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Grendyne groans and starts pulling on her boots when the alarm goes off. Again. She quick-marches to the broom hangar, sits on her machine and is handed a plethora of loaded weapons by attentive corporals.
"Two flyers in one day? They're getting way too common."
"It's worse," the commander informs them, "South Karlsland got hit with three at once. We're taking Lytee's express and sleeping there. You can sit out if you absolutely need to, but Freya's still recovering so we could use you as a comms relay."
"No, I'll come. I just reserve the right to complain about it."
The 42nd United Forces Witch Wing takes off and assembles into a perfect synchronized formation as Lytee charges her teleport power.
...This is not South Karlsland wilderness.
[note: halfway through this thread I created a unique account for Grendyne. Do not be alarmed by the change in account. -Rockeye]
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characterquarry
whole_new_can
"No, it wouldn't be.
We were fighting Bakuda. We've fought the Empire, the Merchants, Lung. I'm staying with the Undersiders because I think taking over the city would help things."
We were fighting Bakuda. We've fought the Empire, the Merchants, Lung. I'm staying with the Undersiders because I think taking over the city would help things."
witchwatcher
She sighs. "You believe it. Or you're very good at controlling your emotions... I'm not a hero, Skitter, not really. All this public duty and so on... It's annoying. It makes me a target for people like fucking Coil. I only do it because I kinda have to. 'All that is needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing,' and so on. I don't have to like it, but I fight the monsters. Are you a monster? Your team?"
whole_new_can
Coil. Whom she recently found out was the Undersiders' secretive boss, and who is very on board with cleaning up the city.
"I think that's the wrong question. I'm not, but neither was Kaiser or Skidmark. People don't need to be monsters like Bakuda to need to be stopped. Most people aren't, even most of the people I wouldn't want to share a city with aren't."
"I think that's the wrong question. I'm not, but neither was Kaiser or Skidmark. People don't need to be monsters like Bakuda to need to be stopped. Most people aren't, even most of the people I wouldn't want to share a city with aren't."
witchwatcher
"You don't control the Undersiders, I think. If I let you go and they turn out to be a bunch of sadistic warlords, it's effectively my fault. If I ran away from an Endbringer, I'd consider myself a mass-murderer. If I leave and you let gangs collect protection money, or let people like Coil kidnap and drug people for their powers, it's my fault. I never would have left his base if my old team didn't show up and blast their way out. I won't let anyone else suffer that, or enable it, if I can help it."
whole_new_can
Kidnap and drug? Is there a safe way to ask the hero about that?
"Coil kidnapped and drugged you?
I don't control the Undersiders. There wouldn't be any other gangs around if we succeed, and none of the Undersiders are the sadistic variety of warlord. Not saying Regent goes out of his way to care about other people, but the rest of us do have some control, and we know what brings down more heroes on our heads.
Stopping people from making others suffer is why I'm in this."
"Coil kidnapped and drugged you?
I don't control the Undersiders. There wouldn't be any other gangs around if we succeed, and none of the Undersiders are the sadistic variety of warlord. Not saying Regent goes out of his way to care about other people, but the rest of us do have some control, and we know what brings down more heroes on our heads.
Stopping people from making others suffer is why I'm in this."
witchwatcher
"Yes. I think he wanted me to copy a precog, get more predictions. I couldn't just teleport away because of the drugs, and I'd go into withdrawal whenever I swore at him instead of answering the question. That was probably the second least pleasant week of my life." She looks distant.
"I turn eighteen soon and graduate from the Wards. Couple of weeks. I probably won't join the Protectorate. Let's say you show me that the streets are kept relatively clean in the next couple of weeks. I won't vouch for you guys. But I don't help hunt you down, either, I wander the world or something instead. And if you start being evil, if there are verifiable cases of the Undersiders doing more harm than good, I come back and I correct my mistake. With as much force as necessary."
"I turn eighteen soon and graduate from the Wards. Couple of weeks. I probably won't join the Protectorate. Let's say you show me that the streets are kept relatively clean in the next couple of weeks. I won't vouch for you guys. But I don't help hunt you down, either, I wander the world or something instead. And if you start being evil, if there are verifiable cases of the Undersiders doing more harm than good, I come back and I correct my mistake. With as much force as necessary."
whole_new_can
"We aren't going to have to make money ordinary organized crime ways. Once we have the city, feel free to check my territory."
More importantly, "is Coil doing that to anyone right now?"
More importantly, "is Coil doing that to anyone right now?"
witchwatcher
"He said he was holding just one other person, that precog, for her own good. My team broke her out when they got me. But he was probably lying."
whole_new_can
"Sounds like the kind of villain who needs to go. I'll talk to my team and see if I can convince them."
witchwatcher
"That's that, then. Take those mosquitoes off me and I'll be on my way."
whole_new_can
Of course, Citrine Mage can sense bugs too. The mosquitos buzz off.
"I'm glad we could reach an agreement, then."
"I'm glad we could reach an agreement, then."
witchwatcher
She waves goodbye and walks out, still blurred from that Stranger power. Any bugs that try to land on her die. A few buildings away, she teleports back to the base.
whole_new_can
Leaving Skitter to figure out how to talk Regent into taking down the guy who signs their paychecks or Coil into giving up whatever drugged captives he probably has. This should be fun.
witchwatcher
Gren's last few weeks as a Ward are pretty uneventful. Interestingly, the Dauntless-charged amulet seems to have started making mana, which is very exciting. Long term immense power growth is the best kind of power. When the new Director comes to her about signing up for the Protectorate, she politely declines and just asks for her trust money. She turns in her costume unless they let her keep it (the amulet was hers to begin with, so they don't get that). To her teammates she says that being a full-time Hero just isn't her.
To the people trying to convince her to join the Protectorate she says that being a Ward was largely annoying and being part of the Protectorate would probably be moreso. She's not going to become a vigilante, though, she intends to wander the world selling healing or other nonviolent powers. She's willing to show up if they call her in on something, if they pay her for things she is called in on of course.
To the people trying to convince her to join the Protectorate she says that being a Ward was largely annoying and being part of the Protectorate would probably be moreso. She's not going to become a vigilante, though, she intends to wander the world selling healing or other nonviolent powers. She's willing to show up if they call her in on something, if they pay her for things she is called in on of course.
whole_new_can
Rogues are officially something the Protectorate encourages, Director Calvert tells her, though they're disappointed about losing a cape as versatile as she is. (If she tells them her amulet started making mana, they'll be even more so.) But they don't have any way to keep her in the Protectorate if she doesn't want to be there, nothing stronger than dire warnings that trumps are second only to tinkers in being forced into factions and nobody poaches from the Protectorate.
She will have to leave behind the costume and the Citrine Mage name; apparently the lawyerly members of Glenn Chambers' department say those stick with the organization.
That said, she'll be in high demand wherever she goes for the healing alone.
She will have to leave behind the costume and the Citrine Mage name; apparently the lawyerly members of Glenn Chambers' department say those stick with the organization.
That said, she'll be in high demand wherever she goes for the healing alone.
witchwatcher
She makes a tasteful purple (armored) costume complete with witch-hat (thank you, Parian's power!), a replica of that lighted mask, starts calling herself Copycat again, and hires someone to contact, collect, and sort people who'd like to hire her. And also finds a lawyer, to warn her away from illegal things.
She makes it known that meeting a new (non-tinker, she can't copy those) parahuman can be an acceptable alternate payment, and starts wandering the world. Healing is probably what she ends up doing most of.
Meanwhile, another unknown cape has been learning the ways of the internet, establishing contacts, and setting up her own business. She calls herself Places, and will teleport anything anywhere if the price is right.
She makes it known that meeting a new (non-tinker, she can't copy those) parahuman can be an acceptable alternate payment, and starts wandering the world. Healing is probably what she ends up doing most of.
Meanwhile, another unknown cape has been learning the ways of the internet, establishing contacts, and setting up her own business. She calls herself Places, and will teleport anything anywhere if the price is right.
whole_new_can
Customers from rich civilians in a hurry to supervillains in need of a getaway. If she's not at least a little selective she'll get classified as a villain herself even though most of her clients are completely outside the cape world.
witchwatcher
Officially, she doesn't do shady teleport jobs. Unoffically, the prices are much higher. Some of the worst ones she refuses outright, though. One of her regular customers arranges imports of Earth Aleph media.
She's pretty good at covering her tracks, electronically or otherwise. There doesn't seem to be a real person anywhere on Earth Bet that corresponds to the cape known as Places.
She's pretty good at covering her tracks, electronically or otherwise. There doesn't seem to be a real person anywhere on Earth Bet that corresponds to the cape known as Places.
wormcan
It is not entirely unknown that Aleph and Bet aren't the only relevant Earths. A certain group of villains is better informed than most.
Is Places at all informed on what powers exist on the rumored Earth Gimel? And if there's much variety, is she willing to take people there?
Is Places at all informed on what powers exist on the rumored Earth Gimel? And if there's much variety, is she willing to take people there?
witchwatcher
Earth Gimel's version of the Protectorate (close enough) maintains a comprehensive list of all known powers. She names a few of the powers available - various Brute, Blaster, Shaker and Thinker types. There seems to be quite a lot of them. They don't seem to operate on the same rules as capes from Bet, though how exactly they're different is hard to pin down with only a few examples.
An expanded subset of the list will cost an amount of money that's significant for some random joker but close to pocket change for a supervillain group: $5000. The full list and contact information will cost more, she hasn't decided how much yet. Going to Earth Gimel (Terra, as it calls itself) will cost quite a lot, especially if they want her to keep it quiet, and comes with conditions, the first of which is an in-person meeting at a time and place that Places chooses. She'll have a bodyguard, by the way, and you do not get to know what powers the guard has except that Places thinks it's enough to keep her safe long enough to teleport away.
An expanded subset of the list will cost an amount of money that's significant for some random joker but close to pocket change for a supervillain group: $5000. The full list and contact information will cost more, she hasn't decided how much yet. Going to Earth Gimel (Terra, as it calls itself) will cost quite a lot, especially if they want her to keep it quiet, and comes with conditions, the first of which is an in-person meeting at a time and place that Places chooses. She'll have a bodyguard, by the way, and you do not get to know what powers the guard has except that Places thinks it's enough to keep her safe long enough to teleport away.
wormcan
This is all perfectly acceptable. As long as the meeting can be in costume and she doesn't insist on learning any secret identities.
They can pay whatever it takes for the full list; they've been successful so far. They're looking for powers that can transform people, powers that can heal, powers that can enforce action, and anything that Bet would consider a trump power.
At the meeting, even though they said transport for six, only five show up. And they want to make sure Places' power doesn't require physical contact.
They can pay whatever it takes for the full list; they've been successful so far. They're looking for powers that can transform people, powers that can heal, powers that can enforce action, and anything that Bet would consider a trump power.
At the meeting, even though they said transport for six, only five show up. And they want to make sure Places' power doesn't require physical contact.
witchwatcher
Places appears to be a woman. Her costume is chaotically colored, and armored, but she doesn't seem to have trouble walking around in it. Her guard's costume is all black, the mask painted with an angry expression, and also armored.
"Let's get straight to business. You have the money?" They do. "Here's the list." A USB drive is handed over.
"I don't need physical contact, but I do have a mass limit and a number-of-targets limit. As to the powers you inquired about: There are at least two who can transform people into animals. Another can transform men into women and vice versa. There are various healers depending on what you want healed, but none of them match Panacea. There are a couple flavors of enforced action. The first is geasing. When willing targets swear to a particular phrase, they become literally unable to break the promise. There are also curses, which are rather finicky but have been known to de-power people, among many other unpleasant things. Will you be wanting to go to Earth Gimel soon?"
"Let's get straight to business. You have the money?" They do. "Here's the list." A USB drive is handed over.
"I don't need physical contact, but I do have a mass limit and a number-of-targets limit. As to the powers you inquired about: There are at least two who can transform people into animals. Another can transform men into women and vice versa. There are various healers depending on what you want healed, but none of them match Panacea. There are a couple flavors of enforced action. The first is geasing. When willing targets swear to a particular phrase, they become literally unable to break the promise. There are also curses, which are rather finicky but have been known to de-power people, among many other unpleasant things. Will you be wanting to go to Earth Gimel soon?"
wormcan
The red-costumed man in the top hat does most of the talking. "I imagine we will. It might take several trips, to prepare things safely. And what is this mass limit? Our sixth member might exceed it, in which case we'd need to bring all the candidate capes here one at a time."
witchwatcher
"If I teleport anything over two tons I'll need time to rest. I can't safely 'port anything over twelve tons. There's more you'll need to know, though - Gimel's capes work differently than Bet's. They all get low level brute, mover, and blaster stuff, only women, no trigger events, they decay with age... And you can't buy 'em." She tilts her head inquiringly. "For my own safety, your sixth member is what they call a Case 53, correct?"
wormcan
"Yes. Over two tons, though less than three, and not always in control of herself. We'd need to go first with enough time to set up a place that can keep her contained.
Gimel capes can work however they want, so long as they work. If nothing does work, we'd probably want passage back when Bet is our best chance again. Wouldn't want to throw away our shot. Will we be able to contact you from there?"
Gimel capes can work however they want, so long as they work. If nothing does work, we'd probably want passage back when Bet is our best chance again. Wouldn't want to throw away our shot. Will we be able to contact you from there?"