2579/Fort Ares

Fort Ares
Date of Scene:	24 September 2017
Location:	New York
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Molly Millions, Ares

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Molly Millions has posed:
Parademons in the city's, Furies crushed by human heroes, and after months and a trip to Mongolia... a certain battered black and grey sedan makes it's appearance at John's house again. It's got a few extra scars, probably the result of debris or being used as a battering ram, but the lean woman who climbs out of it with a shotgun and turns her attention at least briefly to the sky hasn't really changed much in terms of appearance.

Instead of her usual monochrome, she's wearing a red, handmade tee that proclaims 'I <3 Mutants'. And for all the long moments it takes her to press her lips together and firm her resolve about gettign any closer, the way she holds the gun is rather decidedly of the 'in case of parademons' rather than 'girl of vengeance coming to visit' variety. Still. For her... compared to how she used to come to visit, there's respect in the fact that she doesn't come barging up to the door but instead makes her presence known and waits to see if there's some form of acknowledgment.

Ares has posed:
    The neighborhood is mostly barren. That upscale burg on the outskirts of the city is a veritable ghost town with all of the houses abandoned and most of the vehicles gone. There are a few that are marked with spray paint, using the FEMA code for if anyone is inside or in need, signifying that rescue workers have been by and have left. A dog barks in the distance, and all it would need would be a rolling tumbleweed to complete the picture of a ghost town.
    But then she rolls up on the tall fenced in compound that is the Aaron residence. Those gates had always been open before, but now they're closed and locked with a heavy length of chain and several apparently... keyless locks? The car park area and garage have been shored up with what looks like metallic barricades, as well as coverage for the various angles of the house. But what might most draw her attention would be the .50 caliber machine gun nest that's set up in the widow's walk area, metal slabs protecting the gun position and leaning against it is none other than John Aaron.
    The tall man is shirtless for the most part though scraps of it are still tucked into his burned and bloodied blue jeans. A still glowing cigar is lit and in the corner of his mouth, letting a tendril of smoke wend its way upwards as he leans upon the heavy automatic weapon with a couple of armored parademon corpses lying on the ground with purple wispy bullet holes that still seethe with some sort of heat.
    "Evening," He calls down.

Molly Millions has posed:
Molly's not going to pretend that she's surprised that it's still standing, and well fortified. Those silver lenses might be an inconvenience on several levels, but well, they get the job done. There's a wry quirk to her lips and the briefest dip of her head,"Was in the neighborhood. Figured I'd check on you." not that he needed it. Not that, in the scheme of things she's the more likely to have been a smoking corpse somewhere. The shotgun's tucked carefully with a nod in the direction of the parademons,"Don't think they quite counted on the reception they got in the Tri-State area. Granted, their push into Madripoor didn't go much better... and from what I understand the Genoshan's are having a ball."

There's a brief glance back towards her car, but despite the potential for parademons to roll up she doesn't ask him to unlock anything,"Stupid question, but just wanted to check you and the kid are okay."

Ares has posed:
    The cigar tilts up a little bit as his eyebrows lift, the machine gun tilted up as well with the weight of one hand resting upon it. He cocks one of those eyebrows slightly more affecting a measure of a quizzical look but then waves his other hand to the side, "A kind thought. But nothing of strategic importance is around."
    He looks to the side slowly, then back towards her. "Figure these two were lost or injured, they came swooping along at tree level. Didn't want to take the risk." So he had opened fire, of course. But that having been said he plants a hand on the heavy metal barrier in front of the weapon and vaults over it to land with a /thud/ then straightens up to his considerable height.
    A wave of his hand and the locks disengage with a series of clicks, letting him saunter up and undo the chain to let her and her vehicle on the grounds of the compound if she's inclined. If she accepts the invitation he'll lock up behind her. Not like anyone was looking to really loot in the area, still.
    "Surprised you didn't go to cover yourself. Figured alien invaders would be a bit out of your purview."

Molly Millions has posed:
"They've been kidnapping people, John. Only thing of import here, is the potential for people." Molly points out drily. She's not surprised by the leap, really, there's no jump to surprise or concern. Patient as the locks disengage. The vehicle? It can stay outside. She's not particularly worried about it, but she's not going to complain about being inside given the way she upnods his way with a quiet,"Thanks."

"Way I look at it is there's only one planet... and while I'm okay with the... exhaustive variety of alien refugees that call this place home... I'm not interested in our new insectile overlords." she offers drily.

"Though admittedly, if it wasn't for Clarice I'd have stayed in my bar and let someone else deal with it." she expels a breath,"Sorry. About Mongolia."

Ares has posed:
    "What?" John looks at her askance as he seems to try and recall what it is she's talking about, but it only takes a moment for recognition to register as he says, "Ah." Then he waves a hand and grunts, "It is no matter." And as quickly as that, all is forgiven, or forgotten, or both. For one does not exist for millennia without being able to get past the small things.
    He finishes locking up the gate behind her and then starts to kick around the various pieces of armor and flesh that were once Parademons, pushing them into a pile together where he can leave them settled, perhaps for the garbage to take later on if they're rolling at the end of the weekend. He glances sidelong towards her and murmurs, "I imagine matters aren't too dire lest I would be summoned by whomever. But for now I am content to sit this battle out and protect what is mine."

Molly Millions has posed:
Still, had to be said as far as Molly's concerned. She acknowledges with a dip of her head, lenses going briefly towards his house before settling on him kicking around what's left of the demons with a vague kind of smile,"Can't speak for others. Metropolis was bad. Downtown is mostly a crater. They attacked that hall... the one with all the statues of the... heroes, in it? When it was being used as a hospital, but there was..." there's a brief bark of faintly bitter laughter from her,"more power in that room than I've seen in my life, honestly. And we pushed them out. People are holding their own, hiding. I've just been... picking my fights carefully. Reckoned you would probably be close by him though."

"I've... moved, from New York. So you know. Don't work for Stark anymore. The Bat tracked me down through the work I did for him and decided to jump me in a subway, threatening to go after my allies if I didn't give him what he wanted about the fight club. So I cut out. I'd have stuck with the islands but my daughter wants to join that... Justice League... and decided she wanted to go to Metropolis to help out. So I figure every one of those I put down.." she nods in the direction of the parademons,"is one less that can hurt her."

Ares has posed:
    A small 'heh' comes from Ares for some reason, perhaps about the attack on the hall of justice. But he shakes his head slightly as he looks to the side, "Never was a good idea to have an operating headquarters in such a poorly defensible location." He picks up the shattered helmet of one of the creatures and tosses it onto the small pile with the other. Then he turns and starts to move back towards the front of the house, laying a shoulder into the heavy metal plate that blocks it so he can push open the door and then waves for her to precede him inside if she wishes.
    As she speaks he listens and at times gives a grunt of acknowledgement, though he does stop her at one point and asks, "Daughter?" He eyes her sidelong and makes a small 'hnh' sound, as if he had missed a crucial element. But he lets her go on as he moves to close the door behind her.
    "I can understand that reasoning, however."

Molly Millions has posed:
"...that's their headquarters?" Molly can't help but snort herself with the barest shake of her head, electing to skulk towards the house. Under the circumstances she's not as concerned about having a weapon out in the open as she used to be,"Yeh. I guess I've got two now." she offers absently as she heads inside.

"I'm just trying to avoid a war. Not going to lie... I don't... get... how come a bunch of guys in costumes dictating right and wrong to everyone counts as 'heroic', but having looked up some of the people he's dealing with and that he employs some kind of army of child-soldiers... there's just no way it could end well. So I left." there's a slight shrug of her shoulders,"There's a door, I'll give you the address, if you take hold of the handle and tell it 'Neuromancer', it'll open a door to my bar in Lowtown. Madripoor has no extradition treaties, and fighting isn't illegal, so once things settle, if you want somewhere anonymous to fight, check it out."

Ares has posed:
    "Mmm," John pushes through the really rather darkened room of his living room, the windows entirely blocked from the daylight outside. "Alexander is downstairs in the fallout shelter, I told him to keep cover and prepared." He gestures absently towards the door that leads to the basement as he warns her not to go down there. Then he stalks into the kitchen and the cooler that sits on the island. It's filled with ice and clinks against glass as he reaches a hand inside, withdrawing a pale beer that he tosses in Molly's direction.
    "Two daughters? Who are the fathers?" He asks with casual curiousity, assuming much of course. But then he gives her a nod, "I'll try to recall, but to be honest..." He looks to the side, then back towards her, "I have been avoiding indulging those darker tendencies of mine. Perhaps next Summer." His lip twitches, "If the planet somehow survives."
    That having been said he steps to the side and pulls down some of the slats on the shades, peering through the metal gap in the barricade so he can see out the back. A grunt is given as he espies nothing.

Molly Millions has posed:
There's a nod of agreement from Molly, not like she needs to be told twice. She follows him into the darkened kitchen, though whether or not, with her eyes, she even notices its dark is difficult to tell. Accepting the beer she's halfway through craking it before she laughs.

"Not genetic children, John. I don't have that capacity. Haven't... well, since a long time before we met. There's Lucy, whose mother was killed by the company she worked for as punishment for augmenting her using their property. Her father I don't know. She wants to be an art student... once... all of this settles again."

She cracks the beer,"The other is Clarice. Her birth parents were killed in Genosha. She'd already been adopted by a man who calls himself Sabretooth before I came along, but she's still mine."

Spotting him taking a look outside she fishes what looks like a cell phone from her back pocket, only to flip it open sideways and tap out a few commands awkwardly with the beer holding hand, finally offering aloud,"Shadow, proceed to high ground, alert at humanoid organics in vicinity."

"So far I think we're winning? But if it got destroyed... what would you do?" she asks, not pushing regarding his darker tendencies at all.

Ares has posed:
    A grunt comes from him as he leans back against the wall, arms folding over his chest. "I do not believe this is how the world is destroyed." He says that almost too matter-of-factly, but at least he goes on to explain. "We travel in different circles, you and I, Molly." He looks to the side and waves a hand dismissively. "You face things with a mind from your time and place, predatory but bound in the strictures of a society governed by science and the rule of man."
    He pushes off of the wall and takes up a beer for himself, twisting off the cap even though it's technically not a twist off. He sets the cap down on the counter and then takes a swig. "But if matters were to progress that this world was to end, there would be signs, visitors, beings. There would be harbingers of the apocalypse and they would speak with me even though I have turned my back on my family."
    A gesture with the bottle is given as he grimaces, "So perhaps this might be a terrible ill. But to me..." He looks back to her and smiles a bit, "It is war. Only war."

Molly Millions has posed:
Molly finds her own spot to set up with a small tip of her head in the direction of the door,"You want me to leave, all you've got to do is say so." the device gets slipped away again,"I get that I am some kind of insignificant gnat in the vastness of your existence, you kind of made that blatantly obvious already. But see, I still remember the guy I first met when I showed up here. I sort of liked him." she offers as drily as possible.

"I work with what I know, and what my capacities are. Doesn't mean I dismiss that there's other things out there. That ship's long since sailed. But it doesn't mean I'm going to go hide in a bunker and hope that if I'm careful I might live to see triple digits. One way or another, I will die, probably sooner rather than later, and I'm okay with that. I didn't ask you about that. I just asked you what you'd do. Because I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't end up burning with the rest of us."

There's her own kind of dismissive gesture as she sets that aside mentally and verbally,"So it's not the end of the world. Good to know. Not like I could do anything about it if it were, but it wouldn't stop me from trying. That's the thing I think you don't... get. It's not that I don't... recognize the way shit is John. I'm just not interested in hiding and hoping it goes away."

Ares has posed:
    Another snort comes from him and he takes a sip of his beer, "I'm not telling you to leave, no telling you you are insignificant. I am just offering my insight into the severity of the matter." He gestures with the end of his bottle towards her, "I was mainly saying that you deal with matters scientific moreso than I do as I am a being of magic. To a certain degree." He lifts his eyes upwards as he considers that statement, but lets it pass for now.
    "But, if the apocalypse calls I will let you know so you won't be taken unawares." He smirks, then presses on. "I am primarily, however, seeing to my responsibilities as I have them currently. Most likely I could rush out and affect matters anon." John scritches a fingertip along the stubble on his cheek thoughtfully. "But were I to do so, that could in turn cause matters to worsen."
    His lip quirks, "Were I to do something on the world stage to such a degree others could make use of it. The fulfilling of omens and prophecy and whatnot. Do you know what sort of trouble I'd get into if I decided to wander around riding a horse and three other fellows decided to do so at the same time?"

Molly Millions has posed:
"Good. Cos that came across pretty fucking high and mighty." Molly's got no qualms about stating,"As to approach... sure, I'll own that. Maybe it'd be different if I'd been born here. We'll never know. Doesn't mean that... these days, I think you're full of shit or lying to me. Just that I can only work with what I have."

There's a brief burble of laughter from her,"Great. At least I'll have time to kiss my ass goodbye. And I'm not digging for you to show up and save anyone." poor cyborg, the look of confusion that crosses her face, and that silent moment as she just looks it up,"Four horsemen of the apocalypse, huh?" she tamps down on the automatic response to dismiss it out of hand in order to offer drily,"So if I see you on a horse I should worry, is that what you're saying? Admittedly... I don't wind up dealing with magic, really. There was this... thing? With ninja's trying to open the seven gates? But mostly I seem to wind up hanging out with aliens... don't laugh."

Ares has posed:
    "Some aliens aren't entirely terrible," Ares offers in way of endorsement, slim though it may be. He smirks and pushes off and away from the island, carrying his beer bottle with him as he takes another swig. He moves to another window, pulling down the slats of the shade and peering through, just keeping an eye out. "Most are insufferable. Though I'm sure there are people that would say as much about deities."
    He pauses then glances over her as he smirks, "Present company included."
    But then he sets his bottle down and says, "I've been listening to a storm radio now and again. I still don't have the whole picture, but if it is not safe for you to continue you can sleep on the couch and then make your way at daybreak." He waves his hand and looks back towards her. "Though, if you're captured and tortured I'll feel marginally bad."

Molly Millions has posed:
There's a wry chuckle from her,"I haven't found them to be proportionately more annoying than other species. And I'm sure there's a few people that would say that about me, too. So fair's fair I guess. I understand you can crush me like a bug, I just... if I was scared of everything that was stronger than me, fuck I'd never leave the house."

She takes a swig of her own beer as she listens, not bothering to take a look out herself she offers,"My drone will ping if it see's anything larger than a cat moving about out there." not that he's likely to rely on her technology, but still.

"Thanks, but I'm not... as limited, when it comes to moving around." like, disappearing from bunkers without a trace,"I've got to check in on the bar in a few hours anyways. Lowtown's gangs have been taking attempts at invasion very personally. Not that anything's perfectly safe, really. No-one notices me, mostly. I've worked out I like it that way. Though when I got a visit from the Manhunter I'll admit, I was pretty sure I was screwed."

Ares has posed:
    "Well good." John says levelly, "I need to check on the boy." He rounds back towards her, tilting his head to the side curiously as he eyes her askance. "Feel free to hunker down if needs be. Or take your leave." He gestures towards the door and then adds, "The keypad at the door will allow you to depart. The access number is 6116."
    As he says that he picks up a shield that's lying on its side right next to the basement door, hefting it lightly onto his forearm and resting a hand on the doorknob. "Do not be worried if you hear some gunfire." He tells her levelly as he takes a small metal cylinder from the countertop beside the door.
    He focuses on the door and then with no warning he /yanks/ it open and throws the grenade through, causing a short sharp /WHUMP!/ and a bright flash of light even as he _leaps_ through the door and rolls down the steps.
    There's a sudden burst of automatic fire along with a /clang-ka-clang-clang!/ from bullets hitting something metallic, followed by a loud war cry from a young high-pitched voice.

Molly Millions has posed:
Molly watches him fetch the shield with undisguised curiousity. He'd said to stay away from the basement, the kid was... she can't help but give a brief burble of laughter and the slightest shake of her head as she collects her shotgun again, electing to slink off and go check on her own things while leaving them to play. After all, she can only assume... kids probably shrapnel proof too.