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.
>> “It’s nice to meet you too! I’m a mutant and I have abilities, but I have a big drawback as well. I did come here alone not too long ago.”
Penelope was excited! She was making a new friend and Victoria seemed like an absolutely cool girl. Not only was she interesting, and with an awesome accent, but the girl didn’t seem to mind Penelope’s pushy questions at all. Which was good because even though Penelope knew just how curious she could be, it was not always the best for making new friends. Other girls tended to get turned off by her bombardments and the relationships were short lived. But Victoria seemed more than eager. It made Penelope happy.
“That’s so cool,” Penelope said excitedly. “I love your dres—EEP!”
She barely had enough time to lift her gaze when she spotted Miles creeping from around the corner of the bushes and lumber towards them. Just how had he been able to find them so quickly? Maybe he really was one of the terrifying undead. They always seemed to be able to find their victims, no matter how well they attempted to hide themselves.
>> "Braaaiiiinnnnzzzzwhoo-OOOOFF!!"
Thinking that they were done for, Penelope attempted to cover her gaze to keep from being eaten. But instead of feeling hands on her head, she felt someone take her hand. Opening her eyes, she spotted Victoria, smiling and ready to continue the run.
She attempted to peek around to see where Miles had gone but saw nothing but trembling bushes around them. Huh…that was strange.
>> “Where should we go now?
Penelope was shaken back to reality and held onto Victoria’s hand as they continued their run. They needed a plan so that they could touch Miles head but there was no way that they were going to be able to do that out there. There was no place for them to get the height advantage to take him by surprise. Even in Victoria was taller than him, her dress would surely give her away. No. They needed some place where there were more hiding places than out here.
She blinked and then grinned as she pulled Victoria by her hand and back towards the mansion.
“Come on!” She said with grin. “There are plenty of places to hide inside the mansion. Then we can get the drop on him!”
Penelope already didn’t like this situation. She snuck into a movie she didn’t pay for, the movie was scary, and she was already beginning to feel nervous. None of this was going to bode well for her but she simply didn’t have it in her to say no to Alma. The girl was supposed to be her friend and yet Penelope was beginning to feel just a tad bit…pushed around. But she couldn’t say anything, could she? Even if she felt uncomfortable with all this, it was so rare for Penelope to feel like she was making friends that she didn’t want to lose any.
She had a feeling that arguing with Alma was going to lead to a loose of friendship. And Penelope couldn’t afford to do that, could she?
“See? It isn’t so bad.” Alma muttered as she led the way to some back corner of the theater that could not be easily seen.
Penelope only meekly nodded as she followed her friend. The other people in the theater had apparently not spotted them but that didn’t mean what they were doing was not wrong. Still, Penelope was not going to say anything. Instead she just followed along until Alma finally reached the seats that she had picked out with her other two friends. All of them were dwarfed when they sat down in the big chairs, looking up at the massive screen in front of them. They would not easily be seen.
”AHHHHHH!!!!”
RRRRRAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!!!!
Alma giggled.
“This is so cool.”
Penelope gripped the arms of her char tightly, biting her lip and trying to keep herself calm. The first scream in the movie and instantly started to make her heartbeat a little faster. But she had to control this, she just had to. Otherwise…
Heheheheahahahaheheehahaeheaheh
She shuttered at the sound in her head. Closed her eyes, and tried to stay calm. The movie couldn’t be THAT[/b] long, could it?
Penelope sometimes made friends with questionable kids. She knew that she shouldn’t, that something was off, but the majority of the time she was far too nice to really say anything bad to or about them. So she tended to go along with their ideas, so long as A ) no one got hurt, and B ) she wasn’t the butt of anyone’s jokes. That is just the way it is and so far it seemed to work out okay for her. Sure occasionally she got pulled into the principal’s office or a teacher wanted to talk to her after class, but a majority of the time it was an okay arrangement for her life.
But today she was just not sure if what they were doing was right. Alma, her friend from school and the ringleader of this little endeavor convinced her parents that she wanted to see the new movie “Happy Elf Shoes”. Of course this was a movie that Penelope REALLY did want to see but she didn’t let on to that fact; Alma didn’t want to see that movie. No, Alma wanted to see “Space Mutants 5: The Malignant Mutated Monstrosities Return 2,” a scary movie that Penelope was not all that keen to watching. It was scary and Penelope didn’t care for scary things. She knew what happened when she did.
…
Unfortunately Alma had a knack for putting on the pressure. As much as Penelope didn’t want to watch it, the constant nagging from Alma and her other two friends from her middle school were enough to sway Penelope’s vote. She would go along and hope that everything would be okay.
Under the guise of wanting to see the kid’s movie, the three girls managed to get into the theater after being separated from Alma’s big sister. She had sent them off to see the kid’s movie while she went to see some sapping romance that was next door. The girls were only in their seats for a few moments before Alma ushered them all out and Penelope reluctantly followed. She really wanted to see the happy elves dancing!
But, grumbling under her breath, she followed Alma and the others to different room down the way. She could hear the sounds of loud music and screaming inside. It was apparent that the movie had already begun and it was already making good on its promise to be “The most terrifyingiest movie of the Christmas season!” and the thought of it made Penelope uneasy. She hovered outside the doors as Alma and her two friends snuck in, leaving the young girl to bite her smaller lip in indecision. Maybe she could just go back to the happy elves movie?
Before she could make her getaway, though, a blonde head peeked out from the theater doors. Alma was quickly waving her hand over.
“Come on, Penny! Don’t be chicken butt!” she whispered.
“I’m not a chicken butt!” she frowned. Looking from left to right, she sighed as she walk into the theater with Alma and quickly went to find their seats.
>> “I’m glad you know a place. I’m still learning my way around here.”
Penelope grinned. She liked knowing things about the school and the only reason she did was because she always busied herself with exploration. The young girl always liked to think of herself as being on an adventure. When she was, the entire world was her new continent to explore and she would not rest until her deep curiosity was satisfied. It was because of this that she managed to get a good layout of the mansion’s lawn.
That would be their best chance of escaping the dreaded zombie.
So, with Victoria in hand, Penelope ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Victoria proved to be pretty speedy too since the girl managed to keep up. Before long, Penelope had left the sputtering, choking Zombie behind and pulled Victoria behind a series of bushes just high enough to hide them. She grinned, breathing heavily and loving every minute of it.
“There, I think we lost him,” she beamed at the red-eyed girl with a smile. She sincerely loved to make new friends. “It’s nice to meet you! Hehehe. If we survive, we should be best friends! Are you a mutant too? Do you have powers? Did you come here by yourself? I’m sorry, am I asking too many questions? Is that weird?”
Ever the chatterbox, Penelope beamed as she spoke to the young blonde, really hoping that she wouldn’t scare off a potential new friend. Of course, talking to much was easy enough to lead her to miss keeping track of where the zombie had gotten off to. They should formulate a plan…
This boy talked a lot! Though Penelope didn’t think that that was a particularly bad thing, especially considering how much of a chatterbox she herself was, she had to admit that she doubted that she ever spoke that much in her life. And that was saying a lot! Penelope loved to talk about interesting topics and she could go on for what seemed like hours but was a better storyteller (in her humble opinion), and she could explain game rules faster than this!
But…it did sound rather fun! She loved to run and hide and that was a big part of this game. So, of course, she would be a natural.
Plus, she was making friends with new people and the blonde seemed like a great person to meet. She was very pretty, and nice clothes, and she just had this aura of mysterious around her that Penelope just couldn’t wait to peer into. Maybe that was a little nosey of her, but there was nothing wrong with being friendly, was there?
Thankful, she turned back to Miles as it sounded as if he were coming to an end to explaining the rules. She got the gist of it: run away, hide from the zombie, touch his head to kill him. The mission would be a simple one.
>> "Now that I've explained the rules, you might want to... might want to... to...No! NO! Run away girls! GRWAAAARRGH! I'm a zoooOOOMMMBBiiieeee!"
He…was turning into a zombie. There was only one thing that she could do to buy them time.
With the speed that only a child could possess, Penelope reached down, scooped up a handful of crushed head leaves, soil, dirt, and grass, and straightened it upon to release the handful of debris into the face of their zombie attacker! That ought to at least give him something to chew on for a bit besides brains.
Not looking to see whether or not the lawn debris actually hit Miles’ face, Penelope spun and grabbed Victoria by the hand.
“Come on! I know where we can hide while the zombie is distracted!” she shouted and attempted to pull Victoria into the night.
New people!!! Penelope absolutely loved to meet new and interesting people! She had been visiting the mansion for a bit now but she had never met these two before and normally she really had a good eye for remembering faces. That must mean that they were either new to the mansion, or she had simply not met them yet. It was not as if she had actually lived here. But…sigh…wouldn’t that be awesome? Living and doing homework and having fun around mutants all day? For once she wouldn’t feel so alone.
The thought melted away before she could give it any more notice when the blonde girl, who looked roughly around her age, gave her a wide smile and waved back. Penelope straightened up! Contact had been made! Wheeeee!
>> “Hi! I’m Victoria and this is Miles. Who are you, and who’s Amanda?”
“Oh! Amanda is—“
>> "Don't know who she is, but I bet you're gonna have more fun with us than with her. We're gonna play a game I like to call...Zombie Tag! ...ombie tag... bie tag... tag... ag...ag...Unless, of course, you happen to be afraid of zoOMMMmmbies..."
…rude. She pouted at the man that interrupted her.
But she was again quickly won over when he started to imitate a monster. It was so silly, his face, the gestures with his arms, the way he flailed about and attempted to come off as terrifying. It made her giggle madly.
On top of that…was she being invited to a game? She…LOVED games! Buy first she had to poke a whole in his theory about being scared of zombies.
“Nu-uh,” she said to Miles. “All you have to do is shoot them in the head! Silly.” But she didn’t dwell on that for too long. Introductions were given from their side, she must respond in kind! Wide, bright smile, she walked up to the blonde and stuck out her hand to shake. “I’m Penelope Peyton Pepper! Nice to meetcha!”
Penelope…was…AWESOME at hide-n-seek! Slinking around just outside of the mansion, Penelope Pepper was scrunched up against a bush, smirking as she waited for the game to be over.
Tonight was supposed to be a sleepover night! Penelope had started to become a frequent visitor to the Xavier Sister School in order to meet with her new friend Chase, as well as various other friends that she was making now that she was coming more often. Her sister didn’t mind at all dropping her off either! As a matter of fact, her sister always raved about this place, saying that they would help Penelope control her “problem” (which meant Jezebel) but Penelope wasn’t concerned with that. She was just happy that he was making friends! Friends with mutants too!!
That was what today was. She had been invited to stay the night (with Gemma’s permission of course) for a sleepover with her new friend Amanda! The two had met the last time Penelope came to visit Chase and now they were having a game of Hide-N-Seek, to which Penelope was the unofficial queen of!
She would never be found out here.
Dressed in flannel pajama bottoms, a tie-dyed t-shirt, and her coat, Penelope giggled as she pushed herself down against the bushes in an attempt to hide even better. She would give Amanda only about another ten minutes before she proclaimed herself the victor. Obviously she couldn’t just stay out here the whole night.
Fiddling with some grass and humming to herself, Penelope sighed as she craned her head up and stared upwards at the blanket of bright stars. They were so twinkly and pretty. She could easily find herself getting lost just staring at them, trying to count their massive number. But the sounds of footsteps and talking soon drew her attention.
Amanda? she thought? How did she find her!?
The 11 year-old crouched down. She would not be taken so easily. She would scare her if possible. Or make her laugh! Whichever was really just fine!
Leaning down, she waited, one…two…three…
>> “…but it'd be better if we played it with more than two people..."
“RAWR!!” Penleope leapt out, put on her growliest face and snarled in a very comical way. It was only after she did this that she realized she had just leapt out behind a boy, a little taller than herself. She straightened up and tilted her head. “You aren’t Amanda.” She then beamed and waved at the slightly taller still blonde who was not far in front of him. “Hi!”
She blinked as she looked up from the lego pieces that she was putting together. She was back in the therapist’s office, a pile of unused plastic blocks around her at all sides. Her cheeks were wet with tears but the young girl seemed oddly calm. She hadn’t thought about that day in such a long time and remembering it all over again must has sprung up some emotions she had yet to want to face. Turning her big brown eyes up to the therapist, she noticed the woman staring at her.
“Child, are you okay? You went silent for quite a bit there.”
Penelope gulped. She didn’t want to talk about this. She didn’t want to think about it anymore. All she wanted to do was go home and snuggle in her bed with Mr. Tickle, her favorite stuffed rabbit. But one look at the woman and she knew that she was not going to let her go so easily.
The very thought of that made her upset.
“I’m fine,” she whispered. “I want to go home. Please.”
The old therapist shook her head.
“Penelope, you just scratched the surface. I could see it on your face. There is so much more that you need to tap into, that you need to explore if you want to fully integrate your personalities.”
Penelope narrowed her eyes at the woman. “What?”
She simply nodded. “Lilith told me. About Mrs. Jezebel Tickle. She sounds interesting. Can I talk to her?”
Instantly, though anger flared up inside her, Penelope shook her head. “No, no, no!! Please! Don’t encourage her!”
“Penelope, I need to talk to her. It is the only way you can move on. Jezebel? Jezebel please come out.”
Hehehehehahahahehehe…
“Stop it!” Penelope cringed and covered her ears. She did her best to sing a song, a happy one, inside of her head. But all it did was remind her of her mother. Her mother who would sing to her when she was sick or upset and that just brought up more memories.
“Penelope,” the woman attempted to say in as soothing a voice as possible.
SNAP[/b]
“SHUT THE **** UP!” Penelope turned and said in a voice that was in no way her own. Instantly the therapist recoiled in fear.
Eyes wide, clipboard shaking, she watched as Penelope turned her now molten yellow eyes onto the woman. The young girl’s face twisted in that of such a dark and malevolent voice that the woman in no way could accept that this was the same child. Though she may have dealt with dissociative identity disorder, she had never experienced anything like this.
“You want to talk to me, you disgusting human?” Penelope asked. Slowly dots of red could be seen dotting all over her face. The red continued to grow as it poured down over all her features. “Then let’s talk…hehehahahaheehAHAHEHEHAEHEHAE!!”
Penelope couldn’t recall what happened after that fade to red. She heard the laughing, malevolent voice, then she thought she heard the sound of people screaming, but other than that, there were very few details that she could remember. In the comforting darkness of her mind, she imagined her mother and father standing in front of her, telling her that everything was okay and that this was not the end of her life. It was a horrible set of circumstances, but life was never fair.
She cried. In her mind she cried out that she wanted them. She wanted to see her mom’s smile, taste her father’s bad cooking, even do homework under her mother’s watchful eye. But, most of all, she just wanted to be held by that.
And that was taken away from her. In the darkness she remembered her anger growing, a roar like the ocean all around her and then, as suddenly as it began, it was over. The darkness melted away and Penelope found herself in far different circumstances.
***
The gurney was soft and yet confiding. Paramedics loomed over the young girl as she began to come to, looking off to the side and watch as men and women mulled around the crime scene. It was her home. It was more than just a mere crime scene but they would never see it as more than that. They were picking over bodies, and that was all they would be to them.
Penelope could only catch snippets of what was being said. Something about “mutant terrorists” and “attacking several high officials last night” and “stopped them just in time” fluttered in and out of her ears. But the young orphan had no way or really zoning in on what was being said. Instead all she could see was her parents being zipped up inside of black bags and disappearing from her life forever.
Sadness washed over her and Penelope began to cry. The EMTs who wheeled her away paid no attention to it as they wheeled her out of the house forever, leaving her wondering just what had happened and why there were so many dead police officers...
She could scarcely breathe. The temperature in the room had risen to such a degree that Penelope instantly could feel the sweat stinging her eyes. Recoiling her hand away from the man, she watched as suddenly he shouted and was engulfed in a fireball so hot she could feel her sneakers melting. Scrambling backward, she witnessed the burning, blackening husk of what used to be a man crumble into ashes and snapped her head to look away.
And there she saw pure mayhem.
Her father had apparently charged into the room, lashed out, and sent wave after wave of fire throughout the living room. People screamed and dove for cover, while others attempted to hold their ground and open fire on the man. In such a small room it should have seemed like it was impossible to miss but still, her daddy managed to remain on his two feet, melting bullets and lighting more men on fire as they dared to show themselves.
From the staircase, Penelope could hear the sounds of slashing and roaring. She looked over to see her mother, pouncing on S.W.A.T. members, clawing at their exposed skin with her fingers and gnashing her sharpened canines at their vulnerable faces. Blood was dribbling down her chin and nails since the woman was such a ferocious creature that she never missed.
Whipping around, she locked eyes with Penelope and looked almost relieved. She began to walk towards her. The rest was almost too fast to follow.
Her father turned to offer his wife protection but a downed SWAT member had just enough life to raise his gun and fire. The bullet pierced through her father as if he were nothing special. Down he crumpled.
Penelope gasped and found herself moving onto her two feet in shock and awe. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her own mother also in surprise moving towards her fallen husband. But before any of it could be processed, strong arms wrapped around Penelope from behind and pulled her back towards the kitchen. She screamed.
The feral look in her mother’s eyes was more terrifying than Penelope had ever seen. A roar of anguish flew from her lips as she momentarily forgot her dead partner and focused on the family that was still alive. She charged, slashing and clawing anyone in her way but soon it was good much. A volley of gunshots rang out, and Penelope watched it all in horror.
So much red.
Her mother down, Penelope couldn’t stop crying. The tears were so heavy and they needed to fall so she cried out in as much pain as she could muster, realizing that her parents were gone. But it was in her furious, painful, terrified cry that something inside snapped. A dam burst and suddenly all she saw was red as it poured down over her eyes. And from her own lips was the same malevolent laughter that screeched throughout her nightmares last night.
It was such a whirlwind of madness. Before she knew it, several men had stormed into her house, all dressed in riot gear that she couldn’t recognize. Brandishing machine guns, pistols, plastic shields, and covered in head-to-toe armor, the men charged into her sanctuary, her home, and shouted commands and other words she could scarcely hear over them crushing glass and wood beneath their heavy boots. They looked prepped for destruction and Penelope had no idea what to think.
Suddenly, everything her father had ever said about the “oppressive human vermin” began to ring with truth to her. Why were they here? Did they have something to do with her parents being gone?
Too terrified to scream, the young girl huddled up behind the couch and covered her head. They would go away. They had to go away. They couldn’t just do this.
A gun was lowered in her direction and remained there. It was obvious that these men were jumping about mutants but knew that looks could be deceiving. Slowly one advanced before he shouted over his shoulder.
“Got one! Looks like the daughter!”
“Good. Let’s get her out of here before the other two show up.”
Penelope squeaked and began to back away, knocking her head against the sturdy coffee table. Her breathing harsh and painful, the young girl watched helplessly as the men swarmed across her very home. They looked inside every door, every room, even ran upstairs, shouting words of “Clear!” over and over again. They were looking for someone and Penelope was only slowly making the connections that they were after her parents.
In a haze she watched as one man crept closer and offered his hand.
“Come on, sweetie,” he said in a voice that was eerily calm for all the destruction that was going on around her. “Come with me. I’ll get you out of here.”
Slowly Penelope began to reach out to him. She didn’t know way. Maybe because he was the calmest thing inside all the surrounding madness. Maybe she found comfort in that. Either way, she wanted out so slowly she reached out to take his hand.
Penelope blinked as suddenly the flood of memories began to overtake her. What the heck was all that!? She didn’t remember that! Or, err, well yeah, she did just remember all of it now but was it true? It seemed so unlikely and yet she knew a memory when she thought of one and even if it was from several years ago, she could remember it clear as a bell. She knew her parents were always talking about the inferior human race and stuff but she had never seen them that boiled up about it.
Or maybe she had.
Was she really just blocking it all out right now? Penelope had no idea what this could mean, but she did understand that something weird was going on. Why was she just remembering all of this? That wasn’t natural, was it? She shook her head as she tried to make heads or tails.
With a sigh, the young girl slumped back against the couch. There was still no sign of her parents. With all this beehive of thoughts running rampant inside of her noggin, she wished that someone were here. Someone so that she could at least talk to them or even just get a hug. She really could use a hug right now.
Because you’re weak.
She ground her teeth and held her head. Why wouldn’t that voice shut up? Why was no one here for her to talk to about this? Moving onto her feet, Penelope began to move her way towards the kitchen when—
SMASH!!! CRASH!!![/b]
“This is the police! Everyone in the house, hands up!!”
Penelope sat at the kitchen table, staring up at her parents. She was no more than five or six but she could remember well enough. Her mother was dressed in the golden costume she saw last night and her father was dressed in a black costume that looked like some sea captain. The pair of them were standing in front of the table, a table surrounded by other people, mutants! Some looked strange while others could pass for human and yet levitated objects, or made ice grow, or even turned their arms into tiger claws. They were all just like her parents.
In silence she colored in her coloring book while her parents spoke to those at the table.
“Today, brothers and sister,” her father said. “We begin the road to take away from Homo sapiens what they have so greedily held onto…power.”
A cheer rose up from the group.
“Today, we start the wheels that will run the machine which will take apart the disgusting, human seat of power! Today we begin the revolution!”
Her mother beamed proudly at her father, before she turned and nodded to her own daughter. Now she took the reins as she pointed to her.
“We fight for the future. We fight so that our children can live in a world in which they will not be called freaks, or monsters, or abominations. The human infestation has skittered and crawled across the face of the globe for far too long and now is the time to stomp them out of existence! Now is the time that we can take back what should have been ours by all rights of evolution! It is our time, our fight, and our world! No human shall ever look down upon a mutant again! Revolution!””
“YEEEEAAAAHHHH!!”
Penelope frowned at the loud noises and covered her ears. The gathering looked and began to chuckle and smile at Penelope, the hope for their future. She and those born alongside her were the purpose of their fighting. It was the meaning for beginning this revolution.
“Okay, so here is the plan,” her father muttered as he unfolded one of the many papers of the city that she always saw him with. “If we set up splinter cells here, here, and here,” he explained, circling parts of the map, “masquerade ourselves as peace loving mutants, or just plain humans if we can, we can get into the heart and bosom of the city. And, when the time is right, we can strike and not only cripple the city but topple the governing seat of power…”
It was boring talk. Penelope frowned again at the loud adults as she gathered her crayons and paper, scooted onto the floor and sought a quiet place to continue her masterpiece. All the while, her parents voices and that of their comrades echoed in the air around her, lost to the annuals of memory until—
Her parents were so late coming home. It was odd because Penelope had never expected this of them. They were always so punctual and on point about being home for her. This was just strange. On top of that, there were absolutely no babysitters, neighbors, friends, anyone waiting for her in the house. Instead, Penelope was left completely by her lonesome. It was strange feeling to know that she was completely alone, but also one that she really couldn’t identify. She always had the safeguard of her mother and father.
Now…she didn’t. But maybe she was just getting far too ahead of herself. After all, they were just out. Even if the situation was irregular, it didn’t mean that something bad had happened.
They abandoned you.
Penelope twitched as she spun around. There were no signs of anyone else in the house and there was definitely no one behind her, just more wall.
You’re weak. Why should they burden themselves with you?
“Stop it,” Penelope growled.
Come on, Penny. You know what they are. You know you don’t belong…
“Stop! They love me!”
Think, child. Think…you know what they are, why they don’t need you, and especially what they were up to last night…
Penelope shivered as the slithering voice that snaked in through one ear, coiled around her brain, and sank it’s fangs in. She didn’t know where this imaginary voice came from, but she didn’t like it! It argued too much with her, made assumptions that she didn’t appreciate. But try as she might, she couldn’t pinpoint where she had heard the voice before. She really couldn’t have just made it up out the blue, right? That was crazy talk. Just…crazy…
