Avenger Assembled

Mark swallowed hard, looking at Erin, then Trevor before he spoke. "I understand. I've been talking that over with Dr. Marquez, and he thinks I did that because I was overcompensating after my dad left. That I was so eager to see some good in any version of myself after seeing bad things happen to my family that I...I did things I shouldn't have. I'm sorry," he said, not for the first time to Erin. "It was a mistake. You can trust me to let the other Mark, and the other Trevor, and whoever, sort out their differences against each other. Just because I won't kill someone doesn't mean I have to get involved the way I did. And if we can rescue more people like Daisy, or you, or anyone else those people are hurting...well, that'd be great too."

"A trip, huh?" Mark hmmed. "Well, this is a great time for trips, I guess. We're all graduating soon, about to go off and maybe...maybe separate. Not you guys," he added quickly, "you guys are great! But me! And who knows when we'll be adventuring together again?" With surprising perspicacity, Mark asked, "Does this have anything to do with what you were asking me the other day about Blackstone? Because if you guys want to visit the jail, I know people on the staff who can get us uniforms and everything."

"Yeah, aren't they great? These are from her special superhero line." He held up one that had a generic female superheroine on it, a shining figure in blue and white in the middle of punching an armored goon right in the chest. She looked a little bit like Miss Americana, the flying hero he'd seen on TV a few times. "BELIEVE IN YOURSELF...AND BE MY VALENTINE!" Trevor's showed a black-clad figure punching a sinister fellow with stubble and a switchblade. "CRIME DOESN'T PAY...BUT LOVE DOES!" Attached to the cards were two movie-theater-sized packets of SMARTIES. "I saw them both, and I thought of you guys. So Happy Valentine's Day! You guys doing anything?" He took a seat on Alex's chair opposite.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Hey you guys!" called Mark's voice through the solid wood. "Are you in there? I've given Valentines to everybody on my list, and I heard you were in here!" Outside, Mark wondered briefly if he was interrupting something, but he was fairly sure Erin and Trevor would pick a place where no one could bother them if they were getting up to things. He'd managed to track everyone else down with his cards and SMARTIES, but Erin and Trevor had been playing it coy. I wonder if they're planning something. I hope they're not mad at me about anything, like for interrupting them, or our last couple of missions...

The teens eventually had to part ways. Whether they were in the Imageria or the center of the multiverse's timestream, they couldn't just hang around, even if the company was interesting. Mark was intrigued by a universe where he was dating Erin, especially such a pretty version of her, but there was something a little...odd about his double. The other Mark seemed so, well, normal; he was looking forward to a steady job with the Freedom League when he graduated, happy with his relationship with Erin, and worried about his mom and his own absent father. He seemed like a normal kid, with normal problems, and Mark found himself oddly envious. He told himself it was just because of the new supers there, a bright and shining new history that the kids of that Young Freedom were writing themselves. But if he was really honest with himself, that wasn't it. _He really is happy._ Maybe he'd find the same thing where he was going. Mark stood alongside Erin as they headed back to their transport site, joining her in pinning down the still-unconscious Tiger. That time guardian thing had sent Totentanz back home before they could tell them otherwise, and disposed of the armored man who was evidently the other universe's version of the Tiger. He and his double had talked at length about the multiverse, and he wasn't at all sure how much of it he believed. But he'd taken it all down, and he and the others would discuss it at length. The best news had been that their League was all right; the Time Guardian had intercepted the Freedom League before agents of al-Khayal could destroy them, and now that he was safely back he could return them from whence they'd come. Looking at Erin, looking at their prisoner, it looked like everything was going to be all right. "Thank you!" he said to the other team as they headed for their machine. "We come from very different places, and we're very different," he said, shooting a look at his other self, and at the other Erin, "but it's good to know that wherever we go, and however we see ourselves..." He looked at his own Midnight, and said, "We're _all_ heroes. I love you," he added to his Wander, just before she pressed the button for their trip home. A few days later: The Hague The Tiger awoke in darkness to find a black and red figure standing over him, eyes glowing with the power of a god. "Master! Master, I knew you'd come for me!" He threw himself at the feet of the Divine One, only to be hurled back against the concrete wall of his cell hard enough to crack it. "I would hardly forget 'you', al-Khayal. You, the insect whose buzzing overturned a 'century' of planning. You, who have deprived me of 'two' worlds thanks to your ineptitude! Your 'name' is already a cruel jest, your world, trash unworthy of my 'power. The age of alignment is ending. It will be a 'thousand' years before I can again address my followers in this place!" "Master, please!" The Tiger fell to his knees, a pleading look on his shadowed face. "Master, please, let me stand by your side in Paradise, and I-" "...yes." His master smiled, and suddenly, the Tiger felt fear down to his bones. "Yes, I shall let you stand by my 'side', as a lesson to others who seek my favor. You will be my finest 'example'!" And with that, both vanished from the Earth. The Tiger soon regretted his master's mercy. But not for long.

Murdock folded his hands, studying Gabriel flatly. "Yes. Yes, I understand what you say. Your argument is that because what I did was not a result of my own choices, I bear no moral weight for them. That the fault lies with the original source of the evil, not those that became its unwilling tools." He hmmed. "And you're right. This world's defeat of the armies of the Terminus was a blow to Omega's armies from which he has yet to fully recover. If I truly believed in the inevitable victory of the forces of entropy, I would still be there." He wondered if Gabriel had guessed the implication of what he was; he hadn't raised the issue, which was better, really. It was not his place to debate Gabriel's theology. "Your perspective offers me a valuable understanding."

Me? Sharl gave the helmeted hero a slant-eyed look, eyes hidden behind his shades. Why me? But despite his momentary reaction, he couldn't deny that he'd been thinking along the same lines as Cannonade. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I can." Citizen crossed the car to the train's converter box, fixing it with a serious gaze. "Don't be mad," he was heard to mutter under his breath, before he rolled up his sleeve. "I have a feeling this is going to hurt..." And with that, he shoved his hand inside the box! "Aagh!" The teenager glowed brightly, the grid pattern under his skin flaring almost impossibly bright, as his hand vanished inside the metal, and suddenly the whole train jerked and began screaming to a halt, sparks flying from the wheels as every circuit on board slammed shut. As the train halted, Citizen pulled his hand away and staggered back, falling down so hard he actually clipped right through the car floor!

"The whole train..." Citizen ignored the snakeman entirely, looking up and staring at the ceiling of the car intently. "It's all one big machine," he muttered aloud. "Primitive circuitry, no AI to speak of...but the train itself is still a machine, running on the same sorts of circuitry as anything else here. And that means it has mechanisms, and control circuits...and they've probably got safety systems...right?" He walked along, studying the machinery intently. "Is that right?" he asked again, trying to get the attention of the other heroes. Oh, man, if I mess this up, Gina's going to be so mad! Plus I might hurt myself...but I could stop us now!

"Listen!" said Citizen, trying and failing to get the attention of the snakey warrior he was swinging at. "This is stupid! There are a lot more of us than there are of you, and you're just going to get yourself hurt if you keep this up!" He feinted left as the monster swiped at him, then swung a punch that turned glancing as it bounced off his armored jaw. "Even if I don't take you down, someone else will! And then you'll be in confinement, and what good will do yourself there?"

Feint as a move Action: 15 Eh, the fight's almost over, so I'll spend an HP on that 20 is better Unarmed Attack: 16 Bleah. Lemme know how that goes.

"I have seen gods die. And the faithful perish, with unanswered prayers on their lips, as the skies turn black above them and the stars go out. I have seen slaves cower in the darkness of the Terminus, worshiping the slayer of their worlds as a god of death and destruction who will one day sweep the stars from the omniverse and pull all that exists into the Doom Coil." Murdock knew that was the sort of talk most people on Earth-Prime didn't enjoy hearing, so he hmmed at that before going on, "I wish to know why these things have happened. I have spoken to what representatives of the divine I can find here. Your friend Heyzel recommended you to me, because he felt the perspective of a human being was more...valuable than his own. So I will ask you. Why is there evil?"

13 for Mark's Notice

SC, No, you don't have to spend any points. But why not spend a few? Raise SC's INT and give him the genius he deserves, max out his Luck, maybe buy him some nice Equipment?

Murdock took water, more because he'd been told it was the socially acceptable thing to do than out of any real desire. Though the couch creaked as well when he sat down, it did seem less ominous than his heavy footstep on the floor. "Rebellion from what I was is not possible. I was freed by a quirk of fate. An accident in the void, an attack by an enemy that sought to destroy me." He looked down at his reflection in the water, the sounds of space combat in his ears, the hiss of his armor and the whining buzz of radio discharges sounding in his mind. "To leave the whole, to regain...individuality is a dream we told ourselves, suffering in the pits. When the others saw I no longer heard the Voice, they turned on me. I was lucky to survive." He took a drink, slowly, and replied, "As for choice, such things were not possible. The process of transformation is sufficient to ensure that. Will is gone. But memory. But memory of what had been, and what happened, survives. Oh yes.."

"Hey, did you see that? She winked at me." Mark studied the younger bridesmaid from his spot by Trevor as the wedding party took their seats, an interested look on his face. "She's cute. Don't you think she's cute? She looks a lot like Stesha, too." He hmmed, adjusting his tux and making sure he looked presentable. "That's her sister, Chloe. Hmm." He looked at Trevor and added, "Hey, if you see us hanging out together later, don't mention anything about Claremont. I think she's in college and she might, you know, think that was weird."

Azuth: No. Just No.

"Superheroes should stick to gambling with adrenaline," offered Fusion. "At least until they're old enough to be betting their own money. Getting your kicks with adventure is a lot more fun." She gave a hissy sort of laugh and went on, "Better to be addicted to wearing the costume than addicted to craps." She scooped over a plate for herself, picking up some of Wisp's hot wings. When she ate, her mouth was exposed, showing even white teeth. "I'd suggest five-card draw. It's simple, easy to remember, and doesn't take long between rounds." She studied the others, taking in everything they said, but opted not to comment on teen relations till she heard more. "In fact, why don't we do just that?" Fusion went into action, moving chairs and tables around as discreetly as possible, tentacles extending over everyone's head in a rapid bit of motion as she worked. Joan was a superhero, but she was also a mom who'd organized kids games in the past. Even if her kid preferred inside games that didn't even get you sweating..."Seven's a big game, but I think we can make it work. I suggest we sit Jill O'Cure, Dragonfly, Sage, myself, Grim, Silhouette, and Wisp, wasn't it? Like so. She demonstrated an arrangement where Jill O'Cure sat opposite her, then the others all ticked around the table clockwise until they came back to the quip-wielding healer. "Unless any of you girls has a better idea?" She had to remind herself that these were equals.

Citizen let his body phase out again, concentrating instead on just solidifying his fists. "You'll never know what I am," he predicted confidently to the battered bad guy. "Except that I'm here to stop you from hurting and scaring anyone else!" He punched the snakeman in the face. "Aliens aren't supposed to be monsters hiding in the subway!" He kicked the guy in the knee. "They're supposed to fly down in spaceships and save us from ourselves! Not plot against us to do evil!" He poked him in the eye.

Bleah, I'm having the worst dice luck today. Citizen spends another HP 22 DC 26 Tou save on Serpent Person 1.

The science is suspicious.

Mark was swept away by the kiss, as he always was when Edge was in the mood. He was also confident enough, particularly after watching everyone kick the Tiger's butt so thoroughly, that he wasn't more than a little put off by her comment to her counterpart afterwards. After a moment's hesitation, he shot a nod to his own Midnight. Hey, he IS pretty badass! And I'm the one going home with her tonight, I can afford to be a little secure. He took out the handcuffs that he always carried in costume, just in case he might have to fight a real bad guy, and for only the fourth time ever securely snapped them on the Tiger's wrists. "That was great, you guys," he said to his own team as much as the other one, even including the other Midnight. "We make an awesome team," he added, making sure to say that to his girl most of all. Maybe the other heroes were just artifacts of the Imageria, but they were all right. Hey, Erin can see why someone would be interested in me. That's all right, thought Edge contentedly. "Saved two worlds AND busted two of the biggest bad guys on the planet. Both our planets, from the sound of things. Not a bad meeting between two worlds." He grinned, walking up to his colleague and clapping him on the back. "So, what did this loser mean about a master, anyway?" he asked the other Mark. "Sounded pretty ominous..." As the two Marks discussed al-Khayal and 9/11, Sage reached down into Overshadow's mind and found: "..." Pulling the helmet off all the way, she found the blonde, blue-eyed man underneath looking slackjawed and still, his eyes closed and tongue lolling. The apparent imposter wearing the armor of the dead supervillain wasn't just out, he was gone. Across the room, the man of Time was speaking: I AM THE GUARDIAN OF THE CLOCK. I WAS...LURED FROM THIS PLACE, WITH MY CHILDREN, AND MY HOME WAS TAKEN FROM ME BY THOSE TWO YOU FOUGHT. FEAR NOT, CHILD, he added towards Sage, THAT ONE'S MIND HAS FLED ELSEWHERE. HE WILL FIND THAT HIS JOURNEY THROUGH TIME WILL BE A FAR HARDER TRIP THAN HE EXPECTED.

"It is an open question whether I am a member of the human race," said Murdock with that slow, measured voice. "While my genetics would suggest one version, my life and my deeds suggest another. Heyzel recommended me to you because he felt the perspective of a man, born of Earth, was more valuable than a being born in a different dimensional axis." He paced the room, slowly, the floor creaking slightly beneath his feet. "There are a dozen like me in this dimension. Perhaps more, perhaps less, depending on how many have survived their time in the hands of your governments. Of all those, as far as I know, I am the only one who remembers what we did. And what was done to us." When Gabriel questioned him about the reality of his situation, Murdock paused and said, "If I demonstrate, you will become wrathful. There is no plane of existence where I may walk the streets without disguise. All would raise their hand against me even where I was born."

The man outside was a strange figure to Carson's eyes, his brown, hairless skin lined with a pattern of what might have been tribal tattoos, his shoulders slumped ever-so-slightly, and whatever lay behind his eyes was flat. When he spoke, his voice was a steady metronome that neither rose nor fell. "My name is Murdock. I was sent here by the angelic entity of Lantern Hill. He told me to tell you that he thought you would make a better counselor for my needs. He apologized for the surprise, but said my reality was more persuasive than any of his words could be." A beat, a pause, and then an additional: "I am a sinner."

As the city warmed against the slow onset of spring, still a month away or more, a monster prowled the halls of Carson's apartment building. Murdock had spoken at length with the representative of Yahweh's court in Lantern Hill, and that worthy (though baffling) being had sent the former Omegadrone to speak to a more temporal counselor. The angel and the Omegadrone had been perhaps too similar to really understand each other, the vast gulf between Heaven and the Terminus enough that while they knew each other's pain, neither of them could really communicate. Which had made it necessary to send the former Omegadrone to the man with the golden voice. The floor creaking under his heavy, metal-augmented weight, Murdock knocked on Carson's door.

"Yeah...yeah." Suitably chastened, Mark ate his food. He was a little disappointed no one had gone along with his scheme, but he was used to his friends preferring to plan things out where he preferred to jump in and let the chips fall where they might. "We'll do it another time. I've got a lot on my plate. My mom is out of therapy," he offered, mostly for the benefit of the friends who'd been there when she'd gone in. "And she wants me to move back into school."