The Start of the Storm

[shardofwinter]

The god hosted Yule party left the Nexus in the state of beautiful Winter Wonderland. With the snow falling softly and steadily, and the beautiful festive lights twinkling in the darkness, the Nexus is left with a sense of serene nostalgia hanging in the cold air. This peace and joy clings to the streets for several weeks, buoying everyone’s mood as they look back on the past year and forward to ringing in the new one. 

It starts in the Wilds, and the outskirts. The cold air suddenly feels like it freezes everything it touches in an instant. Light doesn’t quite pierce the gloom. Gentle snowfall becomes thick and falls hard. One or two people looking for shelter from their uninhabitable homes isn’t too noticeable. People can still enjoy their pretty Winter, blissfully unaware. Pipes freeze solid, paths become impassable, power cuts out, simple walks become baffling in the poor visibility. Soon it’s not one or two people, it’s many, it’s families. There are people coming in, bloody, bruised and scared, saying they were chased. Eventually the kindness of friends and strangers becomes strained. Spare rooms are packed to the brim and the storm that stays just shy of the bizarre torches somehow seems to have a slow, but unmistakable march closer towards a point where the Plaza, Industrial sector and Downtown meet. On top of that, people are complaining about PINpoints acting up or portals freezing over. 

Streets are becoming packed full of people with far more problems than solutions. Huddling together and whispering about ghosts and monsters moving about in the shadows. In a place with no government, no organisation, no collaborative emergency services, chaos and confusion reigns supreme. And with chaos, comes panic. With confusion, comes frustration and anger. The Nexus is a powder keg waiting to blow.

That’s certainly how one Durant sees it. As a manager, Isidor is keen on organisation and order. Both things that are lacking in the Nexus at the moment. Groups pop up to help, but struggle to communicate effectively, or work together. Some people get free food twice, some people are still waiting for some at all. It’s madness, and Isidor can’t stand it. Particularly because she, her brother and sister-in-law are stuck here. So, when nobody else takes the mantle, Isidor Durant takes it upon herself to inject some order into this scrum.

In her fur hat and long coat, leather gloves and thick boots, Isidor can be seen directing people this way and that. There’s something about a confident person taking charge that means people instinctively defer to them. She becomes the point of contact quite easily, with people soon taking her direction regardless of whether or not they know her. Under her instruction, people are directed to a building that has tables set up, queues in front of them, and volunteers behind them taking names and telling people where to go. It might still be chaos, but at least now it’s organised chaos.

The question is: Where will your character go?

❅-❅-❅-❅

((Below are comments for each desk. Tag any of them, threadhop, or post with your own character. I suggest putting your character’s name in the subject to help keep things clear. Comments marked with a snowflake ( ❅  ) have been coordinated with the mods and I as official event comments. The OOC Post is here! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or one of the mods!))

Threads of Note
Medicine/Illness | Shelter/Heat | Food | Security/Crime | Lost items/people | Misc resources/Donations | Volunteers | Expeditions | Planning Table/The woman in charge | Drulb's Deelz | A Ship in the Outskirts 

Comments

[staticandstock]

Oh, ok. It looks like someone a little too fond of TV decided they wanted to be a vigilante. Lyall hesitates as he looks the stranger up and down, wondering whether or not he should take the offer seriously. In the end he decides that if anyone here isn't serious about what they're offering, it's not his job to correct them.

So, sceptically, Lyall picks up his pen. "Please state your name and applicable skills"

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

"Daredevil. I'm an independent law enforcer," Matt says, without even a hint of bluster. So, vigilante, right. This would probably be more convincing if he had his usual gear, but he doesn't use the devil suit anymore and he hadn't been expecting to need it. Too bad he doesn't have his escrima sticks though.

"I'm not sure what you're looking for, but I've got training in close quarters combat, with or without weapons. I'm skilled enough with first aid to put in sutures and set broken bones. Most of my senses are enhanced," he adds, ignoring the way that admitting that makes him feel exposed. "If something makes a sound within three blocks of me, I'll hear it."

[staticandstock]

Lyall stares at the other man, looking him up and down, before gesturing at his covered face. "You sure you can see anything through that, let alone put in sutures or hear things three blocks away?"

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

"Sight is a distraction." Matt expects that to go over about as well as it did with the other vigilantes he teamed up with months back, which is to say, not terribly well at all. So he adds, "I don't use my eyes. Everything else makes up for it, trust me."

[staticandstock]

Although Lyall gives the expression of a man who wants to make a long, sceptical noise, he doesn't. He looks entirely sceptical, but he isn't rude enough to express it vocally. A volunteer is a volunteer, he supposes.

"You any good at non-lethal combat?" Non-lethal to himself as well as who ever he's fighting, that is.

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

After all that's happened recently, after all he's been through with Fisk and the Hand, his answer comes without hesitation. "Exclusively. Might break a few kneecaps though." He doesn't sound at all squeamish about the prospect, though not like he's just jonesing to crack some skulls. This is for the good of everyone, not just to let out his frustrations on assholes that need a beatdown.

Okay, yes, there's a little of that too. But mostly the other thing.

[staticandstock]

"Try to avoid it, because we'll have to take care of the wounds we inflict." Something he's not happy about, either. This is by far one of the toughest assignments he's ever been given. Using force doesn't usually mean taking care of the aggressor afterwards.

"There are safehouses around the place which I want extra security on. They're got a few stockpiles and resources that I expect people are going to get jealous of pretty quickly." Lifting up a sheet he scans the notes with a rough hum. "Katsuya at the shelter desk has one, but I think he's pretty well covered. Which leaves a Mr. Rogers. He could probably use some backup. You can pick up patrols as well, if you're able, but keep in the same area as him to give him some backup."

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

Sentry duty isn't too far off from Matt's usual hobbies, and there's a definite need for it, so he just nods. "I can handle that. Rogers, that's Captain America, right? Do you know where I can find him?"

Even as he asks, Matt's already listening for any sign of the man's voice nearby, but there's a lot to tune out if he's got to locate him the long way.

[staticandstock]

"Captain...? I don't know nicknames. It might be." Is this a vigilante thing? Do they have a club? Lyall brushes off the thought with a shake of his head.

"He was talking to Katsuya last I saw, so he might still be around there. If not, Katsuya should have his details."

[websnextdoor]

"There's two here, you know. Of Steve Rogers."

In before Lyall has a chance to groan to the very core of his soul, yet another masked kid man is striding up to where Daredevil and the head of security are chatting. And you know, Spidey didn't really mean to be eavesdropping or anything like that but as a guy who was totally scouted and recruited to be in the Avengers once before and definitely not because he's a fanboy or anything he definitely pays attention when someone's talking about one of the team.

The former team. That he could have totally been a part of if he wanted to. He turned them down, okay?

"If you're looking for the one running a shelter though, I'm staying at his place to help out while all of this is going on. I can definitely introduce you guys or show you the way, depending on if he's still around. He was going to be leading some folks back to our hideout."

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

Matt turns when the newcomer speaks, though he doesn't quite look right at him. "So I've heard; the one with the safehouse is the one I'm looking for. Looks like I'll be sharing space with you for a bit, then." The offer to lead is met with a nod, and he turns more fully away from the table; unless Lyall has anything else he needs outta Daredevil, they're done here.

"I'm Daredevil," he says, getting introductions out of the way ASAP. "Do you know what sort of setup we'll be looking at? Defenses, supplies, how many people taking shelter?"

[websnextdoor]

"Cool. I'm Spider-Man." No sarcasm there and the voice definitely is muffled somewhat. He's wearing some kind of a mask. "Cap's back this way. I don't really know how many he's looking to take in but I doubt one more will matter much."

Especially one more who knows his way around a fight if things come to that. Peter thinks they could do worse than this Daredevil guy. It's kind of a familiar name actually.

"Were you on the news a while ago? I feel like I've seen you around before."

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

Despite the beanie covering his eyes, Matt maneuvers through the mess with ease, sidestepping people and less animate obstacles alike, staying on Spider-Man's heels. Whether the mask is a superhero type or the ski mask type, he can't tell from the sound, but in this kind of weather it doesn't matter. The kid's wearing layers, that much he can tell, and everyone's going to need all the warmth they can get, however they can get it.

He grunts an affirmative, half his attention tuned to what lies ahead. The other half sort of hoping he doesn't get recognized, although with his track record dealing with vigilantes and people who pay too much attention, that probably isn't going to happen. "Yeah. Devil of Hell's Kitchen, that's me. The real one, not that asshole who stole my suit."

Gonna invite Steve in after me here and we can go that way

[websnextdoor]

"Stole your su--that's a thing that happens?!"

Holy shit, Spider-Man definitely doesn't want that to happen to him. On the one hand Karen probably wouldn't allow it which is kind of nice actually. Knowing someone's looking out for him (unless her programming was overridden too) but on the other that's every kind of scary imagining someone bad pretending to be you.

He doesn't like it one bit, no sir.

"Oh, that's cool. I'm from Queens, actually. I do most of my work there." Hasn't Matt heard this before? Almost exactly this, before, even? "Hey Mist--er. I mean, Cap! I found another friend who wants to help out!" He's definitely going to wave Steve Rogers over to them once they get close enough.

[shieldborne]

Steve is in the process of talking to a dark-haired woman holding a little boy in some kind of snowsuit. She looks deeply stressed, but unharmed otherwise. The toddler is quiet, wide-eyed but with a smile that appears intermittently. Even in the chaos, there is some innocence.

Steve turns at the hail and smiles a little, excusing himself with a murmur to the woman, and lopes a couple steps to meet them. "Hey," he greets, and even with a hat pulled mostly over his face, the man strikes him as a little bit familiar. But he's not asking yet.

"Steve Rogers," he says, and offers a hand. He's not going to question whether the stranger can see through his beanie. Why would you wear something you couldn't see through, anyway? "I guess we can use all the help we can get."

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

"I don't think it's typical, but yeah, it happened. Once."

This... is probably not going to go the way Matt wants it to, Matt realizes, the deeper into this conversation he goes. He hadn't been able to weasel his way out of outing himself to the others he met before Midland Circle either, but at least with the kid, he seems to get what a secret identity is for. And introducing himself as Daredevil is still going to get him taken more seriously than trying to explain up front how a blind lawyer can help anybody in this kind of crisis.

He'll cross that bridge when he comes to it, he supposes.

Matt can't tell if this is the Steve Rogers that he met before, or the other one, but Captain America is Captain America. He's got that leaderlike determination in his voice, and a strong solid heartbeat; if Matt has to play nice with others, Steve is one of the few he feels he could be comfortable following. "Daredevil," he greets the captain in return, the rustling of cloth and the faint pulse of bloodflow through fingers letting him zero in on the waiting hand without fumbling for it. "The man at the desk said you could use a hand guarding your place. What're we looking at for defenses?"

[websnextdoor]

"I'm going to have to be way more careful where I stash my backpacks." Webbing them to the sides of dumpsters doesn't do himself any favors. The webbing breaks down in threeish hours and then he's down his backpack again. Imagine if his suit was in there! Or his web shooters.

Bad Times all around. At least if you're supposed to be Spider-Man. Peter gestures between Steve and Daredevil as the other two shakes hands.

"He's the guy working in Hell's Kitchen, I dunno if you've heard of him or not. But he knows you well enough." Spider-Man doesn't assume much of anyone's heard of him so he'snot about to say 'us'. Even if he's thinking it in his head just a little bit. "We don't have power so a lot of stuff we coulda had up isn't really working."

Peter's careful not to raise his voice while he talks about this bit. It's not the sort of thing one wants to advertise around.

"That's what we're here for. My webs are pretty good for all kinds of defenses, but they only last so long."

[shieldborne]

"Oh." Is Steve's response to the introduction. The I've heard of you couldn't be more obvious. Even if Steve's been out of the country or a while, he does still keep tabs on current events, and costumed vigilantism in particular. How much he knows, he's not saying, but it's interesting to note that yet another individual from a closely parallel world has found his way here.

"What are the odds, I wonder?" he says, breaking into a wry smile. "I'm tempted to call it fate, but that's a double-edged sword. Good to have you either, way, Daredevil."

It's probably a matter of time before he recognizes the voice and mannerisms of the Matt Murdock he's met, but even after that there may be a grace period of him wondering whether a blind man has taken up vigilantism or a vigilante has chosen to pretend to be blind for his day job. In any case, it's not his place to out someone, so he won't be asking any time soon.

"Yeah," he says softly, adding onto Spider-Man's explanation. "Electronic security is down. I have the first floor windows boarded and there are deadbolts on all the doors. Probably the weakest point is the roof. There's some ductwork that a person might crawl through or break into if they were really determined."

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

Better to be recognized as Daredevil than as Matt Murdock, he supposes, at least until he's had a chance to prove himself. If nothing else it'll save time having to explain what sort of combat experience he has. "Likewise, captain."

As someone who's infiltrated his fair share of buildings from the roof, the vulnerability is a relatable one, and he nods a little, keeping his voice as low as the others. "Might be a good idea to set some kinda trap for anyone bold enough to try, but if you can spare the manpower, live surveillance might be a better way to go, armed or not. I've done the rooftop lookout thing once or twice, if that's where you want to put me. I've also got some field first aid know-how, so if you need a medic, I could do that too." Never mind that most of his first aid has been on himself; it's easier to put in stitches on others anyway.

[websnextdoor]

A thought occurs to Spidey and he looks up quickly. It's probably better to warn everyone about this ahead of time so that no one's startled later and accidentally hurts his Spider Bro.

"The uh-the other Spider-Man is here too, by the way. Black suit, little bit shorter. He's probably waiting for us at the base by now so no one freak out if there's people there. Hes on our side."

Steve obviously knows who Miles is but this is for Daredevil's sake too. Please do not try to vigilante his friend thank you very much. They get enough trouble thrown their way without turning this into a versus comic arc. "But he's not also me like with the Captain Americas so there is that."

[shieldborne]

"Oh, god," It's a quiet little murmur, but Steve can't quite bite back the dismay. As much as he enjoys the company of the boys, it's really worrisome to have them both stuck here. Miles more so than Peter. He's almost short enough he could get lost in a snowdrift if they're not careful.

"...okay, thanks for the heads-up," he tells Spider-Man in something more approaching his normal vocal range. And he's about to ask if Other-Spider-Man has a winter coat and boots, but then he realizes that's not a question Captain America asks his allies. It's a question that the den mother for a bunch of cub scouts asks.

He'll just double check with both of them, later, to see if they need any gear they don't have.

To Daredevil he says, "I'm a little leery of posting anyone on the roof in this storm, although I've been clearing the ice and snow off regularly, myself."

It's not a new building. He'd hate for something to leak or, god forbid, cave in. "I'll show you the roof when we get there; we can decide from there whether we can have a guard posted outside. I like the idea of a trap, though. I'll show you the supply closet, we can probably jury-rig something."

He's not going to mention the first aid supplies he has there right now. Not aloud. They might need them for the group staying with them, but if not, he can always send the excess back to the bunker with Mr. Horvath.

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

Another Spider-Man... Matt sure hopes they're not as identical as the Captains America apparently are, because the color of their outfits isn't exactly the best way for him to tell them apart. At least, he thinks that's what the kid was getting at just now. He tilts his head slightly at that muttered exclamation from Steve, though; is he just worried that there are kids in danger, or is that a lack of faith in their ability to help? "Noted. We're, uh, probably gonna need something else to call you two though, if you've got the same name. But that can wait."

They've got more important things to worry about right now. Or at least more urgent.

He moves his head in Steve's direction again, and nods in reply. "That's the plan, then. Once I have a better idea what we have to work with, I'll run some ideas past you, see what'll work best for your setup." It's Steve's territory, so he gets final say in what flies and what doesn't, but Matt is still itching to get his bearings and shore up the defenses to his liking.

[red_room]

It's not low enough a sentiment for Spidey to miss, but he shifts on his feet and his heartrate picks up ever so slightly as his spider sense a-tingles. Something dangerous this way comes. No heels, not in this weather. Natasha Romanoff is in combat boots and all her gear, though above that she's got on plenty of gear for being outside.

She stops in front of the three of them. Nods to Spider-Man and that alone makes him shut up completely and take half a step back to put Steve between the spy and himself. Look, Ms. Black Widow is scary. Peter desperately doesn't want to say anything stupid in front of her (again). She's so cool but might snap his neck.

"Gentlemen. I hope I'm not interrupting." In a tone that says she very much doesn't care if she is.

[shieldborne]

If he were thinking about it, Steve could reassure Daredevil that the Spideys have different vocal ranges. But he's not thinking about it, and it's probably better that way. They can all maintain plausible deniability for now.

Meanwhile, though, Steve's starting to like this Daredevil guy. "I like that. I'd rather wait to talk assets until we're somewhere less public, but I--"

Oh, and here's Natasha! He breaks off, not because he's reluctant to talk in front of her, but because a) she wouldn't come up to them if she didn't have something important to say and b) Peter is semi-subtly trying to hide behind him and he's not sure whether to be sympathetic or amused. Nat does have that effect on people.

"Only in a good way," he assures her. "Have you met Daredevil?"

[he_put_the_devil_in_me]

There's something familiar about the cadence of the approaching footsteps, but the subtle scents clinging to her clothing are muffled by the cold, and it's not until she speaks that he figures out why the hairs on the back of his neck are standing on end, and his posture stiffens slightly. "Not officially," he says, hoping his response isn't as hasty as it feels.

If anyone here's observant enough to connect the dots between Daredevil and Matt Murdock, Matt thinks she's most likely to get there first. Not necessarily the first one who'll say so, though, if she feels that keeping it to herself is to her advantage. Is there some kind of etiquette to revealing someone's secret identity? God, what an absurd thing to worry about at a time like this. He's just going to hope for the best, because he's in this too deep now. And... it didn't turn out a total disaster last time, right? At least not as far as the others went.

"Black Widow, right?" Matt says, as if he didn't know already. "I take it you're part of this, uh, team."