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The building wasn't much to look at, if one was being brutally honest. Like a lot of structures in the West End, it was two storeys tall, designed to be a place for business on the ground level with small living apartments on the second floor. The space for a sign was empty and evidently had been for a while if the weathering was any indication, not to mention the birds' nest tucked in between the top of the large placard and the window sill above it. The large windows were filthy enough to make them nearly opaque and the hinges on the door were probably going to need to be replaced altogether. Despite all that, the young, dusty brown haired man in the wool-lined coat standing on the sidewalk in front of it, keys spinning around his finger jauntily, grinned broadly enough to show pearly teeth as he regarded the building. "Perfect."

Ellie Espadas rarely had difficulty finding things to occupy her days. Even with her natural aptitude and the considerable knowledge she'd already accrued, her pre-med course load at Freedom City University was proving more difficult than she'd honestly expected, merging into a blur of lectures, exams and papers. Thankfully her prodigious capability for memory retention saved her from spending too much time studying and reviewing, freeing her nights for racing about the rooftops of the West End as Jill O'Cure, the metamagi medic and one of the more consistent members of the ever-shifting roster of the Interceptors. Even on top of all that, she managed to squeeze in time volunteering at local hospitals and clinics, learning from experienced physicians while surreptitiously using her superhuman abilities to make a difference where she could. With all of those juggled responsibilities, it had taken considerable effort and cunning to clear her schedule for an entire day. She'd gotten a head start on essays, called in favours and swapped shifts. Not many events would have been worth the effort. Today, however, was. Today was Mara Hallomen's birthday and, arriving at the engineer's apartment in Parkside, Ellie was determined to dedicate the entire day to celebrating it properly.

Mara and Ellie take the day off to celebrate the former's birthday! It goes about as according to plan as you'd expect.

Mara had been rather dreading this moment. Setting up the business was a lot of annoying logistics and paperwork; interviewing her new employees was just this side of headache-inducing stress and anxiety. But at some point a couple of the local newsgroups had caught wind that a 20-year-old was starting a successful new technology company, and with Halloween just ended and Thanksgiving too far away they'd decided to make a thing out of it. She wasn't quite sure how word had gotten to them. She rather suspected a couple of her failed interviewees; the one with the neck tattoo especially had seemed a little vindictive when she (figuratively) tore his work apart. It wasn't her fault his technology was lethally radioactive.... right - public speech - focus She took a deep breath for about the fifteenth time, adjusting her suit jacket for the twentieth. probably something witty to say here - 'showtime'? - note to self - think up wittier lines

Moving a couch was much, much easier to do when you could stuff the couch into a spatial fold and pull it back out where ever you darn well pleased. Less lifting, less backache, less sweating. No uncomfortable questions about how, exactly, she'd gotten it up there and into her apartment: she had an even stricter set of requirements for her new living space than she'd had for her new business building, and one of them had been no neighbor access. The building was old but reliable, and the front door led to only two things: a well-secured, windowless emergency stairwell, and an elevator. Not cheap, but she could afford it, and it wasn't expense for the sake of expense - the building was nondescript and she'd chosen her piece of it for things besides the price tag. Let the big business billionaires spend money on fancy, state-of-the-art apartments just to show off their wealth; she'd happily go with something comfortable and reliable with a hell of a view.

September 26, 2011 Jack of all Blades, Jill O'Cure, Miss Americana, Geckoman, Ferros, and Willow deal with some thorny problems. Yeah, Gizmo is running this.

"So are you listening? So are you watching me?" 6.30pm Friday June 8th 2011 Siobhan Drake sighed as, once more, she was stuck in the tedious task on going through her email inbox and getting rid of all the cranks, naysayers and the occasional threat (and tonight, one slightly scary marriage proposal), to filter down to those people who actually wanted her help. And what she saw made her sit up so rapidly that it dislodged a sleeping Hayley from her perch on Siobhan's shoulder and go crashing into the waste paper basket. <What? What's going on? Who's on fire?> "Get the cordless phone," said Siobhan, clicking her fingers to turn into Equinox and stepping away from her laptop, but not before sending one quick message saying that help was on the way. "I'm calling for back-up."

September 26, 2011 The West End 9 AM Things were in a bad way in the West End, what with the upcoming apocalypse. The Gorgon was only about thirty-six hours from making contact with the Earth, her silvery shape as clearly visible as Mars in the clear Freedom City night sky, promising a doom for all humanity should she get closer. The Freedom League was fighting the Gorgon and her train in space; the Lab crew had gone into the sky to unlock the scientific secrets of the monster coming to devour the Earth. (Sure, that wasn't technically her mission, but good luck telling that to the man walking down the street listening to apocalyptic street corner preachers pronouncing the imminent doom of man to all passersby.) There was a war in space, but a battle on the streets was imminent. Street-level heroes had been busy catching crooks and putting down disasters, but there were so many threats. The heroes of the West End had reason to be a little understaffed these days, anyway...The flashpoint came outside a local bodega near the Espadas home, when two uniforms from the local FCPD station came out to move one of those doomsaying street preachers off the streets. This gentleman, though, a wide-eyed man with thick glasses and a "PRAY FOR MERCY" sandwich board hung around his neck, wasn't willing to give in. "What's the point of doing what you pigs say?" he demanded, his fear rallying the crowd of onlookers who'd been listening to his sermonizing (and, not incidentally, blocking the door of the San Domingo Market whose manager had called them in the first place) to shout at the cops. "We're all gonna die anyway! The supers have run off! They left us to rot down here on the streets while they ran away into space and into their fancy other dimensions. Don't we deserve the right to have a little happiness now before she takes us all!?!" he exclaimed, pointing to the sky as the crowd roared. Normally West Enders were a bit more skeptical than this, but nerves were fraying. "How dare these fatcat shopkeepers keep what they have when the end is coming. I say, let's take what we want and give them a taste of their own greed before we're all gone! Who's with me?"

Date: June 17th, 2011 (Friday), later afternoon/early evening Continued from ArchEvil: Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit and ArchEvil: Gestalt Theory. The foe was abominable, and the battle long, but the heroes prevailed. A great pseudonatural beast from beyond time and space, something which had apparently been slumbering in and influencing the science hero Doktor Viktor Archeville, had been banished, but at a terrible price. Archeville, reborn to a new (now fully human) body, stared at the spot where the fight had been, wrapped in his lover Fulcrum's cape, the only thing of her that remained on the battlefield in North Bay. She was gone, swallowed up by the explosion of Terminus energy that expelled the beat; chances were even of them either being atomized, or tossed into some other dimension. Archeville's mouth hung agape. He stared, bleary eyed, hands still reaching out where Fulcrum had last held them. Mona...

Doubt we'll need this, but who knows?

Jack of all Blades Power Level: 15 (250/250PP)* [392] Trade-Offs: +5 Attack, -5 Damage, +5 Defense, -5 Toughness Unspent Power Points: 0 Theme: Spark by Fitz and the Tantrums *Jack's caps average out to PL13. For Jack's original sheet, click here. In Brief: Swashbuckling scion of a secret society of sorcerous swordsmen, shepherding streetwise superheroes! Alternate Identity: Erik Espadas Identity: Secret Birthplace: Freedom City, West End Occupation: Self-Defense Instructor Affiliations: The Interceptors Family: Minerva Espadas/Guardian Willow (wife), Eden Espadas (daughter), Mia Espadas (daughter), Ellie Espadas/Jill O'Cure (sister), Gina Espadas (mother), Jean Pique (father) Description: Age: 27 (DoB: April 4, 1988) Gender: Male Ethnicity: Latino/French Height: 5'11" Weight: 160 lb. Hair: Dusty Brown/Black as Jack of all Blades Eyes: Dark Blue Erik Espadas is a lithe, athletic young man with attractively angular features and a boyish grin. He keeps his dusty brown hair shorn short, but regularly sports a day or two of stubble. Preferring to dress is a mixture of blues and blacks, Erik is typically seen in a fitted t-shirt and well-worn jeans topped with an undone button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. As Jack of all Blades, his current costume consists of a knee-length, royal blue greatcoat cut in a jaunty, high-collared style and worn open over a black body suit. A matching blue bandana serves as a mask, attached to a black wig of wavy hair which helps to conceal Erik's true identity. Dark grey boots with a slightly metallic sheen and broad, buckled belts help to break up the outfit's dark colour scheme. Power Description: Erik can manipulate electromagnetic and mystical energies to form an effectively-solid construct in the shape of a sword. While he has a bit of leeway with regards to the weapon's specific appearance, he almost always uses a fencing rapier. Functioning in most respects as a normal sword, the tight concentration of power allows the blade to pierce most defenses, while it retains the basic nature of its source energy. In order for Erik to form a sword, there must be a power source for him to draw from. A sword of flame might be drawn from a butane lighter, an electrical blade from a nearby powerline. More exotic energies require a more exotic source; Erik may draw from a blaster's light beam or a magic user's mystical attacks, neither of which would be accessible to him in their ambient forms. Erik's metamagi powers also grant him awareness of all manner of energies. This sixth sense registers in a sometimes disorienting, synesthesia-like manner with each distinct energy having its own whispered textures and aromatic hues, not all of them pleasant. History: Erik was born in 1988 to Gina Espadas, a Freedom City beat cop. His father left months before Erik's sister, Eliza, was born in 1993. Erik never considered this any great loss: growing up in the West End, his mother was all the parent he ever needed, always making time for her children despite her demanding career. She returned to the force from maternity leave just in time for the Terminus Invasion. Her stories of working alongside heroes during both the Invasion and its aftermath instilled in Erik a fascination with superheroes. As he grew, it was the witty Golden Age tricksters like Spitfire Jones and la Renard Rogue who captured his attention, facing impossible odds with skill and style. A diet of swashbuckling movies and pulp novels were eventually replaced by physical pursuits in his teen years. Naturally agile, Erik joined his school's gymnastic and fencing teams, as well as the drama club, becoming a popular athletic star. It was Erik's senior year which would radically alter his life. An armed robbery at a local convenience store went horribly wrong, and Gina was shot and paralyzed from the waist down, forcing her into a wheelchair and early retirement. Although she remained strong in the face of adversity, Erik was galvanized. The Espadas family had never been very well off, and Erik dropped out of extracurriculars to work an unsteady stream of odd jobs to help make ends meet. He turned down a number of modest athletic scholarships when he graduated to work full time, determined to support the family and save enough to put the more scholastically inclined Ellie through university. One such odd job involved cleaning out the storage area of an antique store. Amidst the ornate lamps and jewelry boxes, Erik discovered what appeared to be a positively ancient playing card: the Jack of Swords, depicting a slyly winking prince. When he asked the store's owner about it, the old man bid him keep it as a souvenir, as the rest of the deck had long since been lost or destroyed. Pocketing the weathered card, Erik made his way home. Along the way, he encountered a group of toughs menacing a young woman. As the leader of the gang pulled out a cigarette and arrogantly flicked open his lighter, an incensed Erik leapt forward. The lighter's tiny flame flared brilliantly, flowing unnaturally through the air to the young man's instinctively outstretched hand, where it solidified into a blazing rapier. A moment later half of the thug's cigarette had been seared away, the other half smouldering in his trembling lips. The toughs beat a hasty retreat, with a shocked Erik quickly following suit, leaving behind a grateful but confused young woman. Experimenting in secret, Erik found he could create swords not only of flame, but of sparking electricity, crackling cold and a multitude of other energies, provided that there was a source to draw upon. Redoubling his abandoned training, he donned the garb of Jack of all Blades, and became the wise-cracking, acrobatic protector of his community. For years the only person aware of his double life was his sister Ellie, who discovered Erik collapsed in their backyard after a particularly brutal fight. Fortunately the teen had begun preparing to study medicine after high school, and her first aid skill likely saved her brother's life. With the safety of his family paramount, Erik kept his identity a closely held secret, initially avoiding alliances with other heroes. As Jack, however, he soon drew the interest of the similarly themed Jaci O'Cups, Coinpurse Jack and most dangerously Jakken Staff, all of whom attacked Erik on sight, making cryptic references to a Tournament of Suits and giving the young hero his first hints at his true origins and the mysterious House of Swords. Eventually this tournament came to a head with the reappearance of Erik's father, revealed to be the previous Jack of Swords, and a massive assault orchestrated by Jakken Staff and the House of Staves. In the aftermath, Coinpurse Jack lay dead, the mages of the House of Staves were defeated and Ellie's own latent metamagi powers had been awakened. As Jack of all Blades, Erik was a founding member of the experimental team, the Interceptors. Personality conflicts and a constantly shifting roster plagued the team from its inception, and just as Erik felt he had found a group he was able to trust with his secrets betrayal and catastrophe rocked the team to its foundations. From those ashes Erik emerged as the leader of a new team of Interceptors, a family of heroes dedicated to protecting the streets. Settling into the unexpected role of responsibility, Erik opened the Espadas School of Self-Defense and Swordsmanship in the West End both as a place to teach the community's young people the skills to defend themselves and as the Interceptors secret headquarters. A romance with the immortal guardian Willow gave rise to a daughter, Eden Espadas, and eventually marriage and a second daughter, Mia. Personality & Motivation: Erik is a man who's words and actions are at odds. Outwardly, he seems easy-going and carefree, with a clever tongue and a love of the spotlight. Most conversations become friendly verbal sparing matches as Erik actively avoids serious topics, and marriage has only barely dulled his reputation as an incorrigible flirt. What isn't immediately obvious is Erik's deep sense of responsibility to his family, friends and community. Considering his word to be his bond, Erik will always be there for a friend in need, and truly wishes to leave the world a better place than he found it. He possesses an unbreakable spirit coupled with stubborn pride, resulting in a complete inability to admit defeat. Where Jack of all Blades was at first an outlet for Erik, the two sides of his personality have found some balance as he has matured. Although often swept up in the high adventure of larger threats, he considers himself first and foremost a defender of the little guy, stopping crimes that might seem trivial for such an established hero. Remembering what happened to his mother, Erik feels that a simple hold-up can be just as devastating as a supervillian's rampage. Well known by both the public and the hero community and generally well liked thanks to his levity and charm, Jack's sense of humour has been known to inspire annoyance in equal measure. Whether it's leaping headlong into the battle against villainy, making egregious puns while dodging bullets or kissing a cosmic menace to save humanity, Jack of all Blades never fails to leave an impression. Powers & Tactics: Surpassing even his notable lineage, Erik is potentially the world's greatest living swordsman, ranking among history's most notable weapons masters. An accomplished hand-to-hand fighter, with a sword in his hands he is nearly unmatched. His metamagi senses bolster his awareness of his weightless blades and surroundings, giving him a further edge. Even so he is quite human in his frailties and relies entirely on acrobatic evasion to survive. Against lesser threats, Erik rushes in dramatically, forming a sword and quickly disarming them before taunting them into surrender or retreat. When fighting superhumans, he prefers a more reactionary approach, keeping them off balance with acrobatics and jibes until he can assess their specific abilities, often taking the opportunity to form a sword using the energy from their attacks. Preferring to lead from the fore, Erik would rather place himself in harm's way than his teammates but respects their abilities and directs them decisively. Serving as a rallying point and ample distraction he remains almost incapable of considering retreat as an option. Complications: Enemies: Erik has made a habit of not only defeating villains but more dangerously humiliating them. Grandstanding: Erik's style revolves around showing off, in and out of combat, even when discretion might be wiser. Relationship: Erik is married to Minerva Espadas née Salix, AKA Guardian Willow. They have two daughters together. Secret: Superhero Identity Sidekick: Erik's no less protective of his sister now that she's an accomplished superhero too. Struggling: Erik is a small business owner supporting his growing family. Sucker for a Pretty Face: Erik is married, not dead. He can still be distracted by attractive women, be they bystanders, fellow heroes or even villains. Teacher: Erik operates the Espadas School of Self-Defense and Swordsmanship and feels a responsibility toward his students. Teammates: Interceptors past and present are family to Erik, whether or not he openly admits it. West Ender The West End is Erik's 'turf'; he's extremely protective of his neighbourhood, and knows it much better than the rest of the city. Abilities: 6 + 10 + 8 + 2 + 8 + 14 = 48PP Strength: 16 (+3) Dexterity: 20 (+5) Constitution: 18 (+4) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 24 (+7) Combat: 14 + 36 = 40PP Initiative: +9 Attack: +7 Base, +14 Melee, +20 Swords Grapple: +19 Defense: +18 (+18 Base), +9 Flat-Footed Knockback: -4/-2 Saving Throws: 6 + 10 + 8 = 24PP Toughness: +8 (+4 Con, +4 Defensive Roll) Fortitude: +10 (+4 Con, +6) Reflex: +15 (+5 Dex, +10) Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8) Skills: 84R = 21PP Acrobatics 10 (+15) Skill Mastery Bluff 18 (+24) Skill Mastery Climb 5 (+10) Gather Information 8 (+15) Knowledge (Streetwise) 14 (+15) Knowledge (Tactics) 4 (+5) Language 3 (Cantonese, English [Native], Persian, Spanish) Notice 11 (+15) Skill Mastery Stealth 10 (+15) Skill Mastery Survival 1 (+5) Feats: 72PP Agile Climber Attack Focus (Melee) 7 Attack Specialization (Swords) 3 Beginner's Luck Defensive Roll 2 Elusive Target Equipment 0 + 4 (Veteran Reward, 20EP) Evasion 2 Fascinate (Bluff) Fearless Grappling Finesse Improved Critical (Swords, 18-20) Improved Initiative Inspire 5 Jack-of-all-Trades Luck 4 Move-By Action Power Attack Quick Change Set Up Sidekick 29 + 11 (Veteran Reward, 200PP) Skill Mastery 1 (Acrobatics, Bluff, Notice, Stealth) Takedown Attack 2 Taunt Ultimate Will Uncanny Dodge 2 (Mental, Visual) Equipment: 4PP = 20EP Grappling Hook; Leaping 2, Super-Movement 2 (slow fall, swinging), Speed 2 [8EP] Interceptors Communicator; Communication 6 (Radio, 20 miles; Extra: Area; Flaw: Limited [Other Interceptors Communicators]), Super-Senses 1 (Radio, Communication Link [HQ/VINCE]) [7EP] 5EP contributed to The Espadas School of Self-Defense and Swordsmanship Powers: 29 + 22 + 2 = 53PP Damage 3 (Extras: Autofire 6, Linked [+0], Penetrating 4; Power Feats: Improved Critical [18-20], Mighty, Variable Descriptor 2 [Any Available, Concentrated Energy or Magic]) + Drain Toughness 6 (Extras: Affects Objects) [29PP] (energy sword) Super-Senses 14 (Mental; EM Spectrum Awareness [3], Magic Awareness [3], Extras: Accurate 4, Acute 2, Radius 2)[14PP] (metamagi senses) Swordsmanship Supremacy 1 (Probability Control, Flaws: Limited 2 [Swordsmanship]) [2PP] (training) DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC18 Toughness (Staged) Damage Energy Sword Touch DC16 Fortitude (Staged) Drain Toughness DC21 [Autofire] Toughness (Staged) Damage Totals: Abilities 48 + Combat 40 + Saves 24 + Skills 21 + Feats 72 + Powers 45 = 250/250 Power Points Note: Jack is technically PL15 with a full, five point Attack and Defense trade-off. His Defense and Toughness are capped to place him at PL13 defensively, while his Damage is intentionally under-capped so that his Attack and damage bonuses average out to PL13 as well, even though +20 attack in only achievable by PL15 characters. Note: As a metamagi, Erik's powers are the result of a mystically enhanced mutation, blurring the line between genetics and sorcery. This enhancement specifically allows him to form his borrowed energy into swords. Magic nullification removes the 'sword' descriptor from his 'energy sword' power, which means he will no longer benefit from his Attack Specialization or Improved Critical feats. Effects that nullify mutant/genetic powers shut off said power entirely, as well as his Super-Senses.

Fairy Tale, warning, Unapproved NPC still in the works. Otherwise, the build for Military Fairy from AA oddballs will be used as minions for this thread.

GM May 19th, 6:37pm News had been slow to travel, but it didn't matter, there was still time. The prey was shopping, moving around the mortals like she was one of them. Didn't matter, she could move as she pleased, however, that ritual was unacceptable. Not that she'd get to do it anyway. It was not hard to do, child's play really, something easy to replicate, simple magic. The hunter let the illusion was over him, into that of a young man, not much older than sixteen with jeans and a U2 t-shirt. Leaning out of the ally, he watched as she came into sight. The bag's strap snapped with easy, and it was a quick trip to sprint past her and down back into the alley.

The senses-shattering conclusion to the Evil!Dok saga! For now, just the six Interceptors -- Colt, Dynamo, Fulcrum, Grim, Jack and Jill -- should post. (They'll find the inside of the house empty, as by now Scarab's already warnedAvenger & Phantom of what's going on.) Others can come in by invite, and other threads may be spun off from this one as needed.

Date: June 17th, 2011 (Friday), later afternoon/early evening Continued from ArchEvil: Terrible Bosses and News. In one of the darker corners of the historic waterfront of North Bay lay a spooky old house, complete with a graveyard off to the side: the home of Jack and Taylor Faretti. In the middle of the seldom-used street which ran by it, a pinpoint of blue-grey light appeared, which exploded into a great sphere. Out of this strode a grim figure in black and blood red armor, followed closely by six figures of equally dark, though very familiar, mien (one notably taller than the others). "Come along, Auffängers!," ArchEvil commanded. "This Doktor has a housecall to make!" ArchEvil stopped mid-step. "Auffängers," he said between gritted teeth, "secure the perimeter... and find the witch, the vampire, and their abomination of a child!"

It had taken a while, given the hectic schedules involved, but with her brother's insistence, Ellie Espadas had finally managed to find time for her girlfriend to come over to the Interceptor's underground base for a combat training session. Erik was adamant that Mara have at least some fundamental hand-to-hand fighting skills just in case she was ever caught without her inventions. Mildly annoying as the overprotective streak was, Ellie was grateful that her older sibling evidently liked her partner enough to be concerned in the first place, and if in the process the petite engineer ended up in sweaty workout gear, well, that was just a consequence they'd have to live with. While Erik got things set up below, the younger Espadas waited on the steps outside the brownstone apartment building's front door, already changed into shorts and a dark grey vest top and enjoying the sun while she flipped through a textbook she'd brought out with her.

Willow and Thrude need pants badly! Also, some supervillains show up, because that's how these things typically go.

Alright, tell you what, get Initiative up for Mara. I'm going to be using the PL1 Criminal minion from the Core Rulebook for the robots. They won;t be doing any real damage, goal is to tag each of them once before she gets hit three times herself. Training Drones: Initiative. (1d20+2=12)

I cannot especially be bothered playing out phone conversations ( ), so just have the guys appear at Siobhan's apartment door.

Standing on a Riverside street corner with her hands placed dramatically on her hips, Ellie Espadas turned to the eclectic group of women behind her and announced, "Alright, ladies, welcome to Meadow Street. A sensational hive of thrift and fashionability." Indeed, the line of shops behind her featured a generous quantity of second hand, vintage, handmade and fair trade clothing boutiques, several of which fell under two or more of those headings. "So, we've got two goals here," she reminded them. "First, to get Will and Trudy some actual people clothes." The dryad and goddess's limited wardrobes had become inconvenient enough that they'd quickly reached the limit of practical sharing and borrowing from the other Interceptors. "Second, we're practicing the 'secret identity' thing. Obviously Mo' is a little conspicuous, so if you get busted, we'll just say you're hanging with your girl Fulcrum on the downlow, but we're going for subtle, okay?" The young medic could perhaps be forgiven for directing the last part of her comment more to Thrude than anyone else.

Date: June 17th, 2011 (Friday), later afternoon/early evening Continued from ArchEvil: Revelations The Brownstone! Home to the Interceptors! Dynamo, Fulcrum, Jack of all Blades, and Jill O'Cure, plus newer members Geckoman, Thrude, and Willow, were in the basement training hall, joined by former members Colt and Grimalkin, who had stopped by to pick up some forgotten items and were roped into the exercise by Jack. Some blocks away, a new potential recruit, Ferros, approached, having been told by Archeville himself -- secretly the founder of the fabled team! -- to come by for a tryout with them. ArchEvil appeared in the basement of the Interceptors' Brownstone, next to Vince's computer core. "Hey, boss-man, the gregarious AI's upbeat voice greeted, appearing in mechanic's overalls on the monitors along the walls. "Whatcha do- yeow! What happened to-" "Attend: Stratus. Nietzsche. Wave. Neper. Tornado. Shark. Venus Flytrap. Viktor. Vince. Viktor." Vince's image froze, the eyes went fuzzy, then his entire form flickered as the long-buried overrides were activated and hidden subroutines booted up. Now the AI was dressed in a very crisp, black uniform, with hobnailed jackboots and a leather trenchcoat. "I obey, Herr Doktor," he said, all trace of his jovial nature gone with the click of the back of his heels. "As shall you all, Vince. As shall you all." ArchEvil walked out of computer core chamber and towards the training room, as a hunchback!Vince began pulling on virtual cords, locking down the Brownstone. He entered the training room, using his Belt's intangibility function to simply bypass the door, so as not to interrupt their session. Eventually, of course, the Interceptors did notice the strange bare-chested fish-man in a labcoat and khakis standing in their danger room.

The continuing saga of Evil!Archeville!

June 3, 2011 9 AM Secure in his locked-down office, Warden Drummer stared at the broadcast again, his mouth a tight line of pure rage. "When I find out how he managed to build twenty robot bees in solitary in my prison, I will find whoever is responsible and I will murder them. I have been in the corrections business for twenty-five years. I know how to make it look like an accident!" He sighed, looking again around his office. Too bad there was no one around to hear it; that had been one of his more satisfying rants. With a curse, he picked up the secure landline on his desk and dialed the Freedom League...

Ellie Espadas paced nervously back and forth in the foyer of her family's modest home, tugging absently at the bottom of her vintage vest as she made a conscious effort not to look at the clock hanging nearby. Failing miserably, she noted with some irritation that the hands hadn't moved perceptibly from the position they'd been at when she'd checked moments earlier. "You're going to dig a rut in the linoleum, hermaita," her brother noted dryly as he stepped downstairs. Erik Espadas had donned one of his nicer dress shirts at his sibling's insistence, though he'd left the collar unbuttoned. Perhaps more telling, however, was that he'd taken time to shave without being asked. Stopping in her tracks, Ellie turned to give him a baleful look before sighing. "I just want this to go well, okay?" she told him with an emphatic gesture that gave way to running her fingers through her hair. "It's important." "Worried we'll embarrass you, dear?" Gina Espadas asked her daughter, raising an eyebrow as she wheeled herself out of the first floor bedroom, tilting her head slightly to one side with a faint, amused smile. "Yes, exactly!" the youngest member of the family answered immediately, throwing her hands up in the air.

April 5th, 2011, 6:26pm Mara sat on the floor of her warehouse, back against the wall that held her monitors; usually this position would have gotten a lot of concerned curiosity out of Puppy, but she'd long since turned him off to silence his whirring and beeping. Normally innocuous noise had been pretty painful when she'd woken up this morning, and her head had only gotten worse since then - at the moment she had both hands on her skull like she was trying to keep it from exploding, grimacing at every car that drove by, every loud and unidentifiable noise from the warehouse district beyond the walls that, thankfully, blocked most of the light. The small bottle of extra-strength migraine medicine on a nearby bench got an accusing, hurt glare for failing to be even remotely effective. bad day - been a long time - months? - call her - don't want to bother her - call her - leads to questions - trust her - call her Very, very carefully avoiding the few shafts of light that shone through the windows near her roof, Dragonfly made her way to one of the benches, shifted aside some miscellaneous junk (hissing at the noise a piece of metal made when it fell off and hit concrete), and did something truly rare: physically dialed a number.