Avenger Assembled

Looking very pleased with himself, Mark hopped out of Mike's arms on their landing. "That was great! Thanks, Faith." He smiled at her, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go get that lunch?" he suggested to everyone. "And then, back to training."

"Have similar abilities myself. Suggest we work as a team," said Avenger, giving Dead Head a level look. "I go in, and if I'm uninjured, you follow me. Phantom and Atlas can stop us if something goes...awry." It actually made more sense to send in Dead Head first, Jack mused, since he was pretty sure he could take the shovel-wielding zombie if the situation called for it. But he was no coward to send the other man out ahead of him, even if he wasn't a man at all. If no one objected, Avenger did indeed go in first.

Jack threw up his hands against the flare of brilliant white light just in time as the eruption of magical energy from Phantom chased away the darkness all around them, a flare of pure celestial light that erupted from the powerful mage like the very embodiment of truth and goodness, blasting away all the monsters that lay hidden in the darkness around them in a rush of power. Within an instant, all the bad guys were gone, leaving the heroes alone in the big room. "You did it!"

"Call if you need me." When Taylor released Jack's hand, he simply disappeared. He didn't go far, though, instead lurking in a corner in case Taylor needed him. Wait, is this inappropriate? he wondered. What if they start talking about me? He debated with himself the moral proprieties of spying on one's wife talking to her girlfriend, a debate that happened to stretch out while he continued to lurk.

Jack took her hand as they walked up to the Chun house, giving her a nervous smile. He couldn't really tell Taylor that he felt better about this than almost anything they'd done since they'd found out about her condition. It was so normal, but so abnormal; just like them. Probably good not to let that on, given all the worries she'd had about it. He let Taylor open the door, a vampire's reflex even after getting an invitation.

Jack couldn't think of anything in his personal collection that he'd want to be around a little kid, that was for certain. "As long as he knows that we love him and that we want him to be happy, he'll know enough about us," Jack offered quietly. "That's all a kid really needs. That, and a way to..." He thought for a moment and said, half-smiling, "So, I hear magic runs in families. Should I expect lots of arcane blasts if I'm late with his bottle? I guess we need to think about his magic education too."

Ace knew his old friend's grandson had something of a soft spot for teasing, but the Johnny Rocket he knew wasn't quite so easy to distract! With a smooth move and a surprise blow, he knocked the malevolent speedster out for the count.

Actually, with all the bad guys but Captain Thunder out, it's Doc Arch's turn!

"Can I blow him up now?" said Edge, jumping up and down with anticipation that looked alarmingly convincing. "My friend from Young Freedom took down like four of these guys the other day, I wanna see if I can blow them all up at once. Then I'll get the most points, and the big screen TV. We're having...a contest!" Edge didn't actually yell "Dun dun dun!", but it seemed like he really wanted to.

He put his arms around her too, tentatively resting his hand on the bulge of her tummy. "A middle ground," he echoed. "That'd be good. The best kids are supposed to be a blending of both parents, right?" He smiled carefully. "You'll teach him how to read, I'll teach him...how to play sports, or something." Truthfully, Jack couldn't think of a lot of things he knew that would be helpful for a little kid to know. "Give him pictures of some place far away from here, that's what he really needs," he said in response to her thoughts about the castle and knights. "He's going to need to use his imagination early on and well."

Success on the Intimidate Aid

"A jungle, eh?" Jack nodded at that, admitting, "I suppose growing up in a fortress isn't the healthiest way for any child to live. Maybe stuffed animals in that corner, a bookshelf over there..." He'd been insisting on the bookshelf, and whether or not she meant it, the look Taylor gave him at that prompted him to say, "Kids need books. My folks used to...really try and read to me. Maybe he'll take to it better than I did. After all, he's got the good genes for it." He gave her a little smile at that, pulling himself out of the corner where he'd trapped himself to walk to her side. "And he won't just live in here. I mean, he's got any dimension in the cosmos he can visit, right?"

Natural 20 for a total of 28

Dr. Archeville's laser tore across the flaming, tumbling Patchwork Girl, who flexed painfully as more stitches tore, and then suddenly fell perfectly still. While the heroes were still recuperating, a badly-punctured Jack staggered to his feet. "Taylor," he said with great alacrity, "you need to counterspell this entire building right now." And sure enough, as he spoke, the dark shadows all around them seemed to be growing all the thicker, as if the very night itself was about to turn against those who had so effortlessly slain its champions.

"Rockers are good," agreed Jack. "They let you...spend time with the baby, I guess." It sounded like he was doing his best to sound engaged about something he didn't understand, at least to his own ears. Running his hands up and down the wall, he said, "I don't think we need to give him any religious inclinations at the start. How about, I don't know, GI Joe or something? That was a good show."

Well, I'm sure she can jury-rig something. inside.

Avenger looked up, tensed, and found his niche in an instant. "You miserable coward," he spat. "Hiding in darkness just like your pathetic, lily-livered little mirror image! I've always found him to be a pathetic little excuse for a man, hiding behind his powers when real men are busy getting their hands dirty, and I can see you're no different. What did you do, lure him in by dangling puppies and orphans in front of him?" He spat blood on the ground, the dark fluid not incidentally landing on the 'decorative' markings on the floor. It was a good thing he'd never explained their use to his Dark Star. "You little worm," he taunted. "What are you waiting for? Are you just going to sit there and lob insults like the miserable star-dropping you are, or are you brave enough to actually come in here and fight!?"

Same as last round (hitting all Power Corps), but surging (via HP) to do it twice.

"Power Corps!?! More like Flower Corps, am I right?" exclaimed Edge as he ran circles around the armored baddies, their suits exploding and burning everywhere he went. "You guys have jobbed to every superhero in Freedom City! You're like the Washington Generals of supervillainy! Which means you're in trouble because I-" And at that, he climbed up on a bank counter and pushed it a little harder. "Am the FUNKIEST MAN IN TOWN!"

just beat on the mob via story-telling.

They are horribly vital and alive, wriggling with unnatural vitality. If introduced to live tissue, they do HORRIBLE things.

Jack refrained from commenting that the Hammer films were too gritty and realistic for his taste; particularly Christopher Lee's Dracula. "I promise," he told her as she took Grimalkin's present in hand, "I will be good as gold. Now, let's see what's in the box."

It occurred to Jack that such a device would be remarkably useful for any vampire. No more hunting, no more dangerous attacks, just... He shook his head, trying to chase those thoughts away. He wasn't here to expand on his vampiric nature. And besides, he liked hunting. "Okay, well, if that's what we're doing, that's what we're doing." He took a step back and added, "It's not a cloaking field as such, Doctor. Mirrors and recorders reflect the real world. It's just that what you see before you now isn't real."

High in the sky, Phalanx heard Edge before he caught sight of him: they were at least two, three miles up over the city! "Wa-hi-hi-hoiiii!" As he looked up, the rapidly-approaching figure of the now-wingless and plummeting Mark Lucas sprang into view. Steering his own descent to perfection, Mark wound up landing right in Phalanx's outstretched arms. His hair disheveled and goggles missing, he looked none the worse for wear for his rapid ascent and even more rapid fall. "Thanks, Mike! You're a pal." He threw his arms around Phalanx's neck. "Let's go back down!"

So what's the plan, Stans?