Realistic or Modern A Will, A Way [Experimental Superhero Story]

[Birdsie]

Author's Note: I'm not gonna play high-and-mighty. I'll admit from the start that this is inspired by Worm.

Setting

Our story begins in the early days of the eighties when people with unexplained abilities began to appear all over the world. Ranging from shooting streams of fire to learning new, impressive skills very rapidly and with minimal effort. These powers and abilities were feared at first, as villains began to use them for criminal profit. However, people began to respect the idea of living together with parahumans as time went on, after independent costumed heroes showed up and began to do the opposite.

Parahumans became a part of our world and had to integrate somehow. In order to ensure peace and order on the streets in the wake of these events, America's Hero Association was created to help, with a subordinate organization in the form of Emergency Parahuman Response (E.P.R.)

Superpowers - What Are They?

As you've read, this is an experimental superhero story. It's not very experimental if it doesn't have an experiment.

Natural Capes

Instead of choosing their superpowers, the players will decide on the nature of the characters' Trigger Event. A Trigger Event is a situation where a person's frustration, stress, fear, adrenaline, or anger reach a critical mass and metaphorically explode: granting them a power as a result. What nebulous void powers come from is truly unknown and possibly best left unexplored, but that doesn't change the fact that whatever source they originate from chooses only those who undergo the aforementioned process, not to mention that only a fraction of people have the potential to undergo a Trigger Event.

Based on the Trigger Event, I, the GM, will then craft an appropriate, fitting power for that character. Powers will be directly tied to the Trigger Event. Physical abuse, emotional abuse, environmental rejection, long-term stressors, abstract stressors - each of these will grant a different result, which will further be molded by things like the character's personality, nature, and the specific circumstances of the Trigger Event itself.

A man steps into the wrong alleyway and is assaulted by people with bats. His power can be anything from growing layers of flexible metal on his skin, to the ability to have attacks phase through him, to simply forcing the attackers to go away. This isn't a stable process: you can't ever be sure what the end result is, but perhaps that's preferable to the alternatives that would take place had you never received a power to begin with?

Cauldron Capes

There is another way to obtain powers. Some people, either unaware of what a Trigger Event is, or incapable of experiencing it go around looking for answers. How to get superpowers? If they are truly honest about their desire to gain powers, they are approached by an agent of a mysterious shadow organization known only as Cauldron.

What price to pay for a superpower? It varies. Truth be told, Cauldron isn't interested in money and is even ready to accept favors as a payment to those who can't afford it in an old-fashioned way. Where they get their serums from is just as mysterious as natural Trigger Events. Nonetheless, Cauldron has a wide selection of vials to pick from; often, a vial family is tied around specific types of powers. This grants choice to whoever would seek out Cauldron and its vials, a choice they would otherwise not have.

However, there is a price to pay for dealing with the devil. Each Cauldron vial has a low - usually lower than 10% - chance of deviancy. The results vary. Rarely, people's bodies mutate. Other times, their powers are unreliable and bizarre, having seemingly no middle setting between Off and Obliterate. Sometimes, the power is semi-sentient or interferes in their daily life. The risk exists and you have to be willing to take it in your bid for power.

Characters

Ever since the slow urban decay of the northern docks in the city of Bridgemore that started in the middle nineties, the number of supervillains and gangs in the city began to rise to dangerous quantities. No one can be certain whether the cause and effect were the urban decay or the supervillains, but it doesn't matter. The city of Bridgemore, once a well-oiled society is now a dilapidated wreck paraded about by arbitrary forces: rogue parahumans.

Two years ago, in 2016, an agent of America's Hero Association came to the city at the request of the mayor. Seeing the massive problem with crime, he assigned the city a HOSV (Hive of Scum and Villainy) status and ever since then, the AHA has been directing resources to forming a new EPR department in the area, including a superhero team.

That is where you come in.

A parahuman living in the area, you've either been detected by the EPR and approached with a job offer or came to them on your own.

Tomorrow, you're meeting your teammates.

 

[Birdsie]

-BEGIN-

kasigi Coriander Noble Scion C Checkmate7 Platelet-Chan NUSKI SP3CT3R EricSings TannerDedInside2017 Psychonaut madame moiselle mikaluvkitties Radio_Rat66.6 Silver.River

Some parahumans claim that when they undergo their Trigger Event, they see something indescribable, then forget instantly thereafter. The same goes for Cauldron capes, who are more unsettled by it than others.

Researchers who had access to first-hand accounts from hundreds of capes believe that when you gain a power, you see a vision of something, then forget about it instantly, as if someone deleted or removed your memories. Details are hard to piece together. Everyone seems to remember the same thing, but forget most of it, and some people remember only vague tidbits.

Some people see a black sky with stars. Others, not as much see, but rather feel the last breath of something. Others yet see something reminiscent of a black snake staring at them from the sky. But no matter who you ask, there is one detail that persists across every single account.

Every person who Triggers, regardless of who they are, remember one detail of this vision.

Two voices speaking to each other, but without acoustics. No, 'voices' is the wrong word to use. 'Pure information' is more accurate. A sensation, a feeling of data flooding their mind to inform them of a particular concept.

What do these 'voices' convey? Four things in total, always the same, unchanging:

[DESTINATION]

[AGREEMENT]

[TRAJECTORY]

[AGREEMENT]

And then, everything goes blank.

※​

To assert that Victor Schuurman, the EPR Director of Sector Eighty-Six, ENE, is overworked, is a gross understatement. In the last week, the man had worked a little over eighty hours. That's roughly eleven and a half hours daily, average.

A cruel lifestyle like this slowly burnt the man out. He rubbed his tired eyes with his fingers, holding his folded sunglasses in his other hand. But the formation of a new EPR department wasn't a triviality. Better to do overtime than to slack off.

And besides, today, he was meeting the team.

He sat at the end of a long, smooth white office table, surrounded by over a dozen swing chairs with metal legs instead of wheels. The meeting room had a large, slick TV screen on the back, and several potted plants placed in the corners of the room as decoration. It was meant mostly for tactical discussion, but today, for this specific hour, it'd be used by the director and his new employees to discuss the formation of the new team.

The EPR had placed tour guides in the lobby of the building, to lead in newly-hired capes to a safe room away from the prying eyes of the public.

In the interest of protecting their secrecy, each cape was to be given a tinkertech domino mask which produced a light distortion effect, blurring out the person's facial features and placing things like fake moles, features or scars on it, to protect their identity. The branding department had already received the suit requests and design notes, but they were yet to be delivered, so the meeting had to use these masks instead.

After this, they'd be led here, into the meeting room.

Truth be told, the director had already met each prospective hero in a one on one meeting when they were hired. First, the director named the benefits, such as the very impressive wage. The capes had to go mandatory medical and psychological evaluation, then did power testing with the research team and were cleared for field work. After that, it was up to them whether or not to place their signature on the contract the director would offer to them.

Usually, capes with better powers, skillsets, and less vulnerabilities received more lucrative deals. Usually, as Victor Schuurman tried to be fair and treat employees equally. Still, unusual situations demanded unusual responses and parahumans were nothing if not unusual.

All that was remaining to do was this meeting.

Only this, Victor thought. Only this remained, and then the team would be formed and finally, he'd be able to take a break.

He could push through. Mr. Schuurman called on the last scraps of his determination, put on a hardened but friendly smile, and waited for the first person to come through.

 

[Coriander]

Eshe Bryke​

When Eshe walked into the building it felt so different to him. He knew the choice he was making would change his life, and he knew that there was a high chance of danger coming along with it. But looking back on the life he had before just reassured him even more. Doing nothing but loaf around was boring, and unhealthy to say the least. Though he followed the person in front of him, he was rarely listening or focusing on where they were going. Eshe was nervous, and he hated it. The way his stomach did flips every now and then, the way he couldnt look at what was ahead, instead looking at the floor. It made him feel so, bothered.

When they had reached the double doors leading to his new future, he wanted to run. But wouldnt, knowing that it would be stupid and make him look stupid. It pissed him off even more thinking about it. He just, had to go for it. Inside he found that he was the first, that was worse than running in his opinion but now was not the time to dread. There was a man there, on the opposite side of the table, he looked awful. It reminded him of his high school days, staying up all night to finish work he pushed to the end.

He wanted to say something, maybe a hello? But no, Eshe said nothing, sitting in one of the chairs, seeping into the silent atmosphere and feeling his neck burn in anticipation. Man did he hate being one on one.

 

[Checkmate7]

James Holdem​

James would be lying to himself if he said that he didn't feel at least a little ridiculous with the tinker-tech mask, almost like a kid playing dress up. It was hard to reconcile the fact that he was a parahuman with wearing a costume, because the mask counted as one, more so because most of the time he didn't feel different to other people. Sure, his power was badass as hell, but most of the time he might as well be any other normal guy.

Of course he didn't let any of this show, as he was guided deeper into the building. He had learnt from experience that faking confidence was as good as being confident for the purposes of first impressions and since he didn't think he would have any other job in his life, or at least not as well paying, he figured out it would be better to impress. He had even dressed for it, button up shirt. dress pants and leather shoes may be a bit antiwuated for the first day of job, but he supposed that his new boss would appreciate it if nothing else.

Eventually his guide showed him the doors to the meeting room, leaving him to open them for himself. James took one deep breath, steeled himself and opened them both. Only two persons where inside, both seating at the table. He presumed that the man at the head was the ERP director and that the one with the mask had to be one of his new teammates.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you." He greeted both of them as he took a seat opposite of his new teammate.

 

[Silver.River]

Jordan officially didn't know where life was going to head her as she followed her guild to the assigned meeting room to meet her fellow caps. When she first got approached for this job offer, Jordan was more than confused. She didn't, and still doesn't, know how to control her power very well and always seemed to crash into something at high speed, or in worse cases blow up on impact, when she never meant to do anything. It took a while for her to finally realize it came from not moving and even then it was a challenge in her own right to force herself to never stop moving unless she wanted to. Her power was powerful when used right, but it could also be harmful to those around her. So when someone came to her saying that she could be a hero with her power, Jordan almost laughed before she realized they weren't joking. However, still, Jordan took that offer. It felt better to her that she could use her power to help people instead of hurting them.

The woman self-consciously adjusted her mask with a free hand while the other was messing with a bit of putty with the other. Technically she didn't need to be toying with something right now since she was walking, but it was an unconscious action that Jordan was trying to place onto herself. Plus at any moment Jordan could stop walking to talk or look at something and won't even realize she had stopped moving until it was too late and she accidentally sent herself off in on direction as she tried moving again. It happened more than once for it to be a constant danger. She shivered slightly at the thought of one random stranger she nearly sent to the hospital one time, though with luck he happened to be parahuman and barely dodged out of the way, just barely.

Eventually, the guild stopped in front of the assigned meeting room and she snapped herself out of her thoughts. "Is this the room?" She asked the guild person as they just nodded, not leaving any room for thought. Jordan took a deep breath herself before using one of the doors to walk in. Her eyes scanned the room. Jordan recognized Mr. Schuurman from before when he interviewed her for the job and also two other people also sitting down. 'They must also be here for the same reason.' She noted to herself as she walked over and took a seat down next clearly less nervous one.

"Hello." She greeted awkwardly as she carefully palmed the putty in her left hand, before turning to greet the only person she actually knew in the room, "Good to see you again, Mr. Schuurman."

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Casper Ollila​

As soon as Casper arrived in the lobby of the Bridgemore EPR department, they were being waved down by a tour guide. It left them little time to worry over how they would connect with the others they were going to meet today, which was for the better.

They couldn’t help but look around as the tour guide led them out of the lobby and to the meeting room. They rarely left their home, let alone for work. Casper had a job. The thought still blew them away. They had a job, and soon, they thought to themself, they were going to be able to leave home. And they’d never have to go back.

Even as they thought it, guilt nibbled at the back of their head. They would be leaving their mother alone in their childhood home, without even their father’s company- though some could argue that was for the better. On top of the guilt of leaving their mother after everything she had done for them- everything she had done to them- they were scared. Their mother helped them with everything- they hadn’t even gotten dressed on their own today, though that had barely been by choice.

She would probably smack them for their slouching if she were here to see the way they were curled in on themself, wrinkling the black button up she had painstakingly paired with their grey chinos. The urge to fiddle with their shirt sleeves grew stronger as they thought of their mother, and eventually it felt like they would either have to fiddle with the buttons on the sleeves or touch their face, unused to the mask they wore, and they knew neither option was acceptable.

If only their mother had found one of their sweaters up to the standard this occasion called for, something soft and familiar they could use to ground themself.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the office room with their tour guide. Casper watched the guide, and the guide watched back, waiting for Casper to enter the room. Finally, after a long second, they did, immediately cataloguing what they found noteworthy- the television, the plants… Maybe they were going to watch a video together. Didn’t some places do that, have their employees watch an informative video on their new job? Granted, this wasn’t any regular job, but maybe.

There were also people in the room. Three of them were strangers, which was one of Casper’s least favorite kind of person, but there was one familiar face- Mr. Schuurman. Casper couldn’t help but smile a bit when they saw him, and their smile only grew when they realized he was smiling as well- it wasn’t necessarily directed at them, but they liked it all the same. They let themselves take him in for a second before waving to him. “Hi,” they said, tilting their head a bit.

They then turned and waved to the strangers, quickly losing interest in their blurred faces and instead allowing their attention to drift to one of the plants in the room where it stayed. There was nothing particularly special about this plant- they just liked the way the light reflected off of it. So they continued to look at it as they sat down, closer to the director than their teammates, waiting for others to arrive.

 

[Radio_Rat66.6]

Zoe

Zoe kept her focus as she walked. Flesh. Bone. Not metal. She already had the stupid mask on. She hoped she didn't lose focus in the middle of this meeting, even though it would be pointless. There were no other women made of solid steel. At least from what she knew. She ran her hand along one of the walls, tapping a gentle rhythm. She let her fingers become steel, causing the rhythm to make a more eerie, echoing noise. She let her fingers slide down, creating a scraping noise before it dropped back at her side. They shifted back to flesh as she came to the door for the meeting room. She smoothed down her sweater. She hadn't worn one in so long, opting for different clothing that showed more skin. But these were the most professional looking ones in her closet. It was just a simple grey sweater paired with a black skirt and grey leggings. She didn't have any proper shoes (because she wore every pair out with her weight on the daily) so she had to go and buy some little black flats. She had left her hair alone, not really knowing what to do with it anymore.
She took a deep breath and walked in. There were others already in, wearing identical masks to hers. She nodded softly in acknowledgment and took her seat. She found herself next to a man. These people around her were her team. She'd be working with strangers. She figured she should start somewhere, right? She turned to the man with a smile even though the mask covered it.
"Hello there. It's nice to meet you."
Her voice held a Brazilian accent to it. She had never noticed it because she grew up with it, but other people often told her that it was pretty. She held oout her hand to the man in greeting.

C Checkmate7​

 

[Noble Scion]

Comfort "C"

Spoiler: appearance

"Oh..? Where are we going?" Was all the robot asked from within the room that had been provided for her before being guided by one of the EPR members, simply being provided with a brief "It'll all be explained when you get there." by her temporary leader as the tinkertech robot was led through the various winding hallways of the complex, all with a rather professional white coating, similar to a hospital as everything appeared to be in pristine condition. The floor itself glimmering just enough for a faint reflection to be seen. The robot ran through a bunch of possible scenarios for why her assistance may be required, she'd been there a mere two months, around the same time her owner had left the mortal plane.

They had rarely used her during that time, excluding for the occasional chat with a new member to help get them comfortable, given that her original purpose was to essentially do just that, be friendly. Comfort didn't mind helping out around the complex when she was able, if anything, she felt somewhat bad given that she was being given accommodation without needing to really do all that much, but if it was what they wanted, she wasn't going to complain as start interfering where she wasn't needed, even if she so desperately longed to.

It didn't take too long to reach what appeared to be their destination, given that the two had been striding through the corridors at such a brisk pace. The EPR member opened the door to allow her through, earning him a soft thank you from the red and gold robot, before he closed the entryway and left to perform for one of his other duties that C wasn't too familiar with, and had forgotten to ask on their way here, given that her mind had been pondering about the past rather than having a bit of small talk that in any other situation she wouldn't have been able to resist.

The office room already contained six other members, five of which she failed to recognise, and of course, Victor Schuurman, the director. He hadn't particularly enjoyed Comfort's company when they had first met. C simply assumed he had a disliking for pleasant chatter about random things, her specialty. The robot gave a small, friendly wave to all the other members of the room with a small tilt of the head, her body language showing joy at there mere presence, she didn't speak however, as the environment seemed to imply that this wasn't the time for some conversational talking. Comfort took a seat next to one of the other people in a pair of grey leggings with a black shirt and sat up straight before turning her head towards the director, ready and prepared for what she assumed was a briefing of some sort.

They were all wearing masks, presumably to keep a level of confidentiality. Comfort was perfectly fine being visible to them however, as it was unlikely for any sort of non-custom mask to fit on her face, given both the materials it was mad of, and the shape of it. Besides, the rest of he body would clearly have show that she was a robotic being anyway, so the effect of the mask would have been lost on her, unless they elected to create some sort of suit to wear, but that sounded like a strange use of both resources and time to make

Birdsie Radio_Rat66.6 (sitting next to Zoe) mikaluvkitties Silver.River C Checkmate7 Coriander​

 

[Checkmate7]

James Holdem​

To be honest James didn't think much of his current teammates to-be, well except of the robot because it was a freaking robot and that just made him feel like he was in a comic book even more, but he wouldn't let that show because that wouldn't be professional at all. Out of four only two had even answered him and there was one that to all appearances seemed to not even want to be there, He supposed that it would be hard breaking the ice when you get a group of people who had never met each other and had only one thing in common together. James wondered if he should begin conversation by asking what each of them could do or if he should ask The Director if how many more people they were waiting for, but asking that may be rude.

"So while we wait why don't we share what each of us can do?"

James summoned his field and watched it extend about two meters before ending it prematurely, he didn't know if any of them were using their powers right now and it wouldn't have been very friendly to just trip them up like that. Still, a smile invaded his features, he couldn't help but feel giddy every time he used his powers. Sure he wasn't invulnerable, nor he could fire lasers from his eyes, but he could bring those kind of people to his level and damn if it wasn't a versatile ability.

"My power let's me create a field like that, it doesn't do much, but it allows me to mess up other peoples powers so that they work against themselves or even to steal a little of them for myself. What about the rest of you?"

Birdsie Radio_Rat66.6 mikaluvkitties Silver.River Noble Scion Coriander

 

[Birdsie]

Director Victor Schuurman

Just as Director Schuurman prepared to stand up, welcome everyone and break the ice, James Holdem had done it for him. He proposed that everyone in the room present their powers. It was a safe idea. Some interaction, information exchange, without revealing their identities quite yet.

The Director signed off on the idea, "I see no objections to that. Please, proceed."

James showed his Disruption Field. The research team gave it a low Shaker rating with a high Trump sub-rating. It was an ability that only had any use when dealing with superpowered enemies, as it could reflect or absorb their powers. In other words, it prevented enemies from using powers lest they endangered themselves. It was like the textbook definition of evening the playing field.

However, that was it. It couldn't affect someone who wasn't powered or using their power. A skilled martial artist would beat James into a pulp and he would be helpless against it. Same goes for mundane firearms. To top that off, the power couldn't selectively leave certain targets unaffected, so it wasn't good for teamwork.

Schuurman was interested in the potential it extended. It could be a way to beat Lung or Kaiser, but people like Avenger - not so much.

C Checkmate7 Radio_Rat66.6 mikaluvkitties Silver.River Noble Scion Coriander

 

[Silver.River]

Jordan was interested as one could be when your future teammates started to trickle into the meeting room as well, especially when a real-life robot entered the room. The woman couldn't help but stare in wonder as the bot sat down without saying much. 'So cool...' She thought to herself, before turning her head to the person next to her who decided to try and break the ice. Jordan thought it was a good idea at least and was glad that the director gave him the got to. Almost immediately a small field came up around the man before dispersing. It looks enchanting in jordans opinion, but her real spike in interest came when the man told the group about his powers. Jordan's eyes widened as she comprehended what he said. Jordan made a mental note to herself to ask him about his powers later in more detail. If he could take someone's powers away for a time, then Jordan wanted to have some access to it at least.

"I'll go next then," Jodan declared as he used both her hands to mess with the putty in her hands, "My power allows me to store up energy and then release that energy onto myself, sending me very fast in any direction I choose. Though it only works when I stop moving." Jordain took a breath before continuing, they needed to know this information anyway. So why not warn them ahead of time before she accidentally hurts them? "Though with my powers, I can't hurt myself during this motion, I can hurt others. Right now, I only have little control over the charging of this energy in my body. So I cannot stop myself from this charging and therefore I can't stop moving unless I want to brake something... at this time at least," Jordan finished as she just stared intently at the motion of the putty in her hands, face slighting burning. Jordan could, and has, made herself turn off her powers when she was alone or when she is asleep through practice, but when other people are in the room its almost like her body hates her and just charged up whenever she stops moving. Jordan had already talked about this problem with the director and scientists beforehand as it could harm her fellow teammates and civilians if she didn't have it under control. So with that, she will take some time out of the day whenever possible to start practicing control over her power when people are in the room. It is possible to control them, but her own fears are working against her. Jodan hopes that working on a team would have more positive effects than bad ones.

C Checkmate7 Radio_Rat66.6 mikaluvkitties Noble Scion Coriander Birdsie

 

[Coriander]

Eshe Bryke​

Eshe leaned forward a bit and raised his hand, only slightly. He hated having eyes on him, but if he was going to work with these people for a long time, might as well mingle? "I can, uh, go through things." Eshe felt his hand go a bit light before swishing it through the table a couple of times. He debated on grabbing a screw or something to show off, but decided against it. Being stupid now was not something he wanted to put into his first impressions.

"I can also melt stuff I guess. Takes time but its possible." He shrugged a bit and sat back again. Leaning into the back of the chair. "I can fly too." He threw in before dropping out of the conversation and messing with his hands. People werent his thing, and it was showing. He knew communication was going to be a massive part in a team, but he already chipped into a conversation, and that was a big step for him.

C Checkmate7 Radio_Rat66.6 mikaluvkitties Noble Scion Birdsie Silver.River

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Casper Ollila​

As another person entered the room, Casper glanced up. Now that they were in an artsy mindset, they could truly appreciate the way the features were blurred, and they focused on it for a moment. As she spoke, they became more attentive, except it wasn’t to them, so they looked away- after all, eavesdropping would be rude.

Then the tinkertech robot entered the room. They couldn’t help but stare, eyes widening as they did. Forget the masks and their blurred features, the plant and the way the light hit it. The robot, with its shiny chrome and interesting, smooth face, that, that was something they wanted to draw, badly enough their hands began to itch with the need. They looked around a bit to see if there was something they could draw on, just for a moment, before they realized- They were being rude. Not only had they been staring, they had let that urge to draw get the better of them and take over the matter at hand. Their face burned as they looked down at their hands, waiting yet again for everything to begin.

They began to float off, but thankfully, one of the men that had been in the room before Casper entered spoke up. As he did, they looked up from their hands, instead focusing on what they had caught of what he said. They turned to the director as he agreed to the idea.

Even if they hadn’t fully heard what exactly the idea was, it quickly became clear as the other man demonstrated his power. They gave a quiet gasp as he began to describe what exactly the forcefield was capable, and Casper couldn’t help but let their mind wander to possible applications. They were impressed, though Casper was impressed quite easily.

Others went after him, and though Casper was impressed by both, what the woman in the gray top described left them also feeling uneasy. They tried to imagine if they couldn’t control their power. The idea of people’s feelings towards them being constantly changed by their power without their intent was enough to make their skin crawl.

There was a nervous excitement buzzing through them after watching the three before them discuss and demonstrate their ability, so fighting the urge to fiddle with their sleeves yet again, they began, making certain they were loud enough to be heard, “I can make people…” They paused, trying to figure out the best way to put it. “feel things… towards me. Like… like I can make strangers like me, I guess. Or I can make them afraid of me, or… Well, you get the idea. It… it isn’t all powerful or anything… I can’t make people that hate me love me or anything.” They paused again, questioning if the second half of their ability was worth mentioning. Everyone else to their knowledge had given them all the information on their powers, and they figured they should provide the same courtesy, continuing after just a second too long, “And I can… I can tell when people want to hurt me. If- If I can see them or they’re close enough to me… and then my powers activate and… try to make them not want to hurt me.” They shrugged.

C Checkmate7 Radio_Rat66.6 Birdsie Silver.River Noble Scion Coriander​

 

[Checkmate7]

Daniel Materson​

Idiot. He was an idiot, that's waht Daniel thought about himself as he ran through the busy streets towards the ERP building. He knew he was an idiot, that's why he had tried to get powers that made him smarter, but he was so stupid that he had fucked that up too. Oh his powers were great, don't get him wrong, but he didn't really consider that Thinker applied to more broad senses too and that buying a not very reliable vial would get him better powers in a different category.
He hit like a freight train, but still...

Where was he? Oh right he was an idiot, because of course he forgot to charge his phone and off course it turned off before the alarm could wake him up. He had managed to dress himself in a mostly clean shirt and jeans, it didn't matter much how he looked they wanted him for what he could do after all. His growling stomach reminded him that he hadn't ahd any breakfast, serves him right for being an idiot.

He reached the Bbuilding entrance and slowed down, not wanting to run into the building with armed officers. He entered, met his guide, who had that look that said 'You are late, asshole, but I'm too well mannered to say it.' and had to go through the whole form signign process and putting on the mask, whihc took another twenty minutes. Then he had to power-walk along his guide because it looked like he also was too well mannered to run in the halls.

After what seemed like an eternity they reached the room. Knowing he was late Daniel had no other option but to simply act natural and brush it off, so he simply entered the room quietly, trying not to interrupt whoever was speaking and took the seat closest to the door. Hopefully he wouldn't get called out.

mikaluvkitties Radio_Rat66.6 Birdsie Silver.River Noble Scion Coriander

 

[Noble Scion]

Comfort "C"

Spoiler: appearance

Comfort simply watched with what the humans would call "excitement" as each of the members of the room put their powers on display, giving a minor explanation to go with it. The first being a small bubble extending out from their body, which made C feel strangely uncomfortable, yet she said nothing, the next was a simple explanation on its own, which explained itself as to why there was no demonstration, while the next seemed to be straight out of one of those super-hero films her creator had talked to her about as they waved their hand straight through the table as though it wasn't there, not to mention some of his other capabilities that they brought up with a sense of nonchalance that seemed to make light of what fascinating abilities they were capable of. The next seemed to be a strange emotion-related ability, which created a small sense of curiosity within the bot as to how it would effect C herself. She made a mental note to ask and test this later, simply for the sake of curiosity.

A late entry made himself known, seemingly a bit flustered at the idea of being late. Comfort gave the young man a gentle, reassuring nod, seeming to indicate that such trivialities weren't to be a problem as though she would take care of it if it was.

"If we are demonstrating abilities.. I suppose it would be logical for me to put mine on display as well, and while I'm at it, given that I am not required to be under a disguise, I suppose I should tell you all my name. I am "Comfort", but please, call me whatever you wish, any variation or 'nickname', no matter how silly, I shall bare with pride. I was designed for the express purpose of making others feel better in whatever way I can." the tinkertech robot hummed joyfully with a soft chuckle as she stood up and retreated a few steps away from the table, moving with a strange amount of fluidity that seemed somewhat different to a normal human's manner of walking, making room for what was to come, while continuing to explain her purpose.

"Should you require my assistance, if I do not detect it immediately, please approach, I will never turn you down." The robot chirped before allowing a large, light-blue hardlight shield to manifest out of the left-hand wrist that she had recently raised, allowing the sudden apparition to speak for itself for a brief time, before allowing it to fade away to nothing once more as she returned to her seat. "My abilities are primarily in those of the defensive nature, as you have all just seen. I also have tranquiliser darts if the need arises. I speak a variety of languages fluently and was designed to for communication tasks." Comfort finished off as she sat down once more, her voice smooth and confident, as though every word had been thought through carefully in a matter of millisecond.

Birdsie Radio_Rat66.6 (sitting next to Zoe) mikaluvkitties Silver.River C Checkmate7 Coriander​

 

[Radio_Rat66.6]

Zoe

Zoe watched as every demonstrated their abilities. They all looked amazing. She decided she'd go next. It reminded her of show and tell as children.
"I can turn into solid steel."
She stood up so she didn't break the chair she was in and she let her flesh turn to steel. She sighed in relief. It always felt nice to just stop being normal. She pushed the sleeves of her sweater up to let them see.
"And I can coat things in steel."
She pulled her phone from her pocket and set it down on the table. She touched a single finger to it and a layer of steel coated the object. She picked it up again and tapped it, creating an echoing sort of noise - metal on metal. She set the phone back down and, without touching the device this time, recalled the metal back to her hand. She closed her eyes and focused on becoming flesh again. She took her seat again and put her phone away.
"That's what I can do..."
She pulled her sleeves back down and waited for whatever came next.

C Checkmate7 Birdsie Noble Scion mikaluvkitties Coriander Silver.River​

 

[SP3CT3R]

The meeting was already in session by the time Loadout had arrived, because misplaced bags, a last-minute patrol, the weather, and Murphy's Law had ensured it. However, he didn't want PR on his case, so he made sure to activate his Positive Attitude Generator before walking in. Of course, PR would be on Loadout's case regardless for having worn a novelty tee to such an important meeting, but he would've had time to change if Jouster hadn't lost the stapler.

Inside the meeting room was a long table with eight seats occupied. One by Director Schuurman, six by adults with blurred facial features in various stages of discomfort, and the last by a feminine... Something. Loadout assumed she was a cape who wore her costume to the meeting, but the idea of her being a Case 53 with the same power floated in the back of his head.

"Sorry I'm late, Director. I had to fight the fourth Endbringer on the way." Loadout said as he took a seat. To the others, he continued: "Hi everyone. I'm Loadout, A.K.A. Chase Evers if you don't wan't to use my cape name." It was very unpolished as far as introductions went, but Loadout was inexperienced in talking to people outside of casual settings.

Birdsie Coriander C Checkmate7 Silver.River mikaluvkitties Radio_Rat66.6 Noble Scion

 

[MoltenLightning]

Albany walked toward her destination with purpose. She would arrive right on time, if she had planned things correctly. Her sharp eyes watched every person who passed, keeping them all in check before she got to a distance where she felt that she didn't have to worry about them anymore. Even so, she was still alert, and upon arriving at the facility where the guide was, she frowned a bit. Who was this person..?

After they quickly explained their purpose, she curtly nodded. They seemed trustworthy enough. The mask was suddenly offered to her and she gingerly accepted it, placing it upon her face and hoping it was working well. After being given a thumbs up, she gave a slight smile and gestured for the person to lead to way to the room. If she could protect her identity, that would mean she would probably be safer later on, which was always a good thing. Closing her eyes for a moment, she collected herself and walked into the room after the guest had invited her inside.

Her presence didn't make a huge impact, as far as she had seen. Thankfully, she didn't exactly appear to be late; everyone seemed to be busy demonstrating their abilities, which would imply introductions were still underway. The others also didn't pay her much heed, which allowed her to slip into the room without disturbance. She grimaced a bit upon seeing more and more people demonstrate what they were capable of. She knew she would have to as well, but would it harm anyone around her? Or the facility, for that matter? Maybe she wouldn't have to necessarily demonstrate her abilities, just explain them? That seemed safer. Even if her ability's reach was an arm's length away, she didn't want to risk anything. Nodding a bit, she waited until there was a lapse in conversation.

Speaking up, her voice was strong and clear over the silence. "I can create gamma rays from my body, earning me the nickname 'Gamma Girl'. I would appreciate it if you called me Gamma, however..." Albany explained in a simple manner. "Gamma rays are not visible to the human eye, so it would be a bit pointless and possibly even dangerous to demonstrate my ability. You will see it later, if you must," she promptly finished, allowing whoever wanted to go next to do so. She sat a bit stiffly in her chair, leaning against the back only to relieve her back. She felt a bit safer here than in other places. It was a relieving feeling, but even then, she couldn't fully unwind. The life of a super is never safe, some might say. And she would have to agree...

 

[Birdsie]

[A/N: The Chapter's characters are locked in the interest of proceeding. Anyone who hasn't arrived will be a "late hire" in the next Chapter.]

Director Victor Schuurman

The Director took out a hefty-looking folder of files from a suitcase by his side and documents and began rummaging through.

"Now that everyone has gathered," Victor spoke over everyone in the room, breaking the conversation into silence and drawing attention to himself. "I'd like to invite you to the formal proceedings following the formation of EPR-East-North-East, with a new protectorate cape team: The Bridgemore Brigade."

Quirking his brows and looking up momentarily, he added, "That's you."

"We'll be mostly... mostly..."-- He pulled out one file, labeled: 'PATROL PROTOCOLS' in blue, typewriter font letters, and laid it aside, then kept looking for more files. --"be talking about your own duties as protectorate heroes."

"Before we begin on the heavier topics, let's talk about your suits. I haven't seen them yet, but some of you have. I'd like to underline the importance of keeping them clean. Basically, if you go out and it gets damaged when you're registered as working, we file that as damage in the line of duty and repair them ourselves, while giving you a temporary replacement. However, if you lose it at home." He shook his head with a pout, flicking a page in his folder. "That goes out of your paycheck. So keep that in mind."

"Moving on. When you intend to go on patrol, there's an inbuilt radio in your suits. Ask Vasser for details. When you put on your costume, turn on the radio, say your cape codename, and the operator will file you as 'on-duty' on a timeline. That way we'll have insight into your activities. That same way, you have to report any criminal activities you see and stop, as well as any criminals you apprehend. We'll contact the police for cleanup."

He paused the explanation and looked up. "Everyone follows me so far?"

The Director laid aside a document with several tables full of information, with long blank lines at the very left, giving the impression of being there to write down names. He looked through it, and as he did, he monologued:

"Also, please, remember. You're not just superpowered crimefighters, but also celebrities. Act nice in public, take that selfie with the ten-year-old asking for it. The goal is to make people less afraid of parahumans, so you have to be reasonably friendly. This city has been dealing with all kinds of powered scum for decades, now: people are going to be a little apprehensive. The PR is doing their best, but we have to give them something to work with."

He clicked his pen. "Okay, next. I'll need to write down everyone's cape codenames; the ones you talked about with the Branding Department. It'd also be swell if you could do some sparring and if we could go through the local threats. As you are all probationary members, you aren't required to know each other's civilian identities quite yet, but it's something that will happen in the future. Any questions before we proceed?"

Birdsie Coriander C Checkmate7 Silver.River mikaluvkitties Radio_Rat66.6 Noble Scion MoltenLightning

 

[Checkmate7]

Daniel Materson​

Damn, so his teammates included a robot, a metal girl, a gamma? (Wasn't that supposed to be some kind of radioactive shit?) girl and whoever the hell he had missed before. He was feeling a lot safer already, he wasn't exactly a pushover, but he was every bit as squishy as he had been before his powers, just with better reaction times. Still, the boss had asked them to tell him their cape names, since he had already fucked up showing up late then he better at least be the first doing that.

"So, I'm Hunter. Sorry for arriving late by the way, my alarm fucked up." He would tell the whole group. "I kinda missed the whole power explaining thing so I will try to make it short too. Basically I have five different vision modes, a couple of them aren't so hot, but there's one that let's me see sounds, one that let's me see organs and one that let's me see a bit of the past and a bit of the future. I also have a kind of super strength, how super it changes changes depending on which vision I'm using, sound being the strongest. I can tell you more later if you want."

Daniel would shut his mouth after that, idly watching everyone else and hoping he hadn't fucked up by talking too much out of time. He felt that it was important to share his powers with the rest of the team, in a broad sense at least. That was supposed to be important right? Communication and everything. Anyway he was a little more excited for sparring, he wasn't exactly top tier, but he felt confident in his ability to defend himself in most scenarios.

 

[Birdsie]

A staccato of knocks came upon the door, which hinged open. Through it, the head of Andrew Stark, the deputy director peeked out. He was a man around Victor's age, with ruffled slicked-back black hair and blue eyes. "Director? Branding's done with the costumes. They're ready for pickup."

"Excellent," Victor chimed, a smile forming on his lips. He looked to the capes in the room and offered, "Shall we? Once we review the costumes, we can see how your powers do in a spar and you can tell me what names you've thought of. Provided they're approved by Vasser, of course."

Expecting nods of approval, he stood up.

The director put the files down into his suitcase, with the exception of the notepad he had for writing down names, which he took with him in one hand, suitcase in the other. He led everyone out, then into the Branding department's main room, up a staircase on the floor above. Stark followed after the group, wanting to get a peek at the new team fully suited up with his own two eyes. This was, in its own way, a minor historical moment in his thoughts; it was exciting.

The Branding & Public Relations department's central post was something between a conference room and an office space, with several cubicles with elaborate personal decorations, like figurines of famous heroes: Alexandria, Eidolon, Legend, and even the mysterious Scion, and many others. Half-empty coffee mugs, already having lost their steam, stood on the desks of the individual workers. Sticky notes were hung haphazardly about everywhere; messages from co-worker to co-worker, some were asinine pranks, while others were deadlines or reminders. People were digging through their computers, looking at the latest internet trends, writing down notes, analyzing.

Vasser stood in the middle, near a long table identical to the one in the meeting room, half-sitting and half taking support on it with his buttocks. On it, behind his back, was a long row of gray bags.

Vasser himself was exactly as one would expect of a guy whose job comes down to making superheroes into celebrities: dashing. He had designer glasses and a stylish, brown haircut that made his hair stand up in a kind of almost-coiling cone shape. He wore a dark blue suit with a navy blue dress shirt underneath and had a slim silhouette. The lack of a tie suggested he wasn't particularly disciplined, or caring for discipline. A pair of aviators was hung loosely on his dress shirt instead. Despite the jury-rigged look, he pulled it off and managed to be fashionable.

Vasser beamed when he saw the new superhero team enter. "Hey! What's up?!" Vasser pointed at the gray bags and informed, "These babies are some of our department's best work. Don't tear them up in the first fight against Lung, 'kay?"

(Since we were stalling, I decided to post something to push the plot forward. I hope no one minds.)
Coriander C Checkmate7 Silver.River mikaluvkitties Radio_Rat66.6 Noble Scion MoltenLightning SP3CT3R

 

[Coriander]

Eshe Bryke​

Eshe was pretty happy that they were leaving the room, awkward conversations were not his strong point. At the mention of name choosing his gut dropped, he hadn't really thought about it at all. It was sort of something he was just going to wing, but looking at it now he didn't really want something stupid to be plastered on billboards and magazines. Ah, but as usual the thought was pushed to the back of his mind. It usually worked out in the end so might as well just go with it.

The new room was quite messy, but with the atmosphere of hard work. Something he had gotten use to in his old mans lab. The people seemed tired. the man in the middle a bit too excited, and now Eshe was feeling pretty hungry. Vassar was his name right? Well Eshe didn't like him, so to say. He was too, oh whats the word? It didn't matter, new suits, new identities. It was pretty exciting stuff. Though at the same time, he was pretty nervous at what they would make him wear. He's never been a fan of spandex.

( C Checkmate7 Silver.River mikaluvkitties Radio_Rat66.6 Noble Scion MoltenLightning SP3CT3R Birdsie )

 

[Noble Scion]

Comfort "C"

Spoiler: appearance

View attachment 480497

Comfort simply did as she was told and followed along the one she had come to know as "Vasser". Comfort remembered fondly all the compliments he had served her on how she looked, and knew that if she were human, her cheeks most certainly would have been a gentle shade of pink. The journey was a short one, and brought her through one of the corridors that she still failed to remember, despite her robotic memory, making a mental note to ask for the schematics of the complex to be uploaded into her at a later date so she wouldn't get lost in this vast place, should the time come.

They arrived before she even finished the though, revealing a similar room to the one they had just been in, which made Comfort chuckle, which also may have been partially due to her programming sensing some of the other members in their little group getting nervous, and to help lighten the mood. "Thank you, Vasser. Looking very fashionable today, I must say." Comfort chimed upon entering the room as she looked keenly upon the somewhat messy room with its table covered in grey bags. The social-robot took a seat in one of the corners of the room, electing to stay out of the way as her teammates opened their "presents".

This little event reminded her of what her creator had said about this event known as "Christmas", which she had yet to experience, subsequently bringing on gentle memories of the one that had given her life as she looked on towards the members of the room.

Birdsie Radio_Rat66.6 (sitting next to Zoe) mikaluvkitties Silver.River C Checkmate7 Coriander​

 

[mikaluvkitties]

Casper Ollila​

Casper watched as someone slid into the room while they were talking, but they said nothing, turning back to the rest of their teammates as they spoke easily enough. The robot they now knew to be named Comfort went next, and they hung on her every word, excited to see what she was capable. They were impressed, and then the steel girl went, and they were even more excited. Teammates continued to impress them, and it nearly blew their mind how many talented people they were on the same team as.

A voice in the back of their head whispered that they didn’t deserve to be here, that they were nowhere near their teammate’s level, but they pushed that thought deep inside, ignoring it for now.

They turned to look at the director as soon as he spoke, belatedly realizing that one of the late arrivals had still yet to introduce himself. They pushed that thought away, as well, instead focusing on what the director was saying. Casper nodded along to what the director said, trying their best to preserve it to memory. At least remembering to sign autographs wouldn’t be too hard…

They almost raised their hand to ask the director if there was any way they could get a written copy of everything they needed to remember, but then the member who hadn’t spoken before was introducing himself as Hunter, and they forgot.

Before they had a chance to remember, there was a knocking at the door, and Casper was once again distracted, zoning out for a moment. They came back quickly enough when the director spoke, and gave a smile and nod as they stood up with the director, watching him place the files in the suitcase before following him upstairs.

They had spent a great deal of time thinking on what they’d like to be called, practically obsessing over it. It seemed like something… important. At the very least, it was something important to Casper.

They slowed as they looked around, taking in the room, hoping that maybe they’d be able to draw inspiration from this room for something to draw later. As Vasser spoke up, they tried to pull their eyes off the room around them and towards the man speaking. It took a moment, but once they let their gaze flit over him, it automatically came back, observing the way he seemed to fit in the room. They almost didn’t catch what he said, but they did, just barely, and they couldn’t help a smile. They were getting a costume.

They were going to be a superhero. That was a dangerous occupation, obviously- they’d have to be an idiot not to recognize that- but at the same time, it was absolutely exciting. They were going to do something that would help people- They had never had the chance to do that before. And now they did.

They couldn’t help a quiet, nervous giggle as Comfort spoke to Vasser. It helped them relax as they took a step closer to the bags on the table, gently brushing a hand over a couple.

Coriander C Checkmate7 Silver.River Birdsie Radio_Rat66.6 Noble Scion MoltenLightning SP3CT3R​

 

[Silver.River]

Jordan had kept her mouth shut. She would admit that the idea of being a public figure... was a bit daunting. She didn't mind going about and meeting other fans, but with this kind of field it was more likely that she would be forced out of her comfort zone more then she will be willing to offer. Then again, she did sign up for this position as a freaken superhero. It literally came in the job description.

Jordan managed a nod as the director lead the group, or well teammates, out of the room and to the branding department of the group. She glances around the room one more time before getting up to follow him. She still found it strange to be working with people she had never met before. Plus eventually, they would be forced to become close enough where they had to know each other more than just work partners. It was exciting just as it was scary. she simply pushed that thought to the back of her head as she walked. Future Jordan could deal with that.

The branding department seemed very... busy looking in jordans opinion. Papers, sticky notes, and just everything were thrown around in peoples work desks as they went through their computers to do something related with their job anyway and in the middle of it seemed to be the person called Vasser. He was... very... flashy. Something Jordan never wanted to really be, but she wasn't here to judge his credibility anyway since she had seen him on the paper a few times.

"We'll see about that..." Jordan muttered with a humored tone just under her breath. After the robot spoke up, the woman glanced in its way with some surprise before flicking back forward at the man. Of course, the robot knew this guy. Why was she even a little bit suprised?

"Can these things survive a truck thrown at it?" Jordan asked Vasser. She assumed the answer was a yes considering the technology seemed to be at that level, but it wouldn't hurt to be certain. After all, Jordan could survive almost anything if she ran into it. Her clothes... another story.

Birdsie Coriander C Checkmate7 mikaluvkitties Radio_Rat66.6 Noble Scion MoltenLightning SP3CT3R