Avenger Assembled

Monsoon's story was one told second-hand, a younger sister reflecting on her older sister's family, or perhaps a lioness considering the relative merits of a larger female on the same ground. The Crocodile Kingdom had converted to Islam a thousand years earlier when the first Muslim traders had arrived in the region, in a time when the distance between kingdoms meant that the traditional Dakanan secrecy had not yet evolved. Their connection to other nations (or perhaps simple ambition) had convinced the Crocodile Kings that they should rule Dakana - and for a time they had, before an uprising led by the Lion clan had cast them back to their riverine stronghold. Tsunami knew all about how long grudges could be held among people like that. "Murjana's husband is Mamba, the Crocodile Lord. She rules at his side, and their children share both their gifts. But they are loyal to the true monarch of Dakana." For all of Monsoon's talk, the hard part turned out to be getting there. The Dakanan light rail station was the wonder of advanced technology that Tsunami had been promised, but the automated clerks proved recalcitrant when confronted with Monsoon's diplomatic passport - which after all, didn't cover her guest! Facing down against a trio of holographic profiles, all of them identical smiling women who seemed to be operating on a limited script, was a new challenge for the hydrokinetic princess, who behind her masked face seemed to be getting irritated even as Dakanan oldies played on the outdoor speakers and a crowd of expats from the nearby settlement formed behind them.

"It's better if the vigilante doesn't play well with others," said Ashley, shaking her head. "She shouldn't be anybody's sidekick." Her eyes flicked to Callie at that, just for a moment. "That way when she and her sister disappear back to wherever we decide they're from, nobody's going to come looking for them." "We'll have to be careful that she doesn't overcompensate. The key is going to be making sure Ms. Cahill has as normal a high school experience as possible - and if the vigilante's with her at all times, that's going to require a certain degree of...approachability." "Yeah, I thought of that too," said Ashley, not sounding happy about it. "Frankly, Jaycee Cahill hasn't had a normal childhood since her father ran for Governor - but if she has to come to Claremont, and I agree she does, she deserves a chance to have as normal a time here as possible. I'll make it happen."

"Ashley and I would prefer that this situation stays inside the family - our family. You, Alek, myself, and her." Ashley colored slightly at that, but her face stayed calm. After all, she'd been trained by the Raven. "Naturally you'd call in your allies in the event of a real crisis, but this is a situation that needs to be handled with discretion." "If you'd ever tried to talk yourself into a government job as a known metahuman, you'd know a meta-draft is not on anyone's agenda," Ashley finally said. "You'd have to overturn eighty years of precedent and discard the feelings of the most powerful beings on the planet." She wondered if Chris was in touch still with his old high school team; the unstoppable powerhouse with depression, the walking god who'd cruised his way though the hearts of half the girls in the junior class, and the rest.

WOUNDMAKER "Godsdamned thing," said Woundmaker, dropping his rifle and going for his knife as he faced down the Hound. "Not my project - not my problem!" he said, stabbing at the death-dog with a blow that would have buried the long hunting blade to its shaft in the dog's neck had it struck home. "There are more like you where I've been, you know," he taunted as gunfire and alien roars echoed all around them. "Do you think they'll like the taste of their own?" CANNIBAL ALKAHEST Without speaking, Woodsman fired a shot past the Alkahest's head - a sizzling bolt that struck the icy bonds that had been running up Nighthawk's legs. He sure as hell wasn't going to let Nighthawk be trapped out there on the killing floor, especially once it was clear that the Alkahest was coming their way. Run, save yourself - came the voice in his head that every Woodsman learned the first time they went into the Forest. But there was no running now, not when the monster of his nightmares had come crashing into this world like a nightmare into the waking reality. His world had put that thing there; and if he was going to die fighting it, that was what was going to happen.

Mark blinked. Oh wow, she's really going to do it! He was too diplomatic to interfere with his wife's groove, especially when he was busy with the baby. "Hey, that's great," he said warmly. "I'm not authorized to be in-country for more than another half-hour or so, but Monsoon has a waiver." "Being the sister of Dakanan royalty has its advantages," commented Monsoon dryly. "Even if my sister's husband has been somewhat estranged from his relatives of late." Monsoon blew her husband and son a kiss. "I'll be back soon, darlings. Take good care of our boy, Mark." When Mark and Richie were gone in another shower of black bubbles, Monsoon stared after them with her masked face hidden for a moment before turning to take the lead from Tsunami. "My sister's estate lies in the plains outside the capital," she said, "in the Crocodile Kingdom. They are the only Muslim kingdom in Dakana - and they would rather you call them that, rather than tribe. It is a small kingdom - but no less prideful for that, as they should be."

Ashley gave Alek a sharp look. "I was her sidekick for two years - I did the Taser tests same as you." At a faint, almost imperceptible noise, Ashley looked over at Callie Summers, whose cheeks were coloring slightly in a way that Alek had hardly ever seen. "...given that Alek is not a metahuman as such, certain aspects of your training were not adapted to his particular regimen," said Callie, taking a barely perceptible moment to compose herself. "Well." Ashley smiled sharply. "I guess some things do change after all. Anyway, I'm up for whatever you're going to dish out. We may want to bring Geckoman on it too - we'll need a backup for this guy," she said, nodding in Alek's direction. "And the more that have to take down the big bad vigilante, the better. Hell, maybe I'll help you catch some delinquents while I'm at it."

"I've suspected for several years that elements of the United States government were aware of our school's unique nature, albeit not in a position to act on that knowledge." They all knew how that worked sometimes; law enforcement officials possessing information about heroes but not following up on it had probably been happening since the days of the first Liberty League. "I don't think this is as big a change as you think. And as you say, the current President is not going to act against an institution protecting his daughter's safety. We have ways of ensuring that later administrations will be equally generous." "...I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that," said Ashley, rubbing her temples. "It's not up to me to decide what the government does, but it's possible the information won't be passed on to the next administration. And even if it is, the US government isn't going to take on the metahuman community on a whim. They might as well declare the Freedom League has to leave our international borders, or set up a meta-draft." She didn't have to explain what a stupid idea either of those things would be.

Now that's the Chris I remember. "That's what some people say," she said, shooting a look Callie's way before going on. "I'm sure you heard of the incident in March when terrorists from the Foundry deployed an EMP device against the White House before being foiled by the Secret Service." She smiled thinly at that, folding her hands in front of her as she spoke. "I heard CNN called it 'Robot Rumpus'? In any event, the general public is not aware, and Ms. Summers tells me most of Freedom's superheroes are unaware, that this was a cover story created by the White House Press Office and promoted by friends of the President in the press. The truth is that the electromagnetic event was triggered by the activation of xeno-metagenes. Xeno-metagenes in a member of the First Family."

"Sure, and we can dress you up as the next Lady Liberty," Ashley replied, looking away from Alek. "Not sure you have the legs for it, though..." "A conflict with Raven would ensure focus stayed on your 'character' rather than your protectee's," said Callie quietly, keeping her eyes focused on Ashley's as the latter leaned protectively against the nearest wall. "Even among your fellow students." Ashley sighed. "Great. Well, not the first time Raven's kicked my ass, right? Okay, we'll talk that out." She fell silent for a moment, then said, "Yeah, it's Jaycee Cahill. Neither of her sisters tested positive." She blinked, then added, "Are you _sure_ he's trustworthy, Callie?" Callie responded with an eloquent look that made the Secret Service agent sigh. "...you understand that if it became known that a Class F metahuman was living in the White House, even for family visits home, the political consequences would be - difficult. That's one of many reasons why this has to stay secret." That got her a longer look from Callie, and Alek had the impression something was going unsaid - but Raven II opted not to push her protege further.

"All right...fine," said Ashley. This was not the Chris she remembered at all. "As you know, I left behind costumed work eight years ago when I graduated from Claremont and went to college. However, circumstances have recently changed. For the next two years, I'm going to be operating in Freedom City as the vigilante code-named Watchdog. It won't be anything connected to you or your family's operation; but Callie and I felt that a superhero backup for my mission was necessary." The look she gave Raven at that was eloquent, as was Callie's. Go on. "Watchdog will have a false cover identity, allowing me to act as an undercover agent at Claremont Academy for the duration." "I know you and your family are concerned about another Patriot, Christopher," Callie assured Geckoman, "but that won't be Ashley's role at Claremont." "Do you follow politics, Chris?"

I don't actually know - you should send a PM to (or I should ask) @Thevshi

Woundmaker: drops his rifle and pulls his knife! http://orokos.com/roll/600689 = 18 That's a miss! The dog is up as soon as I post IC. Cannibal Alkahest: Woodsman: shoots the Snare on Nighthawk! To speed things along, I'll say he takes it out. Nighthawk is up as soon as I post IC. The Sandersons: @Nick, we need a post from Ardent there.

Ashley shot Callie a look - the latter carefully not meeting her eyes. "No thank you, but Ms. George may want one." Walking with a slight, too-familiar limp, Callie made her way to the couch and gracefully took her seat, the springs squeaking slightly under her body weight. "I like what you've done with the place," she commented, "it feels like home. As for my car, it's a company model. What can I tell you?" She smiled slightly. "No, thank you." Ashley, for her part, didn't look relaxed at all - she leaned against the wall and scanned the apartment with a professional eye. "So I suppose you told him already," she commented tersely. "Christopher and Alek communicate occasionally. I trust his ability to keep it in the family." "All right. As long as _no one_ else knows," said Ashley frankly, giving a significant look around the apartment that included both the absent Liz and Chris's daughter. "This isn't like somebody's secret identity."

APPROVED

APPROVED

Assassin! Assassin! All right, OK. APPROVED

Oh, well, it says that on Watchdog's sheet - she learned martial arts during her time as Raven's sidekick, and she's a mutant. (She's not sure why - pollution from the Louisiana town where her mother grew up? Some chemical her grandparents or father were exposed to during the Vietnam War? Lots of explanations) Added the alien descriptor to Pulse's sheet to reflect that it's her Lor DNA flaring up. (The idea is that someone in her relatively recent family tree was a Lor explorer on Earth)

Spring 2018 Outside Chris and Liz's Apartment Ashley remembered Chris - pretty and athletic, with a quick wit and a ready smile that had made him the subject of a whole lot of crushes. Maybe sixteen-year-old Ashley George, who'd spent her teen years behind heavy acne and thick glasses, had been one of those crushes. But ten years ago could be a long time, and she wasn't the same person she'd been back then. "And you're sure he won't mind us just dropping by like this?" With her hair up, folder under her arm, dressed in a dark suit, she didn't look like a teenager - something she'd have to take advantage of as long as she could. "I am fairly confident Christopher knows that you could find him easily enough," said Callie Summers as she knocked on the door. They'd managed to stay civil enough on the drive over here, probably because neither of them had said a word to each other once they were both in the car. "And you should."

Sidekick Jaycee Cahill 'Claudia Smith' Physical Description: "Claudia Smith" is a pretty girl with long, glossy hair she's dyed reddish-brown and big dark eyes she keeps covered up (even indoors) using the same brand of designer shades that Ashley wears. Her personal fashion sense leads her towards below-the-knee A-line skirts in primary colors and poofy white blouses, personalized with tasteful jewelry with a gold cross around her neck. She speaks with a slight but distinct Southern accent. Pulse's costume consists of a dark grey and brown bodysuit and full facemask (with brown goggles over the eyes), over which she wears a leather jacket like Watchdog's and cargo shorts. When using her powers, the smart molecules in the costume turn the greys and browns much lighter. Character Backstory: Jaycee Cahill was born in 2002 in Guymon, Oklahoma. She's the middle of three girls, all of them named after their father J.T. (who she still calls 'Daddy', especially when she wants something from him). Her family has deep roots in rural Texas County; her late grandfather's savvy business sense made him a millionaire (and the richest man in Texas County, at least for a while) when he sold his failing cattle lands to invest in the natural gas boom of the 1930s. Her daddy met her momma Rachel twenty years ago, when he was fresh out of Harvard and a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma and she was just finishing up her BA in nursing. Rachel left her family in Muskogee behind to settle in her husband's hometown and work as a school nurse; Jaycee looks a lot like her mom, with her mother's skin tone, petite build and dark hair. Jaycee knows there was a time when her daddy wasn't a politician, but she can't really remember it. She wasn't yet in elementary school when her daddy ran for the Oklahoma State Legislature, a position he held for only a few years before deciding legislative service wasn't for him. The former political science professor at OPSU wasn't a man for legislative negotiations and dickering - he wanted to be the man in charge. Friendly to the oil industry, married to a Comanche woman, projecting a folksy-but-informed manner that let him speak cordially to both Tulsa suburbanites and farmers in the Panhandle, JT Cahill ran first as an outsider in the Republican primary, then was elected Governor of Oklahoma in 2010. Jaycee found that she liked being a governor's daughter. She was one of the most popular kids in her tony private schools in Oklahoma City, getting her attention she'd hardly ever won as a middle child back home, and living in Oklahoma City was a lot better than living in Guymon. It meant changes at home - she saw a lot less of her daddy and her momma, but she was reaching an age where that wasn't so bad. She got to travel too; out to DC and down to Austin, getting to know the children of other politicians and rich friends of her daddy's, and even got to visit. She wasn't old enough to be interested in boys the way her older sister Jaybee was, but she was sure that when she did, she'd have her pick of the best ones. She had a lot of plans. Jaycee was old enough to have some idea of what they were getting into when her daddy and momma sat her and her two sisters down in December of 2014 to tell them something very serious. Her daddy had thought hard, he'd prayed hard, and he'd talked to their mom and his friends - and Governor Cahill was going to run for President in the next election. Freshly 13, Jaycee rolled her eyes but didn't actually backsass her daddy - her daddy had just been re-elected Governor earlier that year and she figured the campaign for President couldn't be _that_ different from the campaign for Governor. And besides, it probably wasn't going to amount to anything. She had to admit she loved her dad (privately, anyway), but the country wasn't going to elect her dad, with his corny jokes and his Sooner ties and cheerful belly, President, right? The headaches started around the time of Jaycee's fourteenth birthday, just a short time after her father had been elected President of the United States. They were small at first and she got aspirin for them, then stronger stuff - stuff the White House doctors had to prescribe, then hospital visits to get her on a new type of painkillers. Her daddy's people kept it out of the media, which made her feel a little better - running for President was _not_ like running for Governor at all, and the campaign had turned her life completely upside-down. She knew how important this job was to her family, to her sisters, to America; she decided not to tell anyone when the headaches came back after a few months of treatment - or when she started hearing whispers in empty rooms in the White House, and then seeing things she knew weren't there - strange colors and patterns that she blocked out by sheer force of will. She wasn't going to ruin everything for her family by being a freak! And then came D-Day. Power Description: Subject's metahuman abilities reflect a biological connection to the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum - particularly the VHF frequencies just above one meter. Her neurological and skeletal systems have a unique chemical composition that makes her a natural transmitter and receiver of these frequencies. In a 'resting' state, she has the ability to send and receive signals along these frequencies, visual data being transmitted to her optic nerve and auditory to her ear canal. However, subject's abilities are 'overpowered' (as is common among younger metahumans). When in an environment with sufficient VHF energy (such as that found in any major metropolitan area), her body begins to act as a natural 'sponge' - absorbing and storing these energies throughout her cellular structure. Sufficient accumulation of these energies results in so-far uncontrolled discharges of energies cascading 'above' the VHF range into microwaves and infrared radiation. These discharges are extremely hazardous to her environment and others within it. Unless her abilities can be reliably controlled, there will be further D-Day events. Subject is not recommended for inhibitor technology for multiple reasons - in addition to the hazard her abilities pose to the sensitive environment where she lives, her neurological functions have become dependent on the VHF radiation she absorbs unconsciously. Without regular exposure to VHF radiation, her brain will begin to shut down and she will enter a persistent comatose state. Abilities: 0 + 0 + 8 + 0 + 4 + 8 = 20PP STR 10 (+0) DEX 10 (+0) CON 18 (+4) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 18 (+4) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Init: +0 ATK: +4 [+7 Ranged] DEF: +10 (+6 Dodge Focus, +4 Base, +2 Flat-Footed) Grapple: +4 Knockback: -3/-2 Saves: 2 + 6 + 4 = 12PP TOU +6/+4 (+4 Con, +2 Defensive Roll) FORT +6 (+4 Con, +2) REF +6 (+0 Dex, +6) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 64R=16PP Bluff 6 (+10) Diplomacy 6 (+10) Knowledge (Civics) 5 (+5) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 3 (+3) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 5 (+5) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 5 (+5) Handle Animal 1 (+5) Medicine 6 (+8) Perform (Vocals) 6 (+10) Ride 5 (+5) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 15PP Attack Focus (Ranged) 3 Defensive Roll 1 Dodge Focus 6 Improved Defense 2 Power Attack Set-Up Uncanny Dodge (radio) Powers: 1 + 1 + 3 + 34 + 2 = 41PP Datalink 1 (10 ft, radio) [1PP] Immunity 1 (own powers) [1PP] Immunity 1 (environmental heat, environmental radiation, starvation and thirst, alien) [3PP] Radio Control 16 (32PP, PF: Alternate Power 1, Variable Descriptor 1 [any electromagnetic], alien) [34PP] BE: Damage 8 (Extras: Area [Burst], Linked [Dazzle]) {16} + Dazzle 8 (radio) (Extras: Area [Burst], Linked [Damage], Secondary Effect, Flaw: Range [Touch]) {16} {16+16=32/32} AP: Disintegrate 9 (EM power, Flaw: Action [Full, 2, on both Damage and Drain], PFs: Improved Crit 2, Indirect 3) {32/32} Super-Senses 2 (Infravision, Radio, alien) [2PP] DC Table Unarmed DC 15 Bruised/Injured Blast DC 24 Bruised/Injured Damage DC 23 Bruised/Injured Dazzle DC 23 Ref/Fort Blinded costs Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saves (12) + Skills (16) + Feats (15) + Powers (41) = 120/120 Edited Thursday at 11:45 AM by Thevshi

"I'll be a teenage vigilante brought to ground, she'll be my sister with out-of-control powers." Ashley shrugged, keeping her face a studied blank. "We can pass for sisters easily enough; she's about my height and we have the same coloring. We'll work out the details later - the important thing is that the attention stays on me and not on her. And not on this school." Did she really not say a damn thing? "There was some debate about this, given the concerns that other parents may have about the risk." said Callie Summers, her face showing a rare trace of humor given the dangers of the situation. "But given the First Family's desire for anonymity and the school's need for privacy, a false cover identity for both bodyguard and protectee seemed the most reasonable solution." "

"Murjana and her husband are loyal citizens of Dakana," said Monsoon, which was arguably true depending on how one recognized the legitimacy of the current royal family. Nina had given much thought to this issue. "Who recognize that a strong Socotra means a strong Dakana - we have found common cause in the last few years." Was the Dakanan dynasty so different from her own? Raised up by the blood, given a people to reshape in their own image, albeit with a rather more fractious people than those her father had ruled. "You will find that tongs and triads have little reach beneath the lion's paw; and Murjana sees the wisdom of my father's abdication." At least, she had _better_ still do so. "She may be a friend, if you are willing to accept that she is not like those you know in Freedom." Behind Nina, Mark was producing a variety of toys for a fussy Richie, seemingly pulling them out of thin air and discarding them to the same place when they didn't satisfy the baby. "If you need to do the thing you came here to do," he said, calling out to Tsunami, "we can come back later."

Doesn't he need Innate on the Training container?

not to be a cheese-man from cheesetopia, but Impervious 2 is so low! You could get more by spending those points elsewhere, if you are so inclined...

Hmm - any reason other than flavor for the rings to be two devices? Do they need Restricted?

(note - this sheet takes the slot formerly occupied by the now-maxed character Edge) (note 2 - this sheet has one veteran reward [for Watchdog's vehicle + headquarters + equipment] + one veteran award [15PP worth of Pulse] + part of another veteran award [6PP worth of Pulse] This should leave me with 9PP of veteran award 7 remaining]) Watchdog Power Level: 11 (189/197) Trade-Offs: -1DEF/+1TOU, +5 ATK/-5DMG Unspent Power Points: 8 In Brief: Teenage sidekick turned Secret Service Agent pretending to be a teenage vigilante. Alternate Identity: Ashley Tran George Identity: Secret? Ish? Depends on who you ask. Birthplace: New Orleans, USA Occupation: Secret Service Agent, Superhero, Bodyguard Affiliations: Her charge, Jaycee Cahill Family: Phillip Tran [father, deceased], Mary Arbour-George [mother, living], William George [stepfather, living] Mary (1994), Cecilia (1997), Agnes (2001) and Phillipa (2003) [sisters, living] Age: 26 (DoB: April 1992) Gender: Female Ethnicity: Eurasian Height: 5'6" Weight: 145 lbs Eyes: Black Hair: Black, dyed pink at the tips Physical Description: Ashley is short and round-faced, with big eyes and a smile that makes it easy for her to pass as sixteen - not that she's doing a lot of smiling these days. She's grown her jet-black hair out for this mission and dyed the tips pink, another way to help herself pass as someone a decade younger than her actual age. She has the muscular build of a born athlete, albeit one with a boxer's training rather than a gymnast's. When not wearing her helmet, she sticks close to "Claudia" and doesn't say much except when directly addressed or speaking to her 'sister', keeping most of her face hidden behind dark sunglasses and a near-perpetual scowl. She speaks English with no particular accent, though her French and Vietnamese have Louisiana and American accents, respectively. She usually dresses like a teenage girl trying to look like a punk, or at least push the dress code - leather jackets, dark T-shirts, and denim skirts or pants. In costume as Watchdog, she wears a grey armored outfit with a bright red snarling dog's face over the chest. Over that she wears a black and grey leather jacket with metal studs on the shoulders - and covering her head a modified motorcycle helmet painted the same red as her chest symbol. She wears fingerless black gloves on both hands while in combat. Her jacket comes with a hood that she usually keeps pulled up, the better to strike a more intimidating profile. At either side are two silvered pistols, hanging on each hip. Watchdog is, if anything, a sourer presence than Ashley - her helmet-muffled voice sounding tinny and artificial. Quote: <Watchdog stares up at her interrogator until they go away> Character History: Phillip Tran fled what had once been South Vietnam with his parents in the late 1970s, his family traveling through the Phillippines and Guam before their arrival in the mainland United States. They settled in New Orleans, with its heat, its French language, and its Catholic population. (His father had served in the South Vietnamese army and his mother was Hoa, an ethnic Chinese minority disliked by the new regime - they had ample reason to leave the country.) The Trans were determined that their son, only a small boy when they fled the country, would remember the nation of his birth and so taught him language, culture, and customs. When Philip was a young man, he did what his father had and joined the military - at eighteen, he enlisted in the US Army in 1989. Phillip served his adopted homeland well, fighting in Operation Desert Storm before returning to New Orleans East to marry his high school sweetheart Mary Arbour in 1991. They were a mixed couple, but Mary was a good Catholic and fluent in French - the Trans had no complaints. They settled in New Orleans East, where Phillip's military service got him a job with the NOPD, patrolling the neighborhood where he'd grown up. Phillip and Mary became the parents of five girls [(Ashley (1992), Mary (1994), Cecilia (1997), Agnes (2001) and Phillipa (2003)] and did their best to balance both worlds - Ashley grew up hearing English, Vietnamese, and French spoken in the household and in both school and afterschool programs, worshiping at the local Vietnamese Catholic Church, and was honestly very happy. Her father doted on her and passed on his deep love of his adopted homeland, its people, and his chosen career - law enforcement. Ashley loved her father and the neighborhood where she grew up - but unlike her father, she hoped to use service to others as a way up and out. Her way out, influenced by her dad's love for Clint Eastwood movies, was from an early age the United States Secret Service. Protecting the President, the symbol of American freedom, seemed like the coolest job in the world - she read about the long hours and thankless conditions, but she appreciated the need for sacrifice to get what you want. And what she wanted was the Secret Service and the Presidential Protective Detail. It would take years of training and study, especially since fate and genetics had given her a small frame that would make a lifetime of physical activity difficult. But she had the drive and the commitment to make it happen. But life had some curves to throw her way first. Ashley was thirteen when Katrina hit - thirteen when her father died. It was all very sad - a beloved local cop killed by a looter in the frantic days just after the hurricane, four little girls and one very pregnant widow left behind. She didn't believe it - despite what the outside media said, there weren't that many looters around, especially not in their relatively isolated neighborhood, and even those looters wouldn't shoot a police officer in the back for no reason anyone had ever been able to find. It didn't add up. But nobody wanted to hear it - especially not her grieving mother. A few months after her father's death, a month after her baby sister was born, her mother married one of her father's former partners - an Anglo man who was himself eager to get out of the damaged city. They moved to Lafayette, where her stepfather found a job as a campus police officer for the University of Louisiana - and Ashley made plans to get the hell out of town. When Ashley's powers first appeared on the Fourth of July, 2006, when Lady Liberty's appearance at the Lafayette, LA Fourth of July festivities ended with a certain teenager firing beams of golden light from her eyes and singing the National Anthem (an utterly mortifying experience that she is forever grateful took place just before the widespread adoption of the smartphone), Mary George almost didn't let her daughter go to Claremont even after the League helped keep the news of the "Copycat" out of the national news, and after the arrival of kindly headmaster Duncan Summers - not until it was made clear to her that the school was safe and that her daughter would be protected. When Ashley found out what the school was _really_ for, it wasn't hard for her to figure out what she wanted to do - she wanted to find the man who had killed her father! First came two years of hard training and discipline, learning everything she'd need to learn to be a superhero. What was a social life when there was work to be done? Maybe she studied too hard, and pushed her body to its breaking point - but what else was there to do? She had to find justice, even if no one else wanted to - or could. Ashley George's first time on patrol with the Raven changed her life. It was 2008 and she was sixteen, in her second year at Claremont Academy and honestly not sure if she wanted to be a superhero. She didn't have the flashy powers of many of her classmates, the first Next-Gen students like Bolt or Megastar, she wasn't a particularly outstanding student (though she did work hard, spending hours in the library every night), nor was she particularly happy in Freedom City, so far from her home in New Orleans. But the Raven saw something in Ashley she didn't see in herself - and so it was that 'Copycat' joined the Raven on patrol as an occasional sidekick. People who kept a close eye on Raven around the start of the current decade will remember Copycat in her full-face mask and cat-ears, the black and navy blue costume that she burned years ago. But never mind that. Ashley enjoyed adventuring alongside the famous hero, especially once she gained enough control over her energy-draining abilities to use them in the field - but truthfully she appreciated the private lessons more. She learned the Raven's "style-less" style of goju hand-to-hand fighting, learning how to take down men half again her size in hand-to-hand combat. She learned how to work a room and how to control a crowd with her voice and her eyes, letting darkness, mystery, and the occasional violent beating distract from the fact that she was just a petite girl whose superpowers generally didn't do much to make her bulletproof (except when she was fighting psychopaths who could punch through steel doors!) She learned other things too - Raven was Amerasian too and had also lost a parent to crime. Maybe it was their similarities that had drawn Raven to her - Raven wasn't much for talking. The problem was, after her senior year, Ashley wasn't one for listening - at least, not to Raven. Ashley George's break with superheroing began the spring of 2010; the day she caught the man who, ten years earlier, had murdered her father. On the one hand, it was incredibly satisfying. Raven and Copycat found the killer of her father in the spring of 2010, the culmination of two years of investigative work by the duo (both remotely and on-scene) that finally cracked after a lucky break. He made the mistake of fighting back when Raven crashed through his apartment door and Copycat through his window, and Copycat had the great pleasure of kicking him in the knee until he collapsed, then beating him into unconsciousness with the butt of his own shotgun. Ashley still lets herself go back to that moment when she needs something to get her blood pumping. On the other hand, it wasn't so satisfying at all. Paul Dubois was a drug dealer and a criminal, a man who had turned to marketing zombie powder and Zoom to impressionable young people in Ashley's old neighborhood. He was a bad man and taking him down was a great thing. But he'd turned to crime as a way of paying for his own addiction to zombie powder, a downward spiral that earned him a death sentence in the spring of 2012 when he was convicted of murdering Phillip Tran, an NOPD officer who had come across him cleaning out one of his drug stashes while the storm hit. It was hard to ignore how superhumans had made him worse rather than better, how a man who might have been able to turn his life around had only sunk further into the muck because of the gods and monsters of the world. She and Raven started arguing more after that, arguing about superheroes and supervillains, about how much good the former actually did when they weren't stopping world-ending threats. In the end, it was no one great thing that drove apart hero and sidekick, no great crisis that either of the two born 'fixers' could have solved. When Raven kept Copycat at arms length, endless tests and trials and secret drills only taught Ashley that her mentor valued her costumed identity more than her real self - when Raven kept Copycat close, the hidden reality of the superhero world showed her the underbelly of the gods and heroes - the dimensional vibrations where supers had gone to war with humans rather than protecting them, the criminals turned heroes who laughed at justice for their crimes, the Grue and other monsters hiding among innocent people, the codenames and secret identities and the endless secrets kept from a general public that supposedly couldn't "handle the truth". When Copycat left the Raven's side after graduation, it was not on good terms - and she didn't look back. She had better things to do. When Ashley graduated from Claremont Academy in 2010, she had her diploma and her associate's degree both - having taken advantage of the school's early college program during her time as the "workaholic wallflower." After two more years, she had her bachelor's degree in criminal justice (and a minor in political science) from Our Lady of Holy Cross College. After a lifetime of repression, college had been a breath of fresh air - she'd gotten drunk for the first time and smoked weed while she was at it and had her first real boyfriend - at least until he found out she was serious about not wanting to stay in New Orleans and that she wasn't interested in getting married right now. She had plans. First came three years (2012-2015) as a New Orleans police officer, wearing the star and crescent badge her father had died wearing, defending the New Orleans East neighborhood where she'd grown up. (Beyond her family ties, it's the largest American police force that doesn't ask questions about superpowers or vigilantism when you join - a legacy of the post-Katrina recruitment drives.) Eurasian and female, she was part of a tiny minority on the force - but she'd already been through much worse than anything the boys in blue could throw at her. She enjoyed the work, enjoyed patrolling the streets and keeping people safe, but nothing about being back in her old neighborhood changed her mind about her desire to move out of it. Her mother, sisters, and step-brothers were settling in fine in Lafayette; there was nothing for her here but ghosts. The laws dealing with superbeings and federal employment are complex - something Ashley knew even before she filled out her application to join the Secret Service. She had the grades, she had the physical training, and she certainly had the experience. She had to be careful about how she wrote about that last thing (given that Copycat had much more training in criminal justice than Ashley George could ever admit to having) - but her three years at the NOPD, her fluent command of French and Vietnamese, along with glowing recommendation letters from her former supervisor, turned out to be just enough to make the grade. She was young (at 23, just past the minimum age) and not powerfully built - but she had what the federal government was looking for. Of course, she _also_ had the meta-gene. With so many witnesses to her accidentally stealing Lady Liberty's powers as a teenager, and the extensive battery of first physical, then psychological tests she had to undergo once she admitted to having superpowers on a federal employment form, there was no hiding who she was. But she'd thought this through, and she made her case time and time again. Despite her powers she was all-too-human; and those powers could be tremendously useful as a government agent - she could shut down the powers of an attacking metahuman with a touch, and detect the hostile intentions of many different types of beings even before they attacked. Easy to overlook (albeit often mistaken for a teenager thanks to her youth, slight build, and rounded features), she could blend right into a group of agents until she had to go into action. The hard part was avoiding AEGIS. After the mandatory ten week AEGIS training course for metahumans working for the federal government, almost all of them wind up working for AEGIS in some capacity or another - but Ashley wasn't interested. Working with AEGIS would put her too close to the worst parts of the life she left behind, with its codenames and its secrets, and she wanted the best parts instead - the bravery, and the courage, and the principles, to risk your life for another because it was the right thing to do. As the first superhuman agent of the Secret Service, her promotions were fast-tracked - within certain limits. She was in her mid-twenties (and had only been an agent for a year and a half) when she was assigned to the White House, but only to manage the file room in the basement. She liked it there, only called 'upstairs' when the President was meeting with superhumans of some character or another (usually the members of the Dream Team), where she usually stood discreetly off to one side in her sunglasses and dark, conservative clothing, making sure that President Cahill (a man popular with his detail) stayed safe. She wasn't actually part of the Protective Detail - but it was still pretty damn good. Then came D-Day. On March 15, 2018, there was an incident at the White House. The general public is aware that all the radios and other electronic gadgets near the White House went dead, some of them permanently, for a good hour and a half. The Secret Service, Capitol Police, and other law enforcement agencies in Washington went on high alert that afternoon and the whole city went into lockdown for 24 hours. The general public believes that the incident was the result of a terrorist attack by robotic members of the Foundry - an attack foiled by the Secret Service. This is a lie. What really happened was that Jaycee Cahill nearly set the White House on fire. 'Sick in bed' with agonizing migraines, she was the source of the sudden 'radio black hole' that made it appear that every radio and other wireless signal in the White House had gone dead. In the process of being evacuated from the terrorist attack along with her mother and younger sister, it was she who generated an EMP powerful enough to keep Marine One from flying - and then in a sudden burst of microwave energy, emit a pulse powerful enough to nearly kill her family and Secret Service detail as their internal temperatures raised to dangerously high levels. It was Agent Ashley George, running at full speed across the White House lawn even as the grass began to smolder around the frightened teen (who had run, hands to the side of her head, from the landing pad on the South Lawn), who saved the day, grabbing Jaycee by her pressure points and holding her as she drained the energy that powered the teen's radiation. She saved the First Family, she saved her fellow agents, and she probably stopped the irradiation of a significant number of White House staff and tourists. And it was Agent George who was on point for the news of what had followed - about Jaycee's powers couldn't be turned off or suppressed, about how she needed to learn how to use them or she would die - and so would a hell of a lot of other people if she stayed in the White House. So what could they do? Could they really tell the world that the President's daughter had power enough, theoretically, to fry an entire city - power that had come from alien DNA that blood tests found in the President and his three daughters? There had to be another way. NPC Backstory: Jaycee Cahill was born in 2002 in Guymon, Oklahoma. She's the middle of three girls, all of them named after their father J.T. (who she still calls 'Daddy', especially when she wants something from him). Her family has deep roots in rural Texas County; her late grandfather's savvy business sense made him a millionaire (and the richest man in Texas County, at least for a while) when he sold his failing cattle lands to invest in the natural gas boom of the 1930s. Her daddy met her momma Rachel twenty years ago, when he was fresh out of Harvard and a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma and she was just finishing up her BA in nursing. Rachel left her family in Muskogee behind to settle in her husband's hometown and work as a school nurse; Jaycee looks a lot like her mom, with her mother's skin tone, petite build and dark hair. Jaycee knows there was a time when her daddy wasn't a politician, but she can't really remember it. She wasn't yet in elementary school when her daddy ran for the Oklahoma State Legislature, a position he held for only a few years before deciding legislative service wasn't for him. The former political science professor at OPSU wasn't a man for legislative negotiations and dickering - he wanted to be the man in charge. Friendly to the oil industry, married to a Comanche woman, projecting a folksy-but-informed manner that let him speak cordially to both Tulsa suburbanites and farmers in the Panhandle, JT Cahill ran first as an outsider in the Republican primary, then was elected Governor of Oklahoma in 2010. Jaycee found that she liked being a governor's daughter. She was one of the most popular kids in her tony private schools in Oklahoma City, getting her attention she'd hardly ever won as a middle child back home, and living in Oklahoma City was a lot better than living in Guymon. It meant changes at home - she saw a lot less of her daddy and her momma, but she was reaching an age where that wasn't so bad. She got to travel too; out to DC and down to Austin, getting to know the children of other politicians and rich friends of her daddy's, and even got to visit. She wasn't old enough to be interested in boys the way her older sister Jaybee was, but she was sure that when she did, she'd have her pick of the best ones. She had a lot of plans. Jaycee was old enough to have some idea of what they were getting into when her daddy and momma sat her and her two sisters down in December of 2014 to tell them something very serious. Her daddy had thought hard, he'd prayed hard, and he'd talked to their mom and his friends - and Governor Cahill was going to run for President in the next election. Freshly 13, Jaycee rolled her eyes but didn't actually backsass her daddy - her daddy had just been re-elected Governor earlier that year and she figured the campaign for President couldn't be _that_ different from the campaign for Governor. And besides, it probably wasn't going to amount to anything. She had to admit she loved her dad (privately, anyway), but the country wasn't going to elect her dad, with his corny jokes and his Sooner ties and cheerful belly, President, right? The headaches started around the time of Jaycee's fourteenth birthday, just a short time after her father had been elected President of the United States. They were small at first and she got aspirin for them, then stronger stuff - stuff the White House doctors had to prescribe, then hospital visits to get her on a new type of painkillers. Her daddy's people kept it out of the media, which made her feel a little better - running for President was _not_ like running for Governor at all, and the campaign had turned her life completely upside-down. She knew how important this job was to her family, to her sisters, to America; she decided not to tell anyone when the headaches came back after a few months of treatment - or when she started hearing whispers in empty rooms in the White House, and then seeing things she knew weren't there - strange colors and patterns that she blocked out by sheer force of will. She wasn't going to ruin everything for her family by being a freak! And then came D-Day. Judith Claudia Cahill Metahuman Abilities: Subject's metahuman abilities reflect a biological connection to the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum - particularly the VHF frequencies just above one meter. Her neurological and skeletal systems have a unique chemical composition that makes her a natural transmitter and receiver of these frequencies. In a 'resting' state, she has the ability to send and receive signals along these frequencies, visual data being transmitted to her optic nerve and auditory to her ear canal. However, subject's abilities are 'overpowered' (as is common among younger metahumans). When in an environment with sufficient VHF energy (such as that found in any major metropolitan area), her body begins to act as a natural 'sponge' - absorbing and storing these energies throughout her cellular structure. Sufficient accumulation of these energies results in so-far uncontrolled discharges of energies cascading 'above' the VHF range into microwaves and infrared radiation. These discharges are extremely hazardous to her environment and others within it. Unless her abilities can be reliably controlled, there will be further D-Day events. Subject is not recommended for inhibitor technology for multiple reasons - in addition to the hazard her abilities pose to the sensitive environment where she lives, her neurological functions have become dependent on the VHF radiation she absorbs unconsciously. Without regular exposure to VHF radiation, her brain will begin to shut down and she will enter a persistent comatose state. Reveal hidden contents Power Descriptions: Watchdog generally fights like someone who has no superpowers - hanging back and picking foes off with her pistols, or wading into melee to take them out with well-placed joint strikes and body blows. She's tough in her armor, capable of taking hits from metahumans or bursts of automatic weapons fire, and isn't afraid to take some hits in order to get the job done. Without her armor she's much more cautious (especially since that deprives of her of her firearms), preferring to strike from the shadows rather than enter openly into combat. When she does use her powers she doesn't comment on the fact that she's doing so; instead closing into melee range and striking her target with her hands. There's no apparent visual effect when she does so, but psionically adept characters can observe a spectacular 'splash' of psionic energy like ripples in a pond as she copies her target's psionic aura, then absorbs that copy into herself. Once she does have powers copied, she tends to fight in a style that mimics her opponent - taking to the air for a blaster, slugging it out for a powerhouse, etc. Complications: Agent: Ashley is technically a sworn law enforcement officer, but doesn't act as such while wearing her costume except for her duties to protect Jaycee Cahill. This is a complicated situation. Break: Ashley's complicated relationship with the Raven remains both a sore point and a point of pride. Copycat: Ashley isn't hiding her superpowers but she is keeping them to herself; she'll use them as a second resort rather than a first unless she needs to save a life. Duty: Ashley George is responsible for the life and well-being of the First Daughter, Jaycee Cahill. This is her highest priority - whatever she or Jaycee thinks about this. Enemy: Baron Samedi's drug empire indirectly killed Ashley's father. Given the chance, she'll go for him - minus her duty to Jaycee. Guns: Though Ashley's pistols are not actually firearms, they strongly resemble them (this is a way of distracting attention from the level of high technology she carries) - this may be something other heroes have trouble with. Lies: Ashley lied about how she'd developed her powers when she joined the Secret Service. Nobody Knows The Troubles I've Seen: Watchdog's personality is of necessity not very nice - she has to play the part of the gritty, unlikable vigilante as a way of making sure no one pays too much attention to her. Out of Town: At her core, Ashley is in many ways still a product of her conservative upbringing - even though she did learn to relax during her time at Claremont. Patriot: Ashley George loves the United States of America and all it stands for. Secret: Ashley George is a 26 year old Secret Service agent, not a teenager from an alternate universe! Split Personality: Ashley's powers occasionally result in her copying certain mental traits of those whose powers she steals - this annoyance is one of the reasons she doesn't do it very often. We Get The Job Done: Ashley is the biracial daughter of a first-generation immigrant. Who's That Girl: Ashley wears her helmet because while there aren't that many people who would recognize the workaholic wallflower that was Ashley George from her time at Claremont - or for that matter connect her with the heroine Copycat, there are a few. Abilities: 4 + 4 + 6 + 0 + 6 + 4 = 24PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 16 (+3) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PP Initiative: +2 Attack: +5 Base, +9 Gun, +9 Damage, +15 Mimic Defense: +9 (+5 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +7 Knockback: -5/-2/-1 Saves: 5 + 6 + 5 = 16PP Toughness: +11/+5/+3 (+3 Con, +2 Defensive Roll, +6 Armor) Fortitude: +8 (+3 Con, +5) Reflex: +8 (+2 Dex, +6) Will: +8 (+3 Wis, +5) Skills: 88R = 22PP Bluff 9 (+11 SM) Climb 3 (+5) Concentration 2 (+5) Craft [Mechanical] 5 (+5) Drive 8 (+10) Escape Artist 3 (+5) Gather Info 3 (+5) Intimidate 8 (+10, SM) Investigate 10 (+10) Medicine 3 (+5) Knowledge (Civics) 5 (+5) Languages 2 (French, Vietnamese, Base: English) Notice 8 (+11, SM) Search 5 (+5) Sense Motive 7 (+10, SM) Stealth 8 (+10) Swim 3 (+5) Feats: 21PP All-Out Attack Attack Focuse (Ranged) 2 Defensive Roll 1 Devotion (Pulse) Dodge Focus 4 Equipment 15 (From Veteran Award) Evasion Interpose Luck Power Attack Precise Shot 1 Quick Draw [Draw] Sidekick 24 [Pulse, 21 from Veteran Reward] Skill Mastery (Bluff, Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive) Takedown Attack Well-Informed Equipment 15 PP 4EPs Masterwork Cellphone Masterwork Rebreather Masterwork Handcuffs Masterwork Tools (Craft [Mechanical]) Description: The Dawg looks like a decade-old Cadillac DeVille that's been modified by an experienced street mechanic into a fearsome road machine, perfect for a badass vigilante. The front of the car is modified to look like a snarling dog with headlights for eyes and snarling teeth around the grille, while the sound of its specially modified engine sounds distinctly like the growl of a large pitbull. It's fast and tough, easily capable of chasing down almost anything on the road - including metahumans! It's also completely bulletproof, with an internal life support system, built-in communicator and satellite phone, 'storage compartments' and an almost unbeatable onboard GPS. A close look reveals even more modifications - 5-inch armored doors, and "bulletproof glass so thick it blocks out parts of the light spectrum." run-flat tires, and a 454-cubic-inch engine.Confirmed accessories include "an integrated 10-disc CD changer, a foldaway desktop and reclining rear seats with massaging, adaptive cushions." It weighs about 14,000 pounds. At the touch of a button, it can turn itself into a normal-looking car - though it's still bright red. Normal mode The Dawg (STR 45 SPD 6 DEF 9 TOU 10 Size: Huge, Features: Alarm 2 [DC 25], Computer, Feature: Cellphone comm., Hidden Compartments, Navigation System Powers: Impervious Toughness 10, Immunity 9 (Life Support), Morph 6 (normal car), Super-Senses 4 (Radar) [55EP] Description: The Dawg Pound is a specially modified warehouse in Port Regal that looks perfect for the home of a gritty young vigilante. With space to park the Dawg and space to park her crew, it's a totally radical place. The fridge is stocked with diet soda and energy drinks, the freezer with frozen pizzas and chicken nuggets, the gym has equipment for punching away your inner demons to an angry techno soundtrack, the flatscreen TV in the rec room even has an XBox One with the latest games. It's angsty teen superhero paradise! Headquarters Array 9 (15EP, AP: Alternate Power 1) [16EP] BE: Dawg Pound [Size: Huge; Toughness: 20; Features: Communications, Computer, Concealed, Garage, Gym, Living Space, Power System, Security System, Workshop] The House is just a perfectly normal one-story white house with attached garage near the edge of Bayview, away from the city limits - what do you mean? Why would this house be special? AP: House Size: Small; Toughness: 15; Features: Communications, Concealed [4], Garage, Living Space, Power (Impervious + Immunity), Personnel (Other Secret Service Agents), Power System, Security System [2], Workshop Power: Immunity 9 (Life Support) + Impervious Toughness 10 {19/20} Powers: 7 + 17 + 28 + 32 + 2 = 86PP Damage 3 (Raven's Training, PFs: Accurate 2, Innate, Mighty) (training) [7PP] Device 4 (Watchdog Armor and Guns, 20DP, Flaw: Hard to Lose, PF: Restricted 1 [voiceprint]) (technology) [17PP] Blast 5 (pulsed energy projectiles; PFs: Accurate 1, Improved Critical) [12DP] Protection 6 [6DP] Super-Senses 2 (Infravision, Ultravision) [2DP] Gadgets 4 (Utility Jacket; 20PP Variable Power, Any Power, Multiple Powers At Once; Extras: Duration [Continuous]; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [28PP] Sample Gadgets: "The Beast" Enhanced Blast 7 (to Blast 13) {14/20} Collapsible Shield Force Field 6 (Extra: Affects Others) {12/20} Grapple Gun Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1] + Super-Movement 3 (Slow Fall, Swinging, Wall-Crawling 2) {9/20} Taser Stun 5 (PFs: Accurate 5) {15/20} Power Thief Container 5 (25PP Container, PFs: Accurate 5, Precise, Subtle 1 [psionic senses]) [32PP] (mutation) Fatigue 5 (Extra: Linked [Mimic, +0]) {10} + Mimic 5 (All Powers, 25PP; Extra: Linked [Fatigue, +0], Flaw: Tainted) {15} + = [10+15=25/25PP] Super-Senses 2 (Danger Sense [Mental], Uncanny Dodge [Mental]) (mutation) [2PP] Totals: Abilities (24) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (16) + Skills (22) + Feats (21) + Powers (86) - Drawbacks (0) = 189/197 Power Points