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.
"I doubt she's a stripper." Jacen snapped back as he finally found the pulse he was searching for. Breathing a sigh of relief he suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end as he saw metal scraps begin to move out of the corner of his eye.
"Crap..."
Slowly rising back up to his feet Jacen turned, standing over Vega's body, his aura creating an eye in the middle of the building storm. Haywire increased power and decreased control and with the amount of emotion that Lori was exuding, it was probably amping up even more than might have been expected. Her outrage and pain was obvious and as the volume of her voice increased, so did the speed and power behind the flying metal fragments. It was getting dangerous again but this time Jacen didn't feel any fear. He felt sorrow and pain but no fear.
Just like Vega's injury was his fault, so was Lori's pain. He had jumped to conclusions, sought solace in another woman's arms, and turned his back on the blond that had tried so hard to be with him. He had cared for her... he didn't know if his emotion had gone all the way to love, but he had cared for this woman more than any woman he had met before that time. Lori had opened him up to a world that he didn't even known existed. She had showed him that sometimes it was OK to bend the rules. Sometimes it was OK to let the bad boy side take over for a little while.
Leaving Vega lying where she was, Jacen slowly began to walk toward Lori. He ignored the whirling fragments of metal, refusing to accept the idea that Lori would actually hurt him on purpose. "It wasn't your fault Lori." He spoke just loud enough to be heard over the whistling of the metal whipping through the air, "It was mine. I was scared of everything that was happening. I was scared of what I was, what you were, the emotions I was feeling, and the whole situation. I jumped to conclusions when I saw you with another mutant. Maybe subconsciously I was looking for a way out or something, but I cared for you, and I STILL care!"
With each step he was coming closer and though it might not have seemed like much, he watched as a few pieces of scrap suddenly arced away, falling to the ground out of control as they left Lori's power. "I was the brave, well trained military man but I couldn't figure out how to handle what I was dealing with. I couldn't figure out what was real and what was just an excuse for me to hide from the real issues. I'm sorry I hurt you... I'm sorry I broke your heart and drove you away. I'm sorry that you felt like you had to go to Florida to try and win me back or something."
A few quick steps would put her within arms reach but he wasn't taking them quickly. Slowly, as though approaching a timid deer he had approached, but now he stopped. Staring at her through the maelstrom before finally yelling out what was at the heart of the matter. "I'M SORRY I WAS AN IDIOT, A JERK, AND A BASTARD!"
Lori's silence spoke volumes and Jacen waited somewhat patiently, somewhat impatiently as Lori seemed to be focused on what was currently happening to her hand. From the glimmer of curiosity in her eyes it seemed clear that she wasn't completely sure about what was happening but after a few moments something must have clicked.
"Shot? Haywire?" Jacen murmured, trying to remember if he'd ever heard of such a thing. Sure, he'd heard of people getting shot with tranquilizer darts and such but a drug that increases a mutants power level and removes their control of the ability? That was an extremely scary proposition.
"Is there more of this stuff out there?" Jacen asked, his stomach sinking at the very idea. It was beginning to look like R.U.P.E.R.T. was going to get very busy very soon. After all, how could they clean up after mutants that were high on this Haywire stuff? How could they keep something like that out of the public eye?
Jacen's mind was covering all sorts of horrible scenarios when Lori suddenly reminded him that he hadn't come up to this floor on his own. Turning to look where she was indicating, Jacen's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Vega!"
Momentarily forgetting that his field seemed to be the only thing holding Lori in check, Jacen darted away and crouched beside the white haired woman. Reaching down he felt her neck for a pulse, hoping behind hope that there was still signs of life. "I shouldn't have run away." He muttered, condemning himself before all the facts were even in, "This is my fault!"
She was laying so still that for a few moments Jacen thought Lori had passed out. He was still trying to get his mind around what had just happened and how it could have happened. Sure, Lori wasn't exactly the most law abiding citizen in the world but he had never seen this sort of all out destruction before. Was this from an over dose of something? Maybe he had hurt her with the breakup even more than she had hurt him!
"Jacen?"
He breathed a sigh of release as she began to move and even managed to speak. A small smile pulled at his lip and whether he would admit it or not he was glad that Lori was OK. Things hadn't worked out between them but she wasn't a bad person, she was just Lori.
With his attention focused on her face, Jacen only saw the sparkler affect on her finger tips from the corner of his eye. Anyone else might have immediately focused on that sign of danger but not him. He was to busy watching Lori pushing herself up with the slightest tremor moving through her arms. Whether she was going to admit it or not, she looked exhausted.
"I came up here to stop whatever or whoever was tearing this building apart." He replied quietly, momentarily forgetting about the battle that continued to rage outside as well as the mysterious white haired woman that had led him here. He would more than likely remember them both in a few moments but for the time being he was to focused on the blond minx that had been his friend and lover not that long ago. "What happened? I've never seen you lose control like that. Did someone slip you a Mickey?"
The metal seemed to fall away as Jacen rushed through it and suddenly he found himself diving onto a pile of now useless scraps that helped him to hold down whatever person was the cause of this disaster. On autopilot his hand reached back to grab handcuffs but instead he only found the empty holder. Looking down, he watched the female form thrash around, blonde hair flying wildly as she struggled to get free. For a moment there was no recognition and then out of nowhere his eyes widened in surprise.
"Lori?"
She looked like a person that was high on speed or coke but he just couldn't accept that idea. Lori had never shown any indications that she might be into the drug scene. What could have set her off?
Suddenly the shifting of the pile was to much and Jacen tumbled off, rolling away and coming back up to his feet just a little ways off. He knew she had to be right at the edge of his field but couldn't say sure if it even still covered her.
"Lori! It's me, Jacen! You need to stop this right now!"
(OOC: I think imlpoding and re-materializing is a good plan. She can of course remain unconscious but at least she'll be alive.)
IC:
The screams abruptly ended and all that was left was the eery scraping of metal against metal. For a moment, a very brief moment, Jacen thought that maybe he had been able to escape the creature's attentions as he charged forward but it was no to be. Looking over the top of the shield his eyes widened in shock as a huge industrial air condition suddenly filled his view. Leaping to the side he managed to twist away but there was no way to avoid the cabinet that was coming behind the larger unit.
The power and strength behind the throw was more than anything that Jacen could even imagine an as he fell backward, his metal shield was torn from his grip. His gasp of pain was loud enough to be heard even over the complaining metal as he realized that his left palm had now been cut deep enough to reveal the white tendons and even barely nick one of them.
Gritting his teeth against the pain Jacen stood back up on his feet and charged the metal monster. He was beginning to doubt whether he would survive this encounter but that really wasn't important. What was important was stopping this thing before it brought the whole building toppeling down on the people outside.
For no discernable reason a scream or roar tore its way out of Jacen's throat, echoing up and down the hallway. It was the sound of defiance in the face of something that he didn't know how to defeat. No matter what happened, this thing would not see Jacen cower in fear ever again!
A part of his mind was struggling to regain control over the panic that was overwhelming his senses. His eyes were shut tightly, his breathing rapid, and his knuckles were turning white from how tightly he was clenching his fists. He could feel movement shaking the air around him and he could hear the banging and scraping of metal on metal. The creature was still alive and it had to be coming closer. It wasn't going to just accept its enemy escaping like a rat set loose from its trap. Seconds ticked by, extending into one and then two minutes. Jacen was just beginning to get used to the sounds he could hear when suddenly his eyes snapped open in surprise.
The scream was like a knife, slicing through the dread and fear and searing into his conscious mind with all the force that pain could provide. "I ran away..." He whispered, shock momentarily overpowering all other emotion, "I left her alone."
The idea that something had been able to push against his instincts so much that it would make him leave an innocent young woman behind was something that Jacen would never have considered possible but yet here he stood. Sheltered in a hallway while outside his friends and colleagues fought for their lives and this brave young woman put everything on the line. At that moment, he was acting more like the frightened school girl while she was the former Ranger. That would not do.
Looking down, Jacen snatched up a piece of torn metal debris, about the size of a garbage can lid but more oblong and ragged than perfectly round. Lifting it up with both hands like some sort of ugly shield he turned and charged back out into the hall. The pain as the metal slowly cut into his palm helped to center him on the situation, holding the panic at bay.
There in the hallway, the creature remained. Floating and pulsating with an internal power that Jacen couldn't understand, nor did he want to. All that mattered was pushing in close enough that he could do some damage. His steps quickened as he lifted the shield to provide extra protection for whatever he might collide with. No way was he going to let some white haired girl outshine the military... no way.
(OOC: Sorry about being MIA. Work just put on a new Internet Monitor that blocks MRO. I'll be doing my best to post in the morning before work and in the evening after work. Sorry about the hold up!)
IC: The dodging was becoming routine and Jacen could feel a change in the wind. The movement of miscelaneous items was slowing while instead everything was focused on the large floating orb that was slowly beginning to move in his direciton.
He knew what his ability was. Mentally Jacen had gained a rather firm concept in what he could and couldn't do. Mentally he knew there was absolutely no reason for him to be afraid but understanding something mentally and knowing it internally are very different things. As he crouched there, Jacen could feel the fear building. It was as much of a monster as the creation that floated before him. It wanted to make him freeze and give up but that just wasn't an option. Even thoughts of surrender were shoved aside over and over as Jacen thought about the innocent people that were outside of this building. If this thing had its way then they would all likely die from the building collapsing.
Large pieces were suddenly flying his direction once again but those were much easier to dodge than the huge number of smaller piece that had come his way earlier. Ducking aside Jacen felt something wet dripping down his left arm and glanced over, eyes widening in surprise. "Blood? When did I get hit?" In the heat of the moment he hadn't even realized it but some piece of shrapnel had clipped him pretty good. Now that he was paying attention he could feel his arm slowly getting weaker as the blood flowed freely from the gash that ran from just below his shoulder to almost his elbow.
Looking back up, Jacen's eyes widened even more if it were possible. In those few moments of distracting the scene had changed. Suddenly the air was lit like a miniature sun and whiplike tendrils of raw current were shooting toward him. In that moment of amazement, fear momentarily grabbed ahold. Yelling in shock Jacen ran, moving a good fifteen or twenty feet down the hall away from the creature. He took cover in a doorway and pressed his back flat against the wall, eyes shut in terror. His conscious mind was screaming at him to remember his ability. To remember that fact that he could cancel out mutations but it wasn't enough. The subconscious fear and will to survive was currently in control and it would be a battle for his conscious mind to regain its power.
Jacen sat on the park bench staring down at the card in his hand. Etched on the plain white card, in gold lettering, was the name 'Mr. Larraby'. Directly underneath that in plain black digits was the phone number. For weeks Jacen had been struggling with his decision but at his layoff from the NYPD and subsequent conversation with Kealey, Jacen had discovered that the choice was rather easy. He was a man of action, a man that hated to sit still for no reason. He had been trained by the government and taken an oath to fight those that threatened the United States and the Constitution upon which it had been founded. Mutants as a whole were not the threat but as Mr. Larraby explained it was the fear of mutants and those individuals that exploited that fear that were the problem. They were the terrorists that were out to destroy the constitution and the rights that had been given to every American citizen.
Standing up from the bench Jacen turned to begin walking down the pathway as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. After dialing the number he lifted the communication device to his ear and waited until he heard a man's voice answering.
"Uh, yeah. As far as I know, everything will just stop but..." Jacen's voice trailed off as the young woman began to move away. Apparently she didn't really want to here the whole explanation, she just wanted a simple yes or no.
As she continued forward and changed into a ghostly apparition, all Jacen could do was stand there helplessly and watch. He wasn't used to being in a situation where he couldn't cat and he found himself gritting and grinding his teeth in frustration. What was the use in being an, what he they called him in florida, an adapted? Was was the use of being an adapted if he couldn't he step in to help out in a situation like this. The whole thing was depending on the young woman being able to push this large object toward him so that his aura or whatever had a chance to kick in.
"I'm about as much use as a power tool plugged in to an extension cord that's to short." Jacen muttered under his breath, "Mutants can reach out over hundred of feet or something. Me, I'm stuck at like nine or ten!"
He could feel his muscles tensing up as he watched lightning suddenly flash out and apparently wrap around the white haired woman but her reaction wasn't what Jacen might have expected. There was no thrasing from electricity or even stiffening from power flowing through her muscles. It was like the lightning couldn't even affect her.
And right then more things began to happen. Jacen could see objects beginning to shake and he could even feel whatever was left of a breeze as it entered his field and then slowly dissipated. The wind was growing stronger and already some of the objects were beginning to move in his direction though the larger object was still remaining stubbornly in place. As more of the objects approached him, picking up speed, Jacen could feel a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. Why had this mission suddenly changed to be something like target practice?
Diving to the side to avoid some of the pipes and debris, Jacen did his best to find some sort of cover but it was pretty much useless. The hallway had been stripped clean thanks to whatever that metal orb was and now he could do was dodge. Dodge and pray that he didn't die before he stopped whatever that thing was.
Each foot fall echoed on the stairwell as Jacen's combat boots slapped against the concrete steps but beyond that it was strangely silent. This deep within the building, the battle sounds from outside had virtually dissapeared. There was a strange crackling or humming or something from up above but even that wasn't very loud.
Vaulting over some crumbling drywall, he continued his pace upward, following the white haired female that was leading him. Why in the world he was suddenly so trusting of strangers was beyond him. Sure, he had met this woman once, but that was not nearly enough to establish any sort of real trust. "She's got a good face, yeah, that's got to be it." Jacen assured himself, trying not to over think the situation. Outside his friends were dieing at the hands of other muants while he did his best to protect both his friends and those mutants from the dangers of a collapsing building. Could life be any more ironic?
Things were changing the higher he went and he just knew they had to be getting close. Suddenly he was skidding to a stop next to the white haired woman as she stood staring at an orb that was seemingly floating at the end of the hallway.
"What the hell is that?" Jacen breathed quietly as he stared at the item. He had seen mutants that didn't look human but this was ridiculous! A metal ball? Was there really a mutant that was in the form of a metal ball? Suddenly the weapons and equipment that were in his belt felt entirely inadequate. How was he supposed to stop something like that with equipment that was designed to apprehend humans?!
"I'm open for suggestions... how many are there? Just the one?" Jacen asked, his eyes focused on the strange sight. He almost felt like he'd been fixed with the stare of Medusa. He couldn't tear his eyes away.
The sound of the man's frantic running dissapeared and Jacen and Kealey found themselves left in the silence of the hallway. His examination of the blond's nogging had reveal no crippling damage and so he let his arm drop down to loop around her waist.
"He won't tell anyone. After all, what would he say? Hey, I broke in to steal some books, I attacked this young woman, and then she did something to me that made me wet my pants without her even touching me." Jacen said with a snort of derision, "He's probably going home to burn those clothes and try to forget this ever happened."
Turning slowly, the two began their walk down the hall. One of Jacen's arms was still resting firmly around Kealey's waist, holding her close but yet loosely enough that she could walk without being hindered. He was doing his best to enjoy some of the small droplets of moisture that had been left in a trail by the fleeing man but a part of him was noticing each one with cold detachment. It was exactly what the man had deserved and there would be no compassion from this former police officer.
"Let's grab some junk food and head for the Empire State Building." Jacen finally offered as they mounted the steps back up to the library's main floor, "We can eat chocolate and watch the sunset. How does that sound?"
He was acting like a jerk. The white haired girl was probably right but she had to cut him at least a little bit of slack, didn't she? After all, he was dealing with a really stressful situation. Didn't that count for something? Of course, she was also dealing with the exact same situation which was probably why she was touchy at the same time he was.
For a few more moments, Jacen was silent as he and Ghost attacked the elevator doors, managing to pry them apart with a broken piece of trim work before using their hands to leverage it the rest of the way open.
"I'm sorry." He finally managed, controlling his voice much better and keeping the volume at an acceptable level, "Way to many people have died already and that's just a little upsetting."
The young woman pushed at the call button while Jacen glanced around the hall. Would the Fire Marshall really have let this building get away with only one stair case? Jacen wasn't up on the latest fire safety codes but it sure didn't seem like having only one method of emergency egress would be a very smart idea.
As the two began to make their way down the hallway, Jacen moved to take the lead. Every door was carefully checked until finally he saw the glowing red sign up ahead.
EXIT
Jogging forward, Jacen stopped and glanced in. Not a surprise it was a door that led into a little room that accessed an outside door. Also not a surprise, it was yet another set of stairs that by some miracle seemed to be in pretty good condition. Placing a foot on the first step, Jacen paused and looked back over at the young woman as he had a sudden thought.
"You said you wouldn't be solid... does that mean you can take a form where you can't be physically injured?" Jacen asked with raised eyebrow, "If you can, then why don't you get about fifteen or twenty feet ahead of me. Make sure you stay that distance away so you can't get hurt and let me know what's happening up ahead. Does that work for you?"
"Great... no stairs." Jacen muttered as he broke into a jog, following the young woman to wherever she was leading. How in the world were they supposed to get up there? There was no construction lifts nearby that he could see and Jacen hadn't been able to go over building plans to know whether there was a fire escape anywhere.
"Elevator?" He asked, raised eyebrow as he looked over at the woman, "Why in the... up the shaft? How are we supposed to go up the shaft?"
Once again she was tugging on him and they were running, tripping and scrambling over the fallen bodies that scattered the ground. Thanks to the fact Jacen had taken off his shirt to give Isabel, there was no way that anyone would even recognize him as being a member of the police. Well, other than the standard issue police belt and weaponry that he was carrying strapped around his waist.
"In case you don't remember, your powers are useless around me!" Jacen yelled, doing his best to ignore the small cuts that were growing more and more numerous on his hands. With all the glass, rubble, and rock it was almost imposible to keep yourself in one piece and there were no exceptions made just because someone was an Adapted!
"Do they have some sort of ladder inside an elevator shaft? I must have missed that fact on my mission debriefing!"
As slowly as Kealey was moving, by the time she finally manage to get the door open Jacen was seriously considering attempting to kick the door down. Sure it might have been futile but at least it would have allowed him to be doing something instead of just standing there helplessly!
The second the door was open Jacen opened his arms, catching Kealey in a tight embrace as she moved toward him. Sticking a leg out he propped the door open while glaring over Kealey's shoulder at the man inside. "It's OK Kealey." He murmured quietly, squeezing just a little bit tighter, "I know you did what you thought was right. You just stand here, I'll get your purse and get the creep out of here. I'm not a cop any more and it sure looks like he's already learned his lesson."
It was something of an understatement if the look in the man's eyes was any indication. There wasn't the same terror that he had been experiencing a few minutes before but that kind of fear doesn't just dissapear on a whim. It's like when a person wakes from a nightmare. Even though they know it was just a dream, the fear lingers in the back of their mind, coloring the way they look at the room around them. Suddenly things that were friendly during the day took on a completely new look.
Gently pulling away from Kealey, Jacen stepped inside and strode past the man that had finally regained his footing. After grabbing Kealey's purse Jacen turned and seized a fist full of the man's shirt. Yanking him off balance, Jacen drug him across the floor and out the doorway.
"Let me be completely clear with you Mister." Jacen said in a low voice as he dropped the man like an unwanted sack and then crouched down so that his eyes were level with the other man, "I don't know what you wanted in that room and I really don't care. You got of easy today. If she hadn't made you stain your drawers then I would have made sure you could never walk again. Take this as a hint. Keep clear of the library. This room and this woman are off limits. Comprende?"
The man nodded and then started scrambling to his feet. Moments later he was up and running down the hall, the panic growing inside him once again. Jacen's tone of voice and demeanor had been more than enough to rekindle some of the terror he had been feeling.
"Are you sure you're OK?" Jacen asked as he stood back up and turned to Kealey. His expression had turned to one of concern as he moved closer to check her head for bumps or scratches. If she wasn't bleeding and didn't have to bad of a bump then he'd be satisfied. "You want me to just take you home?"
The ideas of what he and Kealey could do together were pleasantly floating through Jacen's mind. Maybe the top of some building in the city where they could watch the sunset and just talk under the cool night breeze. Maybe they could pick up some icecream or some other sweet treat to enjoy up above the city heights. And of course, that could easily lead to some alone time back at the apartment. How long had it been since they last enjoyed the physical side of their relationship?
"Fifteen minutes?" Jacen muttered under his breath as he looked over at the clock, "How long does it take to grab a purse?"
For a moment Jacen was unsure what to do but as usual taking action was always his first choice. After turning off the engine and putting on the emergency flashers, he climbed out of his truck and then took off up the steps toward the library entrance at a jog. Something had delayed his girlfriend and while it could easily be something trivial there was that whole nagging situation with an errant assassin that had yet to be caught. What if he had returned and decided to attack Kealey in the library?
Pushing through the door Jacen quickened his pace even more breaking into a run as soon as he was clear of the main floor of the library. He had yet to see any sign of the blonde and he just couldn't believe it would take this long down in the special section. Had she gotten wrapped up in her project again or had something gone wrong? As the empty hallway greeting his eyes he felt the feeling of dread growing more pronounced down in the pit of his stomach. Right then a horrified shriek echoed down the box riddled aisle.
"Kealey!" Jacen yelled, his run increasing to a spring as he barreled down the hall, slamming a hand up against the locked door and looking inside. How in the world was he supposed to get in there? The door was locked and with it being a special section it wasn't a standard door. There would be no kicking it in with anything less than a full size battering ram.
Looking through the glass, Jacen tried to assess the situation. Kealey was standing there with a pissed off look on her face but something was off. She looked off balance or maybe even a touch woozy. Right in front of the door was a man that had slumped to the ground but was now regaining his footing. Jacen couldn't see his expression but even he seemed to be a touch dazed as he staggered back to his feet.
"Kealey! Let me in! What's wrong?!" Jacen yelled as he banged his hand against the sealed door, "Kealey!"
