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Mutants & Masterminds: The Unlikely Prophets - Issue #3: "History is a Bomb"


Charlotte

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Gloom watched as Blackjack sank to one knee. The Knights had been trained in basic first aid, but not with the urgency to use it. "Someone should tend to him," she pointed out, quirking a black eyebrow upward.

Looking at Bohdie straining under the mass of the Vault, she looked around the area. "We should probably get that inside, under some cover." She pointed to an empty hanger. "Strongarm, probably in there." In the darkness, there was enough shadow for her to teleport into the hanger. After a second, she stuck her head back out and said, "All clear."

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The Necronaut jumped out of the ghostly plane and narrowly managed to avoid a face-plant by staggering forward and catching himself on one hand. He shuffled toward Blackjack warily, adjusting his goggles and tilting his head to one side, confused. It took a few seconds for him to connect whatever was occupying his attention with the fact that his new friend had been shot.

"Woah Blackjack! You're, er, losing more than blood here. Hold on man..." He crouched on the ground by Blackjack and waved his hand experimentally around the wound, apparently feeling something invisibly projecting from the bullet hole. "...that's really weird. Wait, let me try one more thing."

The Necronaut dug his ethereally reactive fingers into the immaterial part of Blackjack what was, to his eye, slowly seeping into the netherworld (much like his blood was soaking into the sand and the Samurai's bandages). Then, with considerably more effort than he thought should have been necessary, he shoved the escaping life-stuff back into the general vicinity of the wounded shoulder.

"Er.. if you start heading toward a light or see your life flashing before your eyes tell me right away. That would mean I should stop what I'm doing right now."

Click to reveal..
Rank 7 heal (+7 to an immediate recovery check for Blackjack)
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Bodhie made a few more careful steps before she placed the huge vault down. Even though she tried to be gentle it still shook the ground in her immediate vicinity giving testament to the immense weight she just carried. Sweat was trickling down her pumped up body but she felt elated and great. A huge grin stuck on her face she turned around, still feeling the high of having accomplished this amazing feat. She almost wanted to tell the others excited if they just saw what she did but then it occurred to her how stupid that must've sounded like. Of course they saw it...

She was about to join the others and cheer because of their fair escape when she saw Blackjack's wound.

"Oh no...", she gasped but fortunately the others were already tending to his injuries. With careful steps she closed the gap and asked Necronaut nervously, "Will he make it? How... how could he have been hit?", she started blaming herself for not being there to protect him but she had to carry the vault...

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Hikari looked at Blackjack with a frown. He'd been shot and they'd only just now realized. She was fairly multitalented, but medicine wasn't among those talents. She smiled when others rose to the occassion, as Blackjack was the only one who knew what was going on.

"That was certainly a unique experience."

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At Bodhie's question the Necronaut looked up from his fairly experimental attempt at treating Blackjack, "I think if it had hit anything super-vital he'd already be out... main thing is stopping the bleeding which, I should add, I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing will help with. I guess a bullet must have come through the door?"

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"We should get him inside...", Bodhie suggested offering to pick him up. She waited of course for any objections since she wasn't sure if his condition was safe enough for transportation.

"Alternatively someone else could teleport him or something. That may be less straining for him I suppose.", the hulking female bodybuilder looked at Jade and Gloom not quite sure who'd be the better choice for this 'experiment'.

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Jack slowly stood, peeling back his jacket and touching the shoulder, which had closed entirely - though the blood was still all over him. "That is really something. Thanks, Necro."

He pulled the mask off his head, and breathed in. "Good job. Great job, everyone. Never thought we'd get something like this on our first go-through. You said it's in storage? If so, we should head back to the house. Get some rest. Try planning our next move."

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"Um, yeah, no problem. Keep an eye on that, ok?"

The Necronaut, for his part, did keep a wary eye on Blackjack's shoulder, as if expecting his life-force to make a break for it again.

"And yeah, guys, I'm still sort of wrapping my head around what we just did there... but wow. Seriously wow. I think a Go-Team is in order? Or something like that?"

Norman had watched the other kids playing Order-Ball when he was young, and they had always started and ended with a 'Go-Team'... he'd thought it looked like fun, but was hesitant to press his luck when the stakes were so high.

His reminiscing about his solitary childhood was interrupted by a faint alarm bell in the back of his mind. "Oh and, um, we should probably hide the vault, right? The Order has eyes in the sky and all, and they're sure to try and track it down."

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"I've taken care of the Vault - it's inside the hangar.", Bodhie said unable to hide a certain pride in her voice.

"I'm glad you managed to save Blackjack, looks like you're quiet a capable healer, Necro. I'm still keen on getting that L.O.O.M. thing working for me and then we should make plans how to get that girl."

Her stomach grumbled involuntarily reminding her that feats of strength required energy... lots of energy.

"And maybe we should get some food, too?", she smiled somewhat embarrassed.

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Bodhie felt flattered and even blushed at Necronaut, "Well... thank you. I... it wasn't that hard although I think I've never lifted anything heavier in my life before. That was close to my limit I guess, but there's still some juice left so I'll have to look for something bigger the next time.", she gave him a wink flexing her muscles briefly.

She was obviously boasting a bit since she really looked rather tired and exhausted... and most of all hungry by the sounds her stomach made.

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While there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

- Eugene Debs

The group made its way across the few kilometers left to Jack's house. Once inside, Jack beelined for the refrigerator, navigating his house on memory.

He pulled out two six packs of beer and set them down on the living room's table. He pulled one free and opened it. He drank a third of it straight away. "Oh hell, I needed this. Did I ever. All right. Next move's finding Jasmine Gold and whatever this Iron Gates prison is. Could be anywhere in the world. Any ideas where to start?"

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The Necronaut began surreptitiously hunting the kitchen cupboards for peanut-butter. Or Vegemite. He was never one to turn down ethnic cuisine.

"Well, so far as information gathering is concerned... there's bound to be some dead people somewhere who know. Just a question of finding them and asking nicely. Or... Ah hah!"

The sound of a jar popping open resounded from the cupboard currently occupying his attention.

"...or... Gloom, you don't happen to have anyone on your speed-dial who might have some insight into this? An old boss, or a boss's boss maybe?"

He put the finishing touches on his peanut-butter and Vegemite sandwich and, unsuspecting fool that he was, bit into it.

"Mmmrofhf, ffhfhx ffoold offe'a ffryfftlf murrrlfffullf?" He added thoughtfully.

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Hikari grabbed a Beer and began sipping at it, mostly to calm her nerves. The implications of what they'd done weighed heavily on her. She'd likely closed the final chapter on her old life just now, there would be no going back.

"To a new beginning." She said absently before taking a pull of her drink.

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The photograph was taken at night and blurry, but it nonetheless seemed to indicate some kind of hovercraft or helicopter hovering over Ayers Rock, with something dangling from its undercarriage... something that might have fit in the hole.

The photograph wasn't dated.

* * *

"Yeah, I'll drink to that. I'll drink to anything really. Comes from being Australian." Jack took a swig. "Pfuh. Okay. Yes, anyone who thinks they can sniff out what Iron Gates is, is welcome to try. Could take a while, though. Everyone who's not staying here may have to go back to their... er, secret identities." He grinned. "Feels weird saying that."

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Gloom looked at the picture and frowned. "There's nothin' in that hole," she rasped. "I was in there just a day or two ago. I'm not sure what they were doing, but whatever it was, it's done and did now." She paused at her own grammar awkwardness, then ignored it as irrelevant.

She glanced at Jack. "I'll be staying. Don't have anywhere else to be anymore." There was a touch of sorrow in her voice - like Darkness, she was alone now.

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Bodhie wasn't sure what to make of the recent revelations and Iron Gates wasn't ringing any bells either. She walked over to Gloom slowling shrinking to her less bulky and more 'normal' size which was still rather impressive.

"I'm not sure if I can return to my former life either. My best friend was right there when I... transformed and I think she pretty much freaked out. I guess the Order is all over her by now. I also don't feel much like returning to that asshole of husband who's probably not waiting for me back home... I just regret...", she stopped halfway through that sentence taking a deep breath.

"No, I can't go back... not anymore. So I guess you won't be alone, Gloom."

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"I don't have much of a regular life to go back to," The Necronaut chimed in as he finished off the first bite of his sandwich. "I figure I should take the plane and do some, er, 'ghost recon'. If anyone cares to ride along I'd welcome the company, but my plan is pretty much to barnstorm cemeteries, unless anyone else has suggestions."

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Hex hesitated, then let her 'costume' dissolve and fade away from around her.

"I want to stay," she said. "I really do. Just the chance to work with this Vault feels like the most important thing I could ever do. But...when I reason it out, I think it's probably a better idea for me to go back. At least for now. I can go between my place and here easily enough that it won't matter...and it might be useful to have someone who's still 'part' of the whole...system."

She took a deep breath.

"So. I guess...if anyone else wants to go home, this is the time. I'll make you a door before I go back to my place. And if any of you need a place to stay, you're always welcome."

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Sharatur--Jade, she would have to get used to thinking of herself that way now--said sadly "I definitely can't go back to my old life." Her gaze strayed to Ayers Rock in the background, her expression yearning. "I guess I'll be staying here as well."

It was obvious what she would be doing during any down time the group may have in the near future...

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"Hmmm. Well, lots of room in this house, and if you want your own place - " Jack gesture towards the side of the house facing the town in the distance. "There's plenty out there. Not plenty with power or AC or running water, though. Gotta work on that.

"How about Kenshin, and Hikari, and Cyan? What've you all decided?"

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"What would be the point?" Kenshin sat quietly on the couch, he didn't seem to realize he was playing with the knife. "I can't ... They're bound to make the connection. My father, he left me a doll that was very obviously the Scarlet Samurai, its weapon, its armor, they are what I now wield. The Order has seen us, and it's only a matter of time before they put two and two together."

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"Hmmmm."

Jack seemed lost in thought - a moroseful thought - for a long moment. "Okay then. Make yourselves at home."

Click to reveal..

For the next little bit, you can post or not post as you wish. This will be free-form for the next few weeks. Talk to each other or to NPCs as you wish - if the character you want to interact with is controlled by me I'll update on my usual days.

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Gloom nodded to Jack. "I'm going to take a look around," she rasped, waving at the nearby town. "I'm feeling a bit restless." She followed word to action and headed off to town, walking under the relentless Australian sun. It made her irritable, mostly because it made Darkness irritable. She covered the ground quickly determined not to hang out in the blistering sun too long.

At the town, she began to poke through the buildings. She wasn't sure what she was looking for until she found the master bedroom with the painted windows. Someone had hated the sun as much as she, because they had painted the glass black, blocking out nearly every bit of light. It was very relaxing to the shadow-infused woman, and she checked out the rest of th house with the mindset of a home buyer. If she was going to be here a while, she should be comfortable here for a while.

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Interlude

He coughed into his fist as he rode the elevator up, and looked over the papers in his hands, a sheaf that had unpleasant news in it. He didn't want to deliver it, but the orders had been specific: this was too sensitive for electronic transmission. They wanted this delivered in person.

The shuttle was waiting on the rooftop. He'd pissed off the wrong people and he was the one who got to ride it, right onto a space station full of superhumans and no guarantee out. They could kill him whenever they wanted anyways, of course, but that was different. It was different when you could at least tell yourself you had a way out.

He sat down. The pilot ran through the pre-flight takeoff checks and then turned the ignition. The shuttle began to rose, and the city of Seattle dwindled away under their feet. In front of the shuttle, out the windshield, he saw it - the projection on the underside of the Order's Throne, broadcasting the most well-known symbol on Earth to everyone as it passed by overhead.

It grew larger as the hours passed, and then he felt the tug in his seat as they escaped Earth's gravity field. The windows were tinted to avoid the sunlight burning their eyes. It filled their view by this point. It looked like a giant eye.

Many people had the wrong idea on how people got to and from the Order's Throne. Some people said they had a teleporter, and others said they had a space elevator hidden away on some remote island. The truth was less complicated. Anyone could fly straight up, as far as he knew. Getting in was another matter. He could see why the closer they got.

The ruby skin surrounded the entire space station. He'd seen what a small blob of it could do - he'd never worn it, but he'd been in the room with someone who had. He'd seen the footage of a rocket bounce off of it, and that wasn't the disturbing part. The disturbing part was how it had refused to let the Prime Magistrate of North America eat a sandwich that no one had known was poisoned. It protected, in the plainest way possible, in a way beyond heavy armor or the finest bodyguards. No one who wore AEGIS-1 would come to harm. Period.

The ruby substance parted, seamlessly flowing around the shuttle and sealing behind them. He swallowed thickly as the airlock opened.

After a few minutes, he proceeded down antiseptic metallic corridors, escorted by three armed Knight Watchmen, their rank bars denoting them as the cream of the crop. He was ushered into the Throne Room.

He assumed Archon had an office, but he never saw it. Everyone only saw the Throne Room, which was the size of a gymnasium and had as its central feature a very large throne, built to accommodate armored bulk. That bulk sat upon it now, looking at him. To his right was - well, presumably his personal assistant, wearing an all-black tailored suit and bearing the pale skin of someone who didn't see much sunlight.

"I understand you are the bearer of bad news."

He swallowed as Archon spoke. "Yes. Yes, I am. Someone... I don't know how to say this - "

"Find out how, quickly."

"Someone's stolen the Goldsmith's Vault."

Archon slowly rose, servos hissing. He left his throne with weighted steps. His visor looked the newcomer up and down.

"This isn't April the First. If it were I'd be electrocuting a 'Sentai' team right now."

"I - I know, sir. This isn't a prank."

"I see. Give me the details."

"A few hours ago the Cardinal building went dark. Security was taken out. Then a commotion broke out. The security system was activated, and then... then it was defeated."

"Security footage?"

"None of the fight, sir. They disabled all the cameras. Whoever it was took the Vault. They tore a hole in the roof. They escaped. We only have this picture, and it's... it's unclear. Too hazy for biometric identification."

"Give it to me."

The man complied, handing the folder over. Armored gauntlets took the folder in hand, carefully paging through the report at a page every three seconds. It stopped, and lingered on the photograph for a long time.

"This is impossible. Did Spartan put you up to this, as one of his minor rebellions? Be honest. We won't punish you."

"No, sir. This isn't from Spartan, sir. This is real."

"This is a group of people riding on top of the Vault, holding onto some kind of glowing lattice, which is being hoisted by one woman, and this woman is in the passenger seat of a biplane. And I can see a building through the biplane."

"Yes, sir."

"You're saying that these people are superhuman."

"We can't say for sure. They vanished. They flew straight through a warehouse door and - there's no way to say this, but it was dark on the other side."

Archon turned to his personal assistant. Obediently, the man came closer, and looked at the photograph. They exchanged an inscrutable glance.

"You have no idea where they went."

"No, sir."

"You were right to deliver this is person. Who else knows?"

"Security people at the Cardinal building and the squad that was trying to crack the Vault's lock. A few others in high places. And, er... well, a lot of people saw them in flight."

"I see. That will be all. Your shuttle will leave in a few hours. These men - " Archon gestured to the armed watchmen. "Can make you comfortable before you leave."

"I understand, sir."

"The Order is Forever."

"The Order is Forever." He nodded. He left with the guards, perhaps a little too quickly.

Archon turned to his assistant. His assistant looked at him. "You were right. This should be impossible."

"It should."

"So how is it possible?"

"Contact Spartan. I want him to personally lead the investigation. He should relish the chance to pit himself against what he thinks of as 'real competition.' Contact Argus and the Propaganda Farm. Spin this as an exhibition of... some new Order members."

"Understood, sir."

"Leave me for the moment."

The assistant bowed, and turned on his heel, leaving the room.

Archon sat. He looked at the photo. Behind his visor, his eyes lingered on the vague shape of a helmet and armor and a sheathed sword. He tapped it with a metal-plated finger.

"They're coming back," he said to no one. A flicker of electricity scorched the masked face of the Scarlet Samurai.

"They're coming back, and they're going to ruin everything."

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Unaware of the attention being directed at her and her companions, Gloom continued the process of making a lair. She hadn't realized that's what it was at first. It had started as a place to give her some privacy and darkness; now she had an escape hatch so long as the Order didn't know about it. Until she got better at slipping through shadows and didn't have to leave others behind when she did so, this was a measure of last resort - or a last man standing.

The house had been emptied, so she had to loot the local store for supplies. Unsure if the cleaners would still be good, she stuck to soap and vinegar. That made her realize she wasn't sure she'd have water there, so she went hunting around for something to help with that. She finally had to resort to a wheelbarrow and a bucket, which brought her back to Jack.

It was going to be a pain in the ass getting this place ready, she acknowledged as she filled up the bucket with water from Jack's house. But she hoped it would be worth it.

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Gloom quirked a black eyebrow in surprise, wondering how the man did it. "Yeah," she said in her shadowy whisper. "I found a place in town I'm cleaning up. Need a bit of room, someplace dark." Somewhere to get away from everyone else for a bit.

She glanced at his bucket and thought about filling it for him, but he wasn't handicapped so she didn't. "You wouldn't know a better way to haul water around here, would you?" She was looking at a lot of buckets of water if she didn't find a better way.

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It was all so much for Hikari. She went to town alone, buying a couple changes of cheap clothes for both her forms, and then returning to the house. She picked out one of the Vacant rooms and smiled. At least here she wasn't really alone.

It was so odd. She didn't feel alone in a house of strangers. "I guess we're really all together now. I guess getting to know eachother is good first, well third in actuality, step.

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Returning home was oddly surreal for Larissa. The apartment was just as she'd left it. Her message machine had a couple of messages, which she listened to numbly...neither was something she needed to take care of right away. The notion that she'd spent the weekend jumping around the world and using magic against robots and the Order itself seemed instantaneously like some kind of dream, there in the comfortable, normal environment of her ordinary existence.

Or it would have.

But the Book of Keys was nestled comfortably in the crook of her arm, and every time she put it down to do something else, she wound up checking on it anxiously every five minutes...as if someone were going to snatch it away from her. She did some reading out of it, but her brain was a bit too fried to really wrap around the stuff in there.

Larissa was, she realized, a bit lonely. It had never occurred to her before. She had a pretty solitary life...keeping to herself largely. Most of her friends were co-workers who were really more 'advanced acquaintances.' Her social life was limited to faculty events. She'd had friends in college. What had happened to them? Why had they all lost touch?

The thing was, Larissa realized that even if she had a black book full of numbers, there was no one she could talk to about what she wanted to talk about.

...well, maybe not NO one, but they were all back in Australia. It was too far to go back just to socialize...

Abruptly she burst into laughter.

Australia was a door away; no farther than her bedroom or bathroom. Her world would never be the same again.

-------

In Jack's kitchen, the door that led to the stairway down to the cellar opened, and Larissa stepped out.

"Hello!" she called. "Anyone home?"

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"Hey. Just...I don't know, felt a little like a ball bearing in a shoebox at home. I figured I'd see who all was around..." Larissa smiled and shrugged. "You're staying here at Jack's place?"

She heard running water and frowned, as no one was at the sink in the kitchen. "Where is everyone?"

Curious, she followed the noise to the back door and poked her head out to see Jack and Gloom at the hose, filling a bucket of water.

"Oh, hey there."

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