To Save The World!

[Korkoa]

IC: Plasmafire grinned as he saw Fade take to the air, and cracked his knuckles. "Oooh, it's been awhile since I flew..." He muttered, grinning. He clenched his fists, and his body burst into flame. He jumped into the air and created a small explosion underneath him, propelling himself up and out, using control of his flame for to fly straight to the rooftop Fade was currently waiting on.

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:The assembled group made good time across the city, and eventually they arrived at the hidden lab of The Technician. The building had changed a little since Fade had seen it last; the entire property had been fenced off with barbed wire, and police armed with riot gear patrolled the premises. There were even a few superheroes on guard - although Fade didn't think he recognized any of them - in case of more extraordinary threats.Fade entered through a broken skylight, moving towards the entryway to the lair below. A metal gate had been placed over the entrance, which an armed guard slid aside as they approached. Fade peered over the edge and down the shaft, the bottom not even visible in the darkness."Welp... Down we go, everyone!" Fade said, fixing his grappling hook to the side of the shaft and rapeling down the side.[For Science!]

[Chalcon Crunch]

IC: "I'm sorry... It's all gone..." The young man sat back, sighing. "I don't even know who I am, ma'am."

[Korkoa]

IC: Plasmafire whistled as he looked down into the hole. "Yep, that's a deep one..." He smiled and held his arms out in front of him, diving into the darkness. After just a moment, he fell past Fade, then ignited his body, effectivly slowing his fall and providing a light down deeper into the shaft.

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:Feeling a rush of heat as Plasmafire ignited further down the slope, Fade continued to slide down towards the bottom of the shaft. As he neared the bottom he unfurled his glider, using the updrafitt from Plasmafire's flames to slow his fall. Fade touched down on the bottom level, tugging at his grappler to.retract it.Fade turned, getting his first good look at the lab in months by the dim light of Plasmafire's glow. Simply put, the place was a wreck. It hadn't exactly been tidy when he'd seen it last, but at least it was intact. Entire sections of the roof had caved in, whole rooms were buried in rubble. Fade wasn't exactly surprised; all of New York City was more or less in this condition after the Technax invasion. The fighting above must had shaken loose some vital support, and half the lab had home with it."God, this place is just a mess," Fade said casually kicking a chunk of concrete against the side of a gutted exosuit. The resulting claaang resounded across the lab quite satisfyingly. "Let's see what's still intact, maybe get some lights on."---Mystic did her best to contain her disappointment. This was her first real lead on this case in months; she'd practically given up on it by this point. And now he still couldn't remember anything. Still, Mystic tried to remain optimistic. He could remember some things, so the rest might just buried in there... somewhere..."That's okay. You've just woken up, you haven't had a chance to exercise your mind," Mystic said. She tried to give him a friendly smile, just to be encouraging, but for all she knew it just came across as forced. "Let's start things simple. Just try and tell me everything you do remember. It doesn't have to be anything important, doesn't have to have anything to do with this case. Even if it's just something like a really nice breakfast you had once or a movie you liked, feel free to share it. Just try and focus on those memories, and maybe it'll help you remember other things."[For Science!]

[Korkoa]

IC: Plasmafire whistled through his teeth as he saw the run down lair. "Geez louise, a supervillain actually had his base here?" He shook his head and held up a hand, forming a fist sized ball of plasma and tossing it upwards, lifting it untill it was almost at the ceiling. "Nobody look at that," He announced loudly, "It's essentially a miniaturized sun. I basicly use them as lamps.

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:"Well... last time I was in here, it had more of a... well, a ceiling. I'd guess that the fighting on the surface must have knocked loose a support around thereish, and the rest just kinda dominoed," Fade said. He looked over what had once been an intricate assassin bot; now it was just a pile of scrap under a chunk of stone. "Well, most of this stuff we can just classify as junk right off the bat. Makes our job a lot easier. On the other hand, this collapse might have reactivated some systems we don't know about, so keep an eye out."[For Science!]

Edited November 25, 2011 by Chronicler of Ko-Koro

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

IC: Meanwhile, in the lounge at the League HQ, a solitary, comfortably seated figure flipped a page in his newspaper. The man was, by no means, a superhero - he wasn't, in fact, a superanything. No, he was, compared to anyone else who might frequent the base, your average Joe, whose life had, for the most part, featured a distinct lack of magic fireballs, flying people, and the ilk.In the eyes of anyone on the outside, though? Just one step down from a superhero - or, depending on your daily intake of conspiracy theories, supervillain. Mr. No-One had, after the rescue from a CoC prison, stuck along with the League, telling them, quite truthfully, that his employers at the CIA wanted him to stick around with the League and just observe. Vague comments about zoning laws and what they had to say regarding what could legally be considered paramilitary organizations were included, and may or may not have influenced the decision to let him stick around.He had to admit, though, that while the League was outwardly cooperative, he didn't exactly have the run of the base - some areas, the sort of things that weren't so much talked about in hushed tones as they were never talked about in his presence, were closed off to him. Not that he didn't get to observe interesting things without being able to peek into every nook and cranny. From what he had seen so far, the League was well-organized, if a bit less than strict. Difficult to infiltrate, for certain.Oh, also, their coffee was fantastic. The spook took another sip, and read on, waiting for any news that might require him to do a bit more than just observing. Though it didn't strictly fit his job description, Mr. No-One was almost looking forward to going toe-to-toe with some of the shattered remnants of the Coalition, and maybe, if the superheroes weren't watching, give one or two of them a small taste of what they had done to him.

[Korkoa]

IC: Plasmafire nodded and gingerly began making his way through the wreckage. After kicking aside a few loose stones he turned to look at Fade. "So... Are we looking for anything specific down here, or just shopping?"

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:"At the moment, consider this a strictly fact-finding exercise. The Technician was possibly the maddest genius of a long line of mad geniuses. His son works for the League now, and even he can't tell us all the things this guy was planning," Fade explained. "For all we know there's a giant killer robot or nuclear bomb waiting to activate down here, and we've just been incredibly lucky it hasn't happened yet. We're here to look for anything suspicious..."Fade's voice trailed off as he gazed upon the far wall. The last time he'd been here there had been a massive bank of computers covering the wall, but a chunk of falling masonry had torn them loose. A jagged hole had been torn through the wall behind it, revealing an otherwise undisturbed tunnel vanishing into darkness."...Kinda like that. So, inside the hidden lab is... another, better hidden lab," Fade muttered. "Wanna go find out what so's dangerous The Technician didn't even trust it in his secret lair?"[For Science!]

Edited November 25, 2011 by Chronicler of Ko-Koro

[Rumpelstiltskin]

IC: (NPC)

Coalition HQ, Arctic Circle34 days after the invasion

The central council chamber of the Coalition of Corruption’s latest headquarters was an impressive affair. The cylindrical room stretched up three stories, balconies lining the full circumference of its shining metallic walls. On the ground floor, hundreds of chairs sat on a slanted floor, looking like nothing more than a high-tech theater. At the center of the room, a circular platform stood five feet high, with a smaller platform crowning it. The entire room revolved around that platform, where the leaders of the Coalition would address their followers.From atop one of the aforementioned balconies, Mr. Mystery gazed down at five Coalition members gathered around the central platform. They had been summoned here at his command, and waited dutifully for him to make an appearance. Or, at least, they gave the appearance of being dutiful. He knew that each possessed a different degree of loyalty to the Coalition, had different reasons for being part of their great organization. As he waited for Grand Cross to arrive, Mr. Mystery mentally evaluated each Villain standing below him.Dressed in his multicolored suit, with a helmet and ribbed cape that gave him the appearance of an overgrown bat, Typhoon was one of the more loyal of the group. He was a skilled aerokinetic, adept at flying and aerial combat. Mr. Mystery knew he could be trusted to follow his orders; he was loyal to Coalition, regardless of who controled it.Standing beside Typhoon was a renegade Coalition member known as Cosmarul, the Romanian word for ‘Nightmare.’ His suit certainly fit the name – he wore a black jumpsuit under a suit of golden brown armor. The armor was more for decoration than practicality; it had a predominantly skeletal design, arching around his body in rib-like bands. His face was completely obscured by a black cloth headpiece, over which he wore a helmet shaped like a gaping maw. Though most of the Coalition only knew that his very presence made them uneasy, Mr. Mystery was able to sense other SuperHuman’s powers, and so he knew the truth of Cosmarul’s fearsomeness. The Romanian had the ability to manipulate a person’s subconscious, allowing him to implant thoughts that seemed as natural as the target’s own, and could alter a person’s emotions with little to no effort. He could be trusted to a degree, Mr. Mystery knew, if only until he had his own personal interests to attend to.Cosmarul was locked in a staring contest with another fearsome member of the Coalition known as Fated Shadow. His supersuit was simple and featureless; the body, gloves, boots, and mask were all colored a dusky black, with a small strip of color where his eyes were exposed. Unlike Cosmarul, Mr. Mystery could not riddle out Fated Shadow’s powers; his ability to sense the powers of others was linked to Omega Radiation, and the source of Fated Shadow’s powers was not Omega Radiation-based. He knew that his powers were linked to shadows, however; even in the brightly lit council chamber, shadows clung to him, making him difficult to discern. He could also bring the darkest elements of a person’s personality to the forefront of their mind, making him as unnerving as Cosmarul. Mr. Mystery knew that a sort of rivalry had formed between the two, as their powers were so similar in affecting surrounding persons. In fact, between his dark telepathy and Cosmarul’s ambient frightening powers, the other three Coalition members were highly nervous and tried their best to avoid the two rival Villains. Fated Shadow's loyalty was questionable; he had worked for a different crime syndicate until he had determined that the Coalition was a more powerful organization. It was quite possible that he could change his alleigance again if he believed that he had received a better offer.Perhaps most out of place of the group, Hivemind stood in the center, idly fidgeting with her orange sunglasses and doing her best to look like she wasn’t there. A geneticist by profession and at best a Villain on the outskirts of the Coalition, she could hardly be considered one of the Coalition’s finest. But with her ability to transform into a swarm of insects, she was perfect for Mr. Mystery’s assignment, and could easily be threatened into doing his bidding.And last but not least, there was Scarlet. Mr. Mystery smiled when he saw her; she was beautiful, dressed as she was in a scarlet-colored supersuit that was equally an elegant dress and a practical skintight suit. A shawl-like cape was draped over her shoulders, and she managed to keep her confident bearing despite the psychic tension between Cosmarul and Fated Shadow. Her powers of inorganic molecular disintegration and tactile telepathy made her a formidable opponent, and her undying loyalty to Mr. Mystery and Mr. Mystery alone made her the only person in the entire Coalition that he fully trusted.Mr. Mystery’s pondering was interrupted as Grand Cross strode into the chamber, the way he carried himself making it clear that he was above whoever else was present. With an amused shake of his head, Mr. Mystery warped himself down to where his fellow Coalition founder stood, eyeing the Villains gathered at their order.“Ah, good, you’re all here,” Grand Cross said after giving an acknowledging nod to Mr. Mystery. “We were afraid some of you would be too…preoccupied to attend.”“What my associate means is that the Coalition has been stretched a bit thin lately,” Mr. Mystery added. “Something that we are hoping that the five of you will be able to help with.”“How may we be of service?” Scarlet asked, her voice as silken as her long brown hair.“I have noticed that, over the course of the past few years, the Coalition has seen a rapid decrease in activity,” Mr. Mystery stated. “Veterans retiring or disappearing. Members who have been at the forefront of our exploits falling by the wayside. New recruits slipping away from us without our notice.“Even before Doctor Danger’s unfortunate suicide, our glorious Coalition had fallen on hard times. Many of our oldest and most dedicated members turned to their own agendas, forsaking their places among our ranks for personal matters. But the good Doctor’s death was what truly crippled the Coalition. Even we, the founders of the Coalition, were so disheartened that we allowed the Coalition to slide into obscurity for a time.”Grand Cross harrumphed. “The point we are trying to make is, a good percentage of the Coalition is scattered, divided, unaware that we have brought the Coalition back together. We have managed to contact those members who were still loyal enough to keep an ear out for rumors of our return, but far too many Coalition members decided to move on. We have never tolerated a Coalition member leaving our ranks; now is far from the time to start allowing it.”Mr. Mystery nodded. “Indeed, it is time to reach out to the fallen members of the Coalition and bring them back into our ranks. Manchine, Kuroari, Whiplash, Tornado, to name a select few; they must all be found and forced to return to us. Until we can regain our vast membership, the Coalition will be unable to regain our former glory.“We have chosen the five of you for this assignment, as your unique abilities are best suited for seeking out the various SuperVillains we wish to see part of our organization again.”“Actually, if I may just inject my own opinion here, I’m hardly suited for a job like this,” Hivemind interrupted nervously. “I’m a geneticist, not a personnel manager. Everyone else here is a Coalition vet; I haven’t done much to warrant such an important mission. Maybe there’s someone else who you could have take my place…?”Mr. Mystery chuckled. “I think anyone who can singlehandedly take out an Inferno Walker is more than capable of handling this mission,” he said reassuringly.“Um, yeah, I guess, but…”“Or, of course, if you refuse, I could always reevaluate your contributions to the Coalition’s genetic science branch,” Mr. Mystery said, his voice taking on a sinister tone. “It would be a shame if we would have to cut your funding, wouldn’t it?”Hivemind bit her lip, partially indignant, partially frightened. “I suppose I can manage it,” she murmured.“Does anyone else wish to voice their concerns about this mission?” Grand Cross asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at each Coalition member in turn. A mixture of blank stares and subtle head-shaking met his gaze. “Good.”"What happens if they don't want to come back to the Coalition?" Typhoon asked."If that is the case, kill them," Grand Cross said offhandedly. "Let it serve as a lesson to all that the Coalition will not allow its members to ignore the laws of its founders.""This is not a license to kill whoever you are sent after, however," Mr. Mystery added. "We would be most displeased if that were the case.""And how, might I ask, would you know the difference?" Cosmarul asked, his soft, raspy voice laced with a Romanian accent.“Oh, we have our ways of finding out," Mr. Mystery said slyly. "We know which ones of you are loyal to us and which of you aren’t…even if you think you have us fooled. So, please don’t attempt to usurp or backstab us. Together we still may not be as smart as Doctor Danger was, but trust me when I say that we’re at least twice as cunning, and a lot more imaginative when it comes to painful methods of execution…”~Lord Rahl~

Edited November 25, 2011 by Lord Rahl

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

Kaname had followed by his own means from that HQ following Fade and the Fire guy(He didnt get his name) then soon got into a hole and into the Lab.Kaname looked at every single detain of the Lab, even though it was damaged to a certain point, He still found alot of interest in everything he saw. "This place was a lab huh? huh, this, 'Technician' guy, he was certainly smart enough to make this this far down...I like it." Kaname saw the jagged hole after Fade mentioned it, Smiling, Kaname said, "Well, good thing that you found that, maybe we'll find something that works."Kaname had his own reasons for all of this, if he could collect the Data from this place, he'll find out alot of stuff...unless it's something encrypted. "Oh, just make sure that if we need power, dont let me put too much into it."

[King Joe]

IC: "I'm cool with you coming along, but I'm not officially League yet. You'll have to ask Trillian here if it's okay."

[shadow pridak money gang]

​"Cool with me," the surfer-musician-superhero-entrepreneur said with a grin. "And no, nothing like that."He whipped out a small device and clicked a button, and a Ford Mustang in the parking lot started up."We just drive around here."

[King Joe]

IC: "Eh, driving is slow. Where we going? I'll beat you there. Nice car through."

[shadow pridak money gang]

"We don't all have superspeed," Tilian said with a grin. "A supercharged 5.0 liter is the best I can work with."

[King Joe]

IC: "Technically, I don't have super speed either. I can just turn into light. Actually, I might be able to manipulate the energy in the engine too make it go faster. Let's go!"

[shadow pridak money gang]

Tillian shrugged and hopped over the door into the Mustang."Beats nitrous," he said with a smirk.

[King Joe]

IC: A couple of seconds later, they arrived at the site. "I'll defer to you," said Surge to Tillian, "I don't really know what the League protocol or whatever is."

[shadow pridak money gang]

Tilian got out of the car and shook his hair out of his eyes, which had fallen during the rather quick drive."You two can come in," he said. "You're League allies on this one."

[Korkoa]

IC: Plasmafire raised an eyebrow and whistled as he saw the hole. "Well... We should check that out then." He reached up and called down his plasma orb, sending it slowly down the passageway in front of them. "Let's just see where this goes..."IC: Magneta chuckled at Saosin's comment and pulled out her wallet, flashing him her League membership card. "Saosin, I am League. Have been for a few months now." She stepped foward, approching the station...

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:"Alright, you fellas stay behind me," Fade said. "If there's any traps waiting to go off down there, it seems reasonable the intangible guy should set 'em off first."One of Fade's wristblades snapped forward, gleaming slightly in the glow of the plasma orb. He stepped forward in the corridor, taking account of his surroundings. The tunnel stretched far off into the underground; even with the light Plasmafire was providing they couldn't see all the way to the end. There were small chunks of rubble littering the floor, but for the most part the tunnel was intact. The walls were lined with a dull grey metal - probably a titanium alloy of some sort - and built like the sort of bunker that could survive a nuclear war."The way this was hidden, we'd never had spotted it if the collapse hadn't brought down that wall," Wingman muttered. "We could have gone over every inch of this place and missed it entirely...""Well, The Technician's were pretty paranoid by nature... and used to their plans getting foiled by interfering capes," said Fade. "He must have wanted to make sure no one found this, even if we did manage to uncover his lab."Suddenly, the corridor ended, opening up into a large room. The plasma globe hovered up in the air, casting an orange glow over the chamber and revealing... an enormous machine at the far end of the room. A series of metal rings - groves and patterns set into their surface like circuitry - were inlaid into the wall, each placed further back into the wall, looking almost like a tunnel. In the gaps between the rings even more complex machinery could be seen, as if the true extent of the machine stretched far further back into the underground. Rows of computer banks lined the space between the heroes and the machine, dormant but waiting to receive whatever complex calculations the machine required."Alright... I was not expecting... this thing, whatever it is," said Fade. "Let's... let's just try and figure out what it does... preferably without having to turn it on."[For Science!]

[Korkoa]

IC: Plasmafire gaped at the gigantic machine. "How... How did he manage to build all of this under a city...?" He slowly stepped into the chamber and gingerly walked over to one of the computer banks, keeping his eyes out for any traps...

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:"You know... part of me really doesn't want to know that. I like sleeping at night," Fade muttered. He gazed between the rings at the machinery beyond. "But hold on kids, it gets worse. I know a little about engineering, and something this big needs a massive power source. I'm not seeing one. If I had to guess... I'd say this thing is probably tied right into the New York City power grid."[For Science!]

[Korkoa]

IC: Plasmafire groaned. "So... If we don't take this thing out of here the right ay, we could seriously screw up the city's power... Not to mention this thing could just be waiting for some trigger in the power supply..."

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:"Yeah... that seems like the gist of it. Cut one wrong wire, we might as well have set off a bomb in the middle of Manhattan," Fade said. "Of course, the biggest problem is that we don't actually no what it does. The information is probably on these computers, but for all we know turning one on will be enough to start this thing up... maybe if we can isolate one from the rest of the system, but that'll be tricky..."[For Science!]

[Korkoa]

IC: Plasmafire sighed and shugged, looking helpless. "I don't know the first thing about isolating one of these things... but if you have a plan, I'll follow orders as best I can."

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:"Well, the good news is the computer banks are probably connected to this thing physically. Wireless would just be impractical for these purposes," Fade said. He crouched down low, prying open a panel underneath one computer. "I think I can probably rewire things a bit so that all commands sent out of the computer loop back into itself. Should prevent it from sending an activation signal. Kagame, I'm gonna need your help redirecting the current."[For Science!]

Edited November 27, 2011 by Chronicler of Ko-Koro

[King Joe]

IC: "Cool." With that, Surge entered the building."By the way, you're going to have to show me how to get one of those snazzy cards with my name on it."

[Korkoa]

IC: Magneta chuckled and stuck the card back in her wallet. "Simple. All you gotta do is join the League. They'll tailor fit the card to match any little quirks your power might have, so you shouldn't have to worry about losing it in that energy form you mentioned."

[Rumpelstiltskin]

OOC: Note to all newbies - if you're heading to somewhere that's not just around the block, the League of Salvation has hypersonic League Jets that can get you around the world in less than half the usual time. Not intended for short-distance travel, but they've pretty much become the staple vehicle for the League. Image for those so inclined. :)IC: (NPC)

The Rocky Mountains

37 days after the invasion

Over the course of forty years, the Coalition of Corruption had built hundreds of bases, labs, and facilities across the world, both in plain sight and in intricately hidden locations. Even in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, disguised by a holographic projector, lay a Coalition hangar, a large, open facility designed for tiltrotor storage and, occasionally, as a hideout. Over time the hanger had become forgotten by most, and eventually came to have more permanent residents, who had carved out a network of rooms and hallways deeper into the mountain.The hangar was a large, curved rectangular room, its front wall paneled with thick glass and allowing for a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside. Numerous catwalks crisscrossed near the ceiling, and several Coalition tiltrotors sat idly to the sides. There were other vehicles there as well – smaller, sleeker crafts in various stages of completion, all intended for space travel. A number of NASA space probes were stacked in the corner.As the sun slowly rose on the distant horizon, bathing the hangar with its early morning light, Star sat cross-legged on the floor, meditating. He felt the warmth of the sun on his face as he stared out at the landscape before him, at the hills that sloped gradually down to plains in the distance. There was a serenity about that particular view that warmed his heart, something that made him feel alive. He felt connected to the world around him, felt separated from the life he knew and the family he couldn’t escape. Here, in this moment in time, he felt like he could be himself, not his father’s puppet, not a henchman of the Coalition, but a living, breathing entity with his own thoughts and desires.Star closed his eyes, wondering, not for the first time, if he could make it to the nearest League base before his father knew he was gone. As it always did, the worry followed that it might not do him any good if he did. His father’s wrath would follow him wherever he went, and he wasn’t even sure if the League could hide him if he did decide to run. As an individual, Star was worth nothing to the Coalition. His power was commonplace, his conviction was poor, and his will to help others was focused against them. The only edge that he held was that, in combination with his brothers and sisters, Star could create an energy dome that was all but impenetrable. It was that ability alone that tethered Star to the Coalition, a bond too strong for him to ever hope to break.A small ball of flame appeared in front of him, a miniature replication of the sun slowly rising in the distance. He funneled all of his frustration into that miniature star, and it pulsed brighter as he did. If he had been born to different parents, if his siblings hadn’t been born, if he hadn’t been a superhuman in the first place, if he had left home before his father had inducted them into the Coalition – all the what ifs that plagued him, he fed into that star, until it burned so bright that it seemed to dwarf the sun in comparison. Why had his life turned out this way?As Star realized what he was doing, the star abruptly vanished, an afterimage of its glory left burning in the air for a moment. For a moment he stared at that spot of light in awe, panting slightly after having exerted himself as much as he had. He was dazed as he realized that he had just created, to scale, a replication of a star, not some mere ball of fire in mockery of a true star, but an actual star. A thousand thoughts spun through his head, but he decided that now was not the time to ponder this phenomenon. He knew instinctively that this occurrence had to be kept from his family, or they would find some way to use it against him. Having an ace up his sleeve gave him confidence, and he stood up and started making his way to the dining room, ready to face the day and the challenges it provided.As he opened an automatic door in the back of the hangar, Star found himself face to face with his brother Stare. While at a glance they appeared identical, Stare was paler and shorter than Star, and his intense green eyes were partially obscured behind a pair of square-rimmed glasses. He looked startled, but quickly regained his composure and contemptuous expression. “There you are,” Stare said sternly. “Father’s called us to his study, and as usual, you’re nowhere to be found...” His expression changed slightly as he looked at Star’s face. “You look exhausted. What have you been doing?”“Training with my powers,” Star said casually, brushing past Stare. He didn’t stop to see if Stare bought the lie, but changed the subject just to be safe. “What does Father want, did he say?”“He didn’t want to say until we were all together, but from what I gather it’s urgent. He had a visitor last night.” Stare’s voice held equal parts reverence and fear, a tone reserved for only certain members of the Coalition. Star swallowed hard – he wasn’t a fan of any of those people. “He’s relaying orders from higher up.”“You mean from the founders?” Star asked, looking over his shoulder. Stare nodded. Several members of the Starhood had been present at the Sinful Saloon when Grand Cross and Mr. Mystery had announced that they would be taking control of the Coalition. The fact that the hierarchy of the Coalition had been restored brought a sense of normalcy back to life, though not one that Star enjoyed very much. “Wait, I thought nobody knew where this place was. How did somebody find us?”“Well, let’s just say that he didn’t come here in the conventional method,” Stare said cryptically. “You’ll see what I mean.”The two brothers continued in silence for a moment until the came to two large metal doors inlaid into the stone at the end of the hallway. The doors slid open with a pneumatic hiss as they approached – their father was the only one with a method of accessing his study, and so entry required both his permission and his aid. The doors slid closed behind them as they entered, sealing them into the moderately large stone chamber. A large corkboard lined one wall, blueprints for various devices and vehicles pinned to it and strewn over an oak wood desk set up nearby. There was a high-backed chair sitting behind the desk, and five smaller chairs set in a semicircle in front of it. Three of those chairs were occupied with the other members of the Starhood – Stareo, Start, and Starve – while their father sat with all his imposing presence in the high backed chair opposite them.The Coalition scientist known as Zodiac was an older man whose black hair and goatee were peppered with gray. Still, he looked surprisingly like his five children, and it was easy to see where they had all gotten their black hair and piercing green eyes. Unlike his children, Zodiac was in full costume – a black spandex suit underneath gleaming golden armor, complimented by a black cape and golden helmet. The helmet’s faceplate was modeled after a five-pointed star, with its points stretching up the forehead, over the ears, and across the jawline, where they locked into the rest of the helmet.Standing behind him and slightly to the right was another imposing figure – Cosmarul. The Villain’s mere presence sent a chill up Star’s spine; Cosmarul was famous for unhinging even the most strong-willed of minds, and he reveled in frightening others. He noted that Stare shuddered slightly as well, and felt satisfaction that he wasn’t the only one unnerved by Cosmarul. Even Zodiac didn’t look as composed as he usually did.“Ah, boys, how nice of you to join us,” Zodiac said in a calculated fatherly manner. When his children were concerned, Zodiac was all formality, no emotion; in his eyes, each of his children was a disappointment in one way or another, none of them matching the grand template of himself. Their only worth to him was as a group, not as individuals. “Please, have a seat.”“Good morning, Father,” Star said in a tone that overemphasized the fact that Zodiac hadn’t said the same. He deliberately avoided looking at Cosmarul as he took his place among his siblings. The thought crossed his mind that he was being incredibly rude, but it was so completely against his character that he recognized it as one generated by Cosmarul and suppressed it. It still lingered in the back of his mind, however, taunting him.“Now that you are all here, I believe we can begin,” Zodiac said, glancing nervously at Cosmarul. “Our esteemed guest, Cosmarul, brings news to us directly from Grand Cross and Mr. Mystery. It seems that they are concerned about reestablishing the full might of the Coalition, and are requesting the aid of lesser members in seeking out some members who have fallen by the wayside.” He paused for a moment, then cleared his throat. “I believe our guest should continue, as it is his task he is relaying to you.”Cosmarul stared at Zodiac for a moment, or Star guessed from the angle of his head; Cosmarul’s face was obscured by a black cloth and a helmet shaped like a gaping maw. Zodiac paled slightly, and Cosmarul turned his attention to the Starhood. “The founders are deeply concerned about the whereabouts of Manchine, as he has not been heard from in several months,” he began in a quiet, raspy voice. “He was last seen in the Alpine base that’s destruction was the undoing of the late Doctor Danger. While it is possible that he was killed in that explosion, Mr. Mystery is convinced that he survived by transferring his consciousness into another body.“Manchine is quite possibly the greatest mechanical genius since Doctor Danger, and the founders greatly value his allegiance. There is speculation, if he has survived, that he may have defected. If this is the case, the founders will see to him personally, but in the meantime, I am entrusting the task of locating him to you five.” He paused for a moment, and then added, “Realize that I am delegating this to you merely because I am too busy to do so myself, and that if you fail in any way it will reflect on my judgment. I will not hesitate to exact my revenge should you embarrass me, so I trust that you will do your best to succeed. Am I clear?”“Crystal,” all five members of the Starhood said in unison, shooting nervous glances at each other when they did.“Good.” Cosmarul turned to Zodiac. “I will take my leave now,” he said in an authoritative tone.“Thank you for gracing us with your presence,” Zodiac replied with a smile and a nod, though his eyes held both fear and contempt.It is hard to describe what happened next, as no two people there saw the same thing. Cosmarul seemed to evaporate, to fade out of existence, to explode, to simply disappear, to swirl like water down a drain, and to disappear in a cloud of smoke. There was a general consensus, however, that he was gone.Zodiac let out a relieved sigh. “I don’t normally condone slacking, but I cannot say for certain that I have the nerve to tell Cosmarul to do his own job,” he said, half to himself and half to his children. “I suggest that you find Manchine, and find him quickly, or else this will not end well for any of us.”“Are there any leads as to where he might be?” Stare asked, straightening his glasses."Several, I would assume," Zodiac replied. "I have not been keeping track of mad engineers as of late.""Some machine attacked Miami several days ago," Star suggested. "I didn't catch many of the details, but it caused a lot of destruction before the Tampa Bureau put it down.""I heard of an aberation in some of Technax's forces in France," Start added helpfully. "Seems they stopped right in their tracks during the invasion.""And what about that mechanical crab that broke into Confinement a few months back?" Stareo asked. "Did we ever find out who was behind that?""I can think of several robotics experts who could have designed it," Starve replied in a dark yet silken voice."It's a lead, though," Star argued. "I think we should look into all of these. Let's do some research; see if we can get a lead on whose robot attacked Miami, and also check some records of Confinement and who broke out. Maybe we can find one or two of the escapees and see if they know who built the crab."“If you have decided on your course of action, then you are dismissed,” Zodiac said absently, his attention on a notepad on his desk. He picked up a small remote and pressed a button. The door opened automatically, and the five siblings filed out the door, not daring to stay after their father ordered them to leave.As his siblings rushed ahead, chatting with each other and making plans, Star hung back a few steps and contemplated the events of the morning. He thought about the orders they had received from a chain of madmen, and the possibility of ever escaping the life of a Villain. He thought back to the miniature star he had created, and felt hope for the first time in his life.I will break free, he thought to himself. I have to.OOC: And that would be the last of our preplanned Coalition posts! I hope you enjoyed them. The Coalition is now revived and ready to begin their first plot, which Kumata will begin shortly.In the meantime, I would like to add that my next post will be a surprise 12th post detailing the leadership of the Coalition, wrapping up a little plot twist I've been working on. For those of you who followed Midnight's rise and fall as leader of the Coalition, I think you'll be interested in reading it. ~Lord Rahl~

Edited November 27, 2011 by Lord Rahl

[Kumata]

OOC: Yes, that’s it for the Coalition buildup so you guys can stop ignoring my and Lord Rahl's posts now! (J/K ) Though I do have one more flashback in me. Read on, true believers…IC(NPC):

Central America6 hours after the invasion

The man known as Viktor Borislav was in an uncharacteristically good mood.The huge Russian was crouched over a mass of metal plates, using one of his hairy hands to coil wires between them and the other to hold them in place. Hot sweat glistened on his brow and the shirt he was wearing had been stained with grease. Outwardly he seemed to be exhausted, but tinkering with the mechanics of his armoured battle suit was one of the few pleasures left to him in life.The suit, with which he acted as a mercenary using the alias Dreadnought, was not currently in any one place. Its shoulders and torso hung from the roof, suspended by oily chains. A leg was laid across a central tabletop, half disassembled. The plates beneath Viktor’s hands would compose its helmet. And wrapped around his right arm was one of its forearms, serving as a sort of metal glove as Viktor went about his work.Viktor had been cooped up in his makeshift workshop, an abandoned auto garage that he had repurposed, ever since the completion of his latest mission. The US government had hired him - as Dreadnought - to lead a team of superhumans into a War Factory the alien invaders had built in the Rocky mountains and destroy it. In that they had been successful, even managing to prevent an Inferno Walker from destroying Colorado Springs in the process. However the mission had seen his suit take extensive damage, and himself to suffer several injuries, and so after a long, long sleep he had taken to repairing it. Only, being the engineer that he was, it wasn’t enough for him to rebuild it. He was going to improve it. He’d had several ideas about how to improve the suit’s operation whilst carrying out the War Factory mission, not to mention the extensive data he’d collected about the alien tech along the way. One of his teammates on the mission, Darkness, had even stolen a component from the Inferno Walker that he had promised to share, although Viktor was more than a little hesitant to completely trust the promise of a being who described himself as pure evil.Dreadnought’s usual motivation was money. He offered to perform any service for the right price. However, when the government had requested his services for the War Factory mission he had demanded more than that - his reasoning being that the odds of survival had been uncomfortably uncertain. The government had agreed to his demands; in addition to erasing all criminal records pertaining to Viktor Borislav or his alias within the United States, a completely new identity would be created for the Russian criminal. Viktor had spent years moving from one temporary hideout to another, and had seized the chance to create a little stability for himself. With a new identity he could purchase a building to form a permanent hideout, establish stronger connections with potential employers - in his mind, the future was blossoming with new opportunities.There was a knock on the door. Viktor stood up. He had been told to expect the delivery of his new personal details soon, and that must be it. He strode to the door, wiping the grease from his armoured hand and opening it to a blonde-haired woman dressed in sunglasses and a smart black uniform. In her hands she held an unmarked black briefcase. Her nose wrinkled as the musk of sweat and oil met her, but her features remained professionally neutral.“Mr. Borislav, I am Agent Wright,” she began in a soft, yet husky voice. “I have here all necessary papers detailing the new identity that has been created for you. May I also offer once again the sincere gratitude of the United States government for your services and cooperation with the defense of America against the recent alien threat.”Viktor grunted. He glanced quickly up and down the rubble-strewn street - there was little sign of human life. Most were still cowering in their homes. Those that were about were simple construction workers, embarking on what was to be a weeks-long cleanup. He stepped back and motioned for the agent to come inside - she did, and he shut the door behind them.“Put it on the table.” Viktor ordered. The agent did as she was told, then stood back quietly as the Russian approached his prize. He leant over the case and undid the clasps warily. There was a slight concern in his mind that this could be a trap or trick of some sort, so he was opening the briefcase carefully in case-Suddenly the agent was on him. The blows she landed on Viktor were quick and precise. He fell to the floor with a surprised grunt, pain flaring all over his body. Then he felt his arms being yanked upwards as a knee pressed sharply down onto his back. Viktor roared a few curses in Russian and English. He writhed and struggled, but the woman had completely overpowered him.“Viktor Borislav, alias Dreadnought, you are now a prisoner of the US government,” declared the woman. The sternness in her voice triggered something in Viktor’s memory. He recognised her!“It… it is you! American Dream!” He snarled, and was suddenly filled with such rage that he overpowered her for a moment, breaking free of her grip. He aimed the palm of his armoured hand at her face; it had enough residual power to let off one bolt of energy - she could only dodge it by jumping off of him. He immediately got to his feet and lunged for the helmet he had been working on, pulling it over his head just as he heard the warning cock of a pistol.“Stay still,” she ordered. “You’re under arrest, obviously, but this doesn’t have to get messy.”“You are a traitor,” snarled Viktor, his voice muffled by the half-finished helmet. “You and your government! We had made a deal! Liars and a traitors!”“Yeah, and you’re a criminal,” American Dream retorted coolly. “You’ve committed theft, assault, destruction and murder worldwide. You’re connected to dozens of crime lords and have been evading the law for years. Did you really think we were going to let you slip through our fingers? Americans aren’t as stupid as they look.”A moment passed in tense silence, then with a growl Viktor went for American Dream. There was a crack-ping noise as a bullet bounced off of the armoured hand Viktor had raised to protect his unarmoured body. His other arm grabbed for her neck, but she knocked it away with one of her own. Her knee slammed into his gut, then his shoulder stung as the handle of the gun was whipped against it. He swung his armoured hand, but American Dream caught the fist and pushed him backwards. Viktor staggered, then reached up and yanked on one of the hanging chains, bringing the shoulders and torso of his armour down onto the agent with a clatter. She caught it and flung it aside just in time to see Viktor’s helmeted head lunging towards her own.WHAMAmerican Dream escaped from her momentary daze to hear the back door rattling. Clutching her bloodied nose the blonde-haired agent rushed after Viktor, shouldering her way through the door and emerging in a back alley. She followed it out onto the street, scanning the area as quickly as she could. Nothing.After taking a moment to catch her breath American Dream reached into her pocket and produced a radio.“Agent Wright here. He gave me the slip. I’ve lost track of him. Sorry. He was unarmoured though, so he can’t be moving too fast.”“Alright,” came the response. “Like you said he can’t have gotten far. We’ll try to send in a team to sweep the area. You can clean out his hideout; any evidence can be filed away in storage.”“Understood. What about his armour?”“It’s not his anymore. Put it in storage with the rest. Maybe it’ll come of some use now it’s not in criminal hands.”IC(NPC):

Central AmericaNow

Viktor Borislav breathed slowly, heavily. It wasn’t like him to feel anxiety, or to let it bother him. But his current circumstances certainly justified it.American Dream had come dangerously close to capturing him, and it was only by moving into the sewers that he’d managed to put distance between himself and the government agents on his trail. In fact the only reason a team of agents hadn't come for him initially was that it had been so soon after the invasion. Over the weeks that followed Viktor had exerted every effort in remaining inconspicuous. They had taken most of his armour - though he was lucky to have held onto the helmet, which contained the CPU and the most important data - and after trying to obtain money he had discovered that many of his accounts had been frozen. In terms of his life as a hired mercenary he was severely crippled. He had to leave the country but with the authorities so keen to capture him there was no way he could risk getting on a plane, crossing the border or even travelling by boat. His only option was to leave under his own power, but that meant rebuilding his armour mostly from scratch, which would require sufficient time and the right materials - both of which were in short supply to him now.Fortunately he had come up with a plan, one that seemed both insanely risky and yet perfectly simple. How best to transport a work-in-progress armoured battle suit as he moved around the country? Wear it. And how to ensure that his new armoured creation didn’t draw the attention of the authorities too closely? Claim to be a hero, of course.Which was why he now stood atop a building breathing heavily, wrapped in bronze-coloured armour plating, scanning the city below for evidence of an ongoing or imminent crime. He’d need to perform actual acts of heroism in order to support his ruse; simply telling people he was a hero wouldn’t be enough. So no longer was he to be Dreadnought, the amoral armoured mercenary. He stood here as Gadgeteer, the up-and-coming solo hero…OOC: I decided to create a fun little change of circumstance for Viktor. His profile has now been updated. I haven’t decided an exact location for him, so if anyone wants to bump into Gadgeteer feel free!

Edited November 27, 2011 by Kumata

[shadow pridak money gang]

"Fair enough," said Tilian with a shrug. "My bad."Then he turned to Magenta."Please, call me Tilian," he said. "That's my name, and it's the one I prefer."

[King Joe]

IC: "The card sounds sweet. Anyway, who do we talk to now?"

[Kumata]

OOC: Time to introduce my third character - well, not so much ‘introduce’ as ‘reveal’. Also, get ready for another Kumata-brand plot twist™!IC: “Georgia!”Gap spun around at the mention of her name. She had been walking through one of the corridors of the Coalition’s new Arctic base when she heard the call. At the far end of the corridor Grand Cross had just emerged. He was an imposing figure, wrapped in an indigo supersuit sporting a high collar, horns and a sweeping cape. Gap, however, found him intimidating for a different reason than most.“Hello, father,” she said as he marched down the corridor to join her.“I would like to talk with you,” said Grand Cross. His expression was unreadable; only his green eyes were visible beyond the cross-shaped mask he wore. “Walk with me.”Gap did as she was told. Grand Cross’ boots clicked rhythmically against the metal floor.“You have performed well these past few weeks,” Grand Cross continued, “and so I feel that it is right to entrust you with a higher responsibility. No longer will you be the field leader of G-Force. From today, you are to embark on regular missions with other members of the Coalition of Corruption.”Gap looked at him, hardly managing to conceal the surprise in her features. Ever since she was born - no, even before that - her father had had designs on raising his offspring as a supervillain. His standards were high, convinced was he that Georgia would one day become as glorious and powerful as he perceived himself to be. Which meant that his disappointments in her were frequent. Georgia had always done her best to please him, but progress alone was never enough for her father. He expected her to excel at every task he conferred to her and made no secret of his displeasure when she didn’t. But rather than hate him for this treatment Georgia began to hate herself for her inadequacy, so much so that it had hindered the manifestation of her powers. In Grand Cross’s eyes that had ground her progress to a halt. He had created the special team G-Force for her to lead, believing she was not ready to handle ‘proper’ missions.However, Gap had spent the past few weeks working non-stop, using her ability to create wormholes to transport important materials to the new base. Her efforts must have finally changed her father’s opinion - a rare enough occurrence to warrant the delight she felt.“That’s - thank you,” said Gap with a smile. She couldn’t tell, but she felt that her father was smiling as well.The pair reached a door. Grand Cross pulled it open and gestured for Gap to go inside; it was a small room containing only a long table and chairs, much like a board meeting room. Gap felt a sudden thrill of anxiety as she sat down. She had met many members of the Coalition whilst visiting their various bases, but working with them on a mission was a whole different story. She hoped she would be able to prove herself and make her father proud.“I already had a mission in mind for you,” Grand Cross explained as he followed her inside, “and have sent out a summons. I shall detail it when the others get here…”OOC: Anyone with a character in the Coalition (or with an extra character entitlement planning to make a character in the Coalition) feel free to embark on this mission. Will put Gap’s profile in my next post!

[shadow pridak money gang]

"Jona MacTaggert, head of detectives for the New York City Police Department," said Tilian, reciting the details of their employer perfectly from his handler's call.

[Kumata]

Real Name: Georgia SalvatoreAlias: GapAppearance: Georgia is an olive-skinned woman with an athletic figure and shoulder-length dark hair. She wears a facemask styled like a grid and a navy blue-and-black supersuit, with a cross symbol on the upper right of the chest.Power: Can create wormholes. Strictly speaking she can manipulate gravity - the same as her father - but due to certain issues (see bio) she is only able to generate fierce gravitic bursts that punch holes in spacetime. The wormholes appear as miniature black holes but do not suck things in; they merely allow instant passage from one point in space to another. Passage is possible in both directions. The locations of the start and endpoint of the wormholes are fixed once they are created. Georgia must be able to either see or visualise the places she intends to create both ends of the wormhole. After a short amount of time they will close naturally, or Gap can will them to close. She cannot create wormholes that are smaller than a person.Allegiance: Coalition of CorruptionArea: Nowhere in particular; born in Naples, ItalyBio: Georgia is the daughter of Galen Salvatore, a.k.a. Grand Cross, founder and now co-leader of the Coalition of Corruption. Given that he views himself as one of the superior beings on the planet, it is no surprise that he expects much the same of his offspring. For her entire life Georgia has lived with only one goal in mind: to adhere to her father's strictly high standards and to prove her worth as his daughter. She harbours great admiration and fear for her father. She has numerous insecurities and anger issues which prevent her powers from manifesting properly; a vicious cycle, as this handicap only leads to further frustration. However, she hides her psychological turmoil behind the mask of a serious, no-nonsense attitude.She is not very popular amongst most Coalition members due to the special treatment she often receives. However, most are wise not to openly voice their qualms, as Grand Cross has made it quite clear that any aggression displayed towards his daughter will be regarded as aggression unto himself.Georgia is trained well in hand-to-hand combat and is knowledgeable of the capabilities of specific superpowers, and thus is able to use their weaknesses and limitations to her advantage.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Kumata

[Korkoa]

IC: Magneta nodded and motioned Tillian foward. "After you then. You seem to have taken the lead on this one."IC: Negafire walked down one of the long hallways that dominated the new Coalition base. One of those new founders had summoned him and apparently a few others to do some kind of mission or something. He finally tracked down the conference room where they were supposed to meet and threw the doors open, striding through purposfully... Only to realize that his dramatic entrance was wasted due to the fact that there were only two people in the room. "Oh great... Am I early or something? Gee, what a wonderful villanous message that sends..."

[Kumata]

IC: Grand Cross was standing in one corner with his arms folded. "I prefer that to lateness. Too many of the Coalition's battles have been lost because certain villains didn't get there in time."Gap was sitting in one of the chairs that lined the long table. She eyed the newcomer; a tall, somewhat skinny man with shoulder-length brown hair. There was a pair of katana strapped to his back, and the N on his chest was coated in fire... or was it lightning? She couldn't tell."Gap, this is Negafire," Grand Cross continued. Well, that answered that question."Hello," said Gap to the newcomer quietly. Having never done this before, she had no idea what the etiquette was for pre-mission introductions. G-Force's members were selfish and rude, but personalities of every sort served the Coalition, so maybe this guy would be different...

[Korkoa]

IC: Negafire nodded to the two of them and stepped foward to shake Grand Cross's hand before moving on to shake Gap's. "Nice to meet you. Quick question, do I have hair right now? Sometime I forget to change it, y'know?"