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♦ Topic: Maelstrom Thread
In:
Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay
Funeral Pyre (Original Poster)
Posted on January 4th, 2011:
On January 3rd, a
huge storm appeared over the city of Brockton Bay and remained stationary, despte a lack of inclement weather. These are the facts as they are known at this time:
#1 Early reports of the storm's center in proximity to Winslow High School. Later confirmed as originating from within Winslow High itself. The school has been evacuated and remains closed until further notice.
#2 A section of the school's interior is reportedly covered by a bone-like material. Later confirmed to be a section of the students' lockers.
#3 Initial speculation re: the bone material being the work of an ABB-affiliated Tinker dismissed by the PRT and Protectorate.
#4 Storm purportedly engulfed two commuter aircraft in its vicinity. No wreckage has yet been located.
#5 Storm speculated to be the result of a trigger event. Later confirmed by a student's cellphone video, currently difficult to source due to removals for its graphic content and incidental reveal of the new cape's identity. Brockton Bay Daily News named this new cape "Maelstrom", and the thread name was changed as other news agencies started using that alias for the cape in question.
#6 Storm dissipated two days later, on the 5th.
#7 More recent video depicts humanoid figure exiting Winslow, notably sporting tapered ears. Elf?
#8 Security videos from buildings near the PRT offices on the 5th show the same figure storming out of the PRT offices as Maelstrom's 'storms' reappear throughout the city.
#9 Brockton Bay's 'Elf' later spotted half an hour later parting the water along the docks like an angry American Moses. Many believe said Elf to
be Maelstrom given these events, especially given that Maelstrom's father, Danny Hebert, was photographed entering the bay and calmed her down from whatever had upset her shortly afterwards.
#10 The bone-like material has reportedly been removed from Winslow.
edited January 13th, 2011
(Showing Page 16 of 37)
► XxVoid_CowboyxX
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
I wonder if she's a Case 53.
► Sam_the_man (Veteran Poster)
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
@XxVoid_CowboyxX
I wonder if she's an alien invader from the
sttaaarrrrrssssss~
► Highfort96
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
I wonder if she's going to be in the next lord of the rings movie?
► Judge (Moderator)
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
I wonder if you can all get back on topic? [/not so subtle hint]
► XxVoid_CowboyxX
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
Ok, taking teh hint and all that. Does anyone know what they're going to do with her costume?
► Double-O-Mali
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
@XxVoid_CowboyxX
well, the two things that spring to me mind is either something santa or dnd/lotr related.
► RocksFall (Veteran Poster)
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
@Double-O-Mali
Putting anyone in green tights is prob the fastest way to make them turn to
evviiilllll.
So I'm expecting something dnd/lotr.
► Vilebile
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
Could also go Vulcan if theyre a Trekkie.
I prefer the dark elves myself. Um… are we allowed to list possible cape names even if the evidence is rather strong about identities?
► Sothoth (Veteran Poster)
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
@RocksFall
Of course you would. Heretic.
@Vilebile
Legally it's in a grey area with extenuating circumstances. Depends on how hard the PRT wants to push things. The fact this thread isn't locked yet doesn't suggest they care that much about cape name suggestions. It's not official yet after all. Also, a Vulcan costume would result in the owners of Star Trek becoming involved. Of course, she coud do corporate sponsorships. Remember Pepsi Girl?
► Evil_Kirk (Trekkie)
Posted on January 14th, 2011:
@Vilebile
You know people DO occasionally do surgery for elf ears. I saw it in a star trek documentary a few years ago. Before the whole debacle with the crazy master fan kind of ruined things.
@Sothoth
I remember Pepsi Girl. Didn't she get fired for being caught with coke? :3
End of Page. 1, … 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, … 37
♦ Topic: Music Recommendation Thread #17
In:
Boards ► Watercooler Talk
Scriv (Original Poster) (Moderator)
November 11th, 2010:
As the last thread reached its page limit, a new one has been created. All music recommendations require the post to describe the song name and artist. Genre is also highly encouraged as being described as well. I'll start things off with some Rock&Roll.
Also, DO NOT POST MORE THAN NINE LINKS! Thank you.
Blinded by the Light by Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Then we have
The Spirit Of Radio by Rush. And then
Blue On Black by dear Kenny Wayne Shepherd. And finally, two ear-worms I caught from the last thread, here's
Genghis Khan and
Choke.
(Showing Page 42 of 43)
► Ibat (Moderator)
Posted on February 6th, 2011:
Here's some good swing/electroswing.
Parov Stelar by Gringo (Electro Swing).
Cafe Swing, Best Of Electro Swing Mix Vol.3.
► Mechanical Messiah (Veteran Member)
Posted on February 6th,2011:
Got an eclectic mix here. Mostly Jazz, Hiphop, RB, really the best of the best.
#1. Take Five by Dave Brubeck.
#2. Luv Sic (parts 1, 2, & 3, feat. Shing02). Hard to describe the genres here. Odd but beautiful mix of Hiphop, R&B, Jazz, and new age.
#3. Elvis and
The Way You Are by Alpha. Genre = Aleph Import R&B.
#4. Sunburn and
Watercolors by the artist Witness.
#5. So Seductive by Kero One.
#6. The Best Of Jesse Cook by the artist... Jesse Cook.
► Good_Girl
Posted on February 6th, 2011:
Happy. Also
The woods by San Fermin. I always get a kick out of songs like these.
► Nameless The 3RD
Posted on February 6th, 2011:
Somnia Memorias by Shani Rigsbee,
Japura River by Philip Glass and Uakti, and
Tranquillitas by NUMA. Mix of modern spanish, classical, and traditional styles in various mixes.
►Jenny867
Posted on February 7th, 2011:
Barra barra by Rachid Taha.
►BatOutOfHell
Posted on February 7th, 2011:
Planet Caravan - Black Sabbath. This always puts my mind at ease.
► BLOODBATH&BEYOND
Posted on February 8th, 2011:
Extreme Music: Furies.
Karl Sanders: The Elder God Shrine. Juno Reactor:
Conquistador and
War Dogs.
► Ramhi Daragius
Posted on February 9th, 2011:
I've no more fucks to give by Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq. Traditional guitar.
► icemelt101 (Unverified Cape)
Posted on February 9th, 2011:
The master of funk, Jamiroquai!
Canned heat,
Virtual Insanity,
Automaton, and
Dynamite.
►TheGnat (Veteran Poster)
Posted on February 10th, 2011:
Ok, I've got a bunch here. Kind of rushed for time, so I can't give genres, but I can list the songs and artists. Hope you enjoy.
Sabaton – Night Witches.
The Crush by Miracle of Sound.
The Hell Song - Sum 41.
Revolution - The Used.
Count the Teeth - NateWantsToBattle.
The Man Who Made A Monster - Dance With The Dead.
Two Steps From Hell - Unforgiven.
Pendulum - The Island.
Belgrade - Battle Tapes. I'd share more, but I know Mechanical Messiah is gonna get on me later on for posting such a huge list as it is, even if I'm allowed to lol.
End of Page. 1, … 41, 42, 43
(Showing Page 43 of 43)
►Sengiroth
Posted on February 10th, 2011:
I see a severe lack of
EUROBEAT!
Hurricane Man,
Super Striker,
Love Countdown,
One Night in Arabia ,
Night of Fire,
Perfect Hero,
Speedy Speed Boy,
Max Power &
Chemical Love.
► Vista (Confirmed Cape) (Ward) (ENE)
Posted on February 10th, 2011:
Got some classic recs here, followed by some more modern ones.
Anvil Chorus by Giuseppe Verdi.
Lacrimosa by Mozart.
Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major by Bach.
Clair de Lune.
In The Hall Of The Mountain King by Edvard Grieg.
Thunderstruck by 2cellos.
Then for the more modern stuff, let's start with one of my favs, followed by a bunch of others I find myself dancing to.
Love Is A Madness by No Sinner.
So Much More by Supreme Beings Of Leisure.
And lastly,
Smooth by Santana ft Rob Thomas.
End of Page. 1, … 41, 42, 43
♦ Topic: ENDBRINGER THREAD #39
(Thread Locked)
In:
Boards ► Places ► World
Dragon (Original Poster) (Verified Cape)
December 5th, 2010:
The next Endbringer attack is expected sometime between early to mid-February 2011. Analysis expects the attack to be either Behemoth or Simurgh. Preparations are already underway by the UN, Red Cross & Crescent, the USA Federal Disaster and Endbringer relief fund, along with the PRT, the Guild, the World Economic, Natural Disasters and Governmental Defense Group. Discussion in this must stay on topic though, and Staff will enforce that if need be.
EDIT; The Simurgh attacked New Delhi on January 16th, 2011; a quarantine is not yet in effect although a blockade has been implemented. The PRT and Guild offer condolences for those lost and sincere thanks and appreciation for those who joined the fight or helped with the evacuation. Special thanks and consideration is being offered to Panacea and Farseer for their help in events.
The Indian Government is remaining quiet while they take stock of the situation, and it is unclear when they will speak on what happened. The PRT has made its response known, which can be read in the "PRT Press Conference Thread" over
HERE.
MODERATOR EDIT; A Zero-Tolerance Policy is in effect in this thread until further notice. Be civil, be polite, stay on topic, and leave the theatrics/drama/hysteria out. Failure to comply will result in infractions and/or threadbans.
(Showing Page 68 of 93)
► Wingless
Posted on January 28th, 2011:
@WingedOne
I'm just saying, no one knows who the fuck Farseer is, but the rumors going around are already terrifying.
► Sonic_Boom
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
@Wingless
The rumors seem like paranoid fearmongering. Remember that "Jedi" that showed up a while ago? Yeah, I don't buy it.
► Gomer
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
@samIam
Dude, I have an uncle who fought there. He says that the rumors are probably underplaying just how much bullshit Farseer pulled out of her ass.
► 0495813n
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
So do we know anything about the change in Endbringer attacks here?
► DaFuk
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
@0495813n
Nope. As someone very eloquent once said, we don't know shit, beyond the bare basics and a lot of rumors and hearsay. And we won't know actual shit for a couple more days/weeks at the very least. We know something major happened, but not exactly
what yet.
► Arcane_Hermit (Veteran Poster)
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
… Had to deal with undue hell, but when I came back on the RL section to see what horrors happened.
And it looks like we have an Angel alert, again. And another quarantine, and another headache. "Just as planned" aside, can't help that shaky feeling on the disaster's that's just happened, again.
Real shame I can't even offer condolences right. Just… Give respects to the unfortunate victims who frankly, HAVE to go through proper protocols, and security. And pray or hope none of them are subtly enough affected to cross the border, as usual.
Really, hate how this keeps on happening when Ziz wakes up. Especially when every time it happens, I occasionally lose a real online pal in hand.
► Boblob (Veteran Poster)
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
@Sam_the_man
That sounds like crazy-talk.
► Sothoth
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
@DaFuk
Given the way the authorities and heros have been acting, along with this being a Simurgh attack and Scion of all people killing people en mass, I'd say that whatever happened was a big enough deal to have rattled everyone. Only question here is in the details, but like you said, we won't get most of them for some time yet.
► Sam_the_man (Veteran Member)
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
@Boblob, did you mean to respond to
@samIam? Because I wasn't involved in this conversation until you pinged me. And sheesh, reading this thread is kind of scary, and no one knows all of what is happening.
► Boblob (Veteran Member)
Posted on January 29th, 2011:
@Sam_the_man, uhm, whoops? Sorry man, my bad.
End of Page. 1, … 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, … 93
(Showing Page 93 of 93)
► Unit01 (Not An Actual Mechanical Abomination)
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
@Fep, @MMNS
Wait, there selling the debris? Really? Fucking really?
► KFPeein
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
@Unit01
Aliens. And money. Nuff said.
► D3br1S
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
@Fep , @Unit01
tbh i wuldnt b surprised if india kept most of teh stuff frm teh storm can u imagine wut kind of shit ther wuld b?
► Best Indian Tinker (Verified Cape) (Humble)
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
That stuff would be sent to Ahmedabad probably, under lock and fucking key. That's where the Physical Research lab is for space. Area 51, except civilized. Vimana here we come!
► HotterLass
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
@D3br1S
Dude, grammar. And spelling. And grammar.
Edit- Also, to stay on topic and not get infracted, I wonder if they're going to make that day a global holiday?
►Sothoth
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
@HotterLass
That depends on whether Leviathan is actually dead as has been claimed, even though it's looking likely. The authorities won't have confirmation for that for at least a year, but given the statements already made by various government groups, it seems like a good bet.
That said, we still don't know what is up with Scion going homicidal, so even if Leviathan is dead we may still end up worse off than before events started.
@KFPeein
That may be the case, but its also the site of a Simurgh zone. Dangerous and risky for civilians to mess with that stuff to say the least.
► Fep
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
@Unit01
They are actually selling storm crap. I have proof. Look at this shit. Crazy money.
*Edited by moderator - Link removed. Please don't link to pirate sites and/or sites selling illegal content. Also, this is a zero tolerance thread, take a minimum of six months off from the site while staff look over if we need to escalate even further here. For anyone else reading this, while this site reaches across the globe, its actual servers are in Canada, which means the site runs off of Canadian law. You DO NOT want to link to places selling illegal content by Canadian law.* - Ibat
► Boron trifluoride (Highly Toxic)
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
*message edited by moderator*
*Edited by moderator - Reposting a removed link was not a good idea.* - M.Night
► BigBrain (SuperThinkerExtraordinaire) (Not An Actual Thinker)
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
Aliens can't get you for stolen possessions if you sell if firsrt, taps forehead.
►M.Night (Moderator)
Posted on February 4th, 2011:
And that is enough of that. Locking thread for review. Whether this thread opens back up again depends on what we find. There WILL be infractions. Zero tolerance means zero tolerance.
End of Page. 1, … 91, 92, 93
♦ Topic: WILL CRIMINAL CHARGES BE BROUGHT DUE TO WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE STORM? (Thread Locked)
In:
Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay
INH (Original Poster)
January 11th, 2011;
We all know that two planes went down on the 3rd due to Maelstrom's actions. 46 people were seriously hurt and injured with the first plane crash, but the second plane went missing and is believed that have gone down somewhere in the arctic. No debris has been found, and with the current weather if they did go down in the Canadian arctic it's unlikely they survived.
(Showing Page 6 of 9)
► FlowerPower (Unverified Cape)
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
@SnickerSnack
Listen, I've been paying attention in the Maelstrom thread, and it's one thing that this kid lost her secret identity due to that first video and her later temper tantrum, but those videos also kind of show that she kinds of needs serious help and supervision she probably won't get elsewhere, and she's already caused injuries and deaths. She's powerful enough to fuck up a lot, but she seems to have serious anger issues as well.
► Oddball (Screwy)
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
I don't think that'll help though Flower. I heard from someone who works at the hospital, and they say that Maelstrom suffered brain damage from whatever happened to her. They think that's why her powers went out of control for a while.
► FeatheredBullets
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
Wait, what?
► TrueBeliever (Dedicated Skeptic)
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
@Oddball
Sure you did buddy. And I heard through the grapevine that Eidolon's actually three midgets in a trenchcoat. Come back when you have something verifiable.
► Good_Girl
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
Huh, her having suffered a brain injury or transformation of the brain would actually explain some things. Her power would run out of control for a while, and if her body is regenerating or reshaping itself it would explain why the loss of control would stop after a while. And if she actually became an elf as others have claimed, it would mean that she essentially became a beautiful butterfly that emerged from her cocoon. That is cool!
► Clemantine43
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
That's not cool, that's terrifying. Will we get other capes like that in the future? I certainlu hope not.
► PsychoPoet
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
I can tell you that The Cape Regulation Party over here in not so merry old England is going to use what's going on your side of the Atlantic to push through some much needed laws. This has gone well past the point of believability for accidents and gone straight into blatantly malicious homicide. I pray the victims and their families get justice for the hundreds of deaths and suffering this young punk has caused, unlike what happened with the Temple Meads attack(1).
(1) For all you who have forgotten the attack nearly five years ago when Detonate turned every Pigeon at the Bristol Temple Meads into biological bombs causing hundreds to die? You know the one that all of you bastards have forgotten about?
*Please stop spamming other threads, I understand from several of your posts that you had family at Temple Meads but repeatedly bringing it up in multiple different threads is a violation of the rules. Stay on topic and please don't also bring your politics into it as well. You are on thin ice as it is. Stop.* - Judge
► eighteenzombies (nomnomnom)
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
As much as I agree that that's offtopic, he does have a point that this girl has hurt a lot of people and needs punished for that.
► PsychoPoet
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
Hurt? Try killed! And don't any of you other villainous cocksuckers make excuses for the murderous cunt!
*Consider yourself permanently banned from the thread, as well as banned from the forum for a week considering your history. Do not disobey staff directives again, or you may be looking at a month long forum ban at a minimum.* - Judge
► Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)
Posted on January 12th, 2011:
There have been some arrests already. Most Court Records are publicly available after all. This shitshow isn't over yet.
End of Page. 1, … 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
(Showing Page 9 of 9)
►Scriv (Moderator)
Posted on January 13th, 2011:
Well, that escalated quickly.
Thread locked.
End of Page. 1, … 7, 8, 9
♦ Topic: KITTIES! WHY? BECAUSE KITTIES!
In:
Boards ► Watercooler Talk
ThatInsaneGuy (Original Poster)
November 28th, 2010
So we all know that kitties and cats are awesome, so here is our thread to link to neat videos and pictures and clips of them being adorable fuzzballs.
(Showing Page 30 of 30)
►Stalking Tanuki (Veteran Poster)
Posted on January 13th, 2011;
This cat has seen some things.
Terrifying things. :3
►M.Night (Moderator)
Posted on January 13th, 2011;
Hehe, that shit is amusing Tanuki. Also, threadtax.
Unlikely Friends!
End of Page. 1, 2, 3, … 28, 29, 30
♦ Topic: 2011 India Endbringer Attack Update (SUPER IMPORTANT NEWS)
(Thread Locked) (Thread Pinned)
In:
Boards ► Places ► World
Judge (Original Poster) (Moderator)
Posted on February 16th, 2011;
Hello ladies and gentlemen. After discussion among staff, it was decided that today I would be the one to declare some super joyful news (after we made a subforum exclusively for talking about this subject alone). This honestly has me choked up to announce it, and has been confirmed and verified by the PRT, Protectorate, The Guild, the US State Department, India's government, and even the CUI (though news from the CUI is always considered suspect, it does back up what the other national governments and organizations have said). That is why every user here has received a board-wide notice. News organizations across the globe are just now being made aware of what we are about to tell you here.
The news you're all waiting for?
Leviathan is dead!
Leviathan was killed in India (Leviathan was also present and hostile during the attack by the Simurgh), and the Simurgh's attack on India is officially considered to have failed in its main objectives.
Every person at India who fought against the Simurgh played a role not only in stopping the Simurgh, but also in helping bring about Leviathan's death, but these are the names of the individuals that played the biggest roles in actually making it happen.
They are:
#1. Mjolnir (now known as Erik Olsson. May he
Rest In Peace)
#2. Farseer
#3. दूरनज़र (best English translation is "Farsight")
#4. अंतरिक्ष की राजकुमारी (best English translation is "Princess Of Space")
#5. Le Faucon Blanc (best English translation is "The White Falcon")
#6. Die Heilige Truppe (best English translation is "The Holy Troop").
Also of note, these groups also helped determine that the Simurgh's goals failed and that the situation did not require quarantine of New Delhi, and they also deserve a great deal of appreciation for their work:
#1. The Parahuman Response Team
#2. The Protectorate
#3. WEDGDG
#4. The Guild
#5. The Red Fist
In order to avoid the news of this wondrous event from clogging up things, a new subforum will be created solely for celebrating and talking about the deaths of the Endbringers. And yes, we are very much aware that multiple Endbringers attacking at once is a new and terrifying thing. Future Endbringer threads will have new thread-rules put in place to address this as well.
Today the world gained a bit of hope. We now know the Endbringers can not only be stopped, but that they can be killed. Today is a day of celebration!
End of Page. 1
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Private Messages from Gallant:
Vista: How is it going? You can tell me, right?
Gallant: It's...frustrating. They want me to do the same thing ten times and then another thing twenty times. I tell them what I can do and no one listens.
Vista: That sounds great. /s
Gallant: My initial test wasn't anywhere near this bad.
Vista: Guess they want to make sure what changed with your power maybe? Like super duper sure?
Gallant: Maybe. Hey lunch break is over, talk to you later okay?
Vista: I'll hold you to that!
Private Messages from Battery:
Vista: Hey, can I get console duty? I need out of the house.
Battery: Yeah, I can help make sure that happens. If you need anything else, just tell me, k?
Vista: Thanks. Appreciate it.
Battery: Hey Vista, can you come to the Rig real quick? Armsmaster wants to talk with you. Something super important came up, and he wants to tell you what to expect before you hear anything from the PRT and from him 'officially'.
Vista: O...kay? Did Clock mess something up? Or did someone else get hyrt?
Battery: No one is in trouble and no one is hurt, but I think something big happened given how he's acting. I don't know what's going on either tho.
Vista: K, be there soon.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Missy Biron hated Monopoly.
She had a love-hate relationship with board games, but it was mostly hate. Looking at a board game meant to be played with friends or family had a habit of reminding her how much life sucked. Especially
her life. Friends? Kind of. Family? Forget it. Which was why she found herself counting out two big ones out of a pile of twenties as the bank while her shoe languished in the Grand Canyon. Because she hated Monopoly, and it seemed was the
only one that hated it. Board games meant competition and competition meant arguments, oneupmanship and cheating. There was
nothing good about board games, not even when it was just Chris and Dennis fighting over the dice. Which meant there was nothing good about Monopoly.
She'd been outvoted.
"Two hundred for Avni." Avni Singh was an Indian girl with brilliant green eyes and heavily tinted goggles made for a cyclops. She was still dressed in hospital pajamas. The simple white shirt that buttoned up in the back, white pants of the same material with Alexandria sneakers. She was only a year older and Vista had wished more than once for another girl on the team. One that wasn't a complete and total jerk like Stalker. Wish granted.
In the worst way possible.
The only reason Stalker wasn't going to jail was because she was in a coma, Dean was being retested, and
she was off the team, indefinitely. It was something something Thinkers think Scion non-euclidean spacial warping that she didn't quite get the technobabble, but it meant something big. Big enough that she was here in LA, California. Big enough that she got a
new team. That was where Avni came in. She'd been in medical containment for a while and was still being tested. Reason for the weird goggles? She had a third eye.
That
kills people.
She didn't know much about second triggers, but if they were anything like first ones, then they were
awful.
Avni was a
third trigger.
Yikes.
She forked over the play cash, pouting only a little. Okay, maybe a lot. Being bank
sucked and it just got worse when you were
poor.
Her roll. The urge to warp space a
little to see how she could mess with the dice was ignored. Six.
Yes?
Yes! Pass Go!
She counted out another two hundred for herself and then raised her voice to make sure she was heard. "Mike roll next."
"- there is going to be no end to this shitshow, Glenn, I'm telling you." Mike's end of the table looked like kindergarten had vomited all over it. It was covered in blank paper, colored pencils and crayon along with those letter blocks stolen from some baby somewhere, lots of sawdust, monopoly money and a giant caramel frappuccino. He had his cellphone trapped between his ear and his shoulder as he sketched out another costume, blue highlights this time. He grabbed the dice, rolled and moved his wheelbarrow five spaces landing on the Louisiana Purchase. He pulled his phone away and reached for his pile of money. "Buying that." After handing over the money he held up his latest drawing so their last player could take a look at it. "Behar?"
"Better," Avni's friend? Sister? said with a noticeable accent as she rolled the dice. She then groaned as she nudged her thimble into jail. "Shit."
"Pffft." Vista clapped a hand to her mouth immediately, but the damage was already done. She didn't just 'pfft' the Endbringer Slayer, did she?
She did.
She totally
did!
Behar Şehîd was the kind of woman that looked like she could be a model, but in a good way and not blonde bimbo way. Her hair was mostly Avni's shade of dark, dark red-brown, but she had a lock of pure white on her hair line. There were other patches of albino on her scalp along with pale blue eyes that gave her an exotic look even in jeans and a red sweater.
She also killed Leviathan.
Which was
crazy.
Her power was wormholes. She could touch any object and link it to any other object she'd
ever touched before. Once linked she could travel between the two points or de-link them. The de-linking destroys the object. Demonstrating that was why there was a lot of sawdust on the table. And apparently anything touching the object gets destroyed at the time. Like an Endbringer. Not all of it. Leviathan's corpse was out there somewhere, probably a government lab. They had a weak point, as much as any of them could be 'weak.' Point was, you break it, they die and Behar broke it.
Taylor Hebert used Avni to make sure she got the chance to.
Hebert was the reason she was on this team.
Or more like, Hebert's
storms were the reason she was on this team.
Avni grinned the kind of grin Dennis would have called 'shit eating' as she rolled. That grin wilted when she pulled
yet another chance card and ended up trotting her rich ass car piece to jail.
"Ha!" Vista blurted out. "I take it back, roll chance cards. Roll
all the chance cards."
"Do I really have to?" Avni said with a whine. Her accent sounded like she came right off Brockton Bay's streets. There was a story there Vista wasn't sure she wanted to know. The Indian girl clutched her cash like it was her first born.
" - an elf. Figured we want to go the opposite way with presentation." Mike said as he grabbed the dice. He pulled the phone away again. "House rules," he sang as his dice clattered to the table. The cafeteria in the LA PRT building was way nicer than Brockton Bay's, which was all kinds of unfair. Everything looked brand new with white shiny plastic and padded chairs and a tablet for ordering food during meal hours and a snack bar open 24/7. "Aaannnd buying that too."
"It's a stupid rule," Behar grumped, counting out half of her cash to hand over so she could get out of jail on her turn.
"Bail is an
awesome rule," Vista countered, taking the money. A dice roll later and she was taking Avni's money too.
Okay, so being bank was pretty alright. Lots of -
What was that word?
Sadden - schaden - schadenfreude.
That.
She was still not going to win though.
As Mike rolled again, still talking to his boss on the phone, Vista was in the perfect position to see out the cafeteria door and down the hall to the elevator doors. They opened and out stepped this guy with wide dark sunglasses and a white costume with a green tabard like some kind of medieval knight and
Eidolon.
And they were coming this way!
Vista sat up straighter and reflexively searched for wrinkles in her costume to straighten. Avni followed her line of sight and also sat up.
"Hey Cad!" She called down.
"Hey, squirt." Mr. White and Green's tanned face broke into a wide grin, reminiscent of Dean's smile as he raised a hand in greeting. Eidolon passed them with a nod of the head, heading straight for the snack bar. Guess he was hungry? As soon as 'Cad' reached them, he plopped into a chair on the table across from them. "Ooh, monopoly. Who's winning?"
Avni and Behar just kind of looked at each other.
"500."
"650."
"Damn," Avni muttered.
Mike took a big fat slurp of his frappuccino. "825."
They looked at him in shock and betrayal.
"My man!" Cad snickered, leaning forward and holding up a fist. Mike bumped it, ignoring the glares he was getting. "And you must be Vista? Did I get that right?"
"Yeah," Vista said, glad he hadn't called her squirt number two.
"Caduceus," he introduced himself with a nod. "On loan from PRT Toronto. I'm this one's doc. Speaking of," he turned back to Avni and smiled more gently. "Tests all came back finally, green across the board. Just keep those goggles on and you're free to be discharged tomorrow morning."
"
Yes!" Avni pumped a fist.
Behar shrugged one shoulder and ran a hand through her hair. "About time." Her blue eyes fixed on Cad. "Couldn't have waited till tomorrow?"
"
Well I'm not actually going to be here tomorrow." His smile disappeared. "Been cleared to work on Farseer, I fly out in two hours."
Vista felt her eyebrows jump.
Oh.
Oh
wow.
That was kind of a big deal. Last she had heard,
no one could heal Farseer. Not even Panacea, and Panacea could heal
everything short of death and brain damage.
"I thought - " Vista started and stopped. "Uh, congratulations?"
Caduceus barked a laugh. "Right? She's a tough cookie, I'll give her that. Her entire medical rap sheet is no bueno, do not fucking -" Mike gave him a stink eye. " - touch. God the tests alone...I think I earned my degree a third time over. Can't touch cellular time manipulation. No pressure."
Right, no pressure.
They continued talking, catching up or just joking around, she wasn't sure. She kind of lost track, just barely remembering to roll the dice on her turn.
God, this meant someday
soon this Endbringer kill team was going to be expected to
kill Endbringers. It was all just starting to hit her, to become real. Leviathan was dead.
Dead, and she was sitting next to two of the people involved in killing it. Soon, there was going to be a
third on the team. An odd tremor ran down her right arm. Vista clenched her hands into fists in her lap so no one could see her shake.
No pressure.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of a blue-green and she turned in time to see Eidolon take a seat like it was a normal thing for him to do.
It - it wasn't like he didn't need to sit or anything but it was just bizarre seeing him at a cafeteria table with a cup of coffee, straight black by the smell of it, and a pear.
A pear.
He noticed her look. "Holding up alright?"
"Yes?" She inwardly cursed as her voice squeaked. "I mean, yes, I'm fine."
He chuckled. "It's okay if you're not, we kind of sprung this on you."
That's when she noticed everyone had gotten really quiet. Eidolon's cup of coffee disappeared into his oversized hood for a moment. "Thank you for sticking around," he began. "We kind of sprung this on
all of you and I apologize for it." He paused. "You might have noticed, we pulled some strings. Vista is here from East-North-East branch of the Protectorate in Brockton Bay, Caduceus from Toronto and the two of you," He gestured with the pear. "On loan from the Indian government. That because we believe that we have a real chance to make a difference here and by we, I mean the Federal government of the United States."
Oh okay.
No pressure.
"We're still hammering out the small details, but you've probably heard why you're all here."
"Killing Endbringers," Behar calmly stated.
"Right." Eidolon paused again and Vista got the strangest feeling that he wasn't used to this. The small group speech making thing or maybe it was a speaking to
this group thing that was the problem. He sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you, it's a tall order. Leviathan
wasn't planned. We're trying to make lightning strike two more times."
"Only
twice?" Behar said with a mocking undertone. Avni hissed and kicked her under the table. "That's all?"
For a second, Eidolon
froze. Then he relaxed, shrugging his shoulders. "We hope."
"
Hope?" Behar murmured.
"Hope is a dangerous thing," Avni quietly said. "We shouldn't rely on hope alone."
"Well said
bahana," Behar replied with that kind of sharp edged smile.
"No, we shouldn't," Eidolon agreed. "We're here because hope got us this far but we can take it further. Unfortunately, that does bring me to our current issue. Farseer."
"That's
my job," Mike said. He tucked a red colored pencil behind one ear. "In three words or less, describe our resident elf? And no, you can't use the term elf."
Behar looked away, twirling a lock of hair around a finger, but her jaw was clenched like she was grinding her teeth. "Arrogant."
Avni just smiled sadly, re-adjusting the black band of her goggles. "Intense? Really strong?" and then she shrugged.
Caduceus tapped the table. "Delicate."
Vista sat there like a bump on a log.
If she was going to be completely honest?
Taylor Hebert terrified her.
Part of it was Stalker because yeah, if she was bullied into her trigger she wouldn't want to associate with anyone they hung out with either. Chris said she was cool, but he had also only ever saw her on a computer screen for a
reason.
No one knew if Stalker was ever going to wake up.
The other part was that she lived in Brockton Bay. She'd
lived through the two day storm that was Hebert's trigger, and so far? She wasn't getting the impression that the storms were going to stop being a thing with her.
A terrifying thing.
She was too strong and Vista didn't think she could really handle it.
And Mike just sat there sipping his overpriced Mocha while asking her what she thought about her.
"Scary," Vista finally said and Mike gave her a smile, lifting an index finger off his cup to point.
"Bingo." He rifled through the sheets of paper in front of him. "Really strong and scary sum up what we've been seeing from the public. And that's not a good combo. The only way to make it worse is if she's convicted of something."
There was a moment of silence.
"She's going to get convicted, isn't she?" Vista deadpanned.
Eidolon sighed. "It's complicated."
Well that was not okay.
Mike snorted. "That's a good way to put it. Point is, we want you all to be briefed up front on what this is going to ask of you. We'll be doing our damnest to make it work - ah, here we go." He held up the drawing. It was a group picture, all done in bright, inspiring colors. Vista immediately noticed herself in the lineup with a new costume, one that didn't make her look like a little kid in a dress. It was a clean, professional look with body armor and a full helmet. It kept the color scheme of her current uniform but it looked nothing like her.
And at the same time, everything like her.
There was nothing in that costume that said Missy Biron. It wasn't until she saw it that she realized it was everything she wanted.
"It's going to be tough," Mike was saying. "But with a few press releases, some speeches and a good look, I think we can pull it off."
Avni was eyeing the drawing critically. "She was wearing something different in New Delhi."
Mike paused. "It's concept art really. We'll be finalizing it later. In the meantime, that also means training for everyone. Team maneuvers, power exploitation, defensive tactics, you name it. Looks good for the resume and we want you guys to stay alive."
"And that's my job," Eidolon cut in, sounding amused. "Hi. I'm your team leader."
And Vista's mind ground to a halt.
No pressure? Ha, how about
all the pressure?
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
AuthorNote: Big thanks to the users
@Pyrion ,
@TheAnt ,
@Seraviel ,
@Robo Jesus , @Deatstroke ,
@scriviner ,
@Tabi ,
@Master Basher , and
@Olive Birdy for helping write this update. Also, another round of thanks for
@Seraviel and
@Robo Jesus giving permission to use some of the content they both wrote for Manager in this story.