Masks: A New Generation of Heroes

Game Master Cwethan

Wingblade doesn't really follow Haxor's conversation with himself, not being very familiar with computers. Her version of "hacking" involves using her metallic wings repeatedly at a target.

She follows the one who runs back to the stuck copies, watching intently and staying wary.

Then Imagine floats down and touches the impaled Haxor. Wingblade's hands fly to her mouth in shock, the words and admonishments of Whippoorwill swirling in her mind.

"Imagine! Your list--!" she starts, not really knowing what to say, but feeling the crushing disapproval of her mentor distantly.

No moves at this point, need to see how things develop.

So was I just written out of the dang story then? I thought I did port him out of the post.

My apologies! When I wrote "the impaled Haxor", I was describing him in the past tense (to distinguish him from the other duplicates). I should have written, "the Haxor who had been impaled," since it does sound like he was still in the post the way I wrote it. Sorry again for the confusion!

Please remember that you still have your conditions and should act like you have those conditions until you clear the requirements to get rid of them. The following is a guide:

Clearing Conditions
You can always clear a condition by taking a certain action. At the end of any scene in which you take the corresponding action, clear that condition.
• To clear Angry, hurt someone or break something important.
• To clear Afraid, run from something difficult.
• To clear Guilty, make a sacrifice
to absolve your guilt.
• To clear Hopeless, fling yourself into easy relief.
• To clear Insecure, take foolhardy action without talking to your team.
You can also clear a condition when someone else comforts or supports you, or when you defend someone.

That's a miss Tectonic, mark potential

Okay...picking up where we left off with the agreed upon changes. Let's go!

Tectonic tries to pin the other Haxor, but her fury clouds her focus and instead of calling the power of the earth to a single spot, she ends up sending cracks along the entire street damaging the infrastructure greatly.

There's a moment of shock and horror as everyone is about to watch Imagine execute one of the Haxors. She begins to speak as she readies her mindbolt when suddenly....

Wham!

She is side tackles by a man off the Haxor, and they both skid to the street. The man who tackled her is panting heavily, his jeans ripped on the concrete, and his glasses knocked askew by the impact of the blow. He's sweating heavily, but a look of relief crosses his face.

"What do you think you're doing!?" he shouts at Imagine, an incredulous expression on his face.

cue Imagine's explanation.

"I don't know what kind of culture you come from, but here on Earth that's a big no-no. And look, he's not dying, he's just in pain."

It's true, the Haxor is moaning still, but that must be due to his low pain tolerance rather than any life threatening injuries. And then for a split second a ripple seems to wash over him and he disappears.

The Haxor that returned stares in disbelief as his fingers press keys in the air

"It worked...." he mumbles, a smile on his face. before quickly continuing his coding. Before anyone can reach him, he presses the final key, launching the code, and sending ripples through himself.

"Later losers...." his voice fades off as he disappears.

===============================

The aftermath of the fight is a bit hectic.

Ghost Dragon is approached by local law enforcement for a statement on what happened. Officer Eriks hears him give a recount of the event, and shakes his head.

"And I thought you were one of the good ones, had everything on lock. And this was a small mistake?"

An Adult is trying to shift your Savior down and Danger up. You can accept it, or try and reject it.

===============================

Tectonic Deputy Atoms, and Eldritch are resting on the curb, or more accurately Tectonic is watching out of Eldritch as he is still blinded by his own power.

"What a freak..." you hear someone in the crowd say. Glancing up you can see a middle-aged woman in a suit speaking to a colleague. She notices Tectonic looking at her but continues.

"This is going to be how much of our tax money? Just because some teenage girl threw a fit?"

An Adult is trying to shift your Mundane down and Freak up. You can accept it, or try and reject it.

Eldritch, you can technically try and Defend her here, as per the move.

===============================

Imagine, Wingblade, Hashtag, and Tycho are getting a very serious talking to from the hero "Foresight," the average looking man who tackled Imagine before. He's not as well known, and that's mainly because of his power. He can see into certain events in the future, but that also eliminates a lot of his presence in the present.

Having successfully convinced Imagine of her near-wrongdoing, he sighs as he looks at all of you, mini powerhouses trying to play in an adult's world.

"Are you all certain you want to do the superhero thing? I mean, we live in a great world! There's no shame in enjoying a normal life."

An adult, trying to shift all of your Mundane up and your superior down.

===============================

Remember, someone having influence on you isn't a bad thing, but if you wan to reject it you can do this.

REJECTING INFLUENCE
When you reject someone’s In uence, roll. On a hit, you successfully hold to yourself and tune them out. On a 10+, choose two. On a 7-9, choose one.
• clear a condition or mark potential by immediately acting to prove them wrong
• shift one Label up and one Label down, your choice
• cancel their In uence and take +1 forward against them
On a miss, their words hit you hard. Mark a condition, and the GM adjusts your Labels.

To cover this really quickly:

Tycho crawls out from under the car with a loud "Owww!"

"What did I miss?" he says, as he sees everyone standing around looking seriously.

Afterwards:

Tycho gives the man lecturing him a stern look and shouts "You don't understand! I can't ever be normal! You don't even know me, but you think you have the right to lecture me on how to live my life?" he will then storm off, putting his fist through a mailbox as he does.

Obviously trying to reject his influence, because Who does he think he is!

2d6 ⇒ (4, 5) = 9

I will shift up freak and down mundane.

Wingblade listens to this guy who came out of nowhere, and blinks in disbelief at what he is saying. She looks around at the damage from the battle and the onlookers still gawking at minimum safe distance. She sweeps her arms out and her wings fan out in a similar gesture.

Reject: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 2) = 7

Following on the heels of Tycho's rant, the mailbox hasn't hit the ground before she's speaking. You're kidding, right? We were the ones attacked! You think we have a choice about living a normal life? Oh, what an idea! I think I'll take the subway home -- oh, wait! They have metal detectors! I guess I'll just have to fly home like a normal person doesn't!"

I think I'll shift my Mundane down and raise my Freak after that little rant.

She spins on her heel and walks a few paces away, folding her arms and fuming. "I'm gonna need a new backpack," she mutters under her breath.

High five to Wingblade, for having the exact same idea I did. =D

Tectonic stares at her hands, the images still swimming through her mind.

"Kill him," Daddy said. Daddy was always right. He said so. But the man in front of him held his chin up. His costume was tattered and torn, but his eyes were shining with something. "He's not bad," Tectonic protested. Daddy smacked her. It hurt. "Kill him." And the man whispered, "Stay strong, child," and she screamed, "I WON'T!" and Daddy shot him between the eyes. Daddy smacked her again, and said, "Clean this up," before leaving.

She closed her eyes tight, and forced them out of her mind.

Resist: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 5) = 10

I feel like I cleared Angry by lashing out verbally at Haxor.

Choosing to clear Afraid and to shift Danger up and Freak down, since Tectonic feels like she put everyone in danger because of her powers.

At the woman's snide comment, Tectonic opens her eyes and looks at the woman. Her eyes are no longer blazing with wrath, or black with fear. "You're really talking about tax dollars and how I threw a tantrum right now? When a kid started spraying lasers everywhere, and throwing cars? You should be focusing on helping the people he hurt, not standing around and gossiping about how horrible a job we did trying to take him down. Go. Just... go."

Hashtag is not interested in what the man has to say, even though he did technically save a guy's life. His 'high' from having fun with friends fading, he rolls his eyes.

I say to thee, REJECTED!: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7

"Sure thing, pops." Hashtag exclaims after the other two violently objects to his words. He lights up a new smoke and remains sitting on the curb, not even making eye contact with Foresight, instead, looking over the crowd. "We could have lived a normal life. I'd go back to a foster home so they could beat me some more, maybe even break my arm again... hell, I could even forget how to use my powers..."

He looks up. "Or maybe instead, I would decide to go pop my mother out of jail and take up the 'family' business?! You want that, huh?" Hashtag stands, flicking his cigarette away.

"For a dude who sees the future, you don't see much." he sneers, his voice even. Hashtag turns and walks down an alleyway.

I am going to shift Mundane down 1, and savior up 1, since I rejected the option to be more normal, and decided to stay at this thing, where I could help people.

Ghost Dragon stood there as he gave the statement, still thinking about what he'd accidentally done, when the officer's words cut through his thoughts.

Resist: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 5) = 11

"Yes, it was a small mistake. Tell me, are you familiar with the ability to walk through walls? To phase items through others? No? Then let me tell you something. It isn't easy. You lose concentration at the wrong time, you could get yourself stuck in the wall. You could lose an arm, a leg, or kill yourself. Now was I trying to impale the duplicate of the guy who attacked us on the street lamp? No. I was trying to prevent him from flinging cars that might hit civilians. So, yes, I am one of the good ones. Haxor came out of nowhere to attack us for some street cred. We defended ourselves, and while pulling the duplicate through the street lamp was an accident, it was still self-defense."

Ghost Dragon stands there, defiant, looking the officer in the eye.

I am going to shift Savior up and Danger down. I will also take +1 forward against Officer Eriks.

As Foresight berates her, Imagine shakes her head, not quite comprehending what she's being told.

'So, even though <Asailant: Haxor> was engaged in:
Crime: Assault
Crime: Reckless Endangerment
Crime: Vehicular Assault
Crime: Battery
Crime: Attempted Manslaughter
Crime: Premeditated Attempted Murder
Crime: Battery of a Minor
Crime: Grand Theft: Auto
Crime: Use of a Stolen Vehicle in an Unlawful Act
Crime: Use of Vehicle without Valid Drivers License

I...I don't understand.'

Resist: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 1) = 4
[ooc]Shifted and condition: Hopeless.

She hangs her head, despondent that she'll ever be able to understand the ways of these strange Earlthlings.

'If throwing cars at people is your way of things, I...I shall try to do as you say.'

She hangs her head and mopes over to a nearby car. She tries to throw it, but her small frame can hardly budge it.

She sinks to her knees.

Wingblade's own sour mood is interrupted when she sees Imagine's distress. Feeling incredibly ill-equipped for what she's about to do, she walks up to her and touches her shoulder.

"Hey. Feel like going for a fly?" She coaxes the outsider to take flight.

Once in the air, she keeps an easy pace. "Look, I know you're confused, but people here don't get to come back after they die. Some believe they go to a better place based on how they lived, but they still just get this life. There's no coming back. Except for Adams..."

She reaches out to touch Imagine's arm, keeping her wings clear by gliding and catching updrafts. "That's why it's so important to try to save people here, and now. They only get this life."

Comfort (Mundane): 2d6 - 1 + 1 ⇒ (3, 4) - 1 + 1 = 7

Condition(s): None

Deputy Atoms wasn't so much resting as he was surveying the damage, and not just of the city street, but the hurt inflicted on his teammates, and even on himself.

He looks first at Eldritch, who he was sitting next to. Something had happened to the scintillating sorcerer, but whatever it was was totally out of everyone's depth. It was a magic thing and Atoms didn't really understand it. He didn't know what to say or do but sit beside the guy and give him a pat on the back.

"You did good, man," started Atoms. "I think the wall you put up at the start stopped any civvies from getting hit by Haxor's blasts. And, uh, the thing you did with the ground was pretty on point, and lucky too. I jumped to get over it and it put me in the perfect position to catch Wingblade. Honestly, this whole thing would've gone a lot worse if you weren't here. So... Thanks, man. I'm glad you're with us."
@Eldritch: HEY, SINCE WE'RE NOT GETTING YELLED AT. DO YOU WANT TO SHARE A TRIUMPHANT CELEBRATION WITH ME?

Atoms sticks around long enough to finish the conversation with Eldritch (in a later post), and as he does so, he continues to idly pick off any bits of cloth from the Mylo Ren costume that are still on him. Though admittedly, there wasn't much left of it after catching Wingblade, her razorfeathers having sliced it to bits when she practically leapt out of his arms. It was a little sad, considering the excitement of buying the costume and wearing it to the movie, but what really bothered Atoms was the fact that she hadn't thanked or even acknowledged him. He figured she didn't mean anything by it, but he couldn't help but feel like a ghost; less than human, not worthy of anyone's time; because of it.

"Which is appropriate, I guess," thought The Deputy. "This is a thankless job. Only the people I serve and protect are supposed to matter. And I suppose I am a ghost in some ways."

Speaking of ghosts, the team's very own Ghost Dragon was talking to the police. It didn't seem to be going all that well, but Deputy Atoms wasn't about to step in and get asked about why he called himself a 'deputy' despite not being a member of law enforcement. He could do without a police impersonation charge. Unfortunately, that meant Ghost Dragon was on his own for now, at least until Deputy Atoms could think of a new name.

Atoms focused his attention on the others. Wingblade and Hashtag had stormed off after arguing with Foresight; North Star had gone off, causing more property damage as he went angrily down the street; and Tectonic and Imagine were somewhat despondent and standing by themselves. It wasn't the best way to conclude an afternoon at the movies. He himself wanted to leave and be alone to think, but Atoms knew there was still work to be done. The Deputy would not be stopped.

Though Wingblade beat him to it, Imagine is the first to be approached by Deputy Atoms. He was shocked at what the adorable alien attempted to do to Haxor, but it was clear to everyone now that it was just a misunderstanding. Her people were different. It was also hard to stay mad at someone who was so irresistibly cute.

"It's okay, Imagine. We were in the right, you just forgot, 'Crime: Unlawful Use of Deadly Force' and 'Law: Fleeing felon rule' in the heat of the moment." Atoms did his best to speak in terms that she understood. He wanted to help her learn and more importantly, give her support. "I know you were trying to be merciful, but that's a decision for a medical professional to make. Not us.

COMFORT OR SUPPORT (+ Mundane, + Influence): 2d6 ⇒ (5, 5) = 10
Add Team

The Deputy intended to offer to walk Imagine home, wherever she lived (he realized now that he wasn't actually sure). But with Wingblade here, that was no longer necessary; Imagine would be safer in the air. The Deputy gives Wingblade a small nod, "You two go. I'll finish up here and make sure the rest of the group gets home safe." Then he turns on his heels, rather abruptly, and walks away.

Next, Tectonic is approached by The Deputy. He taps his hand against the rocks still covering her form. This time when Atoms speaks, it's simple and short, "Hey. Lets get out of here." It was all he could offer at the moment, though he wanted to say more. Tectonic looked tired, and Atoms wasn't surprised. Things had gotten pretty emotional for her during the fight, and she had fought harder than anyone. The Deputy was tired too, but not physically, instead emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

For once, the inexhaustible Deputy was beginning to look exhausted.

Ghost Dragon is next, and Atoms is loathe to approach him. Not because of the young man himself, but because of the officer across from him. The Deputy had great respect for the emergency services, and he would always submit himself to the authority of the law, but seeing a police officer always reminded him of the life he lost. He almost wants to introduce himself as Shaun Adams, as he almost doesn't see the point in hiding it, but thankfully he keeps his secret identity intact and thinks of a new name before he speaks.

"Officer Eriks. My name is AtomiCop." It was a dumb name, 'AtomiCop', in The Deputy's opinion, but it was a spur of the moment thing. "I would like to help with the clean-up. If these other guys are clear to leave, they need to get back to their families." He lightly jabs Ghost Dragon with his elbow, now speaking to him. "Can you make sure Eldritch and Tectonic get home okay?"

Imagine nods at Wingblade's offer, and stands up.

She's getting her bearings ready for anti-grav motivation when Atoms approaches her with clarification. Imagine spends some time in quite contemplation before mind-speaking a reply.

Imagine steps closer to The Transformed and places a warm, alabaster hand on his chest. 'Gratitude. I shall---catch you later, water-based reptile.'

She nods readiness to Wingblade and takes to the air with her.
'So, you're saying that after they leave the body-shell, they become ephemeral spirit-based entities? Do they still hold government positions? The Council of Elders is a collection of Thought-Crystals of our wisest minds who have given up Re-Manifestation so they may concentrate on matters of wisdom. They have an equal say in Government.
Are your rulers much the same?'

"Uhh, no. Wherever they go, they're done with this world. Their bodies are either buried or cremated, and that's it. They're dead. Dead means dead. Do you understand?"

She struggles a bit, worried that she's not successfully getting her point across. "Look, Whippoorwill -- the hero who trained me -- she has a list. All the people she killed or failed to save. It's her list of regrets. I have one too. Everyone has one, I guess. Don't -- don't add to it. Since you can't ever take a name off, since they don't come back."

This may be a team move, giving a secret of my mentor. I can give Imagine influence over me and add a team to the pool.

Eldritch sat on the curb, the sounds of the world all around him, but all he could see was fire. There were shapes in that perpetual, blue flame that encompassed all of his vision. "Idiot. I blinded myself, what good am I if I blind myself?" He was mentally beating himself up, still frustrated that he couldn't have done more somehow there. Maybe he should've been more aggressive, he could've put down that hacking hackjob anytime in that fight. Next time, he'd show him just how different their playing fields were.

"What?" Eldritch says with a bit more anger in his tone then he means to, the apology already forming on his voice when he recognizes Deputy Atoms's voice. The image of that dot and circle burned into Eldritch's sight, another sign of weakness there.

"I did things Tectonic could do, I just didn't want any to get hurt. Isn't it a police thing, to have a clear firing range? Was aiming for that before...everything happened." There was a small but nervous chuckle as Eldritch thought of Haxor. At least things went well, though he could hear what was happening. "Man, what if Foresight wasn't there? If he wasn't, I couldn't do anything to have stopped her. I need to pull this shit together." Eldritch pops out of his distracting thoughts, smiling where he heard Atoms was a moment ago. "You were badass too, man. Catching Wingblade like that? I'd be ribbons otherwise, you handled it like no problem. Sorry about the costume. If you want, I can take it and try stitching it together? I got some experience with patchjobs. Won't be pretty...need to be able to see again as well...still though..."

Eldritch would eerily look in Atom's face, despite his blindness. The blue flames burned out of them, rising like wisps. It was an eerie sight to behold as the sorcerer spoke. "You sure it wasn't too much? I wasn't trying too much there?"

Hells yeah, triumphant celebration! The last is a variation on the "do I see fear in your eyes?" question for mine. If Eldritch hears the fear in his voice, I'll take that instead. If not, marking potential and taking that +1 forward.

The arguement between Foresight and the others seem to be going to exactly how Eldritch thought it would go. Poor guy was trying to do his job but they weren't the type to be talked down to at all, especially Vick. Yet that was interrupted when he heard the woman speaking about both himself and Tectonic. He was used to the words, he was used to the stares, they happened before he had ever been given his power. She went through hell and back and still tried to do good! She still fought for them when she didn't owe them a damn thing!

Turning his head towards the woman and listening to Tectonic, Eldritch would nod and speak in a low voice.

"This teenage girl has been through hell and back. You want something to complain about, go back home and watch American Idol and try to think the polls aren't rigged." The growl is apparent in Eldritch's voice, as his hand rests on Tectonic's shoulder for support and to know where she was. "If it wasn't us, it'd be someone else he tried to make an example of. Just be happy it isn't you."

Defend Other: 2d6 + 0 + 1 ⇒ (6, 3) + 0 + 1 = 10

Going to take the +1 forward to bump that up to a 10. Will clear the condition of Angry and take Influence over Tectonic.

Eldritch seems to give the earth girl's shoulder a squeeze, smirking at her. "My homeroom teacher said the same thing when I showed up to class wearing black lipstick, don't let it bother you." There was an attempt at mirth before he really laughed, shaking his head. "I seriously can't see, this is so stupid..."

As Tycho leaves the scene of the crime, he starts to run. He doesn't intend to, but his inhuman speed kicks in and the next thing he knows he he hits a rock that he missed. As he came to a painful, crashing, halting stop, he noticed a few things: 1) tripping at about 100 mph REALLY HURT, 2) he was in the hills above the city, where the really expensive homes were, and 3) he had kicked the rock he tripped over through the picture window of one of those expensive houses and there was now screaming coming from inside.

Going to clear Angry by breaking something important. I'll leave it to you to decide what.

Tectonic nods. "Thanks," she says simply, "both of you." She then gives a small smile to them, then turns towards the direction of the Clocktower. "Yeah. Let's head back."

Whoops! When I talked about my people I was trying to Not So Different After All. But I forgot to roll! Can I roll now?
NSDA: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (4, 2) + 1 = 7
Okay, for NSDA I'll clear a condition, and for Wingblade's Comfort, I'll mark potential.

As Wingblade speaks about death, and the lessons from her own master, Imagine starts to calm down. Realizing that this current version of Earth is populated by such people as her helps to restore her confidence that, somehow, her mission to defend the universe, in the future, will succeed.

'Ah. I understand. All your rulers are cremated, so it is bad to body-death the Haxor since he will become a leader then. I shall take that into account.'

'On͠lin̵e͏?
̵A̵ff͏.́
͡E͞a͏rth̸ ͏may b́e͠ ̷dif̕fi͝c͠ul̀t͟ ̷a͏s̸ a̴l̛l͘ lea̸de̷rs̵ ͠are br̴ain-͞de̴a̵d.̀ ̢W̢i̕l̀l̴ c̨onti҉n͟ue͠ ̸t́o invest̡i̢ga̢te.̀
̕Aff͏. Gr͜a͞t̢i̡tude P̷r͟in͟c̨es͟s.̸'

Tectonic pauses. "Wait." She then turns to Atoms and Eldritch. "Am I the only one who's wondering how Haxor knew what we looked like in civvies? And how he found us?"

Eldritch pauses for a moment as he walks with Tectonic and Atoms, switching which one he is holding onto for the moment. They're still too deep in town, the Clocktower would be a better place to repair his eyes.

The question does make him frown though, as he looks down at himself. "Well...I don't really wear a costume, you know. But the sigils don't burn until I start using my power. So maybe it was me then..."

Tectonic shakes her head. "I don't wear a costume either-although you'd be surprised how hard it is to recognize somebody when they're not covered in a bunch of rock-but he seemed to recognize Wingblade, Dragon, even Atoms in the suit. Something's off with that. I don't like it."

Eldritch let out a quick chuckle, nodding for a bit before he frowned. She was right, he seemed to know exactly who they were.

"Maybe...I don't know...someone told him about us? After that whole shebang with your parents, I know a lot of people were upset at us."

Tectonic nods thoughtfully. "Yeah... Haxor doesn't exactly strike me as hard to manipulate. Considering the kind of collateral damage that he was trying to cause there, it looks like somebody was trying to draw us out into the open, shine a spotlight on us. I don't think Barney and Jill would strike so soon, though. It's probably somebody else."

As Wingblade speaks about death, and the lessons from her own master, Imagine starts to calm down. Realizing that this current version of Earth is populated by such people as her helps to restore her confidence that, somehow, her mission to defend the universe, in the future, will succeed.

'Ah. I understand. All your rulers are cremated, so it is bad to body-death the Haxor since he will become a leader then. I shall take that into account.'

"Huh? No, he wouldn't-- Look, no one leads after they're dead. That's it. It's final. Although I'm still not entirely sure why everyone's making such a big deal about Haxor since he just made three extra copies of himself -- I don't know if killing a clone is as bad as killing someone who's only got one of himself. It doesn't seem like it would be."

She settles into an uncomfortable silence, mulling over the fight and wondering if she should talk to Whippoorwill about that. Although, given the fact that they probably made the news, she might be calling her anyway.

"Hey, I don't know if you want to rejoin the others, but I'm going to fly on home. I'll see you whenever you decide to stop by. I'll leave the south entrance open."

==========

Wingblade then puts her metallic wings to work, pushing herself as fast as she can go. She weaves in and through the buildings as the wind whistles in her ears. She stays low, skimming rooftops and dipping below the elevated rails to make it hard for any possible tracking to stay with her. Eventually, she works her way into the Old Town of Halcyon City, with its more gothic-styled architecture and narrower streets and alleys. Flying was more difficult in this section, since the buildings were closer together and had many looming gargoyles and other embellishments. Wingblade loves it.

The clock tower finally appears, standing ominously against the other stone buildings in Old Town. Her mentor explained that it was hers, donated to her by a grateful benefactor and then snarled into a legal nightmare with the Old Town Historical Society -- on purpose. That way, the Clock Tower remained an iconic feature that was untouched by the modern age, or so it seemed.

Whippoorwill's friend Whetstone had made some improvements to the interior. Although it looked like it could be condemned from the outside, its interiors were actually very livable, if maybe a little creepy. A state-of-the-art security system prevented unauthorized access by anyone trying to gain entry through any of the secret entrances in the roof, street level and sewer levels, but the "public" entrances were full of rickety staircases and barricades.

Wingblade streaks across the space between one seedy alley and the tower, touching a button on her earpiece. A disguised panel on the east face of the tower just below the VI opens, and she shoots through into the tower. A nightmare tangle of clockwork gears looks to discourage any invader, but Wingblade, knowing the pattern by heart, dances through the teeth and swinging pendulums effortlessly and arrives in the livable space within the interior. She lands hard on the reinforced floor, stands up and her wings fold up behind her.

She heads over to the kitchenette and pulls out a box of frozen waffles from the icebox. Not bothering to heat them up, she starts munching as she sits down at the table, wondering what's going to happen next.

Condition(s): None

@Imagine: Atoms probably could have worded that better xD What have I done
The Deputy makes a mental note to clarify what he meant the next time they're together.

[TRIUMPHANTCELEBRATION]

"You were badass too, man. Catching Wingblade like that? I'd be ribbons otherwise, you handled it like no problem. Sorry about the costume. If you want, I can take it and try stitching it together? I got some experience with patchjobs. Won't be pretty...need to be able to see again as well...still though..."

Atoms might have blushed at such praise, if he was still able to. It was a rare thing, a nice thing. He hadn't considered being cut by Wingblade's bladewings when he caught her, but now that he thought about it, no one else on the team could have done it as safely as he did.

@DM Default: I'll mark Potential for the praise.

"Heh. It's fine. Don't worry about the costume." Atoms looks at some of the destruction around him, noting the concrete and debris loosed by Tectonic, the cars thrown by Haxor, the mail-box punched in by North Star, and the damaged wall of the building that he himself used as a springboard to catch Wingblade. He considers asking Eldritch to come back later—once he can see again—and work together with the rest of the group to fix some of the damage from the fight, but the idea of the team somehow making things worse puts him off it. The Deputy had not forgotten the staggering amount of property damage that happened when the team first came together, and although everyone had grown since then, he wasn't looking for a repeat.

"You sure it wasn't too much? I wasn't trying too much there?"

"Uh..." He thinks about this for a moment, as he's not too sure what Eldritch means. "I don't think you were trying too hard." A couple seconds of silence pass before he realizes that Eldritch is talking about using too much magic and losing control, like the time when the sorcerer put the target on The Deputy's chest. "As for too much, well man, it's like I said, the ground thing was on point. I don't know much about your powers, but it sure seemed to be the right thing at the right time."

He wished that they could talk more about Eldritch's abilities, but the middle of the street after a crisis wasn't a good place.

@Eldritch No fear, so you're good with the +1 forward and marking potential
[/TRIUMPHANT CELEBETRATION]

Once the group has moved away from the scene, no longer being directly observed by the police and Mr. "I saw that coming." in particular, Hashtag will seem to melt out of a dark alley and rejoin the group. He pops the collar of his jacket, runs a hand through his fauxhawk and groan.

"Maaaaan... what a buzzkill. How'd that twerp know where'd we be?" he complains. "Like... he was fun to hang out with when I was going to that trashy middle school, but... gyah. Looks like he got stuck in the 80's! Am I right?"

Hashtag doesn't seem to be addressing anyone in particular. He looks over to Ghost Dragon and grins mischeviously. "Un-splinching that copy though... that was cool, right?" he asks. "At least we can keep each other out of the walls in case we trip, right? Great moves though, as much as some people think we f!+#ed up, I think our borked maneuver got the fight to stop rightaway."

Attempting Triumphant celebration with Ghost Dragon!

Tectonic and TYcho, Clearing conditions always has to involve something/someone important to your character. Tectonic, unless Haxor meant a lot to you than I think he does, you've got to hurt someone else. Someone you care about to some degree. Tycho, you really don't want me to pick for you, I will make you regret that decision if you do.

Team pool will end at the end of this scene, FYI

Foresight does his best not to flinch as he's being yelled at by some very powerful, but young heroes. He knew none of you would actually lash out physically at him, but as his powerset only consists of seeing parts of the future, he is still very much human. A few beads of sweat start to form on his forehead, more from nervousness and stress than physical exertion.

"I was just trying to help..." he mumbles to himself sadly, as he looks around at the damage. He sighs, and resigns himself to catch a taxi back to his team's base to start the paperwork process.

=================================

The business woman seems flustered at Tectonic's remarks, but she doesn't back down.

"Right, because what the injured need is a vice-president of sales to patch them up right?"

She pulls out her smartphone, brushing you off, surveys the scene once more, and walks off in the other direction.

=================================

Officer Eriks stares you down Ghost Dragon. It is actually a decent chunk of time, but eventually he sighs and nods slightly.

"Alright, alright. My bad." he confesses. "The higher ups at the station are getting a bit antsy about teenage supers running around, so having you do something like this means they get to slap a big plate of "I told you so" right back in my face."

He rubs his face, groaning a bit, thinking of what's waiting for him after he fills out his report.

"Look, you look like hell. Get some rest. I'll take it over from here."

=================================

Wingblade decides to get some alone time, and streaks off on her own. As she wonders about the next events of the day, her answer strolls into the room.

She's beautiful, in that eerily superior away, sometimes as distant as Imagine, an actual alien. She looks at you, an in an instant, you know that she's already aware of what occurred today.

With a single facial motion, she communicates a question.

"So.....?"

=================================

This *episode* is drawing to a close, feel free to make your characters scarce/ finish out your scenes.

Ghost Dragon takes a deep breath, knowing that being angry at the Officer isn't going to help.

"Thanks, Officer. And for what it's worth, I know you're doing your job."

Ghost Dragon nods to Deputy Atoms' request and heads out with the others. At Hashtag's arrival, he shrugs and says, "Who knows? He can hack reality, maybe he hacked our location. It just wasn't something I needed to deal with tonight."

He smiles. "Yeah, unsplinching that duplicate was pretty cool. I don't know how you did it, but it definitely saved my butt."

Joining in Triumphant Celebration with Hashtag and saying he's cool.

Wingblade looks up, trying to read Whippoorwill's expression and being unable. That sparked a level of irritation that she could not ignore. "So, I liked a couple of the characters, but the giant space weapon didn't make any sense. How could people on one planet see it blow up one in another solar system?"

She smirks in defiance, then adds, "Oh, and there was this guy who attacked us after the movie for no reason."

Eldritch would finally make it home, turning towards the others with an embarrassed smile on his face. "Thanks guys. I should have it from here. I'll see you all later" Quietly, he made his way up the porch steps of the rather mundane, Victorian style house in the suburbs before heading inside.

The place was dark, no lights were left on nor anyone waiting. It wasn't like Eldritch could see yet but a heaviness wore on him. This place didn't feel like home anymore. His mother had grown distant, confused about what had happened to her "little baby boy". His sister...his sister was just afraid of him. He couldn't even fault her on her fear either, not after what he did.

There was no welcoming, no question about the movies as he made his way upstairs. There was no teases about the girls he hung out with or whether any of his friends wore a color other than black tonight. Pulling down the small ladder, he'd climb up into the renovated attic that was his bedroom.

Laying upon the bed, he stared up at nothing but the blue flames before smiling softly to himself. "Wasn't so bad of a night, considering it all. Well...time to get to work."

He would focus, his hands tracing glyphs and symbols into the ground to help focus his powers. Like threading a needle, he'd spend the night trying to undo the damage he had done.

Condition(s): Time to clean up!

I like to imagine that Foresight was the guy that Wingblade saved from the car. He knew something was going to go down and waited for potentially hours in the parked car by the side of the road. That's how he got there so quick and tackled Imagine out of nowhere.

Before approaching Ghost Dragon and the police officer he's talking to, Atoms feels compelled to catch up to Foresight and say a few words. He has too great a respect for Halcyon's paragons to just let him walk away. Who knows what would've happened if he didn't stop Imagine? Even though Atoms was a little exhausted from talking to all these people, he kind of sets himself on autopilot for this. He would thank him like any other veteran; something Atoms often did when he was still Shaun Adams.

"Excuse me, sir," Atoms briefly paused to salute him, "Thank you for your service."

Then the following happens from my other post.

The Deputy had great respect for the emergency services, and he would always submit himself to the authority of the law, but seeing a police officer always reminded him of the life he lost. He almost wants to introduce himself as Shaun Adams, as he almost doesn't see the point in hiding it, but thankfully he keeps his secret identity intact and thinks of a new name before he speaks.

"Officer Eriks. My name is AtomiCop." It was a dumb name, 'AtomiCop', in The Deputy's opinion, but it was a spur of the moment thing. "I would like to help with the clean-up. If these other guys are clear to leave, they need to get back to their families." He lightly jabs Ghost Dragon with his elbow, now speaking to him. "Can you make sure Eldritch and Tectonic get home okay?"

Deputy Atoms waves for the other members of the team to go on without him.

It's fine DM Default. I did set things up for tragedy.

Just realized I'm using my Triumphant Celebration move by saying Hashtag is awesome, so I add a Team to the pool.

The next morning at school, Imagine comes up to Eldrich.

Like, right up to him. Her nose is almost in his ear and he can smell her breath. It's an odd mix of Italian seasoning and lilacs.

"Have you...ever..." she begins, haltingly.

"seen a...

...book?"

Eldritch was going through his locker, his eyes having finally returned back to normal though his vision still felt blurry at times. It was almost mundane as he closed the locker just before Imagine was suddenly upon him. He almost jumped as she began to whisper into his ear, the smell of her breath a strange but not entirely unpleasant mixture.

He stares at her for a good long second, not sure if she really is meaning her question or if she had recently discovered sarcasm and trolling and was merely putting it to the test.

"Like...just a book? Any regular book?" If she nodded, he'd wave for her to follow him as he made his way through the hallways. Certainly there were stares, there was the strange girl from the future and the weird goth kid. Victor had even said that he tried to throw blood on him or something one day after school. There were also the rumors that Imagine had tried to kill someone last night too.

Kenneth didn't seem to pay them any mind, his hand slipped into the pockets of his skinny jeans as he opened the door to the library and gestured her to go in. "Ladies first."

There were books everywhere, books of every design and every shape and size, fiction and nonfiction. He would step in with her, a small smirk as he watched her. She was always such a strange one but she was also adorably naive. If he was more of an a*~$$&*, she'd be a hell of a mark. Instead, he felt oddly protective of her even as she ooo'd an ahhh'd over their "ancient" ways.

"What kind of book you looking for?"

Hashtag looks up from his stack of comic books, propped up in the windowsill of the library as he was, and roll his eyes. Technically, he's supposed to be reading his textbook, but he 'accidentally' left it at home.

He rubs at his eyes, trying to not look tired. In reality, he spent hours last night trying to repeat the trick he did during that fight, to no avail. Numerous pencils stood out of the surface of his desk like a small rubber-tipped forest in his room. Not that it was a very big room, or desk, or he had many pencils... and his foster parents would yell at him again if they found out, but... he had to try to prove he could do it again.

Still... he was glad he did it once. He proved it *could* work. Made him feel a little better in case he managed to do something stupid.

Imagine allowed herself to be lead, her emotions a confused pointillism of joy and confusion. And curiosity. Always curiosity. The question itself was surreal. But she had to start somewhere.

Her feet don't -quite- touch the ground as she pantomimes walking. People stare at her when she does that, but she doesn't want to trip. Not now.

Her eyes go wide as saucers at the row-upon-row of dead-tree-and-ink shelves. A mausoleum of natural products for the privilege of not having to remember things.

She tries to align her priorities and steps out of mouth-talk. But her reply to Eldrich in the mind-speech is non-specific and can be over heard.
If anyone cares to listen.

'Have you...read...any of...these? Or...have you read them all?

If you were trying to stop a megalomaniac despoiler with a phalanx of nano-ships from breaking relativistic phsyics and translating 10power19 parsecs to Dismember zyloplast vessels to disrupt the delivery of orichulem...where would you start?'

"I've read some for reports, essays and such. APA citation is a real pain in the ass..." He begins to say, getting sidetracked by her other questions. With a quick laugh, he shakes his head and gestures to the library. "No, I didn't write any of these books. Someone else did, lots of someone elses."

That last question draws a long stare from Kenneth as his eyes widen, his brain trying to wrap around what kind of question she was asking. Most of the words didn't even mean anything to him, Eldritch wasn't particularly smarter than anyone else out there. He was clever, sure, and his school work was exemplary, but he didn't stand out in the intellectuals too hard.

"Well...I guess I'd go to the research centers for those kind of questions. I think the subject matter is a little too much for a high school's budget, even for one as nice as Halcyon's."

He'd make his way through the aisles, grabbing a few historical books as he pondered. They were documentation on The Great Depression, World War 2, the Civil Rights movement, so on and so forth.

"I'd suggest looking at some books about our wars maybe, maybe some old-fashion strategies might work for you. I...I don't really know what good I can be." Kenneth murmured to her, catching sight of Hashtag nearby the window with his stack of books nearby.

"Sup Vick." He said rather nonchalantly, sinking in a chair nearby before looking at the comic. "What you reading?"

Kara gives off all pretense of using her feet and hovers behind Kenneth as he leads her through the aisles. Her eyes walk up and down the various titles, cataloging them all and cross-indexing based on a topic, age, and thickness.

At length she picks one and floats along. 'There are some of my people who believe that diplomatic accord can be reached. Perhaps this one will contain basis for such.'

The title of book states that it's "The Great War: VOL IV. Verdun to the Fall of Russia."

She glances around, failing to see any other chair.

'I should start reading now...but people will think it is strange if I read standing up'

Her brain ticks down the possibilities, and finds a solution.

She sits down on Eldritch's lap and opens the large volume.

Vick glances up at from the comic book, his eyes shifting between Kenneth and Imagine, before raising the comic enough that Kenneth could see the cover. A campy looking muscleman in a bug costume is engaged in a knock down, all-out brawl with an anthropomorphic chicken. The title could reads: THE ROACH! vs. His nemesis, Captain Cluck!

"Just... you know." he replies with a shrug as he returns to his comic. "Studying. For class."

He will glance out of the corner of his eye at Imagine. "I don't know if we've got anything at Halcyon high, but you're talking Quantum Mechanics. Try the science section... though I doubt anything we've got would be useful to someone as... advanced? as you are?"

Hashtag's eyes will widen when Imagine sits on Kenneth's lap, and look Kenneth in the eye, a knowing smirk and raised eyebrow indicating that no, this is not going to be kept between the three of them.

"Oh." he *says*. "Gongrats, Captain Kirk." he turns back to reading his comic in earnest, a chuckle on his lips.

"Non-violence is nice but appeasement isn't. Hitler took and took, other tyrants have taken all the can get before going to war. You got to make sure to keep an eye on things like that; to look for peace but to be ready for war. I guess..."

"Jeez, I sound like one of those hoighty-toighty supers now." He thinks to himself quietly, leaning back in the seat. Seeing the cover of the comic book, he let out a quick laugh and shakes his head. "Still reading those things? Far too silly in my mind. Then again, we could use some silly here and there right?"

At the telepathic message from Imagine, he looks around for a moment. "Well, you could ha-" Before he can even offer his seat or offer to grab one for her, she settles upon his lap. His eyes suddenly widen up and he clears his throat and tries to keep the blush that threatens to cover his face. It was a strange look; an embarrassed goth kid. He takes a breath and catches Hashtag's eyes, the Nova sending daggers through them at the Captain Kirk comment.

He stays still as she read, absolutely still and unsure of what to do next. He does turn his head though and whispers to Hashtag.

"Captain Cluck almost defeats him but is rescued by the newly revived Professor Improbability. They turn it into a three-part arc." He murmurs with the tiniest of wicked smirks, ruining the end of the comic. "Do I just hold onto the chair? Do I hold her? What do I do? Damn it..." Reaching into his pocket and ignoring with all his willpower that she was settled just right, he grabs his cellphone and tries to act like it ain't no thing...even if his face and ears still burn red.

Flashback scene

As Tycho hurtles at high speed, his unfortunate slip causes him to literal crash through and obliterate several homes in a neighborhood. Though, he travels like a skipping stone so he is out of the area before he even realizes whats happened. By the time he comes to his senses, he realizes that police and ambulances are already on the scene, and he flees wondering if anyone saw that it was him.

=====================

Ghost Dragon makes his way home, happy that he came to terms with a cop that was on the young super's side. Though it was odd, there was a lot of flashing lights ahead, cops, amulances, fire department.

oh shit....

You break into a run, arriving on the scene as yourself, rather than your hero persona. It's explained to you that some kind of blur almost completely obliterated your block, though it was only be sheer luck no one was home at the time and there were no injuries. Your family has already been relocated to a motel fifteen minutes away, and a police officer offers you a lift.

I wanna play this as neither hero knows the full story of what happened.

======================

Whippoorwill nods.

"So I've heard. Did you have fun?"

Her question seems harmless enough, but is it based on your conversation's with your mentor?

We'll be moving on to another "issue" next update. Feel free to "goof off/live life" a bit until then.

And remember, your conditions do not go away until you clear them.

Having finally calmed down, Tycho heads back to his "Apartment", a storage space that he rents to use as a legitimate cover for his ability to enter his sanctum. He turns on some music, and after a quick shower tries meditating to get his emotions under control. The worst was that everyone saw his anger get the better of him. I really need to get it under control, otherwise people will just think I'm a monster...Not that I could blame them. After spending some time trying to meditate, he realized that it wasn't working, and so he reopened the doorway to the clocktower to see what the rest of the group was doing.

"Hey guys, sorry about taking off earlier."

"I still don't understand that movie though."

======================

Whippoorwill nods.

"So I've heard. Did you have fun?"

Her question seems harmless enough, but is it based on your conversations with your mentor?

Wingblade shrugs once, looking non-committal. "Yeah, I guess. I liked the snacks at the theater. The guy afterwards, not so much."

She folds her arms in front of her and leans back in her chair until she's balanced on the back two legs. "Look, I know we made a mess, but we were attacked. I was going to suggest we move the fight someplace safer, but then the guy starts chucking cars at us!"

=======================

Later, when the others start trickling in. Not sure if Whippoorwill will still be there. Up to Default.

Wingblade had changed from her clothes she had been wearing during the Haxor fight and was now in a comfortable set of exercise wear. Her shoulder-length black hair was tied back in a tail and her feet were bare when the others begin arriving.

Wingblade frowns at Tycho's apology for taking off, not sure why he's sorry since she and Imagine had similarly left early. "The fight was over, wasn't it? Why shouldn't you have taken off?"

The Night Before

Ghost Dragon breathes a sigh of relief that no one was hurt. He accepts the offer of a ride to the motel, a not-total dump where he and his mom get to stay for a bit.

As he goes to bed, he can't help but wonder, Who or what could have destroyed the block? Some villain who knows my identity going after my mom? Another super who doesn't quite have control of their powers? I should investigate, see if I can find out what happened.

The Next Day

"Yo, Ty, you in there?"

Next to his locker in Franklin High, Ty shakes his head and focuses on the speaker. "Sorry about that, Jameel, I was just thinking about what happened to my house last night."

"I heard about that. Sorry it happened. We heard a crashing sound over at my nana's house, but she wouldn't let us go and see what it was. Else I'd have been there for you. Still, better get your head in the game. Football tryouts are today. I know we don't have a chance of making any better than the JV team as freshmen, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't give it a try."

Smiling, Ty says, "Alright. I almost forgot. Here's hoping we make it."

"Because I let me anger take control, which is a bad idea."

Wingblade nods slowly. She glances over at the security panel and verifies they were alone in the tower for the moment. She then tilts her head to the side as she studies him. "Does getting angry bring you closer to turning into an insane dictator?"

"Alleghory would say that any time I lose control I could start using my powers, so sort of? He's pretty high strung, but a really good teacher."

Tectonic storms home and throws open the doors to River's apartment. All of the careful control she had orchestrated in front of the group is completely gone. Barney, Jill, Barney, Jill, Barney, Jill... Haxor had brought back a litany of terrible memories.

River has typing at her desk when her younger sister storms in. "Nora, are you okay?" she yells over her shoulder, hearing the door slam shut with nearly enough force to take it off its hinges.

"I'm fine," Tectonic growls as she goes to hang up her jacket, then swears a blue streak as she realizes it got shredded to bits in the fight.

"You don't," River finally caught a glance of her sister and couldn't help but give as small yeep. "Holy shit, what the hell happened!" Nearly all of Tectonic's clothes were torn to pieces after the fight. Although she hadn't actually been heart, going into battle-mode meant by reflex pushing out bits of rock and metal through her skin, absolutely destroying her clothes most of the time. River's expression of concern turned into a scowl. "You got into another fight again beating up a crook, didn't you? I've told you hundreds of times, call the goddamn police. You're tough, not invulnerable, and the kind of weapons dealers are getting ahold of nowadays-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Tectonic roared, her eyes blazing with fury. "I was actually helping people out there, while all you do is sit in that chair of yours and type up reports on people like your own f!&%ing sister! Don't think I haven't noticed! Ghost Dragon, Eldritch, North Star-you just can't help yourself, you have to keep a watchlist on everybody, don't you!" Tectonic, becoming aware of her increasing incoherency, gives a final, frustrated shout before storming into her room, warping the walls of the apartment on her way.