Avenger Assembled
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"No, he...hey, I guess I never showed you!" Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out his big brown leather wallet, digging out a family picture that it took Erin a moment to recognize - the dark-skinned man and woman in the hospital room were unmistakeably Prince Morakot and his bride Nepthys, and the little baby she was holding had to be the serpentine child, particularly when she looked closely and saw the cat-like gleam in tiny, half-opened eyes. "You're a god-aunt, kind of! Prince Siddig was born back in early January, and everybody's doing just fine. Luckily Serpent babies don't change their shape until they're teenagers. It's so their mothers don't get exposed when they're sneaking around. I sent pictures to you and Trevor, but that was....you know, back when." He shrugged. "Anyway, Nina's dad didn't take it well." He frowned. "Morakot hasn't been back to Socotra since, and I don't think he wants to. The royal family doesn't see foreign visitors much these days. Half the time I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and Nina's dad to pull her out of school and take her back home, but she says she's pleaded with him enough to let her finish her education that it hasn't been an issue yet. As for how things are going...it's kind of weird," he admitted. "I've never dated a girl this long before, but things are going well. She's very...intense, very driven. Not like some of the girls I knew at Claremont."
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"This is...this is delightful!" said Frost, suddenly breaking out in a smile that was somewhere on the border between kind and unkind. "You are shrunken, and it is marvelous! Forgive me earlier," he said with a wave, "I remembered the Set of old, you know, the all-conquering destroyer who wanted to see the Sun devoured by his serpentine master. Should I treat that coming with anything but alarm? But you are...not alarming." He waved at the car. "Think nothing of it. Technology has advanced too fast these many years. As for my name, I am Comrade Frost," he said with a shrug. "I am too frozen in my ways to change with every hot gust of political change. And why would I call myself other? Are you any less Set for what you are now?" To the others, he said, "I knew Set the Destroyer of old. He would lie, he would cheat, he would steal, he would...well, I am no old woman to gossip, but you know the stories." He looked around at the cratered street and the still-shadow-wrapped car. "But never this. This sort of deception was beyond his reach, even when he did pretend to be young and weak. I have seen the power in his soul. I knew him well and saw his aura enough to recognize it today. This is Sutekh himself, but diminutive. What a fine day this has become. Is Horus shrunken as well?" he inquired. With his light-wielding powers and holy weapon, Horus the Avenger had not been a favorite of Frost among American superheroes.
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"You!" Comrade Frost had not yet made the kinds of connections in Freedom City he'd hoped to make during his year's liason duty - he also didn't sleep, rarely ate, and was scholarly enough that he spent much of his time studying in the League's archives of old cases. A minor member of the People's Heroes, REALLY? But the emergency alarm had pulled him from his studies, and though for some strange reason he had missed Fleur de Joie's teleport he had managed to catch an electronic transmission to the impact site just in time to be confronted with a figure he recognized instantly. The Soviet Union had been an ally of Nasser's in the 1950s and 1960s, dispatching aid to help him root out the super-problems that kept attempting to restore this or that long-dead mummy to rule as the Undying King of Egypt, or gods who had sought to summon long-gone Heliopolis from the ground below, or a thousand other threats largely missed by Americans who had generally seen Set clash only with his brother on the streets. Comrade Frost knew Set only too well. Freezing mist floating in the air behind him, the red-eyed Frost advanced on the pagan juggernaut that he knew only too well, automatically backing up his erstwhile teammate. "Even with a new face, I remember you, Son of Geb. You will find Earth's defenders no warmer to your entreaties than they once were. How did you escape pyramidal prison?" As he spoke, he pulled out a pair of gold-rimmed bifocals and peered at Set, his eyes narrowing with something between suspicion and wonder. "That is...that is you. Wait a moment." He put the spectacles away, his suspicion and anger cracking like melting ice. Guarded concern in his accented voice now, he asked, "What has happened to you, Sutekh?"
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All right, spending an HP to have Frost's usual Detect Magic up via Ritualist, if that's okay, Giz Hitting 20 automatically on Arcane Lore http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4001813/ 24 on Theo + Philo 19 on Notice http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4001814/
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http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4001746/ Frost goes on 18
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Sharl hesitated for what felt like forever as they studied the scene, then snapped his fingers as if coming to a conclusion. "It's fake! Don't you see it?" He pointed to the corners of the little square of nothingness they were in, the places where the traffic lights didn't quite line up with each other, where the sidewalk seemed to bend, and all the other places that had made the already sensitive program all the more suspicious. "It's some kind of illusion, or fake city block, or...the nothing isn't a nothing!" he exclaimed. "Something's _behind_ this."
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http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4000471/ 14
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"Well, like I said, I've been visiting my mom, doing some stuff around the house for her..." Mark's aura of good cheer dimmed at that for just a brief moment before he went on. "And working with Claremont some too. Some of the new kids have been volunteering through the internship program, or the service learning stuff, and they've actually gone on some UNISON expeditions. I wish I'd thought to do that when I was a student, it might have made my job a little easier," he said with a grin. "Anyway, things have been pretty great, mostly. Nina's on her way back from Socotra with her break over, so I'll be able to start seeing more of her again." The catfish place turned out to be a fairly straightforward Southern-style eatery right there in Port Regal, not the only one of its kind but by no means unpleasant. Mark and Erin wound up with a table underneath a giant picture of a fishing boat at the mouth of the Mississippi that was probably older than both of them put together. "So how are things going with you and Trevor? I hear you've done some cool new stuff lately..."
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Mark didn't comment on the way out; this was a serious moment and he could tell Erin had something weighing on her mind. He knew the feeling, and was really glad things had gone so well with Singularity. When they were outside, and no disasters or frantic cries had called them back in, Mark gave Erin a bright smile. "So, you still up for lunch?" he offered. "I think we deserve a little credit, and a little reward, for a job well-done. It's been a long time since I've actually eaten something in Freedom City that wasn't for work or at home. But I still remember most of the good places. There's a nice catfish seafood place around here," he offered, "a guy from Louisiana moved up here when the voudon stuff took off and now he's got a good spread."
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"No thank you," said Frost with a polite wave in Siobhan's direction. "I am all ice and snow on inside and cannot take drugs. It is heat and smoke I prefer in tobacco in any case. Though it is delightful to know there is someone who has not abandoned instruments of civilization." He hmmed at the archaeologist's words. "I am familiar with Saddam's interest in Babylonian artifacts. A common vice for dictators such as this. Lacking their own superpowers, their policies killing or driving away super-agents, they look back to heritage of their nation for it. American military arrived in Baghdad ten years ago. I know of American agents who would be delighted to hold such artifact if there were promises of great power in mix. Why has taken so long for AEGIS to take interest in this matter?"
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"I'll let you know. Everything right now is...up in the air." He sketched an invisible pattern on Eliza's hand, thinking about the future. "There's not much you could do in the physical world, since we can't let water get anywhere near some of those corrupted systems. Your powers would probably work there once you were uploaded, if they're something the system can understand. It's pretty flexible these days." He looked into Eliza's eyes for a moment, his mind wandering. "Anyway, er. You'd be really useful there, even if you couldn't stay. It's an island city." He took a breath and admitted, "I'm really...really excited. Do you think we should try your house, you know? I can't really sneak you back into my school..."
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"Okay, sure," said Aquaria cautiously. "Sounds like we'll do fine," she reassured Ms. Wainwright. "Anyway, as you can probably tell, I've spent the whole day cleaning up next to Riverside Park and I'm filthy. I'm going to go take a long, hot shower." And with that she turned around and headed into the bathroom, leaving the little group to themselves. "I think I'm ready," said Jessie suddenly, looking around the room and then at the others. "This is a good place for me. Thank you for coming, Erin," she said seriously as the sound of the shower started up in the bathroom. "I'm going to talk with Jessie some more about our facilities," said Wainwright, "and give her more of a tour. You're welcome to stop by any time," she said to Erin, "just make sure to call ahead first so we can make sure it's all right with Jessie."
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The slowest of his group, Comrade Frost drifted into the clearing amid a faint shower of falling leaves, his rapid chilling passage having sent a few falling right off the trees as they perceived what seemed to be a radical change in season. He'd missed all but the tail end of the conversation, but given that the found civilians were far more important than his own personal comfort, he had no grudge about that. "Ah, so nice to see everyone together. And what lab?" he asked, having missed most of the conversation. Dratted tropical winds he thought peevishly. "Should we contact other group, or is matter we can handle ourselves?" he asked solicitously. "Is your team, not mine," he added.
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Aquaria turned out to be younger even than Jessie, barely eighteen, with a tall, rounded build that reminded Mark vaguely of what seals looked like. She was humanoid, though, and downright human as she got closer, talking animatedly to a security guard about what she'd been doing underwater. On closer inspection, as she reached the door, it soon became clear Aquaria wasn't entirely human at all - she had big, wide-open eyes that only occasionally blinked, and pale skin underscored by faintly greenish veins. She looked, to Mark and Erin, like what she was - a hybrid of Deep One and human being. "Aquaria, this is Jessie, she's going to be sharing Suite Gamma with you. Jessie White, this is Aquaria Innsmouth." "It's not my real last name," said Aquaria with a nervous, bubbly laugh, "but it's the only one people can pronounce. Hi!" she added, waving without reaching over to shake hands. She was still wearing her orange Project Freedom costume, though up close hers was more like a wetsuit. "Nice to, uh, meet you. As long as you don't take a lot of showers, we'll be fine!"
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Riding in close quarters with Comrade Frost wasn't a particularly comfortable experience for people without protection against cold, but the old hero did what he could to make things easy on his riding mates. "I would ride on top and give you breathing room," he had said apologetically, "but I would only attract attention up there." Inside, he looked out the window himself and said, "The last time I was in this place was...1986, I think. We had sent Saddam MiGs but fool pilots had angered djinn and been carried away to City of Brass. We rescued those boys, and then Saddam sent them to die against Iranians. Bad business." He sighed, then added, "And you know what else? That is same year American military bans smoking on their vehicles. It is a shame and a pity things have come to this." He winked. "Don't worry, we will take care of artifacts. We are professionals."
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"I'm sure you'll make it look really good," Mark told Jessie reassuringly. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to make rooms like this look great, even with just simple supplies. You'll really be able to make this place your own." Jessie seemed to like that idea, though it was hard not to like something Mark said when he was right there talking to you about it. A few moments later, Wainwright's cell beeped, and she stepped away to take a call while Dr. Franklin and Jessie talked quietly by the window. Mark looked over at Erin to see her reaction just before Wainwright came back in. "All right, I've just gotten some news that will be of interest," said Wainwright to the others, "Aquaria has finished her business a little early, so she's actually just arriving downstairs now. Now, Jessie, Aquaria looks different than most people. She has big eyes and greenish skin, and she's partially amphibious, which means she spends a lot of her time where it's very wet." That certainly explained the thin layer of condensation on the opposite door. "Do you think you'll be okay with that?" she asked the girl seriously.
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Comrade Frost said a bad word, and for a moment badly craved the comforting warmth of a cigarette. "Their world has plague. And she is, was, carrier." He studied the map, hands steepled on the table before him. "Would normally suspect fae involvement at this juncture but there was no sign of magic on her body, not even the sort one would simply find from passing between dimensions through their doors. This must have some other origin." This was the sort of thing he had spent many years thinking about, enough that he could make some guesses. "I am disturbed by news that Champions were intimately involved in early stages of this...Eden. And that it remains despite opposition from military and government. I suspect powers at work we cannot see. Are you capable of making contact through the portal?" he inquired.
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"How delightful to be redundant today," said Frost with all seriousness, scraping away the circles of mystic power he had sketched on the sand around him with a stick. The tropical ocean breeze did feel remarkably good on his chilly skin, and the ocean was wide and deep enough that swimming would be no challenge despite the usual formation of ice all around him...with a sigh, he returned to his communication. He shoved his hands in his parka pockets and stared at the forest, remembering for a black moment his previous trip to the island decades before. His voice on the line was warm and polite despite his accent. "Describe condition, if you please. Am physician. Can also transport back to carrier if necessary."
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"No, it's fine," Mark assured her as they headed down the corridor. "I didn't really have anything else to do today, and this is interesting. Besides, afterwards we'll both want somebody to talk to." Normally men weren't allowed in the women's corridor, but since Mark was a superhero (and Dr. Franklin was Jessie's registered doctor) an exception was made today - they headed down what looked like a spartan dorm or hotel corridor until they reached a room near the end of the hall. "Jessie, this is your room," said Ms. Wainwright, opening the door to an undecorated room with a single bed against the wall, a desk and small row of bookshelves, a few generic pictures of oceanviews and mountains, and a window - the view showed the backyard of the house, a well-maintained lawn just beginning to turn green again, with a few generic red-grained pieces of yard furniture about. "You'll be sharing a bathroom with Aquaria, who's doing a project on the Riverfront right now," Harriet was explaining. "I'll make sure you meet her as soon as she gets in. We like to give our residents a chance to be themselves. If you want decoration, you can pick up books from our library or try your hand at art projects - I understand you've been doing quite a lot of those?" she asked of Jessie.
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Inside was a room that looked like the lobby of an upscale bed and breakfast, barring a few small modifications like the bulletproof glass in the windows and the security cameras that looked to be nearly everywhere. A man and a woman were sitting at a table in the lobby playing checkers, though on closer inspection Mark could see the bulging green muscles on the man and see cat's eyes on the woman's face as she briefly glanced up at them. She gave a little wave, but everyone's attention was on the stout African-American woman in the purple business suit who smiled up at everyone at their approach. "Welcome to Project Freedom. My name is Harriet Wainwright, and I'm the director here. It's nice to meet you, Jessie." Everyone was cautiously eying the girl, albeit subtly, trying to gauge her reactions to the new place. There was a tank of fish along one wall and a row of books, and an old big-screen TV that someone had probably donated given the cracked casing and the make that looked to have been old well before Mark and Erin started at Claremont. It wasn't such a bad place, really, even with the security staff subtly hanging around.
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"You know, Jessie," said Mark reassuringly, "I've read about this place, and security is really high. Not only are there hidden power nullifiers and stuff in the walls, and even defense systems on the roof, but there are lots of people with superpowers who live here, not to mention their guards. I know some people from the Freedom League volunteer to help out, too. It may not look it, but this is one of the safest places in Freedom City." "The security is kept hidden," offered Franklin, "so that the residents don't feel like they're prisoners. We want to keep you safe, Jessie, not make you feel as though you've been locked up again."
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Spending an HP to jury-rig... Detect Humans [2] [visual] (Enhancements: Extended 4, Radius) [7 pp] Notice check: If he can take 20 on Notice, I would like to do that. If not, http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3990370/ = 20
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"It...didn't really mean anything to me," Sharl admitted, almost shamefacedly. "I mean the architecture was cool, the way the Centurion rebuilt his homeworld there, and all the technology. Koshiro's really into old architecture, so he thought it was really cool, and he's even working on a map of what we saw, but for me it was..." He shrugged. "I never met the Centurion. He saved us, but didn't really talk to us. The only one who did know him well enough was Leroj, and he's gone now. So it was neat and all, sure, but it wasn't really my thing. I don't even remember this last trip, anyway." He fell silent for a moment, then admitted again, "I think we're going to have to move the Troniks. It's not safe keeping them there with just the Centuritrons watching them, not with as often as the Sanctum gets attacked."
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The rest of the ride was quiet enough, the bus gradually thinning out as the lunch crowd got back to work. By the time they reached the Project Freedom building, they were actually the only ones left in the place. Mark led the way out, shooting a glance behind him to make sure everything was on the up and up, as they made their way out to street-level. The Project Freedom building, as Mark remembered, looked on the outside like one of the many old mansions in Port Regal now given over to apartments. It was only if you saw the sign on the low brick wall with PROJECT FREEDOM in orange and black, or the security cameras along the fences, that things looked anything out of the ordinary. There was no barbed wire or armed guards posted outside; after all, there wasn't really much point to that given the power of the various prisoners. Once they were on the street, Dr. Franklin asked Jessie, "Well, the surprise long bus ride is over, and you seemed to do very well. But how do you feel?"
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What struck Frost, more than anything else, was the woman's lack of fear. She had fallen across how many dimensional barriers, been torn away from her native soil, however bizarre that soil sounded, and yet she seemed almost...drugged? Or perhaps those are your old fears talking. "Come, child," he reassured her again, "we will take care of you. We have mighty magics and powers that can cross between dimensions, and we can send you home." He wanted, badly, to converse with his team, but lacking the telepaths and magical mentalists of his own team, they were on their own. Perhaps we should learn hand signals. "But I am speaking out of turn. I am guest here as well. Friends of the League, can we take this woman to the Hall to have wounds studied, and then take her home? Porheps we can go with as a precaution. To see the Mother's glory for ourselves."