Jumbus

《 H.E.R.O. 2064 》

Cool cool I'll wait on a spot. Unfortunately, I probably won't go with a Starbright clone. Though the legacy characters are cool to see.

《 H.E.R.O. 2064 》

Hey, whole team is back. Mind if I read along in my off time?

Also I could probably manage a character if space opens up.

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

---

David could feel his confidence and ego returning as he barraged the vampire with successful blow after successful blow. He had tried to stay away from fighting while he was in America. But being able to bring it back was refreshing. He felt great.

In a blur that all changed. The vampire had recoiled back then reengaged. David was only just able to block the blow to his face. But the sheer pain running through his arms had been a metaphorical gut punch. Then a literal gut punch had come in to take the air out of his lungs. His vision began to blur and his mind was only just able to catch up. "Oh fuuuu..."

Had it really been that easy? Could he really do nothing to prevent what was going to happen to him? He was helpless and he knew it. All he could do it watch as the vampire went for his neck.

---

---

One, two, three, there was no point in counting anymore. Rowan had mustered herself to give a plan and had little left to argue as she saw people leave. Had it really been so silly to suggest that the group stay tight for the night?

Rowan watch Kate get up to leave, but this time she had been able to respond. Lightly pulling on Kate's arm, Rowan addressed her quietly. "If it is safe for you all to go out there. You shouldn't have any problem bringing this back intact." Rowan slipped Kate one of the vials of Bottled Sunlight, only leaving herself with two. Then she watched the group leave with a heavy heart. Knowing that if they did not come back tonight, she would not be looking for them until morning.

"Well onto work then" Rowan muttered to herself as she brought out the components to the ritual. Picking up the chalk, she begun with the largest circle which was roughly 6 foot in diameter. "While I could use a hand with the ritual, I think we could use another check around the hotel for danger. Maybe ask the man in the lobby about any recent disappearances?"

《 H. E. R. O. 》

---

It was a travesty, an absolute travesty. How could he, Starbright, be doing poorly at volleyball. Why, he was a verified expert at volleyball. He had seen that scene in top gun and... Well that was about it, but he should still be pretty good right. To make things worse, his usual approach of 'just look good anyway' couldn't really be done. Volleyball required too much movement to pose efficiently. But what was he saying? Of course he looked good, Starbright just hoped to have himself look good while winning. This was not looking to be realistic.

But then a ball Starbright was totally about to catch was snapped up by some amateur who wasn't in the game. Talk about not knowing the rules. He was large and intimidating sure, but attributes like those barely phase Starbright. He pulled his sunglasses down his nose just enough to where his eyes were above the lenses.

"I believe you aren't supposed to let this hit the ground. I'll give you a pass, though. Sorry for interrupting your game. My name is Yousef."

Something about this man rubbed Starbright the wrong way. He couldn't quite place it but he didn't like this guy at all. It was a similar feeling to being around... Joseph. Speak of the devil, Starbright shifted his gaze between both Joseph and Yousef. Was it their powers? Even if it were, Starbright wouldn't know. Was it their looks? Hell no. It was actually something more simple. The two were far too arrogant for Starbright's liking.

"You interrupted our game."



"I'm also happy to be in the presence of such hero legends. Starbright! We've heard of you around the globe now."

Of all the things he could have said. This man had the gall to lie about being a fan so blatantly and plainly to his face.

"That's cool. By the way, I like your tattoos. Temporary tats from Walmart I presume? Very in fasion." Starbright gave out a very hoity toity laugh at that.

Starbright eventually watched the man move on and it was about time too. Still, Starbright took the opportunity to hang up the volleyball and call it a draw before he could be embarrassed further.

"Also, if anyone asks, my name is Alex, and I'm new to HERO. None of you have seen my powers yet. No matter what, I'm not a magus, ok?"

"Well I don't remember your real name anyway so your secret if in safe hands. As for magus and whatever, you can play that silly Goblins of Dungeons when you aren't on vacation."

Starbright took a pause at the end of that. He was supposed to have a relaxing time at this vacation. He was supposed to make some friends. Not get set off by some idiot interrupting a volleyball game.

"Starbright, you've probably been to places like this before, right? What's the best stuff to do while on vacation?"

That was the perfect save from an awkward silence. However, it thrust him into a new one. While Starbright had been to places like this, it was often on tour and he would be working the whole time. This being Starbright's first actual vacation, he was lost for words.

"Yes of course I know where to go Chad. Well its, uh, pretty simple... Its just a matter of picking whats first. Lets think uh..."

“If we don't wanna play anymore we could… go to the bar! Ooh, piña coladas are so good. We can get the drinks with the little umbrellas and everything!”

"Yes, what she said. Lets go to... the bar?"

Wait what did he just say?

---

@Duoya@canaryrose@Rabidporcupine

【 Spy High 】

---

The past few days had past pretty slowly for Ollie. After the training mission he needed some time for himself to process what had happened. This meant a lot of solo training and sticking to himself when working on tech. One of the few people he really talked to was Bug, but it wasn't normal conversation. He had made every effort he could to get the surveillance before she had the chance to share it around. These were futile attempts, by Sunday afternoon he had stopped trying.

Come Monday after school, Ollie was in the Operations Center. He was seemingly back to his normal self again. Well, more or less, he still had a similar awkwardness around Binx. But it was a significant improvement from Saturday.

Ollie stood and listened to the mission briefing. While pretty standard affair, it was exciting to have a mission that required a degree of subtlety. Though if all the agents were attending, he doubted it would last for too long. He had meant to have used the time after training to help his teamwork with Binx. But of course other circumstances got in the way. He could only hope this would be different from Timbuktu, because ultimately he had done nothing to make sure it changed.

On to Professor MacMahon or the grandpa Ollie never had. To put it simply, Ollie loved the passion the man brought to his job. The two shared the same interest in technology and gadgets. Ollie enjoyed coming down here every time. The mesh suits were a good addition, it would keep his still developing medic skills to a minimum use. It was something to be appreciated. But Ollie was here for the wacky inventions, and MacMahon did not disappoint. Exploding cards were a cool idea, and he liked the relevant theming too. It was unfortunate that explosives weren't his style. But he knew who would be all over those.

Packing a bag with gadgets, Ollie brought 10 EMP grenades, 5 burrowcams, 2 comms jammers, his medic kit, and his set of tracker mites. There was a prioritization of information gadgets as opposed to disruption gadgets due to the mission. In terms of firearms, Ollie took a Remington M870 shotgun for if things went south and a silenced SIG Sauer M17 for stealth take downs. But ideally he wouldn't need to use neither.

Stepping into the stalls, Ollie took a bit longer than Ben. He had come out in a blue suit with no tie and the coat unbuttoned. The reason for taking a bit longer was evident in his hair, which had been slicked back to the point where not a curl was visible. "I first thought of it back in training when I was covered in paint, but blue is a good color on me... Yes I did this to my hair. There is absolutely nothing 'high roller' about having curly hair." Ollie made use of a comb to make sure it stayed in place. He was now Oliver Harrington, son of wealthy investor Walter Harrington. Disguises are fun.

Ollie did not pet the two foxes, he could already see they had a lot of attention and he couldn't really be bothered waiting to give them affection. He would save it for when he gets back.

---

The portal was a fun time, stepping in was a feeling like no other. Realistically, only few had used it and even fewer fully understood what the experience was. That made it fun. It was as if every time he stepped into it, he was stepping into the unknown. But just as it starts it is already over and Ollie was stood in the middle of a very nice hotel room. It must have been expensive, but that made the amount of beds irk Ollie even more.

"Before we all leave and do our own things for a bit, there are two things I would like us to consider. First, we did not enter this place through the front door and reception. This means if we are even slightly suspected, a review of surveillance or even the word of a receptionist will give us away. Therefore, we need to spend a good amount of time in the casino itself to show we are regular party goers here and make our faces known as such."

"Second, there are only four beds per room and there is ten of us. The hotel have records of this and no high rollers would sleep on the couch. Therefore, I believe it is a good idea for two pairs of us to look like couples when on the casino floor." That comment was made with logical thought in mind, still he made sure not to look at Binx during that. If he had blushed even slightly it would have been a bad look and given off the wrong impression. "None the less, thank you Ben for offering to sleep on the couch. That's all I have to say."

Having finished the small speech, Ollie fished around in his bag and pulled out the tracker mite system. He gave the tracker gun to Ben. "You can use the gun or just place the trackers by hand. But can you try to chuck a few on the security so we can examine their guard route?" He then passed a small USB bit to Bug. "This should upload the data from the tracker mites. I think you can probably make the best use out of it."

"As for me, I'm going to unpack my bags. Then I'm going to the casino floor. I learnt card counting back in Maine, so I am excited to hit the blackjack."

《 H. E. R. O. 》

Midas had been in the criminal scene for years but only as a hitman/solo act. With the recent formation of the Brookside Bruisers, this was the first time he had been invited to one of these things. His only company was Specter and a couple of goons. He didn't want to overwhelm the event with too many of his own. Plus he didn't trust it fully yet, so he had most of the gang stay back and keep watch on their territories. All four of them wore rather loose fitted suits in case a fight broke out, primarily black with some yellow to show colors. Himself and Specter sat around a table playing poker with some Gugliano goons. It was a good time and certainly his whiskey on the rocks was helping.

Midas was excited for the fabled appearance of the Black Baron. A living legend from his childhood was going to make an announcement. It would be the first time Midas has seen the man. But what he wasn't expecting was a retirement speech and a passing of the torch to a younger Black Baroness. Never the less, he was happy to endorse it. Although Midas was keeping a keen eye on outsiders being in this event, he had not met the Black Baron before and he just assumed his successor was a Castleburg local.

Picking up his drink Midas rose to give a toast. "Well lets hear it for the Black Baroness. May she keep those heroes well on the run." He gave a standing applause and then waited for the crowd to settle. "But if that is all, I would also like to make a speech of my own."

"As you know we lost someone important this year. Whether you loved or hated him, well more likely it was somewhere in between, he was an important part to all of this. Vinnie Gugliano. His death marked the fracturing of the most important crime family in Castleburg. And yes, he did make a lot of enemies in his time but I am sure the man is worth a moment of silence after this party is over."

"But that isn't why I bring him up. Vinnie Gugliano made a lot of enemies, hell if I didn't know any better I would think one of you all offed the bastard. But I do know better. During the night of his death I know that he was bragging about some new allies he got from elsewhere. I'm guessing they stabbed him in the back, because sure as hell those babies at HERO couldn't do something like that to the man."

"So until further notice, keep Castleburg business inside Castleburg. Until the killer is found, none of us are safe from whatever got to him. But with a bit of effort it shouldn't be long before we find them and crush them." At the word of crush, Midas shattered his whiskey glass unintentionally. Specter looked at him in disappointment to which he responded by mouthing 'sorry' to her and then signaled the cleaning crew to come take care of it. Not waiting on a response to his speech, Midas went over to the bar to order another drink.

《 H. E. R. O. 》

Cerise had not expected to be donning her Devil's jacket again so soon. What once was a great comfort to her had filled her with anxiety, dread, and resurfacing memories. It was just her luck that the first mission she was on would require something like this. To gain trust with these people was the goal and this was how to achieve it. One night in the toxic miasma of her old life to secure her new one. It was a deal she would take with no hesitation. Well maybe a bit.

While she didn't look particularly battle ready, only having one katana on her back visible. Cerise had lined countless small daggers inside of her jacket and was ready to become a human buzz saw at any point. Sure it would tear her jacket to shreds but she wouldn't need it after tonight. It was the perfect send off. If anyone asked it was just 'a keepsake from a previous arrest' anyway.

---

Cerise waited for the others to go inside first and didn't show herself to the entrance until the rest were gone. It would very suspicious for a Devil to be walking in with Rabbits, considering a good few past conflicts. But more importantly than that, she didn't want to be caught by a good few of the others not being able to pull off an accent. Speaking of getting in, it wasn't too hard. A lot of the time it was having the right look with the right attitude. Then the people at the gate don't even have to check the list. Even still, a mention of the Koshiki Witch had sealed the deal.

"Alright I'm in" Yui messaged the group. "I think I skipped on reading the file about Malady and whatever ZERO is. But if its about physical contact, I'd like to see her try." She then made her way to the bar and ordered a drink. Most Devil's just ordered the same thing. Yui made sure to keep a distance from Blake and the rest, but gave a subtle nod to him.

《 H. E. R. O. 》

---

It took about 3 minutes for Starbright to return from packing in. Well one would assume packing in. The reality was that he chucked his suitcase on the bed and left with the expectation that someone else would be doing it for him. Starbright was in for a rude awakening when he returned later tonight. Still that wasn't all he did, Starbright made sure to applying sunblock and picked his favorite out of the three pairs of sunglasses he brought. Outside of that he was straight back to the beach.

Starbright wore red trucks, shades, flip flops, and the spirit of a winner.

"Starbright is here. And he is in to win." Starbright gave an almighty pose creating a burst of light behind him that resembled a sun rise. Or a sun set for his volleyball opponents. Starbright, having looked at the others, was immediately going to put Chad on his team. But he had stopped himself, he was on vacation. It could be nice not to control things for a change. "Alright what does everyone think about teams?"

---

The Sisters of the Dying Branch

---

It was a strange feeling, not being able to see his own hands. He had to admire Calypso's invisibility spell. There were plenty of times back in Aus David could have used it. Speaking of which, this whole plan felt reminiscent of home. Sure the invisibility was new, and he hadn't staked out a graveyard before. But that was all a back drop to the same type of shit he did back before he moved. Now it was only a matter of time before they saw the people he needed to jump. David thought he had moved across the world to get away from that type of life. What was next? Shaking down pixies? Regardless, the point was that David had been in these situations before. He leaned back on a tree, slowly chewed on a piece of bubble gum, and waited for it all to go wrong. These things always went wrong.

One might ask that if he knew it was going to go wrong, why didn't he speak up in the meeting. Well that is because he wouldn't be able to think up anything better. David was a punch first ask questions later kind of guy and he knew it. Often the questions part was skipped entirely. Sitting in the meeting all he did was make the occasional quip while contributing very little to the plan itself.

This attitude changed greatly when the vampires entered the picture though. David stood up and paid attention to them. He hadn't seen a real life vampire before, and he wanted to see how they match up to their movie counterparts. In general, they looked human. Far too human. Sure they had skin as white as snow, but there was nothing to really say 'this is a monster'. It wouldn't stop David from fighting, of course not. He had beaten plenty of people up. But if the task was to kill, he wasn't sure he would be able to go through with it.

Eventually the vampire started moving toward the group. David stopped chewing. This is where it would go wrong. In what felt like a blur, the invisibility shattered and Hana was taken by the larger vampire. David reached into his pocket a slid on his newly bought knuckles. His immediate thought was to take the big guy on, but that was interrupted by Alayna. Her quick thinking had put a wall of flame between Hana and the bloodsuckers. David didn't feel like getting burnt so he turned his attention to the younger vampire.

The vampire rushed toward them with incredible pace. At such a pace, one wouldn't be able to register oncoming projectiles as easily. David took advantage of that by spitting his gum out and at the young vampires face hoping to startle and stagger him. "Roight, I got the runt of the litter then aye. You fellas aren't as ugly as I thought you'd be, but you are going to be a whole lot uglier when I'm done with ya." Still trying to capitalize off his dirty tactic, David went for an uppercut with his knuckles. But he would soon find out that vampires are not the same as the back alley thugs he brawled back in Aus.

---

【 Spy High 】

---

Ollie was pleasantly surprised, everyone agreed to the plan and was going about executing it. One may think that, in an organisation of elite spies, it would be the expected norm. But not even close. This was a very rare moment and knowing his own plan had that effect was satisfying. "Yeah I'll be looking to b line it to the IT room after I secure Agent Nox's entry. Ben, I assume you and Carmen will take the front door approach? Just skip the basement, the bomb isn't down there. Well, unless the opposing team wants the rats to do the job for us."

"That is time. Move in. Best of luck."

"Off to it then"

As the group disbanded toward their duties and no one was looking, Ollie had a small fist bump and close lipped smile as if to say yes! Then quickly returned to standard 'professional' look before anyone noticed.

Ollie noticed that his phone had gotten a notification. He had forgotten to turn it off, so that was a good reminder to do so before Bug went to town on it. But first things first, lets see that notification. Speak of the devil, it was Bug.

“Don’t die too quickly ;)”

“Wouldn't give ya the satisfaction”

“Enjoy the power while it lasts :)”

And then like that his phone was off. Although knowing her, she probably already downloaded a good deal of his files. Like the FBI agent meme but ten times as terrifying because its a teenage girl. Still it was nice of her to send her 'best wishes'. How thoughtful. Ollie couldn't hide a grin as he placed his phone back in his pocket.

“Alright, Nox, lets go to the wall around there so Wahrheit can see our pretty faces.” The two around to the side to the right of the entrance where Carmen and Ben entered. The weren't any standard entry was but plenty of windows, most were smashed ones at that. This meant quiet entry and clean sniper shots. “I'll climb those bins there and get onto the second floor. You get up to the third floor then wait on my signal to throw the EMP in and enter. If we can I would like it to be like the Alps. But lets treat that as lightning in a bottle and make sure to use Wahrheit's expertise.”

The Alps mission

This was a mission performed by Agents Static, Nox, and Lancer. The objective was to steal vital records on various criminal activities. The mission went extremely well and gathered 0 casualties or combat engagements. Out of curiosity, Static left a camera behind. It took them 5 days to notice they were gone.

“The code word for when to enter is: party.”

---

After climbing the garbage bin, Ollie went to quick work. He had noticed a few of Binx's claymores around but made a note to avoid them. He vaulted over the windowsill and went to stand in front of the nearest security camera. He was a good 3 metres away, enough to give Bug a good look at him. Ollie threw two EMP grenades, both down separate corridors. Then he held a third in his hand and a detonator for them in his other.

"Where are you all at? I'm here to party."

The line came out lame, it came out super lame. It sounded so good in Ollie's head. But in practice, it just sucked. Either way it was too late to change it now. He pushed the detonator. That would have taken down at least 4 security cameras, assuming Vanessa had successfully thrown it in on time and entered. It would give it away if he checked in on her though. Ollie just had to put his faith in her. But he has enough faith in her to know it was successful.

One last thing before Bug got those cams back online, which would take about 20 - 30 seconds. Ollie moved closer to the camera so that he was right up to it. Once Bug got them operational, all she would see from that cam would be Ollie's dumb fucking face. Hopefully it would give her a fright. Ollie prepared to gun it once the camera's come back online though. He had more than revealed his location, and he was making it even easier for them just to try and scare Bug. Ollie wouldn't have it any other way.

Talks to: Bug @Legion02 Nox @Akayaofthemoon