Raveled

Building a greenhouse out in the sun wasn't an idea of Brian Harris' favorite way to spend the day, even if temperature didn't bother him anymore, but the possibility -- nay, certainty -- of running into Gwen Barr was enough to peak his interest. The promise of free pizza was just icing on the proverbial cake. When the time came he jogged over to the building site, wearing a simple red tee-shirt with the logo of the Freedom City Comets on it. His jeans were faded and his boots were laced up high. He waved to Gwen once it was obvious where he was headed. "Hey there," he called over. "I heard you were looking for some help on a project!"

Brian watched Gwen as she wrote, noticing the design poking above her shirt. A tattoo? That was the only thing that made sense, but he thought they were illegal on teenagers. Maybe it was related to her powers somehow? He resolved not to ask, at least not right away. Brian left his books and such in the cubicle and headed for the library's side doors. All the buildings on the quad were actually connected internally as well as opening out to the green, which made it convenient when the weather turned nasty. The cafeteria itself was a stark contrast from the library, going from dark wood and narrow corridors to easily cleaned, white tiles and an almost cavernous interior space. Brian consciously shortened his strides to match the shorter woman's as they made their way towards the vending machines. "You know, I think I'd remember if I saw someone like you around campus. Are you a new transfer?"

"No, not really. I mean, I read the books over and over again. Listening to music while I do it is about the only thing that keeps me sane." Brian pulled his chair around and grabbed a pen from his bag. He hunched over the proffered tablet and started copying it over almost word-for-word. As Gwen worked to annotate his textbook, she could see that he was having trouble even writing it down! Several times she saw him scratch out a line or two and start rewriting it, going slower and more carefully. Time passed in the little soundproofed cubicle, broken only by the scratchings of the pair of teenagers as they wrote. Finally, Brian pushed himself back from the table, clenching and unclenching his writing hand and rubbing at his eyes with his other. "Augh. Uh, sorry about that Gwen, but my head's about to explode. I need to take a walk or something." He stood and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Do you want to come with me."

Thugs 14 & 15 Toughness save, vs DC 20. (1d20+3=14, 1d20+3=15) Yep, they're down. So that's the end of combat. I'll post a wrap-up and you all can decide where to go from here.

I have actually used a tennis ball to play baseball, Brian thought, but he was at least smart enough not to say it. "Well, both bacteria and viruses have to be inside of houses to, uh, reproduce." Brian blushed at the word, coughed nervously, and suddenly reached for his notes. "No, wait, that's not right. They have to be inside of hosts. So that makes them different from, uh... pro-to-zo-ah." He sounded the word out a couple times, frowning at it in his notes. "Really little plants and animals. Which can reproduce on their own. So, why are bacteria and viruses so different from each other that they're called two different things?"

Ironclad moves to a terminal and make a Computer check. She can SM this one, so no rolling. Of course, that leave Granny free to beat her about the head and noggin. Granny's unarmed strike, vs Ironclad's Def. DC 25. (1d20+10=22) That hits. Ironclad's Toughness save, vs DC 25. (1d20+15=30) I love being Toughness shifted. Ironclad punches back in retaliation. Ironclad's melee attack, vs Granny's Defense. DC 25 (1d20+10=16) Not gonna happen, sorry.

Hits! Thug 13 Toughness check, vs DC 19. (1d20+3=13) And he is out.

Ironclad kept to the perimeter of the arena as she observed Solarum far below, staggering back from the latest blow the armored heroine had laid on her. The possibility of a trap or feint entered her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. If she had a chance to end this fight early, she had to take it. With that in mind Ironclad charged her wrist blasters to maximum and fired off a shot that briefly painted the arena in gold and orange light, before opening up her thrusters and fleeing to the far end of the available space. If this didn't stop her opponent, at least she could be far away from any potential retaliation.

Standard Action: Attack Move Action: Move to the far end of the arena. Even if it doesn't hit, Solarum should take range penalties for her thrown attack. Stunned characters take major penalties to Defense, so Ironclad's gonna try and finish this right away. Ironclad's wrist blasters w/ full Power Attack, vs Solarum's Defense. DC 30 (1d20+5=22) Yessssssss.

Brian lifted his head from the pile of books in front of him and glanced at the young woman who was entering the room, then quickly did a double-take. He stood up and hurried around the table, smiling at her. "Uh, yeah. I'm Brian Harris. Thanks for agreeing to give me some help with this stuff, I don't have any idea where to start." He moved back to the table and grabbed his notebook. "I'm supposed to have a test on micro -- microorganisms in a week, but I just don't understand some things. Like, what's the difference between bacteria and viruses? They're both just really small things, right?"

August 3rd, 2011 Claremont Campus The David Sloane library was a huge building, built in the grand style that fitted in well with the rest of Claremont's campus. It was in fact a full story taller than the rest of the buildings around the quad, and even if the third floor was off-limits to students (in fact, from the rumors he had heard it was off-limits to most everyone) it still held more books in one place than Brian Harris had ever thought about before. He wasn't much of a student, preferring the athletic field to the classroom. In fact, just sitting in one of the soundproof study rooms, staring at the rows and rows of bookshelves through the glass walls, was an intimidating experience. Of course, part of that crushing feeling might have been because he was failing biology. How one could fail summer school was anybody's guess, but Brian was finding that out. His grades were hovering in the C- range; he had one last test to bring them up to snuff, or... well, he didn't want to think about that. Thankfully his teacher had intimated that they had a secret weapon for him. He hoped it was true, or he was hosed.

Thug 1-5 Reflex save, vs DC 20 Snare. (1d20+1=5, 1d20+1=11, 1d20+1=5, 1d20+1=17, 1d20+1=7) Per the rules regarding minions, these guys are all encased in foam and out of the fight. Animus -- Injured x1 -- HP x0 Thug 1 -- Snared! -- GM Thug 2 -- Snared! -- GM Thug 3 -- Snared! -- GM Thug 4 -- Snared! -- GM Thug 5 -- Snared! -- GM Lord Steam -- Uninjured -- HP x2 Thug 6 -- Out! -- GM Thug 7 -- Out! -- GM Thug 8 -- Out! -- GM Thug 9 -- Out! -- GM Thug 10 -- Out! -- GM Thug 11 -- Out! -- GM Thug 12 -- Out! -- GM Thug 13 -- Uninjured -- GM Thug 14 -- Uninjured -- GM Thug 15 -- Uninjured -- GM Myrmidon -- Uninjured -- HP x4 Thug 16 -- Out! -- GM Thug 17 -- Out! -- GM Thug 18 -- Out! -- GM Thug 19 -- Out! -- GM Thug 20 -- Out! -- GM Animus, you're up.

Glowstar looked over the papers and felt a headache begin to throb behind his eyes. He sighed and started stacking them carefully, trying to get as much as he could in a manageable package. Suddenly, the trio heard a roar from below and a terrible splintering crash. The entire scaffolding shuddered and tilted to one side; glancing down, Glowstar spotted Goanna standing in the water and rearing back for, apparently, a second strike at the platform's supports. The lizard-man's blow landed and tore out a chunk of wood, and the structure tilted dramatically. Glowstar swore and grabbed a sheaf of papers with one hand, swooping over and grabbing Changeling around the waist with the other. "Wisp! Grab the papers and get topside! We'll meet you at ASTRO!"

Ludwig's Disarm attempt w/ All-Out Attack, vs Warlock's Def. (1d20+15=28) Hits, so opposed Dam vs Str. Ludwig's Dam check, vs Warlock's Str. (1d20+10=14) If this works you'll get an HP for it, don't worry.

GM The Victorian hero's skills with a cane were put to good use, bopping one thug on the head and sending him to the ground. He swung the length of hardwood at another offender, but the grizzled man took the blow to his coat and the layers of leather and cotton there softened the blow. The hobo dropped his pistol and pulled out a rusty crowbar; grinning cruelly, he swung at Lord Steam and connected solidly with the hero!

Thug 13 & 14 Aid Action, vs DC 10. (1d20+2=15, 1d20+2=4) Thug 15 gets +2 Att, goes after the guy swinging the stick around. Thug 15's Melee attack, vs Steam's Def. (1d20+4=22) That's how we treat the Brits downtown! DC 18 Toughness check, please. And dupe!Myr is up!

EDITS DONE BY GEEZ3R Glowstar :arrow: 2 points into Skills, buying some Acrobatics. Zoom! :arrow: 1 point into the Terminus Array, buying a pretty powerful version of Create Object.

EDITS DONE BY GEEZ3R Ironclad :arrow: Four points go into Skills, boosting Computer, Craft/Electronic, Notice, and Sense Motive. :arrow: I have no idea how Enhanced Feats became Features, but it's changing back. Picking up Speed of Thought there, too. :arrow: Moving her 'brain-share' abilities into a Container, adjusting Complications appropriately.

Freud!

Jessica had set down a few blocks away and now was walking with the crowds, looking for any of the heroes from the rooftop. She hadn't expected to see Joe out of costume, but after a quick double-take she smiled and walked over. "Hey Joe," she said. "Can't say I've ever seen you like that." For her part Jessica was dressed in black jeans (old), a Megadeth tee-shirt (Blake's), and a wide, studded black belt (new). Her shoulder-length hair had been left to fall freely around her face, and a length of chain went from a belt loop into a back pocket. The titanium bracelet she always wore had been joined by plain steel bands around several fingers on either hand. Despite the preparations she was obviously and painfully out of place, and she felt it. Her eyes were always moving, never resting on anything for long, and every few second she craned her hand around to check behind her. She kept rocking from her heels to the balls of her feet and back, and she stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans to stop herself from fidgeting. Even so, her voice was a little too loud, her smile a little too bright.

GM Hugo gave the teen a hard once-over and nodded curtly. "Well, I can help with that." He grabbed the projector and fussed over it for a moment, then turned the lens to face the young man. "Arms to the side and spin around," the tailor said. "Slowly." Glowstar did as he was told, barely noticing a blue light flickering over his body. The computer hummed to sudden life and soon was displaying five different views of Glowstar's body, in Clarmont's blue and gold. Hugo tapped a few buttons and suddenly the model was in the middle of the room, rotating slowly.

Glowstar glanced down at himself, taking in the Claremont colors, putting off answering the question. "You... could say it's like training wheels," he said, wincing at the analogy even while he made it. "Like a training sign for those in the know. 'This person wants to be a hero, but they don't maybe have total control over things, so give them a hand if it looks like they need one.' Not that I'd need one," he added hurriedly. "But a real costume is expensive, and they give these out cheap."

"I like to think of myself as the big gun," Brian said wistfully. He let the silence stretch for a minute, then fixed his friends with a wide grin. "C'mon, like I'm gonna say no? I've been dreaming about joining a team all year! Of course," he added, "I thought it would be Next Gen or even Young Freedom, not making my own." Brian glanced around and stepped close to the other three teens. "So, uh, are we going for pizza before or after we talk to Summers? 'Cause I don't want to be dreading it while we're eating, but I don't know if I'm gonna have much appetite afterwards."

Ironclad Game On! Jade Arena: Shock the Monkey Public Anomie Continental Vacation Rage Against the Machines Power Struggle 8 + 6 + 4 + 22 + 11 + 2 = 53 Glowstar Bride of the Reptile An Irregular Meeting Shopping Spree Hitting the Books If you build it... Ravening Salt-Sea Sharks Out of Blue Waters Broke, Blind, and Bedlam Don't Stop the Music Animal Control 3 + 4 + 2 + 16 + 20 + 11 + 5 + 7 + 12 + 4 = 84 + Interview GM Something in the Water Shopping Spree Continental Vacation Bride of the Reptile Game On! Green Thumb Ravening Salt-Sea Sharks Science Shenanigans Continental Vacation Rage Against the Machines 4 + 3 + 6 + 1 + 1 + 13 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 37

Wisp's energy blast flattened Goanna to the wall for a moment, and when he fell his limp body crashed through a number of the wooden floors and supports, making the entire structure they were fighting on wobble uncertainly. Glowstar froze for a moment until the shaking stopped, and edged carefully towards the nearest worktable. "Better move fast," he said. "No telling how long this whole tinker-toy mess is going to stay up." Despite his advice, several minutes later the teen was still pawing through the notes. There was a veritable library of scraps and notes, most of them covered in chicken scratch that he could only assume was Dr. Seidel's handwriting. Even more arcane were the diagrams of long chemical chains, some of which covered multiple sheets. "Of course he didn't number any pages," the teen muttered, flipping through the papers with increasing speed.