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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.
Marauder




Marauder had never fought the Herald before. It was concerning that no matter how much she tried, she couldn't make skin to skin contact. Their leader spoke up. Apparently they had to remove his helmet before she'd be able to touch him. Right after this, Kid Cannonball managed to tackle the Herald out of the tower and into the field of a derelict school. Anna-Marie approved of this move. A larger space without the restrictions of collateral meant that there was no longer any need to play it subtle or safe. She discarded the glove of her right hand and genty slapped the exposed skin of Garfield's arm as she passed him.

"Tagging in," she quipped as she transformed into an eagle made of ice and flew out the open hole, towards the battleground. The power that she had copied woldn't be as strong or as versatile as Garfield's own given the briefness of the contact, but her own powers should make up the difference. She was lucky that she already knew what this ability did and had seen it in action. Intuiting a power she'd absorbed was a lot harder when she had to figure out what to even do with it. Over the years, she'd copied a lot of powers. The skill to adapt quickly was one that she naturally picked up, trusting her body. With every power was paired just enough muscle memory and instict to be able to figure things out if you trusted the process. The control of ice would have needed a lot more practice to be able to rely on, but as a bird, she should be able to at least get the helmet off.

The ice eagle swooped down from the back while the Herald was focused on charging him from the front. Her talons were poised to attempt to gain purchase on the helmet. Surely one of them would be able to suceed.


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."
Sorry, I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop out. Feel free to have my character written out/killed off somehow


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




It felt strange, falling back into a world she thought she'd left behind. All the habits and mannerisms that got her side-eyed, looked down upon and underestimated at the Academy were returning as if she'd never stopped being this person; The rich, popular girl from Beverly Hills. She was currently in a limozine soon to be approaching the entrance to the mansion. Madison was relaxed. Her father had invited her to a few parties like this when she was in her teens, back when he was still trying to dissuade her from H.E.R.O. 'I can see how unhappy it's making you,' he would say. He hadn't realised that it was his world that was making her unhappy. The side of her that works out to rock and makes a modest living as a Superhero who saves people. That was the life that she felt at home with.

Once the limo came to a stop, Madison gave the driver a tip and stepped out. She was wearing a form-hugging lilac cocktail dress, matching jewelry and a matching silk shawl that she hoped would hide the musculature of her shoulders, biceps and upper back. In her hands she was carrying a white clutch purse that matched her bracelet. On her feet she was wearing high-heeled sandals. Picking out her outfit had admittedly been the most fun part of the mission preparation.

She showed her invitation nonchalantly, with a modest, polite smile. All the women here were gorgeous, so Madison didn't stand out in that regard. As such, she was ushered in with nary a second glance. The others around here were beginning to filter into the ballroom. Madison instead walked over to a large mirror slightly down one of the corridors, where she pretended to be adjusting her earring as she pressed her earpiece and spoke softly.

"Team, this is Wireframe. I'm at the mansion, and will begin mixing. If anybody needs a door opening at any point, let me know."

With that, Madison entered the ballroom and began looking around for a good starting point. Who should she break the ice with first?







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




Flora was travelling to the site inside the truck that was towing Crane. The paperwork was all done and she had now officially been reinstated into H.E.R.O. permanently. Such a move had been facilitied under the condition that she help I.C.O.S.A. with their current observations and make a formal report upon this mission's completion. It seemed to her that the higher ups were weary that they couldn't formally evaluate several of the heroes on this mission, and Flora being here was part of the series of compromises both parties had to make. At least after this mission, she would be free to resume her Hero career without any more meddling.

She knew that Mire was currently in the van in front of her. She wasn't sure if they'd been told ahead of time that they'd be working together, but she hoped somebody had informed them or things could possibly get awkward. Still, she hoped she'd get a chance to apologize. R&D's treatment of Mire was the straw that broke the camel's back in convincing Flora to quit and come back to Castleburg. She hadn't become a scientist just to end up no different to the criminals who'd stolen away her own childhood.

Flora was nervous. She hadn't been in the field for seven years,and hadn't done any training to sharpen her skills. Muscle memory was going to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting today. She slipped on her goggled as they approached the Recycling Plant, and zoomed in on the hole. It was swarming with Terrazards. Not the best welcoming committe but it could be a lot worse. At least Flora's lab work had given her a lot of practice surviving and restraining an angry Terrazard. The truck came to a stop, and Flora got out, walking over to Crane as she lifted her goggles again.

"Was the journey okay for you?" The woman asked with a soft voice that showed no signs of either judgement or pity. In fact, it didn't betray much emotion at all. It was as if the woman found having to travel on an exposed flatbed the strange, notable detail, not the girl's size in the first place.


I also hope to post tomorrow if I can carve out some time
Posted.

Quick question for my next post. What powers will Marauder copy from the Herald of Cytorakk
Marauder




Anna-Marie was standing in the hallway leading to the main meeting room of the T Tower, where people were gathering. It would probably be okay once she could muster the courage to socialise. But the moment she'd walked in as a new member of Titan X, she could see the journey on the older member's faces. A puzzled look as they recognised her but weren't sure where from. The widening of their eyes when she realised, and the awkwardness in their manner afterwards. She'd been enemies to several of these Heroes. She'd even tried to kill one or two of them and almost succeeded. How was she supposed to make friends like this?

She missed the Brotherhood a little bit. She had gotten out and no longer agreed with what they were doing. Terrorism, crime and hurting innocents was not the answer. But she had been home there, surrounded by friends and people she'd mutually trust with her life and her theirs. She wanted that here too. She just needed to rip the bandage off and get the painful part out the way. But it was hard. Nobody likes being side-eyed.

She eventually amassed enough willpower to enter the room and sit down on one of the chairs as Gridlock was telling a story. Night Vision walked in, but she couldn't catch his eye. Hewas the one who'd given her a chance and invited her here. She'd hope that once he was free, she could approach him and have him help her break the ice. Surely people would trust her with Night Vision's seal of approval.

Before she got such a chance, the Herald of Cytorakk busted through the door. Marauder's body was moving before her brain had time to ask questions. The Brotherhood's base was frequently being raided by police and the government so you always had to be ready to defend it at a moment's notice. Her tactical intellect was telling her that from her prior experience, Titan X attacked from the front. Therefore, Marauder swiftly moved along the edges of the room to slip in behind the Herald. She slipped off one of her gloves and grabbed at the exposed flesh of his arm while the others attacked him from the front. He was a big target with a lot of muscle to hide behind, so she was relatively safe from friendly fire here as long as she crouched.
Hope to find time to post inm the next day or two
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