A New Chance

[evisiron]

Pulse

Pulse looks calmly at Nosferatu throughout his response. Then when the armored vampire with the samurai sword has obviously finished, he nods once. "So... tell you what, I promise not to put myself forward as team comedian, and maybe you should consider avoiding the post of team diplomat?"

Nosferatu

There is a brief second where nothing happens, then all then tension seems to stream from Nosferatu's body. He gives a hearty chuckle, stares skyward for a second and looks back at Pulse.

"No deal. I have demonstrated my affinity for megaphone diplomacy and it would be monstrous to rob the world of your dry wit."

Nosferatu shifts back into his normal style of conversation, trying to act as if the outburst never occured.

"By the way, do we have a game plan in case the human waste should hit the fan? I was just going to knock out anyone with a weapon pointed at me, find you guys, and fly out of there; but if you have something better, I would rather hear it in advance."

[Wiz]

Pulse

Pulse frowns (or at least you think he does, it's hard to tell beneath his scarf, but his eyes seem to frown). "Actually, other than the idea that, considering the lack of time they've had to create their 'holding facility,' it seems unlikely that any one cell could be specific enough to hold two mutates... I haven't come up with any particular plan. I'd rather not have to think of a plan, because that means they are going to be unreasonable, and set themselves against us. I hope that the people in charge aren't unintelligent enough to start something like that, nevertheless, I do not doubt that I can come up with a plan quickly enough, should it be required."

[evisiron]

Nosferatu

"Its not so much the worry that they have a cell that would hold two specific mutates. I worry that they have a cell that could hold 'anything'. Even then, a decent cell could easily be aguemented by ambient lighting (for our friend here) or a shot of tranqualisers for anyone else. When something is heat proof it cant be too hard to make it electrity proof and ice proof too.

I admire your optimism that they wont be that stupid. Nothing says reasonable thinking like "Hey! We brought you a super powered serial killer! He tried to kill you before, remember? Yeah, we have been keeping an eye on him. He is in this patch of shadow... I think. Little rascal might have got loose again."

Still, I always prefer to have an idea of what to do than think on my feet. Well, I guess I wont think on my feet so much now that I am airborne so much of the time"

Nosferatu grins, reveling in the pun delivered with the elegance and grace of a drunken hippo on ice. Things are not nearly as entertaining is everyone is serious all the time.

[Wiz]

Pulse

Pulse nods, "I suppose we shall see... on the whole, I have a positive feeling about the Rainport PD. I'm just not sure about these national guard forces... particularly the military commanders who've probably been flown in from the Pentagon with about a half-hour's briefing..."

[evisiron]

Nosferatu

"Agreed. I am sure the PD have heard about us helping out around the fire and the such, and know that we are not hostile. Either that, or they are not paid enough to risk a fight.

But military personnel... it would be Target Assessments and potential threat analysis. Plus our abilies likely sets us above their years of training and experience. Thats gotta sting.

Hmmm...
Just a heads up, if they shoot me in the head or whatever, and I survive, I will probably play dead. I seem pretty resilient, but I don't know exactly how well this souped up healing works. So, if it does all go to hell, I would appreciate it if you dragged my 'corpse' out of there. Hopefully I will wake up. Oh, and Reaper. If that happens, try to stick with us. I doubt people will hesistate to use lethal force if they see you going solo. And please avoid killing anyone, no matter how bad it gets. I don't suppose you can dull those claws of yours? Maybe we shoud go buy some of those wee rubber snubs you can get for cat claws..."

With the last statement his hand thoughtfully reaches to his chin. Of course, he is still wearing a mask, so he strokes the area a beard would normally occupy.

[Wiz]

Pulse

Pulse nods, "Anything I should be especially aware of... remove silver bullets for healing, watch for garlic oil in the wounds, etc...?" He looks at you, "I know you're not a real vampire, but this mutagen seems to have partly worked on people's state of mind. I take it you were interested in vampires, so do you have any of their particular weaknesses?"

[evisiron]

Nosferatu

"Good question. Well, its pretty obvious that sunlight does not do much, though you would not believe how hard it was to test that one out... As for garlic, I didn't notice anything odd when near places where garlic was being prepared. I have not eaten any since I don't like garlic too much anyway. Then again, maybe it has to be in its distilled form to have an effect. Silver... I have not tested yet. If someone is willing to invest the capital to buy enough silver to melt into a bullet and then shoot it at me, congrats to them, but I won't use up that kind of money. Running water: Nothing odd yet, but not many large scale rivers in the centre of the city. Holy water - Have not tried yet. The Cross... seen a few around town, but maybe a priest has to wield it or something.

So, short answer: I don't know.

Though if the situation comes up where someone is threatening me with a clove of garlic, please don't correct them. It's so much funnier when villains think they have the upper hand.

Of course, the over the top stuff if as expected. It is unlikely that I would find having a stake shoved through my heart or my head cut off with a shovel very pleasant.

So, how about you? Anything I should know about - power or weakness wise? It would be better to know now than hand you an apple later to find out your powers made you deadly allergic. Though with all your metal gadgets, perhaps you would prefer a Snapple"

Nosferatu smiles at the last comment. However, the discussion has set him considering his weaknesses. He hadn't really tried too many. Then again, when you are looking for something that will kill you, being successful is not as fun as it should be.

Spoiler

Show

[OOC: I assume that by 2014 everyone reads xkcd, and has seen this one at least: http://xkcd.com/18/ ]

[Wiz]

Pulse

Pulse shakes his head, "No particular weaknesses, or at least nothing, I've noticed; save for a rather fast metabolism. I guess that goes with the whole brain power boost, which makes sense considering what we know about the evolution of the human brain."

[The_Snark]

Judith

Judy considers. "Not any sort of revenge, I don't think. I suppose nobody bothered to check what temperature the chemical should have been stored at, or they didn't anticipate such a volatile reaction. They can't cover their intentions up, of course, but I imagine they'll try to bury any evidence of the thefts pretty deep. The paper shredders will be busy," she quips. "I know what you mean about the chemistry classes, but I have the feeling it wouldn't have helped us out any. I doubt even the professionals really know what's going on here."

"I did hear something about a fire, actually. So people showed up?" She half-shakes her head. "What is it about this that suddenly makes people want to help? They could have been firefighters if they'd been concerned. I suppose it's just that it's less work now that they don't have to learn." She wonders whether she ought to be elated or disenheartened at that insight. People would freely help others out—but only if it wouldn't cost them much time or effort. "Well... hopefully, that will help out. If public opinion doesn't turn against mutants, the politicians will think twice about taking... any sort of action," she finishes lamely. She didn't really want to think about what they might try doing if the tides of public opinion should turn the other way. And who can tell, really, before it happens? It's like someone's dammed up a river, and we're waiting to see whether the water simply flows right over it or bursts out somewhere else. And as anyone who has ever attempted to dam a small creek at a beach knows, no dam is perfect.

"Are you going to try to contact any of those other... heroes, then?" It still struck her as a foolish thing to say. People talked about heroes in books and news reports; you didn't use the word in real life. "To warn them, and try to make sure they don't do anything to frighten people? Stopping fires can't really garner objections, but vigilantism, or anything that even might infringe on constitutional rights... that's the sort of thing that will get people riled up, and in a way worse than random lunatics like that Reaper."

[evisiron]

Nosferatu

"That with greater frontal lobe activity the blood flow and energy consumer are increased - right?

Have you considered carrying some snack cakes or energy drinks around with you?

I remember you saying about having some kind of magnetic pulse radar. I suppose anything stronger would cause small metallic objects to stick to you, in an amusing fashion. Coins or..."

Trailing off, Nosferatu slips the metal d10 from his pocket. He ponders it for a minute, then decides against flicking it at Pulse. It would make one of the people involved look foolish regardless of outcome.

"...stuff"

[Raven T.]

Alex

"Our 'esteemed' mayor has already explained the penalty for vigilantism; I suspect that most of the people who showed up registered. However, THAT is a completely different can of worms. For now, it's voluntary, but what will happen down the road at this rate? You see what kind of a slippery slope we sit on as far as these events are concerned. Gods know I don't want to rile up the people. Human stampedes tend to be far more deadly than those started by any other animal. Fear is the antithesis of everything I'm trying to do here."

Alex rose from his seat and stood close to Judy before pressing a small roll of bills into her hand. "Thank you...for everything."

[Wiz]

Pulse

Pulse reaches into his pocket and pulls out a high protein energy bar. "Yes, I did think of that." He frowns, "I didn't do to well on the fire though... that poor family on the top floor. I opened the window and the gas hit me... I think they were all probably dead, since they were lying in that for who knows how long, and weren't moving." He sighs, "I guess that despite our advantages, we can't do everything."

[The_Snark]

Judy

Jude draws back her hand as if to fend off the bills. "It's fine, Alex. I can manage. It's not as if this isn't of any concern to me, either." You can't, you know. You're eating for two—three now. And taking on more work for yourself at the same time? It had better pay something...

I'll manage, she thinks firmly to herself. Worst comes to worst, I'll... The thought trails off—she doesn't know. Whatever I do, it'll be something useful, not asking for charity from friends. And nothing illegal. I'm well out of that, and I intend to stay that way. Maybe there's some way I can put a second body to use. "Where do I come into this, then?" she asks, partly to try to distract herself from the question of her finances and partly to try to distract Alex from the same thing. "I was here to check up on Balchem's competition to see who they might have been acquiring items from, but none of them are local. I'm not sure I can really get anywhere that way."

[evisiron]

Nosferatu

"I..didn't know a family had died in there. It looked like the professional teams had reached the whole building, so stopped to call the meeting.
But you are right. We can't do everything. We can't save everyone. But that does not mean we should not help anyone. I know thats not what you were saying, but some of the problems raised in that meeting are still bouncing around my head.

Any idea what the gas was? Ah, but the fire fighters should have breathing gear anyway.

Hey, before a forget about it, you never gave me that-"

Nosferatu stops, remembering the figure hidden from the light beneath that cloak.

"-thing you said you would lend me. You know, just in case?"

[geez3r]

Joe
{To speed things up, I rolled your initiative too, not that you would complain.}

Your first attack lands a glancing blow against the enemy as he dodges mostly out of the way, and he dodges your second attack fairly well. The thugs fall back into fighting stances, and they look genuinely pleased. "Boss'll be pleased when we bring you in." says the one you attacked. From the way they're standing, and they way they're reacting to you suddenly dropped down with swords drawn, you draw two conclusions. 1) They can fight. 2) They've got orders to kick the crap out of you, or Supers in general. {You won initiative so go again}

DM Rolls:

Spoiler

Show

Initiative (1d20+2=17)
Initiative Striker B (1d20+2=18)
Joe Initiative vs. Strikers (1d20+7=27)

Andrew/Vox Populi

"No problem at all. Especially because all that we know about the chemical or explosion itself has already been said, which is a rather depressing point."

Lieutenant General Brian Kerrigan then speaks up "Which means it's time we discuss the mutants themselves and how we deal with them. Currently my men are under orders to not fire unless a mutant instigates a fight against non-combatants at which point, they are to stop them by whatever means necessary, preferably non-lethal measures. So Doc, Commissioner, what are we dealing with here?"

The Commissioner says "Dr. Wilson and myself have compared notes and the list of "abilities" is quite staggering. We found the following abilities among those affected: {To save space, he lists every power listed in the pdf minus all the gadget and item powers, along with spellcasting and psionics}."

Pulse/Nosferatu/Reaper

{Okay, you’ve had enough dialouge, time for me to muck it up}
It’s about this point that you see one of those Army Hummers round the corner and pull up along side of you. As far as you can see (or sense) there’s only one guy in the truck, and he’s driving. He gets out and salutes the two of you ”Pulse and Nosferatu Sir. I am corporal Green. I am here to transport the two of you along with the Reaper to our holding facility immediately. Please step into the vehicle…. And could you inform of the Reaper’s whereabouts?” He says the last part a little nervuously and looks about a bit.

Legion

”Sure no problem. How are the kids doing?”

murky

{If you want a battle map, that’ll take a little time, so I’ll have to put that up at a later date, if just a description is fine, then have at it}

The Pawn shop is only like 20feet wide, and like 35ft deep. There’s a 5’x10’ counter by the door (lower left hand corner of the shop). There’s 2 tables in the center of the store with a collection of clothes on them. The walls are decorated with the bigger ticket items like guitars and even a grandfather clock. The far wall has a great number of shelves, which contain all the odds and ends. All of the jewlery is on the counter. No one besides the shop keeper is there. It’s the same guy who was there 2 years ago.

The Man

Ms. Yamashima smirks, “I was only making sure you weren’t just a pretty face. You’ve got a deal.”
{I mean seriously. Fricken 2 diplomacy checks about 40}

Gust

You hear the occasional bit of Pulse and Nos’s conversation, but not enough to really know what they’re talking about. The fireman eventually come up, and you hear a few curses and moans of grief for the dead family. You hear a few mentions of “readings” which come back negative. You hear them spread out through the apartment, apparently searching for something.

Kid Zeus

That’s about it. You’re free to go.

Davan

1 coin flip later: Yes, there is in fact a very good chance that you find Joe. So good infact that you can go ahead and roll initiative.

Paragon

The man checks his watch one final time after being silent for a few minutes. He sighs and puts the watch away. To no one in particular he says “What a pity. I had hoped at least one would have the sense… Ah well. Proffessor Dark, it really has been a pleasure. I would tell you my name, except I believe you’ve already guessed it. Oh and do try to cover your ears, the last domino tends to be the loudest.” With that he takes a few steps down the alleyway, before disappearing like smoke in the wind. The building you have been watching for the past few minutes then explodes.

This was not an accidental explosion, not by any means. It was too well organized and well placed. It is wasn't so horrifying, you would be impressed by the skill involved. There appears to be a pillar of explosives in the center of the building. Each successive floor is blown upwards from the explosions forming a sort of steeple shape. From start to finish, it takes exactly 8 seconds for the building to be complete rubble. If anyone was inside, they are most assuredly dead with the floors above them forming gruesomely efficient coffins. There is not a mark on any of the adjacent buildings, but the explosion itself can be felt for 2 blocks and heard for 8.


{I think I may have missed someone, if I did, let me know.}

[evisiron]

Nosferatu

Nosferatu looks at corporal Green, arms open in a friendly gesture.

"Well, thats interesting. You see-"

*WHA-THOOOOOOM*

The rest of Nosferatu's sentence is cut off by the deafening explosion.

Nosferatu tries to brace himself against the force of the blast, but is too late, and is forced to the ground. He rolls as he lands, and flicks back onto his feet to see the previously burning building crumble into the ground. People scream as dust fills the air and debris starts raining down onto what remains of the crowd gathered to witness the earlier events. Still stunned for a few seconds, Nosferatu waits for his hearing to return and the dust to clear a little before looking around.

A brief check is made to see if Pulse is still standing, and that Reaper is still secure. When that is completed he bounds towards the rubble, checking for survivors who may be trapped, and helping wherever possible (such as lifting chunks of rubble off people).

As people start to move around get organised, Nosferatu shouts:

"Does anyone know what the hell just happened?!"

[ChronicLunacy]

Kid Zeus

Kid Zeus frowned. He kind of half-expected them to throw up a lightning bolt symbol with a spotlight for him or tell him about a laundry list of crimes he could go look into or bad guys he could drag in, but no go. Instead, he just gave the world-weary cop at the desk a little mock salute and walked back outside, holding a hand over his mouth so his half-mask wouldn't give him away when he noticed a couple of his late father's friends walk by.

Man...coming by the police station was going to be a little more work than he thought it would. Maybe he should have just gotten a police radio and wore it on his back, he thought with a small frown. Outside he let himself get lifted on the currents of raw electricity that ran through the nearby power lines, feeling the rushing energy buzz through him harmlessly and buoy him with invisible wings. Then, using the power lines, above and below ground, he flew off down the street at about roof level for a two or three story building. He kept the ambient power display down somewhat so he'd be a little harder to notice, the only bolts he created sizzling down to touch the power lines he was flying over every now and then.

He figured if the police weren't going to give him something to keep busy with he'd pull a page out of his old superhero comics and go "patrolling" for bad guys. If he buzzed down to the seedier part of town he'd no doubt find someone breaking the law, even at this time of day. If not, well, then he had some homework to catch up on. He sighed in exasperation at the thought. All this happening and he still had to go to school once the weekend was through.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Kid Zeus is out on patrol looking for bad guys, whether it'd be the existing ones Joe found or another group entirely. Out of curiosity, what day is it? I just assumed it was the weekend since he wasn't in school, but he could just as easily be skipping if it's a week day.

[Wiz]

Pulse

Pulse looks at Corporal Green and says, "He is currently melded with the shadows..."

*WHA-THOOOOOOM*

Pulse looks up at the exploding building, his brow furrowing. "Interesting..."

His eyes suddenly widen. "Oh my..."

[Nelphine]

Murky

Murky walks into the pawn shop, still it's same misleading demeanor as always. Nothing about it is obviously illegal, and yet there it is. Edgar's Pawn Shop, owned by the Neo-Mafia, and a front for gun running.

And the guy behind the counter! Still that same nondescript self, that somehow just didn't look right. Dang person. Probably sold 3 guns to teenagers last week alone. Well that was over. Now was the time for the criminal world to get what was coming to them.

Murky stalks up to the desk, third arm totally hidden, and pulls his gun out, although not aiming it anywhere in particular. "Hey man! This thing is awesome! I scared off some guy last night, but he threatened to come back with more.. I was wondering if you had anything bigger?"

As he talks Murky looks around to see if he can spot anybody inside or outside that might see what's going on; and any exits besides the front door that anyone else might come out of.

[harmonictempest]

Gust

The jar of pickles is quickly emptied, and the lunch meat follows it. As the hunger passes, Gust feels a strange urge to kick his heels against the edge of the ledge he's sitting on. I made a difference, and I...was awesome! This is a pretty sweet deal, actually. His usual petty everyday worries are nowhere to be found. I am worth something now, and I'm gonna make everything I can of this. Man...I should get an iPod or something, give myself a bit of personal soundtrack for times like this. The nagging feeling of uncertainty and wrongness about the apartment building passes as well. If the fireman are getting negative readings too, I can't I shouldn't blame myself too much for not figuring it out. After all, I put out half the fire by myself, right?

Deciding to save the carrots for later, Gust stretches and lifts off without bothering to stand up. Barely a moment after he does so, reveling as always in the feeling of flight, the building across from him explodes. Gust reacts immediately, but is still thrown back some feet by the shock of the explosion. "Damn. Damndamndamndamndamn." The second he regains control of his flight, he swoops as quickly as possible back to the building, arriving barely a split second after the last chunk of rubble hits the ground.

[Glawackus]

Andrew/Vox Populi

"Do we have any sort of regulatory body being set up for this sort of thing? I believe that the....gentleman...at the press conference the other day suggested some kind of coalition. Another thought I had about all these people: have we explored some kind of government-sponsored..."team"? Employing these people for law enforcement...the "forces of good", so to speak?"

[Raven T.]

Alex

Alex forces the bills back into her palm and closes it tightly. "This isn't charity; this is payment for services rendered. As far as this asset acquisition is concerned, dillegent search of the internet should turn something up after a while. I do not need to keep you looking for something you may not find. All I ask is that you keep your ears open. If you hear about something that might prove useful, pass it on. If I haven't heard about it, I will pay you well according to the quality and usefulness of it.

"Remember, this isn't me asking as a favor between friends; this is me offering you a little work on the side. You need put no special effort into it, but I know you. You have a knack for getting places you probably shouldn't, though accident or design. Again, thank you for this; even if it doesn't seem like much, you have found some potentially valuable information. I doubt many people know how volatile this chemical was." He returns to his thoughts again...

So, we have a chemical that is unstable at 20C and decays rapidly once it hits the air, rendering it inert. What about the air causes the decay; does it oxidize, is it strong enough to break nitrogen bonds and decay that way, or is it one of the myriad of greenhouse gases in modern air...it could even be the ozone. Much testing would need to be done by R&D before anything could be said for certain. WHY was it developed is the next burning question. If this company that spawned it INTENDED to force the next phase of human evolution, they must have known of the consequences. What, did their mothers refuse to give them comic books as children?

Much research will need to be done before we can move on this information. Just because the general populace doesn't know...well, they are likely spilling their guts to the government about everything save the part where they stole the chemical. I could attempt to bring charges against the board for industrial espionage, but concrete proof is needed. Much concrete proof. There would be nothing quite like being laughed out of a courtroom with minimal evidence and losing the opportunity thanks to the modern Double Jeopardy laws...

But we have a meeting soon with..."The Man." What kind of cretin is he, I wonder. Let's hope he intends to speak frankly; I'll be pulling no punches.

[Wiz]

Excerpt from the research journal of Dr. Harold Smith...

The sense came clear when the building exploded, like the proverbial light bulb going off over my head. Someone is running an experiment on us. God, I hope they are running an experiment on us, and not just playing a game! First we have this mutagen. Mutagen, that’s laughable, as if a chemical could truly do what has been done to the mutates of Rainport. No, it was only a chemical in the sense that a nanomachine is often a single molecule. Yet, though it is even more than a decade since the creation of the first nanomachine at Cambridge University, nanotechnology is still in its infancy. Then there is the fire, which is no mere fire, but a carefully prepared stage with multiple stories going on. And we poor players blundered out to fret our time upon it, but all the while there were deep mysteries set out like dishes. What was the gas that killed the family, and what special device did the fire department take in with them. Who is it in the city government that is onto this experiment or game? And the situation itself, played out with either extreme intelligence, or somehow… foreknowledge of what would happen. Foreknowledge, or dare I say it… past knowledge? The nanites could not have come from our time; so our experimenter, our tormentor, our gamester… is from a future time.

[blennus]

“The Man”

He felt a tension within him release as she agreed to his proposal. This first meeting would be key. Once he got one investor interested and committed, that alone could be used as leverage to coax other investors, and by the look of things Ms. Yamashima was a sufficiently successful investor to help him inspire confidence in other potential backers. His mouth turned into a slick smiled as he said “I am glad, that you agree. All that is left of course, is to hammer out the details.” They spent a good half hour discussing the details and the terms and conditions of the investment, but after all was said and done the papers were signed (I won't bore you with tedious details).
They shook hands and he gracefully strode out of the room as Ms. Yamashima started filling the secretary in on the details to print out. That last handshake felt different from the others, his hand seemed to warm slightly, but only just. He felt his confidence surge as he saw his future unfolding before him. A surge of power seemed to flow from within, and he could feel his hair become just a bit silkier, his muscles just a bit more toned, his buttocks a bit more tight. This change was not merely in his mind or even a superficial change. He could feel it right down to the core of his being. Suddenly it dawned on him. All of his powers were defined and powered by his confidence, the very thing that Fauntleroy lacked. The miniscule confidence left within Fauntleroy that was shoved to the back of his subconscious, bloomed with the power of that mutagen into Him. This was what he needed most. However increasing his confidence was not simply a matter of believing more or persuading oneself with a meaningless mantra. No, it was a matter of experience. He needed to get out more and have more opportunities to employ his sexiness and awesomeness. By spreading his awe-inspiring personality, his confidence and power would grow exponentially.

The secretary broke him out of his musings as she handed him an envelope filled with copies of all of the forms he had signed. As she opened her mouth to say something her hand brushed against his hand. As the secretary gave out a gasp, his hand flashed hot.

Summary: Seal the deal. Touch activated (Cause Pleasure) on secretary. Assume "The Man" failed his reflex save (he didn't have a reason for making such a save until now). Will save DC 28. Cost: 4PP

[The_Lonely_d12]

Davan

Davan searches the streets for a few moments more before getting lucky, and finding a fight already in progress.

Hmm...a pair of thugs, and some guy...are those katanas? Wonder if he's another of us 'superhero' types. Hmm, better get a little closer.

Davan stalks close enough to hear one of the thugs finish saying "...bring you in."

oho, a snatch and grab? Could be fun...besides, they don't look like your average thugs. Whoever this is, he might actually need help...I doubt he'll mind horribly. This should be fun

With that he springs into the fray, saying "Will you be so confident when the odds are even?
Quickly glancing over the two, he adds
"Or stacked against you, it looks like.

Slipping a shuriken between his fingers, he charges it, and throws it at the second thug, hearing the dull thump of an explosion off behind him.

What the hell was that? Oookay. Explosion. Sounds big. Gotta focus on the here and now, plan my next move. I can find out what happened afterwards.

Spoiler

Show

Initiative (1d20+7=13)
Attack roll (1d20+13=23)
Charged Damage (4d6=22)
Attacking the one that wasn't talking, and designating the one that was for the unbalance opponent.
78/78 pp

[Tar Palantir]

The Reaper

At the sound of the explosion, the Reaper jumped to the shadows cast by a nearby building and emerged, startling the officer. Ignoring him, he asked, "What was that? It sounded bad. I hope everyone got away safely..." His voice trailed off as he thought of the girl, but he shook his head to clear his thoughts. No matter what happened, he had done what he could, and he couldn't do anything now. He had to clear his name. Thus he turned to the driver of the vehicle. "As you no doubt already know, I am the Reaper. I mean no harm. I trust the vehicle is sufficiently protected against sunlight? Also, for your own safety, don't touch me. Some of my powers are...unstable."

[Wiz]

Pulse

Pulse looks over at the Reaper, "If you wish to use my cloak again, let me know, otherwise we should be on our way. Corporal Green, if you're ready to drive us?"

[PlasticSoldier]

"Meh, alright I guess. Well I'll go tell the guys what's up, see you later." Guard says before waving bye and starting to walk down the hallway.

[dfpiii]

Professor Dark aka Paragon

Whatever super sensitive abilities he possessed snapped into operation and his hands clapped over his ears an instant before the building performed its lengthy and dramatic collapse. A billowing could of dust filled the air, which was itself torn by uncountable screams; the roar of wild, animal panic.

The allusion of the vanishing man was not missed by Dark. It was absurd, of course. And he had today already met a mutant who was only an opera cloak away from claiming to be Count Dracula. But the Vanishing Man - which would serve as a suitable name for the moment - had displayed vast and terrible power.

Worse still, Dark calculated that it had been perhaps 36 hours since the explosion and a little more than a day since the mutants became widely known. Was it possible for any one person to be motivated, to conceive a plan and to execute it in such a short space of time? Yes. But, was it probable? No. An organisation would be needed, a support network. And even then...

Dark was forced to concede that the Vanishing Man must have had prior knowledge of... No, again, prior knowledge was unlikely. Dark himself had something akin to precogniscence and he understood it to be merely the operation of extended thought patterns. It was most likely that the Vanishing Man had been somehow involved, which meant it was a deliberate act... Which meant...

Dark was staggered by the scale of what could only be called a conspiracy. The simple fact was - you could not know or logically surmise what had transpired. You would have to make it happen. You would need to have been able to manipulate people, corporations, the government and the laws of nature.

The thing about dominoes is, before you knock them over, you have to set them up.

But why? If Dark's instinct was correct - he stepped neatly aside as rogue brick soared past his head - then the Vanishing Man planned to destroy most or all of the human race. It was such a massive statement that it couldn't help but seem flippant. A purging, a scourging, a mediocracide! And super abilities, well, either he had directly gifted all those involved - and the chemical explosion was a simple screen - or he had been well aware of the chemical's abilities - having been subject to it himself at an earlier occasion - and had arranged that a random group of people would be affected.

And tested.

And the result of this test would mean what? That they would live, while others died - that all would live - that all would die. A chemical which could produce the aberrations observed was light years ahead of an engineered virus which would wipe out all life on the planet in a matter of weeks. So the purpose was not to kill everyone - killing everyone was actually incredibly easy. Dark could do that by himself with a couple of days planning and some favourable winds. What you'd need to plan for was being selective.

The Vanishing Man had said he was disappointed. Because he had expectations.

What now? That was a more difficult question to answer. More tests perhaps - certainly more violence. More traps for troubadours. What was puzzling Dark was the nature of this game.

And which side was he on, if there were sides in this at all?

These thoughts run through Dark's mind as the rubble settled.

If he had seen further than other men... it was because he was a giant. Damn them all. Damn these heroes. Damn this Vanishing Man.

Dark was on Dark's side.

((Action tomorrow, promise))

[Raven T.]

Alex

We all have a dark side. That part of ourselves that polite society tells us is wrong and possibly immoral. People deny it's existence even when presented with overwhelming proof, usually in the form of a serial killer who has murdered his prey in particularly heinous ways. We don't want to believe that we are the same as them because we're "civilized," that mankind has evolved beyond such acts. However, this barbarism is still very much a part of our blood. The same things that motivated Viking warriors to raid Europe still drive us: a desire for glory, wealth, and power.

We still indulge it, though. Why do you think there are so many movies with explosions, gunfights, and other gratuitous violence? We hide it, but it hasn't gone away.

We are taught, from our youngest days, to behave in a socially responsible manner. Often times, this is a form of peace, love, and harmony left over from the hippies or from Western religion. The problem is this is counterintuitive to our nature as animals. Natural Selection teaches that the strong will survive and the weak should die out to preserve the species. Perhapse this is why these events have been set into motion. Mankind needs an evolutionary punch in the gut to remind it of the "Evolve or Die" rule. Men fear change and that will be their downfall.

But this still doesn't answer the question of where the malice comes from. The darkness within humanity is such that it goes beyond preservation. It leads to total domination and potential chaos. This is why these laws for social niceties are in place; to retain an iota of decorum and order in a world of anarchy. All beings desire power; most pack animals have an Alpha male and/or female. To impose our will on the weak...to crush those who oppose us...that is the desire of all men. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.


Do you recognize me? Do you fear what I represent? I am that which you loathe the most. I am that part of you who WOULD kill for a new Jaguar or a laptop. I am that part of you who recognizes how easy unseemly acts are to accomplish.

Some call me the Devil. This is a misnomer; every human has the potential for "good" and "evil" within them. There is no outside force acting on you, whispering to do or not do something into your ear. These are lies told by the same people who would have you believe simply saying "I'm sorry" gets you completely off the hook. The world doesn't work that way. Regardless of what comes, you must accept the consequences of your own actions. You can only control yourself in life.

In truth, I am a cosmic balance. For every "good," there must be "evil." For every hippie preaching to love your fellow man, there's a man out shooting cans with an AK-47 in his back yard. Within this vessel? I am here to balance all the superheros who seek to uphold "truth, justice, and the American way." It sickens me.

I will not be denied my prize. This vessel is useful for me; the mutation has opened it's eyes and allowed me to almost become personified. It does keep me in check, and that is good. It balances me in return...tempers me.