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.
Alex looked at him, then... did the most idiotic thing he could do. Obeyed them. Could he not see that they intended to shoot him. That first gun shot would shock the younger mutants in the room who would start screaming. This would aggravate the men already on an Adrenalin rush and what would result would be a massacre of most of the people in the gym. Not only was Alex endangering his life but also the lives of many others. As soon as Alex stepped out, Hades was already on the move, flowing around, to come at the rearmost gunman.
As he moved towards his unsuspecting target, his new student, Jude morphed? into a facsimile of Alex. This was interesting. Hades mind at this point had gone into combat and analysis mode. He would steer away from lethal killing moves. He was supposed to be a teacher after all but he also limited himself to stay in character. A martial arts master should be more than enough to take out these people. To say that the gunmen were confused would be an understatement. It was in this very moment of confusion that Hades struck. Suddenly he was among them.
The rear most gunman fist knew something was wrong when a hand suddenly appeared from the shadows and ripped the top slide of his pistol, the follow up elbow to the throat removed all other thoughts from his mind aside from the need to breathe. In this uncoordinated state he was shoved into the person in front of him who was trying to swing his shotgun to bear. Foolish man, in such a close quarter battle guns are more a liability that a help. Hades was inside their range of efficacy, they were effectively fighting with a handicap. The second gunman was just shoving the man aside when Hades performed a textbook move on him. Well the same textbook that he had been teaching Alex from. It did not matter that Hades had no dagger in his hand, he improvised, the gun slide did well enough. With a bellow the second gunman dropped the shotgun to clutch at his leg and the shiny piece of metal that was now sprouting from it. Another mistake the gunmen made was not spreading out more, they were still slightly spooked by the idea of so many mutants around so instinctively they had closed ranks. When dealing with an unarmed attacker in close quarter combat however this was another handicap.
All was going well until a gun went off. It was by accident, it hurt no one, a gun with a sensitive trigger went off as it was hitting the floor, the bullet burying itself in the ceiling. But with so many people on edge, it spooked Susan. There was nothing particularly amazing about Susan at first glance. She was not the brightest in the class, nor the most beautiful. But she was a rather high class level of mutant, her power was, unfortunately for many in the room, sonic scream. One minute Hades was working his way though the gunmen, disarming them, incapacitating them, using many of the moves that the had been teaching Alex and Jude, the next minute He and everyone else in the room were assaulted by a seemingly solid wall of sound. Hades staggered, his senses bombarded, almost all of the gunmen did too. Almost all.
Jack was an army veteran. Ex-artillery spotter to be precise. His hearing had been irreparably damaged when an artillery shell landed short. He was older that most of the group. The group that had come to serve justice because something the law moved too slow. The law fell short. You can take a man out of the military, you cannot take the military out of a man as the saying goes. He swore an oath to defend his country from threats both at home and abroad. He had never come to terms with the idea of mutants being one of "us". The media had not helped this either, more often than not portraying the damage caused by mutants and the death and destruction that they caused. He could barely stomach the X-men worked with the police force. He would protect his country and his family and friends if he had to kill the threats (mutants) one at a time, and all who supported them (traitors).
When the wave of sound hit the others, Jack was not phased. It sounded no louder than the artillery strikes that he used to call down. When the others staggered, dropped their weapons and covered their ears, he calmly pulled out his sawed-off double barrel and aimed it at the attacker.
Hades came to just in time to see a barrel swing in his direction. Inwardly he cursed, he was off balance, this was going to hurt. He turned his face and shielded himself with his hands.
Both triggers clicked together, both barrels going off merged into one sound. BOOM!
Hades speaks in #ec4511 Thanks Ghost for the second Sig
He had gone mad, there was something about a cave in the Mongolian Plateau, a set of giant doors that He had spend ten years just carving and etching...
A curious sound snapped him back to the present. Hades straightened his back that ached from hunching and turned to survey the room. He reached out a hand to steady himself, his mind was still reeling from the after images of the memories. He had not even begun to process the emotions, nor did he want to think how long it would take for things to begin to return to an assemblance of normality. That disjointed train of though was again interrupted by that curious noise. He turned to find Noel... crying? It seemed so unlike her, that strong confident, unflappable type, or perhaps just very good at hiding emotion.
He started towards her as Noel pushed to her feet. She looked none too steady.
>"Spar with me." she said with a trembling voice through slightly red and tear brimmed eyes. She reached to her belt for something, a nonexistent sword perhaps. That was where he used to wear his sword. Was she...still caught up in his memories? Suddenly she launched herself at him. Even in his mentally confused state he instinctively side stepped. Then realized where she was headed. As she flew towards him he grabbed her and held her close. dispelling momentum by spinning them both around, like a reverse slingshot, or more like a sling catch. Hades managed to stop Noels head inches from impacting the sharp point of a fire poker hanging on the wall.
As his heartbeat slowly returned to normal, wait... was Noel crying on his shoulder? Where those her tears or his or perhaps a bit of both. He came to the realization that for the time being she understood him. At this moment in time he felt less.. alien and alone. Living for so long, experiencing so many joys and losses, it changes a man, gives him a different perspective. How do you explain to someone what life was like thousands of years ago or identify with people who have not experienced the passing of time. But with Noel, no explanation was needed, she saw.
In a voice that was barely more steady than Noels, Hades said "Come, not here." With his arm supporting her he led them into a nearby sparring room. A room he belatedly realized that he had subconsciously laid out similar to one of the training rooms in Raven Spire. As he stepped back from her with one hand on each of her shoulders his attention was momentarily called to they way the light caught on her ear piercings. She had so many. "Do you still want to spar?" He asked.
>"Purpose. After all, isn't that the most important thing? We want a world where people aren't fettered by the shackles of society today, and are free from the bigotry and hatred that we can't get away from now. At least, that's what I'm told. I'm just the recruiter; Loki is the one with the vision."
Did he take that line with everyone? Hades could appreciate the semtiment and the goal but that desire had been voiced by many though the ages. Without a plan it amounted to nothing more than hot air. Many men had tried and failed, some had even achieved part of that dream... for a time. Loki? really? The trickster god? The unpredictable one?
"The goal is noble, and desirable. It is a world that many dream of, hope for, long for. How then, may I ask, do you plan on achieving such a goal? Many have tried."
He would hear the man out. This was common courtesy. He would hear him out and weigh his words. But if Ambrose could not show that he had more than good business sense, almost as much money as fort Knox and a some lofty pie in the sky goal then......
Hades speaks in #ec4511 Thanks Ghost for the second Sig
Hades slowly rose to his feet. His mind was spinning. The minds of immortals are designed to handle the weight of memories withough driving them insane. However they still experience and gain memories at the same rate that mortal do. Hence having decades of your life suddenly downloaded into ones brain is never very healthy. Especially as Immortals do not process emotions any faster. Hades idly wondered what toll this was taking on Noel. Before he could act on that though, she once again spoke and Hades lost awareness of where he was to be lost once again in memories. As his awareness of the current world slipped away his last thought was that at least he had set the defense systems of the house to maximum.
"Every hardship at Raven Spire is... it's non-stop. I am learning, but broken. I have no time to think. I feel like I am losing myself and I welcome it. I am— I... I am...
FLASH The training at Raven Spire was brutal as it was unending. Little time to think. The aim of the training was to break both the mind and the body, hollow them out, blow away the old so that they could be rebuild, from the ashes of the old the new would arise. All through the training Hades had felt something building up within him. A certain pressure behind the eyes, a sensation in the chest. He had hidden his grief, his pain away. He sought to drown it in training as one would drown sorrows in wine or drugs or gluttony. The problem was that the training at Raven Spire was designed precisely to bring the hidden flaws to the surface. There was always a tension, Hades wanting to hide from the pain the anguish and the training designed to draw it out. It all came to a head one day. Wait , no it was evening. He felt as if he would explode. His rage, his anger, he wanted to channel it to make him one with the shadows, to hide it, himself so that he could strike from the shadows. Looking back Hades suspected this was the moment that his teachers had been waiting for, that is why they gave him room. Hades ran up the spire. It overlooked a drop called the valley of broken... dreams? Hopes? What did it matter, it was where those who could not hack the training or went mad jumped or were pushed or thrown.
There at the top he fel to his knees, hid his head in his hands and hunched up. The pain, the rage, the agony, the hurt, the tears all seemed to meld into.... into... something. The lightening and thunder that split the sky masked his screams and as the rain his tears. Something within him snapped, broke, changed. Hades looked down to find himself translucent, and faintly glowing in a greenish light. It took him a moment to realize and process this new information. He concentrated and actually walked through a wall, well mostly. This was his ray of hope. This was something new, something he could use. He eagerly latched on to it. It meant that there was hope that he could survive the training. This ability brought with it also a change in his mindset. It came solwly, over time, the rage and anger was tempered by....patience. He was.. he was...
>"Mutant"
>"I am a mutant. It is another tool to make me stronger. Poison. Shadow. Stealth. Skill. I am a ghost haunting Raven Spire."
From that point in the story things started to go his way. He had survived the breaking of his mind and had learned to turn anger into a fuel. Not rage, but anger, harnessed can be a terrifying source of motivation and energy. He soon after his son learned the ways of the shadows, to call them their friends, to wear them like a cloak. They reached the first milestone in training. The rank of shadow master.
>"The terrain is difficult, but ultimately it is no match for my iron will. My son's iron will. We learned to kill close and earn our ways as blade masters."
He was so proud of his son. The inner strength he too found. After learning to move and to come and go at will, to "ghost" if you will. They learnt to kill and incapacitate silently. Combat techniques long forgotten by the world streamed their way though Hades brain. He had been good before, but now... he was... he was.... something else. He could sense the extra years of experience sinking in. But there was more. After learning to kill, maim torture or incapacitate with naught but bear hands, they were then taught the ways of the blade. Any weapons that could hold an edge counted. In a moment of clarity Hades found his forehead resting on cold stone as his mind struggled to process these new found, no recalled, skills and techniques. The ways of the blade streamed through his mind. How much more would his mind take?
>"Then... all weapons" Achieving the rank of Blade master took lesss time than shadow master. After all now there was hope. Hades discovered his ability to "phase" through walls and to use it at a torture device. His son was a speed mutant. Blink and he was gone. It made for great sparring. Hades would have to wind through tactical and crafty thinking and His son would try to wind through control of speed. Next they set their sights firmly on the last and final rank of weapons master. This one took longer than the previous two ranks combines as the knowledge was also greater. It was not just fighting styles but also philosophies. How to use everything, circumstances, situations, environments, emotions, everything at your disposal as a weapon. Hades could feel this rediscovered knowledge, concepts flowing into him. He would need a long, a very long sparring session. over many days to fully integrate this new information.
>"Five hundred soldiers died. The capstone achievement of our training. We killed the ones responsible with a two part poison. We killed them all."
At these next words a great sense of satisfaction washed over Hades even before the images started flashing. They had achieved their ambition, they had completed their training much to the amazement of many. their training had taken years. but at long last they were ready. In their time away they commander and his underlings had, if anything, grown more greedy and oppressive than before. Leaving villages pillaged in their wake. Families torn apart, children traumatized. They had been taught patience, so patient they were. They prepared, they did their research. It took time. Lacing the drinking water supply with the first part of a two part poison. Then the second part was laced into the evening meal and wine. That however would only take care of at most 400 or so of the 500 strong garrison. The last hundred, well they had to be taken care of the old fashioned way. By morning the entire garrison lay dead and not a single cry had been raised.
Hades came to, his brain hurting, his muscles aching. The flow of memories had slowed and his head, for the moment at least felt clearer. He hated to think what this was doing to Noel. He was heading towards her when she spoke three words that froze him in his tracks and started another series of slides.
>"Son... died. Hng."
After they had their vengeance, there was still residue anger and hate. Word of their exploits reached the ears of the army commander of their country and soon they were in the military. They fought in the unification wars of China. It was during one of those battles that his son died. This time there was noone to blame, there was no target to pin the anger and hurt and pain to. For a time Hades.... well he went ... a bit mad....
Hades speaks in #ec4511 Thanks Ghost for the second Sig
So apparently the sprinkler system had magically turned on and was refusing to turn off. After pulling up at the day care Hades handed Panu a towel. As they drove away Hades turned to the boy and said "Well done, there is hope for you yet." This could yet turn out to be interesting and the child could become a valuable resource.
>"Ms. Brass says next time you make bet with her, you must put money on it." Hades smiled. Well the both corners of his mouth gave a slight twitch. "I will remember that, although I recall saying that it would be a test of your abilities. She was not supposed to tell you about it. That could be called cheating."
>"I am a Panu. I am make everything blind while you do job, and maybe other things. If you do not want me it is okay, but you should bring me back to headquarters. I have more important things to do than sit with babies."
Hades turned to look at the boy, "Good to meed you Panu, you may call me Hades. And after what you did at the daycare, to be honest I did not like Mrs Rogers that much anyway so thank you, I am very interested in you coming along, if you still want to that is. When you say make everything blind you mean electronics? In that case let the fun begin." Hmm, 8 year old hacker, who hacked the electronic sprinkler system without a computer. The wheels and gears in Hades head started churning. A slightly diabolical look came into his eyes. With a little guidance there was little limit to the mayhem and trouble that this "Panu" could cause.
He smoothyl accelerated through the traffic, the car purring along. Hades handed Panu a tablet. "Today Panu I have been asked to aquire, lyttävät a few things for Rangarok is that how you say it? My Finnish is rather limited and quite rusty." This was true, Hades had probably not used Finnish for centuries. One tended to forget things like vocabulary and grammar rules after a 100 years or so. Besides he never had time to pick up the language, he was too busy running missions. To be fair there was a world war going on at the time.
"The first item I need to get is stored on a SD card, If I plug that card into a WiFi enabled reader can you get a copy of the data?" He would also download a copy just in case. He paused for a minute, should he teach this child hacker about missions and planning and logistics? would he get bored? What would the consequences be of teaching him and unleashing him on the world? That he decided would be the problem of one Miss Brass.
"When planning a mission Panu, research is important. On that tablet are the credit card records for the company that currently pitää hallussaan that data. If you look down they installed some vibration sensors that are not connected to any computer, so they cannot be hacked and it would not be good to warn them by cutting the power so we need to think a little .......sivulle?" Hmm he was probably butchering the language. "Tell me Panu, what is on the other side of the wall to that company?" Hades asked as they smoothly swung into a parking lot at a mall. He nodded at the answer he was given. Impressed by the speed with which the boy obtained the answer.
Leading Panu through the mall with the child holding the iPad, they blended in well. Just another father who pamperped his son with electronic gadgets. Also It would make for a good cover, especially which what Hades was going to ask Panu to do. They stopped on a mezzanine floor, overlooking a music shop. "Tell me Panu, I know you are from Finland, what sort of music comes from Finland, is there anything that has very good bass notes?" He pointed at the electronic store. "Panu, I have a challenge for you, do you think you can play loud music from that store, from every speaker for half an hour without anyone being able to switch it off, and nobody knowing it was you?" If he was going to unleash Panu on the world, might as well do it properly. "Also besides making the cameras blind, they do record what the cameras see. Looking at a hallway is so boring, perhaps the security team at this company would like a documentary on the northern lights, or European culture or cooking instead? What do you think?" Hades almost chuckled as he imagined the face of manager who discovered the theft or the fate of the security team.
Hades speaks in #ec4511 Thanks Ghost for the second Sig
Hades stalked towards the briefing room not being in the best of moods. Commander of the army was an all very well and good title, but filling out paperwork was never terribly exciting and as of yet, the army was still being recruited. So in the meantime Hades was on retrieval missions. It was surprising that despite how well funded Rangarok apparently was that they did not yet have sufficient talent in that department but then again it was still in a fledgling stage. Hades skimmed through the briefing notes as he made his way towards the briefing room. It was unnecessary really. The moment Hades heard about the missions he had started his own research. He had put in a good half week of pure research into this and was fairly well prepared. The other guards and employees gave him a wide birth as if sensing that an apex predator.
Arriving at the briefing room to fill out yet another form, Hades picked up the tablet itemizing the materials he had requested. He figured that for the missions he was doing for Rangarok to supply the required materials. It was not as if they seemed to be lacking funding in the least. He checked to see if there was any new intel and checked items off the list. All was well untill he got to the last item. "What is a Panu?" Hades asked himself. He clicked the link. The image was a match to the boy that was currently sitting in the room. Hades had noted him and the META bot on the way in. That the child had his own personal? META bot meant that he either a) had hacked it, which spoke of considreable skill or b) someone had hacked it and assigned it to him indicating that he was either of some importance or was of valve to someone who was.
Turning to Panu he said. "Please wait here a moment." Then turned and stalked towards the office of Miss Brass. If there were any recording devices in the office of Madeline Brass whoever was on the other end of it would have been privy to an interesting conversation.
"This was a last minute change." >"It was .....requested" Both of them knew from whom. "Plans and arrangements have been made, that will need to be altered so that his safety can be guaranteed. >"You will be compensated for any inconvenience." "Please see that this does not become a common occurrence." Madeline was about to launch a sharp retort about people following orders when she noticed that Hades hands were resting rather close to a cup of fountain pens. He had not changed his posture since he arrived but she had just noticed it. She belatedly realized that she was arguing with the man who, but a few days ago, survived and defeated a tactical assault team and a rocket attack with nothing but a tie and a ballpoint pen. He and Ambrose survived with minor injuries. The assault team, those that survived were in the ICU. What that fresh in her mind and recalling that He had recently been given the title commander of the armies, she bit back the vitriolic retort that she had prepared.
"I will take him out of the building and off the premises as requested but he will not accompany me on this mission" >"But..." "Unless the boy possesses considerable skills and experience I doubt that our employer would like his adopted son to be in harms way would you not agree?" >"But..." "I will place him in a safe place. If he manages to make that location no longer viable without drawing attention to himself I will consider taking him along during the mission. Consider it a test of sorts. Otherwise he stays in the safe place, agreed?" >"I...I... very well."
Returning to the briefing room Hades turned respectfully to Panu. "Please follow me." A short car ride later and Panu was deposited into the capable hands of Mrs Rogers. The location was secure, the care was excellent quality and the location was guarded. It was therefore with some considerable surprise that not five minutes after he left the daycare location he received a call from Mrs Rogers.
>"I am terribly sorry Mr Wilson, but I am afraid something has come up and we need to temporarily close the day care." "Very well Mrs Rogers I will round shortly."
Inwardly Hades sighed. If he had known that CS would go the obvious route he would have brought a lot more weapons and explosives. He had a feeling that he would rue not bring more firepower soon. "Fine, lets get this over with." Hades replied. "CS I know that in your file it mentions your preference for non-lethal solutions and I will try to respect that, however I cannot promise no deaths. The mission is still a priority, are we clear?"
They moved into the building, the access codes from the engineer easily granting them access to the building. It seemed quiet, too quiet. The door clicked shut behind them. It sounded like it had locked. As Hades and CS passed through the next door Hades felt a wave of.... something. He felt... a little slower, a little weaker. On a hunch he tried to phase.... Nothing. moving into a nearby vacant office, Hades once again pulled out his phone and leafed through the documents they had downloaded. The data included some sketches. He turned to CS, his anger building, his tone was flat, level, calm.
"Cold Steel they have a working adapted field in this building, the whole building interior. No powers until we turn it off, and the building just went into lock down. The last time I saw experiments was during the second world war. We destroyed the lab and all the research. There is no government that I would trust with this technology."
Hades took a breath. He was not afraid of dying, he had faced his mortality on numerous occasions. Still the knowledge that one head shot and it would be permanently game over did tend to get the adrenaline pumping. He continued to explain "This "shielding effect" is created by tapping on the natural ability of adapteds. The process, from what I can read essentially renders them brain dead. Then they somehow extend the range of the field through transmitters embedded in the floors, walls and ceilings. That is why they can only do it indoors and only to this building. The power drain I believe is also substantial. This is the only working prototype. After we switch this field off, I am calling in an asset to burn this building to the ground. We cannot chance this knowledge getting out." He waited for CS's response. How would the cocksure X-man act when he was bereft of his powers he wondered? For both their sakes Hades hoped that CS would keep it together. This mission just got a lot more challenging.
Hades/ Victor, seeing that both of his students had arrived walked forward to meet them. He first turned to Victor with almost a hint of a smile. "No Alex, you will be sparring with things that are rather ...alive and kicking today. Why don't you start warming up while I get Jude started". To say that Hades was not looking forward to... well testing Alex's grasp of recovery move by repeatedly landing him on his back side, and front side and all sides would not be entirely true. He had begun to enjoy training Alex. At times he found him self feeling almost... protective of him. Hades had no plan to train Alex as an assassin. That would require a darkness of heart that Alex did not possess. No, Hades was seeking to equip Alex, to set him up so that he could be, well potentially a hero. He had it in him, but that would be Alex's choice. As for Jude, well he would see what drove him, that would determine how much he would learn and how far he would go.
He turned to Jude and dutifully took the brandished paper. Sometime he wished that He and Alex could be back in the woods, where Hades could go all out with his training, instead of.... well.....
"Right, Jude I am going to teach you a different martial arts form that what I have been teaching Alex, at some point the two of you will switch but I feel that this style might suit you more at first." Having said that he began to teach Jude the forms. This was a form that spent half its time lying on the ground rolling around agilely. Firstly most people never expect to be attacked from such a low level, secondly when on the ground, any kicks were low kicks which meant speed but pushing off the ground meant strength and stability. It was a style suited for someone with speed and agility. If anything, Jude appeared a quick study and they soon progressed to a point where he remembered enough to run through the first part of the moves. Hades was just turning to begin sparring with Alex when the door opened and a group of men moved in. Something in their posture, the way they held themselves, the bags they carried led Hades to suspect that they were more than they appeared to be. He had gotten some memo about a visit from the education board doing a tour of the school but these were no inspectors. He motioned for Jude and Alex to follow him behind a pile of crash mats.
Victor turned to Alex and handed him his dagger. "Alex, regardless what happens, don't stand up and give yourself away. Also If possible I will need a distraction in... say two minutes. Stay in cover." He turned to Jude. "You also stay in cover, and try to round up the rest of the kids and get them to safety. I could be jumping at shadows but better safe than sorry..."
His words were cut short as a scream pierced the air. The double doors to the gym were now barred and the group of "inspectors" were pulling out pistols and shotguns. The scream was from the guide who had just been knocked unconscious.
"Alex the murderer! We know you are here. Go easy on yourself and come out now, nobody will get hurt...."
Suddenly Noel broke the kiss, pushing away, probably to get her bearings. She seemed to be lost in... memories. Then she then promptly sat down again, Straddling Hades with her arms on his shoulders. Once again Hades was not quire sure what he though of that. It was a little...intimate for two people who had only recently become acquainted. Although it could be argued that Noel was getting to know a lot more about Hades very quickly. It was a shame it did not work both ways and Hades suspected that she would not be so free with her memories. Still he was determined to get to know more about his memory mancer who he was giving free reign with his memories. He had been around long enough to be a good judge of character. Still after this first kiss Hades was determined to at least learn more about Noel before another round. His train of thought was interrupted as Noel started speaking in short clipped sentences.
Words. Words held power, they could enlighten, they could inspire, they could inflame or dampen, they could unlock.....Memories. As Noel spoke small snippets of memories surfaced. Hades was not sure how his mind would react to having previously locked memories, unveiled. Expecially strong ones. He was well aware that he could would, incapacitate and kill while only semi concious. There had been that time where he had been drugged and had woken up hours later to find all of his captors... well very dead all around him. The last thing he wanted to do was to loose control while experiencing strong memories, so gently he steered Noel to to sit beside him on the couch while he stood up and paced towards the fire place. As she spoke memories flashed into his head. Less like movies more like slide shows.
>"She beat you in a local martial arts contest. At first, it made you mad. Then it made you better."
"She was the first person to beast me in a while who was not a master, it ignited a competative spirit between us. I would win then she would win. Whoever lost would not rest until they had beaten the other." A smile crept over Hades face. That seemed to be in a different time, away from the cold harsh world of assassin training, a time where Hades had received and given such things a love, loyalty, tenderness and mercy freely, an ancient time.
>"Eventually it made you a couple. A rivalry turned friendly. Amorous. She was... She is lovely. Her hair is thick. She had a dark wood comb with light brown tines. Her skin..."
The smile widened as more images flashed into his mind. They had started with ranged weapons then moved to weapons based, first whips and staves then swords then short swords then, hand to hand combat. The distance growing ever shorter as the battle grew more intense over the months, each trying to best the other. That had led to... well... many things. Hades eyes softened. He could not recall her face fully, but there were features about her, her lithe grace, nimbleness. Little things that had once stood out to him surfaced, her favorite comb that Hades had bought for her, the way she cared for her weapons, the little things and preferences that attracted him to her all those years ago. The memories were sweet, they brought.... joy.
>"You are a father thrice over. Two boys one girl. Farmer, artist, soldier. I am proud of their passion and drive. We are a happy family and each day closes with contentment.
At these words Hades heart swelled even more, he was caught up in flash backs, unaware of his surroundings. somewhere in the back of his mind was the knowledge that this would end in sadness and other unpleasantness but he did not care. He was feeling things he had not felt in... well a long time. They lifted his spirits, they made him feel. In a way that was stronger, that defied the way that he had been trained to lock away his emotions to achieve a calm of mind, this was all before that. These memories were not tinted with the cold harshness of what he now thought of as his second training.
Again Hades could only see blurry images of their faces, but things about them recalled themselves to his mind. The headstrong firstborn, a lionhearted boy, although at times quick to anger. The second son, slow steady, the plodder, the patient one who through long ahead, always looking to the next season. Then the daughter, she was like a sunbeam given form, it was as if she danced through life. She was the joy bringer of the family. Delighting in the small things. Passionate about beauty, she painted and played the flute, and she danced. Oh how she could dance. Her voice.....
Noel's next words shattered all of that. They fell like a hammer blow, shattering the joy and happiness.
>"Oh. Oh no. The village was attacked. I ran. My chest was on fire for how far I ran to find them. She was beautiful even in death. A tigress for how she fought."
Hades remembered the smell of smoke, he had been away doing... something. Planning a surprise for the family, he had bought gifts to celebrate, gifts for all the family. A mirror for his wife, a new pike for his son, a new plough for his son, and for his daughter.. he had bought a crafted flute, inlaid in gold and silver. He had come to the entrance of the village and the gifts had fallen from his hands. Hades fell to his knees as the memories washed over him. The sight of his first born, felled at the gate, he died defending his family. Running through the door to find his wife, surrounded by dead enemy soldiers, she had fought like a tigress defending her cubs, she had made them pay, but in the end she had been overwhelmed. Then his daughter... at the memory of what they did to her and his wife, Hades literally snarled, his whole body tensed like a spring, all anger and rage and bitterness. Back then it was that sight, that very sight, that had made something in him...snap. Something was unleashed that day, something dark, something deadly. It was when Hades had almost been driven mad with pain that his second son turned up. They clung to each other, they saved each other. Hades could see the same change behind the eyes of his son. A detached part of Hades mind was aware that Noel seemed to be experiencing what he had felt.
>"Daughter. Son. Worse than gone. My anger became a hard thing. I saw that same iron in my surviving son. We found a way to temper that anger and make it into something strong."
It was his son that saved him, showed him how to temper his red hot rage with patience, and forge it into fuel. A fuel that burned bright. They swore that day that they would pay. They later found out that their village could have been spared but for the greed of a commander, who wanted a few more choice women slaves for his chambers and spoils for his pleasure.
>"Poison. Assassination. Revenge. We almost didn't make it."
They had gone to the doors of the Raven Clan. the seek entrance to seek training. The road was harsh. The training even more so. Many many times they almost quit or even died, but that inner flame sustained them, gave them drive. Bits and piece of training cam back to Hades. The first step was learning to move with the shadows, to become a shadow master, to do it without thought, to wear darkness like a cloak. Next was the use the blade. Hades remembered the day He and his son earned the ranks of shadow master and blade master. They looked at each other each silently noting that they were one small step closer to revenge. Finally there was the title of weapons master, it was there Hades first learned about the art of poisons, booby traps, explosives. The training was endless and harsh. Hades and his son seared each piece of knowledge into their minds, they trained harder, to be perfect. They would need to be for the road ahead....
Hades was not sure how much of his memories he shared and how much he just experienced he was too lost in memories to care. Slowly the images faded from his mind as he knelt there by the fire. He felt... there were so many emotions going through him that he did not know what he felt. But Noel was not finished..........
Hades speaks in #ec4511 Thanks Ghost for the second Sig
Posted by Hades on Oct 31, 2015 7:55:50 GMT -6
Noel likes this
The Syndicate
DarkRed
Heterosexual
Single
198
16
Feb 11, 2022 11:05:42 GMT -6
Hades
As most of you know I am an intermittent poster during the week and machine gun post during the weekend when I can. At work there is a massive November 6th deadline (incidentally the day before my birthday), hence posts from me will be scarce until then. I may or may no be on the cbox. If you need to ask some questions or what not try my skype.
Hades speaks in #ec4511 Thanks Ghost for the second Sig
Well he was certainly confident, although with the flamboyant way CS seemed to be flinging himself about at whim and will, Hades would be very much surprised if they did not get detected soon. This suspicion of slight recklessness was confirmed when Cold Steel promptly used ice like duck tape to seal a man in. Apparently Cold Steel was not interested that they were seen or could potentially be identified in the future. Inwardly Hades sighed.
>”Meet you inside then.”
Hades promptly set out to find a computer terminal and a place where he could interogate the targets in peace. He sent the location to Cold Steel. One thing he could say about the man, he did appear to be effective, at least up till now.
>”Found one.I’m gonna try to find another one. This guy might be out for a while.”
Perhaps not that efficient then. Hades preferred to be like a scalpel. Precise, in and out, disturbing as little as possible. Cold Steel it seemed acted more like a shotgun, lots of noise and sound but a lot less accurate.
Eventually CS managed to bring at least one of the targets that was not rendered unconscious. When Hades saw him he was pleased, this man was one of the engineers on staff, he should know what was going on, and Hades had good intel on him.
After asking CS to keep a lookout Hades proceed to interrogate the man. One of the side affects of his powers was that when Hades turned incorporeal, looking like a specter glowing with a dim green-ish light, if any part of him came into contact with a living organic being with at least a basic nervous system, he would trigger sympathetic vibration with their pain receptors. To put it simply If Hades touched you while he was "phased"/incorporeal he would cause pain. The amount of pain could vary depending on how long you were in contact with him, and how "deep" he was. The sensations generated could also vary depending on which nerves Hades "tweaked". Over time he had perfected this technique to be able to produce a stunning array of sensations and all without leaving a single trace or mark or chemical in your body. Anything from the feeling that ants were crawling all over your skin and biting you, to the burning sensation when something too cold was pressed against you to the sensation that your skin and flesh was literally melting. He had used this interrogation technique to break trained agents and spies, he had made it into an art form. Against the master of such arts, a civilian scientist stood no chance and soon Cold Steel's phone pinged with passwords and access codes.
Hades typed them into the secure terminal and made some rather disturbing discoveries. Utilizing a snooper program that he had obtained, he discovered that firstly ME had stolen some files and blueprints from the old stalker program and were working on completing the design and building a working prototype. The records that he was able to access were not complete and so from them it was hard to determine the extent of the progress on that. Another project of interest was some kind of hand cannon working on a principal that Hades did not fully understand. There was also reference to something called Adapted amplification and a few other small projects. The upshot was that there was active experiments on mutants going on.
Hades turned to Cold Steel. "So updated objectives, Destroy research, stop mutant experiments and rescue mutants and check out their anti-mutant cannon. Objections or thoughts?"
He said as he freed the now unconscious engineer from the restraints, rearranged him and fed him some whisky. Hades then splashed some on the engineer and tucked the bottle under his arm. He now looked as if he had wandered in, started drinking and got carried away. If CS looked up the profile on Mr Engineer, he would read that he had a history of drinking problems and was going through some rather challenging issues at home. As a final touch Hades injected a drug into the engineer's system. It was volatile and would leave his bloodstream long before he woke but would make his memories of the last two hours or so vanish. Mr Engineer would not even remember having been tortured. The mark of an expert assassin was to leave no trace, unlike his partner's approach.
Just then an alert popped up saying that a perimeter guard had been discovered trapped in ice and that all security was to be alert for possible mutant intruders. Inwardly Hades sighed, if this continued he would have to have words with Mr icy brashness...
Character's full name:Edna Lange Alias/ Nickname/ Code name: Gender: Female Age: 67 Nationality: Half Japanese half German Ethnicity/ Cultural Heritage: International
Appearance
Hair color and style: Brown hair that comes down just past her ears. Skin Tone: fair Eye Color: Brown Height: 4 feet 9 inches Build: Childlike, Petite, to the point that she could mistaken for a preteen if not for her wrinkles Scars/ Tattoos/ Piercings: Other features:
Most commonly seen clothing: Matching suit, pants and blazer with a nice blouse. She dresses nicely but conservatively. Always fashionable, although she is Not one to wear oversized jewelery. Her taste, as always, is impeccable.
Personality:
Despite, and in spite of her short stature, she has led a successful carrear in fashion, computer programming and numerous other exploits. She is confident, a confidence refined and hardened in the face of ridicule. She had a way of looking at you that can see right through any BS you care to spin. She cannot be flattered and will not respond to being talked down to. She will simply stand and stare at you. That stare that makes you feel like you are somehow smaller than her. She was a successful CEO of two companies before getting bored and deciding that instead of being annoyed at the lack of well trained people coming out of schools that she would instead leave her job and go and make sure that students were trained properly from the get go. Despite her tough outer demeanor, she does have a motherly heart, though woe betide you to suggest such a thin. Still her motherly nature can be seen from small actions here and there. She can also be comforting and students who are genuinely upset can come to her for comfort. Woe betide him who provokes her to anger.
Mutation description: Cloth manipulation and super speed. If it is made of Cloth Edna can command it, bringing each individual thread to life and can move independently as well as the fabric moving as a whole. How she does this is unknown. Edna can also move at approaching relativistic speeds (think Flash)
Strengths: With her clothing manipulation she can neutralize threats as well as administer punishment. In response to a student making fun of her height. Said student found himself in a clothing cocoon for the rest of the day and had to be carried by his friends to classes. Also helps with making sure that she is always impeccably dressed. She does not have a wardrobe, what she does have is a room full of reams of cloth. She makes her daily attire at will and whim. She does not need to be touching the cloth to manipulate and can manipulate any cloth in a 5m radius although the more separate pieces of cloth she controls the less precise her control is.
Her super speed grants her the ability to seemingly always be on time/ early, be many places at once and never out of breath. Also helps her keep tabs on the growing school. (Can also be in many threads at the same time)
Weaknesses and Limitations: The ability to manipulate clothing does not change in any way the physical properties of the cloth. I.e it is still flammable and will still tear and damage just as easily as usual. The more separate items she controls the more like a juggling act it becomes and this can be tiring. Her super speed is limited to short bursts so is impractical for traveling vast distances without draining her.
The crowd was in panic but the rapid deployment of the META bots was exerting a calming influence. In the rush of things Hades lost sight of the young assassin. They were going through checking people one by one for invitations and weapons. One thing sHades would give them they were efficient. They had set up a preimeter driving the crowd into the center of the courtyard away from the doors and railings and as the people were processed they were asked to leave the premesis.
Hades flowed with the people. He was relaxed. it would not do to seem suspicious. He was sinking into the character of his disguise. Tonight he was Mr Kurosawa, the head of the rich Kurosawa family. over a third of the art pieces at this even were on loan from his collection. He was rarely known to attend events and even if he did so he preferred to go unnoticed. the cover was solid and would bear up to scrunity. He only heard a young voice say
>"You know,it's not nice to play with other people's things."
The next thing he knew there was a sharp pain in his leg. It was only through training that he did not cry out or stumble. Though a hiss escaped through his teeth. it was at that time hades was glad that he had a cane. He turned to face the child. The hubub of people flowed around them people ignored them they were all intent on leaving.
In a voice with a thick Japanese accent he spoke through clenched teeth. "Ahh, the young assassin." He paused regarding her, he had long ago trained himself to be able to ignore pain. "Play with other peoples things? Humph." he said not impressed. "This is not my hit... this job is...small.. boring.. beneath me. There were over 15 different ways you could have carried out the hit that would not draw attention to yourself, this effort was.... childish, amateur." He paused for a breath. His posture was hunched, no trace of pain showing, as a traditional Japanese man, he would show no pain or weakness. He was in character. Also in character was the harsh, blunt and direct way he spoke to her. She was a child and until she proved herself would be spoken to like one. "To much reliance on powers, yes? It is ....a weakness."
He was about to say more but then suddenly they were swept apart, while there were talking their turn had come to be processed. They were covered by no less than three META bots each. A human "handler" approached Hades as a different one approached Kirsi. Hades ignored what was being said over on Kirsi's side, they were being treated as separate individuals and were being processed separately.
"Scanning...Scanning....Mutant 85% positive. Warning injury detected, bleeding." In character Hades waved up a hand to hold the paramedic. "Wait, I have aa words to say first." He said in his thick Japanese accent. He handed the handler his invitation out of his jacked pocket. The handler gasped as he read the name. Hades forestalled his response with a hand and spoke again. "Over a third of the art pieces in this building are on loan from my collection." Fact. "You make a fuss or let it be known that I was here and I will have them returned by tomorrow and you will no more donations from my family. Understand?"
The handler nodded, in a more respective voice he asked "Can we see to your wound?" Mr Kurosawa cocked his head and considered it. "That would be acceptable." He said. As he was sat down and his wound tended to he looked over to see how the young foolish assassin was getting on. If she got out of this, in character, the little girl had earned herself a stern talking to from Mr Kurosawa.
Hades speaks in #ec4511 Thanks Ghost for the second Sig
Character's full name: IronBark, just IronBark Alias/ Nickname/ Code name: Headmaster IronBark Gender: Male Age: Roughly 3,000 - 5,000 years, without cutting him open one can only guess Nationality: American Ethnicity/ Cultural Heritage: Grew up in America, seed probably came from Europe
Appearance
Hair color and style: Tree leaves, ever green Skin Tone: dark bark brown Eye Color: Deep pools of green Height: 14 feet Build: Tall and stout Visible mutation: Tree-ish Scars/ Tattoos/ Piercings: Randoms scratches and faded names carved into him while he was asleep
Character
Personality: IronBark is slow and methodical, he thinks on a different time scale and can have odd mood swings. Very interested in nurturing and growth, also very pro the environment. He does not get stressed which somtimes frustrates people as they percieve him not to get the urgencyt of the matter. He will take his time to come to a decision and will tell anyone trying to rush him to "not be hasty". Although when he has made up his mind he is not slow to act. He does not anger easily but all tremble in fear when his rage is aroused.
Hobbies/ Interests: Tending the gardens and trees. He...well he literally has a green thimb, two of them in fact.
Job description: Mansion Headmaster, and head gardner
Mutations
Mutation description: Ent, can command and "awaken" trees to life, can make things grow faster. Also is romoured to be able to talk to birds and squirrels and creatures of the forrest who act as observers for him.
Strengths: His mood can be odd and hard to fathom so that would make it easier for people to write. If he cannot be there he can either send wild animals or call his "relations" to lead. They seem to be able to communicate over long distances in an unexplained fashion, so he can be in multiple timelines at once. He can command an army of smaller trees for defensive purposes, and well for attack, go watch Lord of the Rings, you get the picture. He strength also allows him to throw large heavy objects when needed or lift great loads and his long stride allows him to cover ground at speed when necessary. His relationship with wild animals means that he literally has eyes everywhere so very little escapes his notice. Also he is fond of re-arranging the grounds, hence one can never be certain if the path from A to B will be the same shape as it was yesterday or if it will even exist.
Weaknesses and Limitations: He is a tree, hence is weak to fire. His command of his "army" is not absolute and hence chaos and mayhem can ensure if his "army" disobeys him.His scouts are not as effective in densly populated areas and inside buildings (how often have you seen birds in your office). The Mansion doors and rooms will need to be modified to accomodate his size. He is not the best at multi-tasking and sometimes is slow to grasp complex issues.
Noel looked like she was trying to decide something, truth be told she looked a little squeamish. Next he knew her hand was on his jaw turning his face towards hers. Her hands were cool and soft, her touch gentle.
>"I don't know what this is like for the other guy."
Hades tried in vain to suppress the smile at her words. She was clearly trying to hide her embarrassment. Hades decided it was wiser not to attempt a reply.
Noel seemed to be getting a little frustrated in getting the position "just right". Hades could understand. He had no idea how long this would take. In a move that prompted a raised eyebrow from Hades, Noel finally decided to... well straddle Hades, facing him. There was a blush rising in her cheeks that Hades attributed to embarrassment. This was probably the closest they they had been since they first met. She was attractive in an athletic sort of way. Hades had never really looked at her in that light before. He had always seen her as an ally, a resource and no, a friend but certainly no more than that. He tended to shy away from missions that involved seduction, there were far more effective ways to obtain information. The closeness brought so many things sharply into focus. She had nice toned legs, she was lithe, fit. some would call her beautiful. Hades had not thought about intimacy for, well, decades. He had sort of walled that part of himself away after Lucy died. It was not as though in his line of work one would be likely to meet anyone, and if one did meet someone one would always wonder, is she doing this for an advantage?
>"Let's start with one thing. This shadow family that's got you all twisted up in knots."
As Hades processed what she said, Noel leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. They both closed their eyes. He was suddenly aware of how close they were. He found her slightly floral scent pleasant. The kiss started off gentle but gradually deepened. As if by some unspoken command, Hades arms raised to hold her, one wrapped around her lower waist, the other around her shoulders. He held her gently. He was not sure why he did that, it just felt... right, like the echo of some memory long past. He closed his eyes. The kiss felt...nice. Who was he kidding, it felt, well, Hades was not sure of how to describe it. Gently he stroked her shoulders in a soothing fashion. He wondered how long this would take yet there was another part of him that did not want the kiss to end.
