Raveled

DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN Glowstar :arrow: Following a discussion in chat, daka crystals have now become the bane of honest Terminus folk everywhere. Appropriate changes are being made to Glowstar's sheet, as they already exist for Fulcrum. :arrow: All of Glowstar's powers (save for his costume) are getting the Power Loss Drawback. :arrow: Using those extra points to boost his Terminus Energy Control array and get his powers up to snuff. :arrow: Also, uploading Giz's excellent new pic of Glow and fixing some typos. DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN

Because Marvel fans just loved the Civil War storyline so much. Now instead of debating it on Internet forums, they can debate it in the realm of combat!

Brian felt a pressure on his chest that he hadn't been aware of ease off. "I'm just saying that people shouldn't have to choose between selling their kids or having enough food to eat. I mean, it's the twenty-first century, not the damn medieval period." His free hand clenched into a fist. "It makes me want to punch somebody." Before long the pair of teens were inside the garden, under the shadow of overhanging tree branches. Brian found a stone bench and sat down, pulling Gwen down next to him. "I like this place," he said quietly, looking up at the trees. "It's... quiet. Peaceful. No matter what's going on, I can come here and relax." Still staring up at the trees, his free hand moved slowly to take Gwen's. He didn't try to squeeze it or anything; just sat there quietly next to this beautiful, smart girl, heart pounding in his chest and willing this moment not to end.

"Goanna hasn't tried to attack ASTRO Labs directly for years," Dr. Tanner said. "He knows we're too well-protected for him to get in. But in any case, we'll be transferring Dr. Marks over to the Lab once we've made more of the counter-serum. This whole facility," he added, gesturing the medical ward, "is more intended for emergency care, anyway. They can handle long-term recovery better than us." The scientist shook each of the teen's hands firmly, giving them each a small nod of respect. "Thank you, heroes. If it wasn't for you, Dr. Marks would be dead by now. She owes you her life, and we all owe you a debt of gratitude." Minutes later the three of them were standing outside of the building, watching the sun start to sink towards the horizon. Glowstar touched the collar of his cape and his costume shrank back down until it was just a ring around his finger again. "So," he said, glancing at the other two Claremonters. "That was an interesting afternoon. Stopped a supervillain, saved a woman's life... and I just remembered about the paper." He rubbed at his eyes with one hand. "What are we going to do about that?"

Brian let Gwen go and walked off the path a little ways, rubbing his hand through his short hair. It isn't right. People shouldn't have their lives decided by other people. He kicked at the grass. But if things got really bad, the kids would die anyway. Maybe working them like that makes things better for everyone in the end. He started pacing in the grass, hugging himself with his free hand. That sounds like something a villain would say, 'the means justify the ends.' But I don't know how life is for these folks. I'd sure hate it for someone to judge me because of my parents. After debating with himself, Brian came back and took Gwen's hand. "I don't agree with it," he said bluntly. "I think there should be a way to do things better. But... Well, I guess it's not the worst life these kids could have." He resumed walking again, keeping hold of Gwen's hand this time. "And hey, at least you got out of it, right?"

Brian felt a chill down his spine at Gwen's casual words. He stopped in his tracks and grabbed the woman's arm, turning to face her. His eyes searched hers for a long moment before he spoke. "Gwen, are you... are you talking about human slavery? Did you really come from a place where people are bought and sold, just on the basis of having superpowers?" He shook his head sharply. "I know I haven't seen a lot of the world, but that's just evil. Something like that... well, that's why we have superheroes, you know? To stop folks from forcing others into lives that they don't want. To make it so that everyone can make their own decisions, freely."

"I can get the sunglasses thing," Brian said quietly. "I used to wear a pair when I first got here. Was really self-conscious about the red eyes and the flying and everything. But at Claremont... Well I mean, last graduating class had another guy with red eyes who could go all misty-smoke on folks whenever he wanted. And he was one of the normal ones." He glanced at Gwen and reached over to brush his fingers against the flower on her neck. "Of course, around here 'normal' is all relative. These days I hear folks talking about getting their driver's license and I wonder, 'what do they need a car for?' And then I remember, 'oh right, not everyone can fly.'"

Brian glanced around as they reappeared, noting thankfully that they hadn't gone far. It seemed like short-distance teleports weren't much of a problem; it was the long-distance hops that upset his stomach. "If Vicky's paying for it, I'll have my own pepperoni pizza," he said, winking at the white-haired girl. "Otherwise, I'll throw in on hers and pick off the peppers." Walking off a bit, he threw an arm around John's shoulder. "So what exactly did you mean by 'support'? I blow things up, not heal them or build structures. If this was a video game, I'd be the guy with the huge gatling gun or the rocket launcher, not running around with a medpac."

Ironclad gaped behind her armor, shocked at the other woman's betrayal. "You... you're mad. You're absolutely insane. This is a power that destroys universes, and you invited it in!?" She flew back to the nearest console, dropping Granny off and forcing the corpse away. The computer language was unfamiliar, but her powers let her interface directly on a binary level. The firewalls and anti-intrusion countermeasures were child's play compared to what was just on her armor; apparently in the future hackers had gone the way of the dodo. In moments she had wrestled control of the station's dimensional apparatus away from the computers and powered it down. She looked out through the station's many sensors and noted with satisfaction that the window to the Terminus was dwindling rapidly. Within seconds it had closed entirely, and the only record was a smear of anomalous radiation. Ironclad's attention was on the space outside, not the control room, so she was unaware of Granny sneaking up behind her. When the fanatic bounced her helmet off the console though, that got the heroine's attention. She replied with a short jab that failed to connect, but sent the other woman dancing back several steps. "I just saved your universe," Ironclad told the woman. "A little appreciation would be nice!"

"Yeah. He's been doing the superhero thing longer than me, for a few years at least. He's a lot more... Mmm. Intense about it. Has a whole bunch of rules about how to fight. Like 'Always fight smiling,' and 'Never fight where your enemy wants to.' He's probably better at it than me, but sometimes... he can get a little scary, you know?" The teen with the red eyes shrugged and started walking to the rear doors. Outside, summer was on its way out but most of the students were still on break. There wasn't another living thing in sight, unless you counted the trees and the grass. "He's a pretty stand-up guy, though. We're roomies, so we talk a lot about stuff, you know?" He started walking along one of the dirt paths that tied the different parts of the campus together, headed for the gardens. "Who'd you get paired up with?"

"Hey, just stop right there." Brian put his drink on the floor and tilted Gwen's chin up until he could look her in the eye. "One thing I've learned here. Being a hero doesn't have anything to do with having lots of flashy powers. You can have all the power in the world and still be a jerk, or a bully, or a murdering bastard, or even a couch potato. Being a hero is all about what you do with what you have, not with what you could do if you feel like it. If you protect people, if you help them, if you work to do good to the best of your ability, then you're a hero. Doesn't matter if you can't fly." Brian broke eye contact, grabbed his drink, and stepped back. He broke the seal and took a long swig before speaking again. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually the one giving the speeches. I usually leave the Kirk impressions to my buddy, Morgan. But I hate to see someone get down on themselves just because they're not perfect." He scuffed his shoes, staring at the floor as the silence stretched between the pair. "Damn. I really hate dramatic moments. Is there something impulsive and stupid I can do to make you think I'm just a jock again?"

Brian laid the shovel back down and walked up to the long boxes, pulling the various pieces out and laying them on the ground. He stepped back and raised his hands, spreading them out over the different pieces. A bright red glow surrounded them, shading to black where the auras overlapped. The base supports floated into the air and arranged themselves over the hole, slotting together before settling neatly into the foundation already prepared for them. He didn't bother to screw the pieces together; he didn't think he had enough fine control over his abilities yet to do just that. He did have a very self-satisfied look on his face as he worked, though. "Higitus Figitus, indeed."

GM The trio of teen heroes brought the notes back to ASTRO Labs, where they were able to aid the scientific progress -- by waiting. And killing time. And staying out of people's way. The truth is none of them had the scientific acumen to really help with reverse engineering whatever it was Goanna had put into Dr. Marks, but none of them felt like leaving before they knew what the prognosis was. A few hours later Dr. Tanner collected the Claremont heroes and led them into a medical room on one of the building's above-ground floors. The figure in the bed was... off. It was of normal human proportions, and had Sophia Marks' features. However, her skin was still lime green and there was a distinct pattern of scales over it. Dr. Tanner let the three heroes absorb the sight for a minute, then turned to them, smiling widely. "It was tough," he admitted. "Dr. Seidel was a genius, not least in his own field. But with those notes, we were able to halt the damage to her system and even begin to reverse it. In a day or so, she should be back to her old self."

Brian grabbed a shovel and overturned a few shovelfuls of dirt, but when Vicky appeared on the scene he stepped back. He'd trained with her as well under Mr. Archer's eye, trying to apply their powers to more than just hitting things. He next to Gwen, staying carefully away from where the teleporter was dumping the soil. "Don't worry," he told her. "The whole 'doing everyday things really fast with superpowers' gets everyone the first time. You'll never believe what my roommate tried to do when we ordered pizza a few weeks back. I don't think anyone but Claremont's janitors have had to get pizza sauce out of drywall." At that moment Morgan himself appeared out of nowhere, occupying Vicky's attention and capering around like a fool. "Cool, dude," Brian called over. "You made a, uh, Michael Jackson outfit?"

Brian shrugged, reaching for his wallet. "It's not much," he said. "Lots of folks can fly, and sometimes I feel like I'm... a big blunt hammer, you know? Fly in, smash stuff, look good. Which I do," he added, "very well. But sometimes, I dunno, I want to be better! Do more stuff, be more than just the guy that makes stuff blow up. That's why I've started trying to do other stuff." He put his money in the machine and picked out a coke, putting the plastic bottle from the dispenser tray and collecting his change. "Damn, bunch of dollar coins. Here." He slotted a few of the big golden coins in the machine and stepped back. "As payment for the tutoring."

GM Ludwig felt the magic seep into him, but he reacted before it could do much. He took a step forward and elbowed Warlock in the throat -- or rather, tried to. He apparently didn't step forward as fast as he thought he would, and the elbow sliced air a few inches in front of the superhero. He stumbled past the mystic and stood there, staring at his hands for a moment before rounding on Blake. "What did you do," he shouted, all attempts at nadsat dropped. "What in hell did you do to me!?"

Ludwig's Will save, vs DC 19 Drain. (1d20+6=18) He suffers one. Point. Of Str Drain. Good lord. Well, he's down to 29/19 now, so at least his Damage drops a notch. Ludwig takes a swing in return! Ludwig's melee attack, vs Warlock's Def. DC 24. (1d20+10=17) Wiff. Maybe the first one in this fight, I'm not sure.

Brian felt a weird tugging sensation on his wrist and glanced down to see the tattoo lift itself off of Gwen's skin and wrap around his arm. This is a new one. Where does 'grabbing me with a tattoo' fall on the continuum between holding hands and sex? He took it as a positive sign, though. He took a second to respond to her question. Over the past year or so he'd come to take flying for granted, but in retrospect he could see how it would be exciting to someone. "I sure can fly," he said. "Actually, hold on to that." He stepped close to Gwen, slipping an arm around her waist. A flickering red aura enveloped them both and Brian's feet left the ground, pulling Gwen along with him. The pair rose slowly towards the roof of the cafeteria, almost to the roof, then descended again and landed near the vending machines. Brian let go of Gwen and stepped back, smiling at her and studying her reaction. "Ta da."

GM "It was supposed to be the next great leap in fashion technology," Hugo replied, tapping at the keyboard with two fingers. "A friend of mine works at ASTRO Labs, and he volunteered me to beta test it." "The face looks creepy," Glowstar observed. "Yeah, I brought that up to my friend. He said there was some security issue, with some biometic stuff that I don't really understand at all." Hugo tapped a few more keys and suddenly the model was nude. Glowstar started but it was as anatomically correct as a Ken doll. A few more taps and the model was covered in a form-fitting yellow suit. Dead-center in the chest was a black starburst, which spread lines across the mdoel and joined together at the smell of its back. The whole thing was topped by a yellow cowl, and a black domino mask sat in the middle of its non-face.

The hologram wasn't perfect, of course. Bits fuzzed in and out as dust motes drifted through the projector's beam; the model wasn't steady in the air, bobbing up and down and phasing through the floor at its nadir; and there was no face. Just a bare expanse of flesh from hairline down to his jaw. Glowstar leaned in close to study the image, entranced by the detail. Even the cheeks of its not-face were dusted with something that was more than peach fuzz, but less than a real beard. I'm going to have to shave this week, he realized. "Okay," he said, stepping back from the projection. "What is it?"

Generic comic bad-guy chemicals! What fiends!

GM Ludwig's sharp senses caught the sound of Warlock rustling in his coat and he dodged to the side just as the hero flung the magic dust. The thug's hand snaked out and slapped Blake's hand away, and the bag containing the dust went flying into a corner. The droog put his hands up in a proper boxing stance and started bouncing from foot to foot. "You trying to bring that grazzy up in here, old droog? Nah, we're gonna have a proper ol' drat!"

Grab a HP! Ludwig takes away the powder!

GM Between the pair of them, the Australian hero and the Victorian detective took the few remaining thugs down in good order. Before long they were all trussed up, tied hand and feet with lengths of cord that the heroes scrounged. While the felonious homeless had been dealt with, there was still an unknown chemical spilled out onto the concrete, leaking from the barrel that the thugs had dropped when Myrmidon blinded them. It wasn't eating away at the concrete, at least not visibly, but Lord Steam's steampunk chemical sniffer was going mad over it.

Brian watched the moving tattoo with his mouth open. No matter how often he saw a person's superpowers for the first time, it still floored him. "That is so cool," he said, reaching out for her hand and feeling the flowing ink, the flowers that were sprouting from her fingers. After a moment he raised his eyes to hers and realized that he'd taken her hand without even asking. He smiled at her and let go of her hand, dropping his back to his side. "I don't have anything as cool as that," he said. "I mostly just fly around and blow stuff up. Mind you, I do it well, but it's kind of a limited power set." He stopped in his tracks and thought for a minute. "Although, I did figure out a new trick just recently." He turned towards the serving line. It was past lunch and not quite dinner yet, so most of the cafeteria staff were either in the kitchen or on breaks, but there were still several bowls of fruit laid out for hungry students. Brian reached out with one hand and concentrated. A red glow, almost invisible at this range, formed around the rim of the bowl; the teen twisted his wrist suddenly and the bowl spun in place, the sound of metal on metal ringing through the open space.