KnightDisciple

Gabriel's expression for much of the stunt had been one of intense focus. Much of his power was directed at keeping himself in the air, keeping him moving at an astonishing pace. The speakers in the cameras could just barely pick up the sound of rushing air, as well as a low-pitched hum that seemed to emanate from the sonic hero. When he linked hands with Miss Americana, his face split in an excited grin. This part was easy by comparison, since Miss A could help with his efforts to stay airborne, thus letting him jazz up the performance even more. As they started to spin, he began to generate sound. Instead of staccato bursts, this was a slowly rising note, vaguely reminiscent of a flute. It evoked ever-increasing danger, even as the two heroes continued their thrilling spiral through the air!

Sand asks for a Notice Check, I deliver. Notice: 5+10=15 Ugh.

Gabriel had known about the parade, and planned to swing by once or twice on his patrol that day. He didn't want to linger, as he felt that might detract attention from the hard work others had placed into such a display. Some of those balloons were great. Especially that zeppelin...wait. Cannons? That wasn't right. Even as screams began to filter up from the streets, he poured his speed into arriving on the scene. By the time he was there, things had gone eerily silent. Even without noise, it was hard to miss the villainous trio that stood on the streets. Or the fact that one of them was about to fire on the boy with his strange powers. A silent snarl on his face as his right arm whipped up, and a strangely silent blast of sonic energy flew directly at the man who was a fan of duality.

Right, so. Move Action, I'm pretty sure 500,000 feet will get me within range of blasting Mr. Light&Shadow. At which point, I switch my Array to Blast, and...Blast him. Attack Roll: 10+10=20 Toughness Save DC is 26.

Cobalt Templar's eyes widen as the furball continues. Dragonfly took the rest of the zombies down, but Ironclad had been forced to land. And then Push pulled that crazy stunt of his, knocking out Dragonfly alongside those golems! He needed to act fast. Dismissing his gun, and summoning a giant two-handed war maul, he charged at one of the flesh golems that still stirred in movement. "You should stay down!" The hammer struck true, excess energy flaring as Cobalt Templar delivered a vicious blow to the beast. Hardly pausing, he skimmed the ground until he was standing over Dragonfly's prone form. The hammer faded, and a surge of raw blue flame flowed around his right arm, before flying at the other golem that was still struggling to find its footing. This attack also struck true, even as he called out to the remaining conscious heroes. "Focus on the head guru! I'll handle the cheap Frankenstein knockoffs!"

Hokay, so. The visible golems are threats that need to go down. Cobalt Templar is going to take a Standard Action and Charge Flesh Golem 1. That gives him a +2 to Attack, and a -2 to Defense. He will also use Power Attack (the free version) for +2 Toughness DC, and -2 Attack (leaving him at his base attack). Attack Roll: 10+7=17 Toughness Save DC is 24 when all is said and done. Move Action to go stand over Dragonfly's prone form. Surging to gain a Standard Action Standard Action to use ranged Blast Attack on Flesh Golem 2. Using All-Out Attack for +2 Attack, and another -2 Defense, bringing Defense to a whopping +1. Also using Power Attack again for +2 Toughness DC, -2 Attack (again leaving him at his normal Attack bonus). Attack Roll: 16+7=23 Again, Toughness Save DC is 24. Both attacks count as Magic, Holy, and Fire. Those are supposed to be on his sheet, but got missed in the last round of edits. They will be added after this month's points award. His Defense is +1, but he's otherwise running normal. I'll be burning an HP next round to get rid of the fatigue from Surging.

Gabriel managed to, just barely, keep his sigh internal. The guy was being a jerk, but it was a rough situation. He quickly tried to ease the guard's fears. "Okay. I know this is a lock-down. But I'm a superhero. See?" He held one hand up, and created a sphere of compressed, contained sound waves, before releasing it with a loud *pop* that didn't quite fit the more violent appearance it had carried. "I heard about the emergency. I'm here to help. If it would make you feel better, I can check in with your fellow security guards at each floor I go to. Would that work? There's a little baby out there right now who needs help. I'm here to help, and I have the means to do so. Please, let me help." He gave the guard a sincere, even pleading, look. 'I hope this works...'

Right then, time to smooth-talk my way past him! Diplomacy Check: 20+20=40

Gabriel just shook his head with a rueful grin. "Women." And with a rush of air and the sound of faint thunder, he was off! At first, Gabriel's flight path seemed almost boring, until the viewers noticed something. He appeared to be lining up to be the "centerpiece" of the aerial display! Miss Americana's movements would take her rather close to the sonorous hero, and so he had to keep his movements tightly controlled, or disaster could strike! To make things interesting, he would take a few moments to "dash" through the air at near-supersonic speeds, only to slow down just as Miss Americana swung in for a close pass. More than once, he flipped onto his back in midair and exchanged a high five with Miss Americana. After a while, the pattern almost seemed like a staccato version of "Patty-Cake". Just one played hundreds of feet in the air, and at a few hundred miles an hour!

Sense Motive. Hm, here's hoping... Sense Motive: 4+10=14

Gabriel easily continued where she left off. "And if you don't have a text plan, don't worry! You can call the number on the screen behind us, and an operator will help you set up your donation. Don't get frustrated if you have to wait; that just means more people are giving! Even if it's a dollar, we'll take it! Every little bit helps, and it makes everyone a hero to the people this fund will help!" He rose a bit further into the air as he spoke. "Now, Miss Americana and I will do a joint aerial performance, with special cameras at key locations on our flight paths. If you can't see us with binoculars, just look to the big screens all around here!" Indeed, several screens that stood a few stories tall lit up, showing empty sky for the moment, though the display shifted until it was focused on the heroes on stage. He turned to face Miss A as he rose higher into the air in preparation for the coming stuntwork. "Are you ready for this?"

Gabriel gave a clap as Miss Americana took to the skies. He gestured for the crowd to cheer louder, and they did so. Still, his voice rose above the roar, easily heard by everyone there. "You hear that folks? She not only protects us on the streets, she works hard every day to make a better tomorrow for all of us, and our children! Let's hear it for Miss Americana!" More cheering. With a grin, Gabriel floated into the air about 15 feet, before hovering there. Suddenly, loud booms sounded above the height of Miss Americana's flight, somehow perfectly timed with the bursts of lasers flying from her hands. Those watching Gabriel could see him looking upwards and gesturing with one hand, helping contribute to the feel of an impromptu fireworks display! Even better, it was loud enough to be enjoyable, but soft enough no one hurt their ears!

Gabriel nods with a gentle smile at her first question. "Yes, I'm a hero. I was close by when I noticed the hospital locking down. Call it instinct, or perhaps guidance, but I decided to stop by." He listened as she gave a brief description of the situation. When she mentioned a "monster" stealing a baby, his face hardened, though any anger present was clearly not directed at the nurse. "Which floor is the maternity ward on? I'll work my way there, and perhaps find something on my way." As soon as he's given directions, Gabriel will make his best speed through the halls towards the maternity ward, or at least the same floor. He'll make sure to use the stairs, in hopes of catching some hint of the baby-stealing beast stalking this house of healing.

It was an unusually warm Saturday morning in Freedom City. All things considered, that was a good thing, because today was a special charity event. Martel Enterprises had recently announced a donation to build a new oncology wing at McNider Memorial Hospital; today, there was a bit of a festival going on to raise money to come close to matching the donation. The intent was for the matching donation to be taken by Martel Enterprises and sent to Trinity Hospital as another trust fund to pay for an equivalent renovation there. The Charity Festival, as it was being called, was open to the public, with a variety of shows going on that featured local talent of all sorts. People paid a small fee to enter the Festival, and could pay again for tickets to get into the more limited close seating for the shows; there was room beyond the paid seating for people to stand or set up lawn chairs. At the main stage, a local rock band was playing the final notes to wild cheers from the crowd. As they finished, and stage hands rushed to move equipment off the stage, one of the event organizers quickly walked out to face the crowd. He was clapping, only stopping when he was front and center. "How about that performance, huh? Well, this the event you've been waiting for, folks. Two of Freedom City's very own heroes have agreed to come out here and help raise support for our cause today. Please give a very warm welcome to Gabriel!" Out walked our hero in white, waving to the crowd with a warm smile on his face. "And Miss Americana!" The star-spangled heroine also entered, giving her own flair to her entrance. Gabriel waited for the applause to die down a bit before he projected his voice out to the crowd. "Thank you all for coming here today! I'm so proud to see so many attending this event; you should know, 100% of the money you pay to get into the festival, and into any and all concerts and other events, goes to the new trust fund. Martel Enterprises agreed to cover basic costs, and with a lot of volunteer help setting up, this thing's gone off without a hitch! Now, there will be some fun times a little later on, but for now, the two of us will give you a taste of what hero life is like, and maybe throw a few surprises in!" The crowd roared some more, and Gabriel channeled his voice so only Miss Americana could hear. "As they say, ladies first."

Gabriel and Miss Americana work to raise money through a combination "talent show" and "superhero auction"! Edit: IC Thread.

Corbin smiled more confidently as he took Quo-Dis's hand and gave it a firm shake. He knelt down so he wasn't towering over the sitting girl. "Good to meet you, Quo-Dis. I think I've seen you around, but we've just not managed to meet yet. So goes school, I suppose." His face took on a thoughtful expression as he shifted to be sitting on the ground. "American Revolution? Yeah. I'm actually looking to go into history as a career one day. I'm a bit more of a generalist with American History, as my focus is more on the Middle East and Mediterranean area, but I bet I can help you out. Did you have any particular questions?" He suddenly remembers why he's here, and blushes a bit. He sits a bit straighter as he gives a slight cough. 'Breath's good.' "I actually kind of wanted to ask you something, but it wasn't necessarily homework-related...Um. You go first."

Gabriel gave a thoughtful nod. "I'm sure about the ash. It's a toss-up on the wires, but...I'll be back in just a minute." He took both plastic bags with a nod, and stepped out the door. Almost immediately, the windows rattled a bit with his takeoff, and a slight boom shook the area soon after. True to his word, it was perhaps five minutes later when another rumble passed over the house, and Gabriel was casually walking in the door. "I got a good dose of the ashes, but only a couple of small bits of burned wire. I didn't want to rip up the walls too much." He holds the bags forward; the ashes filled about 3/4 of the bag, but there were only two bits of charred wire, each perhaps a bit more than an inch long.

Gabriel barely resisted slapping his forehead at the entrance of the Fusion-bots. "No class, no style, no taste. This kid needs to go do-" And then he was moving through the wondrous world of flower teleportation. "-wn. Okay." He blinks and shakes his head. "That is always just weird. I'll probably do that hundreds of times, and it will never stop being weird. I always taste mint in the back of my mouth when I step out..."

Gabriel gave a thoughful nod. He glanced around at their little group, and smirked a bit. "None of our outfits scream "stealth", so...I volunteer to be one of the "front line" people on the stakeout. Worst comes to worst, I can send a message to our backup via my powers. Should be pretty hard to pick up, too. Do we want to split the groups even, or do "3 on stakeout, 1 on backup"?"

Twenty Questions Cobalt Templar sighed. Bank robbers with pistols weren't much of a threat once they were away from the hostages. The police had just been arriving when Templar, having been patrolling the area, swooped down to box the 3 criminals in one of his energy constructs. With a hero hovering above them, and around a dozen officers surrounding their prison, they quickly dropped their guns and surrendered. CT walked a bit away from the cops, having just said a few words with the officer in charge, and got read to take off- "Hello, this is Henry Lee from Supervision, coming to you live from Down-town Freedom City, where a new hero just stopped a bank robbery!" CT blinked at the sudden introduction of a camera and reporter inside his "personal space". He took a step back, and thankfully the reporter didn't follow. "What's going on here?" "I told you! I'm Henry Lee from Supervision, and I'm here to interview you!" "That's...impressive. I won't speculate on whether you have police scanners." "Good, because we won't answer!" The man's grin shows that he's somehow completely serious. "Would you answer a few questions for our viewers? They're just dying to find out about you." "I guess, but I can't take too long." 1.)"Right then. First up, what's your name?" "I call myself Cobalt Templar when I'm doing hero stuff. You're not finding out my real name." 2.)"Fair enough! Why did you choose the name "Cobalt Templar"?" "Well, the "Cobalt" part is pretty obvious, what with my powers. The "Templar" part is a bit trickier. I settled on this "look" early on, and I wanted something that evoked the idea of a dedicated defender of the land, a knight who wasn't bound to a particular political individual or group. Hence, Templar." 3.)"You don't worry about possible negative connotations it suggests? To the historical Knights Templar, and of course the Crusades." "Well. People can infer what they want. Ultimately, it's just a name. Is Captain Thunder a captain in any military? No. It's just a way to communicate who he is. It's the same for me. I'd like to think my actions speak louder than my name, after all." 4.)"Speaking of actions, you haven't been doing a whole lot around town that we've heard. A few robberies, that bad business at the shopping mall a while back, that sort of thing. Why aren't you getting out there more?" "Honestly? I'm still kind of new at this. I spend just as much time mastering my abilities as I do using them out and about. As well, I'm new to the city, so I want to get a feel for how other heroes deal with things. I'd hate to end up accidentally working at cross-purposes, you know?" 5.)"We do seem to have a lot of heroes, that's for sure! You mentioned "mastering your abilities". Does that mean they've come to you only recently?" "I suppose it won't hurt...Yes, my abilities are fairly new to me. I haven't had them all my life or anything." 6.)"So, does that mean you're not a Terminus Baby?" "Much as I'm not a huge fan of that term, no, that's not at all the source of my powers." 7.)"What is the source?" "Just how much detail do you think I'm willing to give? Okay, let's just say they come from an artifact I discovered. One that's not brand new, and is in fact quite the opposite."" 8.)"Interesting. What all can your powers do?" "I won't give away all the details, but I'll give you the general idea. I'm tougher, can see in the dark, and I can shape the energy my power source emits. You saw me create a cage to hold the robbers; I can make things, move things, shoot things, hit things, and even blind things with that energy. It's quite versatile." 9.)"Are you weak to a particular color? Say, brown?" "What? No. I'm not "weak" to any colors. And even if I did have a vulnerability, I wouldn't tell the world about it. But no, I can affect all colors equally." 10.)"Oh, touchy, are we? Anyways. Let's move back to the Terminus Babies issue. You said you didn't like the name?" "No, I don't. It brings all the focus on that one part of the equation of their lives into focus. I mean, I get why the Terminus makes people nervous. But have you ever thought that the sheer variety of powers we're seeing manifest means we can't solely "blame" Terminus energies?" 11.)"What are you suggesting?" "Just that there could be other factors. Maybe more people than we think have latent bits of genetic code that get activated by these energies. And even if the entire source is those energies, so what? Does that mean they're suddenly mind-controlled? It's not like the Terminus is, in and of itself, a living thing." 12.)"So you don't think we should be suspicious of them being plants placed here by Omega?" "Uh...no. Didn't the Centurion give his life to drive Omega out of here? We have yet to see any real incursion since. There's just too many of them for me to be convinced they're all spies for Omega or something." 13.)"So you don't support efforts by some to force them to register with the government and so forth?" "I'm something of a student of history, so no, I don't support those efforts." 14.)"Are you implying what I think you're implying?" "I'm just saying that reacting solely on a basis of fear is, historically, a poor way to go about things. It rarely ends well, no matter what time period you look at. I'm not going to just toss around reactionary labels, that's not helpful at all. I'm just saying that we need to sit back and think about this." 15.)"You act like you know people who gain their powers from exposure to the Terminus energies. Does that mean you're of a similar age to many of them?" "Well, I'm certainly not twice their age, if that's what you mean. I'd rather not give exact numbers. But yes, I do know a few such people, and they're fine people. Notice how they're people, and not mindless, soulless demons here to usurp us? Yeah." 16.)"Are you this passionate about everything?" "Just about the things that matter to me, and/or that push my buttons." 17.)"Are you on any sort of super-team right now?" "Not yet. I've worked with heroes here and there, but haven't settled into a particular team, or forged one of my own. I'll get there soon enough." 18.)"Are there any heroes that stick out to you as an example you'd like to follow?" "Beyond the somewhat overused "the Centurion"? I mean, he's a great example, in general, but it's kind of hard to relate too much too him. Different generation and all that. I actually admire Captain Thunder for stepping up to the plate for the Freedom League after the Centurion passed on. He seems like the sort of person who understands responsibility, and I can respect that. A lot of the League really has my admiration. They're all solid people." 19.)"What about more mundane folks?" "Yeah, that's not a big question, is it? Really, offhand I'd say people who stepped up to the plate at various times in history. Men and women who did what they knew had to be done, for the sake of their peers and their countries, no matter the personal cost. I've read a few biographies, and more than one such historical hero didn't necessarily always enjoy what they did, but they did it anyways. And at the end of the day, they could look themselves in the mirror, you know?" 20.)"I take it that resonates with you?" "To a point. There are a lot of things about this I like, but beyond that, I have the firm conviction this is the right thing to do, and that to ignore that would betray everything I've been taught. And in the end, I think what I'm doing is something worth putting effort into." At this point, Cobalt Templar glanced around, and started to float into the air. Henry Lee shouted up to the hero. "Wait! No! I still have questions!" "Maybe one day I'll answer them. Good day, Mr. Lee." And with that, he was off in a flash of blue light.

Corbin had tried the gym, but the object of his quest had not been located there. He'd jogged a couple different places, before finally heading to the Quad. If nothing else, it would give him a central point to start- 'Ah. There we go, "target" in sight. I just...okay, I just need to walk up to her. And talk. And...crap. Okay, you can do this, Corbin. You're 17. You've faced down all sorts of things as a hero. A real, live, hero. She's not here to fight you, or anything. The worst she says is "no", and you move on. There's more girls out there.' He tilted his head a bit as he studied her. A slightly goofy smile spread across his face. 'Though I doubt it would be easy to find a girl with a build like that..No! Focus! Hey, she's studying. If it's not math or hard sciences, maybe I can offer to help!' With that fortifying thought, Corbin strode across the grass with confidence. He stood out a bit with just a t-shirt on, but at least he was wearing jeans. Really, he didn't even need his powers to not worry so much about the cold. Just a few moments before he arrived, Corbin managed to glimpse one of the pages of the book, and noticed a picture that suggested it was a history textbook. 'Score! History! I can totally do this!' With a surge of confidence, Corbin politely stopped about 4 feet away, and cleared his throat. "Hey. So, history? Which class? Oh, um, hi. Yeah, hello. My name's Corbin." He gives a little wave, rocking back on his heels as he tries not to panic or just generally do something stupid.

Hearing the "Doctor" rage over the loudspeakers, Gabriel couldn't help but grin. He ceased his over-acting, his objective having been achieved. Well, mostly. "We're the perverts? As opposed to the pimple-faced child showing dirty cartoons on television, probably because he can't pick up a date to save his life?" He hovered up next to Fleur de Joie, arms crossed over his chest. His voice was still projecting. "I wager those robots are pale imitations. Really, that's the worst part of your work, Otaku. You're an imitator. Your country's made a lot of good things, all over the board. Even in the realm of entertainment. But where you fall down is throwing away your true creative spark for mere imitation. Imitation of women, imitation of powered individuals, imitation imitation imitation. Think of what you could have done with your genius! You could have been the one to cure quadriplegia, or cancer, or who knows what! You could have revolutionized the computer industry, or really any field you wanted to. All of it completely honestly. Where people could actually respect you. But no, you decide to come to America and confirm all the worst stereotypes about young people who like Japanese entertainment. It's people like you who make kids ashamed to like your country's animation and comics. Incidents like today." He shook his head in an exaggerated manner. "Seems like you haven't grown past about age 5 yet."

It was about 9 o'clock at night on a late November day; that meant two things: "Cold" and "Windy". Thankfully, Gabriel's clothing kept him warm, and his unique mode of flight kept the worst of the wind at bay while he was moving about; the buildings tended to break it up a bit when he was down at street level. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much time down on the street. There had been exactly one small armed robbery that night, and the crook, a half-drunk twenty-something, broke down in tears and dropped his knife after less than a minute of Gabriel trying to calm him down. The police had taken him away, but he was a first-time offender. Hopefully, he wouldn't get stuck in the cycle. Suddenly, he noticed a couple of people on the ground waving at him. Frowning, he quickly flew down to where they were standing; it was an older couple, perhaps in their early 60's. The wife spoke first. "Oh, and it's that Gabriel fellow, dear. Even better." "Yeah. Listen, Gabriel. We're really sorry to bother you, but..." "Go ahead. I wasn't in a rush anyways. What's wrong? The two of you look worried." "Well, I have a friend who works at the graveyard a couple blocks over, right? And he said, something weird is going on over there." Gabriel stiffened, his eyes narrowing. He nodded, wanting the man to continue. "Right, so, Charlie, he's closing the gates and such. Nothing going on tonight, thank the Lord. Except, he sees what looks like a guy jump the fence. He turns to yell at the guy, but when he looks, the jumper don't look right. Looks...dead. Dried up. Even worse, Charlie says he felt like there was something watching him for a sec, before the fence shakes a bit. Like something else moved over it. When the grass moved on its own, no breeze, he booked it and called me." "Thank you. Tell your friend Charlie to take it easy and stay home. You two had better get back home as well. I'll look into this." "Thank you! Thank you, sir!" the wife exclaimed. Gabriel merely nodded and took to the skies, quickly arriving at the general area of the graveyard. He narrowed his eyes, pulling out his NVGs to scan the area a bit. Even if his target wasn't normal body temperature, it should stand out somewhat from the background...

OOC thread for the meeting of Dead Head and Gabriel. EDIT: IC Thread.

Corbin turned to her, an eager expression on his face. The ruler, and any other constructions besides the hat he'd started to create, faded. "Could you? That'd be..." He gave a sidelong glance and smirk at Jill. "Just keen." He chuckled, then tilted his head a bit with curiosity. "Wait, so we have to be on a team? How do we do that? Do we just gather random students together, or doe the faculty decide, or what?"