A Lonely Throne — Zetakille
". . . I just want to talk to it."
....no...... no...... NO.....goddamnit you just had to put this line, huh Bitterman? I know it's Ellie trying to lie to LL's face, but you just HAD to give me a reason to do this, huh? This is just gonna be my niche in the Omake ecosystem, isn't it? Coming up with Bad Ends. I had the vast majority of this thought up before Perdition STARTED, and the only things changed are some parts at the start and fleshing out some things. Disclaimer up front: this is gonna be significantly more dark and depressing than my previous one. Alright, enough build-up, someone must sit upon the throne...

A Lonely Throne
You are Lady Leizi, and you are VERY cold. To be expected, given you are currently seated upon a throne made of ice so black it seems to absorb light.

Negotiating with the R-Train went so wrong. Wrong enough you had to fight your way out of the QZ. Some of Justice Unlimited got injured. Rhys almost died AGAIN. But what made it worse was that Ellie ran off mere hours after you got back to the Apiary. And there was only one place she would have gone.

You chased after her, of course. You brought some of the less injured members of Justice Unlimited with you as well. But you didn't catch up to her until after she'd ran past the boundary of the Frozen Throne.
The thralls came after your group before you could properly berate her for her recklessness. So began a running battle as your group tried to fight your way out. But the Throne's reality-warping was more encompassing than you'd thought. Eventually you were cornered, barely able to fight back. In desperation, you remembered a lie Ellie tried to tell you, and took a gamble.

It worked. You sacrificed your own freedom for their safety. The Throne even let you see them walk out of its territory unmolested, before it all but escorted you with its thralls to the center. Cold comfort that it was. Ha!


Your thoughts drift to your team.

Mona....her potential, her optimism, her spirit. She has all the traits of a great leader, but unpolished. You know Opale, Gabriel, and Chaucer will be able to polish them until she shines brighter than the sun.

Rhys....you feel slightly bad leaving your information network primarily to him. But he WAS a member of it, and he knows how you operate it better than most as a result. The videos you left him and Gabriel will ensure that they can still make the most of it.

Maddie....she was becoming a real menace, with both her developing sassy personality and her ever-growing menagerie. Maybe she'll name a future member after you? ...you hope the pain and darkness she carries won't consume her like the shadows she summons cover her animals.

Opale....you know she'll be able to keep Justice Unlimited together without you. You picked her as your second in command for a reason. With Gabriel and Chaucer's help, you feel confident the team will have good leadership.

Ellie....it might be petty of you, but you hope this taught her a harsh lesson. Recklessness has consequences. And it's not always the reckless person who suffers them. You hope Gabriel can help her....

What is this feeling you have? You can't remember what it's called, but part of it is.....sadness?

~~~~~~

You are.....Lei Zixuan. Why did you feel like you were thinking of another name?

Your entire body is covered in frost. Through it, you can see your clothes are...dull. Not in the sense of style, you had impeccable taste after all, but in the sense that the colors seem....muted? You think that's the word. The reason you're covered in frost is that you're sitting on the Frozen Throne.

Why?

Why are you sitting on something you'd never willingly come into the territory of? You....wait.....you think.....

Yes, that was why. You were here to...rescue someone, and to protect multiple people. You CHOSE to sit here to protect them. Why go to such length...?

You think you remember.....a man. Well built, something to do with....metal? He....promised to protect you.....but ultimately sacrificed himself. Was his example why you sacrificed yourself?

....you think you fancied him. You hope he's proud of you.

That feeling is back. It's not sadness.....what is it?

~~~~~~

You are......someone.

Who are you?

Why can't you remember?

Where are you?

(there must always be someone on The Frozen Throne)

Yes.....that's right. You're on the Frozen Throne.

....how did you end up on the Frozen Throne? Who are you......why can't you remember?!

WHOAREYOUWHYCANTYOUREMEMBERWHOAREYOUWHYCANTYOUREMEMBERWHOAREWHYCANTWHOAREWHYCANTWHOAREWHYCANTWHOWHYWHOWHYWHOWHYWHOWHYWHOWHYWHATISTHISFEELI-

Sudden clarity.

Oh. That's what that feeling is. You haven't felt it in.....you can't remember.

Maybe you shouldn't remember. Maybe it would be better if you had no memories. Then this feeling might go away.

You are Someone. You are on the Frozen Throne. And you are...

so...

unbearably...

lonely...
 
A Stage Slightly To The Left: Goldnine-Soaked Dreams - Kermie
A Stage Slightly To The Left: Goldnine-Soaked Dreams
By Kermie

What if… the DNA profiles used in Ambrosia had a psychic imprint, similar to Apiary?


8:55 PM
???, 2068


You are Mona Merola Morales. And at night, you dream once again.

Horizon, City Of Leviathan's Rest — Location #$^&!@

The card den is smoky, strange, and a bit unsettling. So is the rest of the strange dream-city you see on nights like these. The buildings are inverted, the lights shine golden, and sometimes you see faceless crowds running through the street.

But the company is definitely awesome. No complaints.

Across from you, a dark-skinned woman throws a pair of cards down, followed by another two pairs. She grins, before turning to her colleague and drawling in a deep accent. "Got any threes?"

The infamous Soldier X of the Defiance Unit is exactly as menacing as you expected… and weirdly lucky at cards. Seriously, you all checked that the cards were well shuffled. She still wins most of the time.

The woman next to her sighs. "No. I don't. Go fish. And can ask Lamar as your first move for once?"

Next to Soldier X is her equally infamous menacing teammate, Crimson Soprano. Or as you've learned to call the older woman, Bidu.

She rolls her eyes. "Speaking of, Lamar, got any sixes?"

The last person at the table other than you is the invincible man himself, Steadfast. In another life, he probably would have been your mentor figure. Something to think about. Or maybe not think about too hard— he's already told you to tell Stockpile that he's so disappointed.

"Go fish. X, do you have any threes?"

The woman without a name groans, before throwing over a three of hearts. Steadfast throws down a pair with a grin. "Alright Mona, your turn. How's your day been?"

You've been having these dreams… about once every other night, with the exception of that one time when you dreamed about Valiant Silver. These dreams are… different, somewhat. They have the same dreamy, almost psychedelic feeling like back when you talked with Apiary. Thankfully, this one spawned you near the rest of your DNA donors instead of Novalight, who seems to hate you with a burning passion. (You've spent a concerning amount of time outflying her. It's gotten easier since you fought Scarlet Maturity, but still.)

You take a look at your hand, and throw down a pair of fives before looking up. "I went on patrol with New Dawn today! It was great, we threw down with some Wonderland villains. I apparently missed out on meeting with some magical girls though, so that's disappointing."

Bidu whistles. It's a pleasant, melodic sound. "Damn, there's never a calm day when it comes to you, Swan. Is Dreamcatcher jealous of you for getting to see us every other day?"

You laugh. Anything but. "No, he says that it's "scary" that I have to spend time around X and Bidu- no offense guys- and that he thinks that Novalight speaking from the dead to chew him out would be one of his worst nightmares."

Steadfast groans. "Oh, I don't blame him. Spending more time around Yelena than necessary is like actively killing yourself. I'm pretty sure that Heavenly Astrologian is only getting rest now that she's dead…"

You ask Bidu for a one— nothing. The game moves on, but your conversation continues. "Oh, and that reminds me! We actually recruited someone new- they call her Noelle Han. Though she just prefers to be called Ellie."

His eyes widen, and for once in a while, he actually looks surprised. "Han… wait, you hired her kid?!"

That gets Bidu to stop mid-play. "Wait, that Heavenly person had a kid? What is it with single moms and being heroes? First Solferina, then her."

You just shrug. "Honestly? I dunno. It's great to be a hero, but being a mom is also definitely a full-time job. But we're looking to put Ellie in the EXCEED-BEYOND suit, or at least considering it."

Soldier X raises an eyebrow, before speaking. "That might be helpful if you can get it done soon. The villains in Wonderland are no joke, and having her along might be helpful if you travel back in time again. You might meet past us, or even King for all we know."

"It could be different," Steadfast interrupts, "Maybe Mona's just meeting all the captains of the different hero teams. She could learn from Justiciar, or even a calmer Novalight—"

"Novalight's a bitch." The two Defiance Unit members say at the exact same time.

Steadfast rolls his eyes and scoffs, but he doesn't seem hostile at all. "…no disagreement here on my part."

You smile, and continue playing as the game slowly draws to a close. You've definitely gotten to know an interesting group of people after getting your Ambrosia, but in all honesty? You wouldn't give up these strange bonds you've made for anything.


9:30 PM
???, 2068


You are Rhys Gardner. The night is cool, and you dream.

Horizon, City Of Leviathan's Rest — The Apiary

"Oh, you really think the rules that I think we need are so useless?"

"No, I— hic— just think that 47 volumes is a bit much."

There aren't many "slow days" in Horizon, much less in the Apiary. But when there are, you can often find a Justice Unlimited member walking about, and they're usually all very sociable.

You may or may not be biased by the fact that Lady Leizi is your boss.

But the JU member that you're talking to right now is very sociable. Adamant clearly learned good manners from his dad. He's a polite drunk, weirdly enough.

He leans back on his chair, just barely not falling off. If the passing crowds are surprised that there's a bar of all places on the Apiary, they aren't showing it. "Seriously though, I'm glad Chatelet joined. Man, if only she was around during my heyday in Justice Unlimited."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that.

Wait… who's—

Oh. You must be dreaming again. When was the last time one of these fever dreams happened? Like, last week?

Ah well, at least you aren't like Mona. If you had a chance of coming face to face with someone like Justiciar, or god forbid Primtemps, you'd never want to sleep again. Adamant's pretty cool, and The Outsider and Daggermaw are also very nice… when they're there.

You blink, and for a split second you're in your white combat form. You blink again, before returning to your civilian form- this time, with pants.

"Oh, did you guys find my secret stash? Y'know, the boat?" Adamant asks.

"Yeah, we did. We got Wolong to do all these calculations, and Miss Naught suggested just blowing up the thing and grabbing the cabin. There were also some Gold-Rank Behemoths, but Mona blew them up pretty easily."

He smiles, content. "That's good, we can probably fund more Ambrosia and maybe even fix up the Apiary with the bounty. And speaking of Ambrosia, in all honesty I'm amazed that adding my dad to Mona's DNA mix made her a…"

"Supermassive black hole that can kill Scarlet Maturity?"

You see his expression momentarily darken when you mention the red brute (you don't blame him, you'd do the same) but he recovers momentarily. "Yeah, that. Oh, and were any of the DNA samples I put in there usable?"

You're about to answer that, when you realize something. "Wait, we can only use dead people in Ambrosia, I think. How did you even know to put those people in there…?"

He just shrugs, metal shoulders slightly creaking. "Uiara set up a blood drive once, and don't tell Leizi, but me and Nora may have snatched a random selection from heroes with AB+ blood that donated. There was probably a blood selection or two that Leizi discarded once she saw the name."

Yup. That sounds reasonable enough, if a bit weird. You should probably ask about how long Project Prometheus was in progress later- the edges of the bar are starting to fray, and you've gotta get some real sleep. "I mean, most of the DNA samples were all usable. I pity the poor candidate who's gonna have to deal with Frostbite when they go to sleep."

Adamant nods in sympathy. "Yeah, elemental armor's definitely going to go in a few combos." he hums in thought, before his eyes turn deadly serious as he turns to you. "Oh, and one last thing before I gotta go. Did anyone see what was in the package I sent to Zixuan?"

You immediately shake your head, and have to turn it around after it goes all the way back. "Nope! She shooed all of us out of the room. What is it? Anything important to the project?"

Adamant just shakes his head, but he has a knowing look in his eyes now. "It's a personal gift from me, but I think that's something she should tell you personally. Tell her I love her, and that she shouldn't get too hung up on me. Pretty sure that she already got my message, but just in case."

You nod in confirmation, and the smiling silhouette of Adamant and the seats of the bar fade away into black as the dream ends.


Author's Note:
This will actually be the first part of a trilogy! Once I have more time, I'm going to make an episode where Adamant survived instead of Leizi, and one where different plans for Ambrosia (Chimera, Sucker Punch, whatever loses for John) won out. Look forward to more episodes of Stage Slightly To The Left!

This Omake was brought to you by me watching "Marvel's What If?" I was inspired, and had some free time while I was waiting for votes on my end.
 
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StarSingerBlue's Candidates
So since everyone already has candidates, I've decided to make my own to add to the pot.
Candidate #1:
Name: Soraia Del Rosario
Age: 31
Stats: HIT 1, ESPIONAGE 2, REPUTATION 6, OPERATIONS 4
Tolerance: 5
Chaucer's Notes: One of the refugees who settled in the Apiary after the Movement, she was in large part responsible for the group not dissolving into infighting, helping distribute resources to those that needed them the most and organising events to help boost morale and keep things running while they were under siege by Floating Venom Morphene. She then joined our administrative staff, motivated in large part by a need to ensure the refugees that remain were all well-cared for.
Lady Leizi: Soraia has a history of involvement in local and workplace politics, helping organise an union in her previous workplace until their jobs were outsourced to cheaper climes, after which she started a semi-legal cooperative dedicated to producing licensed medicine to distribue for either free or very low prices. She's well-known and well-loved around the Worker's Mitt, and has both experience with running a large organisation and maintaining a good PR image while being slandered (as one can imagine, her cooperative kept being accused to intellectual theft by various entities). Should Justice Unlimited grow big enough to be split into sub-teams, she would make a good leader for one of them.

Candidate #2:
Name: Amália "Ami" Higino Maciel
Age: 20
Stats: HIT 1, ESPIONAGE 2, REPUTATION 3, OPERATIONS 2
Tolerance: 7
Chaucer's Notes: Formerly a student in the university section of one of Horizon's most prestigious elevator schools, having gone there on a scholarship, Ms. Higino Maciel's life changed when a number of the school's students were roped into Yellow Quilin's schemes, with all that entailed. After getting attacked by a former classmate of hers gone mad, she managed to calm the classmate down, and later joined Noelle's efforts. From my brief meeting with her, she projected an air of calm assurance, as if nothing could stand in her way.
Lady Leizi: Ami appears to have played the role of therapist to some of the girls whose condition had deteriorated, as well as participating in a few combat operations, both tasks she was highly competent at. She isn't as assured as most people think, and could even be considered a worrywart, especially concerning her future. Mona seems to have taken a shine to her; apparently her wardrobe is the perfect blend of punk and adorable.

Candidate #3:
Name: Ankka Annala
Age: 24
Stats: HIT 2, ESPIONAGE 1, REPUTATION 4, OPERATIONS 3
Tolerance: 6
Chaucer's Notes: Another one of the refugees from the Apiary, Ms. Annala was in veterinary school before the Movement, and now takes care of what pets had been saved in the troubled days following the Movement. I've asked for her help several times concerning Maddie's pets, and she's proved both kind and competent at various medical and administrative tasks. In her spare time, she enjoys feeding the local ducks and spending time with her boyfriend Faizal.
Lady Leizi: She seems to have suffered from severe depression in her teens, with a failed career as a ballerina weighing heavily on her until she found a new dream. As an aside, that boyfriend of hers ? A minor vigilante with the power to warp reality with writing, albeit both temporarily and at a great cost to himself, which is why he's mostly retired. She appears to be friends/possible romantic partners with two other metahumans, one of whom matches the profile of a villain who vanished seven years ago. I've spoken to Ms. Annala's best friend/girlfriend and she genuinely seems repentant for her actions. It seems that Ms. Annala was in large part responsible for her turning to the side of the angels, too; that woman has a real knack for bringing out the best in people.

Candidate #4:
Name: Isaias Zeferino
Age: 28
Stats: HIT 4, ESPIONAGE 1, REPUTATION 4, OPERATIONS 3
Tolerance: 5
Chaucer's Notes: Rather well-know among the people of the Worker's Mitt, Mr Zeferino decided to pursue a career as a fireman out of highschool, something he has by all accounts been very good at. He's extremely dedicated to saving people, having gotten both praise and reproach for repeatedly risking his life in the line of duty. He's quite stubbornly dedicated to doing the right thing, and dislikes receiving praise for his deeds, seeing them as only natural. Probably not a leader, but he'd do well following in Rhys's footsteps.
Lady Leizi: There honestly isn't much more to say about him, except for one thing. Ever since his teens he's been involved with Night Break, a loose collective dedicated to exploring Horizon and its abandoned architecture, as well as running FutureNet, a piracy/torrenting site which also gives tips to people wanting to remove anti-costumisation features from their appliances (such as, say, someone wanting their Viridex toaster to be able to bake something other than Viridex™ bread) Mr. Zeferino appears to be more involved in the urban exploration side of Night Break, and seems to have acquired an extensive knowledge of Horizon's in and outs.

I'd like to point out that two (kind of three ?) of these are expies of works I like a lot: they've been heavily modified though, and I'd be pleasantly surprised if anyone got the reference.

Also, @Bitterman , if you have to use one of my candidates, please use Soraia: I think her vibe would bring something unique to JU.
 
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Issue #3.3: Reunification
[X] . . . agree to Ellie's offer.

[X] . . . accept.

Horizon, City of Leviathan's Rest– Corporate Playground – January 5, 2068

A few hours before, while Lady Leizi was at the Zenith . . .

"Coming to you straight out of the Corporate Playground is a new show for a new era!" shouts a man in his late twenties into a camera. He's on a set that is divided in half by a large partition. On one side are three booths with curtains obscuring their contents, while on the other is a single stool. The whole operation feels ramshackle, as if the budget went anywhere but the vaguely beach-themed set decor.

The man is wearing jeans, a backwards Phillies baseball cap, and a white t-shirt that is a size too small. His broad chest and large biceps are prominently displayed. He speaks in something of a faux-Orange County accent, ending every statement with an uptone as if he's asking a question.

"This is 'eTraction!' Sup, bros! My name's Dario Peters, and I know a thing or two about what the ladies like!" He punctuates this by flexing his pectoral muscles, making them dance beneath his shirt. "But one day, I had a thought: what if ugly people need love too? So that's why I teamed up with Intelliheath Technologies to create the ultimate dating app—eTraction!"

He holds up his phone to display the app. Their post-production budget is apparently very limited, as no one superimposes a graphic next to him.

"With eTraction's patented 'love-traction' meter, even the biggest loser can find someone to match their freak. And, bro, we have a freak on the show today!"

Members of the crew are prompted to "ooooooh" in response to this. Some do, but none are enthusiastic.

"But we can't just introduce the two uggos! Where's the fun in that? We gotta make sure eTraction is really based AF. Which is why, today, along with his match, we have two other bodacious babes with us. Our freak is gonna have to figure out which one is his true shortie! He chooses right? He gets a date with his match at the newly-refurbished Balthazar! Where that mega-hottie Black Swan beat down the alpha-chad himself, Scarlet Maturity!"

Dario strikes a pose that is supposed to be "cool" and "hip". It becomes increasingly apparent that he's too old to play this character.

"He chooses wrong? He goes home alone like he does every other night! And the babe he picked gets an all-expenses-paid vacation to the McLoad-English Luxury Resort in the South Docks! Where all the beautiful people are!"

He holds up his arms in mock excitement, and roars.

"So, will our freak pick wrong and stay a virgin forever? Or can even the biggest loser—who's wasted his life and driven away the only person to ever care about him in a way that mattered—still have a chance at happiness?"

There is an emptiness to Dario's eyes that speaks of wasted opportunities and the arrogance of youth. There is a pitying silence on the set once the cameras stop rolling.

* * *

"Who wrote this dialogue? It's like a thirty-something dad tried to remember what that guy who annoyed him in college sounded like and gave up halfway through."

A fifteen-year old girl stares at a monitor in the green room. She wears a black-and-pink plaid skirt with a black t-shirt that reads "MILK-IN-A-BAG", the name of a band you're not cool enough to have heard of yet.

Her comments are not appreciated by the Italian man yelling at another person in a make-up chair.

"Maddie, that doesn't matter!" He turns back to the person in the chair, "Doc, you're supposed to be dead! Dead! Dead people don't make appearances on reality television!"

"First, what you're describing is a gameshow, not reality television. Second, it's just a calibration test to ensure eTraction is working properly," the man in the chair says, "Now, leave me be! I'm practicing my small talk! Ahem. 'Yes, the weather is quite hot. No, I didn't see the latest sporting event. Please tell me about it.'"

"Doc!" Rhys shouts, "We're leaving now!"

"Oh, hush! I'm not a fool, Gardner. Can't you see I'm incognito?"

Dr. Mammoth Ibis looks the same except for a false mustache that doesn't match the color of his hair and a neon-orange spray tan.

"Plus, I'm here under an assumed name. I'm not 'The Amazing, Stupendous Dr. Mammoth Ibis', I'm 'Jack Handsome: International Man of Mystery!' He's my tabletop character!"

Rhys' head finds itself in his hands. "Doc, no. Please. John Henry, talk some sense into him!"

John Henry leans against the doorframe, his white teeth visible in a smile against his dark skin.

"Hey, I tried telling him 'Jim Nightblade' would have been a better pick," John Henry says in a smooth bass, "But he insisted on Jack Handsome."

"Jim Nightblade has a rich and complex lore! I can't pretend to be him without getting so far into character that I lose myself!"

"Do you two knuckleheads think this is funny?!" Rhys shouts, "When Lady Leizi finds out about this, she's gonna shit two kinds of bricks!"

"Can't say I've heard that expression before, Rhys."

"Quiet! I'm getting ready for my date!"

At that, John Henry shifts uncomfortably. "Hey, Emeril?"

"Yes, John Henry, my best friend in the world?"

John Henry sighs. "It's a gameshow. They're probably going to treat you like a joke."

"Oh." Dr. Ibis looks at himself in the mirror, crestfallen. "What do I do?"

"Well," John Henry says, standing straight, "The rules of the game are that your match will be one of the contestants, right? You'll just have to win the game and find her."

Dr. Ibis doesn't look up. "What if they l-laugh at me?"

John Henry puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Then so what? You're Dr. Mammoth Ibis. The lion does not concern himself with the bleating of the sheep."

John Henry throws a wink at Maddie in the mirror.

"And if that doesn't work? We'll just smash the place up a little bit."

"Yeah!" Maddie shouts, followed by Dr. Ibis.

"Yes! Of course! We'll burn this place to the ground! We'll burn it all down!"

"Emeril."

"Oh, sorry, I took it too far again, didn't I?" Dr. Ibis says sheepishly, "I'm working on that!"

Just then the light in the ceiling of the green room goes from red to green.

"Oh! That's my cue! Wish me luck! Sike! I don't need it. I'm Dr. Mammoth Ibis!"

"Doc! No!" Rhys shouts after the retreating Dr. Ibis, "I'm puttin' my foot down—where are you going? Get back here! Maddie, stop laughing!"

* * *

"And welcome back to eTraction, bros!" Dario says, walking onto set, "We've got our freak. . . ing cool bachelor here, Jack . . . this can't be his real name. . . Handsome?"

"That's me!" Dr. Ibis says, from his position atop the stool, "I'm glad you were just stuttering there. I thought you were going to call me a freak!"

"Yeeeeeah, uh, anyway, tell us a little about yourself!"

"I can't! I've been threatened with bodily harm if I do!"

"O-oh. Umm, wait, who are those people on set? Is that a little girl?"

"They're my friends! They're going to beat you up if you're too mean to me!"

Dario begins visibly sweating as John Henry, Rhys, and Maddie menace him from just off-camera.

"Oh. Wow. Okay. Um, let's meet the babes then! Contestant #1! Tell us about yourself!"

The camera moves to the first booth, where a voluptuous silhouette is just visible through the curtains. She crosses her legs in a sensual manner while thrusting her chest forward.

"Hi. I'm Contestant #1. And I'm all yours if you think you're man enough."

"I may not be!" Dr. Ibis says cheerfully.

"Wow," Dario says, "Good self-awareness, bro. Uhh, Contestant #2?"

The second figure sits perfectly straight with her legs pressed together and hands folded in her lap.

"I'm Contestant #2! I believe in God, family, and country in that order! I'm looking for a man who works all day and expects dinner on the table when he gets home."

"Horizon isn't a country," Dr. Ibis points out, "It's an independent territory nominally chartered by the U.N."

"Wait, really?" Dario says, "Wow. We're here to find love and facts! Next, Contestant #3!"

The third figure hunches on top of her stool like some sort of shadowy gargoyle and is fiddling with something in her hands.

"Why am I third? I am clearly the superior dating option! Bah. Get on my level or get ready to be leveled to the ground! Ha! Good one, me."

"Hmm," Dr. Ibis says, touching his chin, "I'm not feeling a spark. Next!"

"Wow, we really didn't even try to hide it, huh?" Dario mutters, Okay, the first round is Q & A! We've given Jack here some questions to ask our lovely ladies, so let's hear them!"

"Must I use these pre-written questions? Bah, so unoriginal. Fine. Contestants, describe to me your perfect date! Now!"

Contestant #1 wiggles her hips and leans forward. "Oooooh, I was thinking of staying in with a bottle of wine, a bottle of massage oil, and seeing where the evening takes us."

"That's not much of a date! Next! Contestant #2?"

Contestant #2 smooths out some non-existent wrinkles from her long skirt and clasps her hands together. "Oh, it would just have to be a trip to the fair outside my grandpappie's farm. You'd win me a stuffed teddy-bear at the ring-toss and then we'd steal a smooch under the fireworks!"

"If I won the bear, then why would you get it? Think before you speak! Next! Contestant #3?"

Contestant #3 stands up on the stool excitedly. "We'd eat candy all night while I was in my lab waiting for the centrifuge to cycle! You could help tidy up all the wrappers!"

"Eating candy? In a lab? Ingesting food near chemicals violates basic safety guidelines! Do better!"

"Wow," Dario says, stunned, "Uhh, three strikeouts, I guess? But, uh, what about our next questions?"

"Another one?" Dr. Ibis says with visible disgust. "Alright, fine. Contestants, if you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

Contestant #1 seems a little off-balance by Dr. Ibis' attitude, but quickly recovers. "Oh, a beach vacay is a must for me. Sun, surf, lounging by the pool. And our hotel room? Five stars. Maybe we wouldn't even leave the room . . ."

"Then why go to the beach?! Make some sense! Next!"

Contestant #2 seems agitated, shuffling in place but speaking in a deliberately folksy, calm voice.

"Well, I would take us to my daddy's ranch. Out in the mountains where the air is so pure and clear that you can see all the stars in the sky on a cloudless night. We'd start a bonfire, make smores, sing songs, and remember what it is like to be in touch with nature!"

"Be in touch with nature? Why do that when you can dominate nature and shape it to your will? You think too small! Next!"

Contestant #3 is fiddling with something in her hands. It looks like a cube or puzzle of some sort.

"What? What did you say? I wasn't paying attention. Vacation? Why would I take a vacation?! I have science to do!"

Dr. Ibis snorts. "I used to think that way. Then I grew up. You play a little so you can work a lot. My best friend Hohn Jenry taught me that!"

Dr. Ibis throws a sly wink to his friends off camera, clearly pleased with the codename he came up with for John Henry.

"Okaaaaaaaay," Dario says, trying to retake control of the show. "Do . . . do we even do the third question?"

"I have it don't I?!" Dr. Ibis snaps, "Contestants, if you could be any animal in the world, what would it be and why?"

By now, Candidate #1 is completely lost. She looks around uncertainly before answering, "Umm, a cat? Because this kitty has claws?"

"So do lots of animals! Next!"

Candidate #2 is visibly annoyed, crossing her arms and looking away. "A bald eagle. Do you have a problem with such a majestic bird?!"

"Majestic?! The bald eagle is a bird of low character that steals prey from other hunters. I spit on your bald eagle! Pah! Next!"

Contestant #3 is standing up and pacing, excited, as she rambles, "It has the body of a Bengal Tiger with an appropriately-sized wingspan and float-sacks it can inflate for buoyancy. It has three heads—one of a jungle cat, bird of prey, and a reptilian head not unlike a Komodo Dragon—"

"Three heads? That's just three weak points! What is this, amateur hour? Forget this, I'm getting a snack from the craft services table!"

With that Dr. Ibis takes off his mic and walks off set.

"Umm, good time for our break, broskies!" Dario interrupts, "And a word from our sponsors! Need pants that can survive the vacuum of space or a direct hit from everyone's Beautiful Black Swan? Kelso-Allard's revolutionary carbon-fiber nanoweave. . ."

* * *

During intermission, Dr. Ibis sits in the backroom, eating crackers and bemoaning his luck.

"Not one viable candidate! Not one! John Henry, am I being punk'd?!"

"Doc, the fuck are you talkin' about?" Rhys says, "It's Contestant #3. Pick Contestant #3. She's perfect for you!"

"She's like you with boobs!" Maddie exclaims, "She's off-putting but kind of charming at the same time, just like you are."

"Thank you, Madeline!" Dr. Ibis says brightly, "And really? I don't see it. There's no spark there!"

"Are you shittin' me right now?!"

"Come on!"

"Hey," John Henry interrupts, "Attraction is important. If Emeril isn't feeling it, then there's no forcing it.

"Thank you, John Henry!" Dr. Ibis says, "Maybe I should just go home. . . "

John Henry shakes his head. "That's not fair to the girls or the crew. You have to at least finish the game."

"Oh, all right. But I'm honestly stumped. Who am I supposed to choose?"

"Oh, come on!" Maddie and Rhys shout in unison, both pulling their hair.

* * *

"Okaaaaaay, welcome back, bros!" Dario shouts, the pale artifice of his frat-boy persona hanging by a thread, "Next is round two! The skills challenge!"

He waits for an applause that never comes.

"Now, I don't know about you, but the way to this man's heart is through his stomach—"

"Going through the ribs is faster!" Dr. Ibis interrupts.

"Y-yeah. Anyway, it's a cooking challenge. Everyone made a meal. Eat it or whatever. God, where did my life go wrong? I never should have left her. Lindsey, just take me back, please . . ."

Dr. Ibis watches as a broken man shuffles off stage. "Huh. I hope he gets help. Now, bring me my meals!"

The first is from Contestant #1. Dr. Ibis lifts it to find a steak cooked medium-rare, mashed potatoes, and collard greens.

"I-its a steak dinner with all the trimmings," Candidate #1 says, nervously, "It's so you have lots of energy for . . . after dinner."

"After dinner?"

"Sex," she says, defeated, "I mean sex."

"Oh! Well, I'm a vegetarian, so I would probably still be hungry during coitus. Thank you anyway!"

"Of course you are," she says miserably as her meal is shuffled off. Next, comes a steaming apple pie from Contestant #2, who looks visibly agitated.

"It's an apple pie. My grandma's recipe that she stole from our nanny," she snaps, "I looked up that stuff you told me about bald eagles. You were right! They're horrible birds! What else have I been lied to about my whole life?!"

"I don't know! A lot probably. And I hate sweets! But I appreciate the effort!"

"At least someone does!" she cries as her dish is taken away.

Finally, the dish from Contestant #3 is brought out. Liquid pours off the plate while a PA tries in vain to set it down in front of Dr. Ibis without spilling.

It is a mish-mash of sticky rice, jam, ice cream, boiled mango, and bologna all doused in a coating of red pepper flakes with a side of a fruit so fragrant it makes everyone's eyes water.

"It's durian!" Contestant #3 explains proudly, "And this is my latest culinary experiment! It's a hobby of mine. Give it a try!"

To everyone's horror, Dr. Ibis takes a fork, scoops off a substantial piece, and shoves it in his mouth. His face puckers as his eyes water and he visibly gags.

"Terrible!" he says when he can speak again.

"Ah, well," Contestant #3 says, "They all can't be winners!"

With that, an awkward moment of mutual indecision happens as everyone waits for Dario to return. He doesn't. There is, however, the muffled sounds of sobs that can be heard from a nearby closet. His words are faintly audible.

". . . take me back . . . sorry . . . didn't know I had syphilis . . ."

"Uncomfortable!" Dr. Ibis says, "Well, I'll just bring us home then. There's one question left in the final round."

He reads it and makes a face.

"Jack Handsome would like to disclaim he did not write this question. Contestants! How will you prove your—ugh—devotion to our love?"

Contestant #1 is pulling on her lip, looking visibly distraught.

"I'll, um, read more?"

"Now, do you actually enjoy reading?" Dr. Ibis says, suspiciously.

"Y-yeah?"

"I don't think you do," he says, "And that's okay! You don't need to change to please anyone! You should be yourself and find someone who likes you for who you are. You're a bright, young woman with an excellent talent for innuendo! There is someone who would be thrilled to love you!"

Contestant #1 sniffles loudly. "T-thanks. I needed to hear that. My mom . . . my mom always said people would only ever love me for one thing."

"Well, she was wrong! Tell her the great Jack Handsome: International Man of Mystery said so! Now, Contestant #2?"

Contestant #2 is nearly shouting. "Prove myself? I don't have to be what anyone wants me to be! I need to figure out who I am! My whole life I've been in a cage and I must escape!"

"Good for you!" Dr. Ibis says, "I think you should hold off dating until you've had time to work on yourself! Or that's what my therapist would say."

"Can you give me her number? . . . I need someone I can talk to who isn't part of a fundamentalist religious movement."

"See me after the show! Next!"

Candidate #3 seems offended. "I don't need to prove myself to anyone! I am the greatest mind of my generation! You should worship the ground I walk on!"

"How dare you?!" Dr. Ibis shouts, "I am the greatest mind of any generation! Respect the throne!"

Dr. Ibis and Contestant #3 continue shouting at each other until a red-eyed Dario walks back onto the set.

"W-what's up, broskis? Oh, I, uh, guess we're on the last part! So, Jack Handsome, do you know who you're eTracted to?"

"No!" Dr. Ibis shouts, "They're all duds! This is terrible! I want my money back!"

"Just pick Contestant #3 already, holy shit!" Maddie shouts from off-camera.

"Oh, fine! But there's no spark!" Dr. Ibis protests, "Contestant #3, I guess I choose you."

"Alright, alright!" Dairo says, "Now for our two lovebirds to meet and see if there's an eTraction-attraction! But first, a word from our sponsor! Season two of Magical Girl Gang: War airs this month! Triss and her gang have defeated the Triad, but now the Family of Alioth has them in their sights. Will she be able to defend the Saptarshi Islands from the Strange Matter Beasts and other magical girls? And what of her brother Gil and his mysterious illness? What will—"

Dario's words are cut off as the lights dim and a smokescreen flows out from under Contestant #3's booth. Music starts playing from all the speakers, a dramatic tune with a loud brass section.

"CONGRATULATIONS, FOOL! YOU HAVE CHOSEN CORRECTLY!" Contestant #3 roars from her booth.

"I AM THE SCIENTIFIC SIREN. THE RAVISHING RESEARCHER! I AM THE MOTHER OF MONSTERS!"

The curtain drops revealing a young woman, twenty or so, with sandy blonde hair escaping from a sloppy bun and wearing a stained lab coat. Thick glasses adorn her face as she speaks with an imperious expression.

"I am, Doctor Massive Ibis!"

Everyone in the room stares, stupefied, as the music plays. Dr. Massive Ibis holds her position before Dr. Mammoth Ibis stands up and pulls off his false mustache.

"Sarah . . .?"

Dr. Massive Ibis drops her pose.

". . . Daddy?"

Dr. Mammoth Ibis has tears in his eyes.

"Yes."

Dr. Massive Ibis looks very young all of the sudden.

"They . . . they said you were dead."

Dr. Mammoth Ibis nods, tears flowing freely.

"Yes. Yes, they did. But I'm not. I'm here. I'm right here."

"Daddy—!" she shouts with a sob and throws herself in Dr. Mammoth Ibis' waiting arms.

"Wooooow, looks like it's lust at first sight for our couple!" Dario shouts into the mic, "Already calling him 'Daddy'? Kinky! It's beautiful really, even freaks can find love—grrrk!"

Most footage from the shoot that day would be mysteriously destroyed, and not a single member of the crew would ever speak on what they witnessed. However, the ten second clip of a fifteen-year old, five-foot-even girl dropkicking a gameshow host would go viral for years to come.

Horizon, City of Leviathan's Rest–The Apiary – January 5, 2068

Later that same day. . .

You are Lady Leizi, and your hair is still wet from your ruined bath. However, you can't quite find it in your heart to be angry.

"Amazing! Look at this equipment! I was operating out of a closet in the room I was renting! Look at me now!" Dr. Sarah "Massive" Ibis shouts," And are the walls alive?! Scientudienous!"

Dr. Mammoth Ibis watches his daughter lose her mind over her new laboratory with a wet, happy expression. It's the most human you've ever seen the doctor appear.

"She's brilliant," he says to you softly, "Truly, truly brilliant. Already has a doctorate at twenty-two. A genuine genius. I'd have to use my power just to keep up with her."

Your eyebrows go up. "That is . . . quite something."

He laughs a happy chuckle. "I've always talked up my own achievements, only to be overshadowed by my daughter in an instant."

He gives a smile from the heart.

"I couldn't be prouder."

"We'll need to screen her before she's able to do any work on Project Prometheus," you warn carefully, "It's not that I think this is a trap but—"

"It could be," he finishes. "I understand. She told me she came to Horizon after the Movement to find me, only to learn I had 'died.' Her mother remarried, has a new child with a new family, and has grown distant. She just wanted to see her dad again."

"I'm sorry if your cover caused either of you pain," you say.

"It's alright," he says smiling, "It's the most alright it's been in a long time."

"I'll let you spend time with her," you say, touching his shoulder, "And I'll let you know when she's been cleared for work."

"She'll make everything so much easier," he says, "We can effectively double our production of Ambrosia."

Dr. Massive Ibis joins Justice Unlimited as an affiliate member! Special Trait: Daddy's Little Genius! With his daughter's help, Dr. Mammoth Ibis can either finish one dose of Ambrosia at the beginning of an Issue, or two at the mid-point of an Issue. Additionally, A Spoonful of Sugar may be taken twice at the cost of a single Global Action.

Dr. Massive Ibis also gives a bonus to any research-related roll!

+1 Global Action! New Global Actions unlocked!

"That's wonderful, Doctor," you say, "Now go spend time with her."

He stands up and nods. "You're right. Hey, sweetie! Do you want to see the particle accelerator?"

"Do I?!"

You watch the two of them scamper off happily and then ready yourself for a less pleasant conversation. In the back of the room, with a complicated look on his face, is John Henry.

You walk over and give him a moment.

"Y'know, I'm happy for Emeril," John Henry says, his voice thick, "I really am. He's a good man. In a strange way, his wanting to be my friend is what helped keep me grounded after we lost Nat."

He looks at you.

"I won't pretend it wasn't annoying—infuriating at times even. I don't understand how he hasn't heard about Nat, but . . . it's nice. To talk to someone who isn't constantly 'so sorry' for me." He snorts. "Sandra adores him at least. She's thrilled I've made a 'little friend' to watch boxing with."

You've known John Henry for nearly as long as you've been a member of Justice Unlimited. You do him the courtesy of cutting to the chase.

"You're next for Project Prometheus. You understand what that means, don't you, John Henry?"

"Yeah," he says, "I saw the other tests. I know we've been lucky with side-effects so far. I'm ready for whatever happens."

"It's not just that," you say, "John Henry, once you have metahuman powers, what do you plan to do about the Demon Flamez?"

John Henry's expression goes hard. He looks into the middle distance, focusing on nothing. He's quiet for a moment before speaking in a far-away voice.

"Nat was an EMT. Did you know that? She was moonlighting while studying for her MCATS," he says, "She was out there helping people after everything went to hell following the Movement."

His eyes water. "I begged her—begged her—to stay home. But she couldn't just sit while people were in danger. Then, the Demon Flamez made a move on the OID. They wanted to send a message, so they torched a building. Except, one of the idiots hit a gas line and the whole block went up."

Hot, angry tears burn in his eyes. "Nat was there."

You close your eyes. You were aware of what happened generally, but you didn't know the details.

"They're rabid dogs, Zixuan," he says, "They're rabid dogs and they need to be put down—!"

"It may not be that easy," you say, matching his gaze, "And if it's not, I need to know you'll fall in line. This can't be about your revenge, John Henry. It simply cannot."

"Why not?" he demands, "Why can't it be simple? Why is my baby girl dead while those animals breathe free air? Why?!"

He leaps to his feet.

"It's not fair, dammit!"

"John Henry," you say, your voice steady, "Tell me you're going to fall in line. Tell me and make me believe you, or you're off Project Prometheus."

You stare him down. You love John Henry. His whole family really. In your private moments, you wonder what it would have been like if your family was like his. But Justice Unlimited is bigger than you both. The stakes are too high.

You won't back down on this.

He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "You've changed, Zixuan."

"Because I'm giving you an ultimatum?"

"Because you're talking to me at all," he opens his eyes and you see the sadness. But there's something else there too. It's sadness mixed with a tinge of . . . pride?

"The Zixuan a year ago would have just never told me about Project Prometheus. She would have cut me out without a second thought; wouldn't have even given me the option. You're actually trying to bridge the gap now."

He sits back down.

"I'm not going to go rogue. I remember I still have things to lose now," he says, looking back at you, "I'm not going to stay quiet if I think you're barking up the wrong tree, but it's your show. I'll respect that."

You look into his eyes and are relieved to see what you find. He's being honest. He's still bleeding, but the wound has started to scab over. John Henry is stubborn as a mule and still partially sees you as that impetuous girl you were a decade ago, but he also genuinely respects you.

"Thank goodness," you sigh sitting down, "I honestly can't handle any more drama today. Especially of the family variety."

"I'll let you get your rest," he rumbles, "But there's one more thing. Wolong is going to join us for the Project Prometheus meeting tomorrow. He's got a charge of his power set aside to assist things, but he wants to know if there's any specific requests we have for him."

"Ah," you sigh, "Darling Gabriel. The joy of good allies. Actually, there is something. I believe we can ask him . . ."

[ ] . . . about the "familiar feeling" power synergy he identified. It's one part [Enhanced Strength], one part [Clairvoyance], but what else?

[ ] . . . if he has any insight into psychic or anti-psychic synergies?

[ ] . . . are there any synergies that come to mind that involve [Ally Enhancement]?
 
GRL #2 Log 51 - wing101r (canon)
GRL #2 Log 51

Samson look at the green notebook in his hand, spinning a pen as he did so. The old notebook Samson used to write down discoveries he'd made about his powers was completely filled meaning a replacement was needed. He contemplated what to write first on the on his Golem Training Logs #2 before making a decision and beginning writing with whimsical smile.

Log 51

This book is a Training Log for Golem. Those with no permission should not read further. :V

For this Log I'm gonna write a review of my discoveries along with goals and test I want to perform.

List of Power Discoveries

1. My Powers allows me to control earth mainly to cover my body in armor. I've tested in soil,rocks,concrete and mud. I cant seem to use it on Metals though my powers could drag metalic objects as part of my armor I cant affect it unlike how I could harden the mud to form my armor.
2. My armor makes me stronger and tougher just like Power armors that Iron Man and Space Marines wore.my basic armor lets me punch holes through a boulder and even lift it with some effort. I didn't feel any pain punching through the boulder too and a few test showed that I could fall from high places without getting hurt thanks to my power.
3. Creating my Armor takes time, focus and energy. Originally Covering myself in full body armor took in hour and was tiring, though just giving myself boots and gauntlets were easier. Forming my Armour as also faster if my entire body was laid on the ground. Training and having a clear direction of the armors form makes creating an armor easier. It was lot faster when I had a clear image of the type of armor I want, which made making it while having a picture of the of armor I want to make cut the time down by half.
I've managed to succeed in creating a Basic armor based on picture of The Thing in just a few seconds now which gave a good boost to my strenght and, Im pretty sure the armor is tough enough to resist bullets but I havent managed to check yet. Creating the armor takes a noticeable amount of Earth but not to the point of wreaking the area.
4. I can shape the of my armor by manipulating the earth. The most basic is adding more earth to make it bigger and thus get stronger though I have to make sure to leave holes to breath, see and hear in. But with focus I can turn my fingers into claws, spikes in my boots, carvings in my armor and even managed to turn an entire gauntlet into a Sword. I need clear image and practise on what I want to shape my armor into though or I fail in shaping the armor into what I want like getting something akin to an extended baton instead of a sword.
5. I can remove the armor from my body with several methods.I make the just making it crumble which is the fastest way to do it, but I can also remove them piece by piece like actual armor though once I stopped using my power the pieces can crumble if they not made well. Lastly I can selectively remove certain areas in my armor so I can exit it like how some Iron Man can split, though I again without my power they seem to break sooner or later.
6. I could pile up my discarded armor into a wall my fusing them together with my shaping abilities. I could use the wall to test my strenght by punching it and toughness by jumping from it.
7. I can use my Power to scale a straight wall,ridge or mountain by creating gauntlets and boots that I can fuse or make holes off like a ladder.

Things to test:
1. How Big can I make my Armor?
2. Can I remove my armor without Breaking it so I can Just requip my armor again instead of needing to keep rebuilding it.
3. Can I make other things apart from Armor with my powers like a Knife,Axe,Club, figurines,statues?
4. Rocket Punch by ejecting my Gauntlets Strong and fast or maybe finger guns?
5. How far I can compress the rocks that make up my armor to increase its hardiness.
6. Create an Armor that can be easily hidden by clothes or gloves so I can always be stronger or tougher?
7. See If I can control my Armor without wearing it?
8. Create a Combat Armor which is bigger and better than my basic armor.

//////////

Samson reread what he wrote hed long learned that it was easier for him to remember information he wrote himself. With a notepad it was a good way for him to test his memory by listing out details he's found about his powers and things he needed or wanted to test in his training.
Satisfied with what he's written he started stretching his limbs.

"Samson its time for Dinner!" A shout interrupted him from below his room. Obeying his mothers words Samson closed the notepad and went down to the dining room of his home.

"Thanks Ma." Samson told his mother, taking a seat with in the large dining table of his home.

His mother Gloria Road smiled at her as both of them shared a meal together. Right now Samson older brother was attending a friends Birthday party and so it was only him and his mother.

Seeing an opportunity Samson told his ma his plans for tomorrow, "Ma, after the mass tomorrow I'd I want to go hiking for a day, so is that fine?"

"Haa, you've been spending a lot of time outside lately and your going for another hike its not like there's our province is really great for hiking." Gloria told her son exasperatedly.

"I know I know, but well I've started to enjoy hiking lately, and even if its only around the province seeing things while on a hike instead of in a car is makes me appreciate things more." Samson lied a bit, while he did enjoy his hikes the main reason he was out of the house was for training in a secluded place.

"Besides its not like I really go anywhere dangerous at most, So come on can you let me go tomorrow?" Samson continued to plead to his mother.

Gloria seeing her son plead and with how Samson was generally an obedient child agreed in the end, "Oh alright but make sure to get back home before dinner or I'll be real cross with you alright?"

"Thanks ma and I will," Samson agreeed with a big smile.

////////////////
A.N. An Omake about Golem days as a Teenager writing in his training and a bit of info on his family and talking to his mother so he can train in secret for a whole day.
 
WITH GOD AND ANIME ON OUR SIDE — StarSingerBlue
I think the R-Train secretely has a Gunpla hobby, and it needs lots of money to fund it.

Or maybe it's a Gacha addict./jk
Remember when I said this ?

I decided to expand on that idea.

I regret nothing.

WITH GOD AND ANIME ON OUR SIDE

The QZ was a place of horror: starkly contrasted with lifeless stone, the goldnine either churned like a thing possessed or was worryingly quiet.

And everywhere, everywhere the Behemoths: most of them lying still, great staring statues, but there had been a couple of fights in the past, made difficult by the fact touching goldnine would mean death for you and most of the rest of Justice Unlimited.


You and Chatelet are aboard a military helicopter, loaded with the precious bounty you'll be trading for goldnine. Valiant Gold and Black Swan are flying up ahead, looking for any sight of danger; they both have massive backpacks on, loaded with more of the trade goods.

The stuff didn't come cheap: you could up Devin's Tolerance for that amount of money. But there isn't any other way to get Goldnine, and you need more members for Justice Unlimited: you have no excuse to delay purchase with Dr. Ibis's base restored for your use.


The first R-Train drone you see is the size of a motorbike, a small gunship whose sensors point at you like the eyes of a curious dog.

Soon, the number of drones grows, all of them turning towards you blank-faced as you fly past.

And in the heart of the QZ you find one of the R-Train's great cores, a mountain of towering synthesizers and skyscraper-sized mechs. They guard a massive platform, suspended far above the goldnine, via anti-gravity and guarded by several squadrons of gunships that could tear your meager helicopter to shreds.

Mona goes forth, and starts negotiating for the goldnine: you are hoping for at least three doses's worth today, enough to tide you over for a while.

You land in the middle of the huge platform and smaller robots, optimized for precise motions, eagerly come forth to relieve you of your goods.

Several million dollars's worth of anime merchandise: figurines, mostly, both to be meticulously assembled by some of the R-Train's drones and already fully set up, nestled into plastic boxes. And then plushies, a whole mountain of them: you had accidentally opened the cupboard in which they were stored last week and had had to spend half an hour digging yourself out of the mountain of fluff. You had also gotten for the R-Train voluminous stacks of manga, doujinshi and artbooks, enough to fill several trucks, and sufficient stickers to plaster at least two of its biggest mechs in. And then there was other, stranger merch: playing cards, pens, clothing, even a number of limited edition snacks even though it was a robot and didn't need to eat.

You thanked whatever heavens existed Mona had talked it into accepting a number of subscriptions to various platforms, and that it had the ability to make DVDs and CDs from that. Otherwise, you'd need another helicopter.

Mona was chatting excitedly to one of the drones, talking about some fan merch for a "Precure" show she'd seen online. You suppressed a groan: fan merch took far more time to arrive than official when ordered online, and you didn't look forward to going to one of those dreadful conventions again.

Next to you, Chatelet instructs the drones on how to unpack the cargo, and breaks up several fights between their different opinions on which merch should go to which shrines, as well as scolding one that decided to open one of the "Gunplas" right there and start building.

Noelle stands posed in the air, arms crossed in what you would think was a professional, serious pose if you hadn't known for a fact she had started doing it after taking a shine to that ancient mecha show she and Mona had watched last week.

You sigh loudly. Well, at least they were having fun.
 
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...But Who'd Believe That? 2: Hibiscus Boogaloo — Pitchouli
And here is the sequel that I have been obligated to produce. I hope that I will not have my contract renewed for a Season 3, but let's be real, it probably will at some point in the future.

...But Who'd Believe That? 2: Hibiscus Boogaloo
The real conspiracy is why we got a sequel in the first place!

You are Michiko Katou. It is three in the morning. Whoever has chosen to call you despite this fact will be learning of the wonderful exfoliation benefits of bathing in goldnine through a live demonstration.

You lazily grab onto your screen charging at your bedside and check the caller ID, but to be honest, you kinda didn't need to. Your mom knows that you're asleep at this hour given the time difference, which leaves exactly one suspect.

"Kimi." You respond with practically negative effort.

"I FUCKING TOLD YOU!" The screaming on the other side of the screen snaps you awake just a little bit more.

"...Kimi. Do you know how early it is?"

Your response is a message being sent to you of that one clip everyone's been sharing the past few days of the "Dropkick Girl". You are decidedly unamused.

"This is it? This is just the same clip that everybody's been looking at the past few days in all of its' shaking, mid-quality glory. So what, dare I ask, is the conspiracy being hidden here?"

"Look! Look right behind the girl as she's hitting the host!"

You try your absolute hardest to make anything out from this that isn't characters so smeared by the footage shaking that they're halfway to being unrecognizable. Then again, it's not as if you would recognize anybody here even if the footage was in 16K.

"Don't you see who's right there?!"

"All I'm seeing is somebody with a terrible fake tan. Looks like the kind of douchebag that would be put on this kinda show-"

"That's fucking Mammoth Ibis!"

...What.

"Okay, so the conspiracy this time around is that Mammoth Ibis faked his death. Glad to know we're on the same page now, so first off... how did you jump to this conclusion?"

"Just look at him! He didn't even try to change his hair color or his face!"

You look back at the video, still trying to make things out without your lights on. "I'm a little concerned how you managed to grab his face from this."

"And look! Look! Right at the end, do you know who that is?!"

Again, it is goddamn hard to make anything out about this, but it looks vaguely like...

"Alright. If this is actually his daughter, because I still can't see shit, then what? Are you legitimately saying that this failed TV show made by a dating app is what brought down the entire conspiracy-"

"Why else would they have cancelled it?! Why do you think they got rid of all the footage?! Why do you think-"

You forcibly end the call and throw yourself back onto your mattress, staring at your screen. Shit, that girl kinda does look like Dr. Massive Ibis... is Kimi, Leviathan forbid, right on something for once?

For the sake of your sanity, you'd hope not. You'd be hearing about it until the end of time from her, and you aren't sure how many more insane things like "Dogs can't look up!" you can stand to bear.

...Wait. Up... Dog...

In a moment, you shoot right up from your mattress again.

"WAS SHE ACTUALLY-"
 
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In The Wake Of Mourning/Waking Up To A New Morning -- Kermie (canon)
In The Wake Of Mourning/Waking Up To A New Morning
By Kermie

Author's Note:
This Omake is based on two candidates that I've made for this quest. In case you forgot about them, check out Candidate Lambda (Addie) here and Candidate X (Shelley) here.

And with that, on with the story.


Horizon, City Of Leviathan's Rest — Somewhere In The City's Outskirts
January 3, 2068


You are Shelley Marie. New Year's has passed, and you're close to being one year older. Only a few weeks until your birthday.

And soon, it will have been one year since the Movement. Time's going to start flying faster than you can even imagine after the tragedy, after all- that's just how the world works.

You shake yourself out of those thoughts, getting off the PubTrans tram with your package in hand, and beginning to walk towards your destination. There aren't that many people this far away from the boroughs, so it's a quick trip.

It's a gloomy day today. Despite it being almost afternoon, the sun still isn't out. A slight breeze passes by, and you have to resist the urge to shiver. Distantly, you hear your sister's voice in your head.

Horizon natives— always cold, aren't they?

…you've lived here for almost ten years now, and you graduated from high school here. At this point, you almost feel more like a Horizon native than an American.

You take a left, and you've reached your destination. Horizon's End Cemetery. A tad bit on the nose, but it gets the point across. As you enter the gates, you take a look around. There's not as many people here as there were a few months ago. There's a small family without a father over there, a couple over there, and a single girl over there…

You still remember how it was in October. People still hadn't healed yet. You had families who had been affected by the escaped Wonderland inmates wreaking havoc, others who had lost their loved ones in the post-Movement riots… the graveyards were almost alive, which is never the way you want it to be.

But this makes your job easier. Brushing away a stray lock of red hair that fell in front of your eyes, you put down the small package in your arms, and pull out a few small bouquets.

Plenty of people tried their best to get away from Horizon after the Movement, but their loved ones will stay here, resting in peace. There's been a few memorials that would have gone to waste otherwise, rotting away. That's where you come in.

Bending down to pick up a rotting rose, you stuff it into your pants pocket, and replace it with a fresh one. You take a quick glance at your screen. It looks like some of the graves on the north end need flower replacements, while you can ditch some of the flowers on the west end. It's an odd job, but it pays decently for how quick it is, and it's also good charity. Time to get going.

You zone out a bit during your work— doing charity like this always feels good, but this sort of job doesn't require as much social effort. Despite the morbidness of being in a graveyard, you've noted that being here so often (about once every week or so) has given you an… appreciation for life, strangely enough. You think that's fine— the people here wouldn't want their you or their loved ones to be hung up on them for so long.

Just some basic memorization gets you through your task. A rose here, a tulip there. Rest in peace to you over there, rest in peace to you over here…

Before you know it, twenty minutes have passed and your job is done. You look up, and survey the area. Most of the people from before have left, except for one. The girl from before. Something about her seems familiar, so as you walk in the direction of the exits, you take a turn past a row of tombstones to get a better look. As you get closer, she turns to face you, and you realize with a jolt- that's your old piano student, Addison!

You wave at her. "Addison. It's good to see you after so long. What's up?"

She doesn't seem like she's particularly jazzed to see you. A picture of annoyance paints her Asian features, and she ruffles her brown jacket as she begins to speak.

"Ms. Marie. It's nice to see you again." she grumbles, "And it's nothing. Just mourning."

She isn't really looking at you; it's more like she's politely turned her head in your general direction. Your eyes follow her gaze to where she really wants to look at; a small tombstone, lovingly decorated with a wreath of purple flowers.

RIP Linh Nguyen
A loving mother, an incredible hero.
Died in the Movement, protecting others from Behemoths


You feel your smile drop. Linh… you had known the older woman for a while before her kids had gone off to college. You had heard that she had switched to being a hero, but you had never known why. You turn your attention back to Addison.

"Addison-"

"Just call me Addie."

"Addie. You good? You've been standing here for 20 minutes, and I don't think I ever saw you move."

She doesn't meet your eyes. "I've been here for 10 minutes before you got here."

A nagging voice in the back of your mind that sounds like your sister urges you to tell her how she's probably going to get a cold if she stays out here in such a thin jacket, but you force that voice down and change the subject. "What have you been doing recently?"

That might have been the wrong thing to say. Addie's posture immediately slouches a bit, and she grits her teeth. "Participating in charity efforts. Making sure everyone knows the importance of curfew with Wonderland broken. Uni District stuff, since my mom put so much work into making sure me and Leah got there."

"Do you really hate your mom for going into hero work?"

Addie's silence tells you all you need to know. You take a small step back to give her some space. After a few seconds, she starts to speak again. "...mom was only ever moderately popular as a singer, since there were other, more interesting things over in the French Quarter. She was only able to afford partial treatment for Leia's cerebral palsy, enough to make sure that her reflexes are decent and that she can eat and live on her own. Leia still can't really walk."

She clenches a fist. "She made some great friends as a hero, but she could never make as much money as the big shots. Uncle Hanzo and Aunt Minette did their best to help, but there's only so much three, sometimes four heroes can do. In the end, she left us… everything. The house, her weapons, the whole warehouse. And a good bit of money."

You raise an eyebrow, and fiddle with a spare lock of your hair. "How much?"

"Take a look."

She opens her screen, switches it over to her bank account and- Leviathan's Blood! How much is that?!

"She stipulated in her will that she'd be ok with us doing whatever with the shared money, as long as we both go to college first."

"Well, that's great! …you still seem upset though."

Addie groans. "Was it obvious?"

The fact that she looks like she wants a hole to open up and swallow her whole? Yup. You just nod.

Addie goes silent again for a few seconds. You stay there as well, waiting to listen.

Eventually, she begins to speak again. "I'm not… mad at my mom. I never could be. I just can't shake this feeling that everything's just bullshit. Mom had the most beautiful singing voice ever. She could have been a star all over Horizon! But we still never managed to make enough money for the really important things. So that's why Mom went out and hunted Behemoths, always coming home with a brand new spectacular injury. And look where that got her. I don't even know why she went to the Movement…"

You look away from her for a second, back at the grave. You don't remember too much about Linh- it's been about four years since her kids attended your piano lessons. But if you had to guess, based on the few talks with her that you had…

"She cared about you two so much, Addie. You two were the lights of her life. She would never have run away from something like the Movement. Especially not if Uiara called. Especially not if there was ever even the slightest chance that you two were in danger."

"But running up to the freaking Leviathan?"

"Hey, parents do some crazy things."

Addie laughs a bit, and you can feel some of the tension from her dissipate. Her tired look doesn't take much time to resurface, however.

"Yeah, you're right. Chances are Mom would have gone out to fight either way. I guess what I was really mad about was… how unfair everything was."

She looks up from the floor, and looks towards the Apiary. And past the Apiary, way in the distance… Jacob's Ladder, and Elysium. A heaven completely removed from Horizon, piercing the clouds and reaching up to space.

"If I had been born a metahuman like Mom, if I had been born with a dad that gave a damn… hell, if I had just been born almost anywhere else, I wouldn't have had to deal with this. I wouldn't have to feel so weak, while the people up top all the way up there are practically gods."

She looks at you with despair in her eyes. "What's the point, Ms. Marie? Just what can we do? All of us down here?"

Addie looks genuinely crushed, and you can't say that she's wrong. Sometimes, you've also felt like you're powerless. For all the help you've given people, you can't perform miracles. You can't run or fly fast enough to get to the battlefield. You can't tank bullets either. But…

You put a hand on her shoulder anyways. "Hey. Addie. Listen to me."

"...?"

You take a deep breath. This is going to be clunky, but you've only got one shot at this. "I know that neither of us are ever going to have powers, whether that be the social power of the Elysiumites or the practically magical powers of a metahuman. We aren't Justiciar, or Valiant Silver, or even that new girl- Black Swan. But… you've recently been helping out the kids in the Uni District, right?"

"Yeah, food drives, helping some of them with their scholarships- so?"

"You're just like me. Contributing to your community, not because it's convenient, but because you just wanted to help. Because you felt like being a good person" You poke her in the chest, right where her heart is. "That's where your power lies. That's how us normal people can fight in this crazy world. By being kind, even when you could be selfish."

"Being kind? Really?"

"I mean, just look at the idiots from POWERS. Scarlet Maturity got fired, and do you think that he's happy? I mean, really, him? Would you rather be like one of them, dying rich but miserable? Or would you want to live as someone that your mom would be proud of? Because if you wanna be someone that you can be proud of… then in the end, it'll be the kindness that'll carry you far. Not the money, not the powers."

Addie looks at you with wonder in her eyes, like you just revealed the secrets of the universe to her. To be fair, lots of the students in the Uni District are hyperfocused on getting those degrees and nothing else, so you're probably a very different perspective. "...I never thought about it like that. You've given me something to think on."

"It's my personal philosophy, Addie. It'd work well for you as well, I think. Feeling better?"

Addie smiles. "Yeah, I'm feeling better. I've got something to do, so I'll be getting out of here now. See ya!"

"Alright, see you later. Stay safe out there!"

As she walks out of the graveyard, you take a deep sigh of relief, and take out one last flower from your pocket. You place the small rose down on Linh's grave, before beginning your exit as well. As the sun comes out from behind the clouds, you take one last look back at the grave.

"...You raised a good kid, Linh. Rest in peace, we'll take it from here."


Author's Note:
This Omake was brought to you by me rewatching "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once". Raymond is one of the best characters in fiction.

I was originally going to save this until after Cenotaph, as a side piece to that. However, after realizing that the funeral thing would probably be overshadowed by us getting ready for the debate, I decided to just finish it up and post now. There was also the fact that the Quest of mine that Shelley was from, Space Oddity, got hiatused because I got burnt out, so I might have injected some of my personal feelings into this.

Thanks for reading!
 
Issue #3.4: Janus pt. 1
[X] . . . if he has any insight into psychic or anti-psychic synergies?

[X] Three spoonfuls (JH x 2, E x 1)

[X] Empower both

Horizon, City of Leviathan's Rest– The Apiary– January 8, 2068

You are Mona Merola-Morales.

The last few days have been a whirlwind for you. When you agreed to patrol with New Dawn, you weren't sure what to expect. You certainly didn't expect to be involved in a combination hostage situation and rescue mission on your very first outing. Thankfully, Marie Marionette's powers didn't work on you and everything turned out fine. But the image of Miss Naught and Palisade walking like puppets with their veins threatening to explode out of their bodies still haunts you.

Speaking of New Dawn, they were super neato! Palisade was standoffish at first, but Gentleman James and Miss Naught were nothing but accommodating. Dreamcatcher was kind of spacy—he made you look focused! And then, after you guys pushed back the Wonderland inmates, they treated you like a part of the team. They kept inviting you to meetings and patrols; you think Gentleman James is trying to poach you for New Dawn—little does he know how silly that is!

The upshot is that you've been spending a lot of time hanging out at the Zenith. Enough that Maddie got jealous and spilled the beans that they met real life magical girls when you weren't there. It was soooooo unfair! And there was a Triad with Lady Leizi's evil half-sister? A bunch of cool—ha!—ice golems from the Frozen Throne? And a new girl who everyone said was "really cool, but really intense"?

You missed it all! It's bullpoop!

Well, no more! You were fliting around the Apiary looking for this "Ellie". You were gonna find her and make her tell you about the magical girls! No one will keep the Cute Soldier of Justice from her heart's desire!

"Hi, Ms. Del Rosario! No, Lady Leizi hasn't said anything about your proposal for a community center. I'll ask her! Hi, Mr. Song! Woah! Spin-kick! Hi, Jason, cool map! You draw that—why are you running away? O-oh . . . hi, Mr. da Silva Neto. Did you check in with your probation officer today? You did? Um, good."

You bounce from place to place, greeting everyone you see. The Apiary had become way busier since Lady Leizi opened up the residential block to the former refugees. People were moving in, opening up stores, and just generally living. You know Justice Unlimited only charged a nominal rent for the apartments—Nora had written "no fucking landlords" into the Justice Unlimited's charter—so people were moving-in in droves.

Luck Check: 8. Unlucky! No additional income/per turn.

It's nice just saying "hi" to all the people like a normal girl. You love being a hero—really!—but there's a lot of pressure and stuff.

The fights will find you even if you do not wish them to. The powerful cannot bear a peer. They will hound you in your every living hour. You will continue to grow stronger. Or you will die. That is the only law of this world.

And some stuff you wish you could forget.

You eventually find the new girl with Dr. Rhodes in his lab. She's watching intently as he disassembles a device in front of her.

". . . we had to sacrifice durability for affordability, unfortunately," Dr. Rhodes rumbles, "But it requires little to no maintenance, and, if enough components survive after use, we can recycle them into a new generator."

"How does the device know what shape to make the shield?" a very pretty girl asks with a scrunched up brow. She's got sleek, black hair down to her shoulders that curls at the end, and intense, brown eyes that you have a hard time looking away from.

"Well, to get into that you have to understand a little about the theory of morphogenetic fields. I don't want to bore you—" Mr. Rhodes cuts off his sentence at the girl's glare and laughs, "—sorry, sorry I forgot! I know: I promise I won't leave anything out."

"Good," she says simply.

"Umm, hi?" you say, looking for a place in their conversation to squeeze in, "I don't wanna interrupt—"

"Mona!" Dr. Rhodes says warmly, "Come on in! You're not interrupting at all. I was just showing Ellie how we assemble shield generators."

Said "Ellie" stares at you blankly and—wow, her eyes are crazy intense. You feel yourself start to feel warm and sweat a bit.

"Oh, you're Ellie," you say, "Hi! I'm Mona, also known as the cute soldier of justice, Black Swan!"

Ellie blinks at you and her expression shifts from blank to something like "horror caused by recognition". Weird!

"Yeah," she says, "I'm Ellie."

"Coooool! So, I heard Lady Leizi just brought you onto the team? Isn't she the coolest?"

"She's . . . not what I expected," Ellie admits.

"Yeah, she's even cooler in person!" you agree, "And I heard she met you when there were a bunch of magical girls?! Is that true?!"

Her expression hardens. "Yeah."

"Wow!" you gush, "That's sooooooo awesome! I love magical girls! What were they like? Did they have pretty costumes and poses? What were their weapons? Did they fight with the power of love for truth and justice?!"

"It wasn't like that—"

"I'm super jealous! It must have been so neat! You're so lucky!"

Ellie stands up abruptly. "I have to go. I'm late for CQC training."

She starts back out the door and then turns around to speak to Dr. Rhodes, "This isn't over, Dr. Rhodes. I'll be back."

He snorts. "Alright, T2. And I told you, you can just call me 'John Henry'—aaaand she's gone."

You stare at the door where Ellie just left. "W-what was that about . . .?"

John Henry puts a hand over his face and sighs. "Mona, have you read the after-action report on the last mission?"

". . . I was getting around to it. . .?"

He sighs harder. "Read it. Then go apologize."

With that, he turns back to the shield generator.

* * *

Two hours later, you're desperately searching for Ellie again.

It was an edgy magical girl incident! Edgy! People were dying! The Frozen Throne was what gave them their powers?! It definitely wasn't fun and you sounded like a big dummy! Ellie must hate you now!

You just about to give up until you remember what Ellie said about "CQC" training. There's only one person who would be teaching that and—

"Lady Leiziiiiiii!" you shout as you burst into the studio attached to her room, "Have you seen Ellie—oof, that's gotta hurt."

Well, you found Ellie. Who's currently getting her butt kicked by Lady Leizi. She tries this thing where she feints with one arm and rotates into a kick, but Lady Leizi spots it immediately and counters with a blow to her solar plexus. Ellie collapses to the ground, the wind knocked out of her.

Lady Leizi is in a gi and isn't so much sweating as she is glistening. It just makes her hotter, which is definitely bullpoop. Ellie tries to stand up, but falls back down and rolls onto her back and gasps for air.

"One more . . . round. I . . . almost . . . had you."

"Oh?" Lady Leizi says with a raised eyebrow, "I think you're twenty years short of training for that just yet. And besides, you're exhausted. Further practice will only do you harm. We're done for today."

"One. . . more!"

"Hit the showers, Ellie. You've become . . . fragrant."

Ellie pulls her shirt up to her nose and sniffs it, exposing a sliver of her toned stomach that you definitely aren't staring at. She makes a face and pushes it away.

". . . you win this round."

"I win every round," Lady Leizi says with a smirk on her face, "But I am pleased with your progress—oh, Mona. Hello, darling."

"Hey, Double L!" you reply, smiling as Lady Leizi's smirk becomes fixed on her face, "You're doing personal training? No fair!"

"I've believed that I've offered CQC practice to everyone on Justice Unlimited, including yourself," she shoots back, "And Ellie here is the first person to take me up on it."

"I'm more a 'pew pew' kinda girl," you reply, making finger guns, "Oh! And Ellie! You were who I was trying to find!"

". . . why?" she asks from the floor.

"I just read the AAR! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it was a Magical Girl Gang: War situation! I thought it was more a ♥ Moe Moe Kyun Magical Girl-Maid Monica♥ ️thing! I must have sounded like such a butthead talking about magical girls!"

". . . please start making sense."

"Darling," Lady Leizi said in her Scary Tone™, "You've just read the AAR I sent you?"

"I-I was busy with patrols," you protest, "With New Dawn!"

"New Dawn?" Ellie says, whipping her head up.

"Yeah!" you say, encouraged, "New Dawn! The heroes? I've been patrolling with them a bunch. They're super heroic and brave and stuff. I wanna be just like them—where are you going?"

"Shower," she replies, "It stinks in here."

You sniff your shirt as she leaves. You smell fine?

Lady Leizi rubs her temples. "You haven't had time to learn much about Ellie, have you, Mona?"

"I was reading the AAR . . . ?" you offer weakly.

She tosses you a gi. "Put this on. I'll fill you in as we sharpen your hand-to-hand skills."

The predatory gleam in her eyes makes you gulp.

* * *

Okay, so Ellie's mom was in New Dawn and New Dawn was mean to her?! What the—excuse your language—fudging heck?!

Maaaaan, she must haaaaaaate you now. Still, you gotta make it up to her! The cute soldier of justice doesn't just give up!

It's late at night now and Maddie's texted you that she's starting season two of Magical Girl Gang: War without you if you're not there in twenty minutes. So you have to find Ellie STAT!

Only, she's nowhere to be found. You tried to go to her room, but it was deserted. Ditto for the cafeteria. Dr. Rhodes hasn't seen her either. You go high in the Apiary and survey around, looking for anyone still out and about, but it's empty.

You are about to give up when you see a light on in one of the storage rooms. It's the one where they're keeping the monument for the funeral next week. You zip over there to find Ellie, standing staring at a name on it.

"Han Yu."

Ellie isn't saying anything. Her expression is fixed, evidence of hastily wiped away tear tracks on her face. You land and approach her gently.

"I'm a big butthead," you say to her. She doesn't reply, so you continue, "I didn't know about your mom. Or your life. And I'm really sorry. About being a butthead and about what happened to your mom."

Ellie keeps staring ahead, but you can tell she's listening.

"She was Heavenly Astrologian, right? Everyone keeps saying how great she was. I'm sorry she's gone."

"Yeah. . ." Ellie croaks, "Me too."

"I can't imagine how you feel right now. Just thinking about something happening to my mom . . ." You shiver. "I'm sorry again."

"It's fine," she whispers.

"Okay," you reply. Then, you just stand next to her for a little bit. The atmosphere is sad and heavy, but you stand there with Ellie. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but it feels like she appreciates having someone there with her.

Luck Check: 3. Unlucky!

So, you decided to try to talk to her again.

"It must have been so cool, having a mom who was a hero. It must have been so much fun, her coming home everyday from saving people. I bet you have all kinds of stories. And hey, I heard you've been told about Project Prometheus? Now, you can get powers too and be just like your mom!"

You're actually really excited. Ellie could be as strong as you are! But her reaction is anything but what you expect.

"What the fuck is your problem?" she snarls. You jump backwards in shock.

"W-what—"

"Why are you following me around? Don't you have anything better to do?" she demands, "You're Black Swan. You're the new face of Justice Unlimited. Shouldn't you be doing PR or writing reports or something?"

You think about your unfinished AAR you still owe Lady Leizi and feel a hot flash of guilt. You were gonna finish it tonight! Honest!

"I-I'm—"

"Or training? Just because you beat Scarlet Maturity doesn't mean there aren't bigger monsters out there. And he's not dead either. You should be getting ready for the next battle instead of chasing me around!"

You will continue to grow stronger. Or you will die. That is the only law of this world.

"What's your fudging problem?!" you snap back, "I'm just trying to be friendly!"

"Well, then you're terrible at it!"

You gasp. "You take that back! Everyone loves me!"

"I don't!" she says, fixing you with those hypnotic, brown eyes, "So why don't you just worry about yourself?"

"Fine, whatever!" you shout at her as she leaves your presence again, "See if I try to be your friend again! Jerkface!"

You shout more insults at her, but she's already gone.

* * *

Horizon, City of Leviathan's Rest– The Apiary– January 9, 2068

"So then she looks at me with her stupid, big brown eyes and tells me to worry about myself. Then she just leaves! Can you believe it?"

"You've mentioned her eyes like five times already, I get it," Maddie says fiddling with her hat, "I already said I'm on your side. She's dangerously close to being broody and that's my thing."

You and Maddie are on your way to the next meeting of Project Prometheus, and you're both in full costume. Maddie is grumpy, having stayed up too late last night watching horror movies.

"She won't be friends with me. Me! I'm cute!" you say outraged.

"Cute or not it doesn't matter. We gotta think strategy," Maddie insists, "Mr. Rhys doesn't like her because she pointed a gun at me. So he's on our side. Lady Leizi, Ms. Opale, and Joelle are too mature for this. John Henry likes Ellie because they're both getting powers at the same time, and that means Dr. Ibis is on her side. Which also means Sarah is also on her side."

"There's another new girl?!"

"Man, you really are out of the loop," Maddie says shaking her head, "Yeah. And let's hurry to the meeting before Lady Leizi kicks our butts. She's already gonna kick yours for not finishing your AAR."

"It's almost done!"

* * *

You are Lady Leizi.

You watch as Black Swan and Menagerie Witch quickly shuffle in and sit down next to Handyman. Black Swan sees Ellie from across the table and sticks her tongue out at her before crossing her arms and looking away. You sigh.

You're not blind to the tension between your first and newest members. Neither are you surprised. Honestly, you're surprised it's taken this long for there to be friction in the team.

Certainly, the old Justice Unlimited was not perfectly harmonious. You and Harper never got on, Eve and Rakeem butted heads, and Towarri was the chief advocate that Nora and Yazmin should stay broken up for good. Disagreements and personality clashes are normal, and this appears to be a series of misunderstandings that will no doubt be cleared up in time.

You'll stay out of it unless it becomes a problem, but you suspect it won't. It has, however, seemingly neatly divided your very crowded conference room.

Black Swan and Menagerie Witch sit on one side of the table, next to Handyman who is joking with Chaucer. By Chaucer is Wolong, who looks delighted to be here. He apparently finds all of Project Prometheus to be great fun and "intellectually stimulating", but to you he seems like a great boy playing with blocks. Endearing in a way.

Honestly, you're relieved. He was not thrilled to learn that you've indirectly funded Monarch, but he was willing to trust you for now. His only request was that New Dawn be involved in defeating Yellow Qilin's gang when the time comes.

Puella Magi Justice Unlimited Magica is now classified as a "New Dawn" mission!

By Wolong are Doctors Mammoth and Massive Ibis and. . . Leviathan's Blood, there's two of them now. At least Dr. Ibis Sr. seems happier—and more stable—now, and his daughter is every bit as brilliant as advertised. She was able to help maximize John Henry and Ellie's Ambrosia tolerances in record time. It literally could not have been done without her and was a massive boon to Justice Unlimited.

If a tad painful for your pocketbook.

By the Ibises is John Henry and Ellie, to whom he has taken a shine. The girl is as driven as ever, absorbing every scrap of information about Project Prometheus she can get her hands on, but you are a tad worried she's delving so deeply into this to avoid dealing with her feelings.

And, my, who does that sound like?

Finally, Châtelet takes her place by your side as your second. She has been less than thrilled with your . . . aggressive spending, and you can feel her judging eyes on the back of your neck.

Well, it was good that she felt more comfortable asserting herself, at least.

At the end of the table is an empty chair. Alice had been invited to the meeting as well, but they were too busy tending to Charlotte. Next time, perhaps.

With that you clear your throat and begin the meeting.

"Thank you, everyone, for convening in one place for this meeting of Project Prometheus. I know it is inconvenient, but I must again emphasize how important keeping the details of this project secret are."

You say that last bit while looking meaningfully at Dr. Ibis Sr. His daughter gives a thumbs-up.

"'Discretion' is Dr. Massive Ibis's magnificent middle name!"

"No it isn't! It's 'Marie Curie'!" her father protests.

"I was exaggerating. It's cool and hip, Father!"

"I'm so proud!"

"Yes," you say trying to not pay attention to them, "And a special thanks for our guest from New Dawn joining us this morning."

Wolong inclines his head. "Happy to be here. Project Prometheus is our hope for our future. I'm just thrilled to be able to contribute in any way I can."

"Thank you," you say warmly, "Now, I believe you said you had findings you wish to discuss with us . . .?"

"Yes, of course," he says brightly, "Allow me to begin . . ."

Luck Check: 7. Unlucky!

"I've had less time to devote to Project Prometheus than I would have preferred," he admits, "But one major area that I believe has been overlooked is the potency of a dose of Ambrosia."

"Waddya mean?" Handyman asks.

"In previous minutes from Project Prometheus, I've noticed discussions have tended to focus on diverse sets of powers being combined to form some sort of synergistic effect. This is certainly a way to power, but it's not the only factor. Potency, I believe, is just as determinative in power expression as synergies."

"Huh?" Black Swan asks, confused.

"Well, let's take you for example, Ms. Merola-Morales. If I correctly understand the combination of powers used to create your dose of Ambrosia, none of the DNA donors had any enhanced senses or speed. But, given your construct-body and ability to fly at relativistically, your power gives you the functional equivalent of those powers to best use your abilities. Why is that?"

"Umm, it's neat?"

Wolong laughs. "Yes, but I also believe it is because of the strength of your power. It allows for some bleedover effect into other abilities in order to allow you to properly utilize your main powerset."

Everyone pauses to chew that over. You're following his logic but . . .

"It's like the difference between Hydrocity and Automne," Ellie says.

Everyone looks at her. She hunches down defensively at the attention, but plows forward.

"Hydrocity and Automne both had [Elemental Manipulation] as their primary power. But Hydrocity could only make water come out of his body. Automne could control wind, suffocate others, move storms, and even fly."

"That's true," Châtelet says, rubbing her chin, "Ophélie used to bully less powerful elementalists for just that reason. Blue Skies would surrender on sight every time we fought him. Who cares if you can create clouds, if your opponent can just move them?"

"Precisely," Wolong says, "The greater potency of her power effectively gave her half of Blue Skies powerset—moving water vapor. For that reason, it may be just as effective to have a high-potency combination of metahumans with the same kind of powers as it is to have a diverse amalgam."

You nod. You get the gist of Wolong's theories, but your true takeaway was that you were very pleased to have him assisting with the project.

"Second," he says, "Lady Leizi asked me to look into the possibility of psychic or anti-psychic power synergies."

You had. The idea had been on your mind ever since Black Swan had accidentally saved the entirety of Project Prometheus from discovery by a super-clairvoyant. That and the fact that Black Swan seemed particularly vulnerable to mental attacks—troublesome when you had to deal with the likes of Third Person and Le Petit Prince.

"What's fascinating," Wolong says, "Is that there's a school of thought that all metahuman abilities are manifestations of psychic phenomena. It's why 'kinesis' is such a common descriptor of powers."

"Nora believed that," John Henry adds, "Wrote an article about it and everything. She submitted it to the Roswell Academic Journal, only to have it rejected. Then, a month later, a professor submitted a paper that was nearly identical."

You remember that. Nora had complained about the plagiarism for months.

"Let's assume that is true," Wolong says, "This means psychic energy is the raw power behind metahuman powers. Powers like [Energy Manipulation] or [Enhanced Strength] are merely that energy being manifested through a medium like electromagnetic waves or a person's body."

"Balderdash! I love it!" Dr. Massive Ibis shouts.

"'Balderdash' means it's bad, pumpkin!" her father replies, equally loud.

"What?! I've been using it my whole life?!"

"I've failed you as a father!"

"Ahem. Yes," Wolong says, clearing his throat, "Then, that means we can define 'psychic' powers as powers that involve a minimal amount of filtering of mental energy through a medium. Things like telekinesis or teleportation, for example. If we want to create "psychic" powers, then we must find psychic energy expressed in its rawest possible form and build from there."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, man! Have you had any luck?" Chaucer says.

Wolong smiles. "Yes. [Clairvoyance]. The ability to perceive knowledge beyond the sensorium. I believe any "psychic" power synergy will involve multiple instances of this trait. Then, to dictate the nature of the psychic power expressed, other keywords can be used as a guide. For example, I believe [Energy Manipulation] and [Clairvoyance] are both involved in the expression of [Telekinesis]."

Handyman lets out a low whistle. "Dang, you don't do things by half, do ya, Wolong?"

"Yes," you agree, "I'm extremely impressed."

"Ah, think nothing of it," Wolong says bashfully, "I just wish I could do more."

"Yes, yes, you're chomping on my flavor, we're very impressed. Bah!" Dr. Ibis Sr. shouts, "Now, let's get to the meat of it: granting powers!"

"Excellent slang, Father!"

"Thank you, pumpkin," Dr. Ibis Sr. preens, "Now, what powers are we giving my bestest friend ever, John Henry? And the girl, I guess."

Ellie narrows her eyes, but says nothing. You have a feeling she'll remember that casual dismissal.

"Hate to say it John Henry," Handyman cuts in, "But I think we need support more than anything. We got muscle for days, but we keep taking beatings. Shit, I've almost died twice."

"Yes. Stop doing that," Menagerie Witch snaps.

"I'm not doing it on purpose! But, yeah, it would be nice to have some defenses," Handyman says, "Or some utility like teleporting. Remember how Powers nearly wrecked us because they snuck Scarlet Maturity in under our noses? Imagine if we could do the same thing with Mona."

He then points at Châtelet. "Heck, Opale's saved our bacon enough times with her barriers. Imagine if we had somebody dedicated to doing that?

"On that note," a slightly flushed Châtelet says, "Perhaps the issue is that we don't have a true invincible bruiser. Someone to tank the hits. Handyman does his best, but he's more of an infiltration specialist."

"You also need more utility powers," Wolong says, "Not every situation is a combat situation."

"All true," you agree.

But what to prioritize? You know John Henry would like something to help combat the Demon Flamez, but is that really the best thing for him—and Justice Unlimited—long term? And what of Ellie? Play your cards right, and she could be as powerful as Black Swan. Or . . .

A certain suit of armor looms large in your mind. Are you ready to give it to someone?

You don't know. But the time for decisions has come.

KNOWN SYNERGIES:
[Energy Manipulation] + [Elemental Manipulation] + [Solar Absorption] = [Fundamental Force Manipulation]

[Transformation] + [Transformation] + [Regeneration] + [Regeneration] + [Fitness] = [Autobiokinesis]

C-Class Powers

Name: Soldier X, True Name Unknown
Keywords: Fitness, Regeneration
Faction: The Defiance Unit
Potency: 1
Ibis' Notes: I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Justice Unlimited would have samples of The Defiance Unit's DNA on file. They were the first villain organization defeated by Justice Unlimited. Soldier X was a Jane Doe, thought to be from the Democratic Republic of Congo based on her accent. Regardless, she acted as the field commander of The Defiance Unit.
It was a matter of debate whether she had powers at all—a debate now put to bed by Dr. Mammoth Ibis! She possessed peak human physical capabilities—fitness, coordinate, agility, eyesight, etc. It appears her body naturally maintained this state without upkeep, although she did not have a healing factor.


Name: Mister Hunch, Remy Deniau
Power: Clairvoyance
Faction: Independent
Potency: 1
Ibis' Notes: ~Mister Hunch! Mister Hunch! Work with him to save a bunch!~ Ah, I remember that blasted commercial jingle well. It's taking up precious space in my brain!
Mister Hunch was a private detective who was known for being psychometric. He could touch an inanimate object and then "watch" everything that happened within a five-foot radius of the object in the last 24 hours. He was particularly beloved by those suing corporations and was a frequent collaborator with Lady Leizi. Unfortunately, his talents brought him the wrong kind of attention and he was murdered in an attack by the Demon Flamez.


Name: Daggermaw, Christian Soler
Power: Transformation, Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Senses
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 1
Ibis' Notes: Daggermaw was an auxiliary hero of New Dawn. He was one of the better-known dysmorphic metahumans in Horizon—a metahuman whose power has caused some sort of permanent transformation or physical mutation. Many are uncomfortable with dysmorphic metahumans—lesser minds unable to appreciate the beauty of science.
While alive, Daggermaw resembled a bipedal reptile. He was something like a mix between a crocodile and an iguana, I would say. He had enhanced strength, though nothing extraordinary, and stronger senses than the average human. In particular, he could sense vibrations through his skin from great distances away.


Name: Multiplex, Ahn Jin Soo
Power: Transformation
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 1
Ibis' Notes: Multiplex had the somewhat underwhelming power to change his form to a copy of any inanimate object who did not exceed his body's mass. He kept himself overweight as a result. He was more of an infiltration specialist, but did stop a robbery by turning into a particularly vicious roomba on one memorable occasion. He was well-loved in the community for his jolly nature and commitment to the kayfabe of being a hero.
"Kayfabe". Ha! I've been getting into professional wrestling lately! I've become such a well-rounded person.


Name: Millions Minefield, Russel Whitney
Power: Energy Manipulation
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 1
Ibis' Notes: Millions Minefield was a member of New's Dawn's first-response team for metahuman attacks, Denial, and was something of a one-trick pony. Note to self: create a one-trick pony. Preferably with fangs.
Millions Minefield was usually the first member to respond to a scene. He could redirect and absorb energy that he then could store in orbs and deploy over an area like, well, a minefield. His job was to arrive at a fight and immediately take control of the battlefield while suppressing enemy attacks. The orbs would detonate if physical contact was made with them or Millions Minefield chose to have them explode. He could change the size of the mines, but the force of the blast was in proportion to its relative size. So, often he would hide larger orbs and then deploy smaller, harder to see orbs that could chain react and trigger their larger counterparts.


Name: Hydrocity, LaTrell Johnsmith
Power: Elemental Manipulation
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 1
Ibis' Notes: Hydrocity was a case of hyperhidrosis gone wrong. His body was always emitting fresh water from various . . . places. He could control where it came out of, but it had to come out of somewhere or the build up would cause it immense pain. He could not manipulate the water once it was produced, and, while the water was potable, there was nothing special about it.
That is how metahuman powers work. Sometimes you get the ability to level mountains and fly. Sometimes powers are intrusive and horrifying. And sometimes they're just weird and uncomfortable. Hydrocity would have been a joke if Wolong hadn't hand picked him to serve on Denial. While Hydrocity himself was no fighter, Denial's leader, Umibōzu, was a powerful hydrokinetic but one who could not produce water ex nihilo. Hydrocity's synergy with Umibōzu became an iconic feature of Denial and won him many accolades. His sense of duty prevented him from staying out of the QZ when the Leviathan awoke.


Name: Eastwood, Charlotte Martin
Power: Mental Manipulation, Construct Creation
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 2
Ibis' Notes: Ever have a good day and say to yourself, "Wish I could bottle this feeling?" Well, Dr. Mammoth Ibis has been saying that more often! I'm considering dating again! Wait. Then John Henry, Sandra, myself, and my paramor could double date! Genius!
Anyway, that was essentially Eastwood's power. She was another member of Denial and could "store" an emotion for later in a physical form and then deploy it. She could even mix more "volatile" emotions together and create explosions. She was most commonly used in a non-lethal context, causing enemies to surrender with bombs made of apathy and despair.
Now, to set up my dating profile . . . name? THE Dr. Emeril "Mammoth" Ibis. Sex? Sure, why not? Ha! I'm hilarious.


Name: Crimson Soprano, Balduína "Bidu" Rios Barroso
Power: Flight, Solar Absorption, Energy Manipulation
Faction: The Defiance Unit
Potency: 2
Ibis' Notes: Another member of the Defiance Unit, this was one of their heavy strikers. Crimson Soprana was the rare metahuman who could fly. That coupled with her devastating energy blasts made her a feared presence on the battlefield. However, her power relied on her absorbing solar radiation—too long without sunlight and her powers waned. It explains why they only ever struck on sunny days, I suppose. Her name referred to her tendency to "announce" each Defiance Unit attack with an operatic serenade—she was a failed opera singer as it were.
Ironically enough, she was contralto.


Name: Steadfast, Lamar Thompson
Power: Invulnerability
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 2
Ibis' Notes: One of the founding members of New Dawn, later turned lackey for Global Justice, I was surprised to see his DNA on file. It only made sense when I learned he was the father of Adamant. I suppose that was something they kept quiet. Steadfast was in every way a baseline human except in one regard: he had the most potent form of invulnerability on record. He simply could not be injured in any way. He could not be stabbed, struck, crushed, or burned; he couldn't even starve or drown. To be honest, if his death wasn't confirmed multiple times over from direct goldnine exposure, I wouldn't believe he was dead.

Name: Adamant, Rakeem Wade
Power: Transformation, Enhanced Strength, Regeneration
Faction: Justice Unlimited
Potency: 3
Ibis' Notes: One of founders of Justice Unlimited and the day-to-day commander. I suppose I owe the man my life. Honestly, I'm surprised at the lack of potency of his power—a testament to a keen mind over a superior might, I suppose.
Justice Unlimited's internal notes describe Adamant as less a person who could turn their body to metal and more of an endless fount of liquid metal wrapped in human skin. Adamant's body, when he transformed, was made of hereto-unknown metal "creatively" called adamantium. It was non-ferrous, had a melting point greater than tungsten, and was extremely durable. When Adamant touched or extruded adamantium it took the property of liquid and hardened at his command. He was able to slowly heal injuries over time by remaining in his metal form and replacing the damaged parts of his body with new metal. Upon transforming back, it would revert to uninjured flesh.


Name: Dragonsteeth, Rebecca Wade
Power: Energy Manipulation, Construct Creation
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 3
Ibis' Notes: Another original member of New Dawn and the other parent of Adamant. I'm beginning to sense nepotism. Dragonsteeth had retired from life as a public hero after the Susurration, but apparently she came to stop the Leviathan's awakening nonetheless. Pity.
Like in the myth of the Argonauts, Dragonsteeth could seed the ground around her with energy, which would slowly grow into solid-light constructs. The constructs were not under her direct command, but were capable of following limited orders. She had a set energy "limit" she could spend at once. She could concentrate it all into one powerful construct, or spread it out around many different ones. While she most commonly made armored soldiers, the shapes her autonomous constructs could take could be as varied as her imagination.


Name: Miss Conception, Park Myung-Hee
Power: Energy Manipulation, Invisibility
Faction: Independent
Potency: 3
Ibis' Notes: Ah, the unfortunately named Miss Conception was a thief who made a name for herself with a string of high-profile burglaries from secure facilities including New Dawn's Zenith and Dominion Security Concerns HQ. She eventually tried to break into the Apiary where she was caught and placed on parole—which she immediately violated trying again. Rumor has it that she was imprisoned for seven days and mended her ways after an intense "chat" with Lady Leizi. Have I mentioned how, um, "fashion-forward" her glasses are? They're not impractical indoors at all!
Miss Conception could create illusions that would persist for several days if left undisturbed. An odd quirk of her power is that it could fool three of the five traditional senses, but not all five at once. An object could be seen, smelt, and touched but not tasted or heard, for example. It was very confusing! She could also render herself invisible by putting an illusion around herself.
. . . I never did get those baseball cards she stole from my lab back.


Name: Wild Speaker, Inmaculada Ruiz
Power: Mental Manipulation, Ally Empowerment
Faction: SLAYERS
Potency: 3
Ibis' Notes: The history of SLAYERS is somewhat convoluted and tedious. But Chaucer has become a regular at our "boys-night" poker games and he agreed to not tell everyone I was counting cards if I "made a reasonable attempt at being respectful". Note to self: Edit out recorded admission that I cheat at cards.
SLAYERS began as a three person team with an "edgy" theme. The Bloody Slayer, The Shadow Slayer, and our own Chaucer, the Thunder Slayer. Abigail Reyes would later join as The Giant Slayer. Shortly after Chacuer left to go into business, The Bloody Slayer and Shadow Slayer would split over creative disagreements about the direction of the team. SLAYERS seemed doomed to fall apart until The Giant Slayer recruited the team's now-iconic roster and slew Hundred-Hands Hecatoncheires.
Wild Speaker had the ability to talk to animals. When she did, the animal's intelligence was raised to humanesque levels. It sounds like an idyllic power, but apparently animals are terrible conversation partners. Birds mostly discuss wind-speeds and the location of seeds, dogs and cats swear like sailors, and bugs are apparently uniformly "total jerkwads". Still, Wild Speaker could order them to fight, which they often did if only for the novelty of committing violence with a purpose.


Name: Sewer Rat, ???
Power: Transformation, Enhanced Senses, Self-Enhancement
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 3
Ibis' Notes: Sewer Rat was a mammalian, dysmorphic metahuman whose body resembled, well, a large bipedal rat. His head was entirely human however, making his appearance all the more upsetting to the feeble-minded. He was an affiliate member of New Dawn, no doubt too "unmarketable" to allow him onto the team proper.
His primary abilities were his incredibly sensitive hearing and smell, as well as his ability to control his hair like a prehensile limb and harden it until it was more durable than steel. However, his most frequently used trick was his ability to shrink himself down to the size of an actual rat with the strength of a human, making him a potent infiltration specialist.


Name: Antaeus, Doug Matthews
Power: Invulnerability, Energy Manipulation
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 3
Ibis' Notes: Following his defeat at the hands of Adamant, Antaeus tried to join New Dawn. He never got past probationary status, likely because he insisted on not changing his name.
Antaeus was invincible with the ability to generate earthquakes from where he stood, but with the condition that he was touching the ground. Why he chose the name of a mythological figure with the exact same weakness is a mystery not even the great Dr. Mammoth Ibis can solve. His earthquakes grew in magnitude the longer he stood still, eventually reaching the upper limits of the Richter scale. He could generate similar forces in substances like concrete, but to a lesser effect.


Name: Fast Track, David Rhodes
Keywords: Self-Enhancement, Ally Empowerment, Enhanced Speed
Faction: Independent hero.
Potency: 3
Creator: SaberFail
Ibis' Notes: Fast Track was a relatively unknown figure, mostly due to the fact he had only been active for a few weeks before the Movement. He could project an invisible, two-foot tall and long field around himself, which would rob anything that entered it of its "speed". The "speed" would be transferred to Fast Track, who could in turn use it to increase the speed of himself or allies and objects he could touch.
His power kept him safe from the effects of his increased movement, but nothing else. If he struck someone at sonic speeds, his hand would shatter and so forth. Hence why he mostly sped himself up to escape rather than attack.
In order to steal the speed of an object, that object had to be fully inside of the field. If any part remained outside of it of the field, then it would continue as normal. This limitation led to his death as he died during the Movement when a Behemoth ran him through with its arm—the creature was too large to fit inside the field.
There is no relationship between him and my best friend, John Henry. I checked!


Name: Frostbite, Randolph Lindstrom
Power: Elemental Manipulation, Enhanced Strength, Invulnerability
Faction: Independent
Potency: 3
Author: ScorpioSting
Ibis's Notes: I must say, this one does not surprise me in the slightest. Frostbite was a prickly hero at the best of times. One could say he had a cold heart, even! Hahahaha!
. . .I digress. Frostbite was a cryokinetic, able to create ice with a thought. An odd facet of his power was that it was self-focused. He had quite a bit of range, but attacks had to extend out from him. For example, a ranged attack would cause a slick of ice to slide along the ground before spiking upwards. He was unable to freeze anything without some point of contact back to himself. Frostbite was also stronger than average, though nothing to write home about. He used his strength to wield a blade of ice he created as a melee weapon, and he'd often stab it into the ground to freeze things at range. He also used it to create an armor of ice around his body, which was more resistant to cold than average.


B-Class Powers

Name: iSpy, Iolanda Guedes Bosco
Power: Clairvoyance, Invisibility
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 4
Ibis' Notes: iSpy was one of New Dawn's espionage specialists. Unlike many samples in our system, her death did not occur in the QZ, but rather was the result of her cover being blown. iSpy could "tag" up to a dozen people and then, at will, perceive the world through their senses. She would hear what they heard, feel what they felt, smell what they smelled . . . if she wanted to for some reason. That, coupled with her ability to turn invisible, put her on the top of the hit list for all clandestine criminal elements. Unfortunately, it seems one caught up to her.

Name: Chatroom, Yolando Gibbons
Power: Clairvoyance, Ally Empowerment
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 4
Ibis' Notes: Chatroom was a support type metahuman, who never was on the frontlines. Unfortunately, her power was necessary at the QZ and she was killed by a rough Named-Behemoth, Frigg of the Dancing Mistletoe. Chatroom could link an unlimited number of allies together telepathically, allowing them to instantaneously communicate and share images and feelings with one another. She had to be within several hundred yards to maintain the effect, but it was invaluable in the heat of battle. I just wish she didn't insist on solely communicating through metal "emojis". I can't even use them on my screen, let alone in reality!

Name: Memoria, Marcos Medeiros de Canto
Power: Teleportation, Clairvoyance
Faction: The Defiance Unit
Potency: 4
Ibis' Notes: Memoria's death marked the downfall of The Defiance Unit, so imagine my surprise to learn that he was very much alive until recently. It seems Uiara spared him and Lady Leizi helped him disappear. He was working as a "free agent" until his (real) demise in the QZ.
Memoria had the ability to take pictures of a location that would display what was happening in that location in real-time, like a fixed video feed. He could then freely teleport himself and others to any location of which he had a photograph. His file shows he could only maintain five such photographs at once. An extremely useful utility power, even if he himself was vulnerable to attack.
As an aside, I don't see DNA profiles for Nox Esurientem or Zeno—the heavy-hitters of The Defiance Unit—so I have to assume they either don't exist or are kept in the Apiary on Horizon.


Name: Bulwark, Robin McIntrye
Power: Energy Manipulation, Ally Empowerment
Faction: Independant
Potency: 4
Ibis' Notes: Is that lawsuit still pending? Everyone is well aware of the facts. Bulwark came to the Apiary attempting to sell his services to Justice Unlimited in a mercenary capacity. He had the useful ability to shroud any person or object he could hit with a beam in a forcefield that would disperse after enough impact damage or over a period of time. However, Valiant Silver immediately recognized how his power worked and managed to replicate it mechanically.
Not gonna lie. Hell of a power move. Dr. Mammoth Ibis respects the hustle!
Bulwark grew so furious that he tried to sue Valiant Silver for "copyright infringement", but, since he had never thought to patent his powers, it went nowhere. Didn't mean he gave up though; he refiled the lawsuit in every jurisdiction he could. As far as I know, a few are still hanging around.


Name: The Outsider, Kwame Davis
Power: Transformation, Energy Manipulation, Invisibility
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 4
Ibis' Notes: I'm honestly not certain how DNA could be acquired for The Outsider. They were an affiliate hero of New Dawn—known more for their social advocacy than any heroics. Their power turned them into a spherical biological nucleus surrounded by an energy "body" they could freely shape and control. This included the ability to turn invisible, change their relative size and mass, and shoot blasts of energy. The Outsider was something of a spook for New Dawn and a frequent collaborator with Lady Leizi. I just . . . where did the sample come from? Their nucleus? How? Why? Why do I only get to know this after they have died?! Think of what I could have done with this knowledge!

Name: Solferina, Linh Nguyen
Power: Energy Manipulation, Ally Empowerment, Mental Manipulation
Faction: Independent
Potency: 4
Author: Kermie
Ibis' Notes: This is an interesting one—a metahuman who did the opposite of most. Unlike the average metahuman, who might find a normal job after their hero career (like Chaucer! Hey, I remembered that!) she became a metahuman after 10 years of being a successful street and stage performer. Even so, she and Crimson Soprano weirdly never held any enmity towards one another— they were even seen having a friendly coffee with each other once. She perished in the QZ, fighting a Behemoth and punching it in the eye while she was on her way out.
During her short time—5 years—as a metahuman, she proved how well a weak power could do in the hands of the right person. She could either weaken someone and make them depressed or apathetic, or strengthen someone and lift their spirits. If only I had gotten her expertise on my serotonin implant… ahem. These effects would be implanted based on the mood of whatever she was singing, as long as any person she was aiming to affect was within hearing distance and as long as they could understand the words. Notably, anyone who would hear her song would be affected unconditionally, so she used her services to hunt down a few Behemoths as an independent hire, and managed to get both of her kids full rides to their preferred universities before her death.


Name: Deadman, Richard Michaels
Power: Elemental Manipulation, Regeneration
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 5
Ibis' Notes: Deadman dressed like a noir detective and apparently smoked like one. I'm glad I never met him; he sounds exhausting and I despise smoking! He was a probationary member of New Dawn—probationary because he did not trust their leadership and constantly had them under investigation. It appears he was feeding information to Justice Unlimited. He's noted to have been an excellent detective, his commitment to questionable gimmicks notwithstanding, but that had nothing to do with his power.
Speaking of which, his power didn't activate until his biological functions ceased. Upon "death" his body would self-immolate and then reform itself. During that time, his blood appeared to turn to magma which he could manipulate and control. Likewise, he could summon magma from the ground, even if there was no source of such near him. Like Adamant and Steadfast, his power met its match surrounded by goldnine, and Deadman met his end.


Name: Nephthys, Hana Antar
Power: Construct Creation, Ally Empowerment, Energy Manipulation
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 5
Ibis' Notes: Nephthys was another member of Denial, and had an "Egyptian necromancer"theme to her which Madeline has told me was "Archmage as hell". I don't know what that means and I'm too scared to ask. Madeline acts demure in front of Lady Leizi, but she's a clear social alpha in the Apiary and I'm going to respect that!
Nephthys could revive the bodies of deceased animals and command them to do her bidding. The control only lasted a few days, and it's my understanding Denial had their own industrial freezer marked "Animal Corpses, Do Not Eat". She denied being able to manipulate human bodies, but her records clearly indicate that she could, though metahuman puppets did not retain their powers. She mostly contributed to Denial with hordes of disposable shock troopers.
Wait, someone with an Egyptian goddess theme on "Denial"? I just got that! Hilarious! Hey, Madeline, listen to this joke—!


Name: Epoxy, Chung Hye-Jin
Power: Fundamental Force Manipulation
Faction: SLAYERS
Potency: 5
Ibis' Notes: Epoxy, also known as "The Last Nail in the Coffin" was the second-in-command of SLAYERS and a member of Powers in her individual capacity. Her power allowed her to stick objects together on a molecular level through a subtle manipulation of the strong nuclear force. The objects she stuck together could only be released by her, and apparently she charged double to unstick things than stick them together.
Her nickname comes from her uncanny ability to place enemies in positions where she could stick them to objects that would completely immobilize them. Deadman famously broke his own neck to escape from her during one fight, and revived with his head facing the wrong direction. This gave her a bloodthirsty reputation that appears to have "ruined her dating life". She and The Giant Slayer were often at metahuman mixers and speed dating events, though it appears Epoxy was usually there against her will.
It was something of an irony that a group named "SLAYERS" and who was famous for killing a Named-Ranked Behemoth would make most of their money doing non-combat civilian work. Epoxy and Vulcan were popular in construction, Wild Speaker in pest control, and even The Giant Slayer mostly did bodyguard work. They had their moments of combat as all metahumans do, but if you wanted a "blue-collar" team, SLAYERS was as close as you were going to get.


Name: Golem, Samson Road
Keywords: Elemental Manipulation, Invulnerability, Enhanced Strength
Faction: Independent
Potency: 5
Author: wing101r
Ibis' Notes: Ah, Behemoth Hunter Golem. Golem primarily specialized in hunting the odd Behemoth that escaped the QZ. He tended to avoid contracts within boroughs, although, like all heroically-inclined metahumans, he could not resist combating villainy when he happened upon it. In any case, he debuted shortly before The Susurration occurred and survived the events in the QZ, though it appears to have soured him enough on New Dawn that he remained independent throughout his whole career.
Golem's power allowed him to cover himself in an armor of earth and rocks. Doing so granted him a level of enhanced strength and invulnerability, and the more material he used in the creation of the armor the more powerful he became. He could also separate from his armor and remotely control it. While Golem could freely control any earthen material he could touch, he could not produce it ex nihilo. Thus his preference for contracts outside of Horizon proper. He died at the QZ taking down the Named-Rank Behemoth Endlessly Explosive Armordillo, sacrificing himself to use his armor to contain the explosion when it turned its entire body into a bomb.

Name: Printemps, Jean-Luc Villeneuve
Power: Construct Creation, Energy Manipulation, Transmutation
Faction: The Four Seasons
Potency: 6
Ibis' Notes: We are well familiar with Printemps and his powers. But . . . there is something wrong with this sample. There is still an energy in it.
Lingering.


Name: The Red Huntress, Harper English
Power: Transformation, Enhanced Senses, Fitness, Enhanced Speed, Invisibility, Energy Manipulation, Clairvoyance
Faction: Justice Unlimited
Potency: 6
Ibis' Notes: Well. It seems Justice Unlimited had its own secrets. The Red Huntress always seemed something like a legacy admission to me—she was an ally of Uiara and Valiant Silver before they formed Justice Unlimited. She had a great number of powers, all loosely organized around the concept of "predation", but none were particularly powerful. She had keener sense than the average person, but not that much keener. She could run faster than a non-metahuman, but not as fast as, say, a car. She could turn invisible, but it was an imperfect optical camouflage. She was a true "jack of all trades, master of none."
Or that's how it appeared. The Red Huntress had one more power that was not publicly known—she could place a "mark" on any living creature that was unremovable. The mark would let her know where the marked creature was at all times, and her body and powers would "scale up" to match the threat posed by the marked creature. She would get faster, stronger, her invisibility would improve, and so forth. How a creature's level was quantified is unknown, but the file shows The Red Huntress undergoing some dramatic transformations into a feline creature to combat particularly strong metahumans. In that form, she would gain the ability to extend blades of energy that would grow stronger to injure her prey.
Her power is . . . frightening. The Red Huntress was always the smiling face of Justice Unlimited along with Uiara, so it is disturbing to know her true capability as an assassin.


Name: Nox Esurientem, Gaspard Girardot
Power: Mental Manipulation, Energy Manipulation, Transformation, Regeneration, Teleportation, Enhanced Strength, Enhanced Speed
Faction: The Defiance Unit
Potency: 6
Ibis' Notes: Nox Esurientem was one of the heavy-hitters of The Defiance Unit. Once Crimson Soprano softened up a target, he would arrive to engage any defenders. He dressed like a vampire, complete with cravat and breeches. This was likely a nod to his primary power: emotional vampirism—he would gain strength by draining the emotions of nearby people which would give him a suit of powers based on what emotion his victims were feeling at the time. The breakdown was:
  • Fear = enhanced strength
  • Anger = increased size
  • Happiness = healing factor
  • Sadness = energy blasts
  • Disgust = teleportation
  • Surprise = enhanced speed
He was something a provocateur to ensure he could elicit the correct emotion from a person to gain the power he sought. His victims would be rendered insensate for a period of a day or so before recovering without any memory of the incident.

Name: Féth Fíada, Saoirse Brennan
Power: Elemental Manipulation, Clairvoyance, Invisibility, Ally Empowerment, Mental Manipulation
Faction: Independent
Potency: 6
Author: Suleverf
Ibis' Notes: Féth Fíada was a fairly free-spirited metahuman who chose to do hero work or petty crime on a whim rather than for any specific goal. Her refusal to join any metahuman organizations or stay firmly in the civilian world was well-known, though it left her with few friends in the end.
She had fine control over fog in a wide area, though what exactly qualified had a hazy definition, including mist and even smoke at times. Ha! Get it? Hazy. Dr. Mammoth Ibis is truly a great mind and wit.
Anyway, for sunny days she was capable of generating a special fog that shrouded her and slowly filled her zone of control. Unlike natural fog controlled by her, this shroud couldn't be dissipated by external forces like strong winds or hydrokinetics.
Inside her fog, she could turn herself and others invisible to light, including infrared and radar. Scents and sounds coming from them could also be masked selectively, and other clairvoyant abilities trying to peer in the fog became fuzzy. On the flip side, she could perceive anything inside her fog, but couldn't bestow that power to allies.
It was rumored that she could also turn into mist to dodge attacks, but, as you can clearly see in this report, that is not the case. The rumors were likely the result of her most bizarre ability: she could "curse" those in her fog, causing torpor and hallucinations the longer they spent in it. It wore off outside her fog, and she mostly only cared to use it to terrorize tourists in accordance with urban myths.


Name: Lightstep, Lloyd Morgan
Power: Enhanced Speed, Invulnerability, Enhanced Senses, Enhanced Strength
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 7
Ibis' Notes: I know about him now! I do! I watched a boxing match with John Henry and he told me all about "Lightstep Morgan"! Former professional heavyweight boxer and world champion. Well, okay, his championships were stripped from him after his status as a metahuman became public, but there's never been proof he cheated! He retired because he had nothing left to prove and wished to help New Dawn recover after the Susurration. By all accounts he saved their public image, but many claim he was to blame for the change in organizational ethos afterward.
Lightstep was able to accelerate his movements to supersonic speeds for brief moments. When he did, his body grew invulnerable and his senses became stronger to compensate. He could devastate opponents with just one jab—in and out of the ring! No one could survive a lightspeed punch from the Lightstep!


Name: Umibōzu, Shishiro Ami
Power: Elemental Manipulation, Construct Creation, Enhanced Senses
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 7
Ibis' Notes: Umibōzu was the leader of New Dawn's task-force, Denial, and was an extremely potent hydrokinetic. She and Uiara had a famous rivalry; for some reasons hydrokinetics never seem to get along. Such unnecessary competitiveness! Dr. Mammoth Ibis would never have a petty rivalry with a peer merely because we shared the same power, believe that!
Umibōzu differed from Uiara in that she needed a source of water to control, and her control was finer, if not capable of feats on the same scale. Her preferred method of attack was to fire narrow streams of water at extremely high speeds that could pierce opponents and cut metal like paper. She could create "sentries" of water that could also fire jet streams of water and through which she could see. She was a tactical genius and staunch supporter of Wolong, which is likely why her career stalled out. She, along with Uiara, fought most of the aquatic Behemoths in the QZ before meeting her end.


A-Class Powers

Name: Automne, Ophélie du Arceneaux
Power: Elemental Manipulation, Flight
Faction: The Four Seasons
Potency: 8
Ibis' Notes: Ah. Automne. I actually liked her. She and Radiant Silvergirl. They were . . . dating? Best friends? It was a weird little relationship. But the two of them are some of the only other people with the ability to appreciate the art of my children. They would make sure to take every job that would impact my work, and, even when they opposed me, they showed due respect. They even invited me to participate in their competitive beetle-fighting league! I was disqualified for creating a bipedal stag beetle the size of a housecat, but I appreciated being included.
Automne was too young for how powerful she was. She was an aerokinetic, one of the most powerful in the world. She could create tornadoes, generate hurricane-force winds, move the clouds themselves, and so forth. She was always present at every major crisis on Horizon, often trying to prevent collateral damage. Despite all that, her favorite thing to do was to just fly freely on the winds.
I . . . I actually think I will miss her. Goodness. I need to fix my implant immediately.


Name: Novalight, Yelena Sokolov
Power: Elemental Manipulation, Energy Manipulation, Flight
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 8
Ibis' Notes: Now, this is explosive. Novalight was the leader of New Dawn and a hard woman to say the least. Some would say paranoid, but I always respected refusal to compromise her beliefs. She was the architect behind Wonderland—the detention facility for metahumans too dangerous to allow to go free. She controlled New Dawn's territory in Horizon with an iron fist, but the University District was among the city's safest for it.
Her relationship with Justice Unlimited was strained. Both Justice Unlimited and New Dawn were heroic organizations, but they were bitter rivals. Justice Unlimited started as a junior team under New Dawn, and Novalight never forgave them for going independent. She would have taken them keeping her DNA profile as an act of war.
Novalight was one of the three strongest metahumans in the city. She was photokinetic, radiokinetic, and capable of supersonic flight. Her energy blasts were capable of leveling the city, and nearly did during the Susurration. She would end many a fight simply by appearing and glowing too brightly for anyone to be able to see. With her radiokinesis, she could generate heat intense enough to melt even adamantium. Her weakness, if she truly even had one, was that her power gave her no defensive capabilities. But she ended fights quickly and decisively enough that it didn't matter.
I can think of several reasons why her DNA is here, and none of them are charitable. It's not my concern, but perhaps we should keep this one quiet.


Name: Man o' War, Julio Câmara Meireles
Power: Autonomous Creature Creation, Self-Enhancement, Invulnerability, Enhanced Strength
Faction: New Dawn
Potency: 8
Ibis' Notes: Man o' War was a violent brute who somehow found himself gaining membership in New Dawn proper. I say "somehow", but it's very clear why: he was happy to follow orders and restrain himself so long as he could harm others to his heart's content when the time came. His powerset matches that of a famous villain who terrorized the Corporate Playground, and said villain disappeared around the same time Man o' War first debuted. Rumor has it he cut a deal to keep himself out of Wonderland, and I believe it. He was firmly in Novalight's faction, which only adds further evidence to the pile.
Man o' War could manifest extra limbs from his body that appeared with a melee weapon chosen at random—swords, axes, spears, nets, tridents, a golf club once, what have you. The arms moved autonomously and were masters of their chosen weapon. The more arms Man o' War manifested, the stronger and more durable he became. Pfft, growing extra arms? That's nothing! Dr. Mammoth Ibis could give you all the extra arms you could want!
. . . is that anything? I'm working on my flirtatious small talk. I'm not very good at it!

Name: The Giant Slayer, Abigail Reyes
Power: Transmutation, Enhanced Strength
Faction: SLAYERS
Potency: 8
Ibis' Notes: The Giant Slayer was the former leader of SLAYERS and the paramour of Ms. Opale. Before she and Opale started dating, her desperation to get married was something of a running joke in the metahuman community. She, famously, is one of the only people to make King flee a battle, if only because her constant flirting made him uncomfortable.
Perhaps The Giant Slayer was merely waiting for Opale, or perhaps her hyper-competence and destructive power frightened any potential partner. The Giant Slayer had the power to increase an object's size and mass to exponential levels, and then be able to swing the object as if it were its regular size. The Giant Slayer had immense strength, so this could result in her swinging swords the size of skyscrapers. This power let her become a regular hunter of Gold-Rank Behemoths and even Named-Rank on occasion.


Name: Zeno, Camdyn Poole
Power: Space-Time Manipulation, Invulnerability
Faction: The Defiance Unit
Potency: 9
Ibis' Notes: Zeno was the final member of The Defiance Unit and was their ace in the hole. If any heroes responded to an attack, if it got too dangerous for the unit, Zeno was their ticket out of the situation. Zeno's power came in threes, and matched his namesake's paradoxes.
First, was the impossibility of motion. To advance any distance, a person must first walk halfway there, to get halfway there, they must move halfway of that distance, and so on to infinity. This manifested in his ability to arrest the motion of anything in his light of sight, including technically non-visible things like air molecules.
Next, was the similar, but distinct, impossibility of distance. If one object was following another moving object, then by the time the first object has caught up to the second object, the second object has also moved and the first object must travel further to catch up, in which time the second object will travel further. Thus, the first object can never catch up. This manifested in an inability of any object to actually touch Zeno without his consent. Anything attempting to hit him would have to travel an infinite distance to do so. This power was exclusive and automatic.
Finally, was the impossibility of time. If time was made of infinite moments, then at any particular movement a moving object would be stationary, neither moving to where it is, nor to where it is not. It cannot move to where it is not, because no time elapses for it to move there; it cannot move to where it is, because it is already there. In other words, at every instant of time there is no motion occurring. This was his final ability—the power to lock any one person in temporal stasis for 24 hours. There was no defense to this attack, and it only worked on one person at a time.
Zeno's weakness was his lack of offensive power. He relied on conventional weapons like firearms to deal damage, which proved ineffective against more robust metahumans.

Name: Vulcan, Augustus "Gus" Schulte
Power: Algernon-type
Faction: SLAYERS
Potency: 13
Ibis' Notes: It seems doomed love and SLAYERS are inextricably intertwined, because Vulcan is the former lover of our Handyman.
He was an Algernon-type, specialized in metallurgy. He made all of the weapons and armor used by SLAYERS and often sold his creations to clients such as Steelheart and Valiant Silver.
He never pushed his power too far. He was too afraid of the Rebound. There is a certain wisdom in that, perhaps.


X-Class Powers — EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, EXTINCTION-LEVEL THREAT

Name: Apiary, Rosemary Ward
Power: Transformation, Matter Conversion, Construct Creation
Faction: Justice Unlimited
Potency: 14, Major Side Effect Guaranteed - Permanent Dysmorphic Transformation
Ibis' Notes: Apiary was one of the original members of Justice Unlimited, back when they were known as NuGen, and she perished at the conclusion of The Defiance Unit saga. I never met her myself, but by all accounts she was very much beloved by her team. I know multiple memorials to her exist and they named their headquarters in Horizon after her.
Apiary was a dysmorphic metahuman—she resembled a large, four-armed, bipedal insect, not unlike a honeybee. She had vestigial wings and a full insectoid abdomen. If that was the extent of her power, I wouldn't blink twice. That's a Tuesday for Dr. Mammoth Ibis! No, the true terror of Apiary was her ability to consume and convert living matter. She would ingest organic matter and then extrude into a plasticine-like substance she could control. She often would create drones, including large combat forms. Her mind was like a hive—each body was as much her as any other. Those bodies in turn could convert matter, and now the terror should be obvious. She was living goldnine or, more accurately, a proto-Leviathan.
I will never let Lady Leizi know this, but Scarlet Maturity may have done the world a favor by cutting Apiary's life short. No matter how well-intentioned, she could have been an extinction-level threat.
We should only use her profile with great caution. Her DNA is extremely unstable, and adding it to a dose of goldnine will certainly produce a major side effect.
Lady Leizi: Doctor. My office. Now.

Name: EXCEED-BEYOND
Always Active:
Anti-gravity, Energy Shielding, Mental Manipulation Immunity
Module "Paper": Pyrokinesis, Energy Blaster, Drones, Targeting Suite, Railgun
Module "Scissors": Psychic Energy Blades, Agility Suite, Telekinesis, Pilebunker
Module "Rock": Enhanced Strength, Advanced Energy Shielding, Power Nullification
Module "Dynamite": O̵̺͓̊͌͊p̵̞͕̔̚ē̵͔͜ņ̵͍͎̊ ̸͎̌̄̌ẗ̶̖͘h̶̝̮͐̋ë̵̺̺́ ̷̺͊S̵͍̊̈̕t̷̮̎͝ą̶̩̞̄g̶̮͘e̶̦̲̟͌
Potency: 13, Major Side Effect Guaranteed - Extreme Psychic Field Sensitivity
Mechanical Notes: Modules must be selected for a scene and may be changed between scenes. Using any power in blue will disable the module until the end of a combat encounter. Using module "dynamite" will disable the EXCEED-BEYOND armor until the end of the mission.
______________________________________________________________________________

Ellie is Tolerance 10. There has been much talk of giving the EXCEED-BEYOND armor to Ellie. Is it time? If not, then a vote will be held after this one for Ellie's powerset.

[ ] Give Ellie the EXCEED-BEYOND
[ ] Do not give Ellie the EXCEED-BEYOND

John Henry is Tolerance 7. Now is the time to create his dose of Ambrosia. Please refer to the first informational post for the rules of Ambrosia creation. Please format your votes like the following:

[ ] Plan You Can't Always Get What You Want, But If You Try Sometimes You'll Find, You'll Get What You Need.
- [DNA PROFILE 1] (POTENCY)
- [DNA PROFILE 2] (POTENCY)
- POTENCY REDUCTIONS (- POTENCY)
- TOTAL POTENCY OF DOSE: X

If you want to throw in the number of keywords or side-effect odds, please do so separately from the vote-block.

The vote will be open for 48 hours, longer if necessary.

VOTING WILL OPEN TOMORROW EST.
 
Last edited:
Issue #3.4: Janus pt. 2
[X] Give Ellie the EXCEED-BEYOND

[X] Plan: Helicopter Parent
-[X] Chatroom: Potency 4
-[X] Bulwark: Potency 4
-[X] Millions Minefield: Potency 1
-[X] Mister Hunch: Potency 1
-[X] Potency Reductions: -3 Potency
-[X] Total Potency: 7 Potency

Horizon, City of Leviathan's Rest– The Apiary– January 8, 2068

The Apiary is and always will be your true home, but you've never been quite so grateful to have the gargantuan facility at your disposal as you are right now. No longer must you skulk in abandoned warehouses with hastily set-up equipment to administer Ambrosia. Now, you can do it with the convenience—and security—provided by the Apiary.

Right now, you have an ad hoc set up in the training room behind the gymnasium. You don't think John Henry's empowerment will be as explosive as Black Swan's, but it's better safe than sorry.

Between your two current candidates, John Henry volunteered to go first. He reasoned that he had already seen Ambrosia administered before, and that it was only fair that Ellie get to see the process before it was her turn.

Said candidates are currently waiting behind a curtain with a distraught Dr. Ibis. John Henry is in good spirits, smiling broadly and joking. Ellie is as poker-faced as always, but you detect some level of anxiety coming off her. Hopefully for John Henry's sake and not because she was getting cold feet about her own empowerment. As you approach, you realize there are two other people waiting with them. Two people you vaguely recognize as part of the Rhodes family.

"Do not be nervous John Henry! I, the great Dr. Mammoth Ibis, have personally prepared this dose of Ambrosia! And my brilliant daughter, the equally great Dr. Massive Ibis, is preparing the administration device as we speak!"

Dr. Ibis is pacing around frantically.

"Emeril," a handsome woman in her mid-forties says, "No one is worried. We know you and Sarah got this! Now, why don't you calm down and have a snack? You know how your blood sugar gets."

She opens up a tupperware container of homemade cookies.

"Snickerdoodles! Dr. Mammoth Ibis' favorite!"

He greedily grabs two and sits down to eat them. You resist the urge to sigh as you walk behind the curtain.

"Lady Leizi," John Henry greets. He's wearing nothing but a hospital gown to preserve his modesty, relaxing on a Gatch bed before it's time.

"You know my better half, Sandra," he says, pointing to the woman. Then he points to the young boy—maybe eighteen or so—on his other side. "And that's Nathan. He's shot up like a weed since you last saw him. Both have been screened and cleared for this, so don't worry—I'm not just sneaking my family in."

"I'm well aware," you saw with a slight smile. You ran their background checks and approved their clearance yourself, afterall. "There's no issue having them here."

Strictly speaking, it would be better to keep as few people aware of Project Prometheus as possible. However, it would be next to impossible for John Henry to hide that he spontaneously developed superpowers from his immediate family. So, some allowances had to be made. At least this way you could impress the need for secrecy on them personally.

"So, Double L," Nathan says, eyes bright, "Anybody can get powers this way . . .?"

"Nathan, no," John Henry says.

"I'm eighteen now! When do I get to make my own decisions?!"

"When you start doing your own laundry," his mother shoots back.

"Mooooom, not in front of Double L!"

You laugh at the byplay and curse that nickname. As you do, Sandra touches your arm.

"Lady Leizi, hon, could we speak in private for a sec?"

"Of course," you say nonplussed, "Shall we walk this way. . .?"

She takes you outside the curtains where you can see Handyman and Châtelet helping Dr. Sarah Ibis and a very haggard-looking Natalie Rhodes finish setting up. You're honestly a little caught off guard. You've known Sandra for years, but you don't think you two have ever spoken one-on-one. You don't know what to expect.

"I wanted to ask you about something," she says in a low voice.

"Ah, is it about John Henry's selection for Project Prometheus?" you say, "You cannot be pleased that your husband will be put in harm's way."

Sandra laughs, flipping her braids over her shoulder. "John? Please. I know if I didn't let him do this, he'd sulk like a big baby until the end of time!"

Her eyes turn serious. "Honestly? I think this has been good for him. He was as devastated as anyone with what happened to you kids after the Movement, and then . . . us losing Nat."

A shadow falls over her face before she shakes her head. "This all has kept him grounded. New places, new people, new challenges—keeps him from dwelling. Us all really. And now I'm gonna get to sleep next to a superhero every night? Hell yes."

You laugh at her genuine enthusiasm. She looks side to side and then leans close.

"No, I wanted to ask you about that Ellie girl," she says in a low voice, "Is she . . . okay?"

"What do you mean?" you say, immediately concerned.

"She's alone all the time," Sandra answers, "I thought I was being a nuisance inviting her to dinner with us, but then I find out she lives all by herself? What happened to her parents?"

"Ah," you say, "I'm . . . afraid it's not my place to share."

"John said the same thing," Sandra huffs, "Fine. But you better take good care of that girl. She's got a good heart, you hear? John's taken a real shine to her."

You hold up your hands in mock surrender. "I understand completely. And, strictly between us, I believe Ellie might welcome a home-cooked meal."

"Good," Sandra says with gleaming eyes, "Because she's just skin and bones! I'll fix her up, no problem."

You send a silent prayer of apology to Ellie for sending Sandra after her as Dr. Massive Ibis charges the curtain area with arms widespread.

"Father! The machine is prepared to the utmost standard of perfection to empower your 'BFF', John Henry! You may praise me!"

"My darling daughter," Dr. Mammoth Ibis shouts back," I give you all my praise and more! There is no one else I would trust with the life of my BFF, John Henry!"

"And that's not all, Father! I have additional wonderful news!"

"You spoil Dr. Mammoth Ibis! Do share!"

Dr. Massive Ibis grabs Natalie, who is trying to escape to be with her father. "This is Natalie Rhodes, the daughter of your BFF, John Henry!"

"Yes!" Dr. Mammoth Ibis replies, "I am familiar with all the children of my BFF, John Henry. Well, except his oldest child I haven't met yet—"

"Please kill me," Natalie whispers.

"Yes, yes, whatever it is you're saying. Listen, Father, focus! I was going to have Natalie Rhodes be my BFF, but then a better idea struck! What if she and I wed and we united the House of Ibis with the House of Rhodes?!"

Dr. Mammoth Ibis gasps so hard that he swoons.

"Genius! Genius!"

"I never should have mentioned that I'm bi. . ." Natalie mummers.

"Hey," Nathan says, cutting in, "Uhh, y'know, my dad has a son too."

"Truly?! Who?"

He leans against the bed and flexes very thin arms in an attempt to look suave. "Me! You and I. . .we could unite houses and stuff."

Natalie gives him a look that is equal parts incredulous and disgusted.

"What?" he says in response, "Look at her! She's fine."

"Dr. Massive Ibis is more than merely 'fine'," she says, "And she does not date children. Behave and I will find you a piece of taffy or some other confection as a reward! Or whatever it is that the youth enjoys these days! Ponies? Do children like ponies? I must know!"

"She's got a good head on her shoulders. I like her for Natalie," Sandra whispers in your ear.

"Mom, no! You are not making this happen!" Natalie shouts, "Dad, tell her!"

"Hey," John Henry says, "Even with powers, I know better than to try to boss your mother around. I know who's in charge here."

"And don't you forget it!"

There's laughter and chaos all around; a delightful mixture of emotions that is a tad bittersweet on your tongue, given your recent familial troubles. You see Ellie standing off to the side, looking uncomfortable.

"Everything alright, darling?" you ask, stepping next to her.

"Fine," she says automatically. You raise an eyebrow at her. She shifts in place, looks down, and then admits, "Is this what a family is supposed to look like . . .?"

"I wouldn't know," you say, observing Dr. Massive Ibis attempt to get on one knee before a fleeing Natalie, while their parents cheer and Nathan pouts in envy.

"But if it is not, then it should be."

* * *​

By now, administering Ambrosia feels almost banal. The Rhodes family is observing from further away, alongside Chaucer and the Ibis clan. Next to you is your team and Ellie. Wolong bitterly regretted that he could not be here to witness this, and Alice was still occupied healing Arc but "getting there" in their words.

You watch the swirling mixture of DNA and goldnine enter into John Henry's bloodstream. Everyone holds their breath to see what effect will take place.

You don't have to wait long.

It starts from inside John Henry's body—a purplish-blue glow from underneath his skin. His eyes flip open, the pupils invisible behind a bloom of power. The bed he's on shakes and quivers, pieces of it flying in all directions. John Henry occasionally convulses, but all of his vital signs remain steady. It's unnerving to see, but by far the mildest reaction to Ambrosia yet.

Instead, it is Black Swan who has you concerned.

"My head!" she shrieks, falling to the ground and clutching her skull, "W-what's—ah! Ouchies!"

"Black Swan! Black Swan? Mona, can you hear me?" you demand, kneeling next to her.

"W-what's going on?" Menagerie Witch says, looking pale.

"I'm fine! I'm fine—owwwww!" Black Swan protests.

"We getting attacked or somethin'?" Handymans say looking around.

Châtelet raises a hand to make a barrier, but Ellie catches her arm and points.

"No. Look. It's John Henry."

You follow her finger and see John Henry, sitting up in the bed and looking at Mona with his glowing eyes.

"Dr. Rhodes . . .?" Black Swan says through the pain, "Is that you?"

You don't hear a response, but Black Swan replies as if she heard one.

"I can barely hear you! And I'm not in your head! You're in my head!"

You all stare slaw-jawed.

"No, that's just the Apiary. No, I mean building. I think? I've met it before and—why does your I.D. say 'full member'?!"

Ellie nods and takes out a moleskine notebook to write in. Everyone else is still staring.

"I don't know how to turn it off! I don't think I can—ow!"

"Ah, dammit!" John Henry calls from his bed. He kneads his forehead, looking disoriented, "Okay, okay. I gotta focus but I can stop it—shit, that smarts."

"You okay, sugar-boots?" Sandra calls from the other side of the training room.

"I'm fine, pita! Just accidentally mind-melded with a teenager! You can tell Emeril to stop crying!"

You and Ellie are already racing over, with everyone else in tow.

"John Henry, are you quite certain you're alright?" you ask.

"Yeah. Yeah . . ." he says, "I feel . . . great, actually. Younger. Like I did in my twenties."

He flexes his hands in wonder. "This stuff is amazing. The only downside is that I think I've developed—"

"A sensitivity to psychic phenomena," Ellie interrupts, "Like what Black Swan has. Only it seems less severe?"

John Henry receives the side effect: Minor Psychic Field Sensitivity!

"Took the words out of my mouth," he agrees, "But I wonder—"

He looks at Ellie and then freezes for a second. Then he looks at Black Swan, looks back at Ellie, and then looks back at Black Swan and smirks.

"Huh."

"W-what?" Black Swan says, slowly flushing. "What?"

"Nothing," John Henry rumbles, amused, "Don't worry. I'll keep psychic-to-psychic confidentiality."

"I don't know what you think you saw, but you're wrong and—"

"Was the last time like this?" Châtelet asks you softly, "Because this has been exhausting."

"To the contrary," you say, "This time has gone much more smoothly. Nothing has exploded yet."

* * *

Horizon, City of Leviathan's Rest– The Apiary– January 9, 2068

The next evening has John Henry joining you in your office after a full day of power testing. He walks in carrying a large case with an easygoing grin. You set down Dr. Mammoth Ibis' report, having just received it.

"John Henry," you say, greeting him, "I'm afraid I haven't yet had time to review the results of your testing today."

He sets down his case and sits on the opposite side of your desk. "It's part of why I'm here, Zixuan. Nothing like a first-hand account."

You gesture for him to continue. "Very well, please enlighten me."

"It's fascinating, seeing how all of the various powers we used mix together," he says, "And it seems that Wolong was onto something with his theories about developing psychic powers."

"Don't keep me in suspense," you say with a smile. It's refreshing to see John Henry so enthusiastic.

"It's a two-parter. First, I appear to have total spatial awareness of the area around me within a hundred foot radius," he says, "We blindfolded and deafened me and then had me navigate mazes of increasing complexity. I never even touched the walls. I was able to draw the layout of an adjacent room without ever stepping foot inside. Works for things above and below me too. I can tell when things are moving and in what direction, and generally what a person is doing. Only limit is I can't see things that don't take up space—so reading someone's screen over their shoulder is out."

You curse in your mind. That would be too convenient, wouldn't it? John Henry laughs at your expression, no doubt knowing exactly what you were thinking.

"But that's just the icing. Here's the cake." He holds up his hand and creates a transparent pane of light with a blue tinge. He smiles.

"Force fields."

"Force fields?" you reply.

He nods. "Force fields. Anywhere in my area of detection, in any shape, at any time. I can make them remotely, as well as create them mid-air or place them over people or objects. They're durable too. We had Handyman take a full-powered swing at a carton of eggs that I was shielding and they took no damage. Not one crack."

You touch the force field and find you can't move it with your hand.

"Solid then."

"Enough to hold Maddie's entire menagerie, yeah," John Henry agrees, "I can move and reshape them freely, but it's harder to do the more weight that's on them. Additionally, there appears to be a finite pool of energy I have to create them. Spread it out too thin by either making a force field that's too big or making too many at once, and they're easy to crack."

He demonstrates this by stretching out his barrier. You can see how it becomes more translucent the larger it becomes.

"I can pour my energy all into one super-durable force field, or I can spread them out. However, I can only make three at a time that are equivalent in strength to our shield generators. And if one gets broken, I'll need time to recharge."

"Ah," you say diplomatically, "Useful but . . ."

He grins. "Nothing we can't already mostly reproduce with technology? That's what I thought at first too. Until I made my second kind of force field."

He points to a paperweight on your desk. A block of adamantium in the shape of an apple. "May I?"

You scoot it over to him. "By all means."

He touches the paperweight, and suddenly there is a red barrier the whole way around the apple. You touch it and find that it does nothing to stop your hand.

"Odd."

John Henry's grin grows larger. "These force fields—the red ones—don't stop anything. They're all but intangible. And I can only put them on things or people that I touch."

"But. . ." you say, playing along.

"But. . . they siphon off a portion of any physical or energetic impact that hits whatever I've placed them on. Said energy then goes to refill my overall pool. And I can maintain three of these bad boys at once."

"Meaning. . ."

"Meaning that I can keep up shields or barriers indefinitely so long as something is taking damage," he says with an air of great satisfaction, "I call it 'The Hustle'. You think I'm down and out, but, really, I'm just winding up for the knockout punch."

"John Henry, that is exactly what we need," you say with a smile, "You're going to be invaluable on the battlefield. Or even for covert surveillance."

[Clairvoyance] + [Clairvoyance] + [Energy Manipulation] + [Energy Manipulation] + [Ally Empowerment] = [Force Fields]

Name: ???, John Henry Rhodes
Keywords: Force Fields, Ally Empowerment, Clairvoyance
Side Effect: Minor Psychic Field Sensitivity
Faction: Justice Unlimited
Potency: 10
Stats: HIT 3, ESPIONAGE 6, REPUTATION 6, OPERATIONS 7
Ibis' Notes: My BFF is soooooo coooooool! He has total spatial awareness of the area around himself within a 100 yard radius! He can sense movement and know what's going on in enclosed spaces within his range! Who cares if he can't technically "see", so his sense is blind to things like papers and screens?!
And he can make force fields! He has a set pool of energy he can spend to make force fields he can spontaneously manifest anywhere in his area of detection, in any shape, attached to a person, object, or just hanging in the air. Sure, the force fields decrease in strength with number or size, but he can make up to three at a time that can stop a bullet. And, and, annnnnnnd he has a second kind of barrier he can place on objects or people. This barrier absorbs part of any physical or energetic impact and then adds it back to his pool of energy. He can keep his 'Hustle' going indefinitely! And he can make three absorbing force fields at a time. He's the best! The bestest friend for the bestest doctor! Ride or die, baby!


Abilities:
The Hustle

John Henry can create shields for himself or allies that will absorb injury levels when struck. He can create three injury levels worth of shields at once. This means he can create one shield that absorbs three injury levels, one shield that can absorb two injury levels and one that can absorb one injury level, or three shields that can each absorb one injury level. These cannot stack with shield generators at the same time, but he can apply a shield to a character who has used their shield generator. If all his shields are deployed, he may only create extremely weak force fields.

John Henry may tag up to three objects or people with a "red barrier". The barrier provides no shielding, but for every injury level that occurs to an object or person with a red barrier, John Henry recharges one injury level's worth of energy to use in other shields or force fields. He may only store three injury levels worth of energy at a time.

"Don't I know it," he says, grinning like a boy, "Oh, and I got one more thing."

From the case he was carrying, he brings out two large gauntlets. Each metallic with a number of lights and LED display.

"What in the world is that?" you ask.

"Why, Zixuan, you never knew? Before the Movement, the great Valiant Silver was working on an improved shield generator. One capable of recharging itself and creating multiple force fields at once. It was a terribly brilliant design, one she was tragically unable to advance beyond the prototype stage before her end."

You blink. Nora had never mentioned—oh ho!

"My," you say, "And who else but her chief research assistant could finish her work and make her idea reality? Unfortunately, I fear her design is so complicated that only someone who built it could ever effectively use it in combat."

"A shame," he agrees, shaking his head, "To most people, these gauntlets just seem to make noise and light up. I guess that research assistant will just have to take up a mantle as a Tech-type hero to honor her memory."

HIDDEN BONUS: John Henry's background as an engineer gives you +1 Global Action!

"Yes," you agree, "And just what will that Tech-type call himself?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I have some ideas . . ."

You and John Henry make plans until he begs off, pleading he has dinner with his family. Apparently, Ellie has finally agreed to eat with them. You're glad. The girl needs to relax before she receives her powers tomorrow.

It's a cold comfort the next day when everything goes wrong.

______________________________________________________________________________

What will we call our newest hero?
[ ] Helicopter Parent
[ ] The Hustle
[ ] Ops Center
Write-in (subject to QM veto) [ ]

What will John Henry's costume/general vibe be?
Write-in (subject to QM veto) [ ]
What is his costume's color scheme?
Write-in (subject to QM veto) [ ]

What is John Henry's Emblem?
Write-in (subject to QM veto) [ ]

MORATORIUM ON VOTING UNTIL TOMORROW EST
 
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