shazam

Might I suggest Fawcett and Batson Architecture? (Why? Because they (in particular, their 78 year old senior partner Frederick Fawcett) built Pyramid Plaza for the Scarab, which means they (or at least Frederick Fawcett) knows where the Scarab's lair (full of the secrets of old heroes and still very much cutting-edge scientific and magical gear) is concealed.

Wonder continue the slugfest, this time changing tactics so he's aiming to drive the Atlantean fiend straight down like a jackhammer rather than through more crowded neighborhoods. He swings high and then down, throwing a mighty punch that this time is less than accurate. He's up again in the air a moment later, staying high and fast away from those terrible claws.

Wonder studies the beams carefully, sussing out the best way to get to the unconscious woman. Despite the emergency, his eye is keen and his knowledge substantial. He methodically picks his way towards the fallen woman, tossing beams aside or simply punching through them, using his knowledge of houses and structures to make his way through without bringing the whole place down on them.

Wonder looks down at the milling crowd, the setting sun casting an orange glow on the gold trim of his uniform. "I remember the first time I ever heard of a superhero. I wasn't a lot older than some of those boys, and it..." He shakes his head. "It was all I wanted." He hesitates a moment, then adds, "That's where the name came from, Emissary. The power of wonder. But you didn't come along just to hear an old man talk about the past. Sure, let's go."

"C'mon, little sprouts, ya gotta form a line!" Wonder obviously has some experience with kids, and he does his best to get them all lined up in a neat and orderly fashion for their times up in the air. Some of the kids are still calling him Captain Thunder, but at this point it doesn't seem to bother him. Some of them know his real name by now. He takes up two at a time, a kid under each arm, and with the casual ease of a man from another era flies alarmingly high with them before zipping back down. "Forget patrolling for a while!" He calls to Emissary, "This is why the world needs heroes!"

Even in the heat of the moment, Wonder doesn't actually cuss. Though he is sorely tempted. "C'mon," he says urgently, his accent thickening under stress, "McNider's the nearest hospital, ain't it? Can she go without that stuff till we get there?"

"It happens," says Wonder. "You all did the right thing, helping that girl and calling the cops." He turns and waves to the window where they're being watched, the architect and superhero in him letting him guess what isn't obvious. "And you too, up there! You all did that well."

"Good kitty, good kitty..." Captain Wonder pets the cat, glad that invulnerable skin helps discourage those needle-sharp claws from sinking into his arm. An alarmed cat is an armed cat, as the kids say. With the kitten in his arms, Wonder descends down to ground level to hand Mr. Whiskers over to his owner, gently disengaging the frightened cat from his sleeve. "You take good care of that cat, son!" He smiles at the boy. "Remember, when you've got a pet, you've gotta watch him as good as your mama does." His accent does seem thicker around little kids. "Wow!" replies the little boy, hugging his cat tight as it climbs up onto his shoulders. "Thank you, Captain Thunder!" He smiles at Emissary too, obviously a well-brought up fellow. Wonder blinks, a visible sigh in the shape of his shoulders, before he bends down and grins at the boy in a downright grandfatherly fashion. "I gotta a secret for ya. I know I look a lot like that other guy, but my real name is Captain Wonder. I was a superhero when your grampa was a little boy!" He seems to have a way with little kids, and the boy does not look displeased at the correction. "I'm gonna go tell my momma Captain Wonder and Emissree saved Mr. Whiskers!"

Sounds good to me!

Wonder looks down at the crying cat and child, a look of pity on his face. "Poor kid. Sure thing." He drops down to the level of the treetops, and decides to indulge a little flair for the dramatic. "Fear not, my lad! I'll save Mr. Whiskers!" he calls down to the boy before dipping down into the trees to reach for the little orange cat. "Be ready to catch him if he jumps down!" he calls up to Emissary, with the air of a man who's done this particular difficult task before.

There's really no choice but that for a hero. Wonder leaves the unconscious Donar without a backwards glance, flying straight for the woman in peril. He's guessed there may be someone else in the back, perhaps the hero he came to see, but right now what's important is helping the people who need help. Donar's mysterious words, and the god himself, will have to wait.

Once they're in the air, Wonder tells Emissary the story of the wicked Count Orloff, the Nazi vampire who bedeviled the Liberty League for years. "Bowman, the original, mind you, finally put him down with a wooden arrow through the heart." Wonder narrates and flies with the practice of a man used to both. "Those were simpler times. Nowadays, everyone would probably want to redeem the tragic monster, or some malarkey like that." He shoots a look at Emissary, thinking back over his earlier words. "So he didn't tell you much about the old days? About the League?"

"The worst scum always comes out at night," agrees Wonder without a trace of hesitation. The knowledge that Emissary eats is a novelty, but the Captain is polite enough not to actually bring it up. "At least you don't see as much supernatural riffraff as you used to. Did Envoy ever tell you about that Nazi vampire we tangled with in Europe?"

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world," says Wonder with a smile. "It's been a long time since I've shared the sky with anyone. Where do you like to make your rounds?" He's a little embarassed at the lie, but he hides it well. After all, it's not really a lie, it's just...a sign of aging. And he doesn't have that problem when he's Captain Wonder, anyway.

If you'd like to continue, Mark, go ahead.

For his part, Fred Fawcett has enjoyed a lovely macrobiotic lunch of bean dip, couscous, and the other Arabic food he can only get in decent quantities at the West End. At a vigorous 78, the exercise and food are what keep him going on days like today. Busy with the afternoon paper, it's not until he looks up and actually catches a glimpse of a silver figure on the roof that he remembers what he's supposed to do today. Ah, ghaban! He pays his bill and carefully wanders down the street into a convienient alley, checking his surroundings carefully before speaking his magic word. With a flash of light and noise, a bolt of divine solar plasma transforms the frail figure of an old man into the captain of the sun and stars. He takes to the air as if he was born there, gold and white cape fluttering behind him in the breeze, and heads straight for the last place he saw Emissary.

Ah, kids these days. Captain Wonder is in!

I'm Captain Wonder, and I approve the above message.

"He's down," says Wonder carefully, listening to the words from inside the house. "I'm going to take him away. Do you need help in there?" He scans the house quickly, drawing on the Wisdom of Imhotep and Fred Fawcett's architectural knowledge. "That wasn't a load-bearing wall he went through; your repairs should be moderate. Call Bryson, they do this kind of structural repair in super-emergencies at close to cost."

Good good, and I like where this is going. I think Wonder will just check on the civilians, then be off to find himself a mystic.

OK, it looks like Captain Wonder is beating Stygwr pretty good. Sooo, what do you want to do next? Cap's most likely course of action, once he gets Stgywr unconscious, is to fly him to the nearest powerful sorceror to try and toss him back to Hades (or any other Dimension o' Pain). If you'd like to have Stygwr do that (and get back, as bad guys do!), that's cool. If not, we could do something to let Stgywr get away. Wonder could punch him so hard he lands in the river, he could cause a building collapse and escape in the melee...it's up to you!

Captain Wonder would be honored to go flying with Emissary. And punch bad guys. Right in the face!

I would also approve of the second PL 10.

And back!

OK, the big move is today! I should be back online in a couple of days, once the internet is hooked up.