Here you go!
Thank you, a young looking receptionist wearing a dark gray lady business suit top and a long skirt to match took the registration paperwork from a new hero and began processing.
You can wait over there in the waiting area, she pointed to a small section of City Hall where there was a table with magazines and chairs surrounding it. Two others were already there.
Justin Dupree walked over to the waiting area and sat down. His 6' 3" frame slouched in a red leather and metal frame chair. He wore a solid orange t-shirt and blue jean shorts. He matched it all with white and orange air force ones. Justins hair, from his fathers side, was a head full of natural black s-curls that never seemed to be able to straighten; even after a shower. His athletic frame came from years of basketball training. Hed been playing since middle school. Now a senior, he was one of Rhode Islands top scorers, just finishing up a New England tournament over the summer. The team had placed second. It earned him a full ride to Paragon University.
Justin stared at a few of the articles, but nothing held his attention. He had too much anticipation for his Hero ID card. Today was the last day he could get one before his application went invalid and he had to go through the entire process again. It felt like hours had passed when the receptionist had finally called his name. The other two waiting had already left with IDs.
Mr. Dupree, the woman called from her desk in the main lobby of City Hall.
Just practically took the chair with him when he left and stopped to re-position it before he went over to the desk with expectant eyes.
Im sorry Mr. Dupree, but Blaze, The Phoenix, Fireblade, and Hot Slice are all taken.
Justins couldnt hide his surprise, What?!? Seriously? Theres someone out there named Hot Slice? Unbelieveable.
That brought a smile from the receptionist, Im sorry, Justin, sadness struck her voice, you know youre going to have to pick a name by 8am tomorrow. Otherwise you do this again.
What if I need more time. All the good names are taken.
Weve already given you the allotted two weeks to help the city with a temporary ID and no name under the Anonymity Law. Youre already Security Level 3. Pretty soon, headlines are going to need a name. the secretary shuffled some papers together and placed them in a manilla packaging folder, Here. Come back when youve got something. We shut down in an hour. It's 4 o'clock now.
Justin took the information and placed it under his arm, Oh, Ill be right on those steps for the next fifty-eight minutes. I will come up with a name.
I certainly hope so, Mr. Dupree, the receptionist said with a wink and left behind a door marked Copy Room.
Justin smiled and skipped outside to the front steps of City Hall. He leaned back on a pillar and took a deep breath. He looked to the clouds in the sky and let his mind wander...
At the bottom of the stairs in front of the Atlas statue, the characteristic pop of someone appearing out of thin air announced the arrival of another new hero from the zone known as Outbreak, where the city provided a basic tutorial to people wishing to become heroes. Alana, AKA Incendiary Exponent, looked out over the city she was to protect. Here, in the mostly safe Atlas Park, it didn't seem such a daunting task.
Alana herself stood all of four feet tall, and had she not been wearing the costume her Father (Himself a hero, and a fairly powerful one at that) had given her one might have almost assumed she was an average citizen, apart from one thing - her eyes. Where normal people had normal eyeballs with pupils and such, Alana had two small balls of concentrated flame. How it didn't escape or burn the flesh around it would be a mystery to those who didn't know what this tiny girl was. She'd been human once but a misguided attempt to make herself taller using a magic book she'd stolen from her father's library had gone wrong and instead turned her into a being of living flame, or a fire elemental as most people would call it. Her father had managed to use his much greater knowledge of magic to force her back into a human body, but it wouldn't last forever and nor were the flames suppressed entirely as evidenced by her eyes.
In comparison, her costume wasn't much really. A black trenchcoat with ornate spiked shoulderpads and no sleeves (beneath which an orange bandeau-style top was visible), a pair of black padded gloves and black pants with an orange flame pattern, flared at the bottom and held up by a studded leather belt. As far as costumes went it was closer to being normal clothes than most, but Dad had said she could get anything the tailor at Icon would let her have and this was what she'd settled on, so this was what she had.
Proceeding up the stairs to where the holographic figure of Miss Liberty stood Alana spoke quietly with the hologram for a few minutes, mostly about her powers and learning new things to do with them. Then before walking off, amused herself for a moment by waving a hand through the insubstantial figure until an angry response from it stopped her. She walked away a little amazed that whoever had programmed that hologram had thought to put that in. Stopping by one of the Trainers in the Freedom Corps uniforms she inquired about prices for the various enhancements they sold, but there was nothing she could afford so she moved on around the statue to City Hall, wherein was the one she'd been told to talk to before leaving Outbreak. A MAGI sorceress by the name of Azuria, apparently.
Alana stopped a moment in the main reception area, looking around and realising she didn't actually know where this Azuria person could be located. The MAGI office obviously, but where was that? She wandered over to where a man roughly her age by the looks of him was sitting in one of the chairs, apparently deep in thought about something or other. "Hi", she greeted him cheerfully. "I was looking for the MAGI office, would you happen to know where it is?"
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
Nathan Retz sat in the stiff chair, watching on in depression as the two nurses hooked him up with the patches and the wires that would study his heartrate and how generally healthy he was.
I should be used to this by now he thought, remembering how when he had signed up for the Marines, back when he was eighteen, and how they had done this. Just a standared physical test, that he knew he would pass, but he was nervous all the same.
He would be surpried if he didn't. Thirty-four and an ex-Marine who was in great shape. He could run for miles with fifty pounds of equipment on his back and in his arms. He used to be stationed in Iraq, but when the horrible accident happened to him and his squad, he was sent home immediatly, against his own will even.
He had no shirton due to the wires and patches, but next to hm lay a shirtthat had a camoflague pattern, and he had dark green pants to go with them. His dogtag, against the wishes of the nurses, remained on. If one expected it closely, it read 'Vortex'.
He was yanked out of his thoughts by the nurse gesturing towards the treadmill. He got up and walked over, hearing the wheels of the machine that would study him screeching behind. He hopped on and waited for he nurse to give him the sign to turn it on. Finally, he was able to turn the thing on, and he started with five miles an hour.
"Sir, we usually start with three miles an hour, just to get going" the nure said, but he didn't switch the machine. The nurse repeated her statement, and he glanced at her. "I'm fine with this" he said coldly, and soon pressed it up to seven. He heard the nurse sigh and go to her machine, grabbing a clipboard and scratching down the results.
After a few minutes of seven, and then easily doing a couple of ten, she said he could step down. He stopped the machine and got off, feeling that funny feeling as one always did when stepping off a treadmill. "Your results were spectacular, Mr. Retz, now please go down the hall where a psychiatrist will ask you a few questions" Nathan nodded and threw his shirt on, walking out the door and down the hall as the nurse directed.
He walked in the psychiatrist's room and sat down in a small black chair, glaring at the middle aged man with a clipboard. "We have your results from the Marines, so I will only ask one question, Mr. Retz. Why are you wanting to become a hero?"
Nathan was quiet, a glossy look over his eyes, and said "Because Johnny had always wanted to be a hero. He alwas wanted to have powers and save the day, but he didn't have powers. So, he joined the Marines to save the day. We were in the same platoon, him and I, and he chose to go by 'Vortex'. He thought that was a pretty cool name"
Nate stopped for a moment, then said "We were in Iraq, it was raining hard. So we were sitting outside with the rest of our platoon when lightning hit. Everyone died, everyone except me.
"Something about my DNA and the lightning corresponding or something. I didn't care. Johnny and the rest of the platton were my family, and now I'm the only one. Johnny always wanted to be a hero, so I thought it was my duty to live out his dream for him"
The psychiatrist nodded slowly, in their mock 'I know how you feel' way. The psychiatrist knew all this from Nathan's records, but just wanted to make sure the ex-Marine wouldn't deny anything. "Okay" he said, and continued "Just go on down to the office and and tell the secretary you passed and recieve your name, if it's not taken yet" he added the last with a smile, and Nathan stood up and left.
He arrived in the main office to see a dejected looking man walk out. He went up to the secretary and repeated what the psychiatrist said, and she smiled and nodded. "Good for you, Mr. Retz. Now, the name Victory was already taken, but Vortex appears to have just opened up. There was another hero with that name, but he just retired"
Nathan sighed in relief. He wanted to do something to honor his squad, and Johnny's codename would be next to best. The squad name, Victory, was his first choice.
"Now we have everything except for your origin. We decided that 'Science' was the best suiting. Is that all right with you?" she asked Nathan, and he nodded, so she pressed a button on her computer, and aprinter behind her started to buzz.
"Now, here's your PBS, a small box of taser-sphere's that will help you along your way, and here is where you will be reporting for missions" she said, handing him a small bracelet, a small box filled with electricity-buzzing spheres that worked like tasers, and a slip of paper telling him to report to some sciency-sounding place.
The secretary walked away and grabbed his ID, handing it to him. His picure didn't look heroic, just him in a camoflague shirt and a dogtag, with his brown hair in a buzzcut that he would never allow to grow out. He slipped it in his pocket, nodded a thanks, and walked out, seeing a tiny girl with the man who he had seen earlier.
"Uh, hey, I'm kind of new to this. Looks like I have to gain a security level to get a real mission. So, do I just go around and arrest people or what?" he asked them, walking slowly over. He recognized how rude he must've sounded, and said "Nathan Retz, ex-Marine" extending his hand.
She wandered over to where a man roughly her age by the looks of him was sitting in one of the chairs, apparently deep in thought about something or other. "Hi", she greeted him cheerfully. "I was looking for the MAGI office, would you happen to know where it is?"
"Wow, you're short. I mean..." Justin looked down for a moment to reorganize his thoughts and what should be said out loud. He looked up again and smiled.
"Sorry, yea, the MAGI office it should be inside on the right. Down the stairs and then hang a left. That whole area is dedicated to origin data and umm... I dont know, something or the other. I just go there to get missions, but..." his face became somber, "that won't last if I don't..."
He stopped short, unsure if he wanted to get into what he had going on. He may have been outspoken about others, but it was a little different when it came to himself. He'd hoped that the stature of being a hero would help break the ice when it came to talking to girls, but so far it seemed to just be the cause of less sleep.
Nathan slipped it in his pocket, nodded a thanks, and walked out, seeing a tiny girl with the man who he had seen earlier.
"Uh, hey, I'm kind of new to this. Looks like I have to gain a security level to get a real mission. So, do I just go around and arrest people or what?" he asked them, walking slowly over. He recognized how rude he must've sounded, and said "Nathan Retz, ex-Marine" extending his hand.
Justin took the opportunity to change the subject from him to someone else and stood up smiling, "Uhh yea," Justin received the extended hand and shook it back. His father always taught him to match grips with the stares and physicality of a man. A good man would acknowledge and appreciate it. A soft hand leads to a soft man.
"You guys actually need to go into the same place. I'm not sure who your contacts but as far as I know, you talk to em and then they kind of guide you a little from there. I think they're more like training simulations because..." Justin wasn't sure if he wanted to express his thoughts on the matter. He bit his lip and glanced sideways and thought 'screw it'.
"Well, every time I defeat someone," he looked around and beckoned for Alana and Nathan to get closer so he could whisper, "they disappear. And these origin guys make all this come off so real but... I'm thinking this might just be a training simulation before we get to the real stuff. Which is cool, "Brian stood up again and returned to his normal voice, "because I'm not tryna die anytime soon."
[ QUOTE ]
"Wow, you're short. I mean..." Justin looked down for a moment to reorganize his thoughts and what should be said out loud. He looked up again and smiled.
[/ QUOTE ]
"And you're not", Alana replied flatly, as if it was the most meaningless thing in the world.
[ QUOTE ]
"Well, every time I defeat someone," he looked around and beckoned for Alana and Nathan to get closer so he could whisper, "they disappear. And these origin guys make all this come off so real but... I'm thinking this might just be a training simulation before we get to the real stuff. Which is cool, "Brian stood up again and returned to his normal voice, "because I'm not tryna die anytime soon."
[/ QUOTE ]
"Don't they teleport to the Zig or something?", Alana suggested. "Sort of like how if we get beaten up we get teleported to the nearest hospital. One of the cop guys in Outbreak told me they have the same sort of thing set up for the bad guys, they get teleported away to prison after we beat them up. He said they can't do it when they're awake, cause of some interference from their brainwaves or something like that. I wasn't really paying attention."
"Anyway", she announced. "I'd better go talk to this Azuria person before this place shuts down for the night. See you round. Oh, I'm Alana, by the way." She gave probably as close to a real salute as she'd ever manage to the Marine, smiled and ran off in the direction Justin had shown her." Now that she had directions finding the right office didn't prove to be too hard.
Poking her head around the door of the office, Alana was startled by a voice from within. "Yes, did you want something?" The voice came from the sorceress standing in the middle of the room. Given that she was the only one there, Alana assumed she was the one she was looking for. "You're Azuria, right?", she asked as she walked fully into the office. "I'm Alana Duran, registered as Incendiary Exponent. The hero guy in Outbreak, Coyote I think he said his name was, told me to come and talk to you about missions and stuff."
Azuria nodded and replied, "It is my belief that you are destined for greatness, Incendiary Exponent."
"Umm, ok?" Alana wasn't sure what to make of that, but the woman was a sorceress after all. Her being creepy wasn't entirely unexpected, given how her Dad acted sometimes when he was in the middle of doing magic stuff. "So, do you have any missions or whatever?"
Azuria cleared her throat and spoke almost as if reciting a prepared speech. "Myself and others here at the Modern Arcane Guild of Investigation have sensed a disturbing trend. The Hellions are making rapid headway in their bid to take over Atlas Park. These Hellions are thugs who have discovered some source of dark mystic powers, and use them to enforce a brutal reign of terror on the streets. I need you to take on the Hellions and show them they aren't welcome."
Alana nodded her agreement and replied cheerfully, "Ok, crispy-fried Hellions coming right up."
As the young hero turned to leave, Azuria continued. "These Hellions are playing with powers they do not understand, and care little for who gets hurt. I would recommend you begin first by battling them on the streets of the city. Defeat 5 of their number to introduce yourself to them."
Alana turned and nodded again, wondering why the sorceress was still speaking when she'd almost left already. She waited a moment but Azuria said nothing more, so Alana proceeded out of the office.
((And yes, most of Azuria's dialog was ripped straight from the game 
))
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
It wasn't odd to see heroes around Miss Liberty in Atlas Park, though it was a little strange to see one argueing with the interactive holograms.
Her shoulder length hair was dark red, almost maroon, pushed out of her eyes by a set of blast goggles resting on her forehead. Red tights with a flame motif running up and gold jewled belt made her at least look superheroic, but the angry expression in her blood red eyes was not that friendly
"So let me get this straight." the woman said irritably, "Even though they're my...powers and I come up with all the fascinating new ways to use them, I can't actually use new ones until I TALK TO A GODSDAMNED HOLOGRAM?!"
"Welcome to Security Level 6, Cinderstorm." the faux Miss Liberty replied in that sickingly sweet-holier-than-thou voice of hers.
"You gotta be kidding me. I'm twenty-five years old and I have to have my hand held by a hologram..." Cinderstorm mumbled as she activated the silent interface and updated her hero Identification.
That chore completed, Her ID card saying she could now run faster, so it was okay to do so, Cinderstorm took a deep breath and wandered over to City Hall.
She plucked at the red 'hacker' top she had been given at Icon as part of the HWP program 'Heroes Without Patrons' and it turns out fire retardent material was more expensive, so the credit token actually wouldn't be enough to cover her entire body. Lucky enough to get the bottom half of the bodysuit, she still considered it embarassing, she didn't have the chest to pull this off.
Stopping at the bottom of the steps, she saw some other heroes chatting. They looked a little lower in security level, and she overheard something,
"Well, every time I defeat someone," he looked around and beckoned for Alana and Nathan to get closer so he could whisper, "they disappear. And these origin guys make all this come off so real but... I'm thinking this might just be a training simulation before we get to the real stuff. Which is cool, "Brian stood up again and returned to his normal voice, "because I'm not tryna die anytime soon."
Cinderstorm watched for a couple of seconds in which the the woman wandered off and tried to tell herself it wasn't her business, but damn if she let another kid almost die because she could have done something.
Taking on way to much responsibility for one day sober...she thought darkly as she approached Justin.
"Hey, Keep this in mind. From the day you got that card, it is real. Real bullets, real knives, real fire. Hellions, Skulls, Vhazilok they want to hurt people, its our job to stop them. And...christ on a crutch you could have gotten that speech from the hologram...Sorry kid."
"I'm Cinderstorm, I've been at this probably a few more hours than you, but I'll help you out if you want it."
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
((This hasn't died already, has it?))
[ QUOTE ]
"I'm Cinderstorm, I've been at this probably a few more hours than you, but I'll help you out if you want it."
[/ QUOTE ]
"You could come help me beat up Hellions, if you've got nothing better to do", Alana replied as she walked back up to the group. "Azuria's creepy", she added, as if that explained everything she'd done in the short time she'd been gone.
"Cinderstorm huh? You have fire powers, like me?", she asked the newcomer, raising a hand at the same time around which flames flared into existence before she realised something and turned back to the first guy she'd met. "I don't think I got your name either, what do you call yourself?"
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
"Hey, Keep this in mind. From the day you got that card, it is real. Real bullets, real knives, real fire. Hellions, Skulls, Vhazilok they want to hurt people, its our job to stop them. And...christ on a crutch you could have gotten that speech from the hologram...Sorry kid."
Justin's wide eyes looked around in his peripheral to make sure he was the only she was talking to, "Yea, uhh..." Justin started, but wasn't sure what to say. His attitude sparked from the abrasive comment and being call a 'kid'. Was that an issue with anyone in between 18-21: being called kid. He'd never known anyone who might have thought, 'Yea, you're right... I am just a kid.' Perhaps it's a coming of age thing. To make it all the way to 18 only to still be called a kid by some jacked up fire head with issues to the tenth degree. No, that was just Justin being salty again.
"I'm Cinderstorm, I've been at this probably a few more hours than you, but I'll help you out if you want it."
"Well, Cinderstorm, seems like you might need to utilize the Rest option that was given to us. Let us kids run amuck while you calm down," he emphasized the 'kids' as he spoke while placing it in quotations. Alana came back almost on cue to break any potential tension.
"You could come help me beat up Hellions, if you've got nothing better to do", Alana replied as she walked back up to the group. "Azuria's creepy", she added, as if that explained everything she'd done in the short time she'd been gone.
Justin shuddered, "I heard about her. Like... she's on some magical crack or something. I mean, I'm sure she does a lot for the city but thats when you clock in. When we all clock out...who knows what there is really going on," Justin shook his head, "But I'm down for a Hellion brawl," he changed his tune quickly as the thought of fighting came back.
"Cinderstorm huh? You have fire powers, like me?", she asked the newcomer, raising a hand at the same time around which flames flared into existence before she realised something and turned back to the first guy she'd met. "I don't think I got your name either, what do you call yourself?"
He extended a hand, "Justin. For now, you can call me Justin. And I think I saw a few Hellions out in the parking lot here hanging out. Doubt they'll go anywhere near. Fear of the drone in em, ya know."
He walked down the steps and looked back to Cinderstorm, "You coming? Think I might learn something from your extra one hundred and eighty minutes of play," Justin smiled and ran toward the parking lot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"All I'm sayin is...if you want in, you're gonna have to do what we tell ya. No questions asked. We give ya the garb, now time for you to do the do," a low minion Hellion spoke to a recruit while two others watched, sneering.
"Look... and all I'm sayin is that there's drones all over man. I didn't sign up to die on the first day or go to jail even. I think we're too close to these "tights" anyway. Can't we just-"
"Hey! You think you're so smart," the training Hellion began to get angry.
"Well i don't think I'm-"
"Well you're not. I'M the brains and I'M the telling YOU," the Hellion pushed the recruit, "to run over there and grab a masks mask. It's the only way in. Or you go out...in a body bag," the Hellion shrugged. The other two could be heard 'oohing and aahing".
"Or," Justin appeared with both hands on his hips, orange shirt dancing in the wind, "you can all go in a body bag."
The training Hellion spoke up, "What is this, comedy hour at the Funny Factory? Get outta here before we beat ya into the ground. This is your only chance. You're lucky I got more important things to do."
The trainee stole a glance at his supposed trainer and pointed at himself, "Like what? Like me?"
"Yea, like you? You think I'm here for my health? I dont-"
"Enough talk," Justin almost yelled it, "Always conversation. Talk talk talk," Justin made talking motions with his hands, "Just shut up and take it."
A sinister smile spread across all those that were Hellion. One of the bystanding Hellions stepped forward and pulled a bat from behind his back. The others followed his cue and pulled weapons as well. It's always been pretty amazing because Justin never actually saw the weapons on their backs when the fight started and then out of nowhere, they all just appear.
"You got it, kid..."
Justin's face suddenly became very serious as he targeted the one with the bat. His left eye twitched a little at the word he hated so much. He could have been mistaken for crazy, at this point, with the look that stuck on his face.
"What did you just call me?"
The opposing thug slapped the bat in his hand as he approached Justin, "You heard me...kid," he laughed at the berating comment.
"You know... maybe my foot and your face do need to have a little conversation." He was missing all the components of his powerset, but it didnt mean he was helpless. His father had taught him much in the arts of self-defense. And although, he wouldn't get any xp, he would gladly be ok with knowing that he put some hellions in their place.
"Ok then," Justin got into a defensive Tae Kwon Do stance, "let's talk."
They attacked.
Nathan took Justin's hand, and respected the guy had enough self-respect to shake it firmly. The small girl saluted him, and he smiled, giving her a salute back, saying "See you around, ma'am" He listened to Justin's speech, and being a war veteran,he didn't actually believe a word of it. He wouldn't express these emotions, as Justin was technically his superior, and telling a superior they were wrong in the military was like asking for a beat-down.
He didn't need to say anything, because a new hero arrived on the scene. Cinderstorm said his thoughts directly, and he nodded to her, extending a hand. "Nathan Retz, although I guess you guys can be calling me Vortex"
Alana came back, saying something about Hellions, the local gang. That seemed to be the topic, and he saw Justin run off towards the parking lot. "We should back him up" Nathan said, jogging right after Justin.
He saw the Hellions and Justin exchange words, and then Justin go into what was obviously Tae Kwan Do, Nathan knowing some basic moves himself. As the four attacked Justin, the one that looked like the leader, as he was talking the most, would soon find a couple of charged bolts slammed into his chest.
He didn't need to say anything, because a new hero arrived on the scene. Cinderstorm said his thoughts directly, and he nodded to her, extending a hand. "Nathan Retz, although I guess you guys can be calling me Vortex"
Shaking Vortex's hand, Cinder smiled a little, at least one of them was polite. "Vortex it is then. Feel free to chop Cinderstorm down if you need to. Cin, Cinder, Cindy, I've heard'em all."
She watched Justin run off, intent on healing his masculine pride through violent combat. Yeah, she could have handled that better. Did she care? Noticing that she hadn't stormed off in a direction of her own, that must mean more than she should. Still, just goes to show what happens when you stick your neck out for total strangers. You get hosed. One thing was certain, Justin had just given her a big red button. Push, push, push.
Shrugging at Alana, Cinderstorm avoided looking at the short woman's flaming hands, "I suppose I could have been more subtle with the name, but yeah. Fire powers." Cinder sighed, she was doing it again. Never going to make friends at this rate.
She could have ran after Justin, but she kept her pace a clipped walk. Cinder saw him talking to those Hellions, getting ready to fight. She tabbed through his opponents, weighing the odds. Maybe he'd beat them, maybe he wouldn't. Vortex was backing him up, unless those Hellions leveled up in the time it took her to get there, they'd be fine.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
The bat wielder came at him first. He swung right for Justin's face. Predictable. The bat came hard and fast. It's speed almost surprised Justin. He ducked beneath the swing and sent a fist flying into the Hellion's gut. As the villain bowled over in pain, Justin pushed himself up as strong and quickly as he could into a flash kick that ended in a back handspring and the antagonist on the ground. The Hellion had let the bat fly when he was knocked in his chin and Justin caught it on the way down.
Spinning the bat in his left hand, Justin smiled, satisfied. "Who's next?"
"Me!" The leader had materialized a pair of brass knuckles that had readied themselves for Justin's face. it had only taken a second for him to let his guard down. His father taught him better than that. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the flash of knuckled steel coming toward the side of his face. He made an executive decision to roll with it and raise his head a little to try and take it in his neck while beginning to already fall forward. It was too late to do too much of anything else.
Before following the others out the door Alana paused and looked down at the black bracelet attached to one of her gloves, the one they'd given her when she registered. She recalled being told how to communicate with other heroes on her team with it, but not how to set up a team in the first place. After a couple of minutes she shrugged and gave up, running out the door after the others. Maybe she'd ask the hologram later, it probably knew.
Spotting Justin over in the parking lot facing down a trio of hellions, Alana sprinted over in that direction. As she did so the reason for her hero name became obvious as she quite literally burst into flames, what she and the hologram both called a Fire Shield flaring into life around her. She jumped in front of Justin, the shield absorbing some of the hellion's punch for her before she returned the favor with a punch of her own. Though it wasn't a punch really, more of a slap. Just enough to get the flames surrounding her hands close enough to set the unfortunate hellion on fire. Oddly, though it was obviously painful (She could practically see the damage numbers ticking upwards from his head), he didn't seem bothered by it.
One of the others laughed at them. "Ha, stupid kid has to be saved by his midget girlfriend." Hearing this, Alana turned on him instead. "Heh, at least he's not the one that's going to get beaten up by said 'midget girlfriend'. And for the record, I'm not his girlfriend", she commented before giving him a flaming slap across the face as well. She hated people like him, them and their constant teasing were the reason she'd been messing with her Dad's magic in the first place.
Deciding to try out the new power she'd gotten from the hologram, she concentrated and a ring of flames burst outwards from her, followed by another a few moments later. They continued rolling off her as she fought, burning all the hellions though not any of her allies. That was the good thing about being a fire elemental, even one in a human body. The fire burned only what she wanted it to burn.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
Watching Alana burst into flames, Cinderstorm almost yelled out. How could somebody do that to themselves? Remembering that not everyone was as neurotic as she was, Cinder shook the feeling off and eyed the situation again. Alana had caught their attention, but whatever arcane power fed them, allowed Hellions to resist fire too. Don't be petty, she told herself. Be heroic.
She didn't hide the scoff.
Cinder had been a Pryokinetic since she was 14 years old, and hadn't consciously done anything more than light cigarettes and drinks with the ability for eleven years. Concentrating on her hands, a trickle of flame danced on her palm. Framing the group carefully, Cinder calculated the gaps she'd need and tossed her hand forward, the small flame growing in size as it traveled until it exploded in the center of the Hellions, catching their clothes on fire as the Hero Interface calculated their remaining level of Hostility Percentage.
Ignoring her shaking hand, Cinderstorm approached the fight, staying out of Alana's fire as she threw a burst of flame at a Hellion, who ducked the blast.
One of the Hellions turned from the mob, a pistol in his hands. Throwing herself to the ground, Cinder drove some gravel into her exposed mid-rif. The shot went high, and Cinderstorm scrambled to her feet, unconsciously stepping towards Justin and Alana.
A long beam of fire appeared in her hand, hardly resembling a Fire Sword as the technique was commonly known, but even that much solid control made her feel better. The Hellion closed, getting back in range of Alana's blazing aura.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
One of the Hellions turned from the mob, a pistol in his hands. Throwing herself to the ground, Cinder drove some gravel into her exposed mid-rif. The shot went high, and Cinderstorm scrambled to her feet, unconsciously stepping towards Justin and Alana.
Nathan saw this and felt that Justin and Alana had the rest covered for a moment. He raised his arm, trying to send out a couple of volts, only to succeed in sending a few sparks tumbling to the ground, fizzing on the pavement. Must have to let it recharge for a couple of seconds he thought.
So, while giving his other known attack a second to get back some power, he again raised his hand, trying out the other move the hologram of Ms. Liberty told him how to do. His hand fizzled, and as if out of nowhere, a circlular prison of electricity appeared around the Hellion, zapping him at seemingly random intervals.
[Posted on behalf of Ninjin]
Justin felt good to be among all this extra power. In between homework and football practice, he wasn't able to get out much to do the hero thing, but when he was, it was always amazing for him when he was in the mix.
Thankful for Alana's save, he reacted with two side steps and swing down on the now-electrified Hellion's arm with the pistol. He dropped the gun with a yell of pain that was subsequently followed up with an additional yell from another jolt electricity.
"Who else wants some," Justin exclaimed and turned to the training Hellion. He was truly enjoying this team effort.
"Not me," the Trainee turned on his heels and ran toward the street. His only hopes was that he'd be able to make it as far as another group of Hellions. The only thing is that they might end up taking their defeat out on him because he left. Hellions were taught not to be cowards, although in his short span of life, he'd seen quite a few of them take off at the sight of heroes. Now that their girlfriends were hanging out, they tried to maintain that sense of bravado that was instilled with the package deal of a bat or gun or lead pipe. If he made it far enough, he'd let him. He enjoyed cleaning the city. To Justin, this was a game still. He had yet to understand the importance of careful planning. He was a smart kid in school, with exemplary grades, but in the streets he wouldn't last a day in King's Row.
"Seems to be all of em," Justin dropped the bat and wiped his hands clean, "So, where to next? I need some experience, I'm trying to get my levels up. I want..." Justin stopped and looked down at himself. He was still out of costume.
"Crap," Justin rolled his eyes and dropped his head back, "I'll never get anything done like this. Well, I mean I could... I rocked it back there a little with the whole kick and flip and take the bat and boom and unh!" Justin made hand guestures that tried to resemble everything he did. He watched everyone just stare.
"What? I was- we were doing it back there! We should team up. What do ya say?" He had already forgotten again that he didn't have his costume.
[ QUOTE ]
"What? I was- we were doing it back there! We should team up. What do ya say?" He had already forgotten again that he didn't have his costume.
[/ QUOTE ]
"If I knew how to work this stupid thing," Alana replied, shaking the hand with the bracelet on it in front of him to indicate what 'stupid thing' she was talking about, "then I would have already invited you. But I don't, so I haven't."
With that she was off again, sprinting towards another group of hellions a bit further down the road. Azuria had told her to beat up at least 5 after all, and they'd only got two so far. Stopping right in the middle of the group, the flames still rolling off her got their attention quickly enough as she punched the closest one in the gut with a flaming fist.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
"If I knew how to work this stupid thing," Alana replied, shaking the hand with the bracelet on it in front of him to indicate what 'stupid thing' she was talking about, "then I would have already invited you. But I don't, so I haven't"
Cinderstorm rolled her eyes. They came with instructions. A ginormous .pdf manual, searchable and indexed. Why did people bother to even make manual's anymore if no one would read them? It had been three years since she'd been promoted from Tech Support--so she decided to frame it as On the Job Training.
She jogged after Alana, speaking up to explain, "Its easy, once you figure out the buttons. You select the hero, using your friend list, manually entering it in the data entry, or tagging the hero's comm unit the same way you manually select targets." Cinderstorm looked down at her unit as Alana burned the Hellions.
"There are certain actions you can select while interacting with a hero's comm unit. Adding them to your friend list, Supergroup interactions, linking the comm units to form a team. Like so." Cinderstorm pressed a few buttons, sending out the invites.
Alana's, Justin's, and Vortex's comm units all chirped with the invite.
Cinderstorm eyed the group of Hellions Alana had been burning and she framed another fireball.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
Alana's, Justin's, and Vortex's comm units all chirped with the invite.
Justin brought his wrist to his face and touched the small screen that appeared with the invitation, "Ok," he smiled, "Now we can really get this going."
He decided to change his tune up a little. His father was a good man and a renowned hero around the world. So renowned that he was never home. However, it never stopped Justin from trying to emulate him. Justin would be a good leader and his attitude would reflect such. No more of this "kid" stuff bothering him. He'd try, at least, not to let it. With that in mind, Justin turned to Cinderstorm and watched her while thinking of how to approach the "situation".
Cinderstorm eyed the group of Hellions Alana had been burning and she framed another fireball.
"Hey Cinderstorm, tell ya what? Since we're all teamed now, how bout we work this one with a little finesse. You've got the fire power. So does Alana. Lets do this: Alana, you turn on your burn. My pathway will be who you target," Justin looked at Cinderstorm, "and then I'll throw the finishing blows, if any, onto an unsuspecting mob. On the same token, just to further the tactical components of this newly formed squad, Nathan can do that electrical shock hold that he was doing earlier. What do ya think?"
Justin waited for a response while he turned to stare at the second group of Hellions from afar. He almost envisioned the whole thing working perfectly. Hopefully, they all took direction well and saw it as simple suggestions. Another thing his father taught him: Suggest your leadership, never impose it.
As he did wait, the un-costumed rookie shot his eyes to the left and saw the trainee from the initial group of Hellions come back to the same battle grounds. Justin faced him as he walked toward the parking lot and laughed, "Yo check it," Justin laughed, "he came back. The heck were you thinking."
"I dont know," shrugged the trainee as he kept stepping closer to his original position, "After a couple minutes, I just... felt the need to come back where it all started. It was kind of automatic for me."
"Sucks to be you." Justin crossed his arms and looked over at the rest of the group.
"So, what say the jury," Justin asked and gave a menacing half-smile back to the prodigal Hellion.
[ QUOTE ]
Alana's, Justin's, and Vortex's comm units all chirped with the invite.
[/ QUOTE ]
Alana only sort of listened to Cinderstorm's explanation since she was engaged in fighting a pair of hellions, but she got most of it. These ones seemed oddly weaker than the first group. As the second one dropped she looked down at the bracelet on her arm as it beeped at her to indicate someone was inviting her to a team. Holding it up where she could see it easily, she touched the 'accept' button in the projected window before turning to hear Justin's orders.
"Bet that plan lasts all of maybe one mob before everyone starts just doing their own thing", she commented, always the pessimist. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped abruptly as she realised something. She wasn't bleeding, nor were there any visible gunshot wounds on her. "Ok that makes no sense, I know I got shot at least twice so why are there no wounds?", she asked no one in particular, looking down at herself to make sure she hadn't just missed them.
[ QUOTE ]
"So, what say the jury," Justin asked and gave a menacing half-smile back to the prodigal Hellion.
[/ QUOTE ]
"Oh, definitely deserving of a beating", Alana replied, ceasing her search for the non-existant gunshot wounds and turning to the lone Hellion. "Sorry mate, but I need one more Hellion and here you are all on your own."
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
The City Life
Imagine a world where the things you see and hear from your computer when you play City of Heroes/Villains...
Was actually how life was.
This will be a play on the life that we create for ourselves in the game. From the broadcast chats to the flashes of light when we ding another level. From the Location badges to leveling up at a hologram figure of Miss Liberty with a preset FAQ to answer the basics when you step up to her.
Did you register at City Hall, online, or mail-in application? Is your name a play on something else or an original take? Or was it just a name you settled on by your 11th try? Did you make your costume or win a free costume through an Icon sweepstakes? No money for a costume at all? Have an older brother whos Level 50 and hooked you up with money? Trying to live in the legacy of legends such as your super-powered parents? Getting a little hard to divide Hellions and Homework on a Tuesday evening? Are you 16 or 36? Either way...bring it on.
So...heres the deal...
No one that posts starts off above Level 6. And you can call yourself Security Level 6 in the story, with ID card with back story on the back and everything.
You can also start of at Level 1, so of course theres only a few powers. However, you can be creative with the type of powers you do have.
Live wherever you want. There are no safehouses in here.
For those that cant think of a name for their toon, there is a two week Anonymity Law from time of registration where one can do missions without a name. After the two week period, you have to go through the Registry process again (Application, Interview, Power Analysis, Physical Fitness test, Psychoanalysis).
Heroes must be at least 16 and above; those 16-17 have to have written permission from parents or emancipation papers.
It will be basically like it is in the game. Enhancements will be done like vaccine shots. The trainers (where you buy enhancements) will all have small computers with them that will be able to assimilate everything that you want to order for yourself. Better endurance, accuracy, stamina, leaping, etc: All of it will be vocally order ready at the trainer. He/she will input the requested data for processing and upload to a Upgrade Vaccinator or UV Device and into your arm. Painless. You will then be enhanced. So basically: Trainer. Order (level appropriate). Upload. Inject. Enhance.
Everyone, when they begin, will have:
An ID Card
A Public/Private Broadcast Speaker or PBS (see below)
A contact (based on origin)
A temp power (based on origin)
PBS- This is a thin chrome metal wrist bracelet that is fitted to its wearer and has chameleon tech in the sense that it matches the color of whatever youre wearing. It becomes whatever the main color of your costume is. It is elementally resistant and cannot be removed except through your own thumbprint on the underside of the bracelet. There are three buttons on it. All bracelets use nanite tech to communicate what is being said to you, regardless of where you are, to your brain.
[u]Communicator:[u] (Team, SG, Broadcast, PMs) Labeled with a C on the bracelet.
With Team speak, the first person to start a team will come up with a callsign. Anyone who needs to join the team will press the C button and say Team Royale for example to be on the same comms in a mission.
With PMs you will say PM Ninjin and itll send a message straight to him.
With Broadcast, you say Broadcast and then begin speaking.
Same thing with Supergroup comms
[u]Search:[u] This is denoted by an S on the bracelet. This allows you to bring up a holographic screen of everyone in the zone you are in. You cannot search other cities. Just the one you are currently in. To speak to someone you see in search, just PM them.
[u]Missions[u]- the "M" button. Brings up a holographic touch screen for mission and contact selection. You can also hit up your current contact and send a Mission Request for new missions or other documentation.
Any questions, feel free to PM me.
Now get out there and live the life...or...try to at least.
-Nin