HF RPG 2.0

[fishers64]

GM IC TRAFEROUS

 

"PUT ME DOWN!" he raged, slugging Thumper in the face. "If I have to run, I am fully capable of doing so with my own legs, and I will not suffer the humilation of being carried!"

 

GM IC 78 EAST

 

The cuffs would go on 78's feet; the villain was still out.

Edited March 8, 2016 by fishers64

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Kat:

 

"Where the heck are we supposed to find something like that?!"

 

IC Striker:

 

"Well, no use standing around, let's get down there, shall we?"

 

IC Kaiba:

 

The Proto hero simply lay, annoyed with all the talk about him as if he were not there.

[Nato G]

IC: Evangeline Weaver - Ruins.

 

With the villain's legs successfully cuffed and the other hero carrying her away from the danger zone, Weaver was free to refocus her attention on the flaming ship. The inferno seemed to be partially extinguished, and a pair of heroes looked to be on their way out of the vessel. 

 

Snatching up her mace, she moved closer to the scene. 

[Onaku]

OOC: Alright, I've probably missed a few posts lately, so is anyone waiting on a post from one of my characters?

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Eloise Thumper - Rude

 

Thumper glanced at the burning floor, at the burning walls, and at the villain, who'd probably make a run for it like he had been once he was outside. The strike didn't hurt her at all, but it sure wasn't a nice gesture. She considered it a few steps further.

 

"Well," she said, "if you didn't want to be embarrassed and get out of this without making yourself look like el bufón, maybe you should have given up earlier, amigo."

 

~

 

IC: Orukam Amayika - With Striker

 

Amayika nodded, and followed Striker towards where the Hero Factory once was.

 

~

 

OOC: Before I reply with Gyro, did Traferous leave the tarp that covered one of his vehicles earlier on the beach?

[fishers64]

IC: Eloise Thumper - Rude

 

Thumper glanced at the burning floor, at the burning walls, and at the villain, who'd probably make a run for it like he had been once he was outside. The strike didn't hurt her at all, but it sure wasn't a nice gesture. She considered it a few steps further.

 

"Well," she said, "if you didn't want to be embarrassed and get out of this without making yourself look like el bufón, maybe you should have given up earlier, amigo."

 

OOC: Before I reply with Gyro, did Traferous leave the tarp that covered one of his vehicles earlier on the beach?

OOC: I don't remember any tarp. Why would Traferous have a tarp in the hangar bay?

 

Also, Thumper is not invulnerable to face punches AFAIK. Post nulled.

Edited March 8, 2016 by fishers64

[FallenCor]

IC Dr. Xaal Drone - Makuhero City Outskirts:

The little machine watched as the Heroes took off, leaving it alone in the alley with nothing more than a skimpy file of information for its master. It remained where it was until the medic's ship was out of view, then backed into the shadows and headed home.

OOC: Pass for all of my other PCs, two of whom are down for the count, and two who are just observing the scene.

[Klanadack]

OOC: Alright, I've probably missed a few posts lately, so is anyone waiting on a post from one of my characters?

OOC: Gorn's waiting for a response from Plume. (Or Var, I guess, since she's there too.)

 

IC: Jason Ferro- Drained

 

His warning ignored, Ferro tried to follow Thumper back into the ship, before realizing that such an act would be pointless. He could hear yelling within the vessel, and it didn't sound like anyone he had heard before... Ferro leaned against part of the ship in order to prop himself up, and drew one of his pistols. If the Titan managed to overcome Thumper, Ferro would blow their head off as they exited the ship. The wound probably wouldn't kill them, but it would give everyone else a chance to escape while the Titan regenerated.

[The UltimoScorp]

OOC: She said it didn't hurt. Not that it didn't affect her.

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

OOC: Thumper is not invulnerable to face punches, but she doesn't really feel pain. In Mission 1, it was "she doesn't feel pain unless it's something really big like a jackhammer to the face and even then it's numbed somewhat", and I've been meaning to change it to none at all after all this stuff is resolved. And to add her wrestling name to her profile.

 

For some reason, I worded it as "high pain tolerance" in her profile, which is pretty confusing but I've definitely played it as, and mentioned it previously as, an immunity to it. As I said, I've been wanting to change it to make it less confusing. Traferous punching her face will give a reaction, in that her head will move slightly with the strike, and if Traferous manages to get enough strength behind a punch thrown from a bridal carry at a heavily armoured person then there might be a dent (she's not immune to damage, after all), but it wouldn't hurt. I think I asked you about it back when I put Thumper up, but that was way back when I was first gunning to join in Mission 1.

 

Oh, and shoot I thought I remembered him pulling some vehicle or something out that was covered by a tarp or a sheet or whatever. Whoops.

[fishers64]

 

IC: Eloise Thumper - Rude

 

Thumper glanced at the burning floor, at the burning walls, and at the villain, who'd probably make a run for it like he had been once he was outside. The strike didn't hurt her at all, but it sure wasn't a nice gesture. She considered it a few steps further.

 

"Well," she said, "if you didn't want to be embarrassed and get out of this without making yourself look like el bufón, maybe you should have given up earlier, amigo."

 

OOC: Before I reply with Gyro, did Traferous leave the tarp that covered one of his vehicles earlier on the beach?

OOC: I don't remember any tarp. Why would Traferous have a tarp in the hangar bay?

 

Also, Thumper is not invulnerable to face punches AFAIK. Post nulled.

 

Alright, post un-nulled let's see what I can do with this. 

 

GM IC TRAFEROUS

 

Traferous elbowed Thumper in the side, tried to swing his legs to get out of the hold, and tried to laser the arm supporting his back. He was very low on energy, but he could not have this. 

OOC: Even if Traferous did have a tarp it would be waterlogged and useless at this point. 

 

GM NPC FURNO

 

Furno ascended the steps, stepping out onto a wrecked hallway and...

 

He looked down. "Zib, I have a present for Mr. Makuro." 

 

GM NPC ZIB

 

"That's not exactly in top condition, Furno, but it might do in a pinch," said Zib. 

 

GM NPC MR. MAKURO

 

Mr. Makuro stood up. "I heard my name mentioned," he said slowly. Then he looked over Furno's find, the assembly tower in the middle of Traferous' ship. "It would have to be refitted."

Edited March 8, 2016 by fishers64

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Eloise Thumper - Dealing With a Child

 

Deciding that dealing with a villain's tantrum in the middle of a burning, about-to-explode room wasn't worth the effort, she adjusted her grip and all but tossed Traferous in front of her. The laser left a scorch on her arm, but it didn't seem to pierce anything. They were nearly out, anyway.

 

"If you try and run away outside, I'm carrying you all the way to your cell," she told him. She wasn't sure what this guy's deal was with being carried, or in general, but she could work with it.

Edited March 9, 2016 by ZippyWharrgarbl

[Nato G]

IC: Saracen Rune - Not Happy.

 

Hearing a laser shot and a muffled voice over the crackle and roar of the flames, he tightened his grip on his rifle and waited to see who or what would come out of the ship's husk first. 

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Timothy Gyro - Airborne

 

"Aw, shoot," he grumbled. "Alright, I got nothing. We could dump sand on it, but I dunno how we're gonna get enough sand... Jeez, this sucks."

 

He turned to Kat. "Best I can figure is to find extinguishers, but we're gonna need a lot. I could use some backup here, I don't wanna look like a moron doing nothing. Got any ideas?"

 

~

 

IC: Wilbur Flood - With Furno

 

He turned away from the vehicle, hearing Furno talking about something upstairs. He climbed up, and stared at the assembly tower.

 

"Well," he said. "I will admit, that was low on my list of things I expected to find in here."

[Voltex]

OOC: Alright, I've probably missed a few posts lately, so is anyone waiting on a post from one of my characters?

 

Pretty sure Rylinth & I are both waiting on Necrissa to make herself known to Uerub/Blink/Focus

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Kat:

 

"Hmm...... a counter burn, maybe? no..... it's not a forest fire..... Heh, maybe we can just turn you upside down and blow the fire out."

[fishers64]

GM IC TRAFEROUS

 

Traferous shoved his way past Thumper, heading back into the engine room through the main door.

[Nato G]

IC: Saracen Rune - Cranky.

 

"What's going on in there?" He shouted, hoping someone would actually reply this time, instead of ignoring him like they had with the comms. He started moving closer to the ship, ready to fight if necessary. 

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

Eloise Thumper - ???

 

"The exit's the other way!" she called after Traferous, confused. Wasn't this his ship?

 

Unfortunately, with her size and Bliss behind her, it would take some manoeuvring to get around him and after Traferous. She was going to attempt to lift Bliss over herself when Rune called from outside.

 

"He ran back in!" she shouted back. "I think he got lost!"

 

~

 

IC: Timothy Gyro - Airborne

 

He laughed. "I'd do that, but I think it'd just make the flames bigger. Maybe we should ask Zib? There might be something on the ship we can use."

 

There was shouting below. What were they up to?

 

~

 

IC: Ken Render - The Astral

 

He climbed on board, still with the organic, though the guy looked terrible. He headed for the medbay. If there wasn't an organic specialist on board, well, he could give it his best shot. The Hero Factory first aid procedures for organics were incredibly basic, but they were better than nothing.

 

OOC: Poor Doctor Lie.

[Nato G]

IC: Saracen Rune - Time to Finish This.

 

"Get out of there!" He flew into the hallway, clinging close to the ceiling in order to glide over Thumper and Bliss, before opening fire at Traferous' fleeing back, "He's mine!" He'd had enough. One way or another, Traferous was not escaping this time. 

[fishers64]

GM IC TRAFEROUS

 

Traferous fled into the engine room, ignoring Saracen's attack. A distant howl told him that it was too late...the engines were already igniting. He ran across the room in five rapid strides, grabbing a giant cabinet door and pulling it open as the engine room lurched forward under the sudden thrust from the engines behind him. His arm held onto the cabinet handle for dear life as his arm hit what was inside, trapping his arm between the cabinet door and the wall.

 

In front of him was part of the ship's massive quaza battery, responsible for running the lights, computers, and everything - except the Assembly Tower, which had its own battery. It had survived the crash because the battery chamber, including the door he had just opened, was insulated by springs and plain insulation against the vibrating engines nearby, and because the ship's owner didn't want the power to go out whenever his ship hit something.

 

 

GM IC ENGINE ROOM (OUTSIDE)

 

The people outside would notice the room itself coming towards them at medium speed. They needed to get out of the way. 

 

On the other side of the engine room in the basement, a huge torrent of hot flame blasted over the rubble, about one-fourth of the way across the basement. The fuel that had dripped into the basement ignited in pools of flame, looking for ships to burn. 

 

---------------------------------------------

 

OOC: Sigh...I expect this one to be controversial. The engines WILL EXPLODE, but they are engines...they move stuff. So I figured that they would ignite where they are supposed to (where the air intake is, duh) before the flames in the fuel lines ignite, thus exploding the thing. 

 

Also they will explode next IC because they will overheat; the cooling systems for both engines are destroyed, and even if they were intact they wouldn't be able to keep up with a fire like that. 

 

Also because this allows Bliss, Thumper, and now Saracen to escape/do whatever before the end.

 

And Traferous knows what he is doing, and them interfering is frustrating him every step of the way. Of note is that Saracen and Thumper will be able to see what Traferous is doing through the open engine room door if they are in front of it, since he didn't have time to close the thing. 

[Nato G]

IC: Saracen Rune - Going Out With a Bang.

 

Even as the remains of the ship began moving in the opposite direction, Saracen didn't slow down, didn't double back, didn't hesitate. He continued straight on towards Traferous, speed increasing with each passing second. He stopped firing, instead raising his feet with the intent to deliver a devastating two-footed kick right to Traferous' chest. 

 

If this ship was going to explode, he intended to make certain that Traferous was still on board when it happened.

 

No matter the cost. 

[fishers64]

GM IC DR. LIE

 

Doctor Lie stumbled out of unconsciousness to find that he was being carried by someone he didn't recognize. "Who are you?" 

[Rylinth Anderfel]

OOC: Yikes, need to post more often...

 

IC: Gabriel Bliss - Echo 2.0?

"We need to get out of here!" he yelled at Thumper, debating whether to follow the villain and insane Hero. No matter how the situation came out, he couldn't justify to himself leaving anyone to die, especially not a comrade. If it had just been the invincible Traferous, he might've acted differently, but he wasn't about to let Rune get blasted to smithereens.

"GO!" he called to Thumper as he charged through the inferno after the others. Finding himself in the smoke-filled main engine room, he began charging light through his free hand and waved it at Traferous and Rune. "Come on! We need to leave, NOW!"

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Dorothy Quark - Space Mum Rescue

 

Quark, instead of getting out of the way, jumped through the doorway and raced towards her teammate.

 

~

 

IC: Eloise Thumper and Dorothy Quark - Space Mum Rescue

 

Flustered and conflicted, Thumper protested, "But I can't leave you all here!"

 

"ELOISE THUMPER I WILL GROUND YOU UNTIL THE END OF THE CENTURY UNLESS YOU GET YOUR METAL BEHIND OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT."

 

Thumper turned, surprised, as Quark stomped towards her. Even through the speaker Quark used when we helmet was up, the voice was so commanding and strong that she stumbled along without a second thought when Quark grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the doorway. Quark yanked Thumper after her; they hit the ground running. The space-modded team leader pulled Thumper again, this time out of the way of the ship, and both managed to get clear of the ship as it passed.

 

Quark turned a furious, steely eye to Thumper. She said, "You are in so much trouble once I stop feeling relieved we made it out."

 

"There's people still in there, Quark," Thumper insisted. "They all ran back inside!"

 

"Then they're fools, and if they've got half a mind between them, they'll get clear," Quark said firmly. "You're not going back."

 

"But-"

 

"No buts!"

 

~

 

IC: Ken Render - Astral

 

"Ken," he said with half a smile. "Ken Render. I'm a Hero, my teammate Ellie Thumper got you outta the flamin' wreck that hunk of ship turned into and handed you over. I'm takin' you to the medbay. What's yer name, pardner?"

Edited March 9, 2016 by ZippyWharrgarbl

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Kat:

 

"Ship's big enough, probably could just land it on the fire......"

 

IC Striker:

 

"This is Striker to Hero Factory, can anyone hear me? Is anyone still out there?"

 

IC Jade:

 

Jade yawned inside her ship as she finished welding a patch over the hole a certain someone had cut into the ship.

 

"That should hold, she muttered, as her flight visor depolarised.

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Timothy Gyro - Not Really Helping

 

He gave a start as the thing started moving. "Aw, jeez! The thing's engines powered up! We'd better get outta the way of the shockwave when it blows!"

 

He'd seen someone disappear into the ship, but there wasn't anything he could do about that. If the engines were firing, the thing would be exploding very, very soon.

 

He growled, "Some help we were, huh? Them sendin' us out here with nothin' to fight. C'mon, let's move towards the basement. I see more smoke from the hole, and they got some big fire hoses in there. If they still work, pouring on water won't do much, but a high pressure hose dousing it should do the trick."

 

It was up to Scarlet's imagination whether or not Gyro knew so much about putting out fires from extensive personal experience.

[fishers64]

GM IC TRAFEROUS

 

Traferous ignored the light and moved to the Saracen's left, taking a glancing blow from Saracen's kick as he absorbed the quaza battery into his form and changed the composition of his form to almost pure depleted anti-quaza, exchanging that with his pocket dimension as he put the other quaza there. He did not allow his mind or the mental energy ring to come into contact with the substance, as that would turn him evil and quite possibly insane, leaving a visible black blob in the middle of a solid anti-quaza block. 

 

Orginally Traferous had planned to put his form in the battery case in such a way, allowing him to survive the blast while absorbing energy. But seeing Bliss trying to save Rune changed his plans - instead, when he became antiquaza, he turned into a solid wall of dead transparent red rock, moving every last particle he had of the substance between the two Heroes and the engines as they exploded. 

 

Flames and shock raced through Dr. Lie's room and Adam West's prison, blasting everything to smithereens. A few paintings and a manniquin head, scorched, hit the ground. Behind Traferous, the engines blasted sky high, destroying a huge chunk of the engine control room with them.

 

But behind the rock wall, Bliss would feel nothing but a shockwave that might knock him off his feet if he was on the ground. The rock in front of him glowed white hot and sparked, and if both Heroes were any condition to notice it, they would. 

 

It was then that Traferous' mind left the antiquaza for the safety of his pocket dimension. From there, he could feel the anti-quaza energy flowing through the dimensional barrier into his depleted quaza reserves. He would still be able to fight for months, maybe even years if he was careful. It was not much of any consolation.

 

For that was a property of the stone called anti-quaza - it absorbed energy from the environment, whether from quaza or other sources. Fully depleted, it would absorb anything to get up to full power. Including the energy of an explosion. 

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

OOC: This might be a confusing post to read, so I'll break it down. 

 

1) Traferous slides to the left a bit, taking a painful hit from Saracen's kick.

2) Traferous absorbs the quaza into his form and exchanges it for anti-quaza, then continues the exchange, turning himself into anti-quaza and pulling as much of the rock he can to build a barrier from floor to ceiling in between the the two heroes and the blast. His mind is not housed in the anti-quaza, because that would drive him evilly insane (think Adam West, only much worse). 

3) The engines explode.

4) Traferous' mind leaves the anti-quaza to avoid it being overloaded with anti-quaza energy as a precaution, leaving him unaware of the real world for now, except for the energy flow from the rock. 

 

Why Traferous does this instead of letting Saracen & Bliss die will be revealed next post. It's very in-character for him at this point, but he's not going to have time to ruminate on it in this post. Also, despite this, this battle is, in fact, over, and you've won, guys. Congratulations. 

 

Finally, I didn't have time to put this in the above - all of the walls in the engine room are blasted to smithereens, except for the one behind Traferous' wall from the blast, the back wall of the engine room. So it's plausible that some of the Heroes on the outside can see the whole thing - I'm thinking of Gyro and Katherine - if they are not facing the back wall of the engine room directly, and even then, it's a two minute walk. 

 

Quizzical expressions and objections allowed. 

[Nato G]

OOC: Well, there goes my ill-conceived plan for Saracen sacrifice himself to destroy Traferous once and for all. 

 

Guess I'll save that one for another time. 

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

Also, despite this, this battle is, in fact, over, and you've won, guys. Congratulations.

 

OOC: *Loud cheering as Mechna disappears into a giant portal in the distance*

[Onaku]

OOC: Gorn's waiting for a response from Plume. (Or Var, I guess, since she's there too.)

Pretty sure Rylinth & I are both waiting on Necrissa to make herself known to Uerub/Blink/Focus

OOC: Well, regarding Uerub/Blink/Focus, I was expecting you guys to actually start, idk, searching? Uerub is currently on the rooftop scouting for signs of life, and I expected the two of you to start searching the barren 'ghost-town'.

 

And as for Gorn, well, yeah, my bad, I'll get on replying to that.

 

IC: Var Vicious & Andrea Plume

^{Location: Battlefield of Glory's Ruin}

"Looks like we won't be needing that dropship after all." Var commented as she looked upon the exploding engine room. "I'm pretty sure our enemy was in there. So if that explosion didn't do the trick, I don't think an exploding dropship would either."

 

"Fair enough. But since that's that problem taken care of, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you into custody now." Andrea created a javelin in her hand, hoping the villain in front of her would be sensible enough not to take on her and another hero at the same time.

 

Var turned to Andrea, and then started laughing. "You're trying to arrest me? Please, I'll grant you the courtesy of letting you walk away unharmed after saying that, but do anything beyond that, and I won't hesitate to cut you down, droid." Var took out her lightsaber, and lit it.

[Klanadack]

IC: Wilhelm Gorn- Ruins

 

Gorn ignited his blade as well, putting it between Var and Plume.

 

"Don't."

[Rylinth Anderfel]

Pretty sure Rylinth & I are both waiting on Necrissa to make herself known to Uerub/Blink/Focus

OOC: Gorn's waiting for a response from Plume. (Or Var, I guess, since she's there too.)

OOC: Well, regarding Uerub/Blink/Focus, I was expecting you guys to actually start, idk, searching? Uerub is currently on the rooftop scouting for signs of life, and I expected the two of you to start searching the barren 'ghost-town'.

 

OOC: What exactly are we looking for then?

 

IC: Gabriel Bliss - ???

Bliss knew it was all over when the engine finally blew, but then...

He opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground, completely unharmed, albeit a little shaken, staring up at a wall made of pure anti-quaza, glowing and crackling with the energy of the blast. He looked over at Rune. "What just happened?"

 

IC: Alex Drift and Cobra Shard - Even More ???

Shard jumped and yelled something indistinguishable when the wreck exploded. Drift had simply taken cover behind a large piece of Factory rubble and now cautiously poked his head around the corner to see two Heroes and a wall left mysterious un-'sploded.

 

OOC: Man, just when I thought Bliss was going to go out in a blaze of glory.

[Nato G]

IC: Saracen Rune - Wreckage.

 

"Aw, I..." he sat up, his legs aching from the failed kick, "...uh, I'm not sure." 

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Timothy Gyro - Incoherent Screaming

 

He'd started off for the basement when the thing blew. He gave a startled cry as his namesakes struggled to help him steady. He steadied himself quickly, and looked down. He pointed. "Hey, Kat, check it out!"

 

~

 

IC: Eloise Thumper and Dorothy Quark - Near Explosion

 

They'd gotten clear of the explosion, but it was still an impressive sight. Thumper, concerned, approached the wreck, Quark right beside her.

 

"Looks like the other Heroes are all right," Quark said gruffly. "Assuming that's all of them."

 

"Yeah, I think so," said Thumper. "But where's the villain? There's only this big wall here."

 

"Don't touch it," she warned before Thumper could even think to do so. "Looks like anti-Quaza."

 

"Oh! Okay." Thumper wasn't really sure what anti-Quaza did, but when Quark said not to touch something, there was usually a reason. She instead looked to the Heroes. "That was lucky! Where'd the villain go, though?"

Edited March 10, 2016 by ZippyWharrgarbl

[Vestak]

IC: Ruby

 

Ruby hears a loud, albeit muffled explosion.  Dust falls from the rubble above her.  "Hey Splint, what was that?"

[fishers64]

 

Also, despite this, this battle is, in fact, over, and you've won, guys. Congratulations.

OOC: *Loud cheering as Mechna disappears into a giant portal in the distance*

 

OOC: Not THAT battle lol. 

 

OOC: Well, there goes my ill-conceived plan for Saracen sacrifice himself to destroy Traferous once and for all. 

 

Guess I'll save that one for another time. 

OOC: I'd be happy to let him die, but it's not IC for that character. Same for Bliss, unfortunately. 

 

GM IC TRAFEROUS (NOT IN THE "REAL" WORLD)

 

The body of Traferous existed in a world of white, a universal blank. There was no air to breathe - not that Traferous needed any - just a giant glowing quaza block in front of him. There was some organic mass in a vault of sorts, some metal mass plates stacked in a row, and some parts and weapons lying around, the last remains of the robots he absorbed back on Tranquis. The cell that once contained him in villain storage was mostly gone, although Traferous had kept the forcefield tech intact for study. Possibly he could replicate it - the idea of a personal forcefield had some appeal. 

 

Soon he would have to return to the real world, the world where he had just lost his ship and saved two Heroes' lives. A wash of mental pain ran through him, as he realized that he would pay for his actions, that he could not just destroy the Hero Factory without suffering loss. He had been acting dumbly. For him, the Hero Factory was nothing, so he hadn't thought of destroying it as anything. But now he realized that the Factory mattered to the Heroes enough to kill him over it. Or destroy something that belonged to him in revenge.

 

His ship. His beloved, prize ship. He would have cried on the dimensional floor, if he could cry. It makes sense. Never mind that he was caught in the middle and didn't care. Are you really a villain, Traferous? Is that how you want to go out? "The guy who destroyed Hero Factory?"

 

NO.

 

Well, not really. It would make a nice half-truth to get the conspiracy to leave him alone, but...well...exactly. That was the whole point.

 

GM IC THE TRANSPORTATION FEDERATION (MECHRON CITY)

 

The five board members of the Transportation Federation, Traferous' second in command, and a few other top executives sat on the top floor in a small conference room, comprising the whole leadership. Originally, they had met to toast the demise of the Hero Factory and nervously make plans for a post-Hero Factory world, but now they were drinking the champagne for the alcohol content instead of the taste, sitting in sullen silence. 

 

Three screens in front of them flickered. One showed the destruction of Hero Factory. One showed the battle that had been going on, captured by distant media drones. Daniela Capricorn broke in, excitedly giving updates about how the heroes were still alive and about to capture the villain - the villain - that had destroyed Hero Factory. But none of them heard her - the TV was on mute and scrolling subtitles. 

 

The third screen showed footage from Traferous' ship in the minutes before it went down. Traferous casually taking potshots at the Factory, but Mr. Vyle firing the weapon that had destroyed both parties' homes.

 

What was no doubt playing through everyone's mind was a speech Traferous had given after his transformation. Many of them had watched it over and over again.

 

Hello everyone. As you can see, I'm not dead yet. I'm not even ill. But given what I have to tell you here today, I wish that I were merely ill or dead. In my own mind, I have become something perhaps far worse. 

 

I have made a mistake. The expieriment that the Hero - the former Hero - Von Ness had asked me to perform was a mistake. For what little it is worth, I apologize for my actions leading into this situation, for the damage to the lab and damage, ultimately, to myself. I acted in ignorance, but that is not an excuse. 

 

Some of you have learned that I had been ill, dying and coming back to life. That is not strictly true. My mind is moving between here and another dimension. It is small, and it is not a hazard to me. But I also find that I can change myself into other forms of matter that I know. I have been given power, power beyond what even a Hero may know of. 

 

If the Hero Factory knows that I have this power, they will brand me a villain. But I, Traferous, am not a villain. I am a civilian like all of you. And I do not want to use this power for evil. I want to use it for good, just as they do. I suspect that I will be misunderstood, and I am willing to accept the risk. 

 

But I will not force you to accept that risk as well. I started the Transportation Federation for this reason: to provide reliable transportation to all beings in the galaxy, fair, honest, and trustworthy, not like the others in the galaxy who would steal half of your cargo or overcharge, or check your bank account before letting you ride. I refuse to undercut this company's reputation by whatever I decide to do personally with my abilities. 

 

Tomorrow, this company will hold a vote. If more than 20% of this company wants me to leave, I will resign my post. If you choose to stay with me, if I become a villain, you will fire me from this company. You will not support me as a villain. This is not, and will not ever be, a villainous organization. 

 

Thank you for listening.

 

The next day, the vote to keep Traferous was unanimous.  

[Nato G]

IC: Saracen Rune - Enough is Enough.

 

"Hey!" He rose unsteadily to his feet, battered legs barely able to support him, "Stop hiding!" He cradled his rifle, hammering the stock against the shimmery wall of crystalline rock, "I know you're in there! Come out and answer for what you've done, you piece of filth!" 

 

This shapeshifting scum had done more damage in a shorter period of time than any other villain Saracen knew of. He had to pay, for all of it. Everyone ruined life, every destroyed structure, everything. "You slaughtered those police on Mechron, destroyed my home, killed who knows how many innocents? So many of my friends..." He lowered his rifle, arms shaking with rage. "Show yourself!" 

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Eloise Thumper and Dorothy Quark - Smouldering Wreck

 

Thumper stepped into the mess. Quark didn't stop her, though she kept a wary eye on Rune with a hand on her blaster. The larger Hero approached Rune until she was close enough to touch him, when she rested a hand on his shoulder and tried to turn him away from the wall.

 

"It's over," she said. "We're Heroes, not killers. And killing that villain won't do you any good."

[Rylinth Anderfel]

OOC: I'd be happy to let him die, but it's not IC for that character. Same for Bliss, unfortunately. 

 

 

OOC: Ah, you don't like him either? 

Seriously, I think I might just make villains from now on. Playing all these Heroes is starting to get on my nerves...