Catalysts: IC 2.0 Announcement in OP!

https://rpproject.rpg-board.net/t340-catalysts-ic-oh-the-thread-is-slowly-dying
Communists believe that no man, no matter how hard enworks, should vet get more than another. In short, they're all a bunch of lazy bastards.

He did as instructed then carried as much as he could, crossing the outdoors into a large hotel, much like Tenpenny Tower. He opened the main entrance for Steph to get through and smiled. "Hurry now, don't want to be caught."

She didn't waste time slithering in. Unstrapping the crates, she headed for the nearest cover and resumed her human form, pulling her jeans on before anyone could notice. The whole process took less than a minute, by then she was already returning to the containers to keep watch.

When he awoke he was floating. Floating with a mask over his face. Was this space? Bubbles. Oh! He was in an Amnio tank! But why? He searched for injuries. He then felt a very fresh hole in the side of his head.

((Activate the ass-pull!))

By this point, it was pretty obvious that Rodney had found his way into a private conversation, so he turned around and wandered back in the vague direction of his motorcycle. But before he got there, he left his calling card near the tracks: a stylized blue oval about six feet tall, with the vague outlines of some sort of a curtain inside it.

The motorcycle disappeared as Rodney touched the oval and stepped through it. However, instead of finding himself in the corresponding oval in his bathroom, he was vaguely aware of the chalk catching fire on both ovals and himself falling out of the void between places midstream. He fell flat on his face, onto concrete, before he had time to cry out. He groaned, slowly picking himself up off the ground. There was a girl hiding behind a dumpster just a couple feet or two away. Whatever he'd stumbled into, it was probably going to be awkward.

Winter jumped. It took a moment for her to locate the source of the meaty thunk, and when she had done this, she was no less confused.

For the man slowly rising to his feet before her did not seem to be the bee-catalyst, nor did he seem to be connected with the event. Winter cleared her throat uncertainly. "Um. Hello?"

She couldn't be certain if she'd seen the man before, though his sudden appearance suggested that he was a fellow Catalyst. "How'd you get here, mate? Police are swarming this building."

"Whatever you do, don't try to bend spacetime with sidewalk chalk. I think it breaks some rules," the man replied. "Where am I?"

He sat up slowly and started checking himself for bruises. "And what's going on that police are everywhere?"

Winter looked away towards the police line; the two of them had not been detected. "You're at a television station that has recently been taken over by some bloke who can control bees. He just blew up a helicopter and basically invited the police inside."

She sighed. "I don't suppose you've a name? I'm Bloom."

"Bloom? Someone was looking for you earlier..." the man mused aloud. "I'm... er, Dali."

Rodney chose the pseudonym at random, not wanting to give a real name when he was behind a police line. "So bees, huh? I take it the police need a hand with that."

He pushed a crate into the elevator, sending it up to the penthouse; this action was repeated until all the crates were up, then he smiled and pulled Steph into the elevator, sending the two of them up to the top floor; one that was massive, and filled with a few crates along with the beautiful chic furniture. "Here's HQ.."

She watched as the doors opened to a hall of suites. "Penthouse suites, if it weren't for all this fighting..." She walked along the thick carpet slowly, running her hand along the walls. "So is there specific rooms for everyone, or are some going to be used for other purposes?"

"Each person gets their own personal room, this will be the main planning area, and we'll have a few spare rooms for the group as a whole.. Very easy, don't you agree?" He walked alongside her, his hands in his pockets and his spine slightly bend forward to make a false hunch.

She reached no particular door and slowly twisted the knob, pushing the door inward. "Seperate rooms? Because if you have a concern with others knowing about, us, then I understand fine." She stepped into the room, halogen lights filling it with an even tone of white. Had the view not contained a scene right out of a disaster movie, it would have been breathtaking for her.

He walked in after her and wrapped an arm around her waist; the destruction of the city was a beautifully orchestrated picture of madness and destruction. "No, love, Nox, Aran, and maybe Bloom will have personal rooms. We'll share a room and possibly get another for our children..." He thought of the old nursery right. First comes love, then comes marriage.. Marriage.. Something he wouldn't be able to achieve til the new world order was in place.

She smiled as he embraced her. "I was thinking of us mostly..." She thought about what he had said about their children. Their children... It was still hard to get used to. And what if there was another couple. She doubted that though, they had better judgement than she did, forming relationships could end up being trouble at times. "It sounds good."

He looked at her and spoke up shakily. "You know, most people are married at this point.." he let his sentence drop. It was probably best not to dwell on the subject for too long; they both knew that they couldn't have a wedding. Ragnarok was wanted for domestic terrorism. Steph looked like she was a damn snake. No way in hell would they get married legally, for a good while.

She sat down on the lounge, resting a hand on her stomach. "The basic idea of marriage to many has drifted so far from what it should be... I don't think it matters much anymore..." She looked down at her stomach with a slightly concerned expression. "Hey, I just realised, we shouldn't have been able to feel if they're there for a few days at least..."

"Oh.. That's true.. Any idea what'd be up with something like that..?" He looked at her stomach and sighed. What she said was true, but he still liked the concept; after all, Russians like him had a pathetically small divorce rate. 4 out of every 1000 couples ended up divorced in the Motherland.

She shrugged, sitting up slightly so she could pull her shirt up. "Could it have something to do with the combination of us? Snakes have a shorter gestation and all..." She ran her hand along the soft scales of her waist.

He looked at her stomach and nodded slowly. "And I can absorb energy to make myself seem more matured and powerful, to heal faster, and a myriad of other such things.. So It's not too impossible, however.. I wonder how much longer we've got."

She continued to stroke her stomach softly. "Well being able to tell within a few hours, compared to a few days... That's pretty quick." She closed her eyes and rested for a few moments. "I was counting on having more time to settle into being pregnant and having kids. Now, I'm beginning to worry."

"Well don't worry, we can feel safe and reassured in this hotel. Not many people get to relax in a massive Hotel like this, let alone some presidential suites.." He hugged her tightly, rubbing the scales over her stomach. He felt her stomach had gotten somewhat expanded.

She placed her hand on top of his, drawing comfort from it. "I'm just glad that they have a father who cares that much about them." She smiled slightly as she slid his hand slightly into her jeans, further towards the scales he seemed to like so much. "I'll be okay, as long as it's just us, and maybe Bloom when they come, I prefer privacy and all."

As time ticked by, the wound slowly began to heal. It healed at that very peculiar speed where it's too slow to notice but if you check in at intervals it will have changed, like an ivy plant. What surprised him was the lack of input from the voice. Or any eyes in the dark room. Had they removed the problem or something? After a while, it was fully healed. The regenerative solution drained from the tank, and Nox removed the mask. He was then escorted to a different room, one with a basin full of water. Here they reapplied the straitjacket. A man walked in behind him and pushed him onto his knees. His head was dunked underwater, an. He was held until he was out of breath. "Where are you hiding?" asked the man.

His face flushed and he kissed her gently nodding. "Of course.. Just those we can trust. I promise this house'll stay safe for us and the kids, okay?" He smiled at her and pushed his hand further down, rubbing her scales gently.