The bear let out another roar, before biting Niah's leg and swinging its head around, causing Niah to be flung against the wall like a rag doll. There was a nasty gash in her left leg, one that definitely would need immediate medical attention unless she wanted to have it amputated - good thing she's in a hospital, right? The Demon Bear was continuing to ignore Oliver, focusing all of its attention on Niah. As its glowing red eyes seemed to peer into her soul, the Demon Bear raised his left paw, preparing a killing blow. You'll always fail a voice whispered into her mind.
Ellis Island - New York: 8:30 P.M.
Cass' group was under the cover of snow as they dashed to the quinjet. Super soldier types Falcon, Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and Agent 13 were firing off their weapons from the edges of the blizzard in an attempt to keep the skrulls at bay. Folly was skipping along happily, whistling slightly and doing the occasional handstand as she ran with everyone. "Just like Coventry," she said wistfully.
Bonnie's heart was pounding as she ran with Cass and the others. If they could get to the quinjet and secure it, they'd be able to escape the skrulls and rescue those who had been apprehended earlier. The unconscious girl from the X-Men was on that ship. She felt bad about the Avengers and whatnot who were in the brig of the quinjet, but it was nothing compared to how she felt about the kid. That was one of the main reasons why she had supported Hill's Laws in the first place - the rules kept kids out of danger. Although now it dawned on her - Hill was most likely a skrull as well. The entire thing probably had been orchestrated to get heroes to fight other heroes, making it easier for a skrull takeover.
She also noticed that the skrulls had replaced people with powers - people who were larger than life and could take out entire armies on their own. They hadn't bothered with someone like Agent 13, not when they could replace Captain Marvel and take her off the playing field. Speaking of Skrull-Captain Marvel, she sent down a ton of energy blasts at the fleeing group, hitting Andrew in the stomach. The blast went through his armor and left a nasty wound, the flesh melting off of a good portion of his stomach. The other blast hit Folly, blowing off her left arm. Grotesquely, the little psychopath just picked up her arm and kept on running. "Is anyone here really good at sewing?" she called out.
"I'll help," Bonnie told Folly. She was creeped out by her and was definitely wondering who thought it was a good idea to bring her to a fight like this. She was grotesque - but Bonnie wasn't going to just let her walk around holding her arm like that and just waiting for a new arm to grow in. That sort of body horror just made her want to puke a little bit.
They reached the quinjet - the ramp was still down from when the prisoners had been brought on, letting the group just dash on up.
Asgard - Breidablik: 12:20 A.M.
Amelia's eyes widened as Maria tried to stab her with an arrow - her earlier feelings had been right, there was something seriously wrong with this white chick. "What the fuck, cunt?" Amelia exclaimed. "Like one, that's so totally uncool trying to kill us - but two, why'd you do it in a room with actual gods and stuff? Isn't that kinda the worst time to do that?" she explained. Amelia was a very carefree and light-hearted person, but she was also from Operations. She knew what battles could be won and from Maria's position, this certainly wasn't one of them.
"Uh, what's a skrull again?" Amelia then asked Sparky. She hadn't heard that term before, not that she could remember. She knew a lot about UFO conspiracies and whatnot thanks to her uncle. People usually called generic aliens things like greys and whatnot - she'd never heard skrull before. The word struck her as a bit lazy, just being skull with an R added to sound all sci-fi and futuristic.
"There will be no fighting here," Nanna said, as a calming effect would come over everyone present. If they hadn't figured it out, it would be beyond obvious that she was a powerful empath. And as a goddess dedicated to joy and love, peace was definitely within her domain. "The creature has been subdued. Forseti will hold her trial in his court and decide an appropriate punishment."
Nanna's calming influence had the added bonus of helping Raynor to stop crying. When he had been a little boy, his mother used to do something similar in order to help him get to sleep. As a child of light, he never wanted to close his eyes. He stared at Nanna wistfully, still unable to believe she was there. His heart was overjoyed to see that Sparky was okay, but this was his mother. He couldn't help himself. "She's my dead mother," he whispered softly to Sparky.
"The skrulls must have been what attacked me," Raynor then said at a normal volume. "Last thing I remember was fighting them off and then... then I was here. And if they're shapeshifters, we don't know who on Midgard could have been replaced. Anyone on the planet is a possible suspect, like a damn infestation...."
Megan snorted slightly as Isabella asked if she wanted to share a room with her and Jack. Megan would rather put a fireplace poker through her brain than sleep in the same space as Isabella, not that she really slept anyways. She had always been an insomniac as long as she could remember. It had been helpful in medical school as she only needed a few hours of sleep in order to function, giving her more time to complete assignments and study for exams. Now in her adult life, she tended to use her extra time watching horror movies and true crime documentaries. She lived with her brother and knew that Jack was used to her strange sleeping habits. "You can sleep with Jack. You don't need my permission to do that. I can, however, help you with a coffin fitting if you think that would help you be well rested," Megan said tartly.
She went down the hallway and picked an empty room, going inside and inspecting the area. It was more of less exactly what she expected for a place like this. She closed the door, figuring that if Jack wanted to share a room with her he could just open it up and come on in. She drew excalibur from its sheath and examined it, running her fingers down the blade almost experimentally. "What do you think, Mina" she asked the skull, setting it down on the bed. "I see. That's rather wise of you to advise."
Location: Stark Tower - Top Floor Skills: Telepathy (Mental Link), Electronics and Computers
Pfft, me, wanting to join the Avengers? I'd sooner fight Wolverine to the death. She hoped that sounded convincing. She quietly made some mental moves to keep Pietro from reading her thoughts too closely, not wanting him to just barge into her mind and start looking around for her supposed secret desire to join the Avengers.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight, Pietro responded.
Guin couldn't help but burst out laughing at Iris' exclamation. Was it an intelligent joke? No. Did it amuse Guin and cut through the tension of being in the same room as Wanda? Absolutely. Pietro's jabs at his sister were funny, but they didn't make Guin belly laugh like Iris' joke had. "Babe, are you jealous that your sister spends her time with Vision and not you?" Guin teased lightly. It was also partially revenge for him insinuating that she was jealous the Avengers didn't ask her to join - which she wasn't.
Pietro rolled his eyes. "So nice to me Guina."
She would have continued with the mild revenge teasing, but they had business to attend to - namely Loki. Mary had theorized that he could be hanging around the Statue of Liberty. Given how the last time he pulled this sort of stunt he had used Guin's home of Stark Tower as a base, it made sense to her - and definitely played into the Stark family ego. What was the most iconic thing in New York after Stark Tower? The Statue of Liberty of course! "Statue of Liberty makes sense to me," Guin mused, walking over to one of the million computers. She logged on using Tony's credentials, smirking gleefully, and then hacked in to some security cameras near the Statue of Liberty with ease. Just as Mary predicted, Loki was there.
"Looks like you're right, Mare," she said, throwing up the feed onto one of the holographic projection displays so everyone can see. "Loki really is a basic bitch."
Neil Spellman
Location: Stark Tower - Top Floor Skills: N/A
Neil appreciated having Carolina's hand on his shoulder, as he was completely out of his element in this situation. He felt mortified as he heard Iris scream about the Vision having a penis, his face turning bright red as if he had been the one to say that and not her. Thor thankfully hadn't found out yet that he had been the one to blow up Klara's eye, otherwise Neil was fairly certain he would be dead. He was relieved when the conversation turned to finding Loki and then his exact location, provided by Guin after being hypothesized by Mary. He was too nervous though to really contribute any ideas.
Not to say that he didn't have any ideas - he was putting together a battle plan in his head. If they sent one group ahead as a distraction, the other group could pounce on Loki from behind. Loki might not even know that all of the X-Men had survived his attack, so seeing a smaller strike force probably wouldn't have even tipped him off. Unless, of course, he had some sort of invisible eye monitoring them - that thought sent a chill down his spine. Could the Scarlet Witch just reality warp Loki into a jail cell? Or was she no longer at that sort of power level? The explanations people had given him about the entire House of M mess had been contradictory.
"Loki is of Asgard. He is not a foe meant to be faced by mortals," Runa warned the group sternly. She held out her staff, Gandr, and it transformed into its full length. "It is noble that you all wish to face him, but to do so is to court chaos and tragedy." She then turned her attention towards Thor and Klara. "Us three should venture forth."
Emma Frost - succumbed to M-Pox. Time of Death: 10:59 AM, Feb 17, 2021
Vulcan - cured
Legion - mild symptoms
Morgan - mild symptoms
Toad - succumbed to M-Pox. Time of Death: 11:34 AM, Feb 17, 2021
Mild Symptoms: Headache, some splotchiness of the skin, fatigue and exhaustion Moderate Symptoms: Difficulty breathing, dizziness, vomiting, blood shot eyes, prominent veins Severe Symptoms: Vomiting blood, trouble walking, bleeding from the ears, extreme skin discoloration, general looniness
So far, only two individuals have "cured" themselves from M-Pox. The first was S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Cassandra Reed. The second was Gabriel Summers A.K.A. Vulcan.
The Hellfire Club
Lord Imperial and Black King: Reeva Payge, First of Her Name White King: Erik Lensherr / Magneto, of the House of M Black Queen: Selene, of the Externals White Queen: Esme, Phoebe, and Sophia Frost / the Three in One, of the House of Frost
White Bishop: St. John Allerdyce / Pyro [serves the White Queens] Black Bishop: Position vacant [serves the Black Queen] White Rook: Lorna Dane / Polaris, of the House of M [serves the White King] Black Rook: Nathaniel Essex / Mister Sinister, child of Apocalypse [serves the Black King]
Casper hated his father, but he really had forgotten what it was like to not be dying. His head was dizzy, not from being sick or anything, but from the rush of pure bliss from James picking him up and spinning him around. "But Satan did hand deliver it, Quicksilver is the Devil and my old man is like, the Super Devil - the devil that makes the devil do shit," Casper explained with some giggles. "He only sent us these cures because he wants us to do something for him, so he's pretending that he's nice, but he's really just as nice as someone who takes hot wax and shoves it up your asshole at sleep away camp."
He planted a sloppy kiss on James' forehead, snaking his arms around him. Even then, he was still fully aware of the conversations going on around him, and he snickered at Feedback's impression of his father. "I'm officially adopting you. That's hilarious and creepily accurate. And he doesn't use lotion, he uses axe body spray. It's so fucking gross." Whether or not Casper was telling the truth was anyone's guess. He hated Charles Xavier with a passion and would gladly push the old man in his wheelchair off of a cliff.
"Was it really?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow. "He always struck me as more of an Old Spice guy."
"Does it really matter?" Casper argued.
Veil was doing a mental rundown of where everyone with M-Pox in their family was at the moment. Max was MIA with Sunshine, hopefully nothing too bad would happen before they could get a cure to him. Jack was somewhere in the building. Spark Plug was in medical. Glimpse was just sitting at the table and hadn't taken one of the bottles yet. Veil wasn't about to wait for Sapphire or James to take charge in distribution, she opened up the pill bottle and set a pill down in front of Glimpse. "Take this," she ordered. "I agree that this mission isn't our normal thing - and as crude as Casper is, he's right. Xavier gave us these cures, so now we need to return the favor. The X-Men are busy with Magneto, so we're going to have to handle the Hellfire Club and these vaccines. I'll be leading the mission. I want three or four others to come with me. The rest of you, we got a potential lead on Max and Sunshine, I'd like to send you all out to bring them home and cure Max before he dies."
She stood up from the table, holding the pill bottle. "I trust you all to know where your strengths are. The tip came from an unknown number, so I'd be prepared for anything. I put out the word on Max and Sunshine's disappearance throughout the Underground system, so it could be a Purifier trap if they got wind of it. I'm going to go give these to our friends upstairs." Veil paused for a moment, before leaving the dining room and going up the staircase. She went to medical and gave Spark Plug a pill, instructing her to take it. She then went into the hallway and decided to check Jack's room first. She opened the door and stuck her head inside. "M-Pox cure. Take it. Then I want you to lead a mission to bring Sunshine and Max home."
Sunshine's eyes were still a bit wide with fear as Max banished the ghost. The salt and the strange words had destroyed it, causing it to fade away into nothingness. She felt the rush of wind against her face and then the air was still. The strange palace that they were in was completely empty, void of anything except for Max and Sunshine. That wasn't what shocked her though - what surprised Sunshine so much was that Max actually cared about her safety. He had ran out into the hallway, right into the path of an angry spirit. He could have stayed behind and hid, only caring about himself. It didn't make any sense to her why he had done that. He had joined the people who killed Erg.
"Why'd you do that?" she asked him, her words not carrying their normal bite. "You shouldn't have done that. You put yourself in danger to help me..." The little orb of disease she had conjured to light her path was still in her hands and she stared at it for a moment, before something just clicked in her head. She took a deep breath and let the orb dissipate. Her head felt incredibly strange as she went against her base instincts and tried something new.
She put her hand on Max and a soft yellow glow formed, as she removed the M-Pox from his body. It hardened into a silver looking crystal in her hands and she let it drop on the ground unceremoniously. She felt feverish from the action. She had never managed to heal someone before like that. She could only stop diseases she had caused.
Runa slowly regained awareness of her surroundings, but the crushing black cloud of depression and anxiety did not lift. The storm continued in her mind, leaving Runa's spirit scrambling for shelter against the elements. She felt ashamed to be breaking down like this in front of Klara and the others. It probably made them hate her, wishing that they had someone who didn't cry so much with them on this. They'd probably be better off if they left her behind and just did this quest themselves. The universe would be better off. Everything she touched was just going to rot, it was probably a mistake and her parent was actually the god of decay or something, not Baldur.
She flinched at Arnora's embrace. Runa was very much a person who needed personal space. She didn't like people going up to her and just hugging her, but she understood that Arnora was just trying to be kind and helpful. It only made Runa feel more ashamed that she'd react like that to someone's kindness. Yeah, the others definitely didn't want her around, she was sure of that. "I'm okay," Runa said weakly. She knew that it didn't sound convincing, but usually people just accepted it when she said stuff like that. They were usually just relieved they didn't have to have someone sad and depressing around anymore.
1. ALL SUPERHEROES MUST REGISTER WITH SHIELD AND REVEAL THEIR SECRET IDENTITY
2. SUPERHEROES MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD
3. SUPERHEROES MUST PASS SHIELD TRAINING - EXCEPTIONS INCLUDE TRAINING FROM THE X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, AND AVENGERS
4. ALL SUPERHEROES ARE SUBJECTED TO THE SUPERVISION OF SHIELD
VIOLATION OF THESE WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE EXTRACTION TO THE RAFT. MINIMUM SENTENCING IS THREE YEARS HOUSE ARREST. JUVENILE OFFENDERS WILL BE TRIED AS ADULTS. REPEAT OFFENDERS HAVE A RECOMMENDED SENTENCE OF TEN YEARS IMPRISONMENT.
ALL VIGILANTE ACTIVITY KNOWN TO SHIELD PERSONNEL MUST BE REPORTED TO THEIR SUPERVISOR OR LEAD IMMEDIATELY.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!
CAPTAIN AMERICA ON THE RUN?!?! IRON MAN TAKES CHARGE!
5:59 PM Update - Iron Man is holding a press conference at the Stark Foundation Headquarters. He is joined by superheroes Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Mister Fantastic, the Human Torch, She-Hulk, the Invisible Woman, and the Wasp. CLICK HERE to view the livestream!
We here at the Daily Bugle just got a tip from an anonymous source that the Avengers have split up!
Iron Man has claimed leadership of the group - we haven't been able to get a quote from the Playboy Billionaire, but our plucky team is on the case!
We'll be updating this story once more details come in, but please if you know anything about this situation or have spotted Captain America, call us out our toll free hotline here: 1-800-SPIDER.
If you want to read about more Avengers news, check out our piece from last Thursday where we explored the affair between Iron Man and Black Widow!
J.J.J.
TO: jjj@dailybugle.com FROM: jewel@thepulse.com SUBJECT: [Pulse] Iron Man's Press Conference --- ---
Jonah,
This isn't going to be pretty. I can cover this beat for you, but you need to promise no civvies will be out on reporter duty. I'm sure you've seen the conference - Captain America is public enemy number one. The Avengers are going to war.
Also, my usual fee will be doubled for this - let's call it hazard pay.
Keep it sleazy, Jewel
P.S. I mean it. If I see a single civvie pounding pavement for this, I'll break your face in :-)
Team Iron Man:
Iron Man/Tony Stark - genius billionaire playboy philanthropist
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff
Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers - power cosmic
Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards - elongation
Human Torch/Johnny Storm - flame on!
She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters - hulk form
Invisible Woman/Sue Storm-Richards - invisible energy manipulation
Breacher v Angstrom Hawkeye v Wasp Agent 13 v Black Widow Alchemy v Paralyzer Kwassi v Bonnie (forfeit) Breacher v Angstrom (rematch) Black Panther v Captain Marvel Falcon v Invisible Woman Captain America v Iron Man Spider-Man v She-Hulk Wolverine v Human-Torch
Team Cap: +4 Team Iron Man: +7
Rogue Superheroes:
Black Panther/T'Challa, super soldier - unconscious, in custody
Captain America/Steve Rogers, super soldier - unconscious, in custody
Spider-Man/Identity Unknown, mutate - unconscious, in custody
Wolverine/Logan, mutant - MIA
Winter Soldier/Identity Unknown, super soldier - active combatant - apprehend
Falcon/Sam Wilson - active combatant - apprehend
Hawkeye/Clint Barton - active combatant - apprehend
Agent 13/Identity Unknown - active combatant - apprehend
Woolf/Identity Unknown, mutant - active combatant - apprehend
Sparrow/Kwassi Asokho - active combatant - apprehend
Breacher/Identity Unknown, mutate - unconscious, in custody
Alchemy/Elizabeth Flame, mutant - unconscious, in custody
St. David's Hospital - Cardiff: 2:30 A.M.
Things really were looking bleak for Niah and Oliver, yet they had everything they needed in order to defeat the Demon Bear. They couldn't overpower it, not physically. The more afraid they became, the stronger the Demon Bear was. It fed off of their fear. How do you defeat your fear? Everyone has different strategies for this. Some are more practical - say, using salt and iron against a creature that is clearly magic. Others are more psychological, calming oneself down and finding peace in the situation.
There was a gigantic roar as the Demon Bear formed a massive hole in the ceiling and climbed on through, coming face to face with Niah and Oliver in the hallway. Oliver had already released his fear. It paid no attention to him, instead growling as it stared at Niah directly. It swiped at her with its paws, but somehow missed.
Ellis Island - New York: 8:20 P.M.
Somehow, the sound of Captain America's shield hitting the ground was audible over all of the fighting. Iron Man stood above the First Avenger, his expression hidden by the faceplate of his armor. He bent down and picked up the shield, feeling its weight in his hands experimentally. The Pro-Registration forces had won - so many members of Captain America's team were unconscious or heavily injured. Alchemy and Breacher weren't the only ones catching z's. Spider-Man and Black Panther had both been knocked out and Wolverine was nowhere to be seen, having been thrown across the sky by the Human Torch, only to land in the waters surrounding Ellis Island.
Iron Man whistled and the Iron Legion zoomed down to the island, surrounding all of the superheroes. There were easily fifty or so of them, all crafted in Iron Man's likeness. There was no easy way to escape from this. Some members of the Iron Legion were picking up the unconscious bodies and loading them onto Iron Man's quinjet and restraining them.
"Last chance to surrender, everyone," Tony Stark announced, his voice booming around the field. The Iron Legion must have been acting as speakers for him more or less, so there would be no one for him to not be heard. Tony tossed Captain America's shield in his hands. "If you surrender, I'll put in a good word for you - community service and whatnot rather than rotting in the Raft. All you have to do is put down your weapons and unclench those butt cheeks and register."
"Amran," Folly cursed in Anglo-Romani under her breath. She wasn't going to surrender. There was no chance of that. She took in those still standing on the battle field, twirling her knives as she thought of her best chance of escape. No one else was making a move to surrender. She wasn't going out without a fight. She held up her hands, walking slowly towards Iron Man. "Forgive me, baulo, but my English is not very good," she said, purposefully playing up her slight accent.
Bonnie frowned ever so slightly, feeling the tension. Why was Iron Man letting Woolf get so close to him? She was within twenty feet of the Avenger now, more than close enough. She knew that Iron Man had been fighting Captain America during this conflict, but something wasn't right here. Maybe it was the Iron Legion playing on her nerves after all of the reports she had read from the Age of Ultron nonsense. Or maybe she was just feeling jumpy after the realization that Flynn had been a skrull earlier today. Or maybe it was from their new teammate betraying them so quickly to join the anti-registration team.
"No problem, kiddo. All you have to do is stand down and agree to register - and since you look like you're what, fifteen? You'll have to give up crime fighting until you're a bit older," Tony explained a bit patronizingly, popping up his faceplate so she could read his expression.
Folly smiled unnaturally wide and she nodded. With unnatural quickness, she threw her adamantium daggers at Tony Stark. "Farmečiv House Stark." Iron Man should've been able to stop her attack. He should have been prepared. The daggers never should have gotten that close to them. Bonnie yelped in horror as the daggers hit Tony in each of his eyes and his head slumped to the side, dead. His suit was still firing off so his corpse was grotesquely suspended up in the air.
AND IT WAS GREEN.
"... He's a skrull. Iron Man is a skrull," Bonnie whispered. Before she could even process what was going on, the other prominent members of Team Iron Man decided it was time to show their true colors. Iron Man hadn't been the only skrull. With the exception of the Angstrom and her fellow agents, they all were.
"Leave no witnesses," the skrull-She Hulk ordered.
"Yes, your highness," the other skrulls confirmed, before going in for the attack.
Asgard - Breidablik: 12:10 A.M.
Most Asgardians would have been offended at Astrad's question. "Yes, several in fact," Nanna confirmed. She decided to give the mortal the benefit of the doubt, having sensed that his social skills were not quite up to par. It was almost cute seeing the mortal act as if no one had considered to consult a healer as to the man's condition. Nanna smiled softly, seeing that the young woman was reunited with her true love.
"Oh, hullo there, I'm Amelia, erm, Flyer of Planes and Cool Shit?" Amelia replied to Nadia, rubbing the back of her neck slightly. She wasn't really sure what the formal modes of address were here and all. She was trying to give Sparky and Raynor their space, especially since Raynor was completely nude and Amelia wasn't comfortable with that. She didn't find him attractive or anything, she just didn't like seeing other people naked. It was a bit weird.
Raynor's vision finally cleared and his heart broke into two pieces as he saw Nanna. He knew that she wouldn't know him - that she couldn't know him. But it had been eons since he had seen his mother, far too long since she killed herself to join his father in Helheim. His chin wobbled and he burst into tears, not that attractive a sight as he was, of course, naked. "I.... uh..." he stammered, trying to excuse his behavior, but he couldn't through the tears.
"I...." was all Raynor could muster. He couldn't bear this. It was like torture. His mother, Nanna, was dead. This Nanna was still alive, only she didn't have a son named Raynor. And even if she did, she wouldn't have been his mother. She was a stranger, he tried to tell himself, but he just couldn't. It was a cruel cosmic joke.
Location: Junk Yard of Hephaestus Skills: Sword-Fighting, Agility, Superspeed
Leda twirled her sword with a bit of a smirk as Demetri praised her. "If you spent as much time practicing as ya do whining, you'd be able to pull something like that off - not nearly as brilliant of course, but still something," she told the son of Zeus. She was a year round camper and when she wasn't running or patching up the shrines, she was sword fighting. Unlike her godly parent, Leda wasn't a pacifist. She loved fighting and in her opinion, she was the best swordsman Camp Half-blood had at the moment. Her sword was glowing a cheerful sky blue. She winced a bit seeing the funny angle Kiera's arm was at. "Eat some ambrosia, luv, that'll fix that right up," she promised.
"Someone else wanna pick at Mare's leftovers?" Leda shouted out. She then charged forward, zipping in and out between the automatons. She sliced her sword time after time after time, until three of them were dead at her feet. She came to a halt, grinning wickedly as she started to get ready for her next burst of epic-ness. As fast as she was, she couldn't run too fast while cutting up these villains as it was harder to make tight turns the faster she was going, so her image while running was only a slight blur instead of a complete one.
☀️ Nancy Parker ☀️
Location: Garden of the Hesperides -> Mount Othrys Skills: Psychoanalysis, Strategy
Ordinarily, Nancy would've been amused by comparisons of the monsters they fought to pop culture, but she was still holding a grudge against Waverley so she just rolled her eyes slightly. She had seen the Harry Potter movies, from what she remembered a basilisk was a giant overgrown lizard. Lagon was a dragon. And for the apples, she didn't think telling Waverley that they could give someone immortality was a great idea. She didn't want to see Waverley try and end up getting herself killed.
Mads was their ace in the hole as always, disguising them and making it easier than ever before to sneak past the dragon and walk up to the top of Mount Othrys, where the sky met the back of Atlas. They were in a bleak and dark ruins, perfect for the movie set for the lair of the main antagonist. The place sent a shiver down Nancy's spine, as much as she adored Halloween and all things spooky (it was her birthday, even). She could just feel the power and misery emanating from this place.
Nancy had a gift for psychoanalysis - it only took Atlas opening up his mouth for her to figure him out. He was arrogant, sadistic, psychopathic - and understandably wanted to see the downfall of Olympus. She figured that if the proper amount of pressure was applied, he'd be the type to scream out his evil plan. "Nah, we're here to see what a square loser looks like," Nancy taunted Atlas, crossing her arms a bit aggressively. "So At-lose, when you need to use the bathroom, do you just.... go? Is there poop smeared all over your asshole, since that would certainly explain the smell."
Location: Stark Tower - Top Floor Skills: Telepathy (Mental Link)
Guin was still slightly unnerved seeing Wanda wandering around her home. She knew logically that Wanda was an Avenger now, but she was having trouble relaxing around her. The knowledge that Wanda was pregnant felt a little Twilight Zone-y to her too. Was Wanda even qualified to have kids? Sure, she was a reformed supervillain, but she wasn't even old enough to drive a rental car. Did she know how to do taxes? Was Robot McRobot Face going to help her? How'd she even get pregnant? Robots didn't have sperm. Yay, you can be overprotective over her today then and leave me be, Guin whispered telepathically to Pietro, only mildly jealous.
You aren't off the hook for that either Guina, I can be overprotective of you both.
You have superspeed, you're not Multiple Man, she pointed out, before going over to her father. She-Hulk being around was new as well. Guin couldn't help but be annoyed with all of the new Avengers in the building. She didn't understand why she was feeling so irritated at others joining the group - she was with the X-Men after all, it wasn't like she wanted to be asked to join the Avengers or anything like that. "Hey, Old Man. I'm assuming you're all going to come help us out with this one?"
"Yup, that's kind of the idea."
"Is today, like, Reserve Avenger Day?" she couldn't help but ask. Besides her father and Thor, no one from the O6 was here. Hulk was understandable, as he was MIA still. Captain America she was pretty sure was either on vacation or sulking after the entire skrull business. She had no idea what was going on with Black Widow or Hawkeye though.
"Yeah, we thought it'd be nice to have the Reserve Avengers here to help out with the X-Men Little League Team," Tony replied sarcastically, shaking his head.
"Well maybe if you do really good today, you'll impress Cap and he'll promote you to be a real Avenger," Guin quipped back, smirking slightly. "I'll leave a good review for you. It's Iron Dude, right?"
"Wow, your words have wounded me, they actually broke my arc reactor! Is that the light I see? Everything.... dark.... going cold...." Tony said, fake falling backwards, clutching his chest.
Guin rolled her eyes and giggled. "Such a drama queen."
Neil Spellman
Location: Stark Tower - Top Floor Skills: N/A
Neil was a bit starstruck, having not really met anyone in the room before. Iron Man, Thor, She-Hulk, and the Scarlet Witch all in one place? He could practically feel the power radiating through the room. He wondered if the rest of the Avengers were already off chasing after Loki or if he had sent them some sort of sick game as well. His jaw dropped slightly as he realized that the Scarlet Witch was pregnant. He was pretty sure that crime fighting was against doctor's orders. He couldn't imagine that was healthy for the fetus. But then again, the Scarlet Witch was magical - she probably didn't have to play by ordinary rules. He admired her that way, since most of her feats reminded him of his aunties. They dabbled in dark magic and it matched what he had seen in the news from Scarlet Witch's years as a terrorist.
The She-Hulk scared him. He was afraid of the Hulk, he didn't like Lance, and knowing that there was a third person who could go green and smash things was not at all comforting - especially since the She-Hulk was already in her green smashing form. She at least seemed to be kind and gentle, something he couldn't say for Lance who seemed to switch between angry and (now that Runa was around) horny for his emotional moods. "So, uh, you're pregnant... That's, uh, cool. Do you need help with baby names?" Neil asked Wanda awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. He was hoping no one would tell Thor he had been the one to destroy Klara's eye.
"The mage indicated that Loki was near a harbor. Are there any nearby?" Runa asked, not having been in New York before really. She had visited Midgard a few times but she never remembered where anything was.
Megan raised an eyebrow at the news that her brother was going to be on the rescue team. While he was a cop, he was a detective - and one that didn't even carry a gun. She had as much faith in his ability to hold his own in a fight as she did in, say, a talking mouse being able to best a dragon. Sure, there was a way in which it could happen, but it simply wasn't likely. Gretel asked for her to go with the rescue group, so at least she would be able to keep her brother from getting killed. Someone needed to look out for him, no one else would. She was a bit disappointed Merlin wouldn't be in the same group as her, but it made sense.
Besides, she appreciated that Gretel thought of her as the weird girl with the bones. She had watched enough shows and read enough books to know that kids of royalty usually had a hard time dealing with people thinking of them as princesses and whatnot. She didn't want to be a princess, and she sensed Merlin was more likely to be weird about it than Hansel and Gretel. Although, wasn't just about everyone in Disney royalty? Were there really any commoners left? "No more questions here."
Emma Frost - succumbed to M-Pox. Time of Death: 10:59 AM, Feb 17, 2021
Vulcan - cured
Legion - mild symptoms
Morgan - mild symptoms
Toad - succumbed to M-Pox. Time of Death: 11:34 AM, Feb 17, 2021
Mild Symptoms: Headache, some splotchiness of the skin, fatigue and exhaustion Moderate Symptoms: Difficulty breathing, dizziness, vomiting, blood shot eyes, prominent veins Severe Symptoms: Vomiting blood, trouble walking, bleeding from the ears, extreme skin discoloration, general looniness
So far, only two individuals have "cured" themselves from M-Pox. The first was S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Cassandra Reed. The second was Gabriel Summers A.K.A. Vulcan.
The Hellfire Club - Earlier...
The Three-in-One were dressed from head to toe in black, a veil hiding their mournful faces. Their mother had died, succumbing to a disease before Magneto and his Brotherhood could return with the cure. Esme, Sophie, and Phoebe felt the loss keenly. Their attempts to resurrect their fallen sisters had been futile, with both of the pre-selected hosts perishing before they could begin the experiments. Just as they had done with Mindee and Celeste, the Three-in-One had made a copy of Emma's consciousness right before she died, in the hopes that they could find a suitable body one day.
All members of the Washington D.C. Hellfire Club were assembled, in order to select the next Lord Imperial and Black King. The White King, Magneto and the White Rook, Polaris were both still in the field. This meant then that in attendance was the Black Queen, Reeva; the Black Rook, Mister Sinister; the Three-in-One; and a visiting guest, the Black Queen, Selene.
"The Lord Imperial - Emma - has died," Reeva said, standing as she took in the small gathering. "The other circles have begun to question our leadership. If we are to prepare the homeland and see the rise of Genosha, we need to choose a Black King who will last."
Mister Sinister yawned slightly. "Please, Reeva, spare us the theatrics. We all know you're going to take the throne for yourself. Magneto isn't here to protest and Selene loves New York fashion too much to move to D.C."
"Oh, pish, posh," Selene said dismissively. "If there's anything that matters more to me than fashion, it's Genosha. I want to see every bouncing mutant babe on that island, living in peace and finding utter bliss."
"We claim the title of White Queen," the Three-in-One interjected. "It is our birthright. Mother wanted her successor to defend Genosha with their life, so we'll support whoever has the greater claim."
"Oooo, a duel! The winner takes the throne, I love it! Phoebe, Esme, Sophie, would any of you be a dear and fetch me some popcorn? With extra butter, I'm having a cheat day," Sinister cackled.
"I accept the challenge," Reeva said.
"Are you sure about that? I'm an external, darling," Selene boasted. "I never die."
Everyone had gotten healed up and there was still no sign of Max or Sunshine. Veil was getting worried. She wasn't worried for Sunshine, fairly confident she could handle whatever came her way - she was more concerned that Sunshine might have murdered Max. Jack's reaction to finding out what Mister Sinister had done to him was understandable, in fact it was comforting. Had he done anything other than try to bash his head against the wall, she would have considered him as not being blameless in his actions.
Most everyone was downstairs in the dining room, with the exception of Spark Plug as her M-Pox had taken a turn for the worst - she was up in medical. Veil had been calling various heads of Mutant Underground stations, giving them Max and Sunshine's descriptions in the hopes that someone might have seen them, but she hadn't heard anything yet. Well, that was until her phone buzzed with a tip from a number she didn't recognize. Someone had seen them near a strip club downtown called the Glitter Factory. "Someone saw them, they're at the Glitter Factory downtown," Veil announced. "We'll get a team to go and -"
There was a gust of wind into the Underground as Pietro Maximoff appeared out of nowhere and sat down on a chair in the room, and in front of him sitting on the table was a box of sorts. "Hey, was told to deliver this to you guys, it's cures for M-Pox that Xavier managed to get ahold of. And a message, apparently the Hellfire club might be targeting some vaccines being sent to the White House. Or something like that..."
Casper had his feet up on the table, blinking as he saw the box appear nearby. "Oh great, is Daddy Dearest trying to win father of the year?" Casper complained. He had to resist the urge to smash all of the cures to make a point, but he knew that wouldn't be a popular decision. Magik had already died because of this, a lot of people here were sick and they needed to be able to function. Casper was used to not really functioning properly, so he didn't mind, but other people weren't intimately familiar with the best ways to projectile vomit. "And do you have any idea how vague that is... just some vaccines? Like what, are the Hellfire Club people hoping the President is gonna use a dirty syringe they found on the street for his nightly good times? I mean it makes sense, his wife is definitely a lesbian."
"I'm pretty sure that's just a meme, Casper," Ben reminded him. "This sounds serious. You should pay attention - and take one of those cures."
Pietro had put a single sheet of paper in Veil's hands - it indicated an address. She assumed that was where the vaccines being sent to the White House were coming out from. She couldn't help but feel internally conflicted, as much as she was relieved that their sick would finally be healed. They needed to go find Sunshine and Max, but they also couldn't let the Hellfire Club assassinate the president or whatever was going on. "This is above our pay grade," she said bluntly to Quicksilver. "We'll handle it. Are the X-Men busy with a cross-dimensional tournament?"
Casper opened up the box of cures, seeing little vials of pills. He popped open one of the vials and took one pill - the dose needed - and dry swallowed it. "Nah, the X-Men are too busy having an orgy where they talk about how amazing they all are," Casper explained. "Oh, Scott, the way you wore that outfit was breathtaking!" he mocked in a falsetto.
"We're handling Magneto - speaking of which, I need to get back.... Good luck!" Quicksilver cheered, before running off and vanishing as quickly as he came.