taxonomites | Entries tagged with tony stark

Morning comes to Taxon like every other morning, but, as is sometimes the case, the city is ever so slightly different. It is the first day of the weekend, a small but well needed break from the monotonous frustrations of school. Come Monday school begins anew - all the better to make the most of the weekend. Hang at the mall, get up to no good, stock up on energy for the coming week. You might just need it.

[OOC note: Consider this a log post for all your High School plot needs, in and outside of school - just label your tags accordingly.]

starknaked

The body swap had been more than a little disconcerting. Not only because of the man whose body he found himself in but the acute and physical reminder that he wasn’t himself. Not the lack of a body and face he loved dearly, but the missing arc reactor in his chest. As he had lived with another in his body, he had realized how much he worried for both the suit as well as the arc reactor itself.

So it was that the moment he found himself back in his own body, he began working on a few things. First of all had been an override lock implanted into the coding on the arc reactor. It had involved a lot of time flat on his back, the reactor pulled out and partially dismantled on his chest. Tools balanced on his stomach as he laid back half way in the chair, the wires leading into his chest still.

At some point he became aware of the blinking red light, looking up to see the tablet he’d left on the work table likely broadcasting. Giving a small wave and a roll of his eyes, he went back to putting the reactor back together. As he slid it into his chest, he gave a small sound of contentment, glad to have it back where it belonged.

Laying back and taking a deep breath, he realized what was needed next.

The machine was still in place from where Maddy had helped him put it in place. The pieces of the suit were loaded into place. Now all it took was a test run.

Or becoming trapped in the suit once more and plummeting to the street below. One or the other.

Flipping a switch, the machine started to light up, one tiny blue light at a time. There was a low hum, a whirring sound and then, taking a deep breath, Tony stepped into the machine.

"Let’s do this,” he said, both feet coming down onto the pressure plate.

The machine began to move. Quick, loud movements but it was working, snapping each of the pieces into place, locks engaging and nuts whirring into place. There was a flurry of movements and sound and then silence. It all went still.

And with a whoop, Iron Man launched into the air, zooming over the Taxon landscape.

theextras

As dawn breaks on Thanksgiving morning, one or two things are different about the Taxon we all know and love.

Most notably, the streets are positively littered with, yes, you guessed it, turkeys.

Live. Turkeys.

Also notable is the fancy, ginormous T-Rex skeleton on display right outside the Sanctuary. Isn't that a nice thing to greet the newcomers with? It's got a plaque and everything!

Even more notable, because all good things come in threes, or so the aliens have newly discovered: just in time for Thanksgiving dinner, all the tablets in the city light up with a cheerful, hamster shaped hologram. The hamster wears Appropriate Festive Gear.

"Happy Thanksgiving, citizens! Aren't you glad to be alive this time of year? Isn't Thanksgiving a wonderful holiday? Yes it is! Say it with me!"

Crickets may chirp, insults may be thrown in its face, but the happy hamster goes on. "In honor of the bond forged between the Puritans and their new found friends, the Indians*, you will all find a dream catcher by your bedside tonight. And remember the old Indian proverb, Never speak of another before you have walked two hundred miles in her moccasins. Isn't that nice?"

Look at its beady, beaming eyes full of holiday cheer. "When you go to sleep tonight, hang the dream catcher above your head and think of all the things you are grateful for. What have you learned from your neighbour's moccasins? Do they pinch? Dream yourself-- back to yourself.

"Make it a good one! Be thankful!"

And that, as they say, is that. The hologram blinks out of existence. Somewhere out there, in the dark, lamp lit streets, an Extra chases down the last of the turkeys.

All is quiet. Shh. Shh. All is well.

For now.

* It must be noted that the aliens have a) a poor grasp of history, and b) no idea what political correctness is.

starknaked

Living life in Glitch’s body was not suiting Tony well. Especially not with the horror of dinosaurs about. Even adjusting to the new body had been a chore, one that had left him feeling downright worn after several hours. A lot of that though had been the mental troubles he’d been experiencing, often forgetting what he was doing. Once even forgetting where he was without a long time and force of will to try and remember.

Not willing to let it hold him back though, he made his way as carefully as possible from Glitch’s charming home to central where the Tower loomed.

Storming up to the door, he bounced off it when it refused to open.

Growling, he looked up at the camera, eyes narrowing. “Are you kidding me,” he stammered, jamming his fingers at the button. Then, not wanting to wait and see if she who had his body was home, he moved to the left side of the door. Opening the flat panel, he unceremoniously ripped out two wires, jamming them into different spots. Sparks flashed up around his face, the scent of burnt ozone on the air but the door slid open.

And the alarm went off.

The sound echoed through the building as he moved to the elevator. Again he was forced to work on overriding the system before pausing. Glancing down at his borrowed, lanky body, he abandoned the elevator, heading up the stairs two at a time. His destination is the work room near the top, and the prototype, read not working, suit he had stored there.

theextras

By the evening of the 31st, the fog is so dense you can barely make out your own hand should you stick it in front of you. Take one step away from your friend and it's as though they were never there to begin with.

And it doesn't stop there. Just like before, the fog does strange things to those who get lost. There are voices in there, familiar ones calling out for anyone out there, and should you go investigate, you might find yourself all the long way across town. The lights on the trams flicker and spark, the street lights seem dimmer than usual, and does nothing to help guide your way.

Unlike the tesla coil display, so proudly operated by one of the Extras, and at one point even hooked up to a computer. Not only does it shoot lightning bolts, it plays music!

But the fog is not to be trusted. It moves down the streets, makes seeming feeble attempts of climbing the buildings, and it isn't long before it covers Central square and the carnival.

The music stops, something fizzes and sparks, the Extra falls back and for one, heartstopping moment the tesla lightning goes amok. The air hisses with electricity, filling the tent with the smell of ozone and copper-- in the background someone calls out "It's gonna blow!"

Panic erupts.

And in that panic, in that rain of proverbial fire and mayhem, the lightning bolts shatter the House of Mirrors and the merry-go-round and the dinosaur eggs exhibition.

Everything is in shambles, the Extras climbing over each other to get away, and in the darkness, something - or a variety of somethings - slithers away into the fog.

***

A misty dawn breaks over a very different Taxon. The streets are shaded with impossibly tall trees, the buildings covered in creeping vines, squares are replaced with swamps and meadows, and new rivers have sprung up.

And echoing through the air are strange new sounds: hoots, trills, shrieks, growls, and the occasional roar. The ground shakes under heavy footsteps, and distinctly reptilian forms can be glimpsed lurking behind buildings or rushing through the undergrowth or gliding high above the canopy.

Of course a few of the citizens have some more immediate concerns than the change in scenery. Namely why they are somewhere not in their own bed and, more urgently, why they are suddenly in possession of a body not their own.

Chaos, confusion, misunderstandings, and shopping sprees (yes the stores are still hilariously open for business) are bound to ensue so long as no one gets stomped on or eaten in the process. Good luck, citizens!

threelivesdown

Selina Kyle has a new hat.

She's sitting outside of a cafe sipping at a cup of coffee. Wrapped up inside a shawl, she's warding off the brisk chill of the day. It is trying to creep up into her bones, even with the sun shining down on her. Keeping her hands wrapped around the cup, she watches all of the people, or 'people', if you will, walking by.

This place is strange and she doesn't entirely know what she thinks of it.

genequeen

A little better, all the time...

Madelyne has no idea why, exactly, that song is running through her head. It feels sort of like a cruel twist of fate that she cannot get it out of her head. Scott isn't dead, which is great but he's constantly in pain. It is hard for Madelyne to think that alive and in pain is better than some of the alternatives. Then again, this is better than dead at the bottom of a cliff or at the bottom of a waterfall, right?

Tony Stark has been around helping. In fact, he's in the house right now. That's part of the reason she's out here on the porch. Having Tony and Scott inside makes it a little too crowded for anything other than the two of them in there. She's come out here with a blanket and a tea set, though the tea in her cup has grown cold as she's been wandering her own thoughts.

She has no idea, really, how to handle her ex-husband being upset and wounded and horrible at accepting help. Being strict with him and forcing help on him seems counter-productive on multiple levels. Leaning back, she starts the swing moving, chuckling softly, appreciating the fact that she can have these problems - as absurd as they are here in this place.

no_rose_tint

Scott’s marker comes back onto the map with as much pomp and circumstance as it vanished.

More strangely, his tablet doesn’t join him instantly to broadcast his misfortune. It appears nearby, resting on a tree stump out of the way, but whereas usually it delights in showcasing these moments, it remains quiet now, when perhaps he needs it most.

Five days is a long time where he’s been. He’s pale and drawn, deprived of sunlight and enough food and water. He has dark circles around his eyes, a mixture of exhaustion and bruising.

There’s no awareness of being moved again. He’s simply regaining consciousness and feeling grass and dirt rather than the metal and stone of where he’s been held, a deep ache in his head and uncomfortable pressure in his eyes.

Slowly, he reaches up, feeling over his face and flinching as his fingers poke sore skin and no visor. He has to risk it anyway, bringing his hands to his face, fingers white knuckle laced as he flickers his eyes open.

Nothing.

No light. Not in or out. No warmth over his hands.

He opens them again, fully, but nothing reaches outwards. Nothing explodes, nothing is rent apart.

Everything is dark.

He can’t see.

He snaps his head up, eyes wide and unseeing, a solid, lightless red covering them from side to side.

loveawkward

Entrances had been made. The people of Taxon, some of them at least, had arrived. As the sun was setting and casting the room into shadows, the lights began to come up. Twinkling white lights on the balcony around the pool, mood lighting throughout the room to separate the loft into differing areas for different events. Light music played throughout the main room, though at poolside was a section set aside for dancing as well.

Pausing to overlook the affair, for a moment, Josef felt like he was still back home.

Well, minus the bevy of beautiful women offering up a vein at the snap of his fingers. He was still getting used to that loss, which hurt more keenly than most.

((ooc: Come one, come all. Feel free to set up your own posts or use the starter areas. Josef's place is a massive loft, with three separate rooms including a bedroom with an oversized freezer in it. There is also a rooftop pool area with a wide wall overlooking part of the city.))

no_rose_tint

It might take a while for people to realise Scott isn't around.

He normally gets up before Maddie and is out of the house early. He works during the day, but then goes off to climb and do other crazy things on his own once he finishes and doesn't come home until horrendously late at night.

But one day he doesn't open the gym and he's not there for his training appointments with people. His tablet is on his bedside table with his photo. He doesn't appear on any of the city maps.

He's gone, but it's not like usual, when people are removed from the city. It's more like he found a way to drop off the radar and promptly did so with a thoroughness that would baffle even a seer.

[OOC: Scott will be missing for a few days as the start of his glitch. Feel free to put character responses and reactions here, I will reply with information as characters require it. Contact me ooc if you want to plot and plan.]

starknaked

Building and presenting the wind tunnel had actually made Tony happy. It was a scary thing to be happy with giving, and he blamed his time with the Avengers for such emotions. Whatever it was, he had thing to do in and about the Tower. If he was stuck here for the duration, then there was a lot that needed to be done.

Plans for the rooftop suit robotics were in place. He'd gotten things up and running on Taxon's electricity since the device he'd used for sustainable energy before hadn't proven compatible to this place. At least not yet. That left some of the little things.

Stepping into the lab, he heard movement. His first thought was Selina, though a mental image of Sherlock flashed through his mind as well. It turned out to be neither of them as the cylindrical head lifted, slowly tilting to one side quizzically.

His breath caught in his lungs. An award winning robot built when Tony was just seventeen and for all his issues with the thing, with it's lack of judgment in so many things, Tony suddenly felt a little less cut off from his life to see Dummy there.

For a long time he was silent before stepping into the room and crossing to stand before the robot.

"You've been slacking," he said, waggling a finger at the robot. Dummy's head tilted the other way. "Don't give me that. We've got work to do."

Pausing, he clunk his brow against that cylindrical "head" before turning away. "Right. Work. Come on."

An hour later he was on a ladder, mounting one of a series of cameras to the outside of the building. This one over the main door, pointing at the spot before a buzzer. He looked up into the camera.

"Link the locks with the camera and link it into the facial recognition hardware," he said to the robot inside, his tablet blinking through the entire moment as he'd found Dummy and building the cameras as it broadcasted. He really didn't pay it any attention.

Climbing down from the later, he pulled a flat, engraved panel from his back pocket. Using a drill and masonry bit, he mounted the plaque beside the buzzer.

STARK TOWER Ring buzzer for admittance Smile for the camera and the facial recognition software If you're Sherlock, the US government, or somehow Fury... Make an appointment for two weeks from never

threelivesdown

It has been an interesting time since Selina Kyle has come to Taxon and, while on one hand, she's more aware of her large thefts, she's also much much less aware of the little things. A good example is this morning. She walks out of a convienece store, having pocketed a pack of gum. She didn't really think about it, she just put it in her pocket as she was buying her soda and a snack as well.

Later, she's walking down the street and she pulls it out of her pocket, not even entirely certain of where it is she picked it up. A small shrug and she slides a stick of it into her mouth. Might as well chew it, be a waste to just throw it away.

starknaked

Having no idea just where he was going to put his latest project when he was done, Tony started it up on that open level where the most damage had been done. It wasn't the first workspace he would have chosen but it was the one that would make it easiest to move the tunnel when it was finished. If it's new owner wanted it moved, that was.

Late into the night he worked on the tunnel, welding the seams so that it held through the ages after having bolted it all in place. The turbines were powerful, and Tony carefully inserted a safety net of finally woven titanium threads to allow for all manners of protection for the one he made it for.

Finishing the physical construction, he then worked on the two key elements. A power source, and the more aesthetic portion that he was hand designing from something he'd seen in a casino once.

Letting his own reactor guide him, Tony created a self-sustaining piece that would allow the tunnel to run for at least a hundred years. At least. He was hoping for closer to five if everything Raziel had told him was true. It was small, self-contained and protected from the elements as was the rest of the computer pieces.

In truth, Tony wasn't sure what a creature like Raziel did or didn't need but in the end it was temperature controlled, had a set of tubes along one wall that could be open or closed for soft musical accompaniment, and a rotating display within that gave the image of a month's worth of sky, day and night, including accurate constellations based on Earth and the direction Raziel had the tube facing.

A few run throughs later and Tony finally felt the piece ready. Grabbing a glass of mineral water, because if he had to tinker with it, he'd like to be sober, he made his way to the edge of the building, looking over for Raziel.

((ooc: Post is intended to give Raziel his wind tunnel but is open to texts, visuals and audio for any time during the construction process.))

infinitelystranger

Sherlock ignores his tablet for about sixty minutes of his initial text asking for a count of the theft victims, and for a short while it seems he's forgotten about it. However, another text message arrives in the inboxes of the listed individuals, locked to them.

To: Tony Stark, Madelyne Pryor, Scott Summers, Paul Smecker, Buffy Summers, Logan, Gwen Raiden

I know who's stolen from you. I'll know where they've hidden your belongings soon enough. Sooner if you let me onto your property to look. Ms Raiden is welcome to come as well, despite her dishonesty. I am collecting samples at Stark Tower. Hide your locations if you haven't already.

He also sends a private, locked, and shorter message to Selina Kyle:

Stealing from me is an amusement. Stealing from Mr Summers poses a hazard to the lives of everyone in this city. Return the belongings to the Sanctuary and we will not have to play this game, Ms Kyle.

Anyone who chooses to join him at Stark Tower can find him there retracing a set of phantom footprints with careful footsteps. He's chosen Tony's home not because he hasn't started the trail yet -- he's already traced a preliminary one through each of the locations, and drawn his first conclusions -- but because it's a logical place to which to return to gather a party. He's telling the truth; there's only so much he can learn without access to the direct scene of the crime, and besides, he likes a hunting party. He is, above all else, a hunter, and it's been an honest while since he's had challenging game.

threelivesdown

Selina has been busy during her time here in Taxon. Other than flirting with Tony Stark, she's been working hard. The time has been spent learning the layout of this place. It is a large city but she's handled large cities before - several. There is a good amount of rooftop tavel possible here as well as a nice network of streets, fire escapes and alleyways for quick escapes and cross city travel.

The tablet makes it easier, in general, to figure out who is where and when, which, by association, helps her figure out where they /aren't/ and when they aren't there either. This makes it easier to plan a route around the city from place to place. There doesn't seem to be a lot of security in general in this place but she wants to test it. In addition to that, though, she wants to see what happens when she rattles some cages - from the captor perspective and the captive perspective

Turning off her location on the tablet, she begins.

( Read more... )

smecker

Dinner had been promised; dinner was in the works. Food didn't stop just because of city's goddamn glitches. If it had Paul'd have long since starved to death.

The tablet clicked on revealing Paul Smecker in his kitchen on the third story of the Birdhouse, standing at a cutting board, kitchen knife snapping up and down on the board as he minced onions. His ever-present mp3 player was clipped at his belt, the earbuds in his ears. He hummed along with Tosca.

Cooking and music. About as good as it got without anything naked being involved.

The onions were scraped into a pan on the stove where oil was already subtly shimmering. In his ears, the music shifted; some other day, Paul would've noticed. Especially since the song he was hearing wasn't one on his player.

I'll have some clam chowder - followed by - beefsteak on rye
Pumpkin pie, whipped cream and - coffee...

( He hummed along absently... )

buffy_slayer

Buffy opens her eyes, slowly blinking away the last cobwebs of sleep. It'd been a quiet night (so odd to be actually sleeping when everyone else does), and her dreams had been quiet as well, nothing so much as a troubling thought to be had.

There's sunlight peeking out from behind her curtains and with a groan she gets out of bed, padding over to the window.

She hardly even notices the ting of a cymbal, the slow bass beat that begins as she grabs the curtains and pulls them aside, letting the sunshine bathe over her skin.

"I'm gonna make a mistake..."

Sleep is fogging her senses, and so it seems perfectly normal to sing out these words.

"I'm gonna do it on purpose, I'm gonna waste my time."

The music teases at her, and she can't help but move to it, slowly and almost sensuously. Never mind the tablet handily propped up on her bedside table, red light blinking.

"I've acquired quite a taste for a well-made mistake... " Hip bump, and a twirl. "I'm always doing what I think I should, Almost always doing everybody good..." Buffy's got her eyes closed and this all just feels so RIGHT.

starknaked

The day had started out bright and brilliant, with sun pouring in through the windows and birds even chirping all the way up to where Tony's bedroom was in Stark Towers. It was the sort of perfect summer day most dreamed of.

Tony was moments away from burrowing under the bed and cursing the sun until it set.

Scotch and work, the dehydration of spending day and night working while eating little had left him passed out sometime around dusk the day before. Now it was well past noon and he wanted the day to end already.

A quick shower, a bite of food that he barely tasted and a pint of water - mixed with just the slightest hint of scotch - had Tony quickly on the mend. Not to mention thinking about the things he needed from the residents of Taxon.

Picking up the tablet, he turned it on for broadcast.

"Good... whatever time of day it is, boys and girls. I'm honored, I'm flattered. This greeting really mattered. This welcome is grand but I'm really concerned..."

He paused, blinking as he began to sing.

"That is to say, I'm looking for help with a bit of engineering work I'm doing on the Tower because I'm a bad, bad man."

Tony jerked, staring at the tablet. "What the... Okay then. Right. Where was I? Oh right. Ms Kitty, you and I need to talk."

bub_snikt

( The story thus far... )

[The holo image appears on the network to the general population of Taxon, and there's a short, hairy-armed man in yellow tiger-striped spandex and a mask with black fabric which flares out to both sides. His blue-gloved hands brandish triple blades extending from each fist, and there's a low growl coming from him as he's obviously startled with the sudden change in surroundings. He sniffs loudly, his eyes darting around the room, wild with confusion.

Then he yells out at nobody with an angry gravel-soaked voice. Apparently, he thinks it's somebody.]

"SUMMERS, YOU DUMB SON OF A BITCH! Where the hell did ya put me this time? This your backup prison now? Lemme guess, you think it's more humane because you're not strappin' us down and electro-shockin' us, huh? You're goin' DOWN for this and I'll do it MYSELF, you crazy goddamned dictator!"

[As if to punctuate that, those extended claws of his start tearing through the tube he arrived in, sending showers of sparks flying.]

dustandhope

There's a new tallest building in town.

For Raziel, it's an irresistible lure. The chance to get higher than ever, to soar and pretend, he can't resist it.

He's circling the base, exploring how he can best climb it. For every trip he makes up, for every flight out, he comes back and circles again, wondering if there's a better way to do this.