Emerald City Bulwark
Posts 35
Power Level 22
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Post by Rainfall on Sept 22, 2016 18:47:00 GMT -7
For the past week, a lone figure had stalked the streets of Emerald City. Clad in a wide black hat and a dark brown cloak, she'd walked back and forth across its massive sprawl time and time again, watching, searching, trying to figure out where the heroes had gone. They were still around, sure, but the past few months had left them practically endangered.
She walked through the streets, and she saw fear. Fear of sudden changes, of bright auroras and swarms of cats, of the rumbling earth that heralded the arrival of a Dragon. Fear of the attacks that could come from anywhere and at any time, attacks which were growing all the more common. Fear of her, for walking and dressing differently, a difference that hinted she might just be one of them. If anything, openly carrying weapons made her less menacing: in the current climate she was hardly the only one to do so, and carrying weapons made it seem less likely that she was one.
Back in the forest, she'd seen the same signs- the darting eyes, the footsteps just a twitch away from turning into a sprint, a general air of hurriedness -in prey animals. This place was not so different. A new breed of human had become dominant, a predator breed, and the civilians were trying to adapt.
She remembered, though, that there had been hope. People had believed in heroes, the kind they saw in comic books, and admired supers for all they might achieve. Sure, the government had cracked down and fear had grown and grown and grown, but there had always been faith within the populace, that they could still live well and safely.
Then again, it had been a while since she'd visited. Maybe she was remembering wrong.
The fact remained that the heroes weren't doing enough. The Bulwarks were still active- she'd confirmed that with her own eyes -but they weren't visible enough, or fast enough to respond. They were divided, each trying to pursue their own goals within the organization. This wouldn't do. She'd figured it out now: what this city needed was someone on the side of the civilians, a presence that actively served them rather than simply fighting a common enemy. The Bulwarks needed to be that ally of the people, and clearly show that they were.
So she'd gotten in touch with some old friends, done a bit of bartering, cashed in some favors. Rainfall had never been one for talking, and when her plan burst into motion, the Bulwarks would have little warning- only the fact of it, the reality that they had to either join her now or live with the fact that they'd let this call to arms pass them by.
First, they'd notice the phones. Cheap black mobile phones, laid out neatly in a row in the Bulwark HQ where everyone could see them. One for each known member, free to take. Rainfall was nowhere to be seen, she was already out there, waiting to take action.
Soon, the phones would start to ring.
She'd given out numbers to people she could trust, told them to watch for any major disasters or incidents. Told them to pass on the numbers to those they knew would use them right. She'd begun her spread a little before depositing the phones themselves, so that by the time the Bulwarks found out, hundreds would know.
Within a week, thousands would know. Within a month, the city would know.
If you call for help, we will answer. You don't need to be afraid anymore.
The system would need to be refined, calls funneled and sorted so that the system didn't get overwhelmed, so that prank calls could be filtered out and multiple reports of the same incident merged for a more comprehensive picture. They'd need security, so that the Keepers didn't break their whole system. She'd leave that to the more tech-savvy heroes, however. For now, they just needed to get boots on the ground and show the city that the Bulwarks were on their side.
If this was going to work, they'd need to start strong. Any Bulwark picking up a phone would soon hear voices, hurriedly explaining or pleading or simply naming a location and calling for help. If those calls weren't answered, nobody would believe in the heroes any longer. If they were, then perhaps the city might yet be saved.
Would the Bulwark answer?
Megascheme: Give the people a direct line of communication with the Bulwarks. To prove that it works, deal with any and all incidents that we're needed for, within reason. Show the city that the heroes are still fighting. (Preference to be paired with Shepherd or Hivemind).
Team Dialers can be our nickname.
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Unaligned
Posts 56
Power Level 16
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Post by RPG on Sept 22, 2016 20:10:55 GMT -7
For the past few minutes, a lone figure had merrily strolled his way down the alleyways of Emerald City. Clad in his signature blue jumpsuit and stylish mask, he'd walked back and forth across its massive sprawl for like the third time again, looking, seeking, trying to figure out where the Bulwark HQ was at. He was the only person sneaking around. The routes he took looked like ghost towns compared to the busy streets nearby. Perhaps they're planning a surprise party, who knows?
"You know, you'd think this was a set-up for some epic war." It was too quiet for RPG's liking. Although, dark alleyways usually weren't where most people would loiter. He would go out into the open city filled with denizens, out and about being carefree and whatnot, but that would be a pretty risky move.
He was definitely here, though, to check on the Bulwark situation. He'd always been hesitant on joining. There were many advantages to working mostly alone, which included lots of freedom. When it came to superhero groups like this, there were always bound to be problems unless the members were somehow always cooperative with one another. The Bulwarks seemed like an incoherent group to him; they just didn't seem to hold up very well. If he were to join, he'd definitely keep the friendly workplace environment status quo running.
After a few unfortunate and somewhat (but still not really) fortunate fights with some supers, he'd been questioning the definition of a hero. He's thought back to when he was a child many times, and each time he'd remember about wishing to become a hero. Yet, here he was. Was he still not a hero? That's the (admittedly kinda cliché) question he'd like to answer.
The only reason he's trying to find the Bulwark base now is a paper with a number he had just happened to receive. "Definitely like Dial H for Hero." He tried dialing 4376 on a bunch of phones, but sadly, none of them was an H-Dial. Assuming he was right, which he may or may not have been, the number was a kind of Bulwark signal. It seemed like the right time to see what this was all about and hopefully help end some inner conflict within the city's (REAL) superhero group.
Even if he wouldn't join, he'd still help. Although, if this thing about calling Bulwarks like the police were true, he'd need to steal a phone or be able to intercept the line all the time. I can't wiretap, soooo... option numero uno it is! RPG just needs to find out where they're holding the phone conference. Granted, it wasn't the most heroic thing to do, but it was a deed that would allow him to get to where a problem is faster. It's more efficient than randomly wandering around and looking for heroic deeds to do.
Bulwark HQ's gotta be here somewhere...
Supporting Team Dialers: Delivery of justice in 30 minutes or less, or your medical bills are free!
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Emerald City Bulwark
Posts 37
Power Level 31
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Post by Carl on Sept 22, 2016 22:04:37 GMT -7
Carl had been doing a more thorough inspection of the Bulwark HQ when he came across the phones. By sheer luck, he wasn't alone when he did so. The other Bulwark in the room was the one called Blue Jay. After the incident in the docks, Carl had decided to do some in depth research into the other Bulwarks. Although Jay had went under the radar for some time, Carl found that their ideals were fairly similar, judging by his actions and what was said. Jay was a true hero, who was more concerned with saving lives than stopping petty crime. Of the Bulwarks who still made themselves known, Blue Jay was the one that Carl could easiest call friend.
After answering the ringing phone, it took Carl a few moments to fully understand what the situation was. Somebody in the faction had set up the system as a way to get the Bulwark name out. A great idea, he had to admit, but there were certain flaws. For one, there only seemed to be five Bulwarks in the city at the time. There were already too many instances to be dealt with by such a small number. If it was an attempt to make the Bulwarks known as dependable, then it was already failing as more people would see the Bulwarks being unable to make it in time than those who were saved. Another was that, more often than not, most of the situations were things that would be best handled by the police. Yet another was that it, while a solid effort, did nothing to confront the real issues plaguing the faction.
Never before had Carl ever come across a group of Bulwarks so willing to fight each other. Nemesis attacking him made something clear to the young super: the faction needed somebody to at least try to take control. The current leadership was nowhere to be found, and the members were lacking in any unity. What was needed was organization. From what Carl had heard from his time out in the field, Pandaemonium's current leader, Aurora, had taken over for much the same reason. He could respect her reasoning and understand it, but it also made her that much more of a dangerous foe. The Bulwarks couldn't hope to stand against the red faction with their current levels of infighting. Something had to be done.
"Blue Jay," Carl said with a thoughtful gleam in his eye. "Care to join me on this current mission? I think I might have something interesting to discuss." Once he was sure he was being accompanied, he'd brainstorm potential plans with- and even reveal his true name to- Jay, before the two of them agreed on something that would likely work.
Using his civilian funds, Carl would hire a group of unpowereds, called the Helpers, to keep an eye out for supervillain activity. He would also be willing to hire other supers who would be willing to provide information on more bloodthirsty supers. This group would use a private line on the already provided cell phone system, so that the proposed system wouldn't be done away with. And, to finish it all off, Carl would announce himself temporary leader of the Bulwarks, to help organize priority threats and to attempt to establish a since of community within the faction. He wasn't going to immediately claim full leadership; Docket likely still existed in some capacity, and Carl didn't want to be a total dictator. It was just what seemed best for the faction, as well as the city as a whole.
Clearly more on the plan and minor changes could be thought up later, once they weren't busy. For now, though, as they arrived on scene, Carl and Jay had work to be done.
OPPOSING Recruiting unpowereds and willing supers to work in tandem with the proposed system for the sake of making the Bulwarks more organized and helping deal with priority problems. Also establishing Carl as temporary defacto leader, in order to help further organize and direct the Bulwarks and Helpers, if able.
Going by Team Helpers
Prefer to join Team Dialers in case of lack of support.
Request to be in a front with Lobisomem and Nemesis, and against Giza
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The Keepers
Posts 31
Power Level 19
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Post by criticalmass on Sept 23, 2016 11:02:56 GMT -7
Mass noticed that the Bulwarks seemed to be having some sort of disagreement, and wanted to use this to the advantage of the Keepers. If he could ruin whatever they were doing, and make it to where more of them were hurt, disorganized, and maybe even dead, then they would have a lot more trouble interupting everything they did. After all, the Keepers had enough trouble dealing with Pandas and fighting amongst themselves to deal with the silly do-gooders of this city. So, he would go to where the situation was seemingly centered, standing nearby on top of a building while he surveyed the situation. So far, it seemed like nothing, without any real fighting or anything like it. This meant he would have to make it into a fight, as Bulwark weren't known for attacking each other. He would send out a message to all the keepers he had met to join him in ruining their lives for the day, as well as asking them to find some way to get Pandas to show up. This would probably not work as well as just waiting, but it might bolster his numbers a bit. Until then, he would wait for people to show up for him to properly get started with the attack. He would love to beat down one of their leaders, and really prove the point.
Opposing: Ruin the entire meeting, and destroy everything the Bulwark are working on. Maybe even destroy their HQ/Base
Would like to be paired with Rainfall
Team Name: Team Break-the-Bulwark
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Rein Initiative
Posts 41
Power Level 15
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Post by The Good Shepherd on Sept 23, 2016 11:51:42 GMT -7
The disavowed phone-taps by the NSA for L.O.V.E had been going crazy as of late. The team had been getting more and more intel about super activity in Emerald City and... they loved it. The more phone traffic, even if they couldn’t tap into it, the more information was out there. The more information that was out there- the easier it was for L.O.V.E to do their job. This scheme of Rainfall’s was the best thing to happen to them since Agent Brooklyn got a separate (and substantial) ammunition budget. Sure... it wasn’t for Rein but the SAC of L.O.V.E was happy enough to help those do-gooders over at Bulwark do their job for them.
They wouldn’t support them openly- that’d be bad PR. So the Good Shepherd and his team dressed up as construction workers fixing a sewer outside Bulwark HQ. If something went down today and things needed a nudge in the right direction, they’d give the situation a little L.O.V.E...
Supporting: Team Dialers
Preferred to be added to the front with the least allies.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 29
Power Level 23
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Post by Tricky on Sept 23, 2016 16:57:03 GMT -7
Tricky had started to embark on another spree of chaos when he noticed something peculiar. Upon beginning an assault on a store, simply for the sake of breaking things and killing people, someone had went for their phone. That person was swiftly dealt with, but hadn't dialed 911. It was an odd number, but why would a random civilian dial an unlisted number for help? It was a ridiculous idea, so Tricky decided to investigate. He was aware that the Bulwark had some infighting recently, but not that anything that nodded to this. Until Tricky did a bit of calling, he had no idea what was about to go down. Now that he knew, having called a Bulwark member on one of the phones he was absolutely tickled pink. The Bulwark wanted to try and band together, after they had already fought among themselves? Obviously, if their bickering stopped they'd get more organized and if this idea went through, they could become a more tangible threat. This gave both the Keepers and Pandas reason to stop them. It would be destruction all around. And that was more than any reason Tricky needed. Tricky headed off after them, having traced the call when he called a Bulwark with them. After getting the information he needed from the line he headed back out in search of the location.
The idea, on a thought, was analyzed. Phones distributed would transform them from a group of people with some small like mindedness into a league to dispense justice into the world, preventing people like Tricky to do what he wanted. This was simply unacceptable, and terrifying at that. And from the crowd of unpowereds that knew what was about to go down, he heard talk of another group, under the leadership of a powerful super who had declared himself the leader. If this went down in favor of the do-gooders, then it would be awful. The Bulwark would stop being what was effectively a gang and become a faction, a true threat to everything he wanted. It could turn them into a respectable enemy with a commander, and that was the greatest threat to Tricky's desire. This had to be stopped.
Tricky approached the location of the call, it had been a very quick one. One of the first answered. From the base. What more to do than approach? But there was an entity, a very not Bulwark looking one, on the roof of a nearby building. He was already dressed, and had just jumped onto the roof with jets of flame coming from his feet. He simply walked toward the figure. Mass, he had been informed, was looking for people to help him stop this operation. And, though it had deviated greatly from his normal policy, Tricky decided to come to him. It was the best course of action, a single team to defeat this organization of people. The jets let out a quick puff as he rose to the top of the building, the only other noise being the very light sound of him hitting the concrete. He was unusually quiet for his appearance. Instead of completely approaching him, he just looked over the edge and surveyed as well. This other super was also suited, and got a bit of a look over. This was the guy he had been called by? In stark contrast to the current silence, Tricky let a out a little mechanical snicker. Great. Hopefully someone else got here relatively quickly.
Supporting Team Break-the-Bulwark: This needs to be stopped.
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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 Sept 23, 2016 19:37:32 GMT -7
After his eye in the sky view of the city, Hivemind started to make his way to the Bulwark HQ. When arriving to the HQ, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. That thought changed immediately after he walked into the headquarters.
Rows of phones are the first thing he noticed before anything else. Hive slowly walked up to the phones and notices a note on the phones. So, the Bulwark have decided to try and unite the people and the Bulwark to ensure a safer city. There are two teams, the Dialers and the Helpers. The Dialers job is to sort out the phone system to unite the city. The Helpers job is to make sure nothing disrupts the Dialers from doing their job. Hivemind decided to join the Dialers to help fix the phone system. While leaving the HQ, Hive noticed two dark figures standing atop a nearby rooftop, staring right at the Bulwark's HQ. He didn't know what it was, but Hivemind could not stop pull his eyes from the figure with green and black armor. Also, there was another distinct characteristic about this figure. The sinister looking face on the center of his chest. Hive's heard about this figure. It was Tricky. The metal clad, maniacal, jester with a hunger for blood. Hivemind knew what he had to do, and he wouldn't back down.
Would like to be paired with Tricky.
Supporting: Team Dialers, will do anything to help this city and those in it.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 343
Power Level 30
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Post by Blue Jay on Sept 24, 2016 16:55:26 GMT -7
Blue Jay had thought Carl’s super name was funny when he first read about the guy and heard the rumors, but to hear the guy say his actual name - the only reason he managed to suppress the snicker was because he couldn’t quite decide if he should find it hilarious or lose faith in journalism's ability to connect even painfully obvious dots when it came to supers. Thankfully, it was a decision he could save for later.
He had come across the phones this morning. He’d taken one, of course, but after one call and a quick rush to the other side of downtown, he’d figured out their point. He wasn’t against the idea, per say - far from it, actually. The more tools the Bulwarks had to help people, the better. They needed everything they could get. Personally, he planned to carry a phone, just in case, but wouldn’t answer it save for in emergencies. To Blue Jay, small-time jobs like stopping unpowered robberies or minor crimes, what these phones would amply provide, was busy work. For the past couple of months, it was also the bulk of how he spent his afternoons. He was no stranger to the duty. But the problem was, it didn’t actually do anything. Nothing he’d noticed, anyway. People he turned over to the police would be released for lack of evidence and clog the hospitals with the injuries he’d given them in order to complete his ‘job’. Plus, the people robbing passersby, or selling drugs, or allying themselves with Pandaemonium or other gangs? They weren’t really at fault. Very, very few people ever did things like that if they had other options. They were committing crimes out of desperation, be it material or emotional. They were not the problem. The system that had forced them into these dead-end situations was.
In the last month, following the battle that left him bedridden for two weeks and the two weeks of returning to work after that, he’d honestly come to regret the number of people he’d needlessly hurt in the name of ‘justice’. Now, he was going to do his best to mitigate what he saw as a hugely important problem few were addressing, but he could; the damage supers cause to civilians in their fighting. It felt to him like the majority of people were focusing on taking down the big guy, or the pillars that held ‘the problem’ up, but no one was watching out for the little people who got caught up in it all. People would need to be hurt to make change, yes, and change was without a doubt necessary, especially in supers’ standing with the public, but there needed to be a balance. Or, a safety net, at least. If people didn’t need to be hurt, they shouldn’t.
It’d taken exactly one day for this goal to come into conflict with other Bulwarks. As things were, it would probably continue to come into conflict with Bulwarks, because this small-time crime fighting done in the name of justice was, in his view, something that needed to be stopped. It bothered him even more than some of Aurora’s goals had, because at least she was trying to make actual change; injuries and losses would not be put to waste. And, because it was a mistake he felt he had made, and he didn’t want to see repeated. These phones, while they may help restore faith in the Bulwarks and were a useful tool for responding crises, did not in themselves address the actual problem in the Bulwarks. Blue Jay didn’t know if his ideologies were ‘right’ (hell, what he had thought was ‘right’ was crushed a month ago), but he couldn’t say if those within the Bulwark he disagreed with were correct either. They were in conflict, and would remain so until one ideology became the one the Bulwarks stood on.
So, when Carl suggested his idea, one that would alter the phone idea purposed slightly to make it more useful for responding to problems supers - not law enforcement - could handle, he agreed immediately. He was also perfectly fine with Carl becoming temporary leader of the faction; he didn’t know the super very well, but he did know what the boy stood for. Blue Jay would support Carl, and perhaps with a more solid head, the Bulwark could find its much needed organization.
It was time to see if he couldn’t shape the Bulwarks the way he wanted to see it, rather than passively accept the way it was. Blue Jay departed with Carl.
Supporting: Team Helpers
Preference to default to Team Dialers in the case of not enough support.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 164
Power Level 28
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Post by Sanduleak on Sept 24, 2016 17:13:03 GMT -7
"Why am I here again?"
Sanduleak sat above the potential battlefield in his usual cube of light, attempting to remember his purpose for being there. It wasn't a hidden fact of Sanduleak's disdain for most Bulwarks, so it was a shocker he wasn't assisting his panda's in breaking them up for good. But as much as he didn't like the idealistic idiots, he could acknowledge their usefulness and also put his hatred of them below his one for keepers. Bulwarks kept the seriously powerful and psychotic supers from destroying this city. Plus the fact that he had an apparent business meeting a few hours ago assisted his decision. Carl was an interesting super, and he still had no clue how the bastard found him, but he made way too tempting an offer. Become a de-facto helper and get paid to rat out the keeper's schemes. Money plus annoying keepers to no end equaled a very happy and rich Sanduleak.
"Welp as usual it appears to be showtime, hope these guys know what they're doing."
With a pop of his neck, Sanduleak allowed his cube's faces to separate and turn into a singular platform for him and a seven revolvers, shotguns, and rifles, floating in the air behind him.
"SO WHICH ONE OF YA BASTARDS THINKS YOU CAN STOP THIS CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP!?"
The declaration of a challenge was quickly followed with two flashes of light from his eyes, he was fully charged and ready to mess up the entire area in this endeavor.
Supporting: Team Helpers cause it's a great deal
Preference to default to Team Breakers if this doesn't work out
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Unaligned
And I'm hungry like the wolf
Posts 180
Power Level 26
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Post by Lobisomem on Sept 24, 2016 19:51:13 GMT -7
Lobisomem had assumed for the longest time that the ringing was just in their head, until they started to notice a sort of source of the sounds. It was a building full of sounds that would have irritated them save for the fact it smelled strongly of Bulwark, specially Blue Jay, comforting enough!
They pulled their hoodie up and stared up at the building, concluding it was a base. Oh boy, now they were going to have to protect this place, weren't they? They had only a moment to chuckle at this thought before an oppressive wave of hunger boiled in their stomach, seemingly warning them of multiple scents, unfamiliar scents...in their allies base!?
Already, they felt a huff of rage pressing against their forehead, until certain voices came to hearing range. First, that loud, flashy dude that hurt their eyes, and Blue Jay, and someone who was sounding very familiar right now...They wanted to make a human thing...that was pretty cool, they supposed, as long as they didn't get killed doing something stupid.
There were enemies too, silent enemies that made their scales want to rustle, and loud people that made them want to shut them up.
They curled up in a corner of a street, holding their breath as the sunlight seared against their shifting skin. The Lobisomem that emerged had patches of smoking, missing flesh, but still stood tall.
Lobisomem leapt upon the roof of the base, spreading their weight evenly while still trying to thrash their head and tail threatningly. A ghostly howl could be heard from miles away, and their menacing figure was terrible and unmistakable. Blue Jay and his buddies had better hurry up, they'd only be able to defend this place for so long.
Supporting: Team Helpers cause their my buds.
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Pandaemonium
Let me show you all what TRUE magic is!
Posts 108
Power Level 24
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Post by Giza Kadabra on Sept 25, 2016 0:42:52 GMT -7
Typical Bulwark, even when they’re trying to help their own faction, none of them get along with their own teammate. Giza surprised those idiots managed to keep their faction going for this long if this is how they handle themselves. Giving it a second thought over, this is quite an interesting opportunity that just presented itself. If the rumor he heard is real, the Bulwark have a possibility of begin disband by the end of this month if they were unable to gain back the people’s trust on them.
Not only that, the huge number of Bulwark present themselves near the area all at once is quite a sight to see; this is the best way to let them know just how powerful the Pandaemonium has grew this month, after Aurora finally took control of the faction with her coup on Moss Man. Of course, keeping to the promise he made to her, he wouldn’t do anything lethal to anyone that he fight; after all, this isn’t about beating up the Bulwark or whoever with them, it’s all about sending a message.
Standing on top of the building in the downtown area, the masked magician looked below at the gathering of supers all over the area; there are some familiar faces that he recognized, and the majority of the supers are quite new to him. At the very least, he noticed two of his own faction member among the supers gathering. Sanduleak is a bit on the silly side, so he isn’t sure if the guy’s here for the same reason as he is. As for Tricky, Giza hasn’t talk to him at all before; this could be a good way to get to know the new guy and how he’ll pan out in the fight.
And of course, he could never forget the bird-brain Blue Jay and his little pet Lobisomen. That wolf-creature is still due to a proper punishment for hurting Aurora, but right now he need to focus his attention on the reason why he’s here.
“Well then, let’s set the stage for the show.” He said to himself before let his cloak fluttered in the wind.
Supporting Breaker: Since the team division is a huge mess, Giza will support Team Breaker. His audience awaits, let leave the Pandaemonium’s mark on the downtown area like the last time he was here.
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Pandaemonium
Posts 78
Power Level 25
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Post by Dullahan on Sept 25, 2016 13:43:50 GMT -7
The hum of rotors announced Dullahan's presence on the battlefield. With his recent forays into remote control, the RF monitoring he had set up had easily caught the sudden spike in cell phone activity throughout the city.
At first, he had assumed that it was a sign of some other villain's plot, but a cursory investigation revealed that the truth was far more troublesome. If the Bulwark was getting their act together, then it might be able to start pushing back against Pandaemonium again - even if Aurora's new Pandaemonium was one that entertained delusions of heroism, there was no way that the two factions would be able to get along.
Ordinarily, Dullahan would have seriously considered simply preparing for a stronger Bulwark, rather than risking his creations on an uncertain attempt to stop this development from happening. But after the Mosh Man fiasco, Dullahan suspected that he'd need to invest some effort into getting back into the good graces of Aurora's minions. Thus, he made his approach.
The helicopter was quite small, less than 50 pounds. It buzzed up near the foremost of said minions, at least as far as Dullahan could tell.
"Giza Kadabra. I am here to assist."
TEAM BREAKER: For continued bad guy supremecy, and friendship with fellow villains!
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Emerald City Bulwark
Posts 67
Power Level 27
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Post by Nemesis on Sept 25, 2016 15:07:26 GMT -7
To be honest, Nemesis never had much faith in heroes. The past year or so taught her that they never showed up when they were needed, and often destroyed half the town when they did try to 'help'. An overall feeling of futility prevented her from getting her hopes up at ever being rescued. Their uselessness was the inspiration that drove her to try out being a hero in the first place. Not that she changed anything. Despite months of effort, so far she only served to increase the number of losers running around this city, pretending to be useful without actually saving lives.
Yet she still had hope.
In the midst of all the despair, something prevented Nemesis from giving up entirely. Perhaps it was the part where she had no other alternatives to turn to, so she might as well stay put. She certainly wasn't sticking around for the other so-called heroes. Apparently, they only showed up to complain about her inability to do anything correctly, without offering any useful advice. She even couldn't remember the last time they had an official meeting about anything going on internally. It'd be nice to know ahead of time if, for instance, some new kid showed up from out of town and walked in like he owned the place. For all she knew, he could've been a spy.
A better communication system should help fix some of their issues, and sounded like a step in the right direction. The idea of prioritizing certain crimes over others felt wrong, but she was willing to give it a chance. Practically speaking, if she received a call about a fight starting on the other side of town, it would probably end by the time she got there. Regardless, something was better than nothing. If the Bulwark could stop more of the super-related problems, it should give the regular police time to the rest of the criminals. Those guys could probably get more done if they didn't have to worry about getting murdered every other month.
Additionally, if another event like the attack on the mayor happened again and nobody else showed up, Nemesis would know whether something else was going on or if the rest of her team simply refused the call to action. Then she would know that her cynicism was justified, and relying on anyone else only lead to disappointment. Then she would have proof this city was beyond saving.
Joining Team Helpers To give teamwork one more chance. |
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Post by PANOPTICON Ver. 3.023 on Sept 25, 2016 18:52:37 GMT -7
PANOPTICON Ver. 3.023 online Analyzing aberrant activities. Large-scale coordinated aberrant activity detected in Emerald City, sector AM-39. Tipping point with potential to influence aberrant power structures confirmed. Agents present on-site... Detected: 102,570 unpowered humans. Detected: Ten standard aberrants. See case files 1-0109, 1-5593, 1-5623, 1-5719, 1-5809, 1-5891, 1-6006, 1-6072, 1-6115, 1-6125. Detected: One catastrophic aberrant. See case file 2-0006. Detected: Two auxiliary aberrants. See case file 4-0665, 4-0682. Mission log start. Demarcating conflict fronts... Blue Jay RPG Sanduleak and The Good Shepherd to Stopping CrimeHivemind criticalmass Rainfall and Tricky to Defending HQCarl Dullahan Giza Kadabra Lobisomem and Nemesis to Proving Strength |
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Emerald City Bulwark
Posts 35
Power Level 22
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Post by Rainfall on Oct 6, 2016 11:14:36 GMT -7
Rainfall squeezed the trigger, and shot Tricky straight out of the air as he leaped towards her. At the same time, Hivemind's bugs began to swarm the area around the headquarters, forcing the villains away. The area was secure, the Bulwark was holding. The initial response to Rainfall's plan had been disorganized, perhaps even sabotaged. Some within the Bulwarks had chosen to try and hijack her system for their own purposes, to forcibly take over the organization. Fortunately for both them and the Bulwark, their attempt had failed, as heroes from outside the organization noticed what was happening and moved to interfere. In the end, with their attempted coup a mess and good still living in their hearts, even the rebellious Bulwarks had showed up to fight against the villains of the city, proving the might of the Bulwarks and establishing for once and for all that they would not, could not die. In the end, which faction of heroes won mattered little. It was the villains who had lost today. Now, all that remained was for someone to affirm this. Turning away from the battlefield for a moment, Rainfall set down her sniper rifle and picked up a rocket launcher. She fired once, at the sky. The improvised firework exploded with the noise of a hundred thunderclaps, announcing itself to the whole city, drawing all eyes to its location. In an instant, sparks were flung far and wide, whistling and dancing through the air as they spread all the way to the Suburbs, to Malachite Isle, even to the Docks. Each of those sparks, each tiny shooting star, shone a bright green hue. Emerald, the color of the Bulwarks, and the city that they served. PANOPTICON Ver. 3.023 choosing option 2 |
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