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Post by Erik Lehnsherr on Jun 26, 2012 15:56:12 GMT -5
Location: Avengers Tower, New York City
Date: 8 months after the events of the Avengers
Time of Day: Evening
The lights of New York City illminated the evening darkness as always, with hardly any streets untouched by the artificial light. It would be easy enough for anyone making their way along to see where they were going. But there were a few passages and alleyways that were left in darkness, where muggers and other pathetic, shrivelled forms lurked.
Erik Lehnsherr was standing at the end of one such alley, looking up above him at Avengers, previously Stark, Tower. It was easily the most impressive building in the city. He almost admired it. Quite an accomplishment for a mere human. But if things went according to plan, this mere human wouldn't make it through the night unscathed.
It had taken years of delicate planning, ever since leaving Xavier's mansion. He had travelled around the world, searching for other mutants who shared his beliefs of human inferiority. Soon he had a group of followers, a secret organisation, with the simple goal of mutant domination. If only it were so simple to bring about. But tonight, it would finally begin, and he would reveal himself to the world.
Magneto placed his helmet on his head, his heart racing with anticipation and excitement. Stretching his arms out at his sides, he opened his palms and pushed himself up with a magnetic field. It suspended him in the air as he flew higher and higher, continuously gaining speed. He adjusted his trajectory so that he was heading for the tower. Within a minute, he could see the outside platform up at the top floor. He righted himself and landed on it without a stumble.
"Oh Mr. Stark!" he called, simply walking into the room. He looked around. It screamed money, with a bar to the side. He didn't waste time with details. "Are you home?"
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Post by Tony Stark on Jun 26, 2012 19:02:24 GMT -5
"So, we'll revamp the twenty second floor, that way Ms. Marvel has her own floor as well. Hank and Jan seem to be happy with the floors in the R&D department, plus the one living quarters floor. It's a good thing we added so many floors in the rebuild of this place. Who knows how many Avengers there might end up being."
Tony was at one of the computer desks looking at the building's schematics with Pepper Potts. Seeing as she spent a lot of time here at this tower, and it had been her project to begin with Pepper had been sort of given the unofficial title of the Avengers' keeper. She and Jarvis seemed to be around to help them with this, that or the other thing when someone needed something. Often it was Steve Rogers asking Pepper for advice when it came to modern times, or Bruce Banner making an order request for some sort of special parts for a project he was working on.
Regardless, Tony and Pepper had been making renovation plans. When Ms. Marvel had been transferred to the team, Tony realized that they would be a growing unit. Someone may leave the team, someone may join, it would be a constant flow. They needed to be prepared for that kind of stuff. So, as they worked, Stark's ears picked up as he was called out.
"Oh Mr. Stark! Are you home?"
Tony raised an eyebrow. He looked up and thought for a second before looking to Pepper, "Security breach Pepper. That's on you." He reminded her playfully as he went to see who was calling him out. |
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Post by Virginia Potts on Jun 26, 2012 21:41:26 GMT -5
* * *Pepper had been dividing her attention between trying to note down what was being renovated and chasing Tony’s hands away. He was the tech influence, she was the comfort influence; if she left everything up to him, the suites would be missing vital but mundane things. Like shower curtains. And pillows. So she was making a mental list of what she’d need to outfit the place with, and she would cross-check it with the transcript Jarvis provided for her later.
As they heard a voice, Pepper’s forehead creased. It was no one she recognised. And it was coming from the helipad deck. How on earth. She frowned, staring at the computer generated 3D model of the floor plan in front of her. Usually his enemies weren’t so subtle, but even so…
"Security breach Pepper. That's on you."
He certainly didn't sound concerned, and she rolled her eyes, not bothering to glance at him.
"Oh, please."
She kept one eye on the door, more out of curiousity than real worry, the other half of her brain continuing her mental inventory of what would be needed. Nothing slipped by Pepper Potts, and this was no exception. * * *
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Post by Erik Lehnsherr on Jun 27, 2012 1:46:18 GMT -5
Magneto soon lost his patience, so he went through the door into the corridor and started heading down it. As he turned a corner, he saw a well-known face walking in the other direction. "Mr. Stark!" he called, going up to him with a smile. But behind the cheer, a serpent coiled to strike could be sensed. "I'm so sorry for intruding. Well, not really. I'm not distracting you from anything important, am I?"
He didn't wait for an answer and went straight on. "Amazing building," he complimented. "You and your little hero squad must be so proud. Speaking of which, where are the Avengers?" The mutant made a show of looking around, but didn't see anyone else. "It would've been so much better if they were here. But no matter." Then his eyes were drawn to the light on Stark's chest.
"Wonderful peace of technology, that," he remarked, nodding at it. "As I understand it, it's needed to keep you alive, correct?"
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Post by Tony Stark on Jun 27, 2012 21:11:39 GMT -5
Tony soon came face to face with his, for lack of a better term, unwanted guest. Stark raised an eyebrow as he spoke, trying to understand what was going on. Was this going to start happening often? Costumed guys breaking into his tower and making life difficult? Actually, if Pepper was out of harm's way, Tony would kind of like all that, but when she was this close to the action, he couldn't help but be nervous for her safety.
"I'm so sorry for intruding. Well, not really. I'm not distracting you from anything important, am I?"
He made a face that was practically dripping with a sarcastic glint, Stark finally adressed him, "Actually, you kind of are. See, after Eleven PM, that's what I like to call Pepper time. Pepper time is when I'm just Tony, not Iron Man. So, if you'd like to schedule a job interview or a fight or whatever you're here for, you can call during the business hours on every third Thursday, or second Tuesday of the month, except national holidays, and Valentine's Day, which is also a Thursday this year."
"Amazing building,"
Tony looked around before asking, "Did he not hear me? Hello? Bucket, head, guy?"
"You and your little hero squad must be so proud. Speaking of which, where are the Avengers?"
"Actually, we're more like a team, but I kind of like squad. I might start a squad soon. I'll schedule a day for making a squad." Tony started to phase in and out of what the man was saying, until he spoke about the arc reactor keeping shrapnel out of his heart, "As I understand it, it's needed to keep you alive, correct?"
Stark shrugged before saying, "Well, it's not like that was some kind of huge secret." He looked at the man again before asking, "And, your name? I'm pretty bad with them, so speak up, I don't like to repeat myself or being corrected." |
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Post by Erik Lehnsherr on Jun 28, 2012 15:21:26 GMT -5
Magneto paid little to no attention to the Stark's own rambles, not caring about what he did in his spare time. His only interest was the arc reactor. So he just 'mmhmmed' and 'aahed' until he got an answer.
"Well, it's not like that was some kind of huge secret. And, your name? I'm pretty bad with them, so speak up, I don't like to repeat myself or being corrected."
He smiled at the millionaire, or billionaire. Whichever it was. He hadn't bothered with the trivia. "You can call me Magneto," he said, walking straight up to the man. With a gloved hand, he tapped the machine in his chest. "Interesting." While he studied it, he reached out with his power. Yes, the metal inside him...this would be easy.
Standing back slightly, Magneto raised his hand in front of his chest, and it hovered in front of the arc reactor. He clenched his fist, intending to raise the machine, and therefore Stark in the air slightly.
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Post by Tony Stark on Jun 30, 2012 16:38:33 GMT -5
"You can call me Magneto."
Tony rolled his eyes, "Magneto? That's the best you have?" A smirk grew and said, "I bet you came up with it all by yourself, didn't you?" He was blatantly taunting him now, "What kind of jerk off comes up with his own secret identity name? The press came up with mine." Magneto wasn't listening to him, instead, he was tapping the arc reactor. Tony slapped his hand away, "Hey, I kind of need that."
And a moment later, Tony was floating. Stark's heart began to pound as he felt just the slightest movements in the Arc Reactor that kept him alive. Tony coughed a bit before managing to croak out a few more words to his assailant.
"G-gotcha," he coughed, "Magneto, power over magnetic fields. Not all that clever though, but points for the cool powers." |
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Post by Erik Lehnsherr on Jul 1, 2012 10:27:02 GMT -5
He frowned at the taunts of his name. His real name. "It was a very dear friend who came up with that name for me," he said, looking at Stark. "I would appreciate it if you did not insult them. Or the consequences will be worse."
"G-gotcha," he coughed, "Magneto, power over magnetic fields. Not all that clever though, but points for the cool powers."
"Very observant, Mr. Stark," Magneto grinned. "I always knew that despite your flippant, self-centered nature, you possessed a vast amount of intelligence. And I honestly don't care what you think of my powers." Suddenly he flicked his wrist, waving his fist, sending his victim crashing into the wall beside them.
Sweeping his cape around him, the mutant placed a foot on Stark's chest once he had slumped on the ground. "Let's make this easy for the both of us, shall we? I'll cut to the chase: where is your stash of suits, weapons, everything you have for the Avengers?" He honestly didn't care whether he got an answer straight away or not. It would be fun to toy with this little man for a while.
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Post by Virginia Potts on Jul 1, 2012 12:45:09 GMT -5
* * *Pepper’s hand flew away from the controls as she heard the crash, and the holographic model of the tower disappeared, the room dimming as its light extinguished. She couldn’t make out what was being said – this room had some measure of soundproofing, a fact she was usually grateful for – but she knew it probably wasn’t good.
Her instincts told her to run, to fly through that door and check on Tony, consequences be damned. But when you were the girlfriend of a superhero, the consequences could be very big indeed. Bigger than herself, and bigger than their relationship.
So she ignored the tendrils of panic creeping up her spine, instead flattening herself against the wall next to the com interface. Tony had wanted the quintessential red button, and there it was – unmistakable and glaring. They’d never used it.
She lifted the cover, and crashed a thumb into it.
Nothing changed at their level, that’s how it was wired – the floor where the signal was sent from remained quiet in order to keep some modicum of surprise – but she knew lights would be flashing on the levels below. Her lips ghosted against the metal grate of the speaker, and she felt equal parts trepidation and ridiculousness at the words she uttered.
“Avengers Assemble!” * * *
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Post by Thor Odinson on Jul 1, 2012 14:47:22 GMT -5
Location: The North Atlantic, 400 nautical miles from the coast of Ireland
Date: 8 months after the events of the Avengers
Time of Day: Night
Rain lashed the Ocean Princess like cat-o-nine-tails, adding to the general misery created by the howling winds and the 20-foot swells that sent the massive liner pitching and yawing like a hog in mud. Lightning split the sky, revealing a storm-ravaged sea that clutched at the ship like hungry fingers, seeking to drag it into the depths below.
Captain Mittelson sweated in the control room, watching the weather radar and wrestling with the wheel. All around him, his crew tensly manned their stations. One of the younger officers, only on his third voyage, made an involunatary cry of dismay as the deck inclined 30 degrees to starboard.
"It looks bad," said Angus Porter, Mittelson's first officer. "Freak storm like this, it could..."
He didn't finish the thought. Everyone knew what it could. It could tip the ship over, dragging it down into the lightless depths. And while they had enough lifeboats for passengers and crew, it was touch and go whether or not they'd be able to evacuate everyone. And then whether or not the tiny lifeboats would survive a storm that could sink a liner.
The door to the outside walkway crashed open. Mittelson turned, expecting to see yet another bearer of bad news. Instead he saw a giant of a man, blonde hair and beard plastered to his face and head, dressed in black leather and chain mail and a scarlet cloak. A sledgehammer was lightly gripped in one hand, and a winged helmet rested on his head.
The man smiled reassuringly. "Tell me thy heading."
"What? Heading?" Mittelson gaped. "Why?"
"That I may open a path for thy vessel through the storm."
Mittelson and Porter glanced at each other, ignoring the gaping stares from the rest of the crew. "You're..." Porter began, "You're Thor, right? One of the Avengers?"
"Aye, I am Thor. Thor of the Thunders, and the weather is mine to command. Now speak swiftly, for the fury of the storm gathers and your vessel will not survive it: what is thy heading?"
"West-northwest, at 12 knots," Mittelson answered. "Making for Iceland."
"Then you shall reach Iceland. So swears Thor."
He swung the door open effortlessly in the face of the gale, and stepped outside. The crew stood, craining their necks to watch him pass, and Mittelson couldn't find it in him to order them back to stations.
Thor descended the stairs and crossed the deck, walking effortlessly on the pitching deck and through the howling winds. He stopped at the prow of the ship, raising Mjolnir high above his head. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in challenge. "The skies of Midgard are insolent," he laughed in answer, "You have forgotten the voice of your master!"
A mighty bolt of lightning stabbed down, striking square on the head of his mighty hammer. The men and women in the control room looked away, afterimages burned on their retinas, hands over their ears to protect them from a clap of thunder so loud it was a physical force.
Thor laughed, louder than ever. "I am Thor!" he bellowed back, brandishing Mjolnir once more. "And I say: heel!"
The uru hammer spun at the end of it's leather thong. Slowly, almost resentfully, the fury of the storm began to abate as the winds carried it in an easterly direction. The rain and the wind and the lightning continued, but the Ocean Princess no longer wallowed and foundered.
There was applause and cheering as Thor reentered the control room. Mittelson hesitated for a moment, then clasped the Thunder God's hand and shook it. "Thank you! I don't know... I mean... How can I..."
Thor clapped him on the shoulder. "You need offer me no words of thanksgiving, Gregor Mittelson. See your ship safely to Iceland."
Incongruously, at that moment the soft sound of electric guitars was heard, followed by a voice chanting "Thunder! Thunder!" over and over again. Both Thor and Mittelson looked baffled, looking around for a moment, before the Thunder God realized the sound was coming from his tunic. Bemused, he reached in and produced a small and heavily modified cell phone that Tony Stark had given him.
The... what had Tony called it? Ah, yes. Caller ID. The caller ID was a red display, indicating Stark Tower New York. Thor thumbed the on switch. Before he could speak, he could hear the voice of Pepper Potts.
"Avengers Assemble!" she called, voice both fearful and slightly bemused.
"Ere you draw breath twice a hundred times," Thor assured her as he stepped back into the storm, "Thor shall be at your side!"
Spinning Mjolnir above his head, faster and faster and faster, Thor hurled himself into the storm-wracked night.
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Steve Rogers
Full Member
Avengers
Captain America
Posts: 183
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Post by Steve Rogers on Jul 1, 2012 15:44:53 GMT -5
“Avengers Assemble!”
Having just gotten back to his floor after a run through the obstacle course in the basement gym. Steve had been one floor down, his personal floor. When the call came in over the loud speaker and his Identicard. Rushing to his uniform room, Cap got ready and then headed out to his balcony. Fixing his shield onto his back, Captain America jumped up one level from the railing and climbed up Stark and Miss Pepper's floor. He rushed in through the door and saw the scenario before them.
He tried to open the glass door, which was now padlocked. Sighing, Steve backed up then charged up and jumped through the glass, shoulder first. With a crash, he rolled, pulled his shield off his back and tossed it at the man in the red cape and the ultra sleek helmet.
"Hey pal, you're on our property." |
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Post by Erik Lehnsherr on Jul 1, 2012 16:11:40 GMT -5
Magneto grinned at Stark as he bathed in his victory. This had been too easy. Finally, he was getting something done with no interference. "Come on then," he said. "Where are your weapons? I haven't got-"
He suddenly stopped when he heard a thumping noise. Looking around for the source, it was followed by a crash. He diverted his gaze towards it just in time to see a disc zooming towards him. Instinctively, he held up his hand, and the shield floated in mid-air between him and its thrower.
"Hey pal, you're on our property."
"Ah, Captain America!" Magneto exclaimed with a grin. "How nice of you to join us at last." Curling his fingers, he brought his arm back in a sweeping motion, and the shield followed it like a frisbee. Then he flung his arm out towards the new superhero, the disc spinning towards its owner with an incredible speed.
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Post by Natasha Romanoff on Jul 1, 2012 19:20:37 GMT -5
* * *Natasha tore around the corner just in time to see the Captain’s shield seemingly caught in midair. So they were facing a telekinetic mutant. Either that or it was a super genius who’d harnessed some sort of power through that frankly ridiculous helmet he wore…
The helmet jogged Tasha’s memory, and she suddenly remembered the file SHIELD had kept on the man.
“Magneto,” she spoke aloud, not a question at all. Who else could he be?
Luckily, she hadn’t fitted her guns to her belt before she’d left. Figuring she had the advantage of knowing the resources in the tower, she honestly hadn’t expected to need them; her body was an effective weapon on its own. And that arrogance had probably saved her life, as she didn’t have any other firepower on her at the moment.
Her bracelets. They were her only metal – even her belt buckle was fiberglass. Under the guise of rolling out of the way – which wasn’t really a guise at all as the shield came crashing back toward them – she tugged them off and pushed them down the trash chute, letting them hurtle their way to the ground floor.
Springing back up, she dove toward the man -- since he couldn’t control her, maybe she could distract him from controlling the others. Their only other non-metallic option was a very large, very destructive green guy, and she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. For Bruce's sake. * * *
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Post by Thor Odinson on Jul 2, 2012 11:27:16 GMT -5
The waters of the north Atlantic flashed by, far below him, like an uneven surface of polished obsidian that grew lighter as he chased Sól's chariot across the heavens. Under other circumstances, he might have paused to harry Sköll. But not this night. For now, the great wolf would hunt unhindered. Ahead of him, growing closer and brighter with every heartbeat, the lights of New York City blazed like a cluster of rainbow stars.
He did not slow his pace as he flew over the city, the sonic boom of his passage shaking glass even from a mile up. Other nights, he would have been circumspect. But not this night. Not with an alarm raised. Not with a note of dread in the voice of Pepper Potts.
Thor spun Mjolnir and hurled it backwards as he approached Avengers Tower, using the momentum to slow his approach. The concrete of the helipad still cracked under the force of his landing. From here, the warning alarms and lights were clear and obvious. As he had feared from Pepper's voice, the Tower itself was under assault.
Pausing only long enough to ascertain from which floor the alarm had been sounded, Thor caved in the security door and raced down the emergency stairs.
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Bruce Banner
New Member
Avengers
You won't like me when I'm angry!
Posts: 15
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Post by Bruce Banner on Jul 16, 2012 0:13:08 GMT -5
Location: Spring Valley, NY
Date: Eight months after the events of The Avengers
Time: Evening
"Avengers assemble!"
Those two words were all Dr Bruce Banner heard as he answered his mobile phone. He was lucky he was nearby. He looked back to the young girl whosever arm he had just finished setting. "Alright, I need you to not use that arm for at least four weeks. The more you move it, the longer it takes to heal." He tied a sling for her with some bandages, and quickly showed the young girl's parents how to.
The girl's father reached for his wallet, but Bruce gently grasped the man's wrist. "Please, keep your money. You need it more than I do." The neighbourhood he was in was very underprivileged, and by declining payment, the family of three would be able to have a bit of disposable income as well as more money for essentials.
Without another word, he locked up his little clinic and hopped onto his motorcycle. It was the same one he used to reach New York last time, and eight months had done a number on it. He knew it would take just under an hour to reach the Tower by vehicle, but an hour was a lot of time. He did a faster method: by foot. By big, angry green foot.
He made his way to a section of the road where no one was around, and forced a transformation. He forced himself to feel angry that someone or something was after his team mates. He would not stand for it as he grew much larger and lost most of his clothing. With a primal roar, the Incredible Hulk took off on the most direct route to Avengers Tower. If the others could handle themselves for fifteen to twenty minutes, he could reach them in time. He'd be winded, but still able and ready to fight.
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