Mutants And Mayhem - The Main Thread

It was evening in the city. Most of the streets were deserted as the New Order of America imposed a strict curfew. Tanks and small groups of soldiers were gearing up for their nightly patrols. Quiet was in the air.

One of the few straggling vehicles still on the road was a bright purple minibus. While the paintjob itself was mildly vibrant and colorful, the occupants of the minibus were even more so - a ragtag group of humans and mutants, who all had a story to tell.

The bus was driven by a dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks. He looked to be about sixteen or seventeen and was merrily whistling a lighthearted tune as he tried to avoid Nazi patrols to reach their location. A young woman in her late twenties stood up in the front of the bus, holding a clipboard.

"Okay, that finishes the roll call up. Now, it's time for some introductions and a general overview about what's going to happen once we reach the garage. I know we didn't really have time to do proper introductions before we boarded the bus but I'm assuming you all know who I am." the woman started confidently.

Indeed, people would be hard-pressed to find anyone in this city who did not know who this young woman was - Lexi Rockwood daughter of the leader of the Black Berets. The woman, however, was joined by a tall, muscular man who wasn't as familiar. He was wearing a black beret (like the woman) and carried a wicked looking hunting rifle.

"Oh, I almost forgot, this is Dave. Former member of the British military and my personal...bodyguard" Lexi introduced the man. It was clear from her inflection on the word that she didn't much care for having a bodyguard.

"Anyway, me, Dave, and Jimmy here," Lexi started again, gesturing to the dreadlocked bus driver, "are going to be the only permanent members of this new base we're establishing. The rest of you are free to come and go or you might be deployed on some mission somewhere else. Now, I'm sure this is all a little confusing to you so does anyone have any questions about this new base operation that we're setting up?"

In the front seat set a man with bright orange hair and a goatee. He raised his hand, which appeared to be covered in a dark gray medieval gauntlet, wrought with beautiful, intricate patterns in the metal.

"Does this base have a forge, even a portable one?" he asked. "And does it have a store of workable metals, or a means of importing them?"

In his other hand he cradled a similarly ornate close helm, its long horsehair plume dyed to nearly the same color as his own. A sheathed dagger rested in his lap, though the others on the bus likely noticed him loading a strange metal pole into the back before they got on the road. It would hold together until he could reestablish contact, Toriar thought to himself.

edited 12th Aug '14 4:23:49 PM by StygianEmperor

The beggar in the last row scratched his back and then turned and tossed, trying to get a little shut eye. "Fuckin' limeys." He added upon the mention of British bodyguard. The guy did look haggard and uncouth, terribly out of place. As if somehow a random, out-of the mill homeless person had been shoved on the transport.

He coughed. Probably a heavy smoker from a long time ago. Muttering something, he got up and hobbled a few seats forward. "Jus' a couple of things. One, why the limey? I mean, we used to have good stuff under Uncle Sam's roof back then. An' those tea-sippers were also Nazi supporters back then." He coughed." And the second is if you'd be available later tonight? Those NOA fucktards have brainwashed every single ol' good spitfire woman into a dimwitted doll. I'm jus' lonely these days."

He continued to hobble around for a fair bit, before clumsily sprawling himself on some random seat."And where's the damn hootch? Can't do nuthin' without a lil' shot."

A woman in a deep blue dress looked the vagrant over with a disapproving eye. "We're getting ready for the biggest operation we've ever launched, and you're thinking about booze? You're pathetic. I can't figure out why Lexi wanted you. You seem like you're not even useful for manual labor." She turned away from the disheveled man with an obvious look of disgust. "Why did I allow myself to get roped into this? They know I work best on my own."

Also at the front, a tanned-looking young man in a black coat and scarf—who had at first appeared unfazed by the beginnings of a potential confrontation—suddenly sprang up when the hobbling hobo decided to fall on his seat. The leafless bonsai that he had on his lap was now held over his beret-clad head.

Thick eyebrows were raised only slightly at the wreck of a man now occupying his entire seat, brown eye blinking. Looked like he'd have to play doctor before they even made it to their hideout.

"Sir," Nicolas Durant began, "are you drunk?"

Alex has been scoping out the place along the way while spinning her butterfly knife nonchalantly and listening to 'Come As You Are' by Nirvana before her CD player's battery died and have came up with a brief evaluation: Good number of destroyed buildings on the outskirts of town, might look into them either during her mission or her free time, the town itself is just another boring Nazi propaganda culture, seen one in Florida, seen one in all.

And she has a hand in the Nazi's downfall, Alex rolled her eyes on that thought, she does have compassion for the mutants but not enough to risk her life or what little freedom she have to liberate them because, well, look at them, they have tanks and rifles and shits, how do you beat that? But then again, her own reason to join is even more pathetic, the recruitment essentially goes like this: "Yo."" Yo?" "I see that you have a lot of music CD that you're selling to the black market, you must be good at scavenging". "Yeah, I guess." "We need someone like you in our mutant liberatio-" "Not interested in dying, brah, I just want music-" "WAIT! Some of us have some unscathed music collection!" "...Really?" "Uh, yeah...and we allow you to search for more provided you find the necessary stuff for us." "Okay, sure."

Regardless, she's already going on for the ride, so might as well put some effort into it. When Lexi ask them for questions, she rose her hand, ignoring the bum on the bus because she's used to it back in Florida, bums are always on the bus, even school buses(how and why).

"Yeah, 3 questions," Alex asked. "Firsly, what state is this? Secondly, can you show us to the nearest black market? And finally, can I take you out for steak dinner? Because you look beautiful."

The last one was in obvious jest but goddamn, Lexi looks stunning.

edited 12th Aug '14 4:56:11 PM by sgtpendulum

A loud groan came from a seat near the back - its well dressed owner raised a pale, scarred arm. "Are we there yet?" Sjan Haze asked with a dry humor, flopping the appendage onto the seat in front as her trademark grin emerged, "I thought we were here to fight the Nazis, not homelessness. Let him be drunk, when he passes out we can make him shower anyways..." She added, stretching uncomfortably and crossing her arms. Sjan, or 'Schrondinger' as she was known, wasn't used to travelling the long way or even taking vehicles - so slow and clunky... The teleporter straightened her tie and observed the agitated but allied others, hoping this new mission would be worthwhile. She hated to think of staying on once place for so long, more so if to no purpose.

edited 12th Aug '14 5:22:13 PM by Lt.BGob

Towards the middle of the bus, the man in tan cargo pants and a white t-shirt known as "Hank" was sitting down, trying to sleep. He couldn't - and not just because it was physically impossible, but because everyone seemed content to be in a madhouse.

"Can it!" he said to the entire bus. "Is there a man or woman on this bus who has a question for the girl that doesn't involve asking her out for dinner? Otherwise shut up and keep it in your pants."

Despite himself, Nicolas felt a little cowed by the outburst. Clearing his throat, he turned as best he could (the hobo wasn't leaving him with much leg space) to Lexi.

"Sorry about that. I should probably check the—" he glanced back at the sprawled man "—eh, gentleman, while he's here. Could you..?"

He awkwardly held out the pot to her, a slightly embarrassed blush barely visible on his cheeks.

"Well, shit, dude," Alex retorted, chuckling a bit at Hank's reaction. "There's a hobo on board going around asking us to pay tithe to his church of alcoholism and you're been picky about me picking up dates, or do you like picking on small girls?"

Meanwhile, she was accelerating her spin on her butterfly knife slowly but steadily.

"I do have a question, Lexi. Can you at least tell us where we're headed? If you trust us enough to travel with you personally, you certainly trust us enough to give us a destination." Amanda coughed slightly. "Sorry, I've been fighting a cold recently. I think the cold's winning."

Toriar's honest question was seemingly lost among the clamor of the bus. He sympathized with the man who had shouted, but knew it would likely only cause more trouble. If he weren't trying to appear respectful to the woman who had assembled them, he'd have attempted to escape into his enclosing helmet minutes ago.

His eyes didn't stray from Lexi as he waited to see what she would do.

edited 13th Aug '14 2:35:42 AM by StygianEmperor

"It has a fireplace if that helps. Unfortunately, we don't have any store of metals with us at the moment to help you with your blacksmithing. However, I'm sure once we capture a few Nazi bastards, we can melt their weapons down to whatever you want. And trust me, this base will have plenty of opportunities for you to capture Nazis. New city, new base, new leadership." Lexi said confidently to Toriar, hopeful about her first time being in charge of an entire base.

That moment was, of course, ruined by Jonathan Doe. Dave had already stiffened at the "limey" comment but he out and out raised his rifle at his fellow Black Beret member when Doe called the Brits Nazi supporter and then had the balls to... ask Lexi out?

"Oy! I'll have you know that us Brits were kicking Nazi arse long before you Americans even landed in Europe! And if you think some guttersnipe like you has a chance with the boss then..."

"ENOUGH!" Lexi shouted, trying to silence both Dave and Amanda. Dave glowered but lowered his gun.

"Doe has proved himself in battle before and that's why I want him!" Lexi addressed Amanda's concerns.

"But, seriously, calm down, no more racist outbursts, and...just...no more asking me out. Espescially in a Nazi infested city like this one. Clear?" Lexi asked Doe before turning to answer Alex's questions.

"What state we're in? Wisconsin. Didn't you see the signs on the way in? Although, I guess they are a bit hard to see when they're covered in ivy. As for the black markets, Mario Carcano is trying to set something up near our location. I'll get back to you on that." Lexi answered, pleased that they were back on track in terms of relevant question.

And then Alex asked her out too. Lexi actually looked down at her clothes to make sure she didn't accidentally come onto the bus naked or something. She gave a questioning look at Dave who just shrugged. Lexi looked as though she was about to retort when Hank put in his own two cents. She gave him an appreciative nod in response. Jimmy the bus driver, however found the whole situation hilarious and was currently cracking up.

Lexi did awkwardly hold the pot for Durant but she looked a tad confused as to why she was doing it. She wearily turned to Amanda again.

"We'll be going to an abandoned garage. That's going to be our new base here in Green Bay. It'll be our central meeting place, cafeteria, HQ, hospital, armory, and anything else you can think of. I don't think I need to tell you that the location of this new base is of the utmost confidentiality. Tell no one outside of this bus about it." Lexi said, grasping the handle of her machete as a grim warning.

"Now, does anyone else have any questions that don't involve asking me out?"

"Mr. Carcano's here too?" said Nicolas, his smooth voice sounding professionally neutral. His eyes, though, seemed light up for anyone paying attention to notice.

But then he remembered the hobo that was currently giving him very little leg room.

"Right," he said softly while turning back to him, swiftly pulling off his blue gloves and stuffing them into his pockets. Despite his concerns, he easily gave the hobo a reassuring smile. "Sorry about that, sir. Mr. Doe, right? Now, Mr. Doe, don't be alarmed—I'll just be checking to see how you're doing, physically. If you can understand me, just tell me if anything starts hurting."

Without anymore prompting, Nicolas's bare hands began to emit a faint, light blue glow. Slowly, he brought his hands down—the pace more for the benefit of his new patient, to prevent him from lashing out in panic—until they hovered over Doe's midsection, which also started to glow under them. He looked back at Doe's face.

"You doing alright so far, Mr. Doe?" said Nicolas, his own expression relaxed.

edited 12th Aug '14 8:16:35 PM by BlackRevolver

Toriar found it difficult to ignore the blue light the man sitting next to him was emitting, but he was unable to hold his concern,

"Forgive me, a fireplace? That simply isn't adequate. Without any forging equipment or metal, I just don't see how I can be of any use to you."

edited 12th Aug '14 8:48:09 PM by StygianEmperor

"Well it's not like they could haul all that stuff into a new base easily, place is probably just about empty. We'll just have to make or steal new ones," Hank said from the seat behind Toriar.

He spoke up louder towards Lexi. "Speaking of which, what sort of medical facilities are we rolling with from the start? I can bet that there's no dental equipment, but how are we on everything else? Do we at least have some gauze and disinfectants, or will we have to get those too?"

Sjan had a hand over her mouth, trying to physically hold in her laughter and failing spectacularly. Wooing Lexi was apparently going to be the new favorite pastime at this hideout, and a fun one at that, "No more asking you out?" She asked incredulously then grinned dubiously, "Well, that's alright. We can just stay in and have a chat by that fireplace, eh?" Sjan winked and then skillfully tumbled up a over into the next seat, just behind Doe and 'Mr.Durant'. She watched him work on the hobo with a bit of fascination, not even pretending not to stare, "This must be a great trick at parties for you..."

Suddenly her head picked up with Lexi didn't disclose the hideout's exact location, anxiety crossing Sjan's face, "Not knowing where we're going could be problematic if we ever need to come back... Can you be more specific about the location." She tried not to sound alarmed but she couldn't help but be worried not to know where she was - with powers like hers, that could be the difference between getting where you need to go and winding up in a wall. Not a fun way to go.

edited 12th Aug '14 9:28:54 PM by Lt.BGob

Nicolas only glanced up at Sjan for a moment before facing his patient again.

"It's usually more helpful as an after-party cleanup," he said absentmindedly. "Still doing alright there, Mr. Doe?"

Jonathan Doe was about to reply something, but he only frowned. "I can't believe you guys were recruited, seriously. No ability to discern truth from lies at all." He shrugged, as his arm shot out like a snake catching the glowing wrist, squeezing it with a steely grip. "I'm rather fine actually." He added, in a more subdued, civil tone...devoid of all emotion and without any noticeable accent.

"Save the party tricks for when it's really needed. When someone's spilling the guts or something." He added, jumping in a single move to the middle of the bus and swatting out the hand, and producing a black beret from his haggard Hobo clothes, adjusting it in his head. "Ah that was fun. Brits and their legendary sticks up their asses. And you are so cute when flustered, Lexi. I bet CD girl thinks that too." He paused.

"For the more serious flavor of questions I would say... How are the communications in this area? Any notable geographic accidents, or maps we can use? Does our black market contact admit a grocery list? Since we're surrounded by Nazis, which are the ROE?"

Nicolas's visibly startled reaction to Doe's sudden coherency lasted for a few seconds before being replaced with a more neutral reaction. His clenched jaw and racing heart were the only responses he gave to the fright—he paid no heed to the pain in his left wrist, even after Doe let it go. Despite his calmer expression, however, his gaze gained a slight layer of exasperation at the remarks thrown his way.

Pointedly ignoring Doe's comment about his "party tricks," Nicolas instead made a simple flicking motion with his (right) hand—engulfing the not-hobo in the dim healing aura.

(Anger? Not something he was prone to. Slightly childish irritation at the sheer lack of respect for trying to be helpful? Well—everyone had their off days.)

Tilting his head to the side, he stared at Doe for a moment (possibly as if daring him to complain), not wavering until he turned back to Lexi.

"Thank you. May I?" he said, nodding to her and holding his (still glowing) hands out for his bonsai.

edited 13th Aug '14 9:43:20 AM by BlackRevolver

Alex giggled a bit when Lexi looked down on her clothes, it looks like she wondered if her clothes made her look sexier today, ignoring the blue glow Nicholas is giving out to the hobo for now. Alex was about to flirt with her more but then the hobo talked about how cute Lexi is when she's flustered. "Yeah, I just love the blushing, it's a shame about the Nazi thing, otherwise we would have a lot of free time for the 2 of us."

She then shifted her focus to the homeless dude and said "By the way, I'm only recruited because I somebody noticed I can scavenge very well and ask me if I could scavenge from debris for a cause, I don't have to differentiate between truth and lies, and my name's Alex Elmsworth, what's your name?"

Then the faux hobo got engulfed in a dim blue glow, prompting her to asked the man in boring clothes "And what is that glowy thing, Mr...?"

edited 13th Aug '14 2:09:40 AM by sgtpendulum

Sjan's grin grew, slumping back into her seat and clapping lightly, laughter gradually following, "I should have known... you're quite the entertainer, Mr. Doe." She congratulated the faux-bum, kicking herself for not seeing the control in his stumbling a slurring. His 'education' of Nicholas Durant as of when the laying of hands was necessary reminded her of the Systema instructor in Moscow. The teen who was listening to music seemed impressed as well, the healer himself regaining composure very quickly. This posting was looking better all the time, "I have long since learned to trust neither truth nor lies, besides - I'm here for transport and trickery." Schrondinger said by way of introduction, "Something tells me you're well versed in the latter."

Jonathan frowned upon the applying of the unneccesary field to him. "Oh great, I'm now a human lightlamp." He added a sarcastic clapping. "And only at the expense of a critical power such as healing. Really cool man."

He paused. "Jon Doe." He curtly said. "Also known as the Nutcracker. I did learn a couple of things from old Uncle Sam, may he rest forever in peace." He added to both ladies. One was underage and the other well, had an exotic mutant appearance and only the voice let him peg her as girl, but so far, the female public was rather palatable. "Oh, I seek to entertain ladies all the time. It's a favorite hobby of mine."

"Get me into some farmland and I can take care of the grocery bill. I'll just need some muscle to haul the take."

Amanda shifted slightly in her seat. "Communications and landmarks I can't speak to, but as for rules of engagement, I think we need to be cautious. Strike when and where we can afford to, but staying hidden should be top priority. We also need to focus on a specific target. Some government official or infrastructure. Something that will announce the NOA is vulnerable, but they won't know who to look for or where to search."

"Mr. Doe, you did offer yourself up for a checkup—I intend to see to that no matter what," responded Nicolas patiently, not even turning to look at Doe.

edited 13th Aug '14 11:18:33 AM by BlackRevolver