anyastark:

As always, Anya knew exactly what to get Prince Dork for his birthday. Gifts for him were never hard. Others, like Mom, on the other hand were almost impossible to buy for. The Dork didn't need anything for Darlene or his motorcycle, so she went with something else he loved.

The New York Mets.

Luckily they were playing in New York on the Dork's birthday this year. Coordinating with Lyta, the girlfriend (hee hee the Dork had a girlfriend and one Anya liked), they came up with A Plan. Lyta would distract the Dork and get him to the stadium. Lyta also was responsible for telling the X-ers and making sure they knew The Plan.

The Plan was simple.

Get to the stadium three hours before the game and join battling practice with the team. Then dinner in the private box before the game, and then watch the game from the private box. Snacks and drinks would be served all night.

It would be the perfect birthday for Prince Dork.

She informed the other Brother Dork, Eliza, Dad and Mom of the plans. Mom excused herself from the activity and said she would have lunch with Prince Dork tomorrow. Which if Misha saw Mom, he would send her right home. She looked exhausted today and it was best that she stayed home. She wasn't sure if Eliza and Dad would make it, but the other Brother Dork was going.

She got ready and grabbed James. They arrived at the stadium before everyone else.

exiledbrother:

Two months ago he would not have been able to do this. He had been broken by being tossed to this other world. This world that was not his. He had been reduced to nothing. Less than nothing really. He had no papers to get himself set up at first. It had not taken him too long to change things around. He had ended up using an alias to get things started.

Taliesin Morgan was a useful name to use. But it would not last forever. The world would soon know the name of Taliesin von Doom.

So when does this happen and how? It is a Saturday. The skies are clear and people are out and about doing whatever it is they want to. Then in a flash of yellow and blue light that looks almost pretty buses stop. Cabs stop. Police officers on horses in the city parks or on bicycles stop.

Not because they are frozen in time. But they are confused. They are no longer human but dogs, cats, and birds.

Not all of them are like that though. About a half dozen police officers who weren't caught in the strange light are at the City hall. One of them notices just how the wacko is dressed and dives behind a pillar as his friends are tossed by magic and something else aside. The cop manages to get a message through to the Fantastic Four that someone dressed like Doom has just attacked City hall, could they please help?

mishaloganovich:

After the Empress, and Tessa showing up, and getting changed into and out of a female, a ball game was just the normal sort of activity that Misha needed. It was time for all real Mets fans to come together for the season opener.

Misha presented himself at the reception desk in the Baxter Building and asked for Andrea to be told the Dork of Russia was there.

franklen_four:

He was young again, as if the sands of time had recoiled into the peak of the hourglass.  He sat on the floor with a teddy bear hugged tight against his chest.  The fear made him tremble and pale.  All he saw was the world around him fade slowly, and the void of darkness just got closer and closer.  And in his youth, Franklin could do nothing to stop it.
 

( The Truth )

mishaloganovich:

Misha's laptop calendar popped up to remind him that opening day for the Mets was in two weeks. He had season tickets and he hadn't missed an opening day since he was eight and Mom inadvertently put him on the road to Mets worship in an effort to find something for them both to do together one spring day. No matter what insanity was happening in his life, a good game could take him out of his head for a few hours. A bad game gave him a chance to let off steam by yelling at the players and the umpire.

He knew only a couple of other Mets fans that loved the team as much as he did, and while he thought Uncle Ben was great, he was thinking about another fan that might like to get out of her head as much as he needed to get out of his right now.

He called the Baxter Building's main reception line and asked to speak to Andrea Denker. When asked who was calling, he kept with the alias theme and said "Mikhail Romanov, Dork of Russia."

discardedheir:

After many, many things had been taken dealt with, and after Kristoff had finally gotten some sleep, he eventually made his way to quietly and politely knock on Andrea's door.

It was about time for some routine diagnostics and maintenance, on the level with which his assistance was generally helpful. After everything that had happened, making sure she was all right was all the more important.

discardedheir:

Kristoff checked the repairs to the security systems, now that all the actual walls of the Baxter Building were finally intact again. Kristoff had regretted their inability to assist in the most recent manifestations of the crisis, after the attack that took Franklin, they'd had to secure their home and hadn't been able to leave the noncombatants that vulnerable until they could, at which point the conflict itself was already over. Good for the Avengers, the X-Men, SHIELD, and some apparent newcomers. It had been all the FF could manage to look after their own.

He checked on the others.( Read more... )
Next he checked the shipments for equipment he was trying to make available in the pinpointed parts of the world most ravaged by flood, drought, or contamination in the past few weeks of crisis.

And between each of these checks, he would go back and check again, and again, and again, on the machine running every possible scan through worldwide detection and positioning systems for any sign of his brother.

Day after day since he'd set it up, it had run constantly, and turned up nothing.
Until now.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent von Doom loved New York City. So vibrant and diverse compared to his father's kingdom. It was why he spent as much time as possible living out of the Latverian embassy there, rather than at home. The city was just so wonderfully dirty, so unrestrained.

His father had been remarkably indulgent of this, as Vincent more often than not provided a certain measure of distraction. The boy had been quite happy to play the role of the free-wheeling and globe-trotting heir over the past few years.

Today, however, was his eighteenth birthday. He was a man. He felt like testing the limits of his leash somewhat.

There had been a certain issue he'd never been ordered to approach, although it had been some time since he'd been specifically told not to, that piqued his curiosity.

Which is why he was standing at the front entrance to the Baxter Building, in formal Latverian attire, carrying what amounted to a picnic basket. The spiced tea and banitsa, teleported in only minutes earlier, in particular smelled wonderful.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent had let Andrea know to dress up however nicely she chose, as he had special plans for them for Valentine's Day. He'd been dropping various hints about what he had in mind, but they were all seemingly unrelated items.

Unable to forgo the classics however, he tapped at Andrea's door, appreciating once again that she was in the room adjacent to his own, with a miniature potted rosebush (cutting flowers just for the sake of sticking them in a vase always seemed wasteful), and a box of her favorite chocolates.

franklen_four:

Blackheart.

Franklin knew exactly who that was, and where to find him.  If there was any description for rage, it would be whatever Franklin was feeling then.  His hands curled into fists so tight his knuckles turned white.  Bubbling, no- boiling rage was inserted into his very being, and he decided that all Hell was going to break loose to express it.  He levitated first, and then flew high into the sky which turned black and red.  In all of his rage, Franklin turned the sky into the entrance to Hell.  The wasteland no living person was ever meant to see was displayed above New York City.

The news stations were quick to see the changes in the sky, and they managed to get video footage of Franklin flying straight through into the dimensional portal.  But that was none of his concern, really.  Franklin's focus was on finding Blackheart, and he did search Hell for just that one being.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent smiled as he stretched out in the chair adjacent to Andrea's. The idea for a getaway had been perfect.  Least of all for the reason that ever since he no longer had his divinity, New York had been absolutely frigid. He didn't know how humans just dealt with it.

Here though, on some insignificant but just barely developed tropical island, he and his girlfriend were quite happily isolated from any annoying aspects of real life that might drive home reminders of his condition. He'd had to worry about sunscreen as well for the first time in his life, but that was a small price to pay. Particularly since Andrea had been willing to help with the application.

A pair of cocktails and lounge chairs on a nearly deserted beach at sunset was rounding out the day nicely. He smiled as he looked over at Andrea. "Thank you for agreeing to my idea. I needed this. More than I realized initially."

ng_atlantis:

When last we left our heroes, the hordes of Atlantis were heading straight for Canada, ready to enact great vengeance upon the surface world.  The Fantastic Four had intervened, but were shot down over the open ocean  (fortunately, the could all fly).  But now they face an army of Atlanteans, including their mysterious leader....

Alpha Flight, alerted to the thread to Canada, has set off in its Alpha Flier in order to fight for truth, justice, and the Canadian Way!  Fortunately for all concerned in this aquatic battle royal, Alpha Flight possesses not just one, but two aquatic heroes--the shapeshifter, Alex, and Marrina, daughter of the legendary Sub-Mariner himself!

Who will win?  Will the hordes of Atlantis overtake Canada and then the world?  And what has happened to the Atlantean Royal Family, Namor, Namora, and Namorita?

Find out...

nextgen_misc:

The satellite image began with the United States Naval Destroyer, the USS Washington, in open ocean. For a moment, it seemed as though nothing unusual was going on, but then something broke the surface. It was a massive ship, shaped very much like some kind of gigantic fish. Weapons ports opened on the strange new vessel, blasting away at the destroyer. Other ships, equally marine-like in nature, surfaced and surrounded the destroyer, completing the process of blasting it to pieces.

The video stopped, and the Fantastic Four's SHIELD liason, Agent Doug Deeley, turned to the assembled heroes. "This is the fifth attack on US Naval forces in three months. We got lucky this time. Most of the crew survived. The craft are clearly Atlantean in origin, though we've been unable to determine if they're proper military forces or a rogue element. Attempts to contact any of the Atlantean royal family have failed."

The balding black man breathed heavily. "We therefore have to presume the worst."

He changed the projection on the screen to a naval map showing the Northeastern coast of the United States. "Strategic analysis of the attacks suggests that they're heading towards Manhattan. We've already alerted the Avengers, but as the Fantastic Four have more experience with Atlantis, we were hoping you'd be able to assist."

quitethecharmer:

Vincent had been put up on thirty-six hours of enforced bed-rest after retrieving Cassandra, and losing.. part of himself. The world seemed different. He was cold. He got hungry and tired as mortals of average physicality did. It was terrifying, and humiliating, and sickening for him. His body felt incomplete.

As soon as he'd been able to get out of bed, he'd retreated to his lab. All his work on the other major project he was working on was carefully recorded, preserved, and cordoned off, and then everything else got wiped clean. Hours passed, then days, then weeks. He only stopped his calculations and testing when he needed to eat or sleep. Discarded junk food wrappers and instant food packaging overflowed his wastebasket by now The exception was checking in with Kristoff to be assured that Andrea's repairs were proceeding on schedule.

At this point it was a month later, and more than fifty percent of the laboratory walls were covered with notations. He was attempting to isolate the energy that constituted the Asgardian 'spark', and then reinfuse himself with it. He would have called Asleif for consultation, but he couldn't bear to interact with anyone while he was in this state.

He couldn't stay like this.

Without his power.

Without his identity.

Weak. Vulnerable. Unable to protect anyone.

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
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
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Anonymous entries accepted.

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 Baxter Building is too large to have lights hung from it like most residences, but some festive lighting has been arranged. A light, slowly alternating between red then green, shine up the sides of the building. And on the top floor, where the Fantastic Four reside...

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.

quitethecharmer:

As a general rule, men do not like being involved with moving people's stuff besides their own. Moving other people's stuff subjects them to being on the receiving end of a very large number of demands and at the mercy of their own indecisions as to where things should go.

Vincent wasn't currently regretting promising to help Andrea move, but he was reserving the right to do so. It wasn't that he was fatigued by anything he was having to carry, but the number of items made the procedure tedious. She seemed to have an endless collection of figurines and other collectibles. Being that it was only being moved from one floor of the building to the other, there was also none of the usual reasonable 'excuse' to let boxes remain unpacked for a while. Everything was being repositioned, and in a few cases, extra shelves were being put up.

There was also the fact that all of her boxes were labelled with bar-codes she had printed, making them somewhat less than intelligible to others. Vincent shook his head as he opened another box. "I see.. notebooks. Where do these go?" He looked over to his girlfriend.

nextgen_misc:

A man holding a piece of parchment stood in Times Square, the crossroads of the world, and read from the page. A spell was cast and the Montesi Formula, which once wiped out all vampires, was reversed. The all of the vampires that had been destroyed reformed right in front of the spell caster. They looked around for a few moments, confused about what had happened. Then the hunger took a hold and Times Square was full of humans with warm blood flowing through their veins.

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?"

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.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent woke up, and instinctively smiled, already knowing what day it was without having to think twice. It was his birthday. More than that, it was his eighteenth birthday. Perhaps not so great a deal in the Asgard of his birth or the Latveria of his father, but here, in the country he had made his home, it meant a great deal. He had high hopes for the day.

There had been that miserable little worm of a thought that Kristoff was no longer legally expected to look after him, but that was routinely quashed each time it came up.

discardedheir:

The morning of Saturday, November 14 dawned. With the whole Fantastic Four family there, the chairs and a few minor decorations for the empty 29th floor of the Baxter building were easily set up. The rest of the guests would be arriving soon, Cassandra's friends among the Avengers.

Jennifer Walters had been kind enough to recommend the judge. Their license was in order. The bride was with the maid of honor and there was no word of any problems at the moment.

By noon, Cassandra would be his, officially. Scotty, too, to an extent.
If any outsider prevented that, Kristoff was not absolutely certain he could keep himself from ...a display of excessively bad manners.

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 streets of New York saw children and adults dressed up in costumes and moving about.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent carried the 'personal' mail for the building under one arm, having felt like picking it up himself for a change. All the usual papers related to fanmail went through scanning by HERBIE, and Kristoff's patent related mail went directly to his office. Just the usual light load from actual friends and relatives.

And... a package in plain brown paper, with no markings. It had a woodsy scent to it that prickled at Vincent's memory, making him uneasy. It had to have passed through security screenings to make it this far into the building, so he wasn't concerned about it being a bomb, not one of any mundane make anyway. He turned it over, and everything else he was holding slipped from his hands as he gripped it tightly, his nostrils flaring as he headed for his magical research lab.

The package bore the Latverian royal seal.

~~

Several hours of strenuous mystical testing later, he was convinced the package would do no harm, and opened it. Inside was a deerskin pouch, filled with coins. A simple piece of parchment with a simple note of Kristoff's impending marriage.

His... Kristoff's... their father had seen fit to send a traditional engagement gift. Vincent's jaw tightened and he was tempted to incinerate the present right then and there. How dare he throw Kristoff table scraps after all this time? Worse, what if Kristoff welcomed them? What if he wanted to invite him?

He shut the pouch and note inside a secure safe in the wall, then called Andrea. He wasn't planning on asking her advice, but he needed out of the building immediately.

staturity:

Another morning, another day school day for Scotty.

The battle (and oh, that word was so accurate for it) to get her son out of bed was over. He was dressed, fed, and all she needed to do was drive him to school. He was still tired but usually by the time the drive was over he was alert and excited to be learning.

Today was just like any other day. Or so Cassie thought.

discardedheir:

The "axe-wielding maniac" had been active too close to the Baxter Building to escape the Fantastic Four's immediate attention.

And so here they are. And he was hardly difficult for them to contain, although he was obviously quite, quite fast which made taking him down less than immediate.

awesome_andrea:

It had been, in Andrea's opinion, a most enjoyable evening.  To her own amazement, she had proven surprisingly capable at dancing.  Perhaps not so surprising, really, when one considered her ability to sync her body movements to a rhythm and keep time with computerized precision.  But she had not employed her more mechanical aspects that evening, relying instead on a bit less regulated talent, not even absorbed from those around her.


They stayed out much of the night, returning to the Baxter Building very late (or very early, depending on how one considered the situation), though the activities did not stop there.  They were young, in love, and still quite filled with passion.  Andrea had not been quite prepared for sex, not yet, not until she was certain she had properly adjusted her programming and capabilities so that it was a pleasurable activity for all involved, but it had been quite close.  To use a baseball metaphor, second base had most definitely been reached.


Early still, passions had given way to the need for sleep, even for androids (she mimicked a regular human sleep cycle when possible), a sleep spent wrapped in each others arms.

The late of day worked its way through the windows of the Baxter Building...

coinoperated:

Artemis had been busy. She had gone to the mall several times, and watched three movies in theater. She'd completed all her academic assignments for the month. All that was left was to continue studying social behavior. She was, however, tired of the stares that accompanied her excursions outside. Perhaps that was why Artemis's parents had arranged for her to see Awesome Andrea, of the Fantastic Four.

Chronologically, Andrea was not too much older than Artemis but Andrea's maturity exceeded Artemis's by far. Aretmis was not sure exactly how she felt about that but if she were asked to describe it she might say "embarrassed."

discardedheir:

Cassandra and Kristoff talked to Scotty. The boy'd had a lot to take in these past couple weeks, but this at least was good stuff.

And then, over the communication system. "Vincent? Andrea? While it is not an emergency, Cassandra and I would like to speak to you as soon as possible."

godlierthanthou:

Further adventures with the Defenders had been reasonably minor and her siblings (and Ohu for that matter) had largely not bothered her in some time.  She'd gotten some small pleasures by venturing out and playing small tricks on mortals by tricking them with illusions or minor magics, but that was the extent of her excitement.

To put it bluntly, she was bored.  And perhaps, though she would never admit it to anyone, more than a little bit lonely.  On some small level, she envied the companionship her siblings shared, though she thought little of their lifestyle choices, her brother in particular.

Fortunately, there was one with whom she could spend time with.  One who's company she would even enjoy.  She did have her needs, after all, even if she was not as obvious as Ardis or Halbjorn  (consorting with that arrogant fire-haired mortal!  The thought of it!).

Vincent Amorason, offspring of her one-time teacher, and rather attractive, for one who was only half-Asgardian.  Yes.  Now was indeed the time to pursue a further... liason.

Traveling across the country to th Baxter Building in New York was a simple enough spell for her.  In one moment, she vanished from the Defenders' headuqarters in California and in the next she had reappeared in the living room of the Fantastic Four's portion of the Baxter Building.



"An impressive display of teleportation," a voice said.  "Though I would hope this is not part of an attack."

Asleif turned, finding herself facing a dark-haired girl.  No, not a girl.  She could sense no thoughts, no life from her.  Some sort of golem or clockwork contrivance then.  Quite obvious, in hindsight.  Vincent could and most certainly would have created servants for himself.  "Hardly," she said.  "I art here to see Vincent.  Fetch him for me."

The golem continued to stare at her, its gaze less unnatural than she would have expected.  "I have sent a message to his laboratory," the thing said.  "He should arrive soon."

Asleif nodded, but said nothing. One did not thank a candle for lighting, or a knife for cutting, after all.

nextgen_misc:

The Fantastic Four’s new location was, as it had been last time, in the middle of a busy square. The architecture of the buildings was different, more advanced and with an oriental feel. There was a garden in the center of the square, well cared for and vibrant. Not very far from the square there was a Sphinx. If the unwilling time travelers at first assumed that they were In Egypt, they could not be faulted. However, there was a landmark that would place them in New York City: the Statue of Liberty. At least that was it had been. Now Lady Liberty was transformed, now bearing a striking resemblance to one member of their team: Cassandra Lang.

awesome_andrea:

With Kristoff and Cassie off doing their own thing, it left Andrea and Vincent plenty of alone time to explore the happiest place on Earth together.  Together.  Such a strange and pleasing thought.  Andrea would not have believed it possible before now, had not understood the strange feelings that had filled her processor.    But now, feelings had been admitted and a coupling established.  And in the busy summer season, it was remarkably easy for the two youngest members of the Fantastic Four to pass completely unnoticed amongst the crowd (other than being two rather attractive young individuals.  One particular passerby had questioned if they were stars from one of the many teen dramas on television).

Andrea already considered the day to be quite the success  She had a mouse-eared hat and she had managed to convince Vincent to wear one as well.  They had already been through the Haunted Mansion and been quite pleased to pretend to be impressed and frightened by the ghosts.  Considering they had encountered real ghosts before, it was not nearly as frightening as it could have been.

Now, however, they were standing in-line for the Pirates of the Carribean.  Andrea had seen the movies on DVD and had created quite the catelog of historical facts (unrelated the the ficticious event of the movie themselves) that had been incorrect in the presentation.  Hopefuly, the ride would be more accurate.

She looked to her right and smiled at Vincent.  "Are you enjoying yourself?"

nextgen_parent:

With the right technology, the various offspring of Nathaniel Richards I were not terribly difficult to track down when he recalled their existence.

This time, he was after his favorite unacknowledged bastard. It had been more than a decade. The lad was doing well enough for himself, apparently. No more satisfaction about siring the absolute monarch of Latveria, though. Pity about that -- some sort of Matter of Honor, wasn't it? Boy must've gotten that from Mirela. Or, well, Doom himself, from a less genetic perspective.

But his thoughts were digressing again. Kristoff. And his little friends. In need of a visit. A treat. A bit of a warning. Currently in...the region of Orlando, Florida. Nathaniel, having prepared the equipment he'd need for this little excursion, materialized in one of the rooms of the resort suite in which they were staying. Seeing only Kristoff there, he at first said nothing and just smiled.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent walked with Andrea into the common area, where they'd both called for their 'senior' teammates to join them. "Kristoff... Cassandra... there is something of importance both Andrea and I feel we should discuss with you." There was a calm resolve about him, but a somewhat sullen tone as well.

awesome_andrea:

Andrea had run through the scenario in her head approximately 6,700 times, using a variety of different variables and probability factors.  Some of them have turned out favorably, quite a few others neutrally, and quite a few had turned out rather poorly (including the one possible scenario she had run where she had walked in on him in the midst of cuddling with those Swedish twins from the magazine cover).

What she had not expected to find was him apparently engaged in some sort of mental exercise.  She almost hated to interrupt him, but now that she was aware of her feelings, she could calculate the odds involved here.  Despite this, her personality matrix was evolved enough to make her hesitant, a little afraid of finding out.

"V... Vincent?"

awesome_andrea:

Andrea paced nervously, various programs of differing weight and thought-strings running rapidly through her processor.  She was beginning to fear she was experienced cascade failure.  She was beginning to think she was defective.  She was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong with several of her systems.  Vincent had done some work on them, including putting considerable design effort into her "skin", but the bulk of the work and science work in general was done by Kristoff.

So she sought him out, using the Baxter Building's computer to locate him.  "Kristoff?"  she asked, as she approached.  "May I speak with you?"

awesome_andrea:

Andrea, to the untrained and unfamiliar eye, seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time watching television.  And it was true that she enjoyed television very much and did spent a lot of time watching it.  What this ignored, however, was her ability to multitask and process different strands simultaneously.

At this moment, for example, she was watching the news, using approximately 30% of her processing power to pay attention to it.  A full 40% of her processing power was devoted to her on-line education classes, including a portion devoted to research for an assignment.  A surprising 20% of her processing power was being devoted to Vincent, including several recursive strings that she did not fully understand and that had, in fact, begun to worry her to the point where she should likely ask Kristoff to run a deeper-diagnostic.  And the remaining 10% was devoted to basic systems funcationality.

All of which basically meant she could split her attention several ways without the loss of performance that an ordinary human might have.

Even still, it was several moments before the TV-watching strand connected with other parts of her processor, signaling a high-priority alarm. She redistributed her processing power to give her complete attention to the television.

"....amateur video from the random attacks on the Fantastic Four showcasing "Awesome" Andrea of the young Fantastic Four fighting the criminal know as the Thinker.  "Awesome" Andrea, also known as Andrea Denker, appears unusually effected by a localized electromagnetic pulse and then..."

The video continues, showing Andrea being decapitated (she shuddered at that memory), leaving a shower of sparks, circuits, and wires.

"This raises serious questions about the most mysterious and least-known member of the Fantastic Four.  Their public relations officer declined to comment when questioned earlier this week..."

Andrea's processing faculties largely failed to notice just how tightly she was gripping the arm of the couch.

nextgen_misc:

"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Across the great nation of the United States of America people everywhere celebrate the freedoms that they enjoy, the history, government, and traditions of the United States with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent was pleased with himself. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary, Vincent was generally pleased with himself; but this was exceptional. His two childhood friends, his best friend and teammate, and his adoptive/extended family, all sitting down to dinner together. Granted, the Richards family and their lot weren't in attendance, but this was still very nice. Combining it with the fact that he'd picked them all up their dinners of choice from one of the city's best eateries was just icing.

Once they were all settled, and he'd explained how he'd met the wolf daughters, he made the 'official' introductions.

"And so... Moira and Danielle Hrimharisdottin... Kristoff Vernard, Cassandra and Scotty Lang, and 'Awesome' Andrea Denker." He gestured around the table with a bit of flourish, before sitting back down between Moira and Andrea.

princess_mutt:

"And so that seems to be all in that regard, " Moira explained to the telephone as she stood on a sidewalk just outside the Greenwich Village area, the long leather jacket a little odd for summer, but comfortable enough. "Dr. Strange said he was unfortunately quite sure -- Aye, we can get back to Westchester; we are walking now to the transportation that was arranged, taking a little time to look around. We will be fine, Granny." Then, after listening for another moment, Moira sighed. "Aye, it was worth a try." Then she nodded, even though Mummy and Granny had explained that telephones could not show that. "We love you, too, Granny." And then one hand closed the phone and put it away. The other hand held the lead that was attached to a harness around her sister, because of some silly New York law and the need to not panic people.
Danielle was sniffing the air a little at this point with a thoughtful look.

nextgen_misc:

"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." Clarence Budington Kelland

"It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father." - Pope John XXIII

"Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers and fathering is a very important stage in their development." ~ David Gottesman

discardedheir:

Kristoff woke, very sore, head pounding. He was out of his armor, his hands restrained and locked behind his back. He hadn't ascertained what kind of lock yet, because he was busy noticing the other compartments. Separating everyone via transparent plastic was fairly...classic. He spotted Vincent first, apparently well; Kristoff was actually grateful just to see him even under the circumstances, with all he'd started to fear...
Cassandra, too, though she didn't seem to have regained consciousness, seemed essentially unharmed.
There wasn't a fourth compartment. Instead, outside any of the plastic confines, standing next to his own armor, was Andrea's body. And set beside Cassie was Andrea's head.

awesome_andrea:

Andrea was, frankly, rather bored.  She had completed the bulk of her coursework for the day--the benefits on an on-line education before she had adopted her more human appearance. 

She had forced herself to read only one chapter in the new book she had purchased. 

She had enjoyed a brief chat with Roberta during a lull in lobby traffic.

She had checked the Negative Zone monitors, as well as the Microverse Portal.

After that, she had watched her daily soap operas, followed by a game of chess with HERBIE.  She was almost certain he had lost on purpose, but could not fathom the reason why.

More worrisome, however, was that she had not heard from Kristoff or Cassie all day.  Most unusual.

But for right now, she was going to go stir crazy if she did not get out of the building soon.

nextgen_baddie:

He'd just gotten into New York yesterday -- after a little more Balkan agitation; couldn't let it settle -- and things were already going so well.

It took a bit of care slipping into the Stark Inc building as Scott Lang, disabling the cameras in Lang's office -- thank you, Mr. Dillon -- and thoroughly trashing the place before slipping out, but T'g'rt managed.

Before the fallout could come from that, he left the following voice message from a payphone in Queens, just a stone's throw from Riker's.

" 'Awesome Andrea'? Really? Not even an attempt to be subtle? Or are you trying to fit in better by being as obvious as possible? What must people think, if they think at all? Speaking of thinking, how do you feel about family reunions? Be seeing you."

Now to sit back and let things simmer for a while.

quitethecharmer:

Vincent wandered his way into the common area on the 'kids' floor of the Baxter Building, sitting himself on the couch and kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. He glanced over at the on the entertainment center. Seven a.m., Sunday morning. Not the worst time to be getting back from a good Friday night, and a better Saturday, he mused to himself. He noted some lingering lipstick on his shirt; have to remember to point that out when he dropped it at the cleaner's.

He picked up a general use organizer from the table, tapping in his personal identification. "Voice messages left since last checked?"

"Twenty two," the digital voice replied.

"Organizational code Amorason-five. Discount messages from colleges seeking my enrollment, research facilities or weapons manufacturers offering jobs, aspiring 'mages', or young women I have made implications to call back but have not for reasons of my choosing."

"No new messages," the voice amended. Vincent turned his attention away from the organizer, reaching for the television remote and queuing up recorded news broadcasts for the past 48 hours. He turned his attention back to the organizer. "H.E.R.B.I.E., order half a dozen bacon egg and cheese bagel sandwiches from Schlotsky's Deli. Two with meunster, four with cheddar. Three on asiago parmesean, three on poppyseed. Large mint tea with honey and two sugars. For delivery." He smirked. "Charged to Mister Grimm's tab. Memo - Inquire about his poker tab to 'the Doomling' if charge disputed." He sent the message to the building's robotic gopher, then put down the remotes and stretched his arms over his head, settling his hands at the back of his neck. He noticed the phone number written on the inside of one of his forearms. He doubted he'd write it down before he showered.

The news started up with some fluff piece on Central Park using falcons for rat control, and Vincent smirked. This was indeed the good life.

(:tag any other Fantastic types, visitors, or anyone who wants to call really:)