Avenger Assembled

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?

Mark gave Faith a big hug, thoroughly enjoying the moment. "Mmm. Rex was thinking about coming, but his image inducer is on the fritz. I'm sure we'll get a pretty good-sized crowd, one way or another." If he stopped to think about it, this sort of thing was exactly why he and Faith were going together. Another boy might have wondered if that was healthy, but he didn't actually stop to think about things much. He grinned down at Faith and added, "Race you to the water!" A moment later, he turned and bolted straight for the beach.

We Rise Together OOC

The morning after Valentine's Day found Jack Faretti standing in a room where he'd never thought to be, making plans to deal with a creature he'd never thought to see. "I don't see why we need windows in here at all," he said, looking crossly around at the apartment room they were turning into a nursery. "We need something defensive in here. The steel shutters are nice and all, but they're not as tough as the reinforced walls." He rapped on the plaster, which was just right for a nice coat of blue. "We could cover the windows," he suggested, "and take the opportunity of putting additional defenses in here. And maybe a bookshelf," he added. "Right over there, with lots of little kid books." If he can read at all.

Hours later, Heyzel sat alone in the darkened church basement. He'd busied himself with productive work, baking pies and cakes for the sale the next day, but now the kitchen was quiet and he was alone in the house of worship. He'd been thoroughly unimpressed by the cambion's theological critiques; the unfortunate young man's ravings holding about as much water as a drowning man's bitter rejection of rope and ladder. And yet his soul is still aimed on the path of right. I could see it in his eyes, past all the adolescent anger and hate. A contradiction, surely, but he'd encountered plenty of those on Earth. The girl's anger, though, that had been something more potent. I wish she'd stayed. He'd seen the truth in her pain, even as she'd fled in grief and rage. What did she see? Cautiously, he rose to his feet, folding his wings up behind him, and for the first time turned on the television in the church kitchen. Flipping it around, he eventually found what looked like the news channel. There'd been a big fire in northern New Jersey, one the Freedom League was rushing to help clean up. He looked at a school, burning, and asked himself the questions that had been burning in his mind for days now. Why did He leave us? Why didn't He give us better instructions? Why didn't my own people send me sooner? He studied the fire on the television, light reflecting in his eyes, and made his decision. I'm here now. I have to do my job. And in a few moments he was out the window, flying fast, ready to make the world a better place.

"It's not that I care about the drinking," said Mark, luckily having caught most of the conversation as he and Faith walked up down the driveway to greet the others, "but you guys don't know Mr. Summers like I do. He knows. He always knows." He looked around at that, as if the headmaster would come stumping his way out from behind a bush to heckle them. "But if we're not drinking ourselves," he said to Faith, "no harm, no foul." He smiled at her, looking very pleased with himself to have such a pretty girl on his arm. In a loose, open Freedom Friends T-shirt and very tight black athletic trunks, he looked ready to party.