The Create-A-Hero RPG Season III IC Thread!

[Byrd Man]

I could not get my mind off that human in black. Was it human? It knew my name—my proper name. Have they found me? Have they finally finished scouring universe after universe and managed to detect my presence here?

“Reverend?”

“Not now.”

“There are people here to see you, Reverend.”

“I said not now.”

“It’s the police, Reverend. They have questions about Dante.”

“….Let them in,” I said, sighing.

He nodded and left the office momentarily, returning with a pair of lawmen.

“And how can I help you gentlemen?” I said with a warm, welcoming smile.

Pierce flashes the badge and gives Madlove a courteous nod.

"Sergeant Nick Pierce, Major Case Squad. This is my associate, Edward Cayce."

I nod, but remain neutral in my posture and face. Funny, Madlove doesn't really look liked I expected him to. I guess I was thinking more Jim Jones or David Koresh vibe. This guy has more of a Gary Glitter or New York Dolls kind of look to him.

"We had some questions about the murder of Joe Dante. Shouldn't take too much of your time."

 

[Carnage27]

Cerberus
Revelations

Chiron and I stand on the edge of a building looking over the city, and neither of us has said a word to each other since we left the Eye. Me because I have no idea why he's brought me out here, him probably because he's looking for the right things to say. But after a few more moments of silence he finally begins, "Desmond, I brought you out here tonight not for training, but merely to talk."

"Couldn't we have done that at the Eye?" I ask suspiciously.

"Of course," he nods. "But what I have to say has to do with the very city, and indeed the entire world."

"Oh come on," I smile. "Isn't it just about the demigod killer? How does that affect the entire world?"

"Because he won't stop until he has dominion over the Earth," Chiron says seriously, and the smile fades from my face. "And I'm worried about you. You've lost focus since the battle against the mob boss. You've become aloof and secretive, and you cannot hope to defeat this threat while distracted."

Man, sometimes I forget how well Chiron knows me, and how easily he can read my emotions. He's not wrong at all. I have been distracted. And I am thinking about Penny and her dating someone. And I know how right Chiron is. I need to focus on the important task at hand. Not my social life. That will get me killed on the battlefield.

"Chiron," I start after contemplating his advice, "you're talking like you know who's after me. Do you?"

Now it's his turn to contemplate my words. I know he knows who it is, but he seems hesitant to tell me, "We had our suspicions, the Gods and I. But we weren't sure. He was doing such a good job of hiding his tracks and his old signs. But his last kill, the senator in Washington, we found the evidence we needed."

He pauses and begins pacing, "We thought the prison that the Gods housed him in was inescapable. But the destruction of the moon destroyed his shackles and set him upon the earth once again."

"Set who upon the world again?"

"He calls himself Tartarus, and he has garnered enough fear or respect from the Gods to keep the name," Chiron says, turning and staring into my eyes. "And he's also your half-brother."

The last five words hit me in the stomach like a ton of bricks. My half brother? Another son of Hades. And from the sounds of things he's got much better control of his powers than I do. Meaning I won't stand a chance against him. "What? How?"

"He's been alive for centuries, incarcerated in a specially made prison," Chiron says, shaking his head. "He tried to do the same thing when he first reached adult hood, but was stopped by a coalition of demigods."

"Centuries? How can he be alive for centuries? I mean I know divine blood causes minimum slowed aging, but centuries?"

Chiron smiles, but it's a defeated smile, "Well, yes. Half-bloods do have an extended life. But Tartarus is almost three quarters god. He is the son of your father and a demigod's daughter."

More shocking revelations. If this was a TV episode it would end here with one hell of a cliff hanger. But this isn't a TV show. It's real life, and at this point I feel like mine's about to end.

"Desmond, I can see your despair," Chiron says, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "But you will not face this challenge alone. You will have assistance."

I try to give as confident a smile as I can muster, "Thanks, Chiron."

"You're welcome. Now, let's return to the Eye."
​

 

[NiteMare Shape]

Icon had almost forgotten how good it feels.

Soaring high above the city streets, feeling the wind against his body...below him the city that he loves. While he was in exile, he rarely, if ever used any of his abilities, and never flew. It wasn't until he had returned to Lost Haven did he realize just how much he had missed it.

He had his reasons for leaving then, and he stands by the decision. He knows that at the time, it was the right choice to make. After the death of his sister, he tracked her killer down and nearly killed him in cold blood. It was only with the intervention of his friend Haze, who killed the animal first, which prevented him from crossing a line that he could never return from.

But that is in the past.

Icon had returned, and not a moment too soon. The city has seen two terrorist attacks carried out by metahumans. The first was the destruction of the Lost Haven Gala Hotel, in which numerous members of the city's elite were lost. Then the destruction of the Harrison Bridge during rush hour a day later. Over 2300 people lost in that attack, and the death toll continues rising.

His thoughts are interrupted as his enhanced hearing picks up something going on below. Panicked screams and the sounds of vehicles crashing...and gunshots.

What now? He thinks to himself, and with a single adjustment, he changes course and heads for the source of the chaos.

As he approaches the scene, Icon is surprised at what he sees. A single dimunitive woman fighting off a group of police officers, while civilians scatter to get out of the line of fire.

Icon watches in horror as the young woman grips a parked minivan from under the front bumper and simply flings it at the pursuing police officers as they fire their weapons at her, with no effect.

"That's enough." Icon says as he touches down several feet behind the girl.

She turns to him, and he is surprised by the young woman's beauty. If he had not seen so much in his life, he would never believe that a girl like this would be capable of causing this much damage. He is also surprised to see the look in her eyes...not one of anger or menace, but a look of pure terror.

"Help...me...." She says as she points behind him, directly at a pair of black SUV's making their way to the scene, SUV's that Icon recognizes as belonging to S.T.R.I.K.E.

 

[Eddie Brock]

"Eh, it's alright," Jim shrugs as he grabs a can of soda from the fridge.

"It's alright?" I repeat disbelievingly. This is not the reaction I was expecting. Hell, if I had known Jim was going to take the news about Abby in stride, I would've just told him the first time Brooke told me to. Here, I was expecting Jim to take my head off or something, and he's acting like I just told him that the Peruvian economy collapsed.

Jim plops down on the couch, opening the can. "What's the big deal, Sean? I didn't make my move. What, was I supposed to expect Abby to wait around for me?" Jim pauses to down half the can. "Look, not everyone is like you, man. I don't obsess over girls and relationships."

"Obsess? I don't obsess!" I protest.

Without missing a beat, Jim laughs. "Sean, do you remember in the third grade when you wanted to ask Stephanie Collins to be your Valentine?"

"...yeah..."

"And then she said no and gave a candy heart to Brian Neweth instead? And you spent the next week writing Stephanie's name on pieces of paper and scribbling it out with red crayon?"

I frown. "What's your point?"

"My point is that life goes on," Jim replies. He swallows down the rest of the can and puts it down on the table. Leaning back on the couch, he says, "This is probably best for Abby, you know? I mean, I'll be leaving for Boston in a couple of months. It's not like I can be there for her."

"I guess that's true," I admit.

"Besides, Vince is a chill guy. Remember how I got totally hammered at his Christmas party freshman year? He stayed in the bathroom with me until I got better, then he helped me get home. Never told his parents or my parents a word, either."

I smirk. It's true. We have a lot of good memories with Vince. He might not have been around much these past four years, but whenever he was, he was always good for having fun. My guess is that he didn't have a whole lot of time to have fun during school, so when the time came he'd let loose - responsibly, too. He hosted his annual Christmas party and let people drink, but he never touched the stuff himself. He's just an all-around good guy.

Jim punches me in the arm. "So how about you? You said you had a problem, too?"

I groan. "Yeah. My parents are making me get a summer job," I explain.

"Mantis working part-time?" Jim laughs.

I just shrug. "Either I try to get a job where I can come and go as I please, so I can do my 'thing,' or I just accept that I'm going to have to double-up the patrols when I'm not working." I wish my parents hadn't sprung this on me. I mean, okay, I could use the money, and it'll be good for me to get out of the house. But Carver's a few steps away from a full-blown gang war, and the streets need Mantis now more than ever. I had thought that with school out, I'd be able to patrol during the day, but if I'm locked up in a job, I won't have any choice.

A job, a girlfriend, and an escalating crime rate. So much for one last carefree summer before my college days.
​

 

[wiegeabo]

"Not particularly D. I'd prefer to stay out of the limelight and let things run their course. Unfortunately, these are trying times and we have to do things that we may not be entirely comfortable with."

He pauses just just an instant before adding, "Now what is it that you want? I'm very busy."

The Director smirks humorously.

"You can't fool me, Alex. Say what you will, but you enjoy the attention. You always thought you knew best, and now you suddenly, finally, have the whole country agreeing with you. You're lucky so many bad things are happening to innocent people."

 

[NiteMare Shape]

The Director smirks humorously.

"You can't fool me, Alex. Say what you will, but you enjoy the attention. You always thought you knew best, and now you suddenly, finally, have the whole country agreeing with you. You're lucky so many bad things are happening to innocent people."

"Now D, you know as well as I do that recent events have been tragedies that should never have happened in the first place. And I am going to make sure that they don't happen again in the future."

 

[wiegeabo]

"I'm not saying they're not tragic, Alex. It's just too bad that after STRIKE starts taking a more active role, the attacks begin..."

 

[NiteMare Shape]

"I'm not saying they're not tragic, Alex. It's just too bad that after STRIKE starts taking a more active role, the attacks begin..."

A humorless smile crosses Anderson's face.

"Indeed."

Anderson takes a drag from his cigar, slowly blowing the smoke away from the reciever.

"Not entirely unconnected I fear. We take a more active role after the invasion, and some of the fringe members of the meta community begin to see it as a sign of things to come and begin acting out. I just wish that we could have done something before the attacks occured...but we are going to be sure to rectify that. You're more than welcome to offer your input...that is, if you're not too busy counting trout."

 

[wiegeabo]

"I take the preservation of our nation's precious natural resources very seriously," The Director says, completely dead pan.

The Director tries a different tack.

He leans over his desk, as if it'll give his words more impact over the phone. "I'll be honest with you, Alex. Something feels off about all this. This kid comes out of nowhere and kills himself, and a party full of charitable socialites? I've seen the workup and intel on him. The kid is clean. Why would he do that to himself?"

 

[NiteMare Shape]

"I take the preservation of our nation's precious natural resources very seriously," The Director says, completely dead pan.

The Director tries a different tack.

He leans over his desk, as if it'll give his words more impact over the phone. "I'll be honest with you, Alex. Something feels off about all this. This kid comes out of nowhere and kills himself, and a party full of charitable socialites? I've seen the workup and intel on him. The kid is clean. Why would he do that to himself?"

"Come now D, if you saw the entire file you would know that he's also been known to associate with suspected meta extremists. In fact, we had brought him in not a week before the attacks for an interrogation. We didn't have enough to hold him on so we had to let him go...and now I wish that we'd been able to keep him for something...if we had alot of people would still be alive."

 

[wiegeabo]

Bull ****!

"Extremists, eh?" The Director says, leaning back in his chair with a smug smile. He finally got Anderson to slip up. And for a moment, he almost decides to call him on it.

But then he thinks twice. Better to play some cards close to the chest.

"That would clear things up. Funny...there hadn't been any chatter about increased extremist activities or threats. I guess you'll just have to up counterintelligence budget. Again."

 

[NiteMare Shape]

Bull ****!

"Extremists, eh?" The Director says, leaning back in his chair with a smug smile. He finally got Anderson to slip up. And for a moment, he almost decides to call him on it.

But then he thinks twice. Better to play some cards close to the chest.

"That would clear things up. Funny...there hadn't been any chatter about increased extremist activities or threats. I guess you'll just have to up counterintelligence budget. Again."

"That's where you're wrong D. There has been quite a bit of chatter recently. In fact, all the relevent agencies have been made well aware of the threat. Didn't you get the memo?" Anderson says, snickering to himself.

 

[wiegeabo]

The Director leans back in his chair. "You know how it is, Alex. You shoot the back nine with the head of Homeland Security, and they forget to tell you things."

"Listen Alex, I don't want to keep you any longer from your important work. So I'll let you get back to it. Thanks for clearing things up for me."

 

[NiteMare Shape]

The Director leans back in his chair. "You know how it is, Alex. You shoot the back nine with the head of Homeland Security, and they forget to tell you things."

"Listen Alex, I don't want to keep you any longer from your important work. So I'll let you get back to it. Thanks for clearing things up for me."

"Always glad to help D, now if you'll excuse me I have some file that I need to review by tonight. I'm sure I'll be talking to you later." Anderson says before hanging up the phone.

 

[Rain Dog]

Pierce flashes the badge and gives Madlove a courteous nod.

"Sergeant Nick Pierce, Major Case Squad. This is my associate, Edward Cayce."

I nod, but remain neutral in my posture and face. Funny, Madlove doesn't really look liked I expected him to. I guess I was thinking more Jim Jones or David Koresh vibe. This guy has more of a Gary Glitter or New York Dolls kind of look to him.

"We had some questions about the murder of Joe Dante. Shouldn't take too much of your time."

"Murder?" I said, my smile morphing into a concerned frown, "Why, I'd be happy to answer anything that would help your investigation, officer."

 

[Byrd Man]

"Murder?" I said, my smile morphing into a concerned frown, "Why, I'd be happy to answer anything that would help your investigation, officer."

"We have it on good authority that you knew the departed," Pierce says. "They told us he was a member of your...."

"Church," I say with a smirk. "His parents told us that they had been attempting to contact Mr. Dante for some time, but you wouldn't allow any kind of outside contact. Any truth to that?"

 

[Rain Dog]

"We have it on good authority that you knew the departed," Pierce says. "They told us he was a member of your...."

"Church," I say with a smirk. "His parents told us that they had been attempting to contact Mr. Dante for some time, but you wouldn't allow any kind of outside contact. Any truth to that?"

"Our doors are open to everyone and our members are allowed to see who they wish. I don't understand why they'd make such claims. Some sort of miscommunication, perhaps?"

 

[Byrd Man]

"Our doors are open to everyone and our members are allowed to see who they wish. I don't understand why they'd make such claims. Some sort of miscommunication, perhaps?"

"I always thought lack of communication from the outside helps in places like this. You know, makes it easier to brainwash someone when they don't have any outside opinions and ideas confusing them with your rhetoric."

"How long have you been running a cult, Reverend?"

 

[Rain Dog]

"I always thought lack of communication from the outside helps in places like this. You know, makes it easier to brainwash someone when they don't have any outside opinions and ideas confusing them with your rhetoric."

"How long have you been running a cult, Reverend?"

"A cult?! I am offended, officer. This is a legitimate religious institution! Now, if you meant to ask me how long I have headed this Church, the answer would be a little over a year. The Church is young, that I will grant you, but that is no excuse to insult ideas and beliefs we hold dear."

 

[Byrd Man]

"A cult?! I am offended, officer. This is a legitimate religious institution! Now, if you meant to ask me how long I have headed this Church, the answer would be a little over a year. The Church is young, that I will grant you, but that is no excuse to insult ideas and beliefs we hold dear."

"Right. Every other community church is on a half dozen FBI, ATF, and NSA watch lists and have been accused of crimes from drug smuggling to gun running. Quite a church, right, Cayce? Can I get an amen?"

"Amen, my brother."

"Tell me, reverend, where were you last Thursday, between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am?"

 

[Rain Dog]

"Right. Every other community church is on a half dozen FBI, ATF, and NSA watch lists and have been accused of crimes from drug smuggling to gun running. Quite a church, right, Cayce? Can I get an amen?"

"Amen, my brother."

"Tell me, reverend, where were you last Thursday, between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am?"

I lean back in my chair with a scowl. Arrogant little creatures. Making a mockery of my Empire. I take a brief moment to calm myself before replying.

"I was in my quarters. Retired for the evening."

 

[Byrd Man]

I lean back in my chair with a scowl. Arrogant little creatures. Making a mockery of my Empire. I take a brief moment to calm myself before replying.

"I was in my quarters. Retired for the evening."

"Can anyone corroborate your story? Friends, followers, maybe even a special lady?"

 

[Rain Dog]

"Can anyone corroborate your story? Friends, followers, maybe even a special lady?"

I smirk.

"But of course. A Ms. Stacy Tinton, resisiding in the Gadsbury apartment complex just a few blocks south of here."

 

[Byrd Man]

I smirk.

"But of course. A Ms. Stacy Tinton, resisiding in the Gadsbury apartment complex just a few blocks south of here."

"Right. We have just a few more questions for you before we get in touch with Ms. Tinton."

"Do you have any powers or abilities?"

"Yeah, we know every other holy man claims to be bestowed with powers by God, but are you among them?"

"You ever helped the blind to see, the lame to walk, and boiled a man alive in a bathtub using telekinesis?"

 

[Rain Dog]

"Right. We have just a few more questions for you before we get in touch with Ms. Tinton."

"Do you have any powers or abilities?"

"Yeah, we know every other holy man claims to be bestowed with powers by God, but are you among them?"

"You ever helped the blind to see, the lame to walk, and boiled a man alive in a bathtub using telekinesis?"

"Boiled a man alive?" I said, raising a brow.

"I am a gifted man, officer. And I have given sight to the sightless and let the lame walk and restored the minds, bodies, and spirits of many. But I'm afraid boiling water with my brain is not among the gifts I have been blessed with."