Eddie Brock

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

I've got my next post typed up, but I may be unable to format it until I get home from the holiday. (We'll see.) Approaching the end of Miss Megaton's origin story, which is a relief because I'm terrible at writing origins...

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Late nights at the Chronicle had become the norm since April's recent disciplining. Her normal responsibilities kept her busy all day, leaving only the nighttime to tackle the mountains of unedited articles to proofread. If April were being honest with herself, however, she actually didn't mind terribly much. Sure, copy editing was monotonous work, but at least the vacant office was free from distractions. There was an oddly serene quality about the unmanned, dimly lit bullpen. Whenever she got bored with correcting misspellings and fixing errant apostrophes -- which was quite often, admittedly -- she would get up and walk past her coworkers' desks, occasionally sneaking a peek at the scintillating exposés on which they were working.

Plus, being alone in the office gave April a prime opportunity to review the Project: Gateway documents Jefferson had unlocked for her. Unfortunately, the technician's assessment of their usefulness hadn't been far off; even after breaking the encryption, many of the files were redacted or outright missing. Still, what Jefferson had found painted a clearer picture of what had happened to Dr. Henry Newton. The project, it turned out, involved "extradimensional tunneling," which was Zenith's fancy way of saying teleportation. Along with Daisy's father, Dr. Jeremiah Miller, Dr. Newton had built some sort of experimental gateway between dimensions. Details regarding what happened next were spotty, but April could gather that the two scientists' deaths were tied to a malfunction involving the gate.

Even if the dossier created yet more questions, April was still grateful for the few answers it did provide. Her father's death had been shrouded in so much secrecy when it happened, the details protected from public consumption in the name of Zenith Dynamics proprietary information. I was just a girl whose father left for work and didn't come home, she mused, and no one would tell me what happened. She knew her mother was owed an explanation, too... but better to wait until she had the complete story. Gotta nail down every angle, just like Mickey said. April hadn't seen anything in the files to suggest that Zenith was at fault in her father's death, yet neither was there anything to absolve them. She would have to dig deeper.

The sound of approaching footsteps startled April, and she hurriedly minimized the Project: Gateway files. "I thought I was the only one burning the midnight oil around here," came a husky voice from across the bullpen. April looked up to see an unfamiliar woman with an asymmetrical haircut and a full sleeve tattoo. She sauntered over to April's desk. Pushing a stack of unread articles aside, she helped herself to a seat on the edge of the desk. Squinting at April, she said, "We haven't met."

April straightened in her chair and adjusted her glasses. "I'm April," she announced with a hand outstretched, "April Newton. I'm--"

"Mickey's girl, yeah," the woman interjected with a nod of her head in the direction of the chief editor's office. She took April's hand and gave it a casual shake. "Peyton Campbell."

April's eyes went wide with recognition. "Oh. Oh! You're Peyton Campbell?" She had heard the name, of course, and even admired some of the work. Peyton was the Chronicle's Pulitzer-winning photojournalist; before that, she made a name for herself as a guerrilla photographer with a nose for a story. Her reputation earned her a long leash with Mickey, which partly explained why she and April had never crossed paths. Shaking the cobwebs loose, April blushed and said, "I'm sorry. I only ever heard your name, so I just assumed..."

"You and my father both," Peyton replied with a knowing smirk. "I think he would've been much happier if I had been a son, but I would've been happier if he hadn't cheated on my mother with a 24 year-old graduate student, so I guess we'll call it even." The woman's candor stunned April, who struggled to hide her shocked expression. Fortunately, Peyton showed little interest in dwelling on the topic, as she had already turned her attention to one of the articles on the desk. "So, what's Mickey got you doing after hours?"

"Copy editing," April answered, eliciting a disgusted sneer from Peyton. She felt obliged to explain, "This is my penance for going behind Mickey's back on a story."

Peyton shifted, her body language conveying sudden interest. "Miss America's got a rebellious streak! I can dig it," she smiled. "Want some free advice?" April nodded. "Mickey's one of the good ones, but don't ever forget that his job is to sell newspapers; your job is to find the story. Sometimes, that's the same thing, and sometimes it isn't."

April thought she understood. "How will I know which is which?" she asked.

"If you've got what it takes, you'll know," Peyton assured her. Her eyes flitted away from April in the direction of the monitors mounted above the bullpen. "Oh, shit," she blurted out, her jaw sagging open. April immediately spun in her chair to see what was up.

A fiery scene dominated the nearest television. According to the headline at the bottom of the screen, there had been a crash involving one of Zenith Dynamics' autonomous delivery vehicles. The truck had rammed into one of the Mag-Rail's support columns, erupting in a massive fireball. Miraculously, no one had been hurt, but the Mag-Rail now threatened to collapse; worse, an adjoining report explained that the inbound train's emergency brakes had failed. In a matter of minutes, the monorail would crash unless someone found a way to stop it.

"I need my camera," Peyton said for her own benefit before scrambling off.

April felt similarly motivated to act. She had no idea what to do, of course, but she couldn't just stay there and watch a catastrophe unfold. The accident had occurred where the train passed Liberty Park, which meant she'd never beat it there on foot. Without stopping to think, she burst for the stairwell and bound up towards the roof. Upon reaching her destination, the insanity of her plan dawned on her. She had slipped gravity's hold only once, and that had been while sleeping. If I can do it once... Standing on the roof of the Chronicle, wind whipping around her small frame, she felt somewhat less than confident. April removed her glasses and let them tumble to the gravel beneath her feet.

Fortunately, the urgency of the situation prevented her from overthinking it. April closed her eyes and visualized her goal, just as she had done in the lab. She could feel her newfound abilities responding, the energy welling up from somewhere deep inside. It radiated out from her core, electrifying her skin. April felt her feet gently lift off the gravel. When she opened her eyes, she was hovering more than a foot above the rooftop. Gasping, she threatened to lose her balance for a moment before righting herself again. I'm flying, she thought excitedly. No big deal. Totally normal. There was little time to concentrate on the utter insanity of the feat. April willed herself forward -- slowly -- and her body obeyed.

Once she reached the building's ledge, she made the mistake of looking down to see the ant-like pedestrians and cars below. Fear gripped her heart, and she wobbled backwards weightlessly. But the sound of sirens ringing throughout the city urged her onward. Taking a deep breath, she centered herself. As the roar of the city dulled to a whisper, April opened her eyes and shot forward. The wind whistled past her ears as she took off like a streak. Skyscrapers raced up to meet her, and she deftly spun away from collisions without a thought; instinct took over as she focused only on the shortest path to her destination.

Eventually, the concrete jungle gave way to a sea of green as April reached Liberty Park. Orange light flickered like a beacon where the damaged section of the Mag-Rail track still burned. April's eyes followed the track up a ways until she spotted the approaching train's headlights. There was no time to waste. With arms outstretched above her head, April sliced through the air on an intercepting course, slowing only as she came up alongside the train. Ooookay, now what? It hadn't occurred to her to formulate a plan to actually stop the train. If it wasn't for all the people who'd get hurt, she figured she could probably just nudge it off the track.

This is gonna hurt, April winced as she realized what she must do. Darting ahead of the high-speed train, she planted herself mid-air and braced for impact. The Mag-Rail's lead car slammed into her at full force, driving all the air from her lungs. Amazingly, however, April was unharmed. So, that's what it feels like to get hit by a train, she mused darkly. Summoning her strength, she stretched out her arms as her palms flattened against the cone-shaped nose of the train. The vehicle shuddered yet showed little sign of slowing. April snapped her head over her shoulder and tried to gauge how much track she had left. Not enough.

Gritting her teeth, April exerted as much force as she could muster. She felt the steel crumpling like aluminum foil around her hands. The green light surrounding her reflected off of the train, pulsing with urgency. The Mag-Rail began to squeal under the pressure being applied, and April felt it shuddering more violently. Sorry! she thought on behalf of the hapless passengers. If she succeeded, however, a little jostling would be a small price to pay. April curled her fingers around the twisted metal and squeezed until her knuckles turned white. Her arms started shaking as badly as the train.

The heat at April's back warned her that they were approaching the damaged section of track. "Come on!" she pleaded the train, lowering her shoulder into place to give herself a little more leverage. "Just stop!" The train didn't seem responsive. April felt the full weight of the Mag-Rail fighting her for every inch. The broken track neared, and her impending failure burned beneath her skin. She braced herself for the worst. The lead car lurched forward as it dropped off the track; April fell with it...

... until she suddenly stopped. She hadn't hit the ground, nor had she been crushed under the weight of a falling train. Instead, April hung in the air halfway between the track and the earth. The lead car rested against her shoulder, its compatriots dangling above it like beads on a string. A nervous laugh overtook April, and she blurted out, "I did it!" Shifting the weight of the train, she pushed it back while floating up until the entire Mag-Rail rested gently on the track once more. The disaster had been avoided, if only narrowly.

A raucous cheer rose up from the ground below. April turned to see a small crowd of onlookers who had witnessed her feat. For a moment, she swelled with pride, until the passing of a helicopter searchlight reminded her just how exposed she was. What if someone recognizes me? she thought in a panic. Seeing no point in chancing it any further, she tucked herself down and darted away in the direction of the park. The helicopter attempted to track her, but she was too small and too quick. She disappeared from view and felt awash with relief.

Well, April, your life's about to get a lot more complicated...

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

@Eddie Brock

He I was just thinking Miss Megaton and Flamenco would make interesting adversaries.

@LukasVolkov

We'll have to have a showdown eventually. It's been a while since I fought a PC villain.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

"This isn't going to hurt, right?"

Jefferson laughed, though he didn't exactly answer the question directly. As he continued to untangle the mess of wires between his hands, he explained, "All of this is strictly observational. These machines are going to take readings: electrical, nuclear, and so on. You don't have to do a thing, except sit back and relax." Having finally freed a bundle of electrodes, he moved his hands to either side of April's head. After a few false starts, he motioned towards her glasses and asked, "May I?"

April shrugged. "Be my guest. Although, I should warn you that I'm basically blind without th--" Catching herself mid-sentence, she watched in disbelief as her blurry field of vision suddenly snapped into clear focus. Her glasses hung in the air as Jeff pulled them away, and yet she could see as clearly now as she had when they were on. Blinking a few times, she was relieved to learn that the effect did not go away. "Okay, that's weird."

Jefferson, oblivious to this newest development, asked, "What's weird?" as he continued to set her glasses down on a nearby tabletop.

"I can see," April replied. Still wanting to test it, she held a hand over one eye followed by the other. Any way she sliced it, her vision was crystal clear. A smile cracked across her face. "I can't remember the last time I could see this well without my glasses."

Jefferson leaned back on a heel and tapped his chin. "Well, we've already theorized that you can somehow alter your body's electromagnetic field in defiance of gravity. I suppose it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility, then, that your sensitivity to electromagnetism extends to the visible spectrum..."

Although it was couched in scientific jargon, April followed the general train of thought. "Are you suggesting that the reactor explosion somehow fixed my eyesight?"

"Strictly speaking, no," he answered, "but the effect is much the same." As he contemplated the ramifications of this new discovery, he went back to placing electrodes along her temples. "You had complained that your eyes were unusually fatigued yesterday, right? Perhaps that was a side effect of this new 'sight' developing. For all we know, you've only scratched the surface! Who's to say that your sensitivity begins and ends at the visible spectrum? If you could also tap into higher and lower wavelengths..."

At that point, April found herself not really listening. It wasn't that the conversation wasn't somewhat interesting, only that Jefferson seemingly had a habit of running away with his thoughts. If she was being honest, his enthusiasm was cute in an endearing sort of way; she didn't find herself attracted to Jefferson or anything like that, but she could see how another girl might find him irresistibly adorkable. As he made eye contact with her, she realized he was waiting on her to respond to the last thing he said. Luckily, a small smile seemed to satisfy him.

Now that April felt more wired up than a Christmas tree, Jefferson was apparently content to begin collecting data. After a few more last minute checks, he went to sit down at a nearby terminal. As he started flipping switches, April heard the hum of machinery coming to life. The laboratory that Jefferson procured was more than big enough for their purposes; even with all the equipment they were using, they only took up a small corner of the otherwise abandoned room. "Alright now, I want to get a baseline, so just relax," Jeff instructed.

April did as she was told. Picking at her nails, she found herself uncomfortable in the ensuing silence. She wasn't much of a "sit quietly" type, anyway. With little else in the way of conversational topics, she decided to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know Jefferson a little better. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So, where are you from originally, Jefferson?" She could tell by his subtle accent that he wasn't from around these parts.

"My family's from Houston, Texas," Jeff answered without looking up from his screen. "I moved away for school when I turned eighteen, and I haven't been back since." She sensed there was something personal behind that statement, but they weren't close enough to broach the subject further. "What about you, city girl? Always been in town?"

"I actually haven't been living in the city all that long," she admitted. "But I have been a California girl my whole life."

"Let me guess: only child, too?" Jeff ventured.

Impressed, April smiled. "How'd you know?"

He shrugged. "Just have that way about you, I guess," he replied. It wasn't immediately apparent whether he meant that positively or negatively. "I couldn't imagine it, personally. I love my siblings."

"Sisters, right?" This time, it was his turn to be impressed. April grinned smugly. "You're not the only one with intuition."

"One older, one younger," Jefferson reported. Him being a middle child suddenly made a ton of sense. Before they could get deeper into the weeds of each other's upbringings, however, his screen beeped at him. "Alright, good, I think we're ready to start measuring. Can you try to start to... y'know, glow?"

Biting her lip gently, April nodded. She still wasn't sure she could control the energies, only having consciously achieved it once. To start, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to visualize a sheath of neon green energy around all parts of her body. Opening her eyes, she surprised herself to find that it was actually there, just as she had envisioned it. The air around her body seemed to ripple like asphalt on a hot summer day. April allowed herself a small smile as Jefferson scribbled notes.

"Okay, see if you can kick it up a notch, yeah?"

She set her brow. Summoning the power from deep within herself, she called it forth with a thought. The radiation sheath grew brighter, and the heat wave effect intensified. Yet the energy produced minimal heat; it was cool to the touch as it cascaded off her skin. April found that the more she concentrated, the more energy she could produce. If there was an upper limit, she hadn't approached it yet. It felt like a bottomless well from which she could draw at will. The thought was terrifying... and exciting.

Jefferson scratched a few more things down, then called out, "Do you think you can localize it?"

"I can try," April replied. After all, she had been able to when she heated up the coffee mug. Drawing down the energy, she shaped it with her mind, willing it to travel down along her arm. It collected in the palm of her hand, forming a nebulous ball of radioactive energy. Stray particles orbited her fist as she closed her fingers around it. Turning her attention to her other hand, she watched as the energy began to gather there, too.

Jefferson rose gingerly. "Alright, now I want to see if you can discharge it," he explained. April shot him an uncertain look. Discharge? That was a loaded term. Heedless of the apparent danger, he plucked a spare notepad from the nearby desktop. Pantomiming a throwing motion, he locked eyes and asked, "Ready?"

She was less than confident. Still, the energy crackled around her fists. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. Jefferson heaved back and sent the notepad tumbling through the air. April punched at the empty space in front of her, and a green burst shot from her hand. It clipped the corner of the notebook mid-flight, sending the bulk of it careening across the lab as shredded paper rained down like confetti. April laughed in spite of herself and said, "Give me another!" Jeff complied, and she shot the next notebook out of the sky with the blast from her other hand.

"Awesome!" Jeff blurted out, any sense of composure lost. With his hands on his hips, he surveyed the monitors at his workstation. "Well, I've got good news for you, Ms. Newton: you're not carcinogenic! I wouldn't necessarily want to be next to you for prolonged periods when you're running full bore, but the ambient energy you produce doesn't appear to be harmful."

April felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was certainly good to hear that she hadn't been irradiating everyone around her. Now, there was only one pertinent question left to answer. "Okay, so how long do you think this'll last?"

Jefferson laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "See, that's the thing," he began, "My initial hypothesis was that you were some kind of radiation sponge, and these effects would only last as long as it took to deplete all that energy. But this data suggests that you're more of a radiation battery. These levels can't be explained unless your body is naturally producing this energy."

The wind went out of April's sails. "So, this could be permanent?" she intuited. The thought of this being the new normal kinda terrified her.

Picking up on her disappointment, Jefferson launched into damage control. "Hey, look on the bright side!" he said with forced enthusiasm. "You're some kind of an honest-to-goodness superhero! You've got strength, flight, energy manipulation... Think of all the good you can do with these abilities! All the good we can do, together!"

"I'm not looking to be a superhero, Jeff," she sighed. She started removing the electrodes. "This isn't Lost Haven; this city doesn't need a hero any more than I need that kind of headache. I didn't even want to be at that stupid demonstration... I just wanted answers. Which reminds me: did you make any progress on those files?"

Crestfallen, Jefferson gave a solemn nod. Trudging over to his workstation, he rifled through his bag until he produced her flash drive. "I understand why you were so interested. Can't promise this'll help any, though," he warned before turning it over. So, he had put two and two together. Not that she had gone to any great lengths to hide her connection to the case. "I'm sorry about your dad, April. That must've been hard."

"What was hard was never knowing what happened to him. It's about time I knew the truth." She clutched the flash drive in her palm. Placing a hand on Jeff's shoulder, she said, "Thank you, Jeff. For this, and for helping me... figure out things. I have some thinking to do, I guess." April picked up her glasses and fitted them back onto her nose. After a moment, her vision adjusted to the lenses again.

"Well, if you change your mind about the whole 'superhero' thing, you know where to find me," he offered.

April managed half a smile. "You'll be my first call."

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

I've got a post chambered and another mostly finished. Just haven't found the time to format them yet.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

How does one get one of those cool character banners?

@LukasVolkov

Personally, I already had an idea in mind, so I just looked up some GIMP tutorials to achieve the effect I wanted.

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

The technician -- Jefferson Boone, as he had introduced himself -- grimaced as he took a sip of his coffee. "That is not warm," he lamented, scrunching up his face. Seated across the booth from April, he slid the cup to the side and leaned forward on his elbows. "So, you were... floating?" He scratched his chin. "I suppose if you were somehow able to manipulate your personal electromagnetic field, that would produce an effect not all that dissimilar from lift..."

They had gone to a diner down the street from the Chronicle to talk. When they walked in, April had every intention of playing it coy, but Jefferson already knew something, and besides: if she were being honest with herself, April was dying to talk to someone else about this. So far, the science of it all was a little over her head, but she had managed to follow the gist of Jefferson's babbling. Nodding, she asked, "Okay, well, what about the shower?"

"Oh, that's easy," Jefferson replied, almost dismissively, "Radiation!" Just then, the waitress returned with their order -- or rather, his order, as April had been somewhat less interested in eating right that second. Wasting no time, Jefferson speared some greasy eggs with a fork and shoveled them into his mouth, continuing, "See, when the reactor exploded, you took the brunt of the blast. And the way I figure it, your body soaked up so much of that radiation that you're slowly bleeding it off, y'know?"

April's eyes got big. "Bleeding off" radiation didn't sound like something to be taken so lightly. "So you're saying I can't control it?" she asked, worrying her bottom lip.

Jefferson thought a moment, then gestured his fork in her direction. "Not necessarily! After all, let's look at the evidence," he suggested. Setting down the fork, he started counting off fingers. "When the roof started to cave in, you instinctively protected yourself; and that's when the radiation shield went up! And then this morning, you wanted hot water, and bam! There it was." He picked up the fork again and concluded, "I think you're already controlling it, just... subconsciously."

April considered that. It made some amount of sense, she supposed. After all, she had somehow managed to avoid going Lite-Brite in public; if she could actively suppress it, who's to say that she couldn't also activate it? Reaching across the table, she wrapped a hand around Jefferson's disregarded coffee mug. Furrowing her brow, she concentrated all her energy into thinking about making the coffee hot. Sure enough, after a moment or two, her hand radiated bright green, and the liquid inside the cup began to bubble and boil over.

Jefferson took the mug from her as her hand powered down. Steam rose above the rim. Amused, Jefferson picked up the cup and said, "Thanks," before taking a sip. For her part, April covered her hand and looked around to be sure that no one had seen the light show.

"Hang on," April began, realizing something, "If I'm producing all this radiation, couldn't that be dangerous?" She thought back to Vance saying that the fusion reactor was no more dangerous than an x-ray, but they were clearly past x-ray territory at this point.

Jefferson opened his mouth and let the coffee dribble back into the mug. Wiping his lips, he replied, "Good point. We should really run some tests as soon as possible, for the safety of yourself and others." As he said that, he gave a sideways glance to the cup of coffee and pushed it to the far end of the table. "I think I can get us some private laboratory time after hours. I'm assuming you do want to keep this quiet?"

April nodded. The idea of keeping secrets brought another thought to mind. "Actually, while we're talking, there may be something you can do for me," she explained. She turned to open her purse, fishing out the flash drive from the day before. Surreptitiously, she slid it across the booth. "While I was at Zenith, I was investigating another lead. The files are all encrypted, but do you think you could... ?"

Jefferson smiled. "Are you kidding? You're talking to Century City Prep's former programming club president and one-time anarchist hacker extraordinaire! The school administration never did figure out who rewrote Mr. Takimari's gradebook to give everyone in his class an A." April couldn't help but give an uncertain grin at his stunning display of geek bravado. He picked up the flash drive when a thought occurred. "Wait, what are the odds this gets me in trouble at work?"

"Mid to high, probably," April admitted while digging through her purse. "Listen, I want to get to the bottom of this -- I really do -- but I'm already on thin ice at work, so I need to get back before my boss notices I'm gone," she explained. Finally finding what she was looking for, she produced a business card and handed it to Jefferson. "That has my contact information. As soon as you can get something set up with the lab, let me know, okay?" She gathered her things and shuffled out of the booth.

When the waitress came over to check on Jefferson, he offered her the coffee mug and asked, "Could I trouble you for a new cup? Thank you!"

-----

Later, at McCaffrey's, April brought Daisy up to speed on the day's events... though she saw fit to leave out all the parts involving Jefferson and the strange happenings of that morning. It wasn't like her to keep something from her best friend, but April didn't want to cause a panic; besides, with any luck, Jefferson would devise a way to drain April of the leftover radiation, and that would be the end of it. No need to dwell on the problem any more than absolutely necessary.

"Well, at least you're not fired, right?" Daisy asked with uncertain optimism.

"No," April sighed, "but I have been sentenced to copy editing duties for the foreseeable future." She grimaced at the thought of spending hours poring over other people's writing, trying to find typos and grammatical errors. Mickey had told her that if she was so gung-ho to become a writer, she had better familiarize herself with what good writing looked like. The implied jab at her own failed article hadn't gone unmissed. Sinking her head into her hands, April picked up a bar menu and perused it half-heartedly. "I just want to eat my feelings."

Daisy nodded. "Sounds like I need to order us some nachos?" she suggested, to which April offered a hopeful grin. Daisy smiled back, said, "Hang tight," and shuffled out of the booth.

Once Daisy was gone, April could see into the next booth over, where Luke currently sat. With a ratty wash towel slung over one shoulder, he hunched over a notebook, making frantic scribbles with his pencil. April's curiosity got the better of her, and she found herself rising to go investigate. As she drew nearer, she saw that he was working on a drawing of sorts. He was so focused that April wasn't sure he had heard her approach, so she spoke softly when she asked, "What are you working on?"

Without looking up, Luke gently smiled. "Homework," he laughed. He set down his pencil and picked up an eraser. As he rubbed away the offending mark, he explained, "I've been auditing design classes at UCC in my free time." Having erased the page to his satisfaction, Luke brushed away the shavings and spun the notebook so that April could see. "Have a look."

Adjusting her glasses, April leaned forward to examine the page. There, Luke had drawn a stunningly realistic mockup of an interior space. The most striking feature were the large, wooden beams which framed the ceiling. After a moment, April realized that she recognized the space. "Is this... McCaffrey's?" Sure enough, Luke had completely redesigned the bar's interior, giving it a stylish, rustic feel. Shaking her head in disbelief, April gasped, "This is incredible."

As she turned her head to look at Luke, April realized that this was the closest -- physically -- the two had ever been. Beginning to turn beet red, she quickly looked away and straightened to her full height. For his part, Luke seemed completely unfazed; he turned the notebook back around as he brushed the bangs from his face. Shrugging at his own work, he said, "It's just an exercise. How I would've done it if I built this place."

April smiled at his humility. Furrowing her brow briefly, she asked the next question on her mind. "So, wait, are you a student?" She was sure that Luke was at least a year or two older than she was.

"Not anymore," he answered, leaning back in the booth. He twiddled the pencil between his forefingers as he explained, "I mean, I got an Associate degree a while back, but I had to drop out before finishing the Bachelor's. I always meant to go back and finish, but then..." As he trailed off, he offered a wistful smile. "Well, you know how life can be."

April nodded. Taking another glance at his drawing, she suggested, "I think maybe it's time you got around to it. You've clearly got talent!"

Luke looked less than confident. Tapping the end of his pencil against the paper, he worried his bottom lip. "I don't know," he admitted, "Something tells me that 'college dropout bartender' wouldn't turn heads at the UCC admissions office."

Hearing him put himself down brought a frown to April's face. "Hey, you don't know until you try, right? After all, I shouldn't be the only one around here leaping before I look." He grinned at that, and April returned the gesture. Looking up, she saw Daisy returning to the booth with a veritable mountain of nachos. Daisy gave her a knowing look. "I've got to go help Daisy demolish that plate of nachos, but I want you to promise me that you'll think about it, okay?"

Luke looked her in the eye and thought a moment. "Alright, I'll think about it," he conceded. That made April smile wide. As he turned his attention back to his drawing, she began to walk away. "And April?" His callout made her look back. "Thanks."

She offered a kind look. "Anytime."

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

April woke up on neither the right nor the wrong side of the bed.

She woke up eighteen inches above the bed.

Startled, she inhaled sharply before plummeting a foot and a half to the mattress below. Her pillows crashed around her head, and she tried to make sense of what just happened. Had she been... floating? She struggled to think of an explanation -- reasonable or otherwise -- which could rationalize the gravity-defying feat. Maybe it had been part of a dream, and she hadn't actually awakened until her landing. Even that didn't ring true, though, because April could remember last night's dreams; they had been filled with explosions and her father's face and that ominous green light...

Get a hold of yourself, April, the voice inside her head chided her. You're just tired and overstressed, and you went through something traumatic yesterday. Your mind is playing tricks on you. It was true that she hadn't gotten much in the way of sleep; she had stayed up late into the night working on an article that could hopefully save her job. She wasn't sure she had succeeded, but at least she wouldn't go back to Mickey empty-handed. Although the thought of facing her boss was far from a comforting one, at least it gave her something new to think about. April sighed and kicked her legs over the side of the bed, already dreading the morning ahead.

Once in the bathroom, April took a moment to inspect her injuries from the day before. She had taken a pretty nasty spill when the fusion reactor exploded, and her body ached all over. Surprisingly, though, her back showed little sign besides some light bruising in a few spots. Elsewhere, there was a small laceration just below her hairline, but even that was already beginning to fade. All told, she had been incredibly lucky to avoid more serious injury. And that didn't even account for the falling debris which inexplicably missed her head...

After counting her blessings, April disrobed and climbed into the shower. No sooner had she turned the faucet than she was blasted by a spray of frigid water. "Shit!" she blurted out, throwing out a hand to slow the freezing onslaught. Damn water heater's out again, she groaned while making a mental note to call her superintendent, Mr. Raimivich. Slumping her forehead against the shower tile, she wondered how this morning could get off to a worse start. Is a little hot water so much to ask?

As April stood there, wallowing in her own misfortune, something peculiar happened. The shower itself began to grow increasingly warmer; although the water coming from the showerhead was still cold, it felt as though she was standing in a sauna. What's more, April had began to glow again. The sheath of neon green energy was coming off her in waves, and the shower water turned to steam upon contact with it. April stared in disbelief at her own hand. Please, God, tell me I didn't suffer a traumatic brain injury yesterday.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she set aside her confusion long enough to finish showering. Once April turned the faucet off, the green energy abated, and the temperature of the bathroom returned to normal. Still, she didn't get out right away, opting to stare at her seemingly ordinary hands instead. She wanted to keep believing that she had imagined what happened after the accident yesterday, that there was a reasonable explanation for all of this, but evidence to the contrary was mounting.

April made it through the rest of her morning routine without further incident. Skipping her traditional coffee shop detour, she made for the Chronicle with urgency. Strange happenings or no, it wouldn't do to be late again when she was already facing an uphill battle. April felt as though every pedestrian she passed was watching her, though she knew that none of them could possibly be aware of what was happening to her. Please don't glow, please don't glow, please don't glow, was April's new mantra.

At the Chronicle, April could tell that the rumor mill had already started. Though whether the whispers had to do with her lying to Mickey or her being present at the accident, she couldn't totally say. April did her best to ignore the distractions as she wasted no time heading for Mickey's office. Her personal belongings hadn't been packed in a box on her desk; that had to be a good sign, right? For the second time in as many days, April gathered her courage and faced her destiny. Giving a quick courtesy knock, she stepped into Mickey's office, where the editor stood looking over photographs from yesterday's hectic scene.

"There she is," Mickey called out, "Nellie Bly herself." He put down the photographs and folded his arms, wearing an almost amused look. Clearly, he was looking forward to April's attempt at an explanation. Not that she believed for one second that there wasn't anger behind that half-smile.

"I know what you're going to say," April began.

Mickey raised an eyebrow. "You do? Well, that's quite a talent for an aspiring reporter to have. Maybe I was wrong to keep you on the bench," he responded dryly.

"I disobeyed you. I know there will be consequences for that," she conceded, "but I've always heard you tell your reporters to be relentless, to follow their gut no matter what anyone else tells them, and to be--"

"Tireless in the pursuit of the story," Mickey finished. "So you can listen to me, just not when it's something you don't want to hear." He gave a mirthless chuckle. "Well, how 'bout it, then? What story have you brought?" He took the article from her hand as she offered it. Furrowing his brow, he skimmed it quickly before declaring, "What does this tell me that I don't already know?"

The question took April aback. "Well, the fusion reactor exploded..."

Mickey rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I know that. Everyone south of Fifth Street knows that." He smacked the back of his hand against the paper. "But why did it explode?"

April had to admit, "I don't know."

"Well, if you don't know, and I don't know, then how is the reader going to know?" Shaking his head, he thrust the article back to her. "You may have listened, but you didn't learn. Being 'tireless in the pursuit of the story' means you don't put a word to paper until you're absolutely sure that you've nailed down every angle. What you've got there? It's nothing. It's not a story. And I don't have use for anything that isn't a story." He sighed deeply, removing his reading glasses. "Go. I'll think of an appropriate punishment for you later."

Crestfallen, April clutched her rejected article to her chest as she shrank out of Mickey's office. Slumping into her desk chair, she set the piece of paper aside and woke her computer. At least you weren't fired, a hopeful voice inside her offered, to which a different voice added, Yet. That left only the mystery of the morning's weirdness to worry about. April would've been a fool to think that the floating and the shower weren't somehow connected to the reactor explosion, or the strange happenings which followed. As her computer screen blinked to life, April bit her lip and pulled up her browser.

Side effects of radiation exposure.

As expected, she found plenty about nausea, dizziness, fever... not so much on flying, glowing, or producing unexplained heat. Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, took off her glasses, and rubbed her eyes. Maybe I am losing my mind, she considered. Closing the various tabs she had opened, she shook her head and tried to settle in for work. Not ten minutes later, though, she found herself accosted by Eddie Castro, a junior reporter who had taken an interest in April since her first day. He wasn't doing her growing headache any favors.

Eddie was halfway through a riveting story about a lead he picked up from his city hall informant when he stopped himself. With his head turned towards the bullpen, he snickered, "Check out the tourist."

In spite of herself, April looked up from her work. There, she spotted a young man who looked thoroughly lost. He bumbled through the bullpen, narrowly avoiding more than one collision. Squinting, April tried to figure out why he looked familiar, until she finally recognized him. The lab technician! With wide eyes, April shot out of her chair.

"What, is that an old friend of yours?" Eddie asked doubtfully.

April didn't bother to respond. Moving as quickly as her heels would allow, she slipped around the corner of her desk and made an immediate intercept course. The technician smiled upon seeing her, evidently not taking note of her pale-faced expression. "There you are!" he began, "I wasn't sure I'd find you. Especially not after you ran off yesterday..."

April did not match his familiar demeanor. Clutching his arm, she spun him around and walked him away from Mickey's office. "How did you find me?" she demanded in a low voice.

Giving her a puzzled expression, the technician reached into his jacket and produced a press pass on a broken lanyard. April's hand instinctively went to her neck; in the heat of the moment yesterday, she hadn't noticed that she had lost it. Tucking the pass away, the technician said, "I figured out pretty quick that you weren't Ronald, but this seemed as good as any place to look." He gave a conspiratorial glance around the office. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

By then, she had steered him far enough away from her coworkers to avoid being overheard. "Alright, you found me. Now, what do you want?" She was being perhaps a little too terse, but this guy -- this stranger -- had tracked her to her place of business. She wasn't in the mood to play games.

"What do I want?" he parroted with a chuckle. "I want to talk about what happened yesterday." After a moment, he added, "You know, with the whole..." He flexed his hands in a rhythmic pattern and made a "whompwhompwhomp" sound with his mouth. Reading her expression, his eyes got big. "Oh my God, it happened again, didn't it?"

Now, it was April's turn to steal a glance at the bullpen. "Not here," she warned. She slapped the elevator button behind him. "We need to find somewhere private to talk."

Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

Character you have created: April Newton

Alias: Miss Megaton

Speech Color: ADFF2F | Green Yellow

Character Alignment: Hero

Identity: Secret

Character Personality: Miss Megaton is a symbol of hope, positivity, and perseverance to the people she protects. She's quick with a smile, and she always looks for the best in others. Although her responsibilities demand a lot of her, she never loses sight of "the little guy," those individuals with whom she may only have a passing interaction but for whom Miss Megaton would sacrifice anything. She's fiercely protective, so when someone threatens innocent life, she can easily turn up the intensity.

As April Newton, she is no less tenacious. Careful never to step too far out of line -- lest she shatter the girl-next-door illusion and inadvertently reveal her identity -- she nevertheless stands up for what she believes in with an unwavering determination. Utilizing the power of the press, she gives voice to those in need of one, and she fights to enact change on a scale far grander than even Miss Megaton can achieve.

Uniform/Costume:

Miss Megaton / April Newton

Fancast

Virginia Gardner

Origin Info/Details:
Tragedy struck the life of April Newton early, as her father -- Dr. Henry Newton -- perished in a mysterious accident while working for Zenith Dynamics, a mega-conglomerate with a focus on cutting-edge technology. The circumstances surrounding Henry's death were never clearly disclosed, and even young April detected something suspicious afoot. Still, it would be many years before she had the chance to do anything about it, and so life went on.

After graduating with a degree in mixed media journalism, April moved to nearby Century City and procured an internship at the Chronicle, the city's oldest and most respected institution. Parlaying this internship into a full-time executive assistant position, April worked diligently and obediently until the day that a story involving Zenith Dynamics landed on her desk. A disgruntled former employee claimed to have evidence of Zenith's dirty dealings, but the editor, April's boss, declined to move forward with the lead.

April took matters into her own hands.

Infiltrating Zenith under the guise of being a full-fledged reporter, April tried to dig up information that might give her a lead on her father's untimely demise. However, she was promptly caught snooping around and escorted back to the ongoing demonstration of a new cold fusion reactor. There, amongst Zenith's scientists and other members of the press, April's life changed forever. A catastrophic failure inside the reactor caused it to explode, and April was caught squarely in the blast. Her body was bathed in experimental radiation and irrevocably transformed.

Though April tried to go back to business as usual, it was obvious that something had changed. She felt different. Stronger. And periodically, she seemed to produce bursts of radioactive energy. After one of Zenith's lab technicians tracked her down, he deduced what had happened. April had been transformed into a living nuclear reactor, with all the subsequent strengths and dangers. The technician helped April contain her powers, and together they formulated a plan.

April wouldn't just find justice for her father, as she had originally intended. Instead, she would use these newfound powers for the betterment of Century City at large as... Miss Megaton!

Hero Type: Energy - Radiation

Power Level: World Level

Powers: When April became Miss Megaton, she was imbued with the awesome and destructive power of the atom. She is capable of spontaneously generating radioactive emissions which vary in intensity from harmless, concussive bursts to concentrated blasts capable of melting through solid steel. Her ability to manipulate these energies ranges from pinpoint precision to devastating areas of effect. Whenever she encounters a sufficiently powerful source of radiation, she has a limited ability to absorb and redirect this energy.

Moreover, Miss Megaton's exposure affected not only her ability to produce radiation but also to detect it. She is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation, granting her the ability to see in the entire visible spectrum as well as x-ray, infrared, and radio waves.

In addition, the raw power coursing through her body grants her many other gifts. She's incredibly strong and far more durable than the average human. She possesses the power of flight, and she can move at exceptional speeds. Overall, she's healthier and more resilient, and she recovers from injury at an increased rate.

Attributes (Select one at each category):

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 125 lb
Strength Level: 100+ Tons
Speed/Reaction Timing Level: 80 MPH (flying)
Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort: 3 Hours
Agility: 5x Human Level
Intelligence: Average
Fighting Skill: Untrained
Resources: Average

Weaknesses: Though she's incredibly tough, she's not indestructible. She can bruise, and she can bleed, even if it does take a superhuman effort. In spite of her strength, she's more effective at a distance, and she can easily get overwhelmed in melee by an opponent of equivalent -- or greater -- might. Additionally, when she's pushed to her limit, it can exhaust the energy that drives her powers; until it can regenerate, she's entirely human again.

On a psychological level, Miss Megaton's unflagging optimism can be turned against her. She's quick to trust, and her belief in the essential goodness of others can override her good sense when dealing with those who have proven to be unworthy of that trust. Like any good hero, her commitment to protecting the innocent can be used against her.

Supporting Characters:
Daisy Miller: April's best friend since childhood. Their fathers were business partners, so they spent a lot of time around each other growing up. After both men were conscripted by Zenith Dynamics to work on a classified project and subsequently perished in an "industrial accident," April and Daisy grew even closer in their shared grief. They've been inseparable since.

Fancast

Nathalie Emmanuel

Jefferson Boone: Lab technician at Zenith Dynamics. He was the first person to be saved by Miss Megaton, back during the accident which gave her her powers. Jeff took it upon himself to track down April and volunteer his services as her personal "superhero assistant." He helped April learn to control her powers, and he designed her costume. For which he's very proud.

Fancast

Tye Sheridan

Michael (Mickey) Holtz: Chief editor at the Chronicle, April's boss. Mickey worked his way up from the newsroom, so he's put more blood, sweat, and tears into the paper than anyone else around... and he's extremely possessive of it as a result. Though he can be overbearing and close-minded at times, he holds himself and others to the highest standard of journalism. Consequently, he cuts April very little slack.

Fancast

Enrico Colantoni

Peyton Campbell: The Chronicle's crackshot photographer with a bit of a rebellious streak. She takes an instant liking to April and aspires to bring her out of her shell. Peyton has a nose for danger, which makes her extremely good at her job but often gets her into a lot of trouble. She faces it all with a smile, much to the consternation of Mickey.

Fancast

Kate Mara

Luke Gardner: Bartender at McCaffrey's, a downtown pub frequented by April & Daisy. April's had a crush on him for a while, but she's yet to work up the courage to ask him out... despite Daisy's constant pestering.

Fancast

Amadeus Serafini

Isaac Vance: The young CEO of Zenith Dynamics who inherited the company after his father's death following a protracted illness. Vance was an unrepentant playboy and socialite before reforming his ways and claiming his birthright. He is the driving force behind Zenith's push for publicity and integration with Century City life.

Fancast

Darren Criss

Sinclair Davis: A mysterious executive at Zenith Dynamics with ties to the deaths of Dr. Newton & Dr. Miller.

Fancast

Betty Gilpin

Do you know how to post pictures on RPG boards?: I sure hope so.

Post Catalogue:
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Create-A-Hero: A Superhero RPG Season 2- New Horizons (Closed)

The sleek, egg-shaped building which housed Zenith Dynamics spoke to the company's pioneering spirit. Zenith was almost single-handedly responsible for Century City's most groundbreaking advancements: the Mag-Rail, a monorail system which revolutionized the city's mass transit; a fleet of autonomous, electric delivery vehicles which reduced emissions and made the streets safer; and a citywide "Li-Fi" network, which provided universal internet access at speeds greater than traditional Wi-Fi. Yet April was less concerned with Zenith's public deeds than with its secrets -- particularly as they related to the demise of her father, Dr. Henry Newton.

April was only ten years old when her father passed. If she closed her eyes, she could still remember the night of the storm. The thunder and the rain against her bedroom window woke her in the middle of the night. As she tried to go back to sleep, she heard voices downstairs. Angry voices. Creeping out of her bedroom, April snuck over to the banister at the second floor landing. There, she could more clearly hear her father arguing with his partner, Dr. Miller. To this day, she couldn't remember the basis of the argument, only that it involved Zenith. Neither man had been thrilled with their new benefactor, but there had apparently been some disagreement regarding how to handle it. Two weeks later, the accident occurred. April never shook the idea that the argument was somehow related to both men's deaths.

Now, April felt all of ten years old again as she stood before Zenith Dynamics' headquarters. Admittedly, some of that came from the guilt for her disobedience. To explain her absence at work, she had made up an apartment-related emergency and asked one of the other assistants to shadow Mickey for the day. She still didn't have a plan to smooth things over when he found out what she'd done, but she was sure she'd think of something... she hoped. Either way, she couldn't allow herself to worry about that now; she had a far more important mission in front of her first. Straightening her glasses and summoning her courage, April strode towards the building and tried to calm her beating heart.

Stepping into Zenith's lobby was like stepping onto the starship Enterprise. The shiny, white space was punctuated here and there by splashes of green from interior landscaping. A series of wide walkways were arranged around the main plaza like spokes in a wheel, with an artificial stream gurgling in a semicircle beneath them. Everywhere April looked, she saw large holographic displays showing directory information, time and weather, and promotional videos. They certainly know how to market themselves, she noted. She even found herself doubting that a place like this could have a sinister underbelly. Don't forget that looks can be deceiving.

Adjusting her glasses once more, she crossed over the stream and made a beeline for the large, marble desk beneath the Zenith Dynamics logo. There, a grid of neatly-arranged press passes awaited their owners. April smiled briefly at the assistant behind the desk, hoping she didn't look as nervous as she felt. Quickly locating the pass marked for the Chronicle, she snatched it off the desk and blurted out, "Have a great day!" Her hands were shaking as she slipped the pass over her neck, turning it around so that no one could see the name "Ronald Oberlin" clearly printed on its face.

Sheepishly, April made her way over to one of the holographic displays. After prodding at it like a Neanderthal for a moment, she finally figured out how to make it do what she wanted to do. Bringing up the directory, she scanned through the departments until finding the one she wanted. Another gesture brought up a floorplan with the relevant office highlighted in red. Bingo! Swiping the map away, April shrank a little and began heading in the appropriate direction. Fortunately, foot traffic was heavy enough that her presence drew little attention. Avoiding eye contact with the Zenith employees she passed, she caught the door just before it closed and wormed her way inside.

The inner hallways were less grandiose than the lobby, though no less futuristic. April could practically see her own reflection in the polished, white floors. As she walked, she peered through the safety glass at the laboratories beyond, each filled with foreign and expensive-looking equipment. Seeing all the scientists in their protective gear flitting around reminded her of a beehive. Turning down another hallway, she found herself passing executive offices. Unlike the laboratories, these rooms hid their goings-on behind frosted glass. Eventually, she came to the end of the hall, where the door marked "Records" awaited her.

The Records room was essentially a big server farm. For a moment, April thought of the advanced technology in the lobby and worried that she wouldn't be able to interface with any of this. However, the server stacks eventually opened to a clearing; in the center stood a triumvirate of computers. April hurried to one of them, aware that she couldn't afford to dilly-dally. Waking the monitor, she puzzled at the operating system until she brought up a search function. Slowly typing in her father's name, she accessed his personnel file. Dad, she thought wistfully upon seeing his ID picture staring back at her.

Much of the information contained therein was of little consequence. April began to wonder if this whole endeavor had been in vain when she noticed a restricted file. "Project: Gateway?" she spoke aloud in spite of herself. Though she tried to access the information, the computer spit back an error message regarding insufficient permissions. Frowning, April reached into her pocket and produced a flash drive. She wouldn't be able to get answers here, but maybe she could convince one of the Chronicle's IT guys to help her crack the encryption. Assuming I'm allowed back into the building.

Once the download was complete, April unplugged the flash drive and returned it to her pocket. Not wanting to press her luck any further than she already had, she began making her way back to the public areas of the facility. It wouldn't do to get caught snooping now, and besides: Mickey would expect a story on the demonstration, after all. Lost in her wonderings as to the nature of Project: Gateway, April nearly blundered into a collision with a Zenith executive leaving her office. Skittering backwards, April made herself small as she waited for the woman to pass.

Suddenly, April froze. The austere blonde executive was familiar to her, though it took her another moment to realize why. That woman had once been to the Newton home. The memory came flooding back. She had been there along with an older gentleman when April's father had been recruited to work for Zenith Dynamics. Though many years had passed -- the woman couldn't have been older then than April was now -- she carried herself with the same cold, haughty demeanor that April remembered. Once she had gone, April stole a glance at the name etched on the window to her office: SINCLAIR DAVIS.

"Can I help you, miss?"

April's spirit briefly left her body. Spinning to face the direction of the new voice, she found herself staring down an unamused security guard. Heart pounding, April faked a laugh and replied, "Oh, sorry! I was trying to look for the bathroom, and I must've gotten turned around." Inwardly, she cringed at the unoriginality of her "bathroom" excuse.

Judging by the guard's unchanged expression, he wasn't impressed, either. Closing the distance between them, he demanded, "Who are you?"

April fumbled with the press pass around her neck. "I'm, uh, I'm with the Chronicle," she offered, flashing the pass as briefly as she dared, praying he wouldn't request to see it closer. "I'm here for the, uh, demonstration... thing." With each word that left her lips, April hated herself a little more. If there was one thing she wasn't, it was a natural liar. I suppose there are worse things to be bad at.

Evidently, the guard didn't care to press the issue further. "That's in the eastern wing," he explained. "Come with me."

In any other situation, April might've made light small talk. It was the polite thing to do, after all, and she liked talking to people. However, the sleepy-eyed guard didn't seem the loquacious sort, and she worried that the nervousness in her voice would give her away. Meanwhile, the flash drive in April's pocket might as well been made from lead with how heavy it felt in her pocket. She didn't know exactly how much trouble she could get into if she were caught stealing data from Zenith's servers, but she couldn't imagine it'd be a mere slap on the wrist.

Finally, it seemed they had arrived. Approaching two large double doors, April dutifully followed the security guard as he led her into the largest laboratory yet. The enormous octagonal room was abuzz with activity; scientists and technicians circled the peculiar machine at the center of it all, spouting off information about "containment levels" and "ionization readings." Beyond them, April spotted the members of the media, cordoned off at the far side of the room. Wordlessly, the security guard escorted her to the front of the pack. April could feel the other reporters' eyes on her, trying to place her. She held her tongue and took out her phone.

A few minutes later, a handsome young man came swaggering over to the gaggle of reporters. April didn't recognize him at first, if only because she had never seen him outside of pictures. "Ladies and gentleman, my name is Isaac Vance. Thank you for joining us here at Zenith Dynamics for this historic demonstration," the blue-eyed, black-haired CEO began. The younger Vance had only recently taken his place at his father's company following Malcolm Vance's passing. Before that, he had quite the reputation, if what the Chronicle printed in its gossip column could be believed. The reformed playboy had worked wonders on Zenith's public relations.

"Behind me," Vance continued with a dramatic wave of his arm, "is the world's first fully-operational cold fusion reactor." As if anticipating the tense reaction from the crowd, he held up his hands and said, "Have no fear. Unlike the common fission reactors, this machine poses no threat to those in its proximity. The radiation produced is no more harmful than a common x-ray." By then, April was only half paying attention, as she spotted the woman from earlier, Ms. Davis, inspecting the machine behind him. "Now, I'm sure you have many questions, but I ask that you wait until after the demonstration. I'm assured it'll be quite the show." Vance gave a crooked smile and stepped to the side.

April barely managed to pry her eyes off Ms. Davis in time to see the demonstration beginning. At the press of a few buttons, the Zenith technicians lowered the protective shielding around the reactor, exposing a glowing core which bathed the room in an eerie green light. There were mild "ooh"s and "ahh"s behind April, though clearly most were apprehensive about what they were witnessing. The scientists began barking orders, and the room filled with a reverberating hum. The green light inside the machine intensified until April had to cover her eyes with a hand. She heard someone yell, "Initiating electrolysis!" Suddenly, the core sparked as voltage passed through it.

Somewhere across the lab, an alarm began to sound. April hadn't been the only one to hear it; more than one reporter turned in the direction of the sound and began to murmur. Beside them, Vance tried to explain it away as merely precautionary, though he had to raise his voice to be heard over the machine. April could tell by the frantic scuffling of technicians that it was anything but precautionary. "Temperature's spiking," one technician called out, "Coolant's having no effect." April didn't need to understand the science to know that meant trouble.

A scientist in thick, welder goggles came over to Vance. "We're gonna have to shut it down, Mr. Vance. If we let it go, we're risking structural comp--" The scientist was interrupted by a crack. A fissure had appeared at the top of the reactor's core, and strands of green light shot up towards the ceiling. That incited panic.

April was knocked to the floor as the reporters behind her clamored for the exit. The flash drive containing all the Project: Gateway files skittered out of her pocket and across the floor. In the chaos that had ensued, no one paid any attention to the girl crawling along the floor in pursuit of it. Gotcha! April thought triumphantly as she got it back in hand, though the celebration was short-lived; looking up, she saw that she had crawled all the way to the base of the reactor, which now seemed ready to burst. Through the expanding crack in its core, she could see straight into the heart of the machine. The light was searing. Scrambling to her feet, April barely had time to turn her back before a "THOOM!" behind her swept her into the air.

Hazily, April came to a moment later, having been thrown against the nearest wall. Bits of concrete and plaster rolled off her back as she forced herself upright. The laboratory was a disaster; the reactor explosion had leveled everything that wasn't tied down... and many of the things that were. Meanwhile, the reactor itself looked like a shattered Christmas ornament, with green smoke drifting up towards the ceiling. As April surveyed the scene, she saw scientists and technicians scattered like tacks. Nearby, someone was pinned beneath a fallen piece of equipment.

Without hesitation, April rushed to the poor soul's side. He was a technician, and a young one at that. Wincing through the pain, he stammered, "I... I can't move it..." April wasn't surprised. The twisted hunk of metal under which he lay looked to weigh hundreds of pounds. Still, she couldn't just leave him like this. "G-get help..."

She should've, but there was little time and everyone else around was nursing their own wounds. Though it felt hopeless to the point of foolishness, April knelt down and slid her hands beneath the obstruction. Grunting, she lifted with all her might, trying to remember to lift with her legs and not her back. Her hands were slick with sweat, but she swore she felt something moving. Doubling her efforts, she kept on lifting until the debris was over her head. Once the technician was free, she tossed it aside almost effortlessly.

Still wincing as he held his ribs, the technician asked, "How... did you... ?"

Of course, April didn't have an answer. For the moment, she was content to chalk it up to adrenaline. "Stay here," she said, much calmer than she felt, "I'm going to find someone to help the rest of these people." She hadn't taken more than two steps before a crumbling sound stopped her to look up. The damaged ceiling was giving way, and a heavy chunk of concrete plummeted towards her. Covering her head, April braced for the impact that never came. When she finally found the courage to open her eyes, she saw that she was sheathed in an aura of green energy.

The technician, unfortunately, had seen it, too.

"Wait!" he called out, though it was already too late. April had taken off in search of security... paramedics... anyone more qualified to deal with this emergency than she was. She didn't know what any of that was about, and she didn't much care. All that mattered was getting those people help, and then getting herself home... before the day got any stranger.