>>47474880
Yo Sage!

>>47474880
"~And they say that a HERO TO SAVE US, I'm not gonna stand here and waaaaait~!" you sing to yourself as you join in mid-air with a flock of seagulls cawing as you sing.
"~I hold onto to the WINGS OF THE EAGLES, watching it all fly aaaaawaaaay~!" you say as you gaze over the Pacific Northwest city.
You heard it was supposed to rain all the time out here, why's it so sunny?
Maybe it's a seasonal thing.

>WDYD?
>You honestly could stand to be a BIT late. It's too nice a day to not punch s bad guy in the face if you can find one. [Goof-Off/"Patrol"]

>Alright, funtime's over. Your straight job has responsibilities too, especially today of all days. [Head to Work]

>>47474963
Sup Sleepy.

>>47475010
>>You honestly could stand to be a BIT late. It's too nice a day to not punch s bad guy in the face if you can find one. [Goof-Off/"Patrol"]

>>47475010
>>Alright, funtime's over. Your straight job has responsibilities too, especially today of all days. [Head to Work]
Excited to see ya back mate.

>>47475010
>Alright, funtime's over. Your straight job has responsibilities too, especially today of all days. [Head to Work]
Gotta keep that secret identity

>>47475010
>Alright, funtime's over. Your straight job has responsibilities too, especially today of all days. [Head to Work]

O hey Sage.

>>47475047
Excited to BE back.
Especially now that I'm in a position do what I was doing before not reliably.

>>47475010
>>Alright, funtime's over. Your straight job has responsibilities too, especially today of all days. [Head to Work
>>47475133
cool

<Okay, that's enough goofing off for one day>, you think to yourself with a smile and chance course for the office you bought up a few months ago when you decided to expand your company. <Maybe being Jack O'Connors, self-made millionaire and technology mogul isn't quite as fun as being the Phenomenal Freedom Eagle, but it's just as important. Maybe MORE important in the long run if I can get some of my higher technology designs of the ground...>
Like many classic superheroes, Jack has formed a habit of internally monologing to himself.

Having a secret identity that actually has real responsibilities is a new thing to you these past three years; in high school all you were was a student so you had plenty of time off to do "extracurricular" work, and as an Agent of AEGIS you were so busy doing a more legit version of what you already did that you didn't really have TIME for a civilian life.
If you weren't so handy with machines and you hadn't gotten your degrees while serving you probably wouldn't have been able to set up the life you have had now for the past three years. Still, having an ACTUAL job outside of superheroic shit takes getting used to, especially since being Freedom Eagle doesn't pay for himself.

You envy Fletch his fortune sometimes; his job as publisher is really just his "beard" while he suits up and does cape stuff with the Freedom League and hits on everything with two legs and ovaries.

You reach the multi-story skyscraper in the downtown area and eye the place from above; how to get inside?

>WDYD?
>Just enter through the mostly empty penthouse, nobody will be in here right now since
>Find a spot near the bottom floor, come up where everyone can see you go in.

>>47475250
Truth be told I didn't even know about it until I started posting just now. I haven't had much time to visit 4chan at all.
I might move this thing over to it eventually but I'd rather not do that at the moment.

Also, can /qst/ even archive stuff?

>>47475457
Suptg has /qst/ support.

>>47475457
Don't answer them.

>>47475432
>Find a spot near the bottom floor, come up where everyone can see you go in.

>>47475457
Yes.
>>47475432

>Find a spot near the bottom floor, come up where everyone can see you go in.

>>47475432
>Find a spot near the bottom floor, come up where everyone can see you go in.

>>47475457
It does, but it's slow you lose about half your audience and the anti-quest shitposters have followed and are just as toxic with none of the moderation.

>>47475537
Nice to see 4chan hasn't changed.
And by "nice" I meant the other word.

>>47475432
>>Find a spot near the bottom floor, come up where everyone can see you go in.

>>47475614
Reassuring. He meant reassuring.

File: image.jpg (82 KB, 500x242)

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You zoom your TechMask to a nearby alley where you can change and gracefully swoop straight down to reach it quietly and without being seen.
Stopping moments above the ground with an upturning swoop of your golden Pseudometal wingspan you gently land on your hands and knees and rapidly begin changing out of costume into your civilian clothes a skill you mastered at some point when you were seventeen.
You put on a simple gray T-short and jeans and smooth back your jet black hair as you tuck away your stuff into a workout bag and walk out of the alleyway into the office plaza.

Standing in front of the door is Glory, who looked exasperated and furious with you all at once.
Gloria Lynn is your executive assistant, which is like a secretary but with a higher pay grade and more responsibilities and with an MBA at a major business school.
She also knows your secret identity, mostly because you told her literally the day you hired her upfront because you knew keeping it from her would be impossible and that it would be simpler to just let her in on the secret.

Didn't much improve her attitude though.
"Where the HELL have you been Jack!?"

>WDYS?
>"Evening Glory. My you look lovely this morning!" [Charming]
>"Flying." [Honest]
>"Relax, I've got time to spare." [Reassuring]

>>47475897
>"Evening Glory. My you look lovely this morning!" [Charming]

>>47475897
>>"Relax, I've got time to spare." [Reassuring]

>>47475897
>>"Relax, I've got time to spare." [Reassuring]

>>47475897
>"Evening Glory. My you look lovely this morning!" [Charming]

>>47475897
>>"Evening Glory. My you look lovely this morning!" [Charming]

"You know, do I ever bring up how sexy you look when you make that frowny face when you're angry at me?" you say, changing the subject.
"Only literally every single time you do this immature little thing you do," she says flatly, totally unimpressed by your practiced disarming charm.

Glory paid for her MBA by being an a model originally, so she looks awfully good for a Super-Secretary, but your flirting with her is always just a way to get her to relax as you greatly value her professional assistance.
She was reluctant at first to take a high-powered secretarial position, but after you explained that not only would she be running pretty much half of the company she would also be keeping a superheroic secret identity she accepted the job; as a Freedonian native like you she knew the deal with secret identities and how to keep them.
You once heard the crazy statistic that one in every 1000 people in Freedom City knows at least ONE superhero, weather they are aware of it or not.
Plus you were willing to give her three times the starting pay any junior exec would get and any job recommendation she wanted if she wanted to quit.

Once she SORT of came onto you after an office party and she'd had a lot to drink, but you shut that down faster then that nuclear bomb that one time in Mumbai.
Not that that would be hard since there was only five seconds left on it.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

>WDYD?
>"Is my costume showing?" [Concern]
>"Casual chic?" [Honest]
>"Oh NOW you notice my outfit." [Flirt]

>>47476167
>"Casual chic?" [Honest]
...Wait
>"Is my costume showing?" [Concern]

>>47476167
>>"Casual chic?" [Honest]
>>"Oh NOW you notice my outfit." [Flirt]

>>47476167
>>"Casual chic?" [Honest]
>...Wait
>>"Is my costume showing?" [Concern]

>>47476167
>>"Casual chic?" [Honest]
>>"Oh NOW you notice my outfit." [Flirt

>>47476167
>"Casual chic?" [Honest]
>"Is my costume showing?" [Concern]

>>47476167
>>"Is my costume showing?" [Concern]
if it's not
>>"Casual chic?" [Honest]

>>47476167
>"Casual chic?" [Honest]

"T-shirt, grey. Jeans?" you say, not getting it. "Crap, my costume isn't showing is it? Sometimes I forget to take the pants off."
"Jack, this is a PRESS MEETING. It's not just opening up the offices and labs, it's a walkthrough of the building to get local folks interested in Freedom Enterprises so we can get some publicity over MarsTech and KessKorp!" she says in annoyance.

"Oh shit, seriously?" you say in genuine surprise. Sometimes the media aspects of this job throw you off; it was Glory's idea to sell the idea of YOU as much as your company turning you into some kind of Elon Musk/Steve Jobs if they used to be a superspy sort of person.
You aren't really overly fond of the media stuff (just makes it harder to keep the secret ID a secret in your book), but it's really fantastic for business.

You hear from Glory that there's memes about you out there. Something about your ass you think?

>WDYD?
>"Screw it, I'll stick with casual." [Confident]
>"Backup suit?" [Change]

>>47476504
>"Backup suit?" [Change]

>>47476504
>>"Backup suit?" [Change]

>>47476504
>"Backup suit?" [Change]

>>47476504
>"Backup suit?" [Change]

>>47476504
>"Screw it, I'll stick with casual." [Confident]

It's worked before

>>47476504
>>"Screw it, I'll stick with casual." [Confident]

File: JackSuit.jpg (149 KB, 563x765)

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"So you had contingencies for this right?" you say hopefully as you walk through the lobby with her towards the express elevator to the top four floors of the Emerald Plaza Building which are bought up by your company, with the final floor being the penthouse you're planning on converting to more office space for your company.

"You mean did I anticipate you goofing off instead of taking my calls again? Yes Jack; it's why you pay as much as you do," she says, holding out a suit as the pair of you get in the private elevator.

"Thanks, you're an angel," you say as you immediately begin de-shirting yourself and undressing to get into your suit right there in front of her at the elevator.
She politely looks away, but to her credit does not blush; she's seen you do this routine before, and is no longer impressed by your high-intensity exercise physique, though you note she still makes a point to ignore it while you change even if she's seen it all before.

"So, am I on straight?" you ask as you straighten your blue tie and face her. "How do I look?"
She looks you up and down and sighs, as if unwilling to admit it.

"Perfect Jack. You look perfect," she says in a fairly annoyed tone of voice you've heard before.

File: Linda Moon.jpg (44 KB, 258x331)

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"Awesome," you agree.
As you arrive at the office lobby for Freedom Enterprises Emerald City Division and face the media folks who have been invited to ask questions, mostly a few local journalists and news stations.

They all clamor for your attention as you wave at them and smile as genuinely as you can.
Seriously, you REALLY hate the playing to the camera thing, but Glory says your stock price jumps up a point and a half or something every time you smile or crack a joke or whatever.

The reporter waiting is obviously designed to get your attention; it's a REALLY cute Asian girl (you're guessing Korean by the look) wearing glasses and professional business skirt with her camera crew nearby.

"About time you," she begins in an irritated tone and stops and looks you up and down briefly.

>WDYD?
>"Sorry, had to straighten myself out." [Flirtatious]
>"Yeah, my cab driver had NO idea where he was going." [Charming/Bluff]
>"My bad. Late night." [Honest]

>>47476988
>"Yeah, my cab driver had NO idea where he was going." [Charming/Bluff]

>>47476988
>"Yeah, my cab driver had NO idea where he was going." [Charming/Bluff]

>>47476988
>"Yeah, my cab driver had NO idea where he was going." [Charming/Bluff]
So, just to be clear, we're basically Tony Stark, yeah?

>>47476988
>"Yeah, my cab driver had NO idea where he was going." [Charming/Bluff]

>>47477024
If we are then can we be less of a douche?

>>47476988
>>"Sorry, had to straighten myself out." [Flirtatious]

>>47476988
>"Short, had to straighten myself out."

>>47476988
>"Yeah, my cab driver had NO idea where he was going." [Charming/Bluff]

>>47477034
Isnt that what we're doing? We don't seem particularly douchey.

>>47477034
What's the point of being Tony Stark if you're not gonna be a snide asshole?

>>47477024
>>47477034
Absolutely not.
He has a fraction of the money, his business interests are different and he's actually interested in them.
He's a composite of several different characters, but the strongest influence on him visually, mentally, and physically is Dick Grayson in his various stages of life.
He DOES flirt with women and tends to have relatively casual sexual relationships, but does not treat sex slightly and is up-front that he considers his job (and his superhering career in secret) his primary focus in life, not wanting to treat them with disrespect or lie to them.
He does what he does because he genuinely is a decent human being who idealistically wants to help the world and contributes to it in different ways; he isn't driven by vengeance or guilt or remorse for something he did despite his tragic early backstory.

His power set is basically completely different too, but is most heavily based on Hawkman.
Suffice to say, I read a motherfuckload of comics and you will find MANY comic book references in this quest, most of them not immediately obvious unless you're very well-read....meaning you're familiar with more then the just the movies of comic books.

>>47477024
>>47477034
>>47477071
>>47477083
Also, just to satiate my autism, Tony Stark being a snide asshole is literally only about as recent as Robert Downy Jr's portrayal of him in the Iron Man films as he injected much of his own personality into the character.
In the comics Stark was very different beforehand and when he was acting as Iron Man he had such a completely different personality that most people were extremely surprised to find that they were even the same person.

>>47477178
Sage, we LITERALLY have black-haired Pepper Pots as a secretary.

>>47477227
You have a black MOVIE-influenced Pepper Potts.
And her name is a composite of two separate existing comics characters, neither of which most people even on /co/ are particularly familiar with these days.

I've been reading comics going all the way back to the 1960's since I was five.
I have what you might call a VERY broad range of information to draw from, even moreso then my wuxia shit.

File: Linda Moon 2.png (142 KB, 320x320)

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"Sorry, my cab driver was all over the place," you say with a shrug.
"Well that's what you get for hiring a cab in Emerald City," she says, rolling her eyes.
"Do you not do that here?" you say, blinking and pretending to be confused. "Traffic congestion in New York and Freedom City is nuts."
"No, we just drive here Mister O'Connors," she says with a wry smile.

"Jack's fine, Miss....?" you ask and reach for her hand.
"Moon. Linda Moon, Channel 12," she says with a pleasant smile as she shakes back.

Eventually the camera gets rolling and she starts asking questions rapid fire as you tour the new facilities.

"So, first you're an heir to the Mayor of America's most famous city, then you're a high school valedictorian are a prestigious private school, then you're a federal agent, now your a multi-millionaire business owner? What gives? Do you have an adversity to standing still or something?" she says, none too politely.
Oh, this is gonna be one of THOSE kind of interviews, huh?

>"I get bored easily," [Flippant]
>"I'm just trying to serve my country and people as best as I can." [Idealistic]
>"You left out one part about my life there." [Honest]

>>47477501
>"I get bored easily," [Flippant]

>>47477501
>"I get bored easily," [Flippant]

>>47477501
>"You left out one part about my life there." [Honest]

Is this really an option to go full "I am Iron Man here?"

>>47477501
>"I get bored easily," [Flippant]

>>47477501
>"I get bored easily," [Flippant]

>>47477501
>>"You left out one part about my life there." [Honest]

>>47477533
No, but rather then putting on a show or giving a line he's being honest about his feelings and motivations. Jack's secret identity is not just HIS secret identity, and thus he does his best to keep it secret because he doesn't feel it's entirely his right to reveal it.
For his fully history you can check the pastebin link I gave you; aside from his stats in the M&M system it also has a pretty damn extensive backstory in there.

>>47477572
One question about that pastebin story. I keep seeing her instead of his. Why?

>>47477587
I wrote it at three o'clock last morning while bleary-eyed and insomniac.
My brain clearly kept getting mixed signals. I'll have to fix them sometime.

The QM was homless? Thats rough buddy and I hope that your doing much better now.

File: Linda Moon 3.jpg (14 KB, 236x331)

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"Maybe I get bored really easily?" you say casually, causing Glory to roll her eyes in annoyance behind the camera crew.

Moon is neither convinced nor amused.
"You joined AEGIS directly out of high school, which is already very rare even if it IS known to happen sometimes. You became a field agent for five years and broke more case closure records that we can publicly see then Horatio Powers did before HE became Senior Director of AEGIS. By all reports you were an exemplary federal agent even if sometimes you attracted a lot more media attention then normal, such as when you engaged a superhuman terrorists in hand to hand combat with no weapons on the public news to distract him from setting off a bomb," she says, reciting off rapid-fire facts.

Damn. She's actually a pretty good reporter.
And here you thought this was gonna be a puff piece.

"I left my gun at home that day," you joke. "And he was in really bad shape for a supervillain."

"Even after you left many of your software products are contracted out to AEGIS at a considerable discount, and I have it on good evidence that you actually INVENTED the modern version of the AEGIS bodysuit currently in use by the agency," she continues.

"I didn't choose the aesthetics though, becuause yowch," you interrupt with a wince.

"What I'm getting at Mister O'Connor's is I have a hard time believing someone with five years of service to his country like that would suddenly leave for no reason at all because he's 'bored'." she points out.

>WDYS?
>"I dunno, five years is a long time to do one thing." [Flippant. Still.]
>"I actually though I could better serve my country in the private sector doing this stuff." [Idealistic]
>"I wasn't exactly comfortable with all the work I had to do with AEGIS." [Honest]

>>47477815
>"I wasn't exactly comfortable with all the work I had to do with AEGIS." [Honest]

>>47477501

>"I get bored easily," [Flippant]


Also: Welcome back Sage, i was here in your last quest attempt, its good to have you back.

>>47477815
>"I wasn't exactly comfortable with all the work I had to do with AEGIS." [Honest]

>>47477815
>"I wasn't exactly comfortable with all the work I had to do with AEGIS." [Honest]

>>47477712
Have a home now, so yeah.

>>47477815
>>"I wasn't exactly comfortable with all the work I had to do with AEGIS." [Honest]

You pause for a second before answering.
"I wanted to serve my country, but after awhile I wasn't really comfortable with some of the work I had to do at AEGIS," you answer honestly.

"Such as?" she pressures relentlessly.

"I'm not actually at liberty to say unless you have the correct security clearance," you say as politely as you can. "All I can say is that I was okay with the law enforcement stuff I did, but these were the days after 9/11 and everything was kind of hectic overseas. I decided to do as much good as I thought I could do before stopping at a point where any skilled agent could replace my position."

"What of the critics who say you stopped serving your country to line your own pocketbook?" she shoots out immediately.

"I think they maybe need to look at who my major clients are; I sell my stuff yeah, but I keep it at a reasonable price. Technology, software, computer science aid. Stuff I could give to AEGIS without feeling bad about them using it. And then give to everyone else because it's not top-secret black operations stuff," you say honestly.

"So you're not making like Arwin Kessler?" she says sharply.

Your face goes impassive momentarily.
Arwin Kessler was a former agent of AEGIS who worked in the research sciences division and then eventually after after years of service to create local industrial chemicals and technology giant Kessler Industrial Technologies, or KessKorp.
Over and over again as an agent of AEGIS you ran into evidence that KessKorp was selling illegal black market super-science on the sly to literally anyone who could pay, but it was always nearly impossible to gather anything other then circumstantial evidence. The fact that the Pentagon was one of his favored clients didn't help either; they were never fond of AEGIS at all and sometimes you think they blocked investigative routes out of spite.
Recently KessKorp came under investigation by a group of reporters that you're guessing might have included Miss Moon here.

"I can't say," you say neutrally. "I never met the man myself and he left the agency before I joined. I can say we're better about green technologies and take out our recycling more then our garbage, which I hear KessKorp is not as keen on, but that's about it."

Behind you Glory gives you a smile and a nod for your nice neutral answer that still makes you look better.

Turns out you're unable to help yourself though.
"I CAN say that unlike Arwin Kessler I didn't leave AEGIS one step head of ethnics investigations. I resigned as an agent in good standing with half a decade of dedicated field service to the agency and my country."
Glory winces; you know she wouldn't want you to so openly antagonize a massive local player like KessKorp, whatever your personal feelings are on the company's owner and founder.
But screw it, chances are you'd piss him off sooner or later anyway.

"So that's it then? You changed careers because you were bored? Now you're a multi-millionaire before you even hit thirty, so what's next?"

>WDYS?
>"Wanna find out together?" [Flirt]
>"The future, obviously." [Idealistic]
>"Not sure. I'd like to think I can continue my public service as a private citizen." [Honest]

>>47478183
>one step head of ethnics investigations
*one step ahead of ETHICS investigations

It's nice to see my crappy spelling hasn't changed.

>>47478183
>"The future, obviously." [Idealistic]

>>47478183
>"The future, obviously." [Idealistic]

>>47478183
>>"The future, obviously." [Idealistic]

>>47478183
>"The future, obviously." [Idealistic]
Feel free to throw in a tiny flirt at the end, so far weve been rather bland personality wise.

>>47478183
>"The future, obviously." [Idealistic]

>>47478300
yeah lets do that

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"The future, clearly," you say.
"And what exactly is in the future?" she asks, still unimpressed and professional.
"Wanna find out together?" you say, quirking your head to one side with a smile directed right at her.

That sets her off her game briefly.
"I'm...I'm sorry?" she says, not believing that you just hit on her right in front of the camera. "Emerald City and me. We'll all find out together what we can accomplish,' you swiftly recover, pretending that she misconstrued your comment as meaning something else.
But you know she finds you attractive now.

"Oh, uh, *ahem*. Of course," she says as you lead the way into the labs.
The tour of the labs as they are being set up is successful and professional, with you explaining various projects without going heavy into company details, all while remaining as charming as possible.
After the interview Moon is wrapping up her microphone and lets out a sigh.

"Well you certainly give a good speech Mister O'Connors," she admits, not quite smiling but certainly not as initially antagonistic as she started.
"Like I said; Jack's fine. 'Mister O'Connors' is my uncle to me," you say with a nod.
"Fine then," she says in a way that says she's not convinced that she'll ever use your first name. "You definitely aren't what I expected."
"Oh yeah?" you ask scratching below your chin.
"Yes. I expected a younger version of Max Mars, preening, obfuscating, flamboyant, and managing to talk quite a bit without saying anything at all," she admits. "You manage to come off like you actually believe half of the stuff you say, but I still think you're kind of keeping some of the mystery to yourself."

>WDYS?
>"I'm not that complicated. Want to find out more about me somewhere else?" [Ask Out]
>"What's your beef with Mars anyway?" [Curious]
>"It's okay. Asking hard question is actually something I admire in reporters." [Reassuring]

>>47478469
>"What's your beef with Mars anyway?" [Curious]

>>47478469
>"It's okay. Asking hard question is actually something I admire in reporters." [Reassuring]
>"What's your beef with Mars anyway?" [Curious]

>>47478469
>"It's okay. Asking hard question is actually something I admire in reporters." [Reassuring]
>"What's your beef with Mars anyway?" [Curious]

>>47478469
>"I'm not that complicated. Want to find out more about me somewhere else?" [Ask Out]

"I didn't actually mind. I walked in here expecting to bored and answering easy questions to pad out a puff piece, you acted like an actual reporter," you say, nodding. "And here I keep getting told investigative journalism is dying." "Not for some folks," she says with a smile as she roots around in her purse for something.
"So what's your beef with Max Mars anyway? I heard he's basically the local Bill Gates, pulled the city out of serious economic hard times in the 90's and made it a place to be again," you ask, curious about your competition in the market.
MarsTech is ridiculously more successful then your own company is, but you've never been one to back down from something because you thought it might be difficult.

"You mean aside from all that other stuff I just said? He's an egomaniac for one. Sure he's helped out the city but he just suddenly appeared out of nowhere as this massive computer genius in the early 90's and starts inventing all this stuff that helps his company keep apace with Microsoft throughout the 90's and now outpaces both Microsoft AND Apple? Nobody just materializes out of thin air, but he seemed to," she says distractedly as she roots around in her purse still. "Uugh, where's the damn chapstick!"
"I thought he did a lot of charity work and stuff like that?" you say, reaching around into your pocket.
"He does, but he always gets something out of it too. Usually good publicity. Sometimes more."

You tap her on the shoulder and hold out a stick of chapstick from you back pocket.
She gives an "ah!" as she takes it and re-applies some to her mouth, pursing her lips in a way that makes her look awfully cute.
She hands it back but you shake your head.
"Keep it," you say with a small smile.
She pauses, and there's a moment that hangs awkwardly. Awkwardly for her anyway.

"Um...," she begins.
"Hmm?" you intone, the knowing smile never leaving your face.
"What?" she says, looking up at you.
"I didn't say anything," you say again, still smiling.

You just let the pause hang there while you smile at her. It's a lot funnier honestly.
"So uh *ahem*, if you ever want to do another interview for my blog, here's my business card," she says, handing you one as professionally as she can.

"Starting your own business then?" you ask.
"Well I'm a Millennial like you, how else am I ever going to make a decent living? Besides, this April O'Neil thing is a little outdated these days, digital media is where it's at now," she explains.
"Oh, and my cellphone numbers on there too. I have a business phone and my regular phone. Because I forget to charge my business phone sometimes. That's why that's there," she says with a nod.

"Gotcha. I'll call you if I want to set up a different interview," you say with a nod and a smile.
"Thanks. Listen, I gotta go talk to my....cameraman," she says as she scoots away and you keep smiling after her.

Gloria sighs and walks up to you.
"Try not to look too much like a wolf staring at a rabbit, Jack," she says dryly.

>WDYD
>"Oh come on, I'm not THAT bad am I?" [Joking]
>"What's next on the agenda today?" [Professional]
>"So can I play again, Mom?" [Flippant]

>>47478974
>"What's next on the agenda today?" [Professional]

>>47478974
>"Oh come on, I'm not THAT bad am I?" [Joking]
followed by
>"What's next on the agenda today?" [Professional]
Joking professionalism?

>>47478974
>"Oh come on, I'm not THAT bad am I?" [Joking]
>"What's next on the agenda today?" [Professional]
>We both know I could have done so much worse.

"Oh come on. We both know I could have done worse," you point out.
"Yes, and THANK you for your admirable restraint on your part. I only wish it extended to comments made about our professional rivals in the industry," she says with a slight edge to her voice.
"Hey, if Kessler wants to get down and dirty he can. AEGIS loves me while most agents think he's a criminal and I'm a superhero to boot. If he really wants to impress me he'd better make a super-suit five times the size and call himself 'Iron Hawk' or take some kinda Goblin Formula thing that makes him put on a goofy Power Rangers suit and talk to his reflection in the mirror," you reassure.
"That's more of your stupid comic book references isn't it?" she says with a sigh. "Why do you even watch those movies? Your LIFE is a comic book. Literally. Castle Publishing has a 'Phenominal Freedom Eagle' comic that they publish."
"You know, I've never actually read it?" you admit. "I gave them the okay on the condition that twenty percent of what they make off of it goes to charity."

"Very generous of you, and way to dodge my original question. And as for other business you have a call from your uncle waiting and the labs to direct the setup for like you requested to do, as well as the flight we have to book out of town once you're done setting up the place here."

>[Call Uncle Mike]
>[Get straight to work putting up the labs]
>[Call Miss Moon and see if you can set up another interview.]
>"Hey, lemme take you to lunch for putting up with my shit? My treat." [Apologetic]

>>47479300
>[Call Uncle Mike]

>>47479300
>"Hey, lemme take you to lunch for putting up with my shit? My treat." [Apologetic]

>>47478974
>"Oh come on, I'm not THAT bad am I?" [Joking]
>"What's next on the agenda today?" [Professional]

>>47479300
>[Call Uncle Mike]
We can apologize to her by getting shit done.

>>47479300
>[Call Uncle Mike]

>>47479300
>>[Call Uncle Mike]
>>"Hey, lemme take you to lunch for putting up with my shit? My treat." [Apologetic]

"Alright, let me take the call from my uncle. I'm heading up to the Penthouse to do it. I'll be back down in awhile to help set up the labs and direct the teams there on what projects they should work on first," you say, taking the cellphone she hands out.
You dial your Uncle and the most notable father-figure in your life's number by heart, letting it ring as you get in the elevator and head into the almost entirely empty penthouse.

"Jacky-boy?" your Uncle says after half a minute of ringing.
"Hi Mike. Heard you called me?" you ask.
"I sure did. Wanted to see how my nephew was doing over there? When you gonna be back?" he asks.
"I don't know actually. A couple days, I think. I need to make sure this lab is set up right so anyone who wants to hire on in Emerald can get whatever they need done here," you say.
"You need to do that yourself?" he wonders.
"No, but I PREFER to. I can't micromanage my whole company but I can help out here and there so it streamlines itself on it's own hopefully," you say with a shrug.

"You get any action out there today?" he asks.
"Nah," you say with a shake of your head. "Nothing happens out here at Emerald. Which is good because it means the building is never under thread of supervillain attack either."
"I mean the OTHER kinda action," he jokes. Uncle Mike is a bachelor like yourself, mostly because he's devoted all of his time to Freedom City as it's Mayor, though you hear he's retiring soon.
"Oh, hah. No. Met a cute reporter. Mostly just business up here, you know me," you say.
"Jacky-boy, I keep telling you; you're making a life for yourself like I wanted you to, but you keep forgetting to make a LIFE for yourself, you know?"
"Oh, like you're one to talk. You've been single since I moved into your house when I was six," you point out.
"Seeing someone actually," he says suddenly.

Suddenly you think you get the real point of the call.
"As in, seriously seeing someone?" you ask, curious.
"Yeah. I think so. Yeah," he agrees.

File: A Storm Heard 'Round The World.jpg (50 KB, 800x531)

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"Who?" you ask.
"If I told you some high-society lady's name would you recognize it?"
"I might," you say with a shrug he can't see.
"Angela Beaudrie," he says.
"It's she like...some heiress? One who's something like ten or twenty years younger then you?" you say, perhaps a little reproachful.
"See, now this is why I didn't to tell you!" he says with a tone in his voice the media never hears when he's on TV; annoyance with his favorite nephew.
"I mean, I'm not judging or anything!" you quickly say.
"You're judging and I can hear you doing in your voice!" he accuses.
"Woah woah woah there Mister Sensitive! As long as you're both consenting adults....,"
"We ARE thank you very much!"
"Well then I'm sure it's all okay," you say holding your hands up in surrender.

"Ju...y....ck...that...m.....ephe......a....uperhero....o...g.....righteous o.....e....for see...," his voice says, coming through in a broken, distorted crackle.
"Hi? Uncle Mike? Hello?" you say, shaking your phone.
At first you think it's the line on his end, then you look outside the window and hear the thunder.

Around the harbor area, in the place the locals jokingly call "Yellow Brick Row", a massive chrome tornado crackling with silver lightning is spiraling up into the sky, gathering clouds surrounded by effervescent lightning that arcs up into the air and on the ground, darkening the city by it's very overwhelming shadow like a monsterous hand covering the sleeping metropolis, turning afternoon into night.

"What in the hell?" you say as the tornado tears down into the street and lightning jumps left and right.

>>47477258
>even moreso then my wuxia
>Wuxia
Thanks for reminding me I'll never get to read the entirety of Sky's story. Fuck. That was the quest that actually made me like quests.

>>47479841
For what it's worth, I AM really sorry.
I really should have planned everything better then I did, but I genuinely never even expected to get any attention whatsoever.

God bless you Sage you beautiful bastard
I thought you died

>>47479859
It also got me into the Wuxia genre.
I don't suppose there's any chance you might start it up again is there? No hard feelings either way; I understand that shit happens all too well.

>>47479999
Maybe, but the main problem was that there WAS no end to Sky's story because I only had a basic idea and had never gotten that far.
Then all that other horrible shit happened and it kind of derailed a lot of stuff.

What is it with me and giant unnatural storms and lightning as a visual metaphor for oncoming plot anyway?
You watch for a moment at the obviously unnatural weather phenomena, trying to decipher what you're looking at with your eyes, as if simply watching will let you make sense of it.

Then when a lightning bolt slashes down into one of the buildings and a fire breaks out you snap out of your trance back into reality.

"Damn!" you, say rushing to the elevator to get Glory, just as it opens and she comes out herself.

"Jack! Outsid-" she begins but you cut her off.
"I know! Make sure everyone stays inside, the building is disaster-proofed!" you command, your voice changing to a strongly authoritarian one full of absolute confidence as she hands you your briefcase. "If the police or emergency service come, take charge and ensure as many people inside the building are following their orders, I don't care if they work for us or not! Just make sure everyone is safe!"

As you talk you strip free of the business suit and get into your costume, the black uniform broken up by the white on the insides of the legs and the stylized gold eagle symbol on the torso.

"Jack, are you insane?! People here will need you to-" she begins, trying to talk you out of it. You know she'd been in superhero disasters before (every native Freedonian has once or twice), but she's never been in one when you're about to get directly involved; you never bother her with that part of your life as part of your deal with her.
"People in here are SAFE, Glory!" you say back, your voice full of such a heavy note that she stops. She's used to hearing playful and joking Jack argue with her, not Freedom Eagle. "People out there? They need help NOW and disaster services aren't going to be ready for whatever the hell is causing it!"
"Causing it, what do you MEAN what's causing it?!" she says, trying to stay calm.
"Does it LOOK like a natural storm to you?

>>47480080
I... was expecting a 'no'. Well, my hopes are up. Awesome.

You slip on the golden pseudometal of the gravity gauntlets and clench your fingers as you slip on your wing-shaped black mask, willing the cybernetic control systems in it to harden then soften the density-shifting material as a test.

"Jack...wait, maybe-" she says as you open the penthouse window and the storm's sound roars in.

"GO!" you shout as you leap without putting on your wings off the fourtieth story of the building.

As you fall you cybernetically command your wings to explode out of the briefcase upstairs and flex to their full length, shattering out the floors above you as you nosedive down towards the pavement!
The wings swoop behind you and the anti-grav harnass affixes to your costume automatically and you feel gravity's tyrannical grip loosen as the wings slowly flex out like golden metal blades to their full length!
Just before you hit the pavement you swoop forward, gliding just above the street at the highest speed you can reach towards the storm, arms thrust foward as the unnatural weather howls ahead of you like a monster from hell!

>WDYD?
>Head towards the storm's center first! Maybe you can stop this from getting worse!
>Get to the buildings and people trapped on the upper floors, they need to be rescued first!

>>47480221
>Get to the buildings and people trapped on the upper floors, they need to be rescued first!

>>47480221
>>Get to the buildings and people trapped on the upper floors, they need to be rescued first!

File: practising that move for (...).gif (1.75 MB, 320x180)

1.75 MB GIF

>>47480221
>Head towards the storm's center first! Maybe you can stop this from getting worse!
Too many buildings, too many people. We can't save them all by hand. We need to stop the storm, or at least buy them time to evacuate.

>The wings swoop behind you and the anti-grav harnass affixes to your costume automatically and you feel gravity's tyrannical grip loosen as the wings slowly flex out like golden metal blades to their full length!
>Just before you hit the pavement you swoop forward, gliding just above the street at the highest speed you can reach
That must have gone well the first few times we tried it.

>>47480221
>>Get to the buildings and people trapped on the upper floors, they need to be rescued first!

>>47480221
>>Get to the buildings and people trapped on the upper floors, they need to be rescued first!

>>47480221
>Get to the buildings and people trapped on the upper floors, they need to be rescued first!

You prioritize the first building that appears damaged by fire and swoop in through one of the shattered windows!
You can't possibly evacuate everyone by hand of course, but by putting out fires inside the buildings caused by the lightning you can at least help anyone trapped by them get to safety!
As you pass through the first hallway you slow while still flying (shortening your wingspan) and grab a fire extinguisher as you pass by it!

You slow as you get to a group of fires and begin blasting them with the flame-retardant, and shrieking woman comes out of the room with flames nearby and falls on her ass in shock when she sees you, seemingly unhurt!

"Oh God please don't hurt-!" she begins but you cut her off.
"I'm a superhero! Freedom Eagle! I'm here to help! Is anyone else trapped in here?"
"Harold! Harold...he's...there's something wrong with him and the others are there and he's in the next room and everything's on fire-" she begins, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Go! I'll help Harold and the others, get to the stairwell NOW!" you command, picking her up and turning her towards the stairs, obeying your authoritative voice automatically.
You leap into the next room and spray a few of the chemicals around, dousing some of the flames, but you can't seem to pinpoint they're source! This is too deep in the building for anything to have been lit up by the lightining, so what-
Your thought interrupts as a horrific rolling metallic roar comes from farther in the room followed by the shrieks of people behind it!

You fly into it and see something that perplexes you even further, but steels long-honed combat reactions; a hulking figure seven feet tall appearing to made out of fused flesh, metal, and shrapnel all lit aflame like a horrific burning effigy, the flames in the area all stemming from it's body!

"What even the shit?!" you say as you look to see the people huddled away from the Burning Man as it roars in agony or anger or both!

The Burning Man roars as it sees you, it's eyes a pair of glowing yellow sulfurous pits of anger, and reaches out with a molten fist and grabs a nearby desk that must weigh well over a hundred pounds and hauls it at you so fast and hard that you barely have time to roll out of the way, landing on one knee facing the Burning Man!

You're pretty sure this is Harold.
And you haven't the slightest idea what happened to him.

>WDYD?
>He wants to play rough? Fine by you: toss it right back at him!
>Get close and blast him with the extinguisher, maybe try and cool him down or off or whatever the hell is wrong with him!
>See if you can lure him out of the building so that his fire can't spread to the rest of it!

>>47480609
>See if you can lure him out of the building so that his fire can't spread to the rest of it!
Grab an extinguisher on our way out.

>>47480609
>See if you can lure him out of the building so that his fire can't spread to the rest of it!

>>47480609
>See if you can lure him out of the building so that his fire can't spread to the rest of it!

>>47480622
Don't we have one still?

File: Slagman.png (388 KB, 461x411)

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"Alright Hot Stuff, come get me!" you shout rushing forward and throwing a light kick at it's mid-section!
Even getting close to it is like getting close to a furnace, though thankfully your costume is temperature-controlled and fireproof....at least proof from normal fire anyway, and when you kick him (it?) the Burning Man staggers back and falls onto the floor awkwardly.

You wince; touching him didn't QUITE burn you, but prolonged contact will definitely eat through your armor even with all the resistance it has to temperature changes!
Worse, hitting him with that light kick felt like hitting a solid brick wall; you thick he fell down more out of surprise and being knocked off-balance then being actually hurt by it.
The Burning Man gets up and roars it's hollow metallic roar again and suddenly his rushes to his feet faster then you thought his huge form could move and wraps you in a crushing bear hug as he charges towards the window with you!

You grunt in agony as you struggle to get free, then have the wind knocked out of you as you both crash through one of the office building's windows and go falling to the ground below!

Well....you DID want him outside of the building you guess.

File: Slagman 3.jpg (154 KB, 500x588)

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As you fall you feel the heat burning through your costume as you grit your teeth in agony as it howls into your face, the inside of it's mouth glowing like a cast-iron stove and it's breath smelling like old iron and coals!

You slam your elbows down as hard as you can just above his overlarge thumbs, knowing the precise amount of pressure applied there will weaken his grip! As you feel it loosen you kick out with both legs to knock him away from you as you still hold onto the extinguisher!

"Oh crap!" you say as you realize he/it/whatever is still falling around twelve stories to the street!

>WDYD?
>Try and use your cables to slow it's fall!
>Swoop down and try to slow it with your strength despite the heat...and it's apparent hostility!
>Let it fall...the thing looked tough as hell, maybe the fall will knock it out better then you could?

>>47481087
>Try and use your cables to slow it's fall!

>>47481087
>Try and use your cables to slow it's fall!

>>47481087
>>Try and use your cables to slow it's fall!

>>47481087
>Try and use your cables to slow it's fall!

>>47481087
>Try and use your cables to slow it's fall!

>>47481087
>Try and use your cables to slow it's fall!

we still don't know how tough it is and we cant get close so this is our best bet

File: Slagman 2.jpg (35 KB, 320x320)

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You point your fists as you flip back into place above it and fire the talon grapnels from under your wrists, the compressed liquid cable reservoirs beneath them exploding outward from both palms with a loud explosion of air!
They wrap around it's burly grey-black arms and slow it's fall as you yank it up with your strength and slowly let it down to the ground!
It's definitely heavy as hell, but your maximum lifting strength is clearly much heavier then it weighs so that doesn't seem to be a problem.

What DOES seem to be a problem is that he's so angry and irrational that his body is heating up and melting through the cables!
"No you stupid ugly bastard you'll fal-" you shout as the last strand is melted through!
The creature falls eight stories to the ground and lands on a parked car in the lot with all 500lbs of it's weight collapsing onto the roof, and less then a second later it's burning body sparks off the gasoline in it's tank to create a fiery explosion!
You land away from the inferno, covering your mouth with the back of your hand as you squint from the light and heat.
"Goddammit, you'd haved lived if you'd-"

Your oath is cut short when you hear it's familiar roar and it tears apart the remains of the car, staggering to it's feet as if it's unsteady.
Okay. So it's a tough son of a bitch then. It seem to be cooling down a little as it staggers angrily towards you flames sputtering a bit!

>WDYD?
>Okay, NOW the extinguisher!
>Hit the ugly son of a bitch as hard as you can while it's still staggered!
>Find something to use to knock it out from a distance so you don't have to get close!

>>47481283
>Okay, NOW the extinguisher!

>>47481283
>>Okay, NOW the extinguisher!

>>47481283
>Okay, NOW the extinguisher!

>>47481283
>Okay, NOW the extinguisher!

>>47481283
>Okay, NOW the extinguisher!

"Gotta be KIDDING me!" you say as you fly towards the creature and empty the fire extinguisher onto it as it reaches for you!
It's too messed up from the fall or the explosion or both to grab you quickly enough and the CO2 cloud you blast onto it causes it to cry out in shock and pain or...whatever it feels as it's flame sputters to non-existence except for the furnace inside it's mouth and eyes!
It blinks away the chemicals and locks eyes with you just long enough for it to see you bring the empty extinguisher down onto it's misshapen head and knock it out after a pair of blows that splits the empty mental canister in half!
It falls to the ground unconscious and you wrap it up with more cable, much thicker and more tightly this time, hoping it will hold him.

"What the hell HAPPENED to you?" you say, as your mask's sensor array does a detailed analysis and dubs his entire stricture as;
>HUMAN, ANOMALOUS MATERIALS ADDED, GENETIC ABNORMALITIES DETECTED
"The hell does that mean? There's no way you showed up to work looking like a cross between Swamp Thing and a garbage fire, so what...," you begin, and then a thought occurs to you.

You fly into the air and say aloud to your mask "Scan for Matches" as you use your vision magnification across the city.
It comes up with one match for "Harold's" condition.
And then another.
And then another.
And then another.
And then you have to stop because it's just picking up too many individuals who seem to have the same problem Harold down there does.

"Oh Jesus. The storm...it's CHANGING them."
You remember Daedalus once telling you that in his estimation around 1 in every 25,000 people has a chance of becoming a superhuman if afflicted with the right conditions.

There are three million people in Emerald City.
What if every single person with that chance changed all at once, and violently like he did?

>WDYD, Hero?
>If your guess is right, you are outnumbered over a hundred to one and possible outgunned too.
>Focus on getting as many trapped people on the outskirts of the storm away.
>Get to the center of the storm; that's where you guess it will be the worst and even there not ALL of the people will have changed.

>>47481525
>Get to the center of the storm; that's where you guess it will be the worst and even there not ALL of the people will have changed.
Looks like we'll have to deal with the source of the problem

>>47481525
>Get to the center of the storm; that's where you guess it will be the worst and even there not ALL of the people will have changed.
This will probably get us to the source of the problem, also
>Call for help if we can.

>>47481525
>>Get to the center of the storm; that's where you guess it will be the worst and even there not ALL of the people will have changed.
Fuuuuuu, this seems to be our best bet.

>>47481525
Get to the center of the storm; that's where you guess it will be the worst and even there not ALL of the people will have changed.

>>47481525
>Get to the center of the storm; that's where you guess it will be the worst and even there not ALL of the people will have changed.

File: AEGIS Logo.png (384 KB, 1600x1568)

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You take off and activate your mask's radio on open frequency, and hear nothing but radio chatter from numerous emergency calls.
"Dammit. Okay then," you say and get on the private AEGIS radio frequency, remembering that there's a fairly large regional station in the area and get on it's master frequency, and then activate that handy little access code you built into the network when you restructured it for AEGIS three years into your service with them

"Priority Override 41772-Wings!" you say as you dodge a lightning strike and head for Yellow Brick Row.

"Agents! You need to abandon your base and begin immediate rescue operations!" you say on what you hope is the base loudspeaker and on every single simultaneous communicator they have.
"This is Chief Administrator Mitchell, who the hell is on this line!"
"Administrator, the city is falling apart around you! You have a Condition Black situation and the city needs as many trained hands as it can get!"
"Civilian, you do not have the proper authority to-"
"BullSHIT I don't! Are you anywhere CLOSE to mobilizing a relief force at all?!"
"We...we are currently securing the base, which has lost power and-"
"I said CONDITION BLACK! That means DROP THE BASE and mobilize EVERY SINGLE AGENT you can to begin rescue operations! You have at rough estimate somewhere around 120 superhumans running wild, and if I'm right half don't even know what they're doing right now!"
"You don't have the authority to call a Condition Bla-"

Screw that noise. With a thought you cut off his commcode access.
He's an administrator, a bureaucrat assigned to what he probably though was a cushy post, and he doesn't have any idea how to handle this situation.

On his frequency (the one that pegs you as "In Charge" to AEGIS commcodes), you give orders.
"Agents, you are at Condition Black! Break out as much gear as you can muster and restrain the hostiles and begin evacuating civilians! Don't kill the mutants, they've been transformed! AEGIS DEFEND!"

>Interlude
When Louis Cha had moved his family from Taipei to Emerald City to pursue his career at MarsTech, he'd thought it was a dream come true. When he'd arrived, things seem even better then he hoped, and he even found the corny "Wizard of Oz" thing many of the city's locations had going on about them charming.

After his family arrived though, he began to run into problems, hear things that perhaps not everything here was as idyllic as he'd hoped. There were gangsters here. Quiet and subtle ones, but gangsters nonetheless, Chinese ones even. And then every once in awhile, someone would disappear. Nobody would ask questions. Nobody would know why. They would just be gone.

And then today while shopping out with his family at Yellow Brick Row a tornado sprang from something on the ground he couldn't see and everything had completely fallen apart, and Louis Cha knew and he, his wife, his son, and his daughter were about to die without even knowing why.

They huddled as they saw the powered lunatics tearing apart the block with impunity, and near the center was a blonde woman laughing like a fiend who crackled with rippling violet energy. Metal warped around her body as she tore it from buildings forming armor that flowed like liquid into new shapes around her body as her air gently lifted into the air as she floated, as if she were underwater.
She turned, her eyes crackling with violet lightning, grinning as she saw Louis and his family.
"Die, worm," she said in a deep voice that would be lovely if not for the heavy scorn it carried.

She lazily waved one hand and levitated a nearby ruined car to hurl it through the air seemingly without effort towards where Louis and his family were huddled.

And then something fast and shining gold slammed into the side of the car, catching it with superhuman strength like a football player catching a hard pass.

Something with brilliant golden wings had just saved his family.

>>47481841
I love comic book calls to arms
>Avenger Assemble
>Transformers Roll Out
>COOBRAAAAA!!

>Emerald City
>Yellow Brick Row
>A tornado puts the plot in motion
Nice

>>47482098
oh shit! i didn't even notice it. nice job

>>47482045
>Interlude End
You toss the wreckage of the car to one side, wings spread out to make yourself as obvious as possible to the small crowd of superhumans who seem intent on tearing the place apart.
Your turn your head slightly so you can meet the Asian man huddling there in the eyes as he stares in the shocked awe of a man who has never seen a superhero work before.

"Get your family out of here. No else is dying today," you say with a confidence more absolute and hard then anything else you've done in three years.

"Well, a worm that can fly! Hahaha! Do you have a name, worm!?" the crazy blond with the metal shit (magnetic powers maybe?) around her says.
"Freedom Eagle," you say, your eyes quickly scanning the crowd. You count ten superhumans, all with different builds and powers it looks like.
"Hah! That sounds familiar. I suppose I'll need a name too now, won't I?" the woman says, cackling slightly at the thought. "I hadn't considered it before this morning!"

"No," you say, looking back at her.
You don't know if she did this, but she clearly seems the most dangerous here. Not to mention the craziest with all the witch-laughter.

"What?" she says, stopping for a second.
"You won't need a name," you say, taking up a fighting stance. A piece of your mask slides into place over your mouth to protect it from heavy fighting as the wing-stylizations on the side flare out just a bit wider and broader, like twin long antennas from the side of your head.

"Because I'm sending your ass back to Oz."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3472Q6kvg0

>>47482098
Yeah Emerald City has an Oz theme in universe and the residents either love it or absolutely despise it

>WDYD?
>Don't even give her a chance to react. Full-tilt right at her!
>Fake her out by starting for her and then start taking out her cronies!

>>47482211
>Don't even give her a chance to react. Full-tilt right at her!

>>47482211
>Don't even give her a chance to react. Full-tilt right at her!

>>47482211
>Don't even give her a chance to react. Full-tilt right at her!

I checked her stats and we might need to prioritize

>>47482211
>Don't even give her a chance to react. Full-tilt right at her!

>>47482211
>Don't even give her a chance to react. Full-tilt right at her!

>>47482211
>Don't even give her a chance to react. Full-tilt right at her!
She seems a bit too dangerous to leave for the last

Your visor chimes in to you.
>HIGH-VELOCITY MODE ACTIVE
>MULTI-THREAT TARGETING ONLINE
You stare right at Magnagirl or whatever crazy name she's going to think up for herself after you plant her unlucky ass in jail.
"Mark Target. Priority Alpha."
>TARGET MARKED

And then you go from zero to 120mph in less the half a second, an explosive blast of air jetting up behind you as you take off like a jet.

People tend to underestimate you; you're just a regular guy after all, albeit one with some impressive high-tech tools and training.
They forget; it's high-tech tools and training that let you fight multiple opponents at once at up to 500 miles in mid-air by YOURSELF.
You almost NEVER move at your top combat speeds during a fight, just due to how much damage you could cause to someone if you hit them going that fast, nor do you show just how fast and quickly you can corner and turn when you don't have to worry about little things like gravity and air friction getting in your way.

You erase the distance between you and Polarity Girl (waitaminnute, isn't that one of the X-Men) like a bullet fired from a gun, pulling back a right hook just as you reach her position and tossing a haymaker with every single once of force, mass and speed you can muster.
And right now that's a lot of it.

It impacts on something just before it hits her armor; some kind of electromagnetic energy field isn't just responsible for reshaping her armor it's also constantly reinforcing it's integrity like a secondary layer of armor!
The impact hits with enough force to sound like a thunderbolt and she goes flying away into the air, unable to brace herself for it in time, crashing into one of the fallen cars near the end of the row!

>>47482448
>Polarity Girl (waitaminnute, isn't that one of the X-Men)
That would be Polaris

I know you know

>THREAT DETECTED
Your visor chimes, and suddenly hidden behind some of the rubble a leaping brown and white shape like a furry mongoose-lady leaps over 70 feet straight at you before you can close and drop Magnet Lass before she can get up!

You grab her one-handed and throw her to the ground, but are force to raise up your wings and deflect what appears to be some kind of energy blast out to your left and dodge a lightning bolt thrown at your right!

"Shit!" you swear, realizing that even as fast as you can move you need to be in too many places at once! A crystalline ogre suddenly grabs your leg and slam you into the pavement, making you exhale in agony!
You try to get up, but it's already about to smash you into paste...and then a huge form with greyish-dark skin in jeans and a ruined hoodie interposes itself between you and takes the blow on it's crossed forearms before slugging it back hard enough to send it flying!

You get up to see the huge shape; his skin isn't just gray, it's like some solid slate-like material and his massive 6'6" height seems to be powerfully muscled for a huge rock dude.

"You okay Birdguy?" he says in a rough voice. He sounds kinda African-American (maybe something Southern California), but it's honestly hard to given his skin material.
"I'm good," you say as you shake it off.
"Awesome. How's about you and me go kick her a-" he begins, but then suddenly a lashing net of superhumanly strong octopus tentacles wraps around his face, arms, and torso to yank him back, cutting off his statement.

This creepy-looking hentai-monster octo-dude holding civilians in his writhing grip grins with a deformed face across the street, but before you can act one of them, an attractive blonde in her late teens suddenly breaks free effortlessly and then grabs him back, yanking the people free of his grip and then tossing him through the air like he was a playdough ball with a superhuman heave!

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The girl is wearing regular jeans on her tall (she's basically about your height actually) frame and a simple pink t-shirt that says PRINCESS in glitter on it.
She looks as surprised as you are at her sudden feat of superhuman strength.

"Who's Musclechick?" the rock-dude asks as she trots over to you both. "She with you?"
You shake your head with a shrug.
"Hey, I think maybe I can help you two out here," she says suddenly, which honestly is literally the best thing anyone has said all day.
"Sure thing Princess," you say.
"Huh?" she says with a confused jerk of her head, not getting it and not sure if she's offended or not.
You nod at her shirt.
"Oh! Yeah. Okay, sure. 'Princess'."

>WDYS?
>"Introductions later, let's kick ass!" [Fight!]
>"So why aren't you two crazy like everyone else?" [Question]

>>47482807
>"Introductions later, let's kick ass!" [Fight!]

>>47482807
>"So why aren't you two crazy like everyone else?" [Question]

Sorry, should have asked this sooner; how's everybody holding up BTW?
I can postpone the fight until tomorrow and try to keep this thread bumped or whatever until I wake up if necessary?

>>47482807
>"Introductions later, let's kick ass!" [Fight!]
He better say the catchphrase Sage

>>47482807
>>"Introductions later, let's kick ass!" [Fight!]

>>47482807
>"Introductions later, let's kick ass!" [Fight!]

>>47482835
I am enjoying having you back, but I would also enjoy some sleep.

>>47482835
I'm ready to go all night
Been waiting months for a new WulinSage quest

Though it's ultimately up to you if you stop

>>47482807
>>"Introductions later, let's kick ass!" [Fight!]
Still up and watching had to take care of somethings and playing nobunagas ambition.

>>47482873
>>47482875
I might finish this one scene first.
I can keep the thread bumped after that or archive it and let it drop below 10 should others prefer one or the other.

>>47482807
>>"Introductions later, let's kick ass!" [Fight!]

>>47482835
>"Introductions later, let's kick ass!" [Fight!]
I'm good but I'm also greedy for more. Depends on how many people are still here I guess.

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"How's about we do the hello's later and-" you, say, and then the mongoose-lady leaps back up only to be tackled back by....well, it looks like werewolf in a black and orange unitard, actually.
"Oh," the wolf-guy says in a surprisingly normal voice. "Heya. Was kinda tracking furry lady here after she ambushed me a block back and KOed me. Figured I'd return to favor for her."
"There's a dog-guy now?" Princess asks in confusion.
"Hey, that's hurtful," he says in a mockingly indignant way. "I'm a wolf, not a dog."

"Guys?" you say to shut them up as the magnetic lady extracts herself from the rubble and shrieks in rage, floating over to a skeleton building in the middle of construction.
A violet corona surrounds her and the entire building just comes apart like a Linkin Log house and floats into the air, random bits of metallic debris spiraling around her as the huge steel construction beams float into the air.
"FOOLS! If you think something so trite can stop DEATH MAGNETIC, then you truly DESERVE the deaths coming for you!" she cries as she easily lifts what looks to be over 80 tons of steel into the air around her.
The other mutants get up and look ready to fight too.

Dogman (sorry, WOLFman), Rockbuddy, and Princess all take a step back.
"Look, I've never actually done this before-" Princess says, hesitant.
"Yeah, they look...REAL mad-" the furry one says.
"I was going out for a goddamn burger and then-" the large stone man begins.
You see their resolved, fueled by adrenaline breaking when they see the raw power Death Magnetic (ugh, that's actually a really good name...which means she's probably gonna be a pain in your ass forever now) wields and how badly outnumbered they are.
You leap up into the air and land in front of them, facing your collective foes.

Time to rally the troops.

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"Listen to me," you say in a voice that commands respect, and they all turn towards you even as you look ahead.
"It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter who you were, or what you did or even what you want to do in the future after this. All three of you came here, right now, into what you KNEW was trouble, and all three of you did it because you knew you could help, am I right?"

You don't need to look. You can feel them nod.

"You don't need to be afraid. Because that choice, that ONE choice you made, doesn't make you bystanders. It doesn't make you helpless. It doesn't make you victims," you turn towards them and meet their eyes all at once.

"Whatever you want to be after this, that's up to you. Nobody's forcing you to do anything. But today, right here, right now, all three of you are SUPERHEROES," you say with absolute confidence before turning back to the crowd of foes.

"And superheroes don't loose. So let's kick their asses."

And then you charge straight for Magnetic.
And you can feel all three of them behind you.

>NEXT ISSUE
>Freedom Eagle and his erstwhile allies must face down with the nefarious DEATH MAGNETIC and the mutants created by the SILVER STORM!
>But how did the storm appear? Where did it come from? Who caused it? What was it's mysterious purpose?
>These questions will be asked, and more in the next issue of Superhero Quest!

And for now, I'm done.
I shall archive this thread so nobody needs to bump it and pick up the next thread as soon as I can tomorrow, because now I actually have the free time to on occasion do back to back threads like that again!

>>47483138
Are we trying to keep this bumped or...?

>>47483148
Thanks for running. Nice to see this old bird rebooted, I'd honestly completely forgotten why I was even following your twitter.

>>47483138
Great thread Sage
after having read the last Quest in the archives are there going to be any recurring characters like The Envoy

Also Rocky has to say the catchphrase next thread

>>47483179
I figured I'd do a proper reboot, what with the last one requiring a shitload of backround info just to start off and not everyone automatically familiar with M&M's Freedomverse backstory.
This one will be mostly episodic in nature while going back and forth between the Emerald City Knights plotline as well as referencing pretty much a bajillion other comics storylines both obscure and famous I've read in my life.

I might give recommendations at the end of every other issue for what comic it's based off or inspired by on occasion.

>>47483180
Envoy will indeed reappear in this quest later down the line, though under different circumstances.

WHOO WELCOME BACK WULINSaaagEEE

Bump