It is a brisk early evening in Manhattan, with the cool November air a reminder that winter is approaching. The city is as bustling as ever, with some people about their day-to-day business, some doing their holiday shopping, and others seeing the sights. Among those sights is Avengers Mansion - or, perhaps, the former Avengers Mansion, as it has sat empty since the Avengers were disbanded following the Battle of Washington*.
But if Avengers Mansion is now silent, New York City certainly has not fallen silent with it. Indeed, at this very moment, sirens are blaring as police cars race across Manhattan.
At the front of an electronics store, only a few blocks away, a display of televisions in the window has grabbed the attention of a small crowd, including, by pure chance, Hercules and Loki Laufeyson, each of whom had been considering getting dinner at the Chinese restaurant across the street. On the screen is Amelia Blaine, Channel 12 News:
"I'm here outside Werther's Bank, where police say that Max Dillon, the supervillain known as Electro, has holed himself up with several associates. It is believed that close to two dozen hostages are also being held in the bank. Police have surrounded the building and are currently waiting for Dillon's demands."
Across town, in a small building made up like a private clinic, the masked woman known only as Night Nurse is shaking her head at the same news report. "That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Somebody's gotta do something about it. And I guess we better be ready to put them back together after, hmm?" She turns, expecting to see Sleeper behind her.
Meanwhile, another figure is already closer to the action than any of these three. About thirty stories up, on top of the building housing Werther's Bank, is a lone man who had been looking for a quiet place to be alone with his thoughts. Unfortunately, with the action below, Kaine suddenly finds it not to be such a quiet place after all.
*See Avengers vs X-Men II
Doom: 2D6