Ironclad II

[Raveled]

Questionairre

Introduction

Give a two or three word description of yourself. (Describe your character's concept.)

I fly around in a superpowered suit of armor that I invented.

Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume?

Ironclad II. In honor of my grandfather, the original Ironclad.

What is your full birth name?

Jessica Anne Parker

Where do you live?

I have a penthouse apartment in the center of the city, but I also have a dorm room in the Lab.

Why do you live there?

I like the location; it's centrally located in the city, it's got a view over Liberty Park, and it's three stories all to myself.

What do you perceive as your greatest strength?

My intelligence, and my skill with machines. Whups, guess that's two things.

What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?

Outside of my suit, I'm pretty much a normal human, so that's something to watch out for.

Physical Traits

How old are you? (Chronological age as well as age category.)

Eighteen years old.

What is your sex?

Female.

What is your race?

Scots-Irish.

How tall are you?

About six feet tall.

How much do you weigh?

Oh... hundred thirty, a hundred and forty pounds.

What is your general body type, frame, bone structure, and poise?

I'm very tall and slim, with a fine bone structure. I like to think I hold myself well; I don't slouch or anything.

What is your skin colour?

My skin is pale, pale, pale.

What is your hair colour?

It's naturally a sort of reddish blonde, but lately I've been dying it a darker auburn.

What is your hair style?

*Laughs* Mostly I just ignore it! I don't style it, and when it gets long enough that it's hanging in my face when I work, I just have it cut short again.

What is your eye colour?

A very pale blue. Nearly colorless, some have told me, but I've never had trouble seeing it.

How attractive are you?

I guess I'm attractive? I mean, I'm a tall, leggy redhead, so yeah. *Laughs* I don't really think of myself like that, but I suppose I've gotten a few stares.

What is your most distinguishing feature?

I suppose my height and my frame. Not many girls are as tall or as thin as me.

Do you have any scars, tattoos, or birthmarks?

I have a tattoo of lightning bolts radiating out from my belly button.

What is your handedness (left/right/ambidextrous)?

Right. Definitely right-handed.

Do you resemble some currently known person?

I've been told I look a bit like Kate Beckinsale, but with less chest.

What kind of clothing do you wear?

Oh, just something casual. I really don't care about my appearance much.

Do you wear makeup?

See above. *Laughs* If it's an important function, there's people to do my makeup, you know?

What sort of vocal tone do you have?

Fairly high, I suppose.

History

Where is your homeland?

Well, I was born in the US, but my family's roots are in Scotland and Ireland.

Are you aware of its history?

Um, not really. My focus is electronics and engineering, not history.

Are you patriotic or a social outcast?

Well, I don't see how the two are related, but I suppose I'm patriotic.

What are your opinion of home?

I love my home. All my stuff is there.

Where is your home town?

Freedom City. Born and raised here, and wouldn't live anywhere else.

Are your real reasons for becoming an adventurer/hero different from what you tell others?

Nope. I think that if you have a lot, you should give something back. And I certainly have a lot!

Do you have any particularly high or low ability scores?

My Intelligence.

How have these scores affected your life so far?

Well, I entered HIT when I was 16, does that answer your question?

What about your race, growing up were you in the majority or a minority?

I'm white. Plenty of people around with my skin tone.

Did this impact your outlook in any way?

I... don't know. I tend to be an optimist, I suppose that would skew my viewpoint more than my race.

How do you feel about other races?

That's... a hard-to-answer question. I try to judge people on a person-by-person basis.

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?

My parents weren't around much growing up, so I was mostly raised by tutors and nannies. Until my grandpa figured out how smart I was getting and started raising me, that is.

Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.

When I was 10, I took apart my dad's global phone and put it back together. It got four more hours of battery life after that.

What stupid things did you do when you were younger?

When I was 11, I tried to take apart the microwave. Blew out every circuit in the neighborhood.

Which toys from your childhood have you kept?

When I was 6, my grand-dad bought me an Erector set. I haven't touched it in years, but all the bits are assembled and standing around my computer desk.

Why? What do they mean to you? If you didn't keep any, why not? What did you do to them all?

I think it's when I started to understand that big things don't come into the world fully formed; they're made of lots of little things, and sometimes instead of looking at the big thing and being overwhelmed, you can focus on all the little parts, instead.

Are you who you claim to be?

I... What kind of question is that? Of course I am!

Do you have any sort of criminal record?

Nope.

How do you view the heroes/legends of your country?

Of Ireland or Scotland? Or America?

Family

Who were your parents?

George Parker and Courtney Dawes-Parker

Were you raised by them? If not, then why didn't they and who did raise you?

More or less. I mean, Dad was always away on business and Mom did her fund raising-slash-politics thing. I suppose I was mostly raised by my grandpa.

What was their standing in the community?

Well, Dad's head of a great big company and Mom's got all sorts of political connections. We were always invited to every party.

Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot?

No, we mostly stayed in the city. Which isn't to say my parent's were always around.

How did you get along with their parents?

I just... My dad's okay, but a bit of a push-over. And I haven't spoken to my mother since my grandfather died. That should tell you how well we get along.

How would your parents describe you? Answer this in the voice of your mother, then in your father's.

"This superhero thing is just a phase. Sooner or later, she'll come back to where she belongs!"

"I'm proud of the work Jessica is doing at the Lab, but I wish she would do some of that work at Dawes Tech."

Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what were their names? How did you get along with each of your siblings?

Nope. Only child.

List all current knowledge of family locations, spouses, children, birth dates, schooling, and any important incidents that only you and they might remember.

My father's brother, Robert, is a senior ADA in Chicago. He's not married.

Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?

He comes to meet us a few times a year.

Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?

I was very close to my maternal grandfather.

Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?

As I said before, my maternal grandfather, Malcolm Dawes, was more like a father to me than my real father.

Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)?

I might be the black sheep in the family insofar as I don't work at Dawes Tech. I'm kind of wondering if my grandfather might have been

Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor?

Well Malcolm Dawes worked with a top-secret organization in the US military from World War 2 until the end of the Vietnam War. My mom knows lots of people in Washington, D.C., so I suppose there's lots of people in the government that would recognize my name or my face.

Do you try to live up to the reputation of your ancestor, try to live it down, or ignore it?

I... used to measure my success by what my grandfather did as Ironclad I. But nowt hat I know more precisely what he did, I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Do you ever want to have a family of your own someday?

I've... never really thought about it. I suppose I might, one day.

Would anything change your mind on this issue and if so, what?

I could say "meeting the perfect man," but that would be kind of stereotypical, wouldn't it?

What type of person would be your ideal mate?

It would have to either be someone as smart as me, or who doesn't mind me being this smart. I couldn't bear someone who felt his masculinity was threatened by having a smart girlfriend, or whatever.

Relationships

Do you have any close friends? If so, who and what are they like?

I'm very close to my fellow hero, Dragonfly , aka Mara Hallowman. She's probably smarter than me, truth be told, and quite the hero.

What is the history of their relationship(s) with you?

Heh. I ended up fighting her at first. To be fair, I think she threw the first punch.

Do you currently have a best friend whom you would protect with your reputation or your life?

All of my friends. That's why they're my friends.

Do you have any bitter enemies?

Not that I'd think of it. I can't promise that there isn't some thwarted genius plotting my downfall, though.

Which person(s) or group(s) are you most loyal to?

The Lab.

Who is your most trusted ally?

Now that Grandpa's passed, probably Dragonfly.

Who do you trust, in general?

... Dragonfly? I don't really know, I'm a pretty trusting person in general!

Who do you despise, and why?

Supervillains? Is that a group? I hate people who could do so much good but just pander to their own desires.

Name seven things you hate in others.

Willful idiocy, bigotry, laziness, and an unwillingness to try new things. That's all that I can think of.

Is your image consistent?

Huh?

Do you deliberately present yourself differently in different situations? If so, how?

I don't really care what other people think of me, so not really.

What would you die for?

I... Don't know really. I hope I'd die to protect an innocent, but I can't really know that.

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

*Pause* I went back in time once and saw what I think was my grandfather, the first Ironclad. He... he was slaughtering soldiers in the jungle. I don't know if they were Viet Cong or who they were, but he was killing them. That was a real blow to my image of him.

What is your general reaction to an attractive member of the appropriate sex who lets you know they are available?

Awkward small-talk? I haven't done it enough to really have a 'general reaction.'

How do you get along with others of the same adventuring class?

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Have you lost any loves?

Well, I broke up with Blake Salazar. He's still alive, though.

Who would miss you should you go missing?

My family and friends, of course, and the folks at the Lab.

Are you a member of any guild, organization, church, or other organization? What is your level of involvement?

I'm a contributor and member of the Lab. I've donated quite a bit of money to get the organization started.

Personality & Beliefs

Do you, or did you, have any role models?

My grandfather, and a few of the superheroes around here.

Do you have any heroes or idols, either contemporary or from legend?

The Centurion, Daedalus, Miss Americana, and Doktor Archeville are all personal idols of mine.

Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances?

Yes. When I went back in time I saw my grandfather, acting as the first Ironclad, killing soldiers who had no way to fight back against his armor.

When did you decide to become an adventurer/hero?

A couple years ago, I was arguing with my grandfather over the kind of power one could get from electrically controlled actuators versus mechanical systems. He showed me some interesting designs that ended the discussion. I did some research and uncovered that he had been Ironclad during most of the Cold War. I felt like I needed to do something with this information, so I decided to become a hero like he was.

Why have you chosen to risk your life as a career?

I have a talent: I'm really smart, and good with machines. It would be greedy not to help people with it.

What do you expect to get out of being an adventurer/hero? What, if anything, would make you stop adventuring/heroing?

I want to help people! I suppose if I found a better way to help more people, I might 'retire,' but I can't think of anything like that off the top of my head.

Do you have any dreams or ambitions? If not, why?

I'd like to be a well-known superhero. And I've a few projects in the fire that could be interesting.

What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?

Nothing concrete. I've a few projects I'm working on, but nothing that will revolutionize the world.

What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?

I want to investigate the organization my father worked with while he was in the military, Section 13.

Do you have any great rational or irrational fears or phobias? If so, what are the origins of, or reasons behind them?

I don't like squids, or octopi. They just freak me out.

What are your attitudes regarding material wealth?

It's okay. Being rich is certainly more handy than being poor, no question. But it's not the end-all, be-all of life.

Are you miserly with your share of the wealth, or do you spend it freely?

If someone needs help with lunch or something, I'll help them, but it's my mom that's more involved with charity work.

Do you see wealth as a mark of success, or just as a means to an end?

See above. Means to an end.

How do you generally treat others?

I like to think I treat people fairly. So, if they treat me with respect and don't try to belittle or attack me, I'll return the favor.

Do you trust easily (perhaps too easily) or not?

Well, I'd rather be too trusting than paranoid!

Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)?

I like to keep to myself more than not, but I can see how a hero might need to be more outgoing.

Are you a humble soul or blusteringly proud?

Well, I have a lot to be proud of!

What habits do you find most annoying in friends?

When people have lots of different devices that all do the same thing. Like, having a laptop, a cellphone, a pager, and a wristwatch, and using them all just to check the time or update your social status. So inefficient!

What are your most annoying habits?

I... have a tendency to take things apart. Phones, locks, pretty much anything mechanical. I love to get a look at the inside of things and see how they work!

Is there any race, creed, alignment, religion, class, profession, political viewpoint, or the like against which you are strongly prejudiced, and why?

I just don't get religion. Folks believing in something that's manifestly not true? Why?

What is your favorite food?

I am in love with my crock pot. It is the best cooking tool, literally since they began slicing bread before packaging it. I can make a whole meal in the morning, put it in the pot to cook, fly home around noon to check it, and when I get home I have a whole dinner waiting for me!

What is your favorite drink?

Mmm. Lemonade. Really tart lemonade, too, that makes you pucker with just a sip. Yummy.

What is your favorite treat (desert)?

There's there dark chocolate cups with chocolate mousse filling. Tastes very, very, very good after a long day.

Do you favor a particular cuisine?

Well, I like Italian food. Noodles and sauces and the like. Don't know if I'll like the wines, I'm not old enough to drink.

Do you savor the tastes when eating or "wolf down" your food?

I'm usually in such a hurry to get back to work. Eating is just dead time, you know?

Do you like food mild or heavily spiced?

Spicy, spicy!

Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?

I don't know if I could ever try calamari.

What are your favorite color(s)?

I love green. That's why I painted Ironclad that color!

Is there any color that you dislike?

Mmm. I've run into some pukey shades of yellow, but that's about it. Oh, and hot pink: I can't stand hot pink.

Do you have a favorite (or hated) song, type of music, or instrument?

Ehn, not really? I don't pay attention to music a lot. I like acoustic guitars, though.

If you have a favorite scent, what is it?

Never really paid much attention to scents.

What is your favorite type of animal?

Birds. I had one growing up, but I don't really have time to take care of a pet right now, so alas.

Are you allergic to any kinds of animals?

Not that I've run into, no.

Is there anything that enrages you?

Huh? Besides what I've already talked about? Willful ignorance, I suppose; people who just won't learn.

Is there anything which embarrasses you?

Hell no! Ask me about anything!

Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?

Definitely a city gal. Give me satellite radio and air conditioning.

Do you have a patron deity?

Nope. Atheist.

Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?

Just logic, really. I've never seen anything that can't be described by science.

Will you kill?

That's not really a heroic thing to do, is it?

When did you decide (or learn) that you would?

When I was designing the Ironclad suit, I tried to devote some time each day to think about things like this. Just so I could make a decision ahead of time, instead of freezing in a fight.

When do you consider it okay to kill (under what circumstances)?

I don't know. Maybe if the thing I was attacking wasn't sentient, and was threatening a whole bunch of people. Even then, I'd try to subdue it, first.

When do you consider it wrong to kill (under what circumstances)?

Most of the time! Even if it's a criminal you're killing, they could've reformed and put their talents to doing good.

What would you do if someone else attempted to (or successfully did) kill under your "wrong" circumstances, what would be your reaction?

I'd be... very, very angry with them.

What if it were your enemy?

Well, they're my enemy, right? It's not like I can think worse of them.

What if it were your friend?

I'm not sure I could call someone who did that a friend.

What if the opponent were not in control of their own actions (under duress, charmed, dominated, possessed)?

I don't know. It would depend a lot on the circumstances.

What would you do if something were stolen from you?

Well, I'd try to get it back, of course! Track down the person who stole it, et cetera.

What would you do if you were badly insulted publicly?

I'd try to get mine back, I suppose. Prove that I'm better than I was made out to be.

What would you do if a good friend or relative were killed by means other than natural death?

I don't know. I've never encountered something like that.

What is the one task you would absolutely refuse to do?

Sell out my beliefs.

What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?

Murder. It destroys any potential a person had for the future.

How do you feel about government (rulers) in general? Why do you feel that way?

Well, they're necessary, aren't they? You can't just have anarchy and people doing whatever they want!

Do you support the current government of your homeland?

Are you talking about the United States government!? Of course!

If so, how far are you willing to go to defend the government? If not, do you actively oppose it?

I don't know. I guess it would depend on the circumstances.

What form of government do you believe is the best (democracy, monarchy, anarchy, aristocratic rule, oligarchy, matriarchy) and why?

Democracy. Most everything else relies on have one excellent ruler at the top, but in democracy everyone has a say.

Do you have any unusual habits or dominant personality traits that are evident to others?

Sometimes I speak really fast, tripping over my words. And I have a tendency to skip steps when thinking up a plan.

If so, describe them and how you acquired them, as well as when they might be more noticeable and what causes them.

Well, sometimes I just get so excited! It's hard to slow down and explain things.

Do you have any unusual or nervous mannerisms, such as when talking, thinking, afraid, under stress, or when embarrassed?

I'm told I play with my hair a lot. I suppose that's true.

What is your most treasured possession?

The Ironclad suit. No question. It's so cool and I made it all by myself!

If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours?

I... I don't know. Probably spend time with Mara.

Career & Training

Where and how were you educated, both in terms of general education and any specific hero-ing skills?

I mostly had private tutors until 16, when I enrolled in HIT. I graduated in 2011 with a double major in mechanical engineering and computer sciences.

Who trained you in your adventuring/heroing abilities?

Well, my grandpa kinda-sorta trained me

What was your relationship with your teacher(s)/mentor(s)?

I... used to think the world of my grandpa. But now I'm wondering just how 'heroic' he was as Ironclad.

Is this person or institution still in existence?

No, he passed away.

Were you a prize student or did you just barely pass?

Oh, yeah. Top of my class, of course!

Look at your skills & feats. How did you acquire them (especially the unusual ones)?

I've always been interested in machines and electronics, and I'm good at putting things together! It's just been a natural extension of my talents.

Have you ever done anything else for a living?

Nope. Never wanted to, either.

How do you function in combat (maneuvers, weaknesses)?

I stay up top and blast things! I hate getting into melee combat, but I designed the suit so I could if needed.

Have you ever received any awards or honours?

Scholastic awards, yes. Mostly for doing really well in classes.

Is there anything that you don't currently know how to do that you wish you could?

Well, there's lots of things I want to know, mostly in the bio-sciences, but there's lots of time for me to learn!

Are you envious of others who can do such things in a good-natured way or are you sullen and morose about it?

I don't really understand. If I wanted to do something, I could learn! Why mope about it instead?

Lifestyle & Hobbies

When not adventuring, what is your normal daily routine?

I get up, I go to the Lab, I do a little patrolling, and then I usually end up at home around eight or nine and tinker in my personal workshop.

How do you feel and react when this routine is interrupted for some reason?

Really, it's self-imposed. I'm rich enough that I don't ever really have to work, but I like to keep busy. So I can peel off and do my own thing whenever I want to.

What are your hobbies when you are not adventuring/heroing or training?

SCIENCE! I love working on new projects, whether it's building a robot or coding something.

What do you do for relaxation? What things do you do for enjoyment? What interests do you have?

I like technology. When I'm stressed out, I'll play video games or watch television. I usually have one or more projects in the fire at any one time; normally, if I'm bored, I'll work on those.

How do you normally dress when not in your adventuring gear/heroic costume?

Jeans and a tee-shirt, normally. I'm very casual about my appearance.

What do you normally wear in bed at home?

A tee-shirt or undershirt and panties. In the winter, I'll wear pajama bottoms, but it's too hot for those in the summer.

What do you normally wear in bed while adventuring/on a mission?

Never been on a multi-day 'adventure.'

Do you wear any identifiable jewelry?

I wear one piece, a silvery wristband that acts a dual watch/digital compass. It also happens to be the anchor of my Ironclad armor, which is stored in a pocket dimension.

Where do you normally put your weapons, magic items, or other valuables when you are sleeping?

The suit is stored in a pocket dimension, courtesy of my friend Mara. The anchor is a piece of jewelry that I keep on my night table.

What morning or evening routines do you normally have?

I wake up around sunrise, shower, eat a light breakfast, and then prepare my dinner and put it in the crock pot. Then I drive over to the Lab, work there until eleven or noon; get take-out and eat it at home while I check on the crock pot. I head back to the Lab and work until five or six, when I put my armor on and patrol until eight or so. Then it's home to dinner, and tinkering in my workshop or surfing the web until midnight.

Do these change when you are adventuring/on a lengthy heroic mission?

I've never been on a lengthy mission. I suppose I'd have to see.

Travel: how do you get around locally?

If I'm not flying? I have a metallic gray Porsche 911 Turbo.

Do you have a Last Will and Testament?

Um, no. Thinking about it, maybe I should.

Miscellaneous

What would you like to be remembered for after your death?

I think as an amazing engineer. Being a superhero is all well and good,

What kind of threat do you present to the public?

What!? I'm no threat! The magnetic-etheric drive is completely safe! There is no way whatsoever that it would fracture and realign the Earth's magnetic field! And all that business with the zero-point energy system was due to impure selenium.

If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?

Dental records? If it's a 'boom-headshot' situation, I have a tattoo on my belly.

As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice...

Look long-term. How do you want to be remembered?

[Raveled]

I'm rather proud of my Zero-Point Generator. The Ironclad suit uses a tremendous amount of energy, much more than could be sustained by a conventional, non-nuclear source. The Generator searched the quantum foam, the micro-micro-microscopic turbulence between the Planck units, the mini-black holes. They generally evaporate into Hawking radiation in a few seconds, but with a powerful magnetic source a black hole can be caught, stabilized, and enlarged. At a certain threshold, antimatter begins leaking past the event horizon.

The matter-antimatter reaction liberates 100% of the energy in the atoms, way more than even a nuclear reaction. Separate, dedicated magnetic fields capture the excess radiation and funnel it to capture sinks. Each sink lasts a few days, and once they're full I put them through another process to cleanse them and they're ready to use again.

[Raveled]

I quite like the flight system I developed for the Ironclad suit. Most power armor systems use noisy, dangerous jets, but I’ve something much better than that.

The Earth has an anomalously high metal content, especially iron. The planet’s iron-nickel core spins at a steady rate, and the heat transfer between different layers of the mantle creates an electric charge. The whole process turns the planet into a 4000-mile tall bar magnet.

As anyone knows, the north ends of two magnets repel each other. Sensors sample the local magnetic field and the suit creates a field that’s in opposition to it, lifting the entire suit. No muss, no fuss, and totally silent. It moves at an incredible speed, a few hundred MPH, and it feels like bodysurfing through the air.

The biggest downside is that it’s the suit that lifts, no my body. It suit is mostly fitted to me, but there are still gaps where my limbs can press against the suit and edges can constrict blood flow. I tried a few different types of foam pads, but there was too much bulk. I eventually settled on strips of soft leather, reinforced and molded into gentler curves. It works pretty well; at least, I can fly a three hour patrol without my legs falling asleep.

[Raveled]

My original idea for a modular power suit came from two places. Firstly, a modular design, with pieces of the armor slotting onto an underlying structure, was easier than designing the suit all in one go; since it was my first major project, I wanted something fairly simply.

The other idea I had was adaptability. Modular armor pieces could be swapped on the fly for different sets, specialized to different scenarios. About half-way through the fabrication process, when I weighed and sized the pieces, I realized that toting around a closet of armor sections just wasn't feasible.

Still, I stand behind the concept of an adaptable, specialized suit. I think the key might be to design the suit so that the different components interlock in different ways, providing different functionality in each configuration. It'll be a heck of a lot more complicated than what I have now, but if I pull it off it should blow folks away.

Device 12 (Multifunction Battlesuit; Technology; Hard to Lose; Feat: Accurate; 60 PP) [49 PP]

Feature 3 (Library, communications, computers) [3 PP]

Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9 PP]

Super-Senses 3 (Technology; Extended & Radius normal vision, communication link [with Malcolm Dawes]) [3 PP]

Protection 9 [9 PP]

BE: Container (Flight-Capable Battle Suit; Feats: Alternate Power 3) [36 PP]

AP: Container (Melee Battle Suit) [33 PP]

AP: Container (Underwater Battle Suit) [33 PP]

AP: Container (Phantom Suit) [33 PP]

[Raveled]

I'll be honest -- I don't know how the Phantom generator works, exactly. I was futzing around with Shadowfield projector and had left to get more solder from the store. When I came back, the projector had left the tabletop and was floating half-embedded in the ceiling. I used a couple of rare earth magnets I had lying around to get it back to the table, but it was dicey there for a minute.

The Shadowfield projector works by creating a force field that extends around the user. The field bends the electromagnetic spectra, concealing the bearer from pretty much any sort of detection short of physical contact. I can only hypothesize that the Phantom generator works in a similar fashion, partially shunting the user into a nearby, parallel dimension. In testing, it let me pass through everything but an energy field I set up; very useful for the stealth configuration of my multifunction battlesuit.

[Raveled]

Sam something kinda interesting today. was making a midnight run into the West Side for snacks -- Lantern Hill's a nice neighborhood, which I guess means there isn't a lot of fastfood or take-away. On my way back a dog the size of a city bus (c.f. 'Greyhound') forced my truck off the road.

I armored up and went after it. It slowed down to beat on some cop, and I managed to get a couple sots off. It, uh, didn't seem to do much, but some other heroines showed up. One of them had a whole bunch of tentacles sprouting off her and managed to blind the dog, then another one swung a hammer at it. The blow hit at the same time as a lighting strike (out of a clear sky -- clearly related) which pretty much finished the dog-thing off. Then it delivered some kind of ultimatum and -- teleported, maybe? Wasn't there anymore.

Talked with the ladies afterwards. The one with the hammer wouldn't even let me hold it or take a small sample. (But see appended notes.) And I think I have a standing invitation to a bar called Morely. Gonna have to go in four years.

[Raveled]

Had a pretty weird encounter the today. Was cruising the financial district ~ lunch time when I came on a guy who, well, looked pretty dead. I confronted him and, uh, got blasted pretty bad. (Note: insulate armor against electrical shocks better.) I have to say, I wasn't doing too good until another hero jumped into the fight. (C.f. notes "Kid Cthulhu") Together we managed to take the dead guy down, but before the cops could show up and cart him off, a street person came rushing up and tried to use some kind of sonic weapon on KC! He busted it up pretty good, and the street person (c.f. "Under Doctor" -- I believe I just wrote that) teleported himself and the dead man out.

I picked up a couple of devices from the guy, though. The first just looks like a regular coat, but it's got some sort of exo-skeleton that stops anyone from getting a good grip on it. It let him slip away away from me easily enough.

Device 1 (Technology; Hard to lose; PFeat: Restricted 2; 5 pts) [4 PP]

Immunity 5 (Entrapment effects)

The second apparatus looks like a Walkman mating with a gramophone. I can't seem to get it to work -- I can't even see any way it could work! All the electrical systems are closed loops. Trying to figure all this out gave me a headache.

Device 2 (Technology, sonic; Easy to lose; PFeat: Restricted 2; 10 PP) [6 PP]

Confuse 8 (Extra: Alternate Save [Fort]) [8 PP]

Oh, yeah. KC also, uh, asked me out on a date. And I said yes. So I'm going out on a date, with a boy. Cool!

[Raveled]

Design journal 12.3. I've been considering my suit's weapon systems, and I've come to the conclusion that I lack any good option for engaging groups. I've pretty good at taking out a single target at a time, but when confronted by groups I could be overwhelmed. I've examined the problem, and I've come up with a possible solution -- cluster munitions.

Basically this would be a small projectile, somewhere between a pencil and a cigar, that doesn't actually impact the target itself. Instead, it flies over the target and drops explosives. This payload fills a larger space than a traditional munition could, at the cost of reduced power.

Problem: Spread might be too much. Could endanger civilians. A: Drop a partial payload. Problem: Unignited munitions. Can't be scattering live bombs around the city. A: Certain plastique compounds can be rendered inert with another chemical. Could the same effect be achieved with electricity?

Problem: Mounting. Obvious A: Gauntlets, but I worry about focusing too much of my offense there. Investigate gorget, faulds for mounting.

Blast X (Exlposive; Feat: Progression Reduced (1 ft/r); Extra: Area/Burst [General]) [3X + 1 PP]

[Raveled]

Design journal 15.4b. My suit's biggest flaw is the fact that is is a suit -- it's not an intrinsic part of my body, I have to take it on and off. The off part usually isn't a problem, but the on part delays me, and that's frustrating. In order to circumvent that, I've been working closely with Dragonfly; she has a special expertise in spacial permutations, and she helped me design a system to bypass physically assembling the suit.

I don't quite understand the physics, but my suit will sit in a specially crafted pocket dimension, where time passes very slowly. When I call on it (using my specially designed wristwatch -- Rolex, eat your heart out!) the suit will orient on the contact suit -- will still have to wear that under everything -- and 'port itself onto me. The trial runs were all good, once the kinks in the system were all worked out (good thing Dragonfly has so many mannequins lying around) but I have yet to test it in the field. Until I do, I'm still gonna worry that it'll take my arm off or

[Raveled]

Design journal 9.8. I've been reconsidering my close-in options. Since I perfected the heavy lifting servos, I don't need the striking servos I designed. I still think the suit needs a melee weapon, thought. Based on my work with charged particles developing my latest wrist blasters (c.f. DJ 6.4 - 6.12) I managed to develop a field to tear apart objects at the molecular level. Originally I used a blade as a conductor (c.f. DJ 9.6) but I think I've just about perfected it, so I don't need the conductor. I should be able to project the field around the gauntlets themselves.

Strike X (Magnetic/Nuclear Force; Feats: Improved Critical 2) [X + 2 PP] + Drain Toughness Y (Magnetic/Nuclear Force) [Y PP]

[Raveled]

The following obituary ran in both the Daily Herald and the Daily Word from November 3rd through November 5th.

"Malcolm X. Dawes (US Army, USAF, ret.) passed away Monday, November 1st, from a heart attack. He severed in every armed conflict that United States was involved in from 1944 through 1975. When he retired from the military he founded his own company, Dawes Tech, which remains in the family's hands.

Per the deceased's wishes, Malcolm will be cremated and his ashes interred a Arlington National Cemetery. He is survived by his daughter and granddaughter."

[Raveled]

New design journal. 17.1. Christmas comes early for some. This is a little project I've been considering for awhile now. Blake's been really good to me, and I've been thinking about how to pay im back. After investigating a few leads, I came up with these glasses. Most of what they do is based of LADAR and SONAR, with a last thermometer and some basic image enhancers. It's all built into the bridge of the nose, so that's a bit bulky, but otherwise I think I managed to hide it all well.

Further advances; communication systems. Auditory enhancement. Ear buds? Bone conduction?

Exploitation; market it to the military, of course, and there's always the 'discreet projection' crowd.

Device 2 (Easy to lose; 10 PP; Feat: Subtle) [7 PP]

Super-Senses 10 (Normal & Infravision; Counter all Visual Obscure; Counter Visual Concealment; Extended [100 feet]) [10 PP]

[Raveled]

New Design Journal 16.1. Something interesting happened not too long ago in the middle of a fight. My etheric drive failed in the middle of the fight, but I need to move fast. I managed to jury-rig a system that let me... Well, I don't quite know. The whole thing is kinda blurry, but my suit recorded everything. Except I'm not sure I can trust my suit. My clock was off by nearly two hundred seconds. Very nearly three and a half minutes!

I have a theory. Dragonfly records me disappearing into a blur. That could happen with some kind of temporal mucking about. It would also explain what happened to the missing time. I don't have the math to begin to explain what happened exactly, but maybe someone else at the Lab will.

[Raveled]

Design Journal 15.6. I've been considering a somewhat radical solution to a recurring problem. I've handled the issue of packing and unpacking mys suit, but that armor's only one part of a system. I also need the interface suit, to turn my movements and nerve impulses into something the armor and understand (and vice versa). The suit can't go to the same place as the armor -- it's not rigid, it gets balled up and doesn't come back cleanly. I've ended up wearing it under my clothes at all times, which limits my wardrobe choices. (I can't believe I'm lamenting the fact that I can't wear a bikini whenever I like.)

So, radical solution. I figure that I can implant a series of contact spikes, at least along my spine and maybe my limbs, tied into my nervous system. The suit will make contact with the spines and transmit the information. As a bonus, it would mean anyone lacking the spines, i.e. everyone else, wouldn't be able to use the suit.

Will need to consult on this, on the neural interface at the very least. Hm, I think Dr. deHaviland has a degree in some kind of medicine. Could do worse. I think I should also talk to Mara about this.

[Raveled]

New Design Journal 18.1. I've given the matter of language a thought. It's natural division between different peoples. I'm not so idealistic as to believe that removing the language barrier will instantly bring about world peace, but it can't hurt. If nothing else, there should be a commercial market for it; companies spend mondo bucks training employees in different languages. If they could buy a few of these devices and sidestep all that training, I think they would.

the design is giving me some trouble, truth be told. If it was a purely audio system, I could probably fit it into a set of ear buds, but reading would be hard without a visual component. Hm, I could make it into a glasses contraption. I already have the specs for the set I designed for Blake. No shame in using an old design as a base.

[Raveled]

Design journal 6.15. I've been looking at redesigning my wrist blasters lately, with an eye to replacing them. The charged particle design works fine, but I'm worried that it's limited. Blasting things is pretty much all it does – if I want something more exotic, I need to improvise. I’m good at improvising, but it’s time I learned from my mistakes and prepared something.

Going back through my journal, I came on a glue grenade design I put in front of the Braniac Bunch back in August. The design had the glue compound contained in a can, which detonated when it got near the target. I could fill the can with plasma and hold it in place/together with a magnetic field. A radio detonator would collapse the field and release the plasma, destroying the shell and harming the target. As a bonus, I should be able to carry around cartridges with other loads, like glue bombs, that could fit specific scenarios.

[Raveled]

Design Journal 12.5. I've been reconsidering my options for dealing with a group of enemies. Cluster munitions don't strike me as particularly media-friendly. I'm looking at other options, and of particular interest are stun guns. I doubt that commercially available stun weapons would work, but I've been working on an idea for something a bit more powerful.

The basic design combines a discus and a bolas. It leaves the chamber as a flat piece of metal: it spins through the air, extending several small wires: and when it impacts the target, the wires whip around and dig in. A strong electric pulse from the central unit sets up a current inside the target. It should fry anything mechanical/electronic and knock out anything organic.

[Raveled]

Design Journal 19.1. Had an interesting conversation with Push today. Talked a bit about his origin and powers, and allowed me to examine warhammer. Have previously observed him using ranged blasts, force fields, and enhanced striking force. Claims to be a kinetic manipulator; siphons off kinetic energy from the area, stores it internally, and releases it. Also got a chance to examine hammer; apparently constructed by a super-villain, 'Notorious Professor Wyrd.' Very insistent about name. Hypothesized that hammer is second battery, perhaps power focus.

Will have chance to test/study, as Push agreed to come into Lab for examination! Possible tests: full body scan, powers inactive and active; materials test on hammer; powers test, both with and without hammer; accuracy and precision test; anything else? Consult with Lab group about tests.

Addendum: search for 'Notorious Professor Wyrd' and variants in usual databases. FBI, AEGIS, Interpol, UNISON.

[Raveled]

Design Journal 14.1. I'm running into a problem with my armor. A materials problem, really; I can't make the armor much thicker without losing flexibility, and I need it to be flexible or I'll be a roving turret on the battlefield. I'm looking at some exotic bases and alloys, but material analysis comes back negative on each one -- no matter what I try, not one of them can give me the qualities I'm seeking.

Which is causing me to look at some radical options. Science fiction often uses force fields of justify how otherwise importable structures could remain upright. I think I can adapt the idea to my armor. The field will stabilize and reinforce the existing shell. It might compromise the suit's ability to spread the energy of a blow, but I can think of a few ways to handle that.

[Raveled]

This... This is... There aren't words. Omega-class threat? An honest-to-finagle gray goo scenario, enacted with purpose? This is scary beyond all measure.

Okay, have to focus. Don't know how to deal with Gorgon threat, so look at the smaller threats. City-wide panic, how to deal with it. Could ramp up the paralyzing force field I developed for the apartment. Even if the fields stay stable though, the energy cost would be enormous, and the public backlash would be... not good. Something more subtle: chemical deterrent? Nothing so outre as CS gas, but I bet I could develop a sleep gas of some sort. Make it heavier than air, deploy it from the top levels -- might work! If it disperses in the air enough, it should just make folks listless and worn out.

Will consider the problem of evacuation a little later. I can't deal with this all at once.

[Raveled]

Design Journal 15.1. This is an offshoot of my earlier experimentation into using force fields as reinforcements. I've discovered a way to totally incapacitate a person using a strong enough force field, freezing them in place like an insect in a glue trap. Unfortunately the effect falls off rather quickly and so doesn't work over a large area. Fortunately, it can be focused through a relatively small emitter; heat issues stop me from making a bank of emitters, but I should be able to hide the one emitter fairly easily. This makes it perfect for building security.

[Raveled]

October 12th, 2011

Riverside, Freedom City

Despite the intentional illiteracy, the back room of Inkz looked more like a doctor's office than Jessica Parker had been expecting. Granted, a doctor who favored pictures of flaming skulls, hearts encircled by barbed wires, and strings of kanji; but the bench/bed she was perched on, with its synthetic leather cover and roll of butcher paper, was a comforting familiarity. Since this was something she'd never done before, the young woman was happy for any comfort she could grab ahold of.

Jessica sat up as the door opened and a tall man wearing a tight-shirt that showed off his impressively-muscled arms, slipped in. He gave her a bright smile, which she returned with interest. "So," he said, pulling up a stool from where it rested near the wall, "you want a tattoo, miss?"

"Jessica. And yes." She dug out her smartphone and called up an image, a single still from a World War II newsreel. It showed a ludicrously over-sized broadcast tower, perched on a globe barely big enough to support its width. Electrical bolts the size of continents radiated out from the top of the tower in a circle. "I want those," she said, pointing at the bolts, "around here." She dropped the phone onto the butcher paper and lifted her shirt half-way, leaning back slightly to stretch her stomach. With her free hand she pointed to her belly-button and fanned her hand out around it. "In a circle, just like around the transmitter. Can you do it?"

The artist bit the tip of his tongue and reached out, brushing his hand over her stomach; Jessica started and he glanced up, a quick look passing between them that made the young woman blush. He returned to examining her stomach and after a moment, nodded. "Yeah, that shouldn't be too much of a problem." He went a cupboard on the wall and removed some sketching supplied, including some thin paper and dark pencils. He had her lay down on the table and quickly sketched out several designs, comparing them to the image Jessica had shown her. "So if I can ask, why the lightning bolts?"

Jessica shifted slightly on her back, the butcher paper crinkling underneath her. "It's a personal thing."

The man nodded and bent over his work again. "Understood. Sorry I asked."

He fell silent again and the quiet was punctuated by the scratching of his pencil on the paper, lending an almost meditative stillness to the room and helping Jessica's mind drift off. It had been ten months ago that she and her friend Mara, in their superheroic personas as Ironclad and Dragonfly, had waited in a Dawes Tech warehouse for a burglar to steal some sensitive equipment. The theft had gone off and they had chased the man into the sewers, following a tracking device on the stolen goods. It had lead them to an unfinished subway station and a madman mixing up a neurotoxin, with which he intended to hold the entire city hostage. Jessica, by incredibly bad luck, had inhaled a concentrated dose of the toxin and had to be rushed to the ER.

Her life had been saved by the quick attention and advanced science of the medical staff, but her life had been changed forever when the poison rewired her brain. She found herself able to 'hear' radio and other EM waves. With a little practice, she was even able to project such things and manipulate electronics remotely. She had reacted negatively at first, which hadn't won her any brownie points when Mara revealed that she herself already had such powers. But over the past year Jessica had learned to control and utilize her new powers in her everyday life.

Still, she felt guilty anytime she thought of how she'd first reacted to her changed circumstances. She had been under a lot of stress, but she'd hurt her best friend's feelings. She felt the need to rectify it, to show that her technopathic abilities were a central part of her life now. So here she was, feeling the tattoo artist wipe her midrif with an antiseptic lotion, preparing to feel the bite of the needle.

[Raveled]

Design Journal 17.1. Notes on alien ship obtained by Dragonfly and Ironclad two weeks ago. It's physically a sphere two and a three-quarters of a metre in diameter. The outside appears to be stainless steel, pockmarked by micrometeorite impacts. The material doesn't respond to material tests in the usual manner, though, leading me to believe that it's a high-quality alloy. Ignoring the damage, the craft is almost perfectly spherical, to within 0.0003 degrees, indicating a high degree of quality in manufacture.

The interior is accessed by a single clam shell-style door, with a porthole set into it. It's two metres across, and lined by a soft padding possibly intended to absorb the stresses of launch and flight. There's no controls on the interior that I can determine, though I shouldn't rule out the possibility that it is controlled psychically or via technopathic abilities.

There doesn't appear to be any sort of sensor suite or engines aboard the ship. There is latent magnetism, and I hypothesize that it was launched via magnetic rail or coilgun.

Going by the principal of Occam's Razor, I don't think the inhabitant (code name 'Glacier King') was supposed to control the flight of the craft at all. I think he may have been a prisoner or other sort of exile. That doesn't answer the question of who exiled him, or why he was fired towards Earth.

[Raveled]

Design Journal 7.44. I've been dealing with some headaches and muscle aches lately. There's no readily discernible cause, but I have a theory. Almost two years ago I was gassed and developed technopathic abilities. An examination by Doktor von Archeville confirmed that heavy metals were bonded to my brain and bones, allowing me to generate and perceive radio and other wireless signals. I need an fMRI to confirm, but I think the metals are starting to come loose. The particles from my bones would being traveling through my lymphatic and circulatory systems, causing reactions from my immune system. The particles in my brain could cause, essentially, electrical shorts across the gaps between transmitters. It's just been odd ideas and headaches so far, but if this continues it could get deadly, quickly. I have to deal with this before too much more time passes.

[Raveled]

Design Journal 7.45. I'm a fool. I had a run in recently with a super-criminal by the name of Flechette, a magnetokinetic. She sensed the metal in my bones and pulled it out, rather harshly. I'm typing this from a bed in the Freedom Medical Center, because three vertebrae in my lower back were shattered and if I had been more cautious, none of this would have happened.

Well, sobbing over my failure won't fix things. I need to devise a way to fix my back, as well as remove the metal still in my system. Hm, a metal rod with reinforcement could work for a replacement spine, but then I'd still be vulnerable to magnetokinetics... Ooo, but what about ceramics!? I wouldn't be able to bend that part of my spine, but it would remove the vulnerability...