Fox

"Not as bad as I thought it'd be," Mara admitted, idly fiddling with the marker and trying to be less self-conscious about her apartment. at least I keep it mostly sort of uncluttered for Ellie's visits "Stressful, sometimes. But mostly okay. Stable income is nice. Haven't decided whether I like or dislike ordering people around. Phrase...'mixed bag'?" She shrugged, pulling some hair back behind her ear. "Get to pick the most interesting problems for myself, at least. That's fun. Sometimes more of a challenge to be given something you've never worked on. Isn't bending space, but...different, at least."

Whatever bashful comment Mara was gearing up for died on her lips as the...paladin?...came through the storefront, and for a couple moments she just kind of looked at him, flatly, like he'd appeared just to bother her and her girlfriend. "....what." She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes and muttering some terribly un-lady-like things under her breath. "....okay. ...mmmrgh. Could probably get us to a rooftop to change, so that nobody-" The young engineer made a frustrated noise somewhere in her nose. "...right. Okay. Not so subtle, then. Can buy you time to change, if you want...don't think anybody's watching us. Can check for camera footage later, I guess...." Little lights danced behind her eyes and the steel choker at the base of her neck flared; a ripple in space itself washed over Mara's body, leaving her suit in its wake. And the suit..was angry. The lenses and seams lit up with a little more light than normal, plates shifting a little like flexing muscles. "<HEY!>" Dragonfly yelled, the outline of her forcefield twisting into being around her profile. The world around her rippled, pulling here from where she stood to further out into the open space - and away from Ellie a bit. bad idea - have to distract him from civilians - don't know what he can do "<Don't know who you are. Get once chance - put the sword down, go away. Spoiling a very nice vacation.>"

"Hmm." Indira furrowed her brow, humming to herself - not very convincingly, though; she was trying to stay in human form for a bit in the name of practice, but she'd let her eyes go solid black and the hum had that same weird speaker-like quality to it that her true voice did. "It is...a very difficult decision. We do not have any animal pets, really - only since we have been able to import them, really. Our own animals were...ah....somewhat difficult to tame, I believe. Having controllable animals was a sign of great wealth and power, or so history goes." She mused for a moment, blinking as Sharl paged through the breeds. "I...think that I like the german shepard, perhaps? It seems...large, and noble. But the terriers are very cute."

Indira had, really, no context for any of this. She only knew who the Centurion was in abstract; she wasn't on Earth at the time, and while he was very, very well known, his life and death hadn't had quite the same...impact, elsewhere. It wasn't her home that had been invaded, and he'd never been the beloved hero of her or her people. He'd gone toe-to-toe with Omega, though, and lost his life defending his people. That made him a great warrior - one of the greatest of warriors - that that much, that much she got. That much she understood perfectly, and the prospect of visiting his private stronghold filled her with less excitement and more quiet curiosity. Her hero or not, seeing the...the den of such a mighty person could turn out very interesting indeed. Not so interesting that 'puppies' didn't catch her ear, though. She blinked, making her way over to Sharl and his laptop to take a look.

So sorry; pretty sure I was told about this thread and then completely forgot. 'cos I'm a jerk. Posting now!

Shapeshift! Leaping 1 (x2 [Running Long Jump: 30ft]) [1pp] Speed 1 (10mph / 100ft per Move Action) [1pp] Super-Movement 3 (Slithering, Wall-Crawling 2) [6pp] Super-Senses 2 (Tracking Scent [Full Speed]) [2pp] [1 + 1 + 6 + 2 = 10/10pp] Per the book the base DC is 10 for tracking by scent, and I'm assuming Wraith can take 10 (correct me if I'm wrong on either count, and I'll revise); Wraith's basically going to take off at full speed after Collins, following the path Collins took. It's the vent-monster food chain!

Wraith's whole body hunched down in discomfort as the thing screamed, her significantly-wider-range hearing not really helping matters. At all. Summers' announcement over the communicators cut both her hearing-related pains and feelings of victory over the () tree-thing short, though. Celebration of their martial prowess could come later; for now, there was hunting to be had. Her body flowed down onto four beast-like, three-clawed feet, her neck and shoulders growing a mane of short, thin tendrils that waved a little as if tasting the air. "I will hurry back and try to track her the way she went; you may have more luck travelling through the facility proper. If that was not the Mother we...we may be in trouble." And then she was off, leaping to one of the ceilings and running along the wall like it was the floor. And then she was back, ducking her head a little in chagrin. "Um. Ghost Girl, perhaps we could follow together? It is always best to hunt in pairs, I think, for safety."

If necessary, and barring natural hazards or GM DC-wrangling, Wraith should be able to navigate the group (or herself; dang fliers!) through the jungle provided she can take 10. If she can't take 10 or if the DC goes over 16, you're all on your own. :argh:

Wraith mused, looking around...and kicking herself a bit for letting her guard down, however harmless it may have been. If there were predators around, it would be best to be on her guard, at least mentally. "I am afraid that I am not familiar with that system," she admitted, and privately wished she'd paid more attention in those classes. "The area does not seem that bad, and should not be so hard to find our way through unless there are unknown hazards - hazards that are not predators, that is. However, it...might be best if we had a destination in mind?"

Gaian Knight 0 posts Dragonfly Cold Front (2) Flat Packed Business (7) HAX (3) Hours in the Day (8) 2+7+3+8= 20 posts Wraith Change is Necessary for Growth (4) The Hunted (2) 4+2= 6 posts

The silver alien's hostility and fear were replaced with confusion awfully quickly, the menace of her scythe-bearing tendrils ebbing somewhat as she tried to catch up with what was going on. She took a moment to collect herself - rather literally, really, her body flowing upright into something more humanoid and less overtly threatening. "I am Wraith," she introduced in her humming voice, gesturing. "I...think that I believe you, but I do not know that I can trust you. I hope that you are not offended."

"Nooo," Mara protested, though her voice held more reluctant humor than distress or offense. She waved a hand like she was trying to brush the idea away from her head. "No fashion. Or fashion plates. Was just wondering if it would be practical to do, in case I...went crazy, I guess. Or saw earrings I somehow really liked, if unlikely. Or went somewhere I'd feel...underdressed without them?" She shook her head, pointing an accusing finger at Ellie. "But no makeup!" she insisted, as sternly as she could manage without cracking a grin. "Have corrupted me this far, with your...sense of style, and having someone around with opinions I care about. But no makeup. Will not paint my face. Ridiculous. Line drawn there."

Mara had come up with teleporters, powered armor, multiple flavors of physics-warping devices and at least one new branch of math over the course of her lifetime, and she was still compelled to think that this was one of her better ideas. She was (for her, anyway) rather shockingly...happy as they walked and chatted and looked, set apart from other tourists largely only by being fluent in the local tongue. "Should probably consider getting my ears pierced," she commented, inspecting an array of earrings that were (slightly) less tourist-bait-y than most. "Seems like a bother, most of the time. But imagine I'll get dragged to...nicer social functions. Sometimes. Socially appropriate to accessorize? Bet I could hide something useful in a pair of earrings."

"Caught me," Mara deadpanned, little lights dancing behind her eyes. Fans could be faintly heard as warm air began coming into the room through vents scattered here and there on the walls. Not that the apartment had been terribly cold to begin with - she was barefoot, in old jeans and a worn black t-shirt, after all - but she figured the gesture might be nice for someone who'd just been outside. "Am actually a dark thing from between places. First in an army to destroy your cold, snow-less world, devouring citizens, taking their shapes." The effect of her straight face and flat voice were ruined somewhat by the 'spooky' finger-wriggling motion she was doing as she explained her terrible origins. "Started with the smartest. Of course."

Mara nodded, sparing the view a final glance before adjusting her bag for the umpteenth time and tilting her head at the assorted ways they could take toward the city. Not that she could perfectly match where they were to the maps she'd studied while figuring out where to go, but she was pretty sure it was...that way? and if it isn't - can find our way - pretty sure getting lost is part of the vacation experience? - not sure I'd know - will make my own vacation experience then "Shopping," she confirmed as they set down a path, and then pulled a face. "Probably people. Tourists. But interested to see what they have here. Souvenirs, maybe. Clothes? ....never cared about what I wore until I met you, you know. Think you're corruptive."

Finally getting around to these. Wraith first! Wraith's edits are pretty simple, filling in some things she's either picked up since creation as she's adjusted, or that she really should have had to begin with. - 1pp to her Will save. - 1pp to Feats, getting her the first of several ranks of Improved Init. - 5pp to Skills, boosting her Stealth, Notice, and Survival. [b][u]Player Name[/u]:[/b] Fox [b][u]Character Name[/u]:[/b] Wraith [b][u]Power Level[/u]:[/b] 11 (160/160pp) [b][u]Trade-Offs[/u]:[/b] -2 Defense / +2 Toughness [b][u]Unspent PP[/u]:[/b] 0 [b][u]Progress to Gold Status[/u]:[/b] 10/90 (Silver status earned with [url=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3731]Dragonfly[/url]) [b][u]In Brief[/u]:[/b] A nice, kind teenage girl who's actually an alien made of fluid metal. [b][u]Alternate Identities[/u]:[/b] Indira Singh [b][u]Identity[/u]:[/b] Secret [b][u]Birthplace[/u]:[/b] Kinigos [b][u]Occupation[/u]:[/b] Student [b][u]Affiliations[/u]:[/b] Claremont Academy [b][u]Family[/u]:[/b] Unnamed Mother & Father [b][u]Age[/u]:[/b] 16 (in your human years) [b][u]Apparent Age[/u]:[/b] 16 [b][u]Gender[/u]:[/b] Female (apparent) [b][u]Ethnicity[/u]:[/b] Kinigosi (true), Indian (apparent) [b][u]Height[/u]:[/b] 5'10" [b][u]Weight[/u]:[/b] 350 lbs. [b][u]Eyes[/u]:[/b] Solid Black (alien), Dark Brown (human) [b][u]Hair[/u]:[/b] None (Alien), very Dark Brown (human) [b][u]Description[/u]:[/b] In her human guise, Indira Singh is a charming young lady with a pleasant face, dark eyes, and long dark brown hair; an athletic build and oddly fluid grace belie her true weight and the true nature that causes it. Indira favors slim, light clothing - more often than not she's making it herself with her shapeshifting, and heavy or complex layers are simply harder to create and maintain. As she truly is, Indira is a largish and usually humanoid being made of seamless silvery metal, polished-looking and warm to the touch. She has three eyes (the third of which is in the center of her 'forehead', vertically oriented), all of which are pure black; she has no mouth and (for that matter) no other visible orifices. Everything else is likely to change with mood and the needs of the moment, though the longer she's on Earth and in human form the more feminine the 'body' of her alien form tends to be at default. Rather absurdly, she often gives her alien form a small raised area around the eyes, like a (three-eyed) domino mask...because heroes wear masks, of course. [b][u]Power Descriptions[/u]:[/b] See "Powers & Tactics" below. [b][u]History[/u]:[/b] Crime has always spread to wherever there was room to hold it, and as the name would imply there's a lot of room in space. So much room, in fact, that crime can be had on a scale unheard of on any single planet - but the problem with large, sprawling criminal empires is that sometimes you need front businesses, bean counters, legitimate employees, paper trails...and sometimes someone you've 'encouraged' to work for you gets ahold of some terribly sensitive information, something they can take to the authorities to help hurt or bring down a sizeable piece of your empire. Unfortunately for them, this is probably enough to do some very painful damage but not enough to cripple or end your organization, so they're almost certain to have to be relocated somewhere where they won't be found by angry humanoids with squinty eyes and middle names like "Big Jim" or "the Claw". This was something of a problem for the Lor, once the case was finished and the testimony given. They had three members of a relatively rare race that needed to be hidden [i]somewhere[/i], away from the seeking eyes of a sprawling and angry criminal group suspected to have connections anywhere and everywhere worth having connections. Fortunately, there was a little planet that wasn't so developed that a few aliens couldn't remain fairly anonymous, but developed enough to be comfortable; a place with a good variety of distinct cultures and peoples, where the odd was almost common in places and where the Lor just so happened to have a few contacts in good standing. And so it was that Indira and her family came to Earth: first to India, where they established an identity for themselves, and then to Freedom City, where even the odd alien sighting would hopefully be lost in the unsettlingly high concentration of metahumans and mythological beings come to life. As an added bonus, Indira could be sent to a school where she wouldn't stand out quite so much.... [b][u]Personality & Motivation[/u]:[/b] A kind but fierce soul, Indira fights crime mostly because she feels that she must. Not only is it an excellent excuse to let loose and - literally - be herself for a while, but in a world of fragile fleshy beings she's...well, not exactly the Centurion, but more equipped to deal with high crime than many. She can't sit idly by with that kind of strength while bad things happen around her. She's very curious about how humans live - human culture and interaction, local animals, and whatever else captures her fancy. By and large she tends to be a bit formal and straight-laced as a consequence of her upbringing, but that doesn't mean she's one to turn down an opportunity to cut loose if she can get away with it and it sounds like fun.... [b][u]Powers & Tactics[/u]:[/b] Wraith is capable of shifting and reshaping her own body mass in response to what she needs to do and/or be for the task at hand: if she needs to run quickly she becomes sleek and quadrupedal, if she needs to fight her way through a sea of minions she sprouts long whip-like limbs tipped with hammers or scythe-like blades, and so on. She can similarly change her solidity, anywhere from a viscous but fluid metal to more solid than any Earthly steel. This ability isn't without limitations, however: bits of herself that are completely separated from her main mass are lost forever if not quickly recovered (and the separation is very painful), and her ability to change her color is extremely limited. A normal member of her race can only shift between metallic shades, and generally only in shades of silver or grey; a combination of Kinigosi and Lor technology has introduced a mutation that lets her kind assume a single humanoid form and to - with practice - change details [i]of[/i] that form in the way of clothes and hairstyle and the like. The basic template, however, is relatively fixed and most shapeshifting will create obvious breaks in the facade (eg, she could elongate a limb, but it would be a normal human upper arm connected to a normal human lower arm by a long silver tentacle). Her people are born with castes, not genders (though the social importance of one's caste has decreased dramatically since less civilized times); Wraith would be considered a prime specimen of the warrior caste, highly fit with excellent shapeshifting control and good fighting instincts. That said, she has relatively little fighting training or experience, and relies heavily on those instincts to get her through combat. She tries diplomacy if it seems likely to work but otherwise hits hard, fast, and has a bad habit of depending on her considerable durability over complex tactics. [hr][/hr] [b][u]Complications[/u]:[/b] [b]Alien:[/b] Alien. Not only does she often look and move like a sci-fi horror movie monster, but even her human guise is essentially skin-deep: if you cut her she bleeds silver, she weighs too much for her size, her inhumanity is immediately apparent to many super-senses, etc. [b]Secret:[/b] Identity. [b]Space-Fish Out of Space-Water:[/b] She's been on the planet for a little while already but is still an alien; humans are [i]weird[/i] and their culture is weirder (but the TV's pretty neat), and she has to deal with being foreign both as an alien and as a recently-immigrated Indian. [b]Witness Protection:[/b] This is why she and her family are on Earth to begin with; while most up in space aren't likely to be watching broadcasts from that little blue planet full of under-developed monkeys, there [i]are[/i] people out there looking for her parents, and would find her terribly useful as leverage - this puts certain risks on whatever she does, and means there's probably an overworked Lor witsec officer somewhere who'd rather she kept a low profile. [b]Your Car Was Delicious:[/b] While she can't starve she does require mass (in the form of metals) to replace any mass that is lost or too damaged to heal. [b][u]Abilities[/u]:[/b] 10 + 6 + 10 + 6 + 2 + 4 = 38pp Strength: 20 (+5) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 14 (+2) [b][u]Combat[/u]:[/b] 8 + 8 = 16pp Initiative: +7 Attack: +4 Ranged, +10 Melee Grapple: +15 Defense: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -6/-2 [b][u]Saving Throws[/u]:[/b] 4 + 5 + 5 = 15pp Toughness: +12/+5 (+5 Con, +7 Protection) Fortitude: +9 (+5 Con, +4) Reflex: +8 (+3 Dex, +5) Will: +7 (+1 Wis, +6) [b][u]Skills[/u]:[/b] 52R = 13pp Bluff 4 (+6, +10 Attractive) Concentration 4 (+5) Diplomacy 4 (+6, +10 Attractive) Disguise 0 (+2, +4 Shapeshift, +42 Morph [Human Form]) Knowledge (Current Events) 2 (+5) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 2 (+5) Language 3 (English, Galstandard, Hindi, Kinigosi [Native]) Notice 14 (+15) Search 2 (+5) Stealth 12 (+15) Survival 5 (+6) [b][u]Feats[/u]:[/b] 18pp Ambidexterity Attack Focus (Melee) 6 Attractive Dodge Focus 4 Improved Initiative Interpose Luck 2 Takedown Attack Ultimate Save (Toughness) [b][u]Powers[/u]:[/b] 37 + 7 + 16 = 60pp [b]Alien Biology 7.2 ([/b]36pp Container [Passive, Permanent]; [i]Feats:[/i] Innate[b])[/b] [37pp] [device][b]Immunity 23 ([/b]Critical Hits, Falling Damage, Magnetic Effects, Life Support [Disease, Poison, Environmental Cold/Heat/Pressure/Radiation/Vacuum, Suffocation], Sleep, Starvation/Thirst[b])[/b] [23pp] [b]Insubstantial 1 ([/b][i]Extras:[/i] Special [Free Action / Sustained Duration to become Solid], [i]Flaws:[/i] Permanent, [i]Feats:[/i] Selective, Subtle[b])[/b] [7pp] (Liquid Metal) [b]Super-Senses 6 ([/b]Acute Smell, Darkvision, Infravision, Ultrasonic Hearing, Ultravision[b])[/b] [6pp][/device] [b]Protection 7[/b] [7pp] [b]Shapeshift 2 ([/b]10pp, +10 Disguise[b])[/b] [16pp] [list][i]Sample Configurations:[/i] [spoiler][u]"Give Us A Hug"[/u] [b]Additional Limbs 3 ([/b]+5 Limbs; [i]Flaws:[/i] Duration [Sustained][b])[/b] [3pp] [b]Elongation 3 ([/b]25ft[b])[/b] [3pp] [b]Super-Strength 2 ([/b]+10 STR[b])[/b] [4pp] [3 + 3 + 4 = 10/10pp] [u]Human Form[/u] [b]Morph 8 ([/b]One Form, +40 Disguise, [i]Feats:[/i] Quick Change 2[b])[/b] [8pp] [u]Hunter[/u] [b]Leaping 2 ([/b]x5 [[i]Running Long Jump:[/i] 75ft][b])[/b] [2pp] [b]Speed 1 ([/b]10mph / 100ft per Move Action[b])[/b] [1pp] [b]Super-Movement 3 ([/b]Slithering, Wall-Crawling 2[b])[/b] [6pp] [b]Super-Senses 1 ([/b]Tracking Scent [1/2 Speed][b])[/b] [1pp] [2 + 1 + 6 + 1 = 10/10pp] [u]"Om Nom Nom"[/u] [b]Drain Toughness 6 ([/b][i]Extras:[/i] Affects Objects, Linked [Damage, Healing], [i]Flaws:[/i] Limited [Objects], Limited [Metal][b])[/b] [3pp] [b]+ Damage 6 ([/b][i]Extras:[/i] Linked [Drain, Healing], [i]Flaws:[/i] Limited [Objects], Limited [Metal][b])[/b] [2pp] [b]+ Healing 4 ([/b]Recovery +9, [i]Extras:[/i] Action [Standard], Linked [Drain, Damage], [i]Flaws:[/i] Personal, Source [Metal], [i]Feats:[/i] Regrowth[b])[/b] [5pp] [3 + 2 + 5 = 10pp] [u]Whip-Blades/Clubs[/u] [b]Elongation 2 ([/b]10ft[b])[/b] [2pp] [b]Speed 1 ([/b]10mph / 100 feet per Move Action[b])[/b] [1pp] [b]Strike 5 ([/b][i]Feats:[/i] Improved Critical [19-20], Mighty[b])[/b] [7pp] [2 + 1 + 7 = 10/10pp][/spoiler] [/list] [b][u]Drawbacks[/u]:[/b] -0pp None [b][u]DC Block[/u]:[/b] [code]ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Strike Setting Touch (~15ft w/ Elongation) DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Abilities (38) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (13) + Feats (18) + Powers (60) - Drawbacks (0) = 160/160 Power Points NUKED FROM ORBIT BY GIZMO (IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE)

One of the vortexes winked shut and for a moment there was silence...until something could be seen falling at a rather disturbing speed. Whatever it was didn't even try slowing down, speeding like a thin, silver missile toward the ground and tearing through trees and ground as it impacted with a resounding THOOMPH. Wraith, a little dazed but largely unhurt as she flowed upright in her small crater and looked around, was sure - she was certain - that just a moment ago she'd been leaping from one building to the next. She hadn't been hunting criminals so much as she'd been stretching her legs...or, rather, pretty much her everything. Being stuck on school grounds made for boring-- She hunched down, body shifting into something low and sleek with clawed feet and a pair of wicked scythes on tentacles that extended from her back. Three black eyes narrowed to slits and the lower part of what currently served as her head pulled back inside itself, leaving a mouth filled to the brim with rows of razor-sharp teeth. Said teeth parted as she let out a rattling hiss that no creature in the world would mistake for anything but 'don't touch'.

Wraith doesn't sleep and can't fly, but she also doesn't take falling damage. Not even gonna try for the tech rolls. She's really not a scientist.

Mara blinked, snapped out of the train of thought that was still only half-copied over to the large whiteboard that dominated one of her new apartment's walls. She made it all of halfway to the door before turning around to frown at the mess of equations and notes before she shook her head again. can work on it later The young engineer was waiting by the door by the time Jessica had been buzzed in and taken the elevator to the top of the building. "Jessica! Hello. Can put your coat...mmh. Anywhere. I guess. Will turn up the heat - look cold."

"Very...scenic," Mara agreed, rather brightly, adjusting her messenger bag and squinting a little in the sudden light. too many hours in dark labs "Not sure who would build like this, but glad they did. Think it's...testament to human stubbornness? Something I can appreciate." She was squinting less, anyway, as her eyes adjusted to sunlight and pale buildings. "Have the day to explore! Any ideas? Probably too early to eat. Could just wander."

"Mmh. No. Was worried I'd stopped impressing you," Mara teased, though she sounded pleased by the compliment; she'd blushed and ducked her head a little at the nose-tap, despite herself. "Vacation, yes - time we left. Machine only changes space, not time. Could change time, I guess? Probably a bad idea." She grabbed her beaten-up messenger bag off a nearby chair and slung it over her shoulder, joining Ellie on the platform. "Maybe want to close your eyes? Not sure. Told this is disorienting." Lights danced behind her eyes and the layers of gears and cables in the exposed pieces began to move.... ....and then space turned inside out. The effect was kind of like living on a piece of paper that had just been crumpled up - the eyes were sure that the world was folding in on itself, but the rational mind was certain that just wasn't possible, and very certain that it wasn't meant to see things move the way they were moving, much less feel unsettlingly like it was in two places at once. Still, the effect was brief. It was maybe a few seconds of broken physics and then they were in a small, empty room full of smells and sounds that hadn't existed before. "Spain," Mara announced, almost cheerfully. "Think I like flying better for travel, but certainly faster with the platform."

Mara tilted her head, eyeing her creation and trying to figure out how she'd explain anything at all. "It...mmh. Does...things?" She frowned, and shook her head. "Physics. Sort of. Hard to explain without getting boring. Sort of scaled-up version of what my armor has; creates an anchor elsewhere in space and uses it to fold...." She trailed off, realizing she was headed into 'boring', and took a moment to rephrase. "....tells...tells local space that we're actually in Spain, and local space believes it?" she tried, shrugging. "Requires a lot of power. That's the self-conta-...the little sphere...thing...it's hooked up to. Wouldn't ever get more than a few trips out of it, but fine for a vacation."

At least she didn't have to wait on the pavement long. One of the shadows behind the broken streetlight was moving, subtly at first as it slid through the fence at the back of the alley, taking a female shape as it calmly stalked up behind the thugs. Then one of them happened to glance that way, and the very, very short fight that followed made its presence somewhat harder to miss. It didn't take the thugs very long to apparently decide that sticking around really wasn't a very good idea; the ones who were still standing helped the ones who weren't back up onto their feet and then they were all off, scrambling over the alleyway fence into the darkness with remarkable agility for such big guys. Silhouette - the fake one, that is, not the costumeless woman sitting on the ground - didn't speak, but she did kneel down to make sure her real-life counterpart was unharmed before following the gang out of sight. Mara sighed, putting her binoculars down and rubbing her temples. It had gone better than she'd expected, anyway; that was a lot of preparation to do in not very much time. Thank goodness for security camera footage and a really, really big computer....

"Spain! Yes. Finished setting that up last night." Mara backed away so that Ellie could properly enter the apartment and see the large, platform-like contraption taking up most of the living room floor. It was apparently built with function in mind more than polish, as it would not have passed OHSA standards on even the best of days - wiring was exposed here, some glass tubing there, and long, heavy-duty cables snaked out from it like it was trying to put out roots. The biggest of the cables went to the smallest of the pieces, oddly - a little semi-spherical device made of so many layers of thin, rotating bands that whatever the bands contained couldn't be seen. "Didn't...really bother with shielding, or plating, or...neatness," Mara explained, sounding a little embarrassed now that she seeing it through somebody else's eyes. "....don't touch exposed parts. But safe, otherwise. And fast."

Somewhere, Mara had a stack of finalized designs to review, a basement lab to finish constructing, a power suit to refine, fully five major projects to finish up, two more to actually start, and a warehouse security system to upgrade. But not today. Mara still didn't really get the whole 'birthday' thing - the day just didn't seem that important - but she did get 'time alone with Ellie'. A day just for the two of them, no distractions, no responsibilities? would put up with a dozen cakes - a thousand songs - ...well - maybe a hundred songs - kind of an obnoxious song - but for Ellie? - thousand songs "Ellie!" Mara had made some...improvements...to the local security system and had been ready to open the door almost before her girlfriend had gotten to it. "Ah. Hello. Ready? Hope it wasn't trouble getting time off. Even on a Saturday. Know you keep busy."