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Sharaf found the picture near the end of the school year, a steady black and white photograph in a book about the Hinomaru. The Hinomaru had been Imperial Japan's version of the Ubersoldaten of World War II; cruel agents of empire who had mostly come to a sticky end at the hands of American, British, and Chinese super-agents during and after the Second World War. This particular book had been put together by the US National Archives just after the war, a murderer's row of assassins, terrorists, and killers of various stripes. (Socotra of course hadn't been involved in World War II; the first Typhoon had been just a boy living under British rule off the Arabian coast in those days.) He found the girl near the end of the book. Akuma no Neko, aka "Devil Cat" had fought several Allied incursions on the mainland of Japan at the side of Crimson Katana, and had vanished in engagement against British heroes during the campaign in Burma just as the war was entering its final stages. There was an image like an identification picture; a pale-eyed girl with shockingly white hair, standing modestly in a schoolgirl uniform like a sailor suit, one of her standing at a podium, standing on a stack of books so she could address a small unit of IJA troops, and an artist's rendition of the girl surrounded by illusory devils. She was by all accounts a black magician, an infernal sorceress of the Green Dragon Society, and - well he had seen that girl before, walking around the halls at Claremont, sitting silently in most of her classes, her accent thick and English often uncertain. There really could not be that many young Japanese women with white, fuzzy hair and big visible cat-ears atop her head, or a tail visible in the rear shot at the podium. This was Neko Musume.

Claremont Academy Fall 2021 The members of Red Squad had been told their special weekend project was quite a doozy, and they were right - though perhaps not in the usual superpowered way. Escorting selected structural supports and architectural plans from the Centurion's Sanctum to the National Building Museum in Washington was a high honor, even if by all accounts it was just going to involve a trip in a private jet and a short car trip to the NBM. Waiting for them as they reported for their bus ride to the airport was their escort for the day; a woman none of them had met before, not to speak of, but who all of them had heard of. The Patriot, second to bear that title, was a solidly-built Asian woman who looked to be maybe thirty (though really, who could tell the ages of adults well) her face partially obscured by a dark red and blue armored helmet complete with chin guard, eyes hidden by white reflective lenses over the eyepiece. Her armored costume consisted of a blue Kevlar tactical shirt, white stain-repellent trousers, and maroon gauntlets. It's a look obviously inspired by the previous Patriot, with a few upgrades. She was waering a brown leather bomber jacket over the top of the costume with an American flag sewn on the back and white star over the heart. Her tactical boots didn't add enough to her height to make her 5'10" but she's close. Inside her helmet, Ashley was already dreading this, even as she was reminding herself to stow it. You volunteered for this job. That means keeping an eye on the kids, especially the ones Callie is keeping a special eye on. You spend a day with them, talk about working for the government and not hiding in the shadows, it's great. Her red white and blue bike was parked nearby the bus, whose driver was inside grabbing breakfast before they all hit the road. It was early morning for teenagers; Ashley had been up for hours. She stood with her arms folded over her chest and greeted the first student with "Morning. Just wait right there till everyone's here, I don't want to talk over the engine."

11/3/2021 Claremont Academy The Patriot made no bombastic arrival when it came time to pick up her mentee; she didn't pose in her costume out among the other adult heroes there to impress teenagers that there was something noble about spending your life in combat. Costume on, she sat by her motorcycle in the outer Claremont parking lot for Sharaf, running a cloth over the red, white, and blue finish. The bike didn't need to look so patriotic, of course, or really gaudy if you asked her opinion - but it was something the kid would go for, and that was nice enough. For once she was in costume and in public and nobody was taking pictures or asking her opinion about crime or the Second World War, and that was just fine. She adjusted her jacket, the blue and gold sunburst of the Smithsonian having joined the pins on her lapel, and waited for the Patrioteen to arrive.

Patrioteen Power Level: 8 (150/172PP) Unspent Power Points: 22pp Trade-Offs: +/-0 (Compact Shield), +4 Toughness/-4 Defense (Heavy Shield), +4 Defense/-4 Toughness (Gun Barrel Shield) In Brief: A young man finds himself an unplanned hero after bonding with a device the US Government reverse-engineered from alien technology. An uneasy inheritor to a legacy he’s still struggling to understand. Catchphrase: “Let’s get fired up!” Theme: Alternate Identity: Sharaf el-Jalil (Secret) Birthplace: Freedom City, New Jersey, United States of America Residence: Claremont Academy, Freedom City Base of Operations: Claremont Academy, Freedom City Occupation: Student, Patriotic Hero Affiliations: Claremont Academy, Patriot Initiative Family: Ramzi el-Jalil (Father); Munisa el-Jalil (Mother), Dovron el-Jalil (Younger Brother), Zamira el-Jalil (Younger Sister) Description: Age: 16 (DoB: July 4, 2005) Gender: Male (Cis); He/Him/His Ethnicity: Arabic (Socotran) Height: 5’10” Weight: 155 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Black Sharaf is a teenager who is visibly still growing into his frame. Thanks to the enhancements from the nanites provided by his bonded gear, he is more muscular and solidly built than most young men his age, but his overall build favors speed and flexibility over raw power. His skin is the same dusky tan of his parents and ancestors, while his eyes have a bit of earth tone to them. His hair is typically messy, mostly a consequence of how his costume manifests around him, combined with rapid movement through the air; he has bemoaned how difficult it would be to “work” with a head of hair to match his father, who some have opined could do shampoo commercials (he’s a writer for one of the local news stations). What he does have, he often styles into a modest pompadour, though if he has to “suit up” it sometimes ends up “ruined” if he’s particularly active. He has tried growing a mustache and/or beard a few times, and it’s never quite to his satisfaction; for now he stays clean-shaven in his day to day. When not in his “uniform”, Sharaf tends to wear jeans or casual slacks, favoring more traditional cuts over cargo-style or carpenter-style pants. For shirts, he often goes with various colors and cuts of short-sleeved button-ups, over a plain white t-shirt, with the first couple of buttons undone to make it clear just how good his physical condition is. He prefers sneakers to dress shoes. He never wears a hat, and only wears a hood if it’s very wet or very cold; he cites his hair as being a key reason why. As Patrioteen, his outfit is rather more noticeable and elaborate. The base color is a rathe bright blue, almost the same shade as the American flag. His legs, down the middle of his mid and lower torso, across his upper torso and shoulders, and down the outside of his arms is solid blue. The outer portions of his lower torso and the insides of his arms are white. His blue mask leaves his hair open to the air (for good and for ill), as well as leaving his chin, mouth, and nose uncovered, allowing him to present a friendly face. The baseline suit looks like a thick cloth of some sort, fitting much like spandex but not giving the impression of being as thin. The center of the chest has a white outline of a single star, with two parallel lines extending from the lower four points of the star and wrapping all around his upper torso and shoulders to the back. The lenses over his eyes are typically silvery in color, but they can lighten to almost full transparency, making it easier to reassure people. His boots, which extend most of the way up his calves, are thicker and more technological-looking, and are primarily red with a thick white stripe going across the front at a steep angle. The soles have vents in them to allow his fire to be channeled out, as well as a vent on each side of the calf and at the back. The material has the appearance of layered and segmented metal (allowing maximum range of motion) rather than sturdy cloth. His right hand bears a red gauntlet that echoes the stylings of his boots; thicker, metallic plates that overlap and segment to prevent impeding movement. The palm has a round aperture that Sharaf uses to focus his fire-control abilities through to produce bursts of focused flame. The rest of the gauntlet has hair-thin vents that can allow Sharaf to cloak his entire hand in flame, with the back has a slot where an exhaust nozzle can extend to allow one of his more...noticeable...forms of offense. His left hand itself has a simple blue glove that matches the rest of his suit, with the forearm bearing rings of silvery-white material. These rings are actually the compacted form of his shield. The shield itself has multiple forms. The “default” is a fairly compact circle, a bit larger in diameter than Sharaf’s own forearm. The center of the shield bears a stylized eagle with a star, with the top “line” of the wing extending to meet the border of the shield. The logo and border are bright while, while the rest of the shield is a bright metallic blue. The shield can shift into a large, elongated oval shape, providing sufficient cover for Sharaf to hide his entire body behind it; the overall decorative pattern stays the same but is enlarged a bit in the middle as the shield itself grows. In either form the shield is shockingly light. Finally, it can flow and shift into an elaborate gun-barrel design over his right arm, forming a red-white-and-blue-striped device that greatly focuses the power of his blasts. History: Ramzi and Munisa came to America, to Freedom City, as political refugees from Socotra. Long-time low-level critics of Typhoon’s regime, they’d long skirted the edge of acceptability, and one article in a paper that was a bit too strongly-worded had them fleeing for a safer place. They went to Freedom due to the higher level of diversity compared to many cities, which included a small but vibrant community of Socotran expatriates. Sharaf was born a couple of years after Ramzi and Munisa moved to Freedom. His brother Dovron came a couple of years later, while the youngest, Zamira, was born just a few years ago, making her the precocious baby of the family. Sharaf himself grew up with the sense of responsibility that comes from being “the oldest”, but with much less structure than he might have had in their ancestral lands. The largest grief Ramzi and Munisa had after fleeing Socotra was their children squabbling, or juggling schedules to make sure everyone did everything on time. Sharaf was the oldest child, but somehow managed to buck the “trend” of the eldest child being serious and responsible that seemed to be an unspoken assumption the world over. Instead, he proved himself energetic, excitable, and at time a bit unpredictable. Dovron proved himself the more dour brother, though both young men have more than a bit of mischief in them. When he was 14, Sharaf’s family was contacted by the US government. In a surprising move, Sharaf had been selected for a special program that intended to help train up the next generation of heroes in this country. Sharaf actually had a mostly-latent meta-gene that the government had picked up with new, specialized scanners. These scanners were primarily looking for individuals compatible with newly-developed technology that the US had reverse-engineered from a variety of alien artifacts over the years; the constant invasions, defeated that they may have been, left large amounts of valuable salvage behind. While he was one of the youngest candidates, Sharaf was also marked as being one of the highest levels of compatibility with this technology. But they would not force him to be a superhero-in-training. Would he take this step? Sharaf agreed, and his parents consented, though it took a couple of days of rather intense conversation between all of them, and more than one talk about how the entire program would work. So for almost two years, Sharaf has been working to train his body and mind, and bond with the Firebrand (as the advanced device has been named). The doctors, engineers, and scientists of the group working to equip the heroes of tomorrow. Now he finds himself at Claremont Academy, to learn not only how to be a hero in a broader context, but to meet other aspiring heroes, and cement his place in the next generation of defenders of truth, justice, and more. Personality & Motivation: Sharaf’s childhood was marked by a deep-set understanding that he was thoroughly blessed to be born in the country he lived in. Compared to where his parents came from, the USA was indeed a huge improvement. That sense of wonder and, to a degree, pride in his birth-nation naturally flowed into Sharaf. It was tempered by the bouts of low-level racism they encountered, but not destroyed. Sharaf himself is a young man trying to fully discover who he is in the world. He has had immense responsibility thrust upon him by happenstance, and has done what he can to live up to that. At times, Sharaf may end up projecting more confidence than he feels, due to the idea that the Patriot, or in his case the Patrioteen, needs to always be confident. Sharaf tends to project a sense of energy when he’s in a room. Not necessarily nervous energy; more of a vitality and passion. He is most excited when talking about cooking, bird-watching, basketball, and the “mission” he feels he is entrusted with. Sharaf sees himself as not only an example of a teenager doing good in the world (meaning he has an innate sense of needing to Be Responsible), but also as a Muslim American stepping into one of the most prominent hero roles he possibly can. Thus, he works hard to make sure he is friendly, confident, and ready to help. In his heart, Sharaf is often concerned he’s not “measuring up”, even if his parents, and others, claim he is doing just fine, especially for someone of his age and “stage” of life. So while he presents a confident face, he is also always trying to be conscious of Powers & Skills: Description & Tactics: Sharaf’s primary abilities come from the device bonded with him. After it bonded, it was discovered he possessed a latent meta-gene, but it was not “unlocked” until he bonded with “the suit”. Part of the bonding process also infused him with a batch of nanites that boosted his physical abilities, although these effects by themselves are largely secondary. At his “base”, Sharaf’s body is enhanced, with his general stamina and vigor along with his natural agility and flexibility being pushed higher, though his strength is certainly already higher than most. It looks as if long-term the changes will max out at around high human average, and “settle in” so they cannot be disabled or disrupted. As well, he is naturally immune to heat, and immune to any fires or flame-based effects. When wearing his suit, he is, effectively, a super-soldier in training. The basic suit itself provides robust protection against injury, as well as guarding his eyes against irritants, be they accidental, environmental, or intentional. The suit’s own nano-lacing taps into Sharaf’s resistance to flames, giving him partial immunity to ice and cold powers and attacks. Further, it channels his innate fire abilities to allow him to ignore any and all "regular" environmental cold, and uses that same energy to provide shielding against potential ambient radiation. His goggles have combat protocols that it projects onto his goggles and helps guide his body through motions and assist in aiming jumps and shots, easing his burden in combat as he is still working to internalize his skills and abilities. As well, they provide constant positional data, help calculate distances as needed, and help his eyes see into the infrared spectrum even in complete darkness. Beyond the baseline suit, Sharaf has more built-up boots, a heavy gauntlet on his right hand, and a shield on his left arm. These each provide options in a fight. The boots allow Sharaf to run at speeds roughly equal to a moving automobile, by way of small jet-booster mechanisms that, when combined with his nanite infusion and reinforcements of the suit, give him much higher run speeds. Alternatively, they can propel him into great leaps into the air, easily reaching the rooftops of many buildings; while he can sustain these leaps, he tends to prefer to only operate in comparatively short hops. These functions can be somewhat combined into a powerful attack where Sharaf propels himself at an enemy with a flaming kick. The gauntlet on his right hand helps him in close-quarters combat, serving as a potent striking surface for Sharaf’s still-developing martial arts repertoire, as well as sheathing his hand in his flames if desired. It can also enhance and focus his nascent fire powers by way of a mechanism on the palm, resulting in small fire-bolts that allow him to strike foes at a distance. Sharaf is also able to combine the functions of his boots and his gauntlet to launch himself in a daredevil sliding attack that leaves a trail of flame behind himself and culminates in a fiery physical blow against a chosen foe, and any along his path. The shield on his left arm helps him defend himself, but can be set to either offensive or defensive mode, as well as a “booster” form. In offensive mode, it is a more compact surface that allows him to chain together blows along with his gauntlet and boots, or even be propelled by bursts of fire from his gauntlet for dizzying chained-together attacks. In defensive mode, its surface area extends so that he can fully place his upright body behind it, making it unusable as an offensive weapon, but providing a stalwart bastion against many attacks that might otherwise risk injuring him. In its final “booster” form, the shield folds around and merges with his right hand gauntlet, forming a powerful arm-mounted cannon device. With this, he can greatly focus the power of his flame-blasts, though it is not as much of a rapid-fire blitzkrieg of attacks as he can accomplish with the compact offensive form of his shield. It is theorized that the Firebrand suit provides the ability to almost infinitely adapt and grow, especially with both its own nanotech-based adaptive form, as well as his own steadily-growing power. In a fight, Sharaf tends to start off at range and only move into hand-to-hand distance after getting an idea of the opponent. Unless moving in recklessly can distinctly help his teammates, in which case he may charge in and rely on his bright costume and rather attention-getting motif to carry the day. In a hand-to-hand fight, Patrioteen’s skills are still fairly basic; he can absolutely reliably hit an opponent, but most of the advanced skills he’s picked up center on grabbing hold of an opponent and not letting go. He also has some initial training with following targets in many environments, though his overall skill is still developing. His general approach shows more than a few influences from the current Patriot, and he seems to thus be falling into a style somewhere between superhero, soldier, and law enforcement. Complications: Flamboyant: Patrioteen's powers, costume, and personality are bright and bold and noticeable. Weighty Legacy: The name "Patriot", both in the hero world and in regular use, has a lot of weight behind it. Many people are going to make a lot of assumptions about what Patrioteen stands for, and who he is, before he can do or say anything one way or the other. Individual Systems: While the Firebrand suit is, overall, a unified piece of technology, the suits, gauntlet, and shield are not strongly connected in general operation. It is possible that damage to one of them could temporarily disable it, or leave it stuck in a particular configuration, making things more difficult for Sharaf. Just The Sidekick: While Sharaf is working to be his own hero, both his code-name and several (brief) public appearances have made the connection between himself and the Patriot clear. This may lead to a lack of respect, or him being a target as a way to gain advantage over the Patriot. Sense of Responsibility: Sharaf feels the importance of both his heroic mantle, and his obvious status as an Arab-American superhero. On top of that, he has a natural tendency to want to help out his teammates and fellow man, which can lead to over commitment (on or off the battlefield). Being both a "fun guy" and "the responsible guy" is a bit of a tight rope to walk. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abilities: 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 4 = 20PP Strength: 18 (+4) / 12 (+1) Dexterity: 18 (+4) / 14 (+2) Constitution: 18 (+4) / 14 (+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +8 Improved Initiative) Attack: +4 Base, +8 Enhanced Base Defense: +4 (+4 Base), +8 (w. Shield Array set to Compact Shield), +12 (w. Shield Array set to Gun Barrel Shield), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +12 (+4 Str/Dex, +8 Enh. Base Attack), +8 (+4 Str/Dex, +4 Base Attack) Knockback: -2 (No Suit, Shield Array set to Gun Barrel Shield), -4 (Shield Array set to Compact Shield), -10 (Shield Array set to Heavy Shield) Saving Throws: 2 + 4 + 4 = 10PP Toughness: +4 (+4 Con), +8 (w. Shield Array set to Compact Shield), +12/Impervious Tou 8 (w. Shield Array set to Heavy Shield) Fortitude: +6 (+4 Con, +2) Reflex: +8 (+4 Dex, +4) Will: +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 52R = 13PP Acrobatics 8 (+12) Bluff 5 (+7) Climb 4 (+8) Craft [Cooking] 4 (+6) Diplomacy 6 (+8) Languages 1 (Native: Arabic; Learned: English) Notice 8 (+9) Search 6 (+8) Survival 6 (+7) Swim 4 (+8) Feats: 8PP Benefit 1 (Patriot Initiative) Grapple Finesse Improved Grapple Improved Initiative Luck 2 Precise Shot Track Powers: 58 + 14 + 11 = 83PP Device 14 (Firebrand Suit; 70DP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose; Feats: Restricted 2 [Only Sharaf can use]) [58PP] (Technological, Nanites) Basic Suit Systems 3.2 (16DP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [16DP] Communication 5 (Radio; 5 miles; Feats: Subtle) [6DP] (Communicator) Enhanced Feat 1 (Quick Change) [1DP] [(Nano-Assembly Suit) Immunity 10 (Cold ; Flaws: Limited [Half Effect]) [5DP] (Thermo-Regulator) Immunity 4 (Environmental Cold, Radiation) [4DP] (Thermal Protective System, Anti-Radiation Coating, Deployable Rebreather Mask) Goggles 2.4 (12DP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [12DP] Enhanced Trait 8 (Base Attack +4) [8DP] (Combat Protocols HUD) Immunity 1 (Eye Irritants) [1DP] (Protective Lenses) Super-Senses 3 (Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Infravision) [3DP] (Vision Enhancement Protocols HUD) Firepower Array 8.5 (17DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [19DP] BP: Blast 8 (Fire Bolts; Feats: Precise) {17/17} (Fire) AP: Damage 4 (Gauntlet Punch; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Knockback 7, Mighty, Takedown Attack 2, Varible Descriptor 1 [Fire or Bludgeoning Damage]) {17/17} (Fire, Bludgeoning Damage Type) AP: Damage 4 (Flaming Kick; Extras: Area [Targeted Trail] 8; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Mighty, Progression [Area Size] 2) (40-200 ft. line) {17/17} (Fire) Boots Array 2 (4DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 1) [5DP] (Booster Boots) BP: Speed 4 (100 mph, 1000 ft./rnd) {4/4} AP: Flight 2 (25 mph, 250 ft./rnd.) {4/4} Shield Array 8 (16DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [18DP] (Variable Shield) BP: {8 + 4 + 4 = 16/16} (Compact Shield) Autofire Firepower 8 Adds (Extras: Autofire 1) to Firepower Array [8DP] Enhanced Feat 4 (Dodge Focus 4; Total Defense +8) [4DP] Protection 4 (Total Toughness +8) [4DP] AP: {8 + 8 = 16/16} (Heavy Shield) Protection 8 (Total Toughness +12) [8DP] Impervious Toughness 8 [8DP] AP: {8 + 8 = 16/16} (Gun Barrel Shield) Enhanced Feat 8 (Dodge Focus 8; Total Defense +12) [8DP] Penetrating Firepower Adds (Extras: Penetrating) to Firepower Array [8DP] Super Soldier Boost Package 2.8 (14PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [14PP] (Nanites) Enhanced Constitution 4 [4PP] Enhanced Dexterity 4 [4PP] Enhanced Strength 6 [6PP] Fire Controller Powers 2.2 (11PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [11PP] (Metahuman) Immunity 1 (Environmental Heat) [1PP] Immunity 10 (Fire) [10PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC19 TOU Damage [Physical] Fire Bolt Ranged DC23 TOU Damage [Fire] Gauntlet Punch Touch DC23 TOU Damage [Physical or Fire] Flaming Kick Trail Area DC23 TOU Damage [Fire] Totals: Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (13) + Feats (8) + Powers (83) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/172 Power Points MAJOR STORY SPOILERS IN THE SPOILER BELOW. MUCH OF PATRIOTEEN'S EARLY STORYLINES WILL BE SPOILED IF YOU READ IT.