Masks: A New Generation of Heroes

Game Master Cwethan

I wasn't ignoring all those winks and nudges for me to jump in, I just haven't been able to update in a bit. Man, things can escalate can't they?

Blanket statement, if you asked me if a certain thing was okay or not to clear conditions or something, assume it was good and continue. Don't really want to address each one by one, got a lot of typing to do...

You guys couldn't see it, but I did a happy dance everytime I read a cool character interaction/reaction. You guys rock.

So....with the only remaining members at the table being Ghost Dragon, the total present moves up to people as Hashtag and Wingblade arrive, a calmer and more comfortable atmosphere around them.

They walk in as the Defenders are bickering with each other.

"Haden! This is the last time I follow one of you dumb ideas." Nick exclaims, covering his eyes with his hand.

"The sooner we can prove to the public that they're not a danger, the better off everyone will be." Haden retorts.

"But are we sure they aren't a danger?" Earl Grey asks, sipping his tea. "No offense to you Whippoorwill, but most younger folk are not easily tempered."

Whippoorwill doesn't respond, her usual bravado slack as she leans forward, elbows propped onto the table and her eyes hidden by the interweave of her fingers.

Nick spots the two of you enter.

"Great! They return! Hey d~%@%~~s, can we plan to save the f!&*ing world now or do you need another five minutes of heart to heart before we can get some work done."

It seems Matrix and Foresight have left, but Haden jumps in, two phantom hands pressing against each of your backs to hurry you back to the table.

"Don't mind Nick, he can get a bit....colorful with his language when he's frustrated."Haden explains.

"Bite me, poster boy."

---------Eldritch----------
As he absentmindedly wanders the halls of HQ, he eventually reaches a dead end.

"That is technically for authorized personnel only."

the metallic voice of the speaker walks up behind him, her feet making no noise as the flex on the ground, as if stifled by some kind of vibrational control.

"I have just seen your friends return in the main room, and they seem to be more controlled than before. If you wish I can escort you back, or show you the exit."

----------Deputy Atoms, Tectonic, Tycho -----------

Tectonic and Tycho finds Deputy Atoms who recently had Wingblade taken off his hands.

Before they get a chance to leave however, Foresight pops out from the entrance.

"Your friends will be back in approximately five minutes or so. I couldn't make out their expressions, but they seemed to be alright. So if you wanted to return...I think that poor Dragon boy is getting nervous being alone at the table."

-----------Present: Whoever decides to return/stay------------

When everyone is sufficiently calmed down, Nick continues after clearing his throat.

"As I was saying before, we know you guys aren't exactly the most popular heroes after destroying that medical facility. Chalk it up to bad control or a mistake, even bad luck. Whatever. The fact is that the world is getting more dangerous, and the Defenders have decided that we'd prefer it if we could help "sponsor" an up and coming team of young supers that can help protect the city. Training, missions, the whole works until we're sure we can have each others backs."

Nick looks at you all, as if daring you to ask questions after all the time you wasted for him.

"We even have a nice little exercise for you to take part of as a bit of trial run, to see where you stand as a team and your flexibility. How about it?"

Eldritch stopped as he looked back towards the voice, scratching his head for a moment as he looked around for a bit.

"Yeah...yeah, I guess. I was going to just head out but, you guys have no directories at all and this whole "everything is chrome" is really confusing. Please, lead me back."

Eldritch would come back in, looking over the others for a moment before he sat down in the seat he was previously in. He listened in as Abercrombie and B@~&% spoke, he leaned back in his seat for a second. Fingers clasped, he'd give a slight nod and look to the others.

"I'm for it. What about the rest of you?" He'd ask, looking at the others to see who'd agree and who wouldn't.

Knowing Whippoorwill, she probably pulled a batman and had left monitoring devices in the observatory just in case someone else moved in. And she knows everything. Dang it.
Upon returning, Hashtag plops in a chair, waving off Nick. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say, captain fashion. Or wait... who are you again? I recognize all these other heroes."

He actually pulls out a chair for Wingblade to sit next to him. He's quiet for a moment, but his expression gets slowly and slowly more twisted as he can feel someone's gaze burning into the side of his head. Finally, he turns. "God! I'm Sorry! Jeez mom." he apologizes/complains.

"You DO like her." she finally says, and Vick turns away, his face flushing. A sketchpad and pen appear in his hands and he busys himself 'ignoring' people until everyone comes back. Wingblade can see he's sketching different costume ideas for the party. Some of them are wacky, some are all right. Each one he snaps a pic with his phone before blanking the page and doing another. God, that better not be rubber.
----
"Yeah, sure. Goooo team." Vick says, making a semi-energetic fistpump to go with it. "I'm in."

Ghost Dragon allows the Defenders to bicker back and forth after his speech, ignoring most of it. He keeps his eyes trained on Whippoorwill. After all, Whippoorwill had given them a base, communicators, and all but endorsed the team's formation. What were her thoughts on the matter?

Hashtag and Wingblade's return together, both looking less angry, causes Ghost Drgaon to breathe a sigh of relief. If those two could get past this, then maybe Tectonic and Wingblade could as well. Maybe the team would be able to pull back together.

Eldritch's return also makes him happy. He listens to their proposal and suggestion. He loves it. A chance to be trained by the Defenders? This is so cool. And Hashtag agreed to it! "I think that sounds like a great idea, and I am in 100%."

Seeing everyone together and not yelling at each other, Tycho's mood improves considerably. When the idea of training together comes up, Tycho says "That would be okay."

I didn't mean to be the emo one, but d@mned if you all didn't force it one me =P

Shayera pauses before entering the meeting room, suddenly realizing that everything still wasn't better. She had come to an understanding with Hashtag -- and maybe something else? Her stomach had an uneasy tingling feeling ever since they started talking about costumes -- but she had exploded and stormed out on everyone else.

She watches Vick casually stride in, make a sarcastic remark, and slump in a chair. She follows a couple steps after him and meets Whippoorwill's eyes. She gets a sympathetic nod and a clear, we'll talk later message which emboldens her. She straightens and sets her jaw, then strides in, not letting Nick's caustic words register.

Wingblade spots the chair pulled out for her and her stomach flips again, interrupting her concentration on looking cool and in control. She glances at Hashtag, has a brief debate about whether she should really sit next to him, but then realizes that it would be too deliberate to sit anywhere else. She takes a seat.

She actively avoids looking at Vick during his forced apology and his mother's words, though her ears burn and her cheeks radiate heat. She turns her head in his direction and sees his eyes focused on a drawing pad. "I-- I'm sorry too," she says then quickly looks down.

She studies the material of the table with extreme interest while the rest of the team returns and takes their places. Then she watches Nick as he talks about the upcoming plan to be sponsored by the Defenders. The topic of the Givers and their eventual foray to their dimension was not brought up, but instead they would all be essentially mentored by the Defenders.

When the others started agreeing to the plan, Wingblade nods. "Yes. I'm in too."

Condition(s): None

Wingblade. Hashtag. Gone.

Atoms stood alone in the atrium, staring up at the same skylight that Wingblade was looking through. His eyes were sparkling, a peaceful smile on his lips, and yet, within him, there was a sense that he had made a mistake. Though when and where, he couldn't exactly say. The former deputy's thoughts would be haunted by it for a while yet, but he was sure though, that it had something to do with him holding onto some faint remnant of his humanity. If only their telepath were here, she might see the turmoil that was laying even deeper.

Foresight. Tectonic. North Star. Approaching.

"Heh. Everyone left, huh? The exact thing I was trying to prevent from happening." Atoms looks down at the floor and slowly shakes his head. He was still smiling just as peacefully, his voice calm, and he looks back up at the others before speaking again. "But Ghost Dragon stayed though? That's awesome. I knew I could count on him." Atoms shoots Tectonic a glance, and his smile turns into more of a smirk. "I knew I could count on you too, Tec. But I bet Eldritch said something to Hashtag and you, right?"

The former deputy looks behind him, examining a nearby wall for anything he might potentially damage (besides the wall itself) before leaning against it. A comfortable position, not so much in a physical way, as comfort in that sense no longer existed for him. But socially? Definitely. This was the image he wanted to project right now, someone who was relaxed.

"Foresight? Thank you for being patient with us." Atoms casually addresses the paragon standing beside them. "I hope The Defenders understand that this is mostly due to our team having just left a crisis situation. We need time to come together, wind down, and process what we went through, and that hasn't really happened yet." He briefly pauses. "It's not anyone's fault though, just bad timing. Although perhaps it's a sign that someone needs to step up and give the team a little more organization."

Atoms doesn't say who that person ought to be. Instead he takes a moment to think. There was a lot on his mind.

"Since we have five minutes." Atoms moves away from the wall and walks towards North Star. His next words are a little awkward, but well-meaning. "I've been meaning to ask you about something. I keep hearing about this issue or something that you have, but no one has told me anything about it." He shrugs a little, realizing the awkwardness of it all, but he smiles all the same. "So I was hoping you would tell me about it. 'Cause I can't offer good help or support until someone tells me."

@Tycho "North Star" Simpson: Remember way back on Page 3 when Atoms pierced North Star's mask? You told me that if Atoms offered to help North Star keep himself under control and/or asked about his tragic forwardstory, Atoms would gain Influence over him ;) Since Atoms is doing that now (albeit awkwardly), will you give him Influence? Obviously this all happens before North Star heads back to the meeting room.

I'm fine with giving you influence over me.

"It's a bit much to take in, but in the future, I will rule the world. Absolutely. Everyone here will bend knee to me, and I will use my power to push my will onto the entire planet. It's what the cult that raised me pushed me to be, because my future self has some means of projecting my power into now. I don't want to be that person, but I don't think I'm strong enough to stop it from happening."

"What do you think?"

Doing my team move: When you share a vulnerability or weakness with someone, give them Influence over you and ask
if they honestly think there’s hope for you. If they say yes, mark potential or clear one box of your
doom track. If they say no, mark a condition or mark your doom track.

Condition(s): None

Atoms is kind of taken aback. It certainly is a lot to take in. North Star's story was almost the last thing he expected to hear. He isn't disturbed or frightened, but he does stop smiling, to show that he takes the matter seriously.

"I appreciate you telling me. As for what I think. Well... This is Halcyon City. There's been a lot of people who've seen or come from a 'dark future', and it's something different every time. We're still all here today, so I'd say we have pretty good odds of changing that sort of stuff around." His smile comes back. "I'll help in any way I can."

There was still a couple minutes left. Or maybe there wasn't, Atoms was bad with keeping track of time. Regardless, he turns to Tectonic now.

"How's your head doing? I'm planning on going back to the briefing, and I'd like you to come with, but I understand if you're not feeling up to it."

"Better now. I think just talking about it helps some. You're right, we should go back. We left Dragon all alone!"

Tectonic sighs, dejected. "It's fine. Sure. Sure, I'll come. If only to keep everybody from killing each other."

Wingblade listens attentively to the Defenders when they outline their plan, but her eyes can't help but be drawn to Hashtag's sketches of costume ideas. While it's mostly going on in the background, one design in particular causes her to lean over and whisper to him, "As badass as those stiletto heels look, the only way I wear them is if you wear a pair too. Real ones. And believe me, I'll know."

Her attention then returns to the briefing.

Condition(s): None

Thanking Tectonic and North Star, Atoms heads down the hall with them. Things were alright, or would be for a little while. Atoms felt good. The meeting room suddenly gets a lot brighter when he leads his group in, and not just because Atoms is smiling.

No, that's because he's practically a sun trapped in a 'human' body. And as if the blue light of his form wasn't enough, the smell of ozone followed him wherever he went. Not to mention the static his presence created in everyone's communicators, and the red lightning that continuously arced from his chest. Atoms was almost more alien than Imagine.

"I'm willing to try that", he replies to Nick. "Count me in." The Defender's offer of sponsorship was an interesting and potentially useful one. Besides, the former deputy doesn't really have anything to lose.

However, Atoms isn't smiling anymore. Instead, his strange, inhuman eyes are scanning the room, once more taking a careful inventory of its occupants, noting their actions, their expressions and emotions, and processing them. Eventually he lowers his searching gaze and smirks knowingly at things that only he seems to realize and understand.

When he next speaks, he speaks of something entirely different.

"Matrix!" Atoms addresses the android, his peaceful smile returning. "I have to apologize. I'm just now noticing that, standing here, I might actually be hurting you. Are you okay?"

While Atoms talks to Matrix, he attempts to pierce her mask.
PIERCE THE MASK (+ Mundane): 2d6 - 2 ⇒ (2, 3) - 2 = 3
Aaaand he fails. Marking Potential.

Matrix raises an animated eyebrow.

"Do not fret. I have taken many oppourtunites to shield my real self from such harm. The most you would do is deactivate this shell. Even destroying the entire HQ would not kill me."

Nick slaps both his hands against his cheeks and moans, "Finally! Progress....sweet, sweet progress. Early Grey, if you would...."

The portly man nods, and with a twirl of his finger, as if miixing a hot beverage, you all feel as if you got shoved slightly. However, the scene around you has entirely changed. The room has gotten much smaller, and none of the Defender's are around. Instead, there is a small television (the large old heavy ones) sitting on a empty bedframe.

And Nick's head pops onto it. and its smiling.

"Who's ready to get the everliving s!+$ beat out of them?" he asks excitedly.

======End Issue 1: The Proxy Wars=====

The Proxy Wars Issue 2: Proving Worth

===========Tectonic and Wingblade============
Those f#~#ing a$%@~+$s.

You both find yourselves in a crowded street in one of India's large village squares, in the middle of a local market. You are tied together by some kind of construct that Matrix constructed. Try as you might, the thing is not coming off.

You were given one task before being teleported away from your team.

Defeat the local super that's terrorizing the locals without killing the target or each other.

Have fun you two :P

===========Deputy Atoms and Eldritch=============
Cataclysmic power defines both of you, with each step a series of ripples can cascade into the horizon unleashing untold horror and carnage.

So its a bit odd when you are teleported away from your team to a city on the coast, where you have been signed up as teachers to a special class of deviant supers, barely older than twelve. Among the small class, there is a young Asian girl, long sleeves in the hot weather and almost entirely in black. There is an African-American boy wearing a hoodie and shorts, avoiding eye contact despite your best efforts. And there is a latino girl who probably hasn't heard a word you said since you got here, due to the earbuds wedged in her ears.

===========Ghost Dragon, Hashtag, and North Star==========
Potential.

It's a terrifying word for all of you. What you can become, and what you fear becoming. Knowledge of this is exactly what keeps you from hitting that point of no return....but its also holding you back.

The three of you have been sent in undercover for a local gang that operates in the area of Halycon city. They aren't a huge concern and the Defenders are aware of them. However, thy want to see if the group can make a change for the better rather than being destructive. After a plant helps break the ice for you, you all are welcomed as new members. Currently, you all are dressed in street clothes and "hanging out" at one of the gang's locations, an abandoned storage warehouse in the seedy part of town.

The key identifier of this group, the "Nine Knives" is that each member carries a plainly visible knife weapon at all times. Some are decoration mostly, but they must have a tech-wiz in the group because you've seen some of these blade freeze objects, turn into swords, melt walls with heat waves, etc. You all have a regular knife, though you were able to choose a style from the gang's collection.

Ghost Dragon, before you set out Matrix handed you two wristband objects. Upon putting them on, it summoned forth thousands of mini-panels that seemed to come from Panel's technology.
Where are you hiding them? I'd suggest some kind of under armor, body armor scenario.

Condition(s): None

Atoms stares out across the water. The so-called "deviants" were nearby, but his thoughts are turned inward. He still didn't have a suit, unable to make contact with the world around him, and he was starting to feel a little stir-crazy because of it.

He keeps staring, not at all paying attention to the group, and lets Eldritch do the talking.

Tycho will play the part of the talkative, brash new gang member, talking about how bad@$$ he is, how much he wants to fight someone, and bragging about his accomplishments.

Hashtag is going to be quieter, the 'cool' type of ganger. Smokes, doesn't talk s**@ unless provoked, and wears a butterfly knife, keeping a second one in his sleeve. He's dressed like one of the gang, which is to say, not very different than his usual attire. At least his hair is different.

Taking a long drag on his smoke, he plays with the butterfly knife, going through a series of nimble spinning tricks with the blade while he waits. He'd prefer to be painting something, but... hey, this job isn't nearly as bad as the training room.

Tectonic, for her part, wasn't too perturbed to find that she was literally tied to Wingblade, at least at first. That's probably because she was retching into the gutter for the better part of five minutes. "Once? Once a day is fine. But twice is going a bit overboard, don't you..." As she wipes away the last of the bile from her mouth, Tectonic finally notices who she's been stranded with. "You have got to be kidding me," she says, deadpan.

Wingblade gives Tectonic a tight, humorless smile in response to her disbelief. She gives the bindings a slight tug to test the limits of her movement while she simultaneously studies her surroundings.

Though she felt extremely irritated at her circumstances and the fact that the other heroes felt it necessary to actually tie Tec and her together, Wingblade resolved to not let it faze her. Her mind began working immediately on their problem. The threat couldn't be so bad that the other heroes didn't think they could handle it, especially shackled as they were. But it likely wouldn't be easy, either.

Wingblade eyes the device that has her linked with Tectonic. She figured it was recording and relaying everything that was happening. Given that Matrix made it, it probably also had a number of other functions just in case.

Resigned to her situation, she looks around the Indian market square and the press of people. Her stomach growls at the myriad scents of spicy exotic food and she tugs at Tectonic to get her to follow her to one of the street vendors. "Got any money?" she asks while fishing out a couple wrinkled American dollars. She points to some mirchi bajji and makes an exchange.

"Teleportation makes me hungry," she comments matter-of-factly in between bites.

"Okay," she says, not caring how her unwanted conjoined twin was behaving, "I wonder where the best sightseeing spots are around here?"

Despite her seemingly nonchalant behavior, Wingblade also stretches out with her senses. First she familiarizes herself with the foreign sounds and smells, then notes any differences that would indicate the presence of a powered being.

Unleash Powers (Freak): 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (6, 3) + 1 = 10

Tectonic snorts. "Sightseeing? Really? I'd be more worried about, say, figuring out who this idiot we're supposed to hunt down is so we can get... this off as soon as possible."

Holding free hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, Wingblade scans the buildings surrounding them. "I'm working on it," she says.

"But unless you speak Hindi, our best bet of finding someone who speaks English will be around the tourist traps." She picks out the most elaborate building or cluster of towers that she can see and tries to coax Tectonic into heading that direction. "That place looks interesting. Let's check it out."

"True," Tec admits grudgingly. "Let's go, I suppose."

Eldritch appeared in the city with Deputy Atoms, and his reaction to what was playing in his head right now was exactly what was said when he learned that they were signed up as teachers.

"You got to be f#+@ing kidding me."

He stood in front of this class of three students, looking over each one of them for a moment before looking back at his friend beside him. The guy had been so quiet so far, barely speaking and just staring off into nothingness.

"What the hell is going on with him now?" The sorcerer pondered for a moment.

Rolling to Pierce the Mask.

2d6 ⇒ (2, 3) = 5

Failure. Marking potential.

He'd kick off of the desk he was sitting on with an irritated sigh, he couldn't seem to get a read on the glowing man at all. Picking up the clipboard that he had, he'd look at the names below as he tried to figure out who was who. He'd move down the line, one after another, before reaching the girl with the earbuds. He'd flick his finger at the earbud, giving her a nod with his eyebrows raised and a semi-forced smile on his face.

"Name?"

It doesn't take long for Ghost Dragon to look and talk like one of the gang members. Being from the rougher part of town, he's seen guys like this all his life, and knows how they dress and act. Wearing a zip-up hoodie and jeans, and taking a butterfly knife like Hashtag, he lies on his back on a half-wall, head propped up, shaking his head at Tycho's smack talk, like someone who's heard it all before and will hear it again. Despite being a little warm, Ghost Dragon doesn't take the hoodie off, as it does a wonderful job of hiding the panels he's currently wearing like body armor.

These things are pretty useful. I wonder if I could assemble them into a platform to allow me to fly? What should I call them? Dragon's scales? It'd be thematic with the Ghost Dragon moniker.

Casually stretching his arms, he seem perfectly at ease with things.

Seems like Default's still busy. We might have a little more time for some rp...

Wingblade weaves through the crowd as best she can whenever there's space, and when the press gets too thick she lets Nora take the lead with her larger stature. As they walk, Wingblade keeps her wings closed up as tightly as they'll go, becoming a bulky metallic mass on her back, so as to not risk clipping a passer-by and drawing blood.

After several minutes of walking, Wingblade asks over the din of the crowd, "So, I've been meaning to ask, this ability to listen into conversations across town while you're in a coma. Have you always had it or is this new to you?"

Condition(s): None

More time for RP, you say? Well don't mind if I dooo!

Atoms looks down at his hands and feet. It was so restricting, not being able to touch anything. Even now, he was burning holes in the floor beneath him. If only he could move freely for once! Not have to avoid everyone and be forced to walk through the sewers every day.

The former deputy glances over at the kids, assessing them with a steady, calculating gaze. To Atoms, it seems like no one wants to be here, not even Eldritch and him.

ASSESS THE SITUATION (+ Superior): 2d6 - 2 ⇒ (6, 2) - 2 = 6
That puts me at 5/5, but I'll hold off on marking potential in-case Eldritch wants to spend a Team ;) I'm looking to ask "Who here is most vulnerable to me?" or "How could we best end this quickly?", so maybe he could warn the kids about what happens when someone/something touches Atoms, and it provokes a reaction from them.

Tectonic snorts. "Completely new, trust me. I'm not even sure how it works. Some old lady showed up in my head, gave me tea that might have actually been coffee, gave me a few cryptic hints, then thumped me in the head and gave me a live demonstration of... well, whatever new, weird s&&~ my powers are going to start doing, I guess. Gave me a tripped out vision of what happened while I was out. I saw Hashtag sleeping in his room while a bunch of blobby shadow monster-things drank from a bunch of saltwater he was leaking inside of an iron vault sitting atop a junk heap. Pretty metaphorical, but I got the gist of things. And I saw a bunch of people in robes, including the old lady, arguing about... me, I think? A bunch of other people, and aliens, I think, started getting kinda pissed and said that if the people in the robes didn't f#~@ up, they wouldn't have existed. Didn't catch everything, but eventually some chick in black armor with a weird-looking gun grabbed the old lady, said that they'd help out, and just vanished. No idea if it's going to happen again, though, or even if it'll happen again."

Tectonic's answer has Wingblade's head spinning. After a moment where she tries to process it, she eventually just shakes her head. "No chance you weren't just hallucinating that War Star movie we just watched? Oh, wait. The lady with a gun had silver armor."

===========Tectonic and Wingblade============

Wingblade opens her senses to try and notice anything odd that would immediately set off her superhero alarms, but the crowd and new smells are too thick. She get's a good scan of the area in, but she's fairly sure that if there's a super around, they're staying hidden.

The pair makes their way forward, trying to see if they can spot some sweaty tourists somewhere. Eventually, you find something of a hostel set up and enter its shady welcome area.

A man dressed in loose, long-sleeve linens greets you.

"Welcome to Desert Spring. Honeymoon or work respite, your trip is our delight."

He glances down and catches the odd manacle holding you together.

===========Deputy Atoms and Eldritch=============
The kids continue to be bored.

Hah! You're move! If the day ends with your character uncomfortably standing in silence until the end of the day, so be it ;D

===========Ghost Dragon, Hashtag, and North Star==========

A pounding of footsteps is heard as a young boy, out of breath, runs into the room. Instantly the rest of the gang here (six members) are on their feet.

"(deep breath) Hellcats attacked (deep breath) autoshop downtown (deep breath) come on!"

The gang members run out of the warehouse.

Options include staying and investigating, following the others, things you do enroute to autoshop hangout.

What was our specific mission regarding the gang? Stop their criminal activities, or something else?

"All right. Let's go." Vick says, flicking away his cigarette.

So the kid didn't react at all to getting their earbud popped out? I'm going to go with that she gave me a dirty looks.

Eldritch would go back up to the front of the class again, getting nothing but silence from the girl as he shook his head. Deputy Atoms still seemed in shock and too scared to do anything or touch anything.

"Fantastic, I got a guy whose freaking out inside and three kids who look like they'd rather be anywhere else then here. Just frickin' wonderful."

"Hey, Atoms. I know I'm going to sound like a real a$~&$** but...have you tried just...containing it. Like...controlling your power yourself." It was worth a shot, otherwise he'd just be standing there unable to do anything at all and it'd at least give him something to do. His attention would turn towards the rest of them, nodding for a moment before cleared his throat.

"Alrighty then. My name's Kenneth Kaine. Some call me Eldritch, you all can call me Sir." He says with a serious look for a moment before his face melted into a more relaxed composure. "I'm s+@&ting you, you can call me Kenny, Ken, Eldritch, just not a&$#@%@, f~+*face, or s~&$head. Do that for me, I'll do the same for you."

Still not having their attention, he'd sigh for a moment and reach down and carve a quick symbol into the ground. There was a murmur and the desks nearby would begin to rise and shift, sliding in from their predestined places and instead forming a semi-circle around him. It was fast, a little jolting, but hopefully enough to get their attention.

"So...are you listening now?" He looked between the three of them, pointing at the girl with the black sleeves despite the the heat. "We'll start with you and go across. What is your name, what can you do, and what is it that has made everyone think you're a bad kid." At the end of that, his voice would seem to soften a little bit. To be looked down upon at this age was a hell of a thing, he could only think of Hashtag as he looked at them all.

I'm hoping the little trick would be small enough to be covered under the "you just do it" level of things.

Condition(s): None

Hmm. Well, in that case then, I suppose I'll take that fifth potential, and my next advancement.

Atoms regards the kids silently. They didn't seem to be responding to Eldritch's attempt at communication. An interesting bunch. Honestly, the more he watched them, the more he found himself caring for them, perhaps because of some older brother instinct, which was funny considering that he has never had anything even close to a sibling.

"Hey, Atoms. I know I'm going to sound like a real a%~$#+@ but...have you tried just...containing it. Like...controlling your power yourself." It was worth a shot, otherwise he'd just be standing there unable to do anything at all and it'd at least give him something to do. His attention would turn towards the rest of them, nodding for a moment before cleared his throat.

"Huh."

The former deputy had never thought about it that way, and in response, he again stares at his own hand. To his surprise, it moves at his command, and not just the fingers or the muscles, but the very particles that make up the appendage. And not just the hand, but the arm, the leg, the body. Call it fate but, a familiar song was beginning to run through Atoms' mind, "I believe I can fly".

His feet lift off the ground, and suddenly, as if he had been doing this his entire life, he soars lazily over the class, floating above them.

2ND ADVANCEMENT: Mutate further and reveal another two new abilities (chosen from any playbook)
NEW ABILITIES: Janus - Impossible Mobility, Legacy - Speed-Reading/Learning

They want to see if we can make a change for the better rather than being destructive. I think maybe keep them from being too violent? Default, could we get a further explanation of what exactly our mission is with infiltrating the gang?

Ghost Dragon hops off the wall and asks, "You want one of us to stay here in case they try to hit this place?"

Wingblade smiles as the hostel greeter welcomes them. Her head whips around to watch Tectonic's reaction when he says the word "honeymoon", but otherwise she just nods at the cute rhyme. When he eyes their manacles, she shrugs and holds it up. "Mom didn't want us getting separated. Kind of extreme, if you ask me. I told her cell phones are totally a thing."

She tries to Pierce the Mask with this man, hoping to get him to help them out.

Pierce the Mask (mundane): 2d6 - 1 ⇒ (6, 5) - 1 = 10

Wow, didn't expect that. Okay, how about: how can I gain influence over him? What does he want me to do? How could I get him to help us out?

"So, this looks like a nice place. Do you own it? You probably see a lot of people coming through here, huh?"

===========Tectonic and Wingblade============

The hotel staffmember is easy enough to read. He's curious of your circumstance, but he just wants to get the workday done with. A large tip would go a huge way to getting you on his good side. He wants you to either stop loitering in the lobby, or check in quickly so he can go back to sitting and not working. Less work/more money would help him help you.

"I am merely a humble employee. My English is the best of most staff members here, so I was chosen to work the front. Now, will you be needing a room yes?"

===========Deputy Atoms and Eldritch=============

Ah whoops. Must've missed that. Welp, time to ret-con!

The kids glance at Eldritch and his attempts to break the cold silence.
There seems to be a sort of private conference of glances and eye gestures before...

"Her ear's are hihgly tuned, just FYI." the hooded black kid says. "When you took it out and spoke to her, you essentially shouted in her ear with a dozen megaphones. But that's cool, invade personal space in all. No biggie."

He continues, and gives a very curt introduction for everyone.

"Since I'm not going to give you our civilian names, you can call us by code. I'm Brand, Miss headphones is Sonar, and goth girl over there is Apex. Glad to meet you."

He holds out his hand, a smirk on his face that doesn't show any form of respect.

"And yes, I'm giving you permission to shake my hand."

===========Ghost Dragon, Hashtag, and North Star==========

What Ghost Dragon said. It was given to you vague on purpose.

"Forget the hangout! You newbs need to get with the program. Our boys are in trouble!"

The rest of the crew scampers off.

Who's going, who's staying?"

For those going:
There's yelling as you get closer, your feet stomping on the pavement as you near the autoshop the Nine Knives uses as a hideout. There's fire raging around you, and you can see a member of the NK (Nine Knives) using some kind of cryo knife to chop at the fire as it nears the building. Another NK member is teleporting around tiring to punch out Hellcat members, most of who are spewing some kind of hellfire from their hands, mouth, and eyes.

Other decision time: what premise did you join the NK, did you reveal your powers, or did you pretend to be normal.

Condition(s): None

Atoms watches all this from above. His light (and the smell of ozone) fills the room, as wheels turn in his mind and take in every detail. It's only after the handshake that he sees it appropriate to finally speak up, having seen enough.

"Speaking of personal space, I guess I should introduce myself too," calls the former deputy, from the ceiling. "I am Atoms. Yes—as in an A-Bomb. My body is unstable, anything, or anyone that touches me undergoes atomic dissociation. Which is really just a fancy way of saying it dies."

He floats down, but doesn't quite land, instead hovering in the center of the circle, his arms crossed across his chest. From this position, Atoms looks pretty imposing. If it wasn't clear before, he's much taller and muscular than anyone here. He might even be the oldest.

"I say we skip the rest of the pleasantries, and go straight into something... fun." Atoms glances over at Eldritch. "How about we head somewhere out of the way and show off each of our powers? Get to know each other."

Ghost Dragon shrugs and runs along with the NK to the autoshop. Having passed himself off as a mundane, he took one look at the Hellcats, then looked at the rest of the gang with a look that said, Seriously? You want me to fight these guys?

Ghost Dragon looks about the scene, trying to find a way he can contribute to helping stop the fire.

Assess the Situation: 2d6 + 0 ⇒ (2, 5) + 0 = 7
What here can I use to combat the fire?

Tycho likewise did not reveal his powers. He will, however, also go running with the gang. When he arrives at the fight, he will go charging right in and attack the strongest looking member of the hellcats, whooping and hollering.

Of course, he's actually not trying to hit him (or her), but he will swing like someone very excited but not too good at what they're doing.

The kid in the hoodie could already suck a dick and that much was apparent on Eldritch's face. He gave a nod, his smile being pressed lips together before he nodded.

"And you let it happen, nice one...Brand." He already disliked the kid but he didn't leave his attention with him, pressing past him towards the girl named Sonar.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I apologize for that and it won't happen again." He would turn around now, sighing a little bit in relief that Atoms no longer seemed to be stuck inside of his head anymore.

"I agree, lets get out of here. Maybe then people will actually answer some questions."

Quick question for Eldritch and Deputy Atoms. Did either of your character's actually shake Brand's hand? Be honest please.

Nah, his name is Brand >.>

Quick question for Eldritch and Deputy Atoms. Did either of your character's actually shake Brand's hand? Be honest please.

Atoms is still avoiding contact with people, because he doesn't have a suit. 'Untouchable Flesh' and all.

I need to demonstrate that in-game at some point.

===========Tectonic and Wingblade============

The hotel staffmember is easy enough to read. He's curious of your circumstance, but he just wants to get the workday done with. A large tip would go a huge way to getting you on his good side. He wants you to either stop loitering in the lobby, or check in quickly so he can go back to sitting and not working. Less work/more money would help him help you.

"I am merely a humble employee. My English is the best of most staff members here, so I was chosen to work the front. Now, will you be needing a room yes?"

Wingblade smiles and pats her pockets. "Sure! Nora, you've got mom's credit card, don't you? Make sure you give him a nice tip for helping us out."

She gives the staffer a wink. "While she's doing that, what's to do for fun around here? And anything we need to watch out for? Mom's so scared for us. That's why she sent us here, as far away from Halcyon City as she could. One supervillain drops a car ten feet from us and she goes crazy. Says it's too dangerous. So, nothing like that around here, right?"

Hashtag will join the fight, but not use his powers. He didn't outright say he has them, but then again he didn't say he didn't either. If anything, his attitude and actions hint he might be packing superpowered heat, but he hasn't revealed it yet.

He'll look around for a means to direct WAY more water at the hellcats, such as a fire hydrant or something.
assess the situation: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 3) + 3 = 10
What here can I use to PUT OUT THE FIRES? How could we BEST END THIS QUICKLY?

===========Tectonic and Wingblade============

The staffer gives a polite smile, and nods.

"Of course, of course. But, we do not accept credit here... We do take the American dollar, so that is also acceptable."

Either of you carry money on your person?

"And you speak of dangers? Well, just make sure you give the police a respectfully wide berth and you should be alright."

===========Deputy Atoms and Eldritch=============

Brand smirks, and withdraws his hand as no one shakes it.

"Just like all the others..." he mutters, clearly loud enough to let everyone hear. He turns his back on you both and strolls to his other classmates.

"And to you Mr. Magic man, I gave you the benefit of the doubt to know some common decent sense. None of us here are normal, and however light the briefing you recieved on the situation, I assumed you would know enough to to treat us with respect."

Yeah, he's definitely the spokesman of the group, but Sonar and Apex both stand to back him up.

"A demonstration sounds fun, doesn't it?" Apex chimes in. "Been a while since I could cut loose."

Sonar merely shrugs, a gesture that elicits a wincing pain from the ear Eldritch "shouted" in earlier.

Brand places a hand on Sonar's shoulder, and she seems to relax. His eyes are normal, almost caring.

"If you would..." he asks her. She nods.

She takes a huge breath in, and then.

An instantly high pitched scream fills the room in milliseconds, and several glass windows near the back of the room explode sending shards everywhere. The sonic blast throws both of you against the wall painfully.

When you hit the floor and struggle to your feet, trying to keep your balance. You find the trio has absconded. On the floor in fiery letters.

Find us if you can....

Need this development to make the story work So try not to ret-con the scene. Be creative for your searching.

===========Ghost Dragon, Hashtag, and North Star==========

Ghost Dragon and Hashtag both lock onto the same target. Several targets actually. There are a series of fire hydrants every block or so, and though old and rusted, may still be linked to the city's water supply. Hashtag also realizes that the best way to end the fight quickly would be get the police on the scene.

Northstar goes in, "acting" recklessly, and goes after this huge guy wearing a large hoodie with the sleeves singed off. The Hellcats don't actually all have fire powers, but like the NK must have some kind of tech wiz or something. Currently, the large guys is scooping up chunks of cement like pudding and lobbing them at NK members, knocking the wind out of them and pinning them on the street.

The Hellcats are currently winning this fight, 70% to 30%. Actions may sawy the battle either way.

Eldritch slowly picks himself off of the floor, brushing himself off as he stares at the burning images. The words seem to be burned there, his eyes rolling softly as he looks back at Atoms.

"I'm going to yell in that girl's other ear, slap that kid, and tell that other girl her shirt sucks and it looks secondhand." He pushed his fingers together and cracked them, stepping towards those burning letters and looking over them carefully.

Atoms can see his hands begin to trace a circle around it, that burning blue flame seeming to rise from where his fingers touch. The tracing continues, fingers moving in a quick, surefire movement. The glyphs would seem to gather at the edges of that circle, trembling and shaking as more and more appeared.

With burning blue hands, he smashed them downwards and the glyphs would explode in all directions.

"︎☜︎☼︎︎☜︎♓︎❖︎♏︎ ♓︎☠︎ ✌︎●︎☹︎ ♋︎■︎☝︎●︎♏︎︎!" He shouts, the glyphs shaking as a wave as he pushes his mind's eye farther.

Unleash Your Powers: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (4, 3) + 2 = 9

His concentration faltered as he thought back to that earlier scene, the looks on their faces. He had looked like them from time to time and now. He had tried to treat them like adults had treated him; maybe he was guilty of looking down on them too. Now though, now he'd treat them like equals. Anger burned through him and helped his mind sharpened. He'd definitely treat them like equals, he'd kick their asses.

Going to mark off the "Angry" condition.

Eldritch slowly picks himself off of the floor, brushing himself off as he stares at the burning images. The words seem to be burned there, his eyes rolling softly as he looks back at Atoms.

"I'm going to yell in that girl's other ear, slap that kid, and tell that other girl her shirt sucks and it looks secondhand." He pushed his fingers together and cracked them, stepping towards those burning letters and looking over them carefully.

Atoms can see his hands begin to trace a circle around it, that burning blue flame seeming to rise from where his fingers touch. The tracing continues, fingers moving in a quick, surefire movement. The glyphs would seem to gather at the edges of that circle, trembling and shaking as more and more appeared.

With burning blue hands, he smashed them downwards and the glyphs would explode in all directions.

"︎☜︎☼︎︎☜︎♓︎❖︎♏︎ ♓︎☠︎ ✌︎●︎☹︎ ♋︎■︎☝︎●︎♏︎︎!" He shouts, the glyphs shaking as a wave as he pushes his mind's eye farther.

Unleash Your Powers: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (6, 1) + 2 = 9

His concentration faltered as he thought back to that earlier scene, the looks on their faces. He had looked like them from time to time and now. He had tried to treat them like adults had treated him; maybe he was guilty of looking down on them too. Now though, now he'd treat them like equals. Anger burned through him and helped his mind sharpened. He'd definitely treat them like equals, he'd kick their asses.

Going to mark off the "Angry" condition. Eldritch is currently trying to sense or feel how they escaped so quickly. Teleportation, super speed, are they just invisible in the corner?

Tectonic wouldn't. And sorry for not posting, just don't think Tectonic would have anything useful to contribute right now.