Avenger Assembled

Alex and Mike had it a little easier when it came to filling out forms; after all, they were minors and their parents were close at hand. Once they'd reached the administration building, the two kids were left in the waiting room to read old copies of Teen Hero and twiddle their thumbs while they waited for Alex's mom to finish the last stages of paperwork. Even at a generous school with deep pockets, there were still financial aid forms to fill out, consent forms to sign, and many other items that were thankfully the province of adults rather than teenagers. Mrs. Harcourt left them there, shaking Alex's mom's hand and the kids' too, promising to meet them all in science class as soon as everything was arranged. They got their summer class schedule to look over for the first time, a compilation of history, science, theater, and other exciting activities, as well as brochures about the various things to do in and around campus. The curfew didn't sound that restrictive, especially for kids who were willing to be creative. Erin, emancipated in so many ways, got walked right into the office of Vice-Principal Martha Dugan, a short, squat woman with the look of a born administrator on her face. Despite her dour appearance, Dugan proved to be very sympathetic to Erin's situation, a fact she acknowledged without referring to it again and again. "Scholarship or work-study?" she asked. "It's up to you, but you might be happier with work study," she admitted. "Pocket money is a good thing to have. You can pick up supplies for your room from the front lobby in Jon Carter, and we'll take everyone shopping in a couple of weeks so you can find the local mall and shopping centers. Of course, your friends will probably help you with that." She half-grinned, then sobered a little. "I know you must be concerned about catching up, so I've made sure to arrange some tutoring for you in addition to our summer schedule. I've read your file and I know you're a bright girl. I think you'll find catching up on formal schooling is easier than you think."

"I have a lot of names!" said the beautiful girl with a giggle that made her sound even younger than the sixteen or seventeen she used to be. "But you can call me Changeling. It's very nice to meet you new people! Hello Alex! Hello Erin! Hello Mike!" She shook Erin's hand too, and Mike's, giving them all a huge smile. "I guess we will be on the same dormitory floor together; how exciting! It will be a wonderful summer, with many wonderful things!" She did a happy dance, bid a friendly greeting to Mrs. Harcourt, and then twirled right out the door like a ballerina. Mrs. Harcourt cleared her throat, repressing a wry smile. "Well, I'm glad everyone's been so friendly to you three. If you want to put all your stuff down, we can go over to the administration building and get started on your paperwork. Fun stuff, huh?"

Ooh, have another HP for your Temper complication.

Outside, it appears that the bronze-clad individual in the sky appeared through a rift in the very fabric of the universe itself! The armored man outside is a visitor from another universe; a universe never visited by the Freedom League or Daedalus. Its vibrational energies are not in Archeville's database. The man outside is wearing Greekish armor, but it is clearly not any suit of Daedalus'. It doesn't look like science.

Things were much of a sameness upstairs, where Erin and Alex's room adjoined a small lounge similar to the one they'd seen down on the first floor by the lobby. Mrs. Harcourt stepped to one side as the kids walked in, engaging Alex's mother in a quick conversation about financial aid. She'd been a bit concerned at the idea that the school was putting underage children to work, but Harcourt confirmed that jobs like that were completely voluntary. "We actually provide funding for all our students, but some students and parents appreciate the chance to work on their own for the first time." As the students were looking around, a perky blonde teenager appeared in the doorway, a smiling young woman with big eyes and a Hello Kitty shirt that exposed a hint of belly. "Hello!" she called with disarming perkiness. "You must be the new people! It is so nice to meet you! I will shake your hand, as that is the style of professional people," she said, obviously imitating someone else's voice. Beaming so brightly she was practically glowing, the girl shook Alex's hand with an air of mock-seriousness. "You are the first new people I've met all week!"

"As soon as the three of you put your stuff down, here and upstairs, we'll go down to the main office and get you all signed in. As for your room-mate, Mr. Harris, that's strictly up to you. We don't have the numbers that require doubling up in the summer, but some of our students do request to be doubled up. If you would like a room-mate during the summer, make sure to let us know while you're getting signed in. If you test into the freshman or sophomore class, you will be assigned a room-mate in the fall; if junior or senior, again it'll be up to you." Mrs. Harcourt looked at the others. "As for jobs, we do have a work-study program for students who would like the skills training...or just to have the pocket money," she added with a smile. "It's arranged either here on campus or through our contacts in the Freedom business community. Given your situation, Ms. White, you might want to look into arranging that or one of our similar programs. I'll make sure you talk to Mr. Marquez, our counselor, who can steer you towards our financial aid programs."

What happened outside was weird. Make a Physical Sciences check to determine how well you figure it out. (I have faith that Doctor Archeville will actually pass the check; it's all in the details. )

Is Doctor Archeville speaking through a loudspeaker, or just out loud?

No, but you can try the check and see how far you go. Better to lose by a little than lose by a lot! When a fifty-foot guy throws you, you know you've been thrown.

"Normally we offer fewer classes in the summer," said Mrs. Harcourt to Erin, "but of course we'll be doing things a little differently this year with so many summer students coming in. We want to make sure you're all placed in the grade level that best suits your intellectual and emotional needs, so this summer you'll be working one on one and in small groups with our teachers so we can get you up to speed and get a feel for your needs. Once that's all done, at the end of summer you'll each take placement tests so we can get you authorized in your state." She smiled. "Would you all like to come up and see your rooms? I believe Mr. Harris has the closest room, just down those double doors that way. Mr. Harris, your RA is away on a, ah, field trip right now, but Mr. Thorsen asked me to give you his compliments and invite you to come in and meet with him anytime. He's one of our newer students, but a natural leader all the same." When everyone was on board with that idea, she kept walking, leading the kids and parents through a set of double doors down into a corridor that looked a bit like a hotel room. Most of the doors were closed with much of the student body absent, but a few were open against the summer heat and with their occupants in place. Bustling quickly past those, Mrs. Harcourt opened the door to reveal Mike's room. The double-bedded room looked a little sad and empty with no one living in it, but the sun was bright and cheerful coming in the windows, and the room itself was certainly spacious. The beds were bunked neatly in one corner, while two identical desks stood on either side of the room. There was only one phone jack in the room, but two high-speed Internet hookups were next to both desks. "If you need help purchasing a laptop, the school can see that you're provided with one at very low cost. In your case, Ms. White, that might be something you'll want to do as part of a work-study program."

Date: May 24th, 2009. Sunday. Though they honored heroes of all stripes, Memorial Day weekend was nothing particularly special to a German and a man from the depths of space. So it was a good weekend for Doctor Archeville to play host to the space-traveling Dark Star, the better to get a handle on exactly the way the man of energy's powers actually worked. While the two men worked down in Doctor Archeville's laboratory, up in the skies of Hanover a small, discreet flash of light opened up to reveal the figure of a man in a shining bronze suit of armor. His entire body covered in bronze, Ancient Greek lettering moving freely across the metal in a slow, turning riptide, the man in the sky hovered over Hanover for several long moments before pressing a few buttons on the wrist of his suit. Not long afterwards, every electronic device in a three block-radius capable of broadcasting a signal spoke the words: "Doctor Archeville. I would speak with you. Please step outside."

This is the thread for Dr. Archeville's and Dark Star's encounter with a celebrity.

"You're not the only student in that situation," said Mrs. Harcourt reassuringly to Erin. "We have a regular series of activities called Nite-Owl-Nights for our non-sleeping students. And of course places like the library are open 24 hours, if you get the special key from Ms. Vervain." The wooden doors of the Jon Carter dorms were thick and heavy, looking almost like they belonged on an old-fashioned hotel rather than a boarding school for high school aged kids. The inside of the building continued that blend of dorm and hotel; Inside the buildings, the half-paneled maple and cherry wood walls were adorned with student-made paintings, signups for various activities, and the like, while the rustic maple floors were polished nearly bright enough to show the kids' faces. The etched windows, big, squashy-looking brown leather couches with brass trim, and brass and copper fittings made the big front lounge look old-fashioned, at least until one processed the big-screen TV, rack of video games, and other electronic toys were neatly stacked. "We're not usually this neat," Mrs. Harcourt confessed ruefully, "but Mr. Foulks and Mr. Gardener have been exemplary cleaning things up for the summer session." The very bored African-American student sitting behind the front desk looked up as they arrived and waved hello, the similarly uninvolved Koyama walking over to say hello. They paused in the lobby for a few moments while Mrs. Harcourt answered a question from Alex's mom, confirming that while boys and girls shared floors, the most communal space they shared were the bathrooms in-between. "We generally have a very mature student body," said Harcourt with a wry smile, "but they are teenagers. In addition to faculty, we take advantage of volunteerism from our more mature students like Mr. Brown over there to help keep things running smoothly."

Have 2 HP, Phantom, and make a DC 21 Fort save. , Wesley, make a Flight power check vs. 24.

"Meh!" exclaimed a surprised Raven. A bored look on his face, he proceeded to hurl Wesley away like a child with a broken toy he was bored of. And a good thing, too, because that sudden blast of not caring left him open for one heck of an assault from down below! For a half-second, Phantom thought she'd made a terrible mistake as the gigantic Raven began collapsing straight towards her! And then she felt the first electrical blast, right in her ear, cutting straight through her energized body.

"That's one advantage of our large campus," said Mrs. Harcourt as Eel-Skin snapped his head back to join his friends. "You don't have to ashamed of what you are here, or worry about what people will think. We empower our students," she said with a smile. "Even those who don't have formal powers as such." By way of demonstrating, she borrowed Alex's mother's cell phone as they walked through the grassy park around the nearly empty Rita Kord dormitory to the Edward John Carter Dorm. Harcourt's fingers flew as she talked, snapping open and rearranging the phone's internal workings with the grace of an artist. "We do put some restrictions on use of powers off-campus, of course. We have students here whose identities need to be protected, for their own good and the good of the world at large. So off-campus, you'll want to maintain your secret identity, and if you do choose to work towards being a superhero, we'll encourage you to wear a mask. It's just safer that way, for you and for your family." She handed the reassembled phone back to Alex's mother as they reached the door. "You can press 665 to remote start your van, if necessary. 444 to access a high-speed internet connection...and 923 for the taser. Now, let's see, I think we have Mr. Harris on the first floor, that's in the Norsefire suite, and Ms. White and Ms. Albright on the second floor? I've assigned the two of you as roommates for the summer," she added, "I thought that was the smartest way of dealing with things. Is that all right?"

"Oh, we keep a close eye on the perimeter, of course, not to mention the campus proper, but the campus itself is generally free to our students and faculty." Ms. Harcourt led the way for the kids and parent, keeping up a steady monologue as she walked and talk. Her 'assistant' seemed a bit subdued at the reaction to his prank, following along looking much more sedate. The Main Quad she led everyone through was an open air courtyard surrounded on all four sides by school buildings. A circle of grass was stamped in the middle of the yard; at its heart was a statue of a happy Dr. Charles Claremont. There were a few kids sitting around underneath the shade of trees and resting on benches, enjoying the warmth of the day, one of whom called a friendly greeting Toyama's way. "This is our founder, Dr. Charles Claremont," said Harcourt brightly, "we still draw much of our inspiration for him, even though of course the special philosophy of the school started after Headmaster Summers helped pay for renovations after the Terminus Invasion." She shook her head, sobering a little. "That was back when we were Thomas Aquinas. I wasn't on staff then, but I lived in the neighborhood." She looked at the three students. "Now, I know you all are taking placement tests to see what grades you place into, right?" She nodded at that, confirming her own words. "With some extra training during the summer, so you can stick close to your grade level. Now, you're all in the Edward John Carter dorm in the summer," she went on, leading the way as they walked through a shotgun hallway past the Leonard Fox Auditorium, their shoes echoing on the stone floor underneath. "It's our coed dorm, so it makes the most sense for our summer students to live there." There were kids playing Frisbee in the grassy area they reached next, one of them occasionally reaching up with a long, long arm of at least thirty feet to catch the Frisbee when it flew especially high overhead. When he caught sight of the group, the stretchy boy stretched his neck across the field to say hello. "Hey Mrs. Harcourt! Hey new people," said the young man with an East Indian accent, the collar of his school jacket just visible on a neck he'd stretched out a good forty feet long. "I am Charles Kumble, but everyone calls me Eel-Skin. Welcome to Claremont!"

And we're wrapped up.

Avenger disappeared after that, leaving Pompadour to enjoy his victory. It had been a good night in some ways; no innocent lives had been lost and Pompadour had done a good deed where everyone could see it. But Avenger was troubled; deeply troubled. What on Earth had that...man been? Shapeshifting villians was one thing, but Jack had watched enough television that he knew full well that Donar had been Ray Gardener. What was going on here?

Wesley, I need a DC 29 TOU save and an opposed Grapple check. Phantom, have an HP for Magpie's unsuccessful surge. Darn insubstantials. She'll get you next time. ;)

"OH! A FANCY BOY!" Raven clapped his fists together with a sound like a sonic boom. "ARE YOU RUDE ENOUGH TO MESS WITH THE BADDEST DUDE IN TOWN?!" With that, he drew back a massive fist and threw it right at Wesley!Despite Wesley's best efforts to avoid it, that massive gloved fist proceeded to power him directly through the side of the building, shattering the window and smashing Wesley face-first into a steel support beam inside an interior wall! The crash of glass and steel was as sickeningly loud as the screaming of tourists, but Wesley didn't have to hear that long as Raven wrapped his fingers around him like a Slim Jim and began pulling him out of the building. "FEE FI FO FUM, BIZNATCH!" Meanwhile, Phantom saw a blast of blue-green energy go shooting past her ear! There was a sudden burst of tiny, high-pitched profanity as something very small and very fast zoomed past her vision, then another surge of energy that passed right through her body. And then more, louder tiny swearing.

"Yes," said the young man, cocking his head as he looked Erin over. Erin certainly recognized that face from the news, Patient Zero had been famous back before everything had gone away. "Have we met before?" Alex's mom was a bit surprised at the invisible teenager who'd evidently been riding her car, but she was evidently used to superpowered shenaniganry around the house. For her part, Mrs. Harcourt didn't seem at all pleased at her student. "Mr. Koyama, what have I told you about sneaking around in that nano-suit of yours?" she asked the young man. "If you're going to do it, don't get caught! It does nothing for your reputation or mine if you can't sneak around successfully in that thing. And it's rude." She beamed at the kids. "Anyway, let's not let this spoil the moment." Addressing Mike, she said, "Well, that's up to you. I know Erin here has had a long trip, and the rest of you probably don't want to lug your bags around all over campus. Would you rather leave your bags in your rooms, or go touring now?"

Sounds good. What does Phantom actually do/what is she doing when all this happens? :)

The van pulled to a stop as Mrs. Harcourt walked up alongside it, still calling with increasing irritation for Mr. Koyama. No sooner had the van stopped and Mike and Alex's mom turned off the engine than Mr. Koyama showed himself by leaping off the roof of the van! The invisible figure on the roof shifted neatly back to visibility as he landed next to Mike's window, a cheerful smile on his face. The young Asian man was handsome and cheerful, an insouciant look on his partially-goggled face as he executed a perfect little somersault on landing. "Welcome to the Claremont Academy!" he said cheerfully with just a slight Japanese accent. "I'm your assistant tour guide!"

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2093200/ "Hee hee, I'm so sneaky! Won't they be surprised when I jump down and show them what a Claremont kid can do! This is the best idea ever."