Semi-Autogyro

John weighed the pros and cons of each option. "We do have experience in fighting physically superior foes such as the Beast of Kilimanjaro." Giving a glance over to Etain he addressed the idea of robots. "The problem with mechanical foes is that Miss Etain is at a slight disadvantage when engaging such enemies and would not be an adequate team scenario." He replied to Victoria. "Do you have any such foes that you would like to see us engage, Ma'am? With your field experience with the Interceptors I believe you would have some idea as to what would entail an effective training scenario." After all, she was the resident expert not to mention guest. Which meant that they should consider her opinions before theirs.

John looked down at Morgan finger poking into his chest and then back at the shorter man. "Mister Subito would you please escort Miss Cerys to the Mess Hall? We will join you shortly. Morgan? A word." Waiting until the pair started to the mess hall out of earshot he off his glasses and directed a frosty glare at his friend. "I will not perform or aid in no such action. Turning the campus into a battleground will not further your training. I will never inflict upon another the illegal and unethical regimen that was once required of me. If you respect my opinion at all, Morgan, then you will understand why I will not acquiesce to your demand." John retrieved the duffels and brushed past Morgan, heading to drop off the bags to Mister Archer before meeting the others in the cafeteria about five minutes later.

John had noted Malis' nervousness when she had answered and was confused as to its source until Morgan had stepped in. Ah. Fear of being judged an outlier. "While it is true that there are exceedingly few students without powers present at Claremont, it does not mean at all that your presence here is unwanted or unintended. Bearing the weight and responsibility of a legacy is a great honor irregardless of all other factors. They chose you to continue their work, and that carries a weight all of its own." John glanced at Morgans' coat before coming to some sort of decision. "I am unlike Morgan and you, Miss Mali, in that I do possess powers. However, they would be rendered nigh useless without the proper training and technique required to maximize their potential." He held his hands palms open to the sky, and he rotated through a veritable cavalcade of weapons until stopping on a shock-staff. He gestured for Mali to take the weapon. "They merely provide me with the capability to maximize my natural abilities, like any tool." The weapon itself was perfectly balanced and after she had looked at it he dismissed it, causing it to fade into a mass of voxels before disappearing. "I however am in the minority in that my powers require training to use properly. Without them I am merely just a man, albeit one who specializes in a narrow field of expertise."

The first mental warning that he was not alone was followed by the voice of that most did not expect to come from the towering titaness. Picking himself off the ground, he dusted off his pants and turned to face his questioner. John blithely pondered exactly what role she would be playing in this tete-a-tete: the judge, the jury, or perhaps even the executioner? His stance easily slipped into an at ease position, meeting her gaze directly. "Barring circumstances outside of my control, I am fine Ma'am. Yourself?" The other Irregulars had joked that John was going stir crazy cooped up at Claremont ever since the Hot Zone incident. But it only took a few adverse reactions from the citizens of Freedom to his presence that reinforced the need for him to stay under the radar. He just had not expected Fulcrum to be the incarnation of the Sword of Damocles in this situation.

John searched for the woman, not wanting her to escape yet again. She could be attempting any number of things, from setting up this facility to be destroyed to cover her tracks or even rearming herself. His search was methodical, eliminating rooms one by one as he did a sweep and clear check. When he entered the third room however, he nearly got his skull caved in courtesy of Kate with a crowbar. "Crap! Don't surprise me like that, John!" Kate frowned at thim, giving him an appraising look before sighing. "She got away?" He nodded. She cursed. "I suspect that she is still here. So we must remain careful. I see that you have located my phone." The device in question was in her other hand. "No signal though. Either we're in a dead zone or there's a jammer nearby. Do you think that's important? She said pointing at a workbench." Laying haphazardly on the table was what had to be the helmet for this suit. Preffering to have head protection than not, he grabbed the headgear and put it on. A sight hiss was heard as it made a seal with the armor he had on. "Much better." Looking around the room, he noticed a pair off shuttered air intake vents about ten feet up. They were too small for him to force his way through, but he guessed that Kate might be able to fit. "Stand on my shoulders. If we can breach those vents you should be able to get outside and call for backup." The impromptu plan worked, Kate's crowbar easily tearing out the fans that blocked the way. He started to boost her up to give her easier access to crawl out, until what felt like fire ripped through the left side of his torso. Legs bucking slightly from out from underneath him, Kate gave an indignant squawk of surprise as her feet scrambled to find purchase on the metal walls of the building. Dr. Smythe sneered behind her revolver, and aimed at the cop half-way to freedom. "Uh-Uh. I didn't say you could leave just yet." It was then John did something that even he himself later would say was stupidly reckless. He charged at the scientist, barehanded and injured versus a large caliber firearm. Aware of the the greater threat, Dr. Smythe adjusted her aim as the clone hero lunged towards her. 'I hope this works, Miss Etain' he thought. Drawing on of the moves that the eponymous magic-using swords-woman had used on him in training and their spars but with none of her innate grace and poise, he deflected aside the Doctors' weapon arm and then forcefully twisted it. To her credit, the the scientist managed to get two more shots off, the first of which resulted in a bit more than a graze to Johns' right leg. The second shot, went exactly where he wanted it to go before his mimicked maneuver dislocated her arm in two places. Sparks shot wildly from the nullification device on his arm, before dying down and revealing the destroyed device. The Doctor mouth gaped open in realization and horror. John visage broke into a predatory smile underneath his helmet, despite the ringing in his ears and bloodloss making him a bit dizzy. "You should have ran." He intoned as he bodily threw the her into the wall across from him.

Saturday, March 24 3:45 PM The lightly overcast sky did little to cheer up the sparse scrub and rocks where John lie prone, sighting down one of his augmented weapons. He held is breath and lightly pulled the trigger causing a can around 150 meters downrange split open. His watch beeped in alarm which was quickly silenced. Five minutes until the meeting. He had been dreading this ever since he had answered the call from Fulcrum. She had wanted to meet him alone without any of the other Irregulars. He had chosen this location due to small chance of witnesses and the fact that recording devices would pick up mostly wind if there were any. It wasn't hard for him to figure out what she wanted to meet him about. The Proteus incident had caused numerous people both civilian and hero to run into SHADOW operatives. As a result he had cut back on his excursions outside Claremont aside from essential matters, so he had used the opportunity to get some range practice in. One of the other empty cans downrange blew over as the the wind started to pick up a bit. Looks like rain, John thought as he looked to the darker clouds on the horizon.

The doctor was sent reeling into her the surgical cart that held the tools, and both she and cant went tumbling onto the ground. John ripped off the electrodes and rolled off the table into a low crouch as the Kate continued to make her displeasure known to the scientist with a few precisely aimed kicks. He moved beside Kate. "You were supposed to get my phone and escape." "Well, I couldn't very well" KICK! "leave you to die. Besides" KICK! "I figure I owe you one for busting me out." KICK! "And I don't like owing anybody anything." KICK! The final kick sent the bleeding doctor sprawling into the corner apparently unconscious. Kate turned and smiled at him. "Besides, I was never one to follow orders to the letter." John chuckled as he gestured to the comatose scientist. "I am most grateful for your continued assistance. Could you locate the key to my cuffs?" He could free himself from the cuffs if he had time, or was willing to break his thumbs, but it was a moot point if his new accomplice could find the key. A few moments later, the cuffs dropped free of his wrists. "So what now?" Kate asked. "Finding my cellular device is still important. I possess some contacts that can assist us. Then we can turn her over to your people or to AEGIS." He replied. "I'll watch the Doctor." She nodded and left, the sound of doors opening and closing following her search. Retrieving the handcuffs from the floor, he moved to handcuff the scientist when he caught movement in his peripheral vision and threw himself to the floor. A trio of darts flew over his head. Kipping up, he grabbed her arm and twisted the dart gun out of her hand. With a simple toss he put it it into his other hand. "Do not press your luck again, Doctor." he growled at her. "Handcuff yourself. Now." He aimed the pilfered weapon at her. She gave him a look and then smiled. "You can barely stand." Which was true, he was exhausted and would have liked to pass out in the nearest bunk. "And you a threatening me with a weapon you know you cannot use." John sent a dart into her leg in response. "What? How!" Asked the panicked doctor as she yanked the dart out. He held up his hand in response, covered in blood from where he had grabbed her. "Thank you for telling me how to bypass the safety device. Handcuffs. Now." Glaring at him, she leaned down to pick up the cuffs only to do the thing he least expected from her: making a break for the door by nearly bowling him over. He responded with a duo of darts that slammed into the door frame as the scientist made her escape, missing their marks. Scowling, John released his pent-up frustrations onto the device in hand at that point, slamming it so into the wall hard enough for bits and pieces of it to go ricocheting around the room. Now he had to hunt her down, in basically what was her territory.

Myrmidon Posts: 11+3+7+1+3 = 25 First Day Jitters (11 posts) Meet the Irregulars (3 posts) SHADOWs on the horizon (7 posts) The Jade Arenas of Heaven: Shock the Monkey (1 post) y Dderwen (3 posts) Misc: NPC - Dr. Sydney Smythe Vignette: A Pound of Flesh is Worth an Ounce of Cure

Myrmidons' Initiative (1d20+1=6) Hey Rav, at least you beat someone!

He had started in the direction of the surgical table, but Doctor Smythe pointed further down the hall. He complied and walked into what appeared to be a workshop. In the center was a mannequin wearing a set of armor. John shot a questioning look to the scientist. She threw a large knife switch on the wall, which caused a low hum to emanate throughout the room. "That is a prototype armor the project MYRMIDON was supposed to be fielded with. Since it never got to the deployment phase the VANGUARD armor system never entered mass production. Now. Put it on." She took off his cuffs and aimed her syringe gun at him. John tone was a bit incredulous. "You are armoring me? Why?" "You'll find out soon enough. Put. It. On." She gestured at the suit with her weapon. "Don't attempt anything either, there's an active null field emitter in the room." The light on the nullifier on his arm changed from green to red, which he took it to be safe to remove. The armor slid on like it was custom fitted, which it was seeing as the SHADOW clones came from the same template. John had to admit, it fit a lot better than what he usually used while have a wider range of motion. He wouldn't know its capabilities for sure until he actually used it though. He looked around for a helmet, and found none. "Helmet?" "Not needed at the moment." She re-secured the nullifer and handcuffed his hands together again. "Now. Back to the table." John lie down on the table as she affixed cortical electrodes to his head. "My tests indicated that you had appeared to had some sort of stroke at some point. I am going to see if I can't repair some of the damage and then we'll move on to the reprogramming." She said with a smile. "Just get on with it." His fears confirmed, he hoped that Kate could make her escape. The Doctor just gave him a triumphant little smirk and the first jolt of electricity slammed into his head. This continued for what seemed like hours to the clone hero. When it finally subsided he had one of the largest headaches he had ever had the displeasure of enduring. It was worse than when he got bodily thrown into the gym wall by Megastar. Doctor Smythe leaned over him. "Well now Zed-Seven, it's time I brought you to heel. Any last words?" He contemplated headbutting her and breaking her nose, but that seemed a rather juvenile response. "Get away from him you bi--"KRANG! John was treated to the amusing sight of a bedpan smashing into the former SHADOW scientists' jaw so hard it physically bent. "Kate?!"

The back and forth between a cell and the operating table blurred into routine until Kate let slip that she had been in the Marines. John laughed. Which hurt his strained muscles. The officer of the law shot him a glare that probably would be scary to a criminal. "What's so funny?" He just gave her a gesture in response and hoped she would recognize it. When he saw the realization cross her face, he gave a small grin to her that caused his split lip to bleed a bit more. It was hard, communicating in this manner since the lexicon was limited, but the power-mad scientist undoubtedly watching the cameras in the cells could not break the code even if she wanted. After all, why would a mere scientist know anything about military hand signals? Dr. Smythe never was involved with that aspect of his training. Of course, it would have been much easier had Kate known sign language, but as the saying went beggars could not be choosers. Since the good doctor kept on escorting him to where he needed to go, he already had a decent layout of the facility in his head. He had also knew that his cellphone was nearby, after having being for the unlock code. He told her that was why it was locked, and that correctly enter the code multiple times would wipe the phones' memory. So, it was relatively simple plan. Break Kate out of the room and get his phone, since he had already given her the code. Then call for backup. If that failed, escape the premises and get backup. Breaking her out of her cell was proving to be the sticking point until Kate had found a quarter in her pants. Then it was easy. All she had to do was score the mirror, break through, and exit out his door which was unlocked since there was no reason to lock it with John being compliant and shackled. The plan would have to be attempted soon, as Dr. Smythe had already gotten to where he was within 'acceptable physical parameters' and John knew there was little time before she started in on his mind. There was no guarantee that he would come out of that being who he was at the moment. The door opened, a cheerful grin plastered across the face of the former SHADOW scientist. "Time to go Zed-Seven." John looked over to Kate, meeting her gaze before turning back to the Doctor. "One moment please." She gestured that he could continue. "Kate I have a message I need to be delivered. Would you please do that for me?" Kate nodded. "Tell my friends that I am sorry. I was not strong enough. I just hope that I was a good friend and a good man. There is a key behind the light switch in my room, and it is meant for all of them." He stood and angled towards the door. "Tell my CO 'Reindeer Flotilla'." John was escorted out of the room.

He had lost track of time. Admittedly it was hard to keep track of such things while strapped to a table and being poked and prodded by a sociopathic scientist. Right now said scientist was reading a printout of information and scowling at it. Abruptly she stood up and picked up another folder. She was muttering to herself or dictating, judging by the snippets of speech. "Makes no....possibly....stroke....fits within....not wholly....outliers?....further observation." To be honest, he was expecting more than just being subjected to a battery of tests. Johns' curiosity at the situation finally broke a bit later after being subjected to some sort of brain scan. “I do not know what you are looking for, and still cannot fathom a reason as to your motives. Your goal was my capture, but there were so many unnecessary risks taken…†Dr. Smythe looked up from the chart she was reading, her eyes narrowing at him. “I admit, I did not expect to lose my sleeper agents to AEGIS, but the outcome was still to my favor.†John scoffed. “You activated a sleeper cell, something that will undoubtedly alert their handler who will have to report that to his operator. Which means that SHADOW will investigate the incident.†John frowned at her reaction of bemusement. “If that is what you intended, then you are a fool.†It was her turn to frown and take a cheap jab both physically and verbally at the bound hero. “You do not have a say in the matter.†He exercised his now bruised jaw. “You also have kidnapped a captain of the Freedom City police department. Do you think they are going to not investigate the matter? There was video surveillance at the convenience store, not to mention any number of other cameras that could have witnessed my abduction. I recall at least 4 bystanders who are potential witnesses. This was a poorly planned and executed operation. The only reason it succeeded was by luck.†“Be quiet.†she hissed. John didn’t take that advice, and instead took a page from Morgans’ book. “Striking me again will not rectify your incompetence.†She did anyways. “You and I both know that if SHADOW does find this location that we are both dead. Are you planning this as some manner of buying your way back in via my capture? If that is the case, I do not think they would expect more than a failed project and its lead scientist.†He said blandly. That set Dr. Smythe off. Well, judging by her response of grabbing one of the nearby syringes and jamming it into his upper thigh. “The only reason you are a ‘failed project’ is that the process was interrupted. If I present a completed project, well, even Wilhelm will welcome me back.†“We shall see.†John replied as he felt the contents of the syringe enter his bloodstream and start sapping his energy. Unnatural sleep took him once again..

"You're willing to lie down and die for a total stranger?" Kate asked incredulously. "Yes." was the concise response. "Why would you even do that, how can you so calm about this?!" The woman raged as she gesticulated wildly. John was about to respond when the door opened and Dr. Smythe returned. "Well now, you've had enough time to confirm that this is not a ploy on my part and that the good Captain here is who she says she is." She cut the audio to the cell with Kate who was probably screaming profanities judging by her body language. "Indeed. I will comply with your demands if you agree to release her once you are done with me." He gave the doctor a flat look. "She is to be returned unharmed and untouched, and her memory unmodified. Do I make myself clear?" "How are you in a position to make demands? Why would I even agree to those terms?" Dr. Smythe coolly responded while approaching him. A predatory smile graced his features as he said the next words. "Self-Termination." The not-sod-good doctor paused, blinked in amazement and then started laughing. "Holding yourself hostage?! I admit, I did not expect that from you Zed-Seven!" She said after collecting herself. "Do we we have an accord?" John growled out to her. She thought for a few moments, her index finger on her chin. "Very well." Dr. Smythe escorted a compliant John out of the room to the muffled sounds of Kate pounding on the glass in her side of the room.

John scoffed, remembering when he had ambushed the other Irregulars at some point or another and giving Morgan a sly grin. "You got off relatively easy. I had to use greater measures against Brian and Victoria due to their innate resilience." He thought for moment at Subitos' questions, before he answered the brawny teen. "I surmise a large part of the problem is that powers can make one overconfident in the face of mundane dangers. In addition, popular culture seems to either gloss over, or grossly estimate the capabilities of such things. A pistol does not seem threatening if ones' only exposure to them is from video-games, movies, and television." John gave an appreciative nod over in Cerys direction after she mentioned her training. "Firsthand experience is always the best teacher." It also caused him to recall some of the more reprehensible parts of his training, but he pushed the errant thoughts aside. "An excellent proposition, Mister Subito." John said as he offered a hand for Cerys to help her down with. "It would be my pleasure to aid in your Claremont orientation, Miss Cerys." After all, he could just drop off the bags with Mister Archer and return later. He still had over an hour and half before he was needed anyways.

"Hold on. Time out." The woman said holding her hands in a T shape. "First, start by telling me your name." "I am known as John Smith." He answered sill testing the shackles that held him. "Yours, Officer?" "Captain Kate Moriarty. I don't see how you think this is your fault. If anything it would make more sense that I was her target." John laughed ruefully as he held up one of the cuffs. "You are not chained to a chair, nor shackled. I am. She used you to get to me, or rather she used your clothes and equipment." "What." Kate did not spare the thought for a question mark at the end of that sentence. "Dr. Smythe could not hope to get close to me since I would recognize her easily. She staged a distraction my means of a convenience store robbery and when I went to turn over the scene to the police she had disguised herself as you. She successfully drugged me and brought me here." "But...why?!" She very nearly sputtered. "What would that woman want with you? You're just a teenager!" Probably not going to survive. No need to obscure the truth. Was the thought that went through his head. John sighed and looked at Kate directly. "She is one of my creators. I am a clone. As for the reason, I do not know. Eventually she will more than likely tell me, as that seems to be a major vice of genius. They want somebody to know of their supposed brilliance." Kates' jaw hung open slightly. "But..." John continued. "At the moment, you are being used to force my compliance. Otherwise I would be attempting escape. If I were to do that now, she would kill or at least maim you." "So you will just submit to her, because my life is threatened?" She actually looked angry, John thought. "The hell with that! I'm a cop! I put my life on the line everyday. I certainly didn't expect to be captured by a supervillian my first week on duty in Freedom City, but you are not responsible for me!" "I understand. There is more to it than that." She was about to interrupt him but he cut her off. "There are times when the police or even the military are out of their depth. This is one of those times. I, however, have an intimate understanding of what exactly this situation entails. So it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of others, regardless of their titles or profession." He gave her an even look. She scoffed. "So what, you're one of those heroes running around in spandex tights?" "Yes. But my costume is armored. I am not a neophyte." He intoned. "So with all due respect Captain, I will never place my life or well-being above yours. Period." "Even if you die?" "That is a possible outcome in this situation, so yes."

The group was joined shortly by both Guan Yu and Myrmidon, who had been carried like a sack of potatoes as the War God jumped down from the stadium to the other group. Guan Yu set the helmeted hero down gently, and Myrmidon stood and joined the others. "We should probably allow the forces of Tian to continue skirmishing with the demons they have set out as a distraction. Otherwise we might be engaging a substantially larger defensive force." The voice modulator crackled with static after he finished. "Miss Ironclad is correct. The time for action is now before they find we have countered their plan to delay us."

I'm up for anything!

John reply was a succinct "I see. Magic." Morgan had known John long enough that his friend accepted that as an answer, because John had long given up trying to figure out the minutiae of how exactly magic operated. He shrugged at the mention of his pizza. "I have imbibed worse concoctions. I find that ones ability to stomach food is proportional to what they have had to eat before; my survival training before Claremont was comprehensive in that regard." John had not missed Subitos' or Morgans' look at his bags. "Some of the underclassmen have taken a rather lax attitude when it comes to the dangers of firearms. As a result, Mister Archer wants me to give a lecture on them." He gave a nod at one of the bags. "If they do not take it to heart, I will be then directly assisting in their training by giving them a more practical demonstration." Setting the bags down, he ended a friendly hand. "Welcome to Claremont, Miss Cerys. Call me John. My apologies for startling you."

John stiffened with the pat on the back and gave Fulcrum a slight bow in thanks for her praising assessment. "There is no other side I would willingly choose to be on, Ma'am." was his measured response to her statement. He still remained wary, a portion in the back of his mind telling him not to drop his guard and that the test was not over. "If there is a scenario you would like, please do not hesitate to ask. Or we can field further questions if you would like, Ma'am."

A Pound of Flesh is Worth an Ounce of Cure There are times when knowledge is not a welcome thing to have. As John looked up at the monitor displaying the news of further attacks, his familiarity with such weapons of terror was one of them. At the time he was eating in the cafeteria with one of the Irregulars, when his friend had asked him idly if he knew anything about situations like this. “Assuming this is some sort of chemical agent and judging by the current weather patterns and wind speed you can estimate ideal deployment positions. The places to strike next to ensure near complete saturation would be Trainor Airport or maybe the campus at FCU. Ideally, any large gathering of people or place would ensure the proper vectors for maximum contamination. In order to expose those who would barricade themselves in, more indirect means such as contamination of food and water supplies would be the next logical step.†Watching his forecasting came true in the following hours was an uncomfortable reminder of his roots as Freedom City started to turn into a battleground with the onset of new powers but no control or responsibility. Even other heroes were not immune to this, as he watched the members of the student body at Claremont succumb to the toxin, whatever it was. It was only after the majority of campus (barring some of the more exotic members of the students and faculty) was infected and he showed no signs of the problem that John started to wonder what exactly was going on. By all accounts he had been exposed directly to whatever caused the mutations when he had helped physically subdue a student who had manifested uncontrolled bone growth. But still nothing had changed as he sat in his dorm and watched the news feed on his computer. John was beginning to wonder if it had something to do with his recent trials and tribulations at the hands of a rogue scientist, but that would be assuming that she had a hand in this. He sincerely doubted that. It did not match up with her standard tactics and prior history, but it something about the situation still had an odd feel of familiarity to the clone hero. The truth of the matter hit like a sledgehammer to a mirror as he watched the broadcasted tape from Mister Motley. What got his attention was not the man at center stage; rather it was the familiar faces underneath the NBC gear. So distracted by the revelation of exactly who was behind the attack, he had to replay the broadcast again. The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place as the extent of the plan and players became known. Of course he would not be affected. This way SHADOW personnel could be deployed without having to use bulky CNBC gear, not to mention being able to operate nearly unopposed due to the chaos created by the situation. He could not even attempt to assist in the city, because that would bring him potentially in direct contact with SHADOW operatives. He paced the small confines of his dorm room, impotently trying to ascertain a means to combat this situation to no avail. Sleep that night did not come easily, and the dire outlook from the Lab the next morning only served to worsen his mood. John started searching for more information in the nearly vacant campus library until later in the day a course of action presented itself from one of the texts he was perusing. A vaccine! Mentally lambasting himself for not thinking of the idea earlier, he started to formulate a plan. Which instantly was derailed when he realized what exactly it would entail. One, there was no guarantee that it would even have an impact. Two, it had the potential to expose his identity whether via capture or the like. Three, it meant trusting the Freedom City scientific and medical community. These cons were outweighed by one overarching truth. That being if he had the capability to aid the citizens of Freedom, then it was his duty to do so. He returned to his room, slid on his costume, and scribed a note to anybody who came looking for him. It read simply: “Something I have to do.†in his tidy scrawl. He left campus minutes later after taking some supplies from the nurses’ office, purposefully avoiding security and students as he went into the city. The results played out almost invariably the same at the places he had deemed his objectives. At 4:45 in the afternoon, Myrmidon walked through the front doors of ArcheTech and surrendered a vial of blood and a note to the surprised medical staff there. A few hours later, a battered-looking and limping Myrmidon crossed the threshold into the facility that housed the Lab. He found the closest scientist before handing her the vial and note, ignoring her pleas of resting as he left the premises. The sun had just dipped below the horizon as the helmeted hero banged on the outer doors of the Martel Integrated Research Center at Lonely Point. After convincing the guards of his intentions, he refused to relinquish the items until he could give them directly to a doctor or scientist. The scientist who arrived found him sitting in one of the lobby chairs, the exhaustion clearly expressed in his body language. Not to mention the physical damage that could be seen from the tears and holes in the costume, and the crack crossing the faceplate. He stood shakily and handed over the vial and note, giving the scientist a nod in affirmation. Looking back to the note, the scientist quickly read its contents. “I am immune to the Proteus mutagenic compound. I give this blood sample freely of my own volition in order to potentially render a viable vaccine. I only ask that my contribution and identity remain anonymous, and that my blood sample be destroyed once done. In addition, the information garnered from the sample may be given to third parties as necessary to obtain a vaccine.†It was signed with a simple M. The scientist looked up from the note to ask the hero a question, only to find the automatic doors leading outside closing. Mission done, the weary Myrmidon started the slow trek back to Claremont.

John carried the two rucksacks along as he walked across the quad. He had been asked to assist Mister Archer in training some of the underclassmen later today, namely to properly inform them of the dangers and limitations of firearms before encountering them in combat situations. As he approached the tree that marked the center of the quad he noticed Subito, Morgan, and a female student he had not met. Not to mention the flaming sword. He slowed his pace and stopped as he approached the tree. "Hello to you all." John stated and gave a short bow seeing as his hands were full. "I might be late for our customary pizza night. I have been tasked with helping Mister Archer, so please go ahead and order my usual if I am not on time Morgan." He said to his friend in the upper boughs. "Additionally, may I inquire as to why there is an incendiary device being used within the confines of a flammable area?" His sunglasses did not hide the quizzical arch of one of his eyebrows.

John rocked forward a bit with from the friendly elbow. "I suppose I shall re-iterate my relief that magic powers tend to have built-in fail-safes for matters such as this." Scowling briefly, he continued. "Miss Flora has made her opinions known about my proximity to plants after my so-called attempt at gardening." "However, If you think the chainsaws would be too unwieldy, the more practical choice would be a flamethrower to be used against chloro-kinteics. I think that the others would claim pyromania after the last few times I have used such weapons in training." The last line was delivered with a sly smirk plastered across his features. "When I can resume normal training, that is." John stopped himself and turned to the person he was supposed to be assisting. "My apologies, Miss Mali. Depending on your meta-human powers, we can help point you in a direction when it comes to training."

This time when he regained consciousness he was no longer strapped to a table. Rather, he was sitting in a chair with manacles on his wrists and ankles facing at what appeared to be a mirror. With a quick glance around the room, it was easy to ascertain this was indeed a cell. Pushing his weight against the chair, it was made evident that it was a solidly fixed to the floor and of excellent construction. Chances were he could not brute strength his way out. Dr. Smythe walked into the room as he was enumerating his resources. "Ah good. You are awake. Now then." She walked over to a pair of switches by the mirror. "You will cease your attempts to escape and willingly submit to me." John shot a look at the woman that would etch glass. "Why would I even entertain that notion?" Her response was to flick one of the switches, which revealed another room in the mirror. In it a young woman in her late twenties was pacing around, looking rather irritated. "Because, if you do not I will make her suffer in your place." A cold smile crept across her features. "I will not take your word for it. This could be another trap. A plant to force my compliance." He stated evenly, not taking his eyes off the other cell. The not-so-good doctor placed her hand on her chin in thought for a second. "Ah. I believe I can dismiss that notion." She flicked another switch, and the pacing woman apparently could now see through her side of the mirror. Well, that was not an assumption judging by her attempt to put her fist through the mirror at the doctors' head. A dull thunk sounded, and the other woman cursed and started shaking her hand before yelling at Dr. Smythe through the mirror. "You! Let me out! I am a Freedom City Police officer! You will not get away with this!" It all started to make sense to John. Of course Dr. Smythe could not approach him normally. So she acquired a squad car and and a uniform, and more than likely orchestrated the robbery in order to blindside him. Now there was another life at stake instead of just his. He slumped a bit in his chair as the doctor patted him on the cheek. "That's good boy. I've got to prepare for the procedures, so you can talk amongst yourselves." She left the room. As soon as she had closed the door, he gave the woman prisoner an apologetic look. "I am sorry. You are here because of me." Her reply was a quizzical "What?"

Mali could probably tell by Johns' arched eyebrow at Morgans' impromptu performance that he was probably a little bit amused by it. "I was intoning that you possess greater familiarity in that area than I do Morgan." Which was true. "Regretfully, I am somewhat at a loss when it comes to the nuances societal dialoging." John offered in explanation to Mali. He returned his attention to Morgan. "If it would make you feel better, I could ask Mister Archer about chloro-kinetics in our training sessions. That would also make Victoria happy since she has been wanting to see akimbo chainsaws in practice for some time." John frowned at the tree an then looked closer at one of the designs on Morgans' coat. "I thought you had thoroughly field tested that rune. Any idea why it landed you here?"

John blithely answered his friend. "I would be the wrong person to bribe in this matter. The groundskeeper or Headmaster Summers would be a much better choice, but I sincerely doubt you would avoid the repercussions of such an action." He watched a pair of students walk by. "In any case, Morgan, if you truly felt the tree was a malevolent presence you would have had your allies from Parkhurst look at it." John returned his attention back to Mali. "I am afraid that I am a bit jaded when it comes to mundane and eldritch occurrences. As for your second question, that would be better addressed to Morgan as he is more knowledgeable about the social scenario here." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder to the library, as mentally wondered if she was not used to metahumans. "We were just on the way to the library."