JackgarPrime

Because we're definitely gonna need it.

GM Another long day goes by in Freedom City, with all the usual manner of goings on that seem ordinary in the extraordinary metropolis, despite how they may seem in other places. Some people were just getting out of work, while some kids who had to stay a bit later in school from practice, clubs, or what have you were being picked up by their parents, many of whom just got off work themselves. Meaning there was getting to be a lot of traffic in the city's center. The evening was beginning to set in, but the day was still light enough that the street lights weren't needed. Although, this particular sunset seems to have a bit stronger of an orange hue than every other day, and the breeze felt a bit more chilling than its temperature should make it....

Victory strokes his chin, a big grin on his face. "You know, I think I will ask Archeville to help out. I know he's the kind of guy who likes to show off, and what better way to do so than in a fireworks display, eh?" He chuckles, and gives a little wink. "And trust me, you're right on the ball with that last bit." Enjoying thrilling rides? Hell, that's how he got turned into what he is today. And with the last comment, he starts to head back inside, looking to find the Doktor among the hustle and bustle of the crowd.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Lance looks up to his his host, and nods a greeting. "I suppose it's worth a shot. I'm getting antsy spending all this time on the ground as is." Chuckling, Lance stands up, the servos in his body a bit audible as his joints lift his weight up. "Did you have anything in mind you wanted me to do, or should I just go with what I feel? Or perhaps I should speak with the person in charge on the fireworks first?"

Victory Champagne Shenanigans Brainiac Brunch Dog Fight Vanquish and Vitriol First; The Encounter Triumphant Meetings GM Vanquish and Vitriol Dog Fight

As all the dancing and carrying on goes about, Victory takes this chance to get out of the spotlight for a moment, as it were, and heads out to the back exit, to the lawn. As he gets outside, Lance takes in a deep breath, and looks down at his feet. Not much chance to get off the ground at a function like this. He did like making that entrance, though. Lance walks over to a bench set up outside and tests its weight. Okay, should be strong enough to hold him. Very, very carefully he lowers himself down to it, as his gaze goes over to the crew setting up the fireworks. Maybe he will help give a show, after all.

Lance was about to speak again, when he felt a bump against his back. Turning around to see what it was, he catches a sight of Corbin being bumped into someone. He winces a bit, and is about to apologize, but finds it's already led to him striking up a conversation with another young lady. Smirking, he starts to turn back to the photographer. But as he turns, his eyes catch a glimpse of Miss A doing...something, and then smiling after noticing the hustle. He grins wider, and finishes the turn, giving the photographer a little pat on the arm with his metal hand. Although it probably felt like a lot more than that. "Well, I'll be the first to agree with you on your rights, that's for sure. Just be careful about who you photograph, alright? Some people would rather have their privacy, after all."

Lance looks to Corbin, listening, then back to the reporter, turning to stand in between him and his subject, moving his metallic hand away from the man's shoulder, and instead placing the palm on the camera lens. He gives him a stern look from his eyes, but keeps his mouth a mock-polite smile, to keep up appearance. "Now then, I think this young man's made a very reasonable request. He just wants to enjoy himself in peace. Now, why don't you take that picture out and move on to someone who'd be more willing? Besides...I know quite a few people in the media who don't take kindly to hounds, and you wouldn't want them to know you've been one, trust me..."

Finishing his champagne, Lance notices a bit of a confrontation going on between a photographer, two female guests, and a rather large fellow. Taking a final sip and placing the empty flute on a tray, he steps over to the group, placing his metal right hand on the photographer's shoulder, squeezing ever so slightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to serve as a bit of a warning. "Excuse me, but is there a problem here?"

Victory grins, and points to his back with a thumb. "Well, I've got my own special effects built-in, but if they have an idea for something even more impressive to go with it, I'm all ears. Not so sure about holding firecrackers in my hands, but whatever your guys come up with, I'll give it a listen." When he and Felix finish that part of the conversation, Lance takes a moment to grab a flute of champagne from one of the passing hostesses. And he manages to do so with his metallic arm, the control on it fine enough that it doesn't even cause the slightest crack to the glass. A big improvement from his first days, where he couldn't even hold an apple without crushing it.

Victory shakes his head as he does the same with Dok's hand. "Unfortunately, no. She's apparently putting the finishing touches on some kind of new piece of equipment. She wouldn't say much about it, except that I'll be quite happy with it. But she does send her greetings." Almost as soon as he's done shaking hands with Archeville, he finds himself immediately greeted by their host. As he turns to greet him, he does have to admit that it seemed his big entrance did what it was supposed to. And then some, apparently. "Mr. Fassbinder, I presume? Quite a party you've got going. And thank you, I most certainly will have some champagne." When Felix pats Victory on the shoulder, he could likely feel the plates of metal beneath, although the jacket softens the feeling a bit. Looking over to the cameras as they take more shots of the group, he can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Sure, he gets this sort of attention while going out and doing his heroics, but this sort of function is a whole different beast. And he doesn't have his helmet on, either. At Felix's request, Lance quirks an eyebrow. "Really? I mean, I'm certainly willing to, but I don't have any routine or anything in mind. But if you can get me to talk with whoever sets up those sorts of things, I'll be willing to give it a shot."

As he walks in, Victory sees Miss A coming to greet him, and responds with a big smile. "Hey there! I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to be here, but since you're here,too, I'm glad I came! And you're looking absolutely fantastic , as always." He leans down a bit so she can give him the kiss on the cheek, as he takes his "normal" hand out of his pocket and wraps the arm around her in a friendly hug. "I appreciate the compliment. Admittedly, it's much easier to make a big entrance when you have rockets for feet. Don't need to rent a limo or anything!" He nods, letting her go so she can head off, and extends his hand to Archeville. "Ah, yes. It was a great honor meeting you at the event you hosted, Doctor. I just wish I knew enough about the science behind everything going on with me so I could've pitched some ideas, too."

Not long after the limo is moved from the front entrance, a loud roar can be heard approaching the mansion, and with it, a blazing streak rocketing across the night sky. It comes to a halt right above the entrance to the mansion, with an impressive boom accompanying it. Where the streak stops, a figure can be seen in mid-spin, righting and slowing itself just a bit, as a twirl of fabric stripes spin, before the figure rockets to the ground, and impact of its landing kicking up a gust, momentarily sending a wave of air through the crowd of paparazzi trying to protect their cameras. At the moment of the landing, the figure now there was kneeling from the impact, a pair of rather long coattails wafting back down by gravity. Finally he stands, and there, wearing a jet-black suit, the v from the neck showing a black shirt beneath with no tie, stood Lance Factor, also known as Victory, AEGIS' newest public face, as he brushes the coattails back. Keeping one hand in his coat pocket, he uses the other to make sure his blonde hair all stayed swept back, and walks over to the front door, putting his metallic hand palm-up, showing a hologram of the invite, with his name on it. As he walks, the paparazzi have recovered from the impact, and have wasted no time snapping off picture after picture from an entrance like that. "I trust this is the right place?"

I think Victory's gonna make an appearance. Gotta have the obligatory government fellow at these sort of events, after all.

Dr. Volk does not want you giving them ideas! :argh:

Dr. Volk has been jotting down various ideas, including the "glue-guns", the force fields, and whatnot. Tapping the stylus pen on her chin, she thinks about various ideas on how to work these together. After some thought, she places the tablet back on the table. "I like the idea of having protection that can change to situations, but the budget for such a thing would be outrageous. While we have many great ideas here, money is always the problem. We've had talks with STAR on a number of occasions, but they have been quite difficult. However, I believe that if we can get up the political pressure, then we may be able to get an increase in budget all around, and AEGIS would be more than happy to do joint projects with STAR to keep their equipment up to date, even if it means giving them some of our own."

Dr. Volk stands almost as soon as Archeville finishes his question, not even taking up the tablet just yet. "This is an issue that we at AEGIS have always had first and foremost in our minds whenever we begin a new round of research and development. And we are already approaching the finishing stages of our latest protective gear." Standing, Dr. Volk once again motions to Victory, who manages to straighten up even more than he already was. "On Victory, we've been constantly testing and upgrading a new alloy AEGIS labs have created. This new material has been designed to provide maximum fluidity and flexibility, moving much to the level of flesh, while still being incredibly durable. While it's not yet finished, it is nearing completion, and we expect to be able to mass-produce it within the year. And likely sooner, if all goes well. It has been proven to not only be flexible and durable, but, in our high-speed testing, has proven to be able to reduce friction to the point where very little wear and tear is seen after extended and use at speeds surpassing that of space shuttles." Dr. Volk clears her throat, before sitting again. "Unfortunately, I cannot share the exact composition of our alloy, as a matter of national security, but should any of you here decide to contribute to the project in order to get it ready sooner for implication into body armor, we are always looking for extra brain-power."

Yeah, I have no idea where they've been, either. And tryrar's GMing one of my threads!

Hearing this one introduce herself, Dr. Volk and Victory each seem to perk to attention a bit more. While his arms are still crossed, Victory's hand lifts up ever so slightly from his opposite bicep and opens and closes a couple times. He and Dr. Volk look to each other for a moment, with serious looks on their faces, and share subtle nods. They'll have to make it a point to keep an eye on that one....

Lance stretches his body out, and swings his arms a bit as he walks back towards the other two. "Well, I definitely appreciate all this, Miss A. And Murdok, it's been a pleasure." He extends a hand once again, hoping for one last handshake. "And if you ever need anything, I'm not hard to get a hold of. Our host here has my emergency frequency she can give you should anything come up. Do you have a phone number or anything I can contact you at? Or perhaps some way I can reach you if there's any sort of emergency?"

Lance listens, hearing Murdock speaking so fondly of his job, he just can't help but smile, nodding. True, he's never been a big fan of kids like that, but after hearing things from Murdock's point of view, he definitely sees his point. Nodding, he speaks up after Miss. A talks about visiting his restaurant. "Ya know, I think I might join ya in that, if you don't mind. And don't worry, I'm a really good tipper." Lance grins wide , and chuckles. "I just hope the cooks there can work fast. I tend to be a big eater." When Miss. A asks each of them about anything more she can do, Lance just smiles, shakes his head, and begins to stand. "Nah, nothing here. I do appreciate getting a checkup somewhere other than the base, though. It's too crowded there."

Lance looks over the pike as Miss. A handles it, his enhanced vision allowing him to get a look at some of the details along the surface. However, he doubts much could be gathered from a passive look. And, in all honestly, due to it being an artifact from the Terminus, he'd rather not touch it, himself. But then, he knows the science-minded like Miss. A tend to have little issue with examining things that may simply be too dangerous. But then, without risk, there'd be no progress.

Since everyone's doing introductions, Dr. Volk stands, brushing out a bit from the lab coat she never, ever seems to be without. "I am Dr. Volk, the head of Research and Development for AEGIS. And this..." She motions her hand in Victory's direction, who nods, but keeps a straight face and folded arms while he stands at attention. "..is Victory, the latest product of our research. If anyone has any questions regarding him or indeed any of our work, I will answer to the limit that I'm allowed. And I'd love to ask all of you some questions, too, as I see many very bright young minds here."

Power Level: 12 (207PP) Trade-Offs: -3 Attack / +3 Damage (Strike), -1 Attack/ +1 Damage (All others) NPC Tier: 2 In Brief: A familiar shape and a familiar symbol, but with a horrible energy coursing beneath the metal.... Alternate Identities: Classified (AEGIS Top Security Clearance required) Identity: Unknown Birthplace: Classified Occupation: Vengeful Experiment Affiliations: Classified Family: Confidential Age: Confidential (Age no longer has any meaning) Apparent Age: N/A Gender: Male Ethnicity: None any longer Height: 6' 6" Weight: 800 lbs. Eyes: Orange Hair: None (Helmet has replaced scalp) Description: An imposing sight, The Vanquisher is the very embodiment of what happens when technology falls into the wrong hands. A body coated in a variety of what look like cannibalized jet parts give him a metal sheen, although what appears to be some sort of strnge, glowing rust has begun to form over some of the joints. Beneath some of that strange rust, a symbol can almost be made out. A golden eagle, perhaps...? The rust, however, doesn't seem to be limited to just the metal. His helmet, the visor down, covers almost the entire face, except for the mouth and jaw. And even that doesn't seem...quite right. The skin that can be seen appeared to be cracking, veins of a strange orange glow marring the flesh, threatening to take over the entire face. But most unsettling of all are the strange yellow lights shining out from underneath the normally-black visor. Threatening to gaze right through you.... Power Descriptions: Vanquisher's body is built with cutting-edge technology, geared towards allowing him flight at incredible speeds, with the added benefit of using his vast booster array to greatly amplify his strength, should he need it. History: In late 2010, due to the weakening of the fabric in space-time as a result of the recent actions of various gods, The Vanquisher broke in to our world, having found a very small entrance torn through to this universe. Personality & Motivation: The Vanquisher is a madman, devoted to the destruction of all in his wake. However, even in his madness, he maintains a cocky attitude, considering the lesser beings of this universe to be little more than ants who managed to get lucky a few too many times. Powers & Tactics: Even with his powers granted from a force outside this universe, The Vanquisher still prefers the more simple approach: Get to the enemy fast and smash them before they can react. That said, not every foe can be taken down so easily, so, after his initial attack, depending on the enemy, he'll either try to fly circles around a slow foe and pelt them with blasts of cosmic energy, or try to either blind or ensnare enemies that stand a better chance at keeping up, making a follow-up Strike a nearly unavoidable death-sentence. Complications: Hatred (AEGIS, Victory) Heavy His body is rather heavy due to all the equipment installed, although the same equipment is what allows him to move as fast as he does. Poor Maintenance The Vanquisher's body, while maintained by the energies coursing through him, still would be best repaired through actual maintenance, which he cannot get as well in his dimension. Abilities: 2 + 10 + 8 + 4 + 2 = 26PP Str 22/12 (+6/+1), Lifting 27 (up to 82 with Dynamic Super-Strength) (Density 5 = +10 STR) Dex 20 (+5) Con 30/18 (+10/+4) Int 14 (+2) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 10 (+0) Combat: 18 + 12 = 30PP Initiative: +5 Attack: +9 Base, +11 Cosmic Energy Control Grapple: +16 (up to +27 with Dynamic Super-Strength) Defense: +12 (+6 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -8/-2 Saving Throws: 0 + 1 + 3 = 4PP Toughness: +12/+6 (+10/+4 Con, +2 Protection) (Impervious 2/0) Fortitude: +10/+4 (+10/+4 Con, +0) Reflex: +6 (+5 Dex, +1) Will: +4 (+1 Wis, +3) Skills: 84R = 21PP Acrobatics 15 (+20) Computers 3 (+5) Escape Artist 5 (+10) Intimidate 16 (+16) Notice 9 (+10) Pilot 15 (+20) Sense Motive 8 (+9) Stealth 5 (+10) Survival 4 (+5) Swim 4 (+5) Feats: 21PP Accurate Attack Acrobatic Bluff All-Out Attack Dodge Focus 6 Evasion 2 Fearless Improved Initiative Move-By Action Power Attack Redirect Startle Takedown Attack 2/1 Uncanny Dodge 2 (Visual, Audio) Weapon Break Powers: 16 + 1 + 30 + 12 + 1 + 9 + 11 + 28 = 108PP Density 5 (x4 Mass, Extras: Duration [Continuous]; Flaws: Permanent, PF: Innate) [16PP] Immovable 1 (Extras: Unstoppable) [1PP] Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious) [0PP] Strength 10 [0PP] Super-Strength 1 (effective Str 27) [0PP] Cosmic Energy Array 14 (28pp Array, PFs: Alternate Power 2) [30pp] Base Power: Cosmic Energy Control 13 (PF: Accurate) [27pp] Alternate Power: Dazzle Visual 13 (Feats: Accurate, Ricochet) [28pp] Alternate Power: Snare 13 (PF: Accurate) [27pp] Enhanced Constitution 12 [12PP] Enhanced Feats 1 (Takedown Attack +1) (Jets) [1PP] Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9PP] Super Senses 11 (All Visual Senses [Extras: Analytical, Extended (100ft Increment), Rapid (x10)], Direction Sense, Infravision, Time Sense, Ultrasonic Hearing, Ultravision) [11PP] Terminus-Powered Booster System 11.5 (23PP Array, Feats: Dynamic Alternate Power 2, Dynamic Base Power) [28PP] Dynamic Base Power: Flight 11 (25,000MPH, 250,000ft per Move Action, Feats: Moving Feint) [23PP] Dynamic Alternate Power: Super-Strength 11 (Total Rank 12, effective STR 82; Heavy Load 1,065 tons) [22PP] Dynamic Alternate Power: Strike 9 (PFs: Knockback 2, Mighty) [12PP] Drawbacks: (-2) + (-1) = -3PP Vulnerability (Electricity, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Minor [+1DC]) [-2PP] Vulnerability (Magnetism, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Minor [+1 DC]) [-1PP] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC21 Toughness Damage Cosmic Energy Control Ranged DC28 Toughness Damage Dazzle Ranged DC23 Reflex/Fortitude Dazzle Snare Ranged DC23 Reflex Snare Strike Touch DC30 Toughness Damage Abilities 26 + Combat 30 + Saving Throws 4 + Skills 21 + Feats 21 + Powers 108 - Drawbacks 3 = 207 Power Points

Lance watches in silence as Murdok answers while going through the various parts of his transformation. He hadn't meant what he had said in a way to put any sort of blame. He was trying to try to help take off some of the burden of redemption Murdok has been feeling, but he regrets it. He should've known better than to say something like that. But through it, he still hears how motivated Murdok is to doing good, and that's what really matters. He stays quiet until Miss. A speaks to him again. He taps his head real quick, and smiles. "It's alright now, don't worry. I just got dizzy from getting up too fast or something."