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Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

From the moment that he and Alexa had landed back in Lost Haven, Scott Hunter had been constantly in motion, which was a stark contrast to his time spent in the Greek Islands. There, Scott had enjoyed leisurely strolls on the beach, boat rides, and surf casting at sunset. However, the moment he and Alexa had returned to their lives in Lost Haven, they had been forced to go their separate ways. While he was busy unpacking from the trip, Alexa had been whisked away to Winstone International for another round of, as she had put it, “tedious, but necessary meetings with a bunch of uptight assholes in suites.” Naturally, her father had flown out from Los Angeles to sit in on the meetings and lend his expertise. However, both Scott and Alexa knew that it was just his way of making sure that she was running the Lost Haven branch of Winstone International to his liking.

While Alexa had been tending to the family business, Scott had been busy making preparations for The Hub's grand re-opening. There was a lot to clean up and repair after the Hounds of Humanity had stormed the club prior to their downfall. Though the death toll could, and would have been higher had Scott and Alexa not intervened, there was still a lot of work to do.

Truth be told, Eric had done most of the work. He fought with the insurance company to get the money for the repairs, and when that was finished, he hired the contractors to deal with the structural damage to the building, while he did most of the cosmetic repairs, such as patching bullet holes and removing broken furniture himself. Although Scott had offered to postpone or even cancel his trip overseas, Eric had balked at the idea and insisted that Scott go and spend some much deserved time away with the love of his life, and that he had everything under control.

When Scott walked through the doors of The Hub for the first time once he returned, he was happy to see that Eric had followed through on his promise, and had handled most of the heavy lifting of getting their club back up and running on his own. Though Scott felt slightly guilty about leaving Eric to fend for himself, he had again proven that he was more than capable of taking care of things on his own.

Once the last of the plaster dust had been swept away, and the tarps covering the tables and chairs which were scattered throughout the club had been removed, and Scott and Eric had their first glimpse of the new and improved interior of The Hub, Scott decided to take his leave. Slowly, he ascended the back stairwell toward the apartment over the club. He made his way down the hallway toward his apartment, stopping at the door to get his key. When he stepped through the front door, Jenny came from out of nowhere with her phone in hand, miming making a phone call.

“Help, 9-11! There's a stranger in my apartment!” Jenny teased in an exaggerated tone. “Oh, wait. Nevermind, it's just my absentee brother.” she finished with a big grin before throwing herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing with all the force that she could muster.

“Hey, I missed you too.” Scott said with a laugh as his kid sister pulled away from the embrace.

“So, how was your trip?” Jenny asked as she moved through the apartment toward the living room. After stowing his bags in his room, he joined his sister on the couch, where they spent a good portion of the night catching up over everything that had gone on over the last week and a half.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Trying to process some stuff and get back to writing. I'm going to try and finish the post I'd been working on and get that up soonish.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Working on a quick something for Icon to free him up. I planned to do have it up tonight, but I came home from work and promptly fell asleep with my computer on my lap and my docs opened. I'm gonna see what I can get done before I have to go to bed, and I'll finished whatever I don't get done tonight, tomorrow

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Hey guys, been dealing with some stuff. Hope to start working on a few things soon

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Internet is working again. New modem arrived today.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Still no internet. Hopefully it’ll be resolved soon.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Lyger sat perched atop the satellite array just above the bridge of the Pelican Breeze. The large cargo ship which sat in the Crown Ridge harbor was a hive of activity. From his vantage point, he had seen Rabbit himself greet not only high ranking members of the Disciples, a ruthless street gang that had been growing in power on the West Side, but also Fedor Petrov, the second in command of the Russian mafia, the Bratva, which had been operating in relative silence within not only Crown Ridge, but also Lost Haven, Boston, New York and Baltimore. Rabbit and the men seemed to be in good spirits, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, however, at the same time there was a palpable tension that permeated the air. These men did not trust one another, and they were all anxious to get this meeting over with. After a few minutes on the main deck, Rabbit lead the others down a set of stairs leading to another cargo area below deck, and out of Lyger's view.

Lyger moved from the satellite array to one of the large cranes that sat on the main deck of the cargo ship, surveying the layout of the ship itself, as well as the placement of men along the deck. He needed to get down to the lower deck, but he had to do it quietly. If he was spotted, the men guarding the ship would sound the alarm, and he would not only lose the element of surprise, but most likely he would lose Rabbit, and chances were, it would be a long, long time before he would be able to track the mobster down again.

From atop of the crane, Lyger continued to survey the landscape of the ship. There, he counted nearly two dozen armed men on the top deck. Six of whom were stationed on the forecastle, with the others scattered throughout the deck. Fortunately for him, the majority of the men were scattered about the ship's deck. At the moment, there were only two men standing near the stairwell which led below deck. Unfortunately, they were facing one another, making it impossible for him to slip undetected into the lower deck. Silently, Lyger moved from his position along the crane, and when he was directly above the two men guarding the stairwell to the lower deck, he struck. He dropped down just behind the men, and before they could react, he slammed their heads together, knocking both men unconscious. Then, he made use of a new device that Echo had manufactured for him. She called it a Zip Restraint, though, both agreed that the device needed a better name. The device could be attached to someone, and much like one of his grapple lines, once activated it would propel the subject skyward, and leave them dangling from whatever object it attached itself to. In this case, the girders of the crane which loomed overhead.

Nice job Ash. He thought to himself as he watched the two henchmen soar skyward and come to a rest dangling just below the crane. With the two men out of the way, he slipped down the stairs which led to the lower deck.

Rabbit and the others were gathered below deck. With them, were large crates of what Lyger could only guess were weapons or drugs, or possibly even both. Unfortunately, Lyger's source was a bit foggy on exactly what it was that was being exchanged at this particular meeting. Ultimately, what it was really didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was making sure that nothing in the crates made it off of the boat. As Lyger quietly descended the stairs, careful not to alert the others of his presence, he was able to see what he was up against.

Rabbit and the others stood in groups all facing one another. Had they trusted one another, and not had all their attention focused on what the others were doing, one of them may have spotted Lyger as he used a grapple line to ascend into the rafters.

“This better be worth my time, Rabbit. I'm busy man.” Fedor Petrov said in intentionally broken English. Although the Russian spoke perfect English, he found that sometimes playing to stereotypes worked to his advantage.

“Oh, I assure you it is.” Rabbit told the Russian, though it was clear that he was speaking to everyone in attendance.

“Prove it.” The Disciple interjected.

“Darius, have I ever let you down?” Rabbit replied.

“Don't let this be the first time.”

“Enough of this. What you bring us?” Fedor interjected. “We all very busy men, no?"

“What I bring you,” Rabbit responded, clearly annoyed and possibly insulted by the exchange, though he would never show it. “Is the next generation of high caliber urban weaponry.” He said as he motioned for one of his guards to open a crate. Once the crate was open, Rabbit took one of the weapons from it and began to show it off.

Lyger's eyes went wide as he saw the weapon that was pulled from the crate. The gun itself was slightly larger than an AK-47, and matte black. From where he was, he could see a digital display on the side, though he couldn't make out what it was for. The barrel of the gun was shorter than the typical assault rifle, and just a bit wider. The weapon itself was oddly familiar, and he knew exactly where he had seen it before, or at least a more primitive version– It looked to be the next generation of the weapons that the street gang The Demons had used in the assault on the Lost Haven University Fall Carnival some time back. Those weapons had proven to be devastatingly effective, and as much as he was loath to say it, had it not been for War-Pulse's intervention, the death toll would have been far worse. These weapons could not be allowed to leave the ship, and Lyger was determined to do whatever he it took to ensure that they did not.

“Armor piercing ammunition is a thing of the past. This beauty fires an exclusive plasma bolt that will burn through any armor, flesh, bone...whatever. Once this baby is through with you, there won't be enough left to identify you with dental records.” Rabbit boasted.

“How much?” Darius asked evenly.

“For the Deathbringer, a steal at two million. A piece.”

“That's a bit...rich.” Darius said before a momentary pause. “But if this thing does what you say, it might just be worth it.”
“That is scary name, but steep price with just your word. How about a demonstration?” Fedor added.

“You want a demonstration? I absolutely agree. Naturally, we can't do it here. I'm sure you understand.” Rabbit told the men. “We'll go to the pier, and then you'll have your demonstration. Then...then we can do business.”

From his hiding place, Lyger reached into a small pouch in his uniform and produced a small device, another of Echo's new toys. With little time to waste, Lyger pressed the activation switch on the device, and it emitted a quiet hum, and then went silent. The device released a localized electromagnetic pulse which fried all electronics within the target area, and within seconds, the ship went dark.
As darkness blanketed the ship, Lyger made his move. He lept from his hiding place and struck at Darius with a stiff roundhouse kick which connected to the big man's chin. A splash of blood and teeth flew from his mouth as the large man landed in a heap on the floor.
Then panic set in.

One of Rabbit's body guards reached for his gun and began shooting wildly in all directions. However, the bullets struck the metal hull of the ship and began to ricochet.

“Stop shooting you fucking moron!” Rabbit shrieked as a bullet struck one of Fedor's guards. However, the panicked bodyguard squeezed off several more shots before the words of his employer registered.

By then, it was too late.

One of the bullets struck the container which held the plasma bolts which gave the Deathbringer its devastating firepower. When the bullet hit the plasma rounds, an explosion rocked the cargo ship, causing it to list to one side, while also ripping through the hull. Once the hull was breached, water began to pour in from the gaping hole and began filling the ship.

***

Several minutes had passed since the explosion. While the explosion had caused the lower deck to fill with water, the ship itself was too large to sink to the bottom of the harbor. However, both the cargo and those on board the ship had been flushed out through the hole that was left in the side of the hull after the explosion.

Lyger reached the edge of the pier and tossed the unconscious body of Darius up onto dry land, before pulling himself up. After securing the thug to a near by lamp post, Lyger took a moment to consider what had just happened.

Rabbit was gone. So was Fedor Petrov.

While he was frustrated at his inability once again to put Rabbit behind bars, he had destroyed the weapons that he had been peddling. While it wasn't the victory that he had wanted, it was, nonetheless a victory. And he was reminded of something that Harry had once told him.

Sometimes it's the small victories that are important.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Welcome aboard Super Meteor

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

For Slipstream, the weeks following the downfall of the Hounds of Humanity seemed to move at a breakneck speed. First, the Iron Knight himself had practically showed up on her doorstep in Pacific Point with an offer to join the newly minted superhero team that had been formed following the battle in Lost Haven.

The Guardians.

Though she was new to the whole superhero thing, and she had reservations about her readiness to join such an exclusive club, she reluctantly accepted. She had no way to know what joining this team of elite heroes would mean for her future, but she agreed to join because she thought that maybe being around the likes of Arthur and the others, she might learn a thing or two, and eventually truly earn her place on the squad.

However, even the excitement her inclusion in this new team wasn’t enough to chase the memories of the horrors that she had seen while battling the Hounds of Humanity. The images of those executed in the killing rooms in the lower levels of the Hounds base just outside of Pacific Point were burnt into her memory. She could still smell the sickly copper smell of the blood that had pooled on the floor, and the faces of the terrified victims locked in cages awaiting their own executions was something that she would never be able to forget, no matter how hard she tried.

So like she had done before when things got to be too much, she ran. Up and down the California coast she went, stopping little crimes here and there, helping people when she could. She immersed herself in being a hero, trying to keep herself so occupied that the memories of what she saw maybe haunted her a little less.

But she was still new to this life. She was still raw. Which was probably why the Iron Knight had reached out to her about going to Upstate New York where she could get some training. Arthur had pitched it as “summer camp for supers,” where she would be able to learn combat skills as well as more about her powers, and what they can really do.

Of course, she agreed.

Though she couldn’t really spend too much time away from her life in Pacific Point, as she had events to plan and she had been booked to photograph several events in the PacPoint and Los Angeles areas, she did what people in her line of work do...she found a compromise. She would take advantage of her supersonic speed, and go to the farm first thing in the morning, and return home at night. It was almost like commuting to work each day...from three thousand miles away.

When Slipstream first arrived to the farm, which sat on about ten acres in Upstate New York and was located just off of a little traveled side road, she didn’t know what to expect. The farm itself was full of green fields and had a single story stone house which sat on the property, which was also dotted with various fruit trees. As she made her way to the house, she noticed that there was a wintershed attached to the house, and a greenhouse not far from that. As she made her way toward the house, she saw that there were well tended vegetable gardens around the side of the house, and just as she was thinking about how she wished that there was a place for a vegetable garden at her apartment in Pacific Point, something else made its presence known.

Making its way around the side of the house was a young goat, no larger than a medium sized dog. When Slipstream made eye contact with the animal, she smiled and waved at the young animal.

“Hi there.” She said suppressing a laugh.

However, the young goat just cocked its head as it stared at her, and then let out a shriek.

“BBBBAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!” The goat bellowed as it lowered its head and charged her. Taken completely by surprise by the goats sudden advancement, she just stood there, thinking that it would back off. However, the goat did not, in fact, it picked up speed as it raced toward her.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Slipstream said to herself as she sidestepped the rampaging juvenile goat. Undeterred, the goat turned on her, and charged again, only to have Slipstream once again avoid its rush. “Hey, cut that out!” Slipstream said with a laugh as she again avoided the goat’s charge for a third time.

Leanna heard one of her kids agitate, and a girl’s voice, and came around the corner, a chicken under one arm that she had been carrying back to the coop after having escaped. She stood stock still when she saw the clear metahuman outfit. One sharp whistle and a call of “George, stop that,” and the little goat took off around her and back towards the pens. She gave him a boot as he passed. Her violet eyes gave the costume a once over, and she brushed black hair behind an ear with her free hand.

“Can I help you with something, Miss…?” The silent answer for a name hung on the end of a sentence, but Leanna sounded anything but polite. She set the chicken down, eyes never leaving the stranger.

“Slipstream.” She replied awkwardly. “Um...I think this is the right place, Iron Knight sent me for training….god, I’m not sure this is the right place, he said you’d be expecting me. I’m so sorry.” She trailed off as she was about ready to leave the ornery woman before she wore out her welcome.

“Oh that asshole,” Leanna rolled her eyes, put a hand on her hip, and plucked at her clothes. She was wearing overalls and a white tanktop, having planned only to be working all day.

“He probably meant to call and let me know and then got busy with whatever rich people get busy with. If you’re here for the program, however, you are definitely in the right place. I’ve got a couple of forms I need you to sign, especially now that you’ve seen me without my costume on at my house, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Come inside. You want tea or coffee? You eaten yet today?” Without giving the heroine a chance to respond, she turned a heel in her work boots and headed towards the closer back door, kicking a cardboard box she had been emptying out of the way of the second gate around the corner that kept the chickens in the yard.

“Got both,” she called behind her as she walked. “Plus eggs. No bacon, we don’t do that here, can’t stand the stuff, but we’ve got greens, potatoes, and a bit of leftover steak from last night I think.” Despite the ‘we’, it was clear that she was the only one here by the way she moved. Confident, owning every step she took on her own property, without worrying what another might think.

“Tea, thanks. Coffee makes me jittery.” Slipstream said shyly as her stomach let out a slight growl. “And yeah, I could definitely go for whatever you’ve got.” She finished as she followed the woman into the house.

The inside was, while not messy, also not tidy, as living on a farm required certain concessions to animals. Including the bear of an Irish wolfhound who barrelled up to the newcomer until her owner caught her round the chest and picked her up like she was a feather. “She’s fine, Smoky, she’s fine.” The dog got set down again and this time did the shy hello sniifs instead.

The back door had led into the kitchen, floored in echoing hardwood and full of a cozy atmosphere. The smell of fresh coffee hung in the air, put Leanna stepped lightly around a counter and gestured to the little round table with four chair in the dining area as she picked a steel kettle off of her stove and set about filling it with water. Once she had it on, she opened a drawer, fished out a manilla envelope, and slapped it on the table in front of her guest.

“Most of this,” she explained as she busied herself fixing a plate for the girl, “is standard government NDA. you don’t go public with anyone’s identities you may discover due to accident, like earlier, on the farm. You don’t talk about this place even to other heroes without clearance from STRIKE, although now I dunno how you’d get it. Maybe someone at the FBI is handling it now?” She paused. There had been a tremor in her voice for a second. She sniffed and continued.

“While here you follow my rules. Anything I say goes. If I say you’re out of line, you get back inside the lines or I kick your ass. Are you a minor?”

Slipstream listened to the woman go over the rules of the house even as the massive dog Smokey continued to press against her with her nose, making a loud sniffing sound. When Slipstream had agreed to do this, she had no idea what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this.

“Of course, I’d never reveal anyone’s secret identity.” She responded to the woman’s first rule. “No, not a minor.” She answered as she looked over the paperwork.

Government?

STRIKE, or whoever is in charge now that they’ve been wiped out?

What has she gotten herself into?

Leanna caught the slight hesitation in the girl’s voice and slammed her hand on the counter, accompanied by a string of expletives, then came around and sat down opposite Slipstream.

“I am sorry, hon, he didn’t tell you a damn thing about this place did he?” She shook her head, then continued. “My job here is to train heroes to be heroes. I took a bad hit a while back, but I wanted to at least help out, so I volunteered. The government, notably my former associates at STRIKE, helped me buy this farm and I went back to school for a while, but I’m mostly here to help you become better at your job. Usually I get a couple of heroes here at once, hence the ID protection issue.”

“Oh jeez, I got so upset I didn’t even introduce myself. My name’s Leanna Young, but most people in the biz call me Blacklight. I used to run with Icon and Iron Knight and a few others when they were up-and-comers. I’m pretty old, as far as news goes, I guess.”She held out a hand for a shake, and offered a conciliatory smile.

Slipstream was taken aback by the woman’s sudden change in tone, even as she met the woman’s offer for a handshake. It was true that apparently Iron Knight hadn’t really told her anything about where he was sending her, but she somehow knew that it wasn’t because he had been setting her up, it was most likely due to absent mindedness. Then, when Slipstream had been able to process the woman’s introduction, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

“You’re Blacklight?” She asked, then continued without taking a breath. “You were in Lost Haven when we fought the Hounds...You’re a badass!” she said, her sudden excitement was evidenced by her refusal, or more accurately, her inability to stop shaking her hand. “I’m Amanda, it’s sooo good to meet you.”

Leanna threw her head back with a throaty laugh. “Oh, hon, no, I am far from a badass at this point. That was my first action in five years, and if they hadn’t-” She caught herself.

“That’s the point here. You see all the famous guys, and how ‘cool’ they are on the media outlets, and you think that it’s all fun and games and looking good. And it is that. Sometimes.” She stood up, heading back to the kitchen. There was a pause, and then the slap of meat on a skillet and the sudden smell of frying steak.

“But that’s not all there is. There’s the times where it’s you and the people you may have never met, in the shit. People are screaming, and dying, and there’s nothing you can do yet because you’ve got[ to wait for the right moment. And it tears your heart apart. Or the times where you’ve got to make the decision between the bus or the train because you’ve only got enough time to save one. Those are the times that actually stick with you. Those are the times where you find out that being a hero means not freezing, not panicking, just doing what you can for as many people as you can and living with what happens after. That’s what I’m here to do. Help you deal with what will come later, and make sure you don’t freeze when civilians need you.”

She slid back around the counter and put a plate on top on the papers in front of Amanda. It was loaded with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, half a ribeye, and a mound of chopped carrots and mushrooms. She settled back to watch the girl, waited until she had picked up her fork and taken her first mouthful, and then grinned. “Also, I shouldn’t know your name is Amanda, hon. You’re gonna have to work that one off.”

Slipstream listened to Leanna speak as she took in her first mouthfull of food. It had been hours since she’d last eaten, and due to her quickened metabolism, she was starving. Everything that the older woman said made sense to her, that there is more to being a hero than going out and doing cool things. There was the guilt that you felt because of the ones you can’t save, it was a guilt that she was more than familiar with. It was a guilt that she felt every single time she looked into the mirror.

Then Leanna’s last words registered between bites of ribeye.

“Wait, what?”

“Oh, yes. You slipped up bad and told me your real name. You’ll note that that’s not even required on those forms you’ve still got to fill out.” Leanna sat back, looking like a cat that had thoroughly trapped her prey and was now just toying with it. “So, Amanda, what powers make you a heroine?”

“Oh…” Amanda said as Leanna called her out on her slip up. She hadn’t meant to give Leanna her real name, it just happened once the woman had introduced herself. Maybe she had been caught up by the woman’s sudden hospitality, she wasn’t sure. The only thing she was sure about was that it wouldn’t happen again.

“What powers make me a heroine?” Amanda repeated thoughtfully, then she sat silent for several moments as she thought about her answer.

Finally she answered.

“I’m not a heroine. I’m just someone who was given this power, this speed...I’m just someone trying to make a difference.”

The grin spread wider. “Damn, girl. I was asking what powers you have. So you’re a Speedy Gonzales, then? That explains why you ate a full dinner for breakfast. Alright, young lady, in that case you can help me around the farm today, since you have disturbed my schedule anyway. Fill out your forms, and then I need all the eggs out of the coop, Gwenyth and Shelly milked, and the tomatoes out of the garden and the early peaches out of my peach tree. And before you run off, I need you to know that if any of my animals are hurt, or a single leaf is torn off of my plants, I will run you right up into the upper atmosphere and see how long you can hold your breath before I have to get you back, got it? Any questions about how to do those things?”

Slipstream sat at the table slack-jawed as Leanna gave her the list of chores that had to be done after she had filled out the proper forms, as well as the repercussions that she’d face if she screwed it up in the least.

“Um...yeah.” She replied as she wolfed down the last of her food.

“All of it.”

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

stuff coming soon