Gizmo

With a sudden surge of movement, Erik knocked the Doktor's foil from his hand, sending it spinning into the air before tossing his own practice weapon up after it. Snatching the pair of blades out of the air with one hand in the instant the drifted parallel to each other, he brought them back down and moved to stow them away with a lopsided smirk. "And you were worried you didn't know how to relate to other people," the swashbuckler laughed brightly. "Lead the way, boss man."

"The coffee maker was actually really easy to use," Ellie offered, sliding onto the bike behind Mara and sidling up closer than was probably strictly necessary as she wrapped her arms around her partner's waist. "Even I could tell it was a really good design." A lot of Mara's inventions didn't have much in the way of user interfaces, but evidently creating something intended for use in a sleep-deprived, groggy state brought things back down to a good place for the average consumer. "By the way, I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but the whole motorcycle thing? Mmm." The low sound may have been inarticulate, but it succeed in conveying her ardent approval.

Making a detour toward the warehouse's entrance, Ellie retrieved her coat from the spot on the floor where she'd hastily dropped it the evening before. "Heh. Well, somebody needs to be there to make sure they don't fertilize the seeds of the robocalypse or whatever," she snorted lightly at the overly poetic phrasing. "All playing God and tampering with forces." Slipping into the black pea coat, she sauntered back over to Mara as she uncovered the motorcycle.

"Bloody idiot could have just given you all aneurysms and been done with it," the Blank noted in his dry, precisely enunciated tone, sounding unconcerned and conversational. "But he's an absolute slave to theatrics, you know." Clad in an immaculate white suit that seemed to defy the dirt of the cavern, he tugged absently at his cuffs with gloved hands before touching his featureless mask between his fedora and one ruby lens as though grooming his eyebrows."I suppose I can't say you didn't warn me, hm? 'I'll be back' et cetera, et cetera." For his part, Midnight stepped slowly and deliberately away from the side of the impervium box, drawing his matte black escrima sticks from their sheathes alongside his shins. The young man had expected this confrontation from the moment he agreed to the mission, and had wondered whether he would be able to face it with his usual detached analysis or if he would be hampered by uncertainty. Instead he found only a cold, burning anger in his stomach that seemed to snake out through his limbs as he flexed his fingers and strode forth. "You let them put her back in the box." The Blank looked vaguely taken aback by the statement. "Hm? What, Singularity?" He glanced over his counterpart's shoulder and shook his head in bemusement. "Good Lord, this is actually a rescue attempt, isn't it? Here I thought you were planning to just let her run loose and--" [/bg] "Stop. Talking," Midnight demanded as he closed the distance between them. "Heh... You're right, of course," the Blank agreed, clearly smirking behind his mask. With a flick of his wrists, long stiletto blades sprung forth from his sleeves and he launched himself forward. With an identical leap, the battle was joined.

"Mm. Coffee and peanut butter kisses," Ellie observed with a pleased murmur, looping an arm around Mara's waist when she stepped closer. "Well, you make it sound a lot more romantic than 'inertia', which is what I would have gone with, so thanks," the taller girl chuckled with a bemused tilt of her head before returning the kiss with another. Releasing her girlfriend's waist, she sighed. "Unfortunately, that does mean we should probably get going. Are you going to be at the Lab today?"

Wail stoked his greying beard with a meaty hand as he pondered, again given to slower, more deliberate consideration that younger heroes. "Hrm. Well, sounds like there's room for more than a little interpretation, but my guess? Some sucker's trying to make a giant pentagram or spell his initials in burning buildings, nine times out of ten, the last pin in the map's smack downtown." Leaving city-scale messages had been a mainstay of supervillainy over the years, and Freedom City had proven to be conspicuously well placed for harnessing all manner of convergent energies. "You said 'communication', makes me think the GBN building and all the other broadcasters. Fools love taking over television stations. 'Course, I remember when even a radio station was a big deal, before everybody had little music players..." The big man caught himself before he could digress any further.

"Well, soonish," Ellie replied, walking her plate and mug over to the kitchenette's sink as she finished with them. "Toward the end of June. Honestly, though, it sorta feels like a formality. I've already been accepted at FCU and..." She paused thoughtfully for a moment, visibly doing some rough mental calculations. "...I'm pretty sure I'd still pass all of my courses even if I just stopped showing up from now until then." Leaning back against the counter, she offered Mara a dry smile. "I'm sure there's a very good reason I'm not doing that, but I couldn't give it to you off the top of my head."

Ellie regarded the neatly stacked cases, chewing thoughtfully. "Off limits, then. Fair enough." With what she already knew, it didn't take much to infer what was likely sitting there, waiting to be disposed of safely. There was no question that Mara's inventive genius was capable of creating some truly dangerous weapons, but seeing the physical proof of the engineer's resolve to prevent the terrible things she'd been forced to build from causing any more damage, the medic felt a stab of mixed emotions she had trouble putting a name to. Shifting upright, she placed a quick peck on her girlfriend's cheek. "Just 'cause," she explained as she resumed her breakfast.

"'Pretty little head'? Really?" a sardonic voice rang out from the presentation room's window as Jill O'Cure swung in on her grappling hook line, tumbling acrobatically into the room and smoothly rising into a combat ready pose. "You get that she's a super-science muckity muck genius, right?" the black and crimson clad heroine asked dryly as blue light enveloped her hands with an electrical crackle. "Whereas you're a walking second amendment joke." With a gesture, translucent blue sphere of energy shimmered into being around Bear-Knuckle's comrades, leaving them trapped in bobbing prisons. "This is the part where you say, 'curses, Jill O'Cure!' followed by something else stupid for me to make fun of."

Jill O'Cure Move Action: Enter the room through the window. Standard Action: Create force field 'cages' around each of the bad guys. They get a DC 22 Reflex Save to avoid being trapped, and the bubbles had Impervious Protection 12.

The face Midnight pulled behind his mask was extreme enough that one of his ruby red lenses seemed to practically widen as his head pulled backward in surprise. An objection sprang to his lips and sat their, on the brink of verbalization. There was no way he was going to leave Erin inside with her maddened alternate self and no way to get out. And yet... he was only on that nightmare world because he loved her, trusted her more than anything, and it was her mission. Hunching his shoulders in a near-stoop, he paused for a long beat before nodding tersely and slipping off the side of the impervium box to do as she said.

"But if you did that, how could I show off my motorcycle riding girlfriend?" Ellie inquired with a broad grin she concealed poorly behind a sip of coffee. "Seriously, though, I'm not going to pretend I'm embarrassed of you. People can think whatever they want," she declared more seriously, setting the mug back down. "I just meant that I don't want to seem like I'm flaunting it. Gotta leave a little mystery." Regarding the shelves of half-finished projects Mara was indicating, she raised an eyebrow. "Why is so much of the stuff in here potentially explosive?"

Stealth check. (1d20+19=36)

"Reminding, huh?" Ellie laughed as she placed her pieces of toast together in a sandwich. "Guess I'll just have to make sure you never get a chance to forget. Hope it's okay I borrowed a top," she switched topics, smoothing the light blue t-shirt with one hand while she ate. The garment would have been a little baggy on Mara, so it fit the taller girl well enough. "Getting dropped off at school by my motorcycle riding girlfriend in yesterday's clothes wouldn't do anything good for my reputation."

Jill O'Cure - Initiative. (1d20+4=23) Haha, aw, but the bad guys still have the higher initiative modifier, so they still go first.

Midnight II Two edits to make. First, putting an additional 6PP into his midnight mist array to turn it into this: Second, spending the other 2PP to buys Evasion 2, which believe it or not he's never had until now! Weird. I've also added in a selection of example Gadget configurations, as per request. [b]Players Name[/b]: Gizmo [b]Power Level[/b]: 14 (213/213PP) [b]Trade-Offs[/b]: +2 Attack, -2 Damage [b]Unspent PP[/b]: 0 [b][u]Progress to Platinum:[/u][/b] 63/90 (Gold status earned with [url=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2517]Jack of all Blades[/url]) [floatr][img=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/wiki/images/3/3d/MidnightIIHF.png][/floatr][b]Characters Name[/b]: Midnight II [b]Alternate Identity[/b]: Trevor Hunter [b]Age[/b]: 17 [b]Gender[/b]: Male [b]Height[/b]: 6'2" [b]Weight[/b]: 165 lbs [b]Hair[/b]: Black [b]Eyes[/b]: Black Sclera With Red Irises [b]Description[/b]: Trevor Hunter is a tall, lanky teenager with dark hair just a little too long to be kept tidy and a relaxed demeanour. Although over six feet he's still growing into his full height, giving him a thinness accentuated by angular features. Dressing largely in subdued browns and blacks, he eschews logos and accessories, preferring plain long-sleeved shirts and jackets with a generally uncluttered appearance. His one concession is a battered black fedora which he wears whenever convenience allows. As the second Midnight, he wears a costume only slightly altered from the one used by his grandfather, starting with a lightly armoured jump-suit. Trevor has shortened the trench coat to a jacket to make it more practical for riding the Night Cycle, and added a matte black utility belt containing an array of gadgets. His featureless mask and fedora are in fact the very same ones used by Travis Hunter, although the mask’s functional elements had to be replaced. The entire costume is pitch black save for glowing red eyes. [b]History[/b]: Shortly after the Liberty League disbanded in the late 1950s, the mysterious vigilante known as Midnight disappeared, never to be seen again. Remaining active but underground for several years, chemist Travis Hunter eventually settled down and raised a family. Though the occasional crisis would bring him out of retirement, it was never for long and always without public knowledge. The years of exposure to his ‘midnight mist’ had left a greater mark of Hunter than he realised, however. With his son forced to move often due to his job, Hunter’s grandson Trevor came to live with the now elderly, though still remarkably vigourous, chemist in his sizeable estate. This turned out to be fortuitous, for when Trevor’s metahuman abilities manifested at puberty, his grandfather instantly recognised the familiar light blocking gas he produced. Calming the confused youth, Hunter revealed to him the long abandoned ‘Midnight Manor’ hidden below their home and explained his history as a masked crime fighter. The moment the old, flickering lights illuminated the glass case containing the Midnight costume, Trevor’s fate was sealed. He knew his destiny was to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and, seeing the boy’s determination, Hunter had to agree. Trevor’s training began immediately, with the condition that he was not to venture out into the city until he earned his license and refurbished one of the Manor’s decrepit vehicles to drive himself there. To Hunter’s chagrin the mechanically inclined Trevor not only met both conditions with surprising ease, but insisted on claiming the Night Cycle as his transportation of choice. The new Midnight’s first forays into the world of super heroism caught the attention of Duncan Summers, who recognised the modus operandi of the hero who was in many ways the spiritual predecessor of the Raven. Sending his daughter out to make contact with the teen, Summers invited Trevor to enrol at Claremont Academy. With his grandfather’s blessing he accepted, eager to give a new generation of villains a very good reason to be afraid of the dark. [b]Personality & Motivation[/b]: Trevor is outwardly reserved without being cold. He’ll smile slightly rather than laugh, and he’ll narrow his eyes rather than shout belligerently. What sense of humour he does display is bone dry, often leaving those he interacts with uncertain if he made a joke or not. Slow to anger, he has little interest in social drama and is unfailing genuine in his sentiments. Content to let others have the spotlight, when he does speak his words carry a weight that belies his years. Fighting crime is a point of family pride for Trevor, one he takes very seriously. The exploitation of the innocent is one of the few things sure to draw a reaction from the typically demure teen, and he takes a good deal of satisfaction from utilising fear against the villains who make it their stock and trade. [b]Powers & Tactics[/b]: Trevor is able to produce clouds of “midnight mistâ€, the gas invented by his grandfather, at will. The mist blocks out light, plunging those caught in its wake into darkness. Using his specially designed goggles, Trevor takes advantage of the cover to terrify his foes and strike undetected, leaving no trace of himself save unconscious criminals. A secondary power clouds his presence from telepathy and other mental senses, making him a shadowy figure even on the mental plane. Supplementing these powers are an array of compact gadgets secreted about the pockets of his coat and belt. [b]Complications[/b]: [i]Camera Shy[/i] (Trevor prefers to remain unseen by the public; the shadows are where he does his best work.) [i]Disarmed[/i] (Trevor's coat and belt need to be removed to completely deprive him of his gadgets, but many of the individual items are hand held and can be disarmed as normal.) [i]Don’t Touch the Hat[/i] (Don’t. Touch. The [i]Hat[/i].) [i]Erin White[/i] (Dating. It's complicated.) [i]Frightening[/i] (The Midnight costume is great for scaring bad guys, not so great for reassuring civilians, especially kids.) [i]Honest[/i] (Trevor’s a lousy liar, to the point of bluntness) [i]Legacy[/i] (Living up to his inherited code name means the world to Trevor.) [i]Loyalty[/i] (Trevor insists he's only a part-time member of Young Freedom, but his teammates know better and deep down, so does he.) [i]Mental Familiarity[/i] (Trevor and Eve Martel have developed their telepathic rapport to the point where she is unaffected by his otherwise difficult to read mind.) [b]Abilities[/b]: 8 + 6 + 6 + 4 + 4 + 8 = 36PP STR: 18/24 (+4/+7) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 16 (+3) INT: 14 (+2) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 18 (+4) [b]Combat[/b]: 18 + 12 = 30PP Initiative: +3 Attack: +9 Base, +15 Melee Grapple: +19 Defense: +13 (+6 Base, +7 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -4, -2 Flat-Footed [b]Saving Throws[/b]: 4 + 5 + 8 = 17PP Toughness: +10/+15 (+3 Con, +4 Defensive Roll, +3 Midnight Costume/+8 Protection) Fortitude: +7 (+3 Con, +4) Reflex: +8 (+3 Dex, +5) Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8) [b]Skills[/b]: 116r = 29PP Acrobatics 7 (+10) Craft (mechanical) 13 (+15) Drive 12 (+15) Gather Information 6 (+10) Intimidate 16 (+20) Knowledge (Streetwise) 3 (+5) Knowledge (Tactics) 13 (+15) Knowledge (Technology) 3 (+5) Language 2 (ASL, French, English [Native]) Medicine 3 (+5) Notice 8 (+10) Perform (Dance) 1 (+5) Sense Motive 13 (+15) Stealth 16 (+19) [b]Feats[/b]: 41PP Attack Focus (Melee) 6 Benefit 2 (Wealth 2) Blind Fight Defensive Roll 2 (+4 Toughness) Distract (Intimidate) Dodge Focus 7 Evasion 2 Equipment 6 (30EP) Hide in Plain Sight Jack of All Trades Luck 3 Master Plan 2 Power Attack Second Chance (Intimidate) Skill Mastery 2 (Acrobatics, Drive, Gather Information, Intimidate, Medicine, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth) Sneak Attack Startle Well-Informed [quote name="Equipment"]3 + 1 + 3 + 4 + 14 = 25ep [b][u]Collapsible Escrima Sticks:[/u] Strike 3[/b] ([i]Power Feat:[/i] Mighty, Subtle); [i]Cost:[/i] 5ep [b][u]Gas Mask[/u]: Immunity 1[/b] (eye and lung irritants); [i]Cost:[/i] 1ep [b][u]Grappling Hook[/u]: Super-Movement 1[/b] (Swinging), [b]Speed 1[/b] (10 MPH); [i]Cost:[/i] 3ep [b][u]Midnight Costume[/u]: Protection 3[/b] ([i]Power Feat:[/i] Subtle); [i]Cost:[/i] 4ep [b][u]Night Cycle:[/u] Speed 5[/b] (250 mph) [list][u]Stats[/u]: [i]Size:[/i] Medium; [i]Strength:[/i] 20; [i]Defense:[/i] 10; [i]Toughness:[/i] 10; [i]Features:[/i] Disguise, Hidden Compartments, Nitro Injectors, Remote Control, Subtle; Cost: 17ep[/list][/quote] [b]Powers[/b]: 4 + 27 + 5 + 16 + 2 + 6 = 60PP [b]Concealment 2[/b] ("Shadowy Presence" [Mental, Mutant]; All Mental Senses) [4PP] [b]Gadgets 3[/b] (Utility Coat & Belt; 15pp Variable Power, Any Power, Multiple Powers At Once, [i]Extras:[/i] Action 2 [Free], Duration [Continuous], [i]Flaws:[/i] Hard-To-Lose) [27PP] [b]Immunity 10[/b] (Telepathic Resistance [Mental, Mutant]; All Mental Effects, [i]Flaws:[/i] Limited [Half]) [5PP] [b]Midnight Mist Array 7[/b] (14PP; [i]Power Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 2) [16PP] [list][b][u]BP[/u]: Obscure 4[/b] (Midnight Mist [Gaseous Cloud, Mutant]; Visual Senses, 50ft radius, [i]Extras:[/i] Action 2 [Free], Independent, [i]Flaws:[/i] Range [Touch]) [12PP] [b]Speed 2[/b] (25 MPH) [2PP] [b][u]AP[/u]: Protection 8[/b] (Supersaturated Muscle Tissue [Mutant]; [i]Extras:[/i] Duration [Sustained]) [8PP] [b]Enhanced Strength 6[/b] [6PP] [b][u]AP[/u]: Insubstantial 2[/b] (Mist Form [Gaseous Cloud, Mutant]) [10PP] [b]Flight 1[/b] (10 MPH, [i]Power Feats:[/i] Subtle) [3PP][/list] [b]Sensory Shield 2[/b] (Vision) [2PP] [b]Super-Senses 6[/b] (Infravision, Visual Counters Obscure [All]) [6PP] [b]DC Block:[/b] [code]ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC19(21*, 24^) Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Escrima Sticks Touch DC22(24*, 27^) Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) *Sneak Attack, ^Supersaturated Muscle Tissue Abilities 36 + Combat 30 + Saves 17 + Skills 29 + Feats 41 + Powers 60 = 213/213 Power Points Example Gadgets Doktor'd

Ellie's heart sank as the smile slipped from Mara's face. "Aw, cariño, I shouldn't have brought it up again," she apologized regretfully. "I'll tell you what, I want to hear everything, but it should wait until neither of us has anywhere we need to be, and you can take your time." She reached over to brush the inventor's cheek across the counter. "Just remember none of it's going to change a thing about the way I feel about you, which... well, I mean, I think you probably know." Her cheeks flushed a little as she withdrew her hand to cradle her mug.

Midnight made a sound in the back of his throat that suggested he was offended that she even needed to ask as he darted forward silently and lept nimbly to crouch atop the box, landing light so as not to disturb its occupant. A specific gesture popped a thin, notched pick from the index finger in his left glove, and the shadowy young man set about picking the lock on the hatch. It wasn't anything terribly complex; clearly the goal had been to keep Singularity from getting out rather than keeping anyone else from getting in. His work took only a few delicate moments, and he gestured an affirmative to the rest of the group.

Having poked around in the kitchenette's cupboards a bit, Ellie had settled on simple toast spread liberally with peanut butter as sufficiently quick to prepare and eat. Setting the plates down on the counter, she gave the newly showered Mara a brief hug from behind. "Hee, you're cute when you're happy," she laughed. "Luckily you're cute when you're grumpy, too, or we might have a problem." Stepping around to the other side of the counter, she retrieved her own cup and plate, pausing for a pensive moment before continuing. "At the risk of damaging the happy-cute, do you want to talk about the stuff with your dad? We don't have to if you don't."

"Hey, who's complaining?" Ellie noted with a wry smirk. "I'm still taller than you," she added, responding to the poke with a gentle hip check. Gathering up her clothes, she started redressing in time to toss her towels at Mara's head when it poked back out of the bathroom. "If I blow myself up, you're going to feel pretty silly, y'know." Making her way downstairs, she proceeded to find that the coffee maker really was impressively intuitive, then went about preparing some breakfast. She'd been a little worried that the night before had been a step that would drastically change things, but if the worst of it was a happily humming girlfriend, she supposed she'd just have to soldier on.

"You are such a teenager sometimes, you know that?" Ellie laughed brightly at Mara's concerns about distractions. To be fair, it wouldn't have taken much to convince her to blow off class for the day, but that would be a slippery slope. "I'll put the coffee on, and something to eat," she corrected the proposed plan with a grin. "You need to take a quick shower." She directed her girlfriend toward the bathroom with a swift pat on the backside. "Still a little sweaty, muñequita."

Eventually exhaustion outweighed enthusiasm and a full night's sleep was had. Mara awoke the next morning to the sound of running water from the attached bathroom. After a few minutes there was the telltale squeak of faucets and moments later Ellie emerged wearing one towel and drying off her hair with another. The young woman beamed at her partner, suffused with a more subtle glow than the one her powers provided. "Up and at 'em, cariño. I need you to give me a ride to class."

Wail didn't respond to the story quite so quickly as the younger heroes, rolling Silver Whisper's words around in his head slowly. He very much recognized the look of dull but undiminished loss on the ancient martial artist's face, and as he slowly removed his sunglasses and regarded her with eyes wrinkled in the corners, she likely recognized the same look there. "Well alright," he rumbled finally, giving the foreign woman a brief nod. "Can't have a joker like that running loose. 'Sides, wouldn't want to seem like poor hosts. Does raise the question: why's he here? Lousy place to lay low, if you're a super-type."

Oh for... I swear, I don't know how we get anything done in this city some days, Ellie groaned inwardly as the quartet of freakish brutes made their presence known. Luckily, their entrance was distracting enough that the young intern was able to slip out the back of the room in the resulting commotion, and was quickly sprinting for a nondescript locker one floor down, sounding the alarm as she went. Retrieving her messenger bag, the dark haired girl slipped into a conveniently unoccupied washroom and moments later the crimson clad form of Jill O'Cure was lifting itself out the small window and firing a grappling hook up the side of the hospital to get back to the presentation room.