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 can't argue with that reasoning.” Kaz leaned back, putting his weight on his back foot, folding his arms over his chest. A smirk slipped onto his face in response to her obvious displeasure at his presence. Apparently she really hadn't known it was him. He wondered what she would have done if she had known. If she really didn't like him, as her attitude was suggesting, she might have used her bones instead of her fist. As strong and resilient as he was, he doubted that would have felt very good. In fact he might have been left bleeding quite badly.
He was an idiot for not preparing himself properly before he caught up with her.
With his arms still crossed he frowned at the buxom girl. Why was she so annoyed with him? If he wasn't facing Isabel, he'd almost be willing to throw his hands in the air and exclaim 'Women!' and be done with it. Not that he really felt that way. Women were no more crazy or irrational than men were, and there were always reason a person acted a certain way.
”But you I'd happily gut instead.”
That almost sounded like an actual threat. Tilting his head a little, Kaz figured he had better not take it as a thread but a declaration of intent. Kaz changed his body becoming faster, stronger, and strengthening his tissues. His skin color changed just a little, darkening in response to the changes. He hadn't raised any of his abilities so much as stopped suppressing them. ”Now why would you want to try and do something like that Iz? I haven't seen you in years, I couldn't have done anything to upset you anytime recently.”
Kaz frowned, not liking what Maya was saying. Humans being hunted, Sanctuary residents...He had gotten upset with Sam for blaming the Order for the bots. 'Well...damn.' Now he felt like an idiot. Of course he hadn't known what had happened in the city, but maybe he should have looked into it before returning. ”What was the cause of the riots? Something had to set it off. How did it end?”
'A copy-cat huh? Might be best to keep my distance from him. Who knows what he'd do with my power.' The idea of a teenager running around with Kaz's skill set bothered him. The only upside Kaz could see to Jude copying him is that the kid wouldn't have Kaz's mass, so he wouldn't be able to do a whole lot. Kaz had to work at gaining as much mass as he had, he had packed on almost 250lbs in a few years. Without that, he knew he would never be as effective as he was. ”Hmm...” Kaz rubbed his chin a bit, as he spoke in a soft voice, not realizing he was speaking out loud. ”If he switches often, there's no chance to...wouldn't be too dangerous...close to a healer....”
Kaz huffed a small laugh, ”A better man huh...I've heard that before, from a number of parents, and now you. I don't think I'm slated to have a family Maya....things have never worked out in that area.”'Yeah, understatement there. They either die or disappear or they aren't available or don't want to settle down.' And yet he knew, or at least felt, that Maya was correct.
Sometimes he remembered fragments of a dream from years ago, a dream of Nicki and himself sometime in their future, with kids, two boys and a girl. It was so domestic that Kaz felt a disconnect with the dream. He was not that guy, he couldn't...didn't know how or understand how he could be that man with that family. He could remember the swelling pride he had felt for his first son when he held him in his arms for the first time, the excitement when they had found out he, like them, was a mutant. Kaz closed his eyes as flashes of the dream enveloped his mind.
With an act of will he pushed the images away, wishing he could burn them forever from his mind. Looking at Maya, ”I'd be willing to meet Jude, but I haven't had much experience with kids. Even as a teen I kept to myself most of the time, so, ya know, no promises or anything.”
Kaz found himself grinning as Maya talked about her son Rowan. ”He sounds adorable.” Kaz couldn't understand Maya's expression. She seemed..unhappy? Disappointed? When the word hit him, he looked at the woman across from him and thought to himself, 'There's no way she's ashamed....' That thought did not sit well with him at all. How could he say it...even ask it? It bothered him too much to not say something, but even he knew he wasn't known for his tact. In a soft voice, ”Maya...” He glanced away from her, his face showing his discomfort. ”If I didn't know better...I mean, when you were...” Sighing, he looked her in the eyes, deciding it was better to get it out quickly, ”You cringed when you described him.....” He couldn't do it, he couldn't say it. Kaz hoped he was misreading it all, that there was something he was missing, something completely unknown to him.
Kaz had enough time to see Isabel's displeased face, her big green bow, and to toughen up the bones and skin of his face a bit before her fist impacted his face. He had jerked his head, and body, back in reaction, to move in the direction of the blow, softening the impact and reducing the damage. That move, that jerking motion, is what really helped him, he hadn't had much time to strengthen his face to resist her blow by itself.
Kaz stepped back with a slight groan as he clenched his eyes together and covered his nose with his hand. He didn't need to do it, he knew before he pulled his hand away that it was bleeding a little. ”Goddammit Izzy. What the hell was that for?” As quickly as the bleeding had started it stopped, Kaz's body stopped the flow and dispersed the damage he had sustained. Taking a step away from Isabel he looked at her.
She was almost exactly like he remembered. The only real difference he could see was her clothing. He liked the change, it seemed much more normal. Her wardrobe had been interesting and unique, but it certainly wasn't subtle or very practical. 'All that aside,' Kaz thought to himself as he gave Isabel another significant glance, 'This is much more distracting.' He had always suspected and thought the woman had a killer figure. Her previous attire hinted at it, but this one...You'd have to be blind not to notice.
Wiping the remaining blood from his nose he flicked his hand at the ground sharply, most of the blood on his hand was flung off to splash on the ground in fine droplets. She looked irritated. Kaz wondered if it she was irritated at him specifically, or if it was something else. He hoped it wasn't him. Kaz didn't know Izzy all that well, she had been the member he hadn't spent much time with. Sure he and Syn had locked heads most times they talked, and because of that Kaz had kept his distance from her. Their personalities were not comparable, but that also let him know her a bit, more than Isabel at least. It hadn't been anything personal, he had meant to try and get to know her more, better, but his attentions had been pulled in other directions before he left.
Kaz smiled at Isabel and let out a soft laugh. ”You're looking good.” Kaz stepped to the side a bit, giving himself some room to move while reducing his profile area. It had been stupid for him to turn the corner as sharply as he had. Stupid to stick so close to the wall that he couldn't see what was coming. Stupid to not be prepared. He hadn't thought Isabel would attack him, even after getting hit, he figured she had intended to clock whoever had been following her. That made sense, and he couldn't blame her for that.
Still, it paid to be on your toes. Chuckling, ”That was not the greeting I had expected. Do you greet all your old friends that way?”
Kaz hated long meetings. They were so boring. It wasn't so bad when he knew what was going on, but he was not the type of person that handled things personally, that's what he hired and paid people for. So they could deal with all the complicated workings of stuff and make sense of all the jargon and technical mumbo-jumbo. Most of the time he was able to get out of it because they knew it basically went over his head and he just read the summaries anyway.
Not today. Today they had insisted he be there, in person. He was often able to get away with doing a video call when they wanted him to be a part of the meeting, and when he did that, he was able to tune them out and do something else, more important and worth his time, like petting his cat Kalli. They had pestered him so much that he agreed to go in person today, and not bring anything that could distract him.
So Kaz sat there, in that large conference room, bored out of his mind for what seemed like eternity, but had really only been 7 hours, give or take a half hour. They hadn't even left for lunch, it had been delivered to the room. The conference room had an attached sitting area and restrooms, so he wasn't even able to escape that way. At one point when he became so frustrated he began pacing around, he blurted out, ”Who okayed this layout?!” The entire room had gone quiet until a young looking man spoke up, holding in a smirk. ”Ahh, you did Mr. Corydon, specifically so we would stay focused and get the work done without unnecessary distractions.”
Kaz had glowered at the man for half a minute before his body slumped as he stood. ”Oh. Right. Fuck.” Kaz continued his pacing, dragging his feet across the floor for a while before he finally sat down. ”Gotta get a track or treadmill in here or something. How can you guys sit here for so long?” By the end of the meeting Kaz was somewhat glad he had gone. There were some things he had been able to ask and get sorted out, some things he okayed and others he denied or put on hold until further information and resources were available. They had apparently known this would happen, or had set up the entire meeting to cover those things.
He was looking forward to getting home. He wasn't sure what he would do when he got there, but anything he did would be more fun than sitting in that meeting. Unfortunately for him, he had left and tried to go home in his Hummer, in heavy traffic. Even going the back way, it was going to take him a while.
Kaz had not realized where his driving had taken him, not until he looked around and blinked. ”Noo-oo...It can't be.” He had to wait for a van to pass him going the opposite way before he could see again. When the view was clear Kaz smiled and laughed, ”Hell, it is her. Isabel!” Kaz called out to her but when she didn't react he wondered if she hadn't heard him. The last time he remembered seeing Izzy was when they had both gone and tried to recruit..Nox? Was that her name? It's possible he had seen her after that, but he honestly couldn't remember.
Kaz pulled off the road, driving right over the sidewalk, forcing some pedestrians to get out of the way, fast. Making a wide U-turn he aimed his car right at both lanes of traffic. Revving the engine he began moving forward. Cars began moving out of his way be ran into them, or over them in most cases.
He had lost track of Isabel and parked his Hummer in the closest lot to where he had seen her. Kaz started looking in the area to find the bone woman. When he saw a flash of green he followed it. Before he turned the last corner, he called to her. ”Hey Izzy! Isab-” Kaz turned the corner and saw her.
'Riots? Kaz thought about that while Maya spoke. Yes, he remembered hearing something about riots in the city, but he had figured it had just been the standard rioting. A group of people, humans mostly, getting upset because their sports team lost or some other stupidity. Those riots didn't tend to get reporters assaulted though. He was going to have to look into that. ”That..sounds very risky Maya. Were you okay? Wait, humans? Why were you hiding humans?”
Kaz was able to suppress his laughter, mostly. ”I can't imagine it's easy having a kid 10-ish years younger than you, especially a teen. Even if you are basically just supervising him. A lot of mutant kids feel like rules don't apply to them, how is Jude different? What is it that he does that turns your hair white?” Because of how frustrated Maya seemed about Jude, Kaz had a hard time keeping a straight face. ”I could,” he stressed that word, ”Talk to him, but I don't know what I could do. I'm not a great role model myself.”
”..his father has never deigned to meet him.”
Kaz exhaled slowly, he was sure if he were in her position, he wouldn't want someone's pity, but he couldn't stop himself. ”I'm..sorry. I..” Kaz shut his mouth, took a breath and took a sip of his drink. ”What is Rowan showing so far? Might be some indication of what he can do later.” Kaz tilted his head and bit his lip for a moment, ”Have you ever though of getting him tested?”'Okay, that sounds kind of bad.'”What I mean is, bring him to another mutant who can tell what abilities a mutant has, or could have?” When Kaz's people had identified a kid who was a mutant but hadn't manifested their abilities, he had had them checked out. So far only a few of them have showed their abilities, of those, the guess had been about 75% correct.
Kaz didn't like the idea of a kid growing up not knowing their father, whether or not that 'father' was biological or not. As much as his parents gave him whatever he wanted and let him do anything he felt like, they were basically absent in all other ways. He wondered if growing up at the Mansion would fill in the void of not having a dad.
At the same time he thought of all that, he found he was jealous, and irritated. He hadn't had a chance to have a kid, and his life now didn't seem like it would allow for a family. He couldn't understand how the guy could abandoned his own kid. Kaz sometimes felt like he would give anything to go back in time, change is path, and have a family.
Kaz was glad that people hadn't forgotten about Iris, wherever she had gone, he hoped she was doing well. To the rest of it Kaz just nodded and made non-committal sounds. Even if she said he shouldn't feel guilty, she did also say they could have used the help.
When Maya began to explain what had happened, at first he thought she had misheard him or had gone onto something else, but as he listened he started to get the picture. She had met Sebastian and decided to help him become a citizen. In the course of that, they had fallen in love, or at least she had. Married and pregnant, then Sebastian snapped and became some evil guy. Or had always been one, and had just been good at hiding it.
Kaz felt irrationally angry at the guy for just that. The rest seemed like it was an obvious progression of events. Though if they knew that the guy hadn't touched their accounts, and they had to by now, there was no reason for them to keep everything frozen, especially not Maya's stuff.
”Happy divorce day!”
Kaz raised his glass as she said this and then drained it, waving at the server for refills for both of them.
Sighing, ”This is one of those reasons I wish I had been around for. Do you want your store back Maya? I can start putting pressure on them from my side. With a bulk of the money coming from me, as a major investor, and with my own connections and...talents. I think we could get this resolved quickly.”
Of course it would happen that way. Kaz was all but yelling at Sam, his personal feelings getting the better of him. And that is when Vega popped into the room. He had been so intent on Sam that he hadn't noticed anyone nearing the room. Kaz felt his face heat up, the tops of his ears felt hot. Even though he was embarrassed and chagrined, he was good at not letting it show. He closed his eyes and looked away from Vega, looked at the floor.
”Mister Corydon?”
Kaz looked up at her, meeting her eyes even though he really didn't feel like it at the moment. She seemed to be looking him over. Apparently when she spoke he really hadn't been sure it was him. Part of him was a little shocked and miffed. What other excellent specimen of perfect physical physique was there? Of course that was a his pride growling from deep within. He couldn't really blame her for not being 100% sure of his identity in one glance. Kaz on the other hand had no problem recognizing her immediately, not just from her voice, but physically. Sure she had changed in the years since he had last seen her, but not that much. One thing that changed enough for him to focus on was her hair. When he had last seen her it had been short, in what, if Kaz remembered correctly, was called a 'Pixie Cut'. It seemed that she had decided to let it grow out long, and he approved. It was Kaz's standard opinion that 99% of women looked better with long hair.
Kaz opened his mouth to tell her she wasn't bothering them, but she was already extricating herself from the situation. In fact, Kaz hoped that her appearance would kill what had been happening before her arrival. As he was going to agree that they should talk soon, her baring changed. ”Behave.” Sure she had said it to Sam, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be affected by what she said.
Kaz watched as Vega left, didn't look back at Sam until he yelled, ”Yes MOM!” Kaz made sure the door was shut before he sat in the chair. Kaz felt the air in the room begin to return to normal and he rubbed his face. He had begun to speak, to apologize for his..outburst, but Sam spoke, and Kaz sat back to listen.
Sam had about as much to say to counter Kaz as Kaz had blurted out earlier. Sam was clarifying some of what he had said, and he had valid points.
He waited until Sam finished before he said anything else. Kaz's voice was soft, but firm, ”Sam, if you didn't know, or had forgotten, somehow, I was Order. While the X's and cops were standing around doing nothing, we were out there saving children, mutant children, from being experimented on. While the X's were trying to coexist with humans, the Order was focused on mutant rights and the wrongs being done to mutants. I don't agree with everything the Order did back then, but I know the motives.”
”One girl, a teenager, had been experimented on and tortured, since she was a child, just a few years old. We killed the humans who did that to her, who kept her there, who guarded the place. So yes, the human body count was up, but can you tell me you wouldn't have done the same to save that girl? And she's just one example Sam. While I was there, do you know how many children, 10 and under we saved from similar situations? At least 50.” He shook his head. ”It's fine to try and work together with them Sam, but what about those the humans won't help, who they're profiting from, experimenting on, turning into weapons? If someone doesn't help them, we've failed them. If that means humans have to die to save them...” Kaz put up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. ”Granted that was almost a decade ago, so...really I have reason to get so upset. I don't know what they've done since then.”
”Sorry Sam..it's just. I may have left the Order, but I agree with them that someone has to look out for mutants, without pandering to humans. And that's what I've been doing the past many years. So condemning the Order..I took it more personally than I should.”
”We're both working for a world that's better for mutants, we're just going about it different ways. You guys are going for acceptance, I'm going for exclusion. Either way it's to keep kids like Alex from getting hurt for no reason.” Kaz paused as he turned in the chair, looking in the direction of the dorms and classrooms. ”If there's anything I can do to help with that Sam, just let me know.” He glanced at Sam without turning his head, a toothy grin on his face, ”I could make it all disappear...eventually they'd just give up.” Of course that wouldn't work, it would only cause more problems, but it would be fun, for a while. Turning back to Sam, ”I haven't seen any of the official reports yet...Did the guy actually die? I saw the video, but you can't always be sure with a mutant's power.” Kaz could believe it were some sort of illusion.
“To be honest, I can't blame Sam. I don't know what he's gone through, not exactly or in detail, it's not my place, but I think I get it.“ Kaz waved a hand in a 'so-so' way, “I can't explain why, or how, but I don't think he and I are too different. If I could make it easier on myself by drinking, I would. Unfortunately, alcohol does nothing. I just like the taste.“ The neutral smile he had worn fell into something like concerned, understanding.
“I will drink to that.“
Kaz picked his drink up and saluted Maya and took a sip through the provided straw. “Mmm, that's good. They don't always get the flavor mix right, this place did though. Gonna have to tip them for it.“ Looking at Maya, “I'm gonna take a guess here, whatever happened with the bookstore, happened a few years ago, didn't it?“ Kaz was about to take another sip when he let the straw slip from his lips as he quirked a brow at Maya. Blinking, “You have a kid..kids? How old? What happened..if you don't mind me asking..“ Maybe they were unrelated, but Kaz had a feeling they weren't, not with how she put it right after mentioning the store.
“Am I intimidating?“
Kaz pursed his lips. “If you had asked med that before you ghosted your way in here today, I would have said no.“ He smirked, he was joking, or trying to. “Honestly it wasn't just you. I had joined with you guys, had made a commitment to help, to work with you all, and teach at the school. I had done that partially to repay someone, someone I hurt.” Kaz paused, unsure if he should continue. After taking a breath, ”In fact, you probably knew her. Iris.” Kaz twirled the straw in his drink, ”And then there was Kat. I had wanted to be around for her, as well as you, to help any way I could. It was..It took a while for me to get up the nerve.”
Kaz waved a dismissive had at the talk of profit. ”Maya, I may have given you the money to get the place up and running, but it was..is, your business. How you spend that money and on who, is your prerogative. And I respect you want to pay people a decent wage, not enough business owners do that. I make sure to pay my people more than what their jobs are actually worth, because they deserve it, and I have the funds to do it.”
He looked up as the server brought over what he had ordered. The server asked Maya if she would like anything else.
Kaz waited until the server left, ”I'm surprised you still have some of that money. Granted I have no idea how much it costs to start up a bookstore.” Kaz snerked and popped a few cheese curds into his mouth. Washing them down with a sip he continued, ”Assuming you don't have to fix too much when you get the store back, do you have any plans for the money?”
”Like you said earlier, six years is a long time. Could you tell me what happened with the store and why it's apparently locked up by the Feds?”
Kaz learned a something as soon as she made her presence known. Not only was she a mutant, but she was in fact an X-man. She was also quite open about using her powers, which he had never seen her use before. When he watched her coalesce into herself he was too surprised to think about it, but after they sat, he admitted to himself he was surprised she was able to do her little trick while keeping her clothes. He wouldn't expect someone like Vega...Ghost...he was gonna have to have her pick a name to be called...to do that if she would reappear naked. Not everyone who could do similar things could take clothes with them. Point in her favor. He'd always wondered why two mutants with similar abilities could differ so much.
”Family?” Kaz found himself looking for a ring, ”I didn't know you had a family Ve-...” He smiled a bit sheepishly, ”For my own sanity, I'm going to ask you to choose a name for me to call you by. It feels like Vega is inappropriate now, besides, I never believed it fit you well. You were so against Maya...And Ghost is so..new. I'm at a loss here.” He may have been at a loss, and unsure, but he was not upset or annoyed or put-out in any way by the name situation.
Mutants all over the world, seemed to pick up names easily. Some did it to hide, some did it to identify themselves, and others did it to make a statement. It could be a chore to keep up with those that kept changing that aspect of themselves, but Kaz understood. It was another part of mutant society he wondered about; Isolated mutants chose names for themselves just as often as mutants surrounded by other mutants, was it somehow wired into their DNA?
Kaz gave a soft chuckle, ”I'm sure that's true, he was already drinking when I showed up. In this case though...” Kaz paused as he searched his head. He was sure he knew the words, he could get by with them, but he was unsure if he would put them together correctly. She had done it, like she had done years ago, he was going to attempt it. ”私の責任です. I should not have gotten as...excited...about it.” Kaz shook his head a little, closing his eyes as he did. With a slight sigh, ”It wasn't the place or the time, not with kids and students close enough to overhear.”
Grimacing he looked at his hands, clasped together on the table, ”Yeah...I..It wasn't my intention to cut ties with everyone, but after Romania, I wasn't in a position to do much. Personally I mean.” He looked up from them, ”In hindsight, I wish I had been in contact these past years. When I saw the store..I was affected more than I realized I would be.”
Kaz cut himself off as he saw the server approaching. When he opened the menu he was surprised to see what they offered. 'Finger foods.' Inwardly he sighed heavily. He had kind of hoped they would have actual food. 'I'll have to get something more to eat later.' It didn't take him long to figure out what he would order, before the server left, he ordered deep fried cheese curds and mini corndogs with a strawberry-kiwi long island iced tea.
Kaz chuckled waving away her 'impoliteness'. It hadn't seemed impolite to him, just a natural flow of their meeting. Proper politeness could get in the way of things, it may be used in formal settings to set the tone, but it wasn't necessary here. ”Es ist in Ordnung. It's alright. I'm well, better than I have been in years. Back when I joined with you guys, I was..lost, trying to find a place for myself. I never did, but I made one. Until recently, it's kept me out of the States.“ That wasn't exactly true. It hadn't kept him out, but he had deliberately not begun anything in the States until about a year ago. “It's been a few months since I came back. I had meant to stop by earlier, to find and talk to you..“ Kaz raised his hands in a helpless 'You know' gesture, “Nerves I guess. And work. They don't need me breathing down their necks, they can do the job just fine, it's why I employ them, but I do check up on them often.“
"Hi, Mr. Corydon! It's Ghost from The Full Circle Bookstore. I'm not sure what you may have seen in the media recently or what you know about the situation, but I figured you as my chief investor deserved an update. If you're amenable, give me a call back and we'll set something up. I hope that you don't mind me calling. I needled Sam into sharing your current contact information. Looking forward to it!"
Kaz pulled his phone from his ear and looked at it as if it were a writhing creature. Checking the number of the caller didn't tell him anything, he didn't recognize it. If the woman who left the message was who he believed it to be, that wasn't surprising, it had been years since he had spoken to her. Even then, most of their exchanges had been in person.
Kaz played the message again. It was definitely her. Vega. Even if he hadn't seen her, and heard her, recently, he would have recognized her voice. He was sure, beyond a doubt it was that momentary meeting when she caught himself all but yelling at Sam in his office. That had been mortifying. He had hoped to see there or find out how to get in contact with her, but after that, he hadn't been able to bring himself to ask after her or look for her.
Once again he pressed play on the message. He listened to it, not what she said, but how she said it. Ghost was her name, the one she seemed most comfortable with. He never did believe 'Vega' was her actual name, or a name that fit her, and he remembered how vehemently against Maya she was. Though, perhaps it was that she didn't want him to call her Maya. Possibly, but that didn't fit with what he had felt that day.
Just as he was beginning to pull the phone away again, he heard what he thought was abnormal breathing. Was she nervous? Possibly, hell he was a bit too. Any meeting could easily, probably would be, a bit awkward. He may have been the chief investor, but he had also fell of the face of the planet for almost six years. If he hadn't, then whatever had happened, and it seemed to have been big, he might have been able to prevent or mitigate any damages. At the very least he could have helped.
Kaz pulled Vega/Maya/Ghost's number up from the log and didn't do anything. What was he going to do? Vega had been quite composed, like she had spent the time to figure out what to say, and how to say it. He could believe that it wasn't easy for her to call him like she did.
Pouring himself a drink Kaz set his phone down and tried to think through what he would say when he returned her call. After a few minutes Kaz sighed, threw back the rest of his drink and pressed Call. A part of him hoped she didn't pick up so he could just leave a message. Play a bit of voicemail tag. Even as he thought of it he knew it was childish.
The line connected and Kaz paused expecting to hear a message explaining what he should do to leave a voicemail. When it didn't come he realized it was live. ”Ah, I'm looking for Vega..Ghost..or Maya? I have to admit I'm a little confused.” He waited a moment before continuing. In short order he explained, in few words, that he did not have any details beyond what he saw in the store's window. They worked out where and when to meet up. He allowed Vega to choose the date and place, and he choose the time frame while she choose the specific meet-up time therein. Kaz offered to have a car drive her to and from the meeting if she wished, he would be driving himself.
That is how Kaz found himself sitting at The Lemontree Lounge. He had picked a table that was out of the way from most customers, but was not private. Vega/Maya/Ghost had wanted to be in a public setting, this was the best he could do without setting his own paranoia into overdrive.
Kaz was sitting in the chair, his back to the wall, a red button up shirt un-tucked, the top and bottom most buttons were undone. On someone else, it might have looked sloppy, on Kaz, it was fashion. It was tight enough across his chest and abdomen to show off without being constricting. His black slacks were of a similar cut, a professional cut that still allowed freedom of movement. Even the long black coat he had draped over the back of his chair seemed to point out it's excellent quality and style with a devil-may-care indifference for those who viewed it. Kaz's boots were the only things that did not seem to fit at first glance. They were big, clunky, and matte black. They, like the rest of his outfit was well made and of high quality, but it was obvious role of his boots was function, to be used, and abused and they did not try to hide it. Kaz's cool red eyes were not covered by his hair, something that happened often enough. Instead his hair was pulled back and bound in a tail, leaving only a few strands on either side of his head loose.
He had showed up early to their meeting, something he liked to do. He had ordered a drink while he waited. When he saw Vega/Maya/Ghost, he stood up and bowed to her slightly. ”Ghost is your preferred name I take it?” He motioned for her to sit, sitting only after she had. He let out a breath, ”Before anything else, I want to say, I'm sorry, that you walked in on....That was not how I had hoped to meet you again.”
New York City is a city that never sleeps, the glaring, glowing lights pushing away the darkness almost as well as the sun's rays. Because of this many of its residents enjoyed being out at all hours of the day and night, and they see everything, or at least have heard everything. If a New Yorker hadn't seen or heard of it, there was a good chance it was either new or fake. The city's high population of mutants only reinforced that way of thinking.
That said, two bright flashes of light, orange light at that, from the roof of one of the city's many skyscrapers was odd. If the flashes had come from ground level, he probably would have ignored it, he might have ignored the bursts of light anyways, if they hadn't been orange. Red, blue, white, even green Kaz was familiar with, and use to, but who used orange?
All of this ran through Kaz's mind before the screaming started.
That was it, his curiosity was peaked now, he wanted to find out what was going on. Even as she took off towards the building his eyes tracked the path of the falling person. He felt nothing for the doomed person, nothing but annoyance. No one was going to save them, there was no point in screaming like they were, they should face death head on, literally. Aim straight at the ground, get as much speed as they could before they hit. There was no reason for him to think it, but Kaz imagined it was a human falling to their death, sent their by a mutant.
It was possible that Kaz could have saved the person, if he had focused on speed, but he was getting use to his current form and it was not exactly built for such extreme speed. Even if it were built for that speed, to save the person, he'd have to go out of his way to do it. Kaz was heading towards the building's other side. Before he reached the building he leaped in the air, landing on the side of another building and launched off of it, gaining even more height. By the time he time he actually reached the building the orange flash had come from he was halfway to the top.
Kaz missed the figure jumping from the roof he was heading towards as his leaps up the side covered 20ft each time. He didn't miss the burst of orange from the alley below him. Kaz stopped his upwards movement and turned where he perched against the side of the building. Checking the distance he realized the jump would be cakewalk, the problem would be the landing. He didn't want to land that hard and give himself away.
”Well, damn.” Aiming as best he could, he leaped at the corner of the building across from him, trying to catch the solid corner. He did. And it worked, for a heartbeat. Unfortunately, his momentum carried him into the glass next to him and through it. He had smashed through what seemed to be some sort of office space, maybe a file room. Kaz stood up and brushed glass dust from himself. 'It almost worked.' He thought to himself. 'Gonna have to get use to that, I'm too compact like this.'
Moving to the broken window, kicking and pushing things away from him, and through other windows, Kaz grabbed the solid corner of the building and swung out into the air. Once all four limbs were latched on, he scaled the building. The window he had smashed through had been halfway to the ground.
Kaz leaped the last 30ft or so to the ground, skidding to a halt in the shadows. Moving out of the shadows, one could see the creature he was. His head was long and triangular, the lower jaw jutting out just a bit past the upper, this cause a few of the obviously sharp, thick teeth to show in a sort of twisted smile. His brows were thick and heavy, covering and protecting long eyes that were able to look ahead and to the sides easily. His nose, or what passed for a nose, was covered in what looked like a plate of bone, though it was just his skin pulled tightly across the bone. Four horns jutted out from his head, two right above his brows, and two from the sides.
Kaz's neck was a bit shorter than would normally be, folds of skin covered by segmented armored plates protected the back and sides of his neck. The armored plates continued down his back, covering most of his body, arms, legs and tail. Along the length of his back were a number of long sharp spines, that laid flat against his back most of the time, but could when he wanted them to, just straight out. They were slightly curved, the inner curve coming to a blade-like edge. His back was covered with other, smaller spines that acted much like the larger ones, though they were there to keep things from hanging onto his back.
His shoulders were protected by a large, rough, dense plate, much thicker than the rest of the armor plates. The outer edge's were sharp and serrated, terminating in a spike towards the top, angled outward so Kaz could never accidentally get jabbed by it. Where an elbow would normally end, Kaz's seemed to continue in a thick spike. Following the line of the spike brought the eye to his hands. They were hands, tipped in wickedly clawed talons, all of his knuckles and the backs of his hands were covered with a miniature version of his shoulder plate.
His chest was thin and brawny. It was obviously protected by the same material as his back, but in a way that allowed for a lot more freedom of motion, while still allowing Kaz to show off his physique.
A large spike jutted out and up from his thigh moving with his leg. It seemed to be similar to the ones on his back and in fact they were also able to lay flat or stick out straight, or any angle in between. The plating flowed down his thigh, covering all but the inner thigh. The knee was covered in the same manner as his shoulder. His feet had one less digit than a human foot. Each of the four toes ended in the same talons as his hands, the knuckles were covered in the same hard, spiked plating.
In addition to the plating, Kaz had three rows of small spikes extending all the way to the end. At the end of his tail was a large spiked ball, though most of the spikes laid flat, some, near the base of the ball stuck out straight. There was one large philips screwdriver shaped spike at the very end of his tail, the edges of it were notched and serrated meant to slice its way in and tear its way out.
This was the form Kaz wore as he came out of the shadows of full concealment. His mottled gray and black skin, interspersed with ragged non-uniform lines of deep blue, reflected almost no light, letting him blend in to the night as easily as a shadow. Like any shadow, light was his enemy. His coloring did nothing to hide him in the light.
Kaz noticed a form standing a ways away from him. This had to be the mutant. Kaz moved toward the figure, staying low, walking on all fours. He didn't both trying to hide his approach, he was sure this person heard his from above and his landing.
When he closed to within 30ft Kaz stopped, crouched, and then stood up. From the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was a little over six feet long, but standing up Kaz barely reached five feet. Kaz's red eyes seemed almost lambent as he looked at the mutant. She, and he was sure it was a she, was short, shorter than he was currently. For a moment he thought she was a child, but it only took a few more moments to realize that wasn't true. 'A midget. First mutant midget I've ever seen, or heard of.' Head tilting to the side, ”Didn't think mutants could be midgets” He was speaking to himself, in a soft, quiet voice.
Kaz glanced from the mutant to the roof of the building. In a voice deeper than normal, ”Nice jump. Do you normally shove humans over the edges of skyscrapers?” There was no condemnation in his tone, in fact it was in the same tone that he'd ask someone passing him by, 'How's the weather?'
If Noel could see Kaz's expression, she would see the disappointment clearly. She would also see the concern in his eyes. Even if she liked the idea of what he offered, and he got the impression she did, she seemed to have made up her mind. She was going to head back to the 'safe house'. Listening to her he couldn't help but get the impression she didn't like the situation she was in.
If she really relied on her phone as much as she implied, Kaz knew it was because of her chronic memory loss. For now the safe house was just a place for her to crash and spend time. Maybe he was reading into it more than he should, but the way she said it, ”..not my home.” It sounded like she didn't want to be there, maybe a little resentful that she was.
He considered telling her about the Estates, offering her a place there, one she could call her own, one where no one would or could prance in and ruin. He didn't. He had already been pushy enough. Even if all he wanted to do was help, she might not take it that way.
”I think I need to be by myself.”
That was that, her mind made up. He noticed that she didn't mention any of the options he had laid out. ”If that's your decision, okay. Would you take the car at least? I would rather not find out you got into an accident.”
”Before you go..Would you mind if I entered my number and such into your phone?”
If the Contacts had a Note section, he'd write something in there about himself, something like, 'Rich Elf guy. Escrima. Bird Hunter target. Trust is BFD.' If she erased her memories again, he'd like her to still have some idea of him, even if the note wasn't much to go by. Kaz decided he'd enter the Estates' office number and a short note about it as well, something she could find later in its own Contact.
Kaz stood up slowly, took the pad and pen from Noel and replaced them on the desk. ”If you won't let me treat you, at least let me help you out of the store so I can feel a little bit like a gentleman.” He brushed his hand against hers, his palm facing up.
As they headed out Kaz saw Lyn leaning against the wall of her back room. She smiled and gave him a little wave. He returned the wave realizing that Lyn must have stayed out when he and Noel had actually begun to talk. Once they exited the store Kaz opened the limo's door and grabbed the bag, ”If something happens, or you need anything, give me a call.” He pressed the bag to her hand.
If she skipped the car, he wouldn't force her hand. No, he decided to respect her decision, but that wouldn't stop him from following her to make sure she got where she was going safely. He hated feeling the way he did, he felt like Noel's current condition was his fault. If something happened, he would be guilty.
Whether or not anyone asks Kaz to do it, he will have one of his Sentinels in the courtroom, as close to Alex as he can be. This particular mutant will be there with orders to protect and shield Alex as best he can in case something happens in the courtroom. Outside the courtroom will be an very unobtrusive, easily dismissed Sentinel to act as a sentry. Outside the courthouse where I'm assuming people would gather to protest or support Alex, Kaz will station a few more Sentinels to act as support. Kaz may or may not be with them.
Kaz's motives are simple: Human's cannot be trusted, especially now that they've decided to bring the Stalkers back. Wait, they're called META Bots now.....
(If this idea doesn't fit with anything you might have planned, just let me know, I will of course alter them ^_^ )
'Ha!' Kaz exclaimed in his head as Noel flopped back onto the bed. Outwardly he smiled. She was intent on going home but it seemed her determination to do so wasn't great. Kaz found himself wondering why she wanted to go home so much, and what going home had anything to do with a routine. Sure there were things people did if not every day, than most days, and that was their routine. Routines got messed up all the time for people, when life interferes, but that didn't usually make the person's life, or day terrible. Did she really think tomorrow would be that bad for her, or was she exaggerating?
Kaz opened his mouth to ask about that since she had trailed off, but then she spoke two words, ”Hot tub.” He smirked. It almost sounded like a nail being driven into a coffin, as if she were almost ready to give in.
But she had said she wanted to go home, so he wouldn't push, despite what he wanted.
When she basically flailed around trying to find and grab the pad and pen Kaz looked at Noel with a 'You've got to be kidding me' look. And then she confirmed it, telling him what was going on, telling him more about herself and her ability and what it forces on her.
”Hgmm.. So, let me get this straight. You're effectively blind right now, and distracted by what's going on in your head. And yet, you were going to try and leave here and get back home. By yourself.” His tone was flat while also sounding like a verbal facepalm. ”Not to..ya know... I gotta say, that does not sound like the smartest or most well thought out plan.”
Kaz rubbed his head, ruffling his hair in the process. ”Is there a reason you need to go home right now, or even today? If this is going to last a while...” He paused just enough so it was apparent he was asking if she knew the answer, ”Wouldn't it be a good idea not to be alone? Just in case something happens or you need something.” He wasn't exactly sure why he said that, why he had assumed she would be alone. He couldn't remember if she had mentioned anyone else at her place or not, or if it was just his own guess.
Feeling a little unsteady as he stood in front of Noel, Kaz moved to sit next to her. ”I see this turning out one of three ways. One: You and I get in the limo and I help you get to your place. Two: If you don't want me to know where you live, I help you to the limo, the driver takes you home and helps you inside. You don't need to worry about him telling me where you live, there's a reason I called that company. They know the value of privacy.”
Kaz leaned back, resting his weight on his arms. ”Three: You come back with me. Relax in the hot tub,” Kaz smirked at her, without looking in her direction, ”Take it easy for the rest of the day, enjoy the awesome bed... And tomorrow, whenever you feel like it, when you can see what you're doing and not accidentally walk into incoming traffic, you can head home.” If she chose the first or third option they could stop by the Park and transfer to his Hummer, if she chose the second, he'd have to get himself to the vehicle himself, something that didn't sound very pleasant at the moment.
Of course she could choose option four: Dismiss options 1-3 and leave by herself. That choice though would become option three. He was not going to let her, in her current condition, leave by herself. If something happened, and he had a feeling something would happen, it was just too good of a setup for something not to happen, he'd feel guilty. Kaz was all for people making their own choices and doing what they wanted to do, for the most part at least, but sometimes, stupid choices could not be allowed and the freedom of choice needs to be taken from that person.
Noel knew herself and the situation she was in, she did not seem stupid to Kaz. He couldn't actual believe that she would choose the unspoken fourth option.
What Sam said made sense, and he was on the same page as Kaz, thought along the same lines, had many of the same feelings and misgivings about the situation. Kaz wasn't sure why, but he was surprised he and Sam thought so similarly. There was a lot about Sam Kaz didn't know, or more accurately, Kaz knew very little about Sam.
Closing his eyes, Kaz did what Sam suggested. It took a few breaths before he was able to stop his pacing and sit down again. He looked at his empty glass then looked at Sam. ”To be honest, a drink wouldn't do it. I can't get drunk, never could. I drink for the taste and the burn. I envy you Sam.” He let out a soft snort.
”You've got good points, I won't deny them, but there's more too it Sam. Even if you guys can't be everywhere, the cops could make more of an effort to recruit and train mutants to add to the force. From what I've seen, they don't, or haven't really tried. Humans don't want us around Sam, they don't trust us. Mutants don't trust Humans, with good reason. We're tolerated at best, use us when they can, but that's about as far as it goes.” It was obvious he was exaggerating and stretching it, he expected Sam to see that, but he was doing it to make a point. These were excuses to keep things the way they were.
Kaz hadn't noticed the drop in temperature at first, thinking the room felt a little cooler because his blood had been up a bit. Once he calmed a little, he realized that was not the case. Quirking a brow at Sam, ”If you make my hair brittle and snap, I'll take it out of your hide.” He said it with a smirk. It wasn't a real threat, Kaz was just letting Sam know he noticed and that he didn't care for it. ”The security at the Estates already has standing orders that any Bots are to be destroyed if they set foot on the property.” Kaz tried not to think of it, but there was no way he could separate the thought of the Bots falling under the control of a hacker from the image of Panu taking control of them. If he understood the boy's power, there was nothing that could stop him if he wanted to hijack the machines.
Kaz knew for a fact even non-lethal methods could kill, injure, or maim someone. How would a machine know when it was using excessive force? If a mutant struggled against it, would it keep putting more pressure on the mutant until someone happened? If one of the bots tried to take him down or subdue him, he knew he wouldn't allow it, he wouldn't go down without a fight. Like Sam said, '”We all remember the stalker bots.”' The machines could not be trusted. ”I doubt this will surprise you Sam, but if those bots start doing anything that makes me even suspect something like the Stalkers are coming back, I'm going to declare war on the NYPD. I won't stop there. I will not allow more camps. If it happens, and you,” Kaz waved his hand to indicate the Mansion, ”Aren't with me, I will plow you under.” Kaz's voice and posture were not threatening, he wasn't leveling a thread, nor was he trying to menace the man in front of him. He was stating a fact of his intentions, giving Sam fair warning, telling him he expected and wanted his help if it happened, but that he'd do it on his own if he had to, and to hell with everyone else.
”They wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for the people in the Order.”
Kaz's head jerked back as if he had been slapped, a dumbstruck expression on his face. Had he really heard that right? Did Sam seriously believe that? ”I misheard you Sam, I had to have. It sounded like you just blamed all this on the Order.” His tone was incredulous. He held up both hands, palms facing Sam, nails lengthening and sharpening. When he spoke his teeth had become more fang-like.
Kaz's voice rose a bit, he wasn't yelling, but in the setting they were in, he may as well have been. ”Humans did this Sam. The Order is no more responsible for what's going on any more than that boy from the bus! The one who got defended himself from the HUMAN who stabbed him! Are the kids who wake up one day to find they're Mutants responsible for the Stalkers? Are they responsible for how Humans treat us because they distrust us, hate us, fear us? We've been around for centuries Sam. Humans use every excuse they can to justify how they treat us. When we use what we have to defend ourselves, to make our lives better, we're treated like criminals, outcasts, we become scapegoats. This whole society is against us Sam.”
Kaz forced himself to take a deep breath, to calm himself reverting his hands and face to normal. When he spoke, it was in a much calmer, quieter voice, ”You can't oppress a group of people forever, eventually they fight back. That is the Order. I'm not going to say what the Order does or what the members do is right, but I won't blame it all on them. You're just as much to blame as they are. You're a public figure, a powerful mutant. Even if you've never hurt a human, even if you've always helped them, the fact that you can freeze the water in the air, freeze portions of city blocks, is enough to scare the crap out of the Humans. It's their fear that brought these Bots on us AGAIN.”