Current
Been awhile. I'm going to try crawling back from the dead now.
6
likes
2 mos ago
I'm going to have to take a break for awhile. One of my dogs just passed; we went to bed together like we always do and when I woke up she was gone. I feel awful right now.
6
likes
3 mos ago
Had a fun birthday. Had some alligator tail for dinner, overall was pretty good for a place I hadn't been to before. Will start getting back into the groove of things soon.
10
likes
3 mos ago
Well, I'm officially 27 today.
13
likes
4 mos ago
One of my relatives that had gone missing was found deceased today—apologies if I don't get to replies in a timely manner.
Location: New York Streets, Natural History Museum Skills: N/A
Crash went the vending machine glass all over the museum floor. She could only hope that, like she had said earlier, her bosses were willing to forgive their actions today in light of the more dire circumstances. "Let me help," Lex spoke, the crunch of glass shattering beneath her boots as she grabbed her work pack and began to stash what she could inside beside Billie. "More hands are better than one."
Once everything had been gathered (or at least what they could possibly fit inside their pouches), Lex swung her pack behind her shoulders. She glanced at the crowd of zombies outside, and then to the MRAP. It would be only a matter of time before they neared the museum's doorstep, while a few of them began to turn their attention to the vehicle outside.
A tinge of guilt washed over her for abandoning her post, knowing her potential of further museum employment was probably over. Or maybe her bosses would decide she made the right call, prioritizing survival and human life over artifacts and treasures. Whatever would be decided, however, it didn't matter much if she was dead, ripped apart by the things outside the museum. There would be time to think on the "what ifs" later when it wasn't about to be chow time, with them as the planned course.
Hurrying herself out the doors with the rest of their group, Lex jogged over to the MRAP and boarded the vehicle.
Kali Nordstrom
Location: New York Streets, Natural History Museum Skills: N/A
Kali pondered Isaac's question. She, too, knew that leaving their supplies behind wasn't an ideal situation. They had taken the time to gather it all, and although it hadn't been much, what they did grab from her apartment was still valuable. The food was certainly more nutritious and fulfilling than some snacks, and the first-aid kit was equally important in the situation they were in.
"Do you think you can help us?" Kali asked, turning to one of the officers. She knew Isaac had the rifle Gladys' had given them, but Kali had no idea if he knew how to use it. With an officer, they'd have someone to cover their backs if shit hit the fan (at least, any worse than it already was considering the situation they were in). "The car is right outside the museum. There's some food, medicine. We can be in and out."
The sun shifted in the sky, ever-so moving as the passage of time progressed. And yet, Annifer had felt she had wasted the day; her quest to find Lady Ariesca yet to bear any worthwhile fruit.
The peasant girl stood idle in the distance, her gazed locked upon the sparring. A plated giant swooped upwards with his hammer, much to spectators' horror. A grotesque display, were splinter and hay instead flesh and blood. Still, Annifer did not fret. She was used to the world's brutalities, her thoughts returning home. Of when she took rock to rat's head, chancing disease to fend off starvation. Of when young Morwent had been struck by horse and crushed beneath wagon wheel.
Life was not kind, nor was it fair. But that was why she was here—to defy the destiny that had been laid out for her.
"Smashing, might I say." Annifer spoke, almost bluntly. She snuck a glance upwards at the tall boy as he resigned apologetic from the center stage. "You must've been practicing for some time."
Location: Financial District, Paragon City Skills: N/A
Making its grand escape, the exosuit maneuvered down a series of winding streets and tight corners. Nancy had planned to return home (or so as far as you could call her place a home) and to prepare Zero-Zero for tonight's mission. Yet as she scaled the roof of a Shawarma Palace, one of many within the city, the interior HUD of the exosuit began to flash with several alerts and warning messages brought upon by the sudden crash of a large vehicle into a building.
WARNING. ARMED ASSAILANTS SPOTTED IN THE AREA. PREPARING ZERO-ZERO FOR COMBAT.
"Hold on, Zero." Nancy spoke. While she still had the chance, she began to survey the nearby area, and watched numerous armed men jump out from the back of several trucks. The back of their shirts were stylized with a 70—the 70th Street Gang. Not her prey of choice, but a nasty bunch nonetheless that she couldn't just ignore. "There are civilians in that building. We can't go in guns blazing."
AFFIRMATIVE. LIMITING PULSE WEAPONRY OUTPUT TO 50%.
"Better." Nancy replied. Zero-Zero's plasma pulses were deadly, capable of melting through solid metal. She couldn't risk civilians being caught in the crossfire. "Let's see about that back door."
Taking her opportunity, Nancy descended towards the bank while the 70th Street Gang were still hopefully distracted with the ongoing chaos inside. Gripping an emergency exit with powerful claws, Nancy pulled the metal door free from its hinges and proceeded to climb through to accommodate the exosuit's larger size.
"Now, where were we?" She asked herself, preforming a cautious scan of the interior for any signs of life, armed or not.
She's 19 and the accident was right before her HS graduation. Since most graduate at 18, that would make it some months at least, probably about half a year.
Location: Financial District, Paragon City Skills: N/A
A large, humanoid robot stood tall on the rooftop of a high building deep within the heart of Paragon City. The red sheen of the robot's exoskeleton was but a dot in the sky, melding amidst the scattered, blinking rooftop lights. Held within its metallic grip was a single man, squirming unsuccessfully against the cold chains that held him prisoner.
"I-I swear!" The man pleaded, pushing his arms upwards to try and squeeze out of the robot's grip. "I ain't know nuthin'! W-We just do what they tell us to do! That's all! Now let me down!"
A pair of eyes squinted, echoing almost the sound of a camera shudder. On the robot's shoulders, a girl—practically a high schooler—sat on top of them. Expensive-looking wires connected into her back as she mowed down a breakfast burrito, happily made to her request.
"If you say so." A feminine, yet slightly robotic voice spoke. In a whirl of machinery, the exosuit swung the arm which held the man over the edge of the building. "Or we could try again."
Nancy waited for his response. Instead, all she had received was a torrent of piss leaking from 00's grip.
"Really?" Nancy sighed, shaking her head. She'd have to go invest in some cleaning products now. "You're ruining the paint."
"You're crazy!" The man shouted, fearful for his life. He began to squirm harder, hoping that he could escape somehow before he was dropped to his doom. "You're going to kill me!"
"Who said anything about killing you? Just tell me what I want to know, and you'll be fine."
"Alright, alright! I'll tell you!"
"That's better."
Admitting his defeat, the man began to divulge what information he knew. He was certain that Tony and others would kill him for leaking information, but whatever death they had planned for him sounded better than being dropped off a building.
"Tonight!" The man yelled. "On the corner of 9th and Adams, over in Nighthaven! T-Tony said he had something big planned, but that's all I know! Please, I-I swear!"
"See? Now that wasn't hard. That's all you had to say."
Crumpling up the now-empty burrito wrapper, Nancy threw it to the ground. Swinging herself upwards, she climbed into the back of the exosuit, sealing herself inside as it closed up from behind. The orange eyes of the suit began to vibrantly glow as the machine whirled to life once more. In one swift motion, the exosuit began to rapidly descend from building to building—all the while the man still in its grip screamed for his life, eyes wide open in fear.
As the exosuit reached the ground, it landed with a loud thud against the concrete, startling nearby passerbys that were on their way to work or elsewhere. The machine then promptly released the man from its grip, letting him fall on his bum onto the cold ground.
"He's all yours." The exosuit robotically announced, leaving behind stunned spectators as it promptly disappeared from the scene.
P O W E R S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Cybernetic Body - The new body that her father gave Nancy is powered by sophisticated technology. She can outperform most people in both feats of strength and mind, aided by the mechanics and processing power keeping her alive. It can also connect to various machinery, if need be.
◼ 00 / Zero Zero - The large, humanoid exosuit that Nancy pilots. It is the original prototype, hence the name. Much like an adaptive, armor-plated shell, 00 is an extension of Nancy (inspiration: 1, 2), allowing her to accomplish greater feats of strength with the exosuit's weaponry and finesse.
A B I L I T I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Adaptative Claws - The feet and hands of 00 are well-equipped for grappling, climbing, and other physical tasks. Perfect for scaling rugged terrain or clearing obstacles out of the way.
◼ Pulse Blasters - Large-scale pulse weaponry that can be fired by the exosuit upon the user's request. These blasts have the ability to vaporize their target, or otherwise leave a nasty scorch mark upon impact.
◼ Homing Drones - These are small drones that can be unleashed from the back of 00. Their main purpose were to be suicide drones, but as Nancy has a finite supply of them, she primarily prefers to use them as survey drones instead.
Nancy Rodriguez had lived a simple life. She had been born to a well-known scientist and a politician, which offered a standard of life higher than most. She had plenty friends of her own, did well in school, and even participated in after school programs and community events. Had everything gone to plan, Nancy might've gone to college, found a well-paying job and potentially even married into another family and had kids.
Unfortunately, her life took a drastic turn.
Just shy of Nancy's high school graduation, her mother had been targeted by the Delgato crime family. A strong opponent and harsh on crime, she refused to bow to the Delgatos and push the city's political agenda and policies ever so closer in their favor.
And so, the Delgato family decided to rid themselves of the problem. A bomb had been fixed onto her car, wired to explode when the vehicle started.
When the bomb went off, charred chunks of metal littered the street. The area was coated in thick, blackened smog as fires burst into the air. And yet, the intended target hadn't been the one in the driver's seat. Nancy had become an unintended victim of a terrorist attack, having simply gone to go pick up food for her family one late evening.
Nancy should've died that day. She had no hope of surviving. Her wounds were severe, and she had been losing too much blood. Her father, however, refused to leave his only child to die, and instead rushed her to his lab at Veridian Technologies. There, her father retrieved top secret, abandoned research, intending to use it to save her life.
The Lazarus Initiative—an experiment to modify gravely wounded soldiers with cybernetic parts, allowing them to link to a specially-designed exosuit so they could continue to serve. Though the suit had been built, the project had never got off the ground. It had been deemed inhumane and unfeasible, and never had any test subjects.
Until now.
Hoisted onto an operating table, her father toiled away to save Nancy. Her body became more machine than human, with much of her flesh and blood unsalvageable. Though she had survived the operation, when she awoke, Nancy looked on in horror at what she had become. She cursed her father, wishing that he should have let her die and not become a monster.
Crying, Nancy had become a wreck; a rollercoaster of sadness and disgust. She had wanted to be as far as she could from her father. From Veridian Technologies. From Paragon City. She didn't know where she wanted to be, but from where Nancy stood, she felt she had been in hell.
Before Nancy could run off, however, a group of Delgato thugs had burst into the lab. They had come to finish the job they started, needing proof that her mother was no longer in the picture.
Fearful for her father, Nancy had immediately turned around to save him. She ran as fast as she could, but she hadn't been quick enough, for the Delgato thugs were hot on her heels. Nancy, now in their sights, expected to truly die there, slain by a hail of gunfire. Closing her eyes, Nancy prepared herself, only for her father to throw himself in front of Nancy, shielding her from certain death as his last act as her father.
As he bled out on the lab flooring, her father, with his last few breaths, begged Nancy to climb in the mechanical exosuit. He told her that she was still bound to do great things, but the only way she could was to survive.
And so she did.
Tearful, Nancy listened to the father she had just cursed. Under his directions, Nancy climbed into the exosuit; her new robotic systems syncing with the suit's controls. As the exosuit closed around her, Nancy soon found herself in control—and much taller to boot.
Like a baby learning to walk, Nancy awkwardly stumbled her way out of the lab, repeatedly smashing the exosuit into the Delgato thugs that had been stupid enough to stand in her way. A trail of broken glass, machinery and the like was left in her wake as she burst out of the doors, and disappeared off into the streets of Paragon City.
Once Nancy was certain she was safe and far away from the thugs chasing after her, she exited the exosuit. She let her emotions run wild, uncertain of all but one thing—she was going to bring the Delgatos to justice, even if it was the last thing she ever did.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
What do you get when you combine Cyborg from DC with Marvel's Peni Parker? Hopefully something that falls along these lines.
Of course, with how Nancy's background is planned out, I do intend on writing some Delgato crime-fighting shenanigans and see if Nancy could potentially bring down the criminal empire that had completely turned her life upside down and ultimately led to her father's death.
That being said, I also wanted to include her mother into the mix. How has her mother reacted, now that her husband is dead, and her daughter presumed dead as well? Has she pushed for more action against the various criminal organizations that litter the streets of Paragon City? Or is there something more? Something that lies behind the curtain?
Find out next time on Heroes Rise: The Wild Adventures of Zero-Zero!
Location: New York Streets, Natural History Museum Skills: N/A
Billie had a fair point. Although the likelihood that she would be fired was too real, there were more pressing matters on hand. "I'm certain my bosses would understand," She explained, giving her approval to the woman. "But that isn't what worries me. Leaving behind priceless artifacts on my watch—they'd be free for looters to run off with. I can pay for a candy bar; I don't have the millions to replace Apex."
That being said, Lex wasn't the stupid type. Staying was likely to mean certain death. It would be only a matter of time before those things were on the museum's doorstep and trying to claw their way inside. If any of them wanted to escape with their lives, it was now or never, especially when offered a ride out of town in a well-protected MRAP.
"As much as it pains me, though," Lex continued, swallowing the uneasiness that settled within her throat. "A missing fossil or jewel sounds better than being devoured alive."
Kali Nordstrom
Location: New York Streets, Natural History Museum Skills: N/A
"It's the safest way out." Kali explained, in agreement with those planning on leaving with the MRAP. It might've not been the most legal choice, but putting some thick, solid steel between them and those things outside was their best option. At least the cops in the building seemed to be okay with the fact that they had commandeered a police vehicle.
Kali glanced outside the museum's front windows. The crowd outside seemed to be getting ever closer, and it would take them some time to transport their supplies from Isaac's vehicle into the MRAP. They needed to act fast while time still allowed them to make a decision.
"We'd have to leave your car behind." Kali explained, handing back her boss his keys. She had yet to hear if Isaac planned on leaving with them or not. "Are you okay with that?"
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