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Post by WildKnight on Feb 19, 2021 9:28:13 GMT -5
The rollout for the Alpha team had been a huge gala affair. The elite of Metropolis and indeed, the world, attended, the media gushed. Two more debuts since had blunted the public interest, but now it was finally Delta Squad's time. Admittedly, there were no cocktail dresses or tuxedos this time around. Instead, marketing had decided it would be best for the newest team, the fourth to be rolled out in just a few months, to be seen as closer to the street. To that end, the debut for Delta Team was taking place at a homeless shelter, where they would serve meals and hand out coats (provided by LexCorp). The shelter chosen was deep in Metropolis' Suicide Slum, largely considered the worst neighborhood in the whole city. It was run by the local legend Bibbo, a man who had organized citizens to throw rocks at Doomsday during the closing moments of the struggle, and who famously appeared in an award winning photograph by Jimmy Olsen that was seen all over the world, holding Lois Lane back to keep her from attacking the monster herself.
Bibbo himself was proving to be an interesting character, eschewing the attention of the media who seemed desperate to interview him as he moved from task to task, ensuring that the people under his care were comfortable, joking with the volunteers, and otherwise engaging with people in the same ways he probably did when there weren't dozens of cameras about. He even brushed aside Mercy Graves herself when she tried to get a photo with him.
"Inna seccon, inna seccon" he said before hurrying back into the kitchen.
The icy look on Mercy's face was gone before she turned back to the media. "Well... as you can see, Mister Bibbowski is very busy. Perhaps you could have each of our new heroes introduce themselves. Make sure you get the spelling of their codenames correct, please..."
Mercy shot a look to the newly minted heroes where they stood ladeling out soup or handing out bread that said "don't screw this up."
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Post by OurLadyWar on Feb 19, 2021 14:24:23 GMT -5
Dana was coming back from the kitchen, carrying a large pot of soup as effortlessly as someone handling a paper plate. She had a minor dosido with Bibbo, muttering: "Yeah, I hate cameras too," before heading back to the hotline.
There was a wireless earbud in her ear, piping music to keep her on track. She left one ear bud out so she could hear anyone calling for her or asking for anything. Her uniform was a standard issue one piece LexCorp supers' suit, in greys, blacks, and greens. When it came to her official look or uniform, she just had not really lit on it yet. So, she stuck to layering the uniform with her corps jacket and combat boots, as well as her tags hanging around the buckled black belt at her waist. Curly red hair was done up and then stuffed in a beanie so no strays would get in the food they were serving up.
A furtive glance was given to Graves and the media she was corralling. She knew she had to listen to her handlers, but something sat wrong with filming feeding the needy. Dana was glad she was at the end of the hotline, doling out the soup and the smiles. Let the others have their limelight for now, she would catch up.
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Post by Black Sam on Feb 19, 2021 16:41:36 GMT -5
Simon had been among the first of those to volunteer for Mr. Luthor's "Supermen of America," though it had been a breakthrough in the lab a week ago that helped bring Starhawk's power under control. That lab had been somewhere in Alaska, he guessed; a remote site where LexCorp stashed him once the destructive potential of his powers became apparent. Like, earth-shattering apparent.
That lab wasn't there anymore – he'd reduced it to a pile of rubble when they pushed him to his control over the fundamental force his cells were interacting with. He and Mr. Luthor had both come close to death that day – it was thanks to the quick-thinking of the genius billionaire and the test-sample of the energy-dampening "Nth Metal" he'd brought with him that nobody had been killed. It was just one lab, but Simon sensed that they'd been nowhere close to dredging the depths of his power, and that scared him a little.
One week and an admittedly awesome-looking billion dollar Nth Metal super suit later, Starhawk had been fast-tracked to LexCorp's SoA Delta Squad. He nodded as Bibbo hustled by, and grimaced behind his mask at mild awkwardness – he and Marcy had volunteered at this very shelter several times a week while they were dating, and weekly since the baby was born...
Marcy's face flashed before his mind's eye and he almost smiled, but then he realized with a deep, sickening lurch that he couldn't bring their daughter's face to mind anymore...that they were both dead.
"...Perhaps you could have each of our new heroes introduce themselves. Make sure you get the spelling of their codenames correct, please..."
Simon wrenched his thoughts back to the present, punching down the hurt like a lump of over-proofed dough.
He pulled off the plastic gloves and pulled the apron up over his head as one of new teammates shrank from the attention – Jarhead, he recalled her code-name. I wish they'd given us more time to get to know the team before throwing us into the PR circuit.
Walking around the counter where he'd been passing out bottles of water, he approached the cameras. It wasn't his first time handling reporters. Publicity wasn't the part of the job he was looking forward to, but he knew that this was about winning the hearts of the public as much as anything else. He reminded himself that it was Mr. Luthor who was calling the shots; he just had to play his part.
"Ms. Graves," he said to the boss. He turned to address the cameras. "I'm Starhawk – one word. Thanks for coming out today."
*************
HEALTH: 4/4 ENERGY: 18/18
ACTION ONE: 5 stones into Social Skills (specialties: charm; professional) ACTION TWO: none
ATTACK: none DEFENSE: 4 (no x2; Magical Defense 4)
MODIFIERS: Self Contained (breathing); Flight 4 (movement only; cannot combine with other Actions); Enhanced audio/visual 4
HEALTH: 4/4 ENERGY: 13/18 REGENERATION: 7
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Post by phencerx on Feb 19, 2021 17:34:53 GMT -5
Fergal was busy tinkering away in the kitchen. Dealing with people had never been his strength, so when they arrived at the shelter, he went to work repairing whatever he could find that seemed to be broken. He had started with Bilbo's computer. He appreciated the work being done here and wanted to help make it easier for those involved, and Bilbo's computer was a mess. He was pretty sure it was operating on the same level as a Commodore 64 so getting that up to date was an imperative. After that he moved on to the kitchen. These people were doing the best they could with very subpar and broken down equipment. A commercial stove with only one working burner, and an oven that seemed to have been on it's last leg for years.
While working on repairing those, Fergal notices Jarhead come in and grab the pot of soup off of the burner. He wanted to talk to her seeing as how they were "teammates" now, but all he could manage was an awkward smile and a nod. After she walked out all he could think was "Stupid. Just say hi. It's just one simple word." As he stands up to look over his work, he hears Mercy's voice in his earpiece and realizes he needs to get back out to the main hall.
He walks through the door, "Alright Mr. Bibbowski. I've upgraded your computer to run like new and I've repaired all of the kitchen equipment." Just as he passes through, Fergal bumps into one of the reporters. Looking down he notices his hands and brand new uniform are covered in soot and grease. Filled with dread and embarrassment, he fixes his glasses, wipes his hands off on his pants, and extends his hand for a shake. "Yes lad. Fergal Doyle here. I'm the resident techie of the group, also known as Taranis.
=========================== HEALTH: 3/5 ENERGY: 9/15 REGENERATION: 3/5
ACTION ONE: 5 stones into Computers/Technology to upgrade/repair Bilbo's computer and repair the kitchen equipment ACTION TWO: None
HEALTH: 3 ENERGY: 4 REGENERATION: 3
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Post by Gris on Feb 20, 2021 7:19:01 GMT -5
Marilyn was tending to people front and center, no awkwardness on that, even if thinking about her new name was sometimes a struggle. Maybe it was sometimes hard to think that Marilyn wasn't who she was, but it certainly was who she wanted to be, so there wasn't anything wrong in that. Given that her identity was already fake, that her powers made her impossible to hide for long and that a public identity was fitting for her patriotic codename, people for the corporation wanted her to openly present herself, make her relatable. It was a pity that she didn't have quite the time to met the rest of the team, as they seemed really interesting, but she couldn't get herself distracted by that. She didn't know for how long could she keep her human size, even less if she had to be distracted by the cameras, so she'd better make the best of it while it lasted.
"I'm the American Dream" Marilyn introduced herself, still serving food. "At least when I'm big and trying to do my best with the unusual gifts God gave me" she added. It wasn't her role to be preachy, as that could alienate some demographics, but a little bit of that here and there was just nice. "But in the end I'm just Marilyn" she smiled, "and this is as bit as important as any other stuff we do" she sighed. "Firefighters, doctors... anyone that is helping their neighbor, those are the real heroes and I'm just thankful to them and I know that Metropolis citizens will rise to the occasion" finished with a nod.
She couldn't multitask for long, nor did she want to hog the attention, so Marilyn had to leave it at that. Soon she'd have to return to her giant size, but at least that way she could help unloading supplies from trucks or something. Certainly not serve food, that was for sure. The track jacket she was wearing gave her patriotically colored tight outfit an sporty vibe, but she'd have to ditch it soon, as just her state of the art uniform changed sizes when she did.
Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 9/9 Action: Concentration 7, to keep her act and mostly keep herself at human size. She's supposed to have been serving food for a bit, so her focus won't last long. She'll probably have to go out and let go by the end of the next panel or so. Action: Social Skills 2 (Acting, All American Sweetheart)
Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 2/9
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Post by Dhark on Feb 22, 2021 0:22:21 GMT -5
AETHYR
Ethan was grateful beyond measure that his morning assignments had kept him largely away from the soup kitchen... Not too long ago he was on the opposite side of the serving ladle, quite literally, in this very shelter... and that humbling experience was disquietingly uncomfortable beyond words. Ethan was no fool, he knew damn well that PR had assuredly factored that fact into their decision... and he’d objected strenuously to the artwork and proposed press releases about a ‘Hero Giving Back To The Shelter That Harbored Him.’ It was a meeting that he’d dramatically stormed out of, intent on resigning. Surely there were other teams, or even a job working for Lex’s personal security retinue maybe.
It had taken a phone call from Mr Luthor to assure him that no such directed publicity exploitation would be exercised, and further that his own role would be mitigated to logistical transport of supplies and personnel. Lex went on to advocate for the greater good he might offer the world as a member of Delta team.
Truly, he was a great man.
So it was, he’d spent his morning flitting in and out the shelter delivering supplies and avoiding eye contact of any sort with those people being served.
When the text from Ms Graves came across, that it was time for introductions, a lump formed in his throat and his pulse quickened. He wasn’t afraid of public speaking, so this made zero sense to him. Ethan had even teleported Lex to a gala or two to save time, and been recorded in costume and out using his abilities. He’d faced countless scarier individuals in Strikers, and worse still in The Zone if his nightmares could truly be believed.
So why was this bothering him? He was suited up. There was NO chance that anyone would recognize him between the mask and scarred eyes... and more importantly Lex had personally assured him that his past would NOT be leveraged or exploited just for some extra media points. So why was this such a big deal?
With a sharp exhalation bordering on near feral levels, he stepped through a whispy and be-shadowed event horizon.
============
God Given...?!??!? Ethan appears during Marilyn’s introduction, and is aghast that she’d prescribed credit to Lex’s work to God. For a moment he considers providing the spelling of L-U-T-H-O-R for the god among men in question... but quickly stifles the notion; that would land a nightmare of protestors and blasphemy proclaimers on PR’s doorstep. Correcting that line, and The Amrican Dream was PR’s problem, not his.
With that comfort in mind, and suddenly sufficient impetuous to propel him forward into the spotlight... Ethan gingerly sets down the two large crates of supplies and clasps his hands behind his back as he steps forward to shift focus away from the God-Talk.
”Overwatch and Transport is provided by The Aethyr... Spelled: A-E-T-H-Y-R. The Aethyr.” He provides with mock pride, inadvertently defaulting to a description of his job and grade-school spelling bee format; Byproduct from the stifled impulse moments earlier no doubt.
Hearing his own words, he inwardly groans at himself.. but the word vomit continues: ”Grateful beyond measure for the stalwart generosity of Mr. Luthor, both in assembling our team, and most importantly today... here in providing aid for the communities that need it.”
Okay. So, maybe Marilyn deserved some slack... none of them were professional speakers it would seem.
Hopefully none of them were PR liabilities by the end of the day.
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Post by WildKnight on Feb 22, 2021 12:04:20 GMT -5
Mercy stood by watching, one arm folded over her chest, the other cupping her chin. This moment was a big deal. For now, Delta was the final team in the Supermen of America rollout, but the international contracts Lex was hoping for, to franchise his teams all over the world, relied on the success of these teams. Lex was backing off, finally trusting her, this project was her chance to prove herself, and she knew it. That meant riding herd on four teams full of naive borderline children and raging egomaniacs, people who thought they were going to be the next Superman and people who thought they were going to be the next Mick Jagger. Mercy was a hard woman who, unlike Lex, made no effort to coddle these people. They'd been given a gift, and they needed to be thankful. If not, they needed to know how easy it would be to replace them.
Mercy scowled openly when Fergal gave out his name; that would have to go on his record. As far as Mercy was concerned, the identities they'd been given by Luthor were the only identities these people had anymore. It was important for the copyrights and trademarks and, perhaps more importantly, to keep these witless wonders from thinking they can strike out on their own.
... she positively started daggers, however, at Jarhead, who said nothing whatsoever. Turning to her assistant, Mercy spoke in Mandarin, obviously believing no one but the assistant would understand her. The assistant was a physically small man, perfectly manicured in every regard, who hid his nervousness well... but he was the fourth one Mercy had had since Delta Team started meeting with her, and chances are he wouldn't last either. <Mandarin> "Make a note for that one, she needs to meet with the social coach an extra hour each week. This is unacceptable."
Meanwhile, Bibbo moved down the line, checking to make sure the food was still warm, greeting everyone waiting by name. When he got to were Jarhead was standing, he smiled and whispered low enough so only she could hear him over the media circus. "You don' know me lady but yer doin' right. I knew Sooperman, he was my fav'rit, my greatest pal. He tole me more times 'n I can count, which ain't a lot but still... never, NEVER take nothin' from Mister Ludor. Ludor seems like just a enchapanoor, but he's a bad guy. Tell yer friends, Ludor don't do nothin' for nobody." With that he slipped away, off to speak to a table where a family sat eating with a couple of vagrants.
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Post by OurLadyWar on Feb 22, 2021 13:32:13 GMT -5
Dana handed out another bowl of soup, this time to a kid, and ruffled their hair (gently) before sending them off. That was when she caught that look that only Mercy could give. Dana had seen war, known some of the toughest SOBs as "yes, sir!" but nothing came close to the skin-shrinking power of that glare. She was going to get an earful later, which was going to be more annoying than upsetting or discomforting. Dana knew she had signed a certain amount of privilege away when she scribbled on the dotted line. She knew that. But the adjustment to cameras and so much attention was proving a harder learning curve than day one of basic. Dana was about to step forward to try and make up for her flub, but Bibbo stopped her. She courteously pulled the other headphone out and stuck it in her pocket as she listened.
"You don' know me lady but yer doin' right. I knew Sooperman, he was my fav'rit, my greatest pal. He tole me more times 'n I can count, which ain't a lot but still... never, NEVER take nothin' from Mister Ludor. Ludor seems like just a enchapanoor, but he's a bad guy. Tell yer friends, Ludor don't do nothin' for nobody."
Dana heard him in earnest, but her stomach turned. As tempting as it was to stamp down her cancer with compound K, Dana knew she had made a deal with the devil. Sure, she was better and stronger, even healthier than ever before, but she knew the cost was going to bite her in the ass. At least, if Mercy wasn't too busy chapping it. She scratched an itch under the corner of her mask. "Never take nothing from Mister Luthor," she echoed under her breath and then offered a musing snort to no one and nothing in particular. "A little late for that, I reckon," she sighed. Beating baddies would have to wait, for now she would have to put a little balm on the social boo-boo she had made.
With great ease, she hoisted up one of the empty soup pots, and started making her way to the back, brushing by the social rabble. "Uh... Jarhead. Pleased to meetcha," she darted an awkward eye slant between camera and reporter, not really sure which one she should have been looking at.
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Post by Gris on Feb 23, 2021 4:48:51 GMT -5
Marilyn couldn't keep up with her teammates, her hands were full with the press and keeping her human size. Even the second thing wouldn't last long, so she needed to get out. Maybe there wasn't much to do outside in terms of unloading supplies or anything, but she couldn't stay inside unless she wanted to bring the building down on all of them. "Time for some fresh air and exercise" she commented, moving straight outside. She didn't check with Mercy, but their handler was more than aware of the situation, so she should know what was going on.
Leaving her jacket aside on a table, Marilyn was now just wearing the special suit that changed with her, so there would be no embarrassing wardrobe issues. The first times the sensation was dizzying, confusing, but since she couldn't help it, spending most of the time in her giant size had her accustomed to it. Maybe she was kind of lying, acting under a fake name, but when she was big it felt... appropriate. A scared refugee no more.
A deep breath and letting herself go was all it took, like she was returning to her true form rather than inhabiting a weird one. Making sure she didn't stumble upon anything, soon Marilyn towered over the shelter, looking around from her new vantage point. She was sure the corporation had her exact size, but she couldn't quite remember it, something about a hundred and forty feet?
Taking a small breather, as the change took a moment to settle and her capacity to properly move at that size was lagging a bit behind, Marilyn just stood there in case there was apparent work to do or anyone from the press took a trek outside and wanted to ask any questions.
Health: 3/3 ; Energy: 5/9 Action: Going outside and just letting her concentration go. Health: 10/10 ; Energy: 5/30
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Post by phencerx on Feb 26, 2021 15:11:34 GMT -5
Fergal cringes, suddenly remembering he wasn't supposed to use his real name. While Luthor had been nothing but kind to him, Mercy was definitely the other side of that coin and he knew he'd get a sharp earful as soon as they left the shelter. The best thing he could do now is join the others in the line dishing out food. After hearing Aethyr's bravado in dealing with the reporters, he slides in next to him, hoping that some of his confidence might rub off. Fergal knew he would be spending a lot of time with these people, so he should work on getting used to being around them.
"You're bang on. We're all glad to be here helping out these lads and lasses. Being a hero is more than flying around and punching baddies."
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Post by Black Sam on Feb 26, 2021 16:04:17 GMT -5
Simon studied his teammates after introductions were made. They were an odd lot, but he'd anticipated as much. Still, he was grateful for the mask that covered his face as he watched them, observed their body language, wondered at their reasons for being here. They all were here, and that was the most important thing. They were doing something. Everything else would come in time, with exerience, he told himself.
Thinking about them kept his thoughts away from the past.
A bedraggled woman off to the side of the lunch line caught his eye. She was shifting slowly from foot to food, clutching a stained backpack to her chest. He remembered seeing her there much earlier, out of sight of the media, obviously put off by their presense. Her silver-brown hair was a tangled mop, and as she licked her lips he saw the look in her eyes, like a starved animal wieghing the risk of a nearby morsel. He went back behind the serving counter, but instead of resuming his place at the water station he picked up a tray and filled it, carrying it to the woman behind the line.
"Hi there," he said gently, wishing that the voice modulator in his mask didn't sound so...mechanical. She eyed him without the fear she showed the cameras; stern, measuring, not alltogether gone as he'd first thought. "I'm Si... Starhawk. You looked like you might like something to eat."
He gestured over to the tables where others were dining.
"You one of them Supermen?" The woman asked.
He smiled behind his mask. "I'm trying to be."
He'd forgotten about the cameras at that point, leaving them to talk to the Boss. The woman nodded once and let him lead her over to a table where two regulars sat. He address them without thinking about the fact that Simon was familiar with them, not Starhawk.
"Ernie, Wyatt – got room for one more? This is..."
"Mag."
"Sure, we know Mags," one of the men repied. The woman took the tray and sat down with a pat on Simon's arm.
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Post by Dhark on Mar 3, 2021 7:35:59 GMT -5
AETHYR
He’d started strong, and clearly had made a decent impression... but, Ethan could feel that his intro was on the verge of going full on word-vommit. Luckily, one of his teammates appeared at his side- bolstering him, and his words. The one called Tanaris. Luckily for everyone involved, his helmet obscured the relief assuredly visible on his face. He’d need to remember to thank the man later.
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Post by WildKnight on Mar 3, 2021 9:15:05 GMT -5
It started as a faint ripple. Various volunteers and the occasional diner going silent, staring at a glowing screen. Soon there were gasps, and more screens lit up. Then Bibbo burst into the room and changed the channel on the large television.
An image of Metropolis' famous Old Square, the large business center that had appeared in so many movies and, incidentally, had been the first place Doomsday touched down when he reached Metropolis, flickered to life on the decades-old television, and a shaky image of a reporter for the GLOBE Network appeared. Snapper Carr was, for many, the narrator of the death of Superman. He was a beat reporter at the time of Superman's death, and his somber reporting live at the scene had earned him an Anchor position, where he continued to be the voice of the GLOBE's coverage, in a series of spots known as "A World Without Superman."
Seeing him on the street again might have suggested to some that this was old footage, but this was definitely the newly rebuilt version of Old Square... and it was in flames. Again. Bodies lay strewn about, half a dozen of them. Very near to where Snapper Carr stood, two people were brawling. One was Ace Nova, the leader of Lex's Alpha team. She was the cream of the crop of new heroes Lex had found; strong, nearly as indestructible as Superman himself, and able to encase herself in energy similar to Superman's heat vision. The other was Metallo, the mercenary John Corbin, a Kryptonite fueled cyborg that had nearly defeated Superman on a number of occasions. Currently he had Nova pinned to a wall and was hammering at her face with his fist. The glowing red field around her body was fading quickly and then, with a single punch, it was gone, and Metallo's mechanical fist went straight through her skull, destroying it, and taking a chunk from wall behind.
Snapper stopped reporting and turned to run, and as the shot panned out, it became obvious that the rest of the corpses were the members of Alpha Team.
Mercy Graves went ashen, and eyed her team. The more perceptive of them could see in her eyes that she did not think Delta Team was ready for this, even Alpha Team hadn't been ready. But like a good field commander, she composed herself and gave the order.
"Delta... get to Old Square as quickly as possible. I'll try to locate Beta and Gamma and get them there as quickly as possible. Let's not take any stupid risks. You need to protect the people and that's it, you're not there to beat Metallo. Move. Now."
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Post by Dhark on Mar 3, 2021 9:35:10 GMT -5
AETHYR”Yes ma’am. Let me know if you want help with getting the calvary on site...”Ethan’s arms cross dramatically before his face, and then forcefully separate— tearing a handful of whispy shadowy rifts in space to appear in front of each disparate group of Delta Squad’s members (including one outside for their larger friend. By now they all knew what those were, and who’d opened them.. even if Ethan wasn’t present. ***”Saddle up ladies and gents, we’ve got marching orders— Protect and Evacuate innocents, leave Metallo for Beta and Gama teams!***At that same instant, across town, on a nearby rooftop to the carnage depicted on the news corresponding event horizons appear for each of them to walk through safely away but within easy viewing/striking distance. ================== HEALTH 03 / 03 ENERGY 15 / 15 ACTION 01: 03 Stones into Telepathy (Psi-Tracking Specialty / Project thoughts) to locate all Delta Team members and convey the message. ACTION 02: 07 Stones into Teleportation to create two 3 stome portals (1mile each), one for those inside the building and one for the heroes outside (an extra stone for that for it being outside). MODIFIERS Mental Defense IX CX
EQUIPMENT AETHYR SUIT IV *Reverse-Engineered Kryptonian Prototype PZ Warden Armor *No x2/AP *Flight @mn *Exclusivity (Psychic Signature) *Property of LexCorp: Full Tracking/Monitoring Capabilities *Self Contained (Air and Temp Regulation) *Thermal/Night Optics
HEALTH 03 /03 ENERGY 5/15 REGENERATION 06
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Post by Black Sam on Mar 4, 2021 10:24:40 GMT -5
Simon watched the scene unfolding on the television with growing anger. No thought, just...cold rage. He'd met Ace Nova a couple times. She was tough, confident, and had instantly won his respect. He flinched when her head exploded around Metallo's fist.
"How...?"
He heard Mercy's orders but it was Aethyr's mental update that brought him out of his stupor. He looked over as the man pulled a portal from himself and shuddered. He'd only experienced that form of travel once before; it was cold and disconcerting, but quicker than anything else. Without further hesitation, Starhawk's feet lifted from the ground with soft electric buzz and he levitated through the portal to the scene of carnage still fresh in his mind...
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