Supermaxx — Roleplayer Guild

AGE OF MARVELS: WolverineISSUE #2: Logan Goes to Washington
Greenwich Village ♦ New York City 

Agent Thaddeus Moore swaggered into the crime scene. He chewed thoughtfully on a wad of nicotine gum as he stepped over a pool of blood, careful not to get any on his polished shoes. It was a dingy apartment by all accounts. The TV was a fat box that went out of style in the early aughts. Beneath his feet was a formerly orange carpet that might've been the tackiest thing he'd ever seen. Greenish particulates covered the blinds, giving the room the vague scent of marijuana. And then there was the corpse.

He leaned down to examine the body closer. White male in his mid-thirties. His face was freshly shaven and he wore a tight, military-reg haircut. Thaddeus had seen a thousand men just like him in his career. His armor was much more interesting. It was a cutting edge set of powered armored. Exterior shell appeared to be some kind of titanium alloy. Inside was a powered exoskeleton strapped along the arms, legs and side of the dead man. The shell was painted a maroon so dark it was almost black. No serial number or other obvious identifiers, either.

"Almost looks like SHIELD assault armor." Moore mused aloud to his partner.

Another agent in a similarly expensive suit to Moore's was peering out the shattered window the shooter had fired from. Celia Paddock was shorter than Thaddeus, paper white to his charcoal and had a shock of hair more orange than the carpet. She was scowling as she ran a device along the broken glass on the window, gathering up gunpowder residue for further examination.

"The gun ain't SHIELD that's for damn sure," Paddock responded, nodding her head toward the broken firearm leaning against the wall. It was like nothing either of them had ever seen before. Sleek, sophisticated and completely unmarked. The thing may as well have come from Mars for all they could discern of its origin. "So what've we got, Moore? Summarize."

Thaddeus took a deep breath to collect himself before speaking his piece. "The shooter took up position in this room roughly four hours prior to the attack on Congresswoman Cooper. The landlord claims the shooter has no relation to the actual tenant. Old lady next door says she buzzed him up because he 'looked nice' and said he forgot his key. He unpacks his weapon, gears up and waits for the rally to start."

He stood from the body, making his way to the window. "Waits until Cooper is almost finished speaking to take his first shot. No idea why as of yet. Witness report the Congresswoman was knocked out of the way by a, quote, 'effed up lookin' fella with bad mutton chops-'"

"You can say fuck, Moore. Your mom can't spank you anymore."

After shooting Paddock a look, Thaddeus continued: "The man took two shots meant for Cooper and seemingly walks it off, no sweat. Then he jumps through the front window of the Lion's Head Pub to make a mad dash across the street. Witnesses report he used bladed weapons to cut the door to the building down and charged up the stairs. That's when things get fuzzy."

"No direct witnesses for the actual scuffle," Celia agreed with a nod, crossing her arms. "The old woman across the hall reports hearing several more gunshots and screams. Lots of fucks and shits and insults, too. Guess it took awhile for our shooter to go down."

"And mutton chops just vanishes into thin air right after." Moore sighed. "He left behind a lot of blood but no body. And no trail."

Celia Paddock pulled out her phone and began tapping out a message to persons unknown. "Doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out who we're after. The blood samples'll confirm it but, yeah, this has Logan's stink all over it. He's either gotten bold or sloppy if he's leaving behind this much evidence."

Thaddeus looked from Celia back to the corpse. "We need to I.D him, too. The brass will want to know if someone's gunning for the president's political enemies. And given how well equipped this guy was I doubt he was working alone. Might be we have a new Purifiers on our hands."

Paddock pulled a cigarette from her jacket pocket and lit it up, much to Thaddeus's disdain. "We got a long fuckin' night ahead of us, Thad, tell you what."

_______________________________________________
D A T A

Full Name - Mara Armitage
Callsign - Icarus White
Age - 19 (b. 2659)
Birthplace - Seattle
Pilot Type - Assault
-

P S Y C H E

Nurturing
Mara's always taken her role as the big sister seriously. Ever since she and Em were kids Mara has doted on her, even more than their own mother did. Mara showers her with gifts and physical affection. Even now when both of them are grown adults Mara has continues to spoil and protect her sister to the best of her ability. 

Disciplined
The soldier's life came as naturally to Mara as a duck does to water. The strict schedule, hierarchy of command and constant productivity have all stuck with her even after deserting her unit. She looks back fondly on her years as a soldier, doing what she can to replicate the regimented order in her daily life. Mara is naturally differential to her elders, those in positions of authority and pilots she sees as better than herself.

Guilt-stricken
Ever since Emeraude's injury Mara has been racked by guilt for the part she played in it. Her own enthusiasm to pilot drove her parents to abuse and browbeat her beloved sister into the pilot's seat. Mara never did enough to defend Em when they were young- maybe if she had things would've ended differently. Maybe she never would've gotten into her NC the day that sniper fried her cockpit.

G E A R

S8-ER ‘Satyr’ Thermal SMG
The S8-ER SMG is a rapid fire thermal-based sidearm that can be folded into a compact form for easy transportation. It unfolds and deploys automatically when removed from its holster, ready for use in less than half a second. Its effective against soft-targets and most low grade body armor, though its practically useless against anything heavier. Mara has been reluctant to ever part with it since her desertion. 

Auger-11 Camera
The Auger-11 is an old line of Elysian handheld cameras. It takes crisp, high-definition pictures for physical print-out using a separate device. It’s an old fashioned, expensive toy compared to the cheap, built-in cameras on every datatool. Mara's auger was a present for her eleventh birthday from her mother, who had used the same model her whole life and hoped Mara would carry on the family tradition. Even after their falling out Mara's continued to use it, amassing hundreds of pictures that she keeps posted in her bunk.

Silver Locket
A simple silver locket with a photo of Mara and Emeraude contained within- one of the first Mara ever took. Her name and blood type are both engraved on the back of the locket. 

N E U R A L   C O M B A T A N T

Armor
Icarus White is a lightweight skirmisher with a focus on mobility in exchange for slimmed-down armor. Its sleek form can at best handle a glancing blow from a high-powered NC weapon; even so much as a single direct hit from an anti-armor round will put the Icarus White directly on its ass. Graded well for light vehicle arms and infantry-wielded rockets.

Main Hand
The VD-77 (“Virtuous Daughter”) is a cheap, workforce rifle designed for reliability and firepower. It fires large caliber ballistic rounds meant to pierce the thickly armored hides of NCs and other armored war machines, though it’s rate of fire is abysmal compared to newer models.  Where it lacks for rounds per minute it makes up for it with precision, stopping power and reliability.

Off Hand
it’s the Icarus White’s secondary armament is what makes its primary rifle so dangerous: the SCIP Launcher (“Soundless Choir Ion Pulse”) functions similarly to a grenade launcher in that it lobs its ammunition- the Salvation Arms manufactured Ion Pulse Disks- in a relatively slow arc. The disks only activate upon the user’s command, sending out a localized ion pulse that damages or disables electronics and shields within range. The disks are designed to stick on nearly any surface and can be activated within a range of half a mile. 

Back
The OEW ("On Eagle's Wings") Thruster Pack is a set of advanced maneuvering thrusters that allow for rapid movement across all terrain. The OEW is matchless in aerial combat, able to outpace even the quickest opponents save for dedicated, fixed-wing aircraft; its only drawback being that it requires extremely lightweight armor of its NC or its effectiveness is greatly hampered.

Left Auxiliary
Mounted internally in Icarus White's left shoulder is the AMH ("A Mighty Host") Cluster Munitions launcher, which fires over a dozen miniature missiles at once, tracking toward the targets selected by the NC pilot. Effective against soft targets.

Right Auxiliary
The Stalwart Mk VIII is the best shield projector in its class for lightly armored targets with minimal power extra draw.  It is efficient, long-lasting and highly durable against most conventional weaponry. The Stalwart line is known for its ‘reactive’ shield that dynamically activates and empowers itself based on oncoming threats. When it detects no immediate danger the Stalwart goes into standby mode, decreasing its power draw and allowing the Icarus White to focus its energy on its thrusters. Upon detecting incoming rounds or a targeting laser, however, the Stalwart will draw however much energy it seems necessary to thwart the attack in real time with almost no delay. 

R E L A T I O N S

Royce and Elaine Armitage
Mara and her parents have a complicated relationship. They were good to her when she was younger: they were ecstatic when they learned she was NC compatible and spared no expense in preparing her for the pilot’s seat. They gave her no shortage of their time, gifts and affection. But her sister received no such love, as Mara would eventually realize. They mistreated, abused and manipulated Emeraude into being a pilot despite the girl’s misgivings- and that led to her injuries, the seen and the unseen. Mara will never forgive how they treated her sister; yet some part of her will always miss the loving parents she once knew.

Valerie ‘Val’ Wright
Val was Mara’s fastest friend when she first joined the ED military, and they quickly grew beyond that. The two of them were together for four years before Mara came to the decision to desert. What was meant to be a tearful goodbye turned into a fight as Val used everything she had- including her fists- to keep Mara from leaving. Even the thought of her now brings a bitter bile up into Mara’s throat. Just one more regret for the pile.  

Captain Eric Swann
Swann was the captain and leader of Mara’s unit. He was a consummate professional from a prestigious line of NC pilots who worked tirelessly to carry on the legacy. Eric was a hard man that pushed his people to their absolute limit in the hopes that they’d be forged into great tools for the corporation. Mara aspired to be as skilled, charismatic and ambitious as he was, though she found his merciless attitude more than a little off-putting at times. His performance on the battlefield terrified her; he was perhaps the only pilot she thought could trounce her prodigious sister, Emeraude.  
Physical Details ◢
The life of a soldier is all Mara's ever known- a fact that is carved into every facet of her identity. Rigorous, daily training earned her a fair bit of muscle and an athletic frame. Noo amount of hard work, however, can make her grow more than her unfortunate five feet and seven inches. She parades her scars as trophies won in hard-fought brawls in the alleys and bars of her hometown. The most visible of these are a cut along her left cheek and the numerous, smaller abrasions that pepper her jawline, neck and upper body. 

Her 'style,' if one could call it that, hasn't changed much since her days as a corpo pilot: she still wears the grey Battle Dress Uniform, work boots and the fur-lined aviator's jacket that were the signature of her unit. She's removed all the Elysian Dream branding, of course, and replaced them with an embroidery of Icarus's wings.

Background Information ◢
On Mara Armitage's eighth birthday she was conscripted into the youth wing of the Elysian Dream Defense Force. She was elated. The sight of mechs marching in parade formation through the streets of Seattle had always set her heart aglow growing up. When the doctors told her she was neuralink viable it was like God had finally answered her prayers. Her parents were equally thrilled by the announcement. Mara set the whole of her mind, body and spirit to being the best soldier she could be. And she excelled. Teachers were constantly remarking on her skill and enthusiasm, lauding her as an example to the rest of the group. Her peers looked up to her the same way they did the adults. All that love and attention just reinforced her belief that this was where she was meant to be.

All that admiration blinded Mara to what was going on in the life of her younger sister, Emeraude. In Mara's mind the two were inseparable. Em might've been struggling to adapt to her new life, sure, but she had potential! Their aunt, Morgan, would see to her success. Someday Mara and Em would be an unstoppable duo on the battlefield. Em would just need to endure a few...growing pains! That was all.

Mara was just a teenager, however, and saw only what she wanted. She never paid attention to the 'encouragement' her parents gave Em. She never saw how their instructors treated Em when Mara wasn't around. And worst of all? Mara never even bothered to ask Em if she wanted to pilot. Mara assumed that everyone wanted to do it, especially if they were good at it, as Em was. The thought that someone might see it as torment never even crossed her mind.

At fourteen, Mara was recruited into the Redemption of Humanity, a subsidiary private military company of Elysian Dream. The Redeemers were an NC-focused company ran by a man named Captain Eric Swann, a veteran pilot whose family had served ED for generations. He was a hard man by all accounts: cold to his underlings, merciless to his enemies, and he despised weakness in all its forms. Swann was also the best damn pilot Mara had ever seen. He taught her everything she’d ever need to know about NC combat. Despite the extreme pressure he put Mara and the rest of the Reedemers through, she excelled- just as she had in the youth wing.

Her dedication to the work attracted the attention of Valerie Wright, a fellow pilot and the prettiest girl Mara had ever seen. She was smitten. Val was confident, playful and zealous. She could fly circles around the rest of the squad, save the captain himself. Val and Mara would compete fiercely for the title of fastest pilot on the team for the next several years. Their relationship blossomed outside the mechs as well. Inter-team fraternization wasn’t forbidden by company policy but the captain certainly didn’t approve of distractions, so the girls kept their relationship a closely guarded secret. It was Mara’s first act of rebellion, small as it was.

The next five years were the best she’d ever know. Her family was nothing but supportive. She had a girlfriend she loved with all her heart. And she had Em, the little sister that never left her side. If Mara had a choice she would’ve stayed there forever: serving with the Redeemers and living in Seattle with Val, Em and all the rest.

Then June 19th, 2677 arrived. The Redeemers are sent to the ruins of Corvallis in search of classified old world tech. ED salvage crews barely had time to set up their equipment before a band of raiders descended on the ruined city. Their numbers caught the Redeemers off-guard and forced them to dig in hard around the dig site. A pitched battle followed. Several of the Redeemers’ NCs were damaged in the affair; much of their ammunition was exhausted as well. The team was heavily depleted when a second wave hit. It was plain that these were no ordinary marauders when a sound like thunder came from the heavens and took out their heaviest hitter in a single shot. 

What followed was a desperate scramble to escape. Mara kept as close to Em and Val as she could, fighting tooth and nail to cut a path of escape out of Corvallis before it was too late. Em was a monster on the battlefield: her Bercilak tore its way through any NC stupid enough to get within the range of its burning axe. Mara left a path of ion mines in their wake, disabling and damaging the systems of anyone that pursued them. They almost made it out.

Then Val and another Redeemer went down. It was a stupid mistake that did them in- a too long sprint across open ground without proper cover. It was a goddamn shooting gallery. The Armitage sisters debated leaving them behind. Better Mara and Em return with reinforcements then get captured along with them, right?

their attackers proved more brutal than Mara could’ve expected. They descended on the downed NCs, popped open their cockpits and crushed one of the Redeemer pilots in their metal fists. Val was moments from suffering the same fate before Mara broke cover and charged, rifle barking and missiles flying. Em was right beside her, as always. The Bercilak went for the NC that just killed a Redeemer pilot and Mara went for the second looking over Val. It was a rush of steel and blood that Mara barely remembers. The frantic hand to hand. Thunder from the sky. Em’s mech going down in a hail of dragon fire.

Mara scooped Val’s broken body into the Icarus White’s cockpit, tossed the Bercilak’s cockpit and core over her shoulder and made a run for it. She’s not quite sure how she managed to escape the sniper that had killed so many of her friends. Fear and adrenaline were all that kept her moving through the haze of pained panic until she eventually reached safety: Captain Swann had arrived with reinforcements to rescue what few survivors they could find. The city was torched by the enemy before the tech could be secured, much to the brass’s anger. The mission was a spectacular failure. 

The following days in the hospital were a blur. Val‘s injuries would take months of gene-growth to repair of her wounds proved impermanent. The company refused to pay for Emeraude’s medical treatment beyond the essentials- Swann was apparently so dissatisfied with their performance that this was his way of punishing the Armitages. And Em went fully catatonic. Couldn’t speak, couldn’t eat, never moved. 

The company wrote her off as a lost cause and decided to sell the rights to Em's NC and body back to her family. In turn, Royce Armitage, her father, sold his daughter's hand in marriage to recoup the money he'd lost on her. Mara protested fiercely. Her sister wasn’t even awake to advocate for herself! She had served the Redeemers and ED loyally for years. She was an excellent pilot, and she could be again if only they’d give her a chance.

No one did. Their parents were shockingly dismissive of the girl, as if those raiders had done them by a service by ridding them of her. It took everything Mara had not to beat them both bloody where they stood. She took her belongs and left, never to return. Mara made her appeal to Swann next, though he was just as disdainful. The man wouldn’t give it more than five minutes of thought. He wanted Mara to get over it. She left him, too.

And finally she went to Val. Mara told her love everything that had happened. Of how unfairly everyone was treating her sister. It was only then that Val revealed how the rest of the team had felt about Em, too: the girl was only worth keeping around for Mara’s sake. She was a good pilot now, sure, but but hadn't always been. And she remains a miserable soldier and as weak willed as girls come. Mara told Val she planned to desert so she could take Emeraude somewhere to get proper treatment. Valerie Wright balked at that. She raged, accused and pleaded all at once- doing all she could to get Mara to stay and forget her sister.

The Icarus White vanished along with the Bercilak’s remains in the following weeks. They took to the waste, and found their oasis in a place called Last Hope.

Polaris Shift ◢
Mara is plagued by dreams. They come most often in the weeks following a successful perfect sync: one moment she's awake, aware and active and the next...she's not. She's slumped over- maybe even standing- her eyes glazed over as a deep sleep overcomes her. Her dreams are incredibly vivid, and she often struggles to tell the difference between the waking world and the dreaming one. The length of each episode varies greatly, and they've only gotten longer and more frequent over the years. Sometimes she's gone for mere moments. Other times she'll spend a whole day trapped in her own body, fully unaware that anything is amiss.

Personal Mission ◢
Mara has had only one goal since fleeing her home in Seattle: evade, escape, survive. All that's mattered to her since leaving home is keeping Emeraude safe. Mara's sure her sister's betrothed is still searching for her, and the wound she left with Val was too sharp to be the end of things- Mara wouldn't be surprised if the Redeemers were following her tracks as well. But to help Emeraude heal and to get far, far away from her pursuers, she'll need money. She's come to Last Hope seeking a quick, easy contract so she has the cash flow to keep moving. They're too close to Elysian Dream territory for her to feel safe, and this dump doesn't have the resources to treat Emeraude properly. Nice as the people seem to be Mara's trying to keep them at an arms length- she won't be around long enough to be betrayed again.

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