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[h2][color=gray]SDN Claremont Break room[/color][/h2][sup][@FourtyTwo][@Thayr][@Sadu][@Redking0380][/sup]
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One thought: morning shift was easy. Another thought: he really, really hoped he made it to the break room before anyone saw. He sinks from a shadow in the break room, eyes adjusting to stale lights. He was carrying about three or four party-sized bags of Cheetos, the bright reds and yellows contrasting heavily against his armor. It takes him a second or so to reorient himself, and he stumbles forward. Lightning Girl already made her way in, and if Payback had come in a little after, she'd have seen an armored-up Cheeto junky unloading his stash onto the nearest table.

Internally swearing, he puts his helmet aside, cracks open a bag, and kicks his feet up.

[quote][color=gold]"Anyone else for tea?"[/color][/quote]
[color=gray]"No."[/color] He says it immediately. [color=gray]"I only drink water."[/color]

Which was also partially a lie; he'd totally down a bottle of fruit punch or soda, but tea? Unless it was sweet, honestly, he'd rather not. God, his parents would kill him if they saw him now, not an ounce of healthiness in his body.

He gets about one or two handfuls of chips in before he's called to an emergency meeting.

[quote][color=skyblue]"A-Team, this is James, need you all in the meeting room, now. Got a bit of a situation, bit of a change in plans today."[/color] The voice was not one they were used to. But with Riley gone for a while, both right now for the last 40 minutes, and now, for potentially a lot longer, it looked like his cubicle neighbour was picking up the slack.[/quote]
He grumbles, haphazardly closes up his bag, and walks out with his helmet stuffed under his arm. He mildly recognizes the voice; the guy who told him about that one safety meeting? Right. Stupid, but good. Knowing how heroes play, it only makes sense.
[hr][h2][color=gray]Emergency Meeting[/color][/h2]
The meeting feels like it takes forever. Eclipse sits to the side, he's listening attentively, or at least trying to appear that way. The only part that really gets attention is when they talk about how 'now would be a really good time if any of you want to show you're demonstrating above and beyond performance.' That's good. Great, even. If he does an exceptional job, he might just be allowed to make drugs again. One simple step forward. Impress the higher-ups, they turn a blind eye to some of his more... back-alley methods and hobbies.

That was how this all worked, right? Suck up to higher-ups enough, and then they just let you do whatever you want as long as you don't make them look bad?
[hr][h2][color=gray]School Speech[/color][/h2][sup]Getting there, being there, speaking there[/sup]

Eclipse was busy suiting up for his next dispatch. He checks the knives he hid in his gauntlets; sharp, clean. He frowns a little harder, staring at his reflection.

[quote][color=skyblue]"Okay, Solaris, I have reports of a drug bust going wrong, officers in need of assistance, multiple assailants. Pin sent. Non-lethal if you can, let's talk them down."[/color][/quote]
He tests the shooting mechanism for his gauntlets, wrists flicking up a few times to no avail. The knife won't come out no matter what he tries. He mutters a few swears under his breath.

[i]Fuck.[/i] Solaris got the job instead of him. You'd think sending a former drug dealer to a drug bust would be a natural decision, but guess not. He has to suppress himself from speaking up; he doesn't want to look bad. But he was a bit pissed off.

[quote][color=skyblue]"Uhhh, Payback, I've got reports of some trouble at the AMOCA, someone trying to break in and steal some art. Need you on that one. It's all ceramics, so mind your magnets, would you?"[/color][/quote]
[i]Click, click, click.[/i] The mechanism still isn't budging, his name hasn't been called, and hey, didn't Payback have some kind of... magnet field power? He clicks his tongue. It shouldn't have affected him, he doesn't remember standing [i]that[/i] close to her, but.

He's getting really pissed off.

He'd be perfect for stopping a break-in! And he [i]maybe[/i] knows that place. Taking down a petty art thief would take like 5 seconds! Come on!

[quote][color=skyblue]"Eclipse, I've got a school that's asking for us to cover a speech that Meta-Man was gonna be at. Can you go there?"[/color][/quote]
[color=gray]"You're fucking joking."[/color] The knife under his gauntlet finally shoots out into his hand. He pushes it back down with another click. The mechanism was working again, but clearly, this dispatcher has no fucking idea what he's doing. What would he even talk about to a bunch of kids anyways? That anyone can become a hero or a super-powered badass as long as they know a little chemistry? 

Yeah, [i]fuck[/i] looking good for higher-ups.

[color=gray]"You send the knight to a drug bust, a magnet girl to stop a break-in, and then you send me."[/color] He straps his forearm blades on. [color=gray]"To a school."[/color]

Helmet goes on next, and he's already on the move. Can't teleport there, he doesn't know the layout. 

[color=gray]"Idiot."[/color] He mutters that mostly to himself, but it comes in clearly over comms.

He stops paying attention to James's comms after that. Not worth listening to someone who seemed to not know shit anyways. At least Riley dispatched him onto fitting missions, not... this, of all things. Lightning Girl is dispatched after him, something about break-ins. He could stop a break-in. He did them all the time in Red Ring.

Whatever. Lightning Girl was a [i]real[/i] hero.

Of course. The [i]real[/i] hero doesn't have to talk to a bunch of school kids about... something. He'd have to figure that out later. Frankly, he wanted more action, more chips, and a quick look at the school's chemistry classrooms before he did anything, but he knew he'd be fired should he try the last part.

Then something about another person named Princess getting dispatched? He stopped paying attention.

[quote][color=gold]"So, have we got any idea why things went so badly wrong? Like, they fighting a wildfire in Pasadena again? Floods? Giant kaiju? On the plus side......our timesheets are gonna look good, right?"[/color][/quote]
[color=gray]"Probably wildfire. Probably not wildfire."[/color] Probably mismanagement. Maybe Red Ring was finally bailing him out? Too late for that, and from what he's heard, that gang has long since dissolved after what happened to Shroud.

Eclipse makes it to the school, checks through a metal detector, and has his armor (yes, all of it) taken away by security. Can't bring weapons inside a school. Or armor, apparently. They let him keep the earpiece communicator, though. He's left in a black uwagi and pants, and thankfully, he wasn't stuck walking around barefoot after they confiscated his leg armor. 

School staff is quick to lead him to an auditorium.

Lights are all off except for the spotlight aimed at the stage; that's good. Not the spotlight, that was bad, but he liked the darkness everywhere else.

[color=tan]"Alright, everyone, we've brought in a hero to talk to you all today,"[/color] a guy in a suit and tie leads Eclipse in front of a microphone, [color=tan]"Eclipse! Share your story--what inspired you to become a hero?"[/color]

The crowd of kids claps, but most look bored out of their minds or barely amused. Some are a little more receptive, if not excited, to see a live ninja, but most are just tired. The man in the suit eggs him on a bit more, but it's obvious he wasn't prepared for a former villain to get sent. [i]What inspired you to become a hero?[/i]  That's a dumb question, what is he supposed to say it was an easy paycheck? They wanted Meta-man, not a former Red Ring member, let alone a recovering addict. 

Eclipse pinches the bridge of his nose. What the fuck was James thinking?

[color=gray]"Um."[/color] The mic lets out a screech as he adjusts it. The man in the suit walks off backstage and shoots him a glare. [i]Don't fuck this up for the kids.[/i] [color=gray]"I'm..."[/color]

He squints his eyes; he can't say [i]'sorry, kids, I'm not a hero, want me to talk about how bad my life is for an hour?'[/i], that was just bad. He also can't walk off-stage without saying anything, that'd set him back big-time. He's not inspiring, not a cool guy in custom-fitted armor (not right now, at least), no, he's just some junkie in a ninja suit talking to a crowd of kids.

But what he does have is darkness, and a whole lot of it at that.

He can make this work. 

[color=gray]"... I don't,"[/color] he clears his throat, [color=gray]"like the lights."[/color] He gestures for the spotlight be moved off of him and more towards the wall. It's still bright, but at the very least, it's off him now. His mind clears, he can finally act.

A [b]thunk[/b] echoes through the auditorium, and a shadow jumps onto the screen. It's a giant kaiju. Eclipse can feel himself sweating as he listens to the crowd gasp. For what he lacked in words, he'd make up for with a special shadow puppet show. Buildings spring up next, tiny civilians run in fear, the monster is untouched until a hero appears atop a skyscraper. He glances back at the audience, and he can see the joyous sparks in their eyes.

[color=gray]"A noble hero appears from the shadows,"[/color] the hero looks a lot like him in his armor, nothing wrong with a bit of self-love, [color=gray]"and strikes the beast in the throat!"[/color]

The hero leaps down from the building and defeats the beast in one foul strike! A stream of fire is expunged from its mouth as it screams bloody-murder (courtesy of Eclipse for doing the vocals and sound effects), and the hero stands tall over its corpse!

[color=gray]"And the day is saved once again,"[/color] the spotlight falls back over Eclipse; the shadow puppet show is over.

He bows before the audience reacts, a deep bow, with his arms firmly behind his back. He's sweating like crazy, both due to his light sensitivity thing and the fact that messing with shadows like that was exhausting. That was the most he's ever used his powers outside of teleporting or restraining someone...

The audience erupts into a thunderous cheer, a chorus of claps filling the auditorium.

He'd crack a smile, but he's busy bolting offstage for a drink of water.

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[color=pink]"Who knew the worst guy to talk to could be so... inspiring!"[/color]
[img]https://i.postimg.cc/7hgPWwbv/image.png[/img]
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[hr][h2][color=gold]Student Block Confrontation[/color][/h2][sup]Lightning Girl[/sup]

By the time Lightning Girl arrives at the scene, she can already tell it's a bit of a mess. Namely, windows have been broken; glass is all over the ground, some with a bit of blood, others not; a few doors are broken down. Whoever the prep was, it was obvious they had either had something against the school or the students.

[i][b]CRASH![/b][/i]

[color=springgreen]"AND THAT'S THE POWER OF THE ALMIGHTY [i]bbbbb[b]BBBBBRICK FROG![/b]"[/i][/color]  The prep just threw another brick into some poor kid's window. It's a guy wearing the silliest frog costume imaginable, a hefty bag strapped around his shoulders.

Most of the area is blocked off with police cars; 'Brick Frog' stands in the middle of it all, police cowering behind their makeshift car barriers. One of them addresses Lightning Girl. [color=lightblue]"Some civilians are still in there. Get them out safely, we'll cover you."[/color]  The officer sucks air in through their teeth. [color=lightblue]"And take down... Brick Frog. He's already gotten some of the other reinforcements."[/color] 

There are a few bodies scattered around, most with bleeding heads and bricks near their heads.

Yes.

The police were actually having trouble fighting Brick Frog.

[color=springgreen][i][b]Brick Frog.[/b][/i][/color]

The perp is quick to turn around and notice Lightning Girl, hurling a brick in her direction.
[hr][center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/x8G7CTpZ/madcap-banner.png[/img][h2][color=dodgerblue]Sudden Arrival![/color][/h2][sup]Many grandmas were harmed[/sup][/center]
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[quote][color=skyblue]"Madcap, I've got a request from the Sandy Hills Nursing Home to help an old lady get to the local supermarket and back. Could you help her?"[/color][/quote]
[color=dodgerblue]"AN OLD LADY IN NEED OF HELP?!"[/color] Madcap is already on the move--no one has a single idea as to how or where this guy came from, but the IT Guy was moving fast with all the new team additions. He's cackling like a madman as he rides a motorcycle (which was either given to him by SDN as equipment or he stole it from some unlucky employee beforehand). [color=dodgerblue]"I see her. [i]RIGHT. [b]NOW.[/b]"[/i][/color]

He drifts his motorcycle and leaps off of it, landing in front of a confused old lady before striking a pose. [color=dodgerblue]"In the name of heroism, [b]justice,[/b] [i]and [b]peace,[/b]"[/i][/color] he doesn't turn his head, but the sound of his motorcycle crashing rings through his ears clear as day, [color=dodgerblue]"The great ex-vigilante turned official hero shall save the day!"[/color]

[color=lightpink]"Oh! Could you please help me carry my gro--"[/color] The old lady is suddenly lifted from the ground, Madcap is holding her like he's ready to pitch a baseball.

He angles himself to face the nursery home... 

[color=dodgerblue]"GET READY, MISS! THIS WILL BE THE BEST ROAD CROSSING OF YOUR [b]LIFE![/b]"[/color] He holds her with two hands now, and sends the old lady and her groceries flying across the street and over incoming traffic. Just as she's about to land, Madcap spins on his heel as car horns blare in his ear, and strikes another pose just as the old lady crashes into a window and a house alarm goes off!

[color=dodgerblue]"The day is saved once more,"[/color] he crouches down and opens comms once again,[color=dodgerblue]"Another successful job, dispatcher! [b]APPLAUD YOUR HERO.[/b]"[/color]

If James or anyone else questions the multiple alarms blaring in the background, Madcap just says, [color=dodgerblue][i]"THOSE ARE THE HORNS OF VICTORY PLAYING IN LIGHT OF MY SUCCESS!"[/i][/color]

Of course, the dispatch terminal says otherwise--it's a fat failure and a potential error screen.

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Got a nat 1 and sent the roll video in discord DMs!
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