Heroes of Millaine IC 2 - Coming Soon to a Theater Near You!

[manwithaplan]

Tom had already moved to get the deflector field back up when, nope, man was back on the floor. He looked up at Sean, trying to stare down the Summons, and frowned.

The mimic settled into a shaky version of his fighting stance. Then he...wait. They hadn't wanted to fight him before. Why would they be willing now?

He didn't reveal himself to Sean. Instead, he watched. Watched him talk through their defences. Watched Declan prepare his minigun for another sweep. And once again he reached out, attempting to temporarily put the time stream around him on pause.

Then he disappeared from the major scrap around the Recruiter, using the time around himself more benignly to teleport somewhere where he could continue to contribute with subtlety.

Spoiler: Actions

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Free Action: Back to Time Stopping, with Rank 11 on the attack and Rank 4 on the Teleport.
Standard Action: Targeted Time Stop on Declan. Will DC 21 against Entranced/Stunned/Incapacitated.
Move Action: Time Blink into H19.

Status: Exhausted.

[Hyperbolic sine]

"WE FIGHT TO THE LAST!" Declan yelled back at the Champion of Haptarus, shielding Maestro from its sword and then darting in front of Sean, shoving him aside a split-second before the Diamond Champion hit. The double fist sent him crashing down, but the Unbreakable simply refused to let himself be stopped by mere physical force: just the time to get back on his feet, and DAMOCLES was spewing antimatter again, its assault relentless as ever.

...from Declan's point of view, at least. For everyone else, he simply froze on the floor for a moment, losing precious seconds.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move: Stand up.
Standard: All-out Multiattack (4)

Power Attack (1), Toughness DC 27 vs Incurable Damage

Copycat (1d20+11)[12] ...another warning shot.

Power Attack (5), Toughness DC 31 vs Incurable Damage

Champion of Dreams (1d20+7)[9]
Champion of Haptarus (1d20+7)[24]
Hyperkinetic Champion (1d20+7)[14]

Also, Bruise regenerates on Round 11.

[Capt. Infinity]

And, just as quickly as he was powering up, the surge was gone.

It was a strange feeling to Maestro. Having his powers ripped out from under him. He felt all at once removed from everything, like someone had bound his hands, boxed his ears, and covered his eyes all in one go. In an instant, Maestro Mentallo felt more alone and exposed than he ever had in his entire life.

And he was just... sick of all of it.

The young man stared at his hands, angry at his own powers for betraying him to the Champion of Dreams, and he gritted his teeth in dismay. "No no NO! Damnit! Arch-DAMNIT!" The hero shouts, lost to the world in how utterly bad it was all going. "This is not the time! This shouldn't be happening! I just... I just want this to end!" Maestro clutches his head, his hope for the situation slowly draining away.

As he looks at the room in dismay at the current state of things, the Hero's eyes fall on Copycat, casually viewing the action from a ways away. Copycat, the reason the they came here, the reason this fight was happening, just... Just THERE. And yet, so impossibly far away.

"Tom..." Maestro, despite retaining his intellect in the nullification, seemed at a loss for words. "Thomas please. If there any of you still in there, STOP THIS. You can help. You can help us fix this. ...Please" The young genius begs of the mimic, hoping that, on some level, his words were reaching the ensnared mind of his former friend.

Spoiler: OOC

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Standard Action: Defend. All attacks against Maestro roll against 1d10+20 to hit.

Move Action: Talk Down Copycat at a -5: (1d20+15)[18]

[Zelphas]

Waterworks simply ignores the clumsy attack by the Hyperkinetic Champion, her eyes fixed on the newly-awake form of the Recruiter. "Why couldn't you just stay down..." she whispers, her form beginning to bubble and froth.

A moment later, she explodes outwards, water boiling and shifting into the massive frame of the Maelstrom. It shifts towards the Recruiter... then stops, disgusted. Unconscious again. The Maelstrom is no scavenger, content to pick the bones of others' kills. Its streams tighten on the Champion of Dreams, seeking to drain the creature of whatever passes for blood. "DiE... jUsT dIe..."

Spoiler: OOC

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Free Action: Switch to Storm Front.

Standard Action: Use Storm Front. The Burst Area Damage 11 only hits Declan and the Diamond Champion, as far as I can tell, so oh well.

Extra Effort + Hero Point: Use Jet Blast on the Champion of Dreams, All-Out Power Attacking for 5. (1d20+6)[22] Toughness Save DC 34+Multiattack vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 29 vs. Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated.

Status: -5 to Active Defenses, Exhausted.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Round 7

Sean's words drew more angry glares than fear from the summons...buuuuut that was enough to slow the Champion of Haptarus down a fraction of a second. Once more she moved to defend the Champion of Dreams, but this time was unable to get out of the way herself fast enough, Wilson's nanite hunters striking her squarely and burrowing straight through. She coughed up blood that faded to ectoplasm, but did not fall.

The Maelstrom came out...and the mansion called it quits. As the tidal wave blew the entire western wall away, the building wavered, wobbled, swayed to either side, and then just all went down like a house of cards. The Diamond Champion shielded the Recruiter and Hyperkinetic Champion beneath its vast bulk, and Tom had literally lucked into being in like the only corner of the house that was still standing. Declan and Sean, though, had about half a house fall on their heads. A thunderous crash marked the end of the Recruiter's mansion. Still, it had died fighting. The mansion...had no regrets.

Spoiler: OOC

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So...I know they're trying to have a conversation here, but I mean, come on, we've all seen how much the Maelstrom hates Copycat and now she finally has an opportunity to indulge. What kind of GM would I be if I passed that up? Waterworks! I am offering you a Hero Point for the Maelstrom's Leader of the Pack Complication. If you accept it, you must retain Maelstrom form and focus your attacks upon Copycat until one of you is defeated.

(That said, in deference to the "everyone else keep out of the conversation" request, I'm considering the Haptaran's usual buff-shouting to be her fluff justification for opposing the Talk Down attempts, so that the dramatic punch of the conversation remains focused on Copycat and Maestro).

Declan and Sean, both of you make a DC 22 Dodge save for half, DC 27/21 Toughness vs. Damage, DC 22/16 Strength or Dodge vs. Grab, and DC 22/16 Mobility or Strength+Power Lifting vs. Trip, from having a house fall on you. Both of you take a Hero Point for the Maelstrom's Unbridled Rage Complication, after this effect resolves.

The Champion of Dreams, now...she might have had a few regrets as the Maelstrom crushed her into ectoplasm.

The Diamond Champion immediately leaped to engage this latest threat, hauling back to rend the Maelstrom with both wicked claws engaged. The Hyperkinetic Champion turned its attention back on Declan, loosing all its power focused into a narrow point to try and pierce right through even his diamond armor. The Champion of Haptarus struck out at Maestro, seeking to finish the genius psychic off while his powers were down - unaware that his psychokinetic armor had sprung unconsciously back up with the Champion of Dreamers' fall. "YOU CANNOT WIN! SURRENDER OR DIE!" she shrieked over the battle.

Spoiler

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Diamond Champion:
Move: Leap into Close range of the Maelstrom.
Standard: Attack the Maelstrom with Diamond Rend, All Out Power Attack for 5, at (1d20+12)[18]. On a hit, Toughness DC 32/27 vs. Damage Linked Weaken Toughness. The Damage has a Secondary Effect. Hit

Hyperkinetic Champion:
Move: Nah.
Standard: Attack Declan with Hyperkinetic Drill, All Out Power Attack for 5, at (1d20+8)[25]. On a hit, Impervious DC 36 vs. Damage, Toughness DC 20 vs. Weaken Toughness. Hit

Champion of Haptarus:
Move: Staggered.
Standard: Attack Maestro with Commanding Strike, All Out Power Attack for 5, at (1d20+12)[17]. On a hit, Toughness DC 32 vs. Damage, Strength or Dodge DC 27 vs. Fast Grab. In addition, everyone give me Dodge DC 22 to negate, Will DC 22/16 vs. Entranced/Compelled/Controlled Affliction. If you are Compelled or Controlled you are forced to surrender, ceasing all actions. This is a mind control effect, not a fear effect. Forgot the Deflect, but misses anyway. Affliction still triggers.

Map

Current Status

All PCs are on turn

[Zelphas]

The Diamond Champion's scything claws rend the Maelstrom, slicing off heavy swathes of water. The massive creature flinches back from the Haptaran Champion's words, its current picking up speed from the defiance rather than slowing down.

Its attention, however, turns fully to Copycat.

"YoU... bEtRaY pAcK?" it rumbles, as watery streams sway with deceptive laziness through the air. Its voice, normally suffused with nothing except for fury, is instead filled with... excitement. "tHeN yOu ArE pReY. rUn, PrEy." The tentacles lash out at the Haptaran Champion, crushing and tearing and seeking to toss the summon across the destroyed room and into the wayward Hero of Millaine. "RuN!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Move Action: Dazed.

Free Action: Switch to Fling (Move Object 11, Perception Range, Damaging).

Standard Action: Use Fling on the Haptaran Champion. Damage DC 26, Strength or Flight DC 21 to avoid being thrown into Copycat. If thrown, Copycat has to roll Toughness vs. DC 26 as well.

Extra Effort: If the Haptaran Champion didn't move, Fling on it again. If it did, Fling on the Hyperkinetic Champion. Damage DC 26, Strength or Flight DC 21 to avoid being thrown into Copycat. If thrown, Copycat has to roll Toughness vs. DC 26 as well.

Status: Fatigued (Exhausted next round), 1 Bruise (Heals), Dazed (Ends), -4 Toughness (Heals 1).

[manwithaplan]

"Are you yelling at me from the other side of a doorframe, Maestro?" Tom yelled from his position in the corner.

"Did you get the precious extra mental capacity you needed to produce that twenty word argument by saving the physical energy needed to look me in the eye? How does it feel, out there, being impotent? Does it claw at you? Is your identity missing, Maestro? Would you do anything to get the power back, for just a moment? Is it the last thing you need, Maestro, to have some incessant idiot complain at you for your lack of willpower while you try to stare down the most intense discomfort you've ever known?! I wonder how unfortunate that must be for you, man! Come in here and-"

And then the Maelstrom came out.

"Figures."

He watched as the massive beast now before him picked up one of his allies and tried to throw it at him so hard that it accidentally banished it from the material plane. He listened to it drill into him, and let the fear it emanated run through him.

If he overcame a single challenge today, it would be this.

The mimic disappeared, coming back into sight directly in front of the Maelstrom. He had never remained awake before a full healing revival before. How he was doing it now was beyond him, but his legs shook and his arms were impossibly heavy as he maintained his fighting stance. And then he moved in, focusing less on physically overwhelming the Maelstrom (I mean, really?) and more on picking apart its far more vulnerable mind. It was a stupid, stupid errand. But perhaps...

Spoiler: Actions

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Boi he bout to do it!

Move Action: Teleport to R16.
Free Action: Book Ends! Using 2 UD Successes to grab Jarrett's Full Powers for a turn. Taking Analytical Strike to 13, the Weaken portion of Psychosomatic Strike to 13, and increasing Stamina by 1.
Standard Action: Psychosomatic Strike on the Maelstrom, All-Out Attack 2. Attack (1d20+9)[12] for DC 26/23 Will against Damage and Weaken Toughness and Will.
Free Action: Extra Effort for a Surge.
Standard Action: Analytical Strike on the Maelstrom, All-Out Attack 2. Attack (1d20+9)[19] for DC 28/23/(1d20+15)[23] Will against Damage and Entranced, Impaired and Vulnerable/Defenseless, Disabled and Stunned as well as Mind Reading. We all know roughly how this one works now, right?

Status: -2 Defence this turn, Exhausted, Incapacitated next round.

[Llyarden]

The rubble settled for a moment before Sean erupted back out of it, somewhat battered and woozy after having a house fall on him but on the whole none too worse for wear; the scant wounds the collapse had inflicted on him were already healing. As he found his footing on the rubble, he lashed out at the Hyperkinetic Champion, claws bared, before springing at the diamond colossus, digging his claws into his carapace and using his momentum to throw it off-balance. Wilson took full advantage of the giant Summon's distraction to hurl another disc at it, picking his way across the rubble somewhat awkwardly.

Spoiler: OOC

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Sean:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Sharp Claws on the Hyperkinetic Champion, all-out/power attacking for 5: (1d20+8)[26]. DC32 Toughness vs damage on a hit.
Extra Effort: Charge the Diamond Champion with Harry the Prey, all-out/power attacking for 5: (1d20+6)[20]. DC27 Defence vs Weaken Toughness and Impaired & Vulnerable / Disabled & Defenceless. None of these conditions apply against Sean.
End of Turn: Regenerates a Bruise.

Wilson:
Move: Move.
Standard: Nanite Hunters on the Diamond Champion, power attacking for 2, -2 for Exhausted: (1d20+8)[10]. DC25 Defence/Impervious vs damage, with Homing 1 and Secondary Effect. Sean is Deflected at either 1d10+16 or 1d10+18 depending on whether Toughness limits are applied before Impaired.

Status:
Sean: Fatigued, Exhausted next round, Dazed this round, -5 to active defences, deflected, Augmented (2/5)
Wilson: 3 Bruises, Exhausted, Augmented (3/5)

[Capt. Infinity]

Maestro was... Utterly dumbfounded at Copycat's retort. Not because it stung. Arch no, the man was insane, insults held no water. What dumbfounded the super genius was in how obviously Copycat was projecting.

He would have deeply deconstructed Copycat's argument, and likely ended it on some heartfelt plea about friendship and the value of one's own self worth... If mimic hadn't just overexerted himself into unconsciousness moments before he could get a single word in.

"...Well okay then." The Psychokinetic shrugged, before staring down the rubble of the just-now-demolished building at the Recruiter's summon facsimile of the super genius himself. "You know, there was once a time when something like you, a being using my own powerset for malicious purposes, would have left me legitimately nervous and worried. But now? Seeing you as somehow one of the Recruiter's choice endgames, and utterly pushed to the max?" The young Dreamer intones, slowly striding towards one of the last two of the Recruiter's grand defenders. "I'm both annoyed, and oddly flattered. But mostly annoyed." He waves lazily at the Hyperkinetic Champion. "Goodbye now." He chimes, as the summon is suddenly bombarded with an omnidirectional slurry of telekinetic blasts, cutting straight past the Champion's defences, and right into it's semi-permanent physical form.

Spoiler: OOC

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Free Action: Modulate Pyschokinetic Strike to add Alternate Resistance [Dodge]

Move Action: Move to M17.

Standard Action: Attack Hyperkinetic Champion with Modulated Psychokinetic Strike. DC 25 Dodge save against Damage. If it's still up, Extra Effort, sans Hero Point, to do it again.

Status: 0 Bruises, Staggered, Exhausted next turn.

[Hyperbolic sine]

The manor came crashing down, burying Declan under a pile of reinforced concrete, pipelines and assorted furniture. The Hyperkinetic Champion's focused attack pierced his diamond coating like a spear - or, perhaps, a bullet - where it already hit the first time, the entry and exit wounds staining red his clothes.

But not even that was enough to bring him down. The pain bolstering his resolve, the Champion of Haptarus' words, as commanding as they might have been, went completely ignored. He was the Unbreakable: he would not surrender, and, no matter what was thrown at him, he would endure.

And, most importantly, even pinned down by the rubble as he was, he still had line of fire to the Hyperkinetic Champion.

"THIS ENDS NOW!" he yelled and, with a devilish grin only slightly distorted by the pain, he pressed DAMOCLES trigger.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move: Staggered.
Standard: All-out (4) Power Attack HC at (1d20+10)[19], Toughness DC 31+Multiattack vs Incurable Damage.

(I checked and Prone only gives penalties to Close attacks, apparently.)

[Quellian-dyrae]

There was something that occasionally happened with the Heroes of Millaine.

No one really knew why it happened. It just kinda...did. They would be in the midst of what looked like an even fight. A tough fight. A fight that maybe, this time, they wouldn't be able to win. The enemies would be advancing. It would be starting to look like a final stand.

And then, a few seconds later, it would be over.

The Champion of Haptarus resisted the Maelstrom with all her might, refusing to bending against the inexorable power of the tide.

So she broke instead. The Maelstrom tore her into ectoplasm.

Copycat assaulted the Maelstrom's mind fiercely, putting everything he had left into trying to strike down the enormous elemental. The force that the mimic could bring to bear was far from inconsiderable. It just wasn't enough. When the power faded away, it was he who ended up on the floor, the Maelstrom injured, but still standing.

Sean and Wilson hit the Diamond Champion in a perfect display of teamwork and tactics, Sean scything through its armor and holding it immobile, open to Wilson. The funny thing? His aim was actually way off. Was he thrown off by a splash of hyperkinetic energy? Distracted by the Maelstrom? Simply anticipating that the Diamond Champion would dodge?

Or maybe he just knew that with the Champion held immobile, his nanites would correct any issues.

Because let's be real. It's a good feeling, taking out the invulnerable diamond titan that has been tanking everything your team has been throwing at it with barely a scratch on a two.

Maestro and Declan let loose on the last one, the Hyperkinetic Champion. Maestro's blasts struck his telekinetic armor powerfully. Declan's antimatter bullets riddled him with vaporized holes. For a moment, it looked like he wouldn't go down. For a moment, it looked like he might yet be able to keep up the fight. He gave a scream of rage, gathering up all that was left of his hyperkinetic power for a devastating final attack...and simply fell apart, his physical form no longer in a state to channel that much raw kinetic force.

In the space of six seconds, the terrible battle waging in the shattered ruins of the broken manor decisively ended.

And with it ended the threat of the Recruiter. The last of the evils that the Heroes had been fighting for the better part of a year.

The APEX meteor had passed the planet by.

Adair Gaertner's abductions and experiments had been put to an end.

And here the Recruiter himself lay, unconscious and alone, ready to be sent back to SIDE's prison facilities.

They had won.

Millaine was safe.

Spoiler: OOC

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Yeah, I'm Fiating the last guy. Realistically, the only thing giving him one desperate final attack would do is cause people to burn off more Hero Points, and that's just lame.

Waterworks, Maestro, Declan, and Wilson, take a Hero Point for the victory. Copycat, you just enjoy that massive pile of Hero Points you didn't have to spend any of on this beast of a battle .

And everyone take two bonus power points for bringing down the Recruiter.

Manwithaplan, that final exertion of energy "burned off" the mind control effect without the Recruiter being conscious to maintain it. When Copycat wakes up he's...well, he's in whatever state you decide he's in after what he just experienced. But he's no longer magically enthralled to the Recruiter, at least.

For now.

[Zelphas]

"WeAk..." The Maelstrom taunts as it stands, battered but unbowed. "YoUr NeW pAcK iS wEaK, pReY... aS aRe YoU."

He isn't weak. And you are done.

The Maelstrom snarls in defiance... and abruptly melts, revealing the tired form of Waterworks once more. She looks down at Copycat for a long moment, then picks up his form in two watery tentacles and gently sets him outside of the destroyed manor. One tentacle reaches over to the Recruiter and picks him up as well, dropping him unceremoniously a short distance away.

Without looking at anyone else, Waterworks moves over to the front right corner of the mansion. Her appendages move deliberately, reaching out to touch every piece of rubble around her. Where they touch, the rubble melts, transforming into clear water and disappearing into the earth. Waterworks begins to walk in a straight line, moving up through the destroyed mansion and melting every bit of rubble near her. Once she reaches the top of the mansion, she turns left and continues to walk, moving in a steady spiral and eliminating every trace of the manor as she goes.

[manwithaplan]

Copycat lay prone on the front lawn, slowly coming to as the destruction around him was absorbed and forgotten. He was not injured in the slightest. No bullet had scraped him, and no blast had reached him. However, he was both physically and mentally in a state of exhaustion so intense that he had no intention of getting up or moving at all for the next few hours. He searched about with his eyes, trying to see what was going on, and just in his peripheral vision he spotted Waterworks doing whatever she was doing. The urgency of the situation seemed to return to him.

"Oh!"

He meant to shoot upwards, though his final manoeuvre was more of a clumsy push into sitting position. Looking about, he spotted all of his teammates, as well as the unconscious form of the Recruiter. He paused for a moment, trying to remember who had fought, which team he was on, and which had won. Then he remembered all three at once.

"Oh."

Then his head tilted back and he lay on the ground, closing his eyes and letting out an almost-silent sigh.

[Llyarden]

Sean slowly relaxed as no more attacks looked to be forthcoming. This had, by far, been the most dangerous fight he'd been a part of and it had taken its toll on him mentally if not physically (other than some damage to his clothes, he was uninjured). After a few moments, he looked over to where the latest burst of antimatter had come from and walked over, reaching down and dragging - none too gently - Declan out of the rubble, dumping him in a marginally-less-collapsed bit of the floor so he wouldn't get in Waterworks' way. Then he walked off, and over to the only remaining part of the manor house, leaning against one wall and turned so he was staring at the other.

Wilson's reaction was somewhat similar; he was considerably more used to being in fights like this but he'd been battered and bruised a bit more than Sean. He moved over to the Recruiter once Waterworks had put him down, removing the forcefield belt and gun, before - out of habit more than any expectation of finding anything - searching the summoner. As he did, he looked over to Copycat. "What happened?" he asked simply (if rather cryptically.)

[Hyperbolic sine]

Declan grunted a thank you as Sean dragged him out of the debris, getting on his feet shortly after while clutching the wound on his abdomen.

"Ow."

Diamond had, of course, already started to seal it, but it was undoubtedly going to leave a scar.

He looked around. They won, they defeated the Recruiter once and for all. He was about to let out a victory cry, but he suddenly stopped as the thoughts of what was coming - which he had managed to keep at bay in a dark corner of his mind during the fight - assailed him again: so, he let out a long sigh instead and pulled out his phone - which somehow survived the entire ordeal intact - and, before turning his attention to Copycat to hear his explanation, sent Lt. Wilhelm the manor's address along with a simple text.

"Recruiter down."

[Capt. Infinity]

Maestro, after the whole ordeal of the fight, felt more drained than anything. His healing surge had managed to seal up almost all of his physical damage, though he still had a large, oppressive pain in his limbs that told him he should still focus on dealing with all the minor cuts and bruises as well.

Looking about the dilapidated manor, Maestro simply lifted himself out of Waterworks' way, happy to let someone else handle the physical fallout of the battle.

As for the mental fallout, however...

Maestro made little fanfare of Copycat's awakening, the telekinetic simply moving his platform over to the slowly awakening mimic, before settling himself down beside him, entering a casual stance as he simply stood nearby Copycat, giving him an earnest look of questioning as he waited for the no-longer-hypnotized hero to actually properly explain himself.

[manwithaplan]

Tom's eyes moved to Wilson, and then to Maestro. He was in no condition to fight, but he kind of wanted to hurt them both. Like it just seemed more important than whatever they were asking him, but not enough that he was going to be able to get up and do it. It was an interesting position to be in, because despite what he was feeling, he was able to keep lying there and rather introspectively consider why he felt that way.

"I'm, erm...give me a moment, something's happening in my head."

It all continued to dwindle, and as it did, more detailed memories came back. Things he had done, and decisions he had made, and...oh, man. Things he had said.

"Okay, look." He was still on the grass now, addressing his team just by moving his eyes to look at them.

"Something was definitely done to me. I was tracking a Recruiter summon, like usual, and it...beat me. It didn't look like one, but it was a Champion. I'm not sure about the gap, but I woke up here, and I was under some sort of long-term compulsion effect. I'm...back on your side, if it's not clear."

There was a brief pause, as if he was considering whether or not he should actually add anything to that. But no, he wasn't going to try justifying himself in the slightest today.

"But no help is gonna come from hiding this. It wasn't an override at all, it was just a...it tampered with me a little. Moved things around without damaging them. I...nothing I did just now was something that I'm normally incapable of doing. For instance."

His eyes focused entirely on Mentallo.

"I've always wanted to fight you, Maestro. Just normally there are more important things, like how you're on my team, and we have bigger things to deal with, or...you're my friend. But it just reduced all of those, I think. I don't want to be made unaccountable for anything that just happened."

[Zelphas]

Waterworks brings down one appendage hard, destroying a large piece of rubble with a loud crash. "I could bring down a building if I wanted to," she says quietly, not looking at Copycat. "As the Maelstrom, I could probably demolish a city block before anyone could stop me. And destruction... is fun, sometimes. Testing the limits, taking down a tough opponent, ripping something apart--there's always been some part of me that enjoys the simple act of turning something into nothing. The Maelstrom just gave it a voice."

She turns to face her teammate fully. "I don't go around destroying things because other things are more important. My job. My friends. Innocent people. That's what separates good from bad; knowing that some things are more important than what we want to do sometimes." She shrugs. "I don't know much about mind control, but it sounds to me like... you were drunk. Your inhibitions were lowered, and ideas that you had idly considered and dismissed as not worth the consequences suddenly seemed plausible. You wanted to fight Maestro; hey, I've wanted to throw a swing or two at Mr. Mastermind, myself." She throws a tired smile at her telekinetic friend.

Her face grows serious again as she looks at Copycat. "You've met your demons, and they bother you. That's a good thing. At least yours aren't as... literal as mine. What are you going to do about them?"

[manwithaplan]

"I'm..."

He was still looking at Maestro.

"Well, for one thing, I'm...sorry."

With whatever strength he had, he lifted up his hands, raising them so that he could look at his own palms.

"And I think...I think I need help, Waterworks. Not from you guys, no offence. I never used to be like this. We all have dark sides, but mine just keeps growing. It used to be that I would take charge and try to help the whole team work together, a long time ago, but now I like to just do whatever seems best for me in a conflict. I used to be really good at controlling APEX. It was a non-issue. But then, I...yeah. And it might be wishful thinking, but I don't think I would've acted this way if you put me under the same spell last year. I guess it's an occupational hazard?"

"I knew I was coming close to finding our last big threat, so perhaps it was a big tipping point for my stress. Now that that's over, I suppose we can all relax a little. But I need to get my head looked at. My general practitioner is in jail, but...I'll figure something out. Until I do, I might step back from the team a bit. I still want to be with you guys, but...I'd like to take on a support role, if that's okay. Not that I want to leave, I just don't think I should be fighting anyone for a while. Next time we get into a situation like that, I'm going to try and hold back. Heal you up or run tactics or whatever. I need a bit of humility."

[Capt. Infinity]

Maestro could only listen as Waterworks gave a better speech than he ever could in this situation, and could only chuckle and shrug defeatedly at her mention of wanting to fight him.

For his part in the whole thing, he only gave Copycat an understanding look, and spoke from what he could only hope was his heart. "Tom. I don't know if you've noticed this, but everyone on this team has got more than a few shadows rooting around in the depths of their souls. It doesn't matter that you have them, everyone has them. What matters is what you do despite them." The telekinetic looked around at the rest of the team, seeing faces that, by all rights, he should fear at this point, and yet he feels he could trust with his life. "All I want from you is a promise that right here, right now, you are Thomas Chide, Hero of Millaine. It doesn't matter who or what you might secretly want to be in your darkest hour, the only thing that matters is who you are. And who you are is my friend and ally. And that's true no matter what power you're using, or what role you take in a fight."

Maestro leans down to help his comrade up.

"Welcome back, Copycat. Good to have you home."




"...But yeah, therapy might also be a good idea. But mostly that first thing."

[manwithaplan]

"I..."

Tom grabbed Maestro's hand and let himself be lifted up onto the ground, still struggling a little bit to remain on his feet.

"I, yeah, I promise. Thank you, Maestro. I promise that I'm Thomas Chide, Hero of Millaine."

He looked around him, at the spot where the completely disintegrated manor used to be.

"Are we going home, or...?"

[Capt. Infinity]

"Yeah, I think we're done here." Maestro declares, finally basking in what was, at the end of the day, a job well done.

As he waits for the rest of the team to gather at their own accord, with his teleport beacon at the ready, Maestro fires out a telepathic message to the ever-reliable Sergeant Willhelm. ~Hey, Willhelm? We got him. We finally, finally got him.~

[Quellian-dyrae]

~I just got Declan's text. Getting a team together as we speak. ETA in 10. Great work! As we've come to expect, of course.~ He didn't even bother asking if, like, everyone was okay, and stuff. There wasn't even a point.

As promised, SIDE would shortly arrive to process the scene, with the media hot on their heels to document the defeat and capture of the man who, at this point, was one of the most notorious villains on the planet, swarming the Heroes with questions, requests for their thoughts and details about the battle, and so on.

But you know, even though it was the Recruiter, at the end of the day, that was typical after-battle stuff. It was routine.

There were other, more important matters to attend...

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Kinda leaving it open for you guys to set the scene as suits you.

[Capt. Infinity]

It was a somber scene, to say the least.

Inside the meeting room of the Heroes of Millaine HQ, as was growing more and more often the case, were the titular heroes, once again deliberating the horrors of their internal strife.

The heroes sat where they may around the table in the meeting room, but Maestro, for his part, sat directly opposite from Declan, staring him down with a level of focus that was as unnerving as it was all-encompassing.

Eskiro and Colt weren't exactly specific when they told the group they should have a team meeting, but it didn't take a super genius to realize something happened to Declan before the whole Recruiter debacle went down.

Maestro kept an even face as he looked over his comrade, the Unbreakable. Bracing for whatever terrible thing was to come.

"Declan. What did you do?"

[Hyperbolic sine]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sorry for the delay.

Thus, the dreaded moment arrived. Declan wore a clouded expression, harboring little doubt on what his teammates' reaction was going to be, as he lowered his gaze.

No. Perhaps what he did was wrong, but it wasn't wrong.

He took a deep breath to steel his resolve, returned Maestro's stare, and finally spoke.

"The Defiants are preparing an attack that will kill thousands. I was given the position of one of their training camps, whose commander would play a relevant role in such attack."

"I...dealt with it."

[Llyarden]

Sean's response was something of an incoherent, furious snarl, which gave Wilson the chance to speak. With the benefit of prior knowledge and his investigative mind, he had already figured out pretty much exactly what had happened even before the ACC had come to speak to them.

Unlike Sean, he didn't sound angry. And unlike Maestro, he didn't sound even-tempered. He just sounded disappointed. "You know, I let you deal with Holtz's warning without telling the others. I trusted you."

"Obviously that was a mistake."

"Let me ask you something, Declan. If someone attacked Hero Corps - directly and personally attacked Hero Corps, not just incidentally by fighting back against us - what do you think we, or any other branch, would do?"

"Actually, you don't need to consider hypotheticals. Right about when the Defiant attacked Millaine, the Hero Corps of Adaros was attacked, in a series of coordinated strikes, some eight months ago. A number of Heroes - well-liked Heroes - died."

"And do you know what the Hero Corps of Adaros did when they were targeted? They went to war."

Wilson had been talking to the table as a whole for most of his little speech, but now he looked directly at Declan. "In what possible world did you think that the Defiant - hateful, insane fanatics - won't do the same?"

"If you had destroyed every Defiant in Ilessia then, perhaps, you could claim you had 'dealt with it.' But you haven't. And in case you forgot, Holtz said that his attempts at preventing his visions have on occasion made matters worse. The Defiants were going to kill thousands before."

"How many are they going to kill now?"

[Capt. Infinity]

Maestro just... sighed.

He was done with this. Done with being angry. Done with getting up in people's face when they screw up. This time, he wasn't going to let feelings cloud his judgement. And he wasn't going to let them hold him back either.

"The thing that's always gotten me about your little attempted massacres is that, speaking completely honestly it makes no sense. No, I'm not saying vengeance is irrational. I don't think I have a leg to stand on at this point in that regard. No, what I'm saying is this. Your history with the Defiants isn't sad enough for this to be okay." Maestro was completely calm as he spoke, though his words were sharpened to a razor tip.

"If you had had everything taken from you by them, like Prometheus? Then I'd get it, I'd understand your plight. But the fact of the matter, Declan, is that the 'horrible thing' the Defiant did to you is a lame and stupid excuse. 'Oh no! They hurt my mom and dad! I required stitches!' GROW THE HELL UP, REYNOLDS! Do you think that being mildly inconvenienced by a bunch of idiots with guns lets you explain away a murderous rampage!?" Though his voice was raised, Maestro showed very little emotion on his face. He wasn't going to be turned aside for sounding like he was getting emotional. These were the facts, and he was stating them with no remorse.

"I'm not saying you can't still hate the Defiant. Arch no, your past experiences with both your family and Beth are enough to warrant that. What I'm saying is nowhere near enough bad stuff has happened to you because of them to warrant you throwing out all semblance of common sense and sanity in the pursuit of vengeance. I. Am. A. BILLIONAIRE, Declan! And a super genius to boot! Do you think I couldn't have that entire camp arrested on the spot for some set of written up charges or some minor bi-law violation I blew into ridiculous proportions? The fact of the matter is that you WANTED to do this. You actively avoided any sane or rational alternative in favour of getting your rocks off on the idea that you were the toughest Hero in town, and that you were good enough to fix the Defiant problem all by yourself. You think just because you can't be broken, that that makes you impossible to break down? Well guess what, Declan." Maestro leans in, his voice growing cold.

"You're diamonds have flaws. More than even I could ever count."

[Zelphas]

Waterworks sits in shock at Declan's statement, barely listening to Wilson and Maestro's speeches. "Oh, Declan," she says quietly, looking over at him. "Do the Defiant truly scare you that much?"

[Hyperbolic sine]

Wilson's words hurt Declan more than he cared to admit: evidently, a part of him was still holding on to the hope that at least Wilson would, perhaps, understand.

He didn't have much time to feel disheartened, though, because Maestro's little speech left him seething with anger. He managed to let him finish without interruptions, but satred daggers - greatswords - all the time, and he couldn't help but to vent out some of that on the first person he replied to.

"I'M NOT SCARED!"

"...I'm not scared." he repeated, after a deep breath to calm himself down and an apologetic glance to Waterworks, the returned to glare at Maestro. "Mildy inconvenienced? Is that how you consider all the people the Defiants killed??? Is that how little those innocent lives mattered to you???"

"Yes, what I did wasn't ethical." He shot a glance at Wilson. "Maybe it will worsen things, if not followed up."

"But you know, at least the next time innocents die I'll be able to claim that I did all I could to prevent that, and maybe my actions will have made a difference."

He pointed an accusatory finger at Maestro.

"Can you? If getting rid of them is so easy as you say, then why haven't you done anything?"

[Capt. Infinity]

"...Not done anything?" Maestro looks completely dumbfounded at Declan, once again giving the man a look as if he'd asked him what colour the sky was. "Declan, my entire Archdamn life has been dedicated to trying to make the world a better, safer place for everyone in it." He returns the diamond enforcer's stare. "I help the world live a happier life. I create quality of life aids, I donate to charity, I campaign for a new and better lives for those who deserve it on my dime and by my sweat alone. What separates you and I is that I make choices that I know will actually matter in the long run. Not ones that feel good in the moment and come back to haunt me."

Maestro sighs, Darla's frankness having ripped a lot of the wind from his sails. He well and truly was trying. "...Don't tell me you don't get that feeling whenever you do this, Declan." He gives his friend an apologetic stare. "That feeling of futility. That feeling that tells you that nothing you're doing matters, that no matter what you do, all you accomplish is just a violent shout into an uncaring void. I had that feeling for a long time too. But it's just that, for me, mine stemmed from not reaching out far enough, and was sated when I started doing political work. But for you... Declan, you have a gut feeling for trouble, but you can never fully comprehend the mayhem you cause yourself. You can't just "fix" the Defiants, because the Defiants aren't a bunch of people, they're an idea. As long as this world has Sleepers that feel scorned by Dreamers, there will be spiteful and angry individuals willing to rise up in arms against them. You can't kill every Defiant and think its done, because the mere act of killing them would make more people into Defiants! This isn't a battlefield, Declan, this is a geopolitical maze. A complex series of puzzles that need to be solved, not simply broken in two."

Maestro looks on at the Unbreakable. Begging him to understand. "You can't fight hatred head-on, no matter how good it feels. Deep down, you know all the pain you cause is just to make yourself feel better. Your act today may save thousands, but millions still die every year from a thousand other things, including the Defiants. Hatred, war, prejudice. These are global concepts, and they aren't the kind of thing you can just go out and shoot in the face. If you want to matter, if you want to illicit change, you have to strike these things at their source. Don't fight a bunch of people in the woods when you can get them arrested. And don't shoot blindly at a bunch of militants when the real problem is the beliefs and worldly issues that brought them there. Kill a dangerous man with a gun, and you save as many people as there were bullets in it. Stop dangerous men from ever owning guns, and you save an infinite amount for centuries to come. Don't fight the present, Declan." Maestro looks straight into the man in front of him, his eyes burning.

"Win the future."