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Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Scarifar
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Scarifar Presto~!

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Gematria





Gematria waited in the bag, listening to the chatter outside. Apparently her carrier was having some problems, which caused her to worry slightly. If things were already going wrong from the start, she couldn't imagine how the rest of the mission would go. Fortunately, it was resolved quickly and they were able to enter the establishment. It was difficult to discern anything from inside the bag, but they were moving around quite a bit. So far, so good. Gematria hoped the others were having a better time infiltrating. A bit more time and a small bout of what she was an abnormally fast movement later, Gematria was finally freed from her time in the bag.

She spun around on her heel and raised a hand on her forehead, quickly scanning her surroundings. It seemed they were in a bathroom, if the gold-plated toilet was anything. She had one of those back home, and was reminded of the time she learned that gold toilets were not a common sight. So she was pleasantly surprised to see another one. Returning her attention to Blast, Gematria raised a thumbs up and said, "Not to worry! I designed this body to withstand high speeds, and I don't even feel the shifts in momentum on account of being inorganic right now." She patted her body's chest as if the emphasize the point. "It would've been nice to find a computer room or something, but beggars can't be choosers, I guess." She paused, pondering her next course of action. "Hmm... an air vent would be a fine idea, but in the bathroom, it'd be most likely to just lead outside, and that's not exactly where we wanna be, now do we?" Gematria was silent for a second, her mind racing with ideas, then settled on something. "He probably has an office or something here. If you can find it and drop me off someplace nearby, I'm certain I can find a way inside and access important documents. Then you can, uh, I don't know, chat up the other party goers or something."

Then a notification popped up in her sight, originally coming from the Hero watch she had linked to her G.E.M. figure. "Oh, hold on," Gematrai said, opening it up. Gematria was surprised to find herself with access to the Peterson estate security cameras, courtesy of Wiseman. There was quite a lot to look through, but her digitized state quickly sorted out the information and used it to compile a rough blueprint of the building. "Never mind, looks like I just found it," Gematria said after a few moments of silence, and sent the rough map and the highlighted red dot to Blast's watch. "Thank goodness for the smartest man alive. Anyway, if you can get me inside, that'd be great, but if not, just drop me off somewhere nearby and I'll find a way in."
Hidden 5 mos ago 5 mos ago Post by Silver Carrot
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Silver Carrot Wow I've been here a while

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7:23 PM.
October 10th, 2029.
Peterson Estates
Passenger Island, Castleburg
On a mission with: Alchemist @Duoya, Blast @Hitman, Gematria @Scarifar, Bastion @Infinite Cosmos, Dahlia @baraquiel




Madison was fluttering from guest to guest, making some small talk to break the ice and moving on to the next. Nobody was drunk enough yet to start flapping their gums properly. The first hour of a party was really just to test and gauge who you actually want to talk to properly later. She was surprised how easily this was coming back to her despite the amount of time that had passed since the last time she'd been to such a gathering. Of course, back then she had been a spoiled little girl who just wanted to brag about something at school. At the time, she hadn't been experienced to pick up on the cues of disinterested and often annoyed VIPs. Just remembered such days made her visibly cringe, and she went to get some food.

Alchemist was easy to spot. She was so awkwardly conspicuous that absolutely nobody would be suspecting her of being a spy. They'd probably just think she was somebody's rambunctious daughter who got the job to keep her out of trouble and in her father's line of sight. The movie references only helped this aura. Wireframe put her hand on Alchemist's shoulder and smiled at her.

"Breath in. Hold. And breathe out," she spoke warmly, before taking a sandwich from the tray. Nothing would seem amiss to anybody watching. Just a kind guest helping a nervous, excitable waitress of the same age to calm down. But Rupa would hopefully recognise Madison through the makeup and glitz and recieve the message to gently apply the brakes on her mouth for the sake of her composure, and the mission.

Madison took nibbles of the sandwich as she continued to mingle until she could feel eyes on her. Somebody was watching her specifically. She didn't take long to meet her observer's gaze. Finishing the sandwich, she walked over. It was not hard to recognise the man. He was on enough bilboards advertising an energy drink. He was a Junker. She couldn't remember his real name off the top of her head, but his superhero alias was 'Cloudburst'. As she approached, she wondered why she'd caught his attention, but she didn't like the look in his eye.







7:20 PM.
October 10th, 2029.
En Route to Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant
Brookside, Castleburg
On a mission with: Mire @Blizz, Crane @Zoey Boey, Blur Rabbit @DClassified, Ardent @manythings, Terraformer @shylarah, Freakshow @Crusader Lord




Hearing Ardent's comments, Flora was puzzled at first, she slipped her goggles on and zoomed in on where he was looking, only to spot a woman lying on her belly, armed with a sniper rifle. She highlighted the face and checked it with her database. Oh, Junior Inspector Pérez A.K.A. 'Chimera'. Flora hadnever met her in person but an ICOSA agent who's callsign is the same as the experiment that stole your childhood would stick in your mind. Flora tutted and turned her attention back to Ardent, keeping the goggles on.

"Well, she should be with us too. If she's not, I'm not going to be very happy. They didn't even inform me she'd be here. Either way, I'm with you. I'm H.E.R.O. again now, and even when the rest of ICOSA go back to their offices, I'll still be here. I was H.E.R.O before I was ICOSA."

Mire then joined in the conversation. Flora wasn't sure whether it was because she wasn't wearing a blouse, skirt and lanyard, or because the goggles were covering her eyes, but Mire hadn't recognised her, or her voice. Flora felt that she's missed the window where she could introduce herself without aggrivating Mire (something she was very familiar with), so didn't say anything.

Another of their team then started talking about Terrazards. She seemed rough at first, but surprisingle eloquent. Despite spending a good portion of the last seven years studying Terrazards, their biology and their behaviors for a living, Flora didn't have anything at all to add. She couldn't have put this informationany better herself. The girl even knew a lot of things that Flora didn't, as Flora had never actually fought them in a group on their own habitat before. Flora couldn't find that much to fault her on with the strategy either. When Terraformer chimed in, Lab Rat turned to him.

"Even if it was too tall to see over, the Terrazards could still climb it. The wall's not to keep them completely contained but keep them clustered together and slow them down. Terrazards are fast. If they manage to scatter all around us, we're as good as dead. Sinkholes in addition to a wall would be welcome though."
Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Zoey Boey
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Zoey Boey Spider!

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Crane

Outside Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant




This was Crane’s first real mission, and she was eager to please. She was on her hands and knees, looking down into the screen that would give her the briefing required for intel. Back home, Ting Feng actually had a decent amount of experience taking care of leftovers. A terrifying knee-high lizard for other people was just a regular size lizard for her, able to be picked up between the fingers and relocated into the forest. Of course, she imagined the intensity of big city Leftovers would be much harsher, so she wasn’t going to be overconfident. Her face filled the entirety of the box in her live feed on the laptop screen during the conference. Ting Feng wasn’t offended by the ICOSA people, but many people seemed to be. Was there something she was missing?

Regardless, Ting Feng was both excited and nervous about her first mission.



She clapped happily when she saw the truck bed provided for her, curling her legs against her and hugging them as she sat. It reminded her of the trains and boats she took to get to this big city, but, much cozier. Everyone was right there, next to her, within speaking range, but she was able to sit down and relax as she was moved through the city. Joyous!

She ended up alongside Ardent. ”Hello. I am Ting Feng.” She said over to the flying man. They were at eye level with each other. Flying people were the easiest to communicate with. Only they could see the world even higher than she could.

Ardent voiced his suspicions and doubts. ”I am sure the mission is important. It is not so bad to have someone stay behind.” She responded.

As Lab Rat stopped the truck, Crane smiled. ”Yes! The journey was pleasant. Thank you! Never have I felt so accommodated.” What followed was no ignoreable amount of tension between some ICOSA and HERO reps. Crane scratched her cheek and pretended not to hear, looking out over to the distant ocean.

Thankfully, the hero known as ‘Freakshow’ (The name struck Crane as rather pejorative) began to give everyone the plan of how she thought things should be done. Crane listened intently to her plan. It all made sense to her. It was rather soothing to listen to. "Excellent. I will tend to the perimeter, then, outside the building. Yes?" She said, still sitting in the truck.

Crane sighed. "I will squish them if I have too. But it will be quite gross." She would prefer to capture them. Or even throw, slam, or smash them, or kick them away. Stomping on them might be easy but it might be gross. There was a higher likelihood of...splatting.
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Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Hitman
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Hitman Mori Quam Foedari

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Peterson Estates
Passenger Island, Castleburg
Status: Infiltrating
Speaks to: Gematria @Scarifar, Dahlia @baraquiel
On a mission with: Wireframe @Silver Carrot, Bastion @Infinite Cosmos, Dahlia @baraquiel, Gematria @Scarifar, Alchemist @Duoya

Blast nodded as the toy/girl (not sure which one to go with here) explained her thought process. Made sense. Bathroom vents would likely vent outside; the good vents were somewhere deeper in the building. Luckily, as Gematria just explained, HERO's resident hackerman had given them a vague blueprint to the building and, more importantly, ability to override security. Jake was growing to appreciate nerds more and more. "I think I can get you to the ideal spot." Jake looked at his watch. "OK, according to these blueprints there's some sort of library on this floor, which is directly beneath Peterson's private office upstairs. If you can find a vent or something, I can drop you off and you can sneak right in. Damn, this might actually going according to plan!" Blast opened his bag again. "So, uhh, one more quick trip in the bag. Sorry."

After hiding Gematria back in the bag, Jake quickly exited the bathroom and made his way through the halls of Peterson Estates. There were a bunch of portraits of what Blast assumed were the current Peterson's ancestors, given the old-timey clothing many of them were wearing. Dude came from old money. He took a couple more glances at his watch as he navigated through the large estate. He would really love to have used his powers right now; now he knew how all these other slowpokes felt when they were trying to go from point A to point B. After making a couple wrong turns, Blast pushed open the old mahogany doors of Peterson's personal library. It was an impressive room, and while it wasn't as big as an actual city library, it was quite the collection for a private owner. Jake had assumed Peterson was some dumb-dumb rich heir who could only maintain his wealth by investing in criminal enterprise, but maybe he actually had some noggin in there. Only a smart person would even think of reading so many books. Or maybe all these books belonged to the actually intelligent members of the Peterson clan, and Sam Peterson just inherited the library like the rest of the mansion.

Either way, Jake had a job to do. After looking left and right to confirm the library was, in fact, empty (it of course was- Peterson didn't invite any bookworms, apparently), Jake quickly unslung his bag and threw it like a frisbee, sending it spinning through the air and landing perfectly on top of one of the bookshelves. He was proud of his throw for about 1 second before remembering that there was an actual person inside the bag. That could've ended really badly.

Jake zoomed over to the bookshelf that he had so casually thrown Gematria onto, looking up at the top. He lowered his tone to a whisper. "Umm, sorry about that. Hope that didn't hurt too bad." Jake looked left and right again to confirm that the library was still empty. "Alright, I think you should be able to get to the vent from up there. And, uhh, do your thing. And keep us in the loop, obviously. I gotta run before people realize how long I've been gone, but less us know once you find out that Peterson is, like, super evil or whatever. Or that he has Gholem hidden under his bed. So, umm, yeah. Gotta run, good luck!" And with that, Jake sped out of the library. Being around so many books was starting to hurt.

Jake got a little impatient and turned on his powers just enough to give him a modest, though not extreme, boost in speed as he sped-walk his way back to the ballroom, which had filled even more with people as they continued to trickle in. As Jake needled his way through the crowd, the whole ballroom was brought to a hush by the sound of a fork being clanged against a champagne glass repeatedly.

Peterson had arrived.

Samuel Peterson was not the type of person that generally would turn heads at parties. He was shorter than average, standing around 5'6" or 5'7", and was slightly portly, with frizzy gray hair and a bushy gray mustache. He looked like if Einstein met the Roaring Twenties, not like the rest of the crowd, most of whom were fairly glamorous-looking people. He also, more importantly, did not look like a villain of any kind. But looks could be deceiving.

Peterson extended his arms as he turned his head to examine the crowd. He was wearing a classic tuxedo and standing on an elevated platform, next to the group of musicians that had been providing the music for the evening. "Greetings, all. Thank you for making the time to come this evening. It's my absolute honor to host such wonderful people. I hope everybody has been enjoying the refreshments, but I also hope that none of you over-indulged. Because you all know what time it is!"

Jake, in fact, did not know what time it was. Well, it was just past 7:20, but Jake suspected that was not going to be the answer to the man's question.

"Our annual ballroom dancing competition!"

Well, unexpected, but it could've been a lot worse. Jake was half-expecting Peterson to drop nets from the ceiling and capture them all then and there.

"We only have a couple of newcomers, but I'll explain how this works just to be on the safe side. Our lovely instrumentalists will perform some equally lovely tunes for us, and at the end I choose from all the pairs a winner. And of course, your prize will be some shares in Peterson Communications and, most importantly, a tour of my wine cellar, which you'll be happy to know was ranked third in the world amongst personal collections for its breadth and quality of wines by the International Association of Sommeliers. Oh, and you can each take home a choice of one bottle of wine from my personal collection!"

Jake turned away from the crowd, sneaking a peak at his watch to confirm something he had thought earlier. His lingering thought was correct: the Peterson wine cellar was in the basement of the estate, right next to a large unidentified room. That was, of course, super suspicious, and this would be a good chance to bypass security and get into the proximity of the area. Plus, the prizes didn't sound bad. Chicks digged nice wine. Plus, those stocks sounded pretty good, though if the mission went the way HERO thought it would, it might not be very valuable shares for very long.

Jake's train of thought was interrupted by Peterson's speaking. The same time that Jake had looked down to take a peak at his watch, Peterson had looked down to take a peak at his cell phone. "Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, I will have to miss out on the event due to some emergency work obligations. Yes, I'm as disappointed as you are! In my stead, my lovely wife Ada will judge the dancers!" Peterson gestured across the room to a blonde woman at least 20 years his junior, who gave a demure wave."My apologies again, but this is urgent. But best of luck to all!" And with that, Peterson stepped off the stage, and the musicians flipped through some sheet music as they prepared.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

Whatever the hero Cloudburst had to say or think regarding Wireframe would remain unknown, as a strange hand patted itself on Cloudburst's shoulder. Cloudburst immediately turned in shock, gave what appeared to be a salute, and disappeared into the crowd. This revealed the source of the hand: a tall, older man with combed-back silver hair and a well-trimmed goatee, dressed in a sleek black three-piece suit with a red tie. This, of course, was Emilio Marquez, or the superhero Toreador. He was one of the most well-known heroes in the city back in the day, and though he didn't spend as much of his time on the frontlines anymore, he was still a legend in the hero community.

"Ms. Weaver. I don't think we've ever met in person before," Toreador said, looking down at Maddie with his cold, blue-gray eyes. His facial structure and those eerie eyes made him look very hawk-like in a strange way. "I hope I didn't interrupt a conversation, I just wanted to say hello. Your father-"

It was around this time that Peterson gave his speech about the dancing competition or whatever, at which point Toreador stopped mid-sentence and listened. Once Peterson walked off due to his work issues, Toreador's eyes re-fixed themselves on Wireframe. "I suppose that was good timing, as I'm in need of a partner myself, and I daresay you won't find a better ballroom dancer than yours truly." The corner of Marquez's lip turned upwards into the slightest grin. "Shall we? I believe we have much to discuss. And I'm sensing that whatever reason you have for being here...perhaps a spot of dancing might further your aim."

Toreador was one of the most capable telepaths in HERO's history, and it seemed as though he could see right through people with those bird-of-prey eyes. He was certainly an interesting character in HERO, and definitely a bad enemy to make.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

As others began to pair up, Jake had quickly moved over to the drinks table and downed two flutes of champagne. After all, this was a party, and he needed to lighten up in order to do more party-ing. He then dropped both glasses into the trash can. Jake didn't imagine that rich people used the dishwasher. Buying new champagne glasses was probably like buying new sticks of gum for a regular person. Besides, Peterson was probably going to jail after this anyway. The state of his party equipment would soon be the least of his concerns, unless he paid his attorneys with glassware.

Jake turned back to the crowd as he looked through for somebody that was not a fossil but also looked like they might either A) know how to dance and/or B) know something about Peterson and have some useful intel for him. Jake's eyes eventually settled on somebody that looked conspicuous enough to be worth a shot. A woman that was probably around his age with brown hair, wearing a pretty black dress and fur coat. Definitely rich-looking, possibly associated with Peterson, given that she was here. Check, check. Jake adjusted his tie before making his other, putting on his best winning smile as he approached through the crowd.

"Miss, would you like this dance?" Jake asked with a wink as he extended a hand. "I've never been to one of these parties before. You know, I've always heard Peterson's been into some shady stuff. You know anything about that?"

This definitely was not the most nuanced approach, though that wouldn't matter, as Jake had. of course, approached his own colleague Dahlia in disguise. One day he would learn to pay attention, maybe, but evidently today was not that day.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

Peterson made his way across the ballroom, but before he left, he turned to look at one of the waitresses that was holding a tray. "I must say, I heard about your discussion on Pulp Fiction from across the room. Good taste in film. You know, Mr. Willis was actually supposed to make a guest appearance tonight, but he had to cancel, unfortunately. Other plans!" Peterson gave a hearty rich-person laugh. "Still, you have an impressive knowledge of film! After my work call, I'd love to offer you an entry-level position at Cinepedia. A young lady like you shouldn't be wasting around as waitstaff!" He chuckled to himself. "You know, I always knew I had a good eye for talent. Even when I'm just hiring for events, I find diamonds in the rough! Come meet me upstairs in my study. Oh, and bring some of those...what did you call them? Mini Royales with cheese? Hilarious! Bring a bunch of those with you. Chef Cazenave continues to impress..."

And with that, Peterson walked out of the ballroom and made his way up the stairs, flanked by a couple of security guards. Rupa's cinephilia had gotten her a one-way ticket right into the lion's den.



Outside Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant
Brookside, Castleburg
Being observed: Crane @Zoey Boey, Lab Rat @Silver Carrot, Blur Rabbit @DClassified, Ardent @manythings, Terraformer @shylarah, Freakshow @Crusader Lord, Mire @Blizz

Mari did not appreciate being told what to do by some random hacker in her ear. She was, of course, familiar with Wiseman's capabilities as a supergenius, and was well-aware of his technological skillset. But she was not expecting to hear his voice come through her headset and start barking orders. She made a sour face as she reached a hand up, tapping her earpiece, before responding.

"If you're as much of a genius as the files say, you know I'm not going to shoot anybody, cabrón. They gave me this because I know how to use it," she retorted with flair. Despite her heated response, though, she did uncurl her finger from the trigger, instead wrapping her second hand comfortably around the grip of the weapon. She put her eye up against the scope again, observing the scene and returning to her job. The heroes had almost all gotten out and now appeared to all be heatedly speaking with one another. Of course. What a great start to this mission.

Mari moved the weapon to the left to observe the hole near the facility. Strangely, it appeared to be empty. That meant one of two things- either the Terrazards had gone back to their little hidey-hole after seeing the group of heroes or, two, they were rapidly on the move. A quick shift of the scoped weapon back revealed the answer. The Terrazards, almost as if they had been suddenly spooked or commanded, were now moving towards the group of heroes and their convoy vehicles. There had to be at least 20 or 25 of them total, and the creatures were moving quickly, some of them rushing head on and some of them moving at an angle, likely trying to form some type of pincer movement.

Mari hesitated before wrapping her finger once again around the trigger, lifting her eye to the rifle, and a second later, fired. One of the charging Terrazards was caught squarely in the stomach, and while their skin was tough, the ICOSA-issued sniper rifle was much tougher, as the bullet cut directly through the Leftover and caused it to drop to its side. More importantly, though, the sound of the gunshot was quite loud, and it would definitely alert the heroes if they were close to paying attention, and was the reason Mari took the shot. True, Mari had only been designated to observe and act defensively only, but if the Terrazards caught the group unaware, there would be nobody left to observe and a lot of cleaning up to do. Mari reached her hand back to her earpiece again.

"Instead of bossing me around, how about you tell your comrades to pay attention before they get eaten alive, hmm? Terrazards are going to be at their location in less than a minute." She spoke vexedly through the compromised communication system, as she cleared the empty shell casing from the gun and began to load another round. "And I was told you were supposed to be at an evaluation."

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Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Crusader Lord
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Crusader Lord A professional, anxiety-riddled, part-time worker

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Freakshow


Looking to the side once more as the sound of a gunshot reached her enhanced hearing ears, and enhancing her eyes again, Luna would rapidly glance to the side and glimpse something not very enticing to her. The Zards were already coming in their direction, and were doing so in a hurry to boot. Actually were moving....strange. Not a normal Zard approach. Ran in as if they were in a formation, and while they were pack hunters something felt 'off' about it all. Could see one of them already dead too, even, likely their little guardian angel's doing, though she hadn't gotten any word from the woman or anyone else about the approach either. Likely the shot 'was' a warning of some kind, if their watcher had to give any sort of indication....still could have said something for a split second.

Overall this was very not good. Very not good.

"Shi-

Get in your formation positions here and now, people, and make sure to protect the flanks! Somethin's got the Zards comin' this way at top speed, usin' some strange formation, and they're gonna' be on top of us in a heartbeat! I'll try to interrupt em' for a moment to buy you time!"


The enhanced 'Freakshow' would shout into the comms to her teammates, even as she suddenly darted off in the direction of the Terrazards simultaneously. Enhance her reflexes more. Enhance strength even more. Push durability even farther than she had before. Enhance her speed to meet the threat and try to interrupt their approach. She'd given them the talk about the Terrazards, and enough of them seemed onboard at this point, so none of that or the info on the formation needed retelling. They didn't even have the time for that anyways. But what had alerted them to their presence, or at least sent them all running their way like this? The group were at a pretty far range even if the things had seen them, wind was blowing the right direction to their favor, and everything to a certain extent. It was, to say the least, something that smelled a bit....suspicious if she had to put a finger on it.

If those self-proclaimed 'Skulls' were weaponinzing Leftovers or anything like she was worried about here, she was going to crack those skulls before bringing them in alive. Stupid, stupid asshat-mimicking asshats. Did she mention she already thought they were asshats on a conceptual level before they'd even 'professionally' met? Yeah, they were still asshats.

Luna would move to intercept the nearest edge of the angular formation the Terrazards were moving in at. Her goal was to hit the leading tip edge of the formation and disrupt it through a lot off high-impact meat-splattering punching and the sort. Enough to get some of them on her, she hoped, and buy the rest of the group a moment to get ready the rest of the way as she'd barked to them. No time for niceties, the time to act or die was now. Should the thing try to pull back on her or something stupid, at least if someone was pulling the strings or these things had gotten 'that much' smarter since last time she'd been around them, she'd try to hit the center of their formation in a sudden and impactful attacking leap.

Or, well, at least that was her personal plan. Idea was to hit the things, buy a little time, and then retreat into the formation to draw some back with her if the others were following the plan. Because only one of them had given a plan, and that plan was to try to help them not die. Neither was the plan for herself to die, at least intentionally, but that wasn't the main thing right now in her mind.

It was the time to see what these things would do....and if any of her fears were correct.

@Blizz@ManyThings@Silver Carrot@shylarah@Hitman@DClassified@Zoey Boey
Hidden 5 mos ago Post by ManyThings
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ManyThings

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「 ARDENT 」


Outside Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant, Brookside




David was going to have to put some trust in the new hero transferred from ICOSA, it seemed. As long as she didn't start writing up critiques of their battle performance, he could live with that. Probably.

He was ready for action, but Freakshow had a pretty long-winded battle plan for the group, first. As a former solo vigilante, David found himself growing disinterested with the details of the plan. Too complicated. Too rigid in its structure. He preferred to improvise. Not to mention, it seemed excessive. Based on the reading he had done on these creatures and the report of how quickly Jellyfish and Albino had folded to the fresh recruits, David was pretty sure that just Mire and Ting Feng working together would be enough to clear out the two-dozen-odd Terrazards running towards them, leaving the rest of the heroes free to rush inside the plant before the Skulls had time to prepare.

Still, listening to Luna's tone, he got the sense she wasn't speaking just from some desire to boss the group around, but because these Leftovers had left a serious impression on her from previous encounters. He didn't want to be a dick and run off on his own after she had just asked for backup and support to watch the group's flanks. The plan wasn't David's style, but that didn't mean it was a bad idea, necessarily. He took issue with one bit, however.

"Don't follow them? Are you serious? If they stop coming to us, we're gonna have to go to them. The mission is to clear out the whole place, which means we're gonna have to go in there and get our feet wet a little. If you don't feel safe doing that, you can wait outside. I'm gonna-"

The rumbling of reptilian footfalls alerted him moments before the gunshot. They were coming.

"Hah! At least we can forget about the bait!"

Hearing Freakshow go on and on about the dangers of Terrazards and the strategy for killing them had begun to irritateDavid and stress him out a little, but that stress was gone now that he could just focus on taking action. He flew low, rocketing forwards alongside Freakshow towards the mob of Leftovers. "That was a lot of yapping just to say 'let's watch each other's backs while we fight some lizards'! Better hope it works!"

As he flew, Ardent snatched up a metal sign in one hand. He twirled it experimentally, getting a sense of its heft. Almost automatically without thinking, he had improvised a weapon. The 'EMPLOYEE PARKING ONLY' sign on the top end would make a fine axe, and the hefty concrete weight that served as the sign's base was a solid hammer. Satisfied, he gave a confident grin as he watched Freakshow lunge for the spearhead of the formation, darting off to the left at the same time.

Luna had seemed pretty surprised by the formation of the enemy, but as far as Ardent could tell things were going exactly as she had guessed. A bunch of 'zards were running at the group while a few tried to outflank them on each side. He flew low towards the pincer group of lizards that were aiming to wrap around the HERO team's left side. With his speed, he could reach them while they were still basically in front of the group, not yet wrapped around their position. At the last second, he flew higher, and then came crashing down into the reptiles' frontline, sending up a spray of dirt and dust.

Based on the Leftover data for Terrazards, what Freakshow had just told everyone about them, and the fact that one had just died to a sniper rifle, it seemed like they were tough enough to survive small firepower, but nothing beyond that. Since he didn't have to worry about their lives like he would with a human enemy, Ardent had plenty of freedom to use the strength required. With 20-25 Leftovers in the whole formation and the bulk of them charging in the centre, there must have been under ten of the creatures on the flank he was attacking. Light work.

His first attack carried his landing momentum forwards to skewer the foremost Terrazard on the sign-blade. Immediately, he pulled it out and set to work. At the speed he was swinging the sign, 'EMPLOYEE PARKING ONLY' was no longer readable to spectators, it was a complete blur. With the length of the weapon, Ardent could keep the lizards beyond arm's reach as they fought. He slashed one's throat with the sign, then spun it around to splatter the next one with a crushing blow from the concrete base. With his power and his expertise in using random crap as weaponry, he was a whirlwind, deadly and impassable.

However, he didn't advance into the enemy flank, even as he cleaved through the foremost of them. He maintained his position and awaited their approach. As much as he had gotten tired of listening to Freakshow, it seemed he had grasped the basics of her plan after all. With wide-area attacks from the likes of Mire and Terraformer, the core group of heroes surely had the ability to wipe out the numerous monsters charging their way, and the only thing that could really disrupt their rhythm would be a surprise attack from the side or behind. Ardent's eyes darted to the edges of the Leftover formation, making sure none got past him as he fought. As long as someone could do the same thing on the right flank and someone kept an eye on their backsides, the group would only have to worry about the enemy's frontal assault.
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Hidden 5 mos ago Post by shylarah
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shylarah the crazy one

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[ Jareth ]



Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant

The sound of Chimera shooting a terrazard warned Jareth and the group that they were coming. There was no more time to plan. Luna was off, and Ardent as well. The main bulk of the terrazards were coming straight for them, with just a few off to the sides. Time for some earthworks to slow them down!

Jareth tapped into his power, and the ground trembled, then began to move. He fashioned outward angled walls to the front of their battlefield, making sure to leave a couple gaps in the defenses to funnel the 'zards to those points.

And it worked...sort of. 'Zards still climbed over the walls, but they were slower than the ones that took the pre-prepared openings. But since all the terrazards couldn't fit through the openings at once, that slowed them down too overall.

With the 'zards clustered in the two openings Jareth had left in the walls, it was time for a sinkhole or two. Reaching out a hand, he opened a large hole beneath a group of the Leftover lizards, catching maybe six or seven of them in it. Then as quickly as he could, he filled in the hole again with dirt and rock, which would hopefully suffocate the 'zards to death. At the very least, they would have difficulty moving.
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Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Blizz
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Blizz Grand Chancellor Supreme of the Wizard Council

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The ugly looking human calling itself Freakshow laid out a plan that Mire thought was at least reasonable. Some of them going in, others staying out as bait. It made sense, even if she talked too much. Mire would've actually gone through with it, had the gunshot not happened. They knew what those loud noises meant, humanity used them to scare things off and kill to eat. That much was clear, so it stood to reason that the sniper had shot one of the Terrazards. At that point, things stopped being so complicated. People starting rushing in, the ground started splitting wide open. The fungal monster was smart enough that they could make their own plan at this point.

"Now they know we're here. That plan means nothing at this point. I'm going in, and I'm making them all do the hard work for us," Mire said, to the remaining heroes who hadn't sprung into action yet. They flicked their arms out, and small particulates of spores drifted downwind. "Don't follow me."

And then they calmly started walking forward, trudging across concrete and metal wire fences while the others did their work. Mire's body pulsed and contorted, like something was writhing under the surface of all that mycelium. Bulbous growths start poking through like septic boils, which sprouted new fungus that sloughed off to the ground. It took root, and Mire just kept marching forward towards the hole that the Terrazards were coming through.

"YOU EAT HUMANS, DON'T YOU?! COME AND TAKE A BITE FROM ME, THEN!" Mire's awful voice boomed across the ruins of the plant, alerting swathes of Terrazards to their exact location. It might've been stupid, but that was what they wanted to happen. Their hypae structures stretched out, making Mire seem taller than they actually were as their limbs grew more and more gaunt by the second. The eyes of Terrazards nearby turned and glared at the strange, vaguely humanoid looking entity just beckoning to be eaten alive. They were intelligent, but many of them saw this and took it to be a sign of absolutely stupidity. And so, an entire herd of the beasts descended on their fellow Leftover. Like a swarm of starving piranhas they bit, chewed, clawed and tore into what they thought would be a warm and bloody snack. But instead, their teeth bit down into saturated sludge. Mire didn't fight back, they wanted the creatures to get as much of a mouthful as possible, so chunk after chunk of their body fell away in a feeding frenzy.

And then, the flood came.

Every Terrazard that bit into a piece of Mire had its mouth, throat and stomach filled with enzymes as Mire's body exploded. It was like a giant water balloon, splashing everything around the living colony. In an instant, the feast became a mass grave as the Terrazards melted like warm wax, right before the eyes of everyone who thought to observe. They howled and writhed in agony, but their bones and their flesh leaked to the ground. Limbs decayed in seconds, bones and blood mingled into a slurry. And in the runoff, there sat Mire. Tattered and practically swimming through a puddle of half-decomposed gore. Even the ground they stood on was slowly dissolving.

A few were still alive, but their bodies were in such bad shape that it was just cruel not to kill them. Mire sloshed through the pit of rotting guts and enzymes, subsuming the survivors into what parts of their body still squirmed. The Terrazards didn't even fight back.

As effective as it was, the move Mire made was filling the area with a ghastly stench.

"That was easy."
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Hidden 5 mos ago Post by shylarah
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shylarah the crazy one

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[ Amuné ]




collab between @shylarah, @Zoey Boey, and @Hitman
Hero Three

If Backup was being totally honest, she was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. TJ had never gone in for evaluation, therapy wasn’t really her thing. She didn’t need it. HERO work was her therapy. It was pretty much the best thing that had ever happened to her. If she needed to suck up to some ICOSA pencil pushers to keep her dream job, she’d do it. She was taking up an entire couch to herself, arms behind her head, shaking her foot back and forth over a crossed leg.

Amune, the wispy little girl they called Oracle, offered to go first. Wiseman was doing some eye-rolling tough guy act over the internet, and Riley was playing the bratty teen.

”I do mind, actually. I’m going to blow my brains out if I have to spend any longer in this room.” She stood up, slapping her thighs. She was still in her superhero costume after a day of patrolling. She smelled like warm concrete and leather. Peeling her superhero mask off her face and shoving it into her pocket, she treated the therapist and british guy to a crooked smile.

”I get cabin fever real easy.” She said, brushing some hair behind her ear.

Amuné sighed internally. She hadn’t actually expected anyone to protest. “It was a rhetorical question. If you wanted to be first, perhaps you should be a little quicker on the uptake,” she said, voice mild.

”What a rotten thing to say. Just lying for no reason! You should be nicer, kid, I just told you I’m suffering, here.” Backup said with a pout.

"Now, now," Randolph said as he looked between the two. "Let’s not get into a tizzy over here, everyone will have time for this interview. In fact, to speed it up, we’ll do split duties. Does that sound alright?" Randolph glanced over at his psychologist associate, who gave a conciliatory half-shrug, half-nod. "Let’s have Ms. Jennings come with me.. I wouldn’t want her to ‘blow her brains out,’ or ‘get cabin fever,’" he said, with a clear and pronounced mocking tone of voice. "Conveniently, there’s a spare office here for us to have our conversation. And then after I’m done with Ms. Jennings, I would love to speak to you, Mr…Lindell," the British inspector added, pronouncing Stray’s name with a certain degree of indignation or, perhaps, incredulity. Perhaps Lindell was a rotten name in England or something.

"Then Ms. Ris can join our lovely Dr. Reininger, and afterwards the good doctor can speak to…how about Mr. Basilov first, since he seems particularly unhappy to be here as well?" Randolph gave a good chuckle. "Oh, now that’s efficiency! Anyway, come with me, Ms. Jennings. We have much to discuss."

”Sounds good to me.” She said, rolling her shoulders. TJ left, glancing back at Amune with a smile before she left them alone.

The psychologist escorted the younger heroine back into the office space that she had seized for the purpose of these interviews. As a result, it certainly lacked the aesthetic that your average psychologist would have available to them. There were no bookshelves, no long couches, none of that. Instead, there was just a sterile office with bland, khaki-colored walls, two chairs, an office desk that looked like it had just been purchased from IKEA, and a harsh, overpowering light above head.

Dr. Reininger gestured to one of the two chairs (the less comfy one, noticeably) before taking the cushioned chair for herself. She was a woman that looked way too tired for this job. Her brunette hair was lazily done into a bun with several strands sticking out, her eyes had dark circles beneath them, and her weak smile betrayed the fact that she looked like she was not at all happy to be there. Yet she was here, of course, and she had a job to do. She picked up her clipboard and pen from her desk, lounging back slightly in the office chair as she looked up at the young girl from behind her glasses.

“Amuné Ris, A.K.A. Oracle. Age 16, superpower limited clairvoyance, identity still largely obscured. Do I have that right?” the woman asked, her tone clearly attempting to be charitable and pleasant but with overtones of the steeliness and unyielding professionalism that had largely characterized ICOSA since their arrival.

Amuné followed Dr. Reininger to the office. It was nothing like her therapist’s office, which was cozy and inviting. This was almost a clinical feel. She was privately glad that Mr. Randolph was not going to be part of the interview. The less she had to deal with him, the better. She settled into the uncushioned chair offered, sitting with her back straight and her hands clasped in her lap. “That’s right,” she said. Unlike with her therapist, she probably shouldn’t volunteer information that hadn’t been asked for.

The psychologist nodded, taking a note down on her clipboard. “Now, I want to be clear about something. This isn’t a therapy session, this is only a little chat to make sure that you’re, well, psychologically fit to be a hero. This line of work can be very taxing for people, especially young people, so we want to make sure that you’re capable of dealing with it.” She looked up from the board at Amuné. “I’m going to delve into some uncomfortable territory, so let me know if you want me to stop at any point, alright? Now, it’s true that you were in the…custody, we’ll call it, of several villains for a number of years, correct?”

Amuné sighed. She’d expected to have to talk about her past, but the doctor really wasn’t wasting any time, was she? Still, there was no helping it. “Yes, for roughly four years.” Even now she occasionally still had bad dreams about the Ring, and what they’d done. Therapy had helped immensely, but she’d probably never be truly over the experience. She could cope, but the memories would always be there.

Dr. Reininger nodded, making another note on her clipboard. “And it says here you’re still attending therapy as a result of that incident…perfectly reasonable and healthy, of course.” She nodded, seemingly to herself. “How much would you say that those memories, and the trauma they’ve instilled, affect you day-to-day?”

“Honestly?” Amuné shook her head. “Very little. There’s certain things that remind me, but...for the most part, I’ve come to terms with what happened, and moved forward with my life. Ongoing therapy is currently more because I feel it does me good to talk to someone in that capacity than because I’m actively dealing with significant trauma on a regular basis. And, as you said, hero work can be taxing. I want to make sure I’m in a good state of mind.”

Once again, the woman nodded and scribbled something down with her pen, as if she were a robot and that was her programmed response to any answer. “That’s very good,” she said. “I’m glad to hear that progress has been made. A couple more things, if you don’t mind. First, your identity. It’s generally common for heroes, at least in this part of the world, to have fairly public hero identities, something you have not opted for. Could you explain this decision? Does it stem from fear of re-identification? Or is there something else at play here?”

Amuné looked thoughtful. “In part, it’s fear that the Ring or those like them will come for me again.” She looked away uncomfortably. “People hear ‘Seer’ and think I have some sort of...great power to predict the future. It’s nowhere near that simple. And I don’t want to be used the way I was as a child. I also worry about what might happen to my family and those I care about outside the hero world, if my identity is known. But beyond that...I don’t need the fame and recognition when I’m going about my everyday life. It’s simpler to be a nobody.”

“I’m glad you brought up the subject of family,” the doctor noted, her eyes peering at the teenage girl from behind her glasses like she was examining a particularly interesting specimen. “You have…an adoptive brother of sorts, let’s call him. Also in HERO. Terraformer. Can you elaborate on your relationship with him? I’m seeing here that he actually put off joining HERO in order to be able to register at the same time, is that accurate? And what do you think the reasoning for that is?” The woman’s voice was calm, steady, and cool, but the way she asked questions somehow had a more sinister undertone, as she prodded away at these personal questions with near-wanton disregard.

“He’s my best friend. As for why he waited...we never discussed it outright, but I suspect it was his way of looking out for me.” Amuné smiled slightly. “He’s like that. But you’d have to ask him to know for sure.” On the inside she wondered why her relationship with Jareth was such an issue. Surely it wasn’t odd for people to have best friends. Or did they think the two of them were something more? The thought made her nose wrinkle.

The woman had no smile in response. “We were going to ask him, Oracle, but given the injuries he’s just sustained, I don’t think that’s going to be a possibility,” she said, with only the slightest hint of emotion ringing through her steely facade. “Terrazard attack. Brutal way to go.” She pursed her lips in a moment of contemplation, before speaking again. “Of course, having friendships within the organization is perfectly acceptable, but there’s also the possibility of danger that we’re concerned with.” The woman looked up, her face unmoving. “Speaking of which, I’ll imagine you’ll want to visit him soon. We should probably wrap this up soon, then. I wouldn’t want to stop you from visiting him in the infirmary; I’m aware they operate on limited hours.”

Of course, the woman felt a little bit bad about spinning a dreadful lie, but she wasn’t just a psychologist, she was a [i]meta-/i]psychologist, who had to deal with meta-humans. This was just how you had to handle people with supreme abilities. With supreme measures.

Amuné sat very still for a moment, then shook her head. “If Jareth was in serious trouble...I think I’d know. I’ve known every time someone close to me was in danger in the past. This would be a first, for me to be caught unawares.” When he’d fallen off his bike and broken his wrist, she hadn’t been outside, but she’d known. When her mother died, she knew. When her adoptive mother had been rear-ended, she’d had a feeling. The closer she was connected to a person, the more likely she’d be aware of imminent threat and danger to that person. “In fact, if I try...” She touched her earpiece, the one that held her mask, the one Jareth had made for her. “He’s just outside the Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant, I believe. That’s where their current mission is, isn’t it?” Amuné narrowed her eyes at Dr. Reininger. “If you want to know how I’d react to his death, ask me. But please don’t lie.”

If the good doctor showed regret, she did a damn good job of hiding it. Instead of speaking, she made another jot on her notepad. “I apologize for the deception-” (she certainly didn’t seem all too sorry, but regardless) “-but sometimes, it’s necessary to see an authentic reaction. Especially in circumstances where it could have dire consequences.” She paused, thinking for a moment. “I study something called Sudden Onset Metahuman Psychosis. Individuals, such as yourself, with metahuman capabilities are particularly vulnerable to rapid and irreversible mental breakdowns. Usually, they’re associated with some type of trigger event, and they’re also associated with near-total loss of control of your abilities.” She looked the girl up and down. “It’s customary for organizations such as HERO to screen to make sure that there aren’t any major risks for this condition, and to limit possible ‘triggers’ for the indisposition.”

She seemed to be mincing her words a bit. She coughed into her sleeve. “What I’m trying to say is that my reason for requesting a sitdown with you is to, well, consider whether or not that’s a risk here. Frankly, with pre-existing traumatic experiences and close personal ties within the organization, you check a lot of the boxes,” she said bluntly as she leaned back in her chair, adjusting her glasses on her nose. “I was hoping to get a more genuine reaction with my misleading story, but a simple verbal response will suffice in this case. If something were to happen to Terraformer- God forbid he were to lose his life- how badly would that affect you?” She paused for a moment, allowing to harshness of the question to settle in. “I don’t want you to imagine what the incident looks like, just how it would feel. I know this is tough, but you have to understand that this is necessary in this field of work.”

“I’d be upset. Distraught, even. I was when Kel died.” Amuné frowned, remembering the death of the only friend she’d had while in the Ring’s hold, another Seer who’d done her best to protect the young girl. “And angry, if Jareth had been killed by someone. I -- I have tools now to deal with grief and anger, but...I don’t know how well they’d work in the moment. I don’t think I’d lose control of my powers -- they do have some basis in emotion, but it’s more emotional connection than emotive control. But I suppose I can’t be certain.” She sighed, then ventured a question of her own. “Is my friendship with Jareth a problem for him, too?”

“Possibly, though not likely. He doesn’t have the same temperament that makes him as…vulnerable,” she explained. “And while I appreciate the efforts to work on healthy coping, you also need to keep in mind that your powers are, well, not fully-developed yet. Not even close, in fact. In reality, none of us can know what the upper limits of your powers are like.” The shrink jotted something else down on her notepad. “I appreciate you having this discussion, though. While it’s sensitive, we’re brushing up on important issues here.”

“Mm.” Amuné’s response was noncommittal. She didn’t want to be a liability, but she also didn’t want to give up on the profession she’d worked towards. She wanted to be able to help people, the way she had been helped. The idea that the very past that had inspired her to become a hero might now keep her from being one was upsetting.

At least the interview was over, it seemed. Dr. Reininger rose to her feet, and Amuné followed suit, following the doctor back to the staff room where the others waited.
Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Zoey Boey
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Zoey Boey Spider!

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Backup

Hero Three




After the psychologist returned to her commandeered office space, the ICOSA agent guided TJ to his, which was not unlike the other little office area in HERO Three: blank, dull, and mostly to be used for non-superhero HERO employees that didn’t want to make the trip out to HERO One but still needed to finish filing some arbitrary paperwork before the deadline. Randolph took a seat at the desk, leaning back in the cheap office chair and placing both of his feet (he was wearing expensive-looking loafers, of course) on the table. From there, he twiddled his fingers in the air above what appeared to be a small stack of a few manila folders, swiftly sliding one out from the pile and opening it. He looked to all the world like some type of business exec reviewing last quarter’s reports.

“Ms. Jennings,” he said with a coy grin as he appeared to flip through a few pages inside his little folder. ”A good few years of service, some interesting assignments, and of course, a very unique powerset. I’ve done a lot of reviews over the years and I haven’t seen anybody quite like you,” he said with an unbearably smarmy tone in his voice. Maybe it was just the British in him. ”Of course, as I’m sure you’re aware, I’m afraid I haven’t called you in just to compliment you.”

”Aw, you sure?” She asked.

”Quite, in fact,” Randolph said as he reached within his folder, he pulled out a few Polaroid-style pictures. Pictures of a woman that bore a striking resemblance to TJ (because they were, of course, of her) participating in a variety of prize fights and the like. After he laid his metaphorical cards on the table, Q. Spencer Randolph reclined back even more in the chair, pushing the office seat to its breaking point. ”I’ll give you a chance to look at these, and then describe what you think those are. Oh, and answer carefully.”

"...They appear to be images of an extremely bad bitch." She mused thoughtfully, scratching her chin. She leaned forward and set her arms on the table, looking the photos over. TJ didn’t sleep much, and there wasn’t as much crime to fight when the fighting rings were putting on shows. The people liked seeing what a powerless person could do against superpowered fighters. The way TJ saw it, it might as well be her, who will have a blast, and not someone who won’t bounce back.

”Amusing,” he responded, though his face didn’t shift from its cocky grin in the slightest, like it was frozen onto his face. ”I’ll go next and tell you what I see. I see somebody who is being paid to fight crime, in fact participating in criminal enterprise.” Randolph picked up one of the photographs, examining it closely (or at least, pretending to for dramatic effect). ”In fact, ICOSA’s code governing hero conduct prohibits any employed hero specifically from participating in unsanctioned activities that involve the use of physical force, including but not limited to street fighting, prize fighting, unofficial martial arts tournaments, duels, and jousting, ” Randolph recited. ”...the rules were written a while ago; they’re meant to encompass a lot of different possibilities. The point is, all this- He gestured at the table covered in pictures, ”...all this is very much against code. I could easily order you to pack your things-” He snapped- impressive, given that he was wearing gloves. ”-like that.”

”In the interest of fairness, I’ll give you a chance to offer some reason why
shouldn’t have you laid off now.”


TJ rolled her shoulders, cleared her throat, and then suddenly flung herself onto the desk between them. "Oh no, please!"

"Please don't fire me, all-powerful bureaucrat! You've really got me figured out! It'll never happen again!" TJ rolled onto her back, the back of her hand pressed against her forehead.

"Just give me another chance!" She begged, reaching out to grab pathetically at his sleeves.

Randolph casually pulled his feet off the desk and pulled his sleeves comfortably out of grabbing
distance. ”Frankly, I don’t know why I would ask that question. It was pointless,” he muttered, mostly to himself. ”This is the situation for you. I’m well-within my bounds to effectively banish you from this city and make sure the best-paying job you ever get again is ‘backing up’ peoples’ cars as a valet.” He sniggered at his own pun. ”Oh, but of course, you are only a pawn in this game. Frankly, you barely qualify as a pawn. You’re more like a speck of dust on the chessboard, technically speaking. I have no interest in you. What I do have interest in…” The ICOSA operative leaned in, ”...is the fact that this whole ‘fighting and racing’ charade has been allowed to proceed unimpeded by the administration. I’m fishing for the biggest fish, Ms. Jennings. ” He reached into his coat pocket, procuring a pen and a small notepad. ”All I’m asking for is a written statement that Director Powers and the HERO bureaucracy knowingly allowed you to participate in your little hobbies. Or, even better, that they told you it was alright.”

He now stood, pacing back and forth on his little half of the mini-office. ”Sure, I suppose it’s stretching the truth, but it’s mostly accurate! And, more importantly, it’d be just the thing I need to build a case against this foolhardy organization. Just that statement and maybe a couple hearings back in Switzerland. And as for you…” Randolph shrugged. ”HERO, or whatever we rebuild it as if we change the name, would be under strict eyes for a while, but I could transfer you to the South in the meanwhile. Or Europe. And you could engage in all your little antics to your heart’s content. A bit over the line, sure, but I could stomach it.”

Randolph pushed the pen and notepad across the table. ”Just give me a little story, and you can walk out of here without anything really changing. Perhaps you might even get a promotion out of it, somewhere down the line!”

TJ deflated, laying on the table, still. No fun. She raised an eyebrow at him. She seemed oddly unbothered by all of this. "What are you, nuts? Nobody cares, dude."

"Maybe in la la land or wherever you come from ‘fighting and racing’ is a big deal. But in Castleburg, this is ‘administrative leave’ at worst. If you think this is enough to bring HERO down, this city will eat you alive." She said.

"Just fuckin’ relax. You’re goin’ full psycho over nothin’." She was talking like she was trying to explain something to a naive, overly-optimistic person. Which despite all this guys smugness, TJ thought he was. An excitable pencil pusher trying to make some dream come true. "Like. Banish? What year is it, 1350?"

”Oh, Ms. Jennings, I’m afraid you’re the one in la-la-land. I anticipate that big changes are going to be made around here soon; big changes that are the result of collections of details..” The man sat back down in his seat. ”Well, I’ve given you the chance to be on the right side of history in this case. I’ll even give you some time to come to your senses and make the most rational choice.” From his pocket, Randolph flipped out what appeared to be a playing card (it was, in fact, a four of spades), with some type of faint red etching onto the back. ”You’re free to use that to reach out to me. It’s what I call a conveyance rune. I have the receiving end. Once you realize that you want to be on the winning side, let me know.”

”Until then, though, I think it’s about time you got your arse out of this office,” he said with a cheery tone that betrayed the acerbic nature of his comments. ”Would you agree?”

TJ was looking down at her playing card and the rune on the back. "Testing, testing." She said, speaking into it. "Testing testing one two three. Like that?"

"Alright, well, see ya around…" She pointed in his direction, trying, genuinely, to recall his name. Had she ever gotten it? She couldn’t remember. "...you. " She nodded sagely, opened the door, and shut it behind her.

Looking to the other people in the room, she stretched. "Alriiight. That was more fun than I thought it’d be. What a fuckin’ prick." She said, definitely loud enough to be heard through the door. Getting out her mask, she put it back on, and headed out of Hero Three to get back onto the streets. She was pretty confident she’d be doing this no matter what.
Hidden 5 mos ago 5 mos ago Post by Silver Carrot
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Silver Carrot Wow I've been here a while

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October 10th, 2029.
Peterson Estates
Passenger Island, Castleburg
On a mission with: Alchemist @Duoya, Blast @Hitman, Gematria @Scarifar, Bastion @Infinite Cosmos, Dahlia @baraquiel




Madison never got the chance to listen to Cloudburst's spiel, but she didn't have to. She didn't like the look in his eyes. It was desire but devoid of warmth, as if he was thinking 'I've found something new that I want'. It was an umpleasant gaze and she could already hear the corny attempt at flirting with no self-awareness prefacing any point he would take his sweet time getting to. It was a mercy that if was cut off before he got to utter anything.

The man who'd taken his place should have, on paper, been a more worrying sight. She'd dodged a conversation with a Junker and in its place was a conversation with the Junker. However, Madison was just pleased to be in the company of somebody with the awareness and well-practiced inoffensive social grace to keep her from feeling too uneasy. Toreador was a very famous hero. A bit too far before Madison's time for her to personally be a huge fan, but nevertheless a living legend.

If she said she wasn't intimidatedat all, she'd be lying. He was studying her. She knew what his power was and there were probably very few secrets she could keep even if she wanted to. No doubt he knew why she was here, but as a Hero himself, he wasn't going to stop her. For all their differences, H.E.R.O. and the Junkers were still Superheroes who punished evil. If the Junkers were the type to protect criminals for any reason, there would already have been a fight by now.

He was about to mention her father, but they got cut off by the tapping of a glass. Peterson was about to make a speech. They both turned to watch and listen to the party's host as he spoke. He was annoucing a ballroom dancing competition, but wouldn't be able to judge it in person. She watched him as he left, and saw that he approached Alchemist. She'd already been nervous enough trying to blend in with guests and now she had the attention of the primary target himself. 'Good luck', though Madison. As far as first ever missions go, that was a tough break but also a golden opportunity if she could stay calm and make the most of it.

Madison's attention snapped back to Toreador as he began speaking. She wondered what he was about to say about her father, but if it was important, it should come up again. His slight smile was not a reassuring one, but she was nontheless reassured to see it, and it helped her relax. She was not in immediate trouble as Toreador seemingly wanted something from her.

"It would be my honor and privilidge," She replied with a pleasant smile and slight curtsey of her own. "It's been ten years since I last danced at a ball. I'll follow your lead but it should all come back to me with a little practice. I won't be stepping on your feet."

Her lack of acknowledgement of his comment about it furthering her aim was in itself an affirmative confirmation. She was nervous and a little intimidated but her smile was real. She'd been preparing and training for surviving in this shady upper-class world long before she'd been training and preparing for Hero work. That time hadn't all been wasted, useless baggage setting her back and preventing her from being taken seriously. Those skills were exactly what were needed to be called upon today, and very few others at H.E.R.O had them.







October 10th, 2029.
Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant
Brookside, Castleburg
On a mission with: Mire @Blizz, Crane @Zoey Boey, Blur Rabbit @DClassified, Ardent @manythings, Terraformer @shylarah, Freakshow @Crusader Lord




The gunshot cut everybody off and signalled that the terrazards were attacking. Their formation was unlike anything Flora had observed, which meant that either they were learning and adapting in unforseen ways, or somebody was teaching or controlling them. Both possibilities were concerning but neither changed the plan that much. As everybody else sprung into action, Lab Rat began sprinting to the approaching crowd of Leftovers. The moment the walls were erected, Lab Rat effortlessly scaled the wall, scurrying up in with peculiar movements much more suited to an actual rodent than to a human.

She used the momentum from vaulting the top of the wall to plant a deep kick into the side of a terrazard that had already managed to get to the top of the wall, and sent it flying into the crowd, knocking several over. Another terrazard managed to climb the wall and lunged at her. In a swift movement she was very familiar with from her ICOSA days, she grabbed the terrazard's head. Unlike the past where she'd now keep its jaw open to apply a sedative, this time she snapped its neck and threw its lifeless body straight down towards another terrazard attempting to climb the wall.

Her relentless defense of the wall meant that more terrazards tried to attack Mire instead of attempt to escape. Between Mire's baiting and her own efforts, the Leftover seemed like the easier option for freedom. This proved to be incorrect as a cloud of enzymes burst forth and killed the terrazards in a horrifically gruesome display. And the smell was not kind to Flora's enhanced sense of smell.

Flora used to be under the impression that Mire really didn't like her. Now she'd truly begin to see how lucky she was and how much mercy she had been shown.

Through their combined efforts, they were prevailing against the terrazards without much incident. Even back in the day, Flora was never in missions as part of a team. She was a shy hero with a creepy power who barely spoke a word of English. She was part of a trio once and that was the largest mission team she'd ever been a part of before now. This level of organisation and teamwork providing results far greater than the sum of their parts. Yeah, Flora definitely made the right choice coming back.
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Hidden 5 mos ago 4 mos ago Post by Duoya
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Duoya

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"...And they're all standing in the diner pointing guns at each other, and Samuel L Jackson is like 'Ezekiel 25:17 - The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequalities of the selfish' and does a badass monologue for the next, like, 2 minutes of screen time. Not sure how godly you guys are, but that is NOT what Ezekiel 25:17 says, I think it works into my theory on the Tarantino-verse, but you can read about that on my blog. Anyways, Tim Roth- WAIT! I completely forgot about the Travolta Toilet theory! So, like, every time Travolta uses the bathroom-"

One of the guests, a bald portly man who looked to be in a suit a few sizes to small, had his faces buriend in his hands up to this point. He had finally given up, throwing his hands up in surrender and growling as he cut off Rupa's nearly 10 minute plot summary of Pulp Fiction.

"I give up! Okay!? I let you talk cause I thought you might be some billionaire's brat, just like how my deadbeat son is working in the kitchen, but I can't handle this anymore! I'll pay you $50 to fuck off! Please, leave us the hell alone!"

He extended a crisp $50 bill as the other guests near him either looked at him in shock at his outburst, or breathed sighs of relief that this annoying waitstaff would finally leave. Rupa herself didn't mind too much, grabbing the bill and beaming with pride as she walked away from the irritated party guests.

"Wow... my first tip... I can't believe I'm so good at being a waitress! I'm like Keri Russell!"

Rupa took a look around the ballroom, noticing that it had filled in quite a bit in the brief time that she had been here. She passed a few more guests and passed out food (keeping her mouth shut this time around) before Peterson took to the stage and addressed the crowd. Rupa couldn't help but scowl a little at the man - he was responsible for a horrific website that review-bombed beautiful works of art. And he also probably funded villains that caused millions in damages to the city and killed people, that was bad too.

'Fuck Cinepedia, I hate that website and your stupid face, Peterson!!!'

He didn't really act like any villain that Rupa was familiar with, though. He seemed quite jovial as he announced a ballroom dancing competition, the prize being shares in his company and a tour of his wine cellar. The latter of which being the obvious prize - for the heroes, it was a surefire way to bypass any guards or security systems in the basement, and would give access to areas that were incredibly hard to access otherwise. But more importantly for Rupa, it would let her throw out some quotes from Sideways or Bottle Shock.

Peterson himself would apparently not be watching the dancing, leaving the judging of the composition to his beautiful and way-too-big-an-age-gap wife. As soon as he left the stage, the ballroom resumed it's loud chatter as groups paired off for the competition. Rupa, competitive enough that she desperately tried to win a houseplant in a scavenger hunt, was already looking for who to pick as a partner. The first person she noticed was another Hero, 'Wireframe'. She had been the first to talk to Rupa tonight, walking behind her and reassuring her near the start of her movie synopsis. It was thanks to her advice and reassurance that Rupa managed to hold out for the whole ten minute summary instead of the 2 minute rundown she had planned. Unfortunately, it seemed like she had paired off already with tall, older man dressed in a typical three piece suit and tie, his hair slicked back and gazing sharply at her.

Dude kinda looked like an evil clone with that goatee, but Wireframe was all smiles and accepted graciously. Maybe they knew each other? He was probably cool.

Rupa didn't manage to see Eva in the crowd, despite hearing her talking earlier over the communication channel they were using. She was either in a disguise, somewhere else in the manor, or Rupa was not very good at spotting people in a crowd. Maybe all of the above, to be honest. Could have been a good chance to apologize again for what happened a month ago, but that was probably better saved for after the mission anyways.

She did manage to see Blast, one of the other heroes that had gone undercover, but he had already paired off with a woman in a black dress with wavy brown hair. She hadn't really talked much with him yet, and only knew that he was a pretty high-level speedster. Maybe he could run through the whole mansion at mach speeds like in X-Men Apocalypse and just gather everything incriminating? Or at least do the kitchen scene from Days of Future Past, that'd be sick.

There were a few actors and actresses that Rupa recognized, though she didn't even consider asking them. She'd probably sputter and barely be able to talk, or recite their entire filmography to them until they walk away or call guards on her. Maybe she'd ask for an autograph later though...

Maybe Ava Peterson? That would be cool. Probably the worst possible idea, to be honest, if you're trying to keep a low profile as a spy. Actually, thinking about it, Rupa probably wasn't even able to enter the dancing competition in the first place - she was waitstaff, not a guest. That took a bit of wind out of sails, and she turned to return to the kitchen and get more sandwiches, nearly slamming into-

"M-Mr. Peterson!?"

The business mogul had stopped on his way out of the ballroom, addressing Rupa directly and freezing the girl in her tracks. It's amazing how much charisma a rich and powerful person has if they talk to you directly. In addition to complimenting her taste in cinema (a very rare comment, usually people just told her to shut up) and saying that she was incredibly talented, he even offered her a job at Cinepedia!

"C-cinepedia!? T-that's a dream come true!!! Also, do you have Bruce Willis' phone number?"

To think, a genius like Samuel Peterson thought that Rupa was qualified to review for a bastion of good taste and critical thinking like Cinepedia... Well, it made sense, to be honest. She knew more about movies than almost anyone she's ever met, so it would only make sense that someone this perceptive would notice and see how important her opinion was! This guy was probably completely innocent, and HERO was just harassing him for making a few bad investments. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.

Of course, Rupa wouldn't actually get this job considering she was an undercover spy trying to expose him for horrific crimes, but she didn't really think that far ahead yet.

As soon as Peterson left, Rupa immediately jogged back to kitchen to grab a new tray of Mini Royales with Cheese. Thankfully, Chef Cazenave was yelling at the Patissier for fucking up the plating of a strange looking slice of cake. Rupa was able to drop off the nearly empty tray and exchange it for the new one without notice, and left the kitchen as quickly and silently as she could. She touched her earpiece and spoke in a hushed whisper to the other heroes, barely understandable as she tripped over her words in the excitement.

"Guysguysguys, I'm the greatest spy to ever do it!!! Peterson walked up to me and basically said I'm the best movie critic he's ever seen! He said he has a great eye for talent, and then he invited me to his study, OH and he said he'd offer me a job! Also Eva, if you're competing and you win, please see if you can get a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. It was in Bottle Shock."

Rupa gleefully made her way upstairs and to the study, pleased that she had managed to stumble into Peterson's good graces seemingly by pure chance. It didn't really cross her mind how it was a little creepy that this old multi-millionaire was trying to invite a young woman, alone, to his private study. Or that there was probably a reason (probably supervillain-related) he was skipping on judging an annual contest in his hyper expensive party.
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Hidden 5 mos ago 5 mos ago Post by DarkRecon
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DarkRecon The sword that smites evil

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Alpha and Alien Angel
Peterson Estates
Passenger Island, Castleburg
Status: "Aborted" mission. Alpha (Outside estate from front entrance.) Alien Angel (Nearby. Exact location unknown.)
__________

Alpha didn't take long to leave the moment Angelia had said to immediately "abort mission". Pretending to have what "felt" like a stomach bug, he pretended to show himself out of the estate but put a call in that he was doing so out of illness. His "employer", codenamed "Roboto" for whatever reason, soon found his way to the main entrance looking for him. Sure enough, he saw him off on the side of the building near the front door on the right side of the estate leaning on the building wall.

After a brief talk, Roboto then decided to just let Coyote just watch things from outside but that his "payday" would drop for not taking better care of himself from this. Thankfully, "Coyote" had said that he had a bad sandwich from the local deli shop before the event thus to explain his "illness".

"Oh good. For a sec, I thought it was the food we were serving that did this", he had said.

Luckily, there was a report that Mr. Peterson was on the move again and Roboto had to head back inside to keep tabs on the rest of security movements around him. He promised though to at least bring some water and wine for him later though as sort of a "consolation".

Alpha had decided to just wait things out. If he left now, it would look suspicious and after what Angelia had briefly told him as he was heading outside, it wouldn't be wise to disrupt...whatever "op" was taking place here.

But Alpha had a hunch...for one...he briefly caught sight of a man he thought was Hero One's "Blast" but dared not report his presence...actually, he figured his presence was necessary since he did have a "following" when it came to merchandise and other related items. His presence was most likely be view as a courtesy more than anything.

As he was just resting on the ground in a sitting position with his back to the building behind him, his earbud came to life.

"It's me...sorry about that..."

"Sit Rep."

"Yeah the chico that planted said bug was no chico...when I tried to warn him off, he...basically shot me down
cerrar...I'll leave out the long details but based on the chat...can't prove it...but I just tried to stand up to Hero One's "cerebro de cerebros" Wiseman."


Alpha didn't show any emotion but deep down, he was actually surprised. Angelia had told him that ICOSA were in town and, most likely, were doing "surprise" inspections on Hero One. No doubt another one of their "attempts" to either shut down Hero One or at the very least, remove Hugo Powers from his position as "Director". All the more reason for them to do this mission now since Angelia had figured Hero One would be too busy trying to keep up a "proper image" of the organization.

And yet they themselves were actually risking this...even Alpha knew that this was all sorts of "risky"...the sort of thing that he and Angelia would do but unlike Hero One, "Vigilantes" don't have to worry about such "red tape"...and yet despite that...

"...listen, he threatened both of us...he knows your real name and-"

"Let him threaten me. This is the best he's getting. I'm not going back inside but I'm staying here in this position."

"...Alpha...this guy is dangerous...I can't get ANYTHING on him even with the Meta Hack...he has home turf advantage here."

"...and he clearly isn't smart...one thing you can never prepare for...the individual called Murphy Law."

There was a long pause on the line on that statement.

"...ay dios mío of course you also have the stick up there good like he does..."

"...if this is indeed a Hero One op, then we let them. But if the situation suddenly changes...well he can come after us himself if he wishes but I'm not abandoning proper hero's...even if we are "criminals" to them..."

"...this coming from someone "fed up" with the system..."

"...I abandoned my old team once for you...I don't want a repeat bad memory..."

"...Mi mala sorry sorry...but I get it...we wait then..."

"We let them work Angelia but let's be "Plan B". Wait out here out of the way of everything and let things play out. If it goes well, we leave...and if Wiseman calls you, tell him to call me."

"Si Si. Don't say I didn't warn you about him though."
Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Scarifar
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Scarifar Presto~!

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Gematria





Gematria climbed back into the bag and waited for Blast to carry her to the agreed-upon destination. It was strange that Blast was taking a rather long time, though, even with what she was assuming was him conserving energy for his super speed. She had hoped Blast would've gotten there sooner, especially with the map she had given him. While she waited, she then suddenly felt the bag being tossed into the air, going weightless, then come crashing down onto something. Rather unpleasant, but nothing her G.E.M. figure couldn't handle. As she crawled out of the bag, she could hear Blast whispering an apology from below. She swiveled her head to the left and right, trying to figure out where she was right now. She looked down from the edge, spotting Blast and the multiple bookcases around filled with books.

"Please just give a warning next time," Gematria whispered back. Before she could say anything more, Blast had already sped off outside the library. Gematria sighed, rolling her eyes on her face screen. No time to dwell on minor misgivings; she had a mission to perform. Looking up, she could see the vent on the ceiling wasn't too far away. Extending an arm, she fired her hand towards it, latching onto it with her now magnetized hand. She then began reeling herself up via the grappling line. From there, it was a simple matter to use her inbuilt laser and slice open a hole large enough for her to climb in. She repeated the same movements to climb even further, and soon found herself in Peterson's office.

So far so good, Gematria thought to herself. She made her way over to Peterson's desk and quickly spotted his computer. Bingo, Gematria thought, taking out her cable and plugging herself into said computer, then used her Electro-surfing ability to transfer herself into it, leaving her G.E.M. figure to collapse. Peterson's computer instantly booted up, and Megumi was in, easily bypassing the login screen and any other security that may have been on it. She began sifting through his files, hoping to find anything related to what they were looking for. If there were, she would download them into her G.E.M. figure.
Hidden 5 mos ago Post by DClassified
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DClassified Kung Fro Killa

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Blur Rabbit

October 10th, 2029
Brookside, Castleburg
Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant


The Blur Rabbit had found a street light to perch upon while the others had gathered to the meetup location. He hadn’t moved or even said a word since they’d gathered together. Although his mask purposefully didn’t have eyes, he did at least face the direction of the ICOSA agent dropped in to watch them. This was the side of HERO related activities that the Rabbit didn’t trust. He knew that she was here to take notes about the ‘question mark’ members of the currently assembled squad. His file purposefully wasn’t very extensive, and he preferred to keep it that way. The only reason he was even here as because of Powers telling him that the higher ups would make a big deal of it and make things more complicated. So, here he was, in attendence like they asked.

The mission itself he wasn’t particularly concerned with, as it was basically just cleanup with some investigation. What was more interesting to him, given his own personal war on crime, was the possible reemergence of the ‘Blue Skulls’. The name listed was literally only a language word away from having the same name. So either the people in charge of the gang were hopelessly stupid, or it was just a herring for whatever was actually happening here…

Thinking of that gang led him to thoughts of the former member Cadaver: now known as ‘Freakshow’. In which case, he’d only half listened to the prattled plan that Freakshow had cobbled together. Usually when missions had a significant amount of unknowns going in, longwinded and ‘well-thought out’ plans were just a waste of breath. Especially if the team going into it weren’t experienced with the concept of teamwork.

Instead his focus had shifted to the subtle rumbling of footsteps approaching their location. Then, like a starting blank had been fired, a sniper shot from their ‘observer’ signalled the arrival of the leftovers. Speaking of which, wasn’t the mushroom with limbs one of them? Initially it seemed odd to send it to fight its own kind, but ultimately, humans did it all the time to each other. The ethics of all that was a…rabbit hole, of its own, that he didn’t decide delve into right now as the action began.

As predicted, people scattered for the most part to get into battle. The Hare himself didn’t move, outside of his sleeveless coat flowing like a cape in the gentle breeze. Ardent had said it perfectly; ‘all that yapping just to say let’s watch each other’s backs.’ Which is what the Rabbit decided his role would be. While each member was pretty capable in their own right, he’d keep an eye on them from his own vantage point and blur in if any of them got flanked.

Otherwise, he didn’t plan on giving the ICOSA agent any data to work with.
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Hidden 5 mos ago 5 mos ago Post by baraquiel
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baraquiel Angel of Moe *:・゚✧

Member Seen 29 days ago


Current Location: Peterson Estates, Passenger Island, Castleburg
Current Teammates: Blast @Hitman, Wireframe @Silver Carrot, Gematria @Scarifar, Alchemist @Duoya, Bastion @Infinite Cosmos




"Oh my, and what does it do?" Eva faked interest at a rich man's spiels, laughing and chiming in when need be. She's been talking from one rich bloke to another in the hopes of getting any valuable information, but no such luck. These snooty men loved talking about themselves more than talking about another man, and she would've gotten something from them if they weren't distracted by their business partners and whatnot.

When she realized she won't get anything from this group, she quietly slid away from the conversation. She took little sips of her drink as her eyes wandered the ball, making sure her hands brushed against another guest's to spread her toxin. She flirted a little with the guards too, giving them an extra dose each time she caressed their cheeks and hands teasingly.

She could feel some people were keeping an eye at her, but she's uncertain whether it's because they found her intriguing or they're unto her disguise. Eva looked around for a bit to spot her teammates; she could currently see Madison going around and talking with the people, putting a hand on a waitress' shoulder. Wait, was that Rupa?

Before she could think about it any further, the whole ballroom was quiet as the main star of the show had arrived. Peterson welcomed everyone, much to the delight of the guests, as he also announced a dance competition. Eva rolled her eyes as he told everyone the prize of the winning pair. It was almost too convenient, but they'll take any chance they could get.

However, Eva was surprised when he had to leave suddenly. This was her chance. She'll get close to Peterson, seduce him enough to convince him to take her to a private room, then she'll imbue him with her toxin. The hallucinogenic type might do the trick. That way, she could get whatever information the team needed so they could leave as quickly as possible.

At least, that's what she would like her plan to roll out. As she was about to chase after Peterson, freaking Jake of all people offered to be her dance partner.

"What the @#%!" She yelled in her head, eyes widening in surprise before she collected herself again. This was why she preferred to do solo missions. She understood that Jake may not recognise Eva and, she had to admit she was at fault too since she didn't inform anyone about her taking a disguise. From her POV, she opted to be unrecognisable in case any villains might catch her teammates, so she could come in and save them since they never would've suspected Eva to be a hero too.

Alas, she had no choice but to adapt to the situation at hand. Rejecting Jake might raise red flags towards both of them, and she couldn't out herself to him either. Judging from how he just straight-forward ask her about the shady business Peterson was into, there's no way he could act like they didn't know each other. Plus, she wanted to see how long he'll realize before he's dancing with another hero.

Eva having fun? During a mission? She really needed to get out into the field more before she became like that lazy guy.

"Why, that's an awful thing to insinuate about our very generous host!" Eva acted scandalous, gripping Jake's hand a little too tightly before getting closer to him with all the gracefulness of a lethal viper going in for the kill.

"You intrigue me, mister. Just as luck would have it, I'm fascinated by Mr. Peterson too and I think our goals align in a way. How about this... Help me win the dance competition and I'll tell you everything you want to hear. I bet you have a way with your... feet." She teased, running her heel along Jake's leg and glancing at some boys Eva and Jake's age who looked envious at her partner before returning her gaze back at her clueless teammate, whispering to his ear. "Do we have a deal, mister?"
Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Hitman
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Hitman Mori Quam Foedari

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Peterson Estates
Passenger Island, Castleburg
Status: Getting his groove on
Speaks to: Dahlia @baraquiel
On a mission with: Wireframe @Silver Carrot, Bastion @Infinite Cosmos, Dahlia @baraquiel, Gematria @Scarifar, Alchemist @Duoya

Jake smirked playfully as the woman responded, taking her by the hand. All the other stuff she said about their 'goals aligning' and 'telling him everything he wanted to hear,' which perhaps should have at the very least gotten Jake thinking about this woman's identity, were silenced by Jake's man-brain turning into overdrive. "I think that can be arranged. And I do have a way with my feet. I just hope that you don't slow me down," Jake teased back, as his eyes scanned the room. He did notice Madison pairing up with...was that Toreador? Wow, she really understood the goal of the assignment- she had sweet-talked her way all the way to the top. Toreador was an interesting sight at the party, but judging by the fact that Powers nor ALISA had not mentioned him, Jake assumed that he was not in the loop about the whole mission. But with his powers...well, he probably was now.

Jake could've probably ditched the woman and went to go help Rupa or Megumi do their own infiltration, given that Madison seemed to have had the same idea with this whole dance situation. But even though Toreador seemed like a classy gentleman type that would probably be good at dancing, this opportunity was too important to allow to pass by. Plus, as mentioned earlier, man-brain.

Jake observed some movement over by the stage, as some of the string instruments were now replaced by some brass and woodwind ones. Clearly a sign for what was to come. Indeed, just a few moments later, Peterson's wife Ada stood in the same spot that he just had before he went away on his business adventure. "I hope you all are ready for the dance of the evening, the paso doble!" She smiled. "You all know the drill! I know Sam usually takes the reigns on this, but it's the same story with me: I point at you, you're done. Last pair surviving wins tonight's prize."She looked over her shoulder at the instrumentalists.
"Hit it!"

The musicians, on cue, went right into the song, a vivacious and fast-paced brass-heavy tune with a sharp, staccato rhythm. Jake quickly straightened his posture and took a deep breath. The song was very fast, much faster than the average waltz or even tango that you would hear, meaning that most people would have to focus on making sure their footwork was on point and on time. Jake had the opposite problem. He was so used to his powers that the world always felt too slow for him, and both when he was and wasn't using his superpowers, he needed to always think slowly. With the dancing, it was no different. Jake had a good ear and did, in fact, have a way with his feet, as it had been so elegantly put. He wasn't a pro, but he was also much younger and more in-shape than most of the wealthy geezers at this event. When he was paired up with somebody else, though, Jake had to be extra-cautious to control his powers, otherwise he would be cha-cha-chaing his way into jail for involuntary manslaughter. Especially if the other person wasn't a metahuman. Jake looked down at the young lady he was partnered with. Definitely not metahuman. He could tell. Though she did have this beauty mark on her face that seemed awfully familiar. Well, a lot of people had those.

As the paso doble song trumpeted along, Jake guided his disguised teammate along with remarkable efficiency and poise. He would've liked to have made the claim that this was all his natural talent, and truthfully, maybe 10% of his dancing performance was. But he also did have the advantage of cheating, as ALISA, who Wiseman had allowed into the security mainframe of the estate, was watching the event through the cameras, and had been providing Jake with some pretty clear instructions to "turn, step, back, forward, turn, back, forward, slide, turn," and so on. With those instructions hammering into his ears, Jake was able to far outperform his own untrained dancing skills.

Through his peripheral vision, Jake saw the other grouchy rich couples get picked off like flies. He did notice that Toreador and Madison/Wireframe were still in it. Toreador was quite impressive for an old guy, so it seemed, though perhaps being able to anticipate your opponent's next move worked just as well for dancing as it did for combat. Hard to step on toes when you know when said toes were going to be, maybe.

The group remaining on the floor continued to narrow and narrow, and Jake and his mystery (to some) partner persisted. ALISA was really doing a lot of the heavy lifting for Jake, though Jake noticed that his dancing companion was following him quite well. Wouldn't it be funny if she had her own AI telling her how to move too? he thought to himself. The crowd continued to thin, though, until the last two pairs left, incidentally, both included superheroes. Jake and Mystery Lady, and Madison and Toreador. Definitely not the betting favorites, definitely both pairs that had superpowers or other forms of outside help, but hey, when you invite a hero to a party, you shouldn't be too surprised when your party is ruined.

A few instructed twists and turns later, and Ada Peterson pointed her finger at Toreador and Wireframe, ending their campaign and making the winner Blast and Dahlia. Jake wiped his forehead, which was admittedly a little sweaty, and looked at his spontaneous partner with a sweet, though modestly tired, smile. "You're a pretty good dancer. We should totally do that again sometime," he said cheerily, as Ada descended towards the two of them.

"An incredible performance! The two of you were magnificent. Truly well-deserved." Ada clasped her hands together with a big smile. The woman looked like she could've easily been a model; wavy blonde hair, hourglass figure, sunkissed and unblemished skin, the whole shebang. "Why don't you head on down to the wine cellar? Head down that hallway and take the stairwell downstairs on your left; the guards won't bother you. My husband will join you once he's finished with his work business. Oh, he would've loved to see that dance! So good. Fantastic."

"That sounds great to me," Jake said as he swiftly made his way towards the stairwell he was directed to; the guards, indeed, allowed them to pass right by. Jake descended the stairs into the basement slowly. "You know, I'm not really interested in the bottle of wine. You can take that. I might just take a quick detour when I get down there. I never got your name, by the way."

Before Dahlia could respond, though, another voice cut into Jake's ear, speaking onto the communications wavelength that everybody on the manor mission was using. "It's Eva, you know."

"One sec," Jake said to Eva as he turned away, pressing his ear. The irony, of course, being that she was hearing the exact same commentary. "What?"

The communication channel was filled with the semi-creepy sound of the AI’s robotic laughter, that quickly cut off back to the monotonous, cool female voice that ALISA used. "The person you were dancing with. Eva. Evangeline. AKA Dahlia?"

Jake blinked a couple of times, looking at the woman before him. "Umm...well...err..." The dots slowly began to connect in his mind. Why she had a familiar-looking face, why she had seemed kind of surprised when Jake had approached her, why she also said that she had business with Peterson. It also explained why Jake hadn't seen the actual woman around the estates before. As he came to this realization, his face slowly started to turn red as he scratched the back of his head. "Eva! Yeah. Umm. I knew that. Umm. Hi! New hair?" He snapped out of his embarrassed stupor- at least partially- a few seconds later. "Right. Well, now that we're here, umm...what were we doing here again? Oh right. Somewhere down here there's some hidden space, right? So maybe we should, y'know, push some walls and see if there's a hidden doorway or something."

Before he turned to do this, his face still a little red, he gave a half grin. "Good job keeping up with me, though."

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

If Toreador, on the other hand, was disappointed by his loss, he didn't show it. He gave some courteous applause as the winners were announced, before quickly picking up a glass of champagne and approaching Wireframe once again, sipping the narrow flute slowly as he looked down at the much younger heroine.

"Unfortunate defeat; I was looking forward to depriving old Sam from another piece of his collection. But as for you... impressive footwork nonetheless. A damned good effort for somebody that is, well, a little out of touch. Your colleagues- our colleagues, I suppose- will be happy with their spoils, and I think you should be happy with yourself. Not just for this whole dance situation, but..." He took a long, slow sip from his glass. "I'm familiar with your background. You're a very marketable type of young woman. Interesting power, the look and personality of somebody that can be a star, and most importantly, an excellent attitude. I think you're turning yourself into some prime Junker material. Or at least, you're on the road towards something like that."

Toreador continued. "If I could offer some advice? Be careful about the type of people you choose to associate yourself with. I know 'people can change' and all that nonsense, but the truth is, who you were growing up remains with you. Take your colleague, Dahlia, for instance." Toreador craned his neck in the general direction of where the disguised woman had departed. "She is somebody that, try as she might, could never dare to escape her past. She's ashamed of who she is, and to cope with that, she continues living out her life but under the facade of being a superhero. It may sound like a harsh truth, my dear, but there are some of us who were just destined for greatness." Toreador looked down at Wireframe, his steely eyes not betraying a single hint of emotion. "I think you could be one of those people. With some careful cultivation of image and, of course, keeping up your hard work."

Toreador finished his drink, now twirling the empty glass between his fingers expertly, like it was some type of fidget toy. The fancy crystal probably cost less to him than a cheap fidget toy would to the average person, in fairness. "Oh, but I don't mean to monologue, just offer some advice. And speaking of advice, listen closely." Toreador's tone, which was already quiet and deep, became even more hushed. "I know Peterson's reputation. He may be a foolish man, but he's no villain. Somebody else is pulling the strings here. Somebody cunning." His hawkish eyes flitted left and right, making sure he wasn't being overheard. "I don't intend on taking any type of action here today, so don't plan on my help. As I said, one's image is crucial to one's success. But I would recommend checking on some of your friends. Both your little friends above-" Toreador raised his index and middle finger up, pointing both at the ceiling, "and below." He now pointed both fingers downstairs. "My powers are rarely wrong, and they're telling me that they might soon be in...grave danger." He looked solemnly at her again, examining her, perhaps probing her thoughts as well. "I'd make a choice if I were you. Oh, and try not to do too much damage to this estate. It's historic."

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

Peterson's study was a cozy room upstairs. Dark oak walls and majestically-carpeted floors gave it a sense of regality, but a number of framed posters, both in the news sphere (with a number of framed articles on the walls from the various Peterson enterprises) and from the entertainment sphere (some framed, signed movie posters adorned the wall as well). He also had a big wooden desk with some paperwork on it, his laptop, and strangely, some type of toy robot. "I don't remember leaving that there...huh. I guess the IT guys get more creative every day. Well, better not mess with it." He looked over to Rupa. "I need to take this call, but look at some of these posters while you're at it! Some very exclusive ones. There's me as a young man with Sir Alec Guinness...there's me on the set of The Crow- the original, not the travesty of a remake, though what happened to poor Brandon was awful...oh, and there's me at Cannes! I was actually a feature film juror one year. Anyway, look at some of those memories! Oh, and leave those burgers on my desk." With those commentaries, Peterson took his phone call.

Peterson was certainly a strange fellow, and a self-obsessed one at that, but despite the fact that he loved to talk about himself and that he was taking an important work call while wolfing down his chef's special-made sliders with impunity, there was nothing truly suspicious in the room. Gematria could find records of the transactions that HERO had already uncovered, along with a number of recent investments in a construction company called "Michaels & Co. Contracting Corp" whose only recorded jobs were trying to clean up the old Fixeon Recycling Plant in Brookside, but outside of that, no damning evidence on the phone. And his phone call seemed to be purely newspaper-and-communications company-related. Nothing overly suspicious about that either, outside of the fact, again, that he was literally eating entire slides in one bite. But being disgusting, generally, wasn't a crime.

A few minutes later, Peterson finished the phone call, hanging up and putting his phone away. "Sorry about that. I run a big company, and I have to deal with a lot of unwanted business at unwanted hours." He sighed. "The truth is, business hasn't been that great recently. Expanding out of just doing news and telecommunications and branching into entertainment cost a lot of money that I haven't recouped. There's a lot of trolls out there, too. They really drag business down." He looked down at his desk idly, before looking back at Rupa fondly. "But that's what leads me to you! Here's my proposition." He devoured another whole burger, speaking with his mouth full excitedly. "The guys I have working in Cinepedia and Spoiled Cucumbers and whatnot...they don't take film that seriously, and they're also like me. They're old." He finally swallowed that burger. "I need young people in this business. But not just any young people. Young people that know the industry, and that love movies. Not that 'I see a movie on a date once a month or some nonsense.' People that really, truly, love the cinema and the hard work that goes behind the silver screen." Peterson smiled after completing his grandstanding speech. "I think you have a chance to be that person. And truth be told, well, you remind me a bit of my daughter." He looked down at a photo on his desk. "She's away at college right now, but she has that sort of sharp wit and respect for art that few people your age have anymore. Sometimes I think the world needs more-"

"KILLING!"

Peterson, out of the blue, had changed suddenly. His sclera was now bloodshot and had a distinct yellowish tint to it, his pupils looked almost ragged, he was salivating like he was a rabid dog, and his body was twitching sporadically. He looked at Rupa, hissing like he was some type of snake. "Must. Kill. Hero. You. Hero. Must. DIE!" And with that very sudden change, Peterson reached into his drawer, removing a black handgun. Peterson (or perhaps more aptly "Peterson" at this point) tested the weight of the handgun, before levering it at Rupa. The billionaire then spoke, his normally jovial and pompous voice now entirely replaced with a hissing, raspy-sounding voice. "You have done enough snooping into my business, hero. You, and all your friends, are done here."

He then wrapped his finger around the trigger of the handgun, which was currently aimed right at Rupa's forehead.



Outside Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant
Brookside, Castleburg
Being observed: Crane @Zoey Boey, Lab Rat @Silver Carrot, Blur Rabbit @DClassified, Ardent @manythings, Terraformer @shylarah, Freakshow @Crusader Lord, Mire @Blizz

Fortunately for the heroes gathered in Brookside, the stench from the abandoned recycling plant was so bad, that the stench of the fungus-exploded Terrazards might not have been all that bad. It was still really bad, but at least it was a change from the nasty smell in the air that stank of both melted plastics and mildew.

Though Mire had easily dispatched a number of Terrazards, the problem about them wasn't that they were inanely dangerous, but that they just kept coming. Mire's trick had given them a moment of downtime, but that just seemed to be the eye of the storm, as the Terrazards quickly bounced back for Round 2. And bounce back they did. Hordes and hordes of them flooded out of the big hole in the side of the wall of the recycling plant. So much so that, at a certain point, the concern was no longer the lizards. The lizards were dangerous to regular people, but there were a number of heroes, or perhaps even some non-heroes with good enough equipment, that could kill them with ease. The problem was whoever was putting them there in the first place. Terrazards were never present in these large quantities. Maybe small groups. Maybe LARGE groups. Whatever this was, was a veritable army. Who was making this army?

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

"So, is it really true that Cadaver is gonna be here?"

"Yea, bro, that's what the boss said."

"How does the boss know?"

"What, you don't trust him?"

"That's not at all what I said, you lying piece of-"

"Enough, you two."

The piercing voice of the third person silenced the first duo, with his words echoing throughout the large recycling plant. It was, in fact, really big, being a facility that once was supposed to manage the recyclables of some 4 million or so people. The facility's interiors made a warehouse look small. However, it now looked like a total dump- even moreso than it did when it was an actual dump. The concrete floor had broken down and had large areas of exposed dirt. The network of conveyor belts and machinery that ran around the facility was beaten-up and rusty from years of unuse. There were, most importantly, massive piles of junk- mostly crushed plastics, hammered neatly into massive cuboids- piled up against the walls and even in the middle of the facility. The living people that were talking were sitting on a two beaten-up teal sofas that had exposed springs and torn fabric, both of which were positioned next to the most interesting part of the facility. The massive ravine.

The hole in the ground was enormous, large enough that even a giant could fit into it if they were careful. For regular people, there appeared to be several rickety-looking yellow ladders that led into the depths of the massive chasm. Most curious was what was coming out of the chasm. A number of loud noises that sounded like machines hard at work, and even more disturbing, tons and tons of Terrazards. Terrazards that, strangely, didn't seem to be interested in eating the people that were sitting next to the hole that they were emerging from.

The people that were there were quite strange-looking as well. Two of them looked exactly the same. Two thin, tall, white guys with pale skin and spiky blonde hair, done in the exact same manner. They were also wearing extremely similar-looking clothing, both adorned in white, dirty tank tops and oversized jeans with sneakers. The main difference between the two were two facial tattoos- one of them had a facial tattoo on his forehead that had a big number "one" on it, while the other had a facial tattoo on his right cheek with a big number "two." They were joined by a massive, bulky individual sitting silently on the couch, wearing a hoodie that covered his face and remaining silent, and the individual that commanded attention, a man wearing a hefty bomber jacket and, most curiously, a full-head gas mask that obscured his identity.

"I've just heard back from our employer. They're here."

The two twins high-fived each other excitedly as the gas mask man spoke again. "They're handling the Terrazards well. I would've hoped that the Leftovers would've gotten at least one casualty, but it is what it is. We should expect them to be here any moment now."

The person on the couch finally spoke up, his voice extremely deep. "Should we wait here?"

"For now. That is our plan. Everything is going just how we were told it would," the gas mask individual said once more. "As we also were informed, they have an ICOSA agent watching over them. Which means they have to be extra careful not to let Terrazards flood into the city under their watch. Somebody will have to stay back to make sure they don't. And when the heroes split up...we split them."

The hoodie person on the couch nodded his head as the twins seemed to be hyping each other up and making bets about who would kill a hero first. Gas Mask turned away, opening his palm, in which a small fire formed. "Worst case scenario...we've been given permission to use the special weapon."

The twins both paused their fanfare, looking shocked at the man. "You can't be-"

"Only if we fail to defeat them right away. Which I expect should not be too difficult." Gas Mask chuckled, the fire in his palm growing even larger and hotter. "I'm waiting for you, Cadaver. Waiting a long time for this."

"It's about time you learnt your lesson."

Mission Control has been updated with necessary information.
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Hidden 5 mos ago 5 mos ago Post by Crusader Lord
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Crusader Lord A professional, anxiety-riddled, part-time worker

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Freakshow


((Stuff in her color, with single quotes and italicized = Luna's thoughts. Normal quotation marks = Speaking.))

Oh course two of em' were gonna' rail back against it all. Not that she hadn't opened her trap wide enough as it was an' killed time. Eh. Look, better the newbies get some idea of what ta' do than not, right? Hell. She wasn't used to doing this sort of thing on her own. Not at all. Trying to get this group of people under the same banner and the same idea or something of the sort without prep time. What had HERO been thinking on this one, really? Two of them who knew the hood, but naturally having this whole ICOSA crap coming down on them and then this mess. What, were they supposed to be a fluid coordinated team at the drop of a hat? Took time and effort and bleeding and almost dying alongside each other for some people to connect the damned dots!

Luna didn't talk back or respond to the others. No, instead she swung her empowered fists and turned Terrazard skulls into paste. Could feel them gnawing at her, only to get thrown off or have their brin ripped out with her bare hands. As much as she wanted to do her best....do her best to stay clean and on a good path no matter what that is, she couldn't deny that this was almost cathartic in a sense that she hadn't felt for a long time coming. Then Mire's stunt almost splashed her, for that matter, though it was certianly a relief. But all of these Terrazards coming in like this and all at once? Doing so in a formation of some kind? No, this couldn't be coincidence at this point.

However-

"Don't follow them? Are you serious? If they stop coming to us, we're gonna have to go to them. The mission is to clear out the whole place, which means we're gonna have to go in there and get our feet wet a little. If you don't feel safe doing that, you can wait outside. I'm gonna-"

"Hah! At least we can forget about the bait!"

"That was a lot of yapping just to say 'let's watch each other's backs while we fight some lizards'! Better hope it works!"
Ardent


"Alright, I opened my yap too much and I'll own up to it. Thoough I didn't say for us all to never go in there together once-....oh shi-."

As she spoke her eyes would spot something far, far worse on the horizon. No, a lot of somethings running at them in numbers that were far from natural. It was far from normal. No, it was nothing short of a giant Hollywood zombie horde of Terrazards just flooding out like they were coming out of the walls....or had been set loose. Even the bad infestations in Brookside had never gotten THIS bad in all her life thus far even in the stories from the old timers.

And bounce back they did. Hordes and hordes of them flooded out of the big hole in the side of the wall of the recycling plant. So much so that, at a certain point, the concern was no longer the lizards. The lizards were dangerous to regular people, but there were a number of heroes, or perhaps even some non-heroes with good enough equipment, that could kill them with ease.


"This ain't natural! Everyone come together, toward and onto me, and keepin watchin' each other's backs while we start makin' way toward the plant right now! Morons inside have lost their minds, and splitting up for interceptin' these things won't do squat to help unless we stop the source of em' comin' out from the inside!"

The problem was whoever was putting them there in the first place. Terrazards were never present in these large quantities. Maybe small groups. Maybe LARGE groups. Whatever this was, was a veritable army. Who was making this army?


It was her nightmare scenario in all of this come to fruition. One of those asinine ideas she'd heard some morons saying as a joke years ago, but...hell. Whoever was inside was really trying to just kill them all at this point, wanted to just as badly as they were horribly stupid. Stupid enough to name themselves after the Blue Skulls in the most obvious possible way. Stupid enough to not send everything out at once, only a token stupid force, because now at this point she didn't doubt the Skulls inside were the source of this crap at all.

It was all so stupid, and it made he wonder if it was just some stupid coincidence or not.

'Wait a damn minute, if they made a damn Zard army like that then why send just the small fry bunch at us first? All you'd get is us gettin' ready, then the rest come for-....for....no...'

Luna began to ramp up her power, her body beginning to warp and change in shape as she ran foward to intercept the next innumerable wave. Grotesque juttings of bone stuck to super-strong arms. An elongating body that ran with far too many pairs of strong legs. Multiple heads and the ilk keeping watch and lash out to bite on super strong but stretchy necks, all while jutting meaty tendrils would begin stabbing with syringe-like super-strong spears of bone to inject her own extremely augmented digestive enzymes being mass-produced in many new stomachs into the Terrazards. Like a caterpillar from Wonderland that got dropped into Hell for a few millenia or so.

But it was her transformation, and her effort, to not hold back and attempt to help 'handle things' while the others hopefully formed up and came up with her. Hopefully. Because in this swarm, splitting up for any reason could get them killed and they needed to go to the source. Cut off the source, then hunt down what had come out of the building. Would save the most trouble by far, compared to the alternative that was splitting up and grabbing buckets to hold water when you had a 'burst pipe' type of situation like this.

'No, the name's obvious. Too obvious. Screams loud to people what they're tryin' to imitate. Ya know who knows what it means too? Who'd be drawn here just fer' that reason? **My stupid ass**. HERO's stupid ass too.

And the Zards'? No, they're producing em' somehow. Breeding em'? Somethin'. Have enough wander around to get us called to the scene, though, and then just give us a taste so no backup comes runnin' or we arrive with a bigger group than planned.

They spring this crap on us, and then we get desperate and charge in like morons to try to stop it. Bam.'


This wasn't right. None of it was. Skulls should have stayed dead, and the morons trying to emulate them had what they wanted here potentially as well. Her. HERO. A smaller group of fighters compared to what HERO would've sent to assist if they'd known the Terrazards had such unnatural numbers here or the like. Newbies who'd never fought Terrazards before, two veterans, and a dysfunctional mess that could potentially blow up if they didn't come together well enough. Heh. She'd almost laugh if it didn't make her want to cave in heads with her fists first.

For all her issues or not, for all her power was horrific or not, Luna wanted them all coming back alive and hoped to bring them all back in one piece. She even hoped even Mr Grumpy Mushrooms and Flyboy could at least see the advantage of coming together to push to the building instead of rushing in like a dumbass alone or otherwise. She hoped the Newbies would see. She felt Blur was going to have an eye on things, however....call it a hunch based on past experiences. Though to see 'that guy' here and under the title he was? She was just glad they were all on the same side this time.

But in the end she wasn't going to hold back the assumptions about this anymore. Some asshat in there knew what had happened at the old HQ. They knew she worked for HER. They were nuts, but it was the desperate, vengeful, and crazy ones that just wnted to see the world burn which you had to worry about most sometimes. They, after all, had the least to lose, and the most to gain.

....Or, well they were on copious amounts of drugs that only having a superpower would enable without dying. Just manage to locate and ask the corpse of the former Skulls member, the 100% post-mortem legend himself, that had once been "Crazy Crackhead Carl the Immortal".

@Blizz@ManyThings@Silver Carrot@shylarah@Hitman@DClassified@Zoey Boey
Hidden 5 mos ago Post by shylarah
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shylarah the crazy one

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[ Amuné ]



Hero Three

Amuné plopped herself down into a seat next to Austin, wrapping her arms around her elbows an tucking her head. The young hero was upset, that was easy enough to tell from her body language. She knew Austin was busy, but then again, he could multitask like nobody's business. So, after the ICOSA staff had left the room, she started talking. "Austin, have you heard of Sudden Onset Metahuman Psychosis?" she asked quietly, voice subdued. It was a mostly rhetorical question. If it existed, he'd probably heard of it. "The doctor thinks I'm at risk for it. And she's probably right -- that's her specialty, after all." Amuné took an unsteady breath. "I don't want to go crazy. But what kind of person has no attachments?!" She unwrapped her arms long enough to pull her knees up to her chest, burying her face in them. Voice muffled, she continued, "And even if I did quit being a hero, I'd still be at high risk. Just having family and friends is a risk!" Even now, the tiny feeling in the back of her head that said Jareth was in danger was active. She'd known he would be -- terrazards were smart, fast, and deadly; how could he not be at risk fighting them? "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

[ Jareth ]



Fixeon Municipal Recycling Plant

Jareth managed to kill some of the terrazards, but the lizards just kept coming. He was starting to be overwhelmed and need to retreat when Luna called to group up. He moved towards her, gathering a bunch of small rocks with his power and spinning them around, sending them one at a time into the skulls of lizards. It wasn't as efficient as a sinkhole, but there were just too many 'zards to deal with efficiently. With Luna and Mire in the lead, the bulk of them were getting destroyed, leaving him and the others to pick off the ones that they missed.

He worked quietly but diligently, gathering more stones as he went. He could get them up to a good speed, enough to smash the skulls of the terrazards, but he needed space to do so. That meant Jareth placed himself towards the middle of what would hopefully be a team of heroes moving forward together. Damn, why didn't Hero do teambuilding exercises? It was hard to predict the movements of people you barely knew, much less work effectively with them as a team. And with this many 'zards, they needed to be an effective team!
Hidden 5 mos ago Post by Blizz
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Blizz Grand Chancellor Supreme of the Wizard Council

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Wiseman had been immersed in his work, despite the fact that he was minutes away from his turn in the evaluation. He didn’t seem to be nervous about it, though it wasn’t easy to tell when he was fully armed and had a somewhat villainous aesthetic going on. Holographic screens in front of him quietly relayed the events of the estate mission to him, thanks to the bug he planted earlier. Barring Jake’s ineptitude in recognizing his own teammates and the sudden change in Samuel Peterson’s demeanor, things had mostly gone fine without a hitch. That was, of course, until “Peterson” pulled a gun on Alchemist. Immediately, he had an idea.

He trusted Alchemist’s capabilities, so he pulled up a screen and quickly searched through the phone logs that went through the area, narrowed them down to the estate, and then found the most recent one by triangulating signals from nearby towers. “Peterson’s” phone would start ringing again, showing a call coming in from one of his more demanding business partners- The kind he couldn’t just ignore easily, even at this hour. It was a small chance he’d be distracted, but it was the best he could do without making something noticeable happen.

A quick glance at the other team through the camera showed things were going… Less than great. There were more Leftovers than the team could reasonably be expected to handle. This was why they should’ve sent other heroes in who could spy and scout secretly before this. Heroes like Oracle who didn’t even need to be present to get a sense of the danger.

They’d need reinforcements, most likely. But they weren’t in a position to wait. Wiseman knew about the bombing that these “Azure Skulls” could trace their legacy to. He had responded to it. He was there. Someone got away, and there weren’t many who could elude a man like him.

Unfortunately, they’d have to sort this out themselves, now that they had kicked the nest.

Oracle came out of the room, and sat down next to him. She didn’t look very happy after talking with a psychologist. It was understandable, ICOSA had a tendency to play dirty when they wanted something out of people, after all.

"Austin, have you heard of Sudden Onset Metahuman Psychosis?"
Oracle


Ah.

"The doctor thinks I'm at risk for it. And she's probably right -- that's her specialty, after all."
Oracle


”We both are,” Wiseman answered, patiently. ”Knowing the things we know, our ability to gather information that others could not. It is natural.” It was just a logical conclusion that superheroes who knew too much were more likely to lose themselves when they went too far. They saw things they shouldn’t, had to carry secrets that they wished they could share. The little things added up. They mattered.

"I don't want to go crazy. But what kind of person has no attachments?!"
Oracle


”The kind that doesn’t face reality.”

"And even if I did quit being a hero, I'd still be at high risk. Just having family and friends is a risk! What the hell am I supposed to do?"
Oracle


Wiseman closed out all of his screens again and looked at Oracle. His visor offered no emotion, nothing to show on the face beneath. "Psychosis is a mental disorder, and Sudden Onset Metahuman Psychosis is known to be similar. Except it is a trauma response, rather than something that develops inherently. You will not be put in that position simply because you have friends and family." Wiseman's voice became firm, as if to suggest he wasn't pleased with the way the doctor handled her interview, despite not actually knowing what happened in there.

"And if you truly are guaranteed to suffer and irreversible psychotic episode, you would not be an active hero. Anymore than I would be. ICOSA would override the Director's authority and place you under watch until such a time they thought you were stable enough. That is the worst possible outcome, it is an extreme, not a likelihood. Do as you've always done," He suggested. "It is a known fact that one is less likely to suffer metahuman psychosis when they are supported by the same people that Dr. Reninger clearly suggested were a hazard to you. Isolating yourself, even as a metahuman, can be much worse."

Reninger could've told her this too, surely. "This changes next to nothing. If you are at risk now, then you were always at risk, and therefore it is unnecessary for you to make major changes to your life. At best, consider it a reminder to tend to yourself after an intense mission."
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