Electra
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Freedom City Guidebook
Freedom City PBP: A How-To Guide
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"Nothing out here," Wander reported, swinging her legs as she perched on the roof of a building in Southside. "Except I kind of have an itch between my shoulderblades that says I ought to be ransacking this building myself. How do we keep ending up protecting Nazis, anyway?" The Museum of the Glorious Reich was not at all a popular tourist destination, to judge by its run-down real estate and the colorful graffiti that adorned the building, but it had some heavy-duty security protecting the small collection of Nazi artifacts and larger library of pro-Nazi literature. Erin suspected that her assignment was probably a waste of time and that the thieves would go after something more intrinsically valuable at another location, but it would suck to be wrong.
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Fleur looked around the dome, then extended her senses around the dome as well, trying to get a handle on exactly what it was they were dealing with. Her eyes unfocused for a moment, her pupils shrinking to pinpoint size before she sat on the ground, abruptly and hard. "Wow," she murmured, putting her hands to the sides of her head. "There is... there's so much plant life out there. I've never felt anything like it." She passed a hand over her face, then looked up at the others. "Just green everywhere, like it's eaten the city, but nothing natural. There's no competition for resources, no opportunistic plants choking out anything else. It's like there's a plan..." Fleur hesitated for a moment, then plowed on. "And when I listen to the plants, it feels like there's someone listening back. A consciousness, but I don't know anything more than that."
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Fleur gave Set an encouraging smile. "I'm sure you'll be a great hero if you are really determined to be one," she told him. "It takes a lot of hard work, but I'm sure you can put your past behind you and become something much better. In the meantime, though," she continued, "there are some practicalities to consider. Do you have a place to stay, or a secret identity set up for yourself? If you can't go back to where you come from, you'll be staying here for awhile, I imagine. The Freedom League can help you get started out while you're still finding your feet. You can also get some training in how to be a hero, if you think that will help you." She still didn't know entirely what was going on, but the fact that Comrade Frost was determined to make fun of the young man just made her more determined to be nice.
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Fleur gave herself a little shake as she pulled free of the plants and opened her eyes to her own awareness again. "The scientists have started to narrow down the source of the seismic activity," she reported to her companions. "Apparently there's an especially weird spot on the island with strange plants, and that the animals behave oddly around. It doesn't seem like we're going to find a lot where we are, so maybe we should just catch up to the other group and all go together." With the assent of GK and Tiamat, she teleported them all to the beach, popping them out from behind the fans of a giant fern. "Hey everyone," she greeted the others cheerfully. "Thought we might be more use here, having a look at the mini-biosphere all together."
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Stesha uses her ESP to get a sense of the plants around them and what they're hearing and seeing. She will continue to expand her perceptions until she finds a center or thickest part of the green explosion. Visual and Audio.
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"There's not going to be any fighting today," Fleur said firmly, still hoping against hope that this entire business could be kept from spiraling out of control. She stepped forward to stand by Gaian Knight, suddenly looking absurdly small next to the towering Sekhmet. "We don't need any proof that you can do your job, but it would be great if we could get a few explanations. What I'm gathering is that Set here is not new to Earth, but he's been gone for quite some time, and he's not back by choice. You've been assigned to look after him and keep him from getting into trouble while he's exiled here?" she ventured. "What was the crime he was exiled for? How long is the punishment?"
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Fleur gave Nick a quick smile of greeting, but most of her attention was drawn to the gathering, roaring stormcloud overhead. Apparently the sky was not done unleashing godly capriciousness on the city just yet. She rolled a seed between her fingers, growing it into a thin vine that stretched onto the ground and wound its way towards her companions. The civilians in the area, most of them natives of Freedom City and no dumb cookies, had long since vacated the area, but a quick escape route was always a handy thing to have. "Whoever you are," she called to the sky, "we'd appreciate it if you'd lay off the lightning strikes! Everyone's already very impressed, but it's doing a lot of damage to the city!"
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Erin shrugged, once again on the conversational back foot as the topic shifted to her personal life. "It's good, I mean, things are good. The moving in stuff is kind of weird and new, but we lived together before, right after graduation and all the stuff that happened then. I think part of it's that he wants to keep an eye on me and make sure I don't get replaced by any more robots, but there are lots of better reasons, too. And his grandpa and I get along a lot better now than we used to, mostly since I'm not so nervous about what he thinks of me anymore." It was more about her personal life than she'd have shared with most people, but she and Mark went way back, and had been through a lot together. In a weird way, he was kind of like a brother, even in how she teased him about girls. "Oh, and Redbird is going to start a taxi service. I guess she's bored just hanging around the mansion."
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"What, so you don't really get to be a prince if you marry her? That's disappointing." Erin scooped up a forkful of jambalaya and dumped it on her cornbread. "You know, if she decides she doesn't want to go back, I'm pretty sure she could get asylum," she offered. "Typhoon is still listed as a supervillain, far as I know, so the Freedom League pretty much has to try and help people who want to escape from him. I know it's a family thing and that's complicated, but it's something to think about, at least. Typhoon can't control her entire life just because he calls himself the king of some teeny little island the size of Rhode Island. And you know if it came down to it, we'd help her too, for your sake."
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Erin smirked a little at that. "I dunno, from what I recall, you always dated the driven, intense girls. There was Alex, who started up her own company as soon as she was old enough to get her driver's license and is now an international magnate of something or other. And there was Faith, who was really intense and driven about stalking you in a kind of creepy weird way. And oh yeah, Zaranna, who was very driven and intense about pretty much everything, and also had the velociraptor who was intent on taking a piece out of your ass..." She gave him a friendly and very light punch on the arm, then sobered up. "You and Nina have been dating a long time," she allowed. "How much longer does she have before she graduates?"
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Fleur shook Set's hand, then watched the rest of the proceedings with a bemused half-smile on her face. She knew no more of Set the god than what she remembered from childhood trips to the museum, which wasn't a lot. It seemed much more likely that this metahuman was using the name of an ancient god as his hero identity than that he was actually a god himself, but Stesha knew from experience that a low-powered god on the outs with their pantheon did occasionally end up on Earth. Apparently Comrade Frost had once been Set's enemy, which she might have considered a point in his favor, but GK and Tiamat were wary as well. Better to continue treating him as a totally unknown quantity. "Comrade Frost is a metahuman attaché with the Russian embassy," Fleur told Set, her voice perfectly even. "He's currently working with the Freedom League, but he's not a member." She looked around at the ruined street. "Your entrance has made something of a mess of the downtown," she added mildly. "Is that something you can put right again?"
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An entrance like that wasn't going to pass unremarked, not even in a town like Freedom City. By the time the lightning stopped, several calls had already been made to the Freedom League by concerned onlookers. Hardly more than a minute passed before the first League member showed up, stepping out of a yawned-open daffodil in a planter outside the Plaza. Fleur de Joie was dressed more for gardening than heroing today, her brown cowl tossed over a spring green shirt and blue jeans, a smudge of dirt dusting the corner of her mask. Even so, she drew herself up and walked with authority as she approached the smoking crater. "Hello!" she called cautiously. "I'm Fleur de Joie from the Freedom League. Who are you?" She had her seeds in her hand, but hoped it wouldn't be necessary to use them. Maybe this was just some kind of misunderstanding or accident. Fighting lightning controllers really wasn't much fun. "Are you hurt?"
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"It's good, things are good," Erin told him, sounding only slightly nervous. "We're moving in together at the end of the month when my lease expires. It's kind of a big step, but we've been dating for a long time now. And it makes sense, we'll be able to deploy faster on calls for the Liberty League, and save on the bills, and it's better for Charlie..." She heard herself rationalizing and stopped, shaking her head in rueful amusment as she buttered a piece of cornbread from the basket on the table. "Well, eventually I'll be really used to the idea. It'll work out. How are things going with you and Nina? Have you been to Socotra with her yet?"
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"If a monster does show up, we'll rely on you to deal with it," Fleur assured Tiamat with a faint smile. She hopped off the platform and began to walk around, examining the foliage as she went. "It's really very pretty here," she commented idly, "the volcanic ash enriches the soil and makes for great growing land. If it weren't for all the kaiju, it'd be a lovely vacation spot." Kneeling in a small patch of cleared earth, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around the stem of a young hibiscus. Using the eyes and ears of the plants wasn't as effortless here as on Sanctuary, where she'd personally grown nearly everything, but it was still a good way to get a feel for the situation in the area. Not to mention get an advance warning of any monsters!
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Fleur was quiet for a long time, studying the satellite image of the green mass. "It's so unnatural," she finally said, suppressing a shudder as she pushed the image away. "Plants don't spread that way, and no sane, responsible plant controller would make them spread like that. You can't just turn the West Coast into deciduous forest, it's ridiculous, even before you count the human cost, which is sure to have been appalling. And did you see Annabelle talk about that? Her neighbors, her own mother... they're all gone and she didn't even care. I'm not sure what's been done to her, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were drugs or mind control involved somewhere." She tapped her fingers together and looked at the others. "I think we have to go and see what's happening there. They have some kind of dimensional transport capability, and they're dialed in on Earth Prime. Better that we go now than have them keep coming to us." She looked at Willow. "Will Jack be all right with the kids for a few hours? I can call up a couple more babysitters if necessary."
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Near the tip of the gleaming pyramid of Archetech in Hanover, a bay door opened to allow a figure to take to the sky. That was hardly an unusual sight, but it was an unusual figure. This creature was obviously artificial, skinned in gleaming silver metal from head to toe on a figure that was subtly feminine in its lines. Hairless, sans clothing, and with only the vague suggestion of facial features. It looked more like a mannequin from a high-end department store than a hero, but it rocketed through the sky towards the falling ship with every indication of purpose. "This is Miss Americana," a voice familiar to most broadcast amdist the other local chatter. "I'm sending you a prototype support droid to help get that ship handled. Just let me know what it can do to assist."
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It took Erin a few seconds to come back from wherever her mind was woolgathering, but she mustered a smile for the idea. "Yeah, I'm starving," she agreed. "You lead the way and it'll be my treat. I really do appreciate you coming along to help out on this whole thing. I half expected her to finish out today back in Blackstone, but she did all right. Assuming she and Aquaria don't come to blows over the shower, anyway." She fell into step with him as they headed down the street away from Project Freedom. "So what else are you doing with yourself lately, with Nina off doing her thing? Seems like I've seen you around the city a little more."
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"I'll do that." Pushing away from the wall, Erin walked over to her doppelganger. "Be good, okay? I'll come back and visit next week, see how you're doing and bring you some regular clothes. You think about things you might want to decorate your room with." When Jessie nodded acquiescence to that, Erin reached out and gave her an awkward hug. Awkward because she wasn't big on initiating hugs and it was sort of weird to hug yourself, a hug because she remembered how lonely it was when no one would touch you because you're too dangerous. Caught by surprise, Jessie hesitated and stood stiffly for a moment, then seemed to relax into the quick embrace. "Don't forget to come back, okay?" "I won't," Erin promised, feeling a pang of guilt. Not getting Jessie released on time hadn't been her fault, but it hadn't seemed wise to dig too deeply into the issue of robot doppelgangers with her fragile double. "Even if I have something come up, I'll make sure to call you or send you a message. I'll see you later." She headed out of the room and down the hall, but didn't breathe deeply again till she reached the elevator to the lobby.
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Jessie leaned away and made a face when Aquaria got too close, though after a moment she remembered that was rude and corrected herself. The fish person did smell bad, like brackish water and old seafood. The smell wasn't overwhelming, but it was definitely present. "It's not my real name either," she told her new suitemate solemnly. "But she's using the real one." Jessie nodded to Erin, who gave a minute shrug of her shoulders and went back to not looking at the interaction. "I take a shower every day," Jessie continued firmly. She hadn't before, not when it was so complicated at Blackstone, but Dr. Franklin had told her that was one of the perks here, and she wanted it. "If you can deal with that, we'll be fine."
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Jessie hesitated, giving the door to the bathroom an uncertain look. "I guess so," she said, obviously trying to give the right answer. "I mean... if she doesn't come into my room. Or make a lot of noise when I don't expect it. I don't like being surprised," she told Ms. Wainwright earnestly. She rather wished that she had her own bathroom so that no one could get in, especially if she was trying to shower or get dressed, but she would get what she would get. "Does she smell bad like fish?" For her part, Erin seemed a little chagrined by the results of her earlier comments, and had retreated to lean against the wall by the door, keeping an eye on things but keeping her mouth shut. This seemed like a decent enough place, even if it was pretty soulless. Jessie was still too damaged to want to make friends or go outside, so it was probably just the right place for her to be right now. Erin certainly wanted to think so, and tried not to wonder if that was mostly just so she could make her own escape that much faster. Most people seemed to get along with their universal doppelgangers just fine. Why did hers always make her feel so weird?
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"Art therapy," Jessie replied absently, already focused on learning this new room. She set the broken duffel bag down on the bed and went straight to the window. It was small and heavily reinforced, to the point where the view through the glass was slightly wavy, but it was a real window and it was hers. The cell at Blackstone'd had pretend windows, light projections on the walls that could show different views on different days, but they weren't real. It was not the same. She pressed her hand flat to the glass but exerted no force, just feeling the cool of the air outside through the thin barrier. This was the perfect way to experience the world, she figured, close enough to see and nearly touch, far away enough to be safe. After a moment, she remembered the conversation enough to add "I have crayons and colored pencils, but I'm not very good..." "We'll get you some posters," Erin interjected, her voice a little harsher than she'd meant it to sound. This sterile room reminded her too much of her own early days on Prime, when she'd been locked up in the Goodman building for the safety of her and everyone around her. She remembered drawing all over the papers that were supposed to be homework, just to get the images out of her head, but she was a terrible artist. She wouldn't have put any of those pictures up, no matter how bare the walls had been. At least Jessie could have something decent to brighten up the place while she was stuck in here. "Whatever you want to have up, I can find it for you. You don't have to tack up crayon doodles to have pictures." Jessie frowned, looking rather hurt by the comment, and Dr. Franklin jumped in quickly. "The room is yours to decorate how you like, Jessie, whether that's by hanging posters or creating your own works of art. And it looks like you'll have plenty of room for all your things here. When I come in for your session next week, you'll have to show me everything you've come up with."
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"I'll tell you right now that rushing me won't get your crew anywhere," Fleur said evenly, rising on a coil of vine to move closer to Blue Jay. "I'd have you ask the thirteen members of your crew who tried it already, but they're currently indisposed. Safe, quite safe, but very far away from anything they could use to cause trouble. And even if by some small miracle you did manage to overwhelm me, I have several friends on this world who are even more powerful than I, and who would be very upset if anything bad were to happen to me or Blue Jay here. If you can't land the ship, I'm sure you can at least cut your engines. My plants already have a hold of you, they will put the ship safely back onto the ground." With a flick of her hand, a trio of vines slid across the floor, bypassing the captain for the moment and securing themselves around the unconscious engineer. Umbrella-like leaves spread out and obscured the floor for a moment, and by the time they fell to a more normal position, the man was gone. "The call for disarmament stands," Fleur added. "Any aggressive move from you or your crew will result in severe consequences."
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"Me too," Erin agreed, swallowing a yawn. With her free arm, she tugged a blanket over both of them, then settled in and closed her eyes. It wasn't that late, and she'd probably be up again in a few hours, but this seemed like the exact perfect place to have a nap. Charlie would undoubtedly find his own way in at some point, he was becoming more like his father every day. That would be okay, and even kind of nice, all of them together. The scared and superstitious part of her didn't even want to think the word, but it really was very much like family. And maybe that in itself would be the best part of moving in. "Love you," she murmured into Trevor's shoulder. "Turn off the lights."
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That drew a laugh from her as well, and settled her enough to let her snuggle up with her head on his unbruised shoulder. "I guess having a normal life would be pretty boring at this point," she allowed. "Maybe we don't need to be saving the world every day, but I don't really know what I'd do with myself if all the weirdness went away." She stretched and comfortably draped an arm over his chest, her hand resting over his heart so that she could feel it beating under her fingertips. "I was thinking the other day about what it would've been like if I'd stayed in my dimension, if none of what happened there ever happened and my life had just gone on. But I can't really imagine what it would've been like anymore. Been too long, or I'm too different, something. It's a good thing that things worked out here."
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She leaned down and kissed him, rubbing her cheek against his for a moment, then pushed herself to sit up. Erin's head just barely cleared the table, but Trevor would have to hunch over if he sat up. She solved the problem by shoving the table off to the side with one negligent hand, then took a better look at Trevor in the light from the overhead fixtures. "Oh-oh," she tsked, pursing her lips ruefully. For all he didn't appear to have any complaints, Trevor was definitely looking worse for wear after their little adventure. A twinge of guilt bubbled through the pleasant endorphin haze she was enjoying. "Next time we'll definitely use the bed." Rising, she let Trevor lay where he was for a minute while she tidied up the worst of the damage to the room and retrieved what she could find of scattered clothing. It would take longer to totally set the room to rights, but she didn't want to bother right now. There were four other kitchens to use, weren't there? With the cleaning done, she made her way back to Trevor and crouched down next to him. "Okay, bedtime for you. Here we go." With one arm under his shoulders and the other under his knees, she effortlessly scooped him up and carried him off to his bedroom. It would've been easier if he weren't so damn tall, but she managed to only bump his feet twice on doorframes and his head not at all. With a slight flourish, she dropped him onto his bed, then stretched out next to him. "Do you think living together is going to be weird?"