Location: Russian Imperial Circus Tent City (Regent's Park) Skills: N/A
Virginia nodded at Mary's question - though truthfully, Virginia did not know Belladonna. No, she knew of her. She had heard the stories and legends ever since she was a small child, barely old enough to grasp a knife in her hand or to lift a small hatchet. She hardly registered Ludwig's explanation - though she understood his meaning behind it. He didn't kill then. For a moment, he seemed a little too normal to her. She didn't understand this restraint. Why not slay one's enemies? Whatever does not kill them will surely live to regret it.
"Farewell," Virginia said, as Belladonna vanished into mist. It reminded her of the message sent through the flames earlier that day - so many strange and wonderful things had happened. She did not doubt for a second that Belladonna had truly vanished. The legend said that she had sold her soul to the dark forces - such an exchange is typically accompanied with powers - the same powers that Virginia imagined the Russians trained in. But she knew that she couldn't dwell on this too long - as soon as this business was settled, they would need to ride to rescue Millicent. James would be safe in the protection of the Circus - his extended family.
Virginia didn't necessarily care for the evocation of Christian religion, despite the fact that it would likely convince a majority of those present. Her family practiced what was technically an offshoot of the ancient Slavic religion. Different sects of the family held different goddesses in high regard, with each Crypt child selecting a patron deity once they were seven years old. Virginia's patron was Veliona, known as the Goddess of Death and the Warden of Ancestors. That did not mean she did not respect Mary's beliefs - merely that Mary's argument was not as compelling to her as it was to others. Yet of course, Virginia wholeheartedly agreed with the admission of the Russians and the Germans to the Council - hopefully Ludwig would manage to convince Mary of the latter.
Location: Heading West Towards The Egyptian Museum Skills: N/A
Vera's assertion that a new science could explain the events occurring gave Nora pause. She had been assuming there would be some explanation of the strange events in a science that was already known to them - or perhaps through the logic of mathematics. But was there some new science that would explain brandings and ominous dreams? She could not imagine what such a science would be called - yet Lady Munn was correct. They were at a moment in time where there was still much left to be discovered, much that they simply did not yet understand.
She couldn't help but wonder if it would not be worthwhile for them to consult a physicist or a chemist - perhaps an astronomer? Science would hold the answer - and science itself was rarely ever understood in a vacuum. Lady Munn provided expertise on Egyptology to the group, while Nora could handle any mathematics. Yet what if viewing the problem through the mind of someone experienced in a different scholarly field would help to contextualize these matters? "Perhaps we would do well to consult a physicist - they may be able to offer some explanation to these phenomena. Do you know of any that you would place your confidence in, Lady Munn, in Cairo?"
Nora did notice the lack of either Peter or George - she would have expected to catch a glimpse of them by now. Yet perhaps they had already arrived at the museum and were awaiting them there. She was not familiar with either of them and had no knowledge as to their timeliness when it came to keeping engagements. If Peter and George did not rejoin them within the hour, then it would be a cause for alarm Nora decided.
Hey everyone. @BlueSky44 asked me to give you all your skill rewards. As you've noticed, you each get two new skills. One of these skills is based off of your performance in this arc. The other skill is education based. The Institute isn't just the home of the X-Men, it's also a school. And if your character is 18+, Professor X isn't letting them off the hook. He's started to run some college type courses. We based the courses your characters ended up taking and completing by their personality types, hobbies, interests, and so forth. If you played a SHIELD agent, rather than getting educated at the Institute, you were taught another skill by SHIELD.
Please edit these into your CS's within 7 days of this post or these skills poof!
Ayita: Berserk (Combat) and Cell Biology (General) Allison: Mental Stamina (General) and Sociology (General) Cassandra: Mission Strategy (General) and Acrobatics (Combat) Damon: Discipline (General) and Musical Theory (General) Nina: Leadership (General) and Forgery (General) Carolina: Mental Stamina (General) and Cell Biology (General) Charlie: Cool Headedness (Combat) and Electrical Engineering (General) Richard: Poker Face (General) and Sleight of Hand (General) Guin: Deduction (General) and Mechanics (General) Mary: Stamina (Combat) and Cell Biology (General)
Also, you may adjust your character's age for the new arc. Starting date is June 2020 I believe. If you want to edit possessions or update personality - hell, even add in scars gained from these past two missions - contact Blue for approval first.
Location: Brotherhood Headquarters - New York, New York {"What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me."}
Ay? Just as it caught Pietro's attention, it caught Guin's as well. Even though she didn't have super speed as a mutation, her mind worked faster than most. It took her a fraction of a second to put the missing pieces together. Ay was short for Ayita. And Mary had mentioned before about how sometimes, mutant siblings had similar powers - unless they were the Maximoff twins, apparently. It all made sense, but she wasn't going to blurt it out and say anything. If anything, she'd send secret notes to both of them, explaining that the other was their sibling. Keep herself out of it.
Or as Pietro blurted out the explanation, Guin supposed that worked too. She felt a spiritual connection to Allison as she passed out - with all of the damage her own head had taken that day, Guin wanted nothing more than to slip into unconsciousness. But the job wasn't finished just yet. She helped Marygold get Allison into the elevator, draping one of Allison's arms around her shoulder. She was too exhausted to freak out over whether or not she'd end up switching with Allison - and fortunately, she didn't.
"And I thought your family had issues," Guin commented to Pietro, after watching the pummeling session between Ayita and Richard (well, between wasn't the best description. It more seemed like Richard had volunteered to be her punching bag). But she couldn't help but smile slightly, as much as she knew what happened next would hardly be good. S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel would be on the scene shortly to retrieve the Brotherhood members, as well as offer medical assistance. She and Mary managed to get Allison out of the elevator, with Pietro getting all of his family out in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, from what she could tell, none of the Brotherhood members up here were fighting - and everyone seemed to be accounted for - except for Oshea.
And for once, she wasn't irritated that Nina was there. Well, that was a lie. She was still annoyed by her - but she wasn't at her maximum irritation capacity (yes, there was an index for that). At the most, she was mildly miffed with Nina's existence.
"Guin, are you okay?" Pietro asked, having finished getting everyone out - except for Sabretooth and Oshea. But after everything that happened, he wanted to make sure his girlfriend was alright. He had put a hand on each of her shoulders and was quickly checking her over, causing the young Stark to blush profusely. "Could be worse - go help the others," Guin said with a bit of a smile. As much as she was aching all over and her head was still moderately spinning, it all felt so very far away in that moment.
She glanced to the side, seeing additional S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel pull up outside of the Brotherhood headquarters. Pietro still hadn't let go of her as she turned back to look at him. He was staring into her eyes and she found herself unable to look away. His heart was beating quickly and Guin felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. She bit her lip slightly, causing Pietro to widen into a broad grin before he pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Pietro lifted Guin up off her feet slightly, making up for the more than six inches of height difference between them.
And in that moment, Guin realized that maybe the idea of soulmates wasn't that crazy after all.
Director Fury
Location: Brotherhood Headquarters - New York, New York {"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the donut."}
Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., walked into the Brotherhood Headquarters flanked by a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He came in just a minute after Pietro and Guin kissed, about five minutes after Ayita and Richard's beat down session. The speedster had run off to grab Oshea and Sabretooth, returning a second later with Sabretooth loaded into the prisoner van that S.H.I.E.L.D. had brought and Oshea into one of the medical vehicles.
"Agent Stark, you look flushed," Fury observed, his face void of expression and his tone a deadpan. Guin was still blushing bright red, her hair not nearly long enough to mask it. Fury's eyes then took in the scene. Most of the people there, he knew. Avalanche, Toad, Magneto, Scarlet Witch - the usual lot. He couldn't help but notice that Mystique was gone - but maybe that was for the best.
"He one of theirs?" Fury then asked, as he spotted Richard. There were no records of Richard's affiliation with the Brotherhood. "Agent Chase, go tend to the wounded. The rest of you, start escorting our new friends to the van. We're shipping them out to the Raft ASAP."
A blonde agent nodded before quickly leaving the building - Cassandra would recognize her. They once had been assigned to a team together. Half of the agents then split off from the others, slapping handcuffs on the Brotherhood members before escorting them out to the van. All except Laine - Fury still didn't have confirmation as to whether or not he was with the Brotherhood. There was a chance that he was with the X-Men, even if he did look a little old for it.
The blush had begun to fade from Guin's face as Fury turned to look at her. "Agent Stark - I said, is he one of theirs?" But although Fury didn't know it, the answer wasn't as simple as that question would imply. While Richard had worked for the Brotherhood, he had done it in order to find his sister. He had helped them into the lab - and they'd given Pietro a second chance before. It'd be hypocritical not to give one for Richard. He didn't believe in Magneto's ideology.
"No, sir. He's the sibling of one of the X-Men," Guin answered. It was honest - Richard really wasn't one of the Brotherhood. He was just a hired gun.
"Is that so?" Fury asked, turning to look at Richard and Ayita for a moment. "Guess I can see the resemblance. Agents Reed, Stark, van Essenhout - you've got tomorrow off. Expect you all in for debrief the next day," Fury finished. "Let's move out." He nodded at the other agents that had come in with him, before leaving the facility. Richard had been left behind. All the other Brotherhood members had been handcuffed and loaded into a van.
Guin then glanced over towards Richard, her gaze silently communicating her message: don't make me regret this.
December 28th, 2016 - 10:26 P.M. EST - 0 Days Since Hel Returned
I sense a great disturbance in the Force...
There seems to be a Star Wars quote for every situation and this is no exception. Just as Obi-Wan sensed the mass death as Darth Vader ordered the destruction of Princess Leia's home world, so would many throughout this universe and perhaps even the next sense a great tragedy about to unfold. Those with psychic abilities - perhaps even those particularly attuned to this sort of death - would be filled with perhaps dread or terror - maybe even indifference, depending on the personality. But knowing that something is about to happen does not give you the power to change it. The dice have been rolled and the fates have been determined.
Now, enter Hel from stage left...
Case Name: When In Doubt, Go to the Library! Members: Folly, Fairfax, Seraphina, Thalia, Lilith Length: 7 Days (Roll requests stop on day 6 - you'll only have 1-2 more rounds of this case left) Recruiting: Why the hell not? Goal: Come up with a plan.
While Lilith wanted a simple trip to the library, she receives anything but that. A ghostly hand reaches out and rests on her shoulder. Lilith, perhaps for once, will recognize this spirit. It's Fiodora Valeska. "Aww, puddin', you got to learn to roll with the punches. Whether you asked for it or not, you're caught in this shit storm and the only way out is to see it through," Fiodora said. "...Keep an eye on my girl, will you? She's hurtin'."
Outside of the library, Folly jumped back when Seraphina put her hand on her. Fairfax had just barely managed to beat the angel there, looking at Folly wordlessly. He wasn't sure what he could say to comfort her - other than be there for her. "I can't control it...He's in my head...I have to leave and get as far away from you all as possible. Or I'll hurt you too..."
Case Name: Angel With a Shotgun Members: Jessica Length: 7 Days (Roll requests stop on day 6) Recruiting: Probably best if you don't...O.O Goal: Don't die!
On the other end of the line, Sayuki actually gasped. It wasn't a real gasp - it was more of a "how dare you ask such an easy task of me as if I'm not capable of it?" sort of gasp. There were a few choice words muttered in rapid Japanese before Sayuki switched back to English. "Yeah, I can get you in touch with them. Their security is shit - guess they figured that the supernatural wouldn't try and hack them," Sayuki commented. But suddenly the line went quiet and Sayuki screamed. "...What the hell?" Sayuki whispered.
Fergus
Location: O.M.E.N. Panic Room - O.M.E.N Headquarters - Washington D.C. Interacting With: Various @BlueSky44@Peridot@FantasyChic
There was a bit of silence in the room as various officials looked at one another. Eventually, Acting Director Irwin cleared his throat, drawing all of the attention towards him. "How many civilian casualties would there be if we combine the plans?" Irwin eventually asked. His eyes darted over the room, somehow making it was clear that he wasn't finished speaking even though silence was hanging. "Hel means to destroy us. If we have to sacrifice in order to defeat her...That's a call I'm willing to make."
"But sir, the president would need to authorize--"
Irwin held up a finger. "You know damn well the president is useless to us in this situation. He's out of political capital and his replacement spends all day on Twitter. We don't have the time to convince people that action is necessary. We have the power to act - and may god have mercy on our souls if we fail."
Rupert Cornish nodded, rubbing his forehead before turning to face the monitors once more as he regarded his niece. "Agent Cornish, help Agent Fletcher and Miss Calliban in finding the physicist. Use of lethal force is permitted. Head there immediately - we'll send you additional instructions."
"Roger that," Jade replied. "Try not to end the world without me," she then quipped, before disconnecting from the video call. It wouldn't take her too long to reach Coventry from her present location. From Alec's plan, the flight time to the Boston area is only half an hour. As soon as the orders are given, his plane turns sharply as they correct their course. For Bronwyn, it's an hour and a half plane ride away.
"We could lure her to Canada," Fergus mused. "They're all too nice...And you've seen how they play hockey, I'm sure they could handle themselves." He sighed slightly. He already missed his private stash of booze down in his home/prison cell. And as fascinating as this meeting was, he already knew the conclusion they would arrive at. They'd try to trick Hel (and they'd fail), they're attempt to kill her with her own weapon (which would be hilarious, but likely fail in his mind), and then they'd go to the nuke - which would fail again and wipe out the Eastern seaboard.
"What?" Fergus then said, noticing a few rather appalled looks that he was given. "All they do is produce maple syrup! There's hardly any value there!"
Aloise nodded. She understood Mariana's apprehension about heading to Hel's designated meet up location already. It wasn't a long trip to make, so they didn't need to leave anytime soon to make it as well. For a moment, her thoughts drifted towards Darren and Liam. She once had something with Darren - and she nearly had something with Liam. For a moment, her weariness was clear on her face. She had lost too much for one lifetime.
"So...How to trick a goddess...Should be an easy enough plan to come up with," Robin said, cracking a bit of a smile. The conversation had been serious and heavy so far, making smiles and jokes rare. She paused for a moment, drumming her fingers on her side. While they had lured plenty of monsters into traps before, a deity was a first for her. "I guess it works the same was as any lure - we distract her with something."
Aloise's eyes lit up for a moment. The perfect idea had just popped into her head. "With bait - and I know exactly what Hel would come running for," Aloise said. "The cloak will increase her powers - she's desperate to get it. And she hasn't gotten it. It's in Massachusetts. If we get the cloak - or make her think we have it - we can lure her to us."
"Are there any sigils that can hold her?" Robin asked. A plan was beginning to form in her mind as well.
"Those aren't the correct sigils and warding," Hel said as she stepped into O.M.E.N.'s panic room. She had appeared from seemingly nowhere. One moment, the corridor outside had been empty. The next, there was a vibrant flash of green light and the marble floor had been scorched, with a gigantic sigil carved into it. Hel was a tall and regal looking figure, yet with a horrifying visage. As if someone had drawn a line down the middle of her, her left side appeared to be withered and decayed - as if half of her had died. The other half was the epitome of beauty and youthfulness, of health and life.
There was a thud as a handful of individuals in the room fainted at the very sight of her.
"Now, there's no need to be alarmed. I would offer you a choice - to die or kneel before me - but I sense that your choice has already been made...Yet I shall do the kindness of letting you know before you perish that a nuke would have done nothing more than amuse me." She looked around the room, before lifting the large sword she carried in her hand.
There was no warning - Rupert Cornish sprung up from his seat and threw himself at Hel in an attempt for the sword. Irwin provided him a cover of bullets, but they did nothing to the goddess. And when Cornish's skin brushed Hel's skin, he began to shake wildly before falling entirely still. The goddess then smirked before throwing her sword at Irwin. It skewered him and Hel then held out her arm, the sword flying back towards her and returning to her hand.
There were 143 people at O.M.E.N. headquarters that day. What followed could only be described as a bloodbath. There would be only fourteen survivors.
The heroes were the first to die. Their blood was spilled on the ground by Hel's sword or their bodies fell limp at her touch. Yet with each person the died, Hel began to create an army. As the Goddess of Death, she animated the corpses and set them on what had once been their allies. Fergus seemed to hardly mind as Death greeted him. Agent Zacharia fought till the very end, until she too was killed. Agent Evans died protecting Bronwyn, only for Hel to slay the druid as well.
"Isn't this better?" Hel said, walking through the blood drenched facility. Among the thirty in the panic room, only two had survived. The other eight were scattered throughout O.M.E.N. headquarters. The goddess paused for a moment, seeing the bloodied but still breathing form of Alexander Jakobsen.
"Do not mistake this for mercy - you retaining your life. It is crueler to leave you to exist whilst your allies have given their lives for their cause. You will speak to the leaders of this world and instruct them to lay down their arms - or I shall lay waste to them just as I did here tonight," Hel warned. She then vanished in another gleaming beam of light, leaving O.M.E.N. headquarters heavy with silence.
Alec would have witnessed the entire slaughter on the monitors.
Now, the other survivor in the panic room with Alex? It's a young scientist for O.M.E.N., specializing in biology, neuroscience, surgery, and medicine. His name? Ricky Goldsworth.
In the midst of their signature greeting, Edwina had used her abilities to render herself invisible. She successfully planted the tracker on the leader of the group, throwing a mild optical illusion up towards the fire escapes in order to draw the attention of anyone perceptive. Mercury hadn't actually spotted Edwina - he had spotted a shadow that she had bent into existence there. Once they entered the building, Edwina remained outside, using both the shadows and her ability to stay hidden. No one had noticed that she was there and for a moment, she wished her friend Nyt was there. They always made a spectacular duo together. Nyt manipulated sound and Edwina manipulated light.
She waited for a few minutes, before quickly hurrying out of the alleyway. The nearest police station wasn't too far away. By the time she had hit the main road, Edwina made her way into the middle of a small crowd - college students going out partying for the night - and ceased using her power. No one noticed an extra person in the crowd suddenly appear. She walked through the crowd and made her way to the police station, heading inside.
"1Olá, gostaria de denunciar um crime," Edwina said as she walked into the station.
The tired officer looked up from the desk, staring for a moment at her. He then sighed and nodded. "2Sim senhorita?"
"3O anel de abdução - o Crânio Vermelho - você sabe o que eles fizeram. Isso lhe dará as coordenadas para onde eles estão mantendo os reféns," Edwina replied. She handed over a flash drive to the officer. It contained the same tracking software that she had - meaning that even though she was giving it to the police, she also had a copy for herself.
The man blinked awake. They already had an asset in the field working this case, but there was always a chance something could go wrong. He accepted the flash drive and plugged it into his computer, before opening the program. It was tracking the abduction ring, just as Edwina promised. "4Vou deixar o chefe saber - há uma recompensa," he said, signaling one of his fellow officers to go get the chief.
Edwina shook her head. "5Não preciso de uma recompensa." She then smiled at the officer and left the police station. She imagined it'd be a while until they were on the move - and thankfully, they shouldn't notice the tracker she had planted. She had a lot of practice with this - it was her field of expertise. Edwina paused for a moment before heading down the street, stepping into another alleyway and using her power to vanish from sight. She didn't want anyone to follow her. She then made her way back to her tiny apartment, only letting herself be visible once she was inside and sat in front of her laptop, program running.
It was just a waiting game now - just waiting for the gang to move.
1 = Hello, I'd like to report a crime 2 = Yes, miss? 3 = The abduction ring - the Red Skull - you know what they've done. This will give you the coordinates to where they're keeping the hostages. 4 = I will let the chief know - there's a reward. 5 = I don't need a reward.
RPM
Achronum
kittyluna45
Scrawl Banditta
Not a Sayan
KazAlkemi
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