Issue #1.1: All aboard the pain train!

[Morphling]

It's a sweltering summer afternoon. The little, run-down electronics store in the poorer district of Halcyon City barely has any air conditioning left to give, and now that its street window has been shattered, the heat flows in as well.

"They are among us, brothers and sisters," says Blaire Zeal from one of the plasma TVs. The televangelist hate-preacher turned alien collaborator has lost none of his flair for theatrics in his change of careers. "They could be your neighbor. Your co-worker. Even your family. No one is above suspicion."

"It wasn't too long ago that they lorded over us with the sins of pride and hubris. You remember what it was like when they walked among us openly! Explosions, disasters, peace nothing more than a dying hope! But now, a new dawn has come. Our friends from the stars have brought this city stability, justice, and order, like water to parched lips! But don't think we can let our guard down! They're still out there, biding their time from the shadows! New abominations are formed every day, testing our resolve, and our partnership with the Tangee! And they want nothing more than to ensure that all we have achieved is ruined! We have proven that we do not need them, and they cannot stand it!"

"Do you know what the eight scariest words in the English language are? 'I'm a superhero, and I'm here to rescue-"

SMAAAASH!

The final scariest word in the English language is forever rendered a mystery when an enraged man lays a baseball bat into the television, shattering the screen. Elsewhere in the shopping district, other scenes of chaos are unfolding. Customers storm a Jewish Bistro. A maniac attacks a fire hydrant with a wrench. Windows are being smashed, tables upturned, and more and more people are being drawn in to participate, creating a full-on riot.

At the center of the action, an eight foot tall man marches through the street. He wears a massive pinstripe suit tailored to his broad, powerful frame. His head is bald and craggy, and he gazes at the mayhem through perpetually squinting eyes. In one hand he holds a megaphone, which he uses to continually bark encouragement at the mob.

"THAT'S RIGHT! BREAK STUFF! SHOW 'EM WHAT WE THINK OF THE BEAKS! ABOUT THEM TAKIN' PEOPLE IN THE NIGHT! ABOUT PLANNIN' TO SET UP CHECKPOINTS SO THEY CAN TAKE US IN THE DAY! WE DON'T HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS!"

Just then, a HUAC tactical vehicle pulls up to block the street. HUAC operatives immediately begin pouring out in their black armored uniforms. Elsewhere, police cars begin arriving to cut off other avenues of escape.

A HUAC officer steps forward. "YOU ARE PART OF AN ILLEGAL GATHERING! EITHER DISPERSE NOW OR PREPARE TO BE PROCESSED!" The operatives behind him produce electric riot prods and hand held force shields, gifts from their Tangee 'sponsors.' They advance, but the riot shows no sign of dispersing...

OOC

This is where you guys arrive on scene. In your next post, be sure to describe your character, how they arrive on the scene, and maybe even how the team got a tip to arrive here in the first place. This is mainly introductions, but if you can't help but make a move, go for it.

Zora: On your way here, you got a text from Claire asking your team to go on a mission for CLOAKS. What has she asked you to do?

Seismos: During your villainous days, you've met either the HUAC officer, one of the HUAC operatives, or a police officer who works closely with HUAC and is about to arrive on the scene. Who are they? How did that first meeting go?

Midnight: This is happening in your neighborhood! You recognize a face in the crowd. Somebody who would never get involved with this chaos. Who are they? What are they like when they're not behaving so out of character?

Verse: Lately, Earworm has been trying a new tactic to attempt to force you to succumb to its will. What is it and why would it be bad for it to come up now?

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Morphling (see edit history)

[Kavonde]

BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE
DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1

---

"Oh, good. This is happening. Great."

Benjamin Zayne, known to some as Seismos, sighs and checks his phone. His last message to the group had been for them to meet here ASAP. Ben had received an inadvertent tipoff that something would be going down here at around this time, from a friend of his in HUAC-Jeffrey, one of the many young men seduced by his father's preaching into joining Humans United Against Chaos. Well, it was obvious that HUAC's intel had been correct. Not only was someone making a move, they were making the boldest, most out-in-the-open, middle-of-broad-daylight move Ben had seen... well, since before he turned his coat. Since before his mom was taken.

A tall, thin young man with fair skin and blonde hair, Ben is dressed in fewer layers than he'd prefer: a white T-shirt with a logo for Steel Faith, his favorite band (as far as his "friends" in HUAC knew), an unbuttoned white-and-green plaid shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and a pair of brown, steel-toed workboots that seem a bit oversized at the ends of his skinny legs. With the excuse of the glaring sun, he's also wearing a light blue baseball cap with the Halcyon Guardians' logo and a pair of black-lensed shield sunglasses. He doesn't appear to be anything more than a gangly, slightly underfed kid in his late teens, busily texting his friends about the first exciting thing to happen to him in awhile.

It's going down, he taps out on his screen. Where are you guys?

Ben has no idea who the big guy with the megaphone is, but he definitely recognizes the HUAC officer in charge of the response: Jabari Okonkwo. A large, dark-skinned man in his fifties who immigrated from Rwanda decades ago, Jabari is a true believer in Blair Zeal's purported ideals of peace and order; he doesn't like to speak about his past, but Ben has always sensed he has a personal stake in ensuring his new home doesn't fall to chaos. Ben had first met him at one of his father's famous barbeques, just a couple of weeks before he announced HUAC's formation; it was an event attended by most of the men (and handful of women) now running the organization. Ben had been almost a foot shorter than he was now and had unfortunately little experience interacting with people who looked like Jabari; he'd initially found the man rather intimidating. But after a few jokes and anecdotes, Ben decided that Jabari was just about the most likable person he had ever met. This is going to be the first time Ben has had to face the man from the other side of his divided allegiance.

Even though Jabari and his son Jeffrey might be on the wrong side of this, Ben knows them, and knows that they're good people. A lot of folks in HUAC are. Many of them are bullies and sadists, sure, but some are just misguided. People like Jabari, Jeffrey... and, of course, Ben himself.

Of course, Jabari's presence complicates things. If someone like John Breyfield was here, leading his squad of goons and psychopaths, this would be more cut-and-dry. Whoever the tall guy in the suit is, there's no way he's as bad as Breyfield. But now, the team's going to have to figure out what's going on, minimize the damage on all sides, and get out of here without blowing Ben's cover. 

He's closed his eyes and started whispering a short prayer before he realizes he's doing it. An old, ingrained reflex instilled in him by his father. Ben grits his teeth and bites off the rest of the prayer, then puts away his phone and starts moving towards the fray, looking for a dark corner where he can observe things for a bit without being seen. As he does, he reaches into another pocket and produces a brown bandana, which he ties around his mouth and nose. The disguise isn't as concealing as his Seismos costume, but it should work well enough.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Kavonde (see edit history)

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr -1 Frk -1 Sav +2 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

"Ma'am, you can't bring your cat in here."

Charlie Bennett gets that a lot. Perched on her shoulder is her tuxedo cat, Mr. Meowmers, her shadow. Charlie sets down the eye shadow palette she had been looking at. "Oh, it's okay, he's trained," she explains to the saleswoman.

The saleswoman does not look assuaged. She purses her lips. "I see. Is there anything I can help you find?"

Charlie knows what she's saying: are you sure you can afford to be here? That's fair. Ingenue is one of the finest luxury makeup shops in Halcyon City. The only other client is an older woman decked out in the finest brands: Versace, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent. The woman gives Charlie the a snide look. Charlie, meanwhile, is dressed casually in leggings, white sneakers, and a plain black tank top. Though the saleswoman would never guess it, Charlie is a good client of theirs. She just has always had an assistant do her shopping. If she were to tell the saleswoman that she is a Bennett, well, the employee might die from embarrassment. And as satisfying as it might be to Pretty Woman her ("Big mistake! Huge!"), Charlie has more pressing matters.

She just received a text about a riot happening. And HUAC is responding.

"Actually, I do need to go somewhere," Charlie replies. As she passes the snide woman clothed in luxury brands, Charlie can't help but say. "Cute Louis Vuitton clutch! You bought that used from that thrift store on 5th, right? Yeah, that was mine but I got tired of it. Black stain on the interior lining still there? Bye!" Charlie takes some enjoyment in seeing the smirk fall off the woman's face.

A few minutes later, Charlie is perched on top of a building overlooking the riot. She texts the group. {I'm here. On top of the gas station.} Charlie pulls out the old Zoro mask that essentially is her costume and slips it on, becoming... Zora. "Such a stupid name," she mutters to herself.

Ever since she was little, Charlie has wanted to be someone important, to accomplish something great for a great cause. Now, she's a hero, but she still somehow gets saddled with a really lame name! All because some jack ass blogger recognized the Halloween mask she bought and his dumb nickname is what stuck. The moment Charlie gets an official interview with someone, she's going to make it a point to clear that up... but she still doesn't know what she wants to be called.

Charlie has, of course, privately workshopped tons of possible hero names. None have felt like the one to her. The Resistor? Too self-important, maybe if I had electricity powers. Cat girl? Too basic. Bird... punching... girl. Ugh.

But Charlie's got bigger fish to fry right now, so she tables that internal dialogue for the moment. There's a massive riot happening down below and HUAC is about to use some pretty serious force to quell it. On top of that, her best friend, Claire, just texted her with a request from CLOAKSS.

The organization is trying to win over some influential people in Halcyon City and needs a top secret message delivered in person to their prospect. The prospect is heavily surveilled by Tangee agents and their residence is tightly guarded, but the prospect will be attending a gala soon. Claire's request: get into the gala by any means and deliver the message. She includes a brief description of the prospect, without naming them, and Charlie is surprised to learn he's their age. Why would someone their age be so important to win over?

Whatever. That's a problem for future Charlie. Now, she needs to focus on the riot.

[Eternal]

Calvin "Verse" Zheng

Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0

---

Answeritansweritanswerit. Answer me. Answer us...

Calvin sighed as he fidgeted with his phone in reply to a notification ding. On one hand, Ben's text was staring back at him. On the other, Earworm continued to solicit its unwanted opinion, twisting the text in Calvin's mind to form the lyrics of the Song in his head. Calvin flicked up the volume on his AirPods to drown out his thoughts.

{ OMW }

He slipped his phone into his blue hoodie and made one last pass at the used game section of the cheapo electronics store before heading out.

If anyone knew that time was of the essence, it was Calvin Zheng. He was like an evil genie's lamp: an itty-bitty living space for an explosively malicious power. He didn't need Ben adding to Earworm's stress right now. Was the mission important? For sure! Did Calvin need a copy of Tecmo's Deception for PS1? Well, no, but he refused to die before playing one of the greatest horror survival games of all time.

No sooner did he turn down the TV aisle was he shoved out of the way and into a pile of toasters. Apparently, an enraged man had a baseball bat to pick with Blaire Zeal, and Calvin was in his way. Calvin's long raven hair flapped in his face while his glasses popped off and skittered across the aisle. He dropped to the floor on instinct and shimmied by the ends of his elbows to retrieve his round frames, propping his butt on the floor and his back to the shelves. The bat man continued his assault around the store. Calvin felt his fingers curling into his hands as he watched him.

Why do squirm when you could DESTROY? You have power. You ARE power. USE IT.

"Why don't you shut up for once!?"

Calvin slammed his fists into the ground beneath him, causing the shelves nearby to rumble. The bat man raised an eyebrow and snorted in Calvin's direction. He diminished into a sheepish smile, pushing himself away with the heels of his sneakers and the flat of his palms. Once out of sight, Calvin stood up, and swiped his hand over his face. It warbled into a black flame void with two glowing orbs where his glasses should be. Rather than rely on a costume, Calvin used his memory manipulation power to make people who looked at his body forget what they saw.

Yes... Enjoy a moment of silence. I shall conserve my strength for when yours falters. Max is not here to save you this time.

Calvin hard stopped at the venom behind that memory. True to its word, Earworm went strangely silent and left Calvin with his own thoughts for once. He took a few big breaths before walking, jogging, running to find one of his teammates. He needed them more than ever right now. For the first time since Earworm wriggled into his life, he felt truly alone.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Eternal (see edit history)

[DoNotFearToTread]

Temperance "Midnight" Jackson

Dgr -1 Frk 0 Sav +2 Sup +1 Mnd +1

---

Gigabites, one part internet cafe and one part arcade, is an oasis in a neighborhood that can't usually support such things. The owner came up from here, though, and runs the whole operation at near his own costs. It isn't unusual to find Temperance here after school, or during school, or anytime her parents have driven her out of the house in a screaming huff. It also isn't unusual to find her on a four game winning streak in a 4v4 Alley Brawler 2 (indisputably the best entry in the series) tournament with idiots like Preston and Greg, who are standing behind her shouting in mock-rage at her performance.

"Your tears just give me power." She speaks the words through clenched teeth as she bounces Trina's avatar up with a spinning kick and then juggles her against the edge of the screen with a barrage of punches. Trina groans in exasperation as the health bar on her side of the screen plummets and she tosses the controller onto the overstuffed green loveseat. As the only other girl in this particular crew of misfit gamers, Trina's loss brings Temperance no pleasure but its is the only obstacle between her and the final step in the ladder. 

"GG." Both girls say it at the same time, exchanging a fist bump, and Temperance is scanning the room for her final opponent. "I love the nose ring." Trina squeaks out and Temperance offers a grin as she taps the silver with her fingernail. Her parents were less enthusiastic about it, and the resultant fight is what put her here in the first place. She's about to offer thanks, and likely a correction on it being a septum ring, when glass shatters from the front area of the store. She's on her feet faster than most have even turned toward it, but she hesitates there as silence hangs in the air. Then a muffled shout cuts through it, alongside the clatter of something heavy hitting the floor, and she is putting her own shoulder to the door without a thought. The front room, a half-dozen pcs along one wall and a small grill on the opposite, is a rush of motion as people scramble away from a man with a section of pipe in his hands. The window he came through and the computer he kicked over are beyond helping, but the patrons need her. Her phone chirps and she glances down to the screen to see Ben's message flicker through.

"Hey, yo!" She pulls the Seattle Kraken cap down lower on her face to give her eyes a shaded look, lifting her hands into a ready pose as she steps forward only to stop dead as the man turns to face her. Her feet go lead in her shoes and she blinks to try to clear the obvious illusion but nothing changes. "Mr. Scovner?" It's definitely him, with that bald spot and the biker moustache. Her algebra teacher from last year, the one who stayed after twice a week to help her understand why x and y are acceptable in math problems. He covered her lunch tab when her parents came up short three months ago. She'd never say it, but he actually made her feel like she could do well in math. Now he's swinging a pipe around like a Skrellan barbarian from Mage and Knight...or was that Blade Quest? She shakes her head as the thoughts start to cloud her senses. That dip out to the alley for 'some air' was maybe a bad choice, after all. A raised voice cuts through the din of shouts and shatters outside.

 "...DISPERSE NOW OR PREPARE TO BE PROCESSED!"

Thoughts burn full-speed through her mind now. What could have started this? Why would anyone? How bad is this going to get? Her feet slide as she shifts her weight to her heels, glass crunching beneath her Keds. Tightening her fists again, she shifts more assuredly into that fighting stance. Can she throw hands with Mr. Scovner? He's got to be under some kind of power or something. He isn't this kind of person at all.

"Come on, man. Don't make me do this."

Edited March 27, 2023 by DoNotFearToTread (see edit history)

[Morphling]

Mr. Scovner stares at Midnight, and she sees something in his eyes. A fragment of humanity struggling to push itself through the surface through all that overpowering rage. "Help... me..." he manages to gasp out, clutching the pipe in his hand as though his life depends on it. "Help me... BREAK STUFF! Overthrow the Tangee oppressors!" That moment of humanity is gone in the next instant, and Mr. Scovner is raging once again. He doesn't make any move to confront Midnight, instead he exits the shop through the window he came in, and joins what is becoming a full-scale brawl between the mob and HUAC forces.

Outside, the situation is only getting worse. The HUAC operatives are well-equipped and have had at least some training, but they are vastly outnumbered and the rioters are furious. Some throw tear gas grenades into the crowd, but even that doesn't cause them to disperse. Captain Okonkwo rallies his forces, which are growing more and more desperate. "Sir!" One of them can be overheard saving. "The rifles in the van! Just give the order!" But Jabari shakes his head. "No! No one's dying today! None of us, and none of them!" However, thanks to the grim situation, it's becoming increasingly likely that either the Captain's hand will be forced, or his men will resort to lethal force against his orders.

The enormous man frankly looks like he could knock the entire HUAC force down like bowling pins, but he isn't joining in the fight. He simply barks encouragement through his megaphone, and watches the increasingly brutal violence with a pleased smirk on his face.

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr -1 Frk -1 Sav +2 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

"What is going on?" Charlie mutters to herself, watching as the carnage unfolds below. She knows that people want to resist the Tangee (heck, she's one of them), but this out of control aimless rage is something new. What are they even trying to do? These are just small businesses!

Charlie taps on the roof beside her and Mr. Meowmers obediently skips from her shoulder onto the roof. "You're sitting this one out, my dude. Don't want you getting trampled in that mess." Mr. Meowmers meows in agreement and proceeds to lick himself.

Charlie scans the scene, looking for any way to defuse this situation. {Any idea what the hell is going on? What do we do?} she texts her team.

Charlie will ask: 

• how could we best end this quickly?

Assess the Situation

[Kavonde]

BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE
DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1

---

"Frick," Ben curses, watching things escalate from his hiding spot behind a hot dog cart. "Frickin' frick. Shorts."

{Any idea what the hell is going on? What do we do?}

Ben glances back up over the edge of the cart, then hunkers back down and hurriedly taps out a reply. {Think it's the tall guy. Need to help HUAC boss. Good dude STG}

Okay, so what next? The mob this dude is whipping up is swarming the HUAC patrol. And yeah, Okonkwo would do everything in his power to keep things from going too far, but chances were good that at least a couple of Breyfield's loyalists were with this unit. There were probably too many of them not to be. Any second now, one of them could go for their firearm, and then...

Okay. So the crowd needs to be slowed down. Separated. Pulled apart. Ben can do this.

He rises from behind his hot dog cart and assumed a haphazard hung gar stance, then begins slowly moving his hands in a circle. This isn't something he needs to do to use his powers; in his guise as Seismos, he only needs to gesture with his fingers or move his arms around to channel his geokinetic abilities. But Ben is a bright young man, and one thing he considered when he decided to go rogue was that it wouldn't be enough to disguise his appearance: if he wanted to fool the Tangee into thinking he was some other, completely different geokineticist, he was going to have to change up his whole presentation. From there, it was an easy jump to using his favorite show growing up as an inspiration.

He visualizes the ground splitting, a shallow gap no more than five or six feet deep, pulling the crowd away from the HUAC squad and buying them room to breathe. And then, with a sharp, sudden gesture, Ben knifes his right hand forward and slides his right foot along the ground beneath it, unleashing his power.

[Eternal]

Calvin "Verse" Zheng

Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0

---

Calvin ninja ran to the edge of the main crowd, humming the theme song to the Chemical Plant stage from Sonic 2 under his breath. While he couldn't nearly match Swish the Speedster in MPH, being Earworm's host did bestow upon him a degree of strength and swiftness. The evil jerk probably needed to make sure Calvin could withstand its dark power without breaking. Being 5'4" and 105 pounds of easily winded nerd didn't make for the most durable harbinger of doom.

The ground started shaking and threw Calvin off his groove. He slid to a halt, whipping his eyes around the scene to catch sight of Temperance. Why hadn't she checked in yet? Did she forget to charge her phone? Was she being trampled on by a stampede of rioters??

{ Midnite, U OK girl?? 🥸 }

Once he caught wind of Ben at work, Calvin ran a hand through his hair and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Right. Chill out, dude. It's just Seismos. You're fine. She's fine. Y'all got this."

Calvin weighed his options. Charlie hadn't made her move yet. Temperance was MIA. He could pop into center stage, go nuclear, and memory wipe the conflict from the collective consciousness? He could do that, right? Earworm remained silent. Whatever. It must have been a bad idea because it sounded too easy. He'd probably fry everyone's minds a little too hard on accident, anyway...

Instead, Calvin resolved himself to snatching up any straggling normies to safety with his touch of strength and speed. There were always innocent bystanders in these hostile takeover situations.

Edited March 29, 2023 by Eternal (see edit history)

[DoNotFearToTread]

Temperance "Midnight" Jackson

Dgr -1 Frk 0 Sav +2 Sup +1 Mnd +1

---

Temperance sucks in deep breath as Mr Scovner manages to force out a plea despite whatever mental manipulations are overriding his senses. As he turns and scrambles back into the chaos of the street, she releases that breath in a shuddering gasp. Her phone chirps again, more messages from the crew, and she scans the room for Tyrone, the owner and cook at Gigabites. Motioning to him as he pops up from behind the counter, no doubt grabbing for a weapon back there, she shouts out as her feet carry her toward the shattered front window.

"Get everyone to the back room." No windows and a single door from the front and one to the back alley make the game room defensible. Planting her feet, she bends at the knees and leaps through the window and skids to a stop amid broken glass and surging bodies on the sidewalk. Tucking a hand under the collar of her shirt, she touches the cold metal of the amulet and finds reassurance in its presence. Staring into the dark where the buildings overhand shades out the sun, she opens her mind to the connections made by the Tenebris. Shadows lurk in every corner, in every alley, and she sees through them all. Fleeting images, sounds, like fast forwarding a movie. It's enough to get an idea of how big this riot is, and the large man that seems to be at the center of it. It's too much chaos to take in, too much noise and movement to glean anything helpful.

Pulling her mind back to herself, she jabs at the flip phone with her thumb at a speed that practically guarantees typos in the message to the group.

{@ Gigabites. I'm heaging for they giant with the big mouth. }

With that, she shoves the phone in her pocket and draws on the amulet to wreathe herself in shadows. Not a costume, exactly, but instantly available and an ideal disguise in case the beaks make an appearance. Stepping into the shadows, she slips between them to close the distance on the ringleader. It seems instant from the physical side but time moves odd in the Tenebris and each jump feels like dozens of seconds in the cold and the dark with only her own brain to speak with. Not ideal, but a small price to pay for what is effectively teleportation. Dropping out of the darkness created by laundry dangling from a line between two buildings, she moves with purpose as the people swarm in search of violence or to escape it.

Edited March 29, 2023 by DoNotFearToTread (see edit history)

[Morphling]

Zora, you survey the scene from atop the gas station. For some reason your eyes keep going back to the huge man at the center, and it quickly comes to you that you've seen him on the news before. He goes by the name 'Pain Train,' and he's one of the villains who was released into the Battle of Halcyon five years ago. You remember footage of him absolutely tearing a city block to shreds on the news, and one of the live reporters on the scene noted that his momentum is impossible to halt when he's in the middle of a full on charge. However, despite his significant power, he largely faded into obscurity after the occupation began, acting mainly as an enforcer and bodyguard for supervillains and mobsters (something you only know because these days many villains no longer bother to keep their crimes on the down low). It strikes you as odd that he would be here, using these tactics - and then it hits you. That megaphone in his hand - it once belonged to the deceased villain Benny Diction. It was what he used to increase his already powerful oratory ability. You now know that if you get the megaphone out of Pain Train's hands, the riot will be over.

Seismos, you reach out to the earth, and you get everything you hoped for. The ground trembles against your power, and a loud crack pierces the air as the earth itself opens up, creating a divide between the HUAC forces and the rioters. A few people stumble into the fissure, but HUAC backs off and concentrates on subduing those few that ended up their side.

Verse, you charge into the fray at full speed, rescuing anyone that you can. It feels so strange pulling people out of danger - instead of working with you, they struggle against you, trying to return to the conflict. When the fissure opens up, you are there, pulling people out before they can hurt themselves too much, getting them away from the conflict. You stop for a moment to survey the scene, trying to identify who else might need your help. But you can't do this for long, as you abruptly realize that you're on the HUAC side of the fissure, and they're already shouting and moving to surround you. Of course, this is the moment that Earworm chooses to blast your mind with its hideous voice...

Midnight, you extend your shadow senses and try to make sense of the chaos, to seek understanding of what you need to do and where you need to be to do it. But all you see is violence and brutality: HUAC soldiers beating the rioters, the rioters themselves trampling each other to try to get at HUAC, panic, fear, and desperation everywhere you look. As you search, someone stumbles into you, and then another person shoves past you while you're still trying to recover from the first blow. Eventually you're forced to shut your senses off and go looking for the ringleader, you're not going to learn anything from this.

Having been given a reprieve from the violence, the HUAC forces rally. "Supes on the field!" one of them shouts. "You six, get rifles! The rest of you with me! We're taking them down!" orders Captain Okonkwo, as he leads a sortie against Verse.

On the other side of the fissure, Pain Train glowers, displeased at the turn of events. "Hey!" he shouts, not using his megaphone for the moment. "Who made that crack!" His gaze swivels about, and lands on Seismos, whose exaggerated motions catch his attention. "Was that you?!" he cries, stomping forward. That's around when Midnight arrives on the scene. Pain Train glares at her. "Or was it you?! Doesn't matter, I'm gonna crush you both!"

OOC

At this point I think it's safe to say that you've entered a battle against a dangerous foe, so I'm increasing the team pool from one to three. But then I'm going to mean and say you were ill-prepared or off balance (you arrived individually instead of as a group, some of you were caught by surprise while shopping, etc.) so your team pool will be lowered to two. Additionally, in your next post answer the following questions.

1. Who is the leader of your team?
2. What is your purpose in this fight?
3. Do you mistrust the leader or the team?

Midnight: The shoving and scenes of violence have gotten to you. Mark a condition, and mark potential as well for the miss.

Verse: In your heroics you have ended up facing danger alone. Mark your doom track.

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr -1 Frk -1 Sav +2 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

"Holy shit, that's whats his face!" Charlie quickly picks up her phone and send her team another text. {The big dude is Pain Train! And he's got Benny Diction's megaphone!} Charlie doesn't bother explaining the who or what of that statement. Her team will know. I mean, they better!

 

The good news is that Charlie now knows exactly what to do: take down Pain Train and get that megaphone out of his hands!

A tremor runs through the building and Charlie looks up to see that Seismos has created a rift between the rioters and HUAC. Nice! Now she just needs to do her part.

Unlike Seismos (and, well, everyone else on the team), Charlie doesn't have any super powers. But she is a master martial artist and a phenomenal gymnast. That goes a long way, she tells herself, and more than makes up for being, you know, normal. "Okay, show time."

Charlie gets a running start and leaps from roof top to roof top, occasionally clambering up or down fire escapes, until she catches up to Pain Train, who is bearing down on Seismos and Midnight. Charlie leaps from the roof and grabs an overhanging street light, swinging on the bar like a gymnast. She launches herself in the air, spinning and bringing her foot down straight at Pain Train!

1. Who is the leader of your team? No one. We came in one at a time.
2. What is your purpose in this fight? To stop the riot before HUAC or the rioters seriously hurt one another.
3. Do you mistrust the leader or the team? Nope! Charlie trusts everyone.

Directly Engage a Threat

Charlie will take the megaphone from Pain Train!

 

[Morphling]

Zora, you leap through the urban cityscape with grace befitting your cat companion, and end your movement with your foot planted right in Pain Train's homely face. It feels like you just kicked a brick wall, but the mountainous man does flinch. You scramble to get his megaphone, and quickly tug it out of his hands, just as he grabs you by the torso and flings you one-handed into a convenience store. You go flying a dozen meters before you crash through the glass window.

As one, the mob snaps out of their fury and ceases trying to breach the fissure. Dazed and confused, they just stand around trying to comprehend their surroundings.

When Pain Train realizes he's lost the megaphone, his eyes widen in a panic, and then he bellows in rage. "Hey! I needed that! Give it back, give it back, give it back!" He claps his hands together and furiously slams them both down on the street, creating large cracks webbing through the ground and sending dust and rubble flying everywhere. Then he picks up a nearby car and hurls it aimlessly, which just so happens to send it right towards the crowd!

OOC

Team Pool: 2 (and to be determined)

Pain Train conditions: Angry

Zora: Mark a condition, then roll to take a powerful blow.

Everyone else: Zora's move is resolved, you may go!

 

[Kavonde]

BENJAMIN "SEISMOS" ZAYNE
DGR +2 FRK +1 SVR -1 SPR 0 MND +1

---

Ben winces as the huge man hurls Zora through the window of the convenience store. Before he can try to help her, though, Pain Train has lifted a car and hurled it towards the crowd. "Not cool, Train!" he scolds, running forward to try and intercept the vehicle before it can crush anyone. Calculating the car's trajectory, Ben visualizes lifting a ramp of earth and asphalt out of the ground to defend the crowd, high and sturdy enough to catch the vehicle before it can land, then makes a few sharp motions to channel his powers.

OOC

1. Who is the leader of your team? No one, though Ben would probably expect ideas to carry some weight because of his experience.
2. What is your purpose in this fight? To stop the riot and get everyone, civilian, HUAC, and super alike, out of this in one piece.
3. Do you mistrust the leader or the team? No, 'cause we don't have a leader. He might be keeping an eye on how Midnight deals with the HUAC team, though...

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Kavonde (see edit history)

[DoNotFearToTread]

Temperance "Midnight" Jackson

Dgr -1 Frk 0 Sav +2 Sup +1 Mnd +1

---

Getting out of the side street and onto the main drag where all the chaos is centered takes more effort than it should. There are too many people wrapped up in Pain Train's rage machine, and more seem to jump on board with every word he shouts. It's too much, too fast, and her heart is like a stone in her chest. How can they do anything to stop this? And if they can't stop this, how can they be effective against the Tangee and their whole occupying army? By the time she circles the corner and comes face-to-face with the big man and the HUAC militants she is nothing but frayed nerves. Only the sight of her teammates leaping into action is enough to focus her up. That and a jolt of concern at catching sight of Verse surrounded by HUAC on the wrong side of the divide.

Zora takes care of the source of the chaos, with a style that Temperance can only hope to match one day. Charlie's taught her a thing or two about swinging fists but she doesn't have the years of training to make it look good. Of course, when Zora goes flying as a result there is a small bit of relief that it wasn't, in fact, her that did it. The big man's rage is enough to launch a car, and he does exactly that, which has Ben scrambling to put up a barrier between it and the cowering crowd. Temperance was never good at school but she had a lot of extra time with math and she can tell by the angle of the descent that the barrier is coming up just short. It's a timing thing to leap into the shadow nearby and drop out of the one cast by the six story building above the car, but she manages to land on the flying car's hood. The impact and her weight is enough to push the whole thing down and the angle carries it directly into Ben's barrier, with her leaping off in time to avoid becoming part of the mangled metal herself. It's all pretty fancy but there isn't time to gloat about it.

"Hey, godzilla!" She glides forward, her steps left to seem almost like floating movement by the tendrils of darkness she wears. "Roid rage is a bad look." What would he even be doing all this for? Chaos for the sake of chaos just seems stupid in light of the occupation. If there is more going on here, Temperance wants the whole picture. "You should use your words like a big boy. What's the problem?"

OOC

Marked Hopeless for the last post.

Spend 1 team to bring Seismos' move to a 7.

I'd like to ask 'what are you really planning' for Pierce the Mask.

Questions

Who is the leader? Since Ben sent out that all call, Temperance would look to him to take charge here.

Who is your purpose? To protect the people caught in the crossfire between Pain Train and HUAC.

Do you mistrust? We established that Ben has put in the work to earn her respect, so I'd say she does not distrust Ben right now. We'll see how the HUAC situation here impacts that.

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by DoNotFearToTread (see edit history)