The Defenders Renewed (Group Thread Open To All)

[SinisterSpiders]

"sounds like a plan then" John said smirking "let me get us into the hangar without getting killed and shower then I will meet you in my qaurters for a movie" He said his voice betraying how pelased he was.

John's tone sent a thrill of anticipation through Avery. She jogged to catch up with the others as they went about their tour and caught their attention.

"Hey guys, you continue the tour. The others will be back any moment. I'm gonna hit the showers. You good with these guys?" Avery pointed the last question towards Spiders, nodding towards Romeo and Darius. She knew that Jordan was acquainted with the base now, so was confident he would find something to do. "We will debrief later." She cast Spiders a stern look before turning and making her way to her room.

Avery grabbed her clothes and a towel, and was about to head to her own shower but decided that she'd use John's instead. Being Commander had some perks, including a nice fancy showerhead. She was sure he wouldn't mind. She made her way into his quarters, finding that the doors opened easily for her (just like old times) and then ducked into the bathroom. She let out a sigh of relief as the hot water ran over her tired body.

 

[silvertongue217]

Commander POV

"Theres the Peter I knew" John said laughing and shaking his head "its good to have you back" He told the young man before turning to the others.

"Spectre you want to get our sleeping friend here to medical and have her checked out? Gregory can help with that"

"I can do that" Spectre said picking up Maya and carrying her bridal style. He dissapeared through the wall intent on getting her checked up.

"Girls your clear for the night go get some R&R Max Gregory might need a hand" John said smiling at her before turning to Peter.

"First night of freedom what are you going to do?" He asked the kid walking with him down the landing ramp.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Peter walked down the ramp into his old hangar and breathed in the recycled air. It wasn't like the air on earth, but it still beat the sterilized stuff pumped into his cell every day. He considered his question and looked around. "Depends, is my room still open?" He asked, looking over as he tugged at his "uniform" from The Lab. "I think I left most of my stuff here as they told me I'd be gone a month. You remember that, Jon... A month... A MONTH!" He said, over and over and his voice raising as the rage over what happened to him started to work its way to the surface.

 

[silvertongue217]

John frowned noting Peters lack of control and making a mental note to watch him. The young mad had anger which was to be expected... But how would it interact with his powers?

"We will make them pay Peter I promise" John said reaching out to put one hand on his shoulder and calm him "I wont let them take you again not under and pretense that much I promise you okay?"

"come on lets go get you to your room nothing was moved I promise I daresay it was untouched if I recall correctly"

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Feeling Jon's hand on his shoulder had a calming effect and Peter rubbed his forehead, feeling his frustration turn from rage to tears. He held them back as best he could and nodded as Jon started to lead him to his room. He leaned on his old friend and let a few sobs slip out as so man emotions were fighting for their time in Peter's mind. Sure enough, his room was exactly as he had left it. Seeing his old bed, Peter walked to it and flopped down, wrapping his arms around his trusty old pillow. Almost as soon as he found the bed, he passed out on it. He didn't even bother to say good-bye or ask about other plans. He just went dead asleep as all the tension finally left his body and he relaxed into an unbroken dreamless sleep.

 

[ADmiral3]

Romeo looked around his new environment. The teleportation had been strange, but the worst of the effect seemed to float past him. He had somehow instinctively stepped to the side, as he did during possession, but leaving his body oddly vacant instead. It was like all of the disturbing sensations had happened to some other body, and he was just an observer.

He waited for instructions on what he should do next. He thought it was likely that they were out of danger, but he still wasn't certain.

Going over to Romeo, Jordan gave his best, welcoming, smile.

He motioned for him to folow the rest of the group, and said, "Welcome to the moonbase! I'm kinda new here too, but if I know anything, then follow the others. There are plenty of bunks to get you settled into, and I'm sure that the Commander is eager to meet you!"

 

[silvertongue217]

COMMANDER POV

John sighed running a hand through his hair and looking at Peter. The poor kid had been through so much in a short amount of time. It was unfair what had happened to him.

And John felt a certain ammount of guilt about it

He shook his head dispelling that line of thought, it was not his fault what had happened. The poor kid had been kidnapped by the syndicate taken and used for medical experiments.

"I'll make you pay Jane" John murmured shaking his head. He moved down the hall finding his way to his bedroom and waiting for Siren to join him.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Avery heard the door to John's rooms open and close so she switched off the shower. She stepped out, shook out her wings and wrapped a towel around herself, and patted her hair down. She was still wet, but she didn't care. She was eager to see how John had fared on his mission.

When she opened the door she saw him standing at the far end of the room, so she padded over to join him.

"Your shower has always been better than mine, I figured you wouldn't mind if-" she stopped then, noticing the look on his face. She closed the distance between them, voice softening. "Hey, hey, what is it John?" She asked tenderly.

 

[silvertongue217]

"Oh its nothing" John said shaking his head and smiling at her "I just got Peter to his room he crashed poor guy was so opposite and I couldnt help but feel his pain"

He looked at her running his eyes up and down her frame before smirking in pleasure "I mean usually the Commander keeps his perks strictly to himself! However I think and exception can be made in your case"

"did you plan on staying in the towel all night?" John asked looking around and noticing a lack of clothing for her "or were you going to repurpose one of my shirts to?" He asked with a rare grin.

 

[Zagreus_D]

Romeo looked at Gregory and then at the other fellow... had they said his name? Romeo thought so, but he couldn't recall it.

"You say there are plenty of bunks? I'm... um... not trying to be greedy or anything, but could I have two? Two bunks? Is there someone I could direct a request to? It's just much nicer giving the lwa a space of their own, for the altar and all of their things, and I sleep better when they aren't sitting next to my bed all the time. I've made due with less space before. My first year at college I the mistake of dorming with a room-mate, and the lwa were shoved into a tiny closet... and then my room-mate decided to mess with their altar, and ended up drinking a swig of Piman, and got rushed to the emergency room, because he thought he had been poisoned. And then he filed a complaint with the school, and accused me of being a devil worshipper... not that there's anything wrong with devil worshippers, I guess... When Baron Samedi is in a bad mood I can't imagine there's much difference between him and the devil... but it took me three months of talking with a student diversity advocate, before the school agreed to move my room-mate into a different room, and then I made the mistake of moving the altar out of the closet and next to my bed and had insomnia for two weeks before I figured out the cause, so put them back into the closet."

Romeo realized that he was rambling at a very rapid pace, almost without breath. He was nervous and excited. Nervous because living in the closed quarters of the base and working on missions with The Defenders would require him explaining his relationship with the lwa to everyone around, which was something he had only previously done with his closest friends and, well... student diversity advocates. Excited because he was here, and was going to make a difference and, well... that rocks!

 

[SinisterSpiders]

"Oh its nothing" John said shaking his head and smiling at her "I just got Peter to his room he crashed poor guy was so opposite and I couldnt help but feel his pain"

He looked at her running his eyes up and down her frame before smirking in pleasure "I mean usually the Commander keeps his perks strictly to himself! However I think and exception can be made in your case"

"did you plan on staying in the towel all night?" John asked looking around and noticing a lack of clothing for her "or were you going to repurpose one of my shirts to?" He asked with a rare grin.

"Nah, repurposing your shirts would mean ruining it," Avery said with a laugh. She went over to the bathroom door and reached in, snatching up the clothed shd had brought earlier. "I'm glad you're willing ti make an exception or me. You used to, after all."

Avery sifted through her clothes, pulling on some panties under the privacy of the towel, then some pants. She dropped the towel, her breast on display, before putting one of her shirts on. She reached around her, securing the section on her back around her wings and then grinned up at John.

"So... Movies, huh?"

 

[silvertongue217]

"Just like old times right?" John said with a grin at her movie comment. Of course he had watched her the entire time and even starred hungrily at her as she got dressed. For once thought of Jane, the team, and even the voices in his head were gone instead he allowed him self to relax with his old friend lover and protege.

"If any one deserves some down time after all its us" John reminded her his alien suit morphing until it became a pair of simple pajama pants. His chest was bare and his muscles rippled as he walked over and flopped on his couch stretching out.

"Besides we havent had a movie night in years" He reminded her smirking

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Avery grinned at John's comment. When his suit changed into nothing but a pair of pyjama pants she shivered, eyes grazing over his naked torso. It almost undid her right then. She longed to reach out and run her fingers over those familiar muscles, so unchanged by the years. When he had settled down on the couch she walked over to join him. She slipped onto the seat too, leaning on her side so her wings could tuck comfortably behind her. She looked over at John and smiled.

"Yes, I missed my down time with you," she purred, before turning more serious. "So, what have you got for us?"

 

[silvertongue217]

"I thought I would let you pick out the movie" John said laughing "in honor of you coming back"

"Unless your talking about the mission that is" John said smiling softly "I suppose I should ask how yours went though im eager to unwind and not talk shop we can do that later tonight or in the morning"

John didnt realize that he implied she would be spending the night. He wasnt known for his tack or his social abilities. Instead he starred at her a small smile on his face as he handed her the remote.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

"No, no," Avery agreed,"if I tell you about my mission then we'll both be annoyed. No point in that. Nothing we cant tall about - later..." She trailed of, not commenting on his mention of the morning even though it had secretly thrilled her. She took the remote with a grin and started flicking through the options for movies and settled on something light and comedic.

"You must be in a good mood if you let me pick," she teased, handing back the remote once the movie had started.

 

[silvertongue217]

"meh more like happy to have you back as company" John said laughing and shaking his head settling in to watch the movie.

"I should have left with you guys instead of opting to stay on the moon base" John said half watching the movie as he instead studied her.

"then again I could have also asked you to stay" he said his eyes alight with amusement.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Avery was smiling at a joke in the movie, at least until John spoke of asking her to stay, or going to earth with her. A stab of hurt nestled in her chest and she looked over at him, refraining her urge to frown. When the Defenders had disbanded so had they. She could see that John was still in love with Jane and hurting from her betrayal, and she, being the type of person she was, didn't want to push him. So that had just left it, both too lost in their own musings and concerns to push anything. Avery had regretted that, not telling him how she felt, and she had wondered if he truly even missed her.

"That's a lot of should nd coulda," Avery said with a small shrug, "all things we can't change."

 

[silvertongue217]

"True enough" John said sighing and nodding looking back at the TV

"And we are back together now thats all that matters" John said glancing at her once more and debating his options. He reached out taking her hand and threading their fingers together as they watched the movie.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

John's words warmed her, yes, despite the odds they were back together now. Though what that would mean for them... She wanted to ask him, but as his fingers threaded through hers she didn't want to ruin the moment. So she chose to live in it, enjoying his warm strong hand in hers. About halfway through the movie she started to feel a bit tired, so with a yawn and a stretch she repositioned herself, leaning up against his side and resting her head on his shoulder. His skin was hot beneath hers, and she had to admit it was a little distracting.

 

[silvertongue217]

John smiled leaning in to kiss the top of her head. He reached out grabbing the blanket he kept around (even though he had no need for it). He wrapped it around the two of them effectively keeping her close to him. The movie began to wind down but John had no intention of moving so instead he selected another one to play and reached out. He wrapped his arms around her laying her on his chest as he relaxed.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

The kiss on her head, his arm around her, Avery sighed contentedly. It was better than she had remembered. When the movie ended John quickly put on a new one before she could offer to leave. It was nice, he clearly wanted her to stay even if he didn't ask directly. Beneath he warmth of the blanket and in the comfort of his arms her eyes grew heavy and she started to lose track of the plot. When one of the characters died, she missed it, only realising he was dead when she was the grave scene. She frowned and yawned, stretching against John with a small laugh.

"Bloody hell," she groaned, "I'd forgotten how tiring missions were." She sat up then, turning to smile at him and ignoring the movie. "I should probably go..." She trailed off, making no move to leave. She looked at him, drinking in the familiar sight and hating the thought of leaving.

 

[silvertongue217]

"Do you have to?" John asked in surprise his eyes widened "I mean you never used to" He reminded her folding his arms and raising an eyebrow as he regarded her.

"Unless of course things have changed" John said clearing his throat "and I misread things"

 

[SinisterSpiders]

John's uncertainty made her feel terrible. She wanted to stay, of course, but she didn't want to wear out her welcome. As he spoke she shook her head, remembering that he worked better with a more direct approach. Her question had been too tentative, and she hated that she made him doubt himself.

Instead if apologising, or explaining that things had not changed (for her at least) she decided to show him. Avery got to her knees on the lounge, leaning over until she was against him, his heat burning her through the thin tshirt she wore.

"Nothing's changed for me," she whispered, before catching his lips in a tentative yet promising kiss.

 

[silvertongue217]

Spectre POV

Spectre floated through the wall his body becoming solid once more as he cradled the girl they had rescued from the lab against his chest. He dropped to his feet moving over the medical table back against the wall and setting her down.

"Alright lets see whats going on with you" Spectre murmured waving his hand over the interface and activating the holo display. He set the machine to scan and turned letting it work as he studied the medical lab.

It was just as he remembered

He sighed shaking his head a happy smile crossing his mouth "It feels good to be back" He said to himself. His form changed going from his ghost form to his human. The act sent a throb of pain through his body and he gritted his teeth. The reminder of his pain and his condition faded.

But he knew it was still there

......................................

JOHN POV

John kissed her back sighing in pleasure. His hands large and strong and easily capable of breaking her touched her tenderly running down her back before finding her ass.

He pulled her up and onto his lap. His eyes sheer white still seemed to burn with an intensity as he kissed her once more deeply. Any one privy to the kiss could feel the love there and the tenderness. It was clear, clear that he loved and cared for her.

Even if he loved another

"Jane wouldnt like this"

John growled against her lips before deciding to ignore the voice. He continued to kiss Siren passionately eager for her and the closeness she provided.

"its to bad you cant give her your all not like with Jane"

"Shut up" John thought kissing Siren "Leave me be"

...........................

JOHNATHAN POV

The helicopter buzzed low over the smoking building of the research center kicking up dust and smoke as the Essex corporation picked over the rubble and counted their loses. The helicopter swung onto the landing pad before touching down and opening its doors.

The horseman came out their guns secured on their backs. Intel already told them that the Defenders were long gone.

That they had been to late

"Fan out" 217 the clone of John named Johnathan growled out to the rest of the horseman. They nodded picking their way across the rubble as they began to search for clues.

"You got away this time you bastard" Johnathan growled looking down at the clear handiwork of the real John.

"But im coming for you and when I deliver your head Jane will have no choice but to love me"

"no choice"

 

[Zagreus_D]

Romeo had gotten settled into his rooms and then went off on a quest for food. Gregory had given him directions. Three lefts and then a right. Right? Or had he missed a left?

He activated the door, fully expecting to see the kitchen on the other side, but instead he seemed to be at a medical room. He saw a man standing there. He stepped inside to ask for directions, but then he saw the girl laid out on the table, unconscious. He paused wondering if he ought to leave. "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't be here. Is she alright?"

The electronics in the room were flashing and beeping, probably doing some sort of high tech medical scan. Nibo could figure out what was wrong with the girl more efficiently than any machine, but then it might be rude to go in and try to take over, he was the new guy after all, and if this guy was a doctor he probably wouldn't take too kindly to Nibo's intuitive healing methods.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"