In Dreams to Come

[evangaline]

Marcus observes the man in front of him. He was wondering which kind of man was in front of him: he was clearly not a dreamer, but he could be a contractor or an field agent. The man said that he had a job for him, which probably ment that he was some kind of manager or squad leader. Judging by the way he acts and speaks, he probably is the latter.

Marcus scratched his chin as he contemplated the possible jobs that HERO might offer him. He would probably do well on the frontline, and he would also be useful as backup. He had considered joining HERO after the dissapearance in order to get information about his mentor, who had also dissapeared, and this man would probably force him to make a choice.

Marcus assumed that this man would prefer it if he were to talk business. Even though it saddens me, I doubt you are looking for spiritual salvation. What kind of job are we talking about here? Marcus was about to list his abilities, but realised that a HERO contractor or squad leader would already know that information. This saddened marcus a little bit, he always liked to talk about how the Dream had given him his powers.

[Dorni]

Father Marcus - Adaros General Hospital

"I'll be frank; I'm here to recruit you to the Corps," Simon clarified as he took the seat at the bedside. It was a bit surprising. He'd originally figured Marcus would need to be eased into it, but it seemed the Father wanted to get right to business. That suited Simon just fine. "Hero Corps has an idea who might be responsible for the Disappearance and yesterday's attack. As one of the Corps' senior Heros, I'm putting together a team to track them down and stop them before they can strike again. I want you on that team."

He paused to let that sink in and gauge the Father's reaction. There were Dreamers in the ACC that had sufficiently strong powers that they'd fit right in at the Corps, but many of them chose to stay with the ACC because they knew they weren't cut out for Hero work. It took a strength of will that not everyone had. Even for Simon, it wasn't always possible to tell how someone would react.

He openly studied the Father's reaction. "But I ain't going lie to you - life in the Corps means you'll be facing a lot more danger than in the ACC and I don't have time for people who can't handle that. If you have questions, ask."



Josh - Hall of Heros

Simon pivoted smoothly at the sound of the kid behind him, and accepted the offered handshake. "Josh, nice to meet you. Simon Candler. Glad you could make it so quickly," he replied. Either he didn't realize or didn't care about the pun. "As I said, I noticed what you did for the ACC yesterday after the attack. You saved a lot of lives."

He looked the kid up and down. The kid looked the part of typical high schooler, but even with his accelerated perceptions he couldn't keep track of all the kid's movements. The profile listing of his speed was impressive, but if anything Simon was inclined to believe they'd underestimated it.

"Why?"

[Llyarden]

Micky was lying back in his chair, dozing, but he jerked to wakefulness at hearing the voices outside his door. "Apparently you have an appointment," he remarked as Simon walked in, gathering his thoughts quickly and failing to hide a yawn. "What is it I can help you with?"

[manwithaplan]

Josh smiled as he was reminded of his good deeds, but his elation faded somewhat as they were put into question. Immediately his thoughts went to the girl he missed, and the speedster began to reply.

"All my life, I haven't pitched in. I always used let others do the work and get the job done while I sat in the background mocking them. I could've been there for anybody, at any time, and I chose not to be because I couldn't be bothered. Everybody still wanted to know me, because my powers were cool and special, so I never learned that I had to appreciate others if I wanted them to stay with me. The Disappearance took somebody I didn't realise I loved, and for the first time ever, I knew what it was like when you expect somebody to come and they don't. Suddenly, it was so obvious what I'd been doing to everybody else."

His phone was back out, and he glanced briefly at Cathy's picture again. Sighing, he turned it so that Simon could see before the device was gone.

"I eventually figured that my problem can't be fixed. At least, not by me, and not for a long time. So I'm just wasting my energy worrying about it, as sad as it is. But there are problems that can be fixed. Somebody's stuck under a building? That's his entire life in the balance right there, and I can fix that in the snap of a finger. I don't know if there's a word for it, but like...finding things that are huge problems for other people and fixing them makes me feel good, because I know that at least someone else is happy. Someone else has their Cathy back, and even if I don't have mine, knowing that they do and that somebody is feeling that joy makes me more confident that eventually I will as well. You know what I mean?"

[evangaline]

I... Marcus looked conflicted: the emotions happiness and uneasiness seemed to battle for dominance. He was unsure to formulate his response, which caused him to fumble a little with the blanket. Marcus then looked deep into Simon's eyes, I have two questions: What is your job, and why do you do your it? Marcus wanted some time to think about how to formulate his next question, and letting Simon talk would get him some time.

Marcus found himself fit for duty. More then fit, he would say. The hero corps was a step up from his normal non-violent days though. Simon was right, most people did not have the ability to hurt others. Marcus, who considered himself a teacher by example, always wanted to use his healing talents. There have been followers that considered preventing harm better then curing it, which Marcus fully agreed with. The thing with healing powers is that they are rare. He had always felt the need to do his part and, as there have always been enough heroes to deal with the current villains, he found that he would be most useful in the hospital. The tide has really changed.

He looked away as a wave of nostalgia hit him. Life really has changed, has it not? He did not allow time for an answer to his rethorical question as he continued. His face became a lot like the face of a loving parent. If I may be quite frank, I think I can handle being in the hero corps. I had a couple of arguments with Children of the Dream before, and I still stand. And, even though I am not a big fan of hurting others, I think a proper education sometimes needs some punishment. I might be willing to take the job; If you explained what I would be doing.

This man probably preferred honesty over all things. Marcus just chose to ask the question on his mind after his short story about himself. The Blessed Seekers lost some good men and woman in the dissapearance, do you think there is any chance they could be found back?

[Born]

Mandragora carefully set down the section of old brick wall he was picking up from the wreckage of a building one of the knights had oh-so-gracefully crushed while searching the district. Frankly, it was a wonder a home like this had still been standing in the first place. He supposed the owners either liked the look of the old-fashioned brick, or didn't have the funds to build a more efficient modern building.

"Hello, Simon. What do we need to talk about? Did you learn anything else important about the Disappearance? I was actually hoping to get to talk with you soon, but wasn't expecting you to come to me." Maybe Simon would be able to make more of the vision Mandragora had gotten. He still thought there might be some hidden nugget of information that could be interpreted from the odd experience.

[Dorni]

Father Marcus - Adaros General Hospital

Confusion flashed across Simon at Marcus' question. What's my - oh, he doesn't recognize my name. It vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced by respectful silence as the Father's story unfolded.

Simon glanced over his shoulder, confirming the nurse hadn't followed him in. Marcus, not the public, had a need and right to know what he'd be signing on for. "Marcus," he replied, perhaps wistfully, "I've been an active duty Hero for some years. I was with OUT-SIDE before that. Everything always changes - but its also stays the same. There are always threats to Illessia and her people. Good people stop them. When the fight changes, you change with it because that's what it takes." He met the Father's eye with a steady, bedrock gaze. "Everything I do, I do to keep Illessia safe."

"As to what you'd be doing, let me clear something up." The intense moment was over. Back to business. "I ain't asking you to be muscle for the Corps. As I said, we believe we know who is responsible for the Disappearance and yesterday's attack. Another active duty Hero, Gustalt, summons creatures identical to the ones that attacked yesterday, but he has nowhere near the power to pull off yesterday's attack. Some time in the future he's going to get the necessary power and is send his creatures back in time to alter history and seize power. I've taken to calling this possible Gustalt 'The Master'."

"The Hero Team I'm forming has three objectives. Find a way to confront The Master and stop him directly, ruin his ability to send his creatures though time, and keep our Gustalt from falling into his hands. Yes, I want you on the team because you can fight, but we're also going to be going up against a foe with capabilities we've literally never seen because they haven't been developed yet. Your eyes could give us warning we need."

Simon paused, as if considering how or if to continue. All the better to set the hook. "And... I can't make any promises, but yes. There is a chance we could rescue Mr. Rodriges and everyone who vanished."



Josh - Hall of Heros

Simon nodded along to the speedster's story, a bit of his formality slipping away. He'd been spot on. The 'gifted but lazy' kid his records described had gotten an awakening. Bit of a shame it had taken the loss of millions of people to wake him up, but Simon would take what he could get.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Simon found the words to be true. "Knowing that someone else is able to live a happy life because of what you did to help or protect them. Its a good feeling. Its why I joined the Hero Corps."

The old man cracked a smile. "Ever thought about becoming a Hero?"

[Dorni]

Checkmate - Michael Winston's Office

Simon closed the door behind him and approached the man's desk, declining to take a seat. Swaths of the city were in rubble, thousands were injured, and this lawyer found time to take a nap? It didn't exactly inspire confidence. "I'm Simon Candler, with the Hero Corps. I believe we've met briefly around the SIDE building before. I'm not looking for legal consul - I've got a job for you. I'm forming a Hero Team and I want you on the team."

Mandragora - Adaros

"I did, actually. Leviath and I questioned the Knight that you and the agent captured during the attack. We learned some disturbing things but I can't talk about them here." The old soldier pointedly glanced at the rest of the ACC crew behind Mandragora. "Bottom line is there may be more attacks on the way. I'm putting together a Hero Team to handle it. You've been in the middle of this already and you've handled yourself well. I want you on the team."

[Llyarden]

"Do have a seat," Micky said, after Simon had sat down, stalling for time slightly while he racked his brains for anything he could remember about the man. He certainly looked familiar, although Micky couldn't entirely place him. He was somewhat distracted from his musings by the old man's next words. "You...want me on a Hero Team? Why, exactly?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Well-Informed on Simon: (1d20+12)[30] (not including Cipher penalties because I wasn't sure if that's only for Daimon or for Simon too.)

[manwithaplan]

"Heh, I figured that's what we were here for." Josh had indeed been mulling over the possibility for a few seconds, which was enough time for him to consider a lot more than an ordinary person. He had numerous arguments and counterarguments prepared for both joining the Corps and also refusing to, but there was so much swimming around his head that he ended up forgetting all of it and ending up neutral again. He did that a lot.

"Honestly, I don't know, man. I haven't even registered, and I wasn't really planning on doing so. It's going to have to depend on what you're really wanting me to do. I mean, you aren't just here to recruit me into the Corps and then send me on my way, are you? You want something."

[DukeGod]

Waking up in the laboratory felt weird...Leviath tried to recall any dreams he might have had. Usual behavior for most people, but Dreamers most of all. Nothing.

Still, all was done. He gets his results. Mostly they proved him innocent. Well, that wasn't quite the kind of thing he was looking for. It was good to be free of detention, but he almost wanted some kind of analysis that pointed out why he had the powers he did, where his summons came from and such. Well, probably those answers we'ren't really getting answered so easily

So, he goes to his home, and does the usual stuff of the morning routine, changing his hair and eye colors before leaving to the Corps base. He doesn't pay attention to what, colors. Or cares. To blend in, he prefers to use his vehicle rather than flying the skies. It was less fun, but maybe people could do with less Rainbow Birds and Wyverns today

On the way, he checks to see if he got that copy of the list of who went missing in the Disappearance

[Quellian-dyrae]

Leviath did have the list in his email. He also had a detailed report on the technical parameters and results of the experiments, although quite a bit of it was in technobabble. And it didn't provide any information on perhaps some of the more important issues - what the summons were, where they came from (only info there was basically a repeat of his own hypothesis), why it was those specific creatures, etc - more an overview of the mechanical processes involved in manifesting and directing them. There's actually a fairly significant amount of information (albeit about half of it being theory and conjecture) about the unusual strength of the mental link between he and his summons.

Spoiler

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Keeping it deliberately vague because, eh, I'm not sure myself how you want Leviath's powers to work . But feel free to fill in the blanks yourself.

[evangaline]

Marcus looks at Simon with a doubtful yet happy gaze. As he stops toying around with the blanket he starts talking with a soft voice. I really miss that man. He taught me everything I know, and now he is gone. I don't even know if he became one with the dream. A very small tear started forming while Marcus took a small break from talking. Now look at me. I have gotten quite selfish. He smiled for a couple of seconds before he went on with his story.

Simon. I am a very religious man. He seemed to enjoy a internal joke. Yeah. You probably already knew that. You probably knew this already aswell; If we figure out that the dissapearance has been caused by the Dream, I will terminate my service to you immediately.

I do not think this is the case though. While the Dream is with us all, it claims those it needs via a natural death. Not with such a horrible shockwave! He seemed geniune about this. He even showed a bit of anger. Anyways, Marcus extends his right hand. I hereby offer my services as a Seeker to you and your goal. As long as the interests of the Dream and you do not disagree, I will strive to complete our mission with all of my capabilities.

[Dorni]

Father Marcus - Adaros General Hospital

"I don't know why anyone would want to follow a god if it kidnapped, killed or enslaved several million people." Though said politely, his opinion was perfectly clear.

Simon shrugged. "But then I never took to religion. I got no problem with it though. So long as it doesn't endanger the team, what you do with your religion is your own business."

The soldier accepted the handshake. "Welcome to the team. There will be a briefing at Corps HQ this evening, you'll meet the rest of the team then."


Josh - Hall of Heros

Kid could see the sun at midday. "I do. The Corps has an idea who's behind the Disappearance. There's even a chance we can rescue everyone who was taken, but I can't pull it off alone. I'm putting together a Team and, well, you've got an incredible gift. Even a among speedsters there aren't many in your league. With a little training you could be a great Hero. If you're willing to join the Team, I'll train you."

[DukeGod]

Spoiler

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Not sure how I want them to work either. Didn't think it'd turn into a minor plot thing

Leviath programs his car to drive by itself to the Corps and checks the list for the names of the Knights.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Gestalt:

Both names given by the knights are indeed in the list.

Dream Street is bustling as you arrive, Assembly workers, volunteers, and members of the ACC and Hero Corps all coming and going from the various buildings, along with a large media presence and a moderate flock of civilians asking questions, looking for help, and so on.

[manwithaplan]

Well then. Josh habitually tried to shoot down others' requests to join the Hero Corps, but the truth was that Simon was offering him the exact thing he had been wanting for the last day. A chance to help people out beyond running around pretending to be ACC. Maybe even a chance to bring Cathy back. How could he say no?

"How could I say no? I've got nothing better to do, honestly. Start training me, buddy, because I'm gonna join your Team."

[Dorni]

Checkmate - Michael Winston's Office

Simon leaned forward, elbows on the desk. "Why? Smart lawyer like you's gotta know what happened at SIDE yesterday. We finally have a lead on how to stop these attacks but won't be simple. You're an ideal candidate for logistical support and coordination. And you've got an impressive mind." Simon put a gentle emphasis on the compliment. Alluding to Checkmate's hidden powers this early was a risky play, but the lawyer was already off-balance. Time to see what he was made of.

[Llyarden]

Micky had his mouth half-open to reply to Simon when the old soldier said his last sentence, and the lawyer...stopped. He had to consciously prevent himself from looking out of the window to see if SIDE had set up out there. To most people, the pause and brief flicker of his eyes in the direction of the window would have been quite hard to notice. "Thank you for the compliment," Checkmate replied, stalling for time for a moment. "I've heard rumours about what happened. Some more...curious...than others. Care to explain in a little more detail?" In truth Checkmate wasn't entirely bothered - he'd undoubtedly get briefed numerous times anyway - but if the soldier knew about his powers, then he would probably be trying to focus on shutting him out. Perhaps a little distraction might give Checkmate the opportunity he needed.

Spoiler: OOC

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Mind Reading cannot miss.
Mind Reading check: (1d20+7)[20]
Checkmate can't make the Insight check to get Daimon's thoughts instead of Simon's, even with a natural 20, so I don't see any reason to roll for that.

[Born]

"I'd love to be on the team. If you want to brief me on what you've learned sooner rather than later, I can come with you after I finish cleaning up this mess." He gestures toward the rubble of the brick house behind him, thankfully the last home that needed to be cleaned up on this block. "I'll be with you in a couple minutes."

Mandragora got back to lifting another heavy section of wall over to the disposal vehicle, and with the help of the other lifters was soon able to remove all of the large pieces of debris from the scene.

[DukeGod]

...well that could've been problematic.

First, he parks in a street rather far away. There, he change his hair to a very bright green. Nothing he could do about his face, but most people would probably recognize him from that. He could change clothes inside the Corps building, and the system should recognize him aniway

Still, they'd probably hassle any hero, so he gets out of car and quickly makes his way, ignoring any reporters and the like, acting as some of those ******* loner type heroes that seem to dominate part of a generation

[Dorni]

Mandragora - Adaros

That was easy. Simon nodded. "Good. There's a meeting at HQ this evening. You'll meet the rest of the team there and I'll fill you in on what I've found."

Checkmate - Michael Winston's Office

Most people would have missed Checkmate's fugitive glance. Simon was not most people. Ha! I was right about him. Amazing he didn't get caught sooner with a tell like that.

"I take it you know that a pair of hostiles used yesterday's attack as cover to pursue targets at SIDE HQ. What isn't public knowledge yet is that those hostiles were from the future." Images of a fight in Aaron's house came to mind, unceremoniously ending with Future Simon's right hook. "They wouldn't say much but they gave us an idea of who is behind the Disappearance and yesterday's attack." Future Leviath. "Problem is that it ain't as simple as gathering the Corps and busting down a door." That door might not even be built yet "That's why I'm building this Hero Team - so we can track down those responsible while the rest of the Corps maintains order."

"I want you on my team." A mind reader will be an important asset for information gathering, moreso if hes unregistered so no one suspects him. And if Leviath ever thinks about turning against us detecting him early could save us all.

Spoiler: OOC

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Since Subtle II, Simon shouldn't get to choose not to resist.
Vs mind reading: (1d20+9)[13]Fail

[Llyarden]

Checkmate raised an eyebrow at Simon's confirming of the 'time travel' angle, and leaned back as if considering, although it was probably obvious to someone like Simon that he had already made his decision. "Logistical support and coordination, you said?" he asked, leaning forwards again. "Who else is going to be in this team of yours? Are the rest actually members of the Corps or is the whole team pulled from outside?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

The day had gone by...pretty blissfully quietly, considering the past two days, and the city's morale had gotten at least a bit of a boost from the wondrous work done by Dreamers and Sleeper volunteers alike in finding the missing, tending the injured, and repairing the damage. Work that was shown off frequently by the media, especially those institutes with ties to the Assembly.

That said, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows either. Adaros was the biggest city in the country, and Dreamer powers, amazing though they were, were extremely inefficient in the large scale. There were still hundreds of damaged buildings, thousands of missing or dead, and tens of thousands of injured people throughout the city. There were also some whispered concerns in several of the buildings on Dream Street that the extensive use of Dreamer powers in the aftermath of the attack may have left the most altruistic of the Dreamer community weakened when they could ill afford to be. Extensive, repeated power use could weaken a Dreamer's powers for days or even weeks at a time, and some people were justifiably concerned that if another attack or tragedy occurred in the next few days, there would be far fewer people of such personal power able to respond.

Fortunately, the city's access to Dreamers with the personal power and the will to help was not exhausted. Heroes, members of the ACC, and independent Dreamers with a desire to help were coming in from all over the country - and even some from outside it - to aid the beleaguered city, along with an army of Sleeper volunteers.

And of course, there was also the small group assembling in a certain meeting room of a certain building on Dream Street, to discuss how such threats might be prevented before they next occurred.

[Dorni]

Simon leaned back in his chair and stopped checking his notes. Reviewing his notes wasn't about preparing for the meeting so much as keeping his hands busy while he tried to imagine angles he'd overlooked before. Getting information hadn't been a problem, but precious little of it was actionable. Perhaps one of the new recruits would have an idea.

Simon glanced at the clock, confirming that it was about time for the others to show up. He'd already alerted security to wave them through.

He waved his hand at the display in front of him, returning to the incident reports surrounding Lorelei Winter's lab as he waited.

[evangaline]

Father Marcus relaxed in his chair, waiting for the others to take the lead. He frankly had no clue where they would start looking, neither did he know if there were any clues. He calmly observed the other members of the team, which he probably never had seen before exept for the speeder. He was not bothered by the fact that there was one sleeper in this team, Simon for who he was and what he did.

Spoiler: OOC

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Seizing up my teammates, insight 30 (20 ranks + taking 10) I will look at the first page of the OOC to figure out if they are visible

The others on this table were all beings of significant power, which did not amaze Marcus. He still could not get a feel for Simon's combat prowess, which ment he was something special! He chose to introduce himself: Greetings my children, I am father marcus. Blessed seeker and a hobo, both by choice. Nice to meet you all. The part of him being homeless was not very apparent, as he had cleaned shaved himself in the hospital. He will be wearing the scrubs patients wear unless Simon has given him a uniform or something, which I kinda am assuming.

[Llyarden]

Checkmate (especially to someone as perceptive as Marcus) looked rather nervous. Nervous and tired. The sheer volume of well-meaning people who had accidentally caused a stir with their powers had had him working at all hours trying to reassure people that they wouldn't be prosecuted for saving lives. Very little of it had to do with actual legal business, but that's the peril of putting your office in the directory enquiries. The reason for the nervousness probably wasn't so obvious, although the glances towards both Josh and Simon probably had somthing to do with it. "Micky Winston," he said, almost habitually reaching into his pocket for a business card before remembering that he'd run out. "Nice to meet you too, Father."

Spoiler: OOC

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Well-informed on Marcus: (1d20+12)[13] Lolfail. I guess Micky doesn't pay attention to hobos?

And yeah, for the time being Micky probably thinks that Josh's appearance yesterday was organised somehow by Simon. (For those with the ludicrous Insight to pick up on such things.)

[manwithaplan]

"Josh Miles," the Speedster said, raising a hand to wave. It amused him that the two of the individuals he had worked with to save that one man's life were both here, apparently part of Simon's team. He supposed it wasn't so ridiculous, since he had met hundreds of ACC members over the last day or two and should have expected to see some of them again, but still.

"So, uh, what's on the agenda?"

[DukeGod]

Leviath enters the meeting room, changing his hair back to its usual color as he does so. He takes a look at the team that Simon had assembled.

He picks a spot to choose, and also introduces himself.

"My name is Leviath Cinder, though you may already know me, as the hero, Gestalt."

Of course, Leviath operated most of the time as a hero in costume. One that he was not wearing at the time

[Llyarden]

Despite himself, Checkmate couldn't help but give Gestalt a sideways glance as the hero introduced himself. So this was apparently the person who was going to 'turn' on Ilessia. And the target of yesterday's attackers from the future. And the person who would become responsible for the Disappearance. Unbidden, an image of Michael Winston Sr drifted to mind, to be banished as the lawyer reached out mentally to touch Leviath's mind. He was not normally in the habit of rifling through the memories of everyone he met, but circumstances outweighed his normal promise to himself. The summoner was clearly at the centre of everything and Micky would take any information that would help to bring his father back.

Spoiler: OOC

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Well-Informed (Gestalt): (1d20+12)[20]
Well-Informed (Josh): (1d20+12)[20]
Mind Reading can't miss.
Mind Reading check: (1d20+7)[18]