TheRedGuy

The avian boy continued his exercise, mastering more of the obstacle course with practiced ease. Aníbal idly wondered if he could pull off the same feat, and concluded it was unlikely. He had done some light acrobatic training, just in case he ever found himself bereft of his abilities, but nothing of this calibre. Jann replied to his questions in halting but correct English. The way he pronounced "stores", as if they were some unusual novelty, amused Aníbal, but he was careful not to show it. The school put limitations on all its pupils, and learning how to skirt those limitations the right way was something of a hidden curriculum. As the people in charge never tired of pointing out, Claremont wasn't a boot camp for heroes but a school for kids with special requirements in their education. Jann probably had to keep a low profile, being a member of another species. Who were the Star Gods, though, and why did they not watch over him here? That was a question probably best left for later.

Jann rattled off a list of names, only one of which sounded vaguely familiar. They were probably the 2016 crop of Claremonters. All in all, it seemed like he had made the transition without too many problems. "Good... You're doing fine, then.", Aníbal remarked.

He nodded as Jann asked a question of his own. "Correct. I've been at Claremont for a year now. My father pulled some strings to have me transfered here after my abilities surfaced.", he replied, "Just arrived yesterday, missed the first month. Had to go to Europe to run some tests."

Once again, the winds carried him upwards. "So... Have you been outside of Claremont much? Seen the city? Gotten into trouble?".

Avians. Well, he was one letter off on the accent. Jann's reply was intriguing. Apparently he was part of a whole species of birdlike people. Aníbal knew nothing of them or their culture, but was determined to learn as much as the newcomer was willing to share. They didn't reveal their existence to the general public - "Avian" was probably a government designation or something - and they probably had good reason not to. Still, he knew how to keep a secret - everyone in Claremont did - and they seemed to be getting along well so far.

"Avians. I haven't heard of them before. Though I suppose your people don't really concern themselves with our affairs too much, do they?", Aníbal mused. "I don't know where my powers come from. They came out about two years ago. Guess that's one advantage you have over most of the people here. You grew up with yours, and you were surrounded by other people who are just like you."

Aníbal took to the air again and landed on a flat surface further ahead of Jann's position, freeing up a path for the avian's acrobatic advance. 

"I mean, I've gotten used to it by now, but a lot of the other kids are still working through their own problems, adjusting to everything. Sometimes their powers aren't exactly a blessing, too, or they have other troubles. I've had it easy.", he continued, "Then again, I suppose it can't be easy to adjust to life in a whole new culture. Must be hard to live apart from your people. So... How are you finding Claremont so far? Made friends? You mentioned this Selina girl..."

"Jann Fa-Re.", Aníbal repeated, committing the unusual name to memory. It sounded vaguely Asian, but not from any culture he knew. "Pleased to meet you, Jann."

The wings, as it turned out, were indeed not just for show. He gave an appreciative nod as Jann pulled off his mid-air flip and gracefully landed on his feet. His new avian acquaintance could manoeuver impressively well even in a confined space such as the gym. He was probably a sight to behold in the skies. It was a nice coincidence that they shared an ability, Aníbal thought, even though it came from drastically different causes. Perhaps the two of them could team up in the future. Trouble in Freedom City was just as easily found in the air as it was on the ground.

"Yes. Mexican, to be precise.", he remarked, "That's nice. Spanish is a beautiful language. Maybe I can help you out as well." Jann's pronunciation was solid enough for a beginner. Selena. There was another name he hadn't heard before. Another Hispanic student at Claremont, probably a new arrival. He smiled, pleased with the idea of having someone else to talk to in his native tongue. The smile turned to a grin as Jann inquired about his powers.

"Yeah. It's not a trick.", he replied, "I can control the air. Move things, fly around, blast people. What about you? Were you, um, born with those, or... If you'd rather not talk, it's fine. Just, you know. We've all got our... thing, here, so don't be shy."

The new kid spoke, and spoke English to boot, albeit with a heavy, very peculiar accent that offered no clue as to his origins. Aníbal stepped closer to the obstacle course and unzipped the top of his tracksuit, revealing a black t-shirt with a discretely placed Miramontes Tequila logo. He threw the top over a nearby exercise machine. 

"Didn't plan on it, but might as well.", he replied cheerily, "It's good to start the day with a workout." The air in the room moved unnaturally, and in a few moments he was levitating on the currents about three feet above ground. The winds propelled him forward and he perched himself atop one of the beams in the obstacle course, not far from the other boy. He smiled and extended a hand in greeting.

"I don't believe we've met before. Aníbal Herrera, also known as El Huracán.", he intoned slowly enough to hopefully cross the language barrier, "Don't worry if you can't pronounce it, a lot of the Americans here have the same trouble."

Hmmm... Aníbal has some music performance skills that are there for flavor and are otherwise a useless waste of points.  If Firedream needs a keyboard player/backup vocalist, I'm in.

Aníbal had landed in Freedom City the day before, and was still shaking off the jet lag. He woke up at 4 AM, tossed and turned trying to get back to sleep until 5 AM, then finally muttered a string of Mexican profanities and dragged himself out of bed, deciding to put on his tracksuit and go for a morning jog. School had already started a month earlier, but he had just arrived after spending six weeks getting examined, tested and retested at an expensive private clinic in Switzerland. It was overkill, but his father had deep pockets and didn't enjoy taking risks he couldn't calculate. Whatever the cause of Aníbal's powers, it was one of those incalculable risks. The doctors confirmed his condition was stable, his health was excellent and his powers were completely under his control. A month of classes had gone by, but he was confident he'd catch up quickly. Nothing important happened in the first month, right? Right now, he had the whole weekend free, and had to fill it up somehow. 

He made his way through the school grounds at a brisk pace. It was still dark outside, and very few people were out this early. Should have stayed in bed, he thought, but in truth he was enjoying himself. He paused and took a deep breath of the chilly morning air. What would he do over the weekend? Catching up with Raina was a must. He'd sent her e-mails and a postcard from Bern, but he really missed seeing her in person. Maybe patrolling the city as El Huracán. Other than that, he had no idea. 

He continued on, jogging past the gym when he noticed the lights were on inside. Someone else was up early, maybe one of the people he knew. It wouldn't have surprised him if it was Riley. Intrigued, he entered the gym and observed the person inside. A year ago, the sight would probably have been surprising, but he'd seen enough weird stuff over one year in Freedom City to make a boy with bird wings seem unremarkable. The boy was new - he hadn't seen him before, in any case. The new kid wasn't using his peculiar talent, though, preferring to tackle the obstacle course with acrobatic skill alone. Maybe he was practicing in case he lost use of his wings, or maybe they were just for show and didn't actually work. He moved closer cautiously, not wanting to break the other early bird's concentration.

"Good morning!", he said at an opportune moment and flashed the bird boy a practiced, friendly smile. 

El Huracán

Terror Lunch (4)

Brightly Polished 24 Carat Wits (1)

Aníbal steeled himself for what was to come. Hopefully, Asad and the two of them together would prove a match for the creature. Its acidic vomit would soon eat away through the reinforced glass, and they would be standing in front of it. To his surprise, before that happened, another person appeared on the roof - a superhero, dressed in blue and silver. He didn't know who she was, but judging by the blow she dealt to the humanoid fly thing, she was one of the good guys. The relief soon turned to worry as the monster shrugged off the blow like it was a pat on the cheek. The woman shouted something to them, but the glass muffled it. Just after that, the monster burst through the weakened window, sending shards of glass flying towards them. Instinctively, he leapt in front of Raina and covered his face to block the incoming shards. They bounced harmlessly off the flight suit's nanofabric. Glass couldn't cut through it. Whatever weakened the glass most certainly would. 

His eyes widened as the creature spoke, in Spanish, its voice alien and terrible. It was unnerving, but although he was afraid he managed to retain his composure in the face of the horror. Its words were... odd. It - he? she? - mentioned the King of Tigers, apparently under the impression that he was here. Aníbal knew the name. It was a fixture in the grim headlines that came so regularly from Mexico in recent years. Murders, drug running, all sorts of crimes, and the ruthless old man responsible for so much of it. El Rey de los Tigres. The name struck terror into many in the north, and it sounded even more horrible spoken by this abomination. Thoughts raced through Aníbal's head as he processed what was happening. The thing, whatever it was, spoke. And if it spoke, it could be reasoned with. It seemed to think they were mercenaries of the infamous drug lord. And it was fond of theatrics. There was no time to think or plan any sort of complex scheme. Disregarding Asad's explicit orders, he boldly - foolishly - stepped forward, right in front of the creature, placed his hands of his hips, straightened his back, and locked eyes with the monster. 

"The wrath of God?", he addressed the creature in Spanish, with an air of confidence, cracking a practiced smirk, "The wrath of God does not break into cheap hotels like a thief, or bellow and puff his chest like a rudo trying to scare the kids at a lucha libre show."

He was maybe two feet away from the monster's maw, within easy range of the acid spray. It took all his powers of concentration not to flinch or let his voice crack. The bluff was a big risk, a big stupid risk that could get him killed, but if he was correct, the thing wasn't there for them.

"The man you're looking for is not here. He was never here, and we are not in his employ.", he continued, still holding the creature's gaze, "But I'll tell you who is here. I am El Huracán, Lord of the Air, the very air your swarm of vermin needs to fly. My friend, the Queen of Flames, can burn them all with the blink of an eye. Our host here is a powerful man, powerful enough to take you on all by himself."

He pointed to the woman outside. "And she... Well, you've already met her. I can tell you now, friend, she pulled that punch. The next one, she will not pull."

"You can speak, so I assume you can count. That makes four of us, one of you... and no King of Tigers. See?", he added, "We have no quarrel with you, whoever or whatever you are, but when a criminal breaks into a hotel in broad daylight and terrorises innocent people, he makes himself our business. So... You can fight the four of us, lose all your precious flies, and let the King of Tigers slip from your grasp. Or you can cut the posturing and speak to us. Your choice."

He was ready to dodge out of the way of the monster's attack, in case it called his bluff and decided to take its chances against the four of them. Hopefully it would work, and at the very least buy the others some time.

Okay, Will Save vs Intimidation: 1d20+6=21 Aníbal is not afraid.

Also, I guess a Knowledge (current affairs) check would do for the info? If so: 1d20+4=16

El Huracán will try and bluff to Distract the Fly Guy: 1d20+8=26

El Huracán's Initiative 1d20+4=22

Raina's words made him uneasy. Trouble was on its way, it seemed, and trouble of some mystical kind to boot. As she backed into him, he wrapped his arms around her and reassuringly pressed her closer. They would handle it together, whatever it was. Now seemed like a good time to prepare for the worst. As Raina fired up her magic, he moved towards his bags, one of which contained his flightsuit. He moved out of sight of Asad and his crew, took off his civilian clothes and quickly put on his costume, which offered significantly better protection. It occurred to him the suit's protective lining probably wasn't designed to handle magic, but it was the best option nonetheless. Shortly, he rejoined Asad and Raina, now having put on the attire of El Huracán.

The air conditioning died. Huh. It wasn't surprising - the hotel wasn't exactly top of the line. He was just about to make a wry remark about his air control powers making him a human AC unit, but he paused, interrupted by the strange noises coming out of the vent. That wasn't normal. 

Then the flies came. That definitely wasn't normal. He fought back an urge to scream as the hellish swarm burst out and covered the room. This was what Raina had felt approaching. Swatting the pests away, he made his way to Raina's side, ready to clear the nuisance away. He looked outside and noticed the monstrous creature that had landed on the balcony. 

"What do we do?", he yelled over the buzzing, on edge but still maintaining his composure. This was going to be one tough fight. 

"Huh... Somehow the school neglected to mention that little detail when they gave us the assignment.", Aníbal replied, cocking his eyebrow when Asad clarified his earlier cryptic remarks. Figures... It sounded like there would be some trouble after all, and no one had seen fit to warn them beforehand. Perhaps it was another one of the Academy's stupid tests. Dealing with unforeseen circumstances, adapting quickly, that sort of thing. He winced, cursing inwardly, but he was prepared to tackle whatever came their way. It would be fun to do some hero stuff with Raina at his side.

"Well, regardless... If anything happens, we'll be ready.", he continued and finished off his lemonade, "I've dealt with some trouble before, and so has Raina."

Turning to Raina, he noticed a strange look in her eyes. She seemed distracted by something, but he couldn't tell what. "Raina? Everything OK?", he whispered, slightly concerned.

Also, the demo version of Hero Lab (available here) includes an option for M&M 2nd Ed. that includes a lot of helpful stuff, like what feats do, what skills there are, and the various powers. Plus it does a lot of the calculations for you. 

Aníbal had planned to take Raina on a trip to Mexico for quite some time now, but it's safe to say Nuevo Laredo wasn't at the top of his destination list. He had no connections here, familial or otherwise, and despite any other charms it may have had the town was well known as a hotspot for gang violence. A busy commercial center mostly visited by international businessmen, drug lords, and wayward Texans looking for adventure across the border, not really a resort town. They were here on business themselves, on an unusual assignment from the school. Accompanying a businessman making a deal in Mexico seemed odd at first, but it turned out this was no ordinary businessman. Asad was well known to the general public - a billionaire playboy who was open about being a superhero. Aníbal had heard of the man, and was pleased to find their host was a really nice guy in person. There would be no problems on that end, at least. Presumably this was to be a learning experience for the two of them, an opportunity to be mentored by a more experienced hero. They wouldn't be required to actually do anything dangerous, unless Multimedios Radio was secretly a front for the Zetas or something, but he took his suit along just in case.

Aníbal wore a blue striped polo shirt, white trousers and penny loafers. He was standing next to Raina, sipping chilled lemonade, looking out the panel windows and pensively observing the city. Here they were safe, at least. The accommodations weren't great, but this was probably the best hotel in town. Besides, as his father always said, you don't become a billionaire by wasting money. When Raina asked her question, he nodded.

"South, southwest, yeah.", he replied, "Don't know anybody in Nuevo Laredo. The one kid I know who's from up north is from Juárez, and that's way out west from here."

He shrugged. "I'm sure we'll find something fun to do."

Asad's comment surprised him a bit. Apart from the usual safety concerns, there didn't seem to be any cause for worry. Maybe Asad was just paranoid - a life spent being hounded by paparazzi will do that to you - or maybe the more experienced hero picked up on things they didn't.

"What do you mean, Sir?", Aníbal inquired. 

He flinched when Terrifica casually mentioned Claremont, but quickly regained his composure. She was certainly one of the people in the know, and it was easy to assume two teenage superheroes were affiliated with the school, or at least had been in the past. Meeting up there seemed like a good idea, although he was still uncomfortable with visiting the missing girl's parents. They'd be there in the evening, and most people would probably not appreciate being bothered at so late an hour. Still, he was sure he could gently persuade them into cooperating, if need arose. 

"OK. Meet you all there.", Aníbal agreed. A gust of wind propelled him upwards, levitating him about 20 feet above the fray. "Adiós!".

He nodded a farewell to the two superheroines and gave a small salute to the cops at work near the robbed jewelry store before flying off, carried by the wind currents.

El Huracán

Brightly Polished 24 Carat Wits (3)

Teenage Superstars (1)

There's A Moon Out Tonight (1)

Aníbal's eyes widened under his goggles as Terrifica mentioned the other disappearances. That many people disappearing at the same time, all of them women or girls... Something very strange indeed was going on here, and it was probably not a coincidence. He didn't relish the idea of bothering people who must have gone through a lot of anguish already with sensitive questions about their daughter's disappearance, but if it helped get a lead on the case, it was worth a shot. 

"Alright... I suppose we could.", he replied, and nodded as Miracle Girl asked if she could get changed. Her outfit was busted up far worse than his. "Probably a good idea. If we're going to trouble these poor people, the least we can do is look presentable." 

Since all of my current threads for El Huracán seem to have stalled or trailed off, I'd be up for getting him involved in something new.

ALREADY EDITED BUT NOT NOTATED A WEEK AGO BY HGM

El Huracán

OK. For starters, replacing:

Aerokinesis 11.5 (23PP Array); Feats: Alternate Power 5, Dynamic 5;  Drawbacks: Power Loss (in vacuum) -1) [32PP] (air, mutant)

With:

Aerokinesis 11.5 (23PP Array); Feats: Alternate Power 7, Dynamic 8;  Drawbacks: Power Loss (in vacuum) -1) [37PP] (air, mutant)

We're adding two additional powers and making his Move Object dynamic. Changing this:

• Base Power: Move Object 11 (Air Control; Extras: Range (perception); Feats: Precise; Flaws: Action (full) ) {23/23} (air)

Into this:

• Dynamic Base Power: Move Object 11 (Air Control; Extras: Range (perception); Feats: Precise; Flaws: Action (full) ) {23/23} (air)

And adding the following two powers to the Aerokinesis array:

• DAP: Trip 10 (Blow Away; Range 100 ft; Extras: Knockback; Feats: Indirect 3 (any point, any direction) ) {23/23} (air)
• DAP: Trip 5 (Gale; Range 50 ft; Extras: Knockback, Area [50-100 ft Cone], Selective Attack; Feats: Accurate (+2), Improved Trip, Progression - Increase Area ) {23/23} (air)

This should amount to 5 PP spent (3 dynamic, 2 AP).

I think Anibal might be useful for Thunderstorms, if there's room and it's PL appropriate.  Or maybe Flies, if Thunderstorms is overbooked.

Aníbal shrugged in grudging agreement as the head trainer explained the purpose of their visit. Although his powers had served him well, there would undoubtedly be situations where he couldn't make use of them. He would find himself in close quarters with no room to maneuver or take to the air, or faced with a foe that couldn't be beaten by gusts of wind, or he'd be out of his costume and forced to keep his powers a secret, so as not to blow his cover. Most of his training, so to speak, was ranged: learning to control the air currents and direct them where he pleased, to shape and compress the air and launch it precisely against distant targets. Señor Gutierrez had taught him some rudimentary hand-to-hand self-defense techniques, but he was no match for a trained opponent. Perhaps this would be a valuable learning experience?

He watched with interest as Huang stepped in, the first of the students to be tested. There was tension in the air as instructor and pupil chatted away. Clearly the man knew Huang and his family, though he'd probably not go easy on the kid. He didn't know precisely what Huang could do, but given his supposed ancestry it would surely be an impressive sight. This should be quite the spectacle.  

"This should be fun.", he whispered to Raina, "You'll get to watch me embarrass myself in front of everybody."

"Okay...", Aníbal replied and sighed. He spent a few moments arranging the events in his head, trying to put his feelings of frustration aside and focus on remembering as many details of the recent events as he could. 

"I was... patrolling, the city, looking for trouble, something I could help with.", he started recounting the tale after a brief pause, "Then I spotted someone in an alley, trying to break into a fancy jewelry store through the back entrance. I swooped down and I saw it was Miracle Girl. We... We met before, during the plane hijacking a few months back, if you recall that... Uh... So anyway, she told me the place was being robbed, there were hostages, and there were lions in there." 

He paused again and rubbed his forearm. The lining of his suit was ripped and it still hurt a bit, but there was no injury.

"We decided to split up. She went in from the front, I went in from the back, blasted the back door open and moved in. She wasn't lying, there were lions in there. Lots of them, a whole pride. Some of them were carrying jewelry in their maw. It was... strange. Very strange.", he continued, "We surprised them. A few of them ran outside through the door and around the building to the front, paid no attention to me, they just carried the jewelry. Like, what's the word... autómata? Like they were programmed or something. Two of them attacked me, Miracle Girl fought a bunch of them herself."

He smiled ruefully, remembering his hesitation to hurt the beautiful beasts. That proved a spectacularly stupid decision.

"They were tough. Real tough. Of course, I was pulling my punches, because I didn't want to hurt them too bad. I thought... I thought they were real, you know? I thought whoever did this was an animal-abusing hijo de puta and trained them to do bad things, it wasn't their fault. So yeah... One of them bit me, here... Luckily the protection held out, or I'd be getting patched up with Miracle Girl right now. Or worse...", he continued the tale, showing his forearm to Terrifica, "Things didn't go too well, so I moved back outside and took to the air, where they couldn't reach me. I managed to knock one of them out with an air blast, and she just vanished into thin air. They weren't real. Like, holograms, or illusions, I don't know what. They felt pretty damn real when they bite you, though."

"And then, suddenly, I felt weak. Drowsy, like I was made of lead. I just wanted to lie down and sleep for days. I couldn't stay in the air, so I landed and went back in. All the lions were gone, and I saw one person leaving the store.", his brow furrowed as he summoned the image of the girl from the depths of his memory, "A girl, she was in her teens by the looks of it, probably around my age or slightly older. She looked familiar, but I can't..."

A flash of recollection struck him as he finally connected the face to a name. "Horne. Skye Horne. She went missing about a week ago, it was on the news. She took one look at me and I blacked out. Next thing I remember that cop was waking me up, and you were here. That's it. That's everything I remember."

He looked at Terrifica with an apologetic shrug. Perhaps she at least would find some of it useful?

A closer examination of the apron turned up little of value. There was only a nametag, with a name that meant nothing to him. The pad wasn't there, which was suspicious. Either whoever dropped this apron took it with them, or they never had it in the first place. Thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to overcome the stress and put the pieces of this mystery together. Someone on the staff would probably know who Janiris was, and if she worked here regularly. That would have to wait until after the guy was given medical assistance. Hopefully Merlin was on the case. Aníbal put the apron on a nearby counter and looked around. To his surprise, the little monkey did not take the items he asked for back into the restaurant. Instead, he was snooping in front of a large door, one that probably led to a storage room or a freezer. Aníbal rushed to his side.

"Why didn't you take the things?", he looked down at the monkey, then at the door he was so interested in. An uncomfortable hunch gripped him. "There's something inside? Is that it?".

Aníbal exhaled to relieve the pressure building in his chest, and took a deep breath. He slicked his hair back and rubbed his neck for a few tense moments.

"Okay, take that stuff to the guy and do what you wanted to do. I'll go check in here.", he said, trying to muster as much calm authority as he could. His father was much better at that tone of voice than he was, but it was a valiant effort given the circumstances. He closed his eyes, wondering when the damned police and ambulance were going to get here, and dreading the possibilities of what was inside the freezer. It could be nothing, or it could be a scene that would make the kitchen look positively serene in comparison. He opened his eyes and pushed the door of the walk-in freezer open, taking a resolute step forward. With trepidation, he scanned the scene.

"El Huracán. I, uh, also worked with Miracle Girl before.", Aníbal introduced himself to Terrifica. There was little time for pleasantries, however. Miracle Girl needed medical assistance, and Terrifica, whoever she was, would probably want a briefing on what transpired earlier. He wearily nodded at her suggestion and followed her outside, his steps still uncertain. In a few moments, he was at the new arrival's side, standing in front of the robbed jewelry store. The lingering drowsiness was quickly fading away. He took a deep breath, drawing the chilly December air into his lungs. It helped to clear his head. This wasn't over yet. Whoever was responsible may have gotten away, but they would track them down. The fact that the robbery was committed in such a flamboyantly exotic fashion - illusionary lions, of all things - would surely narrow it down. These weren't two-bit thugs.

"Okay, so...", he spoke up, "Do you want me to start from the beginning, or what?". 

El Huracán

Teenage Superstars

Brightly Polished 24 Carat Wits

Monster Mash

There's A Moon Out Tonight

All rewards to Aníbal, obviously.