All Activity

GM Outside the tower From waaaaay above, and the very tip of the tower, a figure could be seen, floating in the air. General Sparks himself! His costume was a ragged, and his was emitting furious... well, furious sparks. "ANARCHISTS!" he said, pointing below him to the three heroes with a flared glove. He swooped down slightly, and manned one of the huge cannons that looked like it had been designed by a 50s Sci Fi costume designer after imbibing some mushrooms for creative purposes. Glowing cyan rings, black fins, beeping lights. And from the gun a shower of electric bolts started raining down on them! And now, the tower was really creaking. It looked like it might topple at any moment...

Ghule: 1 + 4 + 1 = 6 = 1PP Dance Beneath the Stars: 1 It is Black and It's Hollow and It's Cold: 4 Power Vacuum: 1

History check for Bernadette to see if the uniforms are familiar: 27 with a Nat 20

GM (1) Darkest Day (1)

@Spacefurry sorry for the delay, he gets a 22, so picks up his third bruise. Please make your IC post. @RocketLord Stormcrow is up!

Okay, everyone gets a HP as a fiat the stealthy arrival of Madrigal Martinet and she kill's Bernadette's duplicate. Going to keep the same initiative order to keep things moving. The Elite Omegadrones are NOT minions, so attack rolls needed on them. Round One 28 El Gato (Unharmed) 21 Kismet (Unharmed) 19 Elite Omegadrones (6 all Unharmed) 18 Cerebral 4 HP (Unharmed) 17 Madrigal Martinet (Unharmed) 16 Starshine 5 HP (Unharmed) 15 Multi-Girl 5 HP (Unharmed) 15 La Puma Negra 4 HP (Unharmed) 15 Bruiser (Unharmed) 12 Neko 3 HP (Unharmed) 12 Copper Knight (Unharmed) 11 Jotunn 5 HP (injured, bruised) 6 Network (Unharmed) 6 Omegadrones (15 attacking over 500’ away, caught in Neko’s obscure; 6 on group) 4 Archer (Unharmed) 4 Cerebellum (Unharmed)

GM As the massive robot powered down and the last Omegadrone in the area fell, a moment of quiet seemed to fall over the area. The police were still getting civilians out of the nearby buildings and down into the sewers through the opening Owain had made and towards safety. And the sounds of explosions could still be heard in the distance, primarily from the downtown area where dozens (if not hundreds) of small figures could be seen flying through the skies above the city. Archer moved forward and over to where Kesmit had landed the sky-cycle she was piloting. "If you all want to run, you can." He stated, glancing over towards the teens. "But we need to stop just reacting, and start picking our targets and striking." He glanced over towards the city. "As long as the portals are open and allowing more of these troops in, we will constantly be on the defensive. We need to find a way to shut down those portals." Turning, his gaze swept over the members of FORCE Ops before focusing back on the Claremont teens. "We are going to go and see if we can find a way to shut those down. You all are a lot more capable than I would have expected at your age, we could certainly use your help." Bernadette glanced over towards the others, hesitant for a moment. But before she could speak, a tall figure rouse up behind her duplicate and in a quick movement plunged an energy sword into the duplicate’s back. The duplicate arched slightly as she let out a brief cry of pain that was cut off as the end of the energy blade pierced out the front of her chest. The original Bernadette’s body went tense, and she staggered a step, almost as if she had been hit herself. In a swift motion, the figure pulled the blade free and the duplicate collapsed lifelessly to the ground and then disappeared. The figure was a six-foot-tall woman wearing a long red military style coat with gold braid and brown, thigh high leather boots. She had long raven hair that flowed out of a golden helmet that covered her face. Taking a step forward, she pointed her energy sword at the original Bernadette. "Will you disappear as well when I cut out your heart?" "Kill them all!" She yelled as six Omegadrones in black armor flew into view, followed by a number of normal Omegadrones.

Cerebral and Cerebellum As soon as Michael mentioned that he had found Iris, the young man rushed forward and pushed past Michael a little and then he hugged Iris tightly, who would turn in surprise and hug him back. They would mention how much they missed each other then they pulled away with tears in their eyes. "W-We do need to go...I missed you so much Iris I-." "-We can talk about this later Daniel. Come on." Iris smiled softly for a moment then jumped out the window she had smashed and started to fly, Daniel would follow after her.

Cerebral and Cerebellum The twins just blinked at the overly excited Tracy, now Iris was actually into talking about science with the older lady. The issue was the sheer amount of questions bombarding her. As such she took a step back and replied in the other lady' head. "One at a time please." As she said that she would look over at her brother with an expression that could be traslated as 'help me!' Daniel understood this and stepped foreward. "Umm...Ms, our powers are just basic psychic stuff, telepathy, telekinesis....what have you, though we are hardly the most powerful."

GM The Captain gave out a warm laugh. "Lower budget costs. That always goes down well with the brass!" The private gave an unpleasant snort, rolled to one side in an uncomfortable position, sweat on his brow. "They splash out on a plane, and send me some idiot soldier..." sighed the Captain. "Looks like he would be as much use in a fight as a sardine sandwich," he frowned. "Back in my day cut soldiers from steel... huh..." The Captain was probably late thirties. Not that old. Still in shape, but with lines and creases that told Jean he had been in battle. The speakers crackled with a message from the pilot. "Making last descent. Its chilly and windy, and a touch of snow. So buckle up!" The private snorted once again, muscles tense.

Echohead "Th-the rooftops?" blubbered Echohead, the sweat intensifying. He was - and not for the first time - glad that his black supersuit did an excellent job of cooling his body, and preventing sweat patches. "I mean, how?" he asked. "I can't fly? Or jump. Or even run, not well, anyway..." he said, voice faint and wobbling. He was five foot five and little of it was muscle. "Do you have some kind of hover bike? Or zero gravity generators?" he asked. "Or I suppose you could carry me..." It was not exactly a dignified solution. But better to swallow ones pride, as opposed to falling face first onto concrete...

Predator Predator frowned under her helmet as she watched the readouts on the scanners. Between the two of them they had produced a pair of functioning scanners. They were supposed to help track down the original source of the ‘event’. Obviously the number of overlapping signals was more than they accounted for. The bodies on the train didn’t exhibit the apparent magnitude increase they were now encountering. The errors were directing them to both a local radio signal tower and a local hospital. Both would be needed. She contemplated for a moment… Predator looked at Echohead and then nodded. “You’re correct. The safety of possible survivors should be top priority.” She looked out over the town again. “We should traverse the rooftops. Traveling the streets would invite too many potential encounters.”

Predator Jean sat in her seat as comfortably as she could. Having a tail often had its drawbacks, seating was often one of them. When the captain spoke she looked up from her datapad. She spared him and offered a friendly smile. “It's alright captain, I understand. This was rather ‘last minute’ for myself.” She considered him for a moment. This wasn’t an official mission as far as the government or military were concerned. There were no ‘eyes-only’ or ‘need to know’ mandates. But she didn’t think it safe to be completely forthwith, so she opted for an abridged rundown. “There is a potential danger. A high ranking official within WEST may be in danger from an as yet unidentified threat. He is supposed to be on a research mission in Alaska. After some concerning developments, I have volunteered to look into the matter. Hopefully, before it has to become an ‘official problem’ for national security.” She gave the captain a smirk and chuckled. “I can only assume they are happy to let me try first. It allows for greater deniability and hopefully lower budget costs.” Jean joked.

As Michael and Daniel made their way up the tower, leaving the ko'd guards behind, the teen paragon was on the lookout for Iris the whole way, moving through the increasingly unstable tower with as much speed as he could muster without leaving Daniel behind or damaging the tower; the thing felt like it could fall at any minute! With a thunderous BANG! noise, he set his shoulder and muscled his way through a locked steel door, wobbling as the entire building shook; surely not from his impact, but from some other terrible thing. As he entered the next room, he spotted the broken glass, and Iris, and pointed her out. "Iris! Daniel look it's your sister!" he yelled. "Come on, let's follow her lead and get out of this building before we get buried in rubble!" he called to the other teenage boy as he started to fly, heading for Iris.

Serendipity (Riel Estime) Power Level: 8; Power Points Spent: 150/150 STR: +2 (14), DEX: +3 (16), CON: +2 (14), INT: +2 (14), WIS: +2 (14), CHA: +5 (20) Tough: +2/+3, Fort: +5, Ref: +8/+12, Will: +7 Skills: Acrobatics 12 (+15), Bluff 10 (+15), Diplomacy 5 (+10), Gather Information 5 (+10), Knowledge (civics) 3 (+5), Knowledge (physical sciences) 3 (+5), Knowledge (streetwise) 8 (+10), Language 4 (+4), Notice 8 (+10), Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: Acrobatic Bluff, Attack Focus (melee) 4, Attack Specialization (Sword (Device 1)), Challenge - Improved Feint, Challenge - Improved Taunt, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Dodge Focus 3, Elusive Target, Equipment 2, Evasion 2, Improved Critical (Sword Strike (Strike 3)), Improved Initiative, Improved Trick, Luck 4, Power Attack, Quick Draw, Redirect, Set-Up, Skill Mastery (Bluff, Diplomacy, Notice, Sense Motive), Takedown Attack, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Powers: Escape Notice (Concealment 10) (all senses; Passive) Fortune's Favorite Son (Container, Passive 6) Charmed Life (Features 1) (Notes: You’re largely immune to routine “bad luck”. You never get a flat tire, have to wait in line, or run into delays due to traffic accidents or weather.) Fortunate Evasion (Enhanced Trait 15) (Traits: Defense Bonus +4 (+12), Reflex +4 (+12), Feats: Defensive Roll, Evasion 2) Gambler (Features 1) (Notes: You can automatically win at games of chance, unless pitted against an opponent with this Feature (in which case, resolve the game normally).) Luck of the Devil Himself (Luck Control 3) (force a re-roll, negate gm fiat, spend hero point for another, Feats: Luck 4) Sword (Device 1) (Easy to lose) Sword Strike (Strike 3) (DC 20, Feats: Improved Critical (Sword Strike (Strike 3)); Mighty) Equipment: Happenstance Attack Bonus: +5 (Ranged: +5, Melee: +9, Grapple: +11) Attacks: Sword Strike (Strike 3), +11 (DC 20), Unarmed Attack, +9 (DC 17) Defense: +8/+12 (Flat-footed: +5), Knockback: -1 Initiative: +7 Languages: Dutch, English, French Native, Portuguese, Spanish Totals: Abilities 32 + Skills 17 (66 ranks) + Feats 25 + Powers 43 + Combat 20 + Saves 13 + Drawbacks 0 = 150 ********************************************************************************************************* Stormchild (Kadene Estime) Power Level: 8; Power Points Spent: 150/150 STR: +2 (14), DEX: +1 (12), CON: +2 (14), INT: +2 (14), WIS: +2 (14), CHA: +3 (16) Tough: +2/+12, Fort: +6, Ref: +4, Will: +8 Skills: Acrobatics 4 (+5), Bluff 12 (+15), Concentration 8 (+10), Diplomacy 7 (+10), Gather Information 7 (+10), Knowledge (earth sciences) 3 (+5), Knowledge (streetwise) 8 (+10), Language 4 (+4), Notice 8 (+10), Perform (dance) 7 (+10), Sense Motive 8 (+10), Survival 8 (+10) Feats: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Attack Focus (melee) 3, Attack Specialization 2 (Sword (Device 1)), Challenge - Improved Taunt, Improved Critical (Sword Strike (Strike 3)), Move-by Action, Precise Shot, Second Chance (Concentration checks to maintain powers), Taunt Powers: Sword (Device 1) (Easy to lose) Sword Strike (Strike 3) (DC 20, Feats: Improved Critical (Sword Strike (Strike 3)); Mighty) Weather Control (Array 14) (default power: blast; Custom (Array 13.5)) Air Control (Move Object 9) (Array; Strength: 45, Carry: 4.3k / 4.3 tons / 6.4 tons / 12.8 tons; Range (perception)) Arctic Freeze (Snare (Array; DC 18; Autofire (interval 2, max +5); Accurate 2 (+4)) Blinding Arc (Dazzle (Array; affects: visual senses, DC 18; Perception Area (General), Selective Attack; Range (touch)) Exposure (Fatigue (Array; DC 18; Range (ranged); Accurate 2 (+4), Variable Descriptor (Narrow group - Heat/Cold)) Hailstorm (Blast (Array; DC 23; Cloud Area (40-80 ft. diameter, lingers - General); Indirect 2 (any point, directed away), Progression, Increase Area (area x2)) Heavy Fog (Obscure 9) (Array; affects: visual senses, Radius: 2500 ft.; Selective Attack) Lightning Bolt (Blast 12) (Default; DC 27; Indirect 3 (any point, any direction)) Mirage (Illusion (Array; affects: visual senses, DC 18; Duration (sustained); Progression, Area 3 (50 ft. radius)) Tornado (Move Object (Array; Strength: 40, Carry: 2.1k / 4.3k / 3.2 tons / 6.4 tons, DC 23; Cylinder Area (40-400 ft. radius + height - General), Damaging; Duration (concentration); Progression, Increase Area 3 (area x10)) Wind Screen (Force Field 10) (+10 Toughness; Impervious [8 ranks only]) Windrider (Flight 4) (Speed: 100 mph, 880 ft./rnd) Attack Bonus: +4 (Ranged: +4, Melee: +7, Grapple: +9) Attacks: Arctic Freeze (Snare 8), +8 (DC Ref/Staged 18), Blinding Arc (Dazzle (DC Fort/Ref 18), Exposure (Fatigue 8), +8 (DC Fort 18), Hailstorm (Blast (DC 23), Lightning Bolt (Blast 12), +4 (DC 27), Sword Strike (Strike 3), +11 (DC 20), Tornado (Move Object (DC 23), Unarmed Attack, +7 (DC 17) Defense: +4 (Flat-footed: +2), Knockback: -10 Initiative: +1 Languages: Dutch, English, French Native, Portuguese, Spanish Totals: Abilities 24 + Skills 21 (84 ranks) + Feats 12 + Powers 64 + Combat 16 + Saves 13 + Drawbacks 0 = 150 ********************************************************************************************************* Happenstance Power Level: 8; Equipment Points Spent: 8 STR: +10 (30) Toughness: +10 Features: Living Quarters 1, Personnel 1 Powers: Speed 1 (Speed: 10 mph, 88 ft./rnd) Super-Movement 1 (water walking; Permanent) Defense: -2, Size: Huge Totals: Abilities 0 + Skills 0 (0 ranks) + Feats 0 + Features 2 + Powers 3 + Combat 2 + Saves 1 + Drawbacks 0 + Equipment 0 (0 ep) + Weapons & Armor 0 (0 ep) = 8 **************************************************************************************************** Yeah, yeah. Not site format yet. This is the build check. Anybody got thoughts? I'm concerned I'm overdoing it for teenagers, even ones with a little experience.

"Ah, yes. I imagine a holding company like this has truly astronomical beaucracy to navigate. Learning the ins and outs of it could take ages, especially if you're carrying out research at the same time." Michael said, then looked at Parker and grinned. "Parker's great though. He's got a real knack for the superheroing, you know. Plus he's actually pretty smart about all the sciencey stuff too." He noted. But when she moved over to the Twins he just watched. He raised an eyebrow and waited to see how the twins would react, willing to step in if they got uncomfortable.

Echohead Dennis Deacon GM Hot and Bothered

Gaian Knight / Tiamat [maxed] Written in the Stars (1) 1 post = 1pp Roll the GK post over to Nocturne, please, and give her my ref point as well.

With our apologies for the delays, the March 2024 post counts can be found below. As ever, if you have questions or concerns please don't hesitate to reach out. Of special note are the two - two! - players who have moved up a veteran award tier. Congratulations to Kaede and Poncho; we look forward to seeing what you do with your shiny new toys. ------- Dr Archeville Artificer: 7 posts + 2 (GM) + 1 (rollover) = 10 posts = 2pp Horrorshow: 0 posts + 4 (rollover) = 4 posts = 1pp + 1 (ref) = 2pp Doktor Archeville: 5 posts = 1pp GM: 1 post * 2 = 2 Dracostern Cerebral and Cerebellum: 42 posts * 2 (new player!) = 84 posts = 4pp Exaccus Moon Moth: 3 posts = 1pp Fox Nocturne: 0 posts = 0pp + 1 (ref) = 1pp Heritage Crystal-Gazer: 0 posts + 1 (rollover) = 1 post = 1pp Shift: 1 post = 1pp The Eel: 0 posts + 1 (rollover) = 1 post = 1pp Grimalkin: 2 posts = 1pp Huckleberry Rot: 13 posts + 6 (GM) = 16 posts = 2pp GM: 3 posts * 2 = 6 Kaede Kimura (who is now a Silver-tier veteran!) Shadowborne: 3 posts = 1pp Shooting Star: 6 posts = 1pp The Dreamer: 6 posts = 1pp Blue Bolt: 20 posts = 2pp Lone_Star Ghule: 5 posts = 1pp MoonSimply La Puma Negra: 23 posts = 2pp Nerdzul Nightscale: 1 post = 1pp Poncho (who is now a Bronze-tier veteran!) Golden Star: 59 posts + 41 (GM) = 100 posts = 5pp + 1 (guide) = 6pp Devon 51: 5 posts + 9 (GM) = 14 posts = 2pp GM: 25 posts * 2 = 50 RocketLord Archer II: 6 posts + 1 (rollover) + 3 (GM) = 10 posts = 2pp Ghost: 6 posts + 4 (GM) = 10 posts = 2pp Rex Atom: 1 post = 1pp Spaceman: 22 posts + 3 (GM) = 25 posts = 3pp Space Ranger III: 2 posts + 8 (GM) = 10 posts = 2pp Stormcrow: 19 posts + 32 (GM) = 51 posts = 3pp + 2 (vignette) + 1 (guide) = 6pp Forever Boy: 1 post = 1pp GM: 25 posts * 2 = 50 Spacefurry Paper: 6 posts = 1pp Blackstaff: 6 posts = 1pp Chimera: 1 post = 1pp Predator: 15 posts + 2 (GM) = 17 posts = 2pp GM: 1 post * 2 = 2 Supercape Gamma Buzz: 14 posts + 11 (GM) = 25 posts = 3pp Starshot: 6 posts = 1pp Rev: 0 posts = 0pp + 2 (vignette) = 2pp Haven: 5 posts + 20 (GM) = 25 posts = 3pp +2 (vignette) = 5pp Snakebite: 0 posts + 10 (rollover) + 15 (GM) = 25 posts = 3pp + 2 (vignette) + 4 (vignette rollover) = 9pp Diamondlight: 4 posts = 1pp + 2 (vignette) = 3pp Echohead: 0 posts + 25 (GM) = 25 posts = 3pp Captain Cosmos: 0 posts + 25 (GM) = 25 posts = 3pp Peak: 0 posts + 14 (GM) = 14 posts = 2pp GM: 55 posts * 2 = 110 The Sailor Torpedo Lass 2: 12 posts = 2pp Thevshi Multi-Girl: 32 posts + 18 (GM) = 50 posts = 4pp + 1 (ref) = 5pp Timeout: 25 posts + 20 (rollover) + 5 (GM) = 50 posts = 4pp Sri Kath'lana: 1 post + 53 (GM) = 54 posts = 4pp Velocity: 4 posts = 1pp Tsunami: 13 posts = 2pp Paradigm: 3 posts = 1pp GM: 38 posts * 2 = 76 Thunder King Sever: 10 posts = 2pp + 2 (vignette) + 2 (HellQ) = 6pp Tattered Man: 2 posts = 1pp Tiffany Korta Madame Raven: 22 posts + 3 (rollover) = 25 posts = 3pp Mz Grue: 4 posts = 1pp Starshine: 6 posts = 1pp The Traveller: 0 posts = 0pp + 1 (ref) = 1pp trollthumper Cavalier: 2 posts = 1pp + 1 (ref) = 2pp Nick Cimitiere: 4 posts = 1pp

GM And so... ...In a military plane, entering Alaskan Air Space.... The plane was small and spartan, but fast and armoured. A small military recon plane, propellor based, designed for long flights at high altitude. It was not quiet inside, and the body of the plane juddered. Two military pilots were at the cockpit. One soldier, catching some sleep. A captain, boots up, unable to sleep. Both armed with light pistols. The captain shuffled again. "Damn it, too much coffee..." he complained, snapping his eyes open from insomnia. He raised an eyebrow at Jean. "Pardon me. I ain't ever seen nothing like you, mister, er... ma'am. Dang, sorry. Not used to the fur." He held his hands up in apology. "Sorry. We got pulled into this last minute. Favour for WEST. Favour for the Patriot. Whatever, seemed mighty important for national security. Must be some mighty strange mission. Mind telling us what this is all about?"

Paper - 0 Paper Trail to the City of Sin - 0 Everybody Wants to be a Cat - 0 Dance Beneath the Stars - 0 Foes from the Fens - 0 Oh no, there goes Tokyo! - 0 Power Vacuum - 0 Blackstaff -0 Graveyard of the Pacific - 0 A Dream of Christmas - 0 Chimera - 0 The Sword, The Gold, The Arrow - 0 Predator - 1 Teching the Tech - 0 Star-Crossed? - 0 Hot and Bothered - 1 SCP 46591 Dennis Deacon of Woodbury New Jersey - 0 GM - 0 (x2 = 0) Let the Bodies Hit the Ground - 0

Predator “Of course.” She said reassuringly. “Take a moment.” Jean regarded the screen from over Loyng’s shoulder. She watched the slightly grainy image of ‘Dr North’ as the person(?)… the entity(?)… the thing passed through the airport. She made a ‘hmm’ noise then stood up. “I suppose I should go to Alaska and investigate this myself.” She patted Loyng on the shoulder. “Can I ask you to keep an eye out for anything unusual?” She asked. “I can give you a secure contact line to reach me.” Jean rubs her chin. “Now, I just have to secure travel there.” She remarked and pulled out her phone and began scrolling through her contacts.

In order to make sure the Refs accurately count all your IC posts and award you the due amount of power points, please post with a list of all the threads in which your player character, NPC or sidekick posted IC this month (including the News forum). Also list any threads which you are GMing. GM posts count as double and can be assigned to whichever of your characters needs a 'push'. This topic will automatically close on the seventh day of the following month (i.e., June 7th, 2024 at Midnight EST). When you make your list, post a link to your first post for the month for each IC thread so we can jump right to it. When you start a thread, make sure IC is the first tag and topic prefix of the In Character thread, and OOC is in the first tag and topic prefix of the Out Of Character thread. It's not required, but additional tags including the major players and locations are viewed as a courtesy. Please list your threads in alphabetical order. Please clearly note any threads in which you are both player and GM/running an NPC. In threads where you are both player and GM/an NPC, please be sure to mark each post so we can tell who it should be allocated to. Please list your threads in a timely manner. Extending the deadline one week into the following month is already a grace period. If you've done any "extracurriculars" -- artwork, HellQ, 20 Questions, NPC, vignettes, guidebook pages, etc. -- please be sure to list them along with your active threads. For more information on ways to earn power points, see Character Advancement and Awards in the House Rules section of the Guide. Post counts should be formatted similar to the following: To make clear how many posts from rollover and GM posts are assigned to each character. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in being bound to the maypole your post counts being postponed or skipped completely. If you missed the deadline, see this thread.

Geckoman & Spellbound Chris woke with a start. His face had been pressed into the passenger window of the family station wagon, and he rubbed his cheek back into shape as he peered owlishly at the fields around him, sun shining down on green grass and dense clumps of round-topped trees. “Ugh… where are we?” “Kentucky,” Liz said perkily, leaning back and steering with one hand. “You missed West Virginia.” There were bags under her eyes but she otherwise looked refreshed and revived, none the worst for wear for the drive. “I forgot how long it takes to get places,” Chris grumbled, leaning forward and flexing his shoulderblades, trying to crack his own back. “Then don’t break things we don’t have the parts for.” She took a long obnoxious slurp from her giant cup of soda before setting it back in the cup holder. “Oh come on, we had an agreement, feet off the upholstery. Sit like a normal person!” Chris’s feet were on the dashboard as he wriggled. “I’m trying to fix my back, c’mo- oh!” Liz rolled her eyes, amusement barely betraying itself on her face. Her lip twisted and she glanced to the side. “Kenzie, how the hell can your back hurt?” She tilted her hand, as the road forked and she took the right. “We’re nearly there anyway.” --- The car trundled down the long, straight roads, passing a number of isolated houses, whitewashed and surrounded by rolling green. “So you knew this guy back when you were…” Chris gesticulated with the apple he held in his hand, the bite mark crisp where he’d taken a chunk out and his voice muffled from what remained in his mouth. “Yeah, Josh was one of our little crowd. Went by Cornfed.” “Don’t think I met that one.” The car crested over a small hill, and down below they could see the town. More of a village really, a squat assortment of houses scattered around a couple of stores and a tiny old-style gas station. “Cornfed? Really?” “Yes, his name was Cornfed, Geckoman,” Liz said drily, fixing her green eyes on Chris for a second as they cruised down towards the town. “Or Joshua. I think he prefers Joshua now.” “How come I’ve never met him? I’ve met most of your buddies,” he took another loud bite of the apple. “Chew quieter, jeez. Nah, he got out of the life, reconciled with his folks, moved back here. Remember, I came out for his dad’s funeral that month you were stranded in the Antarctic.” “That one sucked. I lost the same toe five times to frostbite. Five times!” Chris chucked the apple core out the window, where it crumpled into the grass on the side of the road. “Weren’t you wearing your cute lil snow outfit with the Uggs?” Liz giggled as the road snaked down into the main street, pulling the wagon up outside the general store. It looked rustic, a sign hanging out over the porch, crates of goods stacked outside, produce on display. The two of them got out, sauntering up and inside. It was a little old, some’d say rustic, stacked with a wide assortment of goods, from flares to fishing poles to eggs to milk. Chris ducked under a tangle of fishing nets as they weaved towards the counter, behind which stood one of the largest men Chris had ever seen. His head scraped the ceiling, his chest and arms the proportions of a gorilla. The hulk moved surprisingly gracefully, busying himself behind the counter in overalls and a tank top, the better to show off biceps the size of Geckoman’s head. The massive man stopped when he saw them, leaning over the counter. It creaked under his bulk as his hands gripped the side, piercing blue eyes narrowing so he could see… “Little Liz?” The big man lumbered over, and Liz threw an arm around part of his trunk as the gigantic man embraced her. “Josh, man, you still living off that weird diet? Looking swole, looking swole.” “Look, it’s the only way to live,” Josh drawled in his thick Kentucky accent, letting Liz extricate herself and round on Chris. “And you! Well, as I live and breathe, the one who got her to give it all up.” “Well, I think she largely did that hers- ERK!” The giant man wrapped Chris in a bone-bruising bear hug. --- That evening, the three of them sat around the dining room table at Josh’s small farmhouse a couple of miles down the road. It was an old space with wooden walls and antique furniture, quite at odds with the hyper-modern kitchen Cornfed had had installed. “… so I inherited the place after my momma died, y’know, that was a real sad time,” Josh was explaining to Chris over some vegetable curry, “But I’d been running the general store for a few years, after my pappy died.” “And you don’t miss the city?” Josh waved a hand. “Freedom City, it’s… you know, it’s a lot, sometimes you need to just slow down and… Well, hey, I guess I’d been making poor choices.” Liz paused with the neck of her beer bottle an inch from her lips, smiling wryly. “I’ll say, you were working for Laser Gun Larry.” Cornfed folded his arms over one another, leaning back from the table. As he did, you could hear the chain grind back along the floor a couple inches. “That was a respectable outfit and a real good opportunity!” he sulked. “He didn’t have a codename! He was a guy named Larry with a laser gun!” Liz laughed. It was then that a knock on the door could be heard, hammering hard and frantic. The three reacted quickly, finding a sweat-soaked young man, red cheeked and gasping for air. He said that Debbie Henderson was going into labour, and the nearest hospital was two hours away, and he’d heard the big guy used to be some super-genius. “Uh… well…” Josh fidgetted nervously. “I’d like to help, but I am a nutritionist.” The giant man looked incongruously helpless. Liz’s eyes darted between the rest as they looked at her expectedly. “Who am I, Doogie Howser?” Chris shook his head. “Look, fine, I’ve delivered babies before.” His partner looked at him with incredulity. “When have you delivered a baby?” “You don’t know everything I do, I can deliver a baby!” --- Which is how, before they had to make the hours-long drive back to Freedom City with whatever component-Chris-wasn’t-asking-about in the trunk, Chris had spent the night driving to some farm in the middle of nowhere and helping deliver a baby. He’d disappeared into the bedroom, demanding hot water and towels and pretending he was some kind of authority here. Eventually it had become a waiting game, with a few people awkwardly bunched into the sitting room. Debbie Henderson’s momma was in the room with her and the weird stranger from Jersey they’d had to entrust delivering their baby, so her beau had been kicked out, to sit squeezed on the couch in between the overlarge Cornfed and a bored-looking Liz. Debbie’s pop was walking a path from one side of the room, to back to his armchair, to back to endless loop. “Soo…” Eventually Liz shrugged, turning to Cornfed to break the tension. “Does anyone want tea, or…?” It was at that moment, Chris burst out of the small room, holding a little crying bundle in his arms. “Oh thank god.” The father immediately burst to his feet, walking towards Chris with a dazed expression. “Is that… is that… ?” he stammered. Chris maneuvered closer with the bundle, passing it off to the doting father. It was a lovely moment, the new grandpa crowding round to, Cornfed gingerly leaning in to look at the new life. He leaned back from the group, making eye contact with Liz and mouthing. “See! See!”

saved for later