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January swept in cold and dreary, dumping patches of snow here and there, but not enough to be enjoyable or scenic, even three weeks into the new year. It had taken that long for Erin to get things set up for her interview with Phantom. Even after she'd worked up the nerve to set things in motion, the dimensional guardian had been indisposed for awhile, busy with other things, apparently. But eventually the stars had aligned, and Erin was hopefully going to lay to rest some of the questions Shadivan Steelegrave had raised, for all that it meant dealing with someone who made her distinctly uncomfortable. James had offered, more than once, to come along with on this trip, but Erin had turned him down. Not because she didn't appreciate the offer, but this wasn't the sort of thing she wanted an audience for, any audience. It seemed like it would be easier to talk about the Terminus and what it might have done to her world with an unsympathetic stranger than with a friend. That's how it had been before, anyway, the debriefings were easier than talking to the friendly psychologist. James gave her a ride anyway, dropping her off in a beautiful private library that smelled like leather and old books. Erin clasped her hands together behind her back and looked around, automatically gauging the security of the room before she did anything else.

The penthouse had always had more room than they'd needed. Even with one room serving as the bedroom, there was plenty of space for Jack's office and Taylor's library with more to spare. The room that Taylor had currently opened had mostly been used for storage. The furniture from Taylor's sparse apartment had been hastily stacked in one corner. Boxes of old text books were shoved up against them along with a little bit of extraneous clutter that always came out during any move. In addition, there were the few things of Jack's that had been misplaced or replaced by her permanent arrival into his home. It had been a gradual thing, really. They'd never sat down and talked about it. One night had just turned into three, then five, then forever somewhere along the line. And slowly, this room had filled up with the things that didn't fit into a newly shared life. Shutting the door behind her with a quiet click, Taylor stepped into the room on bare feet. With her dark hair pulled up into a tight pony tail and dressed in ripped jeans and a tank top, she'd dressed for a hands on cleaning that didn't really match the actuality. She moved through the room, moving things back and forth with crackling eldritch energy. Keep. Donate. Donate. Ask Jack. Keep. Eventually, everything that had to be donated had vanished into her pocket, and the things to keep or question had all been shoved out in the hallway and Taylor was left in a pleasant if empty room. Like many of the rooms of the apartment, the few windows had thick drapes blocking the sun. Eventually those would have to be replaced but for now, Taylor spent the few minutes wrestling them all down to the ground and shoved them out in the hallway as well. It wasn't as mindless a task as Taylor had hoped it would be. It certainly allowed her thoughts to wander and considering she was working on clearing the spare room for a new and rather unexpected occupant, it was inevitable what direction her thoughts would take. Like marriage, children were something Taylor assumed were off her plate after accepting her duties as the Chosen of Heshem. In the act of ripping the drape off the wall, Taylor paused to stifle a snort of self-mocking laughter. At least the addage of 'plans in the face of the gods' held true. Taylor wondered if Heshem was in stitches at her Chosen. It was an image she had trouble forming. With a thump the heavy velvet floated to the ground and with a flick of her wrist, Taylor sent it floating out to the hallway with the rest of the 'things to get moved'. She rested her fingertips on her hips and frowned at the bare four walls and floor. She couldn't picture the room as a nursery. She couldn't picture herself as anyone's mother. She was still getting used to the whole 'being someone's wife' part. There was still graduation in the spring. Technically, she hadn't even finished college yet. Ruthlessly, Taylor suppressed the rising tide of hysteria. Cream. She would paint the walls cream and then decide on the carpet. Even if it was all too big to tackle at once. She could do one little thing, and then another. No, it wasn't going to be *normal*, but they'd manage it all somehow. She could deal with it, and she would. One step at a time.

It was a gloomy day near the end of November when Mark decided to call Taylor Chun, having spent a long day at home in his father's study reading up on the City of Brass. Amid all the horrors and wonders of the demonic invasion earlier in the month, those taunting words from the demon in the graveyard had stuck with him. He knew perfectly well what the City of Brass was, of course, he'd been raised on stories of the place for much of his life. Azim-al-Aziz, his grandfather's friend and ally during the Second World War, had been a prince of the City of Brass, an efreet kidnapped by Nazi sorcery and held in their clutches before being rescued by the Liberty League. It was supposed to be a wonderful, magical place where the Arabian Nights had never ended, a place where a thousand wonders lay just beyond the veil. But he'd never visited there himself; his grandfather had passed on a warning that with the end of the Second World War, Azim-al-Aziz had encouraged his people to seal up their dimension to make sure they could never be taken against their will again. That also meant they didn't visit Earth much anymore. With the issue still nagging at him as he sat in his dorm room, Mark had decided to phone a friend. That's what friends were for, wasn't it? As his cell rang, the rain outside stopped. Maybe today was going to be a good day after all.

Halloween Night Erin looked out the window of her dorm room as the sky outside grew steadily darker, casting the lights of the city into sharp relief. From this side of the building, she wasn't going to see any Trick-or-Treaters, since her room faced the campus, but she could see the occasional student dressed in a costume and hurrying towards the main building for the party. She'd wondered if anyone would go in their practice uniform or hero costume, just to be a smartass, but so far she hadn't seen anyone sporting the blue and gold. It was going to be a cold night tonight, from the weather reports. Anyone going out for candy had better be dressed warmly. Turning away from the window, she went over to her bunk and sat down, picking up her bag of candy. She'd conscientiously poured half the mini candy bars into her emergency stash under the bed, but that left quite a bit of chocolate to be eaten. If she could get sick at all, she could get herself halfway there on candy without knocking on a single door, she reflected as she unwrapped and ate a Mr. Goodbar. But it was boring to do it that way. She was, in fact, entirely bored, and perilously close to getting lonely and feeling sorry for herself. If she let that happen, it would be hard to stop feeling that way. If it were any other night, she'd go and take the Chevette for another spin. That had been more than entertaining. Thinking about the car made her think about James, and his personal business. Why had he given her the keys, anyway? Was it just to cheer her up? She wouldn't put that past him, he was pretty sneaky. Or could he have been really worried about whatever business he was going on tonight? Whatever it was, he should be back by now, surely. Or maybe he hadn't left yet, if it was family business. Either way, it might be a good idea to talk to him again, and it would get her out of her room. Pocketing the car keys and rolling the bag of candy to take with her, Erin headed downstairs to James' room, keeping an eye out for nosy RAs. Surely they'd all be at the party by now.

Phantom Power Level: 14 (15) (232/250PP) Trade-Offs: -5 Defense / +5 Toughness, + 2 Damage / -2 Attack Unspent PP: 18 In Brief: Interdimensional Guardian, chosen to keep the balance Residence: The Lair: A Haunted House in North Bay Base of Operations: In Freedom City, their haunted manor. Interdimensionally, the Void Catchphrase: Hrmmm.... Alternate Identity: Taylor Xiao Chun Faretti Identity: Secret Birthplace: Freedom City Occupation: Freelance Translator Affiliations: Knights of Freedom (Former), Midnighters (Inactive) Family: Immediate: Jack Faretti (husband), Jack Huang Faretti Jr/ JJ (son), Jack Huang Faretti Jr / Huang (son) Extended, still living: Parents, Four brothers, three sisters in law, several nieces and nephews - All Freedom local, Great Uncle Huang Chun Description Age: 26 in this timeline, chronologically, 30ish Apparent Age: 19 Gender: Female Ethnicity: Chinese American (biracial: Chinese and Caucasian) Height: 5'1" Weight: 135 lbs Hair: Thick and very straight black hair that falls to the middle of her back. Eyes: Brown Between Taylor's height, her reserved body language, and her dimpled cheeks, she still gets mistaken for a freshman at the University more often than not. Experience and increased comfort with herself have at least given her enough poise to generally correct that assumption. Having taken up jogging and working out with a sparring bag, Taylor has added some muscle to her curves. She is sturdily built and relatively fit. She still tends to dress like she's watched Indiana Jones just a few too many times, with rescued bomber jackets from the Salvation Army and fedoras that have seen better days but she's added some class to her wardrobe. Whether its her own preference or the fact that Ace has become her usual shopping buddy, most of her clothing has a 40s retro flair. As Phantom, Taylor is anything but average. In the cloak and cowl of her alter ego, Phantom is downright otherworldly. Her eyes glow white behind the three quarters black face mask. The folds of the inside of her ragged cloak crackle with eldritch energy and she flickers between solid and ephemeral states without conscious thought. Unlike most of the magically oriented, Phantom uses no arcane gestures or words of power but rather directs her fel energies with her eerie baleful glare. A creature of all dimensions and none, Phantom flickers through reality with disquieting ease. It's easy to mistake her cloak for her source of power as when she vanishes from sight, her cloak folds in first on her, and then on itself. Even stripped of the glittering Eye of Heshem at her throat, Phantom's powers are unhindered. History: Taylor was born to your average middle class Americans. Her mother was a typical wasp and her father was a Chinese American, both of whom were born and raised inside Freedom City. Taylor's childhood was a normal one. She was a studious, if shy, child that spent much of her time focused on schooling although she had her share of childhood friends. The only oddity in her normal life was her great-uncle on her father's side. The elderly gentleman was always filling her head with stories of his youth helping Johnny Danger on all those daring quests. This is undoubtably where Taylor picked up her tendency to dress like a bad pulp era character although with jeans and baseball t-shirts under her reclaimed, beaten jackets. When Taylor went into college, she was tempted to study archeology but had a natural flair for languages and instead went into the linguistics program. About this time, Taylor's beloved grandfather took ill and she received a package from him containing the Eye of Heshem, a glittering amulet with its gem larger than her thumb, and instructing her to keep it safe. For a time, the Eye travelled about in the pocket of her beaten leather jacket before, bored one night working the midnight shift at the library, she began to work on the translation of the inscription. The first time Taylor recited the ancient script aloud, she was knocked near senseless as the voice of Heshem herself thundered through her head, charging her with the defense of the pact. It’s been almost ten years now since Phantom appeared on the costumed crimefighter scene. She’s seen a lot and done more than most and still looks like she’s a college student outside of her cape. That’s especially frustrating when she’s got a dhampir offspring about to start kindergarten and his perpetually-sixteen dimensional doppelganger going to Claremont and immortal ex-vigilante vampire for a spouse. Well, things never get BORING. Personality & Motivation: Taylor is responsible in either persona. She really is the sort of person that her Great Uncle could trust to take care of that relic simply because she was asked to. She's still too young to see the world in shades of grey and that outlook is what makes her really quite good as an interdimensional police agent. As Phantom, she's the bouncer to Gateway's doorkeeper. She spends her costumed time finding and returning things that don't belong in their dimension. That's not to say that she's blindly devoted to the duties of her work. She's a bright young lady and can tell the difference between an Olympian that's setting up their own cozy little cult and a poor refugee but in either case she's going to find them a more appropriate local for their life. Powers & Tactics: The Eye has pulled Taylor Chun out of synch with this dimension. As a creature of all worlds and none, she is as likely to be ephemeral as solid and moves between the dimensions like a child would run through the rooms of the house. Her very body is the gateway to the holding dimension that she uses to transport creatures and objects back to where they once belonged and riding within the Phantom is an odd and distressing experience for even the most jaded. In addition to her odd and innate abilities, Phantom is an accomplished mage. She uses a dark crackling magic without either word or gesture to knock the more combatant individuals low before wrapping them in the ragged edges of her eldritch cape. Complications: Secret Identity: Although she's now out to her parents and siblings, Taylor still does her best to keep 'Taylor Chun' and 'Phantom' as disparate as possible. And although Taylor's life has certainly gotten complicated, that doesn't change the fact that Phantom is not 'out' but to a select few. Married to the Enemy: No matter how you slice it, marrying a vampire has consequences. Marrying a vampire who is not just any vampire, but the current king of the Freedom City vampires who moonlights as a masked vigilante is a whole 'nother level. Then you add starting a family to the mix, and things really start to ramp up. And Taylor's always been such a smart girl. Responsibilities: (Interdimensional Guardian, Family, Husband, Children) Taylor has a mandated responsibility to do her duties and while Heshem is not one to micromanage, the failure to use her gifts as required by the entity would likely have dire consequences. In addition, she's got multiple forces that demand a certain level of loyalty. Unfortunately, they're not always on the same side of any given issue Lost Time: Sometimes the fact that Taylor works across multiple dimensions makes trying to keep on top of things in this dimension difficult. Even the best mystics can end up with time differences across the dimensions. It also means contacting her in an emergency can be tricky if she's out of Prime Abilities: (0+0+10+8+10+4=32pp) Str: 10 (+0) Dex: 10 (+0) Con: 20 (+5) Int: 18 (+4) Wis: 20 (+5) Cha: 14 (+2) Combat: (12+10=22 pp) Attack: +6, +12 Blast/Stun, +12 Telekinesis Grapple: +6, +34 Telekinesis Defense: +5/+9, +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -0, -16 Force Field Initiative: +0 Saving Throws: (5+0+11=16pp) Toughness: +19 (Impervious 12), +5 w/o Force Field Fort: +10 (+5 Con, +5) Reflex: +0 (+0 Dex, +0) Will: +16 (+5 Wis, +11) Skills: (76r = 19pp) Concentration 10 (+15) Intimidate 0 (+2) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 20 (+24) Knowledge (Cosmology) 20 (+24) Knowledge (History) 0 (+4) Notice 10 (+15) Search 11 (+15) Sense Motive 5 (+10) Feats: (13pp) Benefit (Wealth) Dodge Focus x4 Equipment 4 Fearless Quick Change 2 Ritualist Equipment: (20ep) Powers: (3+29+12+68+7+3+1+1+9=133pp) Comprehend 3 (Training; Languages 3 [speak Any One/Understand All/Read & Write]; Power Feat: Innate; Drawback: Only Earth Languages) [3] Defensive Magics 14 (28 points; PF: Alternate Power) [29PP] BE: Force Field 14 (Extra: Impervious 12; PF: Selective, Subtle) {28/28} AP: Insubstantial 4 (Affected by Fire; Extra: Action [Reactive], Affect Others) {28/28} Immunity 12 (Aging, Life Support, Starvation/Thirst, Sleep) [12 pp] Magic Array 21 (Magic; 56 pp; PF: Alternate Power x 12) [68 pp] BE: Blast 16 (Eldritch Blast; Extra: Affects Corporeal; PFs: Accurate 6, Affect Insubstantial x 2) {56} AP: Comprehend 8 (Animals 2, Codes 1, Electronics 2, Languages 4, Spirits 1; Extra: Affects Others, Area, Selective [40-ft. Burst]) {48} AP: Concealment 10 (Extra: Affects Others, Area, Duration: Concentration [50-ft. Burst]; PFs: Selective, Close Range) {52} AP: Damage 14 (Cataclysm; Extra: Affects Corporeal, Area [80-miles. Burst, General], Selective Attack; Flaw: Action [Full]; PFs: Affect Insubstantial 2, Progression x12) {56} AP: Dimensional Pocket 7 (50 billion lbs; Extra: Duration [Continuous]; PFs: Progression x 20) {56} AP: ESP 11 (2,000,000 miles, All Senses; Extra: Duration [sustained]; Flaw: Action [standard]; PFs: Dimensional, Rapid x10, Subtle) {56} AP: Heal 13 (Extras: Total, Affects Objects; PFs: Regrowth, Persistent) {54} AP: Nullify Field 14 (40 Feet) (All Powers; Extras: Area [50-ft. Burst, General], Duration [Concentration]; Flaw: Range [Touch]; Drawbacks: Only Magical and Dimensional Descriptors -1) {55} AP: Stun 16 (Extras: Affects Corporeal, Range [Ranged]; Flaw: Action [Full]; PFs: Accurate x 6, Affect Insubstantial x 2) {56} AP: Super Movement 3 (Dimensional 3 [any]; Extras: Portal (+2); PF: Progression x 5 [250-ft. Portal]) {18} AP: Super Senses [All Mental Senses: Accurate(4), Acute(2), Anlytical(2), Counters Concealment(2), Counters Illusion(2), Counters Obscure(5), Extended {Five Mile Increments}(5), Penetrates Concealment(4), Radius(2), Rapidx12{Search full area in normal time}(24), Tracking all-out(3)] {55} AP: Telekinesis 22 (Str 110; PFs: Accurate x6, Precise, Indirect, Subtle, Affects Insubstantial x2) {55} AP: Teleport 16 (nearby star systems; Extra: Accurate; PFs: Change Velocity, Easy, Progression x 4 [2,500 lbs] {54} AP: Teleport 13 (Extra: Portal (+2); PF: Progression x2 [25-ft. Portal]) {54} Regeneration 12 (Bruised 1/round, Injured 1/round, Staggered 1/20 Minutes, Disabled 1/5 Hours, Resurrection 1/week [unless burned]) (PFs: Regrowth) [9 pp] Super Movement 3 (Dimensional 3 [any]; PF: Alternate Power) [7 pp] AP: Flight 3 (50 MPH / 500 feet per Move action) [6pp] Super Senses [Magic Awareness(mental)] [3] Super Senses [Dimensional Awareness(mental)] [1] Super Senses [Mental; Ranged] [1] Drawbacks: (-3pp) Vulnerable (moderate/uncommon: fire) (-3pp) DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE TYPE Unarmed Melee DC15/Toughness (Staged) Bruise/Injury (Magic) Blast 13 Ranged 28/Toughness (Staged) Bruise/Injury Dimensional Pocket 6 Melee 16/Reflex Special Nullify (Dimensional) 10 Melee/Area Burst 20/Will Special Stun 13 Ranged 23/Will (Staged) Daze/Stun/Unconscious Telekinesis (Thrown Object) 18 Ranged 33/Toughness (Staged) Bruise/Injury Costs: Abilities (32) + Combat (22) + Saves (16) + Skills (19) + Feats (13) + Powers (133) - Drawbacks (+3) = 232/250 Power Points