Gizmo

However skilled a driver he may have been, Trevor was far less adept at changing social gears, and blinked several times as re regained his balance. "We... it's complicated," he replied lamely. The lanky youth's emphatic body language immediately retracted to his earlier conservative stoicism, and his eyebrows seemed to retreat behind the lenses of his sunglasses. "...we're just... private people." He cleared his throat awkwardly, not even making a token effort to change the topic.

"Pfft, call that a chemical attack," Trevor snorted derisively as he calmly placed the last of his shaped charges. "My double wears a gas mask that doesn't come off. Idiots." Taking a step back, he thumbed the button on his belt that usually would have summoned the remotely driven Night Cycle. He wasn't sure what kind of vehicle 'The Blank' rode, but every little bit had to help at this point. A hint of a pleased smirk began to spread on his hidden face as the distinctive thrum of rotor blades cut through the din outside and a nearly blinding spot light shone in through the hole Mark had created in the ceiling, followed by an unfurling rope ladder. "...well okay then. Move, people." A gleaming helicopter of pristine white and stainless steel hovered above the remains of the holding facility, powerful gusts blowing back the encroaching chlorine gas as the autopilot held the transport steady. Trevor waited until the others, including Daisy despite his misgivings, was on their way up before hooking his foot into the bottom of the ladder and instructing the chopper to begin rising into the skies above the Academy. He watched as, forgoing the ladder altogether, Erin tossed the unconscious guards, including Archer, out of harm's way before boarding the helicopter with a single prodigious leap. When they'd achieved sufficient height, the white clad young man produced a slender rectangle of metal from hit jacket pocket, and flipped open its hinged top to expose a red button. Pressing it, he dropped the remote down the hole in the roof as it rapidly shrunk with distance. A moment later the ruined lab below exploded in a massive fireball, a roiling wave of heat washing across the escaping teens' faces. Without comment, Trevor turned away and completed his climb up the ladder.

Trevor's going to spend an HP to 'Gadget' a trope mo-helicopter with Remote Control. He's also going to blow up the lab behind them. Yeah.

Midnight grimaced beneath his mask and muttered something made unintelligible by the filter it contained at the mention of magic, pulling the Night Cycle up to a secluded spot and swinging off with practiced ease. "Specifics?" he asked brusquely, stalking softly through the sand and casting his gaze from the sea to the mouth of the cave. Ruby lenses made even the reflected starlight sufficient for his needs. "Going in blind as it is. Need exploitable weaknesses."

"We're the good guys," Midnight answered Daisy flatly as he moved to follow Erin, passing by the forlorn probability controller on his way. "Mark. Not remotely your fault. Now make the girl a pair of pants." The masked youth lowered his tone as he stalked by Warren. "Blake's unstable here. Watch him." Nonchalantly pulling a legitimately frightening amount of plastic explosives from his belt, Trevor began shaping them around the variety of delicate looking sensory instruments and projection equipment opposite from the bank the recently liberated young woman was dispatching.

Even through the featureless void that took the place of his face, Midnight's expression conveyed incredulity. A whirl of movement brought his escrima sticks back into the sheathes in his boots, and the black clad vigilante folded his arms, looking down on the considerably smaller woman and her notepad. "You hit me," he grated out in the cold echoing rasp created by his mask's air filter, "in the neck, with a pipe."

Trevor wrapped his arms around Erin, returning her hug with all the intensity his own all too human strength would allow. "I got you," he murmured, a trace of softness carried with it even through the filter built into his borrowed mask. Relief rolled off of the usually reserved youth in palpable waves as he took a moment appreciate the sureness of her presence, a sense of composure and control reasserting itself atop a simmering core of outrage. "Anti-Earth or some approximate variant," he answered more loudly. "Dropped into our counterparts' places. Assuming a malevolent version of Mark's father... it fits. If it's a contest, there's a win condition."

"Here," Trevor called as the remaining midnight mist lifted slowly through the opening Mark had created in the roof, thinning perceptibly before dissipating entirely. A flick of his wrist retracted the stiletto blade back into his sleeve, sticking slightly due to it's sanguine coating. Feeling about his head as he walked over to Erin, the lanky teen grimaced. "Don't think this mask comes off." He regarded Wander's crumpled handiwork on the floor with admiration before meeting her eyes through his ruby lenses. "Sorry it took so long."

As shockwaves of sound and torrents of golden flame danced about, Midnight growled in annoyance. "Back off," he demanded of the others, withdrawing the stiletto roughly through Beaumont's shoulder. "He's mine." A brutal backhand finally knocked the surprisingly resilient drunkard senseless, landing in a head at Trevor's feet. The seething youth spared a moment on a look of utter contempt before sprinting off toward the broken cage and the area Mark had cleared in the mist. He emerged from the obscuring miasma with the blood splattered blade still extended from his sleeve, once pristine white outfit stained sticky red and sooty black. His relief at seeing Erin free only dulled the edge of his red hot anger. "Good to move?"

Midnight II 4HP Standard Action: Power Attack 5. (1d20+10=22) DC 29 against Beaumont. Extra Effort: Surge Standard Action: Knock Beaumont out. Move Action: Move to Erin and Mark.

Jill shrugged, her expression carefully schooled. "I had my doubts, too, but the doctors say the tests are conclusive." "Tch," Jack tisked with exaggerated annoyance. "No respect, I swear." The coltish teen rested an elbow atop the head of her reclining brother, balancing one foot on its toe behind the other leg. "We're told there's a family resemblance." It was certainly true; even with Jack wearing his mask, with the siblings standing next to each other, the similarities in their angular features and mannerisms were obvious.

Resist Countering. (1d20+3=21) You don't blow midnight mist away, it blows you away!

Ellie matched Eli's crackling fist with a virulently glowing fist of her own. "Little man, I will end you," she warned through a smirk. Turning to Billy her grin broadened. "Well, most of his good ideas are mine." "Funny lady," Erik responded with a brotherly shove. "Easy with the closet stuff, Lynn; that's how rumours get started, huh?" His sister snorted and rolled her eyes. "'Rumours', right. Anyway, I appreciate the thought, seriously, but I'm going to kinda be all over the place this year, taking some classes at Claremont, helping out at the hospital, everything. Plus, don't want to leave our mom totally on her own all of the sudden either, so." "Pfft, you just got used to not having me up in your business all the time," Erik scoffed. "Anyway, the family house is pretty close by, so she'll be making a nuisance of herself regardless." The swordsman grinned. "She's like my intern!" "I'm not your intern," Ellie refuted flatly. "So my intern," Erik reasserted, throwing an arm around his sister's shoulders. "So, what's it gonna be, hermanita?" Considering for a moment, Ellie hands went to play with the ends of the ponytail she'd only recently cut off. A little embarrassed, she decided, "Staying in actually sounds, y'know, good."

"Yeah, well, somebody's gotta keep an eye on mi hermano." Jill took a break from subtly sizing Wander up to give her brother a mildly surprised look. "Huh, I really thought you were making the thing with the giant dragon bees up." The elder sibling snorted, crossing his arms. "Your unwavering faith is really what keeps me going," he drawled, leaning against the back of the couch. "Fleur de Joie got them set up. I guess she's got like this whole national park planet deal or something. I kinda stopped listening to the details after 'a place with giant flowers which is also not here'."

The sound of footsteps heralded the arrival of Jack of all Blades coming down the steps from the second floor. He's opted to wear his costume, but had left his bulky greatcoat off, revealing a sleeveless black body suit with lighter grey piping up the sides, crossed by a broad bandoleer. The masked swashbuckler gave the visiting teen a brief wave as he sauntered into the room. "Hey, Slugger. How goes?" Close behind him followed Jill O'Cure. The swordsman's sister was wearing her full costume, including her jacket, but she'd forgone her mask, since she'd already begun attending classes at Claremont under the assumed name 'Jill Pique'. "Hi! Jill," she introduced herself with a slight smile. "I think we maybe have home room together? Haven't really met a lot of people yet." The coltish girl wasn't great around new people, self-conscious of her reflexively sardonic manner and the inherent awkwardness of starting senior year at a new school. Given Wander's reputation around campus and Jack's praise, however, she was determined not to show any uncertainty around her formidable classmate.

Even through his featureless mask, it became increasingly obvious that Trevor's face was contorting first with impatience and then undiluted rage. This world had word mightily on the stoic teens considerable restraint and self control, but the last shreds of patience were consciously thrown aside as Trevor shoved Shinnosuke to the side and charged forward, snarling with icy grit, "Own this," as midnight mist exploded through his pristine white suit to cloak the room in darkness, his vision blurred with red even before his mutated eyes shifted to a higher spectrum. An angry swipe of his jacket's built in stiletto forced an unprepared Archer out of the way before Midnight moved on to skewer Beaumont through the shoulder with the long, thin blade. Despite having never seen it before today, the chilling precise young man knew it was laser sharpened to a nano-fine edge and forged of a carbon impervium alloy that would be invisible to metal detectors and all but unbreakable. After all, it's how he would have made it.

Fffff... Alrighty then. Second Chance (Intimidate) (1d20+15=35) Aw, snap! Power Attack 5, Reroll (1d20.minroll(11) + 10=26)

Alright, so assuming a surprise round here... Midnight II Free Action: Midnight Mist Free Action: Arrange Gadgets Strike 4 (Power Feat: Extended Reach, Improved Critical 2, Mighty) [8PP] Protection 1 [1PP] Standard Action: Power Attack 5. (1d20+10=25) DC 15 +4 Strike +3 Strength +2 Sneak Attack +5 Power Attack = 29 Against Archer Move Action: Auto 25 Demoralize Against Beaumont w/ Skill Mastery and Second Chance (Intimidate). Extra Effort: Surge for Standard Action Standard Action: Power Attack 5. (1d20+10=16) DC 29 Against Beaumont. Let me know if it's worth rerolling any of that and how it goes before I put up the IC. If it's relevant: Initiative. (1d20+3=9)

Stopping in his tracks, Trevor gave Liz a look which stopped just short of letting his mouth hang open. Tightening his jaw with an audible click, he held his hand parallel before him, gesturing briefly but emphatically. "Control. Contact. Tactile." It was clear that the lanky youth lacked the words to properly express how emphatically he felt on the subject. "Don't end every fight with a nerve blow," he tried by way of analogy. "There are gradients. Teleport's a blunt instrument. Night Cycle... she's an extension, same as my sticks. In a fight, I do okay. Riding my bike?" He shook his head. "Nobody can touch me."

"Keep moving," Trevor growled at Shinnosuke's back, prodding him on with the tip of the stiletto blade when the smaller youth seemed to slow. Part of the masked teen's gut coiled in disgust at what he could guess of his counterparts' treatment of Koyama in the past, and felt yet further horror at how easily he'd assumed that role. The majority, however, knew that he would do that and far worse to see his people home safe. If 'Singularity' was who he thought it was, that meant that Erin had woken up, alone and disoriented, and inadvertently given herself away. Normally he would have had full confidence in her ability to free herself, but this entire world was profoundly unsettling. He had an uneasy hunch that the normal rules did not apply here, and was willing to take no chances. Shortly, the unhappy pair came to the front gates of the storage facility to which 'The Blank' had been instructed to report. A brick guard post blocked the way, proclaiming no admittance to the facility. Presumably an exception was to be made, but any security which dealt with masked individuals would have to have some sort of additional measures; a passcode, perhaps. Could he trust Shinnosuke to help? Surely not, even if he had sufficient clearance. Trevor ground his teeth harder as he considered his few and unattractive options.

At Shinnosuke's unexpected and overly obnoxious reaction, pieces began to fit together in Trevor's mind. Good versus evil, Lucas said. ...Anti-Earth. It made a twisted sort of sense, which fit the reality warper's modus operandi perfectly. For once, the cold, calculating side of his personality, which realized that he'd been mistaken for his malicious doppelganger, and the keenly emotional side, which railed violently at the implication of Erin being caged, were in perfect agreement. "Koyama, whatever it is you fear in this world," his voice tore roughly through a clenched jaw as streams of midnight mist leaked from between ruby red lenses and the immaculate white mask, stinging the pinned student's eyes, "I guarantee I am something infinitely darker and more terrible." Pressing down on Shinnosuke's throat with one forearm, he flicked his wrist, extending the stiletto blade he'd discovered there as he dressed. "Take me to where she's held, or the last thing you know will be your own wretched screams."

Trevor awoke from a fitful sleep with a start and a sudden sense of suffocation, clawing at his face before he regained his senses enough to realize what was going on. Fell asleep with my mask on? Wait. The lean young man's eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted against each other. Lucas. Throwing off crisp white sheets, he took stock of the unfamiliar bedroom. A pile of neatly stacked ornate frames and rolled up paintings sat in one corner, while a workbench covered in unrefined diamonds and gem cutting equipment was set up near the spartan bed. The entire layout was disturbingly intuitive to his sensibilities, but also exaggeratedly sterile, full of whitewash and stainless steel, devoid of windows but lit to its every cranny by harsh fluorescent lights. One entire wall was covered with a spotless mirror, and Trevor caught a reflection of himself is an immaculate white robe, is face covered by an equally spotless mask, the shade reversed from his outfit as Midnight. Rubbing the bridge of his covered nose, he tried to concentrate. Think. The others. Erin. Tossing the robe violently away, he moved to a wardrobe of pale wood and threw it open. Finding nothing but rack after rack of matching white suits, he quickly dressed, noting the placements of semi-familiar devices concealed about the outfit. Placing the lone white fedora on his head, he moved with purpose, unbolting the multiple locks on the heavy metal door and stepping outside. Instead of the hallway of the dormitory, he found himself now in a brick passageway, dark aside of intermittent, flickering bulbs hanging from above. Grateful for his enhanced nightvision, Trevor choose a direction at random and hurried down to his right, eventually coming to another sealed door with a keypad. Taking another chance, he tapped in the code he would have used, and the door slid forward and to the side, revealing a warped version of Claremont's library. Stepping into the larger room, he watched as the door closed behind him, leaving a totally unremarkable shelf of books in its place. The sheer bizarreness of the situation slowly wore away at the stoic youth's carefully controlled demeanor, mixing with his concern for his classmates and amplified by the apparent paranoia of his assumed persona. As he stepped around the stacks to find Shinnosuke Koyama, clad in a crimson and black leather uniform and studiously flipping through a stack of bound tomes, his patience reached an end. Charging forward with startling speed, he ripped the other student from his seat and pinned him against a nearby shelf by his throat. His voice grated forth like an executioner's axe grinding on a whetstone. "Erin White. Where.

Jack shrugged in subdued contrast to Eli's manic frustration. "Well, it's not like it was a whole thing-" "It was so a thing," Jill interrupted, leaning forward with her hands clasped behind her back. Her brother gave her an annoyed look and pressed on. "I just mean, compared to the stuff we deal with every day, it's all relative." "Yeah, our relatives, the nutbags." "No, I meant-" "I know what you meant, dummy, it's called 'a pun'." "It'll be called 'a punch' if you don't cut that out." The bickering siblings eventually remembered that there were other people in the room and composed themselves to a degree. Jack coughed, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Right, anyway. The other thing." He exchanged an uncertain look with his sibling before taking a deep breath and pressing on. "You know I like to play things pretty close to my chest. I'm hoping you know that's never been about not trusting all of you; it's just, when it comes to my family, I can't take any chances, y'know?" The swashbuckler rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and gestured openly with the other. "But seeing as my family is in all this now, and you guys are part of... I mean, well... aw, nertz to this." Deftly removing his wig and mask, Jack tossed them onto the console bank next to him, revealing the angular features and dusty brown hair his teammates were already familiar with. "My name is Erik Espadas," he said bluntly, "and this is my sister Ellie." Beside him, Jill removed her own mask, though it turned out she'd opted to dye her real hair black rather than don a hairpiece. The coltish teen grinned at the gathered superheroes. "Pleased t'meetcha!"

[floatr][/floatr]Blaise O'Glory Power Level: 8 (120/120PP) Trade-Offs: +3 Attack / -3 Damage, +3 Defense / -3 Toughness In Brief: Dueling Detective daughter of Jack of all Blades and The Crimson Katana III Alternate Identities: Emma Kimiyo Espadas Identity: Secret Birthplace:Freedom City Occupation: Claremont Student Affiliations: YF-2, The Interceptors Family: Erik Espadas (Jack of all Blades, father), Kimiyo Ranaga (The Crimson Katana, mother), Ellie Espadas (Jill O’Cure, aunt) Age: 17 (DoB: May 9th, 2016) assumes thread set in September 2034 Gender: Female Ethnicity: French/Latina/Japanese Height: 5’7†Weight: 130 lbs Eyes: Dark Blue Hair: Black Description: Emma Espadas is a slim girl with a light, coppery tan and a flashing white smile. Regularly changing the style of her ebon hair, she gives the impression of flighty enthusiasm belying a keenly observant nature. Her outfits tend to boyish, though with a pointedly flattering cut and short sleeves to display the tattoo on her right arm. As Blaise O’Glory, she wears a primarily white costume which homages those of both her parents. Stylised red flame patterns adorn a pliant jacket, with a larger fiery emblem on the black shirt she wears beneath it. Blaise wields the Three-Flames Katana, passed down through her mother’s side of the family and made even more formidable by sheath of heat generated by its current wielder. History: The on and off again affair between Jack of all Blades and the third Crimson Katana began with a running fight through the back streets of Freedom City’s West End and culminated in an infant appearing on the doorstep of the Interceptors’ brownstone in the summer of 2016. With her mother constantly on the run, Emma’s early parenting was the combined effort of the Espadas clan and Erik’s teammates, with predictably mixed results. It wasn’t until 2020 that Toshiro Ranaga’s spirit was silenced and Kimiyo’s name was finally officially cleared, and three more years before Emma’s parents finally settled down. Their respective pasts were unwilling to be left behind, however, and a combined assault by remnants of the Katanarchists and the House of Staves caught the family unaware, leaving the fifteen year old Emma to pick up her mother’s sword in their defence. In retrospect, her attackers probably shouldn’t have underestimated the daughter of two of the greatest sword fighters of all time. Her latent metamagi powers reacted with her bloodline’s ties to the Three-Flames Katana, awakening with fiery fury. The blade itself bonded with Emma, transforming into a tattoo up the length of her right arm when not in use. Thrilled to finally be taking up the ‘family business’, at her aunt’s insistence she was enrolled at Claremont Academy. Familiar with the previous generation of superheroes thanks to her father’s penchant for storytelling, she quickly came to idolise fellow legacy heroine Cassandra Kenzie, enthusiastically following the older girl around school in hopes of swashbuckling team-ups. Now entering her senior year, Emma is balancing college plans and increasing hero work. Personality & Motivation: Emma is an effervescent teen who brings seemingly limitless energy to everything she does. Growing up surrounded by a variety of superhumans and extreme personalities has left her both outgoing and open-minded. At times coming across as flighty, the underlying, flint hard conviction of her parents has not been lost on her, and Emma reacts to bullying and precaution with surprising speed and severity. Her perceived lack of attention span is largely due to a keenly inquisitive nature. Emma loves a good mystery and can be a bit of a gossip if left to her own devices for too long. The invincibility of youth leads her to view heroing as an adventure more than anything, but a genuine desire to protect others and a willingness to stand against overwhelming odds make her a valuable ally despite her inexperience. Powers & Tactics: Having bonded with the Three-Flames Katana, Emma is able to summon the blade from her tattoo just as her mother did before her, while the energy manipulating powers inherited from her father wreath the steel in simmering heat. Though apparently not as powerful as when Kimiyo wielded it, the katana has grown more potent as Emma’s other powers develop. In addition to a general resistance to heat and flame, Emma is sensitive to the body heat of those around her allowing her to locate individuals even in the dark. Telltale fluctuations let her sense when someone is lying, a handy trick she puts to use as an amateur detective. Taught a variety of sword fighting styles from an early age, she is well on her way to matching her parents’ legendary duelling skills. Complications: Enemies - Both Jack of all Blades and The Crimson Katana made more than their fair share of foes in their day. Family - Emma has two very big reputations to live up to, or live down, depending on who you ask. Sounds Like a Mystery - Emma has a hard time resisting a chance for sleuthing. Secret - Superhero Identity. Three-Flames Katana - The spirit of Emma’s grandfather, Toshiro Ranaga, still haunts her inherited blade. Though no longer strong enough to possess his granddaughter, in moments of weakness he can influence her emotional state. Abilities: 0 + 6 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 = 26PP Str 10 (+0) Dex 16 (+3) Con 12 (+1) Int 14 (+2) Wis 16 (+3) Cha 18 (+4) Combat: 8 + 12 = 20PP Initiative: +3 Attack: +4, +7 melee, +11 swords Grapple: +7 Defense: +11 (+6 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2/-1 Saving Throws: 4 + 7 + 7 = 18PP Toughness: +5 (+1 Con, +2 Defensive Roll, +2 Costume) Fortitude: +5 (+1 Con, +4) Reflex: +10 (+3 Dex, +7) Will: +10 (+3 Wis, +7) Skills: 76r = 19PP Acrobatics 7 (+10) Bluff 11 (+15) Gather Information 11 (+15) Investigate 8 (+10) Knowledge [Arcane Lore] 3 (+5) Knowledge [Popular Culture] 8 (+10) Knowledge [streetwise] 3 (+5) Languages 2 (English [Native], Japanese, Spanish) Notice 12 (+15) Sense Motive 4 (+7, +15 Super-Senses) Stealth 7 (+10) Feats: 22PP Attack Focus (Melee) 3 Attack Specialization (Swords) 2 Defensive Roll 1 Dodge Focus 5 Equipment 1 Evasion 2 Fearless Jack-of-All-Trades Luck 2 Quick Change Set Up Taunt Well-Informed Powers: 5 + 1 + 2 + 7 = 15PP Immunity 10 (All Fire Effects, Flaw: Limited [1/2 Effect]) [5PP] Super-Senses 1 (Infravision) [1PP] Enhanced Skills 8 (Sense Motive +8) [2pp] Device 2 (Three-Flames Katana, Easy to Lose, 10DP of traits, Power Feat: Benefit [Transforms into tattoo]) [7PP] (mystical flaming sword) Strike 5 (Extra: Penetrating) [10DP] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage Three-Flames Katana Touch DC20 Toughness (Staged) Damage Abilities (26) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (18) + Skills (19) + Feats (22) + Powers (17) = 120PP

Jack Spade of Earth-Noir Jacqueline des Épées of Erde Sri Rik Espadas of Earth-Electrum Tom O'Hawk of Earth-3W Blaise O'Glory and Circuit of Earth-FC2 Jackolope of all Blades Earth A-Animal-1 Anthropomorphic hare who disguises his identity with a pair of false antlers Callie Burn Earth A-Gender-1 Exasperated den mother to her world's Interceptors Sri Rik Espadas Earth A-Improved-2 Spacefaring Star Knight bringing justice - and romance - to frontier worlds Cdr. Erica Espadas Earth G-Lor-5 Captain of the Ypres and the Republic's best hope against the Preservers Springheel Jack Earth G-Victorian-18 Steam-powered second-storey man with boots of brass and a heart of gold Pvt. 'One Eye Jack' Earth H-War-27 Close combat specialist of a ragtag commando unit operating behind enemy lines Old Man Jack Earth I-Future-52 Elderly mentor to the 52s, the gang ruling a dystopian, cyberpunk West End Jacqueline des Épées Erde J-Nazi-6 (Enemy) Sarcastic resistance leader thwarting the Reich in occupied Paris Tom O'Hawk Earth M-Tech-3 Professional steamboat gambler and secret agent of the President with a magic axe Frère Jacques Earth N-Retro-7 Jovial friar providing counsel to John of Aberdeen and his merry outlaws Jack O'Lantern Earth O-Eldritch-31 Friendly if macabre avatar of Hallowe'en, protecting children from true monsters Jack Spade Earth S-Low-39 Hard-bitten private eye kept alive by shocks of electricity and shots of bourbon Paul Perez Jr. Earth U-Isolate-1 Charismatic actor with a leading role in the Interceptors movie franchise Jack Knife Earth V-Malign-1 (Enemy) Psychopathic drug dealer merged with the spirit of murder Perseus Earth Y-Gorgon-13 (Extinct) Herald of the Gorgon, remade as an cosmic energy being of unthinkable power Joyeuse Earth A-Butterfly-7 Parisian vigilante raised by her father and hunting an elusive cat burglar The Orderly Earth A-Gender-1 Pre-med student trying to keep his sister and teammates in one piece Mallory Practice Earth V-Malign-1 (Enemy) Jewel Wasp's unhinged but loyal enforcer and personal assistant