RocketLord

And he just kept going. Master and slave? Really? That was so not what was going on. Was he still trying to manipulate her, and actually make her feel guilty about bringing in a bad guy? Really? "Yeah, its night. You don't have to worry about that." At least let him keep his dignity, maybe that could help with keeping him in line. She really hoped so, at least. The big question was just what he was going to do once they got up, and if the kids got in the way. "And we'll see what happens, but whatever the case, you brought it on yourself. You might just have wanted a cure at some point, but I'm pretty sure you're well beyond that, right?" Robin stood her ground, waiting with the gun pointed at him. It would be a bit difficult to crawl up with the Justice Buster in one hand, but she would manage, once he got far enough up to give her space.

"Better than yours!" Finally, it sounded like he might be willing to just come along. Not that she trusted him. "I keep my word. So far, you haven't really done that." She started trying to circle around him, so that he would between her and the stairs. "You got your curse and the powers it seems to give you, I got this." She motioned to her gun with her head. "There's nothing unfair about me leveling the playing field." She wasn't about to trust him now. Probably not ever again. The moment he didn't get his way, he started showing his true colors, after all. And Emerald City wasn't supposed to have super villains. Robin kind of wondered if there were more like him hiding around, but that was for later. She had to stay focused. Robin motioned with the Justice Buster towards the steps. "Go up. We're walking out of here."

Wait. Robin paused entirely. Letting go of the Justice Buster with one hand, she looked at the palm of her hand for a moment, before turning to look back at Finnigan again. The way he had been feeling like crap all weekend, while he was talking about peace, and trying to win her over... and he had held her hand, leading her trough the darkness, and shaken her hand when she left. Robin had dealt with it. She had gotten better. But if it was an epidemic, if it had spread? What if it hit someone that wasn't able to get through it as easily as she had? The whole weekend had been bad enough because of it. Ms. Doors hadn't sounded like she had been feeling well either. She had given him the benefit of doubt, and what had Finnigan done? He had infected her with whatever he was carrying. If she hadn't already been convinced, she was completely sure now. Finnigan was a villain, and he had taken the first shot, as far as she was concerned. Grabbing the Justice Buster with both hands again, she raised it, her voice sounded more confident than Finnigan had ever heard. "Drunk tank for you, until A.E.G.I.S. or someone shows up to deal with you." The cops would deal with him. This might not be Freedom City, but hopefully, they would trust what she said. "You're threatening to spread a plague. If I catch you, its all on me? Same thing if I let you go! This is your last chance. Come along quietly, or I will take you down." No more. She was not going to be manipulated by this madman anymore. She should have taken him down first chance she had. He had claimed to love kids, maybe that could work. "Think about it for one second. If you spread a plague, then the kids here and in the rest of Emerald City will be the first to suffer! Is that what you want? To hurt children?"

I'm looking to run a horror thread set in Bedlam for 1 to 3 characters. It will probably be primarily investigation based, but there is potential for some relatively simple combat encounters, depending on what happens. No PL requirements. Characters doesn't have to be supernatural to fit in or deal with the issue, but it might help to have some investigative abilities. And if you'd like, it would be nice to have a mention of where in Bedlam your characters could be around the middle of December.

"Alright, I'm not full of that many surprises." Torture chambers? Mutant two headed sharks and acid? The only thing that he didn't mention was lasers of some kind. She did need to get some headquarters, but that would mean actually getting funding from somewhere. This really wasn't the time to think about something like that, but she would have to get back to it at another time. So, she stood her ground, Justice Buster still aimed at Finnigan. "Police was the plan. They can figure out where to get you, so you can get some help. Can't say about myself, others are gonna have to decide that about me. The name's as much a promise as a question. I will find justice. And whatever kind it is, you are in serious need of some." So, what should she do? He just kept talking, didn't come along at all. Take the first shot, starting a whole mess? Could she really do that?

If Pan had noticed Nicole's embarrassed sigh, he didn't let it show in any way, as he moved quickly through the store on his quest. He was still amazed at the bounties on sale everywhere in this world. Every so often, he would return to Nicole, dropping whatever he had found on his way in her basket, before returning. Leaving the store, he held the bags. Even if Nicole had protested, he had insisted. He was the guest, he would do his part. He had enjoyed the evening with Nicole and the De Leon family. He was quite sure that he liked this Thanksgiving, after all. It had been a nice evening, sharing the past with Nicole as they walked. She insisted that she was fine, and he believed her to be so, so he would not pity her, but yet, he was in awe. After all her hardships, she had stood up, both figuratively and literally. Of course he was ready. Another adventure, another walk with a friend. What more could he ask for?

I'm up with Forever Boy, if you'll have him. None of the knowledges you mentioned, but he can always try with jack-of-trades to see if its some random things he's picked up.

Finnigan didn't even look back at her. He was that confident that he could just disappear into the darkness, like he had probably done so many times before. Robin couldn't keep herself from grinning as she hurried after him. Everything in here smelled, so badly. She was tempted to pull out the gas mask, but she needed it in case the Gas Man showed up, and no reason to tip her hand just yet. So, Finnigan led, and she followed. Down they went, and then he finally noticed her. Robin grinned, raising the Justice Buster with both hands, her feet stanced slightly apart, one in front of the other. "I'm just full of surprises, right?" She tried to at least keep some distance. She still didn't know what exactly he could do, after all. "I can't let you go. You might've started out with good intentions, but that little rant before convinced me that's not all that's driving you now. So, please, come along peacefully." Robin didn't want to take the first shot here. Maybe, if he figured out he couldn't just run, he would come along.

OOC for this

GM Emerald City, 4 PM, November 28th Magh'kee had been busy. Her work as a welder, working beneath the waves on Emerald City's new wave-power generator seemed to be a never ending one. Always something to do, always something to put together. She was not alone under the water, despite her clear advantages. A security measure, it had been called. At least two under the water, at least one, preferably two, above. All for safety reasons. Working under the water was not exactly a safe job for a regular human, after all. Her coworker, one Matthew Stone, had been acting unusual all shift. He had always been twitchy, but cautious. Not the hardest worker, but he had done his part, even if he complained all the while. Today, he had been working like a man possessed. No extra breaks, no complaints. Working in silence, working hard. And then, suddenly, while they were alone under water, started thrashing about, before he stopped all together. Even under the water, Magh'kee could hear his scream. Pain, fear. Across the city, at University Hill, Robin Lynne Langley had left work, hurrying to catch the bus, when she heard a scream, not entirely unlike what Magh'kee had heard under the water, though without the water buffering the sound. It was clear, almost inhuman. Everyone turned to look at a ragged-looking homeless man, standing in the middle of the road. He fell, thrashing about violently, and then stopped moving, as cars swerved to avoid him.

Aw, this was not good. The best she had, a shot that had connected cleanly with the thing, and it hadn't even hurt it. And then it lifted the Laughing Buddha statue above its head. "Are you kidding me!?" She'd be flattened if that thing hit. And then the giant horse headed creature actually threw the thing, and it sailed through the air towards her. Robin readied herself, about to move out of the way, and then stopped. No way that thing had put enough force behind the giant Buddha, and sure enough, it landed it front of her. "HA!" She couldn't help herself. She shouldn't taunt, but that was too good to resist. Stepping forward, one foot on the Laughing Buddha, Robin called out to the creature. "Hey Fluttershy, you're supposed to stop when I shoot you!" Both hands on the Justice Buster, she took aim. "Haven't you heard? Its time for Justice!" Trigger pressed, shot taken, another burst of kinetic energy flies towards the creature., the recoil causing the gun to fly up, though still grasped firmly in her hands. Hoping that the fallen Laughing Buddha might at least slow down the crazy thing, Robin threw herself back and to the side.

Taking another shot: 1d20+9 = 19. Still DC20 Toughness if it hits. And Robin moves to the side, trying to get out of the way of the charge.

Finnigan was starting to disappear, straight back into the darkness that he came from. Could she just let him go? To Rio, or wherever else he decided? It might be easier to get the kids to stop all this nonsense if she did. What better way to break a philosophy than to have whoever created it abandon it the first chance he got? It would mean less trouble for Emerald City. No more Finnigan's Fingers. Just maybe Fingers, going out and stealing indiscriminately, until the Gas Man came. It didn't really matter, did it? That last line. Survival. Life. Sweet immortality. Yes, even power. Finnigan really wasn't as altruistic as he had claimed to be after all, was he now? It seemed pretty clear that he wanted something much more than what he had claimed. Whether he had turned around or not, Robin reached into her backpack and pulled out the night googles. With a quick motion, she secured them around her head and turned them on. All tests had worked, she should be able to do this. "Yeah, I don't think so, Finnigan!" Honestly, she might just have let him go, if it it hadn't been for his final parting shot and mentioning power. She was not about to let that happen, no matter what he thought. Justice Buster held ready, she rushed after him into the darkness.

"Ah, what are you talking about!" Fun didn't seem to factor into Dr. Midas' plans, according to him at least. Spotting the streak of plasma, he made a sound that sounded very much like "NYEAH!", as he dove down, out of the way of the bright lights, quickly turning his back to it. "That is dangerous, young lady! Who goes around throwing fireworks at other people like that!" The irony of shooting lasers at others and complaining about being attacked in turn was, of course, entirely lost on him.

Area reflex: 1d20+8 = 28, made it, so DC14 for next roll Dazzle reflex: 1d20+8 = 17 and just makes it. And Facs is up.

"Of that, I am guilty." He did like to flatter, that much was true. He chuckled a bit at the thought, before shaking his head. He had not meant to make her out as a martyr, but he could still admire her for it. He hadn't even though about how a lot of his fellow students had some kind of dark past, something bad that had led them to their current place at life. It was a curious thought, really. Was it just a law of nature here, in this world? Did having powers lead to tragedy? Curious. It was something that he would have to give some more thought another time, perhaps. The strreet was wide, and filled with shops. Pan compared it to the market places in New Avalon for a moment, before dismissing the thought. The street was much too wide for that comparison, and the shops too neatly organized. And everything was so quiet, which he guessed was probably just because of the holiday. He chuckled again, quickly drinking some more as Nicole mentioned their meeting prior to Claremont. Not his proudest moment, really. "Only caught a glimpse of something big and massive coming for me, so I made sure to get away. To be honest, I didn't even notice those weapons, I just figured I might be able to maneuvre a bit better. It was probably the only reason you didn't catch me." From what he had seen of Belios, it had been fast. Much faster than him. But, well, as Nicole said, it drove like a rock. Stopping before the convenience store, he made a small solemn bow before they entered. "You are my friend, Nicole. I cannot not worry about my friends. It is simply how I am." He stood up straight again, flashing her a quick smile before walking in. The automatic doors of stores like these still amused him, but he tried not to let it show too much. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I really haven't been here for long. I'm confident that I will find my way back some day. Maybe even find some way to travel back and forth. That would be ideal, I think." No more solemn things. They had shared, and he felt better for it, both for having shared his own tale and for listening to Nicole's. It was nice to know a friend, and what had shaped them, after all. "Now then! I believe that we have been given a quest by our most gracious hosts!" He stood with legs a bit apart, pointing into the store. A single employee looked up from stocking the shelves, not really knowing what to think of Pan's outburst. "What is on the list? What shall I find?"

"But you are giving up! You're not even thinking about using ideas that you don't like! What's the worst that could happen if you sought out one of those good guy magicians you mentioned? They'd say they couldn't do it, and that would be it!" She was getting worked up now. Robin was really trying to find a peaceful way out of this. She didn't want to fight against Finnigan if she could help it. What had happened to him was horrible, but he was desperate to survive, and even if he had morals, what he was doing was wrong. "What's next, then? What happens when the people you're dealing with decides that money isn't enough? You might not want to hurt kids, but what about other people? You gonna go out and get ritual sacrifices and whatever else they want?" She might be reaching here, as she had pointed out to herself quite a few times, Robin knew next to nothing about magic. She'd have to make up for that at some point. She shifted around, her hand on the phone in her pocket, finger hovering over the last character needed to activate the Justice suit. Stopping him would kill him, or worse? No, she wasn't about to let that happen. Finnigan needed help. He was good at talking his case, sure, but while she heard him, Robin was stopping to listen. For whatever else he might be, good or bad, Finnigan had charisma. He had conviction. He was a manipulator. He had turned an entire group of kids into thieves, all following his philosophy. Still, she would get him help, somehow. This wasn't the way. "My grandmother said this: Even if someone has good intentions, they can still be a bad guy. There is no telling how far they will go, there is no telling what they won't do." She paused for a moment. "I'm not here to do any of those things. You've broken the law, and people have ended up being hurt in the process. Its just a matter of time before it gets even worse. There's no justice in letting you run around and hurting whoever you want, stepping over whoever is in your way to get your cure. I don't claim to know what's justice, not yet at least, but I know one thing: What you're talking about is not justice!" Robin didn't want to fight, but it seemed like Finnigan wanted to do just that. She wasn't about to be caught off guard. "I don't want to fight you. Please, just come along peacefully." Click, last digit entered. "HENSHIN." The mechanical voice from the belt sounded almost somber in the circumstances, as the armor formed over Robin's body and clothes. Her backpack was still on, as was her hoodie, but the gold and red suit gleamed under it.

As said on Discord, I'm up for the experimental one, if you think any of my characters will fit.

Yep, Rev's up next.

You got it. Feel free to be creative with the catch when its your turn.

Alright, give me a Strength check vs DC30, then. Bonuses from any super strength apply. And since I forgot before: Armor Thug 1: Unconscious Armor Thug 2: 24 - Bruised Rev: 15. HP 3 - Bruised, Staggered. Facs: 11 HP 1 - Unharmed Dr. Midas: 8 - Unharmed

Robin agreed that Gretchen would have her work cut out for her. The old shop had a lot of patrons, after all, her included. Not that she felt the need to point that out to the new store owner. No need for the tension, and Gretchen seemed like she was plenty busy already. "I'll do my part on the word-of-mouth!" she called out, making a quick wave after Gretchen as she moved out into the store, towards the commotion up front. Alright, she was the store owner, of course she was busy. Whatever commotion was happening up front, Gretchen could deal with it. Robin's interest had been piqued by the kid. The way the ice cream just disappeared, and the way she moved, she had to have super powers of some kind, right? And Robin really wanted to find out just what. So, she stayed behind, turning to the kid instead. Well, not really kid. She was older than that, wasn't she? "Sooo... You got super speed of some kind?" she asked, a hopeful tone in her question. The fangirl in her wanted to find out if the kid was some famous hero. Maybe related to Velocity. The scientist and hero wanted to find out how the girl's super speed worked, if that was what she had, so she could maybe find a way to work it into her suit.

It was a curious thing, this Belios. It must be nice to have someone, or something, depending on what Belios was, that would come for her like that. He listened to the story. He had not realized that Nicole's life had been so bleak. He was wholly focused on that part of the story now. The armor, and its curious magic, was forgotten for the moment. When Nicole had looked at him, he had shown none of the disbelief she might have sought. Why should he? He admitted that he had not heard of anything quite like Belios before, but so what? Just another wonder of this world to him. He grinned at the thought of Belios letting her fly. Oh yes, he could understand the joy in that. If anyone could, it would probably be him, after all. "I think I understand that quite well. The universe told you that you couldn't stand, and then you defied it. But why just stand, when you can stand tall, right?" He conjured a quick image of Salvo standing in his hand, striking a heroic pose with her fists in her sides, fireworks exploding behind her. It was gone seconds after it appeared. "But I believe that it is not just Salvo who is strong and fearless, is it now? Powerful armor or not, not everyone could just go out and fight evil like you have done." Sure, Claremont was full of people that went out and did just that, but from what Pan had seen of this world, it was still such a small segment of the entire population, not unlike Neverworld. Back home, there had been numerous legends, yet few in the grand scheme of things. And returning to the subject at hand, few of the students seemed to have suffered an injury like Nicole's. "It is admirable that you do as you do, having suffered as you have." There was not a hint of humor in his voice. He was completely sincere, even if just for a moment. A bit more of that hidden age shining through. "But tell me! You can fly! That is amazing! What else can you do, when you are wearing Belios?" Pan paused for a moment. The other questions were more serious, but he felt that he should ask. His voice was somber again. "I hope I do not intrude, and please, tell me if I do, but I am both curious and worried: What of your siblings and the criminal empire?"

"I don't know." Cassidy tried to emphasize a shrug, exaggerate it just a bit to get the meaning across. They understood a single word. That wasn't a lot of common ground for communicating with each other, but it would have to do. Stretching an arm out, he pointed out into the jungle, moving in a wide arc to try to point out that Setho could be somewhere in the jungle, but they didn't know where. "Out there, somewhere. Maybe." He made the exaggerated shrug again. Hopefully they would understand his meaning. Giving the snakemen a moment to think, he turned to Venomax. "Better than have them try to poke you with those spears, yeah?" Allies were better than enemies. Especially if they didn't want Setho around anymore than he did. His question was good, though. Mr. Sting and Abdul would probably be a nuisance at best, if they brought them along, but he didn't trust Sting alone with Abdul. And he didn't trust Abdul further as far as he could throw him, far as that may be. "If we get them outta here, then there's no telling what they'll be up to, or if we can find our way back. If we keep 'em here, they'll just be trouble." He hadn't exactly been in a situation like this before. "I got no idea what we'll do with 'em."

"Aren't you a bit too keen on giving up before you even try it out?" Oh yeah, he was starting to get pissed off. "Like, they might not use black magic, but they might have something that can help with it? Take the bad magic out of you, leave the good stuff in?" She was reaching a bit, perhaps, but honestly, Robin didn't know anything real about magic. Nothing that could help here, or try to get Finnigan to reconsider, at the least. She was fine with letting him go, provided he didn't hurt anyone. But these kids would get hurt. The way he talked about the kids gave her a bit of hope, at least. He was not all villain, if nothing else. It made things both easier and harder. She might actually be able to reach him, but if she didn't, if she couldn't... well, Finnigan might not be out for world conquest or anything like that, but he still had good intentions, he had something that he needed that money for, even if that didn't make stealing right. Every bank robber probably had a good reason. Still didn't make it the right thing to do. "But that's just what you're doing!" Robin countered to Finnigan's statement that he wouldn't sacrifice a young life. "When someone comes down hard on you, do you then think that they'll leave the kids alone? They'll go through them to get at you."