Avenger Assembled

"Oh." Mark had heard of the Magpie, all right. He thought of his own father, so far away, somewhere where he might never see him again. Somewhere where he'd gone and left the family behind. "My father is a superhero. But he's gone now. I didn't know the Magpie had any children," he said, doing his best to stay polite as he felt a surge of unfamiliar emotion. "If he's as old as Raven II, he must have been a young man when you were born." Sounds like his father isn't around either. Repressing a surge of really nasty feelings, he turned to Tasha and said, "That sounds pretty cool. Pretercognition must be a pretty useful skill. My friends say I'm lucky to know what's going on half the time."

"The burgers are good," said a jovial Mark as he came back to his seat. "And the chili fries." There were no further weird incidents as they ordered, and the three teens relaxed for a little while. "I've dealt with pretercognitives before, but I've always thought that would be a high-stress job," he said, a little tactlessly to Tasha. "I mean, what if something really bad happens and you miss it?" He coughed, looked a little abashed, and added, "Dimitri, you've mentioned inheriting your powers from your dad a couple of times. I...I sort of did the same thing," he admitted. "Well, not from your dad, obviously, but you know what I mean. Is he someone I'd have heard of?" he asked. "I'm pretty up to date with superhero stuff, that kind of thing. Or is he a private contractor?" he speculated. "People who don't want to do hero work can make a lot of money doing that kind of thing, I've heard."

"Right then. I'll ride you, we'll get there faster. Depending on what armaments they're carrying, we can't let them get away, much less go crazy in a city this big. Let's roll." Fusion wrapped herself around Lady Winter without hesitation, black tentacles hanging onto the other woman's midsection as she joined her on the slide outside. "If you can get close enough, I can drop onto the truck and disable it; I've done it before," she said, her voice the calm, assured tone of an experienced superhero. "Or you can put an ice slick under the tires and throw them off, if that's something you do. Either way, time to go!"

Fusion goes on 20; Robot goes on 16 Fusion: 20 Robot: 16 LW: 6 Fusion is up.

Superior is a MONSTER I'll get an IC post up in a bit.

He is bruised... And staggered! OK, I'm trying not to fiat much this time out, so I'll let him stay staggered. Rift is up.

Giving Wander an opportunity to redeem herself after hitting him, Mark aids her. His Teamwork 3 gives her +5 on her attack vs. Superior.

Mark Lucas was well-used to impossible things happening. Sometimes it seemed like it was the possible things that happened especially rarely! But confronted with Superior boiling out of the past, followed shortly by an impossible vision in cybernetic armor, Mark's world seemed to slow to a crawl. It was true that Mark was not a particularly bright boy; his friends and teachers had long since noticed his tendency not to pay attention to anything that wasn't inside his head. But it was a mistake to think that head was actually empty. Well, most of the time. "Wait, the Centurion was buried, not dropped into the Zero Zone," he muttered out loud as his mind slowly turned through the gears of thought. "But that's definitely Superior...it must be the Centurion from a different universe!" he exclaimed. "Or something!" Either way, he knew what to do. "Wander!" he yelled. "I'll cover you! Try and get in there and keep him from wrecking the machinery! We'll need it to get rid of him!" With that he hurled a steel ball bearing from his belt at Superior, the tiny assault a big distraction for the sorely-pressed paragon.

Oh, shoot, looks like I accidentally skipped myself and Electra! Sorry, all. We'll take actions as they come. I'll post for Edge.

"You tell ME!" said the black-clad tentacled titan, her arms whipping out to rip the frame of her window right out of the wall, pulling it inside so that no one would be hurt by falling debris or broken glass down below. "They shot at _my_ window! Whoever they are, they're down in that red Ford." Suckered tentacles clinging to the hole in the window, Fusion turned and looked at Lady Winter. "We're going to need to move fast and hit them hard if they're carrying any more military-style ordinance. I can only do about thirty-five if I'm not high enough to glide on my mantel. How fast do you fly?"

She's dazed all right

We'll cut the numbers short, and say Joan spent an HP to acquire Interpose and pull LW out of the way.

Joan frowned when she heard the knock at her window, and tensed when she saw the blue figure outside. Isn't that...Lady Winter, the cryokinetic? It took her a minute to place the other heroine, who she didn't know at all. Hoping she was about to be confronted on a negative article rather than about her secret identity, Joan got up from her seat and carefully made her way to her window. The Ledger building was old enough that the windows actually did open, and she cracked her window open to peer over at Lady Winter. "Can I help you?" she asked, a little suspiciously. Joan was a tall woman, big enough to lean out of the window as she talked. Looking down, she caught sight of the pickup truck stopped in the middle of the street, and the long metal tube in the back pointed straight upward. "I...GET DOWN!" Suddenly, gigantic tentacles erupted from the sides of the tall woman Lady Winter was talking to as Joan grabbed her and yanked her out of the way as a TOW missile's shell went flying past both of them, arcing into the sky to explode harmlessly away from the skyscrapers all around. Black was erupting all over Joan's body as her costume burst into view, covering her body as her tentacles whipped through the air. "What the devil!?!"

Joan's Notice check is 26, so she sees...well, you'll see

The place to be.

Joan Collier sat at her desk, scratching away at her latest article on superheroic fashions. Her conversation with Erin White had gotten her thinking about the way that superheroines dressed, or rather were encouraged to dress by the pressure of gender roles and the way women's bodies interacted with society's demands on superheroines. She'd talked to Fletch Beaumont in advance, and he'd advised her to cut out the criticisms of particular heroines who might well take offense to the message. At least there's a lot of good to say, she thought to herself as she wrote, Those kids at Young Freedom don't dress like strippers, and whatshername on the Interceptors is well-dressed. It's just a few bad apples... Outside, Lady Winter rode in on a column of ice, a note in her hand. It had come by mail to the ice-wielding heroine's seaside home, one of the first pieces of personal correspondence she'd gotten there. And what could be more mysterious, or more tempting, than this? There was a handrawn map on the back of the note, specifying exactly what window she was supposed to be at when the hour of noon came.

"It's helpful to remember that they're doing the Creator's work too, even if they don't know it," said Heyzel gently. "Those who pass to Olympus or Valhalla have made their choices, and are beyond our concern. Our concern is with the here and now, and building a kingdom of men and women on Earth worthy of what lies after. If you're interested in volunteer work," he said, changing subjects smoothly, "I can arrange something for you through my church, and I know Stesha knows many people. There really is something remarkably satisfying about the simple act of Creation, especially what she does, when it's in the name of making the place a sweeter one for all who live here."

Heyzel cut the cake and served, gladly making sure that everyone had enough. "People skills are what the job is all about. Whether you're handling them roughly or gently," he added. "Even if there's a battle you can't join, helping the innocent escape to safety is as valuable as cleaving any robot from beyond the stars in twain" He was quiet for a few moments, eating, before he said, "If you're interested in support from the League, let us know. They won't admit anyone on the say-so of one member," he added, "not even mine. I tried to encourage them to admit Bombshell, the former thief, but they would have none of me," he added. "It can be a challenge sometimes to deal with people who don't understand where your powers come from. Have you worked with anyone inspired by the pagan pantheons?"

"Our abilities are different," Heyzel clarified, "but our powers spring from the same Heavenly well. It's the difference between..." He hmmed for a moment. "Between a powerful amplifier and a skilled musician. Both do valuable work for their field, they simply do it in very different ways. And truthfully, both are far better together, if they ever hope to reach the people that need them." He didn't offer which was which; he was familiar enough with human social graces to know that the wrong choice would be insulting. "Fighting is something we all hope to avoid. I've seen enough violence, both in the hereafter and here, to know that it's not a true solution, not to the underlying problems of the world. And I would like some coffee, please," he said politely. "I'll have the Baileys as well, if you've enough."

"It would have been difficult for you to keep your name from me, Gabriel," said Heyzel wryly, "as I am ambassador of the one who gave you your powers." He'd hoped his putative ally would be a little more open with his friend, but he supposed Carson was only human. Perhaps I spoke too greatly about the value of disbelief. "Let me provide for you, Stesha, as you are providing for us." He made a gesture in the air, and a swirl of Heavenly light over her coffee table became a round white cake, covered in frosting. "Angel food cake," he said, a faint smile at the pun. Heyzel was still learning some of the details of Earthly humor.

"Fleur de Joie, this is my friend Gabriel." He opted to let Fleur decide if she was going to give her name to this man: Stesha usually did, but that was her business, not his. The secrecy of superheroing was one thing he understood all too well. Sometimes, in a sinful world, justice needed to wear a mask. "He is empowered by the intervention of the Archangel Gavriel, though he is a mortal man himself. I've invited him to meet with you, because you are a true friend to justice and righteousness in this city...and with your many friends, a worthwhile friend to have." He folded in his wings, standing comfortably in Stesha's apartment.

In a flare of Heavenly light, they disappeared. Carson was conscious of an ethereal warmth all around him and a vague hint of an impossibly beautiful choir, before they reappeared on the rooftop of an apartment building across the river. Carson was new to the city, but he judged they were somewhere near Midtown. "She prefers to be called Fleur de Joie when working in her professional capacity," said the angel as he led the way to the stairs. "She is on the Freedom League with me, along with many others of good character. You will find her a good contact, and worthy friend." When they reached Fleur's door, Heyzel knocked.

"To doubt is to be worthy," the angel replied. "A surety of conviction is one that ignores an unsure world and an unsure heart. Blind faith is no greater than blind hate." He smiled, and laid his hand on the man's shoulder. "You are striving for the best in the world, and that is proof enough of your worth. You are not alone, Thomas. Come with me," he suggested suddenly, "and I shall introduce you to a true friend. Even those only indirectly empowered by Heaven are our friends in this city, and they have much to teach us. You've carried an angel's burden for so long. Let an angel carry you."

"That's cool," Mark said to Dimitri. Without losing anything of his bubbly personality, he added, "Are you a psychokinetic like that guy on the Indian super-team, the Maharajah, or do you warp space like Mr. Dark Star? That's one of our faculty members," he added in a murmur, shooting a glance around to make sure no one was paying attention. "He can take people to like other galaxies and stuff. Some of my friends went on field trips with him and fought space pirates!" he added jovially. "I've been to space a couple of times, but mostly just to the Moon. It's pretty cool there, you can see the whole Earth! And once to Rigel IX." To Tasha, he went on, "Well, it sounds like you're in the right place," he said seriously, his voice dropping a little. "We have a lot of kids with psychic powers at our school and they get some really good education. My friend Alex," he added, "she studies with the Scarab, and she says she's really gotten a lot of good stuff out of working with her. Used to be a him, by the way, but not anymore! My dad was a friend of the old Scarab's," he murmured. "But he died way before I was born. Not my dad; the Scarab, duh. He died back in the 70s." Going back to the question of his powers, he said, "Well, uh, we usually don't go talking about being empowered in public, but this is usually a safe place for that kind of thing. Remember, anywhere else, there's nothing super-special about our school. It's just a really exclusive, really nice prep school." He grinned sheepishly and added, "When people ask how someone like me got into Claremont, I usually just tell them it's because my dad knew...knows the headmaster. And he does," he said with a sad little grin, "so that part's all true. As for my powers, they're, uh-" Their waitress came by and patted Mark gently on the shoulder, the lovely blonde asking him "How are you doing today, Mark? Are these friends of yours from your 'special' school?" "Yeah!" Mark exclaimed. "They're new students. This is Dimitri, and that's Tasha. This is April, she's my usual waitress here." "It's nice to meet friends of Mark," said April, still smiling really big, like a kindergarten teacher with a special needs child. "He's always so peppy and full of life, and he makes everyone here smile with his stories. I'm glad they treat him nicely at that 'school.' " When Mark was busy filling his soda cup at the dispenser nearby, April looked after him and murmured for Dimitri and Tasha's benefit. "My little brother is on haloperidol, so I understand. It's too bad they can't help him more, though. So what can I get you guys?"

"Hmm." Freedom Angel thought about his last meeting with Gavriel, the deep frustration of pleading with the Herald and Regent, his hopes and prayers for a position on Earth and how they'd finally been rewarded. "Some men have said that angels cannot show their true faces on Earth; that the frail mortal flesh would melt away before the glory of the divine. This is a lie, a wicked lie, spread by the Adversary. Men's minds are stronger than they know. That was indeed Gavriel to whom you spoke. You are a lucky man. He usually sends we lesser breeds in his place." Ignoring for a moment' the man's shock at his own revelation, he said, "Are you worthy of that favor, Carson?"