Electra

"I'm sure your daddy will be fine for just a few minutes," Fleur assured the "little girl" carefully as they stepped out of a flower and into a sunny meadow. Far overhead, giant bees were buzzing placidly and the ground was covered in enormous flowers the size of baseball diamonds. "Sometimes daddies have to do boring things for work. When I was little, I would sometimes do other things to pass the time. Have you ever made a daisy chain?" At once, they were surrounded by bright yellow and white daisies nodding in the breeze. "I can show you, and we can make flower hats." Inside, Stesha was a ball of nerves, but she'd dealt with more than one dangerous prima donna in her life, and she was sure she projected nothing but pleasant affability.

Stesha chuckled as she set down a plate of crackers, cheese and vegetables, cut into whimsical shapes with the help of a cookie cutter. "I was going to say it's a novelty having Carson arrive conscious on my doorstep for once. You're clearly a good influence on him, Sonya." With wine poured in the glasses, the green-haired plant controller took a seat in a comfortable wingback chair opposite the couch. She automatically looked towards the corner where Amaryllis usually played, but for this evening the baby was tucked up in the village with a sitter. It made the house seem quiet! Picking up her glass, Stesha selected a slice of pepperjack and nibbled the edge. "Carson tells me you're a medical agent with UNISON?" she asked Sonya conversationally. "That must be very exciting work."

Wander stared down at him for a moment, looking both stunned and unnerved. "I..." She crouched on her heels, as though being only twenty feet up instead of fifty would grant them appreciably more privacy. "The pain is gone, anyway," she told him with a massive shrug. "Guess it really was growing pains. But what the hell do I do now?" She looked to the gorilla, still struggling to free itself from her grip, and reached over to set it down in an empty enclosure. "This isn't exactly what I expected to happen!" She'd expected that her powers might malfunction, even wondered if they might possibly come back at full force, but this hadn't even been on her radar. "I don't know how to turn it off!"

The Home Guard (Fleur de Joie) March 7, 7pm, Sanctuary "All right, you're good as new." Fleur de Joie smiled encouragingly at the little boy, giving his leg a pat. "No more break, just take it easy for a day or so while the poultice is still on. And stop climbing such tall trees!" Reaching behind his ear, she produced a mango and gave it to him as she stood up. With a few words of encouragement for his mother, she reclaimed her own child and left the little prefab home, heading into a perfect Sanctuary evening. The refugee camp had turned into a small village over the course of the past year, tiny but comfortable buildings and sod homes replacing the tents and communal bathroom. On a warm spring evening, people were still outside, working in gardens, cooking meals or socializing, with the small gaggle of children at play. It was the play that had done in her young patient, whose ill-advised acceptance of a dare had led to a bad fall and an emergency call to Fleur. With the emergency taken care of, circumstances were reasonably close to idyllic tonight on Sanctuary. Stesha paused to speak to a few friends in the community, with Amaryllis gabbling right along, killing time before teleporting back to her plant home. It was empty there, as usual, and sometimes it was just nicer to spend a little time with people. But it was bedtime for certain babies, and eventually the green-haired pair returned to their cozy plant home. Stesha took her time putting Ammy to bed, then sat down with a cup of tea and turned on the television to chase away the silence. A neat little antenna from the Freedom League let her get Prime signals with just a little delay, so she was just in time to catch the evening news. Within moments, she'd set the tea aside, forgotten on the table as she called in to Liberty Hall. "Yes, I know it's quarantined, but I can help!" she insisted into the phone, her voice sharp. "I have experience, I can heal injuries. I know the Auxiliary has got to be deploying for this!" "All superheroes in the city are deploying," her teammate Freedom Angel told her, his sonorous voice grim. "Even some criminals have taken this chance to turn from sin. But those who are outside the city are required to remain outside and away from possible contagion. Especially a hero in your position, with a young child and an entire world to put at risk." The angel spoke with his usual warm assurance, but was too honest to mislead his friend and ally. "You can do more there, defending your home and family, than you could here." Stesha hated that he was right, but she knew it was true. A simple teleport could take her into the city, but she wouldn't be able to come back here until the contagion was cured and the quarantine lifted. And what would happen to everyone here if she didn't return? Not only Amaryllis, and that didn't even bear thinking about, but the refugees? They had a good life now, but they weren't on their feet yet. Same with the bees, who were so vulnerable to disruptions in their uniquely gigantic food supply. If she didn't come back, they could all starve. "Let me know right away if there's anything I can do," she said, her voice heavy. "And good luck." She put down the phone and went to the crystalline kitchen window, looking out into the deep greens of the quiet evening. A universe away, in this very spot, people she cared about were fighting for their lives, and once again the only thing she could do was hold down the fort and pray. "Good luck," she whispered again, this time to the faces flickering through her head. The heroes of Freedom were the best in the world. Surely they'd save the day one more time.

“Everyone in the city is potentially exposed,†Erin pointed out. “But it doesn’t hurt to be careful.†She ran her hands over her arms, telling herself that the prickly feeling in her arms was just from nerves and adrenaline. “We’ll keep in touch,†she promised Travis. What must it be like for him, she wondered in passing, to have to stay here and watch another Midnight, someone he loved, go out into danger? Maybe it was good he had something to keep him busy and useful. “Let’s go.†She headed for the garage at a run, slowing just enough to let Trevor keep up. Continued in vignette...

Erin frowned at that; getting stuck with needles was not high on her list of favorite activities. But it was a compromise, and it would get them out faster. “Fine,†she agreed with little grace, rolling up her sleeve and closing her eyes so he could take the sample. One of the few benefits of losing so much of her power was that taking blood was far less difficult and traumatic than it used to be. In a moment the deed was done, the wound sealed up before she could so much as hold a gauze pad over it. “Let’s take the motorcycle,†she suggested. “Redbird can keep us up to date on where the worst problems are.â€

“We haven’t got time for this,†Erin said impatiently. “If something happens to my powers, I know how to deal with that. And if something does happen, I at least want to be able to feel like I did something to help beforehand! People are in trouble out there, and nothing a spin through one of your weird machines tells us is going to change that.†Her face set in all-too-familiar stubborn lines, she put her bat in its holster. “I’m fine now, and you drank the water too. You’re at as much risk as I am.â€

“I know,†she said firmly, lacing her fingers through his for just a moment. “But we’d better get to work. Cold pizza later will have to do.†She squeezed his hand once, then went to the closet where she kept a uniform for just this sort of occasion. Quickly hanging up her civilian clothes, she skinned into her purple and black uniform in under a minute. She was just fastening her collar when she suddenly doubled over, putting a dent in the door as she grabbed it to avoid falling. Closing her eyes, she caught her breath in short gasps until the pain was gone, as quickly as it had come. Straightening, she shook herself, brushed herself off. “Weird,†she said, concern in her face as she looked over at Trevor. “Muscle pain all over my body. Like you know how growing pains feel? But all over.†She pursed her lips. “We better get to work,†she said again.

Erin faltered, her face losing some of its color at that announcement. Not the same, she reminded herself harshly. Just some jumped-up supervillain attack, people scared and overreacting. “So the tainted water itself isn’t hurting anyone, but it’s giving them superpowers?†she asked. It took another moment before the potential impact of that struck her. Bad enough at Claremont when some kid suddenly manifested a new power and couldn’t control it. Outside the school environment, and dozens or hundreds of people at once... “What kinds of powers are we talking about here?â€

Erin jerked in surprise at Trevor’s sudden violence against her glass, but it was a tribute to three grueling years of therapy and training that she didn’t so much as raise a hand. “Tainted?†she repeated as she pushed off the counter to follow him, tipping Charlie’s water dish into the sink as she did so. “What do you mean, powers erupting? Is it another invasion?†In moments they were at the stately old clock that was gatekeeper to the true Midnight Manor, swinging it aside and heading down the narrow staircase. Down in the control room, the signal boards were lit up with the emergency calls beginning to go up all over the city, the monitors lit with emergency newscasts. Erin took it all in, then ran a hand through her still-damp hair. “What the hell?â€

She shrugged. “I didn’t ask him. Maybe he wants to catch a baseball game or something. Hopefully he’ll have better luck with it than we ever did. I was thinking if the weather holds, maybe tomorrow after your classes we could take one of the convertibles out to Wharton Forest and have lunch or something. Been awhile since we got outside...†She trailed off at the sound of another siren, frowning a little at the unexpected noise. “Police are busy tonight,†she remarked. “I wonder what’s going on.â€

“Sitting through boring freshman classes sounds pretty normal,†Erin agreed, hopping up on the counter and taking a bite of pizza. “I’ve got the day off tomorrow, Murdock and I traded shifts because he wants a free weekend later this month. Mind if we hang out here?†Much as Erin liked having her own place, it could be claustrophobically small when she spent too much time there. And the company was better here, Charlie notwithstanding.

“Very true,†Erin agreed solemnly, her lips twitching as she dug the pizza cutter out of a drawer and began slicing the pizza. Charlie abandoned his food to wind around her ankles and meow piteously, obviously angling for a bit of mozzarella or a pepperoni. “No way,†she muttered to the cat, “the carpets here cost more than our apartment. I’m not letting you barf on them.†While Trevor brewed coffee, she slid slices of pizza onto plates and poured herself a glass of ice water. The sound of distant police sirens caught her attention, but even in a ritzy neighborhood like this, it wasn’t a particularly unusual noise. “How was school?â€

“Yeah, I figured, and that you probably haven’t got anything in the house. ‘S why I brought the pizza,†she told him with a quick grin. Dampening a cloth in the sink, she dabbed the oil spots off his face before giving him a glad-to-see-you kiss. Things between them were never entirely uncomplicated, but they’d gotten a lot better after she’d confessed the loss of her powers and started to come to terms with it. The routine they had going now was a nice one, a comfortable one. Almost like family. “I picked up a large, so your grandpa can have some too. What are you making?†she asked, nodding towards the doohickey in Trevor’s hand.

March 7, 4:30pm Even though the Manor was locked as usual, Erin’s key let her in the kitchen door, or rather the door to the largest of the many kitchens. She’d come bearing gifts, and cat as well, a sure sign that she planned to stick around for awhile. Charlie wasn’t the independent soul that his father was, and he pouted if left alone too long, even with sufficient kitten chow. Even now he wasn’t too happy sitting on her shoulder, with her hair still wet from the shower she’d grabbed after work. “Trevor?†she called, her voice echoing in the silent hallways of the Hunter Estate. “Are you home yet? I brought a pizza!†Pausing at the counter, she filled Charlie’s food and water dishes and left him to dig in.

"All right, take care," Miss A replied, seemingly a little distracted by her diagnostic equipment even as she smiled. "Give me a call if that patching starts acting up, otherwise it should fall off when the plates have finished repairing." She looked up long enough to see him walk out the door, then set the locks and abandoned the robot where it stood. Suddenly even such limited exposure to the outside world seemed like too much. In her basement, Gina scrubbed her face and stared at the exterior camera feeds, still trained on the park. "This is such a bad idea," she said aloud. She should call and cancel. Or maybe just move. She could build a new robot, in a new city, perhaps build an isolated base for herself on the far side of the moon... With a shake of her head, she sternly recalled herself to reality. It was just a movie and popcorn, in her own house. Steve knew what she looked like, he had been in her home before. Hell, she'd slept with him, so it wasn't as though there was any prospect of him seeing what he hadn't before. It was just a movie, just a movie, just a movie with... a friend. It would be okay.

Wander was utterly still for a few moments, nothing moving but her eyes as she assessed the fighting around her. Her immobility seemed to attract the attention of one of the color host, which approached with malice seemingly on its mind. In a heartbeat, Wander was in motion, dropping to the ground as though someone had cut her strings, even as she lashed out with her bat. She caught the possessed creature a solid blow across the legs and was up again as quickly as she'd dove. The zombies were tough, but they were still zombies, she reminded herself. Just keep attacking and don't get hit.

"You're putting all these people's lives at risk just to steal their fake technology?" Papercut asked the boxed-in mercenary in disgust. "That makes you evil and stupid, and one of those is bad enough." He began stretching paper in his hands, laying it over the box to strengthen the joints and joins of it for travel. "Who are you working for?" he demanded. "We know you're with that psycho chick, but who else? You help us out, maybe you'll stay out of super jail."

Wander is going to use Fast Acrobatic Bluff as her move action, directed against whichever enemy is in stick range. That's an Acrobatics check, which with Skill Mastery and Inspire comes out to a DC 32. With the hopes that this will leave him flat-footed, she will launch a full (but not All-Out) Power Attack on the Color Host. That's at -5, but at +5 for Inspire, for a result of 22.

Miss A twitched once, an uncharacteristically mechanical gesture for all it only lasted a fraction of a second. Half a mile away, Gina flinched, cursing her own distractedness as she took firm control over the robot again. Didn't he know this was only going to make everything harder? Didn't they both have enough problems without the high likelihood that any relationship between them was tragically ludicrous and doomed to rapid and painful failure? "No, don't," she said, even as she regretted the words, then totally shocked herself by adding "I have five thousand movies, there'll be something we both like." She was obviously losing her mind.

Miss Americana's hand was warm and human, soft skin over gracefully-shaped bones and tendons. No one who hadn't seen the truth behind the beautiful superheroine would ever have guessed it was all just a facade. Miss A hesitated a moment, then gave him a light pat on the hand with her free hand, reassuring and impersonal as any doctor. It would be, she knew, the gravest of mistakes to allow herself to become confused about her life in this body and her real life. "Lucky for you," she told him, "you should suffer no lasting consequences from this fight. You're already knitting up nicely. Let me give you something for the pain and you should be all set."

"Oh, absolutely," Fleur agreed. "Just because someone isn't on the news doesn't make them any less a hero. Some of the most desperate situations and most heroic actions never get reported because they would cause citywide panic," she admitted candidly. "The heroes who risk their lives there never receive public recognition for it. And then there are the heroes who are so private that they don't want publicity even in their heroic identities. Either way, plenty of heroes never show up on television." With the sun shining down on them and the baby playing happily with a dandelion she'd found, Fleur relaxed and stretched out her legs in the grass. Reaching up, she pulled a few of the pins from her hair, letting the long braids fall down her back and trail onto the blanket. Oddly enough, her hair seemed to be getting greener the longer she spent in the sun. "You're quite right, too, in saying that not everyone has to save the world. We all contribute in our own way. When I started out, most of what I did was beautify the city gardens," she added with a chuckle.

"Oh, I'm only on the auxiliary team," Fleur corrected modestly. "That's more than enough to keep me busy. I'm lucky to have plenty of help with Ammy, and superpowers don't hurt." Indeed, even as Amaryllis began to stray too far from the blanket, a small hedge popped from the ground, redirecting her back towards her mother. "There's definitely an adjustment period when starting hero work, trying to balance that with having a normal life. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it quickly. Have you met many other heroes so far?"

"Of course." Fleur waved a hand, and immediately the ground around them went from winter-burnt brown to verdant green as new grass and even small flowers sprang up. She set the baby down on the blanket of grass, smiling indulgently as the green-haired tot immediately crawled away. "It's such a nice day, isn't it? I've been desperate for spring." Fleur sat down crosslegged in the grass, perfectly comfortable even around a total stranger. "I have to confess I don't follow fashion magazines, but I leaf through them on the checkout line at the grocery store. I'm sure that's where I've seen you. Are you still modeling these days?"

"Not at all," Fleur said easily. "I'm just passing through, myself. This park is usually empty at this hour, so we don't draw attention." She shifted the baby to her other hip to free her right hand. She extended it to Alicia. "I'm Fleur de Joie, and this is my little girl Ammy. I don't believe we've met, but you seem familiar." She thought for a moment. "Were you in a magazine somewhere? In any case, it's lovely to meet you. Your wings are just beautiful!"