Gizmo

Frank snorted in amusement. "Gal's got a point, kid," he told Trevor, moving to stand next to Erin and tuck his thumbs into his suspenders. Feeling suddenly outnumbered, the lanky youth let out a long breath that wasn't quite a sigh. "Fair enough," he acquiesced after a moment. "I... swing dance. Competitively," he elaborated nonchalantly, turning his attention back to the rows of ties.

"Does he know how to dance?" Frank practically sputtered, pausing his work. "Sweetheart, this is the kid who--" "Frank," Trevor interrupted the tailor with a quiet clearing of his throat. "What, kid, c'mon, we're talking about--" "Frank," the lanky teen called more insistently. The older man held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. Back to work." He alternated between pinning fabric and scribbling notes with his chalk pencil. Trevor turned his attention back to Erin, his expression mild. "I dance," he assured her simply.

Trevor's head tilted to one side reflexively as he marshaled his thoughts, caught momentarily between ingrained propriety and a legitimate reason to make careful examination of Erin's form. "It... suits you?" he responded uncertainly, unsure he answering correctly. He didn't want to seem too enthusiastic, after all. "I mean, yeah, uh... wow. It's really... and, uh..." Frank smirked, pleased with himself. "Trust me, sweetheart, that's the response you're going for. The Hunters are not the most expressive gents around, you mighta noticed." Noting the contrast between the rich colour and the girl's skin tone, the elderly tailor considered. "Hmm... Gonna want to show off some of that leg, athletic gal like you. Besides, put one of you hero girls in a long dress, you're just asking for a giant robot or a nutjob with a freeze ray to show up," Frank grumbled to himself. "The number of times one of my pieces has gotten ripped off above the knee..." He shook his head, annoyed by the memories. Instead, he turned his attention to Erin's upper body. "Shoulders, shoulders... Want to display the strength without emphasizing it," he mused to himself. "I'm thinking... short petal sleeves, I'm thinking... maybe a shawl, light, sheer cream... could go darker with that, too." He looked up at his subject. "What are we feeling more, bit severe but confident, or softer and warmer?" Pulling a chalk pencil from his pocket, Frank began to tap his chin with it thoughtfully, eyes squinting behind his pez nez.

"If you heard bad things, it's all lies; if it was good, every word was true," Jack told Knight absently, as he looked at the severed head, brow furrowed. "Normally I'd say something scathing about asking if the decapitated guy is hurt, but it's actually really hard to tell with 'Head. Normally he'd still be talking and not, uh... smoldering. Yee." The swordsman winced, partly in concern and partly in response to the horrible smell of sizzling flesh. He looked up when Dynamo spoke, jaw hanging open slightly when he spotted the jumper cables. "You didn't..." he said flatly, resisting the urge to smack himself in the forehead.

Trevor looked up from the selection of neckties he was idly picking through. "Hmm? Oh, I was thinking--" "Black." Frank interrupted him without turning from his work. The dark haired teen was momentarily nonplussed. "Not... necessarily..." he protested unconvincingly. At that Frank did stand up, cracking his back with a wince and tucking his measuring tape away. "Son, who made all those suits for you? You've got, what, one burgundy tie with a slate grey pinstripe and everything else? Black. Black on black on black, this kid," he told Erin with a rueful shake of his head. Trevor folded his arms, his expression flickering between mild amusement and embarrassment. "You had another idea?" "A gentleman," Frank posited, raising a sausage-like finger in the air, "matches his suit to the lady's dress." The tailor turned back to Erin. "What were you thinking, sweetheart? I say we go sleek and simple, little slink, little sheen..." The high school students could almost see the gears turning in Frank's head as the design took shape.

"I bloody well better," Frank cut in before Trevor could respond. "Like I'd let the kid run around in some piece of--" The tailor looked up abruptly from his rummaging at Erin. "...poorly cut material," he finished wryly, stepping over to a short stool in the middle of quarter circle of standing mirrors. "Up you get," he instructed with a nod as he untangled the measuring tape. "Between my grandfather and me, most of our wardrobe was made or altered in this shop," Trevor expounded, gesturing lightly around him. "Hard to find stuff that fits me," the notably tall and thin youth admitted. Frank snorted. "Maybe if you something other than coffee," he countered, rolling his eyes. He returned his attention to the young woman in the shop. "I even made the tux Trev's dad was married in, the ungrateful bum-- no offense kid." The heavyset man fumed idly as he waited for Erin to take her place in front of the mirrors. Unfazed, Trevor shrugged the comment away.

Trevor turned to refute Erin's objections but was distracted by Eve's mentally projected distress. The lanky youth hated to see the diminutive telepath put in such an awful position, but sadly there were greater things at stake than her disability. He resolved to learn more about it and possible cures once things had returned to normal. He had to assume they would succeed or this absurdly altered reality would drive him mad. He silently let Erin and James debate their plan of action, arms folded and expression muted. He was content in the knowledge that, should the need arise, he'd seen enough of Hell-Ion's teleport beacon to cobbled together a device to hijack the beam back to Earth from the components in his belt. Let the arrogant prince think himself in control if that would speed things along.

"Woah, hey!" Jack moved to block Avenger's access to Positron's prone form, holding up a hand without actually touching the vampire. "Ease up, Admiral Scarypants," he insisted in a hushed tone. "I don't think we're going to get anything else out of this guy, right? Leave something for the cops to scrape off the street, already." He eyed the black clad vigilante warily. Jack really didn't know just how much of Avenger's violent persona was an act and how much was genuine.

Jack blinked in surprise as the young dreadlock wearing man inspected Dead Head's severed namesake. "Oh, nertz, that can't be good." Jogging quickly over, the fencer called to the man with the tentacles, waving to get his attention. "Hey, buddy, careful with that! Jeez, anybody see 'Head's body around here?" he called to the gathered heroes as he moved to inspect the rotting cranium, concerned.

Jill blinked and absently reached for her hair, fiddling with the end of the ponytail. "Uh, yeah, sure, I mean... I don't have any plan or anything." The self-assured girl reacted to the invitation with surprising hesitancy. Some of her confidence returned as she planted a hand on her hip. "Hey, mi hermano ain't the boss of me, amirite?"

Jack of all Blades Gonna move towards fixing Jack's Super-Senses by putting his 4 unspent PP along with the 5 already spent there toward this: [b]Super-Senses 2[/b] (Energy Awareness [Mental], Magic Awareness [Mental])[2PP] [b]Super-Senses 6[/b] (Detect Energy [Mental, [i]Extras:[/i] Accurate 2, Acute, Radius, Ranged], [i]Feats:[/i] Alternate Power) [7PP] [list][b][u]Alternate Power:[/u] Super-Senses 6[/b] (Detect Magic Mental, [[i]Extras:[/i] Accurate 2, Acute, Radius, Ranged]) [6PP][/list] Midnight II 12 ranks of Knowledge (tactics) - 3PP Master Plan 2 - 2PP Done by Sandman XI

Frank's bushy eyebrows rose noticeably as he noted Erin's firm handshake. The portly tailor didn't release her hand right away, instead pausing to give her a thoughtful once over. "Good lord, you look like you could punch a tank in the snout. Fan-bloody-tastic!" he observed with a genuine smile. Letting go and hurrying with surprising energy for his size and age back to the counter, he noted the teen's concerned glances as he rummaged about for a measuring tape. "Don't worry, I do dresses, gowns, the whole ball of wax, I just don't do them for five foot nothing waifs who've never so much as looked at a sandwich and go to bars where they play that 'oontz oontz' garbage and have little dogs in their bloody purses." By the time he was halfway through the explanation, it was clear that Frank was talking to himself more than anything. Leaning easily against one of the display tables, Trevor gave Erin a small shrug. "Take the jobs he wants," he reiterated.

Jack shrugged, unconcerned. "Hey, I don't do anything around here I don't want people finding out about anyway. If Doc wants to knock himself out trying to figure how my powers work, no skin off by back, long as he's footing the bill." The fencer might have been intensely protective of his private life and secret identity, but since the Interceptors' sponsor had long ago used Vince to learn about those, there was little left for him to be concerned about. It helped that he still didn't let his guard down completely at the brownstone apartments; he didn't let much slip to his teammates, let alone anyone who might be eavesdropping. He did, however, give Dynamo a flat look. "So your plan is to fill our living space up with guns and lasers? Any bets on how long it'd take before some malfunction targets us all as intruders and really ruins our week?"

Sorry, sorry, I'll get this back up and running soon. Just been crazy busy with everything else.

With an easy grin, Jack moved to shake Dynamo's hand but suddenly stopped short, a suspicious look crossing over his face. "Zippy," he warned, pointing a finger of his left hand at the speedster, "I swear, if you try to 'too slow' me..."

"Uh..." It wasn't that Jack didn't like Dynamo, he just wasn't sure he wanted to spend a prolonged amount of time around the energetic speedster. The swordsman felt a sudden stab of sympathy for those who put up with his own chatter on a regular basis. "I'll tell you what," he told the younger man, digging a small white rectangle out of a pocket in his greatcoat and presenting it to Dynamo. "If you ever get in over your head, or you need help with something, give the number on that card a call. If we need you, well... we've got ways of getting in touch with people."

With a faint smile, Trevor stepped forward to open the shop's door, setting a trio of bells hung from the top of the frame chiming as the bounced back and forth. Inside was a modest room, with most of the illumination coming from the front widows. Suit jackets hung from racks along one wall while neatly folder dress shirts and ties rested on a pair of long wooden tables. A collection of mirrors toward the far end gave the impression of more space than there truly was, while brightening the shop with reflected natural light. A heavyset man in his mid seventies sat in a wicker chair next to an old fashioned till looked up from his paper as the door opened and smiled broadly. A pair of wire pez nez glasses sat below a receding hairline and above thick tweed suspenders and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his meaty forearms. "Trevor!" he greeted jovially as he stood up and made his way to the door. "Good to see you, son!" "Frank," the laconic teen replied, his grin deepening. Trevor moved to shake the tailor's hand as the older man clapped him on the back. He turned to introduce his classmate. "This is Erin."

A faint, cold smile passed across Midnight's lips like a shadow before disappearing again into dispassionate stoicism. "Want the 'heroes' to show up." He didn't bother correcting James' assumption that he intended violence against the Lucas family, nor did he belabour the point of his own considerable talent for avoiding detection. Rick Lucas, or whatever was left of him, Trevor suspected, couldn't be truly omniscient, or they'd never have lasted as long as they had. Even so, all of that was beside the point. "Best way to draw out Mark, Rick or both." With his shoulders set, the young man somehow seemed less lanky, filling a greater space with his mere presence. "Very least gives the rest of you a distraction." Throughout the explanation, what he really wanted to be doing was quietly clarifying his personal feelings to the group, helping Eve cope with the cruel situation, dealing with the guilt of resigning his grandfather to old age and Margery to death. It was what Trevor Hunter would have done. It was what Kid Midnight would have done, too. Midnight II was there to get the job done. "No choice," he told Chris, and if at first it seemed Midnight was talking about their small group, a finger aimed at the world below clarified his point. "Lucas forces people to act the way he wants. Results don't matter; that world is already dead."

Players Name: Gizmo Power Level: 13 (195/195PP) Trade-Offs: None. Unspent PP: 0 NPC Tier: 2 Characters Name: Star Knight Alternate Identity: Sri Erik ‘Rik’ Espadas Height: 5'11'' Weight: 145 lb Hair: Dusty Brown Eyes: Dark Blue [groove]21362353[/groove] Description: Rik Espadas is an athletically built young man with an easy smile. His dusty brown hair is worn just long enough to frame sparkling blue eyes above strong cheek bones. Out of armour he’s taken to wearing black jumpsuits in a style popular in the Lor Republic. As a member of the Order of the Star Knights, Rik wears a dark blue suit of technologically advanced armour powered by the Star Stone and capable of generating a brilliant blade of pure cosmic energy. Rik’s personal armour is particularly streamlined, emphasising manoeuvrability. History: When Blackstar decended upon Earth with an army of shadow band wearing miscreatants, police cadet Rik Espadas was in an academy ethics course being taught by Detective Maria Motoya. In the resulting chaos, he learned his superior’s secret identity as Star Knight of the Freedom League, and despite his lack of powers proved invaluable in effort to beat back the invaders. Recognizing the threat posed by Blackstar’s forces, Mentor redoubled his recruitment of Star Knights. Among the first of these new recuits was Rik, who was chosen to be stationed on Citadel itself. He quickly became known throughout the Order for a precarious balance of insubbordination and inspirational bravery. The young Earthman is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest Star Knights of all time. Personality & Motivation: Rik brings an unshakeable sense of right and wrong to his work, first as a police cadet and then as a Star Knight. He won’t hesitate to disobey an order he disagrees with, and will gladly put himself in jeopardy to save others. This can be frustrating for his superiors and teammates at first, but his utter refusal to leave a Knight behind, regardless of the danger, has earned him a number of steadfast friends. Revelling in the freedom of space travel, Rik loves to discover new worlds and meet new peoples. Though a relative newcomer to the galaxy at large, his open minded nature has helped him integrate into the exceedingly diverse Order. He is often seen with his partner, Sri Myshel Czak, and continues to look up to Sri Montoya as a mentor and role model, trying to represent Earth well on her behalf. Powers & Tactics: Powered by the Star Stone, Rik’s armour allows him to travel between worlds at faster than light speeds, shielding him from the vacuum of space. It’s offensive and defensive capabilities are impressive, allowing a Star Knight to single-handedly resolve interplanetary disputes. The armour also translates all known languages and maintains a link with Mentor. Brash and impulsive, Rik prefers to engage opponents up close rather than using his energy sword’s ranged capabilities. Loathe to retreat, his talent for succeeding against impossible odds can make him overconfident. Despite this, Rik is skilled at working with his fellow Knights in complex team manoeuvres, and often serves as a rallying point in the tooth and nail battles against the Blackstar Corps. Complications: Enemies (The Blackstar Corps, The Stellar Khanite.) Outsider (The more time he spends off world, the harder Rik finds it to relate to ordinary humans.) Partner (Myshel Czak) Protectorate (Earth, Citidel) Responsibility (The Order of the Star Knights, FCPD) Sucker for a Pretty Face (Rik is easily distracted by the galaxy’s many attractive females.) Abilities: 6 + 6 + 6 + 0 + 4 + 10 = 32PP STR: 16/36 (+3/+13) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 16 (+3) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 20 (+5) Combat: 20 + 16 = 36PP Attack: +10 Base, +13 Melee Grapple: +16, +26 (Enhanced Strength), +33 (Super-Strength) Defense: +13 (+8 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Knockback: -11 Initiative: +3 Saves: 2 + 7 + 13 = 22PP Toughness: +13 (+3 Con, +10 Star Knight amour, 10 Impervious) Fortitude: +5 (+3 Con, +2) Reflex: +10 (+3 Dex, +7) Will: +15 (+2 Wis, +13) Skills: 44R = 11PP Acrobatics 7 (+10) Bluff 15 (+20) Diplomacy 10 (+15) Language 1 (Spanish) Medicine 3 (+5) Notice 8 (+10) Feats: 30PP Attack Focus (melee) 3 Dodge Focus 5 Fearless Inspire 5 Interpose Jack-of-all-Trades Luck 4 Power Attack Skill Mastery (Acrobtics, Bluff, Medicine, Notice) Takedown Attack 2 Taunt Teamwork 3 Uncanny Dodge 2 (Radio, Visual) Powers: 64PP Device 16 (Star Knight armour; 80 points; hard to lose) [64PP] DC Block: Unarmed -- DC18/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Unarmed (Enhanced Strength) -- DC 28/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Energy Sword -- DC 28/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Blast -- DC 28/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Costs: Abilities 32 + Combat 36 + Saves 22 + Skills 11 + Feats 30 + Powers 64 = Total Cost 195/195

Players Name: Gizmo Power Level: 13 (195/195PP) Trade-Offs: +5 Attack, -5 Damage, +5 Defense, -5 Toughness Unspent PP: 0 NPC Tier: 2 Characters Name: Jack Spade Alternate Identity: Erik Espadas (legally deceased) Age: 21 Gender: Male Height: 5'11'' Weight: 150 lb Hair: White Eyes: Dark Blue [groove]21192365[/groove] Description: Jack Spade is a young man with old eyes. Layers of lithe muscle broaden an otherwise slender build into an imposing silhouette. Spade habitually covers this with a slightly rumpled black suit over a back shirt with a matching fedora, broken up by a dark green tie and hat band. Twin shoulder holsters criss-cross his chest, with a hold-out strapped to his ankle. A shock of white hair sits atop sharp features, framing the black domino mask he is never seen without. His face might even qualify as handsome, if his thin lips were ever touched by a smile. History: Erik Espadas died along with the rest of his family, gunned down as an example when his mother refused to pay protection money to one of the syndicates that held Freedom City in their greedy clutches. A freak lightning bolt striking the local morgue combined with latent metahuman powers brought back a dead man with nothing left to loose. Jack Spade was born. Completely off the grid, Spade set up shop as a private investigator, living on bounties and rewards. His partially activated abilities gave his an uncanny knack for dealing with the sort of things that even made men liked to pretend they didn’t see out of the corner of the eye. When the monsters, human or otherwise, go bump in the night, Jack Spade is there to bump right back. Personality & Motivation: Spade is cold and pragmatic by necessity, forced to compromise his more idealistic nature by a harsh reality. Spade does his job and then he gets paid, and woe to anyone who tries to prevent either. The mere fact that he has any lines he refuses to cross sets him apart from his contemporaries, however. Chilling gallows humour is all the remains of a once light-hearted rogue. If there’s one thing Spade can’t abide, it’s a bully, and in a city overrun with predators of all kinds, he has apple opportunity to make his opinion readily known. Perhaps the only bright spot in his existence is an on-and-off-again affair with Rose Copas, a gun moll for casino owner and mafia don Denari Jones, the man who ordered the Espadas family killed. Which goes a long way to explaining Spade’s grim outlook. Powers & Tactics: Experience has taught Spade to shoot first and ask questions of whoever is left standing. He does ask questions, though; he prefers to know as much as possible about a situation or opponent before throwing down. A network of stoolies and a few hours of research often contribute the edge that sees him through the day. The lightning strike that brought Spade back to life left him dependent of electricity to survive. He must recharge several times throughout the day, or grow progressively weaker until he expires. Fortunately, he’s also been granted the ability to imbue shots from his pistols with a powerful electrical charge, although doing so depletes his energy reserves. Complications: Demon in a Bottle (Spade’ll stop drinking when life stops giving him a reason to.) Enemies (Organized crime, supernatural underworld, Denari Jones.) Recharge (Spade needs regular jolts of electicity to survive.) Rose (Falling for a gun moll was about as smart as it sounds.) Struggling (P.I. work might not be steady, but at least the pay’s lousy.) Sucker for a Dame (Spade knows better than to trust a pretty face with a sad story. He does anyway, but he knows better.) West Ender (The West End is Spade’s 'turf'; he's extremely protective of his neighbourhood, and knows it much better than the rest of the city.) Abilities: 6 + 10 + 6 + 0 + 4 + 6 = 32PP STR: 16 (+3) DEX: 20 (+5) CON: 16 (+3) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 16 (+3) Combat: 24 + 20 = 44PP Attack +12 Base, +14 Unarmed, +18 Ranged Grapple +15 Defense +18 (+10 Base, +8 Dodge Focus), +5 Flat-Footed Knockback -3/-0 Initiative: +9 Saves: 7 + 5 + 8 = 20PP Toughness: +8 (+3 Con, +2 Defensive Roll, +3 Undercover Vest) Fortitude: +10 (+3 Con, +7) Reflex: +10 (+5 Dex, +5) Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8) Skills: 92R = 23PP Acrobatics 5 (+10) Bluff 17 (+20) Climb 7 (+10) Gather Information 12 (+15) Investigate 10 (+10) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 10 (+10) Knowledge (Streetwise) 10 (+10) Language 1 (Spanish, Russian, Latin) Notice 13 (+15) Stealth 5 (+10) Feats: 45PP Attack Focus (Ranged) 6 Attack Specialization (Unarmed) 1 Beginner's Luck Challenge (Fast Task [Feint]) Contacts Defensive Roll 2 Distract (Bluff) Dodge Focus 8 Elusive Target Equipment 1 Evasion 2 Fascinate (Bluff) Fearless Improved Aim Improved Initiative Improvised Tools Jack-of-all-Trades Luck 4 Move-By Action Power Attack Quick Draw Ritualist Set Up Skill Mastery 2 (Acrobatics, Bluff, Gather Information, Investigate, Knowledge (Arcane Lore), Knowledge (Streetwise), Notice, Stealth) Takedown Attack 2 Taunt Uncanny Dodge 2 (Mental, Visual) Well-Informed Powers: 20 + 16 + 4 + 1 = 41PP Device 5 (Guns; 25pp, Flaws: Easy-To-Lose) [15PP] Lightning Bullets 4 (Blast, Power Feats: Split Attack, Drawbacks: Power Loss [Requires Gun], Extras: Autofire 3, Penetrating 4, Flaws: Unreliable [5 Uses/Recharge]) [20PP] Super-Senses 2 (Energy Awareness [Mental], Magic Awareness [Mental] Extras: Acute 2) [4PP] Super-Senses 1 (Danger Sense [Mental], Complications: Limited [Energy/Magic Attacks]) [1PP] Drawbacks: 1PP Weakness (Electrical Dependency, -1 Con/5 hours, uncommon, moderate, lethal) [1PP] DC Block: Unarmed -- DC18/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Twin Colt Anacondas -- DC19/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) 1908 Pocket Hammerless -- DC17/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Lightning Bullets w/Anacondas -- DC 23/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Lightning Bullets w/Hammerless -- DC 21/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Costs: Abilities 32 + Combat 34 + Saves 20 + Skills 23 + Feats 46 + Powers 41 - Drawbacks 1 = Total Cost 195/195

Players Name: Gizmo Power Level: 13 (195/195PP) Trade-Offs: +5 Attack, -5 Damage, +5 Defense, -5 Toughness Unspent PP: 0 NPC Tier: 2 Characters Name: Jacqueline des Épées Alternate Identity: Esmé Escrime Age: 21 Gender: Female Height: 5'10'' Weight: 130 lb Hair: Chestnut Eyes: Dark Blue [groove]21192425[/groove] Description: Esmé Escrime is a slight young woman with fair skin and wavy chestnut hair which reaches to the small of her back and falls over one eye to frame high cheekbones and angular features. She sticks to conservative dresses in creams and light blues, but favours tall boots of a practical design. As Jacqueline des Épées, her costume consists of a long, royal blue skirt, slit up the leg for mobilty, and a matching, low-cut tunic with billowing sleeves. A white-silver cord fastens a half cape over one side of her back, emblasoned with a white cross in the style of an archetypal mousquetaire. The top half of her face is covered by a deep blue mask and tricorne, trimmed in white. History: On the grim parallel world known as Erde, the Nazi occupation of France never ended, eventually evolving into a permanent government. The homeland of liberté, égalité and fraternité was not so easily broken, however, and the spirit of resitance continued throughout the decades, with Paris in particular known for periodic outbreaks of ‘crime and terrorism against the Reich.’ Using skills passed down through the reminents of la Maison des Épées, Esmé Escrime escaped the purge of metahumans and eventually became ther leader of a small cell of freedom fighters. Woefully outmatched in numbers and force, she adopted the masked identity of Jacqueline des Épées, striking small blows against her people’s opressors and becoming a living folk hero and symbol of liberty. Personality & Motivation: Though possessing a composed demeanor and dry wit, Esmé has the flint-hard personality of a soldier who has been at war her entire life. She tolerates no incompetance nor irresponsibility from those around her, holding herself to even higher standards. Methodical in her planning, she truly excells at improvisation, salvaging otherwise failed missions with flair. Chafing under the meek persona she must present publically, she revels in the freedom offered by her Jacqueline des Épées identity. Coyly demure, she uses humour and double entendres to make her foes look foolish. Even so, she uses her anonymity sparingly, carefully choosing her moment to inflict the greatest damage to her enemies. Powers & Tactics: Esmé’s metahuman abilities are identical to those of her Earth-Prime counterpart, Jack of all Blades. As a resistance fighter, Esmé uses guerilla tactics, strinking suddenly before disappearing back into the shadows. She opperates as Jacqueline almost exclusively under cover of darkness because of this, and goes out of her way to avoid prolonged fights. Idealy she targets infrastructure over individuals; an officer is more easily replaced than a mutitions factory. Complications: Enemies (The occupying Nazi forces.) Responsibility (Resistance Cell Leader) Secret (Secret Identity) Struggling (Time are tough under Nazi rule.) Symbol (Esmé is a symbol of freedom to her people.) Vive La France (Esmé’s sole goal is the liberation of her nation. She considers its safety, and that of its people, to be her personal resonsibility.) Abilities: 2 + 12 + 12 + 0 + 4 + 12 = 32PP STR: 12 (+1) DEX: 22 (+6) CON: 12 (+1) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 22 (+6) Combat: 12 + 16 = 28PP Attack +6 Base, +12 Melee, +18 Swords Grapple +18 Defense +18 (+8 Base, +10 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Knockback -3/-0 Initiative: +10 Saves: 4 + 10 + 8 = 21PP Toughness: +8 (+1 Con, +4 Defensive Roll, +3 Costume) Fortitude: +5 (+1 Con, +4) Reflex: +15 (+6 Dex, +9) Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8) Skills: 72R = 18PP Acrobatics 9 (+15) Bluff 18 (+24) Knowledge (tactics) 15 (+15) Language 3 (Native: French, Danish, English, German) Notice 13 (+15) Stealth 14 (+20) Feats: 54PP Attack Focus (Melee) 6 Attack Specialization (Swords) 3 Challenge (Fast Task [Feint]) Defensive Roll 4 Distract (Bluff) Dodge Focus 10 Elusive Target Equipment 2 Evasion 2 Fascinate (Bluff) Fearless Grapple Finesse Hide in Plain Sight Improved Critical (Swords, 18-20) Improved Initiative Inspire 5 Jack-of-all-Trades Luck 2 Master Plan Move-By Action Power Attack Set Up Skill Mastery 1 (Acrobatics, Bluff, Knowledge (tactics), Stealth) Takedown Attack 2 Taunt Uncanny Dodge 2 (Mental, Visual) Powers: 32 + 2 + 1 + 7 = 42PP Energy Sword 7 (Corrosion, Power Feats: Alternate Power, Improved Critical (18-20), Mighty, Variable Descriptor 2 [Any Energy], Drawbacks: Limited [Available, Concentrated Energy Types], Extras: Penetrating) [32PP] Alternate Power: Energy Sword Flurry 7 (Damage, Power Feats: Improved Critical (18-20), Mighty, Variable Descriptor 2 [Any Energy], Drawbacks: Limited [Available, Concentrated Energy Types], Extras: Autofire 3) [31PP] Super-Senses 2 (Energy Awareness [Mental], Magic Awareness [Mental])[2PP] Super-Senses 1 (Danger Sense [Mental], Complications: Limited [Energy/Magic Attacks]) [1PP] Super-Senses 6 (Detect Energy [Mental, Extras: Accurate 2, Acute, Radius, Ranged], Feats: Alternate Power) [7PP] Alternate Power: Super-Senses 6 (Detect Magic [Mental, Extras: Accurate 2, Acute, Radius, Ranged]) [6PP] DC Block: Unarmed -- DC17/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Energy Sword -- DC23/Toughness -- Bruised (Staged) Energy Sword -- DC16/Fortitude -- Drain Toughness (Staged) Costs: Abilities 32 + Combat 28 + Saves 21 + Skills 18 + Feats 54 + Powers 42 = Total Cost 195/195 Note: Jacqueline des Épées has a single rank of Improved Critical as part of her Strike power, which brings her energy swords in line with regular swords, i.e. a 19-20 range. The additional rank as part of her normal feats places this at 18-20 for both regular and energy swords. Note: Esmé’s powers are the result of a mystically enhanced genetic mutation. This enhancement specifically allows her to form her borrowed energy into swords. Magic nullification removes the 'sword' descriptor from her Strike power, which means she will no longer benefit from hheris Attack Specialization or Improved Critical feats. Effects that nullify mutant powers shut her Strike off entirely.

Trevor's got an auto 30 Intimidate worth of quiet intensity going there; make of it what you will when reacting.

Trevor down at the planet for a log moment before speaking without looking at the others, his quiet baritone cutting through the air like steel wire. "Not a world," he intoned without emotion. "A farce." His shoulders set, the young man's knuckles whitened as his fists clenched. Forcing them open, he turned around, his expression unreadable. Wordlessly he withdrew the domino mask from his pocket and reaffixed it to his face. The white lenses narrowed as he regarded the others. "I can get in unseen."

"Just over here," Trevor indicated as they neared Frank's shop. The neighbourhood was mostly made of older buildings, none more than two or three storeys tall. A peeling, hand lettered sign marked a green grocer, next to a lazily spinning barber's pole and a deli with it's door propped open to let in the day's warm breeze. There were plenty of parking spaces open up and down the street, and the dark haired teen directed Erin to one in front of a little shop with suit wearing mannequins in the windows. A small wooden sign hung outside the door, simply reading 'Tailor'.

Trevor shrugged. "Sure. Reinforcing is easy. Lose some speed, maneuverability." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Solve some of that with carbon nanotube, if you're not worried about conducting heat. Thin layer of insulation, maybe." The lanky youth snorted as he tilted his head to one side slightly. "Could use ADNRs if you could find it. Be more worried about the suspension at that point." The frame of the truck could be as hard as one liked, but if the vehicle's moving parts gave up after one collision, it wouldn't do the driver much good.