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The lights were all out. The whole building had been plunged into darkness. Tentatively, Geckoman stepped forward into the pitch-black hallway, infravision kicking in. Don't let him get to you this quickly. The tannoy blared out a familiar, chilling voice. "Back for more, Geckoman? Run while you can. Oh, wait..." The security shutters in the main door slammed shut, sealing Geckoman off from the police. STUPID! "You can't stop me. It's too late." Then another voice sounded out of the darkness. "You're through. Surrender yourself now, Geckothief, or we'll force you to." Oh, hell no. Not her too. "What happened to morally justifed, Spellbound? Now you're hanging around with loser-master, here, likely with him gawking at your ass. I'd at least creditted you with, I dunno, Chaotic Neutral. Turns out you're bad as him. I'm coming for you both. Think of me as a thief or a loser, what have you, but I'm Geckoman. Geckos cling to stuff, to the bitter end. Chop off parts of us, well, it regrows. Think on that, you pair of pathetic wannabes, while I come up there, trash your goons, then trash you."

WXLL Headquarters The police cordon extended around the whole building as the Pitchoo swooped down and landed in the street. "Ok, what's the situation, Giordano?" The portly lieutenant showed a schematic of the building. "Five floors, with the transmitter on the roof. Several shady figures were seen entering the building before you called in. No officers have entered, despite us thinking there's hostages." "Ok, I'm going in alone. No offence, guys, but I've lived through his fear weapons, so unless it's an emergency..." Geckoman looked into Giordano's eyes. "Well, you know the drill." "Good luck, kid. We'll keep you posted on the comms." In response, Geckoman switched on his earpiece and nodded, turning and walking into the building. Fear-Master. A few goons. Get in, get the hostages, stop the transmission. This is Freedom's most popular news show. The late night broadcast... God, it'd be pandemonium.

Slim Rick walked into the bathroom and walked up to the urinal. Unzipping, he went about his business, turning round to the sinks when done... ... to Geckoman slamming into his neck, slamming his head into the wall and holding what looked like an electrocuted knuckleduster to his neck. "Where's Fear-Master attacking? I didn't find out before I escaped your pathetic little trap, and I'm not making the same mistake. TALK!" "Go to He-" Rick's retort was cut off by a brutal knee to the groin. "I'm done joking with you creeps. Ever seen your worst fears? Your boss made me see them, and now... well, his goons don't scare me. WHAT RADIO STATION?" "WXLL... just... don't tell him I told you. Please." The supposedly tough ex-soldier looked up pleadingly at Geckoman. Geckoman just shook his head and walked out of the bathroom.

It was later. The two sat on a bench overlooking Liberty Park. Daylight was fading and the sun was starting to go down. "Hey, remember our first date?" Liz leaned over and snuggled into Chris's shoulder. "I'm not sure, Kenzie. Was that when you quite callously stole some poor girl's heart?" Chris grinned down at her. Christ, she is beautiful. And I don't know if I should tell her that tonight I may well die. "Hello? Earth to Chris? You with us?" Dammit, inner monologue. You're a pain, sometimes. "Yeah, I was just thinking about... well, stuff. Like... well, what we'd be like if we didn't meet." "Jeez, you're morose today. I miss the old joking guy," said Liz with a concerned look on her face. "Chris, I don't know what's going on with you. But if it's about us, then-" "No, it's not. I love you to bits, it's just... I need to do something. Look, I'll call you tomorrow and hopefully I'll be in a better mood, K?" "Sure, I need to go meet Dad in the parking lot, anyhow." She kissed him on the cheek, then stood up. "Just... make sure you cheer up, or at least open up to me. Misery doesn't suit you." And then she was gone. Liz looked around cautiously as she dialed the number she'd been given. "OK. I'll help you stop Geckoman. Just tell me where I need to be and when." "Excellent..."

"Analysis time!" said Geckoman, snatching away the bag and opening it. "Let's sniff out the problem!" Stretching his powerful sense of smell, he inhaled deeply... "Ole! Or au lait! With milk! Hey, why are you all blue? Wait, green? Purple? Heliotrope? STOP CHANGING COLOURS!" He turned and pointed at Jester. "See, you are a man I can take seriously." He went up beside him and whispered audibly. "These other guys dress like clowns."

Extra Effort up Analytical Scent.

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GECKOTROOOOPES! Alliterative Name: Chris Kenzie deliberately has the initials of Clark Kent. Chaotic Good Chest Insignia: A bright yellow G. Cloudcuckoolander: Often lapses into rambling, only vaguely related, ponderings. Cool Airship: The Pitchoo. The Combat Pragmatist: Kinda has to be, lacking any serious superpowers. He can't just punch out supervillains, he has to keep them off-guard, shoot them in the groin, knock out the lights so they can't see him, etc. Crazy Awesome: He eats, sleeps and breathes this trope. Dating Spellbound Expy: Of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, and Ultimate Spider-Man. Grappling Hook Pistol: Previously used, prior to incorporating it into his wrist bracers. Healing Factor: Albeit a weak one. It takes him a couple of minutes to recover from minor gunshots, and severe injuries take a few hours and severely drain his energy. Large Ham: "GECKOMAAAAAAAAN!" Obfuscating Insanity: To an extent. While he has exhibited quieter moments where he takes things seriously, even then he's slightly off-kilter. Obfuscating Stupidity: Often seen as Young Freedom's dumb comic relief, yet possesses a huge range of skills in excess of nearly anyone his age. Spandex Latex Or Leather: Spandex. Albeit with incorporated Kevlar weave. He doesn't believe in the latex/leather "I wanna be edgy" trend. Super Senses: He can see perfectly in dim light, and in darkness sees heat trails. He also possesses a potent sense of smell. Yes, they are far in excess of actual gecko sensory capabilities. Talking Is A Free Action: Geckoman's real superpower... Trash Talk: ... which he uses for this. Wall Crawl: Rather like a gecko, in fact... Wake Up Go To School Save The World Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys: Initially? He stole them. After that, though, keeping them maintained and his supplies topped up has had to become somewhat of an acquired skill. You Fight Like A Cow: Geckoman is always talking in battle.

Arrowhawk: 2 posts (1pp) White Wedding (2) Geckoman: 13+3+2+4+3+11+1=37 posts (3pp) Fear and Lizards in Las Freedom (13) Beach Party in Winter (3) Bug Hunt (2) It's a Jungle Out There (4) By All your Powers Combined (3) Title of Show (11) Back to School (1)

"I'm going to say no to mole people. See, the hole's in the ceiling. Unless... the moles are above us!" Geckoman stopped to ponder this awful possibility for a second. "The real question is... why was there a cocoon in the first place?"

I don't especially mind either way, althoughhis identity is technically secret. DC 20 Notice check? "Hey, isn't he that Kenzie kid?"

Geckoman strode up the corridors, chewing on his sandwich as he went. Mmmm... eggs. AND HAM! He'd been too busy to catch lunch, so had 'appropriated' one from the guards. He finished it just as he arrived in the cell to see a laughing woman and... a clown? "Mmfrwrfl..." he gulped down the rest of his impromptu meal. "Sorry, start again. What have you touched? Did you disturb anything? Seriously, don't contaminate the locus. Not cool."

Definitely allowed. Hmmm... it'd need discussion, but I don't see much issue with it. Yep, go for it. I personally have no concerns with something much weaker than a simple Autofire AP on an array.

Chris had been wandering around, slapping people on the back and shaking their hands. However, he pointedly stayed away from Student Body and Battlecry. The last party he'd been to with them, he'd ended up with a nasty case of thinking he was a badger. That wasn't particularly enjoyable, especially given Duncan Summers' presence. Screw it, go for the pool. But first... important things! Going to where he'd left his bag, he produced an item and walked to the side of the pool. There he donned the massive green pimp hat with the gold-sequinned G upon it. "SPLASHDOWN!" he shouted, forward-flipping into the pool.

GECKOMAN HATES INSECTS

"Did... did you just comment on her butt?" Geckoman froze, expecting a super-strong slap to Tempest's face any moment now. "Anyway, moving really swiftly on, how do we stop this machine if we can't get near it. See, shooting it could work, but if it doesn't, we've set off an alarm."

He'd arranged to meet Liz in this little cafe in a half hour's time. Unfortunately, he'd had to show up early since regenerating such massive energy ate into his body's energy level and made him feel worse than he already did. Which is why, to the amazement of the owner, Chris had scarfed six sandwiches just to make himself feel marginally better than before. "Hey, you sounded upset on the phone. What's wrong?" Liz had sat down in front of him. Chris looked up and tried to smile, but failed. "I just... y'know, have you ever had a really bad night?" "You're going to need to get more specific. What happened to you?" She looked at him with a concerned expression. "Were you out with Eddie? I mean, I know he's your friend, but you can say n-" Chris shook his head and cut her off. "Not Eddie. Just... do you think I'm a screw-up? Honestly? Seriously, I'm not going to hold it against you." To his surprise, she just grabbed him by the shoulders, pulled him over the table and kissed him. "You're not a screw-up. Anyone who says you are is an idiot, OK? You're funny, you're smart and right now, despite looking all mopey, really quite cute. I don't know what brought this on, but really, we're just dating. Unless we get engaged or something, you don't need to tell me anything?" Wait, what? I don't? Is this a test? Crud. "Don't think I don't want to, it's just... y'know what, forget it. Waiter?"

Chris swung in through his bedroom window and collapsed onto the bed. His whole body ached, especially where the bullets had been removed. His head pounded, and every time he closed his eyes he saw those nightmare visions calling to him. Hence why he'd gone home. Growing up in this house, it now felt safer to him than his dorms. The weary teenager smiled weakly when he saw his old teddy bear, Mr Snuggles. Bedraggled, missing an ear and an eye, he'd had it since preschool. "Hey, little guy," he smiled, picking up the bear. "You wouldn't hurt me, would you?" That one glassy eye apparently said yes, since Chris hugged it tightly, tossed his goggles onto the floor and curled up with his childhood toy still in his arms.

"When everyone's seated, pretty much," said Chris, pulling his goggles down as he walked up to the console. He flipped a few switches, hit a few buttons, then grinned as the controls lit up. "Computer, plot a course for Champions. Stick it up on the screen." In response, a small flatscreen came up on the monitor and showed an overhead map of the city, with a course traced in red. "Thank you, computer." Falling into a swivel chair, Geckoman spun and grabbed the control levers. "Ok, let's go! Everyone ready to DIE!?"

Chris had been looking for the beer when he noticed Mike's awkwardness. And promptly had to take a moment to regain a straight face. Awww, I shouldn't laugh. He's cuuuuuute. Like a shy puppy! Squeee! ... damn you, homosexual inner monologue. Oh god, he's going to apply sunscreen... CAN A MAN GET REDDER!? No, Chris. Shouting 'wooo-hooo' wouldn't be nice. Bad Geckoman. Bad! Oooh, found the beer! He cracked it open with his teeth and took a swig. "Alex, stop toying with him! He's fragile!"

"Are you sure you want to detonate that there?"

Wanna give a quick summation of the changes? ;)

Also, as Shaen has said before, the number one mistake people tend to make is thinking this is a "people with powers" game, rather than "Superheroes fight crime and save the world."

Geckoman woke at 5 AM, wired up to a heart monitor. It was racing much faster than normal. At least the hallucinations had stopped. Through gummy eyes, he looked down. His costume had been partially torn to allow the paramedics to remove all the bullets buried in his skin. "Well, what happened to you?" said Lieutenant Giordano, looking tired beside the bed. "Fear-Master got me with his stuff. The things I saw... oh god..." He tried to put his head in his hands, but both arms were wired up to things. "I tried to find the link between the gangs and him, but I got shot..." Geckoman gestured at the wounds across his chest. "A lot. Best I got, though, was Fear-Master's plan. Put all the radio stations on guard. He's going to hijack one and use it to broadcast some terror frequency. Hundreds of people... like I was last night. All their worst fears come to assault them. It'd be... pandemonium." He looked up at Giordano. "I need to go. There's... someone I need to talk to. About last night. Please." Giordano just nodded. "I understand, kid. Just... don't push yourself. Just because you survived last night doesn't mean you can go back and do it again. Us cops, yeah, we don't have those fancy powers. But we can help. You don't got to prove yourself, OK?" Geckoman forced a smile at the Lieutenant. "You're a good man, sir. Just... thanks." "Forget it, kid. I still owe you. Just don't get mushy or I won't tell them to let you go. Just... rest up. He's not going to try anything until tonight."

Geckoman fired off a grapple line aimlessly, snagging on some object he couldn't see and crashing down into the asphalt. "DammitdammitdammitDAMMIT!" he shouted, feeling a rib crack. "Gotta... escape..." Do you now? He looked up to see Spellbound looking at him accusingly. You're not a superhero. You're a thief pretending to be one. You're worse than me. At least I don't lie about it. That's your problem. You lie so well, even you believe it. "Not true." She just smirked at him. That, and you're attracted to me. Liar, thief, unfaithful. No redeeming qualities. What good are you, Geckoboy? Chris staggered to his feet. "Stop..." He swung hard at her face, but passed straight through, crashing to the floor again. FAILURE. "Please..." He kept crawling on, and on, somehow finding himself falling down an embankment. Screw-up. Edge was standing there, features in a cruel, smirking mockery. C'mon, what exactly do you do for us? Fly us around? Crawl up walls? What do you have to offer? "Mark, c'mon, man, c'mon... don't do this..." He faded and was replaced with Phalanx. "Leave me alone." Hah, you thought my relationship was screwed up. Please, you can't even tell her you're Geckoman. Coward. Psyche walked up beside him. I've seen your mind, how clueless you are. We just humour you, Chris, why would we even need you? Then the demons descended again, ripping them apart in a swirl of grey mist. Hands descended upon him, ripping into his flesh, gnawing at his bones. MORON! CLUELESS! FAILURE! FAILURE! FAILURE! The last thing Geckoman saw before the darkness was the G symbol being torn off his chest, exposing the blood and holes where the bullets had lodged.