Avenger Assembled Posted December 28, 2011 Posted December 28, 2011 Second Week of January 2012 Christmas and New Years were not a particularly meaningful holiday for Sharl, lacking a cultural understanding of the holiday and a chronological mindset that made the change between one year and the next relevant to his day-to-day life. It wasn't even like he'd gone onto a new grade at Claremont yet, something that made all this talk of school years seem terribly archaic. But things had gone pretty well for him; he'd gotten a house upgrade from Miss Americana that he was still customizing; the incredible, sinful luxury of another five rooms to himself, not to mention a simulated animal to tend to, was still something he was trying to wrap his mind around. Home and how different it was from Claremont had been on his mind lately: he'd managed a trip back home during the school holiday to visit his family in Tronik and to do some more superheroing in his home city, where the "mysterious Citizen" had gotten a chance to pull off some pretty impressive feats of derring-do, culminating in a spectacular rescue of a sinking exploratory ship on its way to visit the new set of islands Leroj had helped raise at the end of the previous month. No one on the outside had seen that, and maybe none of them would care, but he'd still felt good about it coming out. And that, he thought, had been that until Mr. Summers had summoned him and all of Young Freedom into his office the first day they were all back on campus after the Christmas break."As some of you may know," Summers had said, fixing his steely gaze on Cobalt Templar and Sage in particular, "the long-time custodian of the Centurion's Sanctum died recently in a battle with the Terminus alongside the first iteration of Young Freedom. In consulation with his heir and with the Freedom League, I have decided to allow the current iteration of Young Freedom to continue that tradition of guarding the Centurion's Sanctum. You are all excused from classes for the duration of this week in order that you may journey to the Arctic, tour the Centurion's Sanctum and the artifacts there, and return safely to Claremont Academy." Even with Mrs. Harcourt, by no means Sharl's favorite teacher, as their chaperone, Sharl was inordinately happy: they were going back to the Sanctum, the place that held his home, and with any luck his friends would be able to see it for themselves! With his usual laptop as his companion, Sharl put aside his house and went to work studying the school's files on the Sanctum again, heedless of the Arctic winter outside their jetplane window. After all, the Sanctum was one of the great repositories of super-tech on Earth, as well as the home of his home city: he'd better know something about it!
Gizmo Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 Even by her energetic standards, Kimber was clearly excited about the field trip, and for several reasons. The phantom couldn't remember any real details about her life before her death, but she absolutely knew who the Centurion was. Her feelings about it having been nearly two decades since he fell defending the world from Omega were somewhat mixed; on one hand the loss felt vaguely fresher than that to her, but on the other her perspective on death wasn't quite so morose as that held by most beings. Regardless, getting to visit his secret base was just about the neatest thing she could readily imagine! She wasn't entirely sure she followed Sharl's explanation of how the Sanctum tied in with his home - she was still a little iffy on the distinction between 'holographically projected digital intelligence' and 'robot ghost' - but she could recognize the young man's good cheer easily enough. While not nearly so perpetually dour as Koshiro, Sharl often seemed a bit put out by working and living conditions in Freedom City and the world at large. It was nice to see him in such good spirits for once, and Kimber was looking forward to learning more about Tronik the way Indira had taught her about Kinigos. The final reason for her enthusiasm was likely unique amongst the group: they were in the Arctic! In winter! The beautiful, frigid fields of snow and ice outside the airplane's windows were just about the most welcoming landscape the frosty poltergeist could imagine. She'd adopted a pale, lavender-blue sundress over her ethereal form and taken to floating about the space between rows of seats despite repeated attempts to get her to sit down. In her defense, the immaterial teenager was neither in any actual danger from her position nor could she have been in the way even if she'd wanted to be.
KnightDisciple Posted December 31, 2011 Posted December 31, 2011 Corbin had found this whole affair a bit unsettling. On one hand, there was the fact that he knew exactly who the Headmaster was talking about. And thinking about that man's final hours still brought a grimace to his face. Whatever else the man had done, however "heroic" the death, he had still died. Just as much as that was the affect it had had on Mark. The gregarious youth had hidden it well, but his father's death had affected him. He hadn't taken Corbin up on his offers to help, but they stood still, and probably would until Corbin died of old age. That was just how he was. But he wasn't sure about treading this ground. Secondly, he didn't know about how he felt "messing around" in the Sanctum. While he appreciated the honor, he wasn't sure what qualified him for it. He felt under-equipped. He didn't even have a good idea of what "guarding the Centurion's Sanctum" meant! Then again, the historian in him was itching to see the various historical artifacts. The whole place was history! In short, he felt a bit confused about the whole ordeal. Still, he could tell Sharl was happy. He recalled his teammate's explanation about where he really came from. No wonder the boy was so happy! And of course, one couldn't help but notice Kimber's movement about the cabin. "What's up, Kimber? Something wrong, or are you just showing off?" Corbin's reclined poster and soft grin made sure his spectral teammate was gently teasing her about "showing off".
Electra Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 Normally, Koshiro would've felt excited about going to the Arctic, he was sure. Just leaving the country was a big deal, after all, not to mention one of the few plane rides he'd taken. But after spending Christmas with his family in Detroit, it was hard to get too worked up about anything. The work study job he'd picked up on campus had let him take some presents home, but that wasn't much when he saw how his mom and grandma were struggling just to make ends meet for them and for the girls. He should be there right now, finding out some way to use his powers to make money and contribute something to the family, not flying around with a bunch of superheroes and exploring the secret world of the Centurion. Perversely, Koshiro sometimes wished he was back in juvie so he didn't feel so damned guilty all the time. After a few hours on the plane, with the novelty of the ride completely worn thin and guilt nagging at him, the last thing he wanted to do was chat with his teammates, or get run through by the energetic post-life entity rocketing up and down the aisle. Putting his back to the wall of the cabin, he got out a pack of cheap origami paper he'd lifted from the art classroom and started practicing new folds. If he could fold a space heater, that might come in handy up here.
Gizmo Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 "Wrong? Oh, no! I'm just so excited!" Kimber responded cheerfully to Corbin's inquiry, floating over the broad-shouldered young man's seat, her sundress shifting about her feet as if ruffled by a wind no one else in the plane could feel. "I mean, aren't you? It's all just so... exciting!" The poltergeist compensated for her lack of words by waving her hands emphatically and grinning in a way that scrunched up the beryl freckles across her nose. "We're going to see the Sanctum and find out more about where Sharl's from and see all the cool old super stuff and I heard there's robots and we're in the Arctic and--" Moving about again as listed reasons for her exuberance, Kimber was cut off momentarily as she pushed her head through the cabin wall immediately next to Koshiro, though her gesturing hands were still visible to those inside. Pulling herself back in, she bobbed up and down in place dangerously deep into the sullen artist's personal space. "Oh, sorry, I said 'and it's so beautiful out there!'"
Avenger Assembled Posted January 2, 2012 Author Posted January 2, 2012 Having taken a seat near his roomate, but not too near, Sharl repressed a wince in sympathy for Koshiro. Personal space was something the electronic teenager valued quite highly; one reason that he and Koshiro had been put together in the first place. He knew Kimber didn't mean anything by it, though, and so he opted to distract the peppy blue girl rather than risk turning the trip into a personality conflict. They weren't that far, he remembered, from their landing site. "Hey, Kimber," he said, impulsively making a decision. "before we get there, I just now downloaded the puppy packet Miss Americana gave me for Christmas," he said, tilting his laptop to show Kimber a huge melange of a wide variety of small dogs woofing and sniffing at each other adorably on-screen. Miss A had also hardened his laptop enough that it could stand being around Kimber without too many problems. "But since I don't know anything about canine breeds," he extemporized, "I was wondering if you could help me pick one out?" He demonstrated by clicking on a bichon frise, bringing up an image of an adorable floofy white puppy that seemed to look right out of the screen with intelligent eyes, its 'breath' steaming the screen slightly.
Fox Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 Indira had, really, no context for any of this. She only knew who the Centurion was in abstract; she wasn't on Earth at the time, and while he was very, very well known, his life and death hadn't had quite the same...impact, elsewhere. It wasn't her home that had been invaded, and he'd never been the beloved hero of her or her people. He'd gone toe-to-toe with Omega, though, and lost his life defending his people. That made him a great warrior - one of the greatest of warriors - that that much, that much she got. That much she understood perfectly, and the prospect of visiting his private stronghold filled her with less excitement and more quiet curiosity. Her hero or not, seeing the...the den of such a mighty person could turn out very interesting indeed. Not so interesting that 'puppies' didn't catch her ear, though. She blinked, making her way over to Sharl and his laptop to take a look.
Gizmo Posted January 2, 2012 Posted January 2, 2012 Kimber's attention moved immediately to Sharl at the sound of her name, blinking with curiosity. Her ice blue eyes lit up with delight as the holographic teen explained his dilemma and she shot through the air to join Indira next to the laptop screen. "Oh. My. Goodness!" she cried, pitch smoothly ascending to a pitch one might have suspected as being the trailing edge of a ghostly shriek. "Cutie! Hi there! Hello!" The ethereal teen remained suitably impressed by the computer technology of the present; the fluffy white canine on the screen certainly looked real enough to jump right out of the screen and considering who was holding the laptop that wasn't out of the question.
KnightDisciple Posted January 3, 2012 Posted January 3, 2012 "Wrong? Oh, no! I'm just so excited!" Kimber responded cheerfully to Corbin's inquiry, floating over the broad-shouldered young man's seat, her sundress shifting about her feet as if ruffled by a wind no one else in the plane could feel. "I mean, aren't you? It's all just so... exciting!" The poltergeist compensated for her lack of words by waving her hands emphatically and grinning in a way that scrunched up the beryl freckles across her nose. "We're going to see the Sanctum and find out more about where Sharl's from and see all the cool old super stuff and I heard there's robots and we're in the Arctic and--" Moving about again as listed reasons for her exuberance, Kimber was cut off momentarily as she pushed her head through the cabin wall immediately next to Koshiro, though her gesturing hands were still visible to those inside. Pulling herself back in, she bobbed up and down in place dangerously deep into the sullen artist's personal space. "Oh, sorry, I said 'and it's so beautiful out there!'" Corbin couldn't help but let out a short, bellowing laugh at Kimber's raw enthusiasm. "Well, that's good to hear. It is pretty exciting, yes." He stared thoughtfully out the window. "A bit intimidating, but generally exciting..." Of course, by this point, Kimber had drifted further up the cabin, then been diverted from bothering Koshiro by Sharl's electronic puppy. Corbin just raised an eyebrow at the idea, shrugged, and went back to looking over what few bits of documentation they'd been allowed. He really wished he had more information...
Avenger Assembled Posted January 3, 2012 Author Posted January 3, 2012 Sharl was glad to be the center of so much attention, even if it did mean having to get up close and personal with his teammates. At least Indira and Kimber were both pretty girls; most of the time, anyway. There was personal space, and then there was personal space. "See, Miss A got me new rooms for my house," he said, awe in his voice at the idea as he tabbed over to show the girls his pad: it turned out that inside his computer, Sharl lived in a wooden house with a white picket fence, where inside he scrolled through to show them a bedroom, a fully packed kitchen stocked with the chips and snacks any teenager would love, and now an entertainment room with video games and pool, a huge bathroom with marble fixtures and a jacuzzi, a library full of books ("Miss A says I need to learn to appreciate those," he admitted), and even a yard in back with a tree, tire swing, and a half-built doghouse. Sharl was the most excited about the yard, really. "Look at all that grass! All that space!" he said about a yard that looked as big to scale as any suburban backyard. His dog program turned out to be something of an animated dog encyclopedia; clicking on each breed on the screen brought up a gamboling puppy that looked ready to jump out of the screen and lick the trio by the computer in the face, along with behind it a little screen of information on each breed. "I like the little dogs like the bichon frise and the Scottish Terrier," said Sharl thoughtfully, "I don't know where I'd put a St. Bernard or husky if I take him home! But they're really cute too, and I'll already have to tell people about my alien pet..." He hmmed.
Electra Posted January 3, 2012 Posted January 3, 2012 "Don't get one of those little purse dogs," Koshiro spoke up, distracted for a moment from his brooding. "Those things don't do anything but yap and crap. You want a dog, get a German Shepherd or something. They're smart and badass. If you're going to put in all the work to have a dog, you should have a useful one, not a fluffy little turd machine." He finished the last few folds on his latest origami creation and released it, whereupon it scuttled into the aisle on needlepoint legs and exploded into a shower of confetti. This wasn't apparently the effect Koshiro was looking for, as he immediately picked up another piece of paper and started again, a look of subdued frustration on his face.
Fox Posted January 3, 2012 Posted January 3, 2012 "Hmm." Indira furrowed her brow, humming to herself - not very convincingly, though; she was trying to stay in human form for a bit in the name of practice, but she'd let her eyes go solid black and the hum had that same weird speaker-like quality to it that her true voice did. "It is...a very difficult decision. We do not have any animal pets, really - only since we have been able to import them, really. Our own animals were...ah....somewhat difficult to tame, I believe. Having controllable animals was a sign of great wealth and power, or so history goes." She mused for a moment, blinking as Sharl paged through the breeds. "I...think that I like the german shepard, perhaps? It seems...large, and noble. But the terriers are very cute."
Gizmo Posted January 3, 2012 Posted January 3, 2012 "Oh, definitely!" Kimber agreed readily with Koshiro's advice, either ignoring or unbothered by his uncensored language. "You want a dog big enough to like, wrestle with and put your arms around, that you can take out to the park and the woods with you and... and..." The phantom's eyes unfocused for a moment and she blinked, trying to recall just what she'd been about to say. It couldn't have been that important, she decided quickly. She did tend to ramble a bit, or so she'd been told. "Um. But yeah! I guess if you don't think you'll have enough room, you should be smart about it? It's going to be your dog, Sharl, you should pick the type you like best!" She gave the young man holding the laptop a sunny, reassuring smile.
Avenger Assembled Posted January 4, 2012 Author Posted January 4, 2012 Sharl paged through quite a few breeds, enjoying the attention the puppies brought as well as the chance to see all the adorable, exotic-looking animals: he still didn't quite believe that these were all interfertile members of the same species! He associated that kind of flexibility with Lor humanoids, not with domestic animals. He looked torn between the German shepard and a Scottish terrier, switching back and forth between the two dogs, before finally their imminent landing at the small hidden airstrip associated with the Sanctum made him put his computer away. Ms. Harcourt patrolled the aisles to make sure all the students who needed to be restrained were restrained before taking her own seat. When the plane dived through the storm, they finally got their first look at the exterior of the Centurion's Sanctum. It turned out to be deeply unimpressive from the outside, of course; the artificial structure of ice and rock which encased the Centurion's home looked like any other frozen-over mountain here deep in the Arctic Ocean, thanks to the cunning design of the Man of Adamant decades earlier. When the students gathered their things to depart, Ms. Harcourt fussed over all of them, making sure they were all wearing their thermal gear and carrying their spare equipment, even Kimber pressed into service to carry a box of survival rations, before they headed out together into the Arctic winter. It was bitter, bitter cold, enough that without their Claremont-issued blue and gold survival gear, all-too-human students like Sage and Papercut would have been in very serious jeopardy in short order on the windswept icy plain. But luckily that was just the space of a few minutes before they were at the front entrance of the Sanctum, a massive steel door embedded in the icy rock before them. Ms. Harcourt, ensconced in as heavy Arctic gear as any of her human students, called out a muffled Latin syllable that opened the massive gate for them. As the massive steel door rolled open for them, the students stepped into the massive (and delightfully climate-controlled) entrance hall of the Centurion's Sanctum! Around them all was the stuff of legends; the regal man and woman in togas holding up an image of the Earth that had birthed the Centurion, artifacts collected from all over the vast space and time that had been the Centurion's career, everything from Grue battlechargers to ancient Egyptian statues, with even a sign clearly leading the way to "The Alien Zoo". Ms. Harcourt excused herself to signal to the pilot that he was safe to take off, giving the kids a few moments to stow their gear and take in where they were.
Avenger Assembled Posted January 5, 2012 Author Posted January 5, 2012 For his part, the Sanctum was both familiar and unfamiliar to Sharl. This had been his home, and the home of all his people, his whole life, but he hadn't known that until very recently. When he'd stepped out of the world, he'd come out in Freedom City, not into the Sanctum, and his visits here hadn't been that common with the direct shunt Miss Americana and Dragonfly had set up between the Lab and the Sanctum. He'd certainly never met the Centurion, a man who'd lived and died years before his birth, and many of these monuments didn't mean anything to him. But there was no denying the emotion of the moment for him as he pressed a few buttons on his emitter, nodding in satisfaction as he found the Sanctum's systems waiting for him. His resolution visibly dropped when he picked up the Sanctum's projectors, forcing him to squint behind his glasses as Sharl seemed to get a little off-color. Better fix the new projectors..."The Centuritrons are in a maintenance cycle this week," he said out loud for the benefit of his fellow students, floating up to study the Centurion's big statue in the main hall. He couldn't actually reach up very high, not when there were only a limited number of projectors in the old Sanctum, but he didn't want to dwell on that. Soon enough, he'd be home!
Fox Posted January 7, 2012 Posted January 7, 2012 Indira admitted to herself. She'd given up on being human when they'd left the plane, finding that something wide and four-legged gave her better traction on the frozen ground...and was probably safer, besides, given her weight. She didn't really bother changing back once they were inside, though she did slim her body a little and grow a tail before slipping off and winding her way up the planet-bearing pair for a better view. "This is...very impressive," she said from her perch, eyes taking in as much of the area as they could. She broadly gestured - with the tail - toward the assorted artifacts and whatnots. "I do like the trophies, very much. I am certain there is a very interesting story behind each of them."
Gizmo Posted January 8, 2012 Posted January 8, 2012 A disconcertingly echoing peal of laughter announced the reappearance of Kimber, who'd hung back from the rest of the group as they'd entered the Sanctum to enjoy the weather. Slipping back through the walls to rejoin the group, the chipper phantom had at some point manifested a robin's egg blue parasol to go with her sundress and was twirling it about as she flew in gentle circles overhead. "This place is the raddest imaginable! Oh my goodness, and there's cool stuff inside too!" she proclaimed, parasol disappearing with a brief unfocusing as if it had abruptly moved to the corner of the eyes of anyone watching it so that she could clap her hands in delight. She flitted about the space like a humming bird, observing over the shoulders of her friends whatever each of them had naturally gravitated to among the many sights.
April Posted January 8, 2012 Posted January 8, 2012 Even though she had been excused from classes like her teammates, Eve spent the flight engrossed in her school work paying only peripheral attention to the conversations that had flowed around her. She chuckled to herself when Sharl and the others discussed which puppy he should get; in Eve's opinion a cat--or kitten in this case--would make a superior pet, not only were they more attractive but independent animals were practical for hero work. She kept this opinion to herself for the moment as she found her breath catching in her throat upon entering the Sanctum. In her mind the Centurion, though often engaging in international heroics, was more of an American hero--but even at her most jaded Eve couldn't deny the sort of contribution he had. That and his house (as it were) was impressive.
KnightDisciple Posted January 8, 2012 Posted January 8, 2012 When they'd landed and prepared to leave the plane, Corbin had suited up just like Koshiro, Eve, and Ms. Harcourt for the cold weather. Mostly it was a measure to not make his other flesh-and-blood classmates feel ill at ease with him; a small part of the motivation was a "just in case the ring stops working or falls off", as unlikely as either possibility was. But honestly, with his ancient ring on his hand, he could have dashed through the snow as naked as the day he was born and not felt a thing out of place. He just didn't notice the cold. So between that and his own strength, he made sure he was loaded up with as much as possible (especially considering his ring's object-creation abilities). He gave a grin as they stopped at the door, patiently standing there, loaded for bear. "Well, we've certainly got enough food for a while. I'll try to take Eve-sized bites when I eat." Were it not for the goggles on his face, he'd have given a friendly wink to his slightly diminutive friend, fellow student, and comrade. Then the door to the Centurion's sanctum opened, and he took his first steps inside. Probably the only reason he didn't stop immediately to gape was the knowledge that they had to get everyone and everything inside as quickly as possible. Thus he hurried inside, moving the pile of gear he was hauling over to one side and carefully setting it down. Then, he got to the important business at hand. Casually discarding his outer layers until he was down to shirt, pants, shoes, and the goggles (which he moved to his forehead), Corbin began a slow circuit of the room. He ventured near a variety of artifacts, thinking back to the events that had spawned them. "There's a lot of history here. I mean, this is just a lot of stuff, you know? Years and years of him fighting against the likes of Superior, Omega, and all the others. Standing in the gap for every other man, woman, and child on the planet. It's...really, it's kind of humbling, being in the middle of all this history."
Electra Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 Koshiro was a bit slow to take his outer gear off after the race through the cold, his cheeks and nose still red from the wind even after he'd shed his school-issue coat and changed from boots back into sneakers. Once he could feel his fingers and toes again, though, the undeniable and huge appeal of being in a place where no one got to go, a place that had been closed off and perfectly preserved for decades, easily overcame any lingering discomfort or guilt. That could wait for the plane ride back. "Can we go anywhere we want?" he asked Harcourt. The lobby was interesting enough, but it was obviously for public viewing and that wasn't really what he was interested in. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his roommate start to change color. "You okay, man?"
Avenger Assembled Posted January 12, 2012 Author Posted January 12, 2012 "You can go wherever you like," said Harcourt in reply to Koshiro, giving all the Young Freedom students serious looks. "Being here, in this place, is a sacred trust. The heroes of Freedom have taken care of the Sanctum for almost twenty years now, and they'll probably be doing it for another twenty. This was his place," she added with a gesture at a nearby statue of the Centurion, one with the simpler-cut costume that told the more historically-minded of the students it had to date from the 1940s. "Treat it with the same respect you'd treat him. And stick together," she added. "Two-person groups at least." She pulled aside Cobalt Templar and Sage, the two seniors, with some special instructions. "The damage from the fight with the Alpha-Centurion and Superior has been repaired, but I want you two to keep an eye out for any more dimensional anomalies that might creep up. I'm going to be spending my time working with the computer systems down below," she admitted, looking excited. "I want to try out some new inventions of mine." Dropping down to floor-level, a slightly off-color Sharl shrugged a little and admitted, "It's the old projectors in here. They're really secure and really stable, but they're pretty old. They're not as powerful as what I'm used to." He put his hand out and poked it through Koshiro's midsection. "You guys all look like you're from one of your old CGI shows. It's kind of weird." He thought for a minute, then suggested to Koshiro and the others within earshot, "Hey, since I technically live here, you want to see something really cool? Not all of the Centurion's rooms are locked off..."
Gizmo Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 "You should try being see-through, too!" Kimber suggested to Sharl with a chipper smile, popping up behind the holographic teen and his roommate. She stuck her own ethereal forearm into Koshiro's back and out the other side so that her waving hand protruded from the solid youth's chest above Sharl's limb. "See? Then we'd be totally twinsies!" It honestly didn't seem to occur to her just how unsettling the entire demonstration might have been for the Detroit native and token meat-person. "Something really cool?!" she repeated after Sharl's question, her arm pulling out of Koshiro's personal space as she reflexively floated higher in the air. "What is it?!"
Fox Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 She winced a little in sympathy for Koshiro, but didn't comment - maybe he was enjoying the attention? "I would very much like to see 'something cool'."
KnightDisciple Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 Corbin nodded at Ms. Harcourt's request. Once she'd gone he turned to his fellow senior. "Anything I should expect to look out for, or just "weird things"?" After she answered, he happened to overhear Sharl's statement about "something cool". He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. 'No point in trying to stop them. And if it's not locked, maybe we're meant to see it. Might as well go along and ride herd.' "Hm. Well, if it's not locked, guess that means we can see it. You all want to stow our stuff and go check it out? I'm game." He didn't look at Eve when he thought in her direction. <Let's just go with it. What can it hurt, anyways?>
Electra Posted January 13, 2012 Posted January 13, 2012 Koshiro startled reflexively as Sharl put a hand through his torso, then jumped forward with a muttered curse as Kimber's hand suddenly appeared through his chest. He sidestepped to get away from both of the handsy apparitions, brushing his own hands reflexively over his torso as though checking for holes. Only the idea that Sharl might have something worthwhile to see kept him from a few especially choice words for his roommate, who knew he didn't appreciate being clipped through. "Yeah, if we're done with kindergarten playtime, let's see what you've got," he told the computerized teen.
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