KnightDisciple

Right, sorry for the delay, still haven't solved home internet issues. CT Init: Look at this lightning fast 9.

Comcast is terrible in every way, and my PC is basically operating in fits and starts as far as internet connection goes. I'll be semi-busy being social anyways this weekend, but I may not be able to post much/at all until Monday. I don't know at this point. EDIT: Router firmware be jacked, yo. It'll be the weekday before we get it replaced.

Magnus gave a distracted nod and waved away the runes. 'The pasta's excellent today.' He dabbed his mouth with a napkin after swallowing his latest morsel. "I will admit, that was a bit of a test. That was generally what I knew, minus the bit about the explosion. My knowledge in the arcane is mostly theoretical, a collection of bits of facts gathered over the last couple of years." A bit more eating as he listened to Morgan's explanations and proposals. "I think a Faraday cage setup would work fine. I don't anticipate any magical experiments being done in my labs, and I'd have warnings posted so any visitors with magical abilities and senses wouldn't be taken by complete surprise. How reasonable would one or two fallback Cages be?" He frowned a bit at the description of the difficulties with cameras, but nodded. "I anticipated that goal wasn't as feasible, hence why it was an "extra" instead of a main requirement. I've seen how non-hardened electronics don't stand up well to all sorts of exotic energies. Though I've found that few cranky particles cant' be calmed down with liberal applications of liquid bakelite. A bit crude, but when laced with carbon nanotubes it's a surprisingly good emergency insulator. Still and all, if the camera plan isn't workable for now, it isn't. At some point in the future we may look into anti-magic technology for a similar application." He quirked a smile at the mention of "assumed identities". "Assuming they agreed to our terms to prevent excessive damage to facilities, I would find identity protection entirely reasonable. Especially in this town, where everyone seems to enjoy wearing a mask from time to time. It's a bit less exciting in Sweden, I'm afraid. Only a handful of heroes at all. But I'd allow them to sign under their alternate identities, as well as promising no electronic copies of signatures be stored, to prevent handwriting analysis and matching."

When Morgan Crowe finished his excited explanation, Baron Magnus Katastrof sat silently for several long moments. His face may as well have been carved from tungsten, it was so still and impassive. Then, suddenly... He smiled. Broadly and with a friendly glint in his eyes. "An engineer! Even better. Science is all well and good, but theories just aren't as much fun as making something, am I right? Of course." Their food was there already; those cooks were good! Magnus gave a smile and nod to Anthony and the other two servers as things were dropped off and glasses were refilled. "I'm definitely looking at longer-lasting solutions. Quick and dirty has its place, but for such things I could probably research something. I am no magician, but I try to understand many things in the world, and magic is starting to grow in prominence, yes? Though admittedly my research has naturally led more to Norse methodologies." His hand not occupied with a fork loaded with some sort of exotic pasta in a thin, clear sauce waved a strange pattern in the air (probably triggering fancy sensors), and a fairly simplistic (to Morgan) arrangement of Norse runes popped up. "Saw this one time when I was taking a 15-minute mind break from some troublesome metallurgy work. Your thoughts?" Well, it's basically a useless collection of runes; when "activated" it would just glow and make noise, but did the Baron know that? He pressed on after Morgan's answer. "I would be more interested in what sort of redundancy you think you could apply to any schema you came up with. My primary concerns are prevention of magical spying, prevention of magical transport via portals or teleportation, prevention of magical mind control, and prevention of magical summonings. And I'd like such arrangements to be such that even if one set of wards is down, another set's ready and waiting with an extra alarm. I'll pay extra for anything that can cancel out illusions or the like, especially the illusions that fool cameras and other sensors. I'd pay even more extra if you ever felt like trying to apply some of those anti-illusion wards to non-static artificial constructs." Probably satellites or something? "If you feel these goals are within your capability, we would select one of my secondary lab facilities and one of my secondary office facilities to do a "trial run" at. After the setup, we'd contact one of your "stress-testers" and have them give a go at it. From there, we'd determine what further ventures we'd pursue."

Cobalt Templar fought a sigh of annoyance at the sudden shift in the conversation. The whole thing bugged him, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Something about Stormchaser's accent, this insistence on alien threats, all of it wasn't quite right. At the insistence from Casey about a blood test, the man in blue crossed his arms over his chest. "Casey, look. I won't speak for Cavalier here, but I don't just go handing out my blood to anyone. You guys are legit, but this isn't exactly a lab situation, either. What next, you want me to take off my mask? Are all of you going to de-mask in front of me?" He shook his head. "Look, we'll sit and wait for the Archetch folks, who have all sorts of paperwork confirming who they are, to actually take this stuff away. We'll keep our hands out of any weirdness in town if you guys want. I'm not here to make trouble or get into anyone's territory or anything. We're all on the same team, right?"

The Baron watches impassively as Morgan gives his spiel. At some point in the conversation, drinks are delivered, alongside a plate practically-steaming rolls that all but melt in your mouth. Katastrof snags a couple and chews thoughtfully as the young Crowe boy winds down. He locks his choice into his menu and sets it aside. Morgan is of course free to browse the very thorough and diverse menu. "Many men of science view magic as a crock. Fake. Sleight of hand at best while using somewhat-more-understood technology or innate meta-human powers. Many people of magic seem to view it as some vaguely sentient "force" that they make nice with. It is...refreshing...to break bread with someone who seems to have something of a "middle ground" view. It's almost...scientific...of you." He falls silent for a moment, but coming from a man like Magnus Katastrof, that's no small praise. "If we did pursue your active services, it would be in a supplementary role to our existing security infrastructure. Beyond advising ways to guard against certain types of intrusions, and perhaps setting up warding schema, we would perhaps see if you knew of anyone who could "stress test" the holistic defenses that would result from these efforts. Such assistance is not common in the "mundane" world, but it is available, especially for those with some small means to themselves."

My wireless isn't cooperating, so all told it'll probably be Saturday before I have PC internet access at home again. I might try coming in early to work tomorrow as well (that's what I did today), but we'll see.

"Scholarships are but the entry point to education. Typically, a student needs a sharp mind to keep it. Though admittedly, formal education can sometimes stifle creativity a bit, or provide frustration for those with somewhat non-linear thinking patterns." If Morgan had done any research of his own, he'd know the man saying this held multiple college degrees and a small mountain of inventions and patents, and so was probably reflecting on his own life as much as anything. "Tell me more about what you consider "esoteric". I have some inklings of what you mean, but your business card was somewhat vague, and currently your online advertisements are similar. I'd be interested in knowing your perspective, interpretation, and wording of what it is you do and interact with. That will help me decide if we'd like to bring you on long-term for consultation, keep you on the books for ad-hoc work, or simply smile and part ways." Anthony came in with the drinks, before pulling out two small menus that were apparently flexible computer screens shaped like paper sheets. Morgan found he could scroll through a fair-sized list of dishes. Being CEO, and a noble to boot, had advantages.

The Baron simply sat; it seemed that "protocol" dictated both men seat themselves. He gestured again for Morgan to sit, but otherwise made no fuss of it. The waiter calmly spoke up. "Would the young master like a particular kind of soda, or shall we surprise you?" Magnus chuckled. "Sir is my father, so definitely not that one. Baron or Mister is alright, whichever one you would prefer. I realize not all Americans are entirely comfortable with the idea of nobility. Anyways, Anthony, I'll have my usual." The older man gave a polite nod and, after taking Morgan's order, stepped out of the room, silent as a ghost. Likely a lifetime of practice at being discreet. Magnus smiled at the question, and raised his left hand, running it through a couple of odd gestures...before a floating holographic window appeared to one side. It was the Claremont website, along with a couple of other sites, and it showed a list of the names of the most recent set of graduates from Claremont. "The almighty power of Google, and a screening department that knows how to use it on prospective consultants. Call me intrigued, when a young man just graduated from such an exclusive school opens up such an interesting sort of business."

"The view's rather magnificent, yes. Though occasionally, it can go to one's head." Suddenly the windows were shining mirrors, and Morgan saw the man standing in the doorway. He was tall, but not overly so; in fact, the two stood nose-to-nose, if Morgan had a guess, though the young crime-fighter out-massed the finely-dressed man by a bit. Of course, between the shockingly Scandinavian features and the finely-tailored, sharply-pressed, very-expensive-looking suit, he was likely the Baron Katasrof himself. The man wore a friendly smile on his face as he walked into the room, clearly sizing Morgan up, taking his measure. Finally, the owner of the building stopped in front of Morgan, and the Crowe boy realized the Baron only had a few years on him in age. Either way, the European nobleman and business mogul held out a hand for Morgan to shake. "Mr. Morgan Crowe, head of Crowe Security Consulting, recent graduate of Claremont Academy? I'm Baron Magnus Vilhelm Katastrof if you didn't know before. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." After the introduction, he gestured to the table. "Shall we sit? What would you like to drink, and then we can begin with our orders." Suddenly there was a respectable-looking gentleman in a a black suit standing next to the table. Morgan might think him a ninja at first, but really he was just a skilled waiter. Probably.

The man at the front desk, dressed in a crisp security guard's outfit, gave Morgan a polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes (probably just tired and sees hundreds of people a day). "Yes, of course, just a moment." He looked down, typed a few things on the slick, metallic keyboard set into his desktop, then reached below Morgan's sight-line. After a moment, he was handing the young man a badge. "That will let you into the elevator, elevator lobbies, public restrooms, public visiting areas, and the small science exhibit section on the ground floor. Oh, and access to the section of the building where your meeting is. And here's the directions on how to get there." Which said he was to take an elevator to the very top floor. Down a crisp, clean hallway, into a room with a large (but not ridiculously large) dining table, as well as a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, and a few discrete tech-bits scattered about the ceiling. The other 3 walls looked like they might be computer displays.... The table was empty save a couple of settings. Thankfully for Morgan, there were only 2 forks, 2 spoons, and 1 knife at each spot. Shouldn't be that hard to remember the order.... Not that there was a plate, food, or anything else around. Or anyone else, for that matter.

When you're a businessman by day, engineer by night, and armor-clad hero in between, you tend to appreciate schedules. When your organic brain is supplemented by the most potent computing material in existence, you like precision even more. So it was only reasonable that the Baron gave his personal attendant a smile and nod for her typical prompt delivery. She was excellent at what she did; that's why she made more than many professional athletes. Because Magnus couldn't really both run his business and juggle the thousand little things she did. Delegation was a beautiful thing. He was going through the quarterly reports much faster than he used to; thinking at the speeds he did had its advantages! He didn't take that long to make it to the security reports, which were even more of a concern after that break-in a few months ago... When the card fell onto his desk, he spent a good 20 seconds blinking in surprise at its presence. As if an equation wasn't adding up for him. Finally, he raised an eyebrow in curiosity, before putting his assistant on the line. She was quickly placing a call to this "Crowe Security Consulting", trying to schedule a lunch meeting at 12:00pm sharp. In the rather imposing Katasrof & Sorenson Technologies tower office building, in one of the Baron's meeting rooms.

Cobalt Templar actually seemed relieved as the two Barnstormers came in for a landing. While he hadn't worked extensively with them...before here, they were still fairly well-known to him (though he was probably best acquainted with Maverick and Thresher), and he was glad the call had finally gotten through. Then Casey Jones said they were the suspects! It took him aback, but before he could speak up, Stormchaser spoke in their defense. Which somewhat confused him, as he was sure she didn't have that accent before...then again, different universe, so maybe different rules. "I was actually the one who asked for the call in. How long ago did you get notice? Anyways, right now we're cleaning this site up, trying to make sure none of the material gets left behind. Pretty routine, though. It's some of the other goings-on that have us concerned. A bit more subtle, you see. What were you told on your way in?"

Cobalt Templar frowned heavily at that notion. He'd encountered a fair number of hostile psychics in his days, and most of them were thoroughly unpleasant folks he didn't want anywhere near a small town. "Well. Given what we're seeing, I'd say the bottom threshold is the population of the town. I think everyone who is...infected, for lack of a better term, has the ability to pass it on. The police guys from earlier were kind of touchy-feely. I don't know though; I've fought psychics, and fought beside them, but understanding the mechanics of their powers and behavior is a bit beyond my scope. But as a guess, I'd want at least a thousand minds, if I could manage it."

It's actually Carson Keefe. Finbar's his middle name. Otherwise looks fine. The "Vilhelm" is important. He's noble, you see. And now AA's comment is stuck in my head, too.

Gabriel nodded as a plan was decided upon. "Right, I'll try to focus on our way over. This is a bit bigger than most previous targets." While on the platform and traveling, Gabriel had knelt down and seemed to be alternating between sitting in a somewhat meditative stance, and going through what were likely a few silent prayers. When he felt the platform stop, his eyes smoothly opened as he stood up...and then simply floated out over the side of the platform, eventually coming to a very soft rest on the ground, taking a stance with one foot and one knee supporting him, before he tilted forward and placed both hands palm-first on the ground. The air rippled around his body, and then the sound waves began gently pouring down into the ground. The soft vibrations carried a sense of peace, calm, soothing sensations intended to placate the beast the size of an island. He just hoped it worked.

Right, Gabriel's gonna crouch down, then switch Sonic Control Array to: Alternate Power: Emotion Control 12(Extras: Area [General, Shapeable, 12 5ft cubes]) [34PP] This will point down into the Biosphere. The Emotion he is trying to elicit is Calm.

"The field is rapidly advancing all over, though Miss Parker is certainly pushing the upper edge even then. Still and all, I would imagine units similar to these will become more and more available in the next few years. After all, Miss Parker is here for a field stress test, yes? I'd imagine after the demonstration you could speak with her to see if she has some units that would be appropriate for your needs." He quietly settled into the vehicle with the other academic types. He shook his head at the professor's words. "Sadly I have not managed such a trip, and I have not witnessed said, ah, ceremony before. I would be interested in doing so if we have the time today, though."

Fenris couldn't help but roll his eyes a bit at Dragonfly's snark. She clearly hadn't dealt with some of the European supers that were currently active. "We're allies, Star Knight. My name's Fenris. Not the real one, don't worry. We'll get you loose." He walked over, examining the restraints as he went. When he was close enough, he poked and prodded at them (standing on the opposite side of Dragonfly), nodding to himself before giving a half-smile at Dragonfly's comment about working fast. "Right, yes, quick and dirty, no time for over-analysis. Luckily, I've got a set of bolt cutters." At which point he ran high-energy plasma to the extended claws on his fingers and set to work trying to pry apart the chains restraining Star Knight.

The call from Miss A had to go through Cavalier, since Templar didn't have any high-grade comm equipment on his person. He nodded at the request, though. "Tell her I'll ask them to get him somewhere safe, and then try to get at least some of the Barnstormers out here. At this point I think we'll need whichever members are free..." He quickly stepped aside and withdrew a cell phone that was set up to make secure calls that weren't easily traced back to his civilian ID, if nothing else. "Yeah, KC PD? Hello, yes, this is Cobalt Templar. No, I'm not in KC any more. I'm in Blackwater. Listen, you guys were checking out the situation with Charlie Evans earlier. I just spoke with Miss Americana. We're out here and we think Mister Evans may well be in danger. If possible, could you place him somewhere in protective custody or something similar? We'll try to see what we can find out here. Also, we could use some support from the Barnstormers, I think. We're still pinning this down, but it's looking big. We'll keep you in the loop, yes." When he was off the phone, he suddenly snapped his fingers as he remembered something. "Hey, Cavalier, could you let Miss Americana know that Charlie's family was, or is, in town? He mentioned his wife and kids had stayed with "grandma and grandpa", which I took to mean Charlie's parents. I don't know where that is specifically, though. Just thought she'd want to know, since we're trying to secure the family."

The young man in blue armor (which was at least no longer radiating flames) smiled and shook Cavalier's hand. "You as well." Cobalt Templar helped Cavalier dive down and retrieve the last few bits of the tech, at least that they could find down in the muck. After that, he used his (admittedly limited) telekinesis, or his larger-than-life form, to move various items. Finally, he stepped back and stood next to Cavalier. He shrugged as the man explained the situation, and where things stood for their knowledge of it. "Can't say I'm overly familiar with Grue technology either. Only seen it a couple of times. I've been....away....for a while now. Didn't ever get a chance to dig into Grue tech where I was. Not that I'm much of a tech-head either; I could probably recite facts and strategies from their last few invasion attempts, but that's about the extent of it." Still, he'd help Cavalier as best as he could, moving or retrieving things for the other man who he hoped had at least some better idea of the technology around them.

Gabriel (All Post Counts and Vignette PP for Gabriel roll over to Cobalt Templar) >The Sun Never Sets: 2 IC Posts >Here There Be Dragons: 1 IC Post Vignette: >Anger Versus Hope: What's Your Legacy? Fenris >Shadows of History: 3 IC Posts >The Man Who Fell to Earth: 1 IC Posts Vignette: >False Glories, True Allegiances Cobalt Templar >War, What It Isn't Good For: 3 IC Posts >Hell Comes To Missouri: 7 IC Posts Vignette: >Duty, Honor, Country, Desire Wiki Article: >The Barnstormers

While Cavalier was searching below, Miss Americana and Caradoc (totally not Harrier!) would suddenly hear what sounded almost like a sonic boom roll over their area. Except it was too small to be a plane. It happened a couple more times, and was noticeably quieter each time. Almost like something was flying overhead, or nearby, at incredible speeds, and trying to find something very close. Meanwhile, Cobalt Templar had managed to find Blackwater without too much trouble. While he didn't know the town directly, Charlie had given solid directions, and it was pretty easy to follow the general path of the highways, even at supersonic speeds. When he'd passed over the town, he'd cursed to himself and looped around, bleeding off speed before he did a quick search pattern. He didn't want to land just anywhere; he was assuming all locals were in the same state the Cooper County policemen had been. So he needed something unusual. Charlie had mentioned his brother's wreck on a bridge....There! With a flare of blue flames, Cobalt Templar had landed a few feet away from Miss A and Caradoc, his face bearing a slight smile even as his eyes flicked around. Caradoc might recognize the way he was looking around; it was like how a soldier checks a location for exit points, possible hiding places for an enemy ambush, and so on. Strange, since this boy didn't look that old. CT cleared his throat and spoke up. "Man am I glad I found some heroes in this town. I was worried it was all crazy people already. Miss Americana, man am I glad you're here. I ran into a guy named Charlie up in Kearney, and he was getting "arrested" by a couple of Cooper County police officers who were not behaving normally. I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but it sounds like it started with his brother getting in a wreck, and this place looks like there was a wreck. Do you have any idea?" He seemed a bit tense. Almost like he half-expected the two heroes might attack him with the same madness as the police had displayed earlier. And he wasn't sure he could take them both solo in a non-ambush situation.

Cobalt Templar was polite and friendly with the local police, describing exactly the mannerisms of the Cooper County cops, as well as the things that had made him suspicious. He thanked them for putting a call in to the Barnstormers, even if there wasn't an immediate answer. He figured they were busy, or so tired they just couldn't answer. 'Maverick's not the sort who'd let something like this just get ignored if he could help it. Thresher doubly so. They'll be along when they can. Good thing I'm here, I guess.' Templar listened to Charlie's request for aid, and gave him a reassuring smile. "I was planning to go help anyways. It's kind of what I do, I suppose. Though, any more details you could give about the situation in the town would be appreciated. Also, uh...." He trailed off and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Some directions? I don't recall that I've been to Blackwater, and I'm terrible at just knowing where everything is all the time off the top of my head." Once details and directions were secured, Corbin would set off at top speed through the air, racing just about as fast as he could toward the small town of Blackwater, Missouri.

Cobalt Templar dropped the construct around his body as he landed beside Charlie. He nodded and listened as the man spoke, not really having any trouble following what he said. "It sounds like you played it smart, Charlie. I'm not sure entirely what's going on, but I promise I'll do what I can to find out. Give me a moment, I'm going to see if I can get some of the local police on the line. If you have a cell phone on you, perhaps you could make a call to them as well. I think they'll have to bring the Barnstormers in; they tend to operate solo as much as together, and if this is affecting an entire town, they'll want some numbers on their side. Give me a second." With that, he leaned over and rummaged around in the car for the radio. Once he had his hand on it, he tried fiddling with the dial until he finds a channel that comes in clearly. He doesn't know where Blackwater is exactly, but he doubts it's close enough to get clear signal. "If you can hear me and this is the Kansas City Police Department, or one of the Sheriff offices or surrounding community Police Departments. My name is Cobalt Templar. I am making a call from a Cooper County police car. We need some officers and..." He stops and considers. "You will probably want a hazardous materials unit out here. The officers in the car were not behaving correctly, and are now in an unconscious state. I do not have medical training, I cannot evaluate their condition. Please advise."