Shoggoth on the Roof (IC)

[Lone Star]

"This is my other power. My body acts like a conduit for music. Try flying now." Breakdown said as he floated of the ground, "I've always felt that Jazz makes me feel all light and airy."

Blake was wary, but he seemed to feel the power of the music as well, and he felt as light as air. He hopped off the ground, and found himself hovering. "Woah! Way cool." He began to fly about, being sure to maintain a safe distance above the ground. "This is way too cool. For school."

[quotemyname]

Wow! I can't believe that worked! I must be getting better at focusing my powers.

Breakdown floated higher to match Blake. "Alright. Let's hit that museum!" and off they flew.

When they touched down in front of Freedom City's museum, Breakdown dialed the music back down, and turned to Fulcrum, "I'll leave the tour guide stuff up to you, since this is your forte."

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum laughed, "After flying across town? I'll put the poor guy to sleep. Plus its a very big museum." Holding the door for them, she headed inside, "That's a cool ability, Breakdown. How many people can you make fly at once?"

Inside the main lobby, the mundane exterior transformed into the brightly colored, even gaudy patterns of super heroes through the decades. A huge globe seemingly floated free above a fountain in the center of a high entrance. Life-size models of the current Freedom League members greeted them along the walls along with posters advertising the exhibits.

Waving at a passing security guard, who returned with a smile, Fulcrum turned to Kid Cthulhu, "So where do you want to start? The history of super heroes? Costumes? Specific supers? Maybe a decade? The '40s and '90s had some really interesting ones."

[quotemyname]

"You know, I never thought about it." Breakdown mused, "Tell ya the truth, that's the first time I ever tried that. I'm just glad it didn't crash and burn, am I right?" He asked playfully elbowing Blake as they walked into one of the museum's rooms.

[Lone Star]

Waving at a passing security guard, who returned with a smile, Fulcrum turned to Kid Cthulhu, "So where do you want to start? The history of super heroes? Costumes? Specific supers? Maybe a decade? The '40s and '90s had some really interesting ones."

Blake was like a kid in a candy store. Or, to be more imaginative, like a druggie in a crack house. He was already all over the exhibits, almost to the point of poring over them. He returned to Fulcrum's side. "The 90's? Uggh, 90's. Let's check out the costumes first." Blake would be back here many times over, he already knew.

"Tell ya the truth, that's the first time I ever tried that. I'm just glad it didn't crash and burn, am I right?" He asked playfully elbowing Blake as they walked into one of the museum's rooms.

Blake turned. "So...I'm alive because of sheer luck?" He stared at Breakdown for a moment. Then shrugged. Could have been worse. "Umm, should I maintain my human form, or go squid again? I don't want to scare people, but then again, I do sort of have a secret identity, more or less."

[Dariusprime]

"May as well go squid," Fulcrum said offhandedly, "People are used to unusual sights around this place. You should see the costume play groups that come through here. Makes you seem pretty tame."

Heading into the '90s themed wing, Fulcrum took the lead, "The '90s were an interesting time for supers. In Freedom City's history, the '90s saw the end of the Moore Administration and re-establishment of the Freedom League," She gestured at a large montage of photos and documents, one a picket reading 'No Moore!'. Contradictory elements pervaded the exhibit, from the retired military costumes of FORCE Ops to the classic shield carried by The Patriot. As the years count off, the darker colors slowly give away to more four-color looks. "The cynicism and violence of the 1980s finally started to heal, and people rediscovered the older heroes and their ideals, naive or not."

"But I would be liar if I didn't bring up what I'm sure you know is the defining moment of the '90s. The event that some people credit with the revitalizing of the hero community." She stopped in front of a model. Nine feet high and remarkably life-like, the figure was clad in thick red armor and a transparent yellow helmet. An evil-looking, red eyed skull stared from within an alien glow. A silver omega symbol adorned the chest. "The Terminus Invasion."

[quotemyname]

"Dun dun dun!" Breakdown projected, arguably appropriately.

"Sorry," he shrugged, smiling, "Couldn't resist."

Breakdown gazed back up at the statue, falling silent. "Seriously though. Seeing this thing always gives me chills. I was just a kid. I didn't even have powers yet..."

[Lone Star]

"CTHULHU F'HTAGN!

Blake shouted as his human form disappeared, and he regained his squidliness once more. Blake had become a bit more comfortable in this form than as a person, anyway. "So there are heroes stranger than I?" He wanted to meet them.

"The Terminus Invasion...sounds familiar. I think I saw a news report on it." Kid Cthulhu looked up at the statue of Omega. "How ironic that a tragedy can bring back heroes."

[quotemyname]

"Yea," Breakdown's tone was melancholy. "But it can also destroy them." He turned to face the larger than life statue of Centurion that stood nearby.

Images flashed through his head of another statue. A statue made of stone. It was toppled and broken, and even the area around it lay in ruins. There was fire and destruction everywhere...

He shook his head, jolting him back to reality. Freedom City's latest Invasion had been nothing short of a nightmare, and he was trying his best to forget about it. "He was the best of us..."

[Lone Star]

Kid Cthulhu put his hand on Breakdown's shoulder. "He died defending freedom, that much I know." He looked solemnly at the statue, gazing into the eyes of the fallen sentinel.

[quotemyname]

"Not only that, man," Breakdown replied, "He's the reason we are everything that we are. He's the reason this city is so great. It's like one guy gives up everything - makes the ultimate sacrifice - and suddenly an entire city is fighting the good fight."

Secretly Breakdown was wishing he could one day be that good. More and more he was finding that his urge to help people was saturating his daily life as well as his nightly escapades. He made a mental note to start a charity in Centurion's name when he became famous.

"If only the rest of us were that good..." He sighed longingly.

[Lone Star]

"Hey, don't be blue. We'll be that good...eventually. All we need is a good team sponsor, and we'll be all set!" Kid Cthulhu grinned, hoping to lighten his mood. "After all, its not like we suck or anything. Do we?" he said, looking around at the two of them.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum smirked and walked to the Centurion statue, looking it in the eyes.

"No, we most certainly do not," said Fulcrum as she pulled her gaze away, "Even if we don't reach Centurion's power, the point is the do the best we can. Doing good individually and as part of something greater than ourselves."

Taking one last look at the Omega statue, Fulcrum continued through the exhibit, "That being said, the reason this city is so great is because of many, many elements besides Centurion. The quasi-religious image that has developed around him is more than a bit unsettling. I'm not a biographer of the man, but I suspect he would be very uncomfortable being framed as some sort of divine savior."

"Keep in mind this is coming from someone that has been accused of desecrating his memory," she added while turning to them.

[Lone Star]

"Soo...kind of a literal hero-worship, huh? Well, at least we have a standard to compare ourselves to. You're right about us doing the best we can on our own. The fact that we're out there in the city, trying to clean it up means something. We may never have our own exhibit, but it still counts, right?" Kid Cthulhu smiled at Fulcrum. "It's better than nothing at all."

"Now, let's go check out the costumes." He was a little unsettled at the accuracy and sheer size of the Omega statue. To be honest, it scared him a little.

[quotemyname]

"Hah," Breakdown chuckled as they walked. "Some of these old costumes are great. You should hear Edge talk about them. He can go on for hours!"

Seeing no look of recognition on his companions faces he added, "Edge is one of the other members of Young Freedom. We all got our start at Claremont. Speaking of, are you gonna be going there KC?"

Fulcrum of course remembers the name Young Freedom from the band of heroes that had supposedly saved the day during the invasion. It didn't seem like Breakdown was calling attention to himself about it, however. The comment was completely off the cuff.

[Lone Star]

"The Claremont Academy? Maybe. I've heard a little about it, how do you apply?" KC was intrigued about the super-school. He hoped they wouldn't be scared of him, or anything. He supposed he was glad he could change appearance at will- it would kind of suck to be a squid all the time. "Yeah, I guess that would be pretty cool, Breakdown. Do you go there?"

[quotemyname]

"Sure do!" Breakdown smiled. "I'm a junior this year," he continued. Breakdown described a few of the ins and outs of the school's procedures.

"So, really, ol' 'Dunc' is the final say on whether or not you attend. Don't call him 'Dunc,' though. I made that mistake one time. Whoo boy!"

[Dariusprime]

"Yes, it is," Fulcrum said before falling silent.

She occupied herself with the costumes and listened to the two banter. Somehow listening to their energy and enthusiasm made her feel really old. She did remember hearing about Young Freedom though and was pleased to finally be meeting a member. Many, many questions lingered after the Invasion, and answers straight from the source were always, almost anyway, the best. A mental note was tucked away to ask Breakdown for specifics.

The costumes were as spectacular as Edge argued. The beauty of the 1990s in super hero lore was its diversity. Every decade or era had its distinctive style. The 1990s synthesized these often disparate styles into an eclectic whole. Every imaginable design from Victorian coats to flag-themed fatigues to a hall completely dedicated to the evolution of capes highlighted the decade. If anyone needed inspiration for a costume or accessory thereof, all they needed to do was go hit this part of the museum. The only lingering question, at least to someone to Fulcrum, was what would be the defining style of the last decade?

Her pondering was interrupted by the mention of Claremont Academy. More accurately Claremont registered, and she had to review what all Breakdown said about it. When her mind comprehended the impact, she turned to Breakdown, her jaw hanging open in surprise. A super hero training academy? Why hadn't she heard of this one? She hadn't heard about the background of Next Gen or Young Freedom, but it made so much sense that they were trained together. Hell, adult super hero teams rarely operated so efficiently together. Talk about missing critical information.

Shaking her head, "Learn something new every day. Do they allow visitors?"

[quotemyname]

"If Claremont were a castle, Duncan Summers would be a king." Breakdown sagely replied. "Almost everything that happens at school is run by him first. He approves all of the new teachers, and visiting staff, etc. And don't doubt that he knows everything that happens there. And I thought my mom had eyes in the back of her head."

Lacking a better answer, Breakdown sighed, "You'd have to ask him. A wise king keeps his own council, they say. Well, it's true. Half the time we can't figure out what that guy's thinking. Hey! Look at this one!" And with that, the costumes on the wall stole back Breakdown's attention.

[Lone Star]

"If Claremont were a castle, Duncan Summers would be a king." Breakdown sagely replied. "Almost everything that happens at school is run by him first. He approves all of the new teachers, and visiting staff, etc. And don't doubt that he knows everything that happens there. And I thought my mom had eyes in the back of her head."

Lacking a better answer, Breakdown sighed, "You'd have to ask him. A wise king keeps his own council, they say. Well, it's true. Half the time we can't figure out what that guy's thinking. Hey! Look at this one!" And with that, the costumes on the wall stole back Breakdown's attention.

"So, he's Big Brother, huh? Well, if you can get me an application, I'd love to try to join up. A superhero school...sweet." KC was hopeful- maybe this Breakdown kid could help him out. He needed some place to practice his powers, and maybe discover some new ones. Besides- he liked school. He hadn't been back since his parents died. Maybe the Claremont Academy would give him the help he needed.

[quotemyname]

Breakdown shrugged, "It's not like you really even need an appointment. You just show up and talk to the secretary. I don't doubt that Duncan Summers would let you go to school at Claremont. There is a tuition, but he's even been known to wave that for exceptional cases in the past," Breakdown thought of Zoe as he spoke.

[Dariusprime]

"Sounds a little nutty, but a pretty good guy overall," commented Fulcrum as they looked over the costumes, "A super hero school is a great idea. I wish I had that when I started out. Had to learn everything the hard way. Sounds like a good place for you, Kid Cthulhu."

She stopped in front of a skin-tight, black leather outfit. Judging from the uncomfortable expression on her face, impressed was not the right way to describe her reaction. Rubbing the back of her neck, "Did a woman really wear that? I wonder if size control was her super power. I mean one ice cream cone and she'd have to pour herself into the thing. And look at those heels. I have trouble fighting in these things." She motioned down to her gold boots.

Hopefully KC would join up. If the school was half as good as Breakdown made it out, then the young hero would do well by learning from experienced people. Which of course brought another thought to mind, "So I take it that at least some of the staff are heroes or ex-heroes?"

[Lone Star]

Breakdown shrugged, "It's not like you really even need an appointment. You just show up and talk to the secretary. I don't doubt that Duncan Summers would let you go to school at Claremont. There is a tuition, but he's even been known to wave that for exceptional cases in the past," Breakdown thought of Zoe as he spoke.

"I'm sure the inheritance I got can handle the tuition. You'll have to take me there sometime. Maybe tomorrow? I'm really enjoying this museum now." KC said as he continued to pore over the costumes.

He saw Fulcrum's reaction to the tight costume and laughed aloud. "Maybe she uses it to distract her foes? I know I'd be."

[quotemyname]

"She had to be as good at getting into things as Houdini was at getting out of them," Breakdown replied wryly. "And with heels like those, I hope she can fly!"

"I'd be glad to give you a tour, KC. Here, write this number down. Both of you, actually. It's the radio frequency that I constantly monitor in my head. It's pretty helpful being able to hear the radio without a receiver. You call me on that frequency, and I'll come running."

[Dariusprime]

"Thanks," Fulcrum said as she entered the frequency into her iPhone, "The funny thing is five years ago I would never have imagined knowing someone that could monitor radio bands in his head."

"Yeah, definitely flight. My feet hurt just looking at them. Never understood that or the tight ones." she chuckled. Moving on to other costumes, "So you're a member of Young Freedom, Breakdown? What are they like?"