Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by MsMorningstar
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MsMorningstar Momo

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12:04 PM
Natural Sister Hair Salon, New York City

In Collaboration With: @Blackstripe




Clio offered up a grateful grin, not wanting to make Karen think she was unhappy with her effort. ”Thank you so much! This is gonna be awesome!” She was genuinely cheerful, which surprised even her. Taking her bag, she lead Karen outside the mall and hailed a cab for the three of them.

The ride over to Natural Sister Hair Salon was lengthy, but Clio made sure to chat with Karen about all the different styles she could choose from, and even other topics such as favorite foods and colors. Basic icebreakers that they’d have to know if they wanted to be friends.

Upon arriving at the salon, Clio paid the fare and stepped out. As soon as they entered, they were hit with the pleasant scent of hair care products and the sound of hair scissors snipping. It was a small location, with plain beige walls and black chairs. A woman was currently getting her hair braided, and she laughed with her stylist over a conversation.

A middle-aged African woman walked over to the register, ready to take care of them. Her eyes were crinkled, a smile on her lips. ”What do you three need?” She asked, typing something on a computer. Her fingers flew, a blur to the human eye but just slow enough so that the computer could keep up. Clio smiled, she was a speedster.

”I need box braids, not sure if Jones wants anything, and my lovely friend here needs…”

”Fuck no, took five years to grow this thang out.”

She leaned over to Karen, whispering, ”Weave or wig?”

Karen had listened quite attentively as Clio regaled her with the various different styles of hair-braiding that were available on the ride here. She had never braided her hair before in her life, unless pigtails counted. ”Um...weave, I guess? Maybe make it curly? I’ve always wondered what my hair would look like curly.”

She would be genuinely surprised if she could manage to rock that look, given how naturally straight her hair was.

The woman at the register, Wanda, if they cared to look at her nametag, lead them up a slight incline and over into the salon portion of the establishment. Waving Clio over, she took her to the washing station. Giving Karen a final thumbs-up, Clio followed.

While Clio was getting her tangles taken out and her hair freshly washed, a pleasantly plump woman seemingly in her late forties took Karen over to a chair. “I’m Eilene, nice to meet you. You’re Karen, right? My daughter’s a huge fan.” Not waiting for Karen to speak, she added, “You said you wanted a weave? Shouldn’t be too hard on your hair.” She lifted up a few of Karen’s strands, before taking out a comb and a spray bottle. Working quickly, she ran the comb through a few times, sectioning off some hair and beginning to cornrow Karen’s hair tight to her scalp.

On opposite ends of the salon, it was hard for the girls to communicate. So, Clio stayed silent and allowed herself to fall asleep as her silver braids were put in. Meanwhile, Eilene chatted up Karen and put in her loose, curly weave. All together, the styles took an hour to accomplish.

Clio was shaken awake, and was able to admire herself in the mirror. It was a big change of pace, but she felt it necessary. This was her way of standing her ground against her inner demon. Standing up, her head tilted backwards at the extra weight. Adjusting quickly, she walked over to Karen, eyes lighting up almost instantly upon seeing the star.

”You look amazing!”

Karen stared at herself in awe, reaching up to gently touch her now very curly hair. It actually looked natural on her! She hadn’t been sure if she could pull it off, but it had worked! Turning her head, she appraised herself in the mirror for a good solid minute before finally saying, ”I do!”

”Cleesh.” Jones off-handedly added.

This was even worth having to hear about her hairdresser’s daughter for an hour straight! Maybe she could even convince Sterling Records to let her keep the look for a while, since it wasn’t too radical of a change!

”Clio, thank you! Getting my hair styled is usually all business on my side,” she said, that beaming smile having resurfaced in full. ”And you look absolutely gorgeous too! Between this and your new threads, it’d be hard to recognize you!”

”Damn right, I just might have to start sliding to DM’s.”

Good, was all she could think, though she was slightly embarrassed by what Jones had to say. She wanted to be brand new. She wanted to be the best Clio she could possibly be. This was the first of many waves. Perhaps if she put some effort into her appearance, and cleansing her personal space, she'd be able to cleanse her mind as well. Even if she couldn't beat Makaya, she could always solidify her place in second. Always be in the back of her mind, the way she was. That didn't make much sense...it was her mind in the first place, she was herself. And Makaya was her, not the other way-

No. She wasn't going to think of it while she was out with Karen. This was supposed to be fun.

"You deserve to have fun sometimes, you've worked hard for it." With that thought in mind, Clio guided Karen out of the salon. She wasn't quite sure what else there was to do. Maybe it was best to end things on a high note?

"Thank you for hanging out with me. You've really helped. If you ever need anything, just give me a call."

Karen nodded, immediately stepping forward to give Clio a warm hug. ”Thanks for hanging with me. It’s been quite a while since I was able to just go out and have fun like this!”

Stepping back, she glanced to Jones. ”Come on. Since you were so well behaved today, you can help me judge some of the new dance moves I’ve been working on back at the hotel.”

Jones whistled. ”Say less, I was a judge on America’s Got Talent you know, back in the day?”
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by DELETED jdl3932
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DELETED jdl3932 Sok Il-Seong / (Second Initiation)

Banned Seen 2 days ago




Date: January 4th, 2021.
Time: 6:30 AM.
Location: Rayner's Apartment Complex, Flatbush Gardens.
Interactions: None.




Rayner let out a loud yawn as he stretched out in his bed, slowly loosening any muscles that were still tense from his previous two days of work, as well as the three hours he'd spent sitting in a chair chatting with his new friends in the Chipotle over on west 34th, in the process. Blinking his eyes blearily in an attempt to clear both the gunk and sleep from them, he peered up at the white featureless ceiling above, his mind drifting aimlessly from thought to thought until the familiar rhythms he'd grown used to hearing over the years cropped up once again, giving him something upon which he could anchor himself.

So, letting the rhythms of all the powers he'd absorbed thus far flood his mind in an unexpectedly harmonious cacophony of sound, Rayner began the long and arduous process of getting out of bed. The first thing to go was the thick blanket covering the upper-most part of his bed. After that was the thin sheet separating him and the thicker blanket above. Once both of them were off, Rayner sat up slowly, not wanting to feel lightheaded from any sudden rushes of blood, before swinging his legs over to the right.

Letting his feet hang limply in the air for a bit, he carefully reached up and cleaned away the remaining gunk in his eyes with an old shirt he had lying nearby, before tossing it back into its customary spot and burying his face in his hands. Taking a deep breath as he rubbed his face in an effort to keep from falling back into the dark abyss of slumber, Rayner began to wonder if he really had made the right choice all those years ago. He began to question whether or not the path he was currently going down really was better, or if it just dishonored the last memories he had of his sister even further. He sighed, letting his hands fall back onto the bed before balling them into fists, his eyes narrowing into thin slits as he ground his teeth in anger. No, it didn't. What he did was for the good of all mankind. Even the taking of life. After all, he wouldn't be able to change this world for the better without the power to do so.

Not with all the threats it currently faced.

He let out another sigh, forcing himself to relax as he reassured himself some more. No, what he was doing was not wrong, no matter how others may interpret it. The world needed change. And in order for him to supply that need, he had to have power. And the only way he could get power was through the taking of life, distasteful as it was. So, hardening his heart for the time being, Rayner pushed those thoughts from his mind, choosing instead to focus on the rhythms dancing through his brain. Falling back onto his bed, Rayner shut his eyes and allowed himself to get lost amongst the sounds as the morning slowly wore on.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Sir Lurksalot
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Sir Lurksalot

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January 1st, 8:04 PM
Midtown Metropolis


Things were... looking pretty bleak in Metropolis.

For one, the traffic sucked, but that was to be expected on any given day.

Secondly, there was apparently a big damned snowstorm creeping up the coast towards them by way of Gotham and that other place no one cares about, so people were naturally in a rush to get home where it'd be nice and warm.

And... oh, yeah. There was the trifling matter of the leviathan beast of myth and legend rampaging it's way through Midtown, apparently not at all deterred by the fact that chunks of it's own seared flesh seemed to be falling off of it's body or that it's many heads were bound together by hardlight constructs. Which it savagely thrashed against both from the inside and from the out with it's colossal tail. Causing yet more mayhem in it's frenzied motions.

...Yes, pretty bleak.

The man responsible for managing to do that much damage to the titanic beast was down for the count. Most of the heroes present were battered, tired and running out of options. And the hydra, charming creature it was, simply refused to give up.

And somewhere in the midst of all this chaos, perhaps noticed, perhaps not, a tiny fissure appeared in the clouds overhead. And if one just so happened, by freak coincidence, to be pointing a highspeed camera up there at that exact moment, they'd catch something a little peculiar.

The Champion. Rocketing straight towards the Earth. Elbow first.

Before something from above slammed into the Hydra's body with enough force to send a column of rubble, concrete and bits of monster straight into the stratosphere and shatter every damned window in Midtown the fighting hadn't gotten around to breaking yet. As well as leaving one hell of a crater.

Suddenly, that hydra wasn't kicking up such a fuss. And as the dust began to settle, and the beast's now-inanimate heads began sliding out the back end of Preston's trap like some particularly nasty looking sausages to come crashing back down onto the ground, only to be intercepted and vaporized by a stream of red light before they could even begin their journey, there came the man responsible— Brushing off the still-smoking elbow of his jacket as he made his way out of his own crater.

"Well, scratch that one off the bucket-list..."

The Champion half-mused, half-grimaced, as he casually walked his way over to the rest of the gathered heroes. Sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry I'm late. Everyone alright?"




January 2nd, 01:00 AM
Sector 34, High Earth Orbit


Duun Kad-El, last son of Krypton, Champion of Earth and all around guy who actually enjoyed being able to sleep in ocasionally was... just a little bit perturbed at what he was staring at right now— And it was only partially because his loyal and trusted teammate of the past decade or so had threatened to rob him of his junk via a pink space rock.

No, it was down to the fact that-

"That's the fucking Great Fox." Duncan deadpanned with sheer existential contempt that went unheard in the void of space. "Why is that the fucking Great Fox?"

"Duun, what are you so upset about now?" Chirped in his mother's AI from his gauntlet, just about the only thing that could catch what he was saying in the vacuum of space. "Do you recognize this vessel?"

A low growl rumbled in the Champion's throat. But he elaborated, though still casting a cynical glare at the massive ship hanging in the void a mile before him.

"It's... from a damned video game I played as a kid." He explained, dryly. "With starfighters, tanks, submarines, fuzzy animals and a big floating fucking monkey head."

"Oh..."

There was a long pause after that.

"...Well, weirder things have happened, I suppose," The artificial construct of Karna El continued, unabated "There was that time you and that 'Grim' woman had to pretend to be a married couple in Monaco..."

If at all possible, Duncan's frown deepened even further.

"Can we not?"

"It was so cute though! You were holding hands, going to dinners, smiling..."

"One, it was just a cover. Two, Pretty sure Zo doesn't swing that way. Three, can we not have the 'grandbabies' discussion right now?"

"A mother can dream, Duun!"

And without further ado, but a whole lot of irritation, Duncan launched himself toward the bridge of the all-too familiar vessel, coming to a stop just outside the tinted viewscreen of the bridge, whereupon... he gave a little knock on the glass.

Though, despite his apparent outward grumption at the ludicrous situation he now found himself in, he couldn't help but do it to the tune of the Starfox 64 theme.

There are some things you only ever get one shot at, after all...











January 1st, 8:25 PM
Utility Room, Smithwick Textiles, Bludhaven, NJ.


"A magic cleaver? Are you shitting me?"

Julian could only stare back in silence at the... thing... watching him from across the room, sat there on a stool, leaning forward and staring right the hell back with eyes that quite literally burned like smouldering embers and gave off the only real light in this increasingly claustrophobic, dark room.

Perhaps it was some measure of indignation at just how easily he'd had his ass put on the ground that kept him quiet. The jolts of pain that shot through his face, knee and arm whenever he dared to move certainly weren't helping his mood, either.

Maybe it was how unnerving it was how downright... casual the creature became after it had disarmed him, disabled him and liberated him of his radio. Even going so far as to give an amused little 'Heh, always wanted one of these...' as it relieved him of his nightstick, holster and all and clipped it to it's own belt.

...Though, in all likelihood, it was probably down to that sudden and uncomfortable realization that, in all the past three years of working for these lunatics, not one of them had bothered to mention that the fucking Hound was real.

"Well, that explains a lot," The creature mused, it's eyes shifting over to what Julian very clearly remembered being a concrete fucking wall. "Sure as shit doesn't look like a mage..."

Despite the circumstances, the cop with less than rigid morals couldn't help but cocking a brow.

"The hell does that mean?"

...He also couldn't help but flinch a little as the being's eyes snapped back toward him, locking him with a silent glare juuuust long enough to make him regret owning a tongue. Before the being visibly relaxed again, and began fiddling with the radio, cycling through all of it's channels almost like a kid with a new toy.

"Iiiiit's a bit of a long story," The hitherto bit of local superstition answered dismissively as he pulled a roll of what looked suspiciously like electrical tape out of his jacket pocket. "But that's beside the point, what's the deal with the cannibal with a magic cleaver, anyhow?"

Muller, to his credit, only let out a little grunt as he sat himself up slightly to lean against the wall, the the effort still made him pant a little. Still, licking his lips as he gathered his thoughts, he answered.

The Hound had made it very clear what was going to happen if he tried to lie, after all...

"...Fucked if I know; But dude's old money— some kinda Sardinian royalty or some shit, I'unno— showed up about a month ago with a damned cargo ship looking for work and Phage hired him on the spot."

The Hound paused in the middle of unrolling a strip of tape.

"Cargo ship?" He asked, suddenly very intrigued. "What was he hauling?"

"I dunno, man. A million tonnes of soylent green or whatever the hell else a magic Italian cannibal would bring with him across the fuckin' ocean!" Jules reflexively snapped back at his captor... before finding his tact again and biting his tongue. "Look, I'm just a boot to these people. They don't tell me jack shit."

The Hound held that same silent glare on the man for a few more seconds.

"Yeah. I suppose you're right."

And then he stood up.

And very suddenly Jules wished he could just melt into that fucking wall behind him.

"Look man, I told you everything I know..."

"I guess you did."

The Hound took a step closer.

"A-and you said ya'd know if I was lying right? And I've been honest this whole time!"

The Hound nodded in agreement, giving the radio in his hand one last once-over as he stepped even closer.

"That you have."

"So... ya gonna let me go?"

The Hound only let out a soft chuckle at that.

"Heh heh... haaaa..."

...Even as he calmly taped the radio's push-to-talk switch down.

"Nope."




January 1st, 8:30 PM
Factory Floor, Smithwick Textiles, Bludhaven, NJ.


Amadeo Macellaio, was getting a little impatient, if the almost-twitch of his ever-controlled brow was any indication as he stood there, arms folded behind his back as he shifted his weight from the balls of his feet to his heels, almost like an antsy child.

He'd sent Muller out to deal with their little electrical problem a good fifteen minutes ago now. What was taking him so long? Julian was not a smart man, but up until this point, the Sardinian believed him to at least be a clever one. There was no logical reason he should have had to sit here in the dark this long.

"Well... this is nice..." Sasha piped up groggily, head rising again out of unconsciousness as she cast an eye about the now-dark room. "We havin' a fuckin' slumber party now, or what?"

The Sardinian didn't try to stop the twitch of his brow at that.

So uncouth...

"Just a little unexpected interruption before we start, my dear Miss Jericho." Amadeo explained, stepping over to her and placing a facsimile of an assuring hand on her shoulder. "But don't worry, I've already sent Mister Muller to go have a look at the fusebo-"

"Ya sent Julian for that? Are you really as fucking stupid as you look?" Sasha quipped right back over him without skipping a beat. "Man can barely tie his own shoes, nevermind change a fuse. So ya might as well get fuckin' comfy, because we're gonna be here a while."

No sooner had the words left her throat, there was something cold and metallic pressed against her cheek under her one good eye. A cleaver, if she was seeing right in what little light they had to spare.

One that quickly began to glow blood red.

"I suppose I will just have to take your word on that, Miss Jericho." Amadeo retorted, cheerily. "So we might as well get started, light or not."

"Oh, pound it up your ass."

That was, evidently, the last straw. As the Sardinian abruptly took hold the near-amazon's chin in a harsh grip, pressed his weapons against her skin, took a deep, excited breath and...

"Nope."

...Stopped.

His eyes flicked back over to his little 'work' table.

That... came from his radio.

Releasing his hold on Sasha's face, the older gentleman cocked his brow and walked over to the electronic in question. Picking it up with a curious expression, he pressed down the push-to-talk button to ask what that was about.

Only for it to immediately sound off with a loud 'BLOOP!'. Someone was still on the line.

And then the screaming began. Following what a man of his talents quite obviously recognized as the sound of crunching bones. Casting a quick glance back over at Sasha, who seemed just as confused as he was, he clicked over to the next channel to try and figure out what was going on.

...Only to find he couldn't get a word in through the panicked chatter of the rest of his men... which was quickly replaced by yet more screaming.

The next channel was much the same. Though this time he started hearing the din of gunfire from further within the old factory.

And the next...

-Click!-

"NO! NOOO!"

And the next...

-Click!-

"IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!"

And the next...

-Click!-

"HELP MEEEEEE!"

And it was somewhere in that time that Sasha had apparently figured it out. Letting out as much as a laugh as her cracked ribs would allow.

"And just what the hell is so funny, Jericho?" Amadeo snapped, finally loosing his cool and wheeling on the woman who, for her part, just kept right on laughing in his face.

"Oh, nothing, just... I thought this night couldn't get any more crazy, yet here we are..."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Maybe it's the concussion talking... but I think you woke up the local bogeyman."
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by pyroman
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pyroman sanwich

Member Seen 2 yrs ago

January 1st, 8:06 PM
Midtown Metropolis


Preston. There is a small object descending dangerously fast through the stratosphere. His ring chimed in unexpectedly. Strange, reports like that didn't usually come in when it came to small objects. Meteors and such normally burnt up and out in atmospheres like Earth's. So what was-

BOOOOOOOOOM

Before Preston had the time to react, quicker than his eyes could process, a massive impact had gone straight through Preston's cage and into the hydra, leaving a sizeable crater for even the hydra itself. Preston, forced to sum up his will and focus, dropped the cage and forced himself to stay still as the wave of air from the impact threatened to send him flying back. The dust could barely settle, Preston threw his cage up once again, but it was short lived. A streak of red light shot out, and as Preston was finally able to get a good look at what was going on, the first was already over.

"I'm sorry I'm late, is everyone alright?"

So this was the fabled Champion of Mankind. Morgan told Preston many stories about the heroes of earth, and always testified that Champ was a good man. Though Morgan had never said it, it was men like Champ and Grim that helped in Morgan's decision to leave earth. The planet was in good hands.

Preston could only stare in awe at the man who took down a monster that was keeping the multitude of them busy. He didn't even break a sweat! Though, this was a Kryptonian. One of the last, if not the sole survivor of the entire race.

"We are. Er, at least I am. Thank you for the help, Champion." A fist pounded gently Preston's chest, and the young man bowed to Champ as a sign of gratitude. "If you don't mind, I detected something in Earth's atmosphere that needs some checking out. I hope it's not out of my boundaries to do so? I'm thinking a ship of some sort, my ring declared it foreign, a vague term is doesn't use lightly."

He wanted to get right to work, to help these people and prove to the Guardians that he was more than capable of watching over his sector. But...

"I don't suppose any of you would like to check it out with me?"




January 2nd, 01:00 AM
Sector 34, High Earth Orbit


So this was what the ring had picked up. A ship. Strangely designed, but not entirely impractical. Judging by how Champ reacted as soon as he saw it, this must have been familiar to him on some level.

It only seemed stranger that as Champ carried out a conversation with his AI that this wasn't even a real ship. At least, it shouldn't be. It was from a video game that Champ had played in his younger days. Preston had no idea what the big floating monkey head was about, but he had to trust the people of earth. Still, that made this so strange. Was this ship designed after that video game ship? Or could this have been what the game was modeled after?

Preston decided to stay quiet for now, choosing to investigate the surrounding area and wonder about the origins of the ship. Well, he couldn't stay quiet for long. If this thing truly was going to crash into earth, then it must be dead in the water.

"Ring, broadcast on open frequencies, short range." Hopefully they had a working radio or communicator in there somewhere. "This is The Champion and The Green Lantern, two protectors of Earth. If anyone is alive in there, please show activity. We only wish to bring you down to earth safely."
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by DocRock
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DocRock Techno-Gilgamesh

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Serene, the Rockwoman

January 2nd, 2:30 am(Greenwich Time)
Sector 34, Upper Earth Orbit
The Rock-Dragoon, Bridge


She'd been about to doze off, lulled by the sight of a planet that while foreign, was yet familiar to her. Only for the silence to stop with the sound of something bumping against the bridge window. Something that...

"...The hell?" Serene sat upright, groaning softly, staring ahead, only to start, realizing that it hadn't been an object bumping against the ship(thankfully, given an impact from space debris or an asteroid could have torn a hole in the ship for all she knew at the right speeds)...but a person. Knocking, to be precise. Someone floating...outside the ship, without a fully fledged space suit, or any sign of mechanical based propulsion. Nor was the person alone. Another person beside them. Her gaze moved from one to the other, only to start a bit more, realizing that there was something familiar about the knocker. The big S on his chest meant something, but for the life of her, she couldn't place it. The other guy was...a green suited fellow?

It was only then she realized that the otherwise motionless android that was the navigational unit had turned around, using internal reserves to look at Serene, where she sat in the control chair. "Doctor, we're being hailed." It was then that Serene heard Preston speaking, over the comm, introducing himself and the male next to him. Weird to be called Champion, but have a big S on their chest. But still...heroes, good guys, seemingly. Given they hadn't attacked, meant that maybe...they'd heard her SOS. Earth...this was Earth. People, people with the means or powers to go into space...she was saved. She felt a surge of hope, realizing that finally things were right.

A hand moved, pressing down against a panel on the right armrest of her chair, activating a microphone that was strong enough to pick her voice up, and thus transmit it. "This is Serene the Rockwoman, of the HMS Rock-Dragoon, I hear you loud and clear. I don't know if my SOS reached you, but thank you regardless." Her voice, while refined with the hint of an upper class, if not royal upbringing, lacked even the slightest trait of haughtiness. There was a calmness to her tone, but with the faintest undercurrent of nervousness. She paused, not to give them a window to respond, but to collect herself. "Much of my ship's systems are offline or barely functional, but life-support is holding. I'm not sure how you intend to help me land, but so long as its away from any populated areas, anything you can do would be welcome. Especially if we can land intact, me and my ship have been through a lot together." Now it was apparent, her nervousness, but not towards them, but towards her ship. She wanted it safe, it meant everything to her. A memory of her long lost people, a reminder to keep going. But now, she was silent, waiting for the two to figure out something, or just respond in general. Hope beated in her heart, showing the promise of a better tomorrow...

@pyroman@Sir Lurksalot
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by JessieTargaryen
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JessieTargaryen Celestial Queen-in-Waiting

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Nano Impulse & The Champion



January 2nd, 09:15 AM
US Army Outopost ‘Land’s End’ Facility, Hub City, IL.


"QUARANTINE!?" The voice of a young, distressed, and McDonalds-lacking girl echoed loudly across the small room that the group of survivors had been confined within. Despite her tone and the way one might take it, Nano's group was not in any sort of inhuman condition. Sure, the room wasn't huge, but there was enough room for all of them. There were more than enough beds for each member of the group to have their own, and there were private bathrooms and showers. Along the walls were plenty of books to keep one entertained, and there were simple couches and chairs where one could sit. The far wall had a long window along it, providing a view not of the border, but the city that lay beyond. As if meant to let those in the room orient themselves a bit before they would be allowed into the city. Of course, there was also a part of the room with medical equipment set up in case there were any emergencies. The doors were locked closed, but still it was quite a humane treatment. But the girl within the room, was completely distressed. She had spent so long wandering the scar, that Nano wanted nothing more than to be free in the city. Able to experience what she had missed, and not worry about some eldritch horror around every corner.

As such, she was pacing the room, stopping every now and then to comfort a member of her party or chat with them. But it was clear to see she was upset by the sudden change of being locked into the quarantine room. She wanted nothing more than to get out, and go get her damned McDonalds right now. Still pacing, she ranted to herself about being stuck. After a long few minutes on this track, the girl let out a sigh and moved to one of the beds along the wall with the window. Sitting on it and putting a metallic hand to the window she muttered softly to herself. "I made it, Mal, mom, Verra. I lived for you guys and made it out of hell." She said softly, a small smile gracing her features.




The US Army Border Processing Facility- Hub City (known to the locals simply as ‘Land’s End’) was always a… special little adventure for Duncan. Usually, whenever they called looking for him specifically, it was because they’d accidentally let in something they shouldn’t have, were being attacked by some Coven raiding party looking for weaknesses, sacrifices or runaway slaves or, once or twice, dealing with a serious dragon problem.

Needless to say, the man had seen the place on fire more times than he had not. And it was pretty much guaranteed that a day spent here was not exactly going to be a pleasant one.

Today, however, was a bit of an exception. As apparent with how they’d called him personally instead of going through the usual channels (and while he may or may not have been laying on the couch, sans pants) to pay back a little favour he’d asked of them nearly a decade ago now.

To call him up at the first sign of anything relating to Central City.

The American Army was generally good about these things once you’d saved their country once or twice.

Touching down on the tarmac in front of the base and breathing a visible sigh of relief that, at first glance anyway, the whole place was neither on fire nor under siege by some murderraping death-cultists and/or a giant monsters, The Champion took a minute to brush off all the winter frost his jacket had accumulated on the short trip over from Halifax. Just as two uniformed men strolled on over to meet him, as they always did on those rare occasions he was here and everything wasn’t going right to shit.
“Champion. Glad you could make it.” The older of the two, a Colonel greeted with a slight nod and just the slightest upward twinge of his scarred lip.

”Glad that you called, Lennox.” Champ replied, finishing off his post-flight maintenance and walking forward. ”How many and how are they?”

“Probably best you see for yourself.”




The girl never saw the Champion arrive, having turned away when the local kid had asked her to come play with him. Of course, the young hero obliged the boy as she wanted to ensure he felt as comfortable as he could. Afterall, it would be a bit of a shock to see the normal world for him, one that he had never seen before. So, while the Champion was being briefed and brought to the quarantine Nano was ‘chasing’ the member of her group in a game of tag. Naturally, the cybernetic girl ran a bit slower to let the boy get ahead and have his fun. Though everybody in the room stopped and turned when they heard the sound of the doors unsealing with a soft hiss, opening up slowly. While the group wondered who was coming into the building, and if another group of survivors had miraculously been found on the same day they had.

What they found instead, was Colonel Lennox and his Sergeant, a mountain of a man with a red visor in place of the eyes he’d lost to a harpy and the maroon beret of the airborne infantry who was trying his level best not to look like walking, talking murder-machine judging by the awkward, forced smile he was currently wearing.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” The Colonel said as he entered, removing his cap with a warm grin “How are we all settling in?”

As the two military men walked in, Nano instinctively moved to stand in front of the group of survivors she had brought back. Although unlike her, most of them seemed pretty relaxed to seeing the men come in. However, afterall having years of surviving in the scar she was naturally distrustful of men who were holding them ‘captive’. Quarantine wasn’t quite the same, but it still triggered reflexes within the girl. As she stepped forward, the tail that had been previously just lazily hanging behind her sprung up over her shoulder. The three talons around the outside opening to reveal the three nozzles inside menacingly. "We’re fine. What do you want?” She said in an even tone, looking back at the others in the room who still seemed a bit calm, and as such made herself slowly lower the tail. Though she seemed tensed, as if ready for a fight.

The Colonel raised a brow at that, but held his ground. Seemingly unphased by the implied threat of the young woman’s tail. The Sergeant, reacted in much the same fashion, though something could be seen shifting slightly beneath the arm of his uniform.

Before either of them could get a word in, however...

”They just want to know how you’re all holding up, Kiddo.” Came Champ’s voice from behind the two, walking up as they stepped slightly top the side with a relaxed gait, one hand in his pocket and the other wrapped around a styrofoam cup of java. ”...The bladed flamethrower’s a little much.”

Lennox simply cast a small glance back at the Canuck for a few solid moments before waving down his Sergeant and turning to leave.

“I’ll have monitoring systems shut off and leave y’all to get acquainted.” He stated flatly as he went. “All yours now.”

”Thanks, Matt.”

“Don’t mention it.”

And with that, the doors hissed shut and they were all left to their own devices.

”So…” The Kryptonian finally stated after a solid few seconds of silence, after he’d confirmed he couldn’t hear the minute electric buzzing of the various hidden cameras and microphones in the room anymore. ”You’re Nano from Central City, I take it?”

The girl noticed the sergeant moving, but didn’t really have time to react to it before a voice she had heard… many years ago made its way into the room. In a mere instant, she was suddenly a little eight year old again. Standing silent and still, she was at a loss for words as he addressed her. A feeling of awe struck in her, a typical reaction whenever The Champion himself appeared. As the soldiers left, and the Kryptonian addressed her, the girl started to quickly move towards the man standing near the door.

Emotions boiled over, a decade of trauma and fighting for her life every single day catching up to her. Nano’s pupils began to glow a menacing red as she approached the Champion, not all that dissimilar to the eyes of certain robotic exterminators from the old movies her father had enjoyed so, or to the color of the chaos magic that still hung within her system. The normally more collected young hero was overtaken by emotion, as she approached the Champion and swung a vicious punch towards his chest. Screaming in rage, in pain, as she struck out towards the hero so many idolized.

Champ, for his part, just kept on sipping at his coffee. Unphased by the hit and raising a brow he may just have learned over a decade of working with a particular Gotham vigilante at her.

”Well hello to you, too.”

Despite the gasps of surprise from the group she had escorted, along with some exclamations telling Nano to calm down the girl continued to swing towards the hero. Tears began to run freely from her eyes as she kept hitting the hero, screaming with each hit. "Where the hell were you!? We needed you!” She screamed, emotion clouding any sense of rational judgement. "Verra died! You weren’t there! You and Velocity just left us in hell!” She screamed at him, dark thoughts that had been lingering in the back of her mind finally bubbling up to the surface.

And as the young girl continued her assault on the Lion of Nova Scotia himself, the man in question’s demeanour steadily melted from playful sarcasm into concern… and then something else entirely as his coffee abruptly slipped from his fingers and an unreadable expression made it’s way unto his face as she screamed out one particular bombshell.

’Verra...?’

Very suddenly— faster than anyone could hope to track, in fact— the young cyborg’s fist was intercepted by the Champion’s open palm as he took a small step forward to get a closer look, his own eyes glowing red now, too.

”...Lexi?”

As he caught her fist after seeming to recognize the name Verra, the young girl tried desperately to pull away from the man. "You left us to die!" She screamed, tears running down her face freely as she froze upon hearing the name. She shook her head slowly in response. "Nano, now. Lexi died in Central City.

Abruptly, two things happened.

One, the glow in Duncan’s eyes faded away, replaced instead by a sad smile.

”Well, that’s a shame...”

And two, the Champion, Lion of Nova Scotia, Defender of Earth and the strongest man in the world... had gently pulled her into a hug.

”Because her sister and I have been looking for her for a very long time.”

The girl was caught off guard to say the least, a small noise of surprise easily heard as she was pulled into the hug. There her anger slowly died down, as she seemed to start to calm down. Now replaced by sobbing from the girl as she held onto Champ. "Verra lived?" Were the only words she squeezed out between the tears, a decade of trauma catching up to the poor girl.

”She did.”

Was all Duncan could say as the girl clung to him for dear life, a hand raising slightly to stroke her back reassuringly as she let it all out... being an older brother himself had armed particularly well for these kinds of things, it appeared. There were a lot of things he could say there. He could tell her who her sister really was. How he’d watched her smile fade, never to return, as she slowly, quietly collapsed in on herself and could do nothing to stop it. How every time he dared enter the scar, desperately searching for any sign of her or her mother, the Three Horned God would appear and beat him to near-death, so empowered by the chaotic forces of the scar.

He could tell her how he’d failed them both. And how sorry he was, but that wasn’t going to make it right.

No. There was only one thing he could do.

”...I can take you to her, if you want.”

He finally offered, releasing the embrace but still resting his hands on the girl’s shoulders to give them a gentle squeeze. Looking down at her with that same sad smile.

Only now, with a little glimmer of hope.

Nano looked up at Duncan, the red fading from her eyes and instead being replaced by the bright, youthful hope that had been missing from them for nearly a decade. Something that had always been in her eyes when she talked to him and proudly declared how she would be a hero like Velocity and him the few times he visited when she was younger. For a moment she looked about to agree before stopping, and looking back towards her group then shaking her head.

"I… I can't. I want to go, but I told everybody here that I would be at their side until we made it. I need to see them into getting their freedom in civilization." She said in a sad tone, looking back towards the group watching her with various different expressions. The youngest looking at the girl with the same gaze that Nano herself always had whenever something came up on the news about Velocity as a little girl. "I believe I had always declared how I would be a hero one day, right Champion? I think a hero would save being selfish just a little bit longer to keep their promise to these people." She said again, looking over her shoulder at those she had led out of hell itself.

At this, Champ nodded slowly, releasing the girl’s shoulders and taking a step back.

”You’re right, kid. But only half right.” He said, a bit more warmth and mirth making it’s way back into his voice as he raised his gauntlet-mounted computer. ”...A hero also helps their friends be selfish every once in a while.”

And with that he turned his eyes from the girl to speak into the back of his hand.

”Mom. Can ya get Lennox back in here?”

”Of course, Duun.”

The girl looked up at Champ as he stepped away from her, tilting her head as he spoke. Though a look of complete confusion moved over her face as the Champion asked his… mom for help. That was a strange moment for the young girl, but her attention was soon stolen whenever she felt a small tug at her hand. Turning around, she looked towards the boy pulling at her hand. Pointing towards the man talking to her with a questioning look. "Oh. Thats right, you never knew about them.” She said as she crouched down to his level and guided him over next to her. "Meet The Champion. He’s a superhero, like me. He actually was the guy who inspired me back when I was your age.” She said with a small smile before the boy moved behind her, still seeming slightly shy, and whispering to her that she was still his hero.




Two Hours Later…


One conversation with Lennox, a lot of paperwork and a whole hell of a lot of vaccinations later. Champ found himself in an oddly familiar, if unforeseen situation.

Soaring through the air with a Valinova on his back.

It honestly didn’t take all that much to get Lennox to agree (as previously stated he had saved the man from a dragon or two). And after he’d vouched for them and ran their backgrounds through the Justice League’s own mainframe, the scar survivors were allowed out of quarantine after the usual (though drastically lessened) amount of red tape and on a bus towards their new subsidized, fully-furnished homes on Uncle Sam’s dime.

Though, truth be told, Duncan was never that fond of throwing his weight around and calling in favours whenever it suited him, this was… a special case.

”Hey, Kid.” He called over his shoulder, in between keeping an ear out for any super-sonic footfalls on the ground below. ”You alright back there, or should I speed up?”

The entire time they were flying, the Champion wouldn’t be bombarded by the squeals of delight and joy he had heard when flying the younger girl he knew around. Instead, she remained silent as she looked around the open sky. A sign that her life in the scar had very likely left the once jubilant girl in a much more mellow, subdued manner. When he asked his question, the girl had to shout for him to hear her over the roar of the wind. "I’m alright, I just want to find her!”

At that, the Kryptonian Canuck flashed the girl a little smile.

”Well… alright then.”
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Blackstripe
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Blackstripe That superhero/magic/pirate person

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January 7th, 10:14 AM
Blink Fitness, The Bronx, New York


@MsMorningstar@Zoey White@LokiLeo789@DC The Dragon

BAMPF! BAMPF, BAMPF, BAMPF!

The crisp sound of her nylon gloves striking against the coach's pads was undeniably cathartic in the way that it cut through the clinking of the gym equipment and the strained grunting of the weightlifters surrounding them. Although it had been nearly a week since the concert, Karen was still dealing with the full ramifications of the attack. The local media had all but camped outside the hotel she had been staying at, eager for any word that they could no doubt twist out of context.

Politicians had predictably been using the incident to call for harsher scrutiny towards Mages attending public events. Some even tried to lump it in with that whole mess down in Bludhaven to target non-human Terrans as well. Uncool. None of them could understand that the people they called "monsters" were actually comprised of hundreds of distinct species with completely different cultures, traditions, and beliefs.

Some naturally violent or cannibalistic species shouldn't be allowed in cities, or around civilians in general. She could agree with that. It was how they lumped the more peaceful species of Terrans in with them that pissed her off to no end.

"YAH!" roared Karen, delivering a kick to the pad that caused her coach to nearly fall from the impact, the crack causing several people to halt their workouts in confusion and alarm. Breathing out through her nose, she snatched her towel from the bench and wiped it along her brow.

"Whew! Christ, girl, you nearly took my arm off!" said Coach Jensen, dropping the mitts. "You sure you're just doing this for health?"

Karen smiled, shaking her head. "Sorry. I've been a little stressed lately. Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," said Jensen. "I'm not so old that I can't still take a few bumps here and there."

Removing her gloves, Karen sat down on the bench and snatched up her water bottle, taking a long and heavy drink from it. The cool liquid washed over her tongue and streamed down her dry throat. It was said that lukewarm water was better to drink during workout sessions, but she could never stand that. Tasting warm water after two hours of exercise was like being given a parka for running a marathon in the summer.

Of course, she was dressed like it was summer despite being winter; but so was everyone else here. It couldn't be helped, Blink Fitness always cranked the temperature up way too high during the colder months. Ironic really, given how mild the winters had become as of late. Whether it was global warming, or all the chaos magic in the air, she honestly couldn't say.

Checking her phone, Karen's lips pulled down into a frown at the lack of any message from Clio, Star, or V. She had hoped they would ask about her bodyguard offer before the time came for her to leave New York, but that was starting to look unlikely. It was a shame, she had really enjoyed hanging out with Clio.

Of course, she had never seriously expected V to drop everything to come protect her fans, given who he was.

"I'm guessing that's it for training, right?" asked Jensen, his weathered eyes pleading for a "yes."

"Yeah, I'm good," said Karen, offering him a wave.

Jones had proven himself to be more than capable as a bodyguard. No harm had ever come to her when he was around, and she suspected that would remain the case. But at the same time...she hated feeling so weak and helpless. Up until the concert, Muay Thai had only been something she had pursued to stay in shape, but this past week she had been hitting the mitts harder than ever before. It felt so pathetic, to have to be watched over like she was still a helpless little flower.

She wasn't a small girl by any means, and she was a mage on top of that! She should be able to defend herself more readily.

Shaking her head, Karen pushed herself up from the bench and began to make for the showers. Her next concert was fast approaching, and she desperately prayed that it wouldn't turn out like the last one.

Her fans might love her, but everyone had their breaking point.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by DELETED jdl3932
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DELETED jdl3932 Sok Il-Seong / (Second Initiation)

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Date: January 8th, 2021.
Time: 8:05 PM.
Location: Prospect Park.
Interactions: None.




Rayner rubbed his gloved hands together in a futile attempt to keep them warm while he waited for his chosen victim, a woman in her late twenties named Ava, to show up at the park as she normally did around this time of night. And even though he was wearing a heavy coat with a hood, somewhat thick pants, and leather gloves, he could still feel the bitingly cold winter wind as it blew through the dark park, which was mostly deserted at this time of night. Its usual visitants having decided that staying within the confines of the outlying neighborhoods, most of which had warmth, shelter, and numerous creature comforts, was better than sitting out here in the freezing cold night air like he was. Of course, he had no real choice in the matter. Rayner's main goal of gathering more power was still burning hot within his mind, and he had already devoted too much time to tracking down his current target to turn back now.

It had taken the sum total of three days of careful interaction to find out more about his victims routine ever since he'd first heard her powers gentle melodic rhythms while getting a latte over at a Starbucks on Franklin Avenue just off Eastern Parkway, but he'd finally managed to find out exactly where and when Ava liked to go when she wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city. He'd also found out some more details about her power during this time by revealing his ability to alter the perceptions of others while they were browsing a local bookstore. It had been somewhat of a risk, yes, but it was one that, thankfully, paid off.

For the moment she realized he was also a meta like herself, and thus knew what it was like to have seemingly godlike abilities, Ava had dropped her guard and began talking at length to Rayner about her power and how it had affected her life over the years once they had both left the store. Something that Rayner both loved and hated. On the one hand, he was glad that his gambit had paid off, and that he had another useful power he could add to his arsenal. But on the other, he felt a bit guilty that she had bought into his deception so readily. She was certainly not a stupid person by any means, being a computer programmer by trade, but she had believed him nonetheless.

Though to be fair, he had played his cards well.

After all, who would suspect the person they've gotten to know so well over several days, of being a secret serial killer? No normal person certainly. But still... she didn't know what he was, and she had absolutely no idea that he had spent all this time getting to know her just so he could kill her and steal her healing factor.

And that didn't sit well with what little remained of his conscience.

He squeezed his eyes shut beneath the cold acrylic mask that was covering his face, shielding his true self from any retribution the world might unleash in response to what he was about to do, and let out a shaky breath. Clenching and unclenching his fists, Rayner coldly reminded himself why he was here. There was a greater cause behind all of this. And it to this cause that Ava would contribute in death what she was could not in life.

He stood there, motionless, his eyes still shut when the soft crunching of grass caught his attention. Quickly opening his eyes, Rayner shifted his gaze over to the wooded area across from him, in which a long chain of streetlights towered over a winding concrete pathway, bathing it in a sterile white light that seemed to be more fit for a hospital room rather than a darkness covered swathe of well-manicured parkland, and saw the faint outline of a person striding towards the winding pathway. Squinting in an attempt to see more detail through the dark tint of the glass covering the eyeholes of his mask, Rayner examined the figure. It took him several minutes, but he finally realized that the mysterious figure was in fact, Ava.

"Right on time." Rayner mused, grimacing slightly.

He let out a small sigh.

What he was about to do would not be enjoyable, but it was necessary.

Reaching into his pocket, Rayner pulled out his butterfly knife and flicked it open as he drew upon his latest ability and willed himself to be unnoticeable. Taking a deep breath, Rayner braced himself for what was about to come and stepped out of his shadowy hiding place before quickly striding over to her, his grip on the blade tightening considerably as he steadily drew closer. Holding the blade out to his side somewhat, Rayner-no, Reaver-watched as Ava spun around, the sudden and completely unexpected approach of footsteps having startled her. He could see a look of surprise plastered across her face. An expression which slowly morphed into a look of pure terror as her gray eyes, which were wide as saucers by this point, settled on the knife he held in his hand.

"L-look," she began, stuttering slightly, "you don't need to do this. I don't know what's happening in your life, or what you're going through, but this isn't the way to go about fixing it." she said, gesturing towards the blade, obviously hoping to reason with her masked attacker. "You don't need to-" she went on, but by then it was too late. Reaver brought the blade upwards in one fluid motion and stabbed into the side of Ava's neck, directly through her jugular and windpipe, causing the crimson liquid to start welling up around the wound. He wasn't entirely sure why she had been able to see him. Maybe it was because her healing factor had an unintended side effect of making her visual senses better that let her spot him as he approached, or maybe it was the slight spike of adrenaline he felt just before plunging the blade into her flesh that had disrupted the power.

Either way, it didn't really matter.

Placing his free hand against the side of her head, Rayner drove the blade deeper, before wrenching it free and stabbing it through the top of her skull. Gritting his teeth, he channeled an electrical current through the blade, causing her body to spasm and convulse before finally going still. Removing the knife, Rayner carefully lowered her limp form to the ground as he heard the same gentle melody from before.

Only instead of coming from the dead woman lying at his feet, it came directly from his mind. A twisted grin made its way across his face as he cleaned the blood from his weapon in the grass nearby, his mind filling with knowledge of the power he had just absorbed. Continuing to smile twistedly, Reaver used his free hand to hold his knife while he rolled up the sleeve covering his left arm, revealing the tan skin beneath. Switching his knife back to his other hand, Reaver placed the blade against his flesh and slowly began to make a deep incision into his forearm. Gritting his teeth due to the burning pain emanating from the wound, Reaver focused on the cut and pictured it smoothly mending itself in his mind's eye. And it did.

Just as he had predicted.

Although it had taken about a minute, the wound eventually vanished, leaving his skin as unblemished as it had been before. Reaver's smile grew even larger underneath his black and white mask as a low hitching rumble steadily began to build within his throat until it became a low chuckle. Then a laugh. And finally, a mad cackle that echoed throughout the silent park. He sat there, continuing to laugh and laugh madly, until his gaze fell on the woman's lifeless form once more, making him fall silent. Rayner stared down at Ava, his senses having finally returned as his breathing gradually fell back into to its usual rhythmic pace, and solemnly cleaned off his knife once more before quietly folding it up and sliding it back into his pocket as he slowly got to his feet. The moment of mad glee passing just as quickly as it had arrived. Silently turning his back to the corpse, Rayner quickly made his way out of the park, not wanting to be caught hanging around the area. A chill ran through him as he walked along, even though the wind had stopped and he was sweating beneath his coat from his previous exertions.

Was he truly doing the right thing, killing others for their power?

Or was that just a lie he'd been telling himself to avoid facing the fact that he had become more of a monster than the men who had killed his sister?
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Zoey Boey
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Zoey Boey better than the alternative

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January 7th, 11:48 AM
Clio’s Apartment, New York City


Starfire was doing a one handed handstand in the middle of Clio’s apartment when she remembered something. ”Oh! Clio!” She flipped easily onto her feet and burst into Clio’s room.

”Karen wanted to speak with us about something. She wanted people to guard her body while she travels across the land. I think that would be an excellent thing for me to do. She gave me a number.” There was a moment of hesitation.

”What do I do with the numbers? Can I use them to find Karen and Jones?” She asked. Starfire didn’t have cell phones on her home world. People just Star-Jumped from place to place. So when Karen gave her a number, Starfire didn’t quite understand its purpose but assumed it was important, so she stuck it in her memory. Now seemed a good a time as any to learn more and to get back into contact with Karen.

Clio jumped as Starfire burst into the room, slamming her laptop closed and pushing it to the side. She hadn't been watching anything explicit, but she felt like she had been caught red handed. Probably because she hadn't been able to sleep last night. She had gone out in costume, and when she got back, she had stayed up late watching YouTube videos. She thought she was able to make sleep deprivation look good, but in all honesty she must've been a wreck. She hadn't changed out of her Makaya costume, nor had she wiped the blood off her mouth and forehead from the fist fight she had gotten into.

"Star!" She exclaimed, shortly after the woman had stopped speaking. "You've got to warn me before busting into my room. I could've been...cursing someone or something." She sighed, sitting up and grabbing a large satin hair tie from the nightstand beside her. She flipped her braids up, and tied them on top of her head.

”Sorry, Clio. I’ll be sure to do that.” She nodded solemnly. She furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of blood but chose to say nothing of it.

"If you wanna call Karen, her number's in my phone." She grabbed the device, standing and walking it over to Starfire. "Here, I should've shown you how to use this before."

She turned the phone on, giving Star a quick tutorial on how to get to the dial screen. ""...Now put in the number, and press that button. Tell her we're both coming...after I shower."

”Very well.” Remembering the symbols Karen marked out, Starfire assumed the English language read left to right like her own, and got lucky. There was really only two options, anyway.

Following Clio’s instructions, she pressed the call button and held it up to her ear like she had seen many others do.

“Hello?” said a voice from the phone’s speakers, crisp and clear. It sounded slightly different than when Star and Karen had spoken in person, but it was clearly still the song artist that had offered the two a job.

Starfire had a guess as to what would happen, but the technology was still miraculous. The only thing that came close to it was the star charts.

”Hello?” Starfire shouted, moving the phone in front of her face. ”Karen? Can you hear me?”

”Ow!” the voice on the other side yelped, briefly growing distant afterwards. ”Yeah, I’ll say I can! How are you, Starfire?”

Starfire smiled. She continued, voice still far too loud. ”I am wanting to ask you a question. About guarding your body. I want to do that. As a...job, yes? Clio and I are going to show up to you.” She looked at the black void in front of her and hesitated, trying to find the right words after fumbling her speech.

”Did you want to have a meeting about this?” Is what she decided on.

”I was hoping your question’d be how to turn down the volume, but I’m happy to hear you’re both on your way!” said Karen, laughing. ”You can both come to my room at the Conrad Hotel at 102 North End Avenue! I’ll make sure that they know you’re coming.”

Starfire nodded, excited. ”Conrad Hotel and 102 North End Avenue. Clio and I will be there after she takes a shower.” Starfire was hoping this could go well. If this was like she was imagining, this would help her learn more about this planet. New York great, but there had to be more cities out there. There so much she still had left to learn, and how could she help people if she didn’t even know what one of the most common devices was, or who was right and who was wrong? The only way to know more was to get out there, and Karen’s musical campaign was probably the best way to do it.

During this internal monologue, Starfire left the conversation on the phone hanging.

”...Hello? Are you still there?” Karen called out.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Unknown100
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Unknown100

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January 1st, 8.07 PM
Midtown Metropolis

(Interacting with: @Zero Hex@praxitilies@Mr Nim@Blazion@Sir Lurksalot)


Ares’ monstrosity laid defeated, if not completely torn apart. Metropolis would have to keep busy in order to clean and repair everything tomorrow, but today it had been saved.
"I don't suppose any of you would like to check it out with me?" Preston asked, referring to the ship.
“I am sorry. I must return to the Justice Station,” Diana answered. “But…”
With the dust and powdered Hydra settling, she walked forward and slammed her hand into Champion’s in a greeting few could survive. However, he could. She shook his hand for an additional second.
“Well done.” She let go and turned to each and everyone. "Truly you all fought with the valor of Olympus this day. Well done indeed, friend-Justice League.”
You did what I could not…
Diana didn’t say it. In her heart, she was too relieved to be petty.
Ares wouldn’t stop. His rampage would only increase. When muscle and teeth failed, he would turn to new means. As the bridge between worlds, it was Diana’s duty to prevent it, but she couldn’t like this. Saving kittens from trees and assisting firefighters would in the end let the whole world burn. She would have to save her strength and keep her mind and blade sharp. Trailing Ares would always land her one step behind. Only when secluding herself, only when giving everything to this one cause, would she stand a chance to truly stop another disaster like this.
Diana envied the heroes around her. She envied how concern didn’t seem to wear them down. She took a step back, readying herself to return to the station. A lone Amazon forced to carry the world on her shoulders like the titan Atlas.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Blackstripe
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January 7th, 12:34 PM
Conrad Hotel, New York City


To say that Karen was excited would be an understatement.

Pacing about her hotel room, she eyed herself in the mirror to make absolutely certain she was ready to greet the pair of girls. Not that she would have much time to change anything, if she wasn’t.

She had all but given upon on Clio and Star accepting her offer. It would have been perfectly understandable if they had turned her down, after all: that night at the concert had been quite frightening. There weren’t a great many people that would wish to place themselves in that sort of danger on a regular basis if they could help it.

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she shot a glance towards the door. Normally, Jones would be right outside of it, but he had been called in by management to discuss the additional security measures being implemented for her upcoming concert. Of course, he had left guards behind to keep watch in his absence.

The timing was rather unfortunate; she had hoped he would be here to help with the interview process. He would undoubtedly be unhappy with her for hiring them without his approval.

But she needed this, for her mental health, if not her physical.

While Jones was a great bodyguard, she couldn’t exactly relate to him on a personal level on most things. He could be quite aloof, and would likely find most of what she had to say needlessly preachy or vapid. He wouldn’t be alone there, she knew.

With those two, it felt like she might be able to actually form a lasting friendship.

When was the last time she had one of those?




Clio shifted in her pantsuit, walking up to the man behind the front desk at the hotel and telling him that they had a meeting with Karen. She found that, whenever she dressed professionally, people took her more seriously. Today was no different. The man gave her an appraising look, and did a double-take whenever he saw Starfire, then said he’d see what he could do.

Clio turned, offering Starfire a smile. ”This is really what you want to do?” She asked, voice soft. She hoped Starfire understood what was being asked of her. Clio certainly did. She didn’t know why she was planning on uprooting her life to travel with a famous singer, but she had already made plans to call her clients and tell them to seek out a new accountant.

Starfire was holding her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels as Clio spoke to the manager. When her friend turned to look at her, Starfire nodded. ”Yes, this is really what I want to do. Is this really what you want to do?” She mirrored the question back upon Clio. Starfire had been preparing to say goodbye to Clio, as she seemed like a very busy person who wouldn’t want to leave, but her friend was apparently coming along. This was good news but Starfire was curious nonetheless.

”Do you not have friends or family you are leaving behind?” The alien asked.

Clio wasn’t prepared for the question to be thrown back in her face. She blinked, smile faltering for a moment. ”Well, my family lives far from here. I left them behind a long time ago.” She hadn’t even told her mother she’d be leaving New York. Well, it was going to have to be a surprise. As for friends..she was quite a hermit. She supposed Starfire was her friend, and that would mean they’d be going together. Starfire nodded solemnly.

The manager returned, with a security guard who asked the girls to stand with their legs spread and their hands out. Clio sighed, but did as she was told, and allowed herself to be patted down for weaponry.

Starfire complied, raising her hands as the guard awkwardly patted her one top and her one bottom. Apparently the real trouble were her thigh high boots. Everything seemed to be in order. Checking for weapons almost made Starfire giggle. She could shoot lasers out of her hands and they didn’t even know.

Once that was over with, they were guided into the elevator and taken up the floors to where Karen was staying. The whole time, Clio stared begrudgingly at the guard. He was just doing his job, but he sort of put a damper on things. She didn’t feel comfortable talking in his presence.

When they made it outside of Karen’s hotel room, they were made to wait while the guard entered and asked Karen if it was alright for them to come in. Clio nearly groaned. This was quite a lengthy process, and if she were being honest, she hadn’t taken enough advil to deal with it.

It took a good five minutes of waiting, but eventually Karen popped her head out of the doorway and greeted the girls with an enthusiastic smile. The security officer had taken great pains to ensure that she understood that her “guests” wasn’t to be alone with her just yet.

”Sorry for the wait, you two! Come on in!” said Karen, holding open the door for the both of them.

Inside hotel room was the security guard, who now stood beside the sofa with his arms folded. The room itself was quite luxurious; the company had paid for it as it did with most of her travel expenses. It all seemed a little extravagant for Karen’s tastes; she missed the simplicity of her family’s group home.

Taking a seat on the sofa, Karen, who was dressed rather casually, crossed her legs and gestured to a pair of plush leather chairs that sat across from her.

”Have a seat! I hope the guards didn’t give you too much trouble. The company insists on having them with me whenever Jones isn’t around.”

Starfire had taken a seat on the left chair, and crossed her legs like Karen did. ”They did not give me any trouble.” She said simply. Starfire didn’t know what to say. They were in an apartment that was much larger than Clio’s. It reminded her of home- especially the large windows. Karen wanted the both of them there, so Starfire assumed she had something in mind. So the alien looked expectantly at the singer with her glowing green eyes.

Karen smiled to the alien girl and Clio, folding her hands in her lap. ”Wonderful! I’m so happy you both decided to take me up on my offer!”

“Honestly, the two of you did an amazing job the other night protecting everyone at the concert!” said Karen, her eyes flashing with excitement. She then glanced to the tall, broad-shouldered man beside her. ”I, myself, am quite well-protected as you’ve seen, but I’m getting really worried about my fans.”

Exhaling through her nose, she suddenly shot up straight. ”Oh shit, I almost forgot! Would either of you like something to drink before we get down to business?”

Starfire was startled by Karen’s outburst. Then, she shook her head vehemently. ”No, no thank you. I don’t want anything to drink.” She politely but firmly denied the offer. Starfire learned her lesson. Human food was not for Tamarans. She glanced up at the guard next to her, then back at Karen. ”You can give a drink to him.” She said cheerily.

The security guard grunted towards the alien. “No drinking on the job. Something you’d better learn if you’re going into this line of work.”

“¡Se amable!” said Karen sharply to the man, before turning back to the pair. ”I’m sorry about him!”

Clio, who had been staying silent during all of this, shrugged. She had been staring off out the window, starting to feel how tired she was. Refocusing on Karen, she offered a wry smile. ”It’s not a problem, really. So, what would this job entail? Other than...protecting the fans. How would travel work?” Her intention wasn’t to rush Karen. It was more to get answers for Starfire. She was almost completely certain the girl wasn’t going to ask on her own. Karen was sweet and all, but she had to look out for the friend who’d been living with her for the past week first.

”Right, right, the job!” said Karen, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She had gotten a little carried away with the hospitality, she supposed. “So, Jones is not actually on my payroll. He’s on the company’s. They hired him to protect me, which he does really well! All of the other security guards you’ve seen were also hired by them.”

Karen eased into the sofa, leaning against one of the arms as she continued. ”For you two, I want to hire you directly! I’ll pay you each one hundred grand per year, and cover all of your travel expenses! Unlike poor Jones, you’ll only have to answer to me, not Sterling Records! I’m afraid I don’t have a medical or dental plan to offer, though...but who does anymore?”

She snickered at her own joke.

”In all seriousness, I’d be happy to pitch in if you ever get hurt or need any kind of operation!”

Starfire listened intently. It all sounded good. It sounded like something to do, and if it was anything like that night at the concert, Starfire would be good at it. Fighting was her speciality. ”One hundred grand a year, hmm?” She pondered aloud. After a moment she leaned toward Clio and whispered. ”Is that a good amount of grands?” She asked.

Clio listened intently to everything Karen had to say. She didn’t react outwardly to the pay raise, but in her mind she was doing splits and cartwheels. As Starfire leaned over and asked her about the ‘grands’, she grinned and nodded. ”It’s a great amount, Star. You’ll be earning a proper income. I’ll..explain more in the car.”

”Karen, would we be going across the Scar?” She knew the singer had never crossed before, but who knew if she’d get bold now that she had powered bodyguards.

Karen blinked in surprise at Clio’s question, her eyes reflexively darting out the window, as if she could somehow see the scar all the way in New York. ”The Scar? No! Sterling Records would never allow that. I mean, I’d love to visit the Pacific Federation, but you know how difficult travel is these days between the Coven and Atlantis…”

“Not that I’m doubting your abilities or anything!” she said, holding up her hands. “Though...I will admit to being rather curious. What, exactly, can the both of you do? Clearly, you can handle a very…aggressive mage if you have to!”

Starfire looked over at Clio and then back at Karen. She’d never really had to explain her powers to someone before. ”Um...Okay. My people use the powers of the stars. I can shoot balls of fire that explode, or ones that don’t. Or I can run faster. I can release this energy in the form of force, or heat, or both if I concentrate hard.”

Some of the words escaped her to make this explanation easier. The more she spoke a language, the easier it became to explain more complicated concepts.

”I can use it to jump. Jump in mid air. If I jump long enough I can jump out of the planet.” She added casually. If I rest for a night, I can heal from most wounds.”

”I draw this power from four different places.” She began pointing to the different places on her body. ”My mouth, my heart, all of my skin, and the most important one, my Emerald.” For the Emerald she gestured to her belly button. Clio had seen the object in Starfire’s body light up once before when she collapsed suddenly on her couch. There is quite literally an Emerald embedded in there, and it’s the most critical source of her powers. The other drawing points being mostly supplementary to it.

”I think that’s it. All I need is your bright day star. Unfortunately it seems like yours goes away for about half the day, but as long as I’m careful that shouldn’t be an issue.” She assured Karen.

”...and I know how to do the punching and the kicking.” She added.

Karen stared at Starfire in awe, taking in her laundry list of powers with a sense of wonder. ”Wowsers, you sound really powerful, Star! I’m certainly glad you’re on my side!” The alien smiled and nodded excitedly.

She then glanced to Clio. ”And how about you? You’re a Mage, right?”

”I am.” Clio said simply, still working through Star’s list of powers in her mind. Finally satisfied with her understanding, she began to elaborate on her own abilities. ”I specialize in Voodoo...it’s the family’s thing.” Her talents were a bit more...gritty than Star’s. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk more about it. It was an interview, though, and this was part of her resume.

”I can summon things to my person,” Start out small, so you don’t scare her. ”And, uh, I can manipulate the shadows.” She cleared her throat, scratching the back of her neck. Might as well get to the darker bits. ”I can bring corpses back to life...but only if they’re fresh. And if I have DNA off a person, I can stuff it in a doll and control their bodies. And then there’s the...curses.”

If Karen was at all put off by Clio’s description of her powers, she didn’t show it on her face. Instead, she merely cupped her chin in apparent consideration. “Curses, huh? What sorts of curses? Like, long term ones? Instant ones? Curses that require rituals?”

These were not the questions someone that was completely unfamiliar with magic would normally ask about being told of such abilities, and the security guard standing next to Karen eyed the song artist warily.

Clio perked up at the lack of fear in Karen’s voice. The way she talked made it seem as though she was a mage herself, one of the family! Clio didn’t mind one bit. She loved to talk about her work, and hadn’t had anyone to discuss it with since she had left home. ”Long term, usually one to three weeks, depending. No ritual, just a cauldron.”

Karen smiled at this, nodding. ”Great! You certainly sound like you know a wide variety of spells! You must be prepared for just about anything!”

Glancing between the two girl in front of her, Karen scooted forward on the sofa. She seemed to be ignoring the uneasy posture the security guard was displaying, his hands now lightly clenched at his side. “You both sound like you’ll make amazing bodyguards for both me and my fans!”

Reaching across the pair of small tables between them, Karen offered the both of them her hand to shake.

“You’ve probably figured it out by now, but this is kind of an informal sort of agreement. We’ll shake on it, and I’ll write you two a cheque every month! You can work for me however long you want, and if you find something else you’d rather do with your life, you can leave! No dumb contracts or anything to get in the way! Sound good?”

Starfire reached out and clasped Karen’s hand.”This sounds like it will be exciting. No one will hurt you as long as I am around, Karen. I promise.” She took her promises very seriously and that was evident by the look in her emerald eyes.

”Likewise,” Said Clio, as she held out her hand and took Karen’s offer.

Karen smiled warmly to them both, though she was a little surprised by the seriousness in Starfire’s tone. It certainly wasn’t unwelcomed, however; taking one’s duties seriously showed a lot of character. ”I know I’ll be in good hands with you two, as will my fans.”

She then leaned in close to whisper, so that only the two of them could hear her. ”And maybe we can find a way to slip out from under the nose of Sterling Record’s goon squad on occasion.”

Randy, the security officer, raised his brows at the whispering, but said nothing.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by pyroman
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pyroman sanwich

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There were two options that immediately sprang to mind. Either they could drop her straight down, as slowly as possible, or that could arc the ship around the earth, spiraling downwards until they eventually hit the ground. Either option had its pros and cons, but they didn’t exactly have a whole lot of time to discuss and debate.

As for places to land, there were more than a few. Something told him that he should avoid the massive purple scar that marked the center of North America.

Things would have been better if Saraka, his supposed handler and fellow ring-slinger were here, but he would have to make due with one of the strongest beings in this sector, possibly the whole cluster of sectors.

“Miss serene. I’m going to try to cradle you and bring you down. This is... admittedly a big ship, but you and your crew will all be safe. We’ll figure out what happens after you land once we get there.”

His plan had already been cemented in his mind, not even stopping to think about what Champion would have to say on the matter.

His ring was aimed forward, and from it was a streak of green light, that spread far and wide around the....

Wait.

“I GOT IT!” He couldn’t believe he didn’t think of this sooner!

While the cradle he made still took hold of the ship, from the sides came large wings and thrusters. Essentially, he was making a ship around the ship to help guide and steer it down.

“Alright. I’m going to fly you down. Hold onto something.”
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by MsMorningstar
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MsMorningstar Momo

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January 13th, 1:12 AM
The Hawthorne, Boston


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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Blackstripe
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Blackstripe That superhero/magic/pirate person

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January 13th, 10:18 AM
W Hotel, Boston


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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Alfhedil
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Alfhedil What do you see Kaneda?

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January 1st, 7:40 PM (East Coast Time)
Metropolis High-Rise District


"Did you know that almost every culture on this Earth, both current and historic, has some form of mythos revolving around serpents and their supposed evil?"

The man approached slowly, the dim light of the parlor illuminating his broad frame bit by bit until he stopped just short of his face being revealed to the other kneeling before him. Windows stretched across one side of the room from floor to ceiling, tinted against any prying eyes from outside but well clear enough for any within to see the show just beyond in midtown. A great beast had burst from the ground just moments before, and no sooner had it made its appearance than battle was met. Of course, Wonder Woman had been expected but the others were a surprise to be sure. Not entirely unwelcome though, the man thought as he observed, a subtle hiss coming from the serpent that rested along his shoulders and tasted the air around them. A light air of smoke lingered from cigars still smoldering in ashtrays set upon tables next to a row of plush chairs, all facing the windows and occupied by shadowy individuals.

"Some kind of primal fear, it has been suggested." He continued, resting a hand upon the other man's shoulder facing away from him, and steadying him as the serpent slowly slithered down and began to coil around him. "That the First Man had seen a snake eat a beast whole, and in terror assumed it capable of eating the world. Of course, as man spread across the world an settled in new regions, formed new cultures and eventually nations, the story changed, multiple stories emerged and began to differ from one another depending on the lay of the land or the history of one tribe or another. This one, though, is my favorite."

Just then the battle before them became so much more interesting, the man's grip tightening as a feral grin spread across his lips in the dim light. "Pay attention, for this is the Serpent Which Devours Itself." A momentary pause, in which gore rained upon the streets of Metropolis, a keening wail of fury and pain as the Hydra destroyed itself in a flurry of teeth and claws. The creature's regenerative went into overdrive as it formed new heads from each wound, going from just a few to a dozen, then a dozen more and each time doubling what there was before. Soon a forest of scales and rage emerged from the streets, the roar of the Hydra shaking the windows for that one singular moment.

"OUROBOROS!"

A murmur went along the group behind the two men, seven other men and two women talking among each other of the sight before them and the ongoing fight. "Behold! Truly a spectacle, is it not? Ares has done well to treat us to this show, though we all know who provided him this boon." Silence dominated the room once more as his tone shifted to a more serious one, the man stepping forward into the light and turning to watch as the other man was slowly being strangled to death by the snake, fangs sticking into his chest. "We seem to have had ourselves a bit of a disagreement, haven't we mister Serano? See, when my organization agreed to support your business, to guide you through the chaos of the Two Month War and the aftermath, it was assumed that in return you would dance on your strings and do as YOU WERE TOLD."

For that one short moment, he almost lost his temper against his guest, very nearly striking him in front of the organization. That would not do of course, for he had an image to keep up and to do such a thing would ruin it. "I do apologize, raising my voice like that was quite rude especially when we have such good entertainment before us." A quick command in parseltongue and the snake about the man's neck relaxed and withdrew its fangs, coming up to look him directly in the eyes, the malicious intent clear there. Of course through the entire exchange Serano had tried to speak, his mouth open in a rictus mask of terror as his body was kept paralyzed through power magicks over-riding his ability to do anything except watch what was before him. "Oh, that's your building, isn't it?" A crash from midtown announced the destruction of part of a building, the Hydra falling against it before once more launching itself against its attackers. "Now, one would be rather remiss to not comment on the irony of that, wouldn't you say?"

"But, back to the topic at hand. You were given quite clear instructions on what to do with your little empire, of what to air and when across your networks. We were very specific, because it was very important to us. It was thought, that you also understood the terms of our contract. Did you think that just because you now had money that you could just ignore anything you didn't like?" In the years since the devastation of the midwest, the split from the Union by the Pacific States and the collapse of many different corporations and nations since the Two Month War many new players had come to prominence to replace the old. Ian Serano was one of them, a mid-level media exec who amounted to quite little before the war. Afterwards he had stepped forward to establish one of a handful of new networks on the East Coast and had a controlling share of the American news. Rumors were that he had connections to a Wall Street group, claiming that his fame and fortune were entirely fabricated, or that he had some backroom dealings with politicians in order to secure his new network. The truth was something else entirely, something that this man standing before him preferred to keep between them.

"See, not only did you fuck up our request to run the provided material on a regular basis, but you thought that this newfound power would afford you the ability to deny us. Forgetting of course, that we are the ones who gave you this power. We are the ones who made you into what you are, and you thought to cheat us?" A tut of indignation came, a few mumbles of assent from behind them as the other members of the organization spoke their own disappointment with Serano. For his part, he knelt down so that he could be eye-level with him, a swirl of colors in his eyes as he bore into his very soul. More than just denying his organization, of betraying their contract and trying to cheat them, Serano had tried to betray him. That would simply not stand, not with him who had designed so much that was still underway. "You know what though?" And suddenly his tone shifted from the more serious to a light-hearted tone, gently clapping the frozen-man's shoulder almost in camaraderie.

"Everything is good."

"We don't need you." Serano's eyes widened out of terror, knowing that despite the friendly tones, the smile right to his face, that this could only mean one thing. "I hear that Simon Wallace has been eyeing your position for quite a while. In fact, was it not him that you entrusted your little contingency plan to?" He held up an envelope in his right hand, making sure that he could see it quite clearly and that it was still bulging with papers and tapes within. "He was quite… Detailed with his recall of your conversation with him on this, and what you wanted him to do in case you suddenly disappeared. See, the two of us have some very different ideas on what loyalty is. For myself and my organization, we reward those who are always loyal, who put the organization and the cause above such selfish desires as power and fortunes. You on the other hand… Well, you only saw those who served you as 'loyal'. What you desired was not honest service to any cause, but mere yes-men to stroke your ego and make you feel as if you had what you so desperately wanted, but could never truly have."

"Power."

His left hand clenched into a fist before him, the slow cracking of bone and tearing of flesh becoming more and more audible as he ensured that Serano spent his final moments looking directly into his eyes and hearing how seriously he had fucked himself. "Wallace on the other hand, will get your second chance. Your body will be found two days from now in your home, the bodies of your wife and children alongside you and showing every sign that instead of choosing to go alone, you took them with you. This was your choice." One final snap sounded the end of his life, and just in time for more of the Justice League to arrive. Now things were beginning to become truly interesting as the beast began to struggle against its foes, at first simply on the backfoot from the sorceries employed by a mage on the streets and Wonder Woman's tenacity and refusal to submit. "Is that the Lantern?" Another of the organization asked, leaning forward in his seat as the ember of his cigar lit up his scarred face. Green light filled the darkened skies as a construct surrounded the beast and it seemed that the show was coming to an end.

At least it seemed so, until the walls of the cage around it began to flex, straining to contain such a beast. For what it was worth, it was a good call to look towards constricting the battlefield, and it helped to ensure that anyone who hadn't already been evacuated was well clear by now. "Appears so, though it doesn't look like the same one? I heard he had left some time ago. Perhaps we have a new one." The windows zoomed in on the action in the distance, enhancing and creating still images of each one of the combatants as and when a clear picture could be taken. Before each of the individuals in the room a haptic interface appeared and they began to scrutinize the finishing fight. "Grim is there as well, he was dispatching drones to guide civilians to safety. Ever quick with the tech solution, that one is. Quite admirable." One of the two women this time, her sultry voice slightly distorted as for a moment her appearance shifted and flickered and the shine of her lips twisting into a smirk was seen. "Yes, yes. While we all wouldn't mind seeing the face behind the mask, it's no secret you want to see a little more."

For a short moment an argument flared between the slighted woman and the more pompous man on the opposite end, right up until their leader held up his hand and indicated to them to pay attention. Silence followed and they wondered why he had called to a stop when from nowhere it seemed a plume of viscera and debris shot into the sky from where the Hydra had been just a moment before. The suite of cameras atop the building had captured every frame though, playing it back in slow motion as The Champion executed an elbow drop finisher that would have made any pro-wrestling fan tear up in joy. A single image was frozen across the windows, transparent enough to show the end of the battle in the distance, but clear enough for them all to see the Kryptonian in mid-elbow drop.

"Well, suppose that's it then." The pompous man spoke up, no small amount of disappointment clear in the distinct English tones of his voice. "I was hoping we would see Velocity make an appearance, but not anymore." Everyone returned to their hushed tones of review, watching over replays of the battle from multiple angles recorded around the city just now filtering in. From initial reports it seemed there were few to no casualties among the civilian populace, but there were quite a few missing from the disaster area. Their leader stepped forward to the glass, watching Champion step out of the corpse of the Hydra and address his fellows, for one moment meeting eyes with him from several miles away across the city. "Velocity has other matters to contend with at the moment, though rest assured that everything is going according to plan. Even with Serano's momentary lapse in patriotism, the schedule holds. Return to your duties, and one last thing…" He paused, indicating to a man in the back who had kept silent and awaiting instructions. "Once you've taken care of loose ends, get in contact with that mercenary. We will be needing his services for the next stage."


January 2nd, 12:00 PM (EST)
North-East of Atlanta, Georgia - Side of US Highway 85


There was a crisp and cool breeze that billowed the tops of the trees, bare branches swaying back and forth alongside the bustling highway and the rest stop between the lanes. Still early in the day most people were getting ready to get back on the road, either heading into the city or away from it after a long holiday and likely not quite as ready to get back to work. Among the bustle of travelers was a number of semi-trucks, one of which sporting the state's seal and a peach prominent to the side. While the fruit was not quite in season, trucks like these were a common site here and there ferrying their goods from off-season farms. It brought that gentle and sweet scent of fresh peaches that the state was known for, a man at the back smiling and waving as he handed out produce for cash from wooden crates stacked floor to ceiling.

Only one among them had arrived not by vehicle, but by foot instead. Her long hair swaying with the wind, a distinct red that caught eyes as she walked, Verra Valinova gave the man a couple dollars for a peach and made her way back to a nearby picnic table. She too was there just to relax for a moment, jeans tight and hugging her skin as she took the time to simply unwind and think for once. It had been a good while since she was in the states, at least a year or two last she remembered, and it seemed that she had just missed the talk of the nation. Ushering in the new year was an attack on Metropolis, the alert she had received on her way from Prague and would have responded to if not otherwise engaged. This time at least it had been handled without need for her, Champion finally dropping the elbow from orbit as they had joked about once or twice long ago. That felt like decades ago but was just one, her like now very different than it was when she started.

As she occupied herself with her phone looking up recent news and enjoying the fresh crisp of her peach a few eyes strayed her way, mostly a curious soul or another wondering how she got there without a vehicle. One man looked at her, and then the peach in his hand, a look as if he had been slighted as he turned to the peach seller, who simply laughed it off. No one would have guessed that she was Velocity though, the impossibility of such a hero hanging around at a rest stop off the main highway out of Atlanta too much to even fathom. That and the small bit of how sightings of her had been fewer and fewer of late. An article from one of the super magazines went into rather conspiratorial detail on her presence over the last few years, making some vague gestures on how she was apparently a corporate agent meant to test the popularity of super-heroes and their marketability??? Grim would have gotten a laugh out of that, she thought having a light chuckle at it as well as she shifted a little on the bench, adjusting her sweater and warming her hands a little bit.

The cool air was nice this time of year at least, and this far from the Scar people weren't nearly as on edge. It was almost normal. Quite the shift from where she had been over the last couple years, where every day was a struggle that might be the last. It brought a change in her mood that she wanted to be rid of, taking another bite into the peach she had bought and sighing as she looked over yet more news. Some politicians were trying to capitalize on the whole "Monsters are People" movement that was going around, a bunch of misguided and naive fools in her opinion, but still entitled to it. A sound bit came up of some popstar singing about it and Verra rolled her eyes, almost commenting aloud on how ridiculous it was. People with the money to have rode out the Two-Month War always seemed to be the first to talk about their suffering and the suffering of others, while completely ignoring those that were lost. She still remembered her little sister on that night, and how chance was all that kept her from becoming yet another number on Halloween.

Then again… The small red one at the top left of her phone's screen showed an unviewed voicemail, ten years old and still too painful to even think of opening. Lexi had been with her mother when the Scar was formed, and she was too far away and too slow to save even them from the destruction of Central City. Not literal like some towns out in the wastes, but a different kind. One more spiteful and purposeful. The buildings still stood, silent and watchful over a city of ash.

Verra sighed again, shutting off her phone and turning to put her back to the table, looking up into the sky as she wondered to herself what she would do. Being back here in the states was dredging up all the bad memories she had been trying to avoid, but it was clear she wasn't quite fast enough to run from them. Part of her wondered if she ever would be, and another thought back to that man's words and if she should run from all those feelings, and maybe instead use them. It was all quite a bit at the moment to think on, one hand idly coming up to fidget with her locket, inside a picture taken a decade ago of her family and of course her suit in case she found need for it.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Sir Lurksalot
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Sir Lurksalot

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January 2nd, 01:15 AM
Sector 34, High Earth Orbit


Despite his best efforts to keep a lid on it, and having about a decade's worth of experience doing so, Duncan couldn't help but cringe just a little at being called 'The Champion' with such casual gusto by the young Lantern... Well, almost as much as he did when the voice called back on the other side and was, very clearly—

"Ooooo, it's a girl..." His mother immediately chirped in, now actually making a point of projecting a six inch hologram of herself over his shoulder to better keep on the pressure. Faux-elbowing at his cheeks and all.

Now she was just fucking with him. He knew that. But that still didn't stop the titanic facepalm that occurred right that second.

It was almost like they had a routine here.

"...God dammit, Mom. Can we not?"

And by the time his hand was clear of his face, the roughly Star Destroyer-sized craft that should never have existed in the first place was simply... gone.

'Okay, what?'

It didn't take him that long to figure out where it went though— The big, glowing green light behind him was kind of a dead giveaway.

Though it did give him a moment of pause.

'Moe, your kid is just a little bit ridiculous...'

And with that he rocketed off after the kid in question, easily catching up to his flank in less than a second and fixing him with a skeptical brow.

"I like your attitude kid, but do you have any idea where you're going?" He asked, just a little dryly. "There ain't exactly that many places to quietly put something this big down left."

A bit of a blanket statement, but true all the same; Any wide open space left in the Americas that wasn't filled with a screaming, rapey murdercult wasn't exactly prime land to be dropping a goddamn starship. And most of the less murder-rapey wildlands were not exactly prime candidates either.

He scratched his chin a little, mulling it over.

...

...Well, one came to mind. And some of the locals did owe him a favour or two.

Hitting a button on his gauntlet to hop on the open channel Preston had set up, the Champion asked only one thing.

"How do feel about Dwarves, Serene?"



January 2nd, 12:04 PM (EST)
North-East of Atlanta, Georgia - Near US Highway 85


It was around here, as far as he could guess as he slowed down to crawl in the air. Those subsonic footfalls, the obvious giveaway had come to a stop somewhere within about a mile of here. After that, it was all just memory, and tuning into all those little things he recalled about his old friend with his enhanced senses.

The sound of her distinctive gait led him east, over a bit of brush and toward the highway. That minute subsonic ringing of the speedforce moving through her, even when she wasn't actively using it narrowed it down even further.

The other subtle things he recalled? Her smell and even the familiar taste in his mouth? He made sure to keep that pretty mum, even as it led him to a small fruit stand beside the highway. Things were already awkward enough as is with the little eight-year-old girl he remembered from a simpler time riding on his back suddenly not much younger than he was physically, due to his inability to age without trying to figure out how to explain just how he comprehended the world without sounding like the kind of creepy anime girl who walks around with a knife and a big creepy smile.

Putting that as far from his mind as he could with a quiet shake of his head, the Champion's eyes locked onto one figure on the ground in particular.

And her peach.

...The fruit in her hand looked pretty tasty as well.

He shook that one from his head, too; between the hydra, his surprise encounter with a Nintendo copyright in orbit and having to cut through a kilometer of red tape at Land's End, these past twenty-four hours were clearly starting to get to him.

Touching down quietly and about ten feet behind the hero-in-cognito, not wanting to just ambush her like some crazy person (and, incidentally, inciting the wife of the standowner's other customer to abruptly buy up as many fruits as she could fit into her arms after a moment's staring), the world's favourite Canuckle-head let his passenger down. And cleared his throat.

"Vee. It's been a while."
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by DocRock
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DocRock Techno-Gilgamesh

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Serene, the Rockwoman


January 2nd, 1:16 am
Upper Earth Orbit, Sector 34


Most people would have been shaken up at the sight of green light and constructs forming around their spaceship. Or at the situation in general. But she wasn't most people. Hardlight technology, if she had to guess. Probably powered by the user's will, as opposed to some sort of power generator, given the lack of any visible battery packs. Or from a magical soource of power. Definitely worth studying later. Reminded her of an old design she'd worked with for a mech of hers, a long time ago. For a moment, her lips flipped down in a frown, recalling that lost design, before she felt the ship accelerating, the sudden motion increase pushing her back into her seat. Serene toggled a command, and quickly buckled herself into her seat. Never hurt to be safe. The irony though, it was just her, and well...one other who acted as the crew. Maybe she should have, in the past world, invested in building some of her long lost androids, but that was a time from long ago. Better when it was just her and her own gear. But one digresses.

She was silent until Champ spoke. Not a raspy voice, but a strong one, especially given the whole in space matter. She could respect that. Probably alien biology, all things considered. "Dwarves? If they're anything like the defthanded ones of my home world, I'm sure we'll get along amicably. Most iterations I've run into are fine folk, unless Dark Dwarves. So yes, I feel fine about them, so long as we get along, why? Know some who don't mind harboring a ship?" Maybe extra words, but given her lack of...other person contact, it could be explained away rather easily. The thought of other blacksmiths did excite her in a way she couldn't quite name. Hopefully they were friendly, right?
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by JessieTargaryen
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JessieTargaryen Celestial Queen-in-Waiting

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Reunion

January 2, 12:04 PM
North-East of Atlanta, Georgia - Near US Highway 85




As she soared through the skies on Champion's back like she had as a little girl, the young hero found herself unable to enjoy the feeling like the carefree girl she had used to. Instead, the girl had her head on a swivel to keep a watch for anything flying at them as it seemed almost impossible that she had finally escaped from that hell. The girl's mind constantly racing as she tried to find where the next threat that would be coming and where it would be coming from. Yet, such was not the case as they flew undisturbed through the air and hopefully towards her sister. Though it seemed the Champion didn't exactly know where Verra was, which stuck the young girl as odd given that he said they had been searching for her together. As they flew, she saw something out of the corner of her eye... a blur of movement that seemed to be coming towards them. In a mere second, the girl's tail popped up and shot out a long tongue of flame that quickly incinerated the... poor bird. Her eyes were a bit wild as her body tensed like it was ready for combat for the next few long moments before her heart finally stopped pounding in her chest. Her eye wide as she realized that she had just reacted so strongly, so quickly to something as small as a goddamn bird. An innocent creature who had done nothing wrong besides vaguely flying near them, and she had slaughtered it without a second thought. A look of horror spread across her features as she realized that it had been no threat, yet she had reacted as if she were still in that place. Perhaps in some part of her mind, she had truly never left the scar.

The thoughts racing through her mind sent her down another path as she looked at what had made it so easy for her to slaughter that poor bird. Staring first at her arms of metal, she could swear she could almost see the little machines that bonded together to create the limbs. Then she thought to the tail and her legs. A dark thought crossed her mind as she started to wonder if her sister would even recognize her anymore. Would Verra even see the cute little sister she used to have anywhere within her anymore? Would she even see a girl or just a machine? What if Verra didn't accept her for what she was nowadays? The thoughts shook Nano to her core, the girl feeling tears building up in her eye as her heart sank. Her stomach seemed to freely flip around within her body, fueled by the massive amount of unease coursing through her veins in those moments.

So bad was the anxiety, that she almost told the Champion to call off their search for Verra. nano being unsure if she was really ready to face her sister. Wondering if it was better to truly just let what connections Lexi had left die off than it was to face the possible pain that could come with trying to reconnect with those very connections. Her mind raced, trying to find just about every excuse she could find to justify suddenly not wanting to find her long lost sister. Something beyond the nerves and anxiety over what she had become and how Verra would feel about it. Yet she would never get the chance to voice any of these excuses, as soon enough the Champion began their descent towards the ground. Nano even soon enough finding a girl who looked very much like Verra, even down to the hair color eating a peach.

In that moment, whatever doubts she had racing through her mind were immediately washed away. Instead, it was replaced by a feeling of pure elation at the fact she had finally found the sister she thought lost for so many years. She wasn't sure how Verra survived, given what she had experienced, but she didn't care in that moment. A goofy grin appeared on her features as Champion landed, and tears welled up once more. Only these tears were instead ones of joy for the moment than those she had from mere moments ago. So eager was she, that by the time Champ had managed to clear his through and start to address Velocity, Nano had already covered three-quarters of the distance between them and was leaping into a tackle hug towards Verra. Words were not spoken, as the girl couldn't find the words to say. Instead, she just wanted to hug Verra one more time. Almost as if she was trying to confirm that her sister was real and not some fevered hallucination of a girl still trying to survive alone in the scar.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by pyroman
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pyroman sanwich

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January 2nd, 01:15 AM
Sector 34, High Earth Orbit

Interacting with @DocRock @Sir Lurksalot @Korkoa

It was a good idea, or so he thought. Champ's skepticism and concern for a landing zone made Preston really wonder where exactly a good place to put this down would be. After all, to say that the ship was massive was an understatement of the highest caliber. Even if one Green Lantern and a Krpytonian were enough to haul this thing down safely, the state of the world from what Preston had gathered didn't leave much safe, open room to put something like this down without worry.

Preston gritted his teeth. He couldn't bring the ship down, he couldn't even attempt it. Even if he had a hold on it now, once this thing got moving, he knew that it was going to take some real effort in order to make the best out of the situation. "Saraka? I'm sorry I abandoned you to watch Die Hard and learn about human culture." He spoke into his ring on the standard Lantern Frequency, but only broadcasted to this star system. He didn't need the entire Corps on his back for what he was about to do. "But we could really use another Power ring to help bring down a space station."

"Champion, I hope it's not too much of me to ask that you assist as well, given that you've probably the strongest individual in this sector."




10:30PM
January 2nd, Dr. Quinn Therapy and Counseling, Gotham City


"Ya know, back in my day, We didn't get big monsters and superhero teamups." The TV clicked off with a sigh. Oh, back in her day. Things were so much different back then. "Back then, we had a crazy suit of armor who kept beating people up and an alien with eye beams, that was it!"

Laughing to herself, she couldn't help but turn the TV back on, flipping through the various channels while she sat in her own private office. It took her a long time, a lot of work, and maybe just a teensy bit of manipulation, but she was happy again. She worked in Arkham, had a cozy little office where she worked as a people's therapist and councilor, and only occasionally she went out on the town and whacked the occasional goon. These new kids and the Justice League could handle the world's problems. There wasn't really room for her brand of justice on the big scale, she didn't even really want that kind of spotlight anyways.

But...

There was always the feeling in the back of her mind that she still wasn't quite done with the big leagues...

"Breaking news!" The news chimed. Harley jumped, not having expected for this to happen. "The massive space station which had been detected only many hours ago is now close enough to be seen by the naked eye. After the battle with the Hydra only two hours ago in Metropolis, the people hope that the Justice League will be able to stop it from crashing into the earth."

Wow. What an open and informative bit of news. That never happens. Well, whatever happens, the Justice Pals will bail humanity out from being demolished by a massive...

Wait, was that the Great Fox?
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by DELETED jdl3932
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DELETED jdl3932 Sok Il-Seong / (Second Initiation)

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Date: January 10th, 2021.
Time: 10:15 AM.
Location: Rayner's Apartment, Flatbush Gardens.
Interactions: None.




"...and that's all for the weather. In other news, the body of a woman in her late twenties was found in Prospect Park early yesterday morning by a pair of cyclists who were riding through the area. Police were notified and are currently investigating grisly incident. Although details of the event have not been released to the public, the chief of the NYPD has gone on record stating that the possibility of homicide cannot be entirely ruled out-" The man began, but was cut off abruptly as Rayner switched off his TV. Placing the remote back onto the small upholstered box stand off to his right, Rayner got up from his seat and slowly strode over to the windows overlooking the central area of his apartment complex. Letting out a small sigh as he took a moment to soak in some of the warm sunlight streaming into the small room, Rayner folded his arms behind his head and peered out into the bright world beyond, his mind focused on two things.

The fact that the authorities had found his kill.

And the brief spell of madness that had overtaken him in the park.

"I mean, of course they found her. It's not as if I had gone out of my way to dispose of the body..." Rayner muttered to himself as he took a step back from the windows and began to pace back and forth across the room.

Though to be fair, it's not as if he could have cleaned up after himself, even if he had wanted to. Seriously, where was he going to hide a body in a park? He hadn't brought a shovel with him that night, so burying her hadn't been an option. And just stuffing her in the closest trashcan was sloppy. He shook his head. It just couldn't be helped. At least he had gone about it in a way that didn't immediately oust him as the one who had committed the crime. Though the contact he'd had with her before her death meant that he'd be questioned and considered a suspect until further notice. But if he was careful, he wouldn't be caught. Least not before being able to deal with whoever possibly decided to come after him.

As for the madness, it was somewhat concerning. This whole time he'd been killing, he'd never experienced a loss of control like that. And that worried him. He didn't like not being in control, especially given his goal, as it would quickly become a major detriment to his completion of it. That and the fact that it could easily get him killed if he succumbed to it at the wrong time. Rayner squeezed his eyes shut briefly and took a deep breath before opening them again.

He'd have to be more vigilant about how close he came to that edge in the future.

Rayner shook his head, letting his arms fall back to his sides as he sat back down on the couch. Clearing his mind, he decided to spend the rest of the morning studying the rhythms bouncing around his skull. Perhaps he could find a new way to use some of his recently acquired abilities. If not, then at least they'd help take his mind off things.

Before fully retreating into his mind however, one last thought popped up.

"I wonder what happened to that Great Fox looking spaceship..."
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