RaynnVerse: The Reign IC

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

Jake listens intently to Thomas. He’s able to follow the conversation somewhat. Thomas was well-versed in magic, much like Merlin was. He humms quietly to himself as he considers the predicament. But before he can really suss it out, Hope starts getting into a cat fight with Air Ace.

“Hope,” Jake said quietly. He knew what she was thinking… and she had just come from being kidnapped and tortured. Things were not exactly easy for her right now. Jake crossed the room to her and put his hand at the small of her back, in a silent, reassuring gesture. He didn’t vocalize it right now, because… well… fate of a parallel world sort of thing.

“Sorry, we’ve been… stressed around here lately.”

He resumed talking business.

“At some point, I’m going to want you to tell me why Camelot and Excalibur began to oppose each other… but for now, your plan leaves one of us without an Excalibur. I need mine to defeat the Supreme. You need yours to defeat the Star Khan. At the same time, assuming what you say is true, I do want to help you.”

A pause.

“So we should think outside the box. Thomas, you came here from another dimension. Air Ace, you did too. I’ve been to other dimensions, like one where the Centurion became a killer vampire lord. So, it stands to reason there is a dimension where myself or another King of Camelot has gone completely evil. Is it possible for us to find a dimension like this… and de-fang a tyrant while we save your world?”

[Green Bean]

"So, war with the government in 2030? Your FLI must have taken some serious damage; right now it looks like they'd roll over anything a government could muster. I mean, not long ago Jake waltzed into the Oval Office and almost took over. Wasn't really him, apparently, but if that's all it takes to get to 'the most powerful man in the world', the title looks a little hollow." Remembrance looked out over the water, contemplating the possible future ahead. "Air Ace isn't married to Jake here, so a baby might make things awkward. But hey, he's a king, there's different standard of fidelity there."

[ripleycat]

"Wait so you're my Fiance's son from another reality? Oh . . . kay . . . I can deal with this . . . Well firstly, Jake is taken miss . . . whatever your name was . . ."

"I didn't say, actually. My name is Emily. Emily Ann Cole, but you can call me Air Ace." Unsaid but crystal clear is the "You don't get to use my real name."

"So are you from the same universe as this . . . Tom was it? Is he from YOUR future?"

"Neither. I come from one timeline. In another, apparently Jake and I have a kid. That's him."

Air Ace listens intently to the back and forth between kind-of father and sort-of son. Jake's suggestion, to go after a third Excalibur, is wild to say the least- and it makes her perk right up.

"Possible? Maybe. Yeah, I think so. I have a timeship. It's how I got here to Earth 8 in the first place, and it's how we knew you were here, Tom. It's not totally functional, it, uh, can't go back and forth in time. I mean we couldn't use it to go fix Tom's past. But it does sort of go... side to side? I mean I can hop between timelines, just not to the past or future. We could use it to find a timeline with some nasty version of you, King Jake."

[Raynn]

5/12

For a moment Tom finds the suggestion of his sort-of father as nuts as everyone else does . . . then he considers it for a moment . . .

"M. . . Maybe. . . Yeah. It could work! But if we just keep hopping world to world with the time ship we'll never make it home. Perhaps if we had a Navimatrix or something to help guide us . . . Hmmm . . . wait . . . What am I thinking! Doi! This world still has magic! I'm sure if you guys have a Vagrant, Legacy or Mr. E one of them can find a parallel reality with what we need! This might actually work!"

Hope glances at Doctor Dare's staff as Air Ace describes the limitations of her time ship

"Wait isn't that a tenth dimensional extrapolator? Couldn't you link that to the time ship's flux capacitor with binary field reversal loop to allow for forward travel without an additional external power source by using the ambient field of subspace to fuel the reaction with zero point energy?"

A few of the individuals in the room stare at Hope a little wide eyed

"Isn't it obvious . . . ? I mean you can clearly see it's giving off tachyons and chrono-energy wave distortions like crazy . . . which I can't see . . . because that is not a thing a human does . . . and I'm a human . . . yes . . . I'll shut up now . . ."

Hope shyly trails off and awkwardly goes silent.

***

Remembrance

Sarah seems a little confused by a comment or two there

"F.L.I.? Do you mean the Freedom League United? Isn't there only like three dozen of them? I mean Dire's tough but still . . .

They weren't married then. In fact their team broke up a little bit before they got the news according to some other sources I've talked to over a beer or five. Well before Emily got the news . . . If I remember rightly when she found out she hadn't spoken to him since around when, and I'm quoting here, she said to him 'if you keep killing everyone who can kick your ass and disagrees with you then I better watch my back.' She might have been a little less kind following that. From what I remember they patched it up at the eleventh hour or so I'm told."

[ChronicLunacy]

Green Lantern S2814

"Um...ring...translate that, please?" he asked, looking down at his powerful accessory.

[Previous verbal exchange was spoken bearer's native language.]

Danny frowned. "I beg to differ." he pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

Jake grinned as the magibabble/technobabble confirmed that his idea was indeed possible. Jake glanced over to Hope as she put Doc Brown to shame and then mumbled in an amazingly cute way. He slipped his arm around her a bit more.

“And this, everyone, is Hope, my fiancé. She’s a little bit of a post-human, if you can’t tell.”

Jake grinned and looked at everyone assembled.

“Okay. So let’s all do our thing. Get that timeship fixed up, find Vagrant,” who Jake had been looking for anyway, “and I’ll get Thomas here armed and armored… then we’ll figure out a way to defeat—me.”

Jake felt comfortable talking shop. It allowed him to sidestep the pseudo-father issue for now and focus on a task at hand. And it also let him feel like a simple adventurer again.

[Raynn]

5/12

Tom looks at Hope a little confused but it passes

"I'm Legacy-positive and even a dead Excalibur is near indestructible so consider me armed and armored already,"

Tom says with a grin

"Not that I wouldn't mind some badass circa. early twenty first century Camelotian armor to wear in stead of these soaked things."

[smuchmuch]

"Just a fan. Sorry to have disturbed you." Shade apologies before moving back to the door, hopping her target hasn't moved too out of view.

[Raynn]

Shade & Decibelle

It takes Shade a minute to catch up in her plastic form but eventually she's able to reach the same street as Decibelle a little bit before her apartment.

Spoiler

Show

Either of you may now roll notice again, this time at DC 18.

[smuchmuch]

Spoiler

Show

Notice again (1d20+10)[12]
Taking ten on stealth while tailing Decibelle

Being rather concentrated on not being seen at the moment, Shade doesn't take particular attention to the sky.

[KaganMonk]

Dare looks up at Hope sharply, visibly shaken. "...yeah, Post-human. I'd like to talk with you about that later, but one crisis at a time. I think I can whip up an "Inevitable Probe" if need be, but I'd prefer to find Vagrant. He's been missing for a day or so now. Let's just hope that trouble really doesn't come in threes. I'm really starting to feel for Isiah the more I try to cover what he did."

[Raynn]

5/12

Tom speaks up

"Okay so we have a plan, and even a back up plan. Where do we go and what do we do first?"

[Green Bean]

"Oh no, ours is up around a hundred or so members. A lot of real big shots, too. They're well past the level of conventional force now, you'd need a metahuman army of your own, or some crazy weapons...tech. Huh." Remembrance trails off as a thought occurs, and almost misses the rest of alternate Air Ace's story as she scribbles it down for later. "No no, Air Ace and Jake aren't fighting. I don't think they've even met before today. I meant that Jake's already married. Plus, our Air Ace has her own Jake back home, and isn't the home-wrecking type. It'd take something absolutely mind-boggling to get those two together in three months."

[ripleycat]

Emily looks askance at Hope. That was... well, not normal, even by the hugely expanded standards of "normal" life as a superhero came with. On the other hand, it was also right, at least as far as she could tell. "Human" my ass. Not that there's anything wrong with that. A talk with Dare and Remembrance about all this is in order at some point.

"Huh. Um, well, I suppose we could head back to our base in Freedom, get the ship and staff hooked up. And that's as good a place as any to start looking for Vagrant. Sure hope he's just off doing incomprehensible mage things and he's not hurt or something."

There's a snag, though. Their transportation is in no shape to make the return journey yet. "Course, that's up to you, Doc. If you're feeling up for it. You look bushed."

[Raynn]

Remembrance

Sarah replies

"Well I guess your world got lucky . . . Except for Jake I suppose.

If Air Ace has her own Jake why is she still here? Doesn't she love him?"

***

5/12

Hope pipes up again

"Uh . . . if you wanted to tell Jake where your secret base is he could open a portal there right now . . . Jake can I come?"

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

Legacy-positive? Jake wasn’t quite sure what that meant. “Legacy-positive? What does that mean, Thomas? Do you have powers that aren’t magic-related?” Although Thomas was not really Jake’s son, Jake could see the resemblance… and it’s hard not to feel a little kinship and curiosity. Loads of curiosity.

As for the way people start looking at Hope… He doesn’t like it. The Omega thing was a sore spot with people who know about that kind of thing, and Jake trusted no one else to be as understanding as he is about the matter.

“There’s no crisis at all here, Doctor,” he says, to try and stifle that line of thought.

Air Ace, Emily, some other Jake’s girlfriend suggests heading back to their base. And Hope beats Jake to the obvious suggestion… let the teleporting King do it!

“She’s right. I’m not just a pretty face, or a skilled swordsman, or a king… you get the picture.” He grins mischievously. “Seriously, though. I can get us anywhere on Earth. Just describe the location and I’ll send you there.”

Hope asked if she could come.

“It’s fine with me… It’s their base, though.” He looked at them expectantly. “She’s had a very rough night. Getting out would do her some good.”

[Raynn]

5/12

Tom nods

"Well with no magic in my world I'd have to be. The Legacy virus was given to my father by a being from a parallel reality called the Lady of Time, a girl called Abigail Sword. She gave him to him in exchange for him one day passing on a message, or his descendants. One injection and triggers the activation of a Homo Sapien Sapien's X-gene by splicing their DNA with Post-human genetic materials. No two people are the same once they've injected it. Post-Human doesn't always mean flashy eye beams you know. Some people just change colour, or grow extra arms but not my dad.

He was awesome. Gained the ability to randomly gain a power set from others on Earth with an active X-Gene, he used to spend days in isolation switching through powers before he discovered a set he'd stick with. One day though . . . one day he got a power set that went sour. It didn't end well . . .

My powers are similar but not identical. Right now all I've got are these weird bubble forcefield powers. Kinetic Force Orbs Sarah calls them. She's thought up some interesting applications for them."

[Ladorak]

Carefully. Carefully now.

He had taken the time to think deeply as he was led through a dizzying swirl of hospital rooms. Sam was here to help, that went without question at this point, yet that did not rule that that she might have her own agenda. He'd wished the ghost had told him more.

When he had seen the black obelisk he had sprung upward, sure of something, yet not knowing fully what it was. A path formed before his very eyes, and he thought if he but stood upon him it would bring him back to himself. He moved to take the first step, knowing it would lead to the black monolith baring down above. Sam took his arm, dragging him back from the path, and it vanished.

He looked at her dazed at first, and then with intensity, suddenly knowing nothing but suspecting much.

A riddle it was in truth, a deliberately incomplete question, an answer dangled far further away than was needed. A riddle that was now his very life, the incomplete fragments held within him, only the misleading shell remained before his eyes. He watched it carefully, crushingly aware of the tension baring down, a black obalisk awaited.

So, why am I here? Why am I without memory? The question had eluded him, till now. He looked down at his arm, already keenly aware of her touch on his flesh, knowing the answer.

She means me no harm, yet she does not wish me to go. I knew something, or could do something. Something about this happening now, right now! There is a way she wishes this to play out, I could have interfered. Can still interfere?

His course of action was suddenly clear before him. It may already be too late, but unless he knew for sure he had to try.

He spoke slowly, carefully 'No Sam, I must go. If I heard a song or saw a face, smelt something on the air, and had it awaken something within me, would you not encourage me with all your heart to pursue it? To listen to the song a thousand times, to go up to that familiar face and ask what they know?
'Well then, I have this. Just my luck, I am sure. For some reason that... thing stirs something within. I can almost feel my memories, like whispers on the breeze, heard but not understood. I must go now, and you must let me.
'I truly thank you for your help, I promise to return the favour one day. You should return, there are many more that need your care.'

[Raynn]

Vagrant

As Vagrant rushes out of his room Sam merely stares at him worriedly with her mouth slightly agape, concern evident in her face.

As Vagrant passes the Nurses station one of them places two boxes on the counter. One large modern transparent plastic container holds his clothing, or at least what he'd been wearing when Sam brought him in. The second box was wooden, smaller and obviously many years old. Both were labelled with 'John Doe - Amnesia' With today's date as the checkout day.

Someone knew he'd be leaving today . . . the older box must be near as old as the hospital. The nurse who'd put it up on the counter stared at it just as confused as Vagrant is

"Sir . . . these are your belongings right? It's just that box has been here longer than I have . . . it's probably a mistake . . . but I thought I'd ask . . ."

She also pushes forward some check out forms to be filled in that Vagrant no doubt ignores.

[Da Beast]

Decibelle is mostly oblivious to the world for her walk home, somehow missing a plastic stalker and a giant ball of doom in the sky. Back at her apartment she only bothers to change into her pajamas before flopping into bed to sleep off all the memories of her double life.

Waking up fresh in the morning whenever it is convenient for the story and/or Shade wakes her up by accident allowing the two of them to get up to super powered hijinks she hops out of bed and pulls open her curtains...

(1d20+9)[27]

Edit: whoops, that was supposed to be a notice roll.

[KaganMonk]

Dare stands up and gestures to the king. "I would be more than happy to let you do the heavy lifting. And if you have any healing powers, that would help as well. I might also add something to the plan: Green Lantern, if you can detect magic I'd appreciate you and Air Ace looking for Vagrant. With his powers, his disappearance is quite worrisome for the whole planet. That should hurry us along a little bit."

"Lady Hope is more than welcome to come along, as I'm sure her assistance would be most helpful. My address is 382 Lincoln, floor 7, office C. There is a lobby there that should do nicely. But please don't treat me like an idiot Jake. I'm quite possibly the most intelligent man on the planet at the moment, and I barely understood what she said. As I said, it's not pressing. We'll likely have to stave off an apocalypse or two before we get around to chatting over tea or something appropriate."

At Thomas's mention of Abigail, Dare freezes. Slowly he removes his mask, worry and hope flashing across his face. "Sir, as your message is from my cousin and employer, I would like to help you deliver it posthaste. I am Apollo Iris, from another dimension. If a message is worth the fate of humanity, it is vitally important."

[Raynn]

5/12

Tom shrugs

"Okay I guess, but I don't know who it was meant for, my dad kept that a little too close to his chest. Um . . . how did it go again . . . 'London City is burning down, burning down, burning down, The Supreme is Victorious, Victorious, Victorious, Wonder ends, Wonder ends, Wonder ends with you, I just wish, I just wish, I just wish . . . "

When Tom says the message he speaks like it's a very creepy nursery rhyme. As people stare at Tom when he finishes he shrugs again

"Yeah, she was a creepy kid . . ."

It is at this moment that a large oak and iron door appears on the roof of the room and flies open to reveal a ruined theater beyond it.

Anna Asterion, Minerva as her friends knew her in Claremont, falls to the ground and collides with the ground with a scream, followed by a surprised one from Hope. Minerva is dying.

"The Supreme . . . killed Night . . . he's going to kill Len . . . call them . . . Get them all . . ."

As Jake takes a few steps forward she grabs him by the sleeve and pulls him closer before yelling

"GET THEM ALL!"

What do you do?

***

Bio

Spoiler

Show

I . . . Uh . . . don't know what to do with this . . . ?

8 hours?

This is the Raynnverse, 8 hours is an eternity. Anything could be outside that window!

Perhaps the Knanite fleet arrives and scours the Earth clean of life while you slept.
Perhaps Jake teleported to Freedom Hall and has access the dimensional coordinates of the Skrull Home universe and hero points a portal to that dimension, to bargain an alliance for the Skrull fleet to fight the Knanites in an all space battle.
Perhaps Winter II arrives at the 11th hour and wishes the big black shape in the sky out of existence and then wishes for an eternal age of snow.
Perhaps Clark proposes to Rycon and they elope to Las Vegas!
Perhaps Dr. Stranger unleashes a mutagen bomb at low altitude and turns all the people in Freedom City in animal human hybrids.

Perhaps the US government unleashes the Big Monday bombs on Camelot and in retaliation Jake is forced to allow Camelot to attack the US including Freedom City.

Perhaps Hope burns the world to a cinder with a single blast.

Perhaps Harlequin returns and destroys the city with a single punch.

This is the Raynnverse, a lot can happen in 8 hours that goes without saying . . .

but Jake was made threaten the united states, almost start world war III and then brainwashed a decent part of America in TWELVE SECONDS.

Are you SURE you want to be out of the game for that long? I won't stop you but the others don't seem likely to stop for 8 hours too . . .

[ChronicLunacy]

Green Lantern S2814

A translucent, green hospital bed suddenly appears underneath Minerva, courtesy of the Lantern. He'd been about to reply to Doctor Dare -- finding some potentially dangerous magic-user on Earth was covered by his mandate so that was a perfectly reasonable suggestion -- but then yet another guest arrived in Jake's bedroom. The hospital bed seemed just flexible enough to bunch and roll Minerva onto her back, then it straightened but remained pliable enough that she would be comfortable. It rolled on squeaky little wheels as she kept her grip on Jake's sleeve.

[Green Bean]

"She didn't come here on purpose, so I don't think it's as easy as deciding to go back." She looked out over the water again, and tried to enjoy a little oasis of peace and quiet in her day. "You know, it's funny, I just can't picture her as a queen. Believe me, I know how the little differences add up, but to me she's always seemed too, er, uninhibited to be royalty. Funny how it all works out."

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

London… the Supreme. The Sword… a little girl who skips through time. Her. Was this message meant for Earth-8 Jake? What is the point of this horrible omen?! Jake looks visibly rattled by the rhyme. Not in his expression, but in his eyes. Wonder ends, does that mean that Thomas’s world will be the fate of Jake’s? He can’t accept that. Predestination is not something Jake believes in.

But before he could talk about this, Minerva literally came falling out of the ceiling, dying. The Supreme was here and he was about to kill his best friend.

Jake quickly draws a flashing Excalibur and lets Minerva bask in its healing glow.

“Anna! Go get the other members of my team. You two,” he says, looking to Air Ace and Doctor Dare, “I’m going to need your help. Hope, call Lancelot and get the area around the theater evacuated. Hurry!”

Minerva said the Supreme was about to kill Len now. Jake didn’t have time to wait for everyone to be gathered.

“Lantern… I owe you four beers,” he said, not forgetting his new friend. Jake then opened a portal into the theater and stepped through, leaving it open for the others to come in behind them (you know, if they want to, that is)…

[ChronicLunacy]

Green Lantern S2814

"This is all technically my job. You don't owe me anything, but I like beer." Danny smiled as he set Minerva down onto the nearest couch, bed, or possibly even a fainting couch considering the antique decor. The green energy of the hospital bed that had been supporting her briefly dispersed from its solid state and was absorbed back into the Lantern's emerald aura. Then, force fields on full, he followed Jake into the reality rift and into the demolished theater.

[ripleycat]

"Well, that's not ominous or anything." Emily feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the creepy singsong message. The Lady of Time? Well, surely that wasn't a coincidence. This was all somehow connected to Death's warning that led to the Frontliners being assembled.

There's no time to get into it further, though, because a woman covered in dust and blood appears literally out of thin air and says that Len's about to die. There's no choice for Air Ace. If Jake is going into danger, it's her job to pull his ass out of the fire. She just nods at the King and pulls her pistol. "Lead the way." She steps through the portal just after the Green Lantern does.

Spoiler

Show

I assume everyone who goes into the theater jumps over to the Revolution for the moment?

[KaganMonk]

"My cousin is extremely precocious for her age. As it so happens, this is precisely the right place to deliver the message. Thank you Thomas."

And then Anna Asterion drops in.

"Speak of the devil and he will come. Or send a messenger."

Dare replaces his mask and makes a quick call before walking into the war zone.

"Remembrance, this is Dare. Supreme appeared on Camelot. Find Vagrant if you can, we'll be delayed in returning."

[Green Bean]

Remembrance didn't swear or panic or rage; those were for people who weren't generally expecting the worst. "Understood. I don't know if it helps, but Supreme apparently had Claremont's BRAINIAC hacked a few years ago - he downloaded a bunch of stuff by a kid named Robert Asterion, probably scientific or weapons research. He might have tech based on it."

Now all she had to do was track down one man in a city of millions. Fantastic. Unless there was a shortcut... She glanced over at alternate Air Ace. "You had Vagrant Morphs in your dimension before, correct? Do you have any way of tracking them?"

[Ladorak]

Roland looked from the box to the receptionist, then back again. Sam was either entirely innocent, or was now calling for help. He should be moving quickly. Yet who can resist the mystery box?

'Actually That sounds like me. I'm sure I'm not the only curious one. Better than leaving it here forever anyway.'

He swallowed dry, and opened the box.