Taylor

"Well, well, well! Isn't it Miss Serena Stark!"

[[Anyone can join]]

In the forest, in the dead of night, you hear something. It is an unusual sound, well- unless the sound of someone falling to the ground and coughing their damn lungs out, was normal. If you’d navigate, you’d find a slightly glowing area, just for a moment- the golden glow of time powers being used, before it would quickly flicker out, leaving a man- or, perhaps teen, now in your view. On the ground with what seemed to be damaged armor, visible gashes and cuts on him, though none of them looked all too serious.. almost like something worse had happened, yet it was toned down?

Whatever the hells had caused any of this damage, looked ruthless. Whatever armor he was wearing, was extremely bloodstained and it was surprising that it even held together right now…

Xan is reeling in pain, head spinning as he realizes he needs to breathe, why does he need to breathe? He didn’t need to do that before! He hadn’t felt real pain in a while either, he felt the world actually weighing him down, coughing out blood from old wounds as he laid helplessly, barely propping himself up as he was just filled with confusion and astonishment, not even recognizing the presence nearby of you

If you’d known Eve- or her little ghosty friend, at least, you’d recognize the shape of the person, somewhat, it looked like that form the ghost would occasionally take. But this person looked alive.

Taglist (ask to be added or deleted): @pain-is-forever, @reyno-solis-real, @another-argo, @notaeoluschild, @the-great-emperor-commodus, @unlicensed-field-medic

"Well, well, well! Isn't it Miss Serena Stark!"

"Well, well, well! Isn't it Miss Serena Stark!"

"Well, well, well! Isn't it Miss Serena Stark!"

It was days like this Anastasia thanked her mother for forcing her to learn how to walk in heels at 7 years old. She had missed the train all in the name of coffee and now she's really starting to think it wasn't worth it, especially since she started work in 10 minutes and she was on the other side of the city.

With her purse under her arm and coffee in hand, she pushed through hoards of people, muttering 'excuse me' 'sorry' after every person. Part of her hoped people would see her white coat with her badge tucked into its front pocket and make way.

tw: mentions of violence, blood, and death

Nate pulls his hood back up, trying to hide his face

Taylor would casually pull out a first aid kit from her bag, trying to give a small smile.

"N-no, it's okay... I wasn't expecting for anyone to be home either. Especially covered in blood."

Taylor would sigh, handing him the first aid kit.

"Are you sure there's not anything I can do? Get you a glass of water?"

tw: mentions of violence, blood, and death

Nate pulls his hood back up, trying to hide his face

Taylor would casually pull out a first aid kit from her bag, trying to give a small smile.

"N-no, it's okay... I wasn't expecting for anyone to be home either. Especially covered in blood."

Taylor would sigh, handing him the first aid kit.

"Are you sure there's not anything I can do? Get you a glass of water?"

tw: mentions of violence, blood, and death

Nate pulls his hood back up, trying to hide his face

Taylor would casually pull out a first aid kit from her bag, trying to give a small smile.

"N-no, it's okay... I wasn't expecting for anyone to be home either. Especially covered in blood."

Taylor would sigh, handing him the first aid kit.

"Are you sure there's not anything I can do? Get you a glass of water?"

tw: mentions of violence, blood, and death

Nate pulls his hood back up, trying to hide his face

Taylor would casually pull out a first aid kit from her bag, trying to give a small smile.

"N-no, it's okay... I wasn't expecting for anyone to be home either. Especially covered in blood."

Taylor would sigh, handing him the first aid kit.

"Are you sure there's not anything I can do? Get you a glass of water?"

Location: A high-security underground vault in Zurich. Time: 2:37 AM. Objective: Retrieve a stolen Stark Industries prototype before it falls into the wrong hands.

Snow crunched beneath Serena's boots as she pressed herself against the cold metal wall, her breath coming in quiet puffs of mist. The facility was eerily silent—too silent. Her gut told her this wasn't going to be a simple in-and-out job. Adjusting her gauntlet, she tapped her earpiece.

"C.A.R.L.O.S., tell me something good."

Define good, Miss Stark. If you mean the dozen heat signatures moving toward your position, then I regret to inform you that the news is quite bad.

Serena exhaled sharply. "Screw it. Let’s improvise."

Her HUD flickered as she scanned the room ahead—dim emergency lights cast long, jagged shadows. The prototype had to be close. But so was someone else.

A noise. Footsteps.

Serena raised her repulsor, eyes narrowing. Ally or foe? That was the million-dollar question.

She tracked Taylor’s movements, scanning her for weapons beyond the one she just holstered. The readings didn’t scream immediate threat, but that didn’t mean squat.

"C.A.R.L.O.S., keep an eye on our friendly neighborhood shadow here," she muttered. Then, without waiting for a response, she pivoted and strode toward her real objective—the stolen Stark prototype. She could waste time interrogating this mystery woman, or she could secure the tech before things got messy.

"What? It IS fun going around classified facilities and having just a TINY bit of fun!"

Taylor would wink, snickering a little bit. As she would watch the mysterious woman heading towards the stolen Stark prototype, she would move alongside her.

"I have no idea what you're doing at such an ungodly hour trying to steal a prototype back. But... I'll leave you to it. No strings attached."

Taylor would shoot her a glance back.

"I'm hardly sure that whatever is in that vault isn't real. Besides, you don't know MY type of FUN!"

Taylor's eyes would turn a slight red, trying to hide the fact that sometimes she couldn't control herself.

"Don't worry, I'll protect ya. I'm good at it." She would wink, setting something on the vault door. "It's just a little gadget, nothing else."

"Oh, come on! It isn't a normal habit, it's for our safety." Taylor would start messing around with the gadget she had placed on the door, pressing a couple of buttons. Next thing you know, she would be equipped with a strange-looking prototype. Wait... Wasn't that the Stark prototype?

Serena narrowed her eyes at Taylor. "You do realize I was about five seconds from setting off a counter-hack that would've locked this whole place down, right?"

Miss Stark, might I suggest updating your list of ‘most annoying people’ to include Miss ‘I Had It The Whole Time’?

"Pfffttt- no shit, Sherlock. I knew that, OBVIOUSLY." Taylor would hear a voice over the vaults intercoms, warning for a shutdown. "Well, that was timed perfectly. Speaking of prototypes, here's one more for ya. Found it earlier on my way over here." She would smash another security tag, handing it over to Serena.

Serena shoved the prototypes into a secure compartment in her suit. "You know, some of us like to leave places undetected—not in a cloud of ‘surprise, I blew it up!’ But hey, what do I know?"

Serena arched a brow, catching the second prototype. "Wait, hold on a second, who exactly do you think I’m working for?" she asked, her tone somewhere between amusement and irritation.

"Sureeee, it's not that hard to steal stuff. You just go in, do your job, and get out." She would shrug, smirking. "Well, there's multiple people you've been working for, but I'm not stupid, Stark." She would then roll her eyes, securing her grapple gun. "You're either working for yourself, or your working for C.A.R.L.O.S. It's a two-sided world out there, Stark."

She boosted herself upward, grabbing onto the lowered grapple gun with one hand, her repulsors keeping her steady. "And for the record? If I did work for C.A.R.L.O.S., he'd owe me a very hefty paycheck."

You wound me, Miss Stark. I assumed our partnership was built on mutual respect and sarcasm.

"C.A.R.L.O.S. is not an organization," she deadpanned. "He’s an AI made by me. As in ‘Clearly A Really Lively Operating System.’ A sassy British voice in my ear, not some secret underground syndicate."

"Wait—EIGHTEEN MORE?!" Serena spun to face her, hands on her hips. "How in the hell are you just casually carrying around 18 high-level Stark prototypes like you’re hoarding candy bars?"

Her HUD ran a quick scan—Taylor wasn’t bluffing. Those were real. And Serena did not like the idea of them being in unknown hands.

She would let out a laugh. "Really? You had to build yourself an AI companion to help you on your missions? VERY nice..." She would mumur. "Once again, really not that hard to do a job. Get in, do your job, and then get the hell out." Taylor would shrug as she would begin handing them to Serena. "I have another bag if you need something to hold them in, I don't think you have very much room." She would snicker, handing Serena the bag just in case. There would be a card at the bottom of the bag, but she wouldn't tell Serena. That would be a surprise for later.

A touching sentiment, Miss Stark. Truly, my existence is a gift to us all.

"See? He gets it."

She secured the bag, then shot Taylor a look at the whole ‘I’m keeping one’ thing.

"Absolutely," Serena muttered before switching gears.

Because, oh yeah, Taylor was backing up off the roof like an absolute lunatic.

Serena just stared at her, then slowly dragged a hand down her face.

"Okay, first of all, what in the actual hell are you talking about?" she said. "Second, if you think I have the patience to kill you and deal with you coming back to life multiple times, you’re vastly overestimating how much I care."

"C.A.R.L.O.S., options?"

I could deploy a tactical drone to retrieve the device, initiate a repulsor-based disarm maneuver, or simply list off all the terrible decisions that led to this moment.

"Door number two," Serena decided, firing a precision repulsor blast just right—not strong enough to harm, but enough to make Taylor’s fingers spasm just enough to loosen her grip.

The stolen prototype slipped.

"Whoops." Serena lunged, snatching it mid-air before Taylor could react. She twirled it between her fingers and smirked.

"Has she always regarded me as Shadow?" Taylor would tilt her head as she noticed Serena had disappeared. "Hmmm, well, the moment she opens that bag and notices that card." She would smirk evil. "It's not just one normal business card, it's one that'll do some great damage." Taylor would do a simple back-dive off the roof, swiftly landing on her feet. "I would bomb this place up, BUTTT I don't think I'll do that." She would grab something out of her pocket. Wait, was that another Stark artifact?! "She forgot the one she came here for all along... and I still have it. Whoopsie!" Taylor would let off an evil laugh as she disappeared into the night.

tw: mentions of violence, blood, and death

Nate pulls his hood back up, trying to hide his face

Taylor would casually pull out a first aid kit from her bag, trying to give a small smile.

"N-no, it's okay... I wasn't expecting for anyone to be home either. Especially covered in blood."

Taylor would sigh, handing him the first aid kit.

"Are you sure there's not anything I can do? Get you a glass of water?"

Location: A high-security underground vault in Zurich. Time: 2:37 AM. Objective: Retrieve a stolen Stark Industries prototype before it falls into the wrong hands.

Snow crunched beneath Serena's boots as she pressed herself against the cold metal wall, her breath coming in quiet puffs of mist. The facility was eerily silent—too silent. Her gut told her this wasn't going to be a simple in-and-out job. Adjusting her gauntlet, she tapped her earpiece.

"C.A.R.L.O.S., tell me something good."

Define good, Miss Stark. If you mean the dozen heat signatures moving toward your position, then I regret to inform you that the news is quite bad.

Serena exhaled sharply. "Screw it. Let’s improvise."

Her HUD flickered as she scanned the room ahead—dim emergency lights cast long, jagged shadows. The prototype had to be close. But so was someone else.

A noise. Footsteps.

Serena raised her repulsor, eyes narrowing. Ally or foe? That was the million-dollar question.

She tracked Taylor’s movements, scanning her for weapons beyond the one she just holstered. The readings didn’t scream immediate threat, but that didn’t mean squat.

"C.A.R.L.O.S., keep an eye on our friendly neighborhood shadow here," she muttered. Then, without waiting for a response, she pivoted and strode toward her real objective—the stolen Stark prototype. She could waste time interrogating this mystery woman, or she could secure the tech before things got messy.

"What? It IS fun going around classified facilities and having just a TINY bit of fun!"

Taylor would wink, snickering a little bit. As she would watch the mysterious woman heading towards the stolen Stark prototype, she would move alongside her.

"I have no idea what you're doing at such an ungodly hour trying to steal a prototype back. But... I'll leave you to it. No strings attached."

Taylor would shoot her a glance back.

"I'm hardly sure that whatever is in that vault isn't real. Besides, you don't know MY type of FUN!"

Taylor's eyes would turn a slight red, trying to hide the fact that sometimes she couldn't control herself.

"Don't worry, I'll protect ya. I'm good at it." She would wink, setting something on the vault door. "It's just a little gadget, nothing else."

"Oh, come on! It isn't a normal habit, it's for our safety." Taylor would start messing around with the gadget she had placed on the door, pressing a couple of buttons. Next thing you know, she would be equipped with a strange-looking prototype. Wait... Wasn't that the Stark prototype?

Serena narrowed her eyes at Taylor. "You do realize I was about five seconds from setting off a counter-hack that would've locked this whole place down, right?"

Miss Stark, might I suggest updating your list of ‘most annoying people’ to include Miss ‘I Had It The Whole Time’?

"Pfffttt- no shit, Sherlock. I knew that, OBVIOUSLY." Taylor would hear a voice over the vaults intercoms, warning for a shutdown. "Well, that was timed perfectly. Speaking of prototypes, here's one more for ya. Found it earlier on my way over here." She would smash another security tag, handing it over to Serena.

Serena shoved the prototypes into a secure compartment in her suit. "You know, some of us like to leave places undetected—not in a cloud of ‘surprise, I blew it up!’ But hey, what do I know?"

Serena arched a brow, catching the second prototype. "Wait, hold on a second, who exactly do you think I’m working for?" she asked, her tone somewhere between amusement and irritation.

"Sureeee, it's not that hard to steal stuff. You just go in, do your job, and get out." She would shrug, smirking. "Well, there's multiple people you've been working for, but I'm not stupid, Stark." She would then roll her eyes, securing her grapple gun. "You're either working for yourself, or your working for C.A.R.L.O.S. It's a two-sided world out there, Stark."

She boosted herself upward, grabbing onto the lowered grapple gun with one hand, her repulsors keeping her steady. "And for the record? If I did work for C.A.R.L.O.S., he'd owe me a very hefty paycheck."

You wound me, Miss Stark. I assumed our partnership was built on mutual respect and sarcasm.

"C.A.R.L.O.S. is not an organization," she deadpanned. "He’s an AI made by me. As in ‘Clearly A Really Lively Operating System.’ A sassy British voice in my ear, not some secret underground syndicate."

"Wait—EIGHTEEN MORE?!" Serena spun to face her, hands on her hips. "How in the hell are you just casually carrying around 18 high-level Stark prototypes like you’re hoarding candy bars?"

Her HUD ran a quick scan—Taylor wasn’t bluffing. Those were real. And Serena did not like the idea of them being in unknown hands.

She would let out a laugh. "Really? You had to build yourself an AI companion to help you on your missions? VERY nice..." She would mumur. "Once again, really not that hard to do a job. Get in, do your job, and then get the hell out." Taylor would shrug as she would begin handing them to Serena. "I have another bag if you need something to hold them in, I don't think you have very much room." She would snicker, handing Serena the bag just in case. There would be a card at the bottom of the bag, but she wouldn't tell Serena. That would be a surprise for later.

A touching sentiment, Miss Stark. Truly, my existence is a gift to us all.

"See? He gets it."

She secured the bag, then shot Taylor a look at the whole ‘I’m keeping one’ thing.

tw: mentions of violence, blood, and death

Nate pulls his hood back up, trying to hide his face

Taylor would casually pull out a first aid kit from her bag, trying to give a small smile.

"N-no, it's okay... I wasn't expecting for anyone to be home either. Especially covered in blood."

Taylor would sigh, handing him the first aid kit.

"Are you sure there's not anything I can do? Get you a glass of water?"