Avenger Assembled

Jack looked at Dark Star as if Ace hadn't spoken; indeed, as if they were alone together and having a private conversation. Jack was truly concerned for his friend here, the comrade who'd stood by him in the darkest time of his life. Losing Dark Star's friendship would be... a challenge. And a sign of his own moral failure, given the man's high character. "Dark Star. We trust you. We know you're reliable. You mentioned incidents. You can talk to us. What happened?"

White Knight: 20 His goons 20 Will get a descriptive post up shortly.

The cell was cold and dark, the light shining in through the window above burning into Jack's soul all the same. Taylor had filed for divorce that morning, a month after his confinement had begun. Can you blame her, Jack? The thought was a bitter, agonizing one. You're a monster. The doctor had died of her injuries before her servant could begin to help her, her throat torn out by the glass he'd thrown her through. He remembered the blood on his hands, so crimson red, the scent of it in his nostrils. She could never trust you, Jack. Not really. You'll never have a normal life again after what you've done. He spent his days in his cell as a zombie, moving back and forth, a walking dead man. Today, though, for some reason, he overheard the guards as they walked in front of the rows of cells. The lead guard was a one-armed man with a hard look on his face, his counterpart a beefy blonde man who always seemed to have a malevolent smile on his face. "Listen up you maggots! We've got a special announcement for you today." The lead guard snarled as he walked up and down the block. "We've got a very special visitor to our little cell. The Avatar of the Holy Scarab herself is coming to OUR prison tonight to bless you miserable maggots! Who wants to volunteer for a little holy blessing?" Hours later, Jack wasn't sure why he'd volunteered. What impulse had led him to believe that he was worthy of meeting with the Lady herself? In the crowded prison auditorium, surrounded by his fellow convicts, he watched as the Scarab's own security took the stage, hard-faced men in blue and white uniforms, before the Scarab's herald took the stage to the applause of the prisoners. Jack didn't move, though, frozen stock-still as he watched the figure on the stage. No...no... The nearly faceless man up there had a Scottish accent Jack recognized only too well, the familiar voice of the Scarab's herald having often appeared on the radio and television. That's not him. That's not him. "Gentlemen of Parousia! I give you...the Scarab!" She floated down from above the stage as the room went quiet, her gold and red armor glistening, cape fluttering behind her. She raised her hands to her face, then slowly, gently, removed her mask. "My children!" Melinda Ainsley said warmly. "I greet you in the name of peace and love!"

Give me a roll for initiative, old chum. ;)

She's putty! (Should have bulked up Will saves for this scenario. =D) Do as you will.

Jack knew he'd just bit into a world of trouble, but it wasn't the first time he'd done that. He was confident he could handle whatever Ace threw at him, and was glad he'd protected himself from the threat the older man represented. He pulled into his parking garage, glancing idly in his rearview mirror as a police cruiser and tow truck zoomed by the opening. Huh. Wonder where they're going. He actually did miss Ace in the elevator; even with the strength of the dead, there were a lot of things to carry up to his apartment. But he was as dexterous as he was strong, and between one thing and another he made it back up to his apartment.

Meh, we're out of initiative.

Hellion's devilish punch took Whoop-Ant's double entirely by surprise, dropping the young man before he could do more than speak. That left them with an unconscious boy and startled Japanese scientist, but so far no one had yet noticed the teenagers and their shenanigans.

Well, that was terrible. :P

"PHANTOM!" Avenger tried something new, focusing his will on the demon and glaring malevolently. "Stop attacking us. You are not wanted here." Unfortunately, he had a feeling that this guy was made of sterner stuff than the usual hoodlums he tried that trick on.

Blowing an HP for Inspire. (+5, as usual) Blowing another HP to surge, switching Fortune Control Array to a Selective Area Blast. That's a DC 20 Reflex save and DC 25 Toughness save for all the bad guys and their weapons in the area.

"C'mon, team!" Edge yelled exuberantly. "Let's show these wannabees how real heroes take down fake bad guys! We've got freedom, justice, and phenomenal cosmic power on our side!" He jumped up on a turned-over chair, giving him a view of everyone around. "Here's a little taste...of Freedom's justice!" And with that the room went mad, weapons sparking and firing, the technology of the bad guys turning against them even as it exploded, wave after wave of magical power washing off the cheerful young man as he laughed.

I say we've waited long enough. With Grimalkin inactive, I need initiative rolls from Dark Star, Scarab, Phantom, and Doctor Archeville. After that, we can start moving on to the endgame. Avenger's is 15 The goons have a more respectable 23 Arachnos has 10

Mark had no answer to give his daughter, none that would make any sense. It was hard, terribly hard, to do more than cling to hope now when so very much had been lost. He looked from Erin to Clara to Argent, his mind leaping back unbidden to so many memories, so many faces now lost. Alex...Mike...Chris...Zoe... He looked up at the sky above, at that terrible darkling tower to the east, the sound of his respirator and the conversation of the others in his ears. This isn't right. This isn't how the story's supposed to end! A moment later, the security alarm of all the Leaguers present rang vigorously in their ears. It was a startlement in the dark and silence, especially when they'd all come off that day of hell. Mark pressed his communicator to his ear, listening to the dispatch. A Dakanan ship had passed too close to the burning cloud over Freedom City, overloading its fuel intake and sending the big rescue craft crashing into the ruined beach. The people on board were trapped by their overloaded systems, and needed help fast. As had happened to him so many times in the course of his life, he and the heroes he was with were the closest to the crash. There were people who needed help, and they were the best ones to give it. With the announcement, the heroes all gathered themselves for the trip, the veteran Leaguers turning their flight suits back on, Erin heading for her cycle again for the quick trip up the coast. Mark and Argent went with them. After all, they were heroes. Life went on.

Have an HP for the Jack-dickery, Ace. Jack will blow an HP to acquire another rank in Equipment and add Concealedx5 (for a total of x7) to his apartment, thus raising the DC to find it to 60. Later, haters. ;)

"I'll give your best to Taylor. Thanks for the help with her stuff. We're just a block from your penthouse," he added, "If you go around the Garbanzo Building. Later, Ace." He was sure Ace had a car there, possibly more than one, to retrieve the one he'd left by Taylor's place. A little belatedly, he'd realized he had no interest in letting Ace Danger know where he lived. And with that, Jack rolled up the window and drove away. On the way he picked up his phone and made a few telephone calls, carefully shutting down a few connection routes between his apartment and anywhere else. For the next little while, for his peace of mind and Taylor's, they were off the grid.

"I'm sure those guys didn't know what hit them," said Jack with a little laugh. "Not with you guys around." Despite the reluctant politeness in tone, Ace was savvy enough to overhear that Jack wasn't actually lying. Jack Faretti did respect Ace Danger's abilities, even if the man himself wasn't his friend. "Oh yes, you'd be amazed at the kind of people I've run into over the years." Jack made his way into a tony downtown neighborhood that wasn't far from where Ace himself lived. Jack prided himself on good location, at least. "All right, here we go." He stopped the car near the side door of a fancy apartment complex. "I don't think we need to bother the doorman on this one," he said with a rueful chuckle, still trying to be polite about all this.

How adult, Jack thought irritably. As if to prove his words, he sped up and away from the curb, driving quickly down the street. "I'm sure Taylor will appreciate knowing how many of her friends have come to her aid tonight. She's already had a hard time of it." He was conscious of the mistake he'd already made, but at least it wasn't one Ace was aware of. Not yet, anyway. And there were a few obvious remedies. "So I understand the two of you met through her family?"

Jack led the way down to his car, fighting a momentary urge to break Ace's mind like so much chaff. Be nice, he reminded himself. This night wasn't about his rivalry with Ace; it was about both of them coming together for a woman they cared about. It was a very...human thing to do. "Mine's faster," he commented with a glance at Ace's ride. "And I drive faster." He was in the driver's seat in an instant, looking up at Ace expectantly. Sit in the front, sit in the front...

"I know several people that do crime scene cleanup," said Jack carefully. "I can make sure she doesn't have to worry about dealing with this." He knew enough about magic to know the books Taylor relied on the most heavily, and made sure to neatly store those in with the bathroom soap and shampoo he'd salvaged from the bathroom. Left unspoken was the real reason he'd hidden in the bathroom at Ace's approach earlier; God forbid the man saw him before a mirror! He left Ace to finish packing up the clothes when he had Taylor's books and toiletries in place, heading out to neatly scoop up Taylor's ficus. He wasn't sure how to take care of the plant, so he dumped some water on it to let the liquid soak in and headed into the bedroom, the plant under his arm. "All right, you all done in here?"

"Well." Jack was directly behind Ace, having come silently out of the bathroom when the older hero was finished with his initial reconaissance. "Good to know Taylor has so many friends," he said carefully. He had a bag in his hands full of ladies necessities and toiletries, guessing that Taylor would want some of those wherever she was setting up shop. He liked the way they made her smell. "Good to see you, Ace. You can help with the heavy lifting." There, who said he didn't have a decent bone in his body. He headed for Taylor's bookshelf, carefully pulling out volumes not covered in blood.

Jack woke up on the couch, starting awake from yet another nightmare. As had happened so many times in the last few months, Taylor was there waiting for him, a sympathetic look on her face and a cool compress for his head. She'd taken such good care of him since he'd fallen ill, even after she'd made the announcement to him that she was finally carrying their long-hoped for child. "Sssh, sssh, it's okay." She gave him a small smile, neatly perching next to him on the overstuffed couch. He'd started sleeping there, at his own insistence, after he'd hurt her once in his nighttime thrashing, biting at her neck hard enough to leave blood. But that had been weeks ago, and that scare had faded. "Another nightmare?" "Yes..." Jack shook his head, sitting up into her embrace. "I'm so sorry," he murmured to her, hugging her tightly. "Prophet, I'm a terrible husband." He looked up at her guiltily. "How many nights have I spent here, when I should be in bed with you? And with our son?" He put his hand on her stomach, a worried look on his face. What kind of man was he, really? Their families had been so supportive in his illness, his in-laws and his parents coming over to help them...But it's NOT RIGHT! They shouldn't love me. They shouldn't be there for me. The feeling never quite went away, however much he wanted it to, leaving him with guilt that haunted his nightmares. "It's all right," she told him gently. "Lovers should be there for each other." She hugged him back, then sat up, walking to the living room door. For the first time, Jack realized he could hear someone in the other room. "I met a doctor and her servant at the mall today. I invited them both in to meet you." Tiredly, Jack sat up to meet the new arrivals; a pale-faced woman with black hair and her assistant, a woman with green hair who bore the tattoo of a metahuman. Once the empowered had roamed the Earth like gods before the human race had risen up to remind them of their duty. Now the empowered served mankind, as was their duty. Wait... "Hello, I'm Claudia," said the doctor with a smile, shaking Jack's hand as her servant unpacked her bag. She wasn't introduced, of course; metahumans weren't supposed to feel pride. "I understand you've been having nightmares?" She did the usual exams, unbuttoning Jack's shirt and checking his vitals, while her servant handed her her instruments and Taylor watched approvingly, her hands folded over her stomach. Over her head, the big grandfather clock they'd gotten as a wedding present from his father ticked away the hours. "Yes," said Jack, reluctantly sharing some of the dreams with her. "I've had..violent dreams," he admitted, "and been violent in my sleep. I've been hoping to meet the Avatar when she visits this month, but so far my health hasn't been up to it." "Well, I'm sure you'll be up to it soon enough," said Claudia with a smile. She sat on the edge of the couch and began unbuttoning her blouse, turning to her servant. "Transfuser," she said, with considerably more coldness than she'd spoken to Jack. The servant, whose name Jack still didn't know, reached into the bag and...bobbled, dropping the bottle in her hands onto the ground. It would have hit the soft carpet, but unluckily struck the table as it fell and shattered into a dozen pieces. With a startled shriek, the servant jumped to her feet. "Ooh, Claudia, I am so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, I'll clean that up!" "You stupid COW!" Claudia was on her feet, slapping her hand across her servant's face. "This is the third bottle you've broken this month! I have a mind to pull your hair out by the roots!" She raised her hand again and Jack caught her by the wrist, a sudden, boiling rage pulsing through him. "Stop it." She shot him a look, her eyes boiling with undoctorly contempt. "What did you say to me!?" "I...said...STOP IT" And with that, as Taylor screamed, Jack threw Claudia through the glass paneling of the grandfather clock. There was screaming and crashing, Taylor's cries and the white face of the green-haired servant as she ran to tend her fallen master. Jack looked down. My hands are covered in blood!

Avenger folded his hands on the table in front of him. "Not alone in that. Had my own reasons for leaving." Because I was a little worried I might attack Malice for his blood, he thought unhappily. "You did good there. You saved lives. Nothing to be ashamed of." He hesitated, though, guessing that the space-going hero might have more he wanted to say.

Avenger felt a momentary relief at the sight of Ace kissing Scarab, along with no little surprise. Nice to see Elena's getting some action. And it does mean Ace isn't harassing me anymore...Unless it's just to get more information on me. But that's crazy, Jack, there are limits to paranoia. _Or are there?_ He repaid Ace's ignorance with his own, carefully not paying attention to the Danger in the room. All in all, it was a welcome relief when Taylor arrived. "Phantom. Nice to see you." It was hard for Jack to project much friendliness through the mask, so he didn't try. He knew Taylor would know it was there. "Arrowhawk. Good to see you up and around." Arrowhawk didn't get the friendliness at all, but he didn't think the Scottish archer would object to that.

Avenger was there. Wasn't he always? Even for the super-sensitive Dark Star and Scarab, it was sometimes very hard to tell. "Nice cave," he commented to Scarab, taking his usual seat near the head of the table. "Like what you've done with the place. Watch the rear shaft, though. Security's not great there." He looked up at Dark Star. "Dark Star. Appreciate the invitation. Glad to have a chance to talk." About something other than Divine's disappearance, anyway. That was an ugly subject he didn't like dwelling on.