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It was a sad truth that even superheroes had to do their nightly chores, particularly if said heroes were also small business owners, and parents of an ever expanding brood of small children. So whilst the kids may have been a bed the adults of the espadas household had their labors yet before them. Dishes to be done, toys to be stowed before the morrow brought a new and exciting minefield of small and startlingly share bits of plastic artfully concealed beneath princess dresses and costume capes, the life of quiet domesticity that kept the whole household running. Of course for the Interceptors, such moments were never long enough. In a cloud of hellfire and sulphurous smoke a small bundled folio appeared on the kitchen table, the magical signature of it's arrival familiar to Erics metamagi senses, Raina's young demonically inclined companion. Atop the parcel a hasty note, I'm safe and I'll tell you all about it soon. Tonight has been Bananas. You need to see this right away though. Raina the handwriting easily recognizable as was the passphrase the teen had insisted was far from cool but that's she'd use in an emergency if Talya promised not to let any of her friends ever see it. The folder itself was heavy for its size, the paper within clearly of sturdy stock. The exterior printing was much like the interoffice mailers used before everything went electronic, Talya would recognize it's pedigree as even older. Printed across the most recent delivery line read, To: Captain Browning C/O Raina Sanderson [eyes only] From: Major Redacted

Freedom City University - Dormitories 1:03 a.m. The fire alarms should have gone off sooner. The sprinklers should have put out the fire. The fire department, at least, was reacting precisely as they were trained to, but as the dormitories went up in flames, the fire trucks were still a ways out. Most of the students seemed to already have gotten out, quickly filing their way onto the asphalt parking lot. Campus security guards were all ready moving people away from the burning building, as well as keeping gawking pedestrians back. Onlookers watched as flames licked out of the windows of the second floor. The doors on the first floor pumped out black smoke, but was otherwise untouched, for the time being at least. Some of the students cried, but most murmured and whispered, waves of "Did everyone make it out?" and "Where's so-and-so?" and "What started this?" wafting through the air. The flow of startled and sleep-deprived students had ceased, but the flames showed no sign of stopping in kind as fire began to climb to the third floor. The orange and red glow of the burning building shone like a beacon in the night, and everyone stood and watched in rapture as they waited for the fire department, the awaited sirens not far in the distance. Then a scream rang out, a young woman calling, "Micah! MICAH!" The student shoved through the crowd, looking for the absent Micah. Frantic, the girl ran up to one of the security guards and grabbed his sleeve. "My roommate, she's still in there! She's still on the second floor!"

GM Wales, Aprox 10,000 BCE The last ice age had come and gone, and was consigned to oral mythology along with beasts and demons and cruel Gods of frost and ice. This was a time of humans, scavenging, hunting, and living primitive lives in the forests, hills, lakes and rivers. It was a harsh time, but there was time still for stories and worship, rituals and myths, and even magic. And sometimes, the magic worked. The prayers of the Chief had been answered, for through time - further than ever before - Dreadnought fell, to land in the middle of an vast forest, in a valley with clear water, surrounded by the tribe, with a fire, hot in the centre. Dreadnought could hear plenty of speech but not understand a word of it. But the tribes reaction was clearly startled. With stone spears and hand axes, they kept shocked eye on the giant. They were clean of body, wearing furs and skins, often with red hair, many with scars from accident and ritual. They were young to, by and large - for life was not long in this world, at least by modern standards. Rotten teeth, blemished skin, and sickness marred those even thirty years old, and few indeed would be called old.

GM Simon Gordon's little movement actually started 25 years ago, so he claims. When the then unknown force of the Terminus invaded Earth. Millions died. All because of the Terminus. It was found later on that there were 'sleeper agents' born of the incident. Children of the Terminus. Some used their powers for good, others for evil. But Simon Gordon knew the truth. They were all lying in wait. They would call down the thunder again. It was only a matter of time. Simon found like minded folks. Some with fervent belief. And then his message began to spread. He was a leader. Over the past few months, Humans Against Terminus ERuptionS - a term that Gordon cooked up himself after people called their group 'haters' - grew in size and visibility. The HATERS went national Simon got the ear of media. Suddenly everyone knew a little bit about the Terminus. Enough to know that a scary dark invasion was bound to happen. How the public perceived it was split. Though most saw it as a tinfoil conspiracy theory, others knew such things could happen! March 17, 2018. Noon. Simon was going to educate the masses, personally. He advertised a meeting in Liberty Park. His like-minded would come, but he wanted his detractors to come. He wanted the fence sitters and unknowing to come. He would explain how the HATERS's goals and ideology. There was a small stage with a banner above it reading HATERS. No one was on there, but there was a large group of people swarmed around it. The presentation would be starting in thirty minutes.

GM The Paradise, 6PM, March 24, 2018. Rose had done this for Maybelle before. It was not so successful. She swore if it didn't work this time that... there were plenty of fish in the sea. She just wanted to see her friend happy, and not so obsessed with work. It was fine to a degree, but workaholism was bad! Luckily, Rose knew just the person to wind Maybelle down. There was a concerted effort, with Rose at the head, to get Maybelle dating. So, right now, in the middle of winter, they would go to some place warm. The Paradise is a 'tropical resort' year round. Which was fine, she enjoyed the warmth better than the cold. Warmth lead to summer clothing. Of which she made sure Maybelle bought. No work clothes, she warned. Finally, there was the hook up. Rose said they'd met before under inopportune circumstances. And no, it wasn't Greg, again. They would wait in the - very warm - waiting room. There were dressing rooms to get ready for the resort theme.

GM Saturday, Feb 24th, San Diego... Gilbert Gibbens was a short man, in an apparently ill fitting suit that seemed to show his sweating body off very well. "I have a condition!" he would explain, wiping his brow with his handkerchief. Sometimes he would sneeze as if to punctuate said condition. He had thinning hair, and looked as if he was in his mid forties. He could of course not track down Tsunami, but he had hedged his bets. And so here he was, trying to be patient, sitting in a park which was moderately busy, by a pool, under a tree, having a coffee that used to be hot, but was now getting cold, at midday. He had placed a series of cryptic messages and symbols in the local newspapers and magazines. It had cost a small fortune to do so, but he had enough money to meet the need. A student of Eastern philosophy would understand. The Sun, at midday, by still water, under wood. Life in the midst of steel and masonry. Stillness admidst motion. And so he hoped that Tsunami would get the message. He presumed that she would come in disguise, or incognito. But he really had no idea if she would come at all. But he was at least trying to reach out.

GM Southside, Freedom City, New Jersey Sunday April 6, 2014 10:14 PM It had been several months since Foreshadow had first gotten on the trail of a mysterious new underworld figure. That incident had suggested that this mysterious figure might have abilities similar to Foreshadows. In the intervening time, Foreshadow experienced difficulty in trying to track down the figure, all the while the mystery man began making moves to disrupt the criminal underworld in Southside. It had been less than 48 hours since Foreshadow had gone to an underground night club to speak with an arms dealer, Grigory Salnikov. Given the assassination attempt on Salnikov, the arms dealer had been willing to provide Foreshadow with information on one of his customers, the mysterious man behind the recent unrest in parts of the Southside criminal world. Salnikov had revealed that the mystery man Foreshadow had been chasing went by the name Foresight. While Salnikov could not confirm whether he had abilities similar to Foreshadow's, he did indicate that Foresight appeared to have an uncanny ability to predict events. Salnikov had also provided the address of a location used by Foresight to which the arms dealer had delivered shipments in the last couple of months. Given that Foreshadow had already encountered one super powered operative working for Foresight, as well as another that was at least highly trained, the costumed crime fighter had decided it might be time to even the odds some. So, as he sat on the roof of another warehouse, watching the location provided by Salnikov, he was joined by Dee Farrington, who also was Synapse of the UK superteam Vanguard. They had been in place about an hour, and thus far there had been very little activity within the warehouse. A couple of blocks way on the street… Harry Hound and Freddy Furlong pulled the Caddy to a halt on a dark street, looking over at an old warehouse a few blocks away. The two private detectives generally focused on cases within the Fens or the surrounding neighborhoods, but when Lucy Harker had given them info about a power struggle taking place in Southside between some unknown new underworld figure and the existing gangs that was leaving a trail of bodies, the two had agreed (reluctantly in Harry's case) to investigate the matter. It had taken a bit of work, and some "convincing" by Freddy, but the two had eventually gotten a lead to the warehouse that sat in front of them. According to their sources, the group that was muscling in on existing groups' turf was using the building to channel the illegal arms shipments that were fueling their takeover.

Interstellar Space Along the outer length of the Perseus Arm, near the border of Khanate Space Lor time mark 1795.3 [March 2, 2018 (Terran Calendar)] The Praetorian spacecraft Kavaca moved along through the dark void of space, currently moving a considerable speed, but not nearly at its top speed. Aboard the sleek silver spacecraft were several members of the Praetorians. Ha'li Ca'vur, an independent Grue that typically assumed the form of a Dordant female was at the helm of the Kavaca. Ha'li, or Hazmat as she was also known, found the sleek Praetorian craft to handle far better than a craft its size should, performing as well as a standard Starfighter might. Chlo'zel Elzak, also known as Galvanic, was also on the bridge of the Kavaca, seated at a science station. The Tempestian was monitoring the Kavaca's powerful sensors as they continued to scan the nearby regions of space as the vessel moved through the parsec. Also present on the bridge were Magnetar, who had magnetic control powers and the towering, eight foot tall reptilian Seresk. Magnetar was seated in another of the chairs on the bridge, handling the vessels navigation. Seresk was seated in an oversized chair at the communications station, monitoring for any transmissions. The four Praetorians had been sent out to this region of space near the Stellar Khanate to help patrol the area around several systems that had declared independence from the Stellar Khanate following the Incursion. For some time this region had been in considerable turmoil, with numerous pirate groups operating in the area, not to mention the power struggles within the Stellar Khanate. With the independent systems aligned with the Coalition worlds, the Praetorians had offered their assistance in protecting the region, working in conjunction with the Star Knights to help patrol the area and deal with any threats. Currently the region seemed to have stabilized some, the numbers of pirates seeming to have dwindled. But that did not mean that the patrols of the area had stopped, even if they had started to become generally less eventful. "Bring us around to heading mark 5." Magnetar stated to Hazmat. "That will take us toward the Alurian System. Anything on sensors?" He asked Galvanic.

Ardor asteroid belt just a few light years inside Lor Space Along the inner edge of the Perseus Arm Lor time mark 1801.4 [February 6, 2018 (Terran Calendar)] The Ardor asteroid belt lay beyond any of the systems with Lor Republic, but still within the borders claimed by the Republic. It was a collection of various sized asteroids that stretched nearly half a light year, but was well enough out of the way of any systems that it did not normally interfere with regular trade lanes. But several cycles ago, some unknown force had begun shifting the belts location, threatening to move it to where it would be a hazard to regular space traffic. As such, a Lor science team had been deployed to the asteroid belt to investigate and see what might possibly be done to halt the process. The team had included an unusual consultant, Quentin Quill of Earth, also known as Supercape. Working with the Lor scientists, Quill had identified an usual singularity that was causing the asteroid belt’s migration, a Quantum Dark Zone within one edge of the belt. During one of Quill's trips into the void to investigate the singularity, he had inadvertently been pulled into it, finding himself trapped within it. Unbeknownst to him, that was a little over three Earth years ago.

Spring 2018 Outside Chris and Liz's Apartment Ashley remembered Chris - pretty and athletic, with a quick wit and a ready smile that had made him the subject of a whole lot of crushes. Maybe sixteen-year-old Ashley George, who'd spent her teen years behind heavy acne and thick glasses, had been one of those crushes. But ten years ago could be a long time, and she wasn't the same person she'd been back then. "And you're sure he won't mind us just dropping by like this?" With her hair up, folder under her arm, dressed in a dark suit, she didn't look like a teenager - something she'd have to take advantage of as long as she could. "I am fairly confident Christopher knows that you could find him easily enough," said Callie Summers as she knocked on the door. They'd managed to stay civil enough on the drive over here, probably because neither of them had said a word to each other once they were both in the car. "And you should."

Igneous Power Level: 10 (150/157PP) Unspent Power Points: 7 Trade-Offs: -1 Attack / +1 Damage ; -4 Defense / +4 Toughness In Brief: College student with the power to control rock and magma. She is normally cocky and enthusiastic, but deep inside she has a burning temper. Catchphrase: None Theme: None Alternate Identity: Micah Terran (Secret) Birthplace: Celestine, Indiana Residence: North End, FCU dormitories Base of Operations: None Occupation: College Lab Assistant Affiliations: Dr. Christopher Sallai – The experiment Micah was running when she gained her powers was for Dr. Sallai’s research. He is the only person aware of her condition. Family: Loraine and Cliff, Mother and Father. Both are back home in Indiana. Description: Age: 25 (DoB: 22 April, 1993) Apparent Age: 22 Gender: Female Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5’ 4” Weight: 431 lbs Eyes: Amber Hair: Copper With fiery copper hair and bright amber eyes, Micah has a striking appearance. She is slightly on the short side, and very athletic. Ever since she acquired her powers her skin has been blotched and speckled. She claims it is a rare skin condition, but it is really rock and mineral embedded in her skin and muscle. As a typical college student, Micah often wears whatever is the most comfortable, particularly sweat pants and sweatshirts. As of late, she has been buying and wearing the cheapest clothes she can find. Micah has no costume. Instead, she grows the rock embedded in her body, covering herself from head to toe in dark igneous stone. When she does, her hair turns pale and translucent, and floats seemingly of its own accord. Her eyes turn into glowing orange embers, and tongues of flame trickle out of the cracks in her skin. During this change her feminine figure is obscured by the rock coating and replaced with a masculine appearance. This, in addition to her voice becoming much deeper, has no doubt helped Micah immensely in hiding her identity. During this transformation, Micah’s clothes are invariably destroyed in this process, which is why she now typically wears the cheapest things she can find. History: Micah’s transformation from a hardworking, studious geology student to a superpower was nearly instant. An experiment testing the melting points of rocks based on various factors resulted in what should have been a horrible accident. A malfunction in the equipment sent molten magma into Micah’s heart. Instead of dying, her physiology changed. Now the magma is her molten core. Magma feeds her veins, her bones have been replaced with stone, and rock is embedded in her flesh. With this change Micah also gained an innate attunement to the earth around her, including limited telekinesis. Although shocked and frightened for days after, Micah eventually became enticed by the idea of becoming a hero. The idea of adventure and excitement unlike anything she had ever experienced was too good to pass up… and if she could do some real good along the way, why not? Personality & Motivation: Motivation: Thrills; to a lesser extent, goodness. Micah is bold and extroverted, and almost always carries a smile on her face. In her mind she is friendly, but to strangers she often comes off as pushy. Micah is intelligent, and combined with her academic fervor she has amassed a significant reservoir of knowledge pertaining to the sciences. Both athletic and a thrill seeker, Micah quickly acclimated to the idea of being a costumed hero after her powers manifested. Powers & Tactics: Micah possesses enhanced strength, stamina, and durability, as well as the ability to manipulate earth. In a fight, she prefers to rush into unarmed combat and rely on her strength and armor. She is just as capable at grappling and throwing opponents as throwing punches and kicks. If necessary, Micah uses the environment to her advantage, cracking the ground to send out shockwaves and wreck the terrain, or backing opponents near walls where she can entrap them. By striking rock surfaces with her fists or legs, she can send shrapnel at her opponents. To protect civilians or teammates, she will interpose herself between them and the attack. When that isn’t enough, Micah can create walls of rock to act as cover, as well as feed her shrapnel ability for return fire. When she loses her temper, Micah ignites her body. She can melt stone or cause it to burn. Her shrapnel ability sends forth burning rocks or magma, and her shockwave ability can cause flames to spew from the earth in a wide area. Micah’s attunement to rock lets her sense vibrations around her. The molten core that acts as her heart make her immune to heat and fire. However, magma can always be cooled back into stone… Power Descriptions: Granite Gauntlet – Micah hardens her fist and aims for a knockout blow. Shrapnel – Micah strikes the ground or a wall, sending a spray of broken shards at opponents with uncanny accuracy. Burning Shrapnel – The same as her Shrapnel ability, but Micah ignites the rock as she strikes. The resulting projectiles are more dangerous, but also harder to control. Crack Earth – Micah strikes the ground, sending out a shockwave as the ground quakes and splits. The aftermath leaves an area of jagged protrusions and wide crevices. Erupt Earth - The same as her Crack Earth ability, but instead of raising protrusions to impede movement, Micah summons fire from the earth to erupt from the crevices. This leaves a cloud of lingering flame and ash. Rock Wall – Micah stamps the ground, causing a large wall of rock to shift upright and provide cover. Complications: Temper – Certain things just set you of. When you lose your temper, you lash out at whatever provoked you. Power Loss – All of Micah’s earth control abilities require her to physically and forcibly touch rock. If she is immobilized or restrained from moving her legs and arms, or has no rock around, she cannot use those powers. Destructive – The majority of Micah’s abilities are highly destructive, resulting in rubble, shattered walls, and fissured streets. Micah may not be able to use Earth Control abilities in certain circumstances, for fear of risking injury or death to civilians. Abilities: 22 + 2 + 28 + 4 - 2 - 2 = 52PP Strength: 32 (+11) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 38 (+14) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 8 (-1) Charisma: 8 (-1) Combat: 9 (2PP / Base Attack) + 5 (2PP / Base Defense) = 28PP Initiative: +1 Attack: +9 Melee, +9 Ranged, +9 Base Defense: +6 (+5 Base, +1 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Grapple: +20 Knockback: -8 Saving Throws: 0 (1PP / Fortitude) + 5 (1PP / Reflex) + 5 (1PP / Will) = 10PP Toughness: +14 (+14 Con, +0) Fortitude: +14 (+14 Con, +0) Reflex: +6 (+1 Dex, +5) Will: +4 (-1 Wis, +5) Skills: 48R = 12PP (1PP = 4 Skill ranks) Acrobatics 3 (+4) Climb 1 (+12) Computers 3 (+5) Craft (Chemical) 6 (+8) Investigate 4 (+6) Knowledge: Earth Sciences 11 (+13) Knowledge: Life Sciences 6 (+8) Knowledge: Physical Sciences 6 (+8) Medicine 4 (+3) Search 3 (+5) Swim 1 (+12) Feats: 8PP Dodge Focus 1 Elusive Target Evasion 2 Improved Grab Interpose Takedown Attack 2 Powers: 32 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 5 = 44PP All: (Mutant) Earth Control 12 (Magma Control; 24PP Array; Feats: Dynamic Alternate Power 1; Alternate Power 6) [32PP] (earth) Fire Control 11 (Magma Control; Feats: Dynamic Alternate Power) {24/24} (fire) Blast 11 (Shrapnel; Feats: Indirect; Ricochet) {24/24} (earth) Blast 9 (Burning Shrapnel; Extras: Area (Cone); Drawbacks: Full Power) {24/24} (earth, fire) Super-Strength 5 (Crack Earth; Feats: Groundstrike, Linked) [11PP] (earth) + Environmental Control 4 (Hamper Movement 2/rank, reduce speed to 1/4; Extras: Continuous; Feats: Linked) [8PP] {Total: 23/24} (earth) Super-Strength 2 (Erupt Earth; Feats: Groundstrike, Linked; Drawbacks: Full Power) [2PP] (earth) + Strike 10 (Extras: Area (Cloud); Feats: Progression (Area) 5; Drawbacks: Full Power) [10PP] {Total: 24/24} (fire) Stun 11 (Granite Gauntlet) {22/24} (earth) Create Object 8 (Rock Wall; Extras: Continuous) {24/24} (earth) Speed 1 [1PP] Super Movement 1 (Sure-Footed) [2PP] Immovable 1 (Extras: Unstoppable) [2PP] Super-Senses 2 (Tremor-Sense) [2PP] Immunity 5 (all Fire Damage) [5PP] Drawbacks: (-4) = -4PP Weakness (Cold) – Common; Major (Cumulative -1 on all ability scores) DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 21 Toughness Damage Granite Gauntlet Touch DC 21 Fortitude Stun Shrapnel Ranged DC 21 Toughness Damage Burning Shrapnel Cone DC 19 Toughness Damage Crack Earth Burst Strength Check (-1/10ft) Trip Erupt Earth Burst Strength Check (-1/10ft) Trip + Cloud + DC 20 Toughness Damage Totals: Abilities (52) + Combat (28) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (12) + Feats (8) + Powers (44) - Drawbacks (-4) = 150/157 Power Points

Silberman's Books, at the corner of Pratt and Frederick. Saturday, January 7th, 2017 10:30 am. With the panic and mayhem of another holiday season behind them, the crew at the West End's most popular used bookstore could finally breathe a collective sigh of relief. January was typically a month of austerity in the US, especially in the retail sector, which made it a good month to take stock and look back on the year that was, and begin serious planning for the year ahead. The decision to open earlier on weekdays and Saturdays, as well as offering breakfast sandwiches, meant major staffing adjustments and a lot more work for the openers. Despite the passing of the holiday rush, the store still need to hire a few more people. So far, the first Saturday morning was a success as the neighborhood discovered the new adjusted hours and menu items, but the store was just a little strained under the increased customer load. A number of Merges were on-site, though of course only one was currently behind the register; the others were either doing dishes or checking stock in back. Gretch was doing her best to 'play well with others' on bar while Lynn worked the floor, using her amazing social skills to good effect. As usual, the two lovers were going back and forth via mental communication, and as often was the case, it was playful and fairly snarky. I want you to list five things you like about Merge. Really? We're having this conversation? Five things. Fine. ...I'm waiting... She...always smells nice. Wow. Really, that's your opener? She does...cool stuff with her powers sometimes. Cute outfits and stuff...

1/14/2018 Headmistress Office, Calremont Academy "So, how have you been settling in, Miss Xieng?" Miss Summers asked sitting behind the impressive wooden desk in her tastefully appointed office. Zhu smiled and nodded, "very well Headmistress. I like the school very much." "Excellent, that is something which we of course strive for. It's important that you both enjoy and learn. Believe me, the time will go fast and you may find very unique pressures which you have to face." As the third incarnation of the Raven she had first hand knowledge of what kind of pressures the young girl in front of her might encounter. Zhu was about to reply when a middle aged woman stepped in, "I am sorry for interrupting Miss Summers. However, your 10am is here. Mrs. Davydov and her son. Should I show them in." Miss Summers considered for a moment, "Alexa, would you be willing to do me a favor?" "Yes, ma'am. Of course," Zhu replied. "Excellent. We have a new student starting. I would like to discuss some things with Jack's mother in private. Would you be willing to show Jack around the campus?" Zhu paused, "I would... but I'm still very new here." Miss Summers laughed easily, "yes you are, but admin server you are currently monitoring has a map of the campus whic I'm sure you can find. Besides, it's Sunday and most students are still alseep I would imagine." Nodding, Zhu got up, her pleated skirt falling to her knees as she straightened her simple long sleeved top, "yes ma'am..." she said sheepishly as she had been peeking at some of the nearby computers. Smiling, Miss Summers continued, "let's just not make a habit of going places you shouldn't. Thank you Miss Xieng, I'm sure Mr. Davydov will be fine in your company. We'll talk again later to check on your progress." Stepping out of the office, she ran into a pair of legs. A very large pair of legs. Looking up she realized that it wasn't some kind of colossal leg statue, but they were connected to a person who loomed above her. She blinked a few times at the mountain of a boy before realizing that this must be Jack, craning her neck she gave him a smile, "oh! Sorry... I didn't see you. I'm not sure how I didn't. We're to take a tour of the facility... and... oh! I'm Alexa. Sorry. You have me out of sorts."

GM May 1st, Monday, 2017, 12.45AM Emerald City, Washington, United States, Fort Brewer Naval Base, Sub-level 2, briefing room "This is the only visual we have on your target, uh...Ms. Masterson" Admiral Henry "Hank" Finley was a fit, imposing man at 6'8", with his close-cut greying hair and constant frown softened little by a short spadehead beard. He also clearly had little experience dealing with superhumans. The darkened room he and the other, conspicuously silent, officers were gathered in had enough Cold War atmosphere to choke somebody from the bright and clear Forties. The lights were dimmed to help accentuate the ten-foot-wide picture humming softly in the air. With a slight cough and a swipe of his fingers, the projected image of a distant, misty lump of grey on a time-stamped horizon sharpened and jumped into focus. Hovering above the conference room table, the picture resolved into an island. An island with towering cliffs for shores, great tangles of hanging greenery and a liberal sprinkling of palm trees. "As you can guess, there's nothing like this on any of our charts. Satellite has nothing, even got Argus down here last weekend to scan. Nada." The Old Man of Fort Brewer folded his arms and looked down into the enigma that had brought Mary Masterson, the Torpedo Lass of World War 2, to far-off Emerald City, Washington. "Sent some scouts out, they got to the spot and swear up and down the thing just vanished. But I noticed something." "The sub crew I dispatched along with the other boats, they say it vanished just a little after the others lost track. Could mean nothing, but," Finley turned to Torpedo Lass, a gleam of cunning in his dark eyes "got me thinking somebody who can go faster than anything we've ever built and do it under the surface might stand a chance of clearing this up." "What we're asking is strictly recon, understand. Just get there, take a look around, come back and give us what you get. We give that to Citizen and he takes care of anything dangerous." the admiral shook his head resolutely, and his tone became one Mary was all too familiar with. "I'm not inclined to risk your safety, miss, no matter how bulletproof they tell me you are. I've got kids older than you." May 2nd, Tuesday, 2017, 8.45PM Liverpool, England, A very nice side-street The hero Dr. Deoxy had needs any human had. Being at the center of artistic life and on the crest of the glittering wave of imagination, for one. So strolling from one dazzling get-together had seemed like a good idea at the time. Just a little shortcut and he'd be back in the circle of greats... Dr. Nathaniel Anderson only knew he was being followed when he felt the sudden shock of lightning, fell spasming to the ground and heard somebody whisper "You. Have been. Thunderstruck!" There was a giddy giggle as the darkness closed comfortably around Nathan's head "Nothing? Aw geez, overjuiced..." A squalid room somewhere The darkness slid away to reveal a room that had once been stark and harrowing. A massive, altar-like table occupied the centre, letting the eye of the Sun in to bathe Nathan in cosmic fire. The rest was gloomy and indistinct, though clearly vast and of the Modernist school. Vines and tree roots reached in through the roof, turning the yellow light a gentle emerald. Other vegetation scrawled across the walls and floor. Somewhere birds chattered and sang. Of more immediate importance was the fact that Dr. Anderson was pinned to the stony bed by some invisible force, preventing movement of any kind. And he wasn't alone. Somewhere close, and getting closer, was the clopping sound of clumsy booted feet making their way towards him...

GM March 21st, 2017 8:31 AM A girl slipped in about a half hour after opening, short, a little shorter than Gretchen, though certainly not as slender as she was. She wasn't just hispanic, she was certainly an indio. A punk, with a burnt sienna colored dreadlock hanging on the side of her face, under striped hood of her striped sweatshirt. She idly picked through things, grabbing three books, and a magazine, before she moved back towards the front of the shop. Her age hard to tell, she pursed her lips, and played with the piercing on the lower one. "'Scuse me... only one here?" Her voice was heavily accented, matching where her face was from and English might not even be her second language. She continued on as she set the books down on the counter and she looked at Gretchen. The girl's smell permeated the air, some sort of fruity essential oil, and freshly rained on dirt. A little odd, but then, book stores like this place attracted worse. "Do you do a Mexican mocha?" Pushing up her brows as she shifted her purse up and onto the table, before she was shuffling through the studded leather thing.

"When you're done, clean the place up and you can leave." Aliya nodded to the receding hairline of Paul Hamm as he walked away before looking back to the few young girls who still had the twinkle of dreams in their eyes. She envied their innocence as their pigtails and braids flipped and twirled while the girls practiced dismounts from the balance beam. There had likely been a time in her life where she looked much like them, although she couldn't recall it; the past clouded with broken promises and ambitions. "Miss M?" a four foot ball of energy in a blindingly pink leotard stepped up to her. "What is wanting Susan?" she said, her still noticeable Russian accent making the name sound more like Zhusan. "There is a lady at the front, she is looking for you." Alyia smiled at the young girl, "thanking for letting know. Will go see of this woman. Now, run to work the splits. Needing to be much more flexibles." As Susan ran off to the mats, she walked to the small counter that served as the office for 'Bounding Dreams' perhaps one of the saddest gymnastics clubs she had ever been in. That she now worked here made that fact even worse. The equipment was decades old, most of the lockers were inoperable, it was amazing that the lights even worked given how little money the place generated. No, Bounding Dreams was just that, another whimsical notion that had faded like the aging paint on the walls. It was so likely that someone was here to collect on something that the insolvent business couldn't pay out on that she was already speaking as she rounded the corner, "Mr. Hamm is not being here this times. Perhaps if needing pays, can come back to other time?"

February 17th, 2018 Science Lab, Claremont Academy Zhu It was Saturday Afternoon and while most students were either still asleep or relaxing as there were no scheduled classes today. Zhu, dressed in black yoga pants and a flowing white thigh length tank dress was the lone occupant in the lab. While she wasn't working on any particular school project, the amazing array of equipment was a dream for her to work on. She was currently trying to revise her nanobots to give them a little more independence. Her latest babysitting adventure had convinced her that she needed to really work on their capabilities. While she was working in the pristine lab, another pair of student was finishing up their tour. Eric VanWitzenburg, a senior, was leading Tony Edwards through the science section of the classrooms. He paused just outside the lab that Zhu was in, "so that pretty much wraps up the tour. We're in the science section and you'll have a lot of classes here. You have the introduction packet, your schedule, and your room assignment. I hate to do this, but I have to head out. You should be able to get back to the dorms through that door." He shook Tony's hand and hustled back to the admin building where there was another person whom he had to give a tour too. Meanwhile an atomic centrifuge made a powerful whirring noise from the lab as it separated some component materials to it's atomic elements. Zhu didn't appear to be looking at the very detailed readouts on the console, but every now and again, a prompt would flash up and it would go away without her even seeming to acknowledge it.

January 3rd, 2018 Dorm Room, Claremont Alexa sat in her room scanning through her YouTube channel at some of the comments. Her fingers did not grace the keyboard even as the screen scrolled and flicked from topic to topic. When she had been in Shanghai, her presence on her channel had been constant as her schoolwork had barely occupied a fraction of her time. Yet, with the move and transition to Claremont and her work to assimilate into American society she had barely put out anything in the past couple of months. While the comments on her work were positive, there was an undercurrent of restlessness from the posters wondering if she had dropped the channel or not. "Zhu, you need to post more!" "Where have you gone? We miss your stuff!" Of course there were some of the more rude and crude posts, but she had learned long ago to filter them out. The inevitable crude propositions and inarticulate rage that the internet seemed rife with were taken care of with a reasonably good set of filters. Still, she missed producing videos and now that she was feeling a little more settled in, the urge to create had crept back up on her. The question always was what to make this time? She was known for her special effects and short films with elaborate sets. Ideas were always the hardest part, but once she had one, then she could start laying the groundwork for it. Jumping off her own channel, she started to scan the news, looking both at current and past events. Thankfully, Freedom City had more than enough colorful material for her to look through and she was soon awash in photos of epic struggles and colorful heroes. As she was scanning she paused on a story about an Olympian hero, Scion. Reading through it she grinned as an idea for a short came to mind. She could practically picture the set with sweeping Greek architecture and who wouldn't want to do immortal special effects. Right! Idea found, now to find a leading lady. She didn't think that anyone would really want to see a comically underage Chinese girl play the part, so starring in it herself was out of the question. She didn't have the money to hire a professional, but probably could get some funds for an amateur. Especially someone who might be looking for some supplementary income. Grinning, she started a scan across social media outlets searching for someone who would have the right looks. Her ability to work the computer without having to operate it manually was a godsend as images and threads blazed by across the screen. Suddenly one paused and she gave it a good look. The woman, Moira Morley, had a face that would really suit the Greek Goddess part... well with a little post processing at least. She wasn't a professional and worked at a bar in the West End. That was about as perfect as it was going to get. Hopefully she would want the money and perhaps some exposure! To: Moira.Morley@morleyspub.com From: Zhu.Xieng@gmail.com Subject: Hi! Would you like to star in a movie? Hello, I know this is really kind of random, but I produce YouTube short movies and have been looking for someone to feature in my latest one. You have a perfect look for what I want to do and was wondering if you might be willing to spend a couple of afternoons to star in my film. I'm a student at Claremont but have some money to pay you as well as a successful channel. While the money wouldn't be great, if you are at all interested in acting, the exposure would be pretty good. I would love to meet with you and show you my work and talk over the possibility of you working with me. Sincerely, Alexa Xieng

GM January 23, 2018, 7:30 p.m. Calvin, Louisiana It was the sort of town that one could very easily miss. It had all the hallmarks of an ordinary town, of course--churches, stores, schools. Most people simply passed right on through--not hard considering there was only one traffic light and a population of less than 300. For that matter, it was hard to imagine anyone going there on purpose. And yet, it seemed to be where Lament was headed. He wasn't alone, of course. The weather was cold enough that hitchhiking was a terrible idea, and He had spent the last two days on a rented charterbus traveling north towards Arkansas. They had made a few stops on the way, participating in local fairs that had all been relatively successful. The group's manager, Benjamin "Benny" Rougeau invited the traveling showman to stay as long as he liked, and the rest of group seemed perfectly fine with it; one got the impression that many had drifted in and out of their ranks with very little incident. Benny was easily in his 60s, tall and broad-shouldered, with a reddish-gray beard and a receding hairline well covered up by a customized cap that read "Rougeau's Rogues". While most of the group was fast asleep, Benny made his way through to check on everyone, gently waking anyone asleep to let them know they'd be stopping at a hotel soon. He stopped at Luther's seat. "How you holdin' up, son?"

GM Prologue: Sometime in the Summer of 2017... ...The office of Amanda St. Croix, Freedom City It was a hot day, and the air con buzzed furiously. Amanda St. Croix was high on coffee, her blonde hair was its predictable mess and the roots were showing. She was a tall, thin, hyperactive woman full of restless energy and inventiveness but still learning the ropes as the manager of Valerie Cain. "Coffee?" she asked Valerie, holding two cups of coffee. Both were for her. Without waiting for an answer, she pressed on, alive with jitters. "Look, I got something pretty mad, but you may like it. But risky, but will make the nudes, I mean the news, big time...." she said, caffeine inspiring her characteristic rambling and Freudian slips. "Got some artistic savante guy, thinks he is breaking new paradigms or something. Totally dick, really. Cranio-rectal fistula. But I gotta hand it to him, he has some skills. Anyway, he wants to film a rock concert at the top of the Burj Khalifa. You know, that mad tall tower in the middle of the desert? If you don't mind a five star holiday, some sand up your backside, and the fact they live in the goddamn middle ages there when it comes to girls and boobs, I mean dudes, then you have a media frenzy that will go down in the history books...." she said, dribbling every word out through coffee and nerves.

16 February, 2018. Lunchtime. Claremont Academy, Cafeteria. Tony's stuff had already arrived, but he himself had not. He looked up at the Main Entrance, and then down to the map. He had to get to administration to sign in. Carrying a few large rucksacks on his back and and a couple of rolling carryons behind him, he didn't seemed phased at all. He could feel the other students eyes on him as he walked through the Main Quad on the way to the Administration Building. He'd felt it before in normal school. Being the big guy meant you were dumb or a target by smaller people trying to prove themselves. Or both. So he waded through, looking at the map. Though he hadn't eaten lunch yet. He was quite hungry. Maybe the cafeteria had some snacks. He was pretty sure that he couldn't get lunch until he signed on the dotted line. So he went to the cafeteria. Head still down, but the map was gone. He reached inside his pocket to pull out some money. Luckily there was an exchange at the airport. He eyed the egg sandwich and dropped some money in the vending machine.

GM 26 February, 2018. 815 PM. In front of Beaudrie Opera House. Ray and Rachael Trask, better known as Rant and Rave to the Freedom City superhero community, had not been seen for years. In fact, some whispered that they had met their fate by messing with the wrong type of 'hero'. Others say they buggered off to Oregon to mess with Emerald City or join a cult or whatever the clickbait sites could make you click on. But here they were. In Freedom, still looking young as their first heist. What were the two up to? Well, unlike their old days, which mainly involved knocking off banks and selling whatever could get them money, they seemingly had transitioned to wanton destruction. The Trask siblings were seeing how many 'points they could score by tearing down the scenery. Holding each other's hand, they blasted everything, followed by a yell of how many points it got them. The people in the direct vicinity were terrified.

March 4, 2018 Noon Clouds hung over Claremont Academy, the occasional gust of wind shaking snow from the bare trees of the grounds. But for some of the students living on the grounds, this mattered about as much as the next song on the oldies station playing in the teacher's lounge. After having changed out of her warm winter clothes and into the gold and blue uniform of the school, Selena Kwon stepped out of the girl's locker room and into the programmed reality of the school's combat simulation room. Taking a deep breath, enjoying the facsimile of a beach in the middle of summer. Stepping across the sand, she withdrew several pieces of steel from her belt and waited for the targets to start appearing.

April 2018 Bayview Freedom City Day 15 since D-Day. In Callie Summers' office, Ashley George was adding up how long it had been since she'd had a good night's sleep in a bed and she wasn't liking the answer. Maybe she should have left the office, and the city, once the final arrangements had been made, giving her more time to wrap up the personal life that she was about to set aside for two years - God, maybe more. Maybe she shouldn't have had that third cup of coffee the night before, denying her a restful sleep in between images of the White House in flames. What could have happened, what might have happened. Ashley George, the biggest hero no one in Washington was ever going to talk about. Silence had fallen in the headmistress's office, in between the ticking of the grandfather clock she'd inherited from her father, and looking across the table at the silent visage of her former mentor, all Ashley could think about was how old she looked. "You actually kept the picture," she finally said, not asking the question of why. She knew the frame well enough, even if it was actually pointed at the headmistress rather than the agent standing on the opposite side of the desk. She wasn't sitting; she wasn't a student here, not anymore. She hadn't seen the girl in it, sixteen years old and bursting with pride, for a long time. "You should take it down while we're here," she said, keeping her voice even. "It'll compromise things." "I will take that under consideration," said Callie Summers, giving her former protege that ever-maddening imperturbable stare. "Thank you for staying for this meeting. I want to make sure you and Raven are properly introduced." "...that's what he is, huh? Just Raven?" asked Ashley, her voice sharper than she'd intended. "Must make things easier."

GM When Tristan Delacroix first disappeared, the initial reaction at the party was simply bewilderment. No one panicked, thanks to the lack of apparent trauma. Even after the young doctor failed to pop up from beneath the outdoor table, his family and coworkers weren't sure what to make of it. But soon Alexander called the police, and then a few of his friends in local government to ensure that law enforcement was properly motivated. AEGIS quickly took an interest too; jurisdictional protocols kept them from claiming the case for themselves without more evidence of superhuman involvement, but they nonetheless dispatched Agent Thornton, who only just closed her last case involving a Delacroix abduction. And Thornton, smart enough to use all the assets at her disposal, put out a broadcast on the International Air Distress frequency for Miracle Girl. That hero's contribution, sadly, came down to looking around the estate and confirming that, yep, the little dude was gone. She didn't find any cackling villains lurking in the bushes, or ultraviolet ransom notes waiting for her eyes only; theories abounded among the regular investigators, but evidence did not. Casey might need some help with this one. * * * Calls were made, the media took note, and by the time that dawn lit Delvin's upper roof--a house so frivolously large that it looked like a posh, poorly-located shopping mall, because no private residence had any business being this big--his stone driveway was full of police cruisers and black SUVs with government plates. News vans lined the nearest public road. Tristan wasn't quite so well-known as the older two brothers, but he'd still draw in viewers, and if he didn't, then reporters could still find something worth their time here. They hovered just beyond the police barricades, hungry but patient. This was Freedom City, and sooner or later, heroes were bound to show up.