Issue #1.1: All aboard the pain train!

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr -1 Frk -1 Sav +2 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

Zora gets a hold of the megaphone and let's out a triumphant "Ha!" which turns into more of a scream as she goes flying through the air. She does her best to curl up, bracing for the impact. With great luck, Zora smashes through the glass of a convenience store and crash lands into a tower of triple ply toilet paper rolls.

Zora groans as she struggles to her feet. I'm gonna feel that in the morning. She brushes shards of glass from her white hair, upset that she had been so thoroughly manhandled. Guys like Pain Train have no skill, just brute strength. And yet he got the better of her. That asshole! I'll show him. Zora purses her lips and sets her sights back on Pain Train, wanting to take another shot at the bastard.

OOC

Take A Powerful Blow

Marking Angry.

Charlie will choose to Give Ground.

 

[Eternal]

 Calvin "Verse" Zheng

Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0

---

Calvin beamed as much as a void mirage could when Temperance text the group back. Of course, she was safe! She was too much of a badass for something like this to keep her down. They all were! With newfound courage, Calvin scooped up civilians like collecting golden rings in the Emerald Zone stage... except these people were... resisting? What the hell! Why would they fight against him!? Unless...

Pitiful wretch. You are no hero.

For all his super strength, Calvin felt the pump putter out of his tiny biceps when Earworm finally wriggled back into his mind. He set the girl that he had hoisted over his shoulder down. She slapped him, and his head froze after it rolled along her hand with a twist of the neck. Calvin's allergies must have been acting up, because his eyes started to burn and leak.

You are... insignificant.

He felt Seismos' power divide the masses in a fraction of the time it took him to lift 4 people to safety. After the divide, Calvin wobbled over to the HUAC side like a deer to the wolves. They were surrounding him. They were gonna shoot at him! He wiped the allergies from his eyes with the back of his hand. The black scrawl on his leg, proof of Earworm's influence, crept a few notches higher like a Cobra climbing a tree. Its fangs dripped yet more poison into his mind.

You have but to unleash me, and they shall respect you.

"No! Do you even realize what you're doing? I'm a good guy! Stand down! I s-said stand down!" Calvin flared his fingers wide and placed his hands perpendicular to his face, like performing a Solar Flare attack from Dragonball Z. The white discs that were his eyes projected a flash of light that briefly blinded those looking at him. With all this might, he called upon his memory manipulation powers to make those trying to attack him forget that he was a threat.

OOC

1. Who is the leader of your team? Whoever it is, Calvin never feels like it's him. He usually looks to Ben or Charlie when things get super-heated.
2. What is your purpose in this fight? To prove to others, if not to himself, that he can be useful without being dangerous.
3. Do you mistrust the leader of the team? If anything, Calvin trusts them TOO much! He needs to trust himself more.

[Morphling]

Seismos, you conjure a wall of concrete and earth to stop the car, but it isn't quite tall or sturdy enough. Just as it looks like the worst is going to happen, Midnight steps in with a shadow portal and her own weight to save the day.

Midnight, as you try to figure out what's going in Pain Train's mind, your words get him to stop briefly as he trudges toward the convenience store. "You guys stepped in a bigger pile of shit than you know," he comments. "I'd quit while you're ahead." You wrack your brain trying to think of anything he might have said or done that would have been a clue, and something does stick out for you. In the beginning while he was riling up the rioters he mentioned something about the Tangee setting up checkpoints. The thing is, checkpoints are pretty rare and mostly concentrated in the financial district, not here. Does that mean that more check points are coming? Was his plan to get a bunch of people arrested or killed by HUAC to stir up public resentment against the Tangee's upcoming plan? It's the best explanation you can come up with.

Verse, as the HUAC forces corner you, you lash out in desperation to try to make them forget they ever saw you. You can feel their minds resisting your influence, but you break through and erase all their memories of you. But you know you only have a few scant moments until the effect wears off, less if you do anything to draw further attention to yourself.

The crowd, snapping out of their stupor, realizes they're in the middle of a pitch battle involving metahumans and HUAC, and they begin screaming and scattering in every direction.

The HUAC forces abruptly turn away from Verse and turn their attentions on the visibly powered Midnight and Seismos. Some have air-powered jets on their back, and they launch up and fly over the fissure towards them. Others attempt to cross by finding places thin enough for them to leap over, or even descending into the fissure and climbing up on the other side. Still others have retrieved their rifles, and they begin lining up their shots. Captain Okonkwo hangs back and pulls out a radio. "Dispatch, this is Okonkwo. We've got two to three powered individuals wreaking havoc on 111th and Steele street, send in the beaks. I repeat, send in the beaks."

Pain Train lumbers into the convenience store. As Zora struggles to rise and get her second wind, she sees a blurry vision of the huge man towering over her. "Anyone ever tell you that ya hit like a normie?" He asks, as he reaches down and plucks the megaphone from her grasp as easily as one would seize a toy from a small child. "What's your power anyway? Don't tell me you're psychic. I break out in hives whenever someone messes with my mind!" He pauses to consider and then shakes his head. "Nah, you would have led with that. Anyway, I hate to cut and run, but this riot's a bust and I don't get paid to brawl with you. Later toots." Pain Train exits the convenience store with the intent of leaving the scene entirely.

OOC

Note: I know it might seem like you didn't accomplish anything, what with the megaphone being taken back immediately as a result of the opposition gaining an opportunity when you gave ground. But the riot has been well and truly broken up, and won't reassemble any time soon. So good work!

 

[Kavonde]

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

---

Seeing that Pain Train intends to leave, Ben hurries over to Zora. "Hey, you okay? We gotta go." He helps her to her feet, watching the HUAC troops warily; he's prepared to use his powers to shield them if need be. He also looks around for Midnight and Verse, trying to signal them with head gestures that they need to clear out immediately. Intervening to save a crowd of innocent people from a jerk with a magic megaphone is one thing, but fighting an all-out brawl against both HUAC and a Tangee strike force? Nope.

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr -1 Frk -1 Sav +2 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

"Hey!" Zora protests as Pain Train simply plucks the megaphone from her hand and shoves her back down. "Oh yeah? Anyone ever tell you your head looks like a hairless pug?" she shouts at his retreating figure. That jerk!

A part of Zora wants to chase Pain Train down and kick him again, but Seismos shows up and advocates for their departure, which seems wise. Zora takes his offered hand and gets to her feet. "Thanks, yeah, I'm fine. Just bruised my ego is all." A quick glance outside shows that HUAC is ready to focus their attention on the heroes. "Midnight! Verse! We're getting out of here!" she shouts to her teammates, hoping they get the message and follow their lead.

Zora whistles. Mr. Meowmers, drops down from the roof with a meow and quickly perches himself on her shoulder. He's always close by and even if she were to lose him, he has an tracker she can use to find him. Not that she ever needs to. Mr. Meowmers has an uncanny ability to always find his way back home.

"At least we stopped the riot and kept everyone safe," Zora tells Seismos as they dart out the back of the shop and down the alley, trying to distance themselves from the HUAC forces.

[Eternal]

  

 Calvin "Verse" Zheng

Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0

---

Verse stiffens and winces in preparation for being made into Swiss cheese. He sighs in relief as the HUAC whip their guns away from him and slips into the crowd with crestfallen grace. These normies may not have open fired on him today, but whatever self-image Calvin had of being a hero was shot to heck. He pinballed around today like this was a video game. His teammates took it seriously and actually made a difference.

With each dispersing civilian that pushed past Verse en route to the others, the Song throbbed through his head, syllable by syllable. He approached Seismos and Zora with a wave, clenching his jaw. The Song salivated on his tongue. He listened to his friends speak, effortlessly, and even Mr. Meowmers had something to say before leaving. Verse shivered like a dog trying to shake off water as they left the scene. He had to say something, anything, to keep himself from going crazy. A trail of idle ramblings trickled off as they went.

"Hey, yeah, we did stop the riot, and we're all safe, too! I'm really glad no one got hurt this time, y'know, not like that time before when I almost got captured and Alex... I should train more, hey, you guys, wanna train with me when we get back, Lady Gray tells me I should practice more and..."

[DoNotFearToTread]

Temperance "Midnight" Jackson

Dgr -1 Frk 0 Sav +2 Sup +1 Mnd +1

---

Could Pain Train be aware of future Tangee plans? More checkpoints would strangle people's ability to move between neighborhoods. People like her, people with something to hide. No time now, but she commits her intention to villain down soon and grill him for information. Even with the chaos of the situation on their side, slipping away from an active pursuit by HUAC agents could be daunting for anyone. Fortunately, the abilities granted to Noctis chosen are particularly designed for this sort of thing. Seeing that Calvin has managed to avoid attention and the others have taken off, Midnight ducks to the right as she catches sight of the riflemen across the ravine.

"Try to do a good thing and this is what you get." She grumbles between gritted teeth, grabbing the bumper of the minivan she's using as cover and pulling herself into the shadow under the vehicle. Falling through space, through a thick and cloying emptiness that chills to her core, she has time to think about things in so much as she can do so while ignoring the feelings of isolation and hopelessness that accompany moving through the space between darkness and dim. Things had always been tense but a riot on her own home street? That is the kind of tension that doesn't just go away. People are going to get hurt soon and they're gonna be people she knows.

"Finally!" She sighs the word as the dark falls away and she drops out of a shadow into the alley behind Gigabites. Letting the shadows around her fade, she reaches first into the front pocket of her overalls and pulls out the phone. Tapping away at the group chat, she starts moving at a steady clip away from the sounds of trouble.

{ Meet @ 44th & Chambers }

It is a few blocks away, a part of the neighborhood that even HUAC agents would think twice about coming to. A real posterchild for Halcyon City income disparity, and the place she usually goes to score weed. She was gonna need some tonight, something to help all the stupid thoughts in her stupid head disappear. Reaching into the less-used, or at least less-publicized, portion of her power, Temperance lets the energy pulse out from herself. A mental broadcast to look away, to focus on something else. A real world ~these are not the droid's you're looking for~ kind of thing. Tucking her hands in her side pockets, she trudges on toward Chambers safe in the knowledge that most people's minds are easy enough to cloud and that this should keep her pretty anonymous.

OOC

Nothing special here. She'll try to meet up with the others.

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by DoNotFearToTread (see edit history)

[Morphling]

Midnight clouds the minds of her pursuers and the rest slip into an alley to escape the HUAC forces. They can hear commands to freeze and heavy footsteps behind them, but they've got enough distance and the panicking crowd slows the agents down just enough that they make their escape. On their way out the teens can see that the police cordon is tightening around the area - had they made any delays, their escape would not have come so easily. The police seem to be arresting everyone who participated in the riot, tackling them and shoving them to the ground as they try to flee the area.

When everyone arrives at 44th and Chambers, they are quickly joined by a man with silver streaks in his black hair. His features are sharp and hawkish, and his eyes are on Midnight alone. "I was there," begins Dusk, forgoing any sort of greeting. "Watching your every move from the shadows. I saw how you dealt with the situation, and I've got to say... what the hell were you thinking?!"

"He can't be trusted, HE can't control his powers, and she needs to go home before she gets herself or someone else killed!" He doesn't raise his voice but the disdain is clear as he gestures at Seismos, Verse, and Zora in turn. "These aren't the people you should be buddying up to with your delusions of saving this city. These are the people you should be watching. From the shadows. Why can't you take responsibility for once?"

[DoNotFearToTread]

Temperance "Midnight" Jackson

Dgr -1 Frk 0 Sav +2 Sup +1 Mnd +1

---

"You were there and you did nothing?" It shouldn't be a surprise, but Temperance never bought into Dusk's whole retirement. You don't retire from being a hero, not that Dusk ever really fit that bill. The stories she'd heard put a lot of dark deeds at his feet, many before he was even chosen as the sinister hand of the whole organization. She would love to go toe to toe with him on this or any other issue, as their history consists predominantly of shouting matches, but she doesn't have the usual fire in her belly after everything that just went down and the words come out lacking bite.

"In case you haven't noticed, things aren't working the way they were when you were active." She makes a sweeping gesture toward the others as she says it, her skin getting hotter with each word. "It isn't all heroes and villains now. It's us against the beaks and at least they put in the work." It is hard for her, in this moment with so much floating around in her head, to truly argue against this point. Seismos is a traitor, he hasn't denied that. He just happens to be a traitor to the bad guys. Zora has no powers, though Temperance would love to see her roundhouse the back of Dusk's head right now. Calvin...well, he is dangerous. Nothing Dusk said is technically wrong, not even the part about what Noctis expects of her or her lack of responsibility. That part sounds so much like her dad that her eyes gleam bright with barely restrained moisture.

"Screw you, man. Lecture me when you actually get some skin in the game. Otherwise, you better have some useful info to drop here."

 

OOC

Seems like we're getting close to a 'telling me how the world works' situation but I don't want to jump the gun there as he might have an impactful response to lay on her that really drives his points home.

 

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr -1 Frk -1 Sav +2 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

44th and Chambers is one of those places that makes law enforcement think twice before visiting, and as much as Charlie hates to admit it, it has the same effect on her. Though she thinks of herself as a very open minded person, she knows she's out of her element here. Safety isn't so much an issue since Charlie is confident that she can take care of herself. It's the feeling of being a fish out of water that is more discomforting.

But that doesn't mean that she'll take shit from Dusk quietly. "Uh, excuse me, I can handle myself!" Zora declares, poking a finger Dusk's way. "And I can kick your ass any day of the week." Okay, that probably isn't true, but Zora is a little defensive right now. "At least I'm trying to make the world a better place. You tapped out as soon as the going got tough! So, what? You play the tough guy until the tables are turned and you're the underdog?"

Charlie is attempting to Provoke Dusk. Her goal is to get him to relent or admit that she does belong (both very unlikely, I'm sure).

Provoke

That went about as well as I thought it would.

 

[Kavonde]

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

---

Ben shuffles his feet in silence as Dusk runs the team down. He certainly can't blame Dusk for considering him untrustworthy. He's half surprised the man doesn't just attack him on sight.

He does bristle a bit when Dusk insults Charlie, but he doesn't come anywhere near mustering the wherewithal to speak in her defense before Charlie herself pipes up. Her defense isn't exactly stirring oratory, but at least she was willing to say something. Ben, for his part, merely stuffs his hands into the pockets of his shorts and avoids eye contact with Dusk, waiting for this awkward situation to resolve itself.

[Eternal]

  

 Calvin "Verse" Zheng

Dgr +1 Frk +2 Sav +1 Sup -1 Mnd 0

---

As they trickle out of the ally and toward 44th & Chambers, Calvin returns to his normal appearance when he thinks no one is looking. He takes his glasses off as they enter the establishment and holds them up to the light for inspection. Thank goodness they didn't break from being kicked around in the electronics store earlier... his dad would flip if he asked him for another new pair this month. Instead, Calvin found himself hopping with a start when Dusk accosted them out of nowhere, He pushed the bridge of his frames back up his nose and toward his furrowed brow. Usually, he might crumple up in this kind of situation, but his powers were a soft spot for him.

"Did you have prune juice for breakfast, or what? 'Cause you're sure talkin' a lot of crap..." Calvin huffed, crossing his arms. "I control my powers fine! I just... need more practice using them, instead of keeping them locked up... dude." Everyone thought they knew best about being Verse. They would do things so much better. Like Calvin didn't spend hours of every day sitting through Lady Gray's lectures, or finding a way to quiet Earworm, or shrugging off the concerned glances his friends gave him when they looked his way but didn't say anything.

"So, yeah. You hear the ladies. What the hell are you doing here, aside from wasting our time?" It may not have been much, but Calvin did what he could to try and support the team without proving Dusk right by unleashing his powers haphazardly, or worse, out of anger.

Edited April 10, 2023 by Eternal (see edit history)

[Morphling]

"Believe me, ten or twenty years ago, I would have done something," says Dusk with narrowed eyes. The vagueness of his statement and the emphasis he puts on the last word leaves it unclear who exactly he would have taken action against. "But despite what your little group might think, I actually do believe in passing the torch to the next generation. So you'll be spared from the humiliation of having someone old enough to be your grandad bail you out... for the time being at least."

He glances at Zora and Verse for the first time as they interject, and rolls his eyes dramatically. "Yes yes, teenagers with attitude problems, what else is new?" He almost looks back to Midnight, but pauses, laying his eyes on Zora again, and then smirks. "Pugilistic, are we? Hold on to that attitude girl. It might just save your life. The moment you think about saving innocents or being a hero, you're done. Finished."

Turning back to Midnight, Dusk continues: "You think everything's different now. Everyone thinks that in their time. But it's not true. There's always going to be some villain that seems unstoppable, or some end of the world situation. But at times like these... Noctis' mission couldn't be more important. I know you're intelligent, but you have to use that brain of yours. Observe things from the shadows, and don't strike until you have no other option." He's pacing around her now, eyeing her with interest.

"Now, as for that 'useful info' you're begging for, as it happens I didn't come emptyhanded. Much as I'm sure you see yourself as the center of the world, I wouldn't have bothered to come all the way out here just to point out your shortcomings."

He pauses his pacing and sighs. "They're going to be moving prisoners from a Tangee black site tonight on a convoy. I have good intelligence that suggests one of those prisoners is Twilight. Anything you think you need to do isn't as important as this. Please, raid that convoy and rescue Twilight."

It occurs to Midnight that she's never heard Dusk say please before.

OOC

Zora: Mark potential for the miss! You can't help but feel Dusk's words getting to you. Dusk gains influence over you, but since he already has it, he will shift your labels: Danger +1, Savior -1. Furthermore, you have completed a drive: Mark potential, clear a condition, or take influence over someone involved.

Midnight: Dusk wields his influence over you! Either roll to reject his influence, or accept his words as true and shift your labels: Superior +1, Danger -1.

Verse: Midnight may mark potential, clear a condition, or shift labels should she choose to open up to you.

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by Morphling (see edit history)

[Kavonde]

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

---

Ben's eyes widen with shock. Twilight?! 

He didn't know Twilight, not really. Had never exactly met her. But he'd been there when she'd been captured. He hadn't been directly involved, but he'd been present and in costume, cutting off potential escape routes and running support for the HUAC strike team. At the time, she'd just been another super who was stirring up trouble, making it harder for the Tangee to do what they needed to do to save the universe. All he'd known about her was that she was a target.

He glances over at Temperance. Her, though, he knows. And he knows that here is the biggest chance he's had yet to start atoning for what he did in his father's name. "I'm in. I'm guessing it'll be just the beaks, since I haven't heard anything on my end. So we don't have to worry too much about pulling punches."

A thought occurs to him, and he raises an eyebrow at Dusk. "You know who I am, so... if you want my phone, or to check me for wires, or to lock me in a closet until it's mission time, I get it. But I want to help."

[Kyoh]

Charlie "Zora" Bennett

Dgr 0 Frk -1 Sav +1 Sup 0 Mnd +3

---

Dusk doesn't back down or back off, but Charlie never expected him to. That's fine. She said her piece and didn't take his crap lying down. If he wants to continue being an ass, that's his prerogative. At least I don't have to put up with him. I don't know how Temperance does it.

Is he right, though? Is that fighting instinct what gives heroes their edge? Dusk would know. He's old as shit. And Charlie can't exactly afford to make a mistake as much as she hates to admit it...

"They're moving Twilight?" Zora suddenly snaps back into the conversation. This is huge! "Of course, we'll help! Tell us what we need to know and we'll get it done." We'll show you, old man.

OOC

Charlie will mark Potential for fulfilling one of her Drives. Shifting labels per instruction.