Ruins of Las Vegas

Amy Zander, looked down at the mystical hammer that she held in her hand and shook her head slowly as she looked around the devastated landscape. Las Vegas had been destroyed in a power struggle a few years back between a minor Warlord and one of the more powerful Villains and as result had been left alone for quite awhile by the majority of the warring villains.

"If only you could give me guidance. You gave me the strength to fight back but yet I still have no idea of how to use your full power." She said quietly as Mjolnir thrummed with power. She had learned how to create storms with the mystical asgardian weapon that had once belonged to the mighty hero known as Thor. She had great strength, super-human endurance and other abilities such as flight that had been granted to her by the mystical weapon.

But she didn't know how to use it's full power. She knew enough to defend herself using it's abilities but from the legends she had heard of others who had been around during the Age of heroes and the footage she had seen from underground sources had shown Thor was much more used to controlling the power Mjolnir contained. After seeing what Thor could do with the hammer she had realized she was only using a fraction of it's power.

"I guess it's always going to be like this. Always being on the run never getting a chance to go on the offensive." She muttered to herself quietly as she headed back to her small hideout among the debris.

Ton watched out over Las Vegas or what used to be Las Vegas. He had been here ever since he escaped from the lab he was born in and had enjoyed being alive even though he had no idea what to do with his new found consciousness. He could still hear the one known as Patrick yelling and swearing from the reaches of his mind but he ignored him due to him just not likening him. Ton was sitting on a building that managed to stay up after what looked like a battle that had taken place so either ago.

Ton, after watching the horizon for a while, leapt off the building with a loud crumbling sound of part of the building breaking away as he left. He landed near the ruins of what once was a casino but now appeared to be nothing but rumble. Ton walked over to a few suspiciously placed toppled over walls and moved them to reveal a basement with a vault door which he had been living in for his short life. He opened the door with the pull of his finger and went inside but not before covering up the hole that lead down into the basement. He closed the vault door and payed where money was once kept but now there was nothing more than a few lock boxes and a dead body. He then payed down on the cold floor and stared up at the ceiling.

Mackenzie McDowell - Ruins of Las Vegas

A low buzzing noise echoed throughout the ruins as a vespa pulled up at the outskirts. Sitting atop the red machine was a girl in her late teens, one who didn't seem to be wearing a helmet or any kind of protective gear. Not that she would even if she needed it; after all, if the choice came between a helmet and her hat, the hat would win every time.

So it was a good thing that she didn't actually need any protection. One of the perks of being completely invulnerable, really, but not nearly as welcome as the ability to walk through even a blasted out wreck like Vegas without any fear; after all, if she was attacked by anyone, what was the worst they could do to her? She couldn't be hurt. It wasn't like she was ever in any real danger.

"Meh, at least it's quiet..." Not much really happened in Vegas after the incident, after all. It would be a good place to lay low and make some plans. ...Well, more plans than just 'waltz up to the bad guys and bash their faces in', at least. Revving up the vespa again, Mackenzie McDowell drove past the scorched 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign, mentally noting that it didn't look so 'fabulous' anymore. As she drove on, she wondered how the old gang were doing... Then again, they were tough kids. They could look after themselves. They'd even fought Dr. Doom once! Kind of. Sort of. Not really. It was a Doombot. But then it's always a Doombot. She'd started taking a mental note of how many times she'd heard people claim they'd fought, beaten and/or killed Dr. Doom, since every other person she met seemed to do so. By this point she was starting to wonder if Victor von Doom ever actually existed, or if he was nothing but a group of robots all claiming to be the same person. Maybe he was like Ultron...

...Scratch that, no way he was like Ultron. She'd been somewhere Ultron had attacked and... Well, she didn't like to think about that, since she liked sleeping peacefully.

"...Good enough place to set up camp, I guess." The casino seemed to be mostly intact, and she liked having a roof over her head. And again, if there was anyone lying in wait inside it wasn't like they could do anything to her. Propping the vespa up against a broken slot machine, she stretched her arms to the sky and moaned. Invulnerable or not, driving for that long would make anyone feel stiff.

"So this is Sin City, huh..." she thought aloud. It was a bad habit, sure, but no-one ever seemed to call her out on it. "Well, I'm in a gambling mood... And somehow I feel like my luck's about to change for the better, heheh."

After all, didn't Vegas also used to be called The City of Second Chances? It was well past time for this world to get a second chance.

((Idk where exactly but they're in the closest populated city to the ruins))

Sunlight streamed in from the windows near the ceiling and crawled across the floor until it hit the mattress that had been clumsily thrown into the corner. The light peeked into Cat's eyes, pulling them open a smudge and then invading. She growled and turned, squeezing her eyes closed against it and burying her face into the nearest thing. Right now, as per the usual, that was Izzy's shoulder. But even that didn't stop the persistent light, which at this point of the day couldn't be stopped. The sun was high in the sky, and it was past time for them to rejoin reality.

With great effort, Cat pulled herself up and off of Izzy's chest. He'd be up within seconds of her leaving, she was sure, and he'd probably be starving just as badly as she was. She slowly padded over to their collection of food. By now, it was many more old boxes of food than actual food. They took whatever leftovers they had when they ate home, though there usually weren't many. They'd have to go out soon.

Sniffing out a few bits, she grabbed the box in her teeth and trotted back to Izzy, setting the box down next to him and fixing him with a look. As an orange tabby cat, it probably just looked like her usual cat face. As a human, it would have meant a lot more - something along the lines of "have some of this and we'll go out." She grabbed about half of the food and ate it in the odd way of chewing and dropping and hacking and chewing again cats had of eating.

The sun didn't bother Izzy. He could sleep all day if given the chance. However, the sudden empty, cold spot next to him was what woke him. He cracked his eyes open hesitantly and pondered on turning over and going back to sleep. Who ever heard of getting up before noon? However, he managed to fight the urge as he watched Cat cross the room and dig out some food.

He smiled as she brought some over to him and dropped it down, looking at him expectantly. "Hey Kitty Cat," He said, his voice groggy. He reached an arm out to pet her head. Slowly, Izzy sat up. He picked up the box of -what were these? Cheez-Its?- and began to munch. They were most definitely stale. They'd have to go grocery shopping soon. And by shopping, he meant stealing. These days, you did what you had to do.

Izzy mindlessly crunched on the old cheese crackers until he reached in and found none left. He looked down in the box, then tilted it back to scarf up the crumbs. "Breakfast of the champions, huh, sis?" He said as he looked down at her, cheese crumbs all over his face. How does a person get crumbs on their forehead?

Izzy stood up and stretched towards the ceiling. He was tall enough that his fingers almost scraped it. He then relaxed, rearranged himself, and went looked for a shirt to put on.

Amy looked around the small home she had made out of the debris and noticed something that was troubling her. She was nearly out of food which in itself was odd because she had managed to find some canned food the other day in the ruins of an old grocery store but she had seen it on a shelf before she went to bed last night. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday which meant that something had run off with her food again.

It wasn't an uncommon occurrence but it was extremely irritating.

She grabbed Mjolnir and slowly opened the door and scanned her surroundings to make sure that there wasn't anything waiting to kill her. As she headed out she gripped the hammer tightly in her left hand as she looked to the left and right but for some reason today, she didn't look up.

Mjolnir's warning to her was the only thing that saved her life.

"Well, look what we've got here boys!" Came the chuckle from above her and louder laughter joined the first set of laughter. Amy quickly turned around and backed up as she saw three figures with black leather coats and flaming skulls. "Some woman who thinks a toy hammer can save her." Amy backed away as more laughter ensued.

Ghost Riders. Idiots who sold their souls for power. She thought as she gripped Mjolnir in both hands in front of her. The lead Ghost Rider leered at her. "Looks like this one has some fight in her." He chuckled as Amy shifted Mjolnir to her left hand and extended her hand towards the sky. A large storm cloud began to form above them and the Ghost Riders began to advance on her as they pulled flaming chains off their backs.

"Last chance." Amy said quietly. "Back off."

"I don't think so little girl. Light shows and crap like that won't scare us off." He leered as he began to swing the chain around and around until it was a flaming circle above his head.

Okay...three Ghost Riders. Don't know if I can handle three at once. She thought as a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and enveloped her body in light.

As Ton layed there he heard somthing that sounded like talking way off. It was very faint and could have been the wnd but it also could have been someone coming to hunt him down. Without any warning Ton shot out of his hiding spot as he broke through the roof of his 'home' and leapt a fair way away to where he could see some clouds and a few flaming skilled men. Ton began to run over as fast as he could not even stoping for the enormous lighting strike near to them. Ton jumped at the flaming men and let out a loud deep yell as he attempted to crush one of them.

Ton had a strong dislike for the flaming headed men. He has seen a few before but he had never had to fight one let alone three of them before. A few flaming headed men had tried to kill him a while ago and he's hated them ever since. As he was about to land on one of them he noticed where the lighting had struck was a woman with a weird hammer in her hand which fascinated him.

Per pushed back against his hand, a purr starting in her throat. God, that felt good. She sat and watched him eat - messy as ever - and when he spoke, she made a noise equivalent to that of a human's snort. He rose to stretch and so did she, extending out her arms and legs and twisting her back. She paused briefly, not without enjoyment, to watch her adjust himself, and then finish moving around her neck. Curling up as a cat was nice, but it tended to leave some kinks in her when she shifted. Izzy went to go find some clothes and Cat padded out into the middle of the room, away from everything else, and shifted.

It was brief and uneventful, as usual, and over within seconds. Shifting itself wasn't hard at all. She just thought, and pushed, and there the next body was. But god, it took something out of her. Her stomach growled loudly, and for a moment she had trouble keeping her eyes open. When she was well-fed, it usually wasn't this bad. But it had been a while since they had sat down and had a real meal, and Cat was running on little to nothing. She raised up her hands and rubbed her eyes, cracked her back, and then sighed. Time to get moving.

--

The restaurant wasn't busy, but wasn't empty either. Just what they needed. Cat checked her pockets - only to find they were empty - and groaned lightly. She'd have to shift again. And she'd be even worse off. She turned to Izzy, "Go get us a table, I'll be right there." She gave him a brief smile, and then turned to look down the street to look for people.

Child, child, mother, hobo, frantic father....there, business man. Ooo, business woman! Average height, blonde hair, pale skin. Nice suit on and a large purse - just what she wanted. Cat set off, pushing through people and trying not to touch anyone's skin. She reached the woman and knocked into her shoulder, her fingers sliding against the woman's wrist. The woman, speaking sternly into the phone, took a step back and gave Cat a look that could kill, but she said nothing. Cat didn't give her a second glance, and kept moving down the street. She hit an alleyway and turned into it. After checking no one else was hiding out there, she took a deep breath and shifted.

By now, her stomach felt like it was about to climb up her throat and bite her for not feeding it. Another wave of exhaustion passed over her, but she fought it off. Her new, more delicate hands, dug through the purse now on her shoulder until it found the woman's wallet. She pulled it open, saw a flash of bills and cards, and grinned. The wallet went back in the bag and the bag back on her shoulders, and she made her way back to Izzy.

Let's do this! Amy thought to herself as the lightning enveloped her. Armor appeared on her body as she felt the power of Mjolnir flow through her. As the lightning finally faded she saw something that gave her a moment's hesitation.

Is that the hulk? She wondered to herself for a moment as two of the Ghost Riders turned and advanced on what she thought was the Hulk and raised the flaming chains above their heads and began to strike the Hulk-like creature with the flaming chains while the lead Ghost Rider's flaming chain seemed to circle her with what seemed to be a life of it's own and struck her newly formed leg armor to no great effect.

"I warned you." She said quietly as she began to rapidly spin the hammer faster and faster until it was a blur.

Ton let out a roar of frustration and pain when he missed the flaming headed men and they began lashing at him with their flaming chains. Ton tried to block the lashes with his arm at first which just made his arm burn so he grabbed the chains as they lashed over his hand and yanked over one of the flaming men. He proceeded to boot the flaming man which sent him flying for miles.

The other one had taken the opportunity to whip his chain around tons neck and pull down. Ton tried to get a grasp on the chain around his neck but to no avail and he was still being pulled closer and closer to the ground as his knees gave out. Ton's head was now below the flaming skilled mans head who looked at him and laughed a bit. Suddenly Tons hand leapt from trying to grasp the chain and grasped around the flaming mans head. His hand burned from the intense heat of the creature but it soon began to cool down as Ton leached the heat of the flame out of the things skull. The flaming headed man began to scream and let go of his chain to try and pry Tons hand off. Ton gasped for breaths as he threw the no longer flaming headed man as far as he could. Ton was still recovering from the chain that was around his neck so he could not help out the woman who had been in the lighting.

Amy watched with wide eyes as the Hulk look-alike managed to dispatch two of the Ghost Riders with very little effort but it looked as if the chain that the last Ghost Rider had used had done a bit of damage.

"Little girl. You and your friend have just made a big mistake." The lead Ghost Rider growled as the chain suddenly slammed directly into her chest at high speeds. She was sent flying backwards but as she was sent flying she released the hammer which slammed into the Ghost Rider at speeds high enough to send him flying through layer after layer of the debris until he stopped suddenly.

He looked down and saw a sharp piece of debris sticking out through his chest as the flames went out around his skull. Amy shook off the pain for a moment as Mjolnir returned to her hand and she rushed over to the creature that resembled the hulk and tried to help him up.

"Are you alright?" She asked carefully. She wasn't sure if he was a hero but he had attacked the Ghost Riders so that meant that there had to be a bit of good in him.

Ton looked over to the side of him as he saw the lighting woman beat the last of the flaming men with her hammer. Ton nodded as he was asked if he was alright "you ok also?" Ton said as he got up. And looked around at the flaming man that the woman had beat. The mans fire was out now and there was something sticking out of his chest. As ton looked back over at the woman his eyes fell upon her hammer which seemed to wake up the one called Patrick from inside again "That's Thor's hammer! That thing must be worth... Well more than enough to keep us living a good life. If you can manage to take that thing we'll be ri-" ton heard this in his head but he cut Patrick off by yelling "NO!" which he then proceeded to grasp his head.

Izzy looked around for Cat as he stood by the restaurant door, looking every bit as poor and homeless as he was. When his eyes landed on the middle aged business woman, he grinned. He knew it was her instantly; the walk, the expression, the mannerisms. That was definitely his Kitty Cat.
"Hey sis," He said as she approached. "You ready for this shit? My stomach's grumbling like shit over here." His voice was was only a little rough, with a pleasant lilt in his voice that changed tones as it flowed from his mouth.

As they went inside, they received a few odd looks. A business woman and a hobo were almost guaranteed to. Perhaps they though she was just being kind by buying him lunch. A waiter showed them to their seat and took their drink orders; Izzy got a root beer, of course. He picked up the menu to look over it, his mind mostly unmade about what he wanted. Everything just looked so good.

"Hey Cat, if you get one of those sweet ass looking fettuccine plates and share it with me, I'll get the fried chicken and split it with you." He looked over at her with a grin. His eyes then landed on the desert menu, which made him light up even more. "Shit, they got a fucking lava cake, sis."

Cat found him easily, sticking out like a sore thumb as always. How he recognized her no matter what her body confounded her, but he had yet to be unable to find her whenever she shifted. The waiter took them to their table and Cat sat, her stomach growling loudly. For a moment the thought of maintaining her classy appearance arose, but she ignored it. No one would know it was her simply by ordering chocolate milk, and she was used to the odd looks when she did something unmatching to her body. So the waiter took off to get one root beer and one chocolate milk, and Cat scanned the menu. Her eyes had just fallen on the fettuccine plate when Izzy spoke up, and Cat grinned widely. "Hell yeah, she responded. "We're definitely getting that, I feel like I could eat a horse right now. Plus," Cat leaned in, "we've got about ten credit cards and a hundred dollars in bills. Get anything you want," she told him.

She leaned back and the waiter came, taking their orders and leaving again. Cat pulled out the woman's wallet, pulling out the dollar bills and giving the majority of them over to Izzy. In case they got separated, he'd have something to keep him fed. She kept the credit cards, knowing anyone would doubt him if he handed one over. She put the wallet away and downed her milk, and then moved aside for the incoming plates of food.

"NO!"

Amy looked up as Mjolnir emitted a sense of danger. The battle had attracted unwanted attention. They had to move. Now. "I'm sorry about this." She said quietly as she spun the hammer around and around faster and faster once again and aimed it at a wall of debris. "Hold still and do exactly as I tell you. We brought attention to ourselves when fighting the ghost riders and we need to lay low for a bit."

She unleashed a blast of lightning from the hammer and shielded the Hulk creature with her body as the wall of debris came down on them just as Mjolnir sensed incoming people.

"Don't make a sound."

She heard the sound of footsteps nearby and did he best not to make a sound as the footsteps drew closer.

"Looks like there was a hell of a fight here." One voice muttered. "There's a couple of bodies here. Looks like some of those Ghost Rider idiots finally turned on each other." Another voice said with a laugh.

"C'mon. The boss doesn't give a crap about the Ghost Riders, besides, we've got better things to do than pick up after them. Let's just get out of here and grab something to eat."

Amy listened carefully as the footsteps grew fainter and fainter and than the sound of an engine filled the area before fading away. She pushed enough of the debris off of them and got to her feet and extended her hand to the hulk creature.

"My name is Amy. Amy Zander. And you would be...?"

Ton was to distracted at first to notice the lighting woman talking to him but once she made the huge amount of rocks and debris come down on them Ton took his hands off his head as he heard the voices from topside. As the voices left and the lighting woman got them out she told him her name and extended her hand. Ton didn't know exactly what to do with his enormous hand but he did his best to shake her hand "I Ton." He said to Amy Zander. "How long you been out here?" He asked out of curiosity trying to drown out the sound of Patrick in his head.

Mantis boy buzzed from one roof top to another, He had just seen some stuff go down and he was trying to keep a low profile. He was not sure who all these powerful people where but knew that he didn't want any part of it. He had kept himself hidden pretty well while watching. He had seen more then one of them, hammer girl, huge lug, flame skull jerks. Tyler wasn't sure what to do anymore, he landed on the side of a crumbling building his hands and feet sticking to the vertical wall. He crawls up the a window and slides it open. He crawls inside the boarded up apartment that acted as his current hide out, it was small but worked well. The room was cluttered with empty canned food and supplies, a small bed rests in the corner. Tyler walks over to the bed, his bio armor is sucked back into his upper spine like melting wax slithering off his body. (Kind of like the Venum suit.) Tyler sighs, he was lonely and his head was a mess but that was life. He throws the handful of pecans he found on the bed along with the diet Pepsi he found buried under some rubble. "Woo hoo, diet soda!" Tyler thinks to himself. Tyler doesn't care for soda, he wises he had found something at least with a bit of vitamin c.
Tyler lays back on the bed thinking about where he should go next.