Billyboy

Heh, well, the first RP I played in had a character in it whose entire background was grounded in being a sex slave and seductress, and all the posts involved in that were let stay. Maybe you just have to be lucky to not get modded, but as for me, I think you're fine with anything you want as long as you censor yourself enough that YOU think it'll be okay. And if not, you get a message from a mod and have to change it a bit, no big deal.

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"Doctor Midas Phillis." he said with a wry smirk. "If everything Essex has told me about you is true, then I am certain that your abilities will find quite a stage to perform upon very soon."

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Dr. Phillis merely nodded to Dr. West. You should certainly hope so. he thought to himself. The pack of idiots in here won't last a second against real opposition.

He examined the lot of them, feeling more resentful than ever as the loudmouthed mercenaries joined the party. None of them should be doing this for a profit, but for the good of humankind. He would have to keep his eye on them. Of course, he would feel better with a bit of backup. The rest of the men here seemed to have a few minions with them, even Dr. West.

Flipping open the keyboard on his overly large glove, he began typing rapidly.

Dr. Phillis shook his head and glared at Toy while speaking to Dr. West. “Let him use his scouts, I’m sure they’ll be more efficient than my own. He sounds like he’s more likely to get what we need than I am, and I’d hate to give us away with needless competition.” He said, trying to be rational, but unable to not sound infuriated that he had been one-upped. “I’m sure I’ll be more than useful in later phases of our operation, for now I’ll sit back until I have a chance to shine.”

He tried to grin, but it looked more like a snarl than anything.

Dr. Phillis was one of the last to step through Vern’s portal. He didn’t trust the strange creature in the slightest, but he also wasn’t much up for arguing with what could best be explained as a middle schooler’s wet dream come to life. He snickered lightly as he stepped through the shining gate, fitting his goggles more snuggly on his face as he did.

Once inside the Labtower, the man stuck close to Dr. West, not wishing to be near the others. He didn’t trust them at all. Of course, he shouldn’t trust Dr. West either, as Dr. Phillis was currently in a campaign to steal and study his reploid technology, but he would rather be with someone familiar than with the entirely foreign scientists. At least he was aware Dr. West had morals. All the others seemed to have was a strange obsession with dead things, not to mention some serious issues with their transformations. The doctor took it that Build had purposely changed himself in anticipation, as there were several mad science types he knew of that worked in genetic transformations.

Lagging behind a bit, Dr. Phillis was the last in the gravity shaft, running his hand along the metal wall just before he stepped in. He was a bit nervous that he would be too heavy with his suit on, but the shaft seemed to regulate him just as well as the others. He felt like quite the fool floating upward with his arms crossed, a large frown on his face.

As Vern explained the ”mobile laboratory”, Dr. Phillis’s mood failed to change. He still didn’t like any of this, especially when every idea he had was shot down. He wasn’t called a genius for nothing.

“Excuse my ignorance,” Midas asked as he looked at the train, “But where exactly are we getting moving to?”

“I prefer portal travel to teleportation, but I will do what I must to get this over with.” Dr. Phillis said, but his tone said that he was clearly not done speaking. A small smile spread across his lips, pulling gently on the two scars that marred his face. His hands were no longer clenched, but his fingers were twitching rapidly with a mind of their own.

“Who’s to say that there aren’t mechanoids running around Siberia?” the genius asked fiendishly. “While we might not want our unsuspecting foes to think they’re under attack, we could distract them in another way. Surely Siberia can be the home of more than one organization that demands secrecy? What if a neighbor’s experiment were to, say, go berserk and rampage, murdering its creators and going on a mad killing spree? It isn’t as though it has never happened. We could simply disguise a mech as a nearby organization’s model and send it out as a distraction.

“Of course, that could mean extra guards either way. The base could think they could be under attack. Perhaps we could find data on nearby groups of undesirables, maybe even kidnap a few of the troops to be chased and killed by our disguised creation? With the guard distracted, perhaps with even more of this enemy’s troops running out of the base to reinforce, surely several survielance bots could slip through and collect data?

“Yes, it could raise suspicion, but by the time it can be brought into account, will we not already have what we need? I’d think we’d be sorely underestimating our opponent to the point of foolishness if we were to believe any of us can stay under their radar without the proper scenario to do so. With the amazing abilities we’ve already seen the test subjects in the video possess, it doesn’t seem likely even our near perfect models could get through undetected.”

The genius rubbed his hands together absentmindedly, not even realizing his stereotypical movement. “And, of course, I’d be more than happy to assist in perfecting our model. I’ve been working on a magnetic gyro defense system that I’d love to implement and test in the field. And, of course, the ‘rampaging’ mechanoid could allow us to see the true combat abilities of our enemy.”

A vein in Dr. Phillis’s forehead seemed to pulse as toy explained his own inventions. He clenched his left hand into a fist. He pushed his blast goggles onto his forehead and looked Toy up and down, examining the mercenary with irritated interest. He was obviously bothered, but his mind was racing as well.

“The scouts seem ingenious.” He replied with what was obviously forced politeness. “Though I’m interested to know what powers something to stay phase shifted for the entirety of its existence. Could we rely on it for a long surveillance, or would they need to recharge often? Though, that seems impossible if they always remain untouchable….. Perhaps it would be best for the both of us to send our scouts down, this way we could not only assure that we have the best option chosen, but we could perhaps gather more data through our differing methods.”

In a quieter voice, he quickly added. “And perhaps we can even have a… friendly competition between ourselves to see whose models are superior.”

Dr. Phillis nodded, more than a bit relieved to hear that these were actually scientists who think things through. The last thing he wanted was to be the only sane person in a convention of madmen. That seemed to happen all too often when dealing with those who actually labeled themselves as “heroes” and “villains” as though a title can accurately portray what is truly right and wrong. There was an inherent good and evil in every act, but there were limits Dr. Phillis wasn’t willing to cross, and so he refused to call himself either. He had simply said “Villain” to the assembly because he was too hurried to explain himself and get into the inevitable argument, which seemed to be occurring.

He sighed deeply. To think he could be doing some mundane experiment at home instead of getting a headache here.

In a small attempt to derail the conversation, the doctor spoke up. “I can easily supply scouting Phillisbots to investigate and send a direct feed back to us, given permission from West. The distance is no object as long as I have a location. The Grigori’s base can transport them there in an instant, and tracking them back will be nigh impossible, considering Haven is contained in a foreign plane of existence. The robots have no minds, obviously, and thus cannot be controlled by our anonymous adversary, one threat we cannot rule out when it comes to sending human troops. I don’t mind losing a few scouts for our greater good, but as of yet don’t think my armies are behind this operation.

“As I have already stated, there is still skepticism around the source of this information, and starting a brawl between ourselves over whether the line between morality and depravity is thick or thin would be an unwise choice at best. We all know each of uses different methods to reach our differing goals; otherwise we would not have been called here. Comprehending the fact is easy, accepting the fact can be just as simple if you’ll push your egos aside for one damned operation that could possibly save the world, one that millions of lives could possibly depend on. Even your own livelihood could very possibly be in danger at the moment, so I’m going to, for once, ignore the obvious unadmirable qualities of the lot of you and do my best for the people I one day plan to bring salvation to. I suggest you do the same.

“There are many hypothesizes here, all of them well put together and plausible. It would serve us best to compile our collective data into a list of possibilities to keep readily available for all of us. This way, as we gain more data and make more observations, we can eliminate and add more as needed until we reach the most likely reason.”

Dr. Phillis’s brow furrowed. He didn’t like the theories coming at him. Or the people who were giving them, for the most part. Igor seemed delusional and entirely mad, he immediately checked him off as someone to never take seriously. Despite Experiment’s earlier rudeness and idiotic childish comments, he seemed to be fairly logical. His input seemed valid enough. The boy, Jake, caught his attention more than the others, however. He was definitely immature, but he was smart as well, along the same brainwave as Midas. He was glad to have someone who wasn’t acting like they already knew what was going on.

One trait he disliked about them all, however, was their eagerness to run into the total unknown dangers of these adversaries.

“A bit hasty to call for a way there already, aren’t we?” Dr. Phillis asked. “Wherever ‘there’ is. Whoever the enemy is, it seems safe to say that they’ll have a number of these enhanced soldiers at their control, and without knowledge of even who it is we’re after, it seems more than a bit idiotic to run in with guns blazing, even if we are all ranked in the high threat levels. Remember, science requires patience to achieve maximum results, and as a congregation of scientists, we would do well to remember this. Furthermore, even if we work for the same goal, how can we work at the highest efficiency, which will more than likely be required, without being able to trust one another on some level. Having a group of mixed villains and heroes, most of whom have never met and are disgusted by one another, running in to somehow work together and defeat an entirely unknown enemy seems an unsafe plan at best.”

He rubbed his forehead as he continued. “Many of you may be sure of your ability to defeat these soldiers, but have you considered the power of the man behind the soldiers? If there is a metahuman with enough power to change these men beyond the levels of most supers, how are we to say that they cannot affect us as well? There seems to be a level of mind control going on here. The mock salute that you speak of, have you thought that perhaps the reason it seemed fake was because the man was saluting himself and swimming in self-satisfaction? What if these soldiers operate on a hive mind controlled by the mastermind behind this? The casualness behind it would seem insulting if the man was supposed to be obeying orders. Or perhaps some kind of possession occurred, such as with the Circle spirits, and he became an entirely different person saying hello to an old friend? Maybe it seemed fake because this video is a fake? To limit our speculations on this matter to simple underestimation is foolish when our world could possibly hang in the balance. Of course, that’s ruling out that this isn’t all a trick in the first place and we aren’t just meant to be taken as prisoners to work on improving these men. All of the greatest scientific minds are here, who’s to say it isn’t a setup? Though I won’t make accusations, I simply implore that you all keep an open mind about this situation as a whole. We don’t know what’s going on and anyone who says they do is beyond arrogant. We are not ready to charge into the unknown.”

He folded his arms, unhappy that he felt the need to stay here.

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"...You really worked hard in Science class, hm? You didn't have a girlfriend 'till your forties, right? Poor you."

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Dr. Phillis rolled his eyes behind his blast goggles and remained quiet. How very Billyboy-esque to jump to such a conclusion, and even moreso to speak it aloud so freely. The comment would normally bother the man on principle, but once again, he didn’t care. What did it matter if he was insulted one more time? The accusation was false either way, his lover was a beauty to behold, and Midas wasn’t even in his thirties yet.

After being offered a drink by Essex, the doctor gave her a shadow of a sneer and waved her away. She’d caused him enough trouble already, and he didn’t plan to eat or drink anything offered. He wasn’t even sure why he was foolish enough to come to the meeting in person. He had replicas at the ready that he could easily control.

As Dr. West began, he supposed he didn’t really care.
He watched with extreme interest. These men seemed to develop power beyond even his cybernetically enhanced henchmen, the Nephilim, and from what he could see there was no major surgery of any kind required, just a pat on the head. The Council’s super soldiers, which were constantly thwarted, took months to develop their enhanced strength and senses, and they weren’t nearly as formidable.

He could see why they were called here, despite the protests of others that they could do the same. The change had occurred too rapidly for comfort, and they were too extreme. How could a body survive such abuse?

The extreme control bothered him as well. The man had seemed terrified at first, and then in seconds seemed entirely submissive. Controlling minds was bad enough, controlling the minds of men you convert into unbelievable super soldiers was something else entirely.

Dr. Phillis was more than surprised when the man who had insulted him before, Experiment, seemed to actually have something intelligent to say. He nodded, liking the line of thought, but definatley not taking it into serious account. Running on assumptions was foolhardy. It often had to be done, but he would much rather wait for more information before he tried to contribute. Especially since this seemed to get even more serious, from what the others were saying.

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"I hate it when people play god," Solid muttered to himself as he rested one hand on Essex's head and gave the girl a comforting scratch.

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Midas couldn’t help but look to the pair and snort. If the S-6 unit wasn’t playing god, he was seriously unfamiliar with the term.

Midas Phillis was late. It wasn’t because he had been working on an urgent experiment, despite the many that there were to complete. It wasn’t because he had been combating Arachnos, Longbow, or the idiotic “heroes” that were just as bad. It wasn’t because the meeting had simply slipped his mind.

It was because he didn’t care.

As of late, the life of the genius seemed to have descended into a cruel joke. There was no one left to trust but the very few he kept near him and the robots that could not betray him. He even wondered about them these days. Midas, even the genius that he is, could not count the number of times he’d been tricked, trapped, and stabbed in the back by those he considered to be worth helping, trusting, or saving. Everyone seemed to have their own agenda these days, and it was never for the betterment of the world, which meant they were against Midas.

For the first time in his life, Dr. Phillis, the loved and hated super villain, was beginning to lose hope.

He tread wearily across the blown out street in Siren’s Call, his royal purple cape flapping behind him, his silver power armor shining brilliantly, the gem on his belt sparkling a brilliant gold. He walked forward with obvious purpose, but almost foolhardily so. He didn’t turn his head to look around for the heroes that hated him. He didn’t scan for the twisted villains that dogged him. He just walked.

Of course, a villain of such notoriety as Dr. Phillis cannot simply walk through a war zone without attracting attention. It wasn't long before loud, rushing footsteps announced the pursuit of an armor-clad tanker. Dr. Phillis simply kept walking, pretending not to notice, having perfect faith in his creation.

Just as the tanker reached close enough to make a strike, a wall of nearly unbreakable stone shot up from the ground. The hero slammed into it, neatly bouncing off. He rolled and jumped back to his feet immediately, just in time to dodge out of the way of the stone as it fell toward him.

Unfortunately, he managed to dodge right Into the oncoming hammer swing of an eight foot tall Phillisbot general named Number Negative. The rock-manipulating robot was in immediate pursuit as the hero fell away.

The sounds of battle faded away as Dr. Phillis continued his walk. His general would win. He always did. And it never made a difference in the long run. So seemed to go the story of his life.

The coordinates were simple enough to find, the door obvious enough for a man who was not at all rushed. He stepped through and plodded to the room at what seemed to be just the right time to arrive late.

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"Now, have I missed anyone?" West said, making a final scan of the room.

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“Excuse my tardiness, I had business to take care of.” Dr. Phillis lied as he walked into the conference room and found a seat as close to the front as possible while trying his best to keep a great distance away from the others. “I am Midas Phillis of Arcadia, master of cybernetics, autoconstruction, weapons engineering, biology….” He trailed off, figuring the others didn’t care.

“Villain.” He sighed.

((Hoo hah!))

I love love love Zealstorm! She's so deliciously evil! I'm not confident I know her entire background, but what I do not totally, totally rocks. Everything about her is great, from her mannerisms to her character design, and her little head games are vicious! I really wanted to bring Evil Jaredman in as a lackey to her, but alas, I couldn't last in Final Fight. It would have been lovely to have one of my characters become a puppet to a source of greater chaos and evil, as EJ saw Zeal!

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The only feedback I could really give is that he seems to be your one and only villain...I'd love to see you give the same attention to a new one. Just for variety.

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Lol, about that. Dr. Phillis is really my only really well developed villain. Of course, I've thought of tons of others, but I've already got the Doc so defined in makes me cringe to think of using my other. Plus, Dr. Phillis has methods and definites to what his reactions are, all my other villains are amorally insane! I did use Evil Jaredman a bit in Final Fight (I didn't stay for too long in that because it moved too fast) and had a lot of fun with him fighting, but I just felt that there was no personality to him and didn't fight writing for him all that special. It was basically just making him say something outrageous and then having him attack in a rage, which got boring after a while. His attacks were always fun to write in, but the lack of real character was a bit depressing.

And don't forget, Amos was a villain, so you have seen more than one of mine, haha! Of course, he was meant to be a total stereotype that I'd develop into a better character as the story went along, which kind of happened, but I didn't get to do a lot of things I wanted to with him so didn't get nearly as far as I'd have liked him to.

As for the rest of my villains, well, they revolve strictly around Arcadia, which I can't really bring into the RPs. I've never really tailor made a villain for Paragon City, so any of them that went would have to be aiming to take out Billyboy, and I just don't want to bring in characters like that. I guess I really should work on my variety, lol. Now I'm going to be stuck thinking about that, lol!

I love Shane, Halo! He's a great character, and I love his backstory. I do know a bit more than some of the others from our PMs, lol, which makes it even better! He's very predictable, which I find to be good in a character, to a point, but I'd really love to see him make a bad decision for once, lol. He's a great character and I love reading your posts. I know you didn't ask, but you're a great writer as well.

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I don't think there's anyone who's seen Phillis who doesn't like the guy. He's just so awesomely cliche, yet anazingly believable at the same time. I think every one of us here has a little Phillis in them to identify with. Some more than others.

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Wow, that's just freaking awesome, because that is the EXACT reaction I go for with him! You just made my day, Devious, lol!

Thanks for the compliments as well, Burning! I always try to put something interesting into an alpha villain fight, and that monologue was another on of my big cliches that I really enjoyed writing in. His assault on Venom Isle was probably my favorite time I've ever written for him because I got to go from the pretense of him being an uncontrollably mad child-killer (the entire fight scene) to revealing the true methodized genius with righteous goals and bad means that he really is in the closing post.

I really miss the Khel's Broken RP, I had so much development for Midas and the real Doc to go through! Are we ever going to necromance that back up?

I've seen very little of Blightlord, mostly because he tends to appear on threads that move too fast for me to comprehend, so I can't really say much about him. I haven't gotten much out of him as of yet, probably due to lack of seeing any posts that show his real personality aside from being a bad guy with zombies.

Thought I'd insert my own if, if nobody minds. I just want to know what people think about my arcs. Both so far, one in SV101 and one in SH101, have pitted the protagonists against Dr. Phillis, and I just want to know what everybody thought of them. I try to show a lot of the Doc's character, especially once the fights are over and he's ranting (such as with Billyboy on the underground monitor, or back in Haven after his duplicate was destroyed on Venom Island). Just want some honest opinions and suggestions for improvement, because I do my best to keep him believable and not overly powerful while stilling making the fights challenges.

“Keep on the lookout, we know this is a confirmed target, he’ll be here soon.” Jaredman ordered the rest of the Caper Brigade through a communicator strapped to his wrist. The whole team was together again, back in Arcadia for the short vacation, and also for a job for STUDS. It seemed that an opportunity had presented itself that simply couldn’t be passed up by the Brigade’s most common nemesis: Dr. Phillis. Further excavation into the Underthere had revealed a series of tablets that were even now being retrieved with the help of Podo’s goblin tribe, and with the wealth of information on the demigod Immortal these were sure to hold, the bad doctor wouldn’t be able to resist. After all, the last set of tablets discovered had begun the race for the Philosopher’s Stones, who knew what else could be hidden down there?

“Art thou sure the iron heart of misconception cannot be swayed on this most changing of days?” Podo’s voice answered back. The goblin warrior was ever-naïve of the human mind, constantly willing to believe that men can’t be truly bad. The rest knew better, Dr. Phillis was rotten. Valentine’s Day didn’t stop him.

“Don’t you remember, little green dude?” Billyboy’s voice answered back, his form visible as he zipped through the air above, his silhouette glowing against the dusky sky. “That prude Doc P doesn’t believe in ‘romantic love’, he told us that last year, and the one before that, and I’m sure more times I wasn’t listening for! No, he’s a mean, bitter, crazy, obsessed old coot with no heart. He’ll be here.”

The doctor didn’t arrive that day.

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“To think, my dear.” Dr. Phillis began as he raised a glass of wine that he never drank, staring down at Grandville from atop the tower, his form cloaked in the red light that emanated from the beacon, “That I allowed this day to roll by us last year without thought, without even the slightest hint of the implications that a feeling as abstract as love can bring to a day such as this. Set aside for us, it seems, and us alone. What feelings it can bring about, what hope! To think that only a year ago we hadn’t tapped into, hadn’t even discovered the boundless love that we hold for one another.”

Cyba smiled sincerely as she listened to her lover and admired his regal form. Her own glass was empty, making her feel a bit guilty, but she knew Midas didn’t mind. His choice to avoid alcohol was his alone, he had supplied the wine for her and even taken a glass himself to make her comfortable. Now she watched as he swished it around inside the glass, staring at the murky reflection of the villainous city from within.

“We’ll build an empire together, Reyna.” The doctor beamed as he turned to her and took her free hand in his. “You’ve always believed in my cause, and our love has only made us stronger, our goal closer. And every day the vision becomes more tangible, through the efforts of us both, through the alliances we’ve created and broken and the trials we’ve faced together.”

“I love you.” Cyba told the man, sliding the blast goggles up his forehead to have a stare at his eyes. “I’m glad you decided to take the day off.”

“And I’m glad you were able to convince me so very easily.” Dr. Phillis replied as he took a step closer to the ledge, staring down and pouring the wine from his glass, letting it drop to the ground, where it splashed next to a bane spider patrolman. The Arachnos solider barley had time to look up to see where the liquid had come from before the glass shattered against his helmet, giving him a tremendous headache and catalyzing a fair amount of cursing. Another glass broke next to him, making him back up as he held his head before pulling out his mace and firing blindly into the sky, not even getting a shot relatively near the culprits.

“I never do manage to hit them.” Cyba pouted as she watched the confused bane spider. “How do you do it?”

“Physics, my dear, and an unhealthy obsession with it that has led me to a life of crime and a perfect lover.” The evil genius chuckled. “Not to mention a bit of heart.”

Main hero: Billyboy

1b) Billyboy has already done this very thing with his mousy female sidekick, Tomboy. Their combined fighting styles of Raz Mataz and Pizaz can’t be beat. Tomboy isn’t as strong, at least not yet, but Billyboy keeps up his lessons and helps out at any time he can.

2a) Depends who it is, really, but the most common villain for Billyboy to face is Dr. Phillis, who never hurts the innocent on purpose for any reason, no matter what. Aware of this, Billyboy would use it to his advantage and make one big, messy fight in front of a large crowd. In the case of another foe, hell, there’s still a big crowd, and Billyboy’s a tanker. Not like he’s going to try to dodge anything, he’ll take it all while the civvies watch in awe.

3b) Assured of his absolute ability to be right at all times, Billyboy would make his usual flashy entrance. If it ended up being nothing, he’d probably scold them for noise pollution, remind them that the only excuse for such a thing was rock and roll, and be off into the night.

Main villain: Dr. Phillis

1c) If the device had a chance of going off, there’s no way the Doc is going to take the risk to get himself and everyone within several miles killed. There’s a million different places to get other nuclear devices anyway. He could probably make something better anyway.

2b) If there’s another idiot in there already distracting the hero, I’ll send him a gift basket later. Grab the gadget, get out, and run like the wind before they notice. If they come after me, I’ll kill them, but this way I won’t sully my hands.

3c) Dr. Phillis hates the rikti with every fiber in his body. They ruined his hero, city, and his life. There’s no chance in hell that he would ever negotiate with them after what they’ve done, and he doesn’t desire to rule through tyranny anyway. Especially as a servant.

Essex, I know I told you this in chat, but I want to say it again. This story is AWESOME. You are an awesome, awesome, awesome writer, and I really envy you for it. There was never a time in your story where I didn't understand what was happening, which is like a first for the boards for me. Every little detail of the story was implemented so well that even though I've read it one time I can remember the whole thing in chronological order.

Thanks very much for writing this, Essex, it was a really, really great read.

Use any of my character you'd like to Essex! Billyboy has been spilling hot cocoa on his crotch for years, this holiday season won't hurt much worse than any other time!

Midas looked at Essex curiously. "Are you cold?" he asked her. "You don't need to drape it over your head, your shoulders will suffice."

I suppose she's more gifted in some areas than others. the scientist thought to himself with a grin as he tugged on the cloth. It was his first sincere smile that he could remember.

Midas smiled at Essex’s response. He was growing attached to the little girl, whatever she was. A metahuman had never seemed so… human… to him. He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Experiment.

He was about to respond with something rude and rash and more than likely dangerous to shout to a bloodthirsty psychopath, which he was almost sure Experiment was, but Essex’s plea forced his mouth shut. She was correct, there was no need to go after that man yet. With any luck, that fool would die fighting zombies or some such troops during their glorious campaign. The scientist scratched his chin. Yes, he could plan it.

Until then, he’d suffer his company.

“Essex is right. It’s funny that a child has more sense than some of us.” Midas said aloud. “Her wisdom and intelligence surpasses her age by decades.” He added as he put a hand on the girl’s shoulder reassuringly.

Midas eyed Essex, confused for a moment. She was remembering her old life, but could she revert back? This whole situation was illogical, how could a robot become a person in an alternate reality? It made no sense! But, she was somewhat a construct, apparently, or at least an experiment here. But she was alive and sentient in this world, if there was really a correct world… why would she be a nonliving thing?

He glanced suspiciously at the little girl and decided he’d have a talk with the Stone and Cyba, who were following behind him and having a hushed conversation.

“That’s simply astonishing, Selene.” The scientist muttered to the little girl. “I’ve never heard of a child so young creating something so advanced. With the correct tutors and power of will, you could become one of the most brilliant people on the planet, I have to doubts. Perhaps if we ever have the time you can show me the extent of what you know thus far.”

He smiled down at the little girl. “I could even teach you something… hah.” He finished weakly.

I know where you're coming from, Hal! I've hardly had time to post lately, so much stuff going on in my life right now. I never realized that RL was this fun, lol! I've been posting a lot less to, I might have to drop out of Final Fight again, it's simply becoming too much to handle, so many posts, and then we get Devious megaposts that I just look at and sigh, lol.

"The making part is what I'm amazed at, you're a little girl!" Midas balked as he stepped forward and grabbed the remote, examining it carefully. It was a bit hot to the touch, but it didn't look like Essex had put anything in it that would explode. Not with too much force, anyway. "I've never seen a child build a hologram projector so quickly! And you'd have to be able to target her from so far away! Did your father teach you how to do this?"