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 Sledgehammer on Mar 6, 2016 0:11:10 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
Provided David kept his mouth shut he was pretty forgettable. Unlike some other mutants he didn't have wild hair or eye color. There were advantages to being able to blend in with a crowd. The second he spoke though he'd be picked out in a police line up. His accent hadn't faded at all since coming from England, even if he was in a city where there were a million different accents that could have affected his own. So until they were out of the prison and the mission was over Aura could hardly expect her current companion to be the smooth talking young buck.
Getting the guards out of the room was the next step. Still holding back on that first most powerful punch David clenched a fist. His arm instantly became more solid, less like flesh and bone and more like steel beam. He whistled too, drawing the attention of the guards inside. They rushed out through the door, straight into David's outstretched arm. It made them drop just as quickly as a punch, mostly because their windpipes just rammed into something hard enough to hit through a brick wall. They were going to be out of it for awhile.
Posted by Sledgehammer on Dec 20, 2015 11:28:18 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
It was in a prison that David Maxwell Duckland became the man known as Sledgehammer. In general Sledge tried to avoid prisons, not just because he was an illegal immegrant, though he was working on getting that situation ammended (becoming a citizen, not the illegal aspect so much), but also because he was a wanted criminal. When you break your way out of jail, even if it was for minor charges, you instantly got into even more trouble with the law. Breaking into a prison was most likely just as bad. This was going to be an extremely risky job, and it better pay off in the end. If there was the same sort of problems that he encountered when he had to break into the bank there would be hell to pay.
If Sledge had a say in how they would have started this job, it would not have been in the back of a truck. He was a fan of finding a way to make it seem he was suppose to be there. If you had the right details and acted as if you belonged, nine times out of ten people didn't even glance at you. He was sure that he would be able to do it on his own, but he wasn't on this mission by himself. Aura and him were working together to break some people out of this prison. There were some mutants that needed to be liberated from their incarceration. Since Sledgehammer was able to make doors where there weren't ones meant he was very helpful for jobs like this. "Does it matter iffin I'm ready or not?" he asked Aura.
At least if he was going to be doing something this insane he had a good looking lady as company. Aura was an attractive young bird, though she was not the type that he usually went for. Arrangements had been made for getting into the prison, but David wondered what the purpose of punching out that first guard served since he had been involved in the plan to begin with. The guy could have helped to deal with the other guard. No doubt that Aura wanted David to handle the other guard with one of his super powerful punches. But All David did was whistle to the guard to get his attention. He grabbed the guard and threw him towards a wall. The movement was unexpected and the guard's head banged into the wall. He dropped like a sack of potatoes.
Posted by Sledgehammer on Sept 4, 2015 22:28:31 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
Of the various cultural activities that David had been a part of for one con or another, plays were ranked fairly low on the list. He could sit through a play alright, but they were a horrible place to try and find a mark. You were so isolated from the rest of the audience for the entirety of the show and it was an incredibly personal thing. Frankly David had expected Emily to sugest dancing again. Dancing in a club was something he would have been perfectly fine with. But Emily had put up with the resturant even though she couldn't eat, so he might as well sit through this play she was looking forward to.
"Sounds lovely, hopefully there's still a few seats available," he lied, making sure that he gave Emily a warm grin. The whole pro or anti mutant angle that seemed to be forced upon plays, art exhibits, practically everything these days, did not strike David as any good reason to see or experience anything. Then again David was a mutant who was still very much closeted about his mutation. Taking a stance either way on mutations would be in some sort of contradiction to at least one aspect of his personality.
"I don't know if I should feel wounded that you had other plans, or honored that you're choosing to include me in them now," joked David. Certainly he was a more interesting prospect if Emily had chosen him in the end. She couldn't have eaten anything at the resturant which was something she probably hadn't wanted to do. There was no reason for her to have gone along with their mutual friend's (who's name was once more escaping his memory) crazy plan for her love life.
Posted by Sledgehammer on Jun 25, 2015 12:40:03 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
Deflection had been difficult with Ms. Summers when he had met her at an auction. She picked up easily on his habit of drawing attention away from himself when he didn't want it. With Emily it was almost laughably easy. She was willing to share events with him from her day to day life. Should she be a mark of any scam of his, David felt confident that he would get exactly what he wanted. It helped that Emily was saying some things that were genuinly of interest to David, even if he felt no attraction to her. In all it was not a bad way to spend the evening and succeeded in distracting him from his concerns.
If David had been the sort to listen to his conscience he would have found it strange that at this point in his life money and food were no longer concerns, even though he did not have a steady job the way that his family did. Instead he did not hesitate to open up his wallet and place a credit card inside the leather envelope, making sure to add a generous number on the receipt for gratuity. It wasn't his money, not really, and as such he had no issue spending it. The extra left for the waiter was an unapologetic bribe for silence. Just how much of the conversation the waiter had heard was uncertain, but the way that Emily had just moved her food around the entire time with nothing decreasing in volume had to have drawn some attention. Some people were less than pleased to have anything to do with mutants. "I 'ope that you don't mind me spoiling you a little. It doesn't seem right to not take care of things tonight when you've been fixed up with me. Blind dates rarely go well."
As he had promised once they left the restaurant David handed over the doggy bag to the first homeless person he saw. No fear was shown as he approached the bum and even crouched down to his level. The two engaged in a brief conversation, spoken in hushed tones. David asked the man if he would like a hot meal, didn't have to do anything for it other than tell him what his name was. It was, of course, done for the simple reason of adding to his army of homeless informants, but to those who did not know how David made his way in life the gesture probably looked like a noble act.
"Well we've had a lovely meal together, as much as we could, and the night is still young," David said with a large grin on his face. He had no qualms with staying out for the entirety of the night. Sleep was often ignored by the Brit. Eventually he would crash, but until then coffee was his greatest ally. "What say you we do something that is more in line with your wants and needs. Not that Im not having fun."
Posted by Sledgehammer on Mar 1, 2015 20:24:52 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
There isn't all that much one can say about salad. It was food, which was always a good thing to have, but on the whole it was less than a thrilling food. No matter what sort of extra ingredients you added to it, salad was very much the same always. Lettuce of some sort with dressing to try and give it flavor. He didn't hate it, David would be hard pressed to name any food that he hated outside of the ones that would kill him, but it wasn't the first thing that he would order. Still, his stomach had been empty for a large portion of his youth and David wasn't one to turn down food he could eat. The salad was fresh, the lettuce crisp. And while the table manners that his parents had instilled deeply in him were yelling at him for eating while his date was unable to, he knew he would be offending Emily more so if he did not.
"I'm sorry for your loss," David said, a little surprised with himself how sincere he was in saying so. Those who he had kept close to his heart were an ocean away, but still alive. Some nights he missed them so much that it hurt. Emily said that she had been around for centuries. That meant that she had seen more than the typical amount of people pass away. In a way it seemed cruel that her friend had set her up for a blind date. It was like she was trying to remind Emily of the brief life of others.
"I have noticed a good amount of people who can do some extraordinary things since I came 'ere," David said with a smile. He was capable of some extraordinary things himself, though he wouldn't admit it. The high population of mutants was one of the reasons why David had chosen to stay in New York City. Identifying one specific mutant in a crowd was hard, even more so since people thought so little of mutants as a general rule of thumb. "Iffin people and mutants are to get along well no better place for it to start than 'ere."
Posted by Sledgehammer on Feb 1, 2015 17:30:14 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
"Thank you, but I'll admit that the British accent doesn't help much with blokes They tend to think that I'm the stereotypical snobbish Brit that says thinks like 'toodlepip'" David admitted. He would not deny that he had a good dose of self esteem, but he was not the stick up the rear, never say a curse word or be spotted having a cup of tea that came with the general image of a British man that prevailed. Forget about the tea, David needed coffee to survive, and fish and chips would kill him. He was British yes but not a caricature.
"My business was growing and I came here to do some expanding." It was the stock explanation for why David was no longer in England. The truth was that he had become too much of a presence on the local police force in his hometown. New York City was kind to him, filled with so many more people who believed him when he said that he could sell them their dreams. Giving the true answer to anyone who asked, even those at the Sanctuary, was a foolish action. By now the lie was said so many times that it was effortless, coming out of him as smoothly as the truth. For years David had gotten the practise of using falsehoods as honesty. Even over looking the criminal aspect of his life David had been untruthful. He had tried to convince everyone that his family was not as poor as they were.
"You came here for a friend?" David asked. Getting the topic back off of him and back on Emily. To help her with her illusion of being normal he carefully switched their glasses, his partially empty again now that he had taken another drink, hers full. If it did not get drunk the ice in it would have melted eventually. Just because she admitted to a mutation did not mean that his date wanted it to be showing. In that regard he could relate to her. His own mutation was hardly subtle when in use, but he kept it hidden from as many as he possibly could.
Posted by Sledgehammer on Jan 5, 2015 18:49:45 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
Suggesting that they give her meal to the first homeless person they saw had multiple benefits. First of all there were plenty of his informants that worked around this area. A nice little treat like a delicious meal helped to cement their loyalty to the Brit. If he did not find one of his informants than he would just be building up his army of the homeless. Work related things aside there was the added benefit of looking good to Emily. It made him seem compassionate, the type of man who wanted to do good for those who were less fortunate. The sly smirk that she gave him told David that he had done well. The compliment on his looks was just a tidy little bonus.
Cockiness never did well with ladies, but confidence did go a good way. David gave her an equally sly smirk, one that showed he was a bit of a troublemaker. His marks always fell for the mischief side of him, at least his marks in romance. After all, David's most successful attempts at wooing Seyta was when she caught him looting. The baby face made people trust him. It was his troublemaker bits that showed he was not too angelic to have some fun. "I've been told I clean up nicely. You on the other 'and, you look effortless."
"Oh I know here through a friend of a friend," David said, cvering up that he really couldn't remember how he had met the lady who had arranged this whole date. Running a successful con and getting lucky in love weren't all that different. The idea was to deflect attention away from yourself, make the target believe that you really were interested in only them. Sure, you had to let out little drips and dribbles of information about yourself, not always true, to get them to really want to trust you, but on the whole it is about making the target feel good. David chose to ignore the bit where Emily mentioned being born two centuries ago. Didn't make a difference who the lady was, you do not bring up age ever.
"Can't tell from me accent?" David asked, slightly amused. He had discovered that a British accent was very popular with this Yankee women. True most of them couldn't get what sort of accent it was beyond the vague "British" one. Some thought he was from London, some thought that it was a Cockney one. "I'm from West Yorkshire, England. Haven't been here long enough to have the British washed out of me mouth yet."
Posted by Sledgehammer on Nov 23, 2014 23:11:21 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
David had to share a laugh with Emily. He couldn't understand what her mutation involved, because there had not been very many details involved. How she described it though had set up a perfect opening for a witty remark. The charm was being turned back on for the first time in a while for the Brit. Maybe he was foolish for trying to seek out a relationship with Seyta. She was always angry at him for one reason or another. He would take full blame for his actions on that Halloween night and following morning, but the other times when she was angry at him he was without a clue as to what he had done wrong. "For even a normal person it's a messy business. Ask any parent."
She was right though about him being hungry though. Hunger was an old familiar friend for David and he had learned to ignore it very well. In a restaurant people could not hear your stomach grumble in emptiness. David had selected this restaurant because he had discovered that it was good on his stomach when he had been on a diet of mostly fast food. Everything he had had here in the past before was delicious. Having Emily order something that he would be able to take home later was a tempting idea, not because he lacked food, but because he really enjoyed eating here. Manners had kept him from doing so.
He also had to pause when Emily put her hand on top of his. He had his hand flat on the table so there was no risk of his mutation kicking in, but his entire arm tensed up in the effort to make sure that there was no movement whatsoever. Physical contact making him freeze up got in the way of relationships, not because he couldn't stand being touched, but because he was afraid of what he might do. Intimacy was a difficult thing for him, he did not hug, he did not hold hands. It did lead to a little bit of loneliness.
David would have argued the matter a little more about if he should or should not get something to eat, but Emily had stumbled upon one of his weaknesses. David was an excellent conman, people were easy to manipulate for him. Unfortunately he could easily be swayed by a women in distress. His look softened and his resolve weakened at the sight of Emily's quivering lip. It was one thing that he was aware of, one of his things that he wish he could change about of himself, but it did not happen. He was unable to say anything against him eating, especially once she told the waiter that he was going to be ordering.
"Emily would like the Pasta Roscutto, and I'll 'ave the New York strip, but we'll start with a small house salad to split," David said, ordering something that she could move around the plate easily enough to make it look like she was actually eating. With the waiter taking their order and going away David could focus on the date again. "I'll make a deal with you. We'll take your order to go and the first homelss person we see on the street will have a good meal today."
Posted by Sledgehammer on Oct 14, 2014 19:40:22 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
"You don't eat because it prevents you from doing so or because you don't need to?" David asked, seeking clarification. He couldn't see anything about his date that would suggest a mutation that prevented eating. Then again looking at himself you would never guess that David was capable of punching through a wall. The muscle mass on him was minimal, no matter how much he tried to add to it. What confused David on how his dated didn't want food but had no issue with water. Both entered the system the same way and both had to leave it. If she could drink shouldn't she be capable of eating as well?
The admission of her mutation should have prompted him to discuss his own. It was known at the Sanctuary that he had one, and after hearing him called "Sledgehammer" it wasn't that hard to figure out what it was. However if someone were to approach him and ask if he was a mutant David denied it effortlessly. He brushed off his lack of physical contact with people as being a bit of a germophobe. It was an easy enough explanation for why he didn't shake hands and most people accepted it. Keeping the truth hidden though was the root of his problems with Seyta. Actually it caused problems with any of his relationships. It certainly had ended things with Anna.
"Because if you are looking for something small to keep things a little on the hush side we could order a dessert. The chocolate mousse is rather good I hear, but I'm more of the cream puff type meself," David offered as a solution. Alright, so he really would rather have a nice steak with some small potatoes and a fresh salad, but he was taught at least a little bit of proper manners. If he was to order an entire meal for himself and she only got a tiny thing to pick at he'd be disapointed in himself. Not only that but it would have reminded him too much of the dream where he was fighting in the pit to feed himself while the kid starved on the street.
Posted by Sledgehammer on Sept 24, 2014 19:53:50 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
When his date,Emily, said she wasn't really hungry David lifted an eyebrow. He was a big supporter of eating, if for no other reason than his stomach had been a little too empty too many times in his childhood. The only fond memories he had of Christmas time all had to do with food, certainly not anything that was tucked under the tree for him. While no chief or expert of fine cuisine David did enjoy food. His palate was defined enough to enjoy well crafted meals. A kind, yet critical eye examined Emily's body. He'd had dates before with girls who ordered small meals that they poked and prodded but never really consumed. Ladies who ate like that rarely got a second date with him.
"Please tell me that you're not the kind who starves themself to look good to their date," David said, holding two fingers up to the waiter to let them know that he needed a moment. Emily might not be wanting anything to eat, but that didn't mean he wasn't hungry either. If Emily really did not want anything to eat he would respect her desires and take her someplace else. After all, they were young and in the city that never sleeps. There was always something that a couple of mature adults could do for fun. Unfortunately if they didn't eat here he'd be having yet another homecooked meal in his flat. How funny that when he first arrived he had gotten sick of eating out and wanted a meal that he made that did not require the use of a microwave. Now that he had spent a long period of time doing exactly that he was craving a meal that he didn't have to prepare.
"I could go for a bite to eat, but if you druther do something else tonight I'm up for anything," David said, giving Emily his warmest smile, the one that he used to win over the ladies. He had over the years perfected his act, the subtle gestures and facial cues to get him what he wanted. Usually what he was seeking was trust from the other person. It didn't make a lick of difference how well filled his mark's pockets were if he could not get them to trust him. "Me da always said to listen to a lady, and do as she would like. Of course when she's as lovely as you that's not too hard to follow."
Posted by Sledgehammer on Sept 9, 2014 23:26:18 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
David cursed his luck. His date for the evening did not get the drift that he was against hand touching and held hers out expectantly. He had had years of exposure to his mutation now, and knew what exactly activated it. Handshakes were out of the question, unless he was aiming to dislocate her arm. So when she offered him her hand he gave it a polite kiss, using the side of his hand, cupped only so slightly, to support hers. Despite what Seyta might currently think of him, David could be charming and well mannered. This was the sort of behavior that had filled his wallets and gotten him a tidy bank account.
When Emily took her seat David was polite enough to slide it in for her. That wasn't part of his conman repitoire. That was the table manners that his mum had drilled into his skull. It wasn't until Emily was properly situated that he took his own seat and unfolded his napkin. Unlike his date for the evening he had been here before. Before he had gotten his flat thanks to the Sanctuary he had talked his way into hotels just like this to have a meal, finding ways to avoid having to pay for the food until he had more than just a British ten pound note in his wallet. This particular hotel had been a pace where he had done some "business" in the past, but had not swindled a meal out of.
"I've 'eard that it's to die for," David admitted, wondering what he must have done to get this Janette girl so angry at him. Seemed like these days he couldn't tell where he stood in any relationship with a lady. He didn't even know how he knew Janette anymore. Was she that girl at the bar he had spent his first night in the states with? No, that was someone else, someone with a more Irish name if he was right. "I'll have to pass on it though. Seafood doesn't do well with me."
Posted by Sledgehammer on Aug 7, 2014 20:54:07 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
Sometimes the only way of getting over your troubles with one girl was to move on and see another. David wasn't entirely sure where he stood with Seyta, even on a good day, and with the way he had been avoiding her ever since that first of November a few years back he was even more unsure. Oh she would have rage at him, that he knew, but she had sent him the atlas he had wanted for Christmas. Going back and forth over how much she would kill him if they ran into each other was wearing him down. He needed to get his mind off this situation. And he was growing tired of having to eat his own cooking.
So he let himself be set up for a blind date. It wasn't as if he was looking for a one night stand or anything like that. He just needed to get out of his apartment and have some fun. As of late the only thing he had done outside the flat was work. Getting bladdered surrounded by the furniture in his flat felt like an ultimate example of patheticness. You do that in your home, you're an alcoholic. Do it in a bar or club and you're a normal bloke.
Not that he was going to be getting bladdered here. David liked classy places like this, and he dressed in a nice suit with a tie. His face was clean shaven, his hair not sticking at angles for a change. Sure at times the Brit could look a little on the gruff side, but he cleaned up nicely. When he had been told of where they would be meeting up David was quite pleased.
There was a young lady sitting by herself in the resturant, and when David told the server why he was there, it was the same young lady that he was directed to. No doubt about it, she was the one that he had been set up with. Although he tended to like blondes more than brunettes, it could be time for a change. Giving her his most charming smile David grabbed onto the back of his chair. Best way to avoid having to shake hands was to have your own occupied. "Right then, you must be Emily?"
Posted by Sledgehammer on Jun 26, 2014 9:10:12 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
I like the idea of Topic of the month and here's why. For about half a year I was in threads with the characters that won Mutant of the Month, which was an honor, but the fact was that the threads used for examples were often threads I was in. It gave the feeling of "Sorry, your work just wasn't good enough". I don't know if anyone else has had that feling, but the truth is that while it does turn the spotlight on one character who has done something exemplary, that's the problem. It's just ONE character. Opening it up to Thread of the Month recognizes that the reason why MRO is awesome is because of the combined efforts of the members.
Another suggestion that I've seen, that might be a way to have Cafas's multiple characters shown with pictures is to have a player of the month. Someone who's put in great effort with their threads or done something noteworthy for the site, like how way back when he started Jorge organized that HUGE Halloween plot. The Player of the Month would have their characters shown. It also would I feel encourage more activity since it would be based not just upon one or two threads from a character, but rather the overall participation that the individual members have put forth.
Posted by Sledgehammer on Jun 8, 2014 20:12:37 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
"Another approach then," David said, "How'd I manage to find you so easily? After all, this is a city filled with mutants, how lucky would I 'ave to be to find the one who got hired by yet one in a hundred private investigators. Those friends or possible allies that you have worked so hard to protect I already have sniffed out, and they would be no more safe from my anger than you would iffin you get some notion of going behind my back." There was no malice behind the words, just a simple warning of what might happen. Just because Ginger was his employee did not mean that David had an eye on the young man's associates. It was David's business to make Ginger's business his.
"Of course you seem to have your head on straight. Could have turned in Ladybird when you had the chance but you dinnit. Says a lot about where your loyalties lay. A man who knows the truth but doesn't say it to keep their companions safe is decent enough in my book," David said. There was the warning of dangers that could come to those that Ginger had, but David wasn't saying there was no trust in him at all. "You're part of my crew now, which means that we're allies, iffin you can show me how good you are." If David had a different mutation he would have given Ginger a playful punch in the shoulder. Doing it now would probably knock the poor man's arm right off.
"It might not be your first rodeo, but you haven't gone on this bull yet," David said, glad that Ginger at least knew what the Financial district was. He had been in more than his fair share of cabs where the driver didn't know how to get places and yet had lived in the city longer than he had. The bull of course was how David ran things, but the implication was that he was the bull himself. Realizing how awkward it sounded David popped his jaw and tried to salvage the moment. "I've no interest in cars. The traffic 'ere is always terrible and even the most expensive car you'll find in the district just makes you look like a wanker. No, it's funds that I want you to get today, not something that requires a parking permit."
Posted by Sledgehammer on May 20, 2014 9:49:10 GMT -6
Gamma Mutant
277
4
Jul 29, 2017 19:06:43 GMT -6
"And the light's turned on upstairs," David said with a grin. At long last Ginger realized who it was he was talking to. He could practically see the brain synapses firing in the younger man's head. Overall Ginger was taking this better than David had anticipated. The worst case scenario that he could think of ended up with him wearing metal cuffs around his wrists. It was always good to think of the worst situations. You aren't taken by surprise when it happens, and when things turn out well you're happy with the end result.
"Clearly it's much easier for me to find you than the reverse. Just know that I could just as easily still be hiding out from you, and you'd be looking all over till kingdom come for me,” David boasted. It was not just because he could be rude at times either. Ginger had finally caught on as to who he was, and David wasn't going to have him go rushing off to the private investigator saying that he had cracked the case. He needed Ginger to understand that there had to be a priority of who he owed loyalty to, and it was his new employer that would be at the top of the list. Should Ginger feel otherwise David was informing him now that he would be a hard man to get a handle on. Options were limited on this side of the pond, and David did not have the same wide selection of hiding holes that he did in Bradford. Oh yes, his information pool was much larger, but it depended heavily upon people that sometimes could not find shelter for themselves, let alone him. Worse came to worse he could always hide out in New Jersey again. The state would be more pleasant if not for the fact his place down there was surrounded by restaurants that would kill him. “Bright side is that you won't 'ave to call me every day to find out if I'll need your help with something. Iffin I have a job for you, I'll let you know. Rest of the time do as you like, just try not to get killed or to kill. Corpses are terribly inconvenient.”
With a lurch the sub was off, and David was keeping his balance without holding on to the bar with practiced ease. As an avid collector of maps, he had grown fond of things such as subways or trains. They usually were simpler maps that were easily grasped, especially if you could picture the stops on an actual map. Simple as it might be to read, David liked having that extra layer that he could picture underneath what the atlas showed. Growing up he tried to find a way to connect all those extra pathways together, as if he could get from London to Philadelphia if only he knew just how to fit them all together. The subway was also where he had some of his informants stationed, and it was just as easy to buy himself a pass as it had been to get them one. It did good to pop in where his employees were from time to time.
“We're off to Financial District,” David told Ginger, “People working there typically have nice paychecks that they use to get the best possible home or buy expensive toys like convertible cars or fancy electronics. Of course most of that wealth is back in their homes, but there is one thing that I can guarantee you that they always need but never think to bring. Lunch. Wallets are filled with crisp bills that get laid down for cheap and greasy meals, or credit cards for when they want to impress clients.”
