"Yeah well, I don't think my, uh-" a beat. " friend will appreciate having her family join an organization with a criminal inner circle even if the outer one is legit" Access explained.
"Anyway, sure you can attend other business if you have to, umm Sand?" he was still not sure how to address the heroine. "But I'll check things out first on my own for now" (with help from Question and Rocket, he hoped.)
Love is Love is Love
Just a spider with an archer on his back
Spidey swung around until he landed in the construction site that Hawkeye had pointed out. Hey, whaddaya know? Oscorp. Maybe the fight would give him an excuse to tear the whole thing up, cost ol' Normy a few million bucks. Peter pushed those kinds of uncomfortably vindictive thoughts from his mind as he quickly found a piece of rebar and bent it into an arch before putting a strand of his webbing and tying it on the other end and handing it to Hawkeye.
"It's not perfect," he admitted, "And the web'll dissolve in about an hour. So if I were you, I'd get to that sporting goods store."
My various fanfics.
Freelance Worrywart
—Stark Tower—
"Sandman, Axel. Or Wesleigh if you prefer." she forced a smile. Not out of irritation so much as realising once again that she kept veering towards a monotone. Like her master. She cleared her throat.
"Well nothing I need to do has a time limit, at least I think. I'm not sleeping much at the moment anyway, so anything I can do I will."
She looked at the vid screen displaying the other heroes.
"Anyone else joining us or do we have other issues we need to worry about?"
Construction Site
Kate pulled the web bowstring back to test it. "Very nice. Ever think of patenting this stuff?"
It was afternoon that day when Coulson's relaxing afternoon got put on hold, as a notification popped up on the nearest screen saying he had a video call coming through. On the other end was Maria Hill in her office, with a desk full of folder piles, and back windows displaying distant agents milling about between computers of their own. "Coulson, it's Hill. I've got an assignment here that could conceivably play into STRIKE's specialties."
Lucha Libre goddess
Mary Batson
Somewhere in an apartment in New York there was an average girl with a normal life. Or was she?
Mary Batson was excited to get in another mission. But there was only one thing between her and her freedom: her math homework. One scribble, one blur from her eraser, and she was done.
Mary opened the window of her apartment. She could feel the cold wind caressing her cheek. She did the unthinkable––She jumped from the window. A little girl was seen falling from the sky with a, seemingly, out of place, cheerful smile. She closed her eyes and extended her arms.
“SHAZAM!”
A lightning bolt hit her in the back. The little girl was mysteriously replaced with an adult woman with a superhero costume, wearing a lightning bolt as a symbol–– she was Mary Marvel. Some heroes got so used to their powers that for them flying became as exiting as breathing. Not for Mary. For her, every transformation was always a thrill, just like the first one.
Construction site
Flying though the city, looking for a place she might be needed, Mary Marvel spotted the teenage superhero and master archer Kate Bishop; as well as the friendly neighborhood Spiderman.
She landed lowly until she was standing up a few feet from the ground.
“Spidey!”
“Whatcha doing?” She waved at both heroes.
I"I have a doll that looks just like you. It helps me sleep at night,” she told the web crawler. “But I like your red and blue costume the most.”
The other was an archer girl she had never hear about, but from her bow and her costume it seemed like she was a superhero.
“Nice to meet ya! I’m Mary Marvel.” She waved her hand to both of them with a wide smile in her face.
“Would you guys like an extra hand?”
edited 23rd Sep '16 9:53:26 PM by FallenLegend
Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.
Laura blinked as she processed the proposal from Paige, then spoke "I find myself in agreement. I have already gotten a good view of the grounds when I arrived, and thus further review of that area is pointless. In addition, review of the personnel I will be sharing the building with is a good idea. Given the high concentration of powers on display at this facility, a threat evaluation is in order to determine who is the most dangerous in this building and establish effective countermeasures."
She said all of this in the same flat tone of voice she had maintained throughout the time she was in the building, as if she was discussing the morning weather and not plotting how to kill everyone around her.
edited 23rd Sep '16 10:39:31 PM by Meanken
Construction Site
"I'm Hawkeye," Kate said to the incredibly perky newcomer. "Spider-Man and I are on the run from a murderous television executive. I'd say we could use some help."
"Kiiiinda already knew that, Rocket, if my 'crust' quip was any indication," Tony replied, taking another chug of his green sludge. "From what I've read of Dad's old files, shaky background dealings is one of the reasons why he left, which sort-of matches what you said... though that Illuminati-esque jazz is pushing it, don't you think?"
He started to bring his glass back up for another sip when Jarvis walked through the open doorway and into the camera's view, carrying a tray of crackers, dips and cheese slices, as well as a plate of freshly-cooked bacon strips. Behind him, a certain blonde followed inside the room; clad once more in her normal white outfit, Power Girl walked over to Miss Martian, gingerly handing the teen what appeared to be a small pile of ripped-up white-and-blue rags. "...It kind of tore some more while I was taking it off," she said sheepishly, one gloved hand on the back of her neck. "I'll pay you back for it, okay?
The sound of someone clearing their throat got her attention, and she glanced up at the reception room's screen, spotting Tony with a relieved - and slightly amused - smirk. "Heya PG," he greeted, bringing up his glass in a half-toast.
The blonde blinked, before dropping the wrecked replica outfit in Miss Martian's hands and promptly hiding her own hands behind her back. "Hey Stark," she replied, cheeks a bit flush from having been spotted by someone in the room* as she returned an outfit she almost literally burst out of. "Uh... rain-check on the dress you lent me?" she blurted out, clothes still mostly on her mind.
Tony nonchalantly waved a hand. "Ehhh, after what happened last night, I think I can understand if you don't pay me back," he said with a half-good-natured, half-amused tone. Both looked at each other for a moment, before letting out a few faint giggles.
"Maybe," Rocket responded to Tony, and then taking a slice of bacon from the serving tray and biting into it. "Cor, this is good," he commented as he ate. "There have been multiple groups in the past with the same name, and there being a pattern does not mean direct connection. However, whether it does turn out be some sort of centuries old secret society of villains we're dealing with here or just some rich wannabes with a flair for the dramatic, I wouldn't be surprised either way. From everything I've seen from both me career as Halfworld's Head of Security and from everything I've seen on this planet alone, I've learned to expect the unexpected."
edited 26th Sep '16 6:50:26 PM by UdtheImp
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HOTTING HELPY!!
Ms Grey blinked at Laura. "...All right, then," she said, pushing the door open. "In here we have the..." she steadied her breath, "...the formal sitting room, where everyone can relax in peace and quiet, and nobody should have to feel threatened, byyyy anybody." She adjusted her forced smile, and lead the two through into the room on the right. The walls here were lined with books, both study material and literature, with a long table in the middle and some computers on the wall off by the side. "In here, we've got the library. Full of books and quiet studying, as you can see. There's a door to Professor Xavier's study on the right there, and on the left is the Day Room, which we've outfitted into another classroom..." She crept over to the Day Room door, through which the sound of conversation could be heard.
"...look at the word SUMS right here. Now, Aurelie, you look awake enough; what're the odds of me finding an 'S' if I look through that word?"
"Um, two out of four, sir."
"There you go. And what're the odds of me finding a 'U' or an 'M'?"
"One out of four"
"Got it in one. And now, we just add those up together, two quarters, one quarter, quarter to one, and we get a nice biiiiig...one! Boom! Got it all in one, and that's the bit you've gotta remember. Any sum of probabilities has gotta add up to one. Come on, get jotting it down, Hong's got the right idea there. The sum...of the probabilities....of all possible outcomes....iiiis ONE."
Ms Grey gently pushed the door open, revealing a nicely spacious room, with tables here and there for four-to-five person groups to sit around. The kids there were in their early teens, and most of them looked perfectly normal, aside from the one wearing plenty of jewellery, the two with noticeable wiry muscle, the one with a duck bill, the one with six white fox tails, and the one that looked somewhere between a boy, a monkey and a tiger. Over at the far side, a blonde man in his late twenties in a shabby smart shirt and tie was writing the key sentence out on the whiteboard.
"All righty, that said, here's another quick quiz. Let's say there's a 3/10 probability of Mister Summers heading down the sidewalk scott free." He paused, and was met with silence. "...Scott free." He paused again. "...Cause his first name's Sc- All right, here's the real joke. Now, who'd like ta tell me the odds of Mister Summers stepping in dog shhhhuuuuhhHey! Jean! Hi! Didn't expect you, uh, down here, right now."
Ms Grey cocked an eyebrow with a knowing smirk. "Well by all means, don't let me stop you. What was the end of that little quiz?"
"...you know, I'd rather not say."
"I didn't think so." She turned back to her tour group. "Girls, this is Mister Drake, he'll be your mathematics teacher here. Mister Drake, this is Paige Guthrie and Laura, our newest enrolees."
Bobby put on a charming smile as quickly as flipping a switch. "Hey kids. Just ignore the 'Mister Drake' bit, most folks here call me Bobby. And some folks..." With a flick of the wrist, he conjured a tesseract of frozen moisture into his hand. "...even call me Iceman."
"Spare us the routine, Bobby, you're in the middle of a lesson, remember?" Ms Grey gave the two girls an apologetic glance.
Vampire Hunter
Rogue, Stark Manor
"It seems that way, Sandman," Rogue said to the Personification of Dreams. "I can scope out Mutant Town and see if there is anyone outta the ordinary there."
"If the Hellfire Club's interested in mutants, they'll likely be there," Rogue shrugged, figuring that was a good plan.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Paige blinked and tried to absorb everything she was seeing. Although she'd already been introduced to some of the students, the casual way they were sitting together still threw her. At home there had been an albino kid, Luke Dubois, in her year. He was friendly, open, and a generally nice boy. And yet, not a day went by that she didn't see someone giving him a look, as if they had just noticed that he was different and wanted to see how close he was to them. The same way you'd look at a leper or a drunk. Oh, there was no overt bullying that she'd heard of, but the cool distance that people sent towards him was in some ways worse.
Here she didn't see any of that-people looked calm and relaxed about being around folks who looked very different. The fox-tail kid seemed to be ruffling his tails in a rhythmic fashion, but that might just be a tic. It was almost too good to be true.
While she was taking all of this in, she couldn't help but pick up on Ms. Grey's discomfort. Paige was starting to get really concerned about Laura-the younger girl was still operating on Terminator mode. What could she do to help her relax?
And on yet another level, important facts were registering: That Bobby guy was VERY cute.And the back of her hands looked like gravel. She hastily stuck them in her pockets and gave him and the class what she hoped was a friendly nod.
Love is Love is Love
Booster's Apartment
"-Ive O'clock," Booster Gold was telling Skeets as the pair of them came in through the balcony window, "At Battery Park, where you can best see the Statue of Liberty. That'll make some good pictures, right?"
"Of course, sir. You're very photogenic, after all." Then Skeets flitted away to carry out whatever task Booster had given him.
"So," Booster asked Moon Knight, "How'd I do?"
SHIELD HQ
Coulson quickly closed out of one of his windows, which was definitely not being used to watch the old Captain America cartoon, before he tapped on Hill's picture and made it fill the screen.
"What's the issue, Hill?"
Construction Site
"Well," Spider-Man said dryly, "It's not like I can patent things from behind a mask." Hawkeye wouldn't be able to see it, but she could almost certainly hear him rolling his eyes. Then Mary Marvel showed up and he was pretty confused. "Uh, yeah, sure. Could always use another hand."
My various fanfics.
I have a plan.
Booster's Apartment
Moon Knight raised a glass towards Booster Gold, in celebration.
"After that show, Boost? Godfrey's going to be reeling for awhile. Now I don't have the ability to look into the future, like some people... but I can say we won't have to worry about him for awhile."
"@[=g3,8d]&fbb=-q]/hk%fg"
"Earlier today, one of our tech surveillance teams intercepted a message being forwarded between a variety of businessmen and entrepreneurs, all of whom have been suspected of, or outright displayed, discriminatory behaviour to mutant groups. I've just forwarded the message to you now."
The email icon had popped up while she was speaking, with a new message titled The Mutant Problem has a Solution
We would like to ask if you, like so many people in the modern, civilised world, have concerns over the following issues:
- The booming population of genetic aberrations at birth.
- The very real potential for damage and destruction these mutations carry.
- The philosophical troubles of a rising population of people in direct violation of the divine plan.
- Those who insist that these mutations are 'good', these people are 'normal', and society should accept these creatures as if nothing is wrong.
If you are concerned about one or all of these problems, then you are not alone. 51.9% of Americans have registered deep concern for the direction of society, as mutant births have shown an exponential increase in the past five years alone. Worse, the more gullible contingent of society has allowed the mutant population to convince them that these people are normal, the 'next stage in human evolution', and that the rest of the western world should roll over and ignore the atomic bomb in the room. The numbers are growing, the voices of reason are being drowned out, and for many, it seems that there is nothing anyone can do to prevent it.
Fortunately, there is hope and salvation for the good people of the world. American law may be slow to adjust to the proper attitude and approach in dealing with the mutant population, but allow us to tell you about an enlightened little land called Genosha.
Genosha is a small island nation, just off the east coast of Africa and north of Madagascar. In 1929, it became a crown colony, and 37 years later an independent state. During the Apartheid era in South Africa, Genosha elected to follow the example of its distant neighbour, even as other african nations were deposed by native radicals. But before long, the existence of the mutant gene became wildly known, and the Genoshan government came to realise the true enemy: not the skin colours of the outside, but the infernal genetic disturbances emanating from the inside.
Over the past three decades, Genosha has played her cards close to her chest, staying out of international affairs, cutting out the prying eyes of nations that may have more backwards views. As such, you'd likely never have known how much Genosha has blossomed and flourished behind the garden walls. As of this year, Genosha is among the richest countries in the entire world. Our capital city, Hammer Bay, is a thriving metropolis where the finest amenities, technologies and resources can be enjoyed by all its citizens, and we owe it all to the proper treatment of the mutant race.
Since 1988, mutants of severely abnormal appearance and behaviour have been disallowed from public areas where they might disturb the regular citizenry, and excluded from employment where the working class, middle class and upper-class man will need it most. Power-negating collars, once fitted, can negate the mutant gene entirely, removing the risk of damage incurred by the more dangerous types. But that's not to say mutants are entirely disposable. Thanks to the tireless work of our resident genius, Doctor David Moreau, we've developed a means of making our homegrown lemons into lemonade.
At a child's thirteenth birthday, they are tested for the mutant gene. If we find what we're looking for, we hand the result over to our good doctor, and the subject is converted at a genetic level into a resource that can profit the nation. Need some heavy lifting? How about construction? Maybe even a new computer system? Our Genegineer's got you covered, and even better, the converted products can be rendered as docile as a cow, so you need never worry about the 'machines' acting up on you. Thanks to the wonderful doctor, we've managed to overcome the labour shortages that crippled Apartheid South Africa, and give our citizens the paradise that they deserve. But what if, you ask, all of this isn't enough? What if the mutant scourge breaks out of control, and brings the land to rack and ruin?! Worry not, dear friend, because our magistrates are equipped with every technological and biological resource to bring the undesirables down, and our specially streamlined judicial system means we can have the right terrorists locked up, or entirely eliminated, in two shakes of a lamb's tail.
Here in Genosha, we sincerely hope our hidden gem will someday form the blueprints for the global society of tomorrow. Our little island home could be the envy of the world, but sadly, the world isn't quite ready for us yet. But don't think for a second we're hoarding these wonders for ourselves! Today, we are glad to extend you, yes YOU, a personal invitation to come to Genosha, and make use of all its wonders. Come see for yourself what the world can be, free from the fools and the criminals of your own land, and where the evils wrought by genetic differences can be purged once and for all. In fact, why not sort out your own problems while you're at it? Know any mutant nuisances that need a good seeing to? Well bring them on down to us, and we'll show them what it means to be a mutant in Genosha. That's right! BRING YOUR MUTANTS, bring your villains and scourges, and we'll good use of them yet, or else rid the world of a few more rotten eggs.
Come to Genosha, a green and pleasant land of hope and opportunity, where the watchword is FREEDOM!
Hill checked Coulson's reactions to see if he'd finished reading, then said "Seeing as your team deals with the superhuman, it makes sense for you to formulate a way of dealing with this. Quietly, if at all possible. If you can think of any extra resources you'd need, human or technological, we can have them sent over to you, so long as it's within reason."
Love is Love is Love
Booster's Apartment
"I've told you, Marc," Booster said as he walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer, "I'm not seeing into the future anymore than you would if you went back to the 1800s and told Lincoln not to go to the theater. I'm just aware of history as it's been written." He paused to take a sip before continuing. "This won't do anything to Godfrey and it wasn't meant to. He's a gross, tiny, scared little man in a bubble who abuses his power. I was aiming for the viewers, anyone whose minds I could change even for a second. What I've got planned for later? That's what's gonna hurt him. Just you wait."
SHIELD HQ
Coulson rubbed at his chin in thought. "So you want STRIKE to go into Genosha," he asked, "And try to find proof of what these Genengineers are doing? Am I getting that right?" That sounded like espionage. Which might mean leaving Booster behind. After all, the man was famous. And he glowed.
My various fanfics.
I have a plan.
Marc rested back into his chair, grinning.
"Does it have to be a secret, or can you tell me what you have cooking up right now?" he asked. "I won't tell anyone. Promise."
"@[=g3,8d]&fbb=-q]/hk%fg"
Love is Love is Love
Booster gave that a few seconds of serious thought before he broke out into his usual grin. He set his beer down on the counter top before he brought his hands up to his mouth and imitated a trumpet, humming the first few bars of "Hail to the Chief."
My various fanfics.
Construction Site
"Well, you could always set up a limited liability corporation, run it through some shell companies, and have them pay you under your business name," Kate said. "Just saying."
She slung her bow over her shoulder and approached Mary Marvel. "We'll need a plan for how to deal with Godfrey and Edge. I may have made an enemy out of Edge. In my defense, I totally could have kicked his ass if he didn't have a bunch of security guards who broke my arrows."
And so, everything was set into motion. Rogue headed for Mutant Town, along with anyone interested in accompanying her. Superman was waiting just outside when Power Girl exited the building. "Sounded like an intense discussion in there," he remarked. "If it's something important, we could save the test for later, or..."
"That would be the most direct route, yes," said Hill. "And if that's the option you take...Going back to my statement about human resources, Director Fury feels your team might benefit on this mission with the addition of a mutant operative."
Laura blinked as she processed all of this, before turning to Jean. "Ms Grey, I must object and state my confusion. I was told by your professor that this was a facility geared to training mutants in the use of their powers. I do not see what basic mathematics has to do with this mission goal. Furthermore, the difficulty level of the material here is extremely low. I do not feel this is something I require training in, and to do so would be an inefficient use of my time, as I am unlikely to ever have reason to make use of any form of mathematics beyond that which I already know."
Paige's eyes were still busy taking in the curious array of people before her to catch the first few words of Laura's question, but she was very curious as to the answer, mainly because she wanted to see how Ms. Grey approached the young mutant's unorthodox behavior (and also because she didn't particularly like math). A sudden flicker of irritation rose up, only to be crushed by guilt. Geez, I can't get mad at her. She's really been beaten into submission-probably doesn't know any other way to be around people. A round peg hammered into a square hole. Poor kid.I hope the Professor can help her get into some kind of a regular life and not just sent back to those Big Brother jerks at SHIELD.
She also couldn't help also noticing that much of the class, including the teacher, had paused to look at Laura as she spoke, since the girl hadn't exactly been whispering. Then again, she likely didn't see a reason to whisper. She's just calling 'em as she sees 'em. If she got loosened up, I bet she would be a lot of fun to have around.
edited 23rd Oct '16 6:40:36 AM by Booky
Thankfully Stark was nice enough to have Jarvis drive Rocket back over to the hotel to pick up his jetpack. Took him a while considering the first floor was still a crime scene, but he managed to find it quickly. The bounty hunter decided to head back to his base first to get into his working clothes, since it was located on the border to Mutant Town already.
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HOTTING HELPY!!
—Stark Tower—
Gimme yer lunch money, dweeb."So they're specifically targeting mutants?" Wesleigh said thoughtfully.
"Not sure if Ming's parents joining the outer layer is too alarming in that respect, they shouldn't be involved in anything illegal," she said to Access.
She stroked her chin.
"Would it help the investigation if I tried to join? I've got the pedigree. Or is it strictly invite-only."
Getting to know the outer circle would be a hell of a start. With any luck, once she could identify a number of them she could find them again in the Dreaming, maybe even work her way towards identifying the inner circle. She paused.
"How urgent are we considering this investigation? I'm glad to help of course but I've been... home less than 48 hours, I have affairs to get in order."
And a relatively objective reality to relearn. She'd lost count of the number of doors she'd already walked face-first into assuming they'd just disappear.