Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'wander'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • Welcome to Freedom City
    • Campaign Discussion
    • Character Building
    • Character Bank
    • Freedom City News
  • The City of Freedom
    • Downtown Freedom
    • North Freedom
    • South Freedom
    • West Freedom
    • Other Areas Around Freedom
  • The World of Freedom
    • The Lands Beyond
    • The Worlds Beyond
    • The Realms Beyond
    • Non-Canon Tales
  • Out of Character Discussion
    • Off-Panel
    • Archives

Categories

  • Getting Started
    • Templates
    • About the Site
  • People of Freedom
    • Player Characters
    • Non-Player Characters
    • Super-Teams and Organizations
    • Reputations in Freedom
  • Places of Freedom
    • Freedom City Places
    • Earth Prime Places
    • Interstellar Places
    • Multiversal Places
  • History of Freedom
    • Events
    • Timelines
    • People
  • Objects of Freedom
    • Items
    • Ideas

Categories

  • Player Guide
  • House Rules
  • Sample Characters

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


AIM


MSN


Website URL


ICQ


Yahoo


Jabber


Skype


Location


Interests

  1. Lor Timemark 1329.8 - March 1, 2015 Garron-9, Garron System Trooper Ekna Veiu sat strapped into the back of the transport ship between a Lor mentat clone with a lantern jaw and a member of a scale covered species he couldn't name and tried to steady his breathing. He'd never planned to be a soldier but then the Communion had ripped through the Khanate, leaving the precious few survivors to flee or be turned into monsters. The Lor loved to talk about never forgetting Lor-Van but they hadn't been the only people to lose a homeworld and they weren't the only ones who'd wanted to fight back. Ekna was seventeen stellar cycles old; that had seemed like so long sitting around on his family farm waiting for his life to start, old enough to enlist with the Coalition forces, certainly. As the ship shook from atmospheric turbulence and he clenched his grey-green hands all he think about was whether or not he'd see his eighteenth cycle celebration. There weren't any enemy ships in the skies above Garron-9, at least. There didn't need to be. What had once been a densely populated border world with almost a billion inhabitants was now a solid sphere of computronium, a planet-sized server to add to the Communion's processing power. A billion people converted into raw materials and 'antibodies', the mindless, shrieking foot soldiers of the enemy. This was only Ekna's second deployment but he'd already gotten to see those up close and personal. They'd lost that moon but he'd acquitted himself well, getting his wounded sergeant to safety. They'd given him a commendation for that. They didn't mention the rest of his squad when they shook his hand. He didn't mention the night terrors he'd had ever since. That was how he'd ended up as part of one of four squads deploying to Garron-9 with a simple mission: fight their way through and take down a communication relay, in theory briefly blinding the Communion in the adjacent sector long enough for something apparently above his pay grade. Troopers didn't need to know the big picture, he guessed. He looked up from his knees and immediately regretted it as he saw the Grue strapped in across from him scowling right at him. At least Ekna thought the Grue was scowling. It was hard to tell with no mouth. He immediately looked back down regardless. Most of the other troopers were more experienced soldiers and most of them had experience fighting against those who were suddenly their allies. Tensions were always high but the calm before the storm was always the worst. Then again, at least he knew what a Grue was. Each squad had been assigned a commander for the mission, though Ekna got the impression the rank wasn't exactly official. One of them was a stern Lor officer with no patience for excuses; he'd met a lot of those in the past months. The Zultasian told a lot of jokes and laughed loudly, all swagger and confidence. Ekna had never seen anything like the grey skinned woman with the cybernetic tail, though, and even though the forth commander didn't look all that much older than him he'd heard some of the other soldiers say she wasn't really Lor but Terran and everybody had a friend of a friend with a horror story about a Terran. Ekna risked glancing up again to the back of the transport where all four of them were standing, holding onto handing straps and conversing.
  2. Go ahead and describe how your character got to this point and what they think about the others!
  3. April 24, 2015 Lantern Hill The McCay Bridge, one of the oldest in Freedom City and the furthest upriver, got little use by the second decade of the 21st century. The traffic that the 19th century builder had hoped to capture had gone south to Freedom City proper in the years before Lantern Hill and Freedom merged together - and even Route 6 which runs through this part of town and over the Wading had gained a real bridge back in the 1940s during its initial construction. In need of repair, the McCay had long since been closed to truck traffic and was primarily used by commuters going back and forth between Hanover and Lantern Hill. On the night of the 24th of April, Monsoon sat on one of the brick towers of the McCay and looked out at the water below, feeling the distant pressure of its movements. She'd grown up on an island filled with water and so Freedom City's amount of rivers had been pleasantly familiar - albeit sometimes unpleasantly cold. She could stand the bottom of the sea as befit a daughter of Typhoon, but the waters around Freedom City were cool this time of year! In summer-time, when the sun's rays warmed even the bottom of the river, then things were comfortable. She checked her smartwatch, wondering if her partner for the evening was going to arrive on time or not. She'd only met Travis Hunter a few times but had respected the drive that had remained in the old man - and respected him more when she'd seen the grief his death had brought Mark. Maybe she'd never had a grandfather, but she knew the obligations that came with family - and the grief that came when it was taken away. Not for the first time that evening, she thought of Socotra.
  4. December 25, 2014 Freedom City Midnight Manor Late in the evening on Christmas Day, a Deep One sang an eerie song in the Midnight Manor, her body silhouetted by the darkness outside. "BUT I GET UP AGAIN! YOU'RE NEVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN! WOO!" As her song finished and the strains of Tubthumping vanished into the quiet of what was sometimes one of many front parlors in the Hunter mansion, Aquaria leaped in the air and cheered, her smooth, wet skin glistening from the exertion of the vigorous karoake number. "I am awesome!" For their part, Mark and Nina both cheered and applauded - Mark hadn't been at all sure bringing the machine along was the right idea, but luckily Jessie's amphibian friend had practically snatched the karaoke machine up with her tongue and practically begged to go first. (Jessie had, blushingly, commented that Aquaria used to do this a lot before disappearing herself) Aquaria first approached Mark and Nina, since they had been the latest to the party - only arriving after Martha Lucas had turned in early and left her son and his girlfriend free for Christmas. "You guys want a turn? C'mon, don't be chicken!" Between Nina's competitive streak and Mark's natural showmanship, it wasn't long before the couple was standing in front of the computerized board, picking out their song - 500 Miles seeming to be an early favorite. Aquaria bounded over to join Erin and Trevor to watch the show, declaring, "Surface music is great, you can yell so loud when you're singing! And nobody complains!"
  5. Earth Z-Omega-1(extinct)Earth Z-Omega-1(extinct) is the designation of a cataloged but unexplored close-offshoot reality to Earth Prime. First contact was made on October 2, 2008, when Dr. Alexander Atom of Earth Z-Omega-1(extinct) made contact with his Earth Prime counterpart by means of an experimental interdimensional communications array. During the course of the contact, Dr. Atom (Prime) was able to elicit information about the alternate universe from his counterpart, as well as arrange for the refugee transfer of one survivor from the series of disasters that rendered the world uninhabitable. The designation, which uses Freedom League Standard Notation, indicates the planet's status: Earth: This universe is a parallel Earth world and English is or was a dominant language.Z: This universe is hostile, unexplored, and uninhabitable. No further in-person research is planned.Omega: This universe is suspected to have fallen under the influence of the Terminus.1: This is the first universe of its kind discovered.Extinct: This parallel Earth once harbored a Primelike population, but the entire population has since been wiped out. History of EZO1(e)It is difficult to pin down the first point of divergence between EZO1 and Prime, but the most likely point for major divergence occurred in the fall of 2006. What on Earth Prime was a largely overestimated outbreak of avian flu strain H5N1 through the fall and winter of 2006, on EZ01 mutated into a previously unseen and far more deadly strain of virulent influenza, dubbed “the hero flu.” The new strain was transmittable through most known vectors, and carried an extraordinarily high morbidity and mortality rate. Like H5N1, it began in Southeast Asia, but spread quickly through the entire world, often with no identifiable point of contagion. Investigation into the outbreak pattern of the disease was hampered greatly by the speed at which carriers succumbed and the rapid degradation of conditions in major universities and laboratories around the world. Researchers estimated that up to one in three human beings would die of the new strain of flu by the end of 2007 if the virus could not be contained. Unlike many strains of influenza, the young and healthy showed no more resistance to the hero flu than the infirm. Reports indicated that in fact metahumans with clearly superior immune systems were still vulnerable, and often succumbed even faster than unaugmented humans to the disease, hence the colloquial name. By March of 2007, according to survivor testimony, martial law was declared in major U.S. cities and government infrastructure began shutting down. In desperation, the CDC and WHO, in close cooperation with the Freedom League and UNISON released an experimental vaccine. No vaccine had been created that could stop the virus, instead, the vaccine was designed to augment the bodies of victims so that they could withstand the ravages of the flu long enough for its relatively brief latency to pass. In initial tests, the vaccine appeared successful, with victims recovering in controlled conditions. The vaccine entered mass emergency production worldwide, in an unprecedented effort at 100% worldwide vaccination, assisted by nearly every surviving superintellect of every affiliation. Simultaneous vaccine programs began around the world on 18 April, 2008, reaching over seven hundred fifty million people in the fourteen days following its deployment, in an effort that spanned all continents and known people groups. Initial responses to the vaccine were highly favorable, with an immediate and dramatic lowering of the death toll from the hero flu. In fact, there were no reported casualties from flu among the vaccinated population, even among those who had already been gravely ill. Some rioting was reported outside vaccination centers as families camped in lines for days to wait for doses to become available. After the fifth day of the vaccination program, irregularities were reported among the vaccinated population, brain dead patients who still exhibited substantial motor function, patients whose bodies combated the flu symptoms at the expense of higher mental functions, even several reported cases of vaccinated persons who did not contract the flu activating the vaccine's response through other, lesser calls on the immune system. Affected persons were quarantined, but the immunization program continued for another seven to nine days. On 1 May, 2007, the WHO called for an immediate halt to all vaccination programs, and for the destruction of any remaining stores of vaccine. Continued observation of vaccinated persons had proved conclusively that the vaccine was extraordinarily destructive to higher brain function, in essence preserving the body by destroying the mind. Victims of the vaccine's ill effects became zombielike, extremely strong and resilient, able to survive conditions that would normally cause death, but with no observable higher functions. They existed, in essence, merely for the sake of continued existence. They were also observed to be extremely hostile to human life, reacting with violence when faced with unaffected human beings. Despite these reports, the continued spread of the hero flu led many people to seek the vaccine anyway. Eyewitness reports of the time indicate that few vaccines were destroyed, and that most were sold on the black market before the full effects of the drugs became known. Quarantine areas for the so-called “zombies” were quickly erected, but seem to have had little effect. The vaccination program had focused heavily on health care workers, public servants, and the armed forces in many countries, leaving those individuals who were the most necessary for successful quarantine the most likely to require it themselves. Quarantine procedures rapidly broke down, and violence became widespread throughout major cities as the vaccine's victims spread out and began killing those who had not been affected. With the decline of military and police power, governmental infrastructure around the world began to collapse, along with transportation and communication. On 13 May, 2007, the Office of the President of the United States released a final press release asking for citizens to remain calm and stay in their homes if at all possible, and promising that a new vaccine would be forthcoming soon. After this point, it becomes impossible to frame a coherent timeline of world events, due to the breakdown in global communications and a lack of survivor knowledge. The lone human refugee to arrive on Earth Prime was debriefed, but due to isolation and tender years could not place dates on any events after May of 2007, but states she did not encounter any survivors after that month until the early summer of 2008, when she found a single pocket of perhaps two dozen survivors. Projections conducted by Dr. Atom EZO1 suggest the survival of perhaps as little as five thousand human survivors worldwide, probably in pockets of no more than thirty or forty individuals. The disposition of this world's nonhuman and potentially immune superheroes and supervillains could not be ascertained, but Dr. Atom theorizes that many of them left when it became obvious that there was nothing left to save. Current StatusThis universe is currently under strict quarantine by the Freedom League, and is not slated for any further investigation or development. All information regarding this world's existence and its history are classified. The one refugee survivor, an adolescent metahuman, was thoroughly decontaminated and debriefed, and has been assisted into a new life on Earth Prime. No sample of the pathogen which caused the hero flu was discovered on the refugee or in the air sample that arrived with her, but the continued presence of the flu in that timeline has not been ruled out. Experimentation to discover the nature of the pathogen and possible treatment has been vetoed as excessively risky, given the conditions on the world and the known deadliness of the viral strain. Dissemination of information regarding this timeline is unlikely to contribute to scientific discourse, and has been deemed very likely to contribute to public unease on Earth Prime, and so shall remain classified indefinitely. Dr. Atom EZO1 ceased communication with Earth Prime on 3 December, 2008, after conveying what information he had and ascertaining that the refugee he delivered was healthy and being cared for. His last message was an expression of remorse for his work on the vaccine project, along with a quote from John Donne. Before the cessation of contact, Atom provided his theory as to the divergence. He theorized that the hero flu was not a naturally occurring pathogenic strain, but had been introduced by an outside force looking to diminish or destroy humanity. In a communication on 28 November, 2008, Atom indicated that ships of unknown configuration were approaching Earth, but remained outside satellite communication range. Dr. Atom Prime and the Earth Prime Freedom League suspected at the time that the events on EZO1 may be directly related to the activities of Omega and the Terminus. In the spring of 2011, the members of Claremont Academy's superteam Young Freedom returned from an interdimensional mission that included a stay on EZO1(e). They reported that the world had been overrun by Omegadrones in the intervening three years and had become an outpost for Physician Friendly, who admitted to engineering the hero flu. The heroes reported that they destroyed the majority of the Terminus presence on the world, in part by sealing its Freedom City into the Zero Zone with the help of veteran hero Rick Lucas. It is unknown whether further travel to EZO1(e) would be possible now by any means, but as the world remains under strict interdiction, no investigation is planned. Related WorldsIn 2010, the Young Freedom superteam, again on an interdimensional mission, encountered a dimensional doppelganger of the superheroine Wander on Earth V-Malign-1(enemy), commonly known as Anti-Earth. This doppelganger, codenamed Singularity, was found to be from a closed-loop dimensional offshoot of EZO1(e) that probably existed for only a few hours. This offshoot timeline was designated Earth-Z-Omega-2(extinct).
  6. Wander Keeley Erin White (formerly Erin Keeley White), is the civilian alter-ego of the superheroine called Wander. Born November 11, 1992, in an alternate timeline (Freedom League Designation Earth Z-Omega-1(extinct)), Erin White arrived on Earth Prime October 17, 2008. Her legal name was changed shortly thereafter, to avoid confusion with her native double. She graduated from the Claremont Academy in Freedom City in the spring of 2011. She currently works as Chief of Security at HAX, a supertech company owned by Mara Halloman. In Erin's superhero identity as Wander, she is currently a member of the Liberty League. She's a former founding member of Young Freedom and keeps in touch with most of her old teammates. Wander's powers include superhuman agility, speed and strength, as well as an enhanced constitution that protects her from disease, poison, and most physical injury. She also has the ability to heal extremely quickly from injuries. She is a seasoned fighter and an experienced hero alone or in team-ups. Timeline 2009 SpringTouching Down: Erin arrives in Freedom City from Seattle with all her worldly possessions in a duffle bag. She is met by Alex Albright (Psyche) and Mike Harris (Phalanx) who are also starting school at Claremont Academy. The trio bonds over being the same age and uncertainty about the new school, and Alex offers to tutor Erin to help her catch up before the new school year.(Un)Familiar Faces: Erin, Alex and Mike arrive at Claremont Academy and get the ten-cent tour from Mrs. Harcourt. Alex and Erin are assigned as roommates for the summer.Going Walkabout Erin explores the school grounds on her own, but finds it difficult to let go of the habits and outlook she learned in her old life.Coping Strategies: Dr. Marquez, the school psychologist, assigns Erin to the Interdimensional Student Support Group, for kids from alternate realities. She meets several other students, including her classmates Quark and Agent H, but is quickly depressed by the stories of alternate realities and frustrated by the seemingly asinine response from the psychologist. She walks out of the group and does not attend again.Notes from Therapy: Wander Erin continues in private sessions with Dr. Marquez, but is less than communicative. As a compromise, he asks her to write stories to convey her feelings about all she has been through. SummerThe Sweet Science Erin and Mike help Coach Jones test some new gym equipment, and prepare for their upcoming placement tests.Placement Test: Wander: Mr. Archer, the gym teacher, gives Erin her combat assessment in the Doom Room holosimulator. After priming her adrenaline response with physical challenges and perceived threats to life and limb, he tells her to fight four simulated opponents using her normal fighting style. She frightens off one opponent, kills the next two messily, and nearly knocks herself unconscious fighting the last one before Mr. Archer ends the test. Both of them are badly shaken by the testing and what it reveals about Erin's readiness to fight for the side of good.What Dreams May Come Rattled by the combat assessment, Erin falls asleep and has a nightmare, inadvertently pulling her psychic roommate Alex along for the ride. Alex gets a look at the horrors of Erin's past and does her best to help, bringing the pair closer together.The Delicate Art of Thunder Erin goes with Mr. Archer to have specialized training from a powerhouse heroine called Thunderstanding. They get off to a rocky start when Erin finds it difficult to curb the reflexes that make her fight to kill, but eventually begins working on a number of drills to eventually make her safe for hero work.Making Schemes Erin strikes up a tentative friendship with Hope (Agent H), another dimensional refugee from a world overrun by Nazis.Making Friends Erin, Alex and Mike make the acquaintance of Eddie (Breakdown), a brash new student who is not sure whether he wants to be a hero or a famous DJ. That same afternoon they meet another student, Mark Lucas (Edge) a heroic legacy who already has a year at Claremont under his belt. They explore the library and meet Zaranna and her micro-raptor Squeaker, who once bit Mark during a sensitive moment while he and Zaranna were dating.Darian and Erin: Erin gets tutoring from Darian (Quark), who tries to teach her history with the use of a time-travel device. In the process she meets Dr. Tomorrow, gets a bit of her memory erased, and begins to wonder if Quark's fantastic devices might hold the key to going back and saving her world before it died. Darian opens a portal to her home on EZO1, but when she sees a moving humanoid shadow, she has a panic attack and makes him shut it down without going through.Out Tonight Mark wins tickets to a concert and invites his friends along, including upperclassman Chris Kenzie (Geckoman), partially due to his having a vehicle. They arrive at the concert to find Eddie already there, line-jumping and schmoozing. Chris winds up flirting with two supervillainesses, who try to put the whammy on him before Erin picks him up bodily and carries him out of danger, much to his chagrin.And Hell Came Knocking: Erin meets new classmate James Prophet (Hellion), scion of a prominent local family and possessor of an interesting set of hellfire-related powers. They arrange to play videogames together some night, as he is also of the rarely-sleeping persuasion.Take Me Out to the Ball Game: On a school outing to a Comets game, the gang arrive late due to some very unlucky traffic patterns and a wrong turn. By the time they arrive, the stadium has been taken hostage by villains Tech Kid and Mystic Force. The students work together to stop the villains and free the civilians, though once again Erin finds it extremely difficult to control her powers in the midst of a fight. At the end of the battle, Mark coins a team name, Young Freedom.Up All Night: Erin and James bond over a night of video games, two very guarded people letting their walls down just a little bit.Sweet Sixteen: Alex's sixteenth birthday party is all fun in the sun with Young Freedom until they uncover a map that leads to her mom's abandoned underground base. It's the perfect new HQ for a new team!Growing Up Claremont: Alex and Erin sign up for Driver's Ed and gossip about their male teammates. Erin asks Alex about Darian's time-travel suggestion, but Alex gently breaks the news that while going back in time might create a new and better timeline for a divergent Erin and her family, it will not bring back the family Erin lost. Erin is crushed but tries to hide it, and decides that now would be a good time to try sparring with Mike.Schoolyard Brawl Erin and Mike's sparring session leads to anger and hurt feelings when they tell each other uncomfortable truths that neither are ready to face. Alex steps in to try and smooth the ragged edges, but has a few unresolved issues of her own to deal with.The Other Goods Alex needs a dress for her first date with Mark, so she and Erin hit the mall. Erin manages to brave the crowds long enough to act like a normal teenager and is very proud of herself.Those Who Fight Monsters Erin comes across James sleeping in the library and, after nearly getting stabbed, learns about his nightly visits to hell courtesy of his demon-lord father. She tries to share with him a little about her world, but can't handle it and runs away. They reconcile later over Mario Kart and things go back to normal.Postgame Analysis After Alex returns from her date with Mark, she and Erin discuss how it went and what she ought to do next, then play a game of Life using house rules based on themselves and their teammates.Wandering Edge Erin and Mark work together in the simulator and learn that they make a formidable team. Erin manages to not botch a diplomatic situation, and Mark gets taken for a ride.Birthday at the Park: James treats all his friends to a day at Ocean Heights Amusement Park for his birthday, including food, rides and prepaid gift cards for the stores. Erin uses her card to augment her severely limited wardrobe and enjoys rides with her friends. At the end of the day, they fight some cultists and the emotion-controlling demon they summoned.A Three-Hour Tour: Erin tries to help recruit her friend Hope onto Young Freedom, but the effort is pretty much derailed by student shenanigans and a surprise trip to Erde.Morning in America: Erin, Mike, Mark and Chris wind up in Freedom City on Erde, while Alex, James, Eddie and Hope are sent to Erde's Kaiju Island. The foursome destroy a Nazi facility, where Erin scores a decisive victory against a small army of Nazi robots and disable a device that the Nazis had been using to contact other dimensions. They scavenge the pieces they need to repair the Resistance's teleporter, then head off to find their friends.Reunited and it Feels So Good: The students are teleported home from Erde, whereupon Eddie immediately says something dumb and insensitive about Nazis to Hope. Erin skips the debriefing to take her friend somewhere she can cool off.The Visit: Erin gives Dr. Haviland (Gossamer), the new chemistry teacher, a tour of the school grounds. She is mildly freaked out by the new teacher's impressive hair-based powers.Creative Destruction: Mike and Erin end up together in the Doom Room again, but this time on the same side. They patch up their differences, break the simulator, defeat a couple of villains, and cook up a plan to try simulator softball one of these days.Car Shopping: James takes Erin and Alex car shopping, theoretically for a vehicle for Young Freedom, then winds up sneakily buying Erin the blue pickup truck she's fallen in love with. FallTraining Maneuvers: Erin goes through another painful combat assessment from Mr. Archer in the Doom Room. This time she avoids killing any of her opponents, but begins to respond with lethal force to a powerful opponent. Mr. Archer gives her a real-life version of the padded bat she's been training with in the simulator.Sunny Afternoon Erin tries out her socializing ability by welcoming an uncertain new student to the school.The End of the World: Mike and Alex take Erin and Mark to the library as part of a convoluted scheme by Eddie and Chris for Mike to ask Erin on a date. Before anything can happen, Erin notices Mystic Force from the baseball stadium doing something nefarious with the library computers. It escalates into a standoff on the steps outside, one that is broken when Zoe Harris (Zephyr) comes hurtling back into the past from 30 years in the future to help her parents and their friends. Zoe spins a convoluted story to explain where she comes from, but eventually tells the truth to Erin and Headmaster Summers, asking them both to keep her secrets.Guitar Heroes: After Zoe's revelations, Erin assures her she will keep the secret, but advises Zoe that Alex will find out one way or another. She is surprised by the fact that she apparently lives another thirty years in Zoe's timeline, then clears out of the way so Zoe can go meet Eddie to join his band.Mysteries and Gossip: Back in their room, Erin and Alex discuss the day, including Mike's odd behavior and Zoe's appearance. Erin isn't exactly swept off her feet by the idea that Mike considers her “safe” to ask on a date, but doesn't rule out the possibility. She does her best to keep Alex from prying into Zoe's background, but is not terribly successful.Cool Air: Mike takes the advice of his friends and asks Erin out on a practice date, which she agrees to with some reluctance. They play simulator baseball, have a simulated brawl, share a milkshake, and fly over the lights of Freedom City at night. Erin feels awkward, but it's oddly nice.Some Girls: Despite Erin's best efforts to dissuade her, Alex runs a DNA profile on Zoe and discovers the truth about her parentage. Daisy (Student Body) overhears Alex's tearful discussion with Erin about how she isn't ready to be a mother, and gleefully spreads a mistaken conclusion all over school. Mike very nearly beats Mark to a pulp before Alex intervenes, and everyone starts to figure out what's actually going on. Alex and Mark break up, and Mike's experiment with practice girlfriends is finished.Beautiful City: Erin and Alex work together in the Doom Room for the first time, where Alex acquits herself well despite Erin's overprotective instincts. They are rewarded by additional homework from Mr. Archer.Memory: Mike stops by Erin's room for a chat on the awkward topic of breaking up a relationship that may or may not have existed. Erin insists that one outing as friends didn't mean anything more than that, but admits that maybe, if things were different, she might have liked there to be more.The Morning Of James and Erin play video games in the early morning hours of October 31. James mentions he's been having odd power spikes, and cagily mentions he has to deal with family business that evening. Erin shares that she's been confined to quarters for the evening to prevent accidents with partygoers. As he says goodbye, James tosses Erin the keys to his car, saying he won't be needing them. Erin misses the ominous overtone, too excited about the chance to go driving.Speak of the Devil: Halloween night, Erin begins to worry about James and goes to look for him. She finds a farewell note in his room and calls for her friends to help track him down before he does anything stupid. After a consultation with Phantom, the team heads out for a rescue mission.Another One Bites the Dust: Erin, Mark, Mike and Alex find James in an old cemetery, making his last stand against a small army of demons. There is a pitched battle, in which Alex and Mike both manage previously untouched levels of power, but it is not enough to keep James from being dragged off into hell.Fallen Friends: In the week after Halloween, Erin and Alex do research to try and find a way to reach and rescue James. They come up totally empty, and Erin begins to crack under the strain.Invasion:Riverside Gate: Young Freedom is called to fight a demonic Hellion and close the gate that is releasing a demon army on Freedom City. The fight seems hopeless, with far more demons than can be fought, until Psyche weaponizes the power of friendship and Erin controls her fighting instincts long enough to reach out to her lost friend. James comes back to himself and shuts the gate on his father, returning the city to pre-invasion calm.Rapproachment: Days after the end of the demonic invasion, James finds Erin exercising after dark and comes over to apologize to her. They mend fences over all that was said and unsaid, and Erin finally gets a chance to drive James' car with him in it.Giving Thanks: Acting with the very best of intentions, Mark invites Erin to his home for an awkward Thanksgiving dinner with his family. Erin appreciates the gesture and does her best, but is still drowning in grief for her own lost family. Her one saving grace is the mangy orange cat who seems to have adopted her, and who makes her feel better when she pets him.Beyond the Veil: Erin and Oliver turn out to support Mark when he learns the truth of his origins: his father is actually the son of Jimmy Lucas' genie pal rather than Jimmy Lucas himself, making Mark one-quarter djinn himself. Erin also has her first meeting with Phantom, a rather tense one until Phantom assures her that she won't be throwing Erin off Earth Prime. 2010 WinterMoney for Nothing: Over Christmas Break, Alex cooks up a plan to play the stock market and build up a college fund for Zoe. She hires Erin to keep an eye on the stocks at night, and helps her out by making her a stock-owning employee of the new company and dumping a basic course in the stock market into her head. Erin is not sure about any of this working, but needs money for cat food and wants to help out anyway.It's a Jungle Out There: Young Freedom goes on their first international adventure, traveling to Dakana to fight a clone of Shadivan Steelgrave. They defeat him and save his captured proles from firey volcanic death, but during the standoff, Erin learns that the Terminus was responsible for the virus that began the apocalypse in her home dimension.Fatherly Advice: Rick Lucas makes an unusual evening visit to Erin's dorm room to say that Mark will recover from his experience in Dakana and to warn her about the perfidious evil of Shadivan Steelgrave.Gazing Into the Abyss: Erin seeks out the dimensional guardian Phantom for more information about the Terminus and the man Steelgrave called Friendly. Phantom tells her about Physician Friendly and his horrible hospital on Nihilor, and confirms that he could well have killed Erin's world, but warns her that he is too well-defended for Erin to try and fight with any hope of success.Battle of the Sexes: Erin, Alex, Mike and Mark square off in a silly girls-versus-boys match to test their new simulator. The girls defeat the boys using an amusing human-size hamster ball and flee the scene to savor their victory.It Is Well With My Soul: Erin and James hear a rumor about a real honest-to-god (so to speak) angel in Freedom City. Since they both have a bone to pick with religion, they go seek out Heyzel, who does seem to be the real deal. No productive conversation ensues, but everyone gets something to think about.Title of Show: Young Freedom's training game of Capture the Flag on campus is interrupted when Erin and Mike nearly collide at high speeds with new student Faith. Mark executes a daring last-minute save and proceeds to unleash every romantic cliche he can think of to impress the pretty new girl. Everyone else proceeds to tease Mark, who totally ignores them in favor of his new and very impressed conquest.From the Shore to the Water: Alex and Erin go swimsuit shopping after being invited to James' mid-winter pool party extravaganza. They discuss strategies for Alex's ongoing seduction of Mike, as Erin attempts to find a swimsuit that doesn't make her look like a bodybuilder. Erin is not certain whether she'll have fun at James' kind of party, but promises to at least make an appearance.Beach Party in Winter James throws a temperature-controlled beach party for all his friends, and Erin goes with some trepidation. She has fun for awhile, then is roped into an uncomfortable conversation about the inevitable implosion between Mark and his girlfriend Faith.Beyond the Door: Erin goes back to St. Stephen's for another theological discussion with Freedom Angel, this time without taking James along. She keeps her temper a little better this time, long enough to ask about how Heaven works, even if she doesn't understand the answers. Freedom Angel admits that God has not spoken to his angels in nearly 1500 years, which is sobering to them both. SpringI Don't Know Kung-Fu: Erin attempts to teach her teammate Geckoman how to fight hand-to-hand after he loses his zappers in a fight against his supervillain girlfriend. They make some progress, but are hampered by fundamental differences in approaches to combat.A Day Without Powers: Some of the kids from Young Freedom agree to wear power suppressors for a day for a school project. Erin feels weak and clumsy, but is much less affected by the suppressors than some of her more powerful classmates.Midnight Meeting: While spending yet another late night in the common room, Erin meets new student Trevor Hunter, Midnight II, who is also a night owl. She offers to show him the Doom Room, and they run through a training scenario together and are reasonably impressed by each others' abilities. Erin offers to put in a good word for him with Young Freedom if he wants a team.Enter the Squid: Erin gives new student Blake, Kid Cthulhu, a quick tour of the school after Oliver gives him the cold shoulder upon his arrival.Monsters in the Streets:Bayview: With monsters attacking all over the city, Young Freedom is called to save the Pramas bridge from a trio of giant monsters set on shaking it to bits, civilians and all!New Sound: Oliver introduces Erin to another new student. Warren, called Rift, is a sound controller who is eager to meet people and get started at Claremont.Midnight Express: Erin and Trevor meet up on another late night. He takes her for a thrilling ride on his motorcycle, including a cable jump of the Pramas Bridge. They fight a little crime and have a surprisingly easy chat over coffee and cocoa, then Trevor invites Erin to a fancy dress party in a few weeks time.House of L: A sudden alert on Memorial Day draws Erin, Trevor and some of her teammates and friends to Mark's home, where he's just fought off another Steelgrave robot. They arrive just in time for the booby-trapped chassis to explode, impaling Mark with a metal shard and killing him instantly. At the hospital, Rick Lucas has a complete meltdown in a roomful of grieving heroes, lashing out at his old comrades and vanishing most of the Freedom League before making a wish that everything would be how it was supposed to be again.House of L: Wakeup Call: Erin finds herself falling onto the lawn of Freedom Hall, where she is immediately chased across town by a doppelganger who calls her “Rednaw.” Her friends have all been dropped into new, Rick Lucas-approved lives, but Erin is a wild card for some reason. They quickly discover that not following the script can lead to people being deleted or hurt, as happens to Chris when he throws a punch at his gone-evil girlfriend. They regroup aboard James' brand new spaceship (aliens being more Lucas-approved than demons) and try to make a plan to set things right.House of L: Bringing Down the House: Now reunited, Erin and her friends set off to look for Mark, and find him trapped in a warped version of his own home, apparently for safekeeping. They break him out and go to confront Rick Lucas in Freedom Hall, trying to convince him to fix the world. Erin reminds him that he is not the only one who is desperate to change the past, but this is not the way. Eventually Rick breaks down and uses his power again, dissolving the world.House of L: The End: When the world reforms itself again, Erin and her friends are standing on Mark's lawn, along with Mark's parents and Mark himself, still alive. Rick then tells his family he can't stay, that two reality warpers of his caliber would damage the world, and tells them he loves them before vanishing. A grieving Mark asks to be left alone with his mom, so his friends slowly dispersed, having won a victory that seems somehow a little hollow.No More Good Days: Mark reaches out to Alex and Erin for help dealing with his many emotions surrounding his father's disappearance and his own temporary death.Fisticuffs 2: Opening Credits: Erin attends a citywide sparring match for superheroes, looking to meet some heroes and pick up some pointers. Instead she encounters Dead Head for the first time, which results in an embarrassing loss of composure for her and an inconvenient loss of head for him.Consolations and Remembrances: After fleeing her confrontation with Dead Head, Erin comes back to campus, where James finds her crying against a tree. She pours out the story of her powers and her dead world to him, and he does his best to comfort her, for all he has to admit that she probably didn't kill Dead Head. James promises things will get better, and she tries hard to believe him.Life Lessons: Erin meets up again with Dynamo, a speedster she met at the sparring match, when he comes to Claremont for powers testing. His intrusive questions fluster her and make her question the place she's tried so hard to achieve among her fellow students.So the Drama: Alex and Erin discuss recent events in Erin's life, especially her argument with Dynamo and the upcoming fancy-dress date with Trevor. Alex floats an idea for a junior prom, despite their concerns that some of the members of Next Gen will try to make trouble.Life's Parade of Fashion: Trevor takes Erin to meet his family tailor, an elderly but spry man named Frank who designs uniforms and formalwear for superheroes and mystery men. He decides to design Erin a red dress that she is slightly unsure about, and tells them stories of the good old days.A Simple Plan: Mike asks Erin for advice on whether he should propose to Alex even though they are still in high school, and how he should do it. She is diffident, but advises him to go ahead if he thinks he is truly ready. She also recommends keeping things very simple, no flashy stuff. He thinks this is a good call.Now What Did You Learn Dynamo brings Erin flowers and apologizes for his rude behavior on their last meeting. She accepts the apology and shows him how to use a tennis ball cannon for training.Walk Softly and Carry a Collapsible Stick: Erin meets Eve, a new student who is a mute telepathic gymnast. They work out together and have a very brief sparring session, then chat about the school.Cold Case: While out on patrol, Erin happens upon a misunderstanding-fight between Dead Head and Lady Winter. She drops in and subdues Dead Head's skeleton minions, threatens the zombie for a few minutes, then takes Lady Winter back to base so Psyche can help her find a place to live in Freedom City.Just Like Old Times: James' increasingly hectic schedule has been keeping him off campus, but he and Erin eventually find an evening to catch up. They talk about his new ship, brought over from Rick Lucas' world, and play Mario Kart. SummerSummer Job Listing: Erin answers an ad for a babysitter with combat skills and winds up interviewing with Phantom and Avenger for the job of babysitting their dhampir child. She impresses Avenger with her reflexes and hard right hook and gets the job.No Mercy: With Grue rampaging in the streets of Freedom City, Young Freedom and the Interceptors team up to protect the beleaguered Freedom Medical Center from an enormous Grue monster.Nockin' on Iron: Erin and James step in to assist a pair of new heroes who get in over their heads while trying to stop a drunk and disorderly villainess from tearing up a neighborhood.High Noon: Erin and Young Freedom work together to stop a deadly solar laser blast from incinerating large chunks of Freedom City, but although they see it is a manmade threat, they cannot find who might have done it.Could've Danced All Night: Erin and Trevor attend a fancy party as the representative of the Hunter family and his date. Trevor wins major points by letting her drive his classic limo on the way, and despite a little nervous awkwardness, they have fun dancing and socializing. By coincidence, James is also at the party, and realizes his feelings for Erin have shifted, though he does not make this known. At the end of the evening, Erin asks Trevor to the prom.Save Tonight: Erin and Trevor go to the prom Alex is putting on at the AEON building, only for the evening to be ruined by Daisy conspiring to out the truth of Zoe cheating on Eddie with James. Consternation turns to near-catastrophe when Eddie responds by driving a sports car into the ballroom, hoping to hit James, and Mike nearly causes mayhem on his own when he lets anger get the best of him. Eddie and Zoe break up, Eddie gets ejected from Young Freedom, and Trevor and Erin enjoy one quiet dance in a hallway, listening to Trevor's iPod.I See What You Did There: Young Freedom faces the music from the Headmaster after the prom disaster. Erin is surprised to be complimented on her handling of the situation.Strength to Strength: Duncan Summers lines up a new mentor for Erin: the heroine Fulcrum. After seeing Wander in action in Fisticuffs, Fulcrum is slightly ambivalent, and after losing her first mentor after a short period of time, Erin is ambivalent as well. They eventually go out for lunch and have a pleasant small-talk conversation.At The Mountains Mark brings his teammates with him on a trip to the Centurion's Sanctum to make sure things are still in good shape there. When they arrive, they find Medea and Dr. Stratos trying to release Superior from the Zero Zone. Medea mind-controls Erin to attack her friends, before James and Trevor working in concert manage to subdue her and get her back to fighting the bad guys again.Giant Dragon Bees: Erin and Jack of All Blades mend some fences while stopping some giant fire-breathing bees menacing Freedom City.MAWS Erin steps in to assist the heroine Fusion when she gets in over her head, so to speak, while fighting Megalodon and his army of shark mutates.A Clearer View: James invites Erin for a tour of his spaceship, where engine troubles and passive-aggressive AIs make the tour a little more fraught than fun. James finally confesses he has feelings for her that are more than friendly, leaving Erin very confused.Coincidences: Erin helps out a street-level hero named Drifter nap a fleeing crook, then has a talk with him about what it means to be a real hero.A Better World Erin meets a dimensionally-jumping version of herself from a universe where the vaccine that empowered her was distributed, rather than the zombie-causing vaccine. The other Erin's world now has two billion superheroes running around. She warns Erin to be on the lookout for Shadivan Steelgrave, who has attacked and hurt or killed a number of Erins along their shared universal axis, and mentions that there are Erins out there in even worse shape than Wander.Lights at His Back, Stars in His Eyes: Erin and Oliver meet the new carrier of the Beacon legacy, Erin rescues Mark from another ill-advised sky-high adventure, and Trevor has trouble with his increasingly light-sensitive eyes.Crypt Tonight: Erin is assigned to go talk with Dead Head as part of her cognitive behavioral therapy for zombies. They do not make friends, but she doesn't beat him up a third time, so it's a partial victory.Calimari on the Menu: Fusion invites Erin to her home for dinner as a thanks for her help with the giant sharks. Erin attends and manages to act normal the entire time, a significant accomplishment. Joan, a reporter in her civilian life, is very interested by Erin's lack of answers about her personal life.The Other Guys James invites Erin, Eve and Trevor to his ship to discuss the possibility of interdimensional adventures.Just Another Class Trip: Erin and Trevor go with Dark Star and some of their summer school classmates to an alien world tha is quickly invaded by the Stellar Khanate. Trevor and Erin work toghether to save their less-experienced classmates and the day as well.Rose-Tinted Glasses: Trevor's powers manifest in the form of a secondary mutation: black and red eyes. Erin, who has been getting steadily closer to Trevor, is thrown for a few minutes, but she and the rest of Trevor's friends quickly begin to adjust to the change.Midnight Oil: Erin works up her nerve and talks to Trevor about James' feelings for her, and why things have been slightly strained on the new team. She also tells him that she really likes him and wants to keep getting to know him, even though they both have issues that require care and time. She kisses him, he kisses her back, and they make plans to have dinner together later.We Can Be Like They Are: Erin has another nightmare about zombies, this one about all her friends and family as zombies, with a gleeful Dead Head reminding her that every zombie she's ever killed was a person once, part of somebody's family.Case of the Mondays: Erin drags a very reluctant Oliver off-campus for a visit with the city's only super vet. FallA Trip Between Two Worlds: Erin, Trevor and Mark get pulled into an alternate dimension where everyone's gender is reversed. Mark and Marcie hit it off big time and Trevor and Tricia get along, but Erin's own insecurities and self-doubt lead to lots of friction with her double Aaron.A Doktor Who Makes House Calls?!: Erin's quiet night of babysitting is interrupted when Dr. Archeville comes by to give JJ a checkup, and then interrupted further when the doktor reads an eldritch tome that possesses him and releases a quintet of monsters into the city.* Outing: Erin goes to sit with Mark at the hospital while he watches over his sick grandmother. Rick Lucas drops in for a visit as well, his first since leaving the dimension, and warns them that trouble with the Terminus is coming. Mark asks Erin how her father died, and she tells him.Mind Games: Erin, Trevor, Mark, Blake and Warren are dropped into Anti-Earth by an evil version of Rick Lucas, swapped with their counterparts to see who survives better. Erin is horrified to learn that her double is a dimensional refugee like herself, driven mad and caged until needed as a weapon.Whistling in the Dark: A slow night in Southside results in a four villain pile-up for Erin, Gabriel, Momentum and Dyne. Gabriel gives the younger heroes the lowdown on Southside, while Erin gives Momentum a sobering look at what it really means to be a superhero.Meet the Interceptors: Erin's mentor, Mona, takes Erin to the Brownstone to meet her team, the Interceptors. Erin gets a tour of the house and a look at the simulator, but is a little thrown by the team's super-casual vibe.Midnight Run: Erin and Trevor take Erin's newly customized truck for a spin, and the words “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” are tried out for the first time. Chocolate pie, a discussion about evil ex-girlfriends and some very exciting kisses round out the evening.Midnight Confessions: Erin decides to tell Trevor exactly how she came to be on Earth Prime, just in time for zombies to attack Freedom City. Flouting the restriction that she is to stay on campus during any undead activity, Erin helps Mark get his mom to safety at Midnight Manor, then follows Trevor out to fight.Midnight in Her Eyes: Several days after the zombie uprising, Trevor goes to check on Erin, who's had a hard time settling down. They talk about what happened in the Manor, and start getting comfortable with one another again.The Quality of Mercy: Mark brings Erin some new clothes to replace what was recently ruined or given away, and to talk about his decision to heal his evil doppelganger. Erin admits that she was angry about that, given how Hex treated her own double, but that she was more unhappy because there was nothing she could do to help the luckless Singularity. Mark talks about UNISON, and Erin reveals she plans to stay in Freedom City after graduation for reasons.Settling In: Erin has a brief conversation with Corbin, a new student who Oliver found up in a tree. They have little in common, but the exchange is friendly enough.Absent But Not Forgotten: Erin and JJ go on a babysitting adventure to the park, where they are surprised to encounter JJ's often-absent mom Taylor. Erin tries to encourage Taylor to spend more time with JJ, but mostly just ends up annoying her employer a little. She does get permission to bring Trevor along on babysitting jobs.This Party's Better Than It Seems: Erin opens her birthday box from the White family in Seattle, while chatting about school and making friends with Jill O'Cure. She gets a new netbook, some sweaters, and an heirloom necklace that is half the set that was Erin Prime's inheritance from her grandmother.Kill A Man: The members of Young Freedom are invited by White Lion to visit Dakana for fun and education. On the way there, they take advantage of Dakana's lower drinking age, get tipsy via Alex's telepathy, and play Truth or Dare. Erin tells Trevor she loves him, and he returns the sentiment. At the reception, Hellion turns up for the first time in four months.Kill A Man: Boys Boys Boys: After the reception, Erin and Alex enjoy the plush furnishings of their room in the palace and discuss what Erin wants to do with and about Trevor.Inside Out, Upside Down: Erin goes with Avenger, Dead Head and a weird grown-up Jack Junior to rescue Phantom and JJ when an argument with Heshem leads to them being trapped inside the Void. Minions are beaten down, speeches are made, and eventually Taylor retakes her mantle and Erin gets a paycheck that will be the security deposit on her first apartment.Mind Over Matter: Erin visits The Lab on an assignment to assist a scientist and write a report about it. She tries helping Supercape with a quantum energy project, but is much more effective helping him fight off the Factor Four when they try to rob the place! He offers to show her any alternate dimension she likes, but she takes a raincheck, saying she's not ready to go to the world she wants to visit.House on the Hill: Erin brings Trevor with her to babysit JJ, but first he must pass Avenger's somewhat obnoxious idea of an entrance exam.Starve Free: Erin meets Harrier, a freed Omegadrone, when he comes to campus. She takes him to the Doom Room and has him sketch out everything he knows about Physician Friendly's Helpful Hospice, in the hopes of taking it down herself.All Your Bank Are Belong To Us: Erin takes Cobalt Templar out on training patrol, only for things to turn surprisingly dangerous when they find Pax trying to protect a bank from a crowd of robot robbers. Erin manages to keep either boy from being hurt and defeats the leader robot, but at the cost of several ribs. Back on campus, Jill finds her and cures her with trademark blunt snarkiness. Alternate Timelines and Characters 2009Ghosts in the Shell Set in Earth C-Future-2, Zoe Harris' (Zephyr's) home timeline. Erin and Mark, middle aged and divorced in this world, search the rubble of Freedom City for Zoe after the disaster that killed Alex and Mike. Their daughter Clara shows up to help, but all the evidence points to Zoe using her super-speed to run straight towards an explosion she could not have survived. 2010Mind Games Remix: While Wander and Young Freedom struggle to find a way home from Anti-Earth, Singularity gets an intoxicating taste of freedom as the Young Imperials try to chase her down.
  7. It was getting late, nearly midnight as Wander leapt into the West End, landing atop a bank building to take in the lay of the land. Warmer weather was keeping people out later, which in turn invited more bad-deed-doers, but the night had been fairly quiet. She'd busted a teenage pickpocket at half past eight, saved a dog from traffic on the Pramas Bridge around nine-fifteen and served as a human jack for a motorist with a flat tire just after eleven. Street superheroing, a very glamorous life, she thought to herself with a small laugh. She'd take it over fighting off apocalypses any day. She was familiar with the West End but didn't come out here that often, just because there were so many superheroes who called this place home. Next to Bayview, it was the most super-dense population she knew of in the city. But the Interceptors were justifiably distracted these days, and she'd heard rumors that someone might be trying to cause them trouble, so she'd cruised through the area on her last few patrols. She wasn't technically responsible for Mara, Ellie and their family when she wasn't working, but they were still her friends. Never hurt to be a little cautious.
  8. March 1, 2015 Claremont Academy When Wander arrived at Duncan Summers' office, the headmaster emeritus was there to greet her as if it was still old times and she was still a Claremont student. She'd heard the old man was dialing back these days, gradually shifting the load of running the school to his daughter Callie, but in his black sweater and slacks, he certainly looked as hale and hearty as he ever had. Of course, when you spent a lot of time around Travis Hunter, a generation older than Duncan, maybe the Old Man didn't look so old after all. "Good afternoon, Ms. White," he told her cordially from behind his desk. As usual, thanks to his bad leg, he was seated at her approach. "Thank you for coming. I need you to do for one of my students what Fulcrum did for you when you were a student here." He didn't ask - evidently trusting her answer already. "I understand you've worked with Atlanteans in the past?"
  9. February 25th, 2015 Outside Silberman’s Books, Freedom City Dawn The city was never really quiet at any point in the day. Tona Baudin had crawled through the city’s guts and swung over its rooftops, and it never became entirely quiet. In the morning, though, before the streets were clogged by cars and the sidewalks were clogged by pedestrians, there was a sort of peace and calmness and attention that the city possessed. The fact that it was a dozen degrees below freezing also helped keep the streets clear. The cold didn’t stop Tona from taking her morning jog. She was wrapped up in a fleece jacket, a torque, a scarf that wrapped around her face twice, thick socks with warming pads, and mittens with warming pads. She was also carrying her bow and quiver tightly lashed to her back, though to most people it probably just looked like a Camelback. The archer had finished her first circuit and was returning to her apartment above Silberman’s, to wake up Mali and set out on the second circuit. As she closed on the building she noticed someone standing outside the store, which should not happen. The store didn’t open until just before noon, so there was no reason anyone should be here this early. Tona’s fingers twitched in her mittens and she adopted a looser, more rolling gait as she approached the tall, pale figure.
  10. Mirror ambled his way around Wading Way, it was just after the sun had set, and it was quieter now then it had been all day. Twirling his cane, he hummed quietly to himself as he watched the invisible spirit, Mary, peer down various alleys, and into buildings, when she could, as she tried to get a good look at a part of the city she had been to very rarely. "Oh come on, slow down. I want to get a good look at this stuff, you never bring me down here, and your world has so much new stuff in it." She said as they passed by another Bank where some of the Employees were still cleaning up. "Why don't you ever listen to me? You never do anything for me, please, just, this once?" No longer caring about appearances, if someone wandered up on him, his outfit alone said something was off. "Because, Mary, when I come down here I usually don't have time to be slow. However, tonight there hasn't been anything, so I guess I'll slowdown so you can take a closer look around. I'd say behave, but no one else can interact with you." Humming to himself once more, Mirror slowed down, and sighed, looking up at the sky. Mary was a bit of a pain, constantly bugging him, but he couldn't complain much, he could do things most people couldn't even dream of thanks to her. Though, it would be nice to have a distraction around, talking to a voice in your head, even with the way he's dressed up, tends to worry most people.
  11. February 14, 2014 Trevor Hunter lifted his girlfriend's feet with one hand to make room for himself on the loveseat before replacing them over his lap and handing her the steaming mug of hot chocolate he'd brought over from the adjacent kitchenette. In a fit of theater that went above his usually limited talent for food preparation he'd drizzled a swirl of melted dark chocolate around the whipped cream topping, taking advantage of the prodigious amount of confection they'd gathered in preparation for the four day long weekend they'd carved out for themselves. The room they'd settled into for the late afternoon was one of the less used in his family's manor, the short couch and the rest of the furniture looking like it had last been replaced sometime in the 1970s but it was the only room on the second floor with a fireplace, crackling away pleasantly now, and it had an extra touch of privacy compared to the larger rooms of the ground level. A cart that looked suspiciously like it might have been repurposed from carrying trays of beakers had been laden with a bountiful selection of fresh fruits and picnic foods while the side table that supported his own mug of black coffee also featured what had certainly been chemistry equipment before beginning a new career as a chocolate fondue pot. With a silent, happy sigh, Trevor settled in and lifted his cup to take a slow sip. It was nice to just have some quiet time with Erin for once, without some impending crisis hanging over their heads.
  12. The clock on the wall chimed gently, ten soft repetitive notes. In the rooms along the taupe hallway, the lights dimmed and went out, leaving just a narrow beam of illumination from the observation window set in each door. Footsteps and voices in the hall were muffled by thick walls and soft shoes, but still perfectly audible to anyone who couldn't help but listen closely. In the third room on the right, Erin lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling where a muted afterglow lingered on the extinguished fluorescent tubes. Eight hours till morning, eight hours in the privacy of darkness, unmoving, unsleeping. She closed her eyes to slits. If they looked in on her and saw her awake, she'd be taken out and assigned some mindless time-occupying task, and she needed to think. She needed this time in the quiet dark to remember who she was. They'd tried to remake her here, gave her a new name and a made-up past, but it didn't change who she was. She was Erin Keeley White, and she was lost in time and space.
  13. August 1, 2014 Midnight Manor 5 AM The ball of water smashed into the grounds of Midnight Manor like a tidal wave, water erupting outward and down as the artificial sphere produced by a hasty mass teleport collapsed under its own weight in a mini-tsunami. The water smashed across the lawn and flooded the flower beds, smashed against the first floor windows on the north side (which were luckily closed) and flooded the pool. In the center of the vast wet spot on the completely drenched lawn, a bedragged Mark Lucas and Nina al-Darsah were crouched protectively over an unconscious, bloody woman in a torn blue and white outfit like something from a Victorian's painting of a Middle Eastern harem. She looked bad, like someone who'd been grabbed in a giant's fist, and was covered in blood. "<-STEN TO ME!>" Nina was in the middle of screaming; the only water still standing the head-height inch-thick wall she was holding up between them and an invisible assailant. Her formal Socotran dress was ruined, even royal-made waterproof blue and white cloth torn to ribbons and hanging bedraggedly off her body, as if she'd been tossed into a waterfall and come out the other side. Mark wasn't panicking, really; he'd been in crises far worse than this, but as his soaking wet suit and tie erupted into his costume in a flash of light he was certainly far more focused than he usually was. "He's far away, and we have to get her to a hospital right now." He looked up, bloodstains on his hands from where it pooled on Fatima al-Darsah's skin like juice from a squeezed grape. "This is bad; I don't...I don't know how to fix this!" he said, a moment before he yelled "T-Midnight! Wander!" Pacing around the scene, her eyes still out for danger that was thousands of miles away, the princess of Socotra kept moving. "It doesn't make any sense," said Nina desperately, pulling her hair loose so the black strands poured down, soaking wet, past her shoulders. "Why would he do this, why would he just..." "Nina, please, I need you to help me with this!" Mark snapped. "I can't do this alone!" Torn out of her fugue by her boyfriend's urgency, not to mention the crisis of the moment, the princess went to help tend the bleeding woman who twenty minutes earlier had called her Daughter...
  14. Two Miles From Lake Vostok Antarctica Friday, May 9, 2014 7:52 PM White. White as far as the eye could see. And cold that cut right through to the bone. Ever since he'd come into his powers, Cannonade hadn't exactly felt the weather in quite some time. But it said a lot that, even with his enhanced resilience, this was able to get right at his core. After only a few seconds on the ice, he firmly decided that Antarctica could go screw. He didn't know why he'd expected anything else. He should have known this would happen at some point - join a superteam, see everywhere from Hell to Honolulu. But while he'd usually gotten his more globetrotting assignments courtesy of AEGIS, it had been Edge who'd brought this one to the table. Apparently there was a UNISON research base near Vostok, dedicated to plumbing both the depths of the ancient lake and whatever things might be found in the snow. Cannonade hadn't gotten the full account, but a message had gotten out a few days back. There wasn't enough sensible content to lean one way or another, but the fact that something garbled and messy was coming out of the station could be considered a soft cause for alarm. Which would also explain their guest. Joe was used to the rest of the League, but apparently, the Indian woman had been seconded to Edge's assignment. She was a psychic, apparently, something that left him very conscious about what he was thinking. Her job was to check up on the mental health of the scientists. A place like this could do things to a man... and apparently, there had been rumors of whole expeditions who'd gone around the bend down here. There was a chance it wasn't all isolation... Joe just adjusted his jacket, and kept his eyes on the base. Soon enough, the security team would be out to wave them in. He just had to focus on that...
  15. A DC 25 Notice check will reveal that's not Nightmare Moon at all, but a false one! (It's not an illusion, though...)
  16. June 1, 2014 Urgent phone messages were nothing new for Midnight Manor, even those that arrived at an hour of the day where no decent person would be awake. Was there crime afoot in the darkest corners of the city? Or more commonly, a cosmic threat like those that the newest holder of the Midnight legacy and his partner had so often battled? Not today. For once, the late night phone call had been for Erin. "Ms. White? This is Thomas Cleary, I'm the night supervisor here at Project Freedom. I'm calling you because Jessie White has had an incident with another inmate. We've placed her in medical isolation for now - but she's not communicating. we're hoping you may be able to help us figure out what happened."
  17. Tuesday, January 21st, 2014 12:32 AM Nick Cimitiere knew it was going to be one of those nights when the pillar of fire appeared right in the middle of Lantern Hill Cemetery. He was on his usual nightly patrol, keeping up tabs with the local shades and making sure no hideous abominations were clawing their way back from the dark corners of the universe. So far, all had seemed pretty quiet - there'd been a tide of new souls from recent passings, young enough that they hadn't quite come to terms with their deaths. Nick knew they would need help in time, but that right now, they just needed to be left alone to cope with everything. Last thing he wanted to do was pry. That, of course, had been when the giant column of flame appeared right in the middle of the graveyard, after which anything would've been subtle. He raised his arm, partially for protection and partially to shade out the immense radiance of the conflagration - and as it passed, he could see a figure at the heart of it. Soon, the flame died, drawn back in towards the figure, leaving a man in an immaculate suit standing on ground that hadn't even been charred. "I apologize for the theatrics," said the figure, "but there are... obligations." "There's always a nice peal of trumpets instead," said Nick. "I mean, I'm not smelling brimstone, so excuse me for making assumptions, but..." The man cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. That part." He rose a foot off the ground, arms spread wide. "Fear not, child of Adam. I am Eremiel, of the Lord, and I come with good tidings." Angels. They weren't usually in Nick's wheelhouse. Yes, he was good friends with Heyzel, and knew Azrael rather well - including one initially awkward dinner party - but the other operations of Heaven weren't exactly something he got involved with. "I'm... honored," he said. "Really, really surprised --" It was very hard not to use swear words in front of an angel, but Nick was making every effort possible. " -- but honored. What good tidings are we talking about?" "There is a duty to be performed," said Eremiel as he reached into his jacket. "You have been chosen to fulfill an office of Heaven. Three others still of the flesh will join you in your duties, to fulfill the functions of the station and ensure the operations of the divine plan. Come and take your token of office." Nick stepped forward, tentatively, as if he was somewhat afraid whatever Eremiel would press into his hand might bite. "So," he asked, "what are we talking about here? Am I going to be helping Azrael fill out names in his book? Because --" Then Eremiel placed the object in his hand - a key. A large one, the type of baroque model used to lock gigantic gates. The look of it - the feel of it - was strange, as if it was made of both worn ivory and polished obsidian at the same time, depending on where you kept your eyes and fingers. The teeth on the key were numerous, tiny, and looked sharp enough to cut bone. And the thing glowed under Nick's death sense - bright black, a contradiction that was the only way to describe it. Lifting it closer, he could see tiny writing running up and down the stem in a script he didn't read, but could instantly understand. A dozen names, one after the other - Sheol. Gehenna. Tartarus. Purgatory... A bit of Scripture - from the back of the book - suddenly clicked into his mind. He knew what this was the key to, a place he didn't want to open. "Oh no," he said. "Oh no, no, no..."
  18. Gabriel, Wander, Comrade Frost, and Nick Cimitiere get invited up to Heaven to serve as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. What could possibly go wrong? First post for the thread will likely be along the lines of Nick - each member of the quartet is visited by an angel, who makes the great pronunciation and hands over the regalia of office. For Gabriel, it'll be a crown and bow; for Wander, a sword; and for Comrade Frost, a pair of scales. I had to take liberties with Nick, as Death isn't described with any real regalia except for "and Hell followed with him." In-game, each bit of regalia doesn't really boost powers - but since we've each effectively been upgraded to somewhere below god tier, it will represent a chance for two free Extra Efforts over the course of the thread, should you need them.
  19. Table of Contents Tensile Sojourner Hematite Knightfall Daybreak Mystery Midnight Dynasty IC
  20. January 6, 2014 7:20 AM EST The first ray of sunshine came in the window and Richard Cline opened his eyes, ready for his last day off before they headed back to the West Coast for a full week of shooting. Richard sat up, pushing aside the linen sheets, and looked at the waxed-paper window on the wall of the little wooden house. Ticktickticktick Time slowed to a crawl for Richard Cline, as Fast-Forward took in his changed bedroom with all the time in the world. Linen sheets, featherbed, waxpaper windows, and I think that's a chamberpot under the bed...oh, geez, am I back in the Renaissance again? He looked down at the woman sharing his bed and reached down to gently nudge Paige awake, feeling the familiar brush against his mind that had been part of his soul for twenty-five years. Aw, geez, did I take her back with me again? She's gonna kick my ass after that thing with the Wild West... Ticktickticktick On the handwrought, overlapping planks, there was a woodcut of a man frozen in a blur of motion paired with a smiling woman in a low-cut dress, smoke and fire rising from her hands. Behind them were a young man in equal speed, and a young girl with the same energies as her mother. The legend read CIRCUS OF CRIME, MAGIC, MISCHIEF, AND MERRIMENT! STARRING THE LEGENDARY ROGUES - THE CLINE FAMILY! WITH PASSION PLAYS TO SHOW THE TRUE MORAL WAY! The smell of horses outside, the sounds of activity; a circus in the middle of waking up for the day. It's another goddamned crisis in time! Richard Cline snapped awake alongside an altered version of his wife, dressed in a long black nightdress, and asked the question he had to ask. "...Baby, is that you?"
  21. Hughes Household Friday, August 9, 2013 The invitation had gone out some 2 weeks prior. Out of the metaphorical blue, Corbin Alphonse Hughes had invited some of his closest and longest-running friends over to his home. He'd mentioned it would be "breakfast for dinner" and that he'd be providing a "nice spread", but that people were welcome to bring an additional dish. There was little else on the note, but for someone who supposedly had intended to take a break from school to go off and hunt ancient artifacts, it did perhaps seem a bit sudden. It was a fairly decent day out when everyone started arriving, just a bit before 5pm. The house had several lights on on the ground floor, though there was no evidence of anyone moving about from the front entrance. There was a hand-written note on the front door.
  22. Just in case rolling-type things happen! (If they do it will be skill-check things.)
×
×
  • Create New...