Raveled

Malcolm didn't let up. "It was in the Army. I had support, I had training -- and I still got my legs shot out from underneath me!" Jessica's eyes lit up as an idea occurred to her. "Then by my support. Help me, train me, grandpa! I don't need the whole military, I'm not looking to save the entire world. But you can help me o a little good in the city." He frowned, turning the idea over in his head. "I'm too old to go out in the field," he said. "And I'd be a liability in a fight. If I tried to use my old suit, I'd probably have a heart attack." "You don't need to be physically there when you can be virtually there." Malcolm gave her a look at the suggestion, but she plowed on. "I can set up an audio-visual link from the suit, to your house or even right here! You'll see and hear everything I do -- or, everything the suit does, anyway -- and can talk straight to me." Malcolm rested his forearms on his desk, interested despite himself. "You couldn't use radio," he pointed out." Too noisy around the city, and too easy to intercept." "there's a Dawes Tech communication satellite overhead almost all the time." Jessica pulled a notebook and pencil out of her pocket, flipped to a new page, and started sketching. "I can keep it point to point using a gyroscope. Whoever wanted to intercept would have to be in low orbit." She looked up, her eyes alight. Malcolm held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, only half mocking. "Alright. I guess I'm going to help you."

Not entirely sure how I feel about this. My only real experience in migrating across game systems was going from D&D 3E to 4E. Which, to be fair, I think is a fair system, but that's neither here nor there. Ah, well. More stuff to buy, I suppose.

Malcolm didn’t speak for a very long minute after Jessica finished talking. He might’ve been mulling over what she said, or working to keep quiet pride off his face, or counting to ten in his head – he was much better at hiding her emotions than she was at reading them. Finally, he stirred and asked her, “If all that was true, why did you take up the name? Why are you trying to be a hero?†The question surprised Jessica, and the trying stung. “You told me, grandpa,†she said. “’Of those who have much, much is asked.’ I’m smart, and I’m good with machines. Once I knew what was possible, I had to try it, and once I knew what I could do I had to use it to help people.†“You’re young. You don’t know how to fight.†“I’m a year older than you really were when you joined the Army, and I know as much about fighting as you did – and you survived.â€

“There was other stuff, too,†Jessica continued. “Test data and scanned-in forms with the USAF’s logo. I did some cross-referencing and came up with a government sponsored hero who went by Ironclad. He was active with the Army after World War 2, until the Air Force was formed. His last mission was just a few months before you were discharged. And, of course, all of this stuff is on the Dawes Tech serves. QED, you’re Ironclad.†Jessica’s eyes were shining and she was very clearly proud of herself. She seemed to have forgotten that the man sitting across from her was angry as her.

Malcolm turned his hard gaze on his granddaughter. “Ironclad,†he said, his voice low and monotone. After a moment, he demanded, “Where in the hell did you get a stupid idea like that? Dressing up in a suit and try to do the police’s job. Who do you think you are?†Jessica’s stomach was full of butterflies, but she took a deep breath and answered him. “I’m the next Ironclad, and the granddaughter of the original.†Neither of them spoke for a long moment, and finally Malcolm leaned back in his chair and steeped his fingers. “What makes you think that?†His tone of voice was neutral, but Jessica knew it was a challenge – and she rallied in response. “I started looking about ten months ago,†she began. “We had that discussion about actuators and grounds, remember? I said that no system could go above a certain limit without grounding into the earth. A couple of days later, you showed he a system that could do just that. I poked around and found more – ammo feed systems, man-sized fire and forget weapons, and fantastic armor.†She was leaning forward in her seat now, elbows on her knees. He anxiety was almost forgotten as she explained her process.

Malcolm punched another control and the recording paused on Ironclad’s image. Jessica’s misgivings had been all but swept away by a warm wave when she realized how many people knew her name, and how easy the fight had been. She had heard the call for help over the police band and liberally dropped from the sky onto the smugglers, crashing through a skylight for her entrance. The criminals had been armed with machine pistols and shotguns, all small caliber and unable to so much as scratch Ironclad’s paint. She’d made short work of them, and had been riding high on the inevitable adrenaline buzz when she agreed to the interview. Now, sitting her under her grandfather’s stormy gaze, it all seemed like the stupidest thing in the world.

Malcolm pressed a button on his desk and the recording began to play. It stayed on a the still picture of Rick Royer as an off-screen announcer introduced him, just in case their viewers had been living in a cave for the last few years. The feed cut to Royers’s point of view then, looking for the harbor; the moon near the horizon suggested it wasn’t much past sunset. Royer took over then, his voice rolling and “Thanks, Mike, and I wish the Comets better luck next season. I’m here at Freedom City harbor where, mere hours ago, our fine police force found themselves in a desperate battle with some surprisingly well-armed smugglers. It could’ve been bad for our brave boys in blue if it hadn’t been for Freedom City’s newest superhero.†The view had rotated during the segment, taking in a pair of police boats; a warehouse cordoned off by many police cruisers; and finally an armored figure, with an inverted delta of a helmet, oversized gauntlets and decorated in a green and red-gold scheme. “Let’s start with the basics. What should we call you, miss?†Jessica expected the synthesizer to be even harsher on television, but perhaps because of Royer’s powers she was perfectly intelligible. “Ironclad,†the figure on TV said. “Two.â€

Malcolm Dawes’s office at one of the angle of the three-sided building, looking downriver to the harbor and the ocean beyond. The office itself was almost as big as Jessica’s apartment, and was mostly empty. The main feature was the expansive, obsidian-topped desk in front of the window. The deliberately empty space lent the man behind the desk a quiet gravitas. In his prime, Malcolm Dawes had been a broad-shouldered, heavily muscled man. Time and age had softened and creased his body, but he still had a cold glare that made younger men shake. Jessica had never been the focus of that glare before, and it was a sobering experience. She took a shaky breath and pressed on, adopting a cheery expression that did little to hide her true feelings. “Hi, Grandpa. What’d you want to talk about?†Malcolm didn’t waste words, merely pointing at one of the straight-backed chairs in front of his desk. Jessica made herself as comfortable as possible on the thinly upholstered seat while he grandfather punched at a control on his desk. A small plasma-screen monitor rose from the inky blackness, an image already on it. The girl recognized it easily, as would millions of Freedonians – it was Rock Royer, a reporter than had made his name with on-the-spot interviews of Freedom City’s supeheroes. Jessica’s heart sank: she knew what was coming.

Ironclad After Action Report A Day at the Museum

The OOC for this thread.

Jessica Parker was taking a full load of classes from HIT, and they occupied most of her morning. She took lunch in the cafeteria and then drove to the Dawes Technology Solutions campus upriver. The executive offices were in a rather uninspired triangular building of cement and rebar. The R&D building, y contrast, was a series of white cubes of varying dimensions, butting up against each other or linked by multi-level walkways. Jessica would much rather spend her free time in the white cubs of the R&D department, but her grandfather has emailed her and asked for a face-to-face meeting in his office. Which meant she had to go into the concrete office block. As heir apparent to the Dawes Tech empire, Jessica had virtually free run of any Dawes Consumer Technology campus, and most DTS ones. She even had her own security pass. Still, she rarely visited the executive offices and it took her awhile to find her grandfather’s office. It was close to, but not the very, top floor and Jessica couldn’t see much difference with the other floors, besides the fact that it was all offices and the doors were further apart.

Added Jack-of-All-Trades and Improvised Tools. This is getting... expensive.

Jessica hesitated for a moment, then descended towards the flashing red and blue lights. Uniformed police officers dragged two men and a woman from the car. All of them were cut and bruised but swearing volubly, so they couldn’t be too badly hurt. A short, black officer with sergeant’s stripes on his sleeve seemed to be in charge, so Jessica walked over to him. She gave him a casual salute as he gave her an appraising look. After a few moments, he offered her his hand and they exchanged grips. “Interesting way to end a car chase,†he said, turning his gaze to survey the strewn wreckage of the coup. “I heard you on the police band radio,†she said by way of explanation. “It sounded like you needed help.†Her voice had an odd buzz, the product of a synthesizer that would keep her voice from being casually recognized. In theory. The sergeant did a double-take at her voice but didn’t comment. Perhaps he’s encountered stranger methods of communication. “I won’t say no to help,†he allowed. “What do I call you, anyway?†“Ironclad,†Jessica replied, and because she had the soul of an engineer and valued precision, she added, “Two.â€

With Contacts, Gather Info checks take 1 min, or 20 mins to take 20. With Mental Quickness x500, I should be able to take 20 on such a check in 3 seconds, or a standard action. How long a Knowledge or Investigate check takes is up to the GM, so I can't really anticipate that. Found it. Very interesting. Modified her existing Comprehend so it doesn't take any more PP. Added a Variable Power to let me rearrange what Knowledge skills she has, reflecting what kind of information she's looking at, at any given time.

But I don't want Quickness limited to just one task, unless that one task could be "talk to machines." I want her to be able to do anything mental really, really fast. Boosted the power to x500, anyway. How high are you thinking it should go? What do you mean by Codes? Do you mean decryption? Wouldn't that be something she could do with skills and her amazing mental Quickness? I don't want to array Datalink and Communication, since it would give Datalink a much greater range than Comm. (2 billion miles at this point), and it doesn't make sense that she could talk to machines that far away, but not other people. Don't have that book; thanks for the heads up. Uh, I don't have UD. Put DR on Visual, to represent getting a 360 degree view of what's happening by hacking into camera feeds and the like.

I'm planning for my character Ironclad to eventually pick up technopathic powers -- sort of like telepathy, but for machines and electronics instead of human minds. I'm looking at a whole array of powers. Right now, it looks something like this: Container (Technopath/Mutant Power) [32 PP] The Communication and Datalink should be self-explanatory, as should Comprehend related to machines. The power will let her Comprehend languages basically by letting her link her mind with the best translation software in the world and run it in real-time. The mental Quickness comes from being able to essentially "time-share" her brain with any machines around her, using their processing power and even connecting to the Internet if needed to look information up. The Super-Senses come from, again, connecting with machines around her, including GPS devices, clocks, and cameras. I'm considering some Knowledge skills, maybe some Variable Power based around that; say, 10 PP that can be used to buy any combination of Knowledge skills that she needs at a given point, representing the fact that she's accessing different databases at any given time. Does anyone have any suggestions? Do some of these seem out of place, or maybe I'm forgetting something? Finally, I seem to remember a power that let people communicate very quickly; it was explicitly likened to a psychic mind-meld or machines sharing data very, very fast. Does anyone remember what that power is? Container (Technopath/Mutant Power) [6 PP]

Well, seeing as how neither you nor Playah appear to have any sort of messaging system...

I expect at least one fire to be in a museum or laboratory of some sort. That is Firebug's MO, after all.

Questionairre Introduction Give a two or three word description of yourself. (Describe your character's concept.) I fly around in a superpowered suit of armor that I invented. Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume? Ironclad II. In honor of my grandfather, the original Ironclad. What is your full birth name? Jessica Anne Parker Where do you live? I have a penthouse apartment in the center of the city, but I also have a dorm room in the Lab. Why do you live there? I like the location; it's centrally located in the city, it's got a view over Liberty Park, and it's three stories all to myself. What do you perceive as your greatest strength? My intelligence, and my skill with machines. Whups, guess that's two things. What do you perceive as your greatest weakness? Outside of my suit, I'm pretty much a normal human, so that's something to watch out for. Physical Traits How old are you? (Chronological age as well as age category.) Eighteen years old. What is your sex? Female. What is your race? Scots-Irish. How tall are you? About six feet tall. How much do you weigh? Oh... hundred thirty, a hundred and forty pounds. What is your general body type, frame, bone structure, and poise? I'm very tall and slim, with a fine bone structure. I like to think I hold myself well; I don't slouch or anything. What is your skin colour? My skin is pale, pale, pale. What is your hair colour? It's naturally a sort of reddish blonde, but lately I've been dying it a darker auburn. What is your hair style? *Laughs* Mostly I just ignore it! I don't style it, and when it gets long enough that it's hanging in my face when I work, I just have it cut short again. What is your eye colour? A very pale blue. Nearly colorless, some have told me, but I've never had trouble seeing it. How attractive are you? I guess I'm attractive? I mean, I'm a tall, leggy redhead, so yeah. *Laughs* I don't really think of myself like that, but I suppose I've gotten a few stares. What is your most distinguishing feature? I suppose my height and my frame. Not many girls are as tall or as thin as me. Do you have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks? I have a tattoo of lightning bolts radiating out from my belly button. What is your handedness (left/right/ambidextrous)? Right. Definitely right-handed. Do you resemble some currently known person? I've been told I look a bit like Kate Beckinsale, but with less chest. What kind of clothing do you wear? Oh, just something casual. I really don't care about my appearance much. Do you wear makeup? See above. *Laughs* If it's an important function, there's people to do my makeup, you know? What sort of vocal tone do you have? Fairly high, I suppose. History Where is your homeland? Well, I was born in the US, but my family's roots are in Scotland and Ireland. Are you aware of its history? Um, not really. My focus is electronics and engineering, not history. Are you patriotic or a social outcast? Well, I don't see how the two are related, but I suppose I'm patriotic. What are your opinion of home? I love my home. All my stuff is there. Where is your home town? Freedom City. Born and raised here, and wouldn't live anywhere else. Are your real reasons for becoming an adventurer/hero different from what you tell others? Nope. I think that if you have a lot, you should give something back. And I certainly have a lot! Do you have any particularly high or low ability scores? My Intelligence. How have these scores affected your life so far? Well, I entered HIT when I was 16, does that answer your question? What about your race, growing up were you in the majority or a minority? I'm white. Plenty of people around with my skin tone. Did this impact your outlook in any way? I... don't know. I tend to be an optimist, I suppose that would skew my viewpoint more than my race. How do you feel about other races? That's... a hard-to-answer question. I try to judge people on a person-by-person basis. Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)? My parents weren't around much growing up, so I was mostly raised by tutors and nannies. Until my grandpa figured out how smart I was getting and started raising me, that is. Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life. When I was 10, I took apart my dad's global phone and put it back together. It got four more hours of battery life after that. What stupid things did you do when you were younger? When I was 11, I tried to take apart the microwave. Blew out every circuit in the neighborhood. Which toys from your childhood have you kept? When I was 6, my grand-dad bought me an Erector set. I haven't touched it in years, but all the bits are assembled and standing around my computer desk. Why? What do they mean to you? If you didn't keep any, why not? What did you do to them all? I think it's when I started to understand that big things don't come into the world fully formed; they're made of lots of little things, and sometimes instead of looking at the big thing and being overwhelmed, you can focus on all the little parts, instead. Are you who you claim to be? I... What kind of question is that? Of course I am! Do you have any sort of criminal record? Nope. How do you view the heroes/legends of your country? Of Ireland or Scotland? Or America? Family Who were your parents? George Parker and Courtney Dawes-Parker Were you raised by them? If not, then why didn't they and who did raise you? More or less. I mean, Dad was always away on business and Mom did her fund raising-slash-politics thing. I suppose I was mostly raised by my grandpa. What was their standing in the community? Well, Dad's head of a great big company and Mom's got all sorts of political connections. We were always invited to every party. Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot? No, we mostly stayed in the city. Which isn't to say my parent's were always around. How did you get along with their parents? I just... My dad's okay, but a bit of a push-over. And I haven't spoken to my mother since my grandfather died. That should tell you how well we get along. How would your parents describe you? Answer this in the voice of your mother, then in your father's. "This superhero thing is just a phase. Sooner or later, she'll come back to where she belongs!" "I'm proud of the work Jessica is doing at the Lab, but I wish she would do some of that work at Dawes Tech." Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what were their names? How did you get along with each of your siblings? Nope. Only child. List all current knowledge of family locations, spouses, children, birth dates, schooling, and any important incidents that only you and they might remember. My father's brother, Robert, is a senior ADA in Chicago. He's not married. Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged? He comes to meet us a few times a year. Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular? I was very close to my maternal grandfather. Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)? As I said before, my maternal grandfather, Malcolm Dawes, was more like a father to me than my real father. Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? I might be the black sheep in the family insofar as I don't work at Dawes Tech. I'm kind of wondering if my grandfather might have been Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? Well Malcolm Dawes worked with a top-secret organization in the US military from World War 2 until the end of the Vietnam War. My mom knows lots of people in Washington, D.C., so I suppose there's lots of people in the government that would recognize my name or my face. Do you try to live up to the reputation of your ancestor, try to live it down, or ignore it? I... used to measure my success by what my grandfather did as Ironclad I. But nowt hat I know more precisely what he did, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Do you ever want to have a family of your own someday? I've... never really thought about it. I suppose I might, one day. Would anything change your mind on this issue and if so, what? I could say "meeting the perfect man," but that would be kind of stereotypical, wouldn't it? What type of person would be your ideal mate? It would have to either be someone as smart as me, or who doesn't mind me being this smart. I couldn't bear someone who felt his masculinity was threatened by having a smart girlfriend, or whatever. Relationships Do you have any close friends? If so, who and what are they like? I'm very close to my fellow hero, Dragonfly , aka Mara Hallowman. She's probably smarter than me, truth be told, and quite the hero. What is the history of their relationship(s) with you? Heh. I ended up fighting her at first. To be fair, I think she threw the first punch. Do you currently have a best friend whom you would protect with your reputation or your life? All of my friends. That's why they're my friends. Do you have any bitter enemies? Not that I'd think of it. I can't promise that there isn't some thwarted genius plotting my downfall, though. Which person(s) or group(s) are you most loyal to? The Lab. Who is your most trusted ally? Now that Grandpa's passed, probably Dragonfly. Who do you trust, in general? ... Dragonfly? I don't really know, I'm a pretty trusting person in general! Who do you despise, and why? Supervillains? Is that a group? I hate people who could do so much good but just pander to their own desires. Name seven things you hate in others. Willful idiocy, bigotry, laziness, and an unwillingness to try new things. That's all that I can think of. Is your image consistent? Huh? Do you deliberately present yourself differently in different situations? If so, how? I don't really care what other people think of me, so not really. What would you die for? I... Don't know really. I hope I'd die to protect an innocent, but I can't really know that. What is the worst thing someone has done to you? *Pause* I went back in time once and saw what I think was my grandfather, the first Ironclad. He... he was slaughtering soldiers in the jungle. I don't know if they were Viet Cong or who they were, but he was killing them. That was a real blow to my image of him. What is your general reaction to an attractive member of the appropriate sex who lets you know they are available? Awkward small-talk? I haven't done it enough to really have a 'general reaction.' How do you get along with others of the same adventuring class? I have no idea what you're talking about. Have you lost any loves? Well, I broke up with Blake Salazar. He's still alive, though. Who would miss you should you go missing? My family and friends, of course, and the folks at the Lab. Are you a member of any guild, organization, church, or other organization? What is your level of involvement? I'm a contributor and member of the Lab. I've donated quite a bit of money to get the organization started. Personality & Beliefs Do you, or did you, have any role models? My grandfather, and a few of the superheroes around here. Do you have any heroes or idols, either contemporary or from legend? The Centurion, Daedalus, Miss Americana, and Doktor Archeville are all personal idols of mine. Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances? Yes. When I went back in time I saw my grandfather, acting as the first Ironclad, killing soldiers who had no way to fight back against his armor. When did you decide to become an adventurer/hero? A couple years ago, I was arguing with my grandfather over the kind of power one could get from electrically controlled actuators versus mechanical systems. He showed me some interesting designs that ended the discussion. I did some research and uncovered that he had been Ironclad during most of the Cold War. I felt like I needed to do something with this information, so I decided to become a hero like he was. Why have you chosen to risk your life as a career? I have a talent: I'm really smart, and good with machines. It would be greedy not to help people with it. What do you expect to get out of being an adventurer/hero? What, if anything, would make you stop adventuring/heroing? I want to help people! I suppose if I found a better way to help more people, I might 'retire,' but I can't think of anything like that off the top of my head. Do you have any dreams or ambitions? If not, why? I'd like to be a well-known superhero. And I've a few projects in the fire that could be interesting. What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)? Nothing concrete. I've a few projects I'm working on, but nothing that will revolutionize the world. What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)? I want to investigate the organization my father worked with while he was in the military, Section 13. Do you have any great rational or irrational fears or phobias? If so, what are the origins of, or reasons behind them? I don't like squids, or octopi. They just freak me out. What are your attitudes regarding material wealth? It's okay. Being rich is certainly more handy than being poor, no question. But it's not the end-all, be-all of life. Are you miserly with your share of the wealth, or do you spend it freely? If someone needs help with lunch or something, I'll help them, but it's my mom that's more involved with charity work. Do you see wealth as a mark of success, or just as a means to an end? See above. Means to an end. How do you generally treat others? I like to think I treat people fairly. So, if they treat me with respect and don't try to belittle or attack me, I'll return the favor. Do you trust easily (perhaps too easily) or not? Well, I'd rather be too trusting than paranoid! Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? I like to keep to myself more than not, but I can see how a hero might need to be more outgoing. Are you a humble soul or blusteringly proud? Well, I have a lot to be proud of! What habits do you find most annoying in friends? When people have lots of different devices that all do the same thing. Like, having a laptop, a cellphone, a pager, and a wristwatch, and using them all just to check the time or update your social status. So inefficient! What are your most annoying habits? I... have a tendency to take things apart. Phones, locks, pretty much anything mechanical. I love to get a look at the inside of things and see how they work! Is there any race, creed, alignment, religion, class, profession, political viewpoint, or the like against which you are strongly prejudiced, and why? I just don't get religion. Folks believing in something that's manifestly not true? Why? What is your favorite food? I am in love with my crock pot. It is the best cooking tool, literally since they began slicing bread before packaging it. I can make a whole meal in the morning, put it in the pot to cook, fly home around noon to check it, and when I get home I have a whole dinner waiting for me! What is your favorite drink? Mmm. Lemonade. Really tart lemonade, too, that makes you pucker with just a sip. Yummy. What is your favorite treat (desert)? There's there dark chocolate cups with chocolate mousse filling. Tastes very, very, very good after a long day. Do you favor a particular cuisine? Well, I like Italian food. Noodles and sauces and the like. Don't know if I'll like the wines, I'm not old enough to drink. Do you savor the tastes when eating or "wolf down" your food? I'm usually in such a hurry to get back to work. Eating is just dead time, you know? Do you like food mild or heavily spiced? Spicy, spicy! Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat? I don't know if I could ever try calamari. What are your favorite color(s)? I love green. That's why I painted Ironclad that color! Is there any color that you dislike? Mmm. I've run into some pukey shades of yellow, but that's about it. Oh, and hot pink: I can't stand hot pink. Do you have a favorite (or hated) song, type of music, or instrument? Ehn, not really? I don't pay attention to music a lot. I like acoustic guitars, though. If you have a favorite scent, what is it? Never really paid much attention to scents. What is your favorite type of animal? Birds. I had one growing up, but I don't really have time to take care of a pet right now, so alas. Are you allergic to any kinds of animals? Not that I've run into, no. Is there anything that enrages you? Huh? Besides what I've already talked about? Willful ignorance, I suppose; people who just won't learn. Is there anything which embarrasses you? Hell no! Ask me about anything! Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts? Definitely a city gal. Give me satellite radio and air conditioning. Do you have a patron deity? Nope. Atheist. Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special? Just logic, really. I've never seen anything that can't be described by science. Will you kill? That's not really a heroic thing to do, is it? When did you decide (or learn) that you would? When I was designing the Ironclad suit, I tried to devote some time each day to think about things like this. Just so I could make a decision ahead of time, instead of freezing in a fight. When do you consider it okay to kill (under what circumstances)? I don't know. Maybe if the thing I was attacking wasn't sentient, and was threatening a whole bunch of people. Even then, I'd try to subdue it, first. When do you consider it wrong to kill (under what circumstances)? Most of the time! Even if it's a criminal you're killing, they could've reformed and put their talents to doing good. What would you do if someone else attempted to (or successfully did) kill under your "wrong" circumstances, what would be your reaction? I'd be... very, very angry with them. What if it were your enemy? Well, they're my enemy, right? It's not like I can think worse of them. What if it were your friend? I'm not sure I could call someone who did that a friend. What if the opponent were not in control of their own actions (under duress, charmed, dominated, possessed)? I don't know. It would depend a lot on the circumstances. What would you do if something were stolen from you? Well, I'd try to get it back, of course! Track down the person who stole it, et cetera. What would you do if you were badly insulted publicly? I'd try to get mine back, I suppose. Prove that I'm better than I was made out to be. What would you do if a good friend or relative were killed by means other than natural death? I don't know. I've never encountered something like that. What is the one task you would absolutely refuse to do? Sell out my beliefs. What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why? Murder. It destroys any potential a person had for the future. How do you feel about government (rulers) in general? Why do you feel that way? Well, they're necessary, aren't they? You can't just have anarchy and people doing whatever they want! Do you support the current government of your homeland? Are you talking about the United States government!? Of course! If so, how far are you willing to go to defend the government? If not, do you actively oppose it? I don't know. I guess it would depend on the circumstances. What form of government do you believe is the best (democracy, monarchy, anarchy, aristocratic rule, oligarchy, matriarchy) and why? Democracy. Most everything else relies on have one excellent ruler at the top, but in democracy everyone has a say. Do you have any unusual habits or dominant personality traits that are evident to others? Sometimes I speak really fast, tripping over my words. And I have a tendency to skip steps when thinking up a plan. If so, describe them and how you acquired them, as well as when they might be more noticeable and what causes them. Well, sometimes I just get so excited! It's hard to slow down and explain things. Do you have any unusual or nervous mannerisms, such as when talking, thinking, afraid, under stress, or when embarrassed? I'm told I play with my hair a lot. I suppose that's true. What is your most treasured possession? The Ironclad suit. No question. It's so cool and I made it all by myself! If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours? I... I don't know. Probably spend time with Mara. Career & Training Where and how were you educated, both in terms of general education and any specific hero-ing skills? I mostly had private tutors until 16, when I enrolled in HIT. I graduated in 2011 with a double major in mechanical engineering and computer sciences. Who trained you in your adventuring/heroing abilities? Well, my grandpa kinda-sorta trained me What was your relationship with your teacher(s)/mentor(s)? I... used to think the world of my grandpa. But now I'm wondering just how 'heroic' he was as Ironclad. Is this person or institution still in existence? No, he passed away. Were you a prize student or did you just barely pass? Oh, yeah. Top of my class, of course! Look at your skills & feats. How did you acquire them (especially the unusual ones)? I've always been interested in machines and electronics, and I'm good at putting things together! It's just been a natural extension of my talents. Have you ever done anything else for a living? Nope. Never wanted to, either. How do you function in combat (maneuvers, weaknesses)? I stay up top and blast things! I hate getting into melee combat, but I designed the suit so I could if needed. Have you ever received any awards or honours? Scholastic awards, yes. Mostly for doing really well in classes. Is there anything that you don't currently know how to do that you wish you could? Well, there's lots of things I want to know, mostly in the bio-sciences, but there's lots of time for me to learn! Are you envious of others who can do such things in a good-natured way or are you sullen and morose about it? I don't really understand. If I wanted to do something, I could learn! Why mope about it instead? Lifestyle & Hobbies When not adventuring, what is your normal daily routine? I get up, I go to the Lab, I do a little patrolling, and then I usually end up at home around eight or nine and tinker in my personal workshop. How do you feel and react when this routine is interrupted for some reason? Really, it's self-imposed. I'm rich enough that I don't ever really have to work, but I like to keep busy. So I can peel off and do my own thing whenever I want to. What are your hobbies when you are not adventuring/heroing or training? SCIENCE! I love working on new projects, whether it's building a robot or coding something. What do you do for relaxation? What things do you do for enjoyment? What interests do you have? I like technology. When I'm stressed out, I'll play video games or watch television. I usually have one or more projects in the fire at any one time; normally, if I'm bored, I'll work on those. How do you normally dress when not in your adventuring gear/heroic costume? Jeans and a tee-shirt, normally. I'm very casual about my appearance. What do you normally wear in bed at home? A tee-shirt or undershirt and panties. In the winter, I'll wear pajama bottoms, but it's too hot for those in the summer. What do you normally wear in bed while adventuring/on a mission? Never been on a multi-day 'adventure.' Do you wear any identifiable jewelry? I wear one piece, a silvery wristband that acts a dual watch/digital compass. It also happens to be the anchor of my Ironclad armor, which is stored in a pocket dimension. Where do you normally put your weapons, magic items, or other valuables when you are sleeping? The suit is stored in a pocket dimension, courtesy of my friend Mara. The anchor is a piece of jewelry that I keep on my night table. What morning or evening routines do you normally have? I wake up around sunrise, shower, eat a light breakfast, and then prepare my dinner and put it in the crock pot. Then I drive over to the Lab, work there until eleven or noon; get take-out and eat it at home while I check on the crock pot. I head back to the Lab and work until five or six, when I put my armor on and patrol until eight or so. Then it's home to dinner, and tinkering in my workshop or surfing the web until midnight. Do these change when you are adventuring/on a lengthy heroic mission? I've never been on a lengthy mission. I suppose I'd have to see. Travel: how do you get around locally? If I'm not flying? I have a metallic gray Porsche 911 Turbo. Do you have a Last Will and Testament? Um, no. Thinking about it, maybe I should. Miscellaneous What would you like to be remembered for after your death? I think as an amazing engineer. Being a superhero is all well and good, What kind of threat do you present to the public? What!? I'm no threat! The magnetic-etheric drive is completely safe! There is no way whatsoever that it would fracture and realign the Earth's magnetic field! And all that business with the zero-point energy system was due to impure selenium. If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body? Dental records? If it's a 'boom-headshot' situation, I have a tattoo on my belly. As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice... Look long-term. How do you want to be remembered?

The Out Of Character thread for my first thread, Test Flight. So, what's to say here? It was supposed to take place in Wharton Park, but as there's no sub-board of that place, I put it in A&G, instead. Oh, and the thread has been continued here. Same story, same name, so I didn't see the need for a second OOC.

(Ctnd from here. OOC) Mid-Town Freedom City was always a bustle of activity, but from the air it was overwhelming. Jessica was tempted to blank out her vision and fly by ear, but that was guaranteed to send her into a building or plowing into the ground. So she trusted in her GPS and the street map of Freedom City that her suit was laying over her vision and failed her speed back a notch. As it turned out, she needn’t have worried about her speed. All too soon she fell into the wake of a pack of police cars, and their target was all too clear. The sporty red coup seemed to stay ahead more by ignoring traffic laws than horsepower, but that didn’t stop Jessica. In seconds, she’d sped past the police cars and was hovering over the red coup, easily keeping station while she considered her options. She had several, some more spectacular than others. In the end, though, the most brutal was the most efficiency, and safest for the bystanders. Jessica armed her sonic cannons, aimed at the car’s engine block, and fired a double-dose of compressed air and sonic vibrations almost straight down. The blast flattened the engine into the pavement, ripping out most of the under-carriage. What happened next was a complicated ballet of physics. The coup’s nose pitched down, striking sparks from the road surface. The rest of the car tried to keep moving forward but ended up lifting off the road. It would’ve smacked Jessica out of the air, so she dropped a few feet and let the car somersault over her. It impacted on its foreshortened nose, and the this time Jessica was in danger of running into it: but she rolled to the side and climbed, avoiding the collision. It was a complicated few seconds,, and the upshot was that she ended up hovering a few hundred feet in the air and half a block away, while the police cruisers surrounded the shattered coup.

I'm looking to start a storyline, potentially with other heroes. The essence of it will be that Firebug, (thanks, Archy) pyromaniac member of the Thieves' Guild, has been up to his favorite past-time, creating a rash of building fires throughout Freedom's City's more destitute areas. Ironclad will investigate and determine that, yes, it is Shawn Hensley doing this. At that point there'll be a confrontation; but, given the power disparity (PL 6 vs PL 10) I'm hoping to recruit some fellow heroes to help with the beat-down -- and the investigation, if you're willing.

Ironclad Test Flight Test Flight Ctnd Questionairre.

Jessica feathered the flight controls and felt giddy and the armor’s weight lifted off her shoulders. There was a quiet humming in her ears and the energy levels fluctuated, but the magnetic-etheric drive had no physical backblast whatsoever; not a single blade of grass was bent. Jessica pushed an invisible throttle forward and rose into the air on a column of magnetic energy. She rose ten, fifty, one hundred feet into the air. The young woman leaned forward and began moving slowly, bodysurfing on the electromagnetic field of the Earth itself. It wasn’t all easy –the armor itself was suspended fine, but she could feel her joints chafe where they rested against the metal shell. Still, the physical discomfort was a small thing, and she noted the need for padding distantly. Jessica moved east at a good clip, and in no time at all she was among the city’s skyscrapers. A shift of her hips was enough to change directions, and she stabilized almost without thinking about it. The radio babbled endlessly in her ear, jumping from station to station. She was tempted to leave it on a rock or techno station and enjoy the flight, but Jessica didn’t build the rig to enjoy the city from a mile up, so she turned into the police band. There was an apartment fire in South Freedom that the fire department had under control; a domestic disturbance in the West Ed that she wasn’t equipped to handle; and a high-speed chase through the Mid-Town which sounded more her style. Not only could she outpace anything on wheels, she was already in the neighborhood. Jessica banked and dove into the lights of Mid-Town. (TBC)

Jessica Parker’s hands were slick on the steering wheel as she wound the great, black and chrome truck up the hills west of Freedom City. The narrow track switched-backed again and again, and the headlights shone on trees and brush as often as the dirt road. Still, it wasn’t feat that made the young woman’s palms sweat or her heart flutter; it was the excitement of the moment, and anticipation of what she was going to do. The hilltop was grassy and deserted, which was perfect for Jessica. She pulled the truck into a turn-around and got out, looking around carefully. Convinced that she was alone, she thumbed a button on the key fob and watched the car’s tailgate rise; while the hydraulics worked, Jessica stripped out of her thin coat and the tee-shirt underneath it. They were tossed on the driver’s seat, and her jeans and tennis shoes followed. Soon the girl was clad in just a navy-blue bodysuit, gold lines making sharp geometric shapes on her body. There were four aluminum cases in the back of the truck, and inside each was personalized high-tech, that Jessica Parker had designed and crafted personally. She snapped on the gorget and spaulders, then the fauld and cutlet – all new words she’d had to research – settling them comfortably before pulling on the gauntlets and boots. She shivered as her body’s nervous system synched up with the suit’s. There was a soft whisper of metal on metal as the segmented armor extended, covering her head and body. Jessica opened the rest of the cases, handling the devices casually. They’d been designed and built to withstand much rougher treatment, and if they broke from being dropped on the ground she wanted to know now. The back unit fit nicely into place, neon-bright screen flickering to life in front of her face as the power unit slowly spun to life. The vambraces and greaves socketed into place and the diagnostics soon certified everything ready.