"Christ that's weird."
Felix shivers a bit as his adjusts to his new surroundings, the rooftop. And take note of the Doctor.
"I'm guessing we shouldn't interrupt when he's reliving the glory days." he ponders to Atsuko.
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Seeing Ravager hopping off into the sunset, Mick stealth moves himself atop the transport for Croc and hunkers down, saying, "I will stick up here and make sure everything goes fine for this transport. Some rebels may wish to liberate their power player. Perhaps Thought would be wise to maintain his puppet until he is properly secured in the facility."
As he ends his insight, the familiar sound of a can being slowly opened is heard.
Well... Funny thing... I actually don't know how to find him. He just... Appears. He speaks through people like me, most of the time. But when he wants to speak to me, he just finds me, y'know. He knows when to find me, and when It's not a good idea. Last time was in the club, a little less than a week ago. He stammers. I swear, that's all I know. Schmidts said, raising his hands. What are you going to do to me?
The officers nod, and tell Thoughtform they'd prefer not to detain any of the Phantom's new 'friends.' And once in there, they drive the passengers back to the ECPD.
As usual, once you walk in, the first thing you notice is the sound of music. Brain Stew, by Green Day, specifically. The Phantom, Wraith, and the Banshee are there to greet whoever got there early, with officer Lindsay standing by the Phantom's side. A seven-layer dip and bowl of tortila chips are place on the table.
Killer Crock, eh? Could be worse I suppose.
"Doc, we should probably head out."
Felix taps his wrist with two fingers, emphasizing the lack of time.
"Not sure about you, but my ride out of here just stepped onto a sidewalk half a mile away. I'm in decent shape, but that doesn't mean I enjoy running for my life."
And with that, they both fly up and off.
Felix arrives back at HQ, a bit of adrenaline in his system.
"I rather enjoy flying I think. Ooh, chips and dip."
Felix helps himself to the snacks and then grabs a soda.
Masumi exists from the bathroom, once again looking like a (somewhat)normal teenage girl. Her outfit is much the same as it was yesterday, including the facial-wear and her backpack. She sighs, stretching, and walks back into the main area. "That was certainly something... Oh, hey." Noting the others, she gives a short wave.
"Oh it would be nice to eat again... there was this pub I used to go to that did such nice steaks..." Thoughtform says wistfully as he watches Felix chow down on snacks. "Welcome back Masumi. You did well." he compliments her with a smile.
The Doctor raises a glass, "Well done. Well done all around." He'll circulate, looking quite pleased. He'll pat Felix on the shoulder, "Taskmaster, eh? Impressive."
"Impressive is fine, but next time I'd rather not get shot at."
Noticing he was the only one chowing down, he coughs takes his bowl and moves off to side to allow others to help themselves.
Darkstorm sighs as he dips another chip into the seven layer dip. Maybe I should call her to check in. Then again that could be wierd
That was a fun mission. We took on the Killer Crok and some goons. Thought form took out the Crok. The rest of us took out the goons. Everyone did awesomely. Glad I signed up. Though, I may want to get a real supersuit one of these days he says looking at the black jumpsuit he was wearing.
Then again, college is taking up most of my cash right now.
"Yes, he may have been a tough one, but his mind was fairly easy to penetrate. I'm still not quite used to that, it was very strange... interesting though."
Atsuko blinked as Darkstorm mentioned wanting a suit. Ah, so he was definitely wanting to continue, then. An... interesting choice, overall. (She, on the other hand, was quietly keeping her thoughts to herself.) For now, she wanted to get a sense for how the whole thing had unfolded.
She smiles, happy to actually receive praise for something, and goes to plomp herself down somewhere comfortable. "I don't think I'd look so great in a suit... like this or otherwise." Though she did note it'd likely benefit her to wear something more 'official' under her... over her... ...However it worked, maybe wearing civilian clothes wasn't such a great idea when she's getting ready to hero up. A better mask at least.
So, Doctor, how did your mission go? Darkstorm asks casually.
Hopefully the rest of the team I was on stay for the Hero gig, I haven't had this much fun since I was a kid dreaming to be a hero. It been a long time since then.
His mind begins to wonder a bit, before he comes back to reality. His eyes will quickly dart around, hoping no one noticed.
"Well, there was a little chemistry between me and this hottie, but I didn't end up getting her number." he says wistfully. "It's probably because I ended up being more interested in her boyfriend."
The Phantom leans back in his chair as he sets the music volume down. He crosses his arms and looks over the team, nodding.
You all did a good job. The Phantom said. Better than I could have imagined. Most fights against the Kroc and the Taskmaster tend to end with dismemberment.
You hear him hum. Mister Darkstorm brings up a good point. Uniforms. We're having a... Unecessary publicity stunt in a week. He gaze turns to Lindsay and back to the team. Photographs and interviews for the paper, so people know who you are and what you're doing. We can have the uniforms made before then, with all of your input. Certain identities, Ravager and Thoughtform, won't need costumes. Other than that, you might want to get into character until then.
The Phantom walks over to the display case of the WWII era costume and quietly calls out to Thoughtform.
This suit doesn't mean anything to you, does it? The Phantom asked. I keep thinking... I knew a Simon during WW2. While I was still wearing this costume. You remember it at all? Or Cap?
The Wraith and The Banshee sat beside Masume, Atsuko, and the Darkstorm.
Taskmaster and Killer Kroc in our city. The Wraith said. It's been months since we had an actual costumed crook, and now here we have two at the same time.
What was it like fighting them? The Banshee asked. The Phantom fought the Taskmaster once. He came back here with two broken ribs and another ruptured spleen.
The Phantom patted the Doctor on the back. Things have changed, haven't they? He asked. You would have told me last year I'd be working with you of all people, I would have thrown you in Arkham. You almost hear him laugh. How's it like being on this side of the law?
The Phantom finally makes his way to Felix. I think I owe you an apology for almost punching your face in. He said. See, I lost something. Thought you had it, turns out you don't, but... I think you might be the one to find it. An artifact of dire importance to me. We can... Discuss it more in private.
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Officer Lindsey approached the alien warily. You're pretty well trained. She said, then she glanced at his meal. For someone who eats pet food. What were you, exactly, on your home-planet? Profession-wise, that is.
"I usually assume nothing's a coincidence with people like that." Atsuko noted. "They know there's a lot of people who are willing to fight to stop them if they get out of line, so they must have something they want whenever they act..." she trailed off, thinking carefully.
"Guess its lucky that you didn't punch me then."
Feix chuckles.
"But we all get bad intel here and there. I'm sure we can exchange a few favors here and there. Half the fun is finding this stuff after all."
Well then, I am going to need to find time to get a real suit, I just picked these cheaply up for a quick suit, and have patched up the bullet holes. Any recommendations? And how big is the publicity item. If it's a big thing people may wonder why I... who I am under the mask... am not there. And we didn't fight the Kroc. Thoughtform kinda disabled him and brought his might to our side.
The Darkstorm will pause to take a breath, never having fully been one to not talk when there was nothing else to do.
"Oh, it feels good. Really good." As he's talk, he has a tablet out and is sketching ideas about costumes. Some details come from previous generations of the team. A few details are individual to different members. "It's a different world."
"O-oh... we're going to a... a press shoot?" She shifted in her seat, scunching her pant-legs in her fists while looking away from the others. "That'll be... great! Yeah..." Masumi takes a moment to look to the Banshee, as well as scooting just a little bit away from her. OH, uh.... yeah. Like he said, there wasn't really... that much to do. ...Hey, have you guys ever been shot in the face before? Because that really hurts."
A shudder overcomes her, recalling the sensation of the bullet ripping through her skull and out the other end. She didn't realize that she could... recover, from that. But at least now she knows. "Er... I know it's not like, important or... whatever. But is there maybe some sort of... mask I could wear? For when I'm about to suit up? J-just in case, is all..."
Thoughtform greets the news of the publicity stunt with a frown, muttering to himself about 'getting into character'. That would be easier if he knew who he was. The idea of his character being a 'friendly ghost', well... perhaps it was worth entertaining. He'd have to think about it.
He looks up at Phantom as he calls him, 'walking' over to join him at the display case. He quickly nods, looking at the suit. "Yes, the war of course..." he murmurs as the suit and Phantom's words again stir up his murky, disjointed memories. The smell of blood and smoke, and the softened sounds of gunfire and explosions surrounds him for a moment as his recollections drift into his mental projection before fading again. "Cap. There was... a shield? and a symbol... like an octopus." he mutters.
"I might not make it to the press shoot."
Felix pulls out a scrap of paper with some almost illegible scrawl.
"Might be chasing down a lead for another artifact. I'll catch up with you if I miss it though."
Hydra. The Phantom answered. They're still around, you know. Maybe we'll run into one of 'em nd it will jog your memory. In the meantime, I'm digging up those few war-buddies who aren't senile.
I'm just surprised that this new criminal had enough in his wallet to buy two big-names at once. The Banshee said.
And the Taskmaster doesn't come cheap. I've seen his ads on the internet. The Wraith added.
Glad, huh? The Phantom said, clapping his hand on Felix's shoulder. I can schedule the shoot for when you're available. It means a lot to the team. I... Won't be there, but hey, you'll have a costume and everything. He laughed. What are you after, Felix?
Glad it feels good. You're making a new difference. He hummed. Different world... Could be same one, you're just getting punched by the other side of the equation.
The publicity item will start in the Eden Daily News. They're very excited for it. Then, it will be exactly one more day before the news explodes everywhere else. It will be big... The Masquerade being reforged, it will be a hurricane of publicity, tweets, and fanart on tumblr. The Phantom answers the Darkstorm. He turns to Masume. Any and all input may be given to us. Anything you want on your costume, throw it by us, it will be ready whenever.
"Just a few knick-knacks. Nothing too serious. If anything, you could say I'm showing a bit of my greedier side."
He overhears the conversation with Wraith and Banshee.
"Taskmaster has ads? Like pop-ups? You think he'd mow my lawn for me? Even if his rates expensive, that'd probably be worth the pictures, right?"
"Really? Right bastards they were, with their flashy weapons..." he frowns at the costume in thought as more images dredged from his past float through his head, each an unconnected node in a thoroughly scrambled neural network. "Well... good to hear there's some of the lads still around, what about... about..." he snaps his fingers as he tries to put names to some of the images before letting his shoulders slump with a sigh.
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For a moment, Atsuko thought about the kinds of things she'd seen on Tumblr... and she shivered slightly. That was going to be all kinds of awkward. Maybe she'd wait to go public until she'd seen how all of that was going to go down, and continue helping from the shadows until then...
"O-oh, no I... I don't think I'd have a lot of good ideas there... M-maybe something that's.. loose? All that skintight cloth looks..." Her face heats up at the imagery, which she shakes away. A small part of her absentmindedly wondered what 'tomb-blur' even was, and resigned to try looking that place up later. Some sort of art sight, maybe? He mentioned fanart after all...
She squinted. Or was it 'Tumbler?'
I kinda like the black I'm in. But this isn't that durable. I have gone through three already. I'm already going to have to patch this one up. Maybe some white aswell? A insignia would be nice but I have no idea what I should do for it.
Darkstorm talks on, trying to not listen to the big public event. She is going to be there... So will the rest of my friends. I'll just tell them I was sick.
A white cloud could be a good insignia. Or a white suit with a black cloud. I never wore a white suit before.
The Phantom hums. I'll have to take a look at this artifact when you get back. He said, letting you go.
Yup ads. Internet, and television. For training and merc work, mostly. Strange how it doesn't trigger more alarms than it does, though. The Wraith explains.
Weapons just got flashier, Simon. The Phantom said. They'll keep you on your toes all over again should you ever encounter HYDRA once more. He looks down. You almost had something, eh?
I understand that sentiment, Masumi. I wear my coat and suit because I frankly don't want to be caught in something so tight as... Tights. The Phantom said. We're not all Superman, after all.
We can work on something like that. He says to Darkstorm. Both, maybe. It will be ready within the week.
[ooc]We can all transition to the next 'scene' if you all are ready.[/b]
"Yeah... apparently I can rummage through other people's heads just fine, but my own is a disconnected mess." he admits with a sigh, frowning at the costume in the case.
When addressed, Mick nods his helmeted-head and speaks as professionally as he can in between munches of his canned delicacy. "I am a soldier that specializes in scouting and recon missions. I was trained to infiltrate, gather information, and eliminate. I was selected by my commanding officers to be sent to serve the humans of this planet. To defend them from threats, both domestic and foreign. My planet considers yours an ally, and for all intents and purposes, this is my new home too now. Howdy, neighbor."
Finishing his short, vaguely detailed explanation, he continues his meal.
Within the week, you each get personalized costumes set to your specifications arriving at your place of residence, as well as a letter denoting the date to return to the ECPD.
Once you arrive, you are led in as normal. No music playing, and only Lindsey is a recognizeable face. She introduces you to a new face.
A tall man, glasses, grey eyes and choppy black hair, fit but hunched. You must be the talent. He said, his voice deep, his accent almost exaggeratedly New-York. His breath smells like cheap cigarettes. He holds out his hand for anyone to shake it. Jackie Kyles of the Eden Daily News, at your service.
Behind him are two others. A younger woman dressed like a hipster, sleight of build, and a lanky man of around thirty with stubble and a Yankees cap.
These two will conduct the interviews, I'll take the shots. Ready when you are.
Atsuko had entered the area stealthed, as she preferred to, just so she could size up the situation - and true to her earlier intent, she stayed well away from the others, rather than rushing to get in front of the camera. Frankly, she'd be much better off if the news people never knew she was here...
She was pleased that the 'uniform', when it arrived, was something breezy and modest, yet still conformed well to her body shape. The lack of sleeves would probably come across as unusual, but most people wouldn't be seeing her like that anyway. She fully intend to keep the public in the dark about just how she transformed. Approaching the location, she came as Ravager, her uniform hidden somewhere... within herself? She never really understood it, no matter how many times she's witnessed the transformation, all 567 of them.
She merely nodded at the woman, acknowledging her. An interview is likely right out, unless one of them was psychic. And she suspected that employing a psychic to interview superheros was likely a bad move. Getting photographed made her feel nervous, but at least it didn't translate into something recognizable as ravager. She glanced absently at where Atsuko had cloaked herself, but chose to look elsewhere so attention wouldn't be drawn. Seems she wasn't the only one anxious about this event.
Felix looks at the uniform with apprehension. He never liked uniforms in general. He was hoping the Phantom would be fine with him just having a badge or something. Maybe a belt, heck, He'd take a patch. He like his own aesthetic, and doing what he did, it was better to blend into a crowd rather than stick out.
Felix goes off to search for the Phantom to ask about the possibility of a alternative uniform.
Well, if he said no, at least he had some new toys to play with.
The Darkstorm approached smiling, in his new suit, the white outfit gleaming in the sunlight. Unlike normal times where he would walk up to people, he was busy approaching in a downward direction, calling out to his team mates with a big Hello
When he landed he introduced himself to the Interviewers.
The Doctor's uniform matches the others, but still has traces of a lab coat. He smiles broadly, eager to face the press once more.