A relatively swank but not too elitist [read: non-segregated] hotel downtown with a noted lounge scene. Apparently this hotel got a rare exemption from the Prohibition rules and kept a license to serve liquor. The charges are steep but at least you know you're drinking the real thing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:06, Mon 25 Feb 2019.

An balding African-American gentleman with white hair wears a starched white shirt with a high collar and suspenders. He sits at the piano on stage, playing some ragtime. Meanwhile the rest of his band, dressed in white suits and red bow ties, unpacks their instruments, a violin, and various horns.

"Ain't nobody got bit didja?" The piano man asks.

"Can't play no trumpet with dem lizard lips!" Someone shouts back to a burst of laughter.

"Dat aughta be a song!"

Frank wore a black suit, new and tailored to him. He stood near a wall a bit away from people but close enough to hear different conversations. Frank held no liquor, instead seeming to be looking around the party with his normal angry look. He was watching for something, though not entirely sure what. Sure, a party was nice, but his suspicions were still active. He wasn't exactly stand-out suspicious, but to the trained eye Frank was obviously not with the same attitude as the normal party goer.

Captain America showed up in costume, his shield worn on his back. The invitation was for Captain America, so they were getting Captain America. He looked around the room and noted Castle's vigilance and stern demeanor, but decided to start by greeting his hosts. After that, he might consider a cup of coffee.

Karla Sofen wasn't a trained eye per se.   But, with her particular education and experience, she was the sort of woman that didn't miss a great deal when it came to people.  It may have been a reason why she'd been retained to be here tonight.

Her Maggy Rouff evening dress suggested she had both class and some means, without yelling 'Hey I'm loaded, and trying real hard to impress!'

She appraised the angry looking man just briefly, as she turned at the sound of someone greeting her, a middle aged, greying physician who'd referred a client to her several months ago.

Naturally, she also noted the arrival of Captain America.    The big guns were beginning to roll in...

Outside, in the shadows, Tryone arrived via a shadow. Sure enough, Tandy steps out of his personal void, looking very different. She is changed out of her street urchin shabby coat, scarf, and dress into a very impressive outfit. Her form is draped in an elegant thing if silk, ribbons, high heels and a thin gold chain around her neck. Hanging from it was the dagger of light, now looming smaller and more decorative.

"Ummm...wow." Tyrone says as she spins around for him. He made him transport her without looking at her new dress. So she jumped into the void while he had his eyes closed, and promised he would not 'see' into the darkness while she was there.

"You clean up mighty good, Miss Bowen! Like a million and one bucks!" He whistled at her.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:59, Tue 26 Feb 2019.

In reply to Tyrone Johnson (msg # 6):

Tandy laughed and suddenly kissed Ty, a real kiss, which made him stop in surprise. Despite his obvious feeling for her, he never actually tried anything.

For one, he was a inhuman monster, and two she was white. While his parents where alive and he still human, they had told him any white man who saw him with a white girl would kill him. Maybe even her as well.

That had never been much of an issue, as he had only stepped out with other black ladies. That life seemed like a dream now. Only Tandy kept this exististece a waking nightmare.

"I like to look good for my fella." She said, and kissed him again, grabbing his arms from the void and putting them around her. Making sure they ended up on her backside, which shocked and delighted Tyrone.

When they both came up for air, both of them panting a bit. Which was new for Tyrone because he only breathed to speak. She lightly tapped his now solid chest with her new purse. "Have fun stealing food for the kids. I will be inside wishing for a real dance from my real Bo!" She winked and walked away, making sure she swung her hips in such a way as he would notice.

Tyrone just stared as she left, feeling so human he wondered if he just lost all his powers in the midst wonderful way possible. After she went inside, he felt the void reclaiming his form once again. Returning empty numbness that was his existence without Tandy.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:00, Tue 26 Feb 2019.

Bruce Banner resisted the desire to undo the top button of his dress shirt and loosen his tie. From the looks of his surroundings, everyone here was either part of the hoi polloi, or striving to be accepted by them. The scientist force himself to relax his shoulders and loosen some of the tension.

Spotting Captain America across the room, he approached the tall hero, but not before taking in the sight of the beautiful, short-haired blonde in the swanky gown. He sighed, sticking his hands into the pockets of the dark blue pinstriped second-hand suit he'd purchased from the pawn shop with some of the money from his recent bootlegging activities.

"As if a swell dame like that would want anything to do with a bindle stiff like me, brains or no..." he thought with a shake of his head and a small smile.

"Hey, Cap," he said to the star-spangled hero. "You got the invite too? Any idea who might have an interest in pulling us together again?" He looked around to room to see if Tony Stark might make an appearance as well, or maybe even the Guthries.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Tue 26 Feb 2019.

And in walks Tony Stark with the press corps in tow.

"So I just sprayed over the hot spots, and by then the SHIELD dirigible was able to reach the island and gave the island a good soaking! It's too bad about the pigeons but hey they're pests anyway right? So I told Fury..."

The throng gets one glance at the patriotic hero in full costume and runs from Stark to surround Captain America, flashing bulbs and asking all sorts of questions, many of which would be classified.

"So...I told Fury..." He sighs and heads towards the bar.

"They love a man in uniform, eh?"

She couldn't help but laugh just faintly at Mr. Stark's obvious plight, his own star drown out by one bigger and brighter.    She doubted the experience would dim his reportedly glowing ego in any lasting way, however.

She didn't miss it when the man in the pinstripe suit briefly and bashfully turned his attention her way.     Something about that face...

It took her several moments.    And then she placed him.     A news paper article she'd chanced to read...along with a most interesting rumor a contact had spoken of.

Karla greeted another acquaintance whom she knew from the medical field.   And changed her position some, after doing so.    Enough so to be facing Doctor...Banner, it was, and give him a brief smile.   Just enough to convey she was aware of him, and not unfriendly.

Mary tried to keep her arrival low key. She was not a stranger to these kinds of gatherings and hoped she could blend in more with the admirers than the admired. She had been sloppy with her identity on the rooftops, but only two men had seen her face and one of them hadn't lived to see the morning. And deep down she genuinely hoped that Spider-man had not revealed her secret. Still, someone knew, and finding out how widespread that information had traveled was her primary concern this evening.

Her dress was a deep red, velvet, with a modest, cowl neckline and a wide exposed back down to her waist. A golden chain hung back from the shoulders of the dress, like a reversed necklace, with an amber teardrop coming to rest about two-thirds the way down her back. She also wore a felt women's bowler hat with a dense mesh veil. Most people found her milky white eyes unsettling, and when it came to "polite company" sometimes you had to do ridiculous things.

Though the long cane would always draw attention to her, Mary's posture, tone and expression all worked together to keep her from standing out. She wasn't part of the help, but she wasn't a high roller either.

Mary engaged in meaningless chit-chat when needed, but mostly she just listened.

When the crowd of reporters followed Tony Stark into the room Peter was not far behind though unlike them his own camera was not being used at the moment. He was not one to snap photographs needlessly especially when the night was still young and there would no doubt be plenty of opportunities to take what he considered to be perfect pictures. One actually came sooner than he expected when he stepped off to the side right when the rest of the press moved away from Tony to crowd in front of Captain America. He took a picture right then that framed both men on either side with the group of reporters between them. No doubt Tony’s expression of disappointment would be clearly seen in the photo. It could be useful for the story later if this event turned out to be nothing out of the ordinary.

Of course he had his suspicions about this little shindig after how he was invited and he made sure to keep an eye for that damn dame. She claimed it was because of the pictures he took and the story he wrote for the Bugle about the incident, but then she brought up a vigilante in particular that put him on edge. Part of him wanted to avoid this but since he had been invited as a reporter for the Bugle he could not refuse it so easily thanks to Jameson. His curiosity would have likely made him show up to this regardless because there was a story for him and far be it from him to ignore it. What else was he supposed to do? Fret over a lizardman bite that would likely turn him into a monster at some point? Probably but that was a problem for another day.

He gazed at the other guests as he made his rounds, his own attire matching theirs though he hated having to wear the tuxedo even if it had been demanded of him. A party like this was not something he ever liked to attend but then he spotted a certain someone that made him think this one was worthwhile going to. It was difficult not to notice the lady. The red dress, the veil and cane would cause to catch a person’s eye and he was no different. Then again it was more the fact Mary was also Daredevil that he glanced at for a couple seconds before he walked away.

That settles it. Whoever is hosting this knows about everyone’s favorite nocturnal hobby, he thought to himself with a dour expression on his face. He doubted they were the only ones here who participated in the fight aside from the publicly known heroes, but this did not answer the two big questions on his mind. Why were they all gathered here and who set this up? Those would be hopefully be answered soon enough and he could only hope it was not too horrible even if his expectations were the opposite.

A broad-shouldered fellow with long blond hair flashes his invite and passes into the room. His tux is on point with a classic shawl collar, but he's still a bit uneasy, like he's never worn a tux before, or been to a private function for that matter.

As he makes his way to the bar, he pauses as Mary makes her way past. He seems genuinely confused for a moment, like he didn't understand what the cane was for, then nods as he notices the veil, and waits for her to pass.

When he reaches the bar, he smiles and speaks with a British accent.

"I shall have a glass of the fire water! Please!

Without missing a beat the old bartender quips back,

"Well how much fire you want in yo' water, Sir?

"Much fire, my friend!"

"We call that whisky round here! On the rocks or straight?"

A momentary pause, and the bartender speaks up again.

"And by rocks I mean rocks of ice, not rocks of rocks."

"Fire water...with ice? That sounds...yes, I shall have my fire water with ice!

"My pleasure Sir! He shakes the drink and pours. Now to show you there's real fire in dat' water...

He flips a match and lights the drink. The man stares in awe as he covers the flame extinguishing it.

"There you go, Sir!"

"Thank you, my friend!" He looks down at the tip jar, and his eyes widen. He reaches in his pocket and stuffs in a bill, then wanders to a table.

The bartender pulls the bill from the glass and his eyes widen. He stuffs it in his jacket.

"I don' know where he from, but he gettin' all the fire water he wants!"

"IT'S PARTYIN' TIIIME!"

The room erupts with laughter as the Thing, in a dapper white tuxedo, literary blocks the entrance with his width. He has to turn sideways to pass through, gently guiding a blonde woman (now the second lady in the room carrying a guiding cane) to a table near the front.

As the press rush to get a good picture of the rocky figure, Reed Richards walks in close behind holding his wife's hand. Susan is wearing a flowing blue dress with a black scarf.

Behind the Richards couple enters Johnny Storm, but without a date, unless you count the fire extinguisher he's carrying.

"Don't worry! You're all safe!" More laughter from the crowd.

Dr. Reed Richards starts waving to someone, then laughs at himself and slips past the press to stand next to Mary.

"Miss Murdock, can may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course, Dr. Richards." Mary replied, not quite looking straight at him. As she spoke she also raised her hand out in front of her. Without being able to see some kind of physical contact was necessary for her to follow him.

Tandy moves from young man to young man, most of whom ask her to dance. She agrees, dancing with them politely. Chit chatting and laughing at their jokes. However, every once in a while she looks into a patch of shadow as if she saw something there. She even whispers to the shadows every once in a while, but only people like Mary could hear what she had to say.

"You know, if you would just take me dancing I would not have to with all these stuffed suits.  Maybe you might want to consider that for when we go home, hmmm?" She whispers to the shadow. Those those with the proper level of hearing, the shadow speaks back.

"I get it, I get it. I know some clubs downtown where we can go, ok? Just not here...for obvious reasons..."

Tandy smiles at the response and keeps an eye on Mary as she walks off with Dr Richards."You may wanna keep an eye on her."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:11, Wed 27 Feb 2019.

If Captain America was going to reply to the scientist, it was lost in the commotion when the press tore themselves away from Tony Stark and swarmed the costumed hero. Bruce Banner found himself jostled away, and found himself standing next to the very woman who'd caught his eye and briefly smiled at him.

"Hi," he said with a small smile. "I'm, uh, Bruce. Bruce Banner. He's..." he motioned at Captain America. "We know each other. It's okay, the press wouldn't recognize me, and believe me, I'm fine with that."

And then, the Thing and Mister Fantastic entered.

"Well would you look at that," breathed Bruce.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:59, Wed 27 Feb 2019.

"Oh, pleased to meet you, Mr. Banner.  Karla Sofen.  This is going to be quite a clambake tonight, isn't it?"

And then the FF made their entrance.

It was all but impossible not to watch Ben Grimm.   Hardly even human looking...yet so very animated and human in his manner and verve.   Had he truly adjusted to his condition?   It was hard to imagine...

"Indeed, anonymity has its perks. I wonder if the FF regrets the loss of theirs?" She smiled again, adjusting a Victorian, filigree bracelet that adorned one wrist.   "So Mr. Banner, I'll confess my curiosity;  how is it you know Captain America?"   
This message was last edited by the player at 01:50, Thu 28 Feb 2019.

Roberto Da Costa was charged up, and ready. He walked into the party with purpose, and poise. He looked around identifying the people he knew. The fantastic four, Tony Stark, Captain America and The Punisher. The last one surprised him he could figure out why those others were here, but why the punisher? Then it dawned on him. Everyone here must be a vigilante this did surprise him at first, but it did make sense. After all the person who gave him the invitation had the power, and charm to figure out who  these people were. So, then he looked around the room once again these people probably weren't all rich. Bruce Banner a man he didn't know was wearing something looking like it came from a pawn shop, the band wasn't likely to be there except to play music, the bartender was a bartender and the reporters were just that reporters. This left him with a sample size of  3 people. Of those were Karla, Mary, and David. Now he saw their current situations two were chatting with others leaving only one person to whom he could start a conversation with. So he approached David Rand. Hello, my name's Roberto Da Costa, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. So, may I know the pleasure of who I'm talking to?

In reply to Roberto da Costa (msg # 19):

[There's many more people in the party, just they don't stick out, not yet anyway.]

He turns and smiles, giving a very strong handshake. "Sir David Rand, pleasure to meet you!"



[Private to Roberto da Costa: Hmmm....Rand of the Rand Diamond Mines in the Congo?]

Ah, Sir David Rand of Rand Diamonds per chance? How is the diamond mine business working out for you?  How were you knighted? I do wonder it is quite the rarity these days I heard. Surely there's a story behind it. Roberto said in a pleasurable manner. The simple way he was talking to him made him think a prior assumption was correct, and this man was indeed worthy of talking to. He wasn't going to make hasty assumptions of course. But, the other two he wanted to talk to were busy, and as such he didn't mind talking to the man.


[Private to GM: taste for the finer things in life is checked. Confirming three others in this post. ]

"Oh, I came into them both the old fashioned way, I inherited! And what about you, Sir! You seem in good shape, are you in sport?"

Indeed, I was. I used to play futball, what Americans call soccer. What about You? Have you ever played a sport? Roberto decided to ask the man.

Tyrone goes off to watch Mary and Dr Richards from the shadows. Something Mary could tell at once of course. Tandy broke off from her crowd of young male admirers once Ben Grim makes his appearance. She will try to get through the crowd of his admirers in order to speak with him.

What she would say she did not know. However, she saw what Tyrone could be instead of what the young man feels he is. She knew from the newspapers and radio shows they both listened to Tyrone secretly admired Grimm. A minority who made it as a big time air force pilot before being transformed. Ty never admitted it, but Grimm's very existence challenged the negative view of the United States the boy held.

Maybe if Grimm could just speak to Ty, given both their bizarre situations, it could really help. Bring Ty a measure of peace. He hid things from her-how lonely and scared he was of becoming a monster. Sometimes she worried what would happen to Ty if something took her out of commission. He needed more than just the dagger's light...he needed her. She knew that for certain.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:43, Thu 28 Feb 2019.

Dr. Richards returns to his table, escorting Mary. He pulls out a seat at the table so she can sit between his wife and the lady sitting beside Ben Grimm.

"Let me formally introduce you to my family? On your left is my wife Susan, on your right is the sculptor Alicia Masters, who is here with Ben Grimm..."

"Hiya!"

"Now why couldn't I sit by...?"

"AND ACROSS FROM YOU is my brother-in-law Johnny Storm."

"I won the Gran Prix two years in a row!"

"Yes, Johnny. We all know that. The two expeditions were impressive as well, strange you don't seem to hold them in as high regard."

"Because none of my interviews get published, so what's the point in bragging?"

"Waiter! More dinner rolls! Are they all black bread? Doncha got any rye? Marble even?"

Susan coughs. "Boys! Can we not squabble over dinner for once?"

"I'm quite fond of swimming, and cliff diving. My work keeps me quite active."

Peter continued to make his rounds through the party as a member of the press invited to document the event. Every so often he would stop and ask an attendee a question or two about the attack. Sometimes he would ask them if he could take their picture as well but this was mostly done just so he could keep up appearances. The habit of always assuming there was more to something than met the eye was always prevalent in him. Some might call it paranoia but he preferred to consider it skepticism though he could not fault anyone for thinking the latter.

He stopped when he noted a young lady at the party was one he met on the rooftop the other night, and how he witnessed her use a glowing dagger with enough power to wound a dragon. If memory served her name was Tandy and her partner was Tyrone. He looked around the room and did not see the shadowy lad. Then he looked around the room not for people but for any spots of darkness and he got the distinct feeling the teen was here. It made sense though since he saw Murdock here so of course the kids would be here as well. He still owed the pair for their help with Kraven along with a talk about what they witnessed that night in the void. Maybe they had not given it a second thought but such a conversation could wait until another time.

The guests were still coming in but he thought the main ones were here by this point now that the Richards group had arrived. Getting an interview with any of them could be a worthwhile endeavor if he could get more than a puff piece out of them. Perhaps he could seek them out later this evening, but for now he needed to find someone else. After all, he was only here because someone had personally invited him to this little get together so it was only polite to say hello. Well there was that and the fact something about Miss Frost set him on edge and he wanted to know what her part was in this game.

Really, What makes your work so physically stimulating? Roberto replied intrigued. The man had said something peculiar to him from what he understood a man like him would be more likely do the supervisor side of things.

The first course is served, beet soup with sour cream and a salad of pickled vegetables.

Mary took the seat she was directed to and almost immediately lost herself in the family interplay. She's been alone for a long time. She never knew her mother, never had a sibling, and lost her father years ago. Karen was a good friend, and now Tandy and Tyrone have become regulars as well, but this... she'd never been part of something like this before.

With introductions complete she gave her own name, then tried very hard to not disrupt what was very clearly a well established familial unit. Though ostensibly she had been invited to connect with Alicia, who was also blind, the family bonds were all so strong that any topic of conversation was easily joined by anyone at the table. It was nice, and it took an act of will to still keep listening to the rest of the room. The true purpose of the night had yet to be revealed.

That's when she noticed Tandy, who Mary initially thought might be keeping eyes on her, before realizing the young woman's attention was offset just a bit... But there wasn't anything she could do about it. Not yet at least. As far as anyone knew, Mary would have no way to know that Tandy seemed interested in watching, or perhaps talking with, Ben. The girl would have to be more overt if Mary was going to be of any help.

Alicia reaches out and finds Mary's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard good things about your work...in law."

She smiles.

"You have a very strong hand...

She changes the subject respectfully as the first course is plated.

Tony swaggers over to the bar, setting his drink down.

"Bartender! Where the HELL did you get these olives? They taste like fish brine! They don't belong in a martini that's for damn sure!"

The bartender swallows hard, and picks up the jar. The label looks like the company's been around for centuries and never been updated.

"I can't tell what language it is, Sir..."

"Let me see..." Tony grabs the jar and holds in close to his face, squinting as he reads the gothic lettering.

"Pruductum olivem...brinsata rivros dem...Latveria???"

"We...uh...met in West Virginia," replied Bruce, glancing over at Cap. "There were some kids and a uranium mine and a...uh..." Giant brain floating in a vat. And don't forget the killer robots. "He and Tony Stark needed some help with a...project. I'm a scientist and I happened to be there and so..." He shrugged, eager to change the subject.

Before he can continue, the first course is announced. Bruce walked Karla over to a nearby table and held her chair out for her before sitting himself.

"And what brings you here?" he asked, eager to steer the conversation away from himself but happy to be talking to Karla.

Briefly, the head waiter appeared, and stood next to Karla, while he adjusted the drinks on his tray.   He murmured something in a low tone, for her alone to hear.

God damm it - what??      That would have been a nice thing to know when she first signed on!   Of course, better this notice than none.   Her expression may have shown a moment's agitation, but her social face was swiftly restored.

"Ah, a scientist-?  How fascinating - I thought you looked like a sharp fella."

She walked with him, taking the offered chair.    And answering the question-

"Well, I'm a practicing psychologist.  I have a fair amount of friends in the field of medicine, one of whom put me on the guest list."   She smiled, shrugged, attempting to convey an ease she no longer felt.  "How could a psychoanalyst not be intrigued by people like these?   Can you imagine what it must be like, Mr. Banner?  To become something a little more than human?"   

...after the main course is served we all have five minutes...  The words lit her mind like a neon sign.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:41, Fri 01 Mar 2019.

Frank looked over at Karla, seeing her slight befuddled expression then trying to hide it. He makes his way over to the area, staying a bit away from it. Frank watched the group out of the corner of his eye, blending into the crowd and staying by the wall as to not be noticed. He was eavesdropping, although hard to do in such a crowded place, it didn't stop him from collecting tidbits of info. His hands remained in his pant pockets, waiting for now. He wasn't exactly suspicious, but of course could be seen as a more odd man to be in a tux. Someone with a beard and damaged face such as his seemed to be a fighter, not a talker. His attitude definitely portrayed it.

Bruce choked on his borscht, quickly grabbing his napkin and covering his mouth. Recovering quickly, he took a drink from his water glass.

"Sorry," he said, offering an apologetic smile. "I can. I really can. 'My devil has been caged, and came out roaring.' Isn't that what Stevenson said in 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?'"

He looked around the room at the colorful throng and those who hung on their every word. "What do you make of it, Miss Sofen? Men in red, white, and blue, claiming to represent all the good in our country. Loud boisterous monsters made of rock, acting as if they didn't have a care in the world. Rich men like Stark, seemingly detached from those he deems beneath him but still turning up to events as if to prove he considers himself a regular Joe?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:33, Sat 02 Mar 2019.

He smirks. "Oh, it's very cuthroat in my line of business. Some of my adversaries are absolutely savage!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:09, Fri 01 Mar 2019.

Karla smiled inwardly at Bruce's reaction; the article in the paper and the underground rumor coming together neatly in his response.    To think, she was seated across the table from that.     So incredibly different from the mild, intelligent, soft spoken man facing her.

Her eyes flicked briefly toward the angry looking bruno she'd spotted earlier, as he sauntered into the general area where they were sitting.   Another in Frost's employ?   If he'd got the same warning, it hadn't changed his demeanor.

"You're looking at the bigger picture, Mr. Banner.   That's perceptive.   Not really sure what I make of it, yet.  Are these just people -  not so different from you or I -  managing as best they can, given a very unusual hand of cards?   Or, is there a show in progress, complete with a backstage and a director?   I'd love to know."

As well, she'd love to know what that main course was coming...

Roberto had no idea what to think at first, but the way he was describing it. He doubted what he was talking about was heroics of a sort. No, instead it was definitely more likely he was talking about actual fighting he couldn't think of a way that he would mean otherwise, so he decided to inquire. Really? Enough, about work. What hobbies do you enjoy? I personally prefer parties when I'm off work how about you?

"Hobbies? Not much time for them, unless you count whittling and crude carpentry, perhaps.

In reply to David Rand (msg # 41):

"I would count those as hobbies. Mine, on the other hand, are actually more of sports."

His eyes widen as the costumed hero pass bye, adding his 2 cents.

"Captain America! What a pleasure to meet you!"

He offers his hand. Strong arm, very firm grip.

"I'm David Rand! Since you're a guest of honor, Captain, could you tell me what the full reason behind this party is? I think it has something to do with the Richards team returning again from the Savage Lands?"

Tandy stayed in the throngs of the people trying to get a view of Grimm and his family. Granted she would love Ty to talk to the 'idol of millions', but doubted it would happen. Ty was far too busy, and a little shy, to gush over one of his heroes. For now he would just watch from the shadows-as she could sense him even if no one else-expect Mary-could.

For now, she would just lightly touch people's hands as they introduced themselves. Seeing their hopes in her mind, including the awful ones. Their hopes where always far worse up 'close' as it where. Anyone really awful she could gesture with her head to the shadow Ty was hiding out in. That way they could find the man later and deal with his terrible deeds.

One older man had shown he just wanted to run away with her and leave his wife and family. Another just wanted her to follow him into a closet. Another to tie her up and leave her in the basement for later horrible things. That one she looked into the shadow and inclined to Ty he should be checked out. Maybe it was just a dark fantasy, or maybe he had a few young women in his basement already...
This message was last edited by the player at 16:13, Fri 08 Mar 2019.

A deep authoritative voice comes on the speakers as the band quickly stops.

"Ladies and gentlemen...since many of you are so eager to learn more about this gathering, please take your seats and enjoy the following presentation before the meal..."

A screen rolls down from the ceiling. There's a gasp from the audience as vivid COLOR plays across the screen, showing the Fantastic Four waving before their first flight.

"Six months ago, Reed Richards and his foolhardy companions...[light laughter from the audience]

...intruded into airspace already claimed by the Kingdom of Latveria!"

[gasps from the audience]

A new scene of the Fantasticar flying overhead, then a charging brontosaurus blocks and crushes the camera.

"Formal complaints were filed to the State Department with the hopes that this matter will would be resolved diplomatically. HOWEVER! Reed Richards just WEEKS ago DARED to make a SECOND incursion into Latverian airspace! And for THAT, he and ALL OF YOU in this room who ENABLED him shall pay!"

The screen switches to a golden throne, upon which sits a man wearing plate armor from head to toe and clad in a dark green cloak.

"You shall find escape from this building to be quite impossible. Your end, while, while spectacular, will be unsatisfying swift for my tastes, but nonetheless sufficient. Such is the will Victor Von Doom, King of Latveria."

"Well that's not good," mutters Bruce.

I'm sorry to ask, but I was not aware that Dr. Reed Richards had decided to head back there, so how do you suggest I enabled him to go back to Latveria? If I'm going to die, I'd at the very least like to know, Why I'm going to die. Roberta da costa asked confused. He tried to think back to anything that could have enabled Reed Richards, escape to the jungle, but he wasn't aware of any. He hadn't even had the chance to be in the same room as the man until today after all. As he said it he decided to look for some sort of telephone to make his current situation of being kidnapped known to his driver, and others.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:47, Mon 11 Mar 2019.

Tony is already in the hallway, trying to dial out.

"Hello? Operator?

"Hello Mister Stark. I've examined your blueprints. Quite...impressive. But useless to you now."

"DOOM! Why bring all these innocent people into this?"

"You too must be punished. The Fantastic Four trespassed. You used the bounty of my land without permission and gave it to your toy soldier. Your little toy will be your undoing!

Doom begins to laugh maniacally.

*click*

Tony throws the phone down the hallway.

"DAMMIT!

[puppeted by GM]

Mary's been wincing for a while, but now she covers her ears and shrieks in pain.

"THE SHIELD! The whole building is VIBRATING and the Captain's SHIELD is reacting to it! It's going to..."

She faints across the table, trembling from her overloaded senses.

Reed holds her head steady and folds a silk napkin in her mouth.

"Of course. It's clear now. Captain America's shield is now a literal time bomb. He's going to make the vibranium in the shield explode!"

Rand tosses his drink aside as stands in front of the screen.

"VON DOOM! I challenge your claim to the Savage Lands! My parents were from the Rand expedition that crashed in the Savage Lands years before your machines came!

"The Rand expedition? PREPOSTEROUS!"

"What's preposterous is you never sending a human being to place a flag on Antarctic soil for you! One of the FIRST THINGS my father did after he bound his wounds was plant the Union Jack on the highest mountain in the Savage Lands!

"Irrelevant. The ROXXON corporation has landed in the territory at my behest and represents my interests."

"You know what happened to your corporate shills! The ones that didn't escape with Kravinov were eaten by beasts or slain by the humans who settled there centuries ago!"

"No human primitives can survive in the Savage Lands!"

"Again you underestimate the human spirit!"

Rand pulls off his jacket and rips off his shirt. As he bears his muscular and scarred torso he displays a necklace made of dinosaur teeth.

"So you collected some trinkets! That alone is not proof!"

"You need proof, do you?"

He puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly and whistles. "ZABU!"

There's the sound of dishes and glasses being dropped in the hallway as a saber-tooth tiger bounds in, leaping across the tables to crouch at Rand's side.

"My father united the warring tribes...human and non-human...that drove away your corporations! He became their Chief...their KA-ZAR...a title which I have inherited! The Richards are welcome in my lands! YOU are not! The base of the world is under my management by the grace of King George! Unless you wish a war with the United Kingdom you will abandon your claim!"

His iron gauntlet clenches into a fist.

"A fascinating twist of fate, to be certain. I would have loved to challenge you for the title in the field of honor, one head of state to another...but it is too late. The trap is already set. You and your oversized cat shall perish. And your King...and every other ruler...shall one day bow to me..."

The projection blinks out.

Bruce removes the napkin from his lap and tosses it onto the table.

"Excuse me," he says by way of apology to Karla, before running over to Reed Richards' table.

"Dr. Richards, we should try to dampen the sound waves around Captain America's shield until we can figure something else out. A large quantity of fabric, or insulated rubber. Any ideas?"

'God damn it,' Karla mouthed silently, as the shocking situation unfolded, and the impending doom of all gathered here was articulated by a man who looked like the arch-villain of a Grimms' fairy tale.   The monarch of Latveria-?   She'd heard some stories, but had thought they were just that.

What was this-?   Why contract security if this was the plan all along?

It didn't matter.   She glanced toward Dr. Banner, saying nothing, as he sped off to try and contrive a solution with Richards.     She stared several moments as the blond man spoke his challenge, made his display, then whistled in his sabre tooth tiger.

This is *insane!*   Don't need my professional training to see that!


Karla got up, thinking quickly.   Others might be trapped, she had a means of egress...or should have, unless whatever was going on with the building would prevent that.     No time like now to find out.

She turned to go --  and found that her conscience -- the small amount she did have -- was pulling at her.

"Dr. Banner!   If you want another option, then meet me over there," she pointed, "Quickly!"   She didn't linger to see what he'd do.   Karla made her way over to an open expanse of wall.   Once there, she focused her will, and to anyone paying attention, her body took on a different tone - almost as if she were bathed in moonlight.  Just vaguely translucent.

She tried the wall with a hand, to see if she might pass through it, as usual...

[Private to GM: attempting my intangibility on the wall, to see if it works]

Hearing Karla's voice, Bruce looks to Richards, shrugs, and moves to join Karla, not slowing even as he gapes at the saber-toothed tiger.

"What's the pl--" he begins, then stops himself as he sees the light play off of her skin. "Ah," he finishes. Et tu, he muses silently, and waits to see what happens next.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 20:55, Tue 12 Mar 2019.

A sharp pain brought Mary back to her senses. Nearby a silk napkin lay, but it must have slipped from her mouth. She had bitten into the side of her mouth. She turned to spit out a mess of blood. Her ears were bleeding to, but it would get much worse if she couldn't keep her shit together.

"The vibranium of the shield... it's pure... the whole thing has a uniform... resonance frequency."

Mary put a hand to her head, but it didn't help with the ringing.

"But this is still... has to be taking... a lot of energy... Has to be a generator... some kind of amplifier... We have to find the device... or cut the power..."

"And get that shield to... the top floor... Reduce the killing area..."

Reed was a smart guy. He's figure it out. Send the shield to the top floor and get the people to the bottom. It might help. Mary didn't know what kind of potential energy a shield of vibranium had. But she wasn't going to worry about that. Instead she tried to focus on the frequencies most people couldn't hear, the ones that sparked and crackled with the passing of electricity. She had to find the source of the resonance or she had to find the power supply for the device broadcasting the resonance. This attack required electricity... a lot of it. If she could just find where that juice was coming from.

And here I thought this shindig was a dud, Peter thought to himself when Doom’s presentation began. Of course it was a deathtrap but even he was impressed by how venturous the madman was being by making enemies out of so many prominent figures. Stark and the Fantastics alone were enough that most would never want to cross but to add the likes of Captain America as well as every other person with powers here. Either man was insane as he looked or was completely confident this plan would be the end of everyone. At the moment he was leaning towards the latter since nothing here had tripped off his Spider-Sense, which was troubling to say the least.

He made a mental note that when he escaped from here to track down the woman who invited him to this party. Even if she did not know he was a vigilante she was still the one responsible for being here and he intended to make sure she would fully regret her actions. It also meant he would have to survive this but with so many capable people there had to be a solution to this problem. For now he took a couple more pictures, first of Doom on the screen followed by some of the party goers such as Rand and the giant feline that came roaring into the room as well as the woman whose body took on a translucent quality.

He stowed the camera away for the time being, knowing there would be other opportunities later on.  Out into the hallway was his next move or would have been if not for what he heard someone else say about trying to find the device causing all the problems. He recognized the lady, Mary and he turned to address her since she sounded like she had some clue as to what was going on. “Sorry Miss, but how are we supposed to find something like that?”

The shower of sparks that flies and the shot of pain from the first touch causes her to jerk her hand back.

Karla watches Susan obfuscate the shield, and on a hunch she immediately tries again. She passes through the wall to find a glowing dagger hovering inches from her face, and the strange foursome trying to break in while she's breaking out.

[Karla is now in the Outside the Hotel thread]
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:13, Wed 13 Mar 2019.

Reed looks around the room, then sighs. He pulls off his tuxedo jacket and folds it on the table then undoes his bow tie.

"I suppose we're past the point of formalities. At least I have a chance to test my unstable molecular polymer fabric in the field!"

The room gasps as Reed's body begins to distort. His torso widens and stretches like taffy as he starts to wrap himself around the shield.

His features begin to distort and ripple.

"REED!"

Susan leaps forward, trying to pull him off. She grabs the shield with one hand where it's still exposed and it seems to vanish. Reed collapses in a half-melted state to the floor.

"I've made the shield invisible and broken the feedback loop between the cage and shield. The bomb's not defused, but it's reset. I don't know how long I can keep this up, so you need to find a way out of this cage!"

She looks down at her husband.

"The unstable molecules were adapting to both your stretching abilities and the vibrations! You would have sped up the explosion! Now please keep it quiet, I need to concentrate..."

She seems to pantomime wrapping her arms around the shield and shuts her eyes.

Seeing Karla pass directly through the wall, Bruce takes a deep breath and sighs, "What's the worst that could happen?" After all, he was already trapped in a room with super-powered beings at the whim of a madman threatening to blow everyone up.

Exhaling, he attempts to follow the lovely woman to...wherever it was she'd gone.

Not surprisingly, he bumps into the wall.

Unfortunately gamma irradiation does not confer phasing abilities.

Roberto after hearing what happened on the phone lines decides to head towards Reed Richards. Well, Tough luck. Hey Reed Richards when I get out of here, do you know of a means to contact. Dr. Doom? It might be worthwhile to do so. Roberto asks Reed Richards.

Reed Richards is slowly piecing his cellular structure back together and can't be bothered.

"You and me both," Ben grunts from the table behind him.

"If I ever get my big rocky mitts on that tin-pot dictator I'll mortalize 'im!"

Well, Thank you for your time. Roberto decides to investigate the area, and see if he can find anything that could be of some use if not. He'll go to the bar, and make sure he's properly drunk before the bombs detonated.

Bruce rubs his nose and scowls. Karla had instructed him to follow her, then had cut out without providing a means for him to do so. Or did she mean for him to wait here for her? And what about Reed Richards?

The scientist turned to see what Richards had made of himself, and widened his eyes.

"Is everyone here some kind of super-powered freak?" he wondered aloud. On the one hand, it made him feel a bit less self-conscious about his own condition; on the other, he was worried about what would happen should the Hulk decide to come out and play in a room full of titans.

"Karla?" he called into the space where Karla had stepped. "Can you hear me?"

[Private to Bruce Banner: The frustration, the anger, is beginning to rise within you...]

This building is at least a century old, made of solid masonry. No mere human could S M A S H ! that wall...

A reply was never given to Peter’s question or at least one he heard for he suddenly felt compelled to leave the room. It was as if someone was leading him by a thread in a way and the more they pulled the less he could ignore it. HIs eyes shifted to the kitchen and he felt the sensation grow stronger. HIs feet began to move as his expression changed to one of determination at learning what was going on here. Whatever this was had a direct line to him and he knew of only one being that had such a connection. Maybe it was leading him to the kitchen or maybe it was a warning. No matter the case he was going to find out. He pushed the door open to the kitchen and stepped inside.

There’s several workers holding hands in a cirlcle, tears in their eyes as they pray loudly to Jesus. The tingle rises, the door to the deep freezer beckoning.

Peter barely gave the hotel employees a glance before he continued to move. He could not blame them for asking for someone to save them and hopefully their prayers would be answered. For him he was going to keep following this insistent sensation within his mind. Maybe he was going crazy or this was a symptom from the bite he received in the battle with the bipedal lizards. Whatever it was he was not going to be deterred until he had his answers, the reporter within him would not allow him to walk away. He pulled open the freezer door slowly then took a peak to see what the compartment held.

You open the door to a fog of ice vapor. Among the blocks of ice, hanging cuts of meat and boxes of food broken and scattered, lies a body.

One of the staff it seems, still in his white apron, his neck obviously broken.

“Damn it,” Peter swore under his breath then looked back at the people in the prayer circle. “Hey, can one of you get it together long enough to go tell everyone we have a murderer running around? Do any of you know who this stiff is?” He waited for one of them to acknowledge him just so no one would think he was the one responsible for the death. Once that was done he moved closer to the body and examined it as well as the crime scene. While he was not a detective he still knew enough to look for clues and hopefully some sign as to why this happened or more importantly, who committed this crime.

One of the petitioners looks up.

"We all gon' die anyway. Dat was Charley. He was new in town. We din' know much about 'im, Suh. No 'scuse me I gotta talk to Jesus 'bout my next event."

He looks down again and groans out snippets of Gospel choir with the others.

Her hand smarted from that release of energy, but she'd live --  it had worked!

She passed back through to this inside, grabbed Banner's arm, said "Don't resist!"  and pulled him through with her.

Now that Sue Richards was keeping the shield from vibrating Mary's headache lessened. But she was still no closer to finding the source of the cage. She needed some distance.

"Johnny, would you do a lady a favor and burn a hole through the floor here? As you might expect, stairs and I don't get along real well."

The Brimstone Place was outside of spacetime, it was outside of everything. Kurt emerged in the same moment that he had left, maintaining his momentum as he moved onwards. The period on transition was an incalculably tiny fraction of a picosecond but Kurt's mind went ahead of his body. He had a synaesthetic sense of the world around him, he felt objects in space as another would feel the air on their skin.

Gravity meant precious little to him. He selected his orientation on apportation as easily as a human might choose how far to curl a finger. His fingers and toes clung to the ceiling where he manifested, his sword held in one hand. Sniffing at the air, he took note of the rank odour of a large predator. Smelled like someone had a big cat around.

He opted to drop to the floor, his greatcoat fluttering around him as he twisted and turned in the air, landing with such ease as to shame a cat. "Hallo! I am looking for Captain America and a dead body vith a fery fancy knife. I haff good reason to beliefe that fery bad things will happen othervise." Really, there was no good reason to be circumspect.

“Right, thanks for all your help” Peter said absentmindedly, not listening to the man once it became clear the conversation was not going to be helpful. Instead he examined the body, the scene and everything else he could in the deep freezer in hopes of finding some clue or for the sensation from before to appear once more.

Bruce could feel the frustration building inside him. Brought to fancy dinner to shame him in front of all these rich people, duped by a fancy doll, his life threatened...all he wanted was to be left alone.



"What the--" Bruce started, but by then it was already too late. He was being pulled somewhere. It was the last straw.

The rage took over.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:28, Fri 15 Mar 2019.

He landed in the kitchen. The white coated kitchen staff pause their prayer circle to gaze at the shrouded figure arriving in a burst of smoke and sulfur and a devilish blue tail. They immediately jump to conclusions.

“IT’S BEELZEBUB!”

They immediately reach for the knifes in the carving block.

“YOU AIN’T TAKIN MY SOUL!”

“I GOT A WIFE AND KIDS!”

“SHE TOL’ ME SHE WAS EIGHTEEN!”

The others pause at the last fellow’s confession, then lunge at Kurt.

In reply to Peter Parker (msg # 74):

The man is almost frozen solid. He looks like your average hotel staff, though his teeth are in perfect condition. Very odd. Is something glowing inside his bottom lip?

There’s something thin and metallic in his pants pocket.

Oh, and Peter here’s what sounds like an explosion with a whiff of sulfur right outside the freezer in the kitchen. And the cooks are screaming about the Devil instead of Jesus.

Peter ignored whatever commotion that was going on in the kitchen, his attention fully on the murder victim. That and really the people in there had not been any help to him at all. "They better start praying harder," he muttered to himself as he inspected the corpse. His landed on  whatever was glowing on the inside of the man's lip before he noticed there was something on the man. First he removed the object to see what it was then lowered the man's lip while making sure to avoid touching the glowing phenomenon.

In reply to Peter Parker (msg # 79):

It’s a knife, slim and long, perfect for concealment, one solid piece of metal.
Finest construction you’ve ever seen and sharpest too.

Inside his lip, glowing blue glyphs as a tattoo, a language you’ve never seen before.

Peter took the knife and stowed it away in one of the interior pockets of his jacket. He was not sure why the man had this on him but he was not going to shout out to anyone until he was back with the heroes. Until then he was going to keep quiet about it though there still was the glyph to deal with.

He pulled out his camera took a picture of the glyph then snapped off another shot just to make sure it would be clear when he developed the film. Once that was done he stepped back into the kitchen and saw the strange demonic looking fellow being accosted by the kitchen staff. His first instinct was to step back inside the freezer and observe this standoff though he knew he did not have the time to wait.

"Hey buddy, who are you and please tell me it's not to hurt anyone. I'm sure you know but we're in a tight spot at the moment." He was not being threatening but he was prepared to move in case this fellow made a move towards him. After all, it never hurt to be too careful especially in a situation like this.

Kurt made himself manifest. He shrugged off his coat and peeled away his gasmask. When it came to getting the wrong sort of looks, Kurt was used to it. He was black in the most literal sense, beneath his inky indigo fur. He regarded the charging figures with annoyance. His left leg snapped out, grabbing the leading man by his wrist, driving him to his knees, a neat motion driving a knee into his face and spreading his nose across it. Kurt's foot grabbed the man's fallen cleaver, bringing it up to nestle snugly against the throat of another man. His friend fared worse, ending up with a full sword pressed against his throat.

The demon stood poised on one leg like a marbe statue of a ballarino. "Efen zee defil is an angel. You all haff many sins to repent. Go and do your penance." Easing blades away from soft flesh, he straightened himself up, looking upon his attackers with more disappointment than anger. "I am Father Captain Vagner. Vere is zee knife and zee shield? Time is off zee essence."

In reply to Kurt Wagner (msg # 82):

Captain America stepped forward. "By 'the Shield,' I believe you mean me."

He calmly sheathed the sword upon his back. The slight, slender figure buried the cleaver in the door he had entered, throwing it back over his shoulder with surprising force for one of such elfin stature. He nodded his head to the Captain. "Yes, I beliefe zat you are zee vone I haff been looking for. I don't suppose you haff happened to see a corpse vith a vibranium blade? If vee do not unite zee two zen zere vill be a catastrophic loss of life."

He had yet to see any sign of the Doom fellow, but Kurt could kill him once more pressing matters were attended to. It wouldn't do to have New York City and much of the United States' eastern coast destroyed in a cacophanous cataclysm.

In reply to Kurt Wagner (msg # 84):

"A vibranium dagger? No," Cap said, looking the strange man over. By his accent, he could be Latverian or Prussian, but his actions didn't seem like those of an ally of Doom. "My shield is vibranium. It's shaking the building apart, but Dr. Richards is trying to dampen the resonance, while the rest of us search for the source of the signal that's causing it. If there's another piece of vibranium in the building, it shouldn't be too hard to find. It should be making a lot of noise."

Kurt cupped his chin, his darkly burning eyes narrowed as he took on a pensive expression. He snapped his fingers, which made hardly any noise given his fine fur. "I haff it. Vee use your shiield as compass. Vould you hold it out horizontal and flat? Qvickly, please.

"I have the dagger," Peter said though he did not pull the blade out or even indicate where it was on his person. "Found it on a dead man in the deep freezer but how did you know the dagger was on a corpse? That's a little strange, so if you want it then start explaining what's going on and why we should trust you?" So far the stranger had given him no reason to believe a word said especially in this sort of situation. It might have seemed a little odd for him, man who looked like a member of the press to not be afraid after what he saw the person do to the kitchen staff. Then again so far this evening had been anything but normal.

Kurt cocked his head, looking at the other man. "A little strange? I am fery strange." There was no point in pretending otherwise. Kurt accepted that he didn't look terribly trustworthy. On the other hand, all his physiological strangeness provided him with the means to do things no normal man could manage. "I vas told vere to find it by vone of my people. Gifen that he vas correct, my trust vas not misplaced."

He smiled, which had the unfortunate effect of showing off some very fine, sharp teeth. "Vould you two please touch zee objects together? Zen I can go and deal vith Doom."

Coming up from a shadow inside the hotel, Ty found Tandy's efforts had breached the barrier enough for him to enter. Kurt had already established this-but Ty had been worried the field might have harmed or even killed the man for trying.

Ty transported throughout the hotel, knowing where Richards and his family had been eating before Doom had kicked him and Tandy out. In the meantime, he would grab anyone he came across and throw them into his cloak. He could restrain himself from 'eating' them for a time, but it would not be enjoyable for them. He had little choice, as he might very well be there only means of escape from the doomed building.

Once he appeared in the dining room, he would transport on the table so everyone would see him. "We need to go! Quick! Everybody into the cloak!" He said, his shadowy form billowing out. Of course, he was looking about the room for Mary-who no doubt detected him long before he arrived.

“You’re obviously new to the city because unless you got a dragon in your back pocket then you’re only a little odd” Peter explained with a shrug since the man’s appearance was not as bizarre compared to the other strange sights he had witnessed. “You’re going to have to explain more than you just happen to know. Someone killed the man but why? As for the dagger how are we to know bringing it with the shield will not make this worse? Sorry but blind faith isn’t going to cut it here.”

The reporter glanced over at the Captain as if to gauge how the American hero was taking all of this then looked back to the blue furred man. “So please explain what’s going on and where Doom is.”

Roberto decided to step into the cloak, it was weird. He had no idea how it could possibly work, nor the danger it might put him in. But, the shield was a definite threat while this one was only a potential threat, so he'd have to take it. Very Well, I shall do what you demanded me to do.
He says as he attempts to walk into the cloak.

Reed's voice is slurred as he starts to rise from the floor, pushing his jaw back into place.

"What is this about a knife? The only thing that will cancel out the vibrational cycle of Antarctic vibranium is Wakandan vibranium! If by some miracle you've found some you need to bring it here right away!"

At his feet, Susan Richards is shuddering as the shield begins to fade in and out of view.

Considering that a lot of people thought that Kurt was the Dragon, the Beast of the Pit, the Herald of the End Times, it was not quite as far off the mark as he expected. He wasn't going to complain about anyone telling him that he fit in. Perhaps New York City really was as strange a place as he had been told.

He held up his hands, palms upwards. "I am a priest, fais is fery much my business. As for vhy zat poor man is dead, I do not know. I did not even know zat you had zee knife. I do not know vere Doom is at zis moment." Kurt was desperate but he also happened to be quite the optimist. He truly believed that he could see the best in everyone, even if there wasn't always a whole lot of good to be found. Parker didn't strike him as the sort with ill intent. "Vhat is going on is zat somevone has come and offered you a means to save zee city. I vould call it zee hand of God. You may haff ozer ideas. Do you haff so much blind fais in your own judgement zat you vould risk killing a whole city off innocent people."

"It's killin' her, Reed!"

Ben pulls the shield from Susan's grasp and holds it over his head, he flexes his arms as his body starts trembling and pieces of rock fall from him.

"N-n-never s-s-send a g-g-g-geek to do a j-j-j-jock's j-j-j-jpb!

Reed watches in horror.

"Ben! NO!!!

The Richards family was no where to be seen...other than a burning hole in the ground. One man volunteered, and stepped within the void. Otherwise Ty was franticly grabbing as many people as he could. He had to find Mary, but did not seem able to see her anywhere. "Mary! Mary!" He called out as he grabbed panicking people at random and shoved them into the cloak.

Roberto felt deep cold and an utter void surrounding him when he went inside the darkness. For a brief moment, he felt his greatest fear rise to the surface of his mind...but that ended quickly as light suddenly burst forth. He seemed to have 'fallen' out of a shadow, outside the hotel.

He could see a nicely dressed woman staring at a spinning knife made of light in mid-air. It seem to be craving away at a glowing bubble surrounding the hotel-which he was now outside of. Furthermore, another patron of the hotel just bumped into him as they where shoved out of the shadow. Then another, and another. All manner of people where stumbling away-running at high speeds away from the hotel. Waitstaff, janitors, wealthy guests, and anyone the teenage boy in the cloak could grab and shove into the portal below his chin.

OOC: Roberto is now at this thread.
link to a message in this game

In reply to Ben Grimm (msg # 94):

"I don't have the shield. I left it with Dr. Richards," said Captain America. "Follow me."

Cap led Fritz and Parker back to the dining room, where Ben was holding the shield up over his head.

"Uhh... that's not going to dampen the vibrations..."

“You have your beliefs and I have mine,” Peter retorted with a shrug when the stranger started going on about his god but the theological debate would have to wait until later. Well if they all survived this encounter. He followed the Captain and when they entered the room they saw man of living rock trying to destroy through brute strength. It might work but it was going to cost Grimm and there was no telling what else would happen if this action resolved.

He cursed under his breath, not happy at this turn of events when there was still too many unknowns for his liking. First it was the insistent pulling from what he could only guess was from a particular arachnid deity then it was the priest whose appearance made the man look like a walking contradiction. Why things could never be easy in this city was beyond him but he was going to have to play the only card that might actually be useful here.

“Hold on Rocky and keep the shield steady,” he yelled at Ben as he produced the dagger from his jacket pocket. He dropped the camera before he ran in out of fear it would be damaged. Funny, he was not so much worried about his safety, but the thought of losing the film used for this shindig was not one he wished to entertain.

With the dagger drawn and gripped tightly in his hand the reporter ran towards the shield. Being this close to the vibrations was likely going to do a number on him but small price to pay if this accomplished what he was told it would. Peter gritted his teeth, prepared for the worst then brought the weapon on a collision course with one of America’s greatest symbols.

The clearest, most beautiful sound you will ever hear reverberated as the two strains of vibranium made contact. Peter felt the dagger in his hand begin to tremble as the energy from the shield throbbed inside it, the stylized panther engraved on the hilt growing brighter  until...

The blade turned to dust in his hands, vanishing with a whisper.

Ben looked down at Peter, then back at the shield as he offered it back to its rightful wielder.

"HEY WAITER! WHEN ARE WE GETTIN' DESSERT? I'M STARVIN' OVER HERE!"

[cue the laugh track as the curtain draws at the end of this episode]

THE END