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Friday, May 15, 2015 Port Regal, Freedom City Sundown The setting sun cast long shafts of golden light across the city, making long shadows on the lawns of the oldest homes in Freedom City; complicated gables and spires threw Escheresque shadows across wide, manicured lawns. This was once the quarter for the rich and powerful, and although many may have relocated north of the bay, it held old money, old power, and old secrets. Three women were determined to reveal some of these secrets. Blodeuwedd had been making her regular patrols along the waterfront when a silent alarm drew her attention. Armed thugs had been trying to break into a warehouse containing exotic metals like iridium and electrum. Monkey Wrench had caught a gang trying to sneak into the shop and steal scrap metal; when the drones cornered them, they would only scream about the Signal, the Signal! Temperance had spent most of her day tracking down a spiritual violation, a nearly-silent scream that seemed to pervade the entire city. Their separate investigations had lead them to an experimental physicist of ASTRO Labs who hadn’t been in the office for two weeks, and from there to a home his family had owned three generations ago. Apparently the family’s fortunes had fallen from the Forties, but the man had returned to his roots for whatever scheme was afoot.

Because even when you're dealing with that dick you still need to follow the rules.

The OOC.

March 1, 2015 Dublin Circle This little cul-de-sac in the Fens has a little more character (or at least a little more prosperity) than the rest of the neighborhood - there's a mom-and-pop Vietnamese eatery in one corner and a few hair salons in another, and while the row housing is old it's very well-maintained. There's a reason for all that. Almost four years ago a gigantic alien limb smashed into a row of tract housing and old warehouses on this street, smashing them to rubble and leaving behind a rotting mass of hideous misshapen flesh. In the years since, Archetech has cleaned up the mess, rebuilt the area, and paid money to encourage new residents to move into the circle. Which meant that when a little boy named Andy Toth reported hearing voices, voices coming from his toys, that little Andy was Archetech's problem. Andy's caregiver, a single mom named Ruth Anne, had called Archetech first - after all, as she'd said on the phone, it was probably Archetech's fault her son was hearing voices! Who knew what had sunk into the water, or what had been picked up and built into the new house where they lived? Ruth Ann had also called her local free clinic for a second opinion - which meant that today (all unknowing), there were two superheroes headed for the small Toth house, Monkey Wrench there to investigate on behalf of her new employer, and Graft on his way to see a very unusual patient!

For a building that had only been around a decade, the pyramidal frustum of ArcheTech Headquarters occupied its spacious campus in Hanover with a stately grace that suggested much longer years. It certainly hadn't taken long for the distinctive shape of the building to make it a landmark, or for its lobby full of scientific displays and free-of-charge rotating presentations to make it a popular field trip destination. The campus hosted a 5k fun run in the springtime, an all-ages Halloween extravaganza, summer science camps, and Christmas decorations that could easily be seen across the river. Whether or not people used ArcheTech products (and many of them certainly did), the company was a fixture in the life of the city. Even natives of Freedom City who'd spent most of the decade away from home knew something about the super-tech company. Going on a field trip or attending a fun run, however, was not exactly the same as actually coming into the company for a job interview. By the time Alex was invited for an in-person interview at ArcheTech, she'd already survived the resume submission and the phone interview stage, but now this was the real thing. An in-person interview with the company's superhero CEO, Miss Americana. Not only did Miss Americana run ArcheTech, she was a super-scientist and engineer in her own right, with dozens of articles published about her work in biomechanics, robotics, and a handful of other fields. She also apparently took it upon herself to hand-pick any metahuman scientists coming to work for the company. The lobby itself was not too intimidating, since it was mostly filled with schoolchildren and their harried chaperones, racing from display to display while cheerful tour guides led them around. Employees with badges and some with uniforms threaded their way through the chaos with the ease of long practice. Here and there, security guards in blue kept an eye on things and helped wrangle the wayward children. At the farthest point of the lobby from the displays was a bank of elevators and a large, sleek white desk. When Alex approached the front desk, she could see a trio of extremely efficient-looking employees wearing Bluetooth headsets and typing with holographic touchpads onto transparent projected screens. "May I help you?" asked the nearest receptionist, a young man with a polite smile and a small computer screen projected over one eye.

Monkey Wrench (PL 10 - 150PP) - Ayen Player Name: Ayen Character Name: Monkey Wrench Power Level: 150/155PP Trade-Offs: +/-0 Attack / +/-0 Damage, +/-0 Defense / +/-0 Toughness (or "None") Unspent Power Points: 5 Progress To Bronze Status: 5/30 In Brief: Genius in robotics seeking to bring justice to an imbalanced world by fighting crime through the use of droids. Residence: Modest 2 bedroom apartment, Freedom City Base of Operations: Outwardly abandoned car repair shop Alternate Identity: Alex Durham Identity: Secret Birthplace: Freedom City Occupation: Auto mechanic Affiliations: ArcheTech Family: Father Al Durham, 67, currently in Shady Grove Home for the Elderly (Alzheimers Ward). Mother died in childbirth, no siblings. Aunt (Al’s sister) Katie, 63, a retired baker. Description: Alex could be pretty if she tried, but she’s more content covered in grease and baggy clothes. Her hands are always dirty and she usually has smudges on her clothes. Her hair is past her shoulders and usually pulled back into a ponytail or pigtails. She tends to shop in the boys’ section of Target and wears square graphic tees in her daily life. When she goes out into the field, she dresses in black and wears a ski mask with a wrench painted in red on it with the word “Monkey†cut out. Age: 29 (DoB: August 1, 1986) Gender: Female Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5’6 Weight: 110 lbs Eyes: Blue Hair: Dirty blonde Power Descriptions: The air around her seems to crackle and spark as she reaches out with her mind to touch the workings of her machines. Nothing is visible, but the power is almost palpable. History: Al Durham was a police officer who loved his wife, Melissa, more than anything. She was his joy, his whole reason for doing anything. One night while Al was working, Melissa decided to go to the local convenience store for a late night milk run. She ended up on the wrong side of a robbery. She was shot and nearly died in the hospital. She recovered, but Al was tormented by the fact that he had failed to protect the one woman he loved more than anything. Al became obsessed with his work, serving long hours in the hopes that keeping the public safe just one more night would wash away the guilt he felt. When a top secret mission arose at the force, he was the first to volunteer. When they warned him he would need to take experimental drugs in order to improve his performance, he didn’t object. And when they turned him into a super soldier, he thought maybe he could finally make the world a better place. . Al wasn’t entirely sure he wanted kids, but on their fourth wedding anniversary, when Melissa told him pregnant, she was so happy and he couldn’t deny her that happiness. They were keeping it a surprise, but Al was certain it had to be a boy, a boy he planned on naming after himself. They did everything right, taking the right prenatal classes, eating special prenatal foods, but sometimes “everything right†just isn’t enough. Melissa died delivering a healthy baby girl. Al was devastated at the loss of his wife, but took being a father seriously, seeing the girl child as Melissa’s legacy to him. He named her “Alexandra Melissa Durham Junior†and set about the task of being a single father. He didn’t have a clue what to do with a girl. Where other girls had dolls, he gave her GI Joes. Where other girls played with glitter, he gave her Lincoln Logs. He enlisted the help of his sister, Katie Durham, to look after the girl. His career as a super soldier took off and as Commander Stars, he fought crime behind a mask. . Alex knew none of this. She knew she was being half raised in the bakery with her Auntie Katie, who insisted on pink and pigtails. She knew her father worked long hours, but that he loved her and he was making the world a better place. Katie tried to turn Alex onto the more girly things in life, but Alex was more interested in building and inventing than playing dress-up. Unbeknown to all, the drugs that Al continued to take to allow him to be Commander Stars had affected his daughter, blessing her with super intelligence and an innate understanding of and ability to communicate with machines. Alex built her first invention when she was four, a thermometer for Katie’s kitchen that remotely could tell her the temperature of the oven, no matter what room she was in. At six, she rebuilt the engine of her remote control police car to go 40 miles an hour. At eight, she broke into her father’s safe and rebuilt his gun in the night, optimizing its accuracy and range. Al saw her aptitude for machines and encouraged it, building with her whenever he could and praising her devices. Katie shook her head at all of the machines that Alex tinkered with, but Al saw genius in every twist of her wrench. Alex excelled in school, but had few friends. She tinkered every night until her father got home late. She got up early every morning to help in her aunt’s bakery. She dropped out of school at age 16 and got her GED. She worked full time in her aunt’s bakery, tinkering just on the side, until an accident involving a super-mechanical bread mixer almost destroyed the shop. Lacking purpose, friends, or a real job, Alex did the only thing she could think to do and enlisted. She was 18. She served the army for eight years as a tank mechanic, passing up promotions in order to keep her hands busy. She loved her work, but couldn’t stand the bureaucracy of the institution. She served tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan and always managed to stay out of harm’s way. Meanwhile, Commander Stars continued to serve his country. However, Katie’s prying and spying was getting to prove a bit much for Al, who continued to keep his identity a secret, even from his daughter, who he understood was an admirer of Commander Stars. He needed a place that would take care of him, but ignore him, a place that would give him the space he needed to continue his super life, while at the same time getting Katie off his back. Al did the only thing he could think to do. At age 60, he officially “sustained a knee injury†that forced him to publicly retire from the force. Content that he was no longer working for the police, Katie backed off. During her time in the army, Alex constantly worried about her father and his new life. She believed his injury kept him home most days and she knew it would only get worse with age. When Commander Stars was 65, he suffered a back injury in one of his battles. He recovered from it in time due to his super-human injections, but Alex blamed herself for not being home to take care of him in his time of need. She left the army and returned to Freedom City. At first she offered to live with her father and take care of his daily needs, but he insisted that they both needed their independence. She settled down in a nearby apartment where she could visit him regularly. Alex found a job as a local car mechanic while allowed her time to visit her father three times a week, but she was consumed by the need to invent and tinker. She bought a local, closed, car garage and devoted all her spare time to creating new machines to make life easier. At the same time, she was struck with the injustice of the situation. Here was her father, a loyal policeman who had done nothing but good, and he had been injured in the line of duty. The world was unfair and she wanted to make it a better place. One night, she decided to take a new drone of hers for a test spin. She flew it down to the corner, closely following it with her remote control. Just as she was about to turn back, she saw an old woman at the bus stop fighting to keep her purse from two teenage boys. Alex drove her drone straight into the boys, smashing into their heads until they ran off. Alex was intrigued at this new feeling, this feeling of justice that came from using her machines to help others. She wanted more and in that moment, a new woman was born. She continued working part time in the auto repair shop, but she dedicated her time and her focus to creating droids that could help her become a super hero. She knew she needed an army of “soldiers†and so she invented droids that could help her in combat against some of the villains she knew rampaged through Freedom City. She also began work on a body suit to protect her in the event that she was attacked herself. She took the name “Monkey Wrench†partially after her father, who often referred to her as a little monkey. Alex knew she was special and wanted to use her gifts to help others. She considered going to college, but she couldn’t decide what to study and found her college choices to be not very stimulating. Then she stumbled upon ArcheTech. She was inspired by the heroes she saw there and she wanted to be more like them, helping others in the name of all that is right. She applied and eagerly awaits a response... Personality & Motivation: Monkey Wrench believes in a fair and just world. She’s seen how unbalanced the world is and she fights to give the common man a safer place to call home. And hopefully she gets to invent something really cool along the way. Powers & Tactics: MW sends her droids and robots into a fight before she goes in herself. Standing on a nearby rooftop or hidden in the alley, she sends her minions into combat to fight for her. She tries to plan things out in advance, but she’s been known to throw caution to the wind and go in full force. When she can, she enjoys playing back-up for other heroes, providing them cover and surveillance with her machines. Once she gets her body suit fully operational, she may be more inclined to go in herself, but the thing still doesn’t work properly. Complications: Secret: Identity. Ward: Al Durham (MW is very protective of her father and goes to see him at least three times a week.) Education: Informal (having gotten a GED and army training only, MW missed out on many of the finer elements of education. She’s “street smart,†but not “book smart.â€) Interactions: Indelicate (MW has lived an odd mixture of sheltered and worldly life. Her time in the army showed her the rougher side of things and had her interacting as “one of the boys.†But she’s not entirely sure how to handle romance or the finer things in life. She would secretly love to have a boyfriend who supports her in everything, but she considers that about as likely as riding a cyborg unicorn into battle. Which she’s considered.) Abilities: 0 + 6 + 10 + 10 + 8 + 6 = 40 pp STR 10 (+0) DEX 16 (+3) CON 20 (+5) INT 20 (+5) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 16 (+3) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Drones) DEF: +10 (+4 Shield, +3 flat-footed) Init: +3 Grapple: +6/+14 Knockback: -6/-2 Saves: 3 + 3 + 4 = 10 pp TOU +10/+5 (+5 Con, +5 Protection [4 Imp]) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +6 (+3 Dex, +3) WILL +8 (+4 Wis, +4) Skills: 60 r=15 pp Bluff 12 (+15, SM) Computers 2 (+7) Craft (Artistic: Cooking) 4 (+9) Craft (Electronic) 10 (+15, SM) Craft (Mechanical) 10 (+15, SM) Knowledge (Technology) 10 (+15) Notice 6 (+10, SM) Sense Motive 6 (+10) Feats: 8 pp Eidetic Memory Equipment 2 Luck 2 Inventor Skill Mastery (Bluff, Craft [Electronic], Craft [Mechanical], Notice) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Secret Laboratory [10 ep] Size: Medium; Toughness: 15; Features: Concealed, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Personnel [Little Robot Guys], Security System, Workshop Cost: 1+2+7 = 10 EP equipment points Powers: 4 + 2 + 12 + 27 + 8 = 53 pp Comprehend 2 (speak to and understand machines) [4PP] Datalink 1 (10 ft, radio, PF:, Subtle) [2PP] Device 3 (Armored Costume, 15 PP, Flaw: Hard to Lose) [12PP] Enhanced Feats 2 (Interpose, Ultimate Save [Toughness]) [2DP] Protection 5 (magnetically stiffened fabric, Extra: Impervious 4) [9DP] Shield 4 (magnetic repulsion) [4DP] Drones Array 12 (24 PP, PFs: Alternate Powers 3) [27PP] BE: Blast 10 (PFs: Accurate 2, Variable Descriptor 2 [any technological]) [24/24] AP: Disintegration 10 (Flaws: Action [Full], Limited 2 [Electronics], PFs: Accurate 2, Improved Crit 2) [24/24] AP: ESP 4 (Auditory + Visual Senses, 1 mile, DC 14 Notice; Extras: Action [Free], Duration [sustained]; PFs: Fast Task 4 [Full Action to search 1-mile-diameter area]) [24/24] AP: Move Object 7 (Effective STR 35, Heavy Load 1.5 tons, Extra: Range [Perception], PFs: Indirect 3) [24/24] Gadgets 1 (Hard to Lose; 5PP, Extra: Action [Move]) [8PP] 40+24+10+15+8+53=150PP/155 PP ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness Bruised/Injured Drone Blast Ranged DC25 Toughness Bruised/Injured Drone Move Object Perception Grapple check (Staged) Pinned/Bound