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.
As his bolts passed harmlessly through Tses, Kyle noted two things.
One was that the rest of the people still lurking about either retreated entirely now, afraid of being around when two mutants got into it, especially one that could fling what looked like energy blasts from tv shows around. Those that remained likely stayed for the same reason that the others fled...although notably farther away then before. Kyle couldn't less what they did; so long as they stayed out of the way and didn't get involved, they could gawk all they wanted.
The other thing he noted that was Tses flinched every so slightly when his bolts passed through her. Nothing too major...but it told him she felt the bolts, in some way. Something to note down for later. Unconcerned, he started following her, his mind wanting to know more about this new ability of hers.
"Accidents happen. You think the X-Men don't wrack up a huge bill during their battles? I just don't have to are about it so long as it isn't people most the time." The water turned off rather quickly after that anyway, someone clearly doing their job elsewhere. "I hardly believe that...besides, all you seem to steal from are the less forunate than you...because you're a petty little brat. What? You're untouchable now and yet you still flee at the sight of me?"
He smirked at that. "Clearly I left a good impression then."
Tses. The first time he had encountered her, he'd taught her a lesson about stealing the hard way. She'd been sent off with a brusied ego that day. The last time he had encountered her, however, had gone a much easier path. For him at least. Seeing she hadn't learned her lesson that day, Kyle had opted for the best way to show her where she belonged if she kept doing things like stealing from the little guy.
He'd thrown her into the sewer. And yes, he had done it without a second thought.
And now here she was again, her attitude no less different then before. It was looking like he was going to have to give her another lesson when she did something that took him by surprise.
She walked right through him.
That was new. As she passed through him, Kyle turned to watch as she contined on, her newfound ability giving her a new level of confidence as she rattled off her mouth. For a moment, Kyle took a second to see if he felt any different after being walked through...but other then a light tickle, the experience hadn't seemed to do any harm to him. Interesting.
"Well well, look who learned a new trick to help in her petty little crimes. Tell me, did you learn that randomly...or did you learn it to get rid of the stink of the sewer? If that's the case, maybe I should throw you into one more often. It is, after all, the proper place for a thieving rat." Out of curiosity, he lifted his fingers and fired two bolts her way, aiming them at her torso...either they would miss and go through her or they would connect.
And if they went through, well..that fountain that was in her direction would take the bolts rather nicely too. And make things very wet very quick.
It was shaping up to be one of those kind of days.
From the time Kyle had awoken this morning, things had been hectic. First, there had been one of his neighbors banging on their door, threatening to do things to the woman inside if she didn't do as she was told. A jealous ex who hadn't gotten the clue. Kyle would normally have let it lie...except the man had a knife in hand. So Kyle had put him down as gently as he could and warned the man not to come back for his own good. The man got the picture...broken fingers tend to help there.
From there, Kyle ended up spending some of this day dealing with smaller crimes and mishaps. He came close to being rammed by someone who thought it was okay to cut off a motorcycle. Turned out the people inside were fleeing a bank robbery; Kyle calmly put energy bolts into their tires before leaving them to the mercy of the half a dozen police cars following them. Then he clothslined a man who tried to steal a woman's purse, as casually as breathing, after buying some items to make for dinner. He had to go visit the mechanics after, to get a new tire for hsi bike as during his travels, one of them had gotten a flat.
Kyle was just wondering how else the day could get busy when his answer came, at the mall of all places. He had stopped in it after getting his tire replaced for a quick bite, planning on heading to Sanctuary to get some training in...and his next problem all but popped out of nowhere before him.
Like literally. One moment he was walking, the next, Tses had suddenly appeared from the wall in front of him, much to the surprise of many others who etierh gaped or fled. When she snapped at them, even more of them bailed out. Not Kyle though...not after glancing at the nearby mall and putting two and two together with her appearance. And when she saw him, he noted with a small sense of satisfication that she pailed just a little bit.
"Hell? You're about to wish it were that easy Tses. Power down before someone gets hurt. I'd rather not have to give you another lesson today...its been bull enough." The words were delivered matter of factly more than anything else...but the threat was there.
Kyle's bolts flew fast and true, little more then buzzes of purple light in the air for the flash of a moment...and Evelyn blocked them with no effort at all.
Kyle had to admit, that was impressive. What the smaller bolts lacked in power they made up for it in speed. Your average person usually wasn't able to respond fast enough to dodge them; skilled fighters were capable of it and even taking the hits on different areas rather than the intended target. Mutants were different entirely though; it wasn't to say they had been blocked before.
But this was Evelyn. The last time, she barely managed to evade a second one, even with her ability. This time she had blocked them effortlessly. It seemed she had learned a lot more than even Kyle expected. And that only made him smile more.
One of his jabs managed to get through, Kyle feeling tender flesh flinch as he made contact with it. There was a sharp pain on his arm then...Evelyn's counter attack with the sai had grazed him. He jumped back in time to dodge her kick, slapping it aside as he did to avoid it completely.
Smiling beneath his mask at her, Kyle cracked his neck before making a wiggle of his finger at her. "Mock? I was expressing how impressed I was. Considering our last encounter, you've grown in margins. They must know something if you've come this far."
"But...I still think you have plenty to learn." Kyle's expression changed then, if only in his eyes. Like he'd done in her training before, Kyle filled his head with random thoughts, masking his true intent behind a scene of distractions. Like setting off a firework in a dark corridor to draw the eye and cast everything into flashes. And then he moved in, his hand flashing as more bolts shot out at her, scattered from all five fingers to spread them out.
And when his fist came in this time, he missed on purpose...before opening his palm and releasing the stored energy in it towards her side, timing it to a jump away from her for the counter that would be coming. Her blood was up now...a little more and she'd be ready to do what he needed to truly test himself. Just a little more...
Kyle smiled just slightly beneath his mask as he loosened up his body, his torso hunching just slightly, his arms bending as he shifted his legs and bent them just a little. His taunt had worked. The energy bolt on top of it had sealed the deal and now Kyle could see it; Evelyn was committed to his request now. And even better, she was pissed off now too. She would try harder to actually pay him back.
When she moved, Kyle was momentarily stunned by the change in her. The last time he'd sparred with her, she had been awkward, nervous, slow. This time she was none of those; she was confident, determined and faster. The point of her sai actually nicked his shoulder when he parried it aside, his arm blow being deflected perfectly by her before she created distance once again.
"Well well...someone's been learning quickly. Let's see how quickly, hmm?"
Kyle dashed in just as the las syllable was leaving his mouth, his left hand flicking out his index and middle finger to send two little bolts of energy at her face and torso before he came in close and struck out with two, three quick jabs in succession, keeping aware of her sai and where his arms were in relation to them in case of a counterattack.
He'd test his new skills quick enough...but first he had to get a better measure for her new skills. Besides...it would be much more fun this way. "Your antsy boyfriend been teaching you good, has he?"
As Kate and Ami talked to one another about their mutual pain at the loss of the man known to many as Cold Steel, aka, Sam Johnson, they were unaware that two sets of eyes amongst the many weren't merely looking around. They were watching them. Watching them very carefully. Never lingering on them for too long, but long enough to assess them and confirm their identities. The eyes of the Gemini.
Since the first phase of the General's plan had gone into action, the twins had been idle. The female knew her male counterpart had been...discouraged...after his encounter with the mutant of air known as Zephyr. True, they had succeeded in removing their target, as the other groups had. But he had felt cheated of a true victory in that battle; the wind manipulator's death had been stolen from him by a speeding train. It had come so fast, at full speed, that the pair of them knew with his powers out of whack that there was no way he survived the impact. Aquarius had been sad about that, something about a waste of a decent man...but Gemini had not cared. He only wanted to confirm that the man was dead.
Aquarius had said that there would be little point; the train would have ended him fast and the body was likely to end up miles down the tunnel. They didn't have that kind of time before trouble arrived; they had to leave. To handle his concern, she had felt for his water signature, for life in it...and found nothing. There. He was dead. But Gemini M still felt cheated.
Since then, he and his twin sister had been kept on standby, close to the General while he planned the next step of his plan. Neither of them grew bored, cared that they were doing nothing while several of their comrades had tasks to handle. Instead, they had done their duty, as stoic as ever in their expressions...and waited. And finally the General had sent them on a small chore; to hurt the residents of the mansion while they still reeled from the loss of their leader. They had plenty of files on the students and he left it to them to decide their targets.
This was who they chose. Amelia Mellitus. Clothing manipulator. She had been close to the fallen man of ice, the man called Sam Johnson. An easy target and a vulnerable one likely to be in grief. And then the other target; Katherine Elizabeth Stanley Finch-Hatton. Her power allowed her to control and resist fire. According to reports, she was royalty of sorts as well. She would be the serious threat, although no less emotional it would seem. He would handle her, while his sister handled the other. Their powers didn't effect one another, had been that way since birth. But everyone else...
They had their targets. They had chosen a coffee shop to encounter one another, a stroke of luck in both cases. For them and for the Gemini's. Nothing needed to be said between the pair. They knew what had to be done. Casually and without even batting her eye, Gemini F entered the shop and made her way past the pair, dropping a piece of paper between them. It said simply "Your leader fell easily. You shall join him shortly." Then she was past them, heading for the door. Her brother waited outside, his eyes focused sorely on Kate, directing his power into her, for the surprise she would get when she used her powers...and then he pulled his pistol out and aimed it through the window at them.
And he emptied the clip at them before moving for the nearby alley to meet with his sister. He intended to get them there. If they didn't...well, the nearby alley would suffice to finish the job, as they made sure they could be seen through the chaos they had started.
The benefit of tuning out the small animal that Isabel had become was that Kyle didn't need to suppress a smirk every time Zephyr casually handled her and her antics, seemingly without paying more than a dime's worth of attention to the fact. It was a fine example of multitasking and one that showed just how much Zephyr could prioritize one of the world's most dangerous killers as second best. In the meantime, most of his attention was spent answering Kyle's assessments, questions and responses to the man's own questions. "Johnson? Oh....that must be Cold Steel's real name. I don't think he ever gave me it or if he did, I must have missed it. Wasn't exactly a friendly chat at the time. But yes...he's pretty stubborn in a fight, even if he doesn't seem to take things as seriously as one might expect.
That leaves a question though...if we were targeted, would not the leader of the X-men be a valid target as well? That is, if this is a shot at mutants as a whole rather than just mutants in a specific place and with the reputation Sanctuary has."
Zeph's suggestion that they needed mutants with skills more inclined towards the investigative rather then the offensive made Kyle smile slightly. He had just mentioned the perfect person for that role, although it would be a hell of a time convincing her to help out mutants from Sanctuary. Maybe since it was for the greater good, Evelyn would be more inclined to listen. He'd earned that much of her friendship at least. The real trouble would be once Mirror heard of her recent interaction with him...Kyle made a note to have that meeting in a place without any reflective surfaces.
"Ah...in that regard, Evelyn is perfect for that role. Her power, as she describes it, let's her hear "echoes", sort of a way to read a person or an object. She's smart to boot; I think she could lend a hand towards being our "Sherlock Holmes" in this situation."
It didn't come as much of a shock that Zephyr didn't have many contacts within the mansion; the man seemed well connected on the outside world, but it was likely with people that would rather be dropped headfirst onto concrete then deal with the mansion folk. Like Isabel. Just hopefully not nearly as murderous. But between the two of them, convincing Cold Ste....Johnson, Evelyn and the leadership of the Sanctuary to work together...as well as could be expected anyway, to stop this dangerous threat, seemed a viable plan.
Kyle blinked in surprise as Zeph suddenly stopped mid sentence, moving calmly but a bit more swiftly then was necessary for a simple location change, to another portion of the kitchen. An eyebrow rose at that, just as Kyle caught motion by the window out of the corner of this eye. Glancing briefly in that direction, all Kyle caught was the last seconds of a woman with white hair strolling past...and that was it. Maybe Zeph knew her and it wasn't a good thing if she saw him? Maybe it was nothing. Either way, it was a curious action.
"That's about all we can do for now. I think I can talk Johnson into it. The man doesn't hate me, at the very least. He'll listen to reason. I think we should bring this up with the leader of the Sanctuary as well. I'll leave that to you or Isabel; I'm not familiar with her in the slightest.
In regards to Isabel, far as I know, she hasn't done anything serious. I've done my best to monitor any serious incidents lately and nothing's come up regarding her going on any of her little sprees. Not to say that she hasn't done anything bad, but far as I can tell......" Kyle stopped mid sentence as Isabel let out a small meow in regards to Zeph's question, making his train of thought have to adapt slightly...""okay, so it seems she has done something but to my knowledge, nothing that merits the response she or we got. Could have been the final straw though. Probably a question to ask her when she can answer with words, rather then...squeaks. As cute as it is, that is."
Zeph's handling of the kitten Isabel had become background noise to Kyle at this point, as even Zeph himself seemed to be fending her off absently at times while continuing their more demanding conversation. It was a most interesting distraction at times, one that continued to bring a little smile to the corner of his mouth while they talked.
Seriously, who wouldn't be impressed that Zephyr had managed to make Isabel "purr", even if it was only a little tiny one. She wasn't going to live that one down anytime soon...nor would anyone save Zephyr if they dared to mention it. Something to duly note for any future interactions with her. For now, however, Kyle was simply going to enjoy the spectacle while he turned his attentions to answer the man's question.
"Not much, to be honest. I've only been here a few times and encountered a few of the residents. Much like Isabel, I'm not much wanted here.
I know of and have met Cold Steel before, but he's a more well known one. Other then him, I've met really only two others; Evelyn and Mirror. Evelyn's a good enough person and handy in certain situations but for combat? Not quite so much yet, but she's getting good training last I checked. She's the reason I'm here and alive at all. As for Mirror...he...she...has a heck of trick. She could be handy as backup...but she most certainly doesn't like Sanctuary people. Me especially.
Other then them, my interaction with mansion-folk has been limited. But even they would see reason when they realize what a threat we face. What about you Zephyr? What's your knowledge of our current caretakers?"
It took a considerable amount of effort not to show too much amusement at Isabel's current predicament. Kyle didn't hold a grudge against her, not when she'd tried to kill him, not because she constantly treated him as if he were the gum on her shoe. It was her shield against the world, he'd finally realized, a way to detach herself from others and remain the cold and deadly beauty that she was. The more she talked tough about something, the more it worried her. It was a stretch in a way to assume that, but considering how close to death she'd been when she arrived, she'd talked a lot tougher then normal. But it was hard not to be amused seeing one of the world's most notorious and wanted killer reduced to...a ball of adorable wrath.
Seriously, maintaining his almost straight face was getting near to impossible, especially when Zeph started scratching her. He expected righteous kitty fury to follow soon but for now, Isabel looked like a kitten in the headlights.
Doing his best to put the thought that Isabel might accidentally purr at his attentions aside, Kyle focused on Zeph's words to him, bringing himself back to the present and the danger that lay before them all. Zeph's question about leaving them alive bugged at him, stroking his chin for a moment before speaking his mind. "I don't think they intended to leave us alive. I was literally buried under rubble...most people wouldn't have survived. I'm not even sure how I did. As for Isabel, considering the state she was in when she arrived, I highly doubt the intent was to let her live. Maybe she looked dead or they believed enough damage had been done to her for it to be fatal before anyone could assist her."
How he'd survived a chunk of building crashing down on him was baffling. Kyle knew his power had saved him. He just wasn't sold completely on how. He'd thrown his energy up as the rocks came down, trying fruitlessly to stop them from crushing him. But instead of an energy blast, his energy had almost...exploded out from everywhere, putting up a barrier that deflected the worst of the rocks aside. It was for that reason only, and swift aid from Evelyn, that saved him. Something to consider for the future, this miraculous save was. Until then...
"Well, I may know why I was targeted. They alluded to as much. I interfere with what I see as wrong. I've been seen and known by the public to do so at times. Perhaps they saw me as a target the public would recognize, so they could make a statement, and a threat that would try to interfere with their plans. As for you...it may simply have been your connection with Isabel and how strong you are. Maybe they suspected you would be trouble later or that attacking Isabel, with your connection with her, would draw your attentions.
Its speculation at this point, save for why they attacked Isabel. I agree though; we can't take this by sitting back on our hands. But we should take advantage of the fact that we are "dead" for a bit longer and play our cards at the right time.
But we can't let them catch us alone again. We need a plan that, in the event we do encounter them, we have backup on hand. Especially Isabel in this case. Otherwise we're all like to end up in the pine box this time."
For Cancer, it tended to come down to two choices when deciding who the brunt of his power would be focused towards. Two questions that, when answered, made the choice simple and easy for him, no high end complicated thinking required. Was that person a serious threat, now or while being afflicted? If yes, Cancer prioritized that target, bearing all their fears upon them and often the Jackal if he needed a bit more physical persuasion. If the answer was no, however, the second question come into play; which one could he torture the most? Often, by using his power on the one, he could take advantage of their fear to remove them from the equation quickly and with glee, which only enhanced his abilities.
In this circumstance, the moment Andy had been caught by her fear, she had been removed from the equation. Her manifestation of a man was easily dealing with her, sending surges of fear and pain out from her that fed Cancer and in turn, the strength of his creations. The source of her fear was easily able to handle her as a result and thus, she was no longer worth diverting his full attention to.
Saph, on the other hand, was charging him like a reckless bull, intending to cause pain of his own and possibly lose his own life in return for taking the one's who harmed his "wife". It was sweet, it was touching...it was utterly disgusting to Cancer. All it meant to him was that Saph was the target of this next attacks, via his inhuman bodyguard.
The face seemed only to draw more anger from the man, a calculated misstep on Cancer's part. No matter; the Jackal could handle one simple raging bull. According to reports, Saph could take stored energy and channel it into force. Hence the torpedo that the crowbar he had thrown had become. But that surely had taken a fair amount of juice to pull off; it was safe to calculate that Saph was running a bit close to empty right now. Still, the man did merit some caution.
"Oh my...what a spirited drive this one has. Most interesting..." he trailed off as Saph came back from the Jackal's strike, his rage acting as a buffer for pain as he danced in again. This time, he opted to sidestep his creature, surely believing the Jackal was all brawn, no brain. Far from it. The Jackal noticed that Saph was aiming for Cancer instead and responded in kind. It kicked sideways at Saph as he spun as Cancer stood there, unconcerned, as he noticed Saph finally catching on.
"Considering you're going to fail your wife again. Letting her die twice? Such a poor man you are." Cancer smirked as he looked to where Andrea was suffering. "What ever will you do?"
Kyle raised an eyebrow at her, one of the few noticeable actions that could be seen on his face now that the face guard was covering half of it. Evelyn had been a lot of things, but a fool hadn't been one of them. To willingly come to Sanctuary, a place she hated, had been a surprise but Kyle chalked that up to there being a reason for being here. One serious enough to make her forget her distaste for the place in order to come here. Again, acceptable.
But to come to this dangerous place and not bring her sai? Well, that was just downright stupid. He'd have to learn her about that.
"You didn't? Well that wasn't a very wise move Evelyn. I thought you smarter then that."
Stalking over to a panel on the wall, Kyle hit a few buttons before closing the panel and turning back to Evelyn. As if on cue, the Danger Room suddenly materialized two sai for her, dropping into her hands as if they were real themselves. Of course, the danger room could MAKE them real, as dangerous as the real thing or harmless entirely. For the purpose of this exercise, he'd made them real by changing the room's setting's to the most dangerous. The room wouldn't change, not unless he wanted it to but for the moment, Evelyn's sai's could easily put a hole in him as if she were carrying the real thing.
He timed her catching the sai's with the little bolt of energy that he sent towards her face, little more then enough to feel like a light slap on the face. Enough to get her serious, hopefully.
"There. Now, if you're quite done shaking like a little school girl about why I dragged you down here, why don't you show me how well you've learned to use those little pokers, hmm?"
Capricorn, his eyes covered by the rounded binoculars that allowed him to see the chaos erupting at the crime lord Marconi's place of business. Oh, he had several of them around the city, so that one could never really know which of them he was currently residing in, a ploy to avoid hits by his rivals or raids by the police. It was a good strategy, all told. One that had kept him atop the Marconi crime syndicate for a long time.
But somewhere, he slipped up. Or maybe the Order's resources were better then most people gave them credit for. They had not only determined which of his various safe houses he would be at, but when to hit him and how to hit him. Watching far afar, Capricorn had to silently admire they're tactics. One inside, a giant cockroach attempting to look like he was from the 1960's, shooting up the place up close and personal. And there was another afar, taking out targets from a rooftop with what could only be a rifle, covering the cockroach's back and making it clear that to leave the house would be a tricky endeavor. All and all, a good setup.
Too bad the General and his network were better. They knew exactly where Marconi was at all times, knowing that a mutant basher like him would be a target for mutant related counter attacks. A man of action against the mutant cause...but the General would enjoy seeing his brains on the sidewalk eventually. The man was slime and although his crews bashed up mutants, they did so for their own personal malice and pleasure. What the General did was business and a needed one for the future of homo sapiens. The men didn't target known threats...they beat up kids who had done nothing yet and through those actions, could become one against humanity in the future.
No, Marconi would die in good time. Once the General had used him for his purposes. Once he'd stolen what men he deemed useful for his own troops and weeded out the useless. But not tonight. Which is why he'd made sure to send a couple of his own agents to "assist" the man, hidden for the moment, but merely waiting to strike. And once Roach had entered the building(yes, they knew exactly who he was and the possibly identity of the sniper), Capricorn had given his partner, Taurus, the word.
The screams over his radio started after that. Smiling, Capricorn lowered his bincoulars and turned his head towards the whereabouts of the sniper. As soon as the shooting had begun, he had sent the few men that had come with him towards the building, already making tracks for the roof. Capricorn had stayed behind, to wait for the right moment. Besides...he could make that distance in a hurry anyway. With a momentarily clench of his muscles, he spoke into the radio. "Operation a go." And then he was off, his ability sending him tracking down the street and up the stairs of the building in moments. Just as the men he'd sent had burst onto the roof and started firing at the sniper hidden up there. He'd wait, of course, until his opportunity and confirmation of the target's identify was given. And then he'd begin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taurus, on the other hand, didn't need to wait any longer. And as soon as he had come through the wall amongst the remaining peons that still lived out of Marconi's basic thugs, the screams had started. They knew a mutant when they saw one and were bringing guns to bear, believing hm to be with the oddity below killing everyone in his path. Unfortunately for them, in the close quarters of the building, the hunk of muscle didn't have far to reach to smash them like grapes beneath his boots. his fists slamming bloody wrecks of their bodies into walls.
By the time footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs, the screams and gun shots had gone silent. That tended to happen when the owners of such things were nothing more then smears on the wall. True, they were human, but these men had picked on children who had nothing to do with their war, not yet. As far as Taurus was concerned, as even the big man had a soft spot for the younger, they had earned their fate. Besides, they had shot at him. They had been threats. Threats neutralized.
Speaking of threats, a voice coming from the hall turned Taurus's attention that way. The mutant, Roach. He'd been boasting idly amongst his chaotic shooting, so Taurus knew from his voice that this was his target. Just on the other side of the wall.
Which Taurus's fist suddenly burst through, as his hulking mass plowed through on the strength of his fists, at the mutant making his way through on the other side. Wall? What wall? The thought amused Taurus as giant arms descended mere feet away towards the target, their might coming in full force.
Considering his location to the action, Libra thought the most he would be doing today would involve whispering to his newly acquired peons through the parasites. He was distanced from the chaos below, sending little nudges to those he'd stuck with the pulsing critters his power produced, guiding them to unleash their rage on another of his pawns or towards the other guests at large. His task was to cause mass hysteria and anarchy, give Cancer a clear shot to the main targets without interruption.
Not that that bloody psycho of a partner of his needed it. Cancer could handle himself. Not one on one mind you; but through the creation of his opponent's fears and his "partner", Cancer was more then capable of handling a few strays. Now, time to see about...
Libra caught the roar of rage and the glint of something streaking towards him. Something metal. Training and his reaction time kicked in and Libra flinched his head to the side, just barely evading the crowbar that had launched like a rocket for his head. It sliced open his cheek, a hand going up to it immediately and coming away wet with his blood. A half-amused chuckle escaped Libra, part in amusement and part in disbelief. Well well...looks like someone needs to be taught a lesson. Libra saw Saph then, diving for his partner, the loss of what he believed was his lover sending him into a blood rage.
Cancer, below, had of course seen Saph making to throw his weapon. He'd thought he was throwing at him at first...but no, the angle of the throw was wrong for him to be aiming at him. No, he was aiming at Libra. A damn good shot, if the hiss of pain from his radio was any indication. Of course, Libra would want a shot at him for that, but Cancer, who was now the target of the man's rage, wasn't going to let Libra steal his fun. "Don't touch him, Libra. He is mine to indulge in." He heard Libra hiss on the other end at this, but the silence told him Libra would hold his ground.
Saph, at this point, was diving for him, fists swinging. It would have been a terrible and concerning thing...if Cancer hadn't anticipated it. He was, after all, the only plausible target for the man to aim for, what with his companion out of reach. How foolish he was. Attacking Cancer while his real love was truly about to die behind him, his senses clouded by rage. It was almost too easy. With a simple thought, Cancer called forth his counter to the man's charge. It appeared, just as quickly as any of his fear creations, although this one was completely of his own making. His own personal bodyguard, his monster. It came from the nothing, a humanoid that stood a head taller then Cancer himself, a body that was both big, muscled, but not insanely so. Sharp claws stretched from both hand and feet, as sharp as any blade. And there was its face. A canine appearance took hold there, a mouth lined with razor sharp teeth and black eyes like a shark's stared at the charging prey before it.
The Jackal. Cancer's second trick and at times, his most deadly. Not only because of its body and appearance, but because of what it could do. It could take a person's fear and manifest it in some form on its body...adding to its intimidating form. It didn't need such a thing yet. It merely needed to swing its muscled arm up, cloths-lining the charging Saph at chest level and knocking the man back, surely sending the wind from its body. Cancer, stepping back, turned his attention to the bride, who was suffering at the hands of her own fear. Nothing needed there. "Ah, such devotion to avenging your fallen bride. Its touching, truly it is. But you know...I'm not sure she agrees with you there."
The Jackal's chest suddenly rippled and the head of Andrea appeared there, blood streaming from her mouth, her snakes limp, her eyes cold, dark, dead. The voice that whispered out was alive and strong through, as it turned its attention to Saph. "You failed me. You failed to protect me and because of that, I'm dead. You failed me...you're continuing to fail me. What good are you...you should just die and join me."
Cancer grinned. Oh, that was a lovely touch indeed.
Kyle watched with fascination and curiosity(and honestly, a bit of amusement) as Zephyr reached down to lift the little kitten that had once been one of the most dangerous mutants known to man into the air.
Outwardly, Kyle showed a little in regards to this new situation. His eyebrows were quirked up slightly and there was a bit of a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. Inwardly, his mind was alive with activity as questions poured into it. How long would this change last? Or yet, was it permanent unless the one who had inflicted it changed her back or would she change back on her own? Did she still have access to her powers or were they sealed during this time? Was it still Isabel in there controlling the show or was it more kitten now, simply reacting as Isabel would react? So many questions to ask! And yet, that could always wait. There were more important things to worry about.
"Hmm...good to know. I don't think I'd make a good cat." Kyle chuckled as he watched Isabel struggle and squirm against Zeph's hands before finally realizing how futile her efforts were at this point in time and going limp, albeit the hissing continued. Kyle had no doubt she was simply biding her time until she had a solid chance to put those little claws of hers to work, for him to slip up his guard and repay him for this...situation. Zeph, as normal, did what Zeph seemed to do; show how little he cared or feared her by putting her on his shoulder.
Kyle half expected her to attempt mauling his face there and then. He was waiting for it, actually. Instead, to his surprise, she simply sat there on his shoulder, gaining purchase with her claws, her hissing reduced to simple growls that were occasionally a hiss. Huffing a laugh, Kyle pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture. Before Zeph could ask(and to answer what would surely be a hiss from Isabel), Kyle explained his action. "In case she gets away. Then I have a picture to show people to ask if they've seen her. And tell them to absolutely go near her because she's friendly." Kyle shrugged at the kitten. "I'm sure she'd love to put those claws into a few people who live here."
Turning his mind away from the distracting fact that Isabel had turned into a kitten back to the situation that landed them all here, Kyle frowned and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. When they opened again, he'd returned to his balanced state of mind, his expression thoughtful. "Figuring out what exactly happened. You know, it's been bothering me but...someone who could play fears against Isabel? Someone to cancel out your abilities? High end physical threats against me? The pair's that came after us weren't just good against us...they were perfect against us. They were the perfect counters to us. That makes me wonder how long they've been observing us.
Way I see it, we have three major questions to answer. One, why these people targeted us. Two, how did they know so much about us and know exactly how to play to our weaknesses. And three....is where to find them. Right now, we have the advantage but that won't last. We can't stay here indefinitely so eventually, we risk facing them again. We need more information.
What do you think Zephyr? Personally, I say we gather information quickly and then go on the offensive but...I did always prefer action to waiting around."
Fear. Fear was the drug, the terrible sin that Cancer could not get away from. Some had their heroin, their alcohol, their cocaine...something so terribly wrong for them and yet they could not keep themselves from it, their body and mind already slaves to their desires.
Cancer had fear. But it was not bad for him. It was perfect for him. And he soaked in utter bliss as the fear around him rose in droves and waves.
Libra's initial strike had caused the first waves of it, sending people confused and panicking in every which direction. They didn't know what had suddenly made their friends or fellows burst into a rage, the mutants using their powers to inflict pain as they flew about in a mad rage, subtlety pushed by Libra's parasitic suggestions. All most of them knew was that people were getting hurt and they had no clue way...which made them scared. Some of them fought back, of course, trying to stop friends or lovers or strangers from lashing out...but they all were frightened. And Cancer used that to spin his own little addition into the mix.
Now, Cancer's ability allowed him to manifest fears into a solid form, bringing what was only in nightmares into reality. Some, like the priest, feared burning in the depths of the earth...so fire that would never fade till he died or passed out soon covered him. The bridesmaid? She feared what lurked in the shadows...so shadows came alive and tried to take her. That waiter? He feared not being able to do his job....so there was a man trying to cut off his hands. All around him, the worst thing to each and every person was being brought to life to torture them...and Cancer drank in their fear like a sweet wine.
Now, he needed to focus on a person to bring the fear to life. After that, it took on a life of its own...so if it was dispelled or the person was killed or passed from conscious thought, the fear would fade. The dispelled fears would only return if Cancer refocused on that person to recreate it. Right now, however, he had only two objectives in mind; the bride and groom. The groom was already down, suffering his worst fear...his bride dying in his arms. But the bride was right there, watching him cradle another couple of her, likely confused. Perfect. Cancer pulled his power together and focused it on her, digging into her mind and dragging her fear to be born before them. He knew it wouldn't be long before they both caught on, of course and that trouble may come his way...but he had a plan for that.
A silent guardian, just waiting to be sprung, as he made his way over to the pair, a smile on that wickedly pale face of his. "Ah, is it not terrible? To see the ones we love so much die in our arms, helpless to do anything but watch them fade? To know that we couldn't protect them, that we let them down?
Yes...suffer...fear...fear your failure. And then submit to fate as it sends you to join your lover in the depths that you made for yourself. For this is the fate that mutants shall suffer for the wickedness they inflict on the world with their attempts to be superior!" Cancer was talking to no one in particular, save for the pair before him...but he did tend to have an odd way of talking about things. And now, now he waited to see how the two would handle their fears...and to prepare to unleash his hidden surprise.
