Havelock Vetinari

IC (Morgan Whatley) "Enrique." Where, precisely, Enrique had found a salsa music station in the middle east was a question Whatley didn't feel like pondering right now and, frankly, he'd stopped questioning it after the man had managed to locate a Russian opera. To his credit, it only took a few more seconds for his would-be driver to notice that he really ought to get his feet off the dashboard and assume a position that could be professional if one tilted their head and squinted. "Oh. Uh. Hey boss?" "Next time go for the salute and nervous grin. It might work better. We're going back to the embassy." "No luck then?" "Make you a deal, don't ask another question and I'll let you keep the music on."

IC (Alecto) Alecto, not for the first time, wondered how precisely he had ended up where he was. Namely, flying alongside a cybernetic warrior whilst Nazi’s who’d failed to get the memo about the whole Hitler splattering his brains against the wall thing attacked the city. “Well Madame Cylon, I hope you’ve got a ###### good plan. I can’t exactly swap these wings out for the next factory model yeah?” Alecto kept his tone light, but there was an undeniable undercurrent of genuine worry. He was a merc, yeah, not exactly a stranger to being shot at, but then, the average bad guy didn’t pack enough heat to invade New York. IC (Saphine) “Alright boys and girls! See those explosions? It’s not the NRA! For once! That there is Nazi central. All sieg-heiling, bad food and the most ###### language in existence. Their word for butterfly sounds like the Deathstar on steroids. Schmetterling. They named something that a light wind can literally kill schmetterling. I’m not gonna lie to you. This is gonna be a tough one.” Silence reigned for a few moment, and then Saphine smiled, quite suddenly, as something distinctly *squishy* was plowed over by her own personal russian made instrument of precisely delivered death. “That was a kraut right?” The driver just nodded silently. “First kill of the day boys! When this is over, If I can’t sell what’s stuck between these treads to McDonalds, it’s coming out of your pay! Remember that!”

Approved x4.

IC (Romulus) Romulus couldn't suppress a grin as the legionnaires jumped to attention. It would appear Ms. Marko had quite the commanding voice when the situation called for it. Hardly surprising for one charged with managing Alaric and his....eccentricities. He had yet to figure out what a "jinkies" was but Alaric seemed inordinately fond of the phrase. “How could they not?” Then Romulus stepped forwards, to address his men, being sure to open the proper channels on radio, to ensure all of his faithful soldiers heard his decree. “My legionnaires! My soldiers! My brothers and sisters in arms! The time has come, once again, for Roman steel and Roman might to arise to defend the wonders of the civilized world from the hordes of crass barbarity. HYDRA believes that their madness, their terror, can win them the world. They are fools. Lunatics, to think that they can break this world, our world, to their wills. We built this world! You, my friends, built this world! Your ancestors, your forefathers, were the strength in my arms! An emperor is nothing without his legion. An empire is nothing if not the parts that make it up. The path we have chosen is not an easy one. It has cost us dearly….and yet, by the right of blood, by the right of the untold thousands who have died in my name, to win my rightful throne, this world is ours. HYDRA has a lesson to learn. And it is our duty to educate them. This is a lesson they can only learn through blood, fire and steel. They have preyed upon this city twice in the last two years. Now they will learn that New York is not without its protectors, it’s defenses. That they can no longer seek to cow this world by pouring salt upon the wounds of an already wounded and ailing city. For we shall meet them blow for blow. For every one of us who falls, I expect ten of their own to meet their ends. I expect nothing less from my legion. Rome was not built in a day, it is true, and empires do not die overnight. But my friends, I think HYDRA is built upon a rotten foundation. I say, if we cut off the head, if we break them here, if we show these so-called ubermensch their inferiority, their inability to meet the legacy of Rome, of the great father of empires, in open combat…. I declare, I decree, they will collapse upon themselves like the paper tiger they are. There is nothing more to say. Go forward with courage, knowing that the hands of your ancestors are upon your shoulders. Know that the ghosts of Rome are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!” Battle cries in dozens of different languages filled the room and the radio channels that the legion operated. Romulus turned to Ms. Marko. “I’ve arranged transportation to Times Square. We shall hit them there, in the very heart of their invasion. The rest of my legionnaires are already taking action to seal the area, to halt HYDRA’s advance. And, ah…” The telltale sounds of jet engines made their voices heard. “I do hope you’re not adverse to flying.” IC (Alecto) “Screw it. Not like I’m going to get another chance to outdo grandpa’s nazi killcount.” Alecto strode over to a nearby cabinet, tossing it open to reveal his two blades, each held within a lovingly detailed display case. “I hope those exosuits of theirs have some handy joints and crevices. Otherwise I’m going to be getting eye all over these things. It’s a ###### to clean off. Very sticky.” Without another word, he strapped the scabbards of the two weapons to his belt. IC (Saphine) “Well, you’re in luck. We’re having a special on questionably sane, very angry mercs at the moment. We’ll even throw in two BMP’s. Free of charge! How’s that for a bargain?” Saphine let out a triumphant crow as the Revengining plowed out of the garage, it’s companion, known now and forever as ‘Rampage Five: The Curbstomping’ following close behind. “You know the story. We’re here to kick ######, chew bubblegum and collect kraut teeth for our trophy necklaces. And boy, do we have alot of necklaces. Uh. Gimme a sec.” Saphine leaned forwards, towards the operators of the fine mass of russian rage she had decided was now her property, whatever the boss-lady might say about it. “Tell me this thing can go faster.” “Well, yes, bu-” “Well, I’m hearing a disturbing lack of nazis crunching beneath our treads. Be a dear and fix that for me okay?” She made sure to use that faux-sweet tone mom had taught her. It got things done faster then any direct threat could. “...Yes’m. I’ll get right on that m’am.” “Kick###!” Saphine picked up the radio again. “So, do you want fries with that ex-soviet divine intervention?”

IC (Saphine) The Hellfire garage. Land of armored, yet stylish vehicles and a few technically illegal weapon stashes/tanks/whatever the ###### the Legion was hiding in restricted section. It was also home to quite the little collection of Goldpoint vehicles. Including two ex-soviet BMP’s that hadn’t killed something in far far too long. All dressed up in black and gold and guns and until now, nowhere to go. As her team boarded the duo, she traced her hand against the edge of the recently christened “Rampage Four: The Revengining”. Momma’s here to make it all better. Don’t worry. You’ll be getting lots and lots of filthy kraut blood. That sound good? Hmmmmm? She chose to talk the silence as a yes. With a wicked grin, she climbed aboard the good killcraft Rampage. As she settled into the armored mass of pure proletariat rage, one of her new best friends held up a hand. “We’ve got someone broadcasting. Military channels.” She snatched the radio out of his hand. “I’ll be taking that.” She raised the radio to her mouth and started to speak. “We read you. This here is Saphine’s Guns n’guts nazi killing rampage...Bar & Grill. Whatcha need?” OOC: Romulus speech will be coming up later. I need do it justice...and the rest of the night is booked.

IC (Alecto) "HYDRA huh? You think the joker they have in charge will ever realize there are, in fact, other cities on the planet? I mean I know that's asking alot for a guy who named himself after his physical deformity, but come on." Alecto flicked the safety off on his pistol. "So. To be clear on this. A battle is about to tear this city a new one. And your idea is....to put ourselves in front of the bullets that'll be doing said tearing. Snow? You...uh, sure about this?"

Hm. Would that be a large drain on her powers? They do have radio's and the like, maybe a little less efficient, but less taxing on her certainly.

I think it's about time we had a D&D based TBRPG. There is a playerbase for it, if the blogs are any indication.

IC (Romulus) Romulus smiled, the expression unfortunately lost to sight due to the blank face-plate. "You are, of course, welcome to stand with me Ms. Marko." Romulus adjusted his position slightly, making room for another beside him. "The garrison has rallied downstairs. We'll be moving out shortly. As for the situation...my legionnaires have already began to engage the forward elements of the HYDRA forces around the city. I expect the tempo of the fighting to increase quickly. I do hope your family is safe?" IC (Alecto) Alecto sighed and made his way over to the balcony doors. And with a flourish, swung them open. "Or-and this is just crazy talk. We could look outside." He shifted his gaze slightly, towards the floating student who'd been doing his level best to break his apartment windows and gore himself on the resulting shards. "Oh! Even more insane plan. We could ask the witness. Who was pounding on the windows. That could work. Maybe." Alecto was quite pleased with the amount of sarcasm he'd managed to inject into his voice. He was pretty sure that if it went any higher it might actually kill someone. IC (Legionnaire Li) Of course the girl wanted to live. No one wanted to die. Some people thought they did perhaps, but they always got the same look at the end. This exact look. Begging. Hoping. Realizing the magnitude of their choice as it came crashing down around them. Most of them, sadly, had not had someone who'd treated injuries like this before on hand. "Doctor. There is a cellphone in my back pocket. I doubt the civil authorities would be able to dispatch an ambulance in time. I have a cousin who works at a hospital nearby. If you could dial nine, he'd be along shortly."

IC (Morgan Whatley) Whatley gave a disappointed sigh as he slipped his sunglasses back on. "Very well. If you don't want to talk with me, I can't force you." Morgan pulled out a small card and placed it on Aleph's desk. "If you change your mind, this number will connect you to the security offices. Do have a nice day." Morgan turned to leave the store. "And thank you for showing me the sword."

IC (Morgan Whatley) "Modesty." Morgan sighed. Onto business then...though if things went well, he certainly could do with hearing more of the tale behind that sword. Whatley took of his sunglasses, and stared Aleph in the eye, attempting to convey the sincerity behind his words. "Now....as to the reason I came here. I want to make this clear. I don't care who you work for, do business with or otherwise interact with. It is insignificant to me. What is significant to me is the safety of my staff. Of the ambassador. My men are capable. I believe they're the best I have ever had the distinct pleasure of serving with. But this city....you can feel it in the air can you not? There is something wrong. And according to my connections, you may have some...knowledge...of the arcane." Morgan took a breath. "I was wondering if you might have any theories. You will, of course, be compensated for your time. I do not ask for something in exchange for nothing."

IC (Alecto) Oh. Damian could fly. Oh. Damian could fly and the city was being invaded. He's chosen an exceptionally bad day to perform a ritual it seemed. He felt like he'd just ran marathon and now it looked like there would be shooting before the day was out. With a resigned sigh, he gulped down one more swig of vodka. "Okay. Someone open a door for Harry Potter out there. I'll cover the entrance." Alecto gestured vaguely at his balcony door as he slammed down the bottle of vodka. With what could quite possibly be his last drink behind him, Alecto strode out from behind the counter and nonchalantly grabbed his pistol from the cupboard before settling in at Snow's side. "Snow? You going all bluescreen on me? Ctrl-alt-delete is your friend. If not....well, look you don't have a plug, so ctrl-alt-del is gonna have to do."

IC (Romulus) For the first time since he'd butchered his clone in the beast's own office, Romulus felt compelled to make us of the Hellfire Manor's intercom system. Normally he preferred face to face meetings and the like. There was no time for a such a luxury now. "Attention. Attention. New York is under attack. I will be deploying my forces to her defense. Anyone who wishes to stand beside me is welcome as a comrade and fellow warrior....as for those of you who wish to emulate the small, scurrying mammals from which we all come, I do hope, for your sake you have your tunnels dug and ready." With that, Romulus clicked off his desk's built in speaker. Rising from behind his desk, he strode out of his office, pausing only to speak to Thistledown. "If you would kindly alert my garden keepers, it would be much appreciated." Thistledown only gave a short, grim nod. Before digging into her desk and withdrawing a single blood-red cellphone. "I'll have the paperwork filed immediately." Orders had already been sent to the Legion, to their hidden places within the city, their safe houses and barracks. The city was to be considered a war zone until further notice. Objectives, in order, were the defense of the city population, legionnaire safe houses and civilian civic centers, and the complete decimation of all attacking forces. They had, of course, been informed that their Imperator would soon be leading them personally into the battle. He was done working within the shadows. The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign had learned this lesson and now it seemed, HYDRA's time had come as well. Moving quickly, with the natural speed that came to a veteran of a thousand thousand wars in times of great tumult, Romulus reached his destination. Hidden away, behind guards and coded doors, was his armory. One of them at least. And within it was enough collective firepower and blades to take over some small countries. The true centerpiece however, was his armor. Not the roman affair he wore for light duties, but his own lovingly designed suit if powered armor. Modeled on the Lorica Segmentata of his beloved Roman legions, this blank-faced, expensive piece of armor was perhaps, one of the most modern piece of equipment fielded by the legion. The sweeping red cape was of course...a personal touch. One must allow oneself some small indulgences after all. Within moments, Romulus had swapped out his formal wear for the armored embrace of his armor. A Barrett XM500, a USP45 and his ruby-hilted Gladius completed the ensemble. The legionnaires posted at the manor would be rallying outside, awaiting him. Only a small detachment would be left behind for defensive purposes, as he rather doubted his erstwhile comrades in the Hellfire Club would be stripping their own security forces from the manor to defend the city. Just a hunch on his part, but a good one. To arms then. Romulus turned about and left the armory. IC (Borte Khan, Saphine Mark) Borte Khan silently cursed herself for spending more time at the Hellfire Manor then her own offices. There was a rather nice system of bunkers built beneath all Manduhai Incorporated facilities. Nothing for it however. Tapping into the speaker function of her computer, she opened up the frequencies of all GoldPoint forces within the city. The guards, the elites, anyone who could listen. "Borte Khan here. New York is threatened once more. Our intelligence indicates HYDRA has deployed their forces against the city, centering on Times Square and emitting outward. Your orders are as follows. Secure all facilities, direct all staff to safety zones and if at all possible assist in the evacuation and defense of the city. Consider our own facilities to be open resources. Direct all civilians and wounded you find to these locations if evacuation is untenable or unwise. Your section chiefs will decide upon the specifics of each strategy, bearing these objectives in mind. Good luck. Be safe. Make HYDRA pay. Borte Khan out." With that, she ended the transmission and rotated her chair to face her ever-present bodyguard, Saphine Mark. "I presume you will be wanting revenge for your last encounter with HYDRA?" Saphine cocked her head and slowly nodded. "Who doesn't like revenge boss? What kinda question is that?" Borte Khan raised her eyebrow. "Revenge is a fool's game. That said, do be careful. I have invested far too much in you to lose you now. You'll find three squads waiting for your orders outside the office. Do not waste them." One could practically feel the vampiric hired gun's smirk through her tone of voice. "Be careful now boss. People might actually start to think you can feel, you keep on like this." Khan didn't react, she simply shifted her eyes down to her paperwork, and continued to fill it out as if HYDRA wasn't running amok through the city. "Good hunting Ms. Mark." "Hope so. Need somethin' to put over the new mantle." Without another word, Saphine exited the office, leaving the Mongolian magnate to her thoughts.

IC (Alecto) "Ya don't say." Alecto poured out another shot glass and slide it down the counter, in Jesika's general direction. Yeah, she'd still have to walk a bit to get to it, but he was staying right in the kitchenette thank you very much. He eyed the vampire, but soon switched his gaze back to Madame Cylon. "So. You know the X-Men. You've got enough tech in you to make the Borg jealous....and you, along with Bloodrayne here, are my neighbors....why, oh why, do I suspect my life is about to get interesting in the Chinese sense?"

IC (Alecto) "I'm pretty sure I had a more convincing lie ready for mom when she noticed all the cookies were gone. Again. Improv isn't your strong suit, is it Snow?" Alecto raised his right eyebrow slightly, watching in interest as the duo's story became less convincing by the second. "Any minute now, I expect to find the the sentence 'the sky is green' more credible then this high-school story. You *do* realize I saw fangtastic over here at the wild wing's with other X-Men right?"

IC (Morgan Whatley) "You can tell alot about a man from his weapons. It used to be so at least. You still glimpse some of the truth of him in a fight....but this sword. I think it speaks louder then seeing the man himself in battle ever could. No markings. No markings. No calls to Allah. Whoever wielded it....I think....he served no gods, needed no glory. I wonder what he did fight for." Morgan's voice had gone soft, contemplative. He seemed to catch himself as he finished the sentence, smile slipping back onto his face. "Ah. Sorry. I...thank you for showing me this. Truly." Morgan took off his sunglasses, lightly brushing off some of the dust that stuck to them. "You must be very gifted at your trade, to have found such a treasure."

IC (Alecto) Alecto, with visible reluctance, stopped pouring vodka down his throat. "So. You two....know each other?" That was something. Another coincidence in a day that seemed to be full of them. He was tired from the ritual, exhausted from rejection and now the vampire he has half-sure had been angling on taking advantage of a past victim of abuse had walked right into his apartment. And the snarky cyborg, someone who, at least, made for interesting conversation knew her. With a sigh, Alecto poured out a shot of vodka and downed it in one motion.

IC (Lucia) Lucia slowly realized just what Dante had said. "A...glorified...illusion." She said the words slowly, as if trying to get her head around the statement. "....Did....you not hear..." Lucia closed her eyes and struggled, visibly, to contain herself. "That was quite real I assure you. The danger was real. This book is not a toy. Not a weapon. The only reason it still exists is because I fear burning it may unleash whatever power is contained within! For all I know, using it may even give it more power. Which, considering what it has used...it's powers for so far is not good. Repeat after me. Not good."

IC (Morgan Whatley) Whatley didn't consider himself a historian, or much of an antiquarian. That said, one didn't spend a few years in the middle east without picking a few things up, be it from books or pure cultural osmosis. Every instinct he had told him he couldn't possibly afford such a thing, not on his salary, not without digging into his retirement fund. Which he'd started to build after he'd met.....best not to think about him. Not now. The last thing he wanted was a breakdown in front of a complete and possibly dangerous stranger. "Really? That's....that's well, amazing. I don't suppose I could see it?"

IC (Morgan Whatley) "I won't lie. I came here with a very different set of questions. But..." Morgan approached what appeared to be a fairly high-quality recreation of a Persian Shamshir. "What can you tell me about this piece? I confess to a certain affinity for curved blades. I blame mother. You can't a raise a boy on tales of pirates and high Barbary and expect anything else."

IC (Morgan Whatley) To his credit Morgan caught his jaw before it could hit the floor. It did, however, take quite a bit of effort on his part. The man looked like he'd walked off the cover of a fashion magazine. Considering how strange things were getting in the city, that honestly wouldn't have surprised Whatley at this point. Morgan felt a smile a slip across his face, a very genuine one at that. The idea of finally getting some answers, something to go on, on why exactly the city had decided that reality just didn't mean anything anymore was very pleasing...and the view certainly didn't hurt. Not at all. "Pleasure to meet you." Morgan snapped off a quick salute. "I'm Mr. Whatley. Head of security over at the Val Verde embassy." Morgan looked over the shop....and while he hadn't truly planned on buying anything, some of the historical recreations couldn't help but draw the eye. "I do have some questions, if you don't mind. From what I've heard you might be able to help me with them. If you don't mind that is."

Well. That was unexpected. Events of these past few days have totally blindsided me.

IC (Legionnaire Li) Li sprang into action immediately. She was not unfamiliar with combat medicine and her instincts, honed from years of deployment, took over. She knew from the amount of blood that this wasn't an air cut-it was right across the jugular. Tricky to treat, let alone stop. You had to control the bleeding, restrict it as much as possible. Li pressed her hands against Ms. Binder's neck, trying to stem the flow of blood. "Hold her down!" She shouted, hoping Dr. Thomas would understand. Letting someone with a slit throat move was a very bad idea, to say the least.

IC (Legionnaire Li) Li suppressed a scowl of disgust with the ease decades of discipline brought one. This girl had forced herself on the poor boy, and now she was expecting to get away with a slap on the wrist? If the criminal was anymore self centered, Li imagined she'd collapse into a singularity from the sheer *density* of her ego. IC (Romulus) Romulus raised an eyebrow at that. "I believe so. I expect Alaric will be arriving shortly...." Of course, he suspected Lacey knew that already.

IC (Legionnaire Li) "Yes m'am. My command and I saw most of it. It was discovered that Ms. Binder had sexually assaulted-severely-Mr.Green at one point or several points in the past. When this was uncovered one of the other students reacted with extreme negativity to this discovery and began to attack Ms. Binder. Said student had, until that point, been attempting to contain the breakdown of another student who...from what I gather, had transformed into a wolf and was about to attack other members of the student body. Ms. Binder had been attempting to assist her. The other student turned on her after her crime was made known." Li spoke in a low tone, as professionally as could be managed in the situation.