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| | | | Morlock Tunnels, New York City
“Sarah?”
Marrows cool gray eyes opened slowly at the sound of Skids voice as she lay on her cot in the small store room holding nothing but her bed and a small mediation shrine, giving a deep sigh and grunted as she rolled her back to the young girl. She needed sleep desperately.
She had just returned from a food run with Warren, it had taken all night but they had enough provisions to last them through the month and now all she wanted to was get a good two hours of sleep before the had to change watches on the main storm drain access points into the New York City sewer ways. If the Freedom Force or any of Luthor’s forces found about them, it would surely be the end for the Morlocks and Marrow would be damned if that would happen.
She assumed leadership of the Morlocks over a year ago, after the founder of the group Calisto died fighting off a small group of Warmachine’s…..thankfully all were destroyed but Marrow held her mentor in her arms as she passed her mantle on to the young warrior. At first Sarah was reluctant, but all agreed with her mutant ability to manipulate her bones into fierce fighting weapons and armor….she was perfect, strong and able to make sound choices, but she felt like time was running out for some reason.
She knew about Brother Eye…she knew of Cerebro and this Charles Xavier guy that was hooked to it, and what was worse, Marrow knew that Luther, Stark or any of the other Washington big wigs knew that Morlocks existed and they were down here, but why hadn’t they sent a force to wipe them out?, were they not considered a real threat or worth the time? Sarah never really thought it over; perhaps it was a good thing, it wasn’t the Morlocks job to save the world or fight the good fight, just survive.
All this was going through her head as drowsiness was beginning to take her and then she heard Skids voice again.
“Sarah?”
Marrow sighed and groaned, her bone growth covered back still turned, trying her best not to snap.
“What?”
“It’s Joseph; he needs to see us in the Comm. room”
“Sally c’mon I just back three hours of carrying dried food packets through the Eastern sewers. I can deal with in the morning.”
“You know I wouldn’t get you if it wasn’t important.”
Marrow sighed running a hand through her spiky red hair, still not turning as she spoke.
“What does he want?”
“He wouldn’t say…just that we needed to get to the comm. room.”
She gave one more defeated sigh and rolled off her bed and turned to see her friend, her blond hair pulled into a ponytail where she wore her trademark tan cap and matching jumpsuit.
Marrow had saved Skids over 5 months…Cerbro had found about her mutant ability to generate force fields and Luther OMAC’s had come a calling…Sally fled into the sewer and was pursued, Marrow and band of Morlocks engaged them and Skids was grateful, besides her mutant abilities, she was a gift mechanic, she got the lights working…helped with an Irrigation system for fresh water and made the Tunnels livable, some of the Morlocks distrusted her at first, saying she would bring Luther’s might down on them, Marrow trusted her and that was all anyone needed to hear.
They walked through the various passageways until they came on a long catwalk and looked down onto the large football field sized room, small tents all in neat little rows, some their lights on and others off, very quite.
Skids looked at her…..Marrow’s indigo and emerald battle suit showing slightly in the light, her soft pink skin revealed in her arms and her mid drift. But on that skin were brown pallid bone growths, the most notable ones protruding out of her back in six long growths, bone like horns on her forehead, but more so Skids saw a leader who had the weight of many things on her mind……it had been very hard everyone all over the World since Luther rose to power, especially if you were Mutant or Meta Human, Luther wanted all of them dead or slaves to him, and all were doing their best to fight or conceal themselves form him, Skids knew every leader of those groups most likely had the exact same look in their face that Marrow did.
“All finally turned down huh?” Marrow said
Skids sighed. “Yep, Tabby was the last of course. She really wanted to see you when you got back, made me promise to come get you the second she woke up.”
A gentle smirk came on her face as she did not look at her friend.
“Yeah.”
Tabby was one of the few children down in the tunnels, a young girl of nine with no family to speak of, she had been along with one with first groups who escaped Arkham, a mutate with no real abilities, she looked liked an orange tabby cat with blue pupiless eyes and with her name being Tabitha it fit just right, when she first arrived she followed Marrow around constantly, saying she was “cool” and very brave.
Archangel had joked that Marrow was getting a fan club; it could be annoying sometimes, though secretly Marrow was very fond of her, and she brought a lot of light to this otherwise gloomy place.
They moved on. After a time they arrived into the communications room. It wasn’t anything to spectacular, mostly just surveillance gear…they had no real need for defense systems down in this labyrinth, the sewer was their defense…one could get lost for quite a long time if they did not know the Tunnels. And here Marrow’s other two commanders sat.
Archangel sat the head of conference table wearing his blue and white battle armor his metallic wings folded some his long blond cover his blue skinned face, he had been formally Warren Worthington III, billionaire playboy and an entrepreneur. That is until Luther forces discovered his ability with angel like wings and taken Arkham immediately, but not after Warren put three guards in hospital...
However the military saw some combat applications and altered his genetic makeup turning hid feather into razor sharp wings of death trying make their own Dark angel to lead their air forces , at first Warren almost went mad… but with the help of Joseph who he had met in the medical wing…..he focused that hatred into helping his fellow inmates escape the hellish prison, and even though Stark had frozen his accounts and assets he still got just enough capital to acquire the surveillance and communication equipment that was now here, he was Marrow second in command.
Joseph, who leaned against one of the terminals, was the most mysterious of the Morlocks wearing a red purple body suit, and his long silvery hair pulled a pony tail he arrived with Archangel, apparent according to Warren, he was a near perfect clone of Erik Magnus Lensheer, other wise known as the Master of Magnetism…Magneto. Aged down to his early twenties, Joseph posed only half of the legendary mutants power, but he was not without his infamous streak of defiance, as he and Archangel escaped with handful of refuges into the sewers, quite and reserved, he kept to himself when on duty. Marrow did not know why he was created, but Joseph had saved her life countless times, if he wanted to tell her, he would in time.
At the moment however, Marrow was tired and wanted nothing more then go back to bed, she sighed collapsing the ratty old office chair.
“For the love of Christ Joe, you couldn’t wait two hours…..two lousy hours?”
“We’ve received a communication from topside, marked urgent.” he said very business like
Skids perked up with curiosity.
“Like a message...for us, really?”
Marrow sighed began to get up and leave “Geez, it just Mactaggert wondering if we need medical stuff, call me when something really import----“
He cut her off. “It is from Asteroid M…from Wonder Woman, head of the Avengers.”
This stopped her in tracks as she turned around slowly crossing her arms over her chest Skids mouth opened a little as she stammered.
“THE Asteriod M, THE Wonder Woman, THE---?”
Marrow snapped. “Skids knock it off.”
Skids quitted and Marrow looked at Joseph.
“What’s this message say exactly?”
“According to the Avengers Luther has developed a self thinking hunting robot, with almost flawless body structure, I’ve seen in weapon layout Sarah…truly terrifying….they intend to destroy the main prototype before it’s activated.”
Marrow sneered a little. “I’m waiting for the part where this concerns us.”
Warren finally spoke. “In order for them catch the forces off guard, there must be other attacks must be made, distractions so not all of the Luther Army will be looking at just the Avengers, to my knowledge, we’re the only group in the New York Area, so they’ve asked us to take care of the forces here.”
A cold and somewhat angry look was on Marrow’s face as she spoke.
“Call’em back, tell them thanks but no thanks, we aren’t interested.”
All talked at once.
“What?”
“Sarah…..”
“They need our help!”
Marrow looked at them all.
“Since when have the mighty Avengers given two flying craps about us sewer dwellers…three times……..THREE times I call’em asking for assistance….nothing….absolutely nothing, now they call pleading for help?. Sorry but we’ve got problems of our own” and she began to walk away.
Warren called after her. “Sarah---“
“Save it Wings…...”
Joseph remained unmoving as he spoke.
“Their problems will soon become ours if they fail…you think Warmachine’s & OMAC’s are bad? Just imagine those monstrous machines flying around the Tunnels….Sarah we are good, but there is no way we could stand against something powerful, it would be like fighting Superman for God sake”
Marrow remained still her back still turned as he continued.
“You say how bad things are. Well they will not get any better if the nation does not start doing something….and that needs to happens now….this massive assault the first step to taking back this world from tyrants…..and we Morlocks can stay in the shadows forever…let’s be the tip of that first spear…..let help end this dark time history.”
She remained still for over ten mintues, and then very slowly she turned moving back to her seat and looking to her friends.
“So…any ideas?” |
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| | | | The train wound its way through the night, rocketing past abandoned farms and nearly ghost towns. A figure pressed against the roof of one of the cars, nearly unnoticed a black silhouette on black roof. Lights glowed within the cars, escaping through shuttered portholes. Occasionally a passenger could be seen within. In a sleeper car, two became visible for a moment as a match flared sending their faces into sharp relief – a cigarette ember burned softly.
“Nate, we're getting close to the stop, it's time,” John whispered around his cigarette in a thick Cockney brogue. He pulled the collar of his jacket up over his neck as tendrils of smoke danced in the room. His companion made no reply, only rose slowly from the bed. John slid the door open slightly, and peeked into the hall.
The hall was dimly lit by lines of emergency light. At both ends of the corridor, exit signs beckoned each emblazoned with a firm mandate against smoking. The Conductor they'd dealt with previously, slipping him a mickey over drinks at the bar, and so the hall was empty. John and Nate stepped into the hall, taking care to close the door behind them. They made their way to the back of the train.
The first car was filled with passengers sitting nearly atop each other in cramped seats. Row after row of the dregs of humanity being shipped out to new OMAC or Warmachine towns, warm bodies to heat the machinery to enslave a nation. John sniffed derisively and began to weave his way though the crowd of standing modern peasants.
“Excuse me, pardon me...”
Nate barely acknowledged them... he followed silently behind the blond Cockney bastard silently. They reached the back of the car where another exit lay. Two cars to their target, a daring escape, then rendezvous – and flush with cash to the border. The plan was simple: take the train from New York City to Arcadia, Kansas on a particular evening, grab three crates of minimally guarded valuables fifteen miles from the final stop, get the goods off the train, get off in Arcadia, and then recover the goods for rendezvous. A simple plan.
“Oh fuck,” Nate muttered as John opened the entrance to the next car...
... and the faces of a car-full of urban assault troops turned to face them. Their uniforms were as crisp and shiny as though they'd never been broken from their packaging. All of them the proverbial poster-boy for Luthor's Army Posters. John waved confidently, and continued making his way back toward the cargo-car. Nate followed close behind, the white shock of his bangs covered his eyes. They reached the entrance to the next car without issue, none of the soldiers had orders to prevent passage aft-ward. John grinned slyly, and flipped the platoon the bird as he closed the door behind.
Nate whispered, “Parker is in position, but we're running out of time.”
John nodded silently, his cigarette bobbing up and down as tendrils of smoke wrapped about the off-scourings of the dregs. The final car before the cargo was standing room only, and packed to the brim, some animals brayed and stamped as the car rocked. The air smelled of sweat and offal, and none of the passengers caught their eye as they forced their way through.
A swinging tungsten bulb flashed and flickered as the train rattled over the tracks. Nate stood sentry at the door as John searched futilely for the cases. John cursed and then raised in his hand a small glowing orb to illuminate the room. He threw back oil-cloth and sacks, pulled curtains away, and after a bit of searching, discovered two crates marked PROPERTY OF THE US GOVERNMENT.
“Got them.”
Metal ground against metal as the metal grate in the rear was suddenly pulled free of its moorings and tossed aside. A black figure leapt down into the shadows. John tensed for a moment involuntarily, and then chuckled dryly, “Looks like your man was right, Parker. Both of them are here, you'll be stepping off with those?”
“Someone is coming!” Nate whispered urgently... as he backed away from the door in preparation.
The door slid open slowly, and the barrel of a semi-automatic assault rifle poked through ahead of one of the more curious riot officers. The sergeant's eyes widened as he noticed the glowing ball over John's hand, the figure in black emblazoned with a white spider, and Nate holding the crushed barrel of the assault rifle.
“Holy shi-” he began before catching a pound of webbing with his face. The sergeant dropped the weapon and began tearing futilely at the mask, while the gang completed their work of loading the crates into a netting bag.
“No time to get off at the station, you guys are going to have to come with me,” the Spider-Man urged, “Nate – you're going to need to make a small diversion here in the baggage car.”
With that said, he pulled himself and the crates onto the roof of the car – and disappeared into the night. A few moments later, the train buckled as the baggage car erupted. |
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| | | Game Master
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| "Yeah...that's what my husband used to say too." Out slithered a tongue of a mauve hue against obsidian lips that hit the clicking of her alabaster teeth. Cobalt coloured eyes narrowed slowly, stalking and weakening the defenses of the piteous man that chirped in front of her. A slow, tantalizing chuckle of sultry chords came together as she moved like a cat. Slinking, slithering, sauntering towards the mouse that was to be hers tonight. Sinewy fingers slipped forward with black lacquered nails to scrape sensuously against the dear mouse's flesh. She purred and cooed, bathing him in a false pretence of what the night would hold for him. She had no intentions of letting him sleep with her. The only reason she sought after the dear mouse this night was for information she knew he held within his mind; tidbits that could help her take down the Luther Administration and end the hard times for her brethren.
Another beat of the music surged through her as she swayed, gathering her mouse to her. The club was dark, the lights to a dreary neon that highlighted the white leather bands on her arms. Raven hair worn short and cropped to the shoulders with care, moved to sway around in wild abandon as her hips surged to the side, moving in synch with the music. Her dance partner was Abraham Kensington, a local here in Red Lights District of what once had been one of the vast booming cities within the metropolis of Chicago. Cobalt opened to fill with the passion of the electronic sounds surging through the air. The mouse played his part well, hands roaming, reaching and raging to find their home against exposed flesh here and there. He was a squirly man of rather short stature and a greasy stubborn chin. Already she was beginning to grow quite bored with this one.
"Come on, Tiger...got something to show you." Winking a single patched eye towards her prey, fingers dabbled to lace within his as she sauntered with swaying hips towards the carpet of the stairs she knew would lead up and out to the abandoned rooftops above. A playground of fun for the cat to toy with the mouse before she went in for the kill. A content purr slid past her lips as she went on. Up...up...up. Salvation came to her in the form of the cool touch of metal against her palm as she pushed the steel of the door open, feeling the cool breeze against her cheek as she strolled on, mouse following close behind. How sweet the night was going to be; how fortunate she had been to the findings that had lead her here.
Cobalt blue turned to lock to the dusty brown of eyes in front of her as her fingernails teased and taunted through strands of sickeningly greasy hair. Music matched her mood as he pressed her mildly exposed midriff against his chest, swaying deathly close to the sound below. He prodded impatiently for the surprise. Oh was she ever going to give him the surprise of his life. Fingers kneaded and pressed to sweaty material as she purred and lulled, slithering the mauve of her tongue against his ear to whisper to him. To ask him of the treachery she would undo even if it took her the rest of her life. He was her puppet, he would do as she bade...she had in him her grasps now.
Names and places flowed through him with obedience as cobalt eyes turned into a soft ice, the grin that pressed her lips unfathomable to read by most. Fingers snaked and coiled around his head, cradling him to her gently as she leaned down to press her lips against his in the silent thank you for the information. His lips swayed from hers, leaning to her ears to ask her the simple question that brought the satisfied purr from deep within. He had asked her name...what a mistake. Leaning towards his ear to whisper, she gave a mighty jerk of her hands, feeling the snap of the bones in his neck.
"They call me Domino..." |
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| | | | "Isn't it funny how ten minutes stuck in traffic can feel like days?" Bug breaks the silence in the van. "Well, at least we are almost home sweet detention facility."
"I used to wedige kids like you in Midtown High, you know? Nearly made an atomic one once." Eugene flashed his smile as he took off the helmet. "Tell me Schwab, have you ever felt elastic on your forehead before? Because, if you have, that explains so much."
"Hardy, Har har, Flash-in-the-pants," The truck made its way into garage made tunnel a few blocks away from the institution itself. None of the general puibic ever got that all the important developments in their paranormal control and holdings were made in the miles beneath the former city prison. The amount spent in fortifying it so one of the super strong didn't just break into a subway tunnel was exorbitant, but the amount of metahumans criminal potential held right there for immediate storage of the cities threats made it word every red cent "with such sparkling wit, its no wonder Liz stuck with you all those years. How is she these days? Shame I missed the wedding." The Bug was a real pest. He was alright with quips but he was always observant enough to know how to cut someone down. Scourge would simply shoot at you. Times like this, he wished the point man would debate Scourge more often.
The garage is full, standard guards with neutralizers ready to transport the young ward of the state to his new room. But there was something unexpected. There was Carter, Head of the prison, waiting checking his watch. "Bit late, are you not? Guys coulda chose a better time to joy rides. Now, you gotta go back out. "
"What's going on Stan?" Scourge and Stan saw eye to eye on a lot of things, especially since they both seemed just a tad unhinged. But to the rest of guardsmen and troops in here, most simply refered to him as Boss, Sir or Major Carter. Scourge, man without fear that he is, will call him Stan and be as blunt as Creels Ball & chain.
"Robbery. Stole something out of French Consulate. Something expensive old piece of clothing. " Groans from the Bug are noted by a beat in his speech. "Simply put its big its international and whoever did it did it from an open window 7 stories up and without a goofy set of stilts. Caution is paramount guys. Discretion is utmost, and please NO jokes about the French while you are there. especially out of you, Bug."
The emerald clad agent banged his hand on the sliding postal door. "All I said was how many dictators does it take to screw in a light bulb? 'NONE, SAVE FOR DOOM!'"
"Yeah, to the Latverian ambassador while we were taking down the information about his kidnapped daughter. Be glad we save her from that H.I.V.E. nest. She ended up dead, that would have been an international incident."
Tired of this and just wanting to end the night as soon as possible, Flash interjects. " Alright so we go get clues find out who did what and get an idea on what was taken. Aside for it beign a meta-theft, why us? NYPD is skilled enough, right?"
"Juristiction, my boy." Scourge barks in a slow growl. "The cops don’t have the ability to push their way onto French soil. We can do that and also keep stuff from getting sold to the Bugle or any of that Galaxy media crap. This way we keep it hushed, we get the job done with minimal noise, and the Cheese-eaters owe us a favor."
Flash sighs. "Alright, we do the interviews, get the info we can then we call it a night. Let someone else do the trolling around with the fences." Thompson resecuries his mask and looks to his compatrionts, snickering as he remembered the 'makeover' young Taki did to the demonic skull motif Scourge once sported.
"Cute mask, very you Justice boy." Carter chuckled. "Maybe Barnum and Bailey would be better set of partners for you Thompson?"
Scourge makes an audible sound of frustration that would make wolves cringe. "Stan, come on you got to have a spare helm for me?"
"You knew the risks when you Bought in and had the helm personalized. Save up those paychecks and get used to being called 'chuckles'." The chief let out a subtle laugh. "anyway the Keystone shipment has been late. So, let's be grateful that we don’t need anything aside for a new helm."This message was edited by TalesOfTheIronGuard on 9-21-05 @ 9:15 PM
"Don't blame me because I speak with infallible logic, stupid human"
Foamy |
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| | | | A television tuned perpetually to the Lexworld News Network (LWN) was the only light in the room. Jingoist images and patriotic anthems spewed bilious over the air. A pizza-box thrown open sat upon the coffee table, surrounded by dozens of beer bottles, empty and getting there. John sat on the couch, his feet crossed on the table, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Nate sat beside him, nursing a beer, and Peter – stood behind watching the latest news report as it broke the reverie of a heroic montage.
“Good evening, I'm Melissa Bilis, and this is an urgent news bulletin. We will return to tonights feature episode Firefighters: The Unsung Heroes in a moment. Nearly an hour ago, a train ferrying civilians and medical supplies to the newly industrialized town of Arcadia, Kansas was derailed in what authorities are calling 'an escalation in the War on Meta-human Terror'. Preliminary reports show twenty-seven casualties with seventeen injured. The government has not issued a statement on how it will respond, but investigators are on the ground as we speak. Updates as they come in, we now return you to Firefighters: The Unsung Heroes already in progress.”
Stunned, they stared in silence as the television faded to black, and then with an arcing crescendo plunged them back into a patchwork of gritty, grandiose actions on the part of telegenic firefighters.
Finally... Peter broke the silence, “We did... what?” |
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| | | | "Did the message get thru?" Wonder Woman says to Heatwave "Did it get thru???"
"Yeah, I think so. I sent it out on all secure channels" Heatwave nods "I just hope someone received it now. I mean, one of our guys" He mumbles under his breath. "I heard that Heatwave" Wonder Woman says without even looking at him "Hawkgirl, how many teams made it off M?"
"Got word that Gate and Spectre left, as did Tigra and her team. Hourman and his team are leaving now"
"We are about to breach the atmosphere" says Thing "Everyone brace yourselves, this can get a weeee bit on bumpy"
"Great" mumbles Heatwave
"I heard that" Wonder Woman says again in a sterner voice "Now, that gives us at least 2-5 mins before brother eye spots us. We have to get as close to Metropolis as we can. How long will it take us to get there, Ben?" she walks over and stands behind the pilots seat "Bout 10 mins or so, this quinjets aint the faster ships in the fleet" Thing says as he pilots
"I doubt we have that long" Hawkeye says as we watches the radar "Cuz I think we have an incom--"
Before he could finish his sentence the ship was litterally torn in half and everyone was falling. An explosion was soon heard above them. Wonder Women grabbed Hawkeye as Hawkgirl went for Heatwave. Thing just grinned and went into free fall mode knowing he can survive the impact. "What the hell was that??" Heatwave yelled. Wonder Woman knew the answer. The only thing that can move that fast is someone who has the speed of a God. Mercury to be exact. Black Adam. She looks over her shoulder as they land and draws her sword "Come on, where are you?" he whispers under her breath.
"I heard that" Heatwave says to her.
Hawkeye pulls out his bow, Hawkgirl her mace, and Heatwave draws his flame throwers. Thing just dusts himself off and looks around "Who are we looking for?"
"Him" Hawkeye points with his bow. Floating above them with his arms crossed and a grin on his face, Black Adam looks down on them. Given them the look of inferiority.
"I'm so glad I was choosen for this mission" Adam says in an deep voice that almost echoes "I was there when Superman was killed. In fact, I held his body when he got stabbed. The Gods must favor me to be present when the second of the Trinity falls in my hands. Any final words before I choke the life out of each and everyone of of you?"
"Yeah, have you always been this dramatic?" Thing grins as he flicks his cigar at him.
"Foolish Mort--" before Black Adam could finish his sentence Hawkeye shoot him with a tar arrow covering his mouth with a black gooey substance. At that moment both Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl flew at him. Wonder Women punched him to the ground as Thing just kicked him. Before another kick and be put thru Black Adam grapped his foot and tossed him a good 50 feet away. Anger filled his eyes as he flew at Hawkeye for making a mockery of him, but was intercepted by Hawkgirls mace to the face. Black Adam let out a cry of agony, he put his hand to his mouth and there was blood coming from it. Looked at her mace. Thanagarian alloy affects magic. Disrupts it. Black Adam is a living magical battery. For the first time in a very long time he bled. He was in shock for mere moments before he went into a beserker like rage. He cried out as lightning bolt crashed down from the sky. Heatwave just ducked for cover knowing he is way outmatched for this. Hawkeye just shoot arrow after arrow at him. Smoke. Tar. Blinding. Net. Anything just to distract him long enough so Wonder Women and Hawkgirl can get to him. And long enough for Thing is get is rocky butt back here.
"Get outta here. NOW" Wonder Woman ordered the rest of her team. "I will handle this, you head for Metropolis"
"But...?" Hawkgirl said
"NOW" Wonder Women ordered. Hawkgirl, Hawkeye and Heatwave all started to head for Metropolis which had to of been a good few days trek away.
"Its just you and me, Teth" Wonder Woman pants " And you arent the only one with a gift from the Gods" she says as she draws the Sword of Athena and charges him. He flew at her once again with the speed of Mercury as the rest of her team ran. "I am going to kill you with my bare hands, Amazon" Adam yelled as he landed punches one after another. Wonder Woman got a few stabs in with her sword but was far outmatched. She went for one more swing as Black Adam just punched the sword out of her hand. It was like fighting Superman himself, but the only difference was that Black Adam didnt hold back. He reached for her throat and started choking hte life out of her. "This is where you die" Adam said with a maniacal laugh
"Wrong" said the voice of Thing as he kicked Adam right between the legs with full force. Then he sucker punched him in the back of his head. That gave Wonder Women enough time to stab him in the back with her magical sword. "We dont have much time, he heals fast" Wonder Woman said as she cough up blood. Both ran to catch up with the rest of her team as the body of Black Adam layed on the ground clutching at the dirt.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Luthor leans back in his chair in the oval office looking out the window. His fingers tap the arms of the chair as he sits and stares at his most prize possession. The body of the Man of Steel on the lawn of the White House. He hears the door open behind him, he knows who it is even without looking "What do you have for me Stark?" he says in a cold voice.
"10 mins ago we intercepted a message from Wonder Woman. Three quinjets left Asteroid M and just entered orbit" Stark says as he takes a seat on the other side of Luthors desk.
"Ok" said Luthor without turning around "And what did the message say" his fingers stop tapping "The one that we intercepted"
"Well, she was going to Metropolis. She is going to stop the prototype of Sentinel Prime for being activiated" Stark nodded. Luthor just spun his chair around slowly and looked at Stark with cold eyes. "And how did they find out about Sentinel Prime?" Luthor says in an almost confused voice.
"There is oviously a leak somewhere. Someone in the administration is helping the resistance" Stark turned away from Luthor for mere moment. He is almost afraid to look him in the eyes. Turns back and just sees Luthor starring back at him "Well, there is good news coming out of this. We will be able to kill the 2nd of the Trinity. Superman is getting lonely out there all by himself" Lex just grins slowly.
"Second Sir?" Tony does a double take "Wonder Woman is the last that is left. Batman died when the we blew up the Watchtower"
"Did you find a body, Tony?" Lex said to him
"That doesnt mean anyth--" Stark said as he was soon interupted by Luthor yelling "DID YOU FIND A BODY?"
"No" said stark
"Then he is not dead" Lex said calmly "I know the Bat well. He has taken out the League on his own before. 30 OMACs are nothing to him" Lex leans onto his desk.
"He is not even a Meta, Sir" Tony shook his head
Lex just looked at him with an evil stare "Neither are you, Tony. Remember that. I will handle Batman, you handle Wonder Woman. Who did you send after her?"
"Black Adam. He should've intercepted her 5 mins ago" Tony nodded as he stood up "Did you say you were going to handle Batman? OKay, fine. I will play along. Just how are you going to do that" Tony said trying not to sound too sarcastic
"Easy" said Lex as he pulled out a file and handed it to Stark "With prisoner 8957"
Stark took the file and opened it. Again he did a double take and shook his head "What the hell are you thinking?. You are going to send him? For one he HATES you. And two this man is crazy. Certified lunatic. He does NOT play with a FULL DECK Lex, and you know it."
Lex just growled and leaped at him. In midair gripping the throat of Tony and pushing him against the wall "Dont you ever question -us- again, Stark" Lex said as he lifted Tony off the ground with one hand as his arm started to cover itself in a black ooze. He voice started to sound as if two people were talking at once "Remember Tony, we made you" half of his body was now covered in the black substance as half of a white spider can be seen on his chest "We can break you" Lex grinned just as his face was covered with that of Venom. A long slimey tongue slashed at the wall right next too Starks ear. Venom dropped Tony, holding his throat and coughing as he hit the ground. Lex walked back to his desk looking as if nothing hand happened. The symbiote nowhere to be seen.
"Get my plane ready, I am heading to Arkham. Go to Stark Interprises in New York, and check on Vandal's progress Project: Fallen Soilder"
"Yes Sir" Tony nodded as he clinched his fist then left the room. Lex sat back in his chair and looked out the window again with a smile. Once again looking at his most prized possession. The Man of Steel.This message was edited by Jacob~Sladder on 9-23-05 @ 1:13 AM |
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| | | | Hours later.
A small wooden table, a couple milk-crates, and one Peter Parker – deceased – pacing. John sat against the wall, all trench-coat, stale cigarettes, and arrogance – blindly deflecting Parker's rage and grief. No, we couldn't have known, yes it was the only way, they were dregs – Luthor's dregs, don't start that responsibility bullshite – you gave that up when during the troubled times. Hah, troubled times indeed. Peter, in his grief, paced and second-guessed... plotting and re-plotting their course of actions. They had a time-table, but innocents had died.
“Innocents always die, Peter,” Nate piped up from the shadows – a white shock of hair covered his face, hiding the thin trickle of blood that always followed the exertion of his powers. He stood, slowly, and wiped it away with a knuckle, “They always die... in every war... it's the innocents that die first. We might have given up the fight, preferring to live than to die heroically for Luthor's benefit – but he hasn't, and his troops would have killed us, you know that.”
Silence for a moment from the television in the other room and then...
“THIS IS AN IMPORTANT NEWS BULLETIN!!! Investigators have begun work on the Arcadia Incident, under the protection of warmachine federal agents, they have started field interviews with the passengers and escort. Already they have discovered what appears to be the motive for the attack, which originated in the cargo-car of the high-speed train: two crates of medicine direly needed by civilian towns in the west are missing. As all other cargo has been recovered, it appears that the Arcadia Massacre nee Incident was merely a cover while the Meta-human terrorists fled with their ill-gotten goods. The WFA is offering rewards for information regarding to the attack and are requesting civilian support in reporting suspicious potential Meta-human activity in the Midwest. The number to reach the WFA tip-line is: 1-899-GET-META.”
“Oh bollocks, there's no way! Those limey bastards have it all sewn up... they'll drive the people into a frenzy – and no stranger will be safe. They transport medicine in pallets anyway! Not in tiny little crates like those!”
“We have to check...” Peter muttered as he walked to the crates staked unceremoniously in the corner. He shoved empty bottles from the top, and they clattered to the floor – empty. He pulled the crate to the table, and examined it. A complex locking mechanism protected the contents – requiring biometric authentication and a ten-digit code on complex switches.
“Lemme look at that, will you?” John pushed himself up, and stared at the locking mechanism, “Looks a pisser, to me.”
The switches spun, and locked and with a hiss the crate fell open. They both turned to look at Nate in concern – he waved them off toward the crate. A cloud of evaporation from the cooling mechanism rose up from the open crate. The racks within rose slowly with a pallid glow, revealing dozens of vials. John grabbed the manifest before Peter could react.
A long whistle... “Fancy that... for once the government wasn't lying.”
Peter grimaced, “We have to take it back, then.”
“I was afraid you'd say that.” The others said in unison.This message was edited by khristofer on 9-23-05 @ 8:28 AM |
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| | | | “…what about an aerial assault?” said Warren
“We only have 10 flyers which includes you Wings, am not gonna risk it” Marrow said as she picked hr teeth with one of her bone knifes.
“We could cut power to their security center in Time Square.” suggested Skids
“They would have it back up in a matter of minutes…they have back up systems for everything, it wouldn’t give any opportunity to assault them.” Joseph said still leaning
“Well we could hack in…….shut down the backups that way.” Skids said
Archangel sighed running his hand through his hair. “Only man capable of doing that is Forge and he is incarcerated.
Marrow scoffed. “Yeah, short of busting him out of jail, that plan is shot.”
Then Skids face brightened and hopeful grin came on her face. “That’s it!”
The others looked at her puzzled.
“What? Forge?” Joseph said
“No! A jail break! An attack on the prison here in New York.” she said getting up and going the computer moving Joseph aside gently as she starting typing stuff
Marrow was still was a tad confused. “A jail break. Against the Vault. Why?”
Skids sighed turning around looking at her. “Why not, its s the last thing those guy would expect…” she brought up a blue print of New York notorious mutant and Meta Human holding facility known as the Vault
“No one has even tried a direct attack on it since Superman was alive….so it will blow their minds to see us try it.” Skids said getting excited and she punched some more buttons.
“But who are we going to break out?” said Joseph, looking at the blue prints and various inmate profiles that came up.
“And how the hell are we gonna break in, the place is a damn fortress.” Marrow said, getting and joining them as well as Warren.
“Well no one in particular, there are a bunch of heroes being held there as well as just regular Metas and Mutants. An
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