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Josiah Dalinski

Jester

0 · 630 views · located in Descendant Academy

a character in “Descendant”, as played by mombie

Description

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ImageImagexxxxxJ O S I A H x D A L I N S K I
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"Insanity is real. It just depends on who has who locked up in what cage."



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xJester
male
twenty-six
joker, harley quinn
heterosexual
september 17th, 1991
brooklyn


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S I M P L I C I T Y
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appearance

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weaknesses

fears
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ice blue x|x dark brown x|x 6'2" x|x 150 lbs.

toxin immunity x|x strength x|x bio-weapons x|x acrobatics

fearless x|x MPD x|x pain tolerance x|x toxic blood

volatile x|x mentally disturbed x|x powered attacks x|x obsessive

it depends on who is in charge

To say that, Josiah, the one name - has abilities would be a lie. Josiah is all but a name, but there are at least three other identities that exist as well. There is a gentle soul that longs for things that most people do; a quiet mind, hope, softness. There is also the genius, the unafraid and brutal villain, and then there is Josiah - like a slab of cold stone that just exists. Different personalities bring different abilities and weaknesses ranging from superhuman strength and pain tolerance as the brutish villain, to the chemical savvy of the genius. There is but one weakness to tie them all together, and that is: Who will the people that he, Josiah cares for or hates, get from one minute to the other? Who will come out and claim the name Josiah?


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C O M P L E X I T Y
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dark humorx|x quiet x|x masochistic x|x dissassociative personality disorder

People like to joke that insanity must run in the family. As dark as that is, it's nothing more than a vicious cycle of trauma passed down to the children from their parents. Josiah was not an exception to this rule. He does not know his parents. He couldn't care less about their existence, and he has never asked about them. Sometimes he wonders where he came from and why his life had become as it is now, but it's just that - childish wonder. Harley was too crazy to keep him, and because Joker was a highly abusive figure, she decided it was better to dump the baby in the nearest bin rather than earn Joker's wrath. So, that's what she did. A baby's cries alerted a couple that passed by, and they gave the child to the state for handling.

Foster life did not suit him at all. After all, he was the perfect child for bullies. For a while, Josiah allowed the aggressors to do their thing, but eventually he got them back. One day, at the humble age of sixteen, he had been accused of multiple things from sexual deviancy to unrestrained violence. He ultimately ended up in the loony bin until he was around twenty-years old. During his stay he finally learned how to con people into believing that he is perfectly normal, and he even charmed the clothes off of a nurse every once in a while. For that time, it seemed that his multiple personalities just began to fade, and Josiah was allowed to seize the reigns as a way to escape the purgatory he was in.

It wasn't until he got his first taste of freedom that the other parts of him began to leak back out into society.


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xxx..#hexcode x #B48F7C xxx faceclaim x luke powel xxx creator x mombie xxx cs x mjolnir

So begins...

Josiah Dalinski's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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#, as written by mjolnir
It has been a decade since the closing of the Descendant Academy. Once the U.N. created the International Hero Association, I.H.A., the usefulness for such an academy dwindled. Every self titled hero or person with special abilities was registered, cataloged, thrown into a databank and given jurisdiction over a district. Depending on a heroes rank, they were assigned to neighborhoods, cities and sometimes, the most powerful, were sent to help an entire nation.

And this worked.

Sometimes the order and regulation of it all was tedious, but it kept certain heroes in line while protecting the world from threats domestic... and foreign. It wasn't perfect, but it brought about a time of peace, although brief.

It was a year ago when it started happening. It began with the lower ranked heroes. They leave to go on a mission like any other, but never return. It was nothing out of the ordinary for a hero to go missing every so often. It was assumed they were killed in action by whomever the villainous threat was at the time. So, at first, no special proceedings were taken beyond the normal when a member of the I.H.A. went missing.

But then it grew more frequent. It started turning heads when it was happening all over the world rather than confined to areas like Manhattan. The I.H.A. and U.N. began looking into it all further while implementing more protocols for the heroes protection. But when top tier heroes disappeared, the world went into a frenzy. With no one to protect them, what would happen when there was another attack like Thanos, Steppenwolf... or worse?

With no other choice, Phil Coulson and Alfred Pennyworth, who were left to look after the Descendant Academy after it closed, sent out a distress signal. There was a secret hero network created before the I.H.A. and while it was ordered to be shut down years ago, it was kept up as a fail safe in case the new association was compromised. The message was sent around the world on the old frequency, to anyone who might be listening. The only information it gave was a date, time and coordinates.

For now... everything is quiet. Quiet, until threat came out of the shadows showing their true intentions.






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william richards
jr. fantasticx|xoutfitx|x#0b4a8b

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It had been nearly two months since William's parents and the rest of the Fantastic Four disappeared. Classified as some of the higher tier heroes, they resided within the Baxter building as protectors of Manhattan but also the eastern seaboard of America and Canada. Before their disappearance, Will was in Greenland studding the polar ice caps and global warming. For over two years he had been working on a machine that would help make more glaciers. It was a large, autonomous machine that would be submerged into the Arctic Ocean and, essentially, make giant ocean ice cubes.

It took a few days for the news of the Fantastic Four's disappearance to reach Will. Although he hadn't heard from his parents in a few weeks, that was normal considering his location. But when the news hit him, it still sunk like a brick in his gut. He knew heroes have been turning up missing and it had only been getting worse in recent months. Perhaps his remote location is why he was lucky enough to not have fallen under the same fate? Either way, he had no choice but abandon his work and to return to New York to aid in the search for the missing heroes.

Some might call it tempting fate, how Will decided to return to the Baxter building and reside where his parents did as he searched for them. It's unknown if they went missing from inside the tower or on a mission, but many others have been avoiding hero head quarters like they had the plague. From what he had heard the Avengers tower had been a ghost town for the better part of the year and even civilians will walk a block out of their way to avoid it. It was like everyone was scared that if they went anywhere near remnants of the heroes, they too would go missing.

But Will wasn't the superstitious sort. His best bet was to stay where they were last seen and hope that some sort of clue or hint would turn up. It didn't hurt that the Fantastic Four had one of the best labs in the world. And perhaps, a small part of him, wanted to use himself as bait. Every lead the U.N. and I.H.A. had ran cold. So, in his mind, the best information he could get would be from the attackers himself.

William had lost track of the last time he slept or found even a crumb of information to follow when the distress call came in. The beeping in the Baxter Building took him by so much surprise he nearly fell out of his chair. But it wasn't a common alert from the many sensors, scanners and satellites he had skimming... well, everything. It was an old tune that chirped from the communications room.

Once he accepted the message, his heart sank, for a moment when nothing came through. But just before he turned the machine off, it began to beep in morse code. Date. Time. Longitude. Latitude. Will could barely contain the glimmer of hope that radiated from him as he quickly wrote it all down. This was it. This was the lead he needed. He hurried over to the large map and entered in the coordinates. Then the location pinged on the map.

The Descendant Academy.

Will froze as he stared at the blinking red light. This was either really good... or really really bad.

* * *

A strange sense of deja vu, or perhaps nostalgia, washed over Will as he turned onto the long drive toward the Descendant tower. It had been ten long years since he last looked upon the building. And while, on one hand it hadn't aged a day. It also looked like a barren ghost town. No buildings for miles, empty docks and weeds blowing in the wind through cracked concrete.

He half expected to arrived to a bustling throughway, with dozens of cars littering the lot surrounding the glimmering tower. But he should have known better. As his car slowly came to a halt near the entrance, he was surprised to find not a single vehicle, nor a light shining from behind mirrored windows. Was it all a ruse? Or perhaps this was how so many heroes had gone missing? It put him on edge, but he also couldn't help the slight ping of hope that still glistened in the back of his mind. He couldn't afford to give up.

Will turned off his car, leaving it parked in the large round about area. On any other occasion he might have actually pulled it into a spot, or the garage below the building. But in the event he might need a quick escape, he wanted it readily available. And it wasn't like there were others there to argue about him 'parking in a no parking zone'.

He stood before the entrance for a long moment, adjusting his necktie and taking a deep breath. Will had to know. He had to. Before he could talk himself out of it, he reached out his hand and opened the large glass door. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't seeing Phil and Alfred standing in the foyer waiting for him like nothing had changed.

"Mr. Richards, it is so good to see you," Alfred greeted him, crossing the lobby to offer his hand.

Still in bewilderment, Will took his hand and shook it before bringing the man into a friendly hug. "ā€”The hell are you both doing here?" He then moved to Phil, giving him a similar greeting. "I thought this place was closed down years ago?"

"It was," Coulson confirmed. "We're more of glorified grounds keepers."

Will's brows furrowed as he tried to understand what exactly was going on. "... I have to ask, what is going on here?"

Alfred looked to Phil before responding. "We should wait and see if anyone else arrives. Then we'll explain everything."






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myla murdock
hell's angelx|xoutfitx|x#6e0000

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Manhattan had quickly become a mess with the absence of some of it's most predominant heroes. The average crime rate was hard enough for Myla to handle alone, but then the audacity of criminals only seemed to rise with each new disappearance. She had been so focused on trying to help pick up the slack that her work suffered. Until, eventually, she lost her job... Which caused her to lose her apartment as well.

Luckily, her Uncle Foggy had been spending all his free time helping her search for her father or any other heroes in the area that might have answers. For several months Myla had been staying with him, although she was rarely home enough to call it that. His apartment became more of a glorified base camp to eat and shower before she had to leave again.

The only other hero she had heard of that was still... around was William Richards. The Fantastic Four were no strangers to media, and whether or not Myla would call it smart, he had been using this to his advantage. It wasn't hidden knowledge that heroes were more myth than fact those days, but civilians were happy in their ignorance rather than excepting the truth. She had tried on a few occasions to contact the man, but she also couldn't help but worry if it was a ploy to pull more heroes out of the wood work. Instead, she tried to reach the U.N. and I.H.A. to no avail.

It was the anniversary of her father's disappearance and crime in Hell's Kitchen was at an all time high. Myla was exhausted. She couldn't remember the last time she got more than a handful hours of sleep before she heard more sirens or police scanners in the distance begging for her attention. Without the Avengers or Defenders, and half of the New York Sanctum empty, whatever heroes remained were pulled in several directions at once.

She had stopped five separate crimes in Midtown Manhattan already that night and the sun had barely set. Myla made a detour back to her Uncle Foggy's just for a quick bite to eat and to address some wounds. With no sirens or distant cries for help, she allowed herself a moment to collapse on the couch. Just a minute of rest. No sooner did her head hit a pillow that she heard a foreign beeping.

With a groan, she sat up and followed the sound to a box shoved in one of Foggy's closet. It was what they could muster up of her father's belongings before his apartment was seized after his disappearance. Myla had all but forgotten about it. Neither herself nor her Uncle had the heart to sift through it's contents. But if she had hope to get any sleep before she was needed again, she had to silence the damned beeping.

Hidden beneath a jacket, a few braille books and trinkets she had given him as a child, Myla found a small device from which the noise was coming from. It felt like pager, of sorts. But if there was a screen, there was no way she could read it and her Uncle wasn't home. She cursed under her breath, trying to understand the device best she could. There seemed to be only a single button, so she pressed it. Then a robotic sounding voice spoke out from the small box. "41.158558, -73.166693 September 23, 18 00 hours."

Myla's eyes widened. Was this a message from her dad?! Could he be found at these coordinates?! She quickly searched the apartment trying to find her phone or a recorder, repeating the information over and over in her head so she wouldn't forget it. As she felt around, her hand accidentally pressed the button again. "No. No. No," she panicked, thinking she erased the information. But like before it repeated the data.

She let out a sigh of relief, holding the pager close to her chest. "I'm coming dad," she whispered.

* * *

Myla could smell the sea salt in the air as her taxi turned down a drive towards the coordinates. It felt different than the city. Everything was more open and quiet. She could hear the sounds of the waves against the shore and the wind whipping around a singular sky touching tower. To the best of her ability, she couldn't sense any other buildings in the general area. So, she could only assume that that was her destination.

In the distance, Myla though she might have heard another car but it was far more quiet than she was used to. So, rather than concern herself over it, she focused on whatever might come of this meeting. She hoped, that she would step out of the taxi and there her dad would be, like nothing had changed and it was all part of some elaborate ruse to fool some big bad that was threatening the world or something. But she knew it was wishful thinking. She still found herself saying a silent prayer before the car came to a halt and the driver announced that they had arrived.

She gathered her bag and cane, but before she was able to open the car door, it opened for her. "Allow me," a deep, yet somehow familiar, male voice greeted her. Myla sensed his hand extended out to her, but he must have noticed her cane because he then took her hand. Sometimes she forgot that when she was 'just Myla' people saw her as blind, not the daughter of Daredevil.

"Thank you... Mr. Richards," she replied as she let him help her out of the car. He didn't say anything, but she imagined the twisted confused expression on his face. Myla smiled. "The media does love you. I don't think a day can go by without you on the news. I have an ear for voices," she concluded pointing to her ear. "And the stretchy arm gave you away." Feeling no need to keep up the act, Myla collapsed her seeing cane and tucked it under her arm before heading toward the entrance.

William lingered behind for a moment, his brows furrowed in confusion. He quickly stretched out his arm, extending it past Myla so that he could grab the door and open it for her. His feet hastening to catch up to the woman. "Forgive me, but I thought you were blind?"

"Very," Myla responded and then entered the building.

She could only sense two older gentlemen in the room but no others. No booby traps, soldiers laying in wait or silent alarms signaling her arrival... and no dad. Her heart sank a little, although she knew the chances of finding her father here was slim. But there was some relief knowing that this all wasn't a trap to take her as well. She partly regretted having her suit and billy club in her bag, but she could never be too cautious.

One of the men approached her, offering her a hand. "Hello Missā€”"

"Myla. Myla Murdock." She took the man's hand and gave it a friendly shake.

"Ah, Matt's daughter, I presume? I am Alfred Pennyworth. And this is Phil Coulson." He motioned to the other gentleman who gave her a similar greeting. "And I see you've met Mr. Richards."

"It's hard not to know of him if you have a television." She flashed the tall male a playful smile. "Although I think I confuse him." Myla then took a step back towards Will. "I would like to thank you though, for helping look for the missing heroes. I thought I was the only one. My father... You probably know him as Daredevil, he was one of the first to disappear."

"I remember hearing about that. I am sorry about your father."

"And I yours... And your mother." Myla's lips pulled back in a sympathetic smile. It wasn't an easy topic for either of them. But there was some solace in knowing that she wasn't alone and that someone else was trying to find them as well.

"You both are welcome to take a seat while we wait to see if any others will join us."

William motioned his hand toward the sofas in an 'after you' manner. Myla nodded her head slightly and took a seat. Will followed, helping himself to the same couch but was sure not to sit too close or invade her personal space. "I have to ask..."

Myla chuckled before finishing his question. "How can I see if I'm blind?"

He nodded his head in acknowledgement and quickly realized she couldn't see that. But before he could audibly agree, she seemed to know he nodded and proceeded to answer. "Well..." Then as they sat their, waiting to see if anyone else arrived, Myla explained her gifts to Will, whom seemed far too excited to learn something new.






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zehara el sayid
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Zehara never was one to call herself a hero. She knew what was in her was a monster and after seeing what her mother was like and what she did, she could never consider herself good. But that wasn't for the lack of trying. She lived the nomad life, flitting from one place to another wherever whispers carried her. And for a couple months it had carried her back to her homeland of Algeria.

The hero disappearances were old news and nothing Zehara particularly worried herself about. She wasn't a hero. And if she did disappear... Well, her captors would have to deal with the Cheetah, not herself. But the missing numbers only seemed to keep growing. She had no intention of involving herself, but when locals from her home showed a particular worry when Monet St. Croix turned up missing, she couldn't tell them no when they asked for her help.

Her investigations were turning up short and Zehara had no more information two months in than what she did the day she arrived. Even with feline level tracking, it seemed like Monet just vanished. There was no trail, no clues, no blood. Nothing. She spent day after day combing over everything within the hero's home trying to find anything that could be of use. But again, nothing. No strange sightings, no remnants. Everything looked like she just left for the store and never returned.

Zehara had all but given up. She gave a new definition to double checking because she was double checking her double checks. It was frying her brain and frustrating her. Not to mention her hunger was growing out of control. Until finally, one night when the rest of the town was asleep, she snuck out to feed on gazelles and the occasional jackal.

Not satisfied, but full, she returned to Monet's to try and give it one fresh look before delivering the sad news to the locals in the morning. But upon entering her home, Zehara heard a quiet, sad beeping, like a watch that's batteries were dying. She quickly searched the house, trying to find the source before it went quiet. It lead her to a loose floor board in Monet's room. Zehara was mad at herself that she hadn't notice this the first ten times. Cursing under her breath, she lifted the board and found an odd looking pager. The screen was dim, nearly out of juice, but numbers flashed across the screen.

Not wasting anytime, Zehara used her claw and quickly scrawled the numbers into the ground. She managed to get the last number down just before the screen when dark and the pager died. With a sigh, she sat back on the ground, staring at scratches. She wasn't quite sure if she was excited to have a lead... or worried that it could lead her into a trap like the one Monet must have fallen into. One thing was certain, she was relieved to return to the locals with some amount of hope... even if small.

* * *

Zehara had never been a fan of flying. She had only done it once or twice in her life, but this was by far the longest flight she had ever been on. She had heard a lot about America, everyone had. But she had never traveled there before that day. It was a long and stressful flight, but she'd take it all over again rather than the strange looks she got from the white minivan moms as she exited the plane and walked through the airport.

Luckily, no one approached her or tried anything, because while she might not be an overly mean person, her resting face scared away most who might try. She didn't waste her time on them. Zehara hadn't heard too many overly wonderful things about Americans and her time there wasn't to socialize and decide if she wanted to immigrate. She minded her own business, got her taxi and promptly zoned out staring at the scenery as the driver took her to her desired location.

It wasn't long before she arrived at the tall building, that stood out against the back drop of the ocean and surrounding nature. It was like someone decided to place a sky scraper in the middle of a forest. Zehara couldn't decide if it was beautiful or obtrusive. But it seemed... vacant. The grass around it was overgrown and weeds had broken their way through the concrete. And aside from a single parked car and a leaving taxi, she would have assumed there wasn't a soul there.

Zehara didn't know what to expect as the taxi came to a stop, but there was nothing that churned in her gut or made her hair stand on end. So, she took that as a good sign. She grabbed her bag and paid the driver, before ascending the steps up to the entrance. It wasn't until she started opening the door that she notice a couple people already inside. Normally, this might have put her on edge or made her defensive, but she felt safe... relatively. She couldn't put her finger on it, but these people didn't seem quite so different. Although she didn't know why.

Feeling the need to explain her presence, she dug the dead pager out of her pocket and held it up. "I was hired to search for Monet St. Croix," Zehara spoke with a heavy Algerian accent but spoke perfect English. "I found this in her house... The coordinates lead here before it died." She held it out towards Coulson who was approaching her.

He took the device with a slight smile. "Well, then you are in the right place. Welcome." Phil motioned his hand for her to be welcome to take a seat.

Zehara gave a slightly awkward smile as she looked around at the others. The one tall brunette male looked vaguely familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it. So, rather than poke around for names, she decided to take a seat quietly. If she asked questions, then they would ask questions about her. Somehow, someway the Cheetah would be the topic of conversation and she'd no longer be welcome. Instead, she opted for keeping that quiet for as long as possible... At least until she got more information that would help her find Monet.






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jameson blaze
ghost riderx|xoutfitx|x#cb7a06

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It's no secret that the Ghost Rider isn't always the most revered hero or kept in tight circles. Maybe that's because James' dad wasn't always the most amiable. But when James took on the mantle of Ghost Rider, he wasn't kept in close communication with other hero organizations. He often wondered about the country, going wherever his bike took him. It rarely steered him wrong, taking directly toward whomever the spirit wanted next. It wasn't particularly a glamorous job like Superman or Iron Man who had international fame. But he did his part... whatever that was worth.

He knew about the heroes that had been disappearing. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing it, but it hardly affected him. No one he knew was gone, and even if they were what could he do? James had no connections or networks. And most people saw him as more of a plague rather than a hero, regardless of what good he tried to accomplish. So, rather than meddle in business that wasn't his place, he kept to himself and did what he did best... smiting assholes and dragging their souls to hell.

James was somewhere on the Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Cruz and Los Angeles when he got a phone call. "James?"

Hearing his dad's voice nearly brought tears to James' eyes. "Dad? Dad, is that you? It's so good to hear your voice! I thought with all the disappearances that maybeā€”"

"I got a message." His father cut him off, cold and indifferent. It sounded like he was pained to have to speak with James and was merely doing it out of formality and wished to end it as soon as possible. "It's for the Ghost Rider... Which is you, not me." He then began to read out coordinates, a date and time. James did his best to write it all down on his arm because he knows his day would only relay that information once and couldn't care less if James got it down correctly or not.

"Dadā€”"

"If you go missing, don't think we'll come looking for you. You're already gone to us." Click. The line went dead.

James sat there on his bike on the shoulder of his bike, lost in bewilderment for the better part of an hour, staring down at the scratchy information on his arm. Part of him wanted to wipe it away and forget he ever heard about it. He didn't want to give his dad the satisfaction of him going. Or maybe he should go, get captured, disappear... die. Then that'd be one less mess up in the world. He could go straight to hell taking the spirit with him and then he'd no longer be anyone's burden.

It was a tempting option. But a part of James, the little boy still wanting his dad's approval, wanted to prove himself. He wanted nothing more than to make his dad proud, which only made him hate himself more. He sighed, running his hands back through his hair before he started up his bike and sped off down the highway.

He pulled over at the first gas station he found. He went inside and grabbed an atlas. For the next hour, James sat on his bike flipping through it page by page until he came to the map of Connecticut, where the coordinates finally lined up. Bridgeport. This city was nearly as far as possible within that damned country, but he had to try... for himself. He made a shitty route plan and then took off, making his way east.

* * *

James lost track of how many hours he hand be riding when he finally reached Bridgeport. He only stopped when eating, or showering at a truck stop was a necessity. Traveling cross country, especially on a motorcycle, was no easy task and was nothing short of exhausting. Somehow he managed to only get two speeding tickets, which is a feat in and of itself. He didn't know what he expected going into this and often during his ride he asked himself why he was doing this. There was no definite answer. Curiosity... and something in his gut telling him he had to go.

He came barreling down the drive toward the tower going nearly double the recommended speed. Then just before reaching the front of the building, he brought his bike skidding to a halt, nearly missing the bumper of a Tesla that was worth ten of his ride. The engine was barely off and the kick stand down, when James hopped off the seat and hurried towards the doors. He rushed inside, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw several people sitting around in mid conversation.

James swallowed and pulled off his helmet. "Sorry I'm late. I rode non-stop for two days..." He sighed trying to catch his breath as he looked around at the people that filled the room. All looking to be from very different walks of life and even then he felt like he stood out like a sore thumb. He instantly began to regret his decision to answer the call.

The oldest of the men approached him, offering a kind smile and a hand. "That's quite alright Mister...?"

"Blaze," he took the mans hand with a weak smile. "Uh, Jameson Blaze."

"Alfred Pennyworth," the man responded with a firm shake and motioned towards the chairs for him to take a seat.

"I didn't realize Johnny had retired," the other standing man commented.

"Unwillingly," James responded with a vague answer before going to take a seat in a chair that sat across from a majority of the others that sat in silence. He gave his best, semi-apologetic smile before setting his helmet on the ground, not really keeping prolonged eye contact with anyone.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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J o s i a h x D a l i n s k i

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#B48F7C || Outfit || the jester

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Everyone knows that Villains love New York. Over the last couple of months, Brooklyn's finest heroes have gone missing in action. There were the greats like Spiderman, and Josiah actually didn't mind the guy. He went around, swinging here and there, dropping bad guys off at the police station. Really pissed off the donut gluttons. This was not the original Peter Parker Spiderman, but the newest addition -Miles. Not that anyone knew his identity. Peter Parker hasn't been around even longer than Miles, and it was assumed that he was dead.

The part of Josiah that was mentally stable, kind, and not vile - liked this Spiderman. There was a time, shortly after he was able to get out of the Asylum, that he was starting to get into some real trouble. One of his more brutish personalities slipped through, and during the commission of a violent crime, Spiderman showed up. He always showed up. Little to Josiah's knowledge, Miles knows him from school. He knew that something was wrong with the kid, even if he didn't know the circumstances of his genealogy or his upbringing very well. Miles knew that there was a kind person beneath all of the layers of personalities, so he tried his best to be a sort of mentor to him.

It's been seven months since he has last seen Miles. In these last seven months, it's felt like a hellish landscape of chaos and cacophony in his brain. Dark thoughts were starting to creep, and his multiple personalities were conspiring against him and he didn't even notice. The boy - the warmhearted intellectual that just wanted to live a normal life among typical people - was slowly being overtaken.

Today he sat at his computer desk, and the screen was on but his focus was pinned to his journal. He kept it because he started to notice that there were blanks in his memory over the last couple of days. Every entry was like reading the life of a different person, sometimes multiple people in the same paragraph. Scribbles. Elegance. Pictures. Ink splotches. Details he couldn't remember and writing that was not his.

"It's right behind you, and creeps on the ground. It follows you home but does not make a sound. Careful when you turn around," he read softly to himself as he leaned back into his chair. A riddle from his least favorite personality, the pseudo-intellectual with the God complex. He spoke in ways that Josiah could not understand. He tapped the opened journal against his forehead and sighed.

Just then, the screen to his computer began to flicker. An image of Spiderman, Miles, popped up but it was pixelated and went in and out. He seemed to be trying to tell him something, but Josiah couldn't make it out. He set his journal down and got to work on trying to stabilize things but failed. All he was left with was some binary code scrolling over and over again on his screen. He jotted it down to solve it and ended up with coordinates.

* * *

Connecticut. What kind of backwater state was he going to? Where had Miles ended up? He looked out of the window of the plane as they began the descent. There was no logical reason as to why he was doing this other than he felt Spiderman was the only person that didn't treat him like a crazy person. Other than that, he didn't know what to expect. Did he need saving? How would he save the renowned hero Spiderman anyway?

It didn't take long for him to get to where he needed to be, and when he arrived at the door and noticed that there were people, he froze. He couldn't be around people. He didn't know who he was going to be from one second to the next. What if they call him crazy? What if they hate him? What if he hates them and does something horrible right off of the bat? Why was he like this? Why couldn't he just be normal?

When the insecurity hit him so suddenly, it caused a crack in his otherwise typical shell. One of his more insidious but charismatic personas slipped through, and it was almost like he never had a second thought to start with. He moved through the door with a confident pep in his step, and when he was in the center of the room with all the people, he smiled wide and chimed, "Why all the long faces? Is this a funeral?" He laughed inappropriately after he swatted away the hand of the gentleman trying to greet him. He didn't want anyone to touch him. People were disgusting. Especially geriatric folks - they were the worst. They smelled, too. Like death at the door.

Alfred knew who he was. How could he not? The son of the infamous Joker and Harley Quinn - sworn enemies and longtime adversaries of Batman. They've kept a rather close eye on this particular child for obvious reasons. While he was a deviant of all kinds, he was hardly threatening at this point in time.

He waltzed over to Zehara, because she was super pretty, and wiggled his eyebrows at her flirtatiously. Yeah, he's the man. Then there was a tick in his eyes - a very subtle one, and his flamboyant aura disappeared like it was never there. He leaned down, and suddenly there was a predator gazing at her with a similar grin, "I come in a lot of different sizes. Sometimes, I drip a little. If you blow me, it feels really good. What am I?"

And just before she could answer, he flipped again, stood up straight, and laughed out loud. "Your nose!" Ah, that was hilarious.

When he was done toying with the beautiful lady, he addressed Phil and Alfred. "Josiah. Josiah Dalinski." Afterwards, he just did as everyone else - find a seat.





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A r i a x M u n r o e

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o f x s t o r m & f o r g e
#475D6B || Outfit || tempest

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Aria was nothing like her mother, Ororo. She was not revered as a goddess, nor was she a queen of some distant world. She did not live a life of romance and danger, or anything of that sort. Storm exiled her from Wakanda, and this forced her daughter to New York where she had to suffer through her father's life. In the short time she had been away from her homeland, she was imprisoned by her own father, betrayed by another mutant, and thrust into some world that she wasn't sure of. By her mother side, Aria always felt like nothing could get her. No one would mess with the great Ororo Munroe, one of the Omega Mutants.

She had followed Cable to Alaska, ruled by the frigid sea and intense weather. There were things she was assigned to do here - given the number by the government, told she was supposed to play the hero. Anchorage Alaska was a small place fraught with very little villainous crime. However, Cable took her everywhere - to all parts of the world where there were real problems that required powers like her own to solve.

This lasted for a while - this relationship was almost father-daughter like. This last month had been spent alone, in a cabin in the woods of Alaska. It reminded her of when she was alone with Forge, but with less security and the freedom to go out. Only now that she was free to do as she pleased, she felt like she had to have Cable at her side. But he was nowhere to be found. She didn't even have the courage to pick herself up off of the floor and look for him.

Aria needed groceries, but she couldn't go out there by herself. People would be out to get her. She was Forge's daughter. Storm's daughter. That meant she was a target of every villain in the known world. Maybe even in other worlds. Her paranoia ran so deeply that she was thinning and gaunt from the lack of nutrition, but she couldn't leave this house.

A man's voice pierced her psyche, "Get up, Aria. Get up. She had her back pressed into a corner in the cabin's den, her arms were wrapped around her knees. She looked around, but she didn't have the strength to rise to her feet.

"Nathan?" She looked for Cable because he was calling out to her telepathically, but he was nowhere. It's been so long. Maybe she's dreaming. Just hearing stuff.

"I am sending coordinates to the computer. You need to check it, Aria. You need to go there. Your mother. Your father... Go there."

No, she couldn't do that. She couldn't go somewhere on her own. Regardless, she pulled herself up to her feet and labored toward the room in which Cable kept his technology. Coordinates flash across the screen, and she doesn't have to write anything down. They are just imprinted into her mind when she saw them. "I can't... I can't go."

"I have to go. They are -
Cable's telepathy was severed just like that, and panic set into her. She looked up the coordinates. Connecticut. That's a three-day trip if she drives, and an impossible one if she decides to take it to the sky. She couldn't possibly put herself on an airplane with a bunch of strangers. She grabbed the keys to Cable's truck and decided that it was good weather to drive in, and all the roads would be open. It would be a good time to try to contact her mother.

* * *


When she arrived at her destination, she was just behind Jameson Blaze. Aria parked the truck, but she waited for the last two guys to enter the building. She sat in the vehicle for a very long time, her eyes continuously glossing over the words Descendent Academy. It sounded like something akin to Xavier's School for the Gifted, and that meant that the same problems would exist. People betrayed each other in that place. They betrayed her father. Made her mother choose between her child, husband, and the team.

Superheroes didn't belong together in big groups.

She took in a deep breath and reminded herself that Cable sent her here. Something about her mother and father, she didn't know exactly. With a sigh, she dragged herself out of the truck and slowly made her way to the entrance. Before she stepped inside, she leaned off toward the side to peek through the window. She wondered what kind of people were there. She noticed Josiah hovering over Zehara and then laughing his ass off. A lot of people looked like they had to be dragged there by their teeth. It wasn't a good first impression.

Once inside, she suddenly found herself immersed in a room with people that she didn't know. Alfred approached her, "You must be Aria Munroe. You look just like your mother," he smiled at her, and she tried her best to smile back. She kept her hands close to her lap and tangled her fingers together. Her entire body was tight - almost as if she was trying to pull her limbs into it to avoid everything around her.

"Who are you, and why did Cable send me here?" She inquired, avoiding the handshake.

Nevertheless, Alfred was sympathetic to her. This was an unknown situation. He waved a hand toward a seat next to Jameson, "We are still waiting on other. Have a seat, Aria. We will explain everything shortly."

She looked over her shoulder at Jameson then back to Alfred and Phil. "No, no - I can't. I don't know what you want with me." She sort of hugged herself, as if someone was trying to take something for her. She walked backward, stumbling a bit. She lost her sense of direction for a second. She had no idea that she was no longer even walking back toward the door.

Unfortunately, she ran right into an awaiting Josiah. He grabbed her from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist after he stood up. Maybe it was to prevent her from ending up on his lap. Then again, Josiah, as he is right now, is sort of a predator. He leaned in, his lips brushed against her neck, "I make you weak at the worst of all times. I keep you safe, I keep you fine. I make your hands sweat," he reached down and grabbed one of her hands, just there at the fingers, "- and your heart grow cold. I visit the weak, but seldom the bold. Who am I?" Then there was laughter, but it was dark and cold. He released her and reseated himself, one leg crossed over the other.

He did love to ruffle feathers.

Aria's eyes began to cloud over, and the rich chocolate shade of her braided hair started to fade to white. She clutched her biceps with her fingers, "Just tell me where my mother and father are. Where is Cable?"

Phil stepped close to the woman because she was beginning to spiral. He knew all-too-well the damage that Forge did to his daughter in her younger years. "Let's take a breather. Hmm? We'll tell you everything you need to know soon. You can trust us. No one here is your enemy."

Something about that quelled whatever storm was literally about to brew, and her appearance returned to normal. Phil guided her to her seat, which was close to Jameson's own. After she sat, she scooted her chair away from the Ghost Rider until it couldn't go any further. She looked around, but she didn't recognize anyone. Maybe just Richards. He looked very familiar.





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K a n e x N y g u y e n

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#000000 || Outfit || ronin

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Kane has always been on his own. Gotham City was home to many, many villains - and much of them much more glorified and infamous than himself. Their heroes were almost the same with some newsworthy faces like Batman. Ronin was nothing like any of the heroes or villains in this God-forsaken metropolis. He was just... here. However, he did notice that there seemed to be more and more crime as the months progressed. The city's most violent and brutal gangs have begun to boldly go where they once could not, and the city was in more chaos than usual.

But his job never changed. Grab a contract, kill someone, go eat. During the day he taught Judo and Karate to children, and he enjoyed it. He was still human, after all. Somewhat. He still required human connection, and children were more trustworthy than adults. Kids were his soft spot, especially in the Hellscape that was Gotham City. He could smile, laugh, teach, and no one judged him for that. He was a great instructor.

This was his life. He didn't care for change. He didn't need it to change. Yet, it seemed that fate had something else in store for him tonight.

Freshly spilled crimson dribbled off of the katana as the 'thud' of a body crashed against the rooftop. His eyes rolled just slightly - bored from this constant task. Everyone liked to romanticize assassins, but there was nothing especially intimate about dropping bodies without asking the big questions. No one really enjoyed it unless they were a psychopath.

He's not a psychopath. It didn't show, but something was starting to bother him about all of this. He sheathed the katana and walked toward the edge of the rooftop. He looked out into the city. It stunk here. There was a haze of poison in the air - pollution at its very worse. There were always sirens from some emergency vehicle. Always gunshots. Always screams. At night, Gotham City surrendered helplessly to the choir of violence, and there were hardly any heroes left to defend its citizens.

He placed his hands on his hips, wondering what kid he wasn't going to see tomorrow. It was always like that these days - people disappearing. Children. Women. Whoever. People were dying. The streets were not safe. Curfews have been put into place, but people tend to do what they want, even if it will kill them.

He looked over his shoulder at the dead body; a man in his late 30's. Kane didn't know what he did that deserved the death penalty, but... he did as he was bid. Kill. Kill. Kill...

... He's probably a father or a husband, or both. He probably had a good job. To be honest, he was probably a good person. Maybe he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. That's usually the case.

He held onto the hilt of his sheathed blade and ran; light-footed, he bounded from rooftop to rooftop as though he had superhuman power. Just as he landed in an alleyway, he heard something playing over and over again - a series of numbers. He stood up and looked around, edging closer to the source when he knelt down and stuck his hands out. After he fumbled through some classic alleyway floor trash, he found it. He lifted it up to get a better look. It was the famous Batarang - a communication device for the noticeably absent Batman. It repeated numbers over and over again until Kane figured out that they must be important.

He slipped through the open window of the apartment above his dojo and plugged them into the computer. They were coordinates in some state he forgot existed - Connecticut.

He wasn't certain that he wanted to go at first, but he was tired of this. This life drained him. He didn't know what to expect. Maybe he'd finally die because that was the only way to freedom from the League of Assassins. He suddenly found himself not caring about who was on the other end, or what their intentions were. He grabbed his bike, and much like Ghost Rider - set out on the ride. His was significantly shorter, of course.

* * *


When he arrived at the Academy, he parked his bike next to the other one, locked up his helmet, and brushed a hand through his slick, yet somehow still slightly shabby hair. "Descendent Academy," he said to himself, giving the place a once over before he decided to finally step inside. He moved through the foyer without much sound, and finally entered the room with all the occupants. Alfred and Phil acknowledged him instantly, but Kane noticed... someone else first. It was a vague sense of familiarity not rooted in physical appearance, just in... being around. It was hard to explain, but it is what it is.

He caught Myla in a sideglance. Naturally, the man well-loved by the media - Mister Jr. Fantastic, had seated himself right next to her, blocking most of the view. He just shook his head slightly and cast his gaze back to Alfred and Phil. He gave them both a slight respectful bow, placing a palm on his chest. They did the same. It was only right, and Kane was a deeply traditional man. He was glued to the customs of his culture.

"I found this,", he said, his accent clearly ethnic in nature, and a bit heavy at that. It was hard to place, as he spoke more than one Asian-centric language fluently. He tossed the Bat Communicator toward them. Phil caught the familiar item and tossed it to Alfred, who cradled it quietly in two open palms.

And that was all he would say about that. No questions asked. That was just the life he was used to. Without another word, or even waiting around to see if they would offer anything to him, he turned and found himself a couch that he could turn and stretch his legs on.

He didn't bother looking around to see who else was here. Aria was loud. Josiah was loud. The others... well, they were just there. Just like he was.






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#b45439 || Outfit || nightclaw

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The best thing about being the daughter of Sabretooth was that she was raised as a free roaming child. There were hardly any rules to go by, and they lived in the mountains of Canada - which offered Lexa boundless opportunity to be her most wild self. Victor Creed cared deeply for his daughter, just as he did her mother. He taught her everything he knew, even if she didn't get his intellect. There were other things that she did not get from him, but he would supplement what she lacked with other tactics. She was his pride and joy, and in many ways - just like him.

Lexa had always been surrounded by friends from the late Weapon X project. For a time, she even got help from the renowned Wolverine, X-23, and others. She was one of many children that escaped the Weapon X program, though she was one of the few that was able to get out before she was physically and genetically altered. There was a small group of them ranging from the ages of 15-30, and together they made up a tight-knit community of anti-villains. They were quite heroic in their vision, but their means to an end were not always desirable.

Her father had long since abandoned the villain title after Lexa came into the world. He had settled with himself as a father, and no longer had the dark ties that he once did. In fact, he and Wolverine had resolved their longstanding antagonistic relationship, often leaving on long trips to take care of things elsewhere. They were on a mission of importance - and that was to find and locate dangerous Weapon X projects around the world.

Victor had been gone for about a month or so, and that was hardly enough time for Lexa to be suspicious. It wasn't until his trip reached nearly half a year that she began to grow curious about his whereabouts. His last mission has whisked him all the way to Russia. He usually found a way to get into contact with her at least once a week, but lately... it's been radio silence.

It was a brisk afternoon, and Lexa was just hanging out with her crew. She sat on a thick tree branch, legs dangling and swinging to-and-fro. They were smoking, drinking, and talking about this or that. It's what they always did. A couple of them roughly played, but Lexa's mind had drifted elsewhere. She looked over the distance; a forest sprawled densely across the mountainscape, and just ahead - more desolate peaks. At the foothills rested small towns, and every so often, a lone home was tucked deep into woods. Her fingers toyed idly with a necklace. It wasn't anything particularly expensive, but her father handmade it for her when she was a child.

She jumped off of the branch, landing lightly on her two feet without regard for the ridiculous height. "I'm gonna head home, guys," she stated as she walked away from the group, waving her hand at them. They kept doing their thing, and she was able to leave in peace.

Lexa shut the door when she entered the cabin, resting her back against it while her hands clung to the knob. It was time to acknowledge that her father wasn't going to be coming home and that something might have happened to him. It was time to do something about it. So, she rushed to his room and went through everything. By the time she was done, it looked like he had been robbed.

There was nothing unusual in his room.

Fine, then she'll go to Russia. Her father had ensured that he got Lexa a passport, so she packed herself a small suitcase, grabbed her passport, and threw it all in Wolverine's jeep. It wasn't until she was on the way to the airport that the radio in the vehicle began to get fuzzy. She beat it a couple of times with an annoyed fist, and someone's voice started to come through. 41.158558, -73.166693 September 23, 1800 hours.

"What the fuck?" She hit the dashboard again, but the voice kept replaying. It wasn't even a human voice. It was some kind of synthetic production. She pulled over to the side of the road, plugged the numbers in, and hit on a location.

"It's a shorter trip than Russia," she told herself, trying to find a reason as to why she should abandon one plan for another. Maybe this is the X-Men calling for Wolverine. Were the X-Men still around? She didn't know. A lot of heroes were not around these days. "To America I go."

* * *


She pulled up to the Descendent Academy. The way she parked was abysmal, and she nearly hit someone's really nice car. She got out, pulled out her funky rolling suitcase, and sniffed her way toward civilization. There was a room full of people, and her senses guided her in the right direction.

It wasn't too long before she entered the room where everyone was located. Lexa was greeted by Phil and Alfred - given their names and such as they had done seven other times. "Got some coordinates from Wolverine's radio. I'm lookin' for my dad, Sabretooth."

Phil nodded, "You're at the right place. Your name?"

"Lexa Creed."

Phil nodded, "Well, Lexa, we will be getting to the details in a couple of minutes. Why don't you have a seat?"

She gave him a lazy nod and turned around, instantly locking eyes with William Richards. Her own eyes went wide. Oh, he's so famous, even in Canada. Her friends would not believe their ears when she gets to tell them that she met him. Like a true fangirl, or maybe more like a wild animal - she released her suitcase handle and pounce on him. Not on him, of course. More like she ended up sitting next to him.

She whipped out her cellphone, put it in selfie mode, "I can't believe it! William Richards. Wow! Can you take a picture with me?" It wasn't really a question because she didn't give him a chance to answer. She just smooshed her face against his, put out the phone, and snapped a picture. She made this happy fangirl motion, like a bounce in her seat, eyed the picture, and gave him a quick smile, "My friends are gonna freak out."

She picked herself up off of the couch, walked to her suitcase, and rolled both it and herself to an empty seat. All while gushing over her selfie with the famous Jr. Fantastic. It's not every day that a girl like her got to meet a celebrity, ya know.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by mjolnir
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zehara el sayid
cheetahx|xoutfitx|x#c8a964

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Zehara barely had a chance to lean back in her seat and get comfortable before another joined them. He was well dressed, like his parents came from money or he grew up in one of those snobby areas in Manhattan. She couldn't recall the name of the area. She tried her best not to familiarize herself with popular places, especially those that bred walks of life she wasn't keen on. He seemed jovial... almost too much so. She couldn't help but wonder if the gravity of the situation was lost on the boy.

"Why all the long faces? Is this a funeral?" Zehara's brows furrowed as she chewed on the inside of her cheek.

Then he turned all his attention on her. Zehara inhaled sharply, crossing her arms over her chest as she sat more erect. He wiggled his brows like he was some casanova and while some girls might swoon at the attention, she rolled her eyes and scoffed. He then leaned down close, far too close for comfort. His presence made the real predator alert beneath her skin.

"I come in a lot of different sizes. Sometimes, I drip a little. If you blow me, it feels really good. What am I?"

A growl emanated from her chest. Zehara moved at an inhuman speed, something a person like him wouldn't have seen. Before he got the chance to spit out the answer to the riddle, be it innocent or inappropriate, she had shifted in her seat. She was leaning forward in a protective stance. Her eyes shifted orange like the beast's within. But the important thing wasn't what she looked or sounded like, but her right hand... Which hovered a few inches below the boy's family jewels, claws extended. "A eunuch?" She raised a challenging brow. Your move. her gaze said in the silence.

"Your nose!" He laughed and retreated. Then he proceeded to act like nothing happened and addressed the two older men. "Josiah. Josiah Dalinski."

Luckily, another man came bursting through the doors in quite a rush, thinking he might have been late. Jameson Blaze, he called himself, a name she wasn't familiar with like everyone else in the lobby.

Then there was a quiet, mousy girl who looked terrified to be in their presence. Zehara felt for the girl. It was a strange situation. But even in strange situations you have to keep your wits about you, and your fears close to your heart because they'll be used against you. That girl looked like a doormat to anyone with a single vertebrae more than her.

The girl's anxiousness quickly escalated. As she began to retreat, she stumbled her way right into an, all too eager, Josiah. The girl found herself in his lap, and his slithery appendages wasted no time in wrapping around her. Zehara quickly hopped up to her feet, crossing the lobby toward the creep like a predator closing in on its prey. I make you weak at the worst of all times. I keep you safe, I keep you fine. I make your hands sweatā€”"

"No. No!" She interjected. Zehara wasn't about making a good impression for these people. She could handle creeps all day long, but not someone like Aria. Men like Josiah preyed on naive girls all too often. It's just lucky for the girl that she was here to put a stop to it... Abruptly.

Zehara's right hand took ahold of Josiah's face and shoved it backwards. Her left pried his arms off of Aria, all the while claws threatened to penetrate his skin if he so much as fought against it in the slightest. She gently pulled the girl from Josiah's lap and motioned to Zehara's now available seat. It wasn't a sofa and sat next to Jameson, who seemed content in keeping to himself. And she took it upon herself to take the other half of the couch next to Mr. Hands.

While she shared a seat, Zehara sat as far away as possible crossing her arms and legs. She was content with waiting in silence. But just for good measure, she held up her index finger stopping Josiah from talking regardless if he was going to or not. "Don't talk to me. Don't touch me. And if you bother any other lady here I will break your hands and rip out your tongue." She squinted her eyes slightly, before turning to face forward, proceeding to act like he didn't exist.

Once it seemed the influx of people had come to a halt, Alfred and Phil moved to stand before the small semi-circle of chairs and sofas. "Thank you all for coming," Alfred began. "I don't know what kind of turn out we were expecting, more or less. But regardless, we appreciate that you all came nonetheless."

Phil then sighed and took over the conversation. "We're not going to beat around the bush. We," he motioned to himself and Alfred. "We're the ones who sent out the distress signal. For the past year, as you all are aware of, Heroes have been disappearing left and right. We tried, on multiple occasions, to reach out to the I.H.A. and were met with the same response. 'There is an ongoing investigation. Details are classified.' No one has been in direct contact with anyone from I.H.A. for months, facilities are locked down, phone lines are dead, no public appearances and all digital correspondences are met with the same response."

"We have reason to believe that the I.H.A. could be compromised."

None of this was news to Zehara. She also had tried reaching out to the organization. She wasn't registered under the I.H.A., which was part of the reason she preferred laying low and keeping to herself. But even she couldn't turn a blind eye. And part of her hoped that she'd get some answers about Monet St. Croix, although deep down she knew it was a dead end.

"We couldn't risk sending the message through the I.H.A. network. If it is compromised, sending a message calling everyone to a single location wouldn't end well. We decided to use an older network that veteran Heroes kept a secret, for emergency purposes... It seems more of the veterans have been taken than we previously thought."

Zehara remained quiet and attentive through the explanation, but her patience was growing a bit thin. Her leg began to bounce as her eyes scanned the room and the windows. She couldn't help but worry, after everything they said, that having this many gifted individuals gathered was a recipe for disaster.

"We called whomever we could here... To try and solve this before it gets worse. I know some of you have personal stakes in this. But we feel like our best chances are doing this together. A strength in number, of sorts."

"We know it's not easy to trust strangers. Ourselves or each other. If you don't wish to stay, we won't stop you. But know that this facility has the highest security protocols and protection. The Descendant Academy has been shut down for a decade, so no one comes around here or knows it's anything more than abandoned. We have cloaking procedures that make the building look uninhabited, and there is no one else who knows of it's current functionality besides us in this room."

Alfred tried to give his most reassuring smile. "This isn't an easy decision and not one to be made lightly." He set down a silver platter that held eight room keys, each of which were adorned in a keychain with a number. "You will be safe here, with your own private penthouse. Phil and I will aid in your training. It won't be easy, Mr. Richards can attest to that. But we'll do our best to help you prepare, hone your skills and work together as a team."

Everyone else sat around in silence, contemplating the offer at hand or perhaps leaving. No one wanted to be the first that stepped forward. Zehara didn't blame them. She had no allegiance to these heroes and no one she was close to had been taken, but it didn't help the nagging feeling in her gut telling her that this was where she was needed. For years she'd be trying to remove the tarnish her mother's reputation bestowed upon her. Perhaps this was her chance. Either way, this was her best chance to find answers about Monet St. Croix.

Zehara had no issue being the first to make a move or fill a silence. She leaned forward and grabbed the closest key. She then stood up and threw her bag over her shoulder.

Alfred looked to be relieved that at least one person took the offer. He smiled and offered her his hand. "Thank you, miss?"

She took his hand and shook it. "I guess we should introduce ourselves, shouldn't we?" She sighed, adjusting her bag. "Zehara El Sayid." She would have refrained entirely from explaining anything else about herself, but it'd come out one way or another. And the least she could do was prepare any others for what they might be getting into with her by their side. "I am the avatar to The Cheetah Goddess," Zehara said nonchalantly with a click of her tongue. Sure there were more details, plenty. Like her hunger for human flesh that is tamed by the eating of wildlife, or the fact that her mother was a piece of shit, or that she killed said piece of shit. That was none of their business.

Once all the introductions were over, Zehara turned her attention to Phil and Alfred. "Is there a bar? I don't know about anyone else, but I could use a drink..." If they all, or at least some of them, were going to have to play twenty questions like it was the first day in college, she'd need liquor. People didn't often take the truth of who she was lightly and if there was even a fraction of a chance Josiah would be staying, alcohol might be the only way she doesn't kill him.

Phil pointed to a doorway, down the hall on the left. Without another word she strutted in that direction, quickly making herself at home in her new abode.






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jameson blaze
ghost riderx|xoutfitx|x#cb7a06

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Even though Jameson arrived late, it seemed he didn't miss any of the excitement. He was happy to remain invisible as he took a seat, which wasn't hard when a very anxious girl entered shortly after him. Aria Munroe, Alfred called her. A name he hadn't heard before, but to be honest, he didn't know anyone there. She seemed terrified to be there, which only made him wonder why in the hell she came in the first place.

"Who are you, and why did Cable send me here?" Another name he wasn't familiar with. But James wasn't his father. He didn't know many heroes by name or even face. He just traveled the countryside and went wherever the demon lead him. Perhaps it was the fact that he disappointed his father? Part of him wanted to prove him wrong, but how does one do that? His dad didn't want him to be like him, and it wasn't like there were many other options available at the time. So, he chose the longer life, which by default left him in the blue when it came to most things, especially heroes.

No matter how much Alfred tried to placate her, it didn't work. She was a nervous mess that backed her way into a guy who seemed all to eager to take advantage on a pretty lady on his lap. James had half a mind to intervene, but before he could even stand up, a sharp tongued brunette took care of it. He found himself almost impressed with her tenacity and quickness to action. He didn't know if anyone else planned to jump in, but either way, the dark foreign beauty didn't let anyone have a chance.

Phil managed to get the girl to take the empty seat beside him. James wouldn't say she was calmed by any measure. Even part of her hair had gone white. Which only made him curious and his brows furrow. But it seemed when she sat down, she also wanted nothing to do with him. Once she found the seat, she proceeded to scoot it away as much as possible. If it was possible for his expression to scrunch up more it did. What in the hell did he do? He hasn't said or done a damn thing since he sat down.

James tried to sneak a sniff under his leather jacket to see if he maybe smelled. But he had showered that morning in a truck stopped, and smelled like... well normal. Not funky. He probably would have sat there and mulled it over in his head for several minutes. But luckily enough Alfred and Phil began to divulge the reason behind them all being there, which was a distraction, not a happy one, but a distraction nonetheless.

"Thank you all for coming.I don't know what kind of turn out we were expecting, more or less. But regardless, we appreciate that you all came nonetheless." And so began it all, the explanations, the reason they were all there, everything.

Jameson listened, perhaps not as intently as some of the others, but he paid attention. He was not one of the people with personal stakes in the current situation. He did not have his father's connections with other heroes. And, sure, James was registered through the I.H.A., but they learned years ago that he wouldn't follow their orders and went where he pleased. So rather than deal with their bullshit, he hid his tracker in the small trailer he owned, yet rarely visited. And honestly, to the best of their knowledge, he too had gone missing. He wasn't too pressed about that.

"This isn't an easy decision and not one to be made lightly." Then, presented before all of them was a tray filled with keys. This building probably had broom closets that were nicer than Jame's trailer. That offer alone was tempting. He didn't find himself as eager as some of the others, he wasn't missing family or friends. To be honest, he didn't really have either of those. But this was also about being better, better than what his father saw him as, better than what was expected of him and maybe better enough to prove his dad wrong.

With a sigh, James pushed off his knees and moved to his feet. He tucked his helmet under his arm before grabbing a key. "I uh... am Jameson Blaze, er James." He gave an awkward smile, running his hand back through his messy hair. "I'm Ghost Rider." His face instantly scrunched up as he nodded his head to the side before correcting himself. "Not that one... That was my father." His voice trailed off as he tried to think of an easy, short way to explain it. He came up blank. "It's a long story."

Once all the introductions had finished, and it seemed they all would be able to do as they pleased, James made his way over to Alfred and Phil. "Is there somewhere I can park my bike? I'm assuming you don't want a bunch of vehicles parked in front of an abandoned building."

"Very good thought, sir," Alfred applauded him. "For those of you with vehicles, around back is an entrance to a garage underneath the building. Your key has a sensor in it. The doors should open right up when you get close enough."

James gave Alfred a pat on the shoulder before heading back outside. He hopped on his bike, not bothering to put his helmet on and proceeded to take the machine into the garage. As the large door opened, he found himself in a bit of awe at the wide array of vehicles housed under the tower, everything from everyday cars, to ambulances, police cars and he could have sworn he saw a couple bat mobiles toward the back. The garage was massive. It had to be home to at least fifty vehicles, and could easily hold another hundred.

Surprisingly, or honestly, unsurprising, James found motorcycle parking next to the elevators. There were dozens of bikes lined up, with room for more. He did his best to line his up with the others before getting off and leaving his helmet on the seat. This definitely wasn't the type of place where he had to worry about his bike or helmet being stolen. He probably owned the cheapest thing in that garage. He took a moment or two to admire some of the other bikes and vehicles, then took the elevator back up and joined the others in the bar.






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myla murdock
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Once other people began to arrive, story time with Jr. Fantastic had to come to an end. Not that Myla's story was interesting in the slightest. But, she isn't surprised that when she openly showed herself to be blind... People were curious. That was something she could share at a later date, if that knowledge was prudent. She saw no reason to share more details than necessary at the current time and was more interested in finding her father's whereabouts over anything else.

Whether or not Myla wished to hear everything that was going on as the others joined them, she did. A woman who smelled and sounded foreign arrived next. Middle eastern, maybe? She couldn't quite place the accent. Unlike herself though, the woman was investigating the disappearances and that's what brought her there, rather than directly receiving the call herself. While, evidence would point to the fact that the woman could just be that... a woman hired to investigate, something about her was different. The air around her seemed the feintest bit warmer than it did around the others in the room. And her heart beat was faster, although everything else about her seemed calm. It reminded her more of an animal, rather than a human.

The next to join them just... made Myla uncomfortable, although she couldn't quit figure out why. One of those gut feelings perhaps? Or maybe it was simply because he thought his first words to them all should be, "Why all the long faces? Is this a funeral?" She didn't find it very humorous, especially with the fate of her father unknown. Then he approached the foreign girl, and while others might not have heard what he said, she did. It made her uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat slightly, hoping that this man didn't set his sights on her next.

Myla heard the motorcycle approach several moments before another came bursting through the doors. And not shortly after him came in a girl who seemed half scared to death to even step foot within the building. Myla could hear the girls racing heart beat. It was so loud it nearly drowned out all other noise. She wanted to console the girl, maybe reassure her that everything was fine... But she didn't know that for sure and by the state of Aria, no one's words of comfort would be of help. Unlucky for her, she moused her way into Josiah's lap. But thankfully, the foreign woman was quick to the draw. A woman that protects other women is something to be admired.

The next person peaked Myla's interest a bit more than the others. He moved far more quiet than most people. But it didn't seem to be intentional or strained, like that was his natural walk. She found herself leaning forward to get a better sense of the man. And the sensation of feeling one's gaze rang true in the moment, although she had no way of telling he did, in fact, look in her direction. He didn't say much compared to everyone else, which was both a relief and... a bit curious. He spoke with a heavy accent, far different than the foreign woman's. His seemed more Asian in origin, but again she could not place it. She subconsciously found herself, following his steps, deeply fascinated by his lightness of foot.

"I can't believe it!" The loud voice made Myla jump. It nearly made her ears ring and she tried her best not to flinch at the excited woman. Lexa, like any fan girl, shoved her way onto the couch. Unfortunately for Myla, she was practically invisible next to William. She managed to hop up from her seat just before the giddy girl sat on top of her. She scoffed at the forceful relinquishing of her seat. That didn't leave much else available. The only other openly available seat was besides Josiah, which she had no desire to take... For obvious reasons.

Instead she headed toward the quiet man, who sat half sprawled out on a sofa all to himself. Myla could have asked for a seat, but she wasn't going to impose on anyone because one girl evicted her. So rather, she took a seat on the armrest of the couch near Kane's feet. She crossed her right leg over her left and draped her things across her lap. It wasn't bad, all things considered. Myla found herself sitting in far less comfortable places for longer. And at least there, no one would try to sit on her.

With no other commotion or additions to the unique group. Alfred and Phil proceed to address them all behind the meaning of their arrival. Nothing so far was new news. She herself had tried to contact the I.H.A. to no avail. Every turn and every lead was cold before she even got it. Part of her had hoped the message was from her father, but even that was a pipe dream and she knew it. But like they said, some of them had personal stakes... And she was one of them.

It wasn't an easy decision. Myla wanted more than anything to find her father, and at the time this looked to be her best chance. But another part of her worried about leaving Hell's Kitchen. Crime was at an all time high, so much so that she was struggling to keep up. She had no idea how much more it would spiral if she left, or how much trouble that might put her Uncle Foggy in. But she also knew what he'd tell her... And he'd want her to stay, for her Father... because that's what he would do too.

With a soft sigh, she leaned forward and grabbed a key. "I am Myla... Myla Murdock." She shrugged her shoulders slightly trying to think of whatever vital information she should probably share. "My father, Daredevil, was one of the first heroes to go missing." Her head fell slightly as she bounced her crossed leg. "I don't have any powers or Goddesses inside me... I guess by most definitions I am a vigilante." She gave a weak smile. "Oh!" she added nearly forgetting. "And I'm blind." She raised her brows slightly, half waiting for an onslaught of questions. She always seemed to forget how important that information was to other people, even though she can live alongside a person with eyesight and they'd never know.

Myla's thumb traced the engraved numbers on the key. It took her a few passes before putting together the number... 80. As everyone started to get up and go there separate ways... Which all seemed to point to the bar, she held out her key toward the quiet man she shared a couch with. "Here. Pretty sure I got the top penthouse. A view like that should go to someone who can appreciate it." She gave him a friendly smile and took his key. Her fingertips traced the numbers again, revealing a 73. "Ha," she mused quietly, just to him. "I was right."

She tucked the key into her bag before slipping off the armrest of the couch. With items clutched in her arms, Myla made her way over towards Alfred and Phil. "I need to return to Manhattan to gather some of my things. I didn't come prepared for a long stay as the others did."

"Of course," Alfred replied kindly. "Perhaps someone else should go with you. It's probably best that no one travels alone, given the state of things. And you wouldn't have to wait on a taxi." He smiled.

Myla nodded her head, then slowly walked to a far side of the lobby where no one happened to be standing. She pursed her lips slightly as she ran through all the names, personalities... and to be honest, vibes, of the others who decided to stay. She wasn't a particularly shy person, but it wasn't every day that you walk up to a near stranger and ask them to go on a tiny road trip. Sure, it was only an hour and a half drive. But that was long enough to get tired of anyone... quickly.






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william richards
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William was far more interested in hearing the vast capabilities of a woman who was blind, but seemed to function better than most people with eyes. So much so, he didn't pay much attention as others began to join them. Sure, he passed them a glance, sized them up, but Will was not the best judge of character and his social skills were a bit on the lacking and awkward side. If he paid more attention, he might have noticed familiarity with some of them from the vast files in the Baxter building, but putting faces with names was not one of his skills.

There was a feisty girl, who easily could have been Catwoman, that arrived shortly after Myla. Nothing about her gave off any red flags or anything to be concerned about. And until Josiah arrived, he would have believed that she was a P.I. in a room full of supes. But when Josiah decided to get a little too suggestive, Will could have swore he saw a glint of a talon extend from her finger and her eyes shift color. Either way, she made it very apparent she didn't need any help when it came to keeping guys like that in check. So much so, she intervened when Josiah tried a similar, albeit far more inappropriate move on the skittish girl.

William would have intervene, much like the rest of the room probably would have. But the feisty foreigner was happy to oblige when it came to putting the guy in his place. It was endearing and intimidating. Strong willed woman often intimidated him, maybe because they were so damn hard to talk to. He could be awkward and his curiosity always took the driver seat which was often off putting for some.

Somewhere in the middle of the chaos two men with motorcycles came in and took their seat with little to no show. Which is probably why, until he actually looked at them, that he nearly forgot they were there in the first place. He was fortunate that none of them had introduced themselves to Will, because given the excitement of it all, he probably would have forgotten and had to ask for their names at least 2 more times.

The last person to arrive was an attractive brunette who looked somewhere between a hipster and tomboy southern girl. It seemed the second she turned around her eyes instantly fell on William. He was never good at the whole fans thing. Sure, he always obliged, pictures, autographs, etc. But it was the saying no, or trying not to be mean, but moving on with whatever he needed to do, that he struggled with. It was probably one of the reasons he went up to the Arctic Ocean in the first place.

Lexa beelined straight for him, all but shoving Myla out of the way to get a seat beside him. "I can't believe it! William Richards. Wow! Can you take a picture with me?" Her cellphone was out and ready before Will had a chance to respond. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't used to it, just a bit out of practice. Lexa's cheek smushed against his as she held up the phone, and in typical Jr. Fantastic way he made a peace sign, but let his fingers stretch in all weird ways. People always wanted to see the powers.

Once the picture was taken, she bounced in her seat like a giddy child and flashed him a smile. Will reciprocated. "My friends are gonna freak out." Honestly, he was happy that he only had to do this once and that none of the others reacted the same way. So, it was a small victory.

"Anyā€”No problem," he corrected himself before she stood up. Will nearly said anytime and that could have opened an entire bag of worms he was not wanting to deal with. Thankfully he caught himself before the words slipped out. And then before anymore pictures or word slips, Alfred and Phil got up and proceeded with their little speech.

Of course, none of this was new to William. He had been monitoring the situation very closely once he got the news of his parent's disappearance. The message that was sent out caught him by surprise, but he wasn't going to go to unknown coordinates without research. Once he saw that they came from the Academy, he was almost certain it had to be Alfred and Phil's doing. Really quite simple to piece together, but he wouldn't say that out loud. He's often been told that when he finds things to be easy or common knowledge he comes off arrogant or belittling because apparently it's not as easy for everyone else.

William wasn't going to say no to returning to Academy, especially when it meant finding his family. He took the key for floor 77, which was his room the last time he was here. He then stood up and followed suit as everyone before him. "I am William Richards... Will. You probably know me as the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, or uh, Mister Fantastic and The Invisible Woman." He lightly clapped his hands together trying to think of what else to share. "Oh, and my body is elastic, or more plastic..." He began to ramble about the science of it, but cut himself off not long into the drawn out definition of what he was. "Cliffnotes, I can stretch and change the shape of my body."

Everyone started breaking off, a majority moving towards the bar. Will intended to join them, but overhearing Alfred's comment about the cars, he headed outside. There was another car parked alarmingly close to his that he actually went around to the other side to make sure it wasn't hit. He had to back up very carefully, but managed to get out of the predicament and get his tesla to the garage. Just like he remembered, it was like nothing had aged a day. He could nearly believe it was a decade ago. There wasn't even dust on the hoods... But he had to assume J.A.R.V.I.S. has something to do with that.

At almost like the A.I. had ESP, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice echoed throughout the garage. "Welcome back, Mr. Richards."

"Happy to be back." Maybe not under these circumstances, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't missed the place. Will smiled, giving a friendly pat to the wall before entering the elevator and heading up to the bar.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by mombie
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J o s i a h x D a l i n s k i

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#B48F7C || Outfit || josiah
#52493d || the brute
#5c7340 || the enigma
#544073 || the jester

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He didnā€™t even get his chance to have fun with the doe of the gathering when Zehara pried him away from her. He didnā€™t seem to mind at all that she shoved his head back. It made him tingle a bit on the insideā€¦ in a perfectly good way, too. Something clicked as she proceeded to spew her alpha female threats at him, as though it was she that was the predator in this game.

This exotic beauty, even when she's putting hands on him - especially that - and threatening him, was going to be his. He whispered low to her, despite her warning to not speak to him, "If you keep treating me like this, I might think you want something from me." That was it, and soon enough heā€™d be at her mercy doing as she bade him. Because sheā€™s sexy, and he didnā€™t mind being yanked around by a feral woman.

The smelly and geriatric men were saying something that he didn't really care for. There was something about heroes and disappearances, but Josiah didn't care for good guys. At least, not this particular part of Josiah. Certainly, the good ol' boy was in the background somewhere protesting everything like the nuisance he was, but he is not the king of this body. He's not even the king of his own mind right now.

He didnā€™t move much, but not because of the cat girlā€™s threat (heā€™d not-so-discreetly enjoy a good beating), but because his body had gone from full of devilish expression to completely blank. His head and eyes twitched slightly, and the woman might hear him mumble something incoherent every so often.

"Aaall the heroes are deeaad," he began to sing to himself. Aside from being absolutely tone-deaf, he seemed to be having fun at the expense of others' parents. But it wasn't fun that he was actually experiencing a psychological moment where things were shifting and the voices in his head were getting louder. Too loud. They were a cacophony of mixed thoughts, and he couldn't do anything more than raise his voice and sing louder. "Red streets, red str-- SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

He stood up and took a deep breath. It didn't appear that he felt embarrassed by the nature of his disease, as he had no real reason to be. What others thought of him was obviously back of mind. He turned around and gave Zehara his best smile, albeit a thin yet strangely genuine one rather than the nasty devilish grin of before, "Sorry, sorry."

He made a move to claim his keys, seeing no reason why he should reintroduce himself to anyone. They'd get to know him well enough as the time went on - the many voices, abilities, and personalities of the mentally disjointed Josiah. He slipped past the small gathering and left the lobby without exchanging any words with anyone other than his many selves. A hero. Hah! What kind of hero could you be?

Quit while you're ahead. They're all dead. He's dead. It's the age of villains.

Now you are going to really die, Josiah. Bye Josiah. Haha ha ha HA!

He forgot about everything that he was supposed to do. He found himself standing in a hallway, and it felt like time had passed without him knowing. His palms were sweating. He was sweating. He was standing in front of a room with a key, but he couldn't remember how he got there.

All he knew is that he felt a sudden urge to take a nap. Just a quick five minutes. Hearing all the noise in his head made him weary. So, he collapsed on a couch as soon as he was able to get himself inside, shut his eyes, and snoozed off.

Just for a few minutes... just until the world was quiet again.





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A r i a x M u n r o e

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#475D6B || Outfit || tempest

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The woman not as disturbed by Josiah as one might think. He was more than just a few screws loose, but she's actually used to that kind of crazy. Not to say her father has some dissociative identity disorder, but the idea of nutjobs were not new to her. It didn't mean she wasn't thankful that Zehara had come to her rescue because the last thing Aria needed was an emotional outpour of power. That'd just make everyone in the room miserable.

Normally, Aria didn't like to be handled by others. However, she also didn't want anyone's good intentions to fall to the wayside. She offered Zehara a tight-lipped smile and took her seat.

Many people in Aria's life were missing. There was not just her mother, Storm, or even her father - but almost an entire nation of heroes was gone. Her homeland felt like a ghost town, and there was no one to save it anymore. The last thing she heard about Wakanda was that it is facing some kind of invasion, possibly even a genocide. T'Challa and Storm had helped protect it for a while, but they were gone - as were their allies.

Heroes have become necessary in this world. The worst part about the whole dismal situation was that when the world needed them the most, Aria couldn't stand up and fight for her own city. She had gone an entire month just trembling on the floor, and the world outside screamed out in pain. She wasn't anything like her mother, who had always been courageous and just. Instead, she allowed herself to become a sidekick that didn't have the courage to operate when she had to be the real hero.

As Alfred and Phil spoke, then people went on to introduce themselves, she figured that maybe this was a safe place after all. Her gaze flits from one person to the next, thinking that they didn't seem too bad. Aside from Josiah, of course. He made it perfectly clear that he wasn't a good guy at all. Everyone else, however, appeared decent. Jr. Fantastic was - well, everyone knew about him. He's famous. She knows of Sabretooth because a bit of Aria's childhood was spent with the X-Men. There were a lot of parents that she did not know, but she figured that it wasn't entirely important. They were still their own person outside of their genetic pool.

When it was her turn to speak up, she stood and cleared her throat. "I'm Aria Munroe, child of Storm and Forge. I have control of the weather, flight, and some mystic ability... among other things." She gestures toward Lexa, "I knew Wolverine as a child." She left the whole Sabretooth bit out because she only knew of him through the rumor mill. By the time Aria had left Wakanda, Victor Creed was already taking care of his daughter.

There was nothing more to say, so she grabbed a key to one of the penthouses and followed the guys outside to the vehicles. She naturally got a good laugh from watching William Richards get out of his tight parking situation, but was kind enough to cover her mouth so it wasn't too obvious that she was amused. Jameson was next, then a Lexa snuck out. Myla and the man without an introduction had left to go somewhere. Maybe they decided against the superhero business.

She hopped into her truck, parked it inside, and pulled out her bags. Aria has... a lot of stuff. Her suitcases were heavy and full, but she didn't require any help carrying them. Instead, she allowed her command over weather to do that job for her, summoning a bout of wind to wrap around them and assist in the haul to the penthouse.

She left her room, took the elevator down, and found herself lingering at the entrance of the bar. Drinking was probably not a good idea, but the way her stomach was beginning to bother her - maybe food was. There was food somewhere. She took a step back just as soon as William was about to enter, and retreated right into him! "Sorry, sorry." Gods, she hopes it's not Josiah. She turned around, glad that it wasn't.

She just did her thing without waiting for his response and sidestepped him, muttering, kitchen, kitchen over and over again until she disappeared from sight. She eventually did find the kitchen. Of course, it had everything that she could possibly want! She wanted a cappuccino, and some cool gadget just made it for her - no problem! She sat at a table, propped up the side of her head against a palm, and sipped at her drink.





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#000000 || Outfit || ronin

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Had crossed his arms over his shoulders; fingers curled around his biceps lazily. From the corner of his eyes he observed Myla's movement; from the moment that she was booted from her seat, to that in which she was walking toward the couch he occupied. When she finally plopped her butt down, it seemed that he was indifferent to her possible discomfort. Kane, fortunately, was no asshole. He looked like one, but he was not one. She'd find that he moved his feet for her and sat kind of properly, allowing her to have space. They were probably two people that valued a little space from others.

No words were shared between them as Alfred and Phil began to indulge all their curiosities. It was around this time when the Assassin began to doubt himself. He wasn't a hero. In fact, he's fought against many of the good guys in Gotham. He's no one's arch-nemesis or any sort of infamous villain, but he's had several extremely close calls with the best of them.

He was not a good person. As he looked around the room while introductions were made, he heard the names of famous heroes and vigilantes, and he knew that he was completely out of place. Whatever else was said after a couple of introductions kind of melted into background noise, and he all but slipped into his thoughts. Needless to say, there was no point in making his own introduction. Around all of these people, he was on the far end of the spectrum. He couldn't trust himself, let others trust him.

He finally snapped out of his own mind when Myla held the key toward him. He looked up at her and tilted his head, "Keep them." That said, he tucked his hands into his pockets, stood, and stepped around her to leave without saying anything else to anyone.

It just so happened that he heard the conversation between Alfred, Phil, and the blind vigilante, shy of leaving the room completely. He stopped at the exit, thought a little bit, and then sighed. His eyes rolled. He felt bothered. He lifted his foot to take another step but found himself just putting it back down.

Just as Lexa was leaving, he stuck out a foot so that her rolling suitcase got stuck. "You look her size. Got some pants and a jacket you can spare?" He turned to glance over his shoulders for a second and cast his gaze down to Myla's shoe choice. "Shoes, too.

"Uuuuumm, not sure you'd fit in my clothes," she placed a hand on her hip and stared up at him.

"They're for her," he pointed over toward Myla, "Since it's on my way to where I am going, I'll take her to go get her things. I mean, unless you prefer she goes on a bike dress like that. I wouldn't really complain. She might, though." Honestly, he really did mind, as he'd rather not have some girl's cooch all up on him for a whole ride. He did have more respect for himself and others than his words implied.

Lexa scoffed, squatted down, unzipped her suitcase, and tanked out a few clothing items and a pair of boots. "There are way too many perves here."

When Lexa handed him everything, he kept one hand in his pocket and walked toward Myla. He held everything out to her, "I'll take you, but you're going to have to change. Meet me outside. Take your time." He didn't offer much of anything else, and his words sounded rather cold.

He waited near his bike and watched as people came and went. He felt amused as William had to figure out how to get out of his parking situation, and was even more entertained by the idea of catching Lexa hiding and waiting until Richards was out of sight. He held a black helmet under his right arm; something he picked up from the garage, of which had a surplus of riding equipment that he was sure no one would miss for a day or two.

When he saw Myla, he let her approach him before setting the helmet on the seat of the bike and closing off the rest of the distance between them. Kane quietly took some time to make sure she was zipped up well because he didn't want her to be uncomfortable. Just as he thought - Myla and Lexa were about the same height and weight, so it fit her well enough. He didn't bother to ask her if she even wanted to ride the bike with him, and he wasn't going to. It was implied that she would, and it didn't seem like anyone else was stepping up to offer to be her traveling companion.

He reached behind him to seize the helmet and gently put it on her head. He had to take a moment to brush some hair away, but despite his cold demeanor, he was actually quite gentle about any physical contact with her. He made sure it was comfortable, fastened and tightened the straps, and looked her straight on for a second. He didn't even realize that he was still just slightly holding onto the buckle of the straps until he saw his own hands.

He was going to say something, but he didn't. What was there to say? He needed some time to think about this situation, and maybe a good three long cruise there and back would give him that time. Tack on another hour - probably a lot more - for however long it takes a woman to pack. He took out his phone to plug her address into the GPS, assuming that she'd give it to him when asked, "Where are we going?".

He pulled his helmet off of its lock and put it on. He climbed onto the bike, popped his phone onto its mount, inserted the bike key, and waited for her to get on behind him. When she did, he decided to clear the air, "You can hold onto me if you want." That was it. He's not going to baby her just because she's visually impaired. She's a vigilante, for Heaven's sake - she can take care of herself. It wasn't his job.

The pair would be off! He preferred a calm ride to a fast one. He loved a good thrill, but he had another person with him who gave a good excuse to take things easy. It was still faster than a car since they got to weave through traffic whenever it came. It's especially good in the perpetually crowded New York.





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#b45439 || Outfit || nightclaw

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William was right to steer clear from 'anytime', as Lexa had no shame about taking advantage of cute and willing guys. However, much to his (likely) relief, that was the last bit of attention she'd pay to him. For now..

Whilst Jarvis and Alfred explained the situation with them, Sabretooth's darling little spawn was racking up the likes on her Insta. Even her follower count rose. Jr. Fantastic was certainly a good boost for her social media. Not that she wasn't already quite popular with her transient, heroic, blah blah blah, hippy - whatever you want to call it - lifestyle. The world loved girls like her, and she shines even better next to guys like him. Regardless, she still heard what was going on, even if she wasn't quite smart enough to put everything together all at once.

All she heard was... missing heroes, I.H.A., training, compromised, and decision making. She looked up from the screen of her phone, her fingers still clicking on hit busily, and tilted her head in the general direction of... everyone.

Lexa is a villain's daughter, but no one could properly call her evil. In fact, the latter half of her father's life had not been spent living up to his infamy, either. Not that Wolverine can be truly classified as a hero, himself, it is worth noting that he is considered her uncle. He raised her from time to time. Up until the last year or less, many members of the Weapon X program have raised each other, and most of them were not evil. She didn't act like a hero all of the time, but she wasn't going to spend all of her life acting like a good girl. Lexa is simply Lexa - wildly unleashed, yet still able to bash in a bad boy's skull when she must.

Thus, there was no issue when it came to the decision as to whether or not she'd stay. Sabretooth is her father and Wolverine is her uncle, so if this meant she could get to the bottom of their disappearances, she could endure. As she looked around the room for a brief moment, she noted that not everyone looked like your typical good boy or good girl superhero.

Aria looked a little stuck up, but then again - her mother is Storm. The Queen of Storms had her frolicky romances with Wolverine, so Lexa knows a thing or two about that stick-up-the-butt, rule follower, mum. She wondered if she was like Ororo - a good girl into bad boys. Her gaze moved toward Myla, and she offered her a quick smile. Only to realize that, upon the woman's introduction, that she was blind. Then the smile disappeared from her lips, and she instantly felt bad that she practically plied her off of the couch to grab a selfie with Jr. Fantastic. A vigilante, though. Interesting.

Zehara is definitely a cutie. She seemed bold, like someone that will take quick initiative when others would not. Lexa noted that, as she is the same way. They would either clash or drive the group crazy. Those were the only two possibilities. Ghost Rider came up next, and girl Creed was not going to be mad at that.

Why is everyone here so good-looking? It's really wreaking havoc on her hormones. How's she supposed to train like this?

Of course, Jr. Fantastic required no introduction. However, his introduction needed a follow-up with a few dirty jokes, but she would spare him. Her jokes were always lame.

She wasn't going to give the lunatic, Josiah, the pleasure of her attention. What a creep. Kane was obviously not going to stay seeing as he made it known that he'd accompany Myla on his way back home. Not everyone could be hero material, she supposed.

It was her turn to make introductions, and she did so with a bubbly personality and a twinge of southern on the tip of her tongue, "I'm Lexa Creed, daughter of Sabretooth. I consider Wolverine to be my loving uncle," She just knew that she'd have to get that last part out quickly because Sabretooth is a villain and Wolverine is not. The last thing she needed was suspicion and prying. "I'm an influencer on social media when I am not busy saving the day from the world's many idiots. I self-heal, have enhanced speed, endurance, blah blah blah. Iā€™m justā€™an overgrown human cat that bites only when provoked - or asked." She gives the room a bow and smiles brightly, "You can follow me on TheRealNightClaw on any social media platform."

With that said, she gave everyone a quick peace sign and picked up the key to floor 79. Thrilling! The higher the better.

She moved to the garage, leaving her rolling suitcase in the room temporarily after Kane had her give up some clothing. She knew that she'd have to repark before someone gets really pissed at her terrible parking job and keys her poor jeep. Not that it wasn't in bad shape already. Wolverine would murder her for ruining his car.

But when she got out to the garage, she noticed that William had beat her to it. That was his car, and she didn't want to be caught red-handed. What if she had scratched it? Man, she didn't have the money for whatever a scratch on that vehicle cost. She might as well as give him her life!

When he was out of view, she quickly ran to her jeep and brought it into the parking garage. She found a space that was mostly empty and decided to park it there. Safer that way. She sat in the jeep for a while and brushed her hands over the steering wheel. She missed her father. She missed her uncle. All of the attention she got from social media could never replace them. It was silly, but she sort of felt alone at this moment. Some might say that their villainous dads didnā€™t deserve a Father of the Year award, but Sabretooth wasnā€™t like others. He had taken care of her from the moment he chose to save her until the day he left. His vile days had been put behind him. While he was never much of a hero, he had settled down into his paternal role like it came natural to him.

She wiped away a tear that welled in her right eye and sniffed up some snot that dared to try to fall from her nose. Lexa was not about to let a bunch of strangers notice that she was upset. She got out of the jeep, gave that baby a few pats, and left for the lobby to grab her suitcase before heading up to her room.

Her eyes went wide when the doors of the penthouse opened for her. "What is all this stuff?" The penthouse alone was bigger than her mountain cabin back home. It wasā€¦ uncomfortable. The doors shut because she had been standing outside of them for so long, and she rolls her suitcase to rest against the frame of the door before dipping. It was to the bar with her.

Once at the bar, she grabbed a stool next to Zehara right before Josiah could take it upon himself to do so. Girls have to look after each other when it comes to freaks like that. "Cheetah Avatar, huh? What does that mean? Does that make you a goddess orā€¦?" Lexa couldnā€™t help it that she was intellectually lacking when she didnā€™t really have much of a formal education past elementary school.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by mjolnir
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zehara el sayid
cheetahx|xoutfitx|x#c8a964

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william richards
jr. fantasticx|xoutfitx|x#0b4a8b

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Zehara traveled with minimal luggage. Waiting at baggage claims or toting around several suitcases was a hassle. She had a small duffle which contained some basic essentials. Her load was light when she didn't need some superhero suit or elaborate case of weapons. The Cheetah was her weapon... And armor. She'd take the time some day to go shopping and get a couple things. Like more than three pairs of clothes. But it wasn't pressing at the moment. Plus she'd have to consider sneaking out to achieve it. She wasn't for the whole fieldtrip and holding hands everywhere.

... No one was hunting her. She wasn't a hero.

The bag sat on the ground beside her stool as she sat at the bar. Stark and Wayne definitely pulled out all the stops for this place. Even for it being over a decade old, the technology was still far more advanced than many things in the rest of the world. Aside from, perhaps, Wakanda and other hero facilities. The second she rested her hands on the counter, it lit up revealing a full menu of just about every drink known to man. Zehara wasn't picky. She scrolled through it just far enough to find bourbon and selected it.

A few moments later, a seam parted in the counter before her and the short glass, fresh with ice, was lifted up to sit before her. Zehara's face twisted in an impressed and curious expression as she apprehensively reached out and took the glass. She watched the bar close back up before she mutter a soft, "Huh," under her breath and took a sip.

Will took his time getting to the bar, making sure to take his things back up to his old room. Which, upon entering, hadn't changed. Not a single toe out of order. There wasn't even a single speck of dust or a cracked window. It was a strange sense of deja vu, but comforting. That midst all this chaos, there was still somewhere he could call home. Sure the people were new and different. But the walls weren't.

He descended back down to the main floor, watching as some of the others wondered their way towards the bar. Will lingered in the lobby, watching as Myla got on the back of a motorcycle with the silent stranger. His jaw clenched slightly as he watched them ride off. Something about it made him uncomfortable. He didn't know the girl but there were several things about it that rubbed him the wrong way.

A blind person, regardless of how heightened their other senses were, shouldn't be on a motorcycle. But perhaps that was the old fashioned man in him whining. What really bothered Will was the man. He didn't share his name or anything about him besides the batarang he found. Who's to say he wasn't the cause of Bruce Wayne's disappearance? It was too late for him to do anything. He should have offered to take her himself. But he didn't. Will could only hope that it didn't turn out as poorly as his brain was preparing for.

With a sigh, Will headed towards the bar. Just before he entered, Aria retreated backwards into him. "Sorry, sorry."

William held up his hands slightly, in an innocent manner. He offered her a slight smile. "Excuse me," he also apologized. He then cleared his throat and spoke up once more. "Do you need helpā€”" But she was already moving on, not lingering around to hear what he had to say or the help he offered. "... Finding something?" He sighed, finishing his sentence more to himself and under his breath.

Zehara heard the footsteps approaching. She wasn't surprised that some of the others wondered their way into the bar too. If she wanted company, that she was unsure of. But it looked like her times of being a lone wolf were at an end. At least for the time being. She didn't look up from her glass when she saw Josiah out of the corner of her eyes. Her nostrils flared as she adjusted in her seat, pursing her lips and crossing her right leg over her left. Just as he seemed like he was about to take the seat beside her, Lexa swooped in and snagged it.

She managed to relax a bit, but didn't turn her attention towards the girl. Zehara had no problems with her, or anyone else, so far... Aside from the handsy Josiah. She was just never the super social type. That, and on top of everything else, she felt severely out of place in the Descendant Academy. Most of those who spoke up were children of well known heroes. Then there she was, daughter of a woman who was a thorn in Wonder Woman's side. A selfish woman who took over a tribe's tradition for her own selfish gain.A woman that was a monster. There were many skeletons in Zehara's closet. It was only a matter of time before they were aired out. It'd be easier if these people didn't try to be her friend. It'd save themselves the disappointment.

"Cheetah Avatar, huh? What does that mean? Does that make you a goddess orā€¦?" The girl asked, breaking the silence.

Before she could respond Will walked around the bar and started to fix himself a drink, rather than letting the fancy technology do it for him. With a bottle in hand, he spoke up. "That can't be possible?" The question more rhetorical than curious. "I mean, look at Thor or Wonder Woman. They were revered as Gods because their presence came about in a time where humans couldn't comprehend beings from other worlds or dimensions with magic-like abilities."

"You're not a spiritual man, are you Mr. Richards?" Zehara asked with a soft chuckle, followed by a sip of her drink.

"I consider myself more of a man of science," Will mused, as he began to pour his drink.

"By definition," Zehara began, lightly tapping her fingertips down on the bar. "A God is just a superhuman being or spirit that is worshipped. By that definition alone, all of us in this room could classify as a God. It's actually quite common in many religions, especially tribal or primitive ones, that enhanced individuals, such as ourselves, were revered as Gods. And some still are."

Will's eyes squinted slightly as he put the bottle back. "Just because someone is worshipped as a God doesn't make them a God."

Zehara let out a soft chuckle as she adjust in her seat. It was at this moment she briefly gave Lexa side eye. Not as a way to say the girl was unwelcome. And, she hadn't consider if the conversation was trivial to someone worried about social media. But the look was more like, watch me talk this man in circles. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the bar. "So then how would you define a God?"

William ran the tip of his tongue along the edge of his front teeth as he pondered. He brought his glass to his lips, but never drank from it. After a moment, he set it back down on the counter. "Omnipotent."

"So, all powerful?"

He nodded his head.

"Then, by that definition, would Scarlet Witch be considered omnipotent?" Zehara posed the rhetorical question. Before Will could respond, she continued. "No, no. Of course not, I'm sure she can't do everything. But perhaps Doctor Manhattan? Or would it then be whomever wields the Infinity Stones?"

Will gave a weak laugh before he finally took a sip of his drink. "TouchƩ."

"I'm not trying to make a fool out of you, Mr. Richards," Zehara clarified with a smile."Just somethings are not black and white." She then downed whatever remained of her drink. When she set the glass down, the bar opened and took it back in.

As her drink was refilled she turned her attention back to Lexa. "But to answer your question, no. I am not a Goddess. I am a vessel." Zehara's fingers took hold of her fresh glass as it appeared. "The Cheetah's spirit, or aura... life essence, or however Mr. Richards over here would classify it, is inside me. There is a ritual that is preformed within an African tribe that makes the tribe's chosen avatar become the Cheetah Goddess."

Zehara took another drink, glancing between the two. "It's quite complicated. But think of it as similar to the Black Panther. As for my abilities, in layman's terms, I'm similar to a werewolf... Were-cheetah." She made the terrible joke while shaking her head and furrowing her brows. Zehara never was the funniest, but that wasn't to say she didn't try on occasion.

Will tapped his hand on the bar softly, flashing a slight smile. "Well, thank you for that enlightening anthropology lesson." With that, he took his drink and headed towards the exit.

No, he wasn't insulted. On the contrary, William always liked learning something new. But that didn't stop him from being slightly embarrassed as well. When it came to battles of wits, he was usually the winner. If the topic was science or mathematics, he could talk circles around most people. But, cultures, religions... people were always topics his knowledge lacked in. To Will, Gods didn't exist. Everything could be answered by science. He had to remind himself that the way he thought, was not the general consensus. In fact, it was often the opposite.

He managed to wonder his way into the kitchen, wanting a sandwich or something. Leading up to this meeting, Will wasn't able to eat. And to be honest, he often had a habit of forgetting to eat until he was dizzy. He was working on it. When he first entered, he didn't notice Aria until after he rummaged through the fridge and closed the door. "Oh. Hi, again. Sorry, didn't see you there."

Will set the assortment of lunch meat, condiments and toppings down on the counter. He then half turned to face her. He pointed to everything he had laid out before him. "Want a sandwich?" Even though it had been a decade, he still remembered where everything was like it was yesterday. He took a couple steps to the left to grab a plate for himself and a glass. "I was thinking a double decker club sandwich myself." He spoke out loud to both himself and Aria. "But I also haven't eaten all day." He chuckled.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by mjolnir
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jameson blaze
ghost riderx|xoutfitx|x#cb7a06

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Jameson shared an elevator with Aria back up to the ground floor of the tower. She seemed to have more than her fair share of bags. He contemplated offering to help her, but when she used her abilities and swept it up, he opted to remain silent. The girl seemed to be on the edge of anxiety since her arrival, so rather than making her more uncomfortable he just said nothing and settled into the farthest side of the lift.

He waited for her to exit first, being sure to hold the door open for her. Then he followed suit. Unlike Aria, James only had a backpack of items. Living off the back of a motorcycle, he had to live a more minimal lifestyle. Luckily, his wardrobe mostly consisted of black, so a small handful of clothing could be stretched quite far for himself.

James lingered in the hallway as Will and Aria bumped into one another and went their own ways. He was in no rush to get anywhere really. He slid his hands into his jacket pocket and slowly stepped into the room.

The room itself was larger than most bars or saloons he had been in. It looked like a high end VIP club, with dark carpets, crystal chandeliers and LEDs that slowly shifted colors. It seemed most of the others were all gathering around the bar. James hadn't quite decided if he would join them, or simply get a drink and then make himself comfortable on one of the sofas.

As he closed in on the bar, he heard Lexa ask Zehara about being an avatar for a cheetah goddess. Personally, James wasn't that curious. To him, it sounded similar to his own burden. But it sounded like it would be a roulette of inquiring about each others powers. Seemed par for the course with a gathering of heroes. Sure, he knew this topic would come up at one point but he didn't know if he was wanting to cross that bridge while he was still trying to grasp what exactly they all were doing here in the first place.

He snuck over to the counter behind Lexa, hoping he could go relatively unnoticed during the philosophical debate of 'what defines a God.' As he grabbed a beer, James noticed Josiah trying to slink his way onto the stool on the other side of Zehara. He sighed softly through his nose as he pushed off the bar. Before the boy could take the seat, James' placed his large hand on Josiah's shoulder. "Can we have a chat? Man to man?"

James didn't wait for a response. He wasn't taking no for an answer. The pair stood eye to eye, but Jameson was bigger, bulkier. He could probably bench Josiah, not that he was the kind to peacock in such a way. But he could be intimidating when he needed to be. And, if Josiah resisted... he could make him come sit with him. His senses told him that the boy held no powers or abilities, so it wouldn't take much. But he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Gentle, but with enough force to make Josiah move, James lead him to a far table in the room where they could talk without the others over hearing. He motioned his hand toward the chair that was back in the corner. This gave James a window to step in the way if Josiah decided to try and leave. And remained standing and waited until the male took the seat.

"Thanks," James said kindly as he took his jacket off and laid it against an adjacent seat. He Then spun his own chair around, straddling the seat and crossing his arms on top of the backrest. "So, who are you... really?"

He paused for a long second before continuing. "What are you doing here?" He pointed to the ground with his index finger. "You don't have anyone here fooled. I don't claim to know you, or what you're going through. But I'd like you to try and make me understand."

James ran a hand back through his hair. "I'll go first." He rolled up his sleeves slightly, before resting his arms back on the chair. "I am the host vessel for a vengeance demon... or spirit." He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Whichever term you prefer. Some think they serve God, others Mephisto."

"Regardless, it gives me this little radar,"
he said, pointing to his head. "When I'm around people who are good or have good intentions... nothing. But when I'm around you, there is this little alarm ringing in the back of my head."

"Perhaps, it's nothing more than you have no idea how to treat a woman. But I don't think that's it." James leaned back slightly, tapping his palms on the back of the chair. "So, enlighten me." He motioned his hand towards Josiah. "Because you might be able to fool everyone else here, but not me. I'm the person whose trust you need. And if I think at any point you'll be a danger to us... I'll handle it." With his last words, flames flickered in his eyes for a brief moment as his voice rumbled like a primal growl. It wasn't a threat. It wasn't even intentional. Rather it was the demon inside begging for Josiah to misstep so it could tastes the man's soul and drag him to hell.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Jameson Blaze
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0.25 INK

#, as written by mombie
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J o s i a h x D a l i n s k i

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o f x h a r l e y & j o k e r
#B48F7C || Outfit || josiah
#52493d || the brute
#5c7340 || the enigma
#544073 || the jester

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The man just wanted to get some sleep, but before he could sprawl out on a couch he was being approached. Rather, some other man's big ass hand fell on his shoulder in one of those demanding ways. When he looked up at Jameson, he rolled his eyes. What did he do wrong this time? He couldn't read his face. He couldn't read anyones face. "Can we have a chat? Man to man?"

To be fair, no one could know his mind. He barely knew it himself.

Because of Josiah's psychopathic idiosyncracies, the Ghostrider wasn't as intimidating as he thought. He has learned, to some degree, how to read body languages - but it's honestly a pretty pointless skill when you really didn't care in the first place. People. What use were people anyway? They were always like this, and maybe he didn't know any better - but he wasn't wired to. He certainly didn't have an adequate enough upbringing to make amends for the very important things that he lacked.

Regardless, he left with Jameson and sat himself down as requested. He could play along with this game. This guy wanted to be the man of the bunch - or whatever. Josiah was up to granting him his wish. He leaned forward, folding his arms across the table to look the demon of vengeance right in his face.

"So, who are you... really?" Jameson began, and there was no clear expression written across Josiah's face. In short, he was utterly devoid of the physical nuances of emotion scrawled across his face. It was good for him, but maybe not for others. Sometimes it was bad for him, too. People labeled him weird or rude, and maybe he was a little.

"What are you doing here? You don't have anyone here fooled. I don't claim to know you, or what you're going through. But I'd like you to try and make me understand. I'll go first." Ah, yes - the stereotypical man; some sort of alpha bravado. Some sort of white knight. Nothing short of a bully under the guise of 'for the better'. Josiah knew these types well, so he decided to hang back and listen. These people exposed more about themselves than he did to them, and that was well enough for him.

"I am the host vessel for a vengeance demon... or spirit. Whichever term you prefer. Some think they serve God, others Mephisto. Regardless, it gives me this little radar," the 'protector' kept spouting off at the mouth, and Josiah displayed some inappropriate physical gestures such as yawning and averting his gaze to someplace else. He was disinterested in other people.

He tilted his head slightly, and when he spoke his voice was passive and near robotic in nature. He sounded very much like someone that had no personality - no anything. "Who am I, really?" He started, and from here on out, there would be no lie that would tingle Jameson. There was only truth - a complex proof, almost like some really fucked up labyrinth that was inescapable and directionless. "I am a puzzle with missing pieces - a mansion with many strange occupants. I am Josiah, but sometimes I am not."

Yep, that was a perfect explanation.

"Perhaps, it's nothing more than you have no idea how to treat a woman. But I don't think that's it. So, enlighten me. Because you might be able to fool everyone else here, but not me. I'm the person whose trust you need. And if I think at any point you'll be a danger to us... I'll handle it." Whether or not that sounded like a threat to the mental case, he wouldn't give off any clue. Truthfully, it didn't register with him at the time. Not Josiah in his typical normal state. He didn't recognize the tonal indicators of a warning, and he wasn't quite sure what he meant by "take care of it".

Part of Josiah wanted to delve into the semantics of Jameson's language, but he decided that he didn't care enough to do so. He wasn't scared of the guy. This particular man was fearless, and it was a good and bad thing for him. He didn't have the capacity to be scared, especially of others. "When have I fooled anyone? When have I said I was anything other than who I am?" He'd pose these questions, opting to utilize a logical strategy to oppose having to jump through hoops to attempt to answer questions he did not, himself, know.

Who was Josiah? Where did he come from? Why was he here?

"Are you vilifying me before I have had the chance to do so myself? A lack of trust is understanding, but who are you to make the bad guy because of a couple of crude jokes? I didn't molest the woman, did I?" He leaned in a bit more to close off a little bit of distance, "You claim to not know me or what I've been through, yet you've already decided that I would be a problem." He sat all the way back into his chair and began to laugh. This was strange maniacal laughter; gut-busting humor that was completely out of place for this situation. A normal person might be extremely offended, but instead, Josiah could feel the insidious nature of his mental disease kick in.

His laughter stopped with such abruptness that it was immediately disarming, and he slammed both of his hands on the table top. His teeth clenched and his jaw pulsed, and he closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself. The Ghostrider had unknowingly pushed the man's buttons; like a threat that stimulated his body's flight or fight response. Josiah wasn't aware of the threatening meaning or tones, but a part of him was at the same time. That part of him, much like Jameson's own inner-Demon, looked for a reason to reel its nasty head.

"Who am I? I am... a mansion with no windows and no doors, but many floors. All the occupants in my home," he tapped the side of his head, "help me survive this cold, cruel world in their own unique ways. Without them, I am just Josiah - a dumpster child with no parents pushed through a broken state foster system where most of us end up dead, abused, in jail, or in wards. I have been to all those places - even death."

He nodded his heads a few times and drew his gaze to peer elsewhere, "You might know me a little bit, Jameson. You have an occupant in your own mansion."

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Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Jameson Blaze
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#, as written by mjolnir
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jameson blaze
ghost riderx|xoutfitx|x#cb7a06
the vengeance demonx|x#dd2f00

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"Who am I, really?" Josiah's voice was cold and monotone, almost like someone void of... being someone. "I am a puzzle with missing pieces - a mansion with many strange occupants. I am Josiah, but sometimes I am not."

That was not the answer Jameson wanted and his present company knew it. Enigmatic. It was no surprise that some of the people there would beat around the bush rather than being just open and honest. It didn't make it any less frustrating, but James didn't let that show. He simply sat there with the same stoic expression and his arms crossed over the back of the chair... waiting.

"When have I fooled anyone? When have I said I was anything other than who I am?"

"I didn't say you've fooled anyone. I'm stating that you can't fool me." James met Josiah's cold and distant demeanor. He showed no flux in emotions.

"Are you vilifying me before I have had the chance to do so myself? A lack of trust is understanding, but who are you to make the bad guy because of a couple of crude jokes? I didn't molest the woman, did I?" Debatable. By James's definition he had. Laying hands on someone like that without their consent was wrong, no matter how Josiah wanted to paint it. "You claim to not know me or what I've been through, yet you've already decided that I would be a problem."

Josiah sat back in his chair and began to laugh. It wasn't a humorous situation yet he laughed like he had heard the funniest thing imaginable. It was loud enough that anyone in the room would have heard and took note. Then like flipping a switch, it stopped abruptly. And as if that wouldn't have caught their attention, Josiah slammed his hands down on the table threateningly.

Then, like his own switch, the act of aggression toward him, even if passive, alerted the demon. James had no control over it. One minute he was there and then the next, Vengeance had taken over. Perhaps Jameson had pushed the buttons of the resident psycho, but the psycho pushed the buttons of someone far out of both of their leagues. He laid in wait like a predator stalking his prey. The flames burned in his eyes and tickled at the edge of his collar waiting for his moment to make his presence known as the boy continued to spout whatever nonsense he wanted.

"Who am I? I am... a mansion with no windows and no doors, but many floors. All the occupants in my home help me survive this cold, cruel world in their own unique ways. Without them, I am just Josiah - a dumpster child with no parents pushed through a broken state foster system where most of us end up dead, abused, in jail, or in wards. I have been to all those places - even death."

Josiah then quickly became disinterested, looking elsewhere. "You might know me a little bit, Jameson. You have an occupant in your own mansion."

In the blink of an eye, flames consumed James's head leaving behind only his skull and a mane of fire. "I'm not an occupant. I'm the puppet master." The demon's voice boomed. It was deep, guttural and echoed like it came from the pits of hell.

"You couldn't be the villain even if you wanted to be, pretty boy." The demon laughed. His voice was so deep that it'd make Darth Vader sound like a child. With each sound it rumbled like thunder. "You lack conviction. You act tough when you're backed into a corner. But you're like a little chihuahua. Cute. But all bark, no bite."

The demon grabbed hold of the table between them and flipped it out of the way like it weighed nothing more than a sheet of paper. He then scooted his chair forward so he was maybe a foot or two away from Josiah. His hollowed eye sockets focused on the boy. No lids to blink or need to waiver his stare. "Four trapped in a prison for one. Three masters, one servant... Crazy like that couldn't be made in a factory." He chuckled. "Like father, like son."

"James wants you to prove us wrong. Be the good little boy and help the team." The demon then leaned forward, inhaling deeply through the absence where a nose would be. "But I... I smell the sin on you waiting to burst free. Like the smell of coffee in the morning. Delicious." His voiced trembled with the final world, almost orgasmic. Like there was nothing more that he wanted in the world than to devour Josiah's soul. "I'm patient. I can wait."

Then, as quickly as he came, the demon disappeared back within Jameson. It was like his body sucked the flames back in. James's presence slammed back into existence, almost knocking him off his chair. Sweat sparkled along his forehead as he took a deep breath. It took a moment for him to realize what happened. His gaze darted around the bar as he felt all eyes on him, like an elephant in the room.

Jameson had nothing to say, wanting to be free of being a spectacle more than anything. He refused to make eye contact with anyone as he stood up and yanked his jacket free from the chair. Without a word, he made his way to the door and exited to the room. He didn't stop there. His feet carried him along the corridors until he reached a pair of large glass doors that lead to a patio and garden that overlooked the bay.

Once outside, he felt like he could finally breathe. Fresh air always seemed to help clear James's mind. He froze for a moment as his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. He then slowly wondered over to a patio chair. With a sigh, he tossed his jacket over the arm before collapsing back into the seat. Not even one day around others and the demon had to rear his ugly head. It was exhausting. While a deeper, more reluctant side of himself almost found the power intoxicating. He hated it. He hated what he had become.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid Character Portrait: Jameson Blaze Character Portrait: William Richards
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#, as written by mjolnir
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zehara el sayid
cheetahx|xoutfitx|x#c8a964

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The two women were left alone as William disappeared to deal with matters elsewhere. Zehara took a moment to take another sip from her drink. From the lack of Lexa's interjection in the small philosophical debate, she assumed the conversation was over the girl's head. Not that she minded either way. Not every hero was destined to be a genius. Zehara didn't consider herself one, just knowledgeable about people. For whatever that was worth.

"So, you're feral - like me," Lexa commented.

"Quite." That was an understatement.

"I can already see that this is going to be a whole lotta fun." Not quite how Zehara would have worded it, but it'd be interesting nonetheless. Both women took another sip from their drinks before the conversation continued. "Is this avatar... thing... good or bad? Just curious."

"Avatar... thing?" Zehara mused with a chuckle. That was one way to word it.

"Just curious to know is all." Lexa gave her bottle back to the bar and got a new one. The girl could put them away, that was for sure. "My father is a notorious villain. Rather - he was." She chuckled and took another drink. "There are so many children of renowned heroes here, I am starting to second guess myself! It will be interesting..."

Zehara pursed her lips slightly as she stared down at her glass, tracing the brim with the tip of her finger. She couldn't leave it unanswered but... The truth worried her. People never took it well. She sighed. "The 'avatar' itself, isn't bad or good. That's just... me," she said, motioning to herself.

"But not all are good. My mother was not." Zehara looked down slightly as she slid her glass onto the bar and waited for a refill. "This power didn't belong to her, yet she seized it anyway. She killed one of her traveling companions for the blood ritual to obtain said power." She took a sip. "See, the ritual calls for a virgin and my mother was not one. So, the Goddess didn't bond with her properly... Fast forward to when I was of age the Cheetah Goddess transferred to me, a proper vessel."

She inhaled sharply trying to decide what she wanted to say. But in the end, Zehara figured honesty was her best course of action. "She came for me. Threatened my father to get me to give up the power... Which I have no control over. So, she killed him and tried to kill me." Zehara slowly brought her glass to her lips, stopping just before taking a drink. "She failed." Then she downed the remaining alcohol.

This time, Zehara didn't take a refill. She didn't need to get drunk her first night there. "The Cheetah is feral... Wild. She does not have morality. She likes frenzy and the hunt... And hungers for human flesh." With that she slowly looked over at Lexa. "I hunt animals to satiate her hunger. Which is like... eating tofu," she squinted her eyes slightly as she tried to explain it.

"But good or bad... I don't know what I am." Zehara shrugged slightly. "I suppose you could be the judgeā€”" Her voiced trailed off when loud maniacal laughter broke the otherwise quiet ambiance of the bar. Zehara slowly pivoted on her stool, glancing over her shoulder to see Josiah laughing like a loon as Jameson sat across from him, looking far less than pleased.

Whatever conversation they were having seemed to go from bad to worse as Josiah slammed his hands on the table, looking visibly agitated. Zehara spared a glance over in Lexa's direction before looking back toward the pair. Their conversation seemed to dull, but just as she was about to turn back around Jameson's head became engulfed in flames. It took her by such surprised that she gasped at the sight. She had no knowledge of Ghost Rider. She had never been to America before, so her knowledge of American heroes was limited to the Avengers, Justice League and other renowned heroes that always seemed to make headlines.

She watched in awe and silence until the flames disappeared, and Jameson left the room. Zehara wasn't all that bothered that he went off at Josiah, twerp probably deserved it. But she couldn't help but wonder what happened. She looked back to Lexa with a slightly confused expression. "What the hell was that?"






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william richards
jr. fantasticx|xoutfitx|x#0b4a8b

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"It's fine. I get that a lot." William smiled, but there was a slight sadness at tugged that his brows when hearing that. No one should be used to being overlooked. But he didn't bring attention to it. He was trying his best to make her more comfortable... not less.

"A sandwich sounds great, actually. It's quick and easy and requires almost no thought," Aria agreed and moved to her feet. Will would have happily made her a sandwich as well. But he wouldn't stop her from doing it herself. He stepped to the side slightly to make enough room for her beside him.

While Aria took hold of the onions and began cutting, Will began to rinse some lettuce and pull off a couple pieces for themselves. The onions didn't seem to bother him too much, but he chuckled softly as she began to tear up from her self appointed task. "So, William Richards," Aria began. He let his gaze drift over to her as he shook some water from the lettuce and set it aside. "You've been here before. Is this a place something like the X-Men or the Avengers?"

"Well," Will began as he shifted tasks to slicing some of the cheese and helping put together the sandwiches. "Both and neither."

Once their food was assembled, Will put everything away and took a seat opposite Aria. First he took a bite of his sandwich to cease some of his stomach's protesting before he continued. "This place was create by Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark." He didn't elaborate on who they were, everyone knew because of the media. "It was a place they created to train heroes' children, and even some villains' children. So, it's not quite a school like Xavier's but it does have training like it. And it's not exclusive to mutants or super powered individuals."

William took a couple more bites, allowing himself time to chew and swallowing before proceeding. "My time I spent here I trained alongside Superman's son but also Black Widow's son. I think it was more preparing us to take up our parent's mantles. The world has gotten so dependent on heroes anymore that they wanted to prepare the next generation." Somehow he was already finished with his food, obviously being more hungry than he had previously let on. "I think they were trying to prevent something like this from happening." He motioned his hands in general around him, showing he meant the current situation with the world, not necessarily them at the academy.

With no more food, Will was finally able to take a sip of the drink he made back at the bar. A bit watered down at that point, but still good. "But then, you know... The government always has to get involved."

He stood up and took his plate to the sink. The moment he set it down, the kitchen, with all its bells and whistles, began to do its thing, cleaning it and placing it back into the cabinet. Before Will sat back down, he grabbed a new thing of oreos and placed them on the table between them. "Can't forget dessert." He smiled.

He leaned forward and took one, twisting it apart and licking the icing like a child would. "Did you ever study at Xavier's? Or did your mother tell you about it?" Considering Aria began the small talk, Will figured he continue it. She didn't seem like the type who wanted to deep dive into past traumas and considering he didn't really have any of those, he was happy to oblige with the simple conversations.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid Character Portrait: Jameson Blaze
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#, as written by mombie
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J o s i a h x D a l i n s k i

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o f x h a r l e y & j o k e r
#B48F7C || Outfit || josiah
#52493d || the brute
#5c7340 || the enigma
#544073 || the jester

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This is a typical day for Josiah. The world was made for neurotypical people, and they could not even begin to fathom the eccentric labyrinth of a malformed mind. He has long-since gotten used to this fact, and he accepted it and allowed others to sit before him and spout off at the mouth as if they have even an inkling of a clue as to anything. It didn't take a genius level intellect to gather that Josiah was socially inept, mentally disturbed, and all-around atypical. He never claimed to be a good guy or a bad guy, and he's never been completely either. He's just Josiah, and sometimes his other selves, and what they do - well, there are many situations that simply disappear from memory.

Even in the face of the Ghostriders Demon coming to a fiery showcase, Josiah was not amused. Most of him had no idea what had actually set the guy off on a tantrum, and he didn't know how to fix it. All he could do was go through his wording and try and figure out why he deserved such god-awful treatment. He could understand Zehara, but she clearly didn't require the help of some white knight to save her from a handsy maniac. Even with Zehara he fails to notice where he really went wrong, wondering if it was really just that his joke was bad and tasteless. A guy like him was well-practiced in mimicking certain social niceties, but it didn't mean he always used them. The idea of personal space isn't something he has fully formed.

Josiah is so many things that are wrong, but he's also not done anything that deserved being insulted and scolded by some Demonic entity. The closest sin that the demon might seek out is that he once tried to commit suicide. Okay, more than once, but that's not really the point. He's been violent. He's never been okay with being told no by women. Yet, he's had a lot of sobriety from his other-selves for the last couple of years. Then again, how would James know that? He didn't even bother to look any further than his own ill-constructed assumptions.

So yes, he let the Demon rant and have his fun. The man's expression remained stoic, and the entity's words kind of went right through him. However, whilst Josiah, himself, did not feel moved or threatened, there were always three others waiting to be slighted. It was taking everything he had not to allow James' words to slip through even the tiniest crack in his carefully constructed facade. If it did, then this might not end and the pair would end up already shattering the whole concept of team building.

Then James left, and so did Josiah. There was no reason for him to stick around this place. A bar was no place for a guy like him. This was no place for a guy like him, or so that's what everyone is assuming. He brushed his left shoulder off, turned around to face the bar for a split second, and gave the smokin' ladies there a little flirty wink and some finger guns. He smiled almost as nothing had happened at all.

Then he dipped out of the bar with one hand in a pocket of his pants, waited for an elevator, took said elevator to his room, locked the doors, and decided that this was a good place for him. Alone. Josiah had his own demons to ward off, he didn't need to have James' forced on him, too.





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#b45439 || Outfit || nightclaw

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Lexa was a perfectly good listener when it came to topics that she could kind of understand. "The 'avatar' itself, isn't bad or good. That's just... me," her newest conversational partner began to understand. Assuming that she was going to continue with her explanation, she allowed Zehara to keep going. It could only help Lexa to understand where this particular woman was coming from, as they were both of feral origins. She didn't want to clash or anything - mess up the vibe. At the same time, she already knew that she was sitting in front of an alpha female. So was Lexa. That could be a problem later.

"But not all are good. My mother was not. This power didn't belong to her, yet she seized it anyway. She killed one of her traveling companions for the blood ritual to obtain said power. See, the ritual calls for a virgin and my mother was not one. So, the Goddess didn't bond with her properly... Fast forward to when I was of age the Cheetah Goddess transferred to me, a proper vessel." Lexa cringed a little with that. She's never heard of any villain in her world that required a virgin. That sounds like something straight out of some crazy movie about cults. Then again, there were many people here at the Academy that were so different from heroes and villains that she knows about. Sure, she knows the greats - Batman, Fantastic Four, and all the rest - but some were simply human, others were Mutant. The Humans were really curious. In her world, people were born with the X-gene, but then there were Humans that seemed to rival Mutants. It was interesting.

Her thoughts were getting ahead of her there for a moment, but she tuned back into Zehara's story with genuine interest. "She came for me. Threatened my father to get me to give up the power... Which I have no control over. So, she killed him and tried to kill me. She failed." Obviously, she wanted to say, but not in a condescending manner. More like power to her for making it out alive. "The Cheetah is feral... Wild. She does not have morality. She likes frenzy and the hunt... And hungers for human flesh. I hunt animals to satiate her hunger. Which is like... eating tofu. But good or bad... I don't know what I am. I suppose you could be the judgeā€”" Zehara was cut off, and this caused Lexa's train of thought to derail as she turned her attention to the scene that played out.

She didn't know Josiah, and she didn't know James. She did know, however, that sometimes people just clashed. That always happens in groups like this. Not all of them were going to get along. It is what it is. Yet, it was also a bit too early to be threatening each other and things. That already puts cracks in whatever foundation the team might try to build later.

She sighed as both of them disappeared. "What the hell was that?" It was the question that was pretty much on everyone's mind at the moment, and by everyone - just Lexa and Zehara because there was no one else here.

"It looks like we already have a crack in the team, huh? Great start!" Sure, Alexa wasn't that smart, but she had a small "band of brothers" back in Canada - failed Weapon-X projects, just like her. She knew a lot about working with others, as she preferred to not go around on her own doing dangerous things, even if she really enjoyed thrills.

That said, she pushed back her stool and slid onto her feet. The bar served her two nice cold beers, and she made a toast toward Zehara. "I'll go check on the blazing firehead. Wanna come?" She offered just in case, not wanting to just leave the woman behind as she didn't just spill out her unfortunate life story.

Whatever Zehara chose to do, follow or go do something else, Lexa dipped out of the bar and headed for the great outdoors. To be honest, a little fresh air would do her good anyway. When she located James by scent, she made a beeline for him and thrust the beer in his face. After he took it, she grabbed another pattio chair and plopped it down next to him. She sat, sunk low, and stretched out her long legs. This was chill.

She took a moment to grab a quick selfie, look at and edit it, and post it to her IG.

"Man, this is nice," she states casually, not bringing any attention to whatever just happened. Maybe he just needed someone to pretend like they didn't see anything, and she's cool with that. Besides, she's busy clicking away and smiling at the 'pings' of likes and comments on her IG.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid Character Portrait: Jameson Blaze
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#, as written by mjolnir
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jameson blaze
ghost riderx|xoutfitx|x#cb7a06
the vengeance demonx|x#dd2f00

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James was content being alone. Hell, argument could be made that he was happy alone. It's what he knew. He just needed a breather, a moment away from everyone. He wasn't trying to step on toes or cause a rift so soon. Josiah just seemed... off, which after their conversation, it looked to be that that assumption was correct. But he didn't seem to care about the present situation. Would he even be helpful to the cause? Or just a hinderance? Either way, what's done is done. Not even a full day at the Academy and the demon has already blown his top.

Whatever internal monologue had been rolling on repeat in James's mind was interrupted when a beer was shoved into his face. He did a double take, leaning back slightly to get a look at the drink and the person offering it. "Uh... thanks." He reached up and took the bottle.

Lexa then snagged a chair and moved it to sit beside him. James didn't say anything, just raised a curious brow as he watched her. She took a seat and it was calm, for a moment. Then she whipped out her phone, took a selfie and did whatever other social media bull that she was doing. Whatever interest he had was lost as he shook his head slightly and took a drink of his beer.

"Man, this is nice," she said, breaking the silence.

I've seen better, James nearly spat out but kept his words to himself. He has spent several years traveling from coast to coast across America. He's seen every grand site there is to see. The view from the Academy was nice but nothing spectacular. "Yeah. It's peaceful," was all he responded with. It wasn't much.

James was still in his head. And from the looks of Lexa she looked to be more interested in whatever was going on in her phone than what he would have said. Call him old fashion, but he always hated how everyone's noses were buried in their phones anymore. So far Lexa was the only one there who seemed to suffer from that affliction. He wasn't ungrateful for her company, but he didn't understand it either. Everyone seemed a bit solitary. Although, he supposed, they'd have to make nice and become friends at some point. How else would they work together?

A soft sigh escaped his lips as James sat up and rested his elbows on his knees. He then, finally, brought the beer to his lips and took a drink. He'd never been much of a drinker. One or two here or there. But it was offered and he didn't want to seem rude. Beer honestly tasted like piss and only got worse the warmer it got. So rather than sit around and sip it for half an hour, James made quick work of the drink and set the empty bottle down on the ground beside him.

For a long moment, James sat there, silently staring at the pool. Then like the flip of a switch, he decided the best way to cool down was a dip. He didn't say anything. He felt no need to explain his actions. It wasn't like they wouldn't reveal themselves in due time. One by one he kicked off his boots and then pulled off his jacket. He reached over his head to grab a fistful of his shirt and tugg it off. James nearly looked over at Lexa, but he felt like he might have been met with an inappropriate gaze, so he opted for feigning ignorance. Lastly, he unzipped his jeans, stepping out of them and leaving his clothes in a pile on his chair.

Silent and stripped down to his boxer briefs, James walked over to the pool and dived in without hesitation. The water was cool but refreshing. He came up to the surface with a soft inhale and brushed his wet hair back from his face. He couldn't remember the last time he got to take a swim. It was nice.

James hadn't been in the water long, when he heard the door to the patio open. He swam to the edge of the pool, peeking his head over the side to see who it was. Myla, the girl who claimed to be blind, beelined straight for Lexa. And while she took off the boots she wore to give to Lexa, he was focused on everything else about her. She looked like she had the shit beat out of her. He couldn't make out all the details from where he was, but he saw bruising on her face and glimpses of a bandage around her abdomen under her shirt. Then, as quickly as she joined them, she left.

"Myla!" James called out to her once as she headed towards the door. She paid him no mind and disappeared into the tower. He had half a mind to chance after her to ask what happened. But they didn't know each other. None of them did. She didn't owe him or anyone else any explanation and James wasn't keen on chasing after her, slipping around the halls in his boxers dripping wet. He sighed softly, crossing his arms over the edge of the pool. He'd ask her later, although he wasn't sure if he'd get an answer.




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zehara el sayid
cheetahx|xoutfitx|x#c8a964

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"It looks like we already have a crack in the team, huh? Great start!" That was one way to put it. Lexa wasn't wrong. But Zehara also knew that it was unlikely that a group of strangers would be able to get along without any problems. Nothing ever was that smooth. She always worked solo for as long as she could remember, aside from with her Father. But family was something else entirely. It always seemed all those superhero teams, the X-men, Avengers, Justice League... They always called themselves a family. A group of strangers didn't even come close. Maybe at some point in the future, but at that moment? They couldn't be more different.

Lexa seemed finished with their conversation, which Zehara was indifferent about. The girl stood up from her stool and toasted in her direction. "I'll go check on the blazing firehead. Wanna come?"

"I'll be there in a minute." Zehara sat there for awhile longer and got herself a bottle of water. She drank a little too much, she could already feel it. With the water in hand, she snagged up her bag in the other and headed toward the elevator.

It was a short ride up. The doors opened up into her own private penthouse. It was... giant. Zehara had been in entire villages smaller than that apartment. She felt guilty for having it. She would have been happy in a small broom closet. This was too much. She sighed softly, setting her bag down on the ground beside the door. While it was tempting to wonder about the area and get a feeling for her surroundings, Zehara left before she could and went back down to the ground level. Getting to know the people she was going to be living with was more important than her presidential level living quarters.

As she turned the corner off the elevator, Zehara nearly ran into Myla who... wasn't wearing any shoes. Her brows furrowed and girl went to swerve around her like nothing had happened in a bit of a daze. "Hold on," Zehara said as she gently took a hold of Myla's arm. "What happened?"

Myla sighed, freezing where she stood from Zehara's hold. Everyone was going to ask until they got an answer, no matter how much she wasn't really in the mood to talk about it. "They came for me next... Whoever they are. And they almost succeeded."

Zehara had nothing to say. Her hand just slowly fell from Myla's arm in silent shock. Yes, she knew what was going on with heroes. They all did. As stated earlier, that was what brought them all there. But it still felt foreign and distant to Zehara. She didn't know anyone, personally who was taken. Yet, standing face to face with someone who nearly was taken was a reality shock for her. "I'm... sorry." The words sound foreign coming out of her mouth but what else was she supposed to say?That was the best she could do. Sympathy that Myla probably didn't want or need.

"Thank you," Myla said, seeming about as uncomfortable with the situation as Zehara was. One was not the type of woman to apologize or show much if anything in the realm of sympathy, and the other wasn't much of a fan of receiving it. But pleasantries and all that. What happened to Myla was important. And while the details of what happened would be dissected as they all tried to figure out some fragment of information, now was the time. "I have to get to the infirmary."

No other words were exchanged. Myla headed off into the elevator leaving Zehara standing in the hall confused, and to be honest, a bit worried. This whole thing was much closer to them all than she previously thought. How long until they find them in the tower? Attack one of them on the streets? What do they do if one of them is taken? All the outcomes were bleak. When she stepped foot into the Academy, Zehara assumed she was safe from it all. She wasn't a registered hero. She kept to herself. And if anything, she was probably labeled a villain because of her mother. But now... She wasn't so sure.

Zehara made her way toward the patio with haste. She paused for a brief second seeing a pile of clothes on the chair beside Lexa. She looked over toward James who waded in the pool. Was he naked? She shook her head. It wasn't important and it wasn't like she hadn't seen a penis before, even if he was. Zehara sat on the edge of the chair that had James's clothes, being sure not to sit on them. "Did you see Myla?" She asked. And while she looked at Lexa, she spoke more to the both of them. "She said they attacked her when she went to get her things, and nearly took her."

Maybe the situation only seemed serious to Zehara, she didn't know. It wasn't that she was necessarily worried about Myla's well being. Hell, she hardly knew the girl beyond her parentage and being blind. But the fact of the matter was she was nearly taken. Which could mean any of them could be next. And perhaps, a small... very small, part of Zehara was scared. She didn't let people close to her so then she'd have nothing to lose. This weird group of strangers was already closer to her than she'd care to admit and whatever their alliance was already seemed to be more fragile than she previously believed.






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william richards
jr. fantasticx|xoutfitx|x#0b4a8b

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"I studied under my mother until I was six. Then I got the privilege of studying at Xavier's because of my father. It wasn't as technologically marvelous as this place, but it was a good school. The teachers were intelligent, and there were always things that we could do as students. I think my father was bitter, though, as I wasn't properly raised on the mother's abilities." Aria laughed, but it seemed more somber than joyful. But William said nothing. "It's really hard to come out from the shadow of a parent that has been named a goddess or one of the most powerful mutants. Then there's my father - not really known, a bit loony. Rather, way too smart for his own sanity. Neither my mother nor my father made social interaction with my peers very easy."

Will picked up another oreo after Aria and leaned back in his seat. He twisted the cookie open and ate the icing as she continued to speak. "By the time I was an older teen, a lot of mutants were losing their lives and powers. We lost so many X-Men, and everything was falling apart. I wanted to become part of a new team that was being formed, but something happened to my dad."

"I can relate to living in your parent's shadow. My father isn't a goddess," he jested, finishing his oreo. "But he's one of the smartest people in the world and he's just plastered in tabloids, news... wherever. My mom too. Ever since my birth that's all it's been. They even call me 'Junior Fantastic.' He waved his fingers slightly with exaggeration and an eye roll. Like the people who gave him his name couldn't even separate him from his father. It's a shadow that he'll never be able to get out of. It can be overwhelming.

"I'm sorry about... whatever happened with your dad." William held up his hand in a you don't have to tell me what happened sort of way. "But maybe this can be your new team? I don't know how everyone else here feels about... Well, all of this. But I'd like to think that there could be a possibility of that."

The room grew quiet for some time. William and Aria munched on cookies both lost in thought. Will didn't mind the silence. He did wonder if all of them would be able to make a team. They were all so different, even from the small amount he has seen. And some of them he wondered if their heart was in the right place. The only people he could say with confidence that he believe would stay were Aria and Myla. There have been smaller teams, but he hoped that the others would prove him wrong.

"I'm eager to see the training facilities." Will looked up and met Aria's gaze. "I wonder what the training will be like, or even if we have time to train."

She made a good point, one that William hadn't fully thought about. How long would it be until a target was on their head? Sure they were in this, supposedly, abandoned tower. But how long until they, the ominous 'they', realize they are gone. All eight of them, disappeared from where they were and it wasn't their own doing? Eventually it'll stir questions. It could only be a matter of time before they are found out and targets the size of Texas would be placed on their heads. He didn't want to imagine it. Will tried to remain optimistic as best he could.

"I haven't worked with others in such a long time. In fact, I am a little afraid that I don't know how to anymore. When I was at Xavier's, I was able to co-exist with my peers, even if they weren't always good teammates. After what happened to my dad, and then all of the events that followed that, I don't even know if I can anymore."

William dusted the cookie crumbs off his hands before he stood up. He took the oreo container and placed them back into the cupboard. He then took a step toward Aria and offered her his hand. "Let me show you something." He helped the young woman to her feet. Once she was standing he released her hand, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. He lead her out of the kitchen and to the elevators. Sub-level 20.

They road the lift down, in a comfortable silence. When the doors opened, Will extended his hand to make sure they didn't close and allowed Aria to exit first. Before them was what looked like a very technologically advanced locker room. There were doors on either side of the room with names on them of students who no longer attended, one of which still had his name. There were rows weapons racks, benches and rows of robotic dummies. Then on the back wall was a single set of large double doors, with an interactive monitor to the right of it. And while the room hadn't been touched in years, it looked like it was freshly cleaned and read for new students.

"Go ahead. Look around." William motioned his hand around the room. Aria was free to look at and touch whatever she wanted. After all, it was there for them to use. She mentioned she wanted to see the training facility and he thought, perhaps it might help her feel more comfortable, if even only a little bit.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid Character Portrait: Jameson Blaze
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#, as written by mombie
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She didn't seem to mind, or maybe didn't care - that she was likely annoying him. It wasn't that she couldn't read his body language, it was simply that Lexa wasn't afraid to be irritating, and she didn't think of herself as such, to begin with.

"Mostly work on my bike. I used to play the guitar long ago... But I haven't really been able to carry one on me while on the road," he answered her, but the conversation into personal lives seemed to have died there. It was just small talk anyhow. While she was interested to know more, other things were more pressing like the state of Myla and the appearance of Kane when everyone thought that he wasn't going to return. All of these things were interesting. So, she wasn't a genius like her father, but she began to see the amusing dynamics of the group for what they were.

Kane seemed like he was in real need of a nap, and even Zehara was tired. She gave her fellow woman a smile and a wave, allowing her to leave without holding her up any longer than was needed.

Afterward, there was one sleeping Kane, Jameson, and herself. At this point, she was content to linger around the edge of the pool quietly with her thoughts. James hadn't made it abundantly clear with words that he was likely uninterested in anything she had to say, but she could pick up on the smaller less obvious signs. It was almost a shame that this group had a weird tendency to look down on her for her addiction to social media, as Lexa was a lot more than her Instagram account.

She sighed and rested her cheek against one of her arms that were folded across the edge of the pool. It wasn't until, "Nice... chat," that she looked at James at all.

Despite the fact that the stress on chat felt sarcastic, and it lowkey hurt her feelings when she didn't really do anything wrong, she smiled without betraying anything she might have been feeling in the moment and replied cheerily, "Mhmm, have a good night!" After all, it wouldn't do her any good to sweat the small things. She even gave him a finger-waggling wave as he departed.

Of course, he stopped and turned around to make sure she knew that she shouldn't take a picture of his butt. "Oh, don't take a picture of my ass again."

She gave him a two-fingered salute and a mocking, "Yes, Sir," but she wasn't sorry at all. With a tilted head Lexa watched as Jameson faded from view. Really watched.

Eventually, she slid out of the pool and moved inside. She hadn't bothered saying anything to Kane since the man looked like he couldn't be fussed about waking up, and she had pretty much been rejected in a not-so-obvious manner by James already. She dragged herself inside, up the elevator, and to her penthouse. After a quick shower and nighttime pampering routine, she tucked herself into bed and fell asleep after asking J.A.R.V.I.S. to set an alarm for her.

* * *

Her alarm rang for 0500, and whilst half-asleep, an arm wiggled out from under the covers so that she could locate her cellphone and shut it down. Only, it wasn't her cellphone. She tap, tap, tapped it and still, the damn alarm kept blaring.

"Okay, okay Jarvis, you win. I'm awake, I'm awake," Lexa grumbled as she rolled onto her back and kicked her blanket off of her nude body. She's always been late to bed and early to rise. Perhaps being in her early twenties gave her some sense of renewed vigor, but she also gives credit to her father's genes. She didn't require much sleep, and this gave her an opportunity to be awake before others.

She tossed on a pair of workout clothes, grabbed her earbuds, and requested that JARVIS direct her to the gym.

On her way out of the elevator to the gym floor, she snapped a quick selfie to let her fanbase know that it was time to get the day started. But as she stared at the photo before uploading, she sighed a bit. The group here was all a bunch of Boomers, and feeling quietly judged, she tossed the phone on a nearby chair and opted to leave it unposted for now. The text merely said #boomerssuck #missmyfriends #lonely

* * *

For about two hours she ran some laps around in the indoor track, lifted some weights, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of having a gym to herself. With her earbuds out and pocketed, and her phone out of sight and out of mind while she cooled down and wiped herself off with a hand towel, she left the gym without her cellular device.

She was eventually back up in her place to shower and go through her long grooming routine. It didn't even occur to her that she had left her phone elsewhere.

"Miss Creed," JARVIS called her as she mists her face with some finishing spray to set her makeup, "We have training in one hour. Proceed to Sub-level 20."

With directions given to her, she had to change her outfit. A skirt would not do. She opened up her bag, since she had yet to unpack, and pulled out what she considers her "costume". It was nothing more than form-hugging leather pants, knee high boots, a jacket, and a camisole top. They were quite worn; scratch marks riddled the pants and coat, and there was a slight tear in the top. Even her boots flaked slightly. She needed a serious change, but this is one of the outfits her father helped her buy a long time ago when she stopped growing. It wasn't much, but she never expected anything at all.

She tugged everything on, gave her hair one last run-through with her fingers, and made her way to Sub-level 20.





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#B48F7C || Outfit || josiah
#52493d || the brute
#5c7340 || the enigma
#544073 || the jester

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Josiah never slept well. He always had strange dreams, and sometimes - just sometimes - he felt like he were never really dreaming, to begin with. They could be memories, but he was sure that he could never do half of the deeds that his nightmares would have him commit. He knew that he had blank moments in his life, and even throughout his day, but he never thought much of them.

He was also aware of his psychological makeup. He's managed to sell himself on the idea that he could contain the parasites that existed in his mind, but as the days progress the moments that were blank seemed to grow longer and longer. People were upset at him for reasons that he couldn't comprehend right away, and he had already been harshly judged by Jameson as a threatening entity.

He was awake just lounging in his bed and staring up at the ceiling. Most of him did not want to walk out of the penthouse and face other people. He was feeling kind of insecure today.

"Good morning, Mr. Dalinski. Please report to Sub-level 20 for training," JARVIS chimed. Well, it would seem that he'd have to venture outside of his safe space.

He had unpacked what little he brought with him, so he walked to his closet and opened it. He didn't know what to wear, but it appeared as though - just when he was thinking that he'd have nothing - there was an outfit waiting for him. It was a confusing set; a purple jacket and slacks, green vest, blouse and tie, and a mask for good measure. Confused, he took the costume off of the hanger and picked up the mask. Who put it there? Was it him? One of him, anyway?

While the outfit, itself, was a tad flamboyant for his taste, he could appreciate the mask. Josiah had no interest in looking at people in their faces and vice versa.

As he got dressed, he wondered what the hell he was going to do in this place. Why was he even here? He already felt sore for Brooklyn, but he did need some answers. Even though the villainous parts of him were beginning to seep from his more composed self, he was never a bad guy. Not in his mind. He had a series of bad circumstances, and from them were birthed defenses, and those defenses could respond in horrible ways to certain situations. That was his curse. He couldn't escape it. He couldn't know when a moment will strike him. He couldn't know when he would hurt someone or himself. His one friend, in what seemed like this whole entire Universe, was suddenly gone.

When he placed the mask on his face, he felt a lot better. He looked in the mirror. It was good. No one would be able to see his face. And most importantly, he became disconnected from himself.

He left his penthouse and took the elevator down to Sub-level 20. When the lift doors opened, his gaze caught Lexa immediately. To avoid her, he turned sharply and pretended to read names on lockers.

Lexa wouldn't say anything to him for the time being, as he seemed like he needed to be alone. Also, she didn't feel like being sexually harrassed today.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by mjolnir
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myla murdock
hell's angelx|xoutfitx|x#6e0000

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Myla kept to herself on one side of the room as she finished getting ready. Once her helmet was on, she checked to make sure the metal halo was fastened and everything was in its place. As she lowered her arms, she could feel the soreness and tugging of the stitches in her side. The corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly as she withheld a wince. To be fair, her whole body was sore. But she had to be cognizant of her left side and try her best not to raise her arm higher than her shoulder if she could help it.

There were moments where Myla was thankful she was blind. This was one of them. She'd be tempted to stare at Kane until he felt the urge to fill the silence. But she could also feel his lingering gaze. It was hard to describe. How could a blind person know when someone was staring at them? Call it a sixth sense. It was no different than how another person felt, she just had no way of knowing beyond intuition. But she felt it.

Part of a conversation about a flattering X-men costume filled the silence. Was that something people wanted? An attractive super suit? Myla never really thought of it before. The whole concept of looking attractive was lost on her. She had no idea if she was pretty or not and wouldn't have the faintest idea of what would be considered beautiful... in a visual sense. But somehow it still made her a bit self conscious. Without thought, her hands mindless ran over the practical pieces of her suit. Minimal skin was visible and nearly half of it was reinforced with padding or kevlar. She didn't know much, but she doubted what she wore was considered appealing.

Lost in thought, her hand gently felt around her sore side, placing slight pressure. Myla didn't notice Lexa approached her until she spoke up. "You will have to accept your money because $200 is way more than I have paid for my entire closet combined. You look like you've recovered well, so that's great!"

"Tip top shape."Myla's hand slowly fell from her side as she put on her best smile. She had learned how to hide her injuries quite well. She'd be fine. Nothing that a little time wouldn't fix. She then sighed softly. It seemed no one was able to accept money where it was due. She noticed the money she gave Kane had mysteriously returned to her bag when she rifled through it that morning. And now Lexa wished the same. "Let me replace them at least? I'm sure we could find some down time tomorrow. There's gotta be a mall or something not too far from here."

More alert, Myla could sense Lexa shifting. Her whole body turned to face in the general direction of where Kane stood in silence. "I didn't think he was going to be back."

Myla busied her hands, checking the straps and belts of her suit. She did anything to make her body language read as though the conversation was casual and it didn't bother her. While, in truth, the same thought plagued her mind. Why did he return? Why was he there? From her recollection, Kane hadn't introduced himself to anyone. No one had an idea where he came from or who he was affiliated with. Nothing. He was an enigma, that under all other circumstances, she'd assume cared about no one but himself... But he saved her? It didn't add up.

She sighed softly. "Me neither," Myla agreed as she dug her gloves out of her pockets. "Your guess is as good as mine." Unlike her father's, her gloves were fingerless. She liked having her extra sensory abilities at her fingertips... literally. Touch was very important to how Myla functioned without sight. She relied on it far more than her father. Thin fabric was enough to muffle the sensation. So she opted for none in lieu of the extra protection.

Why was Kane there? Myla's mind circled back around to it. She couldn't shake the question. He didn't say anything about his return, not that he owed her anything. But something more than running into him in the elevator would have been nice. She was like a deer in headlights, yet he was the one who's heart was racing. None of it made sense. She just wanted answers but she was being met with more vagueness.

The sound of a throat clearing caught her attention. It was quiet, probably not loud enough for everyone to hear it but she did. Myla turned her body in the direction of the sound, giving them her undivided attention. She might not be able to look people in the eyes, but she always made sure to show she was attentive through her body language. "Hey. Hi. I'm Theodore Grayson, Theo. Nightstar."

Someone new? He must have arrived while she was gone with Kane... Or perhaps in the night. Rather than keeping the man standing there awkwardly, Myla took it upon herself to initiate an introduction. Maybe it'd be enough to get her mind off of the deafening silent man that she was all too aware of. She stopped a few feet shy of Theo and extended her right hand toward him. "Hello. I'm Myla Murdock. Uh... Hell's Angel, if that matters. Although I'm sure you haven't heard of me. But you might know of my father, Daredevil." After their hand shake she gave a friendly smile.

There wasn't much else she could offer and she figured she should move out of the way for others to introduce themselves. Before she stepped back, Myla held up her index finger to request one more moment. "I'm also blind... There's no real delicate way to share that," she laughed awkwardly. "Just figured it was pertinent information."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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william richards
jr. fantasticx|xoutfitx|x#0b4a8b

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Well... William didn't get a single moment of shut eye. As he had done for many nights out of the week until his body crashed desperate for sleep, he stayed up combing satellite feeds, hero siting sites, and more for any signs of his parents. The Fantastic Four was one of the more famous groups of heroes to go missing. Their faces were well known worldwide. So, finding signs of their whereabouts would be easy enough, right? Hardly.

Will has just about consigned himself to bed, when J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice came in over his penthouse speakers. "Good morning, Mr. Richards."

"God, is it that time already?" Will asked groggily, as he rubbed his face.

"I'm afraid so, sir. Sub level 20. I'm sure you remember."

"Yes, thank you." With a sigh, he pushed off his desk, scooting out his chair. He rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his face one again. Will yawned and finally managed to force himself to his feet. Training was important, he knew that. Especially when it came to a new group getting to know one another. He should have known better than to pull an all nighter. But he wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he wanted to. He had always struggled with insomnia but since his parents' disappearance, it's only seemed to have gotten worse.

He figured, if anything, a cold shower would wake him up. Will stripped down and hopped into the glacial water before he could talk himself out of it. It was terrible. But, at least it did what he wanted. Whatever sleepy haze had washed over him was gone in a flash. He made quick work of washing himself, not bothering to waste time on shaving. He was in and out within ten minutes.

Once dried off, William went over to his bags and pulled out his blue suit. It was nearly identical to his father's, only missing the iconic four. But after all, he was not part of the Fantastic Four. A sad smile crossed his face as he looked at the jumpsuit. His father had made it special for him, replicating his own suit so that William had something that adapted with him. He was thankful for that and it only made his worry for his parents that much stronger. He was scared that he'd never see them again, although he didn't dare let those doubts leave his lips. He didn't have room for that sort of negativity.

William was dressed in no time and in the elevator. When he stepped out into the locker room, he was surprised to see how many people were already there. It was strange for him not to be the first one there, but not in a bad way. He was hopeful that it was a good sign... That maybe something could go right with this unorthodox grouping of people.

As he exited, the adjacent elevator doors opened revealing another man that he wasn't familiar with... Or was he? Will's eyes squinted slightly, but he didn't say anything. There was something about the male that he couldn't quite put his finger on. And whatever train of thought he did have was quickly sidelined when he saw Lexa slap Aria's rear. It made him blink in slight shock, although he didn't comment. Will was so preoccupied with the new arrival that he hadn't noticed the daughter of Storm's attire. It was very revealing, but not in a bad way. Just in a make him tug at his collar and his heart race sort of way.

The new arrival cleared his throat to try and get everyone's attention. Introductions were up to him, at the moment, with the absence of Alfred and Phil. "Hey. Hi. I'm Theodore Grayson, Theo. Nightstar."

That's how I know him, Will nearly blurted out. He waited for Myla to introduce herself since she took the initiative to welcome Theo. And once she had stepped out of the way, Will approached him. "Long time no see." He offered Theo his hand in a friendly shake. "I thought you looked familiar but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I'm Will Richards, in case you don't remember. It's ok if you don't." He laughed and gave the guy a friendly pat on the back. "Welcome back. Glad to see you."

When he had finished reacquainting himself with Theo, Will made his way across the room towards Aria. He cleared his throat, just to alert her that he was there before he spoke. "Good morning." He gave her a warm, friendly smile. "I wasn't expecting to see this when I came down here." His right hand motioned towards her outfit. "You look good." Good was an understatement, but at the moment it was the best word his brain could come up with.






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zehara el sayid
cheetahx|xoutfitx|x#c8a964

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It was the best night of sleep Zehara had gotten in months. She couldn't remember the last time she got to sleep in a decent bed and never, in her life, had she slept in a place as nice as the Academy. She had grown so used to nights in cars, airports or on the floor, that when she first laid down in the bed, she thought she might be swallowed by it. But when she came down from her rested euphoria, she felt a little guilty that she got to sleep like a King while people from the places she grew up were lucky to have something to separate themselves from the dirty ground. It was a culture shock to say the least.

As she sat up in bed, Zehara was surprised to see that she rose with the sun. Out the floor to ceiling windows in front of her, she had a stunning view of the bay and the sun peaking over the horizon. It was the first time she ever had a chance to sit back and just enjoy the beauty of mother earth. It didn't last long before J.A.R.V.I.S. chimed in, but even that small moment was surreal.

"Good morning, Ms. El Sayid. Your presence is requested on sub-level 20 for today's training. Please dress appropriately."

Zehara stretched and let out a big yawn. She didn't reply to the A.I. voice, just nodded her head in acknowledgement. She didn't want to get out of bed. Sure, she was fully rested, but she would have been content to spend all day laying in that mountain of fluff relaxing. Goddess knows she hasn't had a chance to relax in ages. Maybe even read a book. Oh, she was getting carried away. She'd only bring herself down thinking of if's and but's when the reality was nothing of the sort.

She gave the bed a soft pat, already looking forward to her next night in it, before she got to her feet. Zehara continued to stretch and yawn as she made her way into the shower. And like a cherry on top of the sundae, she was able to get the water to the perfect temperature... two degrees below boiling. Whatever stiffness she might have had melted away with the scalding water.

Somehow Zehara managed to lose track of time in the shower. She couldn't remember if she was told a specific time to be downstairs, but whether she was or not, she spent far too long in there. At this point she was late, no matter how much she did or did not rush. She wasn't going to bust her ass to shave off a minute or two.

Still wrapped in a towel, Zehara dug through her bag and found the best outfit she had for training. She never was the type to have some sort of clichƩ supersuit. After all, she tried to lay low, not bring more attention to herself. Plus, in the end, she was her suit. Once she took on the form of the Cheetah, she'd be covered in fur from head to toe. At that point, clothing tended to get in the way. There never was a point in trying to figure out some costume. She had found an outfit that seemed to work and not get shred to shit when she transformed. That would suffice.

It always seemed that whenever you're running late, elevators take ten years to arrive. So, rather than wait around Zehara decided to take the stairs, occasionally skipping a flight or two. When she reached sub-level 20, she pushed through the doors. In her hurry, she didn't notice someone standing only a few feet in front of her. Before she knew it, Zehara had collided into the man. "Shit. I'm sorry." Her hands lightly took hold of his shoulders, helping steady him, hoping she didn't nearly knock him over.

Once they both were steady, Zehara released him and only to realize that it was a face she wasn't familiar with. Her left hand tucked her still damp locks behind her ear. "I didn't realize anyone else had arrived," she commented with her heavy Algerian accent. Her chest heaved slightly from her jaunt down the stairs. "Sorry," she apologized again, correcting herself. Zehara shook her head slightly before extending her hand. "I'm Zehara El Sayid."

Zehara could have wondered around and mingled with some of the others, but she wasn't really feeling up to being on Josiah duty just yet. It was still early in the day. She decided she'd rather linger around the new guy. After all, he was handsome. Not in some ungodly level of hotness that some of the men and women there seemed to have. A lot of them must have gotten the good genes. But it was an approachable attractiveness. Kind of boy next door cute. He had the face of a guy girls would settle down with, not fuck... Like that quiet one shrouded in black that she still didn't know the name of. He gave her other vibes.






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jameson blaze
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the vengeance demonx|x#dd2f00

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Jameson never slept well his first night in a new place. Maybe it was just because he was unfamiliar with it, or perhaps it was the demon always itching to get free. Honestly, he couldn't tell the difference anymore. The demon always seemed to stir a bit more whenever he was around new people. James had just learned to deal with it. He wondered if that's what it felt like in Josiah's head, having the different personalities wrestling around for a moment in the spotlight. They hadn't really gotten off on the right foot for him to feel comfortable enough to ask. And to be honest, he still didn't know how he felt about the guy.

Even though James had been awake for a couple of hours, he still laid in bed staring at the ceiling. His mind just mulling over everything that had transpired and the new people he agreed to work with. He hadn't made up his mind if it was the right decision to answer the call. But it seemed better than spending his time wondering about the country on the back of his bike. At least this way he was part of something bigger than himself. Maybe now he could finally do something that would make a difference.

"Good morning, Mr. Blaze," J.A.R.V.I.S. echoed throughout the penthouse, interrupting his train of thought. "Today's training will commence shortly on sub-level 20. You may wish to dress accordingly."

James groaned as he rolled over and pushed himself up to a sitting position with his right hand. "Thanks, J.A.R.V.I.S." he said through a yawn.

He sat there for a minute, his forearms resting on his knees as he stretched and cracked his neck. With a sigh, James stood up and dragged his feet toward the shower. He spent half of the time in there just letting the water pound against his back and loosen his muscles. He could have stayed in there all day. He didn't... But he could of. Most of his showers were quick in some grimey truck stop. It was nice to take one on his own terms, without Bubba and Jimmy trying to hurry him along.

Once he was sufficiently clean, James went and put on the only other clothes he had. Coincidentally, they were practically identical to the outfit he wore the day before. Life on the back of a bike didn't lend itself for an extensive wardrobe. But he didn't mind it. Of course, he wouldn't show up to training in some fancy suit or cape. Even if he didn't travel from coast to coast constantly, that still wasn't him.

But the one thing he did grab that he didn't have on yesterday was his chain. It didn't look like much, but it was capable of interesting things... for a chain at least. James was still learning everything that it was capable of, but he knew it could change in length and cut through nearly anything. He wrapped it around his torso a few times and secured it in place. He wasn't sure what training would entail or what he'd need. So, he just assumed he should go about it seriously... Even if wearing a chain looked a bit ridiculous.

As he went to leave, James caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror he couldn't help but think he looked like his dad. It was a conflicting feeling. On the one hand, he always looked up to his dad. But ever since he took over the mantle of Ghost Rider, his father wanted nothing to do with him. He felt like a disappointment, even though he did it for his family. That was the worst part of it all. It wasn't the demon inside him or the possibility of damnation, but the fact that his family disowned him after he sold his soul. There was no amount of good he could do that would fill that hole.

James pushed the thoughts away before they dragged him too far down and hopped onto the elevator. It didn't make it many floors down before the doors opened up to another penthouse. When he looked up he was surprised to see the face of a young lady he hadn't met before. He took a slight step to the side to make room for her but couldn't find anything to say. James was never the best when it came to socializing or filling the silence.

"Good morning," she said softly before quickly making herself at home as far from him as possible.

The doors shut and then there was awkward silence. James never thought he looked like the intimidating sort, but maybe he did? Could have been the leather... or the chain. He searched his brain for something to say. Anything to fill the silence, perhaps find out who this girl was. He slid his hands into his pockets as he pondered for a moment. "Did you get the message too?" he finally asked. Smooth. That wasn't vague or anything.





Once everyone had arrived on the training floor, Phil and Alfred finally joined them. "Good morning everyone. As you can see, two more people received the message and decided to join our initiative. So first, we'd like to welcome and thank Theo and Penelope." The pair motioned towards the two new arrivals, that no doubt everyone had already noticed.

"Since today is the first day of training, we decided to start with the basics as you all get acclimated to one another," Phil continued. "For those of you unfamiliar with the Academy's training facility, behind those doors is a large room that can become whatever environment we tell it. It is not some cheap hologram or illusion. While you're in there it will look, feel and smell real. Everything you experience is so real that it can even injure you. So, take it seriously because it can be deadly."

"You won't die in there," Alfred clarified.

"My point is, this simulation is not to be taken likely. The purpose of this is to treat every exercise like reality so that you all can learn to think on your toes, problem solve, and learn how to work together. Today's exercise is infiltration. Search and rescue. There are 50 hostages throughout a military base over 300 acres in size. It will be nightfall inside and you have until daybreak to free as many people as possible before they are executed."

No further directions were given. Alfred and Phil stepped aside as the doors opened to a cold, windy mountain top amidst a snow storm. Like most training exercises at the Academy, they were given little to no information. Just the basics. It's up to them to decide their course of action and how to handle the situation. They'd receive no help or guidance, only able to rely on each other to persevere.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by mombie
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#475D6B || Outfit || tempest xxxxxxxx #B48F7C || Outfit || jesterxxxxxxx #b45439 || Outfit || nightclawxxxxxx #000000 || Outfit || ronin

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Aria's gaze lifted from the floor to William once the abrupt throat clearing caught her attention. "Good morning. I wasn't expecting to see this when I came down here. You look good." He had motioned to her all-too revealing outfit, which, in all honestly - was not really that bad. Still, she suddenly wished she could sink into the floor like Shadowcat or something. Everyone was noticing, and it was embarrassing. Her freckled cheeks flushed horribly, and she was pretty sure she was tense. Very tense. Frozen, even.

"Thank you," she finally cleared her throat, held her chin up a bit, and gave herself a false sense of security. It was obviously forced, but she was trying it best. Someone wise once said Fake it til you make it, and maybe it works in some weird way. Then, in one fell swoop, all that faux confidence diminished when she felt the urge to escape the situation. Instead of stepping off to the side, she stepped forward - smacked right into William. Not just once or even twice, but like he was a wall. There was so much chest. So much. Eventually she just... stayed where she was, and boy was she just... done with her life right now.

She just bumped into William, who is just a really handsome and kind guy, a million times over without explanation. If she wasn't turning red before, she certainly was now. She's just going to stand there and pretend as nothing happened, and maybe he would be a great guy and pretend alongside her.

In the meantime, Josiah was busy at work checking the knick-knacks that adorned the inside of his coat. He had all kinds of trick goodies. He wasn't going to pay much attention to the social nuances taking place, though the gals were looking super good. In this perfectly aloof state, he was hardly much of a joker or a big guy. So long as he was left alone, he wouldn't blank out and go into one of his other characters.

Then again, the day was only beginning. There was plenty of time for his plethora of personalities to wake up and do their deed. They'd be very necessary, as he wasn't much of anything on his own. Perhaps that's why he was so easily taken over.

The only thing that he bothered paying attention to was the explanation of what was about to transpire. If you ask him, as he looked around the room that they currently occupied, this was hardly the time to try and team up. Neither of them knew anything about each other, and the few that do have no idea how to work in sync. It was an odd ask from Alfred and Phil - to just throw a group of strangers into a training simulation and hope they learn something. He thought that there must have been a better way to introduce each other, but with what was going on in the world, maybe there wasn't much time.

Kane was just being Kane - quietly minding his own business, or at the very least, appearing as if he was. He needn't look anywhere to open his ears, and he often used his peripheral vision to keep his environment in check. The assassin's teeth clenched slightly, annoyed that they were going to have to work with each other. Myla was injured, and so was he. Naturally, he wasn't as worried for himself - but for some reason, he was very concerned that his blind companion would have trouble.

The only social one of this sad bunch was Lexa, and she was more than willing to flutter toward Theo without giving him much space or even a chance to prepare. "I'm Lexa Creed. Nice t'meetcha," she greeted him with a whole lot of pep in her voice, accompanied by the flash of a sweet smile.

That was it, though - just a hello and she was off to being attentive to whatever was about to go down. Like others before her, she too thought it was the wrong timing. However, she did like a challenge, and it was best to get to know someone by how they are on a team - or even just in combat in general. Lexa wanted to know what people could do, and she definitely wanted to get back into the spirit of being on a team.

When the doors open she was one of the first ones to beeline toward it. She purposely ran into Jameson's shoulder on the way, but turned and walked backward to issue him the same shitty sarcasm he did with her last night. Only she, at least, smiled - even if it was too kind to be friendly, "Oh, I'm.... sorry." She had tried to be kind to him last night, even if she snapped a pic of him, he should have at least been a decent person. Lexa was one to hold grudges, and since she was too proud to admit that he really, really hurt her feelings, she'd settle for passive aggression. Typical woman stuff.

As they would file out, Alfred and Phil gave them earpieces to communicate with.

She turned back around and slipped right through the doors, and she was instantly hit with the realism of the simulation. It was cool and unsurprisingly busy. Military bases, even at night, were always bustling. The ones that held prisoners of any kind were more so - alight with floodlights, roving soldiers, large vehicles with deadly firepower, and more.

As the rest of the group filed in after, they were greeted by a large metal fence topped with razor-sharp barbed wire. The fence was likely electrified as another security measure.

Aria waited for William to move before she made a fool of herself even more, and when the doors of the simulation room shut them into the simulation for good, she looked around. She began to talk to herself, muttering like her deranged father. These were common training scenarios at the Xavier academy. "Electric boundary fence reinforced by barbed wire, guard towers, and floodlights. Ten of us, 50 hostages - 300 acres. Approximately 226.8 football fields. No knowledge of any teammates' powers and abilities... teams of pairs?" As she went through calculations and things in her head, she was probably mumbling only loud enough for the people nearest to her to understand.

But there was no time to waste thinking as time was ticking, "Pairs - we are going to have to split. Unfortunately, not many of us know each other, so we are just going to have to pick a partner. It'll be quicker if we do it this way." She flit her gaze from one person to the other, "North, West, South, East - converge at a central location. The fifth team can help eliminate communications networks and power supply before assisting with hostage rescue. Communications and power will be key to our success as we don't want to risk backup or the hasty elimination of targets." After all, humans were just humans. It sounds like a good idea to her, but she's not a tactical expert like her father, it was all just intuition.

Of course, she made room for others to chime in! She's not going to be the bossy one. Regardless, "I will take the south since it's farthest and I can fly, and anyone that is fast can join me. We don't have much time. Communication disruption will take precedence. Do not make sudden moves until communication is knocked out, or they'll execute hostages right away." With that said, she was on the move with whoever decided to go along with her.

Lexa was quick to partner with Jameson, "Let's go, Boomer. East side."

That left Josiah, and he was happy to take a more important role if that meant he wouldn't have to be paired up with any brutes. "I'll take the communication tower. If we are working with a basic military base, it should be relatively simple to locate." His town, outside of his outlandish personalities, was almost robotic in nature. That said, he also dipped.

Last, but not least, was Kane, and he immediately went to Myla. Well, he almost made it to her before feeling like it'd be weird. People might notice, and he wasn't sure that he wanted that. It wasn't even safe for her to be here, and it irked him that she was. Not that he was the best judge seeing as he's here, too, and he's probably just as injured. Not to mention that he hadn't even bothered to get medically checked out.

Josiah, and whoever he ended up with, would be scouting out for communication towers outside of the range of floodlights. That meant that they were in the dark and looking for a way in. He looked up at one point and said something to the effect of 'bingo', noting a large radio in a nearby tower at a northeast corner. The only problem was that the floodlights slowly circled the ground, the guards were armed - about three with M4 Assault rifles, and roving guards just outside of the fencing itself.

Lexa and James were on the east side, and the daughter of Creed moved with feline hush, grace, and speed. There were a couple of guards on the outside, and they probably had a way inside the gate they went in and out of. A big place like this had multiple points of entry. Without warning Jameson that she was on the move, she stalked one of them like a predator - and just as a floodlight passed by and disappeared to make another round, she pounced on one of their backs. She wrapped her long limbs around his waist while digging her now elongated claws into the soft tissue of his neck. There were no other spots to instantly kill and silence the man, given his body armor.

Once he dropped, James only had about five seconds - if even, to drop the other one before he radioed in. Lexa bent down to pluck the radio off of his belt with her bloodied hands. When she dug through the cargo pockets of his uniform pants, there was no other way inside. "I've always wanted to wear a uniform," she smiled and used her strength to pull the soldier where the floodlight wouldn't end up touching when it passed back their way.

She stripped the body, donned the uniform sans body armor, and plopped the helmet on her head. She also took his rifle, just for the real look. She knew how to shoot, but she had a natural aversion to guns.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by barnes
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P E N E L O P E x C A G E

power girl x ā€¢ x outfit x ā€¢ x #b17e2f

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T H E O x G R A Y S O N

nightstar x ā€¢ x outfit x ā€¢ x #13315c

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Penelope couldn't quite help casting glances at the stranger in the lift through his reflection in the door, noting his stark features, all black outfit, and most notably, the chain wrapped around his torso. Clearly a bad boy type of look, although he had respectfully shuffled backwards to give her a bit of space in the lift and wasn't eager to start posturing like some of the heroes Penelope knew. Looking at his reflection for the third time, she accidentally caught his eye, and looked away hurriedly. Ugh, to be caught staring like that...

"Did you get the message too?"

The question caught Penelope by surprise, and she began to turn towards him, the answer tumbling out of her mouth. "My dad, um, heā€”he's Luke Cage, he got the message and sent me in his place..." Aware that she was falling over her own words, she cut herself off, closing her mouth and resetting her thoughts. "Yeah," she said lamely, nodding. "I did."

The elevator reached their floor and the doors opened. Eager to get away from this trainwreck of a conversation, Penelope backed out immediately. "It was nice to meet you," she said automatically, before remembering that she had neither introduced herself nor asked the stranger's name. I am the worst kind of hero, she berated herself silently, glaring across the floor where Theo was busy socialising already.

For his part, Theo was just glad that his introduction to the room at large was being received so well. A girl wearing a helmet approached him, holding a hand out. Her smile was sweet, even if her expression was a little vague, Theo thought, noticing the way her eyes drifted past his face. "Myla," he repeated while shaking her hand. "I've heard of your dad. Nice meeting you." Theo thought that she would move away and end their interaction right there, but instead she let go of his hand, holding up a finger. "I'm also blind... There's no real delicate way to share that. Just figured it was pertinent information."

Well, shit. Theo rubbed his neck, embarrassed, although she couldn't see it. Already he felt bad for noticing her eyes. "Thanks for telling me, I'll keep that in mind." He wondered if there was an appropriate response to such an announcement, deciding that Myla had probably heard all the possibilities and that it would be better to keep his mouth shut.

Myla moved away, saving Theo from putting his foot in his mouth, and a wall of muscle took her place. Theo had to look up into his face, but recognised him immediately. "Long time no see. I thought you looked familiar but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I'm Will Richards, in case you don't remember. It's ok if you don't."

Theo seized his hand with much more enthusiasm than he had Myla's, taking a moment to appreciate William's physicality. "'Course I remember you, man! Good to see ya too, big guy. I wondered where you'd been recently. Just like the old days, huh?" He gestured around at the room weakly, aware of the circumstances that hung over their heads. It was good to know that some things never changed; William had as much presence as ever, something that Theo had always appreciated about him.

Speaking of things that never changed... Theo caught sight of Penelope exiting the elevator, her shoulders slightly hunched and her expression uncomfortably defensive, as she used to be when they were in the Academy together. Theo had some idea of her general reluctance for all things heroic, but he would have thought that her years on the beat would have helped her become acclimated to her role. Their gazes met, and she scrunched one side of her face in Theo's direction in an emotionless parody of a smile. It was enough of a greeting, coming from her.

A different girl zipped towards Theo, flashing her teeth at him. It was the girl he'd seen slapping another's ass, evidently full of energy this morning. "I'm Lexa Creed. Nice t'meetcha," and then she was gone before Theo even had the chance to return her smile.

Still processing that interaction, Theo felt someone bump into him with considerable force, then hands on his shoulders to stop him from falling over. "Shit. I'm sorry."

"Not a problem." Making sure his feet were firmly planted on the ground, he turned in the woman's direction, smiling down into her face. "I shouldn't have been standing in front of the stairs like that, I assumed everyone was taking the lift." He shook her hand, repeating his introduction from earlier. "Zehara, hi. I'm Theo Grayson, Nightstar. I got here last night. I'm guessing you're one of the ones who actually listened to the message and arrived on time." Smiling to show it was only a joke, he opened his mouth to ask more about her, but was interrupted by Phil and Alfred's arrival. Always knew how to make an entrance, those two.

Penelope hadn't introduced herself to any of the others, but spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd; Theo, William... both powerhouses, it made sense that they had turned up. Then a familiar helmet came into sight, and Penelope's tension eased slightly. Out of everyone there, Myla was probably the closest thing to a friend that Penelope had.

"So first, we'd like to welcome and thank Theo and Penelope." Hearing her name being announced, Penelope's attention was drawn to the front of the room, where Alfred was gesturing at her. Her mouth went dry. She raised a hand, waving at the room in general with a weak "Hi..." But Phil was already continuing with the briefing, commanding the room's attention again, and nobody bothered looking at Penelope for too long, which she was grateful for.

Ah, the training simulation. At least she was familiar with that. Compared to everything else she had previously encountered in the Academy, it felt easier to deal with; even if Phil decided to crank up the difficulty, Penelope had no issue with reminding herself that it was a simulation and therefore felt less ill at ease punching someone's face in. Somehow it was different, even though everything did feel quite real.

But 50 hostages and a base of over 300 acres was no joke, and it made no sense to go in alone. Desperate to find a partner she could at least work well with, Penelope hurried towards Myla, wondering if the other girl could hear her footsteps coming towards her. Myla had always had a certain uncanny sense about her.

It seemed like someone else had had the same idea. As Penelope approached Myla, she noticed another manā€”tall and utterly intimidatingā€”do the same from a different direction, although he hesitated before he reached Myla's side, and this let Penelope claim the spot first. "Myla, hey," she sighed in relief, her smile the brightest it had been since her arrival last night, although there was no way Myla could see it. Really, Penelope was just glad she had a friend here. "It's me, Penny. Do you want to head in together? I mean, I would really like it if I went in with someone I knew, although there's a guy who looks like he was about to ask you same thing." She cast a glance at the man, trying not to quail under his intense expression. "He's kind of tall, and he has a sword," she was acutely aware that she was beginning to talk anxiously again, "and what I mean is that, it's nice to see you and it's totally your choice who you want to partner up with." She took a step back, attempting to give Myla space so she could choose.

Theo, meanwhile, was doing his best to listen to Aria's quiet strategising, glad that someone else had a plan. His own shortcoming, as Phil and Dick and everyone else who had mentored him was quick to notice, was that he was not a good strategiser, and preferred to launch himself straight into a situation, so he was more than happy to let someone else with a plan take over.

"I'll take the communication tower. If we are working with a basic military base, it should be relatively simple to locate." Theo's ears perked up at the mention of a tower, and with a quick goodbye wave in Zehara's direction, he strode towards the guy who'd claimed the communication tower, noting briefly his strange outfit. But no time to be judgemental.

Theo gently bumped the man's shoulder with his own to get his attention. "Maybe I could help you with that tower," he offered. "My bet is it's not easy to reach, and I can fly us up towards the top." There was no protest, and together they strode into the darkness, searching for the tower. It didn't take long, and Theo noted with some dismay the floodlights and armed guards that surrounded the tower. The electric fence, at least, was not a problem; from his belt, Theo drew a small device which he tossed towards the fence. It stuck squarely to the metal, and Theo activated it remotely, creating a power surge which shorted the fence out. The entire process took only a few seconds and was completely silent, except for a small spark where the device had been attached to the fence which, luckily, no one saw. There were only a couple of guards patrolling outside the fence, two of them walking together and one on his own, fairly close to where Theo and his new partner were standing.

"I don't think I got your name, by the way," he said quietly. "I'm Theo. Now, I'm thinking we could dispatch these guys pretty quickly, cut the fence, get the guards inside, and then up into the tower. Unless you have a faster plan, because everyone else is waiting for us."

Having finished outlining his plan, he moved quickly towards the lone guard, still shrouded by the darkness outside of the floodlights' range, and in an instant had him in a chokehold, arms wrapped securely around him with one hand over his mouth to keep him silent. The guard struggled hard for a moment, then went limp. Theo dragged him further into the darkness, flashing his partner a smile as he stole the guard's gun and radio, then buried the unconscious man in the snow. "You're not bulletproof, are you?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by mjolnir
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jameson blaze
ghost riderx|xoutfitx|x#cb7a06
the vengeance demonx|x#dd2f00

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"My dad, um, heā€”he's Luke Cage, he got the message and sent me in his place..." The girl seemed to start stumbling over her words, making James regret broaching the subject. She didn't seem like the social type and it was apparent his presence made her less that comfortable. He tried his best to remain calm. He gave her a friendly smile hoping to help her relax. "Yeah. I did."

James cleared his throat as he adjusted the chain wrapped around his torso. "Mine too... My dad I mean. He was the one that got the message. Heā€”" Mid-sentence, the elevator reached the training floor.

Before he could continue or finish his statement, his company seemed eager to leave. "It was nice to meet you."

There was no chance to respond or say anything else. James barely managed to raise his hand in a subtle wave and mumble a, "You too." Sure, he could have followed her... Insisted that they finish their conversation but James wasn't in the habit of chasing down people who obviously didn't want to spend time talking to him.

It seemed the girl he shared an elevator with wasn't the only fresh face in the Academy. "Hey. Hi. I'm Theodore Grayson, Theo. Nightstar," the newbie introduced himself... Not like James wasn't his own breed of newbie.

Everyone else seemed to be in a rush to introduce themselves to he new guy. James decided to hold back and wait until he saw a small window. He didn't want to suffocate the guy, but knowing names was pretty important. He slowly slipped his way past the others and extended a hand. "Hey, man. I'm Jameson Blaze... Ghost Rider, but you can call me James." It was simple and to the point. But he didn't really feel like rehashing what he was at the current moment. It'd come to light sooner or later.

Not long after, Phil and Alfred arrived to explain their training exercise. A trial by fire is more like it. Their task seemed difficult even for the Avengers, yet a group of barely heroes who don't know one another were expected to figure it out? The odds looked bleak. Sure, the point was to force them to learn how to work together... Sooner rather than later. Perhaps this was a superhero trust building exercise. He didn't know. Either way, James quickly began to feel like his presence in this particular situation would be a hinderance rather than a help.

When the doors opened, others seemed to be in more of a rush to get inside than himself. James hadn't taken a step forward when someone shoved into shoulder knocking him off balance slightly. His brows furrowed as he looked up to see Lexa pivot around to look at him. "Oh, I'm.... sorry." He didn't have to be a genius to pick up on her sour demeanor. What the hell did he do to her? He rolled his eyes and adjusted his jacket before finally deciding to enter the simulation.

It wasn't until they all stood in a confused circle, that James took the time to put his ear piece in. While Aria mumbled all her thoughts and plans, he scanned their surroundings. The snow made it hard to see much of anything past fifty or so feet. Splitting up didn't seem like a terrible idea considering they were on a time constraint, not that Jameson was a strong plan maker or leader. He was more of the quiet follower type. He was fine going wherever someone pointed him. Their ideas were probably better than anything he could come up with.

So, pairs it was. Before anyone had a chance to saddle up with anyone else, Lexa was quick to partner up with James. "Let's go, Boomer. East side." He sighed out of frustration while shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. So it was going to be passive aggressive bullshit. Great. He had no idea what he did to piss her off so much, but he could feel her animosity. It was seemed like she was the type of woman who enjoyed being petty and holding grudges. It looked like this training exercise was going to be a bigger pain in the ass than he had originally thought.

Lexa was quick and stealthy. After all, she had some feline aspects to her due to her mutations. But James did not. While she was quick and agile almost gliding on top of the snow, he was slow, feet sinking deep like walking in sand as he trudged forward. Luckily enough, the demon kept him warm but that didn't help against the strong winds.

As they approached, more of the base came into view beyond the heavy flurries of the blizzard. There were search lights, barbed wire, numerous cameras and even more guards. He saw one main gate from the side they approached, along with a couple small metal doors that presumably took keycards or a code of some kind. While the more hidden doors would be a better option to sneak in, that'd mean they would need access. Which they didn't have.

Before James could finish running through the possibilities in his head, Lexa was on the prowl. She beelined straight for a pair guards around a corner, separated from the rest. "Fuck," he cursed under his breath. Picking up his speed in a foot of snow fall was hard, but he tried. His speed was nothing compared to hers and she didn't give him much of a warning or a large window of time. There was no way he was going to get there fast enough to take out the second guard before he alarmed more.

James grabbed ahold of the chain around his torso and gave it a tug causing it to unravel and fall to the ground. With a single swift motion he moved his hand backwards before whipping it forward, sending the opposite end of the chain flying through the air towards the other guard. Somehow, the tool seemed to grow in length, extending and stretching to whatever length was needed. In one quick stroke, the unbreakable nature of the metal sliced the man clean through. There was a brief pause as the blood stained links rested in the snow beneath the guard's feet before one half fell one way and the another the opposite way. The white ground was covered in a crimson Rorschach.

"What the hell was that?" James hissed under his breath as he approached Lexa, who was more preoccupied with searching the guard she maimed. Frustrated, he leaned down and scooped up the chain that quickly shortened until it was a manageable length that could be wrapped around his right arm.

"I've always wanted to wear a uniform." Lexa began to strip the guard and take his uniform for herself.

Meanwhile, James's gaze drifted over toward the dead guard of his own making. The man was sliced in two, lying in a big puddle of melted snow and steaming blood. There was no salvaging that armor for himself. "How about next time you tell me your plan instead of leaving me to figure it out and clean up your mess... That's how you die." He clenched his jaw. "And for the record, I can't die. So that's a you problem."

James walked over to the guard he killed and proceeded to search all of his pockets. Nothing. Then hidden amongst the snow and blood was an I.D. card on a chain that was once around the man's neck. He reached out to take the card, only to find it had been cut by his chain. "Damn it."

With a sigh he stood up and removed the chain from around his arm. "I hope you're a good actor," James groaned with disdain. There was no uniform for him to wear since Lexa couldn't even manage to give him a fucking clue about her plan. So now he was shit out of luck. It took a lot of work to keep his temper in check. But thankfully, he had an idea. James took his chain, willing it to shrink before he wrapped it around his wrist in makeshift cuffs. There was no other way they'd get past that gate unless he was another hostage. And at the moment, he didn't trust Lexa to set him free if he was in real shackles.






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myla murdock
hell's angelx|xoutfitx|x#6e0000

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Myla's thoughts quickly drifted after she introduced herself to Theo and stepped out of the way. She busied her hands with double checking her outfit to make sure everything was fastened properly. That only kept her busy for so long. She was growing restless. On the far edge of the waiting area, Myla began stretching, trying to loosen her sore muscles. Buf if anything, it only made her realize how hard this was going to be. Her movements were limited and the chances of her not popping a stitch were slim. After all, that was the job, right? It was nothing new to her, but that didn't make running into to combat when she wasn't 100% any easier.

"Good morning everyone." Myla slowly stopped and gave her full attention to Phil and Alfred. 300 acres was a lot of ground to cover... Especially when half of them were just humans with fancy outfits. She couldn't travel at accelerated speeds... or fly. The whole exercise was a lot to ask of a group of people who had known each other less than 24 hours. Just a fight the night before with 20 or so goons was enough to slow herself and Kane down. A military base of that size? There had to be at least 50 guards per each one of them... How were they supposed to compete with that? And was this kill on sight? No killing? The details were vague.

Myla was on the tail end of the group when stepping into the simulation. "Here," Phil said as he offered something to her.

"What is it?" She took the item into her hand. She couldn't recall ever holding something with the same shape.

"It's an ear piece, to communicate with the others."

"I can't wear this." Myla handed him back the small piece of tech before stepping out into the frigid cold. She doubted that the ear piece had a volume low enough that wouldn't interfere with her senses. She relied on her ears heavily and couldn't afford deafening herself at all. And honestly, she didn't need one. As long as she was close enough with one of the others, she'd be able to hear their's without issue... And that was excluding the fact that she'd could probably hear a majority of them without them in general. Myla hated to be that person. But she already wasn't at her best, she didn't need to weaken herself more.

She stood quietly in the circle, listening to Aria run over the facts. The woman wasn't wrong and Myla had no objections. Splitting up seemed to be the fastest way to a resolution. If any of the groups found anything, then they could inform each other. The priority was finding the hostages and freeing them. The only way to do that was to cover the most ground as possible... as quick as possible.

No one seemed to have an objections. Lexa was quick to grab Jameson as her partner and head East. Then Josiah and Theo talked of searching for the communication tower. That was a good plan. She might have been able to hear it a bit quicker than they could find it, but she wouldn't argue. They both seemed competent enough and Josiah didn't quite look like the fighting type, so communications might be the safest for him.

Then there was silence. But Myla heard the footsteps. There was no hesitation. They moved right toward her. She knew they were Kane's, yet it still surprised her at his eagerness to get her as his partner. But just before he reached her, he hesitated and another person stepped in. "Myla, hey." Her heart sank, although she didn't show it on her face. Myla didn't realize she was hoping Kane would want to be partnered with her until someone else got to her first. She put on the best smile she could manage knowing immediately who it was.

"It's me, Penny. Do you want to head in together? I mean, I would really like it if I went in with someone I knew, although there's a guy who looks like he was about to ask you same thing. He's kind of tall, and he has a sword." Myla let out of a soft chuckle. She wasn't intimidated by Kane, yet Penny was. Perhaps it was because she couldn't see him or... Something else. "And what I mean is that, it's nice to see you and it's totally your choice who you want to partner up with."

"Hi, Penny," Myla said softly. "You can head in with me. That's fine." This would have been one of those moments where she would have given Kane a reassuring look and perhaps a small smile, if she could see. But all she could do was smile and she doubted he'd be able to tell if it was for him or Penny. "I'm sure Kane needs a break from babysitting the blind girl." She tried her best to make light of it. "We'll take West," she concluded, announcing it to the rest of the group that remained.

Myla couldn't help but feel bad leaving Kane to partner up with someone else. As she walked past him, she reached out her fingers ever so slightly, just enough to take ahold of his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. This was her reassuring gaze. It was a silent, small gesture to convince him that she would be ok. Her head subtly turned to him so that he could see a small smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. All her movements were minor, barely a step above micro-motions that no one else would notice. With nothing else she could do without drawing attention to them, Myla took off in a jog toward the western side of the base.

The pair kept to the woods surrounding the base until they neared the entrance on the west side. Myla stopped at the edge of the tree line, crouching down behind one of the large trunks to stay out of view. She could hear a dozen or so guards, the buzzing of electrified gates or wires and keypad beeps of nearby doors. "There are a lot of them. I don't know how many you see but I can hear at least a dozen... I'm not sure how to approach this. Are we supposed to kill them? I don't think some of the others will worry too much about drawing some blood," she whispered.

Myla sighed softly as her brain quickly ran through all the possibilities. "I think stealth might be our best approach..." They were a good team. Where Penny was brute force, strong and bullet proof, Myla was skilled with stealth and agility. It was a good match of abilities. But as much as she'd like Penny to just smash her way through an exterior wall, that would get every guard on them in no time. "But if things go south... We might need to make a lot of noise to get the heat off of others." She knew Penny wouldn't like that option.

"I can take the guard tower and clear any look outs so you can get the ones on the ground?" Myla quickly climbed the tree and perched herself on one of the branches. She reached her right hand behind her head to grab her billy club from her back. "Let me know when the coast is clear." She could sense most things, like where the guards were and when they were looking the other way. But the one thing she couldn't know was when the spotlight was pointed right where she'd be going or not. That's where Penny came in.






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zehara el sayid
cheetahx|xoutfitx|x#c8a964

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"Zehara, hi. I'm Theo Grayson, Nightstar. I got here last night. I'm guessing you're one of the ones who actually listened to the message and arrived on time." The man smiled at his joke

"Yeah." She smiled. Zehara took a second to catch her breath, brushing her hair out of her face. "It wasn't really meant for me, but the hero who got it was missing... So, I answered."

Before their conversation could go any further, Phil and Alfred arrived to give them their training exercise. Not only was Theo new but so was another girl, who seemed more than happy to keep to herself. Zehara was probably one of the most least familiar with team work out of everyone there. For as long as she could remember she has been a solo act, relying on no one but herself to get the job down. So, whether or not she liked the training exercise, it would be good for her. The hardest part would be learning to slow down. Catlike reflexes often leave others in the dust. But she could worry about that later.

Zehara followed the others as they all entered the simulation and took her offered ear piece. It was one of the few times she was thankful for her warm blood. While others might be effected by the temperatures and wind, it didn't really bother her. It was chilly, but not unbearable. And it would only get warmer if she ends up shifting into her Cheetah form. But she'd rather not whip out that side of her unless it's absolute necessary. She could never know if she would be in charge... or if the Goddess would.

As everyone gathered round and began talking strategies, Zehara found herself lingering in the back. She had nothing to add to the conversation. She had no knowledge of battle strategy or how to direct a group of people in finishing a task. Partners seemed to make sense, whatever her opinion was worth. But at the mention of that, people quickly began to disperse until it left four of them standing around in awkward silence.

"Nothing like being the last kids picked for kickball teams," she mused with a chuckle.

Zehara was fast and could probably keep up with Aria, especially in Cheetah form. But she had this slight feeling that the two would have clashing ideals when it came to handling bad guys. If the girl was anything like her paragon of a mother, spilling blood wasn't an option. While Zehara had a feral Goddess inside her who was a warmonger. It was inevitable that she would step on some toes, but she'd prefer avoiding that for as much as possible. Will seemed to give off similar 'good guy' vibes.

That left the silent one in black. He looked like an assassin, like someone who has seen and dealt his fair share of death. Zehara took a step towards him with a friendly, yet slightly devious, smile. Kane, right?" That's what she thought she heard Myla call him. If he was going to stick around, he'd have to, at least, let them know his name. "You don't look like a stranger to bloodshed. Care to join me?"

Once Kane agreed, she gave Aria and Will a quick peace sign. "We're going to sweep the base." And by sweeping, Zehara meant incapacitate any guards they come across by any means necessary. But, she'd rather not offend anyone's delicate nature. She was sure Kane understood. "We'll start on the North side and work our way South. If we find anything, we'll holler." With her final comment, she tapped her ear piece and gave them a thumbs up.

Zehara started off towards the north side of the base, not checking to make sure Kane was following. What were his other choices? Once they were out of ear shot of the others, she looked over at him, allowing her pace to match his. "You are a killer right? I mean, you don't look like the type of person who spares another." Her tone wasn't judging or skeptical like others might be, but genuinely curious. He had the look of an assassin to him... All the black, not giving any personal information, the sword. It all gave off a certain vibe and she was just trying to figure him out, at least a little.

"No judgement," Zehara spoke up, just so he knew that she wasn't trying to oust him or anything.

When they reached the north gate, Zehara made sure she wasn't in the line of sight of any guards. She looked over to Kane. "You look like you know how to stay hidden. I'll go high and you go low?" There was no other plan to it. She didn't have any details or back ups. That was about as good as her foresight got.

After getting the go ahead from Kane, Zehara took off in an inhumanly fast sprint towards the right guard tower. She was able to slip right between two search lights just before they crossed paths and jump onto the side of the wall. Her claws worked like her own personal pair of climbing axes. She was able to carry herself to the top with ease, while remaining in the shadows and out of sight. She peeked over the edge at the handful of guards and watched them until she saw a clear shot. Like a mountain cat lunging on its prey, Zehara pounced on the closest guard. Fangs extended just before she ripped his jugular from his neck.

Just as the next guard turned to see her, she was on him. Zehara's talons burst through his chest and ripped the man's heart free of his ribcage. Like a caged beast finally set free, she moved from guard to guard, slashing, gnawing and tearing at their flesh. She was too quick and agile that they didn't know what was happening until it was too late. Zehara would take the screams from their throats before they could ever reach someone's ears. She made quick work of the right tower and moved onto the left without being noticed.

There was one guard left, but this one she did not kill. She pounced on him, pinning the man to the ground, her talons digging deeper into his arms and legs whenever he fought her hold. Before he could scream, Zehara lean down and ripped his tongue out with her fangs. She spit the flaccid piece of meat out of her mouth and took his throat in her right hand. "Answer a question for me and I'll let you live."

At first the guard seemed reluctant, but looking up into glowing cat eyes that looked more than content to end his existence changed his mind. "Where are the hostages?" His bloodied hand rose just enough to point in the general direction.

"How do I get past security?" The same hand trembled as the man pulled a chain from around his neck. Dangling on it was his I.D. badge. Elias Schmidt. "Thank you so much, Elias," Zehara said with a soft almost compassionate voice. But just as she went to free him, her hands took ahold of his head, quickly snapping his neck.

With the towers cleared, Zehara tapped her ear piece to communicate with the others. "Hostages are in the South East quadrant."

When Kane was finished with the men on the ground by the gate, Zehara whistled to get his attention. Once he looked up, she tossed him the badge before jumping down to meet him. She looked like a mess, knotted hair, with blood staining her clothes, hands and dripping from her mouth. But she smiled looking around at the death he caused. "Ready to go inside?"






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william richards
jr. fantasticx|xoutfitx|x#0b4a8b

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Will's smile grew when his old classmate remembered him. "'Course I remember you, man! Good to see ya too, big guy. I wondered where you'd been recently. Just like the old days, huh?"

"Recently, Greenland. Helping with global warming." He smiled. "No kidding. Although, I think we can all agree that it'd be nicer if the circumstances for us being here weren't so dire." Will gave Theo one last pat on the back before he left him to mingle and meet the others. There weren't many familiar faces at the Academy this time. That's something they would have to get used to. Unfortunately, things aren't like what they used to be.

Whatever good vibes he got from being reacquainted with Theo Will immediately ruined by putting his foot in his mouth. He regretted saying anything about Aria's outfit. It made her quickly close in on herself. He could see her insecurity and regret in wearing it... Even though she thanked him. What else could he say? Instead Will stood there, quiet and awkward. He wasn't always the best at the saying the right thing at the right time.

William didn't even notice Penny's arrival until she was announced by Phil and Alfred. He felt bad that she managed to slip in unnoticed and that he wasn't able to great her as well. But when he locked eyes with her, Will gave his best smile and a slight wave... Just so she knew he recognized her too. He wouldn't say it, but he was thankful that a couple other old students had answered the call. He was thankful for anyone's help during the current situation but familiar faces always seemed to make things a little easier.

After Phil and Alfred explained the training exercise Will looked over at Aria to try and give her a friendly, and apologetic smile. It didn't seem to help. So, rather than make things worse, he headed into the simulation and joined the small group huddle. He was so used to being the one to step up and take the lead, that it was a pleasant surprise seeing Aria take charge and go over the situation. It might have sounded a little... off, but everything she said was accurate. And even though she seemed to be talking more to herself than the others, everyone listened. So, Will was happy to go along with her plan. Sounded pretty solid to him.

"I will take the south since it's farthest and I can fly, and anyone that is fast can join me. We don't have much time. Communication disruption will take precedence. Do not make sudden moves until communication is knocked out, or they'll execute hostages right away."

Then everyone quickly began pairing off and heading in their respective directions until it was just Will, Aria, Zehara and the quiet guy. "Nothing like being the last kids picked for kickball teams," Zehara commented. It was accurate, but Will didn't mind not being picked. He'd like to think that he could work well enough with anyone. And since this wasn't his first training exercise, he wanted everyone to choose whomever they were most comfortable with. It give them their best results.

It seemed that Aria and Will were destined to be teamed together. He nodded his head toward the other two as they parted before turning to face Aria. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier... I... Wasn't trying to." With that taken care of, Will cleared his throat and moved on to more pressing matters. "I can't fly, but I can make myself aerodynamic... If you don't mind me hitching a ride with you." He raised his hand to awkwardly rub the back of his neck. "But if you're not comfortable with that I can walk and meet you there."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Theodore Grayson
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T H E O x G R A Y S O N

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J O S I A H x D A L I N S K I

jester x ā€¢ x outfit x ā€¢ x #b48f7c

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Theo offered to help before Josiah could protest, but to be perfectly honestā€”he didn't really know as much about technology as one would assume. He was an intellectual, of that there was no doubt, but it was an ulterior persona that held all of the super-intellect. He didn't want to let that one out quite yet. It couldn't be that hard to figure out though, right? The path that he was taken is avoidanceā€”not to let out his more potent and nasty alter-egos. That would do more harm than good, and he already had Jameson up his ass. He didn't need the whole team there, too.

Believe it or not, Josiah does have a reason to be here. He did have a friend that he wanted to find. He was a good person so long as it was him. Different situations caused him to slip into the background, but for the most part, he wasn't anything like the others that lived in his mind and body.

He let Theo go ahead and take care of the fence. "I don't think I got your name, by the way," he spoke, albeit a little more quietly. Naturally. "I'm Theo. Now, I'm thinking we could dispatch these guys pretty quickly, cut the fence, get the guards inside, and then up into the tower. Unless you have a faster plan, because everyone else is waiting for us."

Josiah watched with a tilted head as the guy shorted the fence, but also kept his peripherals attuned to the sentries roaming about. Before he could answer, Theo was already onto the lone guard that was unfortunate enough to happen upon them. He was quick and Josiah was not. It's more likely that he, himself, felt more hesitant to do things that might trigger the release of his other personalities. Regardless, he met Theo's smile with the quick flash of his own lopsided grin, "You're not bulletproof, are you?"

Josiah tapped the side of his head and merely said, "I can be bulletproof. It depends on who is in charge in here." The gesture, along with the flamboyant suit, probably made a lot of sense when combined. He's definitely not all there upstairs.

Shortly after Theo posed the question and Josiah forgot to toss the guy his name again, they were back in action. Josiah didn't have cool doo-dads like Theo, but he did have tricks galore! He had this rather silly-looking flower on his lapel; a bright neon green that looked as putrid as the vile liquid it stored. After he approached the fence, he gave it a squeeze with a too-cheery, "Boop!" A corrosive liquid squirted out and began to melt away the metal allow of the fencing as if it were nothing, and it spread quickly to create a big enough hole for the men to fit through. One at a time, of course. "Watch your step," he added with a finger pointed up into the air and a smile.

When they made it through the fence, Josiah then pulled out a trio of Joker playing cards. They were laced in venom, much like his father's Joker Venom. Anyone that might have known the Joker might draw parallels between Josiah and the notorious villain, but he did not know his parents. He just knew that these were his things - for some reason. He just knew it. No explanation. They were probably items found by his alter-egos. Still, he threw the cards at one of the guards, allowing Theo to swoop in and take care of his partner if he so chose to. The guard would be superficially cut and sliced by the unassuming weapons, and he'd collapse paralyzed. Alive, but paralyzed from the inside out with nothing more than the ability to breathe, have a heartbeat, and functioning organs. Muscles are required for speaking, so they'd not have to worry about that. It would stay for about thirty minutes, and Josiah knew that if there weren't done by that time, they had failed the mission anyway.

Theo didn't wait. Once the guard began to go down, he leapt on the other, swinging deftly onto the man's shoulders and breaking his neck in an instant. Both guards fell to the ground. "Cool gadgets," he remarked warily, recognising them the moment they were used. Theo hadn't been able to see the suit clearly earlier, due to the bad lighting, but now the pieces were beginning to come together regarding this man's identity, or his parentage at any rate. He could speak from experience about judging someone by their parents, but then again not everyone's father had tried to kill Theo's father on multiple occasions.

Still, there wasn't time to think about that now. Their sole focus lay with the radio tower. Theo's uniform looked similar to the guards', so all he needed to do was steal a helmet and vest to disguise himself. Slipping through the shadows, Theo led Josiah towards the tower, moving closer to its base while trying to avoid being detected by the floodlights. Luckily, their paths didn't cross with the guards, and a few tense moments later they stood at the bottom of the tower. Theo wrenched his helmet off, tossing it casually into the snow.

"It's faster if I fly us both up there," he declared, reaching out to put his arms around Josiah. "Hold on." The distance up the tower was short, and Theo could handle that much flying without the sun, at least. He set Josiah down, then looked at the radio, trying to discern what each button and lever meant, and which one would turn the system off entirely. "Why don't any of these have labels?!"

Josiah scratched the back of his neck upon surveying the various mechanical knobs and switches. He couldn't force any of his personalities to come out. Unfortunatelyā€”as one of them would have been especially useful in this scenario. "Ah, this is... something," he muttered, shoulder-to-shoulder with Theo as they attempted to figure the whole thing out. Minutes were slipping away and he was sure that the others were already neck-deep in their own side missions.

It was just a simulation, though, so Josiah wasn't going to feel totally guilty for pressing the wrong thing. He just wanted to avoid violence and the threat of being taken over. The guy, himself, was not technologically savvy. "Let's just turn them all off?" Sure, that would make sense. "And maybe make a mental note to go over this later." Literally anyone else could have handled the communication towers better than these two.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Myla Murdock Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Kane Nguyen Character Portrait: Lexa Creed Character Portrait: Aria Munroe Character Portrait: Zehara El Sayid
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#, as written by mombie
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A R I A x M U N R O E
o f x s t o r m & f o r g e
#475D6B || Outfit || tempest

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W I L L I A M x R I C H A R D S
o f x r e e dxr i c h a r d s & s u exs t o r m
#0b4a8b || Outfit || jr. fantastic

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"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier... I... Wasn't trying to," Will apologized, and Aria nervously laughed it off while she waved her hands in front of her in a submissive state. "Don't worry about it! I... should make it a point to be a little more secure." And that was thatā€”conversation over.

"I can't fly, but I can make myself aerodynamic... If you don't mind me hitching a ride with you. But if you're not comfortable with that I can walk and meet you there." Of course, he couldn't fly! Why hadn't she thought about that at all? She flicked a hand through the air dismissively, "It's not a problem at all! I don't necessarily fly, per se, anyway. Not in a traditional manner..."

In an effort to make the situation lighter and maybe add a little humor, "I hope your hair gel is pretty solid." There was a light bout of laughter there before she raised her arms up to her side, palms up, and began to conjure her power. Drawing from the Earth's electromagnetic field, she was able to thwart the weather around them and generate strong winds. Her eyes turned white, as did her hair; looking very much like her own mother at this point. Will would also be swept up in the wind, as she'd not ask him to flex his powers. Not yet. It was far too cold, and if she understood his father's powersā€”the frigid air might hinder him more than help. This way she can control both of them and he could reserve his own abilities whenever they were most useful.

One very bright side to this manner of flight is that William would also not have to suffer from being held or anything. The last thing she wanted to do was emasculate him. Like this, the only thing that kept him in flight was Aria's precise control over the summoned wind. As they moved through, they were able to avoid floodlights, and the wind help displace the blizzard-like conditions that would have otherwise been blinding. Not that it mattered to her, really. Not only could she manipulate the weather, but it was easy for her to detect its naturally occurring patterns and see through them.

Once they were where they should be, she brought them down to the ground. The blinding frenzy of snow resumed around them as the unnatural winds died down. While she was dressed like... this, she felt nothing extreme in regards to the weather. Aria seemed unfazed by the cold.

In this moment of staring down at a gate devoid of sentries for the moment, she realized that she actually had no idea what to do. What made it all worse was that she told others what they should do without having an actual clue herself. "This is suicide," she muttered anxiously to herself, but it was likely Will could hear it as well.

Will looked over toward Aria with a sympathetic smile. He remembered what his first training simulation was like and it was intimidatingā€¦ To say the least. The cold definitely affected him and his ability to perform. Every movement was slower and strained, and he felt like if someone hit him with a hammer he would shatter. But rather than worry her more, Will put on his best smile. "Donā€™t worry. Iā€™ll take care of it."

Before she had a chance to argue, Willā€™s arm stretched and extended until he took a hold of the railing to one of the lookout towers. With a quick yank, he pulled his body and retracted his arms. He quickly flew through the air until he reached the railing, flipping over the railing and kicking one of the guards clear over the side and out of the tower. This left two men who stood frozen for a moment, trying to take in whatever just happened. Before either could reach for a button and call for backup, Willā€™s arms extended and wrapped around their wrists like makeshift shackles. He then yanked his arms, pulling the men together until their heads collided and they slumped over.

Similar to the first tower, Will swung himself over to the second and made quick work of the guards. Then that left only the men on the ground. He leaned forward, looking over the railing, trying to decide his next course of action. His hands stretched out and grasped the railing of the other tower, but this time as his body swung he extended his arms further. Using his body like a wrecking ball, Will put out his legs and slammed his feet into one of the soldiers, throwing him back into the wall. The last two were quick and easy. He grew his hand to the size of a watermelon and uppercut each man as they came closer. Unlike some of the others, he made sure not to kill anyone. Incapacitating was more than sufficient in his opinion.

"Weā€™re clear," he said over the earpiece, while motioning his index and middle finger toward Aria. As she approached, he searched the fallen men until he found a keycard for one of them. He flashed her a playful wink and smile before he reached his arm out toward the door and used the card to unlock it.

"Let's see what they are doing here," she directed Will as she gathered enough molecules from the air to summon a thick fog through the hall. It rolled down the narrow passageway with no end in sight, but it would give them an opportunity to take down a few very confused guards as they moved through.

They opened doors, scanned rooms, and eventually found something that looked like a control center of sorts. Fog would damage any of the technology inside, and so would electricity from lightning. Most of her powers would. Like her father, she knew the ins and outs of machines as though she was of one mind with them, and if they were going to figure out what was going on at this base, theyā€™d have to leave them intact.

She stepped aside to let William in first, "Gentleman first?" Heā€™d honestly be the best bet for this scenario.

Will placed his hand lightly on Ariaā€™s back to move her aside as he stepped forward to sneak a glance through the small window on the door. He sighed softly. There had to be a dozen men in there, easy. "Make sure no one sneaks up on you. Be right back." Then, without another word, Will almost melts as his body becomes paper-thin and slips beneath the door into the other room. He kept himself flat to the ground or the sides of tables as he moved around.

At first he observed everyone seeing where they stood and who was the easiest target. Will first went for the easiest guard, one that no one was looking at. Just his hands reformed to their normal size just before grabbing the manā€™s ankles and jerking them backwards. The momentum sent the guy tipping forward until he hit his face on the ground. He was instantly unconscious, probably with a broken nose on top of it. Systematically, Will worked his way through the guards going for whomever was easiest first.

Surprisingly, it wasnā€™t too difficult until he was down to the last three guards. They all stood in a line facing the same control panel with their backs toward the rest of the room. Will stood up behind them letting his body reform to its natural state. They were oblivious of his presence, but once he took out one of them, the others would be alerted. His right arm quickly shot out in front of them, hooking under their chins and pulled them all backwards, together in a lump. He held them there as they squirmed until they lost enough oxygen to make themselves lightheaded until they passed out.

Will spared a glance back towards the door to make sure he still saw Aria through the window. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up, before turning his attention towards the vast controls. This wasnā€™t entirely foreign to him. Every control center worked similarly and this couldnā€™t be much different. His gaze scanned the various buttons and switches until he found the lever to the main power to the facility. "Bingo," he whispered to himself as he made his way over to it.

When Zehara let them know that they found the location of the prisoners, Aria felt a little confused. Didn't Phil and Alfred imply that the hostages were scattered? Shortly after, maybe after about ten minutes, the alarms throughout the entire base went off. She tapped her earpiece, do. What made it all worse was that she told others what they should do without having an actual clue herself. "What is going on? Whatever happened to the communication tower?"

She heard the Demon's voice ominously project that Lexa was down. Whatever that meant. Even though this was a simulation, had they inadvertently "killed" one of their teammates?

The alarms blared just before Will could throw the switch to shut down the power. He still tried, but as he thought, once the alarms were triggered, any button he pressed did nothing. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath before abandoning the control panel, hurrying over toward the door. He opened it quickly, first looking down the hall to make sure no one approached before looking at Aria. "Do you want to go for the hostages? Or should we just get out?"

Aria looked up at him. The logical thing to do was to just go - the mission was done. They had one downed hero, a whole military base alerted to their presence, and would soon be overwhelmed. Sure, maybe trained and more experienced heroes - an actual team could get through this with no problem, but that wasnā€™t this hodgepodge of mutants and super-powered beings. It didnā€™t mean her choice made her feel less guilty about everything. She tapped her earpiece and called out, "Move to the southeast quadrant. We have one down which leaves James on his own. Do not look for more hostages." As she gave commands, her fingers rifled through paperwork at the command center. There was a map, which meant they could somehow get to James before he got overwhelmed.

"Josiah, Theo - forget the communication tower. Itā€™s too late," she looked down at the map, but it was just as confusing as being without one. It took her a few seconds to find where they were and then figure out where they needed to go. With the route memorized, she crumpled it up and stuffed it down her top. Just in case. It was uncomfortable.

"Letā€™s go," she said to Will, sidestepping him to run toward their destination.

Along the way, they managed to run into Kane and Zehara, both of whom were in a situation that was not looking good. Military personnel were coming in from both sides, and the two of them were in a killbox of sorts.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Josiah Dalinski Character Portrait: Theodore Grayson
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#, as written by barnes
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theodore grayson
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josiah dalinski
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Turning everything off seemed as good a plan as any, so Theo reached for the control panel, starting with the more important-looking ones. It seemed to work, because nothing went off, and after a tense moment, Theo relaxed. "I was almost expecting that not to wā€”"

The alarm went off.

"...Or not," Josiah sighed, but he also didnā€™t blame whoever set it off. The boys had been rather slow in getting this done. Perhaps there had even been a better candidate for this job in the group, but he never gave the chance for anyone else to take it. Violence avoidance was key in not becoming some deranged psychopath, and heā€™d very much like to keep Jamesā€™ inner Demon at bay for a little while longer.

"Josiah, Theo - forget the communication tower. Itā€™s too late," Ariaā€™s voice chimed over the comms, and Josiah, for one, was going to listen. Being on the tower meant that the boys had a great view of what was going on down below, and it looked like personnel clad in fatigue and armed to the teeth were on their way to converge on the southeast quadrant of the base.

"Yeah, weā€™ve got company," Theo growled, grabbing his escrima sticks from where they had been strapped to his back and snapping them into their extended form with a flick of his wrists. Most of the guards were focused on unlocking the stairs that led up the radio tower, although a couple had looked up and spotted Theo and Josiah at the top. No time like the present, he thought, and before he could lose any more of the element of surprise heā€™d leaped over the railing, falling down onto the guards gathered below. At the last moment he summoned what little flight he had left to soften the blow, landing squarely onto the shoulders of a guard, sending him into a panic as he tried to buck Theo off.

Using his thighs to steer the guard he was mounted on, Theo dealt various blows to the guards surrounding them, lashing out with his sticks and occasionally feet to send guards sprawling to the ground before they could attack him. With the way they were clustered together, it was difficult for any of them to land a real hit on Theo, although he did have to dodge some bullets. One flew a little too close and grazed his temple, sending blood trickling down into his left eye.

Half-blinded, Theo paused for a moment, and the guards took advantage of his confusion to press forward. Struggling to regain his balance, Theo brought his leg up and pushed off the guardā€™s shoulders to flip off him, landing shakily on the ground a few feet away. As he wiped the blood out of his eye, he turned his face up to the radio tower, yelling, "A little help here, J! We gotta split!"

Josiah really didnā€™t want to go into the fray of the fight. It was a simulation and not worth his sanity to lose control of himself in a way that would be counterintuitive to the mission at hand. Still, since it appeared that heā€™d have to figure out his place in this messy team, heā€™d also need to participate like a normal hero would. Whatever normal was. He jumped down from the tower, utilizing a variety of holds for his hands and feet that would allow him to not simply fall a drastic distance.

As shocking as it might be, the awkward looking boy had excellent hand-to-hand skill. Despite his comically flamboyant, and potentially disturbing, appearance, he was able to take on the advancing personnel with dodges, kicks, and punches that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Even as he was hit, he didnā€™t appear to be fazed. His fearless nature, much like his father, kept him from both defending himself and backing down.

Josiah hadnā€™t even noticed that, at some point, he was shot in the arm. Blood seeped through his vibrant sleeve and dribbled onto the snowy ground. His expression could be described asā€¦ crazedā€¦ especially after one of the guards knocked the masked right off of his face. His eyes were bloodshot, and veins pulsed visibly in his neck and temples. The blows that he delivered were meant to kill, and they were bloody and made snapping and cracking noises. It was almost music to his ears! At one point, he forgot that Theo even existed and he was lost in the red of bloodshed until every last opponent had fallen, whether from his doing or Theoā€™s.

He picked up his mask, wiped off the snow, and then put it back onto his face. His features were now stoic, as if nothing had just happened and he wasnā€™t injured at all.

There were hostages pouring out of the facility. Some of them were being dropped to the ground by long distance shots by the military personnel, others were running for the gates and fences. "Out the way we came?" He didnā€™t bother helping Theo at all because he didnā€™t even notice that he might have required it.

Theo hesitated. His immediate desire was to find a way to get the rest of the hostages to safety, but so many things had already gone wrong. Alfred and Phil were almost certainly waiting with a lecture already. And, if the noises coming over the comm were any indication, the others would be leaving too. "This way!" he yelled at some of the closer hostages, waving them towards the fence where the hole theyā€™d made earlier was.

He turned to Josiah, noting the blood covering him and the wound in his arm. "Letā€™s get as many of them out as we can," he said. "It wonā€™t be much, but we can try. Stand by the exit, make sure they can get out. Iā€™ll meet you outside.ā€ He took off at a run across the open space, summoning all the Tamaranean strength he could to blast through the fences at opportune spaces to let the hostages out. He also fired a few careful blasts at the attacking military personnel that he could see, trying to put them out of commission.

A significant number of the hostages had gotten out by the time Theo gave up. He had completely exhausted himself trying to tap into his sun-powered abilities in the middle of the night, and, figuring heā€™d done what he could, he too turned and left the facility, disappearing into the snowy night with the last of the prisoners.