notinplainsight:

Kalypso hovered high above the Earth in the Mesosphere close to Kármán line where the Earth's atmosphere ended and space began. She looked down at her home planet, the small blue sphere spinning below her. From this height it looked so peaceful and so calm. There was no sound, no air, and only cold. It was almost perfect. Kalypso could stay up here for a very long time.

As much as she wanted to stay there, she knew she couldn't. She had to go to Olympia and talk to Ikaris and the other Eternals. The images that she pulled from the minds of the heroes were disturbing and what they meant was disturbing. It had unnerved her enough that she had barely slept in the past month. She really didn't need to sleep, but she liked doing it, especially with Jack next to her. Kal liked dreaming.

Kalypso enjoyed the calm and peace

War with the deviants would come soon. That much was guaranteed. Eventually they would strike at their ancient enemies, the Eternals. The war between the Eternals and deviants had been going on for tens of thousands of years, ever since the first days after the Celestials created the Eternals and the deviants.

Kal stared down at the planet. Being up here emphasized the point that she was pulling farther and father away from humanity. She had always known she was different, at one point believing she was just a mutant, and a little separate from normal humans. Now it was entirely different. She was an Eternal and even farther from humanity than before. This upcoming war would pull her even farther away.

A few more minutes and then she'd go to Olympia.

nextgen_misc:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Anonymous entries accepted.

ryanspector:

It took almost a week before Ryan could force himself to call the number that Shroud had given him. As soon as he had mentioned that his name was Ryan and that Moon Knight had trained him the person on the other side of the line had told him to come by Avengers HQ which is where Ryan found himself now having just walked through the doors to the building.

nextgen_deviant:

The brides were clad in white and lined up in front of the altar. A semi-circle of priests stood behind the brides and were chanting. The magic in the air became more powerful as the priests chanted. A small circle appeared in the air before the brides and started to get bigger.

Standing behind the priests was a large group of deviants. They were witnessing the rebirth of their god into the mortal realm. It was an honor and privilege to be witness to this historic moment.

nextgen_holiday:

The beginning of a New Year, a time for new hopes, new experiences to come. A time to reflect on times past, remembering fond memories happily and trying to put less pleasant thoughts and experiences in the past.

It is a time of renewal, a time of rebirth. And for much of the world, it is a time of celebration. This is no less true for the super hero set as anyone else. If anything, they just have that much bigger of things to look forward to.

old_saint_nick:

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

Christmas Day is a Christian holiday, it's true, but it also has become increasingly secular. It is an opportunity for love, charity, and goodwill, even in New York City, arguably the most skeptical city in the country.

There is some debate within mystical circles if there is indeed such a creature as the embodiment of Christmas Giving known as Santa Claus. But whether or not there is such a being, the spirit of giving itself is very real, be it incarnated in a fat man in a red suit or not.

Throughout this small blue planet of Earth, people have brought trees into their homes, decorated them with lights and ornaments, and placed them in locations of honor. Stockings have been placed on the chimneys. And gifts have been placed under the tree.

Some are looking forward more to the receiving than the giving. But for many, it is the act of giving which warms them, which fills them with the holiday spirit.

Each person, in their own way, becomes a part of this spirit of giving. Each person, in their own way, becomes Santa Claus.

The Avengers mansion is decorated in lights, made all the more beautiful by the snow capping the roof and lying on the ground. As for the Avengers themselves...

nextgen_deviant:

It was time to bring Set back into the world and bring about a new age for the Earth. Mammals would no longer be the dominant species and humans, those foul evolved apes, will be slaves once more. Slaves like they used to be before the accursed Celestials wiped out most of the deviants and lizard men.

The priests knew what needed to be done. One of the special deviants, those modified to better fight for Set, would accompany them and take the brides into custody. Teleporting was much easier now that Set’s influence in the world was getting stronger. The priests did it now with very little effort.

The priests teleported in near the brides, they were marked and easy to find now, and once they were alone, a small spell was cast and the bride went unconscious. The priest’s escort picked her up and the trio teleported back to Lemuria.
It had only taken a matter of moments to retrieve all seven brides.

Once they were back in Lemuria, the brides had been dressed in white dresses and cloaks and prepared for the coming of their lord Set. They were then arranged around the serpent crown and the ritual began.

nextgen_holiday:

The grand ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel on 57 East 57th street was festively decorated for the holidays. A series of lit candles on every table gave off warm light and the dulcet tones of a jazz ensemble filled the room.

People, the upper elite of New York society, Hollywood celebrities, musicians, politicians and New York’s own superheroes moved around the room. People sat at tables and talked, while some moved gracefully around the large dance floor.

Tables loaded with unwrapped and unopened toys lined one wall and at one end stood a very large decorated Christmas tree. Wrapped presents sat under the tree, but they were just empty boxes wrapped for decoration. Mistletoe hung from the ceiling near the tree and people stopped to kiss.

The air was light and the mood happy and festive.

anyastark:

It had been a very busy week, but things were finally ready for Steve’s party. Misha and Charlie had taken him out so they could decorate the mansion and get all the tables for food set up. Once the tables were set up, there were enough hands to get all the trays of food out on the tables in very little time.

Anya wouldn’t have asked Jarvis to cook so much, so it had been catered. Jarvis had insisted on making the cake though.

Hor'dourves consisted of cocktail shrimp, chicken satay, beef satay, peking dumplings, pigs in a blanket among a few. Pizzas, a wide selection of various Chinese food selections, chips, pretzels, Doritos, popcorn, cola, diet cola, root beer, Sprite, punch (unspiked), and cider (not hard) were also available for consumption. There was even a chocolate fountain with pieces of fruit available for dipping.

Brightly colored balloons and streamers filled the rec room along with a large banner saying ‘Happy Birthday Steve’. It was hanging over the tables. One table was set aside for gifts and many brightly colored packages filled the table.

Now all they had to do was wait for the birthday boy to arrive.

mishaloganovich:

A promise is a promise, and Misha promised to help divert the brat's boyfriend while she set up the surprise party. Although if Steve couldn't figure out what was going on, he wasn't bright enough to be Anya's boyfriend.

He even promised not to scare him off, but that was okay. Anya could be scary enough by herself.

He showed up to collect Steve, with Charlie as a chaser, for a few hours' of talk at a family style bar. He could get a beer, Steve could have a soda, and they could good-naturedly rib each other about who was the B-Team these days.

It was the Avengers, of course. Junior X-Men, pound per pound, were far more powerful than the PeeWee Avengers.

swashbuckler:

Turnabout was, as they said, fair play.  So Steve had gathered the Avengers guys (and put in a call to Vincent of the FF since Val and Andrea had attended the girls' night, as well as Misha), set up the projector, provided plenty of unhealthy snakes, and generally had quite the time playing party planner. 

"All right, gentlemen," he said to assembled group, "and I use the term loosely in some of your cases, we are here for one purpose and one purpose in particular.  Last week, our colleagues in crime fighting conducted the time honored tradition of "Rate the Hunks" amongst those of us on the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Defenders.  So tonight, we men-folk must unite...

"And...

"Rate...

"the...

"Babes!"

ladydevil:

Eliza was frantic in her search for some sun glasses and some warm clothing so she could go shopping. She pulled on a coat and shoved some gloves into her pocket and bounced out of her room with a purse stuck under one arm. She stops and stands by a window looking outside. It really did look chilly but she had to get out there to pick up something for the charity ball.

She wonders for a moment if she can recruit someone to go with her on this little trip. She smiles to herself and searches the mansion looking for Iason before she looses her nerve. There's no reason to not ask him to go with her. It's just to pick up some toys.

"Iason?"

invisigirl:

She'd already picked out the dress to the charity ball. Now came the most important thing-getting a date. Yeah, her parents said that she didn't need one, but her first big social event? No one wants to be caught dead with their parents. You might as well be a hermit.

Luckily for Val, she already knew exactly who she wanted to go with.

Picking her cellphone up off her desk, she dialed the number of said possible date. Drumming her fingers on the desk as she listened to it ringing on the other line.

Hopefully, the closet incident was all just a humorous memory....

ladydevil:

Eliza was in the living room looking through some family pictures. This was one of the days she missed her family. She ran a finger along the edge of a picture frame before putting it back up. Then just started to flit about the living room with a nervous air. She wanted to see her father badly but had no idea how to do it.

So she flopped down with that dramatic teenage groan that was loud enough for anyone walking by to hear. She was not sulking. She was just merely letting the ceiling know that she didn't know what to do. And also testing the durability of the rug by flopping on it like a long annoyed lump of teenager.

notinplainsight:

If they were going to make her a reserve Avenger, then Kalypso thought it may be best to get to know the people she would be fighting alongside. Now that classes were done until mid-January, she had time to stop by the Avengers Mansion and see what the Avengers were up to and get to know them better.

She touched down on the front doorstep and rang the bell.

anyastark:

Anya walked into her apartment and immediate dropped the computer bag slung over a shoulder. Finals were over. The semester was over and she was a free woman until mid-January. Now it was time to go home. Home. The word never sounded so good. She wanted to see her parents, her siblings, her friends and Steve. She had a whole month ahead of her of being surrounded by the people she loved. It sounded perfect.

She went to her desktop and brought up Amtrak’s homepage and looked at the schedule. With any luck she’d be able to get a train that left in a few hours and be home by dinner time. Jarvis’ cooking was waiting for her along with her own bed.

Once a train ticket was purchased she went about packing her bags.

borntolead:

It was a good thing that Charlie didn't have classes on Tuesdays. Because he certainly would missed all of them. Groggily, he rolled out of bed, and looked over at the clock. Almost two-thirty. Yawning, he picked a shirt that was lying on up off the floor of his room and a pair of jeans hanging off of his bed, and threw them on.

Running a hand through his hair, he made his way into the kitchen of the Mansion and started fixing some breakfast. Or lunch.

next_avenger:

James said he would visit and he wasn't one to break his word. He walked into the lobby of the Baxter Building and went to the reception desk.

"Hello. I'm here to see Miss Valeria Richards," he said. "Could you please let her know James Romanov-Rogers is here to see her?" He smiled nervously. "Thank you."

anyastark:

From: Anya Stark
To: Sammy Fury, Iason, Clint Barton, Bobbi Morse-Barton, Toni Rhodes, Eliza Romanova, Nightingale, Emily Banner, James Rogers, Daniel Sherwood, Jack Murdock, Kalypso, Cassandra Vernard, Kristoff Vernard, Tony Stark, Natasha Stark, Misha Romanov, Valeria Richards, Charlie Rogers

Hey all.

Steve's birthday is in 11 days and I'd love to have a surprise party for him. So Dec 18th at the mansion. 7pm. I need a victim volunteer to get him out of the mansion so we can decorate.

RSVP to me.

Also the first person to let it slip gets a suitable punishment.


Anya

nextgen_misc:

The city of London was seeing something straight out of a few horror films. A combination of a Romero zombie film and An American Werewolf in London, sort of. Zombies shambled and shuffled through the streets of London searching out delicious, juicy, squishy brains. Howls drifted up over the sounds of the city from North Surrey in the south to Enfield in the north part of the city. Werewolves and zombies littered the streets and the citizens rightfully locked themselves inside. Any civilian outside was considered fair game and prey to the monsters now roaming the city.

A seedy looking man stood outside of Lillywhites in Piccadilly Circus holding what looked to be a piece of very old parchment. He read the page and the unlucky citizens that happened to be passing by transformed into werewolves or zombies.

anyastark:

Anya spent the week studying for her finals next week and when she needed a break, she cleaned. While she wasn't in James' caliber of messy, she wasn't exactly neat. Clothes and electronic parts usually littered the studio apartment. Anya didn't do laundry and she kept forgetting to go to the dry cleaners.

By the end of the week, the place was relatively cleaned up as in one could actually sit on the couch or sleep in the bed. Anya usually slept in her chair at her desk. Dirty laundry was in a pile in the corner and the electronic parts were moved to one side of the apartment.

Friday night came and Eliza would be here soon. Anya ordered a few pizzas and studied while she waited for her sister to arrive.

nextgen_misc:

You are cordially invited to attend the 26th annual Maria Stark Foundation's Winter Charity event.

Four Seasons Hotel
57 East 57th Street
New York, NY 10022

Saturday December 19th
Seven O'clock pm - Midnight

Formal dress required.

Please bring a donation for Toys for Tots.

anyastark:

The Avenger and the Fantastic Four girls (and one non-Avenger girl) were camped out in the rec room of the mansion. Normally it'd be the Hydrobase but there was no Jarvis out there and Anya wasn't allowed out there, so they took over the mansion rec room instead. Shopping, Anya's favorite past time, was out due to it being Black Friday. Not even she was brave enough to face the crowds, even in armor. So it was an all-day movie marathon.

The Princess Bride was just finishing and Anya looked to the other girls. "What do we want next?"

anyastark:

Anya had managed to catch the last train out of Boston to New York. It didn't arrive in New York until 2:20am, but she didn't care. She didn't sleep much and was usually awake that time of the morning anyway. All that mattered was that she was going home for a long weekend. She had one class on Wednesday, but she had made arrangements with her professor and handed her assignment in early. It had been almost two weeks since she had been home and it was the only place on the entire planet she wanted to be.

Anya missed her family, as crazy as they were, her friends and Steve. God, she had missed him. A week and a half felt a few times longer than it had been. She wanted nothing more than to see him, wrap her arms around him and kiss him. IMs, phone calls and even video calls were pale substitutions for being with him. At least she had learned to look the clock before IM or calling. When she first moved to Boston, she would IM or call him when she thought of it, not realizing that at times it was the middle of the night and some people actually did that sleeping thing. Steve had been a good sport about it, but she wasn't going to keep interrupting his sleep. Some people needed more than four hours a day.

She walked through Penn's Station with her bag over a shoulder. She traveled light because she had closets full of clothes here. No reason to bring clothes with her. The only things she carried was her laptop, cell phone and wallet. It would only take a few moments to catch a cab and within twenty minutes she'd be at the mansion. Tomorrow she'd go to the condo. Mom and Dad can have one more night alone.

Anya ignored the people in the station as she walked toward the exit.

nextgen_holiday:

“We need to be more grateful. I think there is no true character without gratitude. It is one of the marks of a real strong character to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings. We need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in the church, everywhere. It doesn't cost anything, and it is so easy to cultivate.” - Ezra Taft Benson

In America today is a day for being thankful for the things in people's lives. Today was a day to celebrate family, friends, prosperity and health with food, family and friends. It is a time to reflect on what is important us and to recognize the gratitude we hold for having those things in our lives.

toni_rhodes:

It was, all things considered, a pretty good day.  No super-villain attacks, no mad Mandarins, no nothing.  Which was why Toni and some of the other Young Avengers had gone into the city for shopping

It was probably too good to last.

"Okay gang," Toni said.  "Lunch time is upon us.  Suggestions?"

anyastark:

Dad's birthday. Probably one of the few days of the year Anya never looked forward to. She loved spending time with her father and loved celebrating his birthday, but the man was IMPOSSIBLE to get gifts for. What did you get the man who has everything and if he did't have it he probably didn't want it in the first place? It was a dilemma she faced three times a year; dad's birthday, father's day and Christmas.

This year had proven extremely difficult. Anya would swear it got harder each time she had to get him something.

This year it had been a group effort. The kids, all four of them, worked together and got him something. It was sappy and a bit cheesy, just the type of thing Dad ate up.

Lunch had been scheduled and the location given to them by Mom. Informal and relaxed and best of all, burgers! It was the one food the whole family could agree on without arguments.

Anya was the first to arrive at DBGB Kitchen and Bar on 299 Bowery between Hudson and 1st. It had some of the best burgers in the city and it was the perfect place for a Romanov-Stark lunch.

sammyfury:

Sammy considered her options.

While Big Brother needed a beating and using her fists would be satisfying, she wasn't going to get into Mikel's cell. She was going to have a hard enough time getting in to see him.

That left her best friend, her firearm. She could play Fish in a Barrel. It wasn't right, but screw right, even if Mom gave her a lecture about it. She wouldn't ask Mom's opinion. Mom would be diplomatic about it, until the moment she stopped and did something final to solve the problem and get it out of their lives.

She wasn't asking Dad's opinion. She felt anger, even a little betrayed. It bubbled up through under the hero worship and had her avoiding him and his calls. She hadn't hidden anything from him. She told him that Mikel wanted into her life. All he had to do was say Mikel couldn't be trusted and to stay away from him. Instead, he'd encouraged her to see the bastard and caused her to hope they'd be a family. Maybe it would've turned out the same, but she wouldn't hate herself so much now for being a willing fool if she'd put up a fight in the beginning.

In the end, all she had was rage and hurt and words that wouldn't make a dent the bastard's feelings. So she'd settle for looking at him and wondering what it was that made a brother she'd never known hate her so much that he'd use his own sister to bring their father down.

On the firing range at the hydrobase, she practiced her own sort of therapy. There were six empty clips in front of her, and another six full ones waiting to be used. The target was tatters. She hadn't switched it out, mostly because she'd put a picture of Mikel on it and it wasn't yet completely destroyed.

redheadspy:

The trip to Moscow went rather smoothly. With all the kids in the jet, she would have expected some chaos, but after an hour or so in the air, they settled down. Some even slept, which was the best thing they could do with the timezone changes and all. Natasha read reports her nephew sent and had finished the stack of papers by the time they arrived in Moscow in the early morning.

The kids were given a car and driver along with a security detail and were given most of the day to explore Moscow. Natasha spent most of it with her nephew and his finacee. There was a brief meeting with Putin that she somehow managed to get through. Was it bad that she still wanted to shoot the man?

Dinner was a grand affair. A formal banquet with all the trappings and all of the kids were on their best behavior. There wasn't even any bickering between Misha and Anya. Natasha would take the small miracles when she could.

After dinner they retired to their rooms for an hour to change and freshen up. Natasha slipped into her second dress and made a quick call to Tony. Then she headed downstairs to the ballroom.

emmysmash:

Since arriving in this dimension Emily had found herself pulled all over the place. First into the conflict at SHIELD, then Nightingale's revelation and Anya's suspension, and Halloween....

For the first time today she felt that she had some time to sit down, breathe, and move ahead with two things she really needed to do.

Finding some work so she could feel productive and earn some money, and researching a little about what her family in this world was like.

The work part was rather difficult, really. Emily was used to having a reputation in translation circles - being fluent in as many languages as you were years old would do that - but here she was all but unknown and she had spent the morning sprawled in the living room on a borrowed mansion laptop firing off sample translation pages to about two dozen potential jobs.

The research - which she was now in the middle of - was easier and rather more interesting.

"Gamma radiation?" she muttered, sipping on her mug of tea. "Radiation shouldn't work like that..."

 

ooc: open thread for people to chitchat with Emily about her world and theirs and the differences and samenesses - a sort of 'get to know' you thread. feel free to ping in with anybody and to join existing 'conversations' with a character. :)

nextgen_adult:

Captain America called a meeting of the Young Avengers. As chairman of the Avengers it was his duty and responsibility to tell them what had happened with one of their own and the consequences. He waited in the conference room.

nightingalesong:

It's been a couple days since the assault on SHIELD. Nightingale hasn't been seen by the Avengers since then.

But eventually, things need to be sorted out. So against his own better judgment, Qamar uses Nightingale's Avengers pass to get into the Hydrobase, then finds himself approaching Sammy's room. He takes several seconds to calm his heart, then knocks on the door.

nextgen_misc:

All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween as it has been come to be called, is a popular holiday with children and adults alike. It is a holiday that had its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain or Summer's End. Samhain celebrated the end of the "lighter half" of the year and the beginning of the "darker half".

On this evening the barriers between this world and the Otherworld were believed to be thin and the spirits, good and bad, of the dead could pass through. The spirits of the family's ancestors were welcomed in while evil and bad spirits were warded off by the wearing of masks and costumes. The costumes and masks disguised one as a harmful spirit and avoided harm from others.

It was also a harvest celebration and time to take stock of food stores for the winter. Livestock were slaughtered and the meat prepared for storage. It was the final harvest of the year and the crops were then stored for the winter. Celebrations included bonfires and tales of the family's ancestors.

It was a celebration of the dead and of the harvest.

Today we dress up in scary and not so scary costumes and masks and go door to door for candy or attend costume parties. It is a night for revelry, pranks and fun.

The Avengers' mansion was decorated appropriately to celebrate the holiday. Spiderwebs (fake of course), jack-o-lanterns, ghoulish dummies of witches, mummies, vampires and other images right out of horror movies were strategically placed. Artificial smoke floated inches above the floor and swirled around objects and legs. The front stoop was well lit inviting trick-or-treaters.

anyastark:

Anya sat on the metal guardrail alongside route 80 and looked up at the stars. They were so many of them and they were so bright out here in…she didn’t even know where the hell here was. It could be Pennsylvania or even Ohio for that matter. Either way, it was the middle of fucking nowhere at a few minutes after three in the morning. What the hell was she doing? Had she finally lost her mind?

The worst part about it all? She wasn’t even sure exactly how she got out here. The past few hours were a blur thanks to little sleep and vodka.

She remembered hiding away in the lab and wanting to be alone, but people were constantly knocking on the door. She knew they cared and were concerned after her recent run in with Temujin, but she didn’t want to talk to anyone. She just wanted to be left alone.

She slept a little, but when she did the nightmares came rushing back. The same nightmares that had plagued her for the past year were back in full force. They had subsided a bit since her last run in with Temujin, but seeing him again made them as bad as they ever were.

She tried to do school work or write code, but she couldn’t focus. Lack of sleep, the vodka she drank to help her get what little sleep she did get, and…why the hell did she open that cabinet? Once she laid her eyes on that suit of armor the anger spiked and things became blurry. She vaguely remembered holding the helmet in her hands a few moments before throwing it into one of the wall displays. There was a shower of sparks and the smell of ozone filled the lab.

The next thing she knew she was in her car and racing through the city. She had to get out of there. Get away from him and everyone else.

She remembered leaving the city and crossing into New Jersey. Between the vodka from earlier and the speed at which she was driving, New Jersey along route 80 was a dark blur. At some point she had to have crossed into Pennsylvania. She didn’t know when it happened, only that it did. There may have been a tollbooth but the details were very fuzzy.

The car sped along as if the Devil himself was chasing it. But the Devil was chasing her and he would never stop. He would always be there and would always be coming for her. Him and the rest of the demons and she had to try to get away from all of them.

The self-destructive Stark genes had finally expressed themselves and she acted without thinking. No sleep, vodka and fast speeds. It was a bad combination and one that would catch up to her quickly enough. She didn’t see the deer until it had run in front of her car. Metal slammed into flesh and bone and tires screeched on the pavement of the highway.

The air bag felt cool against her cheek after it had deployed. That side of her face was still swollen from where Temujin had hit her and it hurt despite the cool feeling of the air bag. The doctors had said it would take some time for the swelling in her cheek to go down and even longer for the bones to mend. Warm liquid ran down the side of her face from her temple and she knew she had been hit by a piece of glass from the windshield when the deer’s antlers had gone through it.

Somehow she managed to open the door and climb out of the car. She stumbled over to the guardrail and sat down. That’s where she was now. Sitting alongside the highway in the middle of nowhere looking up at the stars.

She should call someone. The car wasn’t in any shape to drive, hell, she wasn’t in any shape to drive and she sure in hell wasn’t going to accept a ride from the few tractor-trailers that had pulled over to see if she was all right and to offer assistance. They looked offended when she yelled at them to go away. She imagined at least one called emergency services and it wouldn’t be too long for the cops and ambulance to get here. While it had been a few hours since her last drink, Anya was sure her blood alcohol level was still past the legal limit. She could swear she polished off a full bottle of vodka earlier.

At this point she honestly didn’t care anymore. The self-destruct button had been pressed awhile ago; it had merely been on a delayed timer and hadn’t gone off until now. And it had gone off in a grand fashion to boot. Starks never did anything halfway.

She knew she had to call someone. She knew she should call the one person who would understand her bout of stupidity and self-destructiveness. The delay in calling wasn’t because she thought he’d be mad, she knew he wouldn’t, but she knew he’d be disappointed and that was much worse than being mad. Much worse. Anya hated disappointing her father.

What was she doing? She knew better than this. She knew she couldn’t just run away like this. Actions had consequences and sometimes one paid the consequences for a very long time after something happened. It was similar to Newton’s third law in physics. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

Seeing Doc Samson had helped somewhat. He was someone she wasn’t related to and to whom she could talk to. Every time she thought she was making some progress, Temujin would show his face and she was right back where she was when she first woke up in S.H.I.E.L.D. after she had been rescued from his clutches.

The sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance. They’d be here soon. It was time to make a phone call before they reached her.

She took a deep breath and dialed a number.

nextgen_misc:

Night was settling over the city and in S.H.I.E.L.D. Central the night shift was just coming on duty and settling in for the night. It looked like it was going to be a rather quiet night. Just like last night, the one before that, the one before that and so on.

nextgen_misc:

Three teens were being held by SHIELD and two had been sent to the Eternals' city of Olympia...

nightingalesong:

It's been a long day.

It's clear that something's wrong with SHIELD. And clear that something needs to be done.

Nightingale needs some help. That much is clear. And Qamar is particularly disturbed about Sammy's behavior.

To think he had almost opened up to her... to tell her the real secret about Nightingale. But now... he's sure he'll never be able to. It wouldn't be safe... for either of them.

Assuming she wouldn't have been weirded out anyway.

It's probably better if he keeps the secret anyway, now that he thinks about it. She probably wouldn't understand.

He needs to think. Nightingale will need him later, but for now, he needs to think.

He steps into his apartment's tiny bathtub, filling the water with warm water. He puts on music and strips, sinking down to his nose in the warm water.

Some quiet time will help him focus and think.

_____

This scene takes place before Rallying the Troops.

sammyfury:

S.H.I.E.L.D. was exciting these days. Sammy had always loved it, but with Mikel here it had become a real family endeavor. Dad and Dum Dum were keeping her busy in between the classes that Mikel insisted she keep up on. What free time she had, she spent with some of Mikel's team training.

So busy, she hardly had time to go back to the Avengers or remember she had a boyfriend. Though she did recall leaving Qamar a message or two. Maybe three. There weren't any messages in return, even if she could seem to remember where she put her cell phone. The damned thing was apparently walking around on its own; it was never in the same place she left it. Being separated from her team didn't seem to matter so much. She wasn't a powerhouse or a team mainstay, so they could do without her until things settled down. As Mikel pointed out, she was destined to head S.H.I.E.L.D. so she had to keep a buffer between them and herself. There might come a time that as director, she would have to stand against them.

It was just easier to crash at Mom and Dad's place. Not that it was any closer to S.H.I.E.L.D. than the Avengers mansion. She did leave a message at the Avengers' so they wouldn't wonder if she'd fallen off the Earth.

swashbuckler:

Steve had, quite perplexingly, been unable to get a hold of Anya all day.  Following that, he'd tried to see if Toni had heard from her, and discovered that neither one of them had.  Further calls up and down the Young Avengers phone tree had left him unable to raise several other members as well.  Hardly any of the comm. cards were working, and with the few that he did, there was something funny about the line.  He knew just enough from his mom to know when a line was being tapped, and he suspected the YA cards were.

He'd gone out to check Hyrdobase, and found it deserted.  Plus, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

All of which had led him back to Avengers' Mansion, for lack of anything better to try.  Maybe one of the adults would know what was going on.

ng_zodiac:

Mikel wasn't dumb enough to strike directly at the Avengers despite having the full force and might of SHIELD at his disposal. They weren't called Earth's Mightiest Heroes for nothing and if he could do this without a direct confrontation, the better his chances were. The best way to take out the Avengers was to divide and conquer one by one and he knew exactly how to do that, starting with the kids.

One by one he would take them out and then use them as leverage against the adults.

He walked into the United Nations headquarters on First Avenue between 42nd and 48th Streets armed with files of information. Information was the best weapon and Mikel had enough to hopefully bring down the Avengers without a single punch thrown. Confident of his plan, he walked through the front door to keep his appointment with the Secretary General.

anyastark:

Anya climbed into the limo and collapsed onto the seat with a smile on her face. It had been a great night. The fundraiser for the museum had been a great success and the collection of treasures of the Russian Imperial family was now on display. Cousin Mikhail had made the trip from Russia specifically for this event, though Anya suspected he would be paying a visit to the family tomorrow or tomorrow evening.

It had been a nice party and a great excuse to go shopping. She had picked up a new dress, new shoes and there was a trip to the spa. So much had been happening between school and the Avengers, she had forgotten what it was like to play dress up. She always enjoyed doing it and would use any excuse to do so.

She was still smiling as she leaned back in the seat.

anyastark:

The first day of classes was done and Anya was tired. She had about three hours of sleep the night before and she had forgotten what it was like to sit through a day of classes. It was amazing what could be forgotten during two months of summer vacation. She had been up at six am and been in the air on her way toward Cambridge by seven thirty. She got back to her room at the Hydrobase and fell onto the bed.

Despite the day being a long one, it had been a good one. Anya enjoyed her classes and looked forward to the challenges they were going to give her. It was an incredible feeling to have started on the next stage of her life. She had taken the first step on the next path to running the company.

She closed her eyes and smiled.

ng_zodiac:

Mikel sat in one of the executive offices and looked at the screen in front of him. Cancer had really outdone himself this time. The S.H.I.E.L.D. databases were filled with teraflops of information and it would have taken Mikel a few lifetimes to find all the information he needed. Not to mention get past all the security measures even though Mikel had access. He wouldn't put it past the old man to have extra security measures in place.

The gem of the information was everything a person wanted to know about the spandex set. Every power, every identity and every dirty little secret they were hiding. Mikel could use this information. It would make things easier. With the spandex set out of the way, he wouldn't have too much to worry about.

Carefully he went through each file. Making notes as he went.

cosmic_son:

Not needing to sleep is definitely a benefit in preparing for an event of this size. The tables have been laid out on the lawns since last night, the chicken has been marinating, the burgers and brats are laid out, and the giant multi-section grill is all laid out. But his real work has been on the ribs. His latest experiment in building on his culinary hobby, he started them with a black pepper and cajun spice rub, moved on to homemade bbq sauce of hot and sweet pepper mix, and has been slow cooking the ribs most of the night.

All is about ready as the time arrives for people to start arriving, and Jarvis and his helpers have most of the tables set and the salads, condiments and party trays laid out. Informed of the time, Iason starts laying out the rest of the meat in segregated sections, readying to serve the first arrivals.

ng_zodiac:

Mikel Fury had held his breath when they passed through the main security checkpoint to S.H.I.E.L.D. Central. He knew Sammy would get through with no problems since she was Daddy’s Little Girl and Golden Child, but he the rest of his team could have been a huge problem. He didn't need the mission failing before they got a foot in the door. Thankfully Aquarius and Sagittarius made getting in a lot easier with the use of their powers.

Mikel had selected well when he put his team together.

The team entered the elevator and Mikel pushed the button for the top floor. The Old Man was waiting and Mikel was sure that by now he knew Mikel was in the building.

sammyfury:

Sammy was feeling restless. A different sort of restless than she was used to feeling. With several jobs under her belt, she wanted to take on another as soon as possible, but Mikel was holding her back. He said he'd call when it was time, but it was taking too long. Their father would hold her back and claim she was too young and inexperienced, but you don't get experience by burying yourself in school and following the rules. She wanted that degree, but she could do both. She was good. It was in the genes ... from him. They didn't have to like Nick Fury to use the abilities and training he'd given them.

She was tired of playing at being the perfect daughter as Mikel had instructed. She belonged with her brother and the others, but she was a member of his team and he told her to stay.

For now, she gathered food from the kitchen, a couple of beers from the fridge, and found a quiet corner to hit the books.

anyastark:

Since the trip to Tahiti Anya had been searching for something that Steve and she could do together for their first adventure in doing something together. There were a few charity events she had on her schedule for the Maria Stark Foundation and one for the Russian embassy, but she didn't want the first time out with Steve to be at a formal function. She knew he wouldn't be comfortable in a tux in a room full of rich people.

Then she remembered the Yankees were playing tonight against the Texas Rangers. It would be a perfect first...date? Was it a date? She wasn't sure what to call it. Semantics aside, it would be something the both of them could enjoy doing together and the family always had tickets.

She made some phone calls earlier to make the arrangements. When they weren't using the box, tickets were given out to Stark Inc employees to use. Anya didn't care if others were there, she just wanted to make sure there would be two seats for her and Steve. She also arranged for a car and driver.

There was a smile on her face as she went to look for Steve.

ng_zodiac:

Mikel Fury had decided that it was about time to implement his plans for his father. His sister, willingly or unwillingly, would be key to those plans. The past few months' worth of work were coming to a head and this moment.

He sent a text to his sister and asked her to meet him at Brasil Coffee House on Lexington Ave. It was quiet and not busy at this time of the day. It would be perfect for what he had in mind.

Mikel sat a small table with Virgo and waited for his sister. Not far from them, Gemini, Grigory Genovese, and Leo sat drinking a cup of coffee. It always paid to have backup.

anyastark:

Anya had to admit to herself that it was a great way to spend the weekend and her birthday. Tahiti was absolutely perfect. It was just the kind of weekend they needed after that battle with the three hundred foot monster.

They left New York at 9pm and had a brief layover in LA to refuel the jet. Then they were back in the air and landing in Tahiti hours later. They all found bedrooms and crashed.

This morning afternoon Anya rolled out of bed, grabbed coffee and poured herself into a chaise on the beach. She had been in the same place ever since. Staff, a maid and a chef, were hired for the weekend so the house would stay relatively clean and they wouldn't starve. Not that they would starve, Anya just didn't want to make any of them have to worry about the cooking duties.

Anya yawned and thought about heading up to the house. Naw. It would require too much energy.

nextgen_deviant:

The citizens of Memphis, TN were trying to stay cool on a hot summer's day. The temperature reached 90 degrees with about 85% humidity. It was a hot sticky day and the citizens sought relief from the heat wherever they could. Some sought it in the air conditioned buildings while other sought it in water.

Tourists to the city took in the local sights. Some wandered through Graceland and others walked along Beale Street in the heat. Some took a cruise on the Tunica Queen Riverboat. These poor unfortunate souls would be the first to discover the impending doom that was about to strike the city.

The waters of the mighty Mississippi churned and foamed formed. A few moments later a shape emerged from the muddy waters. The riverboat was tossed about and slowly the monster emerged from the water and climbed up the east bank. It slowly pulled itself up to its full 300' height and looked at the city below. It let out a mighty roar and started destroying buildings.