webboysurf

One Universe: World Of Heroes - A Marvel & DC Comics RPG

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

R E D H O O D / A R S E N A L

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^{_{Jason Todd/Roy Harper ♦ Former CIA and Team 7 Secret Agent/Former Army Ranger and Team 7 Marksman ♦ Texas, USA ♦ Outlaws}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

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^{"You know... they really left us hanging there."}

^{"If we weren't hanging upside down right now, I would punch you."}

What if you removed the mentors from two incredibly flawed former sidekick characters and had them team up and go around the country fighting crime? Well, you would get this take on the Outlaws that I've whipped up. A huge part of Jason Todd's arc as the Red Hood has always been rooted in revenge and pain. Beaten within an inch of his life and managing to survive, Jason takes on a new mantle and enacts bloody revenge on criminals. Roy Harper, on the other hand, is a grounding and inherently funny character. He's always trying to prove that he's a hero despite his past actions and his very, very serious character flaws. These two characters have had their own comics run as a duo, and they work well in the setting of a world much like our own. One in which a country is torn, divided, and in need of unconventional heroes.

Jason Todd, in this iteration, was a CIA operative. He was a poor orphan from the streets of Gotham who wanted to make something of himself... so he took every opportunity he could to become someone. He started out doing simple intelligence gathering when he was recruited by the CIA, learning the arts of infiltration and close quarters combat. His skillset saw him recruited by the elusive group known as Team 7, a U.S. Black Ops team tasked with keeping the world "safe" from all threats. He's been with Team 7 until a fateful event six months ago while infiltrating the League of Assassins (where he had further honed his skills). He was sold out by a member of the League, and taken to a warehouse in Vlatava. There, he was beaten with a crowbar within an inch of his life by an unknown assailant wearing a red hoodie and a simple black mask. He was left for dead, with a simple message: Vertigo sends their regards. Since then, he was discharged from service in Team 7 after psych evaluations have found him to be too vengeful and unstable for active service.

Roy Harper's past is a lot simpler. He was a kid who, from a very young age, had impeccable aim. He learned of his skills in handling a rifle and a bow and arrow at a young age at a Boy Scout camp in rural Oklahoma. He was so good, in fact, that he started to compete in local competitions. Hell, he even became a small legend in the circle of competitive archery, even being slated to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games on behalf of the USA. Unfortunately, his life took him in a different direction when drug tests outed that he was a heroin addict. He lost all respect within the archery community and barely managed to graduate high school as he was sent out to rehab. His life changed when he got clean and met an Army recruiter by happenstance at a bar. It would give Roy exactly what he had always wanted: purpose. He proved himself to be, once again, and amazing marksman. So amazing that he rose through the ranks quickly, before being picked up by Team 7. He served as a designated Marksman for the Team on dangerous assignments, and met Jason Todd through Team 7. About a year ago, though, Roy resigned from his position to take care of his ailing father, who ended up passing only months ago. Since then, Roy has decided to make it his mission to see the country that he fought and bled for. His mission was interrupted when he saw a very familiar face walk into some rundown bar in some barely known one road town in rural Texas.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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Jason and Roy have one thing in common: they believe deeply in protecting other people. Jason Todd wants answers as to who exactly beat him within an inch of his life, but more importantly wants to find a new purpose. When he reconnects with Roy in a bar and ends up fighting off some men associated with the Aryan Nation, Jason finds a new purpose: removing those racist scum from the face of the Earth. His deeper motivation, though, is an outlet for the anger and rage that is pent up inside as a result of both his injury and his commanding officers' lack of investigation into the matter.

Roy's motivation shifts very quickly within this story. He starts just wanting to see the nation he fought for, since he never really got to actually travel and just see the country for what it was. The problem is that the nation Roy stumbles upon isn't the ideal that he fought for. So, Roy has to pick up his bow once again to fight for a future and the ideal that he had fought for once again: a land of the free, where every man is born equal.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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Team 7

John Lynch: The former leader of Team 7, John Lynch is secretly a telekinetic metahuman. He is a cold and calculating man, and there's more to him than meets the eye.

Slade Wilson: One of the most experienced and toughest soldiers in Team 7, Slade has always been in it for one thing: the glory of combat. However, following his son Jericho falling terminally sick, Slade has been trying to find new ways to make money to save his dying son. Who knows where this has led him...

James Bronson: A hero through and through, James Bronson was an intelligence operator for Team 7 who, following Jason and Roy's escapades, will be tasked with bringing in the two men to answer for their crimes.

Dinah Drake: A special agent working for Team 7 and the first member of the organization to develop metahuman abilities. Dinah often worked on assignments with Jason (The Sparrow) under the callsign "Canary."

The Aryan Nation / Brigade

White Dragon: The leader of the Aryan Brigade as a whole, and secretly a vigilante in Dallas, Texas that targets minorities in particular, William Heller is a highly trained soldier with money lining his pockets. He has taken on the title of "White Dragon" as the head of the Aryan Nation, and uses his money and influence to influence police departments and get his hands on experimental technology to aid in his plan for the extermination of "inferior races." He has even gathered white supremacist metahumans together and spun the press into calling them the "Freedom Force."

Heatmonger: One of the Aryan Brigade's militant operatives, Heatmonger is a blonde haired woman with experimental flamethrower gauntlets courtesy of one William Heller. She is a member of the Freedom Force

Backlash: A metahuman with the ability to elongate his arms and manipulate them to form squid-like tendrils. He is a member of the Freedom Force.

Iron Cross: A metahuman with super strength who serves in the Freedom Force.

Golden Eagle: Not directly connected to the Freedom Force, Golden Eagle is a former marine who now acts as a vigilante and leads the militarized Aryan Brigade wing of the Aryan Nation.

Blind Faith: She is not a direct member of the Freedom Force, but is always around when they operate publicly. She has telepathy, and uses her abilities to force people of color to admit to crimes openly that they have never committed... or perhaps convince them to commit the crimes themselves.

Their Pasts

Chesire: Jade Nguyen is a member of the League of Assassins, and has been tasked with tracking down Jason Todd and making him answer to the League for his infiltration and "stealing" of trade secrets. By her own right, Jade Nguyen is an incredibly skilled assassin and a brilliant toxicologist. She has killed many of her victims by use of poisons and toxins.

Count Vertigo: Werner Zytle was a brilliant chemist and a member of the Vlatavan royal family... before all of his family was executed publicly in a bloody militaristic coup four years ago. The former Count was nearly killed himself by a sniper bullet after his new steward (Jason Todd in disguise) tricked him into getting in position. Since then, Werner Zytle has taken on an alias (Cecil Adams) and has started up a new crime syndicate called Vertigo. Werner has been cooking up powerful new drugs that have been hitting the streets and using the money he's been gathering to build up his organization until it's strong enough to take back his country... but not before he gets revenge on the people who tried to kill him.

Basilisk: A metahuman terrorist organization that believes in granting superpowers to the world at large to prevent a future in which only a select few powered individuals control the world's politics. The movement had a basis overseas, and was a frequent target of Team 7's operations. Basilisk mostly operates from the shadows, and was last concretely tied to the Vlatavan Royal Family. Who knows what they've been planning since then...

S A M P L E P O S T:

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Taste of Violence

_{Some Shithole, Texas, USA - Present Day}

Issue 1.01.01: Taste of Violence

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_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: None

"How do you do it? How do you just live like this?"

Sitting across the table from the speaker was a red-headed, lean man in a sleeveless red mechanic's vest. He had on a simple baseball cap with an American flag emblazoned across the front of it, and blue jeans that were ripped and worn around the knees. He was currently in the midst of devouring a triple bacon cheeseburger, juices and sauces dripping down his chin and onto the plate below. Roy Harper set the burger down for a moment, chewing the giant bite of food that he took as he grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the side of the table to wipe the liquids off his mouth before responding. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jason Todd sighed. He felt out of place in a run-down bar in some basically no-name town in Texas. He was wearing a designer black turtleneck with the sleeves rolled up and black slacks. His hair was carefully constructed and gelled to look somewhat messy. As Roy answered, Jason leaned back in his seat. "How do you not want to get back into the action? You were the best sharpshooter in the business. If you made a call, you could be back in Team 7 in a heartbeat."

Roy plucked another napkin to begin wiping away the sauces on his fingers as he gave a sly smile. "I did my time. Followed orders, had some fun. But you know... I never really saw this country. Traveled around it for competitions, but was never allowed to actually see anything. I've never been to the Alamo, or the Empire State Building. And neither was my dad."

That last word hung in the air for a moment. Despite the distance from his death, that fact still stung Roy. As for Jason, it made him stop in his tracks and rethink what exactly he was asking his former coworker to do for him. And as the two men sat in silence, another sound from outside the bar cut through the awkward silence.

The two men watched the scene unfolding outside. There, a few men with pick-up trucks that were proudly flying the confederate flag pulled up into the parking lot just as a black man in a t-shirt and jeans was walking towards the bar. The confederate-supporters got out of their pick-up and started surrounding the guy, blocking his path to getting into the bar. Jason's eyes narrowed as he watched one of the large men start shoving the victim of their hate.

Jason turned his gaze back to Roy, who was watching his dinner companion with concern.

"I need to use the bathroom."

"Don't."

"Don't what? I need to take a piss."

Roy simply shook his head as Jason stood up from the small two-person table and made his way towards the back of the restaurant. He went into the back of the bar, finding the small closet that was marked as the men's restroom. As soon as he entered and locked the door, Jason looked up towards the ceiling for window near the top of the bathroom. He went to try and lift open the very wide and simple window, only to find it to be a bit stuck. The former spy sighed as he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small utility knife. He flicked it open and ran it along the bottom of the window, removing a layer of grime and filth that was keeping the window a bit stuck down. With another attempt, the window was able to swing out. Jason then sighed and quickly jumped up into the air, using his momentum and strength to kick from one wall to the other and then up towards the window sill. He slid himself out from the window and landed behind the bar.

As Jason circled around the side of the bar, he could hear the situation had escalated. He could hear a cry for help as there was grunting and the sound of kicking and groaning. So Jason rushed around the side of the building, his fists clenched and at the ready. As he rounded the corner, about five men were gathered around their victim. They were kicking him in the head, chest, back, and legs. One of them, the one stomping down on the guy's legs trying to break them, shouted out, "Get back on to your ghetto now, boy! This place ain't for your kind."

Jason could feel the rage boiling inside him as he began rushing forward around the corner of the bar. With each kick and hit, he remembered the sensations coursing through his chest, his arms, and his skull. He almost thought the painful sensation in his hand was just a sensory memory until Jason was brought back to reality at the sound of a different voice yelping in pain. One of the racists was clutching the side of his ear as he fell down to the ground over the bloody mess of his victim, and was trying to scramble back onto his feet as his compatriots stared in shock.

The next moments were a blur of adrenaline and pure instinct. When one came in on his right with a right hook, Jason stepped back and provided a small redirecting shove to have the man clock one of his friends in the face. Another came forward trying to tackle the former spy to the ground, but Jason simply stepped to the side and provided a quick kick to the man's knee. The sound of the crunch was satisfying as the Team 7 operator decided to go on the attack in delivering a quick strike to the man he had first attacked in the neck by the time he got to his feet, leaving him choking for air.

While caught up in the chaos of the hand to hand combat, Jason was surprised and petrified with fear as he saw the two other assailants has run back to their trucks and were loading up their shotguns with appropriate shells. He had only a moment to duck back behind another car in the parking lot before the shotguns began firing off in his directions, followed by whooping and hollering. That is, until Jason heard something he wasn't expecting. He heard screams of pain coming from where the two men were firing. As Jason peered around the hood, he saw that the men had been struck by arrows in their shoulders. It didn't take long for Jason to put two and two together, especially when his marksman friend stepped out from around the other corner of the bar holding his bow with an arrow nocked and drawn. Roy turned his gaze towards Jason for a moment and nodded for him to make his way over. The vigilante did so, and began running towards the archer. Without so much as a word, Jason and Roy fled to a beaten up red van and got in. The latter threw van into drive and spun out onto the empty evening road, taking off from the scene of their crime.

Without sharing a single word, the two men knew what they had just done. And they knew that it wouldn't take long before the police were called and the authorities were looking for them.

As far as they were concerned, Jason Todd and Roy Harper were now Outlaws.

P O S T C A T A L O G:

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WIP

One Universe: World Of Heroes - A Marvel & DC Comics RPG

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

I R O N M A N

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^{_{T O N Y S T A R K ♦ G E N I U S / B I L L I O N A I R E / P L A Y B O Y / P H I L A N T H R O P I S T
M A L I B U / N E W Y O R K C I T Y ♦ S T A R K I N D U S T R I E S}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

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^{"I am Iron Man."}

I'm back to take another crack at everyone's favorite self-obsessed billionaire. The concept I'm running with Iron Man this time is a little more simple and open ended: Tony Stark is paranoid. Aliens, gods, monsters, mutants... as far as Tony Stark is concerned, they're all threats to the world at large. The origin is roughly standard: The Ten Rings kidnapped Tony to get him to make weapons for them. He made his first suit to escape, and shortly after became Iron Man. Iron Man would have become active five years ago, and would have been a founding member of the Avengers. Stark Industries has, on paper, transitioned into developing clean energy solutions while also manufacturing luxury vehicles and jets: a far cry from its origins as a weapons manufacturer. Of course, that's not the only thing keeping the company afloat. A secret division within Stark Industries, code-named Stark Unlimited, has been working on a new project behind the scenes: the Iron Legion. The goal of the Iron Legion is to develop Iron Man drones capable of being dispatched by an organization like SHIELD in order to defend cities and people from any number of threats.

Of course, things never go as planned. This arc will take some inspiration from the famous "Armor Wars" storyline, as Tony's technology will be stolen and sold on the black market. Of course, threats come from all sides. Issues revolving around the legality of Stark's arc reactor technology, personal issues with Pepper, and Tony's constant need to prove his superiority are going to drive him to his breaking point. The question then remains: just how Invincible is the Iron Man.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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I've decided to lean a little bit more into Tony being a very complicated character when it comes to heroes. Unlike characters like Captain America or Superman, Tony's morality isn't exactly as black and white. He's paranoid and narcissistic, believing himself to be the smartest person in whatever room he walks into. More than that, though: he believes that he's humanity's only hope if someone like Superman turns on the people. Because of his fears, Tony has become rather isolated and obsessed with his quest to protect the world. While he does do some work with SHIELD and intends to contract out his Iron Legion to them, he does everything in his power to hide his technology from them and the rest of the world. Of course, once it becomes clear that he can't hide his creations from the world any more... things are really going to hit the fan.

This story of Iron Man is going to be focused on his greatest enemy: Tony Stark.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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Supporting Characters

JARVIS: Tony Stark's AI assistant, based on his childhood butler.

James "Rhodey" Rhodes: Rhodey is a longtime friend of Tony Stark, since their meeting during a brief stint in which Howard sent his son to a military academy. The two became fast friends, with Rhodey often acting as the voice of reason to the eccentric billionaire. Rhodey has been Iron Man's handler in both the Air Force and later as his handler in SHIELD.

Pepper Potts: Tony's former personal assistant, and now the COO of Stark Industries. Pepper is a Harvard graduate and a shrewd business woman, but has a soft spot when it comes to Tony Stark. The two dated early on in her career, but separated so she could focus on Stark Industries.

Ivan Vanko: A nuclear scientist who believes that Tony Stark stole his father's arc reactor schematics, and whose lawsuit against Tony and Stark Industries is currently on its way to trial.

Former Antagonists

Obadiah Stane (Arrested): Former Executive for Stark Industries, who was responsible for Tony's first encounter with the Ten Rings terrorist organization. He latter secretly attempted to recreate the Iron Man armor and used it as the Iron Monger. He is currently in SHIELD custody on The Raft.

Justin Hammer: The CEO of Hammer Industries and longtime rival of Tony Stark and Stark Industries. While Tony is aware of Hammer's involvement in creating the armor and weapons of some of his adversaries, Justin Hammer has never been convicted for his crimes.

The Mandarin: The leader of the Ten Rings terrorist network, The Mandarin has remained elusive to the Iron Man. The two have never fought directly, though the Ten Rings have continued to operate despite Iron Man's previous efforts.

Aidan Blomfield (Arrested): A career criminal hired by Justin Hammer to use his technology to face off against Iron Man using a sort of crude repulsor technology. He was the first real enemy of the Iron Man, and is still sitting in a cell upon the raft after somehow escaping prison twice to face off against Iron Man with upgraded tech.

Donnie Gill (Arrested): Donnie Gill was an engineer at Hammer Industries who used stolen schematics of Victor Fries' technology to develop the "Blizzard" suit. Justin Hammer had Donnie use the suit against the Iron Man, but was defeated and imprisoned by SHIELD. He is currently being held on The Raft.

Gary Gilbert (Arrested): A political lobbyist seeking to force Congress to pass a bill forcing Stark to manufacture his arc reactor technology for public use. His efforts failed, but the lobbyist was able to get in touch with Justin Hammer. With his career in shambles, Gary Gilbert accepted Hammer's deal and worked with Donnie Gill as Firebrand to try and take down the Iron Man. He too was defeated and is currently imprisoned on The Raft.

Boris Turgenov (Deceased): Boris Turgenov was a Russian soldier gifted a suit of armor (The Crimson Dynamo) with a crude arc reactor installed inside of it by Anton Vanko. The arc reactor was incredibly unstable, and was destroyed in the confrontation. Tony Stark barely survived the encounter himself, and designed the Silver Centurion and Anti-Radiation suits to replace it.

Armors

Mark XVII - The Silver Centurion: One of his most impressive armor designs to date, the Silver Centurion is the most capable suits of combat armor in Stark's arsenal. It's an upgrade of his traditional suit of armor after it was severely damaged in a confrontation with the first Crimson Dynamo.

Mark XVIII - Anti-Radiation Armor: A rather impressive suit of armor that was designed to not only survive in high radiation environments, but absorb radiation to convert it into energy.

Mark XIX - Hydro Suit 2.0: An update of a utilitarian water-based suit of armor he developed. The suit was improved to survive in high-pressure environments and has an improved propulsion system designed for aquatic environments.

Mark XX - Space Suit: Stark designed this suit in the event he ever needed to travel into space. This suit is meant for high maneuverability and is outfitted only with upgraded repulsor technology.

Mark XXI - Godkiller [INNOPERABLE]: Highly classified, and currently unfunctional.

Future Threats

Melter (Bruno Horgan) - A scientist who developed a "melting" weapons technology that he believes Stark's repulsors are based on.
Detroit Steel (Doug Johnson) - A "superhero" in the employ of Justin Hammer, and willing to work for any company for a price.
Firepower (Jack Taggart) - A military test pilot working on a covert project named FIREPOWER in conjunction with Cordco.
Force (Clayton Wilson) - Former professor who developed his own suit off the black market schematics to avenge his dead brother.
Crimson Dynamo (Valentin Shatalov) - Vlatavan General who was responsible for the Vlatavan coup a few years earlier.

S A M P L E P O S T:

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Never a Dull Day

"We are five minutes from the grand unveiling. Now is not the time to start drinking."

Tony leaned back in his chair, looking out the window while dressed in a red suit. Clutched in his hand and half drunk was a glass of scotch, coming from a bottle that Tony had already forgotten the name of. It was probably something fancy, knowing the kinds of things people sent him. His bloodshot eyes traced over the rest of the New York skyline leading out towards the bay, the red veins more of a sign of his lack of sleep than anything. Tony turned his gaze back towards Pepper, who was sporting a matching red jacket and skirt. She had the same look she always had towards him these days: frustration. He raised an eyebrow at her, flashing the usual smartass grin that seemed to be permanently glued to his face when around her. "My mouth was dry. I needed something to drink-"

"There's this magical drink called water, Tony. I know you're aware of it, because you always had me stock overpriced bottles of it in the fridge right behind you." Pepper shook her head as she held up the tablet that she held in the crook of her arm, tapping away at the screen. "I had JARVIS double check the energy readings and run a practice test this morning-"

"JARVIS, run the numbers again." Tony quickly downed the rest of his drink as he stood up, walking over towards the window as he looked down at the street below. The area right outside of the Tower had already been sectioned off for the big event. The press trucks were assembled, and the reporters were already taking their seats. From up here, they looked like ants. For a moment, a thought crossed through Tony's mind. Is that what he thinks of us?

A disembodied voice cut through the awkward silence. "Sir, all readings indicate the reactor is stable. Do you need anything else, sir?"

Tony shook his head, walking back over to his desk and tapping on the glass covering. The desk lit up, revealing an embedded monitor setup with security footage covering all the building entrances and the reactor room. "Just keep me posted if there's any irregular chatter coming from the NYPD or the SHIELD detail."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "If anything happens, Rhodey can take care of it."

Tony shook his head, walking past her and towards the elevator. "And if Rhodey doesn't, JARVIS is going to keep the engine running in case he needs backup."

As if on cue, a large boom echoed from somewhere in the city. Tony turned his gaze out the window, his eyes falling upon smoke coming from the Brooklyn Bridge. In his ear, a familiar voice began barking orders. "Air support, get me eyes on the bridge. What are we looking at?"

"From the looks of it... we're looking at AIM units on the bridge. And some sort of... cannon? Moving in for a closer... no, pull up, pull-"

Tony and Pepper watched in horror out the window as they saw the quinjet approaching the Brooklyn Bridge get struck down with a large blast of blue light from the bridge. Tony turned his gaze towards Pepper, who simply sighed. "I'll use one of the usual excuses."

Tony nodded, walking away from the elevator and towards the stairs behind the bar. He pressed down on the communicator in his ear. "Sorry to barge in Commander, but this looks like a job for our mutual friend." Tony could practically see his friend hanging his head in defeat. With the silent acceptance, Tony moved his finger away from the communicator, speaking out loud. "JARVIS, is the Centurion in the chamber?"

"Of course, sir."

Tony walked up to the top of the stairs, which led to a small landing. To the left was a set of sliding glass doors that led out to a small landing platform. To the right, however, was a sliding cylindrical door that opened to reveal the front half of the suit. Tony walked up into it as if it were second nature, lifting his arms to fit into the outstretched figure of the suit. As his feet slid into the boots, the chamber began spinning as metal arms lowered themselves to stitch up the armor. Within seconds, the silver and red metal plating locked in around him. By the time he was facing the sliding glass doors on the other side, the suit had closed in around him and the faceplate slid down. It always took a moment until the display inside the helmet, but the red and blue display lit up to provide data accompanying the panorama view to match what his vision would show. The Iron Man lifted both of his feet out of the footholds in the chamber, and walked out onto the launch pad. Tony lowered his hands to his sides with his palms facing downwards, and the repulsors on his legs and feet activated to launch the Iron Man into the air.

Tony flew down low, weaving in between the skyscrapers of Manhattan as he approached the Brooklyn Bridge. He could hear screaming and police sirens, the wails of ambulances approaching and shouting on megaphones. All of it sort of blended in together at this point as the Iron Man raced towards the terrorists. And within but a few moments, Tony began making his main approach as he flew over the highway directly towards the bridge. His HUD began automatically marking the terrorists, little parts of his screen zooming in to confirm the beekeeper-like hostiles. And, of course, part of his screen zoomed in and held on a large metal truck that had a large cannon on top of it. The interior of the cannon began glowing blue, and Tony squinted his eyes as he heard something faint in the audio mix coming from the internal speakers. "JARVIS... isolate the audio coming from the cannon."

"Right away, sir." Almost instantaneously, all the sounds of New York were stripped away. The roaring winds and thunderous sounds of his repulsors launching him forward were stripped as well, leaving a single sound. A familiar whining sound that Tony had first heard years upon years ago. His eyes widened.

"That's... a repulsor cannon?!"

P O S T C A T A L O G:

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A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.

One Universe: World Of Heroes - A Marvel Comics / DC Comics Crossover RPG!

@webboysurf so, when do you steal Thors DNA to make a robotic version of him to act as your slave?

@Sep

Nah, we'll just go straight to Destroyer Armor.

One Universe: World Of Heroes - A Marvel Comics / DC Comics Crossover RPG!

Hoping to continue my Outlaws run, while also taking a swing at Tony Stark as Iron Man.

Web's Workshop

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

I R O N M A N

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^{_{T O N Y S T A R K ♦ G E N I U S / B I L L I O N A I R E / P L A Y B O Y / P H I L A N T H R O P I S T
M A L I B U / N E W Y O R K C I T Y ♦ S T A R K I N D U S T R I E S}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

---

^{"I am Iron Man."}

I'm back to take another crack at everyone's favorite self-obsessed billionaire. The concept I'm running with Iron Man this time is a little more simple and open ended: Tony Stark is paranoid. Aliens, gods, monsters, mutants... as far as Tony Stark is concerned, they're all threats to the world at large. The origin is roughly standard: The Ten Rings kidnapped Tony to get him to make weapons for them. He made his first suit to escape, and shortly after became Iron Man. Iron Man would have become active five years ago, and would have been a founding member of the Avengers. Stark Industries has, on paper, transitioned into developing clean energy solutions while also manufacturing luxury vehicles and jets: a far cry from its origins as a weapons manufacturer. Of course, that's not the only thing keeping the company afloat. A secret division within Stark Industries, code-named Stark Unlimited, has been working on a new project behind the scenes: the Iron Legion. The goal of the Iron Legion is to develop Iron Man drones capable of being dispatched by an organization like SHIELD in order to defend cities and people from any number of threats.

Of course, things never go as planned. This arc will take some inspiration from the famous "Armor Wars" storyline, as Tony's technology will be stolen and sold on the black market. Of course, threats come from all sides. Issues revolving around the legality of Stark's arc reactor technology, personal issues with Pepper, and Tony's constant need to prove his superiority are going to drive him to his breaking point. The question then remains: just how Invincible is the Iron Man.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

---

I've decided to lean a little bit more into Tony being a very complicated character when it comes to heroes. Unlike characters like Captain America or Superman, Tony's morality isn't exactly as black and white. He's paranoid and narcissistic, believing himself to be the smartest person in whatever room he walks into. More than that, though: he believes that he's humanity's only hope if someone like Superman turns on the people. Because of his fears, Tony has become rather isolated and obsessed with his quest to protect the world. While he does do some work with SHIELD and intends to contract out his Iron Legion to them, he does everything in his power to hide his technology from them and the rest of the world. Of course, once it becomes clear that he can't hide his creations from the world any more... things are really going to hit the fan.

This story of Iron Man is going to be focused on his greatest enemy: Tony Stark.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

---

Supporting Characters

JARVIS: Tony Stark's AI assistant, based on his childhood butler.

James "Rhodey" Rhodes: Rhodey is a longtime friend of Tony Stark, since their meeting during a brief stint in which Howard sent his son to a military academy. The two became fast friends, with Rhodey often acting as the voice of reason to the eccentric billionaire. Rhodey has been Iron Man's handler in both the Air Force and later as his handler in SHIELD.

Pepper Potts: Tony's former personal assistant, and now the COO of Stark Industries. Pepper is a Harvard graduate and a shrewd business woman, but has a soft spot when it comes to Tony Stark. The two dated early on in her career, but separated so she could focus on Stark Industries.

Ivan Vanko: A nuclear scientist who believes that Tony Stark stole his father's arc reactor schematics, and whose lawsuit against Tony and Stark Industries is currently on its way to trial.

Former Antagonists

Obadiah Stane (Arrested): Former Executive for Stark Industries, who was responsible for Tony's first encounter with the Ten Rings terrorist organization. He latter secretly attempted to recreate the Iron Man armor and used it as the Iron Monger. He is currently in SHIELD custody on The Raft.

Justin Hammer: The CEO of Hammer Industries and longtime rival of Tony Stark and Stark Industries. While Tony is aware of Hammer's involvement in creating the armor and weapons of some of his adversaries, Justin Hammer has never been convicted for his crimes.

The Mandarin: The leader of the Ten Rings terrorist network, The Mandarin has remained elusive to the Iron Man. The two have never fought directly, though the Ten Rings have continued to operate despite Iron Man's previous efforts.

Aidan Blomfield (Arrested): A career criminal hired by Justin Hammer to use his technology to face off against Iron Man using a sort of crude repulsor technology. He was the first real enemy of the Iron Man, and is still sitting in a cell upon the raft after somehow escaping prison twice to face off against Iron Man with upgraded tech.

Donnie Gill (Arrested): Donnie Gill was an engineer at Hammer Industries who used stolen schematics of Victor Fries' technology to develop the "Blizzard" suit. Justin Hammer had Donnie use the suit against the Iron Man, but was defeated and imprisoned by SHIELD. He is currently being held on The Raft.

Gary Gilbert (Arrested): A political lobbyist seeking to force Congress to pass a bill forcing Stark to manufacture his arc reactor technology for public use. His efforts failed, but the lobbyist was able to get in touch with Justin Hammer. With his career in shambles, Gary Gilbert accepted Hammer's deal and worked with Donnie Gill as Firebrand to try and take down the Iron Man. He too was defeated and is currently imprisoned on The Raft.

Boris Turgenov (Deceased): Boris Turgenov was a Russian soldier gifted a suit of armor (The Crimson Dynamo) with a crude arc reactor installed inside of it by Anton Vanko. The arc reactor was incredibly unstable, and was destroyed in the confrontation. Tony Stark barely survived the encounter himself, and designed the Silver Centurion and Anti-Radiation suits to replace it.

Armors

Mark XVII - The Silver Centurion: One of his most impressive armor designs to date, the Silver Centurion is the most capable suits of combat armor in Stark's arsenal. It's an upgrade of his traditional suit of armor after it was severely damaged in a confrontation with the first Crimson Dynamo.

Mark XVIII - Anti-Radiation Armor: A rather impressive suit of armor that was designed to not only survive in high radiation environments, but absorb radiation to convert it into energy.

Mark XIX - Hydro Suit 2.0: An update of a utilitarian water-based suit of armor he developed. The suit was improved to survive in high-pressure environments and has an improved propulsion system designed for aquatic environments.

Mark XX - Space Suit: Stark designed this suit in the event he ever needed to travel into space. This suit is meant for high maneuverability and is outfitted only with upgraded repulsor technology.

Mark XXI - Godkiller [INNOPERABLE]: Highly classified, and currently unfunctional.

Future Threats

Melter (Bruno Horgan) - A scientist who developed a "melting" weapons technology that he believes Stark's repulsors are based on.
Detroit Steel (Doug Johnson) - A "superhero" in the employ of Justin Hammer, and willing to work for any company for a price.
Firepower (Jack Taggart) - A military test pilot working on a covert project named FIREPOWER in conjunction with Cordco.
Force (Clayton Wilson) - Former professor who developed his own suit off the black market schematics to avenge his dead brother.
Crimson Dynamo (Valentin Shatalov) - Vlatavan General who was responsible for the Vlatavan coup a few years earlier.

S A M P L E P O S T:

---

Never a Dull Day

"We are five minutes from the grand unveiling. Now is not the time to start drinking."

Tony leaned back in his chair, looking out the window while dressed in a red suit. Clutched in his hand and half drunk was a glass of scotch, coming from a bottle that Tony had already forgotten the name of. It was probably something fancy, knowing the kinds of things people sent him. His bloodshot eyes traced over the rest of the New York skyline leading out towards the bay, the red veins more of a sign of his lack of sleep than anything. Tony turned his gaze back towards Pepper, who was sporting a matching red jacket and skirt. She had the same look she always had towards him these days: frustration. He raised an eyebrow at her, flashing the usual smartass grin that seemed to be permanently glued to his face when around her. "My mouth was dry. I needed something to drink-"

"There's this magical drink called water, Tony. I know you're aware of it, because you always had me stock overpriced bottles of it in the fridge right behind you." Pepper shook her head as she held up the tablet that she held in the crook of her arm, tapping away at the screen. "I had JARVIS double check the energy readings and run a practice test this morning-"

"JARVIS, run the numbers again." Tony quickly downed the rest of his drink as he stood up, walking over towards the window as he looked down at the street below. The area right outside of the Tower had already been sectioned off for the big event. The press trucks were assembled, and the reporters were already taking their seats. From up here, they looked like ants. For a moment, a thought crossed through Tony's mind. Is that what he thinks of us?

A disembodied voice cut through the awkward silence. "Sir, all readings indicate the reactor is stable. Do you need anything else, sir?"

Tony shook his head, walking back over to his desk and tapping on the glass covering. The desk lit up, revealing an embedded monitor setup with security footage covering all the building entrances and the reactor room. "Just keep me posted if there's any irregular chatter coming from the NYPD or the SHIELD detail."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "If anything happens, Rhodey can take care of it."

Tony shook his head, walking past her and towards the elevator. "And if Rhodey doesn't, JARVIS is going to keep the engine running in case he needs backup."

P O S T C A T A L O G:

---

A list linking to your IC posts as they're created. This can be used for a reference guide to your character or to summarize completed arcs and stories.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

_{Somewhere in Texas - Present Day}

Issue 1.01.06: The Outlaws

---

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Issue 1.01.05: The Technocrat

Roy felt strange as he woke up in a real bed for the first time in months. The room he was in was rather bland, with blank gray walls providing a rather dismal sight to awaken to. The lighting in the room was industrial, and the connecting bathroom was clearly utilitarian more than anything. But Roy did his best to make the most of a comfortable and non-mobile temporary home. He took his time showering, enjoying a working toilet, and shaving down the rat mustache that had been developing from a life on the road. He even had a small working kitchen, where he was able to quickly toast up a frozen waffle and munch on it as he left his room to enter the armory proper.

Jason was standing over near a large computer terminal at the center of the armory, surrounded by a few military-grade cases. Roy shook his head as he swallowed a bite of his bland waffle. "Do you ever sleep, or are you some kind of vampire or something?" Jason rolled his eyes in response, and continued typing away at the console as the screen began scrolling through a map of Texas, with various red dots located on the map. The computer seemed to be popping up small dialogue boxes over specific red dots as Jason went along scrolling through, listing through percentages and the names of crimes like Assault and Armed Robbery. Roy's brow furrowed as he got closer. "What the Hell is this?"

Jason turned his gaze towards Roy, a small smile creeping on his lips. "After you left the Team, we went about testing this system out. It's got some fancy ass acronym that none of us could remember... Slade and I just got to calling it the Oracle. It basically compiles a bunch of data together: psychological profiles, internet search history, recent purchases... It just takes all that and did the counter-intelligence work for us. We managed to thwart a few assassination attempts with this baby."

Roy took another bite of his waffle, his eyes watching the screen. As he took a closer look at the dialogue boxes, more information was becoming available. Names, addresses, criminal records... everything relevant. Roy shook his head, taking a step back. "Wait, hold on... TC made some kind of Minority Report shit? He made a fucking precog?"

Jason shot Roy a confused glance "What the Hell is a Precog?"

Roy shot Jason a look of disbelief, his voice dripping with condescension. "Minority Report... Tom Cruise... Really?

"I don't exactly waste my time watching movies, Roy."

Roy shook his head, raising his hands into the air. "Look... whole point of it was that arresting people before they committed a crime just doesn't work."

Jason sighed in frustration, lifting his hands to wave at the computer. "This thing works, Roy. And we only used it to know who to look into... to make sure we were in the right place at the right time. And we could do the same exact thing now, just the two of us. We can be there just in case it's right!"

"I'm not going to play Western sherrif with you, Jason. I'm not going to go around shooting the bad guys. I can't have any more deaths in my conscious, Jason."

Those last words hung in the air like a cloud. Jason let loose a deep sigh as Roy stood still with his arms folded, staring at the ground. After a moment, Jason slowly walked over towards one of the cases. "What if you didn't have to kill anyone?"

Roy turned his head with his brow arched in confusion as Jason walked behind the crate and opened it up to show his friend the contents. Resting inside in foam was a familiar sight: a customized red compound bow. The same one Roy had in the service. Roy stepped forward and wrapped his fingers around the rubber grip, lifting it up and admiring the attached sight. Jason took this opportunity to lift the first layer of foam to reveal a lower layer, in which several arrows with strange arrowheads were resting. As Roy's eyes admired his old arsenal, Jason smiled. "We can play by our own rules this time, Roy. Help people the way we think is best."

Roy looked up at Jason, and the admiration in his eyes faded into guilt. "I... I don't know. He set the bow down on one of the empty crates and rubbed the back of his neck, turning away from Jason for a moment.

Jason, for his part, balled his hands into fists as he grit his teeth. He had hoped this would have been enough to convince him... but it was now or never. "Roy... I really didn't want to play this card... But I'm asking you to do this for Violet's sake."

The red-haired archer stopped dead in his tracks. In an instant, Roy's entire demeanor changed. Every muscle in his body tensed up, and he spun around on his heels. The look on his face was one Jason had never truly seen before: rage. "Fuck you. You don't get to wrap me up in your vigilante bullshit and try to use my fucking family against me." Roy continued his approach to Jason, forcing the latter to back himself up closer and closer to the wall. "I know you read my fucking file back in Team 7, but you're not the only one who can fucking read, orphan boy."

Jason opened his mouth, but found he couldn't quite grasp any words. "Roy... I... I meant-"

Roy lifted his hands up and grasped on to the collar of Jason's turtleneck, pushing him back into the wall with a hard slam. "What? What did you mean, Jason? Did you expect me to let you tell me some sob story about how your little computer program could prevent me from losing the only family I have left? Hmmm?"

Jason took a deep breath, as best as he could manage with the collar tight on his throat. "Violet... is working as a teller at the Main Branch of the San Antonio National Bank. Oracle predicted an armed robbery there later today."

Roy stood there in silence for a moment, his eyes locked on Jason's. After a few seconds the look of anger shifted to one of concern as his grip relaxed and he spun on his heels. He quickly packed up the bow back into its crate, before jogging back towards his room.

"Suit up. We roll out in 10."

X-Men: The New Era - Avalon Rising

Nik & Uná Collaboration

Part 1

I'm early. So freaking early. Jeebus it sounded so cool coming out of my mouth when I said it earlier!! He's not coming. No! Stop that you don't know that! Just ask him calmly. No need to squeak it out like earlier. Uná recalled her undignified squeak of 'Can I be your girlfriend?' in between watching youtube videos of what guys want, how to tell if he's into you, if guys like aggressive girls, the difference between aggressive and assertive. She was positively and thoroughly confused about what there was between her and Nik.

Uná paced softly so as not to attract attention but she babbled softly so it didn't really matter. "Nik wanna be my boo? No that's to stupid. What about… Nikki I want to be your one and only. Ugh why can't I get this perfect?!" She pulled her hands through her hair and paced back and forth her converse lightly tapping the ground. Her hair was down out of her normal braid or ponytail curling all over in big waves down to the top of her shorts. Her crop top was pink and had Moon Child across the front with the phases of the moon on it. It stopped at the top of her ribs showing at least 3 to 4 inches of her flat abdomen. She had a little start of definition in her abs showing. Her light wash jean shorts completed the laid back but cute/sexy outfit.

Nikolai Markov took a few deep breaths as he stopped not too far off from where he usually met Una every morning. He could feel his heart beating in his chest. The night was somewhat warm, but Nik settled on wearing a sleeveless hoodie over the shirt he had worn earlier that day. He wet his dry lips before trudging forward. He had no idea what Una had wanted to speak to him about, but he knew that whatever it was… it had to be about the night before. So, the teen pressed on as he saw Una pacing a bit ahead of him. He stopped as he saw her figure and outfit, his heart skipping a beat. A smile crept onto his lips as he approached, being fairly easy to spot in his white hoodie, white shirt, and light wash skinny jeans.

Pacing back Uná caught sight of Nik easily. Her heart skipped a beat and took in the fact that he looked like a white knight. Well a modern version of a white knight. She looked for the shirt he had on earlier and realized he was wearing it. She blushed and stammered. "I didn't...I uh...I mean you could have just brought the shirt. I didn't mean to literally take the shirt off your...body…" Her eyes got a little unfocused and she shivered.

Grinning and blushing like crazy Uná pressed her lips together to give herself a moment to breathe as well as actually say hello. "Sorry. That was rude...or I think it was...somehow. I can't remember what video that wa- never mind. Anyways, how are you tonight Nikki?"

Nik blushed himself as Una got flustered. He knew that she had been staring at him earlier when he had taken his shirt off, and he hadn’t actually put together that he was going to have to take his shirt off again in front of her to give it to her. As she continued her nervous stammering, Nik just smiled and shook his head. ”You aren’t being rude.” The question she had asked, though, required a little bit of thought. He looked up at the night sky for a moment, taking a deep breath before answering. ”I’m… I’m doing alright, all things considered. Much better than…”

Nik caught himself, his voice trailing off. He knew that he needed to address it. But Nik almost surprised himself as the next words came falling out of his mouth. ”How much do you… well, remember about last night?”

Uná halted her blush leaving her cheeks. "Promise not to tell anyone?" She looked terrified and like she was going to be ill. "Seriously Nikki. No one. Please?"

Nik turned his gaze back towards her, nodding as he did so. ”Not a soul.”

"I remember getting to the club. I remember drinking like a fish. I remember dancing with you kissing you and more drinking and dancing. Then it gets blurry till I wake up somewhere else some weird message in my head. Finding out I was in deep trouble and without my phone. Trying to talk some psycho out of attacking the school and Heidi getting there then lots of fire, passing out because this flaming skull demon dude walked in the place. Next thing I remember is Cleo tripping over Heidi… and I was locked in my illusion. I couldn't stop it. I wanted to, so bad." Uná rattled off what she could remember in a summarized version of the events. She looked away rubbing her arms at the last two sentences.

Nik’s eyes wandered back towards Una. All the nervousness he had felt, the awkwardness and uncertainty in particular, washed away. He stepped closer to Una and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace quickly. He took a moment to just breath and let the hug sink in, not sure what to say beyond that. Finally, he simply got out, ”I’m sorry.”

Uná froze for a brief moment then melted into Nik’s embrace. "Why are you sorry? You don't have anything to be sorry for." She nuzzled into his chest and put her arms around his waist. She sounded resolved in her tone. She knew they did what they had to do. She knew what they had seen. She didn't blame one of them in the slightest.

”I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.” He pulled her in close, his arms wrapped around her shoulders and keeping her in close. He enjoyed her warmth as they embraced. After a moment, he chuckled slightly. ”I’m glad you remember the dance. That was pretty damn cool.”

Feeling safe and secure Uná looked up at Nik giving him a huge smile. "How could I forget an iconic dance with the perfect partner? And that kiss. You demolished my brain there Romeo."

Nik chuckled a little nervously, removing his arms from around Una to try and break the embrace as a hand nervously rubbed the back of his neck. ”Yeah… yeah it was a good one…” His voice trailed off as he looked away, clearly blushing as his mind went back to racing. He wasn’t quite sure how to ask what he wanted to ask.

Letting go reluctantly Uná watched Nik as he blushed. "Red is a good color for you Nikki." She teased him sweetly, getting him back for her going crimson in the cafeteria earlier. "But seriously what's going on in that beautiful mind?"

Part 2

Nik sighed as he took a step away from Una, trying desperately to find out how to phrase his question. Finally, he simply shrugged in defeat as he turned his gaze to Una, his expression serious if not slightly confused. ”What are we, Una?”

Uná blinked. "Wait that question wasn't covered in any of the videos. You're not serious..." Her eyes widen. "Oh God you are! I… uh…"

Starting to panic Uná blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. "Be my girlfriend!!" Looking at Nik questioningly her face falls as she realizes what an idiot she must look like. "Oh my God I messed that up so bad."

Uná stomps her foot. "See this is what you do to me! I can't think straight so I can ask you to be my boyfriend! Exclusive! Go steady! Whatever you ask a guy! I probably got that all wrong. Knowing my luck I'm supposed to let you ask me." She covers her face. "Can we rewind and do that over? Someone in this place I'm sure has that power. I'll just find out who and...ugh I can't even ask a guy out correctly. Pathetic."

Nik remained quiet for a moment. He watched Una quietly as she seemed to undergo a rollercoaster of emotion in response to his question. After a moment he just gave a slight chuckle as he lifted his hands towards Una’s to try and lower her hands from her face. As soon as he could look her in the eyes, his smile lit up. ”Yes. Of course. Now just stop thinking about asking me and just kiss me.”

Uná could hear him laughing and she let him pull her hands away as her heart started to race when he smiled. Nik barely got out the last word before she did what he asked and kissed him. Stretching up on her tip-toes she kissed him, closing her eyes. It was a light sweet kiss. She pulled a little away, just enough that when she spoke her lips still brushed his. "You said yes? Or did I hear that wrong?"

Still on her tip-toes with her hands on his biceps Uná made small circles with her index fingers lightly. She opened her eyes. Joy and a little disbelief in the crystal blue depths. "I might have misunderstood and just jumped the gun there and assaulted you." Her lips brushing over his with each word.

Nik barely let her finish her last sentence before he leaned in himself, his hands moving to her lower back to pull her in for a deeper kiss with his own eyes closing. He would have let the kiss linger for a moment before leaning back out a little bit, the feeling of their lips brushing still feeling electrifying. ”Does that answer your question?”

Being daring Uná decided to smile against Nik's lips brushing back and forth. "Then have my lips the sin that they have took." She loved that scene in Romeo and Juliet. It seemed rather appropriate at this moment.

Nik looked confused for a second. He didn’t quite catch what she was referencing off the top of his head. He vaguely remembered it from an older DiCaprio film… his knowledge a little lacking in this area. Regardless, the nerd smiled as he held Una in his embrace, chuckling a little in glee. ”I’m guessing you really do want my shirt then?”

Giggling Uná smirked. "Only if you're willing to part with it so I can use it as a night shirt." She tilted her head in question at him.

Nik chuckled, nodding. He removed his hoodie and shirt in one fell swoop, slinging his hoodie over his shoulder as he handed the simple tank top over. He smiled as he shirtless, one hand holding the hoodie over his shoulder while the other was in his jean pocket.

Uná stepped back to let him take off his shirt and hoodie. She was not disappointed in his pose as he handed over the tank top. "Nikolai Markov you are shameless. And probably as bad for me as sugar. But I really really like sugar so… you get the picture?"

Uná started to reach out but closed her fingers and pulled her arm to her chest. "You are so not running around shirtless. I won't be able to resist the hottness and I might get jealous." She mock glared at him.

Nik sarcastically rolled his eyes and grabbed his hoodie, quickly putting it on and zipping it up. ”Says the woman who offered to take her own shirt off earlier in the cafeteria.” He continued to have a dumb grin plastered on his face.

Uná decided to make that grin something wickedly entertaining. "I could have but you'd have murdered every male in there over a sports bra. Now I have your shirt and I can sleep...how are you getting to sleep tonight?" She grinned and plucked the strings on his hoodie.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

Meant to toss up a sort of mini announcement yesterday, but it'll suffice today. To try and keep myself more on top of a scheduled and because I've started developing a backlog of posts again, I'll be doing Monday Mayhem posts with the Outlaws. Essentially, just gonna try to get back to the same schedule I used to and borrow the old @Bounce method of giving a name to the day of the week you're gonna post.

So, that being said, expect a lot more Outlaws coming your way.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

_{Somewhere in Texas - Present Day}

Issue 1.01.05: The Technocrat

---

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Issue 1.01.04: The Killer Inside Me

The two drove silently through the flat plains of the heartlands of Texas, silently continuing their journey. They’d been taking side roads, doing their best to avoid anywhere cops might expect them. It had been hours since the gas station, and they had barely spoke since Roy’s request. One that was never fulfilled. But as the evening sunset washed the sky in deep purples, Jason finally spoke up. ”I should have been more careful.”

Roy raised an eyebrow, turning his gaze towards Jason. The former spy’s eyes were fixed on the road, and his face was stoic like always. But his words held sincerity bred by hours of quiet contemplation. Roy shrugged, turning his gaze back out his passenger window. ”It was easy to walk away. And I don’t miss it. My last assignment was an assassination. Small time warlord in Somalia. One shot, one kill. Same as always. He was at this big old villa, with his family. False sense of security. I fired the shot… and I kept looking down the scope to make sure he was dead. And I watched his family run over and wail. He had a daughter that was maybe… six years old. And she looked in my direction… and I just stopped. I knew my dad was getting sick, so it was the perfect time to back out.”

Jason looked at his friend and saw his usual cocky grin replaced with the same stoicism that Jason wore as a shield. The two sat in silence for a moment before Jason turned off the road they were on, pulling up to the only building for acres. ”We’re here.”

The building looked like an old, run-down mechanic’s garage. On the left was a small store of sorts, with the windows boarded up. The other half had two large garage doors that were covered in rust, dirt, and overgrowth. If there was ever a place to hide, this looked like it. Nonetheless, Roy turned his gaze to Jason as they got out of the van. ”Jason… why here? And how the Hell did you know where it was?”

Jason gave a small little smirk to Roy, and the latter internally groaned. Jason led the way, clutching at his arm. Blood had soaked through the bandage, but Jason was nothing if not a stubborn son of a bitch. He knocked on the front door of the store side of things, and stood waiting. Roy folded his arms and stayed back a few feet, an eyebrow raised. Suddenly, a beam of light came from a small spot above the door and washed over the two men, scanning them from head to toe. Once it scanned them, it disappeared. A moment afterwards, the door clicked and swung open, revealing a rather decrepit interior as well. Standing among all the decay was a man in a suit with slicked back hair. He smiled at the two men. ”Ahh… Jason Todd and Roy Harper. The two most wanted men in Texas. Follow me.”

Roy shot a look of absolute befuddlement to Jason, who simply gave a nod in the suited man’s direction. The two followed the suited stranger as he led them through a door into the garage portion. The garage itself, remarkably, looked rather clean. It had two spots designed to work on cars, and the suited man walked onto the track of the first one, motioning for them to join him. They did so, and almost instantaneously the track began to lower itself into the ground at a moderate speed. The men were in some sort of makeshift elevator, the walls clearly constructed of some sort of concrete as they were lowered deeper and deeper into the Earth. Roy, finally shocked out of his silence, just shook his head. ”Somebody better tell me what’s going on.”

The suited man smiled and nodded. ”Your order was a hard one to fulfill, Mr. Harper. A compact, durable bow, with a titanium dipped tri-weave drawstring. Not to mention the various arrow designs that were requested. Adhesive arrows being by far the most difficult.”

Roy tilted his head in confusion for a moment, before it dawned on him. ”TC… You’re the damn Technocrat. Well I’ll be…”

”I trust you’re not walking us into a trap.”

The suited man chuckled softly, shaking his head. ”Of course not. The bounty on your heads is pocket change.”

With that, the walls of the secret elevator gave way to a large and spacious facility. The room was rather long, with a larger workspace to the right and a row of cars and tanks to the left. The walls were lined with various guns and gadgets. Jason nodded while Roy whistled at the sight. TC shook his head as he saw them ogling all of his toys. ”Welcome to the Armory, boys. Well… an armory, I suppose. As far as your concerned, the only one you two will ever know.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. ”You’re letting us stay here?”

TC smiled nodding and motioning to the facility at large. ”You’ve got run of the place. I’m leaving in an hour. I’ve got two rooms set up for you, one on either side. Plenty of other rooms to set up whatever you want. If you need anything else, shoot me an email and I'll see what I can do." The man in the suit smiled and nodded as he walked over towards a computer terminal, unplugging a hard drive from it and placing it in a briefcase as he made his way over towards the nearest black sedan. He stopped as he turned his gaze back towards the two. "One last thing... You're not quite staying here for free. All the stuff in here are prototypes, and I need you to test this stuff out to make sure it's all working.

That's the deal."

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

Alright... took me a lot longer on this post than I wanted. It went a few different direction as I tried to settle on what kind of story I want to cover with the Outlaws. I'm still very much trying to figure that out, but I have started to gravitate towards covering the sort of underlying psychology of these characters to help make sure I differentiate them enough beyond the superficial. Don't worry, we'll get to the fun buddy cop Outlaws stuff. The characters just need to come to terms with a few things first personally before that can happen.