Mutants & Masterminds: Lake City Universe - M&M 3E - LCU: The Home of Heroes (IC)

[quotemyname]

Val inhaled sharply at Russell's full name. Unfortunately, she'd paused in her building to accept some coffee cake and that inhale meant that she shot cake down the wrong pipe. The girl succumbed to a coughing fit that was machine gun fast in its intensity.

"Sounds like somebody recognizes me. Casts some scrutiny on the flirting..."

"So... tour?" Blitz asked nervously. "Before I find something else to choke on? I'm pretty good at that, you know. Finding stuff I shouldn't be messing with and... you know. Getting into trouble with it." I am blushing. I look and sound like a moron. Can I please sink into the earth and never be seen again? Please? No? And people wonder why I don't believe in God...

"Still, I think I could be persuaded to take on *some* risk..."

"Well there, Miss Blitz, I'm 'fraid I got some bad news for your young self." He hooked his thumbs into his belt loops and drew himself up to his full height. "Y'see, I am a gentleman of the homosexual persuasion, and though your youthful charms are not entirely wasted on me, I must inform you that I am in a committed, stable relationship with a two hunnerd fifty pound former bouncer named Raoul."

Russell had to bite down on his tongue to avoid making any comments about cowboys or 10 gallon hats.

"Any questions before we head upstairs and see your quarters?"

"Not really, this place looks great! Just can't wait to get the run of the place," Russell said, eyeing the whirlpool and sauna. "Wait did you say quarters? So we're all living here?" He could feel Blitz's eyes burning holes in the back of his head. He wanted to look, but he didn't dare turn around...

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

"I have one," Gary said, speaking up over the side conversations, "Clearly you aren't intending to follow the same approach that you used previously. Perhaps you can explain what it is you've brought us here for, and how it is that we are going to follow Stawart's legacy?" He'd asked before, but it seemed even more pertinent now as the building was revealed to be some sort of headquarters, and now Mike was talking of quarters, like they were firemen, or perhaps a military squad "I know why the FBI assigned me, but I don't know what it is you want with us."

[z-Blitz]

"Well there, Miss Blitz, I'm 'fraid I got some bad news for your young self." He hooked his thumbs into his belt loops and drew himself up to his full height. "Y'see, I am a gentleman of the homosexual persuasion, and though your youthful charms are not entirely wasted on me, I must inform you that I am in a committed, stable relationship with a two hunnerd fifty pound former bouncer named Raoul." He spread his hands and shook his head ruefully. "I know this must come as a blow, but there ya go, so..."

Blitz was bright red when he was done talking, and her expression of horror seemed to fit with a young girl getting turned down so publicly. In truth, Blitz was mortified that Bo thought she'd be interested in him. He was old, like... a hundred years old or something! She'd date Gary before him and Gary was practically old enough to be her grandfather. He had to be fifty, at least and that was just too old. In fact, the misunderstanding kept her quiet as she struggled with something, anything to say other than "I was reacting to Russell's full name because I remember what happened to his sister." That was a conversation Blitz really, really didn't want to have.

Her mood improved as they took the tour; as Mike opened each door, she zipped a few feet into the room and took a long, avid look around. Clearly, she approved of everything she'd seen; these headquarters were a long way away from whatever hole the Razers had found. Wow, no wonder all those guys wanted to be a hero. These headquarters are sweet!

Her enthusiasm wasn't dampened by the news that she could live here. Instead, it ramped up higher for a couple of reasons. First, she wouldn't have to live on the streets anymore! The youth homeless shelter was nice, but it wasn't a real home. In fact, she hadn't had that since she was twelve, right before Ben had shipped her off to the Razers. Since then, she'd been either on the streets or in whatever warehouse or abandoned property the kids had dropped themselves into for that week (or less). The thought of having that stability again was like water to the thirsty.

The other reason was the proximity to Russell - though, really, should she pursue? He was cute, but Mike had implied it was frowned upon and given her link to him, it was unwise. But on the other hand, he was going to be right there, all the time.

She had to be careful. She was in a good place with good people - she didn't want to mess that up. She glanced at Russ and back to Mike, waiting for his answer.

[Heritage]

"I have one," Gary said, speaking up over the side conversations, "Clearly you aren't intending to follow the same approach that you used previously. Perhaps you can explain what it is you've brought us here for, and how it is that we are going to follow Stawart's legacy?" He'd asked before, but it seemed even more pertinent now as the building was revealed to be some sort of headquarters, and now Mike was talking of quarters, like they were firemen, or perhaps a military squad "I know why the FBI assigned me, but I don't know what it is you want with us."

Mike nodded and held up a hand in reassuring gesture. "I'm sorry, you asked that before, and I completely failed to address your question and implied concerns." He pulled a lab stool out from under one of the work stations and took a seat. "The original Stalwart Project, as me, John and Bo pitched it to the DoJ, the Sherrif's office and the Orthi Corporation rep at our first meeting, was a two man operation, with John and Bo switching off and each wearing a customized suit that made them seem to be the same XP; same strangth, leaping ability, etcetera. We worked together for two years developing a fighting style that both men could use that created the illusion that Stalwart was one man."

He stopped and blinked for a second. "Uh, John is...I don't think you're going to meet John; I haven't talked to him since..." Mike rubbed his face and appeared to try and compose himself. "You're not going to meet John."

After a deep breath, he continued. "Typically John was on-call four days a week in the Alpha suit and Bo was on-call for the other three in the Beta, though they would often trade days whenever they had personal commitments. When Grim joined us, she was pretty much on-call whenever she wasn't in school, because we really couldn't keep her off the streets if we wanted to, to be honest. And one time, she actually took over as Stalwart, which was...memorable." He chuckled at the memory before continuing.

"So no, I don't plan to have you all on-call 24/7, though if there's an earth-shattering menace, you better believe I'm gonna call you on your day off." He held up two fingers. "Two teams, taking turns on-call is what I had in mind; room and board is covered if you want to move into the Clubhouse, but you are under absolutley no obligation to do so." He cocked a finger pistol at Agent Samson. "Gary, you're on the taxpayers' dime, not mine, plus you are actually authorized to arrest suspects, unlike the others who can merely detain and contact local law enforcement, so you're sort of a special case. Kiki, Bo and myself will act as team coordinators in rotating shifts in the command center, keeping the on-call team up-to-date as well as arranging for police and fire department support as needed."

Mike took another deep breath and smiled sheepishly. "Now, that is what I envisoned, mind you; history has shown my visions do not always come to pass. On the plus side, even after the whole Grimalkin debacle I've managed to maintain our team's 'Alliance Affiliate' status; this means we can still use the Alliance satellite feeds and can call on the 'Super Sextet' for back-up, or even coverage like we've done in the past when we all need a sanity break and time off the streets. So yes, we'll still have an office Christmas party this year...and one for Halloween if there's, y'know, interest."

The boss-man looked at the four faces before him. "I assume this will lead to further questions, yes?"

[quotemyname]

"Just one." Russell said, in a low voice with an eager smile. He brought his right fist and his left palm together swiftly, creating a dull packing sound. "When do we start?"

Barghest: Can't wait to see who WE partner up with.

Russell: Don't get your hopes up. But that is a good point...

Russell folded his arms, "I've also got a few observations before we start. I think that among the first things we do should be to visit that testing ground. I for one would like to know what everyone really is capable of. No surprises. Secondly, I think we need to make the decision: Set partners, or fluid partners? There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and its a discussion that we need to have." Russell smiled, and regarded them all with a mischievous look, "But I think the absolute first thing this team needs, is a celebration in honor of its formation." It was pretty clear from the looks he gave them that he was waiting to hear their approvals and concent.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

"I'd rather think we should set the bar a little higher for celebration than merely showing up on time. Given what happened with Grimalkin it would be wise to take this more seriously than not, and curb any frivolity until we have truly earned reason to celebrate." Gary's expression was impenetrable, none could tell easily if he was joking, or serious. "Time spent training on the other hand," he continued in a humorless monotone that the others were growing to suspect was a skill taught specifically to FBI agents, "would be most useful. I can still use many of of my telepathic abilities, without risk of long term harm to you, even if I still refuse to test the full measure of my psychic attacks." He pondered for a moment before adding, "Perhaps we should see how any sparring goes before discussing teams in any manner, yes?"

[z-Blitz]

Blitz listened quietly, but especially closely to discussion of Grim. The other history was interesting but the similarities between Grim and herself were disturbing. “I definitely think we should spar, and probably do that before deciding teams,” she added, jumping up and down a little and clapping her hands with barely suppressed glee. It sounded a little like firecrackers going off and her hands were a blur of motion. Realizing that she was being a bit childish, she stopped, trying – and failing - to look more serious.

You and Russ could end up on a team. Val tried not to focus on that. That would be a huge distraction, rather like when she had Jessie had worked together. Of course, they had gotten past that, but it had been hard. She wondered if Russ had any experience with that. “Oh, and a quick question – has anyone ever worked with a team before?” She glanced at Gary. “I’m sure you’ve had something like that, being Fee-bie and all.” She gave him a wide grin to show she was joking.

Sadly, she couldn’t claim she worked with a team, not without awkward questions arising. But could she hide that? She wasn’t sure she could. Man, this was supposed to be simple? Who knew that being a hero could be so… complicated!

[quotemyname]

Russell made something of a snuffling sound at Gary's objections, almost like a bull blowing steam out it's nostrils. He would counter the objections, but deep down he knew Gary was right. "Yea, maybe it is a bit early for celebrating. But-" He wagged his index finger at Gary as he talked, "Soon as something good happens, after we select teams, maybe. Then we party."

Russell smiled at Blitz's enthusiasm, but regrettably he'd had no experience working with a team,

Barghest: *Pfft* Please. What do you think this is.

Russell: You know, teams usually work together.

Barghest: Nope! That's the old way of doing things. These days it's all sass, backtalk, and begrudging acceptance.

Russell: *Groan* I love you too, poochie.

Barghest: Ugh! Don't call me that! You know not to call me that!

"I'd guess you could say I'm used to having partners, but never really a full blown team." Russell finally responded. "Certainly not one of this caliber."

[Superball]

"Well at least among the four of us the choice is obvious... I would be a good fit for Special Agent Samson, and Blitz and Hellhound make a good team. We are the scene analysts - investigator and medic, while you two are more of our right hand. In the mix where the danger is."

She straightens out her suit a little. "Although, Blitz and I teaming up would be a suprising mix... I still would love to see what it would be like being pulled along by Blitz. Would be a good way to get into position fast for surveillance. As for I and Hellhound... well I'm not as aware of what he can do... but I can be sure he might have the ability to use something I read in a silly comicbook... what was it called... oh yeah, fastball special. Well, I hope - I'm not that heavy and even lighter in SuperBall mode. So... I wonder..."

"So many options..." She says, scratching her chin.

"Then again I really don't see myself out on the field."

[quotemyname]

"Any of those options may work, I guess. Even the fastball..." Russel all but balked at this, stifling a laugh, "But if we're going for teams that can be readily interchangeable, we should work toward the most balanced options." Russel scratched at the back of his head, "As interesting as it would be, I'd have to say we'd be better off separating Blitz and I. We've both got the front line disposition that would be lacking from any team that didn't include either of us."

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

"Actually Naomi, you present very good reason why if we're to split as pairs those pairings wouldn't work." Gary nodded to Russ, "As he says, well rounded teams will be more capable and efficient if they are built to compliment each other. You and Hellhound for instance, his physical and combat ability will compliment your scientific knowledge and vice versa. If you pair Blitz and Hellhound, yes, you have a solid tactical team, but," Gary turns to them with an apologetic nod, "you will have a pair that has no expertise or experience with investigation techniques or scientific methods." Gary shrugs, "There may be times when a tactical fist is needed, or a strong analytical think tank, but with any luck more often a well rounded and balanced pair will be able to work better in the field."

[Heritage]

Mike's phone goes off and he holds up a finger apologetically as he looks at the caller ID. "Just a sec, I was waiting on this call. Hello? Yes, hi Uri...uh-huh...oh, that is excellent news! Thank you so much for all your help, you've been a prince. Yes, blessings of Sea and Sky to you as well, Uri. Bye-bye." The former athlete makes a point of shutting off his phone, puts it away, and then rubs his hands with glee, his eyes filled with child-like delight.

"I can't believe it, we got our fifth! We got a freakin' flyer!" Looking down at his expensive watch, he nods. "And if Uri's calculations are correct, he should be hitting Lake City...right...about...now."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Arriving through a rift that didn't quite align with the office door, Volt hovered briefly and then set his feet on the ground. "Off by over a meter. Better than my worst but not good enough." he said to himself, shaking his head as he walked up to the secretary's desk. At least he'd got the right floor ... third floor KDP International.

"Hello, I'm here for the team meeting. Volt, and you are ..." he said, looking up with a charming smile and an instinctual flip of his hair... his seemingly perfect features and well fit physique lending him on an almost heroic pose - not that he meant to look so good. He just did.

Kiki replied "Oh ... Hi, I'm Kiki. They're waiting for you, just over that way." She was quite pretty, though maybe he'd taken her by surprise. He was late, better not make too much small talk right now - very pretty though.

"Thanks Kiki and nice to meet you." he said, continuing on the way.

Opening the door, he causally waved to the assembled group "Hello everyone. I'm Volt. Sorry, a bit late but testing at the lab went on for an extra hour today. Really appreciate the invite too" he added with confident sincerity.

Volt surveyed the room, and ended up not moving too far from the door before finding a place to stand that put him in as close to 'place in the circle' with the group as possible. Stalwart was already up, and so along the way he went in for the firm handshake for the Boss.

[z-Blitz]

Blitz looked worried at Mike's words, unsure for a moment if he meant literally hitting the city. Don't be dumb, she chided herself after a second. Heroes don't do that, remember? Still, she was now a little nervous about how Volt was arriving. She was relieved when he just walked into the room.

Then she saw him and her mind short-circuited. Holy Hitler! He's hot! She was so startled that she missed her own mental slip, picking up a phrase she hadn't had to use since leaving Ben. When Volt offered his hand to her, she grinned far too widely and blurted, "I'm Blitzed!" Green eyes showed wide through her mask before she corrected, "I mean Blitz! But you can call me Vala - I mean Valentine! Or Val. If you dig nicknames." What the hell are you saying?! Suddenly she was very aware of Russell watching. "Hey, you're all costumed, too. At least SuperBall and I weren't the only overdressed ones." Frantically, her mind cast about for something else to say and she realized she hadn't stopped shaking his hand. "Oh, hey! You probably want that back don'tcha? Sorry, just had to borrow it for a moment, can't shake hands without two, ya know?"

Just. Shut! Up!

[quotemyname]

Russell was watching, and it felt like it was all in slow motion. He couldn't help but notice how Blitz's affections seemed just as fickle as her attention span.

Russell suddenly took a quick step toward the newcomer, or at least that's what it looked like to everyone else. In reality, the devil that was bound to his soul had seen Volt as an intruder. Like any good guard dog, it had gone leaping toward him only to be restrained by the magical chains that bound it to Russell's soul. The resulting momentum had pulled Russell a step forward looking startled.

The Barghest strained against the chains, pulled at his collar so that it held him half off the ground, half perched on his hind legs, jaws slathering and snapping. Russell was thankful that no one could hear his barking. The inward portion of him grabbed the dog by it's collar, and yanked it backward wrenching it entirely off it's feet, and bringing it's muzzle close to his face. Down boy! He roared. I will not have you behaving like this when it's time to make first impressions. He threw the dog to the floor and it yelped. Whining, it looked up at him, begging for some scrap of approval, I will deal with this. I will.He said before turning to face to Volt and Blitz. Of course, this had all transpired within his own mind and within the space of a second.

Russell wiped the surprised look from his face, and took a second step in an attempt to make the first, abrupt, halting step look more natural. He too extended his hand. "Name's Russell, or Hellhound as the case may be." His eyes were made of steel, and crackled with flame. His expression was welcoming, but wary. He looked almost like an Alpha Wolf welcoming a new member to his pack.

After the handshake, Russell's eyes strayed toward Blitz, and he stepped back away from Volt gesturing to the rest of the circle of already assembled members.

[Superball]

Naomi is the first to actually offer a hand shake. "Hello. I'm Naomi Cartwright, codename Superball. Nice to meet you." She says with a smile, finally feeling like she's getting the hang of things.

"So... Mike says you're a flier. I can fly... sorta." She says, scratching her head as she blushes.

[Heritage]

Mike beamed broadly as he shook the new arrival's hand. "Volt, a pleasure to meet you! Mike Kolansky, team organizer. I don't mean to embarrass you, but I read the reports from Uri and..." He rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Well, I'm already a big fan." Then he frowned slightly. "I was kinda hoping for a big cape, but...well, nevermind. How about we finish up this tour?"

He lead the group into the fright elevator adjacent to the lab and up to the fourth floor; it became clear very quickly that while the third floor was the 'brains' of the operation, the fourth floor was the 'heart'. There were movie and sports posters on the wall, a few neon beer signs and a general sense of college living. Mike waved his hand around vaguely as he lead the team through a series of interlocking rooms and hallways, including a common area used for dining and cooking, featuring a long bar with stools.

"So up here things are a bit more casual, as you can see; we have four dorm-style rooms with desks and bunkbeds, all right out of the Ikea catalog, to be honest. Shared bathroom for each dorm. We have a game room, as you can see; pool table, air hockey, Pop-A-Shot. Uh, two classic pinball games, 'Twilight Zone' and 'Theater of Magic'. Big screen TV with the couch pit. And through here-" He pulled aside a large heavy door. "Is the hobby room."

The space was long and roughly finished, with bare brick walls and visible pipes and ducts. There was a large sand table and several bookshelves piled high with rulebooks and painted miniatures to the left, with posters for Saving Private Ryan and Conan the Barbarian up on the wall to inspire any players. There was a full of set of woodworking tools to the right, draped with dust covers; several unfinished pieces of beautiful furniture were stacked nearby, and what looked like an old-fashioned stage magician's cabinet. Near the back wall was a fairly impressive N-scale model railroad set, complete with sculpted hills, trees, tunnels and a small town. "Metal shop's behind that door, and, uh..." Several bags from the Lego store were neatly piled near a battered old couch and coffee table. Mike clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "So, any more questions before we head back down to the command center to meet some cops?"

[Superball]

Naomi sees the lego bags and gets giddy... "Legos! More Legos! and More Legos! I'm in heaven!!!" She says giggling, almost dancing through the hobby room. She gasps. "The first edition of Dungeons and Dragons... Signed by Gary Gygax himself!" She squeals... "And a full set of Magic the Gathering's Alpha set!"

She twirls. And when she sees down through a doorway the entertainment room and spots the big screen... "And I can watch my anime collection here! SWEET! EFF YEAH!"

She pumps her fists in the air... then gets a awkward sensation she just geeked out hardcore. "Umm... uh... sorry."

She blushes red enough to be used as an emergency signaling device.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Volt was a bit overwhelmed by Val, but tried not to let on. Very cute ... how old is she? Hmmm, maybe jailbait - hope not. No, no, no romance on a team is bad. I need to be a respectable guy, need to be upstanding. She's happy and enthusiastic for sure though ...

Volt just smiled in response and said "Please to meet ya.". Yep, he was a wordsmith, oh yeah, not ...but he managed one of his divine smiles ... at least he hoped it was a bit divine in her eyes.

...

Superball offers her hand, and Volt shakes it - but not too hard, his best approximation of a gentlemanly gesture. He answers "I do fly, though I prefer to travel by rift. Usually kind of a combination ... but maybe we can train aerial stuff together. Would be pretty cool, tactics and playbook style ideas."

...

At that moment the hell guy seemed a bit off, but he was advancing to give a handshake maybe? He seemed like a tough guy type so sure ... Volt also took a step forward and offered his hand with rock solid shake. Something a man's man macho type would be cool with, he hoped. With the solid shake just said "Hey," and gave the guy-to-guy head nod to finish the gesture.

...

Repling to Mr. Kolanski he said "Yeah, really tried to train with the cape. You probably saw the early photos. The idea was it would let me hide what the energy projection might be doing, telegraph less direction ..." Volt said as his luminous, almost electric energy projection - an energy tendril - snaked tight along his body and then out parallel to his outstretched arm. It snaked out across the room and straightened up picture that had been hanging a bit crooked on the wall. "But the cape gets in the way of so many things. I have to maybe train in some martial or acrobatic styles to manage it better ... . It would be useful as my energy fields extend through what I wear, if it were easier to handle."

he added, showing a spark of old fashioned paragon "It would be a great technique to shield other people, or even carry them with the cape somehow. Might help with rescue."

...

... he goes on the tour, and lets Superball go up before him. As she passes he says "Love to suit look by the way, really sharp. Maybe some tech in there?"

[Superball]

"Oh. Yeah. Fully teched out actually. It's my supersuit. It's my experiment with anti-gravity technology and what not. It'd be pretty outstanding minus the suit's only drawback to have it function."

She puts her hands behind her head and stretches. "There's a reason I'm called Superball. Then again, I can make things work out none the less."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

On the fourth floor, he tuns to Blitz quietly "So, I missed the beginning of the meeting I think. What does everyone do?" She was high energy, and she paid attention - good qualities. She seemed like someone he would hang with back in school.

He just smiled at Superball going nuts over the legos and anime, thinking how he's going to make small talk with the geek girl. Not that being a geek was a bad thing, but it just wasn't his thing in high-school. He pretended to be a 'research' intern at Orthi corp, but what he knew about science couldn't fill a shoe-box. Good that the team had people like her who could figure things out ...

The mysterious agent type and the bruiser tough guy, he'd have to wait an see. The tough guy, Hellhound something different about him ... and he seemed to be giving off heat. Despite the age difference, he seemed like someone he would hang with too. Jock type in a way. Maybe he had some sort of Demonic thing going on? With everything that he had seen or heard about he was ready to accept that demons could exist. Or at least aliens maybe that look like demons ... have to ask about that.

[z-Blitz]

Blitz’s eyes had dropped as Russ’s had come to rest on her. She’d seen this dance before, and she wondered if one of them would back off or if there would be a fight. Memories of Jesse’s fight with Johnny made her uneasy; memories of her fight with Johnny made her shudder for a fraction of a second. She was more subdued as they made their way up to the fourth floor.

As Mike finished the tour, her stomach rumbled loudly. “Oops! Bee-Are-Bee!” There was a gust of wind and she was gone. Then the gust came back, snapping hair and clothing in the other direction. Blitz had returned, the remaining Danish platter in one hand while her drink was in the other. She passed around the plate again, then selected a Danish for herself. Biting in, she watched the others for a bit, her own eyes lighting up at the sight of the Legos.

Do not make a spastic nut of yourself, Blitz ordered herself as Volt leaned in a bit to murmur to her. “Well, Gary’s Fee-bee and a mind-taker who doesn’t want to subject us to his psychic attacks, Superball can inflate to a big ball and can float, which is cool, and Hellhound is hot – like temperature wise, I mean – and is a fighter or so he says and I’m a speedster, like obviously, right? I can fight too, just differently. And you have electrical stuff, right? I mean, we didn’t know that. I’m just guessing. But am I guessing right? I mean you’re called Volt, but is Volt like electricity or something else?” She seemed genuinely interested.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Quietly continuing the quiet convo with Blitz "Cool ... great, well rounded team then. ... Yeah, I gathered you were fast - but wow!"

He makes a gesture to the Danish platter, asking with his eyes and a nod as sort of 'may I have one?' without vocalizing.

Continuing, he says "Yeah, its not electricity but it looks like it. Tell you the truth, even the Orthi don't really know. They have all sorts of names for it, like ummm ...C-O-T-S-A-F ... Compressed, Organic, Temporal, Spatial, Action, Field. Because Alliance physics has no handy term for it they call it 'cot-saf'. At first, the Orthi suggested 'Cot-Saf Man' but apparently it sounds way cooler in Orthi than it does in any terrestrial language. So we ended up settling on Volt because it looks sorta electrical, and rolls off the tongue."

then Volt apparently catches on a little later, and asks "Fee-Bee ... like FBI?"

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gary had been quiet, following along in the group's wake, eyeing the living conditions and making a note to himself to find more suitable housing on his own. Bunk beds? Really? There was something strange about Volt, or maybe it was that he mentioned the Othi so much that Gary was starting to feel paranoid that there could be a Nameless inside that human exterior. Is the Alliance watching us? From the inside? He shook his head, tossing the idea out for what it was, paranoia. The tour, such as it was, concluded, and they stood in the "clubhouse" talking.

"So, any more questions before we head back down to the command center to meet some cops?" Mike asked.

Gary smiled, Finally. "That sounds good Mike, it'll be good to interface with local law enforcement and emergency response. I've found it's always better to get to know them, and get their cooperation, as early as possible."

[quotemyname]

At that moment the hell guy seemed a bit off, but he was advancing to give a handshake maybe? He seemed like a tough guy type so sure ... Volt also took a step forward and offered his hand with rock solid shake. Something a man's man macho type would be cool with, he hoped. With the solid shake just said "Hey," and gave the guy-to-guy head nod to finish the gesture.

Well, Russell thought, At least I managed to salvage that disaster.

Blitz’s eyes had dropped as Russ’s had come to rest on her. She’d seen this dance before, and she wondered if one of them would back off or if there would be a fight. Memories of Jesse’s fight with Johnny made her uneasy; memories of her fight with Johnny made her shudder for a fraction of a second. She was more subdued as they made their way up to the fourth floor.

As Mike finished the tour, her stomach rumbled loudly. “Oops! Bee-Are-Bee!” There was a gust of wind and she was gone. Then the gust came back, snapping hair and clothing in the other direction. Blitz had returned, the remaining Danish platter in one hand while her drink was in the other. She passed around the plate again, then selected a Danish for herself. Biting in, she watched the others for a bit, her own eyes lighting up at the sight of the Legos.

Russell hadn't meant to scare or intimidate her. It wasn't him. After a few minutes of living with the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he finally approached her again, "Bet you'd be amazing at delivering pizza's, huh?" he asked as he plucked one of the danish from her plate. He felt like a dog, and this was a weak attempt to shake that, but he had to try something.

"So, any more questions before we head back down to the command center to meet some cops?" Mike asked.

Gary smiled, Finally. "That sounds good Mike, it'll be good to interface with local law enforcement and emergency response. I've found it's always better to get to know them, and get their cooperation, as early as possible."

"That sounds good, Mike. I'll tell you what, let me meet you down there." He bargained with their employer, "I'm going to grab some air, first." Before anyone could respond, Russell vanished. There was a hoarse puff sound, and the slightest tuft of smoke originating somewhere around his chest height combined with the smell of sulfur. Then there were no traces of him left.

---

Once on the roof, Russell slung his coat over his shoulders once more. He'd guessed it would take the collective group probably less than two minutes or so (with the exception of blitz) to return to the command center. That didn't give him a large amount of time, but it would be enough.

He stood with his hands in his pocket, feeling the sharp lake breeze blow past his face and nose with the toes of his right foot just overhanging the edge of the building.

Barghest: You okay?

Russell: Sure. Funny how I can never 'be alone', huh?

Barghest: Sorry. I, well, you know how I feel.

Russell: Yes. I do. And thanks.

Barghest: Sure thing. And hey, let's do this thing right.

Russell: You got it, buddy.

Russell, and his companion spirit remained on the roof for a few more seconds before he teleported back inside, just outside the closed doors to the command center as the rest of his teammates were approaching it. "Sorry, just felt a bit stuffy in here. Needed to clear my head."

[z-Blitz]

Quietly continuing the quiet convo with Blitz "Cool ... great, well rounded team then. ... Yeah, I gathered you were fast - but wow!"

He makes a gesture to the Danish platter, asking with his eyes and a nod as sort of 'may I have one?' without vocalizing.

Continuing, he says "Yeah, its not electricity but it looks like it. Tell you the truth, even the Orthi don't really know. They have all sorts of names for it, like ummm ...C-O-T-S-A-F ... Compressed, Organic, Temporal, Spatial, Action, Field. Because Alliance physics has no handy term for it they call it 'cot-saf'. At first, the Orthi suggested 'Cot-Saf Man' but apparently it sounds way cooler in Orthi than it does in any terrestrial language. So we ended up settling on Volt because it looks sorta electrical, and rolls off the tongue."

then Volt apparently catches on a little later, and asks "Fee-Bee ... like FBI?"

Blitz nodded for him to take one, but her expression was clearly focused on following what he was saying. She largely failed to follow what he was talking about - it was a bit over her ability to comprehend - but she didn't look completely lost. "So... physics stuff?" she managed as the best way to indicate that she at least understood the scientific field he was talking about.

"So, any more questions before we head back down to the command center to meet some cops?" Mike asked.

Gary smiled, Finally. "That sounds good Mike, it'll be good to interface with local law enforcement and emergency response. I've found it's always better to get to know them, and get their cooperation, as early as possible."

Blitz frowned slightly at the mention of the cops, but didn't say anything. She'd never met a cop in a positive interaction yet, and wasn't sure what she should feel herself. But Gary said it was important to work with them and she was willing to follow his lead on this matter.

Well, Russell thought, At least I managed to salvage that disaster.

Russell hadn't meant to scare or intimidate her. It wasn't him. After a few minutes of living with the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he finally approached her again, "Bet you'd be amazing at delivering pizza's, huh?" he asked as he plucked one of the danish from her plate. He felt like a dog, and this was a weak attempt to shake that, but he had to try something.

Val smiled at Russ, her expression bright and warm. It was as if the moment from before was utterly forgotten as she said, "I'm amazing at a lot of things. Pizza delivery is child's play. Knitting a sweater a mere distraction. Actually, I don't knit. I just am good with my hands." Russ blinked at her and the girl closed her eyes in embarrassment. "I mean... oh, hell, you know what I mean! What I meant to mean!"

"That sounds good, Mike. I'll tell you what, let me meet you down there." He bargained with their employer, "I'm going to grab some air, first." Before anyone could respond, Russell vanished. There was a hoarse puff sound, and the slightest tuft of smoke originating somewhere around his chest height combined with the smell of sulfur. Then there were no traces of him left.

---

Russell, and his companion spirit remained on the roof for a few more seconds before he teleported back inside, just outside the closed doors to the command center as the rest of his teammates were approaching it. "Sorry, just felt a bit stuffy in here. Needed to clear my head."

Did I do something wrong? Blitz was so confused when Russell zapped away. She'd reacted the way she was supposed to react, hadn't she? She'd been passive to his aggressive - was that wrong? Was it different with good guys? How was she supposed to know this?

"Well, Mike, I think we're ready for the next leg," Blitz said, zipping between their boss and the door several times. In anyone else, it would have been a nervous shifting of feet; that wasn't quite excessive enough for the hyperactive speedster. "Shall we go down?" she asked politely enough.

[Heritage]

If Mike was aware of the undercurrents between Blitz and Russ, he didn't let on, but he gave the young man a nod. "Take your time; we'll see you downstairs." Mike led the team down the back stairs to the third floor, where two figures could be seen waiting inside the glass-walled command center. The first was a tall, gaunt and gruff-looking man who appeared to be in his early sixties; his salt-and-pepper hair was thinning up front, but ran a little long down the back of his neck; the rumpled raincoat he wore over his suit had probably absorbed its weight in spilled coffee over the years. The second was a rather attractive dark-haired woman in perhaps her mid-to-late thirties who looked like she didn't get a lot of sleep; an ugly pair of black-plastic framed glasses on a fine silver chain, as well as an intriguing tribal necklace, were visible under her brown bomber jacket. They were both seated in school desks, leaning together and chuckling in whispered camaraderie.

Mike paused to smooth back his hair, check his breath and straighten his tie before gently rapping on the glass to get the two officers' attention; they both looked up and gave him a nod as he opened the door and waved the others inside. "Boy and girls, I'd like you to meet Detectives Linus Lisowski and Morena Colby of the Exceptional Crimes Unit. Detectives, this is our new team."

Colby smiled and offered a weary smile, while Lisowski squinted one eye as he gave the five a thorough once-over. "So, you're trying teenage girls again, huh? How'd that work out last time?" Mike blushed a deep red as he flicked a nervous glance over at the female officer. "Uh, yeah, but these two both checked out clean; they're fine." The older cop clucked his tongue and shook his head. "Oh, Mike, Mike, Mike; you dumb Polack bastard. That's your problem, you trust everybody." Lisowski sighed and rubbed his face.

Colby reached over and rested a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Easy, Linus; 'Judge not lest ye be judged', right?" Lisowski snorted. "How would you know, you're a goddamn witch doctor!" Colby rolled her eyes. "The term is 'Botono', dumbass." She turned to the team. "Forgive my partner, but the last ASD we had...well, Mike's probably told you about her. So! Nice to meet you all." She clapped her hands together and she picked up a small, battered carpet bag off the floor and plopped it on her desk. "We're here today to do a quick review of use of force and discuss a few other things they probably didn't cover in your intro CJ classes." She opened the bag and reached inside, her arm rather alarmingly disappearing up to her shoulder. "Or even at Quantico." She gave Gary a wink. "First of all, do any of you have any questions for me or my partner before we start?" For his part, Lisowski sat sourly in his chair with his arms folded.

[Superball]

"Yes, as a Assistant Special Deputy, unlike my higher rank colleagues, I would be on a reserve action/observe and collect sort of function as a member of the team? I have been trained in evidence collection and crime scene "preservation" as it were. Also since I am trained in emergency response, I would be beholden to local "Good Samaritan" laws, and to do my best in ensuring bystanders are out of the way in potential "powered conflicts", correct?"

She adjusts her glasses. A slight blush on her face mixed with an energetic smile. "Oh... sorry... I'm Naomi Cartwright, Superball to my colleagues, but Naomi will do, Detectives."

[quotemyname]

"Yea, hi. Russell. Or Hellhound." He quickly divested himself of his coat and laid it over one of the chairs as he had earlier. "I actually have a question." Russell raised his hand in mock of the common classroom procedure. "Are you still allowed to sit on someone when making a citizen's arrest or did they eighty six that?" Of course, having attended law school, Russell himself was already well aware of what the answer would be.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gary shot Russ an irritated look. "This isn't a joke," he snapped. Shaking his head with a sigh he greeted the two detectives, they already had his name and knew his specifics, but he needed to learn theirs. "Call me Gary if you prefer," he added at the end. "I'm still not entirely sure what my job here is supposed to be, I assume I'll be acting as liaison between yourselves, the team, and the Bureau? Will be be taking our queues out of your own investigations, vice versa, or are we separate until there is a need to involve one or the other? A little more operation detail would be a good way to start this off, let us know how we're to support each other and serve the city."

[quotemyname]

Russell's smile faded at Gary's reprimand. Two fingers found their way to the bridge of his nose and pinched it. It looked like he was trying to alleviate a headache for a moment before he released his nose and looked up. "I agree that enforcing the law is no laughing matter. Though I think there is something to be said for the occasional ice breaker. Especially after the greeting we just received." His hand indicated the detectives. "Which, as long as I'm being frank, Detective Lisowski, was rude." Russel's voice was level and metered, not meant to provoke.

"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." His eyes fixed upon Detective Colby as he quoted scripture, "Yea, been there, done that. Not a fan of that whole being judged thing."

"But, Gary," He turned back to his teammate, "That's, what? The third time you've asked that question, or some form of it? Perhaps you should just let it ride for now. None of us are really entirely sure what this will be like. We don't know what these experiences will entail. We don't know what our responsibilities are. But that's all part of orientation, isn't it? You're a mentalist. You should be good at deduction. Try seeking the answer for yourself rather than just asking to be told what you should do." Russell gave a smirk and a laugh that practically diffused his entire 'holier than thou' rant, "Leave that to those of use with less brainpower, huh?"

[Superball]

"Better at least to let the good detectives answer our questions first, everyone, and to let maybe Blitz and Volt ask any questions?"

She smiles, trying to bring peace to the situation.

"Quite frankly we will get our go again in turn in regards to questions. As for... rudeness or not I still don't know these two... for all I know they were as nervous as I was when I first walked in. Remember the awkward turtle moments I had there, huh? Let's cut our allies some slack. Might even say superiors in most aspects."

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gary ground his teeth and took a series of long deep breaths; he had a feeling that his professionalism was going to be tried on a daily basis within this group. You could always give him an attitude adjustment. Gary squashed that thought flat, it wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, but he refused to cross those lines. "And there's something to be said for making a good first impression by acting professional, regardless of how those around you act." He took another slow breath, and watched as the woman apparently defied physical space by sticking her entire arm into a handbag. "The FBI rewards lateral thinking and initiative, but it also punishes those who ignore rank, protocol, and duty." He looked at Hellhound, "That is why I ask, because I need to know what's expected of me."

I understand you want to stand up for the girls, but you should observe first and react second. The detectives were prodding Mike, not Val and Naomi. They have a lot of reason to distrust his judgement. His judgement. Not Val and Naomi, not yet anyway, not any more than you, or Volt. The words came into Russ' mind directly, there was no manipulation of the atmosphere to produce sound, no movement of lips, just a direct line of thought from Gary to the other man. That Gary didn't mention himself might have been taken as haughtiness, or simply a realistic assessment that the Detectives would likely trust an FBI Agent more implicitly than the other four ASDs. Also, don't tell me how to do my job, and I wont tell you how to do yours. Got it?

[z-Blitz]

Blitz had two reactions to the showdown. Part of her was quietly bemused as Russ jumped to their defense. The other part of her wanted to throw herself at Mike’s feet and confess everything, to stop the charade before it went any further. But it had gone too far already. Mike’s reputation was already on the line. And Russ… he would hate her and Blitz couldn’t endure that thought. Aside from all of the attraction they felt, he was a decent person. He was even more decent than Jessie and Val had once thought she’d never meet anyone more decent than him.

She forced away those thoughts and focused on the matter at hand. The impossible bag was interesting; she’d seen mystics before, and the hand-in-the-bag trick was pretty standard. However, she had to wonder if Colby was the mystic or if she had a mystic’s bag. Given Lisowski’s witch doctor comment, she had to assume the former. Such things were important distinctions, and good to know in a fight.

Except that she wasn’t going to be fighting against these people. Not unless something went terribly wrong.

Yeah, those are the cheerful thoughts we need!

“I have a question for Lisowski. What are Naomi and I going to have to do to prove that we’re not Grim?” Blitz’s eyes met the detectives without flinching; after staring a demon in the eyes, the detective was nothing. He found himself facing somber, intense green eyes. She took a seat on a desk, putting her feet on the back and seat of the chair. Though casual, there was a sense of concentrated focus to her at that moment. It reminded the watchers that Blitz had a lot of power in her. Most of the time, she was so scattered and moving so fast that the effect was dispersed. Right now, it was all narrowed in on Lisowski. “I mean, we’re nothing like her. We’re here to be good guys. So what’s it going to take? Five successful missions? Ten good arrests? I like to know what my job expectations are.”

[Superball]

Naomi looks with wonder of the bag, oblivious to the fact a emotional thermonuke is about to drop on their heads.

Hearing Blitz slaps her out of her scientific curiosity. "Trust and respect are earned, Blitz. It's not charted by any quota or certain performance thresholds. This isn't school where you have a grade and a grade point average as your ranking. This is the outside world. And it's rough out there... why do you think we were picked to even be here? We seem to be the right people for the job. For good or ill that is the reputation I wish to live up to.

It's not about recapturing the past but seizing the future."

[z-Blitz]

"I agree, Naomi," Val said softly, her eyes still on Lisowski. "But a lack of trust and disrespect are earned as well. We've done nothing to earn them from Detective Lisowski." The chill in her voice when she said his name could have frozen water. "We're being treated as if we aren't in the room even, simply because he's transferred his dislike and distrust of someone else to us. That's not fair and is all about the past. He's the one who can't get past what happened before. All I want to know is how much I'm going to have to do before I'm judged based on my actions and not on Grim's betrayal."

It was a hard word. It hurt Mike, she knew and she didn't like that. But Blitz wasn't playing games anymore and she didn't do anything by half-measures.

[quotemyname]

In the microseconds following Gary's mental message, there was silence. Then suddenly, a snarl and the raucous barking of vocal chords that sounded like they could only belong to a large canine animal assaulted Gary's mind in the same way they would have grated against his eardrums.

Down! Russell's thoughts silenced the barking instantly.

Intruder! The dog snarled

He's psychic. You know that! Now shut up.

Outwardly, Russell's lips curled in a smile.

Gary, if you can hear this, then I'm sorry, but I did warn you about that... I'm also sorry for pushing your buttons. I guess I was showing off for the girls a little too much. But I really wasn't trying to attack you. I was hoping that calling extra attention to your question might actually get it noticed for the first time. But I recognize that it'll take some time for you to get familiar with my signs and signals. But you'll have to if this team thing is going to work. As for your job, I'll leave you to it. There's a reason I dropped out of Law School, after all. That said, you should learn to respect what I've got to say in the future. Next time it could matter. Next time it could be my ass on the line, or yours.

For his part in the verbal conversation, Russell kept his mouth clamped shut. The others saw him cross his arms across his chest. There were no indications that the silent conversation had occurred.

When Blitz spoke, Russell found himself nodding in agreement with what she had to say, despite his attempt to remain unreadable.

[Heritage]

As the atmosphere in the room simultaneously went hot, ice-cold and slightly toxic, Mike winced as his whole body clenched, Colby's jaw fell slightly open as she seemingly forgot what she was rooting around for in the depths of her impossible mystery bag, and a ghastly, almost feral grin slowly crossed Lisowski's face. Mike began to clear his throat, but the senior detective politely held up a hand.

"No, no, Mike, let me handle this one; I think the bulk of the malice is currently directed at me, so I'll go first. Than my partner can answer the agent's question." The grin left his face as he sat up and straightened his tie and leveled his gaze at Blitz. "Young lady, I've been a cop longer than most, if not *all* of you, were alive; I have seen my fill of death, corruption, hate, violence, stupidity and arrogance. I've seen horrible things done out of love, patriotism, fear and every other motivation known to Man." His shoulders sagged a bit as Colby resumed her seat next to him, her bag forgotten, and reached out to rest a supportive hand on his arm. "And I've seen a lot of kids die; teenagers in this country are caught between childhood and adulthood in a culture that desperately wants them to be both. A teenager's brain is still developing-" He reached up to wave a hand in front of his forehead. "The frontal lobes, which regulate mood and impulse control, are the last parts of the human brain to develop; it's why kids take such dumb risks, like skateboarding, drunk driving and unprotected sex. And dumb risks are the last things we need more of in law enforcement; ASDs are the single*dumbest* idea in the history of police work."

His partner took a long slow breath before meeting eyes with the blonde speedster. "It's Blitz, right? I'm guessing by now you're pretty sick about hearing all this stuff about Grimalkin; nobody wants to be compared to someone who screwed up, especially on their first day." She gave Lisowski a sweet smile that made him roll his eyes and look a bit embarrassed. "You asked what you can do to prove to us that you're not her, and I can tell you right now what that is: talk to us. When things get bad, when you're confused and upset, when you're so pissed off at your teammates that you want to go...I don't know, blow up a building or something, talk to us, or *anyone*, for that matter." She looked at Mike, who had a hard time meeting her brown eyes. "Grim stopped trusting her own team, and all the fear in her, all the anger, turned in on itself and turned to poison. Or at least that's *my* theory." Lisowski was about to say something snarky, but Colby cut him off with a sharp hand gesture. "Enough, Linus. Enough."

Mike loudly cleared his throat. "Gary, I'm sorry your questions haven't been adequately answered. To be honest, this new team model is still being developed; when we were contacted by the Bureau, we jumped at the chance to have a special agent onboard, but clearly there are issues of jurisdiction that need to be addressed. The last thing I want to do is waste your time, which I feel I've been doing up 'til now."

Lisowski shook his head. "Mike, if nothing else, *we* could definitely use him; off the top of my head, I can think of three open cases I would love to have your input on, Samson. The bureau's Lake City field office is run by a jackass who has no experience with EC; he has no respect for our methods or the history of our department." He nodded at Colby's little carpet bag. "My partner has the case files somewhere in that damned thing."

[Superball]

Hearing the Detective describe the situation with youths on a super team draws a comment.

"Then... why are we allowed? I mean, technically if I was a male, I could be drafted to go to war. What makes an 18 year old incompetent to assist a super-team when 18 year-olds are given rifles every day and trusted not to shoot their comrades?"

She quirks an eyebrow. "Just saying."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"So it occurs to me, that this is like a football team from school. You officers are the upper years, or maybe coaches, and you know what you're doing. You've won lots and lots of games. Then you look at some juniors coming in and think 'Wow. These people don't know a thing.' ... Sure maybe we don't know a thing in your eyes. But we're on the team ... So the question is do you want to let us sit on the bench or not?"

"I'm not saying this is all a game by the way, before you even think anything like that. I am just going with what I know. I know that teams that bench their best young talent don't keep winning for very long. They end up being a bunch of losers. So its up to you ... if you want the team to win ... if you want this situation to work for the common good ... you have to decide how we can be part of the team."

"We are here to help. Even though some of us are young, we are here to stand with you. Teach us how its supposed to be done, show us the way." Volt said with confidence ... indicating the 'youth' contingent of the team .... not Gary or Hellhound who are clearly already experienced and ... old. Not that he's say they are old out loud, not in a bad way.