Avenger Assembled

Erin, Mike, and Mercy all had spent time at the Aaron Cage Gymnasium since their arrival at Claremont, the three teens both having their own reasons to have their athletic potential evaluated in an environment without their powers. But today was different; today they'd all gotten an invitation by email from Mike "Iron Jaw" Jones, the assistant coach who ran the show while Mr. Archer was busy with the other aspects of student life. They'd all met Coach Jones enough to know that he was a friendly sort of man when not on-duty, but had a certain aggro style about him that made him a better team coach than gym teacher.

Barry has no radio function on his suit. With no goons yet, he has no one to talk to. The Epi-Pen is indeed in case anyone he attacks turns out to be deathly allergic to bee-stings; he's no murderer! :o

Edits made. Marionette would seek out Golden Age legacies like Lady Liberty and Beacon in particular, along with those who've been seen to work with them and be their friend. So if a plot like "Langston Albright/Beth Walton-Wright go crazy for a while" is needed, she's your girl. She'd also happily throw down with any other kind of hero that seemed especially clean-cut and patriotic.

An interesting concept, SWA. My thoughts are below. Does he have a regular human cover identity, then? (Did he kill the real David Peterson and take his place?) OK, what part of the Terminus is he from? Is the Queen one of Omega's Annihilists, or does She rule one of the unaffiliated worlds in the Terminus who give tribute/supplies to the Omegadrones as they pass by? What happened on Resource Planet 18? You could drop a point each from Int and Wis without changing the character's Stat modifiers any. Might give you points to spend elsewhere. An Assessment monkey really should have some ranks in Sense Motive.

That's shockingly skinny for a man of six foot eight. Or he might just have a very light density. Does he have hollow bones to make him fly better, then? So he's been active as a superhero since the early 90s? That's quite a while; has he made any friends in the business in the last fifteen-odd years? What kind of reputation has he accumulated during his long career? If you drop a point off your Strength, Dex, Con, and Cha you'll have another four points to spend without actually changing your Stat modifiers any. Something to think about, anyway. OK, so he doesn't have "turn into a dragon" powers? Because I'd be really dubious about his vest working when he's thirty feet long, or whatever. Shouldn't an immortal writer have some ranks in Knowledge (History) or in Craft (artistic)? Ah. Are you intending him to be so very far below his combat caps? Because that's up to you, but right now it looks like he has very little capacity to do any damage in combat without use of his Ritualist feat. Why are his wings Subtle? (e.g. are they quiet like owl's wings, do they retract, etc) I am dubious about this use of the Noticeable drawback if his scales aren't clearly visible at all times. I generally like the sheet and backstory, Ak. It's novel, but makes sense, and ties into the setting.

"Will call you with instructions, Wesley. Take the lady where she needs to go. Remember, Atlas Stockyards." By the time either Wesley or Grim had looked his way, Avenger had disappeared into the darkness of Freedom City at night, leaving the two other heroes on the roof with nothing on their hands but time. For Jack's part, he was pleased at how well everything was going. Who was to say he couldn't come up with a plan? And surely Wesley wouldn't have any serious moral objections to his plans for the pig.

Revising my earlier plans: Could I get this character approved? This is my main PC's primary antagonist, and it really hurts the drama of Avenger's story arc to have her two PLs lower than me rather than on an equal footing with more XP. (After all, she was Nightrage's primary antagonist back in the Iron Age and had a full PL on him.) Avenger's "final battle" with Melinda really loses something if he can beat her so easily. I understand that I've already got two NPCs submitted this month, and I understand that I can't receive PP credit for all of them.

To Wesley's horror, the tiny terror Magpie proceeded to fly directly down his throat and begin expanding there. It was a horrifying sensation to suddenly feel a crawling, wriggling thing inside his body, striking and zapping him with her zap gun. But Knight's control over his own body was an impressive thing, and he mastered his terror long enough to spit out the now-bedraggled Magpie, who landed at his feet with a thump and a look of murderous disgust. She'd swollen all the way back up to normal-size by now, and landed just in time to watch her 'brother' disappear into Phantom's dimensional 'pocket.' "Nooo! We can't lose! We can't looose!" Scarab found no sign of any further menaces to her complex, though there were plenty of frightened people, some of them injured, who were only now coming to realize that they just might be out of the woods. She did happen to catch a news broadcast on one of the televisions in the complex about a battle between two mysterious superheroes and a bizarre doppleganger of Captain Thunder the night before, as well as a live broadcast of something very strange that had happened in the Fens. "Only moments ago, a strange woman wearing a costume like Lady Liberty's attacked the Veteran's Cemetery here in the Fens and destroyed most of the monuments here. Though our reports are still sketchy, eyewitness reports reveal that this woman looked just like the long-thought-dead Andrea Atom..."

Hmm, is that going to jibe with Avenger punching the guy into unconsciousness?

Avenger is planning to show up as Jack and continually evade any security who notice him. :D

Why, that appears to be someone attempting to open a portal in the Cosmic Coil itself!

Arcane Lore, I think.

"And you, Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville?" inquired Odysseus. "Will you join me in unifying your world behind a common purpose? In ushering in an age of scientific and thaumaturgical progress the like of which you've never known?" He smiled, extending a hand in friendship. "I would give you the title your family rightly deserves."

Both Doctor Archeville and Dark Star notice an unusual field of energy beginning to emanate from Odysseus' armor, a low hum just audible beginning from the magically-enhanced metal.

Samantha spoke next, after a quick glance at her brother to decide who'd be speaking first. "Like I said, I'm Samantha Cole. I like running fast, and I like being able to do it where everyone can see, and not having to be afraid of my powers." She looked around the table, then went on. "I feel like I don't belong here," she admitted. "I have my brother, so I have a piece of the world I left behind. But my world was enough like this one that sometimes...sometimes I feel angry at the people here. When they're complaining about their lives or how much the economy sucks, or whatever, I just...I just want to shake them and tell them that they should be grateful for what they have. My world died," she added unexpectedly, "because people were afraid of accepting the good things in life." Her brother echoed her words, adding on his own, "It's hard for me to accept, sometimes, that everything's as nice as it looks around here. I mean, don't get me wrong, you people are great and I know how lucky Sammy and I are to be somewhere that's a million times better than where we were. But sometimes I expect to wake up and find both of us back there, with the government coming for us and everyone else dying of the plague. But I'll get over that," he added, "it just needs some time."

Everyone was quiet after that, taking in the highly complicated story of science Darian had just told them. After a moment's pause, Prometheus stood up. "I am Prometheus. I am studying with summer classes so that I may join the rest of my class in moving on next year. I have trouble with school, and with...learning things." He made a small, odd noise, then said, "I have trouble with things in school because I am not very smart and because I did not go to school like the other students did. It is hard, also, when my image inducer breaks and people are afraid of me." He suddenly shot an uncomfortable look at Marquez. "That is two things; is that all right?" "That's all right, Prometheus," said Marquez gently. "You said what you felt, and that's all right." Rex spoke next, the big, floppy-haired young man seeming much more at ease than the others. "Well, er, my name is Rex Hound, and my hobbies include chasing Feline around and fighting crime!" He laughed wolfishly, then went on, scratching behind his ear. "Yeah, I'm like Prommie here, I have trouble using my inducer too sometimes. Normal people are scared of me, or think I look funny. But my biggest problem with this world is all the violence here," he admitted, sobering a little. "Hurting people on this world is different than hurting people where I'm from. Even bad guys. It makes crime-fighting a lot harder."

Rolls done in chat. Darian Cale doesn't notice anything odd, perhaps because he's distracted by wondering if he could get his hot little hands on Prometheus' Terminus-built, Daedalus-modified armor for just a little while. Erin, on the other hand, notices a couple of things. Both Prometheus and Rex have very similar features, so similar that they look like they're very close relatives. They're also both wearing the same odd little metallic device on their belts, something she recognizes from her time with Dr. Atom as obvious super-science. Hope Rogers, sitting across from her, has a bulge under the back of her T-shirt that looks almost exactly like a gun.

I need Notice checks from Quark and Wander.

"Darian, come in, come in," said Gabriel Marquez, waving at the new arrival. "I'm glad you could tear yourself away from your studies long enough to join us." From another teacher, it might have sounded rude, but Marquez was a genial, friendly teacher who everyone respected. He really was glad to see Darian there. "You haven't missed anything yet. I think we're just waiting a little longer for our last couple of arrivals, and then we can get started..." No sooner had he spoken than the sounds of an argument came from outside, two voices raised in anger quickly hushed as the door opened to reveal the new arrivals. One was an unhappy-looking young woman in a T-shirt and jeans, her eyes flicking around the room in an assessment pattern Erin could easily recognize, her short stature and slim build belying a wirey, muscular frame. The other was a young man with slightly obscured features, bearing a resemblance to a much-shorter Prometheus. "Ah, I'm glad you could both make it," Marquez said in a friendly, welcoming fashion to the new arrivals. "Everyone, you may not have had a chance to meet Hope Rogers and Rex Hound yet; they're new to the school and haven't had a chance to socialize with anyone yet." Rex proved to be considerably more friendly than his 'friend', giving a cheerful, sloppy wave before moving as far away from the unhappy-looking Hope Rogers as possible. "I just think this is stupid," Hope finally said. "I'm here to study, not to make friends. I don't have time for this kind of thing!" "Hope, you're taking nearly a collegiate-level load this summer, in addition to your unarmed combat training," replied Marquez, his tone that of a calm professional dealing with an unhappy child. "Do you think you're going to do your people any good if you burn out in high school? Socializing and meeting with people in the same situation as you is as important as expanding your powers and your abilities." "Same situation, huh?" Hope shot Erin and Quark a look at that, but subsided. When there were no further questions from the now-solid group of students, Marquez looked around and said, "All right, everyone, the first thing I'd like you to do is introduce yourself to your classmates. Tell us something about yourself you're comfortable revealing, and one thing about living on Freedom Earth that you're having trouble with. I'll start." He smiled thinly. "My name is Gabriel Marquez. In my spare time, my favorite hobby is collecting stamps. I worry about telling people that, because they'll think I'm boring." He grinned. "Which I might be, but that isn't such a bad thing." He coughed a little. "As for my problems living on Freedom Earth, during a recent off-campus visit I met a version of myself who survived the Terminus Invasion without becoming paraplegic. I found that this bothered me more than it should have, and meant that I wanted to help other people who were dealing with dimensional shifts deal with their problem. He nodded."Well, that's me. Who would like to go next?"

Odysseus began to pace at this, walking around and making the grand gestures and voice movements of a king. "Your world has been divided for far too long, don't you think? A hundred nations, a million superhumans, each of them allying or conflicting with the others as their mood suits them. Do you have a Centurion now to rally your people behind if Omega shows up again? Or a Freedom League whose leaders are all spokesmen for one nation? For one purpose?" He turned and looked back at Doctor Archeville and Dark Star. "You have touched the robe of the universe itself, Doctor Archeville, in your scientific studies; Dark Star, in many ways you are the universe. What I offer you is a chance to lead your world into strength and unity. Keep the Freedom League, let them guard your planet once you have given it the strength and the unity to survive the threats to come. Let today be the beginning of a new order of things on this planet; an order that belongs to you and your people."

I need a Notice check from you two fine gentlemen.

Memorial Day Weekend, 2009 Doctor Archeville and Dark Star meet Odysseus.

This is happening Memorial Day weekend, or thereabouts.

"Right now we're just all getting acquainted with each other. Some of our other extra-dimensional students have been working on socialization, so this is a perfect opportunity for everyone to 'meet and greet.'" Marquez rolled his chair back to the head of the table, Prometheus weighing his options visibly before sitting back down, the small metal and plastic chair beneath him creaking slightly under his weight. He really was a big guy, easily seven feet tall and four hundred pounds. There was a moment's awkward pause as the two teenagers studied each other, just before the door opened before two more new arrivals. "Hey, Doc! We're not late, are we?" The boy and girl in the door were a study in contrasts; a huge (though not quite as big as Prometheus) metal-skinned young man and a much smaller, daintier young woman, the two of them a voluble pair that Erin had seen from afar on campus before. Marquez confirmed that the two of them were right on time, and quick introductions were made to Erin. "Hey there," said the girl, "Samantha Capote. This is my little brother Sam." She grinned, and so did the huge metal-skinned guy, whose handshake was slightly cold as he shook Erin's hand. Sam looked much odder than Samantha, his metal skin grey and his eyes flat, featureless black. "Nice to meet you."

High school students being what they were, early on there was only one student there besides Mr. Marquez. Erin had been introduced to the wheelchair-bound counselor during her initial consultations with the school, but the big, odd-looking kid sitting by the window was someone new. "Erin, how nice to see you," said Mr. Marquez with a friendly, professional smile on his face. He wheeled himself over to greet her, deft at manuevering his chair in the small space. "Prometheus, come say hello as well." The big boy with the short black hair and round, bland features extended a very large hand to Erin, speaking slowly and distinctly, as if remembering from a script. "Hello, Erin. I am Prometheus. It is nice to meet you."