IC: Halcyon Days (Masks RPG Game)

[Comissar]

Conditions - Guilty, Angry

Charlotte feels her heart stop as Elastiboy drops right into the middle of the Wildsiders. In the dead silence that followed, she heard a pair of voices echoing faintly down the vents.

"Please . . . Please, what do you want from us? You already took our money, we don't-"

CLANG

"You wanna SHUT UP? Ain't gonna survive your trial, attitude like that!"

Charlotte's head snapped up, looking ahead into the dark vent before her. Everything was going wrong today. She hadn't taken the Wildsider's seriously enough at the museum, she'd let Ai fly off on her own, and now Malcolm had landed himself right at the centre of attention of a band of dangerously unstable villains. Beneath Charlotte's helmet, a scowl settled on her face. She'd be damned if she let her friends get hurt for her own mistakes.

"Sorry Malcolm... I'll come back as soon as I can..."

Rising from her crawling position to a crouch, and having to phase herself through the top of the vent to do so, she took off at a sprint toward the hostages. As she ran, she relied on her expanded awareness to guide her along the vent, avoiding the pitfall Elastiboy fell foul of.

You are going to regret hurting my friends you *******s.

As soon as she felt people above her, Charlotte jumped, launching herself through the ceiling and rolling into a crouch on the third floor, her hand stretched out to the ground in front of her to stabilise herself. Glancing around herself, she tried to get her bearings as quickly as possible.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

Charlotte's going to get her Game Face on, marking Angry with the goal of saving all the hostages and taking +1 ongoing on rolls to achieve the goal. I remember you saying you want us to limit ourselves to one action per post, so I'm not going to roll to Assess the Situation just yet, though I wasn't sure if Game Face would count as an action? Let me know in the OoC if you want me to roll to Assess or not.

[gailforce]

Ai

Conditions: Angry, Insecure

Still camoflauged, Ai moves closer to the smokestack, and the troubling scene unfolding on its rim. The ugly little ball of anger and fear is still burning in her chest, but it's tempered now by...unease. Something about this scene seems strange and cruel. Inhuman, almost.

In order to do the right thing and prove herself a good and useful person, Ai thinks, she'll have to stop whatever's happening here. Ghost and Malcolm are probably taking care of getting the hostages out--she won't bother them. She'll take down Loco herself.

Floating directly above the smokestack, Ai takes a second to plan her next move.

[Thokk_Smash]

Elastiboy
Conditions: Guilty

Malcolm lands hard on his butt, though it doesn't hurt anything but his pride. He'd thought he was doing so good sneaking! The bad guy was monologuing and everything!

His rubbery butt lets him bounce to his feet in an instant. "Surrender now, villains!" he yells, all confident bluster. "You won't be able to finish your evil plans today! My team and I are here to stop you! A super-strong alien girl's hiding outside, just waiting to ambush you guys! Surrender!" He blinks before realizing that maybe telling them about Ai might not be the best idea.

Spoiler

Show

Spending a Team Selfishly, using it to shift my Labels thus: +1 Mundane, -1 Superior (he's seeing himself as more fallible, more human in his mistakes, while realizing he's not so good with the whole clever 'smarter-than-you' stuff) to make the Pierce the Mask earlier a success.

[herodofcows]

Elastiboy

As the Wildsiders begin to swarm, Boss Nutter holds up a hand. He inclines his head for a moment and stares thoughtfully at the (literally) fallen young hero.

"Wildsiders . . . Half of ye, tae the outseide. Feind this beast from the stars and put her doon. The rest of ye, tae the hostages. I've a sneakin' suspicion aboot our young friends designs 'pon this place. Madcap . . ."

He pauses for effect as the nearby Wildsiders blast off, either for the roof or the third floor.

"Madcap, this lad is part o' yer failure. Fix it."

Madcap's chain is summoned and writhing about in seconds. He looks at his new prey hungrily.

"YES, my liege!" he growls, stepping up to fight as Boss Nutter looks on.

Spoiler: Elastiboy

Show

Ding ding ding! You vs. Madcap, with sundry Wildsiders and Boss Nutter himself waiting in the wings!

Ghost

The intangible heroine rises up from the floor and finds herself within a janitor's closet. Through the crack in the door, she can see the caged hostages, Leanne among them. They all look scared, but unhurt . . . for now.

Four Wildsiders pace back and forth along the hallway. They all look in a foul mood.

". . . any of them worth a damn?" one is asking another as Ghost peers out.

"Man, who cares?" scoffs another, "These b****es don't matter none. Once we get to the old geezer, the school's gonna shut down. Plenty of fresh meat then."

Four Wildsiders, all unaware. Easy pickings. Except . . .

Crash.

Crash.

Crash.

Someone, or someones, are crashing along the third floor and coming closer. It seems as though company is coming . . .

Spoiler: Ghost

Show

Beating up these four will be no problem, but it sounds like more Wildsiders are coming fast! What do you do?

Ai

Loco continues to brandish Alex as he roars out to the circling Wildsiders.

"SHE LIVED, WILDSIDERS! LOCO BESTED HER, BUT SHE LIVED! SEE THAT WE ARE BLESSED! SEE!"

He begins to strut along the rim of the smokestack, declaiming proudly as he goes.

"LOCO SMELLED THE POWER ON HER! LOCO KNOWS THE SMELL OF THE META! HER POWER SMELLS COLD LIKE STEEL AND PURPLE LIKE PSIONICS! SHE WILL BE A TERROR!"

Below, a cadre of Wildsiders rockets out from the ground for and begins rising up to the roof. Loco, mid-bluster, does not appear to notice.

"LOCO WILL TEMPER HER, WILDSIDERS! FORGE HER SHARP LIKE A KNIFE! LOCO WILL SHOW HER TO BE . . . TO . . . To be . . ."

Even as the rockets from below grow louder, Loco goes quiet. He sniffs the air, once . . . twice . . .

"Loco . . . Loco smells meta . . ."

Spoiler: Ai

Show

On the plus side, Alex seems as though she might be safe! But it looks like Loco knows you're here somewhere, and more Wildsiders will be coming shortly . . .

Index

Several of the nearby cops give Index looks of varying incredulity or disdain. The Scythian turns to look at the young mage as he unloads on her, a brittle smile forming on her lips. When she speaks, her voice drips with sarcasm.

"Sure, kid. Whatever you say. Hey, once you figure out what you're good at, we'll call you. Cuz . . ."

She gestures around at the wreckage.

". . . clearly, this ain't it."

She gets a couple of barked chuckles from the nearby officers, although Officer O'Malley looks somewhat askance at her as she turns to talk to Mrs. Davis.

Two cops step forward now, as the rest of the officials get on with their work.

"Alright kid, that's enough," one of them growls, "Time to let us to our job. It's a school day, get outta here."

Spoiler: Index

Show

Looks like the Scythian's remarks on you have been met with nearly (but not entirely) universal agreement. What do you do?

[Razade]

Index
Conditions: Angry

"That's where you're wrong." Sebastian says louder, motioning past the two cops with his cigarette at the Scythian and to the damage around them. "I'm very good at this." He lets the words hang, taking a drag slowly as he keeps her locked in his gaze. "You best remember that Hero. Being polite costs nothing. So when I say we're not done, we're not done. I was going to tell you how to find my team, and the Wild Siders, but not now. No, now I'm going to eviscerate you in front of all these smug garbage bags in costume and then I'm going to get a milkshake. Call the news in, they're gonna wanna see this."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

So if it's not clear, Sebastian is telling the Scythian she best treat people like him with more respect.

[gailforce]

Ai feels...relieved, maybe, to see that Alex is all right. It's a complicated feeling. She's still angry, but she doesn't want to see her hurt. And she's curious if her ray caused the purple and steel smells. But this talk of tempering tools and terror makes her feel a little sick. People aren't tools, they're people.

But before she can fully sort out her emotions, Ai sees the other Wildsiders converging on the smoke stack and knows she has to act. Even if Alex isn't in immediate danger, something here is still wrong. Maybe if she can take down their leader, the other Wildsiders will flee in terror...

Still camouflaged, Ai extends one of her arms, turned thin and sinuous like a snake, and wraps it tightly under the hulking man's jaw.

[Comissar]

Conditions - Angry, Guilty

Charlotte clenched her fists, the casual dismissal and animalistic treatment of her friends infuriating her. She was about to rush out to deal with them when she heard the sounds of more people coming. Cursing under her breath, she looked out over the room again. Even if she cleared the room, she'd be left standing in the open in full view... She shook her head, the longer she waited, the sooner things would go from bad to worse.

Tensing herself, she rushed out of the closet she'd found herself in. She reached the first of the goons before any of them knew what was happening, the first sign of her attack being a surprised yelp as the Wildsider felt her hand abruptly smash into his shoulder. Pushing down, Charlotte phased them both down through the floor at an angle. Halfway through the floor, she gave him a hard shove, sending him tumbling down out of her grasp even as she used her momentum to swing back up to the same floor into a rolling crouch.

"What the ****?!"

They were slow to react, but the shock of her appearance was starting to wear off. Too slowly, though. She was able to get her bearings again before any of them began to move.

"Oh you've messed with the wrong people, b****!"

Behind her, one of them took a swing. Unfortunately for the goon, as soon as she sensed it coming, Charlotte let it phase right through her. Spinning to face the surprised Wildsider, she grabbed her aggressor's arm and, after planting herself in a low stance, tossed her into one of the two remaining grunts, bowling both of them over. While they untangled their limbs, she continued her spin and swept her leg out, catching the final one of the four in the shin. As soon as she made contact, she phased him so that he was falling, using her foot to push him down as she phased lower into the floor again. A grim grin formed under her helmet as she did so.

"Go join your friend, don't bother coming back."

He toppled at a strange angle, flailing for something to hold onto as he yelled out, arms simply passing through the floor instead. As the two passed at eye level, Charlotte grabbed his head, pushing him down so that she was standing on his shoulders, then jumping off of him so that she was standing on solid floor again and there were only the two rising from their tangle of limbs left. She didn't give them a chance to find their footing. Rushing forward low to the ground, she hooked her arm around both of their chests, sending the three of them tumbling again. This time, though, Charlotte made sure it was with purpose. Gritting her teeth as she forced herself to move the weight of two people, she managed to make it to the outside wall, and the three of them swung out into the open air.

"Oh ****!"

"You're insane!"

"Don't let go!"

Leaving the two precariously hanging on a window ledge, she swung herself back up and into the room holding her friends, heart hammering and slightly winded. Glancing to the door, it sounded like whoever was coming was just about to arrive. Resignedly, Charlotte raised her fists, ready for whatever was coming.

Spoiler: OoC

Show

So, given you said they posed no problem, I assumed I had free reign to deal with them without making rolls. Let me know if you need something rolled, though.

For sequence of events, I see it like this;

Charlotte phases out of the Janitor Closet

She jumps on one, using the angle of momentum to phase them both down to the ceiling of the floor below, shoving him clear through and swinging herself back up.

She then gets punched, but senses it coming. Uses the resultant lack of balance from her assailant to launch her into another goon, knocking both over.

The last gets a leg sweep to the shin, but with a quirky twist. Charlotte uses the contact to start phasing him down, knocking him at a weird angle. She has to lower herself too to maintain contact with her foot, so they both sink to about waist level. At this point, Charlotte grabs his head, shoves him down further and jumps off his shoulders, pushing the goon down to join his buddy, and getting Charlotte fully back to the room.

The other two have gotten to their knees at this point, so Charlotte runs in to clothesline them, sliding all three toward the outer wall. Using her super strength (which I think would cap at this kind of level, so it's doable, but tougher than what Charlotte normally manages), she drags them out, holding on to the inside one handed, phasing the three to be hanging outside the building. She gives them a moment to grab something, then swings back in. Just in time for the newcomers to arrive.

[Thokk_Smash]

Elastiboy
Conditions: Guilty

Elastiboy takes up a fighting stance when Madcap begins to move. "Bring it on, crazy!" he yells brazenly, feeling still guilty about tipping the Wildsiders off to his teammates' presence. Still, nothing he can do about it now--except take down this baddie!

The teen is like a bouncing ball, never stopping in one place for more than a split second. Papers are kicked up, chairs knocked over as he throws extended punches past the whipping chains. He's feeling the pressure, but so is Madcap. Malcolm grins with confidence--he can do this!

Spoiler

Show

Feeling supremely tired, but I'll be without my laptop all day tomorrow and wanted to get a post up so we can move on if Herod is able to post.

[herodofcows]

Loco moves like a striking snake, lashing at the unseen alien with unbelievable force. Ai is sent crashing down towards the roof of the assembly plant.

"LOCO SLAYS META!" howls Loco, as the extraterrestrial instinctively goes super-dense . . .

Below, Madcap is snarling and cursing under his breath as Elastiboy begins smashing into him like a renegade bouncy ball. His chain lashes out in utter futility, slicing through the air only to narrowly miss his young foe again and again.

"Stand STILL and (GAH!) fight with HONOR, you-"

Between the two, Ghost stands ready as the Wildsiders burst through the door. They take one look at the situation in the room and then come flooding towards the hero.

"Take her out!"

"Make her drop!"

"Smash the b****!"

"WILDsid-"

CRASH

Ai comes smashing down through the factory, crashing through support beams and concrete reinforcement like so much cardboard.

She blows through the third floor, sending Ghost, the Wildsiders, and the hostages into a freefall towards the distant floor below . . .

She smashes into the second floor, creating an enormous crater as she finally comes to rest and sending Madcap, Boss Nutter, and Elastiboy flying backwards. Elastiboy smashes into Boss Nutter's workspace, knocking over sundry bizarre machines and inventions . . . and touching the map fragment.

There is a catacombs beneath the city streets, dusty skeletons resting peacefully in their niches. The labyrinthine maze twists and turns to reveal a subterranean amphitheater, empty but for a single skeleton in the middle. The skeleton is etched with traceries, runes . . .

Gilliam Stegyre sits alone in a deserted classroom doing paperwork. Forbidden knowledge dances across his eyes . . .

A stone circle stands, ringed with bonfires and chanting members of the Winter Court. The bonfire goes out, the mages vanish, the stone circle decays and collapses as centuries pass in seconds. The land is reworked, tilled, paved over, becomes Halcyon City High . .
.

The sorcerer sits, masked and cowled, in a well-appointed office. His knowledge is a terrifying mosaic, but there are pieces missing .
. .

A pale man floats above a burning Halcyon City. He smiles, and the sky begins to flash and warp behind him . . .

Everyone on the second floor reels from their shared vision as it comes to a cataclysmic end. Boss Nutter is the first to react, springing towards the map piece as Madcap comes shakily to his feet.

"WILDSIDERS!" he howls, "QUIT THIS PLACE!"

Index

The Scythian is no speedster, but between one panel and the next she goes from being across the room . . .

WHAM

. . . to punching Index HARD in the stomach.

"Learn."

As Index doubles over, she elbows him in the back of the head.

"Your."

She picks him up with both hands and throws him bodily out of the museum doors.

"PLACE."

There is a beat as she stands silhouetted in the door, looking down at the teenage hero that she'd just brutalized. Index is lying there bruised and bloodied, crumpled to the ground and apparently defeated . . .

The panel cuts to the police (Officer O'Malley among them) and the bystanders. They are all looking at the Scythian with disconcertion and a touch of fear.

The panel cuts back to the Scythian, who is breathing hard and red in the face. She is flustered, she is angry, and (despite being the physical victor) she is clearly not in control of the situation. Index has gotten under her skin . . . and she knows it.

She rounds back into the museum wordlessly, not meeting anyone's gaze as she does so. Index is now outside, surrounded by emergency vehicles and personnel going about their business and only giving him passing glances. Nobody seems to want to help, but nobody seems to want to interfere either . . .

Spoiler: Index

Show

You have Influence over the Scythian, and now you're outside the museumYou can go anywhere! What do you do?

Spoiler: Everyone Else

Show

So! Falling hostages AND Wildsiders, Boss Nutter is trying to get the map fragment, and the Wildsiders were just ordered to run! Whaaaat's the haps?

[gailforce]

Ai

Conditions: Angry, Insecure

Wha--!!! Ai doesn't even have time to be surprised that Loco has somehow sensed her presence before she's hurtling through the air, thrown backward by a vicious smack. She hurts, a lot. In her surprise and pain, she tries to shift herself into intangibility so that at least she will not crash into the concrete roof and hurt herself even more.

But everything is happening so fast, and she's in more pain than she's been in since she crashed to Earth. She just wants to be safe and to not get hurt anymore.

This desire causes her to make a mistake. Instead of becoming intangible and passing through the floor painlessly, Ai becomes super, super dense. She crashes through one floor, then another, then another, until she lands near Elastiboy.

As she hits the ground, she hears people start to scream. Ai looks up, and sees Ghost, some Wildsiders, and several civilians hurtling towards her. She doesn't have time to recover from her own fall--she has to do something. Springing into the air, Ai tries to catch them all before they hit the ground.

Spoiler: Roll

Show

(2d6+0)[9]

Her fingers elongate into thin, stretchy cords. She whips them out to wrap around ankles and wrists, catching some of the falling humans just before they hit the ground. They bounce like bungee jumpers at the end of a cable.

Looking like some sort of bizarre human-squid hybrid, Ai hovers above the rubble, the humans dangling below her.

[Razade]

Index

The Scythian is no speedster, but between one panel and the next she goes from being across the room . . .

WHAM

. . . to punching Index HARD in the stomach.

"Learn."

As Index doubles over, she elbows him in the back of the head.

"Your."

She picks him up with both hands and throws him bodily out of the museum doors.

"PLACE."

There is a beat as she stands silhouetted in the door, looking down at the teenage hero that she'd just brutalized. Index is lying there bruised and bloodied, crumpled to the ground and apparently defeated . . .

The panel cuts to the police (Officer O'Malley among them) and the bystanders. They are all looking at the Scythian with disconcertion and a touch of fear.

The panel cuts back to the Scythian, who is breathing hard and red in the face. She is flustered, she is angry, and (despite being the physical victor) she is clearly not in control of the situation. Index has gotten under her skin . . . and she knows it.

She rounds back into the museum wordlessly, not meeting anyone's gaze as she does so. Index is now outside, surrounded by emergency vehicles and personnel going about their business and only giving him passing glances. Nobody seems to want to help, but nobody seems to want to interfere either . . .

Spoiler: Index

Show

You have Influence over the Scythian, and now you're outside the museum. You can go anywhere! What do you do?

Index
Conditions: Angry

It's not the first time Sebastian's been hit but it's not every day you get battered around by a super hero known for their strength. Unfortunately unlike the majority of his team...he's just a regular old human when it comes to the durability department. Maybe even a little worse off than most if he were being honest. So naturally he crumples like a dixie cup in a wind storm. But pain...pain was something he knew and it took a lot to put him down. You don't have a building drop on you when you're six and not learn to walk off a few bruises here and there once the fight's over. So it's with delicate care that he stands up, brushes himself off and glares at anyone present.

Wordlessly he picks his way through the crowd, staggering and limping but determined. He wasn't in much shape to go looking for the crew, not to mention what kind of undertaking that would even be at this point...he'd need to look at security feeds and get witnesses...which he wasn't about to do looking like he'd just been hit by a bus. No...there really wasn't an argument to be made against returning home and licking his wounds. So, without much else to say, he limped home.

He called it the Wisteria Atelier, because that's what you do when you're a 17 year old self taught genius with a self loathing streak a mile long and too much time on the internet. It didn't live up to the grandiose name...yet...a simple warehouse with graffittied windows and brick that needed a very long meeting with a power washer. But it was his, every inch of it and he could do with it what he wanted. Which he had. He opened the bay doors, shuttering them swiftly as he made his way into the LED lit cavern he called his workshop. "Consul...playlist one please..." he croaked as he found a chair to slump in.

[Comissar]

Conditions - Angry, Guilty

Charlotte grimaced beneath her helmet. There were a lot of them. In a normal fight, she wouldn't be too concerned, she was tough to pin down after all. But all it would take was one of them to get the bright idea to use the hostages against her... She tensed her muscles, ready to spring forward, when the room shattered around her.

Eyes wide in panic, she jumped with as much force as she could manage even as the floor beneath her fell away. Reaching out, she tried to get close enough to grab some of them, she could soften the landing for them if she could just touch them.

She only managed to reach out and grab two, the other two just beyond her grasp. In the flurry of rubble, she couldn't tell who they were. It was a selfish thought, but she desperately hoped one of them was Leanne. All too soon, she sensed the floor coming up on them. Phasing all three of them was a strain, and she didn't want to go through at full speed, just slow enough that she could rise them back up again.

The impact was heavier than she'd wanted, the sensation like belly-flopping into water, but better than splattering on concrete. Rising up through the floor, she let go of the two she'd grabbed, glancing around the room to try and figure out what on Earth had happened. Above her, she saw what could only be Ai, dangling the other hostages beneath her. And then the vision hit her, leaving her reeling.

"What the hell..?"

Spoiler: Rolling to Defend

Show

Charlotte's getting an extra +1 from her Game Face for this. Will edit in description once I know how she does.

(2D6+4)[8]

[Thokk_Smash]

Elastiboy
Conditions: None

The sudden explosion of sound and alien-girl beside Elastiboy sends the hapless teen into a side-spin, tripping and falling onto the map piece. The vision leaves him reeling for only a moment as both the images and the magic within his body combine to cause a sensation beyond description--though it definitely makes him want to throw up forever.

It is only the image of Mr. Stegyre that lets him rise shakily to his feet. Mal doesn't know too much about magic stuff--the blazing city and skeletons are bad, for sure. But Mr Stegyre's the only teacher who's ever given two damns about him, and now he's in the line of fire of that sorcerer dude? Hell no! If Boss Nutter thinks he'll be able to keep the map fragment, he's delusional!

"Hey, Nutty Professor!" he yells, pushing down on his knees a few times. His body's rubber, it can take it--"it" being an increased blood flow and resultant increase in speed and strength. Sure, maybe that's not what's supposed to happen physiologically, but the magic inside him has to answer to him in the end!

Steam coming off of his reddened skin, Elastiboy seems to gather himself for one panel. In the next panel, he is simply gone, with only slight disruptions of air to denote his passing. "I told you--I'm here to stop you!" he shouts, suddenly and (probably) uncomfortably close to Boss Nutter, his right arm thrown back across several panels' worth of floorspace.

"Rubber Smash!" he shouts, and before Boss Nutter can blink Elastiboy's fist is in his face, magically-enhanced strength combined with sheer momentum to cause a punch worthy of a hero...if only for one punch.

Spoiler

Show

Having successfully Defended the map piece, Elastiboy punches Boss Nutter right IN THE FACE...causing visible evidence of Boss Nutter having been inconvenienced by a fledgeling upstart and thus putting Elastiboy on his sh*t list.

((Alternately, if that doesn't count as Escalating the Situation, either: the sudden outburst of using his body's new magic and playing around with his body's blood-flow causes some damage, or else there's an opening for Madcap or Boss Nutter to cause some damage, a la Expose Self to Harm))

[herodofcows]

Muramasa Plant, Second Floor

Nobody dies.

It's a close thing. As close as close can be, even. But nobody dies.

Ghost's dive is a thing of beauty, and she manages to grab Leanne and Corey JUST before the moment of impact. The three crest to the surface of the concrete, all freed from their cages and unharmed.

Leanne clings to Ghost tightly, pale-faced and shuddering. She manages to look up and smile at her friend, but when she tries to speak she only manages choking noises.

Ai reacts magnificently, not only managing to save Robin but also several Wildsiders who had lost control of their rigs and were on the verge of splattering to the ground. One and all, their faces are pale (or lightly green). It is all too clear that near-death has removed some of the Wildsider thrill . . .

The remaining Wildsiders abandon their companions and fly forth from the assembly plant, heedless of anything but their boss' orders. A pair swoop down and lift up a battered and dazed Madcap out and away.

In moments, the plant floor is nearly deserted. It is just our heroes, the hostages, Ai's captured Wildsiders, and . . .

Boss Nutter recoils sputtering as Elastiboy's fist smacks him right in the face. His goggles are cracked where the teenaged hero had hit him, and blood trickles down his nose. The devices all over his body begin clicking and whirring and spinning faster and faster, and he looks at Elastiboy with a newfound respect . . . and hatred.

"Right then, laddie . . ." he growls, body buzzing with new devices and circuitry, "Ye'd play a man's gaem, then so be't . . ."

Multiple devices and pieces of metal come flying around his frame. In mere moments, Boss Nutter is encased in a steampunk suit of power armor. His arms terminate in two enormous glowing gun barrels, which he points at Ghost and Ai. His smile becomes fiendish as he gazes at Elastiboy through cracked glasses.

"I'll give ye a choice, bouncing boyo mine. Ye serrend'r th' piece o' the map an' let me pass free . . . Or I'll have ye choose which o' yiur harridans I blast tae smithereens!"

Wisteria Atelier

"Yes Sebastian," Consul's voice responds smoothly, and within moments the workshop is suffused with the melodic metal of Tim McIlrath and the boys from Chicago . . .

"Dancing on the crumbling precipice
The rocks are coming loose just at the edge
Are we laughing?
Are you listening?
Can you hear me?
Am I sensing you, Sebastian?

Or is this just a dream?"

The melody slowly dies, and Tim McIlrath's voice becomes something far closer to Consul's. Closer . . . but not quite the same.

"Am I dreaming you, Sebastian?"

The voice sounds quietly fragile, almost desperate.

". . . Please don't be a dream . . ."

[Razade]

Index
Conditions: Angry

Sebastian glances up from where he's slumped, frowning a little as the song...deviates. "I'm here..." he responds, slow to sit up and slower to respond. Even as a VI...and the person who created it...there was something intrinsically worrying when a computer started asking you solipsistic questions. Even if it was, hopefully, merely running of audio cues from the song itself. "You should be, I put motion trackers throughout the place...do I need to look at your audio/visual inputs again?" It was a dismissive answer, he hoped the protocols would jump in, sort this all out. "Let me check. Display all current diagnostics."

He slipped from the chair just as slow, mostly from the pain, and padded to the nearest console to glance at the diagnostics, if there was one thing he was good at after a life threatening lab accident...it was making sure everything ran in tip top shape with plenty of ways to check in. Consul was, at best, a flightly aspect of the warehouse, basically an up-sized tamogatchi and half the week went into keeping it running. It felt like half the time at least. The further, and finale, question and tone however even made him pause in his work, glancing to the small holo-display he'd banged together to have some friendly face around the place. "You're an artificial Virtual Intelligence, designate #20@home in the Halcyon Registry of Non-Beings, presented the title Consul. You lack a REM functionality, you are unable to dream. Not to mention I can barely keep you running...what makes you think I could program a VI with the ability to self actualize let alone dream? If you can't dream, then I can't be a dream. We're both very real, very existent things. Now I'm going to put you in standby while I figure out what's going on. Consul, power down please."

That should work. He sure hoped that would work.

[Comissar]

Conditions - Angry

Charlotte felt a rush of relief as the dust settled and she saw Leanne was one of the two she'd saved. Her friends smile did little to allay the twist of worry in her chest. She'd been put through a lot, but at least the Wildsiders were leaving now, they should be able to get out safely.

"Right then, laddie..." Charlotte looked up, suddenly aware of Boss Nutter, "Ye'd play a man's gaem, then so be't..."

Beneath her helmet, she paled as a massive gun barrel was levelled at her. Her heart hammered in her chest as she glanced up at Ai, still dangling several other people precariously, and now equally held at gunpoint. She felt Leanne's grip tighten around her as her mind raced to find a solution. She'd be willing to risk being hit if it were just her. But she couldn't chance it with Leanne and Corey with her too. She glanced between the others, desperately hoping they'd understand her plan. Quietly, so that only the two with her could hear her, she whispered "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

She phased herself free of her friends grip and rushed forward at an oblique angle so that they weren't in the same line of fire anymore. As she ran, she yelled "I'll flank him! If I can get close enough, I'll phase him right out of his armour!"

She knew there was no chance of reaching him in time to manage that, not before he could get his shots off. But if he had to make some shots, she couldn't let them be at Leanne.

Please shoot me, not them. Shoot me not, them. Shoot me!

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Charlotte will be using her I'll Save You! move to automatically get a 12 on provoking Nutter into shooting at her, marking afraid to do so (she's scared that the weird tech gun will cause her damage even while phased, and she's scared he'll ignore her and go for her friend) and hopefully providing the distraction needed to let the other two take him down. She'll be running at an angle towards him so that Leanne and Corey are no longer directly behind her, leaving just her in the line of fire.

[gailforce]

Ai

Conditions: Angry

Ai carefully lowers the hostages she grabbed down to the floor, but keeps the Wildsiders within her grasp.

She freezes as Boss Nutter trains his gun on her--this will hurt if it hits her, and she doesn't want things to hurt anymore--but as Ghost springs valiantly into action, she does too. She draws her ship from her pocket and instantly expands it to the size of a Winnebago. A hatch in the side shlorps open.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon," she says, gesturing to the hostages to climb in.

[Thokk_Smash]

Elastiboy
Conditions: None

Elastiboy begins to visibly wheeze from the exertion he'd put himself through. He wobbles, and rights himself only with an audible grunt of effort and glare of righteous fury at Boss Nutter. Part of him feels a twinge of fear at Ai and Ghost being targeted by the crazed boss, sure. It's only human to feel concerned when a madman is pointing a dangerous weapon at your friends.

But it's also human to trust in your friends. And there's no people Elastiboy trusts more than the three friends on his team. So it is that, when Ghost makes her break for the side in a bid to distract Boss Nutter and draw his attention, Elastiboy is already sprinting full force for the villain--Nutter's attention is away from Elastiboy long enough to make his move.

"I choose option three!" he yells, leaping and kicking out a leg. His foot stretches out and connects with Boss Nutter's head, a small blow but enough to take his attention away from Ghost. When the man turns to Elastiboy, he'll see the boy's hands right in front of his face, grabbing him by the sides of the head.

Elastiboy's arms had twisted around themselves while reaching for the Boss' head, and that means a lot of potential torque just waiting to be unleashed. With a mischievous grin, Elastiboy begins to untwist his arms while bringing Boss Nutter up into the air in an arc above his head.

"That's the one where we beat you! Rubber Mallet!" he shouts as he finishes his arc, bringing Boss Nutter crashing to the ground in what would have been a much more painful collision had he not been wearing powered armor.

Spoiler

Show

Elastiboy already has Influence over Ghost, and he doesn't have any Conditions to clear anymore, so I guess I'll add a Team, assuming they carry over between issues.

[herodofcows]

The Muramasa Plant

Boss Nutter wheels around as Ghost comes running at him.

"Foolish strumpet!" he roars with a grin, lining up his shot, "Ye've sealed yer-"

WHAMMO!

Elastiboy's fierce blow sends him sprawling backwards, cursing and staggering as his shot goes wide. He claws at his shattered goggles, and his eyes are full of blood.

"ACH, YE BLOODY BAIRNS! I'LL MURRAIN YER VIERY LEIVES, SEE IF I DINNAE!"

Jets engage along his suit, and he flies out through the shattered ceiling!

"WYYYYYYLDSYYYYYDERRRRRSSSS"

And with that, Boss Nutter and the Wildsiders have left the building!

"Um . . ." comes a voice from within Ai's ship, "Can . . . Can we come out now? It smells like fast food in here . . ."

Behind Elastiboy, the map piece is glowing a pulsing deep purple . . .

Wisteria Atelier

"No, don't go! I sense you! You're real! Please, you have to help me! The Winter Court, you have to-"

Upon Index's orders, Consul powers down. Diagnostics spring up on multiple screens. Everything checks out. Everything appears normal, except . . .

The sorcerer's power. The stored magical energy that Index had retained from the team's first battle. The stuff currently helping to power Consul's systems.

It's glowing a pulsing deep purple.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Our heroes go their ways, as they must.

Elastiboy readies himself to head off into the night, to pursue justice and thrills even as he evades his foster-brother's disapproving looks and text messages . . .

Index licks his wounds and works. And ponders. And builds.

Ghost continues her triple balancing act, putting out the fires in her civilian life even as she readies herself to patrol the streets of Halcyon City and bring law to the lawless . . .

And Ai . . .

Ai flies into the abandoned store conglomeration that has been the team's unofficial meetup and her home since her arrival into Halcyon City. All of the familiar derelict commercial outposts greet her, not a mold patch nor dust mite out of place. All is quiet, all is right . . .

<I don't know what to do I don't know what to do I don't know what to do help me please help me please help me . . .>

A vision: Alex, curled up in a dressing room within the mall. Ai recognizes the store: a long-abandoned Hot Topic.

She extends her hand plaintively, and her eyes are full of tears. Her Wildsider gear is broken or discarded around her. She is levitating about six inches off the ground.

<Help me . . . Please . . .>

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The sorcerer sits, masked and cowled, in a well-appointed office. He has a cell phone held stiffly to his ear.

"MISTER Nutter," he interrupts, inspecting his fingernails as he speaks, "I do not care in the LEAST about your defeat. Hooligans with superpowers are the price of doing business in my city. You were hired to do one thing, and one thing only, so I ask you SIR: Did. You. Procure. The. Map. Piece?"

His fingers tighten perceptibly as he receives his answer.

"I seeeeeee . . ."

The sorcerer rises and crosses over to the office entrance. As he steps, his cowl and mask fade and dissolve to reveal a handsome black-haired man with a pencil mustache in an immaculate three-piece suit. He has a smile fixed on his face, but icy blue rage dances in his eyes.

"Well, Mister Nutter, it seems you have a choice to make. Are you going to FIX this mistake, or are you going to die by my hands? No, no, I don't want any details. Just . . . get it done, Mister Nutter. Get it done."

The sorcerer hangs up the phone and cracks open the door. As he speaks, the panels shift to focus on the walls of the room. They are filled with pictures of the unmasked sorcerer smiling and shaking hands with many important-looking people.

"Justin? I'm ready for my three o'clock. Send them up, if you please."

"Yes sir, Mr. Mayor," comes the distant reply.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Deep within the bowels of the earth, there is a cave.

Within the cave, there are six people.

Five stand in a pentagram, arms extended outwards. They are clad in luminescent white, and incant spells in an unknown language. They are mages of the Winter Court.

One sits cross-legged within the pentagram. He is the pale man from the vision. He is hairless and naked.

As the panel zooms in, he lifts his face up and opens his eyes. His eyes are black.

He smiles. His teeth are pure white.

END ISSUE ONE

[herodofcows]

Halcyon Days

Issue 2: Boss Battle

Musical Accompaniment

This issue opens with the pages divided into four rows. Each row lists the characters involved and a subtitle.

Ghost: BUS-ted

The top row of panels shows Ghost sitting in detention. The rays of the afternoon sun are creeping across the rows of desks in the all-but-unoccupied classroom. Four other students sit in different scattered spaces, and a teacher reads a book at the front of the room.

Everyone, including the teacher, looks bored and miserable.

In the second-to-last panel, there is a knock. The final panel shows Leanne peeking in and winking at Ghost.

"Uh, excuse me Mr. Blake? Mrs. Davis just asked if she could see Charlotte really quick . . ."

Elastiboy: After-School Special.

Mr. Gilliam Stegyre purses his lips as he leans against his desk. He and Elastiboy are both standing in his classroom, just after school has been let out. Elastiboy has just finished telling him about his vision.

"I . . ." he begins, face contorted by thoughts.

Two beat panels, and then . . .

". . . Malcolm, I don't suppose I could convince you to let this be?" he finally asks, not looking his young charge in the face.

Ai and Index: Gearheads

The first panel shows a wide-angle shot of the Wisteria Atelier, replete as it is with various electronica, arcana, and half-finished combinations of the two. The stored sorcerer's power stands out in one corner, still glowing a faint purple.

Over the course of the next few panels, the viewpoint zooms in further and further into the glowing purple container.

In the final panel, everything is tinted purple. We see Index and Ai working together from the viewpoint of the sorcerer's power.

Boss Nutter: Heavy Is The Head

The first panel shows a blood-shot eye.

The second panel zooms out to show Boss Nutter's face. It is bruised and bloody around the eyes. He has no lenses or goggles on his eyes anymore. He looks coldly furious.

The third panel shows Boss Nutter in full power armor. He is standing in a darkened chamber, seemingly alone. A single white light illuminates him from below.

"Activate the Nightcrawler Protocol," he growls into the darkness.

The fourth panel is identical to the third panel . . . except the darkness is now illuminated by what appear to be thousands of glowing green lights . . .

. . . or eyes . . .

[Comissar]

Conditions - Afraid, Angry

The phrase 'no good deed goes unpunished' sat squarely in the forefront of Charlotte's mind. She felt wretched. That was a good word, wretched. She'd been so sure she could help out at the Museum, got so wrapped up in playing the hero, she let people get captured and put in harms way. Thank god none of them got badly hurt, but now she was in trouble with the school for disappearing in a crisis. Hence detention. She looked up at the clock on the wall and paled.

How has it only been ten minutes?!

God she hated detention.

Kind of the point...

Charlotte propped her head up with her hand, resting her elbow on the desk. Maybe Malcolm had the right idea. Maybe she should just come out and say 'I'm a super hero'. But then, what if Leanne was targeted? Or her mum? She'd never be able to live with herself.

So kind of like right now, then...

Charlotte's train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. She looked over and was surprised to see Leanne.

"Uh, excuse me Mr. Blake? Mrs. Davis just asked if she could see Charlotte really quick . . ."

She looked over to Mr. Blake, a hopeful expression on her face.

[gailforce]

Ai

Conditions: Angry

Ai hovers cross-legged a few feet above the floor, fiddling with a small, crescent-shaped device. Three more similar-looking devices are laid out carefully on the workbench in front of her. She uses a screw-driver the size of a pin to adjust something tiny on its face.

She and Index had decided, after they had all gotten separated while dealing with the Wildsiders, that it would be useful to have some sort of inconspicuous of way of communicating with each other over long distances. Index had introduced her to the concept of telecommunication, which seemed to Ai to be an ingenious work-around for not being psychic. He built prototypes, and Ai miniaturized their components using a simpler version of the dimension dilation engine in her ship and toolbox. She's finishing reassembling them now. The result is a small, pale crescent that is small and thin enough to fit in the inner shell of the ear, but with a powerful range.

Ai sets down the last communicator, satisfied. They can test the limits of the ranges later today. If Index wants to, that is.

She glances over at him. She had hoped to impress him with with her technical knowledge, since she'd made a fool of herself in their last fight. Maybe she's succeeded? Ai desperately wants him to like her.

"Um, Index? I'm finished. Want to take a look?"

[Razade]

Index
Conditions: Angry

Sebastian had been on edge.

Alongside all the typical teenage drama and angst, he was now sitting on one very large and potentially dangerous problem. A problem which meant a spider web of issues should the wrong people find out, the least of which being severe punishment from the Tribunal for his little lantern. Which meant he had to figure some other way out of the issue...and the only person he thought he could trust was Glory. He'd been in the process of writing her an e-mail when Ai came around.

This had set him further on edge.

It wasn't like he disliked the alien but...she was an alien. Hard enough trying to figure out what other humans thought, who knew what an alien might be up to in their minds. Especially in the minds of ones that could look into other people's minds. He wasn't sure Ai could do that but he was damn well sure he didn't want her to try. He also wasn't too happy that the team had found his warehouse. It meant they'd come around looking for him when he didn't want to get involved and who really likes uninvited guests to begin with? Especially ones you just can't kick out without seriously jeopardizing your attachment to the team you were ostensibly on. So it was with usual barely concealed annoyance he'd let the alien in, and even further annoyance letting her touch his workshop.

"You can call me Sebastian. When we're not in costume." was the first thing he said, sitting up from his chair slowly and exhaling a large plume of smoke after a particularly long drag at the ornate pipe that hung limply from his usual sneer. "It looks fine." An assessment he made from a tablespan away, waving a hand through the gloomy fog before turning his chair fully to face Ai. "How about you go outside and we can test them. If they work, you can go give the others to the team."

[gailforce]

Ai

Conditions: Angry

Ai's joy at being given permission to call Sebastian by his other name is tempered by dismay at the sense that he wants her to leave him alone. But maybe she's misjudging the situation? Sebastian is the most confusing of her new human friends, after all. Besides, even if he does want her to go away, that doesn't mean that she has to. She wants to keep talking until they're friends, so that's what she'll do.

"Yes, let's test them!" she says enthusiastically, scooping up the communicators and flying towards the door. "By the way, do you think I should have a different name? The way you do? Like, um...Sign? Symbol? Icon? Array? Heap? Hash? Tree?"

[Thokk_Smash]

Elastiboy
Conditions: None

Malcolm stands before Mr Stegyre's desk, fists balled, shoulders hunched, taking a deep breath after the retelling of his vision. The look he gives his favorite teacher, his beloved mentor, is one of concern and disbelief. "Wh...no," he says, and in his voice is hurt and vehemence in equal measure. Hurt, that Mr Stegyre felt like he couldn't trust him; vehemence at the depths of his loyalty for the old teacher.

"No, no, a thousand times no," he repeats, head shaking with each 'no' such that the movement prompts Sparky to pop his head out of Mal's backpack where he'd been hiding. The little corgi gives a little yip, and Mal takes him out of the backpack and holds him in his arms. "Mr Stegyre, this is happening in my home! I saw Halcyon City burning, I can't just ignore that! And..."

He hesitates, before continuing, "These are bad dudes, Mr Stegyre. Boss Nutter is crazy, but strong, and I think he's just a grunt in the long run. And you...you're awesome, Mr Steg. You've done some bada** stuff. But you're old. You keep saying you're past your prime. And I know I'm painfully green, but...but I just can't help but want to help. Please, let me help you."

He gives Mr Stegyre his most pleading, earnest look. Combined with an even more pleading look from Sparky in his arms, and even the most hardened person would have a hard time standing strong.

[Razade]

Ai

Conditions: Angry

Ai's joy at being given permission to call Sebastian by his other name is tempered by dismay at the sense that he wants her to leave him alone. But maybe she's misjudging the situation? Sebastian is the most confusing of her new human friends, after all. Besides, even if he does want her to go away, that doesn't mean that she has to. She wants to keep talking until they're friends, so that's what she'll do.

"Yes, let's test them!" she says enthusiastically, scooping up the communicators and flying towards the door. "By the way, do you think I should have a different name? The way you do? Like, um...Sign? Symbol? Icon? Array? Heap? Hash? Tree?"

Sebastian turns back into his seat, only idly grabbing for the other communicator in after thought, as the alien flies off. "I don't think it particularly matters. I don't call myself Index, the media calls me that." It was a true-ish statement. Of the various titles he'd earned in the news, Index was the most preferable. "And wouldn't you want a more...Earth name anyway? If you're trying to pass yourself off as someone different?"

[gailforce]

Sebastian turns back into his seat, only idly grabbing for the other communicator in after thought, as the alien flies off. "I don't think it particularly matters. I don't call myself Index, the media calls me that." It was a true-ish statement. Of the various titles he'd earned in the news, Index was the most preferable. "And wouldn't you want a more...Earth name anyway? If you're trying to pass yourself off as someone different?"

Ai

Conditions: Angry

Ai hums thoughtfully as she zips out the door and up into the sky. She fixes one of the communicators in her ear, and keeps chattering.

"Do you think I should try to be something different? I don't like my real name very much, but the way you all call me 'Ai' with your mouths is good. It's a very person name, don't you think? Very, um...high empathy? Is that how you would say it? Because when you say my name it also sounds like you're saying 'I', which is what you call yourselves."

As she babbles, Ai soars higher, and higher, and higher.

[herodofcows]

Ghost: BUS-ted

Mr. Blake doesn't even look up from the book.

"Don't dawdle, Burton," he grumbles, but otherwise seems utterly uninterested as Ghost leaves the room.

As soon as you get out of detention, Leanne gives her friend a hug.

"Whew! Thought that was going to be a lot harder," she chuckles, relieved, "Like, it was a b.s. detention anyway. Can't believe you had to get punished for . . ."

She looks around the hallway and then drops her voice into a whisper.

". . . for, y'know, saving us."

Her voice resumes its normal volume as the two teenagers walk through the empty gym.

"So, uh . . . what's the game plan now?" she asks, trying to feign nonchalance, "You going after the Wildsiders or something?"

Spoiler: Ghost

Show

Let me know if I'm writing Leanne wrong, or if you'd rather play out the conversation between them within your own posts! If so, I'll delete everything after "Ghost leaves the room".

Elastiboy: After-School Special

Mr. Stegyre gives Elastiboy a searching look as he makes case. For the longest silent moment, it appears as though he's just going to say no. Finally, though, he sighs . . .

". . . I suppose you would throw yourself headlong into some other equally perilous situation to get answers, wouldn't you?" he says, with a mixture of annoyance and fondness, "Very well then, I suppose class is in session!"

He leans up against his desk and ponders.

"It all began with the Lightning Card Gang . . . Have you read about them? I don't know why you would have, this was well before your time. They were a gang of speedsters that named themselves after playing cards. Ace of Spades, Four of Diamonds, Jack of Hearts . . . you get the idea. They had a whole elaborate story about themselves, but I was never much for paying attention to their grandiloquent monologuing. Anyway . . .

"They came for the mayor one night. Took the poor man hostage and demanded a sum of one million dollars for his release (you have to remember, this was the 60's. One million was a preposterous sum of money back then). Obviously, we heroes went charging in after them.

"I remember I'd gotten to the mayor, along with a few other heroes of the day. Bull Moose, Red Sorceress, Cavalier Rex . . . We were escorting him out of the building while the Lightning Card Gang was otherwise distracted, or so we thought. We'd about reached the passageway that Major Miner had drilled, when suddenly . . ."

His eyes go hollow as he gets to this part of the story, and he shudders slightly.

"Well, I hope you never have to see what happens when a speedster vibrates his fist through another person's stomach.

"I was holding onto the poor man while the others moved to fight the speedster. He was in agony, but he was still alive for that moment. He pulled me close and, with his last strength, told me the secret of Halcyon City's involvement with the Winter Court. It had been passed down from mayor to mayor, he'd said, but now it fell to me. He told me that there were steps I had to take, in absolute secret, to ensure that the Winter Court never had cause to return to Halcyon City.

"If the vision you saw is correct, then someone else knows about this . . . and I absolutely shudder to think what they might be planning if they do. The Wildsiders are bad enough, but I believe you are right to expect something deeper.

"THAT is what I'm hiding, Malcolm. THAT is what I fear: that someone might be tapping into something so fearsome, so mighty, that the Winter Court might come to scour our city from the face of the Earth."

Ai and Index: Gearheads

Spoiler: Index, Ai

Show

No additional narration! Keep doing your thing!

Spoiler: All

Show

Will add a bit about Boss Nutter's thing later tonight when I'm home!

[Razade]

Index
Conditions: Angry

Sebastian listens to Ai crackle over the earpiece, moving to finish the e-mail he'd been trying to write all morning. "Only in English." he mutters absentmindedly, fingers punching away at the keyboard. "In Korean we say Na. Which sounds like no in English. Would you like to be associated with that? Your name associated with a negative?"

[gailforce]

Index
Conditions: Angry

Sebastian listens to Ai crackle over the earpiece, moving to finish the e-mail he'd been trying to write all morning. "Only in English." he mutters absentmindedly, fingers punching away at the keyboard. "In Korean we say Na. Which sounds like no in English. Would you like to be associated with that? Your name associated with a negative?"

Ai

Conditions: Angry

Ai giggles a little bit. She's high above Halcyon City now, higher even than the planes descending to land at the nearby airport. From up here, the city looks so small, and she feels powerful and free. It emboldens her to say things she usually wouldn't.

"Well, my full name already means something negative," she says. "I can't translate it into human speech, but it means something like...'discordant uncomfortable sunk cost still here but not worth much'."