Disco Fever [1972]

[Veiled Malice]

Oh for the love of... When he hunted Icarus down, Nanowire planned to do some very unkind things to the man for dumping all this crap on him. "It's... hard to explain," "Roboman" started off, trying to buy time. "Okay, here's how it happened - That guy, your son apparently, is from the future. We only met him today, after a portal to... somewhere... spat him out into our laps. We don't know all that much about the guy, honestly."

Another lie, but half-true. It would cut down on the amount of quesions directed his way about the nature of the man, hopefully. He didn't want to screw up the chronoverse any more than it already had been.

[Veiled Malice]

Oh for the love of... When he hunted Icarus down, Nanowire planned to do some very unkind things to the man for dumping all this crap on him. "It's... hard to explain," "Roboman" started off, trying to buy time. "Okay, here's how it happened - That guy, your son apparently, is from the future. We only met him today, after a portal to... somewhere... spat him out into our laps. We don't know all that much about the guy, honestly."

Another lie, but half-true. It would cut down on the amount of quesions directed his way about the nature of the man, hopefully. He didn't want to screw up the chronoverse any more than it already had been.

[Veiled Malice]

Oh for the love of... When he hunted Icarus down, Nanowire planned to do some very unkind things to the man for dumping all this crap on him. "It's... hard to explain," "Roboman" started off, trying to buy time. "Okay, here's how it happened - That guy, your son apparently, is from the future. We only met him today, after a portal to... somewhere... spat him out into our laps. We don't know all that much about the guy, honestly."

Another lie, but half-true. It would cut down on the amount of quesions directed his way about the nature of the man, hopefully. He didn't want to screw up the chronoverse any more than it already had been.

[Heridfel]

"Couldn't have been that long; he didn't look that much older. That does explain why it looks like he broke his nose, though. Hmm," Gravitor says. "Let's go back to my headquarters and discuss this further. Panegyric, Paean, Aria, thank you again for your help."

The Chorale nods in unison, though Panegyric and Aria both look glum. After all, crowd control and cleanup isn't a very exciting job, though Aria's disappointment seems to come more from Roboman's imminent departure. Paean looks a bit more upbeat, and Grimalkin can hear her whisper, "He actually remembered we have names."

Gravitor looks over to Grimalkin. "I thought I saw Roboman fly down here, but do you need a lift?"

---

The suit only cuts out one more time before Sean lands in the Fens. The neighborhood is as rundown as ever. It holds the distinction of being the neighborhood least affected by the upcoming Moore Era, if only because it was already in the toilet before he was ever elected. It's also where Sean, the Sean that belongs in this time, could be found at work at a local auto repair shop. And finally, it's where he would go drinking when there wasn't any work, which was entirely too often.

"I didn't get the call because I was at McPhilthy's, so I should still be there now," Sean says to himself. He smiles to himself inside the helm. "I bet that bartender'll crap himself when I walk in. I always figured he was working for the mob."

He glances back to the wings, and reaches up to push them back into shape. He makes a mental note to make them retractable when he fixes the suit. They look right when flying, but they're sort of bulky otherwise. Finally, he cracks his knuckles and flies down to the city street. He opens the door and walks inside. It's dark, even though it's near noon, but the suit makes it seem as bright as day. Icarus quickly spots himself looking over at the man who just walked in and doing a double-take as he realizes that Icarus is in armor.

"I'm looking for Sean Parker," Icarus says to the room in an unnaturally deep voice. "You got five seconds to point him out to me."

The people sitting near Sean start to inch away from him, and the bartender immediately points to him.

"That's the guy you're looking for," he says. The younger Sean gives him a dirty look and is about to curse the guy out. Icarus speaks faster, though.

"And give me a few bottles of Guinness to go. I don't think I'll need to be paying, will I," he says. The bartender is about to protest when he realizes that a few bottles of Guinness are nothing compared to having a super-villain sticking around the bar. He reaches under the counter and pulls out a six-pack.

Icarus nods, "Thanks. Come on, Sean. We got some talking to do."

[Heridfel]

"Couldn't have been that long; he didn't look that much older. That does explain why it looks like he broke his nose, though. Hmm," Gravitor says. "Let's go back to my headquarters and discuss this further. Panegyric, Paean, Aria, thank you again for your help."

The Chorale nods in unison, though Panegyric and Aria both look glum. After all, crowd control and cleanup isn't a very exciting job, though Aria's disappointment seems to come more from Roboman's imminent departure. Paean looks a bit more upbeat, and Grimalkin can hear her whisper, "He actually remembered we have names."

Gravitor looks over to Grimalkin. "I thought I saw Roboman fly down here, but do you need a lift?"

---

The suit only cuts out one more time before Sean lands in the Fens. The neighborhood is as rundown as ever. It holds the distinction of being the neighborhood least affected by the upcoming Moore Era, if only because it was already in the toilet before he was ever elected. It's also where Sean, the Sean that belongs in this time, could be found at work at a local auto repair shop. And finally, it's where he would go drinking when there wasn't any work, which was entirely too often.

"I didn't get the call because I was at McPhilthy's, so I should still be there now," Sean says to himself. He smiles to himself inside the helm. "I bet that bartender'll crap himself when I walk in. I always figured he was working for the mob."

He glances back to the wings, and reaches up to push them back into shape. He makes a mental note to make them retractable when he fixes the suit. They look right when flying, but they're sort of bulky otherwise. Finally, he cracks his knuckles and flies down to the city street. He opens the door and walks inside. It's dark, even though it's near noon, but the suit makes it seem as bright as day. Icarus quickly spots himself looking over at the man who just walked in and doing a double-take as he realizes that Icarus is in armor.

"I'm looking for Sean Parker," Icarus says to the room in an unnaturally deep voice. "You got five seconds to point him out to me."

The people sitting near Sean start to inch away from him, and the bartender immediately points to him.

"That's the guy you're looking for," he says. The younger Sean gives him a dirty look and is about to curse the guy out. Icarus speaks faster, though.

"And give me a few bottles of Guinness to go. I don't think I'll need to be paying, will I," he says. The bartender is about to protest when he realizes that a few bottles of Guinness are nothing compared to having a super-villain sticking around the bar. He reaches under the counter and pulls out a six-pack.

Icarus nods, "Thanks. Come on, Sean. We got some talking to do."

[Heridfel]

"Couldn't have been that long; he didn't look that much older. That does explain why it looks like he broke his nose, though. Hmm," Gravitor says. "Let's go back to my headquarters and discuss this further. Panegyric, Paean, Aria, thank you again for your help."

The Chorale nods in unison, though Panegyric and Aria both look glum. After all, crowd control and cleanup isn't a very exciting job, though Aria's disappointment seems to come more from Roboman's imminent departure. Paean looks a bit more upbeat, and Grimalkin can hear her whisper, "He actually remembered we have names."

Gravitor looks over to Grimalkin. "I thought I saw Roboman fly down here, but do you need a lift?"

---

The suit only cuts out one more time before Sean lands in the Fens. The neighborhood is as rundown as ever. It holds the distinction of being the neighborhood least affected by the upcoming Moore Era, if only because it was already in the toilet before he was ever elected. It's also where Sean, the Sean that belongs in this time, could be found at work at a local auto repair shop. And finally, it's where he would go drinking when there wasn't any work, which was entirely too often.

"I didn't get the call because I was at McPhilthy's, so I should still be there now," Sean says to himself. He smiles to himself inside the helm. "I bet that bartender'll crap himself when I walk in. I always figured he was working for the mob."

He glances back to the wings, and reaches up to push them back into shape. He makes a mental note to make them retractable when he fixes the suit. They look right when flying, but they're sort of bulky otherwise. Finally, he cracks his knuckles and flies down to the city street. He opens the door and walks inside. It's dark, even though it's near noon, but the suit makes it seem as bright as day. Icarus quickly spots himself looking over at the man who just walked in and doing a double-take as he realizes that Icarus is in armor.

"I'm looking for Sean Parker," Icarus says to the room in an unnaturally deep voice. "You got five seconds to point him out to me."

The people sitting near Sean start to inch away from him, and the bartender immediately points to him.

"That's the guy you're looking for," he says. The younger Sean gives him a dirty look and is about to curse the guy out. Icarus speaks faster, though.

"And give me a few bottles of Guinness to go. I don't think I'll need to be paying, will I," he says. The bartender is about to protest when he realizes that a few bottles of Guinness are nothing compared to having a super-villain sticking around the bar. He reaches under the counter and pulls out a six-pack.

Icarus nods, "Thanks. Come on, Sean. We got some talking to do."

[Heritage]

Gravitor looks over to Grimalkin. "I thought I saw Roboman fly down here, but do you need a lift?"

When she was a little girl, Lynn used to fantasize about a handsome young prince from a distant star flying down to the trailer park she lived in outside of Atlantic City; he would gently rap on the window and call to her softly, and they would fly off into the night together, until they were just two sillouettes lit by the full moon. A dumpy old guy in a suit made out of old vacuum cleaners didn't quite measure up.

"Uh...yeah, sure, okay."

[Heritage]

Gravitor looks over to Grimalkin. "I thought I saw Roboman fly down here, but do you need a lift?"

When she was a little girl, Lynn used to fantasize about a handsome young prince from a distant star flying down to the trailer park she lived in outside of Atlantic City; he would gently rap on the window and call to her softly, and they would fly off into the night together, until they were just two sillouettes lit by the full moon. A dumpy old guy in a suit made out of old vacuum cleaners didn't quite measure up.

"Uh...yeah, sure, okay."

[Heritage]

Gravitor looks over to Grimalkin. "I thought I saw Roboman fly down here, but do you need a lift?"

When she was a little girl, Lynn used to fantasize about a handsome young prince from a distant star flying down to the trailer park she lived in outside of Atlantic City; he would gently rap on the window and call to her softly, and they would fly off into the night together, until they were just two sillouettes lit by the full moon. A dumpy old guy in a suit made out of old vacuum cleaners didn't quite measure up.

"Uh...yeah, sure, okay."

[Veiled Malice]

"Okay, I guess," Nanowire said in response to Gravitor's suggestion they retire to his hideout. He was not, of course, all that sure about all this. He was still a supervillain, no matter what his recent actions. And this felt like getting led into the lion's den. Not that hanging around Centurion would be too much better...

"Ah, yes, good to meet you - Aria?" he said to the one Fury that had actually talked to him.

It was perhaps because of that he was off balance when Grim accepted a ride from Gravitor. Against his better reason, he felt a sudden rush of jealousy, that someone else would get to carry her around. "Uh... I can... You know, I can do that, Grim."

[Veiled Malice]

"Okay, I guess," Nanowire said in response to Gravitor's suggestion they retire to his hideout. He was not, of course, all that sure about all this. He was still a supervillain, no matter what his recent actions. And this felt like getting led into the lion's den. Not that hanging around Centurion would be too much better...

"Ah, yes, good to meet you - Aria?" he said to the one Fury that had actually talked to him.

It was perhaps because of that he was off balance when Grim accepted a ride from Gravitor. Against his better reason, he felt a sudden rush of jealousy, that someone else would get to carry her around. "Uh... I can... You know, I can do that, Grim."

[Veiled Malice]

"Okay, I guess," Nanowire said in response to Gravitor's suggestion they retire to his hideout. He was not, of course, all that sure about all this. He was still a supervillain, no matter what his recent actions. And this felt like getting led into the lion's den. Not that hanging around Centurion would be too much better...

"Ah, yes, good to meet you - Aria?" he said to the one Fury that had actually talked to him.

It was perhaps because of that he was off balance when Grim accepted a ride from Gravitor. Against his better reason, he felt a sudden rush of jealousy, that someone else would get to carry her around. "Uh... I can... You know, I can do that, Grim."

[Heritage]

It was perhaps because of that he was off balance when Grim accepted a ride from Gravitor. Against his better reason, he felt a sudden rush of jealousy, that someone else would get to carry her around. "Uh... I can... You know, I can do that, Grim."

It's like someone flipped a hidden switch the way Grim brightens up.

"Really? Fantastic!"

In an instant and without a moment's hesitation, she practically leaps at Nano as she scrambles up into the big man's arms and puts an arm across his shoulders.

"Ready when you are, chief!"

She pumps a fist into the air with her free arm and shouts a bizarre anime-tinged battle cry.

"All your headquarters are belong to us! Robotuman, Go!" :super:

[Heritage]

It was perhaps because of that he was off balance when Grim accepted a ride from Gravitor. Against his better reason, he felt a sudden rush of jealousy, that someone else would get to carry her around. "Uh... I can... You know, I can do that, Grim."

It's like someone flipped a hidden switch the way Grim brightens up.

"Really? Fantastic!"

In an instant and without a moment's hesitation, she practically leaps at Nano as she scrambles up into the big man's arms and puts an arm across his shoulders.

"Ready when you are, chief!"

She pumps a fist into the air with her free arm and shouts a bizarre anime-tinged battle cry.

"All your headquarters are belong to us! Robotuman, Go!" :super:

[Heritage]

It was perhaps because of that he was off balance when Grim accepted a ride from Gravitor. Against his better reason, he felt a sudden rush of jealousy, that someone else would get to carry her around. "Uh... I can... You know, I can do that, Grim."

It's like someone flipped a hidden switch the way Grim brightens up.

"Really? Fantastic!"

In an instant and without a moment's hesitation, she practically leaps at Nano as she scrambles up into the big man's arms and puts an arm across his shoulders.

"Ready when you are, chief!"

She pumps a fist into the air with her free arm and shouts a bizarre anime-tinged battle cry.

"All your headquarters are belong to us! Robotuman, Go!" :super:

[Heridfel]

Gravitor chuckles to himself, "Ah, young love." He takes off, moving at a relatively slow 50 miles per hour. Nanowire could keep up with him in his sleep (if he slept any more, that is). More importantly, Grimalkin can hold onto him without any difficulty or discomfort. It's no worse than traveling in a convertible. The two of them travel over the business district that they were in for about two minutes, following Gravitor all the way. He begins descending in the West End, coming to rest in the back street of a rowhome. He takes a step forward and hits a button. His garage door slowly begins to open, and he takes off his helmet again.

"Be sure to wipe your feet before you come upstairs. Mary yells at me enough when I get grease in the kitchen. Oh, and Roboman, if you could leave your suit in here... I don't think you'd fit up the stairs in that thing."

The garage itself is clearly where Gravitor does his tinkering. There's all sorts of tools in there, most of them showing various amounts of wear, but kept in good condition. The car is outside in the driveway, and there's another door to the interior of the house. Gravitor steps through that one, then turns back around.

"Wait up a second, miss. I need to change into my civvies as well," he says. He closes the door, leaving Nanowire and Grimalkin alone in the garage.

---

Sean stands up, takes a step towards Icarus, and promptly turns and bolts for the other exit. Icarus sighs, takes a step forward, and grabs the beer. He considers blasting through the bar to catch himself more quickly, but then he'd probably get charged for all the damage. His past self, that is, not his current self. Time travel makes his head hurt.

Instead, he turns around and heads back out the front door. One advantage he has over Sean is that he knows how he thinks. Icarus takes off and heads northeast over the building. Sean'd be running back to the auto repair shop to hide there, maybe grab the piece that he still had for protection. Too bad for him that even when Icarus' suit is broken, Icarus can still move twice as fast as Sean.

He flies down from above and lifts Sean up with one arm. Sean struggles for a moment as Icarus says, "Look, I really don't want to drop you, believe me, so quit squirming. We're going to land on this roof here, and we're going to have a talk."

Putting the truth to his words, Icarus lands on a nearby roof, putting Sean down first. Sean doesn't try running again - there's nowhere to run to, and it's clear that Icarus is much stronger than he is.

Icarus hands him the six-pack and says, "And I'm blaming you if these things are all shook up. Here, take one." Now thoroughly confused, Sean does as he says.

"Uh, that isn't you, is it Dad?" Sean asks. Icarus bursts out laughing, "Do I sound like Dad? God, I probably do. Let's put it this way - would Dad steal you some Guinness from McPhilthy's?"

Sean shakes his head and pops open the beer. It spurts a little, but he manages to avoid getting soaked. Icarus reaches up and pops off the helmet. Sean looks at him confusedly.

"Are you Daedalus? Why do you sound like my dad?" he says. Icarus tilts his head back, beseeching the sky why he was so stupid back in the day, and hoping that he isn't quite that dumb now. He looks back down at Sean.

"Hand me a beer, Sean. I need a drink right about now anyway. Imagine me without the beard. Think about the face you see in the mirror each morning. This becoming any clearer?" Icarus asks. He's gratified by the light of comprehension dawning in Sean's face, though he still manages to forget to give himself a beer. Icarus steps forward and takes one out, opening it cleanly and taking a long drink. When he finishes up, he speaks.

"Good. Like I said, we need to have a talk," Icarus says.

[Heridfel]

Gravitor chuckles to himself, "Ah, young love." He takes off, moving at a relatively slow 50 miles per hour. Nanowire could keep up with him in his sleep (if he slept any more, that is). More importantly, Grimalkin can hold onto him without any difficulty or discomfort. It's no worse than traveling in a convertible. The two of them travel over the business district that they were in for about two minutes, following Gravitor all the way. He begins descending in the West End, coming to rest in the back street of a rowhome. He takes a step forward and hits a button. His garage door slowly begins to open, and he takes off his helmet again.

"Be sure to wipe your feet before you come upstairs. Mary yells at me enough when I get grease in the kitchen. Oh, and Roboman, if you could leave your suit in here... I don't think you'd fit up the stairs in that thing."

The garage itself is clearly where Gravitor does his tinkering. There's all sorts of tools in there, most of them showing various amounts of wear, but kept in good condition. The car is outside in the driveway, and there's another door to the interior of the house. Gravitor steps through that one, then turns back around.

"Wait up a second, miss. I need to change into my civvies as well," he says. He closes the door, leaving Nanowire and Grimalkin alone in the garage.

---

Sean stands up, takes a step towards Icarus, and promptly turns and bolts for the other exit. Icarus sighs, takes a step forward, and grabs the beer. He considers blasting through the bar to catch himself more quickly, but then he'd probably get charged for all the damage. His past self, that is, not his current self. Time travel makes his head hurt.

Instead, he turns around and heads back out the front door. One advantage he has over Sean is that he knows how he thinks. Icarus takes off and heads northeast over the building. Sean'd be running back to the auto repair shop to hide there, maybe grab the piece that he still had for protection. Too bad for him that even when Icarus' suit is broken, Icarus can still move twice as fast as Sean.

He flies down from above and lifts Sean up with one arm. Sean struggles for a moment as Icarus says, "Look, I really don't want to drop you, believe me, so quit squirming. We're going to land on this roof here, and we're going to have a talk."

Putting the truth to his words, Icarus lands on a nearby roof, putting Sean down first. Sean doesn't try running again - there's nowhere to run to, and it's clear that Icarus is much stronger than he is.

Icarus hands him the six-pack and says, "And I'm blaming you if these things are all shook up. Here, take one." Now thoroughly confused, Sean does as he says.

"Uh, that isn't you, is it Dad?" Sean asks. Icarus bursts out laughing, "Do I sound like Dad? God, I probably do. Let's put it this way - would Dad steal you some Guinness from McPhilthy's?"

Sean shakes his head and pops open the beer. It spurts a little, but he manages to avoid getting soaked. Icarus reaches up and pops off the helmet. Sean looks at him confusedly.

"Are you Daedalus? Why do you sound like my dad?" he says. Icarus tilts his head back, beseeching the sky why he was so stupid back in the day, and hoping that he isn't quite that dumb now. He looks back down at Sean.

"Hand me a beer, Sean. I need a drink right about now anyway. Imagine me without the beard. Think about the face you see in the mirror each morning. This becoming any clearer?" Icarus asks. He's gratified by the light of comprehension dawning in Sean's face, though he still manages to forget to give himself a beer. Icarus steps forward and takes one out, opening it cleanly and taking a long drink. When he finishes up, he speaks.

"Good. Like I said, we need to have a talk," Icarus says.

[Heridfel]

Gravitor chuckles to himself, "Ah, young love." He takes off, moving at a relatively slow 50 miles per hour. Nanowire could keep up with him in his sleep (if he slept any more, that is). More importantly, Grimalkin can hold onto him without any difficulty or discomfort. It's no worse than traveling in a convertible. The two of them travel over the business district that they were in for about two minutes, following Gravitor all the way. He begins descending in the West End, coming to rest in the back street of a rowhome. He takes a step forward and hits a button. His garage door slowly begins to open, and he takes off his helmet again.

"Be sure to wipe your feet before you come upstairs. Mary yells at me enough when I get grease in the kitchen. Oh, and Roboman, if you could leave your suit in here... I don't think you'd fit up the stairs in that thing."

The garage itself is clearly where Gravitor does his tinkering. There's all sorts of tools in there, most of them showing various amounts of wear, but kept in good condition. The car is outside in the driveway, and there's another door to the interior of the house. Gravitor steps through that one, then turns back around.

"Wait up a second, miss. I need to change into my civvies as well," he says. He closes the door, leaving Nanowire and Grimalkin alone in the garage.

---

Sean stands up, takes a step towards Icarus, and promptly turns and bolts for the other exit. Icarus sighs, takes a step forward, and grabs the beer. He considers blasting through the bar to catch himself more quickly, but then he'd probably get charged for all the damage. His past self, that is, not his current self. Time travel makes his head hurt.

Instead, he turns around and heads back out the front door. One advantage he has over Sean is that he knows how he thinks. Icarus takes off and heads northeast over the building. Sean'd be running back to the auto repair shop to hide there, maybe grab the piece that he still had for protection. Too bad for him that even when Icarus' suit is broken, Icarus can still move twice as fast as Sean.

He flies down from above and lifts Sean up with one arm. Sean struggles for a moment as Icarus says, "Look, I really don't want to drop you, believe me, so quit squirming. We're going to land on this roof here, and we're going to have a talk."

Putting the truth to his words, Icarus lands on a nearby roof, putting Sean down first. Sean doesn't try running again - there's nowhere to run to, and it's clear that Icarus is much stronger than he is.

Icarus hands him the six-pack and says, "And I'm blaming you if these things are all shook up. Here, take one." Now thoroughly confused, Sean does as he says.

"Uh, that isn't you, is it Dad?" Sean asks. Icarus bursts out laughing, "Do I sound like Dad? God, I probably do. Let's put it this way - would Dad steal you some Guinness from McPhilthy's?"

Sean shakes his head and pops open the beer. It spurts a little, but he manages to avoid getting soaked. Icarus reaches up and pops off the helmet. Sean looks at him confusedly.

"Are you Daedalus? Why do you sound like my dad?" he says. Icarus tilts his head back, beseeching the sky why he was so stupid back in the day, and hoping that he isn't quite that dumb now. He looks back down at Sean.

"Hand me a beer, Sean. I need a drink right about now anyway. Imagine me without the beard. Think about the face you see in the mirror each morning. This becoming any clearer?" Icarus asks. He's gratified by the light of comprehension dawning in Sean's face, though he still manages to forget to give himself a beer. Icarus steps forward and takes one out, opening it cleanly and taking a long drink. When he finishes up, he speaks.

"Good. Like I said, we need to have a talk," Icarus says.

[Heritage]

The flight over...was fantastic, even better than her youthful daydreams; the fact that she was carried by a hulking metal giant with a skull for a face didn't really bother her at all. Who needs wimpy princes with puffy shirts and girly stockings when you could be carried by a wayward knight, his heart touched by darkness, but still pure and filled with light?

Sadly, it came to an end all too soon, and they come to a landing in the West End, the neighborhood she visited so often as a child... Wait, '72? Grampaloo would still be alive, and so would-

Grim pushed the thoughts away; there was no time for indulging childhood fantasies, and she didn't want to be like Icarus, wandering around the old neighborhood yelling her name for all to hear. She slid easily down to the ground once they were safe in the garage, almost like a slide in the playground; she affectionately patted Nano's arm as Gravitor continued speaking.

"Be sure to wipe your feet before you come upstairs. Mary yells at me enough when I get grease in the kitchen. Oh, and Roboman, if you could leave your suit in here... I don't think you'd fit up the stairs in that thing."

- - - -

"Wait up a second, miss. I need to change into my civvies as well," he says. He closes the door, leaving Nanowire and Grimalkin alone in the garage.

With almost no effort at all, Grim shifts herself into something a little more period; the white vinyl boots have returned, along with the wool skirt and tights, and a short velour coat like she saw young women wearing in the street. Her hair is long, dark and straight, cascading over her shoulders and halfway down her back. She turns to face Nano, and he sees her mask is gone! She smiles and shrugs.

"It's not like you can really ID me - I'm a shapeshifter, right? Plus I want you to see my real face, even if it's just this once."

Grim then turns her back to the metal-clad villain and takes a step closer to the door.

"I can leave, if you want, or whatever you're comfortable with; do you need tools or an extension cord or anything?"

She starts to turn around, but catches herself and bites her lip.

“Or if you need, y’know, clothes or something…†:oops:

[Heritage]

The flight over...was fantastic, even better than her youthful daydreams; the fact that she was carried by a hulking metal giant with a skull for a face didn't really bother her at all. Who needs wimpy princes with puffy shirts and girly stockings when you could be carried by a wayward knight, his heart touched by darkness, but still pure and filled with light?

Sadly, it came to an end all too soon, and they come to a landing in the West End, the neighborhood she visited so often as a child... Wait, '72? Grampaloo would still be alive, and so would-

Grim pushed the thoughts away; there was no time for indulging childhood fantasies, and she didn't want to be like Icarus, wandering around the old neighborhood yelling her name for all to hear. She slid easily down to the ground once they were safe in the garage, almost like a slide in the playground; she affectionately patted Nano's arm as Gravitor continued speaking.

"Be sure to wipe your feet before you come upstairs. Mary yells at me enough when I get grease in the kitchen. Oh, and Roboman, if you could leave your suit in here... I don't think you'd fit up the stairs in that thing."

- - - -

"Wait up a second, miss. I need to change into my civvies as well," he says. He closes the door, leaving Nanowire and Grimalkin alone in the garage.

With almost no effort at all, Grim shifts herself into something a little more period; the white vinyl boots have returned, along with the wool skirt and tights, and a short velour coat like she saw young women wearing in the street. Her hair is long, dark and straight, cascading over her shoulders and halfway down her back. She turns to face Nano, and he sees her mask is gone! She smiles and shrugs.

"It's not like you can really ID me - I'm a shapeshifter, right? Plus I want you to see my real face, even if it's just this once."

Grim then turns her back to the metal-clad villain and takes a step closer to the door.

"I can leave, if you want, or whatever you're comfortable with; do you need tools or an extension cord or anything?"

She starts to turn around, but catches herself and bites her lip.

“Or if you need, y’know, clothes or something…†:oops:

[Heritage]

The flight over...was fantastic, even better than her youthful daydreams; the fact that she was carried by a hulking metal giant with a skull for a face didn't really bother her at all. Who needs wimpy princes with puffy shirts and girly stockings when you could be carried by a wayward knight, his heart touched by darkness, but still pure and filled with light?

Sadly, it came to an end all too soon, and they come to a landing in the West End, the neighborhood she visited so often as a child... Wait, '72? Grampaloo would still be alive, and so would-

Grim pushed the thoughts away; there was no time for indulging childhood fantasies, and she didn't want to be like Icarus, wandering around the old neighborhood yelling her name for all to hear. She slid easily down to the ground once they were safe in the garage, almost like a slide in the playground; she affectionately patted Nano's arm as Gravitor continued speaking.

"Be sure to wipe your feet before you come upstairs. Mary yells at me enough when I get grease in the kitchen. Oh, and Roboman, if you could leave your suit in here... I don't think you'd fit up the stairs in that thing."

- - - -

"Wait up a second, miss. I need to change into my civvies as well," he says. He closes the door, leaving Nanowire and Grimalkin alone in the garage.

With almost no effort at all, Grim shifts herself into something a little more period; the white vinyl boots have returned, along with the wool skirt and tights, and a short velour coat like she saw young women wearing in the street. Her hair is long, dark and straight, cascading over her shoulders and halfway down her back. She turns to face Nano, and he sees her mask is gone! She smiles and shrugs.

"It's not like you can really ID me - I'm a shapeshifter, right? Plus I want you to see my real face, even if it's just this once."

Grim then turns her back to the metal-clad villain and takes a step closer to the door.

"I can leave, if you want, or whatever you're comfortable with; do you need tools or an extension cord or anything?"

She starts to turn around, but catches herself and bites her lip.

“Or if you need, y’know, clothes or something…†:oops:

[Veiled Malice]

The flight over was everything Nanowire thought it could be. Just holding Grim made his heart, or whatever passed for that particular organ these days, beat a little faster. Her enthusiasm for seemingly everything on the way over made him more sure with each passing second that his recent changeover from villainy (which he'd been rubbish at anyway) to heroism (not perfect, but he seemed to have natural aptitude at it) was the right one.

But the spectre of what she'd think about him the way he was weighed heavily on his mind. Could a girl like her ever feel anything for a machine? And if not, how could he explain that he would one day be better? As she looked up at him, though, wonder twinkling in her eyes, all those concerns were swept aside.

Once at Gravitor's garage, Nanowire's anxiety piled on itself again once the man told him to leave his armor there. At least he thought it was armor. As to where it went after he took it off... well, he'd have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

"It's not like you can really ID me - I'm a shapeshifter, right? Plus I want you to see my real face, even if it's just this once."

Grim then turns her back to the metal-clad villain and takes a step closer to the door.

"I can leave, if you want, or whatever you're comfortable with; do you need tools or an extension cord or anything?"

She starts to turn around, but catches herself and bites her lip.

“Or if you need, y’know, clothes or something…†:oops:

"Ah?! No... I mean..." Damn, get it together, man! he ordered himself mentally. Her gesture at showing him what she really looked like touched him the way few had before. Only Daisuke, in his innocence, had been able to reach him that deeply. "No, listen... you trusted me with what you look like, and... I was going to do the same... it's just..." He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back together. "There's something about me I think you should know. I'm not... I'm not... Ah hell, let me just show you."

One unnecessary deep breath later, Nanowire's armor popped open, and a hiss of compressed air escaped from the cracks, misting the area and stirring up some loose papers. The main chest section hinged upward, revealing a medium-sized Asian boy inside. His arms and legs were still restrained by the appropriate limbs of his mecha, but even so, Grim could easily see that not everything was how it should be if he was simply encased in a suit of armor. First of all, wires of pure silvery metal connected to the side of his neck, where cracks in his skin were clearly visible. The chest plate had no way to see out, either. There were no viewscreen or eyepieces.

But more than anything, the boy's inhuman nature was confirmed by the fact that his arms were not connected to his shoulders. They had actually separated off, placed into the arms of his "armor", only connected to the rest of his body by the same type of wires that were in his neck. Suddenly, the rest of the outer surface broke open along the lines, allowing his arms and legs to reconnect fully to his body. The wires retracted into his body, and then were not wires at all, but liquid nanomachines, returning to their owner. Once free of its creator, the armor seemed to sag, collapsing in upon itself before melting into unrecognizable junk. All that remained was the Asian boy.

His hair was unkempt and stuck out in all directions from it's encasement. The worst kind of helmet hair, but somehow endearing on his lean frame. His grey eyes and smooth skin betrayed none of the machine nature he'd displayed only moments before. His clothes were plain, just some blue jeans and a white T-shirt - more in keeping with the 50's (if he'd slicked back his hair) than the 70's. He appeared nervous, naked without his armor to protect him, waiting for Grim's final judgement.

"So... this is me." The once-human boy waved at Grim lamely. "Hi, my name's Renichi Sonada."

[Veiled Malice]

The flight over was everything Nanowire thought it could be. Just holding Grim made his heart, or whatever passed for that particular organ these days, beat a little faster. Her enthusiasm for seemingly everything on the way over made him more sure with each passing second that his recent changeover from villainy (which he'd been rubbish at anyway) to heroism (not perfect, but he seemed to have natural aptitude at it) was the right one.

But the spectre of what she'd think about him the way he was weighed heavily on his mind. Could a girl like her ever feel anything for a machine? And if not, how could he explain that he would one day be better? As she looked up at him, though, wonder twinkling in her eyes, all those concerns were swept aside.

Once at Gravitor's garage, Nanowire's anxiety piled on itself again once the man told him to leave his armor there. At least he thought it was armor. As to where it went after he took it off... well, he'd have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

"It's not like you can really ID me - I'm a shapeshifter, right? Plus I want you to see my real face, even if it's just this once."

Grim then turns her back to the metal-clad villain and takes a step closer to the door.

"I can leave, if you want, or whatever you're comfortable with; do you need tools or an extension cord or anything?"

She starts to turn around, but catches herself and bites her lip.

“Or if you need, y’know, clothes or something…†:oops:

"Ah?! No... I mean..." Damn, get it together, man! he ordered himself mentally. Her gesture at showing him what she really looked like touched him the way few had before. Only Daisuke, in his innocence, had been able to reach him that deeply. "No, listen... you trusted me with what you look like, and... I was going to do the same... it's just..." He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back together. "There's something about me I think you should know. I'm not... I'm not... Ah hell, let me just show you."

One unnecessary deep breath later, Nanowire's armor popped open, and a hiss of compressed air escaped from the cracks, misting the area and stirring up some loose papers. The main chest section hinged upward, revealing a medium-sized Asian boy inside. His arms and legs were still restrained by the appropriate limbs of his mecha, but even so, Grim could easily see that not everything was how it should be if he was simply encased in a suit of armor. First of all, wires of pure silvery metal connected to the side of his neck, where cracks in his skin were clearly visible. The chest plate had no way to see out, either. There were no viewscreen or eyepieces.

But more than anything, the boy's inhuman nature was confirmed by the fact that his arms were not connected to his shoulders. They had actually separated off, placed into the arms of his "armor", only connected to the rest of his body by the same type of wires that were in his neck. Suddenly, the rest of the outer surface broke open along the lines, allowing his arms and legs to reconnect fully to his body. The wires retracted into his body, and then were not wires at all, but liquid nanomachines, returning to their owner. Once free of its creator, the armor seemed to sag, collapsing in upon itself before melting into unrecognizable junk. All that remained was the Asian boy.

His hair was unkempt and stuck out in all directions from it's encasement. The worst kind of helmet hair, but somehow endearing on his lean frame. His grey eyes and smooth skin betrayed none of the machine nature he'd displayed only moments before. His clothes were plain, just some blue jeans and a white T-shirt - more in keeping with the 50's (if he'd slicked back his hair) than the 70's. He appeared nervous, naked without his armor to protect him, waiting for Grim's final judgement.

"So... this is me." The once-human boy waved at Grim lamely. "Hi, my name's Renichi Sonada."

[Veiled Malice]

The flight over was everything Nanowire thought it could be. Just holding Grim made his heart, or whatever passed for that particular organ these days, beat a little faster. Her enthusiasm for seemingly everything on the way over made him more sure with each passing second that his recent changeover from villainy (which he'd been rubbish at anyway) to heroism (not perfect, but he seemed to have natural aptitude at it) was the right one.

But the spectre of what she'd think about him the way he was weighed heavily on his mind. Could a girl like her ever feel anything for a machine? And if not, how could he explain that he would one day be better? As she looked up at him, though, wonder twinkling in her eyes, all those concerns were swept aside.

Once at Gravitor's garage, Nanowire's anxiety piled on itself again once the man told him to leave his armor there. At least he thought it was armor. As to where it went after he took it off... well, he'd have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

"It's not like you can really ID me - I'm a shapeshifter, right? Plus I want you to see my real face, even if it's just this once."

Grim then turns her back to the metal-clad villain and takes a step closer to the door.

"I can leave, if you want, or whatever you're comfortable with; do you need tools or an extension cord or anything?"

She starts to turn around, but catches herself and bites her lip.

“Or if you need, y’know, clothes or something…†:oops:

"Ah?! No... I mean..." Damn, get it together, man! he ordered himself mentally. Her gesture at showing him what she really looked like touched him the way few had before. Only Daisuke, in his innocence, had been able to reach him that deeply. "No, listen... you trusted me with what you look like, and... I was going to do the same... it's just..." He shook his head, trying to get his thoughts back together. "There's something about me I think you should know. I'm not... I'm not... Ah hell, let me just show you."

One unnecessary deep breath later, Nanowire's armor popped open, and a hiss of compressed air escaped from the cracks, misting the area and stirring up some loose papers. The main chest section hinged upward, revealing a medium-sized Asian boy inside. His arms and legs were still restrained by the appropriate limbs of his mecha, but even so, Grim could easily see that not everything was how it should be if he was simply encased in a suit of armor. First of all, wires of pure silvery metal connected to the side of his neck, where cracks in his skin were clearly visible. The chest plate had no way to see out, either. There were no viewscreen or eyepieces.

But more than anything, the boy's inhuman nature was confirmed by the fact that his arms were not connected to his shoulders. They had actually separated off, placed into the arms of his "armor", only connected to the rest of his body by the same type of wires that were in his neck. Suddenly, the rest of the outer surface broke open along the lines, allowing his arms and legs to reconnect fully to his body. The wires retracted into his body, and then were not wires at all, but liquid nanomachines, returning to their owner. Once free of its creator, the armor seemed to sag, collapsing in upon itself before melting into unrecognizable junk. All that remained was the Asian boy.

His hair was unkempt and stuck out in all directions from it's encasement. The worst kind of helmet hair, but somehow endearing on his lean frame. His grey eyes and smooth skin betrayed none of the machine nature he'd displayed only moments before. His clothes were plain, just some blue jeans and a white T-shirt - more in keeping with the 50's (if he'd slicked back his hair) than the 70's. He appeared nervous, naked without his armor to protect him, waiting for Grim's final judgement.

"So... this is me." The once-human boy waved at Grim lamely. "Hi, my name's Renichi Sonada."

[Heridfel]

"Wait, you aren't some sort of alien shapechanger mindreader, are you?" Sean asks. Icarus sighs.

"At this point, I'm trying real hard not to throttle myself. It's like... ugh. No, I am not an alien shapechanger mindreader. If I were, don't you think I would have made myself look more like you?" Icarus asks. Sean opens his mouth, and Icarus cuts him off. "And it doesn't make sense for me to try to trick you like that, so don't even say it. I'm not reading your mind," he raises his voice as Sean begins to sputter, "I'm you from the future. I remember what I was like, though I guess I forgot how dumb I was as a teenager."

Sean finally gets a word in, "Hey, I'm twenty now, not a teenager." Icarus chuckles, saying, "Right, I was then. I remember when that was a big deal."

Icarus' face goes somber, and he looks to Sean. "I've got some bad news for you. Dad was just killed over by Haas Jewelers." He tries to say the words as gently as he can, but Sean's reaction is still near-catatonic shock.

"No... no. Why didn't you stop it? What happened?" Sean says.

"I got here too late. Time travel doesn't always work the way you want it to," Icarus says. "I'm sorry. I remember how this hurt. The Power Corps shot him while his back was turned. They were robbing Haas Jewelers."

Sean looks up at himself, shock turning to anger, "He got killed because he was trying to be a hero, huh? He spent all our money on that suit of his, trying to get the Freedom League's attention. Got me sent to 'Nam because I couldn't afford college. And now he's dead?!"

Icarus smiles thinly. He puts down the beer, then moves much faster than Sean thought possible, pinning him against an air conditioning unit. Icarus stares him straight in the eyes and speaks in an almost quiet voice. It's much more intimidating than Sean's wild yelling.

"No. I lied. I couldn't save him, but someone else did. Maybe a friend of mine, though God knows I haven't had many of them over the years. He's still alive," Icarus says, releasing Sean from the pin. He blinks back a tear. "I told you that I remember how this hurt, and I wanted you to feel it so you could remember it. Feeling angry like that - it doesn't get you anything. We had a tough life, big deal. You walk down the path I took, and you'll end up alone and unloved. You know Dad loves you, and I know that you love him too. He broke your heart when he died, but now you've got a chance to make things better."

Icarus is crying now, and can't help it. "Here, I'll take you down. Go home, and go see him. I've got some more thinking to do." He lifts Sean up and floats down to the ground. Once he's there, Icarus takes back off, flying slowly into the clouds.