The Super Hero RP Deluxe! (Closed, Started)

[hiei82]

Mina​

"I vish to first create a stable means of transporting matter from von plane of existence to sis. Sere vould be no limits to vat can be accomplished after sat. I am asking for see opportunity to make sat possible. I vant five Masters among computer, biological, engineering, and materials sciences. I understand see need for...ownership of sees projects. So long as I can continue vorking, I vill have no issue vis sis. As for funding, I don't expect to operate vis maximum efficiency vis any amount less san fifty million dollars. Is sat somesing you can arrange?" Doctor Schwertner said.

Mina nodded. "It can be arranged." she said after a few moments of thought. She'd need to assign several design engineers to the project as well; just to keep good documentation of what they did. After all; unless she could replicate it later any technology they developed would likely go to waste. Further, they'd need to have access to legal, human resources, and additional technical staff as support. After personnel - and assuming his estimates on resources were accurate - she suspected the project would run somewhere around $150 Million. In her experience, R&D types always underestimated by such amounts.

Not that this amount was much. After all, she'd made $200 Million on one project today, even if it was a special case. More importantly, she'd need a "genius scientist" type for the final steps of her grand plan. If this project worked out, she'd have just the person.

Mina quickly pulled up a list of possible staff members on her tablet along with their qualifications. With a few swipes of her fingers, she put together a rudimentary list of who she'd assign. A moment later, she pulled up a list of the contracts she'd need to bring the doctor aboard. She changed a few elements to ensure his needs were met then handed the tablet to him.

"Here's my offer." she said.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]Daniel Luxe[/HEADING]

"I see. It sounds like you've grasped it, then. The appreciation, I mean. Do you draw on your own? I draw because it's a way for me to express a sort of appreciation for what I see. I can't laugh or be happy naturally, there's mostly pleasure and displeasure, but..."

"But I can show people the beauty of what I've seen, or that I do appreciate it. I'm not very good with words, so this is the best way to do it. It's a bit odd, I suppose." He sighed. "Born odd, destined to be odd, but I do think that I at least could appreciate this, with or without sentiments to go along."

"I've never been much of an artist, but I am delighted to hear you have found an effective means of expression. And I mean no offense when I say this, but I find the idea of such a binary form of exhibition delightfully charming," Daniel said smilingly. Seeing that Sirius was eager to see more of the building, he stood upright from his leaning position and motioned for him to follow. The demon led him around the railing overlooking the ballroom, towards an archway in one of the rear corners.

There was no door to speak of, merely a pair of curtains that were tied to either side of the entryway's columns. Taking a few steps inside would reveal a warmly-lit dining area, substantially smaller than the ballroom and much more simple. Though that wasn't to say it didn't look expensive all the same. It was clearly a room meant for a more personal experience, as there were dozens of small, polished wood booths instead of open tables. The sounds of the ballroom were dampened and overtook by the hushed murmurs of the few people dining in their booths. "Have you eaten yet? It's been a full day for me, I haven't had a bite since breakfast. We can continue our discussion over dinner, and perhaps dessert. I hear the tiramisu is positively divine."

[HEADING=3]Dr. Schwertner[/HEADING]

"Here's my offer."

Vinzenz accepted the tablet and, momentarily admiring the technology, began reading through the specifics of the offer. The legal jargon seemed unnecessary, though he knew these business types. He recalled the bureaucracy of getting his first lab initially set up. It was one of the few times he had actually met the Fuhrer. There were so many documents to sign, rights to waive, the minutia of the whole matter bored him to seemingly no end. The relief he felt once it was over with was powerful. His work had officially begun.

The doctor's momentary lapse into his memories was likely disguised, unintentionally, as careful deliberation. Either way, while he hadn't read completely through the documents, he hurriedly found the place where he needed to mark and he did. It briefly crossed his mind as to what Mina's search--because there would be a search, Vinzenz was sure of it--would reveal of his history. There was no telling what documents of his employment under the Reich were still in records, if any, nor what it would take to access such documents. But she seemed like the type who had ways around those matters. "So, ve have an agreement."

 

[DarkRawen]

Tim Merridy

"I, uh, I just sort of, well... I, to tell the truth I don't remember much. I think I got some work done?"

Tim rubbed his own cheek, a somewhat worried expression on his face. "You really should get that looked at, you know, what if something bad happens? What if it has already happened?" He knew that George would know about that it could be dangerous, no doubt, but it still made him feel uneasy.

"I uh, really I just felt super tired when I got home. I heard that some heroes took the blimp down or something though, so I guess that's the last we'll see of Psyclone huh?"

"Better be," Tim replied, grinning again, trying to keep the worry and the 'sorta disappointment, sort of hopeful,' feeling in his stomach from showing. "When someone like that comes hogging up all the attention, the cooler villains wouldn't be able to do anything, right?! I--" he sighed, not feeling like making himself too.

"Just be well, okay?" He put the only healthy hand on George's shoulder. "And don't forget, if it's anything at all, I'm still bunking at Tom's place... unless he throws me out for being too cheeky," he continued, and left, passing Tom on the way to the apartment and the couch, shrugging, his expression making it clear that it was complicated and that he wasn't really going to talk about it.

________________________________________________________________________________________________


Sirius Hamilton

Sirius followed Daniel around, he had to admit that he wanted to stay for longer, so when Daniel offered an oppertunity to stay for longer, even if it was for food, he took it.

"Have you eaten yet? It's been a full day for me, I haven't had a bite since breakfast. We can continue our discussion over dinner, and perhaps dessert. I hear the tiramisu is positively divine."

"I would like that very much," Sirius replied, wondering if Daniel was going to make him pay for it himself. "I've never had tiramisu."

Would he, though? Make me pay for my part?

Likely not, what was the use of showing off without spending some money, right? Or, at least that's how he understood the more wealthy culture. They seemed intent on showing off, and while Daniel wasn't being as pushy, he still thought the man would follow common courtesy.

I wonder how much it'll cost me if not.

He supposed he would just have to find out. Sirius didn't particularly care for how much he used, whether it was a lot, or just a little. Money had little worth to him outside for the basic functions, though comfortable was better than uncomfortable.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________


Days passed, and while things were moving underneath the surface of Neutropolis, there were few incidents worthy of note. That the citizens knew of, at least. About half a week later, Saturday, around noon, is when this story continues. It was a rather rainy day, as is common of spring, and while it was warm as long as the wind kept still, it still wasn't pleasant weather. Even so, it gave off the feeling of a dull, grey day.

Surely nothing bad could happen?

 

[hiei82]

Theodore​

It had not been a good week. The Specter had apparently attacked a cult leader in his prison cell. So far, no one had connected it to The Specter, but it was only a matter of time before he did something stupid. Meanwhile, his body was still in a coma of indeterminate cause. Sofia was in bad shape with all the worry and Theodore was little better because he couldn't tell her why. Further, he could only hide behind the excuse of "he's a friend" for so long before other press or heroes began to wonder about his interest.

To try and solve this, he'd put out a call to his fans to keep an eye out for the Specter and to send him details as quickly as possible. He didn't know if The Specter needed to sleep or "eat" or anything. If he did however, Theodore would be able to track him down to possible "lairs". On the other hand, he knew this was a vain hope at best. First, The Specter was ethereal and therefore hard to notice at the best of times and second, the issues of Theodore's task being unusual would eventually draw eyes.

Of course, these weren't his only problems. Thanks to a little help from The Crick, Theodore had managed to get a tracking program on his footage and begun to track it's progress. Eventually, he'd figure out where the file had gone and figure out who was doing the editing. Hopefully, before another "Psyclone Incident"

Speaking of, The Psyclone Incident brought about another set of changes. The Police were now hiring and training officers to fight against super-villains. This was a surprising move to Theodore; in the past the city had been more than happy to follow the lead of it's heroes and leave the supers to them.

Theodore figured he shouldn't have been so surprised. The Mayor was a politician and, after the heroes had not only failed to stop Psyclone but hadn't been a help in the slightest with putting out the fires and rescuing civilians, the people were pissed off. Most still thought the heroes had their best interest at heart, but cries that superheroes were "ineffective" to this new wave of crime brought into question their competence. Even Theodore - who wasn't a superhero, but supported them - was seeing a sharp dip in ratings for his opinions and powers. The only heroes that had escaped the scorn were the new ones - The Unicorn and Coil since they were still new and inexperienced.

Honestly, the only things that were keeping him going were his professional duty to the truth, his personal duty to Frederick, and about 4 gallons of coffee. Well, those and the upcoming meal with Rias. A good event on the horizon was always a plus.

It was toward that end that Theodore was getting dressed for the meal. Hopefully; a break would help.

Mina​

Mina was having a wonderful week. The announcement with the mayor had gone swimmingly, she had found a new scientist to aid her in her final move, Aldric was ready to move the next piece into play, and she had more revenue flowing in than any other company on earth. The business news was wondering when she'd start buying out other major companies. The only thing she lacked this week was sleep; but that was what coffee was for.

Perhaps best of all, her "monument" was nearing completion. The Fukao-Group Tower was finished and only had a few more floors of furnishing to go. Yes, her checkmate move was all but ready to go. Soon, she'd be the most powerful person in the world. Soon, she'd be able to stop all crime.

Staring down from the top floor of the building, she readied the final phase. All she needed now was a martyr for the cause. So, she made the call. On a new burner, she plugged in some numbers, heard the ringing, and spoke. "Tess. Your payday is at hand. Here's what I need you to do..."

Aldric​

"... and a bottle of Château Pétrus 2005 Red please." Aldric said to the small shop owner. Aldric followed it by putting nearly $10,000 on the table. The week was done and now all he needed to do was wait for Mina to trigger the play and everything would be done. As such, he needed the best bottle of wine he could find. After all, celebrations like this required and deserved only the best.

This wasn't the first of his stops for the day. All said and done, he'd dropped nearly $100,000 in the last 4 hours. He had all he needed for his celebration and was looking forward to enjoying the perfect meal. He'd already gotten the right food, the right wine, the right location... everything. The only way he could even hope to improve it would be to go back to his home village in France.

Sadly; it was gone. It had been gone for 70+ years now. He missed it now more than ever in his old age. No matter how much bloody vengeance he'd wrought over the years, it had never filled the void. He'd single-handedly brought generals and dictators to their knees and rid the world of evils it would never knew existed. They'd committed sins against gods and nature the likes of which mortal man was never meant to endure, but it was that little village that brought him the most pain. He missed it and he hated it.

But, for one afternoon, he would remember it and think of it fondly. Then... then it was show time.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Karen

Karen spent all of one night recovering before she was back on the streets. She helped where she could but her injury's where far from fully healed. She even had a few EMTs tell her she should be recovering. She naturally didn't listen, and kept on.

It was the people that bothered her more though, it wasn't the first time she'd seen people turn on heroes, probably wouldn't be the last, but it still annoyed her all the same. So did the sight of armored policemen, not because it was a bad idea by it self, far from it. It was the timing that bothered her. The time between the attack and the outfitting was to short for her liking, not when there was that cloud of some deep scheme still hanging over everything.

Rias

Rias week was fairly standard. She worked hung out with friends and rehearsed. She and the others talked about the current climate surrounding heroes, of course, but for the most part they focused on the band and the bar. Rias notably lamented that the city seemed to attract those lunatics despite the hero presence.

But for now, Rias and her band where getting ready for the dinner promised them after the interview.

 

[TheNaut131]

Terry

Terry had spent the last few hours at the old subway platform he'd planned to call their headquarters. He was working. Just working.

He stepped back and looked at his handy work. His little "side project was essentially finished, mostly programmed, engineered to as perfect as he could get it. He clicked the hanging remote and watched as the project descended back into the floor. It was perhaps the most time, money, and effort, he had put into anything a long time. Aside from the early days building his suit. Yet he couldn't really smile at it, get excited to use it, not with the Specter running around, not with what the people were saying...

He walked over to his current suit and put the helmet on. He had to go on patrol. Perhaps someone wouldn't throw a hotdog at him this time. Maybe some music would-

"The Crick, the hero who's always been a hop away, couldn't seem to hop on getting a handle of Psyclone, let alone the city's recent surge of criminal activ-"

He'd forgotten he'd left his helmet tuned on the news and begrudgingly changed the station.

"So what if he may or may not be related to Dashhopper or MockingJay?! Who flippin' cares? He ain't been 'holdin up the mantle' and whatnot. He's probably just a fanboy who-"

*Chkk*

"-I'm saying it's high time we stopped treating heroes as if they're trained professionals. They're not officers, they're not paramedics, they're just privileged people! Like that cricket guy! Strutting around like he's some sort of...decorated general! He doesn't have the authority, we don't need him, the police now have these-"

*Chkk*

"-Did he really rebrand himself to be edgy. Holy shit, green and black, what the fuck even-"

*Chkk*

"Jumpy little jackass I swear-"

*Chkk*

"Bugged eyed little *****-"

*Chkk*

"He looks like a power ranger really who the hell-"

Terry pulled off the helmet and through it against the wall of the old abandoned subway platform. It bounced off and rolled to the center of the floor with a slight spin and stopped, staring at him.

"I-I can't do this right now." Terry said, slumping against the wall.

"I just can't."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]Dr. Schwertner[/HEADING]

The Fukao-Group Tower was an impressive piece of architecture. Grand and soaring compared to other buildings in the heart of the city. The laboratory within that was currently being outfitted offered a marvelous view, even if the weather didn't permit the brightest picture. As gorgeous as the city below may have appeared, Vinzenz paid it no mind. His eyes focused only on what lied inside the large glass panes that surrounded the rather spacious room. The laboratory had taken up more than two whole floors of the building, mostly for overhead space where there was a grid of crane rails worked into the ceiling. On the main floor, industrial workbenches were arranged in a large square, leaving plenty of room to move around in between. Enclosed by the workbenches was a raised platform on which the doctor would construct his technological masterpiece.

There was an upper level to the laboratory, though it was essentially a balcony, overlooking the greater portion of the main floor, wrapping around it. There was a portion in the middle of one of the balcony's sides that jutted out further than the rest of the floor, appearing as a sort of crow's nest, allowing for a greater degree of sight than any other part of the balcony. It was against that nest's railing that Vinzenz rested. Carefully watching his new assistants as they did the busywork of constructing a suitable base for his device. He would have them begin actual construction of the components were it not for the fact that the parts were still in the process of being machined to the doctor's specifications. Vinzenz didn't fret about it, however. There was more than enough he would have them do in the meantime. Setting up a control box in the nest that he stood, for instance.

Aside from the five assistants that he requested, there were several others whose presence Vinzenz barely acknowledged. They were shifting desks and tool around, setting up various specialized work stations. Occasionally, Vinzenz would allow himself to glance at those peons, but would soon find his view situated on the specialists in the center. Among them were two engineers, two physicists, and a computer specialist. Though there were technically two computer specialists seeing as one physicist, a light-skinned middle-aged man with cropped salt-and-pepper hair and a goatee to match, had a Master's in both fields. The other physicist was evidently younger, tan with short solid-black hair, and seemed particularly eager to be working. One engineer was younger still, a fair-skinned woman with dark red hair neatly bound behind her head. The oldest engineer by far was a dark-skinned man with no hair on his head to speak of, though he possessed a neatly trimmed beard. The primary computer specialist had a dark complexion, though not nearly as dark as the chemist, and her hair was even shorter than that of the dual-degree holder.

Vinzenz had yet to remember each of their names, though that was of little importance to him at the moment. He would learn them in time. He didn't intend to grow close to any of them, they were merely like any piece of equipment in the lab, tools to utilize in order to reach his goal. That was all he needed them to be...

 

[DarkRawen]

Specter

The Specter had learned that time passed both quickly and slowly when no longer paying attention to the time. After failing to kill Gabriel, he had withdrawn, hid one of the abandoned tunnels. Where he was, no light got through. Every now and then he heard sounds, but he never went to investigate, instead he remained in place, weary and feeling sorry for himself, making no sounds, but feeling a sinking sensation of despair.

I should have killed him.

He really should have. He had to do it, to feel at peace, yet some minor details had caused him to hesitate, like a fool.

I will kill him.

The Specter felt sure, or at least as sure as he could. However, he couldn't seem to move, couldn't seem to motivate himself. He was angry, he wanted revenge, vengeance... but he also was stranded by despair, the realization of that he was dead, truly dead, having shut most of his will to act down. And so, he wandered those subway tunnels idly, with little will to act and nothing to do.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of something being thrown into a wall, and followed it, only realizing that he hadn't made himself invisible as he faced the Crick... if the helmet was an indication, at least.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tim Merridy

Tim longed for the day he could remove the rest of the casts. He had been lucky, gotten the one on his wrist removed, though another piece, on the upper part of the arm, remained. It forced him to stay inside, and boy was it boring to stay inside when you didn't want to. He had watched some movies, quite a lot, actually, but that only got him that far. It was dull, and whenever Tom left, Tim groaned. When trying to voice his complaints, Tom had just shrugged, apparently idle threats became even more idle when the person making them had a hard time moving.

And now it seems Tom might get even more upset.

Heroes were no longer regarded as heroes, but more like vigilantes with no real reason to act, and no authority to act on. If the movies Tim had watched were to be believed -and of course they were- this would mean that they would soon be regarded as nothing but criminals.

Of course, then Tim had created a devious plan to spread a simple rumor, tell the world that their super-heroes were corrupt. Checking the computer, he could see that it hadn't exactly spread to the rest of the world... but a lot of the college students in town seemed to be repeating what he had posted, using social media. He grinned.

"Hey, Tom," Tim said, waiting for the other to get there. "I thought you guys were supposed to be the good guys." He held the computer in his hands so that Tom could read what was on the screen... and see his peers spreading what seemed to be legit facts about how corrupt the heroes of the town was.

 

[TheNaut131]

The Crick

Terry heard a faint whooshing and looked up at the Specter floating a few feet in front of him.

He quickly rolled, grabbing and putting his helmet on as he jumped to his feet and took a stance as if to attack but then just sorta...flopped his arms to his sides. There wasn't really any point in fighting the Specter,let alone anyway of containing him. So Terry started walking over to a couch on the old subway platform. He opened a cushion, reached into a cooler, and pulled out a children's soft drink. He took a sip.

"These were for a community center event I was invited too...obviously, that's not happening anymore. I'd offer you one but...well, yeah. Oh, speaking of things that never happened, I spent weeks renovating this place. Seriously, training rooms, dressing rooms for everyone, hell I even got plumbing and internet down here! This was supposed to be our...hero's hangout, our hall of justice, or at least something you know?"

He stood up and walked over to the Specter.

"But Psyclone happened...so much power in one angry broken man...the destruction of the city, the fair, the blimp explosion...and then you go and try to kill Gabriel Oakfield. I mean, the police haven't officially said anything but people put it together. 'Mysterious entity assault infamous cult leader?' Right after the Psyclone incident too? Hell, my connection to the police knows they have YOU as the main suspect. I showed up right after your little meeting with 'Gabe' to try and stop you, I didn't say anything, but they already knew-You friggin yelled for Christ's sake I mean-"

He reached out as if to try and grab at the Specter and shake him. But there was no point, he was just clutching at air.

"You were my mother, fucking Superman! You were calm, collected, reasonable! You-I don't think you realize how much power you have! At least in the minds of people. You aren't just some guy in a mask, you're an untouchable nigh uncontainable telekinetic! And you go and make what was already shitty situation for us thanks to Psyclone even worse! Slender Girl is MIA, Red Mist skipped town, I think Sir Awesome literally has depression now, and every other hero is either hiding or just flat out done. We're getting arrested now too...Coil and Unicorn managed to avoid most of the backlash but they're still in the line of fire. Oh, and cause of all the hero backlash, we're outnumbered by villains."

"And that's partially thanks to you."

He walked through the Specter and into the subway car behind the phantom. One half was lined with speakers, police scanners, news outlets, blog information streaming from screens while the other half seemed to be a contained lab. On a tray in the lab were shreds of Psyclone's costume, some dried blood, and his mask all smashed apart.

"Now, either say what you gotta say or leave. I have work to try and...salvage at the point."

 

[DarkRawen]

Specter

The Specter hadn't expeted to run into the Crick down here. If he had considered it, then sure, it made sense. However, he hadn't thought of anything but his own anger and despair. Motionless, he listened to the Crick's ranting. Oh, everything was so bad for the other heroes, boohoo. As for his own strengths, Frederick had often felt the limitations, and now the Specter, free, still was weak. Unable to touch anything, to ever eat a cake or pastry again, forced into an existence that was empty beyond his thoughts of revenge.

And yet this guy complains.

Still, the Specter let him continue, perhaps the Crick would eventually get to his point, and he felt too apathic to tell the other to shut up. That turned out to be a mistake.

"And that's partially thanks to you."

Rage that had been building up boiled. The Specter did try to contain it, he did so for a moment, not even hearing what the Crick said next. The moment the kid closed his mouth, a chair went flying into the wall, breaking as it did. More items rose up, and the Specter clutched his head, unable to control himself.

"How dare you!" his voice boomed, the echoes clearer than ever. "How dare you even imply that I have any part in your mistakes! Have I not sacrificed enough?! I died twice for this 'justice' you heroes strive for, twice! You, the law system, I have given you everything I am, and now I am nothing!"

More items scattered around, breaking, making a chaos, he couldn't control it, he couldn't calm himself. There was something both terrifying and pitiful about him, the way he clutched his head and the sorrow in his voice.

"I don't care what you think I was, or who you thought I am! I am dead! I am beyond your code of right and wrong! I am only a shadow of my former self, and I demand my vengeance!"

He removed his hands from his head, and pushed a table away with his mind, his hand almost steering it away as he tried to corner the Crick. He was only a few inches away.

"So shut up before I kill you too! I didn't come here looking for you, all I wanted to do was to be alone! I don't need your pathetic problems!" He shook from anger, trying to control himself and his powers. In the spirit-form, it looked more like flickering, the cracked tragedy mask staring directly at the Crick. Having calmed down a bit, he continued.

"I need to murder that man, it's my rightful revenge, it's everything I am now. Do. Not. Stand. In. My. Way. Or I will kill you. Is that clear?"

 

[IFS]

Tess

"Tess. Your payday is at hand. Here's what I need you to do..."

"Got it," she said "you can count on me."

As soon as the conversation was over she closed the phone and tossed it on her couch. This was going to be hard, not her usual brand of villainy, but how could she resist such a payday? From the sound of things she wouldn't have many alternatives anyways, no sense getting cold feet now, you had to know where this would lead when you got into it.

She let out a long breath, she needed to get out and find something to do to relax. Maybe just go drinking or something, though it felt a little early for that. Fuck it, I'll go for a walk.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Tom

"Hey, Tom, I thought you guys were supposed to be the good guys."

"We are," Tom said, undeterred by Tim's insult "and I'll continue to be even if people think I'm not."

In spite of this the jabs did bother him, the news that the Specter might have tried to kill someone who was in prison was confusing to him. The Specter had always seemed kind of strange to Tom but he'd been one of the good guys and now he was trying to kill people. Heroes didn't kill people, he knew that much, so did that mean the Specter wasn't a hero anymore? Maybe something happened to him, like some evil demon possessed him or something. Well probably not a demon, how would you possess a ghost anyways? But still, something must have happened. People don't just turn bad.

"You'll see," he said, pushing himself out of his thoughts "we aren't heroes for the attention it gets, we're better than that."

___________________________________________________________________________________

George

It had been a largely uneventful couple of days since the Psyclone incident for George, no black outs or memory losses, and he'd even gotten the doctors appointment scheduled. They'd cautioned him to avoid driving or riding a bike in the meantime, since there was a possibility it was epilepsy or possibly some form of narcolepsy. Still the news dragging heroes through the mud was rather upsetting for him, he'd always looked up to them.

Everybody has bad days, sometimes all the time. We shouldn't be getting so upset at them because they had one.

Of course he hadn't been trying to fight this backlash, there just seemed to be too many people against the heroes now. It just left him feeling rather sad.

 

[TheNaut131]

The Crick

The Crick heard the chair clatter on the opposing wall and turned, as Specter yelled out, clutching his head. Items levitated and shattered as the Specter flickered and floated towards The Crick. He slowly began backing up. He could hear the pain and anger in The Specter's voice as everything shattered and shook. The Specter launched a table at The Crick, forcing him into a corner. He flickered with fury but calmed himself slightly.

"I need to murder that man, it's my rightful revenge, it's everything I am now. Do. Not. Stand. In. My. Way. Or I will kill you. Is that clear? Specter said, only a few inches away from The Crick.

The Crick stared at him and did a light hop over the chair. He got even closer to the Specter.

"I never knew who you were in life, I still don't, but I considered you my friend. I'm not mad that you tried to kill him, I'm really not, I'm mad you didn't even let me try to help you...I am going to get in your way. I will stop you. Because The Specter I knew...I feel like he would've tried to stop me if the situation was flipped." The Crick said, briskly walking through the Specter.

He pressed a button on the counter and a green roomba-like robot began scuttling around the floor, clearing up shattered bits of stuff. The Crick then grabbed a monitor and showed it to the Specter. It had information on death, the incorporeal, and quantum entanglement.

"But the only way I can REALLY stop you is to help you...I'm sorry, I really am I can't possibly understand what you must be feeling right now, but the rest of us are still alive. We have to deal with our own problems and your 'death' no matter how fucking awful for you is hurting other people too. Not just the heroes. The people out there. Hell, your family must-"

The Crick stopped himself not wanting to touch another nerve.

"Look, I can't fix death. I do machines. I haven't really had time to ask Loveless about your body's condition and the only info I have on 'magic' comes from Unicorn, but of course she's been busy and I'm pretty sure she can't resurrect the 'dead'. But I really want to help you it's just...I'm stuck. This is some Fringe-as-hell stuff. But thanks to Red Mist, there may be someone who can help. He was at the fair when Psyclone attacked, helped us out a bit. Dr. Schwertner I believe, a mad-scientist type if I've ever seen on. I've been trying to make contact but it's been difficult; this guy was underground as underground gets. But his tech is leagues above what I can do...or anyone for that matter."

The Crick stood and in front of The Specter. He missed his friend, he felt bad for yelling at him, he just wanted to help him so badly. Wanted the world to go back to the way it was.

"We must seem so...petty compared to you. But what happens after you kill Gabriel Oakfield? Do you think you'll find peace and move on? What happens if you're still around? You just gonna start killing anyone and everyone that gets in your way? Or you gonna keep Vol 22 of the Swamp Thing-ing, and drift around like a ghost would forever? ...just think about it, old friend."

"And if you won't listen to any of this crud, you might want to visit Loveless. He knows more about your body than I do right now..."

 

[DarkRawen]

Specter


"... We must seem so...petty compared to you. But what happens after you kill Gabriel Oakfield? Do you think you'll find peace and move on? What happens if you're still around? You just gonna start killing anyone and everyone that gets in your way? Or you gonna keep Vol 22 of the Swamp Thing-ing, and drift around like a ghost would forever? ...just think about it, old friend."

The Specter listened to Crick, flickering. However, rather than anger, more despair filled him as Crick spoke as if this could get fixed, somehow. That the Specter could will it better.

"It is all I have," he started, with a mournful tone. "Crick, I'm dead. Even moreso than I used to be, my body is dead. I didn't choose this. I didn't... I did not want this, not at all. Everything is wrong, something is missing..." He clutched his chest.

"I had a weak heart, I was stabbed once, and... debris from the explosion last week... no, when was it? A month ago? Yesterday? Years?" He realized that he had lost complete track of time, it felt like past was simply that. The past. "The one with Psyclone. Something hit me and killed me, my heart stopped. I want to take revenge, someone killed me, and I wish for them to suffer the same fate. Please understand, no one is petty apart from me. I am nothing now, the lowest of the low. A wisp."

Still mostly motionless, but now he reached for something, unable to touch it. The more he spoke, the more the air around him seemed to darken, his voice and words giving out an extreme sadness, even to Crick, who was simply listening.

"I have given everything I have, Crick. Frederick is gone and dead, his family does not matter to me. All I want one thing for myself, and I hope that it'll bring some closure, that I'll be able to simply disappear, or at least feel... at ease once that is done. For an 'old friend', could you not look past this? I do not want to have to kill you."

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tim Merridy


"We are, and I'll continue to be even if people think I'm not."

"Suuure, so this irrefutable proof is totally bollocks? Is that what you're saying?" he spoke, but what he said fell on deaf ears, as Tom was thinking about something.

Not often one sees that.

He stretched, very carefully, eager to do more mischief, and cursing his inability to do so.

"You'll see, we aren't heroes for the attention it gets, we're better than that."

"That's like, super inspirational," Tim had to admit. He couldn't even fake being bored, as he was basically jumping up and down from both how closely Tom was following the movies, and just hearing the words spoken. "Is nothing going to make you feel down? Perhaps I should be working harder, instead of slaving around on the couch..." he looked at the tv.

"Speaking of which, I'm bored, which you might be able to hear," he whined. "If you're going to keep being all happy and heroic, how about taking your dear brother for a walk, huh? Or like, a car-ride, we can watch a movie or something. Also..." he scratched his face. "I'm thinking about going home. I'd love to stay here to watch the development of this tense situation, but I'm tired of being unable to move."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]Daniel Luxe[/HEADING]

The road was slick, the rainfall was almost covering the black Talisman's windshield faster than the wipers could clear it, and the streets were becoming very congested. Though the demon behind the wheel managed to make his way through downtown just fine. He was no stranger to the conditions, and he owed that to many years of experience. He was, however, becoming somewhat frustrated that it was taking so long to locate his troublesome spawn. It was Daniel's understanding that Jack wasn't exactly one to maintain a low profile, so it was really only a matter of time before he got loud...

[HEADING=3]Jack Crosby[/HEADING]

The Shadow Rider donned his scarf and glasses as he watched the armored truck go by. He snuffed out his cigarette beneath his boot and his motorcycle appeared beneath him. He revved the engine loudly as he waited, allowing enough distance to come between himself and the truck. When the time was right, the engine of the Shadow roared to life, it's tires squealing as it tried to gain traction on the wet asphalt. Soon it was speeding down the road in the direction of the armored truck.

"Saps won't even know what hit 'em," Jack muttered, grinning beneath the mask. The distance between the Shadow and the truck was closing fast, and Jack didn't put any pressure on the brakes. The needle of his speedometer was dancing past 100 before the bike disappeared from beneath Jack and his Shadow took the form of a thick shield over his shoulder. When Jack hit the rear doors of the truck, they caved almost instantaneously as he rocketed into the holding compartment. He struck the back wall, bringing him to a stop and lifting the rear wheels off the street from the force of the impact. The front fender of the truck scraped the asphalt as it slid forward, almost flipping forward completely. The back end came crashing back down, bringing the truck to rest in the middle of the intersection.

Jack was a little dazed from the ordeal and was thinking he may have hit the truck harder than he needed to. Though it wasn't as if he was about to conduct a test run at the moment, so he dusted himself off and began prying at the locked security boxes and see what he could make off with.

 

[TheNaut131]

"I have given everything I have, Crick. Frederick is gone and dead, his family does not matter to me. All I want one thing for myself, and I hope that it'll bring some closure, that I'll be able to simply disappear, or at least feel... at ease once that is done. For an 'old friend', could you not look past this? I do not want to have to kill you."

The Crick listened intently troubled by The Specter's words. He only had one thing to say.

"I would like to not be killed. Maybe slightly maimed, a broken rib or two I dunno."

He chuckled slightly and shook his head thinking for a moment.

"Frederick? Your name is Frederick-like Rolls. The judge at the fair who stepped out to...huh, that makes so much sense. Okay, look Mr.Rolls", The Crick said, hoping using his name would get him to relax and focus a bit.

"For starters, you are Frederick Rolls. And you're the Specter. You're a hero. And not just the 'super' kind. The world needs you for you. Your family needs you for you. You're not JUST the Specter. You're so much more than that. And right now you have a benefit others don't have. When they're gone, their mistakes and actions linger among the living. You can make things right...but killing Gabriel Oakfield helps no one. And it probably won't help you. I feel like from what little bit of Frederick Rolls I knew he would agree. And YOU would agree too, because you ARE him. Whether or not you want to admit it."

"We're going in circles, I know, I know, but let's get the record straight. One, I can't truly stop you from killing Gabriel Oakfield, but I can at least help you...which means I at least have to try and stop you anyway. Two. If you're going to try do this, do me at least one favor. Let me get Loveless on the line...something tells me you and him were a lot closer friends than I thought. He's helped Frederick Rolls AND the Specter. Go to him or something. And Three...either kill me now before I have to figure out how to kill you or leave now. I'm tired...and I just wanna go for a walk."

 

[DarkRawen]

Specter

"I would like to not be killed. Maybe slightly maimed, a broken rib or two I dunno."

The Crick laughed, but quickly spoke. He spoke of so much that he had no idea about, things that the Crick didn't truly know about. It wasn't exactly convincing him to refrain from anything, but at least it was somewhat polite.

"Go to him or something. And Three...either kill me now before I have to figure out how to kill you or leave now. I'm tired...and I just wanna go for a walk."

"Frederick is dead," he repeated, weakly. Did the Crick not realize how painful it was for the Specter to think of it, that every time a little instance of hope, it was torn away just as quickly, causing his insides to ache? The young hero wanted to be left alone, and the Specter had no reason to keep trying.

"I'll leave, it's no use. This... it's not working, you're not listening," he continued, his ghostly form disappearing from sight. His voice kept echoing, just as sorrowful as before, though weary as well.

"Besides, you won't understand. You'd get it if you had been through the same thing as I have been through, though I don't wish it upon you, it's painful. Something is wrong, I can't seem to remember how much time has passed, I have to act now. Don't get in my way, and everything will be fine."

Without waiting for a reply, the Specter disappeared, upwards. He didn't know where Gabriel was, but the Crick had mentioned Loveless. Theodore would know, he'd be able to point the Specter in the right direction.

Hopefully he'll understand. He's not a hero, and he was Frederick's friend.


Not long after leaving the tunnels, he found Theodore, getting dressed. Once upon a time, he'd feel like he should wait, but he couldn't wait. Making no attempt at doing this carefully, his voice could be heard as he appeared behind Theodore.

"Where is Gabriel Oakfield?"

His voice was dire, though it also had elements of that it was a question, not a command, and a slight sense of desperation.

"Do you know where he is? You should know, you know everything."

 

[hiei82]

Theodore​

Theodore was pulling on his vest when it happened. His meal with Rias was still some time away so he wasn't in much of a hurry; he just wouldn't have time to stop back in his apartment later. Theodore moved his hands to button up the vest when A voice spoke to him. "Where is Gabriel Oakfield?" Considering that, as far as Theodore knew, he was alone in his room getting dressed, this came as a mild shock.

Theodore nearly jumped a solid half foot into the air and yelped in fright. He turned to the source of the voice after grabbing the first item he could reach off his dresser. In Theodore's defense, he brandished the simple comb quite menacingly. You know, for a comb.

As Theodore faced the Specter, he calmed down slightly. "Jesus! You almost gave me a heart att- nevermind, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! The Crick and I have been searching everywhere! Oh, and don't worry. I haven't told anyone who you are yet. just..." Theodore started to say before Frederick cut him off.

"Do you know where he is? You should know, you know everything." Frederick said. As the reality of the situation set in, Theodore felt his heart sink. "So this isn't a courtesy call then." Theodore stared at the ghastly figure for a moment. Here Frederick was, right in front of him, yet he was also as far beyond his reach as the most distant of planets. It was heartbreaking in the worst kind of way.

Theodore had to act. He didn't actually know where Gabriel Oakfield was, but he had contacts in the police who could tell him. That'd have to do. "I don't know, but I can find out." Theodore said truthfully; he wasn't going to deceive Frederick. It'd be wrong to do so. Instead, he'd make a deal.

"I'll find out and tell you under one condition. Go to Neutropolis General Hospital Room 342 and stay there for 10 minutes. It's your room. If you still think you're dead after seeing yourself quite alive and Sofia's worried face, than I tell you anything you want to know about Oakfield. Thereafter, we never speak again. If not, you get back in your body, get up, say you're sorry to your sister, and we all go out for whatever dinner and a play you want; my treat." Theodore said, his eyes sharp. He couldn't make Frederick do anything, but he could dangle one hell of a cost of doing business in front of him.

"Or you can float away and find a different way, but I prefer Option 2." Theodore added as an after thought.

 

[DarkRawen]

Specter

"I don't know, but I can find out. I'll find out and tell you under one condition. Go to Neutropolis General Hospital Room 342 and stay there for 10 minutes. It's your room. If you still think you're dead after seeing yourself quite alive and Sofia's worried face, than I tell you anything you want to know about Oakfield. Thereafter, we never speak again. If not, you get back in your body, get up, say you're sorry to your sister, and we all go out for whatever dinner and a play you want; my treat. Or you can float away and find a different way, but I prefer Option 2."

"Don't lie," the Specter replied, air around him shaking, his form yet again flickering. clothes rose up into the air as he spoke, surrounding him. "Don't lie, Theodore, don't do that! Not you too..." he trailed off, going a little away, trying to keep himself from doing what he had done to Crick. It was clear that he was struggling to keep what little control over both himself and his telekinesis. However, then he realized that Theodore had mentioned Sofia, and, surprised, he let the clothes drop to the ground again, looking at Theodore, questioning. Not that the journalist could see that, of course.

I'm... why would Sofia be here?" the question hung in the air, and he stared at Theodore. "Isn't the funeral over? How long... how long is it since I died? I don't know anymore, I don't know how much ten minutes would be, I don't..." he was trying to grasp at an inate understanding of time he no longer seemed to possess. However, he wasn't too far gone, and he connected a few dots, though it was barely enough to comprehend what ten minutes was. "It's not long, right? Only... only ten minutes, and then you'll tell me. Sofia..." he said her name. Sister, Frederick's sister. But... Theodore was saying that Frederick was alive, that his body was... alive.

No. But... I'll go. If I want to kill that man, I should act now. And this seems like the best way to do it.

"You'll come with me, right? To the hospital, and keep track of time. 10 minutes. I won't have to show myself to Sofia, do I? She... she knows, she knows I used to be Frederick. I don't want her to see me in this state. Not when I'm this sad, and angry, and pathetic, and small. And then you'll tell me where Gabriel Oakfield is, and I'll kill him."

 

[hiei82]

Theodore​

"You'll come with me, right? To the hospital, and keep track of time. 10 minutes. I won't have to show myself to Sofia, do I? She... she knows, she knows I used to be Frederick. I don't want her to see me in this state. Not when I'm this sad, and angry, and pathetic, and small. And then you'll tell me where Gabriel Oakfield is, and I'll kill him."

Theodore was worried for a moment there. This plan of his was something of a hail Mary; lots of potential gain but with an equal or greater amount of risk. If, after seeing his body, Frederick wasn't convinced than... a person would die. A criminal and a bad one at that for sure, but still a human being.

Regardless, it was Theodore's only play.

"Okay. I'll go with you. It's gonna take me some time to get there though; I can't fly. And I won't make you show yourself to Sofia if you don't want to. Does she know you're the Specter? I haven't told anyone so..." Theodore responded, leaving the last part blank because he wasn't sure.

As he left his place and made his way to the hospital, Theodore sent out three messages. The first was to The Crick to let him know he was trying to help Frederick. The second was to Rias to let her know he'd make the meal but might be a little late. The last was to a connection with the police to inquire about Oakfield. Theodore hoped the information would prove unneeded.

About half an hour later, Theodore arrived at the hospital. He walked the well-traveled hallways and up the stairs toward Frederick's room. He'd been here half a dozen times over the last week and barely needed to keep his eyes open at this point. Through it all, Theodore was very conscious of Frederick following him. Though he couldn't see the ghastly man, every now and then something moved seemingly without reason and Theodore knew.

At long last, Theodore arrived outside the door. He pulled open his smartphone to open a stopwatch. During this, he saw his informant's answer to his question about Oakfield, but closed it before Frederick could possible see it.

Theodore took a deep breath and opened the door. Inside was a pretty plain hospital room. Opposite the door was a closed window that looked over a parking lot. A boring view, but there was a small park on the other side of the street so at least it wasn't bad. Inside the room were two beds and lots of equipment. One of the beds was another coma patient. Theodore didn't know anything about him. The far bed however contained Frederick.

Frederick was hooked up to 3 pieces of equipment; a medical monitoring device, a feeding tube, and an IV providing some kind of drug. The monitor said Frederick's vitals were stable if low. Most notably, Frederick's heart was beating on it's own.

There were two chairs on the far side of the room; one of which was occupied by Sofia who appeared to be taking a nap. Theodore was just happy she was sleeping; she hadn't had a chance for much in the last week.

Theodore waited until Frederick's astral-self was in the room then pressed a timer on his phone for 10 minutes. "So Specter; what do you think?" he said quietly so as not to wake Sofia.

 

[IFS]

Tom

"I'm thinking about going home. I'd love to stay here to watch the development of this tense situation, but I'm tired of being unable to move."

"Home?" he said "Like back with your parents?"

He realized he hadn't really thought of the fact that Tim had somewhere else he could go to live, but was it even in Neutropolis? He wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Tim's villainy if he left, but then again Tim was hardly in a position to be a villain at the moment. Besides, surely his parents would set him straight. Unless... what if they're villains too? No that's silly... or is it...

"Er ahem," he said, snapping out of his thoughts "where would that be anyways?"

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Tess

She wasn't far along her walk when she noticed a familiar face, one that she certainly hadn't expected to see just out and about. Sirius the guy who had healed her after she'd escaped the blimp. Hm, I wonder what he's up to. I certainly didn't expect to see him just walking around, though I probably shouldn't just go say hi he might get suspicious.

Still she couldn't help but follow after him at a distance, curious about what he might be up to. Perhaps if she saw him stop or something she might approach but for now she would keep her distance.