The Keepers
Posts 357
Power Level 31
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Post by Geata on Nov 5, 2016 18:41:21 GMT -7
After a series of strange and terrible events, Geata found himself at a loss of what to do next. After joining the Keepers, he couldn't decide if he should look into the Houston dragon or see if Horizon's had anything interesting to offer, or if he would be better off following through with an older plan he had since back before the plant dragon attacked. One group of options mostly benefitted the Keepers, while the other was something that would hopefully work to the benefit of all supers. Normally, he'd want to do something to try and make nice with his new faction-mates; but given who caused the strange and terrible events, he felt that the other Keepers could take their expectations of what he should do and shove it. Besides, he had his own goals that demanded his time and attention - if the dragon from Houston was the one that would next attack Emerald City, it was likely to take its time and hit other big targets along the way - and the entire reason he joined the faction was to further his own goals by utilizing Keeper resources when necessary. As such, as long as he helped out when needed, he felt no obligation to do the work for the others.
As such, the news station would find itself being approached by a relatively small figure carrying an unusual burden. A portal opened before them and lingered behind after they stepped through, an invitation for help or an easy entrance for the opposition that was expected to arrive. The portal led to a room full of writers working on the articles for the next edition of the newspaper, specifically right in front of the one doorway in the room leading to an exit. The unusual object was set down on a desk. Geata surveyed the room, taking note of exactly where everything was and the fear in the unpowered workers' eyes as they noticed what was going on.
Geata was quite literally the brains of the current operation in that he was quite literally just a brain, currently. Azoth, his helper for the evening, had saved him from death at the cost of him waiting a while for a replacement meat suit. So, for the time being, he was a brain hooked up to certain electrical equipment but ultimately stuck in a jar with a preserving concoction that he was too busy coming to terms with his new condition to actually pay enough attention to. The equipment in question was fairly basic, as far as equipment hooked up to a brain went, he supposed: life support, cameras and microphones for him to see and hear with, and a sound system for him to speak through. The electronics were fit into the base holding the jar for ease of transportation, both by his powers or by others.
"Hello, everyone," he called, his voice electronic and cheery. "I'd like to take this moment to assure you that I have no intentions of hurting anyone or damaging anything that doesn't have powers or power-equivalents. If we were intending to harm or destroy, we'd already be doing it. No, instead I am here today to have a peaceful discussion on the bias against supers in the media. You see, we don't all deserve the unjust treatment from you guys up here. I don't mean to say that villainous actions need to be ignored or made to seem less villainous than they were - an example being a man murdered by a super assassin a couple months back; I'm not saying that there's any way to portray that better - but rather that not everything that a super touches is immediately ruined. As such, I propose a deal: rather than vent my frustration at the system by smashing this building, I'd rather try to help you avoid unwanted angry super attention by helping you write about supers in a better light. I suggest that you take a powered individual, possibly myself but not necessarily, and have them appraise articles much in the same way that an editor would."
Had he the face to smile coyly with, he would've. "That all being said, don't misunderstand my peaceful approach. This is happening, whether you approve or not, understand? This is very much a takeover, my friends. I would be open to suggestions, though, should anyone have any~" he finished.
MEGASCHEME: take over the news station peacefully, establish a super in charge to prevent further libel and slander against supers
Going by Team Management
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The Keepers
Posts 234
Power Level 31
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Post by Azoth on Nov 5, 2016 19:06:12 GMT -7
Azoth watched the unpowereds in the room with about as much interest as was necessary to assure no staplers were thrown at the boyfriend in a jar. In truth, Azoth hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. Or the night before that, or really since the whole… She glanced down at the jar set on the table before returning her attention to her peripheral, and where she expected opposition to come from. There was a slight chance that they would actually be able to do this peacefully, and she would refrain from more harmful actions until it was deemed necessary. Indeed, between the two of them, she doubted there was much they couldn’t stop. This was not accounting for the supers who were likely to support this operation, as, last she checked, most supers did not like being called villains, or blamed for things they didn’t partake in, or lumped in with those disagreeable to their tastes.
Speaking of which, Azoth raised an eyebrow at Geata’s mention of the assassinated CEO. Was that an attempted jab at her? Strange, she thought he was here to stop off-handed verbal attacks against supers like that. Maybe she was just tired and misreading things.
That was probably it.
SUPPORTING: Team Management to help Geata because… mostly just because Geata wants this. Preference to be on the same front as Geata
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Unaligned
Posts 9
Power Level 16
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Post by Masked Man on Nov 5, 2016 20:02:29 GMT -7
These blustery evenings seemed a quaint and peaceful transition from the prior heat, the ends of October settling in without a word. Yet, within Emerald City's buildings, trouble blossomed on the horizon. It was a long time since he'd actually botched a job, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't getting a little antsy with need for more action. After all, being restless was always a bad trait of his: it tended to lead to him doing rather unnecessarily violent or destructive things after a while of being able to get rid of all of that pent-up energy. The Masked Man was far from disappointed by what he heard. News Station takeovers weren't his norm, having more of a tendency for muggings or smaller thefts without leaving a trace behind, but hell if he wasn't practically buzzing at the thought of paying that brat back. Causing some general terror, some fear, and getting away with things to satisfy that itch of his all in one shot was always a good time in his book.
Rather reminiscent of the jewelery store, it was from beneath the smoke-strewn skies and through the front doors of the News Station which poised the centerpiece of the building that the Masked Man strode, better suited in appearance to the rough and tough drudgery of Emerald City's underbelly. Anxious glances was he paid in passing en route into the building, the sight brought only a smirk to the Masked Man's lips. As soon as he had entered the front lobby, the Masked Man turned to regard the News Station as a whole as, simultaneously, its lobby was cast into din, and the chorus of shouts and muffled sobs nothing short of music to his ears. A few blinks acclimated the Masked Man to the lack of light, yet the building itself stood not yet completely extinguished. A moment was paid to this leisurely enjoyment, as pathetic as the Masked Man had imagined, stark effort had to be made not to roll his eyes as he sped throughout the lobby, and in only a single moment, the civilians crumpled unconsciously in a heap more alike to a pile of hay than people. The Masked Man proceeded up to the next floors, ready to intercept that little punk. For if there was anything he knew without contest about this city, it was that self-proclaimed "heroes" lurked about every corner. And this time he would be ready.
The Masked Man silently stepped into the room where the civilians cowed and the two supers announced themselves.
OPPOSING: Team Breaking News.
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The Keepers
Posts 36
Power Level 20
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Post by Phenomenon on Nov 5, 2016 20:23:43 GMT -7
Being a super was mostly hard because of the constant spam of media trash talk about them, or that's the way Phenomenon saw it. The whole situation would be fine if it weren't for all the public slander. Sure, it may look like just because a few people died that the dude with a mask is the villain, but damn it if villains don't have the right to walk around without hearing every detail about what they've done exaggerated and blown out of proportion. It was somewhat enjoyable, watching the media center itself around the lives of oneself and one's... coworkers. It just needed to be made a little less derogatory.
The whole set of circumstances, mixed with his own beliefs on the matter, made it very hard for the masked man to stay out of the whole affair. Besides, he had just started working with Azoth a little bit more and it was always nice to meet a new Keeper. Even one that he had ran into before that didn't have that status, and was currently contained in a real nice jar. Still just a jar, but it had to be given some credit. It was in Phenomenon's nature to approach the easiest entry point to the building, and that was the portal he'd expected. He simply walked through it, and found himself with the other Keepers as well as writers. The black spaces of eyes on the mask looked about, examining allies, civilians, and the one enemy, before resting on the jarred brain. The telepath stifled a laugh before turning to the frightened normals in the room, quite alarmed by their apparent and abrupt predicament. Phenomenon would raise his head, almost as though he were looking down on them, while he crept in to each of their minds and established a minor hold. Geata's intentions were peaceful, as always, and that was respectable. No one would be intentionally killed, but these people would remain in their seats and relatively calm as no electrical stimulation was allowed to anyone's amygdala. It would keep them pacified, docile. Sheep. The Masked Man was the only threat, and it didn't seem like it could be too hard to deal with him; just best to keep the civilians out of the crossfire if possible.
"I have one," the robotic voice would crackle out from the mask, regarding suggestions, and his finger would raise to point at the other intruder. "We deal with that awful racket before it tries to deal with us."
SUPPORTING: Team Management, because people talk enough crap anyway and this is a good opportunity to make friends. Preference to face Hivemind
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Emerald City Bulwark
That's Un-bee-lievable!
Posts 24
Power Level 20
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Post by Hivemind on Nov 5, 2016 21:21:02 GMT -7
He's heard about it for a while now, and it was unclear when it was going to happen. Throughout the week, Hivemind has sent insects around the city, checking everything out. He has heard about it from other Bulwarks and around town, and tonight might be the night. Being cautious, Hive made his way to the rooftop of the Bulwark HQ to interact with his insects and check things out. Making it to the roof, he took his focus from the lights of the city, and focused on the sight that him and his insects share. Hivemind wanted the rumor to be fake, not because he was afraid, but he wanted to reduce the total amount of casualties possible. In the rumors he heard, there was talk about a few locations around town that might be the site of the event. The first on his list was the News Station. Controlling his bugs, Hive sent his insects on their way to the station. Upon arrival, the flies caught a glimpse of a masked super entering the station. "I can't just ignore it", Hivemind thought. He sent his insects into the News Station, and now it was time for him to move.
While approaching the station, Hive noticed a portal near the entrance of the station. Realizing the portal was probably a trap, Hivemind decided to enter. He didn't care what he had to face on the other side, Hive just wanted to keep the people safe. The portal led to a room full of writers and a few supers. Out of the three supers that were there, he identified Azoth and Phenomenon. Hive didn't know who the masked super, and he just wanted to know if he was going to have to fight him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a jar. It was a normal looking jar. It was made of glass and had a lid on it. The only thing wrong about this jar was the human brain that floated around in it. Wires from cameras, microphones, and other electronic equipment were attached to said brain and it seemed like the brain controlled the equipment attached to it. "What is that?!?!" Hivemind yelled. Hive thought he said to himself, but after looking at the supers faces, he realized he said it aloud.
The writers in the room seemed like they were being taken hostage, and forced to write down ideas presented to them. "That's not really how this works", Hivemind concluded. The supers' reason for taking them hostage was to try and stop the slandering of supers on the news. Hive didn't watch the news, but he got his info from friends, rumors, and from the radio. He has heard the things they say about supers, and at times their slanders have gotten to Hivemind. The insults and slander that was broadcast used to make Hive feel awful about being a super, but he realized something. "I was born this way, and I can't do a thing to change that. If you don't like me because I'm different, then don't like me. I know supers don't receive praise on the news, but we don't need praise. We should know we're doing good, and they shouldn't have to tell us otherwise. I have powers, and I'm not just gonna sit around and watch people die because I'm too afraid to use them", (This was a quote Hivemind once said to a reporter from this very news station).
Back to the room full of writers, supers, and a brain-in-a-jar, Hivemind refocused and readied himself for a fight. It wasn't going to be easy, but as long as he's fighting for the right reason, he didn't care who he had to go against.
Opposing: Team Breaking News, to stop the supers from taking over the News Station, to help the hostages, and to make sure that everything turns out good. (Obviously not for the Supporters of the scheme)
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Unaligned
Aw, what's wrong? Don't you trust me?
Posts 235
Power Level 30
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Post by An0nymou5 on Nov 5, 2016 23:35:27 GMT -7
Anonymous was simple up to his usual business when he heard the panic commotion around the news station. Honestly, this is, what, like the fifth time? Or is it the seventh? Either way, why does this news station always get so much attention toward it anyway? They’re not even covering important news. When he heard the voice over the intercom, he can instinctively recognized who it belong to. Dear old Skeletor is planning a statement; similar to old acid-trip Aurora, he’s not being very subtle about his intention.
Concentrating a little bit more, he cal also detect some other supers nearby; some he’s quite familiar with, and a few that he has never heard before. Even Skeletor’s girlfriend little Misty has joined the game, and with her is that weird guy from the while back who help him with his work.
“Don’t know what you all are planning to do with this news station, but you really shouldn’t exclude me out of the fun.”
He flipped his silver coin and caught it in the air with a sinister grin on his face; if the Keeper is here, that mean they’re after something quite juicy. Well, he has read the news about the dragon attack last month, and a potential dragon coming in from the South is quite a problematic situation. If the news station somehow managed to get the information yet keep it hidden from the public, like last time, the devastation might be…overwhelming.
Besides, this seems to be too important to little Misty’s boyfriend that it might earn him more favor from the little girl in the future. Oh partnership is always such a funny little thing.
Support: Azoth, sweetie, how much favor will this earn me? Two? Four? Either way, I’m not passing this chance of joining team Management and leech onto their good work.
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Emerald City Bulwark
Posts 35
Power Level 22
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Post by Rainfall on Nov 6, 2016 21:34:30 GMT -7
"Nine-one-one. What is your emergency?"
Rainfall glanced around the lobby. Like the Masked Man, she'd entered through the front doors rather than the gaping portal. Unlike him, she hadn't yet moved on to the newsroom. Instead, she'd pulled out a phone (a tricky device, but something of a necessity of late) and immediately dialed emergency services.
"Super attack."
"What is your name?"
"Elly Appleton."
"What is the phone number you are calling from?"
She gave them her number, the address, some additional details. This wasn't a crime she could deal with on her own, not with civilians caught up in it. She'd catch the bad guys, but someone would be needed to evacuate the building, to provide medical assistance, to just generally get the whole situation under control. Given the number of villains she'd seen heading in here, things were likely to get real ugly before this was over.
"Okay, Elly, we'll send the police right away."
She turned off her phone, and grabbed her hunting rifle. Law enforcement would take care of the civilians down here, and hopefully have enough sense to bring an ambulance with them. As for her, it was time to get rid of the rats who caused this whole mess in the first place.
Opposing: A 'peaceful' takeover? Said every mad wannabe dictator ever. Team Breaking News.
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Emerald City Bulwark
Posts 67
Power Level 27
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Post by Nemesis on Nov 7, 2016 14:57:28 GMT -7
The newspaper was under attack. Again. Last time things didn't work out but today. . . well, Nemesis had a hard time getting her hopes up. After all, she probably had the worst track record among the Bulwark. Still, that wasn't a good enough excuse to stop fighting. If anything, she simply needed to show up to more events. If she only succeeded twenty-five percent of the time, then responding to every call for help would save more people. Any attempt was better than nothing.
Upon her arrival outside the offices, Nemesis quickly recognized the portal waiting in front of her as the kind Geata often used. Preparing herself for another annoying encounter, she took note of what room they were in and headed for the front door. She summoned a new katana into her hand before bursting into the room. Pointing the blade at her opponent, she opened her mouth to say something cool, except. . .
“Geata?”
Whatever plan she had going in was forgotten. She blinked a few times and rubbed her good eye in case she was just seeing things wrong, not that it would've helped. Her spirit vision (probably) never made a mistake before, so that was more reliable than anything else. Trying to figure out how he went from a person to a floating brain gave Nemesis a headache. There were more important things to worry about right now. He was still attempting to take over the news, or something, and that was still a bad idea. She decided to focus on stopping him for now.
OPPOSING: Because no one our age reads the news anyway, man. Joining Team Breaking News
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Pandaemonium
Posts 381
Power Level 31
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Post by Aurora Disicio on Nov 7, 2016 18:15:29 GMT -7
It felt almost nostalgic to be in Laurel Boulevard again. Aurora used to 'visit' the news station here on a near monthly basis, but she'd gotten so caught up in so many other things that she simply hadn't had the time to retaliate against them like she normally would. Hell, she'd barely had enough time to even keep up with the news lately. After the mayor made his speech and the reaction it got, it was becoming clear to her that these kinds of things were not considered acceptable anymore and that it would only be a matter of time before people started to have the same reactions towards all other forms of needlessly anti-super propaganda. It was nice that people were finally starting to not only see it, but were actually starting to do something about it. There was only so much she could do alone.
Aurora had nothing against Geata, save for him being a little bit too easy to manipulate and a little bit too willing to be obnoxious, and while she didn't have much confidence in his plan she was willing to go along with it. Worst came to worst she'd bust up the place again, break everyone's fingers and move on with her life. It wasn't that she thought his plan had no merits, it's that it seemed poorly thought out on his end and she had no idea who he intended to actually replace the current people. Were there even any qualified reporters in the area that weren't heavily biased against supers? Supers themselves were rare enough that she doubted there'd be enough super reporters to run something like this, and only having one in power probably wouldn't change much. She also believed that having someone spew pro-super propaganda was almost as bad as the people spewing anti-super propaganda, and that seemed more likely than having reasonable media at this point. Even though she had her doubts, she was willing to see this plan through, and possibly fix it along the way where Geata fucked it up.
For now, she was staying outside, a good distance away from the station. Dullahan was with her again, and she was riding on top of the bulldozer he built once again. There was something to be said for the classics, so she saw no reason to tell him to get something else for this, even if the plan suggested he wouldn't be using it. Her aurora floated gently around her and the bulldozer rather than hanging in the sky. It was still bright enough that she still stuck out like a sore thumb, but she didn't see the need to announce her presence just yet. At this point, she considered herself and Dullahan back up in case negotiations went predictably. There was movement around the station though, likely idiot heroes who thought trying to break the status quo was bad again. That was something that required her attention.
"Dullahan, move in, but avoid damaging the building until we hear from Geata!" she kicked the bulldozer like it was a horse she wanted to get to go faster.
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SUPPORTING: Team Management because we've got to stick together. Preference to be on the same front as Dullahan
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Pandaemonium
Posts 78
Power Level 25
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Post by Dullahan on Nov 8, 2016 15:35:16 GMT -7
The scene was a familiar one. The news station was up ahead, and Dullahan had constructed an updated bulldozer body for himself to carry Aurora there. He was pretty sure that she had some sort of half-baked ideological reason for attacking this time as well, but he hadn't really been listening. There were more important matters afoot.
Namely, he had some other hardware on the field that he wanted to monitor, hardware that someone else was operating. Constructing a life support system to keep a brain functional outside the body was no easy feat, let alone a life support system capable of withstanding the rigors of combat. Furthermore, while Dullahan had removed most of his brain's limbic system in order to make his own life support system more durable, his patient this time hadn't been as comfortable with losing his emotions.
Thus, Dullahan was a bit worried about how well Geata would fare here. There was still probably less than a 1% chance of catastrophic failure, but Dullahan wanted to be here to perform emergency repairs if that chance came up. It hadn't taken any convincing at all to get him to come along. This was a simple matter of professional responsibility.
"Damage the building later, understood." It would probably be best to avoid jostling the life support system anyway.
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SUPPORTING: Team Management, for reasons utterly unrelated to its goals. Preference to be on the same front as Aurora.
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Rein Initiative
He saying "tag, you're it, tag, tag, you're it"
Posts 51
Power Level 31
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Post by Fleet on Nov 8, 2016 16:47:43 GMT -7
Fleet stared dumbfounded at the totally awesome portal before him, face starting to turn pink as his heart pounded enough to nearly pound out of his chest. "Hey~" He cupped his hands around his mouth, "Anyone there!?" He blew out a breath as nobody responded, even though he knew lots of people were there. "One~Two~Three~Ready or not, here I come!" He took a step and fell through.
Instantly, he rolled, crawling underneath a desk as he patted his chest and came up with a gun. Aw, it was no where near as fun as a knife! Then he came up with a second gun, and his eyes lit up, he was gonna be like Rambo!
He flopped onto his back, pulling his collar up to obscure his face as the white-haired man peeked beside the desk at some...brain in a jar? He almost took aim right there and then, but stopped as it...him...started talking. Somehow, it didn't move him at all. Peaceful takeover? His butt! What super was dumb enough to try this!? He snorted and coughed out a laugh, evolving into a giggle that certainly gave him away as he covered his eyes, rolling under a table and preparing the gun.
Outside, the trees were whipping in a Gale seemingly out of nowhere.
Opposing: Breaking News team!
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Post by PANOPTICON Ver. 3.023 on Nov 8, 2016 19:43:06 GMT -7
PANOPTICON Ver. 3.023 online Analyzing aberrant activities... ALERT: Aberrant attempt at media disturbance detected in Emerald City, sector AM-36. Threat to information control contingencies confirmed. Agent present on-site... Detected: 23,073 unpowered humans. Detected: Nine standard aberrants. See case files 1-4495, 1-4610, 1-5554, 1-5593, 1-5606, 1-5623, 1-5977, 1-6006, 1-6168. Detected: One anomalous aberrant. See case file 3-0508 (cf. 5-0193). Detected: One auxiliary aberrant. See case file 4-0682. Mission log start. Demarcating conflict fronts... Azoth Geata Nemesis Phenomenon and Rainfall to Inside the StationAn0nymou5 Aurora Disicio Dullahan Fleet Hivemind and Masked Man to Outside the Station
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