Marvel, Rebirth:

IC:

"Oh, give me a moment," Morrison said to Peter, rolling his eyes. After a moment he shifted from his nine-tailed form to that of a rather average Hokkaido fox - something most people would mistake for an American Red Fox. Not an issue at all.

Of course, he couldn't really speak to them like this, but...eh. There was always a consequence for every benefit.

IC: Maruader

The man looked down at the site. Billions of dollars must have been spent building the site and equipment used to build the sleeper. He panned the area slowly, trying to get every detail in.

"One thing is for sure, HYDRA will do whatever it takes to take the US down. Wonder what will happen if something happened to it?" He gave a smirk smile as he eneded his question?

IC Tokiomi

"Not just the US; Canada, the UK, France, Japan, Brazil, South Africa..." Tokiomi listed the countries that were impacted by the attacks. "It looks like they're picking a fight with the whole world. Normally, they'd be too dumb to live, but with this kind of financial resources..." Tokiomi mused on the consequences that would result; the whole world would go into defensive mode, but some countries out there might take advantage of the chaos and add to the trouble that HYDRA was causing. "Can you recognize some of the company names of the equipment?" Tokiomi asked Jennifer.

IC:

Quinn St. Stark was bored and sort of moped around the Manor quietly as he bit into a waffle bacon sandwich and sipped at his apple juice box.

IC: TLAW-001 Vivus

"Even though I've only been around America, I'm also worried about the other countries affected By Sleeper attacks. But who knows? Maybe they'll settle their differences and fight back against HYDRA, like in a movie or something." said Vivus. "Also, the government tried to hunt me down before I joined SHIELD, so..."

IC: Triblade

 

"I don't know what to do either, but its the truth." he said as he looked out the window.

IC:

Aleksandr Belikov didn't say another word for the entire car ride, and when they finally slowed to a halt, he drew his Magnum first, as though he were about to shoot the buckle of the Camaro's seat belt. New York City was wounded, its visage scarred. This is a city of ghosts and enemies, he thought, and he turned to Matt, pressing a Makarov into the football player's hand.

"Don't point that thing at anyone unless you want to use it," he instructed, "and if you're going to use it on someone, make sure they can't use it better than you."

It would have been easier with Christine at his side, and if it had been Rebekah Fell in the passenger's seat he wouldn't even bother with half the precautions, but he had to make the best of what he had and unfortunately what he had looked like more of a liability than an asset in most firefights. Maybe if we find his bloody car, he'll let me work. Matt was like a brother to him - no matter how Matt felt about him - but he would not take the heat for him getting shot back in Westchester. He wouldn't handle that. Couldn't.

Matt was already stepping ahead, looking up and down the streets and at the sidewalk before strolling (STROLLING! he thought incredulously) down the road. He looked through the red dot scope on his Magnum, scanned the windows with any possible advantage as a sniper's nest, and then caught up to Matt. He introduced himself with a smack on the back of the head.

"Do you know how easily I could have cut you down if I had the high ground?" he chided. "Check your surroundings, Summers. Don't trust the terrain. Trust your eye."

IC:

"Errr...I'd rather not, actually, thank you," Dallas decided after a minute. "Not really sure I'd like to see him."

-Tyler

IC (Romulus)

"Understandable. We'd best get out of here before his sister appears at any rate. She is unpredictable at the best of times." Romulus gestured at a nearby staircase. "I assume you will be wanting to contact your compatriots? I have an office just down the stairs. It might not be as secure as some of my holdings, but it does offer a bit more security then an open hallway."

IC

"Or... I could just drive you there." Lynae said as she emerged in front of them. "Sorry to eaves drop boys but i do believe I can help you."

IC: "I can be what now?" Anberlyn said as she walked down the hallway the others were in.

IC (Romulus)

"Ah. Ms. Worthington. Greetings." Speak of the devil and lo, he shall appear Romulus noted that hold saying seemed to hold true at the worst of times with some displeasure. He turned his attention to a far more stable being after this brief acknowledgement of the gangster's existence. "Ms. Rosewood, I confess, I was wondering if you would be following us. I know how you seriously you take the actions of your proteges." Romulus offered up a feeble grin. "Perhaps it would be best if we finished this conversation in my office. It would seem we are blocking the hallway." He gestured at his two power armored legionnaires. "Power armor does appear to have that effect."

IC: "And a chirpy morning to you, too, Rom," Annie said with an insincere grin that almost looked like a sour frown. "I heard someone say 'best of times' and like any party queen I came in a hurry. What's going on?" she asked, looking inquisitively to the other high rollers present.

IC

"Hello Ms. Worthington," the vampire said politely. "Yes I do believe we should go ahead to your office, I will speak to Nicole later." She began to walk toward Romulus' office, turning to make sure Romulus and Dallas were behind her.

IC (Romulus)

Romulus smiled with an ease born by centuries of practice and politics. "Oh, nothing of great import. Merely wrapping up a transportation arrangement." He nodded briefly at Lynae. "Our compatriot was offering her expertise. Which I am quite happy to accept." Romulus gave a final smile as he and his bodyguards followed her. Dallas was more or less shepherded along with them.

IC

Lynae smiled at Annie and nodded. "Perhaps you can speak some sense into Nicole? She is being rather daft like usual." She added before disappearing down the hall with Romulus and Dallas.

OOC: For all intents and purposes, this post takes place about a half an hour later than the previous Alaric post; Simon's jam will take care of all that transpired in the time in between.

IC:

"Behind on the times, sweet sister?" Alaric asked, the clicking of his boots against the floor marking the slight swagger of his step. He was grinning easily, dressed in no jacket or dress shirt; his pale skin stuck out underneath a black t-shirt, black jeans and boots, and he tossed his hair out of his eyes with a flourish as he passed by Annie and caught up with Lynae and Romulus a dozen paces ahead. "Ave, Imperator."

Then he turned to Lynae and stood on the tip of one foot to give her an exaggerated peck on the cheek. "I just booked us matching hair appointments. If you're going to groom me like your toy dog for this gala of yours, I'm not going to suffer it alone."

-Tyler

IC (Romulus)

Romulus tried and failed to suppress a good natured grin at this newest information. "Ave, Alaric." Romulus doubted he wanted to be reminded of the Worthington name considering his history. "I was wondering who our dear Ms. Rosewood would be on the arm of for that particular event. I can suggest a few tailors if you wish. There is a new italian firm in the city these days, expensive, but they snapped up alot of talent because of the rebuilding process."

IC

Lynae pouted and playfully pushed Alaric away. "Fine fine... After I take care of this mess Nicole made... Mind you go talk to her as well." She then grinned. "Don't lie, you're excited for the gala..."

She then turned to Romulus, grinning. "Mind you, we need to talk about the gala."

IC:

I had already thought about how conspicuous I look, and was planning on flying most of the way.

Ic: "The White King and the Black King stand in a hallway with their thralls and unknowns and I'm supposed to think it's 'nothing of import?'" Anberlyn loudly shot back as the crowd shifted away. "Oh, ###### me."

"Behind on the times, sweet sister?" Ric said as he waltzed by.

"Just catching up on the morning news, handsome," she said, then turned to face the sole remainder of the group that lingered with her. "So, little dove, let's go rejoin the posse. In the meantime, let's talk. What sort of drama brewed up this time?" she asked nicely as she nudged Nicole forward to follow the others.

IC:

"I'm not going to let you escape me until I get that name," Ric Carlisle warned Romulus in equal good humor. "Varvatos is sharp and Vivienne Westwood sleek, but I won't deny I could use a bit of branching out - and, apparently, a good shearing," he added, grinning at Lynae. "What kind of ruckus did we all just leave behind?"

-Tyler

IC: TLAW-001 Vivus

"Even though I've only been around America, I'm also worried about the other countries affected By Sleeper attacks. But who knows? Maybe they'll settle their differences and fight back against HYDRA, like in a movie or something." said Vivus. "Also, the government tried to hunt me down before I joined SHIELD, so..."

IC Tokiomi

"Easy enough to say; I doubt it'd actually happen though. Not a lot of humans are selfless, humble, or smart enough to actually do that, except in the face of immediate danger. And when they finally decide to stop bickering,it may be too late..." Tokiomi took interest in Vivus's last statement. "If I'm correct, it was because you were a pics of technology far surpassing the government's and they were scared of what you could potentially do?"

IC Marianne

Marianne remained in the tea room, sipping her tea and minding her own business. She could very faintly hear the sound of discussion in the hallway, but Marianne felt no need to get involved. Unless they asked for her, that is.

IC (Romulus)

"But of course. They go by Mocenigo Designs, the large black building in the new business district, statue of an old doge out front. You can't miss it." Romulus smiled for a moment. "They recently acquired Countess Mara and, I understand, have Alexander Julian on the payroll. I can vouch for their quality, though I would be prepared for quite the bill. They do not cut corners and expect the same in return."

IC

She linked her arm with Romulus' and smiled at Ric, "Sorry darling, but Romulus and I have to start cleaning up the mess... I hope to see you later."

IC: Ashley

"You know, me and Sierra could always fly on ahead if necessary." Ashley said, apparently thinking on the same line as Sierra.

IC: 'Jess'

"I think I'll try to take a nap, I'm beat." Jess said as she pulled herself under the sheets. The events of today had worn her out, especially the most current one. The fact that Gabriel was her new roommate hadn't quite sunk in yet, the shock factor hadn't worn off at all. Though the current state of her body was a painful reminder of that.

Still, she had to admit her body was a lot softer right now, in a way that almost made her bed seem more comfortable than usual, though at the same time it was also incredibly distracting. Thankfully she knew that it would wear off on it's own in about an hour, and she'd be back to being Jeff again...unless of course Gabriel decided to do it to her again. If that happened she'd consider moving to a new dorm, she didn't think she could handle this sort of thing happening all the time.

IC: TLAW-001

"Yeah, I know. That's why most of that stuff only happens in movies or whatnot." responded Vivus. "And yeah, I suppose that was the reason, but being shot at is just as pleasant for me as it is for most people. Plus, I'd never hurt innocent people." he sighed. "Stuff like the Sleeper attack... It's horrifying, brutal, violent, and I hate it. I want to help humans, the very things I was made to match. But sometimes I doubt what impact I can make. Or whether it's even possible for me to be human, to have a soul. Sorry, I didn't mean to go on a tangent, that was just something I've been about thinking for a while. Carry on with the mission."

IC:

"Absolutely." Tera replied, picking up the plates from the counter, and passing them one at a time towards Mikhail so he could move the pancakes from the pan to the plate. "What drawer is the silverware in? I'll get that out as well."

IC: Gabriel

"Jeff, I think there's a mutant rat underneath my bed."

IC: Aella

I could smell something in the air, I assumed it to be the pancakes...the smell was making my mouth water, as if the rest of my body knew what it was before my brain did. It was difficult to just sit and wait for it, I was so hungry!

IC: 'Jess'

Jess replied with a groan, still trying to fall asleep, she'd been getting close, her eyes were feeling very heavy. "Uhuhh..."

IC: Mikhail

"The one closest to your right hand," he replied as he placed the pancakes on the plates.

IC: Gabriel

"Help?"

IC: 'Jess'

"Nahhhh...too sleepy..." Jess said with a yawn, she didn't feel particularly inclined to help Gabriel at the moment.

IC: Gabriel

Gabriel scurried away from her bed, nearly hitting her head as she attempted to escape the mutant rat that was now chasing after her. It was large - at least the size of a giant chihuahua that had gotten pumped up with performance-enhancing drugs. Indeed, the rat seemed rather vicious, especially those teeth.

Was this what a real-life Raticate would look like? If so, Gabriel swore on her life never to catch one again.

"No seriously Jeff, help."

IC:

"A dozen reports from SWAT, guys on the ground, and civilians. They all say they saw him," said a beat cop by the name of Peter Gabriel (none of us can ever really know why our parents do things like this) to his younger, more vibrant partner, a young gun by the name of Jimmy O'Shannon who had never drawn his gun and had never so much has gotten a speck of dirt on the badge. O'Shannon was an idealist if ever there was, the kind of kid who asked questions first, bought the perp a drink and shared life stories second, and shot only as a last resort through a film of tears. An idealist, a proud liberal, and a fidgety little kid whose hands always had to move. Gabriel had worked the grift for seventeen years, cut corners only when he had to and kept his head down when it was appropriate, and they repaid him with this kid. "The one that's always on the news and blogs. My daughter's half in love with him. Y'know, the mutie."

"My cousin's a mutant, man, take it easy," protested O'Shannon, though he'd perked up a bit too; Dominik Lord was a wanted man, one of the world's most wanted men, and for him to show up in New York City so soon after the last attack...he didn't believe the Brotherhood was involved, not for a second, but it'd been a crazy world the last few years. O'Shannon had grown up in the shadow of the Phoenix and the mutant right's debate. It was personal for him. "He's trying to do some good in the world. He's better than the last guy, you gotta admit that."

"Yeah, alright, I'll admit that," Gabriel begrudged him, starting up the cop car and steering where the dispatcher barked. The trail lead them through New York City, which wasn't particularly hard; traffic in the city proper, or at least the southern half, hadn't been what it used to be since the attack from HYDRA. O'Shannon sat back and let Gabriel rant about his daughter, how she was getting caught up in that "liberal ###### about psychos and their rights," rant about mutants. The fidgety young gun nearly freaked out once when a few rotten jokes were made regarding his mutant cousin, but he kept his cool throughout until they rolled into the visibly disaster-stricken part of town. Here, the buildings were blackened and charred; broken windows marred skyscrapers like acne scars on pretty faces, and the sidewalks were largely empty of people. Only cops crept through the streets, besides the odd vigilante or pack rat; he watched a red Camaro pull by them and dart down a side road, but Gabriel's eyes were on the road, and his mind was on his rant.

"...I'll give you that much though, Jimmy, he's no Quicksilver," he finally finished saying. "Yet. Give him half a chance, though, and he'll--"

--land on the hood!

So caught up was he in his bigoted preachings to the younger cop that Peter Gabriel, the unfortunately named veteran cop, hadn't thought to turn off his headlights, and had given Dominik Lord the perfect escape through the tight-lipped blockade the NYPD had placed around him via land and sky. The Brotherhood leader was on the hood one second, and there was a split silence before the bullets started flying. The two cops scrambled to avoid the friendly fire strafing their own car while Dom turned, doffed one gloved hand in salute, and then teleported off again down a side road. The cars were too heavily concentrated in too small a space to pursue, but there were still four SWAT helicopters flying overhead, and they kept eyes on Dom the entire way through. The remaining blockade repositioned, took old shortcuts and new routes, nearly ran each other over, sealing off any exit they could.

By now, he'd made his way into what was once a large park, darting through the trees. It was time: the SWAT choppers took four separate positions throughout the park and dropped heavily armed cops down onto the charred ground, through the broken trees and into dried up pond basins, onto running and bike paths, moving to surround Dominik Lord while the cops blocked any escape. They'd trapped him in.

Four cops found him by a Red Cross truck and pulled him away, a twenty-four pack of bottled water still in his hands. He was dragged out, before news cameras, police copters, and heavy vehicles, shoved to the ground; his fine clothes were stained with dirt and his white gloves were ruined when he stood, but he was grinning. After a minute, the people of New York City, America, and the world at large saw why.

Everywhere, Dom's people had moved out. Spreading out in search perimeters to search for injured or missing, helping construct temporary housing and shelter, handing out supplies to those in need...and the cornerstone of the group at the center, surrounded by American armed forces. He had tricked the feds into attacking unarmed rescue workers in front of the eyes of the world. Shiloh LeBeau's cameras whirred happily.

The Brotherhood of Mutants had declared for non-combatant immunity. Every one of them wore a Red Cross badge.

"You should see the looks on your faces," Dominik Lord laughed.

-Tyler

IC:

"Tera?" Trinity asked, following her about as she clutched her new pocket dictionary, wondering why the woman wasn't paying attention to her.

IC (Romulus)

"Yes, we need to get our guest home, as it were." Romulus smiled again, affable and laid back. "I would talk with Nicole however, she is....well, young and foolish. Raised as a president's daughter, given extraordinary powers...well, combine that with the arrogance so many youth sport these days and you have a walking time bomb on your hands. She needs training, quite alot of it if I am any judge." He nodded slightly at Lynae. "Though I leave the specifics in Ms. Rosewoods capable hands."

IC

Lynae smiled, her arm still around Romulus' as they began to walk. "Perhaps we should get to my car? Then we can get our young guest home as soon as possible."

IC (Romulus)

Romulus nodded. "Indeed." He glanced at his bodyguards for a moment. "You have the rest of the day off gentlemen. Enjoy."

IC

Lynae looked at Romulus quizzically, her head tilted a bit. "Why, Romulus... You are leaving your bodyguards behind? How unusual." However, the vampire did not stop walking until she had lead the two men to her black Audi.

"So gentlemen, let us get underway."

IC (Romulus)

"I don't think they would fit in the car to be perfectly honest." The fact he was going to have a few cars full of his people follow them would compensate at any rate. With a single smooth motion Romulus opened the sidedoor and slipped in. He turned to regard Dallas once again. "I really cannot apologize enough for what happened here today. I hold my men to high standards, as do many of my compatriots. Ms. Rosewood will, I think, be ensuring this won't happen again."

IC Damian

"Mr. Lord... What are you doing?"

The university student, still dressed in his white suit, had been helping with relief efforts when he just so happened to all into the middle of a high profile arrest scene. He had almost been crushed by a descending SWAT member, barely getting out of the way in time. Curious, he watched the cop join many others to surround an individual, one that he recognized as... None other than Domink Lord. Wearing the sign of the Red Cross, he was grinning even as he was held at gunpoint.

"Okay, I don't know about you," Damian said to the Brotherhood leader, "But personally, this is silly. You think they're gonna buy that? I mean, don't you actually have to, you know, join the Red Cross to use the Red Cross? Unless you actually did join..."

Staff of One in hand, he scanned the surrounding area, taking a good look at the ruined buildings around him, before turning his gaze back to the arrest send, noting as many names as he could. Chuckling, he turned back to what he was doing previously, but still kept an eye on the world-famous activist. "This is going to be interesting," Damian thought. "Way to go, Dominik, except is that really gonna work?"

IC

"Of course. I'd also recommend that you be more wary in the future, Mr. Green." She turned the keys, pulling out of the garage and into the street as she headed toward the institute.