Avenger Assembled

"Well, I thought we'd put you up here at the front of the room," he said, pointing to the Guest of Honor chair that someone had decorated like a verdant throne...at least within the budget of college students and their fan club. It mostly had some ivy growing around it. "And that way, you'll have a good seat for the Q&A session and the autograph session. We've got security to chase out any riff-raff. You're welcome to use the plants here to put on any kind of demonstration you like," he added with a grin. "Our fans would love that!"

Jack was gentleman enough to do no more than chuckle, sloshing over to try and distract Clingy before she sprayed Taylor again. "Hey hey! Bet you can't get me!" He gave the little girl-thing a splash, though smaller than the others. "Over here!" he teased, soon getting him a little monster kicking after him under the water like a shark. "Ready to swim?" he asked Gargoyle-Boy. "1-2-3!" And with that, they both dived underwater! Swimming around, he nearly missed Dark Star's arrival, belatedly popping his head up to yell "Hey Derrick! Over here!" He caught up Gargoyle-Boy again as the little guy straggled his way, looking rather chagrined at his sudden dunking. Ah well, maybe he'd teach him later.

Jack put his arms around Taylor, hugging her tight and wordlessly. "Sssh, it's all right," he reassured her, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Nothing happened between Moira and I," he said, looking down at her with comfort on his lean face. "All we did was have sex." He shot a sharp look at Moira and Stesha as they came out the slow way, through the bathroom door. "As for the two of you, I thought we were past all this foolishness! I thought the hardest thing was going to be telling you that I'm a vampire. But no, it's that you're both insane." He demonstrated that, showing his fangs for just a moment, before going back to Taylor. "C'mon, love, let's get out of here."

"Are we going to let them get away with that?" Jack asked of his unhappy shoulder-buddy. "I don't think so!" He reached down and launched a big wave at the two splashers in the pool, sending them swirling away as Bat-Boy and Jack chortled in their glee. Boosted in confidence, they slid into the water at that, Jack staying in the shallow end so the still-nervous gargoyle-baby could stay dry clinging to his shoulder. "I guess the toys came with the pool," he said, not surprised to see that Stesha didn't seem to be enjoying it. "And yes, it was quite a day when Taylor quit! We had a little party."

"Yes! Yes, that's the ticket!" boomed the genie, trying to reassure his very unhappy grandson. "There was none of that, you know....FUNNY BUSINESS!" He tugged at his mustaches, eyes shifting back and forth for a moment, and gave a deep ahem. "But she was a very fine woman! I was lucky to know her, and so are you! Really, you shouldn't be so concerned about this!" He threw his massive arms wide. "I swore that your father would live as a human, but you have so many more opportunities! Why one day you might visit the City yourself!" "Did...did my grandmother know?" asked Mark, eyes full of horrified fascination. "Well yes," said Azim, "I mean, your grandfather did have to explain to her where the baby came from! It was a very different era then, but women are always wise to those things! I do know they didn't tell your father; they thought that would be a little TOO much for him! It is quite a bit of news, isn't it?!" Mark stared at the genie in grief and horror, the sacred beliefs of a lifetime tumbling down all around him. "Yes. Yes, yes it is. Thank you, sir. You can go now." He watched as the genie somewhat unceremoniously disappeared again through the summoning circle, a look of terrible loss on his face.

At Shaen's suggestion, I would like to remove the TP AP from Jack's vampire array and replace it with Concealment 4 (All Visual Senses, Flaws: Limited [While Moving]) [4PP] + Speed 7 [7PP]. 11PP total Give it the Power Loss (during daylight hours) drawback for 1 PP. I'll save that point for now. This will get the same effect of Avenger moving too fast to be seen, but make a little more sense. Done by Sandman XI

"Azim-al-Aziz," said Mark with great, awed deference, "Sir. I have a question for you. But first, I'm so honored to meet you. I have heard so many stories about you that I-" "Stories, eh?! All good ones, I hope!" The genie's laugh was a clap of thunder in the small room. "But seriously, my boy, I have but one question before we talk! And it's not for you, never you fear!" He whirled on Phantom, his slippered feet trailing off into a cloud of energy that retreated into the hole in the universe behind him. "Chosen of Heshem! Has this dimension signed onto the Pact of Solomon and Zeus?!" As it happened, Earth-Prime hadn't signed onto the treaty that provided for guardianship and magical training for the family members of outsiders. This had been a serious problem back in the day when magical figures were siring children left and right. No sooner had Phantom indicated that than the genie turned back to Mark. "You have a question for me, eh?!" he smiled knowingly. "Ask away, my boy!" With that, somewhat cautiously, Mark related an abbreviated version of the fight in the cemetery, Azim-al-Aziz rubbing his massive chin thoughtfully as Mark spoke. "So what I wanted to know, uh, sir, is why the demon thought I was from the City of Brass as well. Is it because you knew my grandfather so well, and fought with him for so long?" The genie gave a great, deep hmm at that. Reaching out one massive hand to the edge of the circle, he exclaimed, "Well, my boy, since you have come this far, I shall take you one last step over the threshold! James Lucas was a fine man, a hero as pure of heart as Al-A-Din or Harun al-Rashid! It was my honor to fight alongside him against the damnable Nazis and their subversion of all the laws of man and magic! Ah, it was quite a pleasure to hear their yelps as I transformed them into so many different...well, THAT'S a story for another time!" He smiled, showing the gems in his teeth. "You see, my boy, James Lucas was a good man, but he found he lacked only one thing in life." His voice, for the first time, grew something like quiet. "He wanted a family so very badly, you see. That was why he'd followed your Centurion and all the rest, so that he could make a better life for future generations. But he found he could not have a family, even after he found the woman he loved." Mark stared up at the genie, uncomprehending. "So...so what happened?" he asked, his face trusting, though concerned. "Well, I simply did for him what the efreet had done for our Earthly masters for generations! When he asked for a family, I provided him with one. Ah, your grandmother is a lovely woman, isn't she?! And far more then, too, with great..." Mark's eyes popped wide, like someone had threatened a puppy in front of him. "What? You...MADE MY GRANDMA?" "Oh, no! No no no!" The genie laughed. "No, I got to know her very well! A fine woman, well worthy of James! No, I simply helped your grandmother make your father, using certain arcane magics that-" "WHAT!" Somewhat alarmingly, the air around Mark was beginning to shimmer a soft, iridescent blue, Mark looking like a child who'd just learned the terrible unreality of Santa Claus by being evicted on Christmas morning. "You and my GRANDMA-"

Taking advantage of his own lack of dress, Jack kicked down just his shorts and a shirt, sitting down at poolside with his gargoyle buddy. "Hey there, little, uh, guy." He definitely was that! Funny how they always left that out of pictures of cute creatures elsewhere. "The water's really not that bad, you know. If you hold your breath underneath, you can go a long ways." He absently scratched the little guy behind one ear, earning himself a friendly whimper and nuzzle. And then, suddenly a lick with a tongue almost too big for that face. "Ack!"

First there was a wind from nothing, a brush of hot desert air in the cool basement that raised eddies and whirlwinds in the corner like a brush of the Arabian Desert. Then came the glow of light, softly shimmering in the air in the middle of Phantom's magic circle, falling to the Earth like grains of magical sand, followed by a trickle of glowing light spreading upwards like a breath of air. Before suddenly, powerfully, the Third Prince of the Brass City simply erupted from the air itself in a wave of titanic magical power, the wall of glowing light slamming into the edges of the circle as a booming voice shouted "WHO DARES SUMMON THE EMIR OF EXCITEMENT? THE CALIPH OF CATACLYSM? THE IRREPRESSIBLE IMAM? THE SUPER-SHIEKH? THE...oh, Chosen of Heshem, it's you!" When the glare of light faded, the figure inside came into being. Azim-al-Aziz had frequently altered his form back in the day, sometimes small enough to stand by Jimmy Lucas' side, other times large enough to swat Nazi jets from the sky. Here he was a modest ten feet tall, the perfect figure of a massive, muscular man with huge black mustaches, archaic Arab dress complete with open vest and turban, his bright blue skin gleaming in the artificial light. He studied the group for a moment, his black eyes cautious, as Mark looked on in wide-eyed wonder. "Is...is it really you?" The all-powerful genie looked at Mark and suddenly a huge, grandfatherly smile broke out across his face. His voice boomed off the ceiling yet, and he lowered it with an apologetic finger over his lips. "Mark Mason Lucas! My boy! I knew you'd find me at last!" He shot a glance at Erin and smiled too. "Hello there! You super-women certainly are watchful!"

"Have entered many places stealthily, said Avenger. "But trust your judgement. Have own issues with magic, but should be fine if suitably cautious." He hrmmed, not quite ready to be as trusting with his face as Taylor...but ultimately deciding that if she'd made that sacrifice, he could too. Pulling back his masks as if he hadn't said anything, Jack went on, "It might work best if we split, honestly."

Fortunately, this was one thing Jack was sensitive. "Ah yes, I did put the clean bathing supplies in the poolside closet." He had no idea if the ladies suits there would actually fit Stesha; he'd bought a half-dozen or so just in case of necessity, but had never actually tried to size them. "You can change in the adjoining bathroom, Stesha, there's plenty of room." It was designed for Atlas, after all, so it had a lot of space. The gargoyle on his shoulder suddenly took off, but Jack caught him in the air, the baby creature bursting into fits of hissy wails that sounded absolutely pitiful. "I think this guy's about ready for a swim."

When Hellion showed his face, Avenger let himself be seen for the first time. "Just glad you could make it." This mission also let Jack avoid the feeling of butterflies he felt around Taylor these days whenever he let his mind wander too far into the future. "How long in Hell should we prepare for?" He crouched low as he joined them, putting his considerable height below the other two.

"Thanks, Derrick," said Jack, smiling a little. "We actually made that commitment on the battlefield during the invasion, but I wanted to give her a real proposal in a nice place, surrounded by friends and well-wishers." He thanked Ace for the cigar, but didn't light it, instead toying idly with the expensive piece of Cuban tobacco. "I'm sure you can understand that this is something that's going to be very difficult for us, given Taylor's work and my nature. We're going to be very dependent on our friends to make this work."

Mark was unsettled; an unfamiliar feeling he didn't like one bit. He paced the floor as Phantom worked, careful not to walk over any magical lines of the floor. He knew nothing of magic, but luckily his guesses tended to be right ones as he kept an odd track on the floor. "You don't need to worry that much," he told Erin automatically. "The genie was a nice guy. My grandpa always said that. They were superheroes together. This one time my grandpa made a wish and he turned a whole company of Nazis into geese." Mark didn't seem particularly bothered by the magical breach he was describing.

Jack waited until they'd all taken a seat before he spoke, Ace's private room giving them a chance to unwind without any prying ears around. With the look on Taylor's face, he knew what he wanted to say and do. "Well, there is one big thing. This is something Taylor and I have been talking about for a while, and I don't think there's a better time to do it than in front of all our friends." Well, Ace and Stesha were Taylor's friends, but they still counted in the way he meant. He slid out of his chair and onto the carpeted floor, kneeling at Taylor's feet. Reaching into his suit pocket, he pulled out a little black felt box that held inside it a simple diamond ring. "Taylor Chun, you have changed my life for the better. I love you. Will you marry me?"

Jack applauded the latest number as well, looking quite pleased for Dr. Archeville's performance. "All right," he said jovially, "is that everybody once Grim goes? Because if it is, I know some people who are ready for an encore." He grinned. "It's a long night, and there's plenty of music in that thing." He turned to Taylor and said, "I think you and I owe the crowd a duet."

Mark folded his arms, unusually irritated thanks to all the worries of the day. Man, she's bossy. And here I thought she was James' friend! I'm going to have to have a talk with him. Mark did live in a simple world, as it happened; there were helpful adults who appreciated him, and then there were those who didn't. Well, except for Mr. Summers. "She's not my girlfriend. And I would like your help," he said firmly, "in summoning Azim-al-Aziz, the Third Prince of the City of Brass," he said, the words coming flawlessly. "He fought with my grandfather sixty years ago against the Nazis, and I need his help now to solve a problem with my family the demons raised when they invaded."

Ever the leader, Mark stayed between the two of them. He might have been a little thick, but he wasn't actually stupid. "Hey! You were supposed to come here to help me out," he reminded Phantom, looking annoyed. There wasn't a trace of magic around Erin, but suddenly there was something visible behind Mark Lucas' eyes. "If you can't do that because my friend's here, then we can handle this ourselves. There are plenty of students around here who know how to handle magic."

"We can trust Derrick," Jack agreed, muttering a word he was pretty sure little baby things weren't supposed to hear. Especially when it was directed at them. "It'll be all right. There's nothing here that can't be replaced," he told Taylor, being supportive even though he was not thrilled by all this. "Just as long as these guys don't go crazy or anything." He shifted his gargoyle buddy onto another shoulder, earning him an unhappy squeal of protest. "Aw, it's okay. We'll take good care of you." It was a good thing the fridge was locked down.

"Hello, Phantom!" said Mark exuberantly. He missed the tension between the two women entirely, but he did wander between Wander and Phantom in an unconscious shield. "Glad you could make it. This is my friend Wander, she came along for moral support. And because she's dealt with people from other dimensions before. Did you have a good trip over here?"

"You remember when that demon talked about the City of Brass?" Mark asked Erin as he idly paced around the edge of a magical circle. "Back in the graveyard when we were trying to rescue James. He talked about it like _I_ was from there, which is weird because I've never been. My grandpa was the last human to visit there for more than a couple of hours; the efreet closed their gates after the Nazis attacked. Even my dad never actually talked to Azim-al-Aziz. I'd just, I dunno, like to get some answers and figure out what was going on." He smiled. "If nothing else, maybe I can get some good stories."

"You're my friend, Erin," said Mark simply. "That'll be enough." He smiled at her, then led the way over to the Kord dormitory and down to the basement there. Those students still on campus had just gone out to enjoy the spate of good weather, leaving the two teenagers with privacy down in the stone-lined basement with its rune-strewn walls and arcane-circled floor. Also, there was a brand-new Playstation 3 over in one corner, attached to an old big-screen TV.

"Phantom, that woman who helped with the invasion thing, is going to try and do a ritual for me," he said confidently. "To summon my grandfather's genie. It's going to be a pretty important conversation, and...well, I'd like a friend there. You can even bring Oliver, I guess." He smiled faintly. "Cats are supposed to be good at that, right? It's down in the basement of Kord in about, uh, five minutes or so."

A few minutes below, Mark was knocking on Alex and Erin's door a floor below his. He'd originally hoped to bring Alex along, given her perceptiveness, but somehow finding Erin down there felt right too. "Hey, Erin?" Mark asked, the look on his face as serious as it got outside of battle. "I hate to ask this, but could you do me a big favor? It's kind of important."

"Can you meet me in the basement of the Kord residence hall?" he asked hopefully. "I can give you the GPS coordinates if that would help your teleporting. It's the room our TAs use for their magical stuff; it's got some predrawn ritual markers. I'll bring a friend along with me," he added.