his change and was delighted to see he had enough. Barely, but enough. A young portly man with a cheerful grin and a dark blue apron stepped out of the store to offer assistance and the transaction was complete in seconds.
Armed with a fresh bouquet and a smile, Lucas turned back to the apartment doors to meet Noel as she came back out to the street. Things were looking up.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 12, 2011 18:10:54 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
All Lucas wanted was a warm place to sleep. Instead, he was facing off against some shadowy creature that stalked the homeless on dark and rainy nights. “I am really starting to hate this city.” He grumbled inwardly.
The malevolent white eyes narrowed and the greyish monster rose up off the hermit he was grappling. It held out the little terrier that had tried to cry for help to show it to Lucas before shaking it a little to prove some sick and twisted point. Then, without taking his eyes from the young man approaching him, the creature’s body seemed to absorb the dog and it was gone.
This was not the act of an animal. It showed an evil intelligence. The creature was goading Lucas, playing some kind of mind game in an attempt to get the upper hand. It knew the value of fear in an opponent and was making its move to win before things could even begin. Lucas’ years in the boxing ring had taught him a thing or two about psychology as well. A fight could be over before a punch was ever thrown. Not this time. It was time to ring the bell and show this hellish thing what he was made of.
Lucas surged forward into a charge. The grey skinned creature was still between the two dumpsters so was at a disadvantage. He had nowhere to dodge to in order to escape the coming assault. If it was as smart as he thought it was, it already knew that which is why it tried to spook him to begin with. Water splashed away from every footfall. A primal yell started in the young man’s gut and grew to a roar as he approached. The distance between them deteriorated rapidly as Lucas sped towards his target. He pulled one fist back as if to deliver a haymaker just before he leaped into the air and over the heads of the monster and his would be victim. A shattering crash echoed through the dark alley as Lucas’ bulk landed on the roof of the makeshift hut and smashed through to the dry bedroom below.
The rain of garbage and debris was unlikely to hurt the creature but that was never the point. It was only meant as a distraction. It was a feint to gain the upper hand. One of Lucas’ feet landed beside the old homeless man’s wheezing form as the other planted against the brick wall that made up the rear of the hovel. His hands shot down and grabbed the dirty hobo as he shoved off with all the power his legs could muster. The two homeless men skidded through the water and muck on the alley floor and came to rest a dozen feet away. Rolling up onto his feet, Lucas turned to face the monster on more even ground.
Slowly rolling his head to the side, he cracked his neck with a loud pop as he stood to his full height. Lucas brought his arms up in front of his body and took on a defensive south-paw stance to meet the monsters counter move as he stood over the barely conscious man.
Forcing a confident smile upon his lips to hide the fear inside, he addressed the hunter with a simple wink as he blew him a mocking kiss. In the back of his mind, he heard the faint, ghostly ring of the bell which signalled the beginning of round two.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 12, 2011 10:50:45 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
That was not the reaction Lucas had expected. Whenever his grandmother would become lost in the past, telling her the truth would shatter her like a glass statue thrown off an overpass. Noel didn’t crack at all. Far from it. Instead of collapsing or crying, anger had boiled over and taken hold. At first it was directed at him and he thought she would pummel him into the dust but then the young woman had seemed to force it inward. She used it as fuel to power her. He was learning more about this mysterious brunette every moment they spent together and he was beginning to like what he was seeing.
Lucas had pitied her. He had considered her frail and damaged. This was not because of her but because of his own past. The memory loss had painted a picture he had seen before and the young man wanted to wrap his arms around this woman and protect her without knowing more. But she didn’t need protecting. Noel went much deeper then what his first glance had shown him. Now Lucas realized she actually knew her mind was cracked and gained strength from it. Instead of slinking away to hide and let others take care of her, Noel had fearlessly faced her flaws and overcome them. The tattoo on her arm, the map, the hard exterior and the unwillingness to accept help when it was offered were a testament of how she had adapted and made a difficult situation liveable. Things had gone full circle. Lucas was unable to protect himself in his current state. He needed Noel’s help now more then she needed his. Maybe that was the case since they got up off the street.
A smile crept across his face despite the pain as he slowly got back off his knees. His body wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and it took every ounce of strength to push it into a standing position once again. His back felt weak but held as he took a moment to get his balance. He shifted slightly from foot to foot, checking to make sure he would be able to walk. Lucas noticed his left arm had started to take on a bluish tinge as the circulation was impeded by his shoulder. The tribal tattoos that laced the surface of his arm seemed slightly dulled to him with the new contrast his skin’s color provided. A healer didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.
When he looked at the woman again, he could see a fire had burned away the clouds of confusion and simmered within their light brown depths. The brunette’s long silky hair fell around her shoulders effortlessly perfect, despite the ordeal they had just shared. The scar on Noel’s left cheek was a stark contrast to her soft, smooth skin and only helped accentuate the determination in the woman. Others would have tried to hide that scar under long bangs or excessive make-up, but that wouldn’t fit the person Lucas was beginning to see. Everyone had baggage, some visible and some hidden deep inside. Noel left her scars in plain sight for the world to stare at, daring them to judge her. Lucas had made this mistake and it took this long for him to comprehend how wrong he was. Pity had been the greatest insult possible.
“This healer of yours, does he have cats?” Lucas’ smile grew into a devilish grin. “I’m a bit allergic and I would hate to get a runny nose. That could ruin my normal day.” He waited, hoping to catch a glimpse of a smile if it managed to crack her defensive mask.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 11, 2011 20:56:37 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
"How did we meet?" she breathed.
Those beautiful hazel eyes fluttered open and bore into Lucas’ sole. He felt like a 6 year old sitting in front of the principal. Without the pain to cloud her thoughts, Noel had found focus. She seemed clearer, more aware, but something was still missing. Her memory was still fractured. Using his mutant powers allowed Lucas to help the injured woman’s physical suffering but by doing so, he had given her the clue she needed to figure out he was not her trusted friend. The veil was partially lifted and the man behind the curtain was nothing more than a stranger.
A harsh, authoritative tone had entered the young brunette’s voice as she repeated the question. "How did we meet?" Her stare was unflinching while she waited for Lucas to respond.
The newly acquired throbbing in Lucas’ skull obscured his thoughts. He looked to the cold cement floor between them and then closed his eyes as he tried to collect his words from the fog of pain that assaulted him. His left arm hung limply at his side, nearly useless now that the adrenaline was wearing off. The only feeling that remained was a dull ache, deep within the joint. A slow trickle of blood had run down his right forearm from the large gash that had opened up on his elbow and began to drip off his index finger, forming a small crimson puddle on the ground. A hundred other scrapes, aches and bruises competed for his attention. None of it mattered to him anymore. His body had been pushed to its limit and teetered on the brink, but he had to keep his promise. He had to help Noel if he could. A deep sigh escaped his lips as Lucas opened his eyes and looked back up to face the mysterious woman. She continued to stare, unblinking, while she waited for him to answer.
“You walked in front of a taxi and I tried to push you out of the way.” Lucas said without taking his eyes from hers. It took him a moment to find the right words before he continued. “You seemed.....confused. You need help. All I want to do is help you. Please let me do that. Let me make sure you get somewhere safe.” He reached out his bloody right arm and tried to take Noel’s hand again. She pulled back from his touch, never taking her eyes from him. Lucas felt helpless as he knew the next words from his mouth would be the most damning. He needed to tell her the truth now that she was asking even though it would confirm her suspicions. To try and continue to play along with the fantasy could only make things worse, if that was even possible. Lucas took a breath and gave Noel the answer she was searching for.
“I'm not Nick. My name is Lucas. The first time I ever laid eyes on you was just before you stepped off the curb in front of the cab.”
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 11, 2011 17:35:03 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
The small dog’s barking startled Lucas and pulled him back from his day dream. Looking in the direction of the sound, Lucas saw the other homeless man in the alley struggling under the weight of something heavy. It seemed like some of this man’s shelter had become dislodged with the weight of the rain water and collapsed on him. He didn’t seem to have the strength to get free and his arms flailed about, looking for purchase. Lucas wasn’t sleeping or dry so it really didn’t matter if he stepped over to lend a hand so he rolled free of the rusted air conditioner and stood up. Cool rivers of water rolled down his back into the few remaining dry places of his body almost instantly. He felt truly miserable now.
The dog’s barking ended abruptly with a startled yip before falling silent.
Lucas peered into the blackness of the dumpster cave to better understand this change in sound. He couldn’t see the small dog anywhere. The man continued to struggle under something large and roughly man shaped. The thing blended in with the shadows thanks to its deep greyish color. The young mutant started to think the darkness was playing tricks until those two white, inhuman eyes looked up towards him. It was the stuff of nightmares that looked back from the shelter, and Lucas understood without a doubt that this was not a simple structural issue anymore. The feeling of misery evaporated as fear and adrenaline took over.
He squared his broad, muscular shoulders and forced himself to walk towards the beast with an air of determination. “Hey! Get off him!”, he yelled in a threatening voice as his shoes splashed through the puddles on the ground.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 11, 2011 10:49:18 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
Lucas focused on the details of the map he had been handed by the beautiful woman beside him. His eyes devoured the page as he searched for any hint to the mysterious brunette’s identify. The first thing he found was her apartment. It was clearly marked beside a place called “Sanctuary”. It was probably a place that Noel felt safe like a park or coffee shop. It was a good bet that someone would recognize her there if no one was at her apartment. Both locations were in the south end of Brooklyn. About half a dozen stops along the orange F line would bring them within walking distance. It wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to get there if the trains were running on time. He started to fold up the map when the name “Rupert” in capitals caught his eye. He stopped and studied the entry more carefully. “RUPERT checkpoint”. Scanning further he saw many more entries around the city with the same heading. Something wasn’t adding up.
When Noel had asked about Rupert, she wasn’t talking about a person. She was talking about something different. Rupert seemed to be some kind of underground network that operated out of every day businesses throughout the city. Lucas struggled to make sense of this new discovery before the possibility dawned on him. When it came to him, it seemed obvious. Noel didn’t just have some form of memory problem, she was schizophrenic. It all made sense. The confusion, the detailed fantasy, the arm tattoo and the erratic behaviour all pointed to the same conclusion. Lucas finished folding the map and stuffed it into the back pocket of his jeans and turned around to face the woman he had saved in the street only moments ago.
Noel’s face had turned pale and her eyes fluttered slightly. “Oh crap.” She said and fell to her knees. She raised her hands to her eyes and held them there, supporting her head. Lucas saw the problem. Blood had begun to matt in the hair at the back of her skull. She had suffered a blow to the head when the cab had hit them. During their flight through the alley, her long brown hair had been bouncing with each step and hidden the injury from Lucas’ searching. Now that she kneeled before him, he could see it clearly.
More conflicting thoughts assaulted Lucas’ mind. Noel could have a concussion too. Nothing made sense any more. Was she brain damaged, schizophrenic or concussed? Maybe it was a combination of the three? This was all beyond the young man’s abilities. He was in over his head and he knew it.
Lucas had fallen through the cracks when he came to New York and lost his way. Fate had forced him back on the path he chose but was punishing him for straying too far from his promise to his grandmother. All Lucas knew was he had to help this woman somehow. Only one thing he could do would help for sure. He would take some of her pain away.
"You're right; I might have notes at home. Just... when we get there, stay out in the hall, okay?" Noel whimpered as she wiped her nose with her knuckle. The woman fumbled with something in her ankle purse while Lucas knelt down in front of her. He gently reached out and took the brunette's hand in his. Looking into Noel's face, he tried his best to sound calming and supportive.
“Noel, I am going to take away some of your pain now”, he said, pausing to give her a chance to understand every word. “This won’t hurt at all. The truth is.....it....well, it is going to feel really, really great.”
Closing his eyes, Lucas focused on the energy flow of Noel’s life. He could feel its vibrant stream coursing through her veins. He reached deeper, trying to find that spark which he could draw from and pull the pain away. It shone in his mind like a beacon and he wrapped himself around it and began to draw it’s warmth into himself.
Agony stabbed at him from the inside. He felt the skin peal from his elbow. The back of his skull exploded as vessels ruptured and the blood began to pump through his newly formed wounds to dribble down his neck and arm. The mutant clenched his jaw to fight off the new sensations of his devastated body and a groan escaped his lips. Noel was strong. Stronger then he thought. She was much more hurt then he realized yet she had hidden it from him during their escape from the accident.
Lucas opened his eyes and looked into Noel’s face to see the blissful ecstasy his gift had bestowed upon her.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 10, 2011 19:09:53 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
The young woman lay with her back on the pavement and her eyes closed. Her breath was heavy but she did not stir or answer Lucas’ question about her being alright. He leaned over her, thinking if he called out louder there might be a reaction and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, the woman startled him by coughing in his face. He sat back as the brunette’s face twisted into a wince while the air escaped her lips. The smile left Lucas’ face as his brow furrowed with concern.
"Nick?" , she rasped groggily.
She thought someone else had saved her. Someone she knew. At least the woman could speak. This was good news.
Without warning, the woman lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Lucas’ shoulders and buried her head in his chest. Lightning shot through his injured shoulder as she squeezed him. He closed his eyes and fought against the tears.
"Nick!" , she exclaimed. She sounded excited and relieved. The brunette released the pressure on Lucas’ throbbing shoulder and sat back and continued to speak "God, I thought I was going crazy."
Lucas waited for the look of shock and embarrassment that was sure to come when she realized her mistake. Her eyelids fluttered open and their eyes met but the look never came. The woman gently raised her hand and wiped some dirt from above his brow as if she had known him all her life. She examined his face for a moment but Lucas couldn’t rip his gaze from those hazel eyes. The look in their brown and green depths was vacant and distant. He had seen that look a thousand times before from his grandmother when the dementia took hold. The young woman was lost in some past memory and Lucas was playing the part of someone else. With grandma, he would try to get her back to her room at the nursing home. This woman was a stranger and in much better shape than an 80 year old. In his current condition, he doubted he could force her to do anything and didn’t know where to take her if he could.
The brunette stopped examining his face and spoke to him again. "Come on, let's get out of here. I know you like your cuts and bruises, but I'd rather not get flattened." She grabbed Lucas by the hand and pulled him to his feet and then proceeded to lead him around the front of the blue Corolla. They both hurdled the car’s mangled bumper with ease and sped towards a nearby alley. The Cabby jumped out of his car and began yelling obscenities in a foreign language as the pair disappeared from the scene of the accident.
Graffiti stained walls and rusted trash cans decorated the sides of the alley as they fled through to the next street. The young woman moved with a level of grace and confidence which surprised and impressed Lucas. She had just been levelled by a cab but instead of waiting for an ambulance, her instincts had taken charge. Whatever memory had a hold of this woman; it fuelled her and filled her with some kind of purpose. If only he knew what that purpose was.
He tried to see if he could spot any injuries on her as they ran. Her elbow was scrapped and bleeding but it did not seem to be bothering her. A little further down the arm, his gaze fell on her forearm tattoo. A name and address. Noel.
His heart sank. The poor woman’s name was Noel. Lucas’ original suspicions were confirmed. The woman suffered from some form of memory loss and the tattoo was meant to help her find her way home. A wave of pity flooded over him as he remembered watching the last few years he had spent with his dying grandmother.
"Where did RUPERT go?", she wheezed breathlessly over her shoulder as they ran, shaking Lucas from his thoughts and back to the alley which was speeding past. Noel was becoming winded and the couple would not be able run much longer. They burst out of the alley onto another sidewalk. A subway station entrance a few meters away offered shelter from anyone who might be trying to follow. Lucas took control and pulled Noel towards the stairs which would lead down to the platform.
”I don’t know where Rupert is”, he told her as he lead her by the hand. ”We might have some luck if we go to the address on your arm.”
New York was still pretty much a mystery to Lucas. He didn’t have a clue where the address could be. That didn’t really matter though. The most important thing was to find this woman some kind of help. If he could find a way to discover the location of the address it would be great. If not, a hospital would do just as well.
They descended the steps into the cold cement tunnels leading to the subway station. Lucas slowed his pace so Noel could walk beside him but he continued to hold her hand, hoping it would bring her some feeling of comfort and security. He turned and looked at her as they walked. Was there a chance she remembered something of her life that could help Lucas get her home? He had to try as there were few other options he could think of.
“Hey Noel, I got pretty turned around back there. You have any clue which way it is to get back to your place?” , he asked her hopefully.
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 10, 2011 10:57:35 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
The taxi bore down on the young woman despite the cab driver’s attempts to stop. The brunette raised her eyes as if in a dream and watched the car as it careened towards her. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Lucas flew towards the woman from the curb. His mind knew it was already too late and that he couldn’t get out of the way in time. He stretched his arms out to grab her in a desperate hope that there was still a chance.
Lucas drove into the woman’s side with his right shoulder and wrapped her up with his arms like a linebacker sacking a quarterback. He let his momentum pull the tinier woman in close to his body and hugged her limp body as tightly as he could. Dropping his left leg down to the ground as he connected, he pushed off the cement, spinning them both so he could turn his back to the oncoming car. He held onto the woman like a drowning man in a hurricane clutching a life preserver for survival. The young man shut his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, awaiting the inevitable impact.
Time snapped back to normal and brought chaos with it. The impact from the cab threw the pair up and over the hood, directly into the windshield, where they left a spider web of broken glass as they passed. The yellow taxi continued to skid by and bounced the couple higher, over the Broadway marquee on the roof and past the driver’s door. Lucas gripped the lady with all his strength as the world spun around them. His back already throbbed and his left shoulder screamed to him to release his cargo but he stubbornly refused.
Opening his eyes, he found the world spinning out of control and no point of reference to focus on. It was like a child’s water painting where all the colors had blurred together. The sky and ground spun an intricate, swirling dance before the painted lines of the asphalt rushed up to embrace them both.
Both bodies landed hard on their sides between the two lanes of traffic and slid a few feet as the cab skidded clear. A rusted blue corolla in the second lane swerved wildly to avoid the couple and narrowly avoided running them over. Other sounds of screeching, honking and crashing vehicles began to mix together and branch out from the initial scene as the ripple effect of the accidents flowed outwards.
Lucas came to a stop with the young woman underneath him. He tried to rise up on his arms but his left shoulder buckled and he fell to his side. He ended up lying beside her between the two lanes. The taxi had been rear ended by a white minivan that had come to an abrupt stop beside them in the first lane. The driver, a young Indian woman, seemed dazed by the blow she had received from her air bag. She stared at the blood in her hands in disbelief, not realizing it was coming from her nose. The older gentleman in the silver Taurus opposite the minivan had more luck. He had clipped the blue corolla’s bumper in the second lane but other than shock, had escaped the incident unscathed.
Pain throbbed in Lucas’s shoulder and back as he sat up and looked down at the woman he had just saved. Her long brown hair was dishevelled and splashed across her face. He gently brushed it out of her eyes with his right hand and smiled down at her as she lay on the ground beside him.
”You sure know how to get a guy’s attention.” he chuckled. ”Are you ok?”
Posted by Lucas Monroe on Jun 9, 2011 15:26:54 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
142
0
Oct 18, 2011 19:24:32 GMT -6
Lucas leaned his back against the brick corner at the intersection as he rested on the sidewalk. He enjoyed the feeling of the sun warming his face as it reminded him of happier times back in Florida. A dirty coffee cup sat on the pavement in front of him, a few spare coins inside. He had fished it from a trash bin a block away as he made his way to the corner for his new morning ritual. He used to enjoy a premium coffee every morning but that was in another life. Now, the price of hot java was just too high.
Once or twice an hour, someone would drop some change into the cup and smile at him compassionately, but for the most part it served to keep the people of New York at bay. He never thought he would resort to panhandling but the twisting hunger in his stomach had taught him the true value of pride. He was embarrassed at first and tried to hide his face but after a little while, he started to notice how the majority of people made every effort not to walk near him or even look in his direction. Hiding seemed pretty pointless now so he just sat and enjoyed the sun. Once in a while, someone would try to engage him in a short conversation or offer him a bite to eat. For the most part, he was a ghost, invisible to almost all that passed by.
A female voice to his left managed to cut through the sounds of the morning traffic and found its way to Lucas’ ears.
"What the heck?"
Lazily, the homeless mutant turned his head to find the voice and appease his curiosity. A young woman, only a couple of years older than him he imagined, had just exited the building he was leaning on. She had distinctive curves and silky brown hair which caught Lucas’ eyes and kept his attention past the initial glance. She wore a look of confusion on her face as she discovered something she did not expect on her hip. Lucas couldn’t see what it was from his vantage point as it was on her opposite side from him. The woman seemed to forget the object as quickly as she found it and moved her hand up to her head. . She seemed lost to Lucas. He understood that feeling all too well.
With her hand still on her head, the beautiful woman began to walk forward, seemingly oblivious to where she was going. He watched the woman as she made her way towards the curb and then stepped off into the busy street. A bright yellow Cab with a Broadway show marquee strapped to its roof sped along the lane towards her. It was going too fast. Lucas knew it wouldn’t be able to stop in time. From what he had seen of New York cab drivers, it might not even try.
The restful daze cleared near instantly as adrenaline ignited Lucas’ muscles into action. He rolled forward onto his hands and sprung into a full sprint, knocking his cup over and spilling his earnings into the street as he darted away. A tall businessman in a grey suit walked along between him and his destination, oblivious to anything that wasn’t happening in his blue tooth conversation. Lucas didn’t break stride. He put his shoulder into the man and sent him flying to the ground as he flew towards the woman on the street. He looked up to see the Cab driver’s shocked expression when he realized he was going to hit the woman who had just stepped in front of him. The shock turned to fear as he pounded his foot on the break. A squealing sound roared out from the tires as the cab left a trail of black rubber on the asphalt behind it. Too little, too late. The cab couldn’t possibly stop in time.
Pushing himself to his limit, Lucas stretched out his arms and dove off the curb towards the confused woman’s back.
))