Emerald City Knights: Riders on the Storm!

[Zen Gypsy]

Pinnacle, Paragon of Emerald City

DODGE: +6 +3 | PARRY: +6 +3 | TOU: +14 | FORT: +10 | WILL: +10

HERO POINTS: 5 | LUCK: 2

ACTIVE EFFECTS: None

CONDITIONS: Fatigued; Vulnerable

---

Saturday, June 3, 2023, Yellow Brick Row, AEGIS Containment Center:

Quentin nodded his thanks as he accepted Mars' cellphone, quickly dialing his father, he was relieved to hear his father's voice, however, he was concerned when he heard the panic in it. "Quentin! I tried calling when I saw the news it went right to voice mail. Where are you, son? Are you alright?" He heard a rustle as his father, who was probably pacing the length of his study, finally sat down. "I'm good dad, yes, I am on the Row, I saw the whole thing." A pause, "You saw," Jackson's mind struggled with the implications of Quentin's simple statement, "Were you injured? Your friends? Do I need to come pick you up?" Quentin tried to answer the steady stream of questions, "Yes, but nothing ...," too serious was an understatement, he had been changed in a way that didn't make sense to him, "too serious. I haven't been able to find Jenkins and Knox, but I am sure they are fine. I, uhh, don't think coming down here would be a great idea, I, uhh," as he spoke his hand drifted back to the nape of his neck, "I've been exposed to something ... AEGIS," his father's reaction could be heard by those standing close, "AEGIS," before Quentin cut him off. "Yeah dad, we were exposed to some sort of energy, something, in the explosion, some of the people exposed, uhhh, it changed them." "Changed them how?" "Well dad, there's probably going to be some sort of Freedom League outreach program I should sign up for." "... Freedom League?" Another lengthy pause, "Yeah dad, I, uhhh, kinda have super powers ..."  There was shocked silence from the other end of the conversation, "Wait, what," another pause, "Wait, are you sure." "Yeah dad, pretty sure. I, uhhh, caught a police cruiser that was falling and I can, kinda ... umm, fly? I think."  To his credit Quentin's father took a moment, "Are they dangerous? It's probably best if we talk in person, can we meet to discuss this?" "I dunno dad, AEGIS already gave me a medical, but I am not sure you should be exposed to ...whatever happened down here." Another pause, "Keep me informed Quentin, and, let me know if anything changes." Another pause, "And remember son, I love you." Quentin nodded, "Love you too dad, I will keep you updated. Promise." "Oh, and Quentin, whose phone are you calling me from?" "Uhhh, Mr. Mars' phone, mine got broke in the incident." He could almost feel his father's frown, "Mister ... Maximillian Mars? Quentin what's going on." "I'll give you the whole story when I am released, please don't worry."

Quentin handed Mr. Mars' his phone back, "Uhh, thanks, sir." He turned, hoping to speak to the Tour Guide, however, the other young man left, seemingly unconcerned with the potentially dangerous contaminants he was carrying with him, on him, as he returned to the city. Quentin turned to the medical staff, "Are we like, contaminated, radioactive? I mean, I don't want to go home and expose my family to whatever happened to me."

[Jedaii]

The Yellow Brick Row

 

Maximilian Mars nodded as he reclaimed his phone and waved as he exited the area - at the perimeter he was joined by Chief Toliver as he walked away.

Except for law-enforcement personnel, reporters and firefighters the Row was nearly a ghost town - all the shops were closed and all civilians had been cleared ...

[Draidden]

 

TEMPEST

---

As Jordan starts to leave the medical tent and walk towards the edge of the cordoned off area, he glances over at Mr. Mars and the group he is starting to leave and makes eye contact with Quentin. He doesn't know the guy, but he has seen sports news with him in it. He is about to keep walking when he decides to go talk to the young man. So he changes direction and heads over to him, nodding and giving a slight wave as he does.

"Good job with the police cars. That was a really interesting way to catch both.

I am guessing that you just got your gifts today during this storm? I say that because if you had them before I think it might have come out during one of your sporting events.

I am Jordan, aka Tempest, nice to meet you and after seeing what you can do, I am glad you decided to help people and not hurt them. Can't imagine what I could have done to stop someone like you."

 

ActionsHe will use Dense Fog to block all sight and let them sneak away. He will use selective to make it so they can still see.

Basically he summons the fog and then without really knowing he is doing it he lets them see in it because he wants them to be able to slip away.

 

 

[JagrHunter]

As the sensational circus of Max Mars packed up and left, Mic felt a wave of relief wash over him. His capable agents had successfully handled all the recent threats, putting his mind at ease. Although he anticipated some criticism for not imposing quarantines on the victims, he refused to compromise his principles or trample on the Constitution. After all, he may have been a former crook, but he was certainly no fascist.

With the immediate concerns addressed, Mic's attention shifted to a more urgent matter: the whereabouts of Agent Whitestone. Mic's assistant possessed an almost supernatural ability to anticipate his needs and be in the right place at the right time. Thus, her absence raised troubling questions. "ORACLE," Mic requested, sending a mental command to his AI partner while activating his comm-link once more, "Attempt to locate Agent Whitehouse and determine her current location and status." He then called Whitehouse's AEGIS comm unit, hoping for some answers.

[Rayth]

 As things calm down, Liv is glad that it appears that they weren't all being detained for questioning or further 'examination'. Olivia had been fine with the brief exam the medics had performed; she knew she wasn't injured, but it was good for appearances to go through with it. And she knew that she hadn't been affected by the Silver Storm. At least, not in a way that she could determine. She'd do more tests when she got back home to be sure. And she'd have to look more into Redshift, and see what would interest Max Mars enough to bring him here so quickly...

So, for now, all there was to do was to gather more information. Suitably satisfied that she'd be able to keep some of the silver dust to examine later, she walks closer to the group of Jordan and the other young man, the one who'd worked alongside Olivia herself to save people when that mad woman was throwing police cruisers through the air.

She speaks quietly; the story she sold the agents was that she wasn't present for most of the fracas, so she can't show that she knows what really happened. But it was worthwhile to build some bridges amongst the newly-empowered. They were much like Olivia was; gifted, but without many allies. They'd gain a lot by working together.

"Yeah, that juggling move was really impressive. Even more so if this was your first foray at this whole gig. I had my hands full; I'm glad you were there. I know him already,", she says, hooking a thumb at Jordan, "but do you want to exchange contact info with the rest of us? We should keep in touch after all this weirdness. Give each other the heads up if anything seems weird."

[Zen Gypsy]

Pinnacle, Paragon of Emerald City

DODGE: +6 +3 | PARRY: +6 +3 | TOU: +14 | FORT: +10 | WILL: +10

HERO POINTS: 5 | LUCK: 2

ACTIVE EFFECTS: None

CONDITIONS: Fatigued; Vulnerable

---

Saturday, June 3, 2023, Yellow Brick Row, Outside the AEGIS Containment Center:

Quentin was lost in his own thoughts, AEGIS had cut them loose, but he wasn't really convinced that we wouldn't be a danger to his father if he just returned home. The thought of exposing him to something that could change him in some, as yet, unknown, but fundamental way, terrified him. Subjecting his father to the excruciating pain, and that sense of isolation, evaluating, and judgement, that was ... not something he was prepared to do.

Amidst these sobering thoughts, Jordan floated over, causing Quentin to start, he'd seen the tour guide from earlier, even before the explosion, though that seemed like weeks ago at this point. So much had changed now, for everyone involved, he shook his head, hand cupping the nape of his neck. "Yeah, uhhh, my mom was in one of the cars, so I couldn't just let it slam into the Row. So uhh, yeah, but thanks." He paused, "I uhh, felt kind of useless during this whole thing ... but at least you were there to put out those fires, that was pretty quick thinking. You," another pause, a self conscious shuffle of the feet, "you had your powers long? After the explosion, I felt kind of like a butterfly, you know? One of those things in the Museum of Natural History, it's wings pinned down and everyone looking at it. Vulnerable maybe? Like something was evaluating me ...," he really wished he could speak to his father, but again, that nagging concern that he was somehow contaminated, a carrier, for something ...

"I kind of want to go home, see my dad. But I am worried that something will happen, I'll make him sick, or that whatever changed me might affect him, you know?" A woman approached, evidently one of Jordan's companions ... she wasn't, at least not obviously, empowered, but she seemed concerned. He stammered a brief "Thanks," as she pointed out how he had helped during the Storm, he shrugged. "Sure, but my phone got fried during the Storm, so I can't add you just yet. But if you want to leave a message for me at ECCC Athletics department, Coach will be able to put you in touch with me." He looked back to the AEGIS Containment Center, "MacKenzie there suggested that the League had some sort of Outreach program for empowered youths ... think I might try to get ahold of them. I mean they've got to have someone monitoring for this sort of stuff in the Tower, right?"

[Draidden]

 

TEMPEST

---

Jordan listens and smiles as Quentin talks about feeling useless during the whole event.

Ha. You were anything but useless. And no, I have not had these long. By the sounds of it I got mine the same time you got yours.

He gives a short laugh and blushes a bit as Quentin compliments his use of his powers.

That may have looked cool, but it was almost all by accident. The first fire I put out was totally a fluke. See I was trying to fly down and help the people, but being new to flying, I almost flew right into the fire. So in a panic to not burn myself I somehow caused a heavy wind that blew out the fire. And then the storm that came up and put out the remaining fires, at the time, I did not even know I was doing it. I saw those others with new powers that were turning on the innocent bystanders and got mad. And it seems I influenced the weather with my emotions. So you see, where everything worked out okay, it was not as cool as it seemed.

He grins. Then turns serious as Quentin talks about wanting to see his dad but being afraid of harming him.

I hadn't thought of that. But I think that if the government people here thought we could contaminate others, they would be insisting on locking us up for everyone's safety. But if you need a place to crash for a couple days till we figure things out better, you can stay at my place. I got plenty of room and no roommates. We can use that as a place to gather and discuss things. I'll send everyone my address.

He takes a moment and sends his address to Olivia and Phillipe along with an invite to sit and chat about this new development. He tells Quentin his address and hopes the guy can remember it. Then his mood brightens a little bit and a smile comes to his face.

Hey, I just thought of something? I have to come up with some sort of superhero costume. I am definitely not going to go around helping people and fighting crime looking like this.

He makes a motion with his hands indicating his outfit.

Anyways, I think we should probably get out of here before the media and people start coming back for pictures and interviews.

Again to Quentin.

You are welcome to join me if you wish.

And he floats off into the air, delaying to see if he will follow. He then gives a farewell wave to Olivia and flies off. He does a circuitous route and makes sure no one is watching him when he lands near his home. If a helicopter or nosy person is following him he will use his fog trick to give them the slip and then go home.

 

ActionsHe will use Dense Fog to block all sight and let them sneak away. He will use selective to make it so they can still see.

Basically he summons the fog and then without really knowing he is doing it he lets them see in it because he wants them to be able to slip away.

 

 

[Zen Gypsy]

Pinnacle, Paragon of Emerald City

DODGE: +6 +3 | PARRY: +6 +3 | TOU: +14 | FORT: +10 | WILL: +10

HERO POINTS: 5 | LUCK: 2

ACTIVE EFFECTS: None

CONDITIONS: Fatigued; Vulnerable

---

Saturday, June 3, 2023, Yellow Brick Row, Outside the AEGIS Containment Center:

Quentin nodded as Jordan spoke, the idea of a place to crash sounded good, if he was willing to admit it to himself, Quentin was exhausted. Perhaps it was the effects of his metamorphosis, or how much energy he had had to expend to be able to wrench open fire hydrants, smash through walls, and catch falling police cruisers ... still ... the logistics were something of a nightmare. If he bunked with Jordan for the next few days, he would have to get a change of clothes, a new phone, food, all of that, and then he was exposing the general public despite trying to quarantine himself ... wait. His hand patted his pocket, tucked behind his, now dead, cellphone was a business card for Maximilian Mars, the head of Mars Tech. Surely he would have some med-techs who could answer Quentin's questions, maybe even determine what had actually happened to him ...

He looked to Jordan, trying to memorize the contact info he was providing, since his phone was dead and he couldn't add him to his contacts right there. "Maybe send your details to my insta? Once I get a new phone, I can connect with you that way." He looked to the reporters and news vans which had begun to converge outside the AEGIS barricades. "If you all want, I can distract the media while you head to Jordan's place. Maybe I can meet up with you later?"

---

Saturday, June 3, 2023, Yellow Brick Row, Media Circus:

Quentin had dealt with some media before, after their semi's for the State Championship, he had seen his aunt, Selma, direct the KTBS news room, he'd spent a week interning there for his Media Communications course. So he drifted over the barricade, flying just above the media's heads ... "Listen, I know that there is alot of confusion and fear surrounding the events here today. I can't speak to AEGIS' ongoing investigation, but what I can say, as someone who witnessed, first-hand, their courageous, selfless acts that our first responders, ECPD, EMT, Fire and Rescue, saved lives today. I don't know what caused the explosion, or the electrical storm that followed, but I know that it changed alot of lives. The community spirit of Emerald City's citizens was on display today, as people, from all walks of lives, risked their own health and safety to help their fellow citizens. As we work towards discovering, exactly, what occurred here today, I think it is important to keep that spirit in mind while we, as a city, provide care, comfort and support to those affected by the events that we have just witnessed."

Out of Character ActionsI am happy to continue conversation with Jordan and company before beginning my distraction with the media. I'll likely stick around to answer some of their questions too, letting Jordan and company exit the scene.

If we're going to time jump, Quentin's short term plan is to reach out the Mars Tech, and co-operate with them, to, hopefully, get some sort of examination that would let him determine the nature of his powers, their permanency, and upper limits. Now, depending on the convo with Mars Tech reps, I wouldn't be adverse to them setting me up with a dope ass suit ...

[Jedaii]

Emerald City later that day

 

Psi-Star:

ORACLE responds with a GPS location of Whitestone's phone - very nearby the Row! SA McKenzie is also mobbed by local reporters wanting a statement regarding the 'unexplained catastrophe' that occured in their city ...

 

Pinnacle:

Quentin's appearance to the reporters draws a flurry of audio and video recorders as well as questions: what was his role in the events that occurred? What was his name? Is he local? Is he a new local superhero? Was he working with AEGIS? Why was he here? The questions came like an avalanche ---!

LaterQuentin would learn his mother came to the Row to surprise him with a gift and the "storm" left her stranded and alone. ECPD assisted her and she was in a cruiser giving the officer info on finding Quentin when the 'Stormer' lifted the cruiser from the street!

The 'gift' she had was a letter Q had never seen - from a pro football scout offering Q guidance/mentorship towards becoming a first-round pro draft pick! His mom had hesitated with revealing the letter because she didn't want others to take advantage of Q - and she was afraid to let him go ...

 

Pinnacle, Tempest, Hardlight and Crystal Knight:

The new heroes almost immediately discover after leaving the Row that 'social media' sites have exploded with videos of the fledgling 'superheroes' saving lives and fighting dangerous 'Stormers' (the term the media has coined for those gaining powers from the explosive storm on the Row)! The stunned heroes' phones and social media accounts are overrun with missed calls and messages from friends and relatives trying to learn more! Even before the heroes can reach home their phones are ringing like crazy! Local news media anchors have already started pointing at the videos and incoming reports about the new local supers as something unexpected but amazing - despite the emergence of superhuman criminals amidst the events!

OOCIt's the weekend so no classes and work has been semi-cancelled all across the city as local try to absorb the stunning events on the Row!

Ever been harassed? THAT is exactly what is now happening to your PCs! Fortunately no one knows where you live -- yet ...

Edited September 21, 2023 by Jedaii (see edit history)

[Streetrat]

Thomas Smith - Psykr

---

Thomas was chasing after his brother.  This seemed to be the normal way of things, he was jonesing for a cigarette but had to forgo one as he would not have the time to stop and light it while trying to catch up with Ethan.

He was breathing harder than he should have, but that may have something to do with the smoking as well. "Ethan, you can't keep that, it's not yours!" he called out, his brother just out of his arms reach.

Ethan had found a phone, and by dumb luck, the passcode was 1234 and he was scanning through it. It was another dumb teenager thing for him to do, and he most likely would find nothing and get bored with it and throw it away in a half hour, but Thomas could only think of if it was him whose phone Than had.

"You worry too much," his brother said, not even bothering to turn around or look up from the phone, scanning through pictures, "Jackpot!" he said finding compromising pictures on the phone.

A storm seemed to grow out of nowhere and then the world went white.

 

When Thomas came to the world was full of voices. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow" "I want my mommy" "Why is my skin blue?" "What the hell happened to these people?" "I can make fire?" "Did I just shoot lasers out of my eyes?" and on and on and on, all at once in one overwhelming cacophony. 

For a moment Thomas thought his head would explode with all of the voices and he started to scream to himself. His own internal voice barely cut through the noise. He then tried to sing to himself a song...but he felt more like the itsy bitsy spider than he would care to admit.  But the more he focused on his own tune, his own thoughts he was able to start pushing them out.

That was until the fire.

The cries of fire were called out before the alarms blared and the sprinklers triggered and his world became wet. Wet and noisy, but this time the screams of people matched the sounds in his head.

Thomas took two steps and his arm pulled with a sharp pain.  He looked over and he found that he was tethered to the IV through a needle in his arm. He tore the needle out of his arm and ignored the line of blood that began to drip after.  Looking down he realized that he was still wearing his clothes, this seemed in line with the hodgepodge of street clothes and hospital gowns. Perhaps they were running low or just had not had time to process Thomas. He grabbed his jacket from the iv stand and joined the exodus.

Across the ER Thomas thought he saw Ethan exiting the building, but by this time smoke was beginning to cloud his vision and he may have seen incorrectly soon enough he was out of the building with the crowd flowing out already too great for the handful of police and paramedics there to contain the flow of bodies fleeing the now visibly burning hospital. Thomas himself was just trying to get away from the crowd, away from the flood of voices, and as the crowd thinned, the voices began to lessen and silence. But still, there was the odd thought here and there that was not his own, but with fewer voices, he was more successful with silencing or pushing them out of his primary thoughts letting him think his own thoughts for a brief relieving moment. "My god, what's happened to me?" he finally said to himself, crouched down and on the verge of hysteria.

To calm himself he pulled out the pack of cigarettes he had in his jacket. They were broken all to hell and most of them soaked, but one was still together enough and dry to light and pull a good drag trying to put together his thoughts as to what the !@#$ had just happened. He rested his other hand on his head and found a bandage there, he found himself taking it off and tossing it down into the corner of the alley he found himself in.

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Streetrat (see edit history)

[Rayth]

Olivia gives Quentin a sympathetic smile; he seemed around her own age, and was dealing with his circumstances as well as could be expected. They'd both been involved in the chaos of the Row, but he was thrown into the deep end; Liv already had her suit and her abilities, but Quentin had to figure things out from first principles.

So did the others, in point of fact. All told, all of them had done exceptionally well. Quentin, Jordan and Phillipe had taken to using their powers almost immediately, and had been guided by a desire to do good to help those who needed it during the disaster. That was very lucky.

There were a couple of others who had helped, among them some kind of metallic power armored figure, and an angelic woman, that Olivia hadn't been able to keep track of as things calmed down. But there were clues that they might've had their abilities already before the Storm, like Olivia had. Unless, she supposed, the Storm let someone manifest power armor around themself. Their arrival was another lucky break; they had had valuable experience that even Olivia didn't have. Things could have gone much worse.

With grateful thanks toward Quentin for getting the press's attention, Olivia slips out of the medical tent and makes her way towards home. She weaves through alley and back street until she can get to a bus stop far enough from the Row that she feels confident that she won't be easily recognized. Ordinarily, she'd wait to find a hiding place and armor up to fly home, but as she waited at the bus stop, three or four people were glued to their phone screens, watching footage of the fight after the Silver Storm. Hardlight showed up prominently in quite a few, battling giant arachnids and catching falling helicopters. She couldn't take the risk that she'd be spotted, and someone would track her home.

A moment or two later, Olivia realizes her own phone is ringing. A quick glance at her notifications reveals around thirty missed calls and as many text messages; mostly from her parents and brother, but a couple from her grandparents and aunts and uncles, too.

She spends the next ten minutes with an earbud in her ear answering frantic calls, alternating between English and Japanese as she tries to get the word out that she's safe. She makes an excuse for her absence; the Storm must've scrambled cell signals for a while, but she's safe and unharmed. She waves off requests to come visit for now; she's exhausted, she says, and wants to get home and decompress for a little while before coming to her parent's house to check in.

By the time she gets off the bus, her family is mostly mollified, though her mother makes a comment about her not coming to see them so they can make sure she's okay. She promises she'll come over tomorrow.

Tonight, she had work to do.

---

The first thing she does when she's home is get out of her suit and take a shower. The line about needing to decompress was true; she'd had one brief exploit as Hardlight in a time of crisis, but never anything like this. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she was exhausted and a little shaky.

By the time she was done, she'd calmed down and crawled into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Tying her hair up, she grabbed her bodysuit and took a seat at her dining room table. It was solid wood, rescued from a restaurant a few blocks south that closed down a couple of months ago. She and her brother had carried it up to her apartment, and she'd given him money for a six-pack as thanks. He'd tried to decline, but Liv had felt bad that he'd had to help her; her armor wasn't up to spec at the time, though he didn't know about that. Now, she could've carried the table one-handed and flown it up to her fourth-floor window by herself.

Clamped to the table with a vise was a set of magnifying lenses and a bright desk lamp she'd "borrowed" from school; she used these to examine the delicate components of each photon emitter for damage from the fight or tension from the heavy lifting. She was pleasantly surprised; there wasn't even a scratch. She was sure she would find some warping in the viridian rings in a couple emitters that worked to condense light into tangible form, but they didn't seem bothered by the strain she'd put them through.

Her inspection done, she thanked her past self for waterproofing the emitters as she threw the whole suit into the washing machine. It had been a lot of work, but it was worth it to be able to clean the whole thing.

Then, sitting backwards on her chair, she pinch-and-zooms at the thin air between her kitchen and dining room, and between her fingers a pinprick of light grows into a holographic screen projected from a spare emitter on her workbench. Then she creates another, and another, arranging them into a panoply of glowing viewscreens for her to do her work on, her accelerated thought processes allowing her to keep pace with multiple tasks at once.

First, she replays the events prior to the Silver Storm in her mind, thankfully aided by her uncanny memory. She knew she had seen the explosion originate from a truck labeled "Redshift Energies", so that seemed like the place to start. So one holographic window is devoted to running searches about Redshift, tangenting into known projects and employees, as well as projects those employees had worked on in the past.

Another window she tasked with analyzing the silver dust she'd collected from her clothing; she placed it in another piece of pilfered school equipment, hoping to run some scans and microscopic analysis on it. She'd originally used it on samples of viridian she'd gathered to form the basis of her armor, so it felt fitting to keep using it in the pursuit of superheroics. Hopefully, no one from school would notice the older piece of machinery missing.

A third window collated footage of the Stormers running roughshod over the Row, trying to get photos and trace information about the ones who had managed to escape. That shapeshifting old woman was certainly at the top of her list, but so was the geokinetic that Jordan seemed to know. She also devotes quite a bit of effort into footage of her own exploits, trying to determine if her identity was compromised. She does her best to track down what information is available, as well as keep tabs on others who might've been affected.

Speaking of, with trepidation, Olivia has to consider the possibility that she might've been affected in ways that she wasn't yet aware of. She didn't quite have biomedical equipment on hand, but she does what investigation she's able to ensure that she isn't suffering any ill effects from the Storm.

All told, she spends an hour or two researching and setting up her experiments, but thanks to her incredibly fast mental processing, she accomplishes quite a bit in that time. At this point it's only the early evening, so she takes a couple of moments to send messages out to Phillipe and Jordan, since she had their contact information. She wishes she was able to message Quentin; thanks to his public statement she has no trouble finding his social media, but she doesn't know how she could message him in a way that isn't lost amidst the torrent of messages he's surely already getting.

She loops Phillipe and Jordan into a group chat, typing out a couple quick messages.

Olivia: hey, how're you two doing?
Olivia: you both get home alright? Phillipe, how're you hanging in there?

Rolls

I imagine this'll be a lot of Investigation checks. I'll roll one for each piece of information I'm trying to pursue, as well as a Treatment for checking herself over. If you feel that another skill would be more apt, feel free to replace my modifier with the proper one. I considered Technology, but that doesn't seem quite right. Investigation seemed the most correct to me.

Investigating Redshift

Investigating Silver Dust

Investigating Stormers

Treatment on Self

 

[Draidden]

 

TEMPEST

---

Once home Jordan can only think of getting out of this crazy green costume. It is then that he realizes it smells of smoke, but it is not wet. Must be something about his new powers that kept the rain from soaking his clothes. He goes and takes a long shower to get rid of the smoke smell.

Once done, he goes out and plops down on his couch and starts checking over his phone. All of his family has passed away. Both his mother and father had no siblings and his grandparents had passed when he was younger, the last of them just after his mom had. He had a very few people that he gave his number too. Most of his messages were from his boss. Can you believe the man was more worried about damage to the stupid costume then he seemed to be about Jordan or his new powers. He was going to have to dry clean it before he returned it, so he texted his boss saying the costume was fine, just smelled a little of smoke and that he would get it cleaned before returning it.

He then responds to his few friends. Most of them are asking questions about his new powers and wanting to come over for a demonstration, which he turns them down for. He has to figure out what all the powers are and getting them completely under control before he can even think of trying to show off to friends.

Finally, he gets to Olivia's message.

Jordan: Made it home with no problems. Doing fine physically. Just trying not to freak out.

Jordan: Getting really hungry. Guess I will go make something to eat.

After looking through his fridge and freezer he settles on a frozen pizza. He sits back and tries to chill for a few minutes while it cooks. Once it is done and he sits down to eat he turns on the TV and decides to watch the news and see what they are saying about all this. The TV powers on and he doesn't even have to change the channel. He is watching a news person talking about how they have located the house of one of the "Stormers" that helped put out the fires earlier. It is then he realizes that he recognizes the location they are at. He watches in stunned silence as he watches the person walk up to his front door and ring his doorbell.

He quickly moves to his front door and makes sure it is locked and then moves back to the Livingroom and closes his curtains and he sees some people moving about in his back yard. he rushes to make sure the backdoor is locked. Now he has people knocking on his back door calling his name and others at the front door and he can see other silhouettes moving outside his windows.

He quickly switches the channel to a movie channel, pops on a set of headphones connected to the TV and cranks up the volume to drown out the noise coming from outside his house. He sits there and watches the show as he eats his pizza.

Am I going to have to create a storm to get these guys to go away and leave me alone? I mean I know as a hero, I will have to learn to deal with this. But I am not ready for this yet. I might need to move somewhere else to manage to ever get some peace.

ActionsHe will use Dense Fog to block all sight and let them sneak away. He will use selective to make it so they can still see.

Basically he summons the fog and then without really knowing he is doing it he lets them see in it because he wants them to be able to slip away.

 

 

[Zen Gypsy]

Pinnacle, Paragon of Emerald City

DODGE: +6 | PARRY: +6 | TOU: +14 | FORT: +10 | WILL: +10

HERO POINTS: 5 | LUCK: 2

ACTIVE EFFECTS: None

CONDITIONS: None

---

Saturday, June 3, 2023, Yellow Brick Row, Media Circus:

Snap! Click! The whir of the cameras, the click of flash, mics being thrust in his face accompanied by a barrage of questions from the sea of reporters. "What was your role in ... are you involved with ... how long have you been a super ..." It was all happened so fast, then the one question which changed everything, "Quentin Raleigh? Quarterback for the ECCC Predators?" And then another flood, before he waved his hand, cleared his throat, trying to answer the questions in order, "I was shopping down at the Row, same as most of the other folks caught in the Storm," he looked to the other reporter, "No, I am not affiliated with AEGIS, their medical staff were checking over those that had been affected by the blast where their investigators began to survey the scene for evidence." He guessed? Next reporter, "It appears that the Storm empowered a number of individuals, and the changes were a little overwhelming for everyone. Even me." He turned, looked to the camera, maybe speaking directly to the people would help, "We've difficult times ahead in the city, but I implore anyone who is experiencing side effects of the Storm to head to the AEGIS offices for medical examination ... what happened here today was a tragedy, but I am hoping that, working together, cooperating with AEGIS, ECPD and the on-going investigations, those of us affected by the Storm can find answers," a pause, "for ourselves and this city." He turned back to the reporters, starting to drift above them, flying back towards the ECPD barricade where he had seen his mother. "And now if you'll forgive me, I've got family who are concerned about me, and my responsibility is to them."  After talking to the ECPD, he discovered that his mother had been taken down to St Helen's for some cuts and bruises she suffered from the cruiser incident. Quentin nodded, as one of the officer's pushed through, recognizing Quentin as the one who had caught their cruiser. Q, for his part, still felt a little awkward as these officers, trained professionals, were thanking him for what he had done. But he shook the woman's hand, trying to assure her that anyone in his position would have done the same. He saw a Seahawks cap in the crowd, "Hey Seahawks, how's your daughter? She ok?" The man turned around, nodded, informed Quentin that she, too, had been sent to St Helens, along with her mother, while he wrapped up for the day. He found out that the man's name was Tony Sandoval, Quentin shook his hand. "Glad she's doing OK, my mom's been admitted too, I was told they'll likely keep her overnight, maybe I'll drop in on your daughter when I am picking up my mom tomorrow." With that he headed home, slowly banking up and away from the Row, giving a low whistle as now, from the air, with all the chaos dealt with he could fully access the damage, and it looked extensive.

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Saturday, June 3, 2023, South Shores, Raleigh Residence:

The city was quiet, or at least South Shores was, there was still the buzz of activity from the Row, but even that was dying down as the sun began to set, he followed Whitewater Highway east along the shore of Mallory Bay. Passing University Hill, and the bright lights of the campus there, before turning south along the gradually rising residential areas, bordered to the far south by the Elysian forest, with Mount Stanley sitting majestically above it, it's crown wreathed in clouds, it was a majestic view, and, as Quentin flew by, he began to think that, if these abilities were permanent, he could certainly come to enjoy them. The reality though, began to sink in as he slowly descended towards his house, he was prepared for the scene that was spread out beneath him, the one reporter outside the AEGIS Containment center had recognized him from his games, and now the media had arrived at his house.

He landed behind them, and began to walk towards the front of his house, through them, before the recognized his torn tee and athletic pants as those belonging to the guy who had caught the cruisers during the Storm. A mild sense of déjà vu as the media turned and he was, once again, bombarded with a cacophony of questions, with cameras, phones, and microphones being thrust towards him, "Quentin over here ... Quentin over here ... can we get a word ... what does your father think ... parents are separated ... mother in addiction ...," Quentin balked as they began to bring up his mother's struggles with her addictions, she didn't need to see that on the news, her son being questioned about her past struggles, and that's when he heard a screech of tires. A steel blue Audi squealing to a stop, a tall woman stepped out in a white pants suit, her tightly curled hair spilling over the crown of her head down to her shoulders, she walked towards the media circus, Selma Porter, Quentin's aunt, and executive producer of KTBS news, her lips were a thin slash, tightly pressed, her left eye brow raised at a sharp angle. "Dixon, Ameliez, Rhodes, get your asses off of my nephew's lawn, show some damn respect, otherwise I will have you brought up on an ethics review. You'll get your opportunity for questions, but give the man some room to damn well breath!" She walked up, put her arm around Quentin's broad shoulders, gave him a kiss on the temple, "Honey, you're causing quite a stir off the field today. Let's get you inside, Jackson's been pacing a hole through his study, if I know my brother." Quentin smiled, his aunt was a strong woman, and she didn't put up with anyone's b&**$#!t, but the way she could go from furious outrage to loving and supporting was enough to give you whiplash.

Once inside, Jackson rushed forward, grabbing his son in a tight embrace, "Good to have you home, son." Quentin returned the hug, while Selma closed the front door, but not before flipping off the news crews still on the lawn. She smiled as she watched her brother hug her niece, before going to Jackson's liquor cabinet and pouring herself a bourbon and lighting a cigarette. Jackson, after stepping back from his son, gave her a look, she shrugged and opened the kitchen window. Over the next few hours, Quentin recounted the events of the Row and the subsequent Storm, he used Selma's phone to call St Helens and got connected to his mother's room, as Jackson and Selma spoke in hushed tones in the study. After Quentin was done on the phone, Selma spoke up, "Ok, Q, so I am going to run a story on Emergent Superheroes, or some such, and I will have our office reach out to the Freedom League's press office and ASTRO Labs over in Freedom City, maybe they can get us some information on what to expect." Jackson stepped, forward, "Not sure what Mars' himself was doing at the site, but if he's asked you to reach out to him, you should probably follow up tomorrow morning. For now, why don't you get some sleep. We'll get your phone replaced and see where you are at with a fresh start tomorrow, ok son?"

Quentin was exhausted, but couldn't sleep, so he opened up his lap top and checked his message. His Insta and Snap were both filled with messages, comments and such. Some were calling for his removal from the Preds, saying they didn't want to play against a superhuman, some were calling for ECCC's recent championship's to be stripped because he was obviously using his superpowers during his games ... others were expressing support and concern for him from his teammates, their parents, teachers, and coaches ... it was ... alot. He scrolled through, alternately getting frustrated and grateful as his messages seemed to fluctuate between hostility and supportive. Around midnight he got to a message chain from Olivia, Phillipe and Jordan.

• Doing good, shoulda have seen my aunt deal with the press tonight. Bitchy is a superpower. Heading down to St Helens tomorrow. To check on my mom and a couple people who were admitted overnight.
• Kinda bummed, people are saying I should be kicked from the team for having powers. Even worse they are saying I cheated during State because I always had powers and was just hiding it. Buncha BS.
• @Jordan don't freak out man, it's alot to take in. Reaching out to Freedom League, ASTRO Labs and Mars tomorrow after St Helens. Will feed you details as I get them.

Out of Character ActionsMedia Circus: Trying to showcase Quentin talking with some of the officers, the cop whose cruiser he caught and Seahawks, now known as Tony Sandoval, a retired police detective. This is all in-game fiction to support his Connected advantage.

Raleigh Residence: I will use a Hero Point to Edit Scene & have Aunt Selma, with her News connections come in and take some of the reporters off of my lawn. (Not all of them I know) Also will use her connections to get info from the Freedom League and ASTRO Labs. If that requires another Hero Point, I will spend it.

[JagrHunter]

Mic sighed as he was swarmed by the reporters and cleared his throat before speaking. "I am Special Agent in Charge Mic McKenzie and I am the SAiC for the Agent Division here at Emerald City. That is M-c-K-e-n-z-i-e. At this time, I can confirm that there was an incident that resulted in excessive property damage herein the area of the Row. I can neither confirm or deny if there have been any injuries or deaths associated with the incident. As of right now AEGIS, in association with local and federal agencies, is conducting an investigation and we will have more details upcoming. Please look for a call from the AEGIS Public Affairs Office concerning that briefing. I will not be answering any questions concerning the incident, at this time. We ask that anyone with information contact us at 1-888-GET-AEGIS with any information concerning this incident. In addition, Anyone seeking information concerning loved ones or family members can contact FEMA for information concerning statuses and where they can pick up their loved ones. That number is 1-888-FEMA-NOW. At this time, I will take a few questions."