Avenger Assembled

Between Edge's impressive good luck and Geckoman's considerable piloting skill, the two teenagers in the front seats were able to guide their flying submarine through the grim and murky waters of Wading Way. The old-fashioned submarine was a bit more claustrophobic than the nuclear subs like the Nautilus Mark had toured as a kid, and its old gauges and knobs were certainly much harder for him to read. But he trusted Geckoman to get the job done as they went, and they certainly seemed to be doing a very fine job. "How are you at navigating?" Edge murmured to Geckoman, trying not to think about all the water up and above their heads. It turned out to be not that difficult to get out to Lonely Point, though, Chris' talents rewarding Mark's faith in him. As they reached the peninsula, Mark busted out the map. "I think it's best if we come out there," he murmured. "If we go all the way around the base, they won't expect us to come from the rear...probably."

They made plans and schemes as they headed back to the car and got back on the road, their tastes in movies proving compatible enough for a night where neither of them expected to do much watching. Jack proved to be as affectionate on the road as he'd been violent in the park, and they shared a pleasant ride back to her place. "Shall I see you again for that next weekend?" Jack offered her. "Or whenever we set a date that doesn't interfere with our work or your classes." He grinned. "Because I do plan to interfere with you while we're together."

Edge's Initiative is a terrible 4 His Notice is a not so great 14

"It...wait, you made it sound differently than I meant it!" Jack shot at Ace. And to think I used to watch your cartoons! To Taylor, he said, "I went out with Stesha once and it didn't work out. Moira talked her into coming to see me to have it out with me, and so that's what we did. And yeah, then Moira and I had a thing, but that was just once." He gave his girlfriend a level look. "It was just once, and we both regretted it later. I'm over that. It wasn't...sordid, like that." Well, maybe a little. "And the only part of that, of any of this, that matters is that we all care about Moira, for our own reasons."

Move action swinging-standard action to drop a Blast 10 (Selective Burst Area) on the bomber and any of his friends around the corner.

"I've got this one, Mr. Dark Star," Edge called up to the sky. "Halt in the name of the law," he yelled, firing up his grappling hook and swinging after the fleeing thug. "The only place you're going to be bombing is open mic night in prison!" Fearless and unafraid of what lay ahead, he swung around the corner, fully expecting trouble on the other end of things. When he could see the bomber again, he reached out and concentrated in the air, knocking over a lightpole on the fleeing bad guy on him as he went, and on any of his friends who looked suspicious.

"Dammit, Stesha, this is not the time for this," Jack fired at her unexpectedly. He had turned briefly white during her denunciation of him, but now was more annoyed and guilty than anything else. "The thing the three of us had is _not_ worth fighting over when Moira's life, or at least her future, may be in danger." He folded his arms, looking uncomfortable even being there. "And that's all I think we should say on the subject. There are more important things at stake."

August 14, 2009: "So you see, Lyn, we live in a society still fundamentally driven by patriarchal narratives." Sharon tapped her pen against her notebook, smiling at her patient. "Take me, for example. When people here found out that I was just an innocent, naive librarian possessed by an evil Communist ghost, well, they all embraced the narrative of the helpless damsel in distress who needed some men to come along and rescue her. They were all so happy when the exorcism took, and so happy when I tearfully volunteered here at the outpatient clinic. They were so happy to have a trained psychologist around!" She put one hand piously over her heart, her jacket cut shorter than was technically regulation. But, as she'd said, it was mostly men here."I'm glad I did, Lyn. It's how you and I found each other." Lyn leaned forward, clinging tightly to the disposable tipless ballpoint she'd been carrying around since her incarceration. "Yeah. Yeah." Her eyes were a solid, pure shade of black. Sharon thought they were lovely. "You did a nice job with the place, Sharon. But I'm no good to you," she said, shivering all over as if legions of bugs were crawling on her skin. "Not...not without..." "Yes you are, Lyn," said Sharon, putting her hand on her friend and patient's arm, "You are good enough. And you are strong enough. Open your mind to me, and I will show you your true power." Both women had tasted the pure, sweet essence of death, and as they opened to each other the power poured out between them, filling the fractured Lyn as she reached for what had been a long-suppressed part of her for so long. She closed her eyes, her fingers spasming around the pen in her hand, the one she'd had to bite a guard to the bone to keep when they'd first brought her in and put her in the loony ward. But she wasn't crazy. And it wasn't just a pen. Not anymore. Itsmineitsmineitsmineitsmineitsmine...and I'm me.Sister Sixtus rose off the psychiatrist's couch with a huge smile on her face, necromantic power pouring across her body as her prison togs reshaped themselves into a tightly clinging outfit that radiated death and power like a second skin. Beneath her, Marionette beamed, a matching smile on her face as she saw the woman she'd remade and empowered with manipulation, affection, and careful, precise application of the psychic gifts she'd persuaded one particular guard to underestimate, just once. And that had been enough. "Why look at you. You're beautiful." Alarms were going off now, but it was a simple matter to extend her mind out and make sure the running guards forgot what they were doing as they approached. Eventually they'd think to come with helmets to block out her powers, but right now they weren't thinking about anything at all. "Sister Sixtus." Sixtus turned and looked at the noise outside, a smile on her face. "Should I take them?" she asked in a hushed, reverent tone. "I can feel their souls begging for me. They would give great joy to the Necro-Kings." "Not yet, my poppet, not yet." The two women were practically embracing now, Marionette maternal with her new best friend. "We must go from this place, so you can learn your power, and I can learn mine. They caught us by surprise once, but never again." She saw faces in her mind and marked them for demise, or worse. "We'll make a wonderful team. Show me your power, Sixtus. Take us from this place." With a high, bubbly laugh, the two women vanished together in a flash of stinking black necromantic energy that killed every house-plant in the tiny office and took a decade off the life of the psychiatrist locked in the closet. It was going to be a beautiful night.

We'll miss you, Moira!

"I am," Jack promised her. There, see. A nice normal relationship, a sexy date, with just one or two things off. But then, those are your fault, aren't they? "I know what you said about your schedule. And I know mine hasn't changed either. But I think we can make this thing work." He smiled at her. "Let's meet at your place next," he suggested. "I'll bring more movies over. Maybe we'll even watch them."

Jack frowned too, not needing yet another heckler on this already very difficult day. "Moira is a creature of her appetites," Jack commented. "I don't mean that to sound insulting; she's a hedonist, not a monster. From what I know of Greek mythology," Which comes from Clash of the Titans and that Centurion movie where Christopher Reeves fights Terence Stamp "she reminded me a great deal of how I always heard those gods described. But she was a creature of this world, not that one. She was mostly an Irish girl from the West End who happened to be as beautiful as the sun," There's a good metaphor, Jack. "and as strong as a titan."

Jack slipped his arms around her with easy grace, smiling down at her with a warm look on his flushed skin. "So he wasn't as dumb as he looked. Good thing he was in our capable hands." He bent his head and kissed her again, lightly on the lips. "I want to see more of you." Well, he'd seen a good bit of her earlier, but he was fairly sure she knew his intent. "I want more nights like this. You, me, and the city."

Jack was waiting for Taylor when she landed, having discarded his Avenger costume back into his trunk. He smiled up at her, still tossing his new crowbar back and forth from hand to hand. "Hey there. Our boy all taken care of?" He stood up, neatly sliding the crowbar back into his belt. "I think we handled him pretty good." He looked much more relaxed than she'd seen him last, the grim Avenger persona finally shed.

"Taylor, you and I both know people who've transcended death. And we both know a god on Earth." It was an unaccustomedly optimistic speech from Jack, especially for those who knew him as Avenger. "I'm not saying we'll be able to bring Moira back. Maybe she won't want to come; maybe her family will be too powerful for us to overcome. I know it took a whole Freedom League to fight a Greek God back in the 60s, and that was with the Centurion in charge." He looked at her levelly. "But the loyalty we owe to friends, to each other, is to try."

"Drop him there," Avenger agreed, sliding the crowbar back into his belt. "Will meet you back here and we can finish our business. Phantom." He glared at the thug, shooting a look of murder that made the man shudder in terror and scootch away from him until he was much closer to Phantom. "You know what to do if he give any trouble."

Scarab is up. Standard action to dig yourself out with TK. (Part of the reason you got those HP.)

Edge blows an HP to Inspire Geckoman's piloting.

"Hey! Stop!" Edge fired his grappling gun at the street, swinging down from his rooftop perch after the fleeing guy. "Hey, I bet that's a bomb or something. Mr. Dark Star!" he called up after his escort. "You should stop that guy!" Gingerly, he headed over to the car to check out the device planted underneath it, bending down to look at whatever the bad guy had planted there. Huh. I really should pay more attention to Ms. Harcourt...oh hey, a timer! "Crap! It IS a bomb!" 4...3...

Thought it didn't hurt to get the question out there. :D

Avenger cocked his head and looked at Scarab, wishing once again he'd paid more attention in history class. Does that mean...yeah, I guess it does! "King Arthur, eh? Suppose that makes her Robin Hood." He nodded. Can't believe I know King Arthur. Let's move there then," he suggested, tapping the list with his fingers. "Never did like thieves. Seems...immoral." It was a strange, if honest admission from a vampire.

Avenger sneaks onto the scene at the garage from ground level, taking 10 on his Stealth via Skill Mastery for a total of 30. (As I believe was his total back then.) Not knowing what's going on, I don't want to fill in too much detail. What do I see, Ecal?

Still working on this one, Heritage! Did you want to make an appearance in Team Science?

The two men talked for a little while more, hammering out the mundane details of what Dark Star would be expected to do as a member of the school's teaching staff. :bat: "I'm satisfied that you are capable of doing the job you have asked to do," said Summers with a nod. :bat: "I've taken the liberty of having my secretary prepare your papers. I had a feeling we'd be able to work something out." He smiled slightly and said in an unusually welcoming tone. "Welcome to the faculty."

"Gonna sell it and get some stuff, lady," said the criminal, the thug frightened out of him by the sheer intensity of Avenger's interrogation. Phantom was, for once, one of the least scary things around. "Wasn't gonna do nothin' till the lady saw me." The fact that he was still telling the truth didn't say much for his innate decency, but at least it said something about his honesty while terrified. "Honest! I just wanted the keys so I could get the car when the lady saw me." Avenger dealt with that story by pinning the man to the ground with the blunt end of the crowbar. "Suggest you had other things in mind. Suggest you are the dog you pretend to be. Only one punishment for monsters. Unless you can redeem yourself. Confess your sins? To the police?" Seizing on the opportunity given him, the frightened young man nodded, eyes wide as he looked from one face to the other. "Yeah. Yeah, sure!" "Will find you if you do not. Will punish you. You understand?" Avenger never had handed out worse than just a beating, but the persona he projected was frightening enough that a young skell like this could believe nearly anything of him. The criminal nodded at that, eyes still very wide.

Jack introduced himself very quickly to Ace, knowing that it was a little silly not to do so when so many people were around who knew his name and who'd be calling him by it. As first Stesha, then Phantom, then Dark Star talked, Jack came to an increasingly uncomfortable realization about his opinions and his relationship with everyone in the room. He was going to have to disagree with Taylor. "I agree," he said, not looking very happy about saying it. "Moira is our friend and we can't just abandon her at the whims of some distant pantheon on top of Mt. Olympus. I'm not saying we need to drag her back here regardless of anything else," he added, "but we need to at least find her and ask her if this is really what she wants."