Ex_Libris

Paragon Times
Appearing in Section B Paragon Politics
Eye on Everyday Heroes
Column by Laine Harper (AP)

Laine Harper: Good afternoon, Congressman - I am Laine Harper, with the Paragon Times
Victor Hathaway: Good afternoon Ms. Harper. It's wonderful to meet you at last, I was very excited when one of the Councilmen here connected me to your office for an appointment! I've been a fan of your Everyday Heroes column
Laine Harper: Likewise! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me
Victor Hathaway: How long have you been on the Times staff?
Laine Harper: Oh, not very long, really... A little less than a year. It's been... an adjustment, getting used to this city and all of its superbeings
Victor Hathaway: Well you've done an excellent job so far you must have a nice reader group. Yes you could say they are coming out of the woodwork here.
Laine Harper: And the sky, the sewers, the park...Well, if you're ready? Let's begin with an introduction...
Laine Harper: Describe your agendas and tell me a little bit about yourself
Victor Hathaway: Alright, I'm one of the state representatives and a native of Paragon itself. I consider most of my constituents to also be your reader base. On the Hill I am in several congressional committees, Ways and Means, Health and Welfare, Education and am now chairing a new taskforce on Superhero and National Security Coordination. I have helped many grass root campaigns in cities like Paragon start Superhuman Registration programs to Coordinate Security Protocols
Laine Harper: And what kinds of work do you carry out for the Supergroup Registration committee?
Victor Hathaway: I'm glad you asked. What is done doesn't seem like much, it was a lot more work researching it and getting the information out through my office. Its simple though, heroes that wish to band together, ostensibly to be more effective and to liaison with official city representatives like the fire dept and the police and register so their names can be accessed when we have large problems that their talents might help.
Victor Hathaway: It also allows us to integrate with community medical services to help them, a win-win situation really.
Laine Harper: Are these groups obliged to assist you when you call for help, as you put it? Can they be legally compelled to do so? Or is it just asking for afavor?
Victor Hathaway: Well I don't think that situation was really envisioned at the start. Its not quite like the draft, but I'm sure all citizens and heroes would be concerned and want to help if say the Rikti came back, don't you think? Basically its like a blackbook of available crime fighting dates for our law enforcement branch to use.
Laine Harper: As a resident, I'd sure like to think so!

Laine Harper: What vision do you have for the future of the nation's current supergroup registration programs and especially here in Paragon? Any changes you'd like to see?
Victor Hathaway: Well I expect all heroes will want to be in a group in order to get the best backing for municipal, state and federal services. Ideally rogue heroes will feel left out in the cold and be more inclined to come to their local City Hall to find out where our troubles will be. I think we're breaking some ground here and other cities might see the wisdom in doing it this way. A place for heroes to go where they know they can find jobs and services and a place where citizen's know which heroes are legitimate.
Laine Harper: Just to backtrack a moment...
Laine Harper: You used an interesting phrase... "rogue hero"... What exactly is a rogue hero, in your estimation?
Victor Hathaway: yes that's right, vigilante really, something not just heroe's are prone to of course
Laine Harper: So you really meant to say "rogue superbeing". And just like the police discourage ordinary citizens from taking the law into their own hands the same would be true for the heroes. An excellent correction, thank you Ms. Harper.
Victor Hathaway: I certainly don't mean to alienate our good supergroups
Laine Harper: So, it's fair to say that not all superbeings out there fighting crime alone are "rogues"
Victor Hathaway: Well obviously not, there are those that have registered with us and those who will be registering with us, they get our full support for the dangerous work they do
Laine Harper: Thank you for that clarification
Victor Hathaway: We are going to be starting a media campaign encouraging those heroes who might not know the program to register, we get a lot of foreigners in.
Laine Harper: Certainly - they come from all over the world to be here in Paragon City.

Laine Harper:Moving on... What are your own personal attitudes toward Paragon City's super-powered population?
Laine Harper: Is the city better off with them here? Are they needed? Or just helpful?
Victor Hathaway: Well they are certainly helpful. I can't think what being enslaved by an alien race would be like and I'm glad we're not. There have been studies though saying the high amount of heroes might attract certain types of personalities that make life a lot more dangerous to us.

Laine Harper: Do you think that the city's law enforcement is capable of defending the populace from the various criminal organizations that dwell here?
Victor Hathaway: Well we've gotten a lot more intelligent on crime fighting then in our grandfather's day, our boys in the force lay down their lives every day.
Laine Harper: Of course.
Victor Hathaway: However, there are situations though that need extraordinary firepower, frankly a hero is cheaper then a weapons system.
Laine Harper: Spoken like a true public servant.
Victor Hathaway: We do have to be wary of collateral damage though.
Laine Harper: Has that been a real issue here?
Victor Hathaway: We can't have citizen's property being destroyed callously. Oh yes, you're new here Ms. Harper, but whole areas of the nation's first city have been rendered dangerous or disaster areas. I'd advise you to stay away from them.
Victor Hathaway: Perhaps I could show you around sometime with some security.
Laine Harper: Certainly, I'd be delighted.
Victor Hathaway: I think there will always be a place for those beings that want to put their powers to service for the good of everyone and we will do all we can to make sure they get essential services they need. And the easiest way to do that, is to register.

Laine Harper: Are you close friends with any superheroes at this time?
Victor Hathaway: I know several of course, why I probably know more superheroes then anyone in the country because of the registration drives.
Laine Harper: I ask because, the relationship between the city fathers and the large population of superbeings who live here is naturally of great concern to the residents of the city and elsewhere I would expect.
Victor Hathaway: It certainly is, its essential that the relationship is clear to both parties so Paragon and all municipalities can work effectively
Laine Harper: Those examples are of course set by you and the other civil servants currently in public ofice.
Victor Hathaway: I think the citizens of Paragon can rest assured their representatives are doing everything they can to protect their interests and give them a safe place to live.

Laine Harper: Let me ask you quickly...
Laine Harper: Just your initial reaction to the idea of having a superhero hold high public office, say, President. How would you react to that?
Infinite Man: theyd never allow that...
Victor Hathaway: Well that's a great whatif...
Laine Harper: Certainly, and there are some who have expressed an interest
Red Fist: any1 no whats going down at city hall?
Cowboy: Not a thing.
D92.eXM: its an interview
Laine Harper: There might be a future President in this room right now...
Victor Hathaway: I think this country is great in that it gives opportunities to anyone, and greater in the citizens electing those who are like them and can serve their interests.
Victor Hathaway: If a superbeing meets that criteria then I say well done Mr. or Ms. President.
Laine Harper: So, you'd be happy to see that happen?
Victor Hathaway: I'm pleased if anyone of proper skills and interests in helping the people get into that office.
Laine Harper: Fair enough

Laine Harper: Let's return to the larger issues...
Laine Harper: Tell me about the future of Paragon City and its superhero population... where do see things, say, ten years down the line?
Laine Harper: Will all of the city's heroes be registered?
Victor Hathaway: I sure hope so, just like citizens need to register to drive, own a business, build a house or vote all heroes should be registered so we can work together for Paragon's future.
Laine Harper: The question of compulsory service among superbeings has come up before, even here in Paragon City. How do you feel about a law mandating that heroes spend some time in local law enforcement? As, say, a requirement to register? Victor Hathaway: Well I spend time doing pro bono cases in the law firm I worked in or offering to teach at some of the colleges here. We'd all love to believe everyone would want to do community service. Sometimes though, to be organized we have to make some hard choices.
Laine Harper: If this were to be put to a vote, would you vote for, or against it?
Victor Hathaway: If the police have protocols and are responsible legally for damages and peoples rights heroes should consider that as well
Victor Hathaway: I think a vote for it, if it is worded with the best intentions in mind, is a vote for a secure and safe society.

Laine Harper: Let's close the interview, then, with two quick questions: First, if you suddenly awoke to find that you had superpowers, which superpowers would you want?
Victor Hathaway: I think the power to know who will win the world series.
Laine Harper: That's easy enough - the Paragon City Privateers!
Victor Hathaway: I see you're a woman of taste.
Laine Harper: Lastly...

Laine Harper: Is there anything else you'd like to say to our readers, in closing?
Victor Hathaway: Yes next weekend I have been asked to address the citizens to discuss the Taskforce for SuperHero Coordination and National Security goals and what we propose to do about it.
Laine Harper: Oh? Will that be happening here?
Victor Hathaway: Yes it will, City Hall on Saturday there will be a press release on it. Everyone should be involved in making their city the best and most secure
Laine Harper: Ah, we'll be sure to publish that, I think that's something we can all agree on.
Laine Harper nods
Victor Hathaway: I'll let the press secretary put out the dates.
Laine Harper: Congressman, thank you again for your time - it's been a pleasure
Victor Hathaway: Perhaps we can agree also that open communication should always be there.
Laine Harper: That's why I got into reporting in the first place!
Victor Hathaway: We can all be greateful for that Ms. Harper.
Laine Harper: Anytime you'd like to arrange that tour, I'll make myself available.

Okay final part, hope some of you enjoyed

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blackness, complete and total darkness, something that has always frightened Miranda, even to this day she still sleeps with a nightlight. But, she has never been in darkness so complete before. It was then she realized she was still on her back. Now, why was she lying down at work? That was silly, and she knew better than to do that. She decided it was time to get up and get back to wo………PAIN! Like nothing she had ever experienced before, it was all consuming, so much that it became her entire world. When she had tried to sit up it was then that she felt her right arm, trapped underneath some horrible weight, the bones in it shattered, she felt sick. It was at that moment, when she was certain that she would soon be dead, that she felt something, a presence, a consciousness that had not been there before, whispering to her in some strange kind of language, she could almost understand. Then the pain became too much and she passed out.

Miranda opened her eyes again, how much time had passed, she was unsure. But, something was different. For one she could see light and hear voices, distant, excited and worried. She winced as she remembered her last time awake, but the all consuming pain was not there, still she felt odd, different. Her right eye, that was the only one that saw any kind of light, and the light it saw was red, coming off of her own body very, very dimly. She sat up, a small space existed within the fallen structure that she had somehow beyond all reason, managed to survive. A small whirring sound drew her attention as she shifted her weight to her right arm, the same are she knew to be crushed underneath tons of rubble, then how could she move it? She looked down at her arm, she could barely see it. It gave off no heat she suddenly realized. In the faint red light she could she the mechanical arm she now had. In fact there were many small parts of her body that had some mechanical parts, including her right eye. It was no longer her own, but somehow mechanical, cold, lifeless. She heard the unmistakable sound of rock moving on rock and the voices were clearer now, she could make them out.
“Impossible,” a male voice said with gruff certainty. “The building collapsed two weeks ago, no one could possibly still be alive in there.”
“That is what I am telling you,” a female voice answered, “the life sign is very faint, and if we do not hurry then I am afraid we will be too late.”
“Just not possible” the male said again, “I was one of the ones who first responded when the call went out. Several did, I remember heroes all over the place. All of them agreed, no one could have survived the destruction that happened.”
He grunted as he answered the female and then sunlight flooded into the small space that Miranda sat in. Her left eye closed at the unexpected light, her right one just gave a slight whirring sound and adjusted automatically to the change of light. She looked up to see a large man lifting a portion of the stone support column, weighting several tons she was certain. Both looked at the other with surprise evident on their faces.
“My god!!!” he exclaimed, a llok of disbelief etched on his face. “How did you…?”
She stood up and noticed another fact, she was taller, by almost 7 inches. ‘t.12 inches to be exact’ a voice answered inside her head, and somehow she knew the statement to be correct. She also realized at that moment that her outfit had been torn to shreds and did a very poor job of covering her. As she looked herself over, she notice many places that now had metal instead of skin and a horrified look came over her face. The two people who were standing there much have misinterpreted her look, as the woman, obviously a paramedic got a large blanket to cover her with, the male, some kind of superhero given his brightly colored attire, turn his back while mumbling an apology.
“Sorry,” he said again as he turned around to look at a now covered Miranda, “I didn’t know that there were any heroes in the building at the time of….”
“Any other survivors,” Miranda asked, it was the first words she had spoken since being found, and the sound un-nerved her as well. It was very electronic sounding, like a speaker version of her own voice.
“Ummm no there have been no other survivors” the woman paramedic answered the question. She was attempting to take somce vital signs from Miranda as well, but Mirand was no that interested in complying at the moment.
“You must be new,” the brightly dressed man said, “I don’t recognize you. Have you been in Paragon City long? Oh I am sorry, my name is….”
“Yes,” Miranda interrupted still trying to piece everything together, the energy wave, Ernie’s face as he got hit with the electricity, the strange voice she felt when she awoke in the darkness. She know one thing, she needed time to sort things out, and she was not going to get that here. She stood up, the blanket covering her coming dangerously close to falling off.
“Look, ummm miss..” the brightly dressed man said as he stepped forward to grab a hold of her arm.
“Cyber-tron,” was the answer that Miranda gave him, she could here Ernie’s voice full of amusement as he said the words ‘Or a superhero’ in her mind.
Miranda, or Cyber-tron as she was already beginning to think of herself, she could feel the emotions starting to tear at her, she needed to leave, right now or she would break down here in front of these two.
“I must go,” she said simply as started to struggle to be released by the brightly garbed man. Her blanket fell to the ground once again exposing her, the strange thing was she did not really care. She felt strange, very different and not entirely…human. She had to work out what was happening to her. Suddenly, her left hand glowed with a bizarre reddish yellow light that quickly surrounded herself and then the man she was struggling with. She felt power flood into her limbs and her right eye flashed a brilliant green and a beam of pure energy erupted and struck the man in the chest, the surprise and power knocking him back a moment as he released his hold on her.
She used that moment to run, the poor paramedic had no chance to stop her as Miranda’s strength had also increased as well. A simple shrug and she was past the woman as well. Miranda ran from the remains of the place she had worked at, and in a strange sense she was also leaving her former life behind as well, because whatever the future held, she was certain that Cyber-tron would be the one having to deal with it, because for all intentions, Dr. Miranda Carter was indeed dead.

I want a circle strafe..so will

/bind h "target_enemy_near$$follow$$++turnleft$$++left "

work?

I'm at the office right now so I can't test it myself...

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They probably haven't done it because other companies have tried it and been flamed to high heaven every time someone runs into a non-RPer they don't like.

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Right now it's quite the opposite, RP'ers seem to be flamed and hunted like dogs. I'd rather we just had our own publically listed "spaces"...crazy as it sounds...

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Agreed. Rather ironic in a game that's tailor-made for RPing, too.

Personally, I'm hoping that the grinding crew gets sick of the game fast and moves on to The Next New Thing, and leave the RPers alone.

Good point, most low levels will get one shotted trying to get to most any of the shops. Parks are bad because your preventing spawns and as pointed out building tops make it more difficult for low levels. What you want is someplace that is around traffic but will not impede other players play so might I suggest in front of the Tram stations. Located bit away so as not to block traffic but so players and see and hear the role-playing going on and those that are interested will stop and inquire while others can continue on with their play style unhindered.

PS maybe if the Devs see all these RPers hanging out in front of the Tram stations it might get them to put in the bars a caffe's we want.

Mykal put his flavored water on his desk and sat in his leather ofice chair. It felt like air and it was a blessing to be in it right now.

Three days ago, Josef Keller had asked him to look into the Banishd Pantheon and recover some stolen material that was taken from the Paragon Museum. With the help of some of Paragon's heroes and his teammates Caladbolg and Starblaze, the mission was a success. The idols were recovered and the Pantheon was defeated.

But he new that those idols weren't just ornaments or cultural heirlooms. They had spirits attached to them. Demonic spirits. He could feel it.

He'd tried to explain the danger to the museum curator, warning him that having those idols in the museum was going to cause nothing but trouble. However, the curator politely, but rather pompously dismissed it.

He sighed deeply with his left hand on his face and his eyes closed. He had no idea this is what the Almighty had in store for him. When he had recieved confirmation through his vision, he knew that it would be a long struggle against evil and unrighteousness. But this was hard. Much harder than he thought it was going to be.

That wasn't a bad thing. God was changing and molding him through this trial of fire. Giving him wisdom in developing new equipment, putting his gift of knowledge to the test. In the last month, he had fitted, updated, refitted, and kit bashed his inventions more than he had in a whole year normally. And he was at the office to do it again.

Reaching in his pocket, he took out the small device that looked like a calculator but had fewer buttons. Pushing the power button, the display came to life, illuminated with a soft green light.

Mykal stood up and winced. His whole body ached.

Walking over to the right hand wall, he pulled out a small antenna and punched in a series of codes. With the final button, the wall came to life, revealing a one person elevator. Steeping inside, he pressed his palm against lighted panel next to the doors. With a soft whisk, they closed and the elevator began it's ascension.

They will work but there will be no pause between when the text is sent and when the ability is called so they'll either catch the heal at the same time as they see the text or they'll catch the heal before they see the text. Most likely the latter.

I'm not sure if you messed up but the following bind won't say the target's name:

/bind f5 "Local Fortitude to target$$powexec_name Fortitude"

Rook:

3:30 am.....

How could he even try to sleep tonight? Too many thoughts swirled through his head. The streets of Paragon were lonely at this time of night. Only the homeless, drug addicts and freaks dared to roam the night.

Nearly an hour ago, Rook's life had fallen all around him. After Thevshi left Renegade's office, Renegade wanted to make sure everything was alright with his good friend Rook.

Renegade tried to calm Rooks' nerves, but this only made his anger grow two fold. When Renegade placed his hand upon Rook's shoulder, he quickly knocked it off and yelled incoherently in a deep Irish accent. Rook then stormed out of the office and into the streets where he now paced.

****

3:45 am

The bottle of vodka kept him a little warm throughout the night. The cold brick wall he laid against was definitely not a warm blanket that he could have had at home. But tonight, he wanted to drink himself into his end.

****

4:15 am

The bottle only contained about a quarter of its original fluid.

Where did I go wrong?

How can I ever look at myself again? Do I even want to? What kind of person would do the things that I have? Did Paragon City hold the redemption I hoped for? Was all my work for naught?

****

5:05 am

Why is that dog licking my arm? Who's dog is that? Where am I? Who am I? Man I'm drunk....I'm a bad person....No..this is my bottle NOBODY else can hev it..

Rook raised the bottle to his mouth and poured the last two drops down his throat.

Rook slumped forward onto the wet snow, the earth spinning everywhere.

What a way to end a Saturday night...

Alex Young:

Alex slowly woke up the next day. The light shined through his window that he usually closes every night. He looked to the right of him and saw Bernadette facing him, still soundly sleeping. He sat for a couple minutes looking at her. She’s so beautiful, he thought, Why would someone want to put her through this... or let herself be pulled into the situation. Alex was almost off the side of his bed. I’m going to have to get myself a bigger bed than a single. Alex thought, sitting up. He got out of bed and gently pulled the covers over Bernadette so she wouldn’t wake up. Something had hurt her and he wanted to know what. He put on a pair of boxers and an old pair of jeans he found on his floor. He sat down on a chair beside the bed while looking over at his alarm clock. Hm, almost 10:00. he thought. Alex sat thinking.

Bernadette was obviously hurt by someone, both physically and mentally, and Alex wanted to know more. He found out more about Bernadette last night than he had since they started going out. Noone ever came to Alex for advice, never mind forgiveness for something that happened along time ago. Alex meant every word of what he said to her though. The past is the past, and Alex hoped she took his advice. Alex was not going to make assumptions about Rook though. He wanted to help Bernadette get to the bottom of what was happening, though he knew she may not let him.

Alex sat and thought. He looked over to the clock again. 10:39 Alex looked over to the bed where Bernadette started to wake up. He quickly moved onto the bed and lay down beside her again. He kissed her forehead, "Good morning beautiful." he said to her as she looked at him.

Thevshi:

The sunlight streaming in woke Bernadette from the most restful sleep she had had in the last few days. Her night with Alex had allowed her to forget, for the time being, about everything that had been driving her towards her confrontation with Rook.

As she opened her eyes, she heard Alex’s greeting and felt the kiss on her forehead. She smiled up at him as she stretched out some. “Mornin’ ta ye.” She said as she kissed him back. She made a funny face as she rested her head back on the pillow. “So that is what mornin’ breath is like.” She smiled again and sat up, holding the blanket in front of her as she began to look around the room, her eyes still adjusting to the light.

“I didn’ realize what a mess this place was last night.” She said with a grin as she turned to face Alex. Her eyes spotted the clock behind him and went wide suddenly. “Is that clock right?” She asked as she suddenly got up with a sheet wrapped around her. “Saint’s preserve me, I need ta be goin’ or I am goin’ ta be late!” She gave Alex a quick kiss on the cheek and then went back into the bathroom, closing the door. “Are there any clean towels around somewhere?” She called back out.

Alex Young:

"Yeah, under the sink." Alex yelled through the door so Bernadette could hear him. "Your leaving already? Where to? I thought we'd get some breakfast and talk for a bit." Alex rummaged through his clothes on the floor and crinkled black T-shirt that he wore a couple of days earlier. Alex didn't care, he would be taking a shower soon any ways. He put it on and leaned against the wall while crossing his arms right by the door. Alex wondered if she was going to see Rook, or if she just had previous appointments that she had to keep.

Thevshi:

Opening the door that Alex had said, Bernadette pulled out a towel and got into the shower. Turning on the hot water, she began to wash herself, thinking about everything that had taken place last night. Alex had helped her forget about the events, but she was troubled by them, very troubled. She knew that she needed to seek forgiveness, and there was one place to do that.

She held her head under the water, rinsing out her hair quickly. As the water ran down her face, Bernadette hoped that Alex would understand and wouldn’t be mad. He did mean so much to her, especially after last night, but this was important to her as well, and had been all her life.

She turned off the shower, and dried her hair some, then warped the towel around herself like a dress. Opening the door, she stepped out and came over to Alex, who was waiting by the door. Giving him a quick kiss, she smiled and replied, “I would love ta talk more Alex, and we will, but there is somethin’ I need ta do.” She walked over to her bag that still sat near the door and crouched down as she began to pull out some clothes. Her voice wavered briefly as she went on, “I need ta go to confessional, about so many things from last night.” Turning back towards him with a look of worry on her face, she quickly added, “Please don’ take this the wrong way. Last night…with you, was very special to me. I ‘ave never done anything close ta that, an’ I don’ regret it in the least.”

Alex Young:

"Bernadette..." Alex looked down trying to find the words he wanted, "just be safe. Whenever you need me, I'm here. If you find you want to do something later today, Ill be here or in the weight room most likely. Just, be safe." then Alex smiled and kissed her before leaning against the wall again. Alex was a bit worried that he hadn't seen or heard form Bernadette the past couple of days, but he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself... but after last night? Alex didn't really believe in confession or religion in general, but he wanted to go along with her any ways. Just to be there. Mostly because Alex was worried that she might find something else other than confession, but he knew he trusted her. He had to.

Thevshi:

Bernadette smiled at Alex’s concern and replied, “Alex, I am only goin’ ta church. I will be perfectly fine.” She stood up to get dressed and looked over at Alex as she was about to ask him to look away. Well that is silly lass. After last night, what does it matter if he sees ye without yer clothes on again. She shook her head at the thought and took off the towel, playfully tossing it at Alex’s head.

Turning away from him slightly, she slipped on a pair of panties and then fixed her bra. She could feel Alex watching her, and blushed slightly, but figured it was something she would get used to. She put on a red and black plaid skirt with a white shirt. Pulling a black sweater over her head to keep warm, Bernadette moved back over to Alex and stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I ‘ad better be going.”

Alex Young:

Alex smiled. "Be careful. Maybe I'll see ya a bit later. In the meanwhile, I've gotta shower. I’m a big mess." Alex kissed her one more time before she walked out of the room. When she left, Alex turned around and walked into the bathroom. He pulled out a towel and placed it on the toilet. He quickly threw off all his clothes and popped into the shower. He just stood there, feeling the spray against his face. Alex wanted to join Bernadette very much. When he got out, he walked back into his room and looked around. Gone. he said to himself. Alex put on a pair of blue jeans, a black T-shirt, and a sweatshirt. He walked downstairs and poured himself a bowl of cereal. As he ate, he was thinking. Yeah, I'm gonna go find her. he said to himself. he put his bowl in the dishwasher, and walked out of the room.

Rook:

Rook covered his eyes. The light was amazingly bright.

Am I dead?, he thought to himself.

Rook rolled over from his snowy, cold bed. A bum laid across the street from him. Rook had wondered if he stole the man's 'home' for the night.

Rook slowly stumbled up to his feet. As he composed himself, the same bright light shone down on his eyes. It definitely wasn't the first thing he needed during what would seem to be a daylong hangover.

Still covering his eyes from the light, Rook moved over to see what was blinding him.

High above a church, a large golden cross reflected the sun's light, making it seem almost unearthly.

Rook laid his back against the stone wall of the alley. He couldn't take his eyes off the sight. It seemed almost perfect. The bright golden cross reflecting the sun, beset in a field of light falling snow. Rook was not a man who believed in destiny or fate, but this seemingly was calling out to Rook. It was the only beautiful thing he had seen in weeks.

A tear strolled down his cheek.

Have I even a soul to forgive?, Rook questioned.

Slowly, people, all dressed in their fine Sunday clothes, strolled into the church, conversing and laughing with one another. It wasn't a large congregation, mostly due to the neighborhood it was in.

Wiping his tears away, Rook decided that maybe, this church could provide his soul some solace.

****

No one sat near Rook, which was completely understandable. Rook stunk of alcohol and dirty clothing. It was fine for him though. Rook wished to be alone.

The sermon was nice, but Rook hardly paid attention. His eyes laid besieged by the confession booth.

How could he spill all of his secrets to someone he didn't know. His history hurt to even think about it. Hopefully, Rook hoped, that this would be some kind of therapy....Nothing else has worked.

Rook buried his head in his hands as the sermon proceeded.

Great info. Glad I found it. I hate Tsoo Sorcerers so I will definitely shy away from Magic!

All I have to say is this...Teleport totally ROCKS!

I just received this last night, and after only about 20 minutes of playing with the power, and setting up the keybinding, and adding 3 lvl 15 end reductions, I can tp almost all the way across a zone, and beat my teammates that are flying. I can now get on top of the tallest buildings. To all the people that are complaining about tp...would you like some cheese to go with your whine? I love this power, and it added a whole new dimention to the game for me.

The reason given to us in beta was the same as why (at first) they didn't give out the location of the servers. They wanted the servers to have an even distrbution and if one was official something then new players would flock to that server and it would be severly overloaded. Guess their plan didn't work because the players just made and unofficial one and it is overloaded.

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I don't know where the 300 feet has come from you actually start being able to port 100feet, with one DO range enhancement on I can now go 120feet but the 300 feet is nonsense, or at least it is a lvl 15!

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isnt coh distance in yards? 300 feet = 100 yards i think maybe thats what ur getting confused

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Which is approximately 100 metres for those metrically inclined.


As far as range v's endurance goes, has anyone considered the differences when used in a combat environment over it's uses as a pure travel power?

What I mean by this is that if you are using it to escape from persuers, does the extra 10 yards/metres make any noticeable difference when escaping from the villains' ranged weapons or is the base 100 yards/metres sufficient to make them lose interest in one hop?

I could add this as a question to the FAQ but might be worth getting some feedback first from people who have had the power longer than me and have fought a greater range of enemies than me.

Yes, 300 feet is right, you'll go 100 at a time in game because it measures in yards.

wierd. i cannot change the bind to /bind fbutton+lbutton "powexec_name Teleport" without the left mouse button becoming always the teleport button

Section-8 is the 1st Assault Blaster on Virtue.. (19 May 2004)
Just wanted to thank all the heroes that helped & want to wish all the up-coming heroes, happy leveling.

Supergroup Name: Shadow Walkers
Website: http://www.freewebs.com/balefirediab...dowwalkers.htm
Leader or Recruiting Officers: Linnear, Bane of Night, 5th-Element
Preferred Method of Contact: ingame e-mail, forum PM, or SG forum
Guild Description: The Shadow Walkers are an up and coming new supergroup for those who are of Darker origins. Dark powers are a plus and a Dark/Shady past are a must. We are still small but trying to grow. We are here to have a good time and basically just have fun. If you are interested in becoming a Shadow Walker, PM me or send us an e-mail with your powersets and brief history/char description and we'll get back to you ASAP...

Tuesday, May 25th, 2004

-Started off the day by finishing aforementioned mission with the help of Purple One, who has taken great strides and has gained power quite quickly, already at Security Level 19. (Well, had I not been doing my Gilligan's Island impression in Faultline, I might be up there, too....) Even with the help of her- a very prefessional and talented defender, it was a very tough challenge, but rewarding.

-Met up with a man named Cassius who I had been looking forward to talking to for a while but never had the chance to. He was interested in joining Black Chapter and we finally talked about it today. After a long conversation, I was more than satisfied by his attitude and talents and recruited him. I would like to welcome him to the ranks personally.

-Took out a ton of CoT's for some freaky art chick. Apparently she's one of the "in crowd" and gets alot of information. Of course, being an artist, she can't do a damn thing about what she hears, so she tells it to me and anyone else who will listen. Why? I don't know, maybe it makes her feel important. But nonetheless she gives me info and the missions pay well, so I'll put up with the pretentious artsy garbage for now.

-In quite possibly the most interesting part of my day. I ran into an old friend of mine from high school named Colsair. He had alot of problems as a kid and was sent to reform school, after smacking around one too many people there they tossed him in a loony bin, which was another 6 years of hell for him, but he's finally out. He seems in decent shape but he wears this helmet for reasons I probably shouldn't discuss right now. Long story short he's out of the funny farm and he has joined the hero scene. Why, I don't know, alot of undue stress, especially if you're just coming from a nut house, but it's really good to see him again and I greatly look forward to working with him in the future.

-Ended my night by running around and beating up some Lost, I have a very tough mission involving clearing mystics out of a sewer system and I feel like I should try to train up with one of the higher ups before I tackle it, but before I can do that I need to go up in security level. The Lost are always fun to beat up on, anyways....

I agree. RPers should have their own official server.

Reposted here by request:

So my contact sends me into the sewers to stop the spread of the Vahzilok wasting disease. He thinks we've found Point Zero - somewhere in Boomtown - and there's a good chance I can cap it completely. Tough mission; Vahz are no joke for a scrapper like me. But slowly and surely I work my way through the sewers until I find the zero point.

In the name of God! Who should I find there but a giant mutated monster who claims to be Dr. Vahzilok himself! Seeing no way out, I throw myself at the monster, but he seems to heal as fast as I can hit him. Badly beaten, I crawl away to the hospital.

Defeat is a fine teacher, but it does not sit easily. As soon as the doctors discharge me, I activate my comlink and broadcast a request for help. Sad to say, only one person comes to my aid. I am worried that Dr. Vahzilok might be able to call in reinforcements before we could return, and we move into Boomtown in the hopes of recruiting assistance from the heroes that flock there fighting to keep the tides of criminals from Steel Canyon. Fortunately three others answer the call; no healers are among them, which causes us some concern, but in the end we decide to brave the arch-villain anyway.

Entering the sewers, we are relieved to discover that reinforcements have not as yet arrived. Moving swiftly, we retrace my earlier steps to Dr. Vahzilok's hidden lair. With hearts in mouths we plan hastily and sweep in to the attack, slamming into the twisted and evil villain without pause. At first it seems he will resist our combined efforts; but our training and ability soon start to tell, and even that monster can not withstand us. With a last curse, he collapses into the reeking sewage.

Tonight Dr. Vahzilok sits in a secure cell, and the people of Paragon rest easier in their beds. For this, I give thanks to The Daring Livid, Svlad Cjelli, Jorel and the Pino Kid (my apologies, my small friend, if I spelt that incorrectly) for their courage in answering the call to arms. Paragon City owes you a great debt.

Hadiya, Security Clearance 18 Natural Scrapper (MA/Regen)

OOC Part 3, still one more part. The excitement builds (maybe? Hopefull )

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lights in the chamber flare to brilliancy, but the chamber was being bombarded by far more than light, energy of different types, radiation, and some specialized sound waves, all in an attempt to see how the mysterious little beings known as the Clockwork communicated, operated and ultimately how their technology functioned as well. The team had been assembled for the sole purpose of determining how the Clockwork, functioned, communicated and how to integrate that with current technology as well. This little project was funded by several sub companies, but ultimately by the United State Military. Dr. Miranda Carter was monitoring the progress of the different wavelengths of energy that were bombarding the Clockwork Assembler Prince that was provided to them, while Prof. Bradford Huntington was watching the through the protective glass, with the goggles over his eyes. Ernie was controlling the machinery that was doing the actual bombardment, and several other doctors and technicians were about watching the test as well, each sensing that a breakthrough was about to happen. Even, even the project director Scott P. Jordan was in the lab. This they knew was the moment everyone had worked towards the last two years.
“Increase the power another 25 degrees” Miranda said, the sound beginning to carry, even through the specialized chamber. Still she had to shout to be heard above the hum of the equipment. “We are getting a reading increase. This may be what we are looking for, okay Ernie, start to decrease the power, slowly.”
Ernie nodded and started to work on the equipment, slowly decreasing the power output, however something was wrong. The controls were not responding like he wanted, instead of decreasing, it was increasing the power output. The machine began to hum even louder and a couple of the technicians looked over at Ernie, one or two even started to walk towards him.
“ERNIE!!!” Miranda shouted in a panic, “I SAID DECREASE THE POWER!! JUST STOP IT, TURN IT OFF!!
It was at that moment, when everyone’s attention was focused on the machinery and Ernie at the controls when the first Clockwork came alive. The Assembler Prince, that until now lay dormant, was awakened by the massive input of power and easily smashed his way through the protective chamber. Shouts and screams sewed complete chaos in the room and only Miranda noticed that Ernie was electrocuted as he tried to adjust the machine by an newly revived Tesla Knight.
Outside the chamber employees who had no idea that a secret facility was within their building heard muffled shouts, scream, lightning and explosion. Then the fire alarm went off and they started to exit the building, at first very orderly then one of the Clockwork crashed through a wall and everyone within sight panic.
As a few employees who were lucky enough to have left the building looked on, lightning began to engulf the building, and then there was an explosion and much of the building collapsed in on itself. Of the over 450 employees that worked in the building only 67 were standing outside to witness the horrible accident claim the building. Of those inside, only one survived. And it was not someone whom anyone had expected

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think there is a way to load keybind files when there's a space anywhere in the path. I tried moving my keybinds to my CoH folder (c:\program files\city of heroes\binds\) and I can load them from the game by manually typing the whole thing because putting the "" around the path makes the game recognize it as one parameter. However, I've tried single quotes and double quotes in a bind_load_file bind to a key and it just doesn't work...ever.

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't had a problem with that...I keep all my keybinds in a subdir of City of Heroes.


Speaking of which....can a macro call binds? I heard of this one user that everytime he went afk it would start playing a scripted conversation. I thought this was so cool I wanted to use it for my char...I've got teh duration problem figured out but I'm kinda screwed with the length limitation. My solution was to have it so that it would load a whole new bind.txt when I went afk and then trigger each one in a sequence... is such a thing possible?

I don't think there is a way to load keybind files when there's a space anywhere in the path. I tried moving my keybinds to my CoH folder (c:\program files\city of heroes\binds\) and I can load them from the game by manually typing the whole thing because putting the "" around the path makes the game recognize it as one parameter. However, I've tried single quotes and double quotes in a bind_load_file bind to a key and it just doesn't work...ever.

Silly thought, but are you hitting the enter key before you begin typing? After a bind change, if you CLICK your curser into the chatbox after where it says team: for example, it won't work and will be plain. (I remember doing that once or twice in beta before I got used to the interface, the enter key is vital)

Also try just typing while in local channel only one change, like /bind enter beginchat <color blue> then hit enter to see if just a single change is working for you. If it is, add your second and test. Make sure no other partial strings are visible after the Local: so the bind is fresh by backspacing up to it. Once the bind is correct you will always see those 3 color changes upon entering. Good luck.

OOC Okay here is part 2, hope some of you are enjoying this.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Good Morning Miranda,” a overly cheerful slightly accented voice said and slightly startled Miranda Carter from the papers she was looking over. She turned her gaze to her co-worker, Professor Bradford J. Huntington, III. She smiled again, as he was one of the leading experts in Robotics, and had even written several books on the subject. It was a privilege to work next to someone with his record, let alone be treated as an equal.
“Morning Bradford” she answered as he handed her a steaming cup of tea, a habit that he had gotten her hooked on since she had started this project, Bradford detested coffee. “So what is on the agenda for today Miranda?” he asked as he sipped his tea and looked down at her.
“I want to try these wave lengths again Bradford,” she answered as she held up the sheet of data where she had circled some interesting responses in a bright blue highlighter pen, “I think we got the best results, especially from the tall one, called the Knight.”
He leaned over her and looked at her conclusions written in the margins of the data stream as well, a couple of “hmmms” was all the comment he gave at first.
“Yes,” he said thoughtfully as he took another sip of tea and then glanced at his co-worker, “Good work Miranda. Tell Ernest that we will get started right away.” Bradford’s little quirk, he disliked using nicknames, which included shortened versions of people’s names as well. Bill in designs and Joe in accounting were almost always infuriated by that, but what could you do? He had more doctorates that some people had letters in their names.
Miranda sat at her computer and entered in the data she would need to send to Ernie to have him begin to set up for today’s tests. Miranda stifled a yawn with the back of her left hand. Perhaps tonight she would turn in early and send Ernie home and get some sleep for a change.

Miranda and Ernie sat at the open air café where they normally stopped for lunch. She was excited by that morning’s tests. Ernie sat across from her mostly listening, the roast beef sandwich in his right hand as he raised his soda to his lips to drink with his left.
“Did you see the response?” she said, briefly taking a sip of her own iced tea, her small ceaser salad all but forgotten. “I tell you we need to increase the alpha waves by another 23 degrees at least. Ernie we are so close, can’t you feel it?”
“Yea,” he answered his moth half full, “then Blackwell with have Cyber-tron to market to the military and we will have nice fat bonuses.”
“That’s Cybernetic-Electronic Interface Systems, Ernie, you know how Professor Huntington gets” even as she corrected him, she was smiling, because what he said was indeed true, “Besides when you say it like that it sounds like a video game.”
“Or superhero” he added with a grin.
Miranda rolled her eyes, but returned his smile. The thought of sending him home this evening was beginning to look less and less appealing now. The couple finished their lunch and made their way back to the Blackwell building; they put on their professional faces right before entering the building. Time to go back to work.

Thevshi:

Bernadette touched down on the snow covered lawn of the CAST mansion. The snows had covered the entire grounds, glowing from the outside lights in the gardens. Otherwise, the house stood dark. For Bernadette, this was a second home, where she spent time with her friends and teammates. Tonight, she was looking for on teammate in particular.

She walked up to the door of the mansion, and lowered her density to walk through it. The main hallway was dark and quite. The mansion seemed so empty and still, quite a contrast to the torrent of thoughts running through her head at the moment. Walking forward, she went up the main staircase to the second level and towards the wing that housed the rooms for the members that chose to live here. There were plenty of empty rooms, and if Bernadette had wanted to, she could have claimed one for herself, but she never had. That was going to change, at least for the short term.

But right now, Bernadette did not want to be alone, she needed to talk, and she knew just who she wanted to talk too. She made her way up to the door of Alex Young’s room and stopped in front of it. She stood there a moment, unsure if she should wake him. All the painful memories and emotions were still weighing down on her, and she was sure that talking would Alex, being held by Alex, would help ease all the pain.

She breathed in deeply and gently knocked on the door. She then lowered her density and walked through the door into the room. The room was dark, and she could vaguely make out the shape of Alex’s bed, and him turning towards the door. She returned her density to normal and dropped her bag on the floor. New tears started down her cheeks, “Alex, it’s me. I ‘ave ‘ad the most terrible night.” She sobbed as she started towards him.

Alex Young:

Alex was sleeping when Bernadette walked in and woke him. He sat up in bed and looked around trying to shake off the sleep that crept up on him. "Hey," Alex said looking up at her, "it's late." As he shook off his drowsiness he noticed that she was crying and hurt. It took a second to register. "Hey, are you ok?" Alex said as he threw the covers off himself and went to help her. Alex used to sleep with nothing on before he stayed with CAST. All the constant alarms and people barging into his room convinced Alex to start wearing boxers when he went to bed. He sat her down onto his bed then went to the chair and threw on his housecoat. It sat open for he didn’t bother to tie it. He grabbed a box of tissues and sat down beside her and handed her a tissue to wipe the coming tears.

She stopped crying for a bit as they both sat for a second. When she looked up at him she started baling again. Alex move closer to Bernadette and hugged her lightly. As he held her he spoke, "Bernadette. Are you ok? What happened? Tell me everything." Alex said before he pulled away for a second. He grabbed a tissue out of the box and wiped just below her eye where a tear had just dropped.

He then put his hands in hers, squeezed tightly, and listened.

Thevshi:

Being there with Alex made Bernadette feel better as he sought to comfort her. She had almost wished he hadn’t let go of her, but tried to smile slightly as he took her hands with a reassuring squeeze and looked at her intently. She steadied herself and took a deep breath.

“Oh, Alex, I don’ know where ta begin. It started about two days ago when I saw some news footage of Team 1 fightin’ some Fifth Column soldiers. There was a member o’ Team 1 that was there, named Rook, an’ I was sure I recognized ‘im from intelligence briefin’s that I recived as part o’ Project Daedalus.” She dried her eyes some and continued. “There was a notorious IRA assassin called Rook, an’ I was positive that the Team 1 Rook was ‘im. But I needed ta prove it. I called me old teammates in London an’ got them ta get me a copy o’ the Secret Intelligence Service’s file on Rook. That is why I ‘aven’ been around much lately, I ‘ave been so bent outa shape about this.”

Some tears started again, but Bernadette just ignored them. “I ‘ave felt like I was goin’ outta me mind, ‘avin’ trouble sleepin’ and such. I finally got the file today an’ it was all I could do ta not look at it right a way. Well, I finally did, after school, an’ it is ‘im sure enough. I went an’ started ta recon Team 1’s base, and’ soon enough, Rook came out. I followed ‘im ta this Irish pub an’….an’…I attacked ‘im Alex!” Bernadette’s body shook slightly as she said this, she looked away from Alex, ashamed of herself.

“I attacked ‘im, an’ destroyed the pub fightin’ ‘im. I almost ‘ad ‘im, but ‘ad ta push me self to ‘ard in the fight, an’ passed out. ‘e ‘as some kinda regeneration, cause ‘e shoulda been dead with the amount o’ damage I did ta ‘im.” She looked down as she realized that she had been close to killing Rook in the fight. “Anyway, ‘e took me ta Team 1’s base an’ ‘e an’ another member, Renegade, questioned me.”

Tears were in her eyes again as she looked at Alex, “It was ‘umiliatin’ Alex!” ‘ere I was sittin’ in the same room as the worst assassin the IRA ever ‘ad, an’ they were questionin’ me!” She looked back down as the tears ran down her cheeks. “It was so painful ta have ta relive all me past that way.”

Alex was about to speak when Bernadette looked back at him with anger in her eyes despite the tears. “An’ if all that wern’ enough, I got ‘ome an’ me worthless soddin’ da’ decides ‘e needs ta ‘ave a shoutin’ match with me! ‘e was pissed as always, an’ ‘ad seen me at the pub, yellin’ at me about what I choose ta do with me life an’ me powers. An’ the ******* ‘ad the gall ta try an’ ‘it me! I don’ know what the bloody ‘ell ‘e was thinkin’!” The tears were still running down her cheeks as she moved closer to Alex.

"I didn’ want ta stay there Alex, I so want ta forget all o’ this. I am sorry ta wake ye, but I didn’ really know who else I could turn ta.”

Alex Young:

Alex listened quietly as Bernadette told her the story. When she was done, Alex moved even closer to Bernadette. He put his arms around her and held to her, letting her cry on his shoulder. They stayed like this for a couple of moments before he spoke. "I don't want you to ever feel like you can't come to me. I’m always there for you, no matter what time it is, or where. You know whatever what happens... with your father... with your past, I am always here for you. Always have been and always will be. Make sure you know that." Alex whispered into her ear as he held her.

"You must be very tired. You need to get some sleep. Take your mind off of what happened today. We can discuss it in the morning. We will get to the bottom of this man, Rook, tomorrow." Alex was worried for Bernadette. He knew she had a bad past, but he didn't think it would come to haunt her like this. He wanted to take her mind off of Rook for now. In the morning they would get to the bottom of this problem, together.

Alex started to rub her back with his hands to try to soothe Bernadette as he held her.

Thevshi:

As Alex held her, Bernadette just let her jangled emotions release as she pressed her face against his shoulder. Being in his arms felt so good, it reminded her of their times together, from that magical kiss under the mistletoe during the Hunter’s Institute Christmas Party to the Knight’s of Paragon’s New Year’s Party. She felt like she was lost in warmth and safety as he started to rub her back softly. She remember back to the very first time he had kissed her, when C.A.S.T. had first been formed and they were about to got into battle against members of Freakshow. It had taken her by complete surprise, but it had been the beginning of their attraction towards each other.

Bernadette suddenly realized that she needed to be truthful with Alex, that she couldn’t hide things from him, even if she took the risk of hurting their growing relationship. “Alex,” she said softly as she started to push way from him gently, “there is somethin’ I need ta tell ye. Somethin’ that I ‘aven’ told anyone for a long time until tonight.” She looked into his eyes, and almost stopped as she saw the carrying and worry there, but she knew he deserved to know. “Alex, two years ago…I..I killed a man Alex.” She stopped briefly but continued, wanting to explain it more. “Assassinated ‘im. ‘e was a Serbian war criminal, an’ I was part o’ a mission ta bring ‘im before the international court fer trial. But when, things started ta go wrong on the mission and the capture team couldn’ make it ta where ‘e was, I was ordered ta go in an’ kill ‘im to prevent ‘im from escaping.”

She looked down, ashamed of herself, fearful of what his reaction would be. “’e never stood a chance Alex, yet I killed ‘im. I am sorry fer never tellin’ ye, an’ I understand if this changes things for us. It took me a long time ta live with what I ‘ad done.” New tears ran down her cheeks as she awaited his response.

Alex Young:

Alex was surprised when Bernadette backed away. He listened carefully to the whole story. Bernadette, if not all of CAST, knew how Alex thought of killing. To him it wasn't even a last resort. It took him a bit, but finally Alex spoke, "Listen, Bernadette, I'm with you for who you are now, not who you were. You didn't know any better at the time. Its different now. I know you wouldn't do the same. I also believe in forgiveness Bernadette. That is one of the reasons I don't believe in killing myself. Your past is your past. You can run away, but it’s good that you’re facing it. What you did then was then, like you have no control over what happens tomorrow. Bernadette, I..." Alex paused for a moment. "... I've never felt this way about a person before. So strongly, I mean. I know we haven't been together for long, but my feelings are stronger than you than I've had for anyone else. Ever. I can forgive you, but I think that you can't forgive yourself. But I have the most confidence that you will."

Alex hoped that she not only heard his words, but took his advice about forgiveness in terms of Rook. He sat and waited for her to speak. At least to turn around.

Thevshi:

Bernadette’s fear started to fade as Alex spoke to her, she had been so worried that his reaction would be more severe, after everything else that had happened to her this night, it was almost to be expected. To have Alex here to help her meant so much and to hear how much she meant to him, the feelings washing over her were so wonderful.

“Oh, Alex, I made peace with meself and the Lord long ago, I am just glad that ye are willin’ ta look past it as well. I 'ave never 'ad anyone that I 'ave cared for as much as ye either.” She slid close to Alex and kissed him deeply on the mouth. He was initially surprised, that quickly faded as he returned the kiss, his arms wrapping around her back again. In her young life, Bernadette had never had the chance at a relationship such as the one she and Alex had. Her tears had stopped, and the feelings of pain were all but gone, she felt nothing but the warmth of his body and a feeling of safety in his arms.

She moved her mouth near his ear for a moment and whispered softly to him, “Alex, I don’ want ta be alone tonight.” Before he could speak, she kissed him deeply again, her right hand reaching around behind his head, while her left reached up and began to unzip her bodysuit.